Author (But Actually, Though, I Mean It This Time) Update: Rad Stuff I'm In, Radder Stuff I'm Not, and Some (Subjectively) Tubular News · 5:30pm Oct 6th, 2016
Well, this'll certainly be different than last year's version of this blog, I can tell you that much.
Smack that like page-break button for some spooky horsefic goodness, an unbiased appraisal of the first ever FiM "fan analyst" that doesn't suck, and a bit of frankly stellar news if you're into me and what I do. (It can be in that way. I won't judge.)
Horseytime Spookfest: The Fanfictions: The Book
First off (and with apologies for doing this a week and a half later than I said I would), the Pony Print Project has just completed a first-edition print run of Nightmare Nights, a 294-page anthology of the best horror short stories FIMFiction has to offer. Obviously, I use the word "best" here mainly in reference to yours truly's "NIGEB"--whose inclusion in the anthology I'm well and truly honored by--but for $15.53 you also get 24 more fics for your corporeal reading pleasure, including works from Cold in Gardez, Flashgen, Horse Voice, shortskirtsandexplosions... you get it. People who know what they're doing with this whole skeleton-war business.
If you'd like to order a copy, here's the link for where you can do just that. Once I get a paycheck in, I'm definitely planning on snapping up one for myself--and what's that you ask? Aqua's getting paychecks now? Like, from a real live grown-up adult job? You're flim-flam right I am, but that's something to elaborate upon in a bit, right after I share with you good people...
The Best FiM Videos You'll Ever Watch
I'm not traditionally what you'd call a "fan" of "fan analysts". Much as we all harp and harangue on about this bit of irrelevant canon or that lack of appreciable cameos from a recently reformed Little-Miss-Perfect pink pony (lookin' at you, Season 6), I've just never gotten anything out of the Youtube crowd's contributions to that pointendless debate that I couldn't get from blog posts here (for genuine insight) or the EqD comment sections (for Lot's-wife-worthy pillars of salt).
But that, my friends, is no longer the case. And it's solely because of this motherfucker right here:
DWK is--and I say this with total sincerity, pastry-eyed and everything--one of the funniest people this fandom has ever had in it. He came from absolutely nowhere a few months ago to start a series of "Legit (a word which here means "quite literally drunk off his ass" Reviews" for Season 6 episodes, and each and every one of them is, without exception, a national treasure. And lest that declaration not be enough alone to persuade you, I'll also add that (as much as he constantly denies it) the guy's also casually a brilliant critic, particularly with regard to underlying character motivations and playful knocking on the show's innocent inconsistencies. Basically, the dude's awesome, and despite covering every episode in the season thus far only has a little over 2000 YouTube followers to show for it, so go check him out.
(Oh, you're still not convinced? Let me break this shit down for you in the simplest terms possible: DWK is an absolute unabashed Rarifag, and I don't even care. I don't know what else to tell you.)
There's A Schwarzenegger Line For This
But now to the real meat of this post, which I've been hinting at the whole time and will now officially confirm. Long version: since last we met, I've spent a long few months job-seeking and adjusting very slowly to life outside of college (and, y'know, education in general), but as of a couple weeks ago I've finally secured both gainful employment and a rough plan of action for living on my own within the next six months. Within those couple weeks, I've also recommitted to my old writing schedule of an hour of work per day, and while I'm still rough around the edges, I've been consistent enough and productive enough to say with confidence that I'm regaining my writing form--specifically with Celestia's Angels, which I promised wasn't cancelled and am now inching ever closer to finishing an update for. On the emotional front, I feel great and think better, and all things considered, I'm in a really good place again for the first time in years.
Short version: I'm back*, bitches.
*I mean, once I finish this Celestia's Angels chapter, of course, but that shouldn't take too awfully long and the point still stands anyway.
So that's that. Buy that book, watch those reviews, and be ready for more Affably Fucking Crazy AU Starlight Glimmer. It's good to be with y'all again.
Yay for being back.
I'm glad you're in a better headspace.
Yeah, DWK is all kinds of entertaining. Also, good to have you back.
I'm glad you're back.
I'm not glad that I just inevitably lost like two hours of my life to DWK, because I totally had other things to do with my life, but he's hilarious and thank you.
Well, holy shit, it's like we hardly knew ye. :O
I'm stoked to hear that you've found gainful employment and are in a better state of mind. Thanks for not giving up.
It's a true pleasure to hear things are looking up. i'll start haranguing you to work once I'm rightside up again.