DarkSun493

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 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.

So what happens when you single out the individual? Or is that completely distorting the idea of being a Brony? Maybe that's where I went wrong. As a single person, what is there to take pride in? So it's more of being part of a mass than the individual contribution and thoughts. And yet that, too seems silly, trying to associate with a group that I don't believe has much concrete on the world around us. Or maybe that's just me.

Let's start off with the basics. Our trusty online dictionary Merriam Webster defines "pride" as: : a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people : a feeling that you are more important or better than other people : a feeling of happiness that you get when you or someone you know does something good, difficult, etc. Granted, my view may be skewed because I'm more or less ashamed of me being a Brony, but that's a different topic. The first definition: respect. Sure, being a Brony is certainly out of the ordinary and, of course, there requires a certain amount of bravado to pull off. There, I can understand why one can respect oneself: the simple endeavor of being a Brony is difficult in putting up with others and just staying up to speed with such a large community and show base. But why should anybody else respect me for watching a TV show about rainbows and unicorns? Second definition: being important. A single Brony, as a standalone topic, is not more or less important than another human being. Or, at least, I don't think so. I'm sure there are some more stuck-up Bronies that would fancy themselves better than others, but that can't be the real answer. Third definition: happiness. Herein lies the most solid foundation of Brony pride. Happiness does come from being a part of the fandom; otherwise, you wouldn't be here. There is some sort of satisfaction that arises from being with others in a shared interest and "doing good" to others that agree with you on a certain issue. Is it difficult? I think yes. Anyone who is a Brony must have spent a considerable amount of time engrossed in the show and doing some sort of communal work. Is it anything close to intense physical labor? No, but just the emotions felt by the show itself is enough to tire anybody out. So, my question for you is: What do you think Brony pride is? Have you felt it before, and why do you think you did? I know I have never felt it before; I've never had reason to. I hope your responses will give some sort of insight into this vast, confusing world of Bronyism.