My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

[Tae]

Long story short, I've been part of the MLP community for years, and when FiM first aired, I loved it and thought it was amazing that such a huge variety of people had fallen in love with a cartoon aimed at little girls.
But then... well, everything mentioned in the last few posts sums it up. The bronies have become increasingly negative and they seem to think Hasbro 'owes them' and every little thing in episodes is some kind of message to them, as evidenced by a top comment I saw under an upload of the latest episode "Read It and Weep":
"this episode reminds me of the struggle us bronies go through when we tell others about us being bronies. the feeling that you might be called gay or pedophile, is strangely familiar to rainbow dahs's struggle about her new love for books. So i think the creators did this episode just for us, in case we need encouragement when or if we do decide to tell others about being bronies"

However, I could ignore this, if only Season 2 wasn't proving to be such a disappointment. I seem to be in the vast minority on this, but I've seen a lot of negative messages in various episodes that are played as 'funny' but I would not want kids I know to imitate. For example, in May The Best Pet Win, Rainbow Dash's mistreatment of the turtle, and really, all the animals in her competition; and Fluttershy didn't even call her out on this! As well as Rarity never admitting she lied to her friends in Sweet and Elite, and Twilight/Rainbow/Pinkie/Rarity/Fluttershy hounding Applejack in Last Roundup, not respecting Applejack's right to not tell them (and their subsequent ditching of Rarity and Pinkie).

Ever since Lauren Faust left, I really feel like the series and community is falling apart.

[pap64]

Long story short, I've been part of the MLP community for years, and when FiM first aired, I loved it and thought it was amazing that such a huge variety of people had fallen in love with a cartoon aimed at little girls.
But then... well, everything mentioned in the last few posts sums it up. The bronies have become increasingly negative and they seem to think Hasbro 'owes them' and every little thing in episodes is some kind of message to them, as evidenced by a top comment I saw under an upload of the latest episode "Read It and Weep":
"this episode reminds me of the struggle us bronies go through when we tell others about us being bronies. the feeling that you might be called gay or pedophile, is strangely familiar to rainbow dahs's struggle about her new love for books. So i think the creators did this episode just for us, in case we need encouragement when or if we do decide to tell others about being bronies"

However, I could ignore this, if only Season 2 wasn't proving to be such a disappointment. I seem to be in the vast minority on this, but I've seen a lot of negative messages in various episodes that are played as 'funny' but I would not want kids I know to imitate. For example, in May The Best Pet Win, Rainbow Dash's mistreatment of the turtle, and really, all the animals in her competition; and Fluttershy didn't even call her out on this! As well as Rarity never admitting she lied to her friends in Sweet and Elite, and Twilight/Rainbow/Pinkie/Rarity/Fluttershy hounding Applejack in Last Roundup, not respecting Applejack's right to not tell them (and their subsequent ditching of Rarity and Pinkie).

Ever since Lauren Faust left, I really feel like the series and community is falling apart.

Not to mention that the stories save for the Discord episodes have lost some edge to it. In the first season, the girls did battles with manticores, griffins, hydras, lots of dragons, the chicken that turned them into stone. Now, this season has been nothing but slice of life stories. Rarity trying to impress the elite, Sweetie Bell trying to get Rarity to play with her, Rainbow Dash becoming an avid reader, Twilight losing it over her assignment etc. I can't recall any moment where they did battle with a mythological creature (save for Spike of course). Dare I say it, the series is becoming a REALLY good version of My Little Pony Tales with all the slice of life stories.

Regarding the morals, I am seeing that the writers are struggling to get messages out of every episode, especially since now they are more focused on telling funny stories than showing a message. The Cider episode is an example. Yes, the moral was FUNNY as all heck, but did it really teach kids anything?

"HEY PRINCESS CELESTIA, I DIDN'T LEARN ANYTHING BECAUSE I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG!"

Couldn't they have written that better, like, "Today I faced a challenge that nearly costed my farm, but with my determination to do my best along with the support of my friends and family I was able to pull through. When you have the will to do the right thing and people to help you out nothing will ever seem impossible".

THAT'S the message I got out of this, that Applejack still won in the end because she was both determined in her own actions and her friends helped her. But 'I DIDN'T LEARN ANYTHING BECAUSE I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG!'? Again, it was a FUNNY moral, but none of the morals were supposed to be funny. It shows that the writers want to entertain more than teach. I understand that they originally wanted the show to be more edgy than what it ended up being, but the reason season 1 worked so well was because it did have a nice balance of life lessons and entertainment.

