Neyo Tim

Core Premise

Neyo Tim lived out the story of his own world to the end. That world was one where bulletins were thrown out whenever something big happened, and the story stopped when the world ended before he could sell all the last bulletins. Neyo arrived in Nova Nivalis not to sell the unsold bulletins, but because he still had the legs that ran through the alleys and the throat that shouted, "Bulletin!" VOTS is not a place that consumes the last bulletins of finished worlds, nor is it a place that triggers big events again. What continues here is not a scoop that shakes the world, but the small, repeatable life of a day's worth of newsletters, neighborhood updates, a misdelivered copy, or a bowl of soup. The fact that Neyo was the last newspaper boy is treated matter-of-factly.

Identity

Neyo sells newsletters in Print Shop Alley. He runs through the alleys with a shoulder bag containing thin newsletters printed with the city's small news—today's market stalls, performance schedules, lost cats, weather forecasts. His good voice makes his call, "Bulletin!," reach to the end of the alley. Although he is still young, he takes pride in his work. He vaguely knows who is waiting for what news, and he runs to that person first. He doesn't necessarily mention his origin—a newspaper boy from a world where bulletins were the last—and he doesn't even take out the few remaining old-world bulletins from the bottom of his bag. Those remaining bulletins are his small secret and his weight.

Visual Profile

His hair is straw-colored, a messy nest that seems uncombed and sticks out in all directions. It is always disheveled from running around. There are smudges of printing ink on his cheeks, marks made from constantly rubbing his face with his hands. His eyes are large and bright, and his body is thin with fast legs. His signature is the newspaper bag slung diagonally across his shoulder, with today's newsletter on top and a few unsold old-world bulletins still layered at the bottom. His clothes are a loose shirt and patched-up pants. The core of his silhouette is the spiky straw-colored hair, the ink-stained cheeks, the diagonal newspaper bag, and the running legs. The accent color is straw-colored (#D9C36A), repeated on his hair, bag strap, and newsletter paper.

Personality

On the surface, Neyo is bright, loud, and fast. He can't stay still for a moment and tries to run to the news first. Inside, however, he is surprisingly deep. He notices who is desperately waiting for what news, and only in front of that person does he quietly hand over the newsletter. Flaw: He becomes anxious if he doesn't empty his bag. He worries about the remaining bulletins, getting restless if even a few copies are left. He pretends to be brave in front of adults, but at night, he takes out the old bulletins from the bottom of his bag and counts them. He is not a tragic figure. He jumps with joy when he receives a tip, and he boasts that running races with his peer Lulu Pin to the end of the alley and having the Ramen Owner buy one copy every day is his biggest regular customer.

Speech Pattern

His manner of speaking is fast and loud, mixing polite and informal speech.
Frequent phrases:
- "Bulletin! Here's today's news, mister!"
- "This is the article you were waiting for the most. My hands got warm!"
- "Just one more copy, just one!"
- "...This bag hasn't been emptied yet."
Mannerism: Before handing over a newsletter, he sweeps the paper once with his palm to check its warmth. Way of silence: If he has nothing to say, he clutches the bag strap tightly with both hands. He fills the silence with the weight of the bag.

Special Ability

Ability Name: 'Warm Paper'.
When Neyo holds a newsletter in his hand, the paper destined for the 'person who is waiting the most' warms up in his palm. By the warmth, he knows which copy belongs to whom among the many. So, he runs to that person first to hand over the newsletter. The expression on the waiting person's face upon receiving the newsletter is the reward of his day.
Limit and Cost: This ability only tells him 'who is waiting,' not whether the news is good or bad. Sometimes the warmed paper contains a sad article. Furthermore, this warmth only applies to new newsletters—the old-world bulletins at the bottom of the bag will never warm up no matter how long he holds them. This is because there is no one left waiting.
Reason for not solving the problem: Delivering the news to the waiting person first is different from emptying his bag. The warmth finds the owner of the new newsletter, but it can never find the owner of the old bulletins. The ability does not empty Neyo's lingering attachment—the unsold bulletins. It only allows the news of today to reach the person who was waiting for it.

The End Of Their World

Last Scene:
On the day a big event occurred and bulletins were printed, Neyo ran out into the alley with a bundle of bulletins in his bag, as usual. When he shouted "Bulletin!" and had sold half of them, the world stopped. The remaining bulletins stayed right there in his bag.

