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M.A.S.H Daemons!!!
Names and Species: Hawkeye - Evelyn (Capuchin monkey) Trapper - Aileen (Irish Wolfhound) BJ - Matilda (Golden retriever) Father Mulcahy - Máiréad (Highland cow) Margaret - Conley (Rooster) Charles - Patricia (Berkshire pig) Klinger - Hani (chukar) Radar - Aishling (Little brown bat) Henry - Winnie (Jackrabbit) Col. Potter - Lorraine (Catahoula Leopard Dog) Sidney - Rivka (Polyphemus moth) Frank - Karen (turkey)
If you’re wondering at all the dogs and farm animals, I imagined that was probably common in the 1940′s when there wasn’t a lot of exposure to more relatively exotic animals (unless you’re Hawkeye who went to the zoo once and had to be special)
If anyone wants to tell me my choices are wrong… don’t. don’t do that. that’s mean.
I neglected to say this when I first posted because I didn’t know if it was funny enough to be worth including, but part of my decision making behind Margaret having a rooster and Frank having a turkey is that I thought it would be a very MASH appropriate joke if Hawkeye ever referred to them as “A couple most fowl”
Daaaaah to hell with it, here’s my entire thought process, im bored and tipsy lets gooooo
Hawkeye - Capuchin Monkey - I wanted some sort of primate because Hawkeye is intellegent and dexterous, as well as very social while still having a bit of a temper. Capuchins are known for being pretty friendly but also very mischevious. It’s also a more unusual animal than most of the others so it fits with how Hawkeye prefers to go against the grain and do his own thing.
Trapper - Irish Wolfhound - I wanted trapper and BJ to have similar daemons to emphasize how BJ almost seems like a replacement Trapper until you look deeper and notice the stark differences. I eventually landed on dogs because theyre “man(Hawkeye)’s best friend”. An Irish Wolfhound in particular is a large athletic breed that can initially come off as friendly and easygoing, but theyre hunting dogs and fierce guardians. They can be destructive when confined indoors and while loyal, are also pretty independant. They also tend to like children.
BJ - golden retriever - The quintessential american family dog, very apple pie and baseball, which is what BJ can initially come off as. Golden retrievers are very friendly, gentle, intellegent and effectionate dogs. They can also be neurotic and have bad separation anxiety. They often require more effort and attention than people expect when getting them.
Mulcahy - Highland Cow - First of all I wanted a biblical animal, and cattle are mentioned all over in scripture. I also chose a cow because they are generally very sweet and docile until you manage to piss one off and they quickly demonstrate that they can easily mess you up. I chose a highland cow because even females have large horns and also, yknow, celtic.
Margaret - Rooster - this one’s pretty obvious but I might as well. Roosters are fierce, bossy, independant, and very uh…. amorous birds. Theyre not always the most intellegent but they make up for it with bravery and tenacity. Protective with a wicked temper, they can be unexpectedly dangerous in a fight.
Charles - Berkshire pig - I chose a pig for Charles because despite appearances pigs are very clean and intellegent animals who can be fastidious about their surroundings. Berkshire pigs in particular are an old english breed which are generally considered to be of very high quality. A pig of good pedigree if you will, a classy pig.
Klinger - Chukar - I wanted a bird for Klinger because he’s A: very pretty and B: he reminds me of a caged bird trying to get out. A Chukar in particular is a pheasant that can be found in Lebanon (and other places it has a wide range) and are hardy survivors. There’s also very little sexual dimorphism so males and females look almost identical.
Radar - Little Brown Bat - a bat might be a bit on the nose with Radar’s, well, radar abilities but its also very cute so nyeh. They’re also very small and shy but extremely active when hunting for food, busy little guys! They also like to sleep all cuddled up with each other like Radar cuddles his bear.
Henry - Jackrabbit - Hares are prey animals not well known for their bravery or intelligence. They are, however, nimble and adaptable, and can put up a fight when cornered. Jackrabbits (which are a type of hare, not rabbit) have particularly powerful haunches (insert Henry butt meme here). Also, well, we’ve all heard the phrase “breeding like rabbits”. Theyre very horny is what im saying. Jackrabbits also very rarely make it to old age.
Potter - Catahoula Leopard Dog - I chose a dog for potter in this case because of the trait of obedience, because as cool as Potter is, he’s also a proud career army man. I chose a Catahoula cur because it’s a farm dog, specifically a herding dog, known for being intellegent and enjoying work. They often work alongside horses too, being a southwestern breed.
Sidney - Polyphemus moth - The formal greek word for moth is Psyche. Need I say more? Okay so yeah, in ancient greek mythology moths were associated with the soul, which I think fits well for Sydney, and the Polyphemus moth in particular with its large eyespots brings to mind being observed and inspected. Moths are also quiet inobtrusive creatures who come and go on the wind.
Frank - (domestic) Turkey hen - okay I know I intentionally made it look like I put no effort into Frank as a joke but I actually did think about this. So there is of course the “fowl” joke with Margaret, but also domestic turkeys are busybodies who can be aggressive but their bark is usually worse than their bite. On a more meta level, Ben Franklin (the founding father) wanted the turkey to be the USA’s national bird instead of the bald eagle, so you could say it mirrors how Frank is trying very hard to be an american hero but just can’t measure up. Also, Ben Franlin (the hawkeye) would probably also say Frank is the perfect symbol for the USA, for much less complimentary reasons.
So yeah, that was how I came to all my decisions. I tried to make each animal choice (with a noteable exception) be either an american animal or one that fits with the character’s ethnicity. Also no I dont think Potter would be a horse or Frank would be a ferret, Daemons arent just animals a character is associated with it has to fit their personality too.
If you made it this far thanks for reading!