In mathematics, no perfect square number ends in 2, 3, 7, or 8.

Here are some square numbers to show this: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100, 121, 144

Wu Zetian (oo dzuh-tyehn) was the only woman ever to be recognized as the legitimate emperor of China.

Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, making it the first state. This happened on December 7, 1787, exactly two hundred thirty-seven years ago as of this journal.

I know I asked this question before, but I've gotten more watchers since then. And one's favorite character may be different now from when I asked. So who is your favorite of my OCs?

Despite being in South America and not Asia, Uruguay is officially known as the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. It's also the only country on that continent that is located entirely outside the region of the Tropics.

The last time the guillotine was used as an execution method in France, "Star Wars: A New Hope" had already been released.

Hummingbirds are the only types of birds able to fly backwards. This is because, unlike other birds, which flap their wings up and down, hummingbirds flap their wings in figure eights.

The westernmost point of the South American mainland is further east than Detroit, Michigan.

A little bit of info about myself: I'm a trivia geek (though, admittedly, it depends on the subject). So I figured I'd share some facts on various subjects now and then, with the first one coming momentarily.

I'd like to draw everyone's attention to the next leader of the free world...Emmanuel Macron!

Yeah, I am at a loss of words for what the **** happened last night. With that said, I would like to say some things.

Has the GOP basically become a reincarnation of the Nazi Party of Germany? Yes. Is it fair to compare Trump to Hitler? Well, for the answer to that question, ask the following people: those whom his presidency placed in concentration camps on the southern border; former members of his Cabinet; a great many historians; the guy that gave his name to that unspoken rule about mentioning Nazis in arguments; those whom Trump has said "live like vermin" or are "poisoning the blood of this country", both of which are words and phrases Hitler used to describe his enemies. (YES! THE ANSWER IS YES, WITHOUT QUESTION.) Will they succeed in passing every authoritarian policy planned out in Project 2025? Well, that's tough to say for sure.

It's true, we could become Oceania from George Orwell's "1984", and all our rights will be stripped away. However, Trump may have won, but it wasn't just because of his cult. Despite my comparison of the Republican Party to the infamous party that took over Germany in the 1930s, this description is not entirely reflective of the average voter. And I'm not just referring to Republicans like Liz Cheney, who was, to use the parlance right-wingers started to use several years ago, cancelled. Many voters who chose Trump did so because they've been convinced that, as authoritarian as Trump was years ago--and still is--he was good on the economy. (In fact, he inherited a growing economy, and his tariffs put a burden on workers, and mass deportations meant a loss of workforce. (For example, we had a good Mexican restaurant where I'm from, and too many people were being deported to keep the business running. And, for the record, there were deportations before Trump got elected; he just cranked up the deportations with no humanity or common sense.) Biden, for his faults, inherited a bad economy, made worse by the pandemic; and he turned it around. Biden added jobs to the market by the thousands, and inflation is lower than in many other countries.) Where am I going with this? Well, a good chunk of the people who voted for Trump didn't do so because they wanted America to become Nazi Germany 2.0. (There were many who practically did.) They voted based on feelings rather than facts. (If a person voted for Trump based on facts, then they really ARE a Nazi.) Should the economy turn to crap, which economists predict will happen, those who voted for him for economic reasons might vote for the Democratic candidate. There are still a fair number of people who like democracy and freedom and just don't realize that Trump is a threat to both of those.

What am I saying here? Prepare for the worst: update your passport status, or get one if you don't have one. But, at the same time, don't be a doomer. Do what you can to reduce the damage the next presidency will create. Form coalitions. Protest. Express yourself. Make it hard for Congress and Trump to pass legislation. And, most importantly, VOTE IN ELECTIONS!!!!!!!!! ...if we have any more elections.

I'm probably not going to be posting any art in the next few days.

So, I saw the new sequel to Tim Burton's 1988 classic "Beetlejuice", and, not to beat around the bush, I really enjoyed it. I'd give it a score of 9/10. It loses points because there are more subplots than necessary, and they often wrap up rather quickly. Still, maybe I'm just a sucker for spooky content, but a pretty solid sequel, it is, nonetheless.

What are your thoughts? I've heard this movie has mixed reviews, so I'd like to hear what you think.

