FIMFiction and I: It's Not You, It's the Giant Sword-Wielding Anime Girl · 4:32am May 16th
You know what's more painful than getting a paper cut on your tongue after licking too many My Little Pony fics at 3 AM in 2015? Realizing you're kinda... sorta... maybe not into it anymore. No, not the tongue thing. I'm talking about FIMFiction. This sacred land of horse words and shipping charts that looks like the lost civilization of Tumblr and DeviantArt had a baby and then made it a librarian.
FIMFiction and I used to be tight. Like, "writing an OC backstory that spans 500,000 words and five wars" tight, which is just what I did with Sonic in... pretty much every story he's in that I've ever published. But lately? I feel like I'm just hovering on the home page like a ghost with commitment issues. I haven't commented on a fic in months. I haven't read one since I asked myself, "What if Sonic the Hedgehog had to team up with Joker to stop Tabuu from getting a DoorDash delivery?"
Why?
Well, let's dissect this corpse with some tender love and unnecessary PowerPoint slides... If I could actually attach a PowerPoint in here.
Reason 1: I Accidentally Replaced Twilight Sparkle With Kirby
So there's this little thing called Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. You might've heard of it. And somewhere between Chapter 68 of "Mario Fights God for the 4th Time" and me turning Peach into an eldritch horror with a frying pan (this hasn't happened, I'm just exaggerating), I realized something horrible.
I'm addicted.
I'm writing Smash Bros. fanfiction on AO3 like it's my full-time job. And trust me, if AO3 paid me in anything besides validation and existential dread, I'd have bought a second copy of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 just to eat the cartridge out of joy.
Smash Bros. is basically my creative muse now. It's got variety, chaos, and nobody asks me to remember how many times Sunny cried about being misunderstood.
Reason 2: MLP? You Mean That Thing I Watched in 2016?
Let's be real. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was a cultural event. It was like the Beatles for people who wanted to believe their stuffed animals could overthrow a monarchy.
But now? I can't even remember the last time I watched an episode. The magic? It's gone. The spark? Dead. And not in a tragic season finale kind of way, more like a "forgot to water the plant for six years" kind of way.
I look at the ponies and all I see are vectors. Empty, soulless Adobe Flash vectors. Meanwhile, Rex from Xenoblade 2 just learned how to emotionally connect with a sentient toaster and I cried. Twice.
The end of G5 and my lack of interest in it lately does not help that much.
Reason 3: Xenoblade 2, AKA I Sold My Soul for Anime Plot... and Plot
So here's the kicker: I bought Xenoblade Chronicles 2 last month. Just one game. One single, solitary JRPG.
And my God.
It's got waifus. It's got British accents. It's got menu navigation so complicated, I now have a PhD in UI Studies. But more importantly, it has completely eaten my free time like a Nopon at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
I'd love to read a cute Izzy fanfic, but sorry—I'm currently figuring out which blade gives Rex the optimal ether output during a chain attack while listening to dialogue that sounds like Shakespeare and an anime convention had a bar fight.
FIMFiction just doesn't stand a chance. The ponies don't have gacha mechanics or existential monologues about the nature of humanity spoken by a catgirl in hot pants. So until they do, I'm kinda... out.
In Conclusion: I Still Love You, But I've Moved On to Greener (and More Pixelated) Pastures
FIMFiction meant a lot to me, it still does. It was there during my pony phase, my awkward phase, and my weirdly obsessed with side character number 4 phase. But like all things in life—Tamagotchis, club penguin girlfriends, and the Wii U—it had to end.
I'm not deleting my account. I'm not saying goodbye. Gosh, I'm in the middle of publishing several stories, which will still come out. I'm just saying... if you need me, I'll be writing Smash Bros. lore essays at 2 AM on AO3 and praying Mythra doesn't make me cry again.
Thanks for the memories, FIMFiction. You were the fanfic training arc I never knew I needed.
Don’t blame you. Part of the reason I haven’t written any stories is because I’ve been so occupied with my main Fanfiction series and having the next chapter out in a few months
I can understand it. It sounds more to me like you are having a burn out with mlp to make any fics for it or in general, and need to step away from it cause of feeling more into doing other stories outside of mlp. It can be natural when you have your mind more interested in other things and help you do better in your writing.
So you enjoy what fanfics you like to create bud. Espacially since as you said this isn’t good-bye.