#the country mouse and the city mouse adventures

[iocallistoeuropa]

[couldtheycatchkira]

[riphimopen]

and well basically EMPIRE STATE OF MIND. Can i hlep you.

[its-that-kattt]

Tis the season for a wild ass crossover!

[dalt20]

Tooning in 18 Greg Bailey part 6 of 10

DL:So, on Arthur did AKOM do anything off model? Because the studio had a reputation for being off model or lacking in their animation.

GB:I can't remember any series where someone wasn't complaining about a character being off-model from time to time to time. I'm not even sure what that means anymore. In the end, I preferred that something might be off-model a little instead of looking like a cutout of the same model sheet in every frame. At least that gives some character and exaggeration. Generally, I felt Akom was fairly on model though. Though in the 15 years they did the show I'm sure there are lots of off-model freeze frames out on the web. Mostly Akom was great because they moved the character and it wasn't all traceback stuff all the time. When things switched to digital 2D like Flash or Toon Boom it became on model but it looks really dead compared to hand-drawn animation. You are literally looking at the same model sheet position on every frame so it definitely creates significant deadness in the animation compared to hand-drawn where the character seems to almost breathe in comparison.

DL:Ah, ok. So AKOM brung their A game I guess.

GB:I really appreciated the work we got in those early seasons from Akom. Nelson had some respect for the show and he made sure the studio did a good job on the show. We weren't exactly the highest-paying studio that was sending work there but Nelson and also Frank Shinn would put more into the shows that had some integrity to them. If the series was just some generic series they might not have been so attentive. We did a really complete and tight pre production work to send over to Korea so I think they saw that and realized we meant to do a better show than the rest of stuff out there.

DL:So, About the CiNAR scandal, did the feds storm in like The Wolf of Wall Street? With everyone destroying documents and everyone being rounded up?

GB:It's more slo-mo than that, but I guess it wouldn't have made a very exciting movie for things to unravel as slowly as it did. It was so slow that basically, the media was doing all the prosecuting faster than the police. It was more of a legal assault like from the different agencies like Telefilm that were looking to get their funding money back or the archives getting a refund for one reason or another. But yes the RCMP did interview people like writers and regular staff to see if the names matched the documents they had about who did what. I don't remember a lot of destroying documents but I was on the wrong floor to see that, and there wasn't a round-up of the usual suspects where they marched a bunch of people out to a paddy wagon. I don't think anyone got taken out in handcuffs because I would have heard the rumours of that. It was strange to see the media assault and what the public was accusing them of because it wasn't what was happening or what the issue was. There was a very strange perception of it in the public. Even now everyone just says the Cinar scandal but they don't know what it was all about.

DL:So, Did you work on any other projects other than Arthur in the early 2000s post scandal, like Creepschool, Potatoes and Dragons, Treasure, The Baskervilles? Before Michael Hirsh came to CiNAR?

GB:did because I was the supervising director. I supervised the other directors. I didn't have much to do on Creepschool, or Baskervilles. Potatoes and Dragons was all done in France before it came in and it was more of an acquisition for us. I had a great model sheet with like 100 cute characters on it. I did at one point try to re-edit all those shows into a different show so they made more sense and weren't so slow. It looked very cute but it wasn't easy to sell the show. Even on Treasure, I was only brought in occasionally to look at how the show was going or meet with the terrific clients from the UK who created the series. Francois Perrault directed the show. I did start up Postcards From Buster at that time before handing off the series to Nick Vallinakis after a few episodes. During that time I was working on the development of all new series and so I designed the style or look of the show and animation style. We developed a lot of shows. The one that stands out the most was developing Mona the Vampire which Graham Fault did the initial design work on while we were in development. I think Graham did that just before creating the Untalkative Bunny in Ottawa. That was the period of Animal Crackers development and probably even Caillou. A lot of shows that I worked on in development actually made it into a series during that period. A lot of others were involved in it but hopefully, I made some meaningful contribution to it. I am probably mixing up my years there but usually, I was developing a show a few years before it hit the small screen and it was also a really insane time in the studio. After the scandal hit in fact there was not really any more development. We were still finishing off the shows that were developed earlier. Postcards from Buster was

the only series that got developed and greenlit after the scandal and before Michael Hirsch. Postcards was the one series that began under Stuart Snyder (or any of the other interim CEO's) thus fulfilling one of the major terms of Stuart's contract that allowed him to receive his bonus of tens of millions of dollars before he stepped aside.

DL:So, What's your thoughts on the studio who co-produced Animal Crackers, Alphaim? They replaced France Animation as the main co-producers in 1998.

GB:I didn't have much interaction with them. I was founded Christian Davin. I met Christian a few times and he seemed like a nice guy. Gaumont bought them out after that time. The thing that makes it hard for me to answer is that in these co-productions with France there were 2 types of shows. One that the majority partner was in Canada and the other series that the majority partner was in France. So Animal Crackers was a show that we had the lead and we did most of the work. And something like Potatoes and Dragons had the majority in France. So on the ones with majority in France we often only did the post production or maybe some of the production-like layouts. If it was our majority we did most of the work in Canada. It seemed to get more and more like that over time. So I think it is really more of a financing issue or question that you would ask to an executive producer rather than looking for a creative perspective. It wasn't on my radar very much once I knew what the work split was.

PS. Christian Davin was involved with the Robinson Sucro copyright infringement.

DL:Ah, so Thoughts on Wang Film Productions, They animated on season one on the Little Lulu Show.

GB:You mean Cuckoos Nest owned by James Wang. They did a nice job on the animation on season one. We started putting a lot of work into Cuckoo's nest at one point. Like City Mouse Country Mouse was also there. That was the really crazy period at Cinar when we just had so many series going through that studio and the place was growing like crazy. Lulu was a hard show for animation because of that super thick line was all done in traditional animation. But the look of the show was great, especially the first few shows. One thing that is not well known is that initially that show was going to be 5 specials on HBO. Tracy Ullman was doing the voice of Lulu. It was the only time I went to the pitch session that we did in NY at HBO. I only directed those first 5 episodes then supervised the director Louis Piche when the show went into a full series. To be more on topic, I had visited Cuckoo's Nest back in 1986 or so when I was at DIC Tokyo. The Japanese studio was going to visit the studio in Taiwan and they very nicely brought along the foreign staff as well.When they did City Mouse Country Mouse it wasn't so beautiful but I remember they were contracted by Cinar to churn out one episode per week through the animation department. It was usually one episode every 2 weeks at that time. But I don't think the show was well funded and we just needed to make a lot of shows quickly probably to impress the shareholders. So it was an ugly show but I can't blame Cuckoos Nest for that.Wang Productions also did the Richard Scarry series after episode 26. It was far less good than what we had been getting from Hanho on the first 26 shows.

DL:So, The Arthur episode, The Contest. How did you animated the episode in the Three styles of the segments parodying South Park, Beavis and Butthead, Dexter's Laboratory and Hulk Hogan?

GB:And Little Lulu and Richard Scarry but that was more of an in-joke. It's interesting how that episode came together. I think it was one of the best shows overall. The weirdest one at least.The South Park section was actually done under an old Oxberry film camera and shot on film. Peter Huggan who was the layout supervisor at the time made all the models out of felt. He was kind of doing the felt characters in his spare time while checking layouts. Then we rented the one last Oxberry in Montreal and we shot the sequence under the camera. It was just the way we made the films when I was a student at Sheridan College.Beavis and Butthead was just a different drawing style so it took a lot of new design . I really liked how the AC /DC logo on Beavis' shirt made a good change into AB/CD on the Arthurized version. Dexter’s lab again was just a lot of new design. We could not reuse anything from the regular series and that one had a thick line. Also the color design was new and we had lots of references from the real show.The Hulk Hogan was just styled on the many 1980's series I worked on at DIC. In fact I worked a few shows of Hulk Hogan when I first went to Tokyo for DIC.We also did a spoof of Richard Scarry and we had Lowly Huckle were bats hanging upside down. I even got Sonia Ball to do the voice of the bat in the voice she used to do Huckle. There was a Lulu parody there as well using that thick line. I used to worry about getting fired at Cinar for using R. Scarry and Lulu styles in that Arthur show. But I was just banking on that the producers never really watch the shows they are producing. I lost a lot of sleep over that idea but never heard anything from the producers at Cinar. But in general, when we would parody a different style, like we did on that Ulysses episode, it took a lot of new design and being extra careful with the storyboard, and most of all, it was traditional animation so there was no problem with changing style because we didn't have to do rigging in order to animate. The ideas for what to parody just came from suggestions I could make to Joe Fallon and Ken Scarborough about which styles we could do to give us a different look for each sequence. I loved doing all those special style things in various Arthur shows. It was something really nice about the series that we could do parodies. Usually Canadian animation companies do not do parodies in their shows. But because the scripts were produced by WGBH we would do it once their lawyers would sign off. We also based one segment on Dr Katz Psychiatrist but I don't think our squiggle vision animation was very recognizable. That was a cool episode. When Peter was making all the South Park figures no one knew what he was doing and his crew thought he was making dolls on company time like he was losing his marbles.

DL:That's so Funny! 😄

GB:yeah.

DL:So, at Cookie Jar did you work on Gerald McBoingBoing, Johnny Test, Kung Fu Dino Posse, Busytown Mysteries, World of Quest, Will and Dewitt, etc?

GB:No I didn't. Actually I helped out for a very short time on Busytown Mysteries but the other shows I had nothing to do with. That was after they closed down the Montreal studio and opened up in Toronto. I didn't move.

DL:So, I couldn't find anything on the move to Toronto when Michael bought CiNAR can you tell me what time period that was?

GB:It went in stages. In 2005 Michael and Toper and the bank bought Cinar. Renamed it Cookie Jar of all things after Huck Scarry suggested the name. They started closing up the Montreal studio that year by consolidating the 3 floors of office space onto one floor. I developed a few shows then like Bronco Teddy and that Santa Clause special. Then just a small animation crew and 2 producers moved to a new but small building in downtown Montreal . I think it was an old Canada Cement company building from the sign embossed over the front door. It had a lot of marble and brass on the main floor and an ancient elevator. Anyway we were there for a year before they shut down entirely in Montreal, and they opened up a Toronto office in that time. We did Arthur out of that new office in downtown Montreal. So by 2006 or early 2007 they were set up in Toronto on King Street. I remained on the Cookie payroll but no one else from Cinar remained after 2007. In fact I worked at Cinar/Cookie Jar full time from 1991 to 2011. I was the longest running employee of that company.

