Oh it has been quite a while hasn’t it? I kinda forgot these past few months, about this series 😅

The Penumbra Podcast

Episodes: 69 (~40 min each)
Status: ongoing; currently in season 3
Genres: fantasy, horror, space noir
Is it gay? no straights to be found
Ships? many ships, and spaceships
Short take? At the Penumbra, you might follow Juno Steel, a brooding, sharp-witted private eye on Mars, as he tangles with an elusive homme fatale, tracks dangerous artifacts of an ancient alien civilization, and faces his three greatest fears: heights, blood, and relationships. Or you might enter the world of the Second Citadel, where the merciless Sir Caroline must corral a team of emotionally distraught all-male knights to defend their city against mind-manipulating monsters…even the ones they’ve fallen in love with. These audio dramas and more await you in the Penumbra, dear traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay.
Warnings: content and trigger warnings listed in episode description

iTunes | RadioPublic | Website

Setting

There are two major storylines and a few standalone horror stories (only in the first season).

One is the Juno Steel storyline – it’s set on Mars in the future, and is a detective noir dramedy that has Juno Steel, a non-binary protagonist. He is ex-police and now runs his PI office with Rita as his hacker/assistant. His love interest is Peter Nureyev, who is an infamous thief, so there’s that dynamic to look forward to. Second season dips into Juno’s past and sets up the found family dynamic of season 3 pretty well.

The other is Second Citadel, which is high fantasy, with knights and monsters and stuff, and has many central characters. First season didn’t catch my interest much, as the stories feel a bit disconnected from each other, but season 2 and season 3 build wonderful interconnected storylines!

Style

Both storylines are full cast audio dramas, with Juno Steel also having narration at the start and end of each episode. The storylines are alternated and each story arc is at least two episodes and some have even more. The cast of characters is diverse, including queer, disabled, and PoC characters.

Voice acting/Sound effects

It has a phenomenal acting cast, and all the voice actors are amazing, to be honest. The sound effects are also top notch, so this audio drama is a treat to listen to! Additionally, though, I would still suggest keeping the transcripts open because some scene directions and stuff are in those transcripts that can enhance your listening experience.