Book Review: The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean

The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean: the ancient world economy & the kingdoms of Africa, Arabia, & India, by Raoul McLaughlin. 4.5 out of 5 stars. There are some bits that are repeated between chapters on different kingdoms

Thanksgiving After-Action Report

Well, nothing caught fire,

Worldbuilding: To Call the Lightning

Given the chance, lightning will strike twice. Electricity follows the path of least resistance

To Be Thankful and Free

This evening, Roommate and I are having our Thanksgiving spaghetti.

Right. This requires a bit of explanation.

Worldbuilding: Rapid Transport and Ecology

Contrary to what you may have heard in kindergarten, it’s not always easy, safe, or even possible to put things back where you found them. Just ask the anoles that keep joyriding on my car.

Worldbuilding: Making Druids Practical

A while back I ran across someone’s claim that just about every edible plant on the face of the planet that could be eaten, has been eaten. That over the course of human history we’ve nibbled,

Worldbuilding: Politics and Reincarnation

People do politics. It’s human nature, unfortunately. Get three people into the same room, sooner or later two of them

Worldbuilding: In a Grain of Sand

Sometimes it’s the very little things that count.

Ask most people what they think of when they hear the word sand,

Writing Fanfic: Headcanon

Here’s a slippery little beastie; neither official canon nor a fandom semi-consensus of fanon. Headcanon is a writer’s own personal explanation

Worldbuilding: Fire Magic

This is going to lean heavily on the Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism, the Sliding Scale of Silliness vs. Seriousness, and probably a few others lurking in the shadows. There are two undeniable things about the control of fire by human technology and will.