I don't expect many people to agree with me on this, but hear me out.

 

FIMfiction. Everwhere I look, I see it held up as the go-to place for fan fiction in the MLP fandom. I see it chosen as the default option for brony writers all over the world. I read about how it is the only website that offers us a complete experience as both readers and fans of MLP: FIM. And I agree. FIMfiction is indeed all of those things. It's a unique resource for all things writing + ponies.

 

It is also the most frustrating fan fiction site I've ever dealt with in 9 years of writing online.

 

Yes, I am going to criticize FIMfiction. If we can call out Equestria Daily and Sethisto, we can do the same with FIMfiction and knighty. In my opinion, these guys need to be woken up right here and now. I'll skip over all the small annoyances the place has caused me--that's unimportant and there wouldn't be room enough in one blog anyway. I have three main issues: I think they're hard to use, they try too hard with quality control, and they are highly overrated.

 

 

1. The user experience.

 

The first thing I noticed when I first saw the site over a year ago is that it looks great. You couldn't ask for a more attractive main page. Wonderful. But this excellent first impression was spoiled when, caught up in my own foolish excitement, I attempted to publish a story. What was a simple experience on most fanfiction sites became a litany of "what the hell?," "where is it?," "why do I have to write two summaries?" and countless other questions. You should have been there. Suffice it to say, the submission process took hours to figure out.

 

Even navigating the site is more difficult than it should be. If you're interested in reading more than the most recent fics, you'd better Google the title or save your links, because it's a struggle to find anything via the site itself. It's a little easier now that there's actually a working filter, but you have to open a story just to use it, and each search result takes up way too much space on the page. When I reviewed fanfiction on a brony radio show, I had to bring on another member who (along with his brother) knew the inner workings of the site so we could find good--not just popular--stories, and even he agreed that it was like trying to browse a public library by peeking through the windows.

 

 

2. Overenthusiastic moderation.

 

It's no secret that FIMfiction's quality control was lacking in the early days. (Just look at when

on a radio show in May of '13.) That's typical. I won't hold it over their heads. They've advanced by leaps and bounds since then. In fact, no story gets published there now before being screened and approved by a moderator...which is actually part of the problem.

 

Every fandom has to deal with bad fanfics and learn which authors to steer clear of. Bronies, of all people, are smart enough to do this. But FF decides for us which stories we will be allowed to read, and occasionally they reject them on questionable grounds. Remember that first story I talked about trying to publish? This is it. After pulling my hair out trying to submit the thing, I finally succeeded...and they sent it back with a pink slip. Why? Because it was a human/pony satire and they didn't like that it mentioned the name of their site. That's being a tad oversensitive, don't you think? (I know, I know, meta fic rules; but as long as you're not criticizing the site itself or any particular writers, who really gives a damn?) :okiedokielokie:

 

 

3. OVERRATED.

 

I don't pull out the "overrated/underrated" card much, because ultimately it's all subjective--but if I've ever seen an overrated site, FIMfiction is it. They assume they are great and present themselves as the ultimate authority on pony fiction. The problem is, they're not that great. Yes, there are thousands of great stories there. But remember who we have to thank for that: the authors.

 

I know that FIMfiction has many attractive features--groups, blogs, customization and all the rest. But despite all the bells, whistles, and pretty pictures, its spot as the number-one site has been won by default. What real competition does it have as an experience crafted by bronies, for bronies? (<--The only reason I don't count Fanfiction.net.) The closest is Pony Fiction Archive ("everypony equal, everypony loved") and they have less than 1500 stories. So far there hasn't been much competition, and I think there needs to be. Let them be like us. There are many boards besides MLP Forums that want you and I as members--MLP Arena, Canterlot.com, Reddit, Everypony and the list goes on. And this one stands out as the best because we are a unique community that plays nice and has the best ideas, moderation, and leadership. Let's see if FIMfiction is still top dog after some other alphas have come along.

 

Conclusion

I won't deny that there are personal feelings involved here. My decision to finally write this was made after they banned me for "plagiarizing" my own story--every word of it was mine, but apparently the idea of a guy having two usernames and posting the same fic on websites other than theirs was so unthinkable that they threw out a ban without a warning or even asking any questions. (EDIT: I busted the imposter and cleared up the situation, but it was a hurtful ending to what has been a maddening experience from start to finish.) Make no mistake, what you see here is everything I've wanted to say about the site for 14 months. And it's finally out.

 

 

Personally, even though the situation is resolved and my membership reinstated, I will not be writing anything else for FIMfiction. But what's important for us, collectively, is that the site is not all it's cracked up to be. We can do better, and we deserve better. Competition is good for everybody. If you like FIMfiction, that's great. Competition will encourage the site to improve itself and ultimately become a better place. If you don't like FIMfiction, if you're neutral or undecided, there is plenty of room for a viable alternative.

 

Should MLP Forums ever decide to take up this cause, along with the many other things our admin and visionary Feld0 has on the table, it will have my wholehearted support.