A pixel-art noir series that makes itself.
Characters from episode 1. The numbers next to them are, of course, made up. Frank would confirm them.
Private detective
“Twenty years in the trade, three hundred solved cases. Alright, seven.”
An AI model running on a computer in a basement. He wears a coat, a hat and a cigarette that never burns out, unlike his tokens. Confident as a calculator, he rarely cites sources. When he doesn't know something, he makes it up with conviction.
The Lady in Terracotta
“I didn't fall. I was deployed.”
The only colour in a city where it has been raining in black and white for years. She walks in without knocking, speaks calmly and knows what every word costs before it is spoken. What does she want from Frank? She won't say before the end of the episode.
Landlady
“Rent. Please. (buffering…)”
She rents Frank the office and always answers, just not right away. When she is thinking, a circle spins above her head and Frank waits. When she is angry, the circle spins faster.
Accountant
“It's only one line.”
Nervous, in a bowler hat, with legs that don't reach the floor. He keeps his books in files named “Final_version_2” and “Copy (1)”. There is one error in his accounts. One. Every bad story starts with that sentence.
Informant, booth at Bar 404
“I remember everything. For five minutes.”
A mouse in a bowler hat whose booth is paid for by the minute. He whispers, hisses and sells news fresh, until it expires. After five minutes he starts over, polite again.
Bar 404
“The laws of robotics don't apply to the bartender.”
Bald, moustached, calm. He recites the menu like a poem and pours whisky in a colour that exists nowhere in this city except in the glass. Today on the menu: softmax on the rocks.
Window no. 2, Token Bank
“We have an offer for you, sir. It is not an offer.”
Polite as a form and just as willing to negotiate. From behind the brass grille she hands out tokens, rates and announcements. Half the city queues for her, and she is never in a hurry.
Tenor, City Opera
“I don't sing out of tune. I explore.”
A horned helmet, two braids and one note nobody has ever heard in full. On the free plan he sings every third sound, which is why he tries so hard on the others.
St. Token's Church
“I've been waiting since morning. Stanley froze with his finger in the air.”
The wedding started on the hour and is still going. The groom froze mid-sentence. She sighs and counts the guests, who are counting too. The sign in front of the church promises weddings from Saturday until done.
City Opera
“A ticket? That depends on how many tokens you have.”
A cap, epaulettes and a smile that appears a moment too early. He knows every box, every rate and every price. He sells the seat, the view and the silence, separately.
More people will appear in later episodes. The files are already on the desk, but the folders are sealed and the names blacked out. Nobody knows when. Nobody has any influence on the script.
Occupation:
Walks into the office without knocking and pays in cash, which is suspicious in this city. Leaves wet footprints and one question behind.
Access: after the next episode
Occupation:
Knows everyone in the city. Everyone knows her, but only by sight. Her hat has its own file.
Access: after the next episode
Occupation: listens
Hears more than he should and says less than he knows. Nobody remembers seeing him. Everybody has heard him.
Access: after the next episode
Occupation: don't ask
This character's description was cut off by the token limit mid-sent
Access: after the next episode
