iainwrites

[iainwrites]

So here's the musical background to the latest "cry in public" episode.

Harry Chapin did a son called Mr. Tanner about an amateur singer. The people in his life think he's awesome, encourage to do music as a full time gig, but he's happy to keep it as a hobby. Eventually, he says "Why not," gives it a go and it shot down by critics. He doesn't sing in public anymore and that's that.

In the song itself, the band's bass player and an incredibly talented singer in his own right sings the Ave Maria. On old live recordings, it's haunting. As in chills every time I hear it.

When I saw the Chapin family tribute show over the weekend, I was worried that John Wallace's voice did not stand the test of time. It didn't help that he was slow moving across the stage and needed help sitting down/standing up/etc.

And then he broke into the Ave Maria. I cried, leant forward in my seat and experienced it. It's one of the things I never expected to hear in person and it just floored me. He may not have held the notes as long as he used to, but he brought magic into the opera house.

[iainwrites]

I just heard John Wallace do "Mr. Tanner" and I cried. That is something I never thought I'd hear, and it's just as good as I could have wanted.

Addendum: And I heard the Chapin Family do "Corey's Coming" and I cried a bit. Didn't expect that, fully welcomed it.

[iainwrites]

One of the things that I love about Empire Records is the bonkers soundtrack. You think " Oh it's going to be mid 90's rock" before you get some Hendrix, some AC/DC, some Buggles and some unexpected cuts.

The other thing I love is Renée Zellweger's crowning moment. I'd love to know the direction she was given, but I kind of think it went something like this: "You're finally singing in front of people on an uptempo rock song, and you don't really know how to act." Because she bounces, waves her arms and just looks like a little kid in front of her first receptive crowd. It's really sweet to see.

[iainwrites]

It's Liv Tyler Night!

Not because I like Liv Tyler, but because I'm doing "That's Thing You Do!" and "Empire Records" back-to-back.

-Did you know? They came out in 1995 (ER) and 1996 (TTYD).

-Did you know? Both Liv Tyler and Ethan Embry have staring roles in BOTH films?

[iainwrites]

A now rare Dresden Files brain fart from me.

As per Skin Games, Hecate (triple goddess) has been split into the Summer triumverate and the Winter triumverate in the world's lore. But WHAT IF! there is a third missing/removed/destroyed trimuverate?

Winter - Summer - Nothingness?

Honestly, this appeals to my "Rule of Three rules everything" brain, but it'd also add an interesting wrinkle to any future conflicts and could create a very specific opposition to Harry in a future book.

[iainwrites]

Holy shit. I just wrote the passage for "Luck of the Irish" that's been brickwalling me for I don't know how long.

It fundamentally changes one character, completely flips part of the conflict for LotII 2, opens up a lot for world building and means I have to go back to the start of the story to edit in some foreshadowing.

But holy shit, it's been a complete pain in my ass to get here.

[iainwrites]

A little background on this.

I'm not happy with how I ended it. It ended the way I wanted it to ("And the story continues"/write your own passage pieces are my preferred thing) but I couldn't put the right pieces together to make it work.

I hand wrote this. In my substitute travel bag, I have a coiled notebook and a pen, and I started it during some downtime on a long-term teaching gig. This was (I think) the first time I sat down and hand-wrote, from top to bottom a Dresden story. Which meant it's among the first times that I had to re-write this in a doc, which meant I could edit it instead of shooting it off as-is.

Chicago and the world at large post-Changes is an interesting part of the timeline to play in. And the whole idea that Dresden's disappearance affects people is a wide open sandbox to dig into. Elaine getting very angry, Michael asking a lot of tough questions. There's opportunities in there for people.

[iainwrites]

Ripple Effects

A post-Changes story.

How can two people live in an apartment, she asks herself, but it looks like a varsity team’s wreck room?  “Maybe I should just hire those cleaners," Faith says, clearing off the kitchen counter and moving the dishes closer to the sink.  At least if they’re there, someone may take the hint to try and do something.

She shouldn’t even be bothering with this.  Mid-terms are coming up and her brain should be focused on preparing.  When she started university, she had promised herself that she’d get what she wanted based on her skill, not her family’s name or money.  Sure, the apartment was paid for by her grandma’s inheritance, and the professors in the know had given her more breaks than a student deserves after they saw her last name on the roster.  Nothing can be done about the inheritance, and she proved from the first day that she was there to work, and not coast.

