tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post4457463958539162478..comments2024-03-29T00:13:11.250+00:00Comments on Louder Yay: Five years in the fandom, part 2: looking aheadLoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03769758118827489093noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-50956787798637175662017-04-10T23:56:56.810+01:002017-04-10T23:56:56.810+01:00You could still find leftover G3 (or even G3.5) me...You could still find leftover G3 (or even G3.5) merch in the shops when I entered the fandom in 2012, so I suspect there'll be the same overlap whenever G5 appears. Of course, it's going to be an <i>immense</i> challenge to create something that's as successful as G4 has been!<br /><br />Sombra was criminally wasted; he could and should have been so much more. Thank Celestia for his <i>Fiendship is Magic</i> comic, which did a lot more to develop his character in one issue than the show managed in 44 minutes.<br /><br /><i>Besides, it's far, far easier to come up with ideas than to follow them through. :(</i><br /><br />Don't I know it! My "possible ponyfic ideas" document has enough in it for 30 stories at least, but I doubt most of them will ever see the light of day.Loganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03769758118827489093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-34378388258137616032017-04-09T15:19:39.060+01:002017-04-09T15:19:39.060+01:00That's a good point I honestly hadn't cons...That's a good point I honestly hadn't considered. I don't keep in touch with the merchandise side of things, so that alone could keep it going for another few seasons. Although now I'm wondering if that would make a better case for G5, since companies love reboots and remakes to keep a franchise going.<br /><br />Yes, it still surprises me how far MLP:FiM has come as a show. So many hours of pony goodness! :)<br /><br />No comment on "Baby Cakes", but I will add that, to complicate things, some episodes put me in a bit of a bind when it comes to figuring out how much I like them. "The Crystal Empire", for instance, combines ideas I really like (the Crystal Ponies, Sombra's air of pure evil, Twilight's and Spike's nightmares, Spike the hero, Celestia's and Twilight's casual use of dark magic) with ideas I really dislike (reducing a civilization-level threat to a personal test, the way Cadence just keeps the empire at the end, the OTT characterization at times, Sombra's lack of real development).<br /><br />:) Thank you for the lovely compliment, though I must say such productivity is not usual for me. Besides, it's far, far easier to come up with ideas than to follow them through. :(<br /><br />(Also, I apologise for "buaineaa" in my first post. I honestly have no idea how that slipped through the net.)Impossible Numbershttp://www.fimfiction.net/user/Impossible%20Numbersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-63843804490524982572017-04-07T21:10:02.797+01:002017-04-07T21:10:02.797+01:00What matters to Hasbro is surely toy sales much mo...What matters to Hasbro is surely toy sales much more than viewing numbers. <i>FiM</i> has always been a great big toy advert, after all. As of now, there seem to be more G4 toys in the shops than ever, which I take as a good sign regarding Hasbro's continuing interest in the current generation.<br /><br />Let's say we get eight seasons in the end. That'll be nearly 200 episodes, which outstrips anything the execs could have expected back in 2010. It's more than <i>I</i> expected, come to that!<br /><br /><i>Even earlier seasons have episodes I readily overlook</i><br /><br />Same here – I do make sure I've seen every episode at least once, but there are certain eps (yes, "Baby Cakes" again!) that I leave in the tin for people who like that flavour to pick up.<br /><br /><i>Besides, for every fic I put out, there are at least two more behind the scenes</i><br /><br />...! Your productivity levels when it comes to ponyfic really do amaze me. There aren't many people I've come across who publish that often – without producing garbage, that is. Even if I were a top-line writer, I don't think I could manage more than one a month or so.Loganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03769758118827489093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-30466947815658979922017-04-07T14:59:18.594+01:002017-04-07T14:59:18.594+01:00I think the show is already on its way out, though...I think the show is already on its way out, though this might just be a combination of personal projection and reading too much into the declines of your last post. As soon as numbers start diminishing, the execs will probably reach for the ax, simply because this is ultimately a buaineaa and the incentive is largely on getting and keeping the numbers. I doubt there are many more seasons left in the show.<br /><br />As for myself, I think my interest will outlast the show's length easily. I'm already indulging in a pick-and-mix approach to the episodes, so the dangers of it becoming a franchise zombie are less of a problem for me unless the ratio of good episodes to bad ones becomes extreme. Even earlier seasons have episodes I readily overlook if I think I'd enjoy the distilled result a lot more.