The Best Author in the Fandom

Spoiler alert: title notwithstanding, I'm not going to tell you who I think The Best Author in the Fandom is.

But, if you'd like to know why I won't be answering that particular question, or if you want to know what qualities I'd look for in such an author, you should definitely click down to beneath the page break to read my thoughts on the matter.

Let's Talk About Dark Souls!!!

You may have noticed that my reviews and ramblings aren't, as a rule, peppered with video game references.  This is because I don't play very many video games.  I sometimes think I am the only adult pony fan who isn't also a "hardcore gamer," but it's just not where I typically chose to invest my time.

Anyway, occasional ponyfic author and all-around sentient being Chicken Vortex clearly noticed, and has taken it upon himself to address this glaring oversight, and in so doing help my blog find gamer relevance.  More to the point, he's put together a nice collection of solid writing advice for your perusal, below the break.

6-Star Reviews Part 134: The Moonstone Cup

To read the story, click the image or follow this link

After realizing that 1) I don't get nearly as much exercise as I should in the winter, and 2) it's been months since I rewatched any of the non-S3 episodes of MLP, I decided to combine those two thoughts into one effort: in the evening, I hop on my stationary bike and pedal my way through one episode on the season 1 DVD I got for Christmas.

...It turns out I'm not in nearly as good of shape as I was in September.  Oh well, at least this way I won't have to spend as much time getting back into biking shape once the snow starts melting.  Also, pony is a very different experience when you're watching on an actual television than when you're watching on your computer.  Also also, pony is a very different experience when you watch it while trying to power-pedal.

Below the break, my review of Cyanide's The Moonstone Cup.

For a Change, Let's Talk About Actual Books (Part 6)

For those of you wondering, I actually finished reading Moonstone Cup a couple of days ago.  I've got my notes on it and everything!  But for some reason, I've been having a tremendous amount of trouble focusing lately.  In any case, I'll try to summon up the mental stamina to write up that review in a non-half-hearted manner by Friday, but until then, I thought I'd regale you with something a little less demanding: a list of the books which I'm currently worming my way through, along with a few comments on each and a recommendation based on what I've read.  Click below the break to judge my literary tastes.

Episode Talk: S3E13, Magical Mystery Cure

I had a really great Saturday, guys.  I went to a Scottish heritage festival with a couple of friends (one of whom was getting extra credit for a college class he's taking by going--ah, college), and we had a blast.  Lots of music, period weaponry from a number of different eras, an exhibition on woodworking... it all made for a nice day.

And that evening when I got home, I watched the season 3 finale.  I approached it with trepidation; would it spoil my mood, or would it prove to be the cherry on a sundae of a Saturday?  Click below for a few of my thoughts on the episode.  Because, you know, I'm sure you haven't read a dozen episode recaps already.

Mini-Reviews Round 3

I hope you all had a happy Valentine's Day!  I always love V-Day; I do singing valentines with a quartet, and it's always a blast.  We even got to be part of someone's marriage proposal this year!  Nothing like that to put you in a good mood.

And speaking of things that put everyone in a good mood, here are some short (well, relatively speaking) reviews of the pony fanfics I've read recently that weren't for my 6-star reviews.  Click below to take a gander.

6-Star Reviews Part 133: 4 Conversations About 1 Thing

To read the story, click the image or follow this link

I have to say, I'm really bummed that Pope Benedict is resigning.  Not because it actually impacts me personally in any way (or at least, in any immediately obvious one), but because when he was elected a Catholic friend of mine explained that he was just a placeholder between John-Paul II and whoever was going to come next, and therefor "didn't count."  Now I'll have to stop making fun of him for not having a "real" pope.

Below, my review of Gofindnova's 4 Conversations About 1 Thing.

6-Star Reviews Part 132: Tiny Wings

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I don't have much to say about Games Ponies Play, other than that I was pleasantly surprised by how well the whole "two episodes which take place during the same stretch of time" concept worked out.  The repeated footage was used sparingly enough that it didn't feel like I was getting less than a full episode, and seeing events from a different angle worked nicely in a couple of spots.

Below, my review of DeadParrot222's Tiny Wings.

Bad is Ephemeral; Good is Eternal

A little bit of introspection I'd like to share.  It doesn't really have much to do with ponies, though I do talk about the blog a little bit towards the end, I guess.  And there's some stuff about friendship in there, so it's practically related!  Anyway, click below for a few thought on the title thesis.

6-Star Reviews Part 131: Daring Do and the Ivory Idol

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Okay, here we go!  Lucky baseball hat is on, lucky cat tummy has been rubbed, and the Song of Get This Done has been started (the Song of Get This Done consists of me strumming I, IV, and V7 chords on the ukulele I keep near my desk while singing "Let's get this;" I'm not allowed to resolve it back to a I chord and sing "done" until I finish whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing (you think I'm kidding, but the Song of Get This Done does wonders for my productivity.  In related news, I am five years old)).  There is no way this review is getting botched again!

Below, my newly disaster-proofed review of Fedora's Daring Do and the Ivory Idol.

Grrr...

It's past my bedtime, and I just deleted the review I wrote yesterday while giving it a quick re-read/edit before I set it to post and conked out.

Yeah, it's been one of those weeks.

I'll re-write it tomorrow; it shouldn't take long, since I've already done it once.  Expect to see the post somewhere in the range of 18 hours late--technically still a Wednesday post, which at this point is good enough for me!  Now then, I'm off to bed before I accidentally destroy anything else.

MLP is Changing, and I'm Not Sure I Like Where it's Heading

Rambling time!  Let's start with the two obvious questions: no, this isn't about Twilight's soon-to-be sprouting wings and princesshood (at least, not directly), and no, this isn't my way of announcing that I'm leaving the fandom forever because the show/the fandom ruined everything for me (culminating in a return 7-14 days later, if the example set by other fans is anything to go by).  To find out what I am talking about, hop below the break.

Mini-Reviews Round 2

It's back!  I've got a number of short fanfics that I've read recently, and here are some opinions!

To recap: these are all stories that I self-selected, either based on an EqD posting, another review, a recommendation, or just from seeing it pop up on FIMfic.  Most of them are recently-posted, but there are a few older selections mixed in as well.  And of course, these don't constitute full, in-depth reviews: think of it more as a casual guide to several works which happened to catch this reviewer's eye.  Click below to see what I've picked out for myself, and what I have to say about it!