12/22/2013: My, How Time Flies! · 8:29pm Dec 22nd, 2013
I made a blog about this yesterday, which was the actual day, but I lost the whole thing after typing it and gave up on rewriting it. Here we go again!
Isn't it crazy how time flies? It's that time of year again!
Trust is two years old!
I never thought for a minute that, upon becoming a fan of My Little Pony, I'd be entering a fandom as creative, fun, funny and awesome as this one is. I remember the old FIMFiction—back when the feature board was built-in to the banner and visible all over the site; I remember when TwiDash didn't exist; I remember when I thought to myself “Boy, that bats sure has a lot of promise; I remember when getting on EqD actually meant something and got you a flood of views. I've met so many people and have done so many things that I never thought I'd do, that I simply can't describe how much I've learned and grown as a person and a writer. I'm going to wax goddam nostalgic here, but I have so much to say and all the time in the world to say it; beware: beyond, there be words.
When I first started writing, it wasn't for MLP—or any fandom, really. It wasn't even for myself. It was for my fourth grade English class.
A year or two (or three) after the events of 9/11, I was asked by one of my teachers to perform a writing exercise in which a character had a goal, but encountered three obstacles in pursuit of it. As an eight year old, I was on a secret agent kick, and decided to write about a Kim Possible-esque guy who finds a random bomb sitting on his front porch. He tried hitting it with a wrench, then with a hammer and eventually wound up just picking it up and throwing it into the woods. Naturally, the teachers didn't appreciate my sheer literary genius and sent me to the principal's office. Now, some of you know that I was diagnosed with Intermittent Explosive Disorder as a child; I was no stranger to the Principal—or her office. I grew out of it, but let's just say I was well known by authority figures in several schools throughout Androscoggin County. My punishment was being grounded and having to rewrite the whole thing. All five paragraphs of it! However, something good did come out of that mess: I learned that I love to write.
I'd always loved to read. When I was three, I used to grab entire stacks of books and make my mother read to me all day long. I learned a lot and, when I was in Kindergarten, I was reading chapter books. In eight grade, several mandatory tests showed school faculty that I had a vocabulary equivalent to a college graduate—and reading comprehension to match it. In 11th grade, I was forced into Advanced Placement English against my will—much to the frustration of the straight-laced, straight-A students that had to be screened to get it. Especially since I was a redneck Vocational student who never did any homework but somehow managed to ace every test. I loved seeing the looks on their faces whenever I turned in a paper I'd written stream-of-consciousness, a half hour before class started and got a higher grade than those who'd spent weeks planning and organizing their papers. But I digress.
That class taught me a lot of things about rhetoric, grammar, syntax and voice, but I think I might say that this fandom taught me more. The same time I was in said class, I realized that two of my friends had started watching My Little Pony. I won't go into detail here; same old, same old brony origin story you've heard a million times. What I will say, though is that, while watching the show, I got inspired.
I'd already written fanfiction. Not much—and it'd never been finished, for reasons that I won't get into—but I had a bit of experience writing semi-popular works. I decided to write a fic about two ponies in the show I thought would make a great couple: Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash.
Keep in mind that there really wasn't much to glean from, when it came to TwiDash; there was Building Bridges and Campfire Stories. That was it. And both of them were only available in Gdoc form. I was writing what was probably only the third TwiDash ever to be written.
After a few days of work, totaling in about three combined hours, I had my first ever MLP fic: Trust—a day-one EqD feature and, as previously stated, one of the first TwiDashes ever written. I still take pride in that fact. Really, it's the only thing I have left! 
Awhile later, I wrote Last Chance and sent it out to get edited—I learned to do that much. I asked specifically for Pascoite, whom I'd heard was a grammar nazi.
He taught me a lot.
Last Chance came and went; the TwiDash Group was created when Knighty added the group functionality and I became one of the first members and, eventually, an Admin for it alongside some of the coolest writers/editors on this site.
Here comes the part that's filled with sappy feels and the biggest reason why I was so upset when I lost the original version of this entry.
bats, you are undoubtedly one of the greatest men I've ever had the pleasure to meet. I love how, when we agree on something, we can talk about if for hours, getting deeper and deeper until we both walk away with greater insight. I love how, when we don't agree on something, there's never any animosity; we'll debate for hours upon hours over it. You make me think about why I believe what I believe—both in this fandom and outside of it. You've taught me so much that it's hard to believe I ever knew anything before I met you. You're always there when I need a piece of advice—whether literary or worldly—and it's always thoughtful and patient. It's getting to the point where I sometimes stop and ask myself what you'd tell me to say or do, and I really don't mind that, because you're exactly the kind of guy who I want to have on my shoulder. I consider you a close friend and I hope the feeling's mutual—and taking a leaf out of your book, I'm going to call you Michael to show you how serious I am. Thank you, Michael, for being my friend.
