Author's Notes:

This Appendix contains a neater version of the notes I scribbled together during the research process of True Bowmance. Although I only referenced a small part of Archer's wider family in the story itself, I actually had mapped out and reflected on a much larger part of the unit. Part of this was because the Cupids have a substantial earth pony heritage in their collective bloodline, and I've always interpreted earth ponies as being quite large and tribal in their makeup. The second reason was because I wanted to understand myself how members of the Cupid family integrate their family tradition with their own interests and talents; something that is particularly important given that this was the crux of Archer's conflict.

I've tidied the initial family tree using a neat piece of online software (Family Echo, if anyone else is considering undertaking some fictional mapping), but the images haven't saved as large as I would like. I'll update them in due course, so that you can read them in more detail (if you aren't already able to).

There are also a few notes written up from my scribblings, mainly about professions, geography and whatnot. Quite brief, at this stage, but enough to give me a sense of the broader family branches. I will no doubt add to this further as I produce more Cupid-related fiction.

I don't actually know if this will be of interest to anyone other than myself, but I thought it would nice to include an aspect of my research with the finished product, seeing as how I've since been complimented on how the Cupid family feels interesting and 'alive'. It might also serve as an additional reference point when future stories are published.

A small scale version, just to give a sense of the family connections. Female ponies in pink and male ponies in blue, because the software used was wonderfully stereotypical like that. Below are slightly larger scale versions, but I appreciate that they need to be scaled up further to enhance clarity. New ones are due to be uploaded in the very near future, and should be an improvement.

A larger scale section, with Archer and her immediate family below-left. Her mother is referenced in the story but her father isn't in any great detail. I made some notes regarding him being a sports-pony, potentially playing professional hoof-ball, or something similar.

Aunt Heartfelt, and her poetry, was referenced in the story. She's married to Ashlar, a stonemason (his name being a reference to his craft), and the names of their children reflect the talents and interests of their parents. Autumn Hearts being the exception; I had an idea about her talent being about separating ponies from relationships that aren't working and are holding them back in life, but I've so far refrained from developing her further until such a time as I can make her concept less... edgy.

Strongheart is a professional wrestler, and Stellar Show is his wife/promoter. They live in Las Pegasus. I like to think they met first met professionally, when he was passionate about the theatrics and showmanship of it all and she was feeling far more cynical and jaded. They are probably some of the more garrulous and loud Cupids you could meet.

You might see that many of the couples feature ponies who are involved in sports or the creative arts. I don't think this was a conscious development on my part, but I did reflect a lot on how sporting events can rouse deep passion in individuals/groups, and how creative types often talk about needing a muse. I think perhaps the Cupids and their husbands and wives developed from these concepts.

Related to the latter are the families centered around Solfège and Cariñosa, who I developed as ponies who bring others together through classical song and dance. Both of these branches reside in Canterlot, being among the more upper class of the Cupids, and many are unicorns.

Cherished Moments and Diamond Frame are photographers, though I've yet to develop this family in any great detail. I've got one or two ideas brewing, however.

You might notice something of a honey theme running through a few ponies in the older generation. Bees, and particularly the sting of a one, have long been associated with the concept of cupids and greater intimacy in a relationship, but I've focused more on the honey production side of things. You've got Honeydew and Honeycomb, and Candela makes candles, which can also be linked to the theme.

I haven't mapped the branches on this side in as much detail yet. Some of the characters are already quite developed in my mind, but many are still existing as vague concepts and names. A few of these families have set themselves up in Manehatten and Baltimare (Willing Ear and Shared Burden, for example, being the ponies referenced in the story as having opened bars there). Also present here is the idea of ponies (Moonlight Whisper and Twilight Tide being two such) interpreting the (romantic) dreams of others. I like to think that there was something of a demand for this in the years before Princess Luna's return. You'll no doubt see a certain Lemon Hearts on the tree too. I wanted to see if I could tie the family in with some characters from show, just to give the Cupids a greater sense of grounding in the world. Her name, and the fact that she's an undeveloped background pony, made Lemon Hearts an ideal candidate.

There are also Cupids symbolising the romanticism of the sea and stars, and also the beginnings of a closer unity with the Pear family, though I've yet to geographically pin down some of these branches and explore the nature of their relationships.

There is still much more I need to develop and map out, including the wider cultural traditions of the Cupids. I briefly touched on one such tradition (the summer hunt), but there are still lots of little customs still to be teased out and taken further. This will no doubt occur as a result of developing the characters already mapped, and identifying new branches of the family, and I'm looking forward to this process. When this expansion occurs, either as a result of new stories or research alone, I'll update this appendix chapter accordingly.