Clan Spaniel Q&A with Rikki and Tikki

[Mendrugo]

Hey there crechelings! 

Rikki: Now that the Clan Spaniel sourcebook is out, I and my sibkin Tikki are standing by to answer any questions you may have.

Tikki: What about Tavi?

Rikki:  Neg.  Not after last time.  He knows what he did.

[Luciora]

Kid A:  Why are there no aerospace pilots included in Clan Spaniel?

[Caesar Steiner for Archon]

I've only seen your crossover with the Lyran Avengers, what did you use to liquefy that guy's skeleton?

Nothing weird will happen if you tell me.

[Mendrugo]

Kid A:  Why are there no aerospace pilots included in Clan Spaniel?

Rikki: An excellent question, and a notable oversight.  The writers did consider making Foxy the main group's fighter pilot, but it was determined that 1) she had been shown as a MechWarrior in "Clan Spaniel Saves Strana Mechty" and 2) did not have the features most commonly associated with the aerospace phenotype. 

Tikki: Yeah, sib, short and bug eyed she ain't.  Zephan, on the other hand...

Rikki:  Hush, you.  There remains ample room to add further members to the Spaniel touman, including Aerospace and even WarShip personnel.  Further, Jacque was an aerospace pilot before his injury.

[Mendrugo]

I've only seen your crossover with the Lyran Avengers, what did you use to liquefy that guy's skeleton?

Nothing weird will happen if you tell me.

Rikki: I am afraid I do not...

Tikki: Don't mind ol' Rikki.  He ain't watched the unlicensed Spheroid stuff.  If I remember right, it was feedback from a prototype VDNI that melted that guy's calcium into his boots.

Rikki: But...but...that does not even remotely make logical or scientific sense.

Tikki: Looked totally awesome, though!

[Doc Swift]

Awful lot of contractions being used in these replies. Some warrior is going to hear those and come to set things straight.

[Mendrugo]

Awful lot of contractions being used in these replies. Some warrior is going to hear those and come to set things straight.

Tikki:  Get a load of this guy, busting my chops over grammar.  Sure, I keep it clean when the holocams are rolling, for the crechelings, but adult to adult, I work a little blue.

Rikki: A little, quineg?

[Luciora]

Kid B: What are the Clan Spaniel's warriors favorite foods?  And, and, could Daniel the Spaniel ever get to be part of Clan Spaniel?

[Mendrugo]

Kid B: What are the Clan Spaniel's warriors favorite foods?  And, and, could Daniel the Spaniel ever get to be part of Clan Spaniel?

Rikki: An excellent query, crecheling!  Every species in Clan Spaniel has their own unique preferences.  The Parrots prefer fruit and seeds.  The Cattle enjoy alfalfa.  The dogs are carnivores, as are the Tabiranths. The Raxxen are omnivores, though Rexx has a preference for desert shrubs.  We Mongooses favor the taste of venom worms, from the world of Shadow.

Tikki: Aw, sib! Why'd you have to go and mention venom worms?  Back in the day, we had our own Clan, and we got all the venom worms we could eat.  That fiery tang when you crunch into their venom sacs, ahhhhh....

Rikki:  Yes, Tikki, but...

Tikki:  And then we got Absorbed, and suddenly we can't eat venom worms anymore, because they are a Bloodhouse of Clan Rock Swine.  No venom worms for Tikki, oh no!

Rikki: Oh dear, now see what you have caused, crecheling?

Tikki:  Oh, but then in 3071, the gloves were off, and venom worms were back on the menu!  Oh ho ho ho <smacks lips>

Rikki:  Er, yes.  Turning to your other query, yes, Daniel was indeed part of Clan Spaniel.  He was, in fact, our founder and first Khan.  He traveled from the Inner Sphere in the Exodus and joined Nicholas Kerensky's loyalists in the Second Exodus to Strana Mechty, where he founded Clan Spaniel.  Great were his deeds, as recorded in the Spaniel Remembrance.

[Kit deSummersville]

Catalysts artists are amazingly backed up, how did you manage to get new art for this project?

[Mendrugo]

Catalyst's artists are amazingly backed up, how did you manage to get new art for this project?

Rikki: Well, the incomparable Matt Plog first shared our visages with the masses back in the FASA days, and his Warriors of Kerensky art was used as a full page spread.

Tikki: But given the artist crunch, working on things like the Universe book and Legends II, we went for a ringer. Project Lead Eric Salzman's daughter, Vivian, just so happened to be studying art at Virginia Commonwealth University, specializing in character design.  When they showed her work to Cubby, his first question was "Which of my artists did you steal to make these? Do not say Dak!"

