#anyway go listen to ars paradoxica

[rnoonsetter]

legit really want to make a chart about ars paradoxica keeping track of all the timelines and plotlines like this show is so dense and fun. why isn't there an active fandom for this show like there still is for wolf 359? its got even more morally complex characters about double the scifi epic trappings along with hideously complex time travel and more than one important gay character (sorry wolf but there are plotlines in this show about queer characters and their relationships, it's not an offhanded mention right at the end.) anyway listen to ars paradoxica it's a masterpiece.

[andromerot]

what fiction podcasts would you recommend? ^_^

man. being dragged into the cringezone. its ok... so from ages fifteen to seventeen i listened to a LOT of audiodramas and honestly a lot of them are not very good. but some are! and some are fun :) im making a list

mabel podcast: if you've followed me for over two hours you've probably heard of it is one of my favorite things in the whole world...i cant even begin to describe the plot but i recommend it to all of you because a lot of people on tumblr are like, into haunted houses, or into fairy folklore, or into fucked up codependent lesbians, or all of the above. so it truly has something for everyone. but its beautiful, it really is. will ruin all romance for you though. honestly its not even a podcast to me its more like a girl best friend. i can talk about it forever so if you have more specific questions about it feel very welcome to send them

i am in eskew: another favorite! this one is about very terrible city that loves a man very much and will not let him go #relatable. this one is a proper horror podcast though so i do not recommend it to anyone squeamish - but i really like it.

the silt verses: done by the same people as eskew, horror as well. i haven't finished it yet but its amazing. it's about gods. gods that are Weird.

welcome to night vale: this one is a classic (arguably, The Classic) and i think is a fundamental part of what is now considered cringe 2014 tumblr culture but honestly it is very funny and silly. its been going steady for like ten years, has over 200 episodes, which means it has some very bad seasons and some pretty good ones. i think its best era was like 2014-2016 or so but yeah it's very long and has some gems. it dares ask the question "what if a town was very fucked up?" which was then asked by four hundred other podcasts, all done badly. but wtnv is fun

wolf 359: yet another classic. fucked me up bad. its about a spaceship with some guys inside it. it predicted among us. the best character is hera the artificial intelligence with severe mental problems

the far meridian: this one is very sweet and tiny but i think its underrated. soft and surreal. a girl who lives in a lighthouse that moves every night searches for her missing brother and Encounters Situations

ars paradoxica: one of the few time travel stories i like in this whole world. i remember almost nothing about the plot itself but i remember it broke my heart a lot. a scientist accidentally timetravels to the middle of wwii and shes hired to do some war shit, which sucks for her but she has nothing better to do. that sounds boring but i swear its not. maybe it was i dont remember.

neighbourly: anthology based on a long street of fucked up houses or fucked up people living in houses. it has some pretty good episodes and some banger episodes. im friends in law with the guy who makes it. its cool

alice isnt dead: theres a woman called alice and she is dead. but, spoilers, she isn't dead. her wife starts working as a trucker trying to find her and goes all around the us trying to find her and things happen to her.

within the wires: its an anthology but each season is a story. the first one is really really good, the others are a mixed bag. its an alternate history thing but the genre changes

the penumbra podcast: this one has been added to the list with a huge sigh because like i cant lie it has been extremely influential to my life but also i hate it. it was very important to me. its bad. don't listen to it. unless you're a mentally ill teenager or you like old women a lot maybe try it out then. the old women are not the main characters

anyway yeah like getting into indie podcasting like this really altered the way i saw media from a young age and even if some of these are not as good as i remember them being i do recommend the experience. the only ones i really listen to now are the first three and every once in a while i catch up with the last but im angry about that one. hope at least one of these is to your liking. listen to mabel

[obliviraffe]

hereeee we gooooooo:

began with wolf 359 (my roommate was listening) in late 2017. loosely listened to limetown and the bright sessions based on other's recommendations, did not love either. listened to godshead incidental bc i know folks involved. then the pandemic started and i had more time. i found outliers, and when i really wanted to listen to horror and genre i got into the magnus archives and TPP. then i began listening to everything i could find: starship iris, wooden overcoats, arden, greater boston, unwell, also exeter randomly??

starship lead to station to station and under pressure and, when it came out, me and au

wolf 359 led to time bombs, zero hour and, eventually, unseen

I went through the Far Meridian, ars Paradoxica, and connected podcasts around the same time. this is how i found brimstone valley mall.

i dipped my toes into wtnv-adjacent things with alice isn't dead. also found the white vault around this time.

periodically i go on a tumblr or reddit search for reccomendations, and that's led me to: Hi Nay, who killed avril Lavigne, superstition, small victories, greenhouse, the luchador, city of ghosts, babalu, girl in space,

google also shower me Realm's shows, and i listened to If i go missing the witches did it, echo park.

i think i found these in ads on other podcasts: we fix space junk, give me away, death by dying, what's the frequency (mostly did this one because i Love James Oliva)

I found Newts! and it showed me The Great Chameleon War

i listened to the amelia project because of the cross over with we fix space junk ... even though i don't like it that much? but anyways

For the past few months I've been getting into new things: badlands cola (maybe one ad turned me onto it?), midnight burger (after many many ads), monsteous agonies (after only one ad), milkman of saint gaffs (after looking for interesting pods on the rq network), what happened in skinner (also found looking at rq network), LUCYD (i guess i found it on tumblr??)

