#little mouse encyclopedia

[peppermintbits]

Mickey Mouse but as a more realistic mouse, plain vs with color/gloves. Drawn to try and make me happy with illustrating again.

Line art/mouse anatomy/original vacant creature stare.

[flowerbarrel-art]

This is also a really cute and fun game (it’s part of a bundle with Cat’s Cosmic Atlas).

You explore around and can see bugs and other animals underground.

That normally would creep me out since some bugs still look creepy or gross to me, but it was fun.

I found the bugs weirdly cute. I think a cute name for mole cricket eggs would be baby potatoes.

And here’s some more of my favorite animals/plants/fungi featured in the game (mostly because I’d never heard about most of them before).

[the-jade-palace]

Fin Fin on QEMU (Current Version - v2.2)

Fin Fin on QEMU is a project designed to create an easy to use way for anyone to play Fin Fin without the need for any complicated setup on modern operating systems. It is fully compatible with Windows 10 and 11, but will also work on any version after XP.

The version of the game used is a custom made translation that includes all 6 worlds in English. It has working microphone input, sound recording, and all associated features such as screenshots and the encyclopedia work as well.

Rather than using virtualization, this works through emulating an entire Windows 98 machine. To play it there's no need to install any hypervisors or set up a virtual machine, as everything is already set up, and ready to go.

The download link can be found here! (Hosted on MEGA)

Installation

The whole thing is portable, meaning nothing is actually "installed" and all the data is wherever you place the folder. This also means that if moved to another PC, all user data will still be present.

To run, all you need to do is extract the folder in the .zip to a location of your choosing, and then run one of the launchers.

Included are two launcher versions for the different QEMU display options, one that uses GTK and one that uses SDL. The only difference between the .bat script and the .exe versions is that a command window will be shown when using the .bat script.

Both have pros and cons, so I've included both to let the user decide which one they want to use.

SDL has broken window scaling and no mouse integration, but has a correctly stretched fullscreen. GTK has a stretched fullscreen mode, but has working mouse integration and window scaling. Basically if you want the game in fullscreen use SDL, otherwise use GTK. For a bit more info about these, checkout the 'Files' section under the 'Keep Reading'

Important Info

Before launching the main game, be sure to create a profile using 'New Contact', as the game will not run until doing so. When exiting the game use the shutdown option in Windows 98. Exiting through closing the window forcefully can possibly cause data loss/corruption. When using SDL, mouse and keyboard input will be captured. To release this, press 'Ctrl + Alt + G'. When using GTK, the menubar can be hidden or shown by pressing 'Ctrl + Alt + M'. To make the window fullscreen, press 'Ctrl + Alt + F'.

Sounds

Included are two "sound effect packs" for the in game sounds that play based on the number keys from 1-5.

By default, the game will use the sound effects from the 5 Worlds version, but you can swap out to the 6 worlds one by renaming the "sound (alternate)" folder in the D: drive to just "sound", and renaming the original sound folder to something else.

I hope you all have fun with your new best friend Fin Fin!

Fin Fin is a wonderful little enigma from the past, and my attempt to make it easily accessible even in the present is something I hope you will all enjoy.

If you encounter any issues in Fin Fin on QEMU, please contact me about it.

To view the changelog, credits, and some more info about this project check below the 'Keep reading'.

Changelog

Some information is cut for brevity, the full version can be found inside of Fin Fin on QEMU and the MEGA folder.

v2.2

Added several new Fin Fin screensavers the user may choose from Updated method for calculating Transfer folder size Updated emulated machine to use 128mb of RAM and a Pentium Updated main teoboot.exe executable to fix several issues Updated shortcuts

v2.1

Removed WHPX launching options Removed FinFinWHPX.bat and FinFinWHPX.exe Removed startup crash fix as it was only needed for WHPX Modified folder settings in Windows 98 to open folders in the same window Rearranged Fin Fin on QEMU folder layout for cleaner appearance Added 'OK' button back to Microphone Setup that was mistakenly removed Updated shortcuts for Microphone Setup and Sound Recorder Fixed problem with 'Encyclopedia' launching script that caused screenshots to not show up in the photobook Added 'Transfer' Folder which allows for transferring files between the host and emulated machine Added options for launching with either GTK or SDL display Altered updater to improve ease of use and used NirCmd to improve process as a whole (Updater.bat & updater.iso)

v2.0 (Major Update - 6 Worlds Edition)

Modified original Taiwanese 6 Worlds version to add English Translation Added 'Microphone Sensitivity' shortcut to the desktop and start menu Added in 5 Worlds version Encyclopedia (finfinEncyc.exe & encyc30.GIZ) Added sound effects from 5 Worlds version (D:\sound) Added Mouse Integration Added Nircmd to replace launch batch scripts (C:\WINDOWS\nircmd.exe) Added Windowed Mode shortcut to start menu Altered launching scripts (FinFin.bat, FinFin.exe, FinFinWHPX.bat, FinFinWHPX.exe, FinFin Update.bat) Removed large amount of unecessary setup files from finfin.qcw Removed 'Task Scheduler' from taskbar Added Credits and Changelog shortcut to start menu Added dll to fix issue with running on Windows 7

v1.3

Added animated Fin Fin cursor

v1.2

Added guided updater (FinFin Update.bat & updater.IMA) Adjusted wallpaper Renamed startup shortcut ("_setup.bat" to "Crash Fix" at C:\WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs\Startup) Adjusted Volume Control Settings

v1.1

Added new wallpaper (C:\background.jpg) Added new startup sound (C:\boot.wav)

v1.0 (First Public Release)

Changed from qemu-3dfx to base Removed unnecessary files in Windows Added missing shortcuts on Desktop

v0.5 (Playtester version)

Moved all Fin Fin data to finfin.qcw Created batch scripts for Disc.id Added shortcuts to launch programs Removed unnecessary programs from Windows Removed unnecessary files in Windows

Credits

Resources

The finfin Homepage (finfin.de) - By EMGE The finfin Archive (finfin-archiv.de) - By Xvemon, Nadine S., and EMGE Fin Fin 6 Worlds "Beta" (finfin-archive.de) - By Harald G.

Playtesters

mchi22 that-one-scratch-on-your-arm

Software

QEMU 7.1.0. (qemu.org) - By QEMU team: Peter Maydell, et al. NirCmd (nirsoft.net) - By Nir Sofer Resource Hacker (angusj.com) - By Angus Johnson

Updating Versions

Included is a guided updater that will help you transfer your save, screenshots, and sound recordings to the latest version.

Place the new version in a temporary location without replacing the original. Then, just run "Updater.bat" and follow the instructions.

System Time

Time in the emulated machine is synced to the host PC.

If you would like to time travel in Fin Fin, you can change the time in the emulated PC but it will go back to normal after a restart. Note that if you do this you will not be able to go back to the original time, you can only go forwards using this method If you would like to permanently change the time, you can use the built in date-changer present in the 'New Contact' program, but this will cause the loss of the current profile.

QEMU

Though it should be quite obvious by now, this project works through the use of QEMU, an open source emulator. Specifically, its emulating a full Windows 98 SE machine, and then the game is run on that.

The emulated machine has 128mb of RAM, an AC97 Soundcard, and a Pentium CPU.

Files

The only files this project really has aside from QEMU are FinFin GTK.bat/.exe and FinFin SDL.bat/.exe

The reason I list the .exe and .bat files together is that they do exactly the same thing. The executables aren't really 'true executables', but are instead just batch scripts that have been converted into .exe files. When they run, they essentially create a temporary batch script that deletes itself. The only real benefit of this is that its a bit more straightforward for launching and creating shortcuts, and that there is no distracting command window while playing.

Within the 'Data' folder is where the bulk of the project is. Inside are two virtual hard drives, w98.qcw being the main Windows 98 drive, and finfin.qcw being where all the Fin Fin game data is.

[wisteriasymphony]

Pulcinelle - Negotiation

The gaggle of kwamis stared blankly at Aurele as he spun around in his chair. Sitting on his desk was, unfortunately, the best he would be able to work with since he had no genuine miracle box—Just a plain jewelry box bought from the store. 

Sublimation: Banish. I grant myself the ability to return any object to its universe of origin. 

With that, his old Rooster Miraculous was safe where he’d found it, and he’d tied up all his loose ends. Other than the broken anklet, but he was currently stitching the frayed ends back together anyways. 

“You know, if I wanted to be stared at and judged for half an hour, I would’ve signed up for rehab,” he quipped, keeping his own gaze on the anklet. “I did you all a service, really.” 

