Of Now And Then

Realm

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FICTION
EVERY TWO WEEKS

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Fictional stories in the public domain that speak to our present and near future, some with alarming prescience.

28/03/2023

The Machine Stops (Part 3)

By E.M. Forster, 1909 After initial publication in The Oxford and Cambridge Review, the story was republished in Forster's The Eternal Moment and Other Stories in 1928. After being voted one of the best novellas up to 1965, it was included that same year in the populist anthology Modern Short Stories. In 1973 it was also included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two. The Machine Stops describes a world in which most of the human population has lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual now lives in isolation below ground in a standard room, with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Travel is permitted, but is unpopular and rarely necessary. Communication is made via a kind of instant messaging/video conferencing machine with which people conduct their only activity: the sharing of ideas and what passes for knowledge. MUSIC: "Candlepower" by Chris Zabriskie "Tomie's Bubbles" by Candlegravity "But Enough About Me, Bill Paxton" by Chris Zabriskie "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" by Chris Zabriskie "Oxygen Garden" by Chris Zabriskie "Algorithms" by Chad Crouch "I Don't See the Branches, I See the Leaves" by Chris Zabriskie Of Now And Then retells fantasy and future fictional stories in the public domain produced as audiobooks. The show is voiced, edited and produced by Aram Vartian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 min
02/07/2022

The Machine Stops (Part 2)

By E.M. Forster, 1909 After initial publication in The Oxford and Cambridge Review, the story was republished in Forster's The Eternal Moment and Other Stories in 1928. After being voted one of the best novellas up to 1965, it was included that same year in the populist anthology Modern Short Stories. In 1973 it was also included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two. The Machine Stops describes a world in which most of the human population has lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual now lives in isolation below ground in a standard room, with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Travel is permitted, but is unpopular and rarely necessary. Communication is made via a kind of instant messaging/video conferencing machine with which people conduct their only activity: the sharing of ideas and what passes for knowledge. MUSIC: Candlepower (Chris Zabriskie) Tomie's Bubbles (Candlegravity) Of Now And Then retells fantasy and future fictional stories in the public domain produced as audiobooks. The show is voiced, edited and produced by Aram Vartian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

32 min
01/06/2022

The Machine Stops (Part 1)

By E.M. Forster, 1909 After initial publication in The Oxford and Cambridge Review, the story was republished in Forster's The Eternal Moment and Other Stories in 1928. After being voted one of the best novellas up to 1965, it was included that same year in the populist anthology Modern Short Stories. In 1973 it was also included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two. The Machine Stops describes a world in which most of the human population has lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual now lives in isolation below ground in a standard room, with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Travel is permitted, but is unpopular and rarely necessary. Communication is made via a kind of instant messaging/video conferencing machine with which people conduct their only activity: the sharing of ideas and what passes for knowledge. MUSIC: "Candlepower" by Chris Zabriskie) "Tomie's Bubbles" by Candlegravity) Of Now And Then retells fantasy and future fictional stories in the public domain produced as audiobooks. The show is voiced, edited and produced by Aram Vartian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

35 min
02/05/2022

The War Prayer

By Mark Twain, 1904 Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher and lecturer. Among his novels are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often called "The Great American Novel." "The War Prayer", a short story or prose poem by Mark Twain, is a scathing indictment of war, and particularly of blind patriotic and religious fervor as motivations for war. MUSIC: "Candlepower" by Chris Zabriskie "Patriotic songs of America" by New York Military Band and the American Quartet "Tomie's Bubbles" by Candlegravity Of Now And Then retells fantasy and future fictional stories in the public domain produced as audiobooks. The show is voiced, edited and produced by Aram Vartian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13 min
02/04/2022

The Colour Out Of Space

By H.P. Lovecraft, 1927 Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author who achieved posthumous fame through his influential works of horror fiction. Virtually unknown and published only in pulp magazines before he died in poverty, he is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century authors in his genre. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he spent most of his life. Among his most celebrated tales are “The Call of Cthulhu” and “The Shadow over Innsmouth“, both canonical to the Cthulhu Mythos. Never able to support himself from earnings as author and editor, Lovecraft saw commercial success increasingly elude him in this latter period, partly because he lacked the confidence and drive to promote himself. He subsisted in progressively straitened circumstances in his last years; an inheritance was completely spent by the time he died at the age of 46. "The Colour Out of Space" is a science fiction/horror short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft. An unnamed narrator pieces together the story of an area known by the locals as the "blasted heath" in the hills west of the fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts. Special thanks to our good friends BattleBards for their amazing sound effects! MUSIC: "Cylinder Two" by Chris Zabriskie "Gagool" by Kevin MacLeod "Dark Elf City" by Mike Bridge "Moorland" by Kevin MacLeod "Unlight" by Kevin MacLeod "The Tale of the Spine Breaker" by Stephane Lorello "This House" by Kevin MacLeod "Trance of Cluster" by Ars Sonor "Bellow" by Ben Carey "Oneiri" by Kai Engel "Oppressive Gloom" by Kevin MacLeod "Away" by Twilight Tipi "Touch the Darkness" by Kai Engel "Somnolence" by Kai Engel "Dancing on the Edge" by Kai Engel "Universe in Hands" by Kai Engel "Tomie’s Bubbles" by Candlegravity "Candlepower" by Chris Zabriskie Of Now And Then retells fantasy and future fictional stories in the public domain produced as audiobooks. The show is voiced, edited and produced by Aram Vartian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 30m
02/03/2022

