• Member Since 21st Oct, 2014
  • offline last seen 8 hours ago

Snakeskin Ducttape


Ooooh! Butunz!

T

Unknown to most inhabitants of Equestria, members of an alien people have come to live among them. Also unknown is that they're there involuntarily, in the dark as to why and how they're there, transformed into members of the native species.

What many ponies do know, the ones who live in Canterlot at least, is that there's a new venue open in Equestria, very exclusive, but not for the rich elite, nor the cultural avante garde. In fact, there seem to be no rhyme or reason to determining who is allowed and not allowed in on the premises, and despite many petitions to have the discriminating bouncer fired, things go on as usual in this strange new club.

Shout out to billymorph for planting the idea for this story in my head with his own story, The Humans in Equestria Club.

Chapters (5)
Comments ( 507 )

Nice so far, keep it up.

9727985
I'll chalk that up as a vote for this story then, thank you :twilightsmile:

Not sure I agree with the philosophy at all, but it's nice that they've got a place to just remember who they were.

The writing could use some punctuation sweeps, missing some periods. Also, big one, the title. "Exclusivity"

Hah I love story ideas like this. :)

9727997
Yeah I'm not sure I agree either. This partially comes from me exploring the concepts of exclusion and inclusion, and what it means to be or not be part of a group.

Edit: Noted. Putting checking this for typos on the list.

9728003
Glad to hear it. Hopefully I can both keep the themes and a functional story going with this :twilightsmile:

Now this oughtta be good. It puts me in mind of an old story I read a while back, The HIE support group or summat like that?

9728072
Ah yes, there's that one as well. I wanted to read more of that, but sadly it was a one-shot :eeyup:

This is going to explode in popularity very quickly.

9728079
That would be nice. My other story required a lot of time and energy to make popular. To skip that part could be fun :twilightsmile:

Edit: Unless you're talking about the in-universe club :twilightsheepish:

GREAT concept. Eagerly awaiting more. :twilightsmile:

9728226
Chalking up another vote for the humans club :twilightsmile:

Edit: On which story people want me to write I mean.

Tracking and read it later cause i still have a story to write, also nice beginning can't wait for the second chapter

Not often I come across a humans-turned-ponies story that catches my attention, but this is an interesting concept and I'm curious to see where it goes.

I would probably fail those tests. :pinkiesick: Unless the boot and sunglasses is itself a reference to something I don't get.

9728495
Nah. The test is really easy. It's less about knowing random trivia of the specific question and just trivia that would be unknown to ponies.

So mentioning something popular or well known would get you in. (Like PewDiePie or Legend of Zelda).

This seems like a nice change of pace from mlaabq. Different yet familiar.
I'll take it, let's see where it goes.

And if somepony were to ask them about them and their way of life, they’d perhaps in good humor describe it as “bohemian”, a word which meant nothing to anypony besides themselves.

If you don't have somebody randomly stand up in a chapter and shout out "Dearly beloved, we gather here to say our goodbyes! Here she lies, no one knew her worth... the late, great daughter of Mother Earth. On these nights, when we celebrate the birth in that little town of Bethlehem, we raise out glass, you bet your ass to la vie boheme!"... Well, I... for one, shall be sorely disappointed. Not saying I won't read it if you don't, just saying I would love to see a scene where one of the "Bohemians" does this, and the whole group breaks out in the song, while all the other ponies are just like "What the what?!"

“So, is it, like, forbidden to go native if you’re gonna be a guest here?” the petite unicorn mare asked the large earth stallion beside her. Her coat was light purple, and her mane

There seems to a word missing here.

This is an interesting little idea I hadn't seen before. Looking forward to more!

Why do I think Pinkie can easily gain entrance and they all know it. Hopefully she has Pinkie PromisedTM not to reveal their secrets.

9728735
It wouldn't surprise me if we find out that Pinkie is one of the back-up bouncers. Earth Pony strength + Pinkie Sense + "It's just Pinkie" mechanics should be more than enough to keep the non-humans out and, as much as she may want to be involved in each and every party, I'd imagine she could understand the necessity to keep a party safe and secure for the party-goers... even if it means that her involvement is only as a bouncer to keep others out.

Arn

Spencer...I need to talk to someone about the sciences and the classic old books, 451 Fahrenheit, just to get me through the door and personal reasons...and the sciences? Well...I think my unicorn neighbor is building an atomic generator, I don't think she knows what she's doing, I need to compare notes and then report it to the proper authorities. If that doesn't work a letter of recommendation to see our Equestrian Oyarsa of the Sun and Moon, telling the danger...I still saw Chernoble the series was there for the event and remember parent talk of three mile island..
...heh ya I've said too much but I think its important don't you?

