I couldn't have been older than 11 when I read The Flaming Heart of Danko by Maxim Gorky. And boy, did it cut me with the finest of fine glass. Even now thinking about the short story hurts somewhere deep in my soul.
And yet, I love it so ...

Danko's Flaming Heart
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Dec. 5, 2020Living with mistakes
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Dec. 4, 2020
We create two comics.
One story has been methodically planned out, step by step. There’s a master plan. The chapters are written in their entirety over 40 pages. They are sketched, edited, inked and coloured all at once. When the chapter is over, we review the plan, make adjustments ...
The Work of the Mentor
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 17, 2020
Might as well get it out of the way: if you're a mentor in a story, chances are you're going on a boatride over the river Styx at some point.
When a mentor dies it's often the signal that the main character, the one being mentored, is ...
Horror - Immersion and the Slow Burn
Banes at 12:00AM, Oct. 15, 2020
I just started the Netflix series called “The Hanting of Bly Manor”.
It's hard to say how it's going to turn out in the end, since I'm just at the beginning. But overall so far, I'm enjoying the thing. There are many unanswered questions already, and ...
Character Design Brainstorming: The Monster Among Us
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 10, 2020
We live in a world of routine, predictability, and pedestrian problems. (2020 doesn't count. Much.)
Magic doesn't really seem to exist in our world.
Or does it?
Perhaps we live above a very thin surface, like floating on a tranquil lake, and just underneath it there are ghouls ...
Retelling Stories by Converting Graphic Novels into Audiobooks
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Sept. 14, 2020
It is hard to predict when new content for television shows and the big screen will start rolling out. I jokingly once thought that we might all turn back the clocks and bring back old fashion radio shows where candy wrappers were used to imitate crackling fires and beans in ...
Quackcast Podcast Seeking Submissions for the 500th Episode!
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Sept. 7, 2020
Hello Ducks,
The Quackcast is created and inspired from original content from the Drunk Duck 🍺🦆 community, current events in the Comic World, and thought-provoking ideas. It has been running since the end of 2010, which is nearly a decade, and the 500th Quackcast episode will be airing on Tuesday, October ...
Character Design Brainstorming: The Sorceress
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 5, 2020
The Sorceress is a powerful figure in fiction, just like the Priest/Priestess/Clergy.
In works where magic or God are present and in direct communion with the characters, both can perform miracles, or otherwise astounding feats beyond normal mortal limits.
In works where there is no magic or God ...
Character Design Brainstorm: The Man (or Woman) of the Cloth
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Aug. 29, 2020
There are many tropes and many archetypes that we use for character designs. I had a couple of years go (have I really been at it this long!?) done a series of articles on the standard character type/functionality archetypes.
I'm thinking it's high time to explore archetypes ...