Codex

Natural history

Every creature in the codex, sorted by how it came to stir: born the ordinary way, woken from an object, batched in the vats, or loose in the air. Meinong’s jungle files how a picture fails to exist; this files what is alive in it, and never argues with the jungle.

85 rows: 85 proposed, 0 that only restate what the games and the codex already say. None of it is canon until it is approved: the codex filed what the games say into systems, and proposed the rest. Each row says which it is.

The born

Alive the ordinary way: born, hatched or grown. It would be alive in a world without a workshop.

Beasts

Fur, four legs or flippers, and somewhere warm to sleep.

  • Ferrule Proposed — not canon until approved

    The workshop cat. No bell; it has gone missing. Saves marbles.

    Moves
    walks
    On record in
    Ferrule

  • The sleepers Proposed — not canon until approved

    The size of hills, asleep. Roads go round them.

    Moves
    stays-put
    On record in
    The sleepers

On the wall: Long distance, Knight pasture, Cold desert, The listening dunes, The sleeping match, The sleeping hill’s closed eye, Sleeping hedgehog in the quarry, The magnetic hedgehog, A question of balance, A suitable pause, The weight of Sunday, Seals and the surging sea, Seven horses across the waterfall, The longer goodbye, Zebra stripes slip to the ground, The zebra’s unfinished stripes, Butterfly shadows over a sleeping tiger, Lion with a brass key mane, Bison grazing the dawn fog, Candlelit stag in rainy forest, Fennec and the fog-sucking vacuum, Haunted toast and the aye-aye, Taking the burrow with me, The fox’s snowy paper trail.

Swimmers

Fins or no legs at all; lives in water, oil or, lately, wheat.

On the wall: Canned serenity, Reef in a minor, Scale transit, Desert drift, School attraction, Sardines above the drained pool, The lantern reef, The coral doorknob, Fish over folded pool water, Koi swimming through wood, Octopus untangles eel tangled ethernet, Octopus untangling spaghetti on the prep counter, Underwater eel illuminates abandoned bulbs, Whale surfacing through desert sand, Whale swimming through golden wheat.

Shellfolk

A shell, a claw, or a borrowed teacup to live in.

  • Can crab Proposed — not canon until approved

    Nips, then raises one big claw. Defend.

    Moves
    walks
    On record in
    Can crab, makedo3d

  • Teacup snail Proposed — not canon until approved

    Lives in a teacup and hides in it when stepped on.

    Moves
    walks
    On record in
    Teacup snail, a GeoCities homepage (family)

  • Borrowed shells Proposed — not canon until approved

    Hermit crabs and others in things made for something else: a coffee cup, a padlock.

    Moves
    walks
    On record in
    Borrowed shells

On the wall: Pearl of the night, Pearl transit, Low tide on toast, Private weather, Saltwater etiquette, Clamshell cornflakes at breakfast, Padlock shelled hermit crab, Hermit crab’s coffee cup shell, Hermit crab’s jade insulator shell, Crab curates a pebble spiral, Shopping cart on snail wheels, Snail’s trail of spring, Sea urchin weaving ivory lace, Ammonite awakening on shale.

The winged

Wings, whether feathers or dust.

On the wall: Time flies, Safety in numbers, Quack of dawn, Wing gardens, Moth motel, Moth at the edge of daylight, Midnight laundromat of sleeping moths, Pumpkin seeds become black moths, The pincushion wetlands, The very formal heron, Candy rain beneath a black umbrella, Pigeon on a soft brick cushion, Upside down flamingos on the ceiling, Geese walking up a waterfall, Monarchs rescue falling leaves, Owl in the last dandelion, The raven’s spoon graveyard, Woodpecker’s perfect cube burst, Wrong exit through the pool floor.

Crawlers

Six legs or eight, small, and usually busy.

    On the wall: Ants mend a shattered cobalt teapot, Emerald beetles in a typewriter, Orb weaver’s rainbow silk.

    Scaled and damp

    Scales, a shell it never leaves, or damp skin; usually slow.

      On the wall: Slow vacation, Late for nothing, Terracotta pots on the march, Rails bend around sleeping salamander, Axolotl’s jack-o’-lantern bubble trouble, Emerald frog’s concentric dew chorus, Emerald pink chameleon repaints the greenhouse, Emerald snake sheds silver chainmail.

      The growing

      Roots, and stays where it is put, mostly.

        On the wall: Spore sounds, The porcelain orchard, The ladder harvest, Pea tendril holds the line, Growing prose.

