The last stage in the departure phase of the hero’s journey is called the Belly of the Whale, after the Biblical story of Jonah. After receiving the call and passing the threshold to the land of adventure, the hero faces what may quite possibly be the darkest hour of his life and dies in some way… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Belly of the Whale
Tag: Final Fantasy 6
Trope Tuesday: Freudian Trio
Last week, I blogged about the Three Faces of Eve trope. But if we’re going to discuss power trios in any depth, we first need to examine the classic Freudian Trio, one of the most prevalent combos and, in some ways, a precursor to all others. As you might expect, the Freudian Trio borrows heavily from Sigmund… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Freudian Trio
Trope Tuesday: The Three Faces of Eve
Why do so many character combinations come in groups of three? Unlike love triangles, where the combo is primarily a way to build conflict, the characters in power trios all build on each other in some way. They might be foils for each other, but as complementary archetypes, they do far more to drive the… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: The Three Faces of Eve
Trope Tuesday: Chaotic Evil
If a character in a story scares the hell out of you, chances are he’s a Chaotic Evil. From ax-crazy psychopaths to nightmarish clowns, from cold-hearted monsters to eldritch abominations, these guys are known for their complete lack of empathy, their nihilistic outlook on life, and their sick sense of humor. From the easydamus character alignment page: A chaotic… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Chaotic Evil
Getting back into things
Sorry I haven’t posted much lately; I just got back to Massachusetts from a cross-country train trip (after spending Christmas between Utah and Texas), and I’m still getting situated here at my parents’ house. If all goes well, I’ll be leaving by the end of the month to teach English in Georgia; worst case scenario,… Continue reading Getting back into things
FF6 Werewolf Tribute: fifth day
[NOTE: this is part twelve in a series of posts lifted from the quark message boards where I recently GM’d a game of Werewolf. The theme was Final Fantasy 6, one of my favorite RPGs. To see the other posts in the series, click here. WARNING: there will be spoilers here, and lots of them, so if you… Continue reading FF6 Werewolf Tribute: fifth day
FF6 Werewolf Tribute: fifth night
[NOTE: this is part eleven in a series of posts lifted from the quark message boards where I recently GM’d a game of Werewolf. The theme was Final Fantasy 6, one of my favorite RPGs of all time. To see the other posts in the series, click here. WARNING: there will be spoilers here, and lots of them,… Continue reading FF6 Werewolf Tribute: fifth night
FF6 Werewolf Tribute: fourth day
[NOTE: this is part ten in a series of posts lifted from the quark message boards where I recently GM’d a game of Werewolf. The theme was Final Fantasy 6, one of my favorite RPGs of all time. To see the other posts in the series, click here. WARNING: there will be spoilers here, and lots of them,… Continue reading FF6 Werewolf Tribute: fourth day
FF6 Werewolf Tribute: fourth night (continued)
[NOTE: this is part nine in a series of posts lifted from the quark message boards where I recently GM’d a game of Werewolf. The theme was Final Fantasy 6, one of my favorite RPGs of all time. To see the other posts in the series, click here. WARNING: there will be spoilers, and lots of them, so… Continue reading FF6 Werewolf Tribute: fourth night (continued)
FF6 Werewolf Tribute: fourth night
[NOTE: this is part eight in a series of posts lifted from the quark message boards where I recently GM’d a game of Werewolf. The theme was Final Fantasy 6, one of my favorite RPGs of all time. To see the other posts in this series, click here. WARNING: there will be spoilers here, and lots of them,… Continue reading FF6 Werewolf Tribute: fourth night