Confession: the muse has been exhausted (and frankly, the slightest bit demotivated) for a while now, and just trying to force it is not helping. So I'm taking some time off from writing--or rather, thinking about it.

I don't know how long said break will last (months? days?), but I need it just the same. That is all.

Take care, readers.

~BD

(Thank goodness I remembered to post this before you-know-what. :P)

Dear Babs,

Congratulations on becoming our fourth Cutie Mark Crusader! We're super-glad you're with us...

...but a lot of things still happened these past few weeks. Is it okay if we talk about them?

Meet me in my room tonight if you're REALLY interested in 'starting over...'

~'Cousin' Apple Bloom

"Best Wishes"

Sometimes you have to.

---

Sooner

- Double-Sided #4: The Greater Good

- Double-Sided #5/Final: The Promise

- Best Wishes

- Pony Permutation Project #10: Postmortem

- Polaris Chapter 6: Shooting Star Story, Part 1

Later

- Polaris Chapter 7/Final: Shooting Star Story, Part 2

- Fireball! Part 3: Radical Train (Appleloosa & Dodge Junction)

~Bookish

*"Double-Sided" is the Wreck-It Ralph fanfic I've been penning on the side. You're welcome to read it here or here if such a thing interests you.

I hope your pony bodies are ready, folks, because the moment you've been waiting for has arrived!

Witness what transpires when spectacles and shades unite! Vinyl Scratch has entered the building!

Don't keep her waiting.

So yeah. The finale. Wow. That was a thing.

If you're looking for positive reactions, I'm sure they're pretty easy to find. A lot of my friends really enjoyed this episode, and I quite frankly couldn't be happier for them and all in the same boat.

If you're looking for negative reactions, you can probably find them all over the place. This is the Internet. ^^;

My reactions are... scattered, and probably shared by others who have difficulty putting them into words. (I know I did for several hours.) But I am willing to try.

You can find them here. Be warned, it's long. I wish I could write actual stories of this length this quickly. :)

Take care.

~BD

Let's not lie, let's not mince words. It's currently a somewhat trying time to be a Friendship is Magic fan, especially if you've been one since the beginning--and depending on your point of view, these times are not going to be over for at least two weeks.

At the same time, the longer you've been witness to online fandoms--and their relationships with creators--the more you realize the more things change, the more they stay the same. Stay zen. I promise you, there will be a time when all of these things will have been but mere drops in the ocean, forgotten and indistinguishable.

---

As for me, sure, my patience has been tested as well, but there's been one thing keeping me warm and motivated*: you guys.

I've always said, it's not the quantity of Bookish Delight readers, it's the quality. And you good folks have just gone and proven this yet again!

That right there is is a title card done by Jowybean, who's been spreading love all over the show and its production staff with custom episode title cards for a few months now. Meanwhile, the lovely Bjarru went and spent actual money(!) to have him make one up for Blunder and Lightning, a story I did long ago focusing on the nature of Gilda and Rainbow Dash's friendship. I'm still reeling in surprise and happiness, and truly, it made this weekend a whole lot easier to take. Thanks so much, you two!

---

In other, mildly related news, I've been taking the Littlest Pet Shop cartoon out for a spin. Thoughts will be posted once I've caught up to current episodes. So far my reaction is largely positive, but with some heavy caveats. So, see you when that happens!

Hang in there, everypony,

~Bookish

*Well, okay, two things. The other is the release of a brand new Platinum game in under two weeks.

Seriously, look at the bloody thing. (Or please don't, if you're not a long-since-of-age dusty crustacean like I am. :D) SO EXCITED.

Hey, folks! Round-robining stories is dizzying work! It'll be a while before the next Unison is finished, but not all that long.

While you're waiting, though, pop on over here!

Trying to finish off all my old stuff here in Season 3 has resulted in a idea and outline backlog like you would not believe. I'm swimming in story concepts and the ones listed beyond that link are the ones currently taking real shape. So feel free to toss me some input on what to give priority once my next Season rolls around!

Until next time, ponies!

~Bookish

"Math is everywhere in nature--my pop taught me that. And that's got to include magic. If we can better understand our magic and how it works, if we can find the math in it, then break it down into different pieces to put back together however we want... who knows what we can do after that?"