“What you should be doing is returning us to our guardian,” the turtle frowned.

“Absolutely not.” 

Now it was the tiger's turn to speak. "Why not?” 

“I don’t want to,” Aurele responded, enunciating every word. “If I wanted to just let Ladybug have her victory, I wouldn’t’ve shown up in the first place.” 

“That’s awful!" the bee piped up. "You’re awful!” 

Aurele sneered. “What’s so wrong with a man causing hell as a hobby?” 

The kwamis met him with a flurry of scowls. No matter—Aurele set down the mended anklet in its designated tray. He pulled out his old laptop (old by this time’s standard, that is, not his own) and a pad of paper. 

“Alright, I’ll need you to list off your foods of preference,” he sighed. “As long as it’s nothing with a particularly horrendous smell, I should be fine with procuring it.” 

The first to concede was the mouse, pushing past her fellow kwami to place her forepaws on the top of the notepad. 

“Emmental, please?” 

“Emmental… You’re one of the pendants, correct? What’s your name?” 

“Mullo.” 

And so, Aurele wrote: Mullo, Emmental, Pendant, letting a golden pen glide over the thin yellow paper. It was only a matter of time before more of them spoke up, gathering around to rest on his shoulders or lay on the desk beside his computer. Aurele wondered for a moment if the previous guardian had ever felt this way, this warm feeling of being surrounded on all ends by clamoring pixies, and if that was why the one he knew best had been so stingy when it came to sharing kwamis with others. 

“Alright, let’s review: Green tea for for Wayzz, gummy worms for Sass, bananas and apples for Xuppu and Kaalki… Oh, damnit.” Aurele slipped the ring off his thumb, sending Orikko flying into the laptop screen.

“Watch it!” 

“My apologies, Orikko. Do you still like sunflower seeds?” 

The rooster huffed, brushing himself off with his feathered paws. “Why are you even bothering with feeding us, anyways?” He asked. “We can just use your energy.” 

“Because I want to? Besides, the less energy I’m sapped of the better, but if you’re fine with nothing then—“ 

“Corn. Anything with corn.” 

Aurele’s lips thinned in response, but he added to the list regardless. The other kwamis varied between acting embarrassed or ignoring their feathered colleague’s annoyance, still continuing to crowd around Aurele as he counted each dot on his shopping list. Aurele himself wasn’t a stranger to Orikko’s temper, given how he had briefly used his own world’s Rooster Miraculous for some time before swapping over. It was a simple issue of Aurele being rather ambitious with Sublimation, often giving the kwami little time to rest. He’d make sure to be better about that, now that Aurele had fourteen others to care for. 

…After tonight, that is. There was one thing he needed to do still. 

Sublimation: Graphomancy. I grant myself the power to alter the perception of history in accordance with what I write, in the confines of a single page of a digital encyclopedia. 

Was it dumb to make himself a Wikipedia page? …Yes. But every Graham de Vanily had one, and if he wanted to alleviate possible suspicion, Aurele needed to fit in. 

“Would cornbread work for you, Orikko?” He asked, already letting his fingers fly across the keyboard to write down what he had planned for this identity of his. “I’ll learn how to make it myself, just for you.” 

Orikko was back in the ring, but Aurele had the feeling the little rooster was rolling his eyes at him. 

“Look, I know you’re not a huge fan of me, but I really think we got off on the wrong foot in the last universe. I’m not a stranger to uncooperative kwami—Hell, you know who I used to work with and how that went—but I’m really hoping our relationship can be a good one.” Aurele stopped typing for a minute, before adding “Do you think ‘Aurele Lucius Florian Graham de Vanily Fathom’ is too over the top?” 

Naturally, Orikko declined to respond. All of the others were fast asleep in the pro tempore miracle box, so they weren’t much help either. If there was anything good about his previous kwami, it was that he had gotten used to Aurele’s bullshit. If Aurele hadn’t renounced him before even thinking of going for the Rooster Miraculous, maybe he wouldn’t taken both along with him instead to cause some real havoc. 

...Of course it was only now of all times, with fifteen stolen miraculi in his possession and stuck in a world he wasn’t born into, that Aurele was having doubts. He’d never be able to keep up the act, Felix would rat him out immediately, and in the wrong circumstances Aurele could even get himself killed. Just like every choice he’d ever made in his life, it was stupid and vain and destructive. 

But it was still a choice, at the very least.

The page would go up later that night, and it would say that Aurele Graham de Vanily (/ɔ.ʁe.l ɡræm də ˈvænɪli/) was born on the Ides of March of 1995, and after graduating secondary school at the age of sixteen, he had been studying at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. And, for what it was worth… nobody would suspect a thing. 

Aurele removed the ring, setting Orikko down in the last open tray in the box. 

“You can think about it while you sleep, Orikko. I’ll get you something in the morning. Corn flakes, corn syrup, whatever you’d like. If I want to do one thing right,” he sighs, “It’s feeding you all on more than gruel and insults. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.”

@beezonia @lemons-taste @silliersuliriforme @pyrusinc @wuhuislandconspiracy

[waitingforlostsouls]

Sylvia Plath

The little mouse you hold the elevator door for Hang on my every word The echoes of Sylvia Plath I am no daughter, I am no soul in need of pity I am the ghost girl looking up at you In the black sheep's clothes The architect of your favorite cities That only exist between you and your subconscious Look at me from the surface and like water I hide who I truly am I am no easily disturbed still pond But a raging sea mascarading as a lake I take down your finest ships, your strongest men I serve them as dinner to my little fishes They are hungry and demand the dinner they've been without for so long From the bars between your libraries and I Filled with the smoke of my fore-father's cigars Holder of the noble blood, I slip past your ever moving standards I flip through the dusty pages of the encyclopedia Not looking for facts of which I already know But the semblance of myself from another life And all you see is a pretty muse of which to flirt But I don't feel like coming down from Mount Olympus today To grace this mortal coil I am looking for the gusts that truly pique my interest

[fisherrprince]

for the ffxiv specbio stuff, do you headcanon the people on the First as having physically different traits from the people on the Source, or are they pretty one to one? and if so, were there any strange looks/social faux pas regarding the scions while on the First?

THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING ACTUALLY I think… that the species are all the same, mostly, but since they evolved/grew/colonized in/from different environments, there are definitely differences because of that. Like, say, dwarves not having any of the lalafells’ adaptations to sand, and instead having darkvision in their mining environments and more of a mole snout than a slit snout. Maybe being fuzzier overall. Or elves not having that split between duskwight (colorful, variant cave animal) and wildwood (forest animal). Heck there’s not a lot of elves at all, are there? Was their homeland just so concentrated that most of them were wiped? Another hard thing about this is the complete lack of knowledge we have of the regions before the Flood outside of Norvrandt! Or maybe just knowledge I have. Lol. I don’t have encyclopedia eorzea 2 or 3 just the first one… if anyone can hook me up with a First Lore Historian. I’d love to learn. Or with 50 bucks so I can grab the encyclopedia

And then, even, after the Flood, a lot of culture broke down in favor of communication and survival, so people just souped together. In short… ok. I think the First had a very fairytale vibe, so their designs should reflect that. I know drahn and galdjent have like a kingdom thing going on. There’s probably WAY less sea imagery and ocean features on roe in the first. More puppies than sea puppies, vaguely. More mountainy? Drahn I think are much more draconic than most Auri people, think fairytale dragon guys. They have the kind of customs that fairytale dragons and fae have, too, so it’s historically easy to say something odd to them and vice versa. Giants and dragons! I haven’t met a single elf except Ardbert’s friend. That’s an exaggeration but like no important npcs were elves. They seem very isolationist to me, very used to solo travel. Humes seem to have been mostly in kingdoms as well, like Ishgard, but less Catholic. They’re probably the most same. Garleans as a race of people do not exist on the First which is interesting. Ronso seem much more family-oriented, work-oriented, still cowboys, but very similar. I think the coeurl type hrothgar would be replaced with something else. Viis we know a lot about! They seem to be very similar as well, though I think just for fun for me, they’re Bigger. Like, taller, they’re isolated in a warm forest with plenty of prey and big magic energy. Viis big. Mystel I don’t know about, but they don’t SEEM to be desert cats, so I actually think. They don’t have undereye markings. Some of them have fold ears or domestic triangle cat ears rather than wild cat features. Familiar-like, not a lion pride — so they don’t have the same family structure miqote do either, it’s more like wolves where location and family are top tier. And Dwarves for sure have more mole than mouse features - thick claws on their toes and fingers, a little snoot, and very reflective eyes that are a bit sensitive to light. 