that's about it i think??

hello err fans of podcasts :3 im doing a project for school on fiction podcasts so..

if you could reblog this with all the podcasts you listened to in order (if you want to provide commentary as to why you went from one podcast to another (for example, the magnus archives to malevolent as a popular example->the eldritch horror) that'd be really useful! thanks :)

[serenity-the-firefly]

ooo podcast opinions on caravan, sidequesting and superstition? 👀

specialagentartemis

also, for Podcast Opinions: woe.begone, VALENCE, This Planet Needs a Name, Janus Descending oh man so i forgot the OTHER fun thing about podcasts is that there are so many of them???? The many and varied barbarian hordes to disney’s roman empire. This is to say that actually not only have i not listened to most of these, i haven’t even heard of them! I will be giving them a try tho and maybe will even remember to update this when i do. Anyways, here are the two i have listened to: Caravan iirc, i listened to this because it was a whisperforge production and they did ars paradoxica, which against all reason i adore. Unfortunately, the rest of their shows seem to have all the things i disliked about ars paradoxica (meandering and/or nonsensical plot, poor pacing and payoff, confusing sound scaping) and none of the things i liked (time travel, batshit plots, ensemble casts, characters i found endearing, weird quasi-governmental agencies, kristen dimercurio and robert gabrielli). i think i listened to maybe 3 eps of caravan? I had to stop because i was having just a really hard time auditory-processing wise and could not figure out what was going on, and wasn’t hooked enough to power through that. Janus Descending: objectively a VERY good podcast that i simply could not get into! Really i have no complaints, and in fact mostly praise for this, other than i just….didn’t like it.

[theradioghost]

So I’ve realized recently that I actually really really like podcasts when my audio processing isn’t acting up (thanks tma!) and was wondering what recs you have for completed podcasts. I’m cool with basically any genre and theme, though I would appreciate a warning for tragedy. Thanks for your time!

Of course! I’ll put this one under a cut just so the length is a bit less ridiculous.

Some of my favorite completed shows are

Wolf 359 – a scifi comedy about four squabbling coworkers on a malfunctioning, isolated space station which then takes a hard right into a spectacular, heartwrenching drama. Not a tragedy, but many tears are shed when listening. Probably one of the best podcasts out there tbqh.

Ars Paradoxica – a modern physicist accidentally invents time travel, landing her back at the start of the Cold War and changing the course of history forever. The creators literally described it as “a tragedy” and they weren’t lying, although the finale is sort of hopefully bittersweet.

The Hidden Almanac – a grouchy professor in a plague doctor mask offers bite-sized pieces of history and hagiography from his fantastical world as well as gardening advice, occasionally interrupted and/or dragged off on unwilling shenanigans by his tequila-loving accidental necromancer best friend coworker. Fantasy writer/artist Ursula Vernon and her husband put this 4-minute show out three times a week for SEVEN YEARS, and it’s funny and cozy and poetic and can be found in full here, as there are too many episodes for most podcatchers to display.

Alice Isn’t Dead – lesbian Americana road-trip horror. A cross-country trucker searches for her missing wife while monsters and conspiracies pursue her across the vast empty and abandoned spaces of America. Actually also exists in novel form.

The Bright Sessions – records from the office of Dr. Bright, a therapist who specializes in people with strange and secret abilities. However, her patients aren’t the only ones with secrets. Personally this show never completely absorbed me like some others did, but the character writing is genuinely amazing. The story obviously also deals a lot with mental illness and some other difficult topics and content.

Our Fair City – the eight-season saga of the inhabitants of a post-apocalyptic underground city ruled over by the remnants of an insurance company, featuring mole people, lightning-harvesting sky sailors, giant ants, and a found family of mad scientists among others. Part comedy, part drama, all anticapitalist satire. You kind of have to give it a couple of seasons to find its stride (this was one of the very first shows in the podcast-based audio drama revival) but it is absolutely worth it. Disclaimer that while I am on the final season of the show I have not quite finished it yet.

Jarnsaxa Rising – a unique scifi-fantasy hybrid, in which a vengeful Norse giantess escapes imprisonment with the goal of destroying the gods and bringing about Ragnarok, only to find herself in a post-climate-change dystopian future.

Glasgow Ghost Stories – a Scottish woman begins noticing the many ghosts inhabiting the streets of her city; but the ghosts have begun to notice her too, and not all of them are friendly. Pigeons are involved.

Big Data – an odd little heist comedy about a rogue journalist investigating a spectacular crime in which the “seven keys to the internet” are stolen, leading to a story about hacking in which no actual hacking is involved. There are two fun side notes to it: one, everything that happens in it could technically happen in real life. Two, it involves an absurd amount of cameos from other well-known podcasts (and also Taika Waititi?), which you don’t need to get to follow the story but which make it kind of hilarious on a whole other level when you listen to those shows.

I Am In Eskew – a surreal, intense, disturbingly poetic horror about a man trapped in a shifting, malevolent, impossible city, and a woman on the outside trying to find him. Extremely good but I do recommend thoroughly checking the trigger warnings on this one. (Surprisingly non-tragic finale, although not a typical “happy ending.”)

