Human in Equestria16,970 stories ·16,816 members
Anonymous in Equestria803 stories ·2,266 members
Musical Story Group105 stories ·76 members
Anonymous, a twenty-two years old musician, is somehow transported to Equestria. He must learn to adapt to this new world. Communication with the ponies will be hard, he doesn't speak the same language as they do.
The story will be centered around Anonymous' interactions with the Mane 6 and a few of the background ponies, notably Lyra and BonBon.
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Does Anonymous have a few thousand relatives with the same "iunno I'm not creative today" name?
4220357
Oh no, it's not a lack of creativity. I could have named him Bill, Bob, Victor, Jack, Frank or any other male name, but I feel it's easier to make a connection with the character when he has a generic and bland name like 'Anonymous'.
I'm hooked! This is a really interesting concept.
4220403
I disagree. No published work ever had a main character named Anonymous.* Can you imagine Lord of the Rings if Anonymous took the ring to Mt. Doom? Or how about Anonymous and the Sorcerer's Stone? Do you remember when Anonymous saved Gotham City from the Joker?
Whenever I see a fic with a character named 'Anonymous,' I assume that the character and the story will be as bland and un-memorable as the main character. That's probably not fair, but that's my first assumption. From that point on, reading becomes a chore rather than a pleasure, as I now have an extra layer of disbelief to work around.
In my own long-running HiE, my readers nearly always use Dale and Kate's names in the comments. For example:
I assume (although I certainly haven't taken a poll) that my readers remember Dale's name and how he behaves and so on. In a poll on a HiE forum long ago, this question was posed: "Who is the best human/pony pairing?" Nobody said 'Anonymous' & pony.
Ok, rant's over.
*There probably are fics where a character goes by the name Anonymous, but that isn't the character's real name.
4222171
The name "Anonymous" is due to a variety of reasons. For one, it usually tells you that it came from /mlp/ (4chan), translated from >Greentext to prose. /mlp/ hates giving names to that which doesn't need one. Since all users are named Anonymous, someone calling themselves "Dave" for no reason is just trying to draw attention. That feeling and idea was unconsciously added to its writings on AiE (Anonymous in Equestria, now celebrating nearly a thousand threads since its inception).
Secondly, the name "Anonymous" is just as valid as any other name. I personally believe that it makes it far more relatable than any other random self-insert name (Jack, Max, whatever), whether or not it is a self-insert. Like your first reaction to the name "Anonymous" is 'Great, another bland story', my first reaction nowadays to any name but Anonymous is "Great, another self-insert".
I can tell you about a lot of stories I've read with a protagonist called "Anonymous", because he doesn't matter. The story does, and what happens in it. "Remember when Anonymous and Celestia were roommates and they went on crazy adventures?" Yes, that was Exchange by Getmeouttahere. And it was great. "What about the time a nonchalant Anonymous went to magic school with a curious Twilight?" Magic School by Lovelymuffins was great as well.
What you may be finding strange is that the main focus is not on the protagonist. It's not on Frodo's courage and ability to prevail against all odds, and it's not on Batman's tortured past and incredible amount of resources at his disposal, nor is it on Tony Stark's brilliance and snarkiness. Unless he has something special going on for his character (amazing charisma, or he's a stereotypical Australian), Anon is your everyday random guy. He has no defined personality, he's a blank slate for the author to write on or for the events around him to mold him.
Saying that, of course nobody'd say "Anonymous & <pony>". He's different in every story. (Not to mention the fact that HiE groups don't usually read stories with Anonymous protagonists.)
What of it? You can refer to Anonymous by his name in the comments too.
"I like how Anonymous motioned that he couldn't understand them. I wonder how he'll communicate through music."
There, rant's over~
Violin, I think you should try and format your paragraphs better. Right now, it looks like you just removed the '>' without much editing. I say that, of course, not knowing what happened behind-the-scenes. Try adding the normal stuff. Spaces before starting a paragraph, maybe even space out the paragraphs a bit more so it doesn't look like there's a column of text to the left, that sort of thing.
