Endings · 10:01pm Oct 12th, 2019
Minor spoilers and disorganised personal rambling hence.
There’s an ending.
And it was a hell of a worthy one. If you’ve not seen The Ending of the End/The Last Problem, they're worthy watching, all three parts. A last two-parter, filled with high adventures and excellent callbacks (and egads, the windigos were an especially nice touch), and one episode set so many years on, bittersweet in the best way.
There’s an ending, then.
Here’s one beginning.
The year is 2011, and the particular time is the lull between seasons 1 and 2. A numpty seventeen-year-old, having seen umpteen references to this pony malarky crop across TV Tropes and other sites, decides at last to see what the fuss is all about. History proceeds from there.
Said history includes plotting suitably dark and adventury epics even as I kept writing for other fandoms. Finally biting the bullet, beginning said epic, and inflicting myself on this site. Writing other things, and beginning to make the acquaintance of established and quality folk, and dabbling in world-building. An exercise in the latter, Moonlight Palaver, does vastly better than I ever imagined it would, and vindicates so much of said dabbling. The epic’s abandoned, but by then, so many new stories and ideas occupy the space in my head it once did. The show continues and fills in its own blank spaces on the map, but folk gratifyingly still tolerate the worldbuilding I come up with. And I maraud to different countries, Germany last year and Americay earlier this year, for the sake of meeting and blethering with and entering the orbits of yet more admirable and decent folk in the fandom.
All this, from just after the end of high school, throughout university, and to where I am now, something resembling a responsible-ish adult with a nine-to-five job and hopes of buying a house or whatnot in the near future.
It’s a heck of a time to have associated with MLP. A third of my lifetime, give or take change. And throughout it all, what the show and fandom were consistently good for was joy.
Each episode on the Saturdays they aired was good for a wee endorphin kick, and there were (and remain) some grey spells where these kicks were much appreciated. The show’s virtues persisted throughout. Solid and enjoyable characters continued to mix with a nice aesthetic and above-average writing and storytelling. Where it was good, and it often was, it was excellent, and where it occasionally stumbled, it remained at least good.
It changed throughout its running. The later seasons, with their more exuberant aesthetic and expanded cast and more adventurous tone, are undeniably different beasts from the gentler and more contained earlier seasons. And that’s good! Things ought to change before they get stale, and the show’s shift kept it fresh and engaging in my eyes.
And eventually, things ought to end too. Threads ought to wrapped up, closure ought to be given, animators and actors need to be unchained so they can enjoy freedom and sunshine at some point. And new things can take their place, to allow for different characters, fresh settings, more stories to be told.
The fandom’s changed throughout too. It’s had its peak, and some of its mainstays like Bronycon have passed. It’s had its share of drama. Old faces have left, and new faces risen. The unabashed idealism that characterised the early fandom’s hard to find. The old memes have acquired staid permanency, achieved canonicity, even. What was once peculiar became humdrum.
But in many cases, it’s stayed the same. What I felt, right from the early days, was a sense of inclusivity. That a big higglety-pigglety mess of folk from all corners were interacting and blethering based on their shared affection for the show, were collaborating together, were genuinely invested in one another’s work and wellbeing. ‘Love and tolerate’ were words that the fandom bandied about, back in the past, and though they’re gathering dust and forgotten, I truly believe the germ of the spirit behind them persists. It’s had its hiccups and bad apples — name a community of humans which hasn’t —but the fandom’s persisted. If bits of it hadn’t kept caring about the others, it never would have.
And it shows no sign of ending any time soon. Kindness and sincerity and enthusiasm kickstarted all this, and they’ll keep it going yet.
The show’s over, and the fandom persists, and G5’s on the horizon. And I’ll still be around, and I’ll be keen to see what the new series amounts to. I’ll be around as long as there’s still excellent folk to blether with, new stories to read, new ideas that necessitate wailing at a blank google doc until the words take pity and come out.
It’s been an excellent run. It’s been a well-deserved and worthy end. Let’s see what comes next.
...
Oh aye, also, in accordance with the prophecies of old, I published two new purple-themed things.
The Bridge Over the Neighgara, a war story with the first Dark tag I’ve popped on in ages (believe that it’s warranted), and Sledding and Other Horrors, a fluffy palate-cleanser for the former. Gie them a look if you’re at all tempted. Gie other things a look if your taste is more discerning. 
Glad to hear you dont plan on going anywhere. There is also the 10th "season" that we will get in comic format so there is still something to look forward to. And i imagine hasbro will be making more shorts on youtube and such.
Plus the movie is still to be release.
5136754
I'm hard to get rid of.
That'll be something to keep an eye out for. I've yet to read any of the comics. I really should at this stage.
While the finale wasn’t perfect for me, it was satisfying in scale and themes and filled with some great individual moments. I appreciated the idea of the epilogue much more than the execution of it (as an artist I’m upset that there was almost nothing from it that inspires me to want to draw, which is highly unexpected and rather disappointing.)
I quite liked your retrospective musings on the fandom. It’s been an interesting ride from where I got on in the first summer hiatus following season one. A lot has changed for me, not all of it good... but the show and community occupy a warm place in my heart.
5137474
I'd a few nitpicks as well, but the scale and themes and onslaught of terrific moments (anything that involves Rarity trying to pulverise those who would hurt her friends with a boulder gets away with all the sins) managed to drown them out.
That's a shame about the epilogue not being that inspiring, art-wise. I was blethering with pals yesterday, and one of their biggest peeves was Twilight's Celestia-esque grown form. Something nearer Luna or Cadence would have suited her a wee bit better. Inking something in that vein could be worth a shot.
Thanks. :)
5138309
Nae bother. And thank you, even. Your comments are consistently nice, and you're very much one of the excellent folk I refer to.
5138413
Oh, well. You're quite welcome. And thank you, very much. :)
Well said, my friend. Well said indeed.
5146727
This whole pastel horse rigmarole started from a good place, and that sort of thing's hard to wash out.
Thank you, Novel.