DarkSun493

I'm sure you've seen it all. From plushies to blankets and figurines to (yes, it's a thing) boxers, pony merch seems to be wide-encompassing. The actual quality and utility of the goods depend not only on the manufacturer, but the user's tastes and preferences. 

But this is a bit different; I'm asking for advice but I'm not but I am kinda...

I received, from my loving mother, two pieces of pony merch that are a bit out of the ordinary: a Rainbow Dash snapback and a pair of Rainbow Dash socks, complete with streamers coming down from the back of the top rim. I don't want to be rude, but what does one do with snapbacks and such socks. I've never worn snapbacks before, like, are they treated like baseball hats, do you wear them indoors? Is it appropriate to wear them at certain times and places? And the socks...this may be me being self-conscious, but I think that rainbow socks with streamers is a bit difficult to explain in the locker room. I have to admit they look cool when the streamers trail behind when you walk. But alas.

If you feel like responding, think about if you got these surprise gifts. What would you do with them? Any favorite merchandise? I want to know. 

Thanks, that all helps. But what about in real life? Is there any profound meaning there, or is it just a greeting. I mean, I've brohoofed a couple people when they figured out I was a Brony, but that was a one time thing. Is it supposed to be like a consistent thing, or just a one-time deal?

Fun fact: I was using Ponify and I was getting so frustrated when people were saying things like "Brony equivalent of a brohoof" and "it's a slang word for brohoof". Whoops...

Yes, I just asked that.

No really. Here, on these forums, they seem different from in real life. Here, they almost seem similar to the "Like" system on Facebook. But I've gotten random brohooves on comments or things, and I don't know why. And why the tracker for how many you've gotten? If you have a lot, does it mean something? 

In real life, I've experienced them as a one-time greeting from other Bronies, but nothing consistent. So, what are your experiences with brohooves and what do you think they are? Or is there a set meaning?

Funny that you call me a friend...I'm smart. But what good is knowing that when a particle is moving along a curve in the xy-lane at time t>0 and dx/dt=(3t)^.5 and dy/dt=3cos(t^2/2), the total distance traveled of the particle from 0<t<4 is 10.876? Others may see it as good, but I can't be so sure.

I sincerely would love to post something concrete that's honest about myself, but I've got nothing. Pretty lame, I know, but maybe there's something that I missed.

If you're here, we can safely assume that you like My Little Pony, yes? But to what extent? Some watch it just for the show, but many go further, exploring what fan-created material they can find in the vastness of the Internet. But I'm not concerned with that. For anybody with any sort of passion, that person thinks about that passion I'd say at least once a day.

So, when your mind wanders off, do you think about ponies? Do think about the show, or perhaps a self-insert situation where you imagine yourself in the pony world? How about when you're sad? Does Pinkie Pie come to mind? How about when (or think about) wearing pony merch in public? Do you think of what one of the Mane 6 would do? Actually doing or not doing these things is not a bad thing, but it does certainly say something about you. I know that I imagine myself in Equestria sometimes, just to escape for a little bit. Perhaps it's more of a guilty pleasure than anything else. 

I think I'd stop taking drugs...or take more. I'm not quite sure which.

"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality." So is a false reality of a pony being real better than the stark reality of their absence?

I made a post a while ago that can somewhat address this idea. Have you heard of Homo Homini Lupus? "Man is wolf to man" is the translation and it can really go and describe basic human nature. Man is predetermined to be selfish, and therefore tends to reject other people's happiness in favor for their own. But that, of course, is basic human nature, and society has worked together for a long time and created relationships, not acting barbarically towards each other. It haunts us as humans continually and could easily explain why some reject MLP. It's because they're selfish. MLP is about a community, a community of strangers. To quote Freud," Not merely is this stranger on the whole not worthy of love, but, to be honest, I must confess he has more claim to my hostility, even to my hatred". So, you use the term "open your heart a lot". How do you define it? That is essential to this issue. Used as a kind of accepting differences in others and other social values, this is circular logic. This is how I am interpreting this: if you accept other beliefs, you will enjoy MLP because it is about accepting other beliefs. It doesn't say much...

Latin? Latin? Why Latin? Because it gives us the most amount of profound quotes, that's why! But any lingering humor aside, this is a serious issue. Homo homini lupus is a somewhat famous Latin quote that translates as "Man is wolf to man". Man is a vicious creature that hunts and kills for its own sustenance, and in this case, it hunts itself.

