Temperance is not a virtue for Takeru, who has never committed to anything with less than 100% of himself. “Hard working” doesn’t even accurately describe it. Takeru throws himself wholly into everything he approaches and has never been particularly adept at knowing when to stop. He’d push himself to death if he could. Thankfully, he’s yet to get that far, but Overdoing It is part of the Takeru Maeda experience. He’s just very passionate - and, thankfully, quite resilient as well.

Analytical to a fault, Takeru has an eye for detail, but it’s at the expense of everything else. He’s a “can’t see the forest for the feathers on the birds in the trees” kind of guy. A unitasker who defaults to tunnel vision. Takeru fancies himself as highly perceptive, and maybe in some universe he is, but in practice it’s the opposite. He focuses down on the details that seem important to him exclusively and lets other things fall by the wayside. On the bright side, you can always rely on him to pick out some strange detail that others haven’t noticed – whether or not it’s pertinent is not a guarantee.

For all his intensity, Takeru is on the quiet side. He’s not shy or reserved, just content to listen. He’s perfectly happy to engage new people, but he’s not great at doing the leg work in conversations. If you need a good listener, though, he’s your man. When he does converse, Takeru is generally honest and very earnest. He’d like to think that you know where you stand with him, but the intended affect is not always properly received. His earnestness, when combined with the fact that he backchannels excessively in conversations, can and is often misinterpretted as sarcasm or rude disinterest.

This can be a problem, because Takeru, himself, is easily flustered. It’s exceedingly easy to embarrass or frustrate him. He’s actually got a rather short fuse, but there’s no fire to his anger. He does hold grudges, and it takes him a while to get over things. But the worst you can expect from him if he has a problem with you is cool indifference.

Takeru is a romantic. He believes in Fate and at the very least enjoys the idea of predestination, even if he doesn’t necessarily buy into it. This bleeds over into a passion for Divinations. He’s not so much interested in accurately predicting the future, though, as he is in knowing that something was meant to be. Getting that sign that something was supposed to happen is incredibly exciting. Takeru checks horoscopes and reads signs, meaning and significance in mundane things. He’s pretty unabashed about this and shares his findings with his friends and roommates. Fully expect to have him relay to you an utterly insane explanation for why he thinks you are Destined for Greatness or two seemingly unconnected people are Meant 2 B.

Takeru is not particularly sarcastic, but he is very cheeky. He likes to play around and tease his friends and play dumb. When he’s comfortable with you, he won’t hesitate to give you a hard time. He is not particularly invested in following rules, either, and is open to mischief in the name of a good time.

Takeshi Maeda. Father. Pureblood. Takeshi is a skilled artificer for Honda Artificing, which may or may not have ties to the no-maj Honda Motor Company (which conveniently also has a massive factory in Marysville, Ohio). His marriage to Shizuko was frowned upon by his family, and he took the opportunity to transfer overseas with his wife and two young sons as soon as it arose.
Shizuko Maeda. Mother. Half-blood. Detail-oriented, pragmatic and deeply in love with her husband. Shizuko is a Potions teacher. She just recently completed her Masters in Education and is teaching at a local day school for witches and wizards.
Reo Maeda. Brother. Sixteen years old. Sophomore Thunderbird at Ilvermorny.

Takeru was born in Osaka, Japan. He was not aware of it at the time, but his mother and father dealt constantly with the haranguing of the extended Maeda family, who did not approve of their union. They did an adequate job of sheltering their son from their adult problems, but most of the credit can go to the fact that Takeru was just preoccupied with himself and otherwise oblivious. His younger brother, far more perceptive and sensitive, did not fare quite so well.

School was a blessing. Takeru had always been a handful, and academics provided a positive place for him to channel his intense drive. Even if he weren’t the most naturally gifted student, he was easily the most rabidly dedicated to study, and he rose to the top of his class very quickly. When, after two years, his brother joined him at school, things became somewhat complicated.

Reo did poorly in class, started fights and tormented other children. The boys were constantly compared to one another. Reo grew to resent Takeru and Takeru came to feel like he had to be the good one. It damaged their relationship pretty severely and every one of Takeru’s attempts at reaching out to band together was rebuffed. Takeru eventually responded by seeking his parents’ approval instead, and pushed aside his own interests (creative fields and Divinations) in an effort to please his father. He “took an interest” in Artificing, to be just like dad, though he had no true passion for it. His father took this a bit more seriously than Takeru, and began enthusiastically encouraging his son to follow in his footsteps. Eager to make his parents happy, Takeru obliged.

Takeru was passingly aware that moving to the United States was on the table. His father was gunning for a big promotion that would very likely take him stateside, but the idea of it was as far off to an eleven-year-old as the idea of driving or college. Takeru didn’t think it would ever actually happen.

So it came as quite a shock when it did.

Takeshi accepted a transfer to Honda Artificing USA when Takeru was twelve. The transition upended Takeru’s life completely. He went from apartment living in Osaka to a small farmhouse in Marysville. Day school in Japan to boarding at Ilvermorny. He struggled to find his footing. The rest of his nuclear family, by contrast, seemed to flourish, which made things all the more miserable for Takeru, who after years of being an All Star in school, suddenly felt completely inadequate.

But Takeru Maeda does not give up until he is dead. So he fought tooth and nail to keep his grades up, master the language and make friends. He worked so hard that the teachers at Ilvermorny couldn’t help but take notice. It was only a matter of time before someone suggested Gooseberry to such a dedicated, unique student.

Takeru actually didn’t like the idea of it at all. He’d already spent one year in a strange new place and didn’t want to waste all that effort only to be sent off to another new place so far away from his family. His mother and father, however, liked the idea of their son going to a prestigious mountain school for gifted youngsters. The idea was made for him.

He went to Gooseberry convinced he’d hate it, but quickly fell in love with the campus. The more time he spent away from his family, the less he felt obligated to be his father’s mini me. He gradually drifted back into his own interests – art and divination. This has caused some conflict at home, and his parents have, several times, questioned their decision to send him to Gooseberry.