This is introducing a concept that will probably play a big role in subsequent stories. Plus, like Fluffbook, it just made sense to me that something like this should exist. Why should FluffTV have a monopoly on fluffy-based programming?
The Fluff Network is a new digital streaming service, started and funded by FauCorp, the same corporation that owns the new Flufftopia chain of stores. The intention is simple: correcting the damage FluffTV’s shitty shows have done to fluffy minds, with the help of the renowned fluffy psychologist, Dr. Deston Faucheuse and his keen insight into the workings of the fluffy mind, and developing high-quality shows that are both educational and entertaining. The money the Fluff Network is bringing in is just a bonus, really.
The first decision made was to segregate programming for foals, adults, and soon-mummahs into three separate packages. Dr. Faucheuse insisted on this. Too many mares have gotten a glimpse of Babies! before their owners could change the channel in time, and, nine times out of ten, it ends with the mare running off to get knocked up by a stray, contributing to the already-severe feral fluffy problem. The showrunner, Xavier Laine, hopes to prevent this by not showing foals at all in the standard package’s shows.
First up is the free Standard Package, containing a variety of shows for (nearly) adult fluffies, many of the lessons imparted in the Foal Package are reiterated here. Most of the shows are educational, but there’s also entertainment shows like Captain Fluffy To The Rescue!. Unfortunately, the rights to Supah Fwuff could not be obtained, but creating a new fluffy hero was not hard. Captain Fluffy has become quite popular, and Captain Fluffy merchandise is now available at all Flufftopia stores. Fluffies love starting the day with Captain Fluffy breakfast kibble, and snuggling at night with their Captain Fluffy stuffy friends!
Then there is the Foal Package: these shows are designed to educate foals, watching with or without their parents/owners. How to make good poopies, to play nice with other foals, that sort of thing. There’s also Foal ABCs, and Counting with Foals. It’s been proven that teaching letters and numbers to fluffies when they’re still foals has a higher chance of the lessons sticking.
And finally there’s the After-Hours Package. Containing shows like Bundles of Joy, the equivalent to Babies!, put somewhere where owners who don’t want their mares breeding no longer have to worry about them getting a peek by accident. And then there’s shows for stallions that are, well, straight up fluffy porn. The scriptwriter, Edward von Drachen, has a bit too much fun translating classic porn scenarios into Fluffspeak. “Did fwuffy owdew sketties wiv… ess-twa meatiebawws?” bow chicka bow wow
The fluffies that star in these shows aren’t neutered, but the mares are fed Flufftopia No-Foals Treats before shooting, which render a mare unable to conceive for up to 24 hours. These are a relatively recent invention, and shooting for these shows couldn’t start until all the kinks were worked out. Like the batch of treats that permanently rendered the mares barren. Though those ended up being sold as No-Foals-Ever Treats. Until the unpleasant side-effects were discovered, and they were promptly pulled from the shelves, and the owners of afflicted mares compensated.
The second decision made was to use an all-alicorn cast. Alicorns are a lot smarter than the average fluffies, fully capable of separating fact from fiction, and much less prone to getting lost in character, which is good for the AAs (Alicorn Actors) on Captain Fluffy playing the villains.
Plus, with the latest advancements in CGI, editing out their horns and/or wings, so as not to scare those among the fluffy audience who truly cannot abide alicorns, is a trivial matter. (It’s not like erasing a mustache, Henry.)
Some people in Fluffywood, the studio all Fluff Network programming is filmed in, have made tasteless jokes, comparing alicorns to a certain historically persecuted group of humans who shine in the entertainment industry. Laine did not tolerate these jokes, having Jewish ancestry himself, and they stopped after he threatened to fire and blacklist the wannabe comedians.
The AAs are all named after notable Hollywood actors. One of the biggest names is Samuel, a jet-black and purple stallion with the build of an earthie, and, like his human namesake, is in damn near everything. Then there was Chevy, who was as belligerent and erratic on the set as his namesake, and who ultimately was “let go” from the studio.
The Fluffywood compound is big, about three times as big as the average movie studio. One reason for this is the residential area, nicknamed “Flufferly Hills” by staff until that became its official name. Flufferly Hills houses all the AAs, where they live in the lap of luxury when not on set or making public appearances. New arrivals are shown the ropes by the AAs and human attendants. It’s made very clear to the AAs that their caretakers are not their “mommys and daddys”, and for the most part, the AAs accept this, as they are still treated well and have lots of company. Generally speaking, things run smoothly here, the AAs behave well, needing only occasional minor discipline, (except outliers like Chevy, who are swiftly dealt with by the staff), and the AAs settle down into their new glamorous lifestyle with ease.
