Friendship is Magic, but has the show actually improved your

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>>30680583
my current circle of friends are a direct result of my little pony.

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>>30680583
>has the show actually improved your relationships with your friends?
No, and I never expected the show to help me with that.

>Or are you as lonely as when you first joined the ride?
Nope I sorted my shit and got to know myself better.

>>30680583
I actually have less friends now, but that's okay. I didn't realise my 'friends' had such shit taste. So, nothing of value was lost.

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I don't have friends because I can't trust most people and I feel like no one understands me anyways, so I use ponies to cope with the loneliness.

I joined the ride in 2010 and nothing has changed.

>>30680618
A hundred times this. Damn near all of my mates turned out to be rampant liars and literal faggots, only have a handful of mates now in real life, but I'd say that I'm better off now. A friend to all is a friend to none. Also, without FiM I would've never truly indulged my writefag side and would've never met a bunch of mates here. So, yeah, FiM helped me out quite a bit.

>>30680606
This. Gained several new friends through meetups.

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>>30680583
No. It's just a fucking cartoon.

Kill yourself, faggot.

>>30680678
I know those trust feels friendo. I got screwed by so many friends. I don't trust many people nowadays.

I was going to make a snarky comment but when I think about it it really did wonders for my social life. I met a lot of people through pony events that I do a lot of stuff with now on the regular. Met my current roommate through pony too. I used to be a total recluse beforehand, I never really thought about it but now I consider myself to be quite a social person. It really came creeping. Can't imagine where I'd be in life without ponies, as cheesy as it sounds.

Thanks M.A. Larson

>>30680678
My soul needs something else. screw this, screw this thread, screw the show, screw 4chan, screw the whole damn internet!...and screw you! I'll be back in an hour, and if you don't have your shit together, I'm going to find you, and assassinate you. You have one hour! say your prayers mofo.

>2010
had a couple of friends, spend most time in front of the computer playing video games
>2017
The same couple of friends, spend most time in front of the computer playing video games and shitposting

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>>30680678
>>30680771
I feel your trust issues.
It doesnt get better.
But it helps to know that there are others out there that understand, even if it's just some anonymously wirrten text on a computer screen.
I am also considering a tulpa, if only for the companionship it'd bring.

>>30680678
>>30680771
"Trust issues" is such a faggot problem to have. I swear to god it's code for "I have unrealistic expectations and suck at communicating them". Just you somehow manage to blame other people for it. Nobody owes you loyalty.

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Absolutely nothing has changed during this 6 year ride, besides my masturbation habits.
I'm still the same anxiety ridden mess I was before.

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>>30680848
>endure bullying and backstabbing for years from people you thought you could trust
>develop emotional trauma and trust issues because of it
>"HURR YOU DON'T DESERVE FRIENDSHIP!"

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>>30680848
Well, in my case 'trust issues' is code for 'I dont remember a time i honestly opened up to anyone without paying for it shortly afterwards, and i've been gaslit by family members enough times that i barely even talk to them anymore." but at the same time i cant deny people exist that overblow things.
It sucks that those people basically make it so the legitimately fucked up people are either ignored or mocked if they ever try to talk about things.

>>30680884
Dont bother, there's probably nothing that can be said that'd convince him we're not just asking for attention, what reason does he have to believe it?
Other people understand, and that's enough when i remember it.

>joined ride starting in s2, then a no friends loser neet.

>s7 now, still no friends loser neet with extra side of heaping parental disappointment.

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>>30680583
stop anon... just stop...
let me dream in peace

>>30680884
No, fuck you, you do deserve friendship and happiness, but like how can you endure bullying and backstabbing for years from people you thought you could trust. Like, what ever made you think that. There are a lot of people you are not compatible with, who don't give you as much as you'd want them to. A lot of people whom you have a lot more interest in than they have for you, for example, whether it's a chick or a buddy. Then that's something you ought to recognize and drop the relationship. Don't keep hanging around when you're hurting and then blame them for "abusing your trust", I hate that. When others make you out to be their fucking relationship babysitters, act like it's you who has to make sure they feel good when they can't even care for themselves.

