The Audio File: A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation

I’m back with another requested review. This one has talking foxes, rediscovering roots, and even a bit of chicken korma. So, without further ado, let’s get into it. We’re taking a look at A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation. 

Rusty is a fox that has lived in London his entire life. He and his friends get by scavenging food from rubbish bins. Chicken korma is their favorite. But lately, Rusty has grown disillusioned with urban life. His mom died from asthma caused by the smog and pollution, and his dad got run over by a taxi. Rusty’s dad was from the countryside before he met Rusty’s mom and moved to the city. Rusty wants to get back to nature and reconnect with his rural roots. Well, he hasn’t really experience true wilderness before. Still, he’s going to find the forest his dad grew up in, and reconnect with his estranged family. How hard can it be? And he’s going to record it all as part of a podcast he’s making.

This was another audio drama I received a request to review. Series creator Lisa Emily Petersen emailed me requesting a review. It took a while, between my day job at the Shreveport Aquarium, working on The Books of Thoth, and working on the new season of Residents of Proserpina Park. But I finally managed to get around to listening to A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation.

The audio drama this most reminds me of is Lights Out. They’re both dramdies that follow casts of semi-anthropomorphic animals. That is, the characters physically look like regular animals, but mentally, they’re basically human. And get into human-like shenanigans, with a animal coat of paint. Lights Out is a true gem of an audio drama, and I was delighted to find an audio drama that reminded me of it.

Amusingly, there is a kernel of truth to A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation. Scientists have observed some foxes adapting to life in urban areas. In fact, some scientists believe we’re witnessing the birth of a new subspecies of red foxes. These urban foxes are smaller on average. Easier to blend in and hide that way. And they primarily subsist by scavenging scraps of human food. Though, no word on whether they consider chicken korma superior to other curries. Also, as far as we know, none of these foxes have figured out how to create podcasts.

In some ways, this audio drama feels like an analogy for the experiences of diaspora kids. Children of immigrants grow up hearing stories about their parents’ homelands. It isn’t uncommon for them to wonder if the grass might be greener in the lands of their ancestors. Of course, it's also far from uncommon for them to discover that their parents’ countries have plenty of issues of their own. That, and these diaspora children discover they aren’t always welcomed with open arms, or automatically considered a member of the tribe.

I also see some parallels to…well, people experience a quarter life crisis, I suppose, but even that doesn’t feel quite right. The type who will convert to a new religion, like Buddhism or Paganism, and advocate getting back to nature and living in harmony with Mother Earth. Okay, Rusty isn’t quite that hippie dippie. The point being, they’re the type to take up farming, or living off the land, only to discover that it's actually much harder than they expected. 

A particularly tragic example of this was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He decided to try living off the land in the Alaskan bush. He was constantly starving, he couldn’t get back to civilization because he miscalculated the flooding of the river, refused to use a map and then probably starved to death. Though, some people think he accidentally ate a poisonous plant. 

On a brighter note, one of the major themes of A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation is that people are often more than they seem. Characters are frequently introduced in a way that paints them as one note, and often in a very unflattering light. However, later on it will turn out that they have hidden depths. People, and foxes, are complex and multifaceted.

Now, let’s talk about the characters. Rusty, of course, is our protagonist, and host of the in-universe podcast. We never find out how exactly he’s able to operate all of that podcast equipment without opposable thumbs or flexible digits. But details, details. He’s still the number one fox podcast creator. He’s also the only podcast creator who is also a fox, but hey, less competition. Rusty has high hopes for his journey into the wilderness. Suffice it to say, reality hits him like an eighteen wheeler and top speed.

Most of Rusty’s friends think he’s completely crazy out his head. However, he does have one supporter: his best friend Finnick. Get it, like a fennec fox. Anyway, Finnick initially seems like he's the typical best friend character. That is, always supporting Rusty, and having everything about him revolve around Rusty. However, Finnick has more of a spine to him. Rust and Finnick fall head over heels for Amber the Sexy Fox. And yes, that is how she’s listed in the show credits. She’s the most beautiful vixen either of them has either seen. 

