timshel
๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ช ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐๐จ๐ฉ
COLD JULY.
an advanced, southern gothic coming-of-age murder mystery.
WELCOME TO CHARLESTON.
Charleston, South Carolina is a city of dichotomies.
Itโs easily one of the most beautiful destinations in the South, but the moment you step away from the pristine streets and elaborate, multi-story mansions, youโll find yourself meandering through project housing and trailer parks, sifting through polluted creeks and junkyards to find your way. There is an immense, obvious divide between the rich and the poorโthe wealthy and destitute, the divine and the grotesqueโin Charleston.
The rich and poor are often at oddsโitโs hard not to be angry about your condition when a tropical storm strikes, and it seems as if you and your neighbors are the only ones left completely without power for weeks on end, while the rich go on as if nothing at all happened. Itโs as if generators grow on trees for them. Their bratty little kids go through boats worth more than your house like cheap clothes. Nothing they do seems to carry any kind of consequence, because they can always infuriatingly make bail, hire tutors and essay writers, and skirt into some of the most prestigious colleges in the country by a factor of legacy alone.
But on the other side of the spectrum, it seems like the kids from the other side of the tracks canโt stay out of trouble to save their miserable little lives. Their hooting and hollering and screaming doesnโt ever seem to cease. They vandalize and steal and go wherever they like as if they have nothing to loseโand most of them really donโt have much to lose at all. Theyโre the school truants, the unreliable workers, the loiterers and drug dealers and up to no gooders. Theyโre often also the ones that never leave this city.
And they fucking hate each other.
The high schoolers seem to have it out for each other the most. The poor kids call the rich kids Yankees and the rich kids call the poor kids Dixies. Yanks and Dicks, for short, as insults. Immature and silly as name-calling truthfully is, these kids have found a sense of identity in these names: itโs a rallying call, a unifying factor in new situations.
Somethingโs bound to end this centuries-long socioeconomic war between them, though. And nothing brings people from opposite sides of the isle together like finding a body.
SIT DOWN. STAY A WHILE.
Film and literature inspiration: The Outsiders, Outer Banks, American Vandal, Light in August.
Key words & themes: southern gothic, coming-of-age, murder, corruption, mystery, socioeconomic divides.
Vibes: those rare pleasantly humid sunny days, playing in the ocean waves until sunset, bonfires with friends, smelling the salt of the sea on the breeze, the Beach Boys playing softly somewhere behind you, sticky hair and skin from salt water.
- -
Welcome to Cold July! This roleplay will center around the lives of three Yankees and three Dixiesโthe most popular and influential of their respective groups, who have had it out for each other as long as they can remember.
These individual groups of three have been tied at the hip for as long as they can remember, through good times and bad, and have rallied against the other groupโฆ Also for as long as they can remember. There's been a lot of keyed boats and cars, broken windows, threats of legal action, car chases, the like.
These six will find themselves suddenly thrust into a situation they need to figure out together: they stumble upon the body of a missing person as theyโre in the middle of one of their routine tussles. Right away, the police seem disinterested, orโare they actually trying to keep them in the dark on purpose? Figuring out what the hell happened is bigger than what separates them.
All applications are due by 12pm PST on Friday, May 22nd. Please contact me as early as possible if you need an extension.
BUT, IF YOU'RE GONNA STAY,
FIRSTโ Follow all of RPNโs listed rules. Treat others in this roleplay well to facilitate a comfortable, creative, and fun environment for everyone.
SECONDโ There are going to be six people total in this roleplay, myself included, meaning there are five open slots. Placement in this roleplay is not awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. Iโll be judging each of the characters on their quality and depth, and their owners on their writing quality.
THIRDโ This is going to be a strictly advanced roleplay, where good grammar, correct spelling, and tantalizing writing is an expectation. You should be able to comfortably write 500-800 words per post, at the very minimum.
FOURTHโ Be prepared to chat on Discord. I find itโs a very helpful platform to have quick discussions about characters, plotting, and itโs a low pressure environment where we can all interact. I will make a server for all the accepted members of this roleplay once I have determined whoโs going to be in it.
FIFTHโ I'll release more information about character creation when I decide there's enough interest to create an application page, but for now, know that I value originality, diversity, thoughtfulness, and thoroughness. No groups are gender-locked, and they have been left without roles to avoid stifling anyone's creativity.
LASTโ Don't be shy! Let me know if you're interested by leaving a like or commenting below. The sooner I feel a crowd has developed, the sooner I'll make the application and out of character page.
NOW, THOSE DAMN KIDS.
THE YANKEES โ 3/3 open.
Rich as sin, these are the kids who were born with it all and know nothing different. Beautiful plantation-style homes, fine furnishings, private tutors, their own speedboats and cars. Often lacking in compassion and perspective, they can be brash, insensitive, and entitled as hell. Not saying that the grass is always greener on the other side, but having that kind of money does seem to solve a lot of problems, doesn't it? They attend an elite private college preparatory high school.
THE DIXIES โ 2/3 open.
Poor as dirt, these are the kids who have had to fight for everything they've ever had. Moving from home to home, living with unreliable utilities, only wearing hand-me-downs and whatever's at Goodwill, they know what it's like to struggle and many of them are gritty and better for it. This kind of life does lend itself to a kind of bitterness, however. It's easy to be resentful when those with plenty seem to be taking it all for granted. They attend the local public high school.
Last edited:
