TRAILER: The Department of Variance of Somewhere, Ohio

TRAILER: The Department of Variance of Somewhere, Ohio

Author: Rat Grimes November 25, 2022 Duration: 1:41

A new series. New characters. New stories. Same Ohio.

The Department of Variance of Somewhere, Ohio is a new sci-fi/horror audio drama by Rat Grimes, creator of the Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio. 

The Department of Variance is a full-cast serial fiction podcast about a shady governmental group that experiences a containment breach at its main office. One new hire and one mid-level employee from the Bureau of Transnatural Resources–named Jasmine Control and Scarlet Jaunt–are stuck on different floors when a lockdown begins. The two must communicate and get to the bottom of the building however they can. Not all is as it seems in the department, however

Beginning December 7th and airing weekly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or go to our website or patreon for more information. 

The Department thanks you for your time.


Tucked away in the heart of the midwest, the Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio is a place where the mail that never made it finds a home. This fiction podcast, crafted by creator Rat Grimes, unfolds within one of the country's last such offices, a setting that naturally blends the eerie with the everyday. You’ll follow Conway, Wren, and their colleagues as they sort through the archive’s bizarre backlog, each piece of lost correspondence a gateway to a short, unsettling tale. The tone here is a unique mix of horror and comedy, where the surreal feels as familiar as a dusty parcel. Each episode delivers two distinct stories pulled from the stacks, offering glimpses into strange realities inspired by a tapestry of influences from the atmospheric mystery of Twin Peaks to the gothic weight of Edgar Allen Poe. As a solo project from a nonbinary artist, the podcast carries a distinct, personal voice, finding its own peculiar rhythm somewhere between the weird fiction and science genres. It’s a collection of oddities and echoes, a quiet examination of the things society misplaces, all waiting to be discovered in the dead letter office.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 27

the Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio
Podcast Episodes
DLO 6: GONE FISHING/MISSING [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:51
The Dead Letter Office receives a series of postcards from a place that doesn't exist. Conway takes a trip to his local art museum after some pieces go missing. (CWs: beer, derealization) TRANSCRIPTS: CONWAY: This is Con…
DLO 5: THE GREAT BLACK SWAMP [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:12
Conway receives a water-logged manuscript from a midwestern monster hunter of questionable character. (CWs: mild drug use--cannabis, fire,) TRANSCRIPTS: CONWAY: This is Conway, receiving clerk for the Dead Letter Office…
DLO 4: HEARTS AGLOW/SAVIOR [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:53
Valentine's Day comes early as a city in California replaces its old sodium-vapor streetlights with LEDs, and Conway receives a sign from above. "My Prayer" originally composed by Georges Boulanger, Carlos Gomez Barrera,…
DLO 3: HOLES/THE KING HAS LEFT THE BUILDING [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:19
The Dead Letter Office receives a series of emails from a college student with recurring nightmares. Conway takes a trip to investigate a kitschy painting. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe if you like the show…
DLO 2: SECRET INGREDIENT/SECRET ADMIRER [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:34
Conway archives two more odd letters this week. A struggling chef encounters a new customer with unusual tastes. A secret admirer reveals his game. Don't forget to subscribe if you like the show! (CWs: blood, food, stalk…
DLO 1: BAD NEIGHBOR/RE:FURBISH [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:33
Conway archives two strange letters this week: one involves a bad neighbor, and the other relates a short story about a fad toy from the '90s. Don't forget to subscribe if you like the show! TRANSCRIPT: CONWAY: This is C…