DL:Wow! So, you were demoted to the Arthur guy at that point?

GB:Yeah pretty much. They would try to keep me busy with stuff during the off-season. I developed a few shows but nothing really stuck and I would get busy again with Arthur so they would take it away from me and give it to another director. Like I was starting on a remake of Caillou and then that happened. Someone else took over the series. Or I helped out a director on Busytown for a few months. I even tried getting the director position on a series with Disney near the end of my time there but I purposely blew my application so I could go elsewhere to do Arthur. The Disney show was very preschool and the producers at Disney were in disarray. It looked like it would be really unpleasant. But yeah I guess all I really did of any significance was Arthur. We did Arthur out of Oasis Animation company in Montreal. They hired some of my old crew from Cinar while I remained on the Cookie Jar payroll. So at one point, I did some work setting up the studio to do the Arthur series.

DL:So, how was the downfall of Cookie Jar/ the DHX media purchase went for you in 2012?

GB:I was there for the downfall like when they laid off all the animation staff and pretty much everyone else. I wasn't there when DHX actually bought them. I was there when CJ bought DIC and that terrible purchase of Strawberry Shortcake. It seemed ironic to me when they bought DIC because I was there when they fell apart 20+ years earlier.The big layoff was very sudden and shocking for the people in Toronto. I don't know why they seemed so surprised. The shows were terrible. They blew a ton of money buying DIC which was even more in debt than after DIC broke up with Charlopin. They said they bought DIC to get the Saturday morning hours that DIC owned. But Saturday morning doesn't mean anything like it did when I was a kid or when I worked at Hanna Barbera. No one gets up to watch animation on Saturday morning anymore. The Strawberry Shortcake scandal was going on at that time but I wasn't paying attention to it. You probably know more than I do. But my view was - who would want to watch anything to do with Strawberry Shortcake. It was the most ugly and trite property when it came out in the 80's and it was even more horrible in the 2000's. But that was CJ's corporate culture. From the top down the company management spewed marketing jargon when they spoke about anything including creative things like animation. They would never make a great new show because they were not trying to make a show that people would want to watch. They were basing decisions on values like branding and marketing. They never spoke of things that drive other producers that try to make something kids enjoy or benefit from in some meaningful way. I understand the sense of trying to capitalize as much as possible on everything in the world, but in a creative field like animation, it's disappointing to see people only equate a good show with good merchandising. They could be happily selling stickers or really tacky toys like Strawberry Shortcake or Elf on the Shelf. They are not patient enough to make a good show first and then sell stuff because the show is popular like SpongeBob. They only want the show made in order to sell the toy.

DL:Well Michael tried to create that workspace mentality from Nelvana. Remember when we talked about the program slate from Nelvana from 1995-1996?

GB:Yes! Nelvana was also a 3 way partnership. Clive Smith was coming from animation production in the UK before they started Nelvana. So there was more push in the direction of the art at one time at Nelvana. This time his partner Toper Taylor was a marketing person. When he speaks it's a lot of marketing jargon.I shouldn't really say that Clive did this or that at Nelvana. I was never working at that studio and I've only met him briefly. Michael has been a great businessman there is no doubt about that.

DL:Yeah, I saw that the only thing that was making money at the studio was Arthur, the Doodlebops and Johnny Test. Everything else was a co-production at the company.At Cookie Jar , that is.

GB:They made a horrible mess out of Richard Scarry and the Caillou properties that had generated a lot of money at Cinar. But the versions they made at CJ were terrible. They were so commercially exploitative looking. It's true that you don't make money just selling the show to broadcasters. At least it's not a big part of the income in TV animation. I'm not sure Arthur was making much money for them either. Eventually, they quit doing it because they either had to make a totally horrible different-looking show or lose money making it. Like there was no toy licensing or books or anything to make money on with Arthur. The Arthur series never had a really high budget compared to other big animated series like WB or Disney or Nickelodeon shows and the amount coming in for production kept getting smaller year by year.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 10/22/2024

rare tuesdaypost with no fallow sections. i CANNOT find the exact image i am looking for (mouse-drawn person sitting on bar stool with ankles crossed and blushing with eyelashes) but i feel like i found a lot of things this week that charmed me immensely. rare many such cases of many interests intersecting.

listening

almost exactly a year ago i wrote about jolynn j chin's SHIFTED, a piano jazz piece where the time signatures change on every bar, which came with an explainer video that is, spiritually, a physics video.

she's done it again with OFF TIME and a full album of equally bonkers concepts. i have a brain that is fairly good at manipulating 2D things (yarn, fabric) into 3D things but i do Not have this kind of math brain. wild shit.

