Short and scrawny. He has messy red hair that's stuck up at all angles. He keeps it out of his eyes with a white bandana. Typically he wears a black long sleeve and an apron around his waist. His eyes are green and he is always walking around with a cocky smirk. His clothes are covered in food stains and the distinct smell of hot cooking oil lingers on him.
Personality:Hotaru is fiery and sensitive. He is constantly seeking other people's approval and he gets really emotional when he either doesn't receive it or gets criticism he wasn't expecting. He wants people to like him and will defend people he considers his friends, even if they are people he only just met. Some people might even consider him a suckup or a brownnoser as he tries to ingratiate himself in groups by getting chummy with the higher ups.
Hotaru is self-sacrificing to a fault. He will constantly do without so others can have a little more. Sometimes this can lead to self-destructive behaviours such as going days without eating or getting involved in things he shouldn't be getting involved with (such the Bulwark Breakers).
Underneath his brash, hot-blooded facade is a genuinely kind-hearted person who cares about the well-being of others and wants nothing more than to feed the hungry bellies of those in the Collar.
History:Hotaru was an orphan living in the Guts. When he was five he was traded by his parents to a pair of cooks in the markets who raised him from then on. To this day he still doesn't understand why his parents abandoned him, though given the circumstances he was probably traded for a pair of meals. Though he wasn't abused he wasn't treated well either, being told to handle sharp objects and hot substances frome age five and onward. His body is covered in several burn marks from spilling hot oil. This of course was all training for when he would eventually take over the cooks' kitchen.
The cooks themselves, called the Hajimes, are a popular food stand in the Guts, but are talked about in hushed tones. They cook meals in their secret kitchen and send them out to customers in the community. Whatever doesn't get sold they give out to the hungry. The quality of the Hajimes' food is some of the "best" that can be found in the Guts, which isn't saying a lot. The best way to describe it would be palatable and a little spicy. Rumours about the Hajimes' food are abound. Some say they buy food directly from Security in exchange for information on gang whereabouts. According to more insidious rumours some say their food is made from people. The truth Hotaru himself is unsure. He admired the Hajimes but noted that they didn't open up emotionally very often and mostly kept to themselves. Growing up he was forbidden to ever enter their living space and the storeroom was only nearly empty on a handful of occasions.
It was during his off hours that Hotaru discovered Duel Monsters and started collecting whatever cards he could find in the garbage. Occasionally he was given a few commons or a rare as a tip when making food deliveries. He felt a special connection to FIRE attributed monsters and has worked hard building a deck around them. He recognizes the power Dueling has over people. Those in the Core get fat off the labour of their dueling. To Hotaru this is a great injustice. Those with the power to feed others should do so. That's why Hotaru is trying to join the Bulwark Breakers; so he can start feeding the hungry.
Personality: Cool headed and well-mannered he never denies anyone courtesy even if they are his bitter enemies. He is resolute in his beliefs but is willing to hear what other people have to say and is not above changing his mind when presented with new information. He is confident, polite and flexible.
History:Jackson Andrews is the head of the Andrews estate, an old American family who can track their history to before the Westward Expansion. The Andrews are considered one of the foundational magus families in America and virtually despised by European maguses. This all stems from a blood feud that started during Revolutionary War where The Andrews were one of the few magical families to side with the Americans.
Their magical ancestry can be traced back to the Valais Witch Trials of the 15th century where their ancestors, the Anders, were targeted by the church under suspicion of witchcraft and lycanthropy. The suspicions were of course true as the Andrews have continued the tradition of coupling with phantasmal species well into the modern era.
Jackson himself is a philanthropist, using his family's wealth in-service to those who need it. He grew up sheltered and privileged and feels the need to repent for his easy life. Growing up in modern America granted him a more contemporary education, even attending an American High School for a number of years. His knowledge of science and technology is far beyond that of most other Maguses and is much more willing to adopt and use the conveniences brought about by modernity. Magic-wise it could be said he was 'homeschooled' and encouraged to explore other magical systems. In addition to European magic schools he has studied magics native to America in order to get in touch with his bestial heritage.
