˚.⋆✶ The Cat Collective ✶⋆.˚

Azul Ashengrotto

confessing that you came from another world was already difficult. confessing that he was technically a character in a game from that world felt infinitely worse. the moment the words left your mouth, azul simply stared at you from across the mostro lounge bar table, his expression becoming more bewildered with every sentence. trying to explain twisted wonderland as a mobile game was hard enough. trying to explain that you had downloaded said game before ever arriving here was somehow even more embarrassing. by the time you admitted that you already knew who he was before meeting him, you wanted the floor to open up and swallow you whole. azul, meanwhile, had gone unusually quiet. at first, he focused on the practical details. how could an entire world exist as a game? how did it work? why him specifically? yet the more you explained, the quieter he became. eventually, you made the mistake of admitting that he had always been one of your favorite characters. the reaction was immediate. azul froze. completely. for a moment, he looked as though his brain had simply stopped functioning. "favorite?" he repeated weakly. you tried to explain that you loved his story, his character development, the way he struggled with insecurity and learned to overcome it. the more you spoke, the redder his face became. because underneath all of azul's confidence lives a boy who spent years believing he wasn't enough. yet somehow, before he'd ever met you, before he could impress you with success or contracts or achievements, you had already cared about him. not because of what he could offer. not because of what he became. just because he was azul. by the time you finished explaining, he had removed his glasses and was rubbing at his eyes as though physically overwhelmed. "this is deeply unfair," he muttered. "how am i supposed to compete with someone who liked me before we even met?"

Jade Leech

telling jade the truth turned out to be one of the most terrifying experiences of your life. not because he reacted badly. quite the opposite. the moment you explained that twisted wonderland existed as a game in your world, jade became interested. horrifyingly interested. the sort of interested that made you feel like a particularly fascinating specimen under a microscope. he listened patiently as you stumbled through explanations about video games, alternate worlds, and fictional characters. every answer only seemed to generate five more questions. the entire conversation became significantly worse when he realized that you had known who he was before ever meeting him. suddenly dozens of interactions from your first few weeks at nrc made sense. why you hadn't seemed intimidated by him. why you already understood his sense of humor. why certain things about his personality had never surprised you. you could practically see him piecing everything together in real time. then came the fatal mistake. "well..." you admitted nervously. "you were one of my favorites." jade paused. actually paused. a feat impressive enough to qualify as a historical event. for a brief moment, genuine surprise flickered across his face before his usual smile returned. yet this one felt softer somehow. less teasing. more sincere. "how fascinating," he murmured. the words should not have made your heart race as much as they did. you tried to explain that you enjoyed his character and found him interesting, but jade barely seemed to hear the details. he was too busy thinking about one specific fact. out of every character in your world, out of every story available to you, you had chosen him. somehow that knowledge pleased him more than he cared to admit. "i must confess," he said with a quiet smile, "there is something rather flattering about knowing i captured your attention long before i had the opportunity to do so myself."

Idia Shroud

idia's reaction was exactly as dramatic as you expected. the moment you explained that twisted wonderland existed as a game in your world, he immediately lost his mind. one second he was listening normally, and the next he was halfway out of his chair, staring at you like you'd just revealed the greatest plot twist in human history. the poor guy looked seconds away from combusting. trying to explain the concept only made things worse. every detail sounded increasingly absurd when spoken aloud. a game about the villains of disney stories. gacha mechanics. events. character cards. the fact that people spent money trying to obtain digital versions of him. idia was simultaneously fascinated and horrified. yet the real damage occurred when you casually admitted that you'd started playing because you thought he looked cool. silence. complete silence. the kind of silence that immediately signaled disaster. slowly, idia lowered his gaming console and stared at you. "what." you instantly knew you had made a mistake. unfortunately, it was too late to backtrack now. you explained that you loved his design, his personality, and eventually his story. the more you talked, the deeper idia sank into his hoodie. his face turned red enough to rival a fire alarm and his hair flushed vividly pink at the ends. because unlike the online version of himself he presented to the world, the real idia had always assumed people would find him awkward, annoying, or difficult to be around. yet somehow, before he even existed as a real person to you, you'd already decided he was worth caring about. the realization hit him like a truck. "nah," he mumbled into his sleeves. "this is like...emotional cheating." you laughed. idia only buried his face further. "how am i supposed to process the fact that my girlfriend literally pre-ordered her feelings for me?"

Rook Hunt