Previously: “Incident Reports.”
If you, like myself, are still sad about the fact that we are — in 2024 — looooong past the “big audio drama podcast boom,” as it’s referred to in this story, then the creepypasta “I Listened To A Podcast From An Alternate Universe” might be worth a read for you. It certainly was for me; both nostalgic and uncanny, it scratched a certain kind of itch I had almost forgotten I pretty much always have.
Written by Creepypasta Wiki user Dorkpool and uploaded to the site in early December of 2023, “I Listened To A Podcast From An Alternate Universe” is simultaneously exactly what it says on the tin, and yet also much, much more. It speaks to the immediacy of good storytelling — and I don’t just mean metaphorically.
I mean literally.
[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available from Chronicle Books now!]
If you recall with great fondness the days when Welcome To Night Vale was at its height, or when The Black Tapes Podcast was still active, or when The Message first arrived, or when Limetown was playing in your earholes, “I Listened To A Podcast From An Alternate Universe” is for you.
Just… listen carefully.
You never know what might be lurking underneath the dulcet tones of your favorite podcast host.
***
A few weeks back, I was looking for a new podcast to listen to. I was caught up on all my other ones, and I liked having something to listen to while walking around my neighborhood or driving to work. I ended up coming across one called ?????????. It wasn’t too popular, but it had a decent amount of episodes, releasing weekly since 2019. The podcast’s description was garbled text, ending in ASCII art of an eye. It was weird as hell, but that only made me more interested. I’ve always liked the weird indie fiction podcasts, and this one seemed to fit that bill. I downloaded some episodes and started listening.
The best way I can describe this podcast is Welcome To Night Vale mixed with My Brother, My Brother, And Me with slightly more of a horror focus. Three hosts — Byron, Morgan, and Elroy — would discuss current events and pop culture, but with an absurdist twist: The events they were discussing seemed like they came from an alternate universe.
***
Follow The Ghost In My Machine on Bluesky @GhostMachine13.bsky.social, Twitter @GhostMachine13, and Facebook @TheGhostInMyMachine. And for more games, don’t forget to check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available now from Chronicle Books!
[Photo via rupixen/Pixabay]
