Feeling Nostalgic for my Early Fandom Days

[LongGoneGr 1,304]

So I've been a fan for two or three years now, and back when I first started watching the show, I was absolutely beyond obsessed with it. The characters, the animation, the stories - I loved it so much, and I loved the fandom just as much. Between awesome music tracks like "Discord" and "Join the Herd," awesome fan games like Fighting is Magic and My Little Investigations,, and amazing animations, I fell in love with what the fandom could do. I even met tons of wonderful new friends who accepted me for me, and a wonderful girlfriend (though it ended awhile back, it was on good terms and we are still the best of friends.) 

Unfortunately, I fell into a crowd that maybe it would have been better to avoid. Sure, I met lifelong friends there, but I discovered a side of the fandom darker than I had before seen. People who treat their fellow fans like garbage, use filthy names, act like they are the high-and-mighty, and slander another pony's name for their own personal gain... it was a dark time for me. An abusive relationship brought about in this crowd, slander of my name - I wanted to leave and be done with this place. 

But eventually, all that needless drama finally calmed down, and I attended my biggest convention ever, with my first time ever leaving the Tri-State Area: BronyCon 2016. I had an amazing time, met some of my friends from the internet, and it reignited my love of the fandom. But then...

...more drama struck over silly issues, with the same people, and it continues to haunt me sometimes. But with BronyCon 2017 on the way, with me attending once again this year and even more of my dearest friends going as well, I've been searching for why I stick around. The friends are a big part, as is the show - but my love of the show isn't quite as strong as it used to be (though it is still very strong.) On my Youtube Channel I branched out to become more than just a pony creator and discovered new cartoons I love like Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, The Loud House, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. I would have never tried them if not for MLP.  But regardless, I still question why I would remain in a toxic community - but then, I watched a video tonight from WatchPony.com - and hearing one of my favorite fan pieces, Twilight Sparkle's theme from Fighting is Magic, brought about a wave of nostalgia from my early days, and I remembered all the great things about this fandom -  all the friends I've made, the show I love, the people I've met, the conventions I've gone to - meeting Tabitha St. Germaine and Andrea Libman, and Michelle Creber, and I realized....

...the community isn't so toxic after all. Just a certain subsect of it. While I've tried to avoid it, some conflict is inevitable. And that's ok. It's here where I've made so many memories which I think fondly of. And as I look at my collection of pony merch above my TV, I can only think of one thing...

 

"I'm Proud to be a Brony."