<br /><br />Besides, for every fic I put out, there are at least two more behind the scenes, waiting for serendipity to give them a moment to shine. And I keep thinking up more. The show's a creative fountain for me. Throw in the AU tag, and I think I could settle in for the long haul quite independently of the show's long-term future.<br /><br />Of course, I hope the show has a good and long future, but one has to be pragmatic...Impossible Numbershttp://www.fimfiction.net/user/Impossible%20Numbersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-63227247016789589822017-03-27T19:48:08.228+01:002017-03-27T19:48:08.228+01:00I'd be slightly surprised if EqD lasts through...<i>I'd be slightly surprised if EqD lasts through the end of S8, at least in its current incarnation.</i><br /><br />That woke me up! Given that I'd imagine S8 will end in autumn 2018, that moment may well be only 18 months away. Even from the outside, though, it is pretty clear that Seth is the key.<br /><br /><i>I just like to attend and serve on writing panels; I don't have a general interest in going to celebrate the show as a whole.</i><br /><br />This ties in with what I said about the Transatlantic difference, I think. UK cons, even BUCK, have never been in the same league as BronyCon in terms of their guest lists.* I'm pretty sure Blueshift is the <i>only</i> author with general name recognition that I've had a personal conversation with. Those who want that sort of thing have always had to go to the US, or at least to Germany for GalaCon. UK cons have focused more on celebrating the show in general – so I suspect the fall-off in numbers from our already lower base may be gentler than for the mega-cons.<br /><br />* Okay, BUCK's Summer Sun Celebration concerts did attract a top-notch line-up, but not the con itself.<br /><br /><i>...so I think G5 stands a good shot of making it big.</i><br /><br />(This is in reply to your whole second comment.) All that is encouraging, and I hope you're right. Since I suspect I <i>am</i> the sort of fan who'll stick around even if/when Fimfiction etc go under, I expect I'll still be taking an interest whenever G5 is announced. I don't envy Hasbro and whoever's engaged to do it, though. Inevitably, it will be compared to its predecessor at every turn in a way that no previous generation has been. I do know (thanks, UK PonyCon!) that G1 fans were very divided when the first G2 toys came out, but that was in 1997 when online fandom was in its infancy.<br /><br /><i>insert obvious caveat about my not even knowing G2-4 were a thing</i><br /><br />Given that G2 had no animation beyond a rather bad PC CD-ROM, you can probably be forgiven on that one! :PLoganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03769758118827489093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-36523837641262786792017-03-27T14:16:37.729+01:002017-03-27T14:16:37.729+01:00Speaking of G5, I do find it interesting how many ...Speaking of G5, I do find it interesting how many people are still around from G1. You will get that with any major toy/show property, of course, as there are plenty of devotees to Barbie, GI Joe, Transformers, and whatnot going back decades, even when the TV show aspects of them were low quality. (GI Joe is one I loved as a child, but when I rewatch it now, it really is a terrible show.)<br /><br />So I had only been vaguely aware that there was any pony content since the original G1 run, and I didn't realize the stuff through the 1990s and 2000s wasn't still G1. I've seen a little of it now, but I never saw any of the G1 episodes, so I can't compare them. But as a lot of people know, there was kind of a Renaissance in the 1990s of companies realizing they could make kids' cartoons accessible to adults as well. A lot of people like to claim the real golden age was back in the days of things like Looney Tunes, Flintstones, Scooby Doo, etc., because they were great shows that people of all ages liked, and so long as they enjoyed the silliness of them, I agree those were good shows, but they really were limited to just the silliness. For me, Batmsn: The Animated Series was the one that broke the mold and was entertaining to all ages, with the action and simplified morals that would appeal to kids, but it also took a darker tone and dealt with some subtly deep issues that would appeal to adults. And that's become the norm now. I think a lot of shows almost unconsciously aim for this all-inclusive audience nowadays, and MLP:FiM is a good example. Look at all the things they put in S1 that only adults, possibly even grandparents of the target demographic, would understand. Just as one example, the Benny Hill music that plays during the chase scene in "A Bird in the Hoof." Just the silly tone would be fine for kids, but kids wouldn't have a clue what Benny Hill was, much less recognize the music, and it would even predate lots of the parents. Add in all the references made by background characters, episode titles, and the like. And all that S1 stuff was put in there before they even had a clue how much of that older audience they'd attract.<br /><br />Then they assumed they could do the same thing with Care Bears a bit later, and it flopped.