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Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
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@lizardnerd757
MASTERLIST
Characters (and rambles)
Knoxes
Ratigans
Ratburns (Basil's relatives)
Dawsons (And Firmans)
Blairs
Dolan and Lupines
Riverfields And Friends
Four Loves Interests for Basil (has old information in it, but still...)
1920s
Ratigan as a father
Series
Shakespeare's Shrew 1, 2
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet 1,
Asks (Ask box is currently: OPEN)
-
I did a sort of expression exercise regarding my son ocs for Ratigan, Floyd and Gavin, using screenshots and one bit from a character sheet of the good ol' Professor to compare. I might do one with the brother ocs have for him at a later date.
And... yeah...
I've gone on about how Floyd very much takes after his father in nature and a good portion of that really translates to him emoting as dramatically as Ratigan as a result. His more gerbil appearance does do some separation and there's certainly different vibes on if Floyd's wearing something more thug-like or more 'gentleman' attired.
Gavin is an interesting one to look at; because while Gavin is meant to heavily resemble Ratigan, Evans's genetics were not strong on this one. However, nature wise... Gavin is kept in a weird position. He certainly inherited Ratigan's temper, both of the both did, but Gavin rather tries to not be like his father greatly. However, Gavin's life keeps taking turns where it seems every step he takes to get away from being like Ratigan, he still takes a step that's eerily similar. At one point he tried to become a lawyer but lost that apprenticeship after punching a corrupt judge. He settled on becoming a very young professor, went to avoid teaching chemistry and mathematics to instead teach English and History (he has a big fondness for Chinese History). His role in the spy ring is mostly retrieval and he insists on those said jobs he's assign to are as legal as possible but he's still part of a spy ring. The cycle doesn't want to let go of Gavin.
And that rather comes across in his expressions compared to Ratigan, I think. Floyd emotes closer to Ratigan, but there's always that one or two things that barely separates Gavin's from Ratigan's.
We got more stuff with Gavin and Eve! Very very inspired by the The Night fan animation
Gavin is my oc and Eve should link above to StardaArts's Da.
What if I just made the fics/rewrite of some of the fics into comics instead?
So... the ocs I have as possible love interests for Basil... gets real interesting when I also have given him kid ocs too.
Theoretically, they should help in determining who their mother is, right?
In actuality, compare and compare was my favorite thing to do in school and this is really no different. Family trees and cat genetics are also high up there on favorite things to do art on/with regardless of how frustrating the information itself can be.
Let's start with Eleanor, especially on a bit of background with her design; originally Eleanor was going to be an only child and looked very much like a woman Basil with long light brown hair. Then, back when I only had the choices of Pearl and Ethel on the roster as the likely mother's, I had made two designs that favored very closely to said respective women. Then Annette got involved and a third design was added, and then I liked various things about each design (not the Woman-Basil one, younger me had regrets on that), and took those elements and rather combined them. There's a few more designs between then and now, but overall not much greatly changed as what was just shared. Compared to Mortimer, Eleanor has a lot more traits from said mother, though she certainly still takes quite a number more traits from Basil’s side as well.
As for actual comparisons.... I do wish to say I'm not just doing visual comparisons but also the possible parent-child dynamics that'd probably happen.
Admittedly, visual-wise, Ella has seemed the least likely, but in fairness, she and Annette were originally meant to be a pair. The reason why she's gotten involved in this odd weird love square(?) can be found in its own post linked through the pinned masterlist.
Oh, fun fact regarding Pearl - a bit of a mutation/genetic rant; We actually have the least amount of an idea what her actual fur color and hair color could be. Some might be a bit confused by that, and maybe regarding her albinism, since her father has melanism, but a very fun fact; melanism and albinism are typically on two separate gene lines. I'm not entirely sure about how the genes work for rodents entirely, again I'm more of a cat genetics person, but usually albinism is recessive, because it happens when a protein for pigment is broken. Melanism happens when one of the proteins involved is over-active, so it's usually dominant. HOWEVER, if you have a broken gene in the pathway, the over-active gene will have no effect since if a pathway is broken, being overactive isn't going to really do anything. Think of it like a broken train track over a bridge; you can speed the train up all you like, but it's not going to make that jump. Apparently, interaction between mutations like this is called "epistasis." So, the albinism actually is what shows even if the animal in question also inherits melanism. It's very interesting. It also makes Pearl a real mystery on what fur coloration she could have or not. She literally could be anything under that albinism.
Dynamic wise:
I feel Ethel’s the odd one out as the observer out of the four and is very quiet. She'd be more in line of the traditional child-rearing. Ella admittedly would have a repeat dynamic that she and her stepmother have, which certainly would lead a house of chaos.
Narratively, Pearl and Annette have a bit of a 'Little Mermaid 2' feeling going on regarding the plot beats Eleanor is meant to go through. Pearl's family history falls a lot in line with some of Eleanor's choices as a teen and young adult, while Annette's disaster line of suitors is very similar to Eleanor's future regarding her love life. Both also would have the most similar dynamic to each other regarding motherhood - both would very much be for educating any child of they had of the world, both the good and the dangers. Pearl would have the harder time measuring the 'when' of having some conversations given her own upbringing, but certainly would be the one more readying Eleanor regarding society while Annette would be more readying Eleanor for life in general. There is a reason why Pearl was the one used for Lady Capulet in the Romeo and Juliet part of the Shakespeare series.
Now for Mortimer...
As I said before, Eleanor originally was going to be an only child. However, none of these women would have just one child. Three of them did have a decent amount of their childhoods spent as only children - Ella's stepmother entered the picture when she was closer to a teen. Ethel certainly would have used the fact of how well she and Anna were as sisters as a prime reason to have at least two children. I have entertained the thought of a third Basil kid, but it's just that; a thought. And if I'm going to be honest, Basil does give me a 'if any kids, it's probably two' sort.
Because of this, Mortimer has less design history - he always had more of Basil’s side of things and not much really has changed with him.
