Episode 477 - Darkest before dawn
May 4, 2020
Today on this glorious date we chat about that part in stories where everything turns to crap for the protagonists, just before the run up to the climax where they find their inner strength again and regain their powers so that the climax is even more effective than it would normally be… just BEFORE that moment. Everything is finally going well for our characters, their relationship is amazing, they have all the money they need to keep the clubhouse open, they're going to win the big game, they have the magic sword to kill the dragon with, they have the fastest car in the race, the bombs are all set to destroy the alien mother-ship, and the band is finally going to make it to the big time! ...BUT...
Topics and Show Notes
Suddenly it ALL falls apart in the most tragic and disastrous fashion. They have an argument that breaks them up and the wedding is off for good, they have to give all their money to their sick grandfather who needs a kidney transplant so the clubhouse will close afteral, their best batter injures himself during practice and can't play so it looks like they'll lose the big game now, the magic sword is stolen by evil gnomes and now they have nothing to kill the dragon with, their car engine blows up and will take a week to fix but the big race is tomorrow, the fuses on the bombs on the alien mother-ship can only be set in person so one of the crew will have to sacrifice themselves, it turns out that the promoters only want the lead singer so the band breaks up right on the eve of their greatest success…
Yeah, THAT moment. ;)
You have to handle it right so it's not just forgettable or too much of a gut-punch to the audience, but the purpose of these moments is to juice the audience so that the climax has even more impact: You dig a ditch in front of that hill to make it look way bigger! Your protagonists win in SPITE of those difficulties, which is supposed to make that climax way more satisfying.
This week Gunwallace has given us the theme to Click Track Lolita - Click, flick, tick, tick… slow groove, deliberate and plotted. This track steals upon you and takes over utterly, like a hidden cloud of contagion, before you realize it you’re deep in the midst of the sound.
Topics and shownotes
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Links
Banes' newspost about the lowest point - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2020/apr/29/all-is-lost/
DD on Discord! - https://discordapp.com/invite/7NpJ8GS
Moderated by Boundbun and Tallfroyo - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/BoundBun/
Featured comic:
GeMiTo 2073 - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2020/apr/27/featured-comic-gemito-2073/
Featured music:
Click Track Lolita - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Click_Track_Lolita/, by 0becomingX, rated T.
Special thanks to:
Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com
Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/
Pitface - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/PIT_FACE/
Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean
Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Banes/
Episode 466 - And then What?
Feb 16, 2020
What happens to characters after the big action scene or climactic moment? This could be anywhere in the story but it's usually close to the end. Do they process any of the things that have happened to them to lead them up to that point or do they just forget about everything and simply act as if nothing except the last 4 seconds matter? The later seems to be the trend in a lot of badly written fiction, and it's a notable trope in 80s style action films. Death of family members or lovers are irrelevant when you have a hot action star standing next to you!
