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A rooster opened the door to his apartment. The man invited his guest inside and after that, he closed his apartment. Both of them briefly looked around the interior that had mostly dark color palette.
The guest was a man. Specifically, he was a goat. He had an unusual fur pattern, consisting mostly of brown and beige colors. He had short black hair, goatee of the same color, but his horns were of lighter hue. His eyes were green, with rectangular pupils.
Black chicken pointed at the small table. It had several chairs set up around it, but he ordered that both of them should sit opposite to one another. The guest agreed to that and soon after, both of them were looking at each other.
"Thank you for coming," the rooster said, briefly nodding.
"At least I know that you can't harm me easily," the goat replied indifferently.
"Are you sure about that?"
"You don't look like bes. You aren't similar to matokha or zmey either."
"True... I invited you to just talk. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Before we start..." The horned man raised his hand before himself.
"Yes?" black bird got slightly curious.
The guest, who was wearing a white leather jacket, reached into one of his pockets. A moment later, he brought out a small glass bottle and put it on a table. The liquid that was inside of it had a strong green color.
"What is that?" the chicken asked, pointing at the item.
"Just a thing to solidify that we have respect for one another," the green-eyed man explained.
"I have to drink it?"
"Unless you don't consider yourself a Slav."
"I have to be sure that it isn't toxic."
The guest of black-feathered man opened the bottle and took a big sip out of it. After he put the vessel back at its place, the owner of that apartment took a sip as well. The other guy closed the bottle and hid it in his pocket.
"Shall we start?" the rooster asked, being a bit annoyed.
"Of course." His guest nodded.
There was a sizable device that was placed on top of that table. After fiddling around it a bit, the rooster launched it and the tape that was placed on the rolls started to turn, indicating that this meeting will be recorded.
"I hope you don't have a problem with that." The bird pointed at the device.
"I don't mind it." The goat shrugged.
"So we can start?"
"Yes."
"Well then..." The rooster leaned forward, supporting himself with elbows. "Greetings, my listeners. You know me already, but I'm sure at least a part of you don't know about my guest here. Can you tell us a bit about yourself."
"I won't reveal my name," the green-eyed man stated. "I'm just a goat that works as a locksmith in our lovely free city of Khorogard."
"You know this isn't exactly true, right? Otherwise, I wouldn't invite you."
"Then tell us why you invited me." The guest leaned backwards on a chair.
"You're considered one of the best thieves in our city," the black-feathered man started explaining. "It's rumored that there's no place that you can't get into. And on top of that, you're a mortal."
"The rumors are exaggerated, because - as you've said it yourself - I'm a mortal. I have my limitations. I'm not a demon, like you."
"Oh..." The interviewer lowered his head. "I thought..."
"...that I don't know who you are?" The horned man smiled slightly. "Of course I do. You are a klobuk. Not really dangerous, but more of a playful one."
"If we go this route then I have to ask..."
"No, I'm not a demon. And I can be sure of that."
"So why are you so good at thievery?" the demon asked, placing his arms forward on a table.
"Training." The goat shrugged.
"I don't believe it."
"I didn't have a good childhood," the guest started to tell his story. "At first, I wanted to be strong to defend myself and smash my foes, if needed."
"Didn't work out", the interviewer interrupted him.
"No, it didn't. So if I couldn't fight my problems, I decided I should be fast enough to avoid them. It wasn't that hard. I'm a goat, so not only can I jump quite high, but I can also move well on almost straight walls. And I was training for years, so that's why some might consider my skills to be supernatural, even if they're not."
"And what's the cause of that in your opinion?"
"Envy, of course. You can be demons, but you aren't that different from mortals. You still have feelings."
"Yeah...," the bird sighed. "You said that you work as a locksmith. You were educated to have such a profession?"
"I wanted to balance things out," the green-eyed man replied. "On the one hand, I wanted to do something that wouldn't anger my family. On the other hand, I wanted to do something interesting and where such a job would be needed for many people."
"There aren't schools that deal only with locksmithing."
"True. I was learning to be a machinist. Locksmithing is just my specialization."
"Now that makes sense..." The black bird nodded. "You're quite an interesting individual. But why did you choose locksmithing?"
"Other specializations didn't seem to me as interesting."
