Applebuck Season

To be honest, I haven't really had much time today to watch any episodes, which is why this one is coming in so late. I just got the chance to sit down and watch S1E4, "Applebuck Season," and oh my goodness. That was one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time. I see now why so many people enjoy this show. The brony sensation is becoming much more understandable now. Everything from Pinkie Pie's antics, which were priceless, to Spike pulling the muffins out of the trash, had me in stitches.

Pinkie Pie and Spike are quickly becoming my favorite characters in this series. Pinkie Pie is so clearly, well, uh... Pinkie Pie is the reason they invented Ritalin. And Spike is just so unpredictable in everything he does. When the series started, it looked as though he might be the typical miniature sidekick (I'm thinking Snarf from Thundercats here) but he is anything but.

No, not at all.

 

What I like most about this series is that it doesn't take itself seriously and it isn't an obvious device for selling toys and merchandise. It's a fun show that doesn't have to resort to fart jokes and gratuitous sex scenes and vulgarity to be entertaining.

I also like that there is a simple, moral lesson in every episode. Anyone who is even half astute can figure them out within the first few minutes, but it is not so much the lesson that is learned at the end of an episode that makes this show appealing, but how they get there.

In this episode, it was learning to accept help from others. Applejack was always willing to help those who needed it, even when she was clearly incapable of doing so (a bunny stampede and earthworm-lemon-soda muffins?). Yet when she was the one who was in need of a helping hand, she would always refuse. Sometimes to the point of rudeness. I can honestly say that I can relate to Applejack very well. I try and help people any chance that I can, but people have had to tell me in the past that there is nothing wrong with receiving assistance in return. There was one incident in my religious youth where some anonymous person from my church bought me a new pair of shoes to replace my disintegrating sneakers. I tried to politely refuse this, but was told that sometimes being humble means accepting an outstretched hand when necessary. I was also told that sometimes it is more offensive to refuse such assistance.

Applejack has a proud streak. Her family is independent and they work hard. They aren't the type to let other ponies do their work for them. This is honorable in moderation. It is a sign of a good work ethic to want to be able to finish your own work. However, it is also a sign of wisdom to recognize when your work load is too much for you to handle on your own. That's a lesson I've also had to learn over the years, and one that has helped me immensely.

Getting closer to being one of you, bronies. I obviously like the show very much. The only reason I do not call myself a brony yet is because I know little to nothing. I am unfamiliar with the subculture. I don't know any of the famous artists and musicians or the songs that most bronies know. I have only seen four episodes to this point and could not hold a reasonable discussion on the canon, theories, or the mythology of the universe it is set in. I am, at this point, a simple fan who is becoming more obsessed every day.

Anyway, happy Halloween, everypony! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and I look forward to our next meeting.

Cheers.

The Ticket Master

I have continued this journey by joining the MLP forums and obtaining the Equestria Daily app for my Android phone. Figure it might help to keep an eye on new developments so I don't fall further behind while trying to catch up with what was new two days ago.

I also finished episode 3, "The Ticket Master." Poor Twilight was so overwhelmed by her friends fighting over something they wanted that she didn't have enough of. They all wanted to go to the gala with her, and all had good reasons for it, which complicated the situation. It really wasn't possible to narrow it down by who needed it more. And Spike was no help. He was too busy eating. Gotta love him, though. As comedic relief, he is top notch.

The whole incident is very reminiscent of how people can be in real life. When you suddenly come into something desirable, like money or power or even just something in short supply, everyone has a reason to do you favors. How many lottery ticket winners get contacted by ex girlfriends they haven't spoken to in years, or old friends from school they can't remember? I've heard a lot of stories about kids pretending to like the unpopular kid because he's got cool toys and video games. Of course he does. He has stuff because he doesn't have friends. And when there are a lot of people wanting that something you have-- whatever it may be-- it can make you feel as bad as Twilight did.

But I digress.

This episode wasn't really about being used. It was about trying to make everyone happy. Twilight desperately wanted to make sure that none of her friends were disappointed, even though she only had two tickets to split between the six of them (seven if you count Spike). No matter what she did, she was going to have to hurt somebody. In her case, the solution was as simple as sending her tickets back. She got this note back that said, "Why didn't you say something?" More on that later.

In her case, it was simple, but in life it isn't always so easy, and the matter isn't always something as festive as a gala. Suppose you have only enough food for one person, but you have three hungry children. What do you do? Do you feed one and tell the others how sorry you are? Do you divide what is already a small amount of food three ways? Or perhaps there is not enough money to buy your daughter a Christmas present and pay the gas bill. Do you deal with her disappointed face and tell her to be grateful she is warm? Or do you do the opposite?

I like that this show deals with issues that people actually face in their lives. What I found comical, however, was the fact that the princess not only knew Twilight has five close friends, but she actually met them in the previous episode. When Twilight sends her tickets back and says she won't go if she can't take all her friends, she gets back this ridiculous message that says, "Why didn't you say so?" Like she needed to spell it out for you? Really? How many times does six go into two?

But that is more of an amusing observation than a criticism. I look forward to seeing what happens next. I am really eager to reach the two episode Discord story. He's voiced by one of my favorite actors, and I cannot wait to see how he portrays the character.

Till next time, bronies.

Elements of Harmony

Introduction
My partner helped me start my journey by linking me to this delightful song "A Long Way From Equestria" by MandoPony and AcousticBrony. I loved it. They took something as simple as a children's TV show and turned it into a song about making the world a better place, which is something I can definitely support. Because we are a long way from Equestria. I've watched the first two episodes and I can honestly say the way the world is today is nothing like the world these characters inhabit. We could learn a lot from them.

I've noticed how great all of these characters treat each other. Applejack saves Twilight Sparkle from going over the edge of the cliff, Fluttershy chooses to be kind to the rampaging manticore, and Rainbow Dash chooses to stay loyal to her friends instead of thinking of herself. How often are the people we see in this world honest, kind and loyal? With so many people these days blowing themselves up in the name of some archaic religion or spewing hate speech at each other over trivial differences, how much better would this world be if we chose to use the Elements of Harmony in our lives a bit more?

Honesty
Recently I had a friend lose all of her money, identification, credit cards, because someone stole her wallet. She climbed out of her car at a gas station and she didn't notice her wallet had fallen to the pavement. In the few seconds it took her to go to the pump, realize she didn't have her wallet and turn around, someone had made off with it. Her grocery, bill and rent money was all in there. And I see stuff like this all the time. When I worked at Walmart in my youth, I found someone's purse in an empty shopping cart. I instantly took it to the service desk because the owner WAS going to come looking for it, and she did. She was amazed (and grateful) that I had not only returned it, but hadn't taken so much as a stick of gum.

Why? Why is this world so dishonest and deceitful that an act as simple as returning a lost purse is amazing? If more people had this Element, the world would be a much better place.

Kindness
I grew up in the city, so I've had some experience with the poor, destitute and homeless. I've even been among their number a time or two. Everyone gets down on their luck from time to time. It bothers me that everyone assumes that anyone who is in that position is either a drug addict, an alcoholic or a criminal. Not all of them are. Some of them are just down on their luck. Yet people have this awful idea that they should not help the less fortunate because they feel they will be "feeding an addiction."

I ran a behavioral experiment a few years back. I made a wager with some friends of mine that people were more likely to respond to what they perceived to be the truth-- that is that all destitute people are alcoholics and addicts-- than a cry for help. I told them I would stand by the side of the interstate for two consecutive afternoons. On one afternoon I would hold a sign that said "I need a beer." On the second afternoon I would hold a sign that said "Hungry - need food." I was amazed at the results. When I held a sign advertising my need for a beer, not only were people more willing to help, but some of them actually brought me beer! The food sign achieved modest results.

Perhaps it would be better to just be kind to each other? Instead of bullying and berating each other or ignoring those in need, the world would get exponentially better if we just reached out in kindness to someone at some point during our day. It certainly worked for Fluttershy, who not only stopped the monster, but made a friend as well!

Laughter
I cannot stress enough how important laughter is. It just is! It's one of the most important weapons we have against sadness, depression, anger and fear. I used to let things bother me a lot, but like Pinkie Pie I learned that laughter can actually improve the quality of your life.

I was once a terrible, angry, bitter person. I had no sense of humor, no ability to take things in stride and almost everything bothered me. It wasn't until I went to the heart of Dixie in the southern USA and lived among people who were too busy laughing, cutting up and enjoying life that I realized that sometimes the obstacle in front of you may look terrifying. Sometimes it may look like the most horrible monster you've ever faced. Or sometimes it may just make you want to get fighting mad. The best thing you can do in a lot of those situations is learn to find the humor in it. Learning to laugh at life's mishaps (with the exception of things like broken bones, fractured skulls, etc.) can greatly improve not only your outlook on life, it makes you a person more people want to be around because they see you as a fun person who doesn't let things bother them.

Just try not to be too much like Pinkie Pie. Honestly, she was amusing, but by the end of the hour her bubbly, giggly WHEEEEE personality was beginning to grate on my nerves.

Generosity
Being generous needs no real explanation. I've always been a very generous person, some would say to a fault. I will give you the last of what I have, right down to my last if I can. Why? Because things come and go. Money comes and goes, possessions come and go. Even the great beach bum Jimmy Buffett once said in a song: "Spend it while you can/Money's contraband/You can't take it with you when you go." I see no reason to horde something when someone else has none. If I have a twenty dollar bill in my wallet that I don't need for some crucial expense, then by all means take it. What am I going to spend it on? A cheeseburger? A new hat? If you need it bad enough to ask me for it, I can part with it, because sometimes just asking is a great act of humility.

