That sounds familiar.

I actually bought the game because Texas looked cool in his trailer, but I fell in love with Arizona as a cute tough calf with a bandana and a lasso, and the story mode helped.

Bovines are one of my favorites as well, I like how calm and chill they are, on top of being strong and extremely useful for humanity.

I also love the Prairie and their family dynamic, even brining in covered wagons.

I wish they’d have implemented those unused lines, especially that line implying Stronghoof knows Texas. I like to think they had some rivalry with Texas having a history adventuring.

Sheeple seem like they’re cowardly in general, and most have probably never seen a longma before.

Thank you, compliments like that are always heartwarming.

My fanfics have been branches of the same continuity that are published as separate stories.

Someone Had Tae Do It follows Pom and is complete, really just ending when her journey takes a turn. It’s where you can find my take on Honored Mother.

Out of Place has four chapters out but is still being written, alternating between Pom and Tianhuo.

Yeah, we were left with a lot of questions on the Honored Father and Honored Mother, especially when predators and ungulates only seem to come together with the longma and the sheeple and their sheepdogs.

This is how they word the wings comment:

“Though there are a few other magical races such as they, these cross-breeds are the only in the world who are part predator, and the only ones with wings.”

It seems possible that there are other ungulates with wings, but they are not magical.

I just love how the non-Canon background pegasi look so much that I’d like to see them in Foenum.

I’d like to see that art, and we can talk more on Discord if you want. Or here, either way.

I did not know about Tulpar, that’s really cool. Seeing a detail on Wikipedia that their wings would become invisible while landed.

She has no other online galleries for her art? DeviantArt or something like that? Artwork has to be hosted on some website in order to be shared with other people over the internet.

@Galgus
If my memory serves me right, I have stumbled across you in the lobby about a year ago or so (I’ve been in the TFH community since practically day one, back when the game was still being actively worked on), and you seemed like a very skilled player to me. I’m still a newbie, and despite being a huge fan of 2D fighters, I have practically zero experience with them. I being a button masher of some sort, with very little knowledge about proper combo performance. I would say I have successfully mastered the art of cowbell combos, but those are fairly easy to learn. Oh, and before I forget, I’m an avid Texas fan. Do you have a favorite ungulate? Mine are bovines, and I am especially fond of buffalo and bulls. Tex means a lot to me as a character, and him and Ari bring me a lot of comfort. I also really like the desert theme of their respective stages, I think they’re absolutely gorgeous-looking. It’s pretty cool how TFH managed to combine my three favorite things (the American frontier, bovines, and deserts) into a civilization within its universe.

You’re right, Nidra and Stronghoof both have lines addressing Tian as Captain, but many (if not most) of them didn’t make it to the final cut. Stronghoof’s unused lines were fantastic, I really wish they would’ve kept them, since they could’ve been crucial for the lore’s expansion. I was especially fond of Stronghoof’s “I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” line to Arizona, as it likely implied that he’s met and observed Texas prior to his encounter with Arizona.

Pom does seem to be the only ungulate who feels more or less intimidated by Tianhuo, and she even asks Tian not to kill her, possibly implying that the Sheeple might be a little prejudiced towards the Longma. Or maybe it can be explained by the fact that they’re somewhat cowardly compared to the other ungulates, since that’s the reason why poor Pom was chosen as the Champion of the Meadow in the first place.

I would be really curious to read your fanfic, even if it’s still in the works. I sincerely mean it when I say that your writing is phenomenal! The chapter you’ve written for Shanty meant to imitate the Fightin’ Six Book of Lore entries felt like an actual piece of lost/unreleased TFH media.

Honored Father’s quote in address to Honored Mother’s cruelty does make me wonder how and why they got together in the first place. If she is unable to comprehend love and sees herbivorous animals as nothing more than “prey” (in her own words), what was the point of her arrangement with Honored Father (a peaceful herbivore)? This makes me wonder whether their relationship could’ve possibly been arranged to strengthen relations between the ungulates and the predators, but I might be digging a little too deep into it.

The Book of Lore mentioning the Longma being the only winged ungulates is a little disappointing, since that means that Pegasi don’t exist in the world of Foenum. The winged horses appearing in the background of Paprika’s stage were said to be non-canon backer OCs, if I correctly.

I actually really like your idea with a Western European-inspired horse knight, my friend has a similar character that I can’t show here since she doesn’t want her art ed to imageboards, but I can send it to you on Discord, since I ing seeing you in one of the many TFH servers I’m apart of.