As for social faux pas… I think that Miqote, to show they’re unserious or apologetic, bunt or touch the other cat, lay down or sit next to them, put their tail on the other’s tail, something physical — and Mystel will lick their lips and look away and NOT touch, because further touching is To Fight. Ari FOR SURE tried to lean on and got smacked by Kai-Shirr and then smacked him back in betrayal. It took Alphy intervention to fix that. It is also way more common for humes to grumble and growl than it is for hyur (that’s bad manners. Imagine you bumped into someone at the store and they growled at you), so there was one point where Ryne actually (quietly like a kid swearing for the first time) grrrd at a monster and thancred had a whole 20 minutes of thinking to himself wether or not this was OK feral child behavior to let her keep doing or if he should tell her not to or. Or what. What do here. Is this OK. And lastly..,,, lalafellin alcohol is pretty strong, but their beer and mead taste great so it’s a popular party drink. dwarven alcohol is INCREDIBLY strong, it contains an ingredient mildly toxic to every other race except mord. You are SUPPOSED to, however you decide to do it, last a number of mugs (if you’re a bigger race, dilute the thing with soda or juice, you might get teased but it’s what you do). Some people were not aware of this and passed out after one mug, and got pitiful beards drawn on them (Urianger’s wispy stubble was quite silly to the rest of the party)

I’d love to compile more abt the First just in general. maybe my ideas would change with more info … anyways! Thank u for letting me drop a very large text bubble :]

[topendo]

A Noob Sherlock fan chronicles pt 1

Hello there, Luli here and as the title suggests, I just got into Sherlock recently. I've sadly never read any of his books growing up like most of the fans did and as much as I feel like I'm too old for them now (or am I just wrong?) that didn't stop me from discovering the whole franchise this year. Before that, I was mostly familiar with Sherlock as one of my family members was into it (mostly into movie/series adaptations, they've never read the books neither) but something just pushed me as well to start "digging" into this wonderful franchise. So I started with non-canon or animated adaptations (like Enola or The Great Mouse Detective) but I still think those weren't enough for me as they, like I said, aren't canon.

So, I decided to take an actual step forward and buy the first 2 books and a complete collection so I can see how will it go. Keep in mind, this isn't my first time getting into SH books. Last year, I borrowed the "Hound of the Baskervilles" as my first SH book, but it didn't really sat well with me. I was either really confused (because I had no idea what's happening nor who the characters were) or due the poor translation. But as I've asked someone to introduce me to the characters and how it all works, I got a little ahold of it.

So, I've recently read a "Study in Scarlet" for the first time and I absolutely loved it! It was some shortened edition for teen audiences but still good for people who don't really have focus on reading (like me). I won't spoil it, but I'll say as someone who's brand new to the franchise, it kinda helped me with character introduction and stuff.

Another interesting thing I saw was the book called "The Sherlock Holmes Book" which was like some sort of an encyclopedia about Sherlock, the characters, stories, adaptations etc. But I couldn't afford it and now it's sold out :( I guess, it would've helped me so much as a beginner (but hey! At least I can still ask people online if something bothers me XD)

I'm also currently watching this cute anime adaptation called Sherlock Hound. It's basically Sherlock but with dogs and it's also directed by Miyazaki 😁. Sherlock is also so sweet and wholesome in that adaptation (I mean, come on it's a family friendly show XD) and Moriarty is so goddamit funny, like he's literally my fave lol

Sooooo... Um yea, long story short, I'm a beginner Sherlock fan who's still confused af with what's happening but I'm kinda getting ahold of everything hahaha

[couthbbg]

sometimes mitchy makes a pass or a play and I think god he’s so smart. The man can’t say encyclopedia, but you put him on the ice and he’s the smartest little mouse the nhl ever saw

[henrysglock]

Mothergate: Time For Some More Horrifying Science Facts

Because all love my horrible science facts <3

We’ve discussed the history of uterine transplants, and pinned down that it’s 100% possible with zero suspension of disbelief. Uterine transplants were attempted in 1931 most notably with Lili Elbe, who died of immune complications, not complications of the surgery. The first successful kidney transplant, however, happened in 1954, which puts us perfectly in the realm of reality (again, without any suspension of disbelief).

However, something that had been stumping me for a bit was the fact that egg freezing and IVF didn’t really show up in the medical community until the ‘80s. So, I decided to look a little deeper into the history of the subjects. Here’s what I found.

IVF:

Though the first successful human IVF procedure happened in 1978 with the birth of Louise Brown, experimentation with IVF dates back to the mid 1930s.

(x)

However, there was success in rabbits in 1959.

This has been confirmed by multiple sources (x)

Rabbits. 1959.

(and in Brenner’s Encyclopedia of Genetics, no less 💀)

Here’s why I care more about early success in animals than I do about the first successful human cases:

1. Brenner has no code of ethics, which is integral to the medical community at large. That’s why procedures takes so long to get put into practice. Brenner’s whole thing is no-ethics fringe science. He cares about what is possible, not what’s right or safe.

2. Henward directly refers to both himself and El as being “animals” in Brenner’s eyes. Thus, animal trials are on the board.

3. The rabbit scene, 1959.

Not just the fact that it’s a trapped rabbit in 1959 associated with Henward, but that Virginia (removed/from a distance) and Alice (directly) are associated with that particular rabbit.

In fact, the gutted rabbit is most heavily associated with Alice, which feels like a tie to Mother Alice being described as being cut open in the Indianapolis Gazette (she was compared to a deer, but the “torn open” part remains the same).

So organ/uterine transplants and IVF? ✅ In the realm of possibility both in reality and within the bounds of Stranger Things.

SEX CELL FREEZING:

Sex cell freezing began in 1949 with the discovery of glycerol as a cryoprotectant. In 1950, scientists began freezing various sperm samples and found success in the process. Egg freezing, however, wasn’t successful until 1972, when Whittingham/Leibo/Mazur perfected the slow-freeze method in mouse eggs.

Now you might be going “but James, that means it can’t have happened back in 1959, and that dismantles your whole theory”…Not necessarily.

Bear with me for a second. We’re talking about Hawkins National Lab, a lab on a TV show about a fictional town with kids who have superpowers. We’re talking about the lab that developed NINA, the lab that developed Soteria. 1972 is just 13 years after Henward was stolen. That’s when it happened in real life. We’re in a fictional universe. IVF and egg preservation were dreamed up by Huxley in 1934 with the release of A Brave New World. Suspend your disbelief for a moment.

Could it happen? Abso-fucking-lutely.

Hell, Henward directly equates both himself and El with lab rats in Brenner’s eyes:

Rats -> Mice? Same difference.

All this to say…the science of it?

Henward’s monologue also uses scientific terminology associated with breeding programs:

In which backcrossing with parents is a common practice:

As is performance testing of offspring to determine the best new reproductive candidates.

Paired with the in-universe references…This is all within the realm of possibility.

[dullahandyke]

Ok ok ok dgs case 3 time wooo!!

Btw loving the sherlock Holmes openings to all the chapters. Cool

Also love ryuu and susatos little travelling outfits... he has a hat :)

Also also I'm not really one for period dramas so maybe this is a common thing but I like how colourful it makes London look instead of the whole 'Ye Olde World Had No Colours Ever' like I went to London once and it didnt look as nice as this

The gavel slamming sfx whenver it says the date and place is so awful tho... grating on me ears

Office is cool as fuck tho. Gears moving yayyy totally not ominous bgm yayyyyy I feel like the gears r probs just an imposing set piece but itd b really cool if they were used in some way. Probably couldnt quite pull off a great mouse detective but like they're fairly tall I imagine there are Things up there that you cant quite reach that could be evidence in some case or another

He appears... I like his clock gimmick a lot but mael stronghart is a bit of a pisser of a name. I'm gonna keep calling him hart vortex because vortex is cool

'We're never happier than when we're standing around doing nothing' SO TRUE RYUU KING!!!!!

Birds in the bg... so that's what's on the gears theres a bunch of birds nests. :)

We have asougis arm band now.... :( waaaaa

I love susatos little encyclopedia so muchhhh I've said it before but we need to get her wikipedia. I know that considering game 2 things its popular hc that she becomes a lawyer later in life but I think she would really really enjoy herself as an encyclopedist or a librarian

'Theres something soothing about the clocks precise rhythm' ok well that's not a particularly autistic sentiment but I'm saying it is. Ryuu autist for life!!!

