Posted by GenjiandProust

https://www.metafilter.com/211002/In-Dark-Times-a-Little-Darkness-Can-Be-Soothing

The dark season is closing in (in the northern hemisphere, yes), and we can enjoy new seasons of Modem Prometheus (Anthology with Frame) and The Phosphene Catalogue (somewhere between an Audio Drama and an Anthology with Frame). It's been a while, so expect another round up before the end of the year. Oddly, there are a number of shows this time that are game tie-ins.

Stories with LGBTQ characters and elements are identified when possible. Podcasts with frequent or severe content warnings are noted as are those which provide transcripts. All the podcasts are accessible via most podcast apps and aggregators (although, weirdly, some apps seem to not catch entire seasons of some of the shows). Most of the series have episodes that run ~25-35 minutes; Exceptions will be noted. Shows are identified as: • audio drama – stories with continuing plots and casts, either open- or closed-ended • anthology – stand-alone stories with no continuity • anthology with frame – stand-alone stories with some kind of continuity that ties the series together but (usually) does not affect the stories 400 Words A Horror (Anthology) Short horror and weird fiction stories by new creators still learning about audio storytelling, although occasionally better-known voice actors lend their talents. As a result, the writing and acting varies quite a bit, and those seeking very professional productions will want to look elsewhere, but the Longer episodes tend to have multiple stories with a connecting theme. Transcripts in the show notes. Frequency: irregular (sometimes biweekly, sometimes monthly) Length: 20-40 minutes Tone: Varied LGBTQ: mostly queer stories by mostly queer creators Two seasons (16 episodes; ongoing) Website At the Bottom of the Garden (Audio Drama) There are fairies at the bottom of our garden. It's a good first line. Straightforward, but evocative. Obviously indicative of genre, without giving away too much. Sets clear expectations in the reader for the story that's going to follow. You know what you're getting into, with a first line like that. Except, it isn't the first line to a story. It isn't from a book, a magazine, or even a website. It's the first line of a journal. Aiden begins to research his great great aunt's journal and discovers increasingly weird things. As he gets drawn deeper into the mystery, he and his boyfriend Chris try and unravel the mystery before it dooms both of them. Format warning: use of distortion and disorienting sound effects. Transcripts available. It looks like the story is completed. Length: mostly 5-30 minutes Tone: Folk horror, fairies, paranormal investigation LGBTQ: trans narrator Complete story (40 episodes) Website Baron Sordor's Theatre of the Doomed (Anthology) This podcast aims to take you back to a golden age when live radio plays ruled the airwaves and Orson Wells' Mercury Theatre convinced an entire nation they were under attack by Martians. Paying homage to 1960's classics like the Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits as well as some of the masters of modern sci-fi and horror like King, Carpenter, Peele, Dick and Gibson, Baron Sordor's Theatre of the Doomed is an anthology podcast that takes its listeners on a journey to the darkest recess of the human mind. Full-cast episodes, with a mix of one-shots and 2- and 2-parters. No transcripts, but there is a novel of the 3-parter. Frequency: irregular (every 2-4 months) Length: 60-120 minutes Tone: Varied LGBTQ: little to none Two seasons (11 episodes; ongoing) Website Black Velvet Fairies (Audio Drama) Upon her death, Lucy Verdell's estranged grandmother leaves her four black velvet paintings of fairies. But not twinkly sprites — stoic beings with wings of light and grim intent. As Lucy investigates her family's connection to the artwork, she uncovers a web of believers who will do anything to reconnect Earth with the mysterious fairy-world known as Hada. This is part of a multi-media world with a novel and tie-in games. It also has an in-world tie-in blog. Frequency: weekly Length: 15-30 minutes Tone: investigating a mystery; interdimentional travel LGBTQ: none One season (13 episodes; supplemental episode) Website Brittle Tourniquet (Audio Drama) After some bad luck and some bad choices, Jenny Bitters has lost her cabal, her lover, and most of her self respect. So she decides to get back in the villain game by summoning Arida, a lost and forbidden goddess, and take on the world of gods and cabals. With some more questionable decisions, she finds herself committed to an impossible heist and opposing the worst sorts of gods. Transcripts available on the website. Length: 30-50 minutes Tone: competing magical organizations LGBTQ: trans woman narrator, other trans and queer characters Complete story (8 episodes) Website Broken Veil (Audio Drama) Writers Will Maclean (The Apparition Phase) and Joel Morris (Charlie Brooker's Wipe) investigate weird, unsettling, possibly supernatural stories that have affected their friends, and explore the places where they might have happened. As they dig into the upsetting stories, a