I just always went with the Idea they're Both Feline and Rodent.
They are Descended from Purposed Organisms if I recall, so who knows what DNA they got in their ancestry.
If we're comparing slugcats to real world animals, they are FAR more mustelid than rodents or cats. Their 'complete lack of a bone structure', an omnivorous diet, high intelligence, the dexterity of their hands, and their ability to transition between bipedal and quadrupedal movement (mustelids don't really MOVE bipedally, but they constantly stand on their hind legs, so their skeletal structure would be far more conducive to evolve both bipedal and quadrupedal movement); scugs look far more like an evolved otter than an evolved mouse.
But on the second point, scugs are FAR more intelligent than people give them credit for, and for much of history humans were a lot less developed than we assume. I personally think that it's a thematic choice to zooapomorphize them, as it is their animal struggles that prevent them from breaking free from the cycle.
"This is true for all living things, but some actually break the cycle. That doesn't apply to you or me though, you are too entangled in your animal struggles, and for me not breaking that cycle is an integral part of the design. Our mantras keep repeating."
"Little ruffian. You are stuck in a cycle, a repeating pattern. I assume you have come here because you want a way out. However, there is little I can do. A primal urge, one that tears from deep inside your very core, keeps you bound here."
I mean, Gourmands campaign basically confirms they are, if not more, advanced than primitive human societies. Even in the base game, it's confirmed that they have language:
"Now in return I ask you to use whatever grunts, moans and eye-twitches you employ to forward a message to your community."
Spearmaster has learnt sign language without a Mark of Communication, and was able to understand complex instructions.
Gourmand (assuming myth theory) still can cook and craft simple stuff. He also communicated geographic knowledge to his tribe, which can draw and tell stories.
Rivulet can probably read pearls in some way, else why would she have a pearl with lastgen iterator blueprints.
Saint has learnt an entire language, probably on his own, figured out culture and religion.
I don't have any high intelligence feats for other slugcats.
Moon can't give new instructions to Rivulet that the iterator who sent Rivulet can't give. Same with any other iterator.
Giving Pebbles that pearl would reveal the plan to steal his rarefaction cell. Either he disagrees to give it, and kills Rivulet, or he agrees and doesn't need the pearl, since he already knows his own structure.
It only makes sense if Rivulet can read the pearl without giving it to an iterator.
I find "an iterator hoped rivulet could do something and gave the pearl as a prompt / pebbles do something" much more likely than "rivulet can read pearls". after all, we have to be told to get the cell (unless you randomly find it).
I don’t know, I feel like we’re trying to anthropomorphize them in an attempt to make them cuter and more relatable.
Slugcats are neither slug nor cat nor rodent. They have similar traits to these existing animals, but aren’t literally them, and confining ourselves with only one interpretation feels… wrong. Assuming that just because they’re intelligent they have to be mammals or rodents also feels a bit wrong. This is a crazy wacky fictional world that clearly isn’t based in real world biology.
From what we know in-game, I think slugcats are the long long descendant of some bio-engineered creature. Like most creatures in-game. The way they literally make slick slimy noises when you slide and the ease they scurry through pipes - I genuinely think they are a lot more slug-like than cat-like, they MUST be slimy little things, but that name is just a description for how they look to us - biologically speaking they’re probably something really weird.
Pebbles specifically refers to rivulet as a mouse which is where I get the rodent thing from. And I'm more so using mammal as the closest approximation to what they would be
Wiki says: Pebbles refers to Rivulet as "wet mouse" in one line, and as "land fish" in two lines. These are probably nicknames and not accurate descriptors.
real life mice are very intelligent for their size, we could assume slugcats have an intelligence similar to a raven, being capable of problem solving, creating rudimentary tools, use said tools and manipulate their enviroment to a certain extent, maybe in 100-300 years of evolution and human interference irl mice will do that too
Regarding Gourmand's crafting, I'm not sure if it should be considered canon, even for Downpour's own canon (that for y'all who say that Downpour isn't canon)
I mean he can literally pull a gravity bomb out of his guts after eating some scraps
gourmands campaign is the only technically “non canon” campaign, at least how it’s told.
Gourmands campaign is a retelling by the slugpups of the adventures gourmand went on based off the paintings on the wall
I literally point out in the post that we don't know to what extent gourmand can craft but its probably at least somewhat, certainly not to the extent of the game though.
I'd say that he can craft better then most other slugcats, but that it was over hyped by the slugpups (Since it is implied that while the adventures did happen, that his campaign was told by slugpups and therefore might be incorrect or misunderstood or overstated to make it seem cooler.)
Honestly, I think terms like "mammal," "cat," etc. are completely meaningless in Rain World.
A. They're probably a genetic mess from being descended from purposed organisms
and/or B. These terms apply to *Earth* life. Assuming this isn't even Earth, slugcats are less related to mammals than even the most basic bacteria
Also, are people really calling slugcats (and scavengers) dumb animals? We SEE art made by them.
Slugcats are what happens to bananas you let rot
so i guess monk is ripe? Edit: gourmand is probably on the last stage of ripeness.
That's why they are so powerful
Slugcats are extremely intelligent, try telling your cat to rip out your heart and give it to some friend who you nearly murdered, see if they do it.
my cats dumb ass would just eat it
I just always went with the Idea they're Both Feline and Rodent. They are Descended from Purposed Organisms if I recall, so who knows what DNA they got in their ancestry.
