Episode 79 — Cutie Mark
Episode 79 — Cutie Mark
Twenty-Seventh Day in the Month of Sakura (April 27) in the Year of the Griffon
Front Line — Floor 60
Bladescape woke up at her usual time, but didn’t leave her room until the others were gone. She enjoyed, as best as she could, laying in her bed. The breakfast waiting for her was good. It was topped off with a Sunset Shimmer themed cupcake. Konpeito always knew what to do for her friends, at least when it came to cooking and treats.
The cupcake did spark an idea. So much had happened in between the idea and now. They had teamed up with Fuurinkazan to clear the catacombs because Bladescape couldn’t see how well they were working together. A major part of her frustration had been set aside to deal with the more important drama, but it was still there. She had fully taken up their horse head symbol as a replacement of her own. It was for the good of her friends and the clearing effort, a direction she was even more certain was the correct choice despite the recent happenings, but that did not mean she couldn’t wear her mark. Konpeito was proof enough.
Bladescape threw on a black skirt and a cyan top that Diemond had made for her before traveling to Algade on Floor 50. She happened to know who Konpeito always went to. The artist had changed locations, twice, but Konpeito was still getting work done and she wasn’t tight-lipped about Eglon or his location. The parlor was easy to find.
It looked like a stereotypical tattoo parlor, with their art all on the walls and a bit of a grungy feel to the establishment, yet it was clean and surprisingly cozy. There were two areas sectioned off with low dividers. They shielded anyone getting work down in more sensitive locations, yet were tall enough that the artist could see over and check on whoever came in.
Eglon was busy with a customer, but his associate came right up to her. She was a pretty young woman, but “grunge” fit her description perfectly. Jet black hair that finished in a mid purple, cropped into a soft wedge bob. Black denim shorts cut very short and a black crop top was all she wore, which was not typical for Japan. She had tattoos over most of her body.
“Just here to stare or do you want somethin done?” she asked.
“Sorry,” Bladescape apologized. She hadn’t realized she had been staring. “I was coming to have something done. Eglon was the recommendation I got. I, uh, haven’t done this before or considered it. It’s a bit of an impulse.”
“That’s pretty obvious,” she said, a smirk on her face for a brief moment. “I’m Eshta, his associate. I do this IRL too, okay. Since it’s your first, then I’m guessing you’re not lookin for anything complicated? If that’s the case, I probably can do it just as good as he can. Either way, we’ll treat you right and make sure it looks amazing. It’s our work on your body. I take pride in my art, no matter how simple or complex it is.”
There was no reason for Bladescape to not trust her, at least not any less than she would trust Eglon.
“Yeah,” Bladescape said with a nod. She pulled out her book of memories. “The two toned sun on the cover, that’s what I want. It’s an important symbol to me. Not the swords, just the sun.”
“Alright, not bad,” Eshta said. “It has life and character to it. For it to work as a tattoo, it just needs to be outlined in black to make it stand out. That includes the divides. Not a thick line, but just enough to make it pop out from your skin and from the other colors. Otherwise it will blend together and it will look like a gradient, not two distinct colors. That’s just how skin works, especially with your olive skin tone and the colors yellow, orange, and red.”
“That makes sense,” Bladescape said.
“The next thing is how big and where do you want it?” Eshta asked.
That question threw Bladescape. She hadn’t actually thought it through. Deciding to do it and then navigating to the shop was as far as she had gotten.
“I think I mentioned it’s a bit impulsive,” Bladescape nervously admitted. “I didn’t think that far ahead.”
“You also mentioned it’s an important symbol to you,” Eshta said. “Let me take this to the back, where my drawing desk is. I’ll sketch it up on a template and then we can lay it on a few places so you can see. If we need to go bigger or smaller, we can. It will take me five minutes, which will give you some time to catch up. A little impulsivity isn’t bad, not when this symbol is important to you.”
Bladescape really did not want the book out of her hands. It contained so much sensitive information. She handed it over anyway. “Okay,” she said.
“Take a seat in the chair in the other section and just relax,” Eshta coached. “It’s a good symbol with good meaning to you.”
Bladescape sat in the chair. It was quite comfortable, which made sense. If the person wasn’t comfortable when there were needles and ink at play, it could easily mess up the tattoo. There also was a table to lay on if they needed the player in another position.
