Diamond Tiara has a life outside of her interactions with the Cutie Mark Crusaders...but what exactly does she do? Have wacky misadventures with her pet cat, Dazzle. Whether it's simply their day-to-day life or some wacky misadventure, life is certainly never dull around the Tiara household with these two around.
Diamond and Dazzle is a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Webcomic by Magerblutooth
that focuses on the day to day life of Diamond Tiara and her pet cat, Dazzle. Rather than focusing on Diamond Tiara's interactions with the CMC, Diamond and Dazzle focuses on Slice of Life and wacky misadventures the duo have and seeks to make Diamond Tiara a more complex and likable character.
The comic can be found here.
Provides examples of:
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Diamond with her tiara and Dazzle with his collar.
- All Animals Are Dogs: Dazzle, while still a cat, acts like a dog at times. Justified, as the Origins Episode reveals he was the only cat in a pound full of dogs and picked it up from there.
- Amplified Animal Aptitude: Dazzle is about on Angel Bunny's level of intelligence.
- Animal Talk: Illy reveals that different species (or at least cats) have their own language.
- Arbitrarily Large Bank Account: The Tiara household has a very large one, which is basically the default explanation for how Diamond Tiara and Dazzle do things like
this.MagerBlutooth: Unlike characters with magic, rich characters are generally perceived to be boring sticks in the mud by default. So we don't get to see their money used for much other than showing off the fact that they are, in fact, rich. I say we need more Scrooge McDucks from DuckTales, rather than Scrooge McDucks from Mickey's Christmas Carol. Put that money to good use.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Diamond's list of things she will not tolerate contains pity, insolence, thieves, insulting her family, and cantaloupe.
- Artistic License – Animal Care: No one should ever feed their cats like Diamond feeds Dazzle.
- Attack the Tail: Unusually, Played for Drama when it happens to Peal toward the end of the Sleepover arc. It takes weeks for the hair to grow back, and it causes quite a drop in Peal's self-esteem in the meantime.
- Ax-Crazy: Dazzle's shown signs of this, but only when he's referred to as a 'cat.'
- A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: The recurring Imp infiltrates Diamond's sleepover disguised as a kitty cat.
- Banana Peel: Though no one's slipped on one, Diamond ends up wearing one whenever she ends up in the trash. Peal's full name is Banana Peal, referring to her fur color and tendency to make restaurant owners nervous about 'slipping up'.
- Berserk Button: Dazzle has two. Messing with Diamond or calling him a 'cat' will make him see red.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Despite coming off as more of a nuisance than a threat at first, Illy the Imp ultimately proves to be a rather serious threat including taking Diamond's Cutie Mark and attempting to take Dazzle.
- Big Bad: The Imps, specifically Illy, though they're rather lighthearted as far as MLP villains go.
- Big Eater:
- Dazzle can put away his food rather quickly, provided it's something he likes.
- So can Diamond. This gets deconstructed twice, both times when she becomes a cat. She spends parts of the Adventure arc and the Life arc overweight from her big appetite.
- Peal's no slouch when it comes to putting food away either, capable of scarfing down an entire cake in the time it takes Dazzle to pull ice cream out of a fridge.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: An impossibly narcissistic daughter, a
species-confused cat, a recluse mom who obsessively records everything, a strangely complacent butler, and a dad who can't cook. And that's not counting Silver's family, whom Diamond may consider to be part of hers. - Bookends: The Adventure arc begins and ends with Diamond and Dazzle playing videogames.
- A Boy and His X: Diamond Tiara's relationship with her pet cat Dazzle is what the comic revolves around.
- Brown Note: Dazzle's shimmering eyes have a stunning effect on all who see them while he's attempting to "dazzle" them.
- Call-Back: After the Adventure arc, Filthy tells Diamond he has some fish for Dazzle. Diamond licks her lips.
- Cameo Cluster: The Adventure story arc is filled with cameos.
- Cartoony Eyes: Nearly every character in the series.
