• Member Since 21st Oct, 2014
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Snakeskin Ducttape


Ooooh! Butunz!

E

Why do people assume that others are like them? That's the question that Happy Ray have been asking himself for so long. His life isn't exactly like everypony else's, there are a few things and a few goals that doesn't take the same priorities, but that's okay. At least it's okay to him, because it's evidently not always okay to everypony else.

Written as a response to an aspect of culture and media that you simply cannot get away from. Happy Singles Awareness Day, because as far as I'm concerned, every day is Singles Awareness Day.

Thanks to Detsella Morningdew and Snuffy for help with proofreading.

Chapters (2)
Comments ( 100 )

That was nice ! Although he should tone down the humming, it gets repetitive after the fifth time.

One, I enjoyed this. It was a fun, sweet part of a story I'd love to see more of. (hint, hint)

Second, GO HAPPY!!! Not everypone needs romance in their life. Stand up for all the confirmed bachelors bachelorettes out there.

8797648
Yeah, there are another 1000 words written for the upcoming chapter. I've struggled a bit with what to have happen next, but I think I have a pretty good idea of what the next scenes should be. Glad you it though, and yes, you don't need a romantic partner to validate your existence :twilightsmile:

Tell me if you want me to PM the scene I've written for the next chapter.

I feel the same way as Happy. It's nice to see it in writing. Love the premise of the story. And I know I have never read anything like it on fimfiction. You did, however, mention his name a lot. It might be intentional, either way, it can be off-putting.

8797678
Hmm. I did not consider that. I've barely written anything in third person before though so that might be why. I'll try and keep that in mind though.

Glad you like it, and to hear that people approve of the premise though, I had my doubts it would work :twilightsheepish:

Bro. Happy. I get you. You and me, we're the same.

Honestl though, I've never met someone that feels like me about romance, so it's funny to see it in fiction.

8798266
Yeah, I'm a bit surprised that that I haven't seen any fics like this either. You'd think from the sheer amount of romance in fiction, there would be some form of reaction to make something like this.

Edit: Or, I guess what I should say is that I think I should've noticed some reaction. I'm sure there are some stories like this out there.

Good grief, I just realized I've been going on 50 years now what Happy Ray's been doing.

8798341
Hey, so long as you're happy. I guess the message with this fic is that if you want romance, that's cool and I hope you get some. If only others wants you to have romance; don't listen to them.

Or I could go for a more common response: Don't worry, you'll find someone eventually, and then you can finally be happy :trollestia:

I feel the same way as Happy. Confirmed bachelor for life. I wouldn't mind having a significant other, but I'm not going to go look for one.

Summon the Cadence Love Laser! Aromanticism will not be tolerated in happy pony land!

8798799
Also, the notion that one have to compete to get ahead in romance could be very unhealthy, making both the pursuers of romance and the recipients of romantic attention develop pretty deluded perceptions about each other and the world around them.

8799295
You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

“Yep,” Happy said. He would’ve preferred to unpack the shipments, that was a pleasant job. Open boxes, look through orders, match with manifests, note down irregularities, place the books in an ordered manner, etc, all by himself, humming pleasantly and having pleasant thoughts about exciting stories in his head, or just philosophizing about life and the world and such, away from ponies.

I know, right? Retail and the like is a pain.

“Well, that’s just not gonna cut it!” Wispy said. “Just saying you’re sorry doesn’t prove anything.”

Happy’s eyes narrowed slightly in confusion, his gaze shifted about as he questioned the logic of this.

“You know how clueless stallions can be,” Papyrus said, comfortingly, leaning in a bit conspiratorily and patting Wispy on her hoof. “Just keep at it, he’ll learn eventually. He’s lucky to have a mare like you.”

yeah. Lucky. That's the word, alright.

Romantic love was the stuff of fairy tales. If it actually happened to actual ponies, why would they bother fantasizing about it working out?

To be fair, sometimes it does, My folks got married in their early 20's, and they're still married today. I'm 29.
But....watching other people's attempts at romance....they fail far more often than they succeed, and when they do, at least one person is usually heartbroken in the process, which makes them a pain to be around for days, weeks, or even months depending on how the break-up happened. Sometimes the emotional turmoil is the easy part.

