I like mentor characters.
This is not just me of course; the mentor and protagonist relationship is powerful. Some of the best moments in many stories are the first encounter with the mentor, the training and sense of discovery for the protagonist, and the eventual loss of the mentor character ...

Quackcast 270 - Historical Accuracy Vs Story Needs part 2
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, May 10, 2016 LISTEN!
Art by Ozoneocean
We return to the topic of historical accuracy versus the needs the the story. This was Bravo's idea and we wanted to have him along but alas it was not to be! Tantz Aerine, Pitface, Banes and I discuss the topic, reading from a few ...
A Love Affair with the Colour Gray
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, May 9, 2016
Jean Arp, "Untitled (College with Squares Arranged according to the Laws of Chance)". 1917
"In Europe and America, grey is the color most associated with boredom, solitude and emptiness. It is associated with rainy days and winter.“ -Wikipedia ”Grey: Boredom“
”Grey is my favorite color“ -Counting Crows ”Mr. Jones“
I ...
Coloring Outside the Lines
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, May 2, 2016
I like to follow the rules.
I grew up in a world where green means “Go” and red means “Stop” (while yellow sometimes means “Drive As Fast As You Can”). Usually if there is a rule written somewhere, I probably abide by it. The benefit of following rules is that ...
Are Friends Electric? (Guest post by Gunwallace)
HippieVan at 12:00AM, April 29, 2016
“Well, are they?”
Gary Numan (and Tubeway Army) posed that question in 1979. These days it has more relevance that ever before.
“It's cold outside, and the paint's peeling offa my walls.”
As winter approaches in the Southern Hemisphere (winter is coming) my thoughts naturally turn a little ...
It's time to make some TUTORIALS!
HippieVan at 12:00AM, April 22, 2016
So…how many of you know that DD has a tutorials section? If you’ve happened to hit that little button near the top of the page at any point, you probably found something more than a little embarrassing…
2013? Yikes.
Genejoke recently had the excellent idea that the tutorials ...