Cutie Marks Under the Knife: A Special Report
Doctor Vibrant Insignia sharpens his scalpel.
Today is operation day for twenty-nine-year-old Toola-Roola, of Ponyville. She’s here for a cutie mark replacement surgery. Her natural cutie mark—a pink-tipped paintbrush with a swirl of purple at the end—will be removed and replaced with a new cutie mark of her choice, printed on a piece of synthetic skin.
The young mare fidgets nervously in the waiting room of the clinic, perched high on the 15th floor of a Manehattan office building. The room is elaborately decorated with potted palms, a floral rug, and shiny posters.
Toola-Roola is the last of her friends to receive the surgery. Her closest friend, Coconut Cream, has already had the surgery at the same clinic.
“I’m doing this for me. I wanna look nice,” she says to me. “It’s not like I’m succumbing to peer pressure or anything. My new cutie mark’s much more refined.”
I sit next to her in the waiting room. As a journalist for The Manehattan Times, this is my first time interviewing her. “You think your natural cutie mark isn’t refined?” I ask.
Toola-Roola gazes at her flank, her head tilting from side to side. “Well, like, it’s not crude,” she says. “I mean, like, my old cutie mark’s presentable. But curls and swirls…I just don’t feel it, you know? Like, it’s not me.”
“How is it not ‘you’?”
She frowns. “Like, it’s so dated. I think the last time I saw a pattern like this was in my grandma’s needlepoint. Like, I don’t wanna walk into a room, and the first thing they see is grandma. I mean, I’m only twenty-nine.”
“What about at the very moment you got your natural cutie mark? Was it ‘you’ back then?”
“Well, I don’t know about you…”—she stares at my cutie mark of a rolled-up newspaper and a bowler hat—“…but I got my cutie mark when I was 8. Or was it 9? I’m not sure. I was really into glitter paint back then, but my mom didn’t want me to make a mess in the house. So, I remember I was sitting outside on this dirty tree stump, painting random shapes in glitter all over my brother’s physics homework. And that’s when I got…this.”
“And you’re not into glitter paint anymore?”
There’s a brief silence. She continues to stare at my natural cutie mark, this time almost with a look of contempt. “Unlike some ponies, I didn’t have my life figured out when I was 8. Or 9. Or 19. Or even now, for that matter. Even though Equestrian magic seems to think I did.
“I’ve changed. And my cutie mark didn’t change along with me.”
It started with tail extensions.
Now, more than ever, ponies are looking for new and exciting ways to change their appearances.
Once an underground procedure shunned by ponies, in just ten years cutie mark cosmetic surgery has become the latest controversial beauty trend sweeping across Equestria.
Cosmetic modification of a cutie mark is not a new concept. Ponies have covered or touched up their cutie marks with makeup for centuries, whether for disguise or beautification. However, this requires daily reapplication, since a cutie mark will magically bleed through makeup after 12 to 24 hours. With the exception of very few unicorns, there is no magical spell that can permanently change a cutie mark.
Surgically changing a cutie mark was not attempted for many years, due to the preconception that changing a pony’s cutie mark in any way would have disastrous physical and psychological consequences. “Cutting out a cutie mark with a knife” was once a common trope in Equestrian horror movies. It’s only in the last decade that surgery has been recognized as a generally safe way to alter a cutie mark.
Unlike makeup, surgical modification is permanent, requiring essentially no upkeep. And unlike magical spells or potions, ponies who have cutie mark surgery report little to no side effects. No big personality shifts, no sudden color changes, no major depressive episodes.
(The working theory among researchers is that cutie mark magic diffuses from the cutie mark into a pony’s body over the course of their life. This “core cutie mark magic” is enough to prevent any adverse side effects from occurring, even if the skin of the cutie mark is removed.)
The reasons for having cutie mark surgery vary widely. Some ponies may simply “recolorize” their cutie mark to make it stand out more, or to better match their mane. Some ponies retouch their cutie mark to make it more indicative of their natural talents. Other ponies have cutie marks with rather morbid interpretations—to avoid confusion, they modify their cutie mark’s image using a synthetic skin replacement.
Childhood friends who received linked cutie marks may wish to change them after they drift apart in their adult years. Conversely, ponies who get married may wish to get matching cutie marks as a symbol of unity.
Advocates of the procedure say it helps create a more robust society. Ponies may be more willing to try a variety of skillsets, without feeling burdened by their natural cutie mark. They also point out that there is little risk: the surgery is medically safe, requires no magic, and has a quick recovery time.
And more and more ponies are putting their cutie marks under the knife. Saddle Row in Manehattan, named for the fabulous fashion boutiques that once lined the street, is now filled with at least twenty-five independent “cutie mark clinics.”
The sudden rise of this relatively new surgery has made local authorities cautious. To date, no Equestrian city has fully legalized cutie mark surgery. Ponyville, Appaloosa, and Canterlot have outright banned the procedure. Other Equestrian cities, such as Fillydelphia and Manehattan, unofficially tolerate the cutie mark modification clinics, allowing them to operate under the euphemism of “cutie mark spa” or “cutie mark clinic.”
At Dr. Vibrant Insignia’s cutie mark clinic, each artificial cutie mark is custom designed by the patient, with the help of an in-house artist. Toola-Roola’s already designed hers in a previous appointment.
In the waiting room of the clinic, she shows me a poster-print of what her new cutie mark will look like. It’s a single orchid, white with purple venation, and a single green stem pointing downward. There’s a small hole at the top of the picture, from when she pinned it on her bedroom wall.
“It’s pretty, don’t you think?” she shoves the poster print in front of my face.
“Why did you choose an orchid?” I ask.
“Well, I like orchids. Coconut Cream and I went on a girls’ holiday at Horseolulu last winter, and like, the orchids there were just incredible. White orchids, pink orchids, yellow orchids, baby orchids. Oh yeah, there was even this shop in Waikiki that sold cyan orchids. Like, have you even heard of cyan orchids?”
“How long do you think you’ll like orchids for?”
She seems offended by my question. “Well, orchids are ‘me.’ They are. I don’t think I’d ever get sick of them. Nor do they ever go out of fashion. It’s not like glitter paint. I definitely like orchids more than I liked glitter paint.”
Due to the questionable legality of cutie mark surgery, there is no centralized database of artificial cutie marks that are currently in use. Therefore, there is a very small chance that two clinics will design and implant the same cutie mark in two unrelated ponies. Advocates of full legalization say that the creation a government-run central database will reduce the chance of accidental matching, and eliminate the possibility of cutie mark fraud.
A subset of cutie mark clinics, informally known as “celebrity tattoo shops,” sit on the lowest rung of the reputation ladder. Few stay operational for more than six months, before the owners are arrested. These shady establishments steal cutie marks from famous ponies, make very minute color changes, and sell them to common ponies as “inspired by celebrities.” These plagiarized cutie marks are bought by hardcore fans, wanting to emulate their favorite idols.
Numerous famous figures, including Countess Coloratura, Feather Bangs, and the ponies of the Council of Friendship, have sued these clinics for cutie mark fraud.
(Ponies who surgically implant the cutie mark of Her Majesty Twilight Sparkle, or of Princesses Emerita Celestia and Luna, could face up to 25 years in Tartarus for impersonation of Equestrian royalty. Nopony that we know of has dared to take this risk.)
Dr. Insignia’s clinic is not a “celebrity tattoo shop,” and never has been. Any request for a copied cutie mark without the original owner’s permission is turned down, point blank. Dr. Insignia’s clinic also provides a money back guarantee if any surgically implanted cutie mark happens to accidentally match somepony else’s.
I ask Toola-Roola if she’s worried about accidentally getting the same cutie mark as somepony else.
“Well, I don’t think I’ll get into a lawsuit. I’ve got better luck than that.” She giggles, tilting her head back, then she leans forward to check her fresh hooficure. “And I mean…so what if my cutie mark is the same as some pony living in a village 700 miles away that I’ll probably never meet?
“Actually, I’d wanna meet him. Maybe he’s cute. And it wouldn’t be awkward because somehow…we’d have a special connection. Cause we’d have the same cutie mark. And we wouldn’t have had this connection were it not for the surgery.
“I don’t think I’d even ask for my money back.”
Exact statistics on how many undergo cutie mark surgery are not known, due to the prevalence of illegal clinics. Experts estimate that last year, between 350,000 and 400,000 creatures underwent the surgery. This year, the number is projected to increase to 450,000.
This includes procedures such as cutie mark recolorization, retouching, implantation, and replacement. Price is becoming a significantly lower barrier with each passing year. At a reputable establishment like Dr. Insignia’s clinic, an artificial cutie mark replacement costs only 1000 Bits, or one week’s wage for a typical Manehattanite. A simple recoloration costs only 100 Bits, or the price of dinner for two at a five-star restaurant.
According to a survey last year by The Manehattan Times, 14% of Manehattanites said they have modified their cutie mark surgically, with recolorization being the most common procedure. Mares are more likely to have the procedure, although an increasing number of stallions are as well. In the same survey, at least 40% of stallions in Manehattan “had considered” cutie mark cosmetic surgery.
Back at the clinic, Dr. Insignia is inside the windowless operating room, preparing for his third operation of the day: Toola-Roola’s operation. He’s performed this operation for almost ten years—this will be his 800th time.
The doctor calls Toola-Roola into the operating room. His natural cutie mark—a reflex hammer and a scalpel arranged in an X shape—is covered by green surgical scrubs. “Ms. Toola-Roola? We’re ready for you. If you would step this way, please.”
She steps inside. The lighting changes from a soft yellow in the waiting room to a harsh white fluorescent. The ceiling is higher in the operating room, creating the feeling of a daylit cavern.
The doctor seats Toola-Roola on the bench and explains the operation to her, step-by-step. He speaks firmly, but with enough breathiness that it sounds soothing. He touches Toola-Roola with a hoof, trying to ease her trembling.
“I’m not sure why I’m shaking,” the mare says, turning to me. “I’ve been wanting this day for so long.”
To perform a cutie mark replacement surgery, Dr. Insignia makes a circular incision about 20cm in diameter, encircling the cutie mark region. The incision must be at least 2mm deep, reaching the dermal layer, to fully remove the pigmentation of the existing cutie mark. Then, using a knife, the skin is carefully peeled off.
In a previous appointment, a skin cell sample was taken from Toola-Roola. This was used to make a
piece of synthetic skin, on which the artificial cutie mark is printed. This synthetic skin is placed over the hole once occupied by the natural cutie mark. Small additional cuts are made so that it covers the hole exactly. Dissolving stiches are sewn in, and the wound is cleaned.
The entire operation takes less than an hour. No fasting is required. In most cases, only local anesthesia is needed. Recovery is no more than a week—this is mainly to allow time for the stitches to dissolve, which prevents the fatal embarrassment of being caught with the scars of cutie mark surgery. During that time, one should avoid sitting down or stretching the cutie mark region.
Dr. Insignia gives Toola-Roola a bag of over-the-counter antiseptic cream, in case she experiences any irritation. “Make sure to clean the incision area daily, to avoid infection. Any other questions?”
“I…I don’t think so. I can’t come up with anything right now.”
“All right then. I need to prep a few more things. You sit tight, and in the meantime if you come up with any questions just let me know, okay?”
“Okay. Thanks.”
As the doctor steps away, she starts trembling again.
In a later interview, I ask Dr. Insignia what he does with the removed cutie marks of patients. “Oh. Dispose ‘em. Most of time we just toss ‘em in the red biohazard bags. Like those over there.” He points to a roll of 100, sitting on the counter of the operating room.
After a pause, he adds, “I’m pretty sure they’re just pieces of skin. They’re not magically enchanted or anything. Haven’t seen any glowing trash bags yet.” He chuckles.
Equestria is no longer the homogeneous land of ponies that it once was. Under the rule of Her Majesty Princess Twilight, immigration into Equestria has increased by 30%. More and more dragons, kirin, changelings, and yaks are being born and raised in Equestria, having never seen or visited their homeland. The City of Manehattan recently issued revised fire codes after a young dragon whistled the Equestrian Anthem and accidentally set fire to his family’s wood-framed apartment building.
For these non-pony Equestrians, surgical cutie mark implantation offers them a chance at becoming a little closer to the place they call their “homeland.” Dr. Insignia’s clinic is one of the first to offer cutie marks in a variety of skins, including reptilian skins for dragons and kirin, and even exoskeletion plates for changelings.
I got the chance to talk with one of Dr. Insignia’s first non-pony patients: Gabby, a griffon who’s lived in Equestria for almost 20 years, and who received her cutie mark implant four months ago.
I meet her for afternoon tea at her house, located just outside of Ponyville.
Gabby has a bubbly personality, very atypical of griffons. Her cheerful giggling echoes in the room. “Any griffon, changeling, yak, hippogriff, dragon, or whatever who’s lived in Equestria for a long time and says they’ve never wished they had a cutie mark—they’re lying, I assure you.”
She tells me that she’s wanted a cutie mark as soon as she first heard of its existence. As a teenager, she even went to the Cutie Mark Crusaders personally, asking them for one. They could not deliver.
“They felt bad for me, so they gave me this hunk of wood with the image of a cutie mark painted on it.” She giggles again. “At least I like to think they felt bad for me.”
She burnt the wooden “cutie mark” in the fireplace a long time ago.
With a single talon, she pulls apart the sheer curtain in her living room window, looking out onto a grassy open meadow. “I think somehow I was meant to be a pony. I get along with ponies so much better than I do with my own kind. Not like I feel like I was born in the wrong body or anything, but…” she trails off.
It suddenly goes quiet.
Her apartment is cluttered with Equestrian memorabilia: shiny, laminated posters from the Running of the Leaves, the start of cider season, and Equestria Fashion Week. The only mirror in the room is cracked, heavily scratched, and frosted over.
“I lied,” she mumbles after a long, dead silence.
She looks out the window again. “This would be a nice day in Griffinstone, you know. The clouds and the fog, that’s considered normal over there.” She hasn’t turned on any lights in the room.
With written permission from the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Gabby received her matching cutie mark implanted onto her flank. It is in the same style as the three original CMCs, except with a trophy over the middle stripe.
She leans forward in her chair to show it to me, and her mood seems to improve almost instantly. “It suits me, doesn’t it? You should’ve heard what Scootaloo said about it—the three of them actually came up here to throw a cuteceanera for me, you know? Well, a cuteceanera slash bar trot. Heh! I think it was just an excuse for them to not have to teach their classes at the School of Friendship. Applebloom may or may not have threw up into a creek at 3am…” she laughs for a solid ten seconds.
I watch as she leans back in her chair and pops a few oat-raisin bites in her mouth. “You want some? I just made a fresh batch today. I’ve been working on the recipe for years now, and I think I’ve finally got it. The two ponies next door, Holiday and Lofty, they say I make ‘em just as good as Sugarcube Corner.”
She giggles. “It almost makes me feel like a pony.”
Back at the clinic, Toola-Roola sits on the bench and sips some warm water. Her trembling has eased significantly. I still have a few minutes to chat with her before Dr. Insignia starts the operation.
“Coco told me she didn’t feel anything weird after she got her surgery,” Toola-Roola says to me, regarding her friend Coconut Cream. “I mean, well, you hear weird stories in the papers, so, erm, at first I was kinda worried about doing it. But, well, Coco says it’s totally fine, and, well, she changed her cutie mark from a pie to a palm tree—which is a pretty big change, if you ask me…isn’t that right, right?”
I only manage to say, “I suppose.”
She gulps the last bit of water, crumples the paper cup, and tosses it towards the trash can, missing it by two meters.
She continues to ramble. “And, and Coco was still the same pony after the surgery. At least to me, and, well I’ve known her for over 20 years, you know. Like, she still made our spa appointment eight days after her surgery. She still complained about the boring décor in the massage room, like she always does. And she still got mad at me for not hoarding free samples at the spa shop. I already told her, it’s not right.”
There is an awkward pause. Toola-Roola has a strangely dejected look on her face.
“Are you worried that you might have side effects from the surgery?” I ask.
She gets herself another half-cup of warm water, gargling it to soothe her throat. “Well, like, I don’t know the exact statistics. Doctor Insignia told me during one of our appointments. I think it was 0.1%. Or was it 0.2%? I don’t know. Somehow numbers don’t really get to me. My friend had the surgery and, well, she’s fine. And that’s what matters to me. If 300,000 ponies were fine, but my friend said she was not, I wouldn’t do it. But my friend is fine, so that point is totally moot…”
—her tone suddenly shifts—
“…orchids are ‘me,’ right? They’re me, right? I mean how could they not be!? Orchids have to be me. They are ‘me.’ Orchids are ‘me,’ right!?”
She crumples up the plastic cup in her hoof again. She looks up at me. There’s a look of panic on her sweat-coated face.
“Orchids are ‘me’, right!?”
I don’t know how to respond.
Numerous academic studies agree that cutie mark replacement surgery has few to no short-term side effects for ponies or non-pony creatures.
As mentioned before, a widely accepted theory is that is that cutie mark magic diffuses from the cutie mark into a pony’s body over the course of their life. Therefore, even when the cutie mark is removed surgically, the diffused “core cutie mark magic” is still retained deep in the pony’s muscle fibers. This “core cutie mark magic” is enough to prevent any adverse side effects from occurring.
An eight year long study by the Canterlot School of Medicine found no significant side effects of cutie mark cosmetic surgery for any creature. Less than 0.1% of patients report temporary mood swings for about a month after the surgery—the researchers believe this to be psychologically induced, due to fear and anxiety from the surgery.
On the flipside, the Canterlot study also notes positive effects. Patients who receive cutie mark surgery report feeling greater self-esteem (77% of patients), less anxiety (55%), and more confidence in social interactions (62%).
“I have ponies come back and tell me how they’ve finally gotten the courage to try a new career, hippogriffs who feel more confident interacting with their pony peers, or dragons that’ve become closer to their adopted parents,” Dr. Insignia tells me in a later interview. “It’s stories like that that get me up in the morning.”
Over the past ten years, Dr. Insignia has built himself a reputation as one of the most trusted cutie mark surgeons in Equestria. Starting out as an eye surgeon in Manehattan, he was first inspired to perform cutie mark surgery fifteen years ago, after his young daughter received a similar cutie mark to her abusive, alcoholic mother.
“She was nothing like her mother. She was the sweetest, kindest little filly you’d ever meet,” the doctor tells me. “But she had that reminder of her past, right there on her flank. Even after the divorce and the restraining order, the mark was still there. She never could get over that. I just wished I could’ve changed things before it was too late.” He wipes his tears and takes a few deep breaths.
Dr. Insignia’s daughter committed suicide at the age of 16.
Admittedly, even the most forward-thinking Equestrians feel uneasy about fully legalizing cutie mark cosmetic surgery. A recent poll showed 52% of Manehattanites are either “against” or “strongly against” widespread legalization of cutie mark surgery. This is compared to 75% of Canterlotians, and 84% of Ponyvillians.
One of the most outspoken critics of cutie mark surgery is Starlight Glimmer, the principal of the School of Friendship in Ponyville. Her influence in the town is part of the reason why the surgery is outright banned there.
Seven months ago, at a school assembly attended by students and members of the public, Starlight Glimmer delivered an impassioned speech warning of the potential dangers of cutie mark surgery.
“I, of all ponies, know the pain that results from changing one’s natural cutie mark. When I first discovered the spell to change cutie marks, I didn’t know the harm it could cause. I was young and naïve. I thought I could create some good if ponies could be freed from their cutie mark. I created an entire village, based on this false ideal. That’s how I learned the truth. The hard way.
“At first, after I changed their cutie marks, things were fine. After a month, after a year, two years, even five years. But then, slowly…I watched my villagers begin to lose themselves. Every passing year, it was like air escaping from a pinhole in a balloon. I watched mothers abandon their foals in the cold. Couples wouldn’t touch each other. I watched a pony smile and eat a whole plate of buns while the pony next to her starved to death. Their souls…had just crumbled away.
“This…surgery hasn’t even been around for ten years. Maybe everypony’s fine for now, but they won’t be in the long term. They’ll lose themselves, just like I saw in my former village.”
By this point, she had burst into tears. “I don’t blame you all for not knowing this. I did not know either. Like it or not, ponies were meant to live with their naturally bestowed cutie marks. They always have. And I will do everything in my power to make sure our society remembers this.”
Experts in cutie mark magic have denounced the claims in Starlight Glimmer’s speech. Most scholars agree that using magic to change a cutie mark, as Starlight did, is fundamentally different than simply removing the skin with a knife, as is done in cutie mark cosmetic surgery. Therefore, their long-term effects cannot be compared.
Dr. Insignia admits that nocreature can truly predict the long-term effects of cutie mark cosmetic surgery. “Medicine can always surprise you, in my three decades of experience. And I think Starlight Glimmer genuinely believes this surgery is medically unsafe for ponies.”
However, he joins the experts in disagreeing with Starlight’s claims. “She said that she used to enslave ponies by changing their cutie marks against their will. And that makes changing cutie marks bad?” He scoffs. “It’s the ‘against their will’ part that makes it bad.”
“How so?” I ask.
“Well, it’s like sex, really. Normally, sex is a great thing. When you wanna do it, and you’re doing it with someone you love, it brings you joy and happiness. But when it’s done against your will, it brings you pain and trauma. But that doesn’t mean we should just all stop having sex.”
Right or not, Starlight Glimmer’s controversial speech has done its damage. The School of Friendship, once lauded as one the finest learning institutions in Equestria, is now mired in scandal. Classes are regularly interrupted by angry picketers who breach the barricades. School administrators are in court for lawsuits more often than they are on campus. One of these lawsuits accuses Starlight Glimmer of refusing admission to ponies and other creatures who had cutie mark surgery, or whose parents had cutie mark surgery.
The controversy came to a head last month when The Ponyville Journal released a shocking exposé of the School of Friendship’s finances, revealing that the school had received 5,000,000 Bits of funding last year from several radical Equestrian fundamentalist organizations. Of this, 2,000,000 Bits came from The United Equestrian Front, a hate group founded by Chancellor Neighsay, the disgraced former head of the EEA. The United Equestrian Front has been linked to at least 50 violent hate crimes against non-ponies, in Manehattan alone.
(Cutie mark implantation by non-ponies has led Equestrian fundamentalists to oppose all forms of cutie mark cosmetic surgery as “unnatural” and “undermining the sacred culture and traditions of the superior pony race.”)
Ever since the exposé was published, parents of the School of Friendship student body (who is 62% non-pony) have been pressuring Starlight Glimmer to resign. Some parents have traveled from their homelands just to picket outside the school gates. Enrollment among pony and non-pony students have sharply decreased in the past semester.
Her Majesty Princess Twilight, the founder of the School of Friendship, is no longer affiliated with the School since her ascension to the throne. Although she declined our request for an interview, she issued the following written statement regarding the scandal:
“A cutie mark is a powerful symbol of pony culture that unites the three tribes of earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn. But it is just that—a symbol. True friendship, which We have advocated for since Our coronation, transcends all physical symbols, enchanted amulets, or magical markings—namely, cutie marks. Whether one chooses to retain their natural cutie mark, modify their existing cutie mark, or even remove it entirely…there will always be room for the magic of friendship.
“We have had the privilege of knowing Starlight Glimmer for many years, and have gotten to know all facets of her complex personality. Based on our assessment, We are confident that Starlight will make a decision that will be for the greater benefit of the School of Friendship, Equestria, and our allies.”
Our sources suggest that Her Majesty may be estranged from her former pupil.
Back at the clinic, the surgical lights have been turned on. Toola-Roola is lying belly down on the medical bench, ready for the operation. I observe discreetly through a thin plexiglass window.
Toola-Roola closes her eyes. Whether she’s savoring one last moment of her old cutie mark, or eagerly anticipating her new one, I’m not sure.
There’s some clattering of instruments. The doctor puts up a transparent plastic slide of a white orchid with purple venation. He turns around, the fabric of his coat rustling.
Then all is quiet.
Toola-Roola turns and looks at me through the plexiglass window. She can’t see me very well because of the reflection. But she gives me that same look of panic—the same look of fevered panic that she had when she asked me,
Orchids are “me,” right!?
I still don’t know how to respond.
The doctor draws a circle around both cutie marks with a marker. He swabs some local anesthesia on the flank. He readies his scalpel.
“Ready?” he asks.
The patient nods, and the doctor pushes the scalpel in.
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That was deep man.
To deep.
Why you gotta make ponies deep man.
I like my ponies like I like my pools.
Shallow.
Cause I ain't never learned to swim.
Also depressing. Who wants to see a realistic ideological conflict with no clear answer present in Equestria? For real, though, this was a damn accurate representation of a long-form news article.
Excellent journalistic voice. The level of remove from the intense subject matter helps keep it from being oppressive. I honestly can't tell where the author stands on the issue. I suspect they're in favor of allowing the surgery, but that lingering image of Toola-Roola suffering an existential crisis of buyer's remorse... Haunting stuff.
That said, Gabby burning the cutie mark placard the Crusaders gave her may be the part that got the biggest reaction out of me. Yes, she doesn't need it as medical science marches on, but it's about what the gift meant. Mind you, I don't know what long, dark night of the soul she went through before the operation...
Great thought-provoking piece. Thank you for it.
"An intriguing premise presented in an equally enticing manner. Kudos!"
Three quarters of the way through this story, that was all I'd had to say. I'd all but forgotten about the Sad tag.
And then it hit me like a freight train. The doctor's daughter, Gabby's reminiscence, Starlight's well-meaning fall from grace, Toola-Roola's frantic last-minute doubts... Damn, man. I was not prepared for that heaviness.
Needless to say, I got sucker-punched right in the gut. And in all honestly? I'm all for it. So, for the second time this comment: "Kudos, Mica!"
:)
Funnily enough, that's the second time today I've been blindsided like this...
This is really good. I feel like I'm reading a real journalistic piece. There's good points on both sides, though I do feel bad for Starlight Glimmer and what is happening to her school. I mean, there is a point - you aren't how you are when you're 8. And there's ponies whose cutie marks don't match their names. I have thought of the idea that ponies are allowed to change their names for free once they acquire their cutie marks and maybe once more later on when they're adults. Like, maybe Diamond Tiara's birth name was Diamond Dazzle and when she got her cutie mark she simply changed it a tad.
I could see this ending up in a few years as "a valuable medical procedure misused as a fad " that is a smaller percentage of creatures discovering in the long run they needed to change thier mark or in the case of non-ponies it amounts to a tattoo, but a lot finding future side effects like Starlight fears come to pass mostly for pony and zebra paients. Resulting in "cutie mark restoration surgery" and a "Cutie mark Interpretation" becoming fields.
The story does come off very much like a magazine article as intended.
I don't know how many of these points were inspired by real-world issues, but each one felt like something genuine to the world of MLP. I could imagine the reporter writing this article. The bias of a reporter/newspaper based in Manehatten came through in just the right amount - not outright insulting the opposing view, but implying enough bad things about it, substantiated or otherwise.
Wow. Very nice story.
A thought-provoking tale in a fomat that works well for it, augmented by the fact that, like those in the story, we can only make up our minds on the natter from guesswork, faith and uncertain statistics.
Dang dude, you really nailed this. The story radiates the fictional authors or magazines little biases through the grammar and “” marks. From the loaded question about what if “she’s not into orchids later” to the scoff at non ponies calling equestria their “homeland”.
Very fresh and though-provoking story. The journalistic style is delivered well enough, although I feel there is still too much "story element" to it. There are parts providing descriptions that are usually not seen in a journal article, like this one:
They take the immersion away from reading the "article".
About story structure, it's a little lacking in coherence and conciseness. There're sections that should be combined together. Some parts, such as the one about the theory of "core cutie mark magic" are repeated. These should be rearranged to give the "article" a more coherent flow. For example, section 4 should be combined with section 2, section 5 with section 3.
About plot elements, the story provides many interesting aspects of the topic. Still, I think there are a lot more that could be explored, such as the effect of cutie mark surgery on employment and social standing, influence of age on the surgery adverse effect (given the mention of the "core cutie mark magic" theory, one has to ask what if the pony removes their cutie mark at too young an age?), adverse psychological effect post surgery, etc. Also, I would think the ones who have the most problem with changing cutie mark through surgery would be the CMC, given that finding cutie marks has essentially been their life purpose. How would it change the importance of finding cutie marks in young ponies and in society as a whole then, if you can just swap it with whatever you like afterward?
I really like the writing style and the switches between narrative voice and objective reporting were very well used. It feels like a long-form article out of a major publication. And what an interesting topic! Great work.
I liked how the article seems to be biased in favour of the operation (essentially portraying the opponents as nothing but irrational far-right extremists) while remaining objective enough for us to understand why some may feel queasy about, or even strongly dislike, the procedure.
daaaaaaaaaaamn this is heavy.
Wow, Gabby felt really snooty and arrogant in this bit. I can kinda see where she’s coming from but that fact that she threw it in a fire make her come off really ungrateful right here. Is that just me?
Errrr, what?
I really like the idea behind this fic, and a lot of the early stuff was super interesting ad well written. I loved the way Toola Roola is portrayed, she comes off as ditsy like someone who you’d expect to fall into a craze like this without properly thinking it through especially after a friend had gone through the same thing. And the moments of self doubt coming to the surgery itself we’re extremely chilling, really giving you a sense that maybe this whole procedure isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, at least with such little thought up into it.
For me though, when we got to around starlights bit it started coming off as a bit heavy handed and preachy. I imagine that might be because you were trying to make this “documentary” one sided to push a narrative, which many documentaries try to do. However considering how much evidence there is for how beneficial this procedure is and how little risk it almost took me out of it of how anyone is against it, mainly because we never have a good reason to.
Having the school of friend now loose it’s rep over becoming connected to hate groups also feels pretty forced. I know this is an AU but it felyblike a stretch considering this is supposedly still the Equestria from the show, and not a darker retelling. Unless things went down hill after Twi too charge but there’s nothing to indicate anything like that.
Maybe if it the procedure wasn’t coming off so one sided in how successful it was or maybe we get a couple of interviews from the people against it that actually have some weight to them. You have Starlights but that holds no weight to it. Maybe get a interview for the CMCs saying how getting rid of your cutie marks means your throwing apart of yourself away instead of healing that part of you. Or maybe interview some who are unhappy with their surgery.
Maybe I’m looking at this the wrong way as it’s supposed to be a interview format, which is expertly done. Maybe I’m looking for something different then what’s being presented.
Overall, it’s a very unique idea and your writing is on pointWish the drawbacks of this idea was explored a little more to really flesh it out.
Feeling existential about butt tattoos. Must be a Friday.
Ouch. What did I read? That's deep. Brilliant. It's a take-your-breath-away story. It's going in my favourites folder.
Gabby torching her "mark" was understandable in the light of her body dysmorphia (I have to have a cutie mark to fit in, I have to have a cutie mark, a cutie mark!) only to have a reminder she can't stop looking at but never thought she truly could (until medical science saves the day).
That kind of reminder, even done in kindness can easily sour when it becomes a constant association with failure.
I REALLY liked this. Very well done and seemed extremely realistic. 👌nice
I loved the theme of body dysmorphia in Gabby's bit. I related to that feeling of not feeling right in my own skin so hard, and for me it felt like Gabby felt more comfortable in her own body because of it. Like, I'm not disregarding the entire point of the story about the psychological dangers of body altering surgery and how people can feel pressured to alter their bodies to better fit in despite the fact it might not be right for them, but I am biased. I don't like my body and can't change it - so it felt nice to read about a fictional character who had surgery to change themselves feeling slightly better.
Man, I'm surprised I hadn't followed you until now. I'm correcting that mistake!
You do some very cool "social worldbuilding" pieces, and this is yet another great example, one that I would say even surpasses "Five Stages of Assimilation". This sort of stuff feels like something that could be a legit "extended universe" novel, if MLP had those. Albeit one aimed at a more grown-up audience. It was something that I read in one go.
I do have one piece of criticism, which others have already mentioned granted:
Starlight Glimmer's actions as the anti-surgery advocate. I definitely agree with her speech being realistic, but I'm not sold on the idea that she would accept under-the-table support of extremists. I suspect that you wrote that piece to give the story some needed antagonism, to make it not appear as a "wow this is so awesome, how is this bad at all?" feeling. That being said, I feel like the drama and conflict was nicely paced and executed on with Toola-Roola and her increasing level of doubt as the story went on.
If I were writing this, I'd have her more aimed as a character struggling with a strong cognitive dissonance between her experiences with cutie mark modification, and how the surgery appears to be almost entirely harmless. Maybe leaving it off with an implication of her having a crisis in conscience that she would have to explore in the future.
Overall great story, and I look forward to more from you in the future!
I don't think you understand at all how Cutie Marks work.
They come when the ponies uncover their special talent, you know, magical stuff that helps them find out what they'll be great at and will give them the best chance of being happy and fulfilled, though they must still work at it.
It's not like here, where people have no clue what they're doing and often end up miserable because they let other people call all the shots for them, because thinking for yourself is hard!
Anyway, the surgery works perfectly, because of course it does! The story has an agenda and everything is PERFECT for those who follow it, while those who question it are both mocked and shown false sympathy as 'simply not understanding' or letting their own experiences cloud their judgement. An excellent example of how propaganda works on the weak-minded.
Children, I've seen this all a hundred thousand million billion times before, from every regime under the sun.
It's getting ANCIENT. You hairless apes never learn.
10629761 But we're not magical ponies. We're horrible naked apes that used to eat each other. You're projecting YOUR experiences upon ANOTHER SPECIES! SO RACIST!!
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Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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I'm sorry for punching you. I'm against violence.
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Your criticisms of Starlight in this story is valid. Maybe she did go a little too OOC by affiliating with extremist groups. But considering that she was a radical cult leader for many years, it might not be as implausible as you think that she would be willing to work with extremists. You could also interpret it as "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" sort of deal. I intentionally left Starlight's motivations to the reader's interpretation.
When I started writing about this AU, I realized there were so many potential implications of cutie mark surgery that I simply couldn't cover them all. Two ponies trading cutie marks, ponies deciding they want their natural cutie mark back...there's so many ways to look at it. I had a section on "voluntary blank flanks" that I cut out for concision. I almost cut out the bit about Starlight and the extremist groups. If I had more perseverance I could've made a novel-length story out of this.
I can see how the story might be seen as "one-sided" in favor of cutie mark surgery. But there's one character who's at the very least skeptical: the reporter himself. Notice how he portrays Toola-Roola in his report, and the kind of questions he asks her. For example, in the first section, he calls it a "natural cutie mark" while Toola-Roola calls it her "old cutie mark."
Thank you for reading my story.
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Well, firstly, there were multiple passages about Toola-Roola having doubts, so the "everything is PERFECT" line isn't entirely accurate.
Second off: for all we know, Starlight is right, and the long-term consequences are indeed going to be dire. But, 10629950 as RDT suggested, that's not the perspective the paper wants to propagate.
It's not the author who has an "agenda"; if anyone, it's The Manehatten Times that does. Maybe try looking at this from that perspective.
EDIT: Additionally, consider reading the second-last paragraph of 10631157 this comment by the author.
Fuuuuuuuuhhh... man. This went hard. Thank you. This deserves every like it gets. Whew.
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Definitely fair, and it's a perspective I really appreciated.
That being said, I def think it's a high-quality story. Even with the criticisms, I'd say it was both an engaging read and one that made me want to think about the subject matter and its implications. A lot of stories struggle to do that, and I honestly can't say anything that expresses my praise adequately in a comment.
Ugh... sharpening scalpel... means they are REUSING scalpel... that's barbaric...
I was confused by this line:
If we pretend eight is "almost" ten, that's 100 operations per year, or two per week. That's not very many.
If Toola-Roola is the third (and last) of the day, and if he only does surgery two days a week (with the other three being used for consultations and the like), it would be more like 6+ per week, 300+ per year. So a much larger total for almost ten years.
But overall, the story put forth some interesting ideas worth thinking about.
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Thing is... The procedure is FAR from this perfect... It does NOT show as perfect in any way.
I'm quite perplexed as how you got that impression.
The way the article is written seems to be moderately pro surgery, and it shows it's bias clearly.
The only nitpick I may have is on the numbers...
Half a million pony a year is a HUGE number given that pony population appears to be "smallish".
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Yeah, Gabby burning her painted gift felt pretty extreme. With her later appearances in the show, she's not hauling it around like some desperate replacement or security blanket. Plus, the CMCs were just middle schoolers (at most) when they gave that to Gabby, so it really shouldn't be read as a condescending proclamation.
In-universe, I would really criticize the author of this article for picking an obviously depressed and dysmorphic person to represent the population of creatures who underwent the procedure. It paints them all as having some degree of self-loathing. Of course, like anything in this article I might have a problem with, I'm not so certain how much Mica planned it as the journalist being either biased, overdramatic, or trying way too hard to thread a theme through all the disparate material they gathered. It's something I've observed before in publications.
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No I get that, the article format works very well and is very clearly bias. It’s just that with the idea of plastic surgery to change cutie marks is so interesting that I wish it could have been explored more, and the side I wish it explored was more the negative sides of this.
The percentage showing how effective the procedure is is our own frame of reference for the idea. The only thing we really get against it is Starlights viewpoint, but that feels so OOC (for me anyone others might not have had a problem), that it makes the actual subject matter a bit too clean cut. I guess you could say it’s possible manipulated for the article but then all the other interviews seemed too genuine (especially Toola-Roola’s) so it makes Starlight’s comes off as fact. That might just be the in universe writing of the article like I said however.
What would 100% fix this fic for me really is if there was a second companion piece to this from the otherside, with each groups having different research with extremely different outcomes. So then we the readers could compare and make our own decisions on the matter. As is it’s still a very well written fic, and the idea of doing it in a article was a brilliant choice.
I just wish we got a little more from the idea.
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That is a good point, and it was a great way to write it. As it’s not from the interview itself actually just stated afterwards. Perhaps Gabby threw it into a fire in a bout of angry and instantly regretted it. Or maybe she did really feel like it was given to her out of pitty. That’s a bit of very cleaver writing right there.
And I think your right on the journalist from. The article is very clearly trying to be bias for the process, so finding someone like Gabby who is very clearly effected by it, but is clearly not the most mentally stable would be in their favour
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The percentage is... unrealistic. It is the sort of percentage you would see in cooked data. As there is no way that an invasive procedure like the replacement of a patch of skin about ten percent of the total surface has ONLY that amount of negative reaction. So it is to be taken with a HUGE grain of salt.
We don’t have any information on the “Canterlot School of Medicine” it could be a bogus institute, the article reports ONLY the results of the study on psychological effect without saying anything on measurable physiological consequences, this may be because the article author does not want to put those out OR the study do not report them, another point is that the way it is written in the part about the mood swing is ambiguous... As I said such a huge skin graft would get MORE than 0.1% of adverse effect.
The interviews... we have Toola-Roola who goes on as awfully shallow... she is replacing her cutie mark just because it’s “old fashioned”. Gabby is not a pony and so is physiologically different than a pony, to her it is just an aesthetic point. And she comes out as PROFOUNDLY disturbed... in her case the surgery has a modicum of sense...
The last interview is with the doctor... he has issues... HEAVY issues.
In what ways do Starlight come out OOC?
Even the financing... it look like a lot, but what is the WHOLE budget of the School of Friendship?
2 million bits is about what 40 ponies makes in a year. The school has WAY more ponies employed is a boarding school with a huge number of students, and fundamentally the second most prestigious school in Equestria... I’m sure you could get dubious contributions to ANY institution.
