Bay 12 Games Forum

Finally... => Life Advice => Topic started by: Xvareon on November 05, 2013, 10:00:04 pm

Title: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Xvareon on November 05, 2013, 10:00:04 pm
[DISCLAIMER]: Those of you who have a significant issue with the MLP: FiM fandom (aka. Bronies) may want to calmly click away from this thread.


Greetings, Bay 12 Forumers. I've got an issue I need some advice on; or rather, advice on the behalf of someone else. You see, I have a friend online who is looking for something very particular in life, something that he's not even sure exists, yet is extremely important to him.

He is looking for someone who would agree to be his sister. Not on a familial basis, or anything, but just so they could both treat each other like brother and sister; like a very deep friendship with a specific name, basically.

However, he's not looking for just anyone for this; it has to be someone with at least some of a set of certain personality traits. The personality in question is that of Rainbow Dash, a character from the viral hit TV series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. My friend says that it's because she has such a vibrant, bright and alive personality; is never afraid to express her feelings; is nice and easygoing; and, most importantly, she absolutely hates being bored, so she'll always try to do something new and different, or just generally changing things to stop it from being gray and dull.

Granted, many of the other main characters in MLP: FiM have some of these same traits, but my friend claims that RD (Rainbow Dash) has these in the most abundance. He respects and admires this kind of progressive, free-thinking and happiness-seeking personality more than anything, since he's so used to seeing almost nothing but ignorance, apathy and general negative thinking in nearly all of the people he's met throughout his life.

What I'm asking of you guys is simply to provide whatever advice, stories or help you can on this subject. If you know anyone who you respect for having a bright, positive and progressive attitude (especially under pressure) and for changing things rather than sitting still, please post your example/story here. If you can provide any examples of unrelated people treating each other like brothers or sisters—or even just share your own thoughts on the subject—it would be a huge help. My friend is simply looking for evidence that people with a personality at least similar to Rainbow Dash do in fact exist in real life, because he hasn't seen them for himself, yet. And also, he's very curious (and anxious) about the idea of having a sister like that, because it still feels weird and awkward to him, and he's not sure how people would react to it.

So, if any of you can clear up either or both of these two questions, I would be extremely grateful.
A) If someone with a personality at least somewhat similar to Rainbow Dash from MLP: FiM does in fact exist in reality
B) If you can either provide an example or just share your thoughts on the idea of treating an unrelated person/friend like a brother or sister

Discuss.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Cheeetar on November 05, 2013, 10:13:01 pm
That's unhealthy to the extreme, and I'd imagine that anybody who was sought after as a friend because they were 'just like Rainbow Dash!' would be offended at the least. Bonds that would be deep enough as to be like a brother or sister are something that evolve over time, and he won't find what he's seeking if he tries to imitate that kind of relationship soon after meeting a person.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Scelly9 on November 05, 2013, 10:14:57 pm
1: Yes, they do exist. Although what Cheeetar just said is also true.
2: My very best friend is basically a brother. Well, mostly. We've reached the stage of friendship where it's basically half insults, and half hilariously inappropriate sexual comments. Again, what Cheeetar said is true.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Eagleon on November 05, 2013, 10:29:24 pm
Tell your friend that ignorance, apathy, and negative thinking exists in everyone, in varying amounts. Everyone hates being bored, but often they're unwilling to go out of their way to try something new out of the possibility that it might be dull as well - most people learn this out of experience by the time they're able to speak. People are not cartoon characters, and that's a good thing. If your friend is insistent on seeking out one specific set of character traits from people, he's bound to be dissatisfied when that person ends up not particularly enamored of him in return.

Not saying I don't like MLP, or that it doesn't have some nicer role-models for girls than other shows. It's just rather strange to expect anyone to behave the same way as a cartoon horse D:
(herp derp misread op edit)
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Tiruin on November 06, 2013, 12:26:08 am
Let me tell you a simple note about life. All those qualities you ask for are exhibited by more than 90% of the general population. However, the thing is that in order for such friendships to occur, the person who seeks for one must also be a friend in return. Cultivate what qualities you know are good, and act it out as good as you see fit.

However judging people just by observation and relating it 'because they fit x character or y's personality' is...well, a superficial note. A person cannot be judged by skin alone just as much as a book cannot be judged by their cover. There will be negative parts to personality as well as positive parts, and expectations, however honest, may be fallible.