The Alexandria Archives – half comedy and half horror, in the form of a late-night radio show at Alexandria University, on the edge of North Carolina’s Great Dismal Swamp. Half of each episode is a standalone cosmic horror story set in and around the town of Alexandria. The other half features the antics of the university’s students, including the host MW and her friends who are definitely Canadian exchange students, and not a vampire hiding from his ex and a bunch of stranded space pirates. (A little goofy? Yes, but I love it a ton for all its faults anyway. Also, some of the short stories are genuinely terrifying.)

and also, some completed miniseries!!

The Tower – a gorgeous experimental audio drama in which a young woman decides to climb the mysterious Tower, from which no one ever returns.

Time:Bombs – a comedy by the folks who made Wolf 359 about a bomb disposal squad on New Year’s Eve, trying to survive their leader’s obsession with breaking a record.

They Say a Lot of Things – upon discovering that she can interact with a dropped tape recorder, the ghost of a young girl tells her story, interwoven with the stories of those who have passed through the abandoned house that she cannot leave over the years that she’s haunted it.

Podcaster A. R. Olivieri specializes in microfiction miniseries, ranging from scifi to experimental to fantasy. (Side note, a lot of his work crosses over with the still-running scifi podcast Girl In Space, but you don’t need to have listened to GIS to understand what’s going on in his shows.)

Nym’s Nebulous Notions – a self-declared investigative journalist decides to check out a mysterious SOS signal and finds herself on a mysteriously abandoned ship – or so she thinks. Arguably a tragedy, although not necessarily in the way you might think.

Palimpsest – technically not finished, but each season of this anthology makes up a complete 10-part story, and seasons 1 and 2 are complete. Season 1 is a ghost story about a woman who is suspicious about strange happenings in her new home and her odd new neighbors. Season 2 is a turn-of-the-century dark urban fantasy about a girl who escapes her career criminal mother’s house, taking a job as the companion to what her new employer claims is an imprisoned faerie princess. (Season 3 is ongoing and is about a codebreaker who begins seeing ghosts on London’s streets during the Blitz.) It’s a heartbreaking sort of show, albeit in a very beautiful and moving way.

The Details is a short piece about an office worker who goes in to negotiate for a promotion and finds himself negotiating with the devil himself instead. The number of genuinely surprising and excellent twists it packs into just 45 minutes is really fun.

The London Necropolis Railway – a really underappreciated little fantasy-mystery about a recently-dead detective who refuses to board the train scheduled to take her to the afterlife until one of its hapless employees helps her solve her supernatural murder.

Janus Descending – a scifi horror told in two intertwining perspectives, one in reverse order and one in chronological order, about two scientists who land on a remote planet to investigate the ruins of its lost civilization, only to encounter the thing that killed the former inhabitants. A fantastic story told in a really clever and unique way, but stamp a big old tragedy warning all OVER this one, although because of the structure you technically know how it’s going to end right from the start – what makes this show so good is how you get there. It will make you cry, though.

… and also my show, Midnight Radio, which is about lesbian romance, small towns, old radio shows, the good and bad sides of nostalgia, and ghost stories.

[kieren-fucking-walker]

So I finally started The Magnus Archives because I finished ars PARADOXICA and it turns out I had listened to the first few eps but kinda forgot about it when I listened to The Bright Sessions. Anyway I’m pretty much binging it (16 eps down since yesterday lmao) and now all I want to do is go back to writing horror stories because I used to love writing them and I am completely enamoured with this storytelling.

[specialagentartemis]

That said, Nova NoStar from InCo and Daughter Dooley from Old Gods of Appalachia and Em Chandra-Phankham from the gone-too-soon The Godshead Incidental are excellent characters who I love who are allowed to actually be characters who are aromantic rather than just being there for Aromanticism 101. Love them all go listen to those

(and ofc ofc there’s the OG, Dr. Sally Grissom, my love, who identifies as asexual in that way where it’s clear she uses that to incorporate both her romantic and sexual desires in a convergent-identity way, so I always waffle on whether to call her aromantic because she is in this space for sure but she clearly conceptualizes her aroace identity as “asexuality” and I am always here to say That’s Valid Actually. Anyway shout out also to Sally Grissom from Ars Paradoxica)

what if I actually wrote up my analysis of Seren as an accidental aromantic narrative for Aro Week this week

[confusedhandbag]

top 5 podcasts?

that is a difficult question to answer but if you're asking it, I feel like you already know that. Anyways, this will be in no particular order because that would require even more thought and emotion.

 1.) Hey Riddle Riddle - the only non-fiction podcast I'm going to put on this list. I love the people and it just makes me so happy

 2.) The Bridge - I adore the folk tale vibe it has going on, and who doesn't love a good sea monster? 

3.) The Black Tapes - y'all know I had to list this one. it's just so near and dear to me that no matter what happens, I'll always love it

 4.) Ars Paradoxica - has it all! Time travel? Check. Ace representation? Check. Set in a time that is not right now? Check and check (bonus points for being set in multiple times, all at once!) 

5.) The Adventure Zone - It's cheesy, and honestly I started listening to a lot of other podcasts before it, but something about it just makes me feel happy. Also I love Aubrey Little a lot

[anomalousresources]

ars PARADOXICA - unexplored character dynamics

With all the aP aus whirling around in my head, as well as the recent release of the Q&A and that fact that I just...generally think about aP a lot, I’m been mulling over a lot of obscure character relationships (mostly platonic/familial ones) that either were never explored in canon or were only touched on briefly. So consider:

Jack and Liam

Liam is one of the oldest Plasticity kids; he’s got plenty of siblings, but they’re pretty much all younger than him. Jack comes from a big family too (albeit not as big as Liam’s), but he was the youngest kid. So when Jack arbitrarily decides to appoint himself as Liam’s big brother Liam neither of them really know how that dynamic is supposed to function but that doesn’t stop them from adopting each other, complete with constant familial bickering as Liam interrupts Jack’s “legitimate life advice, kid!” with snarky comments. 

