What Exactly do Cutie Marks Mean for Us the Audience?

[Cwanky 17,575]

Its an issue that has been bugging me for awhile, but The Fault in Our Cutie Marks raises the question: how do we know our purpose in life and/or talent if we don't have cutie marks? This is precisely the issue that Gabby as a griffon goes through in the episode, and indirectly, that conundrum extends to everyone watching the show.

 

For obvious reasons, MLP: FiM is a show meant to target young Earth children, not magical Equestrian pony fillies. It always prompts that age old question in grade school: what do you want to be when you grow up? What do you like to do or what do you enjoy doing? Earth kids don't have magic that allows them to have magical cutie mark symbols appear on their bodies when they discover who they are and what they enjoy. In fact this may change multiple times in a person's lifetime. 

 

For us adults we don't always do what we enjoy. Often we do what we must to survive and support others. Mid life crisis occurs, accidents happen, among many other things, and of course people change. We don't live in an more than idea world where magic and goodwill can solve our problems and explain the many issues we face.

 

At least from The Fault in Our Cutie Marks, we get a meaningful answer, even if incomplete: 

 

 

Gabby says that helping others is just something that she enjoys, and the fillies tell her what makes her talent special is what she enjoys doing most, which she doesn't need a cutie mark for.

 

Basically you don't need something magical like a cutie mark to know who you are: its something you enjoy and are passionate about, something perhaps we all can take away. 

 

But beyond this basic premise, we have to realize the volatility of life. We have some understanding of what cutie marks mean to the ponies. But what do they mean to us, or rather you personally?

[Ethan Tran 950]

well the main point of this episode, was that Gabby not a pony (like we are IRL)...

so the question was, how she would know what's her purpose in life.. though she can't have a cutie mark.

and this episode didn't quite answers that.. (don't know why, but it doesn't). instead we get the idea, that if you find sth that makes you feel good, and you have the abilities/talent to do it, then it's most likely your calling!

Edited September 14, 2016 by Ethan Tran

[Justin_Case001 4,883]

Well, first of all, I'd like to address a point that I feel many people tend to get a little confused on.  I often see some chicken-or-egg like confusion over cutie marks, in which people seem to think that a mark appears when talent is shown, and thus reveals to the bearer what they're supposed to do.  There's confusion on the actual show to this effect, with foals talking about how they "hope they get a good mark," or "the right mark," and so forth.  This is completely backwards of how it works, and the wisest of ponies, such as Luna, know this.  The mark is just a representation of one's belief about who they are.  In fact, cutie marks have nothing to do with talent.  (Yes, you read that right.)

 

Cutie marks appear when a pony decides that this is who they are, and this is what they were meant to do.  It doesn't necessarily mean they are good at it.  Troubleshoes exhibited zero talent for the rodeo, yet he got a rodeo related mark.  He misinterpreted its meaning, but the mark remained because he never stopped believing that he was meant for the rodeo.  The mark did not mean that he had talent at clowning.  This claim makes no sense, as he had never even tried clowning up to that point.  The mark simply meant that he belonged in the rodeo, and he (thanks to the CMC) found a way to make that possible with the "gifts" he had available.  Consider this: what if he had no liking for the rodeo whatsoever?  He would still be a klutz, but would he have gotten the same mark?  No.  He got that mark at that specific time because it was when he decided that he was meant to be in the rodeo.

 

Conversely, in the very same episode, the CMC exhibited a talent for helping others long before getting their marks.  Even after helping Diamond Tiara, their marks did not immediately appear.  Talent alone did nothing.  It was only when they decided for themselves that that was their calling did the mark appear.  Every mark appears in this way.  Marks don't appear as a response to exhibition of talent.  They appear when an internal decision is made as to what the bearer is meant to be.  To reiterate, this need not be something that the bearer is good at, though logically, in the vast majority of cases, it will be.  If we extend this understanding of cutie marks to its logical conclusion, it seems to be an inescapable truth that cutie marks can change based on the currently held beliefs and self-perception of the bearer.

 

That said, many viewers may be left wondering: "If I don't live as a pony in Equestria, then how will I know what I'm supposed to do without a mark to tell me?"  When it is understood that marks do not tell the bearer what to do, but it is in fact the exact opposite, then this question simply disappears.  We know what we're supposed to do in the exact same way as ponies: we feel something inside and we decide it for ourselves.  The only difference between us and ponies (or ponies and any other race in FIM) is that we don't get a pretty emblem of our identity to wear for all to see.  (Unless we get a tattoo.)

 

Gabby helped show us, at least to an extent, that an outward sign isn't necessary for one to find their sense of identity.  It would have been a bit better if she had come to the conclusion of who she wanted to be by herself, but it was still a great message.  She had a limited and exterior understanding of cutie marks.  She was under the impression that marks tell the bearer what to be.  Thus, she was trying to obtain a mark to find out what her place in the world was.  Trying different things is certainly a good way to find one's place in the world, but her expectation of how this would occur was obviously reversed.  In the end, hopefully she learned that cutie marks have no power whatsoever, nor do they tell one what to be or shape one's destiny.  They only tell others what the bearer already knows inside.  Thus, cutie marks aren't necessary, and are purely cosmetic.

 

What viewers should take away from The Fault in Our Cutie Marks is that we should never look to others, or to any external signs to tell us what to be.  Look only inside.  Only you can know what you're meant to be.  Looking to others is a great way to broaden your experiences and wisdom, but in the end, it's up to you to decide who you're meant to be.

Edited June 12, 2017 by Justin_Case001

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,435]

The show has been giving me a lot of mixed signals with these cutie marks lately. AT first they were just 'this is what the pony specializes in' then later, it became somewhat of a case of 'this is what this pony is MEANT to do and meant to be', with extreme magical ties being within the mark itself. Honestly, the more the show delves into the second one, the more I dislike it. Fault of Our cutie Marks, while a good episode, really tainted the marks for me to an extent, with an apprent extreme reliance on the idea of 'a direct in one's life'. Now of course the episode ended with Gabby finding that she just loved helping others and that she didn't need a mark to show this, but the overall idea was still prevelant entirely, because while she didn't need a mark anymore, she apparently did find a purpose, something that I don't think anyone needs to outright seek in life.

 

So at this point Cutie Marks are becoming a mixed bag of 'it shows what the ponies can specially do but also it shows the entire point of their existence, I guess'. That is the vibe I get these days.

[woodgazer 71]

W

Just wanted to commend you on an awesome post. I personally hadn't given that chicken-or-egg discussion much thought. Also, in which episode does Luna reveal this?

[Justin_Case001 4,883]

Just wanted to commend you on an awesome post. I personally hadn't given that chicken-or-egg discussion much thought. Also, in which episode does Luna reveal this?

Oh thank you.  Um...I believe that was uh, what was the name of it....Bloom & Gloom, that was it.  It was when AB was having this very dilemma, fearing she would end up with "the wrong mark."  Luna told her how marks really work in a dream.

[cmarston1 5,959]

I don't really know.

The show has made them kind of confusing at this point.

[Compeador 101]

......and the wisest of ponies, such as Luna, know this.  The mark is just a representation of one's belief about who they are.  In fact, cutie marks have nothing to do with talent. 

 

Cutie marks appear when a pony decides that this is who they are, and this is what they were meant to do.  It doesn't necessarily mean they are good at it

(.......)

Marks don't appear as a response to exhibition of talent.  They appear when an internal decision is made as to what the bearer is meant to be.  To reiterate, this need not be something that the bearer is good at

(.......)

We know what we're supposed to do in the exact same way as ponies: we feel something inside and we decide it for ourselves.  The only difference between us and ponies (or ponies and any other race in FIM) is that we don't get a pretty emblem of our identity to wear for all to see.  (Unless we get a tattoo.)

(.......)

Gabby helped show us that an outward sign isn't necessary for one to find their sense of identity.

(.......)

Trying different things is certainly a good way to find one's place in the world, but her expectation of how this would occur was obviously reversed.  In the end, hopefully she learned that cutie marks have no power whatsoever, nor do they tell one what to be or shape one's destiny.  They only tell others what the bearer already knows inside.  Thus, cutie marks aren't necessary, and are purely cosmetic.

 

What viewers should take away from The Fault in Our Cutie Marks is that we should never look to others, or to any external signs to tell us what to be.  Look only inside.  Only you can know what you're meant to be.  Looking to others is a great way to broaden your experiences and wisdom, but in the end, it's up to you to decide who you're meant to be.

 

this is probably the best lesson learned from the episode and the explanation of when cute mark appears I see so far, I agree with almost of your points; however, based on this, it leads to another question:

``if cutie marks have nothing to do with talent, then why starlight's 'cutie mark removal' could enfeeble the recipient's talents?''

Starlight has been the most troublesome character that interrupts the logic since season 5...

(I don't want to off topic so I will just ask instead going deep into this issue)

[Justin_Case001 4,883]

Starlight has been the most troublesome character that interrupts the logic since season 5...

Lol, was this text supposed to be secret?  I won't argue with this sentiment, though.

 

 

``if cutie marks have nothing to do with talent, then why starlight's 'cutie mark removal' could enfeeble the recipient's talents?''

Okay, so I do have an answer for this, but it requires taking a little bit on faith.  Starlight did not take away cutie marks.  Given my theory regarding marks, such a thing would be impossible anyway, as they are nothing more than magically appearing tattoos.  I.e. there's nothing magical inside the pony to take away, only the visual mark itself.  What Starlight created was a talent suppressing spell.  She devised a way to specifically target ponies' abilities and suppress them.  Part of the effect of the spell was the equals sign, obviously.  But there was nothing actually taken away from the pony.  Moreover, they did not forget who they were and what their talents were.  They were able to fight against the spell, and if they were given enough time (many years, let's say), I believe they may have been able to break the spell on their own.  Think of it like the mutant "cure" in X-Men 3: The Last Stand.  If our ponies had not been able to stop Starlight at her village, and been stuck with the equals signs, I believe that there could have been a scene with Twilight attempting telekinesis akin to Magneto slightly nudging the chess piece with his powers.  (No good youtube clip.    )

 

The only hole in this theory is the marks in jars thing.  It would have been so much better, and the logic more consistent, without that.  There was no reason for it, really.  All they needed was to do was just break the spell and have the equal signs disappear.  Nothing was added by having a vault of jars, except to force me to do this housekeeping to figure out how to reconcile it.  :/  Well, I don't have a great answer for this, unfortunately.  I like to blame this one on a poor writing choice.  Given the multitude of evidence throughout the series for marks working the way I outlined above, it seems to make the most sense that they just dropped the ball here, and really didn't think the jar idea through.  That's why I basically like to dismiss it.  That's where the faith comes in.  But if you like, I can also offer the mediocre defense that the jars were basically symbolic marks that Starlight created as part of the spell as a way to catalogue exactly which and how many ponies were affected.  That's about the best I can do, there.

 

I really liked the episode, but I do wish that they had tweaked it to be more consistent with cutie mark lore.  I often wonder if the writers ever look back at stuff that's already out there and go, "Hmm....eh...errr....I wish we hadn't done that.  Oh well, too late."

[Compeador 101]

Lol, was this text supposed to be secret?  I won't argue with this sentiment, though.

 

!

 

I often wonder if the writers ever look back at stuff that's already out there and go, "Hmm....eh...errr....I wish we hadn't done that.  Oh well, too late."

 

what the staff thought after the Cutie Remark part 2 released  :-P , making Starlight like an a**hole; regardless, she is my most-hated pony, best villain

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I.e. there's nothing magical inside the pony to take away, only the visual mark itself.  What Starlight created was a talent suppressing spell.  She devised a way to specifically target ponies' abilities and suppress them.  Part of the effect of the spell was the equals sign, obviously.  But there was nothing actually taken away from the pony.  

