One of the most prevalent motifs in fantasy, science fiction/ space operas and similar folklore style genres is that of the Chosen One- the one character (99% the main character/protagonist) that is destined to save the world from the big bad- the evil sorcerer, the overlord, the empire, the ...
The Chosen One’s Origin
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Dec. 2, 2017The Main Character Decoy
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 25, 2017
One reason why the movie Psycho is so iconic is, aside the expert directing and artistic cinematography, the fact that the one we’re led to believe is the main character of the movie gets brutally killed in the shower quite early into the movie.
What did killing her off ...
Talking is Action Too
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 28, 2017
Often in making webcomics, creators may try to have more action than discourse, as it tends to make the comic more visually interesting and give opportunities to avoid ‘talking head’ scenes.
However, I think that sort of conundrum is a potential trap that might prevent creators from truly making use ...
Active vs. Reactive Characters
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 14, 2017
In stories there are always protagonists and antagonists. And sometimes it’s the protagonists that are more interesting while others it’s the antagonists that steal the scene. Very rarely, it is both.
In all the wide versatility and range between characters, what is the common feature of interesting, memorable ...
That Damn Amnesia
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 30, 2017
Amnesia is a very frequently used plot device in narrative works, especially in genres like romance or mystery or melodrama. It’s a perfect way to achieve either of the following (or all):
(a) Draw out a story that should have wrapped up already
(b) Reuse a character’s ‘naïve ...
Quackcast 341 - Objectification and porn
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Sept. 26, 2017 LISTEN!
In this Quackcast we chat about how objectification can rob the humanity from a character and turn them into a meaningless object which can in turn alienate your audience by making your work less relatable, but with things like porn where character is less important than the on screen ...
Character Development and a Captivating Storyline OR Stunning Graphics?
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Sept. 25, 2017
Above: Final Fantasy IX (2000) by Squaresoft. Below: Final Fantasy XIII (2010) by SquareEnix.
One of the main influences of my art style comes from the Final Fantasy video games of the late 1990s and early 2000s. I remembered being mesmerized by the full orchestrated score by Nobuo Uematsu, I ...
The Power of Comments
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 23, 2017
Feedback from your audience has always been important- from the renaissance palace parlors to enlightenment salons to the modern art galleries, how much the audience is pleased by what the creator procures is central.
But in the age of the internet and webcomics, where comics are updated page by page ...
Designing your Characters
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 9, 2017
So you have your kick ass story ready, you’ve researched your world well and feel comfortable in it, and you have an awesome set of personalities to equip your characters that will propagate your story (or complement it if the plot is story driven).
The only thing left to ...