in gion, around 1930, the geisha district was blooming and loadds of teahouses were full of life. In between all this were the 2 best okiya's, the Tsuki-okiya and the taiyou-okiya. these two are in constant battle for the title of the best, and there is a lot expect from their maiko's (novice Geisha's).
In the end everyone is striving to get their Maiko's to perform the lead role in the next spring dance

But ofcoarse, these AMiko's are young and have their life in front of them. young girls are naive and want too much, often creating a scandal that can ruin their careers. And then there's the jeanlousy of the other Maiko's and even other Geisha's, envying thweir youth. Can they survive, and which okiya will come out on top?

OOC thread here: http://www.menewsha.com/viewtopic.php?t=44571

rules:
Rules:
-Be Literate, this is a literate rp, so absolutely zero oneliner tolerance!
-characters should be believable
- no godmoding
- no killing people off
- romance is encouraged
-no joining and nevr posting
-talk in third person

- your allowed to have more than 1 chara, just dont go overboard

Accepted character

There are also several characters that everyone can play auch as the misstresses of the okiya (we'll call them madama Tsuki and madame Taiyou) and sokme people of the teahouses and such


Accepted:
Tsuki-okiya
mene: HotaruHoshi
Character Name: Tsuki Amaterasu
Age: 16
Okiya: Tsuki-okiya
looks: amaterasu (but with eyes that have a flash of green
Personality in rough: she has an eye for trouble, she's also a master in looking sweet and shy, she likes things that are forbidden
older sister: Amano
best qualities: her eyes and her personality (she switches between shy and daring)
flaws: she speaks whats on her mind more than overthinking things


mene: zombie_tart
Character Name:Birth Name: Rin Moriko
Age: 15
Okiya: Tsuki-Okiya
Looks:Click.
Rough Personality: In more formal situations, it's hard to tell if Moriko is naturally quiet or naturally talkative. She knows very well when to speak up and when to shut up. At the tea house, she tends to act demure and modest, though she knows when to "accidentally" make an immodest mistake. She speaks and laughs quietly and gently, but becomes more animated when telling stories or jokes, which she seems to enjoy quite a lot. She is obviously an intelligent girl, though she doesn't always act as smart as she really is. When she is back at the okiya, Moriko is much less reserved. She speaks louder, makes more gestures when she speaks, and tells bawdier (and often morbid) stories, which would probably cross the line out in the teahouse. When alone, Moriko can become gloomy, depressed, and doubtful, but she tries very hard to hide this aspect of her personality.
Older Sister: Tsukiko
Best qualities: Observant, witty, good musician and singer, good at adapting to different situations
Flaws: Sometimes catty towards other maiko, morbid, secretly has low-self confidence, moody[/quote]

mene: Bippy
Character Name: Amano Akiko
Age: 24
Okiya: Tsuki-okiya
looks:
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...eja/Geisha.jpg <--Akiko
Personality in rough: Akiko is of a calm nature, she enjoys the simple things in life and finds all the glamour of geisha life to be a bit gaudy. She spends most of her time as an entertainer, playing the koto or dancing though will, if the situation (or her house mother) demands it will sit with customers and make small chat.
maiko: Amaterasu
best qualities: patient nature, skills in the arts
flaws: shyness with strangers
other things: none at the moment

mene: Titenya/Ti
Character Name: Tsukiko
Age: 24
Okiya: Tsuki-Okiya
looks: In a plain robe that is worn to school/practice. http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...5864eb7469.png
Personality in rough: She is a little on the quet side when at home in the Okiya, acting very gentel twords the otehrs arround her. When she goes to the tea house, or to the theater or something she is the life of the party. laughing at all the jokes, telling apropriate stories for a young woman. Never indulging in gosip that could hurt her, or the younger girls in her okiya
maiko: Moriko
best qualities: Her laugh, it inspires those arround her to smile. She is also a talented dancer.
flaws: She is very posessive of her belongings, and jelous of her regular customers.



Taiyou-okiya

mene:
Character Name: Birth Name - Kiku, Geisha Name - Shinju
Age: 21
Okiya: Taiyou-okiya
looks:Shinju
Personality in rough: Pleasant and Composed. She tends to use her eyes more then her mouth when conveying her feelings. She was initiated at the age of 16 and takes her role very seriously, training hard to perfect her art. She is well liked by her sisters and commands a high price from her patrons.
maiko: None yet, Emiko is too young.
best qualities:She is compassionate, with a love for all things, beautiful and ugly.
flaws: Tends to easily fall into lust with her danna's, but falls back out just as easily.
other things:Not that I can think of at the moment

mene:Kamaki Takeda
Character Name:Birth name: Takeda Kamaki - Geiko name: Yuki
Age: 21
Okiya:Taiyou-okiya
looks: [x]
Personality in rough: Cunning and sweet. She likes mochi and shaved ice. She just recently became a geisha.
maiko:N/A ?
best qualities:Her sheepish smile
flaws: Her tendancy for arriving late to a party.
other things: She collects kanzashi [elaborate hairpins] and she has a small white kitten named Mogi.

mene:
Character Name: True name Unknown, nicknamed Emiko
Age: about 7
Gender: Female
looks: Emiko
Personality in rough: Bubbly, with an Optimistic outlook on Life. Always smiling, and loves to hum songs while she does her work. She was abandoned by her mother, who is believed to be a geisha from a less-then-reputable okiya in another distract. Found wandering the streets at the age of two, brought into Taiyou and cared for. Began following Shinju around like a little puppy and has since began her training, with Shinju as her big sister.
role: Shikomi to Shinju
other things: Umm, nope, think I covered the important bits.


mene:Kamaki Takeda
Character Name: Aiko
Age: 8
Gender: Female
looks: [x]
Personality in rough:She is a shy, nervous girl, more or less hiding behind an older woman while in company of strangers.
role: Yuki's personal page/maid and younger sister[blood relative]. A very young maiko still in training.
other things: She's afraid of men.

customers

mene: Titenya/Ti
Character Name: Hayato
Age: 29
looks: A young Buisness man, just finishing school and allowed to join his fellow co workers at the tea houses. He has dark, thick hair, and bright eyes. Usually wears dark colors as well.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...58999b10e2.png
Personality in rough: He tends to be a little withdrawn, still learning the ways of the buisness man. He laughs at his bosses jokes, and eyes the girls in the tea house. He dose not yet make enough money to have a more priviate entertainment, but he keeps him self entertained.
favourite Geisha: (everyone has preferences) He is still new to the tea houses, but has seen many things he likes in the girls from the Tsuki-Okiya [/color]



others
mene:Bippy
Character Name: Shoen, Hana
Age: 53
Gender: Female
looks: Hana is rather plump for her age and has aged quite well. Her hair is rather grey now, and her face is wrinkled in smile lines.
Personality in rough: Hana is your average Obasan; hard working, stubborn, and has a certain feeling of entitlement after years of service to her family and country.
role: Runs (with her always silent always in the shadows doing something husband) a kimono shop where geisha and maiko come to purchase kimono, obi, and accessories.
other things: Hana has the habit of giving out advice to everyone about everything, she always means well but she can often come off as a bit nosey.

Amaterasu sat in front of her mirror as she finnished applying the white powdery make-up. She was preparing for her visit to a teahouse this evening. Her legs started to hurt from her kneeling possition, but she ignored it and continued with her makeup, leaving some skin around the roots of her hair. Her black hair had a hint of a brown shine to it but that was barely visible as the hair was pulled intp a Momoware, a split peach, the hairdress of a Maiko. She was quite nervous for this evening, but then again she always was. She hadn't been a Maiko for long, for little more than a week perhaps? She knew how to entertain men and for whom to be outgoing and fun, and for whom to be shy and keep her eyes low, all had been taught to her, or she had taught it to herself and there wasn't much to worry about, but still she was nervous, she was always nervous. But knowing herself that would go away once she entered the teahouse, then everything went natural, went like it was supposed to go. She smiled in her mirror, it was a smile of greeting, and as always, she loooked stunning.

It was in the beginning of autumn and the leaves were starting to fall. she loved this season as the colors of the leaves were more beautiful than the green one seen in the summer and spring. The only dreadful thing was that the temperature was getting lower and soon the snow would fall and the leaves would dissapear with it's beauty also gone. She always thought the white had a certain shine to it, when the sun would reach the snow, it would glitter and shine back as if there was a message sent to the sun. But at night, when the light of the moon reaches out for the same cold surface, the snow takes a shine on it, it becomes almost radiant, a different message send. That's why she hated walking in the snow, it felt to her she was interrupting an important message, a message to the sun and moon. when she walked in the snow on her okobo, she always took the time to apologize befor going inside, though everyone else always thought it to be silly.