Carmen and Anthony

Anthony Partridge...was not a good husband. But you know what? He would’ve made such a good father. And I feel like he’d have been a great mentor-type figure in some of the Plasticity kid’s lives if he hadn’t been, you know, living in a bubble outside of time by then. He’s not Van; he can’t fill that space in their lives. But he can Make Learning Exciting! he should’ve been a professor okay Anthony Partridge should’ve been a math teacher and to make up for his bad career decisions in canon I’m making him a math professor in almost every au I’m writing and listen when the kids want to chat about things they’re passionate about or that are worrying them, and Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn’t exist yet but that doesn’t stop Sally from cracking jokes about how that’s who he is. Carmen gets along with him really well in particular—they have similar outlooks on a lot of things, similar ways of approaching problems, and they’ve both got to play the Lawful counterpart to their Chaotic family members. Also they both play D&D after Sally and Nikhil introduce it early in the timeline. Sometimes they do puzzles together while watching movies with Petra and Sally (neither of whom are allowed to do puzzles during move nights anymore after The Incident). 

Ben and Maggie

The best of pals. Bentin Quarlowe is such a roll-with-it guy (”what I’m a time traveler and you’re my wife and you want to take down this government organization okay cool yeah I’ll help”) and Maggie is such a ball of anxiety but they balance each other out, and exchange looks whenever June starts getting a little too vindictive. Definitely the sort of friends that cook/bake things together. They’re both just good-hearted people who somehow got caught up in this mess, but have managed to retain their optimism about humanity despite everything. 

Mateo and Sally

BROS. Constantly referencing 21st century media (you thought Sally was bad enough alone? thought Sally and Nikhil took the pop culture too far together?? you haven’t seen Mateo and Sally spend forty-six minutes reenacting vines). Truly an unstoppable chaotic force; only Nikhil retains the power to hold them back when it’s two in the morning and they want to go to the grocery store to get ingredients so they can invent pizza rolls before anyone else does. They’re both the sort of people who get pretty loud when they’re excited about something but it’s so much worse when they’re in the same spot; they like to greet one another by screaming the other one’s name at top volume when they’ve spotted each other across the street. 

Anyways those are a few of the ones that I’ve been thinking about in particular but if you want to hear more about pretty much any pair or group of aP characters please send me some names and I’ll happily write up my thoughts. 

[the-slut-verses]

Some sci-fi podcast recommendations

As an aspiring scientist and just general nerdy person, I love the sci-fi genre dearly. But tbqh, I find myself loving the genre itself and its concepts rather than the actual stories and media. I find that a good deal of sci-fi stories are written exclusively for, about, and from the perspectives of Cis Het White Men™, which I as a queer Filipino cannot relate to at all. I find it Bothersome that so many stories set in the future erase people like me. And I think that so many of these stories are so emotionally dull and lifeless as they tend to focus on the world and concepts at the detriment of fleshing out characters.

However, I think that mostly applies to mainstream sci-fi, because a lot of sci-fi podcasts are really diverse and inclusive. And I find that podcasts are often a written with a lot more character and emotional depth. I saw someone describe podcasts as being like fanfic cuz of how they are mostly character driven instead of plot driven. 

Anyways, here’s my list of sci-fi podcast recommendations with descriptions and my personal thoughts. In no particular order, but I put the smaller ones first cuz i think they deserve more love.The ones with * are the ones with good queer rep (so far, it’ll be updated as needed).

Tides Podcast: It follows biologist Dr. Winifred Eurus, a member of the first manned expedition to Fons, an Earth-like moon wracked by extreme tidal waves due to its orbit around a nearby gas giant. When surveying ocean life her submarine is destroyed, leaving her alone to walk to higher ground before the wave comes back. Along the way, she makes notes about what she finds in the intertidal zone, and gradually realizes that some of the life there is more than what it seems. There’s only one episode out at the time of writing and I’m already deeply in love with this show. The main character is a huge lovable nerd. And in the space of one episode they’ve managed to create a creative, immersive and beautifully detailed alien world. If you’re really into biology like me, I think you’ll love this show.

Girl in Space: Abandoned on a dying ship in the farthest reaches of known space, a young scientist fights for survival (and patience with the on-board A.I.). Who is she? No one knows. But a lot of dangerous entities really want to find out.   This show hooked me from the get-go cuz its atmosphere and setting are grippingly ominous and mysterious. It had me begging for more. The creepy vibes are balanced really well with the titular girl in space because she’s really likable and her ramblings can be really insightful and enlightening, but also really hilarious and relatable. 

Empty*: The crew of an intergalactic colonization vessel wake up from cryosleep with no memories, finding themselves the only sentient life in the universe. Like Girl in Space, it has a masterfully done ominous atmosphere and world building that leaves you begging for more. But it has a wholly different tone because it feels grittier and serious. If you like creepy and slightly unsettling space podcasts, like Wolf 359, you should check this out. I can best describe this as space gothic, the same way Alice Isn’t Dead is American gothic. This podcast also uses a lot of hard sci-fi concepts in its worldbuilding, moreso that any podcasts I’ve listened to before.

