#despite like unicorns and dragons being real

[chickenmcnuggies]

now that im finished with this gay fates update i figured i’d show off the other modding project i’ve been working on, which is a dwarf fortress mod to add a lot of stock fantasy creatures i was disappointed weren’t in the game (or any other mods)

This isn’t all of them, but the sprites im most happy with

cockatrice male and female (megabeast, the snake head on the tail injects a venom that paralyzes their foes)

centaur male and female (sentient and similar to animal people)

peryton

various different ent caste

mogalls (a la fire emblem, shadows of velentia’s design specifically)

quetzalcoatl

wurm (megabeast, based on the wurm design from dungeon meshi)

wyverns (come in 4 different colors!)

phoenix (megabeast, skin made of stone and blood made of magma)

griffon and hippogriff (hippogriff are common domestics)

[tansyuduri]

Merlin Loregasm Rewatch S1E11

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my rewatch of Merlin focusing on the lore. I am a giant nerd so pretty excited about this. We’re on THE LABYRINTH OF GEDREF

Showing off hunting Trophies was a major thing in the Medieval ages. They were often used to decorate. Unicorn horns were especially valued. Especially considering the various ways they could combat poison. (An antidote if ground up, or making liquid bubble if dipped in it) What's that? Why of course there were unicorn horns all over in the middle ages. There was just one catch... These unicorn horns? They were actually Narwhal tusks

I find the categorization of magic creatures in Merlin interesting. Because there are some that need magic to be killed. (Griffin) Some that are rare and magical and DO NOT need magic to kill (Unicorn). Some who are tied to the spirit world (Manticore) and some that are created.(Afanc) And some that are not real world animals but do not seem to be magic at all (Serkets and wilddeoren)

There are also some that seem to be human-level or higher In inteligence. But it's not all of them. (Trolls, Sidhe, Dragons) COME TO THINK OF IT WHY ARE THERE ONLY DRAGON LORDS and not like lords of other creatures. This and the ability to give spells and bunish swords seem to imply dragons are the most magical of them all. HOW DID THE DRAGON LORD THING START. Were dragons bound to a bloodline or a few bloodlines? Did they accept it because before hand there were some kinda dragon civil wars? Was some human born with the soul of a dragon? Did a dragon turn human and have a child with another human and magic made that child the first dragon lord? I kinda like that one best. I should problubly have adressed this in the Balinor episode. I will again then.

Okay so from this I think we can conclude that killing a unicorn does not always curse an entire kingdom. It likely did this time because Arthur was a prince. My guess is that if a comoner were to kill it it would destroy their home, Perhaps in extreme cases their village (perhaps depending on what they identfy as) What would it do to someone who was a migrant I wonder? Just destory anything they use to travel? I'm assuming this because "very few" means there were a decent amount once. And unless Unicorns have a breeding problum SOMEONE had to kill them. And I don't think there are enough kingdoms for kingdoms always being destroyed

OKAY lets talk Medieval famine! While the Wealthy did indeed store some grain away, it was almost never enough to provide for the populace. Thus Medeval famines resulted in many horrible things. Besides rising crime and lawlessnes, Often children where abandoned and elderly people voluntarily starvedthemselves. While in the Merlin world welfare help seems to be on the royals, in the medival ages it was on the Church. The great famine of the 1300s actually underminded the church on the contenent because it could not keep up and everyone thought the famine came because god was angry. Interestingly in England People thought god was angry but decided it was with the king at the time and less the church, In Camlot it might lead to people thinking the same thing about the Pendragon Dynesty. (Especially since religon is not as big a deal) Ironicly in this case the people would be RIGHT thinking that. But Uther might be worried because the camalot people could very well ask themselves why the pendragons are being punished and go OH they were the ones who got rid of the old religion and banned magic. WHAT IF THAT IS WHAT THEY DID WRONG!

Yeah so at this point if Arthur and Merlin had not been able to cure the issue It was the end of Pendragon rule as people knew it. All your water turning to sand DOES NOT HAPPEN. even if they get water from other sources somehow. (Despite Arthur saying its the same thoughout the kingdom) God/Gods were VERY angry, or Sorcery caused this and is needed to fight it. (Merlin could not turn the sand back to water but might have been able to summon water like he does later)

First time we hear of a keeper or guardian of a magical thing. This will be a reocuring theme and I totally do not talk about it at all in any of my fanfics. ALSO Funfact "Anhorn" and "Anhorna" are old english words for unicorn. It seems likly his name is based on these.

Anhora: If you fail any of these tests camalot will be damned for all eternity. Okay does he mean just Camalot as a kingdom and if another kingdom took over the same spot it would be fine, or is this entire area of land doomed forever? Because it sounds like the later and if so ONCE AGAIN I MUST REPEAT MY EALIER THRORY ABOUT IT JUST BEING A KINGDOM DUE TO ARTHUR.

Historicly Tea is first mentioned in the third centery in China. It became Popular in the tang dynasty and spread to other east asian lands (618 to 907) This is after the time Merlin is set. So even if trade routes were much bigger (Like we explained might be the case in previous posts) It would not be a big thing yet. SOOO What Arhur and Gaius refer to as tea is likely an herbal infusion. (This is often ALSO refered to as Tea but doesnt have the actual Tea herb)

Arthur: They've come from the outlying villages in search of food. There is not enough rations to feed the people whoa re already here. Like I've said only the wealthy stored grain and not much of it. These outlying villages are likley the ones directly under Camalot's control and not under the control of a Camalot Lord.

Rats are actually consitered a delicacy of many cultures, some say they taste like wild game, others like Chicken, other say it has a taste all its own, In Asia especially you can find many rat dishes. Rat Pie was even a dish for both rich and poor in Victorain britain

Arthur: Ask the Neiboring kingdoms for help. They may be able to spare some food

Uther: Out of the Question. As soon as they realize how weak we are our enemies will strike against us

Arthur: You don't know that for certain

Uther: Besides I would rather starve then beg my enemies for help! What of our kingdoms reputation have you no pride?

Arthur: I cannot think of my pride while our people go hungry

I would like to point out that they can just rade valuables for food. Previous episodes have shown Camalot has a thriving trade network. They also have allies they can ask and not enemies but I expect Uther is too prideful to do that. And too afraid it would reveal things if there was a massive uptic in imported food.

No special info on this name.

Poppy was most likley used for this, Perhaps even Opium! Its also a respratory supressant and can explain why Merlin did not realize Arthur was still breathing. Another Possability is Dwale. (Lots of posionus herbs and bile used to not someone out if a limb needed to be removed) However it would have tasted so horrible that Arthur would have made a face. So I'm going with a mixture including poppy or Opium

[tyrantisterror]

While we’re on the subject of Dungeons & monsters, what are your top ten favorite D&D monsters & why?

I'm going to limit this to monsters that are either original creations of D&D or so divorced from their mythological roots that they might as well be original creations, or else this would just be me listing dragons. This is also in no particular order.

I'm gonna start with the Otyugh, because I think it's a result of D&D creating a very interesting ecosystem to justify its mechanics. You have all these artificial dungeons filled with different man-eating monsters, right? Well, what about the waste products they create? Carrion, yes, but also, you know... poop.

Well, you get Otyughs, a species that, depending on the setting, was either artificially engineered to take care of the waste products of a dungeon, or naturally evolved to clear out the waste of enormous megafauna predators like dragons. Is it mostly just an excuse to introduce yet another weird monster with a unique attack mechanic (say hello to sepsis and other infections, players)? Yeah, but it's a good excuse, it gets the imagination flowing.

I've actually played a lot more Pathfinder than D&D proper, and Pathfinder went out of its way to give Otyughs love by exploring all the aspects of their ecology that were only lightly outlined or implied in D&D, including the fact that they're technically intelligent enough to be capable of speech and reason - and thus, not necessarily a monster you have to deal with using violence alone. It really endeared me to them, to the point where Otyugh characters became something of a trademark of mine when running Pathfinder/D&D campaigns - and to the point where I ended up making up an expy of them for my own fantasy setting.

Bulettes are one of the coolest looking D&D monsters for my money, especially given that their modern designs take two inspiration from two very different animals - sharks and tortoises - and manage to combine them so beautifully to create something at once very cool and yet perfectly plausible as a "real" creature.

I love Rust Monsters for the same reason I love Otyughs - it's a monster that was made to showcase a game mechanic (namely, destroying players' weapons and armor, making sure they know how valuable those things are) and ends up creating a weird but plausible and interesting aspect of the ecology and world-building as a result. Also like Otyughs, they're very cute in a groady monster way.

Not every monster needs to have a big mind-blowing concept for me to be happy, though. Sometimes a creepy guy with a squid for a head who eats brains is enough. Mind Flayers are iconic and often imitated despite/because of being such a simple and easy to grasp concept.

Speaking of iconic monsters, Beholders feel like such an obvious cool concept that is shocking to me that they're more or less an original D&D creation - and it kind of sucks that they are, because a giant monster head with one main eye and several smaller eyes on stalks feels like it should be as ubiquitous in fiction as dragons and unicorns, and yet it can't be without paying Wizards of the Coast a shit-ton of royalties.

I will say that the lore D&D gave Beholders is pretty good, though - namely that each Beholder thinks it is the apex of their kind, and hates all other beholders for their perceived imperfections. Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, you see. It's great, no notes, but beholders should belong to the people, not copyright holders.

I'm pretty sure Mimics originate from D&D, though I guess they just couldn't keep the idea of "a treasure chest that fucking eats you" from the people, since they appear in a lot of non-licensed stuff. As they should - man-eating treasure chests are another monster concept that should belong to the people.

I was talking about Froghemoths the other day on here but I want to reiterate that I love them despite/because of the fact that there really is no greater concept at play here than "what if there was a big fucking frog freak," and not once in the long history of this game has anyone decided there needed to be more at play than that. A big fucking frog freak is enough for all of us.

I just think this one looks neat.

D&D kobolds are in the category of "so far removed from its mythic roots that it's basically a new monster," and in that case the new monster is "scrabbly little dragon people with extreme anxiety," and I love that. Kobolds are my favorite humanoid species in D&D, and I'm glad 5th edition finally gave them a stat block that's actually playable, as opposed to previous edition's attempts, which made the prospect of being a kobold character the equivalent of having a public humiliation kink.

Finally, and also in the category of "technically named after a mythic monster it no longer resembles in almost any way," we have the Tarrasque, which went from a turtle/lion hybrid dragon in myth to a nigh-indestructible monster that's explicitly compared to natural disasters for its immense size, vast destructive power, and near inability to be harmed thanks to its armored hide and insane healing abilities. Or, in short, D&D lawyer friendly equivalent of Godzilla. How can I not love D&D Godzilla?

[artoatsblog]

Half-Life/portal/tf2 crossover but it's a 2000's cartoon au

Gordon Freeman is our blank slate protagonist, he's 11 and just moved to town, He's bullied and doesn't have any friends until he finds out he has superpowers and it's his job to save his new town.

Chell is a goth girl who acts as (essentially) Gordon's moral compass.

Wheatley is a Mr crocker type teacher who hates Gordon and helps Caroline take over the town.

Caroline is the principal whose alternate supervillain form (named GLaDOS) main power is summoning "the all powerful nine".

They may or may not be based on the Mercs from tf2

Speeding sound (scout) is a black and white cartoon character put into the modern day, he dresses like a baseball player and in the first episode he appears in the main way of defeating him is not giving him any attention.

Powerful patriot (Soldier) is the most """Noble""" of the nine he has a skewed sense of justice and looks like a 6 ft raccoon wearing teared up army clothes he found in the dumpster probably.

Innocent inferno (Pyro) just wants to make everyone happy, granted this happiness comes from being hypnotized, but it's the thought that counts, he's/she's/they're a unicorn that looks like they're being taken over by dragon DNA, although only the unicorn parts can be seen when they're pals (victims) hypnotized to have a more "friendly" look.

Almighty alpha (demo) is a beach bum because that's the closest I can get to a PG alcoholic, He's also a wolf because... I needed another word that started with a, instead of being just connected to wizards he is one, he mostly uses his powers to hypnotize people to like him because he is very lonely and sad.

Dreaded dyr (Heavy) rarely comes to earth himself because he finds conquering humans child's Play, closest thing to a leader the nine have and looks like whatever a fat/jacked skeletor would look like.

Boastin' bronco (engineer) thinks that all humans are inferior to him, acts "real nice" to them but secretly hates every single one, he's a robot cowboy because why would you expect him to be anything else.

Medical malpractice (medic) is no angel despite his looks, similar to bronco he finds humans weak however unlike bronco he wants to improve humans by taking his favorite parts of the animal kingdom and forcing humans to be just a bit more like them, he has a human body but dove like wings, a eyeball for a head and a doctor's coat design to look like an angel's robe.

Sharp shooter (sniper) is a croc from the down under(world) doesn't talk to people and mainly stays up high to avoid being touched, He's literally just sniper but a crocodile in terms of appearance.

And finally, Shimmering shadow (spy) has the ability to possess anyone with the only downside being that the right arm is all under control of the original person he possessed, he is a pure black shadow in 2D.

[nikibogwater]

I watched The Last Unicorn (1982) with very, very little prior knowledge of the film. And I wasn't planning to, but I ended up taking notes because wow. This movie. It's something.

The very little prior knowledge I had was as follows: it's an old animated film about a unicorn and I've occasionally heard people talk about it fondly. That's it, that's literally all I had going into this thing. It was not nearly enough to prepare me.

