fluticasone
mushy canele
font callfont callfont call
night owl
picaresque . set roles . app-based
a roleplay revolving around youth and how they steal back legacies taken from them.
main image by champi
01
drowning in highballs i can't even drink
story
The city of Tokyo moves to its own beat, uncaring if you can follow along. The few who hear its rhythm thrive and rise above the rest, casting deeper shadows in their wake.
In a city that drowns its people in lights, there are those who choose to remain friends of the dark.
Forty years ago, an art circle named 不夜城 (Nightless City) gained critical acclaim through a series of paintings depicting everyday scenes in Tokyo. Each piece could stand alone - but as a set, it told the story of the city's duality: how it was filled with both hope and despair, failures and dreams. Rather than display them in an art gallery, these paintings were put on display in one of the member's public art studio. It remained there for a few years until change slowly permeated through its walls.
One by one, each painting was lost. The first was sold as collateral to a gambling debt. Another passed hands into the next generation and was never seen again. At least two were lost to an internal feud, and the studio finally closed its doors, putting everything away into storage.
The value of these paintings did not go unnoticed. Within a year, the storage house was raided and everything of value was lost, including the remaining paintings of the Nightless City. Even with a feverish search and public outcry, the paintings could not be tracked down.
Eventually, memories of the paintings too, were drowned by the city.
Today, those paintings are barely a blip in the public conscious - a piece of trivia for the inquisitive, an urban legend for the artists. The old studio is now a used bookstore, opening its doors again to the public for the first time in decades. Half-assed coffee is served for cheap, and a few re-upholstered seats gather around the bar. It smells of bad coffee, musty pages, and musk of a cat. For many, it's nostalgia in a building.
It's here, while
prime
was cleaning, that they uncover their grandfather's old journal, hidden behind a hollow bottom of the shelf. Inside were notes, clippings, receipts with information haphazardly jotted down the back. All of it about the paintings people forgot - and his wish for their recognition again.
closer
sakai ryuuji
sakai ryuuji
Some of
CLOSER's
earliest memories are of men coming to the door at midnight and the stress written, plain as day, on their parents' faces. They remember their father cursing their grandfather, yet succumbing to the same fate with the cards. How their mother left, weary with defeat, walking away without looking back.
Nowadays, they run a money laundering business that fronts as a laundromat. In the backrooms, their father fences stolen goods, making barely liveable dividends from the sales - most of it went to paying off the family debt.
CLOSER
resents their family, as they're unable to pursue the higher education they desire. Instead, they went to a kosen with the plan of finding work early.
CLOSER
is a frequent visitor to the used bookstore PRIME
works at. The two businesses are along the same street.
CLOSER
has met morte
and dawn
in passing when they came in to do their laundry.
Character art by
era_pippi
. Played by riddle .
.
orbit
mochizuki yua
mochizuki yua
From a young age,
orbit
was expected to excel. Unfortunately for them, they did. Whether it was academics or sports, they accomplished it all with ease. What their family sought now was something that they could be the best at. It would be laughable if orbit
could remember that they're in their current predicament because they said they wanted to be like the olympic gymnasts being broacasted on stage. It was just something a child said, fascinated by the colorful costumes and flashy acrobatics. But their parents took them seriously and booked them the best coach they could find.
orbit
is exhausted. After failing to meet expectations for the third time in a row, orbit
took a break from the competitive scene and assess what they want. Their parents protested, of course, but their coach had their back and reached a compromise to continue training even if they wouldn't be competing.
orbit
is cousins with folie
. In fact, envy of folie's
family is the reason why their parents expect so much out of orbit
.
Character art by
storybuns
. Played by A Murder Of Corviknight
.
prime
Mokuto Yumeji
Mokuto Yumeji
PRIME
had always known their grandfather had been an artist, but they'd always assumed they weren't anything special. After all, they wouldn't have closed down their studio if they'd been famous, right? There would've been some mention of their greatness, but they never saw evidence of it - until they found the journal and looked into it themself.
With the help of their closest confidant, they tracked down the rest of the parties they thought should be involved in the recovery of the Nightless City's paintings. Now here's to hoping they agreed with their sentiments.
They're childhood friends with
WITCH
as they used to be neighbors and kept in contact despite the WITCH's
retreat.
