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Starbat β Obsidian Ponies Character Sheet
Published: 2013-04-02 02:44:44 +0000 UTC; Views: 20566; Favourites: 558; Downloads: 304
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Description
Well, in case anyone was interested in what I was up to behind the scenes, during this relative hiatus in the last several weeks, it was working on a prospective MLP fan-film, called Regal, headed by one Ian Ballinger .Regal was intended to be the story of Equestria being completely taken over by Changelings, the princesses being kidnapped, and the Mane 6, our heroines, had to rescue them and all of Equestria against seemingly insurmountable odds.
But as it turns out, the Regal film was not to be. It has now come to my attention that it has been canceled. Just as well that it happened sooner, rather than later, when more time and effort had been invested.
The Bright side? I get to share with you what I created as a concept artist for this film project. I mostly did βbad guyβ character designs. Any and all constructive criticism is welcome.
Above are depicted the Obsidian Ponies; an original concept for minions of Sombra. I hope you like them.
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is property of Hasbro.
UPDATE: Wow, I honestly didn't think this would be considered good enough to actually be accepted by EqD! Thanks so much.
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Comments: 86
Vision: it's quite clear that you had the character well-formulated in your mind when you made this and it shows. Your vision for this piece is crystal clear.
Originality: given I've never seen a character like this before, I can't greatly fault its originality. The only downside on the originality front is the red and black, these being typical colours to signify evil.
Technique: the sheet is well-presented and clear. If I wanted to draw an obsidian pony I would have a hard time failing to do so, not accounting for my poor drawing skill. The sheet's detail as to all of the pony's aspects make imagining them easy.
Impact: the character is visually imposing indeed with its dark colours and violent red eyes and the broken mane and tail are interesting as well. As I'm reviewing the piece as a whole, however, I must say that it would have more effect as a piece of 'true' artwork (as opposed to a character sheet, which makes the character seem less real).
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Thank you very much for your feedback. I'm glad you find the design well-conceived, overall.
I absolutely know what you mean when you say the "black bodies" and "red eyes" are not terribly original. Actually, there's a bit of a story there. When I was given the original rough description by the director, the black bodies and red eyes were essentially the only design aspects I had to go on. My immediate thought was that it seemed a bit cliche, but I thought about how to work with it. My original take was the "Shadow Pony" design, which you can see in my gallery. The decision to go with the obsidian idea was actually the result of me trying to balance out the unoriginality of the color choices with something somewhat unusual. The "Obsidian" ponies were actually supposed to BE the Shadow ponies' finalized design. But the director liked both designs, so we kept both of them.
I'm glad to know the character sheet works well to serve its purpose, even if it does not exactly work as a piece of "art" in and of itself.
Thank you again for your feedback. I always love getting critiques like this.
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Thanks.Β It was surprisingly popular when I first posted it years ago...Β
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Really? How come?
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It was posted on Equestria Daily, and acquired thousands of views in a very short time.Β I was not expecting that.Β Β
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So, then it's a surprise!
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I think they look kinda cute!
might be good snuggles, probably really warm. Then again they'd probably be more like molten glass if anything. Or maybe that's just when they're angry.
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Thanks!Β ^^
Though they would also be rather hard and "pointy".Β XD
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I'd still hug em.Β
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Hello, Starbat. Can I use your obsidian and shadow ponies in my story? Pretty please. Β
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Sure.Β Go ahead. ^^
Be sure to leave me a link to the story.Β I might want to read it.Β
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Thank you very much.Β
I'm not very good at English so I apologize about it.
Here's part one cageyfoxcat.deviantart.com/artβ¦
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Welcome.Β
That's fine.Β Your English is much better than my Finnish.Β XD
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Yeah,this monsters look like great as evil minions!
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Thanks.Β I was fairly proud of this design.Β
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I like them and I like this idea!
I'll have to look into this fan-film to see if it went anywhere : )
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Sadly, it didn't.Β I can tell you right now.Β Such is the fate of most such overly-ambitious fan projects.Β
Still, maybe it inspired a few fanfics....Β XD
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Lol Awwww, I hate when stuff like that happens xD It's sort of like a project I auditioned for, as soon as I was accepted to voice a character, the creator was like, "Okay, hiatus time!"
I understand life gets in the way of personal projects sometimes though - still frustrating nonetheless xD
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Obsidian ponies, minions of Sombra? Does seem quite appropriate, his corrupted crystals somewhat resemble them, though actual obsidian and crystals form in different ways, I believe.
Anyway, I may attempt to put these into some setting of mine, MLP or not, as I did with the Changeling concepts. I imagine them as not evil, but certainly dark, chaotic, and somewhat insular. Though they are embroiled in a long and bitter war with the Jade Ponies, their hearts seek above all the preservation of the world. To the followers of the "Smoking Mirror," darkness means something different than it does to your average pony.
...So part reference to Legend of the Five Rings, part rooted in Native Central American lore. I could get something rolling with this...
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Very interesting take.Β I'm happy these designs have served as inspiration.Β
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Here's another idea that could've worked for their creation. Instead of volcanic glass, have them be made by the CRYSTALS that Sombra turned black with his dark magic. Then, have his minions forge them into pony form (giving them that fiery characteristic) and then have Sombra give them life with his animation magic.
Also, do you mind if I use these creatures in a fanfic I'm writing? I promise I'll give credit.
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Well, if you "forge" them, you destroy the crystalized molecular structure, so that they're essentially glass again....
But even so... even a vague connection to crystals may be more in keeping with what Sombra is all about.