Now it is all about the comedy, the pop culture references and the wild character moments.

And yes, Bronies are acting like the world owes them something. On Tumblr one of the fan pages was starting a petition to get Brony added onto the 2012 edition of the Webster Dictionary! Luckily, it all turned out to be a joke, with the owner saying that Bronies are taking this too seriously when at the end of the day it is just a fanbase. But don't be too surprised if Bronies did try to get a movement started, and that's why people are hating on them and the show. Like I said, it's one thing to be passionate about something, the other shoving it down people's throat, and Bronies are shoving this everywhere.

[Tae]

Not to mention that the stories save for the Discord episodes have lost some edge to it. In the first season, the girls did battles with manticores, griffins, hydras, lots of dragons, the chicken that turned them into stone. Now, this season has been nothing but slice of life stories. Rarity trying to impress the elite, Sweetie Bell trying to get Rarity to play with her, Rainbow Dash becoming an avid reader, Twilight losing it over her assignment etc. I can't recall any moment where they did battle with a mythological creature (save for Spike of course). Dare I say it, the series is becoming a REALLY good version of My Little Pony Tales with all the slice of life stories.

Yes, that's another issue with the episodes. I don't mind slice of life stories (I really liked Pony Tales), but even though season 2 seems to be trying the character development angle, the characters aren't really... developing. Rainbow claimed to learn lessons from the pet competition and Mare Do Well episodes, but she didn't act like she'd learned anything in the episodes that followed, so it kind of ruined the point.

Regarding the morals, I am seeing that the writers are struggling to get messages out of every episode, especially since now they are more focused on telling funny stories than showing a message. The Cider episode is an example. Yes, the moral was FUNNY as all heck, but did it really teach kids anything?

"HEY PRINCESS CELESTIA, I DIDN'T LEARN ANYTHING BECAUSE I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG!"

Couldn't they have written that better, like, "Today I faced a challenge that nearly costed my farm, but with my determination to do my best along with the support of my friends and family I was able to pull through. When you have the will to do the right thing and people to help you out nothing will ever seem impossible".

THAT'S the message I got out of this, that Applejack still won in the end because she was both determined in her own actions and her friends helped her. But 'I DIDN'T LEARN ANYTHING BECAUSE I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG!'? Again, it was a FUNNY moral, but none of the morals were supposed to be funny. It shows that the writers want to entertain more than teach. I understand that they originally wanted the show to be more edgy than what it ended up being, but the reason season 1 worked so well was because it did have a nice balance of life lessons and entertainment.

I just finished that episode, and, yeah, I cringed when I heard Applejack's letter. Like you say, it's funny, but I can't see Applejack making jokes like that after nearly losing her farm.
And for that matter, the plot holes in this episode are kind of jarring. When did Applejack bet the farm? She just said whoever won would get the rights to sell cider in Ponyville; Sweet Apple Acres produces more then just cider, so...?

Now it is all about the comedy, the pop culture references and the wild character moments.

And yes, Bronies are acting like the world owes them something. On Tumblr one of the fan pages was starting a petition to get Brony added onto the 2012 edition of the Webster Dictionary! Luckily, it all turned out to be a joke, with the owner saying that Bronies are taking this too seriously when at the end of the day it is just a fanbase. But don't be too surprised if Bronies did try to get a movement started, and that's why people are hating on them and the show. Like I said, it's one thing to be passionate about something, the other shoving it down people's throat, and Bronies are shoving this everywhere.

Seriously? That is slightly terrifying, to be honest. The fact that they think they can get into the dictionary of all things... forget the Warriors and Twilight fans, a good majority of bronies may be even worse :/

[pap64]

Yeah, I too have noticed the odd character morals and development throughout season 2. And it's like you said: it's like the characters have learned nothing in the end. In the first season you got the sense that the characters did learn and would carry that lesson over to the next episode. It was an excellent feeling of progression and development. Now it's like the characters are flipping back and forth.

Take Rarity, for example. She is supposed to be the element of generosity. Yet, she has ignored her little sister and lied to her friends and many others about who she was in "Sweet and Elite". I know fans forgive that because trying to follow the Harmony rules would prevent solid stories from happening, and I see that. But still, when she was bestowed the element of generosity you would expect her to be more open towards others.

