Ju and Inky—two writing feathers, one inkwell heart—are caught in a realm where lifetimes are plays performed inside a tall, narrow Theatre.
While Inky exists to explore what it's like to be cast as everything the stage offers, Ju longs to escape the masquerade: to venture alongside Blackbird, the all-knowing and unbothered custodian of the Theatre, into the secretive Backstage—hoping to find answers that the stage refuses to offer.
Blackbird welcomes her as his trainee on one condition: "If you bring me a seed of truth, revealing the essence of /Ju:/, I'll show you how to navigate behind the sceneries."
As Ju and Inky re-enter the Theatre once more to hunt for that seed, you balance the conversations and emotional pulls between them through branching dialogues, choices, and quests. Along the way, they will gather experiences and traits, all while weighing the horrors of life against its wonders.
But before their quest can start, they must decide whether to Keep or Shake the Echoes—the memories—of H, a woman they were cast as during their latest play. Shaking them removes the gravity of the past for a clean slate; keeping them invites an attempt at shaping H's aftermath.
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A Seed of Truth
Seek what reveals the essence of Ju, and deliver it to Blackbird.
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Life by the Lock
Along an accident-scarred canal, lend a hand at the lock: open for passing boats, offer coffee to travellers, catch what falls overboard, and tend crushed fingers and tired bodies that keep the waterway moving.
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Looking Jars
In the lock-keeper’s care, craft Looking Jars — small glass worlds with a tune and a keepsake — so those who work the canal can be remembered with dignity when a proper farewell is out of reach.
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Shade and Company
A storm-born branch takes root by the sluice and grows into a gathering place. Pause with Kehan, Nevlari, and the people who stop beneath it to trade chores, comfort, and questions about what makes a life worth staying for.