Random thought: what would drive you away/has driven you away? · 9:53am Aug 22nd, 2018
Two blogs in two days? *le gasp* 
But yeah, see title. What would make you quit watching the show, and/or quit the fandom? What did make you quit watching the show, if you have?
For me personally, I've mentioned my line in the Writer's Group chatroom way back when, I think. Regular readers can probably guess anyway.
But what about you? Can nothing drive you away from the show or fandom, or is it a standard that must be upheld before you give up entirely? I'm speaking specifically about internal reasons, not outside influences preventing you. What would the show have to do, what would the fandom have to do, if the end result was driving you away?
Asking for science. Short answers will suffice, not three hours worth of video. You know who you are 
I haven't found my breaking point yet, though I won't say that my resolve is unbreakable. It helps that I think of the show as a toolbox and am willing to discard parts that look more like factory errors than useful components.
I haven't left the fandom yet, only going in and out, but I stopped watching the show following Starlight's reformation. The show has MASSIVE potential that is lost only due to the fact that Hasbro refuses to let it be a show on the level of Avatar: The Last Airbender or Gravity Falls. The only reason I stick around is because of that potential, and I feel that as a fan I need to draw it out however I can. I would only leave if Hasbro went back to the G3 method, which I doubt considering FiM's popularity among the general audience in its early years.
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I don't have one!
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The toolbox attitude, I can understand. I had a similar attitude towards the Star Wars Expanded Universe... then everything changed when the
Fire NationDisney Corporationattackedblew it up.Now, Snow, by massive potential I'm guessing you mean potential for character-driven stories? Like, one big coherent story with beginning, middle, and end? To take another example, the anime-ish Thundercats reboot from a few years ago would fit the bill for concept, but not quality?
Hi.
I quit watching around episode 90, not because I wanted to, but because I had little to no YouTube access at the time. I haven't tried so hard to get up to date, though, because the absence of Lauren Faust is really feeling and I was already feeling the show to be cringeworthy for these old bones to watch.
I did hear great things about episode 100 and then made an effort, and enjoyed it greatly.
As for the fandom: I entered this fandom because the show was rather cool, and because this fandom had the vibrancy that many poor decisions in Paramount had stolen from the Star Trek fandom. At least as to fanfiction, this fandom remains vibrant, and I'll stay put.
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*takes notes*
Thanks for answering. Long hiatuses between being able to watch episodes are a pain, indeed.
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Exactly. For a detail oriented individual, inconsistency bugs me more than anything. I remember hearing about the one episode (Fame and Misfortune) where the Mane Six's friendship journal is published, but the Equestrian population complained about their adventures not being character driven and instead focused on the friendship lessons. In retrospect, this fits the show perfectly, but it was the show's way of saying "take that" to the adult fans who want something more character driven from the. . . well, characters.
In Avatar, the reason why you cared so much about the characters was because of the trials they went through, how their friendship was tested to its limits, and how their views of the world changed, even if just a little. We watched them grow as real people would. In my opinion (which doesn't mean much on the internet), I would love FiM even more if we saw something like that. Then again, I also understand that one cartoon shouldn't be the mold for every other cartoon to follow.
I haven't watched Thundercats for a while, but yeah, your statement is accurate.
I haven't watched an episode in years. I think I stopped after the season 6 introductory two-parter. Part of the reason was waning interest at the time, part of it was that I didn't like the direction the show was going in. At the time, I quite disliked Starlight as the Twilight replacement, and whatever character development she's had, I haven't had the chance to experience. Now it's just been so long and there's so many episodes that I don't know if I'll ever get back to it.
I have kept up with the movie and the Equestria Girls stuff though.
I'm mostly peripherally in the fandom these days. I mostly keep up with fanfics and nothing else, because there are on-going stories that I've been invested in for ages and I'd like to see them through completion.
I recently watched an episode of the Silver Hawks. First episode watched in more then two decades. The way I remembered the show was cool if scientifically nonsensical, not some very poorly adapted Western populated with two- dimensional characters vomiting the worst dialogs ever.
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Okay. Thanks again for the responses, this is good to know.
The first half dozen episodes of this season came close to making me give up on the show. Some of them were really painful to watch. Grannies Gone Wild even received a mid-viewing ultimatum.
As for the fandom in its entirety, basically the fanfiction would have to dry up or I’d get obsessed with something else and started reading its fanfiction instead.
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So I'd have to file that under... what, cringe-inducing episodes, badly written ones, upsetting ones? Can you be more specific?
I just don’t watch the particularly shitty episodes, and keep watching otherwise. I doubt they’re going to drive the show into the ground with barely more than a season left of it.
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You owe it to yourselves to at least watch “A Royal Problem” and especially “The Perfect Pear” from season 7.
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No?
‘Episodes that are painful to watch’ which could be any of those things and probably others.
Honestly? Cave to fandom, or at least a certain stripe of it. Which isn't likely because there's a year to go before it's curtains anyway. But when the reboot show comes out, whatever it winds up being, you know the reaction it's gonna get. It's either going to be the thing that took everyone's favourite toy away or it's going to be the thing you throw your weight behind to show how smart you are. Until, like with the current show, it lets you down. Somehow.
