Profile
Jake, the Black Dog
Grim, Striker, Gytrash
~500 years (post-Rising)
~50 years (as a Fallen angel)
Currently around ~700 years old
Appears in his late 20’s
Prophetic angel (previously)
Fallen angel (previously)
Employee of the Infernal Mall
About
Jake, the originator of the worldwide folklore regarding the Black Dog, was a prophetic angel whom warned of calamity and disaster. Due to his tendency to want to get hands-on with affecting the outcomes of the tragedies he foresaw, he was barred from helping beyond serving as an ill omen and warning to escape, or prepare. This restriction led eventually to his fall from grace in the mid-1970’s, and he has been living as a fallen angel since then, gradually integrating into human society despite a tendency to keep himself away from getting close to any single person.
His travelling eventually led to current-day, when a bar-hopping visit to a Hell-themed supermall known as the Infernal Mall eventually led to his further fall from a fallen angel to a demon, where he was subsequentially marked by the locale’s presiding devil, Dwi. Between Jake’s social inexperience and an abject hatred for authority, the newly-fallen demon struggles with his new position.
Design
Wolf: 30” / 76cm at shoulder
canine-esque lacrimal ducts
prideful, independent
without white markings
run through its mouth; bright
red halo creates the Mark
(Located back of left calf)
Notes
- His terrible posture makes him look shorter than he is.
- Jake’s halos have a bright red, luminous glow and unlike his celestial halos, they are much more ‘physical’ objects that can get in the way of things or hurt himself or others. They feel like cool metal to the touch but can ‘heat up’ to a burning temperature depending on his own emotional state, or by the control of his head demon.
- His single horn used to be a nonphysical part of his halo, but like his other halos is newly material. Due to its length and unwieldy shape, it can often get caught on things.
- His ‘full’ demon form is more animalistic than his ‘full’ angel form ever was. His ears are pointed, teeth are far more canine in both form and structure, he bears claws on both his hands and his feet. His feet have ‘paw pads’ and dewclaws. While he had a tail in his previous form, it is no longer a white-tipped black wolf tail, but a long, thin, furred black tail with a long-haired tip with only a few white strands.
- His outfits are whatever is utilitarian, comfortable, and cheap. Usually he only wears drab colors like gray, black, brown, navy blue or olive green, though he does have a few brighter-colored and patterned party shirts. He doesn’t tend to accessorize except for a single necklace and hair bands. He has a single cowboy hat for when it is particularly sunny out, and usually wears heavy work boots or sandals.
- In his wolf form, he appears as a large, black wolf in full winter coat, with a white blaze on his forehead and the tip of his tail. He has bright yellow eyes that seem to have a spectral glow. In this form, he can also summon his wings, halos and horns.
- The doomed—those soon but not yet facing life-altering events, usually death—can only ever see him as the Black Dog, and they will rationalize whatever he is doing to make sense in their head. He is not aware of their perception of him unless they make it clear, and given the general reaction to seeing a huge wolf in public, it is usually made clear.
Personality
Solitary and self-sufficient, Jake wants to rely on no one and regrettably seems incapable of that feat. He exudes a cool, casual sort of confidence that thinly veils a short temper and a far-too-sharp tongue. He despises reliance and authority and staying in one place for too long. He isn’t very in tune to other’s emotions, or even his own for that matter, tending to bottle things up until they’re not a problem anymore, deflecting with either his spikey personality, straight up just lying, or with dry humor instead.
Despite his negative traits, though, Jake is fiercely loyal to those he cares about, as few and far between as they are. With the little regard he shows for his own well-being, he can frequently be too protective of these people, often to his own detriment.
Likes
Travelling & his Van
Jake travelled his whole life before falling and falling wasn’t going to put a stop to it. He lives in a mobile home as a result, and though he usually stays in more rural and outdoorsy areas, he recently moved to the city. Since becoming a demon, though, travelling has become that much harder.
Human Food
Jake has a strong taste for human foods, the unhealthier the better. High-protein and meat-based foods are his favorite.
