bakerstreet | Stray

S T R A Y

Taking in strays is, all in all, an understandable vice. The dips in between their ribs, those large and forlorn eyes, they can help you forget the claws and the teeth and the danger lurking beneath fur. But the habit's a knife edge; your efforts may not be rewarded with kindness (animal instincts aren't discretionary) and you may get bit despite what you've overlooked. A stray doesn't care about pity. All it can know is survival.

These warnings apply to strays of the more human(oid) sort, too.

But what may even more perilous with this type than any drawn blood is what you can get when they grow to trust you. You can earn their undying loyalty...or their love. Either from such a wild thing is a precarious path to go down, if you allow yourself to do it.

Comment with your character, preferences, desired roles, etc.
Reply to others.
Thread!

ＰＲＯＭＰＴＳ

ғɪɴᴅɪɴɢ — Who's that? They're no ordinary passersby! Were they in an accident? Are they foreign? ...should you approach them?

ʀᴀɪɴ, ʀᴀɪɴ, ɢᴏ ᴀᴡᴀʏ — The elements make this night no time to sleep out of doors.

ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ — Cuts, broken bones, injuries all of sorts...you have to stitch them back up, then make sure they don't get any

ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ — It's all you can do to show gratitude to the person who took you in. Fix them a meal, care for their house, whatever you can do once you're able.

ʙᴀᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ — FUCK THIS PERSON AND FUCK THEIR COUCH. You didn't ask to be brought here. Let them clean up after you, you don't even care.

ᴡʜᴏ ᴀᴍ ɪ? — How you got into this situation is a mystery. Even more of a mystery is your identity, and why the person you were would be so displaced.

sᴇʟғʟᴇssɴᴇss —

ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ — If you've been injured badly enough or can't remember all too well, you might have to relearn a good deal. Luckily, you have a helping hand.

sᴄᴀʀs — Scars from the encounter that lead you here or scars from prior, you don't want them to see either. You still have your secrets to keep.

sᴛᴜʙʙᴏʀɴ — Ugh, your house guest is so stubborn! They always get up when they should be resting, have the worst habits, and completely disrespect your home! You'll get to them, one way or another. Or you'll throw them out. You don't want to, but you will.

ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ — Bad memories or nightmares wreck you; your host and nurse comes to your side unexpectedly.

ᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄʟᴀsʜ — The person who's taken you in is from a different culture or lifestyle than you, and adapting is harder than you thought.

ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ғᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ — Think learning about a new culture is hard? Try being a different species. Can you keep your little eccentricities at bay for the good of your station?

ᴊᴇᴀʟᴏᴜsʏ — Now that your emotions towards your caretaker/host/jailer are softening, you're finding yourself unusually jealous of those in their life who were close to them before.

ɴᴇᴡ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛɪᴇs — You never thought you'd have fun after all that's happened, yet such simple gestures as a picnic or a movie make all the difference.

ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ — You love them, this person who's taken you in or this person you've found. It's not a pity or a thankfulness, it's love, and you know that now. What you choose to do with this information is

ʜɪsᴛᴏʀʏ — Suddenly, the person who's been so nice to you finds out that the two of you have a history. You killed their loved ones or caused something terrible. How can they forgive you?

ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ — So much has been done for you. The least you can do in return for the one who helped you at your lowest is make sure they never have such a low point.

ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴋɴᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ — Anyone in the way of getting to you will be destroyed, and that includes the person you're staying with.

ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ — You've been given a home, maybe which you've never had before. You don't want to leave.

ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ — Not only are you living with them, but you're starting a proper life with them.

ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ — All secrets are laid out on the table. You've decided to tell about your past and what lead you here.

ʀᴇᴠᴜʟsɪᴏɴ — What you've done and who you are is so heinous, they want nothing more to do. You're to leave their home and leave them alone.

ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ — It doesn't matter what they've done. You've opened your home and your heart to them, and nothing's changed.

ᴘᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ — All things must come to an end. No matter what you feel for each other, it's time to leave. Hopefully, you'll see each other again.

ʜᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ — Come what may, you've decided to stay at your new home with the person you love. Now, it's safe enough to do so.

ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( info. m/f or f/f. would probably be the one taking in a stray. open to most things, except smut. prefer to write her in some historical setting, though doesn't necessarily have to be the 1920s. )

OTA - Constance is a stray. Hopefully she doesn't accidentally burn your house down.

Particularly interested in: 1,2,3,4, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22

[ either role. human or animal au. he makes an excellent 'stray' in his old hermit era. he can also make a good 'caretaker' in that he's very devoted when taking that route, but also he's not always that great at it haha. and for the option of literal stray animal au: an old cat with matted fur that needs some love; may come with familiar/spirit vibes so has two forms (cat and feline humanoid) depending on who tags in wanting this option! would also adore a familiar/spirit vibe with him as caretaker of a stray animal if someone else wants that route! ]

[I'm canonblind, but something about this chronically ill old witch taking in an old cat-fellow familiar really appeals to me. Do you want to play out the adoption process or start in media res once they know one another?]

