It takes me a while to get to these Rabbits posts because I usually have to listen to each episode twice to really catch what's going on. So, although episode 4 is out already, today's post will be about episode 3. Anyway, spoilers ahead and let's dive in.
So, in this episode, Carly plumbs the depths of pirate radio while pursuing a lead on an older iteration of Rabbits in an attempt to understand what kind of game it is. She also recovers a mysterious, impossible photograph from her friend Yumiko's password-locked laptop that holds a secret message encoded within. And if that's not enough, Concernicus gives Carly some information about her parents' death that....well, let's just say that things haven't been as cut and dried as she once thought. The episode ends with a dramatic in-person meeting with Concernicus Jones and a cliffhanger (argh!).
All right, so let's look at this impossible photograph first. The photograph is considered impossible because it shows Carly and Yumiko in a Starbucks that had only been in a specific location for a year, and yet Carly is wearing a distinctive t-shirt that she lost three years ago. Now, you could argue that the picture is doctored, but then doesn't that make it even creepier? I mean, sure, you could splice a couple of individual photos together, but unless you were a photo editing software genius, I doubt that you could get the lighting and everything just right to make it look right. Why that specific, distinctive shirt in that specific place?
But the weirdest part of this impossible photo isn't the subject matter, but the extra information encoded within. Someone has created a "version" of a painting called Christina's World, a painting that Carly has a deep, personal love for, and hidden it within the "impossible picture" of Carly and Yumiko. Now, like the impossible photograph, this picture of Christina's World is also subtly wrong, but unless you really knew the painting the way Carly did, you probably wouldn't even notice. Carly seems to think that these pictures were sent to Yumiko, but, what if someone is trying to get Carly's attention? Could these pictures be from Yumiko? Or is someone else trying to draw Carly into something?
Then there are the death certificates that Concernicus sent Carly. They're extremely suspicious, not just because of the obvious discrepancies, but because of his implication that her parents were involved in some kind of "mysterious underground plot" of some kind. This, combined with the dramatic cliff-hanger ending, makes me really suspect Concernicus of suspicious shenanigans. I mean, he's the one who sent Carly the pictures of Yumiko from that escort site in the first place, and he's been her primary source of information about the Rabbits game. He knows way too much to be trusted at this point.
As for the pirate radio station - I am hoping that there will be more about the connection between Marigold and the game aside from one transmission. Maybe episode 4 will have more to offer.
So, does anyone have any thoughts about episode 3? Theories? Corrections? Leave me a comment.
Showing posts with label podcasts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label podcasts. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Rakugo
A lot of my exposure to Japanese culture comes by way of Japanese anime, manga, and literature. It's not the most efficient way to be learn - it's kinda like trying to look at a landscape painting through a keyhole. One of the things that you typically don't get exposed to in the West is Japanese theater and comedy. Part of this is probably because puns and certain comical trends just don't translate very well into English.
Most anime fans are probably familiar with manzai comedy, which relies on two-man teams. Think of classic Western comedy duos like Laurel and Hardy - one man is the funny-guy and the other is the straight-man. We're less familiar with a more minimalist form of performance comedy - the one-man skit performance known as Rakugo.
Rakugo is similar to stand-up comedian acts like Louie Anderson and Gabriel Iglesias. One man performs the skits and plays all of the parts, using changes in his physical position on the stage, his body language and posture, and his voice and speech style to convey each character. You may not have ever heard a full Rakugo performance, but if you've ever watched Fullmetal Alchemist, you've at least heard part of Jugemu Jugemu.
Rakugo acts should really be viewed rather than just listened to, but if you can't get to your nearest rakugo performance, you can at least listen to some translated stories here: Rakugo. Some of the stories do require a little bit of understanding about Japanese culture, but the hosts do a wonderful job of explaining things like the festivals used for backdrops for the stories or cultural practices, and of course the actual performance of the rakugo skits is top-notch.
