An unstable wolf returning to ponyland

[Mingan Muon 16]

My Favourite Mane 6 Pony: Applejack

How did you find MLP Forums?: By means of a DNS search for mlpforums.com

How you became a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Why do so many people on (insert random slice of internet here) have cartoon ponies as avatars? Let me find out!

So I'm Mingan Muon. Mingan means wolf in a Native American language, and a muon is an unstable subatomic particle, hence the "Unstable Wolf" of the topic. Ready for a wall of text?

 

About 2 years ago I entered ponyland via the Babs Seed episode. I remember thinking that MLP was based on the CMC after the episode, because the Mane 6 only appeared for a short supporting role. The show was "eh" to me, and still is to some extent, but the creative works of the fandom made up for the "eh"-ness of my impressions of the show. Fimfiction (bats, bookplayer, A Bluebird's Song, and many many more) and the beauty of pony art was what kept me in ponyland. Well-written pony fiction captures the essence of Equestria in a way I don't think the show can ever do in its cartoon format, and pony art takes the simple and wonderful artwork of the show and turns it into something more immersive. While the actual show is vastly better than most TV shows out there, and I did appreciate the expertly done animations and environment design, I prefer to create Equestria in my mind via fiction rather than in my eyes via pixels on a screen. But I digress, as this is supposed to be an introduction and not a discussion of the show.

 

I read millions of words of fanfic and watched the first five seasons of the show before walking away from the fandom. After the mid-5th-season break I lost interest in the show, and so just slowly drifted away from active consumption of pony.

 

A few days ago, I stumbled upon my folder of pony episodes while salvaging a broken drive and was filled with nostalgia for the bygone days of immersion in Equestria via wonderful fiction. Granted, I had read fiction from To Kill a Mockingbird to Harry Potter since my losing of interest in pony, but Equestria is still one of the best universes to which I've had the pleasure to transport myself.

 

I'm not a usual brony, and I would not identify myself as such. I would rather say I love the universe of Equestria, as laid out in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and as has been taken to new levels of awsomeness via fiction. So actually creating an account here, at a brony website, after 8+ months away from the fandom and 6+ away from the world of Equestria, is not in line with what I might expect given my history.

 

But I don't come here for the bronyness; if I wanted that, there's EqD or many meetups or conventions. I don't come here for fiction; there's fimfiction for fimfiction. I instead came here because of the community. For the last few months, I've been searching for a community that isn't focused on one interest (a tennis forum, for instance) and isn't "impersonal" like reddit or stackexchange is. Granted, people can know you in reddit or stackexchange and friendships can be formed, but it's more anonymous. From lurking around this afternoon, looking at threads and people's profiles, mlpforums seems more than a brony forum. Sure, it's catering to those people, but it seems more inclusive of other interests (General Discussion). It also seems like a friendly place, judging from profiles. It seems like people make friendships in the depth that I would call a friendship. On the other hand, it seems like people have more randomness (I was going to call it lack of intellectual depth, but I won't say that) here than in other interest-focused forums. "What did you have for breakfast" type posts...whatever.

 

So I come for the community. I'll most likely filter out the worthless parts of the community and keep the good parts, but I'll still be part of the community. It seems like a good atmosphere here at the forums, and the forums being about MLP makes the atmosphere 20% cooler.

 

I haven't been up to date with happenings here. I haven't watched season six and I don't remember the details of pony lore. But I do remember the wonderful atmosphere, as that is what brought me here the first time and then the present time. It is a gamble to incorporate myself into the community now, as I don't know if I will stay in ponyland or if I will drift away again. Even if I stay in Equestria in some intensity or another, I may not stay here if this community doesn't fit me. But damn, I hope it will after writing a 3.432 thousand character exposition on my ponified life!

 

TL;DR: read it, lazy pony.

 

Did I set the record on most detailed introduction?

 

Mingan Muon

[Surprise 1,003]

We;come Mingan. I'm not a brony (not classify as one on my own) as well but I hope you have a fun time on this forums

[Guest]

Hello and welcome to the forums! Your introduction sure was an interesting read, as introductory wall of texts tend to be. I hope you enjoy your time here! 

[loorean 11]

hello there kinda great to be here..

[Kenshiro 13,492]

WELCOME TO FORUMS!!!

