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Description
So I went to see Rise of the Guardians on Friday. It was pretty good. Not quite great, but it was charming enough. I love the concept a lot more than I liked the execution. (And Sandy. There is everything to love about Sandy.)

But since I went to see it, I’ve been thinking about other folklore/holiday/figurative characters that might exist in that world, and started putting my own spin on a few of them.

(There aren't any major spoilers in the description, only slight concept spoilers, and nothing to do with the main characters or plot at all. It's safe to read if you haven't seen the movie.)

Garden gnome - A tiny race of dwarf-like creatures that are only a few inches tall. They are masters of stealth and camouflage, and are very rarely spotted. If you ever spot a single, stray flower in your garden sprouting from time to time, it’s probably a gnome in hiding. Most gnomes prefer suburban settings, but you will find them in a variety of places, from open countryside farms to the cracks between the sidewalks in the big city. They “borrow” lost items that are dropped by accident outdoors. They acquire large stashes of loot this way and guard it deep underground. A gnome that retrieves lots of discarded items or large, rare items (kids’ frisbees are their Holy Grail) is showered with praise and brings much honor to his community. They are considered by other magical entities to be nature’s hoarders or thieves, and typically the gnomes don’t get along with other beings.

The garden gnomes are mostly based on the lawn decoration, but I also wanted to make them more a part of nature as per their origin. They keep their beards “pruned”, and like to style them into hedge-like shapes. Box-shapes are traditional, but non-conformist and city gnomes especially like to mix it up. Their feet are rough like tree bark, and their hands are large and tough so they can dig quickly. The flower in their cap varies between gnomes- the bigger and brighter the flower, the tougher the gnome beneath it is. “Daisy” here is the leader of his community, and leads his people to many a victorious raid.

Domestic gnomes (aka, Dust Bunnies) - Technically the same species as garden gnomes, this variety lives indoors, instead of outdoors. They wear full cloth “action gear” (don’t call them footy pajamas) so that they can sneak around homes without making a sound. They live in the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies of human houses, behind bookcases, inside couches, within holes in the wall. They are dirty and grubby little creatures, with beards made of lint and no sense of hygiene. They exhibit the same hoarding tendencies of garden gnomes, but their treasure is smaller and more mundane- dropped cheerios (their main source of nourishment), paperclips, torn threads, and the most cherished prize of all: lost quarters. They show off their status through their lint beards- the more fuzz on their face that they have accumulated throughout a lifetime, the more respected they are.

Garden gnomes and dust bunnies, despite their incredibly similar customs, don’t see eye-to-eye, and reject the indoor or outdoor ways of their cousins. Though they mostly just ignore each other, rather than fight. They just can’t seem to understand what’s so appealing about a different kind of dirt.

Some believe that gnomes are the reincarnated spirits of those who valued material items too much in their original lives. Gnomes aren’t necessarily a benevolent magical species, but they do keep the house and yard clean of lost clutter- though if you wanted those things back, maybe they’re not so nice, after all.

There is a third type of gnome- the gremlin. But those guys are reaaal bad news, and the other two don’t like to associate with them. Gremlins get their kicks out of making life a chore for humans, and even sometimes putting them in danger. They’re drawn to machinery, and like to tamper with it just to get a rise out of the humans. Their pranks range from moving remotes, keys, and cell phones while the humans aren’t looking, to taking nuts and bolts from engines and putting humans in danger. Daredevils and wicked pranksters, they cross a line of decency that the other gnomes dare not go near. They coexist peacefully with humans, and try to make as little ruckus as possible. Gremlin code goes against everything the gnomes believe in, and they are regarded as the worst kind of gnome you could ever have the displeasure of encountering.

Description
So I went to see Rise of the Guardians on Friday. It was pretty good. Not quite great, but it was charming enough. I love the concept a lot more than I liked the execution. (And Sandy. There is everything to love about Sandy.)

But since I went to see it, I’ve been thinking about other folklore/holiday/figurative characters that might exist in that world, and started putting my own spin on a few of them.

(There aren't any major spoilers in the description, only slight concept spoilers, and nothing to do with the main characters or plot at all. It's safe to read if you haven't seen the movie.)

Garden gnome - A tiny race of dwarf-like creatures that are only a few inches tall. They are masters of stealth and camouflage, and are very rarely spotted. If you ever spot a single, stray flower in your garden sprouting from time to time, it’s probably a gnome in hiding. Most gnomes prefer suburban settings, but you will find them in a variety of places, from open countryside farms to the cracks between the sidewalks in the big city. They “borrow” lost items that are dropped by accident outdoors. They acquire large stashes of loot this way and guard it deep underground. A gnome that retrieves lots of discarded items or large, rare items (kids’ frisbees are their Holy Grail) is showered with praise and brings much honor to his community. They are considered by other magical entities to be nature’s hoarders or thieves, and typically the gnomes don’t get along with other beings.

The garden gnomes are mostly based on the lawn decoration, but I also wanted to make them more a part of nature as per their origin. They keep their beards “pruned”, and like to style them into hedge-like shapes. Box-shapes are traditional, but non-conformist and city gnomes especially like to mix it up. Their feet are rough like tree bark, and their hands are large and tough so they can dig quickly. The flower in their cap varies between gnomes- the bigger and brighter the flower, the tougher the gnome beneath it is. “Daisy” here is the leader of his community, and leads his people to many a victorious raid.

Domestic gnomes (aka, Dust Bunnies) - Technically the same species as garden gnomes, this variety lives indoors, instead of outdoors. They wear full cloth “action gear” (don’t call them footy pajamas) so that they can sneak around homes without making a sound. They live in the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies of human houses, behind bookcases, inside couches, within holes in the wall. They are dirty and grubby little creatures, with beards made of lint and no sense of hygiene. They exhibit the same hoarding tendencies of garden gnomes, but their treasure is smaller and more mundane- dropped cheerios (their main source of nourishment), paperclips, torn threads, and the most cherished prize of all: lost quarters. They show off their status through their lint beards- the more fuzz on their face that they have accumulated throughout a lifetime, the more respected they are.

Garden gnomes and dust bunnies, despite their incredibly similar customs, don’t see eye-to-eye, and reject the indoor or outdoor ways of their cousins. Though they mostly just ignore each other, rather than fight. They just can’t seem to understand what’s so appealing about a different kind of dirt.

Some believe that gnomes are the reincarnated spirits of those who valued material items too much in their original lives. Gnomes aren’t necessarily a benevolent magical species, but they do keep the house and yard clean of lost clutter- though if you wanted those things back, maybe they’re not so nice, after all.

There is a third type of gnome- the gremlin. But those guys are reaaal bad news, and the other two don’t like to associate with them. Gremlins get their kicks out of making life a chore for humans, and even sometimes putting them in danger. They’re drawn to machinery, and like to tamper with it just to get a rise out of the humans. Their pranks range from moving remotes, keys, and cell phones while the humans aren’t looking, to taking nuts and bolts from engines and putting humans in danger. Daredevils and wicked pranksters, they cross a line of decency that the other gnomes dare not go near. They coexist peacefully with humans, and try to make as little ruckus as possible. Gremlin code goes against everything the gnomes believe in, and they are regarded as the worst kind of gnome you could ever have the displeasure of encountering.