She continued with applying the eyebrows with the pointed stick of charcoal, brushing the little stick carefully on the place where her own eyebrows had vanished in the white mask. The tip of the charcoal hurt a bit on her face, it was quite sharp for drawing fine lines, but once again it was a pain all Geisha had to endure, and therefore she endured it without showing any sign of pain or irritation. The black lines now forming her eyebrows looked perfect, well as perfect as tehy would get since this wasn't Amaterasu's best quality, working with charcoal just didn't suit her, but it looked fine. She took the little red stick and applied the red lines around her eyes, being very careful not to mess this up. Finally the charcoal was done and she could go on with her lips.

She took a little red stick and melted it in water, so it became liquid. The little brush used for this purpose sat ready on the little mirrorstand. She picked it up and dipped it a slight in the liquid red. She brought the tip of it to her lip, the liquid felt rather cold on her lip, as if cold water had just been sprayed on her lip. she made the flowing movements to create the bottomlip, the upperlip left white as it should be for a Maiko. The cirve of the lip looked beautiful and perfect to her, and as she looked in the mirror, all her make-up done, she saw herself as a real Geisha. This was when she started wondering who else would be there, what other Geisha will be enteraining the men, would they be prettier than she was, would she stood there and watch other Geisha entertain the high or handsome men as she was held back as one ugly duck? Would the Maiko of the Taiyou-okiya be there? She had never seen her before, she was said to be around the same age, but her onee-san had cleverly kept them from meeting. 'Maybe I 'm not allowed to meet her bacause she is more beautiful than I, or a better Geisha. Maybe they wanted to spare me from the embarrassment?' she thought, feeling more nerves come up again. 'But maybe it's the other way around, maybe her onee-san had kept her from me bacause she is ugly and a bad Geisha, but they had no one else to replace her?' she didn't believe that, but it was good to have atleast some hope in the cause, since she didn't want to believe she wasn't good enough, she wanted to believe something that would take the doubt away and would make her more confident, and this was what she thought reached to that purpose, so she took on believing that and waited for the dresser to come and help her dress in her kimono, she wondered what beautiful silk she would wear today. Soemthing as beautiful as the one she wore last time? No, that was impossible, how could there be anything better? There was a lot she still had to get used to, and a lot she still had to endure, but that was the way of a Maiko, an apprentice Geisha.

Yuki sat perfectly still, the room she was in smelled of oily hair, musk and sweat. She sat patiently as her hairdresser ran an oil and wax laden comb through her long raven locks. After that long, and somewhat scalp-aching task, her hair was pulled up and shaped into the Shimada style. Or the style of a full-fledged geisha. It was nice, being able to have a nice long soak in the bath, being able to wash her hair and skin before an appointment.

She would apply her make-up, dress her hair with decorative ornaments and pick out her kimono for the evening when she hurried home. Autumn was such a beautiful time of the year. The warm colored leaves and the crisp air. It was refreshing, especially right when you came from the bath house with clean, tingly skin. When Yuki arrived at her Okiya she sought out her young maid, instructing her to set out her nagajuban, koshimaki and other layers to her outfit.

She would personally pick out her outer kimono, obi, eri, obiage and obijime. The child was still learning about the art of kimono and how everything should be balanced. The colors, fabric and design. It should all match the season, as well.

With graceful motions, Yuki prepared her make-up. Adding small amounts of water to the strak white powder, making it into a sort of paste. She prepped the thick, sticky foundation that would keep her make-up from melting away, and she tested the charcoal a bit. Now, she was ready to transform into an epitome of grace, elegance and beauty. She swiped a thick brush containing the white paste, slowly down the back of her neck, her throat and under her chin, smoothing it out with a soft cloth so the surface was nice and even.

She continued to repeat the action until her face, upper chest and the backs of her shoulders were as white as crane feathers. Next, she drew in her eyebrows. Creating thin lines then filling them in, creating small, graceful brows. She finished up the task, adding a light pink color around her eyes and cheeks before adding a slight swipe of crimson onthe edes of her eyelids and the corner of her eye, followed by a darker shade of pink. Last, but not least. Yuki ran the tip of a fine haired brush across her lower lip, working upwards slightly to the upper lip, to create an illusion of small, pouting lips. The shade of brilliant crimson.

