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Character Name
Yamamoto Kikue
For more on her name, see the "more information" section.


Character Appearance (Human)
Kikue is 160.8 cm tall ( approx. 5'2" ) and weighs 49.8kg. She has long, silky black hair, down to just a little past her waist. Her bangs aren't cut straight across, but are feathery. Her eyes are a misty grey. Added to her somewhat pale complexition, she looks very much like her mother, a point that can sometimes infuriate her father...as well as dissolve him to tears, remembering Kikue's mother's death. Kikue is thin, as well as short, but lithe. Her fingers are long rather than short, an aid to her in her musical aspirations. She usually keeps her hair down, but occasionally puts it up into Japanese ornamental styles.


Character Personality
Kikue is an introverted person, preferring logic over emotions. She is quiet, observant, and usually analytical. She is determined to fulfill whatever she sets her mind to, even amid growing opposition. She is very intelligent, more so than a girl her age would be normally. She knows this, and tries to put it to use; learning things is very exciting for her. However, her preference for logic has its limits - her loyalty is fierce and her mind, in some ways, retains a childish aspect that her thinking self isn't very aware of. Kikue would rather observe than speak. She would rather work alone than in a group with others, which is resonant of how she grew up as an only child. She has a very loving heart, even though it may be hard to see by looking at her from first glance. The way she espresses emotion isn't always physical, as she has had to resort to playing her music or writing to herself in the past for such things as avoiding confrontations with her father. Overall, her quiet, sometimes even analytical, outer self masks the fiery, determined girl on the inside.


Character Background
Yamamoto Kikue was born on September 21, 1989 in London, England. From the onset there were signs that she was different from other children the same age as she was. Kikue was gifted, with a mind years ahead of other children. Her parents had her enrolled in a prestigious international school, which is customary for children of diplomats from foreign countries. Kikue's father, a Japanese diplomat, worked at the Japanese embassy in London.

At around age five, Kikue played the violin from the first time. It was impossible to overlook the how easily it came to her; how much she loved it. As a child violin prodigy, she was given private tutoring from a contemporary violin master to hone her exceptional musical skills.

As a child, Kikue was often isolated. Her mother was deeply in love with their native Japan and devoted herself to instructing her daughter in the traditional ways a young girl should move, dress, and act. Kikue was "representing Japan;" she sometimes accompanied her parents to their diplomatic parties and played for the guests that came to the private parties at the house. Otherwise, her mother was her primary caregiver; her father was constantly working.

One year, Kikue's father was given temporary leave from his work at the embassy to return home to Japan with his family for a period of a few months. Kikue returned there with her parents to see her mother's beloved country for the first time.

They stayed in Kyoto first, her mother's birthplace. Then they traveled south to Kobe, her father's city. A few weeks later, everything changed. On January 17, 1995, the Kobe Earthquake, also called the Great Hanshin earthquake , struck. It killed over six thousand people, including Kikue's mother. Devastated and broken, Kikue's father whisked her away to Tokyo, where he was soon reassigned following the tragedy.

Kikue continued her education as well as her music with the loss of her mother constantly hanging over her. Her father became an alcoholic, often using the profits of her music to continue his addiction while emotionally abusing Kikue. She watched him slowly fade before her, forced to take care of herself most of the time. What her father didn't spend on booze, he spent on buying arbitrary and superficial items for the butsudan dedicated to her mother, believing he was buying them for his wife.

Kikue was admitted into a prestigious high school, and the common belief was that she was headed for Tokyo University even at the young age of 16. By then she had already released several recordings under an independent label of her violin playing. As a violinist, she was already highly respected. Her dream from childhood remained was to be a soloist in the London Symphony Orchestra.

All of that was put into jeopardy one night, when Kikue's father had been drinking heavily. Dragging her into the room where the altar to her mother was, he crushed her hand in the doors of the butsudan, shouting drunkinly that she wasn't giving enough of herself to bring her mother back. It was the first time he had really physically abused her, going beyond his raving and cursing. Kikue was hospitalized that night with a broken hand, where she was told she could need anywhere from months, to a year, to years of physical therapy to regain full range of motion in her hand. She shakily tried to fend off depression from taking over. Even after the therapy started, her father started refusing to pay, his mind nearly lost totally to the booze.

Kikue began stealing money from him and taking herself to treatment, which only angered him more. Without Kikue's violin playing, they faced a looming financial crisis. What money was left was Kikue's profits from her music, and some of her mother's inheritence. Her father continued to waste it; catching his daughter leaving the house with money would sometimes drive him to locking her inside, although he didn't result to physical abuse again.

Kikue struggled to justify her father's actions, continually ending up more furious yet hurt over his inability to see reason. Without her ability to play the violin for what could be anywhere from months to years, she grappled with trying to be rational instead of sinking into despair. With her father locking her inside, days could sometimes pass before she could return to school. She angrily, almost desperately, fought to keep herself calm and focused. Her hand was kept bandaged to restrict what movement it had, lest she do something accidently and disrupt what little progress she'd made.