 

 

Hello there my friend. Its nice to meet you. We are very happy to see you in the forums. I am sure you ll love here and there are lots of pony friends impatiently waiting to meet with you. If you wish to ask anything, you can always send PM. See you around     '''

[Stardust* 3,302]

*GASP!* 'yay'

 

Welcome! We are so very glad you are here!      

 

Now.. to dance!

 

[Prospekt 11,001]

Welcome to the forums! I hope you enjoy your time here!

[Envy 6,104]

Oooh... Do you play the horn? If so, welcome fellow wind instrumentalist! I have a horn... but I found it at a vintage shop for real cheap, and sadly, by local instrument repairpeople it was deemed unworthy of the expense of getting it fixed. I was sad, but I prefer playing woodwinds, anyway.

 

I'm not a 'Brony', either. I joined this community long before it was a mandatory title like some people around here like to try to make it. =/ I got into FiM and MLP around the same time as Bronies, but I got interested in it for entirely different reasons.

[Mingan Muon 16]

Oooh... Do you play the horn? If so, welcome fellow wind instrumentalist! I have a horn... but I found it at a vintage shop for real cheap, and sadly, by local instrument repairpeople it was deemed unworthy of the expense of getting it fixed. I was sad, but I prefer playing woodwinds, anyway.

 

I'm not a 'Brony', either. I joined this community long before it was a mandatory title like some people around here like to try to make it. =/ I got into FiM and MLP around the same time as Bronies, but I got interested in it for entirely different reasons.

Yes, I play the horn (finally someone says horn instead of "french horn"...). I used to play the trumpet, but converted to the horn. Horn is truly the best instrument ever created. The basic design of the horn has not changed for a century or two, since the introduction of valves, while other brass instruments (trumpet, euphonium, etc.) are either new to the scene or have changed a lot in the last centuries. That attests to its perfection.  

 

A bad horn is bad to play. While it may seem obvious, it's more true for horn than other instruments. Pitch centering is hard on a dented horn and bad horns are typically chronically flat or sharp on several notes. Also, (sharp) articulation is hard to become good at on a bad horn, for reasons that I don't know the physics behind. If you had trouble on a bad horn, don't let that drive you away from the horn.

 

I played the clarinet casually for awhile (a year, with about 1-2 hr. of practicing per week). I didn't really get into it, and stuck to brass for most of my musical enterprises.

 

(I'm a bit crazy about music, if that isn't obvious)

[Envy 6,104]

Yes, I play the horn (finally someone says horn instead of "french horn"...).

Oh, yes. Glad I made that decision. I have a friend that harps on that. I still don't know what the big deal is to be honest. Yes, it's not French, but the English horn also isn't English. There are multiple instruments with 'horn' in their name... Calling it 'horn' makes me feel weird.

 

I used to play the trumpet, but converted to the horn.

I started on trumpet, too. I, however, was converted to bassoon, and then earlier this year, the oboe.

 

Horn is truly the best instrument ever created.

Oh, no, dear. That title belongs to the English horn. =P

 

The basic design of the horn has not changed for a century or two, since the introduction of valves, while other brass instruments (trumpet, euphonium, etc.) are either new to the scene or have changed a lot in the last centuries. That attests to its perfection.

Oh, you want to talk wind instrument history? That's like one of my top interests!

 

I think you're forgetting one rather major brass instrument that has hardly changed since the Renaissance era - the trombone! In those times called a sackbut, the instrument has not seen many changes since (I said 'many', there still have been some). It's rather remarkable.

 

I'm going back to school for musicology! I'm so excited to make this my field of study (kind of... Obviously musicology is more general, but still.)

 

Nevertheless, I have a history book on brass instruments sitting in the need to officially start list. I'm afraid it got pushed aside by other necessities. The book also didn't start very exciting. >.<

 

A bad horn is bad to play. While it may seem obvious, it's more true for horn than other instruments. Pitch centering is hard on a dented horn and bad horns are typically chronically flat or sharp on several notes. Also, (sharp) articulation is hard to become good at on a bad horn, for reasons that I don't know the physics behind. If you had trouble on a bad horn, don't let that drive you away from the horn.

I know, those instruments are weird. A decade ago, I totally wanted to play the horn alongside the bassoon, saxophone and oboe. I truly was crazy, wanting to play the three hardest wind instruments!

 

After sitting behind horn doublers, I decided maybe horn wasn't for me. =P

 

I played the clarinet casually for awhile (a year, with about 1-2 hr. of practicing per week). I didn't really get into it, and stuck to brass for most of my musical enterprises.