Why can I see someone whispering the word "Hydaelyn" into the bouncers ear, just to make it so no one overhears it?

Discord is likely the only Equus native they would allow in, simply because they know he knows their culture already, and they also know that if he wanted in, he could just pop in instead of being polite.

Good so far. Cant wait to read more

9728798
Twilight's being referred to as "Celestia's student" and not "princess". It's quite possible that we're early enough that Discord's a lawn ornament.

Gee, if they're so adamant, maybe they'd rather go home.

9728396
Thanks. A lot of different stories demanding attention at this time, but I hope to continue it :twilightsmile:

9728401
Glad to hear it. I feel it can be a tricky story to write, but I'm going to do my best :rainbowdetermined2:

9728495
No you'd pass. Spence's special talent includes being able to pick the right reference for the right person. I wanted to keep it vague, but the boot and the sunglasses might be a reference to Duke Nukem, the man who communicates entirely in cultural references :derpytongue2:
https://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/whos-to-say-duke-cant-have-hobbies

9728499
Exactly. I think it could be a pretty good system. It's not a code that can be cracked or a series of passwords. It requires half a lifetime spent in an alien culture.

9728547
Nice to hear. I hope you can hold out though, I'm still trying to decide which story I want to focus on :twilightsheepish:

9728620
I can't help but think that the musical number in that scene would be We Didn't Start The Fire :derpytongue2:

9728633
Thanks, and I'm glad you like it :twilightsmile:

9728648
I'm hoping for more too. When I get the time and energy :ajsleepy: :twilightsheepish:

9728735
9728744
Yeah she's gonna be a difficult one to account for in this scenario. Good thing it takes place in Canterlot and not Ponyville, so I can wait to introduce her until I can think up something :eeyup:

9728969
So... I had to go and start playing We Didn't Start the Fire because, well, yeah... I couldn't NOT play it after having it mentioned. That would be a perfect musical number for the scenario! Looking forward to the next chapter.

9728773
Spence holds up a hoof, "Alright, alright! Go on in, but you can't bank passes, so don't use them all at once."

9728793
Spencer would get that reference unless it's from something released after he left Earth. I don't though, I haven't played an FF game in many years :twilightsheepish:

9728798
He could just tell them that that was actually him on the set of TNG, and he'd be allowed in :derpytongue2:

9728880
Thanks. You're going to have to though, I'm just one person :twilightsheepish:

9728882
Yeah, I was hoping to keep that vague long enough for me to polish the concept a little more. It takes place when its easiest for it to take place :derpytongue2:

9728958
Oooh, good point. This is a deep question and is going to be very tricky to address, but I suspect that it has to be done at some point. Resentful natives who want newcomers to "go home" when they can't :eeyup:

9728975
Hehe, it could be pretty great yeah. Gonna keep this whole idea in mind. Gonna slow down my writing a little and recharge, but I hope to be back :yay:

I can't remember what it was called, but I remember reading another exploration of this concept... but that one never really gripped me for some reason. Not sure if it was "The Humans in Equestria Club" since I'm vaguely remembering two other fics like this, but one of them might just be an early draft concept for this you showed me at one point.

This one, on the other hand, is interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it.

Speaking of which, IIRC you said that MLAABQ was your "I can do that better" for HiE. Was this also an "I can do that better" or just a more ordinary "inspired by"?

9729001
The other stories that I think are similar to this are The Support Group For HiEs, and the The Humans in Equestria Club, though its not super similar to either.

And yeah, mlaabq was kind of my "I can do better" but I'm not sure this is is. Or, well, if it is then its not consciously so. It's not actually that similar to the other stories I linked to, they just kinda helped sow the seed for this idea, especially Billymorph's.

Now I'm trying to think if I've seen anything before that's more in the spirit of this story :trixieshiftleft:

Glad you like it though :pinkiesmile:

Aaaand this one ticks so many boxes.

Can't wait to read more.

:moustache:

You know, I'm kinda dissappointed no one thought to use any Monty Python lines. "Ask me your questions bridgekeeper, I'm not afraid"

9729078
Gonna take a little while though I'm afraid. Lots of other stories to plan, haven't decided which to focus on yet :derpytongue2:

9729177
Yup, that's definitely coming up :eeyup:

9728979

Spencer would get that reference unless it's from something released after he left Earth. I don't though, I haven't played an FF game in many years :twilightsheepish:

And you still managed to place it, anyway. It's the name of the mothercrystal from 14.

