From Pokemon to Disney princesses, magical pets are common throughout fantasy fiction. Some are mere companions, others ferocious guardians. But...
You only WISH your pet store carried these!
read more
J.S. Morin
The Best Half-Movie in Ages
If you are of a certain age and sci-fi prediliction, you’ve likely seen the 1984 oeuvre by David Lynch simply entitled: Dune. It was based on a...
Some topics you just don’t touch
Sometimes an idea comes to you. It’s dark yet compelling from a storytelling perspective. And yet, an integral part of that idea is just too...
It’s like D&D without the D&D
If you’ve never played D&D but always been intrigued by the concept, Lord’s of Waterdeep is a great tabletop board game to get you a taste. Set...
Who needs eyes to see?
Well, science has taken another step into future tech. Essentially since the inception of reading glasses, science has combated blindness and visual...
If the Future Were In YOUR Hands
You have a phone app that tells you what your schedule is for the day, a calendar to tell you what the next few months look like, and the MCU Phase...
Post-Secondary Wizard Education
For those who missed it, The Magicians is a fully completed television series with a satisfying ending (unlike some other fantasy series we could...
A Premise Without a Plot
I have ideas in my scrapheap that aren’t exactly the worst notions in the world. In fact, some of them might turn into something great someday–but...
You Like Weird Games, Right?
Point & click mysteries are a guilty pleasure. They’re cooperative, so my wife and I don’t need to be opponents. They’re not timed, so they’re...
Books don’t exist until you buy them
Before the nitpickers arrive, some books still sit on shelves in dusty, musty, boxy warehouses waiting for shipment to a bookstore or your house....
Worlds We Just Need More Of
Fantasy fans are nothing if not obsessed with worldbuilding. No one makes it through thousands of pages of text without becoming invested in the...
Sick of Superheroes?
By now, most people have probably forgotten about it, but for a brief period in 2017, DC had a superhero comedy starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alan...
Year 9 of my 5-10 Year Plan for Overnight Success
Well, 2021 was a year. Frankly, it was not the year I (or anyone else, safe to say) was expecting, and if I’d bought 2021 at a store, I’d be looking...
Is stubbornness a virtue?
Sometimes an idea is vast and complicated, sometimes it’s not. And often, that’s the problem keeping a concept from getting off the ground. There’s...
Tired of Good Always Winning?
Boss Monster is a game where you are the evil ruler of a stereotypical fantasy dungeon. You preside over a lair composed of cards you play, each...
Real estate without the “Real”
Back in 2019 (in the "Before" time), fed up with losing 5 months of the year to cold weather and snow, my wife and I decided to move cross country...
One Pill, Two Pill, Red Pill, Blue Pill
Well, with the new Matrix movie out (no spoilers at all, perfectly safe to continue), it’s time to revisit the red pill, blue pill debate.I’m going...
Hear the Drums, Fear the Game
If you know Jumanji, you probably get chills just reading that drum beat. For those who don’t, Jumanji is a 1995 comedic adventure movie starring...
Soldiers on Ice
Sometimes ideas come to us at the weirdest times. The middle of the night is all too common. In my house, we refer to a shower as "Brain Rain" for a...
The Only Fun Pandemics
The two classic responses to crises are avoidance and action. If you don’t want to hear any more about rampant diseases and what to do about them,...
In a Few Years, This Will Feel Normal
Once upon a time, there were games you played with rocks on a table. Then carved pieces on a table. Eventually, people developed little cardboard...
Choose Your Own Fantasy Race
After magic, the most defining feature of fantasy fiction is the inclusion of non-human races. While you CAN have a fantasy without them, the...
Cowboy Bebop != Cowboy Bebop
Spoiler alert: Cowboy Bebop (Netflix and original animated versions)OK, so I’ve watched all of Cowboy Bebop, both the original and Netflix versions....
Fun idea, wrong outlet
Time to dust another idea off from the old scrap heap and take a look at why it’s still there. Our latest autopsy subject: Master of the Clouds.What...