It never fails. Almost EVERY story HAS to have shipping in SOME shape or form nowadays. I just CAN'T get away from it. I find it so hard to find fanfics where any of the ponies are in platonic relationships with each other or where the land of Equestria is entirely one giant lesbian commune being shoved in my face for no reason.

Great. Now I'm going to have to drink a LOT of alcohol or maybe slam my head with a hammer to try to erase this from my mind.

The model for Applebloom is so cute with that bow!!!

I don't know if it's the sheer amounts of it piling up, but for the past several months, I've been finding it harder and harder to find fanfiction that interests me. One of my main things is that I hate stories with shipping in them or that turn Equestia into the land of Lesbia. I also don't like serious/dark stories or crossover stories. I prefer my stories to be comedies that have the feel of the show with no sexual or dark undertones and I'm having a REALLY HARD time finding anything that doesn't fall into those categories that I don't like now.
The only story I'm reading right now that I'm enjoying is "Flash Fog". And before that, the last one I liked was Contraptionology.

My only problem is that I have yet to find a single pony fan who's anywhere NEAR my age. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, but I've looked in forums and brony social networking sites and I have yet to find anyone even over the age of 20 in my area. My problem is that even with 20 year-olds, I just have so much trouble relating and vice-versa. Our interests just do not converge at all because the age difference has us at such incredibly different stages in our lives. I'm old enough to the point where it seems that even the 20 somethings are like kids to me.
What I wonder is if it would be even viable to even set up something online for the older fans because places for the older fans to meet up are non-existent. Right now, as it is, as someone as old as I am, going into a chat room, or pony related forum where the main topics turn out to be "Cartoon Network", anime, video games, dubstep and pop music, doesn't really do it for me. As I said. The age difference is so extreme that there's no way I can relate and there's now way I could come across other than being like someone's dad. Their life is often school, college, and such where I have a family, work, bills, rarely free time, etc.

There should be resources for us older folk to network without feeling like we're the chaperones or the surrogate parents.

I have the same issue. We should organize something for us older fans! It's desperately needed.

The only meetup group here that I know about are mostly teenagers.

I'm in Connecticut, but as I said in my previous post, I'm 43 and have a family of my own (Who are definitely NOT into ponies or fantasy art/stories/movies etc.. like I am) and there HAVE been Connecticut meetups, but the age range I see for those going are always between 15-20 and they usually meet up at one of the malls. I'm way too old to fit in with the local group without looking creepy or like I'm the chaperone.

My problem is that I'm an older brony and any meetups that happen in my area usually involve people ages 16-20 and it would be kind of awkward if a 43 year old showed up to hang out with them. I would feel like I'm hanging out with my kids. It's a shame that there's so few bronies my age for us older fans to relate to. It would be really nice if there were meetups for older fans who don't want to meet up at a mall or arcade. But there are so few of us.

I've tried hopping onto a couple of brony social networking sites, but ran into the same problem. And I'm sorry, but I just couldn't relate to anyone because the age difference was way too extreme. Unfortunately, what's important for people in the 16-20 age range is vastly different in a lot of regards to someone who's my age and vice versa.

It was such a LOST OPPORTUNITY to not show Twi nomming on that burger in the movie. I was so happy when I saw that burger, and then I was so sad when they didn't show her eating it.