Fish and Cherries Productions

Some of you may be utterly shocked at what I’m reviewing. “Didn’t you say you were boycotting DC’s animated movies?” you might be asking. Well, yes, I was. However, there are a few things that made me change this policy. First, I’ve come to realize that if I want to be taken seriously as a critic, I’m going to have to bite the bullet and review things that I have a moral problem with. Second, this was going to be one of the hottest items on the market and I’m not going to pass this up, especially since it’s one of the most iconic and influential stories in DC’s history. Third… my trip back from Comic Con didn’t leave me time to see Star Trek Beyond.

So let’s take a look at one of the stories that changed the DC Universe forever, for better or worse. Ladies and gentlemen… The Killing Joke.

Batman: The Killing Joke

With San Diego Comic Con only a day away, I thought I’d give something to all the aspiring creatives that follow me. Aside from all the costumes, celebrities, and previews, Comic Con is a place where people looking to break into the creative world can learn about the trade from professionals. In honor of all of the ones who taught me, I want to pass something down that I’ve put together.

So you want to be a writer. That’s good, admirable even. The creative bug should spread as far as possible. However, there are a few big obstacles in your way, namely that being self-regulated is one of the hardest things to do. It’s easy to work for someone else, but working for yourself is a-whole-nother beast to conquer. Now, I may not be an expert on the subject, but after a few years of working for myself as a writer, I feel like I’ve obtained some wisdom when it comes to being self-regulated. Here’s three tips on how to be your own good boss when writing creatively.

#1: Beware of JOM

JOM is a nasty fellow who hangs over the shoulder of every aspiring writer. Nobody knows him by name, but everyone’s met JOM. Perhaps even you non-writers have met JOM too. To be sure, let me call JOM by his/her true name:

JUST
ONE
MORE

Just one more webpage of random facts before I get back to work. Just one more level or quest in this really engrossing video game. Just one more chapter of the book or comic I just bought. But that’s the thing about JOM: he/she keeps coming back. That webpage may link to another, more intriguing one or the next chapter could be a resolution to a great cliffhanger. Suddenly, just one more has become several more and that deadline is looking tighter and tighter.

So to stave off JOM, you should take heed of the next piece of advice…

#2: Time Your Breaks (And Be Sure To Take Breaks)

The reason our minds wander to other things while we write is that, like any muscle, it gets tired after prolonged use. Imagine if you lifted 100 pounds for eight hours straight. The muscles in your arms would be completely destroyed! It is omni-important that your mind be allowed to rest, even if this is your future magnum opus.

That said, you should be mindful of how long your breaks are. Newton’s first law of motion says that a body at rest tends to stay at rest; the brain is no different. This isn’t helped by JOM constantly butting in to distract you. The best way to get around this is to set alarms for when your break is supposed to end, letting you know when to get back to work. Nothing quite jolts the senses like an alarm bell.

#3: Don’t Force It — It’s Okay To Take a Day

Sometimes the writing just doesn’t come. Maybe the muse isn’t talking to you or you’re dealing with some problems weighing on your mind. Whatever the reason, you just can’t seem to write.

And that’s perfectly fine.

If the stories aren’t coming, even after some exercises and walks, there’s nothing to be done. Creativity can’t be forced any more than water can be squeezed out of a rock. Sometimes the river’s just dry. There’s nothing wrong with that, though; sometimes ideas need to percolate in the back of your mind before inspiration strikes you for the next part of the project. Now deadlines can make this step complicated, but necessity is the mother of invention and there’s no bigger motivator for that than last minute panic.

There is most assuredly more to this than just these three steps, but the the very least they’ll be a great foundation to build your path to the literary world. Take your first steps. Learn your own valuable lessons to keep you on track. But most importantly of all, never stop imagining and creating.

That’s all for now. For all those going to Comic Con this weekend, have a great time and I hope to see you there.

Well, here we are. The week of San Diego Comic Con. This, simply put, is one of my favorite times of the year, a time where I feel like I’m truly home and among like minds. So that means it’s time to push my name out there really hard and what better way to do it than by reviewing one of the most controversial movies (in the Internet’s eyes, anyway) of the year? Let’s see if busting still makes me feel good.

Ghostbusters (2016)

7-11, huh? Man, I could sure go for a Slurpee in this boiling California weather. Until then, I’ll beat the heat in the movie theater.

