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zizz-asdf-re-r-o-u · 3 years

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Underrated Openly Queer Audio Dramas

So you know The Penumbra Podcast, Welcome to Nightvale, The Bright Sessions, Alice Isn’t Dead, Ars Paradoxica, Archive81, The Two Princes, Moonbase Theta Out, Unwell, The Magnus Archives, etc. You might have heard of Mabel, Strange Case of Starship Iris, Dining in the Void, Blood Crow Stories, Caravan, Dreamboy, Love&Luck, Kaleidotrope, etc. Maybe you’ve even heard of Sidequesting, Desperado, Folxlore, Return Home, The Flame, The Beacon, Valence, other shows from Procyon Podcast Network, etc. They’re all either well known, somewhat known, or at least frequently recommended audio dramas with openly queer characterS. If you haven’t, you should! Well, here is a post of underrated audio dramas with IN YOUR FACE unapologetically queer characters. No characters in the closet or “only mildly queer coded or wait until the 3rd season to find out or there’s a blink & you’ll miss it clue” kind of queer. Like if you take away the gayness, almost the entire story is gone.

Last updated Sept 2022. As I discover more, or as stories develop, I’ll likely update this! Let me know if you have other underrated recommendations! For the time being, these are the shows I’ve personally listened to.

Bastard Fur: NSFW 18+ Did you like Caravan? Do you like gay werewolves? Sammy gets bitten by a werewolf and joins a found family cult to handle the situation. Unfortunately this is stuck in a hiatus just as the plot starts, so there isn’t much going on yet, but it is very promising!

@burstpodcast: Bubble tea cafe in space with shenanigans. Beth is a shameless lesbian, and she is so unapologetically present and irreplaceable that I can’t leave Burst off this list. I believe this is a student/amateur project so the audio/storytelling is very rough, but the storyline is whacky and wild enough that I forgive it.

Dash: Slight NSFW, some 1940s homophobia. The story is a typical noir detective solving a crime. But DASH IS GAY AND WILL NOT LET YOU FORGET IT, even though it’s the 1940s. I love it. Cue “this woman tried to hit on me but sorry you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

Dos After You: A gay assassin/serial killer sleeps with a god and then chases across Europe seeking to kill him. This is for those who want chaotic disaster gays. It’s also a bilingual Spanish show and, maybe it’s the accents, but everyone is sooo flirty. The audio is a bit rough sometimes though.

Electromancy: Student mages attend the Royal Institute for the Study of Sorcery. Lots of superpowered action, tasty world building, and several queer and nonbinary characters. Also, it features a large number of well known indie queer audio drama creators, but I see so little buzz about it!

Fuck Humans: NSFW 18+ Explicit erotica BUT believe me when I say it’s very plot driven first. A fantasy world where humans & monsters live separated by a wall. This also has a diverse range of relationship styles and sexualities (yes there’s at least 1 asexual character that’s important to the plot). I will forever shout endless eternal praise about this show to whoever is 18+.

@gayfuturepod-blog : Gay Future is exactly as it says on the can. Satire about a dystopian future with reverse prosecution where the entire world is gay or lesbian. Why oh why does this not have more attention!

The Glass Appeal: Jason Cawfield has been imprisoned at Confederacy Supermax for a crime he claims he didn't commit. Married gay protagonist with cute banter and tries to explore prison/rebellion/healthcare themes. Unique audio storytelling method but misses the mark in convincing me of the prison setting.

@hinaypod : Mari Datuin is a babaylan that deals with spoopy stuff happening in Toronto with a group of friends. There’s a few humans, magic and normal, and spirits of various queer identities. (Also yay for more immigrant and first generation Asian rep!)

Hulm @go-hulm: “Anyone need a fantasy himbo/lesbian power dynamic?” The whole plot kicks off with Brant, the himbo who got trapped in Hulm via portal, and Meydinyor searching for her girlfriend to solve some interdimensional problems. It starts out silly enough, but the sound design is solid, voice acting is great, and the plot definitely gains more depth. This show has only 42 twitter followers, has less than 2-5 dedicated posts on tumblr, and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else talk about it!

@jarofrebukepodcast : Dr Jared Hel is an immortal scientist with amnesia that encounters spoopy cryptids. Lots of gays and several nonbinary/trans characters.

@khorapodcast : Space adventure meets adaptation of various Greek/Roman mythological characters AND it keeps or expands on their queer origins.

The Line: (NSFW & drugs) from @pendantaudio . A troubled girl is caught in the war between Heaven and Hell, and learns she is humanity’s only chance at survival. I only just started this show, Kitty Shadow is a very interesting character and great casual lesbian. And Thomas Davies is also interesting so far, but warning for priest-grooming-young-boys (Thomas being a horny young boy) situation. It is an early era audio drama and you can tell how rough it is, but the storyline is very interesting, wonderfully violent, the music is really really catchy & epic, and it’s weirdly sex positive.

