All of the words said out loud for S02E19 of Audio Drama Debut, my podcast showcasing new audio drama, fiction and RPG trailers.
F/X - General library ambience.
THE LIBRARIAN: (Whispered) Hello there. Quick, get in here. Hurry up, before anyone sees you.
F/X - Door slam.
THE LIBRARIAN: Ah, that's better. Sorry about that, it's just best if I don't show my face out there for the minute. Just bear with me while I have some tea to steady my nerves. Here, join me in a cup of Moonlight White.
That's better.
Right, best to crack on.
What? Why the fear?
Well, it seems like someone might have accidentally released our late fee records, meaning that anyone who wants to can now look up online how much any patron owes to the Library of Audio Fiction. This has not made me, um this person very popular with some of our bigger donors, and so I aaaand all of the rest of our staff are a little bit in hiding.
And even worse, it seems that apparently someone unlucky may have borrowed a copy of the 1981 Lord of the Rings as a child and then utterly failed to return it. Which means they might top the late fees chart by quite a long way.
I'm sure they had a good excuse, like suddenly having to move house in the night, and never being able to go back for all their things to return the show. Or see their friends.
Although that actually makes me wonder how the Library could possibly know that the person they were then is the person they are now.
But they do, and now collections are out for blood. Can't be seen to be showing any favoritism. Er, if, purely as a hypothetical example, someone on the list happened to work for the the Library.
So I've been keeping my head down, and trying to pick up a few tricks from this actual play themed around the Cold War, this show featuring a spy who has to deal with the passage of time, and this show about a spy in a fantasy world.
Fortunately, before I got trapped in here, I loaded up the trailer machine, so I've got four handy for you. Shall we have a listen?
First, it's The Bystanders. One rainy night, Bunny Bell Pasht is stabbed to death in the courtyard of her apartment while her neighbors watch… and do nothing. Or did they?
[CLIP - The Bystanders]
THE LIBRARIAN: Then, He Who Forsakes the Crown. Prince Zayn De’Monté knows deep down that he’ll never be the hero of his own story. His story ended years ago, at age sixteen where he witnessed the death of his sister. It should’ve been him.
So he’ll brush off the gossip mongers who say the worst, calling him evil, insane, possessed. He isn’t willing to live a life anymore, he’s surviving. So what is he supposed to do when a girl who looks like roses tells him that his life has meaning?
[CLIP - He Who Forsakes the Crown]
THE LIBRARIAN: And this week's RPG, Planet Arcana. A tightly edited, tarot-flavored, retrofuturistic D&D podcast. A homebrewed cup of 5e, served by 2 DMs. Dungeon Masters J and B are accompanied by good friends Skye, Peter, and Shaun as they work their way through a seedy world of Androids and Humans.
[CLIP - Planet Arcana]
THE LIBRARIAN: And finally, Radio Elusia. These are the messages. This is the meaning. Be ready. Be listening. And do not be afraid.' From the seventeenth floor, Raphael watches the city for signs of a revolution, his voice echoing through a homemade radio transmitter to the streets below.
He watches. He waits. One day, he disappears. Now, years later, it's down to Lia and Suz to continue where he left off. But will a revolution ever come if we just wait for it?
[CLIP - Radio Elusia]
THE LIBRARIAN: And that's that. Please be careful sneaking out, and if you need to blow any whistles, please let me know via our twitter account. It's @AudioDramaDebut.
Anyway, cheerio!