Ohhhh I love the scenery! Man, nothing hits quite like a traditional hand-drawn backgrou--OH MY WORD WHAT IS THAT WHY IS IT MOVING LIKE THAT STOP IT

Ohhh, this is a Rankin-Bass production? Well, that explains the animation.

Yeah that is not a unicorn, that's a llama with a table-knife glued to its head.

Ooh, the opening credits play over a lightly animated medieval tapestry! That's so coo--aaaaand they picked the most 80's sounding song I can imagine to go over it, okay.

Yo this butterfly is stoned out of his little buggy mind, maybe he should get some rehab.

Love that it's not immediately clear what the "red bull" actually is yet. Is it a literal bull? Is it a raging fire? Is it the inescapable march of industrial progress?? Gotta stay tuned to find out. (edit: it was literally just a bull and I need to stop reading symbolism into every little thing).

Ok ngl, the "Man's Road" sequence was actually fire, despite (or perhaps because of) the 80's cheese.

Angela Lansbury!!! Man, she just ate this role. Who'd've thought Mrs. Pots could sound so threatening?

I would die for Shmendrick.

Oh that is a very lore-accurate harpy right there. (⊙_⊙;)

Love how the witch's carnival arc touches on the idea of truth vs. wishful delusion. There's a beautiful irony in a movie about a literal unicorn talking about the importance of staying grounded in what is real and truly beautiful.

No, seriously, I would die for Shmendrick. Protect this precious man at all costs.

Can we pretty please stop calling the witch Mommy

"That's my immortality!" eyo this witch is actually a great villain. Really wish she could've stuck around for the whole movie.

Awww, the unicorn is taking care of Shmendrick! That's so sweet! God knows he needs it.

Shmendrick: Run! We'll find each other later! *immediately gets captured*

Have I mentioned that I would die for Shmendrick.

I feel like the entire bit with the outlaws had a lot of connecting shots cut out for time because I really couldn't follow any of what was happening.

Hehehe...That tree looks like a butt. I wonder if they did that on purpo--WHAT THE HELL

*nervously glancing over my shoulder to make sure my family doesn't see me watching this*

Unicorn to the rescue!! Thank heavens.

"That was true magic." Then please don't ever do true magic again.

"How dare you come to me now, when I am this?!" H-hey, nobody told me this movie was gonna go that hard...

Mom-friend acquired! Just in time, too. Unicorn looked like she was getting real tired of being the only one with two brain cells to rub together.

Our heroes: *bracing themselves for what may be the darkest, most dangerous part of their journey* Freakin' Gerry Beckley from "America:" ��MOON RISIN'! DISGUISIN'!! 🎵 Gotta love that tonal dissonance.

Oooh hey the animation on the Red Bull is actually kind of good!

Molly: DO SOME MAGIC! Shmendrick: I CAN'T! Molly: YES U CAN I BELIEVE IN U Shmendrick: *does some magic* Molly: NOOOOO WHAT HAVE U DONE Molly I love you, but make up your darn mind.

Love that being turned into a human being is like, the worst thing that could ever happen to the unicorn. Yeah, being human is a pretty awful experience.

Boy there is just empty static behind Prince Lir's eyes. Homeboy doesn't have a thought in his head and probably never will.

Lir: babe look I got u a severed dragon head pls love me

Oh yeah. Marry this one, Unicorn. He's a keeper.

Molly: Shmendrick will help! Unicorn: I hope for no help from him. He is no magician now, but the king's clown.

GURL SAY THAT AGAIN! U KEEP DISRESPECTING MY BOI SHMENDRICK AND U WILL GET THESE HANDS!

The pirate cat is now my second-favorite character. I've known him for all of 10 seconds, but I love him.

He doesn't actually purr. He just says, "Purr, purr." I love him even more now.

"No cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer." Most accurate line ever put to film.

Unicorn, please marry Prince Lir, you well never find a purer source of Himbo Energy than him. Look at him, he's even singing badly for you, you gotta take this one.

"I mean you can't really be that ridiculous magician's niece--" BETRAYAL. OUTRAGE. SCANDAL. I DISOWN YOU, LIR, YOU FOUL SERPENT WHO SPEAKS NOTHING BUT FILTH. I HOPE THE UNICORN BREAKS YOUR STUPID LITTLE HEART

Dang. This guy voicing the skeleton is putting his entire heart and soul into that laugh.

Prince "I love whom I love" Lir will not be stopped even by the threat of potential bestiality. I'd say Husband Goals, but first of all, ew, and second, he insulted Shmendrick so he is dead to me.

"I wish to God I didn't care about anything but my magic, but I do!" Oh Shmendrick, honey... 🥺

Yooo, that transformation back into her unicorn form was actually sick. For a Rankin-Bass made-for-tv movie, this thing pulls off some surprisingly good animation every once in a while.

Yeah, kick his magical red butt, little unicorn! Go save your boyfriend and your family!!!

What is it with Christopher Lee and playing creepy old guys who get thrown off of towers at the end

Wait, no, I only sort of meant it when I said the unicorn should break Lir's heart, I didn't think they'd actually do it!

Molly ditched her outlaw husband to travel the world with Shmendrick and honestly, I'd do the same if I was in her place.

Oh wow. She chose to save her own kind and return to her forest even though she loved Lir. This is actually very bittersweet and--GOTDANGIT GERRY BECKLEY, NOT NOW!!!

Closing thoughts: This movie was an absolute trip and I'm probably going to think it was a fever dream I once had after some time has passed. It's also the only movie I can think of that I would actually want a remake/remaster of. The story was great, though it jumped around from place to place so quickly that it was sometimes hard to follow what was happening. I like the characters a lot (mostly Shmendrick tbh but they're all good), and I wish there had been more time to let them interact with each other. You can see the potential for chemistry between the different personalities, but it's stifled by moments of awkward voice acting and the strange, jittery character animation. With more time to breathe and better animation, this story would really be something amazing. I'm actually very interested in reading the original novel it was based on now, I'll have to see if I can get my hands on a copy. All in all, The Last Unicorn (1982) is a mind-boggling experience with surprisingly deep themes combined with what I can only assume is what you see when you're on acid. If you have any interest, I would highly recommend seeing this thing for yourself.

Yes. Even the Boob Tree. Please. I don't want to be the only one who is cursed to have that scene in my brain.

[jerzwriter]

🐉, 📓, ✨,⚠️ For any and all of your babies!

Thanks so much for the ask, my friend!

🐉Very serious question… are they more like a dragon or a unicorn?

Ethan: Dragon Kaycee: Unicorn Tobias: Unicorn Casey: Unicorn Jessica: Unicorn Eli: Dragon Zoe: Hmmm. She's definitely a little of both, but her genuine state is Unicorn. Trystan: He wants to believe it's a dragon, but it's 1000% a unicorn. Carolina: 80% Dragon, 20% Unicorn! lol

📓Do you associate any quotes or lyrics with this oc?

You know, I do, but this is one of those questions I'd need to give entirely too much thought to lol I'm tucking this one away to answer on another time when I can really delve into this (it's the mental illness. lol)

✨Tell something that makes this oc feel happy!

Ethan: He'd say something like solving a medical mystery, and that's true. But what really makes him happiest is having someone who makes him feel like he has a place to call home for the first time in a very, very long time.

Kaycee: Making a sick patient smile despite the pain; her mom's cooking; Broadway/Theater; music - especially by Taylor Swift; her friends; Ethan.

Tobias: Sex (you asked lol); a day at the beach; flirting; his favorite team winning; a good game on the courts with friends; art; his little girls; and most of all, Casey.

Casey: Truly helping someone; sleeping in; cuddling; sex (you asked lol); really good food; music/concerts; autumn; her little girls; and most of all, Tobias.

Jessica: Academic/professional validation; spending time with true friends; hiking and beautiful scenery; baking; being with the person she loves.

Eli: Pleasant dreams about his late parents and brother, having a place to call home again; cooking something that makes Zoe make "that noise"; Zoe.

Zoe: Her friends who are her family; motorcycle rides with Eli; hugs; Eli.

Trystan: A top-notch massage, bonus points if it includes hot stones; fancy nights out on the town; knowing that he has true, loyal friends now - who love him for him - not for who he is; most of all, Carolina.

Carolina: "Theeeee Yankees Win!"; long rides with good music and/or good conversation; really good Puerto Rican or Caribbean food; her friends; Tommy; Trystan.

⚠️- If this oc came with a warning sign, what would it be?

Ethan: WARNING: My bark is worse than my bite, but my bark is pretty damn intimidating. Also, if you mess with my wife or daughter, the bite will be just as bad.

Kaycee: WARNING: Prone to breaking out into song at any random time. This will often include impromptu reenactions to Hamilton: The Musical or The Era's Tour.

Tobias: (Pre-Casey) WARNING: Voracious flirt who will follow through on that; but don't fall in love, because I'm bound to break your heart.

(Post-Casey) WARNING: Voracious flirt - it's just part of my DNA - I don't even know I'm doing it. But understand it means nothing, I've only got eyes for one.

Casey: WARNING: I'm bound to charm you. But if you're a hateful, bigoted asshole, or you fuck with my loved ones, that charm will go away REAL fast. Be warned.

Eli: WARNING: The stony exterior is just a protective device, but if I'm really scowling, it's probably best to stay away.

Zoe: WARNING: You may not be able to handle my level of badassery. The only thing I can't do - is cook. Oh, yeah, eat nothing I prepare.

Trystan: WARNING: Charming as fuck but capable of utilizing ancient Drakovian martial arts that will gut you in 3-2-1.....

Carolina: WARNING: Don't underestimate me. Ever.

Thanks again for asking, Dani!

[gr1evance]

making a post about some of my miscellaneous pool toy and plane ocs/designs, since i mentioned doing so over on my main! i imagine all these guys living in a world where living planes and pool toys (maybe other objects?) are common, but i don't actually have any real worldbuilding for that or anything, it's kind of just a placeholder for me to do whatever with. i don't really have a set thing for these guys!

rest will be under a cut, because i suspect this will be a long post lol

starting with my sonas! this is sugarsqueaks- he can't talk, but he WILL drag you into the pool with him. i think he's pretty laid back, he just likes floating around the pool, but i imagine when he's frustrated or excited he'll bap his paws against something or stomp on the ground. (cute!) and i'm always torn on if i think he should be scented like sugar/candy or if he should just have the classic vinyl pool toy smell

my plane sona's name is cloud nine!! i love him, he kind of sucks at flying and doesn't do it very often, but he's super excitable and has a personality that definitely makes up for it. he gets himself into a lot of injuries while trying to fly, he's very much a klutz, but he REALLY wants to be good at doing plane things. he's younger and a bit smaller than most of his group, and he'll.. probably grow less clumsy with time.

my boyfriend!! or, well, i almost exclusively call him my boyfriend out of habit but he DOES have a name. it's razzle dazzle :) he's based off the pool candy unicorn and he lives in my room! in my self indulgent thoughts, he's pretty softspoken, but very affectionate. i go between him being drawn as anthro and as just a pool ring, those are both very true in my mind. he's kind of just whatever i want him to be! i most often imagine him paired with and hanging out with captain starburst (me!) but that's not canon to starb's stuff at all.

wanderlust is a pool toy AND a plane, and loves exploring (hence the name)! i'm not actually sure if he can fly or not, he probably can't? i doubt that would stop him from getting his plane friends to carry him around, though

this is snail mail!! he's kind of another design i have that's on boyfriend tier to me, lol.. he's a mail carrier! he's definitely big, but i'm unsure if he's actually big enough for the houses and trees on his back to be people-sized. most likely not, but that may change. i think he's dating (or at least romantically talking to) cloud nine, i think they're a pair of cuties :3

i like collecting holiday themed designs and characters, so here's my halloween and christmas themed pool toys! the cat's name is jackie lantern, he's another one that im romantically inclined towards LOL. but i've been trying to think of what he's like more.. i think he spends most of his time "sleeping" (can pool toys even sleep?) or just generally relaxing. the other one i don't have a name for yet or any real ideas, but i REALLY like the design (thank u theooo)! definitely lives in a colder environment and enjoys that, despite pool toys.. y'know, being in the pool and stuff.

here's a few more pool toys, some less developed ones but ones i really like nonetheless! their names are finny, cherry pit, and candy zone in that order. finny is polite and reserved, just very kind and cute. cherry pit is my newest addition to all these guys and i don't have too many ideas about him yet, but i LOVE him. definitely feels like a pool party kind of guy to me. candy zone is very chill but VERY much a worrywart. they also have a partner that's a cute plushie dragon that i've yet to draw!

and here's three more planes! aerodyne, chocolate delight, and powder. aerodyne is the biggest plane in the group, and their job is to be the big kind of airliner that carries people or cargo you most often see! a real gentle giant. chocolate delight is kind of aloof, but pretty nice once you get to know them. and powder is the smallest of the group, he's a little fighter jet. he can be kind of abrasive and has a lot of energy.

if you read all of this, uhhhh... thanks lol! i hope you like my silly object guys. i mostly post about my stories and stuff like that on here, but sometimes i really do just like having characters just to hoard them or have silly thoughts about them or whatever. maybe i'll post about them more after i revamp the tags and stuff on this blog!

a majority of these designs were done by my friends @apotheoseity and @pbjpuppy. some extra designs are by @citripede, shrillard, and jamsbunnies. other art is by @lame-4-u and feraljayce!

[shadowfoxsilver]

Some random fun facts about Jess!

- Initially was designed to get mocked because the trend was people saying Alicorn ocs were bad. But Jess had a twist!

- While she has both horns and wings, she’s technically a unicorn. Her powers come from three keys that she carries around often. Even now, her wings are just wings. She isn’t really truly an alicorn and doesn’t come from any royalty unless you see the key trio as royalty. Her horn is just how she controls it in pony form. But, another twist!

- Jess can’t control her magic properly. It’s one of her flaws. She can aim it where she needs to and shoot magical bolts after charging it but her horn isn’t quite useful in doing so due to its curve. This is why her magic is often just used to fly with! Her wings are useless for real flight so with help of her magic she can fly with ease. However, there’s another fun exciting thing!

- She is technically an EveryAnythings, a creature who can be anything and everything. This pony form is showing what went into her creation. She’s part dragon, part unicorn, and part changeling! Her front leg is a changeling hoof but orange. Despite being a mixed up mess, she often can appear to look like a simple unicorn. She may look complicated, but it can be simplified! But look! Another fact!

- Jess isn’t really keen to combat, and rarely fights anyone. However, she is very protective of her tree. Her loooong tongue is useful for grabbing those who challenge her in battle and her tail is tipped in blades. She also holds an inner darkness and is considered a Greater Evil. But rumors tell of a Greatest Evil that once appeared to save the tree..

[maeve-is-annoying-about-books]

LIVEREAD: Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

You thought all my busyness lately meant you were free, didn't you? Well wrong! It's liveread time!

I read this book in one long day while traveling for a little vacation so I figured I may as well post about it in one long liveread. Okay? Okay, lessgo.

There is a lot here I personally like. It's very attenuated to my sensibilities and while it isn't dense with communicative might it is comforting. Like a cookie, and I love having a cookie after eating something more complicated. We have a very basic premise here. A former Queensguard (Reyna) realizes exactly how expendable she is, despite being one of the best and most loyal of the set, and decides that the offer to run away with her girlfriend sounds way better than being mopped off the ballroom floor one nondescript night. Her girlfriend being Kianthe, the chosen heroine to wield the magical might of a godlike stone and wow I already love this. We have The Dream, which is a quiet life together in a caring town, drinking tea and reading books. Then we have The Problems which are obligation, taxes, everyday dangers, and yes, being a traitor to the crown.

I found that I like these problems in general. Kianthe can't just stop being the Mage of Ages or the land would go into tumult. Reyna can't stop her vigilance or her dream will be uprooted and wow it's kind of exactly like chasing a dream in the modern age. Where there's so much background work not related to the actual job you may love that you can't put down or it'll all collapse in on itself. No one seems to have issues with the pair being gay, or of any queerness, but I can appreciate the analogy of having to hide your true selves in a new town. Making sure everyone is really cool with a lot of things really fast before being able to even settle in with your actual real name. Just an extra touch of worry on top of this leaning tower of tomes.

But... The shop is worth it. It's not perfect, the climate is miserable and there are a lot of ongoing tensions. The occasional DRAGON ATTACK. But it's worth it to have the dream for as long as they can grasp it. Maybe... a little too worth it? See, all these obligations we talked about don't stop growing and conflating and contradicting. Kianthe is eventually forced into a pact with dragons, now she has more duties. Reyna has to keep juggling three personae just to keep afloat and not get her bounty called in. There is so much frazzle involved in keeping a dream alive and it's something I really appreciate being shown off here.

Like Kianthe and Reyna's relationship. It's very sweet, I love their chemistry together. But I also like it when they fight, I like to see their worser sides turn their heads and they have to deal with that. Reyna has surprisingly little self worth outside of her work as a Queensguard. And, like, the bookshop doesn't need a swordswoman as much as it needs a Reyna, and it's the first time a situation like this has arose for her. And like, her girlfriend is THE MOST POWERFUL MAGE IN EXISTENCE. Reyna feels powerless and futile next to her sometimes, after all, the Arcandor could fly the length and breadth of the land and have anyone she desired, so why would she ever chose an expendable, nameless guard?

Well, because Reyna chose Kianthe over the Arcandor, that's why. If Reyna suffers from a lack of worth Kianthe suffers from an expectation of it. She has a lot of pride in her craft and her way of doing things but is suffocated under her own title. No one sees the everlasting plant spell Kianthe painstakingly crafted. A brand new magic, never seen before in all the land. Something intrinsically herself and of her own mind. No they really only see the time the Arcandor saved their town. Or the time she fought off unicorns, or dragons, or anything grand enough for a story. But those... weren't really her, it was all just natural to Kianthe, she barely had any say in how she fought when it all presented itself and entire elements move when you say, "Please?". Reyna is the only one who knows Kianthe's favorite tea and beloved books and how much she hates the cold or knows the name of her griffon. She's one of the few people who even knows the Arcandor's name. Ooh there's that thing about names again, it's so good.

I feel like I could surmise on the plot but this really is the core tenet of why I found myself enjoying Miss Thorne's book. Nothing about this dream is easy or complete. It's not a happily ever after, it's a long progression of work and continuing to learn and grow. Like how actual, real life is. You're going to continue to fight about the same things, time and time again. Work will come for you when you're not ready, and the two competing mayors in your town just won't take the hint that they're meant for each other no matter how many times you sit them together. I appreciate a book that's honest about the cost of a cozy space in life and what a mighty motivator that keeping it is.

So when's book two? Book two... where? Please, I need to know what happens to Kianthe and Reyna next. Maybe fanart will tide me over til then?

[bornunequal]

The Chinese Zodiac

Those accepted into this tribe gain the ability to shift into one or more animals under the sign.

Each individual initially has a different affinity for this shifting capacity. Some will find it relatively easy to gain traits of the animal, some will find it relatively easy to hybridize with the animal, some will find it relatively easy to entirely become the animal, some will find it easy to partially shift, and some will even find it relatively difficult to not be shifted, as some examples. Additionally, what animals can be accessed differs from person to person. Some will find it easy to access a single animal, some will find it difficult to control which animal's traits they use, and some will find it difficult to utilize only a single animal. An unfortunate number find themselves in the unfortunate position of finding any use of this ability difficult.

However, this ability is one that can be learned, bettered, and honed with time, effort, and practice. Even the most inept of this ability can become quite skilled if driven enough to work for it.

OA stands for Origin Age, which is the timeframe in which it can be assumed that the clock aligns. The only reason it exists is because I want to assume that I have what I would have in this world. After all, I am selfish like that.

Rat; OA: 1996; Of all the animals, this one is the most stable, deviating only minorly from 'common perception'. For example, their size and fur color are the few things that will generally change for most people.

Ox; OA: 1997; Ox includes all kinds of cattle and buffalo.