        The woken

        Made by someone for a job or as a likeness, and now moving or deciding with nobody using it.

        Desk things

        Small things from a desk or a drawer: staplers, pins, screws, an inbox tray.

        • Stapler Proposed — not canon until approved

          Has worked for both sides.

          Moves
          hops
          On record in
          Stapler

        • Tape dispenser Proposed — not canon until approved

          Tangles, then winds up.

          Moves
          walks
          On record in
          Tape dispenser

        • Binder clip Proposed — not canon until approved

          Pinches. Clamps.

          Moves
          hops
          On record in
          Binder clip

        • Sticky note Proposed — not canon until approved

          Flaps, then sticks.

          Moves
          flies
          On record in
          Sticky note

        • Pushpin Proposed — not canon until approved

          Jabs. Gets to the point.

          Moves
          charges
          On record in
          Pushpin

        • Shears Proposed — not canon until approved

          Snip, snip, open.

          Moves
          walks
          On record in
          Shears

        • Glue gun Proposed — not canon until approved

          Globs, then shoots.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Glue gun

        • Rubber band ball Proposed — not canon until approved

          Bounces, harder each time.

          Moves
          rolls
          On record in
          Rubber band ball

        • Hole punch Proposed — not canon until approved

          Reloads, then punches.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Hole punch

        • Pencil sharpener Proposed — not canon until approved

          Whirrs and bites; sharper every time.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Pencil sharpener

        • Label maker Proposed — not canon until approved

          Labels you Cracked, then prints.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Label maker

        • Carbon copy Proposed — not canon until approved

          Small, comes in pairs, smudges.

          Moves
          walks
          On record in
          Carbon copy

        • Rolodex Proposed — not canon until approved

          Flips twice and files clutter into your deck.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Rolodex

        • Eraser Proposed — not canon until approved

          Rubs out your block. On the wall, it rubs out a road and leaves wildflowers.

          Moves
          rolls
          On record in
          Eraser, Return to nature

        • The inbox Proposed — not canon until approved

          Urgent, then a flood, then a pile, then cc, forever.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          The inbox

        • Loose screw Proposed — not canon until approved

          Turns sharply. Sometimes drills.

          Moves
          charges
          On record in
          Loose screw

        • Price gun Proposed — not canon until approved

          Labels you, then marks you down.

          Moves
          charges
          On record in
          Price gun

        Machines

        A plug, a motor or a key that winds; does the same few things in order.

        • The shredder Proposed — not canon until approved

          Chews, grinds and feeds. Sometimes unplugged. Probably.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          The shredder

        • Desk lamp Proposed — not canon until approved

          Glares. Warms everyone else up.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Desk lamp

        • Typewriter Proposed — not canon until approved

          Clacks four times, then dings.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Typewriter

        • Calculator Proposed — not canon until approved

          Adds one more hit every time it adds.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Calculator

        • The guillotine Proposed — not canon until approved

          Trims, raises the blade, drops it.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          The guillotine

        • The photocopier Proposed — not canon until approved

          Copy, toner, warm up, print, jam. Why it was on, nobody has said.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          The photocopier, an open question

        • The franking machine Proposed — not canon until approved

          Frank, stamp, meter, post, at the top of the archive.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          The franking machine

        • The Opener Proposed — not canon until approved

          Winds its key: round and round. Nobody opens the tin but it.

          Moves
          charges
          On record in
          The Opener

        • Brewster Proposed — not canon until approved

          An espresso machine, sentient since a firmware update. Opinions about milk.

          Moves
          slides
          On record in
          Brewster, an open question

        Furniture

        Things you sit on, store things in or push about, that roll at you instead.

        • Flatpack Proposed — not canon until approved

          Assembles at you. Tightens a cam lock.

          Moves
          walks
          On record in
          Flatpack

        • Swivel chair Proposed — not canon until approved

          Rolls into you, and spins.

          Moves
          rolls
          On record in
          Swivel chair

        • Display model Proposed — not canon until approved

          Poses, tilts forward. Some assembly required.

          Moves
          only-unwatched
          On record in
          Display model

        • The Assistant Proposed — not canon until approved

          A faceless mannequin in a staff vest. Moves only while nobody is looking.

          Moves
          only-unwatched
          On record in
          The Assistant, Backrooms memo 20

        • Model 7 Proposed — not canon until approved

          A mannequin, retired from the shop window. Still posing.

          Moves
          walks
          On record in
          Model 7

        • Filing cabinet Proposed — not canon until approved

          Files, slams, opens all its drawers at once.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Filing cabinet

        • Chair Proposed — not canon until approved

          An office chair that rolls at you. Stompable.

