RIP LucasArts...

Didn't really see this coming. Then again, after schlock like Force Unleashed II and... *shudders* Kinect Star Wars, I can kind of see why. Not to mention how The Old Republic is fairing. Though I'd consider that more EA's fault than anything. But seriously, why cancel 1313? I was looking forward to that one...

In any case, sad to see LucasArts go. Least Disney is still gonna be using the brand. Too bad that doesn't mean much.

Still, this won't affect any of my current projects. I've seen Across the Stars get less traction than I've expected, so I'd like to hear your issues with it. Just know that it's only the prologue. It's a lot slower than anything else I've written, but rest assured, the plot will pick up after this point. I'm currently working on the next set of chapters for it and Halo: The Apple of Eden. So sit tight guys! More content is coming!

I'd like to hear your feedback on both stories, so feel free to leave a comment or two and tell me what you think!

- Grave

This isn't an April Foals joke, bronies! It's true! Your favorite monument to all your sins is back and better than ever!

As of the time of this blog, you are probably aware of the fact that yes! I have finally come out of hiding and decided to publish a fic. It's called Across the Stars and it's part of an... experiment I've been cooking up since my hiatus.

If you read all the way to the bottom, you might have seen something pertaining to a "Nobleverse." These are going to be fics pertaining to a certain OC of mine, Noble Wing. They don't really have a continuity, but they do feature the same character in a variety of plots and situations. All of these stories are standalone save for a few common threads including side characters, themes, and character motivation. These can range from crossover stories like Across the Stars and another fic I'm getting ready to unveil in a bit or even simple slice of life fics. Also, I've been working with other writers who have expressed interest in so look forward to those. You'll know the tagline when you see it. ;)

Anyway, I hope you all look forward to seeing more of the Nobleverse and other projects I have in the future. Also, feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think with this idea! I'm really excited to hear your thoughts and I can't wait to show you all what I've been cooking for the better part of this year! It's been a long time coming, but now I feel like I'm ready to give this ol' gal a spin again! You can't keep me down forever!

- Grave

Well, it looks like Equestria Girls That OTHER Thing That Shall Not Be Named is slowly starting to become a thing. Everyone start grabbing your pitchforks!

Or if you were sensible like everyone else in the world, you'd wait and see what happens.

Actually, the reactions I'm seeing seem to be rather chill. Mostly. Maybe. Nice to know this isn't TOTAL fan rage. I think we all finally realized that we've had enough drama and decided to just lighten up. A little.

Anyway! We're two weeks after Season 3 wrapped. Lots of stuff happened. Backlash from the Brony Documentary (which I actually kind of liked. I don't know what you guys are talking about with it being a bad movie. It had its warts, but it tried to paint this fandom in a more positive light than most and I think it worked for the most part). Then Hasbro went on this Cease and Desist spree and ended up canceling Fighting is Magic. Now there's this developing... disaster about Unicon. Not to mention Alicorn Twilight REDACTED!

I think this was less of a Season and more of a learning experience. The Brony community has definitely seen some growing pains over the course of this season, Twilicorn and Equestria Girls notwithstanding. I still believe this is Hasbro trying to figure out just what the hay we're all about and how they can make us a target demographic. Granted, these decisions are not the best ways to go about it, but at least they're trying. Shouldn't we give them credit for that?

As for the Season itself, I'd say it was okay. It wasn't as good as Season 2, but I enjoyed it. Sleepless in Ponyville was probably my favorite episode. The finale, despite the controversy, was still enjoyable. My only complaint about it was that it was just so short. I think the writers had a difficult time trying to fit all of their ideas down into just 13 episodes. If this season was the standard 26, I think it would have been better.

Overall, I liked Season 3. It wasn't extraordinary, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. With the Finale being as it was, I'm interested in seeing what they do with it. I remember a friend telling me that this was the end of the "First Act" of FiM. I think that makes sense. This was the end of Twilight's phase in her studies and now she's moving on to the next step. While I can't say what the writers have in mind for it, they do have my attention.

Here's to Season 4, Bronies!

- Grave

This. Just... just this.

Bungie, you now have my full attention! Don't let me down!

Also, expect an impression of Season 3 when I have some time to get to it. I... have some interesting things to say about it.

See you starside,

- Grave

No, seriously... now what? Season's over. Can we stop panicking now? Or... start to? Because... now I have no clue where the buck the show is heading... and I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing.

Bronies! Help me out here!

Wow...

Just... just wow? Really, guys?

What ever happened to "wait and see what happens before we all gather together and start bitching"?

Is it REALLY necessary to say that Alicorn Twilight will kill the show when NONE of us have seen any evidence to the fact? Is it desperately needed to say what Equestria Girls even IS before Hasbro even REVEALS what it's supposed to be? Must we REALLY call Hasbro the devil for all the Cease and Desist shit they've pulled?

Yeah, I'll admit, canceling Fighting is Magic was a dick move. As was Derpygate before it. But let me pose a question...

Do you think we're going too fast for Hasbro to keep up?

I mean, think about it. Over the past two years since this fandom was created, we've had fan sites, memes, games, fan art, fan fiction, PMV's, music, remixes, fan comics, and conventions-- oh CELESTIA, the CONVENTIONS! All of which were created by the fans and not the creators themselves.