Mage and Machine: from @pendantaudio . A cyberpunk + magic story, with some steampunk vibes, featuring a half cyborg Mack, and a mysterious mage, Kailira. Mack’s ex-boyfriend/mechanic, Plinio, plays a fairly important role too. The worldbuilding is amazing, the mystery and tension is done well, and you really feel the character’s struggles. I noticed this show, and many of Pendant’s shows don’t have much, if any, online attention, including the ones that have been around since before 2009.

Mission Rejected: The backups of a spy agency do shenanigans. Zelda & Pat are THE lesbian power couple and if you take them away, shit hits the fan. Bowden is recently confirmed bisexual, and there’s other characters whose identities haven’t been confirmed “onscreen” yet. I’ve never seen it on a queer audio drama rec list. If you liked how Juno Steel broke noir detective tropes, you will like how this breaks spy/agents movie tropes.

Monstica: NSFW 18+ Ok these are all just very creative sexy monster fucking scenarios. But I’m serious when I say its creative queer erotica. Many trans characters, many relationship styles, etc. Bonus points that it actually includes/hires POC, queer, & trans voice actors, as well as sex workers.

Moonface: Slight NSFW. Come for a good balance of gay issues and Korean American disapora issues. It seriously deserves a listen, because there’s already very little queer Asian American media, both in mainstream US and audio drama land. Note that there are a few explicit onscreen sex scenes that are plot relevant, but easier to skip than Caravan & Bastard Fur. And it does end kind of Kdrama-y though. Nonetheless, I will shout about this constantly.

Murray Mysteries: Dracula modern day adaptation, where the characters are all queer and some are genderflipped. Their personalities translate perfectly to the 21st century and it explicitly canonizes any queer coded characters from the original book.

The Night Post: The story of a spoopy postal service. To be honest, the only things about this show I remember is when the characters are being gay drama™, which happens often enough that I remember it. So it’s on this list.

Null/Void: “I’m in a closet.” “Thanks for coming out, but is this the right time?” “No I’m actually hiding in a closet, but not the homophobic kind. Someone is about to catch me.” Just. Listen to this show.

Rifted: Set in a military state fantasy world, with rebels, bounty hunters and revolutionaries. Aurora & Daniel are childhood friends turned opposite-sides-of-the-rebellion turned escapees in love. Many other characters are openly queer as well.

@7ofheartspod : “What happens when you get a group of gays together and half of them have a crush?” - sums it up. I’m still listening, and it’s a very minimalist sound design/story about a group of friends in a town where an evil voice might be killing people/luring people away.

@skillsetpodcast : By the same creators as Under the Electric Stars, this kind-of scifi urban fantasy follows four college friends after an action-packed disaster in the very first episode. So far there’s only 3 episodes but holy MOLY the sound design is phenomenal, most creative monster SFX in a while, the voice actors are distinct, and it seems like there’s a lot of world building & mystery that will be revealed. You also really feel for the trauma that the characters are going through. Also none of the 4 friends are cis, straight, or white.

@undertheelectricstarspodcast : Do you like Penumbra Podcast but kinda annoyed at how they handle race? Do you also like Hi Nay? This is a cyberpunk dystopia with themes of healthcare and revolutionaries, and lots of action. Several main characters are nonbinary using a mix of different pronouns, at least 1 m/m guy, and more. Also all the leads are multilingual POC with several southeast Asians, and it does address POC issues! There were hints at a queer romance in the beginning, but I think romance has taken a back seat for the plot. Anyways, this one has very little attention at the moment, so I will keep shouting about it everywhere too.

Vacant Arcadia: Here just read my very thorough review on why you should listen to it (but skip the second half where I have major spoilers). https://zizz-asdf-re-r-o-u.tumblr.com/post/693520183249305600 Basically its a dystopian future where a group of people are playing a dangerous game to get new bodies with a hacker hikikomori game master. Also it’s a musical with vocalists who are SO SO skilled (even if it’s not my taste in music). There are 0 tumblr, twitter, & instagram fan posts. And its instagram page has less than 150 followers. So yeah, please check it out.

WOE.BEGONE : Mike Walters attempts to play a violent ARG only to get involved in a lot of time travel. He is the chaotic unhinged gay antihero that we all delight in his torture but also feel sorry for him. HE’S GOT A BOYFRIENDhusband AND NO ONE WILL LET YOU FORGET IT. Also, the writing and humor is so clever for a scifi/horror show, created by 1 person nonetheless.

Bonus 1: Bonus 2 will be shows that you recommended, although I have not listened myself. Now here are some shows that unfortunately are NOT unapologetically in your face queer, but I��ve *rarely* see them on any “queer audio drama recommendations” list or just personally want to recommend them. Note, some of them might actually be pretty popular, but if you blink & missed it, you might have never realized there are queer characters here:

Brass: This is the neo-Victorian steampunk show that I’ve been looking for, and is about a “badass” British family. Fictional versions of Oscar Wilde (infamous gay) and Nikola Tesla (sexuality wildly debated) happen to be supporting characters in here, so this show has queer characters by default. (The show luckily doesn’t straightwash, but also doesn’t explore their sexualities.) And then there’s the gay priest and Cyril Brass. Cyril gave me gay vibes from the very beginning, but i put this show in the bonus because it’s not explored until the season finale. Like c’mon, if Gwendolyn could be making out with dudes, Cyril & the priest could’ve kissed- the show notes explicitly describe it as a “romantic trip”. Otherwise, this is a well made show, including an entire multi-media universe, and I hardly see any recommendations for it.

