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Could a pony's destiny still be unrecognized even if they have a cutie mark?


Nevara

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I know it's probably a point blank answer. I'm really trying to stick as much to the basic character structure as best as possible but I've been tossing this idea around.

Primarily because when I was writing a backstory for my Pony OC, I wanted her cutie mark to mean something and not just be a 2cool4u tag-on obviously. But I sort of have this idea about ponies that finally get their cutie mark but don't fully understand its significance when they're just foals; it comes to them later in life when they're older and they could learn more. I mean they could obviously look at it with a general idea. Cutie marks could just mean basic things. Like for instance Applejack's cutie mark meant that she found her place working at the Apple farm. But what about Twilight's? I didn't really understand its significance until I had to go and look it up (which is actually pretty cool).

So for mine, it started as kind of like a generic "Oh she likes snows and does creative things with it and the swords mean that she was diligent in her work and didn't give up on perfecting it". However, when I did research on the symbolism of both snow and swords, they both gave me more interesting ideas to play with (like having the swords represent her parents and how much strength and wisdom they put into her). So is this a bad idea to do or can I use it to its full potential?

Nevara's cutie mark under the spoiler:

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A sword crossing with a blue snowflake on the top of it.

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A character's understanding of their cutie mark doesn't have to perfectly match its actual meaning. You just need to make sure that the true intended meaning is fully explained in the character application. It's perfectly fine to have the character miss the point.

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The thing about cutie marks, and likewise cutie mark stories is that the moment they get their cutie mark is in itself a moment of selfrealization. So they should have an idea what their CM means and their destiny. Perhaps they could grow into the idea of it and evolve it. Like Rarity did, but the basic concept and structure should be at least known to them from the moment they get it. But it wouldn't be a complete mystery.

Or like Raridash said, the symbolism could be misunderstood and they could grow into it. But it wouldn't be like they were totally lost, just missing the point really.

edit: Just fair warning, CM's are more personal, so having the swords represent, directly, parental influence probably wouldn't work. Cutie Marks can have a hereditary nature, but more indirectly than directly. As I said, the CM is more personal and about selfrealization than external influences.

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The thing about cutie marks, and likewise cutie mark stories is that the moment they get their cutie mark is in itself a moment of selfrealization. So they should have an idea what their CM means and their destiny. Perhaps they could grow into the idea of it and evolve it. Like Rarity did, but the basic concept and structure should be at least known to them from the moment they get it. But it wouldn't be a complete mystery.

Or like Raridash said, the symbolism could be misunderstood and they could grow into it. But it wouldn't be like they were totally lost, just missing the point really.

A character's understanding of their cutie mark doesn't have to perfectly match its actual meaning. You just need to make sure that the true intended meaning is fully explained in the character application. It's perfectly fine to have the character miss the point.

These are both very helpful to me. I'm still writing it out and trying to fix any consistent errors.

And to starsswirl, I knew it's like a self-realization thing, but I kind of toyed with the idea of her not seeing the full picture just yet. She would have grasped the main idea of what her destiny would be. I mean like she presumed to have found her place using her magic to create snow and ice mostly for decoration and artistic freedom and she really liked doing that. She liked to see strange ponies smile and look at her creations with awe. And she felt proud doing just that. But I wanted the symbolism of the snowflake to have like a double meaning to it, as well as have the swords to have a bigger meaning that she should learn later when she was old enough to understand things a little more. But I still see what you're saying any way.

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These are both very helpful to me. I'm still writing it out and trying to fix any consistent errors.

And to starsswirl, I knew it's like a self-realization thing, but I kind of toyed with the idea of her not seeing the full picture just yet. She would have grasped the main idea of what her destiny would be. I mean like she presumed to have found her place using her magic to create snow and ice mostly for decoration and artistic freedom and she really liked doing that. She liked to see strange ponies smile and look at her creations with awe. And she felt proud doing just that. But I wanted the symbolism of the snowflake to have like a double meaning to it, as well as have the swords to have a bigger meaning that she should learn later when she was old enough to understand things a little more. But I still see what you're saying any way.

That totally works. I'm sure many ponies go through that. :)

I'm going to quote the edit I made too, just as a bit of a side thing to the CM meaning idea.

Just fair warning, CM's are more personal, so having the swords represent, directly, parental influence probably wouldn't work. Cutie Marks can have a hereditary nature, but more indirectly than directly. As I said, the CM is more personal and about selfrealization than external influences.
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That totally works. I'm sure many ponies go through that. :)

I'm going to quote the edit I made too, just as a bit of a side thing to the CM meaning idea.

Oh! Well yeah, I can kind of see why parental influence wouldn't work since it's more finding your own path than having your hand led by someone (unless it's like having training from a guardian but again that's kind of hand-holding). I'll have to think more on that then. But yeah, thank you for that :blush: . I'll see what I can change in the draft I have open.

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It's true -- Rarity originally missed the point when she was magically attracted to the rock. It all made sense in due time.

Cutie Marks have always been a source of mystery and discussion (as well as interesting character design) with roleplay business. It's an important part of character design here, though I think it sometimes becomes too much of a focus rather than creating an actual character personality to go along with it. Good luck on your creative endeavors; I'm sure what you make will be fun and interesting to play with!

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It's true -- Rarity originally missed the point when she was magically attracted to the rock. It all made sense in due time.

Cutie Marks have always been a source of mystery and discussion (as well as interesting character design) with roleplay business. It's an important part of character design here, though I think it sometimes becomes too much of a focus rather than creating an actual character personality to go along with it. Good luck on your creative endeavors; I'm sure what you make will be fun and interesting to play with!

Oh yeah definitely. I think people try to make cutie marks elaborate, which I'm not gonna lie I kinda did the same thing with Nevara's cutie mark, and sometimes it doesn't always fit the character to being with. But if you can find a way to make it work and make it good, then that's always a plus. I'm trying to balance out the character design with the cutie mark meaning. And if you look up symbolisms for like snow or like even candy, you can make even more interesting and well designed stories and summaries and a whole bunch of other quirks that not only make sense but also fit.

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For my characters, I tend to design my cutie marks out of their personalities and upbringings rather than the other way around. To me, a cutie mark is the culmination of everything a pony has aspired to, whether they realized it or not; a sign that they are walking the path they are best suited for in life. Whether this is true to canon is up for debate, but it's how I choose to handle the idea of cutie marks and what they mean to their owner.

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For my characters, I tend to design my cutie marks out of their personalities and upbringings rather than the other way around. To me, a cutie mark is the culmination of everything a pony has aspired to, whether they realized it or not; a sign that they are walking the path they are best suited for in life. Whether this is true to canon is up for debate, but it's how I choose to handle the idea of cutie marks and what they mean to their owner.

Well like everyone else said, it's a self-realization thing at the heart of it. But I guess some factors like upbringing and maybe influences could help in the decision of their destinies too. I don't know. It can be one thing, it can be another, it can be a mix. But I say as long as it's not too elaborate and the story is purposeful and not self-serving or highly improbable then anything is possible.

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