- Cartoony Tail: Dazzle can hold things with his tail. When he was younger, he curled it up to make it easier to wag.
- Carved Mark: After escaping the video game world, Diamond's cutie mark still doesn't return, and she's forced to start living with a strange new mark instead.
- Catapult Nightmare: Diamond after waking up from a nightmare in 'Resolution'. And again after her second nightmare in 'Catapult'.
- Cat/Dog Dichotomy: Dazzle's dog habits are originally treated by Diamond as the opposite of the cat habits she wants him to have.
- Cat Stereotype: Dazzle's a black cat who can be either impish or mischievous toward Diamond depending on their moods.
- Cats Are Mean: Averted with Dazzle, as while he can be mischievous and selfish, he's not exactly mean.
- Cats Are Superior: Peal, the more stereotypical cat, behaves this way toward Dazzle, who behaves more dog/pony/human-like.
- Caught in a Snare: Imperius gets caught in a harness when he goes to check on Peal in Dazzle's room.
- Chekhov's Skill: Diamond in Dazzle's body waddles with a Balloon Belly which turns out to be helpful when she has to keep in pace with penguins in World 4.
- Cowardly Lion: The Adventure arc reveals Dazzle to be one of these when faced with actual combat.
- Cute Little Fangs: Dazzle's the cat here. Of course he's got them. Even when he's in Diamond's body.
- Cuteness Overload: Spike fell victim to this after being 'dazzled' in the "Cinema" comic. It's implied that something similar happened to Diamond in "Sweets".
- Cuteness Proximity: Silver has this tendency when around cute animals. A few others have it when Dazzle attempts to 'dazzle' them.
- A Day In The Lime Light: The comic focuses on Diamond Tiara and Dazzle, with the CMC never showing up. While the Mane Six and Spike do make appearances, they're never the main focus. Justified, as part of the point of the story is to give Diamond Tiara some characterization outside of what the show presented.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Happens to Opal and Peal as they're watching Dazzle walk away in the outfit Rarity made for him.
- Dogs Are Dumb: Dazzle was noticeably more naive and less cognizant back when he behaved more like a dog.
- Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Diamond sent Dazzle to eat Princess Twilight's lunch for four consecutive days in a row in an effort to become a princess herself. Considering what Twilight is capable of, it doesn't seem wise.
- Dreadful Musician: Dazzle cannot sing well. At the very least, Diamond and Imperius can't stand it.
- Eek, a Mouse!!: Dazzle's not scoring many cat points for mouse chasing.
- Escort Mission: Given Dazzle's incredibly low level, Diamond sees the majority of the Adventure arc as this.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: The Imps are blindsided by Diamond Tiara choosing Dazzle instead of something more selfish when presented with a Sadistic Choice.Imp: I thought you said she didn't have a heart!
- Expressive Ears: Dazzle's ears droop when he's sad or surprised and point inward when he's up to something. Diamond's ears also droop when she's sad, but it happens much less often.
- Expressive Hair: Silver Spoon's braid behaves expressively when she's surprised.
- Face Doodling: Dazzle pulls this on Peal in "Besties" after she paints a smiley face on his rear.
- The Fat Episode:
- Fear of Thunder: Diamond's got a pretty bad case of brontophobia. A recent image has shown she's become more open to admitting her fear.
- Female Feline, Male Mutt: True in a sense with Dazzle and Peal, as Dazzle was raised by dogs and has doglike tendencies.
- Foreshadowing: In one of the early chapters of the Adventure arc, Dazzle's collar gets a bit of flavor text that says it was "made to withstand the slobber output of a hyperactive puppy," implying that Diamond had it custom-made for Dazzle back in his puppy days.
- Formerly Fit: Dazzle has gotten progressively chubbier since his debut.
- Funny Background Event: These occur often when characters other than Diamond and Dazzle get involved. Typically related to the punchline in some way.
- "Freaky Friday" Flip: Diamond and Dazzle swap bodies with each other a few chapters into the Adventure arc.
