#the lion guard thurston

[kaythefloppa]

The villain The real villain

[mask-of-prime]

TLG: Battle for the Pridelands Sketches

To celebrate the 5th Anniversary of one of my favorite episodes of TLG, I decided to do some sketches of some takeaways I had during a rewatch of the episode:

1. Wema, Tunu, Dogo, and Kijana aged up to how old I think they'd be around the time of the episode. Why were they not aged up?? Kiara, Tiifu, Zuri, and Mtoto were given some specific age models only used in this episode, why not the Outlander kids? I feel the jackals would be the equivalent to 12 years old by this time, while Wema and Tunu would be like 8-year-old kids.

2. I've heard people ask where the zebras and baboons were during the final battle, and for a while I was like "Yeah aren't they significant recurring characters? Where even were they in the Pridelands Army arc of Season 2?", but THEN it dawned on me: Baboon. Zebra. Cavalry. When watching the scene where everyone charges to the Outlands, I saw the galagos riding the sable antelope and went "haha like horses, that'd be funny if it was with zebras because equines", then I was like "baboons would probably be like humans while riding zebras" and I was just "WAIT IS THAT WHY PEOPLE WANTED THOSE ANIMALS IN THIS EPISODE". So here we are, Big Baboon and Thurston team up to surprise the Outlanders (and even the Pridelanders) by doing what they do best -- throwing fruit and panicking and running, respectively.

3. A sketch of this sudden visual I got during Ushari and Scar's conversation where Scar promised that Ushari and the rest of the reptiles would have whatever's left of the ravaged Pridelands. I instantly imagined the Pridelands becoming this unrecognizable wasteland ideal only for heat-seeking reptiles after the disastrous volcanic eruption Scar had in mind. The environment would be a tad like something out of the Mesozoic era.

4. One of my favorite aspects of this episode: The famous important-as-hell-but-vaguely-presented lore drop of the Strange Lion's (actually pretty ambiguous) existence as well as his actions accelerating Scar's entitlement and envy of Mufasa (which would kickstart the very premise of the first movie and the franchise as we know it). I love this guy's design for the same reason I love Zira's -- it's just so consistent in shapes and colors that all match with each other.

5. I find it funny that in order to not interfere with the events of TLK 2, TLG just decided to have it so the Outsiders would be completely out of the loop of the fact that Scar's spirit returned. It could easily be explained that Scar kept Zira out of it on purpose, or that he didn't know (and possibly didn't care) that she was still around. I have to think that the Outsiders don't live too far from the Outlands Volcano, so they've had to have heard some commotion and wonder what on earth could be going on. Looks like Zira's fanatic spiritual connection with her beloved Scar can apparently be heard by her peers.

[devilsrecreation]

Oh look another TLK/TLG parallel

Bonus head tilt cuz look omg look at them 🥺

[spinnysocks]

What would be the first time Kitizu couple use of the the roar?

hmm... i guess it depends when kiara gets the roar. if i base it on what @dawn-sunlight commented on the last Kitizu Using The Roar ask, about kiara being second-born to kopa and thus being first in line for the throne AND still having the roar after kopa dies, i suppose it would have to be before kion is old enough to get the roar himself. but if kion doesn't get the roar at all (which might be an interesting side part to this au), then it doesn't really matter

either way, i'm thinking that simba sends kiara out on her own royal duty somewhere in the pridelands, and of course tiifu and zuri come along. it's as usual — tiifu and zuri are talking about things that aren't relevant to kiara's main concern, her duty. but the other two entice her out of her strict stubbornness, frolicking and playing together on their way to wherever they're going. it's when kiara finally relaxes around the other two that she spots it — the animals that she's visiting for her royal duty are being terrorised. kiara leaps into action, jumping in front of the animals to protect them, but she's no match alone. she remembers something her dad once told her, about roaring when she most needs to. tiifu and zuri have pushed aside their fear at this point to help kiara; she tells them that they have to roar together. they don't understand, but they trust her completely. the three close their eyes when they roar and when they open them, the predators are gone. they are praised by the animals they saved but they don't really know what they did, at least not until they get back home to pride rock where simba and rafiki explain the roar to them :)

[amingethia]

[horsehoedownshowdown]

[fountainpenguin]

Underrated Lion Guard moment- Jasiri (Protagonist) mocking Janja (antagonist) for forgetting to mark the borders of his turf for the dry season, so she marks it herself and kicks him and his clan out of what has been their territory for two seasons of the show.

