The final season and the Herd.

[Steel Accord 6,658]

Now, I've been a brony since very near the beginning of the fandom. I've been shooting down threads like these since season four. Guess the horseshoe is on the other hoof now though. I've been thinking, what is next for us after season nine ends? Obviously sites like these won't just shut down but what about the content creators? Will bronies on Youtube like Dr. Wolf still make theory videos? Will the fanfic writers (like what I try to be) still make stories? Will the artists still make pictures of the Mane Six, and the musicians still make songs about Equestria? Will the conventions still be held especially now that Bronycon is shutting down? On the one hoof, I can look to those like Prince Whatever who not too recently wrote a beautiful anthem that the fandom isn't going anywhere and the staff at EQD even wrote a nice article about the core fandom remaining strong. On the other, IlikeKimPossibleAlot called the feeling of the show ending bittersweet and seemed bummed about it and I don't blame her and even DWK kind of jokingly looked forward to the show's ending like escaping a "candy coated nightmare". Which I don't think is a serious insult or slight because that's just his bit.

I suppose I'm being kind of ridiculous, after all, many fandoms have outlived their shows ending. Hell the Browncoats made outliving their show a part of their culture. I suppose I'm half-venting and half asking, what are your feelings on the show coming to an end and how that will affect you as a brony?

[Jeric 46,834]

While I do believe that the intent was to have Season 9 be the last, there is still no official confirmation. As far as what will become of the fandom? The core will stick around. Friendships will survive the end of the current iteration. Websites will continue to be maintained, though will less traffic. 

[Hierok 11,829]

Maybe they will keep publishing theories, or maybe they go to other shows. Only time will tell. 

[Twilight Luna 30,940]

I, like some people here, caught into the series at the tail end of the fandom. Having only started watching the show several months before season 8 aired, I missed out on a lot of things and wish that I had given it a look sooner instead of writing it off as another attempt to bring back cartoons from the 80s that I had grown up with. 

What will happen to the fans after the show ends? They will either move on to the next things, like a lot have, or stick around for Gen5. People on YouTube will continue to make content as long as they are able to, both financially or for real life reasons. 

The browncoats are a unique phenomenon because Firefly ended long before it was supposed to end. They kept the show alive by creating groups and sharing the show on DVD with their friends to create new fans (I have done this ) which created new hype for the show and having a movie made. Fans know that the show will most likely not be continued anytime soon or at all. 

The only thing that we can do is wait and see what happens.

[Will Guide 21,325]

Well, maybe I can finally get around to writing my fan fiction the way I would like to.

[Steel Accord 6,658]

35 minutes ago, Hierok said:

Maybe they will keep publishing theories, or maybe they go to other shows. Only time will tell. 

Well Joshscorcher actually does a pretty good job at alternating between video game and pony content. Something I thought impossible to go back and forth on.

[JonasDarkmane 19,777]

If the show ends, it ends. It will not change a lot for me as mlp is not some big part of my life. 

For me, I have had my fun and met the people I am in contact with online (or even more physically close). I am not one to continue trying to make friends. So things will go as they will go. The ride was fun while it lasted. 

[cmarston1 5,951]

Well even if the fandom isn't as big as it used to be, I have a feeling that even after the show ends, that doesn't mean that it will completely end as well.

Given how long FiM has lasted on the air, by the time the show ends there would have been a lot of content for fans to engage with, and I feel like there still would be a decent amount of things to talk about, create fanfciton about, etc, after the show is no longer producing new episodes.

Plus there is always the chance that when G5 comes around, even if it isn't as popular as G4, it could still bring new members and content/things to talk about into the fandom.

[Steel Accord 6,658]

55 minutes ago, cmarston1 said:

Well even if the fandom isn't as big as it used to be, I have a feeling that even after the show ends, that doesn't mean that it will completely end as well.

Given how long FiM has lasted on the air, by the time the show ends there would have been a lot of content for fans to engage with, and I feel like there still would be a decent amount of things to talk about, create fanfciton about, etc, after the show is no longer producing new episodes.

Plus there is always the chance that when G5 comes around, even if it isn't as popular as G4, it could still bring new members and content/things to talk about into the fandom.

I’m really hoping G5 is good. Even if it isn’t as good as G4, they HAVE to have learned something from its success.

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

I don't really think anything will change since hasbro is unlikely to kill off mlp brand completely any time soon and since that is the case this site and other mlp stuff will continue like they used to maybe not with same people they used to but everything will move forward that is for certain 

[AveryGamerDude 4,640]

While most people I'm sure will be able to move on, I won't. MLP is my life. And without it, I'm nothing. The day the show ends is the day I give up on life.