People all over the place are subject to cruelty on all scales. Just look around you on the forums. So many topics have to do with bullying, embarrassment and inferiority. All of these exist due to our interactions with others and some cannot be avoided. It also coincides nicely with the theory that man in inherently selfish. Here's a little test you can do. Think about everything that you've done today, or yesterday. Perhaps it was a day of school, a day of labor, whatever. Why did you do those actions? Why did you decide to not talk to that one annoying person you see everyday? Why did you help out a stranger? While these situations appear to be different, they are very similar. You did those actions because you got some sort of satisfaction from doing it. You got satisfaction for doing something. Whether or not the other person was hurt or not is irrelevant. Life is all about you, right? 

Which brings us back to men and wolves. If I do something that helps myself, basic human nature says that I ignore others. If others are hurt, why should I care? I'm may not see them again. They can't hurt me; they're of no concern. 

But that's all a theory. So, what do you think? Is this true? Have you seen evidence of this idea, even in your own life? Even here in the Brony fandom that bears the motto "Love and Tolerate"? No idea can perfectly generalize another. Perhaps it was all just a lie...But then again, what is truth?  

Being open about such a controversial topic as Broniness always has some sort of physical consequence. Whether that consequence is positive or negative, life-changing or trivial, depends on a lot of factors. And it is so hard to judge the community's size, so it is even harder to judge how many of them are open or are in the closet. If you're here, that means you're at least somewhat open about it. But there seems to be so many extremes here. Some would their secrets to the grave, while others seem to live and breathe ponies. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, though.

My question is exactly what that title up there says: if you are an open Brony, how has your life changed? If you're not open, explain why you aren't. I think that there are many perfectly valid reasons as to why one may open or closed; I just want to know. I know that many push for being open, claiming to be more confident and more awesome. When open, you become more available to other Bronies and could potentially have fun; I dunno. Not too many advocate for being closed, though. But a reason I can come up with for that is simple safety. When closed, you know where you stand, and no relationships have to change.

As for me, I'm somewhat open, and I really haven't changed that much. I've brohoofed a couple people at school, but things always stopped there. No extended relationships, no rush of awesomeness. To me, the idea of being open was a bit misleading. But that's why I'm asking you. Your experiences can only help explain this elusive idea.

While there does seem to be that lack of elitism within the fandom, what about outside of it. Sometimes, Bronies can come off as pretentious over the normal population. Even when they don't do anything, they can sometimes be regarded as lesser, just because they aren't part of it. That may be more due to their lack of "embracing" love and tolerance, and I don't think that's a bad thing. It's also hard to generalize an entire fandom, similarly as you cannot accurately judge the overall actions of an entire nation. 

Someone would get slapped. Multiple times. In the face. For utter stupidity. I think both would deserve it.

I like to see the fandom being in more of the Happy and surprise part of the wheel, yet it could go deeper, love is a true emotion, it should be there with the core emotions with sub emotions relating compassion, generosity, understandable, willingness and passion. Unless there is a bigger wheel going beyond "loving".

While this is straying from the original topic, that's fine. I consider "love" to be very closely related to friendship. And I don't think that it is a deeper version of "loving". I think of love as a kind of grab bag, if you will, of the above emotions. If you've ever been in love (and I'm not a good source for this, as I haven't really been), you tend to have so many emotions going at once. Just consider any popular TV shows or movies. The guy can easily be intimate, confused, rejected, frustrated, disappointed and depressed all at once. It's a moving target, and I think that a simple graph cannot fully express that emotion. And of course, this wheel cannot possibly encompass all emotions thought of, but it gets the job done, albeit in a somewhat basic manner. 

It's kind of odd to see someone questioning the idea of friendship within a group dedicated to it. And yet, I still question. So, what is friendship? And I challenge you not to immediately jump to the obvious answer of "magic". The show and, of course, the fandom has conditioned you to say that. But have you stepped back and considered the connections that you make with others across miles of land and ocean? How close are they? How many do you maintain? Can they be as strong as a relationship created in "real life"? 

But first, some definitions: 

Our lovely friend Merriam Webster defines friends as:

a person you like and enjoy being with

But you already knew that. If you didn't like somebody, you wouldn't be friends. However, this doesn't address a reciprocal relationship, so, in theory, you could simply proclaim to be someone's friend without their consent, and it would be true.

