Zenoctilles

Phenomenal episode, but the point of this episode wasn't about character development specifically. It was all about the plot, and it would be unfair to judge the episode because none of the characters change much. I love Cadance, the songs, and the plot was quite good, if a bit cliched.

I watched the episode with 40 other people today. It was awesome. If you guys can watch this with like-minded people, it's one of the best social experiences ever. Anyways, I'm rather tired, but I think this is one of the best episodes ever. The pacing is somewhat poorer than previous episodes, but the unique plot elements deployed make up for it. This episode did not feel like an average MLP episode at all - it felt like a good fanfic come to life. And Twilight's song was completely boss. Lyrics weren't that great, but everything else was phenomenal. I'm looping this as we speak. I love Rebecca Shoichet's voice. She hits every note, nice and easy.

That's what most of our meetups are like, usually. This was for people who couldn't make it.

We are all gathered here at Boston College to watch the new episode, and we've decided to livestream it for those who can't make it. Don't expect anything amazing, though. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/boston-bronies I doubt anyone will watch this, but I'm just posting for posterity's sake in case anyone is interested. Feel free to ignore.

Don't see too many Canadians doing meetups, but I recall reading about one in Halifax a while back...

I'll be watching the show with 30+ other people at the local meetup. Some people are even planning on wearing suits and dresses to the occasion.

We believe in "love and tolerance" so much that we can no longer have debates? Is that it? I'm not stipulating that I am objectively right (after all, "overrated" is a very subjective word), but healthy discussions can still spring up.

Go ahead, spam images. It just shows that you have little to contribute to this conversation. And no, I'm not trolling. Just offering a fresh perspective on matters.

Precisely! How many shows have transcended their original purpose as entertainment? Quite a few, but that's only because they became pop culture phenomenons, i.e., The Simpsons, South Park, et al. MLP became a pop culture phenomenon by virtue of being an Internet meme, and hence is overrated because people see as much more than just a cartoon.

Hello, and I am the guy who believes that MLP is overrated. Not to discount your feelings in that post (if you truly feel that way about MLP, that's fine, we all have opinions), but I believe that your strong emotions about the show are clouding your ability to objectively judge the show on its merits alone as a cartoon. This is what I mean by MLP being overrated. People are no longer judging MLP as a cartoon, but rather, as a piece of media which has delivered that much needed bit of salvation to their lives. I once compared the sentimentality of the brony fanbase to that of the excessive piousness of early Christians. Early Christians were very emotionally attached to their religion, and constant persecution from the Romans (including the execution of Jesus) helped reinforce that attachment. The result was that Christianity was able to attract people who felt the great need to be part of something great - and the emotion-laden nature of early Christianity gave Christianity an edge over more pragmatic and less emotionally stirring pagan religions which were the dominant religious forces at the time.

Cadance is Discord in disguise and is trying to use his Jedi mind tricks on the elite that governs Equestria.

I apologize for not responding to everyone's posts concerning my thoughts on the matter. For some reason, this site scrolls slowly on Google Chrome. I am not denying that MLP: FiM is a good cartoon. It is an excellent cartoon, and I appreciate it very heavily. However, the rabid fanbase gives most people the impression that MLP: FiM is a much better show than it actually is. For example, it is rare to see the fanbase criticizing general aspects of the cartoon or even bothering to give MLP: FiM the critical eye it deserves in addition to the praise it also deserves. You see people prancing around the Internet declaring this show as if it were the Book of Revelation come true. At the end of the day, it's a bit of children's entertainment. Bronies overrate the cartoon to the point where MLP: FiM is not simply a children's show - it's a lifestyle to them. For example, how many fangames do you see for Avatar: The Last Airbender? How many fan conventions are there for Downton Abbey? These things barely exist for other franchises, but they exist for MLP, because of highly dedicated fans who believe that the show transcends its original purpose, i.e., a piece of entertainment.

Life as a "brony" isn't hard. Maybe on the Internet it is, but if you are discreet about your interests, no one will try to troll you about it.

Keep track of EQD. They usually post upcoming meetups on the Nightly Roundup. I believe I saw a St. Louis meetup not too long ago.

I believe that a Seattle group does exist... Ever hear of Everfree? It's like BronyCon, but in Washington State. But, if you are not that social to begin with, then that's fine.

What part of the country do you live in? If you live close to a major urban center, there are good chances of a group that meets there.

I've done a few outside of MLP. You get a few weirdos, but that's part of the deal. Most people are generally friendly and are quite social. How were your experiences? In what way were they bad?

At first, I thought it was really weird to meet people who say they are going to gather at x location and y time to discuss MLP via the Internet. Never, ever in any other fandom have I attended in-person meetups with other fans unless it was part of some official convention where the organizing is done by some official body. But, I have attended five local meetups in my area since last October, and I really like them. For example, I particularly like the diversity in the people I meet - yes, most of the people present are between the ages of 15 and 30, but the diversity of backgrounds and occupations is astounding. Yes, we get many high school and college students. But we also get a ton of working adults as well. For example, through these meetups, I've met a trader who works at the equity desk for a big bulge bracket investment bank, a corporate lawyer, a saleswoman who works for a big software company, a guy who works in mortgage securitization (the same sort of activity that helped bring about the financial crisis), a medical resident, a guy who works in R&D at a well-known medical devices company, an IT consultant, and more. If you are hesitant about meeting people through the Internet, don't be. You'd be surprised at who bronies exactly are - even if most of them are relatively young. We are an odd, diverse group of individuals with almost no connection with one another - with the exception of the fact that we all watch and enjoy MLP. And plus, if you are looking for a job and want to network, you will never know who might show up to one of these.

No, not really. In fact, I don't spend as much time reading or watching MLP-related stuff these days... Most of the fan content is crap, and I don't like to waste my time watching/reading crap. I just watch the show, and post on a few fan forums. That's all.

I'm talking about kids who are like eight or younger. They are Hasbro's target demographic, and obviously like the show and the toys equally. They are not bronies, because they are part of the target demographic.

I understand that the MLP fanbase is generally split up into three camps: Children, adults whose primary interest are the toys (i.e., women who have been collecting MLP toys since the 1980s), and adults whose primary interest is MLP: FiM the show (i.e., bronies). I wonder: What do each of these fanbases think of the other? Do kids think it's weird for adults to like a show about pink ponies or collect toys intended for children? Do the toy collectors think that bronies have turned their much-cherished franchise into a silly hipster fad? For example, there are two major MLP conventions in this country: the more recent BroNYCon, geared towards bronies and people who are mainly fans of the recent cartoon, and the MLP Fair, which is geared more towards adult toy collectors who have been collecting since the 1980s. There doesn't appear to be much overlap between these three fanbases, from what I can discern.