Shady's 2021 fimfiction recap · 6:23am Jan 1st, 2022
Hiya! It'd be pretty cool if someone actually sees this haha. Anyways, here's a recap of everything I've read in 2021. I'll talk a bit about each fic and try to rate them. I read a lot this year so I'll only include fanfics that are 25k words or over because I don't feel like typing out and rating 60 fics haha.
Anthropology by JasonTheHuman [7/10]: The fic that started my horn-first dive into this fandom. Lots of folks know this one, it's a fantastic fic about everyone's favorite human-obsessed pony: Lyra! I may be looking back at the fic through rose-tinted glasses because it was the first one I read, but it's wholesome and the characters are great, if you haven't read it already go do it!
Rainbow Factory/Pegasus Device by AuroraDawn [4/10]: Looking back at these fics, they probably aren't something I'd read now as I try to avoid fics with a lot of senseless violence. I don't mind fics that are violent but this is rather extreme, it feels like some of the darker scenes go into more detail than they really need to but I guess that's the appeal to some folks.
Better Living Through Science and Ponies by Pen Stroke [6/10]: Crossover between Portal and MLP, I found this right after a Portal 2 playthrough so I felt like I almost had to give it a read. GLaDOS is written very well and the final battle is epic. The writing itself gets really wonky in a couple spots but it's easy enough to look past. If you like ponies and Portal, (Who doesn't?) give it a go! The story also recently became available to order on Ministry of Image in case you want a physical copy.
Who-dunce-it?/Clear as Blood/Frame by Frame by RB_ [8/10]: Fun little mystery series with Detective Rarity! I love mysteries even though I never figured anything out in these three :P. I really don't have many complaints with the series though I may be slightly biased as Rarity Investigates! is my favorite episode of MLP haha
Tantabus, Mk. II/Aunthood Issues/Tantabus Communication Protocol/How the Tantabus Parses Sleep by Rambling Writer [10/10]: I love this series. The writing is amazing and I've learned so many weird words from reading this fic. Moondog is, by far, my favorite OC out of a fanfiction. She is too adorable! There are also many references to programming and computing in general with command lines and assembly language representing different parts of ponies' subconscious and I'm a huge nerd for that stuff so it's even better. The first three (Tantabus Mk. II, AI, and TCP) are short stories and HTTPS is an anthology, but I highly recommend reading the whole series starting with Tantabus, Mk. II, you will certainly not regret it!
Appledashery by Just Essay/shortskirtsandexplosions [8/10]: When I first started reading this fic, I had no idea who skirts was and thought it was just going to be some boring mushy ship fic. Dear Celestia I was wrong. While there is a significant romance plot, Appledashery takes Rainbow Dash on many daring adventures including but certainly not limited to: Fighting a massive Diamond Dog tank, going to an alternate dimension made of dreams and best pony, and doing epic battle with a very small dragon. Seriously, this fic is crazy, epic, and adorable at the same time. I just wish skirts will finish the sequel... We can only hope I guess.
The Celestia Code/The Luna Cypher/The Twilight Enigma/The Skyla Pseudonym [8/10]: The Celestia Code is fantastic and this series only gets better after that. This series has everything! Mystery, romance, adventure, action, you name it! If you're a fan of airships or Twilight being an absolute badass for four books straight, you need to check this series out. For real, she goes undercover as an airship captain named Blackmane, it's great. Just FYI, The author has moved the series to Offprint.net but left The Celestia Code on this site so it's easier to find.
Duel Nature by Eakin [5/10]: This fic is... Alright. Not much to say about it really. The action is phenomenal but I felt the plot and writing in general to be a bit hard to follow at times, though it is justifiable given this is one of Eakin's earlier works. The final battle is really cool though.
Thunder Struck by MerlosTheMad [9/10]: This is the Sweetie Bot fanfic. Even if you've never seen Friendship is Witchcraft or have no idea who Sweetie Bot is, this fic is just too adorable to pass up. It actually takes place on Earth and follows Stephanie, the (kinda) main character who builds freakin' robots, and lots of them. She builds a Sweetie Bot and it results in lethal levels of cute. This would be a 10/10 if it wasn't INCOMPLETE!!! 
Hard Reset/A Stitch in Time/You Can Fight Fate by Eakin [7/10]: Another fic of Twilight being a badass. Aptly named the Time Loop Trilogy, this series plays with the concept of time a lot. (Which my teeny brain had a really hard time following haha) Twilight gets stuck in a time loop where changelings are attacking Canterlot and she ends up dying... a lot. The story offers a dark new perspective on the Elements of Harmony and has a pretty good romance side-plot.
Starlight Over Detrot: A Noir Tale by Chessie [10/10] SQUEEEEEEEE!!! I adore this fanfiction. Seriously, I could not put it down and endured many a sleepless night reading this, it really sparked my love for the noir genre in general. Favorite. Novel. By far. This epic follows Detective Hard Boiled, (The names in this fic are great) a grouchy detective, his driver Taxi who is basically a ninja and the team mom, Swift Cuddles, (She doesn't like her last name either) who is very high on my Best Pony list and Hardy's green-as-grass partner, and later on a quirky librarian named Limerence. The story takes place over three acts that take Hardy and his team to hell and back. Seriously though, Chessie is a fantastic author and you are seriously missing out if you haven't read through this yet. Do be warned however, there are a couple of scenes that are very graphic so that's something to consider if you decide to take on this monster of a novel.
The Dusk Guard Saga: Rise/The Dusk Guard Saga: Beyond the Borderlands/The Dusk Guard Saga: Hunter/Hunted by Viking ZX [9/10]: The chronology in this series is a bit weird. The first book starts a bit slow and takes its time introducing the main cast, which I don't mind because this entire series has AMAZING world building and characters. The second book switches to an entirely new cast and setting and takes place at the same time as the third book. The fight scenes are much less graphic than most of the other fics I've read this year and are very anime-like. There is a very minor romance plot but the series is mostly action and adventure.
Fallout: Equestria by Kkat [7/10]: Come on, I couldn't ignore the most popular fanfic in our entire fandom now could I? Honestly, anyone reading this has probably read this before I even joined the fandom so I'll just give my opinion on it. I... Thought it would be better... I mean, the characters are all fun and the setting is very cool but I didn't care for all the super grimdark stuff, but that's Fallout I guess haha. The writing was kinda weird at times (The first several chapters were particularly guilty of this) but it never gets in the way. It gets very suggestive a couple times and LittlePip's swears are... Colorful. I probably won't be reading Project Horizons because from what I've heard it's more graphic than this and that's too much for me haha
So yeah, that's what I read in 2021. If nobody sees this I can at least use it to keep track of everything I've read and if someone does, maybe we can gush about our favorite fics to each other haha
Here's to a great 2022! /)
- Shady
