6-Star Reviews Part 50: Out in the Cold

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Jesus Christ, fifty reviews?  When I started this back in October, I had no idea I'd still be at it nearly six months later.  I also had no idea that there were a significant number of folks who'd be interested in following my journey through the fandom's highest-rated stories.  I don't know how many regular visitors I actually have, but the site averages more than 2000 page views per week now.  Not exactly Equestria Daily numbers, but pretty darn good for a pony fanfiction review site, IMO.

So thank you, dear readers.  Thanks for inflating my ego with your praise and attention, thanks for keeping that ego in check and helping me improve with your criticism and corrections (and for presenting both so politely and, dare I say, professionally), and thanks for directing your friends and fellow readers to this site.  You guys are awesome.

Now, on to a hundred!  Below the break, my half-centennial review of EsperDerek's Out in the Cold.

6-Star Reviews Part 49: Shaman

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Zecora time!  Honestly, I didn't like her character all that much when she was introduced; speaking in couplets is just too gimmicky for me.  But that's neither here nor there.  What's here is this bit you're just now reading, and what's there is the review proper.  After the break, TheMechanic's Shaman.

Thoughts on Thesauruses

I've noticed a trend in fanfiction lately that has me concerned, and as the title of this post suggests, it has to do with the use of thesauruses.  That said, my problem probably isn't what you think it is--as usual, I appear to be of the minority opinion on this issue.  To find out what has me cheesed, look below the break.

6-Star Reviews Part 48: Celestia's Teeth

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I didn't think Saturday's episode, Dragon Quest, was all that bad on the whole.  Some of it was contrived and overly ridiculous of course, but there were plenty of redeeming moments.  But I was really bothered by the way the moral was presented at the end.  If it had been something like "you don't need to pretend to be something you aren't just to fit in," I'd have been fine with it.  But the lesson Spike learned seemed to be more along the lines of "being a dragon is a bad thing, and you should be happy to be an honorary pony."  I know I'm over-analyzing to a ridiculous degree, but that sounds to me way too much like the exhortations once foisted upon African-Americans to "act less black" on the grounds that all aspects of white American culture were superior and that speaking, walking, or praying "like a black" was less than acceptable.  The fact that there were (and are) plenty of examples of violence and inhumanity in African-American culture doesn't excuse this line of thinking, which paints an entire race and racial identity with the same sweeping brushstroke, and to me the fact that Spike hooked up with a half-dozen jerks doesn't excuse him or the ponies for deciding that "acting like a dragon" invariably means being a violent, abusive monster.

Or maybe it just says something about me that that's the first place my mind went.  In any case, my review of Celestia's Teeth by Abalidoth, after the break.

6-Star Reviews Part 47: Thunder and Lightning

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And we're back on schedule.  For now, at least.  I suspect most of you don't much care if I get a little lax with my updates, but I know myself too well to be complacent--if I don't have a deadline, even just a self-imposed one, then I don't get anything done.  The M-W-F posting schedule isn't just for reader convenience (though that's a factor); it's because if posts were made "whenever I feel like it" then this blog would die within a couple of weeks.

My review of Avery Strange's Thunder and Lightning, after the break.

Slight delay...

Okay, here's the deal: this past week has been kicking my butt, and I'm just now getting home.  I haven't had time to even start reading for my next review, and rather than try to skim through it and rush out a half-assed post, I'm going to postpone my review by an estimated 12-18 hours from its usual post time, depending on how heavy tomorrow turns out to be.  As long as I still get it out on Friday it counts, right?

Sorry for the delay, hopefully I'll be able to get slightly less behind on my everything over the weekend.