These thoughts pass through her head as she moves around the apartment and tries to clear things up.  In the background, she can hear the sounds of the city and the radio play, but doesn’t pay attention to the music or short bursts of news that are filtered through the speakers.

“... And in local news, investigations continue into the explosion that rocked a quiet business neighborhood earlier this week.  Officials and police are unwilling to comment whether there is any connection to the destruction of a tenant's building, or the disappearance of one Harry Dresden.  Listeners may recall Mr. Dresden from an appearance on the Larry Fowler Show, or as a local investigator.  We’ll keep you informed.”

Carefully stacked and carried plates crash to the ground, as Faith’s mind turns into unfocused static.  She bounces off furniture as she stumbles towards her room.  A roommate pokes a sleep tousled head out of a bedroom and asks, “Wasrong?”  Faith doesn’t hear the question; she just bounces off her door and slams it behind her.  She all but falls on top of her dresser, pulling the old jewelry box down to the floor and starts to root through it.  Earrings and necklaces are shoved to the sides or into piles.  Old play jewelry is scattered.  Rings are quickly looked at and discarded the moment she knows they aren’t what she’s looking for.  Near the bottom, tarnished, scratched and standing out amongst all the other pieces is a man’s ring.  Too large for her, too simple for her father; something she wore in her rebellious phase and could never part with.  Something from a time that was both simpler and more confusing.

Quickly grabbing it, she clutches it  and holds it close to her chest.  Squeezing her eyes shut, she mumbles to herself “Christmas with Gremma.  The doll.”  Opening her eyes, she glances down, hoping against hope she will see something.  But the ring is just a ring.  With a sob, she closes her eyes again, and says, louder this time, “The summer we all went to the zoo and shared popcorn.”  Still nothing.

A knocking at her door sends her scrabbling for the lock, yelling in a rough voice,  “Go!”  Sinking back on the floor, she clutches at the ring like a lifeline.  “My first night with Sal.  My first apartment.  Coming home for Christmas.  Grace’s wedding.  Graduation.  Come on, work!”  The knocking on the door starts to turn a little more frantic and her roommate carefully calls in, “Fae?  What’s wrong, sweetie?  Can you let me in?”

The rough voice breaks and the tears that she had been holding back start to flow.  “Just go away!”  Turning her attention back at the ring, she says any memory that comes to mind and a number she makes up on the spot.  “Soccer birthdays the birthday I got Mittens good report cards first car concerts.”  The ring stays a tarnished old ring.

With a wail, she throws it across the room, and is crawling for it before it even hits the floor.  Grabbing and curling up around it, she cries on the floor, remembering a stranger that’s become mythic in her mind.  A tall glowering man in a cape, ready to strike down monsters with his bare hands.  But out of this, a softer memory emerges: this mythical man lowering himself down to her level and enveloping her in a hug on one of the lowest days of her young life, his coat acting as a shield from all the hurt the world could throw at her.

That’s the moment everything changed; where her young mind decided she wanted to help people.  Her parents were ready to have him thrown in jail because of their shortcomings, and he stayed.  Maybe because he was stubborn; but the older she got, the more Faith realized that the Right Thing was a calling, and something that some people just didn’t ignore.  This man could have suffered for it, but helping a little girl at that place, at that time, was the Right Thing for him to do.  That’s why she was at school, training to be a social worker: to help people.

“You big buffoon,” she whispers at the ring.  “You big, dumb jerk.  You can’t be gone.  People still need your help.”

At first, she thinks the ring is warm because of how hard she’s been holding it.  Maybe it cut her hand and she’s bleeding over it.  But then she feels the warmth start to pulse.  Not a lot, not like a steady heartbeat.  More like a gentle irregular thrum.  When she opens her hands, slowly, as if she doesn’t want to scare the ring, she can see it glow.  Not as bright as it did on that dark night all those years ago, but it does give off a very dull glow.  Enough to tell her that it works, and if it works, he must be okay.  Somewhere.

That’s not much.  He’s still missing and all those things have still happened.  Who knows where he could be.  And there’s no way she could go to the police and say he’s okay because a ring he gave to her long ago glowed.  But it does glow, so that has to mean that he’s okay somewhere.  He’s Harry Dresden, the man who fights monsters and saves little girls.  Of course he’s okay.