This happens within the first 3 minutes of "Rescue in the Outlands" and a mopey Janja sings about how much he hates (admires) her.

I'm sorry, but it's SO funny that this episode doesn't go the route of "Don't bully people and kick them out of their homes." Bad news, boss- this was within hyena rules and it's hers now. Yeah sorry, you forgot to mark your turf for the dry season; you know how it goes.

?? And then we pan over to her later in the episode and she's just playing hide and seek? Queen.

Shout-out to Jasiri at the end of this episode like "Yeah, I probably deserved that since Janja was just trying to get his turf back, but." /blatantly does not give his turf back

Is this why shortly before this, we have the aardwolf episode about not kicking people out of their homes? That's so funny...

Why does the Lion Guard spend time convincing Thurston to follow them into the Outlands so he'll scare away the flies (when he doesn't want to), then 30 seconds later they're like "Wait, there are no flies- we don't need him" so they tell him to go home??? Through the Outlands when he is a tasty zebra without an escort? So rude. I'm obsessed.

Hyenas creeping forward: So, before we eat you, you have to answer one question... Thurston, standing there and trying to be polite: Okay, that seems fair :) Chungu 3 minutes later: Ooh, the zebra... We forgot to eat him...

Help??

[intothetlkverse]

Decided to challenge myself by drawing every single TLK character out there, up until this point in time, and post it here. You can see the finished project on my main account, though I figured to post it on my tumblr just show I could proudly show off my work and a few of my head canons.

Here is all the zebras across TLK:

From the Lion Guard we're starting off with the golden zebra of the Backlands herself, queen Dhahabu(gold) with her two bodyguards, siblings Raha(contentment) and Starehe(comfort). Though still prideful and dramatic, Dhahabu has matured as a leader since Kion and his guard reached out to her for help during the dry season, in return helping her gain the confidence and kick in the butt to act as a true leader to her herd. She still maintains a friendly relationship with the Pridelands, even attending summits between neighboring territories/kingdoms to represent her home and herd, though never without her two closest zebra bodyguards by her side. This is the third time I've drawn Dhahabu, first in pencil, second time relying heavily on bases, and now more free-handed, and I'm very pleased with how far I've come.

Returning to the Pridelands, we come across the first leader, one of several zebra herds in the Pridelands' territory, Thurston(The Stone of Thor)/Thusi(brass-Zulu). Conceited, easily-spooked, and dim-witted, it's astonishing to many how Thurston is still alive, much less the leader of his own herd for several seasons now. However, whatever he does is working, and heck, he's manage to keep his herd alive for this long as well, though that might just be relying on the Lion Guard for protection and their nigh-infinite patience. Let's hope the current one lead by Vitani maintains the self-control and strength to not cause an unfortuanutely accident for his hilariously buffoonish stallion. Also I'm torn between using his real name and the 'Africanized' one, though I'm kinda partial to the original, despite how out of place it is. A bit surprising, though considering there's animals like Zazu with British accents in TLK, hyenas dropping Spanish words, and the entire Shakespeare literature used as the basis for the plot , I think I should be less surprised.

Though speaking of surprising is the fact that Thurston has a son, Kwato(hoof). Since zebra herds tend to have a lead stallion with several females and their foals, Thurston does actually have a few foals, though Kwato seems the most promising of his offspring. Though mischievous and energetic, he does listen well to authority and understands the value of respect gained through noble action and experience. Kwato got a bit of a redesign along with Hamu, given that zebra foals have more dark brown stripes that darken over time, as well as big roundish ears.