Because of this, he doesn’t really help in the whole compare and contrast as Eleanor does, but it doesn't feel right doing only one for her. Though, if I was to say who's least likely visual-wise in Mortimer's case, I'd probably say Pearl, but even then, there's a few physical similarities to her father that Mortimer has, and again, Mortimer is very much closer to Basil’s side of the family in looks to begin with intentionally.
Dynamic wise, there is a fun reversal between him being an Ethel kid versus being an Ella kid given his personality. The former would have him spending a lot of time with Ethel and being much more of a mama's boy while the other would have him spending a lot more time with Basil when he could. Annette and Pearl fall into the same dynamics as they would with Eleanor, admittedly, though Annette would certainly be more geeking out involved when it came to Mortimer's interest in history while Pearl would be a bit more protective over Mortimer than she would with Eleanor given his more quiet personality compared to his sister.
I know I said in a post not even a full day prior that making a vote probably wouldn't be fair, but the hell with it. I'm up for engagement with my posts, it's 2:30 am when posting this, this isn't going to be what decides it in the end, and I'm curious about others' opinions, so that being said;
Who seems most likely to be Eleanor's and Mortimer's mother? (And why in the comment, genuinely curious)
Ethel
Annette
Pearl
Ella
I'm struggling to focus on Shakespeare stuff so trying to fall back to working on the 'Eleanor-and-her-Possible-Moms' comparison stuff and it really occurs to me that I could leave this up to a vote since my multishipper heart keeps bouncing around the ideas. However, I'm also still struggling to get through the rewrite of Annette's fic, and she's been the only one to have a full on fic and intro done so I already know a vote like that right now would be biased as hell.
I think ao3 is literally the only site where no censorship means no censorship. you can post the most vile things on there — things that will get taken down on any other platforms — and ao3 will protect you, your works, and your rights to create whatever you want, however you want.
and no, this isn’t me saying “write that messed up, disgusting thing” because while, yes, write it if it’s what you want (I myself enjoy writing dark fics, something I believe would be considered “vile” to a lot of people), this is me saying in a world of censorship and capitalism, ao3 really is a treasure.
everybody say thank you ao3
In a world where we still occasionally talk of the countless purges other sites have gone through thanks to said censorship and capitalism, including this very site (Tumblr), YES. Ao3 is not just a treasure, it is THE treasure.
And we all will panic and mourn any time it is down for maintenance because it is such comfort, from reading a fic where a character you hate has the entirety of the Geneva Convention committed against them to a fic where it's a simple, happy found family complete with their own cozy bakery and/or cafe.
SHAKESPEARE TIME AGAIN, MFS! ROMEO AND JULIET EDITION! (Part 1)
“Father!”
If the words weren’t enough to grab his attention, the tugging on his tail sure did. Ratigan turned to see Lillian standing behind him with a familiar book.
“I’m going to presume you wish for another reading, Lillian, seeing as you have the book again?” He set down his newest treasures while Lillian nodded. “And the story today, if I could inquire?”
“Romeo and Juilet!” Rosalind call out, running up while Lillian held up the book.
Ratigan’s smile went tight. Taking a deep breath, he led the way to the throne.
“And you’ll be joining us, I see, Rosalind. Very well-”
“Wait for me!” He looked to see Chloe running up behind the other redhead. He turned away, rubbing the temple of his head.
“I see it’s an audience today.”
The three clambered up into his lap as he sat down, only struggling to all fit for a few minutes while Ratigan took the book and flipped through it.
“You don’t like this story, Father?” Roselind snickered at the rat’s expression.
“This story has been told many times. A lot. So now it shall be read and told. Again.” The girls laughed at the deadpan nature of their father’s tone.
“Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene…” Ratigan began.
“From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-marked love
And the continuance of their parents’ rage—
Which but their children’s end, naught could remove—
Is now the two-hours’ traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.”
The fight was raging in the townsquare, swords clashing against swords in fair Verona.
“Down with the Ratburns!”
“Down with the Ratigans!”
“I plague on both your houses!”
A brown dormouse hopped up onto a stand, his golden eyes narrowed as he looked about the fight. Spotting a young albino white rat, he called out with his sword drawn high.
“Turn around, Gavin, and look upon your death!”
Gavin turned around, his pale eyes wide as he stretched out a hand.
“I’m just trying to keep the peace! Put away your sword, please! Or at least use it to help stop this squabble!”
“Ha! Have at thee, coward!” Alexander launched himself forward at the blonde, their swords clashing.
“What’s all this noise?” The Lord Basil Ratburn came out to see the commotion. Following him was the pale Lady Pearl Ratburn, trying to tug him away from the fight.
“Give me my sword!” Basil called out, trying to get out of his wife’s hold.
“A crutch! A crutch! What call for a sword!” Pearl hissed as she yanked her mouse back.
On the other end, Lord Padraic Ratigan snarled as he, too, was being held back by his wife, the Lady Evans Ratigan.
“Don’t you dare stop me, woman! Let me go!” he shouted.
“Yer not taking one step!” Evans spat back.
“Gentlemen! Gentlemen!” Was cried out as the Queen Mousetoria herself rushed in with her guard. “Enough of this!”
The crowds quickly parted at the guard separated foe from foe.
“Ratburn! Ratigan!” the Queen called out. “So many times your houses have brought these streets to battle! I decree it here and now, if ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the price!”
Both lords winced but bowed their heads. The two feuding rodents glared at each other before their wives batted their shoulders. Mousetoria held her head high as she continued.
“You, Ratburn, shall go along with me. Ratigan, this afternoon, to hear my judgment in the Villa Franca. The rest of you, go! Depart!”
Padraic scowled before Evans smacked his shoulder. Gavin slowly approached the two, his head hung low.
“Gavin.”
He winced at his mother’s call and father’s gaze.
“Who started this fight?” Padraic stood tall as he looked over the damages.
