Umbra

[Eventide]

Name: Umbra

Sex: Male

Age: Young adult

Species: Changeling

Eyes: Solid, shiny turquoise

Coat/other colours: Black exoskeleton, cyan-tinted wings and dull indigo shell. Typical changeling colours.

Mane and tail: Grey, jagged, membranous. A short tail and slightly longer mane.

Physique: Average size for a stallion. Physically fit with consistent training. Being a changeling, his natural form has a chitinous external texture with an unevenly perforated look to legs, mane and tail, as well as a horn and translucent insectoid wings.

Appearance concept       (Changeling Maker)

Spoiler

Seemings

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1. 'Midnight Oil'   |   Pegasus   |   Dark blue eyes   |   Grey pelt   |   Short, unkempt dark blue mane/tail   |   Average physique, young features   |   Cutie mark: a blue ember at the core of a star-dotted galactic spiral - which is midnight blue at its furthest reaches growing more indigo towards the flame.

Persona: Midnight Oil is an intellectual - a historian who seems to never tire no matter how late into the night he claims to spend in his study. There is purportedly little room in his life for meeting people. He knows the night sky like the back of his hoof, and supposedly sees signs in them.
Speech: #4169e1

2. 'Freelance Pleasant'   |   Earth Pony   |   Orange eyes, lightly almond shaped   |   Coffee-brown pelt   |   Chocolate mane/tail, swept back dreadlocks   |   Average physique   |   Cutie mark: a lens like in a magnifying glass, encompassing a black hoofprint, the shoe of which is shaped as the symbol of omega

Persona: A detective who enjoys snooping around. He is frankly arrogant about his deductive skill. Appears fascinated with mysteries, but indeed seems to be one himself.
Speech: #934915

Residence: Travelling

Occupation: Unemployed in Equestria – secretly Umbra is a changeling spy, infiltrator and scout.

Unique Traits: The standard set of changeling abilities, for one. Umbra underwent changeling soldier training and could theoretically hold his own in a straight fight, though he has no actual experience. His main special talent lies in his cunning. Academy records highlight his aptitude for sneaky solutions, strategy and general slyness, complimented by practice blending in, disappearing into the dark and opening locks.

History: Umbra was raised in the hive of Queen Chrysalis. He was a clever trainee and worked through the mechanical education system with few difficulties. Changelings were sorted into specific roles and archetypes based on how their capabilities developed, and upon graduation he settled into the spot of saboteur. It would be his job to aid in performing covert operations, surveillance and espionage, contributing to the expansion of the hive's power and territory. He had seen few missions before the onset of the fateful Canterlot wedding.
The plan was segmented between divisions. Umbra joined reconnaissance, tasked with silently assessing and disrupting obstacles in the city. It was supposed to be a glorious victory for the forces of envy who aimed to seize dominion. Instead... the masquerade was torn asunder - the queen and her army were overwhelmed. It marked an unprecedented failure and wrote the return of the species into Equestria's history books. The plan was confounded by factors apparently beyond the vision of their leader. They retreated, defeated, to their hive to recover, knowing it was the end of an era of secrecy.
The disastrous failure put the swarm in disharmony and gave rise to the present turmoil. There were those who remained loyal to the queen, and those who blamed the queen for making an immeasurably reckless and costly mistake. Firmly believing in the latter side of the dispute, Umbra stood with the separatist faction. While tensions have yet to boil over, a shade has fallen on the Chrysalis hive, and some say it is the beginning of an eclipse.

Character Personality: Umbra is crafty and devious, and always has a few shorthand schemes tucked away; he works alone and is mostly self-reliant. He likes to trick ponies, not out of intrinsic malice but to satisfy his pride, which desires to win always and absolutely, and hates failure. As such, he is uncomfortable with being a fish out of water in Equestria. It is his purpose to pry and investigate for the benefit of his faction, which from his perspective puts him in opposition of pony kind. The magic of pony friendship amuses but genuinely interests him - if only for the sake of information, and a literal hunger for love. His sense of humour is snarky, sarcastic, even caustic, with a favour of irony.

Character Summary: A wily autonomous changeling drone and agent with a separatist faction in the hive. Freshly arrived in Equestrian culture.

[Blueblood]

Hello, friendly neighborhood RP helper here!  I'll help guide you through the approval process.

 

Overall, I like the general gist of the character.  Always could use a few more changelings, I say; and yours is firmly in the classic model.

 

The problem is, we don't currently have hives and Queens separate from Chrysalis' in site lore, and we try to not encourage world-building within apps.  That way, other players don't have to dig through our Approved Application boards for setting information and context.

 

Still, I wouldn't have any problems with him being aligned to a separatist/opposition faction within the General Hive; internal political turmoil after a disastrous foreign policy is only to be expected.

[Eventide]

Hm. That's a shame. My inference from the changeling lore page was that there were other hives ruled by other queens. I've got some big changes to make.  Thank you for the review.

[Blueblood]

Yeah, the lore is a little vague on that point.  The larger problem is that the new Hive is mentioned as part of another character's background; if you were applying for Eclipse herself, who was trying to establish a separatist hive, it might be different.  We'd still have to discuss it on staff, though; the subject is under review.

 

Still, don't give up!  I would like to see the character on the boards.

[Eventide]

Huh. I can apply for a changeling queen? I didn't consider that. I would've thought that would be considered OP. It would be interesting to play through the establishment of a new hive from the very beginning...

[Blueblood]

Like I said, it's still under discussion.  There's another app for a possible changeling "queen"; I'll get back to you after a decision has been made on what was/wasn't allowable.

[Eventide]

Okay. Thanks again.

 

I was a bit frustrated at first but I've thought about it, and... it is a very reasonable parameter to have the world evolve and have new things built through RP. I feel I should have understood sooner. It is a staple of RPGs to change the world not through the introduction of new characters but from character's action where it is roleplayed out properly. It would be more fun that way, and keep everything to a standardised, clear structure.

 

I like this idea of playing out the formation of a separatist hive, I can already see a branching narrative. I'll try to avoid getting my hopes up until I hear the decision.

[RainbowFoxxy]

Please place [WIP] or [Ready] next to the title on this app  

[Eventide]

Okay, it has already been approved though, I just asked a mod to move it back to OCs.

[RainbowFoxxy]

Ok, if it has been approved...which I think I remember as being correct then: