Joel and Felicity's Birthday Party

Hi everyone! Today, all of us here at the BTB (Brian Tashima Blog) are celebrating the birthdays of our resident superstars, Joel Suzuki and Felicity Smith. We have cake, punch, games, and more cake, so won't you join us?

Not actual picture

B: Happy birthday, you guys.
F: Yeah, whatever.
J: Um, thanks, but you know that today isn't our actual birthday, right?
B: Right, no, yeah, I know. Yours was on Tuesday, the 17th, and Felicity's is this Saturday, the 21st. I just figured we'd have a joint celebration today since it's right in the middle of both days.
F: What a ripoff.
B: Huh?
F: Doing one party for two different occasions. It's like when your birthday falls on Christmas.
B: Hey, it's not my fault you guys have birthdays that are so close together.
J: Actually, it kind of is.
B: Anyway, I've given up trying to figure out how old you both really are, which is why the cake only has two candles on it. You know, one for each of you.
F: Oh, I thought you were just being cheap.
B: I mean, besides, who wants to eat a cake that has dozens of candles dripping wax all over it, right?
F: You mean, like the one we got for you last year?
B: C'mon, be nice.
J: Why do you think she's not being nice?
F: Because I'm making fun of how totally ancient he is.
J: Oh, okay, I get it.
B: Let's just sing the song.
(Brian and Joel sing "Happy Birthday to You" while Felicity sits there, looking bored.)
J: Good thing that song is now considered public domain.
B: I know, right? Okay, you guys, blow out the candles.
F: You don't have to direct our every move, you know.
(Felicity and Joel blow out the candles.)
B: Yay!
F: All right, let's get to the presents.
(Joel and Felicity unwrap their first presents. Felicity's is a copy of Far Cry 5 for the XBox One, while Joel's is a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles 2.)
J: I already have this.
F: *snorts*
B: Oh - wait, you do?
J: Yeah. And I finished it. This game came out last December.
B: Right, but I thought...
F: Apparently, you didn't think hard enough.
J: Um, it's okay. I can keep it as a backup, or something.
B: No, no, I'll return it and get you something else. I still have the receipt.
J: Are you sure?
B: Yeah. Let's just move on.
(Joel and Felicity unwrap their next presents, which are sets of guitar strings and picks.)
J: Cool, thanks.
F: We can never get enough of these, at least.
B: All right, let's do another one. How about the ones you got for each other?
J: Okay.
F: Sure, yeah, why not.
(Joel and Felicity start unwrapping the presents. Felicity finishes first.)
F: Yay, lifepods.
J: Does that mean you like it?
F: Dude, we can get lifepods almost any time we want back in Spectraland.
J: Um, I know, but they're usually kind of hard to bring back to Earth, and I know you like them, so I figured I'd -
F: Yeah, now that you mention it, how did you get these back here, anyway? They usually spoil when they go through the Rift.
J: Well, you know...
F: Time travel?
J: Yeah. Sorta.
F: Ah, ok. Well, thanks.
J: You're welcome.
F: All right, now finish opening yours.
(Joel finishes opening his present, which is a piece of parchment with musical notes written on it.)
J: Oh, cool!
B: What is it?
F: It's a wavecast. I wrote it myself.
J: What does it do?
F: Play it and find out.
J: Okay.
(Joel picks up his wavebow.)
J: Do I have to visualize anything while I'm playing?
F: Nah. It'll do its thing automatically.
(Joel plays the wavecast. A giant sparkleblock, like the one from Volume Two: Mystery of the Moonfire, materializes in the middle of the room.)
J: Whoa, nice!
F: I knew you'd like it.
(Joel gets up and dives right into the sparkleblock.)
J: Woo!
F: Hold on, I'll join you.
(Felicity enters the sparkleblock as well. The two of them swim around inside of it, chasing the little lights around.)

Well, I guess they'll just open the rest of their presents later. In the meantime, feel free to help yourself to more cake, and we'll see you next week!

Movie Roundup: They Are Coming Out Faster Than I Can Watch Them! Edition

Talking about the subject of movies last week reminded me that we are way overdue for another Movie Roundup post!

