My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

[Ruldra]

Skykid next to join the brony ranks?

[Specineff]

I was lucky enough to get a free copy thanks to an artist friend of mine whose art got featured in the doc. Feels really well-made, and you can see DeLancie's influence. I can see why they wouldn't want it to be distributed, but I give it less than one month before it gets leaked on TPB. Though seeing some of the attendants freaks me out a little...

[Stormwatch]

>I give it less than one month before it gets leaked on TPB
>implying it's not there already

[Skykid]

>I give it less than one month before it gets leaked on TPB
>implying it's not there already

Thanks for saving me 13 bucks guys.

[Skykid]

Not inviting any more discussion than anyone wants to have, just give you my views on the docu:

I thought it was genuine. I like to see people having a good time, and I appreciated what the fandom has done for a lot of people who would otherwise struggle. Like weeaboos, bronies are good natured people, and even though it got a little hammy on the charity fundraising stuff, its undeniably a good thing.

It bolstered my original evaluation of the reasons behind the fandom, however, which some of you agree with and some of you don't.

To quote:

"I was kind of sad... and lonely. And, then when I did watch the show, it opened up to this huge community. Because the community is just so accepting, it's a really great thing."

And:

"There's more to it than just Ponies... and people think it's all just ponies and for girls, but it's really not. It's about friendship and having a good time."

The language used when the Bronycon attendees first arrive and react: everyone is talking about the people, the community, the kinship, the acceptance, the freedom to be themselves etc etc., but no-one is talking about the actual TV show.

It's really the same thing as the weeaboo fandom, I can't see any clear line of discrepancy except one is a Pony fad, the other an Anime fad: the type of individual and the reasoning behind their communities seem undeniably similar to me.

There appears to be a common thread among bronies featured in the documentary: a characteristic of insecurity. Nothing serious, I'm not trying to insult anyone, and most (not all) appear perfectly reasonable individuals.

It's definitely not a fandom for me, and did cringe at times, primarily because I don't find anything unique, special or interesting about the show, and therefore admittedly can't relate. but I appreciate so many people getting so much out of it. I'm sticking by my guns on my feelings that the social arm and the accompanying freedoms are more powerful than the subject matter, and I feel this was addressed not only by the comments made, but by the investigation of the psychologists that defined them as being intelligent, but "more introverted".

On the same note, the psychologists assessment that bronyism is a result of 911 and a retreat from that event, is bullshit. It's a retreat from an increasingly fucked up and demanding world that people find difficult to fit in with, if anything.

Lauren Faust, show's creator, came across a little dumb. Sorry, just the way I saw it. What the hell kind of mythical creature is a 'Chimmera'? All possibility that she stumbled on anything but blind luck with MLP went right out the window at that point.

Also, some of the bronies shouldn't have been interviewed, although I'm not 100% sure what angle the docu makers were going for. But putting people on who are really stupid isn't going to do a great deal for perfectly intelligent people in the fandom, of whom there are clearly many.

For example Tombstone with his Ponystep seems to be with it upstairs, since he's driven by his own creativity; the German guy was well kept and got laid as a result of MLP (trust the Germans)... but SR Foxley, wtf?

To quote, at 12:07:

"The show itself... is, uh, extremely well done. Um... the art is fantastic, the writing is wonderful!...aaand the voice acting, it's, it's just impeccable!"

Go read a book, Jesus. I can't believe they gave a whole 10 seconds to that middle-aged bozo. So embarrassing.

The guy into flying I actually quite liked, but was disappointed that he put enormous MLP decals on the back window of his Mercedes, while living in an extremely volatile, redneck, homophobic US state, and was surprised that he got his windows smashed in and a hunting rifle pointed at his head.
Why do you need to advertise your fandom in a state where you're likely to get lynched for it? Not smart.

I really liked the meeting of the dads and the military guys. That showed a lot of strength. And John De Lancie, that guy is always really cool. Awesome personality.

The docu got a clear message across: bronies may not be your stereotypical picture of "normality", or however that's classified, but there's nothing wrong with them as individuals. They're harmless and having fun, everyone wants to do that, so leave them to it - much like weeaboos really.

They dodged the clopping real well, but Tara Strong's jugs more than adequately made up for it. That chick's stacked.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

I agree

[trap15]

same

[njiska]

Wow, Skykid, nice to see a long, well-thought out sounding post from you in this thread that didn't have such an inflammatory edge. And I mean that sincerely, not snarkily. Glad things have balanced out here in the last year. Based on your critique I am quite intrigued to see how this documentary plays out and how it fits with the side of the fandom I've seen and the side of the fandom I'm in. Hopefully the lady and I can find time on Friday for it.

