Creamy Arty

It certainly is like family, in some ways even closer. I extend to you my most heartfelt welcome and well-wishes (though I'm new as well). Hope to see you around; I know I won't be going anywhere.

I've counted four or five Virginian bronies/pegasisters in this thread. To put it mildly, I'm shocked. Until I met one at BronyCon I had come to believe I was the sole brony in this state. I live in Ashland and work in Richmond, near Chesterfield Town Center. Midlothian Turnpike is pretty bad too at times, and Robious is in the evenings. It seems like there's a wreck somewhere in my itenerary every week. Is it always cold there? I passed through Maine twice near the end of July two years ago and both times it was bitterly cold to me. As somebody who is accustomed to sweltering summers in Virginia, a 60 degree morning at that time of the year was a little shocking. Or was that unseasonably cold for you too?

I'm a level 40-something Drizzt Dunmer ranger, who specializes in dual-wielding swords, archery, and stealth. I haven't played in at least five months, mostly because I haven't had the time or inclination to play anything. After a one-week Red Orchestra 2 kick some time ago I stopped gaming almost altogether. Most unfortunate. And he'll tell Alduin, "I used to roast towns like you, then I took a hammer to the face."

I'm an oddity. I make a living as a systems administrator, I have a monster of a PC, but until November of last year I still had dial-up internet. Until last November I lived in the boonies of Virginia where I had no alternative, so it wasn't until the move that multiplayer became an option for me. Still, it wasn't until last month that I really began to get started. The only game I've played online so far is Red Orchestra 2. The people I've played with have been good for the most part. There's usually one guy criticizing everybody and flaming his whole team, but the majority of those guys say nothing at all except for when they apologize for a killing a friendly. It could just be the servers I've played on, I don't know. Thinking of getting into TF2 soon since it's immensely popular and I know there are a ton of bronies who play. When I was a kid, I knew nobody else in school who liked video games, electronics, or anything "nerdy." I was the only one. Not too shocking since I grew up in a very redneck area, but it was discouraging nonetheless. All those years I just wanted somebody to play with and who understood me. Now that all those guys who didn't used to share my hobbies have started playing games, I wish they would stop again.

To my knowledge I've never played with any girls online but I can think of no reason why I would relate to them any differently. They're people too, and as long as they have some decency I'm glad to play with them. I'm sure there are plenty of obnoxious ones who are trying to use their sex to get the other players to cut them a break, but the guys who would fawn over them are just as lowbrow. So no real difference there. That said, there are probably plenty of girls who never speak of their gender, but by stating it on a profile (XBL, PSN, Steam, etc.) they get harassed or indirectly cause a game's chat channel to get spammed with lewd and rude comments. It's unfortunate they can't openly be themselves without risking that. Are there really any guys who still think jokes about going to the kitchen and making sandwiches are still funny, or who think male and female connectors are funny? It worries me that there are men working, shopping, and driving near me who have a sense of humor similar to those of Beavis and Butthead.

Thanks. I heard about this whole situation a month ago and paid little attention. Not a good idea since people are inevitably going to ask me about it or bring me a computer to fix. Any further debate or amendments to SOPA have been postponed indefinitely. In its current state one could say that it's dead, along with several almost identical bills that have been presented since.

The most effective way for a changeling conquest to occur would be to abduct the officials from every city and have changelings take their places. They could then obtain all information they need on the ponies' defensive capabilities and take the cities with minimal effort. Then, with Canterlot isolated and surrounded by the changeling army and all the city officials held hostage, Celestia wouldn't have many options besides an unconditional surrender. But that none of that will happen. Because the love of Cadence and Shining Armor was what defeated Chrysalis and her minions before she'll probably hatch a plan to keep them apart. Probably by delivering a false threat or report that will require Shining Armor to leave Canterlot while Cadence stays behind. She might then take his place as captain or just bring in her army.

