Yesterday, Sunset's friends publicly cast her out after finding their secrets revealed by Anon-A-Miss.
Today, no one except Sunset remembers any of it ever happened.
Now she has to figure out why - and if she even wants to restore the memories that were lost.
Thanks to chris the cynic and I-A-M both for the initial conversation that sprouted this idea and title suggestions.
And of course thanks to Scampy, because SunFlower and Wally and all related cuteness.
Featured 8/12/2020 and 8/17/2020!
Chapters (4)
i read this before im sure or at-least the idea behind this fic
Think I've seen this plot before, but it didn't go very much past the intro.
So, Wallflower nailed the while school over Anon-A-Miss, eh? Almost want to thank her, but memory modification is still one of the most vile things you can do to someone.
I hope Sunset can bring herself to fix this. Even if they hate her again, they have to start thinking about just why she would go so far just to loose them again, right?
:o
:D
It's finally here!
Indeed. SunFlower is perfect (and canon)
cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/692239896773001217/710745385181773844/FYyLx7a.png
❤️They❤️Are❤️In❤️Love❤️
Oh, this should be fascinating. I've never seen this particular interaction of elements before—I hardly go looking for Anon-a-Miss stories—so I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing what you do with the concept. Always happy to see a novel spin on this one.
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If it has been done before, I'm not aware of it. (Which is very possible - I've hardly read everything!)
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no idea is original, but doesn't mean you cant put your own spin onto it, the fact i cant recall the other fics name means it wasn't that good, so your fic could be the better one we just have to wait and find out
I despise Anon-Miss as a trope because there are many, many bad ones out there. However, this is quite an interesting premise, and you're a promising author with many good stories, so I'll give it a try.
Thank God you are not going to do it the usual way. There are some good stories out there - don’t get me wrong. But the whole thing is so OOC that I just couldn’t go there. Maybe I have a better contract
?
Wallflower is in love with Sunset and uses the memory stone to erase all memories of Anon a Miss.
Oh, I like this!
This has so many things to explore. What do the CMC feel now? Why does Wallflower do it in the first place (a few ways to go with that)? But, my favorite thing is that, despite wiping the memory of the events, it does nothing to fix the underlying problems that created them: CMC are still neglected and the Rainbooms still don’t actually trust Sunset.
Also, the blog is still up with the secrets; someone just has to find it.
What an excellent intro, I'm looking forward to this story.
I have to question why Wallflower did this. This is exactly what she did in Forgotten Friendship (except done by competent writers, and not the steaming pile of horseshit that is the comic.)
Unless she saw something that proved, to her at least, that Sunset was innocent, and memory wiped the mess out of existence.
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They will feel confused and wondering whats this anon a miss Sunset is talking about. Thats the conflict; Wallflower erased ALL memories of anon a miss, even the culprits themselves don't even realize it exists
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Yes, that’s a very reasonable direction it can go, but as you say, the memories of Anon-amiss were removed. The feelings and reasons for its creation were not, and that’s what I’m asking about.
I could see AB going to create AaM only to discover it already exists with the password she would use and things she planned to post already online. She might figure out that memories were manipulated, but think it was Sunset’s doing. So her motive for sabotage is no longer merely envy of Sunset, but fear that she is manipulating her sister. The drama that could arise from that premiss would be golden.
Alternatively, the CMC angle could be dropped entirely. The focus shifts to Wallflower and Sunset’s interaction. What if, for whatever reason, the stone breaks and the memories of the accusation return? Would they still think Sunset betrayed them or would they feel guilty for abandoning her, both maybe?
These are the plots that could arise from this twist on the story, and I want them all. Unfortunately, if any single story tried to cover it all it would become an unseemly mess.
Heh. Wallflower's is especially unhelpful from Sunset's perspective, what with being on her backpack. (And there's the question of whether humans consciously recognize the significance of the marks, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.)
I'll be honest, I would too. And the bits here that indicate Sunset's retelling this from a later point in time are certainly interesting.
Ohhh dear. This is going to lead to something irreversible, isn't it?
Still, there's a very interesting question hovering over all of this: Why did Wallflower erase Anon-a-Miss? She may not know now, but what was she thinking in the spur of the moment? Hopefully we'll find out soon enough.
And in the meantime, Wallflower's social crutch just got yanked out from under her. OH, this will definitely have some unintended consequences...
Oh, Sunset. Poor, naive Sunset.
Wonderful stuff as always, TCC56. Excited to see where this goes.