Animals, especially Canines
Having spent most of his hundreds of years of existence interacting more closely with animals than with people, he still feels more comfortable in their presence than he does with humans. However, he certainly has no supernatural ‘calming’ for animals and many are instinctively wary of him; he is, after all, a wolf and a predator.
Anonymity
Though Jake hates being around strangers by virtue of them being strangers, he also hates feeling known or recognized. Despite his wariness, he is far more loose and casual around people he doesn’t know. Unfortunately, that usually leads to him knowing them.
Music
Music, right after food, was a pleasure that Jake always enjoyed but didn’t really get to indulge in personally until he fell, and without a greater purpose it was something he really delved into. Jake is fond of many music genres but rock and country are his favorites, as well as generally popular music between the late 70s-early 90s. He can play the guitar and the drums as well, though he is self-taught and has had no formal training whatsoever.
Dislikes
Looming Authority
Jake has always been particularly independent and any reminder of authority over him frustrates him to Hell and back (quite literally, in some cases). He despises taking orders from others or being obligated to show respect or submission, and often will not even to his own detriment.
Busy Environments & Crowds
Despite his propensity for visiting bars and clubs, Jake rather dislikes busy environments and they can quickly become overstimulating for him. Normally he has some goal in coming into these places, and unless he is in a particularly good mood he is trying to complete that goal and move on as fast as possible.
Heaven-dwelling Angels
Angels that work in the field on Earth are one thing; the ones up in Heaven, though, are an entirely different beast to Jake. Not that he often dealt with them, but when he did, it was always negative and disciplinary, and the no-nonsense, all-business angels above were a large part of the reason he turned his back on Heaven in the first place.
Normal/retail jobs
Jake doesn’t like people, or authority, or schedules, or the concept of buying things with money, or organizing, or keeping his cool, or really any of the anything ever that goes into working normal human jobs, especially retail.
Moodboard
Extra
Hobbies
Jake had a lot of free time on his hands as a fallen angel and used it to try out the things humans seemed to enjoy most. He enjoyed making music, singing, pencil sketching, and cooking. Despite an almost complete lack of any ‘natural’ talent in any of these things, practice won out and he’s pretty good at them now. He even makes money with his guitar playing, occasionally playing at local bars and pubs for a bit of side cash.
Home
Jake lives primarily in his RV, even after he is given an apartment to live in per his employment at the Mall. The vehicle is an early 80s Class C Winnebago, purchased new and in ok condition for its age, although there are several jury-rigged parts and problems and it is probably a bit of latent miraclework that it is even still running as well as it is.
Work
Jake has done a lot of odd jobs over the years, being the main way he’d earned his money (primarily for gas and repairs to his RV), but none of them were proper jobs with schedules and real guidelines and so becoming employed at the Mall was a bit of whiplash for him. After a very rough initial period of working there, being fired from several jobs and a couple of disciplinary meetings with his head demon, he slowly found his own place working at a tattoo shop in the mall. While things still aren’t perfect, the more laid-back attitude of the shop and his own skills work decently together.
The Mythologized Black Dog
The Church Grim
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Falling and the Years Following
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Demonic Corruption
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Imp Form
In His Suppressed State
Losing access to his sprite form when he fell to become a demon, Jake has an imp form that resembles a young black wolf pup (~10 weeks and about 20 lbs), with winged forearms that mirror his blue jay-esque wings normally. The wings are unusable even to glide and are not flexible. He has long canine teeth that form a slight overbite and a small, blue keratin horn.
Due to the circumstances of Jake becoming an imp, unlike most imps, his personality in this state is not reflective of the way he normally holds himself. While normally he might be playful and mischievous, imp Jake at first is very stand-offish and seems to want largely to be left alone and in the quiet. This could not be further from the truth, however, as he displays severe separation anxiety whenever he is truly alone, which results in some incredibly destructive and attention-seeking habits. Despite his initial unwillingness to be touched or held, especially by anyone other than his primary caretaker, he ends up very much a velcro dog and if he isn’t by his caretaker’s side, it’s usually because he’s bored.