"And you decided to be a thief after finishing school?"
"I was a thief even before finishing primary school," the guest chuckled.
"How so?" the interviewer was confused.
"My family wasn't rich, so stealing some food from the shop or things that would help distract myself from bad life situations was more of a necessity."
"You aren't from Khorogard, are you?"
"No. I was born in one of the nearby villages."
"And how can you take up thief tasks while also having a normal job?' the feathered demon asked, while leaning backwards.
"Normally." The goat shrugged. "I can't understand the problem."
"What if someone orders you to steal something, while you're at your normal job?"
"I reject and say that they should ask me later in the day."
"Many would get angry at you because of that," the rooster said, while pointing at his guest.
"Not as many as you and I thought," the horned man replied indifferently.
"Really?"
"Yep."
"So explain one thing to me..." The interviewer leaned forward. "Why do thievery at all, if you have a job which I assume is decently paid?"
"Heh..." The green-eyed man smiled slightly. "I wasn't really happy in my life, considering my experiences. I was constantly looking for something that would make me truly happy. Problem is that even if I tried many things in my opinion, I'm still not feeling well."
"And thievery makes you happy?"
"Not really. I would say that it distracts me from the issues of this world. It makes others happy, but for me? It's just one of the ways to spend my time."
"If that's the case then you could just do parkour." The demon looked at the mortal with a disappointed gaze.
"Yeah, but thievery is a nice addition," the guest laughed.
"Aren't you afraid that someone will get you and end your career?"
"And why would they punish the pawn? They should punish the player. I know that some folks don't understand that, but for now, no one caught me."
"So that means you will continue your second job?" the rooster asked.
"Yes," the goat replied. "There is a lot to do in Khorogard. Many things to see and things to grab. So you all can be sure that I'll continue my exploration."
"You want to say something as a conclusion?"
"Listen, guys... If you think that your skills alone will be enough to survive in this world then I have to spoil it for you. Your skills aren't enough. And I know it sounds unfair, but we live in an unfair world. You have to get some luck. Or someone more influencial than you to help you start your own career. There were a lot of folks that were great in their fields, but because of the isolation, they couldn't continue their existence. So I have one piece of advice for you: don't give up. If you drown in despair, it's over for you. But if you genuinely look for something that will help with your situation, there's still quite a big chance that you can find such a thing. Nothing that's worth fighting for is easy to get, but the satisfaction of achieving it is quite big. So keep going. You'll end up somewhere eventually."
"Thank you for these inspiring words and for your time to talk with me. I'm sure that my listeners will appreciate the conversation. I hope everyone will have a nice day."
The black chicken stopped the device. He then started to discuss the details of that recording with his guest. The goat was saying a couple of things that would improve the saved interview and the demon agreed.
After concluding the conversation about the discussion, the horned man stood up from the table, thanked the rooster for the opportunity of doing something new in his life and left the apartment. The owner started to work with the recording. It would be a long evening for him.
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A rooster opened the door to his apartment. The man invited his guest inside and after that, he closed his apartment. Both of them briefly looked around the interior that had mostly dark color palette.
The guest was a man. Specifically, he was a goat. He had an unusual fur pattern, consisting mostly of brown and beige colors. He had short black hair, goatee of the same color, but his horns were of lighter hue. His eyes were green, with rectangular pupils.
Black chicken pointed at the small table. It had several chairs set up around it, but he ordered that both of them should sit opposite to one another. The guest agreed to that and soon after, both of them were looking at each other.
"Thank you for coming," the rooster said, briefly nodding.
"At least I know that you can't harm me easily," the goat replied indifferently.
"Are you sure about that?"
"You don't look like bes. You aren't similar to matokha or zmey either."
"True... I invited you to just talk. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Before we start..." The horned man raised his hand before himself.
"Yes?" black bird got slightly curious.
The guest, who was wearing a white leather jacket, reached into one of his pockets. A moment later, he brought out a small glass bottle and put it on a table. The liquid that was inside of it had a strong green color.
"What is that?" the chicken asked, pointing at the item.
"Just a thing to solidify that we have respect for one another," the green-eyed man explained.
"I have to drink it?"
"Unless you don't consider yourself a Slav."
"I have to be sure that it isn't toxic."
