What did you think of bronies the first time you were exposed to them?

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

My first exposure to them was rather positive. A member of another forum I was on at the time (2011) made a thread asking people to check out the show. He was nice and sensible about it, causing me no misgivings. Most bronies I've met have left as good an impression he did, except for some of the younger ones in the throws of teenage angst and a few who seem like they're only around to cause trouble (trolls, more or less). Aside from those, which you'll encounter anywhere, my initial impressions and early interactions with the fandom were enjoyable.

[Wicked Funky 2,955]

 

I really really couldn't care less I had no opinions and almost never even thought of them

 

Then i found out two of my friends were pagasisters, and they wanted me to watch the show to I did, And you probably know the rest

Edited May 17, 2015 by Lemon Stripe

[Mane Quest 104]

I thought that it was a bit weird really, in fact I remember the day I got hooked on ponies, my sister was temporarily back from university with her boyfriend, he put My Little Pony on he had been joking about ponies for a short while beforehand, when he put it on and left it on I said and I quote "What are you some kind of Brony or something?" and laughed at him, he mixed up Bronies and Cloppers though and replied by saying that he isn't a Brony because he doesn't find the ponies sexually attractive what a derp eh... anyway I then watched the show and was hooked my opinion of Bronies changed!

[Kivil 1,721]

Well, I never really judged them hard because I didn't know them much.... But at the time I thought the show was for little girls, but then I watched it myself and the documentary and I was then like. "These people and ponies are the best thing that has happened to me!" I now love the guys!

[Jackie Snack 1,498]

...Um, seeing bronies on the internet for the first time wasn't too bad. I thought the name was stupid as hell, but they were nice of people. Then I met more of them. Then I found out I worked with some. Let's just say that I don't call myself a brony because of these people.

 

Not that everyone is like this. Just that 3/4 of the bronies I've met (internet and RL) are not good people and NOT for obvious reasons.

[Tapfire 92]

I thought two things:

 

1. Damn, these guys are really weird. Not sure if it's in a good or a bad way yet.

2. I'll never be one.

 

I'm only right in one of those things.

[Cosmik Vek 764]

At first I thought that bronies were realy weird for liking it and I tought about all sorts of stereotypes about them.

At first I was not exposed at much fan stuff, so I thought it was a really weird sub-culture, then when I saw the show, the stereotypes were broked and my visions on brony was suddenly very much different.

[CC_Maud_Pie 6,431]

I was surprised that they were mostly guys who liked MLP:FiM. When I saw pony pictures on the internet, I thought fangirls that were comparable to Directioners and Twihards were behind them.

[Dark Qiviut 22,444]

I thought bronies were an unbearable lot when I was first introduced to the fandom four years ago, and I still think they're unbearable to this very day.

Wrong. Bronies, as a collective, aren't overbearing whatsoever. They simply like the show. They like the show then; they like it now.

 

That leads me to answering this question; I had no issues with bronies whatsoever, even back when I was a non-brony. It didn't matter if they liked any level of MLP, Barbie, or whatever. They were just fans who loved the product, and I'm damn glad to be a part of the community.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[Envy 6,182]

I - still having some (foolish) faith left, I guess - actually was pretty enthusiastic. Guys being secure enough in themselves to enjoy something for girls? I could not believe my eyes. Lol.

 

But then again, I didn't really believe my eyes. I really thought it was all a big meme, because everything related to it really did seem like some big internet joke. For example, meme images everywhere, members on other forums changing their usernames to characters... So I had a hard time believing that it all wasn't just a joke at the time.

 

So yes, meme misconception aside, I thought pretty positively of Bronies at first. I even defended them... Including on my personal blog in between my IRL best friends. I now can no longer believe I ever did that, because everything I defended them for at the time was gradually flipped upside down. Although I will always defend the right of men of any age to enjoy the cartoon, of course!

Edited May 17, 2015 by Envy

[Tom Snyder 4,112]

I didn't know what to think tbh, i was confused. I wondered how guys could love this show, and kept pushing my curiosity aside for fear of being called one. But i never believed they were bad, just misunderstood. But after i joined and read a few fics, i started to see the big picture; but then came the clopfics onto fimfiction who was opposed to anything NSFW, they changed the rules after that and now its flooded with them. 