Is it just me, or does it seem like there are so many need-to-watch movies coming out these days? And on top of that, time goes by so fast that before you know it, a movie that was on your to-see list is - whether you actually did get around to seeing it or not - already available on DVD/Blu-Ray, Netflix, or even cable TV (Deadpool from 2016, I'm looking at you).

In the last Movie Roundup post from back in January (again, how does time go by so fast?), I said that I would probably offer thoughts on six different upcoming films. Because of scheduling issues, I actually haven't gotten around to seeing two of them. One of them is already out on home video. The other is still hanging on in theaters but just may end up eluding me this time around.

Anyway, on to it! And as always, remember that these are not really reviews, these are just my random thoughts, and those thoughts could and probably will include big-time spoilers (although I'm sure you've probably seen some of these movies a bunch of times already by now).

Black Panther

I really, really, really want to go to Wakanda. With their amazing advanced technology, can you imagine the kinds of video game consoles that place could produce? Or maybe they already do produce them, and I just missed it. Wait, what? Wakanda is a fictional country? How dare you even suggest that!

Ready Player One

Read the book, loved it. Saw the movie, also loved it. Yes, I know a bunch of things were changed, but I think the changes were both necessary and well-executed. Totally worth seeing in IMAX 3-D. Unbelievably, this is one of those that are already out on home video.

Avengers: Infinity War

This movie was everything I wanted it to be. Beyond that, I'm not sure what else I can say that hasn't already been said in this previous post.

Deadpool 2

The "Deadpool Kills Deadpool" and "You're Welcome, Canada" post-credits scenes were just THE BEST. Also very cool: the X-Men full cast cameo and the Thanos joke. I'm such a sucker for meta humor.

Incredibles 2

Jack-Jack is awesome. Hoping he gets his own solo feature someday. Maybe he can be like the Wolverine of the Incredibles franchise. Who's with me here?

Okay, well, that's it for this edition of Movie Roundup. I know, I know, the comments were kind of short and spoiler-free, but that's what happens when you have to save time for watching even more movies (as well as writing your own). Tune in next time when I might possibly talk about Ant-Man and the Wasp, Solo: A Star Wars Story (yes, this is one of the movies that was on the previous list), I Kill Giants (an adaptation of one of my all-time favorite graphic novels, out on Amazon), Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (seriously!), Venom, and Aquaman.

My Surreal Screenplay-Writing Experience

A couple of weeks ago in my latest Status Update post, you may have seen (or you may have quickly glossed over it, that's entirely possible) that one of the writing projects I listed as being in progress was a screenplay adaptation of Nobody's Hero, the concept album by my band Second Player Score.

The honest truth is that it wasn't so much a work-in-progress as it was an item on my to-do list, which had been sitting there for a Very. Long. Time. Now, in my defense, there was already a rough synopsis for the story that had even been turned into an audiobook-style piece of flash fiction, narrated by the awesome Tryston Blyth of Neue Regel Radio. So some work had already been done on it. All I needed to do was sit down, pour some tea (or beer, depending on the time of day), and flesh it out.

So, since the fourth volume of the Joel Suzuki series had been safely shipped off to my editor and the script for the first issue of Glorified (another item on the to-do list) had just been completed, I figured that the time had come to finally tackle this particular project. My assumption was that I would get started on it, make some decent progress, and then when the draft of Volume Four came back from my editor in a month or so, I would put it away and return my attention to Joel and company.

But then something totally unexpected happened. Using the existing synopsis, I sketched out an outline for the screenplay and started to fill it in. I quickly ran into a problem, though - there just didn't seem to be enough there to really create an entire movie that would be engaging and fun to watch all the way through. Sure, there were some cool parts here and there, but there were also large gaps where I just had no idea what was going to be happening. So at that point, I shifted gears. I kept the fundamental story line intact, but I also made some pretty dramatic changes to the characters and the setting, among other things. And that's when the unexpected occurred.

The next day, Friday, June 22nd, I sat down to write. And guess what - I couldn't stop writing. I got so much into the flow that I almost forgot I had a studio session booked later that day to record tracks for Second Player Score's third album. After the session was done, I came home and wrote some more. And over the ensuing days, I kept writing and writing and writing, stopping only to do things like eat (which I did less of than usual), sleep (which I did MUCH less of than usual), and care for dependents (you can ask them what they thought of my parenting skills during that time). Even basic personal hygiene activities were delayed or sometimes forgotten altogether.

