Post by lockandkey on Dec 12, 2009 17:12:59 GMT -5
;;Kami Sanai Lockheart;;
Is Entering Sins of Impunity
Is Entering Sins of Impunity
It’s All About You
Behind the Puppet Master
::NAME::[/blockquote]
Kat
::AGE:
16
::GENDER::
Girl
::RP EXPERIENCE::
4-5 years
::CONTACTING YOU::
PM
::ACTIVITY::
I'll be decently active, at least once a day. I'm in the Central US time zone.
::THE PUPPETS::
I plan on making a male character named Remus Key but, that'll be later.
The Identification Tag
Character Basics
::ALIAS::
Tora (means tiger in Japanese), Yuri-Amai (means sweet lily in Japanese)
::NAME::
Well, she once was Tsugiya Kamiko but today she's known as Kami Lockheart
::GENDER:: female
::ORIENTATION:: straight
::REAL AGE::
401 years
::PHYSICAL AGE::
18 years
::SPECIES::
Were-tigress
::SIRE::
Yushigami Sai
::RELIGIOUS AFFLIATION::
Was once a shinto believer but now has no real devotion
::WEALTH::
Very wealthy but, she doesn't flaunt it.
::JOB::
Artist, art historian
Where Your Abilities Fall
The Character Talents
::STRENGTHS::
1. Multi-lingual (Speaks various dialects of Japanese, English, Chinese and sign language)
2. Skilled with writing and drawing
3. Very agile and graceful, like a cat
4. Amazing night vision.
::SUMMARY::
Kami is fairly normal, or at least she appears to be. Her main strength is her cat-like grace and quick reflexes. It takes a lot to knock her off her feet or even startle her. She's known for her keen eyesight in the dark and has the smoothest stride you may ever see. Kami favors a subtle, artistic lifestyle, relying on the finer skills she learned when she was still normal. She speaks multiple dialects of various Asian languages, speaks and writes in English and knows sign language. She uses these languages and artisitc skills to make ends meet at the end of the month and it gives her mobility, to move when she thinks someone's noticing she doesn't age very fast.
::WEAKNESSES::
1. Water
2. A spot right behind her ears
3. Her petite figure
::SUMMARY::
Everybody knows cats hate water. Kami is no exception to this rule. She hates getting caught in the rain, getting dunked, going swimming or anything outside of the necessary grooming necessities. Why? Well, not even Kami really knows anymore. Another weak spot for Kami is right behind her ear, either ear. Rub that spot and you've got her purring like your everyday housecat unless she is severely pissed off. Her last major weakness is the fact that Kami is a five foot, one inch woman that hardly weighs a hundred pounds. That means she's insanely light and easily taken advantage of when not in her were-form. Even then, other were-tigers or weres in general could easily take advantage of her.
The More Human Side of Things
Human Appearance
::HAIR::[/size]
Black
::EYES::
Dark brown
::HEIGHT::
5 feet, 1 inch
::WEIGHT::
102 on a good day
:MARKS::
A three-line claw mark down her right shoulder blade.
::SKIN TONE::
Ivory white
::BODY TYPE::
Petite, made to be held and protected.
::CLOTHES::
Kami dresses an an artist's style, things that don't look good on their own or on other people look great on her, thrown together with other things that don't match. She'll wear bright colors and odd accessories without a second thought but, has a soft heart for traditional things.
::SUMMARY::
If you saw Kami on the street, you'd think she was a typical art student beauty. She may not have legs for days but she has the figure that makes you want to curl up in front of a fire and just snuggle her. Tall or brawny guys think she's hard to handle because she's so small and often mistake her for being "breakable." Kami has long black hair that's usually worn up, twisted in odd styles or braided out of her way. She seldom wears her hair long but refuses to cut it for sentimental reasons. Kami has that unblemished skins that makes models furious, the effortless style that's casual and classy. To some girls, she doesn't look like much more than a lady with an eye for style but, to others, she's the physical embodiment of their green-eyed monster.
Battling Personal Demons
Were Appearance
::EYE COLOR::[/size]
Blue/grey/green
::PELT::
A white, sleek base coat covered with elegant black stripes.
::SIZE::
A bit on the small side, even as a tiger.
::MARKS::
Nothing outside of the normal black stripes.