“Everypony needs somepony to love, Happy,” Papyrus said, earning a skeptical look from Happy. “Come on. You don’t know if you like it if you don’t try it.”

He DOES have someone to love. Platonically. For some people, that's plenty. And that argument could be applied to some pretty bad things, like murder, or molesting children, for example.

“Come on! You wanna go through your whole life not being with anypony?” Wispy insisted.

Well, YOU are pretty annoying and unable to take a hint....and if she's your friend....

“Alright, tell you what. You go on one date with Wafer Roll, and I won’t bring this up again,” Wispy said.

Yes you will. In my experience, once a female gets a particular idea into their head, they don't let it go unless they forget about it. Sometimes this is a good thing (especially when you're as forgetful as I can be), but when it comes to things you'd rather not be bothered with, not so much. If this date doesn't work out, she'll come back suggesting pony after pony, or else she'll convince someone else she knows to do it with the reasoning: "I said that I wouldn't, and I'm not! he/she is!" Very rarely will a woman with an Idea-of-intent really keep that promise. It happens, but not often. Men can be like that, too. Regardless of who, though, if they think it's for someone's betterment, they'll do it until their 'target' gets angry with them, not having realized until RIGHT THEN that their efforts are NOT appreciated!
-
I just looked at everything i just wrote....it's very ranty, isn't it? If you want me to remove it, I will.

8799494
I'm not sure I can put my thoughts on this into words, at least not at the moment, but I detect some interesting hints when it comes to a protagonist and that ever-coveted 'relatable'-quality when I read these comments :twilightscientist

8799503
I'm still adding to that comment as I go along. Give men another twenty minutes to half an hour, and you'll have an article's worth, lol.

8799494

I know, right? Retail and the like is a pain.

Yeah, but to be fair, retail in a quiet, comfy bookstore in magical pony-land sounds better than at a super market :twilightsmile:

To be fair, sometimes it does, My folks got married in their early 20's, and they're still married today. I'm 29.
But....watching other people's attempts at romance....they fail far more often than they succeed, and when they do, at least one person is usually heartbroken in the process, which makes them a pain to be around for days, weeks, or even months depending onhowthe break-up happened. Sometimes the emotional turmoil is the easy part.

Marriage is feeling more and more like a thing of the past. I think we, as a society, should think about abolishing it.

Well, YOU are pretty annoying and unable to take a hint....and if she's your friend....

Annoying to Happy. To the reader I'm hoping she's entertaining :twilightsheepish:

Regardless of who, though, if they think it's for someone's betterment, they'll do it until their 'target' gets angry with them, not having realized until RIGHT THEN that their efforts are NOT appreciated!

Yeah, luckily Happy has the patience of Princess Celestia.

I just looked at everything i just wrote....it's very ranty, isn't it? If you want me to remove it, I will.

No, I like comments. Shows that people react to what I write :twilightsmile:

I really like this story and it caught my attention because, and i know this will be a cliché comment but, i relate to the character. In all honesty? I'm in the same spot happy is in, never had a significant other and I've never gone looking. I wouldn't go so far as to say i avoid romance or hate it but I just never had any interest, i can see the appeal certainly! but I don't need it.
Reading this reassures me because i thought i was alone in that aspect, i didn't know it was something this common, so thanks author! both for bringing attention to this and writing this excellent chapter!

This guy is the very definition of chill.

quite a simple premise but the scene is quite interesting:)

8799751

Reading this reassures me because i thought i was alone in that aspect

Yeah, like I noted earlier in this comment section, this is a strangely untapped reader-group. There's probably some explanation about how it would run counter to societal values or something, but still, you'd think more people would've figured out that people want to read this.

Thanks for the kind words though. I'm glad that you like it :twilightsmile:

8799869
Happy Ray's like that character from... Happy Days :trollestia:

8800005
Thank you :twilightsmile:

I can't STAND unsolicited matchmakers. If anything, I think they're the scum of the earth. :twilightangry2::flutterrage:

8800236
I think I know who your favorite princess is :scootangel:

But yeah, they cause... Much Ado About Nothing :derpytongue2:

Nothin' wrong with being asexual. Dunno why not having a signifigant other is such a taboo.