Ech, I really don't have many words. When you're not cuddling with fluffy bunnies or making sweets for the homeless, you're probably the most brazenly sarcastic, tactless and crass man I've ever met. But there's more to it than that: you care. I know you do. Whether I need firm reassurance or a fire lit under my ass, you always deliver—and you do so spectacularly. Advice, opinions, discussions—whatever it is, I'm always happy to see your name in the chat. You tell it like it is, and I feel that's a trait that's sorely undervalued in this society. I also consider you a close friend, John. Thank you for being my friend.
Peroth E., you, like John, are one of the wittiest, snarkiest, crassest and brazenly tactless persons I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. I still remember when I first joined the TwiDash Skype chat and we’d start pitching ideas for fics that spawned from the most inane conversations. Remember the one where Twilight and Dash are both Celestia’s students as fillies that stemmed from that random pic of Twilight preparing to cast dark magic as a filly? What about the one where the Animal Planet documentary writer winds up in Equestria and starts filming everything with commentary on how all pony behavior is actually part of some elaborate mating ritual? Or even our most recent foray into randomness: My Disabled Pony? You’re as smart as Athena, as tactless and funny as Gunny Hartman and as witty as… something witty—and I’m proud to call you my friend. Thank you, Kat, for being my friend.
Shiki, talking with you is always one of the biggest highlights of my day. You’re funny, smart, silly, observant… Discussing anything with you is always a guaranteed laugh—even when it’s serious. I know this is a bit weird, but when I first heard your latest news, it put me in such a great mood that I wound up sharing it with all of my friends at work the next day; it really is great to hear that someone’s life is going so well—it reminds me that life doesn’t always make it a point to completely screw you over, which is something that I’ve been needed over these past few months. Thank you, Shiki for being my friend. And, once again, congratulations!
Timaeus, you sir are a godsend and are criminally underfollowed. It’s not usually longer than a few minutes after I see your active status that we’re deep in conversations spanning two different chats. You give me opinions, advice, and reassurance when I feel like I’ve lost all of my abilities. You let me bounce my ideas off of you and you show interest no matter what they are. Without you, or your constant belief that I’m still the same ol’ Blundy, I probably would have given up on writing a long time ago—don’t take that lightly, because it’s the honest truth. You’re another person I’m glad to call a close friend, Sam; thank you.
Vertorm, my editor; my colleague; my friend; what do you say to a person who already knows what they mean to you? Advice, idea-bouncing, inane prattle—we've done it all and then some! Your Skype chat window has been open on my laptop for over two months, did you know that? Even though our first meeting was belated due to you not being a brony, I feel like I've known you for just as long as I've known everyone else I've mentioned here. I'm proud to call you my friend, Michael; thank you.
There are so many other people—writers, readers, editors, artists—that I haven’t mentioned; like those above, I consider them all my family and I love them all. You know who you are. I hope that we can all stay friends above and beyond MLP—into other fandoms and even in real life, because you all mean that much to me, and I sincerely hope the feeling is mutual.
With so many fics planned and such a great community, I don’t plan on leaving this fandom… ever! Not until I’m the last MLP: FIM fan on the internet, at least. So I can’t wait to see what the next year brings, because it’s going to be great; I know it!
Incredible to think one of the first fics I ever read on this site is 2 years old now.
Have a good one, T.I.B. (I guess it's just I.B. now though).
gay
Happy 2 year anniversary Blundy!
You didn't even mentioned me?I'm on
, really? and you ask why I don't read your stuff anymore.
But man, really, even one phrase, look that this guy taht did a art for me as a birthday gift, what a shit man, I'll not mention him at all, he read all my stuff and shit, even EoC.
Well, ii'm truly sad,, like... thank you, have a merry christmas, you monster
1637274
FUCK! I knew I forgot someone!
I'm sorry, Losty; I'll make it up to you!
Am I really the only one you don't know the name of; like you don't need to know the girl's name?
"Blundy, that's a no go, after all the fun you had together, you at least should know her name!"
Doesn't matter anyway; cuz if you insisted to butter me up and then jam, you should have come three months earlier
I just notice that people not involved in all of this might read this as well
Girls, let me ensure you, Blundy's a bit shy, but a really soft-hearted and gentle young man in the bloom of his youth who'll keep any girl's name for certainly much more than six hours. As that wouldn't already be enough, he even can climb up really tall latters and change light bulbs! So if you're alike eighteen or nineteen, blonde, well built, a nice person of course (!) and from Maine, give him a chance, it'll surely pay off
(the emoteicon is called 'raritywink'... I thought Rarity giving you a wink might help to convince others doing the same)
So back to the topic, happy two year anniversary BBolt!
But hell, in between us, if you write something that gay the next time, don't forget mentionning Tom at least once
All the love for you Blundy! No homo.
1638140
All the homo, and you know it.
Also,