The Secret Life of Pets

I have somewhat of an inner confession. Not a sin or anything, just something that’s been weighing on me lately.

I don’t have a lot of fun with fighting games. I enjoy them to be sure, but there comes a point where I stop having fun because it… sets something off in me. Whenever one of these games is particularly relentless or cheap, I get very vivid sensations from being ganged up on, either verbally or physically, by strangers and friends alike. Most of the memories involve being told how awful I am or how hopeless it is to play against a friend who has had more time and dedication to it than I have. It’s a general feeling of helplessness that really gets under my skin.

Because there’s some truth to the matter. As a good portion of you know, I have Asperger’s Syndrome, which affects the processing power of the brain. Things that start in the brain take longer to come out and as such, my reflexes are a bit slower than my peers. Sure, there may be a second of a delay, but that’s all it takes for someone to overpower you in these games. It’s always bugged me in subtle ways, the knowledge that I’ll never be as good at these competitive games as my friends, like a splinter of sorrow in my brain. And yes, it affects me even when I’m alone.

This has been my confession for the evening. Have a good one.

Can’t take the heat this summer? Well, take some time in front of the cool computer and read what I thought of the sequel that took twenty years to come out.

Independence Day: Resurgence

I’d like to address a trend that I’m starting to find disturbing. I should probably have a whole article on it, but I’d rather get this out while it’s still fresh.

There’s been an announcement that Cartoon Network is rebooting the animated show Ben 10 and, judging from the promotional poster, it will have a minimalistic art style and focus on hyperactive, kid-pandering elements. Now I didn’t actually like this series, but I know it has a large and very devoted fan base and it is for them that I feel bad. Why? Because Cartoon Network has already come out with reboots for Teen Titans, The Powerpuff Girls, and Scooby-Doo, all of which had minimalistic art styles and focused on the hyperactive, kid-pandering elements. Oh yes, and all of them have been consistently bad.

Cartoon Network is going down a very troubling path, focusing on grabbing the attention of kids in the short term rather than keeping kids coming with quality stories. Variety is, of course, key… and that’s part of the problem. So many of these shows seem to be copies of each other. No, that’s not true, they’re actually all a copy of one show: Teen Titans Go! Despite the bad reviews, it’s pulling in very high ratings and has a huge audience to the point where Cartoon Network arrogantly advertises it as “your new favorite show.” What we’re seeing is a follow the leader mentality, putting out more of the same rather than different types of shows. While they still have gems that can legitimately engross kids with nuance like Adventure Time and Steven Universe, I’m worried that they’re going to get drowned out by this cavalcade of copycats. And I’m worried that the generation below us will suffer for it.

I don’t have kids yet, but that’s what makes me care more because right now, I’m dreading what kind of world I will be bringing them into.

Hello, class. The subject of today’s double feature is… marine life. I hope you brought all your notetaking material because we will have a test in one week. Let’s begin.

Finding Dory
The Lobster

Oh my… looks like I’ve got some big accomplishments to announce…

Let’s start with the first one: my mom and I were interviewed on a Bay Area public access show called Life on the Autism Spectrum hosted by AASCEND (Autism Asperger’s Spectrum Coalition for Education, Networking, and Development). If you don’t already know, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome from a very young age and have spent a long time coping with it. Believe it or not, Asperger’s has been a huge boon in my creative work and going on the show allowed me to talk about it, as well as The Fire Truck Who Got Lost and the Fish and Cherries website. Follow the link here and see the interview in all its glory.

And more exciting news — I just came out with my first published book review. The website SFBook published a review I wrote on a book called The Complete Double Dead by Chuck Wendig. This marks the first time that a piece I’ve written has been published by a third party before it showed up on Fish and Cherries. Check out the review here and read about what happens when a vampire wakes up after the zombie apocalypse.

That’s all from my end. I’m going to go off and watch the trailer from the new Psychonauts game. My body is ready…

Well now, doesn’t it feel good to be back? Sorry for the delay, everyone. Emotional stuff and a multiday allergic reaction slowed down my work processes. Anyway, here’s my review of Popstar. Enjoy.

As to why I didn’t do WarCraft… I’ve heard a lot of bad press and I’d prefer to wait until X-Men: Apocalypse is more of a distant memory. I don’t think I can handle my childhood getting stomped on two weeks in a row.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping