Human Morphology: Know Your Foe · 4:53pm Apr 7th, 2013
FOR HER MAJESTY'S EYES ONLY
Dear Princess Luna,
I believe you would benefit from the information I've gathered on the morphology of the human invaders. You have witnessed them in person, yes, but I believe that their physical forms can reveal much about their strengths and weaknesses. From one intellectual to another, I feel that we can both agree that knowledge is power. And the more knowledge we can compile and share on this matter, the better the odds are that ponykind will endure.
As my colleague Lyra Heartstrings has been quick to point out, humans are bipeds, similar to young dragons in their stature and the configuration of their forelimbs. Unlike dragons, however, their skins are devoid of scales. This rules out the possibility that their race evolved on a planet with extreme volcanic activity. Obviously, without the protection of draconic scales, they could not have lived in anything remotely similar to the natural habitats of dragons.
As such, it seems that humans may be quite vulnerable to intense blasts of heat and flame. Be sure to have your unicorn guards keep this potential weakness in mind.
It is uncertain as to how effective ice magic would be against them. Their lack of fur implies a species adapted for warmer climates, a hypothesis advanced by the fact that they insist on wearing heavy clothing at all times. This is a matter I will dig into more deeply once I have more information.
Lyra insists that humans contain many sub-species, no doubt referring to the Centaur Glyphs she discovered several years ago. And indeed, there seem to be at least two vastly different examples of humans among us at this very moment. The first variety seems to include "standard" humans that stand at roughly twice our height, but with thin frames that would seem to imply weakness. (I will address this soon.) The second variety is composed of beings that dwarf their cousins, standing at nearly four times the height of an average pony. These hulking giants are apparently called "Space Marines." Information regarding them is vague at best, but one colleague proposed the possibility that selected humans undergo a metamorphosis to become these creatures, similar to how some termite species produce "warrior" castes.
If this comparison is indeed accurate, it is tempting to dismiss the "standard" subtypes as fitting into the role of drones or servants--especially after witnessing the extreme aggression and destructive power of the Space Marines. But according to eyewitnesses, the humans who attacked our town were apparently of the "standard" variety as well. Worryingly, they proved a match for even the strongest Earth Ponies in melee combat alone.
However, they demonstrated several key weaknesses as well: inform your guards that they are vulnerable to blows on the back of their knees, which often causes their long legs to "fold" in a manner not unlike a broken collapsible chair. Their stomachs also seem to be weak points, as do their necks and noses.
But these considerations do not take into account their technology, which can only be described as "horrifying" by any pony with a stable mind. My next report will concern this topic.
Sincerely,
Professor Inkwell
Canterlot University
Hm somekind of mini chapter?
990479
Yes and no. Blog entries like these are meant to expand upon the storyline of Friendship is Sanctioned, allowing me to delve into areas the story can't cover by itself.
Other things I wish to play around with are more enemy profiles, and eventually the action reports from the Dark Heresy campaign my friends and I based after the story.
Awesome, at least we're getting SOMETHING from you!
994161
Think of this as an appetizer for the next chapter. Sorry it's taking so long, but I've already covered in earlier posts about how I've been drained of a lot of my energy by the twilicorn thing. (No anger towards you if you liked it, but...ugh.)
In any case, thanks. I'm glad more people are commenting on my blog posts; it gives me a nice way to test out ideas on readers and connect with them more.
995079
Yeah, M A Larson really dropped the ball on that idea. Even if it was a good idea, it was handled in the worst possible way
Since you want feedback on your writing, I should address you comparing humans to underage dragons. It would've probably been better to compare humans to Equestrian minotaurs. Minotaurs mingle more commonly with ponies, have a very similar muscular build, and if the fan wank is to be believed they have a moderately-warrior-focused culture somewhat similar to the Imperium
995163
By young dragons, I meant the teenagers Spike met in that one episode. Minotaurs present an interesting point of comparison, though, since they -are- supposed to be half-human in the original myth.
Which reminds me. There will be another certain race of mythical hybrids that will become important later on. There's a quick reference to them in the blog entry...