Speaking of horses, did you know that winged horses existed in medieval Turkic mythology? They’re called Tulpar, and they even appear on the Kazakh coat of arms.

Thanks, I have a lot to improve on though.

If memory serves Stronghoof and Nidra both have lines greeting Tianhuo as Captain, showing they’re at least familiar with her, and I think Stronghoof says something about her being back for a rematch.

It’s not clear how much the other ungulates are intimidated by or distrusting of them due to their half-predator nature, and I wish we got that in the story. The fighters who we see interact with her could be exceptions in how generally unworried they are, though Pom has lines that sound like she’s scared of her on a first meeting and then like she’s been training with her.

I don’t think there’s any Canon information on their diets, but they could be omnivores with things like bugs, fish, and birds.

I’m honestly not sure if their intent was for Honored Father and Honored Mother to be some abstract spirits of horses and dragons, or if Honored Father was just a normal stallion at some point who somehow bonded with Honored Mother.

If he was just a stallion at some point, I think other horses would be shocked at very least: that’s the route I went with for the branching fanfic I’ve been writing, though ittedly I made Honored Mother less heartless. It’s given me extra reason to think on the Canon: though Book of Lore is technically only quasi-Canon in that it could be overridden by what we see elsewhere, but we don’t have much more than it to go on for a lot of things.

But with the Book of Lore vision with Honored Mother, I wonder if she was actually that cruel, or if scaring Tianhuo was her way of reforming her. Honored Father says:

“And though she fights with a ferocity none can match, she can be cruel and heartless. She knows not the strength that comes from the herd, from protecting it. She knows not the power that comes from love.”

So if she was so heartless I wonder why Honored Father chose her, and why she chose him. Him being an exile is an interesting idea.

Stemming from Chinese culture, I think honoring ancestors is a big part of longma culture, especially with Tianhuo asking Honored Mother and Honored Father for strength and courage.

There’s also this in the Book of Lore, which reads like they favor a balance between them:

“Though there are a few other magical races such as they, these cross-breeds are the only in the world who are part predator, and the only ones with wings. They are highly aware of their exceptional existence, and as a result are a very proud race. They believe they have purged from themselves the worst traits of their pure-blood ancestors, and embody only the best. Peaceful and robust like the ungulates, fearless and strong like the predators.”

The background you mention on Asian dragons makes me more curious about what the plan was with Honored Mother: surely she was not just a total monster for longma to exist.

Medieval Mongolian/Turkic tribes are a perfect fit for the Steppes, though I’m also biased to the idea of a European horse knight despite the region being far less fitting.

Most of the lore discussions I have take place in DMs or other places like this, but the Fauna server’s lore-n-story channel is a good place for it.

Setting up some multi-person DM group chat also wouldn’t be hard.

@Galgus
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment! I did mention that I am an avid tournament watcher, and I really enjoy watching you play.

Longma being militaristic is the core aspect of their culture. They’re a proud nation, and despite the fact that a lot of ungulates don’t see them as trustworthy due to the fact that they’re technically half-predator, they have constantly proven to be courageous and noble. I love how one of Tianhuo’s quotes when being selected is “it is my solemn duty to save Foenum”. I wonder if they’re omnivores, I don’t their diets ever being brought up by any official Mane6 member. However, Tian’s prologue does mention the Honored Father (a stallion), who appears just in time to save Tian from an enraged Honored Mother (a dragoness). Interestingly enough, Tian being half-dragon doesn’t stop the Honored Mother from referring to her as “little prey” derogatorily. This makes me curious about two things: firstly, is the Honored Father from the Equine Steppes you mentioned? If so, did the other equines see him as some sort of traitor for choosing a predator (especially one that evidently looks down on herbivores, calling them “prey”) as his lifelong companion? Was he some sort of underdog among his kind, which is why he was exiled and found happiness with a predator? And secondly, I wonder whether the majority of Huoshan takes pride in their dragon heritage (to the point of looking down on other ungulates like Tian did back when she was a bully), or feel ashamed of their half-predator blood?

Even though I wasn’t exactly expecting Foenum to be entirely mythologically accurate, I do find it strange how the Honored Mother, a (supposedly) Chinese dragon, was presented as some sort of aggressive/malevolent being instead of a patient, peaceful and/or otherwise benevolent guardian, since that’s the role Eastern dragons usually take in East Asian folklore. Unlike their Western counterparts, Asian dragons are defined by their benevolence and wisdom, and are traditionally associated with water instead of fire. In ancient China, dragons were seen as either deities or divine messengers, and they were said to inhabit large bodies of water like rivers and ponds.