Tiger; OA: 1998; Various types of tigers, even rarely including the Sabertooth Tiger, though no one knows what that is. Uncommonly includes orange cats, such as a tabby, and extremely rarely includes the cat dog.

Rabbit; OA: 1999; Includes various rabbits, rarely including a particularly dangerous carnivorous variety.

Dragon; OA: 2000; Is only the personal conception of what a Dragon should be, it is the least stable from person to person. Some can fly, some have venom, some can breathe flame, some have feathered wings, some have furry bodies, some are large, some are small, some are insectile, some have seven limbs, some have tails, some of horns, some have multiple heads, some are little more than large snakes. They are diverse in nature being the only 'truly unreal' animal, however, the concept of what someone considers to be a dragon seldom changes much in their life. Most of those under this sign are restricted to that singular concept as if it were the only type of dragon to ever exist. Rarely, someone will have general freedoms, being restricted to traits or body type rather than a 'single' dragon. An extremely rare few are capable of leveraging the 'unrealness' to their advantage, capable of adding or removing traits and forms as they desire. This is, an extremely few, easily within the 1% of the 1%.

Snake; OA: 2001; Includes all manner of snakes, small and large, rarely including sea serpents or even a basilisk. Disturbingly, basilisks do not vary in capacity from person to person despite their assumed 'fictional' status, highly venomous gargantuan serpents with three sets of eyes, only one set can actually see, one set can paralyze those who look into it and the other set petrifies those who look into it, turning them to stone. Se Serpents, however, those who can access it, enjoy nearly all of the benefits that dragons do, though in a more limited fashion.

Horse; OA: 2002; Includes all manner of horses, rarely including Zebras or Reindeer, an extreme few include unicorns, alicorns, pegasi, hippocamps, sleipnir, kelpies, and a creature known as a nightmare. Unicorns, Alicorns, Pegasi, Hippocamps, Sleipnire, Kelpies, and Nightmares enjoy many of the benefits of dragons in that they are not real animals, so many traits of them can differ from person to person, but they tend to have the same physicality and generally similar traits with others of their type, which is mostly attributed by scholars due to the shared ancestry of 'they are horses'. (Ask or comment if you want to know what traits I attribute to all of them)

Goat; OA: 2003; Includes all manner of goats, uncommonly includes sheep as well.

Monkey; OA: 2004; Includes all manner of monkeys, does not include apes, however.

Rooster; OA: 2005; Includes most if not all birds, though chickens are disproportionally common.

Dog; OA: 2006; Includes all manner of dog breeds, uncommonly including wolves, extremely rarely the wolf cat.

Pig; OA: 2007; Includes pigs and boars.

Shifting Method: Considered to be self shifting, as such, no change, a 12-year cycle when looked at alone.

Do you like your capacities in this world were you born into this world? Feel free to comment below.

[ofcourseitsafurry]

The(3)main player characters

Aka my main monster prom OC and his friends along with their drinks to help describe their personalities or aesthetics

First Sparkles Glowbright,ex-prince of Villa of Monocerotem, a very magical adept White Unicorn

Sparkles is my main monster prom oc. He's calm, collected, and goes with the flow(Yes, like Brian.)Unlike Brian, he's more energetic, he enjoys dancing, walking, and magic tricks with physical requirements. He's also much more thoughtful than most of the monsters in Spooky High, resorting to murder less, more education-focused, and less sexually interested preferring to take it slow. Sparkles, despite(hopefully)what a lot of future art shows isn't actually in Spooky Academy, his reason for being there along with his actual school is to be discussed later for his backstory.

Next is Draco Lung, the son of a Western fire dragon and an Eastern lightning dragon(also the brother of an Eastern water dragon).

Draco, short for Draconic, is a stereotypical greedy dragon, he doesn't steal damsels and force them to marry him as he finds that sexist and weird. Unlike Vera, Draco is lazy, stealing from shops, kingdoms, and even fountains for his fix of money obsession. (Hell, that last one was how he met Sparkles in the first place.)Another example of his laziness is his obsession with sleeping, likely due to the energy of being such a huge beast. While he isn't a complete jackass he's rude and just as quick to violence as several monsters threatening to fight someone if they annoy him enough.

Next up is Feng Xuang, a FENGHUANG not a PHOENIX or a VERMILION BIRD

Feng is the one I have the least plot thought out for. He likes astrology and astronomy due to the real-life monster corresponding to Celestial bodies and beings. He's obsessed with fire, not like just an arsonist, he likes playing with it, eating it, looking at it. Fenghuang mating rituals have two Fenghuangs doing a mating dance of death that combines both parents' personalities into one egg making Feng an orphan. He hates to be referred to as other similar mythical bird species. He's cheery and upbeat but a general everyman who enjoys preppy culture.

Last but not least, Mh'athra.Deity of Sacred Secrecy and darkness

Mh'athra is technically canon, but I'm giving her a non-canon design. Sparkles became a mortal contact for Mh'athra when he snuck into one of the cult headquarters on his way to Monstropolis and read a book that allowed it to come into the monster realm with his magic. Mh'athra is an asshole, she’s extremely dismissive of Zoe and her choice of becoming part of mortal kind, like the carnival mirror event, unlike the mirror event Mh'athra is actively cruel and even dead names Zoe while alternate Z'gord is dismissive but tries to talk her into rejoining her "purpose." While it's evil, it's not actively malicious, not currently into recreating the Nothingness.

[momolith]

lets see if i can cobble together something coherent about jiyong

completely unintentionally jiyong and his story has become a place where ive poured much of my traumas into... i realized the parallels of his story with MY traumas after the fact LOL if that makes sense?

for a long time i really struggled with him (and i still do, but now its mostly his design and not also his story and personality) but lately ive really managed to develop him well! im really happy about that because when i made him i knew he had potential but i just couldnt get there no matter how i tried.

anyway onto him and his story... (btw the worldbuilding is very much a wip and theres a lot i still need to work on and flesh out)

essentially his is a story of family trauma and revenge.

his father is Nikephoros, real name Min Jeongho. hes a dragon and celebrated knight from a House with very high standing in this world. he was the youngest of his siblings and thus is very much A Youngest Son. but unforeseen circumstances made it so he ended up the only one of his siblings alive to inherit his fathers seat as head of house.

now hes been head for a very long time already (dragons are very long lived so he's been alive long enough to show visible signs of aging) but all these years has refused to settle down to marry and have heirs. his adviors are SO stressed dealing with him.

which is then very ironic when he accidentally ends up fathering jiyong with a prostitute he spent the night with after celebrating some sort of feat (unsure, but definitely a battlefield victory or something of that note). unfortunately for jiyong and his mother, nikephoros' advisors learn of his existence before nikephoros does. and they can NOT accept a half-breed, most definitely infertile, peasant boy as their lords heir! they take matters into their own hands. their lord doesnt need to know.

