Opinion on MLP after discovering the fandom

[Gaines 1,221]

Alt title: Did your opinion on MLP change after discovering/interacting with the community? If so, how? Positively or negatively? 

[Splashee 28,563]

Really depends. I think I joined too late to know exactly what kind of people and friendships were made during the 2012-2014 time.

Nowadays not many are actually actively talking about MLP, so it is hard to say.

[Octavian 5,421]

I joined in 2012 partly because I saw fandom things. After interacting with the fandom I got into even more pony shenanigans and really enjoyed the experience, so I guess the answer is: positively :3

[J.J 923]

Overwhelmed. I became a brony in 2013, and I had NO IDEA, bronies were even a thing, my brother showed me the show on Netflix, presumably this was during the era of his patrol of places like 4chan lol, I became obsessed, I marathoned all 3 existing seasons then watched Equestria girls and I was frothing at the mouth for more, little did I know what I was about to find, countless pages of fan art, all kinds of brony music composers, groups on the internet, fan fictions, I made specific social media accounts just to participate in this fandom activity, I have attended two bronycons, I literally temporarily lost a job just to attend one, but that was later resolved, I used to participate in weekly Skype nights in a My Little Pony group and dated this Pegasister I met from there online for awhile... We used to have Skype nights every Friday night before the new episode and every Saturday night after, it was so much fun having people I could talk about My Little Pony with, I have made and lost so many friends throughout my participation in this fandom and it makes me sad bc there are 4 in specific I really want to reach out to so badly... I'm just going through things and need to reassess myself before even trying to do this... 

I was always kind of a trend setter or had my nerdy interests inherently excused bc of who I am, a lot of people would be phony and disingenuous, that's always a fun way to test people's authenticity, pretend to not like something or make fun of it, then switch up and be like, "oh okay, because really I actually love the thing you are ragging on" then watch them nervously scramble to explain themselves... But nah I've had a few irl friends genuinely think me being a brony was cool, it was just very unexpected from me for a lot of people at the time bc just like myself they had no real clue that MLP was more gender neutral like PPG, a lot of people lump PPG into this "girly things they like" category failing to recognize during it's era it was one of the ONLY full fledged action cartoons on TV during the childrens animation block at the time but that's a different story for a different time...

But for me not only are girly things often cool but sometimes "cringey" things are, it displays to me a level of confidence and authenticity and there are ALL KINDS OF BRONIES, the differing levels of personal taste and rationale always entertained me, I love many bronies and cant stand others, wish the fandom was as active as it once was so the authentic ones that I can vibe with would let their faces be shown once more, I'll always be "proud to be a brony" lol remember hearing that for the first time, I've tried A LOT of new things in my life, lol many times, I always discover something new and get addicted, but nothing has been so consistent or long lived as my love for MLP lol

[Splashee 28,563]

9 hours ago, Splashee said:

Really depends. I think I joined too late to know exactly what kind of people and friendships were made during the 2012-2014 time.

Nowadays not many are actually actively talking about MLP, so it is hard to say.

I responded to the alt. title

 

Better respond to the real title:
Yes, MLP became better after I found the fandom, because the more people liking a thing, the more time I spend trying to figure out way, and I learn a lot while doing just that!

[Cagey 4,248]

I knew about the fandom before anything else, so I wouldn't say it had much of an observable effect on my opinion. If anything, though, it made me like the show more because I knew there was a wealth of fan content and community backing it up. Specific positive and negative experiences in the fandom don't affect my opinion of the show itself.

Oh, also, knowing things about the fandom made a bunch of little moments in the show more special, because they're references to the fandom. 

[cuteycindyhoney 13,307]

As the fandom and the show are two separate and unrelated things, the fandom has never effected how much I love and enjoy the show!

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

The fandom is great and the show is awesome. I still remember watching each episode at the same hour in time when I first discovered it. It is almost a religious experience for me. And to see the actual commitment of the fandom to the point of influencing the show. The passion and the creativity going into fanarts, fanfics and gaming projects. All these awesome ideas being brought to life, is simply amazing. I am awesomed by it.

[Megas 27,622]

If I let the fandom affect my opinion on the show I either would have dropped it two seasons in or not have even bothered 

[Sparklefan1234 170,503]

"Opinion on MLP after discovering the fandom"

Apparently, all of the ponies are "worst pony" depending on who you ask. 

[Clawdeen 14,079]

My opinion on the show is the same regardless. I’m apart of quite a few fandoms with some toxic communities so I try not to let people change my opinion on what I like. Like I’m not going to stop liking yugioh because of bad eggs in the fandom. 
 

Same thing applies here. I’ll continue liking what I like regardless of the fandom.

[MichaelWFX 35]

I found out about the fandom before I started watching MLP:FIM

[EpicEnergy 23,218]

I had mostly positive experiences with other MLP fans when I joined, so I had a good opinion on the brony community. The fandom didn't really change my view of MLP, but it did impact me in a good way. The art made me happy and joyful, the music gave me motivation, fans' opinions showed me different ways to view the characters and other aspects of the show, and I met new friends.

[Skylight Scintillate 2,031]

I basically discovered MLP and it’s fandom simultaneously so I can’t really compare to my opinion of MLP to before I discovered the fandom, but I think that the fandom helps me maintain my interest in MLP because I’m able to talk to others that share this interest. 

[Megalobronia 137]

Frankly, I've been trying really hard to not let the negative side of the fandom get in my head, so I could still enjoy the series. Whether or not it works seems to vary between episodes.

[Megas 27,622]

How i feel about the fandom really shouldn’t affect how i view the show