Goths

The Goths are one of the main clubs at Kareji. However, they are not considered an "official" club, and as such receive no funding.

They are a gang of bullies who dress in *visual kei* fashion, and harass anyone they think they can get away with picking on.

## History

The first iteration of the Goths was founded in 1992 by a group of misfits attempting to strike back against the bullying they endured for years. They quickly took over the college by working together to become the "beautiful, popular people", all the while relentlessly bullying their former tormentors and anyone who got in their way.

However, they went too far too fast, and inadvertently caused the original gang of delinquents to band together in response. Even after the delinquents' original schism and a particular incident turned violent, the Goths remain constantly at odds with the resulting Banchō & Sukeban gangs.

In 1995, the Goths had a different president, until one day, she vanished. What happened to her is a mystery, but it's said that her disappearance may have something to do with the gang's increased hostility towards innocent victims instead of just "revenge bullying" this year.

Unlike most other clubs who have six ranks, as the Himura twins share rank #3, there are only five ranks in their hierarchy.

## Club Fashion

Unlike other clubs at Kareji who wear an identifying keychain on their belts, the Goths instead opt for a crudely-made *wara ningyo*, a type of Japanese voodoo doll.

They style their college uniforms to better fit their visual-kei aesthetic, including steel spikes & zippers.

The Goths all dye their hair jet-black, adding streaks of their personal colour. The exceptions are Yami - whose hair is instead a dark grey, and Kuro, whose hair is naturally black. They also all wear black mascara.

Each member also wears a unique accessory representing their motif, each a different type of "scary" or "Hallowe'en-related" icon.

## Activities

Lacking an official clubroom, the Goths hang out behind the gym, occasionally peeking in to mock people over their physical prowess (or lack thereof). Once a day, they decide on a pupil to harass, and look for them to do just that. In most cases, their targets are those who have in some way caused offence to the Goths, and so they consider it a "justified" act of revenge.

## Members

### Kamiko "Kogami" Umemori *(有雌模李神子 Umemori Kamiko)*

A 3rd-year, and president of the Goths in 1996. Despite her small stature, she keeps the rest of her gang of bullies in check with her vicious personality. Kogami tears down others over their appearance, thinking herself the standard of beauty at Kareji, a queen who deserves to be treated as such. She is known to snap at anyone who brings up her real name, immediately marking them on her shitlist. Kogami appears to fiercely guard her original reason for joining the Goths, a secret only Asuka and the Himura twins seem to know.

She adorns herself with a pumpkin motif, with her orange theme colour, the pumpkin design on her buckle & shirt, the shape of her hair, her hairpin-hat, and the oversized leaf-like choker that resembles gothic collars common in visual kei styles. She also wears orange eye shadow and lipstick.

On her face are two sets of five dot stickers, denoting her as Rank #5 in the Goths.

Like all club presidents, Kogami wears a red armband with the club's logo, and the metal parts of her uniform are gold-coloured instead of steel.

In keeping with the Goths' "dark / scary" naming scheme, the kanji for Kogami's surname are 有雌模李, meaning "famous + female + exemplar + plum" referring to her small size and self-perceived idol-like image, as well as "mori" being phonetically identical to the Latin word for "death", and the kanji for her first name are 神子, meaning "god + child" - her nickname "Kogami" has the same kanji in reverse as 子神, simply changing the meaning to "little god", referring to her tyrannical personality.

### Asuka Amaya *(雨夜窪守加 Amaya Asuka)*

A 2nd-year, and Kogami's bulky right-hand woman. For some reason, she is fiercely loyal to Kogami, and is often the one holding victims still while the others work them over. She acts tough around the group, but alone, she is a spineless coward who will run at the first sign of danger - Despite her size & muscle giving another impression, Asuka appears to have a nerdy streak in private, and has excellent marks. Asuka was violently bullied for her size and timid nature, joining the Goths because she believed it would stop people wanting to mess with her, and would give her an excuse to work out her anger.

She adorns herself with a skull motif, with her "raw muscle pink" theme colour and the skull design on her buckle, shirt and headphones. She also wears a large steel chain draped across her skirt, and has spiked chokers & bracelets, giving her a slight "guard dog" theme. She also wears pink eye shadow and lipstick.

On her face are two sets of four dot stickers, denoting her as Rank #4 in the Goths.

In keeping with the Goths' "dark / scary" naming scheme, the kanji for her surname are 雨夜, meaning "night rain", and the kanji for her first name are 窪守加, meaning "hollow + protector + addition" referring to her being added to the group to be Kogami's bodyguard based only on her physical attributes.

### Chika & Rika Himura *(比謀楽 智耶と俐耶 Himura Chika & Rika)*

3rd-years, Kogami's yes-women who parrot whatever she wants to hear so that she feels validated. Some believe that they only do this because they enjoy watching her get herself into trouble, and secretly want her to cause her own self-destruction with nobody but herself to blame. The twins are pranksters who love messing with people at any opportunity. While they don't directly participate in the bullying the Goths inflict, they generally keep lookout for the others, and have been known to switch places to gaslight people.