8800271
Yeah, I don't really know either, but there is an expectation to either be with someone or looking for someone to be with. Unhealthy is what I call that.

Edit: Although I'm not sure Happy is asexual. I think he's aromantic.

8800279 Hm. Well, sexual relations doesn't have to be sex, persay... because, let's be honest, aromantic sounds dumb.

8800345
It does, but I've taken a short look at what asexual means, and it seems to include not being able to be sexually aroused despite wanting to, not being able to be sexually aroused and not caring to, being able to be aroused but not caring to, and a slew of other things. I think Happy finds pretty mares easy on the eyes, but he doesn't care about getting together with any, at least as anything other than friends.

8800356 Hm. I didn't realise the matter of asexuality was so nuanced, although in hindsight (heh, hind, we're talking about ponies) it's pretty obvious that it's complicated.

I still think 'aromantic' sounds stupid though.

8800396
Yeah. I wonder if it might even be the most complicated of sexualities, although I hear people don't agree on whether it counts as a sexuality.

And yes, when you think about it, aromantic is a pretty dumb word, since the word romantic isn't actually strictly associated with courtship and love and stuff, it's just about feelings (as in the romantic movement). Aromantic is also not actually a real word I think :twilightsheepish:

8800411 Innovation usually goes like this, with stupid sounding things. Imagine pitching to a serious business person a device called a 'walkie-talkie'.

"What.. do you do with it?"

"You walk... and you talk... Remotely."

To get back on topic, I think it would be classed as a sexuality. Gay is same-gender preference, straight is opposite-gender preference, so why can't asexual be no-gender preference, as a sexuality? The lack of sexuality should also count as a sexuality itself, no?

8800425

Innovation usually goes like this, with stupid sounding things

Well, yeah, that's true. I hear the Icelanders make up actual new words when they need to, which seems pretty cool.

To get back on topic, I think it would be classed as a sexuality. Gay is same-gender preference, straight is opposite-gender preference, so why can't asexual be no-gender preference, as a sexuality? The lack of sexuality should also count as a sexuality itself, no?

Spontaneously, I'd agree, but then again here I am, drawing attention to an often overlooked and misunderstood part of a lot of people. I'd be remiss not to be open to how I might have overlooked or misunderstood things about the 'standard' sexualities and their variants.

That said, the trends of people just being difficult with their increasingly arcane what's-it-called... identity politics or whatever, and such, have not passed me by. I'm all for further deepening my understanding and tolerance of my fellow humans, but I don't approve of people being assholes about it. That just seems counter-productive to me.

Author's Note:

First time a story of mine have been in the feature-box! (Except for the bottom three spots):pinkiehappy:

I'm gonna see if I can perhaps nudge it up a bit by releasing a new chapter.

The opening scene with Papyrus was proofread, but the following stuff I squeezed out in less than 90 minutes, so don't blame my proofreaders if it's sloppy:twilightsheepish:

Also, this will hopefully serve as good practice for what the upcoming chapter for my flagship story will entail.

I'm pretty sure that the top 7 spots in that box are for stories that are new and the bottom 3 are for older stories that have updated.

Following this. Eagerly awaiting the next part. (Loved the collective song, too)

lol the song xD

8800524
Correct, but none of my other stories have ever been on the top 7 spots before now.

Frankly I think it should be the other way around, or at least 50/50. As it is now, the box favors short stories, and I rarely see the point of short stories.

8800783
Glad to hear it :pinkiesmile:

8800989
Hope you can hold out for a while. I have some other stuff I need to be writing as well, when I have time for writing. Glad you liked the song though :twilightsmile:

8801075
Thank you :twilightsmile:
Thanks for saying that. Chapter 22 of mlaabq is gonna have a lot of singing, so it's nice to hear that I can make it work.

