Kore Wa Resutoran Desu ka?! (Is this a restaurant?!) OOC/Sign ups.

[RedArmyShogun]

IC Thread

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- Basics - - Za Ruledo - - Spooky Scary Character Skeleton - - Approved PCs and Important NPCs -

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  Set in modern day Ikebukuro, Japan and its surroundings, people go about their day to day business. As with most urban areas they also tend to ignore oddities, or turn a blind eye to things that aren't normal, blocking them out from view. Ikebukuro, has a rather large varity of industry, immigrants and entertainment is a prime location for these ignored oddities.
  
  In this RP you are a normal, or maybe not so normal member of the staff for a Family Restaurant named "The Painted Shark".
  
  Among the "Characters" is the violent, lazy, terrible working Manager with questionable after work activities, Yoriko Nishikawa. She can be trusted with setting shifts and paying on time however.. A monotonous younger sibling who dabbles in black mail and gambling, and his twin sister, who speaks with a monotone voice and has a lack of common sense and a young child complete the Nishikawa family, that work or are otherwise found here.
  
  Overseeing this all is a man by name of Himajima, Kotaru who is officially the Owner, second to none but "his" employee. Treating the whole matter as a life and Death struggle, Kotaru carries around a suitcase of trinkets and snacks to distract his true Employer.
  
  Given all of the Employees are part timers, most of them have hobbies, studies or other jobs to carry out during the week. In which case some problems are barely contained or could explode unto the streets once a shift is over at the very least.
  
  To top it all off a rival chain across the street named Slammin Sushi has formed a rivalry in more ways than one with The Painted Shark. More so on a personal level with Yoriko Nishikawa. This can lead to "spies" from Slammin Sushi to visit. And even these oddities could be said to not be the most Unique of the diverse clientele.
  
  But the rivalry doesn't end here as the Citizenry and Police tend to ignore the literal food wars that may break out at night and shady business the Managers and owners of both establishments get up to. For among the staff of both places and its clientele are members of the Yakuza and the occasional good natured soul attempting to keep the peace. Some seeking to contain the damage, others to make a profit. And yet others try to keep away from it all, heading home as quickly or possible, their own problems of concern.
  
  Along the way the staff will have to help keep the place afloat, discover their own stories, perhaps be warry of literal worker strikes coming to pass around them. In this story of live with a bit of Chaos, just how do you fit into all of this?
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  All standard Iwaku Rules apply.
  
  This RP will contain some violent themes and adult language at times. Though not of the extent of being Redstar. Consider this a warning if you read absolutely nothing and just rushed here.
  
  Posts should be at LEAST once a week and one to two paragraphs minimum.
  
  There are no hard set limit on characters but please try and make no more than you can control and ACTIVELY use, should one not be enough.
  
  Romance and Rivalries are fine if not encouraged. Just keep all of the former "fade to black" should it become Spicy.
  
  No metagaming, outside of the Owner no one should know the hidden histories of a PC until they are actively told or can ICly find proof/connection of it. Typical RP etiquette in terms of God-modding also applies.
  
  Turn orders. There are no observed turn orders in this RP. Provided it does not turn into a back and forth or you draw a clear line in leaving a convo you may do so. In otherwords the golden rule of two applies. Do not post till Two others have went after you or two irl days have passed.
  
  In addition please include a location and interaction tag at the top of your in character post. Doesn't have to be too fancy and is only important if we get several members. This is to help contain any confusion.
  
  I want to be X? Some positions may be limited to first come first serve bases or granted additional slots by my own judgement.
  
  I want to be in the RP but not a worker at the restaurant? Discuss with me your idea here in thread, via DM or on discord. I will hear you out at the least. To be clear any sort of roles with the Rival Company will likely be introduced NPC's.
  
  The RP does not have to take place purely at work. Hence the "and its surroundings" in the discrip. Not all of you will be at work at the same time, feel free to be part of one of the story arcs or be caught up with another PC.
  
  In addition this RP will use a "Universal Time Progress" function at times. Basically I'll drop in a GM post time to time to move us to the next day.
  
  If you have sub story or plot ideas I would be more than happy to hear them in ooc, short of what is in your sheet as a possible. This is a bit slice of life with good old fashioned violence after all.
  
  Additional rules to be added as needed or to be discussed in the ooc. PVP as an example if it becomes needed.
  
  If you miss a posting cycle as you have laugh happenings or lost interest or any other assorted option, PLEASE TELL me. I will work with you where able, but missing 3 times means expulsion from the RP if no excuse is given.
  
  And lastly all approved sheets will be approved by me with a "like" or assorted reaction to your sheet and an addition to approved sheets here.
  
  
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  Appearance: (Image goes here, anime or art only)
  
  Name:
  
  Height: Weight: Age:
  
  Occupation: (What you do at the Restaurant as well as side occupation if any.)
  
  Nationality: This can be as simple as, American, or as city/town with nation. IE, Akaigawa, Japan.
  
  Personality: What makes you tick, likes and dislikes, etc Can be a paragraph or 2 or in bullet form or both
  
  Biography: Your story till now, why are you in the city or working here, you get the drill. Your peculiar circumstances are to be noted here)
  
  Special Skills: things that are work aligned, or skills you may have that do not relate to this but are of IC importance.
  
  Extra: Theme songs and extra items on your character weapons and gear if you have.
  
  
  
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  Nothing here but us Trees.
  

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Appearance:


Name: Nishikawa, Yoriko

Height: 5'5" Weight: 138lbs Age: 27

Occupation: Manager, Nishikawa-gumi next in line

Nationality: Japanese. Nakano, Japan.

Personality: Yoriko is something of the ideal Yakuza, though well mannered at times she's no stranger to course language, being ultral violent and somewhat inept at tasks requiring a finer touch. She took up her current job to keep up a working front, often threatening her shop owner and making it clear who is the boss of whom. It typically is a bad idea to double cross, threaten or short change her as the situation will escalate quickly.

Somewhat abusive and down talking she curiously has a high view of loyalty and hard work, rewarding it in kind. Keeping the secrets of her employees, Yoriko makes sure pay is on time and schedule is fair. Overall she is something of a failure as a woman. Be it from cleaning and cooking, to civility and speech. She is rather protective of her underlings however and will never ask another to do what she would not.

Powerful and often fearless, she does seem to enjoy causing pain or discomfort to another. A natural sadist. She likes meat products, sweats, tea and curiously has a good eye and green thumb in regards to flower arranging and gardening. A legacy of her mother and one of her few famine traits.

Of additional note is the fact she donates rather large sums to Police Officer Funds who in kind turn the other way from the happenings around her. Generally it is not a good idea to insult her, the staff or causing problems in the Restaurant. Upon reaching her ears she will normally get into a war of words or worse with the offender. In her mind the Customer is an idiot who doesn't know what they want. Typically she is unresponsive to flirting and states a man that cannot match or beat her is worth little and less.

A lazy woman, yet one that acts where and when needed without fail. Her Yakuza ties are hinted at often but rarely stated.


Biography:
Yoriko was the first born daughter of her Father Nishikawa Honjo and mother Kitayami Aya. Soon to be made at some prodding Nishikawa Aya. While Heir of the clan, her father was much the foot soldier and spurred his responsibilities as something of a playboy. His new situation served to act as an anchor, shifting him more towards being what his role demanded.

Given the lack of Sons and the lateness upon them, Honjo would assign his Daughter the role of Inheritor. A role she was groomed for, being steeped in the traditions of the Yakuza. Something her grandfather Nishikawa Isamu did not mind, doting upon the girl. Growing up as such her disposition became naturally violent. Gaining a reputation for such, she often would fight bullies within her school courses and did not take punishments lightly, something her grandfather encouraged by extension.

At the age of 10, her mother would give birth to a set of twins, one of whom was a boy and would be groomed towards the role of heir apparent. But by the time he was old enough, Yoriko's path was well and truly set. At the age of 17, Yoriko would enlist with the JSDF on a whim, having so little to do in the Clan as it were. There she would be known as a brutal infantry trainer and serve till the age of 23. It was then that events would bring her back into the Clan. That event being an attempted coup from a branch family, the Ashigumo. During a family vacation, the two parents plus the youngest daughter, at the time five years old were attack by armed gunmen while on the highway.

Riding up on motorcycles they fired upon the car with reckless abandon, leaving the five year-old as the only survivor. Upon her return home, Yoriko found her brother was ill-suited to the task of leading the Family. With her grandfather's blessing she took upon herself the mantel of Heiress and settled scores with the Ashigumo. A tale soaked in blood. For the last four years she's juggled the responsibilities of the clan with that of taking care of her siblings, at cost to her own life and choice of a future. As her Grandfather ages, Yoriko has signed on a deal with one of her business partners to make an employment front for herself and to give her twin siblings a chance out of this world. In the later hours of the night she joins in on the fighting against the Sushi Bar, then goes home to sleep, waking her siblings in time for schooling.. She tries hard to be a good sister and failing that a good boss.