So far, I think that the podcast has been family-friendly, so it's a good way to expose kids to something outside of their usual culture. If you have an interest in Japanese culture or stand-up comedy, or you just want something to listen to on your commute that doesn't require a lot of concentration, I think you'll enjoy this podcast.
Most anime fans are probably familiar with manzai comedy, which relies on two-man teams. Think of classic Western comedy duos like Laurel and Hardy - one man is the funny-guy and the other is the straight-man. We're less familiar with a more minimalist form of performance comedy - the one-man skit performance known as Rakugo.
Rakugo is similar to stand-up comedian acts like Louie Anderson and Gabriel Iglesias. One man performs the skits and plays all of the parts, using changes in his physical position on the stage, his body language and posture, and his voice and speech style to convey each character. You may not have ever heard a full Rakugo performance, but if you've ever watched Fullmetal Alchemist, you've at least heard part of Jugemu Jugemu.
Rakugo acts should really be viewed rather than just listened to, but if you can't get to your nearest rakugo performance, you can at least listen to some translated stories here: Rakugo. Some of the stories do require a little bit of understanding about Japanese culture, but the hosts do a wonderful job of explaining things like the festivals used for backdrops for the stories or cultural practices, and of course the actual performance of the rakugo skits is top-notch.
So far, I think that the podcast has been family-friendly, so it's a good way to expose kids to something outside of their usual culture. If you have an interest in Japanese culture or stand-up comedy, or you just want something to listen to on your commute that doesn't require a lot of concentration, I think you'll enjoy this podcast.
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Rabbits - Episode 1 & 2
I posted earlier about how excited I was that I was going to be able to listen to a new podcast from episode 1. I did a short post about the first episode, but it was pretty skimpy. There wasn't much to go on, but now that there's a second episode, I'm going to go ahead and talk a little more about episode 1 before going into episode 2. There will be spoilers here.
In episode 1, we're meet Carly Parker and learn a little about Yumiko Takata, her missing friend. She disappeared shortly after getting involved in a game called Rabbits. (Well, Rabbits isn't exactly its "real" name, but it's the name that it's known by.) Rabbits is, apparently, related to a category of games called "ARG"s (alternate reality games). ARG's rely on immersive storytelling and role-playing to progress, and can sometimes trek into "conspiracy theory" territory. It's a little hard to understand the connection between ARGs and Rabbits, but it seems that Rabbits steers a little closer to "conspiracy theory" than "immersive role-playing game". Because of the secretive nature of the game, it's difficult to find much concrete information about it, but here is what we know:
- If you play, you cannot tell anyone that you're playing.
- There are Wardens that make sure that you are following the rules and/or honoring the spirit of the game.
- Consequences of breaking the rules while playing can result in serious physical or mental harm.
- The modern version of the game has been played eight times, and this is iteration number nine.
Presumably, the prize for winning the game is worth the potential dangers, but no information about previous winners has ever surfaced. If Yumiko is involved in this game, did she catch the attention of a Warden? Or is she caught up in the pursuit of clues? Or could her disappearance be completely unrelated?
The first episode focuses on establishing the relationships and histories among the different characters and giving background information about Rabbits and people that may or may not be related. At this point, the only things that are known about Yumiko is that she has gone missing, she started acting strangely shortly before her disappearance, and that she visited the Natural History Museum before she disappeared. Before its ending, Carly receives her first clue about Yumiko - a pin-up girl style photograph of young woman from an escort website - from someone called Concernicus Jones.
But even as you get that clue, you're left with so many questions: Who is Hazel, and how were they involved with the previous iterations of Rabbits? What is Concernicus Jones's angle?
So, episode two starts with a snippet of a conversation with the mysterious hacker Concernicus Jones. But, before we can dive into that tantalizing little chat, it's time for a bit more background on the Yumiko situation.
Apparently, before her disappearance, Yumiko had become obsessed with learning more about people who had died while playing video games. Yumiko herself became so absorbed in her research that, had Carly not had plans to meet with her, she might have followed the gamers who died playing MMORPGs in Korea. Clearly, something is not right with Yumiko, but she can't talk too much about it.