Naturally, they have a slap-off. Apparently, that’s a thing foxes actually do to establish dominance. Finnick wins, and he had earlier advocated to Amber should be the one to pick which of them she wants. Nice foxes, it would seem, do not finish last. Of course, we later learn that Amber is into polyamory, so the point is a bit moot. But it was funny to listen to Rusty having to be kept up all night by Finnick and Amber…making baby foxes.

Yeah, despite the premise involving talking animals, A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation is not a kids show. Nor is it appropriate for kids. Besides the sex scene, there’s a bit of swearing, references to affairs, and references to alcohol. All well and good, but I do have to ding them in one regard. During the “not for kids” warning we are advised to keep our cubs out of the den. While this is technically acceptable, the more common name for a juvenile fox is kit. Though, points for having Rusty refer to himself as a tod, one of the terms for a male fox.

And another point for having Lucy the Canada Goose sing the sea shanty “Heave Away.” In my day job at Shreveport Aquarium, I will occasionally play the role of Captain Bones the Pirate. Sometimes, to get the kids excited, I’ll get them to do a pirate dance while I sing sea shanties. “Heave Away” is one of my go-to’s. Though, at times Lucy kind of sounded…well, back when Hugh Laurie was best known for A Bit of Fry and Laurie, his attempts to imitate an American accent were a bit off. Like, it was clearly American, but didn’t sound like any of the American regional accents. In fact, at times he sounded a bit constipated. Lucy kind of sounded like that to me, minus the constipation.

I also loved Fitzgerald the Cat. He was a lovable rouge who helped Rusty get out of several jams. I enjoyed the scene where he introduces Rusty to the wonders of wine, and tells him that humans engage in cannibalism every Sunday. They should probably not have been drinking that, given that wine is highly toxic to cats and foxes. Then again, in large enough quantities, it is to humans too. And based on a throw away line, foxes like to eat chocolate, another toxic substance, to get high. In fact, Rusty and his ex-girlfriend were going to move in behind the M&M store. So, uh, yeah, Rusty dodged a bullet on that one.

So, once Rusty makes it to the countryside he has to deal with fox hunters. I know that it is possible to obtain guns in Britain, but significantly harder than in America. For example, in British crime shows, a suspect using a gun is incredibly shocking. In American crime shows…it’s a pretty typical Thursday.

Now, obviously, Rusty reconnects with his family. However, that’s going to be part of the spoilers section. So, if you don’t want any of that, turn back now.

Last chance, sure you want to continue?

Okay, with that out the way, let's get into it.

Rusty’s country cousins are an eclectic bunch. We’ve got his Aunt Hillary. She drinks a bit too much, and she’s having an affair with a badger. But she seems reasonably…decent, I suppose. Then there are his cousins Cricket and Minnow. They consider literal dog shit to be the height of cuisine. He does have another cousin named Flint who shares his love of podcasting. Flint practically worships the ground Rusty walks on. And then we have Elder Estelle. She’s the oldest fox in the area. Why, she just turn four not to long ago. Wait, if four is considered old, how old is Rusty supposed to be?

And rounding out the group is Uncle Graham. Graham is very surly and a bit of a curmudgeon. You see, long ago he loved a beauty vixen. And he even won the slap off for her paw. Unfortunately, she was a foodie, and the other fox wooed her with some delicious chicken korma. The two of them ran off to London together, and Graham never forgave his brother for stealing his girl.

Surprise! Rusty’s mom was the vixen that came between Uncle Graham and Rusty’s dad. And that’s why Graham taught everyone in his clan to shun delicious chicken korma, and embrace literal dog shit. Granted, the fact that his wife is having an affair with a badger probably doesn’t help.

So, yeah, we started off with fish out of water humor, and we end with family drama, but still comedy. And it all still works.

I enjoyed the scene where Rusty tells off his family for looking down on him for his city ways. I’ve had similar issues with my own family not understanding my interests. And yes, that includes both creating and reviewing audio dramas, and my work with the aquarium.

