forum Speak Easy — oxo — mature (17+) — [[open]]

Started June 22, 2021 by @vinylradio eco

tune

Of course, as you can probably already tell, the title’s a play on “speakeasies” during 1920s Prohibition. Speakeasies were illegal underground bars/nightclubs that served as a refuge for all those looking to get their fix of alcohol and a good time.
And this one did its job very well.
Some could describe this bar as “wild” or “colorful,” and they would be accurate. People of all backgrounds call the bar a second home— a place where they can be understood. Seen. Felt.
Filled with sleazy outcasts, slow jazz music, and questionable morals, this bar is the perfect place for all those seeking shelter from societal norms.
Welcome to the bar.

I love the roaring 20s feel and setting, and thought a secret speakeasy bar would be a great place for an entertaining romance to take place. This will be a one on one, preferably mlm, story that will be between either someone who owns or works at the bar, and a new customer looking for a place (or person) to call home. I’m fine with being either character! I’ll leave it up to you to decide who is who.

Some rules:

• This will obviously contain mature/explicit themes: (alcohol, slight oppression, sexual content, etc). If you are uncomfortable with any of these, this might not be the story for you
• Please be moderately active!
• Reply with relatively long passages (4+ lines, it’s nice to have content to work off of)
• Have fun! This is our story, so play around with it! Always bring your ideas to the table if you want.
• Try to stay at least slightly accurate to the times. I’m not saying go and research the time period, but don’t use modern language/slang or technology, if you can avoid it.

Templates will be up once someone joins! I will probably ask for a writing sample, too.

Placing one foot in front of the other, Mevia calmly entered Fallen Rest. The first thing she saw was the tower that lead to the ruins. She has never traveled this far, so she is unfamiliar with the area. 'I have a feeling that Kyle passed through here before, he loves this terrible fucking weather…' she thought to herself. It's obvious that she's freezing, even though Mevia is wearing a coat made out of a one-eyed yeti hide! Not being able to stop shivering, she waddled into the town square. Starving and cold, she wanted to find a place to rest before traveling another good six miles through ice and deep snow, then having to clear out an entire place on her own.

"This man has caused too much trouble in this city!" A loud deep voice shouted.
"He stole my fire charm!" And woman screeched.
"Just kill him already!" Another man spoke.

Mevia looked toward the center of the square, to see a hoard of people crowded in front of well built gallows, and a man getting ready to be hanged for his crimes… A pretty honorable death, compared to your head being chopped off, stabbed in the throat, or to be giving to a hungry Kerberos (a three headed dog.) The people continue to scream and shout at the man, while the criminal just stood there filled with shame. 'Welp, I walked into the city at the perfect time.' She thought sarcastically. Mevia thought it would be awkward to walk away from the crowd to get something warm to eat, so she joined them instead. She up looked at the man and observed him from the distance, he wears a large coat and has dark hair. Soon, he made eye contact with her, looking at her with his dark brown eyes. He tried to say something without speaking, but Mevia couldn't read his lips, and just when he was about to grab her attention again, it was too late. His eyes went wide when the lever was pulled, his feet were lifed off the corrupted pine planks, he shook and struggled with the rope so tight around his neck, shaking and suffering. It only took about fifteen seconds until he hung there limp. The crowd started cheering, while the executioner stood there looking at the crowd that dispersed over time.

Mevia turned around to see a woman; tears pouring out of her eyes like rain, rapidly crashed against the cold surface. A few moments later, an older woman who had a similar resemblance to the criminal, slowly joined this girl before she fell to the ground, and gave her a hug. They trembled and sobbed into each other's arms.
There are always multiple sides to a story, this man could've been a criminal to some, possibly a hero to others, but also a loved one by many.
Looking back at the gallows, shifting her weight to her right foot, Mevia stood there for a bit trying to think about what the man was trying to tell her.
[-From an rp called Mortem]
(Would you like a romance sample instead?)

Name:
Nickname/Alias:
Age: (19+)
Gender:
Occupation: (optional)

Physical appearance: (links welcome!)
Usual apparel:
Personality:
Habits/mannerisms:
Other:

(I’ll have my character up in a bit. Would you like to be the bartender/owner or the reoccurring customer?)

