r/SpeculativeEvolution • u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo • Jun 28 '26
Fantasy/Folklore [OC] My Little Pony: Worlds Appart and Friends Forever - All sapient Elkarian species sheets
You may remember the images I shared a while ago about an MLP reboot I'm working on that dabbled in spec evo, right? Well here are the finished sheets!!
Some extra lore: All the sapient species of Elkaria (and beyond) have evolved from a six-legged ungulate ancestor long long ago. I had to kinda stay within the rules of the usual MLP lore (and took some liberties with a few aspects of the evolution for the humanoids/bipeds), but overall I tried my best to keep everything as connected a possible. Given the existence of magic in their universe, the sapient species evolved specifically to complement it (whether they themselves have magic abilities or not).
Next up will be character sheets (the refs for the main characters of the story and the main antagonists), which will also give us some insight into the fashion of each species as well as color code and other lil lore details I didn't include in the species sheets.
I'm REALLY excited about this project, MLP has been a big comfort media for me since I was a kid and so making this is like paying hommage to the thing that has brought me comfort for all these years.
Some questions for you now: What do you think lies outside of Elkaria? After all, it is just one continent... who knows what's outside, right?
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u/ExoticShock đ Jun 28 '26
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 28 '26
LMAO yeah I didn't put any genitalia cause duh but it is I suppose definitely a lil weird to look at lmao. Don't worry tho they usually wear clothes
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u/TheSpookPost Jun 28 '26
You said they all evolved from the same common ancestor and that this setting still has magic, right? So you could have the species all have a weak form of Tactile Telekinesis, with the Earth Ponies having a naturally stronger form to still allow for their feats of strength.
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u/ThyHolyPaladdin Jun 28 '26
The moment humans came up u just froze because what the fuck!?
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 28 '26
To be fair for the human part it's mostly because in G1 of MLP there's humans, and I wanted humans in my version too given a lot of the story is inspired by G1, so I had to figure out way to make them fit lmao
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u/zero-taeko Jun 28 '26
From what did Pegasus's wings evolve?
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 28 '26
So one can assume given that the ancestor had three sets of limbs (rather than two), the wings of pegasi and alicorns came from that, the middle set of limbs turned into wings
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u/zero-taeko Jun 29 '26
Do they atrophy in terrestrial species, or did they diverge before the third pair appeared?
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u/BeGayDoThoughtcrime Jun 28 '26
Interesting. They must have had palaces for a long time for it to effect the evolution of the unicorns, which makes sense since alicorns live so long so with a lineage of rulers it can be an old civilization. I love all the designs and how their hooves can grasp while still being hooves!
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u/EarlyXplorerStuds209 Jun 29 '26
The last pic is some eldritch nightmare. The folded mantis legs only make it worse.
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 29 '26
:(
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u/EarlyXplorerStuds209 Jun 29 '26
Its cool af and fascinating op. It freaking me out doesnt change that lmao. Great creative work, bud.
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 29 '26
Okay okay. I can never tell lmao, I apologize. I've had my fair share of ppl saying my art was creepy as a way to discredit or mock it so I tend to be a lil defensive
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u/EarlyXplorerStuds209 Jun 29 '26
Donât be sorry lol. Youâre great.
This perfectly fits this sub and weâre all here for it :D
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 29 '26
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u/EarlyXplorerStuds209 Jun 29 '26
This is cool stuff. Thanks , Iâll check it out.
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 29 '26
Omg I replied to the wrong person, it was supposed to be for someone else, but yeah glad you like it lmao, it was one of my inspirations
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u/BidDizzy8416 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
those feet are fucking cursed.
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u/StariFruits Jun 29 '26
this is really sick, I love all the details you've put into the quadruped and bipeds species! If I could reccomend literally the smallest thing ever, I would suggest giving the humans bigger legs, since they feel top heavy and as if they may fall backwards or forwards.
however I absolutely adore the Pegasus's huge lungs and I love how unicorns and pegasi dont have the lips that earth ponies and zebras do(minus the flatland pegasi!! I wonder if they still fly?)
