For a Change, Let's Talk About Actual Books (Part 12)

If I've done this twelve times, I suppose "for a change" is something of a misnomer, isn't it?  Still, it's been a few months since last time; I suppose that's what counts.  Click down below the break to see what my non-fanfic, for-fun reading time is currently being consumed by.

Fandom Classics Part 38: Who We Are

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

I was going to get some stuff done this weekend: scraping the snow off the roof, prepping for work this week, getting some writing done.  But what did I do instead?  I binged on Alpha House (highly recommended for fans of political comedy, by the way) and had it brutally demonstrated to me once more that I'm terrible at video games, this time courtesy of a friend trying to get me into Magica.

I did find time to read Kits' Who We Are, though.  Check out my review, after the break.

Mini-Reviews Round 30

I've been having a tremendous amount of trouble focusing recently.  I don't know if it's just the seemingly endless poor weather or what, but my mind feels half-fried, and has for the last few days.

That hasn't stopped me from reading some fanfics, or from having opinions about them, though!  Click down below the break to see what I've been up to recently, fanfic-reading-wise.

Who We Are in the Dark

I've been thinking lately about what our stories say about us... and, more broadly, how the way we act and the roles we take within the fandom relates to who we are on a "whole-person" scale.  Click down below the break for some of my thoughts.

Fandom Classics Part 37: Fallout Equestria: Pink Eyes

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

I will be (well, am, as you read this) out of town for the weekend, so as I won't actually have seen this week's episode by the time this post goes up.  So... no comment, I guess.

I have plenty to say about Mimezinga's Fallout Equestria: Pink Eyes, though.  Get it all below the break.

Mini-Reviews Round 29

Short reviews of various stories I've recently read; you all know the drill.  As always, they're a bit less comprehensive than my longer reviews, but hopefully they'll still give you an idea of what you might or mightn't want to read in the world of ponyfic this weekend.  Have at it below the break!

Fandom Classics Part 36: Sepia Tock: Adventures of the Ponyville Clockmaker

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

Right, back in business.  Click below for my review of CanvasWolfDoll's Sepia Tock: Adventures of the Ponyville Clockmaker.

If the Internet Lived In My Backyard, I Could Yell My Reviews Out the Window and This Kind of Thing Wouldn't Even Be an Issue

I've been having internet problems the last couple of days; I've got a new modem this afternoon, and that seems to have solved the problem, but the change came too late to save my most recent review, which I typed up, sent, and then watched disappear into the chasm between my computer and the wider e-world.

(This is why I started writing all my reviews in a .doc file and then importing them when I was done, but of course I got lazy and quit doing that a few weeks ago.  Go me)

Anyway, review Wednesday, and sorry for the delay.  Take advantage of the time to go watch the Olympics; there's a women's curling match on as I type this, and for my money, televised curling is one of the great things about Olympic years.

Fandom Classics Part 35: The Fires of Friendship

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

As much as I love the winter Olympics in principle (well, the hockey, short-track speed skating, curling, and cross country/biathlon, anyway--the rest I'm pretty "meh" on), I'm having trouble getting excited for this year's iteration.  Maybe it's the fact that it'll be nigh-impossible for me to watch most of the things I'm most excited for live (and if you aren't watching your sports live, what's the point?).  Maybe it's that I don't know anybody competing this year; while I've never been good friends with an Olympian, I've always had some sort of minimal personal connection to at least one of the athletes.  Maybe it's the pall cast over the games by the human rights issues which have been so visibly in the news lately.  Whatever the case, I'm hoping that once the events I care about get going, I'll rediscover that spark.

Speaking of sparks (heh), click down below the break for my review of Ponydora Prancypants' The Fires of Friendship.

Reviews for Dinner Sometime Soon, Schmai-Gunug Willing

Although I've read some things I could, theoretically, post about (not the least of them my next scheduled review), I've just gotten back from caucuses and my brain is dead.  I think voting's one of the most fundamental civic duties (if you aren't already registered to vote, it's never too early!), and I'm happy to play my part in a participatory democracy by doing my part to see that the candidates and issues which end up on the ballot are ones I can support... but I'm still bushed.  Off-year elections do that to you.

If you're looking for some reviews to read, go check out The Royal Guard's first fic spotlight.  They've got fifteen fic recommendations covering a variety of genres, so hopefully you can find something there which catches your eye--I know I've added a few to my to-read list, and I'd only read one beforehand.  

In any case, I'll have a normal review come Friday.  Boffo.

Mini-Reviews Round 28

This week's episode, Pinkie Pride, was a real mixed bag to me.  On the one hand, Weird Al did a great job with the part, he was used well, the polka was hilarious and appropriate, and there were a lot of laughs to be had.  On the other, the other songs ranged from "very enjoyable" to "everything that was wrong with the Equestria Girls soundtrack," I thought that the "real-life" clips were a mind-blowingly immersion-breaking addition (it's not even like they were a dream sequence or something), and the grossly unsettling faces which I loath, but which so many fans seem to love, were unusually prevalent today.  All in all I enjoyed the episode, and it had some great moments, but if you made a graph of "Chris's enjoyment x time," it would have some pretty massive spikes and troughs.

Oh, also there was some sort of football game last night.  Anyway, click down below the break for a few thoughts on a few stories which I've recently been reading.