Bladescape didn’t have a flank, not like she did in pony form. She could get it on her butt cheek, but then it wouldn’t be easy to see. She wasn’t planning to broadcast it to her friends, but she wanted to be able to see it when she changed. She wasn’t concerned about future armor styles revealing it, the dagannoth plates would take a long time to enhance and the stats would be hard to beat, but Diemond was a fashion designer. She might give her something that would expose the tattoo, even partially, as a gift. Especially if Diemond did not know to avoid such designs.
Eshta came back and immediately handed Bladescape the book of memories back. She showed her the template and an enlarged, colored version she would use as her reference when it came to coloring it in. The black lines were truly there just to give it depth and definition. Four inches, from the top ray to the bottom ray, was a bit big, but going smaller didn’t seem wise. It was the same size as on the Book of Memories, it just seemed bigger going on her body.
“I know I want to be able to see it,” Bladescape explained. “Without a mirror and when I change.”
“Alright,” Eshta nodded. “That’s good. You made a solid step forward. If you want that, then you don’t want to go too high on the chest. It will become too hard to see when you look down. Unless we go for the bosom.”
“Makes sense,” Bladescape said.
“If you will take your top off, I can start laying the template out for you to see,” Eshta added.
Bladescape did so without a problem. She was glad the privacy screens were there and she was suddenly happy it was Eshta, not Eglon, doing the tattoo. No doubt he would be a professional, but it didn’t feel quite as exposing. Eshta laid the template out on her abdomen, just a bit in front of her hip. The location would eliminate crop tops or anything low cut, but Diemond hadn’t given her anything that exposed her belly.
“I’ve always found good success here,” Eshta said. “It’s a cute spot for a tattoo on most women. The curves of their figures add something to it that men lack. You’re not an exception there.”
“It almost gets to my rib,” Bladescape commented.
“Yeah, it could be taken down to three inches and still shine, but the bulk of the design is in the center, which is three inches. It may be a simpler design, but it will have plenty of definition to easily be seen by you. And, maybe, that special, lucky, someone. I can’t actually get it lower, to a more teasing location, with the game settings in place. I don’t recommend removing that for a tattoo. It’s better to have the system in place.”
“Yeah, I can agree with that,” Bladescape said. “I didn’t know there was a way, but I also don’t have anyone special.”
Bladescape had not heard of a way to change or remove the required undergarments that protected every player, but it sounded like there was a way. Somehow, that made sense. They were supposed to live here and accept it as their lives. Logic would follow that there would be a way to disable those default safety settings. There might be an age restriction in place too, preventing underage players from removing it.
“Really?” Eshta asked, looking up at her. “A girl as pretty as you has no one special?”
“Well, one dude hits on me, but he hits on every girl,” Bladescape stated. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “He’s a friend, that’s all. He enjoys being a goof. Otherwise, I’m on the front too much for anything to happen.”
“I thought that was the same guild tag,” she said. “Your friend is a fun customer, but a bit of a wild one. Not in the bad way, just a bit-”
“No need to clarify,” Bladescape said with a laugh. “I know what you mean and she is.”
“Well, you both are doing phenomenal work clearing the game,” Eshta said. “I certainly will never complain. I am surprised to see you here at this time of day. She usually comes in later at night.”
“My smith won’t have my sword enhancement done until lunch,” Bladescape explained. “So, it’s a slow morning for me.” She looked at the template still being held there. It was easy to see, without a mirror. It was a good location. “Alright, let’s do that spot and that size.”
“Great choice,” Eshta said with a smile. “I will want you to lay down so we can get as flat of a surface as possible to not distort it. Anywhere near a joint, you want to make sure it’s in the normal position without pulling or depressing the skin.”
“Makes sense,” Bladescape said as the template was removed. “Oh, if you could not mention me, to anyone, that would be appreciated. Not everyone in the guild is approving of her choices and if they found out I got one, well, I don’t need that drama. This is for me and no one else.”
“Not a problem,” Eshta said as she helped Bladescape onto the table, as it was on the high side so the artist wasn’t struggling by being bent over too much.
The table was a bit cool, but that would change soon enough. Eshta had her clasp her hands over her breastbone. It was the closest they could get to her arms being in a natural position without being in the way.
