I had my first Brony encounter, not a bad encounter!

[sd_dreamcrystal]

So I don't know if anyone here knows this, but I work for a library system in which you can encounter so many different people... Well for a while I never encountered a Brony in the library. I've seen Potterfans, Pokefans, Twifans, Hungerfans, and many more but never a FiMfan or a Ponyfan in general really... at least not that would probably let it be known..

So anyway, I was working at one of the library branches while they were having one of there programs for Summer Reading Program and noticed something. The guy who helps the children's department in the summertime was wearing something that caught my eye. I looked at it for a moment but wasn't sure if I should say anything. Then finally I told him I was looking at the pin on his jacket and asked him if he was a brony. It was a custom pen that had this image on it: http://equestria-election.deviantart.com/art/Vote-Twilight-186952633

He admitted to being a brony and asked me if I was one too. I told him no because I dislike the term and I'm more of a fan of the older gens. The lady who does out summer reading program stuff asked me the same when we mentioned the terms and I told her the same answer as well as not liking the term pegasister either when he mentioned the term.

So we talked a little about FiM and such then somehow managed to switch the the conversation to video games and gaming systems and other gaming stuff... Nerds we be it seems! But I can at least say I had a good brony encounter.. I still dislike the term though and do not want to be called that

[apanda0622]

A brony in a library lol!

Don't mean to steal your thread.  But I met a brony today at Hot Topic buying a DH shirt and I mentioned how DH is the comic con/fair pony.  I think I made him uncomfortbale by recongnizing his brony status cuz he got away from me fast! Oh well!  Closet brony!

At least your brony talked to you!

[Phekzhen]

I run into other bronies all the time, because I have an RD cutie mark and a stained glass Discord pins on my hat that I wear a lot. It's always really fun to run into other fans, or to just give them a bro-hoof in passing.

And yeah, all bronies aren't bad, but some do get embarrassed if someone "sniffs them out." Being a fan of MLP is a stigma all fans have to experience, sadly.

And it's okay to not like the term brony! Just call yourself a collector or a fan of older gens. We bronies don't mind :3 A lot of us female bronies don't like the term pegasister, either.

[Snapdragon]

Aw, I'm glad he was nice! It sounds like you had a lot in common! ^_^ Yay!

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

I know like 15 bronies and pegasisters IRL. Don't know any other collectors though.

[scarletjul]

That is cool! 

[Flutterblossom]

Hehe, I've had many Brony encounters too. My first one being when I saw a Brony wearing a Pony shirt in the hallway. OMG it made my week!  I was so excited that bronies exsisted at my high school!!! I told all my friends in my next class and I'm sure they didn't understand a thing I said. I've also seen a Brony in the toy section at my Walmart and another guy at my school wearing a Brony shirt with RD on it.

I have met one of my really good friends through ponies too. I had my Rainbow Dash keychain on my backpack, and when I was on the bus I sat with my close friend who was sitting next to her neighbor/friend. As soon as I sat down, her neighbor asked about the keychain and I told her that I did indeed watch MLP. She was excited, since she was a pegasister too, and we talked ponies for the remainder of the year. Yeah, my friend did get really mad after a while, since she didn't understand anything we said, and she was literally in the middle of us. We did encourage her to watch ponies, but she never did.

 I made a new friend through ponies, and that's why I have a poorly drawn picture of Fluttershy in my yearbook. Lol.

[Rion]

I've had quite a few encounters- the first of which was a Toys 'R' Us employee who happened to be a collector as well.

Pretty cool stuff!

[RAMChYLD]

Well, I bumped into one at Toys R Us Ikano Power Center some times back. Wasn't a bad encounter (given how I feel about bronies after getting grilled by mobs at TV Tropes, Facebook and Amazon), we brohoofed and went our separate ways.

[Elfpony]

I love the local Bronies I've met here.  I've done a few con panels where I've talked about customizing and the history of MLP and the Bronies and Collectors who attended have been great.  Very friendly and interested.

Elf

[sd_dreamcrystal]

And it's okay to not like the term brony! Just call yourself a collector or a fan of older gens. We bronies don't mind :3 A lot of us female bronies don't like the term pegasister, either.

Oh I know it's ok not the like the term, however I had some online bronies kind of... yeah they weren't that nice about it orz Anyway I know there are good ones out there at least

Aw, I'm glad he was nice! It sounds like you had a lot in common! ^_^ Yay!

We seem to I was glad the convo shifted but we both were supposed to be working.. or at least I was and it kind of distracted me! We've talked about games before... being old gen game nerds I guess

[Wilford B Wolf]

I've had quite a few encounters- the first of which was a Toys 'R' Us employee who happened to be a collector as well.

Pretty cool stuff!

funny that was my first encounter with anyone pony....a collecter at TRU who sent me here....first time i actualy met a brony was today...tho..it was intentional lol

[Desert Rose]

I haven't met one in real life yet, but it's awesome to see the pony-love spreading like it is

However I do agree with you, don't really care much for the term brony nor pegasister either. But each to their own. I'd never be able to see me as either since I've loved ponies for so long and always seen myself as a MLP collector. Hard to change that view now after these decades

[Tally Mark]

It's funny that online, "new gen only" bronies have a reputation for being vocal about their hate of previous gens, but in person, I've found most have no problem with being an early gen fan, it's just not their thing. There's actually a guy brony in my local meetup group who HAS been a MLP fan since G1...his parents wouldn't let him have MLP toys when he was a kid (you know...can't let a little boy have "girl" toys), but he always wanted one. And now...he finally has all the ponies he wants!

[Bee-chan]

Sadly, no brony encounters in my area of New Jersey ( Sussex County ). I do have a local fellow pony collector friend from the original community ( yes, she's here on the Arena and on the TP, but I don't think she posts anymore and I can't remember Heathers screen name. She's a busy busy mommma! ).

Guys admitting to being pony fans here in this county seems to be a rare thing, but it's not like the local stores do much to help support pony collecting ( Mt. Olive Walmart STINKS at stocking girls toys, so collectors have to drive 45 minutes out of their way to the Toys R Us in Rockaway to shop for ponies ( they do have Princess Cadence and the bridal concession version of the Cutie Mark Crusaders ).

I have come across people who say they love or used to love My Little Pony a lot, but never a brony here. The stigmata of a guy liking a girls show and toys here is very strong here. It makes me sad.

And yeah, I can't call myself a brony or a pegasister. A brony at Bronycon January tried calling me an, "old school brony", when I mentioned that I'm more of a fan of the G1 line. Had to kindly correct him and say that, no, I'm just simply a My Little Pony collector and fan who loves all of the generations ( with the exception of G3.5, though I DO admittedly own G3.5 Toolaroola, Scootaloo, Pinkie, and 2 Cheerilee's... hey, the double ponytails on Cheerilee's toy are ADORABLE! XP ). Simple as that!

It IS fun educating bronies on why other gen fans love the other gens as well as G4 so much. We all have so many different reasons, and when it's explained to some bronies face to face, most that I've encountered seem genuinely interested!

When face to face to most bronies, they're actually very cool, very nice, willing to listen, and learn from their pony loving elders, and we can ALWAYS find something else that we both like when talking to each other. As sd_dreamcrystal said, it's so easy to start a conversation of involving ponies, and drift to other subjects. Mine conversations with bronies, many times, end up with us talking about the kickrump cartoons of the 1980's and 1990's ( Swat Katz, Biker Mice, Pirates of Dark Water, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, Ninja Turtles... I'm such a geek for those shows. X3 ).