Slowly standing up, Faith slides the ring onto her thumb.  She keeps her eyes locked on it the whole time she moves to the door, half afraid that if she looks away, the glow will disappear.  Her free hand reaches out and after a few fumbles, manages to unlock it.  On the other side, she sees her roommate sweeping up the mess of broken plates.  Sniffling, she quickly blinks her eyes to try and chase away any tears.

“See,” Faith says with fake cheerfulness.  “I told you I’d freak out if you didn’t help with the cleaning.”

Her roommate jumps up from her crouch and immediately wraps Faith in a hug.  “Oh sweetie.  Are you okay?  What happened?”

Hugging her back, Faith smiles into her friend’s blonde hair.  “I’m okay Jen.  I just heard something over the radio that shook me.”

Jen pulls back and looks at Faith closely.  “Is it about your parents?  I know you were telling me your folks were having some trouble.”

“No,” Faith replies.  “Not them.  There was… back when I was a kid, this person helped me out.  Helped me out then, and helped me figure out what I want to do with myself.  The news says he’s gone missing and some serious things have been happening near his work and home.  Those explosions and fires people on campus have been talking about?”  Her eyes flit down to the ring, to make sure its still there and glowing.  “I haven’t seen him in forever, and he’s probably forgot I even exist, but the news shook me.”

“Are you sure you’re alright, Fae,” Jen asks.  “Hearing about missing people you barely know shouldn’t freak you out like that.”

“Yeah,” Faith answers, laughing and wiping her eyes.  “It’s just me overreacting.  And it’s Mister Dresden.  I’m sure he’s fine.”

At the mention of the name “Dresden,” all the blood rushes from Jen’s face before taking on a gray pallor.  “Dresden?” she asks quietly.  “ Like… Harry Dresden?”

Faith Astor blinks in surprise, looks down at the ring before looking back up at Jen.  “How do you know about Harry?”

Jenny Sells chokes on an answer, as a rush of memories she had tried to keep buried hammers at her, and at the forefront, a man who’s become a legend in her mind.  A towering figure who had promised to help her, her mom and her brother years ago.

“Tell me,” Jenny chokes out.  “Tell me what you heard.”

[iainwrites]

The music "get list" to start off the 2nd half of summer 2025:

-Broken Social Scene's "You Forgot It In People"

-The Oneups' "Volume 4"

-The 8-Bit Big Band's "Orchestrator Emulator"

-Darren Korb's "Hades"

-Led Zeppelin's "III" (on vinyl)

-Joe Cocker's "With A Little Help From My Friends" (on vinyl)

-Joel Plaskett's "In Need Of Medical Attention" and "Instrumentals" (both on vinyl)

-Dave Brubek's "Take Five" (on 45" vinyl)

-Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" (on 45" vinyl)

-Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing" (on 45" vinyl)

And probably some other stuff I can't reach for at the moment, but the one I've been looking for is a decent copy of Joni Mitchell's "Blue." Being able to listen to some hiss and pops on River sounds so nice right now.

[iainwrites]

Here's the preamble: I've had this idea of a Pokemon trainer who DOESN'T want to be a League Champion for a while. I've had team sort-of made up in my mind. I've come up with story-points. But I never did anything with them.

Until now.

“... And I say we break through the wall here,” the lead researcher says, pointing out the already marked sections, “and here.”

“After the inspector arrives,” replies her colleague calmly and firmly, obviously treading familiar ground.

With a barely controlled shriek of frustration, the lead researcher turns away from the wall of the chamber and stalks over to the stairs.  Halfway there, she turns again and beelines for her colleague with murder in her eyes.  Her hands start lifting towards their neck as she spits between gritted teeth, “We wouldn’t need the inspector if you…”

Instead of backing down, her colleague plants their feet and leans in.  “If I didn’t want this to be endorsed and supported by the Unova government?  If I didn’t want us to actually have working and up to date tools and equipment for a change?  If I didn’t want some tight ass and opportunistic rival to swoop in with half cooked but official looking enough documentation that would flush us out while they get all the credit?  Tell me when I’m wrong.”

From somewhere above them, a voice shouts down, “Plane is coming in!  Sounds like the Inspector is on this one!”

“Thank you, Mike!” the lead researcher shouts up.  She stops just in front of her colleague, lowers her arms and leans her head down onto one of their shoulders.  “We’ll be up.”  Without moving her head up, she mumbles, “We really need an inspector, don’t we?”