As the days went by, I was beginning to think that this project was going to be completed much, much sooner than I had originally expected. And sure enough, on Friday, June 29th, I typed the words "THE END," and it was done. I had written the first draft of an entire 102-page screenplay in just one week. And really, if I hadn't had to do those other things I mentioned (eating, sleeping), it probably would have been done even sooner.

Now, I know some of you battle-scarred NaNoWriMo veterans out there may be scoffing right now, thinking "Hah! 102 pages in seven days? Dude, I can double that output in a single weekend." And yes, I know that you can. But please understand, something like this is not normal for me. I don't usually work at this kind of pace. Until now, my benchmark for fast writing was the first draft of Joel Suzuki, Volume One, which I was able to complete in a little over four months.

But there was something about this that was different. It honestly felt like someone had already written the screenplay in invisible ink, and all I was doing was rubbing grape juice on the computer monitor to make the words appear. Sure, some of it may be because I employed a few well-worn cinematic tropes, but I don't think that that explains everything. Plot points that I had been a little concerned about simply resolved themselves like magic when I got to that stage of the story. Seeds of foreshadowing that I planted near the beginning blossomed at exactly all the right moments. The entire experience was, in a word, surreal.

Anyway, I'm not really sure where it's going to go from here. I have some experience in the realm of novel-publishing, but when it comes to getting a screenplay out into the world, I'm a complete novice. Fortunately, I have friends I can consult for advice, and there is, of course, tons of available reference material about this particular subject that I can peruse (really, mostly all the skills I've learned in my life, I've learned from reading books).

Even if it never progresses anywhere beyond my desk drawer, though, I have to say: I am happy. The feeling that one gets from being in The Flow like that is simply indescribable. Nearly a week has passed since I finished the draft, and the afterglow is still there, strong as ever. While doing mundane activities, I've been amusing myself by reciting lines of dialogue from the script in my head (or sometimes out loud, which scares my cats). Regardless of what happens from here, whether this ever gets made into an actual movie or not, it doesn't matter. At the risk of sounding corny, I feel like I've just had the experience of a lifetime, and - inasmuch as writing a screenplay can do something like this for someone -  I've become a better person for it.

Thanks for reading. See you next week.

Favorite Franchises

Today I'll be sitting down with Joel Suzuki and Felicity Smith to discuss our favorite multimedia franchises. As you may know, a multimedia franchise is defined as "a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game." (Wikipedia)

