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Fictional Podcasts |OT| - "You mean it isn't real?"

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
Note to self: Do Not Start New Podcasts until getting caught up with current ones. I made the mistake of listening to Trilling Adventure Hour on a whim and now I'm behind over 200 episodes in my backlog.
 

Russ T

Banned
Note to self: Do Not Start New Podcasts until getting caught up with current ones. I made the mistake of listening to Trilling Adventure Hour on a whim and now I'm behind over 200 episodes in my backlog.

I know that feeling... I know that feeling EVERY well!

...

Listened to the first episode of Within the Wires. Seems pretty solid and strange. Par for the course with these people! Based on the first episode, I like it, though I'm glad it's going to be a limited series (10 episodes, right? - until they do season two or whatever...), as I don't think the idea has the potential to last theoretically infinitely. And on that note, I'd kind of like to see Night Vale end, so they could just start over with something new. It's run its course, in my opinion. Of course, I know it's still very popular, so that's more just a personal opinion, I suppose.

Also I got all caught up with Friends at the Table. (What an amazing GM Austin is. What an amazing group of players they are. I'm immensely jealous that I've never experienced something even close to that.) I know it's not exactly what this thread is about, but I still highly recommend it if you're into people basically improving a story. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always genuine. It's good!!

And now I need to figure out what I'm going to catch up on next. Hmmm. Off the top of my head I've listened to: We're Alive, Liberty: Critical Research, Limetown, Welcome to Night Vale, Alice Isn't Dead, Within the Wires, Hello from the Magic Tavern, Earbud Theater. I've liked all of those to various degrees! I also gave The Thrilling Adventure Hour a shot once, but couldn't get into it. I've considered trying again, but I think that Again Time has not come up quite yet.

So basically, what should I listen to next? I think I might want something a little lighter at the moment, though. At least, funnier. The end of COUNTER/Weight on Friends at the Table was pretty intense. :p

I'm currently leaning toward Siblings Peculiar just because I love Magic Tavern so much, but that's fairly new and won't take long to catch up on!!
 

Malyse

Member
Instead of killing myself with a massive queue, now I'm clearing my list in order. Expect reviews soon; I'm going to start a podcast review directory on tumblr and link to it from here.
 
Speaking of massive queues: I'm on vacation for the next three weeks and I'm still trying to catch up on what I've missed for the past two weeks. I think I'm just going to have to cull very heavily when I get back. Ugh. I hate skipping shows.
 
Because we can never have enough podcasts, I saw this list on the PNWS subreddit, there's further discussion in the actual thread itself so there might be more there too. A lot of repeats but there are some new ones. I've been enjoying Archive 81 so far.
Started listening to Ars Paradoxica and Archive 81. I really liked the audio effectsin Ars, top notch, but the story and acting didn't really click with me. Archive is interesting, also great sound effects, and quite eerie.

Not exactly fictional, but the podcast Flash Forward might interest some. It's part fictional, part science discussion. Basically each episode explores a possible future and then interviews scientists and experts in various fields to discuss the potential societal effects of such a future, if and how such scenarios could happen. The fictional part is the segment at the start that acts as day-in-the-life sound bites from that episode's future. They're really good. The most recent one Kaboom (what if all the world's volcanoes erupted) had some quite convincing news reports
 

Russ T

Banned
I started and caught up on both Ars Paradoxica and Siblings Peculiar and like them both a lot. For completely different reasons.

AP took me like five episodes to really get invested, but I'm definitely hooked, at this point. It's solid. I dunno if I can say it really stands out in the genre of time travel fiction in terms of quality, but I do like that it (this is only a spoiler in the sense that it reveals the mechanics of time travel in AP, not in that it reveals any story events)
looks at the idea of a time travel paradox and says "fuck it, let it happen", which is refreshing, as most serious time travel fiction concerns itself with multiple timelines, fracturing and/or converging and/or exploding
.

I think it's worth noting that, unlike the other improv story podcast Adal Rifai does (Hello from the Magic Tavern - which is still absolutely one of my favorites), SP is... really just exceptionally goofy in every way. So is Magic Tavern, but, hmm, I dunno how to put it into words. Magic Tavern seems to take itself much more seriously while being goofy. Maybe, it's consistent within its own fiction? But SP just does whatever the hell it wants? Yeah, I think that suffices as an explanation. And I find that the guests are are much more hit or miss. I dunno if it's the content/context or the guests themselves. I'll definitely keep listening, as it's made me laugh a lot, but it's near the bottom of my priority list when I've got multiple 'casts to catch up on.