It made me realize I was really weird so I had to teach myself how to not be a cringelord. Went pretty well, and I have some good friends that have been with me since 2012. Sadly no pony friends, I haven't even seen a brony irl.

>>30680583
Joined the ride mid season 3.
Had a few people I was always with at school. Not sure if I ever did consider them friends back then. School ended a few years ago, I don't talk to them much right now, so can't call them friends.

I did meet a few people online around that time I joined the ride. I've remained in contact with only one of them, and he's actually the best friend I've ever had, and I've never even met him in real life.

Over the years I became more and more asocial and bigger sperg than I was when I started the ride.

I feel like I'm lonelier now than back then, but that's not the shows fault.

>>30680884
>endure
>for years
Why did you let it go on? You're not completely powerless ya know.

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The show made me re-evaluate how I was doing some things socially. It didn't change my circle of friends.

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>30681021 (You)

>>30680799
hours up what did thou learn?

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>>30681021
>>30681080
Not the anon you're talking to but i had a similar situation.
> Don't keep hanging around when you're hurting and then blame them for "abusing your trust", I hate that.

>Think you can trust a guy.
>Find out you cant.
>Somehow it's your fault for feeling bad about it.
>This happens with a different guy.
>And another one.
>And another.
>Eventually learn the signs that indicate untrustworthyness.
>Get paranoid you missed some.
>Dont bother reaching out to people at this point.

You're also shit out of luck if the people you get fucked over by are family members you live with.
Being niave doesnt mean other people aren't assholes.

>>30681155
I'm the second guy you replied to. Sounds like I may just be lucky enough to live in area of trusting/trustworthy people. But then again, what if you have skewed expectations, or this or that. I guess neither of us know each other enough to make a meaningful conclusion.
Also out of curiosity what do you consider to be the >signs of an untrustworthy person?

>>30681155
See even just the way you word that ticks me off. Even just using the word "trust" in that context.

You should never assume you can "trust" someone. The "trust" you're looking for, the mutual emotional comittment that's necessary for deep, meaningful releationships is something that builds over years, not from one day to the next. It doesn't just happen, you can't just expect someone to be "trustful". People don't know you. It takes time, and learning about all of each other's quirks, it's a journey and when it's not working out, you really learn about pretty quick and then can both stop fussing around and make the relationship very casual or drop it entirely.

Maybe that's the one thing MLP is pretty terrible at portraying, because it's a magic fantasy world where the main characters bump into each other and love each other from one day to the next. But fiction in general is.

You make missteps, you judge wrong, you have others make bad judgements. That's normal. And I can understand that when it happens too often, that's discouraging, and when it's something that happens within your family, that's really terrible and something a young person is ill-equipped to deal with. I get that. And yet, you have to take responsibility for your own happiness. If you say it's not your fault, fine. You know your situation better than anyone else. Let me assure you, it's not anyone elses either though.

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all I have is you
it is all that I'm breathing for
all I need is you
I am lost in pain without you

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The best friend that I made through here lied to me for over a year, made me care about his autistic ass, and then dumped me when I was vulnerable. Seeing his green makes me angry and upset now when I used to enjoy it quite a bit. It's hard to enjoy things you associate with pieces of shit who pretended to care about you.

I still love ponies though and I've made other friends through them that didn't turn out to be cunts.

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>>30680583
my current friends were gained from me watching the show and meeting people. I started drawing the horses and made better friends who got me into improving in art in general

>>30681218
Always being vague when talking about personal stuff.
Never being able to answer anything detailed about the things you did as friends.
Always talking about other people.
Never actually intiates things but tends to be the first to latch onto another persons idea.
Saying they'll do something but then always 'forget'
Constantly interrupt you when speaking in a group.
Stuff like that.
Not foolproof, and might seem stupidly obvious but i consider them major red flags towards a persons overall trustworthiness.
Another thing is when you get the feeling people are just doing things by rote, rather than with actual meaning, if that makes sense.
Like the standard "Hi, how are you." where people dont actually give a shit nor expect an honest answer.
It's hard to explain, and might just be my paranoia.