I was lucky enough to get a free copy thanks to an artist friend of mine whose art got featured in the doc. Feels really well-made, and you can see DeLancie's influence. I can see why they wouldn't want it to be distributed, but I give it less than one month before it gets leaked on TPB. Though seeing some of the attendants freaks me out a little...

They want to get it distributed properly and that requires sales as evidence to make the pitch. The goal is to get the Doc on Netflix and possibly broadcast TV. Probably something like PBS, but still. Remember this is a business venture, not something made by fans just for the fun of making it.

[KAI]

"I was kind of sad... and lonely. And, then when I did watch the show, it opened up to this huge community. Because the community is just so accepting, it's a really great thing."

And:

"There's more to it than just Ponies... and people think it's all just ponies and for girls, but it's really not. It's about friendship and having a good time."

So this thing is like a modern Star Trek? I think I'm getting the whole idea.

[njiska]

"I was kind of sad... and lonely. And, then when I did watch the show, it opened up to this huge community. Because the community is just so accepting, it's a really great thing."

And:

"There's more to it than just Ponies... and people think it's all just ponies and for girls, but it's really not. It's about friendship and having a good time."

So this thing is like a modern Star Trek? I think I'm getting the whole idea.

That's actually a somewhat fair comparison.

[Specineff]

>I give it less than one month before it gets leaked on TPB
>implying it's not there already

Certainly not through my doing!

[The Coop]

... but Tara Strong's jugs more than adequately made up for it. That chick's stacked.

I'm of the mindset that she's got quite the figure from head to toe. But her chest is certainly impressive, isn't it?

[Edmond Dantes]

Lauren Faust, show's creator, came across a little dumb. Sorry, just the way I saw it. What the hell kind of mythical creature is a 'Chimmera'? All possibility that she stumbled on anything but blind luck with MLP went right out the window at that point.

I never even thought of paying money for the documentary but now I want to see this particular portion. Is it up on Youtube somewhere?

[The Coop]

Lauren Faust, show's creator, came across a little dumb. Sorry, just the way I saw it. What the hell kind of mythical creature is a 'Chimmera'? All possibility that she stumbled on anything but blind luck with MLP went right out the window at that point.

You do know that a Chimera is an actual Greek mythical creature, right? Or are you referring to a typo on her part?

[drunkninja24]

Lauren Faust, show's creator, came across a little dumb. Sorry, just the way I saw it. What the hell kind of mythical creature is a 'Chimmera'? All possibility that she stumbled on anything but blind luck with MLP went right out the window at that point.

You do know that a Chimera is an actual Greek mythical creature, right? Or are you referring to a typo on her part?

I think it was more the way she pronounced it. I thought it was odd myself.

[Edmond Dantes]

Lauren Faust, show's creator, came across a little dumb. Sorry, just the way I saw it. What the hell kind of mythical creature is a 'Chimmera'? All possibility that she stumbled on anything but blind luck with MLP went right out the window at that point.

You do know that a Chimera is an actual Greek mythical creature, right? Or are you referring to a typo on her part?

The way he wrote it, it seems like he was calling out her pronounciation--(if I read this right) she said "chim" as in that monkey from Speed Racer, when "chimera" is actually pronounced "Kai"mera as in Dragonball Kai.

I want to see the full scene though, to see if she really comes off as "stupid" and "just got lucky with FIM."

[BPzeBanshee]

The guy into flying I actually quite liked, but was disappointed that he put enormous MLP decals on the back window of his Mercedes, while living in an extremely volatile, redneck, homophobic US state, and was surprised that he got his windows smashed in and a hunting rifle pointed at his head.
Why do you need to advertise your fandom in a state where you're likely to get lynched for it? Not smart.

You bring up good points, though to expand on this paragraph above, I could say precisely the same about a few varieties of people, from women in whore's uniform, to a Mitt Romney fan in a party of Obama supporters, or a redneck spewing racist insults for no good reason at passers-by, and so on and so forth.

The general consensus in response to this however, not only on the forums here but from many people I've discussed this behaviour with in person, has been that regardless of the cause the victim always gets the sympathy and the culprit is still just as much a culprit as he/she'd be if it was just a completely random attack. Advertising your fandom/fetish/sexuality/whatever is apparently not the same as forcing an opinion on someone else, thus everyone has a right to do whatever they like and not get 'discriminated' for it. The guy was surprised that he got his back window busted and a gun pointed at his face because that kind of shit isn't supposed to happen.

Seems like a bit of a idealistic view of the world, and it's one that I don't agree with either, but it's a popular one, and it certainly is not a trait specific to bronies, or Americans, or any one specific demographic.

[Skykid]

She called it a "Chimmera", as in 'Chimp', and not a Chimera, as in Ky-mare-ah.

