Watcher (2022) is a fairly unknown new movie, I think, and I recommend it. Simple, well-made, and scary.
Might as well get an early start on the October celebration, here - the fall is my favorite season, for so many reasons, including the time to celebrate our love for the scary ...

Tension and Release and appreciation for Watcher
Banes at 12:00AM, Sept. 29, 2022So About Black Ariel...
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 17, 2022
I liked her. The trailer dropped and I didn't quite like the trailer, but I liked her.
Hear me out, now.
I think Halle Bailey can absolutely, 100% work as a mermaid. A little mermaid, if you like. There's just something in the way she's set up ...
Mind Tricks 2 - The Phantom Life
Banes at 12:00AM, June 9, 2022
On the last “Mind Tricks” discussion, we talked about false memories, where a characters' true nature is hidden from them because of memory loss or artificial memories.
The Phantom Life is similar, certainly in the two examples that I thought of initially…but the stories play out
in a different ...
The Secret Sociopath
Banes at 7:47AM, May 19, 2022
Kim is not a sociopath - but her many nuances make her most intriguing…and she has a scary side
The secret sociopath.
A story trope in fiction that can make for a shocking ending when done well, or probably an eye-rolling one
when not, is the secret sociopath.
A character ...
Children's Stories
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 18, 2021
When I was growing up in the 80s, stories that were marketed as ‘children’s' were occasionally brutal.
Characters got maimed or killed, tortured or traumatized, met with horrid ends in worlds that were anything but rosy. And this was a pattern that wasn't limited to, say, English literature ...
To Explain Or Not
Banes at 12:00AM, June 17, 2021
The other day I happened upon a movie called Primer from 2004. It's well regarded for how original it is and also for being made for only 7,000. That's a shockingly low price, even for low budget films.
I enjoyed it, though I found it a tough ...
Unlikely Mentors
Banes at 12:00AM, March 25, 2021
the cruel tutor himself, Pai Mei
One of my favorite character types is the gruff/grizzled old mentor. Tough as nails, mean or cranky on the outside but with great knowledge or support to offer when you know them, or when they know - and trust - you.
I've talked about ...
QUACKCAST 502 - Definitive character moments!
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Oct. 27, 2020 LISTEN on our new player!
Listen on Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/adarunkduck-quackcast
Or TuneinRadio - https://tunein.com/podcasts/Books–Literature/Drunkduck-Quackcast-p1150194/
What is the most definitive version of your character? Where does it pop up in your comic? What part of your work most defines your main character ...
QUACKCAST 499 - Life's worth?
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Oct. 6, 2020 LISTEN on our new player!
Listen on Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/drunkduck-quackcast
Or TuneinRadio - https://tunein.com/podcasts/Books–Literature/Drunkduck-Quackcast-p1150194/
What is the worth of human life in your stories?
This isn't something people often consider, we just tend to have a fairly accurate guess based ...