Rikki: And with that ringing endorsement, plus some input from Brent Evans at GenCon 2023, it was time to draw some monkeys.

Tikki: Instead of just making six colors of Curious George, though, Vivian modeled each monkey tribe on real monkey species with that color of fur.  And then Eric had the idea of giving them the outfits from the cover of The Succession Wars, adding the White Monkey dressed like the guy on the cover of the ComStar sourcebook.

[Luciora]

Older Kid C: Why monkeys though?  Was Clan Fire Mandrill a secret inspiration for how the Houses were so fractured? 

Kid A:  Does any of Clan Spaniel use EI like that funny old solhama warrior, and would it make them wierd like him too?

[Mendrugo]

Older Kid C: Why monkeys though?  Was Clan Fire Mandrill a secret inspiration for how the Houses were so fractured? 

Rikki: Drills, baboons, and monkeys, despite some broad aesthetic similarities, are completely separate species.  This was made clear to the Fire Mandrills in the 2980s, and they accepted the explanation, retracting their threatened Trial of Grievance.  Monkeys were chosen precisely because of their wide variation in appearances across types, and for their tendency to form social groups and display territoriality, akin to the Great Houses.

Tikki: <quietly> That is the official story, at least.  But, yeah, the Ghost Bears were ticked at the Mandrills and pushed for making monkeys the bad guys just to see those guys impotently rage out.  Hilarious!

Kid A:  Does any of Clan Spaniel use EI like that funny old solahma warrior, and would it make them weird like him too?

Rikki: After the betrayal of the Rock Swine, many of the Spaniels were grievously injured and unable to pilot BattleMechs any longer.  I and my scientist caste colleagues were able to rehabilitate them using enhanced imaging implants, enabling them to pilot ProtoMechs.  Polly received a Roc, Ferdinan a Minotaur, Porky a Chrysaor, Foxy a Procyon, and Zephan an Erinyes.

Tikki: The team did get more violent as ProtoMech pilots, preferring to kill their foes rather than taking bondsmen or permitting hegira.  Fortunately, after the Rock Swine were wiped out (ahh, venom worm buffet!), Rikki was able to re-bud their original limbs and get them back into their BattleMechs, greatly improving the mood around the enclave. Pembroke was never quite the same, though.

[Nerroth]

Is it possible for there to be a spin-off series airing over in the Scorpion Empire?

If so, how might such a series have evolved over time, to take account for various events and changes in circumstance - such as the loosening of restrictions against languages other than English, which would potentially allow this would-be series to then be dubbed into Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and (later) German; the onset of the Hanseatic Crusade; or the rise of an ex-Hansa freeborn to the newly-minted role of zarKhan?

Indeed, with the Scorpions now holding an enclave in the Chaine Cluster - complete with its own HPG link being established back to the Empire proper - might there then be a possibility of a crossover with the reboot series being planned by Clan Sea Fox?

[Mendrugo]

Is it possible for there to be a spin-off series airing over in the Scorpion Empire?

Rikki: The Sea Foxes have regular contact with Scorpion Empire traders in the Chainelane Isles, so it is within the realm of possibility that a distribution deal could be reached, both for legacy broadcasts of The Adventures of Clan Spaniel and for distribution of The New Adventures of Clan Spaniel.  It would be a matter of resources whether localization for the Empire would make sense, and also depend on whether or not the Scorpion Empire acknowledges Alaric as both ilKhan and First Lord.

Tikki: There could be some demand. Ya know, sib, I heard there are Scorpion Seekers nosing around Galatea trying to nab copies of the old Daniel the Spaniel and Bulldog Division files from the Snord Museum. 

If so, how might such a series have evolved over time, to take account for various events and changes in circumstance - such as the loosening of restrictions against languages other than English, which would potentially allow this would-be series to then be dubbed into Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and (later) German; the onset of the Hanseatic Crusade; or the rise of an ex-Hansa freeborn to the newly-minted role of zarKhan?

Rikki: I believe the plan for the New Adventures is to pursue extreme localization, ensuring that it serves first and foremost as a useful educational resource for each world, with customized content adapted to local history, geography, economy, language, and educational needs.  The Scorpion Empire would be no different.

Tikki: So we'd do a "Gilly Scorpion's First Necrosia Bender" episode?

Indeed, with the Scorpions now holding an enclave in the Chaine Cluster - complete with its own HPG link being established back to the Empire proper - might there then be a possibility of a crossover with the reboot series being planned by Clan Sea Fox?

