The Audio File: Cupid and the Reaper

As of late, several audio dramas have been wrapping up their latest seasons. I certainly intend to review said shows soon enough. However, there’s one follow-up season I’ve been meaning to review for a while now. I think I’ve wait quite long enough. So, without further ado, let’s get straight into it. We’re taking a look at Cupid and the Reaper, chapter two of The Natureverse. 

Mondo Ramirez has alway been the big man on campus at his middle school in Savannah, Georgia. He’s known for being very grandiose and has a flair for the dramatic. His plan to ask his crush, Harper, to prom is no exception. It’s going to be perfect. Or it was, until a mysterious man with a black cloak and scythe appears. Oh, and Mondo accidentally electrocutes the man. Before long, Mondo learns that the mysterious man was the Grim Reaper himself. Now that the Reaper is dead, his role and title has been passed to Mondo. And as if that wasn’t enough, Mondo also learns that his classmate, Marcus Aronson, is the current wielder of Cupid’s powers. Mondo must get the hang of his new powers, and duties, with a little help from Marcus. But both boys must be careful, for there are dark forces lurking about. Thankfully, Chloe and Felix are also keeping a close eye on things from Mother Nature HQ. Hold on tight, because chapter two of The Natureverse is here.

As I said in the introduction, I’d been meaning to review this season of The Natureverse for a while. But, as often happens, life had other plans for me. Still, I’m doing it now. I thought that Cupid and the Reaper was absolutely fantastic. In fact, it was even better than Becoming Mother Nature. The writing team built upon the strengths of Becoming Mother Nature, while also addressing and correcting its shortcomings. One of my biggest complaints about Becoming Mother Nature was that the rules of Chloe’s powers were very poorly defined. It seemed like the writers were discarding rules as soon as they created them. In Cupid and the Reaper, however, the rules Marcus and Mondo’s powers are far more consistent and straightforward. Also, when Chloe does appear, her powers are far more streamlined. The way they work is presented in a far more straightforward, simplified, and internally consistent way.

Interestingly, some stories about the Grim Reaper say that it is indeed possible to kill the Reaper. However, should you successfully accomplish this, you become the new Grim Reaper. So, the way Mondo gets the role of the Reaper has roots in actual folklore. He can travel anywhere in the world, and even to the underworld, by tapping his scythe twice and thinking about his destination. He even get’s a new digital assistant, named Cerberus, to help keep track of his assignments as the Reaper. Mondo’s primary duties are to reap the souls of those due to die, and bring them to the underworld. After that, the ferryman Charon takes them across the River Styx to the Land of the Dead. However, if a soul that is due to be reaped stay in its body too long, the person becomes a zombie. Fortunately, zombies can be stopped if their souls are reaped. Well, they’re easy enough to deal with as long as Mondo doesn’t let them get out of hand.

Mondo might seem a bit mismatched with his role as the Grim Reaper, but I think he fits fairly well. He’s very friendly, personable, and has laidback and easygoing personality. In other words, the kind of person you’d want to meet after dying. True, he has a bit of a learning curve, but eventually he does get the hang of being a psychopomp. For reference, psychopomps are gods, spirits, and other mythological beings who guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife.

Marcus has a pair of retractable wings, a bow, and quiver of arrows. The gold-tipped arrows make people fall in love, while the lead-tipped arrows make people fall out of love. Again, this is accurate to mythology. This most famously happens in the story of Apollo and Daphne. Apollo got hit with a gold arrow, and fell madly in love with Daphne. Daphne, unfortunately, got hit by a lead arrow, and wanted nothing to do with Apollo. She did wind-up turning into a tree, but hey, at least she didn’t have to put-up with Apollo anymore. So, you know; win some, lose some.

Marcus is very nerdy and super smart. He tracked down the original Cupid to a fountain at a park in Savannah. Cupid had grown a bit weary over the past 1000 years. He got to spread love, but never had time to pursue love of his own. So, he agreed to let Marcus have his powers on a trial basis. I really liked the Cupid before Marcus. He only appeared a few times, but he seems like a pretty nice guy, and he gives helpful advice to our heroes.

Now, some of you are probably confused about the pervious Cupid only serving for 1000 years. Surely, it ought to be at least 3000 years? Well, that ties into one of the things I really loved about this season. It is explained that the various gods from mythology aren’t individuals. Rather, they are titles and positions that are passed from person to person. That’s actually a pretty brilliant way to explain all the contradictions within mythological stories. It wasn’t the ancient writers misremembering things, or getting the details wrong. Rather, they were recording accounts of different individuals who happened to hold the same title and position. So, major points to the writers at Gen-Z Media for creativity and originality.

