I'm rather stoked that 102 of you have joined us here at @audiofiction. Thanks!

One neat thing? The "Microblog" section (I don't like the name) displays federated content about audio fiction! I think it's pulling from some hashtags I entered in the settings, so feel free to test that theory and get your content to display in here!

Oh! And I found a way to pin a post to the Threads section, which gives some tips on which option to select when you want your post to appear in the Magazine (I like this name even less) section. Hint: It's not post! Check it out.

#audiofiction

If you're a horror fan, you've probably heard of Shudder. Which means you'll likely dig on Video Palace, a short-ish listening experience that brings all the cinematic stuff you love from Shudder's other work all in audio. It's quite good.

I love creepy, you-probably-shouldn’t-do-that content that's a notch or twelve over "let's split up." Idiots. But the mistake here is more subtle. Watching old VHS tapes that CLEARLY are evil.

Video Palace is a complete story. Give yourself just over three and a half hours to listen to all 10 episodes.

Threads? Microblogs? And how the hell do those release to the + button when you post?

I'm right there with you, my friends.

As you all know, #kbin is a work in progress, and this... mag, I guess?, is an early concept in how a larger community might work on kbin. But it affords me an opportunity to learn a few things. Like how to get your posts to show up here on the "home page" of the mag and not buried on the microblog page.

The simple answer: post a link. This is, after all, a link aggregation service. So if you hit that + symbol and choose "Add new link," you're well on your way.

But perhaps you don't want to post a link. Groovy. Then choose "Add new article." This thing you're reading right now? It's an article.

I think that "Add new photo" or "Add new video" will do the same.

The tricksie one is "Add new post." That one will only put your content under the "Microblog" section, along with federated content that had correct hashtags. So the Microblog tab is a neat place to hang out (or will be, when it's a bit more stable), but you probably want a to show up on the home page, yeah?

Hope that helps!

Happy #AudioDramaSunday! One of the great things about podcasting is that we've been creating content for the last two decades. And while much of it has naturally been taken down over the years and the listening trends tend to favor more recent productions, there are some classics out there that, IMHO, need to be enjoyed by more poeple.

Like Unkillable, a narrated horror thriller from Patrick E. McLean. It was released back in 2010-2011 and is self-contained at 19 episodes and will take you just over four hours to listen. Unless you're one of those monsters who listens to audio fiction at 1.5 or double-speed. 😱 😉

Here's the synopsis:

Unkillable is the story of a young man who is cruelly murdered then brought back from the dead to revenge himself. The kicker is: He’s not really alive. He can be hurt, he just can’t be killed.

It’s dark and funny and sad and beautiful and violent and magical – if it could be summed up with just a few words, there would have been no point in writing a novel.

Unkillable. Life sucks. Death blows. In between is worse.

Patrick is one of my favorite storytellers. And is also a friend. But a talented one! Also, I need to disclose that he kills my wife in this book. Not kidding. And he didn't even ask permission. His voice is perfect for intimate narration like this. Highly recommended!

Yesterday, the 41st issue of The End, the weekly newsletter that shines a light back on audio fiction shows after they've reached the finale of a season or the conclusion of the series, was sent to 1,368 inboxes around the world. If your inbox wasn’t one of them, here’s what you missed:

Featured Audio Fiction

These are my personal recommendations for great-sounding audio fiction. As with all things in life, YMMV.
🔪🧟‍♂️😭 • Unkillable | Narrated horror from Patrick E. McLean (Complete, 4h 09m)
📼🕯️🏃 • Video Palace | Dramatized horror from Shudder (Complete, 3h 41m)

Complete Stories

These shows have reached the end of the entire story so that you can enjoy the whole tale all at once!

📖💀⛵ • Eternal Strife | Dramatized comedy from Bruce Windwood (11h 05m)
🌎🤰🤯 • Expectant | Dramatized fiction from Pippa Johnstone (1h 31m) | Complete S1 E6 -

Season Finales

These shows have reached the end of a season, but more seasons are in the works:

🔎🔫🪦 • Riordan's Desk | Narrated mystery from Mark Coggins (5 seasons, 45h 12m. Included in top 30 crime fiction podcast list.)
👩🏿‍❤️‍👨🏻✨🦄 • Tales of the Forgotten Audio Drama | Dramatized fantasy adventure from Crystal Storm (1 season, 2h 05m. Bi-racial relationship, nonbinary character representation.)
👁️🔥🔮 • BE NOT AFRAID | Narrated biblical comedy from Rebecca Hansson & Tommy Holmberg (1 season, 5h 36m. LGBTQ+ friendly, as the story, cast, and creators are queer.)
🧚‍♀️👊✨ • The Hidden People | Urban Fantasy from Dayton Writers Movement (3 seasons, 46h 52m. Female-led cast, with LGBTQ+ performers and characters.

New Seasons Coming Soon

Get caught up on the prior finished seasons of these shows before they start up again soon!

Season 3 of Hex Noir, a dramatized horror from Hilmar Loftsson, starts on 21 June 2023. (7h 11m for Seasons 1 & 2) 🌎💌🤖
Season 2 of Auricle, a dramatized urban sci-fi anthology from Auricle, starts on 1 Jul 2023 (1h 42m for Season 1) 🌎💌🤖

Check out the 41st issue for links to listen, descriptions, artwork, and more at https://newsletters.theend.fyi/preview/159417/emails/90980355703572072

And have you listened to the companion podcast? It includes trailers, a bit of commentary, and is always short and sweet. Follow along at https://theend.fyi/podcast

That’s it from The End for this week. See you next Friday!

CC @audiofiction

Tomorrow, the #rexit protest on #Reddit will come to an end. I'm going to keep this #kbin experiment going after that, with designs on possibly spinning up a brand new instance for the greater audio fiction community. So lots of "magazines" (subreddits) with their own specialized interest, so long as it's part of audio fiction.

I expect I'll have to figure some way to cross-post from Reddit to here, if that's even possible. Always something to do!

Thanks for being part of this experiment. I hope you stick around!

Greetings, Fediversians who are exploring options beyond Reddit who love Audio Fiction!

One of the most populated and well-received subreddits is the r/audiodrama subreddit. This is my very quick attempt to recreate something like that on kbin, since the Reddit folks are making some pretty shitty decisions.

This is, first and foremost, a test. I welcome anyone to interact here. But I think, at least at this time, that the audio fiction community is probably best served from its own dedicated instance.

This is not that instance. However, assuming solid migration tools are either extant or in development, I'm not worried and will happily port this over somewhere else. Hell, I'll even let someone else admin it. I'm busy enough with The End, so not really looking to add more admin stuff to my calendar. But I'll help!

With that... let's do this.