Musclebeasts are monsters indigenous to Alternia. In contrast to shadow droppers, which roam the planet during the day, musclebeasts are nocturnal
, but are described as equally hard to kill. They are frequently featured in the the art of the higher blood castes, appearing in “NUDE MUSCLEBEAST PORTRAITS” and as the subject of much of Equius Zahhak's slam poetry .
As their name suggests, musclebeasts are characterized by their exaggerated musculature. They are also described as “Erect Livestock” with some physiology similar to that of humans (much like humanimals), and as being hermaphroditic, with both milk-secreting organs and sexual anatomy similar to that of male horses. Vriska Serket describes the milk of Equius' lusus as “muscle8east milk”, but it is otherwise implied that Aurthour is of a similar but different milk-producing species “found within the butler genus”.
A muscular statue (left) outside Half-Harley Manor, possibly depicting a musclebeast
According to Equius: Seek the highb100d, “legends tell of musclebeasts once roaming the cosmos that were so enormous, they could destroy entire planets with but a twitch of any anatomical feature”; a description similar to many of the zoologically dubious featured in Rose Lalonde's Grimoire for Summoning the Zoologically Dubious.
One of the attacks available to users of the Flourite Octect - specifically when rolling a 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 1 - involves a musclebeast. Grandpa Harley's collection of decor in and surrounding the Half-Harley Manor also includes a statue of a muscular and upright horse-like being perhaps taken from Alternia.
In Paradox Space (Dubiously Canon)[]
The Nudeseum's Mezzanine of Musclebeasts
Night at the 100dseum revolves around Alternian musclebeast art, displayed at a building called the “Fle%tropolitan Nudeseum”. The pieces displayed at the Nudeseum include musclebeast sculptures made of both stone and frozen sweat, as well as timepieces in the shape of various pieces of musclebeast anatomy.
In the Hiveswap Friendship Simulator (Dubiously Canon)[]
Statues of muscular horse-headed monsters can be seen in the background of the arena where Nihkee Moolah practices Muscle Theatre in Volume 17. These monsters appear to have three eyes on either side of their heads.