Carly also follows up on what exhibit Yumiko looked at when she visited the Natural History Museum. She doesn't learn much, but apparently, passenger pigeons have something to do with Rabbits. Perhaps it's a clue in the game?
Finally, we can get into Concernicus Jones and his information. It turns out that he knows quite a bit about Rabbits, and he encountered Yumiko while he was "watching" someone else. He provides Carly with another lead - a website devoted to reviewing escort services like the one that Yumiko's picture had been on. This new lead eventually turns up a new clue - "How many steps to the lighthouse?".
The latest episode has made me wonder - is Carly now an unofficial player of Rabbits herself? How long until the Wardens turn their eyes on her, and will she be in danger if they do? Or, since she's following another player, would the Wardens just consider her one of the fans/observers that have always existed in the game?
So far, this podcast has been pretty top-notch and interesting. I am a little concerned, though, that this is going to turn into TANIS 2.0, as it has a lot of the same elements: the Deep Web, conspiracies, a trail of clues that lead to more clues, and hackers that know way too much. I am hoping that I'm wrong. Despite this, I am enjoying how stimulating this story is. It's definitely something that I have to stop everything and pay attention to, but I don't mind because it's so absorbing.
So, is anyone else following Rabbits? Any theories you'd like to share?
Apparently, before her disappearance, Yumiko had become obsessed with learning more about people who had died while playing video games. Yumiko herself became so absorbed in her research that, had Carly not had plans to meet with her, she might have followed the gamers who died playing MMORPGs in Korea. Clearly, something is not right with Yumiko, but she can't talk too much about it.
Carly also follows up on what exhibit Yumiko looked at when she visited the Natural History Museum. She doesn't learn much, but apparently, passenger pigeons have something to do with Rabbits. Perhaps it's a clue in the game?
Finally, we can get into Concernicus Jones and his information. It turns out that he knows quite a bit about Rabbits, and he encountered Yumiko while he was "watching" someone else. He provides Carly with another lead - a website devoted to reviewing escort services like the one that Yumiko's picture had been on. This new lead eventually turns up a new clue - "How many steps to the lighthouse?".
The latest episode has made me wonder - is Carly now an unofficial player of Rabbits herself? How long until the Wardens turn their eyes on her, and will she be in danger if they do? Or, since she's following another player, would the Wardens just consider her one of the fans/observers that have always existed in the game?
So far, this podcast has been pretty top-notch and interesting. I am a little concerned, though, that this is going to turn into TANIS 2.0, as it has a lot of the same elements: the Deep Web, conspiracies, a trail of clues that lead to more clues, and hackers that know way too much. I am hoping that I'm wrong. Despite this, I am enjoying how stimulating this story is. It's definitely something that I have to stop everything and pay attention to, but I don't mind because it's so absorbing.
So, is anyone else following Rabbits? Any theories you'd like to share?
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Rabbits
It's rare that I get to post about a podcast from its beginning as it's being produced, so let's see how this goes. So, I'll be following the podcast Rabbits and talking about it on the blog as new episodes are released.
Carly Parker's best friend, Yumiko Takata, has gone missing. Carly believes that she has gone missing because of her participation in a mysterious secret-society game called, in a roundabout way, Rabbits. But, just what is Rabbits? A recruiting tool for the CIA? A super-secret club that runs the world from behind the scenes? A method of uncovering the secrets of the universe? No one has ever been able to track down previous winners since the game's first iterations in 1959, so it's difficult to tell what the aim of Rabbits is. Whatever it is, the game has some pretty strict rules, and some apparently terrifying consequences for breaking those rules.
If you listened to TANIS or The Black Tapes, then you'll be familiar with the investigative-report-style used in this audiodrama. The story is told through first-person narration of experiences and research and supplemented by interviews with other people who are connected with the game or people who played it. It's produced by the same group of people behind both, so the production is pretty high-quality. Not only do you have some good voice acting, but there's background noise layered in under the narration to add audio-depth that emphasizes different parts of the narrative. It's amazing what stock sounds can do for an audio production.
