Ponies bot: Valentines and Rankings

A fan chat is not only for talking about favourite episodes. Sometimes people just want to goof around. Ponies bot adds a small game to a group: you can send someone a valentine and see who tops everyone's list of crushes. 💌

The bot calls itself multifunctional and aims at the brony community, the adult fans of My Little Pony.

Two commands do the job

The command list is short, and both commands are about interacting with other people. There is almost nothing to memorise.

• /top shows the top 10 heartbreakers, a ranking of those who got the most attention.
• /give_valentine followed by a username sends that person a valentine.

It sounds simple, and that simplicity is why it suits groups. There are no ten-screen menus to dig through. 🎀

Why a leaderboard hooks people

Any public list gets competitive. Members want to know where they stand, and chat neighbours start joking and sending valentines just to move the ranking.

An ordinary conversation wakes up. People visit the chat more often, argue about the results and invent reasons to send gifts.

Fandom news on the side

Besides the game commands, the bot is tied to a news channel for the brony community. Updates land there, while the bot itself stays the place to play with friends.

About 347 thousand people have used the bot, according to Telegram. For a niche fandom, that is a solid number. 🦄

Setting up a game in your chat

1. Open the bot and press Start.
2. Add it to a friends' group if you want to play together.
3. Send a valentine with /give_valentine and the recipient's username.
4. Check /top in a day or two to see who leads.

Invite a couple of active members and the game keeps itself going.

Before you start

A valentine is a joke, but the person receiving it may not see it that way. Do not send gifts to anyone who asked you not to.

• Respect boundaries. The game is fun only while everyone in the chat is comfortable.
• Keep private details out. Others can see the ranking, so share as little about yourself as you can.
• Be careful with links. If someone in a chat asks you to follow a link for a prize, treat it as a warning sign.
• Do not spend money. Sending valentines needs no payment, and anyone asking for a transfer is likely a scammer.

Who it fits

It suits small chats and fan groups where people already know each other and want a game element in the conversation. It needs no long setup, and results show up straight away.

If you want a serious work tool, look elsewhere. As a way to liven up a chat, though, the bot does its job. 😊