Special Skills: Yoriko is a skilled martial artist and a capable gardener. While she hates filing taxes she is rather good at paperwork, though she won't think twice in pushing the work off on another once she has done enough, chiefly as they anger her. Yoriko is known to be one of the more durable, stronger and dangerous people of the city. To top it off she aided in or directly trained more than a few Infantrymen in the JSDF.

Outside of manners she tends to fail at most "famine" tasks. Of note is that Yoriko seems to give off a murderous aura when angered that many seem to "feel". She also holds her alcohol well that most people she drinks with.

Extra:


Yoriko is somewhat fond of small animals and even children.

Yoriko named the Restaurant from its former name over a stuffed hammerhead and mounted shark that seems to have red dye around its mouth. Or so one assumes. Pictures are pinned to it with signatures and drawings covering the shark skin from various people.

Yoriko has a deep sea aquarium in her home. Though it would be more correct to consider it a mansion.

She also keeps a close eye on her siblings and employees, using information brokers to learn facts about each. Facts she keeps to herself. Carries a reinforced umbrella for use in melee combat. Yoriko was a Sergeant in the JGSDF and seems to know a bit about firearms, likely owning some illegal examples from the sound of it all.


Appearance:

Name: Nishikawa Hibari

Height: 5'1 Weight: 110 Age: 17

Occupation: 3rd Year High-schooler, Door greeter and Cashier.

Nationality: This can be as simple as, American, or as city/town with nation. IE, Akaigawa, Japan.

Personality: Hibari is monotonous in her speech, stares blankly and rarely shows any displays of emotion... Minus an almost cute simmering anger at least. Doing the bare minimum her job requires, Hibari is not given to joining the madness that takes place there, nor to stop it. In spite of all of this she seems to care about her family, getting stuffed animals for her younger sister and tries to help her older. A dutiful middle child.

She seems to take her studies seriously at least but has no plans for the future or direction as of yet. Seemingly bitter she does have a stange affinity for tight rope walking, enjoys heights and likes traditional Japanese snacks, the more plain the better. In terms of dislikes she is not fond of spicy foods, being reminded of her small bust, more so to her older sister. Tends to dislike crowds and noisy places. Collects kites and balloons.

Biography:
Hibari is technically the second youngest child of the family, bearen out by her "older" brother by 20 minutes. She mostly escaped the family legacy and never took to it in any case. Never developing much in the way of an emotional responses. Seemingly as a defense mechanism against her other siblings, Hibari prefers to come and go as she pleases, finding it best to be unnoticed.

Its not clear who she got her smarts from. She was something of an honor student if not one that concealed her thoughts and emotions. With the death of her parents, Hibari was unsure how to act or respond, retreating deeper into her own mind. She however has not forgotten her family and appreciates all that her sister has done for them all. At times this sense of gratitude can show up in the most surprising of situations. In addition she buys little stuffed animals for her sister, unsure of what else to do. Given the dynamics of her family this has resulted in an uneasy status-quo.

She currently takes her studies seriously and aims for university, though she is not sure to what purpose.

Special Skills:
Hibari is quite the accomplished linguist, understanding Japanese, English, Mandarin Chinese and Russian. Upon learning what a customer knows she'll greet them warmly before switching to insults in a language she doesn't think they do. With her Monotone voice this often can go unnoticed.

In addition she is an accomplished Gymnast as well, flexible and light, she is a shoe-in for university. She often will go atop structures or areas off limits. She tends to have well rounded academic skills as well. She however is not much of a fighter.

Extra:
Hibari can often be found wandering the ward in normal clothing, looking for more items to add to her collection or a stuffed animal for her little sister. Hibari is also known to give hidden support to her big sister at times by means of tripping people or causing distractions by knocking things over. Though it is rare she's at anything that needs her to act in such a manner.

She will often enter construction sites that are closed to walk along I beams. Hibari has a rather nice cellphone and carries a taster for personal defense. Hibari seems to have an overly sensitive tongue for flavors and as a result prefers bland food.



Principle NPC's (Just a few of what is to come. Will likely add more past these three as time goes on into a new post.)


Nishikawa Kenza: Occupation Student/Greeter.

Spoiler

Fraternal Twin to Hibari, Kenza is her opposite in personality though he knows how to mimic her mannerisms to a point. Being the only male of the household he refers to it as a lions den. Typically keeps his eyes closes, though when open they are as red as his eldest sister. He rather dislikes the Yakuza side of things and is grateful to his sister for taking over. Unlike his twin, Kenza believes in keeping his feet grounded and hates heights. Carries a folding knife though he's not given to interfering with the problems of others, at times he may go so far as to make them worse. It may be difficult for some to tell him apart from his sister if not for the tone of voice. Provided he's not purposely mimicking her.

Nishikawa Hinako, Age: 9

Spoiler

Occupation: Elementary School Student

Seemingly scared of her siblings, if not most people in general, Hinako is a rather sweet and observant child. At times she comes to work and will cling to whoever she takes a liking to. She is the most "normal" of the Nishikawa's, childhood trauma aside. Having somewhat frail health she typically stays out of the way and rarely is around for the after hour madness. She seems to know much more than she lets on.

Himajima, Kotaru
Age 55

Spoiler

Occupation: Businessman

Kotaru is the official owner of The Painted Shark, though he doesn't seem to really run it past the official title and the business side of things. With connections to organized crime the man knows how to conduct himself. He's rarely at the business but when he shows he overly dramatizes his entry and exits, referring to his dealings with Yoriko as a struggle between life and death. Typically he carries a suitcase full of snacks and tourist trinkets that he uses to distract others, typically Yoriko.

He seems to actually know a thing or two about owning properties and is well traveled across Japan and a few other countries around the globe.

 

[Jessica]

Name: Kagome Himura

Height: 5'1

Weight: 135 lbs

Age: 21



Occupation: Part-time waitress. Other means of income comes from casino gambling, illegal gambling, and back alley bets



Nationality: Tokyo, Japan



Personality: Kagome is a rather aggressive punk with questionable morals. She has her own way of showing kindness to those whose company she enjoys and tends to become a bit protective once they've earned her trust. Though she seems ready to fight at any moment, Kagome knows how to restrain herself for the sake of her job and self. She doesn't want to get on the owner's bad side after all.

In a way, Kagome is a bit of an adrenaline junkie as she enjoys the rush she gets from doing bad things; Two of those things being higher stakes gambling, drinking cocktails, and cannabis. Kagome is a night owl who enjoys heading out to the back alleys of the cities where she can participate in back alley betting and rap battles against whoever else is around. When she's not there, she tends to be in the casinos playing at the blackjack table or in a bar hustling some man out of his Yen. Because of these activities, Kagome has learned a couple things about people and knows how to lie pretty well.

She hates bananas, the police (when they're against her), and is allergic to certain flowers (sunflowers, amaranth, chamomile, and daisies).



Biography:

Kagome's parents have been nonexistent for as long as she could remember. They called it "business trips," but honestly, Kagome figured they were out doing some kind of sketchy behind the scenes. Regardless, she didn't care much for them and raised herself to worry about herself and herself alone.

She had once been trusting and naive, but quickly remedied her mistakes when the other children started to see her as an easy target. They'd begun to bully her, but a gumwad in her hair on the wrong day had Kagome fight back. Of course she'd gotten into trouble, but people left her alone. She kept this lesson in mind as she grew up, only feeding into her mindset of "them or me."

Kagome remained undisturbed throughout elementary school, but her aggressiveness was seen as unappealing by her classmates, so she didn't have many friends.

Her school life was generally uneventful until she ended up getting caught in the delinquent crowd where she began to experiment with the more illegal side of the law. There, Kagome felt she was more welcomed, and as she learned more and more about this certain crowd the more she had her guard up. Kagome knew when to call it quits though, which was why she never pursued the harder drugs after trying marijuana. The high and non-addictive nature of the plant was enough for her.

In adulthood, Kagome was gambling per usual when she ended up risking it all in a bet that could have made her rich. Unfortunately, she lost and ended up accumulating a large debt. Given her general attitude and background, Kagome decided to fill out some applications to start paying off what she owed. She wasn't picky, and The Painted Shark seemed like a good place for a delinquent like her to start off.