“Some servants, Father,” Gavin sighed as he looked down. “I went to stop the quarrel, but then that Alexander came and taunted for more.”
“And your brother?” Evans asked. “Have you seen him today? It’s good he wasn’t here to join the fray.”
“At the grove, near the western edge of the city, was last I saw of Floyd this morning,” Gavin rubbed his neck. “He wasn’t up for my company, however.”
“He’s been seen there much lately in the mornings,” Padraic groaned as the three of them began walking.
“Father, do we know what’s been causing his mood?”
“No, and he’s been refusing to tell,” the lord rubbing his forehead. “He will be the death of me, one day, should Ratburn not be.”
“Padraic!” Evans smacked his shoulder. Gavin shook his head before looking over, his ears perking.
“Hold on, he’s coming this way. I’ll try to speak to him alone,” he quickened his step. “Don’t wait for me, Father and Mother! Either he’ll finally say what is wrong, or I’ll be denied over and over!”
Both Lord and Lady Ratigan gazed after their younger son, sharing a frown.
“… Let us hope Floyd will be open with him more than us,” Evans huffed before beginning to drag her husband back home. “As for us, we are putting swords away, luv.”
“Good morrow, brother!”
“Is the day so young?” Floyd grumbled, leaning against the pillar.
“It’s only nine,” Gavin pointed out. The younger brother sat down on the railing by Floyd’s side, tilting his head to the side.
“Hilarious, how sad hours seem long.”
Gavin huffed, leaning forward to rest his chin in his hand.
“Yet you do not laugh. What troubles you?” he asked. Floyd tsked before pushing himself off the railing and walking off.
“Love, my brother.”
Gavin’s ears perked up before hastening to follow the other buck.
“You’re in love? But why should love make you sad?”
“Out.”
“Out of love?”
Floyd let out a humorless laugh as he draped his arm around the rat. “I am in love, but out of her favor, Gavin.”
Gavin gave a pout.
“Well, forget about her then! Plenty girls would wish to be merely glanced by your gaze here in Verona! If she cannot love you, then there’s sure to be someone who will!” He huffed. His words were at least able to get a chuckle from the gerbil.
“I wonder which of us is truly the elder brother when you speak with such conviction,” Floyd shook his head. Gavin laughed before they were stopped by a mouse.
“Excuse me, sirs, do you know how to read?” the mouse asked, holding up a piece of paper.
“Of course, if we know the letters and the language,” Floyd smiled as he took it. He glanced down at the names, listing them out loud.
“Arthur, Clara, Fidget, Flaversham, Tony, Alexander, Alician-? A fair assembly.” He looked at the servant. “Where are they supposed to go?”
“To my lord’s house, of Ratburn,” the servant nodded with a smile. “And as long as you are not of House Ratigan, come and crush a cup of wine with us!”
Gavin smiled as the servant left as he grabbed his brother.
“Come on then! If not for a love, then for fun! Ratburn would be nonethewiser with that invite!” he laughed. Floyd’s raised a brow at him before shaking his head.
“And things have been rightened now, I see, as you are truly acting the younger brother you are.”
Meanwhile, within the Ratburns’ home, Basil walked alongside a younger mouse, frowning heavily.
“Ratigan has sworn the same oath as I. I may doubt his word, but it shouldn’t be hard to uphold it for his heirs’ sake,” he remarked.
“It is a pity such brillant rodents of our lands should be such hateful foes though,” the other mouse said before standing tall. “But, now, Lord Ratburn, as for my request?”
Basil groaned and continued walking on.
“My answer is the same as before, De Meaux! My daughter is too young to marry!” He tried to wave the other off about the matter. “Two more summers! Just two more summers before we talk of this again.”
“There are plenty of ladies these days who are younger mothers, Lord Ratburn,” De Meaux huffed as he moved to keep up with the other mouse.
“And they’ve grown up too quickly!” Basil’s face scrunched up. “Listen, two more summers, but you can woo her in that time. Earn her love! It is important that it is her choice as much as with my blessing.”
He paused in his step, sighing heavily. He looked across the courtyard to where his daughter was still talking with the other ladies of the house, gleefully reading her books.
“… Listen, De Meaux, this night I’m holding a party. Invited many guests. Already the invites are being sent out across all of Verona,” he began as he turned back to the other. “Come then, meet with the many women who no doubt will be there. See if any are to your fancy more than my dear daughter.”
“Mrs. Judson, where is my daughter?” Pearl looked through the halls, the poor Mrs. Judson running after her as they searched for the girl.
“Oh, Heavens forbid that girl ever stays in one place!” Mrs. Judson leaned over the balcony, looking across the yard in her haste. “Eleanor! Where are you, girl!?”
“Who’s calling for me!”
Both Pearl and Mrs. Judson looked down to see the redhead giggling aloud with her cousins.
“I am, girl!” Pearl gestured her up. “Come here, there’s news you must hear!”
Eleanor dropped her books and ran up the stairs, giggling along the way. “Alright, alright, Mama, I’m here! What is going on?”
Pearl clasped her hands together, taking in a deep breath.
“Eleanor, my darling, what is your opinion of marriage?” the pale mouse asked. Mrs. Judson’s eyes widened.
“Marriage!?”
Eleanor blinked and looked between the two.
“It’s not something that’s a constant on my mind,” she admitted.
“Marriage, my lady! Who has gotten past Lord Ratburn’s defenses!?” Mrs. Judson inquiry, her smile wide. Pearl tilted her head as she gave more than a grimace.
“Basil has given none confirmation, but Count De Meaux has been insistant on wishing to marry Eleanor,” she revealed before turning back to Eleanor. “And I do not know how long he will wait for your father. So, if you were to meet him tonight at the party, would you be willing to see if it’d be a match?”
Eleanor backed up a bit, running a hand through her hair as she tried to think it over. Mrs. Judson gasped and squealed before prompting for an answer.