Personality is Everything
How They Might Act
::LIKES::[/size]
1. Moonlight
2. Sunny spring days
3. Being alone in the middle of nowhere
::DISLIKES::
1. Water
2. Public transportation
3. Players
4. Getting frustrated
::FLAWS::
1. The fact that she seldom bothers with violence, even in self-defense
2. She's a HORRIBLE morning person, as in, do not approach before noon or later.
3. Holds grudges
4. She has an insane temper.
::BLESSINGS::
1. Her gentled nature
2. She offers silent but effective comfort, such a hug or a hand on the shoulder
3. Her "everything happens for a reason" attitude.
::SUMMARY::
Kami is a person that some either love or hate in a split second. Her gentle, serene nature can be adoring and endearing or irritating and infuriating. She doesn't like getting mad or frustrated because it lasts a while for her. Kami is horrible about holding grudges, she holds them for centuries and that's one thing she absolutely hates about herself. Even though she doesn't like it, she seldom bothers to make herself stop. For some reason, when she gets mad, it just doesn't matter anymore. Normally though, Kami is a great companion in hard times. She keeps her head in emergencies and doesn't over do sympathy. Instead, she goes more toward empathy. Rather than shower pity on someone, she figures out ways to help them and make things better. In the mornings, Kami is nearly intolerable. She'll growl like the tiger she is and more or less tell the world to go screw itself. When she can, Kami prefers working nights or evenings rather than days because of her intolerance for the morning. Kami is a firm believer in everything happening for a reason. Someone dies, someone grows. Someone wrecks your car, okay, buy a hybrid. Sometimes this can get on people's nerves but, Kami never cared much what others thought of her.
Checking Out the Background
Historical Stuff
::FAMILY MEMBERS::[/size]
Tsugiya Matsari- mother
Tsugiya Shikaku- father
Tsugiya Yuta- older brother
Tsugiya Sunai-- younger sister
Tsugiya Kaname- older brother
::BIRTHPLACE::
Kyoto, Japan
::CHILDHOOD::
Kami was always the "homemaker" of her family. Being the eldest daughter of a prominent trader, she had to be well versed in multiple fine arts and etiquette in order to marry well. Kami often remembers the lessons her mother would give her in the garden of their home just outside of Kyoto, and then sitting by the pond and teaching her little sister things. When she was eight, her mother died birthing Kami's younger brother Kaname so, Kami had to step up and be the "mother" in her family at the tender age of thirteen. At the time, her older brother Yuta was fifteen, her younger sister Sunai was seven and of course Kaname was only a newborn. When her mother died, Kami can still remember her father, Tsugiya Shikaku, becoming distinctly distant and cold toward his children, often striking out at her if one of the younger children misbehaved. Several times she could remember Yuta stepping up and saving her, searching for someone to marry her off to in order to keep her and her siblings from their father's abuse.
::TRANSFORMATION::
The son of a local business man, Yushigami Sai, was the first guy to ever really catch Kami's eye. They were both young but, their statuses were similar so, they got along well. Sai's father was a business partner of Kami's and they saw each other often. By the time they were both of proper age to marry, a deal had been struck between their fathers. They were to be married the spring after Kami's birthday. Kami's brother, Yuta, was ecstatic, glad to be able to save his little sister from their generally abusive father. He had already married but, kept an eye on his siblings, always on the look out for ways to get them away from their father. Saving Kami was his first concern. Kami and Sai didn't mind being married, they were in a phase of young love, wrapped up in each other's arms and drowning in their own wild affections. They married as planned and that night, Sai revealed a family secret to Kami. It turned out his family were a rather powerful line of were-tigers and, as Sai's wife, she needed to be one too. Kami was terrified at first and locked herself away from her new husband for three days, meditating and trying to clear her head. She had to remind herself that Sai wasn't just an animal, he was the man that loved her and it was her responsibility as his wife to meet the requirements of his family.
When she opened her door to him again, she found him worrying himself sick by the pond of his family's estate. She knelt next to him and hugged him, telling him it was okay and that he could change her. That night, he did, transforming and raking his claws down her shoulder as delicately as possible. Kami was terrified, trapped under a massive white tiger, its claws on her back but, when it cleaned the wound, Kami forgot everything else. She could see the moonlight and her vision exploded into white and then black. She doesn't remember anything from the next two days except a rumbling that she couldn't identify, scents and sensations that she'd never felt and a sudden sense of power, freedom and grace. When she came back to herself, Kami was far from Kyoto in the mountains. Sai was with her in his tiger form, watching her warily but, Kami assured him she was alright again and he became human again. He explained to her that for two days she had been feral, that he had been tracking and herding her to keep her from hurting someone. He then went on to explain the dynamics of what she was and why the cold no longer seemed to bother her so much, even though they were high in the mountains.
