Happy 10th Forumversary ! To Magical Mare aka Silky!
From 2014... to 2024....
How many things have changed.... <3
Wow. Here I am writing from one of the the cottage's reading nooks far away in a beautiful wooden area surrounded by nature and rose gardens. Not so far off in another room, is one of my best friends. @Sir Hugsalot... he's giving me privacy to write while he tends to other stuff. I am so blessed to know so many good people. My life took a crazy, adventurous turn, calmed down after the pandemic and brought me back here... little did I know... I had to return here and restore some things that went amiss. Things I had forgotten.
Treasured art by @Minka thank you so much! ... Goodness... where do I even begin?
August 4, 2014... I signed on to make an account.
I remember how it was back then. So vastly different to what it is now. I remember my original name was some Elven name because I loved whimsical things like that. But Poniverse account creator asked me "what is the name of your pony!" As well as some other OC related questions. Those login questions for Poniverse are no longer available (perhaps because not every fan will have a pony) .. but I remember instantly thinking "oh my gosh, why do I have an Elven name? Change it to pony something! Umm ummm.. I love magic. Umm MAGICAL MARE.. there! It aliterates! Perfect!"
And so the account was born. I was friend to all. Those who were quiet. Those who were hidden. Those who were popular. Those who were misfits.
You might remember me... you might not... I did disappear to build a business around 2015, early 2016.... but I did not forget.
It was so crazy. MLP was taking over! People were getting ponified left and right. Celebrities! Friends! Music videos! Random people getting pony bombed! I remember Discord, the messenger platform being announced and my thinking "yep, that's totally MLP inspired." LOL I was so sure it would never end. So, I went off on my adventure. Balloons in my car to honor Pinkie Pie and promote the business... and I was so sure I would never be needed again. I had no idea that eventually all of that fun would come to an end....
Circa, 2019.. I make a return and I am surprised to see the site is no longer as it once was. What happened?! So much hostility, edgelords and anger-raging at... kindness? The very thing that made this place special? I connected with as many people as I could and tried to reunite them. Sadly, Skype was gone -- the place I hoarded all of my connections and it seems many had parted their ways and I was disheartened. So, I wanted to bring the site back to how it was. This was why you may have noticed a lot of old users returning around a certain era. Or why people were beginning to unite, improve in temperament or open up to friendships more where they had already closed off. I'm still in touch with many despite others being lost to the downfall of Skype.
I wanted to bring back the spirit of the site that this place once had. Alas, I failed but the memories created are eternal.
I remember it all. I remember even the not so good stuff. The raids, the spying, the counter spying of groups and renegade groups alike -- LOL ... so much chaos in just a simple little pony forum? What was going on? I was simply the invisible observer. Shaking my head slowly and wondering at some of the tales or experiences witnessed. But the good people, I kept. And those I made sure to try to bring back or unite in some way. They deserve all the love and support they could get.
And to think... It all started with just a random status of 2014.
I made a random status, "Care to be friends?" It was my first attempt at trying to make friends online since making friends in person was usually people being shallow and getting close cause they thought you looked really nice or because you had money or connections. Online was far more preferable because you were forced to get to know the person from within before seeing what they even looked like. How cool is that?!
Of all the seemingly countless of friends that I made on here... there was this one user whom I enjoyed spending time with. Skype, Discord, Steam... he was just too incredible. It was unexplainable to me. The way we got along. It was so smooth and effortless. Like I was speaking to a childhood friend who knew me inside out. I became scared and assumed this was probably why he was so popular and loved by all! "He was probably just THAT smooth that he knew his way to charm all women!" -- was my logic.... so I smiled, decided to keep him as a friend and move on. But that deep feeling didn't leave. It was always there. Until we realised... it was just the natural flow of our chemistry and dynamic. No shallow or ulterior motives. Just... sincere bonding. Sadly, a lot of things happened in between that which caused me to fall but he was there to make sure I was caught from falling too hard.
This person helped me through it. He was just a silly friend I made online. Or so I thought. Little did I know this user would later enrich my life and enlighten me to many things I did not even know could be possible. I had a lot of life skill and experience.. save for where he was skilled. I was just like Twilight Sparkle... except... the version of her that never pursued friendship... but rather her books/career. I literally have my own library of personal books of which I have been collecting since I was a child. So, the similarity strikes quite accurately. This person was quite persistent in what we mutually felt. I thought it was all in my head, so we eventually agreed to meet up. This was many years ago... and it startled me to realise this person was exactly whom he claimed to be online as he was in person. The only difference was there was no screen between us.
And now, that person is here with me. My best friend. My light in the dark.
Thanks to this lovely site of friendship and community...
There are so many other little treasures that I did not mention. You know who you are. You're unique. Irreplaceable and your friendship is priceless. But I mention the person above because it is quite literally the first and only time that I have ever fallen in love. I ran away from love like the plague. Focused strictly on ambitions and books.
I will always consider this place a safe space and a home. And I would like to extend this beautiful wish upon you as well. That you may find the right connections, friends or at the very least... a safe space to be yourself or express a special aspect of yourself that you normally could not in the world. It's healthy to have friends in person and also a good balance of friends online if you feel it is easier to open up to them and be yourself more through writing.
Sadly, my presence and activity online here may either be critically shortened or coming to an end. I have a lot to focus on in my life and my purpose of returning to MLPF was to restore the friendships, fix misunderstandings, listen to users who felt overlooked or otherwise unite old friends to heal old wounds... my task has been completed.
Thank you, to those who have proven to be a gem of a friend, you have my loyalty, attention and friendship for the rest of my life. I am not so easy to reach out to others anymore... but to those who were there for me... you better believe I will make time to be there for you. So, don't lose hope, keep being you and give me a poke even if you think I'm gone forever. The MLPF spirit of love, friendship and laughter will live on forever <3 Hail Banterlot!
It's been one crazy adventure, ponies!
The current banner has been updated to reflect how I feel right now. Last year I had an art of Silky with the title of "The Lost Princess.." sad and isolating due to my needing to rest from all of the chaos of the world and my own inner challenges. Now? I feel like I'm finally coming home within myself and my loved ones <3
Thank you, MLPForums. For keeping my soulmate and my darling best friend in a spot where I would eventually meet and find him through nonsense shenanigans and eventually bonding.
I will be updating some things to the site to make it more comfortable, user friendly and safe to make more friendships here. Announcement coming in soon!
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