Marcus take a very meticulous and analytical when it comes to love. He’s developed an algorithm to determine how compatible two individuals are. Of course, he got a pretty good reasons for this. Mr and Mrs. Aronson were about to get divorced, so Marcus hit them with extra-strength love arrows. They still argue, but they do so in a very lovey-dovey saccharine way. So, Marcus knows what it looks like when a relationship falls apart. Interestingly, this is the only time he abuses his powers. He never seems tempted to use them to make girls like him. Maybe that’s why the previous Cupid trusted him with the powers. He knew Marcus wouldn’t use them to nefarious ends. Or maybe the algorithm didn’t show him as comparable with any of the girls at school. In fact, Chloe seems to be the first girl Marcus has even truly fallen in love with. He develops a major crush on her shortly after the meet. Oh, and Harper, the girl Mondo likes, is Marcus’ sister. As you can imagine, this creates issues.

I’d also like to take a moment to praise the strong performances that the cast gave. There were some very strong performances all around. Of course, excellent voice acting is to be expected with a Gen-Z Media production. I particularly liked how they handled the accents. Cupid and the Reaper is set in Georgia, but we hear a variety of accents. Some character have thick Southern accents, while other have more subdued accents, or are almost totally lacking any stereotypically Southern characteristics. As someone who is from the American South, I can confirm that this is how it goes in real life, especially in descent-sized cities.

I might be wrong, but I think Mondo’s voice actor was in the first episode of The Creeping Hour. Come to think of it, Marcus’ voice actor sounds very similar to Max from Treasure Island 2020. I wonder if it was the same person. Well, in any event, I do have one minor critique. I found some of Chloe’s dialogue to be a tad stilted and wooden. It was particularly jarring, as none of the other characters suffer this issue. For that matter, none of Chloe’s dialogue from Becoming Mother Nature had this issue either. Though, I do concede that it is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things.

Okay, that’s pretty much everything I can discuss without major spoilers. So, if you don’t want any of that, turn back now.

Last chance, you sure you want to continue.

If everyone who wants out is gone, let’s get into it.

There is one more important character to discuss. Mr. Apep is a really cool teacher at Mondo and Marcus’ middle school. Well, that’s how he initially seems. This is one of those instances where being in audio was a major advantage for Cupid and the Reaper. If it had been in print, I would have figured Mr. Apep out far sooner. Apep is an alternative name for Apophis, the serpent of chaos from Egyptian Mythology. Mr. Apep was a much better villain than Duncan Sunshine was in Becoming Mother Nature. Duncan wanted the powers of Mother Nature…so that he could be the greatest weatherman in the world. Oh, and he also had an array of weather manipulation satellites, making the whole thing rather redundant. Mr. Apep’s motivations make far more sense, and his reasons for trying to manipulate the heroes is far more justified.

Mr. Apep knew Grandma Ivy, and fell in love with her. Unfortunately, she only had eyes for Chloe’s grandpa. So, Mr. Apep wants Mondo to take him to the Land of the Dead so that he can bring Grandma Ivy back to the world of the living. Of course, this is a serious violation of the natural order of things. The dead are suppose to stay dead, after all. But hey, he’s the embodiment of chaos, so what does he care? Obviously, he needs Mondo to take him to the Land of the Dead to pull this off. It was never stated, but it appears that part of his powers include eternal youth. Going off the voice, Mr. Apep appears be physically younger than his age would suggest. Based on certain comments he makes, Mr. Apep has been around since Ancient Egypt.

A big theme for this season is that death is a part of life; it is as natural as the rain. It was also clear from the start that something was going happen with Harper. She was going to be reaped if Mondo hadn’t accidentally killed the old Grim Reaper. As the playwright Anton Chekhov famously said, if you introduce a gun in act one of a play, it better fire by act five. So, what would happen with Harper? Would she become a zombie? Would she turn out to be terminally ill? Would Mondo be forced to reap her?

All wrong. She helped take down Mr. Apep. However, Mr. Apep’s power work like the Grim Reaper’s do. Since Harper, technically, killed him, she is the new embodiment of chaos. Well, didn’t see that coming, but I do like it. That’s going to open a lot of possibilities for season three. I’m also happy that the previous Cupid met a nice man at a resort in Tahiti. I guess he found love after all. Of course, Mondo also exposed his secret identity to the world, and became a bit of a celebrity. It seems that season three will involve Father Time, and probably time travel as well. I do love a good time travel story. Oh, and apparently the current Father Time is female.