Clarinet never did anything for me either, actually. The saxophone was the first woodwind that stuck out to me from actually playing it. Then there's bassoon, and oboe. Such fun instruments! ...Some of the time. =P

[Slendy 2,918]

Welcome to the site, stranger.

 

I'll admit, I classify myself as a brony still, but I don't know why. Sure, I still enjoy the show from time to time, but I never watch the new ones unless they happen to be rerun a few months after their air on the tv, I don't go to cons and probably never will, I don't own any pony merchandise, etc.

 

I'm mostly here for the community myself. I've met some cool people on here and I barely even speak of ponies with anyone here.

 

Most I get out of the fandom is the artwork of the characters, fanfiction, etc.

 

Hope you enjoy it here, none the less.

[Mingan Muon 16]

Oh, you want to talk wind instrument history? That's like one of my top interests!

 

I think you're forgetting one rather major brass instrument that has hardly changed since the Renaissance era - the trombone! In those times called a sackbut, the instrument has not seen many changes since (I said 'many', there still have been some). It's rather remarkable.

Richard Strauss once said, "Never look at the trombones, it only encourages them".

I'm just following his advice and not even mentioning them.

 

In regards to the french horn vs. horn issue, I'll direct you to wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_(instrument).Take a look and you'll see that "horn" refers to many instruments, from natural horns to french horns to german horns. The alto horn, which looks like the baritone horn, is also technically a horn. Basically a conical bore defines a horn. A modern double Bb/F horn is called a "french horn" informally but is technically a variant of the german horn. What are commonly called "french horns" are not french horns in reality. An English horn (cor anglais) is not a horn.

[Envy 6,104]

Richard Strauss once said, "Never look at the trombones, it only encourages them".

I'm just following his advice and not even mentioning them.

LOL. Don't be hatin' trombones are pretty cool!

 

In regards to the french horn vs. horn issue, I'll direct you to wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_(instrument).Take a look and you'll see that "horn" refers to many instruments, from natural horns to french horns to german horns. The alto horn, which looks like the baritone horn, is also technically a horn. Basically a conical bore defines a horn. A modern double Bb/F horn is called a "french horn" informally but is technically a variant of the german horn. What are commonly called "french horns" are not french horns in reality. An English horn (cor anglais) is not a horn.

You aren't really telling me anything I do not know, I just don't care for how we're supposed to call the 'french horn' just a plain horn. It's just kind of a generic term, and I don't think an instrument as complicated as the 'french horn' should be called something so simple. =P

 

My dad calls them all horns. He called my trumpet a horn. He called my bassoon a horn, and he surely thinks my oboe is a horn, too. It's a very generic wind instrument term at this point.

 

The "English Horn" has such an interesting name history, though! I remember reading when I was studying for a paper that the origin of the name of the English horn might have to do with a corruption of the world "Angel" (the name England originates from Anglo + Land, I believe the location Anglo was also based off the word angel itself? Probably, but I only know for a fact the origin of the name England)... So originally it was referred to as the Angel's horn. You can't beat that! =P

[Mingan Muon 16]

LOL. Don't be hatin' trombones are pretty cool!

 

You aren't really telling me anything I do not know, I just don't care for how we're supposed to call the 'french horn' just a plain horn. It's just kind of a generic term, and I don't think an instrument as complicated as the 'french horn' should be called something so simple. =P

 

My dad calls them all horns. He called my trumpet a horn. He called my bassoon a horn, and he surely thinks my oboe is a horn, too. It's a very generic wind instrument term at this point.

 

The "English Horn" has such an interesting name history, though! I remember reading when I was studying for a paper that the origin of the name of the English horn might have to do with a corruption of the world "Angel" (the name England originates from Anglo + Land, I believe the location Anglo was also based off the word angel itself? Probably, but I only know for a fact the origin of the name England)... So originally it was referred to as the Angel's horn. You can't beat that! =P

My dad plays trombone, and always harps on the awsomeness of the trombone section. To be honest though, they are pretty cool.

 

On reread, I phrased my (french) horn explanation in a way that can easily be interpreted as assuming that you are ignorant. Sorry for any misunderstanding. And yes, horn is typically a generic term, so I use "french horn" whenever there might be confusion.

 

Etymology is so interesting.