I'm thankful for ponies.
I first started watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic in 2011, right as Season 2 was starting. I watched until the end of Season 2 in 2012, then went on a break, for reasons I don't feel comfortable discussing online; I resumed watching in 2015 or so, in the middle of Season 5.
I'm thankful for ponies. I've been through some hard stuff in my life, and ponies have been there to help. Seasons 1 and 2 focused on lessons of how to be a friend--how to be social, and how to help those around you. I didn't get those lessons from home, and needed them very badly. One of my favorite episodes is still "Winter Wrap-Up," which begins with a musical number in which Twilight says "I am a social outcast who has no idea what I'm doing, but I want to fit in very badly, and I'm going to do my damnedest to work it out." I was--and, often, still am--Twilight, in that regard.
In 2015, I've found myself in a number of hard situations where I felt lonely and isolated, despite my best efforts to overcome. Watching ponies made me happier on my darkest days. And having a community, somewhere to belong, both online and off, when no one else was there for me, meant the absolute world.
I write fanfic, too (fimfic username is "brokenimage321"). I've always enjoyed telling stories--but I've realized recently that ponyfic has opened new horizons to me. Many of my characters struggle with past traumas, especially a willingness to be open about their feelings of failure, unworthiness, etc.; writing a story where someone like me gets their head on straight in the end has been very helpful to me, personally--and it's a lot of fun, too.
Ponies may even help me in my career. I'm getting a PhD in folklore, specifically focusing on "Fan Studies." Meaning, I can write about ponies and their fans and have it actually advance my career. In fact, I'm knee-deep in a brony project right now, focusing on narratives of how bronies first found the show, then ended up joining the fandom (I have enough stories at the moment, thanks).
This post got a little sappier than I was hoping, but I think you get the point. On this thanksgiving, I'm thankful for ponies: they've helped me through some hard times, and, hopefully, will lead to a brighter future for me, personally.
Happy thanksgiving, everyone!
EDIT: Thanks for the gold, stranger!!! First time for me :)
Submitted November 23, 2017 at 09:14AM by brokenimage321
via reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/7f0m6e/im_thankful_for_ponies/?utm_source=ifttt
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