Arn

9728979
Tilts head, "Passes?... No...this is an actual rod of...with carbon...and...nevermind just point to someone....somepony in the sciences...I've got diagrams and notes and I need to know if...i'm panic I don't want to start panic! As if these this city ponies would know!"

9729396
A stallion a little ways back in the line pretends to undo his belt buckle. "Hey, here's a rod with carbon!" he shouts in mock stupidity.

Arn

9729496
"Fallout" Candlewick curled the little tiny bits! Never got along with mine own...clubs? No idea! Worst resource ever...try talking science here about...nutz! Glowing rocks!
I'll just wait...at least I'll be with my own at critical mass. Maybe if I suddenly start balding....

9729246
That's one thing that concerns me, that you've released a half-dozen stories at once. If you split your attention between every idea you get they each won't get anywhere individually. Which would be sad, because I like this story.

9729600
Well to be fair I've been slowly working on these concepts for years now, except for the Shadowdark one, that one's just about a year old.

And, well, there are a few reasons I released so many intros all at once. I want to see what people think of them, and when I don't get any feedback or I can't show something to anyone, I tend to get frustrated, which makes it harder to write in general. It was fun writing part 3 of mlaabq, but I felt like I was "stuck" writing it, rather than let my mind float out write about a little of whatever. Perhaps I wanted to write a little comedy about a handsome alicorn colt who is actually a bit of a dork. Well, no dice, I gotta finish this damn adventure, it's been long enough already. That was another thing that was frustrating.

I don't know if this will work, but with so many more venues for creativity, I'm hoping that I can write as the mood strikes me, and I'll have a wider net to catch my ideas with. It'll probably mean I'll write small, bite-sized chunks, but that's what most people seem to call a normal length of a chapter anyway :derpytongue2:

I don't intend to write these on a schedule though. I'll try and put some effort in, naturally, but I just know that forcing my creativity in five different directions will just kill it. One was bad enough.

Glad you like it though, and don't worry, I want to see this continue as well. I just need to think up an overarching story for the themes and concepts :twilightsheepish:

Wow. I've had a similar idea for a while, but making it a bar takes it up a notch. This is great!

This has been happening too often lately, I find a story so similar to one I was conceptualizing, and it turns out better than I could have done it with a few changes thrown in, there's got to be something to this global connected consciousness grid thing. It's just not probable for me to get specific ideas, then a few months later they show up on the internet. By the time I get around to writing it, there won't be anything new in it.

Keep writing your story, I look forward to seeing where this goes.

9729623
Hey, thanks :pinkiesmile:

Huh. I feel I should try and use this. If I can perform some inception on you and give you an idea of a story I'd really like to see, someone might end up writing it :pinkiegasp: :pinkiehappy:

Anyway, what was your concept about/like? How was it different? And I would encourage you to write it as well if you feel like it :eeyup:

:ajsmug: "In fact, in all matters- animal, vegetable, and mineral- I am the very model of a modern major general!"

9729619
Well that's good to hear. I was afraid you'd just put them all out and not do any of them.

9729709
I want to see all of them written, I just need to plan them out in the long term more. This is the story that has the least planning of them though, I just know the concepts and themes I want to explore. Now I just gotta think of an actual overarching story :twilightsheepish:

9729638
Drums and strings and gleaming brass bass horn, I am the very model of a music-focused unicorn :scootangel:

And when it’s not, when the subculture resist its absorption into the wider culture, a fascinating phenomena can take place, because the cultural elite are a lot like pouty children. When they want something they can’t have, the desire for this something grows, and when a subculture bars its gates thoroughly enough, a cultural obsession can grow.

Nice start.

“Alright,” Spencer said, thinking for a fraction of a second. “... You look asleep.”
“Hmm,” the stallion said, putting his hoof to his chin. “Well don’t worry, the sleeper will awaken.”

VERY nice start.

“Yep,” Spencer confirmed, and turned to Lloyd. “By the way, did you know that her student, Twilight Sparkle, can teleport?”
Lloyd’s eyes widened, and stared at Spencer. “Really?” he asked, further intrigued and unnerved by the things he learned of this world.
“Yep, and apparently she’s crazy about learning pretty much everything, so we gotta figure out a way to identify her before she goes all kwisatz haderach on yo flank.”

Okay, one chapter in and you already have my thumbs up!
This was an hilarious first chapter, great work!
:pinkiehappy:

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