Equestria By Lamplight

[techmomma]

Rainbow Sky flapper girl! She sings and pretends her patron doesn’t engage in mafia dealings while she croons to the crowd. She won’t get caught up, right! She’ll just sing and dance and everything will be okay.

[askmerriauthor]

For your Noir designs, why color? When I think of noir, which granted isn't that often as I have no particular affinity for it (not to say I dislike it either), but I always think of it as an old school black and white style. Also, I don't care for Merri's dress. Just think it looks awkward when a pony has a dress that wraps around the hind legs like that when they're on all fours. China's doesn't have that problem as much with its more open style. Twi's b-day dress is also a quite bad example.

Color because shade/tone/tint.  When Noir films were recorded, the actors and scenery weren’t in black and white; just the produced film was.  There’s a big difference between the resulting image if an object is colored in a variety of shades than if they’re only colored in black, white, and gray to start with.  With the magic of Photoshop, I can draw and color normally with my standard color template I keep for all characters and then just desaturate the image, rather than try and use black, white, and gray to begin with and risk making flat designs.

For example, let’s desaturate the images and put Merri and Teabiscuits in comparison:

Both Ponies are green, but Merri is a much lighter shade than Teabiscuits.  It doesn’t really register as being noteworthy in color, but it pops a lot more in black and white.

Now let’s put Meadow Lark and China Saucer side by side:

Now in the original color images, we know that China is wearing a dark red dress while Meadow Lark is wearing a brown vest and knickerbockers.  But desaturate them and suddenly they look way too similar because they’re very close in overall shade.  This tells me I should probably give China’s dress a much darker shade to make its desaturated version pop more, considering her own paleness.  Giving her dress a lighter shade would wash her out.  Also, both of them practically vanish into the backdrop, which was a warm burgundy, which automatically tells me I should avoid using that color in backgrounds.

If I just color in black and white to begin with, I run the risk of making the characters and scene feel very cold and harsh.  High contrast makes things feel like they’re edged, sharp, and inorganic, which is absolutely not a feel suitable for a Noir story.

As for the dress?  We’ll have to agree to disagree.  I chose it because it’s accurate to the styles of other similar dresses for the era, and for the specific fact that Merriweather doesn’t do a lot of moving around.  She has a limp, remember?  In the AU, she’s not the sort who would bear her injuries proudly as she does in the original and would spend much of her time behind the bar of the speakeasy with Rusty.  Meadow Lark, meanwhile, would be the one to run around for her.

Incidentally, Merri’s dress is actually a second version.  I had another before it that I didn’t end up liking and swapped out.  I felt it was too short and breezy for the sort of character she is in this Noir AU.  It’s more something that Rainbow Sky would wear.

[ponynoir]

Merrimod explains the basics of designing for black & white. 

[techmomma]

We’ve a little addition to our motley crew of unsavory sorts! Everyone’s favorite barkeep for everyone’s favorite speakeasy, Mr. Rusty Nail. Who dresses up fine, lemme tell y’all. Tech is happy to do a few rum-runner gigs for him—and Rusty is happy to give him a taste of the fruits of their labor in return. Folks come from near and wide to get a sample of Rusty’s poisons, and Rusty is happy to quench their thirst in a time of drought.

Rusty likely also knows a few tips on the ins and outs of underhanded undertable doings and going-ons. Need to know where farmer employs pigs? Need to know who to contact for a job? Rusty’s your stallion.

[ponynoir]

Some doodles I did from the stream! Plus an extra doodle of human!Tech with his pic-a-nic basket of death. Bet he knows cane-fu! And can effortlessly glide from no-nonsense master felon who'll break your hand if you keep making noise into his harmless old dodderer who'd like to know if you've seen his nurse persona and back again without skipping a beat.

You got a li'l. Som'm in your... basket there Tech, you might wanna. Put that away. Before somebody sees and gives you an invite to Ol' Sparky.

We also have the gorgeous denmother of death of backroom dealings who won't bat an eye or lose a curl in her hair as she wallops you into the dust. Don't touch her speakeasy. And Rainbow Sky, the cute li'l flapper who probably has inklings of just how bad things can get, and is maybe a little scared inside, but Merriweather and her speakeasy gang seem to have everything covered! And they seem like... decent folks, she doesn't have to worry, right? She can just sing and dance and be a star.

[askmerriauthor]

Bonus post of the usual suspects.

[askmerriauthor]

So, TechnoMod and I were chatting.

