Shady's 2022 fimfiction recap · 5:17am Jan 1st, 2023
Somehow, I managed to survive another year and I’m about to make it everypony’s problem. Thaaaat’s right! I’m back and better than ever! Well, maybe not better, but definitely older. Here’s everything I read in 2022! Just like last time, I’ll only be including stuff that’s 25k words or more because I would like to enjoy my New Year’s and I can only squeee about my favorite fics for so long. :P
The Lunar Rebellion by Chengar Qordath [8/10]: This fic starts out very slow. I was actually about to quit right before the action started, but I’m so glad I didn’t. The fic takes place a century after Luna’s banishment so it’s kinda hard to read at first because everypony talks like Luna from Luna Eclipsed, but honestly it makes the story better. I would sometimes find myself slipping into archaic equestrian in real life after a particularly long reading session haha. The fic follows Shadow Kicker, a pegasus from the Kicker clan of Pegasopolis through many battles both political and physical. Eventually, Equestria falls into civil war with one side, the loyalists, fighting for Celestia and the other side, the rebels, fighting for Nightmare Moon. The story frequently switches between perspectives on both sides of the war (though it primarily focuses on the loyalists) which is, by far, my favorite part of the fic. It kinda gave me a new outlook on war in general and makes it pretty hard to separate good from evil, if such even exists.
Past Sins/In The Family by Pen Stroke [9/10]: What can I say? Nyx is just too pure. This is another fic that is quite popular within the fandom so anyone reading this has most likely already read it. While reading it, I was hoping we would get some more slice-of-life chapters before Nyx goes sicko mode, so I was glad that the “In the Family” miniseries gives us some more Nyx adorableness. Overall, I really liked the story, though it was a bit predictable at times, it’s an older fic so I can’t really blame it and it more than makes up for its downfalls with Nyx being so freaking adorable.
The Immortal Game by AestheticB [9/10]: Badass Twilight? Check. Badass… Rarity? Check? Epic god-killing sword fights? All the time. If you like action, this fanfic is packed full of it. I think if you were to graph the power level of the characters in this fic, the trendline would be exponential, the final battle is what you would probably expect out of the finale of an anime or something, it’s so epic. The Immortal Game is very gory, so much so that someone’s leg getting shattered and then reforming itself instantly is completely normal. That being said, the fight scenes are very anime-esque and flashy so it is pretty easy to suspend disbelief haha. The first arc involves Twilight getting pretty much mind controlled and becoming the polar opposite of her past self, she ends up converting Rainbow Dash as well and doing more war crimes. The second arc is when it gets crazy, Twilight and her pals actually go and make war against the alicorn sisters’ parents who are powerful on a legendary scale. This fic isn’t terribly long and I recommend it highly, but like I said earlier, if you are averse to gore, this is definitely not the fic for you.
Prey by Kkat [7/10]: I’m pretty sure I have a fairly vivid imagination when it comes to reading fiction, which is why in my reading of Prey, there were more than a few times where I was legitimately spooked. The descriptions of the setting in this fic are amazing and evoke maybe a small amount of actual fear (or maybe it’s just me being a foal haha). I can’t really say much about the setting itself without giving out some spoilers, but it takes place in a spooky changeling castle, go read the fic to find out more :P. One thing I really like about this fic is it’s mostly told in the present tense, which is a new experience for me, and I dig it. Maybe that’s why the story feels so immersive. My main issue with the story is, in my opinion, the ending kinda fell flat. Without spoiling anything, I feel like the ending was a tad rushed and had the potential to be much better. If the ending were better I’d be more inclined to give the story an 8 or 9, but past that issue, the story is fantastic and if you are looking for some horror-mystery, I’d recommend this fic.
I’ll Always Be Here For You by The Abyss [6/10]: And thus begins my descent into shamelessly reading sappy romance fics. Poor Scoots get stuck out in the cold and Rainbow has to take care of her. Of course, Rainbow being Rainbow, raising a kid probably isn’t something she’s cut out for alone, and she seeks Twilight’s help. Shipfic stuff happens and the two of them hit it off. This fic is pretty short and sweet, with not a whole lot of conflict (excluding the snowball fight arc, which is awesome). The ending is very satisfying and very adorable (The whole fic is, but the ending especially). This is the first real shipfic I ever read so I don’t have a lot to compare it to, but I thought it was very sweet. I have yet to check out the sequel as it is incomplete at the time of writing this, so maybe expect a review of that in the future.
Five Score, Divided By Four by TwistedSpectrum [9/10]: I really want to give this fic a 10/10, but there isn’t a whole lot that can go toe-to-toe (Hoof-to-hoof?) with Starlight Over Detrot, sorry TwistedSpectrum. I started this fic on the mature version and then decided it was a huge mistake haha. The mature version is very explicit and if you like clop sprinkled (to put it mildly :P) in your stories, go for it! I would much rather stick to the normal version however. While TF isn’t really something I care for, I heard good things about the story and decided to pick it up anyways and I’m really glad I did. In Five Score, all of our main characters are humans on Earth who slowly turn into much cuter ponies over the course of the first several chapters of the fic, which may even be my favorite part of the fic. Seeing how each character responds to the drastic changes in their lives was very fun, and the author did a fantastic job with the characters in this fic. After overcoming the initial shock of having their whole world turned upside-down, they set out to discover how to get “back” to Equestria and go on many crazy adventures in the process. At one point they get figured out by the police while trying to steal a book of pony stuff which was super fun to read. The story does have more grammar slip-ups than a lot of the fics I’ve reviewed but they’re easy enough to look past. There are actually quite a few action scenes which were awesome, and a little bit of romance as well, mostly adventure though.