'We spearhead every revolutionary new technology in the world here in London' sure jan

'The sun will never set on our great empire' DECOLONISATION BEAM ATTACK!!!!!!!! If I see the end of the British empire in my life I will be a very happy man indeed

Vortex asking if ryuu is willing to commit to everything asougi planned... ominous

'If you get this man found innocent I'll let you be a lawyer' unsuspicious! Let's go for it <3

'If theres no defense then the defendant will get the max punishment automatically' surely that's not how that works

Omg I can ask susato what to do... yessss shes an assistant proper!!!!

Oh I was expecting the old bailey to be a bit more grand. Looks a bit piss

NOT THE TOP OF THE MORNING TO YA 😭😭😭😭😭 and the written Irish accent...

Tho given what I know of megundal the fact that he Does have such a noticeable accent is a bit of character... like hes so much dressed to the nines and the man with the money that youd think he would have ditched the Irish accent. When does dgs happen again? After the famine, before the rising? Youd imagine hed give up either the accent or the posh aesthetic given how badly they clash - outfit prevents him from fitting in with 'fellow people down on their luck', accent prevents him from appearing entirely affluent

[flowerbarrel-art]

One of my sisters got me Cat’s Cosmic Atlas for my birthday. It’s tomorrow but we celebrate early if it’s not on the weekend.

(Game by RedDeer.Games)

It’s a super cute and fun game so far. I haven’t played a space game in a long time. The last one was Magic School Bus Explores the Solar System (1994) and Pluto was still considered a planet back then!

You can fly through the solar system in the game. I was trying to find the Kuiper Belt and found a black hole.

If you go inside you’re taken back to the inner planets. If black holes weren’t inescapable and deadly that would be pretty handy in real life.

You can give the planets a hug! (I’ll just pretend I gave Pluto a hug too.)

You can also visit constellations in the Northern and Southern skies.

It’s on Steam too if anyone wants to check it out. My sister also got me Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia which is more of a nature hike game which I also love. It looks a bit like Alba’s Wildlife Adventure, which was a fun game too.

[zivqa]

Stranger

Sometimes, Maggie hated her job.

The FBI was everything Maggie had ever wanted to be. She made real differences for real people. But for four months now, ever since Dana had retired and Jubal taken her place, working at the JOC had felt...stilted.

The new ASAC didn't help. SSA Deon Marshall, rising star from the BAU, and known to Maggie's friends as her arch nemesis. Everything she did, every move she made, the bastard questioned her. He spouted statistics like a damn encyclopedia, and even after time and again Maggie's gut proved to be correct, Jubal would more often than not dance to Deon's fiddle.

Contrary to Marshall's apparent belief, Maggie wasn't stupid. She knew the brass in DC had noticed her takedown of Keller, knew the BAU agent was a physical representation of the Director's eyes on 26 Fed. She understood why Jubal played along to their tune. But would it kill the man to take her side every once in a while?

When the opportunity to go undercover came along, Maggie pounced like a cat on a mouse. OA wasn't pleased about it, but he'd live. She'd be back.

When Maggie returns, she's pleasantly surprised to find SSA Marshall has taken a different position elsewhere in the Bureau. Their new ASAC is a woman named Gina Moran and, as Maggie soon finds, is one hell of a lot more tolerable to be around. Finally, Maggie enjoys her job once more.

Until Elise walks into the building with a bomb around her neck. That's when it all goes to shit.

"We are not letting Vargas go, and that's final," the ADIC snaps. "The United States does not negotiate with terrorists, and as far as I'm concerned, that's what he is."

"With all due respect, sir, that's bullshit and you know it," OA says, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to Maggie's seething fury. "May, 2014, five Taliban prisoners held in Guantanamo bay—"

"Jubal, you can't seriously agree with this," Maggie says wildly, whipping to face the SAC. "Elise is going to die and you know it!"

Jubal doesn't respond. His gaze flickers to the ADIC beside him, and Maggie knows they've lost.

"I'm going downstairs," she snaps, and doesn't wait for anyone's reply before turning on her heel and stalking toward the stairs. OA doesn't hesitate to follow.

Scola's still with her when they find Elise, and Maggie's furious posture immediately softens at the sight of the poor woman's distress. The words she hears when they get within earshot are no less heartbreaking.

"Someone has to help my daughter," Elise says between sobs. "I'm—I need you to make sure she's cared for."

"You'll care for her," Scola says soothingly, hand moving in gentle circles on Elise's back. His gaze flickers to the approaching pair, his expression falling when he sees Maggie's defeated posture.

Elise sees it, too. "They're not letting him go, are they," she whispers. It's not a question. She screws her eyes shut, visibly gathers her confidence. "Will you—will you three make sure Anna is safe, when I'm gone? Please?"

Anna. A four-year old girl whose face Maggie has seen countless times before, in the photos propped on Elise's desk, now a name seared into her memory. In one photo she's dressed in an orange uniform with a pink soccer ball propped under one arm; in another she's happily smiling at the camera in front of a garden.

Maggie knows with a sudden certainty that if Elise dies, that little girl will never smile again.

"No," says Maggie, her sharp tone cutting across Scola's soothing voice. "No. We won't need to."

She glances at the ticking clock on Elise's neck. 28:37. That's plenty of time for this situation to be resolved.

OA stiffens beside her. "Maggie—"

"Don't," she says, turning to face him. "Stay out of this one, OA. Go help with the search for the remote detonators."

It's a tense silence that passes between them then, his eyes locked with hers. Fraught with questions, with worry, with suspicion.

"I always got your back, Mags," OA murmurs, softly.

Maggie shakes her head. "Not this time," she whispers back, and finally he nods.

Scola's eyes bounce between the two of them like a rubber ball. "Maggie, you can't seriously be considering—"

"Don't say it," she warns. Then she pivots to look Elise in the eye.

"Call Anna," she orders. "Tell her you'll see her soon." And with that, Maggie turns and stalks out of the building's front doors.

Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes to figure out how to betray everything Maggie has ever believed in. She'll go to prison for this, certainly. First, though, she needs equipment.

The SWAT team's armory opens for her easily after a short text to Ian, and Maggie beelines for the canisters. She'll need to gas the office for this, keep them down and disoriented just long enough to get Vargas out of the building. She rips open a duffel and starts tossing in cans—

And whips around, gun raised, at the sound of footsteps behind her.

It's a woman, dressed head-to-toe in black, her turtleneck pulled high beneath her chin and a small bag slung over her back. She's of average height, white, and deceptively slender—Maggie's eyes trail over the obvious gun calluses lining the woman's fingers.

"Peace," says the woman calmly, hands raised in surrender. "We're here for the same reason."

"To commit multiple felonies?" Maggie snarks.

"To save an innocent woman's life," the woman corrects, a gentle smile on her face.

It's interesting: there's a gun inches from her head, and this woman hasn't even flinched. She's made direct eye contact with Maggie the whole time, kept her posture relaxed and open. There's something familiar about her face, something Maggie can't quite place.

Every Bureau-trained instinct she has is screaming at her to arrest this woman, but her gut and the heart pounding rapidly in Maggie's chest are saying something else.

The image of Elise's daughter flickers in her mind, and Maggie makes her decision.

She lowers her weapon, holsters her gun. "I don't have time for this," Maggie decides, and turns back around to the canisters.

"Those won't do you much good," says the voice behind her. "The SAC's office has respirators in a hidden panel beneath the desk."

Maggie stills. "How do you—"

"But the standard cartridges in them can't filter sevoflurane," the woman continues, ignoring her question. "Which I might happen to have in my bag, here."

There are...so many questions to ask regarding that statement, but frankly, Maggie can't bring herself to care about most of them. Instead, she turns around, meets the woman's gaze, and says:

"What kind of cartridge can filter sevoflurane?"

The woman smiles.

It is an unsettlingly good plan. The building's security cameras, Maggie learns, have already been looping for the past minute. A very high dose of sevoflurane in the JOC's air conditioning takes out the few agents left in the building, including Jubal and the ADIC; two extra respirators ensure that Vargas and his driver are awake enough to march out the front door.

"Agent Bell, you surprise me," says the smarmy bastard. "And who is your friend here?"

"None of your concern," says the woman, voice muffled by the respirator, then holds out a piece of paper. "Text the code to this number. Your van's on the curb, keys in the ignition."

"If you betray me, I will find you," Maggie says calmly. "I will destroy you from the inside out."