Cupid and the Reaper was absolutely fantastic, and I can’t wait for season 3 of The Natureverse. Cupid and the Raper built upon the success of Becoming Mother Nature, while also correcting the mistakes and shortcomings of its predecessor. If you loved Becoming Mother Nature, you certainly won’t want to miss Cupid and the Reaper.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: Absolutely No Adventures

I’ve found that, when it comes to secondary world fantasy, I tend towards the comedic. I have found, especially with the standard Medieval-style worlds, I prefer ones that don’t take themselves completely seriously. Also, to clarify, secondary world means set in a world other than the one we live in. It doesn’t have anything to do with the Soviet Union, or the Eastern Bloc nations. I’m willing to take a secondary world fantasy more seriously when it doesn’t play its premise completely straight. So, without further ado, let’s get into the audio drama we’ll be reviewing today. We’re taking a look at Absolutely No Adventures. 

Absolutely No Adventures follows a baker name Sig. He lives in a stereotypical fantasy world, and has a fairly impressive pedigree. He’s a seventh son of a seventh son, he’s a minor noble in several kingdoms and principalities, and features into several prophecies. Naturally, he’s quite the hot commodity. Almost everyone has tried to rope him into various quests and adventures. However, as the name of the show says, Sig wants no adventures. He just wants to bake, and will do whatever it takes to avoid going on a quest. The show follows the (un)adventures of Sig and his friends at his bakery, Sig’s Signature Eats. They’re serving up cookies, cakes, pies, bread, and absolutely no adventures.

I first became aware of Absolutely No Adventures thanks to the Audio Drama Infinitum feed over on Twitter. It is run by Julie Hoverson, who also produces the audio drama 19 Nocturne Boulevard. Audio Drama Infinitum is dedicated to helping promote free scripted audio dramas. That means the shows aren’t for sale, but they are available on most major podcast apps or YouTube. It also means it isn’t just an audiobook narration, but something that is acted out and performed.

I saw a tweet promoting Absolutely No Adventures, and was very impressed by the high-quality cover art. The premise also sounded like it would be fun, so I decided to give it a listen, and proceeded to have great time. I’d been wanting to review this one for a while. I’d been waiting til Absolutely No Adventures put out it’s latest episode; a full one hour special, in contrast to the usual runtime of twelve to fifteen minutes. Series creator Destiny Howell wanted to know what people thought of the latest episode. So, I decided to do one better and formally review the entire show.

As I hinted at in the preamble, Absolutely No Adventures takes a more comedic approach to the fantasy genre. It is lighthearted and humorous, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is cut from the same cloth as audio dramas like Alba Salix, Royal Physician and The Two Princes. I really love the bouncy Medieval-style music that accompanies the opening of each episode. Absolutely No Adventures also frequently parodies and pokes fun at other works of fantasy such as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Wizard of Oz, and Harry Potter. But it does so, mostly, in a good-natured and affectionate way. Of course, before we discuss all of that, we’re going to need to discuss the characters first. 

Sig can be seen as a deconstruction of a typical fantasy protagonist. More specifically, he’s a deconstruction of the reluctant hero archetype. There have been many chosen one, throughout fantasy, who resent their role and wish they hadn’t been chosen. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Avatar Aang, and Bobby Pendragon are just a few examples of reluctant chosen ones. However, most reluctant chosen ones wind up resigning themselves to their fate. By contrast, Sig takes proactive measures to escape the many prophecies and quests he figures into. Naturally, Sig has become very quick-witted, and is good at weaseling his way out of tough situations. 

Sig’s name is short for Sigourney. His mom is from Earth, and she was really into 1980s action movies. All of Sig’s brother have names like Arnold, Sylvester, Jean-Claude, Dolph, Kurt, and Chuck. Sig’s mom was hoping for a daughter she could name after Sigourney Weaver. Instead, she got Sig, but she named him Sigourney anyway. Though, interestingly, Sigourney was originally considered a male name. Also, Sig’s mom was from Europe, but he speak with an American accent. Then again, so does pretty much everyone else in his world. Sig discovered his love of baking at a young age. It is his happy place, and his is quite the talented chef. Sig is voiced by Wes Haas.

