So you've got your maniacs, masked or otherwise. Scary! Or how about savage animals from, whether realistic or altered in some way? Or maybe monsters like vampires, zombies, were-folk and…er…mummies are your jam? Or what about ghosts, spirits and alien beasties?

When it comes to horror fiction ...

There's some troubled relationships amongst the tribe… when you're hunter gatherers living in a lush green forest full of dangerous animals, irresponsible behaviour could mean death! Harp isn't making many friends with her impulsive devil-may-care ways, riding a wolf-like gruuf through the middle of the hunting party ...

Every building needs a skeleton in place before building begins, so that the end product will be sound. It’s no different with fantasy world building: before you begin gathering and using your story’s bricks and mortar (= the research) you need to have the world’s skeleton, or rigging ...

Who hasn’t seen this ubiquitous symbol? It’s one of the most typical motifs signifying the balance between opposing forces in the world- but also the ever alternating phases of destruction and creation, of overwhelming overturning of the status quo so the new can be created.

And that is ...

In my newspost last week about the “No Hugging, No Learning” mantra, I mentioned that I was basing a throwaway character – a loveable misanthrope – on a real-life friend of mine. It’s something I’m tempted to do fairly frequently; I spend most of my time in an academic environment ...

Jonathin Quackup has had a very adventurous life! There's battles, war, journeys, fierce warriors, hidden destinies, and even fishing! The creatures of Planet Weralt are humanoid animals, they live in a series of rival, warring communities. This is the story of how the legend of the great adventurer
Jonathin ...

METAPHORROR

Hey, they're always tellin' me to recycle!

Last Halloween I did a breakdown of four categories of horror. So I've repurposed it here, images and all, to talk about the metaphorical nature of horror.

Horror is perfect for metaphor and allegory. In fact, a horror story is ...

Have you ever laughed at a joke about Hoverboards? Pondered about the museums offered to dung beetles? Compared the strange mannerisms of humans with animals? Made jokes about poppy flowers? Thought about the items that would be sold at a “Man Mart” themed store?

The Silence of the Lamps has ...

It is spring time (in the northern hemisphere). The rain is starting to fall. The flowers are starting to bloom. Many people have set their clock ahead by one hour. But the most magical part of spring is the animals coming out of hibernation. One of the most fantastic animals ...

Ashtree house hails from the Great White North as one of Drunk Duck's Canadian ducks. She is best known on the site for creating the webcomic Steel and Manitou, which was featured nearly one year ago on February 18, 2015. Steel and Manitou tells the tale of a young ...