Specials Skills:

-Perception (Good at noticing smaller details/Can pick up on and tell lies)

-Hand to hand fighting (Kagome is capable of defending herself)

-Cooking (Excels in cooking the basic stuff. Has potential for growth if given the training)

-Street smart (knows the ins and outs and who to talk to)


Extras: She has a collection of stuffies in her room. Tends to hide them when guests come over. Her misspelled shirt was the result of her finding it at some shop and thought it was funny

 

[Demon Shinobi]

Name: Shinobu Miura

Age: 24

Height: 5ft 4in (roughly 162.56cm) Weight: 123.5lbs (roughly 55.25kg)

Occupation:

• Line Cook - The Painted Shark
  • When the situation calls for it, he is always willing to take up other positions if necessary. He has covered for servers, greeters, and even the bartenders. But his favorite place is easily the kitchen.
• TBA

Nationality: Japanese

Personality:

To most, it would seem that Shinobu isn't easily shaken. In truth, he has a tendency to bottle things up. He acts as though things do not bother him, or that he does not like certain people, and is even quite believable. He typically tries to avoid most forms of confrontation, usually by pushing it off on someone else more suited to the task. And yet, he is the type to always have something to say, which can cause more trouble if he decides not to hold his tongue. He speaks quite openly and without filter, a slight overcorrection in response to having freedom not afforded him in his childhood. In fact, his lack of reservations with most people makes him come off as a standoffish douche. This isn't really the case. His words rarely have any malicious intent. He just finds it more useful to be honest when conversing with peers. Wouldn't they want him to be honest? Isn't that the best?​

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Though rarely without cause, Shinobu's has put him (along with friends) in worse off situations than he'd like to admit. It's likely due to this that he has developed such a knack for knowing when to run away make a strategic withdrawal. He also found that when a strategic withdrawal was not an option, he could bluff with one of the knives typically kept on his person. Yes, Shinobu has no qualms with cutting, stabbing, or otherwise maiming an assailant, if the need would arise. Fortunately, he knew that he was not physically capable enough to fend off an actual experienced combatant. That doesn't mean he won't stoop to any manner of dirty tricks in the name of self-preservation.​

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Needless to say, having grown up the way he did, Shinobu doesn't really like to be touched much. It isn't really a probably with people he knows or is otherwise close to, which isn't many, but even then it isn't easy. Shaking hands, hugging, even being stuck too close together can be hard. Intimate relationships are harder. Understandably, Shinobu also hates when people don't take the hint or won't take no for an answer. In cases like these, he may act a bit more harshly than necessary. Cases like these can range from verbal assaults on the unlucky recipient to more physical "punishments" if he believes he is able or in a position enough to get away with it. He also thinks that it's very annoying to repeat himself multiple times; there is such a thing as too many times.​

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One especially notable trait of Shinobu's, rivaled only by his fascination with blades, is his uttering of the phrase "Just play pretend" whenever he feels especially anxious, uncomfortable, or otherwise overwhelmed. Is it possible that underneath his seemingly confident, exterior Shinobu is still just a scared little kid? Who knows?​

Biography: Disclaimer - There are very dark themes and such throughout this biography. Nothing is explicitly stated, but it is still heavily alluded to. Some things may be triggering. To avoid those, best to skip to the last section, or avoid reading altogether if you don't have to.

(Un)happy beginning

It was storming the night that Shinobu was born. His mother told him how tough it was on her and her father. Their car had broken down on the way to the hospital. His father tried to flag someone down, but there weren't many cars and it was dark. They'd called for an ambulance, but without a clear location it took time for the ambulance to find them. Still, despite all the problems, it was the happiest day of their lives.

Shinobi's parents weren't rich, but they were happy. They were good, hard working people. They kept his belly full, gave him gifts when they could, and showered him with all the love they could give. Shinobu was grateful for everything he had.

Unfortunately, Shinobu's happy little life came crashing down when he turned 4. He'd gone to school that day. He doesn't remember much about what he learned. Every minute was spent watching the clock. He couldn't wait for his parents to pick him up like they always did. They had told him they had work, but that they were bringing him his gift and favorite cake as soon as school let out. They would be waiting for him.

Except they weren't. Shinobu didn't remember much of what the people had said when they picked him up. But he never saw his parents again.

(Un)fortunate games

It took time before Shinobu found himself in a new home. He didn't have living grandparents on either side. His father had no siblings to speak of. He had no siblings. To his surprise though, his mother did have a sister. She was married; she and her husband had been for many years now. Her husband made good money and was a respected member of a prominent business conglomerate based in Hokkaido. From the outside, they seemed a perfectly respectable couple. Shinobu was confused though. He could see his mother in her eyes, but he'd never met the woman standing before him. What's more... she seemed to be fighting not to take him in. Her husband was adamant though.

Things with his aunt and uncle were very different for Shinobu. He began homeschooling. He was showered with gifts. He spent most days alone with his aunt. His uncle wasn't home often, but he had to be away to make his money. He would always play with Shinobu when he was home though. Video games, board games, nothing was off the table.

It was a tough adjustment at first, of course, but Shinobu managed. His aunt was caring, and tried hard to make him happy. He couldn't help thinking about how clumsy his aunt was though. He could always see new bruises, cuts, scrapes, and other injuries on her. She always told him that they didn't hurt and that she was okay. As time passed, he began to notice that his uncle would always shoo her out of the room when they were together. Like he didn't want her around. He would laugh, make little jokes. He would tell Shinobu that it was guy time. Shinobu didn't mind though. He'd always hang out with his dad without mom. This was no different. The games they played started changing though. They got weirder. Shinobu didn't think he liked them much, but his uncle wasn't one to take no for an answer.

Things escalated. Soon, his uncle began paying him visits in the night. Shinobu didn't like the things he did. He wondered if his aunt knew. His uncle always told him that these were games. He had to learn how to play. But he didn't like playing with him. Not like that. He started to dread the night. This wasn't normal. He could tell when he looked into her eyes. She seemed so sad, but so afraid. She'd help him bathe, brush his hair. It was getting longer all the time.

"Just play pretend," she would say. He just needed to pretend anything else was happening.

Shinobu didn't know if he could do that though. It hurt. He didn't like it. She tried to calm him down. Let him know that it would be alright. He heard her argue with his uncle that night. It got heated. He heard his aunt scream. He heard noises. It didn't sound good. Shinobu was so scared. He called the police. They came, but nothing happened. Evidently, they knew his uncle.

Things got worse from there one. He got older. He got better at pretend. He managed. He hoped his uncle would get bored eventually. Shinobu hated when he was home. Things from when he was younger started making sense. His uncle didn't let him leave the house. He didn't sleep well. The bruises on his aunt got worse. Only now... he understood that it wasn't that she was clumsy.

When he was ten, he remembered his aunt coming to his room. She had packed a few bags. She said they had to go. He didn't know why. What had changed? He had so many questions. He wasn't sure if this was a good idea. But he didn't argue.

They didn't get far. He remembered being dragged back. He struggled. His aunt was being dragged along the ground, kicking and screaming.

After that, his uncle started bringing visitors over. Men and women alike. It was never for long. They wanted to play games too. They would call him cute, pretty, sweet. Sometimes they would bring him gifts. He grew older. Some men, women too, didn't let it much. He was losing some of his cuteness, in some places anyway. He was developing a bit after all. His uncle never had a shortage of new visitors though. Just because his growth put off some, didn't mean others wouldn't appreciate it. As long as he played pretend, things would be fine.

(Un)ending torture

Shinobu had resigned himself to his lot in life: a plaything for his uncle, his uncles colleagues, and various other clientele. He was taken care of. Food, shelter, medical treatment (when needed), and various other "luxuries" were provided to him. His uncle didn't want to risk losing his precious nephew after all.

Shinobu was 16. He'd given up on calling the police. Even if they could... what evidence would he or his aunt have against his uncle? He and his aunt made due. They were trying to survive. But how long would it be before he had served his purpose? How long would it be before his uncle finally decided to clean up loose ends? Maybe that was better than the poor excuse for a life he'd been given.

It was late that night. Shinobu was staring at the ceiling. He was so tired. He was angry. Angry at his uncle for everything he'd done, everything he'd subjected him to. Angry as his aunt for not being able to do anything to help. And he was angry at his parents. How could they die? How could they leave him in this life? He flinched when the door opened. It was his uncle. His aunt was with him this time. She was sobbing. His uncle had great news. His aunt was pregnant. Shinobu was going to have a cousin. Would his cousin have to deal with everything he had? Everything that happened next was a blur of emotion. Anger and sadness were quickly overtaken by fear and desperation.

His uncle would do all again, wouldn't he? Could he? To his own child? There was no way. But what if he did? What if he was already planning it? Wouldn't he even wait until they...

No.