I think I might take this opportunity to catch up on other podcasts that are not fictional. Well, not explicitly so, anyway. (Having been a recent convert to the McElroy brothers, thanks to The Adventure Zone - topical! - I'm now going through the MBMBaM backlog.)
 
I think I might take this opportunity to catch up on other podcasts that are not fictional. Well, not explicitly so, anyway. (Having been a recent convert to the McElroy brothers, thanks to The Adventure Zone - topical! - I'm now going through the MBMBaM backlog.)
Have fun with that. I had known about them through Sawbones, but got hooked on MBMBaM in February, and now I'm up to #260. Also started Adventure Zone last month

As for other nonfiction, I love Hardcore History. It's all history, but Carlin is such a good storyteller that it's impossible to not be engrossed. Episodes tend to be more like audiobooks, from 90 minutes to 4+ hours long.

There's a catch-all McElroy thread too: www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1187189
 

Russ T

Banned
Have fun with that. I had known about them through Sawbones, but got hooked on MBMBaM in February, and now I'm up to #260. Also started Adventure Zone last month

As for other nonfiction, I love Hardcore History. It's all history, but Carlin is such a good storyteller that it's impossible to not be engrossed. Episodes tend to be more like audiobooks, from 90 minutes to 4+ hours long.

There's a catch-all McElroy thread too: www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1187189

Oh good lookin' out! I'll keep an eye on that thread.

I've also got Sawbones on my list for somewhere in the distant future.
 

Malyse

Member
Another quick shout out to Archive 81. It's in the same vein as The Black Tapes, Limetown, and TANIS: WTF is happening with no breaks in immersion. This one is really really good, guys. If you like any of the stuff I just mentioned or Night Vale, you should check this out.
 

Vyer

Member
Through four episodes of Siblings Peculiar, it's solid but not as good as Magic Tavern.

I'm through 30 something episodes of Magic Tavern I think. I'm not really feeling the live shows too much, but the rest are still pretty great. Just finished Forever Girl in one of them, I think? and it was funny as hell.
 

Sulik2

Member
Bright Sessions and Archive 81 are really good so far. Starting to lose interest in Ars Paradoxica.

Through four episodes of Siblings Peculiar, it's solid but not as good as Magic Tavern.

I'm through 30 something episodes of Magic Tavern I think. I'm not really feeling the live shows too much, but the rest are still pretty great. Just finished Forever Girl in one of them, I think? and it was funny as hell.

The Pax East show, episode 61 I think, was spectacular. They get better at the live ones.
 

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
Finally got caught up on Night Vale. The run towards this season's finale was the strongest string of episodes since its first year. The show becomes very thrilling when it stops playing the wacky cutesy card and embraces the creepiness of the setting.

Didn't like the Alice Isn't Dead finale. Felt like a sequel hook for the sake of having a sequel hook.
 
Finally got caught up on Night Vale. The run towards this season's finale was the strongest string of episodes since its first year. The show becomes very thrilling when it stops playing the wacky cutesy card and embraces the creepiness of the setting.
What episodes are those? I had been into it at the start but then it just meandered on and on
 

Ophelion

Member
Finally got caught up on Night Vale. The run towards this season's finale was the strongest string of episodes since its first year. The show becomes very thrilling when it stops playing the wacky cutesy card and embraces the creepiness of the setting.

Who's a good boy?

Alternatively, the phrase "I am still in the mud" has never and will never leave me with such chills again.

I deleted Siblings Peculiar. The characters were way too insufferable.

Hated this show from the first episode.

What episodes are those? I had been into it at the start but then it just meandered on and on

I really wish there were season numbers marked into how they denote their podcasts. The storyline starts at the beginning of their most recent season and it really is good. I can't for the life of me remember what episode that was though.
Sweeping Strexcorp under the rug has been good for the show. Strex started interesting enough, but it outstayed it's welcome. Especially when the Cult of the Smiling God is so much more interesting without them.
 

Russ T

Banned
I was only half listening to the last few episodes of Night Vale (like many, I feel it's gotten less good over time, so I generally listen to it as background noise now). I should relisten, as I do remember specific moments sticking out to me...