They were able to fight against the spell, and if they were given enough time (many years, let's say), I believe they may have been able to break the spell on their own.  

(......)

Nothing was added by having a vault of jars, except to force me to do this housekeeping to figure out how to reconcile it.  :/  Well, I don't have a great answer for this, unfortunately

 

my theory goes with you in the part of "how the equals sign does", suppressing the recipient's abilities and the victim is able to break that spell, but additionally, it also requires strong willpower to fight against the spell or he/she will probably become a walking corpse like most citizen in the starlight's village

 

 I.e. there's nothing magical inside the pony to take away, only the visual mark itself

(......)

The only hole in this theory is the marks in jars thing.  It would have been so much better, and the logic more consistent, without that.  There was no reason for it, really.  All they needed was to do was just break the spell and have the equal signs disappear.  Nothing was added by having a vault of jars, except to force me to do this housekeeping to figure out how to reconcile it.  :/  Well, I don't have a great answer for this, unfortunately.  

 

imo, the cutie mark is more than decoration, its kinda like a magic structure that has some functions we don't know, but it exactly does nothing to do about talent.

 

Here's my theory how the "Cutie Mark Removal" works:

 

first, Starlight uses two Arcane Focus₍₁₎: the Staff of sameness and the equals signs, the former can boost the spell's durability, and the function of latter just like you said, suppressing abilities.

 

Caster fires the high-energy rays toward the recipient('s cutie marks/flanks), bombarding the particles between the cutie marks and the recipient, temporary block the (magic) connections between them₍₂₎, meanwhile, caster trying to remove the cutie mark on order to replace with the equals sign(means the equals sign cannot work if the cutie mark is still on the pony); the recipient is able to fight against the removal until he/she is run out of energy, during the confrontation, caster fires the rays and trying to remove the cutie mark continuously, it will also drain the caster's stamina.

The success of this spell depends who exhausted first, if succeed, the caster MUST put the sign on the pony before her/his original cutie mark(s) be freed from the caster's control, and after the sign is put on, the caster also must seal the original cutie mark into a completely sealed and enchanted container or the cutie mark will fly back to its owner and breaks the spell automatically₍₂₎₍₃₎.

 

Notes:

(1) Arcane Focus: An arcane focus is a special item — an orb, a crystal, a rod, a specially constructed staff, a wand-like length of wood, or some similar item — designed to channel the power of arcane spells. A sorcerer, warlock, or wizard can use such an item as a spellcasting focus. (5e SRD, pg 66-67)

 

(2) In my theory, There's a interaction between the cutie mark and its owner, part like the interactions in Particle Physics, but the effective range is almost unbounded, the constituent elements of the bond is "Magic", briefly(the detail is based on my hypothesis: "Possible Principle of Magic", that is a chemical and physics-heavy stuff that i haven't fully complete yet due to my knowledge   ).  If you know the particle physics, it will be better understand, anyway, you need to temporary blocks the interactions so you can get rid of the cutie mark. And the reason for why the cutie mark need to be sealed in the vault/jar in clear here, because the unbounded interaction, this also explained why the cutie mark will automatically back to its owner after the vault was broken.

(According to the Theory of Relativity, the mass is proportional to the velocity(F = γm₀a) so we can see the speed of cutie mark back to its owner is limited, but the gamma is completely different...that's what I can do to explain the phenomenons in the show  :awuh: )

 

EDIT: The magic bond could be found in Twilight's Kingdom, when Tirek drains out pony's magic, the pony's cutie mark disappears.

 

(3) The enchantment on the container is something that can prevent cutie mark back to its owner, since the bond is magic based, spells like the globe of invulnerability(an anti-magic spell) or any spell works the same can be the enchantment

 

 I like to blame this one on a poor writing choice

You can say that again, in season 5 finals that our pony are time traveling, that really kills my braincell and i was yelling: "wtfwtfwtf....(loop)" :facehoof:

Edited September 16, 2016 by Compeador