Obsession is obsession - no matter what it is.

[Sim Kid]

Let me explain about this person who used to be a friend of mine. Around 2011, I meet this guy on an IRC network. He's going around exploring all the channels talking to people about things he likes and sharing interests with others, and makes bonds with people. You know - like a human being. At the same time, he's also a brony, but he doesn't let this interfere with his socialization at all. In fact, he had no problem socializing with people who hate My Little Pony. None at all - they just didn't bring it up with each other because they didn't want to start fighting. They didn't hate him for liking MLP. You know...like mature reasonable human beings. In fact, these people still don't like MLP but simply get on with it and don't let its existence bother them. (The Twilight hatedom can learn a lot from these people. ZZZZING.)

However, anyways, this guy starts to gradually get more and more obsessed with MLP. He soon starts to forget that in fact, not everyone likes My Little Pony and keeps trying to push it on them. Eventually, I notice he's flat out shunning people he used to be friends with - because they didn't share his interest in My Little Pony. He essentially cut off all contact with them and acted like they didn't exist. For what reason? Not liking Ponies. Yeah, I had to repeat it. Something as petty as that.

Dude even abandoned his own Twitter feed and migrated to Rainbowdash.net. He also abandoned his email without a word and didn't even bother to tell people like his family or even the people he works for. What's his current email? You guessed it - a brony email. He became more and more obsessed and started cutting himself off from people who weren't brony enough for his liking. He started talking about characters invented by the fandom for hours on end - and apparently in-person, too, as his roommate attested. In one case, he even ignored someone tabbing him asking a tech question just cause he said "I'm listening to MLP music." He deleted all his YouTube faves, ignored links others posted because he was only interested in Pony related stuff. His RPG project he spent years working on got replaced with a Pony RPG project. I show him a picture of a dragon and he starts pondering pony dragons.

Then he vanishes from IRC without a word. At first we think maybe he's visiting family. Then we find out from another one of his friends he just went over to a brony channel and refuses to go around that irc anymore because there "aren't enough ponies". Now note that he pretty much did this without a word - he just burned all his bridges and didn't even say "Bye - I only speak with bronies". He literally ignored me and I had to get one of his new friends to relay a message for me, because I don't refer to myself as a brony. And yes, he said that himself - he said "Tell Sim Kid I'm not speaking to him because he's not a brony, and what are you doing here this is a brony network."

Now I'm not going after MLP just because it's MLP. It isn't THAT he likes the show. It's HOW MUCH he likes the show. Liking it to the level where he's literally able to just ignore everyone he had spoken to for the past two years and just decide "Eff you you're not a brony so you're not worth my time." The only thing I'm pointing out is the rather silly irony of a show about friendship...and in order to pursue his interest in it, he pretty much goes "Eff off" to all his other friends outside of it.

Like I said, this is not an "MLP sucks cause it's MLP." If he decided "I only speak to Redskins fans" I'd be just as annoyed. Obsession is obsession, no matter what it is.

So I'll definitely say this...some friend you turned out to be. Being willing to just burn all your bridges, shun your old friends because they aren't "Brony" enough for you without even saying goodbye, and not even telling them yourself that you've done so? Yeah...Sorry. Hope your new friends will last forever - because you've certainly lost your old ones!

Oh, and as a bonus rant...his roommate (Or shall I say, "Soon to be former roommate.) was speaking to me today. He said his family invited him home for Christmas, but he literally lied about having to do extra work over Christmas just so he wouldn't have to spend time with them. And when they found out he was lying, they weren't happy about it since his grandmother is in her 90s and doesn't have much time left.

[Bomby]

I tend to think that most obsession is begat by some form of profound unhappiness or dissatisfaction with everyday life, and the object of their obsession is something that the person finds some sort of escape in. Perhaps I'm partially basing this off my own experiences - I tend to devote more time to my specific interests when I'm unhappy or my social life is inactive - but I think there's a certain truth to it.

Either way, it sucks that this guy got so caught up in his obsession that he just cut off anyone else who wasn't into it. I've never seen **** get that far gone.

Also,

The Twilight hatedom can learn a lot from these people. ZZZZING.

This, so much.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Pity him.

[Tyler]

Basically, what IRHP just said. Especially with the part when he didn't want to spend time with his old grandmother. That's just disgusting.

[Kil'jaeden]

I found the existence of bronies to be surprising. I thought they were a joke.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

^ I wish.

[Bad Dragonite]

Nupe. I know one or two in real life, and a number online, some on this website as a matter of infact.

This sucks about your friend. Hope it geets better soon. It sounds like he's just unpleased/trying to escape to me, but idk.
Still seems pretty sad about the grandma.

[Red]

He's not exactly following the Brony credo of love and tolerance, but sadly this seems to be a trend lately.

[I am nobody]

I'm guessing there's some form of disorder behind this. I'd expect that kind of story from someone who got caught up in drugs or a gang, but it's unbelievable that someone would just abandon so much of their life over a cartoon.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

^ I smell a documentary; "Bronie in, Bronie Out: Slammin' Rainbows."