TREACHERY

history

tw / mass murders, fatphobia

kaneyama gaku, 29, witch

the son of a spiritual and magical priestess to shintoism (mother) miko/巫女 shrine maiden works too and a magical military general (father) who defends all of northern okinawa, japan. their marriage was fated as the two made a pact to consolidate power as the regional population of witches/wizards were declining by the numbers due to modernization, stigmas, national government, etc. gaku is the youngest of two other boys. it’s an agreeable family and household.

lemme preface this by mentioning the kaneyama name goes way back to the muromachi period (mid 1300s) during medieval japan as a former magical vassal turned military sect that dabbled heavily with witchcraft, more specifically with okinawan witchcraft. along the way you can expect massive conflicts on land as the years approach the sengoku period, (basically the warring states period, yes they absolutely did reheat china’s nachos) so does the kaneyama clan get involved in said bloody pursuits. the family were formerly Incredibly Blessed with sorcery and black magic but ofc that doesn’t last long when they ended up getting most of their powers relinquished and reduced by some angry folks up around the north (hokkaido, aomori, yamagata, etc). to be fair tho the north were doing the rest of jp a favor before entering the era of tokugawa, etc. so that’s that on a sparksnote rendition, u would have to ask gaku for the specifics i fear

so damn that’s a lot going on right. anyway lmao gaku’s growing up with not much going on for himself really because he’s living in his older brothers’ shadows. gaku’s pitied as a young boy for being in and out of hospitals due to his poor thyroid condition as it affects his autoimmune system. his parents don’t instill responsibility too much on him for being chronically unwell, all the while remaining overweight so he’s constantly looked over despite Still participating in combat training/archery/swordsmanship. in turn, his condition inhibits his abilities (geomantic strength) as they failed to properly manifest, so he largely focused on physical training to make up for it.

:-) but of course it doesn’t stop there! it’s abe shinzo’s japan at the time so i imagine he doesn’t take witchcraft very well, especially ancient okinawan sorcery which is deemed as “other than”, “primitive” and “spiritually conjuring”. with jp being allies with most nations on the west, primarily the united states, the stationed military medics were gradually ordered to sterilize many of the remaining witches/wizards to 1) keep them weak and 2) keep them from repopulating. and THEN the americans decide to expand their military bases crossing over land that’s considered highly spiritual and sacred to the magical population?? oh it’s so over

i do think if the okinawans were practicing the national form of witchcraft that is acceptable to the west and the jp government, they wouldn’t be in the position that they’re in. but alas, the kaneyama fam with many others aren’t backing down on a fight when conflict ensues against the u.s. military, so *inserts battle sequences* 😭 whole house mad asf! now the locals are deemed as t*rrorists for defending their right to live, gaku damn near lost an eye mid-battle when his ability started to resurface ANNND he’s not even magically trained! girl what the hell

eventually bro gets captured by some g.i. from wisconsin or whatver and instead of sterilization, they give him another comfortable choice bc gaku is from an esteemed native family. otherwise if he was just any other witch with nothing to his name then yeah, he would’ve gotten the needle. so it’s either that, or assimilate by means of receiving an education for modern witchcraft, which is the world’s most practiced form.

gaku isn’t 100% selfless: the second-born son, his older brother dies in combat and the first born one gets forcibly shipped off to a school in hong kong, so he plays the long game. gets shipped off to rural seoul because he prioritizes his life and finds that maybe.. just Maybe, he could utilize this chance of “assimilation” to better his ability, himself, his family, and avenge his brother. after all, the karmic energy is in its fall from centuries ago has finally come to retrieve him, and will likely continue to do so. #saturnruled

is he simply seeking asylum in this boarding school for witches? or is he simply passing time? is he comfortable knowing he’s being hunted for sport if he even dreams about leaving rural seoul? well, gaku’s been here for about a single term (4-5 months?) now, if that doesn’t speak for itself then i don’t know what else will!

personality

a true introvert: doesn’t speak unless when spoken to, but this isn’t to be confused with being anti-social. gaku is normally rather pleasant, though he doesn’t let people know what’s really on his mind unless if comforted by the idea of closeness, trust, and loyalty.

he has a strong sense of self, is someone that one could rely on and presents himself willing of responsibility/duties. i imagine he has an air of familiarity reminiscent of people from small towns and villages. it’s not quite warmth, nor friendliness, but he is kind and courteous despite the initial coldness. he means well! and that is not indefinite unless if crossed!

what you see is normally what you get when it comes to him. straightforward, candid, dependable, yet still manages to be relenting as gaku could also read the room. honors code and Some traditions, as he’ll happily turn his back on them morally-speaking.

oddly enough? a real #nerd under all that tuff exterior. he’s a big ass history buff and is the type to sit right up in the front for courses like the history of magic, intro to transfiguration, etc. gaku’s ridiculously spiritual as well as superstitious. has a flair for occult knowledge, or at least wanting to gain such. he’s a worldly guy what can i say! #sagittariusmen #aquariusmoon #scorpioplacements

has a tendency to be cynical, short-tempered, and reactive when necessary (or.. not? hehe). but gaku does remain fiercely loyal to the friends and family that he wants to protect, which i think favors him in ways that makes him strangely empathetic. gaku’s compassionate at best.

i should end this by finally saying that he doesn’t have ambitions to become The Strongest or The Most Powerful Witch or whatever. as you can imagine, he clearly has No Knowledge of modern witchcraft, and his perspectives on such are drastically different from the way his version of magic is (culturally speaking). he retains his strong moral compass while remaining considerate of others, and only seeks to defend himself (and others) when necessary, so not at all afraid of confrontation. is he an aggressor? absolutely not. but a gentle giant? well yes!

anyways he’s literally rakko from chiikawa i’m not even joking

plots / connections