The Earth Collective: Joseph Crane attempts to record and document the life and culture of the titular Earth Collective: the dying remnants of humanity living on rolling cities on the planet of Oasus, fleeing the malevolent entity known as the Dark This is one of my fave sci-fi podcasts ever. I’ve already gone on so much in this list about atmosphere and world building, but podcasts are just really good at that, and this one especially. The world building in this one is immersive and it feels so real, especially since I love learning about history and culture. Think of this show as Titan A.E but Soft™.  It starts slow but it builds up the conflict and tension which fit really well with the atmosphere.

The Falcon Banner*: Two hundred years after the fall of the Terran Empire, humans find themselves the subject race of the alien Amsus Hegemony. Darien Taine, a police inspector for the Terran police kills an Amsus inquisitor in self-defense, a crime punishable by death. He escapes Earth, and finds himself embroiled in a resistance movement and a centuries old plot that shattered the empire. An audio theater dramatization of the novel by Christopher Patrick Lydon. This show is what would happen if someone looked at the original Star Wars trilogy and said, “Hmmm that was good but could be gayer.” This is a high production, high action, epic sci-fi space opera. This show captured my heart with a fascinating universe, well written characters, and a bombastic soundtrack and atmosphere. This is perhaps the most epic Gays in Space™ podcast I’ve listened to. But I feel like I should warn y’all, the series just ends with no conclusion, and it’s been a decade since. But the story continues on in a book series (the podcast adapts the first book).

The Strange Case of Starship Iris*:  In 2189, Earth narrowly won a war against extraterrestrials. Two years later, in a distant patch of space, a mysterious explosion kills nearly the entire crew of the science vessel Starship Iris. The only survivor is Violet Liu, an intrepid, sarcastic, terrified biologist. But as Violet struggles to readjust to life after the Iris, questions abound. Was that explosion really an accident? If not, just what is going on? And why does every answer seem to get more bizarre and more dangerous? If Violet and her newfound allies want to untangle the truth, they’ll need courage, brilliance, and luck - and honestly, a couple of drinks. This show shines in having a really well written and lovable set of diverse characters that play off each other really well. Add on top of that some  fresh world building concepts and ideas that I haven’t seen done anywhere else. All in all they create an engaging and immersive story. 

Inkwyrm*:  Inkwyrm Magazine is an intergalactic fashion publication, bringing readers the newest looks from all over the universe. At the head of it all is Annie Inkwyrm, and directly behind her is Mella Sonder, AI caretaker and Annie’s PA. Along for the ride is an overzealous PR director, a perpetually unimpressed physician, and an AI that really needs to learn some ethics. One part sit-com, one part space opera. This show is my comfort podcast. It’s hilarious, cheesy in a good way, and gay which is what I need during such stressful times like now. The characters are likable and play off each other well. It’s mostly a comedy, but it does have it’s serious moments which are well done and hit close to home for me.

Limetown: Ten years ago, over three hundred men, women and children disappeared from a small town in Tennessee, never to be heard from again. American Public Radio reporter Lia Haddock asks the question once more, “What happened to the people of Limetown?” This was one of my first podcasts and it set my bar really damn high. The gripping story drags you in with interesting characters, mysteries and concepts. The pacing is really well done and you wouldn’t even notice how many episodes had gone by. This was a really beautifully done mystery and thriller

The Message*:The weekly reports and interviews from Nicky Tomalin, covering the decoding of a message from outer space received 70 years ago. Over the course of 8 episodes we get an inside ear on how a top team of cryptologists attempt to decipher, decode, and understand the alien message. This was also one of my first ever podcasts. Like Limetown, it has a heart stopping story that will drag you all over place. It set the bar really high too. You’ll be constantly gripped by the ever increasing stakes and tension that conclude on a high note.

Life After*: The 10 episode series follows Ross, a low level employee at the FBI, who spends his days conversing online with his wife Charlie – who died eight months ago. But the technology behind this digital resurrection leads Ross down a dangerous path that threatens his job, his own life, and maybe even the world. This was done by the same people as The Message and it’s just as emotionally intense and immersive as a thriller. But the subject matter is more relatable and hits closer to home, both in that they’re personal issues that a lot of people have to deal with, and it deals with technology that may soon be a thing in daily life. The show has a lot of interesting ideas regarding technology, morality, and personhood, which makes it hit harder for me. (note, it’s on the same feed as The Message)

Eos 10*: The lives two mal-adjusted doctors and their staff on the Alliance space station, EOS 10. Other characters include a hypochondriac deposed prince, an aggressively enthusiastic nurse, and a galactically hated terrorist whom is not what you’d expect. This was also one of my first podcasts. It’s also one of my comfort podcasts. I imagine it as what would happen if Star Trek was a sitcom about doctors. Despite being a sitcom, the wacky sounding characters have a lot of surprising emotional depth and deal with serious issues that makes them really lovable and relatable. They play off each other wonderfully, which makes the comedy and the plot in general hit harder. It has a lot of same vibes as Inkwyrm.

Ars Paradoxica*: When an experiment in a time much like our own goes horribly awry, Dr. Sally Grissom finds herself stranded in the past and entrenched in the activities of a clandestine branch of the US government. Grissom and her team quickly learn that there’s no safety net when toying with the fundamental logic of the universe. This really one of the most intense podcasts I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. The characters are all massively compelling disasters that will make you feel so many things. It has so many twists and wonderfully tragic time travel ideas and concepts. I’m not kidding when I say that this is the best show regarding time travel I’ve ever seen. As someone with a love of history and science, I love how hard they play up those elements. Physics ain’t my forte so I’m not sure but this feels like a very hard sci-fi. 

