Jeric

(whoops ... wrong thread)

*shrugs*

In all seriousness, no a fandom should ever be considered a Faith.

Just had a Simpsons Tree House of Horror flashback.

YOU ROAST THE UNBORN!

This whole discussion reminds me of Michael Creighton making the case that Environmentalism was a religion.

http://www.pe.tamu.edu/DL_Program/graduate_seminar_series/Documents/MichaelCrichton_evironmentalism.pdf

In the end, I think the broader (and more interesting) discussion centers around the question of what exactly defines a religion.

Can it even be defined? How much of it is conditioning, cultural, or institutional compared to something intrinsically part of our human makeup? Is religion -- like science -- a byproduct of our need to explain fundamental questions around us when we don't have easy or palatable answers?

That said, no this fandom isn't a cult or religion. I would so not have ever posted one word on this board if I got that general vibe from lurking. I simply think that in the end, Faith, Science, and Art all try and address the same broader and deeper questions we have as a species at any given time. This is why to some, things like a fandom of a product based on an art form may bear a passing resemblance to a religion. Same with an strict adherence to a scientific study like ecology.

And if in 1000 years this thing does end up being a real religion, please for the love of all things holy, don't like it center around Celestia. I mean, from what I can see so far she is a little useless at times.

Frozen is a pretty good example of how embracing a cliché driven plot and threads can still make for an entertaining story. I lost count of the amount of review articles that lauded the film for using sibling love vs. romantic love as the theme. It's not original by any stretch of the imagination, but the presentation was well done (save for one missed opportunity at a song reprise near the end).

Cliché is just another way of saying 'no originality'. The problem is that Originality is so elusive, and really not critical. When EVERYONE does it *cough* Vampires & Zombies *cough* it can be annoying.

Uniform Races / Species - You find this in a lot of sci-fi and fantasy fiction. I don't mind the noble savage concept, but I can't stand if they are ALL noble. Same with a villainous group that is presented in such a way that each and every member is pure evil or just a sheep of one evil overlord. Now, if done correctly, it still works. But when it fails ... it fails HARD. I like a little gray in my evil please.

I don't really mind cliché's if there is something presented along with it that is unique. I mean, most of Star Wars is cliché, but its presentation bucks just enough story tropes so 'would be' cliché now becomes 'quaint familiarity'. JK Rowling mastered this in Harry Potter.

(NOTE: I still have about 40 episodes to watch so what I say may cause a few faceplams. Any injury this posts causes is not intentional)

Oh I picked Trixie. As a secondary character I think the implied depth to her is something that should continue to be explored when appropriate. Maybe I'm just reading to much into the tapestry, but oh well.

As far as the Mane Six, I find that question to be more difficult to answer as I continue to watch. I always enjoy characters who really struggle with decisions and moral dilemmas. Rarity is growing on me since her focused episodes highlight her struggles better than I would have thought with a typical 'diva' character. More importantly, she seems slower to come to the right decision at times. What started out as a character I expected to dismiss out of hand, might very well become my favorite.

DJ P0N3 if I focus on the show proper.

Derpy if you consider fan created content.

A few of the literary classics that High School tends to force on students fell a little flat for me back in the 90's. At best I considered them diluted due to the imitations that succeeded them, and at worst just pretentious.  When I got my first kindle a few years ago, I downloaded a few of the classics and found I was dead wrong about most of them. Frankenstein, The Good Earth, and The Great Gatsby are three notable examples. I think that being an adult with a family, serious responsibility, facing changing dreams, dealing with failures, and simply experiencing more of life had gone a long way in helping to appreciate the themes more.

In film, Groundhog Day. I thought it was a mildly amusing movie. When I caught the film on DVD a little, I saw the depth hiding in it.

Of course, there is the reverse of this concept. Few things are more disheartening that wanting to experience something that you loved in the past only to find out that all that remains is nostalgia.

That is a whole 'nother discussion though.

These two episodes were the ones that took this show from, 'Ok, I understand what the fuss is all about' to 'I am Jack's exploding head',

They didn't reveal the villain as a Changeling too early, they appropriately foreshadowed Cadence's magic, there was real conflict. I haven't seen all of Season 2, but I would wager that this was the first time Twilight gets slapped down that hard by anyone, let alone Celestia.  When the Aria came one, I had to pause the show afterward, turn to my daughter and ask if this was actually happening. Every possible solution turned into failure, until the aforementioned magic was used.

Of course that wasn't the biggest surprise. I get to the end of the show, still in shock at how well presented these episodes were, when Love is in Bloom starts. I didn't realize it at the time, but that was my sister's wedding song (a longer remix apparently).

Quite a bit to love about this one, and I wish I was paying closer attention a few years back. The buzz must have been through the roof.

My Favourite Mane 6 Pony: Twilight Sparkle

How did you find MLP Forums?: Google

How you became a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Very long story."Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up."My brother-in-law is a Brony. We hit it off when he was still dating my sister, because of a few shared interests, and he was an overall decent guy. This is my little sister. At the time, I really thought that the Brony fandom was intriguing. I tried watching a few episodes, and didn't get it. No big deal. That little experiment hooked my two tween daughters though. About a month ago (a few years from my first attempt to analyze the show), I agreed to watch a few episodes again, this time handpicked by my now teenage daughters. What started out as smile-worthy territory, ended up perfectly hooked. My mind was blown when I saw the Season 2 finale. It wasn't the epic nature, the foreshadowing, real conflict, or the higher stakes. Those were part of it. The songs got to me. Ok, Epic Operatic Aria is epic ... but it was BBBFF that got to me. Also, I heard Love is in Bloom and my mouth dropped. That was my sister's wedding song. I had no idea. I felt like I was just let in to a personal secret, and at once realized that MLP had become one of the best Rorschach devices for fan investment. Oh, and the next day I found myself humming The Art of the Dress. This is actually a longer and more interesting story, but Mr. Montoya will strike me dead if I erect a Wall of Text.

Married, 37 year old father who works as an IT Project Coordinator.  I have a love of literature, science, and philosophy. I tend to spend any spare time I have in front of a laptop facing down Scrivener.

And

DFTBA (should say a bit more about me right there).

Pulling an idea into existence from the aether is one of the most rewarding moments in the creative process, so I do know exactly what you mean. My favorite part is what happens next with artistic epiphany. Giving the idea life and making it yours (especially with a concept that really speaks to you) is nothing short of transformative.