Yeah, I...really do not like most fandom. At all.
FiM isn't something I stick with as much as I once did. The last episode I saw was either Twilight babysitting or that trip Starlight and Trixie take where she gets on Starlight's tits. (EDIT: tell a lie, saw the End in Friend, thoroughly enjoyed.)
But yeah, even in the early days MLP was more this slice of life thing I could drop in and out of. There was a "This must be Thursday (but in candyland)" feel to it that is very much my jam and all I ever really asked of it. Or if you wanna be objective I felt that was there and enjoyed it. To be blunt, I have never understood people who want it to be a more traditional fantasy kind of deal, and even then really just an action cartoon.
This is a show where the big ratings change that would let them push the envelope a little was switching to TV-Y. I don't get how anyone's supposed to talk about the show "failing" them and not acknowledge what they've actually been watching. Which...is just flat out not for a 20-something.
On the other hand, the internet had been one long tapestry of nerd obtusely refusing to understand the pop junk they're obsessed with. If FiM had ever leant in the direction of giving these people what they demand I'd have dropped it in a heartbeat. But those people have been complaining since season 2, so.
Long as I can click the play button and get 22 minutes of Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn with little angel wings, trying to get the Hatfields and the McCoy's to play nice or the general existence of Rainbow Dash, a flying horse with a mullet and a psychotic grin like a Ninja Turtle action figure whose existence in a storybook kingdom is supposed to make total sense, I'm golden.
Anybody waiting for this to be Transformers Prime or whatever can tough it out until 2020. And they probably won't be satisfied even then.
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Okay, that reply I can work with. Thanks for clarifying.
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So pandering to the point it harms the original appeal of the show. Yeah, I'm the same way, for one particular split-shroom in the fandom.
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That's a more concise way to put it, yeah. Though "original appeal"...I dunno, I can't see that being the same for each person. Like the sort of nerd I hate was really only ever into the show because "This cartoon, this mine, me eat boogers for pleasure".
A lot of the legit/reasonable criticism just feels like what you ought to expect from older people watching a show for preschoolers. Maybe the quality they like isn't there anymore or maybe it was never actually a thing, but I can't blame someone for just not feeling it anymore. Likewise if someone actually watched all 100 plus episodes.
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Yeah, I see what you mean. Just trying to put it all into comprehensible language.
For science. And clarity.
I'd leave the fandom only if Fimfiction implodes
Nothing. I have the same approach star wars fans should have. There's only a 30% chance I'll like any new content so just take the good parts akuna matata.
Tempted to somehow make a three hour response video out of spite but that would be more trouble than it's worth.
For me? Well, it's been a combination of things. Fewer and fewer friends remaining in the fandom. Characters in the show that feel as if they've had arcs finished before the show got anywhere close to ending, and mostly life throwing me all these random side quests I need to grind before taking on more main quests. ;P
Though I suppose Lightning Dust and another Trixglam episode came at a good time given I can't game in my current state. So given there are still some familiar faces around, and despite easing my way out of the fandom over time, I guess I'm kinda back? Just really bored with a lot of things in life online and off.
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Oh man I loved the Thundercat reboot and never understood what the problem was that got it cancelled.
And if I haven't stopped watching My Little Pony now I doubt I ever will. Unless it become a late Nick Jr type show with no substance beyond, "Here kids have some color". I'm the type of adult that watches Dragon Tales and enjoys it despite it definitely being geared for younger crowds
I'm taking a break from the show and even the fandom a bit. I've been too sick to do much of anything so sadly editing and even watching the show has fallen by the wayside. I think though, when I'm healthy again, I'll dive back in with a vengeance. I really adore editing and the show still makes me smile.
Show: Already done (Twilight's Ascension). I can't muster up the enthusiasm to watch anything in the mainline any more. Equestria Girls is the exception, as that's still fresh enough to not become tired.
Fandom: I'm fairly chill about fandoms, as I tend to isolate myself in bigger fandoms, what with the Law of Fandom Behavior (The more mainstream/obscure the fandom, the better behaved the fans tend to be) being a thing. My point will probably be similar to the Naruto point where I couldn't muster up the enthusiasm I used to.
The fandom focusing on one specific part of the show that rewrites past continuity and ignores the possibility of doing things differently and refusing to innovate/deviate from canon.
Quick question: When was the last time you saw a fic where the CMC DON'T have cutie marks in "helping others find their special talents" but instead have their cutie marks in what was hinted at WAAAAAAAAAY back in the first season (Apple Bloom being REALLY good at building, Sweetie Belle having a wonderful singing voice and Scootaloo being awesome on her scooter)?
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Well, that's the thing. You see them showing these skills and assume it was their talent, when in hindsight they demonstrated their talent by fixing what the others were doing wrong (clean paintbrushes, come up with better lyrics, give technical advice on dancing.)
And I've written them as blank flanks often enough, but not with different cutie marks, mainly because I wouldn't know what stories to tell with that. Got enough projects that need time and attention as it is. I think there was a mind-control clopfic with Cheerilee dominating the classroom that had the (aged-up) CMC with different cutie marks, but that's about it.
Regardless, thanks for the feedback. This is all very interesting.