B: Hey guys, thanks for being here today.
F: You mean we had a choice?
B: So I just wanted to take a few minutes to talk about our favorite media franchises, and maybe go over, like, a list of our top five or top ten or something.
J: Oh, I have a list.
F: Of course you do.
B: All right, Joel, let's hear it.
J: Are we doing top five or top ten?
B: Since there are so many to choose from, let's go with ten.
J: And this is just as of this moment, right? Because, you know, it can change sometimes, depending on what I'm currently into. I mean, like, my list from last year is totally different from my list now.
B: Right. As of this very moment.
J: Okay. So, um, mine would be...wait, are we starting from ten or one? One being most favorite?
B: Whatever you're comfortable with.
J: All right, I'll start from ten, then.
F: Any day now, dude.
J: Ahem. Okay, number ten for me would be - hold on, should somebody do a drum roll?
F: Actually, you know what, this is going to take FAR too long. Why don't you just rattle them off in order, one after the other, starting from one and stopping at five instead of ten.
J: One being most favorite?
F: Yes. Go.
J: Pokemon, Minecraft, Pac-Man, The Legend of Zelda, and Mario.
B: Wow, all video games, huh?
J: Yup. I've been playing a lot of games recently.
F: All right, I'll go.
B: Cool.
F: Hello Kitty, Sailor Moon, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, and My Little Pony.
B:
J:
F: Ha! The look on your guys' faces just then. Priceless.
B: Very funny. For real, this time.
F: Geez, so demanding. All right - The Matrix, James Bond, Middle-earth, Warcraft, and Hello Kitty.
J: Are you still joking?
F: No, I'm serious. Hello Kitty rocks. Or, at least, Kuromi does.
B: Fair enough.
F: Now you go. So we can get this over with.
B: Okay. Star Wars, Star Trek, Wizarding World, Doctor Who, and Marvel.
F: Wow. What a completely original and unexpected list.
J: You're being sarcastic, right?
F: Dude.
B: Hey, c'mon, be nice. I can't help it if those are the things I like.
F (rolling eyes): Fine, whatever. Can we go now?
B: I do have to say, though, that Spectraland would be on top of that list, if it ever does develop into a franchise.
F:
J:
F: Wait, did you say "Spectraland"?
B: I did.
F: How do you know what...Joel, did you tell him?
J: Tell him what?
F: About, you know...
B: Oh, I know where you guys go when you disappear from time to time. We even talked about it last October. Remember?
F: Oh yeah...
J: So if you know about Spectraland, and you know that it's real, then how can it be a multimedia franchise?
B: Because, well...because I'm writing about it.
J: You're writing about it?
F: That's what he just said.
B: I'm documenting your adventures, basically.
J: But how do you know what we're doing in Spectraland? Are you able to perform some kind of far-vision cast, like Fireflower or Blackspore?
B: Not exactly. Let's just say that I can...well, see things.
F: Whoa, okay, now that is just WAY creepy.
B: It's not, though, you see, because -
F: I'm outta here.
J: Yeah, um, me too.
B: No, wait, it's not like that, I promise! Let me explain!
F (grabbing car keys): Whatever, creep. C'mon, Joel, let's go.
J: Where to?
F: Anywhere. Far away from this guy.
B: You'll thank me later when people put Spectraland in their top five list!
(Door slams shut)
B: Ungrateful kids.

~ FIN ~

Quickie Status Updates

Here's what I've been up to...

Reading:
Rules by Cynthia Lord
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Writing:
Joel Suzuki, Volume Five
The script for Glorified (the manga/graphic novel)
Screenplay adaptation of Joel Suzuki, Volume One
Screenplay adaptation of Nobody's Hero
Secret Project, Name Withheld

Watching:
Sword Art Online II

Recording (today!):
Three more songs for Glorified (the album)

Listening to:
Death Magnetic by Metallica

Playing:
Xenoblade Chronicles II

Eating:
Almonds
Salads
Cold cut sandwiches
Angel hair pasta with Spam

Drinking:
Green tea
Water
Founders All Day IPA

Running:
An additional twenty minutes a day

Enjoying:
The Seattle Mariners (the last three games notwithstanding)

Autism And Disability In Literature

This article has just appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of Spectrum Life Magazine.

Author, musician, and Autism Empowerment board member Brian Tashima recently had the good fortune to attend a writer’s conference in sunny Florida, where he was not only an attendee, but also a panelist speaking about a very important subject. Spectrum Life Magazine sat down with him to find out more.

You recently left the Northwest! What was the purpose of your travel?

This past March 7^th-10^th, 2018, I went to Tampa, Florida to attend the 18^th annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP)conference. I had been invited to participate in a panel on disability in children’s literature.

How many people attended the conference?

I believe around 12,000 or so.

Wow, that's a pretty large conference. Why does it attract so many people?

AWP is an organization of writers, teachers, students, and other professionals in the literary community. The conference, which is now the largest of its kind in North America, brings its members together for four days of panels, presentations, and networking. It was really energizing and inspirational. I met a lot of great people and had a fantastic time.

That's terrific. Please tell us more about the panel you were on.

It was called “Disability in Children’s Literature: Not an Anomaly, an Imperative.” The official description went as follows: “Children and young adult readers deserve realistic characters reflective of themselves and the people around them. Yet, too often, kids with physical or intellectual disabilities are absent from literature for young readers—or, if present, the disability is the focus of the book. We’ll discuss how authors can responsibly integrate characters with varying abilities into their work so that the disability isn’t the story, but merely a challenge that a particular character faces within the narrative.”

Great topic choice and certainly an important one for our community! Do you know the process for how this panel topic was chosen?

