Devilbunnies
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The fictional Devilbunnies are the focus of a shared universe story-writing group based on the Usenet newsgroup alt.devilbunnies.
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Basic concepts
There is a secret war being waged between human beings and an intelligent, technologically advanced species of rabbits known as 'devilbunnies' who can lull humans with radiated cuteness, measured in "cutons". Devilbunnies are meat-eaters who consider human toes a delicacy; in the alt.devilbunnies setting, they frequently convert humans to SPAM.
While devilbunnies are equipped with lethally sharp claws and fangs, this war is just as often fought by means of social engineering. In the world of alt.devilbunnies, bunny propaganda has been blamed for the appearance of many icons of cuteness - including, but not limited to, Barney the Dinosaur, Hello Kitty, and Teletubbies (which prominently features many large rabbits on-set). A popular entertainment amongst alt.devilbunnies writers is using real-world news articles as a starting point for conspiracy theory stories set in the world of alt.devilbunnies.
Factions
The two most important factions in the alt.devilbunnies universe are the bunnies themselves, and a group of humans who oppose them known as the Fudds (after their hero, Elmer Fudd). Originally the Fudds were centrally organized, much like a regular army; since then, disagreements on the conduct of the war and the destruction of their primary base in Colorado have seen this turn into a loose alliance of semi-independent groups.
Humans who support the devilbunny cause are referred to as 'symps' (short for 'sympathizers'). Some symps are powerful humans, often in the media and entertainment industries (devilbunnies writers accuse Michael Eisner of symphood) but most are treated poorly by their bunny masters. SPAM is rumored to stand for 'Symp Processed After Mission'.
The bunnies created intelligent squirrels as a slave race; many have since escaped and taken up arms against their oppressors, frequently adopting quasi-Bolshevik ideologies. Squirrels are unreliable allies due to their short attention spans and erratic thought processes, but their courage and fast breeding rate make them popular as scouts and test pilots.
'Wyrmbunnies' are twisted, anti-cute mockeries of bunnies, descendants of a bunny genetic experiment that went wrong. While the wyrmbunnies are among the most fanatical foes of normal devilbunnies, that same fanaticism makes Fudds reluctant to ally with them. Most wyrmbunnies are members of the 'Four', a cult whose leaders identify with the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
'Angelbunnies' are bunnies who genuinely want to help humans rather than exploiting them. Many writers object to this concept, feeling that the universe works better if all devilbunnies are inherently evil. These writers usually deal with angelbunny characters by reinterpreting them as bunny propagandists who only appear to be benevolent.
Thumbs
It is a matter of devilbunny canon that devilbunnies appear physically identical to ordinary rabbits. However, stories frequently depict devilbunnies doing things (e.g. operating machinery) that would appear to require opposable thumbs. To preserve suspension of disbelief, devilbunny authors refrain from exploring this apparent contradiction in any depth.
History
The newsgroup alt.devilbunnies evolved around the mid-late 1980s from a discussion among Brandeis newsgroup users about sentient 'dust bunnies'. The name 'devilbunnies' has sometimes been attributed to a Thrill Kill Kult song of the same name, but the creation of the newsgroup seems to have predated that song by about three years; the word has also appeared in Berke Breathed's comic Bloom County. It is unclear whether the newsgroup's name is directly connected to either of these. The humor value of juxtaposing cute fluffy rabbits with demonic evil appears to have occurred to many people independently; Cheapass Games' 'Devil Bunny Needs a Ham' is a more recent appearance of the same idea.
Sources and influences
The physical ferocity of devilbunnies, coupled with their harmless exterior, owes much to the Killer Rabbit of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'. Some aspects of devilbunny society are patterned after Watership Down.
External links
- alt.devilbunnies (news:alt.devilbunnies)