2016, The Year In Review · 6:06pm Jan 1st, 2017
Well, 2017 is officially here, and it's definitely welcome. I doubt even the most pessimistic of people could've predicted such a bad year (I dare say we haven't seen a year this messed up and depressing since 1968). But for better or for worse, many of us still found the motivation to keep going throughout the year, and for me 2016 was probably my biggest and most active year yet. So to kick off 2017, let's take a look back at 2016 and see what was going on throughout the year.
January:
After finally hearing back from my proofreader, I publish what I had planned to be my last fanfic of 2015, "Seeing The Light". I then start work on my first new fanfic of the year "The One Where Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo Have A Sleepover", as I begin my first semester at Eastern Michigan University. But after completing the two part fic, attempts at obtaining more proofreaders beyond Smity go nowhere and it is unable to be published in January. In the meantime, I publish the Crystal Empire chapters of my Stallion Six fic, as the year of death begins with the passings of SoaringFlight and David Bowie.
Feburary:
While still waiting for feedback from my proofreader, I work on "CMC Pottytrainers", an idea borrowed from FiMFiction user Matt11, and also on the third installment of my What If? rewrite series. The first chapter of which is dedicated in memory of Joe Alaskey, one of the year of death's greatest victims in regards to animation and voice acting. Towards the end of the month I finally hear back from my proofreader and publish "The One Where Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo Have A Sleepover", which becomes my first fanfic to hit the Feature Box. "CMC Pottytrainers", however, is scrapped following overwhelmingly negative critical reception, and plans are made to ressurect it later in the year. At the end of the month my third What If? rewrite series is published.
March:
No noticeable deaths occur this month as I hit 400 followers and continue to work on my What If? fic, including the first chapter to focus on a different character (a bonus chapter as I dub it). Even my state's primary doesn't stop me. And as the month winds down, the first episode reviews of Season 6 begin to pour in (though a hiccup causes me to accidentally post an incomplete version). My least active month on the site.
April:
Finals at EMU do not prevent me from continuing to work on my What If? fic, or from publishing more episode reviews. I also celebrate four years on FiMFiction with a Q&A session. The 2016 primaries start to wind down and things get nasty as it looks like the U.S. will face a Hillary v.s. Trump election, and I try my best to stay out of the ongoing drama.
May:
The last of my What If? fic chapters are published, shortly after "Newbie Dash" comes out and really pushes my buttons (for a brief time it even becomes the contender for my pick for Worst Episode of the show). I then work on a sequel to my Pinkie Pie Spiderman crossover fic, and work on it throughout May, though it does not come out in May. I begin to offer my services as a proofreader.
June:
Shortly after publishing my Pinkie Pie Spiderman crossover fic known as "The Amazing Spider Mare: The Venom Chronicles" (featuring Cheese Sandwich as Mary Jane and Venom), the hiatus kicks in for what will be a very brief mid-season hiatus. During this time, after Father's Day, Matt11 transfers his padded pony fic "Foal For A Day" to me, and after publishing a new first chapter, I put the fic on hiatus until I complete my Spidermare fic, doing so by the end of June. I also start to become more active on my Deviant Art account.
July:
I pick up a new proofreader for "Foal For A Day" in the form of deadpansnarker (the founder of "Diamond Tiara Gets Reformed Hurray!", and use his services for the rest of the chapters. I then work on what becomes my longest fanfic of the year in the form of "Diamond's Dog Day", but it takes a while to get feedback as my proofreader Smity91 has his account permantely suspended for plagerism and I am forced to get his help on Deviant Art as, even in the wake of evidence he presents supposedly proving his account was sabotaged, it is not reinstated (at the least this case will lead to a re-examination of guidelines for handling charges of plagerism). Still, with Smity on Deviant and deadpan on FimFiction helping me, I am able to get "Diamond's Dog Day" out at the end of July, just in time for the second half of Season 6 to begin with "Stranger Than Fanfiction". I also get out the Magical Mystery Cure chapter of my Stallion Six fic and publish a stand alone fic for it involving the events of "Keep Calm and Flutter On" in that universe.
