Id tag games, for Id tag consoles, for Id tag gamers,
The “Collect Her” episode of The Powerpuff Girls essentially predicted Brony culture which is funny because My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic was created by Lauren Faust who was an artist/writer/director for The Powerpuff Girls
holy shit
Note that the fan was the villain of the episode but that Faust has gone out of her way to defend bronies even by the time they drew highly misogynist porn of her self-insert OC.
There’s a lesson in there. Somewhere. That may or may not have to do with Faust.
Like the villain of the episode, who trapped and kidnapped the girls to keep them all to himself, Bronies have to a large degree stolen the current generation of MLP from its original target audience by spamming the internet with child-unsafe mlp fan content, swamping appearances by creators and cast members with sketchy adults such that parents feel unsafe with their children there, and noisily attracting so much attention to themselves that it has distorted the nature of the show itself and especially its marketing. ie, the MLP comic book, that is very much ‘by bronies for bronies’, an adult minded parody of the show’s characters rather than an adaptation that remains true to the style, spirit, or all ages nature of the source material.
And as it has grown in influence, we’ve seen insensate brony screeching change from ‘its not just for little girls’ to ‘its not for little girls at all’. We’ve also seen vicious, ugly, herd-mindset attacks on anyone within the fandom who dares to question the way the brony herd behaves at all, up to and including death and rape threats directed at said critics. Far from being a ‘few bad apples’ situation, we’ve seen brony musicians making death and rape threats within their music go on to be invited to perform at brony conventions specifically because of how well received their hatred and bile proved to be within the community.
Maybe Faust shouldn’t have been so supporting of the Brony community to begin with, and maybe show creators shouldn’t have gone out of their way to include explicit nods to them in the show and the marketing. After all, bronies already liked the show and purchased the merchandise, pandering to them and encouraging them didn’t widen the show’s appeal. Rather it just seems to have driven them to heightened levels of obnoxiousness and entitled possessiveness, and if anything they’ve in turn narrowed the show’s appeal. They’ve certainly badly subverted its message, bringing a heavy dose of misogyny to the fandom of a show that was directed with all love and earnestness at young girls, and in doing so have brought down a cloud of ugliness and cynicism on what was so refreshing and engaging to begin with specifically for its openness and sincerity.
Reblogging for that excellent commentary.
While I’ve managed to see some good Bronies here and there still, the majority of Bronies at this point have driven away the casual fans who were enjoying a well made show but now don’t want the Brony association, which is more difficult to overcome than the little-girls’-show association. I’ve had a fascinating time observing the fandom (on and off and in pockets because it’s too large and wild and I’m not getting funding for these observations) but it’s gone from something fun and interesting, with a wonderful pool of talent and passion, to something horrible. For me the biggest disappointment is that the wildest changes happened when I wasn’t paying attention so I don’t have it documented. (I have some theories and ideas expanding on how the fandom became so horrible, but I’m not writing a full fucking essay here)
I think it’s important to note that I see similar pockets (some equally large) in other fandom observations. I haven’t observed the Homestruck fandom as closely because I haven’t read the source material, yet I see in a lot of ways a similar response to Homestruckers as I do to Bronies in some people’s discussions of fandoms. Or we could talk about the Sherlock fandom (and how it’s so overly associated with the JohnLock bullshit). Or the Whovians, who make an interesting case of the Old Series curmudgeons and the New Series dramatic vampires (which involves, again, a lot of shipping) and the poor fans who just like the show and don’t want to put up with either. The worst elements of any number of other fandoms could be easily discussed for hours.
So if anything, maybe it should be kept in mind that the Bronies should be an example to other fandoms. And example to not let those horrible elements be the only things people know of the fandom. Where, instead of being embarrassed by the horrible aspects and leaving the fandom or remaining silent within, the “moral center” needs to force the bad elements out before they become the defining trait. While fans can be a show’s saving grace and bring it back from the dead, it can also destroy that show and that very thing you wish others were so passionate about will instead be completely ignored because of the stereotype of those who enjoy it. (Ask long time Sci-fi fans about how stereotyping has often made saying what they love difficult.)
Sorry, just rambling semi-incoherently about fandoms.
Unfortunately, the most public (unofficial) face of any group will always be the loudest and most obnoxious faction.
If, by some miracle, it isn’t, it soon will be as members of the loud and obnoxious faction gain enough support from others who are loud and obnoxious to *become* the public face.
If it gets especially bad, that UNofficial public face may end up as the OFFICIAL public face.
This is true for *all* groups of people. Fandom, political, religious, racial, national, gender, generational, even relational.
A clear example of the Fandom Fractal.
Excellent commentary?
“Bronies have to a large degree stolen the current generation of MLP from its original target audience by spamming the internet with child-unsafe mlp fan content”
Why don’t you go back to your convent, mother superior?
Nobody’s stolen shit. Different people love the same things you do for different reasons is what you’re complaining about. MLP is 2deep4u, even if you liked it, you wouldn’t appreciated it for the right reasons like I do. A cartoon toy commercial is pandering to it’s audience? NO FUCKING WAY!
