Tales of the Extraordinary

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Tales of the Extraordinary, written by Michael Coleman, is a science fiction audio drama podcast set in an alternate universe.

The year is 1926...

...and the Roaring Twenties are in full swing, filled with excess and adventure. Wondrous new discoveries take place on a daily basis, be they of lost civilizations or miraculous super-science. Anything seems possible... in Tales of the Extraordinary, anything is possible! Ancient mysticism, robotic automatons, masked vigilantes, or a chimp who thinks he's The Great Gatsby. Tales isn't the way things were. It's the way they should have been.

The various protagonists keep finding themselves in stranger and stranger situations, from fighting off an automaton, to rescuing a Texas dilettante from the French Mafia, to defeating jetpack-wearing soldiers operating from a zeppelin nation, and much, much more!

The main cast consists of:

• Richard "Dickie" Broughton, World-Renowned Explorer Extraordinaire: A pompous British war-hero with a thirst for adventure, and a tendency to refer to native guides by the name "Ungawa," regardless of their actual names. Despite his Jerkass attitude, however, he does actually do his own adventuring, and will put himself at risk for his companions.
• Mike Sullivan: An Irish-American cop, recently put on vacation. He has a taste for whiskey, knows the Unknown, and lives with Gatsby, a monkey he rescued from a Hollywood chimp-fighting ring.
• The Unknown: A masked vigilante, trained by Shaolin monks, and determined to clean up evil wherever he finds it, by any means necessary.
• Gatsby: A chimp who thinks he's The Great Gatsby. As such, he tends to drink martinis. For some reason, several of the main cast can understand him to a greater degree than is realistic.
• Randolph Moon: An egotistical and hammy film star with a golden voice. Unfortunately for him, he's a silent film star. He has a knack for learning things, though, and he has no problems with the women.
• Dr. Heinrich Von Kliegal: A scientist from Texas, Heinrich creates all kinds of impressive contraptions, including his line of heliochoppers. He is long-winded, has lots of stories, and will speak of nearly everything in flowery prose. The others tend to cringe when he starts with "Did I ever tell you about the time when I..." Despite this, his situational awareness is surprisingly solid, and his stories usually play a part in the story.
• Rod Steveson: A circus strongman, he got caught up in the adventures when England was under attack by men with rocket packs.

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Tropes used in Tales of the Extraordinary include:

• The Alcatraz: The Unknown finds himself here. With the help of Mike, Randolph, Mad Myrtle Madigan, and a baseball team, he manages to escape.
• Anti-Hero: The Unknown is a violent vigilante, but so far, he's still on the side of good.
• Antiquated Linguistics: Dr. Von Kliegel tends to use a narrative form when talking.
• Deadpan Snarker: Most of the cast, although Dickie takes top billing.
• Everything's Better with Monkeys: Gatsby is a chimp.
• The French Mafia: Don't bother telling them that the Mafia is Italian (sorry, Sicilian).
• Instant Expert: Randolph Moon can quickly learn a skill by watching someone perform it, and then perform it competently.
• Jerkass: Dickie is British, he's allowed to be proud. It's not his fault that everyone he meets isn't British.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Dickie, while he can be a real Jerkass at times, is still willing to help his companions when they're in trouble, even at the risk of his own life. Even his "Ungawas." Well... most of the time. Maybe.
• Kunoichi: Allied with our heroes in "Let's Happy Fun Time Ninja Adventure, OK?" Since then, Shinobu continued to travel with Rod. They constantly correct those who keep calling them "Ninja." (Kunoichi are female, Ninja are male)
• Large Ham: Randolph Moon, star of the silver screen.
• Quintessential British Gentleman: Dickie
• Running Gag: Just about every mock commercial performed ends with a song about the fact that the product is the only product "you can use on bears."
• Stiff Upper Lip: Dickie has shades of this, but the Unknown pulls it off more effectively. Being a Shaolin-trained martial artist helps.
• Tag-Along Actor: Randolph Moon enters the story trying to learn how the Unknown thinks, so he can better act the part on the film "Shadow of the Unknown," so he visits Mike, who just happens to know the Unknown.