iainwrites

[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.

[iainwrites]

"The world is so fucked. But at least the internet is still funny."

High School Staffroom: June 17 2025

[iainwrites]

I was stopped in the halls after lunch. Someone had seen me at prom and asked their friend if I was seeing anybody, how old I was, etc. So her friend made sure to ask me and to let me know someone was interested.

... I'M A TEACHER! WHY IS THE HIGH SCHOOL "INDIRECTLY ASKING ABOUT SOMEONE YOU LIKE" THING HAPPENING NOW?

[iainwrites]

A late night start for watching "Sisu."

When it said onscreen "Chapter One," my immediate out loud reply was "Oh, it's going to be THAT kind of movie." Which isn't a good or bad thing: it's calling out bright and early that it'll be following a traditional story structure. It's influenced by earlier films that do a structured narrative. And as of (checking the time stamps) 9 minutes in, it has had 0 dialogue aside from gasps, puffs of breath and a yell of excitement.

[iainwrites]

In Dark Side of the Ring, I usually expect tragedy, debauchery, self destruction. That sort of thing. The worst people can go through.

The Tony Atlas ep started by summarizing "This was a man at the top who fell through rock bottom. He had his highs and extreme lows. A Black man who carved out a spot for future athletes and faced discrimination."

And the thing that hit me hardest was, "I like for women in nice sneakers to step on me."

Of all the things I have seen in this series, THAT one blindsided me. I mean, power to the man for knowing and being damn okay saying what he likes in life.

Just... huh. That one, I didn't expect.

[iainwrites]

Late night start to Alien: Romulus.

Damn, this movie looks like a sequel to Alien. You could tell me that the first 20 or so minutes is all done with practical effects and I might believe you. It feels like everything's unpolished but still finished (if that makes sense).

[iainwrites]

Way back in the day, I had a university prof (for History) who would add completely random bonus questions to the end of his test.

Scott passed away a month or so ago. He was a nice guy who was passionate about his subject and irreverent when it was needed. (He also gave me a pass when I forgot to properly cite a paper. Scott was a mensch.)

So Scott? At the end of my Global exam, I have bonus questions. And one of them is to name 7 Disney Princesses. That's for you. You're going to keep influencing the education of students because you influenced me. Thank you.

[iainwrites]

It's the "I made 2 exams in 3 days, only 2 more left to make and there's 17 days left before it all kicks off so I deserve some distractions" edition to the fuck it why not list!

-Wick is Pain (documentary about the making of John Wick)

-The Warriors (first time watch)

-My Hero Academia season 7.5

-A lot of Binding of Isaac VODs for some reason.

-Not a watch per se, but the Playstation ports of the Castlevania games that were originally on the GBA.

[iainwrites]

... I just finished Pirake Yakuza, and it is beyond description. It may be THE MOST Yakuza game of all Yakuza games. There's forth wall breaking from the start. There's completely random ass cut scenes. You do some weird favors for people. YOU'RE A PIRATE AND A MEMBER OF THE YAKUZA.

DANCING SAIJIMA!

This game is a lot.

[iainwrites]

The ongoing saga of "Genius doesn't know what the fuck to do with this library." Jazz, folk, blues, hard rock/stoner: it gets.

But holy shit does it go a little funny in other places.

[iainwrites]

astrabear replied: I randomly came across this post, and I actually know Ari - he would love to write more Mick Oberon but the books haven't sold well enough for the publisher to go forward with the series.

Well that's a bit of not fun news. The Mick Oberon series was one of my favorite urban fantasy series when I was in that phase and it sucks to hear that it wasn't as well appreciated as it could have been. And the double kick in the knackers: that it's an unfinished story. A good story should be able to have it's final chapter/passage/word.

[iainwrites]

Continuing in the My Hero Academia rewatch:

When Twice breaks out Sad Man's Parade, I always root for the guy. He's a "villain," but more than that, he's a guy whose been dealt shit hand after shit hand, is about to see his best friend/love interest??? killed and decides "Fuck everything and everyone, I'm protecting my friends."

Is he a villain? Yes. But he's a loyal friend who will go to the ends of the earth and sacrifice his body/mind to protect his people. Damn good stuff.

[iainwrites]

Watching "Echo in the Canyon" for the umpteenth time, and I still have a music crush on Jade Castrinos.

The sway, the smile, the delivery. Be still my heart.

[iainwrites]

I've been rewatching My Hero Academia from scratch during the last month, and had one of my "if this part was changed it'd be a nice touch" thoughts.

-Anytime after Togota was shot and they did the "name/quirk" character header, wouldn't it have been a little gut wrenching to see "Permeation" scratched out on screen?

[iainwrites]

I finally went and bought "Orphans" by Tom Waits. You know, the 3 disc extravaganza featuring songs he wrote for other people/songs from strange German films/songs from children's albums/songs he appeared on that only the in crowd and obsessive knew about.

The constant question I have, every time I edit the song information and listen to a track is, "Who the fuck ARE you?" Tom Waits defies definition. Because the minute you say, "Oh he does that weird experimental rock stuff," you find out oh he did "A Little Drop Of Poison." YEAH: that song Captain Hook is singing in Shrek 2. And he closes a children's album with a song that will legitimately put me to sleep. Or Long Way Home, which he wrote for Norah Jones and does in the voice NOBODY can imitate.

Tom Waits is a beautiful mystery, wrapped in sandpaper, doused in whiskey and tumbled down a hill.