How should I deal with a friend leaving the fandom?

[immblueversion 331]

 

I'm in a rut. There's this guy on YouTube who I helped turn from a hater into a brony. This was before season 3 aired. When it finished, he was outraged by Twilight's transformation into an alicorn. None of the recent, heavily anticipated fan productions ("SWAG.MOV", "Double Rainboom") seemed to make him feel any better, as he called them unsatisfying disappointments. Now that he has watched the Equestria Girls trailer, he says that he's one piece of bad news away from leaving the fandom altogether; he says Hasbro has become as bad as Capcom, and the team is like the developers of Mega Man. He's now completely inconsolable, saying the fans deserve better than what the show has been giving us, and nothing I say has changed his mind.

 

 

Even though I don't fault him for thinking these things, I still feel awful. I loved season 3, I am fully accepting of Twilicorn, and I am very optimistic about season 4 (and cautiously optimistic about Equestria Girls). My YouTube friend and I spent many months of the drought between seasons 2 and 3 talking about every single episode thus far, and gushing over the ones we thought were amazing. Now...now he's become like CR of Familiar Faces, dead convinced that the show has taken a turn for the absolute worst from which it will never recover, no matter how much it may improve in the future. Though unlike CR, my friend actually has some good things to say about season 3. But those things were said before the announcement of Alicorn Twilight, and now they seem moot.

 

 

To paraphrase Applejack from one of the most amazing MLP fanfics I have ever read: It might make no sense to keep feeling down on myself, but there you go.

[____ 156]

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Edited August 10, 2020 by ____

[Lost 1,410]

You shouldn't do anything about him leaving the fandom, although i'm not exactly sure one can officially "leave" any fandom, he may not like where the show is heading or where the show is during season 4 but he did once like the show.

 

If he doesn't like the show anymore there is nothing you could or should do to try and change that, it is as much as a personal decision as your decision to like the show, its not like people post on anti-brony sites about how to deal with a friend becoming a brony. Live your life, let him live his, and see what season 4 brings. 

[Flamegeyser 41]

I'm in a rut. There's this guy on YouTube who I helped turn from a hater into a brony. This was before season 3 aired. When it finished, he was outraged by Twilight's transformation into an alicorn. None of the recent, heavily anticipated fan productions ("SWAG.MOV", "Double Rainboom") seemed to make him feel any better, as he called them unsatisfying disappointments. Now that he has watched the Equestria Girls trailer, he says that he's one piece of bad news away from leaving the fandom altogether; he says Hasbro has become as bad as Capcom, and the team is like the developers of Mega Man. He's now completely inconsolable, saying the fans deserve better than what the show has been giving us, and nothing I say has changed his mind.

 

 

Even though I don't fault him for thinking these things, I still feel awful. I loved season 3, I am fully accepting of Twilicorn, and I am very optimistic about season 4 (and cautiously optimistic about Equestria Girls). My YouTube friend and I spent many months of the drought between seasons 2 and 3 talking about every single episode thus far, and gushing over the ones we thought were amazing. Now...now he's become like CR of Familiar Faces, dead convinced that the show has taken a turn for the absolute worst from which it will never recover, no matter how much it may improve in the future. Though unlike CR, my friend actually has some good things to say about season 3. But those things were said before the announcement of Alicorn Twilight, and now they seem moot.

 

 

To paraphrase Applejack from one of the most amazing MLP fanfics I have ever read: It might make no sense to keep feeling down on myself, but there you go.

I don't know, maybe he is beyond saving.

 

     If not, then, I don't know, remind him of all the good times and show how there can be room for improvement. If not the show than the fandom. If that doesn't work, then just respect his opinion and try to be positive.

 

I don't know. Don't listen to me, I have no idea. Maybe letting him is the best idea.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Flamegeyser

[immblueversion 331]

I don't know, maybe he is beyond saving.

 

     If not, then, I don't know, remind him of all the good times and show how there can be room for improvement. If not the show than the fandom. If that doesn't work, then just respect his opinion and try to be positive.

I do respect his opinion, but that doesn't give me much comfort. Part of me knows I can tough it out, but still, it leaves me with a bit of a sore spot.

[Shanks 10,816]

I could understand his concerns over Twilicorn but as much as I hated that I would point out that there is still more we don't know about it than what we do actually know and as for Equestria Girls my expectations are pretty low but even if it does suck than it at least won't affect the main series. I suppose is he is that insistent on leaving than there is not much you can do about it but there is one bit of good news I have been in enough fandoms over the years to know that there is always a controversy or two that people threaten to leave over and while some do a lot of them snap out of it and either come back or never leave in the first place.

 

Even if he leaves for good so long as he dosen't become a full blown hater/troll than it is not really that bad, I have been a part of many fandoms over the years and some I am still in even after a large number of years like Star Wars and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but there has been a couple I have left not for reasons as dramatic as that but because I have lost interest. One example of this is Pokemon, I think things got really stale after generation 2 and haven't really had much of an interest since. I don't hate Pokemon or anyone who is into it is just no longer my thing.

[Yamato 1,348]

If he wants to leave, let 'em leave!

 

As heartless as that sounds, it's probably the best option. Any further attempts to keep him in the fandom may only serve to drive him further away. Just say "Dude, if you wanna leave, I'm fine with that. We'll still be here if you ever change your mind." This, like lunch and choice of vehicle, is a decision that he must make alone.

[Jammo 986]

A fan nitpicking every detail of a series/band/etc after a few years of being involved searching for "evidence" that they've "sold out"?

That's unheard of. No fandom ever does that.

[Ventfy 19]

Let him, just act like you don't care.

One does not simply, run from the ponies. I thought I was done with the fandom but I'm just going to stick with the ponies. Either nothing will change and you'll keep hanging out. Or he will reflect your feelings (not caring) and he will do the same.

[Godspeed Edge 34]

I'm sorry to hear that. But it seems he may be a goner. I have to say though, just like the Megaman fandom we need to stand firm together and show that we are one, not back out and leave. If we unite we have more power over Hasbro/Capcom. But I also have to say that Capcom has just flat out been abusing Megaman, Hasbro's been treating MLP like a sacred cow and are only interested in what the viewers and fans want, albeit with a priority with their main demographic (Little Girls). We only come after that, so of course things like EG will sting our eyes a bit, but it comes with the territory of liking a show designed from the ground up for little girls primarily. 

I've had similar heart ache with some of my friends irl. They used to be bronies and begged me to join the herd, by the time I did a few lost interest in the show, and the big cheese of our group left after seeing EG for the first time a few months back. There excuse is that EG will become a show, the entire MLP franchise is for little girls, they're graduating college soon, and have no time to be immature. They need to be strong manly men who lurk The Art of Manliness. Meanwhile little Edgy is seen as the youngest, smallest member of said group, and it's now funny that a major part of my life revolves around a cartoon about talking horses. Let me tell you though, I ain't ever growing up, I'll stay a manchild my whole life. My father used to be a Disney Imagineer for crying out loud lol.