larger picture seems to take shape. I classified this as an audio drama, but the first 4 or so episodes are more like an anthology with a frame. Length: 30-50 minutes Tone: investigations of weird events, rising conspiracy LGBTQ: none significant Complete story (6 episodes) Apparently, no website, although it's also hosted on YouTube Clawmoor Heights (Audio Drama) Agatha Quinn, a truefolk historian, risks professional ruin when she's drawn into the turbulent affairs of a dying Baron and his idle children as he attempts to preserve his family's legacy. Part fantasy, part horror, part country house murder mystery, this podcast is part of a larger media project, with a TTRPG (Our Brilliant Ruin), a comic, and a video game. Also posted to YouTube. Length: 20-30 minutes Tone: Fantasy world in decay and mystery-solving LGBTQ: lesbian supporting characters Complete story (10 episodes) Website Fabric (Audio Drama) After the death of her parents, Leyna Canary discovers a cache of strange audio tapes hidden in their attic, each labeled with an unfamiliar name — Lucas Canary. As she unravels their origins, Leyna is pulled into a shadowy world of malevolent supernatural forces and the black-book task force keeping them at bay, leading her across rural New South Wales, Australia — and into the heart of something far more dangerous than she could ever imagine. A new season is expected in 2026. Frequency: season one was released in 3 batches across 2 weeks Length: 25-30 minutes Tone: conspiracy, men in black LGBTQ: none One season (9 episodes; ongoing) Website Go I Know Not Wither (audio drama) Follow Sasha, as they drive through the Siberian woods telling their story into a tape recorder so that it will be kept alive. Stories after all only live if others take their weight too. Knowing this, Sasha relays their life from birth, when they gained powers, all the way to the mysterious events that left them only with a truck, a tape recorder, and a bloody jacket. Oh, and we can't forget the wolf. Based on Russian folklore and tales. Length: 15-25 minutes Tone: folk horror LGBTQ: a gender variant narrator Complete story (10 episodes) Apparently, no website The Greatest Matter (Audio Drama) On a cold winter's evening in Dublin in the late 1890s, Professor Cesare Lombroso, a renowned Italian criminologist, arrives in the city to give a public talk. In attendance are Frances, a novelist keen to learn more about the distinguished professor's work, and Margaret, a hard-working Dublin journalist. Meanwhile, a man has been gruesomely murdered in the nearby Phoenix Park, and the authorities appear to be covering it up. As the Dublin Metropolitan Police begin inquiries, a powerful English military commander leads a sinister parallel investigation, and Frances and Margaret become increasingly intent on solving the crime, and the wider coverup, no matter the cost. The murder, Frances and Margaret soon come to realise, may have disturbing connections with spiritualism. Transcripts available on the website. There may be a second story coming. Length: 25-35 minutes Tone: governmental corruption and spiritualism LGBTQ: lesbian couple Complete story (12 episodes) Website Nightfall (Anthology) Nightfall was a radio drama series produced and aired by CBC Radio from July 1980 to June 1983. While primarily a supernatural/horror series, Nightfall featured some episodes in other genres, such as science fiction, mystery, fantasy, and human drama. Some of Nightfall's episodes were so terrifying that the CBC registered numerous complaints and some affiliate stations dropped it. Length: 30-35 minutes Tone: Twilight Zone LGBTQ: none One season (71 episodes) Apparently, no website Unknown 9: Out of Sight (audio Drama) Blake Elrich is an investigative paranormal podcaster cursed with knowing things he wishes he didn't. Along with his enigmatic producer Lazari, he travels the country seeking out regular people with uncanny stories—those with knowledge of the Unknown. As you'll soon discover, the strange cases, eerie locations, and peculiar characters Blake and Lazari encounter all have essential ties to the larger universe. Part of a larger media property, including a video game. The story continues in a new series. Length: 30-45 minutes Tone: paranormal investigation, occult plots LGBTQ: none Threes seasons (27 episodes) Apparently, no website Voices of the Trench (Anthology) Between centuries of suffering and torment, many stories can be told: of good and evil, faith and heresy, naive longing and forbidden desire. In another age, the veneer of civilization would have been thicker and the boundaries between categories more blurred. But this is not the age of the Trench Crusade. So let us listen to ... the voices of the trench. Medium length fan fiction based on the Trench Crusade miniatures rules – men and women cast into horrifying seemingly endless conflict making difficult choices with their souls as the fuel and cost. Frequency: irregular, weekly to monthly Length: 60-75 minutes Tone: WWI with demons and worse things LGBTQ: none One season (7 episodes; ongoing) Apparently, no website

https://www.metafilter.com/211002/In-Dark-Times-a-Little-Darkness-Can-Be-Soothing