“De Meaux! Eleanor, he’d be a fine husband! And a count! Quite the catch to come, Miss!”
“I-” Eleanor looked around, trying to think.
“I... I will meet him with an open mind, but won’t move past what has been set,” she settled on as her eyes fell back onto her mother and nurse.
“Wise words,” Pearl smiled proudly, cupping her daughter’s chin. “Now come. We still have a party to set up.”
“Oh yes, and go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days!” Mrs. Judson giggled.
“Come on, come on, we’re to dance!”
“Fidget, hush! What excuse will we make? Or should we enter without apology?” Floyd muttered, keeping Gavin closed and checking the masks of themselves and their comrades again and again.
“They can judge us however they want. We’ll dance for one dance, and then get out of there,” Gavin snickered.
“Give me a torch then, for I’m not to dance tonight,” Floyd hissed back as he grabbed one. “I might as well keep watch on you lot.”
“Floyd, young Floyd, you must dance,” Fidget smacked his side as he laughed.
“Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes with nimble soles. I have a soul of lead,” Floyd huffed as he tried to wave the bat off.
“You’re a lover, boyo. Borrow Cupid’s wings,” the bat chuckled in kind. “Now come on! Dinner is already over. We’re going to get there too late.”
“I fear we’re going to arrive too early,” Floyd sighed as he saw the hosting house much closer.
“Be merry! Come, come! We all feast and dance in the hall!”
Floyd leaned against the pillar, watching his friends and younger brother join the fesitivities. He kept his arms crossed with his ears flicking at the music played. The sound of bells rang in the air as the ladies pranced with them on their wrists. His jade eyes swept across the crowd in his boredom until they landed on a blaze of red in yellow.
Floyd’s eyes widened beneath his mask, doubletaking to make sure he was not imagining the view. Quickly he went through the shadows of the hall, eyeing the flashes of yellow prancing and laughing aloud until the mouse was caught by another at the center. He quickly grabbed a passing mouse by the shoulder.
“Excuse me, who is that girl in yellow and green?” he whispered.
“Oh, wha? I do not know, good sir,” the mouse answered, bewildered. Floyd let him go before looking back to the girl, tiptoing the edge of the crowd.
“Oh, she teaches the torches to burn bright!” He mused, sighing breathlessly. “Tonight, I must know her tonight!”
Unbeknown to him, a nearby dormouse had heard his words.
“A Ratigan! I know that voice,” Alexander growled. “Servant, fetch me my sword-” He had been about to grab a servant before Basil covered his mouth.
“Hush, Alexander! What has you so furious?” he hissed. Alexander pulled the hand off, snarling.
“Basil, this is a Ratigan, our foe!”
“Let him alone, we cannot risk a battle under the oath we gave to the Queen!”
Eleanor moved to hide away as the musicians allowed singers to be entertainers for the moment. She rubbed her wrists where the bells had been. De Meaux had seemed nice, but… there wasn’t much to really speak of between them. She sighed, frowning. Was this what she should expect?
A cough startled her, causing her to look up to be met with a rodent in a skull mask.
“Oh, I hadn’t realized someone else was seeking refuge,” she laughed out her nerves. With a trained smile and wave of her hand, she was ready to let the other have their hideaway.
“I mind not the company,” the other spoke. Her ears flicked, taken aback by the deep voice and his sudden hold of her hand.
“My pardon, my mask does not do my company well,” he continued with a chuckle. Her dark eyes widened as he pulled off his mask, revealing the gerbil-like face and dark hair. But most of all, those burning jade green eyes. He gave her a sheepish smile with a softer gaze.
“Pardon me if I offend you by touching your holy hand with my own unworthy one, but I dare not think I merely dreamed of meeting a fair saint like yourself.” He bowed his head, speaking in a hushed tone.
Eleanor couldn’t help but giggle, feeling her cheeks and tips of her ears go warm with blush.
“You are unfair to yourself, and much too kind to me. After all, pilgrims also have hands.” She couldn’t help but let out another giggle as she drew closer to him. “Holding palm to palm is not unlike a pilgrim’s kiss.”
“Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?”
Her eyes glanced down to his lips as he spoke, a brief blaze of shame for being so easily intrigued by his words. But surely, no one would blame her for being taken by the hush fire this gerbil spoke with? Her face felt warmer as he gently kissed her knuckles in the dark, lifting her up to do so.
“Saints don’t move, though they do grant prayers,” she breathed out.
“Then would you be still, if I were to pray?”
And grateful for the darkness, Eleanor was, as she allowed him a kiss.
“Miss? Oh Miss! Oh, where is the girl?!” Mrs. Judson looked about the party, whispering to and in the hidden alcoves she knew about the room. She turned to see Eleanor quickly turning from her exit of a curtained corner.
“Eleanor! Your mother wants a word with you!” The older woman gestured her to come forward. Eleanor’s face seemed to drain of color as she hurried past, leaving the nurse behind. Mrs. Judson shook her head, tutted before nearly jumping out of her skin upon feeling a tap on her shoulder.
Turning, she paled, recognizing the face clearly in sight.
“Who is her mother?” Floyd asked with keen interest and a gaze that threatened to burn all around.
“A-ah, young man, her mother is the lady of the house,” she answered, taking a step back from the much larger rodent before running off.
In doing so, she missed the expression of dismay draw itself on Floyd’s face as he too took steps back.
“Oh bugger,” He hissed at himself before quickly moving to retrieve his mask. “She’s a Ratburn…”
…
Eleanor was trying to calm herself when Mrs. Judson caught up to her.
“Miss Eleanor, what on earth were you doing, consorting with young Floyd Ratigan?” the nurse hissed.
“Ratigan?” Whatever color Eleanor had gained back drained right away as she stared wide-eyed back at the curtains where she saw the owner of those burning jade eyes exit.
“Yes! The gerbil-rat! He is Floyd Ratigan! The eldest son of your greatest enemy!” Mrs. Judson confirmed. Eleanor stared at nothing as she stumbled back against the wall. “Miss!”