Edit: I did have in mind to do some next-gen characters soon, and for Thurston I decided to name two of his other foals Tristan and Howell. Given that Thurston's name comes from Thurston Howell of Gilligan's Island, I wanted to sort of keep the theme of bizarre, notably non-African names going.

Next one of the leaders of the zebra herds is a curious case with the female leader, Muhimu(important), present here with her son Hamu(desire). Giving birth to her son during a migration has made Muhimu quite cautious, as well as making her weaker, more tired, and stress after the return, though she still maintains a reliable, compassionate leading example for her herd, if not having to make her take more frequent rests and breaks. Her son is well-liked in the Pridelands among the other animals his age for his playfulness and amiable nature. He particularly gets along with Kwato from Thurston's herd, seeing him as a bit of a big brother.

Coming to our most recent zebra character addition, from the Disney Villiains: Scar vol 2 comic we have Elder/Agadi(old man). A wise and observant zebra, he leads his herd during Mufasa's time, and is one of the herds, like the wildebeest, to be worried about Scar's presence and what it meant for the future, a prediction that ultimately turned out to be right. His wife and mother of his son ends up killed shortly before Scar's coup, prompting him to step up as parent, much like the Great Prince and Bambi. Though his son is deeply hurt by the loss of his mother to the pride's hunting party, of which he was previously close friends of one of the cubs, having to deal with the notion of predator/prey and the Circle of Life's final step, while also feeling that he has been betrayed. Agadi is able to instill in his son the responsibility of being perceptive, open-minded, strong, and thoughtful, things he'll take on when he'll succeed his father, something he does rather suddenly when Scar and his hyenas target Agadi, as Agadi had been a strong critic of Scar's rule and behavior. His herd and son remember him fondly as they decide to flee the Pridelands to survive, eventually to return back after Simba's return.

Speaking of Agadi's son and the current leader of his herd, here's Lemuta(let it go), the zebra originally from the "King of the Beasts" draft, though I've decided to combine him with the colt from "A Great Team" and "Monkey Magic" and he later is the zebra in TLK2 that sings "disgrace" towards Kovu during his exile. Lemuta and Simba used to be childhood friends, however, being predator and prey, as they grew older, the bond became frayed, especially after Lemuta's mother was hunted by Sarabi. Though both knew about the separation between them, after that event both avoided each other, feeling too awkward and severed. When Simba years later as king returned, Lemuta was more of a neutral party, having his own herd and several foals by then. They have met up, but their relationship, if any, is more civil and courteous. I'll be honest, when searching for reference for how to do him, since he is only mentioned and no concept art exists of him(that and he is described as having a pink blotch on his nose), I came across seven different designs across all of TLK fandom, however, I'll tell you one thing that my version of Lemuta has that no other depiction has.... the first strand of hair on his crest is white instead of black... I'm so creative. I decided to give him a moody and upset, yet agreeable expression, demonstrating his lingering resentment, yet willingness for acceptance to do the right thing.

Next of is Lemuta's mate, which I have made Zarah/Zahra(radiant/fair) from "The Disguised Zebra". Unlike Lemuta, she has a much more positive view of lions, understanding that they are predators and necessary for a helpful ecosystem, but respects the current rulers, as in their youths they helped her cross dangerous predator-filled territory and back safely to her herd. Growing up, she would share her experience with Lemuta, trying to help expand his idea of how there can be good, bad, and neutral predators, although while he does understand and has come to accept what happened was nature's way, he still remains salty about it. Zahra often acts as mediator in herd disputes with him, though is lately feeling worried for him as he and the leader of the oryxes, Odera, have been quite vocal about their displeasure about Simba's redaction of Kovu's exile and the Outsiders' integration into the Ndona pride, as well as how his attitude has been affecting their foal.

