Defining the word 'FOAL' · 8:29pm Jan 4th, 2015
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." - Inigo Montoya (from The Princess Bride)
Depending on the source you check, it seems that the average life span of a horse is about 25 years. Ponies and other miniatures tend to live a bit longer, maybe 30-35 years. So if Equestrian ponies have human-like lifespans, then we need to scale up these numbers. For simplicity sake, let's pick 3x.
My main reason for writing this post is that I have a big problem with the (over)use of the word FOAL.
The definition of FOAL is "the young offspring of a horse or other equine animal, especially one under 1 year old". (Scale to 3 years old in Equestria).
It's simple: FOAL = BABY. (I'd also accept INFANT or TODDLER.)
Thus we have 'foalsitter' for 'babysitter'. We also have the clever phrase 'You little foals!' for 'You little fools!'.
Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake are foals. They are in that mostly pre-verbal stage where they have those big, sclera-free eyes. They wear diapers and sleep in cribs.
Any school-age pony, however, is not a foal. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Twist, Snips, and Snails are not foals, and would cringe if they were called one. They are fillies or colts.
Which brings me to the topic of FOALCON. Wouldn't it be more accurate (and more descriptive) to refer to this as FILLYCON or COLTCON? Now, I'm all in favor of writing about whatever you want, but unless you're, say, describing a game of "Show me what's in your diaper" being played by the Cake twins, then it shouldn't be called foalcon.
Huh well when ya put it like that it makes sense.
And filly and colt only apply to up to four years old (scales to 12 years), so there is nothing fitting erotica for properly pubescent ponies. But since horses start to sexually mature from around two years old, it shows that you can't just add a multiplier and assume it is accurate.
"Foal" in the mlp fandom, I understand to be equivalent to child, not baby as it would IRL. Foalcon has an accepted meaning, even if it would be accurate to the IRL definition of foal. With very few exceptions, I've noticed we also seem to ignore the yearling stage of development.
Remember this is a site for magical ponies, things aren't exactly the same.
. I believe foal is used more as a alt for child(ren).