>>30681249
I never assume i can trust someone.
Or rather, i can, i just dont immediately trust them, i just assume i can -eventually- trust them as i get to know them better.
And then i'm wrong, sometimes in "meh, alright then." and sometimes "Wake up covered head to toe in toothpaste with a tube up your ass" kind of way.
Dont get me wrong, i'm not trying to shift blame onto anyone here, i realise i'm at fault for being too naive about shit and that it's ultimately up to me to fix myself, but i also realise other people can be complete dicks.
My point is that these sort of issues aren't something you can just get over by trying again and again, you need to have the right mindset and find the right people to put your trust in, which is hard when you're essentially a social cripple due to everything that's happened.

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>>30680583
>Or are you as lonely as when you first joined the ride?
I was lonely before the show, I am lonely right now, and I will continue to be lonely long after it is over.

And I don't even care about that anymore. I've embraced the void.

After I finished watching the show, most of my friendships ended & others were damaged! Lonely as fuck & that is how I like it!

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>>30681249
completely different anon here, I was lurking and reading your posts, and I can relate to the anons that you were replying to.
At first, you came off as a complete asshat, but then you explained what you meant in that second paragraph (which you could've written earlier, goddamnit), and I completely see your point.
Now, allow me to tell you exactly why these people, including myself, have this problem.
As you probably know, humans are, by nature, social creatures. No matter how much someone says that they're antisocial, hate people, want to be alone all the time, etc., nobody actually wants to be completely alone. This means that if someone doesn't have any "best friends" that they can trust in the manner that the Mane 6 do in the show, they'll most likely not be in a very good state, because people need that sort of mutual emotional commitment, or "trust" as the other anons were saying. It's not something that can be avoided, it's built into every single human being. So when you have someone who is categorically worse than the majority of people at social interaction who has almost nobody to have a mutual emotional commitment with, the feeling of being "truly alone" will start to destroy people's souls.
It's cause and effect, in most cases, it's bound to happen. Am I saying that any anon who finds themselves in this predicament should go "boo hoo I am alone, I wanna kill myself"? No, absolutely not, as this kind of loneliness can be fought through, persevered through, and eventually, said anons can find a light at the end of the tunnel. It just takes a lot of time, patience, and experience. And a lack of naïveté.
Now, how this relates to MLP? Well, MLP does do a good job teaching about this topic in one regard: it shows, through certain lessons that it teaches, why bonds such as these are so important and how to keep them once you have them. This can be seen through multiple story arcs, notable ones being
(1/2)

>>30681493
>"Wake up covered head to toe in toothpaste with a tube up your ass" kind of way

...in a literal sense...?

I don't know, maybe I'm just extraordinarily lucky. I consider myself someone who's careful and slow to open up too, and yet, I always had the feeling, nobody I ever met "intentionally" decieved me or anything, sometimes it doesn't work out and you're too slow to catch on, or they are, and sometimes you even need to tell them and that's painful for everyone involved, but, I can't say I've ever met people where I got the feeling, they get a kick out of gaining trust and then abusing it with an express intent to hurt, or at least without a care for doing so.

Waking up with something up your ass you did not want to be there sounds like a pretty... hefty breach for a trusting relationship, not going to lie.

>>30681650
Just like Twilight, you're an annoying book worm!

Good thing I'm immune to annoyance!

>>30681650
Twilight Sparkle's friendship studies while in Ponyville, Discord's reformation and new lifestyle, and the more recent one, Glimmer's reformation and new lifestyle (although it really isn't as good as the other two in some ways). What MLP can't to do is teach a lesson on how to earn that sort of bond, and there isn't exactly a good way to teach that lesson in MLP while keeping the overall mood of the setting. Although I will admit MLP has tried teaching that lesson in Season 6 (I can't remember the episode off the top of my head unfortunately), I don't remember any other time that the show has tried to teach that lesson, and I don't think that there ever will be another one because the one time that it tried, it cocked it up by being too fictional.
(2/2).

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>>30681716
and now that I look it up, the episode that I was thinking of was S6E6, "No Second Prances".

>30681673
who are you?
are you fishing for (You)s or something?

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What friends?

>>30681650
>>30681716
I read these posts and don't know how to respond because I feel we're pretty much on the same page there.