Posted by maupuia

https://www.metafilter.com/210999/In-Praise-of-dhh

A reflection on Ruby's past, present, and future. From: "He could be arrogant, and brash. He was maybe a little too self-satisfied. But on the whole I would say he was someone I admired, someone I looked up to. He was a role model." to: "I have good news for you, though: assholes are a minority. People of conscience, people with good will and good intentions have always outnumbered psychopaths and sycophants."

https://www.metafilter.com/210999/In-Praise-of-dhh

Posted by chavenet

https://www.metafilter.com/210997/Alt-Choc

After hovering mostly between $1,000 and $3,000 per metric ton for decades, cocoa prices rocketed to about $12,500 at the end of last year. Bad weather, blight and aging trees combined to cause massive crop failures in West Africa, where roughly 70% of the world's cocoa is grown. Illegal mining, driven by soaring gold prices, has also ravaged small-scale farms in Ghana. Although prices have moderated, I don't believe this crisis is at an end. Cocoa remains much more expensive in nominal terms than ever before in recorded history. Unless there are profound changes in how and where it's grown, there's no reason to expect a return to steady, lower prices. No wonder the confectionary industry is rushing to limit its exposure. from I Saw a Vision of Chocolate's Future in an Amsterdam Brownie [Bloomberg; ungated]

https://www.metafilter.com/210997/Alt-Choc

Posted by rabia.elizabeth

https://www.metafilter.com/210995/Birds-dont-know-about-Brexit

Spain's declining red kite population gets an assist from the UK A couple decades ago, ornithologists in Spain and the UK cooperated to send some of Spain's then-plentiful red kite chicks to the British Isles in hopes that the species would recover there. The effort met with smashing success. 30 years on, Great Britain returns the favor.

Spain's red kite population has declined severely, mostly due to electrocution on power lines as well as shootings and poisonings. In an act of optimism, British and Spanish kite lovers recently cooperated to send some of the descendants of that original crop of chicks back to Spain. So far, results have been promising, but the threat from humans remains an unresolved issue. Power lines in Spain have begun to be made bird-safe, at least. The visually striking red kite, with its rusty plumage and broad white wingbands, flies deftly and sings in an unforgettable way. SEO Birdlife, a conservation society that publishes an excellent guide to the birds of Spain, notes that the red kite likes to sleep in groups during the winter and prefers groves for its cold- weather communal lodging. SEO Birdlife article on the red kite, with audio samples of song and video Acción para el Mundo Salvage, the group that runs the wildlife hospital where the British chicks spent some time before their release Article on declining migrating bird populations in Andalucia, published by the Andalucia Bird Society

https://www.metafilter.com/210995/Birds-dont-know-about-Brexit

Posted by chavenet

https://www.metafilter.com/210990/If-I-were-you-Id-stop-looking-in-the-lake

Cormican kept expanding his search area. It was tedious work, lowering the towfish into the water, driving slowly, returning home at dark with nothing. He got tired of Big Green Lake. Every time he left town, he hoped not to return. Then Sheriff Podoll would call and tell him how nice the Borgwardt family was and how Cormican was their only chance for closure. And he would climb back into his truck and return to the lake that did not seem to want to give up its dead kayaker. from The Missing Kayaker [The Atlantic; ungated]

https://www.metafilter.com/210990/If-I-were-you-Id-stop-looking-in-the-lake

Posted by storybored

https://www.metafilter.com/210988/A-Clockwork-Oligarchy

Reversing State Capture: The 15-70-15 Rule. (ungated). "Bank regulators are seldom celebrities. But Ahsan Mansur, the governor of Bangladesh's central bank, is an exception. Since he took over in August, after an autocratic prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was overthrown by protests, his job has been to untangle the criminal mess she left behind...The pillaging of Bangladeshi savings was a brazen example of a global scourge: state capture. This is when the powers and resources of the state are hijacked for the benefit of a few. It is a broader concept than corruption, since it includes acts that are not against the law, but should be. It can involve rewriting rules to benefit insiders, stuffing institutions with placemen, channelling favours to cronies, intimidating businesses into appeasing the powerful, and gutting checks and balances. The aim may be self-enrichment, or strengthening the captor's grip on power, or both."

"When reforming, remember the "15-70-15" rule. Richard Pennington, a police reformer in New Orleans, reckoned that 15% of cops were the drivers of corruption, 70% went along with it and 15% were clean. This ratio applies at many institutions, argues Professor Stone. The best approach is to sack or sideline the filthy 15%, promote the honest staff and persuade the complicit middle that norms have changed. This can be done institution by institution, allowing measurable progress, which can generate support from voters for further reforms." The article profiles three countries' experiences with state capture: Bangladesh, Poland and South Africa. There is of course another country that is the elephant (figuratively and emblematically) in the room when discussing this issue.

https://www.metafilter.com/210988/A-Clockwork-Oligarchy