TheEngineer

Hey NS, doing pretty well myself. I do have to say that I'm worried for you though because your avatar could get you banned pretty quickly. I'm not insulting your views on nationality, but you might want to change it to something slightly less offensive before things get out of hand. Just a bit of friendly advice from a fellow brony!

I'm going to have to give the Gone Airborne a 11/10 for being awesome with the extra point for including a lightning bolt.

There is one show and one game I have to mention here: The game: Silent Hill 2 Boy, when I watched the ending of this game, I really could not help but cry; though it isn't necessarily bad. This game is truly a masterpiece of art and an emotional roller-coaster rolled into one without being over-dramatic at all. Loved it! The show: My Little Pony Honestly, I cried because of how happy I was watching it at times; I'm normally a pretty serious guy who can have problems with depression!

You are getting an MLP tattoo next to a hammer and sickle one? That's awesome! Which characters does it have on it? Sorry, just curious!

I hope this helps, but I would suggest the following outline just as a way to begin. 1. Background about Bronies in general, who they are, what is common to all of them 2. How the MLP became popular among the adult male audience, as the audience grows how did traditional gender norms (in other words, that men like blue, girls like pink, etc) get challenged? What is the significance of this? 3. What issues do bronies face? What is being done by fans now to deal with criticism or negative social reaction? 4. What can be done in the future to overturn tradition gender norms and stereotypes so that groups like bronies won't be looked down upon? What do you think?

I know that if I ever see you on the street, I'll know who to stay away from!

I'm glad to hear you are a history professor, I'm aspiring to become one myself! Also, it's interesting to see an originally Russian brony here from a place where gender norms about masculinity and femininity can be strict. Welcome to the herd!

I'm Alex, but my friends have come up with a variety of, how to say this nicely, colorful nicknames for me. These include cupcake, swedish meatball, and, when they feel like mocking me, "that guy who likes ponies".

Sure, it's just that I care a lot about ya. You were one of the most awesome people who befriended me here and I'm not trying to insult your religion or anything. Just going to miss you, seriously.

No offense, and I hope you find the path to peace for yourself in all sincerity and compassion, but I'm concerned about you. I don't expect you to respond to this, but look at your situation from an outsider's point of view. What would you think if you were the one looking in on your religion? Ponder that question seriously. Listen, I'm just really concerned. This seems like something that might make you a little too religious afterwards. I can certainly understand a 1-2 week mission trip; but two years? Obviously there is a purpose in this, which is to cement your loyalty, which, remember, you and you alone determine, to the church.

Well, aside from warning you against posting anyone on 4chan whatsoever, are you asking about how to make a video in general?

I've seen quite a few horrible movies, but let's just say that the worst one by far is so terrible that it is "tearing me apart!", I'm sure plenty of you know what I mean.

Right, and I'm not saying that it has to be a moment; but I've heard from a lot of people before who have experienced that sort of thing. The reason I put this up is because it is common, but you are right: most of the time personal change comes slowly and is complex. There were, of course, prior stages to my own story. What I'm really trying to do here is get a better glimpse of the human condition by asking for the personal experiences of others.

Whether it be the realization of a fundamental truth about the universe, the light of a savior, the loss of one's ego, or an overwhelming and invigorating freedom, many people experience a moment (or perhaps moments) in their lives which completely revolutionizes their perceptions and their mindset. Some call it enlightenment, others salvation, and yet others (including myself) a different kind of personal breakthrough. It occurs in many different cultures and, for each individual, tends to be different. I want to hear your story, what changed your life? What was the turning point, feeling, or realization that transformed who you are or how you think? Note: This is not a thread for argument. No matter what you believe, I'm interested in hearing your personal story. We are here to share, not to debate. With that being said, I'll go ahead and share my experience. My story begins in the summer of 2008, sitting in contemplation in my bathtub at 18 years old. I had been challenged, the previous day by a few non-believers, to think about my religion (Christianity) from the perspective of an outsider. In other words, how would someone who knew nothing about my faith think about it after hearing it for the first time? At the time, and before, I was an extremely serious guy who thought deeply about life and was, to some degree, still a fundamentalist who believed my life mission was to serve God. Ridding myself, as best I could, of my teachings and repeating them to myself while pretending to be someone new to the Western world, I began from Genesis: "So, a talking snake told a man and a woman to eat a fruit which gives them more awareness...". Mid-sentence a strange thing happened, I burst out laughing and I couldn't stop. As I thought further about what I had just stated and the rest of my beliefs, I continued to crack up uncontrollably. In that moment, I realized that 1) I had just become an atheist and 2) I did not have to be scared of God. By laughing at the Bible and God, I realized that I didn't need to be frightened of them and began criticizing my pervious beliefs. Moments later, however, I also realized the implications, socially, of my decision. Life would never be the same. Who could I tell? Would my deeply religious family and friends understand? What about my church community? In a waterfall of nauseatingly extreme emotions, I was drowned in tears, overcome with happiness at my freedom, and enraged at my past indoctrination. Before I set foot outside of that bathroom, I had decided to venture into the vast world of free-thought and never look back, leaving behind the things of my childhood; no matter the cost.

Not meaning to offend anyone here, though I know this probably will. But does this thread make anyone else think of this particular scene?