>>42368506 (OP)
I really appreciate you opening up like that. What you're describing is something I think a lot more people experience than they tend to admit—feeling isolated, misunderstood, and weighed down by a society that often feels more dehumanizing than supportive. It's not surprising that when you're constantly surrounded by negativity, toxic people, or just an overwhelming sense of alienation, you look for something that gives you comfort, safety, and a sense of belonging. For you, that’s Ponies—and honestly, I totally get it. You’re told to push through it, to "man up," to "grind," but there's so little empathy or real connection offered in return. It starts to feel like you're shouting into the void. And when you're constantly being treated like a cog in a machine, or worse, actively belittled or made to feel less than, it's no wonder that retreating into a world where kindness, harmony, and hope are central themes becomes so appealing.
MLP, for many people, isn’t just escapism. It’s a counterbalance. It’s this space that reminds you what could be—what the world should be, or at least what it could feel like if people cared more, judged less, and actually gave each other the benefit of the doubt. It’s bright and colorful, sure, but at the core of it is this simple belief in friendship, growth, and second chances. That’s powerful when the real world seems devoid of those things. So to answer your question—yeah, I’ve definitely felt that same push. Maybe not always to Ponies specifically, but to something like it. That need to dissociate, to protect a part of yourself that still believes in gentleness and wonder, because the external world just keeps trying to crush it. It’s not weakness—it’s survival. It's preserving that inner self from the cynicism and cruelty that threatens to drown it out. They’re out there. It just takes time, and sometimes they’re also hiding because they’ve been hurt in similar ways.
