Fuzzbutts: Mama Said Knock You Out (Patreon)

loooord y'all i apologize for the fuzzbutts spam, i promise i'm gonna open up pony requests real soon! in the meantime, thank you so much for riding the inspo wave with me~

So this is Bruce's big brother, our expy of Butch, one mister Silver Abalone. I'm not yet married to this name or design, and I'm still pondering some elements to his story. I won't lie to y'all, I first pictured Sil as being long dead, his death being a highly traumatic event for Bruce that contributes significantly to Bruce's depression and general surly attitude. But now I'm wondering if it'd be more interesting for him to still be alive. Alive, dead, hmm. Schrodinger's plot device.

Unlike his baby brother (a western brush wallaby), Silver is an eastern grey kangaroo, the second biggest of all marsupials. He shares his species with his (and Bruce's) father. Silv is a heavyweight kickboxing champion, with multiple titles under his belt. He got his beginning in back alley brawls (hence the scars- Roos don't bind their claws for casual fights) and eventually managed to break into the professional circuit with the relentless coaching of his dad. Silver is very, very strong, with his kicks delivering a bone-shattering force of 750 pounds.

Bruce did not have a very pleasant childhood, and his brother played a part in it. Quoting dear RoboHeather here, but I imagine Silver took the brunt of their father's image of toxic masculinity growing up and holds himself to a certain standard, and maybe tried to get Bruce to follow in his footsteps in a misguided attempt to toughen his brother up so the world could never hurt him. Bruce was subjected to many impromptu wrestling matches and spent much of his time out in the brush, looking for rare bugs and avoiding his brother and father. As adults however their relationship greatly improves. Silv is stupid proud when his little bro makes it into a big name zooniversity, even if it is just to study pretty plants. Bruce is still subject to the occasional noogie and scuffle match, but also the odd "proud of ya, baby bro", and sometimes a piece of helpful advice or invitation for a movie night together, and it gets to the point where eventually, Bruce can begrudgingly accept that somewhere along the way, his brother has become his best friend. When Sil catches him in a playful headlock, he responds by biting the hell out of his brother til Sil is squealing. They meet up for beer, Bruce fusses over Silv after his boxing matches, he rolls his eyes as Silv brags about his success with the ladies, he perks up whenever Silver awkwardly asks how Bruce's studies are going. Big brother, best friend forever~

notes:

-Silv is a poor listener and typically responds to Bruce's problems by asking him "What're you bitching about? C'mon, we're young and the world is our oyster, let's go get shitfaced!". He likes to take action, not sit around talking about feelings. He is aware of this flaw however and trying to be a little better about it. He secretly admires how Bruce can listen to his problems and validate his feelings, agh, his wimpy little bro is just so damned smart sometimes. Silv would never admit it, but secretly, he's Bruce's biggest fan.

-Silver suspects Bruce is gay because Bruce has never shown interest in girls. He used to make fun of him for it, but it's evolved to a lighter sort of teasing. Basically anytime Bruce comes to him with news, "Oy Silv, I have something to tell you-", Silver responds, "You're gay, I already know. It's okay bro love who you love". He's being genuine, but because of his general smarminess, it always comes off like he's still making fun of Bruce, so Bruce tells him to fuck off.

-Silver started learning the guitar as a way to pick up chicks, but found himself genuinely loving it. He often plays in his spare time and has gotten pretty decent at it, but feels too self-conscious to play before anyone except Bruce.