I could've saved this one for Halloween -
When I was a kid, my aunt (only a few years older than me) sent me up to the attic to get a boardgame. When I opened the attic door, a plastic doll that was taller than I was fell forward on ...

these dreams
Banes at 12:00AM, June 1, 2023Character Analysis: Levana from Vampire Girl
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, May 27, 2023
It’s been quite a bit since I last made a character deep dive, but since I got a bit more time on my hands, here we are! Today’s Character Analysis is about Levana from Vampire Girl by Marie Kerns and J_Scarbrough!
So, first things first! Vampire Girl is ...
Orphans
Banes at 12:00AM, May 25, 2023
It never really occurred to me how many of our heroes are orphans.
Superman was the last survivor of a planet that perished. He was adopted by loving Earth parents, but he's one of the iconic orphans in fiction.
His counterpart Batman, of course, lost his parents at an ...
The 1990's Whiny Slacker Protagonist
Banes at 12:00AM, May 4, 2023
In rewatching some 1990's movies, I saw quite a few of these Protagonists show up - they're these disaffected types, usually quite intelligent or at least verbose, who are wrapped up in their emotions and sort of spinning their wheels in life as they analyze their problems and face ...
My Own Private Central Valley
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, May 1, 2023
Photo: “Windmills through the Passenger Side Window”. Photo taken by me. (June 2022).
“When June came
The grasses headed out
And turned brown,
And the hills turned brown
Which was not a brown
But a gold and saffron
And red—
An indescribable color.
And from then on until the next ...
Creator Feuds and Hidden Messages
Banes at 12:00AM, April 20, 2023
Jon Favreau played Maz Kanada. Or Pablo Hidalgo. Or something like that
There are Easter Eggs hidden in media that might be spottable by viewers/readers, and others that the audience would never know unless they got the inside scoop from somewhere.
It's one reason I like commentaries and ...
On Cruelty
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, April 15, 2023
So for us Orthodox Christians it's Good Friday today and it'll be Resurrection Day (Good Saturday) by the time you're reading this. In the neighborhood where I live, a new (boisterous and with many members) family has moved in, who brought a live rooster a few days ...
Fake Media - Not the Kind You're Thinking
Banes at 12:00AM, April 13, 2023
my webcomic, Typical Strange, uses many fake films in its video store setting
A few years ago I spotted a book in the second hand store - one I'd read as a kid. I bought it and reread it. It was definitely more suited to the younger me - it was ...
Before You Save That Cat, all Willy Nilly...
Banes at 12:00AM, April 6, 2023
Since I first read it, the book “Save The Cat!” has been incredibly useful to me as far as thinking about stories, outlining them, and finishing them. It's a fun way to approach structure, and applies to a LOT of mainstream stories.
It's become an essential textbook in ...