While he doesn’t like playing at first, preferring more passive ways of entertaining himself (watching the outside world or stealing/hoarding small objects), he eventually grows into it. Like any canid, he has a particular attention towards any fast-moving, small object, such as a ball or an unlucky indoor insect. When he plays, he tends to get rather mouthy, both in terms of accidentally biting/nipping/gnawing and of constantly playfully growling or barking. Other than this playing or attention-seeking, however, he is very quiet.
He loves treats, especially of meat or cheese, and will try to beg for or steal food if he’s not satisfied with what he’s been given. He’s also easily tempted by treats and will do a great deal of favors and tricks for a hot dog or a Kraft single.
As an imp, Finley, Dandelion, and David are all trusted caretakers, but Finley is his favorite.
Trivia
- Jake’s vision is similar to a dog’s, and he is colorblind and has slightly worse vision at a distance. This is a good, representitive vision simulator, but he struggles to tell apart non-blue colors, and cannot see the color red at all. He can see decently in the dark, however, and has other increasingly sensitive senses such as his ability to hear and smell being comparable to a dog’s.
- Jake still does need to eat and sleep, although about less than half of what a human of his age and size would need to, comparatively. While not eating or sleeping won’t kill him, it will severely impair his abilities, energy, and general mood, which doesn’t need any help in worsening.
- He has a latent sense of danger. It used to be much more accurate with the ability to pinpoint exact times and locations, but now it comes only sensations of dread and instinct. He does trust his gut usually, though, and for good reason. He’s also still drawn in by danger as much as he ever was before, though he is markedly worse at recognizing it.
- As a demon, even a weak one, he heals much faster (and gets much less injured) than a mortal would. While he is not impervious by any means, he can take quite the beating before he goes down. Severe injuries can still take several days or weeks to heal, however.
- Jake’s wings are entirely incapable of flight, both on Earth and in Hell. While when he was a fallen angel they were still capable of slowing a fall or gliding, now they will not even do that.
- Jake distrusts and dislikes imps, with the sole exception of imp-Finley, due to his experiences in Hell.
- Towards the doomed that see him in the form of the Black Dog, he is almost always surprisingly calm, patient and friendly towards them, even to the point of being comforting and reassuring. It is one of the only times he bothers to mask the sharper edges of his usual demeanor, because he knows whoever sees him like that is about to have a much, much worse day.
Related
Andriel “Dandy/Dandelion”
The closest thing Jake has to a brother, and his mentor, Dandy is the cause of a great deal of frustration. Though Jake harbors jealousy towards the older angel and his much more palatable side of the job and they have no shortage of arguments and disagreements, Jake would still protect him with his life, as Dandy would with his. He could do without so much of the preaching, though.
Aelthiel “Gene”
A friend from the beginning due to how often Jake corresponded with the messenger angel, Aelth is one of Jake’s closest and best friends. Aelthiel saved his life when an assassin angel was sent after him, and Jake considers himself both in debt and at fault for causing Aelth’s own fall.
Suriel “Scruffy”
Though Jake doesn’t quite know or understand why, he holds a special fondness for the older angel and looks up to him almost as much as he does Dandelion, though he expresses it much less. Suriel is one of the only people Jake will go to for personal matters. Jake doesn’t remember how they met or why, but he knows it was a positive experience.
Finley “Fancy”
Finley, despite being inadvertently the cause of Jake’s demonic transformation, is one of Jake’s more recently-acquired close friends. Though their relationship was purely sexual at first, it eventually became romantic instead as Finley’s lovesickness manifested and as Jake grew ever more attached to the demon. Now, Jake is fiercely protective of the demon, perhaps too much so at times.
David
A fallen angel with an equally high libido, Jake met David while bar-hopping across town and they hit it off well. Though their relationship was only quick hook-ups at first, it has begun to blossom into a real friendship.
Dwi
Jake loathes Dwi in every sense of the word and makes very little effort to show them any respect beyond what would get him (or someone close to him) killed. He hates the devil and would want nothing more than to watch him suffer and fall too, but unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be happening very soon.
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