Next up we have Zebby/Zebaki(mercury) from "Spots and Stripes". Zebaki is Agadi's son and Lemuta's half-brother. He too had a relationship with Simba and Nala, and helped save them from a pair of cheetahs which attacked them, thinking that in their painted forms they were zebras. He did understand his half-brother's resentment towards the lions after his mother was hunted and did try to be supportive of him throughout the years, though his personal dislike of predators is not as strong as Lemuta's, and actually has a slightly more pleasant relationship with Simba. He is allowed to remain in Lemuta's herd, to help with the population, though has been slowly getting to know Muhimu and her herd more, even helping sire Hamu with her, though she maintains the fact that she is lead zebra of the herd, even if he should join.

And with that, we say goodbye to all the plains zebras for now. There are technically three different species of zebra; plains, mountain, and Grevy's, the first two having their own subspecies, including the extinct quagga in the plains zebra's case, though I digress. Point is that plains zebras are the most common, widespread, and viewed across TLK media, and in real life. The other two zebras species have their own behavior, habitat/range, and appearances, and I will go into that while describing them.

Finishing up with the Pridelands zebras we have two mother/foal pairs, both which are Grevy's/imperial zebras. While plains zebras live mostly in grasslands and savanna woodland, aka 50+% of the Pridelands, Grevy's/imperial zebras live in more semi-arid savanna, typically form smaller herds and are more antisocial, and are more 'mule-like' then 'equine-like' in appearance compared to the other two, are the largest species, and have the tightest stripe patterns of the three. Starting up from "Zebra Crossing" and we have Grevy's zebras Milia(stripes) and her son Punda(donkey). A bit of an odd pair, their herd migrated alongside the wildebeests. Punda had befriended Simba and Nala, though has not been seen since the migration. He's very cheery and playful, naive about what dangers the world possesses just yet. Milia is a graceful and gorgeous zebra, something she knows and is proud of. However, like most herbivores, she does have a disdain for predators, especially the two lion cubs that her son Punda has befriended. "Those are your future hunters, son. They won't always be fun and kind to be with when they're old enough to take you down for lunch." She does her best to try and protect him, even getting together with fellow herbivore and blue wildebeest Nyumbu, to provide a male role model and structure into his life. It does seem to work, as the three go on migration together and the two boys tale a liking to each other.

The next duo comes from 6NA's "How True, Zazu?", mother Muwa(sugarcane) and her son Sukari(sugar). Sukari is the last of the young animals to spread the rumors to discredit Zazu's name, only to regret his actions when they put both Zazu's credibility and the Pridelands in danger, in which he comes clean and takes on a temporary role as one of Zazu's info-gatherers. However since Scar's reign, he fled with his mother to lands elsewhere and has not been seen since.

Next up, starting with the Hakuna Matata magazine "Home, Sweet Home" we get some oasis, aka mountain zebras with Stripey/Sphiwe(gift-Afrikkans) and his mother/Zeyana(ornament-Afrikkans), in a herd with his half-brother Zak/Zakwani(thriving) from "Falling in Love". Mountain zebras differ in that they have bold stripes, pure white underbellies, and a noticeable dewlap, aka a noticeable flap of skin under the chin and on the neck. They are fond of more hill-y habitats, like mountain slopes and escarpments with a diversity of grass species. They also form smaller family herds, usually comprised of a single stallion and 1-5 mares with their offspring. This is the case with their herd, albeit larger then most herds, in which Sphiwe and Zakwani are two of his multiple foals sired by the head stallion. Sphiwe befriended Simba growing up in the Oasis, making him the fifth zebra colt to do so, though like Zuber, Zahra, and Punda his thoughts on Simba are positive, as Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa helped protect him and his herd from the trio of cheetahs from Lightfoot's coalition. Sphiwe, Zakwani, Zeyana, and their herd have remained friends with them, even after Simba grew up and left to go back.

