Officer Barky
Officer Barky is a gruff, overworked police officer in Sala City who often finds himself dealing with bizarre incidents he wasn’t trained for—especially when Dook and Flops are involved. Though he tries to maintain order, he’s clearly jaded by years of dealing with chaos, bureaucracy, and paperwork that somehow multiplies on its own. He takes his job seriously, but the city’s eccentric residents constantly test his patience and perception of reality.
| Officer Barky | |
|---|---|
| File:Image of Barky.png DALL-E Render of Officer Barky | |
| First appearance | Aftermath of Chaos |
| Species | Hound |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | Early 40s |
| Residency | Sala City Police Station |
| Role | Police Officer |
Personality
- No-Nonsense & Dry: Barky approaches everything with a tired tone and a deeply rooted desire for people to just behave.
- Blunt & Practical: Doesn’t mince words. If something’s wrong, he’ll say it. If it’s weird, he’ll groan and try to ignore it.
- Occasionally Paranoid: Years of unexplained phenomena have left him suspicious of “normal” things.
- Frustrated Professional: Tries to follow protocol, but deep down knows it never really applies in Sala City.
Abilities
- Procedural Expertise: Knows the law inside and out, though it rarely helps him in any meaningful way here.
- Situational Tolerance: Can keep calm in almost any situation—aliens, spontaneous musicals, sentient traffic cones, etc.
- Unspoken Strength: Has stopped runaway vending machines with his bare hands. Doesn’t brag about it.
Appearance
- Fur: Short and sandy, with darker patches around his eyes and ears.
- Eyes: Tired brown, half-lidded more often than not.
- Clothing: Wears a standard-issue dark blue police uniform with a name tag that reads “Barky.” Slightly too tight around the midsection. Always has a ticket pad, a flashlight, and a chewed-up pen.
Relationships
- Dook: Finds Dook utterly baffling but impossible to charge with anything. Suspects Dook is some kind of dream-entity but avoids digging too deep for his own sanity.
- Flops: Constantly annoyed by Flops, who seems to cause property damage weekly. Has a thick file labeled “FL—FOX” in the evidence room.
- Vivian: Skeptical of her dealership’s legality, but she always has the right papers. Secretly tried to catch her on a technicality but failed.
- Odie: Doesn’t trust Odie, but admits he’s useful when Barky needs legal cover. They've worked together begrudgingly on complex civic headaches.
Trivia
- Once tried to write a citation for “existential disturbance” but couldn’t find the right code.
- Keeps an unmarked folder titled “INCIDENTS I PRETEND DIDN’T HAPPEN.”
- Was once briefly turned into a scented candle. Doesn't talk about it.
- Lives alone with a dog named Barky Jr., which he swears is unrelated.
- Has a recurring nightmare where Dook is his supervisor, and Flops is the judge.
“This again? Great. Just great. Who do I arrest?” — Officer Barky