Is this is the same violinanon that I've seen in the AiE threads?
4222171
Well, that is your opinion and you are entitled to it, and I apologize that you cannot enjoy my story because of it.
But I do feel there are differences here that you might have not considered.
The story is written in the second person point of view, which makes the name of the protagonist (Especially in a story where dialog with be somewhat scarce and short) much less important. The point of it being that the reader has an easier time inserting himself in the story.
Let me ask you something..
The name of the protagonist was only mentioned two-thirds into the second chapter, up until then, were you enjoying the story?
What if I used the name Victor instead of Anonymous? Would that really affect anything in the story?
What if I simply didn't mention his name, and rather decided to write:
Would it be that different?
4222422
Yeah, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the formatting. My problem isn't really that I simply 'removed the > symbol', but that I try to give emphasis to certain lines by making them, well.. making them the only line of that line, if that makes any sense to you. I tried to make it look better in the text editor, much to my foolishness. I did not think about how it would look in the published version.
I will go back to the text and edit it accordingly, of course. I simply wanted to finish the second chapter before going back.
I also thank you for a much, much better worded explanation to the reasoning behind the name chosen.
4222429
That would be me, yes.
I wanted to go back to writing a bit, felt that my stories did not match the current tone of AiE and decided to move them here for now.
4222422
Ugh, seeing Magic School get mentioned got me hoping that there was an update. Hate you for reminding me about that fic and having to resign that it may very well go the way of Unnamed.
4222524
Magic School was great.
:^)
4222422
And that's one reason why I, personally, dislike that type of fic. I prefer characters with personality and the baggage which they bring to the story.
Don't get me wrong--if the author wants to write an anon fic, that's his privilege. I may not read it, I may not enjoy it, but by the same token, there are lots of other genres I don't particularly enjoy. I'm very unlikely to read a story with a Dark tag, for example, no matter how well written it is, just because that isn't my cup of tea. There are probably thousands of readers on the site who do enjoy those stories, and good for them. This website would be a very boring place if it only catered to one person's whims.
Aaaand that's another writing style I don't like.
At this point, I haven't read the story, and I don't know if I will, to be perfectly honest. You got my interest with the title and description--which is why I'm even commenting in the first place. I may or may not read it; I'm honestly not sure yet.
I can wrap my head around a main character named 'Anon,' and I can cope with second-person narration, although I like neither. This isn't an English Lit class, though, and you aren't trying to get the story published, so in that sense you certainly have the freedom to tell the story the way you want, and who am I to judge?
Probably not. For me, it would help me identify with the character, but it wouldn't really be a significant change (again, haven't read yet, so I can't say for sure).
You could do that, too. In the book I'm currently reading, Firefly by P.T. Deutermann, the antagonist hasn't been named at all. In one memorable fic, Headhunter (I don't remember the author), the antagonist wasn't named until the very last chapter, and I re-read the story believing that the author had done a bait-and-switch, since I was so convinced that the bad guy was somebody else--and the fact that I can still remember that so well more than a decade after reading the book tells you what kind of staying power the story had.
I want to be clear, here--I'm offering my opinion as a reader on what I like and what I don't like. Your story's concept is something I do like, but the narrative voice is something I don't. That's just my opinion. There are people who don't like my stories, and that's fine. I can't write something that pleases everyone, so I do what I know how to do, and readers who don't like that stop reading. It's the way the world works, both here and in IRL fiction.
4222573
You are entirely entitled to your opinion. I share your sentiment that you cannot please everyone, of course. No one has made the perfect story that will entertain every single reader. That's impossible.