Rikki: The New Adventures hope to bring our message of Unity and progress to all of humanity.

Tikki: Out of the goodness of the Sea Foxes' hearts.  Plus twenty-five fox credits per episode.  No password sharing.

[Nerroth]

Thank you for the replies!

Although, what I meant to ask was whether or not the Scorpions had perhaps already commissioned a spinoff series by themselves, at some point following their Abjuration from the Homeworlds and their subsequent arrival in Nueva Castile.

For example: if such a series had started prior to the Hanseatic Crusade, and continued in production thereafter, there might have been a need to re-frame how certain "Hansa" characters were portrayed - not least with so many ex-Hansa freeborn now serving in Eta Galaxy and elsewhere in the touman. (And, as noted above, with one in particular ascending to the post of zarKhan.)

And thus, if such a spinoff was still in production by the time routine contact with the Sea Foxes had been (re-)established, might that show end up crossing over with the reboot series the latter are set to broadcast?

Apologies/surkai for not phrasing these questions more clearly the first time around...

[Mendrugo]

Thank you for the replies!

Although, what I meant to ask was whether or not the Scorpions had perhaps already commissioned a spinoff series by themselves, at some point following their Abjuration from the Homeworlds and their subsequent arrival in Nueva Castile.

For example: if such a series had started prior to the Hanseatic Crusade, and continued in production thereafter, there might have been a need to re-frame how certain "Hansa" characters were portrayed - not least with so many ex-Hansa freeborn now serving in Eta Galaxy and elsewhere in the touman. (And, as noted above, with one in particular ascending to the post of zarKhan.)

And thus, if such a spinoff was still in production by the time routine contact with the Sea Foxes had been (re-)established, might that show end up crossing over with the reboot series the latter are set to broadcast?

Apologies/surkai for not phrasing these questions more clearly the first time around...

Rikki:  The Goliath Scorpions were renowned collectors, so it stands to reason that they brought many elements of Clan culture with them when they fled the Kerensky Cluster.  Whether that included Clan Spaniel archives, I cannot say. 

Tikki: Might not have been top priority, given the Reavings, marauding Society mutants, and general dying that everyone was real busy doing.

Rikki:  That being said, I am sure the Hanseatic League and Castillians had media productions and could have made such shows once the Scorpions assumed control. 

Tikki:  As far as crossovers, though - we ain't never done one of those, not officially.  Some of the Lyrans included us without so much as a by your leave.  I think Tiburon Khanate ended up getting a big pile of kroner out of Donegal Broadcasting over that.  Heh heh heh.  Not against it, but the Merchant Caste's legal department subcaste would need to set some stipulations.  First off, I want a really big dressing room, with a pool and a giant bucket of fresh venom worms!   

[Nerroth]

Thanks once again.

One final question (for now): is the IlClan Era reboot by Clan Sea Fox intended to be an animated series, to be filmed in live-action, or perhaps to take a hybrid approach?

[Mendrugo]

Thanks once again.

One final question (for now): is the IlClan Era reboot by Clan Sea Fox intended to be an animated series, to be filmed in live-action, or perhaps to take a hybrid approach?

Rikki: You are most welcome, crecheling.

Tikki: Eeeeesh.  Live-action. <looks around for Fire Mandrills> Neg. Not in a million blitzking years.

Rikki: I thought some of the live-action adaptation attempts were quite creative, and showed great imagination with their simulations of gene-splicing to create animal hybrids.

Tikki: Yeah. And that is why they stopped letting you talk on camera after 3076, Rikki. I know that was you for real in the Society bootleg, don't you deny it!

Rikki: Well, I never!

Tikki: You better not, sib. Or I'll sic Tavi on you.  And he ain't got my pleasant disposition.

Rikki: In short, it will be animated, though not necessarily in the same classic art style.

Tikki: I was thinking we get that neo-realist avant garde gal who won the vidtape finals in 3148.

Rikki: Oh, yes, I loved her "Three Kincha, Inverted" short at the festival.  So bold, and yet so vulgar at the same time.

[glitterboy2098]

Is it true that the 'Critter-Tek' franchise was a Wolf's Dragoons (Wolf's Baboons?) product inspired by the adventures of Clan Spaniel?

[Mendrugo]

Is it true that the 'Critter-Tek' franchise was a Wolf's Dragoons (Wolf's Baboons?) product inspired by the adventures of Clan Spaniel?

