•HAGAKURE•
Both the victor
and the vanquished are
but drops of dew,
but bolts of lightning,
thus should we view the world.
- The death poem of Ôuchi Yoshitaka
The Plot
The Grand Empire has ruled Tsukishima for thousands of years, maintaining the Bakuhatsu dynasty for generations immemorial. Their current ruler, Emperor Kaoru Bakuhatsu, has brought the empire to new heights by being the first Tsukihito to accept the trade agreements of a foreigner, focusing newfound imperial funds on developing technology such as the steam drill, gatling gun, and zeppelin. Though the empire has grown richer, more technologically advanced, and is furthering science to heights previously unknown, this is believed by the pious to have extended man's domain and power further than it had been intended to be by the gods, which has caused a recent uprising of demons taking corporeal forms and killing villagers in scores.
Though this supernatural insurrection has been denied by local shoguns and government officials, the Grand Imperial Military has been stationed in many villages for seemingly no reason but "guarding foreign cargo shipments", though many suspect Emperor Kaoru has begun to take notice of the supernatural occurrences. Although areas occupied by the Grand Imperial Military are kept safe from demons and spirits, the soldiers and samurai employed by the government are essentially immune to the Empire's laws, and are known for their wanton cruelty to the serfs they protect. This lack of transparency on the empire's part and anger towards the occupying army has caused a rift in Tsukishima's society, with more and more citizens fed up with the empire and turning to bandit groups and travelling ronin to protect them. However, as the bandit groups usually require extortion payments and are oftentimes as cruel as the occupying soldiers, between the demons and what protects the villagers from them, life has never been harsher to the common man. It is a time that calls for heroes.
Though this supernatural insurrection has been denied by local shoguns and government officials, the Grand Imperial Military has been stationed in many villages for seemingly no reason but "guarding foreign cargo shipments", though many suspect Emperor Kaoru has begun to take notice of the supernatural occurrences. Although areas occupied by the Grand Imperial Military are kept safe from demons and spirits, the soldiers and samurai employed by the government are essentially immune to the Empire's laws, and are known for their wanton cruelty to the serfs they protect. This lack of transparency on the empire's part and anger towards the occupying army has caused a rift in Tsukishima's society, with more and more citizens fed up with the empire and turning to bandit groups and travelling ronin to protect them. However, as the bandit groups usually require extortion payments and are oftentimes as cruel as the occupying soldiers, between the demons and what protects the villagers from them, life has never been harsher to the common man. It is a time that calls for heroes.
The World
Our story takes place in Tsukishima, a crescent-shaped continent about half the size of Europe, ruled by The Grand Empire, which is as faceless and evil as their name sounds. As is the case with many anime settings, the country is ambiguously Japanese without actually being set in Japan -- Characters and locations have Japanese names, spirituality is divided by strongly Buddhist and Shinto seeming religions, and concepts like honor and filial piety have a place in everyday life. The setting will be split between rural and urban villages, with smaller villages having hand-pumped water and traditional japanese architecture (Rice paper walls, tatami mats, squat toilets) while more urban villages have electricity, plumbing, and western-style beds. As you move north, particularly northeast, villages become cities, sandals become slippers, and swords are replaced by rifles. Our story starts as far from the northeast as possible.
Though one of the themes of the RP is the world's rapid industrialization, keep in mind that there aren't any crazy cyberpunk neon cities. At most, the level of the tech in our world is the same as that of the Naruto universe; In the most urban areas, Electricity, pre-packaged food, plastic, factories, gunpowder, and steam-powered machinery are not commonplace, but they are becoming increasingly so. Gatling guns and cannons exist, though only the highest order of the Grand Imperial Army, the Imperial Guard, have access to them. In terms of realism, try to consider our world low fantasy -- Onis, Kappas, Yokai, and all other mythical creatures are still mythical, and dragons are only ever seen in papery forms at parades. Only recently -- to the tune of a year, more or less -- have supernatural occurrences started happening, and that's limited to demons and other vengeful spirits like that. Magic is performed by the highest-ranking priests and monks, and is usually limited to healing wounds, ki strikes, and that cool levitating meditation trick. Otherwise, if you want to kill somebody, you're going to use a sword and not a magic missile.
Our world will be about as dark as the average 90's anime, and will borrow from a few (Most notably, Ninja Scroll). Graphic, if unrealistic violence will be the norm, whereas other dark themes will mostly take the side stage, or be balanced out to make the world less of a complete crapsack. A member of the group is an alcoholic, but he's the goofy kind. Soldiers are said to rape peasants, but it is never shown or discussed in the RP. The group encounters a drug-addicted prostitute, but she turns out to be a man in drag with a deep voice, and so on. I want to tell a compelling story, but I'm not tonedeaf to my own edginess.
Additionally, though the RP will have realistic occurrences and consequences, I'll admit that the main group wears plot armor. Feel free to be a bit more brave or outspoken in your actions, as I guarantee you won't die. I won't guarantee nobody's getting maimed or psychologically damaged if they take unnecessary risks, but know from here on out that your character won't die, which seems a good segue to mention all the lighter elements of the RP -- As with the thematic sources, comedic relief will be fairly frequent, so don't worry about the world getting too depressing. Anime themes like the The Power of Friendship® and defiance against an evil authority will be invoked, and we may pick up a cute animal sidekick or two on the way.
Though one of the themes of the RP is the world's rapid industrialization, keep in mind that there aren't any crazy cyberpunk neon cities. At most, the level of the tech in our world is the same as that of the Naruto universe; In the most urban areas, Electricity, pre-packaged food, plastic, factories, gunpowder, and steam-powered machinery are not commonplace, but they are becoming increasingly so. Gatling guns and cannons exist, though only the highest order of the Grand Imperial Army, the Imperial Guard, have access to them. In terms of realism, try to consider our world low fantasy -- Onis, Kappas, Yokai, and all other mythical creatures are still mythical, and dragons are only ever seen in papery forms at parades. Only recently -- to the tune of a year, more or less -- have supernatural occurrences started happening, and that's limited to demons and other vengeful spirits like that. Magic is performed by the highest-ranking priests and monks, and is usually limited to healing wounds, ki strikes, and that cool levitating meditation trick. Otherwise, if you want to kill somebody, you're going to use a sword and not a magic missile.
Our world will be about as dark as the average 90's anime, and will borrow from a few (Most notably, Ninja Scroll). Graphic, if unrealistic violence will be the norm, whereas other dark themes will mostly take the side stage, or be balanced out to make the world less of a complete crapsack. A member of the group is an alcoholic, but he's the goofy kind. Soldiers are said to rape peasants, but it is never shown or discussed in the RP. The group encounters a drug-addicted prostitute, but she turns out to be a man in drag with a deep voice, and so on. I want to tell a compelling story, but I'm not tonedeaf to my own edginess.
Additionally, though the RP will have realistic occurrences and consequences, I'll admit that the main group wears plot armor. Feel free to be a bit more brave or outspoken in your actions, as I guarantee you won't die. I won't guarantee nobody's getting maimed or psychologically damaged if they take unnecessary risks, but know from here on out that your character won't die, which seems a good segue to mention all the lighter elements of the RP -- As with the thematic sources, comedic relief will be fairly frequent, so don't worry about the world getting too depressing. Anime themes like the The Power of Friendship® and defiance against an evil authority will be invoked, and we may pick up a cute animal sidekick or two on the way.