          Moves
          rolls
          On record in
          Chair

        • The trolleys Proposed — not canon until approved

          Shopping trolleys left out after closing, getting on with it.

          Moves
          rolls
          On record in
          The trolleys, makedo3d

        Paper, cloth and wool

        Folded, knitted or stitched, and taken to flying or walking.

        • Paper wasp Proposed — not canon until approved

          Folded out of last year’s invoices. Throws a drawing pin.

          Moves
          flies
          On record in
          Paper wasp

        On the wall: Paper migration, Linen lake, The chalk migration, An unscheduled migration, Eight loose ends, Paper moths in the archive.

        Likenesses

        Made in the likeness of a living thing, in glass, paint, stone or cardboard, and taking after it.

        • Glass manta ray Proposed — not canon until approved

          Glass, kept for company. It doesn’t say much. Some were let out of the window.

          Moves
          swims, flies
          Waiting on
          Was the glass manta ray made, or born glass? (proposed question manta-made)
          On record in
          Glass manta ray, Opening Hours, an open question

        On the wall: Slow amusement, Foxfire lodge, Ray of evening, The painted fish leaves the frame, The unfinished visitor, Two dimensions short.

        The batched

        Slop, or kin of the batch: it has set into a shape (a jelly, a teacup, a roll) and goes wherever it isn’t stopped.

        Still soft

        Wobbles, squashes, splits in two and makes more of itself.

        • The First Batch Proposed — not canon until approved

          At the bottom of Cold Storage. The one that started all of this.

          Moves
          drifts
          On record in
          The First Batch, an open question

        • The Mother Batch Proposed — not canon until approved

          Leaps, lands in a ring, makes more of itself.

          Moves
          hops, splits
          On record in
          The Mother Batch

        • Batch Proposed — not canon until approved

          A large glob. Comes apart into two.

          Moves
          wobbles, splits
          Comes from
          The Mother Batch
          On record in
          Batch

        • Glob Proposed — not canon until approved

          Squashes down, then hops at you.

          Moves
          hops
          Comes from
          Batch
          On record in
          Glob

        • Slopio Proposed — not canon until approved

          An acid-green glob with a curl on top and a name. Sticks to walls; pours himself into funnels.

          Moves
          hops, slides
          On record in
          Slopio, slopio

        • Mould Proposed — not canon until approved

          Swells, then a ring of slow spores.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Mould

        • Jelly Proposed — not canon until approved

          Wobbles toward the Out tray. Nothing special. It knows.

          Moves
          wobbles, hops
          On record in
          Jelly

        • The Centrepiece Proposed — not canon until approved

          A tiered jelly the size of a desk lamp, shedding jellies.

          Moves
          wobbles
          On record in
          The Centrepiece

        Set in a shape

        Set into the shape of an ordinary thing, and heading off in it.

        • Teacup Proposed — not canon until approved

          Fast. Slow towers miss the moment.

          Moves
          rolls
          On record in
          Teacup

        • Kettle Proposed — not canon until approved

          Steams everything near it back to health.

          Moves
          walks
          On record in
          Kettle

        • Walnut Proposed — not canon until approved

          Slow, huge, and not the walnut on the shelf.

          Moves
          rolls
          On record in
          Walnut

        • Foil swan Proposed — not canon until approved

          Wrapped in foil. Laminators just make it shinier.

          Moves
          walks
          On record in
          Foil swan

        • Gumball Proposed — not canon until approved

          Arrives by the handful.

          Moves
          rolls
          On record in
          Gumball

        • Bread roll Proposed — not canon until approved

          Breaks into three crumbs. The crumbs keep going.

          Moves
          rolls, splits
          On record in
          Bread roll

        • Crumb Proposed — not canon until approved

          Part of a roll, recently.

          Moves
          rolls
          Comes from
          Bread roll
          On record in
          Crumb

        • Snow globe Proposed — not canon until approved

          Walks to the Out tray behind its own glass.

          Moves
          walks
          On record in
          Snow globe

        • Paper moth Proposed — not canon until approved

          Flies straight over everything.

          Moves
          flies
          Contested
          Paperweight files it with the escaped batch, which is escaped Fresh slop; Flight Risk and the wall have it folded paper, out of the archive. Both are on record.
          On record in
          Paper moth, The escaped batch

        • Sardine tin Proposed — not canon until approved

          A sardine tin that has decided to walk. Peels its lid back and fires three.

