Allsparkle General Discussion

[Caldwin]

I'm not sure how this is going to go. I'm just kinda going through a stream of thought here seeing where I land. So I'm not sure how long this is going to be or how worth it it'll be to read. But this is kind of where I am when it comes to MLP.

It's been a while since I've really been in here, so I'm not sure who, if anyone, is new here, or who hasn't been here for a while like me. So let me do a quick recap.

I came into MLP actually hating it. How could grown ass men watch a cartoon made for little girls? Well then I actually started watching Friendship is Magic and, well, I was hooked. The thing is, I saw something in MLP that was worth watching that was missing in a lot of media at the time (and today if I'm to be honest). It had heart. It had characters that, yes of course I know the Flash created pastel ponies aren't real, but they actually were characters you could believe. They weren't just pictures reading lines. They had depth.

So I got into it big time. I did fan art. I did fan fic. I was part of the RP here on the board. I even went back and watched older generations.

But then something happened. After countless seasons of FiM, it just wasn't fun anymore. The show was lasting far longer than it should. It was growing stale. And finally it ended.

Yay! We're getting a new generation. Something new! Except it wasn't new. I don't know how it wound up going because, honestly, I dropped out very near the beginning. But I dropped out because the movie connected G5 firmly to G4. The comics were so squarely connected that FiM actually felt like it was getting the lions share of focus in the G5 comic. Issue1 took things back to the ruins of Canterlot. Issues 2 and 5 honestly brought back Discord. However big or little of a role he had, it was obvious to me the G5 was firmly in the shadow of G4 and Hasbro and IDW were simply not ready to let go.

It was more of the same and I simply lost interest long before I actually stopped collecting.

SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE ME NOW?

I honestly don't know. I recently got a gift package with a couple Minty toys and some stickers. I loved getting them. I've had the G3 song "Wish You Were Here" playing several times over the past few weeks. I still RP Static and Hazy over in the Mayhem Bar every once in a while.

So in a way, it feels like there's been a crack in the MLP fatigue lately. I even watched a couple old Youtube vids I hadn't seen in a long time.

At the same time, It was just last year I sold a LOT of my MLP stuff away. Like...a lot a lot. I have no desire getting more toys. I know they'll go directly into a bin...wasted money. I know that Gen 5 has now finished up, and I have no desire to go back to see more of the generation that finally had me call it quits.

Honestly, I think I'm at the point where I could maybe, probationally get back into the fandom. But I'd really need something to pique my interest...and now during the dead space between generations probably isn't going to be the time where I find it.

It's like, I have no interest...but I kind of want to have an interest? Does that make any sense?

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I think I get it. I have a long list of things I'm not interested in at the moment but I kinda want to get back into, but I don't, but I do, but I don't, but oops the whole day is over and I didn't get back into it but I kinda wish I did.

I feel like my brain does old fashioned task switching, not true multitasking. I don't have multiple things going just a little bit at the same time. I have multiple things in rotation but only one can be in the foreground at a time because each thing wants 100%. So to get back into something I have to ask if I feel prepared to give it 100%, and if I'm not interested enough to give it 100% then I can't give it anything. But if I could just give it a little bit then I would because I want to. My interest isn't 0%. I have some interest and some energy but not as much interest and energy as I feel like the thing wants from me.

Does this sound similar?

 

[Caldwin]

That feels like you hit it on the head. And even further, the thing that I'm giving 100% to at the moment just doesn't want to give any of it up.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

It's a valid brain option. The need to give things 100% can be a drawback, but the ability to give something 100% is useful at times. Imagine being able to give a bunch of things less then 100%, but not being able to give something 100% if you wanted to.

 

[wonko the sane?]

My dude; as long as you aren't unhappy in what you do: there isn't a problem. You either come back, or don't. Whatever comes next isn't due to drop until some time next year (assuming it's not delayed.), so you got time to mull it over... or just not think about it.

And yes, executive disfunction sucks regardless of what level it applies at.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Yeah, I understand that feeling. Fandom interests tend to wax and wane over time.

I suppose if you really want to try and get back into MLP, you could always try and pick up something from G4 that you never gave a chance to the first time around?

Maybe pick up a volume of the G4 IDW comics and see where that goes? Maybe try the manga, if you never picked that up, since you can just get a omnibus version of it in one volume? Maybe try some of the better chapter books, like the Ponyville Mysteries series? Maybe try to track down some particular trading cards with some nice artwork, which might either be really cheap right now or very expensive, I'm not sure? Something you might have skipped over originally, that might be fun to revisit now that you're a little less overwhelmed by everything coming out all at the same time.

Maybe just rewatching some of your favorite episodes of the show would be enough to reignite a bit of the passion you used to have?

It is kind of a shame that we're in the doldrums of the franchise, right now, with no clear end in sight. We might get some "Anniversary" or "PonyVerse" stuff down the line. But, no other major pushes. I don't know. MLP is in a weird spot right now.

But, yeah, don't feel the need to push yourself. You have time. Look over a few things from the past and see what appeals to you. If you find something that sparks something, embrace it. But, otherwise, if there's just nothing that appeals to you right now, don't feel the need to force yourself. It'll come in time. But, Hasbro's in no rush to get any new MLP stuff out there. So, don't feel too much of a rush to try to get back into things. It's hard to feel too much hype for something, when there's nothing in the present to get hyped up about.

 

[Caldwin]

There's very little of G4 that I didn't have my hands in. So finding something new may not be too fruitful. On the other hand, that does mean I have a lot of old stuff already and wouldn't necessarily be looking at any kind of financial investment.

I just hope that G6 can finally break free totally from G4. Too much baggage I think is also a big thing. The whole Brony movement, while probably pivotal in getting me into the franchise, also had its more problematic side. I just recently saw a video about "how bronies ruined the franchise" and found it difficult to argue any particular point other than "we weren't all like that."

I may try a couple episodes later though just to see.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

G4 is currently printing money in China for some reason, so it's probably going to have a presence in whatever Hasbro does next.