Vargas cocks his head and studies her expression, then lets his gaze flicker behind her towards the motley crew standing just inside the building's entrance. "I don't doubt that," he says, then climbs into the van's passenger seat. It speeds away seconds later, tires squealing against the pavement.

Eight minutes, forty seconds. "Who are you?" Maggie asks, turning to face the mystery woman, who was still wearing her respirator. Interesting.

Her counterpart's eyes crinkle with a smile. "A concerned citizen."

Sure, and Maggie was just a boxer.

"Tell you what," says the woman, still smiling. "You and your fellow agents stand clear of the blast. I'll stay with your friend to enter the code."

Maggie narrows her eyes. "Why should I trust you with that?"

"You shouldn't," the woman replies honestly. "But I know of you and your team, Agent Bell. If I die, I want you avenging my murder. And if I don't..."

The woman trails off, glances into the distances before locking onto Maggie with a piercing gaze. "A show of trust. My name is Isobel, Agent Bell. Now let me save your friend."

Vargas sends the code sixty-eight seconds before the deadline. Maggie watches the mystery woman from across the street with OA as the collar clicks open, and Elise surges up, wraps Scola in a hug.

The woman—Isobel—comes out of the front doors with a confident stride. She turns, looks Maggie directly in the eye, and winks. Then she steps into the building's shadow and vanishes before their eyes.

OA makes a noise of surprise before turning to face Maggie. "Impressive," he says, clearly eyeing her expression. He's suspicious, and Maggie doesn't blame him. "Friend of yours?"

"Not exactly," says Maggie, and explains to him in hushed tones what had happened earlier.

It does not allay his suspicions. If anything, it just freaks him out: OA's eyes widen and he leans forward. "Maggie!" he hisses beneath his breath. "You saw a random woman in the armory, who had sevoflurane just conveniently on her, and decided to trust her?"

"Well, when you put it like that..."

“Did you even ask her who she was?”

Yes, and she'd gotten a name. Isobel. Which could have been a lie, for all Maggie knew, but…she didn’t think it was. For some reason, a woman who'd kept her mask on everywhere but in the unsurveilled armory had let Maggie see her face, and given her a name.

It was almost like Isobel wanted Maggie to find out who she was.

“No,” Maggie lies. “I didn’t.”

[twistedtummies2]

Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes - Honorable Mentions

Welcome to A Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes! During this month-long event, I’ll be counting my Top 31 Favorite Fictional Detectives, from movies, television, literature, video games, and more!

With that said, the countdown shall start tomorrow. Before we get to it, I want to go over some Honorable Mentions. These were Twelve Terrific Detectives who ALMOST made the cut, but not quite…

Benoit Blanc.

Combine Tennessee Williams with Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, and you’ll basically have Benoit Blanc. Played by James Bond himself, of all people, Daniel Craig, Blanc is probably the most significant old-school detective character to come out within the past few years. The central sleuth of the film “Knives Out,” and its sequel, “Glass Onion,” Blanc is a Southern gentleman detective; a slightly eccentric private eye whose somewhat cartoonish attributes bely a steely mind and equally iron-clad will. The films are actually inspired by Christie’s works, and give a sort of Americanized view of the same sort of fiction. They play out with a similar sense of humor and style, but with a few unique twists of their own. I’m mostly including Blanc here because I’m 90% certain that if I DIDN’T, someone would call me out on it; nevertheless, he’s definitely worthy of praise.

2. C. Auguste Dupin.

Of all the detectives to come throughout this event, arguably none are as IMPORTANT as C. Auguste Dupin. This French gentleman sleuth was the invention of my favorite author, Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote three short tales featuring this character. The Dupin Trilogy – consisting of the stories “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Mystery of Marie Roget,” and “The Purloined Letter” – is widely considered to be the birth of the modern detective story, and Dupin is just as widely credited as the first proper detective character in literature. Characters like Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, and the aforementioned Hercule Poirot likely never would have existed if it weren’t for Poe’s “studies in ratiocination.” While this definitely makes Dupin worth noting – especially since I am a huge fan of Poe, and two of his Dupin stories (“Marie Roget” is sort of underbaked, in my opinion) – there’s not that much to say about the character, and he hasn’t captured the public imagination as strongly as other detectives who would follow him. Therefore, I don’t think I can, in all fairness, give him a place in the Top 31. For being the first of many, however, he has at least earned an Honorable Mention.

3. Eddie Valiant, from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

I’m specifically talking about the movie version here; I’ve never read the (much darker) book the famous film is based on. On that note: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” is a bizarre little picture, which combines literal cartoon hijinks with the trappings of a film noir styled crime story. The story focuses on hard-boiled detective Eddie Valiant – played by Bob Hoskins, in perhaps my favorite of all his roles (well...more like second favorite) – going through the wacky world of Toontown to try and solve the titular mystery. He’s joined on his quest by Roger Rabbit himself, Roger’s human bride, Jessica, and a talking taxi cab. (Because why not?) Throw in encounters with tons and tons of famous cartoon characters, from Mickey Mouse to Bugs Bunny and so many more in-between, and it’s not a surprise this film has become so beloved. Eddie, himself, is a really fun character; much of the joy of the picture comes from the fact Hoskins generally plays the character pretty straight, which makes his reactions to the zany insanity of the cartoon world around him all the more hilarious.

4. Encyclopedia Brown.

I felt I had to include at least one “kid detective” in the bunch, and out of all the characters I could have chosen there, perhaps none are more emblematic of the genre than Encyclopedia Brown. The titular protagonist of a series of children’s detective books, Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown is a highly observant and intelligent young man, who sells his deductive abilities the way most kids stereotypically work lemonade stands. Encyclopedia is the son of a police chief, who works and lives in the fictional seaside town of Idaville, U.S.A. Despite his youth, Encyclopedia often seems smarter than his old man, as he is extremely skilled at noticing little details that other people miss, and thus uses these inconsistencies to piece together the problem. He even has his own Mini-Moriarty to match wits with, in the form of a cunning but nasty town bully known as Bugs Meany. (Yes, that is apparently his real name.) While not especially complex, the Encyclopedia Brown books are still staples of children’s literature, being reprinted and pastiched numerous times since the 1960s. When I think of kid detectives, he’s probably the first character that comes to mind.

5. Jake Gittes, from Chinatown.

Jack Nicholson as a noir-style detective in some slick shades. (pauses) Do I really need to say anything else about why this one is awesome? I think that pretty much sums it all up in a nutshell. XD Honestly, more people are probably curious why Jake here isn’t in the actual countdown. Well, the fact of the matter is that I just don’t have a lot to SAY about Jake, and I blame this partially on the fact he only shows up in one movie. Most (though not all) of the detectives on the main countdown come from serialized pieces, having multiple episodes, installments, or general stories to their name. With only one film to his credit, Jake isn’t a bad detective, but it’s just hard to think of a whole lot to talk about with him, specifically, and he doesn’t stand out AS much compared to all the others who have so many appearances and so much more development behind them.

6. Johnny Dollar, from Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

Most of the detectives to come are the residents of film, television, and literature, primarily. However, there’s one medium that I feel doesn’t get enough credit nowadays: radio. Back in the golden age of radio, especially in America, detective radio programs were VERY popular; crime and mystery were hot topics, and there were TONS of shows and detective characters to choose from. One of my favorites was Johnny Dollar. Dollar is an insurance investigator, whose desire to help his clients often leads to him taking on cases larger than one would expect, and he has to adventure and snoop around a great deal to figure out the problem and bring those responsible to justice. The character was so popular, they would even have him break the fourth wall of reality at times, with guest stars who literally just played themselves (such as Vincent Price, who, in one episode, joins Dollar as a guest, acting as both client and sidekick at the same time). The character was played by several actors over the series run, the most popular arguably being Bob Bailey, who tackled the role for five whole years out its near-fifteen-year run. Johnny Dollar was so popular he would later be adapted into a TV film and a graphic novel, but most people will remember this intrepid investigator best for his radio adventures.

7. Mark McPherson, from Laura.

Played by Dana Andrews, Mark McPherson – the NYPD police detective protagonist of the classic film “Laura” – is a character who is sort of in the same boat as Jake Gittes. I absolutely love this movie; much like “Chinatown,” I think this is one of the absolute best examples of film noir storytelling there’s ever been. Not only that, but the film actually works as a legitimate mystery, with a couple of surprising twists and turns; something a lot of people don’t realize is that noir-style detective fiction doesn’t always focus on the mystery aspect of things, so it’s cool to see something that does while having all the other elements of that field. I also find it interesting how Mark’s character develops across the film, particularly in terms of his relationship to the titular character. However, beyond all that…again, I just don’t have a lot to say about McPherson, so I don’t think I can, in good conscience, give him placement in the Top 31.

