First blog post! · 4:02am Mar 10th, 2013
So, I seem to have this... "blog" here, just chillin', so I've decided to make use of it.
As it turns out, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the very first thing to make me want to write stories about SO badly, that I just had to do it, and I'm glad to have you guys along for the ride! So to start off, I want to ask a question. It's pretty simple, so don't sweat it: Why are you a brony?
Fair, yes? I'll start if it'll break the ice. I'll give you the short version, or the long version if you request it.
I first saw mention of FiM on TVTropes. I forget what made me go to the page, but I found the main MLP:FiM page, and saw the caption "It's OK, lads. You're allowed to like the cute ponies." Curiosity sparked, and I wondered why it would say that. So I moused over and saw the words "Periphery Demographic." As most people would react, I was like "What?" But time passed and I eventually read a bit of the tropes included in the show. I eventually came to the part where Fluttershy stared down a cockatrice. And won. I figured that little pony deserved some props for that, so there's point one for FiM. I was also a fairly common browser of Marriland's Pokemon website, and I saw a gif of Rainbow Dash and Applejack looking like they were about to face off for something (later identified as the Iron Pony Competition). That didn't -look- too girly... point two for FiM.
My curiosity was growing swiftly, and nothing on TVTropes or anything I read about the show was particularly negative, and it was a fascinating phenomenon. I didn't really know much about the fandom either at this point. This was around the time Season Two was beginning, with me having not ever heard of the show from anywhere else. So one week, I promised myself that I would try it. I would give it a fair shake, and if I liked it, I liked it. If I didn't, that's alright too. I made a deal that I would watch the first three episodes and then make my decision. I was hesitant at first, waiting about three days with it on my mind before really committing to it, but I finally did it. I sat down and watched the first three episodes, which of course are the two parts of the pilot and "The Ticket Master."
I definitely liked them, as evidenced by my presence here. I liked them enough to watch the fourth episode, "Applebuck Season," after the first three. That episode is when I think I really decided to give the show a true shot. The first three were good of course, but there was just something about Applejack and Pinkie Pie going "whoooooo whooooo" into that trophy that just made me laugh harder than I had laughed in a good while.
I eventually started frequenting fansites, mostly DerpyHoovesNews (back then it was just DerpyHooves.com). There is where I started becoming incredibly impressed with the fandom and how dedicated they seemed to be. It was a glorious sight to behold, and continues to be so, albeit with some changes due to maturity and development, of course. It was a strange time. People didn't seem to know why they loved the show the way they did, but all they knew, all -we- knew, is that it made us happy, made us smile. As a psychology student, this was made even more fascinating by the day as I saw the fandom grow and evolve. I'm still interested to see where it goes, so I'll be sticking around for a while.
Well, it seems I gave you the long version anyway! Hope you didn't mind! TL;DR: I am brony, hear me "yay!"
To sum up, why am I a brony? The show's characters, the writing, the jokes, the hilarious puns, and everything in between. I also have a liking for looking on the bright side of things. The fandom is also pretty cool, wouldn't you say? Art, stories, animation, podcasts, the works! Fabulous, fascinating, and exhilarating. So much to love!
So, why are you a brony? It doesn't need to be as long as mine, of course. Anyway, I hope my story (or maybe even -stories- in the future!) can keep you guys entertained during this long pony drought. Until the next chapter goes up, keep calm and pony on, friends!
~Grandosco
I definitely empathize with you on the whole "being inspired to write by the show" thing! I used to write a ton of little stories as a kid, but then I sort of grew away from it. Seeing the creativity of the show and the fans reignited the passion I have for writing, and here I am now! Now, on with how I became a brony/why I'm a brony.
I first heard about the show in January of 2011 via a trending topic on Twitter. At that point the show was just a few months into season one, so there wasn't much of a fan base to speak of. When I saw the trending topic, I just sorta laughed at it, brushed it off as some sort of weird fad, and forgot about it.
Fast forward to April 2012, over one year after I first heard about the show. I was browsing YouTube one day, and--be it by blind luck, divine intervention, or what--I saw a video in my Recommended Videos section called "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 3 - The Ticket Master". Upon seeing that, I remembered hearing about the show and the bronies and I laughed a bit. I decided to watch the video because I wanted a good laugh, and I imagined that the show was gonna be hilariously bad. At that point I thought the bronies only watched the show ironically to make fun of it.
So I got to watching the video, and I started laughing. But I wasn't laughing at the show; I was laughing with the show. I got to the end of the episode, and I realized that I had actually really enjoyed it. So I went back and watched the premiere, which I also enjoyed. So I watched another episode. And another one. And... you know how it goes from there, I'm sure.
I actually didn't really get into the fandom at all until late summer of 2012. I had finished watching all the episodes of both seasons near the end of April, and after that I sorta just took a break from the show. But towards the end of summer, I started getting an itch for the show again. Naturally there weren't any new episodes for me to watch, so I looked around a bit until stumbled across Equestria Daily. I really go into the website, and my involvement in the community thrived from there.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
As for why exactly I'm a fan of the show: superb writing, lovable (and relatable) characters, art and animation that's fun to look at... you know, all the traditional stuff. It's one of the best shows I've seen in a good while.