“My only love sprung from my only hate…” Eleanor breathed out, touching her lips with a hand. “Oh bugger…”
“Floyd!”
“Floyd! Oh boy, Lord Ratigan will have our hides!” Fidget cringed as the group tried to find the eldest Ratigan son.
“Brother!” Gavin called out, brow furrowed. “I don’t know why he ran so quick from the party…”
“Perhaps Alexander? Dormouse seemed a right fit,” another in their group offered. “Don’t doubt Floyd figured to let the Ratburn think he chased him off!”
“Ack, he’s probably back in bed! What’s the use in finding him where we know where he’ll end up!?”
Floyd listened to the group head off, hidden up in a crack in the stone wall. With his mask off, he was resting his forehead in his hand, thinking over his situation.
“I fear the arrow of which it has struck me was aimed by cruel Fates rather than Cupid,” he muttered to himself. He sighed as leaned back against the stone, looking out to the moon. He sighed, trying to figure out how he could even deal with the situation when he spotted movement. His ears perked up as he moved to get a better view.
“Eleanor!” he gasped, tumbling out onto the other side of the wall into the wild gardens.
Part 2 (To be posted yet)
Have a sketch dump of TGMD art I have done over the course of a few months that I may not have shared with many!
A little art of Ratigan's youngest Gavin with Evelyn Carter, eldest daughter to StardraArt's Cathrine and JamesBingDaddy's James.
They're cute, I adore them, and after the Romeo and Juliet stuff I'm working on, I'd like to draw more of them.
Redid an older piece for MerMay! Also very interesting seeing the differences in Evans's design over the years.
This years
Older one (2020, I believe was the year)
@lilgrimmapple gave a few folks some dress challenges to draw a character in from the webtoon You've Got The Wrong Girl, and mine was the lovely (and thankfully less print-filled) piece!
Given the colors, I used my Anna for it since she's my big pink wearer. And would show her ankles like this (the scandal!)
OC INFO (more like rambles): 1920s Generation
Alright, buckle up because there's a lot more Ratigans in this portion. These descriptions are going to be shorter than the other rambles though...
But we're not actually going to start with the Ratigans. No, we're going to start on the Ratburns (my headcanon last name for Basil's family)
Eleanor is Basil's eldest child and daughter. Growing up with one of Mousedom's greatest detectives and tales of his cases, she holds a high sense of justice and curiosity. She can be quite stubborn, though, and can get in over her head easily when trying to uphold justice - especially as an adult when some parts of her family's past rear their heads.
Basil's son and youngest child, Mortimer, takes a lot after him in looks but not as much in personality. While indeed clever, he's a more mellow guy interested in history. As a child, he was more worrisome, especially when following Eleanor on her semi-adventures.
Now, you can see in Mortimer's sheet that I put down 'Still no idea on the mother', which may be odd given that, since I designed him and Eleanor, I should have an idea of who the mother is out of the four possible love interests I have for Basil, is nothing else by what traits aren't shared, right?
Right?
...
So... no. I do have a chart in mind to pose to explain this further, but... yeah. No, I have no idea of who the mother of these two is, and they're ambiguous enough that any of the four could be possible.
Now, the Ratigans.
Let's start with Professor Ratigan's and Evans's litters. Yes. Litters.
Litter 1: The twins Floyd and Charlotte.
Floyd Padruig Ratigan/Knox:
Floyd is not only an apple that didn't fall from the tree, he is an apple that landed right next to the tree's base.
He's charismatic, cunning, and has his own sadistic streak to match his father. He has quite a talent for engineering and mechanics, often making and fixing his own gear. Unlike the infamous Professor Ratigan, he has no qualms about being called a half-rat, though that's not a common occurrence, as a very first glance would have some think him a very odd-looking gerbil.
Something he uses to his advantage.
He's too tall and bulky for normal gerbils, taking after the mixed rat heritage that the Professor had. His ears are too big for a rat, despite having the shape, and too small for a gerbil, despite having the ear rims. His fur makes it look like he took after his mother, but the shape of his skull edges just enough to be closer to a rat. When he was younger, these oddities made him annoyed and insecure, but when an adult? He uses it, especially when donning his 'Ace of Spades' persona and using dark mesh to cover his ear rims and thin down his tail to 'switch species,' so to say.
As a kid, Floyd had a bad leg, enough that he needed a brace. It very quickly became his practice equipment, testing out all sorts of methods to allow him more movement. It ends up being a bit of a tick of his to mess with it, leading up to him doing the same with his false leg as an adult.
BIG HEADS UP FOR WWI STUFF AHEAD:
As for his false arm and leg, I'm sure the timeline of him being a kid mostly in the 1910s and an adult in the 1920s has probably made some people realize there was a pretty big event in the world during this period of time.
Depending on when Floyd and Charlotte were born, whether at the end of 1897 or the beginning of 1898 (haven't quite decided on that, just that they were 'turn of the year' babies), they would have been either 16 or 17 when World War I, or 'The Great War' began. Age aside, Floyd's leg would have exempted him.
Floyd would not have that.
He and Charlotte went into espionage, lying about their ages and starting their own little spy network that would become the basis for the one they'd set up after the war. While Charlotte was very much focused on the information gathering, Floyd really got his sadistic tastes fed as he turned more towards assassinations and rough interrogation. One attack would cost him an arm and a leg, literally, and he made his own prosthetics after. After The War, he improved them even more once back in England.
After dealing with an argument with his very (understandably) miffed parents, both about him and Charlotte having run away to help with the war, and his returning as (surprise!) an engaged man. And especially who his new fiancée is...
He's kept his code name 'Ace of Spades' even when back home, using it as his alias now during his own crime sprees.
Tarots: While the 'Ace of Spades' has been shown to mean death in most media (it's really more about mortality...), it more represents transformations, ideas, and inspirations.
