Dustwalker – Details, episodes & analysis

Episode 1: This Bird Heralds Death coming November 20th, 2025.

DUSTWALKER is a full-cast science-fantasy audio drama about platonic love, lost (and found) family, and the fight to stay alive under an authoritarian theocracy. Featuring two transgender leads, their fragile father-daughter relationship, and their shared hatred of the Calarian Church.

Trailer starring, in order of appearance: Kadecia, Nyx Calder, and Jayde Violet Hampton-VanSant.

Featured music is The Mist by Gavin Luke.

Show art by Bren McQuillan.

Website

A bird hounds Kove's mistakes, and a stranger comes to visit.

Content Warnings: This episode contains a high-speed vehicle crash, sci-fi gunfire and explosions, implied death, cursing, and discussion of an authoritarian theocracy. Not intended for kids. Listener discretion is advised.

Episode transcripts

Dustwalker Original Theme by Teala Torres. Florence Russell by Four Degrees Colder, heard during the market scene.

In this episode, you heard:

• Jayde Violet Hampton-VanSant as Kove

• Nyx Calder as Arius Rosemund

• Maganda Marie as Jex

• Nicky Benoit as Lily

• David John-Bores as Deveraux Menzi

• Amy D. Davis and Katelyn Martin as Coriander & additional voices

• Althea Walmisley as Senator Lysander

• Dylan Nguyen as Orator Tuân & additional voices

• Luiza Mendes as Senator Dahlia

• Audrey J. Williams as Ms. Greene

• Blake Bishop as Fin & additional voices

• Little Lobstrosity as the Crown Patriarch & additional voices

• Kit Paterson as Mysterious Young Man

• Moe Finch as the Voice of the Credits

Additional Voices:

• Wol as Guard

• Randal L. Wung as Driver

• Kadecia as News Reporter

• MADginary as City Announcer

• Paper as Market Seller

• Anne L.P. as Market Customer

Additional music credits:

• Gravity of Fragile by DEX 1200

• The Closing by Hanna Ekström and Anna Dager

Crew:

• Executive Producer, Writer, Director: Bren McQuillan

• Sound Designer, Primary Mix Engineer, Co-Mastering Engineer: Bren McQuillan

• Secondary Mix Engineer & Co-Mastering Engineer: Aaron Paolucci

SFX and additional music courtesy of Epidemic Sound. Cane SFX courtesy of Maddie Cooper on Freesound.org.

Episode art by Bren McQuillan.

Website

Arius makes an offer. Kove throws herself into danger—again.

Content Warnings: This episode contains cursing, discussion of an authoritarian theocracy, and discussion of parental death. Not intended for kids. Listener discretion is advised.

Episode transcripts

Dustwalker Original Theme by Teala Torres. A Knight's Vigil was written and performed by Nyx Calder and produced by Teala Torres.

In this episode, you heard:

• Jayde Violet Hampton-VanSant as Kove
• Nyx Calder as Arius Rosemund
• Randal L. Wung as Byron the Barkeep
• Kadecia as Romina
• Little Lobstrosity as the Crown Patriarch
• Moe Finch as the Voice of the Credits

Additional Voices:

• MADginary as City Announcer

Additional music credits:

• Ama by Harbours & Oceans
• Tvivel by Hanna Ekström and Anna Dager
• Kanji by Aerian, Hanna Ekström, and Anna Dager
• Lumina by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
• Collusion by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
• Wheel of Mystery by Hanna Ekström, Anna Dager, and Anna Landström

Crew:

• Executive Producer, Writer, Director: Bren McQuillan
• Sound Designer, Primary Mix Engineer, Co-Mastering Engineer: Bren McQuillan
• Secondary Mix Engineer & Co-Mastering Engineer: Aaron Paolucci

SFX and additional music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Episode art by Bren McQuillan.

The Eye. What strange world is this?

Content Warnings: This episode contains cursing and discussion of systemic transphobia & misogyny. Not intended for kids. Listener discretion is advised.

Episode transcripts

Dustwalker Original Theme by Teala Torres.

In this episode, you heard:

• Jayde Violet Hampton-VanSant as Kove
• Nyx Calder as Arius Rosemund
• Amy D. Davis and Katelyn Martin as Coriander
• Moe Finch as the Voice of the Credits

Additional music credits:

• La Capricieuse, Op.17 performed by Blair McMillen, Conway Kuo
• Waltz for Fryderyk and George by Beyza
• The Search by Hanna Ekström, Anna Dager

Crew:

• Executive Producer, Writer, Director: Bren McQuillan
• Sound Designer, Primary Mix Engineer, Co-Mastering Engineer: Bren McQuillan
• Secondary Mix Engineer & Co-Mastering Engineer: Aaron Paolucci

SFX and additional music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Episode art by Bren McQuillan.

Support the show on Patreon

Kove gets a taste of Church politics. Arius introduces her to the Order.

Content Warnings: This episode contains several instances of high-pitched shrieking. Timestamps are listed below. Listener discretion is advised.

• Loud screams interspersed between 28:28-28:59
• Distant screams at 37:38 and 38:22
• Loud screams between 38:41-38:52

Episode transcripts

Dustwalker Original Theme by Teala Torres.

In this episode, you heard:

• Jayde Violet Hampton-VanSant as Kove
• Nyx Calder as Arius Rosemund
• Althea Walmisley as Senator Lysander
• Nicky Benoit as Lily
• David John-Bores as Deveraux Menzi
• Dylan Nguyen as Orator Tuân & additional voices
• Luiza Mendes as Senator Dahlia
• Amy D. Davis and Katelyn Martin as Coriander
• Moe Finch as the Voice of the Credits

Additional Voices:

• Little Lobstrosity as Senator
• Dylan Nguyen as Advisor

Dustwalker screams curtesy of Savy Des-Etages.

Additional music credits:

• The Search by Hanna Ekström, Anna Dager
• Duststone Theme by Teala Torres
• Enter the Realm of Shadows by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
• Mimicry by Gavin Luke
• Distressed by Hanna Ekström, Anna Dager

Crew:

• Executive Producer, Writer, Director: Bren McQuillan
• Sound Designer, Primary Mix Engineer, Co-Mastering Engineer: Bren McQuillan
• Secondary Mix Engineer & Co-Mastering Engineer: Aaron Paolucci

SFX and additional music courtesy of Epidemic Sound. Cane SFX courtesy of Maddie Cooper on Freesound.org.

Episode art by Bren McQuillan.

Website

Presenting The Mechadova Engine, a queer streampunk audio drama following Log, an excitable and curious inhabitant of a lonely library who ends up on the adventure of a lifetime around a world entirely confined to steam trains in the sky.

The creator, Lumi Oakes, is currently in the middle of funding the show! Please consider supporting their Kickstarter!

Trailer Transcript

The Mechadova Engine is an upcoming 15-episode queer steampunk audio drama. The story follows Log, who has spent their entire life, as far as they can remember, alone inside a single library train carriage in the sky. Their only knowledge of the outside world is limited to books from a long time ago on earth.

Log has never thought to question their existence or the world outside, until one day their carriage stops. Here, they meet Tinker, a member of a resistance group, who turns their world upside down.

It's a story about meaningless structures, the power of community, and how knowledge is preserved and retold.

Find out more at mechadovapod.com!