Bloodthirsty Hearts: This is by Qcode, which is a big mainstream podcast company. The 5 female main characters are former friends who were big fans of Bloodthirsty Hearts, an in-universe show, and circumstances bring them together at a convention that goes badly. Two of that friend group end up asking each other out by the end and it’s actually a very nice arc for them. As a fandom convention attendee, this appealed to my nerdy lil heart. The danger did not live up to my expectations unfortunately, but it could be good if you’re looking for this very specific niche.

Darkest Night: It’s very well known for horror, however it rarely gets attention for Morgan and Kirby, the only gay guys in the show. There’s also a few other characters that I personally headcanon as being queer coded.

The Deep Vault: Post-apocalyptic story by the creators of Archive81. Carson & Jeremy are exes but that’s it. It’s not as well known as Archive 81, but the action & plot is just as good.

Down: Deep sea submarine thriller adventure! Did you know half the entire main crew is queer? Unfortunately, you only find out if you really pay attention to the lines. The circumstances of the plot focuses entirely on their survival (or lack of it).

Fall of the House of Sunshine: See the many reviews I’ve already left behind of it. So this falls in the case of last minute gays or “don’t find out until season 2!” gays. Luckily Pangla, Feltina, Humph, Professor Y, and Sondra are openly trans or lesbian when they appear, but I also rarely see this crazy wild show on list of openly queer media. I think there’s 1 podchaser list this appears in.

Gay Pride and Prejudice: This was made by Spotify and the plot is preetty much the same. It’s the characters of Pride & Prejudice, moved into the modern day, and a bunch of gay dudes. I think it’s a Great adaptation.

How I Died: Forensic pathologist can talk to ghosts and tries to solve murder cases. Ok so this actually has *several* openly queer characters, both living and ghosts. However, I think it’s pretty mainstream/popular/not underrated. However x2, I also don’t see it on many queer audio drama recommendation lists. If you liked Woe.begone for the unhinged corrupted disaster gay, then you will like this unhinged corrupted disaster bi. Warning for several episodes with themes of child/sexual abuse.

Omen Podcast: Pathfinder ocean adventure with pirates/privateers but it’s actually really really good. The world, writing, characters, and their dynamics are really great. With great action SFX and music to boot. None of them are confirmed queer, but Lola & Gwen are extremely flirty. Tobias & Quentin’s relationship also develops really deeply. And there’s some very flirty demons.

Putting 2 & 2 Together: This is the prequel/spinoff to a stage play that the creators also made. It’s basically a drama about Tommy & David navigating their life through jobs & moving & trauma. I really like it and highly recommend it! Considering how very gay it is, I’m surprised it’s not recommended more often!

Rebel Robin Surviving Hawkins: Robin Buckley from Stranger Things is canonically lesbian, and this Netflix official audio drama, written by Lauren Shippen (featuring several The Bright Sessions voice actors!), mentions it (and some other queer characters) many times in 1980s-style obvious subtext. It makes great use of Lauren’s script writing skills buuuuut it’s obviously a marketing tactic for the Rebel Robin book.

Splintered Caravan: Oh boy! The premise of this show is heist after heist after heist, along with lots of body modifications. There aren’t that many openly queer characters here, but there is a lot of genderfuckery, including a shapeshifter transwoman. People are swapping genders & body parts left and right (slight exaggeration). Just a note that because there is so much switching, there’s a lot of confused deadnaming too. But the main focus is still LOTS and LOTS of heists.

Stonesinger Chronicles: There are 2 sentences in a short scene where Whisper says he likes guys and Talee says she doesn’t like people romantically. I think we’re supposed to assume that Whisper is gay and Talee is aroace, but nothing happens beyond that. This is a very new show though, so there’s hope for the future!

The Vanishing Act: This is a very chaotic historical comedy?satire?parody? about a wannabe scriptwriter and his shenanigans in 20th century Europe. No one sounds European, everyone sounds modern, it’s just... pure chaos. The gays aren’t confirmed until season 2, but its a very satisfying slow burn when it finally happened. And very hilarious given the context (the 2 guys that have been pining after each other since season 1 finally kiss onstage in front of... Hitler. I know. Context what?)

Bonus 2: I haven’t listened to these shows yet, but you’ve recommended them so I suggest check them out as well.

All Vampires are Gay (note: this one seems more like an audiobook?) Hello from the Hallowoods Me and AU Pasithea Powder The Pilgrimage Saga Roll Gay Roleplay Second Star to the Left Tales of Swordfall Where the Stars Fell

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