hes in a dragons equivalent of his 50s-60s. fantasy korean (LOL) bisexual 9 ft / 275cm he/him characters that remind me of him: yan wushi, tianlang-jun

now jiyongs mom on the other hand i still dont know all that much about as shes the newest addition to this. nikephoros is so fleshed out because ive had him as an oc for years, i simply updated and upgraded him LOL. luckily these past few days ive been inspired to work on jiyong and his family so ive got more than i had for a long time

her name is Eirwen ir Heilyn and shes a unicorn. at the time of meeting nikephoros she was a prostitute but shes retired now (as either the madam of the brothel or simply a servant there). she was unprepared to have jiyong as conception between a dragon and unicorn is rare, but she did her best. thankfully she and her coworkers were close and they stepped in to help her with raising jiyong.

she gave jiyong a korean name (and his fathers surname) in the hopes of him being taken in by his father... in vain. because nikephoros couldnt give less of a fuck and his house wants jiyong dead. she had sent letters to nikephoros as well but none went answered (they were obviously intercepted by his advisors) and after the first assassination attempt on her son, she gave up on nikephoros. through luck or maybe even sheer coincidence she's managed to survive attempts on her own life as well as her sons.

at first i considered having her be killed by his fathers men but then i was like girl... not another dead mom trope lmfao fuck that

shes in a unicorns equivalent of her 40s i think fantasy welsh bisexual 5'10 / 178cm she/her

AND NOW... ONTO THE MAN OF THE HOUR...

Min Jiyong is a qilin/kirin, which are dragon/unicorn offspring (they are more often than not sterile). as both his parents have very little pigment (both their coloring is predominantly white) he has albinism. he grew up in the brothel, and spent much of his childhood working odd jobs such as fetching water, getting groceries, delivering messages and even mending clothes.

despite a difficult childhood his relationship with his mother is good and pretty stable. his father on the other hand... now his parents only did spend that one night together, so eirwen didnt actually know much about nikephoros except what she gleaned from that one night and what was public knowledge. she was honest and upfront with jiyong about his father although in the beginning she did have a naive hope that nikephoros would welcome his son into his house with open arms.

the first attempt on his life almost succeeded, and he still has the scar from that. its also the most visible. (he wears that shit like a necklace. he runs solely on spite and pettiness LMFAO)

as a child he taught himself how to speak as nobles do by eavesdropping on customers and imitating them.

as to not stand out too much he dyes all his hair black.

in his late teens and early 20s he met devora, who took jiyong under their wing as a bounty hunter. devora is a dragon, and a rare one at that, who used to have a high ranking position before they went their own way. so they had worked with nikephoros before, and knew him on an acquaintance level. when devora and jiyong parted ways, devora gifted him a pair of earrings similar to the ones they knew were nikephoros' signature pair.

devora had a profound effect on jiyong, more than they realized, as they were the closest to a proper father figure jiyong had ever had.

now he works as a bounty hunter. but his number one goal is revenge. on his father and his house. and he'll do whatever it takes.

jiyong is highly intelligent, adaptable and ruthless. hes patient when it matters, perceptive and analytical. hes resentful and cynical with an obsessive streak.

hes in his 30s half korean, half white bisexual 6'5 / 195cm (this might change? but as of now) he/him his insane character insp list, as seen by that little board i did: hua cheng, johan liebert, griffith, edmond (nu: carnival), alucard (specifically ayami kojimas), luo binghe, shen jiu/og! shen qingqiu, jin guangyao

there might be more to say about him but i ran out of steam LOL!!!!!!!! HELP this is the most ive written in months

[azure-wolf-227]

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna

Details on how Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are in this AU. For Headcanons of Alicorns in general, go here.

Princesses Celestia and Luna: Origins

The Founders of Equestria and Starswirl the Bearded discovered Celestia and Luna after seeing a bright flare of light. A letter found alongside them explained that Celestia and Luna had been sent to become the rulers of the newly-formed Equestria.

The Founders and Starswirl adopted the young Alicorns as their own and trained them so they’ll eventually succeed them as leaders of the three tribes.

Celestia and Luna had no trouble in getting support from the Earth Ponies and Pegasi to become the rulers of Equestria. The real obstacle were the Unicorn nobles as most were reluctant to accept sovereigns that had no relation to the Royal Family - with the worst ones not wanting leaders that wouldn’t favor the Unicorn tribe exclusively.

The solution they came up with was for Celestia and Luna to marry Princess Platinum’s sons so that they would have a connection to the Unicorn Royal Family.

Headcanons About Both Princesses As A Whole

The reason why the Alicorn sisters call themselves Princesses is because they are co-rulers of Equestria.

Technically, Celestia and Luna are High Princesses since they are the sovereigns of Equestria, and to indicate that their rank is higher than the other princesses/princes. Of course, no one refers to them as such unless they are being extremely formal.

As Alicorns, Celestia and Luna have traits from the three main tribes (Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony), though Luna also has some traits in common with Thestrals.

Luna’s wings are a combination of Pegasi feathered wings and Thestrals’ bat wings; her ears are large and tufted; she has slightly sharper canines and tapetum lucidum in her eyes.

Celestia and Luna each had at least one child with their husbands with those children bearing children of their own.

Luna’s line lost favor after she became Nightmare Moon despite Celestia’s efforts to protect them, eventually leaving Canterlot. The current descendants are unaware of their heritage.

Centuries, Celestia’s line also left Canterlot for an unknown reason, though it’s suspected that it was due to a serious disagreement between them and Celestia. Unlike with the Lunar bloodline, the current descendant of the Solar bloodline is aware of their heritage.

Celestia and Luna once fought newly-appointed Dragon Lord Torch to a standstill, earning his respect. It is for this reason that dragons do not (intentionally) cause trouble for ponies.

Celestia and Luna sometimes disguise themselves as regular ponies to interact with their subjects incognito.

Because the sisters were raised by the Founders, they consider the Founders’ descendants as their family. Platinum’s descendants are just the most obvious since Celestia and Luna married her eldest sons.

Blueblood is a descendant of Platinum’s youngest child so Celestia and Luna are his (many times great) aunts by marriage.

Cadence is the descendant of a relative Platinum who became the founder and first ruler of the Crystal Empire.

Other branches rule over the pony states/countries/cities outside of Equestria proper like Trottingham, Trotsylvania, Maretonia, Prance, etc.