You do know that a Chimera is an actual Greek mythical creature, right?

Yes, and I also know how to pronounce it.

Advertising your fandom/fetish/sexuality/whatever is apparently not the same as forcing an opinion on someone else, thus everyone has a right to do whatever they like and not get 'discriminated' for it. The guy was surprised that he got his back window busted and a gun pointed at his face because that kind of shit isn't supposed to happen.

Of course. But knowingly inviting that kind of heat by slapping your freaking car with MLP illustrations is just foolhardy.

[BPzeBanshee]

Indeed it is. Just don't be surprised if you say that to someone and they unleash all their steam on you - I used that argument with whore's clothing in 2009 and I've been infamous across middle/high school ever since.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Lauren Faust used to hang around on PPGWorld when it was still around. She was like their version of Stuart Campbell.

Not knowing how to correctly pronounce the name of a fictional creature that doesn't exist might not make someone dumb, but there's plenty of evidence around the net that does.

[Skykid]

Not knowing how to correctly pronounce the name of a fictional creature that doesn't exist might not make someone dumb, but there's plenty of evidence around the net that does.

Just to clarify, it wasn't the mis-pronunciation of a fairly well-known mythical creature that brought me to the opinion, it was the way she came across generally during all of her interview answers. She's not a dunce and is clearly talented in her field, but she certainly doesn't appear smart enough to have pre-conceived MLP to have anything except a target audience of females age 6. I only bother to point that out because I get the impression - now that she's crying herself to sleep every night for making the decision to leave the show at the end of series one - that she's sort of insinuating that the wonderful world she created was somehow meant to have a broader demographical scope.

I don't believe that for an instant.

[The Coop]

Not knowing how to correctly pronounce the name of a fictional creature that doesn't exist might not make someone dumb, but there's plenty of evidence around the net that does.

Just to clarify, it wasn't the mis-pronunciation of a fairly well-known mythical creature that brought me to the opinion, it was the way she came across generally during all of her interview answers. She's not a dunce and is clearly talented in her field, but she certainly doesn't appear smart enough to have pre-conceived MLP to have anything except a target audience of females age 6. I only bother to point that out because I get the impression - now that she's crying herself to sleep every night for making the decision to leave the show at the end of series one - that she's sort of insinuating that the wonderful world she created was somehow meant to have a broader demographical scope.

I don't believe that for an instant.

She's said for a quite a while now that she wanted to make the show appeal not just to the target audience, but to those who watched it with their children/siblings. That's why there's all kinds of references that little kids won't get, but the grown ups will. However, what she didn't expect (as the documentary's title says) was that the show would catch on with so many teens and adults, to the point that there would be all these conventions and such, and the fanbase would be made up and just as many older people as there are children.

Plus, I don't believe she's like Tara Strong, who thrives in the limelight. In a fair number of interviews, Faust almost seems nervous or uncomfortable if you watch her. She also always struck me as the kind of person who knows what she's doing, but isn't overly confident or self assured when it comes time for standing in front of a lot of people and talking about it and her motives; especially a big room full of constumed, cheering fans that are way older than the show's core age demographic.

[Skykid]

^ Well it stands to reason you chaps would know more about her intentions than I would, or at least have gleaned more background information.

Let's just call it a first impression thing. And the Chimmera.

[Stormwatch]

Chimera, or Χίμαιρα, is actually pronounced /kɨˈmɪərə/. That is... "khimaira", with a soft "kh" and stress in the first syllable.

So she got it almost right, and everyone who says "ky-mare-ah" got it very wrong.

[Specineff]

Maybe what she said was an arcane pronunciation that's been unused for long?

[blackoak]

Saw the docu too, though I feel guilty about torrenting it. I'll probably buy a copy when I watch it with some friends later. Some thoughts:

* I think the Star Trekkian lens is very strong here given the format of the docu and DeLancie (gf got to meet him at an SF convention this year, she was thrilled). But the comparison is interesting in other ways, considering the positivity and optimism both shows present. Is it particularly thought through in either show? No, and thats why both represent escapism: the imagining of a longed-for state that hops over the details of how to get there. But still, its a healthier kind of escapism than many other things.

* Skykid said the psychologist's comment about 911 was silly, but you have to remember that since that event, there's been an unremitting and overt militarism in the US (and much of Europe, I imagine) that many of these younger fans have sadly grown up with. So the comment was accurate, although I agree its bigger than just that. I actually found this part of the docu most interesting, and would have liked to hear more people/academics "getting deep" on it. Thought it kind of dragged in other places really.

* Really lame to be criticizing Lauren Faust like this. I taught English for 7 years and still mispronounce words all the time.

