Read/Watch/Play

The end of The End. In the final episode of both our endings topic and the podcast as a whole, we take a look back at the endings we’ve highlighted and our time recording together. We’ve had a great time making this podcast, and we hope you’ve enjoyed listening. Truly, from the bottoms of our hearts, thank you so much for listening. Topics: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley. Published in 1986 by DC Comics. Labyrinth, directed by Jim Henson. Henson Associates, Inc. Lucasf...

Our final watch episode takes us deep into the labyrinth of Jareth the Goblin King, as we navigate our way through childhood's end. It's an episode we've wanted to do since the very beginning of the podcast. This is Jim Henson's 1986 cult classic, Labyrinth.Topic: Labyrinth, directed by Jim Henson. Henson Associates, Inc. Lucasfilm Ltd. 1986.Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We swapped our Watch and Play episodes this series to accommodate some recording schedule changes, which means this week we’ll be diving into Jason Rohrer’s 2007 game, Passage. One of the early examples of games being held up as art, the game boils a life down to basic elements and expresses them through simple mechanics. We discuss our past experiences with the game, and the worst possible sequels we can imagine. Topic: Passage, developed and published by Jason Rohrer. Published on Windows and Mac OSX in 2007. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart"...

It’s the beginning of The End. In this episode, we discuss Frank Miller’s 1986 Batman run, The Dark Knight Returns. We talk about our mixed feelings about the run, its distinct visual and narrative styles, and the ways that it inspired the stories that followed it. Topic: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley. Published in 1986 by DC Comics. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Our meddling comes to an end with our topic discussion. Topics include requirements for meddling, personal meddling experience, and the moment you realized magic wasn’t real.Topics: Meddling Kids, by Edgar Cantero. Published in 2017 by Doubleday. Stranger Things Season 2, created by the Duffer brothers. Netflix. 2017. Oxenfree, developed and published by Night School Studio. Originally published on the Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and OS X in 2016.Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Our final set of meddling kids take us on a trip to Edwards Island, where we tune our radios to spooky and channel the spirits of Night School Studio’s Oxenfree.  Topic: Oxenfree, developed and published by Night School Studio. Originally published on the Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and OS X in 2016 Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Almost a year later, we return to Hawkins, IN for another season of Netflix’s Stranger Things. We discuss Eleven’s story arc, bad dads, and the show’s shift toward a more action-heavy tone in its second season. Topic: Stranger Things Season 2, created by the Duffer brothers. Netflix. 2017. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We open our topic with Edgar Cantero's Meddling Kids: a book with such a good name, we decided to name the whole topic after it. We dig into the novel itself, as well as its influences and the ways they enrich and burden the story it tries to tell.Topic: Meddling Kids, by Edgar Cantero. Published in 2017 by DoubledayIntro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Corinne and Justin got a chance to play Hidden Agenda with some friends over the holidays. We talk about the game’s unique approach to decision-based narrative and how we managed to stumble upon the worst possible ending on our first playthrough.Topic: Hidden Agenda, developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Published for the Playstation 4 on October 24, 2017Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Join Corinne and Clio as we talk about fanfiction and the specific subgenre that is holiday fanfiction. We discuss the hallmarks of the genre and the thematic differences between Christmas fic and New Years fic.Intro: "Sleigh Bells Sound Effect" GowlerMusic (freesound.org)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Our Fairy Tales 2.0 topic closes out with a discussion of all our referenced topics: The Bloody Chamber, Shrek 1 and 2, and The Wolf Among Us season 1. We dig into the history of fairy tales and how our selected stories relate to that cannon, as well as the themes that we found surprisingly common. Topics: The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter. Published in 1973 by Gollancz. Shrek, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson. PDI/DreamWorks. 2001. Shrek 2, directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Ashbury, and Conrad Vernon. PDI/DreamWorks. 2004. The Wolf Among Us, developed and published b...

With Clio back, we wrap around to our Read for this series: Angela Carter’s collection of short stories, The Bloody Chamber. We work our way through the entire collection, which contains everything from from unconvincingly disguised tigers to the triumphant return of Puss in Boots. Topic: The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter. Published in 1973 by Gollancz Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We make our way up Manhattan for a trip to Fabletown in our second Fairy Tales 2.0 episode as we discuss Telltale Games’s take on Bill Willingham’s Fables with The Wolf Among Us, Season 1.Heads up: we talk a bit about the original Fables comic series, but it’s 100% spoiler free. Topic: The Wolf Among Us, developed and published by Telltale Games. Originally published on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC episodically between October 14, 2013 and July 9, 2014. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative...