The guest of black-feathered man opened the bottle and took a big sip out of it. After he put the vessel back at its place, the owner of that apartment took a sip as well. The other guy closed the bottle and hid it in his pocket.
"Shall we start?" the rooster asked, being a bit annoyed.
"Of course." His guest nodded.
There was a sizable device that was placed on top of that table. After fiddling around it a bit, the rooster launched it and the tape that was placed on the rolls started to turn, indicating that this meeting will be recorded.
"I hope you don't have a problem with that." The bird pointed at the device.
"I don't mind it." The goat shrugged.
"So we can start?"
"Yes."
"Well then..." The rooster leaned forward, supporting himself with elbows. "Greetings, my listeners. You know me already, but I'm sure at least a part of you don't know about my guest here. Can you tell us a bit about yourself."
"I won't reveal my name," the green-eyed man stated. "I'm just a goat that works as a locksmith in our lovely free city of Khorogard."
"You know this isn't exactly true, right? Otherwise, I wouldn't invite you."
"Then tell us why you invited me." The guest leaned backwards on a chair.
"You're considered one of the best thieves in our city," the black-feathered man started explaining. "It's rumored that there's no place that you can't get into. And on top of that, you're a mortal."
"The rumors are exaggerated, because - as you've said it yourself - I'm a mortal. I have my limitations. I'm not a demon, like you."
"Oh..." The interviewer lowered his head. "I thought..."
"...that I don't know who you are?" The horned man smiled slightly. "Of course I do. You are a klobuk. Not really dangerous, but more of a playful one."
"If we go this route then I have to ask..."
"No, I'm not a demon. And I can be sure of that."
"So why are you so good at thievery?" the demon asked, placing his arms forward on a table.
"Training." The goat shrugged.
"I don't believe it."
"I didn't have a good childhood," the guest started to tell his story. "At first, I wanted to be strong to defend myself and smash my foes, if needed."
"Didn't work out", the interviewer interrupted him.
"No, it didn't. So if I couldn't fight my problems, I decided I should be fast enough to avoid them. It wasn't that hard. I'm a goat, so not only can I jump quite high, but I can also move well on almost straight walls. And I was training for years, so that's why some might consider my skills to be supernatural, even if they're not."
"And what's the cause of that in your opinion?"
"Envy, of course. You can be demons, but you aren't that different from mortals. You still have feelings."
"Yeah...," the bird sighed. "You said that you work as a locksmith. You were educated to have such a profession?"
"I wanted to balance things out," the green-eyed man replied. "On the one hand, I wanted to do something that wouldn't anger my family. On the other hand, I wanted to do something interesting and where such a job would be needed for many people."
"There aren't schools that deal only with locksmithing."
"True. I was learning to be a machinist. Locksmithing is just my specialization."
"Now that makes sense..." The black bird nodded. "You're quite an interesting individual. But why did you choose locksmithing?"
"Other specializations didn't seem to me as interesting."
"And you decided to be a thief after finishing school?"
"I was a thief even before finishing primary school," the guest chuckled.
"How so?" the interviewer was confused.
"My family wasn't rich, so stealing some food from the shop or things that would help distract myself from bad life situations was more of a necessity."
"You aren't from Khorogard, are you?"
"No. I was born in one of the nearby villages."
"And how can you take up thief tasks while also having a normal job?' the feathered demon asked, while leaning backwards.
"Normally." The goat shrugged. "I can't understand the problem."
"What if someone orders you to steal something, while you're at your normal job?"
"I reject and say that they should ask me later in the day."
"Many would get angry at you because of that," the rooster said, while pointing at his guest.
"Not as many as you and I thought," the horned man replied indifferently.
"Really?"
"Yep."
"So explain one thing to me..." The interviewer leaned forward. "Why do thievery at all, if you have a job which I assume is decently paid?"
"Heh..." The green-eyed man smiled slightly. "I wasn't really happy in my life, considering my experiences. I was constantly looking for something that would make me truly happy. Problem is that even if I tried many things in my opinion, I'm still not feeling well."
"And thievery makes you happy?"
"Not really. I would say that it distracts me from the issues of this world. It makes others happy, but for me? It's just one of the ways to spend my time."
"If that's the case then you could just do parkour." The demon looked at the mortal with a disappointed gaze.