Last on our list we have go back to plains zebras and into the Pridelands' past to meet Zebra/Nata(sticky) from "The Brightest Star". He was leader of his herd during the time of Mohatu, and much like his descendent Thurston, was very arrogant and conceited, though with a bit more aggression like his descendent Lemuta, as he was willing to endanger other animals in order to gain the advantage during a drought. When Mohatu found a new source of water and suggested they all behave in order to make the most of it to survive the drought, Nata reminded everyone of how the Selfish lion, one of Mohatu's species, broke the rule, hence forth why should any of they follow suit? This resulted in a riot with everyone rushing towards the water source, trampling and injuring each other to get there, only for Nata's actions to cause him get him trapped in quicksand around the surrounding area. Having to rely on others to get him out, he became more humbled and selfless in nature, agreeing to work with his fellow animals to help survive the drought, though this event does mark one of the notable riots/rebellions in the Pridelands history with the other Pridelands species rebelling against the lion ruler at the time.

[jansiricave]

Lessons

Rafiki: If you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous. Bunga: What if it bites me and it dies!? Rafiki: Then you’re poisonous. Jesus Christ, Bunga, learn to listen. Thurston: What if it bites itself and I die? Fuli: That’s voodoo. Kion: What if it bites me and someone else dies? Ono: That’s correlation, not causation. Rani: What if we bite each other, and neither of us die? Baliyo: That’s kinky. Makini: Oh my God.

[kaythefloppa]

[mask-of-prime]

TLG: Rebuilding Trust

During Kion's absence, Kiara had been taken to Savannah Summits by Simba as a teen, merely attending and just getting acquainted with the political environment, eager to voice opinions she was sure about at the time. Fast forward to today, on Simba's last Savannah Summit before retiring someday soon, Kiara attends her very first Savannah Summit in which she's allowed to have her very own say on serious matters. Kiara was determined to prove that she could bring a history-making contribution to the table by welcoming a new and unlikely representative to the roster...

Days before this major Savannah Summit, Kiara, with the escort of Kovu and Vitani's Guard, meets with Jasiri, whom she'd become great friends with during Kion's absence. Jasiri, despite recently being on good terms with Simba and his family last time she'd met with them, was uncertain of how the rest of the Pridelanders would react. As usual, Kiara's supportive and optimistic words eventually managed to persuade Jasiri into attending, as she too strived to break barriers.

The Savannah Summit arrives, Kiara makes a major announcement, introducing the newcomer who makes her way down the entrance to Mizimu Grove. The animals are in shock, audibly gasping and jolting at the sight of the hyena, but they keep to themselves. They've seen her fight alongside Kion and his former Guard before, proving her alignment, yet they were still wary.

While the Pridelands' herds' post-traumatic stress from the invasion and ruthless overhunting from Shenzi's Clan during Scar's Reign is valid, their transgenerational trauma alongside the long-running banishment of Shenzi's Clan has led to ignorant stigmatisms surrounding hyenas as a species over the years. Kiara, having prepared her speech, has Jasiri's back by clarifying to everyone that not all hyenas follow the customs of the clan that had once taken over the Pridelands, and that Jasiri's Clan (which features members that descend from Shenzi's Clan), intend to learn and grow from their predecessors' mistakes.

Simba, who had been getting better at overcoming his paranoia brought on by his PTSD, is pleased with Kiara, telling her that this was the best time and place to introduce a genuine, trusting hyena leader like Jasiri to the Pridelanders to end a long, needless prejudice. Hyenas were to no longer be banished from the Pridelands, and to Kiara, Jasiri, and (even on behalf of) Kion's wishes, all living beings who respected the Circle of Life were welcome to the Pridelands.

(...this does make me wonder, though, does anyone think Nala would feel the same about Jasiri? While Nala's rational enough to know Jasiri's nothing like the members of Shenzi's Clan (and she knows Shenzi's Clan all too well, spent a majority of her life growing up with them), do you think the presence of any hyena might spark a deep-rooted, subconscious trauma in her? I can see her trying so hard to be openminded to Jasiri just as she was to Kovu, but these memories of Scar's hyena army won't stop bugging her. Perhaps she starts to understand the feelings Simba once went through.)

