I had an interesting discussion with a friend today, and I figured I'd share the basic point of it. Basically, I have a bugbear when people act like all the things we call "fantasy" are directly comparable. They are not. Saying that all things that use invented settings are similar is, at best, a useless … Continue reading “Fantasy”: A Useless Label
Author: Todd Greener
Why I Read
There are uncountable articles online about why reading is good for you, and specifically about why reading fiction is good for you. I'm not going to repeat any of the empirical evidence or clinical facts about how reading is good (although it definitely does exist). Instead, I'd like to share my own personal experience with … Continue reading Why I Read
AI Art
A while back I saw a video of some Japanese animators trying to do a similar experiment, and both of these experiments have gotten me thinking. When AI can create characters that are human enough, when they can render scenes that are realistic enough, and they can stumble into interactions between these objects that are … Continue reading AI Art
Castlevania Season 1 Review
Castlevania is a pretty big freaking deal for me. I may not be the biggest fan of the franchise, and I may not have played every game (especially not the 3D ones; this franchise did not make an elegant transition from its two dimensional beginnings). Regardless, the 2D Castlevania games are creations that really get … Continue reading Castlevania Season 1 Review
On the Reality of Fantasy
I was wandering around the internets when I came across this quote from Hayao Miyazaki (Golden Times, English translation from RocketNews24). You see, whether you can draw like this or not, being able to think up this kind of design, it depends on whether or not you can say to yourself, ‘Oh, yeah, girls like this exist … Continue reading On the Reality of Fantasy
Review: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Short story: best thing ever.
Word Choice
When I was in middle school, I read a biography of J.R.R Tolkien. The biographer took a few pages to describe how fastidious Tolkien was when choosing the exact wording for his writing. This is probably the only detail from that biography that has stuck with me over the years. Compare: "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." … Continue reading Word Choice
Warcraft 4 before Diablo 4
There's been a rumor floating around that Blizzard Entertainment will be announcing the next installment in their Diablo franchise at Blizzcon this year. I find this highly unlikely, but the idea of a Warcraft 4 announcement along with a new Diablo 3 expansion (or stand alone) pack is much more probable. Here are the reasons that Warcraft … Continue reading Warcraft 4 before Diablo 4
Self Promotion
I'm finding more and more that the business of creativity is less about actually making good stuff, than it is about getting your stuff noticed. The best successes happen when your stuff is good AND gets noticed, but even moderately ok creations can become a person's life if they have enough attention. This is all … Continue reading Self Promotion
Complicated
Another day gathering wood. Alan's back ached under the weight of the bundle he carried along the dusty forest track. This was just the first of several loads he would carry back today. It was tiring work, and so hot that he had removed his shirt and was now trudging along in only his braies, hose, … Continue reading Complicated
Todd's Corner 