But... There is something that bugs me a bit. Why would you come in here to comment without even reading the story? Would you have not seen the first comment about the protagonist's name, you would have not seen that he was named 'Anonymous' until about halfway through the second chapter. Don't take this the wrong way, as I am honestly curious about this, but do you also go to the stories with the 'Dark' tag to say that you do not enjoy them, without reading the content first?
so the main character is arnold from magic school bus? me gusta
4222597
I saw the story in the Popular Stories box (congrats, by the way), and read the short description. That piqued my interest, because I love language barrier fics, and there aren't enough of them, in my opinion. Then I clicked on the link, and read the long description. Then I looked at the comments real quick, just so see what people had to say, and . . . well, here we are.
Your long description says "The story will be centered around Anonymous' interactions with the Mane 6...."
4222926
Fair enough, didn't really think about it, to be honest. Although, I think my point still stands.
Man, it's been a long time since I read this story. I may need to revisit your bin to refresh my memory. But I'm liking it so far.
I liked the cover. It may have weird meanings
•Did Celestia and "Daisy???" have threesome (conversation)?
•Was "Daisy???" wake up by sunlight which made her think a lot?
i.imgur.com/M5m4gf2.png
The bit with Rainbow Dash at the end reminded me of a Weaver comic about Anon and Pinkie.
I remember this from your pastebin. Glad to see you working on it again. I look forward to actually being able to finish it this time.
Goddamn it been like, what, at least a year and a half since I read this on pastebin?
Are you going to share this information with the AiE threads? I'm sure they'd appreciate it.
I know I do.
4225098
You're free to tell them, but I don't think I'll do it myself. I already said I was probably going to do it a week ago or so, and I don't want to look like I'm attention-whoring to get views.
But if you want to tell them, go right ahead, that'd be neat.
Enjoy this story I do, would love to see more of it.
I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but the only fanfic in this website that manages to cover the language barrier issue is Arrow 18. This one strives too hard to be comedic and loses its focus several times over.
4226789
Well, different strokes for different people. I from the quick look I gave to Arrow 18, it seems to be a more serious adventure that tackles the bigger problems of the Language Barrier, with a Sci-Fi theme. I decided to go more for a lighthearted slice of life story, with the Barrier used mostly for shenanigans.
In my opinion, neither concept is better than the other, as they target a different kind of people. Now, I'm not saying that my writing is on par of the author of Arrow 18, far from it. His story is, as far as I could see, much better written than what I could do.
However, his story is not one I would personally read. Not because it's a bad piece of literature, I have no idea of how good or bad it actually is. Simply because I do not enjoy Sci-Fi, and the story seems too serious to me. Again, this does not make it a bad story. It simply means that, like any story, it cannot please everyone. And as such, I do not personally think that the concept of the Language Barrier is stronger than another depending on the context it is put in.
But, for those who are more interested in the more serious aspect of the Language Barrier, and who enjoy Sci-Fi adventures, please do go take a look at Arrow 18, it will most likely be a great read for you.
I like the 'telepathy spell' gimmick! It makes communication possible, so that the protagonist doesn't have to mess around with learning to speak Equestrian for seven chapters, but it doesn't remove the language issue entirely.
4228283
The spell was mostly to show that there was no easy way out of it, and that the point of the story was that the characters will have to resort to alternative methods to communicate for some time (Pantomime, drawing, etc).
4227382 Precisely! Different approaches create different results. I favor Arrow 18 since it is, like you put it, a more serious approach (since it is a very... tactful issue which need proper addressing) whereas yours is a more slice of life/comedic approach (there's nothing wrong with this approach, mind, I just particularly dislike treating such interesting concepts as something purely comedic; though this is only a personal preference and not an objective gauge that attests to how good/bad a story is).
Arrow 18 not as sci-fi as you think, though. At its core, it is very slice of life, but simply--as you aptly put it--a more serious approach. If you have some free time, consider checking it out. It's very heartwarming (contains a really well written/characterized adorkable Twi). Who knows? It might even give you some more ideas as to where to go with your own story or tell you how to address some issues of the language/technology barrier (if you haven't thought about those, that is).
I also apologize to you in the name of the dumb fuck who downvoted your comment.
4226789
Celestia Sleeps In -> Onto the Pony Planet does the language thing well also.