::PREY::
Kami actually can eat normal human food though she's not a big fan of vegetables. Fish, beef and pork will satisfy her hunger but, on nights of the full moon she has to hunt from live prey. When she needs to eat from something that was alive, Kami hunts anything from dogs to deer, humans to horses.
::MOON TIDINGS::
Kami is sensitive to the tides of the moon. On nights of a full moon she feels restless and caged, often having to transform to relieve the feeling. Full moons bring out her hunting instinct and Kami will more often than not go out looking for live prey to satisfy her inner beast. She's never proud of it but, she knows it's part of what she is. On other nights, Kami is normal and can transform at will though she seldom does. Strong emotions can make it harder to resist transforming but, Kami has had lots of practice.
::TURNING OTHERS::
There is a special toxin in Kami's blood that infects others. The way Sai taught her to change others was to scratch herself and then scratch them. The marking was a way to identify members of the family "pride." Kami has only ever changed one person and has found it as easy as to cut her wrist and let them drink but, found she preferred using her claws. It allowed her more control over the other when they started to change, making her better prepared to hold them down when she changed them while she was already in her tiger form.
::HISTORY::
Kami was born to a wealthy merchant by the name of Tsugiya Shikaku and his wife Tsugiya Matsari outside of Kyoto Japan in the winter of 1608. She had one older brother, Tsugiya Yuta whom was two years older than her. Kami remembers her family as being loving and supportive though her father was a man set firmly in his ways with the stubborn mind of a mule and the fast strike of a serpent. Her mother was a gentle, quiet woman, well versed in what was proper for the time. Matsari enjoyed teaching Kami and was thrilled at having birthed her first daughter. When Kami was ten, Matsari gave birth again. This time, she had another little girl whom was named Sunai. Kami loved having a little sister to teach and play with. Some of her fondest memories are of the afternoons she would spend with her mother and little sister in the family guardens while her father worked and Yuta had lessons.
A few years later, Matsari was pregnant again and this time had a boy. Sadly however, she died in birth leaving Tsugiya Kaname in Kami's care. Kami was devastated at her mother's death and had a hard time pulling herself together in time to take responsibility of her younger siblings. Yuta became her best friend, always her shoulder to cry on when she couldn't cry in front of the children. Things would have gotten better but, they never got the chance. Shikaku became abusive, lashing out at his eldest children. Yuta and Kami felt the sting of his strikes and bore it silently. Yuta was outraged but didn't speak out against it. Instead, he tried to find ways to help Kami. The summer after their mother's death, Yuta married which left Kami alone with her abusive father, refusing to let him lay a hand on the other children. Yuta urged her to chose a husband or threatened to do it himself.
It turned out Kami didn't need Yuta's help in finding a good suitor. A business partner of Shikaku's brought his son along with him one afternoon and the boy, Sai, saw Kami playing with a young Kaname in the garden, Sanai sitting beside her playing a reed flute. While their father's talked, Sai joined them and became quickly attached to Kami. Anytime his father went to the Tsugiya estate, he would go with him just to see Kami. Kami enjoyed his company and felt safe with him. Sai was a soft spoken, intelligent person, nothing like her angry drunk of a father that seldom let others speak anymore. Their fathers aranged for them to marry and, in the spring after Kami's birthday, they did.
Kami discovered that Sai's family was a line of distinctive were-tigers and that to remain safe within his family, she had to be one as well. It took several days for Kami to adjust to the idea of being something not human for the sake of her husband. Finally she made her decision and went to find him. She let him change her, even though she was terrified. Sai was the only one she wanted to be with and she would do anything for him, even something that seemed to defy nature itself. Kami went feral for three days after Sai turned her but, returned to herself rightly enough. She noticed a change in her stride, more flexibility in her petite body and keener senses than she had had before. Sai helped her through the first difficult weeks of adjusting to the urge to transform. Slowly, with time, things became more bearable. Within a year, she was able to control the urge to transform enough that she could travel but, Sai seldom made her go anywhere. He made it his goal to keep her comfortable and happy, his "sweet lilly." Why she called him that, she never got to ask.