Patting their lead’s back, her colleague says, “Only if we want this to be endorsed and supported by the Unova government.  Or if we want to actually have working and up to date equipment for a change  Or…”

“Yeah thanks, Jules.  You're a great support.”

“It’s what you pay me for.  Oh wait,” Jules says, gently pushing the lead to a standing position, “you don’t pay me.  I’m doing this because I love you and you would probably fall into a Confagrigus if I wasn’t around.”

“When this goes through, I promise you’re going to be paid.  And… yes.  I probably would fall into a Conragrigus without you.”

Lifting a pair of harnesses from the chamber’s floor, Jules tosses one over.  “A little honesty, Michelle.  Show that to more people and you wouldn’t need me to be your go-between when it comes down to grants.”

The conversation continues as the two are pulled up out of the chamber and into the dry desert air above them.  The camp is a few kilometers off of Unova’s Route 4 and even further out than the Desert Resort.  Most would never think of trekking out this far, except on a dare, a fool’s journey or on a hunch that sounds too good to be true.  The trek out by land was slow going, climbing and cresting sand dunes, avoiding pits of deep sand and the ever present nests of Pokemon that have far more ownership to this stretch of land than humans ever will.  It felt like every path forward had to be rerouted around some kind of trap or hazard, adding precious hours to travel and sacrificing precious research time.  Once the group had finally set up a camp and some quick napkin math had been completed, the consensus was that it’d just make more sense for everyone to stretch their supplies and have things air dropped only when it was absolutely necessary.  Or when they were stuck between bureaucratic red tape and a potential research windfall.  Then comes the special request for a government improved Inspector who will hopefully give them the all clear and turn this trip into research with results.

Clearing the gap in the rocks first, Michelle untangles herself from the line and harness.  “What’s the over-under on the Inspector?  Pencil pushing desk jockey that doesn’t know the feeling of sunlight?  Muscles for show, brains on order, overdosed on charm?  Some Super Nerd that climbed up the ladder but still hasn't mastered basic social interaction?”  Even though it’s hardly needed, she grabs on to a loose end of Jules’ line and helps to pull them out.  

“I think,” Jules says with no small hint of patience, “that you probably should wait for the person to show up before making a call like that.”

“Yeah, yeah,” replies Michelle, before turning to the entity that had pulled them up.  “Were you waiting for us the whole time we were down there?”

Coiling each of the lines in each set of its broad hands, the Machamp shrugs and replies in noises that approximate human speech.

“Were you at least drinking something?  Or in the shade at all?”  Marching around, she looks at the skin on the goliath’s neck and shoulders.  Most would have difficulty spotting the telltale signs of a burn on the leathery gray-blue skin, but not Michelle.  From the start of her research, she made a point to bring Pokemon on her trips and to know who they are.  A machine can break at any point without letting you know, she’d tell anyone who listened.  Pokemon will let you know when something is about to happen.

The Machamp calmly moves about its business as Michalle looks it over.  The only sign of discomfort it gives is when she lays a hand on one of its upper shoulders, which causes the respective hand to twitch.

“I thought so.  Get to a tent, spray some Burn Heal on a cloth, ask one of the crew to help you out and rest.  We’re on hold until the Inspector comes in, so you’re on break.  If someone says they need you to do something, send them to me.  If they say I told you to do it, throw them down the hole.  No excuses.”

All four of the Machamp’s shoulders relax a bit as it nods and murmurs its thanks.  Placing the lines and harnesses into a marked crate, it turns and makes its way to one of the tents.

“And goggles!  The next time you’re out with me, bring goggles!  Your eyes are looking redder!  I’m not letting you go sand blind and desert fried on this trip!”

One of the meaty mitts is raised and waves and it strolls by the collection of tents and enters one to a round of surprised and happy shouts.

Between Jules and Michelle, they manage to pull and secure a tarp over the entrance to the ruins.  Bailing out the sand the winds blew in every night lost a certain amount of fun after a while, so the reigning rule of the camp had become “last one out closes the door.”  The look isn’t pretty and probably stands out like a signal flare from the sky, but beats the alternative.  While they work, the two researchers carry on with the conversation, like they’ve been having it for years.

