Eclipse

I don’t have all that much to say about the eclipse, actually.

I nearly forgot it was happening. I was among the privileged who lived within the path of totality - I didn’t have to drive for thousands of miles, or even leave my apartment complex. I saw the sky shift out my window, left my desk (I work from home), and went outside.

What WAS very cool (apart from, you know, the thing) was seeing all my neighbors doing the same thing. People I generally don’t talk to apart from a sharp nod or a wave hello. Everyone got their phones out and either called a friend to see if they were watching too, or snatch a photo that would never be as good as the real thing.

The next total solar eclipse won’t happen for two more years. Let’s not wait that long to create that sense of community, yeah?

Recent Gigs

Since my last update, I’ve provided additional voices for the following shows:

• I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability, Episode 1

• An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride, Episode 2

Featured Role: Kotoha Tachibana, Wind Breaker

I am thrilled to say that I am providing the English-language voice for the Bofurin’s favorite Ane-san, Kotoha Tachibana in Wind Breaker.

So, I don’t get cast as teenage girls. There’s something in my voice that makes people go “this lady’s been around the block.” Similarly, Kotoha isn’t your average 16-year-old; she carries herself with a maturity normally held by women a decade her senior, and speaks with the authority of someone who’s hit her lowest point and survived. As a former foster kid and a long-time resident of a town swarming with gang activity, she’s had to learn how to handle herself - I fully believe that she could punch a guy out if she had to, but the beautiful thing I see in Kotoha is this happiness with boring, everyday moments. Like making a fresh pot of coffee, or seeing someone enjoy food she made.

I’ve tried to give Kotoha a sense of ease in her speech that makes her seem open and friendly with everyone she comes across, no matter how much of a doofus they’re being (Sakura). I hope to do our girl justice, and that you’ll join in Thursday nights to watch this stellar dub helmed by the incomparable Jeremy Inman.

Featured Role: Abaddon, Sasaki & Peeps

When it rains, it pours. I snuck in during the final moments of Sasaki and Peeps to voice the child demon Abaddon. Huge thanks to Helena Walstrom for tapping me in!

Who is this kid? What is his deal? All we know about him is that he has killed at least one man, and he has a grudge against angels. We can tell from his first words that he’s both used to getting his way and has FUN doing so.

Abaddon has a huge part in the show’s upcoming arc, but the launch date of the second season has not been announced yet. So I’m going to make a bunch of buck-wild predictions and see if any of them come true.

• Abaddon used to BE an angel, and now he’s attempting a coup to earn his way back into angelic society.

• Abaddon and Peeps are related somehow, either by blood or by magical lineage.

• Abaddon is going to use his demon magic to make Sasaki’s neighbor friend older and sexier. (God I hope not)

• Abaddon is one of the few who can use the teleportation magic that made Peeps famous, and ends up messing with the space-time-continuum doing so.

• Abaddon has some kind of niche obsession, like marshmallow candy or trading cards, and this ends up being his downfall.

There. Let’s revisit this space months or years from now and see if I hit a target while blindfolded.

Consume!

I started this trilogy during lockdown, and it just ended this year. I was never a horror buff before, but I may have become a convert.

The Indian Lake Trilogy is an ode to the genre from the perspective of its most unlikely heroine. Jade Daniels, a disgruntled teen of Blackfoot descent, slowly transforms from the bane of her small town of Prufrock, Idaho to its protector as it suffers a slew of tragedies both supernatural and man-made. For any reader who’s held a long-term hyperfixation, these books take you to hell and back, paying homage to their predecessors while throwing light on the consequences of mad, merciless violence.

Performance of the Week

I’d be remiss if I failed to give kudos to the lead of Wind Breaker, Austin Tindle. Haruka Sakura, wanna-be punk and absolute cinnamon roll, is expertly depicted in the series premiere, and listening to the scenes where my Kotoha manages to land a blow to his fragile self-image is just delightful. Sakura is a character primed for rapid, ungainly growth, and I’m excited to hear Tindle express the kid’s joys and frustrations as the series continues.

One More Thing

I’ll leave you with my favorite song from my favorite niche musical, Flora the Red Menace.