No.10552
Hey MLPG.
I really wasn't planning on making this thread until the series finale, but I've been thinking for a good while now and it's time for me to say good bye to MLPG. If you think this is too attention seeking a thread I apologize, that's not the point of this thread. I want to explain why on earth for the last few years I have nearly every day posted with a joke or a story or a feel or a poorly done quest. I want to talk about this pony cartoon and what it has personally meant to me and invite anyone else to do likewise. And no, I'm not drunk.
First and absolutely foremost, I want to talk about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It is not the best show ever. Far from it; our own cynical nature often has us dwell on its problems, which can be glaring at times. But this show to me has a certain quality to it that will always make it one of my favorites. Looking back at it, this show had NOTHING going for it on paper: It was a reboot (something that's always a hit or miss) done in Flash of a long running franchise for girls starting on a desperate flag ship new network on cable. Girl cartoons, frankly, have always been rather insipid and lacking, especially when compared to what is essentially the boy counterpart cartoon, Transformers. They're both very merchandise heavy shows, but at least shows like Transformers had action and endearing characters. And it's not just those two specific shows, but for cartoons in general. So to have FOURTH generation of My Little Pony seems like a recipe for a DOA.
But it wasn't. Heck, for better or worse, it became one of the biggest phenomena to hit the internet AND maintain it. It didn't so much as break new ground or try something brand new, but it laid a solid foundation and raised the bar up on a whole target demographic up in terms of quality. This was the biggest successful instance I can think of a show that is specifically made for younger children (girls, no less) but has a wide appeal across gender and ages. That is mindbogglingly difficult to do. The closest example I could think of would be Powerpuff Girls if it had the Pokemon fandom in the 90s. Very rarely has a show that, statistically speaking, I should find to be very weak actually entertained and made me laugh. Once I saw the scene in Bridle Gossip where Fluttershy sings for Pinkie I knew this was something.
(more to follow)
No.10553
I grew up through the 90's and cartoons from that general era were really something. Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon had a great line of shows, long running shows had not yet declined in quality significantly, Toonamie was giving many of us our first taste of anime, classic Merry Melodies was regular programming and "adult" cartoons were not yet a dime a dozen. Yeah, there were some stinkers too, but it was a great time to be a kid watching cartoons.
But then came a point in my life where I gradually fell out of cartoons. We all go through a point growing up in school where we don't want to appear to be childish and behind our peers, and end up giving up or denying things we liked. I became more cynical, genuinely thought everything being made now was garbage and found other interests. Given part of that was childhood nostalgia wearing off and that a lot of the shows being made at the time genuinely were not great.
It wasn't until years later that I was in collage and I was diagnosed with clinical depression that I realized how intensely unhappy I was. I was physically sick more days then not and was at a very low place. After taking a long hard look at my life I came to the understanding that I had no passion in my life, I was simply going through the motions of school and life so that I could get a degree in something so I could have a job doing something else. And none of that really appealed to me, so I started looking what did.
And I rediscovered cartoons. Many of the shows of my childhood still hold up today, which is more than many live action shows that old can say. And I also started looking into cartoons being made now and it just so happens this was around when Friendship is Magic was breaking. My Little Pony, among other shows, helped rekindle my love for animation. I had realized that entertainment, specifically cartoons, made me happy and that I should strive in my life to do what makes me happy. But I can't draw for beans and have tried and given up more times then I'm willing to admit. And one look at any of my quests shows I'm no Hemingway. Yet those didn't appeal to me anyway, but rather the actors who brought all these iconic characters to life.
Essentially, this whole epiphany and change in my life helped get my shit together and showed me what I wanted to spend my life perusing. For the first time ever, I had an actual passion.
No.10554
alright
See you around, I guess?
No.10555
>>10552>>10553Oh, man, I'm actually sad to see you go. I honestly loved all your little stories (and quests) but good luck, man. We'll still be around to visit.
I hope you'll watch Season 5.
No.10556
>>10555Bye scrubbles!
Thanks for all the puns!
No.10558
So, what does any of this have to do with MLPG?
Part of how I came to this point was through /co/, which at the time was a generally fun place to be. Yeah it could be shit then, but its 4chan. This fast paced board about cartoons was a great place to re explore and discuss cartoons again, not to mention gave me the occasional insight into voice acting. That's where I discovered Rob Paulsen's podcast (which is really insightful), voice over threads and generally just learning some basic things about the current animation industry. Now of course I wasn't using JUST /co/, but exploring many sites and social media and books and taking classes. But /co/ was a generally fun place to be and the amount of contributors and the temperament there at the time was a treat.
