Alright, some of you have expressed interest in both topics, and those of you didn't comment still left a like anyway. So while the topic for my childhood favorite show will be saved for tomorrow in honor of my Letterboxd One Year Anniversary, I will share with you all an original idea that I just started coming up with like a couple weeks ago. I don't know why, but my interest in creating a fantasy world that's entirely my own just came out of nowhere. I've came up with random story ideas before, but I seriously didn't anticipate having these random thoughts come to mind. With that said, allow me to introduce y'all to...

TALES OF ANIMALUS!!!

Like I've mentioned in my previous post, this isn't going to be just one story, this is going to be an anthology taking place in this fantasy world (that I've decided to call Animalus) throughout its history! It will feature anthropomorphic animals from different parts of the world and even different time periods. We've got ancient time periods where dragons ruled the world and powerful entities roam, as well as modern time periods where magic and technology coexist, and the tech in this world is mostly steampunk! And there's also limitless potential for character concepts, not just with the species of animals, but also the type of professions they have: Mages, Swordsmen, Archers, Bounty Hunters, Inventors, tribal warriors, kings and queens, pirates, martial arts fighters, and even just ordinary villagers who will have to embark on certain adventures for one reason or another. The locations in this world can range from castles, villages, underground cities, evil lairs, seashores, deserts, Dragon Mountains, forests, an Asian-inspired country, and so much more!

But while there isn't a consistent central main character due to this being an anthology, there are two characters that I would to share with you all. This first story will focus on an unlikely duo that I would like to be the icons for this anthology series. The first two characters I would like to pop in people's minds when thinking about Tales of Animalus. A black cat Mage named Simon Callico, and a tiny inventor mouse named Amelia Chamembert.

Simon Calico: A lone Mage who practices spells and potion making, Simon is not the wisest or most powerful magic user in the world, but he is very intelligent and decently powerful. He's just your local neighbor who so happens to use magic. A neighbor who lives in his own little house just outside a village. He likes expanding his knowledge of his gifted powers for the sake of both science and magic, and he also enjoys reading and listening to stories that expand his knowledge of the world around him. Ironically, he doesn't like to travel far and is too preoccupied in his comfort zone. He likes to take it easy while still working on his passion, albeit in small ways. He is very articulate in what he does and doesn't like it when things don't go his way even if it's a slight inconvenience. He is easy to irritate and embarrass, though he is definitely kind and generous.

He enjoys reading, making successful potions, and cooking food as well as making hot tea. He has a record player that would play music for him. He also enjoys calm and quiet music, though sometimes he enjoys listening to upbeat dance music. However, he would usually listen to it by himself and dance when no one is around. He is most of the time, but he would be embarrassed to dance in front of anyone, especially if they were secretly watching.

He is usually very relaxed, just as long as nothing goes wrong. He tends to avoid fights as much as possible, but while he is far from being an expert fighter, he can try to defend himself when he feels like he has to, and he does know a couple of offensive moves, albeit nothing too substantial and certainly not fatal.

He wears tiny glasses, a red cloak and hood with gold lining, and a light brown outfit underneath. He carries a wand since he is more skilled with it than using his paws for magic, though he does sometimes use them. A Mage can use a wand in order use more precise spells and direct them in they way they want to. It actually takes more skill to use your hands for most spells wince it requires you to position your fingers in very specific ways as well as being able to tap into stronger powers, while a wand is quick and easy once you figure out how to wave it in certain ways.

Simon likes to be alone when he's working, though he does sometimes get visitors. A couple of them have been Mages, but they've mostly been non-magic folk who want to know more about what Mages do. Simon doesn't brag or let everyone know that he is a Mage, but since the village he lives nearby is mostly inhabited by kind folks, he is open to sharing his passion with others. The visitors he gets are usually entire families, but there was one time where a teacher and her students came by to meet him.

So while Simon has been living the good life, he admits to himself that he feels like he's secluding himself from expanding his horizons beyond just his knowledge. Yet at the same time, he makes an effort to try to make friends from the nearby village which is definitely a healthy mindset, yet it also keeps him occupied with just staying in one location for what could be the rest of his life. He's scared of going outside his comfort zone because the world can be a scary place, filled with violence, war, chaos, and destruction.

One day, he had a horrible nightmare. No, a vision of what is yet to come. He passed it off as just a random dream, but deep down he knows that something is wrong. He went for a few weeks not having the same vision, but it eventually came back...and then again a few days later. And then again, revealing that there is some sort of unknown entity lurking in the darkness. He tried looking through his books and visited the library multiple times to research anything about evil creatures, but even the rare books he found that were about such monstrosities didn't match up with what small glimpse he kept seeing in his nightmarish visions. At some point, he has to venture off into the unknown in order to warn other about this rising threat and find out what must be done...though he certainly would not be alone.

Amelia Chamembert (Steampunk Mouse): Born in the underground rodent city known as Stiltonville, Amelia is a tomboyish and excitable young mouse who loves to work hands on and learn about her surroundings. And by surroundings, I mean outside of her home town. She's joyful and all about maintaining healthy relationships, yet she quickly gets bored sticking to one thing for too long.

