This is where anybody with an opinion can post what they think of stories in the submissions folder. Here, our aim is to take a global look at whether the story is worth our time to read or not. This may differ from other types of reviews: here the goal isn't to find flaws in a story and how to fix them for the author's benefit, it's to assess whether the story meets a certain standard or not for the reader's benefit. We find flaws and positive points in order to back up our decision.

You don't have to be an admin or contributor to provide your opinion: in fact this thread will also serve as a trial session for choosing future admins who's job will be to move stories in the folders free from my watchful eye.

But if you already know you want more people to review stories and work on their own, why do you need this trial session thing?

Well, first off, we're in no hurry. There's only fifty-three people in the group, so why panic? Second, I grew up without friends so trust doesn't come easily to me. Forgive me for my paranoia.

I forgive you, HazardPony!

Aw, thank you.

So, here we go: judge stories on writing quality: grammar, pacing, formatting... if a story becomes a pain to read, we're not going to want it here.

Second: judge on originality, and how much this story stands out from others. I've read enough AppleDash to know that I'm not really beefed about reading another story where the pair are coming to terms with being fillyfoolers, or a HiE which ticks all the boxes for 'most tropes used' all at once. I don't need stories to be unlike anything I've ever seen, but it should at least set itself apart from other stories in some regard.

NOTE: this is a bit subjective, obviously. Just use your best judgement, and if anything goes wonky, I'll step in and explain exactly why I'm right.

Judge on how fun the story is, for whatever reason: okay, so this one is also subjective, so just use your judgement.

I should hope this goes without saying, but since this is the internet: don't insult any authors. Don't hold back, but... you know the drill.

And that's it. I will take any and all reviews you guys do into account, and when possible quote them in my final decision thread.

No go ahead and have some fun! If you can be bothered, please introduce yourself, too: tell us what's your favorite type of cake, why you dislike caterpillars, or throw us an incredibly awesome AMV you think describes your soul or something. All the things: I like knowing who reviews me, and I'm sure our authors will too.

4054365 Thank you for your honesty. We'll work on improving how things flow. My co-author and I do have a sequel planned, and your criticism will no doubt help to improve how that turns out, as well how the rest of Knights goes.

4054365 I wish to double the thanks for the review, and your blunt honesty with it. I am glad to know you enjoyed it despite the issues you pointed out. Such issues will be addressed in future chapters.

On a personal note, the original character that was mentioned was mine, and your description of him as is, is spot on. He does serve a purpose in the plot so he will eventually see more characterization to where he will fit in with the story as naturally as the others. But I understand that he appears as flat and uninteresting as of now, a correction that will be addressed.

Again, thank you for the review!

4054927 I don't even know what Madoka Magika is. The good news is that I'm never traumatized enough, so this'll be fun. Crossovers are my favourite (he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm)

4054285 Hi there. Just warning you that if you decide to keep on reviewing, I may not be able to do anything with the stuff immediately for a few days: I'm afraid things are looking really busy for this week.

That said, you did a very good job on the last one you did, and whether you want to do this regularly or not, I've been very glad for your help.

4062617 But beer = motivation, doesn't it?

Either way, cheers for your help so far. I have no idea how you read 80K words in one afternoon, but it's a skill I wish I had for exam period. Use it wisely.