Educate me on Brony culture

The question you ask, at least for me, deserves a more well thought out response than I'm willing to give at the moment, so I'll have to come back to this later.

However, I can give you this right now:

1. Calling the Brony fandom a "culture" is a little much. We're not strange people's in some far-away exotic locale, we all just enjoy the same show. That's all.

2. Calling all of us "Bronies" isn't necessarily 'correct.' A lot of fans of the show do call themselves bronies, but there are quite a few who prefer to be known simply as fans of the show. Like anything, you have people who are more 'into it' than others... there are also plenty of casual fans who simply watch the show because they enjoy it but don't belong to a forum or make fan art, go to conventions or even talk about it online. Remember, the minority always yells the loudest.

3. Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but the 'Brony phenomenon' is a little played out already...you're about two years too late.

 

We're not played out, and still very alive and kicking. We'll keep going for a long, long time. I mean people freaking out over us may be over, but this is a great thing!

 

Yeah as a phenomenon, but people will always love the show. So long as the show exists bronies will too.

 

What I meant is that the initial shock and awe that bronies created is played out. It isn't sensational anymore, nobody cares and they're happy to let us weirdos be weirdos so long as we stay off their lawn and don't vote in the state of Kentucky.

:derpe:

And yes, the fandom can go on as long as there is fans. Star Wars and Star Trek haven't had new episodes in awhile, but there are still fans.

 

Yeah, look at the Earthbound fandom. Nintendo kicks us in the balls everyday, and we're still doing fine!

 

That was pretty much my point yeah.


So....is anyone actually going to answer this guys question?

 

I can't recommend any episodes, because I thought they were all amazing and equal, and many disagree with me.

What drew me to the fandom? Memebase. Being honest.

How has it affected me? It kinda hasn't. Just easier to shop for I guess? More music in my life for sure.

And finally... I dunno what misconceptions still exist honestly... So yea.

 

1. Start with S1, Ep. 1 and 2. If you want to understand something, it's best to start at the beginning.
2. I learned about the fandom after watching a video about Skyrim mods.
3. My life is no different now than it was before I watched the show. It's a cartoon, not a religion.
4. Just like everybody else on the planet, every individual Brony is different.
Don't try to classify us.

 

THIS THIS THIS! Well Bronyism may be a religion if Whoovainism is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Csjr8bXvPw

 

Questions:
What key episodes should I watch?

The first and second one, the two parter. This show is not about it's grand epic plots, but about the characters. You can't just jump in without first being sold on who these characters are. Then, all the slice of life stuff that makes up a majority of the episodes are fun. You're invested in the characters and how they will react to being put into situations.


What drew you into the fandom? The show or the culture?

Memes. My God. My friend and I were browsing knowyourmeme.com and we kept seeing an image of a cartoon horse. After a while we read up on it and saw that it was a reboot of My Little Pony and had a strong male following. We initially scoffed at the idea but we decided to watch the first two episodes and couldn't help but realize how awesome it was. It has good animation, mostly great voice acting, and it's one of those shows that actually makes me smile for no reason. It has humor that works for everyone on multiple level and actually has some pretty good morals that I think kids need to learn and some adults need to remember. All in all, I stick with the show because it is genuinely good and it's a nice change in pace from what I usually watch.

How has the culture affected your life? (The good and the bad)

I'm into ponies. It's another something for me and friends to bond over. I've spent the last year developing a MLPFiM trading card game just for fun because I wanted to see if I could do it and still keep it true to the principles of the show. There's so many interesting ways games can be made without violence, and in an almost convoluted way, it took trying to make a Pony game that opened my mind to that possibility and is greatly influencing my current project.

The negative side? Depends on how loud or proud you want to be with your love for the show. Like all fandoms (and I'm a part of a lot of nerdy fandoms) it has it's weirdos. Just last week a mother asked me and my friends why we saw Equestria Girls partly because I think we were the most normal looking guys there. I guess you could say that it's a big money sink. I buy the comics, have some shirts, and bought at least 5 trading card packs just to get Rarity (worth it) which all would have been money spent on other things. But, most hobbies are luxury items anyways, so I don't know if you would call it a negative.


If you could educate the world on one misconception about the fandom, what would that be?

We've probably gotten to the point in the fandom where we aren't exactly niche. Unlike hardcore gamers or sports fanatics, I think a lot of bronies treat the fandom as a healthy secondary hobby. Bronies come from all walks of life, have various other interests, and lives that are completely unhindered by their Pony fandom. This is probably why the fandom is always so divisive when big changes (alicorn Twilight, Equestria Girls, etc.) happen, because we aren't just a collective.

 

Stereotypes, stereotypes everywhere.

 

Hello and welcome!
I am going to make myself unpopular now.

1. I don't think I can give you an answer on this. A lot of people would (along with the first two episodes) say sonic rainboom, but I don't know. Everybody's tastes are different. If you really want the whole experience, watch all the episodes. That way, you will see both the highs and the lows, and honestly, if you only spout praise about the show and the fandom (which I will get to), you will become one of 'those bronies'. They've made a gazillion one-sided 'documentaries', any way.

2. The show. My brother was a brony (he still is a fan, not sure if he calls himself brony), and I ended up watching the show and enjoying it. The fandom has always been the drawback for me. It has, on several occations, pushed me to the point where I can't even watch MLP for a while.

3. I would not say it has affected my day-to-day life. I don't make it a lifestyle. It has shown me how awful some people can be, and in the name of colourful horses for crying out loud.
I guess I have another thing to share with my brother and a few RL people.

4. I am going to make this a two-parter:
For people outside the fandom: There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying something traditionally feminine. We need to get over this fear of femininity. It's stupid.
For people within the fandom: There are so many things I have a hard time choosing, so I guess I am just going to go with this. This is not the best fandom ever. It is possibly the worst. This is probably because it has grown so large and attracted such a huge variety of people. But a huge chunk of this fandom is detestable, and I think the fact that the fandom is declining is healthy for a lot of bloated egos.

As a footnote, I wouldn't say that I am a part of the fandom. I used to be, but the more bullcrap I saw, the less I wanted in. I am a part of this forum now, and I enjoy it. This is not meant to bash everyone who goes by the brony label, but rather the fandom as a whole. I still like the show, although I haven't watched a full episode since the end of season three.

This whole thing is quite brief, so if you want me to elaborate, feel free to message me.


EDIT: I have now watched you video, and I have two nitpickings to do:
1. MLP is produced by Lauren Faust while PPG is produced by Craig McCracken, her husband. There seems to be this misconception that Faust did a lot of the shows McCracken actually did.
2. I don't think it's fair to compare MLP to GoT. They are obviously tarteted to very different demographics. I enjoy both shows in very different ways. MLP I enjoy because it is a not only a good kid's show, but a show for little girls that actually had some thought and love put into it. You don't see that nearly as often as with shows aimed for little boys. Some adult can't sit though a whole kid's show regardless of quality, and that is fair. Some people don't even find the show any good, and that is also fair. Frankly, it took me a while to get used to the flash animation (which evolved over time and becomes less stiff in later episodes).