For some reason, when the rhino chief from the prologue mentioned the Equines of the Steppes, my mind immediately went to medieval Mongolian/Turkic tribes, since they originated from the Great Steppe, and horses played a significant role in their lifestyles.

I’m also curious whether there are any TFH group chats that you could recommend me. I would love to continue interacting with you and the other of our wonderfully diverse community.

I’m always happy to talk about Foenum.

Longma seem militaristic and insular, though not aggressive, but horses living near or amongst them is an interesting idea.

The story prologue mentions Equines of the Steppes amongst other species and homelands, so the volcanic island of Huoshan does not seem to be their main home, but some horses could live there.

Given their natural ability to travel long distances, I could see horses being more adventurous in seeing the world than most.

Are there any Turkic/ Mongolian species in particular you’d like to see represent those regions?

We can also talk in DMs or group chat if you’d prefer.

@Owlgulje
Galgus is on this site, Fimfiction, Reddit, Discord, Steam, and two other fan fiction websites.

@Dogman15
I would love to connect with more TFH fans, but I’m a little shy. Do you think he’d appreciate another lore nut? If so, then I’m always down for a good discussion about our favorite ungulates and their diverse world.
Also, I do agree with your point. I know Foenum isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but I like to imagine that it’s mostly atrocity-free. I definitely didn’t have the forced labor camps in mind when mentioning the Uyghurs, so my sincerest apologies if it came off that way!

I would love to eventually see some Turkic/Mongolian representation in the game, though. Or something Mesopotamian, since I have roots from there, and bovines are my personal favorite animals - and they appear frequently throughout Mesopotamian art.

@Owlgulje
You should talk to Galgus. He’s a lore nut like me, too.

Also, I doubt that the longma have any forced labor camps. I won’t go further than that.

@Dogman15
You know, I’ve been waiting for someone to dive into Them’s Fightin’ Herds characters’ cultural heritage for a while, since I was always interested in that subject in particular, as a huge TFH fan.
I think your vision is interesting, and I would say I mostly agree with it. I’d argue that some sort of pan-Scandinavian flag would work a little better for Velvet and Stronghoof, since they’re very obviously based on/inspired by early medieval Nordic culture. I don’t think Mane6 had any specific Nordic country in mind when deg the Deerfolk and Reine, I’m pretty sure they just thought of the Vikings when they created The Tundra.
Tianhuo and Baihe are obviously meant to be Chinese, since a longma is a winged horse-dragon from Chinese mythology, and Huoshan’s military culture and ruling system is based on that of Imperial China. China is actually relatively diverse, since it’s home to over 50 different ethnic groups, but I’m pretty sure that Tian and Baihe’s names imply that they’re meant to be Han Chinese, since their names are a combination of individual Mandarin words that translate to “sky fire” and “white river”, respectively. The word Huoshan itself literally means “fire mountain” in Mandarin, which is what they call volcanoes in China. Also, it’s an actual county that exists within the Chinese mainland. Pretty cool, isn’t it? I used to study Mandarin in the past, and its analytic/isolating grammar is actually relatively easy to pick up for Indo-European language speakers. Since my first language happens to be Russian, which is a fusional/synthetic language with a really annoyingly complex grammatical structure/syntax, Chinese grammar was a relief.
By the way, I follow your TFH posts, as I am a very active member of the TFH community, as well as an avid tournament watcher. I never miss a single tournament, and I am a member of pretty much every single public TFH Discord server that’s out there… that’s what having autism and being hyper-fixated on fighting games and ungulates does to ya. Since you’re also interested in the lore of the TFH universe, don’t you think it’d be cool if Huoshan had a small horse community representing China’s Uyghur population? I’m also from a Turkic country, and our national animal is a horse, since horses have played a major role in Turkic culture and folklore historically. Given how important horses are to Turkic peoples, it would be lovely to see us get represented in my all-time favorite game, AKA the best game ever made.

Pe causa

@TheScornfulReptillian
There’s a compelling argument to be made there, but I was sticking with the pattern of using only modern flags. If we start using historical flags, then we might want to do the same thing for the historical flags of Peru, the United States, England, and more. Someone else is welcome to make an alternate image that doesn’t use purely modern flags!

@TheScornfulReptillian
Specifically the Qing Dynasty flag.

Should’ve used the Imperial Era flag for Tianhuo and Baihe, instead of the Republic of China flag.

It looks weird because there are an odd number of characters (11), and the Jamaican flag really is that long. If you think you can format the picture better, don’t let me stop you!