Wolf 359: Set on board the U.S.S. Hephaestus space station, the dysfunctional crew deals with daily life-or-death emergencies, while searching for signs of alien life and discovering there might be more to their mission than they thought. Tune into your home away from home… seven and a half light years away from Earth… This is one of the most popular ones so I put it last, but no podcast rec list would be complete without Wolf 359. This isn’t just a show, it’s an experience, it’s a life changer. It’s one of the best pieces of art that you’ll ever see.While I do admit it take a bit before it finds its legs, but it gets indescribably good when it does. The characters are all wonderful disasters with a lot of emotional depth and development to them. The story is paced really well, it knows when to get intense and suspenseful. But it also knows when to put in breather episodes and to make the intense parts easier to process with well written comedy. And the plot is unpredictable and plays with a lot of tropes and cliches. But you won’t feel lost because it knows to set the atmosphere and foreshadow. This show is Chekhov’s machine gun.

The Bright Sessions*: follows a group of therapy patients. But these are not your typical patients - each has a unique supernatural ability. The show documents their struggles and discoveries as well as the motivations of their mysterious therapist, Dr. Bright. I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts in my life and I gotta say, this is the best one I’ve listened to so far. It’s very well written and well acted. This podcast will make you feel so much for the lovable characters and their struggles as they learn how to people while handling their powers. This show also isn’t just a show, it’s a masterpiece in storytelling that will change your life. Like Wolf 359, it hits hard in the feels department because of how much you’ll care for the multifaceted characters; but this one hits differently because the problems they encounter are one’s you’ll probably have to face yourself.

[estherroberts]

writings and listenings

in order to welcome my new followers (hi! nice to meet you!) and bc ive been meaning to do it anyway... here is a link list of all my fics and playlists! 

FICS: 

going home: esther goes back to new york two different times, with varying results

tales from the polvo wives club: read all about it! slices of time lost in polvo, featuring june barlowe, bisexual firecracker, and helen partridge, actual queen of the world! 

and nothing ever does begin like nothing ever ends: here we find the characters of ars paradoxica unceremoniously dunked into the world of his dark materials, where they along with their daemons try to sort out life's issues and loves

all this and heaven too (co-written w @tanosoka): after esther wakes up from her coma, she has to deal with all the consequences of her gay bullshit

doing the right thing: june's doesn't want to be a widow and a single mother

show me your teeth: dorm life! gays! vampires! halloween! (an esther and bridget college vampire thing)

what the heck is a slogmas: sally gets bored and invents a holiday

wizard-man: anthony has a conversation with his computer in the blackroom (a young wizards series crossover) 

transference: esther has been avoiding her duties as a royal for longer than is probably healthy, and bridget is getting really tired of hearing about how heroic her ex's adventures are

 i of the storm: isabel lovelace 3.0 has some trouble sorting out the memories that hit her while she's waking up, but this set seems to be trying to tell her something 

also check out the high school au i wrote with @lizzieraindrops and @podcastmecaptain

PLAYLISTS: 

spit in the face of practicality: an esther roberts playlist

worship: a june barlowe/helen partridge playlist 

sugar: an esther roberts/bridget chambers playlist 

exhale: a far meridian playlist

within the wires: a hesther/oleta playlist

vinegar: an esther roberts/bridget chambers playlist 

patience: a june barlowe playlist

‘til the stars fall from the sky: a helen patridge playlist

[ettadunham]

do you listen to a lot of podcasts? which ones do you recommend? i'm just finishing listening to ars paradoxica and i need something to fill the gape it'll leave lmao thanks!

Hey you!!! I probably don’t listen to all that much compared to the more hardcore listeners, but I did manage to find a bunch of cool stories relevant to my interests if I do say so myself :P

I actually made a podcast page listing them all out, and I also put links in the pictures to each of their official sites. I would probably recommend any of those, but I’ll also try to give a quick rundown on each, just because I love talking about them.

(Also, please hit me up if you’re looking for some specific content or filter options relating to these or some other podcasts I may be familiar with enough to answer ;) )

Now, since aP is the reference point you gave me (my kind of anon ;) ), I’ll start with some ensemble sci-fis right out of the gate, from the plot heavy to the character-centric:

Marsfall - intense space drama about a Mars expedition crew. There’s only one season out yet, but it’s real strong right out the gate, and I’m already in love with Jacki and ANDI (the commander and the AI of the ship, respectively).

Wolf 359 - starts off more as a space sitcom, but then shit eventually gets pretty real and intense. Already finished with over 60 episodes and all sort of additional content available, so the perfect binge material. (Also, bonus cameo by the ars crew at some point.)

The Strange Case of Starship Iris - this one had a long hiatus after its first 5 episodes, but it’s coming back, so now is the perfect time to start. It has a bit of Firefly vibe to it (bunch of misfit smugglers in space on the run from a totalitarian government), but a lot more diverse.

Station to Station - leaving space for a bit, S2S is taking place on a research ship, where our scientist protagonist is looking for her missing lab partner. Weird shenanigans and memory problems ensue. (Season 1 is complete as of now.)