My point is, we've grown so big so quickly, Hasbro didn't see us coming. The corporate entity is "retaliating" because... they really have no idea what the hell to do with us. We weren't the target audience for FiM initially. We were FAR from that target audience. We literally came out of NOWHERE! Yet the show grasped onto so many of us so quickly-- perhaps TOO quickly.

Now, I'm not justifying or supporting the recent decisions Hasbro has made. In fact, I consider their choices to be completely baffling and questionable (not just MLP-related, but in their other brands as well). Instead, I'm looking at the complete and total knee-jerk reactions from the fans. I just can't believe the same bronies who I believed were calm and cool and collected members of the fandom just... go off in these... nonsensical rants that claim they have real backing support but... they really don't. I mean... would you REALLY believe a so-called "leaked" picture or quote from someone if it came from "an anonymous source that claims to work at Hasbro/DHX/The Hub" or... something just as ambiguous? No, if you waited and THOUGHT for a minute, you'd probably take this information with a tiny grain of salt (or, depending on the rumor, MOUNDS of it, to turn a Yahtzee-ian phrase).

But back to my original point. Do you honestly believe that Hasbro has made these decisions-- the Cease and Desist claims, making Twilight an Alicorn, censoring/removing Derpy-- do you REALLY believe they would be out to get us for no reason? Do they POSSIBLY see us as a threat to their brand? Or are they doing these things to take what we're doing-- the fan games, the websites, and the conventions-- and do them RIGHT by making them OFFICIAL... in a desperate attempt to try and make US a target demographic?

Think about it. Thank you for your time.

- Grave

Okay... I'll keep it brief. Just... please, for the love of all that is good, can we please take a step back and see how this all turns out BEFORE we all get our panties in a bunch?

Seriously, this Alicorn Twilight shit is worse than Derpygate...

Hey guys! Sorry I've been away. A... lot of stuff has happened. Stuff I don't wish to... particularly discuss. It's sort of hampered my ability to write and I just... decided to take some time away. Focus on other things. This means a lot of my current projects, especially No Mare's Land, are either on indefinite hiatus or officially canceled. However, I do have more ideas for fics and stories (one in particular, I'm very excited about), but I am debating if these should be shown to the public in their current states.

What this means is that I'm not officially dead. Not yet anyway. I still have one more Final Exam left to do as of this post and due to... certain events, it'll probably be a while before I even work up the courage to write again. I have been playing Halo 4 a lot, though. I have the Limited Edition and I may do a review blog of it.

Anyway, sorry to scare you guys. But rest assured, I'm not dead. I just... need some rest is all.

Wake me when you need me.

- Grave

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you all know that a new teaser is in the pipeline as we speak! Also, I just gave the first teaser a massive overhaul for a little experiment I've been meaning to do. Along with some grammar and other minor tweaks, the first teaser now has an embedded image and a little in-text link to a sound clip for audio immersion at the end. It's only an experiment, but please tell me what you think about it! I'm really excited to make NML stand out from the rest of the pack on this!

Also, as I said before, a new teaser is currently in the works. After getting my mojo back, I popped out a quick rough draft for a new teaser Monday. With my workload now clear for a bit, I feel the time is right to get that underway. This will be the final teaser before work can begin on the story, so this is going to be special! Expect that by the weekend!

Bare with me, guys! It's been a rough road for me, but at least it's getting worked on again!

Take care,

- Grave

"Why do we fall sir? So we might learn to pick ourselves up." - Alfred Pennyworth, Batman Begins

Hey guys! Long time no see! I'm sorry I've been away for a while. College has been brutal on me mentally and it's forced me away from my writing much more than I anticipated. No worries, though! The first issue of No Mare's Land is making great progress! I've begun picking up where I left off on the first draft of Issue 1! Hopefully, I can get it out to you all as soon as possible! I have ideas on places I can take this and those places are shaping up to be something special! I sense another masterpiece coming on!

In related news, I have been talking to a good friend of mine to possibly bring his expertise on board for this project. It is something I have been wanting to do ever since I came up with making No Mare's Land a miniseries and I think it is something that will really add to the immersion readers get when they read them. When I began writing No Mare's Land, I saw and approached it as a comic book. This is no surprise, given the over 80 years of comic book history the Batman lore has built, but-- and this is me being me-- I always believed in going the extra mile in my work. This is why I'm proud to announce for the first time, every issue of No Mare's Land will not only be standalone stories, but every installment will have it's own unique comic book cover provided by a good man by name of Skift!

Not only that, but I am pleased to give to you the cover of Issue #1 of No Mare's Land!

You can view the artist's DA page here. Check him out! He has some great recolors and vectors!

As you can see, this is exactly what I had in my mind when I set out to make this crossover. When Skift sent me the finished product, I was beyond overjoyed. You ever had that moment when you saw a creative vision you've spent what seems like forever trying to make a reality. That's what I saw and it's actually what renewed my interest in picking this project up again. I've also been helping out another friend with a very interesting take on the Justice League. So you could say that helped as well.

Anyway, long story short, I'm back and better than ever! I feel like Superman after a nice long soak in the sun's rays! Like I can take on the entire world!

Better look out. Bronies! I'm back!

- Grave