"smoking bad, picturing destroyed lungs here, but I guess there is vaping?"

Smoking cannabis is not as bad as smoking cigarettes, or so we think anyways. Some studies claim it is worse too, so it's definitely up to what you read. Everything you consume comes with some risk. To use an example you used yourself. We see pictures of clogged hearts from eating meat. Does it stop you from eating meat? Doesn't stop me.

"I might get addicted"

Valid concern. I am addicted to cannabis. I've smoked cannabis for 19 years and always thought I would never quit. This may change in the near future.

"smells bad"

I don't know what kind of cannabis you're smelling, but most of the ones I smell actually smell very good. It's common for cannabis to have a fruity smell.

"stoner reputation pretty bad here"

There are good and bad users. Some are the stereotype you see, but the vast majority are intelligent, educated, and sophisticated. It's up to you if you're going to lay on the couch and do nothing.
It also depends on the type of cannabis you smoke. This is where it becomes important to know the difference between indica and sativa.

"have some fun"

Sure. I believe you can have fun with or without cannabis, but, like alcohol, it does generally loosen people up and make them "more fun". Again, this is all subjective. It's possible to be allergic to THC. Trust me that you won't have fun if you are.

"one of my hobbies is aquaponics I don't think that's a good way to grow cannabis"

I don't know anything about this so I can't comment on it. That being said, maybe it's worthy of study?

"but it could finally convince me to try some hydroponics"

Absolutely. Are you considering growing too?

I think that your first time consuming or smoking cannabis should be done with friends. I think that it's generally more fun to smoke cannabis with friends. I also think that edibles are not the best way to introduce someone to cannabis. Due to "greening out". With no tolerance to speak of I would consume a very small amount of any properly made cannabis consumable. A brownie was your example, with a brownie I would recommend only a quarter of one until you're able to see how you react to it.

Personally, I probably would take 2 and still end up doing a few dabs of shatter. Not something a first timer should do.

I think the best way would be a simple "joint", a cannabis cigarette. You might have seen some people roll with tobacco, personally I think that's a bad idea.