* re: the kid who was assaulted for the pony decals... I dont think skykid meant it this way exactly, but his comment is very similar to the "dont dress slutty if you dont want to get raped" kind of comments that end up backhandedly justifying shitty people's reactionary behavior.

[Skykid]

* Skykid said the psychologist's comment about 911 was silly, but you have to remember that since that event, there's been an unremitting and overt militarism in the US (and much of Europe, I imagine) that many of these younger fans have sadly grown up with. So the comment was accurate, although I agree its bigger than just that. I actually found this part of the docu most interesting, and would have liked to hear more people/academics "getting deep" on it. Thought it kind of dragged in other places really.

I think I said it was bullshit, actually.

Unremitting and overt militarism is not, in my eyes, a cause and effect for extreme global fandom; and certainly not in a country like the US, whose children are relatively molly coddled by mass media entertainment, commercialisation, big houses, nice clothes and fancy toys. Children in Israel have witnessed far more overt militarism, and I'm not sure it's the obscure fandom capital of the world.

I also didn't agree with the statement because it clashes with my own beliefs, that Weeaboo and MLP type fandom is a result of problems produced by enormous pressure, now at its absolute peak, formed by oppressive capitalism and media forces. I see youth retreating who don't feel comfortable with being part of the 'it' crowd, behaving like people on reality TV shows or feeling they should be as perfect as airbrushed, shopped billboard images of models. TV is oppressive in itself, blasting unfettered idiocy and manipulative advertising into the brains of impressionable people at impressionable ages: it's hardly surprising that the genuine sweetness/softness of MLP is something that Bronies commonly cite as attractive - because it's not asserting itself upon them and appears agenda free.

Burying oneself in a 'geeky' hobby has also traditionally been around long before 911 or any other recent critical cultural impact. Kids were geeking out on D&D, Pac Man, Games Workshop pewter wars, Fighting Fantasy novels and Star Wars and Star Trek, amongst others, a long time ago. For me, the psychologist's findings of introversion were the most accurate, and shouldn't have been undone by tacked on 911 philosophies, which, were they viable, really would only pertain to the US, and MLP is totally global (as the docu ably demonstrated.)

Fandom unites people. In some cases, it unites people who otherwise aren't at ease in regular social circles or have a difficult time fitting in. Sharing a common interest is all it takes to create or latch on to a fandom.

* Really lame to be criticizing Lauren Faust like this. I taught English for 7 years and still mispronounce words all the time.

Everyone makes mistakes. The Chimmera just happens to be the sort of thing that makes me grit my teeth and shout at the TV - but as I mentioned, I don't think she's a slack-jawed moron, she just spent a lot of time bigging up her MLP backstory and a lot of it came off as unrealistic and not particularly bright.

* re: the kid who was assaulted for the pony decals... I dont think skykid meant it this way exactly, but his comment is very similar to the "dont dress slutty if you dont want to get raped" kind of comments that end up backhandedly justifying shitty people's reactionary behavior.

I don't really see the similarity between these two (now commonly) used comparisons. If a woman likes to look sexy - even slutty - she shouldn't have any fear of molestation, or have that molestation excused because of her appearance. She should accept that she's going to be ogled and eye-raped by most men she encounters, but that's just the natural way of things.

MLP decals on your Merc in a hostile redneck county is a different thing altogether: they're almost guaranteed to cause reprisal, whereas not every slutty woman is guaranteed to be raped.

He already has some Brony friends nearby who he hangs out with, his room is littered with pony 'merch', he gets to watch the show in the comfort of his own home and he spends a fuckload of time chatting about the show on the internet. Whacking ponies all over your car windows is asking for trouble, and he knew that. If I was his father, I would have told him he's a complete idiot - which is why he made up the story about running his car off the road.

[Stormwatch]

Everyone makes mistakes. The Chimmera just happens to be the sort of thing that makes me grit my teeth and shout at the TV

Again: it's not "ky-mare-ah", it's "khi-mai-ra". So she was closer to the correct form than you.

[Skykid]

Everyone makes mistakes. The Chimmera just happens to be the sort of thing that makes me grit my teeth and shout at the TV

Again: it's not "ky-mare-ah", it's "khi-mai-ra". So she was closer to the correct form than you.

I disagree. The common pronunciation in the west is the one I cited, widely used by everyone. Just do a Google search. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying pronunciations may vary regionally - I'm sure it sounded very different a few thousand yrs ago. What Lauren said was a direct pronunciation of the spelling, much like the mis-pronunciation of tortilla.

Also, I don't really care all that much. I went into detail about tons or stuff in the docu and all anyone seems to care about is Faust's integrity.

[Stormwatch]

West? What west? It's GREEK!