Cheeetar gets the point. If you wish to make bonds like that, then create them yourself as they are mutual. Try looking in the nearest people to you and start there-do not discard people just by first impressions.

Quote
So, if any of you can clear up either or both of these two questions, I would be extremely grateful.
A) If someone with a personality at least somewhat similar to Rainbow Dash from MLP: FiM does in fact exist in reality
B) If you can either provide an example or just share your thoughts on the idea of treating an unrelated person/friend like a brother or sister
That kind of personality exists in reality. It depends more on a person's character than personality though.
And on B, treat that person already as a friend. Discard all barriers of communication and bias. Do not look upon them as something to be judged, but accept them for who they basically are.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: weenog on November 06, 2013, 02:12:21 am
Tell your friend to try becoming what he hopes to find.  If he does it successfully, he will meet similar people almost inadvertently; they'll tend to gravitate to the same places and activities.

You want to meet a strength trainer? Hit the gym.  Want a fisherman? Go to the shores.  Seeking a hands-on humanitarian?  Head down to the local shelter or soup kitchen.  Seeking someone like yourself, that's easy.  Go where you go.

---

Met my significant other in a forum about a disorder we both struggle with.  It's a weird relationship but it works.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Jelle on November 06, 2013, 10:47:27 am
It doesn't seem particularly healthy to fixate on such a very specific persona, especially a fictional one that exists only in an (idylic? Have only really watched two episodes) cartoon world. The complexity of a real persona is probaly an order of magnitute above that of your fictional one. Furthermore a real persona comes with flaws (or what is considered as a flaw by the observer) and all, to expect aything like such and ideal image will lead to sore disapointment.

Without knowing more about this friend of yours, I think his want rather shallow and the relation he seeks very one sided. Not to say this is the case, but that is the impression I get. I'm sure the kind of person he is looking for exists, but he won't find her while searching for a cartoon character.


Quote from: Xvareon on November 05, 2013, 10:00:04 pm
A) If someone with a personality at least somewhat similar to Rainbow Dash from MLP: FiM does in fact exist in reality

That said to answer the question. Based on your criteria, because again I don't really watch the show, I'd say I'm a pretty solid fit. Not that I'm female, or would be even remotely interested if I were, just saying. Probably not that adverse to boredom, but again cartoon characters tend to be on the extreme ends of personality spectrums, real persona are often more balanced.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: freeformschooler on November 06, 2013, 12:14:20 pm
Those are high/unrealistic expectations, and your friend is likely going to be disappointed. The best experiences in life are often ones you didn't account for (they exceeded your expectations). Same goes for many of the best friendships.

He could always, y'know, try Internet roleplaying. On the Internet, no one knows you're not a pony.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Neonivek on November 06, 2013, 12:46:48 pm
Now I've seen the show (I give anything a chance) and the characters in it are supposed to be extremes (Except Twilight Sparkle but.. she is the main character, she is the only one allowed to have a fully rounded personality).

Yet unlike most people here, my opinion is just to let the person be. Let them try out their new persona and see what they do and do not like about it. As long as it doesn't become unhealthy then really it will just be a phase.

Yeah fixation and fantasy are "unhealthy" but only in extremes. They are otherwise very healthy tools that allow us to cope with what is going on.

I mean I'd certainly would love to find a friend I can be very close to and I don't need to watch my little pony to know that.

But as always topic creator you are the arbiter over what advice you wish to take.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: LordBucket on November 06, 2013, 01:20:53 pm
Quote from: Xvareon on November 05, 2013, 10:00:04 pm
He is looking for someone who would agree to be his sister. Not on a familial basis, or anything, but just
so they could both treat each other like brother and sister; like a very deep friendship with a specific name, basically.

,,,wait. I'm not sure I understand. He wants to be friendzoned? What's the problem? Millions of guys are complaining daily about having to accept the very thing he wants.

Quote
My friend is simply looking for evidence that people with a personality at
least similar to Rainbow Dash do in fact exist in real life

At least similar? Sure, I've known brash women with inflated egos. He wants to find a brash woman with an inflated ego to not have sex with? This should be very easy to find. What's the problem?

Quote
provide whatever advice, stories or help you can on this subject.

Reframe the situation. He wants a close friendship, just with a person with a certain sort of personality. Lots of girls want guy friends. All he needs to do is find a girl with the right personality.

Quote
If you can either provide an example or just share your thoughts
on the idea of treating an unrelated person/friend like a brother or sister

There are entire religions based on off this premise. The Japanese have a word for it: nakama (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nakama).

"All men are brothers."
 -- Gandhi

"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity."
 -- Timothy 5, the Bible

Personally, I'm closer to friends than I am to my family. Treating friends with as much closeness and faith as family seems completely reasonable to me.

"Friends are family that you choose."
 -- The internet


I think this whole situation is much easier, way less angsty or unhealthy than others in the thread are suggesting. He's a guy who wants Rainbow Dash? No problem. How many girls do you think there are out there who wish they were Rainbow Dash? I'm guessing lots. Plenty of woman complain about how society expects them to conform to social rules and how they wish they could freely be who they truly are. Songs have been written about this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHzOOQfhPFg). That's Dash all over. "To hell with what society wants. I'm awesome, I'm going to be me."

Tell him to find a girl who wants to be Rainbow Dash. It shouldn't be that difficult. Worst case, he can find a girl who's into roleplay.

Quote
advice

Rainbow Dash probably isn't sitting at home surfing the internet. She's out in the world living an awesome life. Maybe she's skiing. Maybe she's scuba diving. Maybe she's mountain climbing or surfing. Maybe she's flying airplanes or skydiving.

He wants Rainbow Dash? She's out there. There are probably thousands of her out there. He just needs to look for her in places where she can be found.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Max White on November 07, 2013, 04:09:44 am
I have no solid advice to offer but please, keep us all updated on any progress. I'm curious as to where this will go...
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Vector on November 10, 2013, 10:44:55 pm
You're welcome (http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html).

Also, I've been brothers with someone before.  We were both unrelated by blood, and also women.  Trust me, that stuff isn't too weird.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Skyrunner on November 13, 2013, 06:19:59 am
Dropping by to say Lord Bucket has a good point in his closing comment. Declining judging the rest of his post x3
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Xvareon on November 25, 2013, 04:20:28 pm
Shame on me. I guess I forgot about this thread. LordBucket kindly sent me a PM, though, reminding me that I probably should give you guys an update.

The situation hasn't been resolved completely, but I didn't really expect a miracle in the first place. He couldn't really counter my argument about it in the first place, and after I told him about what you guys said, he has accepted the fact that there are people in this world who are OK with—and even encourage—such a practice as treating non-relatives like siblings. Now that the fundamental part is taken care of, though, he's moved on to other related concerns: how to make something like this work in the first place, how to broach the question without sounding weird, etc.

The real problem is that he's not used to anything like this at all. He's so used to dealing with ignorance, mistrust and apathy from others that he pretty much needs to build an entirely new mindset from scratch. As such, he has a lot of trouble accepting anything 'good', because he associates it with something 'bad' -- when people are saying 'good' things, they're usually lying in order to get something from him, for example. He'd rather not deal with people and the world at all, really, but he does realize that he has no other choice. I've been teaching him about the good parts of the world and how he can get them for months, now, and encouraging him to pursue positive, realistic goals in life, but it's been slow going so far. Especially since he's still dealing with the wrong kind of people, including several employers who have tried to get free work off him, even though he's moved to a larger city (Lipetsk, Russia). But I continue to help him, and we are making some progress, so I'm glad for that, at least.

Thank you guys for taking the time to comment. I might make another post or something sometime if another issue comes up that requires 'proof', but things seem to be good, for now.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: martinuzz on December 04, 2013, 09:30:26 am
Found her!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Jelle on December 04, 2013, 10:01:33 am
Isn't that the party pony? Forgot the name, the one that's crazy about cupcakes.

Google Edit: Pinkie Pie

Why do I know this.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: LordBucket on December 04, 2013, 12:53:10 pm
Quote from: martinuzz on December 04, 2013, 09:30:26 am
Found her!