(Note: To clarify, including Jasiri in the Savannah Summit is not to make the Outlands a mere part the Pridelands, as that would lower Jasiri's status as prime minister and take away from her drive to restore the Outlands as a separate yet equally opportune, prosperous land. Because Jasiri's the leader of a whole land, like that of Sokwe of the Theluji Mountains or Dhahabu of the Backlands. Jasiri would moreso attend some kind of "super summit" in the future, where it's all kingdom leaders instead of herd leaders)

(Another Note: This took way longer than I can believe, usually I get drawings done over a matter of like three days at the most if I'm busy, but this took probably two weeks. What's sad is that the idea was so clear and fresh in my head that I was ready to jot the whole thing down, but I found myself procrastinating, getting a few weeks of school out of the way, and even questioning the drawing's existence. In the end I think I'm glad I took my time, I allowed myself to introduce myself to several character designs that were new to me, and I carefully eyed every detail)

[devilsrecreation]

Stuff that adds to my headcanons

Those brief moments where we see Nduli next to/right behind Kiburi. It’s not all the time and I know the animators didn’t do it on purpose, but it’s adorable given my hc about their relationship. The fact that Nduli was the one sleeping next to Kiburi in the canyon makes me hc that he always slept next to him. That was his spot since childhood and he’s never changing that. And that small detail about him being the first to follow Kiburi, that’s little brother material right there

Not to mention the first thing Nduli said after Tamka agreed Thurston’s “advice” was legit

“We should tell Kiburi”

They get an idea of how to defeat the Lion Guard and Nduli IMMEDIATELY thinks of Kiburi. He was even on his way to tell him before Tamka stops him and I think that’s adorable

I’ve actually been watching clips of the penguins from the Madagascar franchise and I completely forgot about the wholesome sibling relationship between Skipper and Private, especially when Skipper’s like “cover the Private’s ears” cuz he doesn’t wanna ruin his innocence. That’s what Kiburi and Nduli’s relationship is like

[spinnysocks]

yeah i'm not done talking about this :33 me and nikki were talking about what each of them would have to do sooooo!-

janja, chungu and cheezi escorting kiara to her duties, simply because it would be funny as hell 😭

reirei and goigoi have to babysit the kids from Babysitter Bunga. the kids definitely would wanna play at hakuna matata falls- cue reirei and goigoi getting tricked by the kids, and flung off the see saw into the water. they found out the hard way that there's kids even more rambunctious than theirs lol

mzingo and his parliament would be extra eyes in the sky. you know how the vultures would circle when an animal is in a desert or they're tired? they do that but they have to help whoever it is find water or check up on them. maybe they could even use their smarts to help animals like the herd leaders make decisions: “Let's put it to a vote. Should the antelopes migrate through the Flood Plains or go around?”

the skinks would do what they do best and spy on everyone to see how they're doing, so they can report back to jasiri!

kiburi's float could totally do heavy lifting. like if there was a rockslide recently that needed to be moved but would takes up the lion guard's time to clear it, then the crocs do it. just... don't let kiburi near makuu's watering hole lmao

nikki also said that they could help basi with the flood plains somehow, which i totally agree with because i stg the crocs are always disrespecting basi AND it could give kiburi's float the chance to actually help an animal in trouble for once, y'know like how that rhino calf got stuck!

we also talked about janja and kiburi working together to make the work more bearable lol. because they're besties :]

you know what would be funny? if former scar's army had to do "community service" in order to redeem themselves

janja, reirei, kiburi, mzingo and others have accepted that they can't challenge jasiri's rule now. but she's giving them a chance to have at least some sort of authority in the outlands, on the condition that they respect the circle of life AND repay their debts to the damage they've caused to the pridelands. the leaders can learn to accept the former - they have no choice after all - but the latter? they're complaining about it like all hell lol

[lion-king-toy-otd]

Thurston

The Lion Guard Just Play blind bag Series 3 (2016)

[horsehoedownshowdown]

[hatesdangling]

You know what. He’s in the mood for zebra.