8. Mike Hammer.

One of the most renowned noir-style detectives, private eye Mike Hammer really does live up to his name. He was originally created by author and actor Mickey Spillane, who wrote for Hammer in a series of books. Unlike some other sleuths of the era, such as Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe (the latter of whom won’t be on this countdown, apologies), Hammer isn’t just a hard-boiled cynic with a biting sense of wit that’s as sharp as his mind. He is a person with an outright vendetta, who goes after criminals with a stone-cold sense of focus and intensity. He is fiery and ferocious, not simply stopping but ATTACKING crime, as he harbors a deep-seated hatred for those who hurt other people for their own evil ends. His sense of morality and justice is a bit more ambiguous than most, as he is willing to bend and even break laws in order to see what he perceives as justice done, but at the same time has great respect for the police and is a highly patriotic figure. There’s a lot of gray areas to Hammer that make him stand out amongst the crowd of snap-brim-hat-toting detectives of this style and period. The character has been played excellently by a few actors, including Humphrey Bogart, Stacy Keach (my personal favorite, pictured here), and – get this – Mickey Spillane, the creator, himself! Talk about great casting!

9. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

I already talked about kid detectives with Encyclopedia Brown, but we mustn’t forget the ever-so-slightly more advanced stage of things: teenaged detectives. When it comes to that sub-genre, few have been as long-lasting as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. These characters were the invention of Edward Stratemeyer: he was the head of the self-named publishing company Stratemeyer Syndicate, and acted as its editor and chief writer. Stratemeyer first created the Hardy Boys under the pseudonym “Franklin W. Dixon,” then later – wanting to create a female counterpart to fit into their universe, to appeal more to ladies – also thought up Nancy Drew, under the pseudonym “Carolyn Keene.” These pen names were important, as they allowed later ghost writers and other creators to publish the characters under the same oft-used pseudonym, that way Stratemeyer himself wouldn’t grow overtired due to all the other work he had to deal with. (This was a common practice back in the day.) The Hardy Boys were made in the late 1920s, and Nancy Drew first appeared in 1930; despite this age, not only are books still published and reprinted featuring these characters, but they’ve even been adapted to other media many times! In fact, as recently as 2019 there was a new Nancy Drew TV series, and in 2020 Hulu began airing a Hardy Boys series! That shows you, doesn’t it?

10. Richard Diamond.

This character was the invention of Blake Edwards, who is probably best-remembered today – especially when it comes to detective stories – for his comedy film series “The Pink Panther,” starring the determined but utterly dull-witted Inspector Clouseau. Before the antics of Clouseau, however, Edwards put his spin on the film noir genre with the radio production “Richard Diamond, Private Detective,” starring Dick Powell (pictured here, in costume for a promo photo). The series was a sort of semi-satire of the noir-style detective story, with a sarcastic and often tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, but also with a dark and dangerous edge that was typical of the genre. Even though what happened in it could be very funny (one of my favorite running gags was Elmer Fudd himself, Arthur Q. Bryant, as the voice of Diamond’s conscience), and the plots were sometimes absurd, it didn’t treat everything like a joke. When things got serious, you never doubted people could be hurt or worse. The radio show was so well-received that the character was later adapted into a TV series by the same title, featuring David Janssen as Diamond. The TV version was even more deliberately campy in tone, with Janssen’s Diamond as a somewhat “softer” character than Powell’s. Both are great (though I personally prefer the radio version), and well-worth looking up.

11. The Question.

As I said in the rules during my opening post, superhero characters are not going to be included here…depending on which superheroes you are talking about. Many superheroes can qualify as detectives, when you get down to it; most, if not all, are essentially fulfilling that role in their universe, by tackling crimes and facing foes that typical police can’t handle. However, there’s a big difference between a character like, say, Wonder Woman…and a character like The Question. True name Vic Sage, the Question is one of those characters you can basically consider a “super detective”: yes, they are included in the vein of the superhero genre, but the way they work is more like a classic detective than someone like Superman or the Grene Lantern. I use the DC analogies, by the way, because that is the company the Question hails from: originally created by rival company Charlton Comics, the Question was one of many Charlton characters “adopted” into the DC Universe when DC eventually bought out said rival. With his faceless demeanor, courtesy of a special mask, the Question is just as much a mystery as the crimes he seeks to solve. One of the more interesting elements of the character is that he has changed quite a lot over the years, with different writers putting a different spin on Vic Sage’s core philosophies and the kinds of adventures he goes on. Indeed, nowadays, Sage is not the ONLY Question; for a brief time, Gotham City police officer Renee Montoya – who had developed a romantic relationship with Vic – became the second Question. In typical comic book fashion, however, this was later retconned and Sage put on the mysterious mask once more. I was sorely tempted to include this character in the main list, but I actually haven’t read very many actual COMICS with the Question, so I don’t feel like it would be fair to do so.

12. Vincent Price’s Version of “The Saint.”

Our last Honorable Mention is kind of a case of cheating, I’ll admit, and that’s the main reason he IS just an Honorable Mention. Once again referring to my rules, I declared that characters like Arsene Lupin or William James Moriarty wouldn’t count here: while they have detective ELEMENTS, those characters I feel are really very different. They are what I would call “noble rogues,” characters more similar to Robin Hood than the aforementioned C. Auguste Dupin. The Saint is one of those characters…in his original format. In the books by Leslie Charteris, from which he originates, as well as in many other interpretations, Simon Templar – a.k.a. The Saint – is the so-called “Robin Hood of Modern Crime.” He is a gentleman thief who commits crimes against other criminals, for noble goals of his own. This, however, was NOT the case in the RADIO version of The Saint, which starred Vincent Price in the role of Templar. In the radio version, the character was softened up to be a more typical private detective, whose title of The Saint came from his impeccable manners and many good deeds. I absolutely loved this radio show; it’s one of my favorite detective radio programs of the period, and among my top ten Price pieces. HOWEVER, since this version of the Saint was an outlier to basically every other take on the same character, I didn’t feel like this one really ought to count in the Top 31. Sorry, Simon. I still love ya.

Tomorrow, the countdown begins in earnest, with Number 31! For clues in this event, I’ll be using quotes uttered by each detective featured in the main list. CLUE: “Be careful, Brain! Those are probably priceless fake artifacts!”

[kittypets-unite-au]

KU: Into the Wild Chapter 1

A few notes for context: - I am taking a bit of inspo from the lovely @fatal-rewrites-warriors by giving the cats opposable thumbs - Kittypets can understand their humans to varying degrees. Princess and Rusty, for example, can get a general grasp of what their humans are saying even if they don’t understand some of the words - Some cats can even read! Smudge loves to read, and since his human’s an elderly gentleman who’s a retired biology professor, he has a myriad of encyclopedias about animals and nature, and Smudge devours that shit right up. He also likes to watch nature documentaries - Rusty and Princess’ humans are very neglectful and are often going out. It’s a damn miracle if they remember to fill their bowls and/or scoop their litterbox - Scourge is aware of his younger half-siblings and visits them quite a lot. He’s furious that their humans are so neglectful and has taught them how to hunt, and is just beginning to teach them the basics of fighting by the time the chapter starts. Even if they don’t encounter any bully house cats, there’s many other street cat gangs that have no qualms with harming house cats (BloodClan is strictly forbidden from doing so)

ONE MOON LATER…

The forest was bathed in the peaceful silver light of the fat moon overhead, giving the thick undergrowth and towering trees a frosty glow. There was a feeling of adventure and excitement in the crisp nighttime air, and Rusty, a lanky, bright ginger tom kitten, certainly didn’t dare to ignore its call.

Rusty prowled through the dense bushes and ferns, shivering in excitement upon feeling a holly bush’s spiky leaves gently scraping against his short-furred pelt. It felt so real, so wild.

He traversed the area for a while, simply enjoying the cool breeze blowing through his fur, the crickets’ evening symphony, and the crisp, earthy scent of forest. He found himself enjoying the simple parts of this venture, such as the carpet of leaves crunching underneath his paws, or the way the trees rustled as a breeze ran through them, or even the wildflowers surrounding him and the myriad of colors they came in.

Rusty sighed in contentment, a small smile working its way along his face. He shook the nighttime dew that now covered him, purring quietly when he couldn’t hear the ever-present and irritating jingle of his collar’s bell. His gait was bouncy and light, excitement coursing through his veins.

