#juneberry

The Juneberries are in bloom, coming in shortly after Oregon Grape's beautiful sunny explosion to match the white flowers of the red elderberry that'll come in in a week or two more.

Juneberries (AKA serviceberries) are another native edible berry, with a taste and look similar to blueberries. Early pollinators love them, and birds battle my partner and I for the fresh berries.

I’ve been doing more arc planning lately and adding more side characters to the cast, so I thought I’d do a doodle sheet to introduce some of them and give you all a small taste of what’s ahead! 

Smooth Tune AKA Smoothie - Licorice Lace’s girlfriend  A harpist from Licorice’s orchestra, she is equal parts beefcake and angel. She is graceful and gorgeous, with a more cheesy and girlish side too. Many would say she is way out of Lic’s league but she still chose him and would do so a thousand times over.

Aphrodisian Foam - Fashion Model In a sort of “ugly ducking” tale, she started out as an insecure chick with unusual hybrid traits (wingless unicorn hippogriffs are hard to come by) but now she is a show-stopping model who shares her beauty with the whole world.

Tranquila - Trailblazer’s “enemy” An “influencer” by her world’s standards, she has a passion for fitness and loves sharing it with the world. She publishes her favorite workouts and daily musings in various magazines and video tutorials, focusing on strength and balance in one’s lifestyle. She does it all with a calm, chilled-out attitude, contrasting the girl known as her enemy.

Roman Candle - Trailblazer’s “best friend” A wrestling champion in high school, he is a skilled athlete who knows how to stand out. But he was also your typical douchey teenage boy, generally a dick to those he didn’t call friend and not particularly favored among the girls because of that. Hopefully he won’t stay that way forever.

Almond Meringue AKA Uncle Al - Trailblazer’s publicist  A humble old stallion from a village outside of Trottingham, he is Trailblazer’s publicist on paper but in reality he’s so much more. He keeps her schedule intact, makes sure she remembers to eat and rest, and helps her avoid embarrassing herself in public. She really keeps him on his hooftips, but they’ve grown to care about each other in a somewhat familial way which makes his job worth it.

Burr - Mudbriar’s son Somewhat like the uncle he resembles, he broke the mold set by his parents, pursuing a more extroverted career path than Mudbriar and choosing a different genre of music than his other father Feather Bangs. An idol of his little cousin Meteor Shower, he has lofty goals for his career but is enjoying the ride on the way there.

Sweetpea Soup - Manic Pixie Dream Girl Her description is pretty self explanatory: she’s quirky and free-spirited with a rebellious streak, and a strong and contagious appreciation for all life has to offer. Anyone she meets would consider themselves lucky to have known her and be left wanting for more time with her.

Painted Lady - Tea Cake’s aide Passionate about foalcare, her greatest reward is getting to nurture foals as they grow and watching their vibrant personalities bloom. But she can also be a little overbearing and intrude on what is meant to be independent play if she thinks extra care is needed (which it sometimes isn’t). The foal she works with now needs that extra care to an extent, but it’s still annoying.

Infernal Startrail - Blackfire Phoenix’s coworker In some ways she is every corporation’s dream employee with the way she thinks outside the box and has a solution to most problems she encounters. She is decisive, intelligent, and professional, but isn’t above the occasional workplace gossip to an extent. But then again, most people aren’t.

Fireball Rosso - Bullseye’s boyfriend  A talented makeup artist for any and all genders, he’s very serious about his craft. Some consider him arrogant and snooty and maybe he is just a little bit, but he’s very secure in himself and he wants others to be confident in their expression too.

Strawberry Bon Bon - Meteor Shower’s girlfriend A hopeless romantic at heart, she puts her all into her relationships with others, sometimes to her own detriment. Getting her heart broken a few times by guys who didn’t put in equal effort has left her with some trust issues, leading to insecurities that carry over into the next relationship.

Pearl Closure - Sour Peach’s girlfriend  A fashion designer who specializes in “magical girl transformations,” i.e. those extra special outfits that have two designs in one! She can make literal rags unfold into a stunning ballgown, and at the height of her career she’s very popular among celebrities who want unique costume changes. She took her time to nurture her talent before sharing it with the world so it would really be worth the wait.

Fruit Salad - School of Friendship alum She’s a party animal with a little bit of bimbo mixed in, in the sense of not always reading the room. She’s well intentioned, just not super responsible or receptive to when someone wants to be left alone.

Pearl - Miner She is the type of diamond dog that when she has her mind set on something, she will not stop until she accomplishes it. This includes things like digging really deep to get a certain gem she senses, even when she hits rock. She’s eager to meet new creatures and when she is your friend she’s very affectionate.

Juneberry - Mailmare A flirt who always has things to share like fun facts, she likes talking to others and learns a lot from all the ponies and creatures she delivers mail to. Not everyone makes a habit of talking to the pony who delivers their mail outside of small talk, but when they do it makes her day.

Veneer Smokescreen AKA Smoky - Movie theater employee With a monotone attitude, she’s the kind of pony where you just have to believe her when she says she feels a certain way because she’s not going to show you any other way. As a foal she was punished for being too childish despite being a child at the time so now she has issues expressing herself.

Hyacinth Moss - Marmalade Meringue’s wife Insecure and ashamed of her siren heritage, she is easily embarrassed by anything that even remotely makes her look bad (like Marmalade expressing a bad take in public or her kids lightly bickering). She is generally touchy and reactive and will react to any slights very passive-aggressively.

Starfruit Bouquet - Hyacinth and Marmalade’s oldest son A soccer player practically since he could walk, he has a love for the game and a love for life no matter what successes or failures come his way. He isn’t in the game to win, but loves it for the camaraderie and teamwork it comes with. Any mistakes he takes in stride as long as he has his friends by his side.

Sour Grapes - Hyacinth and Marmalade’s youngest son A spelling bee kid who will probably graduate to the debate team and then some prestigious college, he is ambitious and competitive. The game is cutthroat and so is he, albeit in a rule-abiding way. You would think he and his brother would be at odds with how different their values are, and they certainly do disagree, but not as much as their parents do. Making fun of them is one thing they can bond over.

Please let me know what you think and feel free to theorize about their roles! Which of these characters are most excited to see in the story? I can’t wait to introduce them proper, which for some should be pretty soon!

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