Leaving · 7:15pm Aug 22nd, 2014
This had to be written some time or another.
I have just started college, and I no longer have the time to continue with my work, neither writing nor reviewing. Under most circumstances, I might sort out my schedule and try to find time, but the fact of the matter is, I no longer want to. There has been an irritating trend growing here on Fimfic, and throughout the fandom in general.
Quite frankly, everything we once stood for has been trampled into the dust.
Firstly, the fandom is no longer a paragon of love and tolerance. When I started watching the show, I was happy to see that there were others out there, happy to invite people in, like an open hearth. We all knew we were a bit strange, but that at least there were others like us. "Love and tolerate" was a creed for us to abide by. We knew not everybody would like us or understand us, but there was no sense in arguing with them. We leave them alone, and just keep inviting others in. Kindness for those who enjoy the show. Peace for those who do not.
Recently, the axiom has flipped. "Love and tolerate" is now something we sling at the opposition like a weapon. It is no longer a matter of "It's all right if you don't understand." It has turned to "Accept me or else." We throw around "love and tolerate" as a command now, as if shouting it and rubbing it in people's faces will make them understand why we like the show. Rather than enjoying ourselves and our community, we have set up the fandom like a battlefield of "us against them." Even the fandom itself has its own schisms, and we have people fighting for ideals, rather than letting the ideals fight for the people. The solidarity we had from enjoying the same show has fallen apart because people want everybody to enjoy the show in the same way as they do. That is why, whenever I hear somebody say or watch somebody type, "Love and tolerate, bitch!" I only feel a sense of loss at the dignity this fandom once held.
But the militant attitude does not end there. It bleeds through the fiction here like bad ink. As time went on, I saw it more and more in the feature box. People adopt the most controversial topics possible in order to draw attention to their stories. Mark my words, I have no issues when reading about something controversial, such as homosexuality or alternative marriage -- triad marriage or polygamy, for example. However, in writing, tone is just as important as content, and the way the authors approach these issues is scathing and aggressive, as if to put down those who disagree. Sound familiar? It is the exact same tonal shift that turned "love and tolerate" into "love and tolerate, bitches." Controversial concepts that I would otherwise consider valid suddenly become a breaking point. Sure, you can ship Twilight and half of the show's supporting cast all at the same time, all in the same bed, but I am not obligated to like or agree with it.
That line is where an author's accountability falls by the wayside. As a critic, if I oppose a choice they made with their characters' relations or personalities -- making Fluttershy lesbian, for example -- they interpret it as my own discrimination, when in all actuality they just failed to make the character development believable. In that way, people hide the flaws in their stories behind the controversy, and group all those who condemn the stories into a "lesbian-haters" faction, rather than looking at what may have been wrong with the story's presentation or conception. Sound unfair? It certainly is, and even the readers who care to comment get in on this rift-making aggression. When it is all said and done, nobody is even looking at the story anymore. They are too busy defending, attacking, defending, attacking. Obviously, this does not apply to everyone in the fandom, but it is an overwhelming majority.
When an author is no longer accountable for the quality of their work, quality falls by the wayside as well. More and more stories end up on the feature page that frankly have nothing to offer but the author's own indulgence. Everything is some author's fantasy that the readers have the 'privilege' to read and imagine themselves in. From Human in Equestria to erotica, I have come to despise the term 'Anon.' It shows us that we are no longer invested in a story's worth or meaning. All we have come to care about is imagining ourselves in somebody else's shoes, having some wonderful time being the best person ever, usually with the main cast acting as our personal harem. Does something sound wrong with that? "Love and tolerate, bitches."
And so, day by day, I watch as characters are flattened for the sake of somebody else's fantasy, and these fantasies are put on the front page of the site, which should be the highest pedestal we have to offer. The fact is, people do not want stories anymore. They just want to play out a 'better' life through text, disregarding all the art that should go into writing. I may not be a professional writer; I may not even be particularly good, but I know this is not the best our site has to offer. Great stories get heedlessly buried under the sensationalism, and despite all our critics, all our reviewers, The Royal Guard, Seattle's Angels, and WRITE, the indulgence always wins over the majority, and I have no doubt there are jewels of stories that we have missed. Quality is doomed to lose in favor of sensationalism. We no longer reward our best authors for their art. We reward the authors that can ship Spike and Rainbow Dash in the sexiest way possible.
Our fandom is no longer about acceptance, or artistry, or even My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It is about war, and we are determined to win. I did my best, but in the end, I am glad to be on the losing team.
Well, I can definitely see where you are coming from with this, and I do agree with parts of it. But I feel that there are many out there who still hold fondly to the original tenants of "Love and Tolerate", and beyond that, I still see many people who are focusing on art, on improving their own expressions of self.
Actually, going to BronyCon really reignited my passion for the fandom and allowed me to look past that sensationalism and that large portion of the fandom which I find to be a little more hyper than myself, and perhaps more than a bit overwhelming.