In "Lesson Zero", Twilight got an anxiety attack because she didn't deliver a letter. While an extremely funny character moment, it is weird that Twilight lost it over the assignment, and is running the risk of becoming a Flanderization of her character. In the first season she was indeed a bookworm that was uptight and believed more in books than in actual experience. But in season 2 she has been played up to be this uber nerd that will lose it whenever things don't go her way. Like, I am sure Celestia would have understood that things were normal and didn't find a lesson to speak about. I get that Twilight being the student character she is supposed to be prone to anxiety attacks, but this was played to such an extreme that it makes me wonder if this was the right thing to show to kids.

I get that they wanted it so that Twilight would learn a lesson, but why go to the extremes? It made Twilight out to be secretly insane and Celestia this tyrant that will get mad if the assignment isn't delivered on time.

Another thing, WHAT is the deal with them focusing so much on the Apple family? I know they are fun characters, but it seems that season 2 has been all about them and not about the main characters. And even with that, they still refuse to give Big Macintosh more lines beyond "Yep" and "Nope" (and yes I am aware Big mac speaks in the new episodes, but he just repeats lines Cherilee speaks to him). Once again, it's like the characters are not allowed to be characters and just be one dimensional for the sake of a joke. Again, season 1 worked because the characters were more than just one joke characters.

The production team said that things were already decided for season 1 and 2 BEFORE they discovered Bronies, but I think the team is focusing too much on pleasing the fanbase than delivering on a solid show overall, hence why as great as season 2 has been so far the quality is indeed uneven, and I think it's because they want to appeal to the Bronies than doing their own thing, and it will cost them dearly because then Bronies will demand more and more out of them and the quality will drop because of it.

And to add my daily dosage of Brony bitching, recently a fanfic called "My Little Dashie" was released. I haven't read it, but supposedly it is the story of how one Brony discovered Rainbow Dash in a box and took her home, supposedly forming an endearing relationship. Bronies went NUTS over this story. One because it is a wish fulfillment story riddled with Mary Sue archetypes. Second because BRONIES HAVE GONE INTO DEEP DEPRESSIONS BECAUSE OF IT. Hell one comic on My Little Brony said that the guy was depressed because he realized that HE COULD NEVER FIND THE LOVE SHOWN IN THE STORY.

So basically, Bronies are constantly trapped in a mentality that the real world sucks because it lacks rainbow ponies and are now fantasizing about falling in love or owning one of the ponies. We have mocked and ridiculed Twilight fans whenever they post videos of themselves expressing how they feel like Bella and want to have sex with both Edward and Jacob and express it through very elaborate stories and emotional pleas about how their lives can't be as perfect as Bella's. So when Twilight fans do it, it is stupid, ridiculous and creepy, but Bronies do it and IT'S OK?

NO! It's even more creepy! You are talking about cartoon ponies that may act like humans, but are still animal in appearance. Not even if the Disney fandom people overly say that they are genuinely in love with Simba, Mufasa, Thomas O' Malley or Baloo (not even furries). And worse is that the fanbase CELEBRATES that sort of thing! Equestria Daily is a breeding ground for this behavior as they openly encourage the creation of sex fanfics, shipping lesbian relationships between characters and such.

It's like I said earlier, in the Disney fandom that sort of thing does happen. There are plenty of videos where they pair Ariel with Jasmine and make up elaborate romances for them. But on the whole that is never brought up or even celebrated. They pay tribute to the fact that Belle and the Beast are a great romantic couple. They celebrate that Quasimodo becomes free of Frollo's tyranny at the end of Hunchback. They celebrate that Rapunzel and Flynn found the light. But with Friendship is Magic, it seems that the only way to enjoy it is to appreciate through the eyes of the fanbase rather than judging the story based on its own merits.

So again... Pinkie Pie is a murderer that is secretly in love with Rainbow Dash, Applejack is madly in love with Dash, Fluttershy is really an introverted nutcase, Luna is an emo goth and Derpy Hooves is a main character.

[Super Aurora]

The production team said that things were already decided for season 1 and 2 BEFORE they discovered Bronies, but I think the team is focusing too much on pleasing the fanbase than delivering on a solid show overall, hence why as great as season 2 has been so far the quality is indeed uneven, and I think it's because they want to appeal to the Bronies than doing their own thing, and it will cost them dearly because then Bronies will demand more and more out of them and the quality will drop because of it.