She loves to work on automobiles for the other mice, invent new gadgets, and even performing gymnastics. She did briefly partake in ballerina class, however, she doesn't like to be relegated to gender specific hobbies. She found it too girly even for her own liking and instead worked on exercises at home. Her parents are proud of her hard work, determination, physical activities, and healthy relationships. But there's this slight nagging feeling they have that she may be working too hard, either pushing her own limits or even pursuing beyond what society would want her to accomplish.

Generally, mice are a cowardly species that live in fear of the world above them. They fear predators, war conflicts, and just being stepped on. While they don't hold a grudge against many other species such as rabbits, squirrels, and even other rodents (though some rats are definitely scumbags), they are absolutely prejudice against predators, especially cats. They've been known for accusing them for being thieves (which they can be and even certain governments are very much guilty and hypocritical for demanding spies to steal food for their underground cities) as well as eating them for just a measly snack. Turns out, only the cruel cats would even consider eating mice since it is always frowned upon for one anthropomorphic animal to eat another, hence why they rely on creatures with animalistic behavior (fictional creatures that I have not came up with) as a source of meat. Stiltonville is a town that promotes working for the benefit of their own culture, but working for outside forces is very much illegal unless they give permission to work with any other species if they see no warm in doing so.

So as one can imagine, Amelia is very much against strict government laws that prevents freedom. That's not to say she's against rules and regulations in general, but she definitely isn't fond of the way her home town operates, not under such strict laws anyway. But she knows not to express this to her family, yet after mentioning her ideology with her friends, their relationships have definitely took a major blow as a result. They haven't ended their friendships with her, but some are definitely mad about her saying such things while others are just afraid of what might happen if she's not careful.

When Amelia graduated from school and became an adult, she started her own business as an engineer/inventor, fixing vehicles and trying to invent new stuff such as appliances to sell to others, gadgets for herself in order to embark on her own adventures that she dreams about, and sometimes, even toys for children. She has gathered a mostly positive reputation, with many adult mice claiming her to be incredibly reliable and hard-working, and the kids absolutely love her and her work. Although there are some, like the councilors, who are suspicious about Amelia living by herself, working alone, and inventing new things for her own benefits. They're not against her work ethics, but they are skeptical about her determination to do things her own way.

One night, the councilmen came to her house, which was huge enough to be a place of work, and asked her to work under their own conditions instead of doing everything her own way, and they also mentioned that they will pay her well if she agrees. She respectfully declines, though she also had the thought about aggressively shouting at them for being so manipulative. The councilmen then say that she has 24 hours to make up her mind. If she still refuses, they will take away her home/workplace so that she will have to stay somewhere else (either an apartment or her parents house) and work herself from the ground up again in order to get proper work and live in her own house again.

After they left, Amelia furiously gathered her things and decided to leave Stiltonville at this moment. Unfortunately, some rat spies hired by the government eventually catch up to her. She gets caught by them, but quickly manages to use her gadgets and fighting skills to break away from their grasp and escape. Soon, the rat spies lost track of her. Amelia was all alone.

She managed to survive sleeping wherever she could and finding whatever scraps of food were on the ground, or what fruit may be growing nearby. She spent a few days by herself, starting to regret her decisions, wondering how much happier she and her friends and family will be if she hadn't left and agreed to make due with those scummy councilmen. Eventually, she came across a house where she could sneak by in order to "borrow" some food.

She was then caught by Simon, the black cat Mage, who trapped her in a magic jar and scolded her for trying to steal from him. She explained why she was doing what she did and promised not to steal or run off if he promises not to eat her. Simon replies that he doesn't eat mice and that most cats are too civilized to even do such a thing. He even says that the thought of having anything live inside his mouth is absolutely grotesque. He then reluctantly invites her to stay at his house where she can eat proper food and stay for at least one night.

Amelia then starts asking about his magical abilities since she only ever heard stories about Mages and never saw anything of the sort. Simon teaches her about magic, potions, and the various ways that Mages can contribute to the world around them. She became so fascinated with his abilities, and he became fascinated with her gadgets and inventive skills. She shares her reasoning for being alone, and then he shares his own. The two found common ground with each other and decided to become friends. Instead of just the one night, Simon decided to share his home with Amelia, even making a tiny bed for her on his nightstand. Amelia has expressed her own regret of making such a hasty decision, but Simon, while expressing his criticisms of her actions, still comforts her by saying that he will make sure that she sees her family again one way or another, no matter what the circumstance.

A month later, Simon suddenly woke up screaming one night and tells Amelia about the nightmarish visions he's been having lately. He tells her that an ancient evil is going to rise one day soon, but he's not sure when it will be or even what this evil is. He tries reassuring that someone brave and powerful enough to defeat the mysterious evil creature will come along and that the world will be safe. Amelia agrees, but also adds that they need to do something in order to warn others about this ancient evil. Simon disagrees and refuses to let her go off on her own again. She agrees that she doesn't want to go alone, yet she wants him to join her. After much needed persuading, Simon reluctantly agrees to go with her to gather a group of individuals who would be willing to join them on their quest to spread the word and warn everyone about the rising threat so that they can prepare for what is yet to come and defeat this evil once and for all.

So let me know what you all think! Give me feedback. Did you like what you've read? Are you interested in knowing about other characters? If so, I will make another post later this week describing more characters. Though, after that, I will restrict myself to every one or two weeks until I feel like I should move forward with tweeking and finishing up this first story with Simon and Amelia.