Journey back to the School For Gifted Unicorns, and the blossoming of a musically-minded friendship with hints of math and magic sprinkled throughout! Unison returns in a filling third chapter... and for the keenest of readers, this is where the explanations begin.

Enjoy!

~Bookish

Sooner

- Unison: Spectacles and Shades Chapter 3: Five Weeks

- Double-Sided #4: The Greater Good*

- Unison: Spectacles and Shades Chapter 4: Fresh Perspectives

- Double-Sided #5/Final: The Promise*

- Pony Permutation Project #10: Postmortem

Later

- Polaris Chapter 6: Shooting Star Story, Part 1

- Polaris Chapter 7/Final: Shooting Star Story, Part 2

- Fireball! Part 3: Radical Train (Appleloosa & Dodge Junction)

I told you guys--I've been working. :) Broadcasts resume in under two weeks!

~Bookish

*"Double-Sided" is the Wreck-It Ralph fanfic I've been penning on the side. You're welcome to read it here or here if such a thing interests you.

Hi, folks! Welcome to 2013! Yeah, they lied to us. But on the plus side, the world not ending means we'll still eventually get to play Bayonetta 2 after all, right? I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season.

So those of you who follow me know I tend to average at least one new story/chapter every month. December was no exception--in fact, I actually went a bit overboard! But it wasn't anything I could submit here. Which is just as well--when I saw the site overhaul, I figured I should just wait until the dust settled.

But if you're curious as to what I HAVE been doing:

1) First, I've started teaching myself very slowly how to draw from square one. A month of practice has yielded this, which isn't terrible but is very much a novice effort any way you slice it. Still, I'm happy I could get this far. I will soon be headed to the Training Grounds, as well as pulling off those old dusty traditional art tutorial books from my shelves (I've tried this many times before. This is just the first time I've succeeded. Behold the power of pony and friendship!). So once I get up the skills I'll be able to visualize some of the stories here, as well as work on new ideas! Think of it as a long-term time investment.

2) Secondly, I took a very short retreat from writing pony because a) I've been writing it for three years straight without a break and b) I saw a movie which spoke directly to my heart. So you can go here or here to check out some Wreck-It Ralph sweetness. Because really, anyone who got an eyeful of Sugar Rush knows it's Equestria's distant cousin anyway. There are 2 more chapters I have yet to release, but this is a fluffy set of  shorts so they won't take long to finish.

And that was December! As well as why you didn't see anything here on Fimfiction then. But I'm back in the writer's seat, and hey, you know me--I'm always working on something. (Or playing Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Look, I'm only one pony here. ^_^)

Until next story,

~Bookish

P.S.

3) While you're waiting for me to get my act together here, I'm going to point all of you over to TwilightFlopple's new Princess-centric heart-tugging tale, The Celestial Mechanics in Midsummer. I even helped on it a little bit! Not that she needed it or anything. ^_^

Hello, lovely readers and watchers! I promised an update, so here it is.

I'm working on things. Quickly and feverishly, and have been for quite some time now. I'm doing my best to have them up by Christmas and/or New Year's. Because I'm a cliched sap like that. Also...

(deep breath)

...not all of them are pony. Not all of them are how I usually work. In the space of a month and a half I actually decided to take a short break from writing pony because I'd been kind of writing nothing but it for years now.* In that short span of time, I have also been granted a chance to reach for a lifelong dream--and though I've been burned by dreams in the past (as I think all of us have at least once in our lives), I'm willing to stick my neck out for one more. Nothing ventured, right?

So! Um. Those of you reading this who've enjoyed Disney's latest theatrical effort have something to look forward to. Others of you reading this who might prefer pony in a different manner than what you usually see from me also have something to look forward to (maybe). Those of you reading this on Fimfic, my usual hijinks continue at the stroke of 2013, with highest probability of update going to Unison. I'm putting enough overtime into this derivative stuff as it is!

Anyway that's all the hints you get. The rest is under wrap(ping paper)s. See you during the remainder of the holidays.

~Bookish

P.S.: For any Fireball fans who were curious? Yes, "Wonderbolts Academy" REALLY HELPED.

*(I'd be more worried, but this coincides with Fimfiction's big shakeup already, so it probably just makes more sense to wait until the dust settles so I don't have upload troubles or anything. :pinkiehappy