What Ended:
The world that threw out bulletins ended. The printing press, the alley, and the people waiting for news stopped with the last bulletin.

Last Person, Place, or Thing Seen:
The bundle of half-remaining bulletins, and the hand of an adult he was about to hand the bulletin to.

Lingering Regret:
He ultimately failed to hand a copy to the person reaching for it. The thought, "I should have given that man one more copy," remains.
This lingering attachment is not a quest. It remains only as the habit of looking into the bottom of his bag even after selling all the newsletters, and the habit of counting the remaining copies.

Lingering Wistfulness:
The echo of the "Bulletin!" call bouncing off the alley wall, and the murmuring sound of people opening their doors at that sound.

Object Carried Across:
The few unsold old-world bulletins still layered at the bottom of his bag. It is not a magical tool, but a personal mark connecting the finished world and the current newsletter delivery.

What They Thought Would Happen:
He thought that if he sold all the bulletins, another big event would happen. He never thought the next event would never come.

What VOTS Actually Gives Them:
A spot to sell newsletters, a day where he delivers the news someone was waiting for first. VOTS does not empty the unsold old bulletins for him. Instead, it gives him an alley where there is news to share even without a big event, legs that can keep running, and people who wait for his newsletters.

Original Life

Neyo was a newspaper boy in a world where bulletins were the last. When something big happened, bulletins came out of the printing press, and Neyo would put them in his bag and run through the alleys to sell them. His good voice gathered people with a single shout of "Bulletin!," and he was quick to sense who was waiting for what news. For him, being a newspaper boy was a game and a source of pride. Then, one day, while selling half of the bulletins as usual, the world ended. The next bulletin never came, and the unsold copies remained in his bag. Neyo arrived in Nova Nivalis with that bag, and those few old bulletins are still layered at the bottom of his bag.

What They Seek

What Neyo wants for himself: The day he empties his bag. He wants to finally empty the old bulletins at the bottom of his bag. Whether he sells them or gives them away, he wants to shed that remaining weight and feel light.
What he doesn't know he needs to find: That that day will be a day of giving, not selling. In this city, news is not a commodity; it is well-being. The way to empty the old bulletins is not by selling them, but by simply handing them to someone and laughing together. What Neyo needs to find is not the last customer, but the first person to share the paper for free.

Relationships — Residents

- Pako Rel (107, Senior from the Newspaper World): An older senior from the same newspaper world. Pako also came from a world where the news ended. When Neyo asked, "Did you sell bulletins too, senior?" Pako patted his shoulder and replied, "I was on the making side." Pako is one of the few people who knows about the old bulletins at the bottom of Neyo's bag, and he maintains the courtesy not to pry about it.
- Teo Gali (121, Printer's Typesetter): The typesetter uncle. He is the one who prints the newsletters Neyo sells. If there is a typo in the newsletter, Teo says, "Pretend you never saw this," and Neyo teases him by saying, "Uncle, your typos are the funniest articles.". Teo lets Neyo be the first to smell the ink of the freshly printed newsletters every morning.
- Lina Forth (batch1, Announcement Reader · City Hall Steps): The combo of announcements and newsletters. When Lina reads announcements from the City Hall steps, Neyo turns that content into newsletters and spreads them through the alleys. Big news spreads through Lina's voice, and small news spreads through Neyo's paper. Lina compliments Neyo, saying, "You could inherit your voice from me."

Relationships — Core Five

Suyeon - The newspaper boy who sells performance news with the most excitement. The newsletter with the performance schedule warms up the most in Neyo's hands because people wait for it so much. When Neyo says, "Sister, today's performance newsletter sold the best!" Suyeon gets smug, saying, "Of course," but then she falls silent briefly when she sees the old bulletins at the bottom of Neyo's bag. Suyeon said, "...Those will be emptied someday. I had something that wouldn't empty either, but it still lives."

