Photo: (clockwise from upper left) nightmarelunatic’s gift for Andreas_Helixfinger; sleeping_gorilla’s for Tantz_Aerine; lothar’s gift for usedbooks; kawaiidaigakusei’s gift for davidxolukoga; and Tantz_Aerine’s gift for hushicho.

There are less than three weeks until the time of gift-giving. The planning for this year’s Secret Santa Gift ...

Photo: (clockwise from upper left) UndertheBlackHat’s gift for cdmalcolm1; usedbook’s gift for UndertheBlackHat; Hushicho’s gift for nightmarelunatic; cdmalcolm1’s gift for theRedDeath; Andreas_Helixfinger’s gift for lothar; and theRedDeath’s gift for sleeping_gorilla.


There are less than four weeks until the time of gift-giving. The time to ...

So I just watched the latest Trope Talk by Overly Sharkastic Productions on Youtube (high recommend if you aren't already subscribed). The focus was on Doomed Heroes, and there's not much I'd be able to add to that comprehensive essay. Go watch it.

What it did inspire ...

Hello, ducks!

Been a while since I did one of these off-top of-my-head kind of pieces. Thought I talk about something that has been on my mind for quite some time. What exactly is deep and profound? A lot of artists throughout history have strived to make their art deep ...

Tony Stark is glib, arrogant, and a war profiteer. And the perfect Protagonist.

I don't believe stories should be written strictly according to formulas - but writing according to structures that have been established can be helpful to a script when needed.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let ...

Photo: X-Men Series II Trading Card Collection (1993)

An unopened, cellophane wrapped pack of trading cards is a sleeve of anticipation. The probability of finding a hologram or a rare character card is reason enough to get excited.

Around the time the Uncanny X-Men cartoon gained popularity in nineteen-ninety three ...

A blue hardcover book wearing a red hat with an unquenchable desire for adventure pulls an older, dusty, grumpy and green hardcover book off the shelf as a companion. Imagine a mysterious, magical mustache gifted by a generous French gentleman, saved from a fire. Descend farther down into an abyss ...

Recently it struck me. So far I’ve already brought up two water-based mythic beings in this series of articles, and non of them were mermaids. Which is why I’ve decided to talk about them here today. We’re pretty much all familiar with mermaids. Though maybe not as ...

As Easter has come by to melt away the final vestiges of a long, cold winter (at least up in these parts where I live) it feels like a good time to bring up the mythology of witches. Witches have a central role in the Easter that we celebrate here ...

Consider this typical fantasy story:

There was once a young handsome man who was good with the sword, excellent with everyone in the village he lived with, and loved and cherished by all. However, he was unhappy because the one girl he fell in love with did not love him ...