Shinobu doesn't remember much after that. Images flash through his mind when he thinks about it, but never a full story. A knife, the largest he could get his hands on. A cocky grin on his uncle's face. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours. His uncle's face contorted. Terror and anguish filled his eyes though he tried to retaliate. Shinobu's aunt screamed, tears streaming down her face at the scene. Shinobu's body was shaking. He couldn't stop it. Blood stained his clothes and face. His hair looked like it had been bathed in red. His body ached with each sharp breath he took.

What had he done? Was it over? Was it really over? What would they do now? He looked to his aunt as tears began to roll down his cheeks. Shinobu's aunt hugged him. She told him it would be okay. She would handle this. She just had to make a call.

Shinobu didn't know who his aunt had called. He'd listened to her, drifting in and out. The voice on the line seemed surprised, relieved, and worried all at once. But that was about all he got. When she hung up, he'd left the room. There were places he'd always thought about going, things he'd seen. Surely he could find something of value. Something important. His uncle had been a powerful man with many powerful clients. And if there was anything he'd learned about powerful men like his uncle, whether through the books and other media he consumed or simply through the experience itself, it was that they liked assurances.

His uncle was smart. He'd kept dirt. A lot of it. But he wasn't smart enough to keep it expertly hidden. He'd never have expected Shinobu's aunt to do anything. And he'd never really known how much Shinobu had picked up.

It wasn't hard to find.

Shinobu contemplated destroying it all. Years of pain would be gone. That was smart right. It was just a press of a button away. His hand quivered as he inched towards it, only to be stopped by a large hand. He flinched, falling to the floor in shock as he looked up to find a looming shadow. He screamed, swatting the man away, looking for something to use as a weapon.

Calming Shinobu down was hard, but his aunt managed when she found them. She just had to follow the scream.

The man was there to help. He knew people. Had connections. She'd known him years ago. He was a good friend. A friend of hers. And a friend of Shinobu's mother. He would clean up the mess and help them move on.

(Un)timely progress

How exactly Shinobu ended up in Ikebukuro... he doesn't fully remember. He does remember the man's help. He remembers the haircut and the new clothes. He remembers the clean up. He remembers getting their story straight. The marks on his aunt, the marks on himself, and the memories were more than enough to avoid the extra trouble. He remembers leaving everything behind. Even the assurances. It wasn't like he was in any position to argue with the man.

Going back to school, a real school, was equal parts liberating and horrifying. He was smart after all. Ahead of his class even. Maybe that was one upside of his home schooling. He got the best education money could buy. Long as he didn't try anything stupid, anything that could get someone innocent hurt.

There were ups and downs. There was therapy, but it didn't help much. Eventually he finished school. He might have gone further, but he didn't really have any ambition. He'd never really tried to figure out what it was he wanted. For a long time wanting something meant hope. Hope was extinguished for a long time though. Even now, Shinobu has just started developing… can he call them dreams? Maybe. Plans at the very least.

Sometime after high school the man gave Shinobu a little push. He wasn't sure about school, but he knew he needed to work. His aunt had been supporting him and his little cousin too long now. Besides, he was more than a little curious about what the man did and who he knew.

Shinobu was honest in his pursuit of work, a trait which led him to many other unsuccessful interviews before the man helped him gain a meeting with Tsao Shinji, then owner of the Sunshine Café and Diner. His resume, though academically impressive, boasted no experience, and he explained that, while he did not know anything about how to actually work in a restaurant, he was willing and quite capable of learning anything. He began first as a server, and while he picked up the skill very easily, his poor performance with the more unruly customers and penchant for having to be bailed out of issues, made him working the front more of a last resort.

He was a hard worker though, and otherwise caused no issues. So, he was placed in the kitchen where he would wash dishes. As time went on he watched, learned, and advanced. He became a prep cook, then a line cook, and eventually a sous chef to Tsao Shinji.

When the restaurant was taken over and given a new name, Shinobu feared having to leave. He'd gotten comfortable. His interview was not great. Yoriko knew much more about him than was expected, which surprised him. In truth, he didn't like that, stating it outright as he tended to avoid speaking about his past (which was advised by the man who'd helped him and his aunt). However, he managed to get by stating he would start over completely, do better, and take up any extra work necessary (within reason) if he was allowed to remain. He didn't want to leave the restaurant, or Chef Shinji, even if it was under new ownership and given a new name.

He suspects that the boss has opinions of him, but at the very least, he kept his job and continues to work diligently. Often he relies on Tsao Shinji for advice, lessons in how to make better food, and usually defers to him when needed. Shinobu works hard and tries, often fails, to avoid causing problems (almost never an issue in the kitchen though). Maybe he might even become a head chef some day. It isn't like his competition is expressly steep. Maybe he's even beginning to develop a serious plan for the future. Well... he wouldn't go that far.

Specials Skills:

• Knives - Shinobu's skill with knife have grown considerably throughout his time in the kitchen. Having mastered everything from simple peeling to fileting and even a masterful julienne, his skills with a blade are second to none. Well... except maybe for Tsao Shinji. This translates well to his skillful use of most any knife he comes into contact with.
• Cooking - While he is most proud of his skills with a blade, Shinobu has also come a long way as a chef. He's even begun thinking about pursuing the profession beyond the restaurant. Maybe he can go back to school. Learn from culinary masters and travel the world. Well... maybe that's a bit much.
• Acting/Lying/Playing Pretend - Call it what you want, Shinobu has gotten quite good at acting on the fly if he truly feels he needs to. It is very rare for someone to be able to tell whether or not he is lying. Perhaps it has to do with his general calm demeanor or his overabundant use of the truth in general.
• Strategic Withdrawal - Shinobu's abilities to get out of sticky situations is unparalleled. Running, climbing, jumping, dodging, etc. are all instinctual at this point. Pair it with seemingly infinite stamina, and the chances of outlasting him or catching him become slim to none. Course, he's in real trouble if you DO catch him and call his bluffs with a blade.
• Eidetic Memory - Technically, Shinobu is very smart and able to pick things up fairly easily and remember them indefinitely. This is how, in part, he was able to keep up with and surpass many of his classmates upon going back to school after years of relative solitude with only books and largely teaching himself in lieu of the best tutors money could buy. It also helps establish him as polymath with knowledge in many fields that he rarely draws on unless the need arises or he just wishes to stump or surprise someone with an odd tidbit. It does help when crafting a lie. It is also important to know that having the information does not mean he has a full practical understanding of things if he has not practiced, or otherwise utilized the info in a meaningful way.
• Close-up Magic/Sleight of Hand - Why did Shinobu decide to learn this? He wanted to. He's gotten quite good at it though. He's learned all the basics and can even pull off some more intricate "illusions" if he puts his mind to it. Overall, it's a fun skill that he uses to his benefit whenever possible.

Extra: [Theme songs and extra items on your character weapons and gear if you have.]

• I don't know fully how well this song might fit Shinobu, but I think it'd make a good theme for him.
• Shinobu typically carries around a few switch blades hidden cleverly on his person. It's usually 2 or 3, nothing too out there.
• He can handle alcohol surprisingly well. Often thinks it's funny if someone can't.
• Shinobu smokes marijuana and has a small stash at home. He also carries around a vape pen with CBD vape oil which he may occasionally hit throughout the day. It does not impair his ability and even help him get through particular stressful days, tasks, and otherwise annoying situations. He finds it helps soothe, calm, and focus him in most cases.
• Shinobu thinks physically capable people are cool and ever admires them to an extent. He thinks it is impressive if you can fight, fight well, and don't need to rely on petty tricks or bluffs to get by. Of course, he doesn't seem himself as physically able enough to join those ranks.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Name: Kazuma Kenichi

Height: 5'9" Weight: 148 lbs Age: 18

Occupation: Greeter, Waiter

Nationality: Japanese

Personality: One of the more normal people in the entire establishment. Kazuma seems to almost always have a kind-hearted smile on, or at least a non-threatening demeanor. Talkative, outgoing and simply pleasant to be around make him perfect for his position. Despite his current situation, he doesn't seem to have lost hope or outwardly blame any party involved. Honestly, he just wants to work hard to be done with it all and move on with his life. Unfortunately, this means keeping the restaurant he works at open which some of his coworkers and superiors seem adamant to close down. Some might call him a pansy, albeit that's not entirely true. While Kazuma would prefer to avoid conflict, he will stand his ground when need be—He simply doesn't need to stand his ground as more often than not he's trying to hold his manager back from putting someone through a table.

