>>/10656/
> In our discussions it's serving as a sort of nexus of all sort of more abstract feelings,

I like that wording, and yes I agree. I have often debated myself why I liked it and got so sucked in/still drawn to even the simpler stuff and I don't have one answer. I think a feeling of haunting inspired by some of the fanfiction and fan works played a part in getting me into it for example but... I don't know. community there is a slight brotherhood but also a feeling that I always was a bit of an outsider/minatory among there. How good is the show and why does it have it's effect? Taking off nostalgia and trying to be objective I do think this show has some areas where it does standout but quality itself I don't think is the only factor.  Abstract nexus of emotions it is. my own somewhat sucky teen years?

As for other franchises/things. This is in its own category but I am not sure if it is fair/easy to compare. Closest is probably Bionicle where I feel something sort of special like that, but even then, that is also different and abstract. Feels like a lot of it is Apples and Oranges and I don't know if I should be factoring in bananas! 

> why it's a joy to read the perspective of someone who is gifted in that regard!

Gifted is a strong word. I might even be stupid! My eyes though, always, since I was pretty young, would pay attention to background ideas in various things. Gradually developed an eye for it I suppose. My knowledge of flash is itself rudimentary. I have done some animation, mostly handdrawn when I was young, some experiments with ponies. I don't consider it the best but that also does play apart in me paying attention.  

 >>/10657/
> The fact that it's children's media exacerbates this response, naturally, but "don't think deeply into it" is the phrase that really angers me as it crops up all over the place, this pervasive idea that really, keeping your nose in the grime and muck is what matters, as if the grime and muck itself could not convince you of it's own meaninglessness and worthlessness. 

Allegory and meta can have  meaning and transcendence, if not for the fact often poisoned by cynicism and over seriousness. Actually, partial rain check, next episode review this may fit considering that is supposed to be an allegory for a real world thing. 

> To my mind it takes a special type of soulless person to not need even a modicum of transcendence beyond the mere material reality in their life to make things worthwhile.

I more often see people thinking darkness is depth and that kid's shows can't have depth like that because of being unserious, (Tolkien is for babies because his world was idealistic and thus simple). I would make exceptions because I think several different groups have made   I think some of that pushback can be exhaustion from battles of overly serious nerds and the artificalness of modern megacorps (Marvel content for content sake) I wouldn't call soulless in that way even if I have seen that attitude unfortunately come up sometimes in that sort of discourse.  Still, yes, get that frustration. 


> Ultimately I find at this point that I can view the reality behind the screen as "real" to me whilst also seeing contradictions and a changing canon, those changes are just part of what that reality entails. After all, my reality seems to change drastically in ways that break "irl canon" as I understood it up till that point all the time. If irl has inconsistent canon according to human perception, then I'm willing to give the same slack at least to fiction.

 >>/10658/
> Frankly, it's a mess. The whole show is a mess at this stage but I still like mess... Sometimes.

It as a property is so long around and gone through so many changes being a fan of it without that attitude must be trying. Still, I can see this background with your view of FiM as many timelines and, while I my reach for a slow mutation of genes as an allegory  and perhaps lean more into authorial intent of the person writing at the time more so than changing timelines in my head, I think our view