Heartbeat Unicorn

I've been depressed these past few weeks, so I decided I would take time to draw a comfort piece with me and Twilight.

With this album on my mind a lot recently, I decided that it would be fun to make a tribute to it. But along the way, I got the idea of not only drawing this piece to resemble the song, but also make a series of art pieces, each one inspired by a song on the album. This album is titled: CUTIEMARKS (And the Things That Bind Us) by Vylet Pony: https://vyletpony.bandcamp.com/album/cutiemarks-and-the-things-that-bind-us

For the first piece, I obviously had to start with the first song on the album (not counting the track before this, which is basically just an an intro track for the album). Vylet Pony had stated on the Youtube upload for this song that it's built on the idea of giving Scootaloo the voice and power that she didn't really have in the early parts of the show, being told that she should just stick to what she's already good at and stick to her 'one true talent'. I recommend having a look at the description of that Youtube upload to learn more, as it explains it better than I can: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04Q86GrQMmo

But I got so invested with this piece, that I decided to go all out with it. I was originally just gonna stick with the main CMC, Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle. However I decided to expand it to Babs Seed and Diamond Tiara. I created a sort of AU scenario in my head where these character are fed up with the narrow path that Cutie Marks where leading them down, and began to go through a rebellious phase. With this, they come together expression their frustrations and fears Cutie Marks and the idea of a 'one true talent' that they'd be forced to stick with their entire life. In attempt to push against these expectations, they form a rock band to vent and express their frustrations with others and hopefully find others who are facing these same frustrations.

I should probably admit that I don't agree with everything that this song expresses in regards to it's relation to MLP, as it's a rather cynical view of cutie marks. Rather I love the idea of rebellion, and rejection of a status quo that this song expresses, and being able to express your true self and feeling regardless of what the world says.

When planning my next fanfiction, I came to the point where I needed to decide on a conflict on the story, until it was there any then that I Remember why I struggle so much with writing, it's because I struggle so much with conflict. It's no secret that I'm a rather sensitive person, thus I struggled to put characters in my fiction into these scenarios, just want to write about uplifting moments, of triumph, solace, and hope. But apparently everyone's number one rule for writing is conflict, conflict, conflict, "it's what drives the story forward." While I don't disagree with that, it does make my job a lot harder since I hate writing conflict, I hate putting characters through turmoil, even if their just fictional characters on paper, I hate conflict in real life, so why would I want to drag it into my stories. But conflict has become an absolute rule in the world of writing, to the point where there is no working around it, and thinking about this sent me into a fit.

There are so many rules for so many people these days, even creatives. Although we're told to just make whatever we want, there are so many standards that we're told that we're supposed to live up to. Whatever art form you do, there's are so many things that people demand that you take into consideration, and with it comes mountains of double-standards. And although they say "you can't please everyone" critics act like that's what your supposed to do, and they tear you apart for even the slightest flaws that they feel the need to nitpick. People have become more interested in scrutinizing art rather than enjoying art, going with the flow has become a thing of the past at this point. And I couldn't take the pressure, I can't stand the feeling of having to live up to others expectations, especially if they're going to expect nothing but perfection, and crush your spirit if your passion project has even the most minor flaw that no one should care about, or realize that a flaw in a piece of art can be part of the appeal.

The words shown in the image come from the song Atychipobia by Vylet Pony (well, technically it's a remix of a song by TCB), and it's one that I've been coming back to over the past few weeks because of how fitting it is for this whole scenario (as well as the rest of the Cutiemarks album by Vylet Pony). These lyrics have been repeating in my head, hence why I felt the need to include them despite being mildly out of place.

I'm so happy to say that wave two of my Ponies with Headphones series is now available as T-shirts on Teepublic. This has been a long time in the making, and I'm so happy to see all of your support along the way.