Charlotte Nelly Ratigan/Knox
Charlotte was born blind, something that some have tried to use to gain an advantage over Professor Ratigan.
Didn't work.
She's just as cunning and charismatic as Floyd, and she has no issue manipulating others. However, she's very hands-off on any crimework outside of spywork - she doesn't have much taste for it and is certainly more empathetic than her twin brother and parents. The closest she gets to it is the spy ring she runs after The War, using her club, The Lucky Clover, as its base of operations.
Her moniker is the Ace of Clubs, though she had also used 'Topo di Fiori,' or 'Mouse of Clubs/Flowers,' playing on her father's aversion to being called a rat. She's not too big a fan of Floyd being so involved with crime, but she's not going to try stopping him herself anytime soon.
She appears more rat-like, taking a lot after the physical features of her father, though she does have a more gerbil-like nose.
Tarots: The Ace of Clubs represents potential and new desires.
After Charlotte and Floyd returned from The War, most of their younger siblings joined in on the spy ring.
Litter 2: Rosalind Catrina, Chloe Mauve, and Lillian Madeline Ratigan/Knox
Rosalind's quite spoiled and vain, all for living lavishly. She's very front and center in terms of gossip, letting her have the persona of the one people go to for That Tea. Even as a teen, she'd latched onto rather wealthy men, criminal or not, and plays the doll to get what she wants from them. Her main cover is that of a lounge singer.
Tarots: The Queen of Hearts is associated with a feminine figure of mystery, emotions, sensitivity, and intuition.
Chloe is the tomboy of her sisters and was always more bound to roughhousing. She got on much more with Evans than Padraic between her parents, with not giving much care about opinions on how she presented herself. She has a much keener mind on finances and tracking supply, and has taken much interest in helping the Knox side of the family with its smuggling ring. She also acts as a possible escort for her sisters when they need one.
Tarot: The Jack of Diamonds often represents an immature youth that's reliable and full of hidden depths.
Lillian was the first one to truly have nothing to do with the family's criminal aspects. She instead opted to be an author and teacher. She was always a bookworm and much more shy, opting to try and hide in plain sight as often as she could. While she has no interest in the spy ring or crime, her siblings do still give her a moniker just in case.
Tarot: 9 of Spades represents new ideas and the release of old ones.
Litter 3: Fiona Gwedolen, Rhona Abigail, and Isobel Patrica Ratigan/Knox
Fiona, Rhona, and Isobel are identical triplets. When they were young, Padraic and Evans made sure they did their best to have different styles for them, despite the three's protests. They purposely styled themselves as teens and adults to look as identical as possible, both for fun and for the growing spy ring. They're good at mimicking each other's habits and slightly different speech patterns at that point. They still have some key differences, though.
Fiona very much strives for sophistication and keeping face. She's the calmest out of the three, and it takes quite a lot to get her to show outward anger.
Rhona is the chatterbox; she's right up there with Rosalind in keeping up with the local gossip and is the life of the party with her energy. She is more prone to falling to her emotions, however.
Isobel is very apathetic and has a much harder time caring for others. She's the one most likely to do something because she wants to, not because it'd actually help anyone or anything.
Tarots: Queen of Diamonds represents a feminine persona that's charitable and dependable, as well as representing prosperity.
Queen of Clubs represents a feminine persona that's warm, nurturing, and energetic
Queen of Spades represents a feminine persona that's courageous, resourceful, and sharp.
And lastly, Gavin Lachlan Ratigan/Knox
Gavin was the only one to be born as a single. Albinism aside, he was very close to looking like a mini-Padraic.
He grows up to become a professor of English and History, and his involvement with the spy ring is rather touch-and-go. Gavin has a very serious personality and is focused, though he has inherited his father's temper. He's also very snarky and has a deadpan delivery most of the time. He was closest to his grandfather, Lachlan, as a child.
Tarot: Jack of Clubs represents a youth who is unreliable, hotheaded, a risk-taker, and has hidden intentions.
Sebastian's and Anna's kids
Allan James Ratigan is a bit of a heartbreaker. He knows he's handsome and has no problem charming ladies for a night or two. He's very level-headed and family-oriented otherwise, seeking to spend time and bond with his cousins in the hopes of uniting the family again. He's a fan of playing cards, though he would rather play without any gambling (Especially when against Floyd).
Alana is a cheery and bouncy gal and is very much a sports fan. She may have a bit of a gambling problem, though, and her family has set it to keep an eye on her carefully, especially during certain events. She doesn't understand Allan's quest for the family reunion, but she's fine with it as long as she can have fun.
Fiona Eveline, friends call her Eve, is Alana's twin sister and is very no-nonsense. She'd rather spend her time indoors with a physics book than play tennis like Alana and find Alana's gambling problem ridiculous.
Mathew is interested in films, especially in the making of them. He has had to ban his older brother from visiting his sets, though, given how many of the actresses he hires end up being targeted by Allan. He's passionate about his art, though not so much about the ways people try to get involved in it.
Elizabeth is really not for Allan's idea regarding their cousins. After all, there were reasons why there was that distance to begin with. She is very reserved and wary, which often has her in great conflict with the more outgoing and blunt Sophia.
Sophia is often frustrated. While she's on Allan's side of trying to connect with their cousins, she holds grudges very hard which could work quite against that goal. It certainly has caused her to fight a lot with Elizabeth as they battle out their ideas of what their values should really be.
Claude, as the youngest of the lot, feels very out of place. He's very unsure of what he wants to do in life, more often than not getting dragged around by one sibling or another to something they seek to do.
Jim's and Helena's son, Jasper.
Jasper Ratigan mostly grew up in Belgium, until The War, when Jim sent Helena and him back to London while he fought. He gets very annoyed about being mistaken for being French. He has found that he gets along quite well with his cousin Allan, though Floyd's interest in mechanics has them in constant debates. He's not a very committed rodent, though, being as much of a player as Allan. He works as a clockmaker, more specifically a watchmaker, with the side hustle as an appraiser after being taught by his parents to have an eye for detail.