(You don’t have to be as detailed as I was, I know this is a kind of long character sheet. I was just having fun writing out his character :)

Name: Marshall Eliot Oxford
Nickname: Mar
Age: 27
Gender: Male h/h
Occupation: Bartender. He doesn’t quite own the bar, but he’s the consistent main worker and manager, and he lives in the spare room above it.

Physical appearance: Taller than most, standing at roughly 6’1”, and relatively built. His muscles aren’t quite defined, but they’re enough to consider him somewhat strong. His hair is a mix of blonde and rust, darker at the roots. He doesn’t really style it, but it’s cut short and often parts itself on one side, pushed up and back like a near pompadour (but much less extravagant). He has tanner skin with the occasional freckle, and warm, light brown eyes.
Usual apparel: Collared shirts, suspenders, slacks, and dress shoes. He’s a huge fan of pinstripes and shirts with designs all over them, as well as bow ties. He sticks to darker, more muted colors, but doesn’t mind being vibrant from time to time.
Personality: He acts much more extravagant than he appears, and seems to have quite the ego. He’s very confident, but in more of a charming way. A huge fan of jokes, flirting, and trying to win over his customers. Very accepting of people of all shapes, sizes, and identities, and always stands up for what he believes in. He loves meeting new people, crowded bars, and talking with reoccurring customers. The bar is Marshall’s home, and the people there are his family.
It definitely takes a lot to get him upset, but even if he is sad, nervous, or mad, he keeps a very consistent and joyous façade. Rarely anyone knows when something is bugging him, except for his very close friends.
Habits/mannerisms: He really likes to be fancy when he makes drinks, doing all the tricks he’s learned over the years and sort of “putting on a show” / Fiddles with his hands or nearby objects when he’s nervous, but often keeps that hidden / likes listening in on his customers’ conversations, but not for his own benefit. He just likes hearing how people talk when they don’t think anyone else is listening. He’s fascinated with society in that way.
Other: Surprisingly, Mar doesn’t drink. A few years before our story takes place, Mar could be considered something akin to an alcoholic. Since then he has sobered up, and because it would be very easy for him to get addicted again, he steers clear from consuming any alcohol.

Name: Lila Hill
Nicknames: Lill
Age: 22
Gender: Female

Occupation: Lila is a pianist and composer, she usually preformed at a dance hall, and composes jazz music for other bands; classical music for herself. Sadly, the dance hall was burnt down, and they don't know if it was an accident or not. Now she is on a quest to find new places to perform at.

Physical appearance: she's 5'5, and recently cut her brunette hair into a pixie. Lill has emerald green eyes and fair skin. She has little curves, a small waist, and is slightly scrawny.

Usual apparel: She rather fit in most of the time, so she would wear Grey, navy, or other plain colored dresses. When she's working, she'll usually wear more elegant clothing.

Personality: Outgoing and sweet. She is good at maintaining her attitude, keeping it more mellow, but often gets carried away and becomes more energetic. She is sensitive and hates critisism. She's good at avoiding conflict, but does know how to defend herself and others. Overall she is very loving and playful. She's indecisive, and can be easily manipulated and controlled, but will say "no," when needed.

Habits/mannerisms: She has a specific smile when nervous or embarrassed, but it's difficult to spot until you know her better. Due to her being a hardcore pianist, she tends to be tapping her fingers randomly, or humming every once in awhile. She is also very protective of her feminine hands, she won't do, or be very careful with things that will possibly damage them. She touches her hair quite often because she isn't used to it being so short.

Other: Loves to travel and explore new places. She may smoke or drink here and there, but not often, usually only when offered or to fit in at a party.

Like every night, it was about 6 p.m. when Marshall finally unlocked the door and spun around the ‘Closed’ sign. To anyone outside, the bar looked like just a simple parlor, that you took little stairs down to. But oh… it was so much more than that.
Good customers were already there, even before official open hours. As Mar walked through the restaurant part, he dipped his head in hellos, then shuffled into the back room. From there he opened another door, and through a hallway he was lead into his actual bar.
He had to take all those precautions because of the police. If the found him, he was completely done for. Still, he didn’t mind. He felt like opening this side of his parlor was doing a service, considering the amount of unique people called it their home.
He slid behind the counter with a diminutive smile, waiting for his usual customers to seep in. Even though the bar was in the far back room, there were signs obvious enough for the public to know where the real party was.