There isn't much Kazuma takes grave offense to or will hold a grudge over, though he will levy criticism to the wasting of money since he himself is paying back a giant debt that wasn't even his to begin with. He likes to look on the bright side and not dwell on the negative so much as to incur an anxiety attack. Underneath his pleasant exterior and smile lies a massive stress case constantly worrying if he really will reach the light at the end of the tunnel, though expressing as much will almost certainly make it worse.

Biography: A normal person on many accounts, albeit one that seems to draw oddities he is unable to escape from. While he was always a good kid that tried to do his best, his parents—well, they only really cared about their own matters. His father is a thrill-seeker that made it his profession traveling around the world, searching for tombs, ruins and other ancient sites of importance. His mother got her enjoyment from gambling at the nearby casino. Kazama never really had a poor relationship with them, but he never really took them for people he could rely on either.

Still, at the least, Kazuma expected his mother to not lose so much money, to the yakuza no less, that both she and his father would vanish from the country, leaving only a half-assed voicemail on the home phone as warning to their poor son. Now, with both his parents out of reach, the debt would fall unto him. The Yakuza didn't care who was where, after all, they just wanted their money. Due to this, Kazuma spent his adolescent years working odd jobs alongside going to school, though this was less than likely to put much of a dent in the debt. If he wanted to get rid of it, he'd need the kind of job you get after going through university.

It was at this point that he was made an offer; while attending university, he would work in a restaurant under their wing. There, they would take a cut out of his pay while he would still be capable of supporting himself and studying. For gangsters, they were oddly reasonable. Then again, they probably knew that they would get more money if their source of paying the debt back got a better paying job himself.

It was a good offer; one that Kazuma wasn't able to turn down. Unfortunately, he expected a restaurant, even one owned by the Yakuza, to be a bit more—professional? What the hell is this place? Is this really a restaurant?!

Special Skills: Kauama is very much workers-material. With plenty of experience, a kind demeanor, nice smile and pretty face, the boy excels at most civil skills and seems to be good at making connections with people. Aside from that, with him currently pursuing an education, he's fairly intelligent due to his classes and is surprisingly durable from his various jobs throughout adolescence. He is fluent in both English and Japanese, as well as knows a little of several other languages due to his father traveling a lot.

 

[Astros]

Takenaka Katashi​

Height: 5'11" Weight: 175 lbs.

Age: 24 Gender: Male

Occupation: Junior/Second Cook (The Painted Shark)| Information Broker | Street Thug

Nationality: Japanese. Nerima, Japan

Personality:

Katashi despite his reputable temper, is fairly cool headed and professional while on the job. At least, during the moments where it counts. When initially faced with a situation that's escalated or gotten out of hand, he's usually carefree and one to talk things down. From unruly customers to underworld agents and gangs like the Yakuza, he's impartial to the party at fault and generally willing to let disagreements go. Along side this he's quite a smooth talker, actively convincing others to absolve him or others of "guilt".

However, while preferring to negotiate from the sidelines he's also quick to jump into conflict when his temper has been lost. Blatant disrespect being at the top of his list of offenders. After the fact, he has a stubborn habit of not lettings things go until they're resolved to his liking. This habit has proven detrimental more than helpful at times (quite often), to the point he was pulled off the floor as a waiter for breaking one too many chairs over customers he regarded as "scum". Despite being placed in the kitchen to keep him as far away from customers as physically able, Katashi doesn't let it bother him.

Possessing a respectable work ethic. He manages his work adequately alongside his interactions with others. Not neglecting one for the other or having them suffer from each other. Usually he'll say a few words here and there while preparing a meal or taking out the trash. Ultimately prefering to keep personal life and work separate, he's hard pressed to talk about his family and friends. On the occasions he does it usually is about his older brother who he flatly refers to as "Aniki". Only in rare cases will he let personal matters dictate his actions while on the clock.


Biography:

Spoiler

Born to a rather typical middle class family, Katashi grew up with an older brother and younger sister. His brother was his senior by four years while his sister a junior of two. His mother a dedicated housewife and his father a police officer, who worked long hours managing a construction company. From a young age, despite his mother's warm and affectionate care, Katashi was an unruly child whose temper made him behave more wild than civil. Disobedient, prone to mischief, and rather apathetic to the whims of others. His childhood proved a constant headache to his parents, and an annoyance to the rest of his family. Until one day, when taken to a park by his older brother after causing their mother a breakdown, he was subject to a cold beating.

Ever since that day Katashi began to focus his attention on his older brother, resulting in the two constantly quarreling. Katashi, aiming to settle the score between them, aimed to annoy and upset his older brother at every opportunity. This had mixed results as being four years older he was stronger, more mature and always could find a way to turn Katashi's antics on himself. With time and repeat failure, spite slowly became reserved admiration. No matter the day he was having or what Katashi threw at him, his older brother would always remained reserved, cool, and retrain the upper hand. The rivalry between them eventually mellowed Katashi out, uplifting the family as a whole. But, there was always a sense of resentment towards his "Anaki" that Katashi never let go.

During their early teens it was hard to find one without the other as Katashi stuck to his older brother like glue. Following wherever he went, their mother would often remark "If not for your faces I would think I had twins.". Yet despite this remark, she and their father favored his brother more openly without reserve.

The relative carefree times of Katashi's childhood were inevitably scarred by the abrupt death of his father. At the age of eleven, his father perished in an inexplicable house fire. Arriving home early from work the residence was caught in a roaring inferno. His father believing Katashi's sister to still be inside, sick with a cold. Stormed into the house fire never to return. Unaware to anyone and still an unsolved element to the case. Hours previous Katashi's sister had been dropped off at a friend's house by a stranger clad in black. Neither her nor the neighbors having remembered the face of the mystery man. In the end it was ruled as a tragic accident and the case was closed.

After the death in the family things dramatically changed. Katashi's anaki stepped up as being a main provider for the family. Finishing school early to find work and help pay the bills. When learning of the opportunities of being an officer in the Japan Self-Defense Force, he was unperturbed in signing a portion of his life away. Appointing Katashi as the unoffical head of the household, Katashi struggled with responsibility for the first time, but grew to inherent them.

Gripped by a sense of being ineffectual, Kitashi stepped up to help by working part time where able between school and homework. Things were tolerable for a time, in spite of his mother falling into a spell of deep grief from the loss and being unable to navigate the work force. Developing a bad habit of overspending whenever she hit her lowest point, with what money Katashi could manage in addition to his older brother. It was manageable.

Until the day his brother's aid stopped arriving. Followed by the weeks of unanswered calls, and eventually all contact turning cold. Devastated both financially and emotionally, his mother turned to alcohol alongside her wild spending sprees. Given his part time work wasn't enough to support her and his sister, Katashi turned to more unorthodox methods. Participating in street fights, gambling, and petty crime he failed to succeed at the beginning, and only managed to find himself in trouble and worry his mother.

"I couldn't live to see prison take you away from me. Not after your father. Not after Takashi."

Were her drunk, tear ridden words to him.

Devising clever ways to participate in his unorthodox money making methods without her finding out he continued until he honed the art into a skill. Becoming an accomplished petty criminal and information broker in the process. Utilizing his skills even on his mother, he could always manage to convince her he was getting his money from legal methods. Smart investments, market shares, real estate, you name it he could bullshit it.

"Takashi isn't the only one with smarts. Mom."

But, things could never continue as they were forever. One day while his sister was out shopping a group of men from a local gang sexually harassed her. To the point if a stranger hadn't chosen to intervene, it would have likely ended in rape. Seething for blood, Katashi tracked the thugs down within hours. With the years of experience he had street fighting, he didn't pull any swings or dirty tactics. Leaving two men bloody disfigured pulps, the last three mauled him in return to a standstill.

Katashi claims he would have won too, despite a broken arm, nose, and fractured ribs. If only one of the thugs hadn't pulled a handgun. The shots likely were a blessing in disguise. (A tiny blessing) As it didn't take no time for the police to arrive on the scene. By then the thugs had fled and left Katashi on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Thankfully they were a terrible shot, missing anything vital and only leaving Katashi with scars and lasting residual damage. This he didn't mind in comparison to the cost of the treatment, his mother's predictable hysteria, and the events to follow.

Unconcerned with the fact the thugs were known to be Yakuza at the time. This fact would come to haunt him in repeat harassment and personal demands of compensation from the gang underlings. Thankfully, the only appearance from their shady superiors has been a warning delivered to their doorstep. Specifically to Katashi.

Make trouble for us again, and you'll force our hand.

Maintaining the defensive between attempts to jump him and terrorize his family, Katashi has managed to make it out ahead. Somehow. But ever since the incident he's had his hands full. Managing interest payments to his debt collectors, supporting his mother in her expensive erratic habits, guarding his younger sister, and digging to uncover what really happened to his father. Though mainly a fruitless endeavor he's acquired small details over the years that's gradually gotten him closer to the truth.