- A Friend in Need: Dazzle proves his friendship with Peal is genuine by shaving his own tail tip and helping her feel less alone.
- Funny Background Event: Dazzle flirting with Opal in "Fortune" while Discord is reading Diamond's fortune.
- Gender Bender: In the Adventure arc, Diamond and Dazzle swap bodies. Downplayed, as they don't seem to notice this aspect of it.
- The Ghost:
- Silver Spoon was this originally, but was eventually shown.
- Diamond's mother just can't come out from behind that camera.
- Diamond's Aunt Spoiled was also unseen until the most recent arc.
- Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Diamond Tiara has a stuffed version of herself. Peal's been seen falling asleep with a stuffed Dazzle.
- Gluttonous Pig: The 'final boss' and R.O.B. of the Adventure arc see Diamond and Dazzle as chubby little piggies.
- Good Angel, Bad Angel: In "Fear", Dazzle has one angel that serves both purposes. He's terrified of it.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Dazzle is jealous of Diamond and Silver's friendship, particularly their secret hoofshake.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Diamond's quick to go off when something makes her mad, and it doesn't help that Dazzle enjoys getting a rise out of her.
- Head Pet: Dazzle occasionally likes to perch himself on Diamond's head, putting on her tiara as he does so.
- Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: The final quiz question in the Adventure Arc. "What type of animal is Dazzle?" If answered incorrectly, Diamond never gets to see Dazzle ever again. If answered correctly, Dazzle snaps and goes on a rampage, killing the one who called him a "cat".
- Help, I'm Stuck!: Diamond in Dazzle's body gets stuck in a hollow log in World 5. She calls for Dazzle to help her, but he becomes stuck in another log after coming across Mamuta.
- Heroic Sacrifice:
- Imperius pulls one of these to save Peal from Dazzle in the Sleepover arc, losing most of his tail hair in the process.
- More seriously, Silver Spoon does this during the trial to let Diamond keep Dazzle but letting the Imps have Silver instead. This also gives Diamond back her Cutie Mark at the cost of Silver's.
- I Am Not Weasel: Due to his behavior, Diamond referred to Dazzle as a dog when she first got him. When referring to him by name, she'd use generic dog names.
- Iconic Item: Diamond's tiara. Not only is it her cutie mark, but several of her possessions were made to resemble it. Dazzle's collar is his, though it's not as prominent in the series.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: At the end of the Adventure arc, "Toad" says that Dazzle feels this way for Diamond's sake. Diamond disagrees.
- Interspecies Friendship: The titular characters are good friends and different species.
- It's All About Me: Diamond Tiara and Dazzle BOTH have this at times, but they're ultimately good friends with one another and can be selfless for each other.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
- Diamond and Dazzle to a degree. It could be argued the entire point of the comic is showing Diamond is actually this instead of just a Jerkass.
- Silver Spoon also counts, as while presumably Diamond's fellow bully as in the show, she's got a soft spot for animals.
- Peal proves to be this as well, showing genuine concern for Dazzle's well-being in the Sleepover arc and being moved enough by Dazzle's eventual offer of friendship to play his silly puppy games with him.
- Large Ham: Diamond had a penchant for over-the-top acting all the way back into her childhood.
- Licked by the Dog: It's implied that Dazzle may invoke this trope on Diamond in public. Though it's debatable whether this is intended to embarrass her or out of genuine affection.
- Luminescent Blush: Dazzle when Diamond calls him bad luck.
- Make a Wish: In the penultimate chapter of the Adventure arc, "Toad" claims he brought Diamond and Dazzle into his world to grant their wishes.
- Miles Gloriosus: Dazzle's quick to rub his video game skills in Diamond's face. Put him in an actual fight, though...
- Monochrome Past: During Diamond's investigation of Randolph's 'murder', flashbacks are portrayed in sepia tone.