8801269
Yeah, it sounds good. But here it has the plus of being more funny

“You’re also gonna give me an ulcer, and I’m just spectating,” she complained.

“... Pardon?” Happy asked.

“She was flirting with you,” Papyrus said.

I've been in similar straights. Only, she was a co-worker. We'd spoken and interacted as the workplace demanded before, but that was all that ever happened. I didn't really like her as a person much, to be honest, and she was lazy so she didn't have my respect. The one time she actually flirted (that I know of), I was as clueless as an anime protagonist. A pair of others in the break room chanted "Fail!" at me after she left the room. When I asked why I got a shake of the head, followed by an explanation.

8801343
I find that to be the manly approach.

Not that I've been able to take it. No one has ever flirted with me :derpytongue2:

8801588
Still haven't played it. Kinda looking forward to it though.

I hope that he rest of the story has singing, like a book musical.

8801717
I hadn't planned on it; I was using that as practice, but I'm gonna make a note of that. There might be opportunities for more singing.

I hope Happy’s friends get it through their heads by the end of the story that he could be happy without a relationship. I doubt Cadance would be so pushy.

8801853
Well, that depends on how you look at it. Cadence perhaps wouldn't push him for as long, but it looks like she can just magically make him fall in love with somepony :trollestia:

But seriously, I don't think the ending will disappoint you :twilightsmile:

Nice to see some aro representation here! Let's hope Happy's coworkers get the hint soon. It's too bad that Happy doesn't seem to know the terms for what he is so that he can explain it to ponies.

8800425

Actually, asexuality is a recognised sexuality. It's just not a very well known one because it recieves little-to-no media attention.

As for the difference between asexuality and aromanticism, there's this thing called the Split-Attraction model based on the way some people's different attractions line up. There are a bunch of ways you can be attracted to somebody:

Sexually - you want to do the do with them.
Romantically - you want a romantic relationship with them.
Platonically - you want to be friends with them.
Sensually - you want to touch them - not necessarily in a sexual way, you might just be really craving hugs or something.
Aesthetically - you want to look at them/you can appreciate good looks in the same way you appreciate nice scenery.

And more besides! Those seem to be the main ones, though.
Most of the time, people's romantic and sexual attractions line up - heterosexual and heteroromantic, biromantic and bisexual and so on. But sometimes they don't. For example asexual + panromantic or homosexual + demiromantic. This happens to be more common in the a-spec community - those with orientations on the asexual & aromantic spectrum - so people outside these circles don't tend to hear about this so often.

So aromanticism is a different thing that is simply the lack of wanting a romantic relationship with someone. It's got little to do with the whole sex thing.

8802025
Oh, so it is a real word? Whoever handles the spellchecker here, I don't know if it's fimfiction or my browser, should look into that.

Yeah, I'm guessing Happy is an aromantic, and if we add to that how he needs to have the right kind of connection with someone before he's comfortable to do that particular dance, the chances of him being sexually active are probably very slim.

Nice to see some aro representation here! Let's hope Happy's coworkers get the hint soon. It's too bad that Happy doesn't seem to know the terms for what he is so that he can explain it to ponies.

Yeah, that representation compared to the amount of romance around here makes it very unbalanced. It seems unbalanced in general, but extra unbalanced on fimfiction.

But really, even if they knew the terms I think it would take a while to properly explain the concepts to some of his coworkers :derpytongue2:

I feel pity for Happy. Being made to feel bad for wanting no love strikes me as similar to being made to feel bad for wanting the "wrong " love.

8802264
Yeah. Not wanting romantic love is a very real thing, and it's also woefully underrepresented in culture. I wouldn't say that the ponies are being malicious, but this is what could happen when people just don't understand. Perhaps not the musical numbers, but... you know.

8802246
Well, asexual was only added to the dictionary last November, so it's taking a while for the official word books to catch up with the terminology.

If it takes some time and a close emotional connection for Happy to start seeing somepony in that light, he might be demisexual? Ah, it's a complicated topic with lots of nuance.

And yeah, I've seen maybe twenty good stories using ace/aro characters? Not enough! :twilightsheepish:

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