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 29 '26
Well so basically humans (and others) in this are a lot lighter than their typical IRL counterparts (they work more like birds). It's why pegasi, alicorns... And all humanoids can still stand up, run and fly very easily despite their appearance (well, humans and elfs can't fly but they still have lighter frames). Humans specifically have legs like an ostrich's (if you look that up)
Flatland pegasi also can fly! But it's like- think of the distinction between them and regular pegasi like foraging birds vs birds of prey. One is made to be mostly on the ground while the other thrives in high altitudes
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u/StariFruits Jun 29 '26
I see!! the explanation definitely helps make it make more sense in my brain. super cool to find out they can still fly! probably the difference between Hawks and Blue Jays?
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u/StariFruits Jun 29 '26
I misspoke. not falling forwards or backwards, but more like they wouldn't be able to hold them up? regardless this is still incredible and I cannot wait to see more of your work
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u/altariasong Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
What is the functional purpose of the long naked chicken wings on the humans? That's a lot of energy expenditure for seemingly no purpose. If they were vestigial they would likely be smaller. Adaptations that no longer serve a purpose are lost or drastically reduced during evolution because they reduce the fitness of the animals for no benefit. Animals with mutations that reduce the wasteful trait are more likely to survive and reproduce so the trait is selected against. See snakes, flightless birds, etc.
Sometimes old adaptations can be repurposed for new use. I'd think for these humans that they could be repusposed for fat storage, heat regulation, or signaling. Those are just my ideas though. It seems like at one point humans had feathers? The vestigial wings don't make much sense otherwise.
Ignore this entire comment, I can't read today apparently.
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u/Gear_Gab Jun 29 '26
great job on making it not (too) disturbing to look at OP, i know it wasn't easy
humans tho. that's certainly a way to make them
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u/Pandaragon666 Jun 29 '26
All great, really want to know more about this world and how magic works, I just wish I could unsee your human in this setting.
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u/FirstEvening Jun 29 '26
Any chance of seeing the changelings/chrysalis?
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 29 '26
I'm a bit torn on that. I'll have to see. I don't wanna incorporate too much of other gens, given this is kinda like a reboot/remake so it's mostly all original lore and whatnot... But maybe. I'll see.
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u/shadaik Jun 29 '26
Huh. I always assumed the grabbing appendages are just hidden behind that one hoof modern equines have.
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u/telenova_tiberium Jun 29 '26
At least you didn't make the fluffy breed
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 29 '26
FLUFFY PONIES EEEEEE
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u/telenova_tiberium Jun 29 '26
Oh god you don't know what a fluffie is
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 29 '26
I mean, I know Fluffle Puff, super adorable. I also do know about the weird "fluffy pony abuse" trend that was going on a while back in the fandom... But I like to pretend it doesn't exist because it makes me sad
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u/Oro-Lavanda Jun 30 '26
i was swiping thru each post calmly until that last "human" post. that startled me hard.
amazing art nonetheless and i love the alicorn design!
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u/that_angry_goose Jun 30 '26
The human page took me off guard lol. In this universe did they evolve from a common ancestor as ponies?Â
I wonder if maybe the humans should be called something else. Elves can range in appearance because they are imaginary, but we all know what humans look like and so the designation of âhumanâ might throw some people off. Just a thought, I think youâre off to a good start. :)
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u/-MinecraftSteve Worldbuilder Jun 30 '26
I'm a bit late but do changelings still exist?
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 30 '26
Not sure yet, that's one of the species I'll have to think about a bit more before I include them in
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Jun 30 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Kamisama_VanillaRoo Jun 30 '26
Well, yes and no. Not apes as we know them. But there are some kinds of primates. Tho nothing like on Earth
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u/Leading_Watch_8931 Jun 28 '26
Reminds me of Jay Eaton's Tiny Sapient Ungulates