“Now, it will sting a bit, at least for most people,” Eshta warned as she did something with the template. “Just do your best to relax and breathe steadily. Common reactions are jerking and tensing up, but both you don’t want to do, so just focus on your breathing and staying relaxed. I’ll take care of the rest. If you need me to stop, just say it, but most people find it a dull and constant pain, but tolerable. The needle is only on you for a few seconds, five at most, otherwise your body may start to twitch involuntarily. Plus, I have to move it. It’s not like drawing with a pen.”
“Understood,” Bladescape said as the template was aligned in the same spot. This time, it stuck and then the top layer was peeled off. “Did you just leave a tracing?”
“Yep,” Eshta said. “It goes a very long way to ensure it’s done right. I may have a steady hand, but it's a lot easier to stick to a line than it is to freehand something. Especially with the lovely curves in this design. Tattoo guns are not pencils or pens.
“Normally, I would have to shave the area and sterilize it, but here I don’t need to. I also don’t have to worry about wiping away blood or excess ink. The system makes that process smoother. I will have to wipe away the tracing, where I’ve done, to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I say that just so you’re aware if you want this, or something else, done in the future; IRL. No real artist will risk the person getting an infection. It also will be easier to shade than outline. I can do this in an hour, easy, but unless you get a lot of work, most people can barely take thirty minutes the first time. Course, it goes faster without having to keep everything clean.”
“Makes sense,” Bladescape said. She was trying to focus on relaxing. Knowing some pain was coming didn’t make that easy. It just kept creeping at the edge of her mind. “And thank you.”
“No need to thank me, I’m a professional,” Eshta said. She did flash Bladescape a warm smile as she held the tattoo gun up in Bladescape's view. “Remember, if you need a break, just let me know, but I know I can get this done faster than you think. The hour will go by fast.”
She started the tattoo gun, causing it to buzz as it moved the needles up and down at a rapid pace. As scary as it suddenly was to hear the buzz, it was nice to see it start so she wasn’t immediately expecting it to be touching her.
It was a burning pain, a bit hot, but then it was gone. Bladescape had been able to not tense up. Well, not that badly. She just focused on her breathing. The pain lingered, but she could feel the outline happening. It was smooth and quick. The pain was dull, it didn’t increase over time or stack. Even the area left behind, it was more of dull numbness left in its wake. Where the needles were, that was always a burning pain, yet it was tolerable. Which made sense. Sure, people had different levels of pain tolerance, but it couldn’t be that painful. The average person was able to get tattoos done.
Bladescape was shocked when the tattoo gun was shut off. Eshta wiped the area clear one last time to take off the last of the tracing.
“Take a look,” she encouraged.
Bladescape looked and saw a perfect outline of her cutie mark. The pain was nothing compared to the comfort of seeing the familiar mark once again on her body, and it wasn’t even colored in yet.
“It looks great!” Bladescape exclaimed. “I’m already happy.”
“Good,” Eshta happily said as she focused on switching out the ink and needles. “I said it was a good design with life and character to it. I think it really shines more on you than it does on the cover of that journal. At least I assume it was a journal.”
“You are right,” Bladescape said. “It does look better on me than on the journal. Definitely thanks to your skilled hands.”
Eglon knocked on the paneling. “Mind if I come in and see? I always love seeing the different stages and I never saw the original design.”
“Sure, come in,” Bladescape said. She felt comfortable letting him in. Everything here was very professional yet personable.
“That’s a very beautiful design,” Eglon said. “Great placement too. Just the right size. It will look phenomenal once colored in, although it absolutely could stand alone without the color. I still say color it.”
“Absolutely color it in,” Bladescape said.
She knew she was smiling. This brought up some very old feelings she had forgotten about. There was always a lot of praise and joy when a pony got her cutie mark, with everypony wanting to see it. There was a constant showing off of her flank, which was way different from showing off her butt as a human. Sunset Shimmer, as a young unicorn, had been no different.
Eglon stepped out as Eshta was ready to continue. This time, the pain was the same, but it was being shaded in, so the feeling was different. The pain left was also the same, but the wake was not in a line she could easily feel. This was a back and forth action or up and down, depending on where Eshta was. The rays got pretty tight and curvy. Eshta’s steady hand was very evident as she fluidly moved the needle without missing any spots. The coloring really did not take long and then they were on to the gold.
