fiction podcasts — my new favorite thing

podcasts: foreword

if you've never listened to a fiction podcast you might not be overly familiar with the concept. in my experience, when most people hear the word "podcast" they think of real people sitting around and talking about all kinds of stuff. this can be fun, sure, but the audio medium can be so much more!

a bit of history: radio dramas were very popular in 20th century but with the rise of television they were mostly forgotten. but the 2010's (and specifically: welcome to night vale) brought audio drama back to live! all because of this wonderful thing — fiction podcast, also called narrative podcast or audio drama.

they are stories! but told only through the sound. with the lack of visuals you can experience a story in the most unique ways.

why fiction podcasts?

why choose to listen to a podcast instead of, say, watching a show or reading a book? obviously pods can't replace them, but they are a great addiction to your leisurely activities.

as mentioned in the section above, since the storytelling relies heavily on audio with no image, it's a great medium for ~just imagining~ things. it especially comes in handy in the horror genre. people see their own monsters. the audience and the creator(s) sort of work together to create a world unlike anything you can see in a movie¹.
since the production costs are lower it is availabale for a wider spectrum of creators who have so much to tell. there are people out there who having no prior knowledge in podcasting have began a podcast purely out of passion for their craft and they are now thriving and their stories are loved by many. there's none or very little middlemen between the creator & their product, so writers have a change to put out a story in a way that's true to them². it's especially signigicant when representation in media is important to you: there's a lot room for poc, queer and disabled experiences in podcasts.
it's literally free. i know we all pirate shit anyway but look: they are literally out there. for free. for your enjoyment. how are you not going wild over this? and if you love a certain story, you can always donate!

¹ one of the creators of "archive 81" had talked about this in a bonus episode "a conversation with ella watts".

² creator of "monstrous agonies" had talked about this in a special episode "season 1 q&a — part 1".

how to listen

you can find podcasts anywhere: apple podcasts, spotify, google podcasts and many, many more! some of them are even on youtube. personally i use podbean. first, because i dislike big corporations' apps, and second, it has many smaller podcasts that aren't available on other apps. choose what suits you best!

some people (me among them) have trouble focusing on podcasts because they can't sit idly and listen. the trick to this is to perform activities that do not require much intellectual power while listening, so your brain is focused on the story while your hands wander!

such activities can be: taking a walk, drawing, knitting, crocheting, sewing, embroidering, cooking, doing the dishes, cleaning etc. these are just the things i love to do, you can always find your own!

podcasts i'm listening/'ve listened to

[disclaimer: i'm shit at writing synopses and i don't understand how genres work]

alice isn't dead [completed] is about a truck driver who has lost her wife (literally lost! she isn't dead). now she's riding around all over the us looking for her wife, and the towns she delivers packages to are... weird. it has narration as well as music experience!

mystery, drama

archive 81 is about a guy who gets a job at a secluded archive to organize tapes (the tapes are spooky!). each season has a new setting and characters and there's a very cool magic system!

found footage horror

camp here & there is about a nurse at an otherwordly camp. however, the usual weirdness gets even weirder! it has a lot themes of disability, autonomity and power imbalance.

horror, comedy

♥ dreamboy [completed] is about a guy who temporarily moves to cliveland and gets a job at a zoo+attraction park. but there's, like, a whole deal about the zebra. it has an amazing soundtrack that supports the story, and even has an opera number!

drama, fantasia

EOS 10 is about doctors (and a nurse) in space! also aliens. of course. some stuff happens. it's very fun!

science fiction, drama

♥♥♥ hello from the hallowoods is about survivors of apocalyptic rains whose stories are beautifully intertwined together. might be hard to get into at first, but once you get familiar with the characters the narrative unfolds into a great queer haven that feels like home.

adventure, soothing horror, drama

malevolent is about a p.i. whose eyesight was stolen by an entity now residing in his head. stellar sound design and voiceacting (all done by one person!!!), lots of mystery to theorize about.

cosmic horror

♥ monstrous agonies is about an advise segment on a radio show. each episode is focused on 2 letters and the presenter gives advise. it touches on how monstrosity is often a metaphor for many marginalized communities. and sometimes it's just funny lil monsters.

soothing horror

♥♥ old gods of appalachia is about people interacting with old appalachian gods. each season tells a single story from various perspectives. super cool sound effects and the narrator has an awesome accent.

horror

♥ the dead letter office of somewhere, ohio [completed] is about a person making memos of dead letters which tell a larger story. it has a really cool plot twist.

horror

the department of variance of somewhere, ohio is about a new hire. she's just getting through orientation when an alarm goes off. knowing nothing about this strange department she has to make her way downstairs to evacuate. by the same creator as dead letter office.

horror

♥ the magnus archives [completed] is about a newly appointed head archivist who is organizing fears-filled statements. they all turn out to be a part of an entire hidden world, and it doesn't want to stay hidden any longer. one of the most popular podcasts in the world!

horror

♥♥ the mistholme museum of mystery, morbidity and mortality is about an audio tour guide that tells you stories about artifacts in a stange museum. it's soo cute!

horror

♥ the penumbra podcast is actually two-in-one. junoverse is about a depressed p.i. who's solving a martian mystery. the second citadel is about a conflict between humans and monsters. it's the most cartoon-like podcast on the list.

junoverse: noir detective, sci-fi, adventure; citadel: fantasy, adventure

time:bombs [completed] is about three bomb disposal experts on a new years eve being interviewed. it's a really short podcasts with only three episodes.

comedy

♥♥ welcome to night vale is about a strange desert town and its community radio host, who likes not only to report the news but overshare as well. it was revolutionary in the podcasting world and a great introduction to the medium. it covers a variety of themes and has increbible quotes.

horror, comedy

♥♥♥ woe.begone is about a guy playing a mysterious alternative reality rpg (a. k. a. time-travelling murder game) and he's really, really determined to win. there are also cowboys.

mystery, sci-fi, horror, comedy

wolf 359 [completed] is about a space station crew next to a star. spoilers: the star is weird, the station is weird, everything's weird. it has some really chilling elements.

drama, comedy