4222861
Loved the reference, loved your joke. My one hour into the day has been made.
Very fun so far, keep it up. Try to keep the pacing right. I know starting a story like this is are but don't try to rush things. The first chapter was a little fast, but this chapter was just right.
4222436
I've gotta side with Biscuit here. Anonymous is a pretty stupid name honestly, and if you give the main character of your second-person story a name, you're already making a disconnect between the character and the reader anyway.
If you want the readers to be easily able to insert themselves into the story, you should just not give a name to the protagonist. You've already demonstrated that in the one place where you say the name, it would be easy to just edit out any mention of the name, and that adding in the name is largely unnecessary.
If you really want a name for your character to go by in-story, you could just, you know, have Rainbow or Pinkie give him a nickname.
"I fucking love this."
- Me
4225340
I really enjoyed reading your work. Would it be rude if I were to ask for your pastebin?
Like this take one the H.I.E. story and after getting talked by dash id do as he did.
4235189
While you do make a good point (And it is something I was considering back when I wrote the story at first), please read 4222422 's post to see why I used this name. I will not change it in this particular story (Sorry if that's an inconvenience to you and others), but I will keep it in mind for future stories.
4237464
Not at all.
But be careful, most of this stuff is about two years old, and really bad. Almost all of it needs to be re-written, if not all of it.
4222422
No, what I find strange is why the author bothers at all with a name. If it were a nickname or alias, it'd be fine, but f the point is to make the protagonist as bland and easy to insert the reader into as possible, why even bother with a name, especially Anonymous? The name's only been mentioned once, and it could be easily removed.
Aaaaand I'm out.
A lot of drama over a name, sheesh.
4222861 I cracked up when I read that line
Toilet Spackle.
Lie Ramp Hurtsting
Won Ton.
Wane Bow Dish.
4239334 I agree, the guy deserves to at least be given a name.
4222436
4222171
One problem with "anonymous" is the word itself. "Anonymous" is a stand in for "anyone" and "someone we know nothing about." We want to know and identify with the character, but the word itself creates distance from the reader while also denying the character a clear identification.
Then there's the use of second person narrative in combination with "anonymous." I'm not "anonymous," therefore this second person story about "anonymous" doesn't apply to me even though it claims to.
That's why I don't like "anonymous."
There are ways around this though. If you would like a good second person narrative that avoids giving any names - to see how it can be done - check out Drefsab's "Sophistication and Betrayal." Though that story kind of has it easy because the main named character is Rarity, and "darling" is an easy stand-in for the reader's name.
4222436
You do have a point I was enjoying the story, then I found out his name was Anonymous, now if I had saw that at the start of the story I would have left but because it was bought up near the end meant that I knew the story was good even though his name is Anonymous and so I kept reading.
4222926 - I hope you are aware of the work of Tystarr? If not, start with A Voice Among the Strangers. You may also like Your human and you. Both of these gems assume a language barrier
.
4249929
I've read A Voice Among the Strangers (and A Stranger Among the Voices); Your Human and You is on my read-later list.
interesting, after this is done i would believe you could make another story with more content if he is able to understan the ponys, that means if he should stay. I like it as a comedy and slice of life only too.
That final scene reminds me of a scene from another story, with Sandvich instead.
Twilight: "Blah blah blah."
Human: "I like my sandvich."
Twilight: "...Say sandwich."
Human: "Sandvich."
Twilight: "Sand..."
Human: "Sand."
Twilight: "Wich."
Human: "Wich."
Twilight: "Sandwich."
Human: "Sandvich."
Very nice. I can't wait to see where this goes.
Sorry about the delay since the last update, I've been really busy, but I'm working on it!
I'm also trying to figure out a length for my chapters that I'll try to keep constant, as to have a reasonable amount of time between chapters. I think I might stick to about 2k words, more or less.
4255582
Or the Rooster sketch from Adam Carolla's podcast.
Corora
No, Carolla
Carora