Bladescape was surprised it was over when it was. Eshta had said the time would go by quickly. Bladescape certainly felt everywhere the needle had been, but it was still a surprise that it was done. Looking at it though, it clearly was. It was flawless, at least from what Bladescape could tell. Everything was as promised. The gold really stood out, as did the red, from her skin because of the expert line work. They really defined the shape and made it flow.
“It looks amazing!” Bladescape said.
“Good!” Eshta said, smiling. “I knew you would be satisfied with my work.”
It was easier, and better to play it off as that. Bladescape couldn’t express what it felt like to once again have her cutie mark on her. That was one thing that had always been missing as a human. She did what she could with clothes and other things having the mark, but now she knew how to really fix it and would once she got back.
Right now, this mark, it was hers and hers alone. She could put her armor on and wear the horse head symbol and be the leader of the Wondercolts like everyone expected and needed, while also bearing her mark. It absolutely would ground her on the tough days. She still needed to fully find her balance point, with something fun to relax her, but she was now a good deal closer to that balance point.
She now understood why Konpeito had gotten the first set of tattoos. It was a way to bring the real world into Aincrad in a way that could be grasped. Of course, the roots for both of their symbols were different. They were not comparable in any other way, but she would absolutely see them differently on her friend now. In a much more positive light, rather than just rolling with Konpeito being typical Pinkie Pie and remembering how they had lifted her spirits.
Eglon saw the finished job and sang his praises once again. He liked it even better now that it was colored in. That made Bladescape smile.
“Thank you,” Bladescape said. “I appreciate the praise and, Eshta, you really did phenomenal work. I will never regret this.”
“Good,” Eshta replied. “I never doubted you would. I’m very good at my job.”
Bladescape put her shirt back on. Apparently, IRL they usually wrapped a tattoo in plastic wrap to keep it from leaking, both blood and ink, onto clothes. It took a few days to settle and there was a way to provide good skin care to ease the pain and help ensure it didn't get infected. In SAO, the pain would be gone shortly and there was no need to worry about ruined clothes.
Bladescape paid for the work, the price wasn't unreasonable, and thanked her one last time.
BLADESCAPE: Level 80 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry — Acrobatics
NATORA: Level 76 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Armor Pierce — Sprint
MALUS: Level 75 — One-Handed War Hammer — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search — Martial Arts — Rend
THUNDERBORNE: Level 75 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce — Martial Arts — Blade Throwing
KONPEITO: Level 75 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing — Bard — Extended Weight Carry
DIEMOND: Level 76 — Mace — Heavy Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging — Extended Weight Carry — Jewelry Creation
DOOMBUNNY: Level 79 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Listen — Reveal — Main-gauche
KIEFER: Level 73 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging — Blade Throwing — Armor Pierce
SORYUTO: Level 71 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
REISENKI: Level 73 — One-Handed Axe — Heavy Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking — Metal Refining — One-Hand Weapon Creation
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Great update! I look forward to seeing whatcha do next! Heh I suddenly have a interesting mental image of her tatoo glowing when she uses swords skills for some reason. It does not enhance what shes doing or anything of the sort. It just simply glows XD As if in responce to her using her abilitys. LOL so she returns to the place she got it and asks if the glowing is normal and is told that is in fact not something they heard of before lol
11983812
That's a funny skit. But do you really think she would ask after ponying up became normal? lol.
The return of butt tattoo now not on the butt
11983926
Epic!
Highly recommended- similar quality to TFS, Everyone is completely mentally unstable, and it's bloody hilarious- Here's a taste:
(Also hey I'm back to actually start this one, whee)
Even if it's just to someone regarding tattoos, let's hope she doesn't regret it.
While I'm not a fan of tattoos, I feel like the best place for them is always the shoulder.
At least she completed something alright.
Now there's something I didn't know about tattoos after getting one. Makes me feel glad I never want to get one.
11983856
ya mean others tatoos also begining to glow?
Clever idea getting a tattoo of her Cutie Mark.
Well that’s one way of taking off the edge without getting a hobby, unless you plan on Sunset decide to get full body tattoos or something. She really needed this, but she still needs to get a freaking hobby. Hopefully she’ll handle that soon.