And then I found MLPG, this general for this show that I liked and that was special to me. It was still in the first season and MLPG was the nexus of the fandom at the time. The discussion, the drawings, the in jokes and memes. I can't count the number of times people drew a request or idea of mine, though I've lost most of them when my last computer blew up. It was the most fun reoccurring thread I have ever been in and believe me I've been in more then my share of general threads and the vast majority of them are awful or turn awful quick.
And then of course the February bannings happened, the drama on /v/ and /b/ and else where, the explosion of the mainstream brony fandom, drama with the mods, creation of /mlp/, etc etc etc etc. Most of you know the history. Honestly I was in the midst of Rusty Quest when we got kicked to /mlp/ and having seen what happened with /vp/ after pokemon got kicked from /v/, I wanted to just wash my hands of it and quit. But many wanted me to continue and so I did. And even after I was done I still wanted MLPG to keep being the fun and productive place it was, so I decided to stay and contribute so people wouldnt leave. I cound't do much, but I told jokes, tried (and failed) some more quests, did short green text stories, what I thought might entertain MLPG a little. And yeah, more often then not I would get sauced, because MLPG needed a clown to cut through all the cynicism and shitposting. No, I never pretended to be drunk. I really was.
No.10559
You always cheer me up.
No.10560
I'm gonna miss your bad jokes…
No.10563
So its four years later. We've hit four seasons with more on the way, had two odd movies and quite a lot of drama. Also the HUB is dead. Go figure. Why am I leaving now?
A few reasons.
First off, I spend too much time on MLPG. Doing this so much has given me a nightly habit. Like a lot of 4chan, you think you'll just lurk and post for a little while and then BAM its 4AM. MLPG has become too much of a time sink for me and for my own sake I need to break the habit and get more serious with my time.
Second, I'm quitting 4chan all together. I already had, practically. MLPG was the last tie to cut. While the self aware shitty otaku nature of 4chan did appeal to me for a long time, I've really come to realize how awful the general mindset and attitude is as a whole in real life. MLPG has it too, though not nearly as bad as most.
Third, I'm just kinda bored with MLPG. I've had lapses in ponying on MLPG before, but I'm empty now. Took four years, which is saying a lot. But the shit posting about the same stuff day after day, the drama about soandso or whatshisface saying whatever about whogivesafuck, its so petty and annoying. Given, its almost always been like that, but I'm sick of it now. MLPG still does good stuff, but its just not worth it for me anymore.
And lastly, I"m not really doing anything anymore. I see some of you liked my jokes and stories, but I'm not keeping anything together. Honestly I never was. /mlp/, despite our feeble outcry against it, is one of the biggest boards on 4chan and nothing's going to stop it. The mainstream brony fandom has long since become self sufficient and there's a pony place everywhere from reddit to tumblr to almost every site forum. And since I don't really enjoy keeping this up anymore, I should just stop.
Honestly I was hoping to stay with MLPG till the bitter end, whatever or whenever that might be. I was there from nearly the beginning. But I just dont have it in me.
No.10564
>>10563Dang.
Well, you're always welcome in my book, man. I still kind of hope you can still visit when the new season comes, or at least watch it on your own time, but please stay healthy in life.
I always considered you a friend.Also I wanted to know the rest of Pretty Princess Quest et al, do you still like to write in your free time, even if it's not pony related? No.10565
>>10563Well it's arguably worse now than it was because now mlpg fights amongst itself whereas before it was a lot easier to blame shitposting it on the outside.
The "Us vs Them" mentality worked great when we were on /co/, not so much on /mlp/
No.10566
So yeah. That's my story and my good bye.
Things are going ok for me right now. I've taken private voice over coaching from Richard Horvitz (he's a wonderful teacher, highly recommend him even if you are a newbie like me),read a number of books (Voice Over Voice Actor is pretty good), do local improv as regularly as I can between my day job and I'm getting ready to send my take on a few character sides to Tarra Strong for critique. I'm learning a lot all the time, but more then that everything seems to really click and I'm happy doing it. My plan now is to continue to learn, build up my skill to a professional level and save up enough money to move to L.A., which is still THE hub for voice over in animation. It's going to take years and its going to be hard. And that's part of why I need to stop spending so much time here.
It's been fun MLPG. I'll still answer some questions or discuss pony for a little while longer here if you want.
