Worldbuilding
Recently, I wrote an article on ways to explain the urban fantasy masquerade. As soon as it was published, I realized my mistake. In my excitement to offer what solutions I could, I’d forgotten to tear down all the stories you like. *cough* I mean, … read more »
Roleplaying
Druids have always been a perplexingly balanced class. There are currently five subclasses available to players. However, Circle of the Moon is so much stronger than its competitors that it feels like an actively bad choice to pick any other option. Wizards has now introduced … read more »
Comics: Once Upon a Trope
Warp drive enables ships to move at the speed of plot. Read more »
Q&A
I recently noticed that there are hardly any stories about mothers in speculative fiction. Moms in stories are likely to be dead or die, and if they’re around, they usually fill a vaguely supportive and inconvenient role. This strikes me as unfair, as moms are … read more »
Podcast
There’s a possibility that you just might have heard about this latest entry into the Star Wars media family. It’s got the cutest baby alien around, and Disney is pretty sure you’ll subscribe to their streaming service just to watch it. Which, to be fair, … read more »
Analysis
The latest Star Wars trilogy is what happens when two directors get in a slap fight and the production company does nothing to stop them. Left with nowhere to take the last movie, J.J. Abrams strung together a plot that’s best described as “let’s make … read more »
Meta
This year we had another social justice post go viral: my Six Rape Tropes and How to Replace Them. Roleplaying articles came back with a vengeance thanks to a new guest blogger, Ari Ashkenazi, and our youngest team member, Bunny, demonstrated she could deliver top-notch … read more »
Story
Haru Rake paced the length of her porch as snow drifted down, covering the corral in a soft white blanket. Ten minutes since the clock struck nine, and her farmhands still hadn’t shown. That wasn’t like them. No help for it, she’d have to seek them out in town. A town that welcomed Haru Rake like it welcomed a typhoid outbreak. Read more »
Q&A
Hello again. I’ve read a lot about how tension and drama should always get more and more intense as the story goes on, but isn’t there a risk to do too much? To induce public apathy by having the readers think the situation is just … read more »
Podcast
Brrrr, it’s cold! That’s bad enough, but what if there were monsters in the cold? That would be way worse, if maybe more fun, and it’s what we’re discussing today. We talk about the coolest ice monsters out there, and then list some snow creatures … read more »
