Tag / Indiana Jones

by steelef

Building a Better Story World – Episode 4: Obstacles, Challenges, Villains, and More!

I’ve fallen behind on my postings! Don’t do what Johnny Don’t Does!

While you rightly take me to task for my indolence, give a listen to this episode of Building a Better Story World! Good obstacles make for good stories! That’s why this episode is going to delve into what makes a good antagonist, how they can be themed to dramatic struggles in your work, and the basic challenges that characters face in their journeys! Join me as I chart this course with the help of a familiar, bullwhip-wielding adventurer. Give it a listen here, or on Spotify, iTunes, or most podcatchers!

by steelef

The Five Commandments of Fan Service

Today I’m writing about fan service, and by that, I mean the “fan service” that has become meme-ified on the internet. These aren’t intertextual references that continue or resolve plot lines. I’m also not talking about the titilating sexual reveals that dominate anime. What I mean by fan service is the “material in a work of fiction or in a fictional series which is intentionally added to please the audience,” as defined by Valérie Inés de La Ville and Laurent Durup in their study, “Achieving a Global Reach on Children’s Cultural Markets: Managing the Stakes of Inter-Textuality in Digital Cultures.” In other words, these are the shout-outs, references, and callbacks to the previous work that created a fan base to begin with.

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