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That is the million bit question, isn't it? According to her canon motivations, something like Anon-a-miss should have been something she enjoyed watching happen. What does she have to gain from this?
Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn.
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Winning favor by supposedly playing the heroine. Emotions do strange things to your head
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....shit, that is something she could do, huh? Now that Sunset has the stone, it wouldn't be terribly difficult for Wallflower to frame Sunset for erasing everyone's memories.....
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Assuming she's not trying to win Sunset's favor.
I like this story, a very interesting theme that turns the whole drama from Anon a miss.
Like everyone else the question is, why Wallflower acted against anon a miss. I guess she hoped she could win Sunset's affection
Now I want to know what Wallflower will do without the stone, and what Sunset will do with it.
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Whoever disliked this is wrong
Also great idea for a story.
Damn... things are getting REALLY good
Wally is such a pure and precious bean, I'm so proud of her 😭😭😭
Now this is a good story so far.
Well. Time to see how the fallout occurs. This is going to be quite interesting.
Always nice to see a story that remembers that Fuchsia Blush exists. Having her be related to Wallflower's icing on the cake.
Ouch.
And oh, this is going to be fascinating. All the memories have streamed back in... but what's there is still present too. People can compare and contrast their experiences with and without Anon-a-Miss. Moreover, they can see nothing new got posted in the last few days. This is should be irrefutable evidence that Sunset isn't the one digging up dirt.
Hopefully.
Among her friends, at least.
Again, hopefully.
You know, it's probably a very good thing Sunset just made a new friend. Hopefully Wallflower's advocacy will count for something.
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It just makes sense to me - you've got two characters in the same school with the same surname. It's pretty dang good odds they're related in at least some way. And giving Wallflower a family adds some interesting dimensions to her character. (Of course, discarding them because it's better for the plot for her to not have one also has some solid angles too.) Plus it's a contrast - Fuchsia is a Trixie cohort, which is about as far from Wallflower as you can get.
And now for the tricky bit...
The Rainbooms are gonna be seriously torn when they remember that they accused her of being Anon-A-Miss as well as the fact that she was asking everyone about it when she would've been better off letting them forget.
Sunset has been corresponding with Princess Twilight, now would probably be a good time to call her for backup.
I'm perfectly fine with the story ending here. It has a feeling of finality.
10389449 As am I.
I totally get what you meant with the ending thing; I also have a story in mind with a questionable ending.
However, I see your ending as sweet and heartwarming. And if anything, I would like to see more of Sunset's and Wall's relationship rather than who Anon-A-Miss is. And her being part of the main group.
but that's just hopeful sequel syndrome
I deeply appreciate this.
Sunset swearing by the princess while the principal's in earshot needs to be more of a thing. Likewise pony Twilight, especially since she may invoke Luna.
All told, magnificent work. You handled Anon-a-Miss better than at least ninety percent of the stories trying to work with the concept, including the original. Thank you for it.
Yeah, her what? XD
Nice story.
I like the story exactly how it is, Good Job sir or madam.
So yeah, this is Anon-A-Miss. Despite the crossover with the Forgotten Friendship aspect, it is otherwise pretty pure Anon-A-Miss. And it's about as good as an AAM story can be. Which is to say, kind of awkward, and not very satisfying, and generally self-negating.
This as-close-as-its-going-to-get is, I think, a demonstration of why the original comic and the subgenre of awful, awful, intolerable stories it spawned just doesn't and inherently, can't work.
The entire concept is a rickety conceit pre-built to deliver a After School Special, and it's like a house of cards built with steak knives instead of playing cards. The construct of sharp-edged cutting elements propped up on their points and handles against each other only stands by authorial fiat, and when it comes down, there's gonna be a sea of blood and teenaged cutting going on. By original design.
You can wrap the knife blades in foam, but all you're going to get is a series of padded thumps and awkward side-glances. The people who came for the cutting and the blood are going to be annoyed, and everyone else is going to be standing around poking at the pile of padded knives with the toes of their chunky, oddly designed boots.
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I can kinda agree with this, which is why I’m surprised no one has tried to fix the original story rather than cheap comeuppance stories. I think the anon-a-miss has a decent undertone that is really interesting, and one that is basically a consequence of Rainbow Ricks. Which is that the main 5 in EQ are not good at friendship. A story that explores that aspect with more believable reasoning and actions is an interesting concept yet haven’t seen anyone attempt it. Wish I wasn’t so unmotivated when it comes to writing cause I’d try it but my wheel house is solidly in 4K words or less, and this needs a good 10 to 15k at least to really explore it.
