#margaysweep

[irrealisms]

margay propaganda for the @little-cat-showdown poll:

margays are a small cat similar to the oncilla and the better-known ocelot in appearance and range. they're native to the extremely dense tropical rainforests of central and south america, and they're very, very cute.

they're the only member of the Leopardus genus still in the little cat showdown-- the oncilla and pampas cat were eliminated in the first round; the kodkod, ocelot, andean mountain cat, and geoffrey's cat were eliminated in the second. Leopardus have fewer chromosomes than other felids and are the oldest genetic branch of American small cats!

some unique things about margays: - as i understand it, they're the only fully arboreal/tree-dwelling cat! their wrists can rotate a full 360°, making them the only small cat able to climb straight down trees just as easily as they climb up, dangle upside-down, etc. (clouded leopards are the only large cat with this adaptation, and even they spend a lot of time on the ground while hunting) - they're talented mimics and will imitate the distress calls of an infant of their prey species to attract prey while hunting! while there are reports of other American cat species (jaguars and pumas) doing the same, margays are currently the only one we have a confirmed recording of

i'm also biased towards them bc i'm a margay therian + furry and i'm not used to seeing my species on these kinds of polls, let alone seeing it get so far. but i think, especially with how small this poll is, that we have a real shot of making it to the finals! if you send me proof of voting for margays in the current little cat showdown poll, i'll make a moodboard of your choice or do a traditional headshot doodle of a character of your choice. we're currently losing by 2% of 330 votes--that's just six votes. here's a picture of my fursona as drawn by/commissioned from @esmeraldablazingsky as thanks for reading this, plus a doodle drawn by myself to demonstrate my headshot doodle abilities!

VOTE #MARGAYSWEEP

[irrealisms]

another day another margay little cat poll! this is the FINALS, if we win this we've won the entire bracket, which would be SUPER COOL. we're behind right now but the gap is not that large!!! we pulled through similar gaps in the previous bracket & won, we can do it again. as always, if you send me proof of voting margay, i’ll make you one of:

a moodboard of your choice (must be a character/topic i’m familiar with)

a traditional headshot doodle of a character or animal of your choice (does not have to be a character i’m familiar with as long as you send a ref)

a minific (<500 words unless i get inspired, must be a fandom i am familiar with)

#MARGAYSWEEP

[ID: first image is a campaign poster for the Pallas cat/manul. at the top it says “Otocolobus manul (aka Pallas Cat)”. below is a stylized drawing of a Pallas cat: a little cat with grey fur and some stripes, and a grumpy expression. around it are the following notes: the body is small and round, densest feline coat!!!, his short little legs aren’t built for distance, wow! so fluffy.

second image is a campaign poster for the margay. at the top it says “Leopardus Wiedii (Margay).” below is a stylized drawing of a margay: a little cat with golden yellow fur and dark brown spots and rosettes. around it are the following notes: only fully arboreal cat!, long tail for balance, wrists and ankles rotate 360 degrees, allowing them to climb down trees headfirst!, talented mimic, uses distress calls to lure prey! end ID]

[irrealisms]

okay I have actually voted margay properly in a poll I hadn't already voted in this time. #MargaySweep. Anyway can you write me something about my guy ghostbur. If you want. - Blocksgame Orpheus

okay so this is. very arguably ghostbur. have it anyway. woe! n2n au be upon ye. if this is not ghostbur enough for you lmk and i'll write something else. we did lose in the polls but we did our best which is what matters (copium) also we got second which is NOT BAD! thank you for supporting #margaysweep @blocksgame

Phil drives him home from the hospital. This makes sense; it's embarrassing, obviously, that he hasn't moved out, but it also makes sense, right, for the type of guy to end up in a psych ward for four weeks. For the type of guy Wilbur was.

He's-- pretty sure he still knows who he is, who he was. His name is Wilbur Soot. He doesn't remember how he ended up in the hospital--he can see the stitched-up wounds on his wrists, but he doesn't remember them--but Dr. Mitchell said that some memory loss is normal with ECT, and not something to be too concerned about. He said there are two types of memory loss: anterograde memory loss, where you can't form new memories, and retrograde memory loss, where you lose your old memories. He said sometimes people struggle with anterograde memory right after ECT, waking up confused, that Wilbur is one of them, but over the course of two months anterograde memory is actually more likely to improve after ECT. (Wilbur does not remember waking up confused, does not remember waking up at all, but he has no reason not to believe him.) Dr. Mitchell also said that retrograde memory loss with ECT tends to apply to events up to a few months before the ECT, that it's usually minor, and that it sometimes comes back with prompting or time.

On the drive home, Phil gives him a jacket. It's brown. "Sorry, they wouldn't let me bring it earlier because of the strings," Phil says, voice sympathetic.

Wilbur stares at it in his lap and does not recognize it. He doesn't like it, he thinks, as he unfolds it, notes the darker stains on the sleeves. It must be his; it's worn and stained, in a way Phil wouldn't tolerate from anyone else. Still, he doesn't like it. The fabric is rough, in comparison to his sweater. He refolds it, puts it on the floor of the car, and stares out the window.

"We're home," Phil says, which is weird, because Wilbur doesn't recognize the house. They--must have moved, in the past few months? And he doesn't remember. Maybe that's even why things happened the way they did. Dr. Mitchell said that it's common for people to end up in the hospital during times of stress and change. Before Wilbur can really process anything, the door is open. He takes off his shoes at the door, automatically, like he's done it a thousand times before. Maybe he has.

A skinny red-headed teenager wearing a black baseball cap meets him at the door. "Wow. You look great," he says.

"Thank you," Wilbur replies, because even if he's confused, it's still a compliment. "And you are...?"

[irrealisms]

WE DID IT BOYYYYYYYYYS

MARGAYSWEEP !!!!!!!!