Ah, finally, been waiting to get this done for like, ever! Although Sunburst is one of the lesser interesting characters to me, he has a striking design that I really like, which made it really fun to draw this. Because Sunburst is a more laid-back pony who prefers to keep to himself in focus on his studies (not unlike Twilight Sparkle), I decided to be a bit less settle with the pose, as I don't see him as the most active dancer. So instead I decided to have him sit down while tapping his hoof, fitting his calmer personality while still portraying his enjoyment of the music, making this one of the more unique designs in the series so far.

Twilight day is tomorrow (as of the time I'm uploading this), so naturally I have to celebrate with a special piece. And of course I gotta throw in some Twilight 2.0 representation. I wanted to do my best to capture the elegance of this version of Twilight, and what better way to take advantage of her environment.

Zoey is about as fun-loving, rebellious, and rambunctious as you can get. She loves the thrill of the moment, and is always seeking out anything exciting to do. Growing up at an outsider for most of her life, she had grown up to live by her own rules without regards for the thoughts and opinions of others, believing that any judgements others have is their problem rather than her own, allowing her to move at her own swift pace. She hates taking things slow and always feels the need to go all with whatever she plans to do, being the rebel that she is.

But with so much rebellion, comes a great deal of consequences, something that Zoey holds little concern for. Zoey's decisions are reckless, often leading her into trouble with others, especially if she decides to take her antics publicly. She's also lazy as well, hating manual work or putting in any effort before the fun can begin, instead prefers to cut straight to the chase, meaning a lot of cut corners. Her brash attitude also has a habit of rubbing others the wrong way, even if it's with loved ones as she doesn't always think before she acts. However despite that brashness, she's also a very understanding person and is empathetic towards outsiders, believing that they deserve to live their fullest life in much the same way that she is.

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A YCH slot claimed by Dostluk on Twitter

Out of all the princess in My Little Pony, Cadence is definitely the most likely to jam out to some upbeat tunes. Cadence has the most upbeat personality out of all the princesses, thus I wanted to represent that light hearted nature in this design. With this, I decided to have her flying instead of dancing on the ground to emphasize that upbeat energy. And just with with Celestia and Luna, I included a treble clef to reflect her position of royalty. While Cadence is one of the harder character designs to draw, this was still a blast to draw.

The second character in my new upcoming project that I mentioned in the last character reference sheet that I posted. This took a lot of work and thought to make, as I want to represent her role well while being true to past designs.

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This is Misty the wolf, while a  bit shy and distant at times, she's also wide-eyed and curious. With her past life being so boring and dull, she wants nothing more than to live it up with thrills and lively connections with new friends. Because of this, she's always experimenting with different things to try and find herself, but she sees the journey of self discovery to be worth it in herself. Misty is very sensitive though, and can't stand conflict or drama, keeping her distance whenever she suspects that drama is about to happen, and she resents politics. Despite her shy personality, she has a vibrant and lively core, which she loves to express with those closest to her, and will put it on display at parties or gathering.

Due to Misty's sensitive nature, she struggles to face conflict or overcome obstacles without help, as she doesn't always know how to approach them. She's also a strong empath, which while serves her well in connecting with others, also makes her a pushover at times, as her empathy gets the better of her. A bad interaction can make her hesitant to interact with others until she's met with empathy from her friends. But thanks to her kind-nature and hopeful worldviews, she's able to recover from a bad moment very easily, even after the darkest of storms.

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For Misty's Design, I was very faithful to her various other designs in the past (since she has the most redesigns that any of my characters), but with some changes that you might notice. Firstly, I had her hips smaller with a more slender body to better reflect her shy personality and fit in better with her backstory (which I won't spoil since it's an big part of my project). I also made her eyes rounder, with a MLP sort of touch, which I plant to apply to future designs since it helps avoid same face syndrome which I struggled with for a little while during my art journey.

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For this piece, I decided to shake it up and draw both of these characters together since I imagine they would be inseparable on the dance floor.

