Yeah, not a good time.

@sErgEantaEgis
Sorry your family was so unsupportive. That had to be the worst.

I spent parts of 2019 and 2020 being partially mute for psychological reasons. It was very hard to talk and the words would just get “stuck” in my throat so I took to carrying paper and a pen to communicate. I got laid off from my job because of it and bullied by my family, hoping they’d get me to talk. It’s touching to see a more positive portrayal of this kind of psychological muteness.

@mjangelvortex  

 
Totally seconded!

This pony is very ♥

@mjangelvortex  
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@mjangelvortex  
💜😚💜

@Derpy Whooves  
@wumbl3  
@bunxl  
@Derpy Whooves  
I love you people.

I wake up to this thread?
 

 
You guys are adorable <3

@Derpy Whooves  

 
Oh boi. We could derail the commentsection on this comment alone in a philosophic debate. XD

@bunxl  
Facing our problems and trying to cope with them or solve them does really freak out some people, and make some others very angry. But for those people, that’s their thing. They aren’t a part of your audience.
 
You be you :) You’re the best you we have.

@bunxl  
48favs 70upvotes 3 downvotes
 
I would say you made more than 1 Person happy

@Derpy Whooves  

 
this made me feel so much better, thank you so much for your comment!! i really just wanted to make all sorts of positive pony pics and was kinda sad when people were grumpy @ this pic 3-: my little pony is about problems and how to cope/solve them! and knowing that my art even made 1 person happy is extremely rewarding<3:-3

@bunxl  
You’ve made a beautiful illustration that spoke to many and caused a lot of discussion and opened up some ideas for people that they’d never considered, and you’ve made many people aware of a condition that a lot of people have - without which they might never have even considered that this was something many people deal with.
 
And you might have made some people more tolerant and accepting of their own condition, and the condition of those around them.
 
That makes this art.
 
This is the kind of thing should be on the side of buses, or on sideboards at train stops. Although I can only imagine the licensing issues you might face if you went to Hasbro with this without a few tens of thousands of dollars in your pocket and a full plan already on paper for your pitch. That said, they’ve done things like this and it might fit into their investor portfolio nicely … anyway …
 
Some people don’t like ponies being used to convey messages or highlighting real world issues via the character traits of the characters in the show. That’s fine - that’s their opinion and they’re welcome to it.
 
But some of us really appreciate what you’ve done here. You have NO IDEA how many people on staff have this very problem, and how hard some of us work every day to overcome our social anxiety. Everyone assumes that we must be extraverts who love spending all our time talking with others, but many of us - myself included - see a deep reflection of our own selves in Marble Pie.
 
And speaking for myself, this image really spoke to me.
 
Because sometimes I have to remember it’s ok to be utterly overwhelmed by having to talk to others, and that it’s ok to cut myself some slack and just be ok when I need to be quiet in a room full of talkers.

 
just wanted to post cute art:(

@Background Pony #115B  
Yes and that´s why selective mutism is not a disorder but normal human behavior.

@Backgroundpony  
A disorder is not normal.

@Background Pony #115B  
I understand what “cannot” in “cannot speak in specific situations or to specific people” means, I just argue that a normal human behavior is pushed to be a disorder.

@Backgroundpony  
@Setsugekka  
I don’t think you understand what the “cannot” in “cannot speak in specific situations or to specific people” means. It doesn’t mean they “don’t want to” or they “refuse to”; it means that their social anxiety will not allow them to speak, even if they want to, or if speaking would benefit them or not speaking is detrimental to them. “Cannot speak” means that they can not speak.

Yet I get pressured into speaking, even if I’d rather not want to.

@mjangelvortex  
Still sounds like everyone.

@VermiIIion  
@Backgroundpony  
It’s not a choice.

Mm-hmm~

@Backgroundpony  
No, most people can speak at more or less any time, even if they shouldn’t. A selective mute cannot under certain circumstances, even if they should.

@Background Pony #E96B  

 
 
“Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder in which a person who is normally capable of speech cannot speak in specific situations or to specific people. Selective mutism usually co-exists with social anxiety disorder.[1] People with selective mutism stay silent even when the consequences of their silence include shame, social ostracism, or punishment”
 
Sounds like everyone, especially politicians.