No Superpowers, Just Ordinary Humans For Horror, Tragedy and Carnage

Engaged To The Unidentified and Mysterious Girlfriend X played with the tropes before the tropes were set.

Death by Bite? Rather, call it ‘Death by Typewriter’!

October writing prompts for maximum spookiness

The Ugly Monster is sick of AI slop

Are tropes becoming overused in the fantasy genre?

Because readers are always going to ask them

Exploring the cyberpunk subgenre typified by The Terminator, The Matrix, and Neon Genesis Evangelion

Monster romance has evolved past vampires, werewolves, and fae

Horror is art

Could a tie-in game become the new gateway TTRPG? I sure hope so.

Exploring belief, and disbelief, in folklore and superstitions can be a powerful way to worldbuild.

September 2026 recommendations, resources, and rants for fantasy and sci-fi writers.

How the story of the Dark Knight’s world defies all superhero tropes to create a modern legend

If it loves us, it won’t kill us.

A comic about the unhinged nature of TTRPGs

There has been a recent trend of creating all-powerful characters who border on being Mary Sues and Gary Stus. What’s the antidote?

October writing prompts for maximum spookiness

A perfect mix of classic game look and feel with modern innovation that wants to challenge you

“Hobbits really are amazing creatures, as I have said before. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet…

Why does our society link evil and betrayal?

Cobbled streets, historic schools, shadowed studies, and secretive scholars.

Three authors that couldn’t understand why their readers loved their characters.

How a paranormal romance introduced a terrifying villain without falling face first into the conventional horror genre

The Golden Age of Piracy has gone into full bloom...

Stories of chivalrous women in armor for those who couldn’t get enough of Chappell Roan of Arc

Looking at the lasting impact of John Buchan and Robert Howard’s use of early hominids in fantasy stories.

Fourth Wing insists that dragons are an independent people, but what’s shown is a very different — and unequal — relationship.

On science that whispers, strange objects, and worlds that reveal themselves slowly.

Let’s make a deal: write more warlock stories.

Why does one of the most influential RPGs of this decade suffer from such a drastic tonal shift?

Unsurprisingly, it’s a lot, but just what he invented may surprise you.

Two very different takes on how to write a teenage superhero

10 Fascinating-as-Hell Roleplaying Game Covers

Happy Midterm Elections!