All fantasy settings in the Twin Spirals Universe started from a piece of Neverwinter Nights fanfiction. Specifically, it was fanfiction for a certain kobold bard who first appeared in Shadows of Undrentide and went on to play a prominent role in Hordes of the Underdark. That is, if you chose to recruit him. You could also not […]
I’m writing something today I’m unsure many of you are going to like. It deals with a topic whose “moral” answer remains so ingrained in our culture that even stating a contrary opinion puts me firmly in the evil sections of the classic DnD alignment chart–but that chart is reductive as hell and appallingly stupid, […]
Exhibit One: Just… just look at it. I’m sorry, that was unduly harsh for those of you who came here looking for my honest opinion. So, look, this is going to get a little heated. I make no apologies for that heat, but I need to express a key distinction: I hate the phrase traditional fantasy. […]
Got your attention with that title? Excellent, because I’m serious. Inspiration is a myth. Not the exhilarating surge an artist feels on seeing a bird burst through a bank of mist in the early morning, ribbons of water-vapor giving it a heartbeat’s sun-speckled veil, nor the solemn determination of a writer staring out at the […]
Let’s fan away the cloying concerns first: I value wariness of purple prose. Within the last half year I acquired and then (after consuming The Wheel of Time) read a high-fantasy novel from Grand Rapids ComicCon. I experienced much what you’d expect from a book bought on a whim at a ComicCon. Among many other issues: purple […]
I’ve been out of commission for a few days due to career concerns, but now I’ve returned with this article about my two favorite (sorry, most despised) combative character archetypes. One is smooth-talking, light on his feet, deft as a stooping hawk and fragile as a stained-glass window. Doesn’t matter, he never gets hit! Sometimes […]
The further I go into writing, the more I become aware of archetypes. You know the drill: some characters are just so awesome (or so easy) that we end up writing them over and over again with minor variations. Even the most nuanced characters have to share some traits with others, and what we’ll see […]
Ashenvein Gate: Stories & Dreams 