Since it's only the first episode, you only get a teasing taste of what's to come in the series. Still, if it's anything like The Black Tapes and TANIS, you'll definitely want to subscribe to this one.
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| My first blog-along! I feel like a real blogger now! |
If you listened to TANIS or The Black Tapes, then you'll be familiar with the investigative-report-style used in this audiodrama. The story is told through first-person narration of experiences and research and supplemented by interviews with other people who are connected with the game or people who played it. It's produced by the same group of people behind both, so the production is pretty high-quality. Not only do you have some good voice acting, but there's background noise layered in under the narration to add audio-depth that emphasizes different parts of the narrative. It's amazing what stock sounds can do for an audio production.
Since it's only the first episode, you only get a teasing taste of what's to come in the series. Still, if it's anything like The Black Tapes and TANIS, you'll definitely want to subscribe to this one.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Podcast round-up
In case you were wondering, I'm not dead. To make up for my absence, let me give you a podcast round-up. These are the podcasts I've been listening to:
Limetown
Limetown, population300 0.
Limetown was a small, prosperous community nestled near the limestone caves of Tennessee. It was made up of a collection of brilliant minds, and was entirely self-sufficient. Everyone there had a purpose, a role. Although no one outside of town knew exactly what was going on in Limetown, it appeared to be humming along quite happily - a model community. Then, 10 years ago, 300 men, women, and children disappeared following a panicked 9-1-1 call. How can 300 people just disappear without a trace - no bodies, no notes, no...nothing? American Public Radio journalist Lia Haddock is determined to find out just what happened in Limetown all those years ago. But, perhaps some mysteries are best left undisturbed.
This is a short podcast audio drama that is good for newbies to the genre. It's paced well, and the story keeps you riveted.
Uncanny County
Uncanny County is a collection of short audio drama stories similar to The Twilight Zone. The stories are funny, touching, disturbing, and of course, uncanny. The stories are loosely connected, but each chapter can stand alone on its own. I listened to this while I was waiting for the next installment of King Falls A.M., and in fact, Sammy and Ben make a guest appearance in one of the episodes.
The Box
Addison Gilmore is a college drop-out working in a book shop when she discovers a huge, heavy box hidden behind dummy books on the shelf. When she finally gets it open, she finds that it's crammed full of journals kept by people called "Operatives". These Operatives investigated strange phenomena across the country, and some of the journals date back to as far as the 1800s. If they're real, that is... The tales inside are so unbelievable - strange, horrifying, and unexplainable. Like a good journalism student, Addison decides to try to verify the contents of these journals before dismissing them as some strange, elaborate, long-running fiction project. But the closer she gets to the truth, the closer something seems to be getting to her.
I thought that The Box had some good stories, but it falls short in a few areas. One of the biggest is the poor sound balance. The sound quality of the readings is great, but you have to really crank the volume up to hear the parts where Addison is talking about the stories and her research. You end up with an effect similar to the late-night infomercial: quiet t.v. show that you have to crank up to hear followed by "BILLY MAYS HERE....!". My other gripe with this show is that it doesn't spend enough time actually focusing on the journals and the entries within. The latter half of the show is mostly about Addison trying to get away from whomever or whatever is trying to get the journals back while she tries to track down some of the people related to the journals. I was hoping for more stories like Stretch and Bridget.
Wolf 359
My latest obsession. If you liked Red Dwarf and Mystery Science Theater 3000, you will love Wolf 359. The crew of the Hephaestus is orbiting a distant red dwarf known as Wolf 359 seeking signs of alien life. Communications Officer Doug Eiffel is our main point of contact, and through him we get to know Dr. Hillbert (crazy Russian mad scientist), Hera (sarcastic A.I. autopilot), Minkowski (gung-ho scary commanding officer with a soft spot for musicals) as they try to stay sane for their two year mission. This might be difficult, considering the mandatory weekly chess tournaments, a killer plant monster lurking in the air vent system, and the fact that their only entertainment is one VHS copy of Home Alone 2. Not to mention there's something....off about the whole mission in the first place.