And to add my daily dosage of Brony bitching, recently a fanfic called "My Little Dashie" was released. I haven't read it, but supposedly it is the story of how one Brony discovered Rainbow Dash in a box and took her home, supposedly forming an endearing relationship. Bronies went NUTS over this story. One because it is a wish fulfillment story riddled with Mary Sue archetypes. Second because BRONIES HAVE GONE INTO DEEP DEPRESSIONS BECAUSE OF IT. Hell one comic on My Little Brony said that the guy was depressed because he realized that HE COULD NEVER FIND THE LOVE SHOWN IN THE STORY.

So basically, Bronies are constantly trapped in a mentality that the real world sucks because it lacks rainbow ponies and are now fantasizing about falling in love or owning one of the ponies. We have mocked and ridiculed Twilight fans whenever they post videos of themselves expressing how they feel like Bella and want to have sex with both Edward and Jacob and express it through very elaborate stories and emotional pleas about how their lives can't be as perfect as Bella's. So when Twilight fans do it, it is stupid, ridiculous and creepy, but Bronies do it and IT'S OK?

NO! It's even more creepy! You are talking about cartoon ponies that may act like humans, but are still animal in appearance. Not even if the Disney fandom people overly say that they are genuinely in love with Simba, Mufasa, Thomas O' Malley or Baloo (not even furries). And worse is that the fanbase CELEBRATES that sort of thing! Equestria Daily is a breeding ground for this behavior as they openly encourage the creation of sex fanfics, shipping lesbian relationships between characters and such.

I haven't watch it in a long while so I don't know or keep track of MLP fanbase nor have watch season two, but from what you are saying, it seems that the fanbase has change the quality of the show. Fanbase is like a double bladed sword from way I see it.

[pap64]

The production company claims that all the decisions for both seasons were already made by the time the fanbase had grown, but I doubt that. "The Last Roundup" had fanbase favorite Derpy Hooves in a speaking role and in an extended scene, complete with her name being Derpy rather than the canon name they had for her, Ditzy Doo.

[Tae]

Yeah, I too have noticed the odd character morals and development throughout season 2. And it's like you said: it's like the characters have learned nothing in the end. In the first season you got the sense that the characters did learn and would carry that lesson over to the next episode. It was an excellent feeling of progression and development. Now it's like the characters are flipping back and forth.

Take Rarity, for example. She is supposed to be the element of generosity. Yet, she has ignored her little sister and lied to her friends and many others about who she was in "Sweet and Elite". I know fans forgive that because trying to follow the Harmony rules would prevent solid stories from happening, and I see that. But still, when she was bestowed the element of generosity you would expect her to be more open towards others.

In "Lesson Zero", Twilight got an anxiety attack because she didn't deliver a letter. While an extremely funny character moment, it is weird that Twilight lost it over the assignment, and is running the risk of becoming a Flanderization of her character. In the first season she was indeed a bookworm that was uptight and believed more in books than in actual experience. But in season 2 she has been played up to be this uber nerd that will lose it whenever things don't go her way. Like, I am sure Celestia would have understood that things were normal and didn't find a lesson to speak about. I get that Twilight being the student character she is supposed to be prone to anxiety attacks, but this was played to such an extreme that it makes me wonder if this was the right thing to show to kids.

I get that they wanted it so that Twilight would learn a lesson, but why go to the extremes? It made Twilight out to be secretly insane and Celestia this tyrant that will get mad if the assignment isn't delivered on time.

Yes, it also bothers me that they appear to have ditched the personality-matches-element part of the show. I understand that they can't use it all the time, as that would be anti-character development, but the nods to the basis of the show are so few and far between! The only point in which I can remember Rarity being 'generous' in Sweet and Elite is when she was making the dress for Twilight, but that was more a in theory thing, since she never finished said dress.

I love the beginning and ending of Lesson Zero, but I have a difficult time watching Twilight's breakdown. It's just so... extreme. Pinkie's breakdown in Party of One makes sense, when you watch her childhood scene in Cutie Mark Chronicles, but Twilight... not only is it odd and unexpected, it makes our view on Princess Celestia even more muddled. We're supposed to love her and root for her (Rainbow Dash's 'way to go princess!' line in the first episode of S2, and Twilight's eagerness to spend time with her during Best Night Ever), yet we get episodes like this and A Bird in the Hoof (Twilight's fear of Fluttershy being put in jail). If Celestia's personal student is this afraid of the ruler of Equestria, I think the ponies Nightmare Night celebration was named after the wrong sister :/

Another thing, WHAT is the deal with them focusing so much on the Apple family? I know they are fun characters, but it seems that season 2 has been all about them and not about the main characters. And even with that, they still refuse to give Big Macintosh more lines beyond "Yep" and "Nope" (and yes I am aware Big mac speaks in the new episodes, but he just repeats lines Cherilee speaks to him). Once again, it's like the characters are not allowed to be characters and just be one dimensional for the sake of a joke. Again, season 1 worked because the characters were more than just one joke characters.

Applejack is my favorite character this season, as she's the most like her S1 self, so I haven't minded how frequently she and her family get episodes; but I share your thoughts in that they really need to develop Big Mac more. I used to find him hilarious, but it feels like the actor could have recorded about five lines and never come back to the studio! I did like how they handled Granny Smith in Family Appreciation Day, however.

The production team said that things were already decided for season 1 and 2 BEFORE they discovered Bronies, but I think the team is focusing too much on pleasing the fanbase than delivering on a solid show overall, hence why as great as season 2 has been so far the quality is indeed uneven, and I think it's because they want to appeal to the Bronies than doing their own thing, and it will cost them dearly because then Bronies will demand more and more out of them and the quality will drop because of it.

Yeah, I often find myself feeling like I'm more watching a bunch of inside jokes then a show for little girls. And this is going to backfire on the makers of the show sooner then later. Apparently the voice actress for Derpy thought she was voicing a boy character! If they want to include brony nods, they need to think them through and make sure that they're done well :/

And to add my daily dosage of Brony bitching, recently a fanfic called "My Little Dashie" was released. I haven't read it, but supposedly it is the story of how one Brony discovered Rainbow Dash in a box and took her home, supposedly forming an endearing relationship. Bronies went NUTS over this story. One because it is a wish fulfillment story riddled with Mary Sue archetypes. Second because BRONIES HAVE GONE INTO DEEP DEPRESSIONS BECAUSE OF IT. Hell one comic on My Little Brony said that the guy was depressed because he realized that HE COULD NEVER FIND THE LOVE SHOWN IN THE STORY.

So basically, Bronies are constantly trapped in a mentality that the real world sucks because it lacks rainbow ponies and are now fantasizing about falling in love or owning one of the ponies. We have mocked and ridiculed Twilight fans whenever they post videos of themselves expressing how they feel like Bella and want to have sex with both Edward and Jacob and express it through very elaborate stories and emotional pleas about how their lives can't be as perfect as Bella's. So when Twilight fans do it, it is stupid, ridiculous and creepy, but Bronies do it and IT'S OK?

NO! It's even more creepy! You are talking about cartoon ponies that may act like humans, but are still animal in appearance. Not even if the Disney fandom people overly say that they are genuinely in love with Simba, Mufasa, Thomas O' Malley or Baloo (not even furries). And worse is that the fanbase CELEBRATES that sort of thing! Equestria Daily is a breeding ground for this behavior as they openly encourage the creation of sex fanfics, shipping lesbian relationships between characters and such.

It's like I said earlier, in the Disney fandom that sort of thing does happen. There are plenty of videos where they pair Ariel with Jasmine and make up elaborate romances for them. But on the whole that is never brought up or even celebrated. They pay tribute to the fact that Belle and the Beast are a great romantic couple. They celebrate that Quasimodo becomes free of Frollo's tyranny at the end of Hunchback. They celebrate that Rapunzel and Flynn found the light. But with Friendship is Magic, it seems that the only way to enjoy it is to appreciate through the eyes of the fanbase rather than judging the story based on its own merits.

So again... Pinkie Pie is a murderer that is secretly in love with Rainbow Dash, Applejack is madly in love with Dash, Fluttershy is really an introverted nutcase, Luna is an emo goth and Derpy Hooves is a main character.

I can't even describe how creepy that is. Like you say, at least with other fandoms, it's pretty easy to choose what you want to see. If your a Disney fan and want to stick to canon pairings, no problem! Yet with FiM, which is essentially more for kids then Disney, Applejack x Rainbow Dash may as well be canon, along with a bunch of other things a lot of things that people should be able to decide whether or not they agree with.

[Elladorine]

Most if not all of the episodes are on youtube. Does you tv have a hdmi port? you can watch them that way.

Yeah, we actually have a laptop connected so we can watch the PC-only shows for Hulu Plus on the TV, but it's Rey's computer and is something I rarely mess with. And now that I think of it, we have a Youtube app for the TV itself, although the interface for it is a pain in the ass. It looks like I'm out of excuses.

I've mainly just been way preoccupied lately, and not much in the mood to sit down and fumble with stuff in order to watch something new. I'll get around to it though.

And to add my daily dosage of Brony bitching, recently a fanfic called "My Little Dashie" was released. I haven't read it, but supposedly it is the story of how one Brony discovered Rainbow Dash in a box and took her home, supposedly forming an endearing relationship. Bronies went NUTS over this story. One because it is a wish fulfillment story riddled with Mary Sue archetypes. Second because BRONIES HAVE GONE INTO DEEP DEPRESSIONS BECAUSE OF IT. Hell one comic on My Little Brony said that the guy was depressed because he realized that HE COULD NEVER FIND THE LOVE SHOWN IN THE STORY.

So basically, Bronies are constantly trapped in a mentality that the real world sucks because it lacks rainbow ponies and are now fantasizing about falling in love or owning one of the ponies. We have mocked and ridiculed Twilight fans whenever they post videos of themselves expressing how they feel like Bella and want to have sex with both Edward and Jacob and express it through very elaborate stories and emotional pleas about how their lives can't be as perfect as Bella's. So when Twilight fans do it, it is stupid, ridiculous and creepy, but Bronies do it and IT'S OK?

I got curious enough about this to actually seek out the fanfic and was sort of appalled that there are people out there who found it moving to the point of tears. I guess we all apply a portion of ourselves to what we read and watch (which is the point, really), but yikes . . . I don't even know where to begin. I mean, I know I've written my share of bad lemons (I blame that on being very frustrated at the time ), but this is downright bizarre. For people to get so depressed in believing they'll never know the depth of love supposedly expressed in the story . . . well, they must not have any sort of valid social life beyond the shelter of their computer screen or any dreams beyond the selfishness of wanting to be the complete and utter center of the universe to another living creature (the fact that the pony goes back to her own world in the end is a moot point, as it's basically an excuse to meet the other ponies before the close of the story and is a hopelessly contrived attempt of providing any depth).

And I think a lot of people block themselves into that mindset. Not necessarily just bronies, but many individuals of the online world in general. It's as if they long to interact but are too lost in believing that the world is too cruel to go out and experience reality for themselves. It's as if their only hope for escaping their dreary existence is to build up elaborate fantasies of blindly stumbling upon something fantastic, by indulging in the fantasy of having a romance with a sexy fictional character, or adopting a character from a favorite show as a blank slate and having a supposedly meaningful relationship with it. And really, it's one thing to have fun and fantasize but quite another to take it so seriously. I guess this is incidental in the long run, but something that bothered me were the specific references made to certain instances of the series; I imagine a lot of the bronies reading found them to be very clever and somehow validating as fans, but IMO it's just a tacky, self-congratulatory way to try to connect with the show. I actually didn't know what mary-sue wish-fulfillment was until relatively recently, but this thing is a prime example.

What disturbs me more than anything else though is stumbling across the adult pony art. I'm no stranger to adult art or even rule #34, but cute little cartoon ponies . . . not even as a joking manner but in all seriousness . . . uh . . . do people actually get turned on by this stuff? It's outright disturbing, and far worse than any of the bitching I've heard about when it comes to Twilight fans. I'm all for seeing a show like this appeal to people of all ages and even for guys to find it endearing, but many of the bronies seem to have this crazy chip on their shoulder for acting so extreme while bitching and whining about not being accepted because of it.

[pap64]

Like I said before, that sort of thing always existed in various fandoms. The difference is that some fandoms do a good job at keeping that sort of thing away from the community and enjoy the franchise for what it is rather than for what THEY think it should be. The Brony fanbase, however, wants to put all of this in the front of everything. This might be one of the few fanbases that exist almost solely on how they interpret the story rather than just for what it is.

Yes, they also celebrate the show for what it is, otherwise there wouldn't be a fanbase to begin with. But nearly everything that I've seen has been based on fanbase interpretation. A new song is released? Tons of remixes abound on YouTube. A new character is introduced? Tons of fan art pop up. A non-canon character is introduced? They celebrate it.

Once more, I get that all fanbases do this sort of thing (like Disney, for example). But those fanbases celebrate the thing that they love for what it is and leave any other interpretation as just fanbase interpretation. Bronies seem to mainly exist in THEIR interpretation. Lord knows they constantly whine and bitch about Hasbro not listening to them, and whenever they do they jump around like crazy because it is like a victory for them.