But it was nice he was able to patch things up with everyone in the end. It was especially amusing that Amber’s slightly hippie-ish methods worked. Just talking things out and using I statements. For example, instead of saying “You’re a dickhead” say instead “I feel that you’re a dickhead.” Actually, that’s not how that’s supposed to work, and Amber says as much, but it was funny that they actually went with that joke.

I also love how the audio drama ends. After everyone has made up we are treated to the sounds of the forest, which transitions to the sounds of the city. The message being that home isn’t a physical place. It’s wherever the people who love you and care about you are. And, you know, having access to chicken korma doesn’t hurt.

So, there you have it. A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation is a fun, lighthearted audio drama about a city fox trying to reconnect with his rural roots. It’s got humor, heart, and a cast of fluffy red foxes. Listen to it today, preferably with some chicken korma on hand.

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

The Audio File: Residents of Proserpina Park: Season 5

By now, it should be pretty obvious that I love Residents of Proserpina Park. I mean, I was a voice actor in two previous seasons. So, there’s really not much more to add here. Straight to the point. We’re taking a look at season five of Residents of Proserpina Park. 

This is the flashback arc. The framing device is that Alina and the gang are at the coffee shop that Drew works at. Jessica and Sam are telling stories. They talk about how Junichi and Jessica discovered the park. They talk about the adventures they had with various creatures. They talk about how Junichi and Sam fell in love. But most of all, they talk about how they decided to make their own creation. And of the price they paid for their hubris.

So, this is the season where we finally get answers to long standing questions. Let’s start with the new creatures. Now, way back in season two, we were promised a creature from regional folklore. Sara Roncero-Menendez, who voices dog, mentioned that her family is from the Cantabria religion of northern Spain. It has Celtic heritage, and a slightly different culture from the rest of Spain. This also factors into their folklore.

We did get the Tooth Mouse, which is the equivalent of the Tooth Fairy in a lot of European countries. But that didn’t really feel specific to Cantabria. Well, come season five, and the promise is finally delivered. We get to meet the Ramidreju. It looks like a green weasel, and its nose is exceptionally good at sniffing our buried gold. They’re only born once every 100 years, usually to a family of ordinary weasels. Oh, and they can cure any illness you have. You just need to rub the Ramidreju all over your body.

Okay, now we’re talking! And what’s more, it even proved to be important to the overall plot of the season. It was encountering the Ramidreju that gives Junichi, Jessica, and Sam the idea to create their own creature. Specifically, one that can grant their wishes, and make their lives easier.

I’d been advocating having the leshy appear as far back as season one. Well, I finally got my wish this season. Leshy are forest spirits, and protectors of the forest, from Slavic Mythology. Think of them kind of like the Ents from Lord of the Rings. Residents of Proserpina Park showed a side of the leshy I hadn’t thought about before. You see, houses are made of wood, boats are made of wood, baseball bats are made of wood…sometimes. The point is, a lot of very hard things, and things that can do a lot of damage, are made of wood. An angry leshy would be a very scary sight indeed.

I was also quite happy that we got to hear the Legend of the White Snake. It is one of my favorite stories from Chinese Mythology. It’s about a magical snake who falls in love with a human, and takes the form of a human so she can be with him. They open a medicine shop together, and all is well, until a mean Buddhist monk comes along. He revealed the White Snake’s true nature, and her husband died of shock. She was able to bring him back to life, but then the monk sealed her away, and they were separated forever.

There’s a subtext to this story that often gets missed in retellings. It came from a time when Buddhist and Taoists were competing for influence in China. Obviously, White Snake is a pro-Taoist tale. The main villain is a Buddhist monk, after all. But from this same era, we also have Journey to the West. In that work, the main heroes are on a quest to retrieve copies of the Tripitaka, and they’re sent by Buddha himself no less. Well, Buddha and Guan Yin. By contrast, Laozi, the founder of Taoism, is portrayed as a total moron who fails to notice that many of his students are literally demons.