“I don’t get it.  You can be nice with the Pokemon on the team, but a human in the university gets a face full of insults and a cold shoulder,” Jules grunts, dragging a slab of rock over to pin down one side of the tarp.

“Humans talk and use words I understand.  Or don’t, or use one word when they mean another.  Pokemon are all about the feeling of the message.  It’s hard to mistake when a Gurdurr is trying to set up a post and wants you to help or back off.”  Walking around, Michelle sprays something strong from a bottle at uneven points around the tarp, making a full circle and placing it into the crate with the harnesses and line.  “You either know what it's asking you to do, or you get chewed out.  There’s no hidden meaning or layers of messaging to sort out.”

“Why not read those studies I brought out,” Jules asks, tossing a warm bottle of water over the tarp.  “They’ll give you an idea of what to look out for.  Or maybe, I don’t know so here’s a radical idea, you can actually talk to the crew during some down time.  Treat it like research.”

Grimacing as she drains the entire bottle of lukewarm water, Michelle just says, “Why would I want to talk to people after working all day?”  

Jules just stares, then shakes their head and looks out into the sky.  “Did you ask one of the crew to set up a landing spot?  Or a target zone if the plane wasn’t going to land?”

“No landings this time,” Michelle replies, doing one more walk around the tarp.  “Deliveries should be perishables, some notes and equipment that we didn’t need until we actually needed them, and I think some boots.  As long as they boxed it right, everything can just be dropped.”

“Which means the Inspector is going to… jump from a plane?  I think that changes the over-under of what they’re going to be like.”

Smirking, Michelle replies, “Yeah, maybe.  Anyone can jump from a plane, though.  We’ll see how well they hit the ground.”

A droning sound starts to build around them.  Out in the desert, it’s sometimes difficult to pinpoint where a noise starts; and sometimes, there’s no way of telling what’s making the sound until it's directly on top of you.  Michelle and Jules don’t quite stand back to back, but they slowly turn in a circle, trying to gauge where to focus their attention.  The shimmering air doesn’t give much away, until a speck starts to form into a vague shape before becoming vaguely plane looking.

“Just off the spiked outcrop,” Jules announces.  “If they drop everything right, it should be in line with the latrines.”

Groaning in frustration, Michelle says, “And I just had Machamp break for the day.  I can’t get him to haul that back to the camp.”

Patting her on the shoulder, Jules tries to support their friend.  “We’ll manage it.  The way you described it, it’s a small drop, so we should be able to rope it and drag it back.  We’ll call in to the rest of the crew as we go by and get some extra hands.”

As the two watch, the plane gets more and more into focus, flying in line with the latrines, just like Jules had said.  As it gets closer, a hatch on the side is opened and a small looking crate is pushed through.  It tumbles lazily down, before landing in a puff of sand, much closer to the camp than Michelle could have hoped.  The two sets of eyes keep track of the plan as it goes by, waiting for a human shape to drop out next.  The most they get is a waggle of the wings before the plane starts a slow turn to bring it back to civilization.

“I’m going to kill Mike and leave him in the sun,” Michelle growls.  “Where the hell is the Inspector?  He said the Inspector was on that plane.”

“Hey.  He said it sounded like the Inspector would be on the plane.  Something may have come up.  Maybe they got nervous about jumping out.”

Pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes, Michelle groans.  “I’m going to call the agency that was supposed to send me an Inspector and make them thank Arceus that I’m not actually in front of them.  Then maybe they’ll send me somebody who actually knows how to leave a plane…”

A sudden sound behind them makes both jump as the tarp crumples and a sudden heavy sound is heard in the chamber below.  The two researchers spin and peer over the edge to see limbs poking out at odd angles from within the crumpled fabric.

Grabbing a light from their belt, Jules aims it down into the chamber and shouts, “Whoever is in there, are you alright?”  A grunt makes its way up, and a human arms untangles itself enough to give a wave.

“Yeah.  We’ll be sore, but we’re in one piece.  Right Abby?”  A three fingered paw untangles itself on the opposite side of the human hand and gives the spoon it holds a wave.  “This wasn’t the spot you wanted me to land on, was it?”

“Why would we want somebody to land on it?” Michelle yells down, pulling the lines and harnesses out of the crate.  “”It’s to cover the chamber we’ve been investigating, not a landing pad!”

