What is real, really?
Can we trust our senses that what information they are giving us is objective? There are many thinkers and philosophers that posit we cannot. That as long as the messages get to our brains, it feels real even if it isn't.
If we can't ...
The Struggle for Reality
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 21, 2020Gimme Strength
Banes at 12:00AM, Nov. 19, 2020
Plenty has been said about giving characters flaws - we've talked about it around the site, on the Quackcast and out loud, to ourselves, on the bus and in the park.
Characters gotta have flaws!
But something I've thought about more lately, in the years well after starting my ...
The Highway to Hell
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 14, 2020
Unless they are an old-timey Disney villain or similarly classic cartoon villain, nobody wants to be evil or bad starting off. Nobody's ambition is to be the villain in their own story. (note I say ‘villain’ and not ‘antagonist’)
Everyone is out to be the hero.
So why aren ...
When characters don't follow the plan
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Nov. 13, 2020
I’ve been revisiting a fantasy novel that I had fallen in love with as a teenager, The Axis Trilogy. As I was reading it I remembered what the author had said about the character Faraday and her intentions for her fate. She commented in an interview, “She was never ...
Uncompressed Storytelling
Banes at 12:00AM, Nov. 5, 2020
stretchin' out them stories!
I think I first heard the phrase “uncompressed storytelling” via the great John Byrne, comic artist and writer, and man of very strong opinions. He was criticizing some other writer or comic series (I don't remember which one) about hinting at stories that wouldn't ...
Monty Oum - "Keep moving forward"
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Oct. 23, 2020
Recently I have been procrastinating on publishing a video. I have all the elements in there, it just needs the final touches, but when I look over it, I keep thinking, “Is this good enough?” “Will this be enough?” “Am I a fraud?” These questions plague me as I create ...
Musing with music
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Oct. 16, 2020
When sitting down to write or sketch out a comic episode I reach for my 300+ song playlist, sit back and let the music take over my imagination. Whether it was through friends, Spotify or other online recommendations, I have a playlist set aside for each creative project I am ...
You
Banes at 12:00AM, Sept. 24, 2020
They talk about ‘writing what you know’ and we've talked about it around here, too.
Does that mean the characters you write and draw have to match all the surface details of your identity, sharing your gender, race, and hobbies?
Of course not.
The characters and stories you create ...
I Hope John Connor Already Exists in 2020
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Sept. 21, 2020
Seven months into this new reality and coming to terms with this idea that the world is becoming more digital is a lot to wrap my mind around. Just last week when I reported (in-person) at my job, I overheard a conversation about a person who had shown up to ...