I really miss being a larger part of the fandom like I once was.
In my prime I was an admin on a forum (Equestria Forever), a director of my own brony entertainment site (Radio is Magic (be really surprised if any of you even heard of it)), a handler/driver for the VAs at cons, and streaming crew member for EFN.
I made scores of friends. I met the girl of my dreams (she loved the move too by the way!). And got to create some timeless memories (hosting the 2014 pub crawl for Ciderfest in Milwaukee being amongst the biggest).
Except, like most of my social circle back than, I got burnt out. Real life issues came and hit me hard. I needed, and still do, better work and pay. Producing content for my site was stressful. And the drama at some cons just became.... heart wrenching.
Being a part of the fandom was simply not fun anymore. So my girlfriend and I decided to bow out and focus on other things...
About two years had passed before things just started to... change a few weeks ago. Maybe it was me seeing my friend post photos of the sweet Walmart exclusive pirate toys, or the trailer for the film catching her eye. But we were becoming interested again. We started grabbing the toys and binge watching the seasons we missed. I even found myself getting excited when I bought tickets to see the premiere at our local theater!
I don't think it really hit me why I found myself so... enthralled again until the mane 6 started singing "We Got This." It was the heart of the show. That joyful spirit which resonates inside every character. From Pinkie Pie's unforgettable giggle to Applejack's sarcasm ("Don't geht too excited, he's talkin bout us"), it was like the very core of show exuded hope and good cheer.
I didn't realize how much my life had been lacking in those qualities until today. And I am I not going to lie, It felt REALLY nice to experience that again.
Which is I guess why I wanted to write this post. I am not sure if I will ever be as involved as I once was, but... I think I need a little bit more of Equestria in my life again.
I know I may be already asking for a lot after writing so much. I guess I had more to get off my chest than I realized, but if any of you have any suggestions for decent welcoming communities or sites out there, please let me know. I would more than appreciate any help you can offer. Especially if it means I can start talking about my favorite pastel ponies again.
And if you don't, that's fine. Thank you for at least reading this far, it's nice to know there are still corners of the web where people are willing to listen.
Take care.