By all means, go ahead.Β Leave me a link though when you finish the story, as I'm sure I would like to read what you do with them.Β
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Thanks! The fic's not done, but some chapters are up. Here's the link www.fimfiction.net/story/23470β¦. The Obsidians will be featured much later on.
Actually, by "forge" I was referring more to something like taking the black crystals, breaking them into smaller parts and then make pony-shaped figures out of them while using some welding device (or spell) to hold the pieces together.
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I read the first two chapters that you have for that fanfiction.Β Very interesting.Β
I appreciated your references to mythology and Roman history during the Cerberus scene.
I am looking forward to what you do with the Obsidians.Β
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Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate it. Yeah, I thought I'd try something a little more unique with Cerberus. Chapter 3 should be out pretty soon. It's titled "FRIENDSHIP IS...Magic?"
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this gives me an idea for a character
Wrathhammer, an Obsidian Pony who, after the death of Sombra, slowly became sentient. He was a sort of Shocktrooper, and thus his hooves had a sort of red-orange glow at his hooves, and was enchanted to be much sturdier than the average obsidian pony. Some even say that he's not made of obsidian, but black diamond. He wields black hammers with glowing ends on the heads, their handles connected by an orange-hot chain. He was created shortly after the first defeat of Sombra, so he never had a chance to create any more. His one flaw is that his temper is almost literally "on a hair trigger". But even despite this, he's a good pony, with virtuous and helpful desires. But, unfortunately, his incredibly frightening appearance, not to mention the traces of the vicious magic used to create him that linger on, cause much distrust in other ponies. He offers a helping hoof, and receives screams. He became an outcast, living on the fringes of society. That's where he met Zecora. She could tell that he could be trusted. Don't ask me how. They became friends. Then Twilight came to visit. I'll let any fanfic writers take it from there.Β
A few details that must be present are:
-Fight scene where Wrathhammer can let his inner fury out. Lets out all the rage caused by his mistreatment. But it's not a senseless rampage. He channels his rage fully into each blow, his hammers flare up, and his strikes hit about 10x harder.
-Him getting caught banging his head to his theme (Hammers in my Head by Miracle of Sound). (he is caught when Twilight can hear very loud music from the library while across the street.)
-Wrathhammer becoming a full member of the gang, despite being one of the 7 Elements of Sin (Wrath, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Gluttony*, Envy, and Greed)
*eats meat. raw. often while alive. (*Rip!* *Smack!*)
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Interesting idea.Β Reminds me of Frankenstein.
In order for this character arc to work, the obsidian ponies would have to be their own independent life form in order to outlive Sombra's magic.Β That was not my original idea, but if someone wants to tweak their backstory and write a fiction along those lines, it could be intriguing.Β
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keep in mind that, unlike the Elements of Harmony, the Elements of Sin are completely separate, and be used in any conjunction seen fit.
Lust is the sterile offspring of a changling and a succubus pony, giving her an advantage over both of her parents when it comes to feeding. She can change shape at will, and can live not only off of another's love, but also on their sexual desire/arousal.
Pride is a failed attempt to create a new RD. Her pride is much greater than her loyalty, and feels that nopony of worthy of her friendship.
Sloth is a pony who is cursed to be in a constant state of exhaustion. Rarely moves from one position, and, since his father is amongst the richest ponies in equestria, he rarely has to.
Gluttony is rare breed. The only one known to exist. Ever. She was a serial killer with a knack for the ridiculous and macabre. She was caught and hung for crimes against the crown, against Equestria, and against Pony kind. But the tides of fate had other plans. She rose from the dead, not as a zombie, but as a rotting corpse with its soul returned. She has developed a taste for meat of all kinds, but prefers the living variety as she enjoys seeing it squirm.
The last Envy was NMM herself. The new Envy has yet to be revealed to the world. But trust me, if you have it, he wants it.
Greed, now there's a tale! He was born into poverty, a rare occurrence in Canterlot. He was not ostracized or mistreated, but he looked at up at the wealth around him, the grandeur, even looking to Canterlot Castle, all the while thinking to himself
"One day, I'll have it all."Β
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Eh, all of this with your permission, of course.
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If you want to write it, go ahead.Β You have my permission to use the Obsidian design as a base for a character.Β
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Do you mind if I base the minions for my pony OC Dream Silence off of these? They're so cool looking. ^^
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Sure.Β Go ahead.Β
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Thank you. ^^ I'll link back the story when I write it if you like.
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Yes, please do.Β
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Would it be okay if I borrowed the concept of these beings for my fan fic, where Sombra is the big bad?
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Sure.Β Why not?Β
Link me to them if you do though, as I would like to see.Β
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If you do, be sure to link me.Β I'd love to see them.Β
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how did you come up with the obsidian ponies??
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The Director for Regal wanted me to design some dark minions for King Sombra.Β The only description I had to work with was that they were to be all dark, with their glowing red eyes being a prominent feature.
The first design concept I came up was was the Shadow Ponies.Β starbat.deviantart.com/art/Shaβ¦
But I was not satisfied with that design, as it felt too generic.Β So I thought about working in a "crystal" theme, to make it more appropriate for Sombra.Β The Obsidian Ponies were the result, even though I realize obsidian is not technically a crystal structure.Β ;3
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huh...that is an interesting background for the obsidians, and the shadow ponies...thanks...
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Obsidian: This is very interesting...... Obsidian Ponies.... Hm. Never heard of that before.
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Thanks. I thought they were a good original idea for a fan-film. It's a shame we won't see them animated, but I can dream.
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