T

Anon doesn't dislike the ponies in his life per se. he just...doesn't think he should involve himself. They are all doing so well for themselves, and he can take care of himself.

He's always been able to take care of himself.

Chapters (2)
Comments ( 23 )

Just noticed and fixed some perspective and tense changes from earlier drafts of this! sorry to anyone who read before I caught it!

i also fixed a massive underline i did not catch. I am going to disembowel my word processor istg.

I’m... confused. She points out how uncomfortable she is about seeing his teeth, but wants to invite him for dinner?

“Oh, it ain’t nothin too bad, pardner. Just uh..saw somethin’ that didn’t sit right with me.” She said as she, as tastefully as she could, gestured to her mouth with her hoof and did the equivalent of a pointing motion.

His eyes lit up with recognition and he gave an embarrassed gasp, reaching around his neck to pull the wrap-around mask hanging around his neck up to cover his mouth. “Ah, shit. Sorry about that, A.J.'' he said apologetically as he patted the fabric. Covering the lower half of his face was now a green tube of fabric, with a large, goofy cartoon smile stretched across the front. Hopefully a bit more approachable. “Get’s awfully hot in the kitchen sometimes, noone’s usually around so i-”

What the fuck?

They make him cover up his teeth? That's like making someone cover up their face because of a birthmark or defect, ugh how vile.

I'm already getting annoyed with how he's treated.

You've got my attention, let's see if you keep it. :raritywink:

10899097
Yeah. Good on her for being willing to overlook her own discomfort to try to make him feel welcome, even if she isn't doing a great job at it. he knows better though. No need to make it awkward. She's just trying to help and he respects that.

10899098
Oh no, they don't make him do it. He just doesn't want to make them feel uncomfortable so he does it of his own accord since he knows how it makes them feel. I'm sure he wishes they didn't get so squeamish about it though.

10899102
Your MC is more considerate than I am then. If it were me, I'd just tell them to get over it. They're my teeth, they're part of me and hiding them away doesn't change a damn thing.

Still, you've got my interest. Let's see where this goes.

10899100
Ah, gotcha. Also, thanks for explaining the teeth thing. I had this picture in my head of Twilight or someone giving it to him as some "gift," completely oblivious of how hurtful it would be to basically give them something that says, "You'd look better if I didn't have to see your face."

10899157
Ah you tempt me with alternate realities so cruel and ripe for emotional exploitation, my friend >;3.

10899158
Of course, darkness behind smiles are always a fun concept, especially in worlds like these where the human essentially has to abandon their humanity and old pre-concieved notions to "fit in". It can be really heat breaking to read, but we still read it regardless. In fact, we read them because of how sad they are.

10899161
Tfw you abandon your humanity and put on a mask and it isn't a Jojo reference :fluttershbad:

10899166
"Why do you wear the mask?"

"Because... Covid 19."

It's a pretty nice read, overall. I'm a sucker for these sorts of fics focusing on the inner thoughts of characters. :V

I do like the way you portrayed anon being an actual person trying to hide themselves, rather than some faceless green dude! I've never seen anything like it before!

10899229
Thanks! I like to experiment with portraying anon in different ways in all of my fics featuring one, and this portrayal seemed to fit the best symbolically and thematically.

Art of them forthcoming in the next few weeks via comission.

Geez. At first it seemed like it could be going any direction, but by the end it really does seem to be that the ponies simply refuse to accept him because he doesn't look like a pony.

With a green hoodie and a large smile mask I picture that cringe Minecraft guy lol. Please tell me this ain’t a long con joke on the readers like a rick roll. And if it is it’s too late, consider me boarded on the train that is this story!

10909951
nah, he looks more like say, a mha vigilante type. i have artwork pending for him so no worries, it'll be the cover art once it's done ^^

Intrigued to see where this story goes! Also would it be okay to know how long this story is planned to be?

10932316
Honestly, I am never sure! i usually just stop when it feels right and pick it up later if I want to tack more on, so almost all of my stories end up in a liminal state between complete and incomplete lol.

Glad you like!

He sagged slightly and gave a small nod. “Yeah, you always hit the nail right on the head, Zecora. I was just...feeling down, and Applejack made me an offer I couldn't refuse. And then another I felt like I had to refuse…”

Here the story seems to make a U-Turn, and has me slightly concerned. It seems to go from saying he is being mistreated, to saying he isn't and he should accept it. That doesn't quite sit right to me and actually going down that path would undermine sympathy for the protagonist.

10933041
Keep in mind the story is from his perspective! the story itself hasn't said anything, he is the one who is giving you all of this information. Zecora is of course, only trying to help ^^, so of course based on her own experiences she would suggest he give them a fair shake ^^.

Perhaps you shouldn't have sympathy for him, or perhaps not for the reasons you think, but that remains to be seen.

10933091
So far the only reason why there wouldn't be sympathy for him is if he doggedly insisted in trying to be a part of pony society.

His eyes lit up with recognition and he gave an embarrassed gasp, reaching around his neck to pull the wrap-around mask hanging around his neck up to cover his mouth. “Ah, shit. Sorry about that, A.J.'' he said apologetically as he patted the fabric. Covering the lower half of his face was now a green tube of fabric, with a large, goofy cartoon smile stretched across the front. Hopefully a bit more approachable. “Get’s awfully hot in the kitchen sometimes, noone’s usually around so i-”

The goofy smile on the mask reminded me of the masks in Gowan's A Criminal Mind music video:
https://youtu.be/qeFm-rM51K4?si=sNhMsXR9GY3E7MpV&t=167

Login or register to comment