@rogerSnow
 
I don’t really agree that the show feels different though.

@rogerSnow  
Geeze did I insult your Waifu or something? I was just demonstrating that she was not an infallible writer like some think she is. I know she had a lot of good ideas, but she has had some stinkers too (Bendy anyone). The show wouldn’t exist without her, and that should be appreciated, but that doesn’t mean that it would be so much better if it were still graced with her presence.

@Background Pony #AE25  
Oh god, and Rarity wouldn’t exist, we know, whatever, I like how a few superficial changes means it’s all totally up in the air and the entire rest of the mlp fim universe that she did get through to the show somehow doesn’t count as evidence that she was a prime mover in making the show what it was.
 
@Japanese Teeth
 
Yeah there’s no way to “know” with absolute certainty, but I would say it would be a pretty solid bet that it would’ve been better if she could’ve stayed on. It’s not so up in the air as to be completely random and unpredictable. There was a direction the show had that people liked, it apparently matched up with what Lauren had intended, then she’s there in a reduced capacity, it matches the feel people liked a little less, then she’s totally uninvolved it feels like a different show. Not that complicated.

@Japanese Teeth  
Lauren Faust’s original vision of apple bucking was Applejack banging her head into the tree like a goat.
 
Hasbro insisted that headbutting the tree wasn’t allowed, since children might actually do that in imitation of Applejack, and hurt themselves. Hence it was changed to kicking the tree with her back legs. (Which, in equestrian terms, is kicking, not bucking. Bucking is a horse jumping around to try to throw a rider off its back. In capital E Equestrian terms, that’s how “bucking” came to be the term for kicking.)
 
As I said, Hasbro’s influence hasn’t been all bad.

@Background Pony #81EF
 
That’s entirely true and if there WAS A change in direction, it’s probably because the slice of life stuff just tested better.

@Background Pony #AE25  
Yeah, that wasn’t one of her best ideas. It’s also a little known fact Lauren drank Pinot Noir while working late nights on the show. But jeez, she must have been chugging that stuff down when she thought that was a good idea.

@Background Pony #AE25  

Lest we not forget, if Faust had everything her way, Applejack would have head injuries from headbutting her apple trees by this point.

@Millennial Dan  
And that’s fine. I’m just saying that I think some people (not necessarily you), tend to assume that it’s something that can be assumed when you discuss the seasons.
 
I’ve got nothing against people who feel that Faust’s departure negatively influenced the show. It’s when they assume that as self-evident fact that it gets aggravating.
 
 
@Draco_2k  
In regard to “Faust left, show got worse, therefore Lauren is what made it good.” I just think that there are other factors in the quality shift other than Faust’s departure.
 
But honestly, I think we’re getting away from the original question that the image raises:
 
Regardless of the show’s current quality (which we’ll just agree to disagree about for now), if Faust had stayed on, how would the subsequent seasons compare to what we have?
 
And I don’t think we can assume that they’d necessarily be better. They very well might have been, but there’s no way to say for sure. It’s entirely possible that the show might have declined for other reasons even with Faust on board.

Let’s not forget one very important thing: If Lauren Faust was still on the show there would be no trains and no trains means no Crystal express. XD

@Draco_2k  
Yes, we know of only one thing that changed between Season 2 and Season 3: Season 3 was rushed into half a season on a tight schedule and budget.
 
With the exception of some input into the wedding finale, Faust was basically gone halfway through Season 2, so that was no change by then.
 
 
@Japanese Teeth  
Exactly this. The show was changed from Lauren Faust’s vision before the first episode was even made. Hasbro’s influence was felt the moment Queen Celestia became Princess Celestia, and the influence would not have ended just because Lauren Faust stayed with the show. Nor has Hasbro’s influence been all bad. And that’s not even counting the contributions of the other creative talents who helped make the show what it is. There was never a time, ever, that it was Faust’s show and hers alone. It may not be identical to what it would have been if she had stayed, but even if she had stayed, it would not have been identical to her early thoughts about what it would be by Season 4.

@Millennial Dan  
And that’s fine. I’m just saying that I think some people (not necessarily you), tend to assume that it’s something that can be assumed when you discuss the seasons.
 
I’ve got nothing against people who feel that Faust’s departure negatively influenced the show. It’s when they assume that as self-evident fact that it gets aggravating.

@Draco_2k  
>looking for from
 
What the hell. Maybe I should go to bed.

@Japanese Teeth  
If art was subjective, people would like things at complete random.
 
I think the differences in writing and characterization were very glaring. Hell, I’d say it was jarring.
 
I said before it probably depends on what you’re looking for from the show: a lot of fun stuff to look at, or consistent and nuanced writing. In Season 2, one came at expense of the other. Consequently, some people were happy with that, others less so.

@Japanese Teeth  
Claiming that a drop in the show’s quality is all in the eye of the beholder may be accurate to an extent, but it’s a conversational roadblock. I’ve felt dissatisfied with the series in many ways since Faust’s departure, and I don’t mind talking about it.

@Japanese Teeth  
Almost certainly? Why? What problems? That’s all a bit out of the blue, isn’t it?
 
As for the argument, well, I think it’s very clear: “Faust left, show got worse, therefore Lauren is what made it good.” If you disagree that the show rolled downhill, then obviously you disagree with the latter as well, if not - then not.
 
It’s simple logic on both accounts.
 
@Millennial Dan & @rogerSnow  
Same here. Something evidently left the show along with Ms. Faust.

@Millennial Dan
 
@rogerSnow
 
See, that’s the thing though: that’s all subjective. It’s objective that Faust’s influence was removed, but it’s subjective that the show got noticeably worse as a result. Honestly, if I didn’t know that Faust’s role was reduced in S2, I wouldn’t have been able to tell that she wasn’t a writer anymore.
 
I do agree that S3 had issues, but I don’t think that can be blamed wholely on Faust. The fact that it’s half-length caused a lot of issues as well.
 
As for whether S4 is a return to form, it’s too early to tell, but I think it’s been going pretty well so far.

@Background Pony #396E  
There would be a Cadance princess.
 
Just no Cadance alicorn.

@Prof.NightJack  
“I’m talking about how they dismiss everything good still in the show just because she’s not part of it anymore.”
 
If someone replaces what could’ve been and was great with something that’s just “good”, people are going to act like it’s garbage, because it’s a damn shame that the most significant and important part got replaced. There are other good parts? Fine, no argument, I can still squeeze enjoyment out of the show, but people aren’t irrational if you cut out the favorite part of the show for them and they’re not happy with the leftovers.

@Japanese Teeth  
All I can say is that when I watched season one, I don’t remember disliking any of it. I just can’t say the same for any of the others. I feel as though Faust had a better grasp of what the show was meant to be, so to me, there’s no doubt that the show would be better if she was still around. The only question is, “To what degree?”

if Faust was still in the show we’d have no Cadence princess, and that would make me sad.
 
And personally I don’t care for action, so I’m happy with what we have.

@Draco_2k  
All I’m saying is that while Faust is a major defining part of the show, I disagree with these assumptions:
 

@Prof.NightJack  
No one likes people who act like jerks. Even jerks.

@trueblue02  
Yeah, I’m not seeing that here…

long story short:
 
The way of the Faust would have gotten us more ass kickings, more Deus ex Harmony Blasts, more than one bad guy would b dead, and one of the Mane 6 may have lost an eye by now.