The Freeport Venture by Chengar Qordath [7/10]: Once again, Chengar Qordath delivers an amazing fanfic about everyone’s favorite bacon horse. I’m pretty sure this fic takes place in the same universe as The Lunar Rebellion, which is pretty cool. The Freeport Venture follows Sunset Shimmer on a mission to make a name for herself as something other than Celestia’s prized student. Her adventure takes her to Freeport, a shady island of thieves and scoundrels which is where the majority of the fic is set. I love the characters in this fic, especially Strumming, she may be one of my favorite fanfic OCs haha. There is plenty of action to go along with the adventure as well, including an awesome naval battle against pirates. This fic spawned a ton of side stories so if you enjoyed reading this, there is plenty more material for you to enjoy. I would really enjoy a physical copy of this fic and some of the side stories, because in addition to just being great fanfics, all of Chengar Qordath’s stories have such awesome cover art.
The Mare Who Once Lived on the Moon by MrNumbers [8/10]: Just, before you read this, watch the animated trailer linked in the story description. CHILLS! Seriously, after I saw that trailer it took all of my willpower to not read through the entire fic in two days. This fic takes place in a steampunk alternate universe where Twilight still lives in Canterlot and all of the characters are quite a far cry away from themselves in FiM. Honestly that was my only reservation going into this story; before starting this fic, I had never really read anything that was this different from FiM canon (other than like, FoE). All of the characters are rock-solid though and instantly recognizable, which is good. The premise of the fic is Twilight builds an enormous telescope to look at the moon, not knowing there’s a long lost princess up there. Eventually Twilight discovers the mare on the moon and she and Luna get to chatting through the use of a huge laser. After a bit, Twilight makes it her mission to travel to the moon to meet Luna for real. Oh yeah, it’s a shipfic too. Honestly my biggest issue with this fic is the fact that the romance feels really forced, but it’s cute so who cares? :P
Green by Steel Resolve [8/10]: What did I tell you about the sappy romance fics? I promise I read other stuff this year as well hahaha! Honestly, this fic has its ups and downs, but overall I thought it was pretty good. I had yet to read a shipfic that was this long before starting this, so I don’t have much to compare it to (Didn’t I say that already?). However, I think I can say that it was just a little bit cliche, especially in the earlier chapters. Don’t get me wrong, the fic is still super cute and has a good narrative, and the romance is still better than in The Mare Who Once Lived on the Moon in my opinion. Do not be fooled by the story description and cover art, all of that happens in like, the first ten chapters haha. There are so many ships in Green that get plenty of time in the spotlight, Rarishy definitely is the primary one but there is a lot happening in this fic at the same time. There is a sequel that is unfinished at the time of writing this which I will try to keep an eye on, it looks pretty fun. :)
The Enchanted Library/The Enchanted Kingdom by Monochromatic [9/10]: It took me long enough to get to one of our fandom’s most beloved fanfictions, didn’t it? I really enjoyed this story, and maybe I’m being way too stingy with the 10/10 rating but professionals have standards. Well, I’m not a professional, and I hardly have standards when it comes to rating MLP fanfictions, but this one didn’t blow my socks off like some of the other fics I’ve read. Sorry to you too, Mono. TEL and TEK are deep shipfics disguised as commentaries on mental health, or maybe they are commentaries on mental health disguised as shipfics. In any case, Monochromatic really knows how to make a story tug on the heartstrings when it needs to. I found myself choking up, and then laughing, and then sad crying, and then happy crying, all within like half an hour and somehow without the story feeling rushed at all. There were a couple times where I had to rip myself away from my computer screen because it is just too easy to get lost reading this fic and then oh my gosh why does my clock say 3AM I just started reading. Anyways, there isn’t much I can say about this fic that hasn’t already been said and it is definitely one of the better romance fics I’ve read. And now for the agonizing wait on updates for The Enchanted Carousel…
Background Pony by shortskirtsandexplosions [10/10]: I was waiting for the 10/10 fic to show up this year and dear Celestia, Background Pony did not disappoint. Once again, SS&E blew it out of the park and into the stratosphere. This fic is tough to read, for two main reasons. First, it is rife with flowery language and metaphors, and my small unicorn brain lost focus a couple times while reading it haha. This isn’t one of those fics where you get to just leisurely scroll on through, Background Pony demands your full attention. Second, this story is horrifying. Not like the kind of thriller-suspense that Prey had going on. No-no-no, this story evokes a sense of primal fear and existential dread pretty much the whole way through. A couple times a chapter, I’d have to just stop and think for a while. The premise of Background Pony is poor Lyra Heartstrings is afflicted with a curse that erases all evidence for her existence and she has to unravel it through the use of an ancient musical composition that she is figuring out as she goes. As you can imagine, being unable to be remembered by the world leaves her feeling incredibly lonely and leaves me in a ball of sad every time I finish a chapter. I know I said this already, but I feel like I must emphasize the detail in which SS&E describes the setting in this fic. It’s like I’m watching a movie, every scene is described in such detail I might as well be there myself. I know I say this about every fic that gets a 10/10 rating, but in my opinion, Background Pony is a literary masterpiece and more than deserves the 10/10. I dare say this fanfiction changed the way I view mortality and my general outlook on life, and will assuredly be recommending this fic to a few acquaintances in the real world.
Phew, that’s everything! In the off chance that another sapient actually reads this, please recommend some more fics! My “to-read” list is now shorter than my “finished” list so I need more material :P
I hope you had an awesome 2022 and that your 2023 will be even better! I am looking forward to what next year will bring and I will see you guys then!
Here’s to an awesome 2023! /)
- Shady