[dragunsblood]

Talk about magic in ur furry world boy

ok so magic is real but not very widespread? it beats like a heart in the very essence of the world but the average person doesn't have access to it. specifically magical entities are where magic really shines in this world, like the north pole (which is exposed to santa claus' magic like a radiated field)

there's some wizards but it's less high magic setting and more sometimes folks can make potions, like hrt and other trans potions are very much a thing as well as various transformative potions to help folks feel more comfortable in their fur. alterhumanity is a big theme here despite the only actual "human" being santa claus (they don't know what a human is, santa claus' species is technically "santa claus" here)

mostly magic is used in medicinal roles but some species like dragons, unicorns, gryphons, and the like are born more "in tune" with the magic of the world and can do some things that violate the laws of nature and physics like breathing fire and lifting objects with magic (unicorn's horns are like a focus from which they channel magic, north polean reindeer function similarly with their antlers)

[kitewithfish]

Wednesday Reading Meme for June 14 2023

What I’ve Read A Bride for the Prizefighter by Alice Coldbreath – This Victorian working class romance was rather charming – I got the rec from Reformed Rake, a podcast by a Tiktoker who blogs about Romance novels of many eras. I found the main character really convincing, smart, and kind – when Mina’s father dies, she meets her estranged half-brother who arranges a marriage for her to HIS estranged half-brother, William Nye, the son of his father’s mistress who became a prize fighter and runs an pub. It felt like the descriptions of Mina’s life in the pub and her connections to the staff working there were very natural – Mina is a ‘lady’ in the sense of having an innate sense of decency and the value of other human beings, and Nye has a backbone of kindness to him that comes thru his rough demeanor. I felt like this had, as the Reformed Rake podcast noted, some genre connections to the Gothic, which was right up my alley. Very good romance, you can really see WHY these people like each other.

Love for Sale bypoisonivory - (https://archiveofourown.org/works/29789145) – Roy Harper, Arsenal, is between jobs and ends up hooking up with Jason Todd, who just happens to have an apartment to lend him – it’s just a business deal. Right? This story is a bit of a soft sugar daddy vibe, it works for me, despite being rather a departure from how I think about Jason Todd.

What I’m Reading: The King in Yellow 25% -static – The next story up for me would be In the Court of the Dragon The Count of Monte Cristo – 9%

Babel – Xing Book Club – 53% - I was just thinking about how much the first part of this novel reminds me of Naomi Novik's Scholomance series, in that it feels like someone taking the challenge of Hogwarts seriously - what does it mean to be brought into a magical community from the outside? What are the real impacts of magic on the world? What are the economies of how magic works? And who does this world consider expendable? We have just gotten to the point where Babel's students are going to be forced to confront those questions outside of England as adults who have been raised to serve the powers of the Empire of Britain. It's brutal and great.

Kristeva Powers of Horror -back in the swing of things! Chapter 2 for the end of the month.

The Witch King - Martha Wells - p80 - Solid introduction, feels akin to Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation in some details but its also very much its own thing 

What I’ll Read Next Book Club is going to need to pick some more books soon but until then I have a breather.

Library books: The last unicorn by Peter S. Beagle The way home : two novellas from the world of The last unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.

Unnatural magic by C.M. Waggoner. For the wolf by Hannah Whitten. Horror: a very short introduction by Darryl Jones.

The spear cuts through water bySimon Jimenez. Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum.

The artist's reality : philosophies of art by Mark Rothko ; edited and with an introduction by Christopher Rothko. Into the Riverland by Nghi Vo Fun home : a family tragicomic by Alison Bechdel.

Owned and need to read: California Bones, Raven Song by IA Ashcroft, Kraken's Sacrifice by Katee Robert, Even Though I Know the End by CL Polk, At The Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard, Tamryn Eradani's Enchanting Encounters Books 2 and 3, Like Real People Do by EL Massey, Tom Stoppard, Invention of love, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty, "You Just Need to Lose Weight" and Other Myths about Fatness by Aubrey Gordon, Alisha Rai Partners in Crime, the Right Swipe

[heartfullofpony]

THE HITCH PROBLEM

In My Little Pony: A New Generation, Hitch is a sheriff who comically keeps to the letter of the law - generally characterized by enforcing litter ordinances that he can recite from the town charter from memory. Over the course of the film, however, Hitch gets to know Izzy and Zipp and Pipp, and grows to see that he was wrong. Not about litter, of course, but rather, about unicorns and pegasi, and the unjust laws, superstitions, and economic power structures that caused Maretime Bay to fear them and systematically "other" any foreigners.

That pivot is what made Hitch a compelling character.

He was a well-meaning pony who took his social responsibility seriously, but was also strong enough to admit that he was wrong, and actually causing social harm in the process. His arc is a morality play of sorts - an example of how rigid, dogmatic thinking can put a good-hearted person on the wrong side of history if they're not careful, but also how they can become a genuine force for good if they are receptive to earnest critique, and open to change.

Sadly, all that goes away in Make Your Mark. The writers don't seem to know what to do with Hitch, so he ends up inserted weirdly as an authority figure where authority figures simply do not belong.

SPOILERS BELOW

In Episode 2, Growing Pains, the pony who once adhered religiously to town ordinances, is now a despot who rules by decree, (simply because the plot required the story to explore the question of earth ponies and whether or not they could control their new found fauna magic). He makes up laws on the fly that go against everything he came to believe in in MLP: A New Generation.

In Episode 5, The Cutie Mark Mix-Up, Hitch is depicted as overseeing a community garden with an iron fist, er...iron hoof. The very idea is ridiculous as it negates everything that a community garden is supposed to be, and what it is supposed to represent.

In Episode 8, Have You Seen This Dragon?, Sparky goes missing, and Hitch does not take it well, (nor should he). In this episode, we see Hitch's softer side as he gets (rightfully) worried sick about Sparky. However, rather than simply being scared, or vulnerable, Hitch hardens and turns into a gritty masked vigilante both above and outside the law.

That's not funny.

He even forgets about Sparky altogether in a way, and vows vengeance against whomever "crossed Hitch."

Right now, this toxic mindset has permeated rather a lot of actual police training, and it has caused rather a lot of actual police brutality, as mentally unwell police officers enact their Punisher fantasies.

I'm not going to do a deep dive on the politics of police work, as that's well outside of the scope of what Heart Full of Pony is about, but I do feel a need to point out that Make Your Mark's approach to the subject has been deeply unsettling.

The show creators never stopped to question what the role of policing in Maretime Bay could or should be, and in their lack of awareness or planning for how to integrate Hitch into the action, they ended up making a lot of unintentional statements that mirror very real problems in our society.

There's rather a lot I enjoyed about Make Your Mark, despite its clumsy beginnings, (and I will be writing about that as well, so don't mistake me for a neigh-sayer), but I would be ignoring my conscience to refrain from pointing out that there's something inherently cynical and deeply unpony about the idea that police oversight needs to be integrated into *gardening*... and every other aspect of public life. It's equally wrong to treat a vigilante mindset as something normal for a cop to have under the surface.

When Chapter 3 rolls out, I do hope to see more of the Hitch that likes to listen to beat jazz, and doesn't flip out every time he feels vulnerable. He's still in there.

In the meantime, follow me on FEEDBAG for more pony analysis.

-Sprocket

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