That's Pinkie Pie. This (http://9gag.com/gag/5109634) is Rainbow Dash (http://cheezburger.com/7734972928).
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Scelly9 on December 04, 2013, 01:13:27 pm
That hair in the second one is just... awesome. I wanna steal that dress.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Moogie on December 06, 2013, 11:18:10 pm
Quote from: LordBucket on November 06, 2013, 01:20:53 pm
Quote from: Xvareon on November 05, 2013, 10:00:04 pm
He is looking for someone who would agree to be his sister. Not on a familial basis, or anything, but just
so they could both treat each other like brother and sister; like a very deep friendship with a specific name, basically.

,,,wait. I'm not sure I understand. He wants to be friendzoned? What's the problem? Millions of guys are complaining daily about having to accept the very thing he wants.

Oh no! The man was rejected for sexual intercourse by the walking vagina! He's been FRIENDZONED!!

Never a worse fate was suffered by the human race of MAN! (walking vaginas are not people, they are vaginas)

Let us mourn for those millions of guys who were forced to ACCEPT the TERRIBLE FATE of having a worthless friend who they aren't even allowed to fuck, instead of the spunk-repository of their dreams!

:'( :'( :'(



(I hate the word "friendzoned", can you tell)


Edit: The night I wrote this post, I dreamed Toady edited it to be less offensive. Instead, he wrote a poem about liking walnuts at Christmas. I... I don't even.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Araph on December 09, 2013, 01:37:39 am
Quote from: Moogie on December 06, 2013, 11:18:10 pm
Edit: The night I wrote this post, I dreamed Toady edited it to be less offensive. Instead, he wrote a poem about liking walnuts at Christmas. I... I don't even.

I really, really hope your dreams turn out to be prophetic.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Reudh on December 11, 2013, 07:41:36 am
Fixating on a persona is quite unhealthy. If he merely approached a person and got to know them without bringing the persona he obsesses over into it, he would have no issue.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Tiruin on December 11, 2013, 05:12:04 pm
Or..y'know, judged people as they are instead by any personal bias. People are people, and holding personal standards to judge them by removes the human aspect of a relationship.

It's like ignoring some other good characteristics while only focusing on those that seem apparent.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Leafsnail on December 11, 2013, 10:04:26 pm
Wait so why does it need to be a creepy brother/sister thing rather than just friendship?  And why can't he judge people on their own merits rather than just comparing them to his favourite cartoon horse?

I mean sure there are certainly people with bright and positive attitudes, but you really have to try and understand and get on with them rather than thinking "hmm she doesn't share Rainbow Dash's incredibly short attention span, maybe I should trade her in and try again".
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Neonivek on December 14, 2013, 08:43:27 pm
What is odd is that in order for Rainbow dash to achieve what she likes to do (complex pranks, incredible athleticism and all that) she would actually need to be very focused.

It is one of those "People in television don't actually have to achieve anything" sort of deals.

Just joking of course. Rainbow Dash did go to school for athleticism. It seems less like she is unfocused and more that she is high energy.

Also liking someone MUCH higher energy then you is tricky.
Title: Re: [Question]: Does anyone know if anyone in real life is like RD from MLP: FiM?
Post by: Zangi on December 16, 2013, 02:33:05 pm
On that line of thought, one person can be focused on what they like to do... but procrastinate/be unfocused when it comes to things they are not interested in.  Which I think is a little bit more accurate of RD.  (Though... this is only 1 piece of RD's personality.  Everyone has their downfalls and their saving graces.) 
I suppose the person does not necessarily have to be Female either to have a close-to-RD-like-personality either...

Considering it, your friend has a better chance if he lowers his standards in what sort of friend he is looking for.  Kinda gives a lonely person creepy vibe when you ask for someone of a specific personality to be close friends with.  (Serious suggestion, don't mention this topic or this line of reasoning to the potential friend.)

Sure, he has been burned by previous friends or at the least, disillusioned... but if he really wants one... he has to keep at it.  Be social, talk to people... if not in real life, you can still do that on the interwebs.  Even in random multiplayer browser/ithing games I try out... I see people transitioning to live chat and what-not outside of the game.  It really is hit and miss though.

If the fellow has an iThing and is interested in trying out this iThing game, I can introduce him to the group.  Though, it may not be what he is looking for at all.  (I don't really take part in it myself, since I'm pretty anti-social... plus procrastination in properly setting up the chat thing they use.)