Now compare that to Merriam Webster's definition of...:

Love:

a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person

Affection:

a feeling of liking and caring for someone or something 

Magic:

special power, influence or skill

So, one could assume that a friendship contains at least some love, no matter the circumstances. Sure, a best friend's love is on a different level than that of a crush or the like, but love remains. On the topic of "friendship is magic", based on this definition only, I'd say that's true. Friendship can certainly influence others into doing things, and it most certainly has power. But I think that its power is hyped too far by some. 

I know this is a lot of information, but I'd also like to point to Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. In his work, Civilization and Its Discontents, he says that love within a person is finite. You can love or make friends with as many people as you'd like, but with each relationship that you tack on, the individual gets less and less love. And considering strangers, he says the following: "Not merely is this stranger on the whole not worthy of love, but, to be honest, I must confess he has more claim to my hostility, even to my hatred." Human nature tends to hate strangers, simple as that. He also goes on to say that your strongest love at all times is that of yourself. We, as humans, as naturally egocentric. 

So, given the information above, what do you agree with; what do you think? How does this relate to the fandom? Consider the problems when looking at people on Facebook with over 1000 "friends". And, even here on the forums, that problem can exist. Though I don't have a lot of evidence to go off of, that problem must exist. Surely, one with hundred of friends cannot possible have high levels of relationships with them all. Granted, I have been here for a bit over a month, sporadically. I also have four friends, here, only one of which I communicate with consistently. So, perhaps I'm blind to the "magic" so many speak of. (This is not a plea to get more friends, by the way, but, I admit, a guilt trip can go a long way). 

@@TheChosenPony, I'm not asking about the fandom, its emotions, writing papers etc.

I'm asking particularly about the term "emotion wheel": what is it and is it somehow related to a color wheel used by painters.

I'd be glad to clarify. This is what I used:

It's based on six basic emotions, extended to encompass more words and more ideas. For a writer, this is perfect, as it allows you to think about elements of character and develop it more thoroughly through these emotions. For example, saying that Bob is angry is extremely simply, where you could, instead say that Bob feels insecure, is threatened, or is critical. I was using this to further explore themes in The Great Gatsby in case you were wondering. In relation to a color wheel, it's more in just shape than anything else. There is no "true" opposite to an emotion, as it's almost impossible to feel one, isolated emotion at once. You are really feeling a lot more. It's not based directly on the fandom at all; rather, it just popped into my head. I may be making more of these, so see if you can see some deeper elements of the fandom in that wheel.

So, as I was looking at an emotion wheel for ideas for a paper I'm writing, I saw some things that really reminded me of MLP and the fandom. The first that I'll start off with is submissiveness. The word, which is defined as "willingness to obey others", is shown as being derived from fear and splitting off into "insignificant" and "worthless". Now, I know for a fact that many Bronies feel insignificant or worthless just due to social stigma, combined with raging hormones (for some). That's not what I want to look into. Fear is also a big topic, so you don't have to respond directly to that idea.

My question for you is this: have you ever felt, or seen submissiveness within the fandom? If so, how, and to what extent. Now this can be a broad range of things, from creating obsessive fan art or fanfics based on the show, or perhaps a sort of peer pressure that arises from being in such a connected environment. It doesn't seem very unlikely that Bronies have been pressured into "going public", or even buying a piece or merchandise. There was a great picture that I saw, showing how Faust controlled the ponies, who controlled the fans, connected by puppet's strings, resulting in fan art being made. Now, I don't want to say that submissiveness is really evil and denotes a poor personality, but it can reveal weaknesses. What do you think? Has it gone too far? Can it really be that powerful?

I think that one simply idea that can come from this idea is choice. Obviously, everybody has their own choice to do what they want to do, and nobody can steal that away. Sure, you have plenty of people here on the forums that firmly suggest that being open is a good thing. And there are some that say it's too risky. And, to be honest, both are right. The main factor, as to whether it's going to be a positive or negative experience is simply going to be your environment, your community. If you live in an area where being different is accepted, then yes, you have so much to gain by being open about it! You'll feel good about yourself and you may meet other Bronies. And since you are in that environment, there is no risk to you. If, however, you are in a much more strict society, then, you must reconsider that choice. And in the end, it is the individual's choice as to whether they do it or not. Friends or fellow forum members can push you either way, but they do not have control. I do not have control. 

