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Could The Red Panda be Kira?
Never caught or suspected
Suspected but never caught
Suspected only by whoever caught them
Suspected and eventually caught
Caught almost instantly
Known, but can't be caught
(Results/Unqualified To Say)
The fact that Maxwell Falconi (AKA The Stranger) is able to read minds makes the slow burn of The Red Panda/Flying Squirrel reeeeally funny to me. Like, the very first conversation he ever has with her is like 'hey I try very hard not to read people's thoughts without permission but WOW yours are too obvious to miss- you've got it down bad for him'.
Which also means that he knows The Red Panda is equally infatuated. Through the entirety of The Pyramid of Peril he's probably Losing It the entire time he's not so subtly wingmanning for the both of them, and neither of them are getting the hint. In fact, BOTH of them are trying to make him stop doing that.
And all the while he's probably thinking 'I've literally traveled through time before, and I've met your grandkids so if y'all could please get the hint before you alter the space time continuum by pining yourselves to death that'd be great, thanks'.
I'd like to deconstruct a conversation from The Red Panda Adventures #16 The Sweet Tooth. She's trying to find a hidden diary and he asks why she's so certain the missing person has one.
"Because every girl has secrets she'll only tell to herself"
"Really?"
"*suddenly embarrassed* Uhh I didn't mean me, I meant other girls- regular girls-"
"Girls who can't put a high performance transmission back together in twenty minutes"
"-right."
On the surface Kit Baxter is distancing herself from something she perceives to be negative (or worries he'll think is a negative), but on some level she is also being self deprecating as "regular" and "normal" were standards she never quite fit into growing up as a tomboy with behavioral issues.
I think it's fair to say that she is also trying not to imply that she too has secrets of that nature, which she absolutely does, as she already has a huge thing for him. She doesn't want him to know that, of course, as she worries it will make him see her as not being serious about their work.
However- and this is the part I like best about this conversation- I really appreciate that The Red Panda's response is perfectly balanced. In one sentence he manages to quell all of her concerns. He is glossing over the idea that she might have a diary, being neutral on the concept of other women and the things that they do, and additionally playing up her strengths without putting her down for being unusual for having them.
Incredible writing as usual, Gregg.
I like that in the fight for duality (basically the crux of all superheros- how much of themselves are civilian vs not) The Red Panda had basically rendered his civilian identity into a shell of himself. He was in mind and body The Red Panda, and his alter ego was the mask.
UNTIL Kit Baxter. He became a little less serious around her- and since TRP is as serious as they come, that leads me to believe that's the dormant August Fenwick coming back into play. The banter, the subtle *almost* flirting they do, the sass from her, all of that brings him back to himself. The self he thought had been gone forever.
I believe that some of it comes from the fact that she never saw his alter ego (feckless rich guy) as HIM. She saw the real him underneath. She brought him back to the real world, and that's why I think the nickname "Gus" is so important. It's the down to Earth bluecollar nickname of the name August. She made him a new facet of identity outside of the expectations of the role he grew up in.
Which is ALSO why I think they were able to make their relationship work. They each gave each other a new part of themselves that they got to explore together, which meant no matter what side of the duality coin they were occupying, they got to be comfortable in it. Yay for The Red Panda Adventures, you've done it again.
From the website:
Decoder Ring Theatre was founded from a desire to breathe new life into the radio drama format, and the tropes and styles of the classic programs of Radio's Golden Age. Here you will find full-length, full-cast tales of mystery and adventure to fire your imagination. For our first eleven seasons, Decoder Ring Theatre released hundreds of full-cast audio drama stories, all of which are available here for free.
I feel like I’m going to have to start posting content about the red panda if I ever want to see people doing anything with it. It won’t work. But like, be the change you want to see in the world yknow?
Batfam fatigue? Maybe some Pandafam antics will brighten your day!
Things in Bix Banderson Vs. The Universe that make me emotional, because I love this radio show that nobody's heard of and you can't stop me from talking about it. (Spoiler alert if you plan on listening to the show (you should. it's free))
the fact that if you think about it slorth and mokso were the ones inadvertently responsible for the revolution.
Bix taking one look at the way that Slorth and Mokso we're treating Echo and immediately just deciding. Yep this robot is my brother now. And also the fact that he had no problems with throwing those two out onto an underdeveloped planet to die.
Bix being 100% willing to torture himself with the mental reprogrammer so that he can learn how to save the universe
Echo teaching Bix how to use the mental reprogrammer and then taking care of him when he knocks himself out with it
Echo slow resignation that Bix is going to call him his brother and there's nothing he can do about it
Thirteens entire character arc, as he overcomes his brainwashing and shifts from being an accidental prisoner to being a member of the team. Excuse me while I cry.
Freebird being a 100% underrated character, trying to overcome her past as she gains her freedom and autonomy. There's a lot there.
Thera being both a princess and a general, and being the only character on the ship to keep her original name, as she's the only one who is already happy with who she is.
Honestly I could probably do a whole nother post about the significance of all of the names to the characters storys and relationships to one another. There is so much there.