This series balances humor, action, and drama really well. It starts out funny and light, but it sets up darker story elements early in the series and, even when things start taking a serious turn, it never goes completely grimdark. I highly recommend this one.
The Bright Sessions
What do you do if you're a young adult and you suddenly start feeling other people's emotions, hearing voices in your head, or time-travelling whenever you have a panic attack? Well, if you know how to use Craigslist, you seek out Dr. Bright: Psychotherapist to the Talented. She specializes in helping young people deal with their emerging Talents, no matter how strange and unexpected they may be. She's part of a larger network of an underground network dedicated to seeking out Talented people, but the network....might not have the Talented's best interests at heart. Dr. Bright certainly doesn't seem to think so.
The Bright Sessions follows several of Dr. Bright's patients. The best part of this series is that you get to watch everyone grow and learn to accept their Talents and who/what they are in more ways than one. If you've ever felt different and/or hoped that you had superpowers, you will like The Bright Sessions.
And that's all for now. I hope you find a new favorite podcast to listen to through this post. Hopefully I'll be back on track with some other reviews here soon.
Limetown
Limetown, population
Limetown was a small, prosperous community nestled near the limestone caves of Tennessee. It was made up of a collection of brilliant minds, and was entirely self-sufficient. Everyone there had a purpose, a role. Although no one outside of town knew exactly what was going on in Limetown, it appeared to be humming along quite happily - a model community. Then, 10 years ago, 300 men, women, and children disappeared following a panicked 9-1-1 call. How can 300 people just disappear without a trace - no bodies, no notes, no...nothing? American Public Radio journalist Lia Haddock is determined to find out just what happened in Limetown all those years ago. But, perhaps some mysteries are best left undisturbed.
This is a short podcast audio drama that is good for newbies to the genre. It's paced well, and the story keeps you riveted.
Uncanny County
Uncanny County is a collection of short audio drama stories similar to The Twilight Zone. The stories are funny, touching, disturbing, and of course, uncanny. The stories are loosely connected, but each chapter can stand alone on its own. I listened to this while I was waiting for the next installment of King Falls A.M., and in fact, Sammy and Ben make a guest appearance in one of the episodes.
The Box
Addison Gilmore is a college drop-out working in a book shop when she discovers a huge, heavy box hidden behind dummy books on the shelf. When she finally gets it open, she finds that it's crammed full of journals kept by people called "Operatives". These Operatives investigated strange phenomena across the country, and some of the journals date back to as far as the 1800s. If they're real, that is... The tales inside are so unbelievable - strange, horrifying, and unexplainable. Like a good journalism student, Addison decides to try to verify the contents of these journals before dismissing them as some strange, elaborate, long-running fiction project. But the closer she gets to the truth, the closer something seems to be getting to her.
I thought that The Box had some good stories, but it falls short in a few areas. One of the biggest is the poor sound balance. The sound quality of the readings is great, but you have to really crank the volume up to hear the parts where Addison is talking about the stories and her research. You end up with an effect similar to the late-night infomercial: quiet t.v. show that you have to crank up to hear followed by "BILLY MAYS HERE....!". My other gripe with this show is that it doesn't spend enough time actually focusing on the journals and the entries within. The latter half of the show is mostly about Addison trying to get away from whomever or whatever is trying to get the journals back while she tries to track down some of the people related to the journals. I was hoping for more stories like Stretch and Bridget.
Wolf 359
My latest obsession. If you liked Red Dwarf and Mystery Science Theater 3000, you will love Wolf 359. The crew of the Hephaestus is orbiting a distant red dwarf known as Wolf 359 seeking signs of alien life. Communications Officer Doug Eiffel is our main point of contact, and through him we get to know Dr. Hillbert (crazy Russian mad scientist), Hera (sarcastic A.I. autopilot), Minkowski (gung-ho scary commanding officer with a soft spot for musicals) as they try to stay sane for their two year mission. This might be difficult, considering the mandatory weekly chess tournaments, a killer plant monster lurking in the air vent system, and the fact that their only entertainment is one VHS copy of Home Alone 2. Not to mention there's something....off about the whole mission in the first place.