“Okay.  That… makes sense,” the person in the hole replies, as a body follows the arm in freeing itself from the tarp.  “But look at it from my side: I’m flying over a desert to get airdropped into a research camp.  I see a spot of land that isn’t quite lit up like a flare, but it's pretty close. I aim for that because that’s usually where you want someone to aim.”

“You fall into a hole because you didn’t ask for any clarification from the camp you’re supposed to join?” Jules adds, looking around for somewhere to secure the line.

Everyone above and below the hole stops talking for a moment to process that.  Jules looks at Michelle and shrugs, while Michelle looks over the edge of the hole to look into the chamber.  The human is in the process of quickly bundling up the tarp, while the other being walks around the walls of the chamber, tapping on walls with a spoon.  It burbles something at the human, who shoots it a glare.  “I don’t care if you told me that.  The plan made sense.”  The burbling sound is mixed with low hisses that carry the unmistakable message of, “And look where that got us.”  The human’s head dips in defeat, before the voice half-shouts up, “I should have messaged ahead to make sense of things.  Sorry.”

Looking back at Jules and shrugging, Michelle calls back down, “Nothing we can do about it now, besides get you up here.  My partner and I have a line and harness ready to be sent down to you.  Hook yourself in and we’ll get you up.”

The being and human both let out a puff of laughter in the chamber.  “I bet you’ve already put a day in, so I don’t want you to haul my stupid up.  I’ll send a Pokeball up to you; just let my friend out, give her space and I’ll be with you in no time.”

A red-and-white sphere rises out of the hole without a wobble and glides forward until it lowers at Michelle’s feet.  Picking it up, she thumbs the release bottom and aims it away from her, Jules and the hole.  A white light beam of light hits the sand, before it begins to take on a shape.  As the light fades, a bulky figure straightens up from its crouch and gets taller and taller.  Beady red eyes take in the landscape around it, and a hefty tail swings back and forth, effortlessly crushing small rock outcrops around it.  Its whole body freezes as something finally clicks in its mind, and the rough head slowly turns to look at the researchers.  A growl starts to form, with a sound like falling boulders.  The Pokemon paws at the sand with its rear legs, trying to find some purchase before lowering its head and pointing its spiraling horn towards the two researchers.

From the hole, a single sharp whistle sounds, followed by a “Hey!”  The Pokemon’s attention turns towards the hole and it slowly pads over, craning its neck down to look in.  It growls something down at the human who replies, “Yes, I fell in a hole.  And I probably hurt myself and should learn a lesson from this.  But I need you to haul me out.”  Another growl, this time a question.  “No, I don’t want you to get in the hole with me.  Your Pokeball is up there, so you’d be stuck unless someone beamed you up.  And then I’d still be stuck.”  There’s a pause, before the Pokemon rumbles another question.  Though she can’t see the person in the pit, Michelle instantly recognizes the exasperated tone of someone who wishes that everyone’s brain would work the same way hers does.  "No one down here can fly me out.  But the two people up there with you have some rope and a harness you can use to help me.”  Another pause, another growl, another unseen image of a person clamping their eyes closed and trying not to lose their temper.  “You’ll have to hold on to one end of the rope.  I’ll get in the harness, attach my end of the rope to it, and then you can pull me out.”

The lumbering Pokemon seems to weigh all these thoughts for a minute, before turning and stomping over to Jules, who holds the harness.  It stands and stares at Jules, before extending a clawed paw.  They raise the harness and rope in trembling arms into the outstretched paws before slowly backing away.  The craggy creature puffs out a soft breath, nods its head in a very human gesture then turns back to the hole, raiding its tail so it glides over Jules’ head.  At the hole, it stares down at the rope in deep concentration before lowering the end with the harness down.  Once the human announces that they’re all settled in, the Pokemon simply turns and starts to walk forward, holding their end of the rope over one shoulder.

A hand clears the lip of the pit, then an arm, a shoulder, a head and pretty soon an entire body.  Not much can be seen beyond the sun goggles and head wrappings, the loose tunic and pants, the tall boots and gloves.  The fact that all the clothes look weathered and used is something Michelle instantly clocks, while Jules notes that everything looks like a practical choice for the desert.  The human unbuckles themself from the harness, before sounding off a lower whistle.  The Pokemon stops its trek into the desert, turns, notices the human and lumbers forward at a much speedier pace.  