We also get to hear the story of Stingy Jack. He was a man so wicked that neither Heaven nor Hell wanted him. As a result, he was forced to wander the Earth, with only a turnip lantern to light his way. Irish immigrants brought this story with them when they moved to the United States. But they swapped the turnips for pumpkins. And that’s where jack o’ lanterns came from. I bring this up because The Moonlit Road, another podcast I absolutely adore, also did a retelling of Stingy Jack. And they released it around the time Residents of Proserpina Park’s episode came out. It was an amusing parallel.

Another amusing coincidence came with the cast for this season. One of the Aos Si is voiced by Cameron Gergett. I had previously cast him in The Books of Thoth. He came recommended by the creator of Brave New Frontiersman. Specifically, I cast him as the homeless man in “It Was the Best Day Ever.” It was the first time I had encountered one of my actors in an audio drama that I hadn’t previously heard them in.

The Aos Si are one of the many names for the faeries from Irish Folklore. But don’t let that fool you. Faeries in Irish Folklore are kind of the yokai from Japanese Folklore. They’re kind of like minor gods. In some tellings, they’re descended from the Tuatha Dé Danann, the gods of Irish Mythology. In other words, the Aos Si are not something you want to mess with.

We also get more insight into Jessica and Junichi. Jessica spent most of her life as an outcast, and a frequent target of bullying. Junichi and Sam were pretty much the only friends she ever really had. One of her goals with Pelu is hoping that he’ll be able to give her more friends. We also learn that Sam lost his mom to cancer fairly recently. I mean…wow. Is Sam ever going to catch a break?

I also noticed some interesting parallels to other works of fiction. Yes, there’s an obvious one to Frankenstein. A group of college students focusing more on if they can do something, rather than if they should, and paying the price. But I also noticed parallels to The Magicians by Lev Grossman. For those who don’t know, it follows a young man named Quentin Coldwater who is accepted into a magical college called Brakebills. He learns magic, makes friends, goes to a Narnia-esque land…and deals with depression, anxiety, insecurity, and general ennui. Yeah, the books are a deconstruction of both Harry Potter and Narnia.

The second book in the series, The Magician King, has a plotline the follows The Hedge Witches. They had magical potential, but failed the Brakebills entrance exam. So, they start experimenting with magic on their own. And much of that experimenting also involves digging into ancient mythology. This ultimately culminates in them attempting to summon a pagan deity, in hopes that they can make a transaction with it. Without getting into spoilers, they learn that they’ve been messing with forces they barely understand, and pay a dear price for their hubris.

This season of Residents of Proserpina Park probably wasn’t referencing The Magicians. But it was an interesting parallel I noticed. If nothing else, you should read The Magicians if you haven’t. They are very good books.

Now, all that being said, I did also have a few critiques of this season. At times, it felt like Sam’s relationship with both Junichi and Jessica developed a tad fast. It felt like we were jumping around in time a lot, and that there was missing connective tissue. Granted, I kind of understand why this is. Angela Yih probably didn’t want to cover too much territory that she’d already done with Alina and Alina’s friends.

Then there was the episode where we finally meet Hades. We’ve met gods, such as Anansi, on previous occasions. But this is the first time we’ve encountered one of the Olympians. That’s a completely different weight class of mythical being. So, I was expecting those scenes to be fittingly grand and ominous. But when we meet him, Hades just sounds like a regular dude. It feels very underwhelming and anticlimactic. Also, the trip to meet Hades was a little underwhelming. One instant we are in the park, and then boom, we’re in the underworld. Granted, this is going to be rectified come season six.

But how would I know that? Well, Angela Yih has taken me onto the production staff for season six of Residents of Proserpina Park. I’m helping to write the scripts and produce the episodes. I’d like to thank Angela Yih for this opportunity.

I’d also like to thank Angela for helping to promote The Books of Thoth. We recorded a bonus episode of Residents of Proserpina Park where she interviewed me about this blog, reviewing audio dramas, my day job at Shreveport Aquarium, and my work on The Books of Thoth. It was really fun to get to do, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

And so, with that, we’re all caught up to the present. Season five of Residents of Proserpina Park is the flashback arc that reveals how the main plot was set into motion. We get to meet several exciting new creatures, and get some insight into returning characters.

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