<br /><br />Well, they suffer the same inability to read minds as we all do. If I knew which stories to write that would get 10k views each, of course I'd write mostly those, but predicting audience tastes is fickle. That said (insert obvious caveat about my not even knowing G2-4 were a thing, and which occurred during this "enlightened" era of cartoons), it's a lot more likely that G5 will achieve that same thing, since that's the philosophy behind producing cartoons now. I'm not surprised it's possible for a cartoon to have this big and this broad a fandom, and it's happening more and more, so I think G5 stands a good shot of making it big.Pascoitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05861834765162800926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-30234039686787278442017-03-27T14:16:20.107+01:002017-03-27T14:16:20.107+01:00I'd be slightly surprised if EqD lasts through...I'd be slightly surprised if EqD lasts through the end of S8, at least in its current incarnation. It'll hit an effort/reward barrier at some point, and few people are more passionate than Seth, so I don't know that he'd find someone willing to maintain it.<br /><br />I'm with you in that I'll still have find memories of the show and probably watch the old episodes many years from now. I'll occasionally reread some of my favorite fanfiction, and I'll definitely give any new gens a try. But in terms of getting together with other fans? Not really. I only interact with others through fanfiction, and once there's no longer a continuing source of inspiration or much of a ready audience, I won't be interested in participating. I only go to BronyCon because it's close enough for me to commute, but even then, as more of the people I'm interested in seeing decline to attend, then there's not much reason for me to go, either. I just like to attend and serve on writing panels; I don't have a general interest in going to celebrate the show as a whole. But when G5 rolls around, that may rekindle. We'll see.Pascoitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05861834765162800926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-42065915538472632982017-03-26T20:36:04.006+01:002017-03-26T20:36:04.006+01:00Oh no doubt, the friendship aspect has indeed been...Oh no doubt, the friendship aspect has indeed been magic. (*cough* Sorry.)<br /><br />A few of the Leicester meets have felt like that too, I think, and maybe Wolves as well. On the other hoof, the Cannock meet I went to had lots of talking about <i>MLP</i> stuff, and as you know Worcester does too.<br /><br />I do think specifically pony meets will be around even after the end of the show. We have the example of the G1/2/3 fans to show that there should still be some people active in the fandom long after the show ends. Granted, by that time there probably won't be really regular ponymeets, but I could definitely see occasional events being organised for a few people to meet up and chat about MLP long into the future.<br /><br />I really don't know for sure how long I'll stay actually active. Probably longer than most people, because that's just the type of person I tend to be. I could see myself still going to UKPC (if it exists) in ten years' time, and doing so for pony first and foremost – again, a bit like the G1/2/3 fans do now.<br /><br />Plus, of course, G5 could be absolutely anything! It has a huge mountain to climb to be as much fun as G4 is, but you never know. :)Loganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03769758118827489093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-11018020387197825182017-03-26T20:19:34.440+01:002017-03-26T20:19:34.440+01:00Yeah, I'm in for the full ride, too. I'll ...Yeah, I'm in for the full ride, too. I'll be here even beyond its end. :PLoganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03769758118827489093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-24281016027618400912017-03-26T15:44:31.427+01:002017-03-26T15:44:31.427+01:00The lasting aspect of being in this fandom for me ...The lasting aspect of being in this fandom for me will outdoutedly be the friends I've made. Particularly those who I share other interests with in addition to MLP (such as Robot Wars, or steam railways).<br /><br />I agree with the sentiment that when the show has had it's run, pony meetups will morph into just a group of friends hanging out, who happen to bring pony plushies with them. To be honest, the Trottingham meet I attended yesterday felt a bit like that already. We are admittedly still in a hiatus.<br /><br />My fondness of the show will never go away. This recent period of my life would have been significantly different without it. But the degree to which I participate in activities relating to it (buying merch, watching episodes, following fan content) will most likely fizzle out after a few years.<br /><br />Still, there are plenty of stops for this train to call at before it reaches the end of the line. Season 7 (and 8) will give us plenty to chew on.Oilyvalveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05424398751383681143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8301854188587462574.post-47039859737873898392017-03-26T15:35:05.381+01:002017-03-26T15:35:05.381+01:00I will stay with this series until it's end, n...I will stay with this series until it's end, no matter what happen, i guess it's a blind loyalty, and will lead me to suffering if the show detoriorate. I love the show and it's an one-sided relationship.Lambdadeltanoreply@blogger.com