Podcasts are a great way to fit a bit of fun into a busy schedule. You can listen to them while walking to class, while eating lunch, while cooking, while exercising, while doing basically anything that doesn’t require your full attention but might require use of your hands. And it’s great because there are so many kinds of podcasts you can explore! But today we’ll be focusing on a very specific kind of podcast. These are podcasts that tell a great story with hints of being unrealistic and plenty of spooky aspects.
1. ars PARADOXICA
Image via Warped Factor
This podcast is about as real as this list is going to get. It’s an awesome podcast about a Physicist who accidentally time travels back to the Cold War. The main character is a great female scientist with plenty of agency. Personally, I enjoyed how the plot wasn’t really overrun at all by romance while still being full to bursting with drama!
But you don’t have to trust me. In 2016 ars PARADOXICA won the Audio Verse Awards for Best Audio Engineering of an Original, Ongoing, Long-Form Production; Best Writing of an Original, Long Form, Large Cast, Ongoing Production; and Best Original, Long Form, Large Cast, Ongoing, Dramatic Production. If you enjoy being a bit confused by on the edge of your seat trying to to figure everything out along with the characters then this is the show for you. In the words of the creators, this show is “a love letter to physics, fiction, and the future.”
To check out the teaser and listen to some episodes, check out the website.
2. Wolf 359
Image via Bandcamp
This podcast is distinctly more sci-fi. There’s just as much science through spaceships and AIs but also a lot more fiction with the goal to discover alien life and dealing with a higher tech future. If you like occasionally getting your feelings ripped to shreds along with the problems that crop up out of a group of people being stuck in close quarters for a long time then you’ll love this show. Not to mention the multitude of amazing and strong female characters. You will 100% definitely fall for at least one of them.
This show also has quite a few awards associated with its name. Wolf 359 won the Audio Verse Awards for Best Music for an Ongoing, Dramatic, Production; Best Production for an Ongoing, Dramatic, Production; Best Actress in an Ensemble role for an Ongoing, Dramatic, Production; and Best Actor in an Ensemble role for an Ongoing, Dramatic, Production. This show is also nic eif you’re the type of person who gives thought to or enjoys other’s giving thought to extreme ethical dilemmas. You’ll be on the edge of you seat trying to figure out where this is going to go. In the words of the creators, this show is about “the advantages of floating, tiny and alone, in the middle of nowhere.”
You can listen to any episode in all four seasons on their website.
3. Welcome to Night Vale
Image via Polygon
This podcast is definitely the most fantastical of our list. It takes the form of a community radio show for a small desert community. There are just so many relatable moments and moments you just won’t expect. Not to mention the quotability of this show is insane!
There’s honestly inspiring quotes like “Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not. We never are. But that’s not the right question. The question is are we living a life that is worth the harm?” and “The past is gone, and cannot harm you anymore. And while the future is fast coming for you, it always flinches first and settles in as the gentle present.” And quotes that either make you sit there in confusion or laugh like “Wednesday has been canceled due to a scheduling error.” and “Alligators: can they kill your children? Yes.”
It’s all part of the weird mix that makes Night Vale Night Vale. In the words of the creators, this is a show that gives you “updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. Turn on your radio and hide.”
You can learn more about this community and start listening through their website.
So the next time you need a little fiction in your life, check out any of these options or any of the other millions of podcasts out there.