Her music was her life, and she would take herself to treatments even after being locked in a closet the day before to try and regain it. She was desperate, but couldn't bring herself to turn her father in. Her goals - to understand everything that she could, and play as well as she could - still stayed with her, even though each day became automatic. The media knew little beyond the story that the young musical prodigy had had a horrible accident, and may not play again for some time. The rest was kept behind closed doors, with Kikue silently recording each day in her journal, her bound hand motionless beside her on the table.


How does your character get to/why was your character chosen for the Island?
One night, Yamamoto Kikue left her house to what was assumed to be physical therapy. Except that she didn't come home that night, or the next. Her father was sober enough to call the authorities, naturally masking any sign he may have abused her previously. A search was set up, and the city streets swept for evidence. Three days after she had gone missing, there was still no sign of her. Her father was hauled in for questioning, especially upon inspection of the house, where Kikue had been before she left. There were eerie signs that may have suggested he had done something to her.

The media latched onto the story immediately, like a leech, spilling out the details onto daytime television. People were horrified when Kikue's father slowly revealed his abusive acts towards his daughter, under heavy questioning. Who had thought the girl the media had previously called "a prodigy" was in fact locked in her own house? After various testimonies, Kikue's father was arrested. He admitted the abuse of his daughter, but refused the claim that he had killed her, which was her assumed fate after weeks turned into months of finding nothing. He pleaded innocent.

After cross-examination of the evidence, there was still not enough to convict Kikue's father. He was detained for the duration of his questioning, but later released under various conditions - which included rehabilitation for his addiction and abuse of alcohol. The case continued, but the trail was as cold as ever. Eventually, the case was quietly dropped. No body was ever found, nor were any more arrests made. It was as if the girl had simply disappeared off the face of the planet.

The story mostly died down afterwards, life returning to the normal hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps.

However, what no one else knew was that Kikue was very much alive, hidden away...

Kikue was chosen for the Island for a number of reasons. One of the foremost reasons was her abilities, which included intelligence and musical talent. Following short after, though, was the part of her life that crippled her from her full potential : her injury. She still has her hand, but it is heavily damaged, and would take many years to restore - if it ever even reached that point. This opportunity is important for Moreau, because while he has now brought in those with an amputated or missing limb to test his work on, Kikue still retains her hand. Should his experiment be a success on her, he could in theory prove something very important. He could restore full, complete motion to her hand. That, and Kikue was an easy target to spirit away - she happened to have a lot of attractive qualities for the project, too, which contributed to the descision.The secondary reasons for Kikue's choosing were nationality and a few others which may have either been interest or something else...


What Animal(s)/Plant(s)/Dinosaur Serum do you want?
Snow leopard.


Describe your ideal 100% appearance.
Kikue's body would be covered in long silvery white fur, bearing the black rosettes and broken-spot markings that leopards are known for. She would sport a very long, thick-looking tail, a distinctive feature of snow leopards in general. Her hands would have transformed to resemble the large, powerful paws of her animal. Her head would resemble the leopard's now, with a heavy brow and drawn out nose, plus the mouth and teeth. Although she still retains her long hair, it's been bleached white now. Her ears, now more rounded and tipped with black, would have moved more to the top of her head, such as the cat's are. She retains her human-ness of being able to stand upright, but she now has thick claws on her paws, and her fur is long and feathery over her chest and stomach. Her eyes are a cat's. Hidden by her long fur are the now-muscular limbs, which enable her to climb, pounce, and other manuvers with incrediable and powerful skill.


Why this animal/plant for your character?
I actually started with the snow leopard idea, looking to an animal that I kind of associate with someone who isn't with me anymore...my mama. This is the case with Kikue also, whose mother isn't with her. It's a personal irony for me, to have her transform into the snow leopard. Then, there are the other reasons, which Moreau would be able to know about : the snow leopard is a lot like Kikue already, being solitary, graceful, etc. Yet it also retains power. Kikue at home could not bring herself to really turn in her father. She thought of both him, and her mother - as well as what it might mean for her, if she was taken from him. She took his abuse. The leopard is fierce and would slowly toughen Kikue both psychologically and physically. Her limbs would be powerful, no longer vulnerable to a grown man's grip on her. Beyond all of this, the snow leopard is an Asian animal, and prefers being high up to look out over the world. As a cat, an animal Kikue can clearly and easily identify with, she would also regain the ability to move her left hand without pain or pressure.

I feel mostly that the animal suits her, and with my own personal reasons for choosing it, it just seems like the right choice. It holds onto qualities that Kikue has as a human, but also overcomes others. Lithe, yet powerful. No longer the girl locked in the hall closet, while her father drank himself into a stupor.


What do you think really makes this concept?
I really believe a lot makes this concept. Kikue is Japanese, adding diversity to the Island's diverse selection of nationalities. She's also an opportunity for Moreau to really gain ground in his research, as well as a chance to add someone who may not be too hard to handle for the staff ( generally, promises of regaining her musical ability would be very attractive to her ). She's also an introverted character, while a lot of the current subjects aren't quite. She may even be a valuable assest to the staff, it's hard to say, but her intelligence would ensure that she wouldn't do anything without doing her own research first. What lays ahead for her would provide interesting RP opportunities and interactions with both the staff and current Islanders. Overall, I am very invested in Kikue's concept and believe it would offer a lot to the IoDM roleplay.