- Morality Pet: Diamond is still quite self centered and a bit of a jerk, but she genuinely loves Dazzle and their interactions humanize her. So much so she chooses to save him instead of getting back her voice, her Cutie Mark, or her Tiara.
- Mr. Seahorse: Discussed. After Diamond and Imp lose their excess weight in the Life arc, the latter says, "Well, it's not perfect, but it's good to feel like I'm not carrying kittens anymore."
- My God, What Have I Done?: Dazzle, after he believes he kills Diamond toward the end of the Adventure arc.
- My Instincts Are Showing: Dazzle's catlike instincts tend to make themselves known whenever food is involved. In the flashback arc, his doglike instincts would occasionally seep through.
- Name and Name
- Nearly Normal Animal: Dazzle has some of the mannerisms of a cat, but he's definitely picked up a few from Diamond Tiara.
- Never My Fault: Diamond will never admit she's wrong. Anything that goes wrong is someone else's fault.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Silver Spoon responds to a perceived haunted candelabra with delight.
- Not So Above It All: Diamond looks down on Dazzle for his poor table manners, but she laps up soup the same way he does.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: The Imps turn out to be much more dangerous than they initially appear.
- Not So Stoic: Diamond's Aunt Spoiled is revealed to be this after Filthy calls her an old childhood nickname.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Diamond has one in the Adventure arc just before Dazzle speeds off without her in World 4.
- Also in the Adventure arc, she has one when Dazzle is revealed to be : the final boss.
- Ontological Inertia: The strange marks Diamond and Dazzle receive don't disappear just because they leave the video game.
- Origins Episode: The 'Glimpse' Story Arc presents how Diamond Tiara got Dazzle.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: In the "Selection" comic, Dazzle takes on the Imp in order to get Diamond's possessions back. The fight itself isn't shown, but Dazzle manages to pull it off, ending up with a black eye and a missing tooth for his troubles.
- Overly-Long Tongue: Dazzle's tongue can vary between this and a normal-sized one.
- Pet the Dog: In the Flashback Arc when Diamond Tiara tells her dad not to get rid of Dazzle.
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Diamond's coat is pink. Dazzle's collar is blue.
- Precious Puppy: In the Flashback arc, Dazzle was one of these, even as a kitten.
- Puppy-Dog Eyes: Having previously been a puppy (so-to-speak), Dazzle's learned to weaponize this trope.
- Reaching Between the Lines: The Imp is capable of doing this, though he doesn't have much luck pulling Peal through.
- Reality Warper: The Imp has been shown to have such powers to some degree, at least when inside his the video game world. Discord serves as a clearer example.
- Real Men Hate Sugar: Averted by Dazzle, though his masculinity is questionable to begin with.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Averted by Dazzle when his irises are visible until he's turned into a dog. Played straight with the Imp.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Averted with Silver's pet iguana. Though oddly, he's terrified of Peal, whom he sees as having a forked tongue.
- The Reveal: The "Toad" at the end of the Adventure arc is actually the Imp. And Discord's working with him.
- The Rival: Peal was this to Dazzle throughout the beginning of the series. They've since grown much closer and less antagonistic.
- Romantic Wingman: Peal attempts this to help Dazzle score a date with Opal. It doesn't work.
- Sadistic Choice: The Imps force Diamond to choose between her voice, her Cutie Mark, her Tiara, or Dazzle. Her choice? Dazzle. Thankfully, Dazzle proceeds to kick the Imp's tail and take the other things back for her.
- Sapient Pet: All pets seen in the series fall into the openly sapient category of this trope.
- Shaking the Rump: Dazzle does this to Diamond after stealing her tiara in Session.
- Signature Roar: 'Mrow' for Dazzle. 'Nyao' for Illy.
- Silent Snarker: Dazzle, in contrast to Diamond's Deadpan Snarker.
- Slice of Life: The primary focus of the comic is simply Diamond and Dazzle's interactions.
- Sliding Scale of Anthropomorphism: Dazzle falls under Nearly Normal Animal. Diamond's more of a Civilized Animal.
