Hello, fellow podcast lovers!
This past week was my birthday: I turned 31, I had nausea for two days for no apparent reason, my partner designed a whole one-shot, two-player RPG session for my birthday (a second installment for a game he wrote when we were quarantined together, yes he is the best, thank you), and I bought an air purifier. Mostly very adult, "getting older" activities.
This probably explains why I decided to throw myself into post-apocalyptic horror audio recently. It's been a while since I considered the apocalypse as acceptable listening material (you know, we're in a panini), so it felt strangely cathartic to be able to live out these anxieties somewhere safe. Genuinely, it's most of the list; I've topped the list with the podcasts that aren't strictly apocalyptic. (And, a shorter list than usual today; alas, the whole birthday thing means I skipped doing work for many days in a row in favor of napping!)
Today, I'd like to ask that you consider donating to Apollyon, a science-fiction fiction podcast created by Faith McQuinn and which I reviewed here in this newsletter a few weeks ago. They have five days left in their crowdfunding campaign, and are currently at just over 70% funded. I would deeply appreciate it.
|
|
Rogue Runners: In the Blood
The newest podcast from the Whisperforge is an absolute delight of an actual play, a homebrewed D&D edit to play as wretched shades escaping from Hades, based on Supergiant's roguelike game Hades. Session Zero is especially wonderful for those familiar with the game, as it describes how each of the classes have been modified in order to account for how skills and magic work in the game. There's a deep love of Greek mythology and how it works in character backstories, both in tragedy and comedy, and an amusing, loving camaraderie around the table fostered by the DM, Tau Zaman, their focus on making sure everyone has time to settle into their characters, and their 400 clocked hours of playing Hades. Rogue Runners is a riot, helped by the original composition for the show fits so neatly with each character and the backdrop of a colorful, somewhat untamed Hades (I find myself muttering escape, escape quietly to myself now). Each player has crafted a character who can speak to different aspects of ancient Greek society: the confusion of foreigners, the power of music and epics, the might of athletes and warriors, and the slyness of popular stories of intelligence and wit. It's impossible to not sit at the edge of your seat with each room they enter because at some point, death has to happen -- that's the point of the escape, to try and try and try again until you reach the land of the living once more. To try and try and try again until you feel alive again.
Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | RSS
In a Walled City
Disparition is a name you might know, if you listen to the credits of Night Vale and Alice Isn't Dead; he's the producer/composer of those shows. This new. nonlinear podcast is fully produced by them, an experience of strange, warbled voices, electronic beats, and odd lyricism. If you're looking for experimental audio and heartbeat-quickening design, In a Walled City professes to be a guide to the planes of human existence, the ones that have yet to come and that we may yet encounter. This is about the experience of basking in sound, of looking for the secrets in corners when the music mellows, and maybe connecting with a phrase or two here and there until they finally form an image.
Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | RSS
|
|
Enamored by stories about fandom and friendship, and the perils of growing up, Geek by Night checks all of those boxes when a group of friends suddenly and mysteriously acquire superpowers. The transition from your 20s into your 30s is not easy, especially for those making that transition during economic and global crises. Geek by Night gives grace and strength to those in that space, with hilarious and sensational superhero shenanigans.
You can now get ready for their final episodes. |
|
|
If you want to see more reviews, interviews, and other articles from me, you can support me at my Patreon, or at my ko-fi account for a one-time donation! You can also sign-up to talk about advertising in the newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fulmar's Folly
cn: pandemic
If you like Failbetter Games' Sunless Sea, Fulmar's Folly is for those who want a terrifying life at sea without a real port in any future. Arietty Cooper and her family live on a boat, drifting in the safe zone of a world where a pandemic has destroyed civilization and left them only with their wits and the sea as protection. Each episode of Fulmar's Folly is from a different perspective of a member of the Cooper family, and the podcast starts strong with the perspective of Arietty: a teenager who has a secret, and who wants to have her opinion and her abilities respected, who doesn't understand the importance of protection or impossibility of letting your loved ones approach danger. It's classic frustrated teenager heightened by their reality and a bone-deep need to feel helpful and not like a burden, grappling with self-worth and relationships with parents and fragile ego. A lovingly rendered terror that keeps your attention gripped at the end of each episode, because one false move, breaking one of the unspoken rules, could result in infection and death.
Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | RSS
Rapture 518
Sometimes you just need the whisper of something zombielike, or being trapped in a weird cultish, still under construction apartment complex. Dr. Sarah Penn, desperately needing to get out of the grip of her terrible rental house, has taken a voluntary leave of absence from her work in cardiology and moved into the Rapture luxury apartment complex right on the precipice of a dangerous outbreak. It tracks two merging storylines, the central line about what happens when Dr. Penn moves in and one in minisodes to talk about what happens before the story begins. She's in a brand-new city, the firm that owns her complex wants unexplained things from their residents, and who knows what apartments are really like, anyway. This is a podcast for those who love mostly single-voice perspectives with a small guest cast, a bit of a psychological twist on their horror, and who want to explore how to incorporate a framing device into the mystery of a story -- and how your relationship with your technology changes under pressure.
Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | RSS
Wake of Corrosion
After everyone in the country must find underground shelter from an unknown and unidentified source of horror and destruction, one professor from a bunker broadcasts tapes and materials he has found in order to figure out what's happened. The first episode tracks two brothers who venture off-grid for a vacation from the noise of notifications and barrage of emails, a desire I understand well, but leaves us questioning what happened to them. The structure is a little like a host presenting a story on a haunted variety show, as Professor Ryan guides his audience -- if he even has one -- to understanding what they have lost and who, and what, they must find in order to comprehend the way past the event. Ryan's voice actor well conveys the desperation and fear of the unknown, of unknowing if your voice is being heard by anyone.
Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | RSS
|
|
|
CLASSIFIEDS
- Podcast Review Day is a monthly reminder to write reviews AND share them on Twitter. On the 8th of every month, ease your podcast review guilt and help others discover new podcasts.
-
Indrisano Audio, LLC: Get help launching or improving your podcast with our consulting, composition, and editing services! You bring the Drama - we've got the Audio. Learn more at our website.
-
Protean City Comics: An actual-play podcast that follows young, superpowered teens as they discover the kinds of people, and heroes, the want to be. Learn more and subscribe.
|
|
|
|
Did you get here from a link online, or sent this by someone else?
|
|
BY THE WAY,
If you'd like to ask me questions or comments, you can reply to this newsletter (it goes directly to my email!) or reach out to me on Twitter.
May your podcasts bring you joy,
Ely
|
|
|
|
|
