On My First Year as a Brony: A Brony Testimony · 5:23am Sep 23rd, 2013
About a year ago around this time, don't exactly remember when, I made the leap from the muggle world to the magical world of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I figure this would be the best time to tell you all the story of how I came to become a Brony, and my thoughts and experiences on my first year as part of this fandom.
This is my Brony testimony.
My journey to Brony-dom actually started in January of 2012. I'm really into YouTube, and I've been subscribed to the TheFineBros since approximately 2008 because of their LOST and Harry Potter parodies. If you're familiar with TheFineBros, than you know that these days they're better known for their various React series. So of course, I would checking out their channel on the day they uploaded Teens React to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
Now, I know of some Bronies who were not happy with some of the Teens Reactions. Me. I'm still a longtime FineBros fan. I still find it amazing how that one guy instantly fell in love with the show after just watching the opening sequence.
When I saw that, I found the idea of these so-called "Bronies" intriguing. I initially theorized that the men of our generation are so tired of the smut found in traditional adult media that they've started turning to a children's cartoon for wholesome entertainment. I wanted to look into MLP to test that theory, but I never got around to it.
It was in June that I was once again reminded of the Brony phenomenon. I am also a longtime fan of internetainers Rhett and Link. If you're not familiar with them, they're the guys responsible for the Chuck Testa commercial and Dope Zebra. I even watched their Commercial Kings show on IFC. I very much enjoy their seasonal daily morning talk show "Good Mythical Morning". Anyway, they dedicated an episode of GMM, "Bronies: The Controversy", to the topic of Bronies and MLP.
They mention watching the series themselves. Rhett didn't like it enough to continue watching it on his own, but Link really liked it and declared that he was now a Brony. I have the greatest respect for Rhett and Link. That led me to renew my resolution to watch MLP. Once again, that fell by the wayside.
Then in September, I was reminded once more of Bronies and MLP. I sound like a broken record at this point, but I'm a longtime follower of Andre the Black Nerd. We have a lot of the same interests. I bet we would be the best of friends if we ever met!
That's... kind of creepy.
Anywho, he also dedicated a video to Bronies and MLP.
He insisted in his video that while he did like MLP, he didn't like it enough to consider himself a Brony. Still, since then, Andre has spoken about MLP and Equestria Girls quite a bit, far more I feel for someone who isn't really a Brony. I say he really is a Brony and won't admit it.
I don't know why that was the tipping point. I just knew I had to watch MLP then. I took me a few weeks, but as soon as I had free time, I logged into Netflix and then watch the first episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
My life would never be the same!
I could not believe how much I loved it! The animation! The story! The adventures! The lessons! The characters! Twilight! Just Twilight. I love Twilight so much. WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO AND BECOME AN ALICORN PRINCESS?!
Anywho, it was about halfway through October that I finally got through both seasons. With Season 3 still a few weeks away, I want to find a way to fill that void that MLP had filled. That's when I discovered the fanfiction. Now, in my youth, I had been really into fanfiction. I even wrote a Firefly fanfiction once. Nothing I read back then though compared to what I found in MLP fanfiction. I was amazed by the sheer talent and creativity of the Brony community. The fanfiction. The fan art. The original music. The fan animations, especially Snowdrop and Double Rainboom. The analysis. Some of them of course have made an impact on the community. I wanted to make an impact on the community as well.
I tried that at first by capitalizing on the popularity of "Gangnam Style" and "The Harlem Shake".
That didn't work.
I tried pulling a prank on everpony on April Fools, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash style.
That didn't work.
I liked writing, and I've written fanfiction in the past. So I tried writing fanfictions like Pinkie Pie Doesn't Like My Fanfiction and Snowy Night.
Certainly the attention garnered by "Snowy Night" was far beyond anything I imagined, especially having it spend almost two days in the featured box. Still, it's not like it had an impact on the fandom as a whole. I have come to realize that the fandom has become so prolific that one person can no longer have much of an impact on the fandom as a whole. I am glad though that I have had an impact all those who favorited, liked, and commented on "Snowy Night". That's all that really matters in the end.
I find interesting that I somehow chose to enter the Brony fandom at one of the most contentious points in its history so far with Lauren Faust's complete departure, Twilicorn, and Equestria Girls. I have high hopes for Season 4 though. Hopefully, it will be the first season I can experience live without all the aggravation in the fan community.
I'll mention in closing for a moment how my family has reacted to all this. My sister, who is 23, and her boyfriend finding it highly odd. Her boyfriend often tells me, "Sometimes I worry about you." Last November was the first time I watched MLP live on a TV; it was the episode "One Bad Apple". While I was watching it, my mother walked into the room. Now, I've heard stories of some parents not being very accepting of Bronies and stuff. So she asks me, "What are you watching?" "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic," I answered. "Is this a cartoon for adults?" "No, it's for children, but a lot of adults like it." She looks at me and says "Okay" and leaves the room. My sister once asked her what she thought of me being a Brony and said that grown men watch children's cartoons all the time. I think it's great that she's cool with it.
In the end, it's been a pretty good ride. Kind of bumpy but still pretty smooth. I hope to keep on riding. I want to write more stories and touch all of your hearts and guts and stuff. I hope you all will be on that ride with me.
God bless you all. God bless America. And God bless Equestria.
Congrats on your one year anniversary of entering Bronyhood (yes, I did just make that word up)!
And another really interesting blog to go with it. Let's hope that the fandom continues to thrive for years to come! 
It was nice reaction of your mother! My dad told me that he can give me the place in a kindergarden