Quality of Magic Circuits:B
Quantity of Magic Circuits:B
Abnormal Abilities
General Magecraft: Has a good understanding of the basics but is otherwise not formally trained in this particular style of magecraft.
Elementalism: Fire and Water.
American Witchcraft: An older form of Magecraft with origins in Europe that became popular in the United States during the 17th C and lead to the the infamous Salem Witch Trials. American Witchcraft was founded by Elizabeth "Goody" Garlick in 1658. It derives a lot from European schools of Witchcraft but with a much greater emphasis on curses, which require the use of a material medium (ex: straw doll, lock of hair, etc.) that impose a magical restriction on an individual. This school is not tied the Wiccan faith, who do not practice magecraft at all.
Navajo Spiritual Healing: A form of Shamanism that is one of the few forms of Magecraft not brought over to the New World but is instead holy native to the Americas. It was incorporated into the Crest during the rapid expansion into the West. It's main tenant is focused on reestablishing harmony within a body, as an imbalance or 'chaos' can manifest as illness or injury. It uses and requires knowledge in a vast array of plants, herbs, minerals and clays. Internally referred to as Diné Bahane', this school is rarely taught to those outside the Navajo culture so much is not known about its practices. It's primarily used for healing ailments and injury and the removal/redirection of curses. One of the more well-known "spells" of this school is the yee naaldlooshii ("by means of it, it goes on all fours") is not actually a part of the foundation proper but instead practised by an antithetical offshoot who go against the primary teachings. It is a form of "self-curse" that transfigures the user into an animal-like form for use in trickery or combat. English speakers typically refer to practitioners as "skin-walkers".
Lycanthropy: Typically members of his family would have a designated handler nearby to make sure if they tip over the edge into transformation they can be calmed-down and brought back from Ancestral Return, or if need be put out of their misery. Through use of Navajo Spiritual Healing Jackson has bypassed this limitation. Through great self-control he can induce near Ancestral Return, increasing his physical power, endurance and making his magical attacks more potent. By utilizing a special Mystic Code he can undergo complete Ancestral Return while still retaining a sense of reason and the capability to use magecraft.
Equipment
Pelt of a Wolf that died during a Solar Eclipse: According to Navajo beliefs a solar eclipse is a time of self-reflection and meditation. Wolves are an omen not for the dangers of nature but the dangers of humanity's own capacity to be monstrous. This Mystic Code is an ancient wolf pelt that was typically worn ceremonially. Jackson does care about these things. He purchased it from a tribe for an exorbitant price because it is an exceptionally rare Mystic Code that allows one to practice Diné Bahane' and transform into a 'mai-coh'. It is appropriate that 'mai-coh' can also mean witch.
Berchtold: An ancient axe-head marked with runes. Its original name has been lost so it was rechristened with the name of the ghostly spectre that leads the Wild Hunt. Activating the runes envelopes the axe-head in either ice or fire. A somatic command allows for axe-head shaped bolts of either ice or fire to be launched from the Mystic Code. The bolts travel quickly and their trajectory can be controlled after the fact. According to the Andrews the axe-head was forged by dwarves deep in the Earth.
The Cauldron of Ceridwen: An amplifier Mystic Code, it is an exceptionally old cauldron rumoured to have been used by the enchantress Crediwen with the intention of giving her son omnipotence. It was brought to the New World by a now dead magus family and later confiscated by the Puritans during the Salem Witch Trials. Recovered by Jackson himself, the cauldron allows for longe-range remote scrying and bolsters the range and potency of Witchcraft and potion brewing.
SIG516: A semi-automatic multi-caliber rifle that Jackson typically uses to hunt feral pigs.
Miscellaneous:Jackson is an outdoorsman and is comfortable using firearms. If need be he will resort to more modern solutions when dealing with foes.