Rikki: Ah, yes. Critter-tek.  Anthropomorphic animals in 'Mechs playing weaponized baseball.  If the Merchant Caste had a copyright lawyer subcaste, they would find it extremely interesting from every perspective.

Tikki: Jamie and his crew did interviews and marketing, but never made holos.

Rikki: Instead, you can track the origins of Critter-Tek back to the world of Noisiel, where it was conceived of as a promotional holovid series to get younger fans invested in the Noisiel 'Mech Games, which also feature 'Mechs playing adapted traditional games of sport and strategy.

Tikki: The breakdancing 'Mechs weren't bad, but when their pilots started rapping...that was more than I could stand. 

[Nerroth]

Something which I noted in Recognition Guide Volume 1: Classics: it would appear that Clan Sea Fox is aware of an Inner Sphere corporation's success with Uhu the Peregrine - a character inspired by the Horned Owl BattleMech. (Apparently "Uhu" is a term used for this 'Mech design in a language commonly heard spoken in the Lyran Commonwealth, and on those ex-Hansa planets now part of the Scorpion Empire.)

While the two franchises might not exactly be best suited for a crossover, perhaps the success of that series - or rather, that of its merchandising branch - could be a useful case study, as the Foxes prepare to leverage the return of Clan Spaniel in an equivalent manner...

[Luciora]

Bespectacled nebbish adult: If budget and time wasn't a concern, what 20th century cinematic actors would you have portraying the principles of Clan Spaniel?  And what famous animation voices would you cast?

[Mendrugo]

Something which I noted in Recognition Guide Volume 1: Classics: it would appear that Clan Sea Fox is aware of an Inner Sphere corporation's success with Uhu the Peregrine - a character inspired by the Horned Owl BattleMech. (Apparently "Uhu" is a term used for this 'Mech design in a language commonly heard spoken in the Lyran Commonwealth, and on those ex-Hansa planets now part of the Scorpion Empire.)

While the two franchises might not exactly be best suited for a crossover, perhaps the success of that series - or rather, that of its merchandising branch - could be a useful case study, as the Foxes prepare to leverage the return of Clan Spaniel in an equivalent manner...

Rikki: Ah, yes.  Uhu.

Tikki: <gasps with barely contained laughter>

Rikki: There are certain...sensitivities...

Tikki: <snigger> Let me tell them!

Rikki: We do not speak of it with outsiders.

Tikki: So, when the stravag chibi Horned Owl came out, in 3119, it had a certain resemblance...

Rikki: Tikki...

Tikki: You should have seen Merlin! I mean, you thought his eyes were big before!

Rikki: Tikki!

Tikki: I swear, his head did a three-sixty! <bursts out laughing>

Rikki: <sighs> Sure.  Laugh.  It will not be you talking him down for six hours when he sees this, sib.

[Mendrugo]

Bespectacled nebbish adult: If budget and time wasn't a concern, what 20th century cinematic actors would you have portraying the principals of Clan Spaniel?  And what famous animation voices would you cast?

Rikki: Given how the live action versions the Fire Mandrills attempted panned out, I shall limit my musings to voice actors:

Polly: Mae Questel
Foxy: Kathleen Turner
Ferdinan: Shane Rangi (though Michael Dorn would also be an excellent choice)
Porky: Ed Asner
Rikki: Keith David
Tikki: Bradley Cooper
Zephan: Tom Kenny

Tikki: <snort>

Rikki: You have a comment, my lower caste sib, quineg?

Tikki: Keith David? You, quineg?

Rikki: Aff. I feel the resemblance is more than obvious.

Tikki: I mean, I could see Jerry Lewis or Hank Azaria, but Keith David?!!

[Mendrugo]

Rikki: Having given it more thought, these voices would be excellent fits for our most common foes

Son Goku: Mako
Bandar: Maurice LaMarche
Sun Wukong: James Hong
Passalos: Jonathan Harris
Midas: Jim Backus
Mizaru: Peter Cullen
Babi: Frank Welker
Rocco: Barry Gordon

[BrianDavion]

what no Jennifer Hale? I thought there was some sort of law about her voice needing to be in everything? :)

[Mendrugo]

what no Jennifer Hale? I thought there was some sort of law about her voice needing to be in everything? :)

Tikki: Hey, ya want parrot-style high pitched and screechy, ya gotta go Mae Questel (Bettie Boop, Olive Oyl).

[Kit deSummersville]

If David Keith does Rikki then Keith David should do Tikki.

[Mendrugo]

If Keith David does Rikki then David Keith should do Tikki.

Tikki: "Squint Westwood" from "Ernest Goes to School"? Be still my heart!