All Work is All Play is All Work Is

Creative expression, I am learning all over again, is a muscle that needs regular exercise.

So my first draft of this intro section went into how for actors “work” and “play” often mean the same thing, and while it wasn’t BAD per se, it did feel pretty pithy. A decision born as a symptom of what I’m really trying to get at - that the grind is real and finding joy as an artist is a constant choice that needs to be made over and over again.

I’m tempted to say that throughout May it felt as if I was treading water, but that feels like I’m selling it short. I’ve tried my whole life to get to the point where I can not only pursue my passions, but have the time to TALK about it in an open forum. So maybe it’s less like trying not to drown and more like splashing around in a soda fountain at a big party and getting progressively stickier, and needing a shower but not wanting to leave the party, and being surrounded by people just as sticky as you while seeing a sad cater waiter refilling the syrup dispenser out of the corner of your eye, then feeling guilty, than feeling guilty about being guilty because this is a VERY exclusive party and it’s wild that you’re even invited at all so shouldn’t you just enjoy yourself?

Too pithy?

Eh, it’s still better than my first draft.

Recent Gigs

This month so far, I had the privilege of providing additional vocals for the following episodes of simulcast anime, available on Crunchyroll:

• Ranking of Kings: The Treasure Chest of Courage, Episode 4

• Natsume’s Book of Friends, Episode 39

• Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion, Episode 7

Y’ALL.

On May 19th and 20th “Miss B” opened to an enthusiastic audience and I am still BLOWN AWAY by the reception we received. I’ve been doing devised theater for the better part of my adult life and I can’t remember performing in front of a more open, giving audience.

This piece centered around giving tired adults a place to let loose and play - some chose not to engage in our pre-show carnival, but the majority happily made sock puppets, got their cards read, learned how to hula hoop and juggle from my castmates, and let me take pictures of them that made them look like wizards and hot dogs. I watched audience members go from watching with a critical eye to laughing at fart jokes in less than an hour, and it felt great. I have all the love for my cast and our fearless leader, Leslie Collins, for making this memorable experience.

My only regret is that I didn’t take enough pictures - if you’re reading and attended, I’d love to see any photos you took!

Consume!

While the rest of the world is playing “Breath of the Wild: Tears of the Kingdom” (I will play it, I swear, I just need $60 and the time to commit), I finally finished up “AI: The Somnium Files.”

So I’m a huge Kotaro Uchikoshi stan. “999” and “Virtue’s Last Reward” are top-tier games by any metric (let’s not talk about “Zero Time Dilemma”). “AI: The Somnium Files” doesn’t unseat these games, but it’s a great addition to his creative body of work.

In terms of tone, “Sominum Files” is definitely the silliest of Uchikoshi’s games. Yes, it’s a psychological thriller packed to the brim with disturbing imagery, but dammit if the man doesn’t like a good boob joke. The game itself takes place in a not-too-distant future of Tokyo where its seedier elements often walk arm-in-arm with its more glam entertainment contingent, and the writing reflects this in-between existence well.

Somehow, though, the gameplay and the writing didn’t quite gel together for me. The puzzle-filled “psync” missions are incredibly fun, filled with great interactions between the two leads, and require a sideways type of problem-solving that I really dig. But they feel removed from the rest of the game - in past Uchikoshi games the time loop element is directly integrated into the way the story is told, and this time around the connection is more tenuous. I do know there’s a sequel, and maybe the structure is explored more there, but as a stand-alone narrative, the “multi-universe” idea feels like more of a gimmick than an essential tool. In the moment I was too engaged to care, but thinking about it later doesn’t make me want to try playing again.

Overall, I recommend this game with some caveats - if you’re sensitive to depictions of violence and assault, this may not be the story for you. Without spoiling things, the main plot also centers around mental illness and neurodivergency in a way that feels a BIT squicky and outdated - it still landed for me, but I wouldn’t blame a player for being fed up with the rationale behind certain plot twists. Also, you know. Tit jokes.

Really the game’s selling points are the great puzzles, the localization, and the voice acting. Which dovetails nicely into my…

Performance of the Week

Let’s get one thing straight: This game has an A+ cast. Both the Japanese and English voice tracks are filled with top-notch performers flexing their comedic and dramatic skills. Weeks later, though, I’m still thinking about Kaiji Tang as the idol-smitten yakuza Moma Kumakura.

Moma could have easily been a throwaway character. Depending on the choices you make during your first run-through, his first appearance marks him as apathetic to the main storyline. As I continued down various branches in the decision tree, I was genuinely happy to see this doofus - Kaiji Tang knows when to turn on the intensity, whether Moma’s playing the fool or getting down to business, and listening to him balance Moma’s desires to earn the respect of his lackeys and indulge in his own personal interests is a delight.

Refueling

I got a new phone recently - this is the first time in a while I’ve been able to upgrade before my existing phone crumbles to dust in my hand, and I’m excited to join the rest of the world in taking quality pictures.

In “The Artist’s Way”, Julia Cameron talks often about “filling the well” - creativity, she argues, is a finite resource that needs consistent replenishment. The well’s source is different for everyone, so part of the job of an artist is to cultivate attention to their brand of fuel. People? Visual art? Nature? Philosophical discussion? This can all fill your well.

But sometimes you’ve got plenty of material to work with, but the pen itself is all groady from disuse and you need to do that thing where you scratch the tip of the quill on a piece of paper to dislodge the crusty ink from two years ago before new stuff can make it to the page.

So while you’re de-gunking your primary tool, what can you do?

Use other tools.

I’m hoping to take more pictures soon.