Wait. How old is this virus? I heard it's been around for at least a year, which is more than enough time for anybody to have ridden themselves of it if they have any kind of legitimate virus protection. I dare say even McAfee should have been capable of removing it. Linux is my preferred OS anyway, so no worries here.

If you look at my profile I've already stated why I loved this convention (which was also my first). I share the same frustrations as everypony else, but this con remains the greatest two days of my life, as I'm a completely new person because of it. All of you who attended had something to do with it. Thanks. The situation may have been worse than you thought. The drive from Virginia put me at the convention center on Saturday morning around 9:20 AM. Obviously the place was already packed by then. I waited in line for about an hour and a half before going inside to catch a panel (I wasn't about to miss the rest of the events just to buy vouchers). As you mentioned, heat and dehydration were a concern for security. Completely understandable and I support their decision to put safety first. The heat wasn't a problem for me because of where I'm from - I could have stood out there all day even if it was 20 degrees hotter and much more humid, and I have at some jobs I've held in the past - but I saw some New York and New Jersey folks looking ragged. My understanding is that their printer broke and that held up the line for an additional hour, so they may need to acquire some new, more reliable equipment for next year if they aren't going to do online voucher sales. Sunday morning I got there at 4:00. Second in line for vouchers. Five hours later when the doors were about to be opened, a large crowd had amassed directly out front to go charging in. One of the staff guys came out and told those of us at the front that they weren't using that serpentine line for vouchers that day. They would be opening the doors and letting a line form however it did, with no real plan. The "autograph door" that was used Saturday remained locked. Being in front I muscled my way in the main doors with the rest of the crowd and got my vouchers within minutes, but the people who stood in that line outside for hours on Sunday did so for nothing. Maybe something changed later on and they got more organized, but when I walked by there a few times I saw the con store table mostly vacant and a massive line outside just hanging out, seemingly oblivious. Please do this.

I wish I had pony dreams. So far I've only had one and my recollection is fuzzy. All I remember is being at Twilight's place, Spike and Rainbow were there, and suddenly I was somewhere else. One of them may have said something but I can't remember what it was.

This is my rig at work. I actually have two monitors but have removed one from the shot because both are identical. As you can see, I like to keep a clean desktop. This is Mint 11 using Gnome 2, the same thing my laptop uses at the moment. And this is my computer at home. After what happened to Gnome with version 3 I started trying other DEs, eventually settling on KDE. My laptop will probably start using a tiling window manager at some point in the near future. Makes exclusive use of the keyboard much easier.

This isn't something I've given much thought. Brynhildr is certainly my favorite name for a girl though. Can't believe none of you have mentioned that one yet.

An '06 Impala with a coolant leak. I replaced the radiator three months after I bought it, and now it needs another. Aside from that, it's been a great car. Carried me to BronyCon this year on half of a tank of gas from Ashland, VA. Not bad, I'd say.

Howdy. I'm also an aimless newcomer. We're both sure to have a grand adventure!

Somebody brought it up on another forum and I never resisted. Some people reluctantly gave it a try, others started flaming for no reason. I'm not one to bash something I've never tried before. The intro was almost enough to get me hooked; nothing like what I was expecting. Most bronies seem to be in agreement that newcomers shouldn't start with the first two episodes - I agree - but that's where I started. When Spike and Twilight finished their first conversation I had the feeling that all of the characters were going to be quite endearing. Spotting Derpy's... derped face... in the party and Spike wearing the lampshade gave me an idea for what to expect in the humor department throughout the series. The conclusion of episode 2 obviated the moral underpinnings of show. The animation is fantastic and the voice acting is beyond believable. After getting through episodes 3 and 4, I concluded that there was nothing about the show I didn't like. What shocked me the most were bronies. I was a brony before I even learned that term. When I finally started running into them across the internet, I was amazed at how many decent people there are out there, and how many people's lives have been changed for the better because of all this. Because one man casually asked me to watch an episode of a cartoon who's name is associated with toddlers, little girls, poor writing, and an over-emphasis on marketing rather than worthwhile content, my life has been completely transformed for the better. Didn't see that one coming.