This trope might come in several different packages, but it always involves the same stages: a presence (a character, an apparition, an item, a painting, etc) appears to be perfect, gorgeous, stunningly beautiful, angelic in every way relevant. Then suddenly or gradually, this beauty dissolves into nightmarish horror: the character ...
Horror within beauty
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Jan. 8, 2022Prequels and Sequels
damehelsing at 12:00AM, Nov. 7, 2021
I kid, I just like the gif. But I do prefer prequels.
When are sequels and prequels great to do? What makes a great sequel or prequel?
I believe a lot of us think about expanding our stories, whether it’s in the form of a sequel or a prequel ...
ZOINKS! 13 Ghosts??
damehelsing at 12:00AM, Oct. 31, 2021
So, ladies and gents, friends and furries, yes, 13 Ghosts is the movie that haunted me as a child and to a point, still haunts me. I’ll never look at bathtubs the same.
BUT BEFORE I GET INTO THE MOVIE REVIEW, if you are reading this, and I kind ...
Interviewing Miranda of "Into the Swell"
damehelsing at 12:00AM, July 25, 2021
Hello ducklings! I’m back with another interview, and this time we’ve got our wonderful sea captain Miranda! So, Captain Miranda, please introduce yourself!!
Miranda: Hello ducklings! I'm Miranda! I'm a full time computer engineer and in my spare time I enjoy baking, doing puzzles, playing video ...
Thems fighting words
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, July 9, 2021
Conflict in a story is not only necessary, it can be the juiciest part of your comic. Think about it! We often remember and recount the parts of a movie, comic or show where the emotions were the strongest. A solid vitriolic scene can result in one hell of a ...
Follow the Yellow Brick Layout
damehelsing at 12:00AM, June 20, 2021
Last week, errrrrrrrr… the week before that, I talked about frames, the magical use of frames, the emotion you can give them, the shapes, sizes, how that can all add to the story you’re telling.
Kind of like how music can really be important in movies, it just gives ...
Meet Me Halfway
Banes at 12:00AM, March 11, 2021
Last week I talked about what kind of stuff to stick in the middle section of stories.
Here's a tangent I found myself on, about the actual halfway mark:
Well, the middle bit almost always contains the actual halfway point of the story. In many stories this is a ...
Top five romance tropes
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Feb. 5, 2021
It’s not surprising that drama and romance are two popular genres when it comes to media. From TV to novels to comics, they draw the audience in with the simple question: “Who is going to end up with who?” Ships set sail, twists get turns and hearts get broken ...
Mary Jane Had Options
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Jan. 18, 2021
Photo: Mary Jane “MJ” Watson (played by Kirsten Dunst) and Harry Osborn (played by James Franco) in Spiderman 3 (2007).
Traveling down the memory lane archives has taken me back to watching the Tobey Maguire Spiderman trilogy that was released during the early-2000s.
Tobey Maguire’s Spiderman was my masked ...
Outlining the foundation of your webcomic
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Jan. 15, 2021
An outline for a story, whether it be a one-shot or a serialised epic, needs a strong foundation. The building blocks that will become your comic must be able to stand firm on the themes, concepts, story beats and character moments explored in your outline. “I need an outline?” you ...