But at some point, he felt a yawning emptiness in his stomach, one that demanded the warm, succulent flesh of freshly caught prey.

He came across a rather large clearing where the trees thinned out. Ferns and daffodils dotted the uneven forest floor, and the grass grew tall, unharmed by the roaring contraptions his humans used to trim their grass. His bright green eyes scanned the expanse before him, searching for any sign of life to fill the hunger clawing at his stomach.

Much to his disappointment, he couldn’t see hair nor tail of life among the leafy green undergrowth. The ginger kitten huffed and sat up. His thin tail lashed in frustration as a scowl made itself known on his face.

He was right about to turn back around when he heard a faint rustle in the tall grass.

Rusty’s ears swiveled forward to catch the noise. He was surprised by the lucky timing, but he wasn’t one to complain. His body dropped back into a crouch and he slowly stalked forward.

There. A small, gray mouse scurried out from the stems to forage. He quickly ducked behind a small bush, but the small rodent didn’t seem to notice. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief through his nose.

Rusty slowly pulled himself forward, careful to not step on any loose leaves or stray twigs to alert his unsuspecting prey of his presence. He zeroed in on his prey, watching its every little movement. The mouse briefly sniffed the air, its little nose twitching, but it didn’t seem to be aware of the predator crouched just two tail-lengths away.

He breathed in through his nose and out his mouth, like his older brother, Scourge, had taught him. His muscles tensed as he leaned back to leap. With one fluid motion, he sprang forward.

The small rodent only looked up just in time to see Rusty above it, but before it could run, the young tom cat was already upon it. Rusty landed on the small thing with a mighty pounce, and it was trapped between his paws.

It squirmed and squealed, but none of its desperate scrabbling could free the tiny thing from his grip. The tom kitten’s tail curled in joy, his sandpaper tongue swiping over his teeth as he bent down to snap the little rodent’s neck.

But just as he was about to kill the mouse, there was a loud, metallic chink that rang out through the woods. Rusty sat up, his ears flattening in confusion. He gently inclined his head to sniff the air but found nothing out of the ordinary. His eyes narrowed, but he suddenly realized there was an empty space underneath his paws.

He glanced down to confirm his suspicion. The mouse had escaped his grip and before he could even react, it was already down its burrow.

The young tom cat hissed, his tail lashing. He whirled around, teeth bared at whatever ruined his hunt. All that greeted him was an eerie silence that permeated the dense woods. His face contorted in bewilderment.

…

“Rusty, get up!”

Rusty was roughly nudged awake. His eyes shot open, slowly coming into focus on the squared face of his sister, Princess.

“Whu… what happened…?” He murmured, shaking his head to rid himself of the remnants of sleep that clung to him like cobwebs.

Princess huffed and rolled her eyes. She nudged him again, this time with one of her white-splotched paws. “The humans filled our bowls, Rus!”

The young tom’s ears perked at that. It had to have been at least two weeks since their humans remembered to do that, and there was no way he was going to waste this.

He leaped to his paws, stretching her legs with a yawn. He quickly groomed his messy whiskers and flattened his ruffled shoulder fur. Then, he gave himself a shake and grinned. “Well, let’s go!”

Princess grinned back at him before the siblings scampered to their dishes. Sure enough, they were full of the bland yet filling pellets that humans fed their cats. Rusty’s tail waved excitedly and the two of them dove into their food. It’s dull flavor filled his mouth, and he would rather filled his mouth with the wet food that he would sometimes eat or the juicy flesh of mouse meat, but anything was better than nothing, he figured.

While they were eating, one of their humans entered the kitchen. She cooed at the two of them and bent down to scratch behind their ears. Princess ducked at her touch, but Rusty leaned into it, purring. Maybe if he acted sweet enough, she and the tom human would find more time for them. They always seemed busy, leaving the house for long stretches of time that could last days, maybe weeks.

The molly human laughed and said something in her strange tongue. He didn’t catch the meaning of all the words, but like most house cats, he could pick up bits and pieces. He could at least tell that she was pleased with how affectionate he was to her.

But she quickly turned sad, and Rusty, flattened his ears. Humans always seemed to smell like wet washcloths that were too used when they were sad, but that wasn’t what bothered him. He knew that whenever she smelled like this, they would be gone again.

She at the very least promised it would only be for a few days, which Rusty purred again at. That was pretty easy to wait out. The two siblings had their friend, Smudge, to play with, and they could probably pester old Henry for a few stories or the latest gossip that circulated the neighborhood. Or their older brother, Scourge, would find time in his busy schedule to pay them a visit.

Rusty’s tailed curled in anticipation as he pondered what the lean tom would teach them. He already taught him how to hunt and scavenge in the trash (as well as how to identify what food was safe to eat), and those skill came in handy whenever their humans were gone.

The molly human gave him one more head pat before she left. The tom human’s deep call came from the entrance, and soon the two siblings heard the front door slam shut.

Rusty sighed heavily and slumped his shoulders. He turned back to her food and continued to eat

Princess scoffed at his side. Her brother lifted his head and saw her eyes narrow as she stared at the dull green front door.

“Funny how they never have enough time for us,” She grumbled, her muzzle wrinkled as if they were about to pull into a snarl, “But they always find plenty of time to do who knows what out there.”

Rusty hummed in agreement and draped his tail over her shoulders comfortingly. “Hey, at least the snows have cleared. We’ll probably have a better time hunting.”

The fawn ticked tabby molly snorted. “I guess. Still, Smudge’s humans actually like him enough to feed him.”

He couldn’t offer anything to counter that. It was sadly true; compared to them, who were lean and well muscled, their friend was as chubby as a housecat should be.

Princess noticed his silence and turned to face him. Her brows with curled in a deep V shape and the fur along her shoulders rose. “What, nothing to argue? That’s what I thought.”

Despite her tone, her brother knew well enough that her anger wasn’t directed at him. Instead, he gestured to her half-empty dish with his tail. “Aren’t you gonna finish that?”

The young molly fell silent and disdainfully glanced at the dis “Take ‘em.” She grunted absentmindedly, “I’m not hungry anymore.”

Rusty’s brows furrowed in concern as he watched her storm over to the cat flap. She shouldered her way through the flap and stormed off.

Rusty glanced back at the kibble. Suddenly he didn’t feel so hungry either. He stood up and followed her through the flap.

Outside, the evening was unusually warm. Small traces of snow clung at the edges of the fence and underneath the thick dogwood bushes. Rusty shook his fur to rid himself of the nippy breeze. He saw Princess pacing near the small tool shed, her face scrunched in fury and her tail lashing in anger.

The tom’s ears flattened and he padded towards the angry young molly. He brushed against her, which seemed to take her by surprise. But she leaned into his touch, slumping over with and huff.

“I just…” She spoke softly. Rusty placed his chin on her forehead, urging her to continue. “Are we not good enough for them? Why- why did they even get cats if they don’t bother to take care of us!”

Her brother’s dark green eyes softened at his sister’s admission. He wrapped his forelegs around her neck, murmuring softly into her thick fur, “I dunno, Priss. I dunno… I’m sure they thought they could care for us.”

Princess scoffed and lifted her head. She rolled her eyes disdainfully, but Rusty could still see traces of hurt lingering in her eyes. “Yeah, well, look how that turned out.”

The ginger tom stared at her, before trying to turn the conversation slightly chipper by saying, “Well, at least we know how to hunt!”

Princess hummed. Rusty continued: “Hey, you think we could get some prey from the forest? I’m sure it has enough to spare.”

His sister affixed him with a stern glare, straightening up. “Rus, I love you, but you know that those feral cats would shred you if you stepped foot in their turf!”

The lanky ginger tom ducked his head and murmured, “Scourge taught me some fighting moves the other day…”. He looked at her again, “Besides, who’ll miss a few mice? I’m sure those cats aren’t even half as bad as Henry says.”

Princess lashed her tail. “And who says they aren’t real?”

Rusty shot back, “Henry hasn’t bothered to leave his yard since he went to the vet! He said he was three years old, but he was already neutered at that point; I’ll bet he was lying!”

Princess sighed. “Ugh! You’re impossible, you dumbass!”

Her brother headbutted her in response. “But you love me.” He snarked back.

“Yeah, yeah. At least you listen to my problems.”

“What’s going on you two?” Smudge asked. His tail was low and the tip twitched in confusion. His small ears were laid flat and his round face was sullied with concern.

