Online Friendships: The Masquerade.
Entry posted by Ice Princess Silky <3 in Friends
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Today was my forumversary! 
11 years. 
What?
This blog post is inspired by a real masquerade scheme that happened and reminded me so much of how online friendships work!
During my time here, this place has been nothing short of incredible. It’s such a surreal experience. Meeting real people who at first are just avatars, quirky OCs, or usernames floating around with snippets of personality leaking through in some interesting way, shape or form.
Some are funny, some are weird, some are quietly brilliant. But slowly, you get to know them, post by post. And before you know it, you’re laughing, bonding… Back then? It was not so unusual for something like even catching silly little crushes from nothing more than shared thoughts and shenanigans.
Over a decade ago, that felt normal. Looking back, it feels a bit silly and yet, somehow, still precious.
I remember when this site felt like a sealed box of wildcards. Friend? Foe? Something in between? No—all friends, until the box gets shaken. Then, people start drifting, forming clusters based on personalities, interests, and instincts. I remember seeing one user and thinking, “He’s too perfect.” Every mask he wore was elegant. Carefully chosen, expressive, refined. I couldn’t believe anyone vibed that effortlessly with me. “He must be acting,” I told myself. "He must act with everyone. He's very good at this."
But then others came to me, complaining. “He’s too wholesome,” they said. “Even in private.” As if kindness were a flaw. That just made me laugh, he was not just pretending to impress me! And made me value him even more. We became instant besties. One of my first real connections here and still one of the most important of many.
What’s funny is, we clicked before I even knew what he looked like. Once the mask came off, I became the shy one. I stepped back a little, wanted to unite others instead build a safety circle, not a pair. A space where everyone could connect. I thought, “Surely, we can all bond through ponies, right?” But life isn’t that simple.
Some people like their ponies gritty and edgy. Others, like me, prefer them soft, feral, innocent but powerful. True to the show’s spirit. And somehow, we all managed to coexist... until the box was shaken again.
The mischievous ones? They shake it on purpose. The peacemakers? They try to hold it steady. The neutrals? They're just sipping tea, trying not to spill it while floating through the chaos.
And in all that movement… you start to see something deeper.
People online wear masks but those masks still say something. Even trolls reveal something about themselves. Maybe not what they want to share, but something real, nonetheless. And to me, that’s always been the magic of online spaces: beneath every profile picture, there's a truth. Maybe messy, maybe hidden—but always there.
And that’s what I’ve loved about this experience.
As time passed, unexpected bonds began to form. Even with those I once tried to avoid. The ones wearing the “ugliest” masks. Too edgy, too bitter, too angry.... or so I thought.
Yet when life grew rough or revealing, I saw who they truly were. I saw what they stood for. I saw how they chose what was right over what was easy, or flattering, or self-serving. And suddenly, these so called ugly masks didn’t seem so ugly at all.
They became the most beautiful people I’d met both inside and out -cleverly using their harsh facades to scare off the shallow and the insincere. And somehow, despite their misgivings about my “too sweet" or “too fluffy” appearance, something still drew us together.
Yes, pink fluffy pone is definitely an aspect of myself but only one part.
There are other dimensions beneath the pastels, and those layers had a way of surprising people… and sometimes scaring off the frivolous.
The masks I once recoiled from have proven to belong to some of the most fiercely loyal hearts I’ve known.
By connecting through soul, not style but through essence, not aesthetics we discovered something deeper.
Like a quiet essence of humanity? Resonance? I always thought it was just an overall shared experience we all know. But it's a little more profound.
And when the time finally came to unveil the mask, you don’t even flinch. You don’t care what you’ll see.
Because by then, it no longer matters.
So, here's to the online friendships I've met. Even if they don't actively post on here anymore, they know who they are when I link them this blog. 
Special mention that I will not link to:
Ah, there is someone I will cheekily mention. I love when connections are intense but platonic. So this one in particular is quite precious to me.
Because he and I connect so well, he mentioned something about masquerades during a time when I had that event with one and forum friends! He did not even know about it. Ha!
He is probably reading this blog right now. And smiling. Or maybe that is just me. It is someone I respect immensely. I steal a glance in his direction but look away. His essence is always so pure, fun, good natured and like a friendly wizard willing to make the human experience easier for others around him. I appreciate you, friend. Even if I can only watch from a distance for now.
I wanted to apologize for something. The box was shaken yet again and we found ourselves waltzing in opposite directions, respectfully keeping our distance as we tended to our friends and family and real life. He expressed a desire to get closer due to interesting coincidences that keep happening between us but I keep retreating or getting caught up in other things. I just want this to be a reminder that I am not trying to seem cold or distant. Life just has a lot of curb balls. But you will always be in my thoughts as our references sprinkle throughout my days.
O. Another thing I have noticed...
The friends who wish to stay for the long run, are willing to chill for years. The fleeting ones are impatient when not given their way, get angry at smallest of things, take things from 0-500 over nothing, are impulsive, full of judgement or spite -- and, well, "ain't nobody got time for that." c:
So, no matter what, the true ones know... we will meet here at our base again.
Where our friendships first bloomed through a seed and formed a giant oak tree of memories. 
And people who wear masks just to be fake? Well, the masks eventually fall away. And that is the purpose of a masquerade.
Art source
Also! I love that Hermes is wearing a masquerade mask on my favourite song reflecting the current chapter in my life!
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