Yeah, it sucks not having real relationships. It sucks feeling like you're lacking the skillset to even only work towards having them. It sucks having your only emotional anchors be a show about colorful ponies and strangers on an anonymous imageboard. I unironically feel sorry for those of you who are in that spot. Good luck and I hope you keep working at it and find joy.

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>>30680583
Actually my friends thought I was lonely because I started watching the show. If anything they actually tried to connect more.

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>>30680583
Made me understand myself more and why I'm so alone.

>>30681672
It wasnt my favorite moment of Disneyland, i'll tell you that, most people get dicks drawn on their face or objects piled on top of them.
I get a colgate bath and enema.
To this day i dont know how the hell they got that much toothpaste on short notice.

>>30681716
Noah?

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>>30680583

I'm an introvert to the extreme so I have little to none IRl friends. Internet friends though? Dime a dozen. Plenty of people met through Steam, or Facebook shitposting/meme hell groups.

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>>30681767
>Good luck and I hope you keep working at it and find joy
thank you anon, thank you
Good luck to you too, if ever you may need it.

>>30681826
what in the fuck
I'm actually somewhat interested in learning how this happened, both because that sounds like a hell of a story and that I want to know how exactly you end up with an enema and a toothpaste bath at Disneyland.

>>30681902
what?

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>>30682025
Not much to tell from my perspective, on the last day of an otherwise pretty good week i woke up minus my anal virginity, a second skin and the laughter of three other guys i'd considered friends.
Apparently when toothpaste dries, it burns but in a way that feels sharp, for lack of a better word.
It's not like fire, steam or water burns, this was more like a papercut but less focused, even without being all over my body.
Honestly, it's one of the few moments of my life i'm glad that i've never remembered dreams, it would likely be a recurring nightmare.

>>30682025
>what?
You just have similar speaking patterns to someone that went to my school, and you also brought up that humans are social creatures in the exact same way he did. Can I ask where you heard that from? It seems you have the same sources.

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I have no friends.

Why do you become bronies if you know it is just a sad cult for people without friends?

>>30682858
Misery loves company

>Socially confident with plenty of friends
>/fit/
>Highly intelligent
>Moderately good-looking
Honestly, I am Chad. My power level remains FIRMLY hidden.

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>>30680583
Basically have the same circle of friends since high school (few years now)... Didn't do much as far as gaining or losing friends but poni really improved relationship with one friend for a while, though we've drifted a bit due to him fucking a bitch that I can't stand.

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>>30680583
The show has either found me friends, kept contact with old ones, or put me in positions that led me to new friends. And strengthened those relationships to the point where I've even met most of my close internet friends IRL.

But for any of you that have trust issues and say no one understands you, have hope. I sometimes feel the same way, but there are people out there that can understand and talk to you, and vice versa.

I end up being friends with many outcasts of society extremely easily, just because I can listen to them and communicate on their level as well as with normies. As much as I get irritated by Starlight, we relate at least on that sort of level in where we gain relationships in similar ways and I end up in the middle of a dysfunctional but interesting group of misfits.
And if any of you want someone to simply listen, just ask. I've made several friends just by that and I'd gladly take another.

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>>30680583
Yes. Though not at first. I started watching this in 2011, which is when I was in high school. My entire time there consisted me being somewhat of an outcast, so it didn't help fix what was already quite broken.

It did, however, help a lot when I got in college and had the chance to start anew. I have friends I get along with, but I still have a long way to go with them. I still have the issue that I don't go out at all and only see them during college classes and maybe the occasional moment after class, but anything other than that is time I spend alone at home. It's easy for me to fall back into the thought that I'm better off alone, and at those times I find myself pushing people away a bit. Thank god they are willing to put up with it and still be there for when I come out of it. I really wish I could find the middle point I am most comfortable with though. Most people I know are the very outgoing types which is exhausting for me, but being alone eventually makes me get depressed.

Also, recently, The Perfect Pear also made me want to find a girlfriend. I already struggle with keeping friendships and now my fucking psyche yearns to find a much deeper relationship. I fucking hate myself

>>30682983
I'd love to take you up on that offer, but it feels weird opening up so easily to someone else online on a "private" level. I've been considering seeing a psychologist just to get that without it being so awkward.