>>10562>>10561>>10560>>10559>>10556>>10554Thanks gang. I've invested so much time and energy here it feels good to say good bye.
>>10555Oh yeah of course! I'm quitting MLPG, not pony. If anything I'll be watching the show (and many others) more to help me improve. To me the show hasnt lost its charm, despite the bumps its had.
>>10564I've thought about it, but I simply don't have the drive and motivation to keep at writing or questing. I mostly did the first ones as I was a huge fan of Ruby Quest and wanted to try my hand at it, but its just not in me.
No.10567
>>10566Scrubbles give us some kind of key or hint that we'll be able to recognize if you ever make it as a voice actor on a popular show since we don't know your name
No.10568
>>10552>>10553>>10558>>10563>>10566I'm gonna miss you and your silly little jokes, and I wish you all the best in your career!
How in holy hell did you get private voice-coaching from Richard Horvitz? I've never been so intensely jealous in my life. No.10569
>>10566Who's your favorite pony?
Keep doing your best! No.10570
>>10566Well, I admit I'm a little disappointed
(I always felt you were pretty good at it, but hey thanks for the Questing you did!
I'm rooting for you in voice!
No.10571
>>10566Give us a shout whenever you find yourself on air.
We'll watch.
No.10572
>>10566Umm, I suggest you send some of the VA work to other VA as well. Tara Strong might or might not tell you that the VA business is full and might or might not discourage you.
No.10573
>>10568It's right on his personal website. He offers private one on one coaching via skype and also does workshops and demo making in the LA area. He's not CHEAP, but he's a lot more affordable then other private coaches I've seen, even in my local area. I learned a lot from him and his methods and philosophy have given me a good foundation for acting.
Also he's just the nicest person.
>>10572>Tara Strong might or might not tell you that the VA business is full and might or might not discourage you.Oh shush. Literally no one that works at a professional level says that. I have heard from her, and many others, on how the business is VERY competitive, but almost every voice actor I know, including Tara, actively encourage new talent. Hell, the whole thing I'm sending her is part of a learning program for beginner VA's she and her husband made.
Besides, I can take criticism. You have to if you want to be an actor. When I finished coaching with Richard Horvitz I asked him straight up if he thought I was read to make a demo yet. He politely told me no, explained why and I agreed with him with an honest assessment of my current skill level.
>>10569Pinkie Pie
>>10567>>10571If anyone can think of a good code word or phrase…..
No.10574
>>10573You could probably just shoot someone a message over Steam or the like.
No.10575
>>10573You could probably just say "mlpg" and it would be subtle enough that no one would know what you were talking about
No.10576
>>10575a thread should be
and that's often
No.10577
>>10573Make those connections son
No.10578
>>10574>>10575>>10576I just have this suspicion that no matter what we decide, SOMEHOW it will be mentioned by some other voice actor will inadvertently say it too and then some idiot will be like "You guys! Scrubbles was Chrispin Freeman all along!!1!"
Honestly I doubt 4chan will die before I do, and so long as its up there sure as shit will be an /mlp/ and thus there will be an MLPG. I'll come back if I ever "make it" or will at least mention MLPG as everyone asks voice actors about how they got started. I'd tell you guys my name…..but I'd rather not be known as "that drunk guy from the 4chan pony board."
No.10580
>>10578You mean you aren't Crispin Freeman?
Seriously though, there are a lot of "drunk guys from the 4chan pony board." And I think most of us can live with the mystery until you dispel it.
No.10652
Good bye old friend….
No.10654
Thank you for everything Scrubbing Bubbles. We may not have spoken much, but the words you've left here are not only heartwarming, but inspiring as well. You clearly have the motivation, drive, and purpose to go after what makes you truly happy. This will in turn encourage those around you to do the same. They've certainly touched me. Never falter against adversity in your pursuit of what you love. Never give up.
We'll all be cheering for you
No.10659
>thousands of korean women crying
No.11234
>>10580Thought you guys might like to know, I'm going to start taking workshops with Crispin Freeman. Very excited! Hope it will help me figure out my strengths better.
Been auditioning a lot, but no jobs yet.
No.11811
[BLOGGING CONTINUES]
Sup MLPG
Just chiming in I recently took lessons from Crispin Freeman. He's a really great teacher and I learned much from him and hope to take more classes in the future. I also really helps to see other students try to act gud. Also working on an audio book that will go on youtube soon.
Thats all. Bye
Pinkie is still the best
No.12018
>>11811You're a swell guy SB
Pinkie of luck
