Six Years...

Damn, its been a while since I posted any blogs here, hasn't it?

Well, this blog isn't meant to talk about where I've been, what I've been up to or my experiences at the last couple BronyCons or Friendship is Magic's finale. Instead, I'm going to start a new tradition that I wish I started a few years ago. It's something I do every year on my DeviantArt that I do for a different subject, but today, there's something else that deserves me to post this stream of thoughts...

I hadn't been around in the fandom during the start, not since Season 4 started actually. I went on to discover the entire series up until that point and then dug deeper into the fandom and its content. It was months before I dared to say that I found most of the great things to find, but yet I was still far away from that reality when I found more and more, including the stories here on FimFiction. However, there was one thing I discovered that cemented me as a fan and made me discover the true potential of this fandom. It also invoked emotions out of me that only one other outlet in my life has done so potently.

That discovery was Past Sins.

SPOILER WARNING

For those who have met me or known me long enough know that I have an undying love for this story. The characters, the plot, the descriptive workings of every scene and chapter, and I loved every part about it. I just didn't expect to find myself so invested into the story that I would bring myself to tears or feel just how much I did for parts of the story that truly hits home for me. I didn't expect to read how Twilight would help take care off a reincarnated Nightmare Moon, reborn as a filly, and give that filly an identity and a mother out of herself. I didn't expect to be introduced to Nyx and see how she would handle herself outside of Twilight's care when she would become Nightmare Moon, let alone the reality of who she was and was meant to be. I didn't expect to find such joy out of any fan fiction that didn't contain certain elements that pleased me the most.

But here, with this story, it broke and remolded me into a different person. I was intrigued and invested in every portion as I watched the ponies go through their moments and tell their parts of the story. Reading how everything had a reason to happen and would later be a foundation for something else and to bring everything full circle, it was like reading the story of a literary genius. I laughed out loud at the humor, I felt what each character was feeling, I cried literal tears at moments that both warmed and broken my heart. I didn't know what was going on at first, but as I kept on reading, I made the realization that this is more than just another story. It was a true testament of celebration, celebrating the love a fellow fan has for a certain cartoon that manage to gain notoriety well beyond its demographic.

Past Sins made me call myself a brony for the first time, and I've been proud of that ever since.

Six years have gone by since I first read the story, and the then-posted follow-ups that were part of the overall series. I feel and recall my reactions vividly, and those reactions have not changed in the slightest since. Every year since I first read the story in the spring of 2014, I return to read my hardcover copy as I relaxed during my evenings, a different chapter every night for a few weeks. I would reread and enjoy the experience just the same every time, always looking forward to watching the story unfold with every page turn. Something like that is like listening to one of my favorite albums: it's a ride that never changes and always has meaning for me. I still laugh, I still cry, I still feel for every moment: I still feel what the story has projected onto me.

It's something that I never got to re-experience either, as up to that point, I've only had one other element of my life bring out an emotional response unlike anything else in my life. Now, if you've seen my content on here or on my DeviantART, you'll easily know what I'm talking about, but my point is this: I didn't think there would be anything that would come close to that. That's a loaded statement, I know, considering how we watched the fourth generation of MLP finish its story over half a year ago. Past Sins has become so much for me, it ranks second place in that front, and Friendship is Magic ranking third. Going into this story and its entire series and lore, I did not see such a satisfactory end result come to be, yet here we are, over half a decade later, and I still have a tear stain from finishing up my annual read today.

This was something I wanted to get off my chest and share will fellow fans because this is something I want to recognize more for having an impact on me. Much like my other interests, I want to share my thoughts and feelings, but with this story, on an annual basis after every reading I have. I want to praise the love I have for Twilight as a focus, my love for Nyx and what makes her so unique to me, and I want to repeat, if not the exact wording every time, the positive impact I have with this. I can't sing my praises enough about this story, because I consider the best fan work of the MLP fanfiction community, and one of the best works of the entire fandom itself. I could argue it being the best and fight tooth and nail doing so, because that's just how much this novel means to me.

I guess I'll wrap things up here as I say what I wanted to say. Perhaps to some who read this, you just see this as a guy acting like a fanboy over something that may not have a significance to you, but given what community we're a part of, and not to hold high hopes, I feel that many of you know where I'm coming from with this. Things that leave a lasting impression on us are things that was hold onto and continue our lives with for the better or for the worse because it's a part of what makes us who we are. When it comes to this subject, it is one that I will always hold in high regards and always celebrate in the ways that I can, from simply reading the stories again to indulging in custom commissions or enjoying how others celebrate the common interest.

For me, I'll always cherish Past Sins that made Twilight Sparkle my favorite pony, Nyx my favorite OC, Pen Stroke my favorite author, the lore my favorite different universe for My Little Pony, and for making me proud to be a brony.

Until next time,

-Rock Star
\m/ /)

Comments

[SonicFan117DASH]

Very well said. I’m proud of you.