Together, the Himura twins adorn themselves with a broken-heart motif, with their hair shaped into two halves of a broken heart that mirror each other's, and the same general image on their belts & shirts. They wear matching black & white chequered scarves, communicating that they are a puzzle. They also wear eye shadow and lipstick fitting their theme colours; Chika's theme colour is green, while Rika's theme colour is blue.

On their faces are two sets of three tear-shaped stickers, and both wear a circlet with three steel beads, denoting them as sharing Rank #3 in the Goths.

In keeping with the Goths' "dark / scary" naming scheme, the kanji for their surname are 比謀楽, meaning "compare / equal + plot / treason + amusement" referring to their shared interest in causing Kogami to ruin herself for no other reason than "it would be funny". The kanji for Chika's first name are 智耶, meaning "wisdom + conceal" and the kanji for Rika's first name are 俐耶, meaning "cleverness + conceal", these two names referring to how the twins are much smarter than people may give them credit for.

### Yami Asakura *(阿佐鞍闇 Asakura Yami)*

A 2nd-year, the Goths' tagalong gofer who will do whatever the group tell him, no questions asked. The only male member of the group. Despite his good looks, he is generally regarded even by outsiders as a creepy little suckup who only acts cocky around the gang; Everyone knows he's only in the Goths for the female attention. When the others pick a target, Yami will typically just stand behind them yapping insults, too scared to actually hurt anyone unless ordered to do so. He is the only member of the group still terrified of Kuro, and will go to great lengths to avoid being left alone with her.

Yami adorns himself with a spider motif, from his web-like sleeves, collar and "skirt", the spider icon on his belt & shirt, the shape of his hair, and his white theme colour based on webbing. He also wears white eye shadow and lipstick. The spider icon he wears was taken from one of his famous samurai ancestors.

On his face are two dot stickers, denoting him as Rank #2 in the Goths. These are also positioned near his small eyebrows to vaguely create the impression of spider eyes.

In keeping with the Goths' "dark / scary" naming scheme, the kanji for his surname are 阿佐鞍, meaning "flatter + assist + saddle" referring to his being a suckup who gets ridden / worked like a horse, and the kanji for his first name is 闇, simply meaning "darkness".

### Kuro Kageyama *(影山黒 Kageyama Kuro)*

Kuro is a 2nd-year, and the newest member of the Goths, having only joined towards the end of the previous term. Last year, nobody would've dared speak to her, due to her reputation as a dangerous, sadistic sociopath. When the last president mysteriously vanished, Kogami - emboldened by Asuka - chose to approach Kuro and invite her to the group. Due to her love of violence and brutal cruelty, it is generally agreed that if Kuro were in charge, the gang would be in prison by now - She is the only member of the Goths who poses a constant threat to the safety of anyone who approaches her, even alone. Yami is known to be especially terrified of her.

Kuro adorns herself with a vampire motif, from her overall "tall, dark & scary" appearance, her bangs resembling two long fangs, the vial of blood around her neck, and her mask resembling a gaping mouth with giant fangs. Her theme colour is black, and as such does not generally make much of a difference. She also wears black eye shadow. Originally, Kuro had wanted to be the red member for the "blood" reference, but Kogami vehemently denied it. As such, Kuro chose black. Whether she did this out of spite to mess with the group's theme is unknown, but it was a begrudging choice, as Kuro does not appreciate being typecast.

Nobody has ever seen Kuro's face beneath the mask - whether she wears black lipstick is unknown.

On her face is a single dot sticker, denoting her as Rank #1 in the Goths. This lines up with the hairclip holding her bangs in place, creating the vague impression of a "1" on her forehead.

While in keeping with the Goths' "dark / scary" naming scheme, Kuro has the simplest name of the group; The kanji for her surname are 影山, meaning "shadow mountain", and the kanji for her first name is 黒, meaning "black". Giving the impression of a dark person from a mysterious faraway place.

## Trivia

* Another consideration for Kogami's surname was "Umemaru" due to its double-meaning of "beloved" and "round", however it was decided that "Umemori" fit more with both Kogami's lore and the Goths' overall naming theme.
* Asuka's given name was chosen as a reference to both Asuka Langley Sōryū from *Neon Genesis Evangelion*, and Asuka Kazama from *Tekken*, to fit her tough persona.
* Rika's given name was chosen as a reference to Rika Nonaka from *Digimon Tamers*, due to her initially aggressive personality and the broken heart motif on her shirt. Chika's given name was chosen purely to rhyme with Rika's. Yami's surname was chosen as a reference to Yō Asakura from *Shaman King*, fitting the "spooky" theme.
* Kuro's overall motif was inspired by Morticia Addams from *The Addams Family*.

## Notes

* As with many parts of *Heartbreaker*, several "Japanese" names in this project were chosen using not only literal or phonetic puns, but also a variety & mixture of *-on,* *-yomi,* *nanori* etc. readings for kanji that would not be typically used for names in reality, a common technique in Japanese fiction; It is important to remember that *Heartbreaker* takes place in an alternate timeline that - while closely mirroring our own - contains several differences in its fictional history. Good-faith attempts have been made to create semi-believable names (with some artistic licence for fiction & entertainment's sake), but any suggestions for better names and / or kana & kanji should be sent to: AbyzouDev@gmail.com