Regarding the End of an Era

Everyone seems to be making blogs about FiM ending and what it could mean for the fandom, and for good reason. Will the fandom be able to survive now that its main wellspring for content is finished? I'm going to cheat a bit by reposting what I said on a friend's blog post, as it's what I believe:

I'm a bit sad that the ride's over, but the fandom has always been about more than the show. I've personally watched every episode, including the movie and the specials (I'm a bit behind on Equestria Girls though), but most of my brony friends stopped watching it somewhere between Season 2 and Season 4. If it wasn't the works that the fandom created that kept them onboard, it was the friends they made. The only people I think will actually leave are those who were in it for fame/money, those who were in it purely for the show, and those who can't keep themselves sustained on the abundance of fan content. Personally, I'm always gonna be a brony - even if things get quiet - and I really hope the upcoming movie(s) and Gen 5 will be awesome.

It's a bit of a stretch from me, I guess, but I can't help comparing our fandom to the Star Wars fandom. I wasn't alive yet in the period between the Original Trilogy and the Prequels, but I remember seeing its legacy when I was young, mostly by reading several of the books, playing some of the games, and learning about its history. The Expanded Universe, or Legends as its referred to nowadays, helped keep Star Wars alive when the official non-movie releases in that period were...not so great. I can see that in the MLP fandom as a whole - bronies are just a part of it, after all, we just hopped on because Gen 4 was appealing to more demographics. I do admit that Gen 5 could cause some divides between people fiercely dedicated to Friendship is Magic, those who got into the series on Gen 5, and those who like both. I mean, Stars above, the Star Wars fandom is simultaneously divided and united because of the Sequel Trilogy alone. But there are fans of all ages who stuck with the series even when there wasn't necessarily good official content. MLP may not be as big of a phenomenon, at least in reality, but our legacy is ever-present online. Even when things do die down and it may seem the fandom's death knell rings, at the very least there will always be content from the past to dive into, and no doubt people will still like to reminisce or discuss things. It was great the show ended the way it did, as it not only gave the fandom plenty of ammunition for fics, but it also opened the door for everyone to interpret an official predecessor journey - something that the fandom's writers and artists have been doing long before the end was in sight, and something I hope to contribute to in the future.

I don't know where the fandom as a will end up for sure, it's still too soon, but I'm hopeful that at the very least FiMFiction will continue to be active.

Anyways, I know I haven't been very active as a writer, and I admit it's discouraging that Rise of the Pyropath only has 2 likes which are countered by 2 dislikes. But while I've been procrastinating, I've also been writing down ideas and even a pretty solid outline over the years and could legitimately finish the story if I can just get myself to focus. And I hope that I can start branching out to other stories too, because once again I've got tons of ideas that I've been hoarding. I hope to at least finish this first book one day...

To those who took the time to read, thank you, and I truly hope you stay in the fandom as well. Here's to the future, and here's to hoping Gen 5 will be great!