Now time to Not (sort of) family!
Margaret Duffey is Charlotte's girlfriend and co-owner of The Lucky Clover. They had met during the war, where she helped set up the spy network with the twins. She had taken the name 'Rat de Coeur,' or "Rat of Hearts," to match Charlotte's Topo di Fiori. She originally was from America before moving with Charlotte to London. Meeting her gal's family went... interesting, though, luckily, her and Charlotte being 'lady friends' didn't elicit as explosive a reaction as the news of Floyd's new fiancée.
Tarot: Ace of Hearts represents the beginnings and/or potential of friendships and romance.
Carrol Meek works for the Mousdom Cheese as a reporter and photographer, often confined to the gossip columns. She's aware she's a bit of an easily frightened rat, despite her interest in the history of detective work and criminals (she'd totally be one of those unassuming gals who listen to true crime podcasts in modern day). Occasionally, this interest has led to a crossroads with the daughter of one of the most famous detectives of the previous era, resulting in a rather adventurous friendship.
Adventures that do make Carrol wonder what on earth she got herself involved in with spy rings, mysteries, smugglers, and a terrifying game of wits that never truly ended.
OC INFO (more like rambles): The Dolans and Lupines
Well, this one will be interesting. I've said before that there's a sort of reversal between Ella and Pearl...
Ella Dolan may have grown up with a family in law, but she's very much not above doing any rule-breaking, sneaking about, and setting up little things to prank others. Her favorite target is the lead singer pair at her company. Her career in ballet has a lot to do with her deciding to do what she wants, no matter what others may think of it or her in doing so. She's very humorous and outgoing, using her intelligence to more connect with her coworkers than anything truly malicious. It causes her and Annette to become fast friends when the latter comes to teach the theatre girls.
She's also very protective of both her friends and workplace, intent on finding and getting rid of their ghost problem - even if it's not really taken seriously until almost too late.
Much like Annette, Ella was mostly raised by her father, though she lacks the drama that the Dawsons had. She actually got along well with her stepmother, Mary, when her father remarried, and the two often would get into mischief.
The Dolans:
Inspector Conan Dolan is more than happy to let Inspector Lawless deal with cases involving Basil of Baker, also being there - he may have a strong sense of justice, but he's not willing to be talked down to and likes to also watch his blood pressure. Because of this, he has a bit of distance between himself and the detective when Lawless can't or isn't able to be involved. Though he will ignore any of his issues with Basil when his children are involved, he's more than aware Ella, especially, can get in over her head and get in trouble if she thinks she's doing the right thing.
His taste in women can certainly be questionable. He certainly had a type.
Mary is the Inspector's second wife and mother to their three children, Vincent, Jane, and little Abigail. She and Conan married when Ella was well into her teens, but the stepmother and stepdaughter duo both were quite the fans of jokes and pranks. Prior to meeting and marrying Conan, however, Mary was more involved in secrets of a darker nature - She wasn't a woman that most paid attention to with her dull coloring, something that made her good at retrieving information and spying for more criminal minds... Mary counted on this as well when she sought to leave that life behind, turning spying for criminals to spying for the law for a time. When news of one of her main employers having met his demise, she certainly breathed easier... until it seemed someone was starting to target her new family after all these years.
Vincent and Jane are more clingy than Ella ever was and have no idea about the history of their mother or the truth of how their parents met, but they are ever loved by Conan, Mary, and Ella. The age gap between the three older siblings never much deterred them, as they make for a chaotic household that keep Mary and Conan busy. Hopefully, little Abigail won't be too rambunctious when she's out of her toddler years.\
Marie was Ella's birth mother, passing away in childbirth. She'd been the daughter of a police officer herself, though she was much like her daughter in being a bit of a rule-breaker.
Conan had a type.
Pearl Lupine is an array of conflicts. She adores her parents, but it's taken a bit of time for her to realize that they are certainly not a normal family. At all. And that they are, in fact, still pretty horrible people for how they view other people.
While she's intelligent and spirited, she has quite the trust issues and envy regarding others. She doesn't want someone to get too close in fear of how they might judge her for her conflicted feelings regarding her family and envious of how simple and happy 'normal' seems to be for others.
She puts on a 'straight-to-the-point' air in most social situations to deal with this while acting more aloof in body language. To say that when she and Ella meet, they're not the biggest fans of each other.
The Lupines have an interesting past that led them both to England.
Jean Lupine was good as a spy for his crew. Really good. So when he decided he had had enough of them, he took every secret he knew, plus documentation, and fled for a new life. His old boss, of course, had issues with this.
Jean settled up in England, starting his own business, both legal and illegal. Information was always Jean's main trade, and Jean didn't much care who his clients were on either side of the law. Most already didn't take him for much once they found he couldn't speak, very much not taking into account that he could do anything that didn't require a voice, including exposing the deepest secrets that could ruin a rodent. But he was also good at details, and with the secrets he brought with him to England, he used them to get a huge step into various industries, both sides funding the other.
His former boss sent Elizabeth, a dumpling of a mouse, who used her very unassuming and cheerful demeanor to put her targets at ease before getting rid of them. Jean quite knew this method of hers, but he admired the efficiency of it. This inspired him to try to turn her to his side.
Elizabeth got very close to getting rid of Jean, earning him a scar under his chin during a fight between them. Luckily, for Jean especially, she was charmed by him enough to want to spare him.
Of course, there were others sent to kill them both after, but that is the overall story of how the two ended up in England together.
It certainly made for an interesting childhood for Pearl.
Elizabeth made sure that her daughter was prepared for any assassination attempt that could happen to them, building up Pearl's immunity to a variety of poisons over her childhood and educating her on them. She was rather hopeful of Pearl presenting as a lovely young woman, or maybe having the information circle be a family business. She wasn't exactly happy about Pearl going into detective work, but had a bit more faith that she'd be alright.