With Cadence being the Princess of Love, I decided to center her outfit around that concept, using frequent reds and pinks in her outfit. Along with that, I decided to her make her outfit a bit more scandalous than the other outfits featured in this series. I've noticed a common joke in fan works of making Cadence the more lustful type, not surprising since lust and love frequently come hand in hand (but aren't exclusive to each other). With that, I decided her would make her outfit a bit more revealing and suggestive to reflect her supposed lustful nature.

As for Shinning armor, he's outfit is a bit more straight forward, if a bit less symbolic. Although Shining Armor is one of the lesser interesting characters to me, I did want to put some effort into his outfit. While it was simple, I do find it to be the best fit for him. Some standard rave pants and going shirtless on the dancefloor, showing off his toned body as well as being on a similar level to his wife Cadence.

For posses, I wanted Cadence's pose to be more exaggerated, so she would no doubt be the life of the party in the rave scene. While Shining Armor's isn't as over the top, I still wanted to depict him having a good time, especially since he gets to spend the night with his beloved wife. Plus I personally imagine him pulling off some great moves on the dance floor, that athletic body has got to count for something.

Since my next wave in the Ponies with Headphones T-shirt line is taking a while to complete, I decided I would create a standalone design in the meantime, and I'm really proud of how this turned out. I've always seen Twilight 2.0 as the embodiment and visual representation of what the show stood for. She started off distancing herself from others, but now has grown into the embodiment of friendship and unity, and I wanted to create something to really emphasize that. So for this shirt design, I drew her with her wings spread in a glorious arm and her eye raises upward towards the light above, representing not only her regal ways and magical abilities, but the unity she represents. Along with that, I drew the element of harmony crystals lined up underneath to show how each element is crucial to creating harmony.

I've had an original project burning in my head for some time now, and this is only a small taste of what's to come. So expect more from this project moving forward, but for now, meet Heartbeat the foxicorn (an obvious hybrid between fox and unicorn).

Heartbeat is fun-loving, rambunctious and optimistic, always on the hunt for the next big thrill and wanting to live life to the fullest. She's very open about her personality and interest, putting her chaotic mind on display and sharing her good vibes with those who can keep up. She hates taking things slow or compromising for less, as she always feels the need to go all the way. Heartbeat has a taste for the vibrant and flashy, and loves nothing more than to party the night away.

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Despite her admirable confidence, her thrill-seeking personality leads her to many reckless decisions that affect her, and those around her. She's the embodiment of 'look before you leap', and hates thinking thigns through, believing that it ruins the fun. Heartbeat had spent much of her life feeling like she's been put in a box, and thus wants to make up for it by being as over-the-top as she can get. However this means that she gives little thought of the consequences of her actions, as she holds little interest in treating the consequences as her problem, and instead preferring to pass them on to someone else.

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For Heartbeat's design, I took very heavy inspiration from her ponysona counterpart. I kept the same color scheme, and made her a unicorn hybrid to not only match her pony version, but also to give her design more personality and cuteness. I made a bit chubby to match my own body-shape, as I'm bit of a chubby gal irl, but I figured this would be great to not only better represent my true self, but also encourage a bit of body positivity (by the way, you fat-fetish folk out there better not get any ideas!). For her main causal outfit, I decided to go with a simple jersey look paired with a galaxy print shirt (which I'm a sucker for), and some slick short shorts.

I'll be the first to admit that this isn't the most sired entry in the PLUR is magic series, but I did my best to stay true to the character's personality when coming up with their outfit.

Since Sunburst is an introvert who prefers a more calm way of life, I figured he wouldn't be the type to really go all out with a fancy outfit, just something simple and comfortable. Since he works with magic, I decided to give him a shirt textured with a starry nebula pattern, and a comfy pair of jobbers. And of course I had to include his iconic cloak into the outfit as well, as it wouldn't be Sunburst without it. As for the pose, I did something much more simple and calm than in most of my pieces in this series. He probably wouldn't try to pull off anything fancy, just taking it easy and going with the flow and rhythm of the music.

Second raffle prize for my Twitter 100 follower raffle.