Thank you for stopping by and checking out my blog.
My name is Monica Velasquez, and I’m currently a writer for The Bull. It is the Pierce College student-run magazine under the direction of Genna Gold. Check out our website at thebullmag.com.
The goal of my blog is to give you an inside look of the making the magazine, including the article that I’m writing on males that are into My Little Pony: Magic and Friendship known as “Bronies”.
Genna’s theme for the magazine is subcultures, and the idea of Bronies was brought up by Richie Zamora, while working with him on a previous magazine.
The first I had to do was find the right Brony. On a campus with thousands of students I felt like finding a Brony would be like finding a needle in a haystack. I mean, I couldn’t just go up to a guy and say, “So are you a Brony?” I asked my friends for advice and we came up with the idea of going out and buying a My Little Pony shirt and see if anyone would react to it.
While discussing my plan with a couple of people from the magazine, it was suggested that I go check out certain places on campus where groups of “nerds” hangout.
I was hesitant at first, but it was all for the good of the story. I took a couple of friends with me and we headed out. To be honest I felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.
We approached a group of people where a friend of mine from robotics club was hanging out.
After a few hugs and quick catching up I asked, “Hey I’m writing a story about Bronies. Do you happen to know any?”
It was if I had asked if they had any meth. Their reaction was immediate and it ranged from, ” Why would you want to find a Brony? To finger pointing amongst each other.”
“I’m not a Brony, but I can tell you everything that you need to know,” said a petite girl among the crowd who’s pixie hair was dyed lavender at the bottom.
After talking to her, I still felt lost about the Brony culture and who they were. I needed to find a Brony. As I approached the group again, my friends said that they had found a girl that used to be a Brony.
I sat with her and she began to tell me her story. “I’m no longer part of the fandom,” she said.
It was visible that it was painful to recall her memories. She told me about the chat rooms and the constant use of webcams in order to communicate with others.
“I miss my friends,” she said with a sigh as she looked off into the distance.
I told her that we would continue to be in touch and thanked her for her time.
I had two great sources of information but I still needed to find my Brony.
The hunt continues and I will keep updating my blog so you can see what I’m up to.
Later Days <3
