Fan fiction and You.

[Albertosaurus Rex]

I don't know if they've ever taken an official stance on them, although I can certainly imagine them being uneasy about certain types of fanfic. Notably, the site Pony Archive (which hosted actual episodes for download) has been forced to shut down. Not a single fanfic author or website has so far been reprimanded.

The interesting thing this author notes is how the characters from the show have to be actually in character for her to enjoy a story, but given the subject of sexuality, I have no idea how you would ever know if your story is in character. (The show itself is as innocent as it has ever been. It is also worth checking out, even if you're not a little girl.)

EDIT: Just today, Lauren Faust has put a FAQ online. Faust was showrunner during the series' first season and creative consultant dyring the second. In fact, she's the one who took the much maligned MLP franchise and turned it into something that's actually watchable. Relevant parts quoted below:

Q: Can I get your permission to draw the characters from MLP:FiM?

Though I developed the Friendship is Magic and imagined the characters, I do not own them. If you feel you need permission to use the characters in any form, you need to contact Hasbro.

Q: What do you think of Rule 34 applied to ponies?

It's not my thing, but I know that it comes with the territory of having your work on TV, so I'm used to it. I admit I avoid looking at it, and would rather not have it pointed out to me----- so please don't!

Q: Have you read "Cupcakes"?

No. And I'm not going to (see next question…)

[AR: I have. It's not worth all the ruckus.]

Q: Will you read and/or critique my fanfic?

I'm sorry, but I don't read fanfics. Professionally, we are discouraged from it as any unintended similarities to actual episodes can lead to legal problems. But really, I simply don't have the time. However, I know that if the internet were around when I was very young, I would have been a pretty rabid fanfic writer myself. So more power to you all!

[chongjasmine]

I don't enjoy reading fanfiction.

[mistrali]

I have no issue with it, personally. I consider it just (most of the time) a silly, harmless, fun thing. Reading (or writing) fan fiction will rarely stop me from enjoying the author’s original works, except in a few rare cases where I’m so unhappy with the way canon went that I feel compelled to read fix-it fic. If anything, it’s adaptations which tend to ‘ruin’ canon for me.

Moreover, although the majority of fandoms feature OOC porn, I belong to one or two rare fandoms whose fics are mostly G-rated, gen and slice of life.

I can understand RH’s stance on fanfic writers attaching her name to - basically - porn and OOC characters and plots. But I think that most people are aware that, say,, fic in which Harry becomes best friends with Draco is *not* synonymous with HP by J.K. Rowling, or Aragorn/Boromir slash diverges widely from the text as written by Tolkien. That doesn’t mean they bear any ill will towards the author. Most people, reading Little Women, for example, are disappointed that Jo March gets married. Notwithstanding that Alcott herself regretted that decision, this sort of thing is what causes Laurie/Jo to be such a popular ship. I think readers are entitled to continue the story, even in their heads. And if anything, the fact that so many talented writers write stories for free should be testament to how much they love the work. Yes, there are excellent writers in fanfiction, although they may be in the minority.

And - well - as for the common criticism that writing fanfic is a poor way to showcase one’s creative writing skills and the majority of fanfic is much worse than the majority of published literature, I happen to agree (for the most part). Even the best fanfic out there will never be on par with writers such as Robin Hobb or Vikram Seth, let alone the literary greats, such as Faulkner or Patrick White, who take their prose to the next level.

But I, for one, am not an aspiring writer and have never claimed to be able to turn a phrase. I just write it for fun. Are there more productive uses of time? Absolutely - but one might make the same criticism of video games, reading fiction, watching Netflix or nearly any other such hobby.

To avoid any misunderstanding, I mean no disrespect to RH or other anti-fanfic authors and am not advocating that we stage a mass revolution at A03, or anything. I’m just voicing my own opinions on fanfiction in general and responding to some common criticisms (some of which are referenced in RH’s AMA response as quoted above).