So... interesting
challenge this week. I reached out for suggestions on motifs and only got one.
What I would normally do would be to just starting writing and see
where it wants to go. However, this motif was special in that it already has two
ideas crammed together. Bros + My Little Ponies. The motif was: Bronies.
I'll explain... Hasbro (supergiant toy and
game maker) owns its own animation studio, which is great if you want to make entire
seasons of 22 minute long commercials for your toys (see Transformers, G.I. Joe,
or My Little Ponies), which they do
because you gotta make hay while the sun shines.
In 2010 they got Lauren Faust (who drew for Powerpuff Girls, and FostersHome for Imaginary Friends) to be the creative director, and she created
the series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which, like the Powerpuff Girls and Fosters..., became a cult hit among adults. The thing that most surprised them was that the majority of these adults were men. Because the Internet is
like that, groups of MLP fans, men between the ages of 18 and 33, found each other on forums and web
sites, and formed their own groups and forums like Equestria Daily, which had 36 million page views in the first 9
months. They built a convention for themselves Bronycon. They have started the
Bronies for Good charity and raised money for Toys for Tots, run blood
drives, and supported the family of a young man who attempted his own life because
he was bullied. So that's a fair bit of evidence that this isn't some ironic enjoyment.
This is a heard of men who value Saturday-morning-cartoon ideals like
friendship, standing up for what's right, confidence in your individuality, and
the importance of showing ones softer side. Basically all the same tenets as my
ManKind Project men's group. Wait a minute... MKP... MLP... eerie.
If anyone was still confused about what
Reality Fan Fiction is all about, this is a real life example: A group of men who
love a cartoon for little girls, that seek to change the world Carebear style. You
see my problem? How do I write fan-fiction about a group of fans? It freaking
fan-fiction Inception! (not the word,
or the movie, but the new word which has
a different definition because of the
movie. Something like: idea nesting-dolls.)
This week's
entry may be viewed as a cop-out, but honestly I was chomping at the bit to write this morning, but once I started researching Bronies I felt that there was something much deeper going on. Something that deserved more time and attention than I have in this four-hour writing lab. And I believe I have a responsibility when writing
about minority groups not to fall into the trap of stereotyping, or prejudiced speculation. So please check it out on your own because the best
Reality Fan-fic is real! For instance, the Boston-Bronies are meeting up this weekend to play airsoft. I mean, I can't even imagine what would one WEAR to something like that?
Anyhay, for the remaining two hours I'm going to be
focusing on improving the site with a new feature, ooooh, aaaah, gasp' applause!
And give me a Hoofbump in the comments if you're enjoying the site so far.