[Skye 463]

I was pretty neutral on it. I was basically thinking "Oh...okay." Y'know, people can like whatever they want.

[Guest]

That why in the heck were guys my age watching this all of the sudden ... I thought it was the strangest/creepiest thing I have ever heard in my life. That was then and now I see it was just a great cartoon.

 

 

[Kylo Ren 58]

Wrong. Bronies, as a collective, aren't overbearing whatsoever. They simply like the show. They like the show then; they like it now.

 

Quite the contrary. Around 90% of my fandom experience has been negative. Do not come and tell me that my subjective experience is in any way wrong.

[Xenomorphic 362]

Me Before I became one: Pedophiles!

[Dark Qiviut 22,444]

Quite the contrary. Around 90% of my fandom experience has been negative.

Then you never looked hard enough. Over the years, this fandom has built a landmark both online and off via a lot of fantastic work over the years. Great art, great charity work, and the fact that this fandom never relented its sense of community despite its vast size (e.g., helping fund the staffers on short notice after the Unicon disaster, donating to Michael Morones's family to help pay for his medical expenses) are just a few examples. Now that we're in the middle of what's a very successful season five, it's only going to get bigger.

 

Do not come and tell me that my subjective experience is in any way wrong.

I will: It's wrong for anyone to blanket the fandom as unbearable. No matter what happens on either side, it doesn't change the fact how the fandom, despite its drama and overall grievances, is full of millions and millions of fantastic, passionate people.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[Kylo Ren 58]

Then you never looked hard enough. 

What would you know? Have you perhaps been spying on my in-fandom activities over the course of these four years? If so, you must know me better than I know myself. 

 

Your experience has been positive. That's fantastic. i'm hoping you will continue to find the fandom as worthwhile and fruitful in the future.

 

Good luck to you, sir.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Kylo Ren

[Dark Qiviut 22,444]

What would you know? Have you perhaps been spying on my in-fandom activities over the course of these four years? If so, you must know me better than I know myself. 

 

Your experience has been positive. That's fantastic. i'm hoping you will continue to find the fandom as worthwhile and fruitful in the future.

 

Good luck to you, sir.

Whether my experience with this fandom is positive or negative doesn't matter. I've had my share of having headaches from brony fandom drama before and confronting the BS head on. (Lord knows how bad it was during the 2013 offseason.) I'd still say the same thing even if my experience is indeed negative, because I know despite it, the majority of product fandoms are almost always full of great people. Bronies are no exception.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[Kylo Ren 58]

Bronies are no exception.

 

Doubtless. 

 

Good luck to you, sir.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Kylo Ren

[Mjctechguy 193]

I just though its like any other fandom and accepted it 

[Axel 1,059]

I'll be honest I legit thought it was weird as fuq..... but I'm a nerd so I eventually gave in and watched an episode. 

[rarity1 461]

First I didn't know what to think of bronies.  A few years later when I started to watch the show, I thought of them as nice people.  Now that I'm here, at least many of them are.  Sometimes I wonder if it was best if I didn't join the fandom in the first place.

[RarityFan01 2,444]

I was a "brony" before most people. Though FiM didn't exist when I first watched My Little Pony. Though when I first heard of FiM and bronies who like that, I didn't care. I don't care about gender roles. Then I started seeing ponies everywhere and became a brony, but that's not the point of all this. So what I thought of them was... I didn't really care at first. It was a bit of a surprise to see the different character designs, but I didn't care. 

[Jackie Snack 1,498]

I do recognize the good that the fandom has done (as well as the bad), but I can't forget how it was being a fan before this gen was around. It was always so calm and friendly.

 

I will say, there is much more art to appreciate this time around.

[WhiteGuardian 168]

Honestly I thought bronies were pretty dang weird. But that was mostly because my sister came home one day talking about this really creepy kid at school who creeped on her hard core and was a brony with a lunchbox and drawings and everything. It also didn't help that I didn't know anything about Friendship Is Magic. So I guess I kind of judged all bronies off of one creepy guy. :$