Mark Does Stuff Review Round-Up: Week of May 12

Hello, friends! We've got another week of Discworld, Young Wizards, and Star Trek: Voyager that I covered, but there's also a surprise at the end of this. Here's what I did over the past five days:

Mark Reads

Wizards At War, Chapter 8, Part I: In which I try to be prepared for the onslaught.
The Fifth Elephant, Part 17: In which I am destroyed by an antagonist.
Wizards At War, Chapter 8, Part II: In which I can't. Cannot. Is unable to.
The Fifth Elephant, Part 18: In which I am taken out by the biggest reveal ever.
Wizards At War, Chapter 9, Part I: In which I read about a nightmare world.

Mark Watches

Voyager Season 7 Predictions: In which I give my very last batch of Voyager predictions.
Voyager 7x01: In which season 7 starts out with heartbreak and intensity.
Voyager 7x02: In which this show is not okay.
Voyager 7x03: In which the writing for this show is not okay.
Voyager 7x04: In which a cool premise falls apart in the end.

Bonus

Mark Reads Dark Horses: I feel like I should give some context for this. I actually posted it on May 4th, but it deserves highlighting here. Due to a Twitter conversation I had with my friend Wendy, I decided to take some time off from writing to record myself reading a choice selection of this book. It was... very interesting. I didn't know that there was a market for serial killer/controlling horse boyfriends, but hey! You learn something new every day.

Mark Does Stuff is relocating...

...to New York City!

Peace.

A post shared by Mark Oshiro (@markdoesstuff) on Nov 11, 2016 at 11:04am PST

After a failed attempt to move east two years ago, I have a place to stay in NYC, and I'm making it happen! I'll be moving right after WisCon, which is one of the main reasons that I've had to put my Gargoyles reviews on hold. (It is pretty much impossible to pull those off on top of book editing, packing, selling off furniture, flying out to Madison, AND moving across the country). 

This won't affect normal reviews, as I'm scheduling myself to have at least a couple weeks off once I arrive in New York. The only major change is that my P.O. box in Los Angeles will be closed down by May 25 and I will be without snail mail address for a couple months. If you desperately need to send something, please reach out to me by email or through my Contact page. 

I'm thrilled (and, of course, slightly terrified) to be moving to the East Coast. Feel free to use the comments for any NYC advice because I DEFINITELY NEED IT.

I will be attending Readercon 28!

I am pleased to announce another appearance this summer. The lovely folks at Readercon in Boston, MA have invited me to be on programming! My hotel is booked, as is my travel there, so this shall be my first (and hopefully not my last) time attending this convention.

Readercon 28 will be July 13-16, 2017, at the Quincy Marriott, and LOOK AT THOSE GUESTS OF HONOR: Naomi Novik and Nnedi Okorafor!!! I won't know my panel/reading schedule until later, but I thought I'd give y'all a heads up so you can plan accordingly. 

WOO HOO, I'M COMING BACK TO BOSTON.

Mark Does Stuff Review Round-Up: Week of April 28

It'll be a hot minute before Double Features are back regularly, so enjoy this week's set of Gargoyles reviews! You'll know why they've taken a break very shortly, but for now, here are the reviews posted this past week:

Mark Reads

Wizards at War, Chapter 5, Part I: In which Dairine learns more about Roshaun's life.
The Fifth Elephant, Part 12: In which Vimes discovers things.
Wizards at War, Chapter 5, Part II: In which I meet Roshaun's father.
Mark Reads ‘The Fifth Elephant’: Part 13: In which I yell at every Discworld fan ever.
Wizards at War, Chapter 6: In which I yell at every Young Wizards fan ever.

Mark Watches

Voyager 6x17: In which I actually enjoy a Fair Haven episode.
Voyager 6x18: In which this is very weird and very messed up.
Voyager 6x19: In which the last act's twist ruined me.
Voyager 6x20: In which the show tries and... that's about it.
Voyager 6x21: In which I have a lot of fun.

Gargoyles 2x06: In which Broadway teams up with Elisa.
Gargoyles 2x07: In which I can barely believe this happened.
Gargoyles 2x08: In which I take it back because how did THIS happen.
Gargoyles 2x09: In which I lied because how does this show keep escalating.
Gargoyles 2x10: In which I cry for help because this is where I am cliffhanger'd.

Fan Spotlight: Sage

One of the reasons I desperately needed a website like this was to act as a hub for all things pertaining to me. Whenever I wanted to share something cool, I had to do this weird balancing act of finding out where to stick it. Tumblr? Twitter? Both the sites? None of them?

