It may just be my impression, but usually when a story is set in a dystopian setting, the dystopia is played straight. However, when the characters encounter or start off in a utopian setting, they almost always will end up realizing that the utopia is actually a mirage, and in ...

On Utopias
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, April 26, 2025Quackcast 734 - When love turns to hate
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, April 8, 2025 LISTEN on our player!
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When love turns to hate… It's a common trope in fiction: partners split up and their once loving relationship turns to one of bitter acrimony! We see hate turning to love frequently too, that ...
When Life's Too Crazy for Fiction
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, March 29, 2025
I generally avoid using current events in my articles about webcomics, but this time I can't help it. Signalgate has been living rent free in my mind ever since the editor in chief of the Atlantic broke the story.
There are many reasons for that, most of them not ...
Resentment
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, March 15, 2025
In designing a good villain character there's a wide range of paths one can follow. From the grandiose villains that want to take over the world and live in volcano islands, waiting for the hero to fall into their elaborate death trap to humanized villains with complex backstories that ...
Art Lab at the Hammer Museum
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Feb. 24, 2025
Photo: “More Than A Psychological Test”. Ink on White Paper, found objects, rubber roller, ink blotter. Created by kawaiidaigakusei. Westwood, Los Angeles, California. (February 2025)
Last Saturday afternoon was spent at an Art Lab in a museum in Los Angeles, California, that was open to participants of all ages.
The ...
Quackcast 725 - Your fave comics as a kid
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Feb. 4, 2025 LISTEN on our player!
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We're chatting about the comics you liked as a little kiddo this week! The topic was inspired by a thread in the DD forums. This is always a fun topic and I always have to mention ...
Quackcast 717 - Stories out of order!
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Dec. 10, 2024 LISTEN on our player!
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Non-linear stories are a different way of telling a tale. There are many famous examples (Pulp fiction, Mulholland Drive etc), where the sequence of events isn't in strict chronological order. This style has gained a false ...
Infatuation
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 30, 2024
How do you make a clever character stupid?
You give them an infatuation. A fixation. Something that completely overrides their critical thinking and better judgment. Something that drives them nuts like a switch is thrown.
And when that happens, they're dumber than a bag of rocks. (And they're ...
Quackcast 715 - Apocalypse
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Nov. 26, 2024 LISTEN on our player!
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This is the third in our weapons trilogy and it's about what happens AFTER the ultimate weapons have done their work: Apocalypse! The end of all things… This term comes from the bible, with the Book ...
Quackcast 714 - Future Weapons
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Nov. 19, 2024 LISTEN on our player!
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Last week we had an overview of weapons throughout history and how it's a constant game of balance and oneupmanship. Now we're looking at future weapons and Scifi stuff! There's a lot of potential ...