For example, I went to a few different writing panels, and each one saw a rather decent attendance (200-500 people, I'd guess). Among the audience I could pick out some who were enthusiasts, some who were genuinely looking to improve as writers, and others who were there just to meet others (or any combination of these things). I also later went to a panel on riffing, which had some rather popular youtube personalities who basically provided commentary on different MLP episodes (G1 G2 and G3 episodes). That panel had well over 1000 attendees, and I'd guess that it was even closer to 2000. And while amusing, it didn't hold the type of passion which really inspires me in this fandom. The contrast in these panels made me realize that my interests were indeed not the prerogative of the fandom, and I don't think they ever were. And if just seeing those panels was all that I had done during the convention, I think I would be far more inclined to be sharing quite similar thoughts to your own.
However, I got to meet other bronies, one on one as well. People who I had only interacted with only. I got to share a few hours with them, and come to befriend them. These people are my peers, those who strive to improve and better themselves. These are people who inspire me to keep going and improve. I also got to meet people who had seen my work and were visible moved by the opportunity to meet me. It was a surreal experience, but it really hammered home to me, just how much of an impact the pursuit of quality can have in this fandom, and why it is worth pursuing.
Sure, it may seem unfair and cruel that quality writing gets slighted in favour of stories that are only about arousing the reader or providing crude and cheap jokes, but I still believe that quality writing will shine through when its written and has the power to move and inspire individuals. Because I know there are works that inspire me and move me, within this fandom, and that's what I am aiming to add to by continuing to write within this fandom.
Even past the thousands of sensationalist stories, what the people will truly remember are the stories that drove them to write stories or draw pictures of their own: works that pushed them to try and create something beautiful as well, or that left them taking a second look at some element of their lives. While the stories that only proved to move them to the bathroom so that they could clean up from their momentary sensation-seeking, will fade unto nothing but a vague haze of passing passion. And as far as I am concerned, even one story that has true staying power--a story which has inspired even one person to try to create something beautiful, to try to express themselves--is worth far more than any number of fleeting sensationalistic stories.
Well, that's how I feel anyway. I see where you are coming from, and agree with a lot of what you say, but my approach is different, I suppose. It might just be that I managed to gain a following through a few strokes of dumb luck over the years, or maybe it's that I'm not starting up school this fall, or maybe it's because I am aiming to be a professional writer and staying on board with what I am currently writing is something that I feel I must do. Alongside all these reasons, I still have much faith in this fandom and I'll keep an eye on it in your absence.
It's been a pleasure working with you Plebeian, as well as reading your stories. You've been nothing short of an inspiration, and I hope you realize that your writing has made a difference to me.
Cheers,
~SilentBelle
I don't agree with everything you've said, but I'm sorry to see you go. I enjoyed your reviews in The Canterlot Archives and SA.
" It may sound cynical, but the truth is that when a medium becomes mainstream, what and who made it good often makes newcomers look for a way to differentiate. Two paths present themselves to the medium and the community creating it: sensationalism or innovation. The easier path is to sensationalize; innovation is a lot of work, after all, and requires a certain level of talent that many do not have. Sensationalism, as I am using it here, refers to the practice of making something arousing "by lurid details, a quick, intense, and usually superficial interest, curiosity, or emotional reaction" (as defined in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed.). A good example included with that definition is a tabloid newspaper, you know the ones; they sit in the racks at the cashier's aisles in supermarkets with loud, bright covers—often featuring gregarious cleavage of one sort or another—and large type titles claiming so-and-so broke up with what's-his-face because that-one-guy might have gotten so-and-so pregnant oooo. Such differentiation is based on being scandalous, combative, loud and edgy. A hallmark of the tabloid is the complete lack of substantial content, whether it be based on fact, hearsay or just random stuff."
I wrote my own blorg on the subject, which you can read in full here but I wanted to highlight that particular part, as it applies directly to the point that Plebeian made here. The Fandom is not what it was and it will never be again. There is no denying that the attitude of the Fandom has changed...
2391852 It's good to hear you got a nice recharge from the con, but not all of us can go to those. What I don't understand is why does that atmosphere seem to permeate a convention, especially in hindsight, when the day-to-day interactions are so dark? A fruit tree cannot lie; if it's a sick tree, it bears sickly and rotten fruit. Likewise a community cannot feign happiness when it deals daily in hate mongering and distrust.
I will always look upon my time on FimFiction and with the fandom with fondness, don't get me wrong. It was the (inexplicable) success of my first great project here that ultimately gave me the confidence to propose to my (now) fiance. The show and the fandom literally have changed my life for the better. But it isn't the same anymore. It's sad, and I hate to go, but I can't do it anymore. I won't do it anymore. The parting is bittersweet, but it was an adventure while it lasted.