Around the age of twenty he heard a rumor about a woman with connections to the Yakuza who would hire those with a record at a place called "The Painted Shark" Desperately needing a reliable job (a job at all) he put in an application as he was fired from his last employment. He's maintained the job there for roughly more than a year now.


Specials Skills:
Katashi is an established street fighter. By that I mean not only is he a skilled fighter, but he has a reputation of being so. Along with this he has considerable endurance for punishment. When most would back down or slow from pain he keeps going and seemingly isn't affected.

While being a skilled fighter Katashi isn't purely all brawn. Far from it, over the years he's acquired exceptional street smarts. Knowing what's going down between gangs to what Mr. Tokugawa is doing with his lawn this summer. Katashi knows a variety of people and how to talk to them. Most of the time it's harmless rumors and gossip, but on a few occasions information can prove to be useful.

Katashi while not a great cook, with experience and practice has developed talent. He can cook the majority of what people order by memory and have it taste acceptable, but he has no drive to improve nor does he have a innate aptitude for the job. He's more skilled in the menial tasks of cooking such as preparing ingredients, washing dishes, and cleaning. While by no means requiring skill Katashi is efficient in these tasks to where productivity would suffer in his absence.


Extra:
When roaming the city and occasionally at work Katashi will sport a metal baseball bat on his shoulder.

Katashi carries a hidden weapon with him after one too many fights where people had them. It usually is a knife, but in some cases it's not.

Katashi wears a set of dog tags that belonged to his father. They're to remind him to not give up searching as any moment could lead to him to uncovering the truth. While at work he keeps them tucked away under his uniform.

Despite being only 24, he has persistent health issues from fights with gangs and bad decisions. Back and joint pain aggravate him from time to time. As do old injuries that never quite healed perfectly due to avoiding hospital visits. While not preventing him from working, they have earned him the title "old man" on more than one occasion. As well as inhibiting his sense of smell for the most part.

​

 

[Cresion Breezes]

(Glasses for decoration only)
Name:
森 恩一
Mori, Enichi (Japanese)
Sen, Enyi (Chinese)

Height: 5"8' Weight: 135lbs Age: 20

Occupation: Repair Technician (The Painted Shark & Surrounding District), Niconico/Youtube Creator

Nationality: Chinese (Taiwan), forged Japanese identity (Yokohama, Japan)
​

Personality:
Confidently hyperactive, someone that most people would call a "mad scientist", which will be quickly corrected to "engineer". Regardless of terminology, Enichi definitely has the flare of an eccentric genius. A definite hands-on learner who can't stand staying still, being constantly absorbed in strange personal projects, which range from mind-boggling dangerous to brain-numbingly meaningless. Enichi can seem a bit distracted from reality at times. Despite this, the genius part does hold up, with an uncanny intuition for mechanical engineering, a seemingly bottomless reservoir of random factoids, and improvisation skills that can bring glitz and glamour to the most mundane of situations, one would be hard-pressed to find repairs persons more passionate about their craft than Enichi. Though that passion can sometimes turn into solicitation of "equipment upgrades" that are not on the market and definitely not government approved.

Despite being eccentric and fast-paced, if one can catch a quiet or reserved moment, they may notice that Enichi exerts a somewhat enigmatic atmosphere. It is easy to be distracted by Enichi's antics and completely disregard the strange technician's personal life, which is something that Enichi prefers. If asked about family or the past, answers usually come muddled, vague, information so overdramatic that it is clearly false, or a simple "why do you care?". This combined with Enichi's ability to stay calm and chipper in almost any situation can be somewhat unsettling at times.

Biography:

​

BIOGRAPHY

Sen Enyi was born in Taiwan to a line of zanryu kojis - Japanese orphans who were abandoned in China after the Second World War. They were a generation lost without a sense of belonging, so many turned to delinquency and crime, Enyi's parents were such a couple, who soon abandoned their child soon after their conception. Despite growing up as a street kid, Enyi was always a cheerful, brilliant child who was quite gifted at pragmatic problem-solving. Talents that eventually went to serve the Yakuza and local criminal organizations in smuggling drugs between Taiwan and Japan. The child, despite being young, was an excellent lookout and distraction, with an intrinsic understanding of various equipment, and often cooked up very viable plans to sabotage law enforcement.

Half of dozen years passed by with Enyi hanging out with thugs and criminals, there was an understanding of the "wrongness" of their actions as the child grew into a young teen, but to Enyi, this was the type of life worth living, and the type of life that can be fully enjoyed. Though it was about to come to an end, when a large-scale assault on international drug cartels happened when Enyi was 14. The young teen was quick enough to dash around the port and find places to hide, but when a firefight broke out, the lack of usable weapons put Enyi in grave danger. In the corner of a warehouse, Enyi found a nail gun with a portable generator, with scrap parts and half drained car batteries, Enyi's first custom weapon was born - a nail gun, that functioned scarily close to a real one.

Although it didn't quite work as expected, as the generator began to spark and smoke at some point. Enyi was quick to jump the ship once more, hopping onto and hiding in an idle ship as the warehouse began to flicker in flames. Enyi didn't know how many people that fire killed until many years later, after digging up a specific news article. The accidental arsonist hid away in compartments too big for adults, and jumped various ports and ships to eventually arrive in a Yokohama port, illicitly. Thanks to many early year interactions with Yakuza members, Enyi picked up a decent amount of Japanese, and connections. The wandering teen was again picked up by the Yakuzas who had heard about the events in Taiwan, and went back to the days of being a port lookout and sabotaging police cars. Enyi eventually became "Mori Enichi", the Japanese pronunciation of the kanjis "Sen Enyi".

Enichi often made trinkets and custom weapons after the first attempt, luckily no more massive fires happened, though small ones did. This paid off when the clan master of the small Yakuza branch noticed Enichi's creations, being a man with a background in robotics and engineering himself, the clan master decided to take Enichi as an apprentice after seeing the youth's talent. Now calling him "Shishou", Enichi found a proper master in the ways of mechanical design, and was also put into actual schooling with forged identification documents. Though Enichi excelled in academics, it felt lifeless and boring to sit around all day, the only thing that made things a bit exciting was the repairs and renovations requested by fellow Yakuza members. Even being accepted into the University of Tokyo a whole year early at the age of 16 didn't do much to lift the former street kid's spirit.

College was even duller, without an exciting life of action and mechanics, Enichi got absorbed into films and movies. The original plan was to travel to America, more specifically Hollywood, to become a special effects artist after graduation, but the plan changed after Enichi learned that practical effects were being replaced by CGI. Instead, Enichi began posting "practical effect" videos on the internet, and those creative, exciting and often hilarious designs began to garner popularity. Enichi felt happy about this result, as those strange pointless personal projects actually have people that appreciate them, but the popularity also brought problems. Shishou contacted Enichi, and expressed concern for the latter's rising popularity, which was becoming too high-profiled for Yakuza-related activities. Enichi made a choice without hesitation: to leave the criminal world and pursue whatever the heart desires, Shishou was a bit hesitative, but eventually let his disciple go.

After finding some information about the area, Enichi applied to be the repair person for a conspicuously commonly damaged restaurant. Though it seemed strange for a Todai graduate to want to work such a job, Enichi was technically qualified, and thus began this new life.

​

Specials Skills:
Engineering - Has an uncanny ability to intuitively understand how most things work, and how to put them together, on a level that can only be described a "prodigious". Though this ability is often put into...creative (a nice way of putting it) or completely bonkers (a less nice way of putting it) use.

Presentation - Having a few years of vlogging and video-making experience, Enichi knows how to make the most mundane things seem exciting with the right amount of presentative flare, overdramatization, or just a really big sign.

Improvise Weaponry - You can technically make a weapon by attaching a motor to a spork, Enichi carried a lot of motors (and sometimes a spork).

Extra:
Enichi's favorite "weapon" is still the nail gun, though anything that was DIYed works just fine, they carry a tool bag with your garden variety screwdrivers, hammers, wire strippers, soldering irons, lithium batteries, small motors, nails, etc.

Despite being extremely talented in mechanical engineering and fairly knowledgeable in chemistry, Enichi is pretty much blank when it comes to IT-related fields, and often asks others to help film, edit, or upload videos. Differentiating Minecraft and Minesweeper was only the first step.

Enichi's gender is the most debated topic in their comment section, it is officially listed as "unknown", "who cares" and "it doesn't matter".

Though not in debt and can be fairly well-off if they wished, Enichi regularly blows hundreds of thousands of yen on strange exotic machinery and parts that may or may not go up in flames, so there is the appearance that they live in poverty.