Rarity is so generous that she cuts off her own beautiful tail to give to the serpent. When she remarks "It will grow back," her friend remarks "So would the moustache," which is a valid point (and a rather amusing one). Yet cutting off her tail did not affect her in the long run. She was not put out by the loss. If more people took to helping each other as willingly as she did, would there be starving children? Would there be people in need? Would our world be in the condition it is in now? I doubt that.

Loyalty
Loyalty is one of the most important traits a person could have as part of their personality. To be loyal to a friend, to refuse to sell them out or to stand by them no matter what or to even die for them, is not only admirable, it brings you great honor in the eyes of your peers.

Rainbow Dash didn't sell out her friends, even for something she desperately wanted. To be that kind of friend is something worth striving for. Loyalty can sometimes be unhealthy or dangerous when given to the wrong person or cause, but when it is invested in healthy relationships, friends, family, then you have something that could never be bought with money, or bribed or frightened away.

Imagine if the whole world exhibited this kind of loyalty. Imagine if we were true to what we said and never betrayed those we cared about! I have this friend who was very bad into controlled substances at one point. Drugs. The types of things he was doing were bad enough that it worried me. One night I was walking toward his house and I notice some people standing in the middle of the road. There was a whole group of them, at least six. I was watching this group as I walked past, and suddenly I saw them attack someone wearing a hoodie. To my surprise, it was my friend. Without hesitation, I ran to this friend of mine and drove the men attacking him away. There were enough of them that they could have easily taken both of us down, but I stood in the street and stared them down, ready to defend my friend with my life. And those men left without another word.

Loyalty.

To be true to those you care about. To protect them. To stand beside them no matter what. To die for them if necessary.

This is loyalty. If I were in Twilight's group, this would be my Element, because I value it above anything else.

Magic
When you have these things together, you definitely have magic, because when you find all of these elements in a person or a group of people, you have wonderful friends. And to have such true, honest, brave, loyal friends is as powerful as any magic.

Conclusion
It is so strange how much I enjoyed this show. It's bizarre because, well let's face it, it's My Little Pony. I'm 32 years old. And a guy. Granted, bronies are of the mindset that people need to look past things like age and gender, and I agree. But it's going to take a little getting used to. In the meantime, I will be spending some time prowling the fandom on the internet and finding out where all of these brony superfans are hiding. After all, they pack convention centers across the globe. How hard could it be to find them?

-MD

The Journey Begins

Okay, this is my first attempt to ever document my journey into a fandom step-by-step, because frankly this is one of the few times I've ever set out to intentionally become a member of a community at the drop of a dime like this. To be honest, if you had told me this morning that I would be taking the first steps toward becoming a brony, I would have told you to go boil your head in a tub of acid. I have been adamantly against bronies since I first learned about them a couple of years back, and after today, I am truly sorry for that.

Let me start from the beginning. A couple of years ago (if you were to ask me the exact date, or even the exact year, I could not tell you) I learned about this group of fans known as bronies. Teenagers, college students, men with families who are fans of My Little Pony. I thought it was one of the stupidest things I'd ever heard of. Despite my oft repeated claims that I do not judge people and am cool with everyone as long as they are causing no harm, this was exactly opposite of what was true in this case. I'm not sure what it was, but the idea of men watching something so traditionally feminine was off-putting for me. I fell into the same trap as most men on this planet and labelled them freaks and weirdos and whatnot.

But I have never been more wrong. My partner and I were talking about bronies today, and I made the off-handed remark that if he was a brony, he should tell me. I was joking, but he replied that though he was not a brony, he was considering looking into it, because of a documentary on brony culture that he'd seen called Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony. I was blown away by what I saw. Here are people who are so obviously not freaks and weirdos. These are people who care about each other, people who express themselves through fiction and artwork and music (and even laser shows!).

These are people who look out for each other, who help not only each other, but their communities and the world in general. They've raised so much money to help people in need. One story that got my attention in particular was this little boy who had gotten a brain tumor. The brony community raised thousands of dollars to help him and his family, and one of the stars of the show actually came to his house! I've seen acts of amazing kindness, community and camaraderie among people who are complete strangers, friendship, generosity. These people are brought together by their love of a show, and have taken the lessons on treating each other with kindness to heart.

So wouldn't a community of people such a this be worth supporting?  I very much think so-- and not just supporting it, but joining it as well. I have had a keen interest in fanfiction for many years and have searched for a long time for a group of people who would actually appreciate the time and effort that goes into being creative. I believe that the bronies are such a group.

As I go along my journey, I will document it here. As I watch new episodes and begin exploring the fandom, I will post my thoughts, and these will be the thoughts of someone experiencing the series for the first time, hearing the music for the first time, seeing the artwork for the first time. This will very much be inexperienced, virgin eyes (as far as MLP goes). I hope you will take it with me. I hope some people from the community find this blog and are willing to give me pointers and suggestions. More importantly, I hope you all realize how deeply sorry I am for being such a douche for so long. Hopefully, we will all become great friends one day.

After all, that's what this whole thing is about, isn't it? Friendship?

Till next time, friends.

-MD