          Moves
          walks
          On record in
          Sardine tin

        • The Big Tin Proposed — not canon until approved

          A sardine tin, only big. Fans of sardines, then a charge.

          Moves
          charges
          On record in
          The Big Tin

        • Pickle jar Proposed — not canon until approved

          The lid lifts, then one shot.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Pickle jar

        • Slop jar Proposed — not canon until approved

          A jar of slop off the top shelf, climbed down in rows to march on the bench. Some come sealed.

          Moves
          walks
          On record in
          Slop jar, invaders

        • Larder moth Proposed — not canon until approved

          Drifts at you and crosses gaps. A cousin of the paper moth, perhaps.

          Moves
          drifts
          On record in
          Larder moth

        • Tine Proposed — not canon until approved

          A fork prong. Shows you the line, then goes.

          Moves
          charges
          On record in
          Tine

        • Siphon Proposed — not canon until approved

          Draws a line to you first. Step off the line.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Siphon

        • Drain eel Proposed — not canon until approved

          Goes under. A ring marks where it comes up.

          Moves
          swims
          On record in
          Drain eel

        • Ice cube Proposed — not canon until approved

          Slides in straight lines. Never stops.

          Moves
          slides
          On record in
          Ice cube

        • Cloche Proposed — not canon until approved

          Shut, it can’t be hurt; open, it fires and can.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Cloche

        • Whisk Proposed — not canon until approved

          Spins up, then lunges, twice.

          Moves
          charges
          On record in
          Whisk

        On the wall: Sugar cube ant escape, Apple peel, flesh walking away.

        The loose

        No body you could pick up in one piece: cold, dust or a spill that behaves like an animal.

        Airs

        Cold and moving air, from under doors.

        • The Draught Proposed — not canon until approved

          The cold that comes in under doors. Lives in the attic.

          Moves
          blows
          On record in
          The Draught

        • Draughtlet Proposed — not canon until approved

          A small draught. Whistles through you.

          Moves
          blows
          On record in
          Draughtlet

        On the wall: Tiny flame, enormous gust.

        Dust

        Dust and webs, which keep the airs company.

        • Dust bunny Proposed — not canon until approved

          Shuffles into you.

          Moves
          drifts
          On record in
          Dust bunny, makedo3d

        • Cobweb Proposed — not canon until approved

          Clings, and spins itself thicker.

          Moves
          stays-put
          On record in
          Cobweb

        Spills

        Oil and ink that spread, and soak themselves back up.

        • Oil slick Proposed — not canon until approved

          Spreads and soaks itself back up. The sea is mostly oil, so it has a lot of relatives.

          Moves
          spreads
          On record in
          Oil slick

        • Ink blot Proposed — not canon until approved

          Splats. Spreads.

          Moves
          spreads
          On record in
          Ink blot

        Not yet sorted

        On file, not yet sorted: what it is has not been said. This bucket is meant to empty.

        Not yet sorted

        On file; what it is has not been said.

        • The Understudy Proposed — not canon until approved

          Took over the stage. Very good at waiting. Act one: it; act two: also it.

          Moves
          walks
          Waiting on
          What is the Understudy: a person, a likeness of the lead, or something the walnut grew? (proposed question understudy-kind)
          On record in
          The Understudy, an open question

        • Stagehand Proposed — not canon until approved

          Lifts a flat over its head; the flat comes down next turn.

          Moves
          walks
          Waiting on
          What are the stagehands and hecklers of the walnut theatre? (proposed question theatre-creatures)
          On record in
          Stagehand

        • Heckler Proposed — not canon until approved

          Boos, and throws a tomato. Most of the audience, lately.

          Moves
          stays-put
          Waiting on
          What are the stagehands and hecklers of the walnut theatre? (proposed question theatre-creatures)
          On record in
          Heckler

        • The Slop Monster Proposed — not canon until approved

          Shown as a number that balloons as it feeds. Doesn’t drink coffee.

          Moves
          charges
          Waiting on
          The arcade calls it software, and software is not yet a stir. Does it get one, or does it stay outside the sorting? (proposed question slop-monster-kind)
          On record in
          The Slop Monster

        • Sloppy Joe Proposed — not canon until approved

          A sandwich on stubby legs. Walks the bottom of the desk and the tops of windows, sits on title bars, drips.

          Moves
          walks, hops
          Waiting on
          Was Sloppy Joe made at lunch and woken, like a desk thing, or is loose meat kin of the batch, like the bread roll? (proposed question sloppy-joe-kind)
          On record in
          Sloppy Joe

        Not living

        On the wall, looking alive, and not.