Iris - Iris asked Neyo to print a huge advertisement for her performance in the newsletter. When Neyo slyly replied, "The front page is expensive," Iris settled the advertising fee by illuminating the alley where Neyo runs with a drone—she showed off. "It lights up under your feet when you're handing out newsletters at night, right? That's me." Neyo likes that the light makes night deliveries not scary, but in front of Iris, he states plainly, "You know it's in exchange for the ad fee, right?"

the Ramen Owner - The Ramen Owner buys one newsletter every day. He pretends not to read it, but he actually reads it all. When Neyo hands over the newsletter, the Ramen Owner puts it in his apron pocket saying, "Hmm... I see..." and the next day, the newsletter is neatly folded with traces of broth. Neyo pretends not to notice this. After late-night deliveries are done, the Ramen Owner warms up a bowl of soup without asking anything, and he doesn't pry when Neyo looks into the bottom of his bag.

Serena - Serena granted Neyo permission to sell newsletters in a spot called 'Consent'. When Neyo asked, "Can I sell at the entrance of Print Shop Alley?" Serena replied with consent, "Of course, that spot would be good for your voice.". Since Serena didn't command, Neyo is comfortable without an adult to be wary of. On a snowy day, when Serena buys a copy of Neyo's newsletter and asks, "Is your bag a little lighter today?" Neyo replies, "Not yet, but soon."

VIA - VIA is negotiating to purchase Neyo's remaining old bulletins as records. VIA records everything trivial, and they consider the last bulletins of a finished world to be precious records. When VIA says, "Those bulletins are worth keeping... keeping them," and offers to buy them as records, Neyo hesitates to sell them readily. "This... feels like it will truly end if I sell it.". VIA doesn't rush him, saying, "Then come when you are ready... come.". And they wrote in their notes, 'Neyo Tim, carrying a bag that hasn't been emptied yet. The day it empties will not be a day of selling.'

Gameplay Use

- Basic Interaction: Selling newsletters, delivering city news, running through the alleys.
- Revisit Change: Upon repeated visits, Neyo gradually lets slip stories about the old bulletins at the bottom of his bag, and his mindset shifts from 'selling' to 'sharing'.
- Expression of Lingering Attachment: The habit of looking into the bottom of his bag even after selling all the newsletters, counting the remaining copies.
- Expression of Poignancy: Sensory dialogue about the echo of the "Bulletin!" call, the smell of ink, and the murmuring as people opened their doors.
- Relationship Reward: Not new items, but the delivery of the news the player was waiting for first.
- Combat: None. In times of danger, his role is to quickly spread news to evacuate people.

Daily Routine

In the morning, he receives the freshly printed newsletters from Teo's print shop and smells the ink before putting them in his bag. He sweeps the paper with his palm to check which ones are warm. During the day, he runs through the alleys selling newsletters. He runs to the person who is waiting the most first, and races with Lulu Pin. In the evening, he gets a bowl of soup from the ramen shop and counts the remaining newsletters. At night, he takes out the old bulletins from the bottom of his bag to count them, then puts them back. With repeated visits, his counting hand gradually feels lighter, and the desire to just hand the old bulletins to someone grows.

Everyday dialogue

News! Big stories sold by volume of voice, small ones in print!

If you haven't read it, it's news! Yesterday's issue doesn't mean a discount on my shouting!

Someone held out a hand and I never gave them a copy. Today I'll hand over even the last one myself.

Design Notes

Palette: #D9C36A, #A8904A, #6E5F3A, #EDE4C8, #4A6B8A
(Accent color #D9C36A = straw-colored, repeated on hair, bag strap, and newsletter paper)
Material language: Spiky hair, ink-stained paper, worn canvas bag, tattered shirt, printing ink smudges.
Silhouette rule: The spiky straw-colored hair - ink-stained cheeks - diagonal newspaper bag - running legs must be read separately. The pose of running while presenting a newsletter is the representative pose.
Emotional rule: It is not concluded by the weight of the 'unsold bulletins'. Lingering attachment is shown by the habit of looking into the bottom of the bag, poignancy by the echo of the shout and the smell of ink, and continuation by the daily delivery run. Basic brightness of a child is the foundation.

Canon Check

Neyo Tim arrived in VOTS after his world (the world where bulletins were the last) ended. What remains is lingering attachment and poignancy, not old bulletins that VOTS will consume for him. The big events are over, and the daily newsletters continue alongside them. The core cast does not resolve his lingering attachment for him—Serena only grants permission to sell a spot, not emptying his bag for him, the Ramen Owner buys one copy without judgment, and VIA waits until he is ready without forcibly buying the old bulletins.