2BR02B

By Kurt Vonnegut, 1962 Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer. In a career spanning over 50 years, Vonnegut published 14 novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of non-fiction. He is most famous for his darkly satirical, best-selling novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969). Vonnegut published his first novel, Player Piano, in 1952. The novel was reviewed positively, but was not commercially successful. In the nearly 20 years that followed, Vonnegut published several novels that were only marginally successful, such as Cat's Cradle (1963) and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1964). Vonnegut's magnum opus, however, was his immediately successful sixth novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. The book's antiwar sentiment resonated with its readers amidst the ongoing Vietnam War, and its reviews were generally positive. After its release, Slaughterhouse-Five went to the top of The New York Times Best Seller list, thrusting Vonnegut into fame. He was invited to give speeches, lectures, and commencement addresses around the country and received many awards and honors. "2BR02B" is pronounced "2 B R naught 2 B" and references the famous phrase "to be, or not to be" from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. In the story, the title refers to the telephone number that one dials to schedule an assisted suicide with the Federal Bureau of Termination. Special thanks to our good friends BattleBards for their amazing sound effects. MUSIC "Candlepower" by Chris Zabriskie "Readers! Do You Read?" by Chris Zabriskie "Carefree" by Kevin MacLeod "Somewhere Else" by Candlegravity "Cylinder Six" by Chris Zabriskie "The Star Spangled Banner" by The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps "Frozen Star" by Kevin MacLeod "Tomie's Bubbles" by Candlegravity Of Now And Then retells fantasy and future fictional stories in the public domain produced as audiobooks. The show is voiced, edited and produced by Aram Vartian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 min
02/02/2022

The Star

By H.G. Wells, 1897 Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946)—known as H. G. Wells—was a prolific English writer in many genres, including the novel, history, politics, social commentary, and textbooks and rules for war games. Wells is now best remembered for his science fiction novels and is called a "father of science fiction", along with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback. His most notable science fiction works include The Time Machine(1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898). He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times. Special thanks to our good friends BattleBards for their amazing sound effects! MUSIC: "Cylinder Two" by Chris Zabriskie "Cylinder Three" by Chris Zabriskie "Cylinder Five" by Chris Zabriskie "Cylinder Seven" by Chris Zabriskie "Cylinder Eight" by Chris Zabriskie "Original Rags" by Scott Joplin "hydroscope" by Gallery Six "Digya" by Kevin MacLeod "Devastation and Revenge" by Kevin MacLeod "Low Horizon" by Kai Engel "Tomie's Bubbles" by Candlegravity "Candlepower" by Chris Zabriskie Of Now And Then retells fantasy and future fictional stories in the public domain produced as audiobooks. The show is voiced, edited and produced by Aram Vartian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

32 min
01/01/2022

The Glass Dog

By Lyman Frank Baum, 1901 Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919), better known by his pen name L. Frank Baum, was an American author chiefly known for his children’s books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He wrote thirteen novel sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and a host of other works (55 novels in total, plus four “lost works“, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, an unknown number of scripts, and many miscellaneous writings), and made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen. Special thanks to our good friends BattleBards for their amazing sound effects. MUSIC: Candlepower (Chris Zabriskie) Teller of the Tales (Kevin MacLeod) Thaxted (Kevin MacLeod) Wagner Bridal Chorus (Kevin MacLeod) Cambodian Odyssey (Kevin MacLeod) Tomie’s Bubbles (Candlegravity) Of Now And Then retells fantasy and future fictional stories in the public domain produced as audiobooks. The show is voiced, edited and produced by Aram Vartian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 min

8 Episodes

Undertow is Realm’s premier showcase of original audio horror. Hosted by audio horror pioneer and creator Fred Greenhalgh, each season presents a spooky standalone story, so you can dive in anytime... if you dare! Current Season: Hovering In the sleepy seaside town of Durham, Junior Constable Kyle Grinham is stumped one night when he receives four desperate calls about a strange metallic object hovering in the night sky. As he interviews the witnesses and tries to figure out who’s lying and why, Kyle realizes each of the people he talks to have a stark choice. They can keep what they saw in the sky a secret, or tell the truth and change the way people in the town look at them forever. Hovering is an independently produced, limited series fiction podcast from Melbourne-based Plot Twist. Craving More Frights? Explore Past Seasons: Season 1: Simpson Falls - A reporter awakens malevolent forces in his haunted hometown. Season 2: Blood Forest - Every 20 years, werewolves descend for a night of horror. Starring Jack Falahee. Season 3: Dark Tome - A teen unleashes a terrifying story from a spooky bookshop. Season 4: The Well - Family secrets resurface, setting loose horror from an old well. Season 5: The Pulse - A meteorite awakens animalistic instincts in a group of treasure hunters. Season 6: The Sisters - True events inspire a chilling tale of occult & possession. Starring Mae Whitman. Season 7: Last Call - A hustler gambles for his life against the Grim Reaper. Season 8: Narcosis - A rescue dive turns deadly beneath the waves. Season 9: The Harrowing - A barbaric crime heralds the rise of an ancient evil. Binge Ad-Free & Early! Subscribe at realm.fm.

