Gettin' Started

As of this writing, it is the same day as the previous blog was posted -- today is a day I don't want to forget. As I alluded then, Mason and I went to see Isaac at the studio to talk about the project, and he offered his facilities and assistance for a very reasonable price, because he just likes assisting with creativity! So that was great. I hope we've started a long-term relationship there.

We also talked about work at the meeting, where Mason brought up a job opening at his workplace, the sound department of Quincy's news station. So, that's something to attempt, I was talking about employment earlier, after all...

Before that, my grandpa came over to bring me some soup. He just had a big old tupperware full of extra chicken soup, and he thought I'd like it. After that, he invited me out for some burgers, and we did that, and then we went down to the Mississippi River to watch some eagles swoop around and catch fish! A very cool and unexpected diversion to my day.

And then before that, well, I got to talking to my mom about the ways that cruel things she's said, things she doesn't remember saying, things she was sure she never said because of how harsh they were, still stick with me many years later. "The axe forgets, but the tree remembers," I told her, and among other things, that got through to her. She believed me and she cried and she was sorry. And I forgave her and she took it all to heart, and I felt a ton of weight lift off me, like, all of a sudden I felt like I had the ability to do all the healthy lifestyle things that heavy depression had been blocking from me. Things like meditation, exercising, er, well, that's pretty much it, I can't imagine some miraculous new courage at making phone calls. But clearly some emotional clog is cleared and I can channel some new energy in the correct direction, toward my future.

Well, that's what my Monday looked like, and the only part I remotely expected was the meeting at the studio. Can't wait to see what else this week has in store before I post this next Monday.

Not all that much, as it turns out. Just continuing with the steps we've been on. Only new thing, we've gotten started on the TAPAS banner! A big image to put at the top of all our web pages and stuff. It's going to feature many TAPAS original characters, previews of what's in store, from the fine pens of Stacy Lord, Casey Gosselin, and my own fiancee and co-founder, Nathalie Jenfjord.

Still for sure have to be careful going forward, all this creativity ain't free. It matters more to me than life, to be sure, but how can I turn a profit on it so I can survive to make more stuff...? Perhaps there's someone I can consult. ...That's probably not a cliffhanger for next week. Something to save for Phase Two, which begins, well... in at least five weeks, still must first complete that elusive Podcast #52 that was meant to represent the first year of TAPAS, even though it's been nearly three years at this point. Being fairly productive, podcast-wise, so that symbolic end of a new era and the start of TAPAS Phase Two, it's on the horizon.

Creating in Quincy

Heyo! Okay, we're back. First blog of 2021. Finally managing to blog again after my move to Quincy!

Yup, been in Quincy for a couple of weeks now. I thought maybe we could get some stuff going on during the holidays! But that was stupid of me... yeah, nobody had to work, but they had Christmas and New Year stuff to do, of course there was no time for creative stuff. I guess there is no good time for such things.

But now that we're back... so many great things are happening. Every week, I'm having online meetings about the music for Irregular Fantasy! and the storyboards for Keys & Kingdoms: The Choices. Neither of such things are going as quickly as I'd like, but... I like that they're happening again, I lost my drive for it all last summer, then regained it a bit too quickly for anyone else to really be prepared, but now, now we're creating again and it's great.

And the project coming closest to fruition is Better Yet?, a very special TAPAS project to me because, well, it's not one of mine! Mason Ellison conceived and co-wrote it and is directing. I really like working on somebody else's project, it just gives me this feeling that TAPAS is a real thing and not just me being delusional. We've assembled the cast and had an excellent script-reading last night. It's a fabulous story about depression, every word the lead said about how he feels every day was like it came out of my own head; getting to play this guy, it's quite an honor. The lessons the play teaches, well, I don't want to give them away, they're kind of an unexpected twist on the direction of the plot, but for sure we're doing a good thing here by telling this story.

So, that was last night, and this evening, Mason and I are going to meet with the guy at the local music studio to talk about arranging the use of the studio space for voice acting purposes for projects such as this one. Then Mason and his fellow writer have some notes to go over, they're gonna do some rewrites, and we'll figure out the rest of the procedure and bring this play to you, the good people, in audio-drama form.

Most of my focus right now is on transferring everything I know about every project I have over to a wiki! A secret wiki. Only for TAPAS writers and stuff. Not for the audience, lots of spoilers and secret production details. Me being who I am, if there ever is a real TAPAS wiki, I'll be there contributing to it, correcting those fan misconceptions that always end up on such wikis, hehe. Apparently Monty Oum used to do that; among other things, according to the RWBY wiki, the world first discovered that the world of RWBY was called "Remnant" when Monty personally went onto the wiki and changed the name for the article for the world, which fans had incorrectly deduced was called "Vytal".

Anyway, big things are on their way now at TAPAS. Substantially more on the way than they've ever been! Never had a real rehearsal until yesterday. Always new things coming around. Things are never as short or as easy as I think they'll be, but, eh, I'm getting better at grasping such things.

There's a bit of trepidation about working on TAPAS from this apartment, you know, I've never had trouble paying for resources for projects before, buuuut, I've never had rent and utilities before, I should probably head down to the vocational rehab office sooner rather than later. ...Work sucks. Every job I've ever had was either traumatizing, or I was let go for not working hard enough so probably should have been traumatizing. Maybe in Quincy I'll find something non-traumatizing I can do. I mean, it's either that or the TAPAS Patreon blows the fuck up. Probably that first thing. Don't worry, I'm not in any trouble; in general, I live real simple, I'm good at saving, this is just a new life that makes me nervous.

Hope to see you again soon!