Are you really 100% brony? Ex-brony

[~Lawful Sturdy Wing~ 522]

I dislike most music to begin with. The only point of me actually saying so (because it's pretty irrelevant if I dislike most music, anyway) is because it's another "big" part of the fandom that I don't like, so I cannot enjoy being a brony as much as one who enjoys the myoosikz.

 

The "constant techno remixes" would be most appealing to me, but they're absolute garbage. 

 

Well not ALL of them, that is, once again, a pretty broad and general statement. I still rather enjoy much of Tombstone's work. Though your posts lead me to ask, what was it that drew you to the fandom in the first place? Do you still enjoy the show?

[Shiki 5,855]

 

I still rather enjoy much of Tombstone's work.

I hate his, in particular. My opinion is different than yours. Woot.

 

 

what was it that drew you to the fandom in the first place?

Nothing. I joined this site. That's the only thing I do to partake in the "fandom".

 

 

Do you still enjoy the show?

No. It's so brony catering that it hurts. There's too much action, now, for my tastes. I was only a very light fan of the show to begin with. It was only something I would watch in between anime series. 

[Princes Cadance 345]

I'm probably like 60%

I've found myself drifting away from the show recently but I still have pride in the little part of me that's still a Brony.

[Winterbass 763]

Well, ever since I've been a brony I always felt really enthusiastic about the show but that has been going down since last year. I don't know why but something doesn't feel right anymore. I remember when I was always excited to meet new bronies over the internet, especially during a game, it was like a small group of people, I felt really connected to them since back in the day we were one of the only ones that actually knew about the show. That was around the start of season 1 by the way.  It was like some kind of secret club that was just starting to evolve into something even more beautiful.

 

Back then we didn't have guys like ArtAttack, Tombstone and H8_Seed, there were just a few random artists that made some funny PMVs, YTPoops and mediocre electronic music, but it didn't matter, it was still this small band of people and everything just felt right. Artists weren't in abundance back then too, we knew just a few people, mostly anonymous drawers on 4chan, hahaha, good times. Fanfiction writers were amazing, I remember reading fanfics like Cupcakes, Priority Mail and MLD for the first time, oh the wonderful reactions everyone had back then. And that was only a year and a half back. Don't get me started on the older material.

 

So I don't really know if it's either nostalgia, loss of interest or something else, but I just don't feel that connected to the show and its fandom anymore. I still do participate in the fandom though, hoping I will once again get a spark of interest but until now, nothing yet. I think it's the fact that the fandom lost its anonymity and thus it's "secret club" feeling that made me lose interest. Everything has been done already and numerous times over at that. 

 

Oh and we have too many of those fools who joined the fandom because of the hype half a year ago and are kinda ruining the whole fandom for me due to their partyboy-esque behaviour.

[Pixel Stick 927]

>Suggesting you aren't being negative.

>Suggesting you're better than me because you roleplay.

 

Bro, I roleplay as well. It doesn't you, or me, better than anyone else. Don't try to extend your ego over this. As I stated, this a thread for ex-bronies to discuss why we aren't apart of the show. We aren't being negative. We're sharing our opinions.

There's a difference between stating your opinions and attacking others over theirs. You talk of people leaving the fandom because of all the negativity around them, yet you yourself are spouting the same brand of negativity and bitterness you seemed to say drove you away. And then when someone else tries to reason with you about it, you tell them THEY are the ones responsible?

 

Either you are seriously off-base on this, or you've chosen poor wording for your opinions. But either way, I think you have a lot of nerve acting as high-and-mighty as you were there. You say the brony fandom is dying, but you don't seem particularly inclined to do much about it other than drive still-participating bronies away from yourself.

 

(edit) Lest I be too harsh... Look, I'm not saying it's wrong to express your opinions, and I'm not telling you to take this topic elsewhere. What I'm calling you on the carpet for is attacking at least one other poster for disagreeing with you, and basically saying "we don't want YOUR kind here.". That's when it stops being about your opinions and starts being destructive.

 

And even if you are losing interest in the show and/or its fandom, that doesn't mean you're obligated to turn against it.

Edited February 13, 2013 by Harvan

[Prismatic 49]

Who every joined a fandom for niche appeal? That is absurd O.O Well I guess you are right, if somepony wants to leave a fandom because it is too mainstream, then good riddance..

 

There's a difference between liking something and joining a fandom. Since I have stated a few times that I have never actually joined the fandom (as per definition of contribution; contrasting it with brony communities which is a come on in basis) once it hit mainstream the appeal just kinda fell out of the sky.

 

lel no

 

I never was truly one to begin with. I've always hated the music, never really liked the visual art, and thought that bronies were some of the worst fanfiction writers ever. The only thing I really liked about bronies was that they were usually pretty cool about things and such. However, most people like this have left. Just an example of this on MLPforums: Shankveld. :U The ones with intellect and insight have seemingly drifted away, and the ones who get butthurt over someone not kissing their arse, say, over their shitty fanart, seem to fill every pony site on the internet. 

