(Sonoya Mizuno/41/nonbinary + they/them) KORE MATSUI has been in Eden Ros for 21 YEARS, and is from SAN FRANCISCO, CA. They are 41 and work at THE CRUCIBLE as a METALWORKER/OWNER. Rumor has it, they’re a MECHANICAL WITCH associated with VERTEX. They are CREATIVE and PRACTICAL, but also NEUROTIC and RIGID. (arrow/30+/PST/N/A)
Name: Kore Matsui Occupation: Metalworker / Owner of The Crucible Age: 41 (December 24) Sexuality: Pansexual Pronouns: They/Them Species: Mechanical Witch Faction: VERTEX Hometown: San Francisco, California Relationship Status: Single Personality Traits: Creative, neurotic, abrasive, practical, industrious, rigid, self-serving
Biography (tw: mentions of Japanese internment, parental death)
Kore never felt like they knew much of their family history, and have always been desperate to learn more. As a child, they didn't understand why Japanese was a forbidden language even in their own home, why their mother never spoke of her own family , whose mother had disappeared during the war. Even as they grew older and learned about the violence that their people had faced at the hands of the U.S. federal government, there was a disconnect between what Kore was told to accept and who they wanted to be, spurring them to chase after what was lost instead of following the neat path set up for them.
Magic was a spark that they carried with them for as long as they could remember, but it wasn't the kind of magic they read about in fairytales and myths. A secondhand children's chemistry set, meant for mixing dirt and water together, gave Kore their first taste of the potential. It was inexplicably easy for them to see the way different items in nature slotted together to create something new, a talent that no one in their life could explain. Their single mother was too focused on making sure there was food on the table to listen to her child's fascination with metal and bone. Instead, they taught themself that everything in the world could be broken down to its core components, and through those core components, could be reforged into something new.
By the time they graduated from high school, Kore began to wonder if this was all there was, a fun party trick but something to leave behind for adulthood. But when their mother unexpectedly passes, all of the secrets she had been keeping from Kore came to light. While cleaning out the house they had grown up in, they come across an old, leather-bound notebook that might look like incoherent ramblings to someone else, Kore immediately recognized them as the formulas and methodologies they had developed on instinct over the years. They spent the next few days poring over the journal, eventually coming to discover that it belonged to their mother as a young woman. It was filled with magical theory and personal anecdotes, painting a picture of a woman Kore had never met: a bold, impulsive young woman who wanted to test the limits of what the world said she could do. It was a stark difference from the mother that had raised them, stern, stoic, and never wishing to hear about Kore's 'experiments'. And among the rest of her belongings, Kore found details of a life from decades ago and mentions of the one woman that they never met: their grandmother.
More research uncovered what really happened in the mid-20th century. As the government began to round up Japanese citizens, Kore's grandmother sought refuge in the supernatural world, making a deal with a local branch of VERTEX to smuggle herself and her family out of the country in exchange for providing her services to the coven. They moved to Eden Ros and her grandmother quickly settled into her new life, holding up her end of the bargain while doing her best to raise her family. But as her daughter grew older and became more aware of the power dynamics between the factions in the city, she decided she wanted no part of it, and she didn't want any of her future children involved either.
For Kore, it was different. This grimoire felt like a lifeline, a sign that the formulas and calculations in their mind weren't just the nonsense they had been made to believe. It was a straightforward decision to pick up and move to Eden Ros, seeking out the last semblance of family they had remaining. When they arrived, they learned that their grandmother had since passed, but she left a lingering reputation among the witch factions. After all, VERTEX witches weren't always the most palatable but there was no doubt within the community that she had been incredibly skilled. For the first time in their life, Kore felt like they could actually put down roots, clinging to the legacy of a woman that nearly became mythologized in their mind.
At twenty years old and alone in a new country, Kore delved into anything that would pay the bills, but they found their niche in metalworking, apprenticing under another VERTEX witch who was getting on in his years. Under him, they learned to hone their magic, taking the rudimentary skills that they had taught themself as a child and fashioning them into something far more efficient and lethal. Life became a steady cycle of creation and destruction, a natural extension of the magic they had done in their backyard in California as a child, and Kore excelled in it. Young, carefree, and finally starting to live life in a way that felt authentic to them.
They sought out connections wherever they could, both professionally and personally. Any time spent studying magic was matched with whirlwind nights where they let the universe take them wherever it pleased. A handful of first dates, twice as many one night stands. Kore spent the first twenty years of their life hidden away in a box and they emerged with a hunger to experience everything. That is, until a relationship with an older woman tilted their world on its axis for a handful of months, before she disappeared like a ghost. Though they could no longer picture her face, they still remembered how it felt to be with her, and the way everything else in the world felt less important in the face of seeing her smile. Now, almost two decades later, it felt more like a dream than an actual memory, each detail murkier than the last.
For a while, they were aimless, searching for something to pour their devotion into, but very little could fill that void. Their work provided some solace, and they found enjoyment in testing the limits of what others had tried. They became skilled in forging weapons for The Order, while providing items for anyone willing to hold their nose long enough to work with a VERTEX witch. When their mentor largely retired from commissioned work, Kore filled the gap. They opened The Crucible about five years ago to continue honing their magic, intent on carving out a legacy that would outlive them, something their grandmother failed to do.
HEADCANONS
Kore is the owner and proprietor of The Crucible, a metalworking shop and forge in the East Borough. Despite their official faction affiliations, Kore's philosophy is that they will work with any party capable of paying their fees. What happens with the items they create after they leave their shop is none of Kore's business.
Kore is classically trained in ballet and contemporary dance, though it’s not something they have much time to dedicate to these days. While their own performance days are long over, they still frequent local companies and offer their services as an artisan to help with the production side of things.
Kore works with all types of metals, both as an artisan and as a witch, but they have experience working with other natural materials such as wood, bone, leather and cloth, to the extent necessary to augment the things they create. They are always looking to expand their skillset and learn new techniques.
The Crucible consists of three sections: the outdoor forge, the storefront and the workshop. Kore does not own a separate home, and instead lives in a small loft above the workshop, though more often than not, they end up falling asleep in the workshop. Only the storefront is available to the general public, and the forge and workshop are accessible with express permission.
Kore's study of magic combines the theories of ancient alchemy with the techniques of modern science. Their focus is on bridging the gap between the arcane and science, but they are not focused on nor do they specialize in technology. Give them a computer chip and they will melt it down for scraps.
Their collaboration with hunters isn't something that Kore feels especially fervent about, but in their mind, it's the smart deal to make. And although they would deny it, there is also an emotional element to it, considering it their last connection to a family lineage they never had the opportunity to know.