"Yeah, but thievery is a nice addition," the guest laughed.
"Aren't you afraid that someone will get you and end your career?"
"And why would they punish the pawn? They should punish the player. I know that some folks don't understand that, but for now, no one caught me."
"So that means you will continue your second job?" the rooster asked.
"Yes," the goat replied. "There is a lot to do in Khorogard. Many things to see and things to grab. So you all can be sure that I'll continue my exploration."
"You want to say something as a conclusion?"
"Listen, guys... If you think that your skills alone will be enough to survive in this world then I have to spoil it for you. Your skills aren't enough. And I know it sounds unfair, but we live in an unfair world. You have to get some luck. Or someone more influencial than you to help you start your own career. There were a lot of folks that were great in their fields, but because of the isolation, they couldn't continue their existence. So I have one piece of advice for you: don't give up. If you drown in despair, it's over for you. But if you genuinely look for something that will help with your situation, there's still quite a big chance that you can find such a thing. Nothing that's worth fighting for is easy to get, but the satisfaction of achieving it is quite big. So keep going. You'll end up somewhere eventually."
"Thank you for these inspiring words and for your time to talk with me. I'm sure that my listeners will appreciate the conversation. I hope everyone will have a nice day."
The black chicken stopped the device. He then started to discuss the details of that recording with his guest. The goat was saying a couple of things that would improve the saved interview and the demon agreed.
After concluding the conversation about the discussion, the horned man stood up from the table, thanked the rooster for the opportunity of doing something new in his life and left the apartment. The owner started to work with the recording. It would be a long evening for him.
A rooster invites a guest to do an interview with them. The discussion touches upon some important subjects.
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Multiple characters
Size 120 x 120px
Listed in Folders
I like the fact that they call it an unfair world given who they are. A fun concept, I love the idea of demons being so desperate that they need a skilled criminal, however, they also present as a much more forefront shoulder devil. Really great story.
Considering the fact that they have to live with mortals instead of sitting in afterlife, they can say something like this. Someone becoming a demon after death is somewhat random. I say this as someone who read a lot of Slavic mythology.
There's a lot of unofficial rules established in this free city, so that's why someone like that goat are needed for mortals and demons alike to fulfill their goals.
There's a lot of unofficial rules established in this free city, so that's why someone like that goat are needed for mortals and demons alike to fulfill their goals.
That is fascinating! I need to read more Slavic mythology. But that makes sense, and actually kind of makes this way deeper. The idea that they need to work together to get anywhere is pretty powerful and works well for a “job interview” type scenario. Really cool!
The interview is just it - an interview. The demon is curious about certain individuals and talks with them. Will he use that information further? Maybe, maybe not.
The free city of Khorogard is an interesting place. Demons live there, but most mortals in that settlement don't know about it. It has a lot of cultures there, but the dominant one is Slavic, which is shown by majority of building constructed with "Slavic touch".
The free city of Khorogard is an interesting place. Demons live there, but most mortals in that settlement don't know about it. It has a lot of cultures there, but the dominant one is Slavic, which is shown by majority of building constructed with "Slavic touch".
Cool! Kind of makes me think of 1920s New York City with all of the mafia gangs and the underground workings of it all, but also all the various cultures that were at work and flourishing.
Even if it's my own setting, where I create stories with my fursona - Zavish, I sometimes include characters of my friends (which they agree to) for more in-depth exploration of that city.
I was actually thinking if I should make Khorogard more distinct. Going with either solarpunk or biopunk setting.
I was actually thinking if I should make Khorogard more distinct. Going with either solarpunk or biopunk setting.
I like how you are designing it. I try to do the same thing, but usually I base off where I am at. I think biopunk would be sick though!
I'd most likely go with mixing cyberpunk and biopunk. I overall prefer more biological matters than mechanical ones, so the cyberpunk part would be minor.
Overall, I prefer to create something more unique. It's reflected in my characters. After all, it's harder to find goat or kirin in community than lion or fox.
Overall, I prefer to create something more unique. It's reflected in my characters. After all, it's harder to find goat or kirin in community than lion or fox.
That is very true! But I like the uniqueness in your characters. It works very well. But overall a very well glued together idea set. It is very good.
I try to make things sticking well together.
