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Podcasts are the best things ever, actually.
In this post I am specifically talking about fiction podcasts. Fiction podcasts, sometimes called audio dramas, are a type of podcast that tell stories. A lot of them have separate voice actors, sound effects, and release episodes weekly/monthly.
They're unique from TV shows because they don't require any visual focus. That is also what I like about them. Audio dramas do not take away any visual attention, and only require your hearing. I find that it's useful when doing chores like dishes or folding laundry, or when I am going for walks, or drawing :3
Another thing I like about podcasts is how much imaginative freedom they give you. Most of the time, characters do not have a set appearance; you are free to think of them the way you like. And, in very fictional podcasts set in fantasy/futuristic/alternate worlds, a lot of worldbuilding aspects are up to interpretation. For instance, in the sci-fi Penumbra podcast, the way I imagine the blasters to work, and the screens to look, will be different from you.
I think that's really neat! Because there is a lot of opportunity for the listener to be creative when listening, which is different from movies and TV.
Not only that, but podcasts themself are a very creative medium to tell stories. Usual devices that television use to storytell are not available to podcast creators. So stories end up being told through radio hosts; announcements; recordings; descriptions; sound effects; journal entries; and even more.
Podcasts do not have the same audience to appeal to and regulations to follow as TV, so there ends up being more diversity in the characters. In the Magnus Archives, for instance, the lead character is a bi and asexual man, with many other queer characters in the series. The sequel series, the Magnus Protocol, has the main character Samama Khalid, voiced by a Welsh-Pakistani actor, Shahan Hamza.
Also, from the ones I've seen, communities fostered by podcasts tend to be on the smaller side and a lot of meaningful content is created from them. The art is just incredible, and because of the weekly/monthly episode schedule of most podcasts, there is a lot of discussion. I do not see a lot of hate and toxicity in these spaces (but you know, there is always some toxicity, no matter where you go).
Anyways! I think it is worthwhile to get into podcasts. I'm personally into horror fiction podcasts, my favourites being Malevolent, TMAGP, and I am in Eskew. Other podcasts I've heard good things about (not all are horror) are Wolf 359, Hello from the Hallowoods, Old Gods of Appalachia, Greater Boston, and Woe.Begone.
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mS p41nT!!
fr podcasts are so fun!!! literally my favorite storytelling medium