Jean very much did not want his little girl involved in the life of crime, though he certainly did not approve of her going into solving it either. Things are especially tense between the father and daughter, and they almost came to blows when she initially started to investigate a case involving a Ratigan.
OC INFO (more like rambles):
Annette Dawson has been changed from being Dr. David Dawson's daughter to his niece. Not much else has really changed about her.
She's an educator by trade, mainly as a governess, and finds great joy in teaching her students. Her parents' failed marriage left a great distaste for marriage, which isn't helped by how often she seems to catch the eye of possible suitors who really don't deserve her. She has an incredible memory and adores her father, Uncle David, and Uncle Sebastian, and is close friends with Katrina Liddell despite their class difference.
Orville Dawson is Annette's father and Doctor Dawson's older brother. Orville and David weren't exactly close growing up, though they grew closer as adults. Orville isn't a surgeon like his brother, but instead went into pharmaceuticals, working as a druggist. He ended up befriending a visiting soldier named Sebastian Ratigan while the other was on leave for a time, often offering Ratigan the invitation to dinner with him and his family, for when Ratigan's family seemed to especially chill him out. This friendship resulted in Sebastian being made Annette's godfather when she was born.
Orville's marriage to Yvette, or the end of it rather, nearly destroyed him. He had very much loved Yvette and thought himself pitifully lucky that the Frenchmouse had even taken a glance in his direction, much less married him. When she had her affair, though, Orville felt utterly lost and despaired even more when hearing about her second marriage and new daughter. He barely got through with the help of Sebastian and focused on taking care of his daughter, moving to Westbury to get away from London.
Yvette Firman initially married Orville due to finding him a rather nice, humble, and funny mouse, and it got her out of her career as a ballerina. Despite an overall chilly exterior, she had cared for her first husband. However, while Orville kept himself more ignorant of idle gossip, Yvette kept her ears close to the ground to keep track of higher society's ongoings. Between her and Orville, she was more ambitious, and it only grew when she had Annette. She drilled Annette on arts and speech, hoping that either her daughter would do very well above their station or find higher, more famed, employment.
Her affair with the mouse, who'd become her second husband, happened around the time when she and Orville had constant arguments over Annette's possible future. Mr. Firman was from France himself and was a new manager at the local theatre. She knew very well her second pregnancy was Firman's and came clean to Orville about it, seeing that Firman and Orville looked very, very different.
It'd been a huge bet on whether Firman would marry her after her divorce, and Yvette knew full well she was lucky he did in such a hurry. And she was right that it would be impossible to hide the child as Orville's, as Marie was born with dark brown hair. She took to falling back on her old ballerina past, teaching the new ones at the theatre.
Marie grew up quiet, following her mother's steps in dancing in the ballet, though she had the benefit of her mother's overprotective gaze over all the ballet girls. She's far more of an observer and sees more than she lets many others know - she knows full well from overhearing others and her own parents that she has an older half-sister and that there's certainly someone living in the walls of the theatre causing problems.
She certainly never expected to meet her half-sister, though...
OC INFO (more like rambles): Riverfields (And friends)
Alright. Let's do this, the college day friends, let's go!
Let's start with our dear Basil-look-alike, Alexander Riverfield!
So... the biggest change done to him... he's a dormouse. Or, rather, half-dormouse. England's Hazel Dormouse, to be specific. I feel like they're still treated as 'mice' in Mousedom society, so there's not much of a different attitude towards them. Yellowish fur and tail aside, he takes a lot more regular mouse traits from his father.
In College Days, he and Basil have a sort of annoyed friendship, though Alexander feels a lot more pressure to go into his family's jewelry business and arts, trying to mask it under bragging and his own success.
Afterwards... It's not great. He gets more of a temper after college, and frustration and pressure slowly eat away at him until a case reunites him with Basil, Johnathon, and Harold.
Harold Bennett was a flirt during college, often sneaking out at night to flirt with the local girls. That much doesn't change after, though certainly he learns how to be more suave. Out of the four from college, he certainly got more aware of how to read people, something that often had him sticking with Johnathon the most to keep an eye on him. He's also the most concern on trying to help Alexander regarding the change in behavior going on.
Johnathon Shaw grew into his self-confidence, even if it wasn't much. He still remains a people pleaser and is the easiest of the four to still push around, but he's grown more of a sense of right and wrong, and to call it out. Regarding Alexander's situation after college, he is also concerned, though not for his friend, but for those affected by him, especially Helena. Harold often feels like he's trying to prevent Johnathon from accidentally making something worse than better.
Helena Riverfield is Alexander's younger sister and was once arranged to be Basil's future partner. Basil, Helena, and Alexander all had problems with this, especially since Basil and Alexander looked so much alike.
As children, Alexander and Helena did not get along at all. She was temperamental and a bully, often fighting with her brother for any ounce of approval from their parents. She once aspired to become an actress, though such dreams were very quickly dashed by her parents, who were determined to have her be a 'proper lady.' After an incident, though, she's much quieter. Silent. Her mother's ideal doll of a daughter, by the time her brother's old friends come around for a case...
Roberto and Amelia Riverfield would probably be the last couple who anyone would think was a love match. Both are snobbish and strict with their children, setting up high standards for both Alexander and Helena to meet.
Robert always favored Alexander more and made no secret of it, but he heavily pushed Alexander around more like a lackey than his son. To him, his son was a means to an end for a legacy, not an actual person. Amelia didn't show so much bias, but her form of encouragement usually meant insulting and humiliating her children for anything they were doing wrong, even worse if it had anything to do with the arts.
Juliette Derrick is Roberto's niece and therefore Alexander's and Helena's much younger cousin. She's about 16 by the time of the movie and goes to live with her uncle's family after her parents go missing on a voyage.
She's a quiet, nervous sort, having been an outsider, witnessing how her cousins were treated, and dreading her new life in England and what standards she's about to be held to.