-

reading

thank you philip for overseeing the photography of this trio of DELILAH DIRK graphic novels from Tony Cliff. i saw these on the library shelf and went "holy shit i read one of these as a webcomic in high school".

very well-paced indiana jones and james bond adjacent pulp adventures, with a soupcon of steampunk conveyances for taste. delilah started life in 2007 when strong snappy female characters were far less common. this is particularly...not quite grating, but very notable in the first two books (published in 2013 and 2016 respectively). they are intended to be middle-grade (disney villain falling deaths, no tits or ass, etc), but they punch far above their intended age range. a particularly interesting reckoning with the long-suffering native guide trope. not a series overly concerned with historical accuracy, although it's certainly more grounded in real history than you might expect of a middle-grade pulp adventure graphic novel. more colonial political concerns than i remembered or expected.

the art is really killer in all three books. tony cliff really knows the effect of a good page turn spread.

he also has a very charming way of illustrating continuing action across a huge panel. all four shots are from The Pillars of Hercules (2018) bc it happened to be the last one i read and the one with by far the most ambitious art.

-

watching

tubi has acquired the streaming rights to most of the batman animated movies. i keep getting served ads on instagram for an upcoming animated film about batman and the yakuza, where the premise is that a portal from real-life japan has opened up over gotham and the yakuza are pouring through like a demonic horde. this seems to be a sequel to batman ninja (2018, dir. Junpei Mizusaki)

Batman, along with his allies and adversaries, finds himself transported from modern Gotham City to feudal Japan.

batman ninja includes the lines:

I’m going to rule this country and turn it into a kingdom of monkeys and rewrite the history of the world!

and

What am I going to do with you, Batman? You’ve destroyed a perfectly good giant robot castle!

i would describe this as more of a feature-length animation showcase than anything else. the haters on letterboxed didn't even give it an average of 3 but that's bc they hate fun. this is some real weeb shit. this is not a grimdark or particularly thoughful batman entry. this is an entry to clap your hands in glee at the giant gundam vs monkey army fight. they have once again done my favorite comics boy jason todd dirty but what the fuck else is new.

so much fun even on just the like tree field guide level of identifying the six or seven animation styles. plus everyone's feudal japan looks are sick as shit.

was it Good? no. was i delighted at nearly every moment? fuck yeah.

-

playing

EXCEPTIONALLY charming embroidery-based game jam game, Cross Stitched by Panzerr here for free on itch.io. made in godot. god bless.

(image from the developer) you've got your little baba yaga house gundam in the center constantly firing projectiles, and you have to keep these fucking birds back. you can WASD around the edges of the tapestry, and your health is in the top (i really love how it gets "ruined" dark chunks taken out of it as you lose health, like a piece of embroidery decaying) and the bottom black bar of motifs fills up as you make progress towards adding another level and another piece to your powerup level tapestry.

(following images from me) you do have to think about your placement and plan it out a bit, and you can't embroider over something you've already stitched. would not recommend surrounding your initial base damage motif with other motifs bc then you've sort of fucked yourself over. a really simple concept (a good bite size for a game jam) elevated by a very fun visual style and great music. really delighted me! i am so jaded by my time in the video game marketing mines that i forgot they can be fun actually!

-

making

unphotographable: too many bugs in my house! tried to replace the weatherstripping on my front door and discovering that both the front door and the storm door were installed incorrectly and should probably be replaced.

in better news, the newest pathetic little waif in the office bathroom has been freshly neutered and will be going to a nice cushy indoor home next week-ish. whenever he is fully recovered. the most polite cat i have ever had in this carrier: did not piss, shit, or throw up.

KO'd by six cc's of various goops. poor man.

[hannahbarberra162]

Country Mouse, City Mouse - Chapter 7

On Ao3

Sorry, no smut.

Also, we love a jealous Mihawk.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

Chapter 7 - After A While

A few weeks came and went. The outfits Perona had ordered for you were absolutely stunning. Mihawk wanted to see you try on all of them, but you shooed him away. You and Perona decided on the one that best suited you, and you packed it with your things. 

Zoro had been put on farm duty while the two of you were gone. Perona’s duty was to get Zoro to the farm. You brought him down and explained everything that would need to be done in your absence. Luckily, it was only simple tasks like watering and weeding.

“So, that’s about all, got any questions?” you asked, handing him a list.

Zoro grunted. “No, got it. I can do it.”

“Thank you honey, I sure appreciate it.”

“Mihawk said he would dismember me if I messed up the farm.” Zoro was not laughing when he said this.

“He’s… not jokin’, is he?”

“No.”

“Hmmm….well, I’ll bring you back somethin’ nice as a carrot for that stick.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Sailing with Mihawk on Hitsugibune was an adventure all its own. The small craft was really only meant for one person, so you’d sat on his lap some of the time. You had always enjoyed sailing, and Mihawk was a phenomenal sailor…er, captain? You enjoyed good weather and good company on the way. Mihawk shared a lot of nautical knowledge that you were lacking, and you found him endlessly interesting to listen to.

After a few days, you reached the island you were journeying to. Crocodile had offered rooms at his estate for guests, but Mihawk had rented a hotel instead. Not a room, you realized as you both checked in at the desk. Mihawk had rented an entire hotel. He told you that the mere sounds of other patrons would “impede his romantic nature.” It seemed like a waste of money to you, but you weren’t one to tell others what to do.

That night was the gala, so you declared that you would be getting ready in a separate room. You and Perona had planned every detail of your outfit, down to the hairpins you would use, and you wanted to surprise Mihawk for the maximum effect. 

Mihawk POV

He and Crocodile were not friends. They were, at best, non-combative acquaintances. Mihawk did not mind Crocodile as much as some of the other members of the Warlords, like the irritating Boa or obnoxious Dolflamingo. However, he had a thought to thank Crocodile for inviting him to the gala. Because it allowed him the opportunity to see you like this.

You looked absolutely resplendent. The dress Perona had bought and you had selected made you look like a goddess incarnate. You looked like you had been poured into the dress - it accentuated everything he loved about your figure. Your hair was in a style that he hadn’t seen before, and it suited you. You had acquired jewelry, and it only served to highlight your already magnificent visage. You were a beautiful, sensual treat for the eyes. Though Mihawk knew the thought was foolish, he wanted to throw a cloak over you and hide your beauty from other eyes. He wanted to be the only one to bask in your feminine grace, not allow other filthy eyes to glance upon you. He had the brief thought of closing the door and simply ravishing you, gala forgotten. However, he knew you were excited for the event, and he didn’t want you to miss it.

He extended his hand to you, and when you took it, pulled you to him. He held you tight against his body. He brought his nose and mouth along your delicate neck, running his lips against the column of your throat. He simply had to have a small taste - he would have the full meal later. He heard you gasp and breathe harshly - a fitting punishment for doing the same to him. He continued on his ministrations until you put your hands against his chest and said “later, sunshine. Let’s get to the party first. We can always ditch early.” As always, your ideas were brilliant.

Y/N POV

The gala was unlike anything you’d ever been to before. Sure, you’d been to parties, formal gatherings, weddings, funerals, and every kind of social event in between. But nothing compared to the party at Sir Crocodile’s mansion. You could tell that the majority of the people there were movers and shakers. The way they handled themselves, the way they talked to others, they were clearly used to commanding a certain level of respect. Everyone was dressed to the nines, including Mihawk. Some attendees were socializing, some were drinking, and some were dancing to the live music.

You were happy he had taught you to dance. Well, not really taught. You could kind of dance, he was a magnificent dancer. You just followed his lead as he spun you around the dance floor. He made it seem effortless and intimate, and you enjoyed every moment of it.  You’d have to ask him to dance later.

You walked around the room with Mihawk, your arm linked with his. Many people came up to him and began conversations of varying natures. You didn’t say anything unless spoken to, but you could tell there was a buzz around the fact that he had both attended and brought a date. Mihawk was disinterested in conversing with almost everyone. He dismissed most who spoke to him after a terse sentence or two. It didn’t deter other guests from trying to speak to him. At one point, he asked if you wanted a glass of wine, and you accepted. He left you momentarily sitting at a table, watching the dance floor.

Mihawk POV

Crocodile had a certain taste that did not fit Mihawk’s own. The former Baroque Works leader favored decadence and a kind of self indulgence that he found tacky. However, the gala was acceptable enough to bring you to. Many had sought to speak to him - and garner information about you- which he had no patience for. All he wanted was to dance, drink wine, and speak with you. He didn’t care about these fools. As he came back to you with two wine glasses, he nearly shattered them in his hands. 

That lout Crocodile was speaking to you, clearly interested in both the conversation and your body. He was leaning towards you, smiling at your words as he spoke to you, eyes roaming your lush figure. He should not kill Crocodile at his own gala - probably. It would cause more headache than it would solve. Depending on what Crocodile said to you would determine the outcome, he decided. 

He walked up next to you, handed you your glass, and put his arm once again around your waist. You accepted the glass, said “thank you, sugar” and kissed his cheek. 

“Sir Crocodile came by to introduce himself, and I thanked him for the invitation to this wonderful gala.”

“Mihawk, no wonder you’ve taken an interest in farming lately,” Crocodile said with a smirk, “this delightful Signora could make a flower bloom in the desert.” Mihawk’s demeanor turned even colder. He fixed his unnatural stare to Crocodile, who remained undeterred.

“Ain’t you sweet. Well, I’d love to go dance to the music you’ve so thoughtfully provided.” Mihawk did not speak to Crocodile as he turned with you to leave the conversation.

Over your shoulder you said “See you later, alligator,” to which Crocodile laughed. Crocodile was lucky you wanted to dance. Otherwise he would have lost more than just his other hand.

[bending-sickle]

been watching poirot lately and i just adore how much he hates the countryside, he’s such a little city mouse

Poirot: [commenting on the view from the train] Look at it, Hastings. Not a building in sight. Not a restaurant, not a theater, not an art gallery. A wasteland.

Hastings: I thought you liked the country.

Poirot: But this is not the country, my friend! The country is full of trees, and flowers, and public houses. This is a desert.

[…]

Hastings: Look at that, Poirot, look at that view.

Poirot: [with muddy shoes walking past a flock of sheep] Yes, well views are very nice, Hastings, but they should be painted for us so that we may study them in the warmth and comfort of our own homes. That is why we pay the artist, for exposing himself to these conditions on our behalf.

Hastings: What do you mean, conditions? It's a wonderful day. Just fill your lungs with that air.