It's very difficult to create an absolute idea, where you can say "being an open Brony is certainly good" or "being an open Brony is certainly bad". Rather, with all of the variables, you must trust the individual to evaluate his/her own situation and then decide for themselves if being open is in their best interests. If you want to advocate for being one way or the other, that's fine; its not inherently bad. You are suggesting for a person what you think is the best for them. However, people should be smart enough for themselves to make that final decision on their own.

Plushies are interesting things aren't they? People do so many things with them. I'm sure, from playing, to staring, to...well do I even need to mention that one famous plushie? Or perhaps it was infamous. Either way, my school orchestra went on a tour out of state, and two people, when they were there, bought plushies, one for each. They were toting them around a lot; Rainbow Dash seemed to be everywhere. On the table while eating, on a lap while on the bus, or, when their hands were full, balancing on top of a head. I couldn't keep it together; it was one of the most ridiculous things I had ever seen. I even asked both of them why they had decided to purchase them, and they said they didn't know. Heck, when I got my first plushie, and even in subsequent purchases, I didn't quite know what I was looking for.

So, my question to you is: Do you have a plushie? If so, why did you buy it, and what the heck do you do with it? If you haven't, then just tell me what you think of them. Or tell me what you think a Brony "should" do with one. Also, is there such thing as "going too far"? Sometimes I'd like to think that carrying it around with you is too far, but...I know that's a generalizing question, but I want to know what you think. 

I mean, it's not like I cuddle with the Mane 6 every night...heh heh...*sigh* oh, boy.

A simple concept: you are faceless. The advent of the Internet has allowed for communication over distances once deemed impossible to surpass. And yet here we are, a string of text and code that consistently hides true human nature and emotion. My goal is to dig deeper into that theme.  

My Little Pony is a world in which we are surrounded by polychromatic horses, innocent clichés and the occasional rainbow. What do all of those have in common? They all connote happiness and joy. Maybe that that’s what lured you here in the first place; maybe that’s why you stayed. But the majority of the gifts to society are just façades for deeper, darker tones underneath.

So my question for you is: have you felt fear within the MLP fandom, or do you feel it now? If so, what kind? A sort of “what am I turning into” fear? Or perhaps a “what would I do if somebody knew” fear? I know each one of you has felt at least something of the sort.  Fear is a powerful emotion; I know the fandom is not devoid of it. I intend for this information to be used as a sort of...personal study. Why people do what they do and what they hope to conceal. And the best part? You are obscured by a screen. You have nothing to lose.

Sometimes I don't know why I'm still here, but then again, what's in the present is the only thing that's important...

So here's my question: is there such a thing as an ex-Brony? In a universe that has been posed to me as a fully accepting place where nobody would want to leave, certainly, some have left. But who would do such a thing? Have any of you known anybody who's turned their back on ponies, never to return again?

I posit this question as if it's a large deal. And of course to each their own. If it's a big deal to one person, then it can equally be a minuscule detail to another.

As a kind of second half to the topic that's kind of relevant, but kinda not...anyways. If you can guess, I'm starting to sway away from Bronies and the whole show in general. Heck, when I watched a PMV that somebody sent me, it had footage from the show. And I couldn't watch it. Something about it just repelled me, and I don't know why. I rarely participate in anything that actually involves the show or even the community in general, so that may be part of the problem. I just don't know. And I suppose Bronies would want to help somebody who doubts ponies, right? Or am I misinterpreting the community? Again? Simply: can anybody get me "back into" ponies. I know it's a hard thing to do, but anything can help, right?  

I want to flip this around, and ask if you would. Would you? Before you answer, here is my proposal. You essentially said, in so many words, that emerging from ignorance was causing you discomfort.

 

So what kind of ignorance? That question is redundant. Let me make my point simply.

 

Every, single, good, useful, trait, you pick up in your life, requires some amount of discomfort. Do you want to be in shape? That requires dietary control and exercise? Do you want to paint? Prepare to spend long hours with cramped hands and tired feet. Perhaps you want a girlfriend/boyfriend, their problems become your problems. Never escape the discomfort, that is the feeling of stone being chiseled into art.