Where should I start for the beginning of the arc in question? I can't remember. (EDIT: Just saw the edit above. Thanks! (EDIT EDIT: Actually you said you couldn't remember the episode number! Well, thanks anyway. :p))

Also since this is really the only place I really talk about podcasts a lot, is anyone else having weird issues with PocketCasts where when it downloads multiple episodes from multiple feeds at once, they sometimes get garbled and mixed up? It's jarring listening to the latest Adventure Zone and being suddenly interrupted by Idle Thumbs intro.
 

Ophelion

Member
If you need an episode number for Nightvale, I'd say the most complete answer is episode 77.

That puts you 13 episodes back, which is about right for the most recent season. If you haven't listened for a while, lots has changed...but then Nightvale never made sense in the first place, so just roll with it, no?

If you want less commitment than that, you might be able to get away with starting at episode 86 and being alright. That's when things this season get really weird. Some of the stuff going on in the resolution of this story might seem a little out of left field without some of those earlier episodes, but you'll still probably have a good time.
 

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
What episodes are those? I had been into it at the start but then it just meandered on and on
I'd say from episode 83 onwards is when it got really good again, but the current storyline started in 77. The earlier half of the season almost felt like product placement for the novel.
I really wish there were season numbers marked into how they denote their podcasts. The storyline starts at the beginning of their most recent season and it really is good. I can't for the life of me remember what episode that was though.
Sweeping Strexcorp under the rug has been good for the show. Strex started interesting enough, but it outstayed it's welcome. Especially when the Cult of the Smiling God is so much more interesting without them.
Spoilers for season three:
I for one blame the emphasized focus on Cecil and Carlos' relationship. It's not like Night Vale hadn't had that stuff earlier, but it took the forefront for too long.

P.S. If you are not interested in sitting through the bullshit, I recommend episode 42, 45, 67. Those should be enjoyable and are self-contained stories.
 

Malyse

Member
I want everyone to listen to the Behemoth. Rick Coste is fantastic.

EDIT: No, I need everyone to listen to Scotch immediately. I need to talk about this with someone.
 

Sulik2

Member
EDIT: No, I need everyone to listen to Scotch immediately. I need to talk about this with someone.

Listened to Scotch last night. Its completely forgettable, though well voice acted and the outro music is nearly as long as the episodes. Skip this one folks.
 

Malyse

Member
Listened to Scotch last night. Its completely forgettable, though well voice acted and the outro music is nearly as long as the episodes. Skip this one folks.
Nah.
Listening to someone slowly losing sanity is a fresh take.
 

aett

Member
Are there any good cosmic horror fictional podcasts, or at least any that sort of lean in that direction?

I think my biggest issue with both is that whoever is writing these shows has a personal voice that comes through with nearly every character, regardless of that character's background, place of origin or age. It's really transparent that all these lines were thought up by a single person. Someone needs to explain to the writer that characterizing someone is as much if not more about word choice and syntax as it is about a solid accent (such as even those can be on their shows.)

My wife and I are currently going through The Black Tapes (almost done with the first season) and it's getting harder to listen to it with each new episode. It's pretty ridiculous how almost every character's dialogue is written, for the most part, identically. I've also started laughing every time someone asks Alex if she's religious, because every time she gives a shitty non-answer like "mmmmmaybe?" in a way that no actual reporter would ever do. Either just have a firm opinion or lie, which in some of these cases would have given her better results.

The advertisements have been getting ridiculous, too. In the first episode, the ad was at the very end of the show and non-intrusive. With each episode it moved slightly earlier, until an episode that literally started with the ad and then had a second one partway through. The worst one, by far, was when she segued from the show into the ad by saying something like "the only thing scarier is going to the post office, so with stamps dot com..."
 

Russ T

Banned
Decided to start TANIS and I opened up the feed and saw "207" at the top and panicked before I scrolled down and realized it's "season 2 episode 7". PHEW.

Here we goooooo.

(Probably gonna drop Siblings Peculiar after one more episode of blah. What a disappointment after Hello from the Magic Tavern! I really like Chunt, so I expected better. C'est la vie.)

(Speaking of Chunt, I liked the live Chuntsnight episode. It was suitably goofy.)
 