While I've used my Tumblr for posting/re-blogging fan-made stuff, I am now happy that from here on out, I can share with you all the cool things that people have made of the work that I've done. I'd like to start with Sage, who I met at MiniCon recently. While I actually knew more people in Minnesota fandom than many other cities, I was still a bit nervous about being a Guest of Honor at a convention I'd never attended. I had made a few friends at CONvergence last summer, but otherwise, I was aware that I was a bit out of my element in this community. That's okay! I love getting to make new friends! 

I did not expect anyone to show up to my signing on Saturday afternoon because I was such a new face at the con, and because it's hard to have things to sign when all your work is online and your first book isn't even published yet. However, Sage showed up and gifted me with one of the most spectacular drawings I'd ever seen, and I'd like to share it with you:

Image drawn by Sage/Samantha Somers

Not gonna lie: I started crying after I got this. Not only was this likeness stunning, but as Sage started telling me about finding my YouTube readings and deciding to draw a particularly upsetting moment from one of those readings, I felt an immense wave wash over me. I get lost in the act of writing and recording a lot, and I really don't think about the impact I might have on someone else. And here was this incredible person who not only paid to attend a con I was a guest at, but used their remarkable artistic talent to draw me. IT IS SUCH A FLATTERING THING TO EXPERIENCE. Thank you, Sage, for this wonderful gift.

You can find Sage's work on DeviantArt, or you can follow along with the webcomic they draw for, Runner. Runner Comics also has a Patreon you should check out, too!

Mark Does Stuff Review Round-Up: Week of April 14, 2017

Hello again, readers and watchers! This week has provided you with my continued journey through Star Trek: Voyager, The Fifth Elephant, and Wizards at War. In cased you missed it, here's what I reviewed this week: 

Mark Reads

Wizards at War, Chapter 1: In which I learn just how real this book gets in one chapter.
The Fifth Elephant, Part 7: In which I am shocked by an appearance and some violence.
Wizards at War, Chapter 2: In which the stakes are raised and everything escalates.
The Fifth Elephant, Part 8: In which I am truly unready for the final scene. 
Wizards at War, Chapter 3, Part I: In which a character I forgot about provides a solution.

Mark Watches

Voyager 6x08: In which heartbreak looms.
Voyager 6x09: In which I get emotional about conspiracy theories.
Voyager 6x10: In which a Next Generation character re-appears and I cry. Again.
Galaxy Quest: In which I watch the greatest Star Trek movie of all time.
Voyager 6x11: In which I don't actually like this all that much.

That's all for this week! Stay tuned next week for THE RETURN OF MARK WATCHES GARGOYLES!

San Francisco, come watch me celebrate RIVER OF TEETH

I'm very pleased to finally be able to share with you a secret plan I made with my friend Sarah Gailey: I will be making a special appearance at the launch party for her novella, River of Teeth, which will take place at 6pm on May 19th at Borderlands Books in San Francisco! You can find more info about the party and RSVP on the Facebook event page. This is NOT a Mark Does Stuff event; however, I am going to be doing an unspoiled live-reading from River of Teeth. Sarah has forbade me from reading anything of the chapter I'm reading at the event, so you can watch me be unprepared for the hippo-stravaganza that is River of Teeth. This will likely be my only appearance of any sort in the Bay Area this year, so come say hello and support my friend Sarah!

Mark Does Stuff Review Round-up: Week of April 7, 2017

Hello, readers and watchers! One of the reasons I wanted to have this site was to collect information in a central location, both for newcomers and for those of you who bounce in and out of the community. One of the most fascinating things about my fandom is how it fluctuates in waves based on what I'm reviewing. There's certainly a whole lot of you who read and post every day, but I also love the lurkers and the folks who come in for one series and then go about their lives for a while, only to return again. 

Thus, each Friday, I'll put up a post that just links to what reviews were posted this week so you can keep up with what I'm writing! Not a fancy post, but it serves a great purpose. THUS, HERE WE GO.

Mark Reads

The Fifth Elephant, Part 4: In which one of my favorite Discworld characters returns.
Wizard's Holiday, Epilogue: In which I am royally screwed up by a last-minute surprise.
The Fifth Elephant, Part 5: In which Colon is the worst.
Wizards at War Predictions: In which I am not ready.
The Fifth Elephant, Part 6: In which I try to figure out the mystery.

Mark Watches

Voyager 6x03: In which I discuss B'Elanna and biracial narratives.
Voyager 6x04: In which I discuss perspective, the Doctor, and uncriticized misogyny.
Voyager 6x05: In which Voyager tries to do something neat with Tom, but...
Voyager 6x06: In which I marvel at Tim Russ, but desire more.
Voyager 6x07: In which I am bewildered by the many things in this episode.

Patreon

April Commissions: There are 14 videos this month, from the end of Every Heart a Doorway, to the season 2 finale of Killjoys, to the worst cliffhanger in Patreon history thanks to Broadchurch.