Over the course of a varied and progressively silly conversation, we came up with the idea of a fun Alternate Universe in a 1920s Noir setting.  I absolutely love the Noir genre, so I’m just all over this idea.  :3

Merriweather: A veteran of the war; she’s become jaded and bitter toward the kingdom after getting tossed to the curb with nothing to show but scars.  As a means of surviving and snubbing her nose at the crown, Merri opened up a cafe… which serves as a front for the speakeasy hidden in the basement below.  She’s now the den mother of the best kept-well known secret watering hole in Manehattan: a classy spot for the rich and lowly alike.  Everyone who walks through her doors are equal and know not to cause any trouble.  If not for the constant presence of the mafia who back the bar, then for Merriweather herself, who won’t so much as ruffle her silks and coiffure even as she puts somepony through a wall.

Meadow Lark: Originally one of the many orphans and urchins that fill Manehattan’s streets, Meadow Lark was found squatting in the basement area of Merriweather’s property.  Rather than throw him out, Merriweather unofficially adopted him.  Thrilled to have a family, home, steady diet, and nice clothes for once in his life, Meadow Lark now acts as an information runner for the speakeasy.  There’s no other colt in Manehattan who knows the streets like he does, making him the perfect Pony for the job.

China Saucer: China originally met Merriweather while she was serving as a nurse in the war.  As an immigrant from Chineigh, she hasn’t had an easy time finding a place for herself in Equestria.  Once the war was over, she looked up her old friend and threw in her lot underground as both an entertainer for the speakeasy.  At least, that’s the cover story the FBI gave her in order to keep her actual identity hidden.

Techno Wizard: Anyone who spots the friendly old gentleman on the street thinks nothing of him.  A smiling chap in a younger man’s suit.  Perfectly harmless and forgettable, which is exactly the image Techno has crafted for himself.  Already a rogue since his younger days, Techno dodged the draft and continued to make trouble as a career criminal, setting up elaborate robberies, cracking bank safes, and otherwise being a remarkable scoundrel the police have no idea how to capture.  The speakeasy is his favorite haunt to lay low, have a drink, and fence his ill-gotten goods.  Since he always makes sure to provide a nice chunk of change to support the business, he and Merriweather are fast friends, and the mafia owes him a few favors.

Penwright: Young, ambitious, and too curious for his own good.  Penwright is an aspiring journalist looking to make a name for himself by infiltrating the criminal underbelly of Manehattan.  His research leads him to the speakeasy and gets him all caught up in the less-than-savory events that transpire there, running the risk of his headline becoming nothing more than a mention on the obituaries page.

Mr. Teabiscuits:  Despite all appearances, Mr. Teasbiscuits is not a Pony anyone in Manehattan would dare cross.  He stands at the head of the largest criminal organization in all of the city and is the single most influential mafia lord in recent history.  Widely considered untouchable by fellow criminals and police alike, he’s the backer behind Merriweather’s whole project.  Naturally there’s always a reserved booth for him in the speakeasy where he can relax, enjoy a drink, and orchestrate his criminal empire in peace.

Mumbles: Teabiscuits’ grandson isn’t quite cut out to inherit the family business,  but that doesn’t keep him from being a part of it.  While fearful for the position his grandfather has placed himself in, Mumbles serves as a loyal bodyguard for the diminutive mafia boss.  Despite a less-than-threatening demeanor, many would-be challengers have found themselves broken on the floor after trying to go hoof-to-hoof with the unexpectedly violent bruiser.  As much as he hates to admit it, the hardest part isn’t putting himself into fights so much as it is knowing when to stop…

[ponynoir]

I made this as a proposal for an icon to the group, and in general as a nice little way to kick things off. Also, I've noticed that because of the theme we're currently using, italics looks best as image descriptions because it mirrors the look of a newspaper. 

[ponynoir]

Intro

The skyline of Manehattan is the most famous in all of Equestria, but when the rain pours down like this, it could as well be a smear across a faded wallpaper. The lamp-posts does a decent job illuminating a trail trough the heart of the city, breaking through the grey with circles of light. If you follow the road, but keep a keen eye on the various desolate back-alleys, you'll soon find a pony with shifty-eyes. Talk to him, and if you tell him the right things, he'll lead you to a discreet door framed by a brick facade. A suspicious pair of eyes will appear through the narrow slit in the door and examine you with a gaze. Stand aside and don't look too nervous, your shifty friend will go "Don't worry, bud, she's with me!" Well, you've come too far to turn back now, my friend! Step right in and don't mind the crowd, it's just one of Manehattans most well-trafficked speakeasies. In here you will find the usual mixture of criminals, con-mares and entertainers, as well as the occasional shady P.I. trying to squeeze information out of one tight-lipped patron or another. Sit down at the bar, have a drink and enjoy the smooth jazz music. This is Equestria by Lamplight, and your story is just beginning....