Bronies

#hashtag #brony

/ Codefreak / 1 Comment

#Brony

I have had so much fun with this the pat weekend and week. I just got back from my manger’s conference and I totally rocked being a brony. I got to show off my love for my fandom and got to pass out some new business cards. I have a few awesome stories to tell and thought I would share here. I would like to apologize for not posting much but life is overwhelming at the moment.

First off, I had the random stranger encounter in Viva Los Vegas! I was walking through the New York New Your casino, showing my roommate how to play craps. As we were standing there, I was approached by a wonderful couple who started listening to me explain the game. The husband saw my shirt and his mouth fell open.

“Is that a My Little Pony shirt?!?”‘

I replied with an affirmative (thanking my stars that I was wearing the ONLY pony shirt I had).

“Are you a Brony?” Came next.

Again I replied with a resounding yes.

“I didn’t think that you guys existed. I thought you were an internet myth!!”

I didn’t take offense. We talked for a few minutes and I answered some questions and explained a little bit of why I joined the fandom and dispelled some of the myths (crazy what people think of us as bronies!). I gave them a card, and if you are reading this Hi you made my day, and went on my way. It was a really cool encounter. One of the reasons I am so outgoing in my support of my passions is to be that liaison that we need. I can speak both normal and fandom and I feel I am a great way to bridge the gap for those who don’t know.

This started a rash of Twitter post by me for my work. They had a nice big screen that if you put in a #hashtag of a certain word, it would show your post on the big screen. I saw this as a great opportunity to do what I do best.

Post ponies.

So the following happened to be the 4 pictures that made it to the big screen, ALL THREE DAYS OF CONFERENCE!!! I was so proud.

CN6AgzzUwAA0RF_ CNw41MEUwAADrau CN8IFBeUEAEoIX- CNvrQiJUEAAIgur

All I can say is I was super stoked! I got a few replies to my tweets and I want to give a shout out to the rest of the Bronies who posted back or came up to me in person. Thank you all! It was so much fun to share a moment at my work like this.

And now, I need to rest as my hangover passes.

Hug a pony everyone!!!

The weekender

/ Codefreak / Leave a comment

Just a quick update for the weekend.

I want to thank everyone who has been sending me pony links. I have been going through each one and I drool over them every time. I have actually been working with a 3d modeling program to try and 3d print my own pony. The results are better than what I had first anticipated but I have a ways to go.

I have been sick over the past few days (even taking a day off of work *gasp) and have been trying to recover. My body seems adamant to kill me so I have to put up the usual fight.

I do hope to have some big news soon but until it gets confirmed you will just have to wait along side me.

Until next time, hug a pony my friends.

1 year ago…

/ Codefreak / 1 Comment

It was one year ago today that I started this blog. I have written a LOT! I am actually surprised at how much I have written. I went down memory lane. Here is the first post.

I am a male, 29 year old, Married, two kids. I hold (and have held) a steady full time job from the times I was about 14 or 15. I was raised in a Christian house with an older brother and 2 younger sisters. My daughters are at 4 and 6 at this time. 

And I suffer from depression. 

Ah yes. The “D” word. Something people throw out when they get upset, When they cant have their way, or just a general “I am depressed”. I am very disappointed that people are so eager almost to classify everything under this category. I wont say that not everyone can be depressed at a point in their life but depression and the byproducts of it are not a normality. So how do I deal with it?  Ponies and stuffed animals.

Not the typical “norm” for a person such as I am. Even I can agree that I am different in this regard. I could be classified as a Brony, Plushie, Furry, or many other labels that are attached to people who are different. I know people will frown, and they do, on me. It is another “cross” to bear (pun intended).

So why am I here? In part to share. To help me get it off my chest. To open myself up and push me to dig myself out of a hole. To reach out and explain why I do what I do. I welcome you to join me.

In this journey that you have joined me on, I have the following stats.

  • POSTS: 171
  • VIEWS: 3,530
  • VISITORS: 2,047
  • BEST VIEWS EVER: 118 SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

I want to say thank you. All 2000+ visitors, all the views and all the comments and messages I have been sent. This has been one of the coolest things I have been a part of and I cannot wait to see it grow. I get such joy with people who tell me how much I have helped them. I hope to continue to do so.