11983953
Hahaha. That's funny. It is how he seems to treat things at times. Plenty of fun with Kirito and the others to come. And Yui is still
wallowing in her own self pityhas still not broken free.11983995
You know, that info only comes if you have someone good who does it right. I still ruined a cream shirt, my own stupidity for wearing that color despite being wrapped. I also was keeping mine from my mother, which is hard when you live in the same house. lol. And mine is about the same size as Blade's is, but up on my chest, just clipping the collarbone. It shows with a lower neckline.
11984002
In the situation you presented, why would it just be Sunset/Bladescape's? Konpeito would massively glow. Her armor could not contain a glow. Those are the only two girls with tattoos. I doubt anyone else will get one.
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Thank you! I was quite happy when I realized she needed to get her cutie mark tattooed on her to balance herself better as she sets it her identity aside for her friends.
11984221
oh
11984190
She's not going to join Konpeito in that regard. lol. Hobby exploration will be continuing for a bit. Enough time to really explore it.
11984222
when i said others. I meant everybody who has a tatoo. Of all of em, only Sunset/Blade's tatoo glows. However i admit Pinkies glowing would also make sense as it IS Pinkie lol
11984317
I figured, but it would only make sense for Pinkie's to also glow. Same magic and all. lol. Not that I plan it, but there is a logic to the idea.
11984400
haha, noted! Now for a silly just for fun question! Setting Blade and Pinkie aside as they have tattoos. Over all the other Wondercolts members (Knightstar still included) if one of em also secretly got a tattoo, who do you think would be the most surprising to see do it? I think it would be a toss up between KnightStar and Doombunny
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Of the rest left, the most likely would be Thunderborne. The least likely would be Malus and Knightstar. It wouldn't surprise me if Doombunny got "snake markings". Diemond may not like them, but might be able to be convinced to tarnish her porcelain skin with a small one, in the right place for the right reason. Malus is a traditionalist and not likely to change her stance on tattoos. Knightstar is reserved and not likely to change.
11984464
very interesting thoughts to be sure!
11984995
Rainbow (and AJ too, really) can and probably should be using "Proper" Japanese as much as possible but finding these sorts of little workarounds allows them to keep their own sense of character while still performing admirably and demonstrating their ability to research and put that study to use. Of course, these chapters are already written, and suddenly changing that (here) without any real explanation would result in a little bit of OoC shenanigans and what most would call "Lazy Writing"- Maybe if you have Sunset (or Twilight) recognise the difficulties and point them in the right direction? And just randomly dropping that in the 'Present' (as of writing this comment, though I haven't actually gotten here yet) would probably make zero sense in (presumably,) the middle of the Death Game, wherever you are atm. But it's mostly just something I like talking/thinking about and that little blurb there just sparked that fire, so to speak. Rather than letting it sit I decided to let it out-
Speaking up in general is honestly a little difficult for me at most times- so it's also good practice.
Yeah- I can get that- Mostly I was just making a joke about languages mixing together which everything else aside is a process I legitimately find fascinating when I'm able to observe it in progress, took me a while to figure that out though. Used to hate slang and the like until I was actually able to realise what I was looking at, which admittedly took longer than I would've liked (Honestly that seems to be a trend with personal realisations in my own specific case)
Edit: (Right I'm tired and didn't realise you weren't ragging on me (That and the autism, reading tone through text is hard) - but I do still like to say these things.)
11985677
Yep, no ragging. I love to chat with readers and answer what I can without dropping spoilers. I do throw in language stuff at times. I'm not sure where you are in the story, but it's there. I don't want to overwhelm the readers who don't know Japanese, which is most of my readers. It's also still primarily an "adventure tale" and as fun as that stuff can be, it can be distracting. Plenty of slice of life and some drama, but the first target is adventure.
11985878
I'm excited to see how this plays differently to EQG: SAO Original Flavour tho! 
Oh I'm literally just about to hop into the Death Game, they've just gotten their copies but they haven't logged in yet and I'm leaving it there til I get to work tonight because I really need to go to bed and if I start now I'm gonna end up reading way too long and only getting 0-2 hours of sleep.
11985935
You're right at the start then. Some of the language stuff does get discussed at times. I think you will get a laugh when they do.