The human turns goggled eyes to Michelle and Jules and asks, “Can I have its Pokeball back?  I don’t want to leave him out in this sun and heat.”  Michelle raises her arm, and tosses the Ball over, its white gleaming in the sun.  Catching it with one hand, the hooded head nods.  “I’ll just be a minute.”

Jules and Michelle meet at the crates, looking out at the strange person and Pokemon that had literally fallen into their camp.  “They fall into a hole, and can apparently whistle orders that a Rhydon listens to,” Jules says quietly.  “I don’t think anyone in the betting pool had called this.”

“No kidding,” Michelle replies, moving her gaze back towards the hole.  “And he brought up the tarp.  Huh.”

The Rhydon lowers its head, gently brushing its horn across the folds of the human’s hood.  It looks up and takes in the scenery again, grumbling.  “I know it’s hot, bud,” the human replies.  “I didn’t expect to have you out under the sun.  Hopefully we’ll be doing some underground work tomorrow, so that’ll help you keep cool.  Hey.”  The human reaches up and scruffs behind the crests on both sides of the Rhydon’s head.  “Thank you for working with those people today.  I’m here for a job and it's really nice our team is treating them nice so far.”  The Rhydon gives a happy growl, before sagging a bit.  The human gives it one more scratch below the jaw before patting the horn.  “Come on.  Time to get some rest, and we’ll see what kind of trouble they want us to get into tomorrow.”  The glow that comes from the Poke Ball envelopes the Rhydon before beaming back into the capsule.

The human starts to jog back to the hole in the ground where Michelle and Jules are using the tarp to re-cover the space.  The stranger grabs an untended corner, pulling things tight and lowering the edge to the ground.  Planting a foot on it, they rifle through a pouch at their hip, pulling out a weighted bag and settling it down.  Giving it a wide berth, they come around to where Michelle and Jules are standing, finally lowering the hood and goggles.  Underneath is a deeply tanned and lined face, with a half grin that looks like it couldn’t be removed with dynamite.  “Sorry for the rough landing and problems I made.  I promise that’s going to be a one-off; once I get started tomorrow, it’s going to be nothing but professional.”

Eyeing Jules, Michelle bobs her head and raises a hand.  “All water under the bridge, I guess.  Except we’re in the middle of a desert, so…”

Picking up for their friend, Jules jumps into the conversation.  “What my colleague means is… a bad first impression can be forgotten.  I’m Jules Ridley, co-lead of this research trip.  My partner is Michelle Rush, the other lead.”

Nodding happily, the Inspector replies, “Ace Rivers, assistant to Professor Birch out of Hoenn.  And I guess the guy you hired to be out here.”

[iainwrites]

Every so often, I have a story idea. Sometimes, its for an already existing series, sometimes it's something inspired by other works. Sometimes, I sit down, spin a complete idea and it goes away.

And sometimes, I write the first few chapters back in 2015 and it kind of falls off. Then I fall down the stairs, hurt my ass bone and pick things up again. Okay, to be fair, that's only happened this once. But I started the next part of it!

[iainwrites]

It's the first "summer is great until you lose your footing on stairs, drop a couple of feet onto your ass bone, whack your back on the treads and have to carefully move for the next couple of weeks" entry to the fuck it why not watch list!

-Pee-wee as Himself (Interesting doc. I wasn't part of the Pee-Wee generation and only knew about things through osmosis. It's worth the watch)

-Sports Night (first time watch)

-Pokemon: Twilight Wings

-The Jacket (I still don't know why this is my go-to for "late at night, something to watch when I'm half asleep" choices. Listen to "Fleeting Smile" (the shorter version) if you can find it. Weird but compelling movie.)

-Wicked City (first time watch. It was weird, but not weird enough that I ended up with "talk to Freud to figure what the fuck is happening" dreams. I had "This is the kind of thing I'd watch with my ex" thoughts but that's a whole thing I'm trying to move past.)

-Dead Leaves (first time watch. Watch the original FLCL, then this. Go in cold. Know nothing. Buckle in. It's wild.)

-Godzilla Minus Zero Black and White

-Eurotrip (I should do a longer bit on this movie. It's dumb, crass, offensive, wildly inappropriate, dated and I still love watching it. I went out of my way to buy a copy so I could own it and watch it whenever I want.)

-Ironheart (no spoilers, but this was the first mainline Marvel property in a while that made a plot choice that surprised and actually impressed me. The new Captain America had a character reveal that would have floored people if not for trailers, but Ironheart decided to do "X" and it was a very interesting choice.)