Speaking of fanfics, there is also the infamous Cupcakes fanfic (which I don't recommend reading if you are NOT into torture porn stories). A lot of people detested it because it was an unusually dark re-telling that almost feels like it was born out of a sick, sexual desire. I had the unfortunate luck of reading it, and the way the actions are described makes me believe that the author wanted to get people riled up and even excited for it. The worse thing? People CELEBRATE IT! There are fanbases just for Cupcakes, and they easily distribute it across the Brony fanbase.

I can't state enough that this sort of thing exists. Even in the Disney fandom there are sexual, revenge, gory fantasies, but people don't bring it forth and keep it in some secret part within the fanbase. Bronies bring forth ALL of it and want it to be part of the main fanbase, and it is ruining it and the interpretation people have of the show. Like enigmawing said, how can they expect to be taken seriously when they openly do all of these things, from sexualizing ponies to creating murder stories and creating wish fulfillment stories?

[Elladorine]

Pap, yeah, I get what you're saying. Weird/violent/sexual material exists within every fanbase if you care to look for it, but this one is a crazy exception to the rule that plasters it everywhere. Although I admittedly searched for the fanfic you mentioned out of curiosity, I don't go out of my way to look for anything FiM-related anymore since I'm constantly bombarded with it. I've reached the point where I can't even stand real images from the show because of all the fanart that gets thrown around.

I know it's totally not what the fans have made it out to be but for the moment it leaves a bad taste in my mouth; it'll probably be a while before I can actually sit down and enjoy the show for what it is.

[pap64]

Yeah, it's like I said earlier: EVERY fanbase will have its dark side, no matter how clean, pure and innocent the franchise may be. But also like you said, the Brony fanbase might be one of the very rare exceptions where it is both encouraged and celebrated rather than controlled.

Supposedly they try to keep R34 images out, but they still manage to promote lesbian pictures and fanfics as well as hardcore shipping so the point of it is moot.

[Elladorine]

While doing an image search for Quasimodo the other day, I found a pic of him and one of the ponies french kissing. While looking up photos of beagles yesterday, I stumbled upon a drawing of ponies in a sexual act. While browsing through one of the cheezburger sites today, I found a pic of Fluttershy fresh from killing a rabbit, including guts on the floor, her licking the blood, and a message spelled out in blood on the wall behind her. It never ends!

I know the internet's a scary place but I'm not seeking out these images. I sort of expect a certain amount of pony exposure when I spend time on deviantArt since it's a home for fanart in general, but it seems I can't browse through anything anymore without stumbling upon ultra-violent or rule 34 ponies to cringe over. Sorry for my little rant but the whole brony fanbase is one of the most obnoxious, bizarre things I've ever encountered and I don't understand why this stuff has seemingly tromped through every little corner of the internet.

And it's a shame; I loved the Powerpuff Girls back in the day and really like the character designs of the ponies as well. I'm also happy that they were able to create a popular, well-made show out of a concept that could easily have been just another lame toy commercial show. But yikes . . . the fans, the fans . . .

[pap64]

Jesus Christ... they just won't stop till they make EVERYONE equally sick and tired of ponies.

And I bet the reason they made that Fluttershy image is because of SHED.MOV from Hotdiggetydemon which was a parody movie that made Fluttershy out to be a crazy, animal killing murderer. Sure, as disgusting as the short was it was played out as extreme parody of the show's sweet nature...

BUT, Bronies are so sick and twisted they want to turn that into a GENUINE sexual desire.

I just want it to end and end it in the biggest way possible.

[pap64]

OK, so a friend of mine posted this on my Facebook timeline...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X2CRjPO73Dg" frameborder="0"></iframe>

What happened was that in the original episode, Derpy talked in a lower voice and was addressed as Derpy. The Bronies got very excited because it was the first time Hasbro "acknowledged" that Derpy existed. But after the episode aired, parents complained that they made Derpy out to be mentally handicapped and that for a show aimed at kids having the name Derpy felt out of place.

So they took the episode off of iTunes and the Bronies protested the decision. The episode went back on iTunes, and they removed the mention of Derpy and her voice sounds more normal.

The Bronies couldn't be less happier... and IT, IS, GLORIOUS.

I hate to sound like a jerk, and truth to be told the extremes they went to censor this brief joke is beyond silly, but karma is a massive bitch and this is what Bronies get after posting everything pony on the internet and ruining the genuinely sweet show with porn and bloody fan art and fanfics.

That should teach companies to not over rely on the fanbase and ignore the rest of the audience...

[pap64]

Let me elaborate on why I think this is karma coming down on the Brony fanbase...

As I may have mentioned before, one of the reasons the first season worked was because it was doing its own thing. It didn't try to target any specific target audience. Sure, the idea of it being appealing to little girls was always there, but the production team made sure that the stories were universally charming and could be enjoyed by both kids and their parents. That's why a Brony fanbase exist: it managed to make everyone happy regardless of age and gender.

Now, with season 2 I think the production got too aware of the Brony community and now it feels like every episode has to somehow please the Bronies. They have stated that some decisions for season 2 were made before they discovered Bronies, but the fact that they made Derpy talked proved them wrong. Maybe it's just me, but the show now feels like it has to meet the status quo of the Brony fanbase.

Stuff like Derpy talking, Big Mac not having any big roles beyond being a comedic relief, popular characters getting the big stories, focusing more on character traits and the production staff even acknowledging that disturbing fan art exists and are celebrating it prove that the show is now about Bronies than the wide audience they started with.

When Derpy talked the fanbase went nuts to the point where they declared that the show was THEIRS now, to screw little girls and parents this was a show for Bronies. I think this might have been the peak of the Brony fanbase as it caused the controversy of how parents thought Derpy was a representation of the mentally handicapped. Sure the internet was in on the joke, but the truth of the matter is that no one besides them know what derp means and that the character is really just ditzy.

In other words, they tried to kiss up to Bronies and it backfired badly. I think we are witnessing the end of the show and fanbase as we know it. Friendship is Magic might have jumped the shark when it forgot about its original concept and became a show that pleased man children with horrid pony based fantasies.

Cruel? Likely, but like I said, karma is a bitch that never forgets.

[Super Aurora]

I'm no stranger to adult art or even rule #34, but cute little cartoon ponies . . . not even as a joking manner but in all seriousness . . . uh . . . do people actually get turned on by this stuff?

I've seen worse stuff people are into. MUCH much worse.


I haven't kept track of pony series since i'm a lazy fuck and i'm too busy drawing for my own comic.

But there is one type of fanart I like from the pony series and that is the one making them into humans versions. At least with those, you don't have to worry about having sexual fantasies on the images.(I don't, but I like some of the designs interpretations people come up with for them)

[Siren]

Anyone play the mobile game on Ipad/phone or Android? I do on Android and my Gameloft name is "sirengarg". If you play, add me please.

The game is very addicting. At first they made the game way too expensive when it came to gems. There are three currencies.

Bits, which are like coins. You get those for almost everything.
Gems, which you get much more rarely, but gems can make work go faster or buy very special things like Princess Celestia.
Hearts, which you gain from social interactions with other players.

For a while they made it so you'd spend $100 very easily there just trying to get gems for the cooler things. They did drop the prices down considerably. Me personally, with these "freemium" games, it is what it is. The game itself to download and play is free. So long as the pay stuff is extra fluff and not necessary, I think its a fair deal. I did spend $10 on the game recently for gems. I see no trouble in spending money on a "free" game. Look at World of Warcraft, monthly premiums plus extras you can choose to pay for. They have to make money somewhere to continue to make these games.

[tweeb²]

Wow, I never knew this fandom, that was generally speaking very creative and kind spirited, could be so dangerous for the show,

I kinda knew that, even without looking for those kind of images there would be TONS, of sexual explicit content, or gore, those are fun, but its really bad to try to make it a canon. I'm not a brony because I like the show, its well written and has great character writing and designs, but I'm not super crazy about it. Now, I have to say that I haven't seen all the s2 episodes, but they seem less "perfect" than s1.

I was a big fan of Kim Possible back in the day, and I was so happy when I found out that there was going to be a s4! It ended being a sub par one, it wasn't bad, but they let the fans put a lot in it, and it sufferd. Looking back on it, my advice to those running the show is: that it's good to be in good terms with your fan base and throw some references now and then but not much more, if you get carried away it turns in to a fan fic that only pleases a minority.

And to think they have an episode dealing with this issue (suited for success) that had Rarity trying to please all her friends, and it turned BAD. Maybe they have to rewatch the show themselves from time to time.

[Elladorine]

It's probably old news to the hardcore fans, but human versions of the ponies are now canon. http://family-room.ew.com/2013/05/13/my ... er-poster/

[Musical Master]

Well I watched the first four episodes of Season 4 and it has IMPROVED compared to the weirdness of Season 3.

EDIT: BTW, I heard a crazy rumor, which I think it isn't true, that Linda Woolverton has joined the writing team for Season 5 of Friendship is Magic.