Character art by
ISUMI_136
. Played by Bitten
.
folie
ninomiya reine
ninomiya reine
Born to a life of privilege, some might say
folie's
accomplishments would be the direct result of that. They'd be right. They've never been a hard worker - everything came easily to them. Natural charm and their affluent background opened doors that should've remained closed.
If only they knew the price to pay for a life of luxury. Oh,
folie's
hands are clean - but they can't say the same of the things they own. Though their parents made every effort to hide the nature of their work, folie
still found out. Their heart is heavy with guilt, though they remain too cowardly to step away from wealth's safe cocoon.
Folie
is cousins with orbit
, though they aren't fully aware of the context behind their parents' bad blood.
Character art by
NOZ
. Played by Nano
.
witch
hino sayuri
hino sayuri
With a prominent online persona as an entertainer, the college dropout
WITCH
would seem like an average cloutchaser, racking up views with their stupid plays and loud personality. At least, that's what they want you to believe.
In truth, they've been lauded as a wunderkind, their ability with numbers unnerving the people around them. Unfortunately, life was not kind -
WITCH
locked themselves away from the world. Though their skills as a cracker grew, it was hard to say if anything else did. It's only recently that they've taken the steps to climb out their self-created hole.
PRIME
is witch's
closest and oldest friend. They stayed in contact even when WITCH
became a hermit.
Character art by
いちじく
. Played by fluticasone
.
morte
Izumi Hanako
Izumi Hanako
The story of the Nightless City paintings caught
morte's
attention while researching for class. Missing paintings, estranged friends - it made for a romantic story that caught their attention.
That's all it should've been - a story. The kind they would make up of their own past, having been orphaned early and never adopted. They excelled in theater after all, earning themself a partial scholarship at the university. Their only memory of their past is a key that they keep around their neck, though
morte
has often debated if it's time to let go.
morte
became friends with dawn
because they share a few classes.
They frequent the street where
closer's
and prime's
workplaces are, popping in occasionally.
Character art by
jizell
. Played by SavannahSmiles
.
dawn
Matsui Hato
Matsui Hato
There's something to be said about youth gutsy enough to head into the big city by themselves despite not knowing anything beyond their sleepy little rural town. But
dawn
has always been a go-getter, and when they were provided an opportunity to study art in Tokyo, they grabbed the chance with both hands. Never mind the fact they had no relatives there - it was where their grandmother first honed their craft, and they were determined to follow in their footsteps.
It was their grandmother who first taught them to hold a brush, and though they've passed,
dawn
insists on carrying on the tradition. They felt they owed them that much, as their grandmother raised them for much of their early childhood while their parents were working.
dawn
became friends with morte
as they share a few classes at the university.
dawn
is a regular at closer's
laundromat.
Character art by
CUW
. Played by ravitto
.
The Night Owls
No first-come first-serve. All roles are applied for unless you've been previously invited by the GM.
The GM has the final say regarding any decisions made in the roleplay. Discussion is allowed, but if the GM puts their foot down on an issue, it should be respected.
There are low expectations when it comes to activity. However, if more than two months pass between posts, regardless of reason, the player will be removed.
If there are arguments between players, it should be handled privately and civilly. If the tension bleeds into the group OOC, in the event there is a back and forth, regardless of who started it, both players will be booted.
While there are no "literacy" requirements, a decent grasp of English is a must. Just follow the skirt rule and we should be fine! I don't need needlessly verbose descriptions, but one-liners don't give a lot either.
Hey there! I'm mono, your GM. This roleplay is highly inspired by Persona 5, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, and Magic Kaito... just less magical and more like unrealistically skilled youth. Just ride along with the suspension of disbelief and don't think too deeply about how realistic this all is - I know I won't!
That said, we'll be touching on some fairly sensitive subjects such as addiction and depression. I know these are common triggers, so I'd like to dissuade you from joining if they are yours. I expect any applicants to be able to tackle these issues with critical thinking and empathy.
As mentioned previously, this entire roleplay is app-based. There won't be any first-come-first serve business - I'll review all the apps in one go once all roles are applied for. If only one person happens to be an applicant for a role, they can still be rejected.
Our OOC will be on discord. If you don't have one, you could probably manage, it just won't be ideal. Feel free to hop on even before applying! It's the best place to go if you have any questions.
Good luck and I hope this managed to peak your interest. If not, no hard feelings, see you in the next roleplay!
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