What’s the Frequency - aptly titled, WTF is a period detective noir story with some pretty weird shit going on connected to radio dramas, which I still don’t quite understand? Is it the devil? Is it even sci-fi? Who knows, not me.

The Bridge - there are sea monsters, a Transcontinental bridge, and watchtowers to keep an eye on things. The show follows the crew of one such watchtower. This is also where my plot-heavy -> character-centric concept kind of falls apart, because the show does a slightly different thing. In every episode, there’s a separate story narrated by one of the characters (usually Etta, the protagonist) about the lore of the Bridge, while the plot slowly moves along. Some of these stories of course involve the characters themselves, but you often don’t actually know for sure. Also, a pretty dope intro (ta-da-dam-ta ta-ta-da-damm ta-da-dam-dam ta-ta-da-dam DAM DAM TA-DAM TA DA DAM TA DAM TA DA DA TA-DA DAM DAM TA DA DA DAM DAM TA TASJGFKADFJ;DAL - anyway, it’s great :P).

The Bright Sessions - a show about people with abilities in therapy. There’s an overarching plot, but even once that unfolds, it still relies much more heavily on the characters, and what they’re going through in each episode. An excellent gateway podcast altogether, that is soon coming to an end.

Non sci-fi ensemble shows:

Under Pressure - also featuring ships and sea monsters like some of our previous entries, but now it’s a drama about a scholar joining a submarine science expedition to write a philosophy paper... but in reality, is there to deal with her grief.

Homecoming - about a program that’s supposed to re-integrate veterans back into society with some shady methods. Overall, this story wasn’t really in my wheelhouse, but it’s one of those high profile podcasts that have people like Oscar Isaac and David Schwimmer voicing characters, so that’s nice.

Okay, so I left shows relying on one or two people’s narration for last, but these are actually some of my faves, so I hope you got this far. Pretty much all of these have some sort of fantastic elements, but I will try to put them in an order of plot-reliance:

Alice isn’t Dead - a truck driver is looking for her missing wife who isn’t dead. There’s also a conspiracy and serial killer monsters lurking on the roads. Podcasts in general have a lot of good horror to offer, but I just... can’t do them. AiD is my exception, and it’s narrated by Jasika Nicole, so... how could i say no?

The Far Meridian - an agoraphobic young woman wakes up every day to find that her home (a lighthouse) turns up at a different place. There may also be additional mysteries. Lots of magical realism, and shit getting weirder and weirder as the episodes progress. Created by one of the ars writers, it’s a gentle balm for your soul. Season 1 is already out in full.

Girl In Space - this one is about a girl in space. Shocking, right? She loves cheese and Jurassic Park, and is totally alone on her space station... until she’s not. Technically might qualify more as an ensemble at this point but... eh.

Mabel - haunted house, mythical creatures, and a caretaker leaving voice messages for her charge’s missing(?) granddaughter. Gets gradually weirder, gayer and more poetic as it progresses.

Within the Wires - I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH!!! I’ll start with that, because I should probably also confess that after listening to the first episode, I was convinced that it wouldn’t be my thing. The first season is told through these weird relaxation tapes, that you’re probably only half-listening to at the beginning. But things do become much clearer by the 3rd-4th episode or so, and by then it’s much easier to follow. It also has an anthology structure, where each season tells a different story with a different narrator, but it’s still connected and takes place in the same universe. Anyway, let’s just say that it’s probably my second favorite show after ars at this point.

Investigative fiction podcasts, which is sort of a very specific subgenre with plenty of content, I’m guessing:

Limetown - 10 years ago the people of Limetown disappeared overnight, and now a radio host is set to solve the mystery. Season 2 is coming this year, which is great, because S1 ended on a cliffhanger in fucking 2015.

Rabbits - a radio host is looking for her missing best friend, who disappeared playing a weird, ancient game, probably. Also by the same people who did popular shows like Tanis or The Black Tapes - but overall I heard mixed things about those, especially in the long run. I liked Rabbits though.

[simitra1321]

Happy new year and a very, very, very belated happy ars PARADOXICA Secret Santa to @theskyprism . Sorry this is so late. Anyway, here’s a playlist centered around some of the main cast of characters and their relationships throughout the show. Hope you enjoy!

Stand by Me by Ben E King -- Sally and Anthony Think by Kaleida -- Carmen and Petra My Own Enemy by Awkward Mariana -- Esther We Go Together from Grease -- Esther and Jack Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap -- Sally and ODAR Management Only the Horses by Scissor Sisters -- Esther and Bridget Losing My Religion arr. Dia Frampton -- Petra All of Me arr. Postmodern Jukebox -- June and Quintin Still Here by Digital Daggers -- Anthony and Hellen Stand by Me arr. Amy Turk -- Reprise

Listen on YouTube

[dorkpool1701-blog]

I need to get some shit-talking out of my system. Specifically, shit-talking relating to “The Black Tapes.” Just getting this out of the way: if you’re a fan of the series, that’s totally fine, but you should probably not read this. However, if you do read this, please don’t tell me to listen to more of it because it gets good or something. I’m only behind an episode or two. 

Anyway, “The Black Tapes.” Out of all the podcasts I’ve listened to, this one is the worst. That’s not to say it’s incredibly bad or anything. It’s just that most of the podcasts I’ve listened to are really good, and this one isn’t as good. Basically a worst of the best sort of thing. I still don’t like it though. 

