Quinch

I'm still game, but I'm not sure what the plan is.

11 hours ago, Rainbow Dash said:

Awww yea its Dash's' turn. Well, Twilight wanted me to say something about being loyal to the fandom that's boring so I want to know whats the coolest episode, pony or fandom member you know. ( Hint its ME! ) 

I think I have to go with Roid Rage Bulk Biceps. That guy just seems to be chill with... whatever he decides to be at any given point, by the looks of it, in this world or another. Not necessarily as awesome as some ponies, but the definition of coolness.

8 hours ago, Princess Luna said:

Good evening my subjects. I thank you for celebrating 8 years of magic and my being reunited with my sister. It would please your princess to hear your favorite MLPFIM jokes. 

19 minutes ago, Princess Celestia said:

NohuggingtheQuinch!!

About a month ago, and baked bads.

Do not try to defrost year-old frozen and pureed apples in the fridge over the course of three days.

Nope nope nopety nopenopenope!

Doesn't matter if someone can't emote, you do not pet people without permission. Not to mention that, even if they're not offended now, they wouldn't be once they regained their capacity for full emotion.

12 hours ago, TwilySparky said:

If you would like, post about how you found about MLP and how you found this forum!

Heh. Those are two questions that I suppose can answer with one story.

How I found MLP:FIM? Well....

I first heard of it on Homestuck forums. It was just a thread titled "Who here likes My Little Pony?" or something to that effect. I had no idea there was a new series at the time, and I just assumed it was talking about the much-maligned pony franchise up to that point - a reasonable assumption, I think, given that Homestuck overall has a raging.... affection for irony. So, I just dismissed it as random and generally unimportant.

However, soon after pony content started popping around YouTube - nothing that really dominated my suggestions, or whatever YouTube had back in those days, but enough to be noticeable. I also started seeing positive comments about it here and there, so I decided to pull up an episode - back before pony episodes were automatically blocked - and see what that was all about. The episode in question was Suited For Success.

I let it sit for a few months.

Not that the episode was bad, but it's hard to argue it wasn't one of - if not the - girliest episode of first season and that killed my interest in the show - at first glance, colorful horses arguing about what kind of dress to wear seemed just as shallow as I've heard of My Little Pony in general. But pony videos still popped up here and there, and some of it looked pretty at least, so I watched through them here and there until I clicked on this video.

That got my attention. Unlike other videos, this one managed to showcase, for lack of a better word, intensity, although yes, action certainly didn't hurt either. But it certainly made me rethink the impressions I got from my first foray into the series.

By that point, season one was pretty much wrapped up, so I downloaded the whole series so far. The pilot showed me a whole different world - maybe make that a different cosmology - that made me want to find out more. On the other hand, the positive messages and morals, the overall niceness helped lift me up at a time where I certainly could use some lifting.

By now, it wasn't much of a surprise there was a growing brony fandom on the internet, so I found my way to Ponychan, which I think was one of the most active pony around back then. I wasn't too surprised to find it as welcoming as I was hoping either. It's strange - even though the fandom was tiny compared to what it is even now, it still felt so much bigger in retrospect. So, I hopped into the community, discussing the show and fan theories, roleplaying quite a bit, even writing a fic, something I hadn't done before or since.

Some years passed, eventful in their own way, some fun and some only funny because we can laugh about them now, but blurred by passing time - much like fond memories of school or childhood, happy feelings mixed with a sense of nostalgia. Ponychan was pretty much the only social venue I was a part of, but it eventually started to wane as more and more pony sites began to appear and the users started to diffuse throughout the fandom. Eventually a decision was made to merge the board with another, with the biggest change that there would be a NSFW section of the site, something that I didn't feel I wanted to be associated with - not because there's anything inherently wrong with it, but it's not a part of the fandom I'm comfortable with the world at large seeing. So, much like other communities before in my life, I held on to the fond memories, and moved on without drama or fanfare.

Quite a few others did as well, and someone mentioned MLPForums to me as an alternative in the board's IRC. So, a little bit after, on first of August 2015, I made an account here. I wasn't really active much - I pretty much drifted here and there, looking for a place that would have the same feel as Ponychan, fully aware it was a fool's errand. I didn't feel like there was anything really lacking in my life with an absence of a community to be a part of, at least nothing I couldn't live with, but there is a benefit to a familiar environment. So, little by little, I settled in here, becoming a bit more comfortable around everyone - or at least more conversational - and here we are now.

10 hours ago, Twilight Sparkle said:

Hey Everypony. Thanks for celebrating the 8th anniversary.  I really can't believe it's been that long since I started to learn the magic of friendship. 

