BumbleKast #106: Balancing Character and Plot in Stories

Play

Ian and Kyle discuss character-driven and plot-driven narratives and how to balance the two when writing stories.

Patreon Perk – Jump to the Q&A: 30:42

Support the show on Patreon and Ko-Fi!
Shop the BumbleStore!

Show Information
Your hosts:

  • Ian “BumbleKing” Flynn – Head writer of Sonic the Hedgehog comics for IDW Publishing and Mega Man for Archie Comics, also writing for Archie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more
  • Kyle “KyleJCrb” Crouse – Founder & Administrator of the KNGI Network, host of the Nitro Game Injection video game music podcast

Subscribe and listen on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play

Original music in this episode composed by Ken “coda” Snyder, used with permission – Check out his music on Bandcamp
Intro remix version by Tee Lopes!
Special Thanks to our friends at Noise Channel! Pay what you want for the theme song and more great music as part of their charity compilation Noisechan & Nugget: Adventures in Chiptunes

Want to have your product promoted on the show? Check out the Patreon site to find out how!

Want to ask us a question? Ask at:

PATREON PRIORITY Q&A

EggmanInc
In S.U. #88, it’s stated that a “catastrophic event blasted Pancardina into a series of islands, with the Trolls (Walter Naugus’ race)  being all but wiped out overnight”, What was this event, or what caused it?

IanWaffles
What do you think was the appeal of the Sonic and Sally relationship? Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but it seemed like you changed their romance from an “opposites attract” dynamic to one where the two cared for each other so much that they could set aside their contrasting personalities and stop bickering. Was this intentional or am I missing the mark?

Koopaling Krew
Without context or any continuity, what would happen if Marine and Sticks got stuck alone on an island, meeting for the first time?

Rael
What are your personal thoughts on Eggman’s backstory? What do you imagine his family life was like? Was he always evil, or did something cause him to turn? What was he up to before meeting Sonic?

Andrew D.
In the latest issue, when Dr. Starline mentions the Warp Topaz altering reality, were the mushrooms and feathers in the flashback panel appearing as a result of reality altering, or were they already there? 2- Dr. Starline mentions that Eggman uses the Cacophonous Conch to control the Zeti, but in the games it was called the Cacophonic Conch. Are they two different names for the same item, was it purposely renamed, is it a different item, or what?

STANDARD Q&A

PC-The-Unicorn
I really enjoyed the answer you gave about alternative What If Scenarios of Sonic the Hedgehog would you like to do as stories, and now I want to actually return to the thing I first referenced in the question, about  Roll offering to fight the robot masters . Would it be a simple one-shot, or would you have liked for it it have been a miniseries? Would Roll have gone by Mega Woman or another name? In what ways would pivotal moments differ from the original such as when Roll would be fighting Proto Man before the events of Worlds Collide along with the showdown at Willy Castle to stop Wily from using Gamma?

ScruffyMatt
About this time last year, we saw the preview for Smash Bros. Ultimate’s World of Light, and spent days sobbing into our pillows as we helplessly watched Sonic valiantly trying to save Pikachu only for both of them to be vaporised. A lot of fan art and memes came out of this brief moment, portraying Sonic as having a soft spot for Pikachu, and possibly Pokemon in general. So my question is: do you think a Sonic and Pokemon crossover could work, whether it be a game, movie, comic, or otherwise? And if Sonic were to have a Pokemon of his own, which do you think he would choose?

James M.
Ian, what is worse; Being turned into a robot by Zombots or being roboticized in a roboticizer?

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.