Housepets!

So he's had the bell since he was a kid. Cute.

The Bell: Origins

Huh, So, that's how he got the bell.

The little Grifter’s not doing well,
chasing the Mice through the barn.
The ‘free food scam’ is hard to sell
and his tale is really quite the yarn.
Telling of how he got his neckwear
to all of the guys in the room;
a truth that must be quite hard to bear
as it embarrasses him, I assume.
To young to appreciate her words
but old enough to know that story;
realising that barn life’s for the birds
and it’s Housepets that get all the glory.

I love how he apparently decided "eh, free bell. Guess I'll keep it."

I bet Faust did that.

I hope we’re going to dive into this because I have several questions.

So that's why the mice were so confident when they tried to make Grape wear a bell. They'd already tried it with Max.

It would seem the trick to belling the cat is to have the cat be Max instead of Grape. For some reason, seeing Kitten Maxwell with a bell looks just as weird as seeing another character without their collar. At least present day, his bell doesn't actually ring.

So, next reveal - how the bell loses its jingler.

In my experience, giving a cat a bell is like Rock Lee's ankle weights. Eventually they'll learn to be dangerous with them on, and nearly unstoppable without them.

But does the bell ring? Extremely important question.

So... he was never able to take it off after all these years?

Frank wrote:So... he was never able to take it off after all these years?

He broke the ringer but left it on to give the mice a false sense of confidence?

Or he put it back on later? Because he didn't have it in the first flashback.

Hmmm.

We don't know whether this is before or after the other kitten flashback, but it feels like before.

that's assuming it's the same bell and not leading to an "Oh come on... Again?" moment.

Huh. Still more curious about the ear origins, but interesting knowing about the bell

Buster wrote:that's assuming it's the same bell and not leading to an "Oh come on... Again?" moment.

That would also be awesome.

It looks like the mice did it... but i have a hunch Rufus maybe involved somehow :3

There's various reasons he could've kept it on all these years: confidence, memories, sentimental... i'm going with sentimental :3

GameCobra wrote:It looks like the mice did it... but i have a hunch Rufus maybe involved somehow :3

There's various reasons he could've kept it on all these years: confidence, memories, sentimental... i'm going with sentimental :3

I mean, people have mentioned it doesn’t work at all before, so I guess it makes sense... also makes the comment that slightly older kitten Max brought up he didn’t like collars also makes sense, he can’t be sneaky with it on at this point.

Also, just realized Rick accidentally gave us some information on the rip on Max’s ear. While it was always the most likely reason, we never knew if it was a bite mark or not.

Also, this is clearly humiliation for Max, but i'm waiting to see him turn this from hope for the mice to fear

Now that we are a little ways into the chapter, it’s time for THIS OR THAT! This is when I come up with a list of possible plot and storylines predicting where the chapter is going because that’s how my mind works.

So here’s what we know, Max has been living on the farm for a few days but is struggling to adapt (clearly a reason he leaves and joins the pet lifestyle) and Rufus still needs to develop a deeper relationship with him.

1. Max, knowing that mousing and farm life is hard, goes to Rufus for advice (or Rufus comes to him). Rufus seeing Max’s struggles takes him under his wing as a mentor/father figure role. They bond while in the Shadows, Coyote Sam plots her revenge and targets Max.

2. Max struggles with catching mice which leads him on a quest to improve his hunting ability with the help of the barn cats. The mice in turn plot against him which leads to an epic struggle of mice vs. farm animals to establish dominance over the territory. (Firestar’s Quest had a similar plot where he and Skyclan fought a horde of rats to reestablish Skyclan’s territory.)

They are going to train him. x3

Ooh! Is it time for a montage?

fenrirblack wrote:Now that we are a little ways into the chapter, it’s time for THIS OR THAT! This is when I come up with a list of possible plot and storylines predicting where the chapter is going because that’s how my mind works.

So here’s what we know, Max has been living on the farm for a few days but is struggling to adapt (clearly a reason he leaves and joins the pet lifestyle) and Rufus still needs to develop a deeper relationship with him.

1. Max, knowing that mousing and farm life is hard, goes to Rufus for advice (or Rufus comes to him). Rufus seeing Max’s struggles takes him under his wing as a mentor/father figure role. They bond while in the Shadows, Coyote Sam plots her revenge and targets Max.