Poirot: No, my poor friend. This sort of air is intended for birds and little furry things. The lungs of Hercule Poirot demand something more substantial. The good air of the town!

- “The Adventure of the Clapham Cook” (1x01)

[disneyfemslash]

[Image Description: A digitally composited image of Miss Kitty and Emily. Emily is a brown and tan mouse, in a red dress, with a white apron, and sunhat. Miss Kitty is in her showgirl uniform. They are in a garden, Miss Kitty is posing, smiling over her shoulder at Emily. Emily looks shocked. End ID]

That last post you reblogged was *absolutely adorable*, but now it also has me wondering who would pair well with the sexy mouse lady that does burlesque in The Great Mouse Detective (I can't remember her name)

Miss Kitty!

We have a Miss Kitty tag with exactly one post. So the current trend is 100% Miss Bianca. Mrs. Brisby from NIHM or Gadget Hackwrench from Rescue Rangers could be options.

Pinky and the Brain has a selection of lady rodents in that there are several, but I don't think any have had more than 2 episodes of screentime. Julie Brain, and Billie each have two. I'd probably go Mousey Galore, a one off Russian parody of a Bond Girl.

I know of Biker Mice from Mars and of Charley and Carbine, no idea of their vibe besides the vibe if the series is really there in the name.

Rescue Rangers also has a one off called Foxglove, a bat. And the old Chip and Dale shots had a one off called Clarice, a chipmunk, who is also a lounge singer.

[holespoles]

Akira Nakao, "Konezumichoro-chan (Little Rat Choro-chan) A story about a little country mouse who goes on an adventure to the city.

中尾彰「こねずみちょろちゃん」 田舎の子ネズミが都会に冒険に行くお話

[starswallowingsea]

trying to pick out my next book to read at the lighthouse (for all of one day...) i'll put summaries and whatnot below

Double Exposure: David Toland, a decorated Korean War veteran, has done all he can to leave a life of combat behind. Now Director of Preservation for the Library of Congress's National Film Archive, Toland has made it his mission to preserve what he loves most: the Golden Age of American cinema, moving pictures full of romance, adventure and American Dream. That is, until CIA Agent Lana Welles drops in unannounced with a film canister, smuggled over the Berlin Wall at great cost, that may prove WWII never really ended--it just went underground. David reluctantly agrees to serve his country one last time and help recover the film for Lana and the CIA. But it seems not everyone is as eager as they are to dig up the past. David and Lana's discovery awakens shadowy forces who will do anything to keep their findings a secret. In search of the truth, David and Lana find themselves pursued across the globe in a cat and mouse game with enormous, world-altering consequences.

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line: Down market lanes crammed with too many people, dogs, and rickshaws, past stalls that smell of cardamom and sizzling oil, below a smoggy sky that doesn’t let through a single blade of sunlight, and all the way at the end of the Purple metro line lies a jumble of tin-roofed homes where nine-year-old Jai lives with his family. From his doorway, he can spot the glittering lights of the city’s fancy high-rises, and though his mother works as a maid in one, to him they seem a thousand miles away. Jai drools outside sweet shops, watches too many reality police shows, and considers himself to be smarter than his friends Pari (though she gets the best grades) and Faiz (though Faiz has an actual job). When a classmate goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from TV to find him. He asks Pari and Faiz to be his assistants, and together they draw up lists of people to interview and places to visit. But what begins as a game turns sinister as other children start disappearing from their neighborhood. Jai, Pari, and Faiz have to confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force, and rumors of soul-snatching djinns. As the disappearances edge ever closer to home, the lives of Jai and his friends will never be the same again. Drawing on real incidents and a spate of disappearances in metropolitan India.

The History of Bees: In the spirit of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, this dazzling and ambitious literary debut follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present, and future, weaving a spellbinding story of their relationship to the bees, to their children, and to one another against the backdrop of an urgent, global crisis. England, 1852. William is a biologist and seed merchant who sets out to build a new type of beehive, one that will give both him and his children honor and fame.

[riphimopen]

aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. that came from the dining car 😊☝️

[earmo-imni]

My two newest TTRPG character concepts are like. Diametrically opposed in theme.

On the one hand we’ve got Soolahk, the big fluffy Owl Mama TM, who used to be a typical outlander but discovered the wonders of scholarship via a trading relationship and is now living her best life adventuring into the cities and learning the secrets of alchemy. She’s got a former “best friend” (aka ex, but we’re not saying it so I don’t have to rp romance) turned rival who’s pissed she left the tribe (aka left HER, the rival (yes, they’re queer)) and ideally will show up to harass* her to get her come back (yes, it’s toxic, no, it’s not abusive). Everyone else she knows is fine with her travels and she sends letters back regularly to her parents, siblings, and adopted kids. Her typical attacks involve her flying overhead and dropping alchemical “bombs.”

*I’m using this lightheartedly, not seriously

On the other hand we’ve got Jomo, the tiny sadboi mouse-person from a forsaken land broken in an ancient disaster, who came across a cursed necklace as a child and ended up permanently bonded to it and is therefore very cursed. He’s still a teenager and not even an adult. He wants to go home but his parents had to give him up to a traveling adventurer who brought him to a temple in a more peaceful country in order to save his life and now he doesn’t remember how to get home. He wields magic by wrangling the damn curse into his control, all his most effective attacks require him to hurt himself, and he’s constantly psychically tortured by his fucking necklace.