Rusty waved his tail at the friendly tom cat. “Hello Smudge!” He chirped in greeting. “The humans finally fed us, and we had some… feelings, to talk about.”

Smudge’s eyes widened in surprise. He leaped down into their garden and trotted over to the pair. “They did? Then why’re you upset?” He questioned; his head tilted to the side.

Princess growled. “Because they only bother to whenever they get back, and even then there’s no guarantee!”. Smudge’s features drooped. His lower lip jutted out as he approached the young molly.

“Aw geez, I’m sorry Princess.” He said reproachfully, “I didn’t mean to upset you…”

Princess smacked him with her tail, making him jerk and yelp in surprise. “Oh, quit it, I know you didn’t mean it like that.” She scoffed, “I doubt you could even be mean to a horsefly if it bit you!”

The young black and white tom cat gasped, his muzzle scrunching in offense like a kit. “Hey! I’ll have you know that I called that big black tom cat down the street a jerk when he left a mark on by the rose bush!”

The fawn tabby mrrowed in amusement, and Rusty purred. “See, there you go! Baby steps, Spotty!”

Smudge groaned, tail flicking in annoyance, although both of the siblings could tell it was half-hearted. “I’ve told you two a million times, they’re splotches, not spots!”

Princess chuckled, “Sure thing, Spotty.”

The plump tom snorted. He declared in mock-anger as his chest puffed out, “You two are lucky that you’re normally nice, ‘cause no other kittens live nearby and the two of you would’ve been high and dry for friends!”

Rusty snickered and replied, “That goes for you too. Looks like you’re stuck with us, unless you wanna spend all your time with ol’ Henry.”

Smudge’s brows furrowed as his gaze turned suddenly serious. “Well, at least he warns you against the forest cats.”

His sister shot the tom a smug ‘I told you so’ look, but Rusty didn’t focus on that for long. He met Smudge’s stern look evenly. “And who’s to say he’s completely true?”

Smudge’s ears flattened. “Scourge said he was beaten up by forest cats too! And you know how he is; he could rip me in half if he was half asleep!”

The lanky ginger tom kitten replied dismissively, “Well, he was a kitten then. I doubt he would have any trouble now that he’s fully grown!”

The plump tom glared at him. “Well, he said he was around your age though, right? Those forest ferals would turn your fur into nest lining!”

He shot back, “But I’ve gotten training to fight from him! He never had to fight when he first went into the forest!”

Smudge’s voice began to take on a shrill tone as it gained volume, “But you only have a fraction of his prowess! Who’s to say they wouldn’t squash you?”. The plump tom kitten cut his friend off before he could dare to respond. “I know you keep wanting to go in there, but why?! Why do you feel the need to risk your life?!”

Rusty paused and his ears drooped. His tail twitched in thought. That was a surprisingly good question for his, admittedly, fearful friend. He ducked his head and studied the grass blades intently.

He already knew that there would be more prey in there than the city, at least. Even beyond the fact that the mice and birds were skittish around humans, whatever they caught was usually fairly skinny, at least in the large part of town. Sometimes a robin or two would land to nibble on the seeds from the garden plants, but that was a rare occasion.

He furrowed his brows and dug deeper. He’d always felt unfulfilled in his house. There wasn’t much to do beyond napping or playing with the jingly mice or feathers on sticks, and he and Princess’ humans certainly weren’t home enough to give them large amounts of affection.

There had always been a stifling air to kittypet life, and even when he was out in the city with Scourge, he felt a sense of adventure fill him. He knew that he could easily find this in the forest. And, well, he was getting pretty sick of the people that were supposed to care for him and his sister constantly abandoning them.

“Well?” Smudge’s high pitched voice prompted. Rusty slowly lifted his head and found that not only was Smudge staring at him with an incredulous and impatient glare, but Princess’ gaze was now intensely fixated on him.

He sighed and met his friend’s gaze calmly. “Well, Smudge,” He began coolly, “In the forest, there’s plenty of prey. I’m sure it’s much better than the city’s prey. Plus, me and Princess basically had to fend for ourselves for moons now, so what’s the challenge with the forest?”

Smudge reeled back as if he’d been struck, his fur bushed out and eyes widening so far that Rusty was sure that they would burst out of the sockets. Even Princess looked surprised.

“What?!” Smudge cried, “You can’t be seriously thinking of living out there!”. The young tom looked frantic now, his ears flattened and his tail twitching and curling rapidly. “Wh-who knows what’ll happen out there, Rus?! You might run into those ferals, o-or… k-k-killed!”

He scoffed and puffed his chest out, “I’ll be fine! Scourge said my balance and speed is really good!”.

Princess stared at him incredulously as their best friend was crouched and made unintelligible noises of panic.

“Do you think it’d really be safe?!” She demanded, “I dunno about you, but if nothing else, we at least have a roof over our heads and a bed to sleep on.”

Rusty shot back heatedly, “Yeah, but you said yourself that they don’t care about us. They haven’t filled our bowls in two weeks before today!”. He gave her his best puppy-dog eyes that always seemed to sell her on whatever shenanigans he was going to rope her into and asked imploringly, “Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to hope they bother to feed us? At least if we lived on our own, we would have each other!”

The large fawn molly’s gaze lost a bit of its edge, but it quickly hardened to mask this. “Rus-”

Rusty’s tail curled around his paws. “Look, if it makes you guys feel better, I could go in just to take a look. I’ll be gone for an hour at most.”

Smudge’s head shot up, looking even worse than before. “No! That’s a terrible idea! Wh-what if y-you get ambushed o-o-or something?!”

But Princess seemed to have been defeated, or at least won over enough to concede. She sighed. “Rus, are you sure?” She questioned. Her intense amber gaze burned into the depths of her brother’s soul, and he couldn’t help but look away.

“Maybe not, but it wouldn’t hurt to at least look?”

Both Smudge and his sister had gone silent, mulling over their responses. After a quiet moment soaked in tension, Princess rolled her eyes. “Geez, fine.”. She padded to him and bunted her head on his shoulder. “Just promise that if anything happen, you come back, ‘kay?”. Her playful exasperation melted, replacing by protective anger. “I’ll treat anyone who dare to come near you to the whooping of a lifetime.”

Rusty purred and licked her forehead reassuringly. He beamed and said playfully, “Sounds like a deal to me. I swear it’ll be alright. If nothing else, I can give them a quick clawing and then run off.”

His sister nodded and stepped away. Smudge took a moment before he drooped like a wilting flower. He shakily stood up and trudged to the lanky tom cat. He bumped his head into his chest. “If you don’t find anything good, please don’t leave.” He sniffled softly; his words were muffled by the scruffy chest fur but audible enough to make the lanky tom nearly feel guilty.

Rusty tapped his friend with his tail. “No promises, but I don’t see why not if that happens.”

Smudge looked up at his friend with a watery smile. “Thanks Rus. You two are like siblings to me. I dunno what I’d do without you.”

Rusty patted the plump tom on the back. “Hopefully we could at least visit you.”

The black and white tom murmured something too quietly to make out, but it sounded like an agreement. Rusty turned away from the pair and hopped onto the fence.

He stared out into the dense forest beyond. A stretch of untrimmed grass just like his dream stood as the barrier between all that Rusty as known, and the fabled forest. Already a sense of excitement filled his chest. The setting sun illuminated the vegetation in a bright orange glow, and the soft breeze rustled the tree canopy above in a thrilling symphony.

With one last glance over his shoulder have waved his tail at Princess and Smudge, and then hopped over the fence to begin his j

[odd-drive]

favorite edutainment game go

Oohhh

I'm a sucker for any type of typing game or math game, and putt putt comes to mind

Although I recently got Little Mouses Encyclopedia on switch on sale and I really like exploring and reading the descriptions :)

[dorkydiaz]

I’m the anon from earlier asking about the switch games. Thanks for taking the time to answer I really appreciate it! I also want to play those games right now! Do you have any recs that are similar to those games but are out now. I’m a teacher and this school year has just been brutal. I have never been more stressed about work in my life and I would love something like those games as a distraction. Haha I can only spend so much time scrolling Tumblr!

The only one that I have found that’s out is strange horticulture, I fell asleep before I could play any of it lol but I’m gonna try it rn! Another of my faves is wytchwood, which has a really cute art style and is more quest/crafting based but lots of fun! Another that’s popped up and is out rn that looks super cute is little mouse’s encyclopedia 🩷

I’m so sorry this year has been so hard. You are doing great and the best you can do is good enough. 🩷🩷🩷