The Penumbra Podcast

The Penumbra Podcast

Harley Takagi Kaner and Kevin Vibert

The Penumbra Podcast

Science Fiction Performing Arts Comedy English

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.

Or you might tune into the not-too-distant future of Thirst, a future America somehow even worse than the present, where four couples must survive a dangerous reality TV competition designed by a sadistic host and a cheerfully violent Algorithm.

These audio dramas and more await you in the Penumbra, dear traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. (Start with "1.01: Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask" to follow the Juno Steel series, "1.09: Second Citadel - The Head of the Janus Beast" to follow the Second Citadel series, or "THIRST S1E1: Icebreaker" to listen to the Thirst series. Or, listen from oldest to newest to hear everything as we released it.)

The Penumbra is created and produced by Harley Takagi Kaner and Kevin Vibert. Follow us on Bluesky (@thepenumbrapod.bsky.social‬), Tumblr (@thepenumbrapodcast), TikTok (@thepenumbrapodcast), Instagram (@thepenumbrapodcast), or Facebook (The Penumbra Podcast).

For early and ad-free episodes, production scripts, commentary tracks, blooper reels, livestreams with the creators, and much more, you can find The Penumbra Podcast: SPECIAL EDITION at: https://thepenumbrapodcast.supercast.com

You can find all of our transcripts here. If you would like to view trigger warnings or SFX attributions, you can scroll to the end of the appropriate episode transcript: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1bnWLw5dTW4l9A0bmOMzEiy6XqqsXHHi_

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0: Teaser

0: Teaser

You open your eyes. You are in a hotel, clean, well-furnished, and utterly empty. An elevator hangs open before you. Outside, very far away, it is raining.Welcome to the Penumbra. Doors open on March 18th, 2016.Attribution:Music: "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, featuring spinningmerkaba.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcodeFor early and ad-free episodes, production scripts, commentary...

1.01: Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part 1)

1.01: Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part 1)

(Note: this episode is a rewrite, recasting, and remaster of the original "Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part 1)," and is our recommended jumping-on point for the series. If you're curious about changes made, the original version of "Murderous Mask" can be found on our website at thepenumbrapodcast.com.)Juno Steel has had a lot of clients in his time, high-profile and low. But...

1.02: Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part 2)

1.02: Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part 2)

In the hunt for a crime boss's murderer, Detective Juno Steel and Agent Rex Glass have ended up somewhere very peculiar: a game show.Well, it should be peculiar. But in the house of the Kanagawas, Hyperion City's premier crime-family-slash-entertainment-network, nothing is peculiar so long as it's caught on camera. In the eyes of a camera you can sell anything: a mad genius's horrific game show;...

1.03: Shaken

1.03: Shaken

Louise Serling is a talented young painter with a bright future and promising artistic career in front of her. But Louise's family history holds a dreadful secret; can she conceal it from the world, or will the truth shake her life to its very foundations?Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. If you miss us between episodes, remember to follow us on Facebook (The...

1.04: Juno Steel and the Prince of Mars (Part 1)

1.04: Juno Steel and the Prince of Mars (Part 1)

After an explosive murder case gone wrong, Detective Juno Steel is in the market for some slower work. His next client promises something quiet: a routine find-the-cheating-husband job. Well… it should be routine. But if your missing man heads one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies on Mars, his biggest secret always runs much deeper than an affair. Before he knows it Juno Steel is in a race...

1.05: Juno Steel and the Prince of Mars (Part 2)

1.05: Juno Steel and the Prince of Mars (Part 2)

The Prince of Mars, the mascot of Saffron Pharmaceuticals, is the worst witness a detective could hope for. The Prince has an imagination like a runaway train: when he tells the story, drizzles come out hurricanes and a fender-bender comes out three weeks in traction. Only problem: the Prince is the only witness to a vicious crime, everyone thinks he did it, and he’s the one lead Juno has.His...

1.06: The Coyote of the Painted Plains

1.06: The Coyote of the Painted Plains

They warned her about the bandits, but Mary Anne didn’t listen. She was engaged, she said; her fiancée was moving to Crossroads, and even if Crossroads was crawling with bandits, she didn’t have much of a choice. Sheriff Beau Richmond asked her to marry him; Mary Anne said yes; and that, as far as Mary Anne knew, was the end of it.It might have been the end to Mary Anne’s entire story, too –...

1.07: Juno Steel and the Day That Wouldn't Die (Part 1)

1.07: Juno Steel and the Day That Wouldn't Die (Part 1)

They thought they’d gotten away with it.They were just kids when it happened. Juno Steel, Sasha Wire, and Mick Mercury – they were just kids when they did it. It was supposed to be a game, the kind kids play when there are no adults around to talk to… when there’s nobody around to tell them just how deadly their little game could be.Detective Juno Steel has had that game on his mind a lot lately....

1.08: Juno Steel and the Day That Wouldn't Die (Part 2)

1.08: Juno Steel and the Day That Wouldn't Die (Part 2)

It’s been a day of unpleasant surprises for Detective Juno Steel. He didn't expect to spend his day off down in the sewers, that’s for sure. He didn’t expect to go back to the town he’d grown up in and run away from, either. He didn’t expect to hear from his old friends Mick Mercury and Sasha Wire… and one friend who shouldn’t be able to call him at all from where she’s gone.Surprises come with...

1.09: Second Citadel - The Head of the Janus Beast (Part 1)

1.09: Second Citadel - The Head of the Janus Beast (Part 1)

Sir Marc and Sir Talfryn of Second Citadel aren’t technically knights. They do all the knightly things, sure – killing monsters, saving the innocent, bickering about breakfast meats – the only problem is that the other knights don’t agree that they’re… y’know, knights.So what are a pair of free lancers to do? Get some respect, of course! Take down a monster so big that the Knights of the Crown...