August:
I publish "Rarity The Wonderbolt" as a sequel to "I'm Sorry", creating a triology of RarityxSoarin ship fics on my site. Meanwhile, on my Deviant Art account, I celebrate Disney month, and put out reviews of more episodes. After publishing "Scootaloo v.s. The Toilet" as a resurrection of "CMC Pottytrainers" and a birthday present to Matt11, I set to work on "A Rarity of A Foalsitter", before I decide to plunge into the unknown and write my first accusation fic in the form of "Derby Dilemma", getting it out shortly before my 22nd birthday and my family's trip down to Tennessee (we visit Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg). Comic reviews come out shortly after I come back, as do episode reviews. Towards the end of the month I hit 450 followers and start work on "Pound and Pumpkin Cake's Adventures (And Misadventures) In Potty Training". My most active month on the site.
September:
After going up north to see my grandparents (including my noticeably ailing grandfather) on Labor Day and issuing a review on "Buckball Season", I go back to EMU for my next semester, while the presidential election in the U.S. boils down to Trump v.s. Hillary and the worst of both sides manifests itself daily. I work on and publish "Pound and Pumpkin Cake's Adventures (And Misadventures) In Potty Training", adding more chapters throughout much of the month. At this time I also inherit a padded pony fic in the form of "Fluttershy's New Foal", as well as publish a collab with yodajax10 in the form of "The Princess and The Dragon", which has the hobor of becoming the first fic I also publish on my Fanfiction.net account that starts up shortly afterward. But the end of the month brings tragedy to my family, as my faternal grandfather passes away at the age of 80 while my faternal grandmother is in the hospital. Thankfully, she recovers and takes the news as best as she can.
October:
As the season begins to wind down, I continue to work a little on "Pound and Pumpkin Cake's Adventures (And Misadventures) In Potty Training", and review "Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree". I also get out two more fanfics "Scootaloo's Foalsitting Woes" (my last new padded fic for the year) and "Birthday Built For Two" (a CheesePie ship fic). I do not watch any of the leaked episodes from TinyPop in the U.K., and mostly just do what I've been doing since September. On Halloween, with Matt11 serving as my proofreader, I take "Fluttershy's New Foal" off hiatus with a new chapter (I leave the first four chapters intact) and it becomes my second fanfic (and first padded one) to hit the feature box.
November:
"Pound and Pumpkin Cake's Adventures (And Misadventures) In Potty Training" wraps up shortly before the U.S. presidential election in which Donald Trump wins and the nastiness once again rears its ugly head on both sides. Despite this, I maintain a presence on the site as I wrap up "Fluttershy's New Foal" and publish the Prince Shining Armor chapters of my Stallion Six fic, and on my Deviant Art account (which celebrates Pokemon Month to commerate the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon for the 3DS) and FanFiction.net account. I mostly fill the gap on FimFiction with rankings and top ten lists.
December:
I work on and publish my final fic of the year for this account "The Diamond and The Apple" rounding out a triology of fics centered on Diamond Tiara and the CMC published this year. Then I conclude my pony writing endevors with the "Castle Mane-ia" chapter of my Stallion Six fic. I also push out two non pony fics on my Fanfiction.net account, a LPS fic called "Remembering Betty" and a Digimon fic called "Courage or Friendship". Comic reviews come out after Christmas, as I mostly occupy myself with Pokemon Sun. The year concludes with the year of death taking away Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds a day apart from each other, and then in the twilight hours of 2016 it claims William Christopher. I end the year with 63 stories published, 413 blog posts, and 497 followers.
Well done. Glad you feel accomplished. Me personally these past few months were really stressful. And I didnt write as much as I wanted to. So this year im making a comitement to update more often. Thanks again for being a great proofreader.
4364726 You're welcome, and just write whenever time and inspiration allows.