Okay, I'm absolutely loving how this is turning out. Not only have you shunned the cliché Everyone Hates Sunset Anon-A-Miss story, but you've created way more dramatic tension by turning the cliché completely on its head.
Personally, I'm not usually a huge fan of the more informal first person style, but here it works because you really manage to get inside Sunset's head. You give some great hints about what kind of a person she is through her frequent introspection and slipping out of her insecurities; there's a lot of "I like to think my past is not today, but...". She's her own worst critic, and not without reason, but also constantly reminds herself that self-awareness does not necessarily mean absolution.
And what an intro to Wallflower. Immediately, you can tell that this is someone who wants to care, wants to do the right thing and just has so much to say but doesn't know how. That one line
Is ready to spoil forth so much, but she never gets the chance to and so has to make it herself.
Really looking forward to the conclusion, great job!
Woah. Perspective shift, sly old Celestia, and a very neat little wrap-up. Nice!
And that author's note. Thank you. THANK YOU. Someone needs to say it, all the bloody time, and what a way to say it. It's the classic case of not seeing the wood for the trees, of getting lost in minutia to the detriment of the whole point of the story. And for what it's worth, Be All My Sins Forgotten gets this across very well indeed. Anon-A-Miss doesn't matter. What matters are the relationships made, and broken, in the foundations of tenuous beginnings, of earning trust even when the odds may be stacked against it. And that, you did very well. Great stuff.
Very on point
This story gets an 8 out of 10 from me as it is quite good, ends well, and has the loose ends tied up.
The change of narrator/voice in the last chapter seems an odd choice. Still, strong storytelling all around. Particular props to implying if not outright revealing Sunset's fragility and anxieties, and especially props to Wallflower's telling mannerisms (including Applejack's observation about how she wears her sweater).
Off to a good start! I have to wonder if the CMC's memories of creating the Anon-A-Miss profile were erased as well. I'm hoping Sunset goes down the path of finding the original culprits. However, I'm curious if she'll run into Wallflower prior to figuring out the CMC were behind her original misery. That sequence of events is crucial to seeing how that Drama tag unfolds.
This is the first time I've ever seen "friendshipped" as a verb. I have to say that it fits, and should be used more often!
Oooof.
Both for Wallflower getting easily overpowered by Sunset, and for the implications coming through in my mind as to why she wouldn't want to attend that class in particular...
Alright, so Wallflower confrontation first. Interesting that it was Wallflower seeking out Sunset, and not the other way around. Sunset guessing that Wallflower did so in order to find out why Sunset wasn't affected strikes me as too simple a motive. I'm guessing there's something deeper going on.
Well that went way better than I expected. Especially since Sunset went down the path of confronting Wallflower at her house. Sunset's fire for sure, and fire can be reckless and wild... but it paid off this time! Their interactions in this chapter were so perfect. They do play off each other so naturally, don't they? (Like I would expect less from a canon ship.
)
You really had me going there for a moment, thinking Sunset wasn't going to shatter the stone. I literally lol'd at her just smacking it with a shovel. It's not a snake, Sunny... Wally in for the save, of course.
I love how well these lines work together:
Amen to that!
Alright, I'm gonna comment on some other things in this chapter/story as a whole, but that Author's Note... Take a bow. Perfection. You're absolutely right. (And now I feel dumb for thinking Sunset might be trying to figure out who was behind Anon-A-Miss initially, lol.) The real story of Anon-A-Miss is how fragile Sunset's friendships were, how easily they were shattered, and the implications for all of them (especially Sunset). For that Author's Note alone, this stands out amongst the sea of Anon-A-Miss fics on this site (along with Last Light and a few others).
I was a bit thrown by both perspective shifts as well, but you made them work. I think the zooming-out feel of the first and third scenes wrapped things up well, and it was nice to see some Applejack from you! She would be the one to come forward. That darned honesty and all.
This is a great line, although it makes me want to make an "apologetics" pun.
And, of course, you'd be docked points if you hadn't included bits like these:
Nice to see Celestia's sly on both sides of the mirror.
And Rarity is always Rarity.
... And SunFlower is always SunFlower. \o/
I'm surprised that this idea wasn't done before, but I'm glad it was you who went and made such a great story out of it. Brilliant work!
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As a FIMFiction author and a Sunset enthusiast, I am contractually required to write Anon-A-Miss at some point.
But I wasn't gonna do it without at least some kind of curve. There's treated ground and then there's a four-lane highway with rest stops.
(And as always, glad it was enjoyed!)