Is fluent in Chinese, Japanese, and English, but entire English vocabulary is made up of B Films and Breaking Bad quotes.

 

[Thaleko]

Oba, Sakurako​

Height: 6'2'' Weight: 178 lbs Age: 26

Occupation: Bouncer, Waitress

Nationality: Japanese

Personality:
Sakurako isn't the chatty, nor the friendly type. The air about her says, "Stay away from me." Which isn't the best for someone who sometimes waits tables. Sakurako is a pretty sarcastic individual. Her humor leans dark, and her words can come off as twisted. With that said, Sakurako isn't an overtly psychotic individual. She's very often soft-spoken and usually maintains the peace. Physically, maintaining it, too, if she must. Though that is merely day-to-day.

When it comes to action, Sakurako is as wild, and deranged as they come. Inwardly she is very much unbalanced. And this side of her often rises to the surface in extraneous circumstances. Sakurako is competitive and petty. Common sense seems to largely be her bane, as the woman really doesn't seem to adhere to it.

Sakurako is reliable, to the point that giving her orders tends to provide fruit, but that doesn't mean she'll act. She tends to do things her own way. And tends to dislike or ignore authority, which often gets her into trouble; even going so far as to ignore common honorifics, or using them sarcastically. Though she rarely finds herself caring about the consequences of such action. And pretty much possesses the skills to handle the situation. However, it is the fact that her performance is of such high quality that this fact is often ignored. Or at best, tolerated.

Sakurako isn't the type to seek friendships or other "positive" relationships. But she isn't against chilling and hanging out. If you can handle a tall, scary woman skulking nearby.

Biography:
Born to a prominent Yakuza family, Sakurako was the second daughter to Haruka and Hinata Oba. Their first being Yūka. The Oba family is well documented for producing daughters, for unknown reasons. Her parents were a bit despondent about producing a second daughter -the husband especially, wanting to break the pattern and have a son. Especially, since he has not proven all that useful to the Yakuza, due to being a midget. But it was expected, due to their family being known for their daughters. It is practically the Oba family's legacy.

The Oba family is known for daughters to the point that is widely accepted that the daughters will join and be of great assets to the Yakuza should the daughters prove themselves. The daughters are raised in a more masculine manner -practically like sons. Then they are given tasks to prove themselves.

Raised like a son wasn't too hard on Sakurako. Her sister Yūka was always there to comfort her if it ever got too hard. And the little raven-haired girl leaned heavily on the strong Yūka. Or at least, she thought her elder sister was strong.

Just before her sister Yūka was to join the JSDF, as was her 'proving'. She was instead gang raped and murdered. Her father was woefully inadequate to defend her, but tried to stop it it regardless, and was easily beaten to near-death.

After Yūka's passing, Sakurako withdrew into herself. And put all of her focus into her training. Viewing her father with less respect than before, Sakurako realized it fell on her to bring any respect back to her family. She took her sister's place in the JSDF, and served there at least 10 years, maintaining her Yakuza ties secretly.

The woman was serious about her JSDF training. Outperforming many of the other recruits, and soldiers, as her rank grew.

In the JSDF she earned two titles. Her first was the Wicked Wind, due to her ridiculous skill with swords, and how she wielded them viciously. The black blade of her elder sister's sword looked like black wind in her hands. Then, later, the second name she made for herself was Japan's Demon of Black. Or the Black Demon. A title which stuck and became much more notorious when it was found she had murdered a fellow soldier. Which got her dishonorably discharged. She had murdered him because she found out he had been involved in the rape and murder of her sister.

But he was but one. Sakurako had made it her life's goal to find everyone who had been involved in her sister's death and punish them accordingly -which meant kill them.

After her discharge, she had definitely proved herself, and returned to the Yakuza. Then she was pretty much posted at -er, she "got a job" at The Painted Shark. Reluctantly so.

Specials Skills: Sakurako is a marksman with pretty much any firearm. She isn't a gun aficionado, but her gun speed and aim is impeccable.
Also a grade-A swordswoman. Her skills with the blade earned her the nickname the Wicked Wind.
Has martial art hand-to-hand skills, and a toned body.

Extra:
Underneath her clothes are strings of tattoos. All of her tattoos are pretty plants, flowers, tulips, birds, leaves in autumn, etc.

Sakurako won't drink alcohol. She claims it, "Throws off my aim."

A special pair of dual Sword Cutlass pistols are her personal sidearms that she keeps on her person. They're customized Beretta 92FS Inox pistols. And are engraved with (a certain flower).

Wields daishō: a katana and wakizashi pair she's named Hateful Sisters. The katana was her sister's and the wakizashi belonged to her mother.

Sakurako paints and writes poems. A habit she picked up as she served in the JSDF. Her paintings are then copied over onto her very skin by tattoo artists.

Sakurako, also, sings to herself in the shower, but literally nowhere else.

Outside of work, Sakurako pretty much spends all of her time training.

Sakurako smokes.

Regularly makes fun of her father's dwarfism. But hates being called "flat-chested".

Pretty much is never caught without her signature hat on.

 

[Jessica]

Name: Kotone Suzuki

Height: 5'9

Weight: 145 pounds

Age: 22

Occupation: Patissier. Has a side job as an entertainer.

Nationality: Japanese

Personality:

"Fuck it" is Kotone's motto for everyday living and has been for as long as he could remember. Since everything that's happened in his childhood, he doesn't like to hold himself back from what he wants to do, and oftentimes ends up doing something ridiculous or questionable to get what he wants. Has he hurt anyone? No. Kotone's motives are mostly harmless to everyone around him. The person that usually gets hurt is himself.

Kotone's sheltered upbringing has made him a person who appreciates the things he receives and does not take his days for granted. It also cursed him with a lack of charisma that can sometimes result in social awkwardness or others to think him more of a weirdo than usual. And thanks to his clumsiness, he's accident prone.

Despite his "fuck it" attitude and social awkwardness, Kotone is generally a very kind individual with no regards to his own health. He cares for others enough that he'll try to help if possible, but also tease them if they did something stupid.

Kotone also tends to stretch the truth on things. Like his resume.




Biography:

Since Kotone has been a child, he'd been in and out of the hospital thanks to a rare disease that he had contracted plus a few allergies that made doctors wonder why he was still alive. They feared for his health and forbade Kotone from doing normal children things such as playing in the park or making new friends. Basically, he'd been made to spend his life in a bubble, but Kotone's parents did their best to give their son as happy a childhood as they could.

Medicines and hospital beds became as normal to him as getting dressed in the morning. Though Kotone wasn't "happy," he remained optimistic about his situation. He remained cheerful and kept pushing through, however day and day he still wondered what it would be like to have a normal life.

To help him build some necessary skills and pass the time, Kotone would often spend his time in his home's kitchen baking and cooking. However, thanks to spending a good amount of his childhood in a medical bed, his muscles were weaker than normal which made him a lot more accident prone in the kitchen. This resulted in more hospital trips, but this time for physical injuries rather than illnesses. His mother insisted that he talk up a different hobby, but Kotone persisted much to his mother's and father's fears.

As he baked, he would often sing too. Kotone had tried dancing but that still requires more practice and nothing in his hands to ensure that all goes well. Maybe one day he would get things right, but for now, singing and baking became his hobbies. Life was too short to spend it expanding the mind.

Once Kotone was old enough and it was decided that he was ready for a job, he would begin working at a few smaller grocery store chains and businesses to begin building experience. However, Kotone was bored. He'd rather be spending his young life baking cakes and seeing something interesting than working at some "excellent customer service," "safe area," "5-star quality" building.

That's when his attention turned to The Painted Shark. An interesting location with most likely interesting people working behind the scenes.

He applied for the Patissier position, with a "tiny slipup" in his resume. He put "Master's in Pastry Arts" instead of "Master in Pastry Arts" under the skills and education area, with a few additions here and there that were totally and completely truthful. Kotone was called for the interview and it was obvious they suspected (knew) he had lied. Thankfully, they gave him a chance to "prove himself" by making either "making pastries to die for" or "dying for wasting their time."

Needless to say, the desserts he made for them to sample were in fact to die for, and the rest was history.

For extra money, he offers his voice to other locations as an entertainer.



Special Skills:

~Pastries: When Kotone's clumsiness doesn't get in the way, the sweets and delicacies he makes are heavenly. Just make sure Kotone didn't cut himself while making it.

~Singing and Dancing: Kotone makes for a good entertainer. If someone needs to liven up the ambience, he would do it if asked. He normally resorts to only singing due to his clumsiness.

~Knowledgeable in medicine: Thanks to Kotone's upbringing in the hospital, he's quite familiar with pills and different medications.