Melissa Hart, the author of several great books including Avenging the Owl, had submitted a proposal for the panel to AWP. Avenging the Owl features a character with Down syndrome, so Melissa is quite familiar with the topic. I heard that less than half of all proposals get accepted, so she did a great job in presenting it for consideration—she wrote the description I gave you in the previous answer. And besides, I think that it’s an important topic that needs to be discussed, especially given the current cultural climate.

Who was on the panel with you?

Melissa was unable to attend, but I was joined by Naseem Jamnia and Rachel DeWoskin. Naseem is a nonbinary Muslim writer who is working toward their MFA and has written articles for numerous publications. Rachel is the author of Blind, a story about a girl who loses her eyesight in a terrible accident, and Big Girl Small, about a teenage little person who wants to be Judy Garland.

What kind of questions did you answer? Was it moderated or did the questions come from the audience?

Melissa and Naseem had come up with a great list of questions beforehand, and the panel—moderated by Naseem—took turns asking each other the questions and providing their individual answers. Afterwards, we opened it up to the audience. Most of the questions revolved around how to write characters with disabilities in a realistic and responsible manner. A couple of the questions were about Autism Empowerment, which I was more than happy to talk about!

Did anyone on the panel identify with a disability? If so, what type?

No one had a disability that I was aware of, but I think that's okay. To paraphrase one of Rachel’s answers, writing—and reading—is about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, trying to experience life and the world from their perspective.

What steps can authors take to make sure that their writing is respectful to people and not ableist?

First of all, do your research. If you yourself do not have the particular disability that you plan on writing about, reach out to people who do. Immerse yourself in their lives. Find out what they think, how they feel, what their challenges and their accomplishments are. In my case, my son is on the spectrum and I’ve been active in the autism community for many years, dating back to before the time I even starting writing my series. Rachel spent a year studying Braille and hanging out with blind teens at their school. She also became involved with Little People of America, a nonprofit organization that provides support to people of short stature and their families.

Employing sensitivity readers is also a good idea. Sensitivity readers are people who will read drafts of your manuscript and provide you with specific feedback regarding how your disabled characters are being presented. In one of their articles, Naseem had said that “sensitivity readers aren’t for the writer, but for the readers of an essay or a book.” I think they had a great point, as the final reader of any piece of writing is ultimately the person who will be the most affected by it. Using a sensitivity reader beforehand can help ensure that your book’s audience will have a positive experience.

I love the idea of sensitivity readers and think that is a strategy that would work well for both fiction and nonfiction. Do you get a sense that most writers who feature characters with disabilities in their books were influenced in real-life by someone with that disability?

I believe so. Most writers I’ve met that feature disabled characters are either disabled themselves or have a close friend or family member who is. Melissa’s brother has Down syndrome. Naseem, who is working on a manuscript featuring an autistic character, has a brother on the spectrum. Rachel was originally influenced by The Black Book of Colors, a children’s book that contains images you feel rather than see, but as I mentioned, she proceeded to deeply engage with the blind community and, I’m sure, gained a lot of inspiration from the real-life people that she met.

What do you think is the future of disability in literature?

That’s a great question. My hope is that the portrayal of disabilities in literature continues to expand and improve, and that writers of all abilities feel encouraged and inspired to share their own stories and experiences in a positive, respectful manner. As I mentioned in a previous Spectrums Life article about fictional autistic characters, I feel that representation is very important—especially for kids, who are looking to see themselves in the books that they read. I think that even imperfect portrayals—and, granted, there are a few of those—are a step in the right direction, because at least they invite discussion, which, hopefully, will lead to continued progress.

Thank you for sharing your experience! All of us at Autism Empowerment and Spectrum Life are glad that you were able to represent our organization and the autism community at such a prestigious event.

My pleasure! It was a terrific honor to be on the panel. I’d like to thank Melissa for inviting me to be part of it, and Naseem and Rachel for being such incredible panel-mates. I hope I get a chance to do something similar again in the near future.

It Takes A Village

This coming Saturday, Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy is putting on their annual It Takes a Village Conference from 9am - 3pm at Clark College in Vancouver, WA!

There will be a large, diverse group of service providers, panelists, and speakers there, including Autism Empowerment and yours truly. If you're in the area, please come by and check it out. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA 98663.

Oh, and speaking of Autism Empowerment - happy 7th birthday!

Looking forward to many, many more years to come.