[Goat-kun 2,498]

We shall feast on the corpse of another dead generation, and oh what a glorious feast it shall be.

[TS Lightner 269]

There'll be some who'll go, a lot who stay, and I'm sure there'll still be content made in the fandom.

Heck, there might even be a tiny chance that a team in the fandom starts up a spiritual/unofficial Season 10.  (If I could gather enough people for a crew in the first place.)

[Props Valroa 26,042]

Everything comes and goes, as I have, and as others have.

What matters though, is that people enjoyed it, and will enjoy it in the future

 

[Twilight Luna 30,940]

4 hours ago, Steel Accord said:

I’m really hoping G5 is good. Even if it isn’t as good as G4, they HAVE to have learned something from its success.

Hopefully someone upstairs at Hasbro doesn’t screw things up by trying to duplicate the same success but on a smaller budget. Hasbro has to want to care that it succeeds both financially and with fans. 

[bigbertha 410]

I guess I'll wait to see if G5 is worth being a fan of.

[Snow Frostflame 3,567]

All good things must come to an end... wow that was cheesy, I really should be going to bed, its almost 3 AM.

I've been part of the fandom since 2012, but never sought out the fandom till 2014. Being a Brony has been some of the most fun, interesting, and cringy experiences of my life. Though it won't end here, MLP has been going on long before my parents even met... thinking about it, my father would of been a preteen. Point is, the next generation will probably come, but I can already tell it probably won't make as much of an impact as the fourth generation did. There will be those who stay and await the next generation, then there will be those who will move on like me. Still wonder if I should abandon my persona as Snow Frostflame when that time comes.

[Midnight Solace 5,129]

After FiM ends, I have nothing to live for. No more dreams. My life would be just as bad as before I watched my first episode.

The way is see it, is that Hasbro is going to completely change MLP. To make it for older audiences, they would probably cut out all the song singing. The music of MLP is one of the major reasons I like FiM, and I'm just really expecting a big change. I don't think it's going to be the same as the MLP we know and love.  

[Black Sabbath 2,484]

10 hours ago, Superplay64 said:

Heck, there might even be a tiny chance that a team in the fandom starts up a spiritual/unofficial Season 10. 

There's no such chance. Even if the fandom were capable of starting up such a project, Hasbro will get it shut down faster than you can say copyright infringement. 

[Odyssey 5,713]

Nothing will change. I don't understand why I must "give up" on being a fan of something when it ends. I became a fan of my favourite things way after they ended, or even became a fan of standalone things. Sure it means the fandom gets smaller, but I like it that way. It makes me feel like I'm in a secret club instead of a massive community lol

[TS Lightner 269]

15 hours ago, Black Sabbath said:

Hasbro will get it shut down faster than you can say copyright infringement. 

That only happens if you don't get prior legal approval.  Now granted, they probably won't give legal approval in the first place, but you never know *exactly* what they'll say unless you ask, which is what I plan to do, once a[n unreleased] pilot can get completed.

[BornAgainBrony 2,395]

3 hours ago, Superplay64 said:

That only happens if you don't get prior legal approval.  Now granted, they probably won't give legal approval in the first place, but you never know *exactly* what they'll say unless you ask, which is what I plan to do, once a[n unreleased] pilot can get completed.

There are some pretty big projects that had approval, such as Snowdrop and Double Rainboom.

[Steel Accord 6,658]

On 12/20/2018 at 6:06 PM, AveryGamerDude said:

While most people I'm sure will be able to move on, I won't. MLP is my life. And without it, I'm nothing. The day the show ends is the day I give up on life.

Dude, don't even joke like that.

On 12/21/2018 at 5:59 AM, Holly Jolly Ody said:

Nothing will change. I don't understand why I must "give up" on being a fan of something when it ends. I became a fan of my favourite things way after they ended, or even became a fan of standalone things. Sure it means the fandom gets smaller, but I like it that way. It makes me feel like I'm in a secret club instead of a massive community lol

You're right. Thank you for saying such.

[Steel Accord 6,658]

15 hours ago, BornAgainBrony said:

There are some pretty big projects that had approval, such as Snowdrop and Double Rainboom.

Now those are a blast from the past and a good example of the fandom at least capable of being self-sustaining.

[TS Lightner 269]

19 hours ago, BornAgainBrony said:

There are some pretty big projects that had approval, such as Snowdrop and Double Rainboom.

3 minutes ago, Bas said:

They had? Source on that?

I'm curious about the source of that info, too.  (Not that I completely don't believe it, since I already knew DR was approved, and the original release of Snowdrop still exists, just curious where it was stated that Snowdrop had approval.)