One of my favourites by Carpdime. While some would see this picture as “neutralbox”, and there are elements of abuse and sadbox in it, I consider it to be hugbox. My reason for this is because the fluffy was spared by the human out of mercy. However, the fluffy, realizing the horrors of the foals being prepared for meat, escapes, (perhaps escaping potential doom). While living as a feral, she finds romance, and a partner. The final scenes of the comic, depicting the mare pregnant and having foals of her own, is hugbox, because she wants to given them a life she didn’t have, free from bondage, and free from the threat of human consumption.
This piece has a lot of themes I like in some fluffy fiction, and some that I wish to see more of. The idea of fluffy emancipation. As well as fluffy freedom. A fluffy distrust of humans, and thinking for itself, as well as fluffies being able to survive on their own. This piece was one of the inspirations for Twig & Leaf, and, again, reflects the kind of fiction I’d like to see more out of the genre.
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"Man is condemned to be free ."
- Jean Paul Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism
Self. Sufficient. Feral. Fluffies. That. Don’t. Need. Humans.
I absolutely agree. Fluffies living without civilisation, like a real animal, staying away from humans is a kind of story I really like. If you look at a fluffy as a living creature, a product of human madness, it’s very satisfying to see it abandon it’s human-related roots and become a much more natural being that learns and survives
I really admire Carpdime’s ability to convey emotions and make us empathise with this little creatures of fiction. This is a great work.
This comic had always been interesting to me. On one hand it shows the triumph of freedom, but with freedom comes the harsh life of a runaway. Your Sartre quote really sums it up.
It is a harsh life but, I can totally see why she opted for it. Speaking as a hugboxer, and as someone empathetic to the plight of fluffies, I think the mare is better off living free from the presence of humans, especially those who feed upon some of her kind. While I’m not fond of the so-called “hellgremlin” narrative, I’m not fond of the idea of fluffies seeing the world only in terms of “huggies and wub”. Because the world has its monsters, just as it has its good things. I’m not going to lie, but this is one mare I always wanted to see more of. In many ways, she is like FierceDeityLynx’s PLum (save that Plum never really found a repreieve from her herd)
I pick that Sartre quote because, and while I don’t entirely agree with Sartre’s existentialism, I think there is some truth to that belief that in a way, we are free to do whatever we want. I remember, back on the booru, some of the commentators faulted the mare for this decision, but honestly she would have just been the plaything for the butcher, the so-called house slave. Speaking who has grappled with authority, I feel more catharsis from seeing a humble individual overcome adversity and obtaining a life of freedom, even if its bittersweet. And given that most fluffy fiction is too obsessed with abuse or tragedy, I feel like there is a need to explore other avenues.
One of my all-time favorite fluffy tales, perfectly capturing the innocence of fluffies in a world of indifferent humans. Carpdime does spectacular work telling stories from the fluffies perspective, with things seen and experienced from their scale. The happy ending is so heartwarming when you understand how much a little nest and a family mean to her! 
Cocks shotgun Y’all shat on the wrong street, shitrat
steps in
takes your ammo
You got a license for that gun, kid?
Smells lahk bitch in here, officer
Looks like i need call fluffy control.
I think you might be romanticizing the “runaway life” a bit. General consensus is that fluffies don’t necessarily survive so much as they just outbreed. Like cockroaches, but furrier.
I admit I am romanticizing it, but I also feel that the general consensus should be challenged. Because fluffies are not roaches Roaches don’t talk or communicate, and aren’t capable of reason to the level that fluffies can.
And to repeat a point I made here , I think that is what the genre needs. Too much of fluffy fiction has been focused on the predictable, or obsessing over the gore because its eye-catching or shocking. But there is no staying power in it. Its why I have been focused on exploring ways that fluffies could survive and flourish in more interesting ways. If anything, I think that kind of romanticism would be a break from the overly-written depiction of fluffies as vermin or fluffies suffering under harsh realities.
EDIT: And to take it a step further, one could argue that the hellgremlin approach came about as a justification for considering them to live or exist as vermin. I think this general negativity to fluffies is the reason why the fiction stagnated in some parts, and even declined, because people went too far with depicting them as vermin.
Its why I also stress it depends on headcanon. And my headcanon just happens to be a little bit idealistic.
Blending genres is a sign of a creative mind imo
No. This is bad. They are an invasive species that would destroy any ecosystem they are in. Australian rabbit plague style.
You can have an idealistic headcanon but you need to fully think things out. While they have higher levels of reasoning, that reasoning is in most stories almost soley towards finding special friends and making bebbehs, which is the whole problem in the first place. Overpopulation in the cities is what leads to all the abuse and gore and suffering, especially of ferals. You didn’t write a happy ending here; you just stopped before the bad parts coming.
It would be a different story if you had a fluffy that was smart enough to recognize that bebbehs are a problem or escapes outside of the city to try and live in an environment that might better suite them, or take inspiration from some of the art pieces I’ve seen around here of fluffys playing D&D or working as greeters at Walmart or something. Have them show an actual ability to participate in society and be more than pets or pests. Or heck, a story of a fluffy escaping and finding a secret, fully independent fluffy community would be cool, but you didn’t do any of that here. Instead that cardboard box suggests that your escaped fluffy is just contributing to the infestation in the city and is probably going to end up dead or worse.
Oh you mean the environment with lack of reliable food and heat sources, thousands of dangerous terrains and almost constant threat of predator attacks?
From what I’ve seen fluffies, while they have their preference for sketties, are omnivores that could survive off of nearly anything, natural predators would not be worse than human attempts to eliminate them(let alone the fact that there are still predators in the city such as cats eating their babies), and what reliable source of heat does a feral fluffy have exactly?
Also how is this not dangerous terrain?
Their second favorite food is always something pretty, witch include almost all of the poisonous plants, berries and mushrooms.
Natural predators don’t have a chance of adopting you or bringing you to the shelter.
Simple. heat pipes and boilers
It’s still easier to avoid then a sheer cliff or a swamp which can suck in you and your baby’s without warning.
Being a feral always suck, but being a feral close to civilization sucks a little bit less.
“Id prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” -Thomas Jefferson