Akiko knelt in front of the mirror as a servant carefully arranged her hair, a copy of the Asahi shinbun lying over pots of makeup and hair ornaments. "The situation in Manchuria is improving." She said softly to the servant, who merely nodded her head. Akiko looked into the mirror and sighed; she couldn't wait until the day she could be one of the older geisha, and not have to wear the layers of makeup. Until then, she would simply have to endure.
As the servant finished Akiko stood and stretched, "I think I should visit the new Maiko before I finish getting ready, please lay out the taupe kimono with the copper trim. Don't worry about the Obi, I can do that myself." The servant nodded left the small room. Akiko took one last look at herself in the mirror before she left the room and walked down the hall. "Time to meet my little sister."

((Bippy, does she still have to get her Geiko name?))

Amaterasu took a last glance in the mirror in front of her, she was still a bit self-concious, but she also knew she looked fine, not ugly at all. She looked at the kimono she was going to wear, it was a deep purple with stars at the bottom, a night sky. It was beautiful, but then again, most kimono were beautiful. The obi was an ornage color with a pattern of leaves, meant to stand out over the kimono itself and the green in the leaves would let the flash of green in her eyes stand out, perfectly chosen. She wondered who chose the kimono, she sometimes wished she could chose them herself but she wasn't allowed yet. She found what she was looking for, the hair ornaments. The ones she wore were connected to the season and her own outfit, everything was taken care of for her. SOmetimes that annoyed her, her personality was one that wanted to do things herself. But then again, it was a good feeling knowing you were taken care of. Then she heard footsteps in the hall. 'That may be onee-san' she thought hopeful, she like her older sister, she was so full of grace and so beautiful. She was a great geiko and her rolemodel, she wished to be as good as Akiko

((no not yet, I figure she'll get it later))

Akiko knocked twice on the door and stepped into the room. She bowed slightly and knelt on the floor. "You look very lovely." She said, looking at Amaterasu's reflection in the mirror. "You're improving very much." Akiko looked around the room, feeling a bit awkward. She had never had a maiko of her own to assist and the weight of the responsibility weighed heavy on her. "I see Mama-san picked out your kimono this evening, it's very fitting for autumn." Akiko remembered the housemother often picked out the kimono the younger maiko wore, often down to the undergarments. She was quite thankful to have outgrown that sort of rigid control and had some freedom. "Are you ready for this evening?"

Amaterasu returned the bow toward Akiko, "Thank you, I am as ready as i will get" she said in a soft and respectfull tone. "Is it not lovely" she nodded at the kimono "Every time I think I could not see a kimono more beautiful, I am proven wrong. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever stop being amazed by this world of geiko, the world i am most new in, but try as hard as I can to fit in" she spoke in a soft tone to show respect to her elder and for now teacher of the art of geiko.

The maiko turned around to glance one more time to see if her make-up was perfeect, she always feared it wasn't and that she would be laughed at for it, but as always, it looked good, not pefect, but well enough. "Where are we going tonight?" she asked curiously, almost dropping the soft tone she was taught always to speak in. "Excuse me, I am only curious" she added quickly, hoping she didn't offend the beautiful geiko

Akiko looked over the young Maiko with a master's eye. Amaterasu may not have the experience that gave many Geisha their popularity but her unique eyes and modesty were natural talents that would get her far. "I think you look perfect, your mastering the charcoal quite quickly...must faster than I." She said with a soft smile. Akiko remembered her years as a maiko, and how harsh mama-san was towards her. "Besides, I don't think as many men these days care about the makeup as much as how entertaining a girl is." Akiko spoke frankly.
"We're headed to a new place tonight I think, Mama-san recently made some dealings with some of the military sponsored places." She said as she made her way to her maiko's dressing table. Akiko picked up a single hair ornament and slid it into Amaterasu's hair. "So, we'll both have to work hard to make a good impression."

Amaterasu nodded, she felt the point of the ornament slip into her hair, it tugged a few hairws and made her wince a bit, but she remained silent. The ornament looked lovely, almost as lovely as the kimono. "A new one, that means you have not visited it before have you? How exciting" she said with a smile. She always liked the teahouses, even if some of the mistresses could be a little greedy and unpleasandt at times. the men were usually quite nice as long as they weren't drunk or trying to impress eachother.

"Are there other Geiko coming?I ahve yet to meet the Geisha of the Taiyou-okiya and I am curious, there have been many rumours about her" she said innocently, she was trying to get information for the girl was supposed to be her rival and she wanted to know what she was up against. she looked up through her lashes, as an act of modesty and innocense and she hoped it would work