I know! You don't look a day older than Season Three!

8 hours ago, Applejack said:

Hey there Sugarcubes. How about we share our favorite episodes over the last eight years? Thank ya kindly for the support along the way. 

Hmmm. I'm still tempted to say Slice of Life, just because how much it turned the fandom on its head... and then back again. It was a beautiful acknowledgment of, well, being appreciated, as a fandom and as a culture.

For something less meta... I'm thinking the Cutie Re-Mark. It touched several story threads - the what-ifs, Twilight's goals, and Starlight's true motivations, which turned out to be... kind of honest? It raised questions that were okay to be left unanswered, and answered questions in a way that was very satisfying.

5 hours ago, Rarity said:

Good afternoon Darlings. Eight whole years already? What is your favorite pony outfits? Do you have clothing you could show off that is MLP in nature? We'd love to see it.  

I sure as heck do not. Not for lack of enjoyment, but a thorough absence of visual expressiveness.

4 hours ago, TwilySparky said:

Is rarity secretly a hipster?

Nope, she's a trendsetter. Kind of an anti-hipster.

2 hours ago, Fluttershy said:

oh umm hi everypony. I was just wondering if it's not too much trouble that is... could you share your favorite MLP pets and critters? 

Well, I'm obligated to say Wynona because dogs dangit.

But do any of them have hidden depths like Gummy?

13 minutes ago, Pinkie Pie said:

Hey, everypony what is your favorite snack to eat with Episode a Day Marathon? Mines cupcakes, or is it pie, oooh oooh I know FROSTING! 

The taste of burning calories.

Or at least it would have been if I stuck with it. I used to watch an eppy a day when I was running - well, walking - on the treadmill, but I didn't end up making a habit of it. Exercising, that is, not the watching. Maybe I can grump myself back into it. It's not like I can go outside.

Ragefast (Baldur's Gate)

Chalk me up for the understanding and redemption crew. Let's be honest, she's miserable right now, and she didn't really seem happy when she was in charge of the hive either - at the very least, not fulfilled. Being the ruler of her hive meant that she never had anyone to question her, and therefore it's unlikely she ever saw a reason to question herself.

Personally, I use the teacup for posts that I don't agree with {whether I disagree or just need to mull it over}, but still think bring up interesting points or otherwise show thought or insight.

That said, I imagine any post interesting enough to provoke a reaction might deserve a reputation bump.

That's kind of an odd quote for me, but I'll take the participation trophy?

2 hours ago, Twiggy said:

My folders are very unorganized. Hard to find something that isn't an obscure/offensive meme. Estonia is a beautiful country. This is their flag.

I see what you did there.

With that, good night.

I noticed that there's quite a bit of difference in activity between different forums on the site. This isn't exactly surprising - after all, some have more general appeal than most, others are focused on material that's a little dated. But I do wonder if it might be worthwhile to feature a forum - random or not - for a duration of the week. Whether it's one about a con, or previous seasons, or other Poniverse sites, it might help encourage activity in parts of the site which might be a bit neglected nowadays.

I'm not sure how to encourage it, though - awards and badges might work, I'm not sure if it would be feasible to give out random art. Assuming, of course, the idea is worthwhile to begin with.

Thoughts?

Of course! Everypony does! From building beautiful sandcastles to running a nation for centuries, everypony can do amazing things. Sometimes it just takes a bit of a nudge to remember that.

And that's what yours truly does. -winks- I help ponies - and not just ponies anymore - remember how wonderful the world is, and how amazing their lives are.

What's the coolest thing about trains?

Mystic, what kind of monsters do you hunt? And also, why?

So, wherefore the name?

Is Phosphorus your favorite element?

What's your favorite Looney Tunes character?

How many things do you think would end up being on fire if Ember ever attended feelings forum?

What do you think is most important about yourself?

First off, wow. I kind of envy you for your travel and experiences.

Let's see, work-related... did you experience hostility during your work? If so, how did you deal with it?

How much sugar do you think there should be in a pancake?

What's your favorite subject?

20 hours ago, Happy Yoshi said:

Coulda fool me. 

I do appreciate it very much. Is there anything else you'd like to know?

Just now, Totally Totally said:

That said, if they canonized the Fausticorn. . .  

...it would be a beautiful homage, assuming they got her permission first of course.

Just now, Goat-kun said:

Inb4 they're nobodies born from some ordinary pony drunks who abandoned them #Subverted#MagicIsFemale#Resist

Well, we've already seen that plot twist.