And so I want to close with a pretty awesome contest (If I do say so myself). I am giving away 3 Rainbow Dash clip on mini plushies. All you have to do to is one or all of the following:

Like and Comment on this post on WordPress.

Like, Comment, and Share on Facebook.

Like and Re-tweet on Twitter.
image

I will follow and announce the winners within the next month (probably a week but I want to give myself time). The contest is from Aug 4th- Aug 11th 2015. Help me get the word out and maybe win a Plushie.

Again I thank you all.

Hug a pony my friends.

Ebb and flow.

/ Codefreak / 2 Comments

I find myself in more and more of a bad mood. I am constantly having to check myself as I go about my day. I am growling at friends and family, and I am so exhausted all the time.

Ah depression, how I know thee.

I have had a bad run of things in the past month. Each time I thought me and mine’s life might be turning better, Life would find a way to knock the legs out from under us. I have cried more this past month than I have for almost 5 years. I have seen pain and heartache from the people I care the most about. And I have been sleeping hugging a pony.

I am not sure if it is helping.

I find depression likes to hold you down. It makes you want to stay in bed because facing the day is just too much. My days tend to be long and with with lots of people, some good some bad. The social interaction can wear on me as an introvert. It builds and builds until I am worn out. It doesn’t help the way I think or act as well.

For example.

I will have a plush pony on my person pretty at all times. I keep them in my pocket or on my belt loop. I sometimes need a quick rub of a plush’s nose to help my body calm down. It works very similarly to a security blanket. The problem comes when judgemental people see them and do what they do best.

Judge.

I know I have faced criticism from all fronts and have been put up as a spokesman of sorts as I can tend to voice reason with people. Others are not so lucky. I have had more than one person come to me scared because the secret is out about liking My Little Pony. I congratulate them and say welcome to the herd. They all get nervous and scared.

I hate that.

Why do you have to live in fear because of something that you like? Why do we not allow blankets and teddy bears after the age of 6? Is it because they don’t need “baby things”? Is it because we have to grow up?

I just will keep on keeping on. I will continue to be a safe person to come to about these things. Know my friends  that I will not back down. Even depressed as I might be at times, it just goes to show that I take the medicine that I talk about.

Tonight I will sleep, hugging a pony my friends.

Depression falls

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I am in a total funk. I have not been myself and it shows. I have had so much happen this month and I am now at the end.

Only way to go is up right???

I have managed to survive (barely) this month and all its bad news. It has wore me down like water on a stone. Depression is always there for me but now it washes over me like a Texas flood. I hate the way it feels. I hate that I have reached this point.

I am now to the point that I am numb. I don’t feel anything. I just go about my daily tasks and try to not piss people off. I just feel so tired and cranky that I am biting people’s heads off even when they don’t deserve it.

Me being mean is a rare thing.

As someone who is a Canadian level of niceness, I tend to run with a much better attitude than I have been presently. Customer service skills are at MAX level for me as I try my best to do what I can to help the customer. I am just so frazzled by life at the moment that I just don’t have the willpower to be nice.

And it sucks.

Here is too a new month and hopefully better times. I am praying it will be so.

Hug a pony my friends.

Black and white and red all over.

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There has been huge changes in the social landscape over the past few weeks. I know a few that has affected my town, my state and the entire country. There have been battle lines drawn and fingers pointed. There have been yelling and screaming and shouting from rooftops. There have been friendships ended and new ones forged. Facebook has become a battleground of social issues.

And I hate it.

I find myself more and more hating social media. Yes this is hypocritical of me as I use it and promote through it. I also enjoy the family and friends I get to converse with.

But this hate needs to stop.

ALL HATE NEEDS TO STOP!

I am tired of being labeled as black because I don’t agree with white.

I am tired of being told that I am a “white lover” because I don’t agree with black.

(For sake of clarity, I am using “black and white” as showing two sides to an issue, not as a skin colour)

The problem now days is people HAVE to label other people. It does not matter how they think or what they think. People must be labeled. They must be categorized, quantified, and put in a box.

