"A servant of the trickster god – the Moon. His motivations lie in the path laid out by the older god. Unfortunately even we don’t understand his mysterious ways…" - The New Gods, when asked about Pocketcat.
Pocketcat, though apparently a minor influence when compared to the likes of Gro-goroth's mages, Sylvian's marriages and sex cults, and Alll-mer's vast following, possesses a unique quality distinguishing him from mere adherents. Unlike others, Pocketcat is an actual creature spawned by Rher, the Moon God, much like the Lady of Moon. While specific details about his origin remain elusive, it is known that Rher, a jealous god who opposes humanity's ascension, created Pocketcat with the intention of preventing children with divine parentage from reaching the level of Rher. Pocketcat and Lady of Moon are believed to be figments of Rher's imagination, as he dreams them into existence.
Pocketcat also holds a prominent role in ancient fairytales used as cautionary tales to dissuade children from wandering alone. This narrative aligns with his mission of hindering the ascension of children to Rher's level. Whether the fairytale inspired Rher's creation of Pocketcat or if the creature itself became the source of the tale remains uncertain.
While the extent of Pocketcat's free will is unclear, his actions might be driven by a compulsion tied to his specific purpose. Despite engaging in malevolent acts, Pocketcat displays likable behaviour, expressing sentiments and emotions openly. He conducts himself with respect, thoughtfulness, and gentlemanly behavior, even when facing opponents in battle.
During the events of Fear and Hunger in 1590, the Kingdom of Rondon faces not only a deadly plague but also the mysterious disappearance of numerous children - Pocketcat's involvement in these disappearances is evident, and followed by his venturing into the dungeons of fear and hunger. By buying and eating children at these dungeons, Pocketcat seeks to undermine the power of other gods, preventing them from utilizing the children for their own religious purposes. Pocketcat likely recognized the girl imprisoned within the dungeons as a vessel with significance in the greater scheme of things and strived to prevent her ascension in the name of Rher, although it was a fruitless endeavor.
During the occurrences of the Festival of Termina in the year 1942, orchestrated by the influence of his master, Rher, Pocketcat makes a reappearance. Pocketcat's role appears to revolve around ensuring the Festival's seamless execution while refraining from direct participation. Instead, Pocketcat encourages contestants to actively engage in the Festival, suggesting a unique method of trading vital items: by obtaining the heads of other contestants. In a twist of fate, Termina contestant Daan will ultimately succumb to possession of sorts by Pocketcat, thus assuming the mantle of a new Pocketcat, unless dealt with beforehand. Caught in an existence marked by suffering, Daan's efforts to rebuild his life seemed futile, as if an unseen hand had orchestrated his perpetual suffering and had been groomed him for possession by Pocketcat from the very moment of his birth. This event hints at the possibility that the previous iteration of Pocketcat might have also been an ordinary human subjected to the influence of this entity.
Location
Pocketcat can be found in the Cavern next to some crates and barrels. The first time Pocketcat speaks to the player, he will ask the player about their experiences in the dungeon and aspects of light and dark. Pocketcat explains that he is a merchant that accepts human children as currency instead of using Silver coins.
After the player meets him for the first time and has visited the Altar of Darkness, Pocketcat will appear in the Cavedweller village. Before the deal, he will offer to chat with the player, which can be refused. Depending on the player's responses, they can acquire a unique status indicated by an eye icon: either Happy or Depressed. These status effects are purely cosmetic and do not impact gameplay. Pocketcat will disappear from this location if the player has entered Ma'habre.
Later on, after defeating the Nameless Figurine in Ma'habre, Pocketcat will appear outside the entrance to the Golden Temple if the player has the the girl in their party. Pocketcat will ask the player to hand the girl over to him. The player can choose to hand her over, making it the last time they will see Pocketcat and the girl. After that, if the party leaves and re-enters the map again, there will be some catnip rolled into decorative candy wrappings in place of the Pocketcat. If the player refuses, Pocketcat will become angry, mutating into a larger form, saying that they barely know the girl and that they are denying him this one little 'pleasure', asking them once again to hand over the girl. Refusing him again will force Pocketcat to relent, asking his master, Rher, on what to do. After that, Pocketcat will go on a rant about how heartbroken he is towards the player, leaving the area and disappearing for good.
Trading
The player can bring a child (the girl or the Demon Kid) to Pocketcat and trade them in exchange for one of four valuable items:
Teaches a skill related to the player character's skill tree.
The Pocketcat thanks the player for trading with them and tells them that they would like more human children, but will not offer to trade again if another child is brought to them.
Pocketcat seems to be a general reference to the many children-eating boogeymen present in children's stories to make them behave better, albeit a much more grotesque version of said boogeyman.
Pocketcat begins to scratch his crotch when he is traded the Girl.
Pocketcat is one of only a few characters in the game to have voiced lines including discernible English speech. In his Termina fight, he says "Oh, hello there!", "Yes", and chuckles occasionally.
In Fear & Hunger 2: Termina, Pocketcat mentions "The world going through a true darkness and a standstill, with people hiding in their home and stocking up on toilet paper." This is likely a humorous reference to the Covid-19 pandemic and the phenomenon of people panic-buying and hoarding mass amounts of products such as toilet paper.
Game creator Miro Haverinen has mentioned that his inspiration for Pocketcat stemmed from an old vintage print ad featuring a black panther with an uncanny expression. Attempting to recreate the panther's face from memory, the result deviated significantly from the original. Moreover, Pocketcat has undergone substantial iterations since his inception, making him quite distinct from the initial influence of that vintage advertisement.
Haverinen's Tumblr page shows that Pocketcat was originally a character from his past small adventure game.
Warning! Speculation ahead!
Information below is hinted on, but wasn't directly confirmed in-game.
Pocketcat's head is a mask, and behind the mask is a human, as seen in Fear & Hunger 2: Termina. The role itself seems to be passed down on hopeless individuals. This comes at the cost of completely losing ones will to Rher's. Possibly erasing anything that was in terms of memories and replacing it with Pocketcat's.
Pocketcat's mask is noted in the medical diagnosis to be fused with the wearer's face. This can physically symbolize the wearer's individuality being erased.
In the Rher occult book, The truth under the moonlight, the main theme appears to be about hiding the true self under masks to control public images, how ineffective this method is, and how the moon reveals true nature. It may be connected to Pocketcat being a servant of Rher and always wearing a physical mask.
Pocketcat mentions retelling of stories alluding to his own and how it has changed with time, this comment also comes off as a meta-commentary, on retelling of other stories I.E: retelling of games, movies, etc.
In the battle, a meta-commentary topic features questions about stories influencing other stories. Additionally, while not mentioning the game by name, Pocketcat starts the battle by heavily hinting at several Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask references within Fear & Hunger 2: Termina. The existence of such references can be considered an answer to the meta-commentary, as it in itself is a story being influenced by other stories.
Gallery
Book depiction.
Book depiction 2.
Book depiction 3.
Pocketcat threatening the player to hand over the girl to him.