Speaking of happiness, let’s talk about Happy. Well, his full name is Happiness Escapes All Who Behold His Great and Terrible Visage. Yeah, demons tend to have elaborate names like that. The queen of the demons sent Happy to bring Sig to the underworld. She was hoping that Sig would help usher in the apocalypse. Instead, Sig wound up taking on Happy as his assistant. Happy has a very deadpan personality, and can be a bit literal-minded at times. A lot from humor comes from how he approaches everything with a comically serious demeanor, and speaks in a deep monotone voice. Think a bit like Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy. Happy is voiced by Karsten Otto.

Rounding out the cast is Bea. She’s from our world, but wound up in Sig’s world thanks to the magic of Wi-Fi connections. No, really. Apparently, Wi-Fi is a form of magic. Sig’s world, being full of magic, has really great Wi-Fi. So, Bea can share all sort of Netflix shows, such as The Great British Bake-Off, with Sig and Happy. Actually, Wi-Fi being a form of magic kind of makes sense. I remember one time my dad and I set up Wi-Fi at my grandpa’s house. I tried my best to explain how it works, but even I had to admit that it does kind of sound like magic. Well, Clarke’s Third Law does say that any sufficiently technology is indistinguishable from magic. Perhaps the reverse holds true as well.

Bea is absolutely ecstatic about being in an actually fantasy world. She’s very energetic, happy-go-lucky, and squees with joy over pretty much everything. She gets to attend Hexwell, a school for aspiring wizards and witches. It is divided into three houses; Trueclaw for the hero kids, Direclaw for the evil kids, and Toad for everyone else. One of Sig’s brother went to Hexwell, and went on many adventures…where he almost got killed in several horrific ways. Sig also questions why the evil students are even thought advanced magic in the first place. In case it wasn’t obvious, Hexwell is a parody of Hogwarts from Harry Potter. Sig does raise some very good points. It might be fun to read about fantasy adventures, such a Harry Potter, but it would probably be pretty terrifying to actual be in a fantasy adventure. Especially true if you aren’t very skilled in magic. Plus, most actually parents would probably horrified at Hogwart’s safety record. Hexwell wanted to recruit Sig, but he was able to convince them to let Bea go in his place. The recruiter for Hexwell is a talking cat, which might possibly have been a Sailor Moon reference. Alternatively, it could have been a reference to how Professor McGonagall has the ability to turn into a cat.

When Bea first met Sig and Happy, she’d been sent on a mission to killed a wicked witch. The supposedly wicked witch is named Petra the Crooked, and the supposedly nice witch is named Adelaide the Serene Sorceress. Wait a minute, a witch named Adelaide who isn’t as nice as she is claimed to be? Is that a reference to Over the Garden Wall that I spy? If so, I totally approve; Over the Garden Wall is an amazing miniseries. Sig pointed out Petra provides many essential services to the region. He also questioned why Bea was so eager to take part in an assassination, give that she’d only just arrived in a world she knows next to nothing about. This is all obviously a nod to The Wizard of Oz, but also a clear reference to the book/musical Wicked. Bea is voiced by Sarah Ruth Thomas. There were a few times she kind of sounded like Caitlin Glass’ portrayal of Winry Rockbell from the English dub of Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood). That made the time Bea describes a spell as an equivalent exchange rather amusing.

On a personal note, I almost auditioned for Absolutely No Adventures. During the one-hour special, Sig and the gang find themselves briefly transported to a Narnia-esque world. They meet a half-man half-rabbit named Timor. No, he’s not some mix of human and rabbit, nor is he one on the top and the other on the bottom. He’s split down the middle; human on one side of his body, and rabbit on the other. I had wanted to audition for the role, but I was afraid my microphone wasn’t up to snuff, so I didn’t bother sending in a submission. However, Andrew Oakes, who was cast as Timor, did an amazing job with the role. He did way better than I probably would have, so good for him. And good for Absolutely No Adventures.

Now, I am perfectly happy with the typical twelve to fifteen minute episode, but I am pleased to see Absolutely No Adventures trying new things. The hour-long special was a lot of work, but it was clearly a labor of love. I also really liked the episode title card. It looked like a title card from a hypothetical animated adaption of Absolutely No Adventures. Everyone involved with the episode clearly gave their all to whatever part they played in the production. I don’t know where Absolutely No Adventures is planning on heading in the future, but it clearly has a bright future ahead of it. I can’t wait to see what else this show has in store for us.

I think that’s a good note to end on. Absolutely No Adventures is a fun fantasy audio drama that parodies the tropes of the fantasy genre. It isn’t devoid of serious moments, but it usually doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you’re looking for something light-hearted and comedic, you can’t go wrong with this show.

Well, I think that’s enough form me for now. I will see you guys next time.