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>>30683068
Well, I can tell you that you're free to open up as slowly and as much as you feel comfortable. We can just talk about interests or smack talk each other's waifu. There's really no rush here.

But I don't have much time left tonight to talk for a little while, so if you're still here by tomorrow afternoon, I'll throw you a steam link.

And checked - those are some good numbers my dude.

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>>30680583
A children's show isn't going to fix my inability to make new friends. I was treated like shit a ton growing up and it's stuck with me. A couple friends I made during childhood are still my friends and with them I can chat like no other, but I can't meet people and put myself out there socially.

Within the structure of my job I can be friendly and joke and stuff and feel okay, but as soon as I'm on my own I just can't be chummy and open. I take a very long time to warm to people and be a little more outgoing, so it's impossible for people to take a liking to me and want to interact more. Prodding a dead fish is only fun in the short term, then you move on to something that will be more engaging.

So yeah, I guess like some other folk ITT I have trust issues. I honestly believe that literally everyone is a prick sometimes, and will hurt you sooner or later. All my current friends have, but the difference between them and others is that I love them and can forgive them. With everyone else, I don't want to bother.

It's why I'm going to be a wizard in under a year, and to be honest for all my social shittery, VERY weird kinks and general autism, I think it's better that I not meet new people and try to strike up any relationships of any type. People are better off without me and vice versa. I like being alone, I like my quiet, and the thought of social gatherings stress me the fuck out. I'm happier not doing them when I don't have to.

Here is a picture of my favorite horse.

>>30680583
I'm 90% less autistic having joined the ride and learned about 4chan. 4chan made me way more aware of how splergy I am, and be able to curb my behavior to a more inviting and pleasant personality. It's exhausting talking to people now, but my interactions feel less mean. I've gone from 0 friends to 4 long distance friends

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>>30680583
>tfw when your friends turned out to be filthy band wagoners.

I suppose it is partially responsible for hastened worsening my relationship with them. Not because of the band wagoning business but because MLP got me interested in getting my shit together instead playing video games all day and resenting people for their success.

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>>30680583
I've always been content with my own company, but I've made a few friends through this fandom and that's all I need. Coming here has only ruined me further because the sense of humor I gained from this place is like another language to normies, and likewise I can't understand how they can be so normal.

>>30683245
That sounds fine. Let me know when you can.

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Show actually destroyed my last friendship for a while because I was a fucking idiot who was more interested in seeming "cool" to anybody watching than just accepting that my best friend of a decade was into little ponies. Worst part is even while I was acting like it was weird and pathetic, I was also watching the show in secret and falling in love with it.

Ironically the "unmanly" show about little ponies and the friends he made through the brony community are what got him to man up and tell me I was being a piece of shit and he was done with me. tl;dr several years of soul-searching and trying to fix my jackass self later I've managed to get a smaller form of that friendship back (it's never going to be the same) and also make some really good horsefucker friends in the process, one of whom wound up becoming my boyfriend of several years.

If it weren't for the fact I was already bi and open about it before MLP I'd say I'm a perfect case study for the show breaking down the walls of fake masculinity and repressed homosexuality or whatever buzzwords you want to use. I hate to admit it but the show actually did change my life for the better, by bringing me into a community where I don't have to try so hard to be "normal."

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bump

>>30684490
>>30686504
Quit bumping this pity party faggot shit, it's just as bad as all the "Tee hee, I added a pony to my /pol/ shitposting, now it belongs!"

>>30686511
bump

>>30686518
haha, you did it, reddit

>>30686537
You honestly sound like you visit generals and hate to see your general not on the front page all the time. Newsflash: this board at this point is /b/ with ponies. You want something to cry about, go cry to the dozens of MLP-unrelated generals here.

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>>30686569
You honestly sound like a faggot.

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>>30686579
>Comes to a thread he doesn't like to complain how he doesn't like it
m8, the only faggot here is you

>>30686590
D'ohohkay, I'll let you special snowflakes resume the peace tea and hugboxxing about fee fee's.

>>30686611
Great. Have fun in your generals.

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>>30682225
>Can I ask where you heard that from?
Uhh, from what I can remember, just my own observation. I do know I heard that from numerous sources, but off the top of my head I can't really remember any specific one. Also, my name is not Noah.