Roketsune

I guess I hate the climate in general rather than anything specific about the comments. YouTube, for reasons I do not know, is like 4chan: legendary for its users' pointless aggression and utter lack of intelligence. I remember when Google tried to improve the civility of YouTube by forcing people to use a Google account to make YouTube comments, after mandating everyone to use their RL name in their Google names. Well, we all very quickly saw how that ended.

I don't remember the last time I have referred to anyone by their last name, and the only people who refer to me by mine are receptionists or clerks at businesses who see my full name in their system. Honestly I don't understand why people feel compelled to call unfamiliar people by their last names. It seems rather dehumanizing in a way.

I went to this thread just now and looked at the original post. I was thinking, "What? This site is only that large? Damn, it seemed larger. No, there's more than 500 members. This must be old!" Anyway, I'm certainly grateful for this forum!

There are two main reasons there is negative discussion of people with autism. As with all stereotypes, the autistic stereotype is exaggerated but has some basis in reality. The first cause of the maligning and caution is some autistic people are intransigent and truculent individuals with little social or emotional intelligence. Part of it is them simply not understanding why people are offended, but part of it is them just not giving a damn and proceeding to do what they wish regardless, and don't act with the solution in mind. Unfortunately, I used to be one of those sorts up to my 20's, being highly immature and disagreeable and causing needless aggravation for virtually everyone around me as well as myself. Obviously, many or most autistic people are innocuous and only need some reassurance or space then and again, but some raise Hell. The other main cause is some neurotypicals don't want to expend energy or time understanding those different from them in benign ways and who are struggling, and will instead decry these people for annoying them and everyone around them. "Damn these asspies who want special consideration and coddling. That's so annoying and a buzzkill." is how they react, rather than to kindly lend an ear and see what they can do to make their experience less painful. So, it's rather complicated, and ultimately boils down to people overgeneralizing and not recognizing autistic people are not monolithic.

I can easily see why bronydom would be so appealing to autistic people. Firstly, for reasons I'm not fully aware of, autistic people seem to have a higher resonance with animals in general. Secondly, a subculture based upon anthropomorphic creatures and friendship and tolerance would be a godsend for people who feel marginalized and belittled for various benign quirks. Thirdly, autistic people tend to be non-conformists, and the subculture itself is in direct defiance of societal expectations and norms. So, it seems like a perfect place for many autistic people to venture into, particularly if they don't feel welcome anywhere else. Anyway, haha, I'm autistic as well. I was diagnosed with PDD at 5, and Asperger's at 13. My autism presents me with various intellectual and emotional advantages, while also imposing emotional and social liabilities and deficiencies. I'm highly intelligent and am capable of planning and executing things masterfully, but achieving that requires a great deal of time and energy. That combined with everything requiring a great deal of processing and a low tolerance for stress causes me to be very prone to overexertion and inefficiency. Also, while I have been told I sound very intelligent even when speaking verbally, it just feels awkward and unnatural to speak rather than type or write. I do have a rather high social intelligence, however, and when I come across as an unmitigated asshole it's because that's my intention. *chuckles perversely*

*raises a paw and giggles effeminately* I do! I'm extremely uninhibited about it. I wear skirts, leggings, tights, arm warmers, etc every time I leave the house. I've also casually gone into stores and sought out female clothes when I've needed to, even going so far as explaining to an employee it's for me if I need help. I'm so colorful and different (I even wear a tail and rainbow furry leg warmers) that I'm probably a minor local celebrity now. I very rarely detect negative reactions from anyone.

Hehe, thank you very much for the warm welcome. And, coincidentally, I was just thinking about apple pie and how I'd react if I came upon their business upon awakening just now. I'd probably say, "Uhhh, give me 50. I want to eat apple pie for an entire month straight and 50 should be sufficient for that task!" I love apple pie!

Ahh, yeah, I guess that's an excellent point. I've pondered the idea of adopting a ponysona on and off, but it just didn't seem to feel right. Raccoon has always been my species and I'm sure anthro 'coons would be welcomed in Equestria. If I ever did have a ponysona created, though, no doubt he'd have an orange tail and mane, and some sort of militaristic cutie mark (maybe swords and a map to denote a military strategist). I haven't been a member of the site before 20 February, so I am not aware of the things of which you alluded to. Ahh, I see now! The only other name I had heard of for Rainbow Dash was Rainbow Crash. Rainbow Dash is awesome. I can't help but admire someone who's combative and wants to swiftly resolve everything by force. Also, rainbows are so cool!

Welcome to the herd! I'm new here as well, actually.

*grins and waves a paw to Chaotic* Really? I figured there'd be a significant number of them here, or who at least see it as a secondary subculture. Likewise, we have a fair number of bronies who are within the furry communities. I don't know on average how much crossover/interlapping there is. I also established a presence on Everypony, though I don't know what will come of that as I am not intimately familiar with the climate there. I had to limit the scope of my advance into this subculture without making it overly narrow and myopic, so I went with what seemed to be the two largest. This one falls under the umbrella of a large collection of brony resources and seems to have a different and possibly more appealing forum interface. I'm most looking for a brony community which is not prone to needless exclusion and confrontation. So far so good here! Also, she/he sounds like a Wonderbolts pony or something similar.