 

[kookyboy9]

Appearance:


Name: Tsuchiya Katsuro (Katsuro Tsuchiya westernized)

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 190
Age: 23

Occupation: Second shift bouncer/Greeter, MMA tournament participant, MMA instructor

Nationality: Japanese

Personality:
Katsuro is, in a sentence, a time bomb best left undisturbed. He makes a conscious effort to be friendly, if not always kind, and has a genuine desire to get along with people. He prefers not to talk about his past, and he often does his best to be professional when on the job. When not on the job, he's friendly and affable. If he sees someone in trouble, so long as nothing more pressing is happening, he will normally drop what he's doing to go help.

He has a fairly long fuse, but when it blows, it's better to be somewhere else. Although he teaches that martial arts shouldn't be used in anger, he's honestly quite the hypocrite. When he becomes truly, incredibly angry, he becomes fairly sadistic. While he'll use tamer moves when he's calm to avoid harming the other person, he becomes incredibly vicious when his anger has been aroused. Nothing is off the table, except for killing.

Of the things that he hates to see, the highest on the list is needless violence. Hence the reason for his long temper. He actively attempts to keep it under control, because he's learned from experience that allowing it to go rogue is a one-way ticket to regret. He quite likes animals, especially dogs.

He has a bit of an odd relationship with his past. On one hand, he hates that he was involved in so much fighting in his younger years, but on the other, he also appreciates the skills he picked up over the years, and he uses them for his livelihood. He's unlikely to share much more than the most basic bare bones of his history to anyone he isn't very good friends with.

He's somewhat prone to cursing and accidentally mixing swear words into his sentences, although he does attempt to filter them out in most casual conversation.

He hates the orphanage he grew up in, and views most other such places as thinly-veiled money-making schemes at best, and hellholes at worst. He also dislikes seeing street kids, and attempts to encourage them to leave the streets whenever he can. Not that he has much success.

Biography:

Warning: Potentially disturbing content

Katsuro never met his parents. He was abandoned at a shady orphanage soon after his birth, and grew up there fairly normally until his 5th birthday. After his 5th birthday, however, the orphanage showed its true colors. The orphanage was really just a thinly-veiled scheme to pick up new, fresh meat for an illegal underground fighting ring.

For the next three years, Katsuro was put through a harrowing gauntlet of martial arts training, with absolutely minimal formal education. When he was eight, he was thrown into the arena, and lost terribly. He continued to lose terribly for the next several months, as he slowly began to catch up in both physique and skill with the other children in the arena.

Katsuro had been one of the fortunate ones, however, and a two years later, he was the last remaining fighter of his year — the rest all dropping out due to crippling injuries or accidents. And so he was matched up with older children. And he slowly became a better and better fighter. This continued until his 16th birthday, when the authorities finally caught on to the ring, and completely dismantled it, orphanages and all.

Katsuro was left out on the streets, and eventually gravitated to slightly-less-illegal fighting rings, where he was able to make a fair living. Over the next several years, he was able to save up enough to become stable, and to realize that he really hated the environment of street fighting. Without much knowledge of anything other than fighting, however, he was kind of stuck. And due to the orphanage-turned-fighting-ring, he was quite old to get into schools.

Forced to continue to fight for his living, Katsuro eventually discovered the existence of Mixed Martial Arts, and joined an organization. And he found that the fighting was much different from what he was used to. Instead of a mad scramble to beat the shit out of each other, the tournaments were more sportsmanlike, and Katsuro found himself enjoying using his skills again.

Time passed again, and by the time he was 22, he was consistently winning national-level tournaments, and was able to support himself off of a combination of tournament takings and classes. Unfortunately, the tournament winnings were inconsistent, and his teaching job wasn't enough to keep him afloat, so he needed to search for work.

He eventually found work as a part-time bouncer at the Painted Shark, and has stayed employed there since.

Special Skills:
Mixed Martial Arts - Katsuro is expert-level in most major martial arts. He prefers to only use non-lethal arts such as judo, however.

Street Smarts - Katsuro has been in enough street scraps to be able to spot a dangerous situation from a mile away.

Gang Ins - Katsuro has been involved in a fair number of gang fights around the city, and is likely to have some in with any local gangs that aren't too new.

Eye for Trouble - Most trained fighters carry themselves differently. And Katsuro's been surrounded by fighters his entire life, so he knows what they look like.

Extra: Theme songs and extra items on your character weapons and gear if you have.
Items to be added later​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

And signups are closed. If you would like to join DM me and I'll see what I can do.

With that being said IC is being made as we speak and will be linked in the Discord OOC for participating parties.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Additional NPC's

Tsao Shinji: Co-Manager and Line Cook - Age 62

Spoiler

Co-Manager of The Painted Shark and Cook, old in age but a rather pleasant man. He ran the old establishment and continues working in spite of his age, back then it was known as Sunshine Café and Diner. He likes the new name more overall. A very gung-ho man, age has not seemed to slow him down in the least. He is not around often when the current shift is but makes his presence known. Unsurprisingly he is rather good at cooking Chinese food and is a quick cook. Seems to know some form of tai chi. A grandfatherly seeming man that likes action.

Ishikawa Sayuri: Slamming Sushi Owner/Manager & Cashier - Age 39

Spoiler

Not too much is known about Sayuri at face value, for those in the know she was a Judo Champion on the national stage in highschool and has occasionally reappeared time to time during her 20's to compete. Normally a calm and refined woman, she supports her husband and can hold a viscous streak as well as Yoriko, tends to look down on the poor and comes from a rich family. She tends to think of the heated rivalry of the two establishments as a "friendly competition". She is roughly the same size as Yoriko.

Ishikawa Genji: Co-owner and head Chef of Slammin Sushi - Age 41

Spoiler

Despite his appearance Genji is indeed a former Yakuza. Or rather he was a hitman. Early in life he met and married the love of his life, Sayuri and was known as the Dragon of Chubu. A knife fighter and standing at 6'1" he is rather tall by Japanese standards. About four years ago he retired from his line of work and carried out his dream of opening a Sushi and Sashimi restaurant with his wife and their son. Roughly two years ago Yoriko accidentally slammed a chair from her Painted Shark into the window of his store. With both being combative and not willing to back down the situation between them worsened quickly and has became an after hour highlight on some nights as members from both establishments or even random participants turn the street between them into a brawlers arena and betting ring where the two establishments fight. Generally he's not a shamed to use underhanded means or fight fire with fire, he and Yoriko are more than a bit alike when it comes to personality. While it does happen its more rare when things get out of hand and one side or the other trashes part of the others equipment. Something a certain repairman profits off of.

Rather enjoys the fights. Has a very noticeable scar, at odds with his Yakuza style suits is the fact her wears aprons with cute characters on them. A gift from his wife in most cases.

Ishikawa Roku: Fisherman and Jr Cook - Age 18

Spoiler

Eldest Son of the pair and has two younger siblings that are never seen at Slammin Sushi, his personality is akin to a delinquent with a burned out air to him, is slightly more agreeable and friendly when working or even more so at sea and fishing along the shore. He will catch a few fish for the store or purchases them with his father at the wet markets directly. A somewhat capable fighter, he's not as into all this as his father is but goes along with it either way.

Nakasone Goro: Waiter and Cashier - Music store clerk - Age 19

Spoiler

Goro is one of the more easily angered employees and though new he readily decides to help his boss with after work events as they are called. He isn't very strong and knows only a bit of Karate, but he can take a beating. Goro tends to hold grudges and is very professional in his dealings with others. He also works at a major music store and can be seen around the city ward fairly often outside of work.

Takashi Ayase: Waitress/Hostess - Age 20

Spoiler

Ayase is just a bit insane it seems, often coming up with hair brained schemes her boss is more than ready to send her on, even if he knows she's an idiot. Easily excitable and far too transparent in her dealings, Ayase is a rather terrible spy that works at Slammin Sushi full time. Something of a headache she'll come around to The Painted Shark at times to spy on them or to place difficult orders with minor sabotage. Oddly gets along with the Nishikawa twins and is not unknown to play console games in the break room with Hibari, when the later feels so inclined. Often joins in on the fight nights when they happen and is rather energetic but not a skilled fighter. Never seems to hold her actions or those of others personally.

Sawano Fusae: Waitress/Hostess - Age 21

Spoiler

Fusae works part time on the wait and hostess staff for Slammin Sushi. A morning fitness instructor and kick boxer, Fusae is one of the more grounded employees of Slammin Sushi, something of a delinquent she likes rock music and has been known to sing. Something of a busy body and liking a challenge, she is not above instigating problems between the workers of both shops, she on a lesser extreme isn't above playing practical jokes.

More will likely be added at some point or another.