Originally published on BabyCenter.com September 27, 2013
I don’t need to produce a list of mass shootings that have occurred in America over the past few years – they’ve been reported on plenty. Another one occurred in my home town this week, in which a road rage incident wound up with somebody getting shot six times.
Continue reading “Talking to Your Kids about Guns”
“Little Keeley, you weren’t there when Adlin cast me out. She said I couldn’t be trusted, that I had proven to be a threat to all other dragons. I would have shown her how much of a threat I really was if that big oaf Azal hadn’t been right there to protect her. They sent me above ground where the dragon hunters dwell. They took my treasures away and collapsed my lair.” Grimjaw’s voice raised to a roar that shook the caverns. “And the moment they did that, their words and their laws stopped meaning anything to me!”
Of all the dragons Sarah met on her original journey to Greystone Valley, Grimjaw was the only one who proved himself a traitor. The house-sized, crocodile-mouthed dragon betrayed the girl and her companions, making a deal with the treacherous warlord Baelan.
Continue reading “Greystone Valley: Grimjaw”
Spoilers for the Baldur’s Gate franchise follow.
Like any video game sequel, Baldur’s Gate 3 makes certain assumptions about what happened in the games that preceded it. This goes a bit beyond just the events of Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, since Baldur’s Gate 3 also follows several novels, adventure modules, and comic books. And while continuity is what you make of it, there are many who want to know what the game considers “canon.”
Now note that “canon” is not the same as “official,” and it’s especially not the same as “right.” What follows is my take on the fictional events which set the stage for Baldur’s Gate 3. It bears no seal of approval from Wizards of the Coast or Larian Games, nor is it a suggestion that someone who plays through the older games is doing something wrong if they veer from the events described here. For example, in 100% of the Throne of Bhaal games I finished, I settled down with Viconia and made her a better person before she got assassinated by worshipers of Lolth. Her appearance in Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t ruin those old play-throughs; it just means that the events in that version of the Forgotten Realms happened slightly differently.
Continue reading “What is “Canon” in Baldur’s Gate 3?”
Originally published on BabyCenter.com September 14, 2013
When I did my introductory video many months ago, I mentioned that my interest in my son would make sure I had an interest in anything he got involved in, even if it was something totally foreign to me. I was thinking more along the lines of him getting into sports instead of my nerdy activities. I didn’t think I was talking about Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
Continue reading “Taking an Interest in my Son’s Activities: Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends”
Originally published on BabyCenter.com August 19, 2013
I’m a man, and I like the color pink.
Were I in elementary school, this might be the cause of quite a bit of ridicule.
Continue reading “Raising a Boy Who Likes Pink”
“I’m sorry,” Sarah said. “I didn’t notice we were being ambushed until it was too late.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Kay responded. “Gremlins can be all but invisible when they want to be. You probably wouldn’t have seen him even if you’d been looking right at him.”
“It wasn’t . . . really an ambush,” Dax groaned sluggishly. “To them, this is all a game. A very cruel game where somebody will probably get killed. And people wonder why I don’t like to think about ‘fun’ in this valley.”
Known as troublemakers and baby-stealers, gremlins have a reputation for cruel tricks and cunning traps. Like fey, they enjoy pranks, but they are much crueler about them. A faerie might have a laugh by turning a person’s nose blue, but a gremlin would find it funnier to cut that person’s nose right off.
Continue reading “Greystone Valley: Gremlins”
In the last storyline, Kyri got a turn in the spotlight with “Death and the Dragon’s Eye.” This time, it’s Onyx’s turn as the lead. Once again, the rest of our intrepid adventurers get cameos or nothing in terms of appearances. I think this was a result of the creative team wanting to do some character-building for what they thought was going to be a longer-running title. However, it could also be a bit of meta-commentary on D&D as a game, since almost everyone has experienced a game night where most of the players couldn’t make it and the DM had to cobble together a hasty side quest.
Continue reading “Comics & Quests: Pillar of Gold”
Originally published on BabyCenter.com August 9, 2013
“More book?” is the boy’s rallying cry at bedtime. He knows it’s hard for us to say “no” to him wanting to read.
Sometimes, we read until he falls asleep. Sometimes we leave him with a book in his crib and let him look at the pictures until he finally shuts his eyes. And sometimes he wakes up screaming at 3:30 in the morning and only a story will calm him down.
It’s on those nights when the whole family is sleep deprived and I don’t want to risk turning on a light that I turn to the stories I know by heart – the simple fairy tales that almost all of us hear at one point or another in our childhoods.
And it’s usually in the middle of reciting these tried and true fairy tales that I realize how badly they need editing.
Continue reading “Editing Fairy Tales for Your Kids”
Greystone Valley is a world where the myths and legends of our world run wild. That means that magic is abundant in this world, with different people wielding different kinds of sorcery. Some people in the valley have even tried studying magic like it’s math or science, gathering together in schools to discuss theories on different spells. These studies tend to be frustrating because magic is an ever-changing art form. While there are many different ways for a person to learn this art in Greystone Valley, these are the three most common forms of magic.
Continue reading “Magic in Greystone Valley”
It’s no secret that I really like Kyriani, especially after her makeover during “The Ostus Legacy.” Once she combined her “good” and “evil” halves, she became confident, charming, and clever. Her flirtatious ways, usually avoided in 1990s fantasy heroines, are something she has no shame over but do not define her character. So I should be very happy that she gets a story arc focused on her, especially since she’s been mostly a side character since “The Ostus Legacy.”
I should be happy…so am I?
Well, let’s dive into “Death and the Dragon’s Eye” to see if Kyri gets the treatment I think she deserves.
Continue reading “Comics & Quests: Death and the Dragon’s Eye”
Babbling Brooks 