Sulik2

Member
Are there any good cosmic horror fictional podcasts, or at least any that sort of lean in that direction?

I think Archive 81 is going in this direction. TANIS for sure as well, its had a really strong second season to top it off. I would love more cosmic horror.

Are there any super cuts of the behemoth? These super short episodes with intros and outros are infuriating to listen to, even though I like the podcast.
 
I think Archive 81 is going in this direction. TANIS for sure as well, its had a really strong second season to top it off. I would love more cosmic horror.

Are there any super cuts of the behemoth? These super sort episodes with intros and outros are infuriating to listen to, even though I like the podcast.
I need to get back into Tanis. Did the show begin to answer questions, and get back to the more cosmic horror elements of its first few episodes as opposed to the "we're going to connect this story with all kinds of real life events" of later ones
 

Sulik2

Member
I need to get back into Tanis. Did the show begin to answer questions, and get back to the more cosmic horror elements of its first few episodes as opposed to the "we're going to connect this story with all kinds of real life events" of later ones

Did you finish season 1? Its ends very lore heavy and season 2 is the same way. The dialogue has gotten much better and some things are answered, but more questions are always raised. As it should be.
 

aett

Member
I think Archive 81 is going in this direction. TANIS for sure as well, its had a really strong second season to top it off. I would love more cosmic horror.

Interesting - I've listened to the first few episodes of Archive 81, so I need to continue. I have to say that it did remind me a little of Peter Clines' novel "14".
 
Did you finish season 1? Its ends very lore heavy and season 2 is the same way. The dialogue has gotten much better and some things are answered, but more questions are always raised. As it should be.
I didn't. The show kind of lost my interest after the first few episodes. If it's back on track, definitely need to start listening to it again
 

blackw0lf

Member
People really need to check out The Magnus Archives

It starts off as individual stories, but gradually an overarching plot starts to emerge

Riveting, creative stories that are well narrated. Very little filler. Tons of variety as well. (Not repeating the same shit over and over ala Black Tapes). Has much more of a Lovecraftian feel as well.

Don't let the over-seriousness of the intro turn you off. It did me. But super glad I stuck with it.

http://rustyquill.com/?cat=15&paged=6 (start with Mag 1 and work your way up)

You can read more praise over at these threads (where I first discovered it)
https://www.reddit.com/r/PNWS/comments/4ivmuo/the_magnus_archives_a_horror_podcast_halfway/

https://www.reddit.com/r/PNWS/comments/4ukoy6/similar_podcasts_to_listen_to/

Oh and this week's Black Tapes was the first in a LONG time I would say was really really good.
 
People really need to check out The Magnus Archives

It starts off as individual stories, but gradually an overarching plot starts to emerge

Riveting, creative stories that are well narrated. Very little filler. Tons of variety as well. (Not repeating the same shit over and over ala Black Tapes). Has much more of a Lovecraftian feel as well.
"A horror podcast halfway between Black Tapes and SCP"

Okay, I'm sold
 
I was thinking the other day a podcast version of SCP would be my goddamn bag.

So this sounds great to me!
I recently started reading through the SCP wiki from the beginning and it has quickly become one of my favorite collections of fiction online
 

Russ T

Banned
I recently started reading through the SCP wiki from the beginning and it has quickly become one of my favorite collections of fiction online

Yessss it's so good. Some of 'em can be duds, but overall they tend to work, I think. And the ones that hit, hit hard.
 

Sulik2

Member
People really need to check out The Magnus Archives

It starts off as individual stories, but gradually an overarching plot starts to emerge

Riveting, creative stories that are well narrated. Very little filler. Tons of variety as well. (Not repeating the same shit over and over ala Black Tapes). Has much more of a Lovecraftian feel as well.

Don't let the over-seriousness of the intro turn you off. It did me. But super glad I stuck with it.

http://rustyquill.com/?cat=15&paged=6 (start with Mag 1 and work your way up)

You can read more praise over at these threads (where I first discovered it)
https://www.reddit.com/r/PNWS/comments/4ivmuo/the_magnus_archives_a_horror_podcast_halfway/

https://www.reddit.com/r/PNWS/comments/4ukoy6/similar_podcasts_to_listen_to/

Oh and this week's Black Tapes was the first in a LONG time I would say was really really good.

The Magnus Archives is incredible. This thread delivers yet again.
 
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