#also I had her hair color match the purple/blue varieties of bellflowers

[gentlekami]

What are the origins of your OC’s name? Do they have nicknames? Where did they come from? (from @tsukinoxiv)

Thank you for another question! Her name was one of the things I really wanted to put thought into, despite it being from a popular anime years past! My love for flowers was translated into my character, for her name, Kikyo (桔梗), refers to the bellflower. It is one of the seven autumn flowers, representing the season's beauty. I wanted her to be a reflection of the fall, which symbolizes a time of harvest and change. Where there is a barrier between life and death.

Due to its shape, it shares some symbolism with religious bells, oftentimes associated with death. Hence the reason I think the name fits her well, especially since she gives off a delicate chime from the kanzashi in her hair.

Her nicknames have changed throughout the years, though it also depends on just how close they are personally to Kikyo, or perhaps knowledgeable, of what she is.

However, a gentleman who thought she was a celestial maiden first gave her the moniker Yugao-hime, it has stuck with her to this day. To ordinary denizens and those close to her, she is called Kikyo-dono, or Bellflower, if it is familial.

Her name, however, is not spoken by yokai and other supernatural beings; she is nicknamed by what she is: shinigami or little kami.