A year after their marriage, Kami became pregnant. The pair were ecstatic but, disaster struck. A group of bandits rode to their small estate on a summer afternoon when Kami was alone with only a few servants. Sai wasn't as wealthy as his father and had a smaller estate with no guards, only human household servants but, they had never needed guards. The guards killed the servants and kidnapped her, six months pregnant. Kami was their prisoner for three days before Sai found her. When he attacked the bandits that had her, Kami blacked out because she was stabbed by a panicking bandit. When she came around, Sai was laying beside her in his tiger form, eyes clouded, body cold and stiff. All of the bandits were dead but, so was her young husband. Kami laid there and cried, too tired and weak to get up and leave the gore. She knew her baby was dead from the trauma and she was bleeding from the stab wound in her side. A caravan of merchants traveling to Kyoto found Kami, dillusional with grief and bloodloss. They took her with them and servants treated her wounds.
When she was well, Kami returned to her father's estate. She picked up where she'd left off, raising Sanai and Kaname. Her father died from an unknown sickness but, Kami never felt pity or grief at his passing. She was a shell of her former self, dead with Sai and not knowing what to do. Sai's father found her when Sanai was married off and invited her to leave her family's estate to Yuta and live with the family of her husband since they were "her kind." Kami took him up on his offer.
For several years, as the world around her grew older and Kami remained more or less unchanged, she traveled through Asia. The network of were-tigers related to her husband's family sheltered her and educated her as the times changed. In the 1800s, Kami lived in China with distant cousins of her husband's family and began making her own way as best she could. She sold art in marketplaces and made small pieces of pottery to sell as well. She traveled from village to village, becoming steadily more distant from her husband's clan, though their mark on her shoulder often kept her safe. In the early 1900s, Kami went to America and began her life there. She learned English slowly but surely and weathered the World Wars as best as anyone else could. Kami learned trades outside of her own to work in factories during wartime and during WWII, was placed in a camp with other Japanese immigrants because she had not established family. Her name alternated between Kamiko Tsugiya and Kami Yushigami as the years wore on to keep herself from being known. It wasn't that Kami had stopped aging, she had simply slowed. In four hundred years, she's only aged four physical years.
Kami has attended art schools all around the United States and Japan, worked as an interpreter for courts, hospitals and customs offices as well as made a living as a market artist. She's accumulated quite a bit of wealth but, still maintains a small apartment in New York rather than the mansion she could actually afford.
Your Own Mad Skills
How Good Are You?
::CODE WORD::[/size]
do the mashed potatoe, do the twiste
::APPLICATION STATUS::
Finished
::RP EXAMPLE::If there was one thing Kami liked about New York it was that she could hide in plain sight. The square was full of people, businessmen with briefcases, tourists with their silly cameras, residents with irritated looks on their faces, venders shouting their wares. All of the noise and bustle swallowed Kami whole and that was just fine with her. Perched on a stool, easel set up and a little tray table beside her, she was content to watch. Her slim fingers were smudged with chalk from her soft pastels and charcoal, long black hair twisted up off her neck in a messy bun-sort of style. There was another stool nearby, hoping to entice someone to come asking for a closeup sketch. It wasn't much but, Kami usually got a pretty good bit from tourists that didn't understand how easy a five minute sketch was. She wasn't poor but, any bit she could get would be great. Right now though, the stool sat lonely and empty just to her right, people walking right by without even seeing her.
Kami glanced around, dark brown eyes scanning the crowded center. It was lunchtime or there abouts, everyone was heading for their favorite hot dog stand or little restaurant on the corner. Things would simmer down soon to just the gabbling tourists and everyday shoppers but right now, being in the square was definitely interesting. Kami would say it was almost like clinging to a rock in the middle of fast-flowing rapids. If you got in the way of something, you'd be mowed down without a second thought or a pitiful apology.
Shrugging to herself, Kami looked back at the paper on the easel. It was a close up of a tiger's eye drawn in charcoal. Nothing very impressive by most standards but, Kami was bored and needed something to keep herself from fidgeting. Her mother had told her, so many centuries ago, that she would always be the woman with something in her hand to keep her busy. Mother dearest hadn't been wrong. If Kami was among others in motion, like the crowd around her, she had to be moving. Drawing soothed that urge, let her drown out the world around her and focus on the canvas. Here and now, she could focus on just the cat's eye looking back at her, working in minor details that brought it to life.
Focusing on the drawing again, Kami used her thumb to smooth over a stripe, moving to shade the muzzle, her own now human eyes focused on the imaginary tiger eye. The shouting, laughing, talking, clacking of heels, all of it faded back until it was a mere whisper like the patter of rain on a window pane. Let it be, let it be.