This series balances humor, action, and drama really well. It starts out funny and light, but it sets up darker story elements early in the series and, even when things start taking a serious turn, it never goes completely grimdark. I highly recommend this one.
The Bright Sessions
What do you do if you're a young adult and you suddenly start feeling other people's emotions, hearing voices in your head, or time-travelling whenever you have a panic attack? Well, if you know how to use Craigslist, you seek out Dr. Bright: Psychotherapist to the Talented. She specializes in helping young people deal with their emerging Talents, no matter how strange and unexpected they may be. She's part of a larger network of an underground network dedicated to seeking out Talented people, but the network....might not have the Talented's best interests at heart. Dr. Bright certainly doesn't seem to think so.
The Bright Sessions follows several of Dr. Bright's patients. The best part of this series is that you get to watch everyone grow and learn to accept their Talents and who/what they are in more ways than one. If you've ever felt different and/or hoped that you had superpowers, you will like The Bright Sessions.
And that's all for now. I hope you find a new favorite podcast to listen to through this post. Hopefully I'll be back on track with some other reviews here soon.
Friday, January 6, 2017
First post of 2017!
Ah, the feeling of posting on a fresh year. It's like being the first person to walk across a fresh field of snow...
Speaking of snow, we are currently expecting Snowpocalypse 2K17. I have already made the customary trip to the grocery store for milk and bread. Hopefully, we won't lose power.
So, the first read of 2017 will be Feed by Mira Grant. Nothing says optimism for the new year like a zombie novel. So far, it's pretty good, and I'm looking forward to reviewing it.
I have been listening to a lot of podcasts lately, too. My new favorite podcast is King Falls A.M. . It's a lot like Welcome to Nightvale, but more X-files and supernatural activity and less Lovecraft and government experimentation. I love the interaction between Ben and Sammy. They play well off of one another. But my favorite interaction was between Ben and the crew of Mission: Apparition, where they had an argument entirely in boy-band song quotes.
Another podcast I enjoy listening to is The Myths and Legends Podcast, which I may have mentioned here before. These are basically bedtime stories for adults. The stories are well-researched and told in a fun, approachable manner. It makes for great supplementary material for college literature classes, or just to have something to listen to when you're cleaning the house. There are a lot of Western myths and legends, but he does take suggestions for non-Western stories, which he then researches and presents. Even if you think you know a story, you should listen to his version of it - you're bound to hear a new twist on it.
Hopefully in 2017, I'll be able to post more often. I want to talk more about books, and other things, too. Do you have any requests or suggestions for posts? Drop me a comment!
Speaking of snow, we are currently expecting Snowpocalypse 2K17. I have already made the customary trip to the grocery store for milk and bread. Hopefully, we won't lose power.
So, the first read of 2017 will be Feed by Mira Grant. Nothing says optimism for the new year like a zombie novel. So far, it's pretty good, and I'm looking forward to reviewing it.
I have been listening to a lot of podcasts lately, too. My new favorite podcast is King Falls A.M. . It's a lot like Welcome to Nightvale, but more X-files and supernatural activity and less Lovecraft and government experimentation. I love the interaction between Ben and Sammy. They play well off of one another. But my favorite interaction was between Ben and the crew of Mission: Apparition, where they had an argument entirely in boy-band song quotes.
Another podcast I enjoy listening to is The Myths and Legends Podcast, which I may have mentioned here before. These are basically bedtime stories for adults. The stories are well-researched and told in a fun, approachable manner. It makes for great supplementary material for college literature classes, or just to have something to listen to when you're cleaning the house. There are a lot of Western myths and legends, but he does take suggestions for non-Western stories, which he then researches and presents. Even if you think you know a story, you should listen to his version of it - you're bound to hear a new twist on it.
Hopefully in 2017, I'll be able to post more often. I want to talk more about books, and other things, too. Do you have any requests or suggestions for posts? Drop me a comment!
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