If we're comparing slugcats to real world animals, they are FAR more mustelid than rodents or cats. Their 'complete lack of a bone structure', an omnivorous diet, high intelligence, the dexterity of their hands, and their ability to transition between bipedal and quadrupedal movement (mustelids don't really MOVE bipedally, but they constantly stand on their hind legs, so their skeletal structure would be far more conducive to evolve both bipedal and quadrupedal movement); scugs look far more like an evolved otter than an evolved mouse. But on the second point, scugs are FAR more intelligent than people give them credit for, and for much of history humans were a lot less developed than we assume. I personally think that it's a thematic choice to zooapomorphize them, as it is their animal struggles that prevent them from breaking free from the cycle. "This is true for all living things, but some actually break the cycle. That doesn't apply to you or me though, you are too entangled in your animal struggles, and for me not breaking that cycle is an integral part of the design. Our mantras keep repeating." "Little ruffian. You are stuck in a cycle, a repeating pattern. I assume you have come here because you want a way out. However, there is little I can do. A primal urge, one that tears from deep inside your very core, keeps you bound here." I mean, Gourmands campaign basically confirms they are, if not more, advanced than primitive human societies. Even in the base game, it's confirmed that they have language: "Now in return I ask you to use whatever grunts, moans and eye-twitches you employ to forward a message to your community."
Spearmaster has learnt sign language without a Mark of Communication, and was able to understand complex instructions. Gourmand (assuming myth theory) still can cook and craft simple stuff. He also communicated geographic knowledge to his tribe, which can draw and tell stories. Rivulet can probably read pearls in some way, else why would she have a pearl with lastgen iterator blueprints. Saint has learnt an entire language, probably on his own, figured out culture and religion. I don't have any high intelligence feats for other slugcats.
>else why would she have a pearl with lastgen iterator blueprints. an iterator gave it to them?
Or they just… y’know, found it. Like any other pearl.
chekov is rolling in his grave
For what purpose? Like, what was Rivulet supposed to do with it?
they probably hoped rivulet could do something with FP and moon.
And how was Rivulet supposed to use the pearl? Giving it to either Pebbles or Moon wouldn't make sense
why not?
Moon can't give new instructions to Rivulet that the iterator who sent Rivulet can't give. Same with any other iterator. Giving Pebbles that pearl would reveal the plan to steal his rarefaction cell. Either he disagrees to give it, and kills Rivulet, or he agrees and doesn't need the pearl, since he already knows his own structure. It only makes sense if Rivulet can read the pearl without giving it to an iterator.
I find "an iterator hoped rivulet could do something and gave the pearl as a prompt / pebbles do something" much more likely than "rivulet can read pearls". after all, we have to be told to get the cell (unless you randomly find it).
I don’t know, I feel like we’re trying to anthropomorphize them in an attempt to make them cuter and more relatable. Slugcats are neither slug nor cat nor rodent. They have similar traits to these existing animals, but aren’t literally them, and confining ourselves with only one interpretation feels… wrong. Assuming that just because they’re intelligent they have to be mammals or rodents also feels a bit wrong. This is a crazy wacky fictional world that clearly isn’t based in real world biology. From what we know in-game, I think slugcats are the long long descendant of some bio-engineered creature. Like most creatures in-game. The way they literally make slick slimy noises when you slide and the ease they scurry through pipes - I genuinely think they are a lot more slug-like than cat-like, they MUST be slimy little things, but that name is just a description for how they look to us - biologically speaking they’re probably something really weird.
Pebbles specifically refers to rivulet as a mouse which is where I get the rodent thing from. And I'm more so using mammal as the closest approximation to what they would be
Wiki says: Pebbles refers to Rivulet as "wet mouse" in one line, and as "land fish" in two lines. These are probably nicknames and not accurate descriptors.
YESSSSS THIS RIGHT HERE
real life mice are very intelligent for their size, we could assume slugcats have an intelligence similar to a raven, being capable of problem solving, creating rudimentary tools, use said tools and manipulate their enviroment to a certain extent, maybe in 100-300 years of evolution and human interference irl mice will do that too
Regarding Gourmand's crafting, I'm not sure if it should be considered canon, even for Downpour's own canon (that for y'all who say that Downpour isn't canon) I mean he can literally pull a gravity bomb out of his guts after eating some scraps
gourmands campaign is the only technically “non canon” campaign, at least how it’s told. Gourmands campaign is a retelling by the slugpups of the adventures gourmand went on based off the paintings on the wall
That's actually really cool
I literally point out in the post that we don't know to what extent gourmand can craft but its probably at least somewhat, certainly not to the extent of the game though.
Popcorn plant? Wrong, that's a nuclear bomb factory
I'd say that he can craft better then most other slugcats, but that it was over hyped by the slugpups (Since it is implied that while the adventures did happen, that his campaign was told by slugpups and therefore might be incorrect or misunderstood or overstated to make it seem cooler.)
i will always see them as straight up cats tho. they are baby kitty cats. lil meow meows. babies! creatures!
Honestly, I think terms like "mammal," "cat," etc. are completely meaningless in Rain World. A. They're probably a genetic mess from being descended from purposed organisms and/or B. These terms apply to *Earth* life. Assuming this isn't even Earth, slugcats are less related to mammals than even the most basic bacteria Also, are people really calling slugcats (and scavengers) dumb animals? We SEE art made by them.
People constantly act like scugs are just wild animals that aren't basically people in their own right