Why is that?

Where does that lead?

It causes division. ‘

I hated division.

I hate being thrown into the farthest depths of a social issue just because I disagree with you. I hate people who assume that because of my belief or life style or skin colour or age or sex or ANYTHING AT ALL, I must believe or think some way.

This leads to division.

And that is just on the road to hate.

I rarely see honest, opinionated discussions that don’t end with “YOU ARE A BIGOT” or some other derogatory remark. Just because I disagree with you or your life style or anything does not mean I hate you.

My belief calls on me to love everyone as myself.

I try my best.

I also love ponies.

Hug a pony my friends.

PS This is not directed at anyone or any group or anything. This is just about hate no matter who it comes from.

The “Big” one.

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Yes this is the reveal trailer. I will tell all in my new blog post!!!! Just include $19.99 in three easy payments plus shipping. The most talked about secrets will be yours right here right now!

OK so not really but I have an announcement.

I have a panel at a convention.

Actually, I have two panels at 2 different conventions.

Excited yet?

The first panel is this Thursday in Dallas, Tx and Akon 26 (http://www.a-kon.com/). I will be joining Three friends of mine, Nick Mangieri (Knightengale Music Advising). Ronin Jasso (twitch.tv/thegigalounge) and Ray Batts (Sickhead Games) for an awesome time of fun with fandoms and games! We just wrapped up a pre-launch Podcast that is here:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKqNUoBjTcc
“>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKqNUoBjTcc

Check it out and leave a comment or better yet, come see us in person!!!! This will be first offical panel with My Stuffed Little Therapy and I cannot contain the excitement that I have. It will be great!

The second panel I will be flying solo at Anime North Texas (http://animenorthtexas.com/). I will have main stage for this one and I hope to have a great turnout. Here is the purposed listing.

Daniel “Codefreak” Permenter, avid blogger and possibly the world’s biggest Brony shares the means and hows on surviving fandoms both at conventions and in the real world. He will share his feelings and knowledge of blogging and the secret of “Stuffed Therapy”. He will also share his personal insight on family cosplaying and raising the next generation of anime/convention lovers! Check out his personal blog at https://mystuffedlittletherapy.wordpress.com/

I cannot wait to see what happens.

I ask all of you a big favor. Spread the word!!!! I hope to have a great turnout. If you know people who would want to come see me let them know about it!!! I will be promoting these as much as I can without being annoying. Well, too annoying.

Hug a pony my Friends!!!

Workday

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I took this weekend off because of a few personal things (some of which I will get to talk about) but all in all I had a great weekend. First time in a while.

One of the cooler things about my job is that I am a training store manager. This means I get to let my store and go help other people. I also get recognized for going to special events and meetings. I got chosen to go to the Diversity Leadership meeting, formerly our Women’s leadership meeting (don’t know WHY they would send my pony loving self to this meeting…..oh wait).

Still it was a good meeting with good information that I get to take back to peers and all that.

Personally, I was excited for another reason as well.

So one of the first activities the group (about 40-50 people) did was your introduction and something special about yourself. I, personally, knew exactly what I wanted to say. #Ponies4life

But I wasn’t alone.

It got halfway around the room and a wonderful young lady stood and said her introduction and told everyone “I can quote anything from MLP!”

I froze.

My group (who know me so well) all turn and point to me with cheer on their faces and wide smiles as they know how much of a fan I am. I just sat there with a big grin on my face.

When it came to my turn, I was a bit nervous. While I have been outspoken about my Bronyism with my peers and coworkers, this was a meeting at my corporate offices. Could I brave the waters that I would be treading? I was of two minds about saying something when they first asked what made us special.

But a certain fellow manager spoke out and had given me courage.

I proudly stood up and let everyone know that I had an online blog (with a wonderful readership [Thank you!!]) and that I too was a huge fan and supporter of all things Pony.

I want to say thank you to this fellow PonyGal who gave me the strength to ensure that I would stand up. You keep rocking it. It fills me with joy to know you are out there.

Hug a pony my friends.