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DRAMA
Bodies are piling up in the strange town of Springfield, and forensic pathologist Jonathan Spacer intends to find out why. But, Jon isn’t without his own secrets… He can talk to the dead, for starters. A full-cast serial fiction podcast for mature audiences. Available now on all podcast apps. Find us on Patreon for premium content, including bonus episodes and early access: https://www.patreon.com/HowIDied

5.0 (2)

SCIENCE FICTION
Stories of cosmic and existential horror. Written and performed by Jeffrey Walker. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acephale Buy my book: The Acephale Volumes Book 1 Merch: https://acephalehorrorfiction.com/store Instagram: @acephalehorrorfiction Twitter: @jeffwalkersdead Contact: acephalehf@gmail.com Cover art by Alex McGrath @fractaltaco

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FICTION
Welcome to Geek & Sundry’s hub for all things RPG! Each week, our collection of deeply nerdy storytellers take you on epic journeys across the multiverse in our critically acclaimed actual play podcasts that use tabletop role-playing games to tell ever-evolving, improvised stories, including the complete collection of Critical Role’s Campaign 1. Current Season: Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode Three monstrous minions find themselves in charge for once when the evil necromancer they serve mysteriously disappears. Will they remain in the dungeon or venture into the light to tell their own tale? Find out on Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode with gamemaster Amy Vorpahl and cast members Jason Nguyen, Danielle Radford, and Dan Casey. And stay tuned for a look inside the episode each week on Quests N’ Answers, our exclusive Goblin Mode after show! Craving even more adventures? Past seasons include: Critical Role Campaign 1 | Vox Machina (C1E1-C115): A band of eight unlikely heroes, find themselves on a quest to save the realm of Exandria from dark magical forces in this epic saga starring Matthew Mercer, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Ashley Johnson, Marisha Ray, and Sam Riegel. The show that inspired Prime Video’s The Legend of Vox Machina animated series. Critical Role Campaign 2 | Mighty Nein (C2E1-C2E19): Set 20 years after the events of Campaign One, a group of seven adventurers coalesce on the continent of Wildemount where they discover ancient evils, sinister plots, and far more than they bargained for. Experience the rest of the story on CriticalRole.com. Relics & Rarities Created by Deborah Ann Woll (Daredevil, True Blood), this bold episodic fantasy story transports you to a world of magic, murder, and monsters. In a story guided by Woll, using Dungeons & Dragons as a core narrative mechanic, a crew of bold players embark on a quest to stop an unholy prophecy from coming to fruition. Special guests include Matthew Lillard, Kevin Smith, Charlie Cox, and more. Plus, we have a plethora of one-shot adventures under our CelebriD&D banner, with guest stars like Vin Diesel, Joe Manganiello, and many more! Video versions and more information available on https://www.geekandsundry.com

5.0 (5)

GAMES
Sidequesting is a fantasy podcast about avoiding the main plot. It follows Rion, an adventurer who’s willing to help just about anyone out - as long as they’re not being asked to deal with the scary wizard everyone keeps talking about.

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FICTION
ADRENALINE is a collection of Realm’s most riveting thrillers, mysteries, and crime stories. Every season, a new audio series will bring you to the edge of your seat — and keep you there. With episodes dropping weekly, you’ll never be without something to keep the adrenaline flowing. Current Season: The Understudy How far would you go to protect your daughter? Carolyn, Bronnie, Elise, and Kendall are bound together by one thing—their four daughters are best friends at the highly competitive Orla Flynn Academy for the Performing Arts. Last year the foursome exploded because of brutal bullying between the girls, but they've since forgiven each other. The mothers, however, haven’t been able to move on. When new threats surface and "accidents" begin to happen—just as a mysterious new girl enters the scene—the mothers take matters into their own hands. But they will have to risk their own secrets being exposed if they stand a chance at uncovering the truth. Looking for more thrills, crime, and mystery? Just pick any season to start: Season 1: The Triangle Season 2: Outliers, narrated by Rory Culkin Season 3: Memory Lane, written by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars) Season 4: Overleaper, starring Thora Birch Season 5: Low Life Season 6: Echo Park, starring Harry Shum Jr. Season 7: Ninth Step Murders Season 8: The Signal Season 9: Greeting from Salton Sea Season 10: Dead Air Season 11: False Idols Season 12: Chinook, starring Sanaa Lathan & Kelly Marie Tran Binge Ad-Free & Early! Subscribe at realm.fm.

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SOCIETY & CULTURE