I will be doing an art dump on my page.

I just made a Bluesky account.

Link: https://bsky.app/profile/colinfirecat.bsky.social

If this link doesn't work, let me know.

Today, for those who've forgotten, is Indigenous People's Day, or, as many call it, Columbus Day. I write this to say: Can we retire this holiday already, or at least the name "Columbus Day"?

For those who don't know, Columbus Day exists because Italian-Americans, a demographic that at one time was subject to discrimination, wanted a day celebrating their heritage. Now, I'm down for a holiday dedicated to our Italian-American community. I'd do the same for any group of people.

With that said, you could hardly choose a worse historical figure to be the face of your holiday. For one thing, he never set foot on what would be the United States; he instead went elsewhere in the Americas, primarily on the islands of the Caribbean. Hell, he wasn't even the first European to see the New World. That title belongs to the explorers under Lief Erikson, who crossed the waters from Iceland to Greenland and then to Newfoundland, now part of Canada. That's not to mention the various native groups that have already been living there for millennia. Second, many historical figures held beliefs and ideas and did things that would ABSOLUTELY NOT fly in the modern world. (Thomas Jefferson, for example, was a slave owner.) Many argue that, while we consider that to be bad, many people back then disagreed, and we shouldn't base our judgment of a historical figure on our modern standards. What's different about Columbus, however, was that, even by the standards of the 1490s, his actions of slavery and murder were, to say the least, a massive turn-off, so much so that he actually returned to Spain in chains (though he later received a pardon). He and his men have also done worse things to the native peoples he subjugated. (I can't say what they are because they're probably too explicit and horrid to describe in a journal here.)

So, I'm fine with this day being called Indigenous People's Day. (I often call it IPD for short.) Like I said, I would accept a holiday for Italian-Americans to celebrate. I would just recommend other candidates like Amerigo Vespucci, after whom the two continents are named, or Giovanni da Verrazzano.

Something I probably should bring up is how I police curse words in the comments of my submissions. I apologize I haven't made any clear specifics before this, so I just want to make clear my guidelines to avoid further confusion.

Here are the words to be used only either in Notes or on submissions rated Mature or Adult:

the 'F' bomb
'sh*t'
the 'A' word (this does not apply if you specifically mean 'donkey', as this is often the technical term for the animal)
any slurs/pejoratives

BTW, you may censor the words in General comments (I recommend using an asterisk in place of at least one letter)

NOTE: This list may expand later, so if it does, I will redo this journal to accommodate the change(s).

My username there is colincat0295.

For a while, I've had the idea of doing a series of drawings based on the classic "Super Mario 64" with Bernard from "The Rescuers" as Mario and Bianca as Peach. I was kind of putting it off, but with Bob Newhart's recent passing, I figured it would be best to start posting content this month. What I ask of you is who should take Bowser's place?

Choice 1: Hopper ("A Bug's Life")

Choice 2: Jenner ("The Secret of NIMH")

Choice 3: Ratigan ("The Great Mouse Detective")

Choice 4: A write-in character (Please give the name of the character)

Do you prefer it when I draw him as himself or as Little John from the Robin Hood story?

Hi there.

Are there any Disney characters you want to see in my style? I have a few works in progress that feature characters including the two mice from "The Rescuers" films.

NOTE: I would prefer to hear about characters I have not yet drawn. If you list a character that I have done in the past, that's fine. I'll let you know.

It's that time of year. My birthday is just a month away now.

Happy 4/20, everyone.

Since it is spring, I was wondering what your favorite seasons are. My ranking is as follows:

1. Autumn. It's nice and cool, but not too cold. We get fantastic foliage. My favorite holiday, Halloween, is in the autumn.
2. Spring. I admit that months of cold weather can make the arrival of spring feel liberating. It gets warm, but not hot. My birthday is also in the spring.
3. Winter. Given the choice between being very cold and very hot, I'd most likely choose the former. However, I admit it can get too cold.
4. Summer. It gets hot as hell.

April Fools. I'm not actually leaving.

Sorry for the prank.

I have some sad news. I am deleting my FA account tonight. It's been a nice ride here. Thanks for the support.

I might have asked this before, but considering it would have been a while, I thought I’d ask anyway.

What is your favorite holiday?