Giant wholesome Owl-lady inventing new alchemical bombs to drop on her enemies like a WW2 pilot vs tiny traumatized rat-child who throws spells at his enemies while bleeding from the eyes and sobbing from exhaustion. The vibes are fascinating.

[its-that-kattt]

Thanks for the ask @thecastilloking !!

[zany-brainy]

Random Thoughts: I don't think Beatrice would travel (or at least wouldn't go globetrotting) after Adriel's defeat and Ava's departure. There's a few reasons.

Beatrice might be feeling more free to embrace who she is and figure out more about herself outside of her upbringing and role within the OCS but I don't think she'd want to go very far.

Perhaps when Ava told her to live her life she meant for Beatrice to travel the world, to climb mountains, and see sights. Maybe she wanted Beatrice to take a boat down the Amazon, to surf off of Bondi Beach, to meet Mickey Mouse in Florida, and swim in the Blue Grotto.

For Beatrice though, living right now means preparing and learning more in anticipation of the oncoming threat. And learning as much as she can about Reya, her realm, and any others that might be like her or Adriel. Hardest of all is doing all that outside of the OCS but in ways it allows her to pursue these goals in ways that her sisters might not be able to. It also allows her to remain in contact with Jillian Salvius, who distances herself from the OCS for obvious reasons. She's great help in directing Beatrice towards information and the former nun hopes she can help keep the grieving mother grounded.

For Beatrice, living starts small. She doesn't leave the country, too worried of being very far from her sisters. She also wants to learn more about the place she's lived for so long while locked away behind the literal walls of the Cat's Cradle and her own figurative walls. She wants to connect to people the way Mary made look so easy.

Research and training still take up so much time. Especially when Jillian comes calling with a new invention or breakthrough she'd like Beatrice to consult on. But Beatrice finds time to connect. She teaches. Short lessons in self defense in the evening hours at a local dance studio. But it's between these responsibilities that Beatrice partakes and lives.

Little victories, as Ava liked to call them. Little rebellions as Beatrice still thinks of them. Her parents never allowed her many sweets when she was younger. Now Beatrice finds herself indulging in Bubblegum flavored, double scoop, sprinkle covered ice cream here and there. And yes, it mostly just enforces that Mint Chocolate Chip is her favorite but in her mind she can see the snarls her mother would shoot her if she bore witness to some of the overindulgent treats Beatrice had been sampling.

Impulse purchases weren't a consideration for Beatrice but after a particularly trying day at Jillian's lab, she finds herself buying a guitar. It only has a little bit to do with Ava once saying she'd look badass with one and a lot to do with her former classmates' insistence on the pointlessness of the musical arts. Beatrice is awful at playing guitar. Her fingers can't quite find the music and sooner than she'd like she finds herself hiding it in a corner of her apartment.

Silly nicknacks like refrigerator magnets, little figurine statues, and the like were mostly just clutter but Beatrice finds herself picking them up here and there. She holds onto cups and receipts from new restaurants and ships she visits. Mementos of where she's been. It's no great adventure around the world but each little new something Beatrice holds onto makes her feel like she's living a little bit more every day.

She moves cities every few weeks. New places and people, new opportunities, hopefully new leads. New receipts, a new magnet or shot glass. Beatrice still didn't drink but the glasses were small and inoffensive enough not to cause clutter.

She still mourns and still worries and prepares but in between these big responsibilities, the duties she retains in different ways than before. It's silly and insignificant but she lives in these little moments, growing and changing in little ways. Beatrice finds herself waking up later than she ever had in the past, 6:00AM. She doesn't immediately clean every dish the second it reaches the sink.

It's small and ridiculous but these changes were unthinkable to her before. It's not living big or loud or adventuring but for as small as each change is, it's something Beatrice never saw coming. Hell, she gets an Instagram just to take pictures of food and animals she comes across as back up for whenever she has to ditch her current burner phones. They're all little victories day in and day out as she works and trains and learns.

And one day, after what seems like far too long, Beatrice gets to share it all with Ava, whose eyes light up at all the funky shotglasses that line their cabinet. Ava, who insists on what restaurants and cafes Beatrice has to take her back to. Ava, who instantly takes over what she now deems as their Instagram account and shares all their victories going forward, little and big.

[feastonkings]

avan jogia / they/them/any  ———  no way is that RIVER PATEL.. they’re a 30-year-old HUMAN notoriously known for being INDULGENT  &  NEEDY but there are some people who have seen them being AFFECTIONATE  &  ENTERTAINING.  if you ask me, they remind me a lot of waxing poetics in everyday conversation, a crystal for every occasion, bohemian but make it sexier, draping over people and furniture like a cat demanding attention, and a rainbow of chaos, but that could just be because they’re considered the SEER around town. just keep an eye on them  &  see if their true colors shine through..

