Welcome! Step right up, you’re just in time for our introduction to some of the strange and wacky things you may encounter online. Perhaps you’ve also met people who are part of these interesting happenings. Perhaps you haven’t. Either way, I’m here today to give brief explanations on some of the things I’ve come to learn on the Internet.
Today we’ll be taking a look at certain interesting trends or subcultures that have begun to receive more attention over the years.
Bronies
Let’s start with something simple, shall we?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’re more than likely to have heard of ‘bronies’. To cut to the chase, bronies are simply fans (outside the intended target demographic) of a animated cartoon called ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’.
According to Whatisabrony.com, “Most bronies are friendly teenagers and young adults that simply aren’t afraid to admit that they enjoy a show which is innocent, colorful, and funny.”
Even though I’ve forayed a little into this territory, I sometimes still marvel at how such a show managed to capture the hearts and attention of so many people. No, scrap that, I actually DO understand the appeal of the show. The aesthetics of the show, animation, voice acting and songs are all top-notch. With talent coming from prominent voice actors such as Tara Strong as well as scriptwriters that worked on many other beloved childhood cartoons.
While you’re still pondering your thoughts on bronies, how about listening to this awesome original song created and remixed by bronies of the community?
2. Tulpas
This may be a little more obscure to those of you who don’t frequent the realm of creepypastas (aka scary stories online). When you google the word ‘tulpa’, Wikipedia describes it as such:
“Tulpa (Tibetan: སྤྲུལ་པ, Wylie: sprul-pa; Sanskrit: निर्मित nirmita[1] and निर्माण nirmāṇa;[2] “to build” or “to construct”) also translated as “magical emanation”,[3]“conjured thing” [4] and “phantom” [5] is a concept in mysticism of a being or object which is created through sheer spiritual or mental discipline alone. It is defined in Indian Buddhist texts as any unreal, illusory or mind created apparition.”
Tulpamancers would do tulpamancing to create tulpas! Quite mysterious isn’t it?
We can see from the Google Trends that interests in tulpas began increasing in 2011. The cause of this is likely to be a ‘creepypasta’ that gained popularity, named ‘Tulpa’. However, these tulpas seem to have gained a modern perspective, being described on the r/tulpas subreddit as “… an imaginary friend that has its own thoughts and emotions, and that you can interact with. You could think of them as hallucinations that can think and act on their own.”
There are even numerous guides created by the community on different aspects of tulpa care and creation to make your very own tulpas! Interested? Be sure to read the warnings on tulpa creation first!
Headmates and Multiplicities
According to the site The Layman’s Guide:
“Multiplicity is a state in which many people share one physical body. Being multiple means that one exists as part of a group of people, with all the benefits and drawbacks and chances for talents or interesting natures that any other group of people would have.”
Thus headmate is the name given to an individual that shares a physical body.
The subject of headmates is a little touchy, considering that people who have headmates could very well have a form of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Personally, I haven’t had much experience with headmates or other forms of multiplicities. However, I do see a few different camps of people. Those who actually have headmates, those who pretend to have them and lastly, those who make fun of people with them or pretending to have them.
“The furry fandom is a subculture interested in fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics.[1] Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, the ability to speak, walk on two legs, and wear clothes. Furry fandom is also used to refer to the community of people who gather on the Internet and at furry conventions.[2]”
Apparently there is even some dispute within the community on what consists as a furry or not! However, it seems that most people who take an interest in anthropomorphic animals can be considered a furry. Although there are different degrees of ‘furriness’, ranging from people who create art and stories to people who even dress up in complete fursuits of their fursonas. (A furry persona or character they have created.)
For more information, you can also check out this really informative article by VICE.
Otherkin
Last but not least, you have Otherkin. Unlike furries, otherkin are humans who identify as partially, or completely non-human. There seem to be a plethora of Otherkin FAQs that can be found on Tumblr, however their accuracy is undetermined since it doesn’t appear to be an exact science.
Although the otherkin subculture has also existed long before the inception of the Internet, only with this new channel of communication have more begun to discover what otherkins are. There are many different types of otherkin, ranging from dragons to wolves to elves, some may even identify as cartoon characters. (Although I think the latter is a little crazy and unbelievable.)
Some may feel they have phantom limb sensation where they believe to be missing other appendages such as tails or wings. Others may choose to modify their looks in order to express themselves as otherkin. An interesting perspective has been put together in this article.
What do you think? Are you part of any of these subcultures? Or perhaps have headmates or tulpas? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.