[also canonblind, but i have recently added Atelier to my watchlist so maybe not for long. i think the adoption process would have some merit to it so let's start with that.]

[It was Beldaruit's apprentice, Riliphin, who first found the old cat, sneaking meat from meals to Juste in the late hours of his limited free time. Beldaruit had always believed in giving apprentices time of their own, to get into and out of trouble, and this was the trouble the blue-haired youth had chosen.

It was almost a week of this treatment before Beldaruit discovered where Riliphin's chicken scraps and fish bones were going. Now, in the alley near their home in the Argentgard, Beldaruit towers over the old tomcat. He strikes a very imposing figure, not just because of his natural height, but because he's sitting on an odd chair--high-backed, lined with sheepskins and legged like a ram, a curling horn on each side for an armrest.]

So you're the one. You know, a growing boy needs to eat his own meals. I can't just let you keep taking from his plate.

[This wasn't the usual person who came out here to give out his food scraps. The old silver-gray cat didn't like this at all. He especially didn't like that odd chair getting so close to him. Juste hissed and backed up further into the alleyway, getting as far away from the old man in the chair as possible.

His ears twitched at the sound of the man's voice. It wasn't his fault the boy gave away his scraps! They weren't even that filling... but they were usually tasty. Better than the bits gleaned from digging through trash or trying to catch the nasty rats.

Juste's ears drooped as he gazed up at the man. He was used to living as a pathetic stray cat at this point, but the tasty scraps of food would be missed. He had come to enjoy them. Now this old man was going to put a stop to it. Juste would just have to steer clear from here from now on lest he get caught or worse. It was easy enough to pass for a normal feline if he simply kept his head low, but there was no reason to risk it if there was no reward to be found. He'd slink off as soon as the old man stopped paying any attention to him.]

[After a moment of watching, he realizes a couple of things at once:

1. The cat's ears had fallen in reaction to what he'd said, as if the cat had understood what he was being told.

2. This wasn't some shiny new kitten that Riliphin had been feeding, but a scrappy old stray.

3. He didn't have the heart to actually chase the cat off.]

I suppose this means we'll have to cook extra, so he can keep feeding you without him missing out his food. And we probably ought to bring you in from the streets, too. It'll be better, both for you and him.

[either role is doable for him, but taking someone in is more his speed these days.]

[ definitely the stray. info in journal, casual assumed cr is fine. no 14, ask before 21/26 (f/m pref, open to f/f). ]

[Bare bones about her: sarcastic seer with a knack for finding trouble, or having trouble find her. More in-depth information about her is here. Can easily AU her into just about anywhere. Either role. M/F for anything shippy.]

[ Either role! She has a soft spot for stray cats (and people), even if she only has a shitty one-room apartment to offer, but could easily be in a bad situation herself given her whole War Devil thing. | More info. ]

[The stray, definitely.]

( likely the stray, but open to either role! )

[The one taking in the stray.]

[Either role but more likely to be the stray]

[ most definitely the stray. ]

[ooc: up to date now on the manga. voicetesting.]

[Character info and permissions here. More likely taking in.]

[Absolutely the stray lmao. He's spent a majority of his life roaming the world without a home, and considering the chaotic nature of his canon, it's easy to au him living life like a stray cat. Whiiiich isn't that much of an exaggeration as one might think for reasons. Won't anyone take in this poor boy/girl/cat?

16+ for any romance, m/m, m/f, f/f, etc. all fine by me.]

[Up to date with DD:BA but mark spoilers for others!

Definitely the stray in this situation and a feral one at that. Careful, he bites.]

[He has a large house in the countryside. There's plenty of room if someone ends up stranded nearby.]

{ooc; the voicetesting continues.}

Stray

sylvie gallard | lest they leave | ota

Constance Ardorlight | OC | OTA

Juste Belmont | Castlevania: Nocturne | OTA

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

iori motohashi | charisma house | m/m 21+ or castmates

Zeno | Resident Evil

charlie mcgee | firestarter

Zoey Westen | original character

asa mitaka | chainsaw man

rumi || kpop demon hunters || ota

Ben Solo | Star Wars AU

verso | clair obscur: expedition 33

Logan | Fable 3 | OTA

Aether | Genshin Impact | ota

Simon (The Convict) | Iron Lung | OTA

clark kent / superman || superman (2025) || ota

ruggie bucchi | twisted wonderland

Kurona Ranze 🦈 BLLK

Tashigi | One Piece

yuji itadori | jjk | ota

Allen Walker l D. Gray-Man.

Pauline Bonheur | Original Character | OTA

haruki nakayama | given | m/m

Koby | One Piece

Crow Hogan ( Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds )

zoey | kpop demon hunters | ota

Ranma Saotome | Ranma ½ | OTA

Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter | MCU | OTA

Benedict Bridgerton | Bridgerton

mira | kpop demon hunters | ota