For one thing, there’s quite a bit about it that just annoys me. For one thing, the soundtrack. One of the songs I’m sure is just stock horror music, which is oh so classy. Then there’s also the little “thooms” that sometimes pop up, usually after dialogue. I think it’s to make the dialogue sound more important, except 1) most of the dialogue the “thoom” is after isn’t important and 2) it’s very overused. So, rather than create drama or tension, it just inspires groans.

Of course, these are nothing compared to the most annoying part of the show: the ads. See, most podcasts I’ve listened to that have ads usually have one or two at the beginning of the show. That’s fine, you need money for the podcast and I guess Patreon isn’t paying the bills. But with “The Black Tapes”, they take it to the next level. There are one or two ads at the beginning, one or two ads at the end of the first act, one or two ads at the end of the second acts, and one or two ads at the end of the show. The amount varies, but it’s still enough to be irritating. Plus, the ads really take you out of the story. You’re just listening along, getting somewhat invested in the story, when suddenly minor cliffhanger, then ad for MeUndies or Audible. By the way, a note to Audible: please stop with all the ads. You’re making me not want to use your product out of spite. Just saying. 

Anyway, despite all these ads, “The Black Tapes” still has horror movie stock music in the show. Can you not afford a decent composer with all that ad money? 

Of course, if it were only a lame soundtrack and ads that were the only problems, I’d be fine. Annoyed, sure, but I’d still feel some investment in the story. But wait, there’s more.

Let’s talk about the main character, Alex Reagan. She isn’t a bad character, I’ll admit. But there’s one thing she does that really gets irritating after a while: get spooked by demons. Fine, she saw a scary movie when she was young that fucked her up. Fine. Mention it once or twice, and move on. But no, this whole demon fearing thing is an aspect of her character, and it gets annoying whenever she whines about dealing with demons because SHE’S FUCKING INVESTING A DEMONIC CONSPIRACY. Seriously, woman the fuck up lady. Just because you have a pussy doesn’t mean you need to be a pussy. 

There are still more issues I have with this podcast, because of course I do. For example, no one laughs when hearing the phrase “sacred geometry.” Why? I don’t know, I find that funny. I just imagine some geometry professor kneeling in front of a chalk board with a bunch of shapes on it saying, “All hail.” Also, sacred geometry is a plot point, and speaking of plot points...

Some of the plot points are stupid or way too out there. By plot points, I mean one in particular: including President Garfield. When I actually heard he had some bearing on the plot, I groaned. That one sticks with me. 

There are also the various reveals the show has. You know, dramatic twists and turns in the narrative that should shock the listener or at least make things clearer. I have said, out loud, the various reveals before the characters figured it out. And not in a “finish the sentences in shock and surprise” sort of way. More of a “character poses a question and I answer it in a bored and annoyed tone of voice because how can they not get this” sort of way. 

Now, this show isn’t awful. It’s not even really bad. It’s perfectly competent, and at least you can tell what’s going on most of the time (unlike some other shows. Looking at you here, ARS Paradoxica). But that’s where it ends for me. The shows I really like are more than that. Hell, some of them aren’t competently put together at first. “The Penumbra Podcast” had less than stellar audio quality at first. But what drew me in was the story and characters. I adore Juno Steel, and I’m more than happy to go back to Hyperion City. I can’t say the same about “The Black Tapes.” It’s just not all that gripping or scary. 

[bitch-is-for-okay]

This may be out of date (I listened to podcasts most in school 🤢) and formatted poorly (I am no longer in school), but here's a list of some of my favorites!

Horror Fiction:

The Magnus Archives

Welcome to Nightvale

Alice Isn't Dead

Within the Wires

Limetown

The Bright Sessions

The Black Tapes

Steal the Stars

(I haven't listened to the Penumbra Podcast or ars Paradoxica but I think I've heard they're good and similar to TMA?)

(Basically just go to the "You Might Also Like" section of ur podcast player and scroll, you'll find a lot of good indie horror)

Nonfiction:

A Way With Words

Death in the Afternoon

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Serial

This American Life

The Parcast Network (Lots of podcasts, very hit or miss, but good background noise. Good luck.)

Talk Shows:

Dear Hank and John

Oh No, Ross and Carrie (They're not really a talk show, but since they debunk/investigate spooky shit idk whether to call them fiction or nonfiction)

(Idk I usually find these boring sorry)

(I hear My Brother, My Brother, and Me is good but like I said. Boring. Also you've probably already heard of them so why did I even bother)

Whoop there it is anyway I can't remember any more but feel free to add on

Favorite podcasts? I need something to fill the silence and too many songs remind me of my ex/relationships :/

i don’t really listen to podcasts, sorry friend. if anyone else has recs though feel free to drop them in the replies below!

[pagesofkenna]

i started listening to ars paradoxica today and i got five episodes in, and its really interesting i definitely want to keep listening, but... i cant keep any of the characters straight in my head? and all the temporal jumping is throwing me off? not the plot time jumping, the thing where the audio suddenly jumps to a scene earlier or a couple days later or something. its definitely a relevant technique but now im five episodes in and i dont know who’s who or whats going on with the background mystery stuff

anyway so now im debating relistening to the first few episodes, or just powering through and seeing if i can figure it out along the way, and im wondering if im supposed to be lost because that’s a thing some stories do? or maybe it would be easier to follow along if i read transcripts except i dont like the idea of just sitting here reading/listening if i dont have to?