Talk:Reaper Mouse

Similarity to "Death of Rats"

I know Dave V. removed this trivia, but really? Hard to believe there's no connection. For example, compare this fan art of Terry Pratchett's "Death of Rats" character (the EXIF file info shows the image was created well before the Reaper Mouse appeared in MH) and the MH image. (Here they are side by side for easy comparison, right down to the blue glow around the sickle.) Not trying to argue with the devs, but this is just one example out of dozens of similar images that predate the Reaper Mouse. --B.Rossow · talk 14:55, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

Well, let's see. There's a Grim Reaper's cloak-and-cowl, which is fairly standard amongst all renditions of any Reaper-ish characters. Then there's a rat's tail sticking out of it; Only so many ways you can draw that. Then there's a scythe (or sickle) which might vary only in length, thickness, curviness, and shape of handle. I don't really see any inch-for-inch equalities there with the book's one. The only similarity at all is the blue glow...but think rationally for a minute. You have D&D, you have Baldur's Gate, you have umpty-billion renditions of skeletons, undead, lich-like characters, and so forth. Death is associated with ice, with cold, with actinic energy. The undeathly glow seen all over the place is argent and blue.

So...no. It's the same Grim Reaper we see everywhere, with a tail sticking out of it. Terry Pratchett didn't come up with the Grim Reaper idea, and neither did HitGrab. It's just another theme mouse, like a Zombie mouse (zombies aren't original...stick a tail on it). It is unbearably adorable to lich-lovers like me, though. I want one. - Jakj 15:30, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

In the interest of full disclosure, do you have any relationship to HitGrab? Seems odd / coincidental that you somehow found and replied almost immediately to my comment, what with you being a new user and with this being your only contribution to the wiki. Your comment seems exceptionally defensive and has made me curious. :-) --B.Rossow · talk 19:36, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

I think I had another contribution somewhere or other (can't remember) under my IP, but I created an account for this one. You do realize that Wiki pages (including Special:RecentChanges) have RSS feeds, right? (Side note: Somehow the RSS feed code is screwing up and I keep getting bunches and oodles of old posts (as much as two days) that were already downloaded. Doesn't happen with other Wikis I'm on, Wikia-hosted or otherwise.)

As for defensive and hostile tone, that's just how I am. I have absolutely no padding whatsoever between my personality and my communication, and even my closest friends call me "short". It just kind of bothers me a little when a developer gives official notice one way or the other of their intention as to something that cannot be experimentally verified by any means other than asking the developer, and it comes into question. Developers can be wrong when they forget how a particular piece of code is written if they haven't worked on it for a while, but they don't generally lie about their inspirations for something.

Perhaps it'll make more sense to know that I play Kingdom of Loathing and follow its Wiki too (and have a couple dozen edits on there), and there is no more rabid spading community of pop-culture fans than that. - Jakj 22:58, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

To be fair, I never said anything about you seeming hostile, just defensive. Seemed odd is all. For what it's worth, the devs haven't denied it -- Dave simply removed the snippet from the article. I'd be interested in an official response just to satisfy my curiosity. Lay opinions (mine included) aren't worth much. :-) --B.Rossow · talk 23:11, 8 November 2009 (UTC)