Fandom Classics Part 11: The Archer and the Smith

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I don't really have any opinion about the upcoming fifth edition of D&D; as a DM, I'm still perfectly happy with the original AD&D books, and as a player, I figure it doesn't really matter what the system used is.  A good DM's gonna make it his or her own no matter what, right?

I will say, though, that I've got a bit of a twitch after hearing that Kender will be an available race in 5e.  They were one of the worst things to happen in 2e; why on earth would you bring back a race composed entirely of kleptomaniac halflings whom you're somehow not supposed to get mad at when they steal your stuff?

Below the break, my review of Sharaloth's The Archer and the Smith.

Mini-Reviews Round 17

Some of you might not know this, but I like to read fanfiction every now and then.  I know, I know, shocking.  Sometimes, I even read fanfics which aren't on my "to be reviewed" list, and (being me) I have opinions about them, too.  Here are a few recent (or recent-ish) fics I've come across, along with a few brief thoughts of mine about them.  Check them out below the break!

Fandom Classics Part 10: The Combinatorics Project

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I feel that, to the greatest extent possible, children should be encouraged to read.  I feel that this applies even when the content of the books they chose to read would be considered excessively graphic, violent, or sexual for children their age were it present in another medium (video games or movies, for example).  Relatively young children reading, say, Ender's Game or Lord of the Flies doesn't bother me at all; on the contrary, it makes me glad to see that they're reading for pleasure, and I hope that experiencing a book with themes that they might not be ready to process helps them to grow as readers and as people.

That said, I was more than slightly disturbed when I saw a 12 year-old toting around 50 Shades of Grey today.

Once you scrub your mind of that image, head down below the break for my review of Ringcaat's The Combinatorics Project.

A Corned Beef Dinner Isn't Easy To Share Over the Internet, or I'd Give You All a Slice

I just got back into town after a weekend with the family, and don't have anything post-worthy to, um, post.  Reviews return Wednesday!

Until then, maybe go watch What Does the Fox Say a few more times.  I saw it for the first time Friday, and even past the sheer comic weirdness, I have to give it props for being catchy as all get-out.

Fandom Classics Part 9: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

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I've been having fun--for a particularly OCD definition of "fun," anyway--watching the "fandom classics" tag climb up the category list on the right-hand side of the blog.  It's right behind "episode talk" and "actual books" and gaining fast!

..."6-star reviews" looks like it'll stay in the top spot for a good long while, though.  Anyway, click below the break for my review of Wynneception's Once Bitten, Twice Shy.

For a Change, Let's Talk About Actual Books (Part 10)

I don't know if it still counts as "for a change" if I've done it ten times now, but I thought I'd take a short break to look at the non-pony reading I've been doing lately.  As always, I've grabbed all the books I'm actively reading at this moment, the better to provide a cross-section of my literary preferences, and am offering my thought on them (up through however far into them I am, anyway).  Click down below the break to see what I'm looking at these days, and what my opinion is.

Fandom Classics Part 8: Smoke and Mirrors

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So apparently, "dialog" is now an accepted alternate spelling of "dialogue."  When, exactly, did this happen?  I thought "dialog" was reserved for computer-enabled exchanges ("dialog box" and the like), and that using it to refer to people speaking was right up there with spelling through "thru."  But it seems that my view is now a minority one, even among grammarians.

Doesn't mean I have to like it, though.

Click below the break for my review of TeaPartyCannon's Smoke and Mirrors.

Have Some Pony Stuff to Keep You Busy Over the Weekend

It's been a while since I did a non-fanfic compilation post, hasn't it?  I used to put these up every now and again when I didn't have a review ready to go... not that I don't have a review ready to go!  It's, uh, right over here.  No, you can't see it.  Right now it's sleeping.  Maybe on Monday.

However, I do have a few links for you to peruse as you idle away your weekend (what are weekends for, if not idling?).  Click down below the break for some pony gameage, blogage, and me-age to keep you busy.

Mini-Reviews Round 16

Not every review can be filled brim-full the incisive, piercing clarity which I bring to my longer-form musings on fanfiction (read however much sarcasm into that sentence you see fit).  Sometimes, time, circumstances, and interest dictate a more casual overview.  This is one such time.  Click down below the break for my thoughts on a few stories which I recently read.

Fandom Classics Part 7: "For I Am A Jelly God"

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Whenever someone tells me that they only need five hours of sleep a night, I am consumed with jealousy.  I mean, I need seven just to function--how nice must it be to have two to four extra hours every day?  It may not be a superpower on par with flight or telekinesis, but I'd still take it.

Below the break, my review of Posh's quotation mark-bedecked "For I am a Jelly God."

Fandom Classics Part 6: The Glass Blower

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Welcome to beginning of NFL season!  For the next few months, those of you who are fans can enjoy the return of the game, while those of you who aren't can suffer.  And of course, with the start of the season comes the return of fantasy football, and my yearly donation to people who have a better understanding of the phrase "regression to the mean" than I do.  I also went ahead and signed up for a free Pick the Winners league for ponyfans; I'll let you know if my team, [insert pony pun here], does anything worth mentioning.  Spoiler alert: they won't.

But enough sports-y stuff.  Head on down below the break for my review of Cold in Gardez's The Glass Blower.

Fandom Classics Part 5: Arddun Lleuad

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Sorry for the missed update on Monday, guys.  I spent my weekend getting prepped for the first day of school on Tuesday, and since my task hierarchy places "job" second only to family, ponyfic reviewing got the shaft this time.  If it's any consolation, there's something I've been working on for a while now which is achingly close to completion (read: still probably, like, a month away).  More to look forward to, if you look forward to me doing stuff.  But for now, click down below the break for a smaller installment of my stuff, to wit: my review of Pride's Arddun Lleuad.