 

I assumed from the previous posts that it was referring to fan-made music and I whole heartedly agree.  Never liked it either.  Granted most digital works lack soul and just feels like a mishmash of buttons pressed in the right order (no, not even the Konami Code can save you now).  With the advent of hardcore bronies (i.e. those that are pure pony and not just folks who like ponies with others) it does lead to the less mature parts of the fandom.

 

Well, ever since I've been a brony I always felt really enthusiastic about the show but that has been going down since last year. I don't know why but something doesn't feel right anymore. I remember when I was always excited to meet new bronies over the internet, especially during a game, it was like a small group of people, I felt really connected to them since back in the day we were one of the only ones that actually knew about the show. That was around the start of season 1 by the way.  It was like some kind of secret club that was just starting to evolve into something even more beautiful.

 

Back then we didn't have guys like ArtAttack, Tombstone and H8_Seed, there were just a few random artists that made some funny PMVs, YTPoops and mediocre electronic music, but it didn't matter, it was still this small band of people and everything just felt right. Artists weren't in abundance back then too, we knew just a few people, mostly anonymous drawers on 4chan, hahaha, good times. Fanfiction writers were amazing, I remember reading fanfics like Cupcakes, Priority Mail and MLD for the first time, oh the wonderful reactions everyone had back then. And that was only a year and a half back. Don't get me started on the older material.

 

So I don't really know if it's either nostalgia, loss of interest or something else, but I just don't feel that connected to the show and its fandom anymore. I still do participate in the fandom though, hoping I will once again get a spark of interest but until now, nothing yet. I think it's the fact that the fandom lost its anonymity and thus it's "secret club" feeling that made me lose interest. Everything has been done already and numerous times over at that. 

 

Oh and we have too many of those fools who joined the fandom because of the hype half a year ago and are kinda ruining the whole fandom for me due to their partyboy-esque behaviour.

 

When I watched another site's progress I kinda felt that right around March 2012 that more and more bronies in that time were just around for the ponies but not really for the community.  In other words as more and more the fandom grew, the more and more bronies came to populate the more closely related to the typical internet to where they function as either lemmings or individuals.  More or less the former, sadly.  That's probably why I feel the way I do is that similar to music I've felt that the brony fandom has been mostly around to promote the best interest of a select few that like to put their names out for themselves rather than the community.

[Teddiee 12]

:/ I was just going to write "Ah'm a brony. 'nuff said. 8DD" But I needed to write 100 characters. XD So here is my extra characters. LOL. ^___^

[Starflower 323]

Honestly I don't really see myself deep into the fandom, but for some [good] reason, I tend to return to it every time. I'm up to date with the episodes, I buy myself pony merch every now and then, I have brony friends online and offline, and well, I show myself off that I'm a pegasister to people whom I'm close with. Usually I blame my best friend (who's reeeeeally into the fandom a lot more than I am) for bringing me back, especially during the hiatus between season 2 and 3, because during that time I was trying to stay away from the fandom but I couldn't resist. Heh, without him I wouldn't even be writing this post.

 

tl;dr, I've been on, and off, and I'm on fo sho. At this moment I don't see myself leaving anytime soon. xD

[Erza 581]

are you kidding me?

I'm 100% brony!

I think about ponies for 24 hours, I talk about them for 24 hours, I'm even planning to make a fanfic and Watched all the episodes...

That proves that I'm more than 100% brony!!!

Edited February 15, 2013 by ~Chaotic DoomGuy~

[kirbyboi 588]

I guess you could say I am. At first I was pretty skeptical, but as I watched the show, I actually started liking it!

 

I mean, I hang out in forums, see the memes, sometimes read fanfics, have a few shirts...so yeah. But as long as you love the show with your heart, your a brony. :3 There's different types of bronies, and they all like the show in different ways. So really  anyone can be 100% brony. If your a brony, your a brony.

 

It's like my love for Pokemon. I love the show, play the games, have merchandise...it's similar. If I love Pokemon, then I like it. 

Edited February 15, 2013 by Pixiesong

[decoherence 183]

In the past I've never been one to associate myself with a certain group to the extent where I take on their name.

 

What is a 'brony' anyway? Is it someone who watches the show? Someone who takes part in in the community? Is it anyone who self-identifies as a Brony?

 

For me, being a Brony means taking the values of the show and applying them in your day to day life. The characters of the show symbolize the the characteristics of the person I strive to be. Thus I was a 'brony' before there was a Friendship is Magic -- my parents raised me to be good to the people around me and non-judgemental. Growing up, I read the teachings of the Dalai Lama and learned the practical importance of compassion and kindness and generosity and laughter (yes, he talks specifically about laughter). These things are SO important to me, words cannot express. They are my guiding light through what has been a fairly troubled life.

 

The show allowed me to collect all of those traits I love and put symbols to them, which in turn has helped me cultivate those traits. The show has helped me become a better person.

 

When I see others who do the same thing, it bolsters my faith that living by these values IS THE CORRECT THING TO DO. God knows the world won't always reward you for being a kind, compassionate, earnest person.

 

So yes, I'm a Brony, 100%. The show represents the values I hold dear and I'm proud to associate myself with it.

 

And yes, I think there are people who call themselves 'Bronies' for other reasons and may not appreciate these things with as much depth and conviction as I do, or even behave in what I would consider a flat-out non-brony way but I'm not going to disassociate myself because of them. We all have our own paths to take and we will all get to wherever we are going.

Edited February 15, 2013 by decoherence

[Freewave 1,145]

I'm not wild about season 3 tbh but it is still a good show and more importantly I'm still excited by what the fanbase does around it. Not looking forward to another gap between seasons though. The last one was brutal and we're already at the end of season 3 so yet another larger gap.

In the past I've never been one to associate myself with a certain group to the extent where I take on their name.

 

What is a 'brony' anyway? Is it someone who watches the show? Someone who takes part in in the community? Is it anyone who self-identifies as a Brony?

 

For me, being a Brony means taking the values of the show and applying them in your day to day life. The characters of the show symbolize the the characteristics of the person I strive to be. Thus I was a 'brony' before there was a Friendship is Magic -- my parents raised me to be good to the people around me and non-judgemental. Growing up, I read the teachings of the Dalai Lama and learned the practical importance of compassion and kindness and generosity and laughter (yes, he talks specifically about laughter). These things are SO important to me, words cannot express. They are my guiding light through what has been a fairly troubled life.

 

The show allowed me to collect all of those traits I love and put symbols to them, which in turn has helped me cultivate those traits. The show has helped me become a better person.

 

When I see others who do the same thing, it bolsters my faith that living by these values IS THE CORRECT THING TO DO. God knows the world won't always reward you for being a kind, compassionate, earnest person.

 

So yes, I'm a Brony, 100%. The show represents the values I hold dear and I'm proud to associate myself with it.

 

And yes, I think there are people who call themselves 'Bronies' for other reasons and may not appreciate these things with as much depth and conviction as I do, or even behave in what I would consider a flat-out non-brony way but I'm not going to disassociate myself because of them. We all have our own paths to take and we will all get to wherever we are going.

 

I too believe that part of being a brony is being a kind and compassionate person. I'm sure there's a few people out there who do it becuase they think it's cool, like that there's pony brostep, and otherwise don't care about how they behave or treat others but i hope those are a minority.

[Dev 251]

I can't be an ex-brony. Ponies are just too adorable, really! I may drift away from the fandom, but at heart, I will always be a brony. It's impossible to go back. The fact you all say that you can be an ex-brony is just...nonsensical. You will all ALWAYS love ponies >:I

[Pixel Stick 927]

I can't be an ex-brony. Ponies are just too adorable, really! I may drift away from the fandom, but at heart, I will always be a brony. It's impossible to go back. The fact you all say that you can be an ex-brony is just...nonsensical. You will all ALWAYS love ponies >:I

 

Personally, I think I'll remain a brony as long as discussing the show, its characters and its plotlines continues to make me happy.  When I stop enjoying doing so and I stop enjoying making contributions to the fandom (whatever they might be), I'll probably stop associating myself with the fandom as well.

 

Being a brony is a choice.  I think it's fine to choose to leave, and if you want to call yourself an "ex-brony" in the process, all the more power to you.  If, someday in the future, it happens to me, I plan to just leave quietly and say "I'm not active in the fandom anymore."  Far less drama that way.

 

I expect that, unless the creators of the show do something really heinous to it, I will have a place in my heart for FiM for a long time, as I do for furry art and storytelling.  While I may not be active in that fandom anymore, I still enjoy aspects of it, and nothing has driven me completely away from it.

[Princess Twilight 143]

I don't really label what I am, but my best friend Anton always screams PEGASISTER just to do it I guess.

I am pretty involved, I love the show as a whole and watch it on a daily basis...as well as draw fan art literally everyday.

So I guess technically I am a brony, but labels aren't really needed for me!

[Paleopony 701]

Bronydom isn't a percentage. You either are a brony or you're not.

[EpicEnergy 23,218]

I don't know how you would measure that, but all I know is that I am a brony and the percentage doesn't matter to me.

[dead account 2,710]

It depends on how this is defined. Let's say someone only enjoys generation 1 of Pokémon, but ignores everything else. Are they 100% a Pokémon fan? The same is true for me when it comes to MLP. I only care about G4. And not even G4 as a whole, only FIM. I'm a 100% fan of that, but when looking at MLP as a whole, it's only a smaller fraction.

I don't know how to answer this question. All that matters is that I love FIM with all my heart.

[Splashee 28,563]

On 2013-02-11 at 7:24 PM, Expired delta said:

So as Iv said before I'm starting to feel less like a brony and more like a ex-brony. (ex-brony/ex-pegasisster/ Is when you don't feel as you once did about mlp or Maybe you see the crowds differently much like I am now.

This was just over 9 years ago. And I can't believe there were talk about ex-bronies at that time?