It's even reflected in the city's name - Khorogard. First part is related to Slavic god Khors - related either to sun or moon (but I chose the latter, like most historicians). And "gard" is basically a suffix added to names of Slavic towns meaning "city". So "Khorogard" basically means "city of night" or "night city".
It's even reflected in the city's name - Khorogard. First part is related to Slavic god Khors - related either to sun or moon (but I chose the latter, like most historicians). And "gard" is basically a suffix added to names of Slavic towns meaning "city". So "Khorogard" basically means "city of night" or "night city".
I love it when writers think about meanings. In my novel I kind of created my own mythology and it’s set in a world called Delunacae which I meshed together from De Luna caer for “Fall of the Moon”. So I love it when writers put that detail. Khorogard makes sense for the situation.
This fact and if you add some history of this city is nice explanation for this name. And since it was demon-only city at first, the history is quite interesting.
Do you like to focus on the history when you come across it? Or do you just utilize it second-hand? It seems you use a lot to set your characters in and how they reason.
Since the setting is still being made, I prefer to focus on characters and relations between them.
The world and things related to it (like story, groups) are also important, but they are used more as a background.
The world and things related to it (like story, groups) are also important, but they are used more as a background.
Fair enough. Would you focus on just these types characters? Or would you look to create a world of different characters under this setting?
Well, it's a setting for anthros, so there can be many different characters. I can create a story with completely different characters that are still in Khorogard, but it would - of course - feature completely different story of them.
And it's not like I have only this setting, but Khorogard is more versatile.
And it's not like I have only this setting, but Khorogard is more versatile.
Is it your goal to use Khorogard as a world-builder, or is it just a basis to explore all the parts of the Slavic mythology you are looking at. Is it authentic or interpretative?
Khorogard is a free city, so it doesn't belong to any nation. My goal with it isn't exploring world politics.
My first goal is to explore different kinds of relations between characters. Second is to speculate how modern Slavic religion customs would look like in a world similar to ours. Problem with Slavic mythology is there isn't as much info about it as for other mythologies. So I try to work with what I have and what I know, while still trying to interpretate it to be as close and logical as possible.
My first goal is to explore different kinds of relations between characters. Second is to speculate how modern Slavic religion customs would look like in a world similar to ours. Problem with Slavic mythology is there isn't as much info about it as for other mythologies. So I try to work with what I have and what I know, while still trying to interpretate it to be as close and logical as possible.
Do what you got to do then! I like the modernized Slavic feel! Whether this long term or short term it sounds like you have some fun writing for yourself. Interested to see where you take it! I love talking with other visionary writers! Best of luck!
I think I'll keep on writing in Khorogard setting. Really nice place to explore. And since my fursona lives there, I can also explore some themes I wanted to check.
Thank you for all the kind words and wishes ^^
Thank you for all the kind words and wishes ^^
Of course of course! Sorry for the long thread haha! If you ever want to talk more writing shenanigans I am here. I always love to see other people’s creativity! You got a nice thing here and it’s gonna go far no doubt!
Talks are welcome, but I sometimes lack the free time xD
But if you want to talk, the fastest option is Discord for me. You can use the note system here, but I think we both agree that it isn't the best. There's also Telegram, but I don't use it very often.
But if you want to talk, the fastest option is Discord for me. You can use the note system here, but I think we both agree that it isn't the best. There's also Telegram, but I don't use it very often.
It's really nice to see Thursday Prompts again. Even if today isn't Thursday, hehe.
Thank you, Vixyy.
Doing bad things don't make you a bad person automatically. For some? Yes. Still, I wouldn't call that man bad. He isn't a saint, true. However, he understands how the life works. And not only he wants to survive, but he also wants to live. And there's a big difference between those two.
Doing bad things don't make you a bad person automatically. For some? Yes. Still, I wouldn't call that man bad. He isn't a saint, true. However, he understands how the life works. And not only he wants to survive, but he also wants to live. And there's a big difference between those two.
Is the goat trying to hide his identity or is it an open secret? Because he's certainly given enough away in this interview to identify him.
It's more like a secret for mortals than demons.
Also I saw your shout on my profile... I'm glad you like this profile picture :D
Also I saw your shout on my profile... I'm glad you like this profile picture :D
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