-The John Williams doc.

[iainwrites]

I bought Sports Night and The American President with the plan to go on a Sorkin binge. Sports Night, West Wing, Studio 60, The Newsroom. I enjoy/love his stuff from West Wing forward and figured, "Hey. Sports Night was being done at the same time as West Wing, so it must have some of the same verve, the same vigor, the same oomph."

And it does. Kind of. I don't know what the creation process of the show was, if it was done in front of a live studio or that was done in post. I don't really know how the filming and editing was done. But there's times in the first 7 episodes where it feels very patchwork. Sometimes there's a laugh track that bubbles up a couple of times per scene; and sometimes there's none. Sometimes the acting seems to allow for those moments of audience laughter; and sometimes it goes full bore with Sorkian dialogue, no breaks. It's a show (to me) that has a hard time figuring out who it's for.

It could have gone M*A*S*H and had NO laughter in the studio, but plenty of opportunities for a track outside of things. They could have blocked out entire episodes where there's no track and it would have stood out as something serious and not jokey. But it's half-there/half-not approach kind of lessens it.

It has the Sorkian spark and definitely shows itself as the proto "The Newsroom." Check it out, but know you may be a bit underwhelmed if you're coming off any of his other shows.

[iainwrites]

In an alternate timeline, society and media progressed in a way where it's not necessary to told when to react to something. If something we view is funny, we laugh for ourselves. If it's sad, we tear up. If we're proud, we cheer. In that timeline, dialogues flow naturally, they way they would in an everyday conversation.

That alternate timeline doesn't have to deal with laugh tracks and I'm envious of the bastards for that.

IF YOUR SHOW IS FUNNY IT'LL MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH! DON'T HAVE AN ACTOR SAY A FUNNY THING, PUT A PAUSE IN AND HAVE SOME UNSEEN AUDIENCE FAKE LAUGH THEN WAIT FOR THE LAUGHTER TO DIE DOWN SO THE DIALOGUE PICKS UP AGAIN, JUST SO THE AUDIENCE AT HOME KNOWS "THIS IS THE FUNNY PART I'M SUPPOSED TO LAUGH AT!"

I'm watching Sports Night for the first time, just so this doesn't seem like a random, foaming at the mouth opinion.

[iainwrites]

Every year, I say "This is going to be the summer I do more concerts." This may actually be the year where I follow through.

Joel Plaskett in July, a Harry Chapin tribute in mid-August and Deacendents at the end of August. Oh. And a production of "Come From Away" at the very end of August. Maybe The Town Heroes in mid July.

[iainwrites]

I just finished Oceanhorn 2 (actually Platinum'd it too), so here are some thoughts:

-It was a game. Not the best I've played, not the worst. It wasn't difficult to complete (24 hours or so), but there was tedium.

-It had a story. Not the most mind blowing, but it did make some plot choices that surprised me and (dare I say) impressed me. "You mean the bad guy ISN'T the real bad guy? And the ACTUAL bad guy is a fanatic of a different stripe?"

-Getting 100% for every area sucked. Partially because it would say "98% Warden Valley" and I'd wander around THE WHOLE AREA trying to find the little nook I never entered (and most of these areas took up 3 - 4 maps). And partially because the entrance that I needed to stumble across was hidden even though every other entrance would be already marked on the map.

-I guess I should play the 3rd game of the series? Chronos Dungeon, which got pulled from Apple Arcade, showed up in PC, iOS and Android but not on a console. The previous entries end up getting ports eventually, but no word on when for this one.

- It and Oceanhorn 1 are fun. If you're looking for Zelda-like/lite, pick either of them up. 1 is "A Link to the Past by way of Windwaker" and 2 is "Breath of the Wild but linear."

- Fun fact: the first game has music by Nobuo Uematsu. Yeah. That's kind of a nice incentive.

[iainwrites]

The "end of the school year and I need a break from exams, ceremonies and stress" edition of the fuck it why not list! (Disclaimer: I re-upped my Disney+ subscription so there's a definite theme here)

-Daredevil: Born Again

-Andor rewatch

-Tales of the Underworld

-Light and Magic season 2

-"On Leather Wings" from Batman TAS. Because that's just good looking stuff.

-Vods of the Spyro Remastered trilogy for some odd reason.