So I finally read the run-down of Boston Lobster and Peking Duck’s BGs in FF and now I’m crying over my own food souls and their interactions with humanity??
Uni and Lava Cake have seen literally the worst, how humans can be so controlling and destructive with little regard to those around them—Uni was treated solely as a weapon wih no capacity to learn, so she never learned to love or rest or respect thigs until she met Pufferfish and Caviar. Lava Cake watched humans try to destroy a Food Soul she considered family; the very humans she’d been taught to support over anything else, which shattered her morals and changed her entire perspective.
And then Pocky and Creme Brulee have seen the exact opposide, the very best humanity can offer. Their Master Attendants treat them as family. Pocky’s wanted a daughter and raised her with love and compassion, because she couldn’t have children and Pocky fulfilled that role. Still, she doesn’t treat her as just an infant that needs to be protected, Pocky’s mother recognizes her ability to grow and learn and allows her the freedom to explore that. Creme Brulee was ‘defective’ in ways when she was first summoned, but her Master Attendant never gave up on her, encouraging her in his own way and giving Creme space to live and grow into herself (and now she’s a six foot tall hulking giant instead of a six foot tall literal twig lol)
Now I’m just thinking about Checkerboard Cookie, Inari, and Spring Roll, who almost exclusively have interacted with food souls and how different they are solely because of that. Like if Uni and Lava are very cynical/jaded but Pocky/Creme Beulee are incredibly hopeful (though in Creme’s case she does know when to be apprehensive), I like the idea of Checkerboard/Spring Roll/Inari being quite naive but guarded. I’m always into expanding stories and I’m really glad that the BGs the devs give each character make them more than just 2D fanservice. I never really liked BL/Peking because they seemed very polarized to me, but I’m growing to like them a lot more now! Especially because characters like B52 and Chocolate always had very interesting BGs that showed off their best and worst moments, I really hope all the charscters get the same treatment ^^
Since this got really long, I’m posting it separately from Pocky herself. I’ll do this with all the other Food Souls I make as well ^^
Prologue: Mommy
I was… summoned not too long ago.
To be honest, I never inherently knew that Food Souls were meant to be fighters. The woman who summoned me was very kind and never let me wander too far out of her line of sight when there was danger in the area. She refused to put me in danger ever. She told me that Food Souls were meant to fight, but that she didn’t summon me to do that. She summoned me not to protect her, but to give her someone to protect.
She had always wanted a child, she’d said. But for reasons she wouldn’t tell me she couldn’t have one. So she summoned me.
“I’m glad I was given such a cute daughter,” she would say, and pat my head. “Is it alright with you though? If I treat you like my own child?”
I’d never known what a mother was, but I didn’t dislike it. So I nodded and let her know it was okay.
From then on, she treated me like I was her daughter. She dressed me and got me my own room, we would eat dinner together and go shopping together. It was wonderful really. I love my new home, and my new mother.
Chapter 1: When Summer’s Over
Soon after I was summoned, my mother got a job as a waitress in a restaurant. Every day she would go to work, do a shift, and then come home. We would often eat dinner together either before or after her shift, and she would try to spend time with me on her days off unless she was tired.
Though I loved mommy and valued how hard she was working for me, I struggled to stay entertained in the long hours she was gone. It was hard to go out when so many people would look at me strangely… A Food Soul that didn’t fight, and acted as a ‘human daughter…’ Ah, it hurt that they would think of mommy so strangely. She loved me and I loved her. Why was that strange?
One day, mommy came home quite late. I was still up, playing music from the phone she had given me to stay in contact. Jello was the artist, a popular idol who was also a Food Soul. If Jello was so well received, why wasn’t I? Was it because she was talented? Cute? Popular? I didn’t get it.
“I’m okay,” I told her from where I was curled up on the couch.
“Pokkin… Is it because you have nothing to do during the day?”
Ah. She saw right through me.
“I’m sorry sweetie… I should have thought about this… I’ve been so focused working I didn’t stop to think about giving you something better to do during the day if you weren’t going out and exploring.” Mommy sat next to me and pulled me into a tight hug. “Is there something you want to do?”
We sat silently for a moment. But after I had some time to think, I remembered the school building I’d passed on one of my walks around. I took Mommy’s hand in mine.
“Can I go to school?”
Chapter 2: First Day
Mommy instantly enrolled me. The next session wouldn’t start for another month, but that gave me time to catch up as much as I could. I was born into the world knowing how to speak and walk, but I found out that I had to learn how to read and write on my own. Math and science were completely foreign concepts to me. I was reading through things I’d never even heard of.
Mommy helped tutor me as much as she could. I picked up reading and writing easily enough, but everything else made me struggle. So she made sure that I would be able to get tutoring after school with one of the teachers. As the first day rolled around, I became very excited. Mommy even walked to school with me on the first day.
I quickly realized that even here I wasn’t accepted much. I looked older than many of the children in the same grade as me, and though I studied hard and volunteered in class I still stumbled behind them. None of the kids approached me to talk to me or try to help. They just kept their distance and whispered.
Although my teacher was nice enough, I still knew that it was because I was a Food Soul that they were apprehensive. Food Souls were born to fight, but I wasn’t fighting. I didn’t even look like a fighter. I didn’t know how to feel.
Most days I would spend breaks listening to Jello on my phone. I envied her, really, but somehow her music gave me courage. She was so talented and successful, even as a Food Soul that didn’t fight… She made me think that I could be strong too.
With that thought, I studied even harder. For Jello. For Mommy. But mostly for myself.
Chapter 3: Passing the Test
A couple months passed peacefully. I still struggled to catch up to my peers, but my teacher had started noticing the strides I was making. Mommy would help me study whenever she had the chance, and would check over my homework. Though, she was spending more and more time at home, which worried me. When I asked, she just pat my head and told me not to worry about it.
One day at school, we were in the middle of a test when a the speakers started blaring our principal’s voice.
“Teachers, students, remain calm. A Fallen Angel has been sighted in the area. At the moment it isn’t advancing quickly but it is advised that you prepare for evacuation.”
A whisper ran over the room. A Fallen Angel… I felt so many eyes on me, boring into me. Ah, right… I was a Food Soul… Born to fight Fallen Angels… And yet… I was just as scared as my classmates. As if sensing my discomfort, my teacher began urging my class to get ready for an evacuation.
As we were starting to exit the classroom, the worst happened. We were by the door, but the other side of the classroom suddenly collapsed under a massive tentacle. My classmates screamed. Some were frozen in shock. Though I was shaking, some part of me urged me not to stand still. I started pushing at my classmates, yelling at them to exit the room before the rest of it collapsed.
As we got outside, many of the other classes had evacuated as well. We didn’t have time to wait for new orders. My classroom’s side of the building was suddenly bashed in, spraying dust and bricks this way and that. I was surrounded by screaming but I managed to remain calm. I couldn’t raise my voice over the ruckus but I could at least urge my classmates away from the Fallen Angel standing before us…
It’s mouth was bigger than I was tall. It’s body was only spiked tendrils. If it swept out once it would have killed all of us.
I was shaking. Terrified. I wanted to just run and hide and be held by Mommy. But I knew I couldn’t just let the Fallen Angel get to my peers. I watched it sweep one tendril out at a small group of students that had straggled behind. Without even thinking, I dove for them, shoving them out of the way. As rubble rained down on us, I raised my hand to stop it. Without even thinking I must have tapped into my powers, as a grate made from my namesake appeared in front of us, deflecting the rubble.
We had no time to think about it. They were on their feet running towards the teachers and I could only follow with my small shield to protect them. The Fallen Angel roared and swung again, freezing me in place. As I watched it’s next attack approaching me, I couldn’t even close my eyes and pretend like it was some nightmare—!
The hit never came. A Food Soul covered in golden armor dove in front of me and blocked the hit with their body. They slashed through the arm, and quickly dispatched the Fallen Angel. We were saved… I fell to my knees and began to cry.
Epilogue: Pocky
“Pocky! Are you ready to study!”
My classmates called to me from one of the tables. Soon after the incident at school, I had been withdrawn from the system. However, Mommy had opened a new cafe that doubled as a study spot for many of my former classmates. Though I no longer went to school with them, they would still come by to study with me and keep me updated on what they were learning.
“Just one more customer, then I’ll be over!” I told them, bringing our table drinks and snacks.
“Hurry! You know that it’s unacceptable to be late to class!”
We laughed together before I quickly ran off to serve another table. The golden Food Soul that had saved me was sitting there with a man much shorter than her. I startled upon seeing her.
“You’re the Food Soul!! From back then…”
“You must be one of the students Creme Brulee saved—Ah, no,” the man said, “You’re the Food Soul who helped her protect the other students?”
“I didn't really help…”
“Nonsense! She told me that you shielded a group of students that was attacked before she could get there.”
As he spoke rather loudly, some of my classmates overheard. They came over and surrounded me. One looped her arm around my shoulder.
“Yeah! Pocky saved us!”
“When we thought we were gonna be crushed, she put up this big shield in front of us!”
“If it wasn’t for Pocky, we wouldn’t be here right now. We owe her so much.”
I could feel my face getting hotter as the praised me. I could barely get a word in to tell them I didn’t do anything, when I felt a hand pat my head. I looked up to see Mommy smiling down at me.
“Now now, don’t tease Pokkin too much. My daughter’s a strong girl, but she’s too modest for her own good!”
Despite myself, I laughed with everyone at the table.
Another fan soul! This time it’s an M soul, personifying Pocky! Yanno, the sweet coated cracker stick everyone loves ^^! She’s pretty quiet and clumsy so she keeps her head down, but if she hears music playing in the background of her every day life she becomes very graceful. Because of this, she tries to keep her headphones on and playing quietly at all times. Surprisingly, she gets along with someone like Omurice, but it’s because they’re both Jello fans. She also really enjoys music by Cola, and whenever @hanayosdad designs Cake Pop, Pocky listens to her a lot too ^^
I was trying some new stuff with this one, she doesn’t have a full bio yet because A) I haven’t started one and B) because I just wanted to do a quick sketch of her before I did some writing tonight. I love love love this pose and this coloring style, so I thought I’d knock out both at the same time !! But I have a long way to go, I don’t think it works so well for designing a character since I had to wash out her scheme a bit more–although, I really like these colors for her.
When her full design comes out, I want to show off the POCKY 11 she has on the back of her cardigan ^^