GENERAL.

full name: river celeste halcyon patel nicknames: riv, rivvy, stardust (stage name) classification: enhanced human gender / pronouns: genderqueer, they/them/any age / birthday: 30, february 7th orientations: pansexual, panromantic, polyamorous occupation: co-owner of the broom closet, metaphysical expert, & dancer at the kit-kat club status: open family: luna patel ( mother, deceased ), parthiv patel ( father, deceased ) strengths: affectionate, entertaining, loving, creative, playful weaknesses: indulgent, impulsive, needy, promiscuous, flighty character inspo: ambrose spellman (chilling adventures of sabrina), klaus hargreeves (umbrella academy), eric effiong (sex education), phoebe buffay (friends), mouse (doormouse), nymphadora tonks (harry potter), jules vaughn (euphoria), jesper fahey (shadow & bone), jenny curran (forrest gump), riley blue (sense8), jaskier (witcher), veronica fisher (shameless), ulysses zane (now apocalypse)

BIOGRAPHY.

tw: addiction, death, overdose, abuse, chronic illness

born in new orleans, to two loving and hardworking parents. they lived in the lower ninth ward, in a small two bedroom home. money wasn’t abundant, but there was enough to give them everything they needed.

river was born with type one diabetes and has required insulin to function properly from the start.

their father, worked as a street musician and helped their mother at the metaphysical shop she owned. along with the shop, luna was a well known wiccan and head of one of the many local covens.

with the global environment declining over the years, tropical storm season had become even more dangerous. one particular hurricane hit the city and the big easy didn't stand a chance. over half the city was affected, the lower income areas the worst. hundreds died and among them were river's parents.

they were pushed into the system, foster families that were near capacity with displaced children. river couldn't stand it. hated the clothes they put them in, the way the tried to bring them to church, bringing them to therapy, throwing away their crystals and trying to cut their hair. it didn't take long until they'd run away.

at twelve years old, they were on their own. bouncing from family friend to family friend until their best friend's family got word and took them in as one of their own.

they appreciated everything that family did for them and the strong bond they had with their friend, it was more than they could've asked for. being accepted for who they were and loved made all the difference in helping them survive their teen years.

at the age of seventeen, they decided to get their ged and river said the hardest goodbyes to new orleans and their second hom when they left to go travel the country.

on their own and in their travels, many things were learned. one being how to survive off nothing, as they struggled to find any kind of work. river was not very reliable when it came to day jobs and set schedules, though they attempted to adapt.

the biggest struggle was this constant feeling of emptiness along with rotating periods of random moods that would sometimes come about for no reason at all. it had been there since losing their family and most of the time they just rode it out. in the worst times they turned to substances for help, as they’d done in the past. this lead them down a spiral of abusive relationships, bad run ins with dealers and law enforcement, shady work to keep afloat, etc.

away from home and lacking inhibition, they ended up becoming a garbage disposal for the many options of drugs available in america's underground; using them to fill a void they couldn’t close no matter how hard they tried until it almost killed them.

which is exactly what happened, they ended up overdosing in an all-night diner's bathroom and when they woke up they were in a hospital room with no clue what had happened. it gave them a wake up call for sure, and it was decided that they needed to start over.

after a couple years and many failures, river managed to hitch a ride as far as texas. they had a good feeling about dallas and updated those in new orleans where they were. that was when they were told of the trust money their parents left behind for river to be given to them when they reached the age of twenty-five.

the temptation was there to blow the money on more travels and parties but it was quickly squashed. it was an obvious sign from the stars and they decided to go all in on a new venture, opening up a shop with a close friend called the broom closet.

the new distractions did not shake the vices they picked up on the road but they certainly slowed them down. they are trying their best to kick their many bad habits so that one day they will thrive in the world again.

beyond that they used their natural knack for seduction and flirtatious nature to make money for the shop and meet new people by dancing at the kit-kat club. determined something would come of their life someday.

when they aren’t working at either of their jobs, they can be found writing lyrics or poetry, dancing, partying, or sneaking out of the home of one of their many casual romantic encounters. river is excited for the future and whatever the new start would bring for them in this cyber metropolis.

HEADCANONS.

river has type one diabetes and has a pump to regulate it better. it’s important they are able to see a medical professional regularly. they also wear a medical alert bracelet with this information.

they despise sleeping alone, whether it be from having people around them in close quarters for most of their life or just the loathing of being alone in general, they tend to stick close to people if they can sleep at all.

comparable to a cat they can sleep anywhere and will curl up or drape themselves over people for affection.

they wear their heart on their sleeve and fall in love quite easy, unfortunately their over devotion and wandering eyes have made it difficult to hold any long term relationship except with one person who has always understood the amount of love they have and just because they love someone it does not mean they love another any less.

river has a long history of casual relationships and having a select few they are fully committed to exclusively, however they develop deep feelings for people easily and adore them long after any romance leaves. they are very open with their sexuality and the love of the human body. river has often used casual sex as another coping mechanism and occasional self-destructive tendency.

they love dancing, parties, poetry, and music - they also adore talking to people and will be happy to introduce themselves to anyone and everyone

music has always had a strong place in their life, though they've never had the desire to pursue it professionally. they can play almost any guitar, bass, piano, pan flute, viola, and harmonica.

river can speak spanish, french, creole, american sign language and some hindi besides english

more to come