Topic: Shrek, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson. PDI/DreamWorks. 2001. Shrek 2, directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Ashbury, and Conrad Vernon. PDI/DreamWorks. 2004. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topics: Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones. Published in 1986 by Greenwillow Books. The Witch, directed by Robert Eggers. Parts and Labor. 2015. Banjo-Kazooie, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo. Published on the Nintendo 64 in 1998. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Banjo-Kazooie, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo. Published on the Nintendo 64 in 1998 Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: The Witch, directed by Robert Eggers. Parts and Labor. 2015. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones. Published in 1986 by Greenwillow Books Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topics: Tank Girl, by Jamie Hewlett (a) and Alan Martin (w). Originally published between 1988 and 1995 in Deadline. Republished in 2009 by Titan Books. Mad Max: Fury Road, directed by George Miller. Village Roadshow Pictures. 2015. Horizon: Zero Dawn, developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Published on the Playstation 4 in 2017. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Horizon: Zero Dawn, developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Published on the Playstation 4 in 2017. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Mad Max: Fury Road, directed by George Miller. Village Roadshow Pictures. 2015. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Tank Girl, by Jamie Hewlett (a) and Alan Martin (w). Originally published between 1988 and 1995 in Deadline. Republished in 2009 by Titan Books. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topics: Crosstalk, by Connie Willis. Published in 2016 by Del Rey. “San Junipero”, an episode of Black Mirror, directed by Owen Harris. House of Tomorrow. 2016. Emily is Away, developed and published by Kyle Seeley . Published on the Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux in 2015. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Emily is Away, developed and published by Kyle Seeley . Published on the Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux in 2015 Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: “San Junipero”, an episode of Black Mirror, directed by Owen Harris. House of Tomorrow. 2016. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Crosstalk, by Connie Willis. Published in 2016 by Del Rey Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topics: Folding Beijing, by Has Jingfang. Originally published in 2012 on newsmth.net. English translation by Ken Liu originally published in 2015 on Uncanny Magazine. Elysium, directed by Neill Blomkamp. Media Rights Capital. 2013. Bioshock Infinite, developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K Games. Published on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows in 2013 Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Bioshock Infinite, developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K Games. Published on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows in 2013 Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Summary Music: “Hand Balance Redux” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Elysium, directed by Neill Blomkamp. Media Rights Capital. 2013. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Summary Music: “Killers" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Folding Beijing, by Hao Jingfang. Originally published in 2012 on newsmth.net. English translation by Ken Liu originally published in 2015 on Uncanny Magazine. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Summary Music: "Bathed in the Light" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topics:Firestarter, by Stephen King. Published in 1980 by Viking Press. Stranger Things Season 1, created by the Duffer brothers. Netflix. 2016. Beyond: Two Souls, developed by Quantic Dream and published by Sony. Published on the Playstation 3 in 2013 Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Beyond: Two Souls, developed by Quantic Dream and published by Sony. Published on the Playstation 3 in 2013 Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Summary Music: "String Impromptu Number 1” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Stranger Things Season 1, created by the Duffer brothers. Netflix. 2016. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Firestarter, by Stephen King. Published in 1980 by Viking Press Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Summary Music: “Constancy Part 1” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topics: Altered Carbon, by Richard K. Morgan. Published in 2002 by Victor Gollancz Ltd., Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott. The Ladd Company, Shaw Brothers. 1982., Gemini Rue, written by Joshua Nuernberger and published by Wadjet Eye Games. Originally published for Microsoft Windows in 2011 Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Gemini Rue, written by Joshua Nuernberger and published by Wadjet Eye Games. Originally published for Microsoft Windows in 2011 Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Summary Music: “Comfortable Mystery 4" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott. The Ladd Company, Shaw Brothers. 1982. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Summary Music: “Babylon” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: Altered Carbon, by Richard K. Morgan. Published in 2002 by Victor Gollancz Ltd. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Summary Music: “Night on the Docks” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: The Evil Within, developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. Published on the Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows PC in 2014. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Summary Music: “Right Behind You" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Topic: The Evil Within, developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. Published on the Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows PC in 2014. Intro / Outro Music: "Go Cart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Summary Music: “Right Behind You" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/