*smiles and nods hello with a chirr* Thank you for your response and offer of friendship, Edwardo! So far I've been welcomed pretty nicely, and even had one approach me before I could make this post! Haha, well, that's okay. I'm not sure how I'd react if everyone gave a 3k-character response, anyway! It also took me something like 8-12 hours of pondering on and off before I was satisfied with it and was confident it would serve its purposes without unintentionally or needlessly repelling people. Woohoo, a Fluttershy fan club! I shall peruse that when I get a chance! The one thing I do have in common with her I suppose is I have a greater affinity with animals than people (or, in her case, ponies). And, that's very reassuring to hear. I actually Googled a few pertinent topics and perused the responses, fearful I'd have a significant minority grabbing their weapons in response to my presence. It's difficult to ascertain whether a fear is rational or mere paranoia, and the only way to know for sure is to step forward and be as mature and welcoming as I can be!

*grins and raises his paw in greeting* I'm new to this place myself. I am also a freethinker and love science and reason. And, I would certainly hope bronies as a whole wouldn't be that rude. You'll always have the anti-social or aggressive 1-10% in any place, particularly in online mediums, but I doubt most would condone such obnoxious behavior. Anyway, the RP or artistic parts of the forum (I'm pretty sure there's at least an RP place here) might be the best places to flesh out your OC if you feel more comfortable with a cautious approach.

My Favourite Mane 6 Pony: Fluttershy How did you find MLP Forums?: I performed Google searches of the central brony forum and chat resources. This and Everypony were the two largest. How you became a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Being a furry, anything of an anthropomorphic nature is bound to attract my attention. Of course, a whole subculture was erected around this show and its ideology, so I was especially drawn to this show. I watched some of Seasons 1 and 2 last year, then 3 and 4 more recently. I determined this show and its community were pawesome, so here I am! *grins and waves a paw to everypony as he pads in, marshal's baton clutched within it* I am Roketsune, a femboi strategist of the raccoon species. While it should be obvious I'm a furry, I have also come to conclusion that I not only would meet the basic definition of brony, but the brony subculture might be very instrumental in my campaign to alleviate loneliness while avoiding the sorts of needless and destructive conflict I have dealt with recently trying to achieve the former (local furrydom has been far from kind, I'm sorry to say). Allow me to better introduce myself! I've been appreciative of the show for a while, and I suppose that has increased greatly in the last 6-12 months. The funniest fragments of it I can remember immediately have to do with Fluttershy, as it was just so entertaining to watch her attempt to capture all the animals at the Gala (and Celestia's reaction to the chaos and destruction was even better!), become hyperaggressive by default, and see her friends react with horror when she misexecutes their advice on bargaining in the worst way possible. I think she's my favorite pony despite having comparatively little in common with her. Oh, and, Pinkie Pie momentarily siding with Discord (and Discord himself in general; I also loved Q) was predictable and highly amusing. Speaking of similarities with the Mane Six, I am most similar to three of them: Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. I am desirous of learning and use to the greatest degree possible reason and intellect (to the point of infuriating many people with my stances, since I disregard many taken-for-granted positions as foolish). I am prone to arrogance and aggression, but also very loyal to friends. And, I am very forthright (within certain parameters and limits, of course) and virtuous, and tend to stay fixated on my own affairs and responsibilities. I'm sort of a very blunt, self-driven and self-focused (within reason), aggressive version of Twilight Sparkle, I guess, hahahaha. I do wish I had more time and energy for book reading, though. I envy her ability to seclude in her library and research things constantly. Describing myself very briefly, I'm someone who thinks and speaks strategically and militarily often (which actually caused me to create a second identical version of my fursona, with the marshal/strategist being default), and, of course, has a heightened interest in military history and strategy games. I also love some types of music, particularly anime/J-Pop. I'm very approachable, courteous, pensive, eccentric, and reciprocal (when I can be, anyway). Also, as I am afflicted with autism (though it does offer positive characteristics) and anxiety, I am also ideally situated to lend an ear or give advice on such matters if ever called upon. Finally, as Love and Tolerate is one of the core tenets of bronydom (I'm great at the latter at least), I hope this won't engender much opposition here or elsewhere. I am very sick of the needless and ill-conceived acts of exclusion and aggression I have witnessed or been subjected to lately, and only seek to be at least tolerated while I attempt to better myself and the community. However, while I'm not a clopper, I'm a perverted and opinionated furry (I have excellent situational awareness and know when/where to refrain from expressing something), which means I'm in league with them. I also am not desirous of adopting a ponysona for myself, though I do love ponies and the MLP-type aesthetics (I actually recoiled upon discovering Equestria Girls, as they should forever be ponies)! Well, that's all I can think of without becoming needlessly verbose. This is a brand new realm for me and I have great hopes for bronydom, so thank you for welcoming me to the herd!