2. Max struggles with catching mice which leads him on a quest to improve his hunting ability with the help of the barn cats. The mice in turn plot against him which leads to an epic struggle of mice vs. farm animals to establish dominance over the territory. (Firestar’s Quest had a similar plot where he and Skyclan fought a horde of rats to reestablish Skyclan’s territory.)

Points to Rick if he goes with the second point... and makes it pretty clear these mice are clearly related to the mice that tried to put a bell on Grape’s neck

Ah, now I see our complete Maxwell, with his nice bell. Good he got it since when he was a kitten. We'll hopefully see about how he got the ear bite... Eh, don't worry, mice catching isn't something for all cats. From what you said and know, you have other "qualities"... Eheh, another girl called him "Maxie" before Grape. Anyway, now the barn cats need to explain why that bell is concerning...

He's a stray for a while after this, so I imagine he doesn't get his ear bitten yet. Though maybe I guess?

Sleet wrote:He's a stray for a while after this, so I imagine he doesn't get his ear bitten yet. Though maybe I guess?

I mean, it’s surprising Rick didn’t make the alligator kidnapping event when he lost that part of his ear. Funny thing, Rick unintentionally set up some mystery elements to both his and Grape’s past even before the Rufus thing, Max was figuring out when he lost that bit of skin, Grape with which specific background she had before she ended up at the shelter/pound of the three possibilities she brought up.

Gameb18oy wrote:Also, just realized Rick accidentally gave us some information on the rip on Max’s ear. While it was always the most likely reason, we never knew if it was a bite mark or not.

Mexwell's quote on the old cast page is "Don’t ask about the bite mark" so Rick Griffin had already given away that it was bitten off.

Champion Wallace wrote:

Gameb18oy wrote:Also, just realized Rick accidentally gave us some information on the rip on Max’s ear. While it was always the most likely reason, we never knew if it was a bite mark or not.

Mexwell's quote on the old cast page is "Don’t ask about the bite mark" so Rick Griffin had already given away that it was bitten off.

The plot thickens then, wonder what chewed it off and if he ever expected to answer that question.

So I'm assuming that Max took the ringer out so the mice would lower their guard and only have to run when they heard it. Unless they SUPER GLUED it to his neck, at this point I see no reason for him to keep it on.

The barncat's facial expression looks like Breel's did when he was trying to reassure Keene.

I just realized Rick missed out on one of the most obvious puns for this page “starved by the Bell” it’s just one letter off

Gameb18oy wrote:I just realized Rick missed out on one of the most obvious puns for this page “starved by the Bell” it’s just one letter off

Ah yes, the age old saying: sarved by the bell.

Gameb18oy wrote:I just realized Rick missed out on one of the most obvious puns for this page “starved by the Bell” it’s just one letter off

That just sounds kinda mean considering Max is hungry and not doing well personally.

Amazee Dayzee wrote:So I'm assuming that Max took the ringer out so the mice would lower their guard and only have to run when they heard it. Unless they SUPER GLUED it to his neck, at this point I see no reason for him to keep it on.

I see no reason for him to keep it at all. I find it hard to believe that it’s the same bell that he wears now. I mean the only reason to keep it would be for sentimental value from his time on the farm. If that was the case then his time there would have to greatly improve but raises the question of why did he leave? Remember there is still one really important fact and that is that this farm is hours away from Babylon Gardens even by car.
On a different note, if Max and Rufus were to get closer one way would be if Rufus suggests to Max that he sabotages the bell in order to lead the mice into a false sense of security.

Stroopwafel_Falafel wrote:

Gameb18oy wrote:I just realized Rick missed out on one of the most obvious puns for this page “starved by the Bell” it’s just one letter off

Ah yes, the age old saying: sarved by the bell.

I wish I could pretend I made that mistake on purpose XD

Why am I thinking of that Poe poem, "The Bells"? ….must be channeling Phil Ochs.

“At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.”
― Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express

fenrirblack wrote:“At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.”
― Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express

So the mice just don't believe in in Max?

or anybody else. even peanut thinks it doesn't ring.

that would explain a lot about his self esteem issues.