- Slobs Versus Snobs: Often the reason Diamond and Dazzle clash, with Diamond on the snobbish side, naturally.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Given Diamond's character, this is to be expected of her.
- Sneeze of Doom: Subverted in the first comic. Diamond builds a tower out of coins but Dazzle tickles her nose using his tail. Diamond's sneeze propels her across the room, but the tower doesn't collapse.
- The Speechless: As of Besties, Peal is revealed to be this.
- Spit Take: The punchline of this comic
- Spoiled Brat: Diamond Tiara, though not to the extent of some of her other incarnations. Dazzle shows signs of this when food is involved.
- Squashed Flat: Downplayed when Silver's huge puppy Imperius falls on top of Peal. She's clearly squished, though her 2D body isn't actually shown.
- Stalker without a Crush: From what we see of him, the Imp spends quite a bit of time watching Diamond and Dazzle from afar.
- Stock Animal Diet: Dazzle loves his fish, but he's also been shown to enjoy crab, liver, candy, cake, sandwiches, and strawberry ice cream. Mice and cat food disgust him.
- Swallowed Whole: Happens to Diamond and Dazzle via one Large Fish at the beginning of their Adventure arc.
- Sweat Drop: Occurs a couple of times in the Adventure arc.
- Sweet Tooth: Dazzle loves sweets more than any other type of food, even though cats can't taste sweetness. Diamond's got a thing for sweets too.
- Talking Animal: Averted by Dazzle and other pets. Played Straight by the rest of the cast with the exception of Randolph.
- Talking with Signs: Dazzle can't speak, but he can write.
- Team Dad: Filthy Rich. He's Diamond's dad, but Dazzle apparently sees him as a father figure as well.
- Tears of Joy:
- Dazzle cries them after reuniting with Diamond in Resolution.
- Silver gets teary-eyed when Dazzle shows her genuine affection for the first time.
- There Are No Therapists: Averted. Dazzle sees a therapist regularly. There's even been a comic based around it.
- Thought Bubble Speech: Diamond uses this when she gets turned into a cat for the second time.
- Three Wishes: Very nearly. The Imp offers Diamond two wishes in exchange for Dazzle. And Discord owes him two as well.
- Through a Face Full of Fur: Both Diamond and Dazzle can blush through their fur.
- Three Wishes: Partially subverted. The Imp offers Diamond one wish, and is willing to go as high as two. Possibly played straight regarding the wishes the Imp received from Discord.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Proportionally, Dazzle's about the size of Diamond's head.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Dazzle's gotten a lot nastier since his puppy days. Wonder who he learned that from.
- Twinkle Smile: Dazzle has one of these when he's unknowingly flirting with his owner.
- Unconventional Smoothie: Diamond makes one of these for Dazzle to wake him up at the beginning of the Sleepover arc.
- Unreliable Narrator: The Toad in the Adventure arc when he recounts what happened after Diamond was KO'd by Dazzle. After being caught in a lie, he offers a revised telling of the tale, which could simply be more lies.
- Un Sound Effect: WADDLE and SLIDE are used in World 4.
- Unstoppable Rage: Dazzle slips into this when Diamond calls him a 'cat' in 'Conflict'.
- Happens again in the Adventure arc, when he's revealed to be the true final boss.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: They're as close as a pet and owner could be, but that doesn't mean they don't butt heads.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: Dazzle throws up on Diamond's head after he tries cat food for the first time.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Dazzle, whenever he dresses up in formal attire or attempts to look cuter. Justified, as Diamond appears to have trained him to think it's what he's supposed to wear.
- Woman Scorned: Discord turns Diamond into a cat and Dazzle, who was previously hitting on Opalescence, falls for her. Opal reacts by sticking a pin in a voodoo doll modeled after Dazzle.
- Womb Level: In the Adventure story arc, Diamond and Dazzle are eaten by a fish. Their first level is 'Inside the Fish'.