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I'd say the only way Gabby burning the mark would make sense would be if the author deliberately left out the part where she was talking about how she had placed it on her firewood pile one day while cleaning or how she tripped while walking by a fireplace. I really doubt it was done on purpose.
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I said it another comment it kinda works as it could be some manipulation by the writer of the article itself, as we get no context for why she burned it.
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While I can see her having a strong stance on cutie marks, her reason for taking them away was completely a selfish reason, and she knows this. She herself has become much more stable and able to think these things from multiple points of view. So the idea that she would be this strongly against to the point of banning anyone from the process or those associated from the school it too harsh. While you could say that’s just the article manipulating the facts, the interview with Twilight and her reaction to it makes it come off as fact, not to mention her cutting ties with Starlight all together is a extremely off.
Also taking money from known hate group is also extremely out of character. You could say that it’s just the opinion of the article but at that point it was just coming off as preachy to me. (Which once again might have been the point).
It’s why I would really wanna see more info from this world from a different perspective, cos it is a great idea to explore. Hopefully see find out some facts behind all this (possibly) made up numbers
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Can't speak for the other unnamed extremist groups, but honestly, I can kinda (keyword being kinda) get why Starlight would trust Neighsay's: as far as she's aware, he realized the error of his ways following the events of "School Raze" and stopped going full-on xenophobe.
(Unless, of course, the AU tag's revoked that aspect of his conscience, but I'm just spitballing for the sake of the discussion.)
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I would say that is due to deliberate slant in the article. Possibly that in reality Starlight was ignorant of the extremist's actions.
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See, that’s why I could (like you) kinda get behind it. But with it in the same section saying that these groups are known for anti none pony actions and that Neighsay is vocal about these things just makes me say “o he’s just not reformed in this AU”.
They could just be using stuff Neighsay said and did before his reform, but considering I’d been 20 odd years I’d say that’s a bit of a stretch
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I would take that if it wasn’t said in the article that these groups are not only known to be anti non pony hate groups but also very vocal about their stances. Considering Starlight’s the headmare of the school that started bringing other creatures to Equestria (at least on such a scale), she would never take money from them.
That could be an interesting story of how she took it out of desperation but that’s apart of fic itself I can’t use that as an excuse
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Still interesting that this one story makes people think on things like this.
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O for sure, it’s what’s so interesting about this fic. It could have came off a lot more preachy or simply is a stand in for something obvious. the characters really flesh out this idea and having it be in the format of an article makes it work so well, but also makes you question it a lot more. As opposed to be simply being presented as factual fiction
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The REASON behind the removal are (relatively) immaterial, what counts are the effects, an Starlight is describing a serious problem.
Twilight did not have an interview. She has released a statement as head of state are used to do.
Where does it says that she has cut ties with Starlight? The statement is highly supportive of Starlight while maintaining the distance needed by any head of state.
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About Starlight, I actually don't have much problem with the extremist group thing, as I perceive it as Starlight not tracking her donation source very well. After all, it would be weird for Starlight to have secret xenophobic agenda after all the time with Twilight and being headmare of a school with 62% non-pony students. (Although, I am little surprised that Neighsay was the one founding the extremist group. But if you don't consider s8 finale onward as canon, like I do, then it makes sense.)
What I have more problem with is how radical Starlight was back in her village as presented by the story. If she had seen with her own eyes by then the terrible effects caused on the others by her taking away their cutie marks, it feels quite sinister of her to just let it go on.
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Yeah, it's very plausible that even if the CMCs didn't intentionally give it to her out of pity, she might later in life start to see it as a constant reminder that she'd never have the real thing. I was reminded of the scene in "Flight to the Finish" where Scootaloo throws her scooter in the trash after getting picked on by Diamond Tiara.
Plus the reference to Gabby's personality being "very atypical of griffons" seems to imply that Griffonstone had made at most modest progress from the grossly toxic culture from which Gabby sought to distance herself. Give that that was pretty much her only reason for wanting a cutie mark, it's no wonder she turned out like she did.
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It’s what I took from this, though maybe I’m just looking into that wrong since it’s not a proper statement.
Starlight maybe to talking about the after effects of the removing a cutie mark, but like I said she was forcefully removing them then brainwashing a town. And she knows this. I can see her having an inside view of cutie mark removal but her going as far as she does (if this is true and not just the article speaking lies) is very OOC.
Not to mention this 20 years in the future. Already in the show has Starlight matured and grown enough to understand her actions. Now say if there wasn’t loads of evidence that this treatment worked so well (which once again could be BS) then I’d think she has more weight to her argument.
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That is classic journalistic talk for lying through their teeth ^^;;;;
It's an hypothetical coming as a suggestion from an unnamed source... It's written to have plausible deniability embedded into it.
I'm not really understanding what is that you find OOC for Starlight. Is it the funding? The funding is as I said some what meh...
The lawsuit on school acceptance may well be just fluff, and again are the bread and butter of politicized journalism, as one can say easily "Dude has been accused of eating kittens!" while avoiding to cite that the lawsuit has been thrown off as frivolous and without any merit.
And in the end just from this article there ISN'T that much evidence that this treatment works so well. [As I said a skin graft of that kind is literally impossible to have that low complication rate, people are NOT that good in taking care of things]
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Hm Two things Neighsay may have founded that... nowhere it says that he is STILL in it and the group may be old.
The other is that... That money do not look THAT much in reality. I don't know if there was any calculation behind them but given the numbers around and how big is the School of Friendship supposed to be that is probably the janitorial staff budget.
About Starlight back then... well... she was in a REALLY REALLY bad place and had very distorted thinking. Just look at what lengths she went and what she needed to see to stop destroying time itself ^^;;; That is NOT justifying her, just understanding where she was.