 

Am I saying that is what you are experiencing due to MLP? No. MLP is a cartoon. You are amongst one of the friendliest groups of people on this omniscient, light-speed cyber connection we call the Internet.

I like what you said. Discomfort shapes people, right. Well, I have obviously felt discomfort, but I don't feel any better as a person; if anything, I feel like less of a person. 

Ignorance, ignorance of ponies and the community is what I'm referring to. I believe that my life would be better and more stable without it, you'll see. 

The way I see it, I feel betrayed. A group of people on the Internet aiming to spread happiness, and yet I feel NO happiness. I don't blame the individual here for their actions, but I feel that I was mislead. Every Brony that has come here seems to leave happier, yet I am not. I feel that becoming one also is betraying myself. Before I came here, I felt relatively happy, but here, it seems to have sucked the life out of me. Even if you look back on previous responses of this topic, I feel blamed for something that really isn't my fault. If I think I was pressured into doing something I didn't want to, that's my belief; you can't change that. And when I look at some of the topics in the "life advice" section, it only makes me more confused. I doubt my actions, and that only leads to confusion and unhappiness.

As a generalization, I feel that being here has only lead to unhappiness, though because of what I think other Bronies are and how they act. I feel uncomfortable of the fact that others are happy, but I am not, though I feel I should be. I feel that I was lied to.

As I'm sure y'all know, there are plenty of "how did you get here" and "what MLP has done for you" topics here. I'm not necessarily here for the positive. I assume that many are content and happy that they are Bronies, and that their life is, in some way, better than it was before. I'm not asking about that. If you could go back in time, at this moment, would you change it so you never would "discover" MLP? I know this may sound preposterous to you. "But MLP is so positive and good for the soul", "I've made so many friends in this community and I'm happy" "why would I ever want to change all of this?"

Well, take my side of the story before you respond. Before I became a Brony, my life wasn't so bad. I never really worried about stepping outside of the norm or challenging the common view at all. I never questioned my decisions. Ponies was the only decision I thought back on. The show is one aspect, providing a sort of escape from reality, but the community was different. Over time, I felt a pressure to become something I wasn't. I felt pressured to buy all of these material items in order to become a "better Brony". Before you think any more, this is what I felt from others; it was nothing I had ever heard. And once I was here, I only questioned my actions more: "who am I?, "what do I represent?" "what to others think of me?". Though this may be a malady of being a teenager, I think it was only more aggregated by being a Brony. Ignorance is bliss, after all. True, I've met some people here, but they sometimes only confuse me more, never providing a clear answer to a problem. But that may just be me...

So, tell me what you think. Tell me what you would do. I would go back. I would want to change it so I could live in ignorance for at least a while longer. Try to change a doubter if you can, but remember that your actions may just complement my theory... 

So...should I accept this offer, wanting to "represent", how in the world do I explain to a normal person, why I am wearing a baby blue hoodie complete with wings, ears and a rainbow mane? Or is it the same as explaining the whole situation in the first place, the same as somebody asking why you're a brony in the first place? Maybe I'm thinking that an explaination becomes much more difficult should the explainer seem more...I dunno, eccentric. I've never explained my affliction before; maybe I'm just fearing the unknown, what could happen. 

"Well, you've got opportunity in this very community!"...Nobody? Ok...

Anyways, while this may seem as a "life advice" sort of idea, I'll keep it here as a sort of open opinion, "what would you do?" topic.

Suppose for a second that one day, you're minding your own business and a friend comes up to you. He is not a close friend, but more of an acquaintance. He knows that you are a brony, but hasn't said much about it. He offers you a proposition. He'll buy you a Rainbow Dash hoodie (the one with the ears and wings and stuff) on the only condition that you wear it in public regularly.

What do you do? While your answer may be more personal to your beliefs, I'd like to think that each response reveals more about the fandom itself and how it shows itself in public. Or, as an auxiliary response, tell me how you think a "true brony" should respond. The ideal form can sometimes be fleeting...

Inspiration: something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone

Though I'd like to say that it has done something "magical" or "life-changing", I don't believe it has. I've laughed, I haven't cried, but it seems to me that it doesn't make me want to do anything or create anything new. Though it is cyclical. It sucks you into a vast community, but then what? It inspires you to pony more? That just doesn't seem good. It hasn't affected me, at least not in the way that one may think. Not necessarily positively.