Last week I had the fortune of stumbling across Netflix's latest animated series, Blue Eye Samurai. I didn't expect much, but I was so bowled over by the sheer excellence of this show that I ended up binging the entire first season overnight. Like all shows, it's ...
Belief is a mirror
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Dec. 9, 2023Character Deep Dive: Polly from Bottomless Waitress
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 21, 2023
Today’s deep dive is with Polly, from Bottomless Waitress! Bottomless Waitress is the joint creation of Banes and Ozoneocean, with Banes writing the script and Ozoneocean doing the artwork.
It's a teasing, raunchy and somewhat absurd slice-of-life comedy. It’s a masterful balancing act, dancing carefree on the ...
Falling Into the Canvas at the Mr. Brainwash Museum
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Sept. 18, 2023
Photo: Life-Sized, Modern Sculpture Adaptation based on the Oil Painting “Yellow Hat Woman” by Edward Hopper. Created by Mr. Brainwash. Mr. Brainwash Museum. Beverly Hills, California. (August 2023)
Nestled in a non-descript corner where Santa Monica Boulevard and Beverly Boulevard intersect, steps away from Rodeo Drive in the city of ...
Strong and Powerful... Together
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 9, 2023
The sheer power of a good team is so defining that it's a trope. Some of the most iconic characters and beloved personalities have emerged from stories featuring teams of main characters.
Each of them are vital to the story, each of them contribute both in terms of the ...
Writing Strong Characters of Any Gender
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Aug. 26, 2023
Last time I'd written about gender toxicity and what a trap it can be for creators seeking to write powerful characters. It is not something that only plagues the “strong female character” attempt, but also the “strong male character” and definitely the “strong LGBTQ+ character”.
Too many of these ...
They Make You Believe
Banes at 12:00AM, Aug. 24, 2023
A long time ago I read something, I think an interview with a respected screenwriter or something, where he brought up the movie “Rain Man”.
If you haven't seen it, it's about a struggling wheeler-dealer type guy, played by Tom Cruise, who goes on a road trip with ...
Gender Toxicity
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Aug. 19, 2023
The debate on what constitutes a “strong female character”, whether having “strong female leads” or “feminism” is tanking “woke” films these past few years, is ongoing. There's accusations of toxicity on both sides. Misogyny, misandry, wokeness and brokeness, all of these terms and hot takes are fired and take ...
Character Deep Dive: Grenadine Luncher
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Aug. 12, 2023
In this month’s installment of Character Deep Dive, we’re looking at Grenadine Luncher from the comic Ripping Off King Arthur by Arthur Spitzer!
Before I do any dive, I have to say that due to the unique concept and approach of this comic, I had to really think ...
Character 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 ...
The Slippery Slope (Or How to Make a Great Villain Origin Arc)
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, May 6, 2023
Villains are tremendously important for a story. They set the framework and standard for a lot of things in an unsaid but definite manner: how far your villain is willing to go sets up audience expectations for how big and how dire the stakes will be in the story.
If ...