Things I Hate About Things I Love: Fimfiction.net · 5:18am Jul 19th, 2015
Ranting about one of my favorite things was actually a lot of fun, so I decided to give it another go today. As I said yesterday, I'd be turning my eternally burning Curse of Hatred onto this wonderful site, Fimfiction.net. Before I begin, I'm aware that I am using a site to complain about that very same site, and also, nobody here cares about what I like/dislike, but I enjoy talking to no one which sometimes turns into talking to someone. This is just me getting something off my mind that may spark a short discussion. Let's begin.
I've been on Fimfiction.net since early December of 2014, but I've been writing fanfics since mid 2013. This brings me to the first thing I hate about this site: It's so intimidating! With fanfiction.net, as flawed as that site is, it felt way more accessible than here. I think it's because when you go on EqD or a message board, featured stories and contest winners always link to this site, so there's more pressure. You get here and you're like "Oh, geez, the good stories actually outnumber the bad ones on this site". Terrifying if you're a scrub like me with no confidence in his own abilities whatsoever.
Next thing I hate is the comments/like system. I don't necessarily dislike it, but it really bugs me sometimes. I feel like, if you're going to go through the trouble of downvoting (or disliking, or whatever the hell you want to call it), then you should just write a short comment telling me why. Disliking without a comment is next to no help to an author. It's basically just a big middle finger, and, when you ask what you did to deserve such things, you get kicked in the crotch. If I ran this site, I'd make it so that you cannot leave a vote without commenting. Although, now that I think on it, that'll just turn people away from voting altogether.
Spring-boarding off of my displeasure with the comment system, I absolutely despise some of the users who comment on this site. Don't get me wrong, most people are great on comments, but the ones that irk me the most typically fall into one of three categories: Arbitrary Critiques, Nonsensical Morons, and Imaginary Comedians. People who hate your story for dumb reasons, like not fulfilling their OTP or using their favorite characters, even if they don't belong in that story, are among the worst people I've met on the internet. Then there are the comments that are so horribly incomprehensible that you pray that their keyboard is malfunctioning, these people are the exact opposite of helpful. Finally, there are the people who think the comment section is the place for them to try to launch their stand-up comedy career (Bonus points if these people are hilariously unfunny). Granted, that guy is probably the least of these three evils, but I really dislike comments that don't help me feel/get better.
Another thing I hate is how hard it is to get noticed on this site. With so many stories being posted every day, it's really easy, nay, inevitable, for your stories to be buried. I don't want to sound like a whiny baby here, and I don't want people to misunderstand me. I'm not saying that I'm upset that I'm not well-known, because I feel like I'll get out there when I get good enough. What I am saying is that it's kinda depressing a thought, to know that what may be the best thing you've ever written will possibly never be read because there's just too much stuff. Every day, this site is bombarded by nigh-perfect masterpieces and absolute drek. I don't think any of my stories fall into either of those categories, which is partly the problem. Being decent, or even good, isn't enough. You have to be amazing.
I hate the genre rags, or lack thereof. I feel like we're missing some, namely Mystery, Parody, Suspense, Drama, Crime, and Sci-Fi, among others. I think that if we had a few more of things like this, it'll be a bit easier to find things you like. Another thing that bugs me is how unclear some of these tags are. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I still don't know how to use the Random tag properly. And can someone explain to me why Sad and Tragedy have their own tags? Is the Human tag used for Humans in Equestria stories or EG stories? Wouldn't it be a bit more efficient and logical to have a Human tag for HiE's and a seperate EG tag for stories involving the HuMane 6?
Miscellaneous gripes: 1) I want more Interactive Desktop Ponies. I want a tiny, adorable, pixelated Fluttershy running around my screen, and I want her now! 2) Why must the bio be so short? I want to spin my whole sub-narrative of me and Kriss, which is hard to do with only 200 characters, especially since I care way more about punctuation than I should. 3) Why are there only four header colors, three of which being the same fricking shade of grey? Shockingly, I enjoy colors. I know, shocking, I mean, I only watch a show about bright, pastel-colored horses.
That's enough complaining for tonight. Got something you hate about this site? Share it down in the comments, assuming you aren't scared to share your opinion like I was. Don't worry, I don't bite.
These are a lot of fun, so I'm going to make the semi-regular. Probably every day or so until I run out of things to complain about (Translation: Until the end of time). Hope you aren't too peeved by my whining, and I'll see you later. Farewell, my dear friends. Until we meet again.
Still better than fanfiction.net
I wish the main page brought us to most recent stories, and if I were to search for anything it be sorted by most recent activity (which it's set to now, but still there was effort involved!) instead of something like 'relevance' and 'heat' - how do you quantify relevance? The features page is rather daunting since it focuses on the upper echelon of writing. While the majority of fics I find here (vs fanfiction.net) are of higher average quality, I don't know how artificial that comparison is.
Agree with the more tags. I actually really like the distinction between Tragedy and Sad tags, which makes it more disappointed there isn't a Mystery or Parody tag. I also don't like that they explicitly don't allow for Slice-of-Life and Adventure to both be tagged, I believe it CAN be both... and Sad Comedy DOES exist (though understandably, Comedy/Tragedy cannot). It's just very wishy-washy to me. Oh, and I think Random is a completely useless tag.
I initially joined fimfiction 'cause I thought things were different here. The people seemed more accessible, more thoughtful, and I daresay nicer... and for the most part it's true. Even without the unchecked age-restriction, people here just seem to think about what they want to say before shoving their foot up their ass. That in mind, people here are really quick to be defensive and get their panties in a bunch to social-justice warrior, as if it were a pastime that earned them brownie points in the community instead of just pissing everybody off.
As nice as it must be to get thumbs, I think they're useless without comments. It's the fanfiction.net equivalent of "good chapter more plz" and honestly serves only to irritate me. Voting is fine and good, but maybe you should need to work for it instead of just an arbitrary click.
Also, this site (and maybe this community as a whole) makes me crave love and acceptance. I don't understand it, but I do.
hm
3250994 Very well said, and I cannot agree more about the home page. This site isn't perfect, but it's what we got
3251049 Something on your mind? Don't be afraid to share, even if you disagree. Especially if you disagree
3251491
i do like the Naruto reference you threw in right at the beginning
and i must say, i do agree with you on most of these points.
And Seventeen brings up some nice points too.
3251549 Naruto? What's Naruto? I've never heard of such things.
Jk, but I'm glad to see that my anime efforts paid off
3251556
Lol, I love Naruto
3251623 Maybe my next post will be about anime...That'll be fun
3251627
I agree