10 recs for podfic less than 10 minutes

[idella]

I am one of those people who cannot listen to podfic and do other stuff at the same time, and sometimes I struggle to find time to listen to podfic. This, for obvious reasons, makes me sad. So for me, short podfic is brilliant. Ten, or fifteen, or twenty minutes from when I start, I can have listened to an entire story. Chances are I’ve heard a great story read by a great performer, plus I get to feel all accomplished, like I’ve actually done something. (I feel sure that other people also have to-listen lists that are quite long: listening to lots of short podfic makes me feel like I am making a dent.) Short podfics make excellent samplers of readers and fandoms, too. I usually listen to short podfic right before bed and a good performer helps me unwind (even if the story they’re reading isn’t a particularly relaxing one). And short podfic is awesome for re-listens, especially comfort re-listens: they can totally be quick pick-me-ups.

To share the short podfic love, for Amplirecathon 2012 I’m reccing ten podfics less than ten minutes. (This was HARD. There is so much good short podfic out there, and so many amazing anthologies chock full of short podfic. I had to leave off a lot of stuff equally rec-worthy.)

All links go to the audiofic archive where you can find download links and links to text versions as well as links to where you can leave feedback for the authors and readers.

I noticed while compiling the list that a lot of the performers on it have accents that I enjoy listening to. I’ve marked these with [LA] for lovely accents. And a lot of the podfic on the list can probably be listened to without knowing the fandom; I’ve marked these [NCKN] for no canon knowledge necessary.

[LA] [NCKN] Furniture and Fairytales [mp3, 4.7 MB, 5:06]
Merlin (BBC) | Guinevere 'Gwen'/Morgana le Fay/Merlin/Arthur Pendragon

Written by woldy
Read by croissantkatie

This is a sweet story about the relationship between the four characters listed above. croissantkatie is an expressive reader who really makes the pov character, Gwen, come alive: listening to Gwen talk about her life is like listening to one of your friends talk about hers. The fact that I’ve never seen an episode of Merlin does not detract from my enjoyment at all, so this is could be a podfic to try where no canon knowledge is required. (croissantkatie has podficced the remix/sequel as well, which is almost certainly just as good as this. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, though.) ETA that I just finished listening to it and it's as awesome as I suspected it would be, and you should check it out.

[NCKN] Something Like Star-crossed [mp3, 3.5 MB, 8:06]
The Office (US) | Andy Bernard/Kelly Kapoor

Written by dollsome
Read by autumn_opal

Andy introduces Kelly to Star Wars. I love how autumn_opal differentiates Andy and Kelly; she makes them sound like themselves, and her performance brings out the humour and the bittersweet nature of the story. I didn’t know a lot about The Office when I first started listening to this (I don’t think I even knew who Andy was), so this is another podfic where listeners might be fine without a lot of canon knowledge. This is definitely a happy-making podfic for me.

Only Your Brother Knows the Places You've Been [mp3, 4.2 MB, 4:46]
Mario Brothers | gen

Written by annakovsky
Read by general_jinjur

Mario and Luigi have returned to New York, post-canon, but they still remember their adventures. general_jinjur’s voice here is lulling with a wry sort of edge to it that really fits the brothers’ dream-like and quietly horrifying memories. This is a comfort listen and one of my favourite podfics ever.

[LA] [NCKN] Emotional Poison [mp3, 7.5 MB, 8:14]
Chronicles of Narnia | Peter Pevensie/Susan Pevensie

Written and read by jenwryn

Author’s summary: Time has passed since their return from Narnia. Peter went to the war, and now he has come home. jenwryn reads with an intensity that suits the heightened emotions (and the sex) in her story. This is a PWP (albeit a character-driven one) and also jenwryn rambles a bit about where in canon the story is set before settling into the story itself, so this might work for listeners unfamiliar with canon.

Dust to Dust, Dinosaurs to Dinosaurs [mp3, 8 MB 8:30]
Firefly | Inara Serra/Zoe Washburne

Written by Lauren
Read by fire_juggler

Author’s summary: Wash is dead, and what was a soothing ritual between Inara and Zoe takes on a new dimension. fire_juggler has a rich, sooth voice, and her performance here is subtlety expressive in a way that brings out Inara and particularly Zoe as characters. This is the first of fire_juggler’s podfics that I’ve heard, and I’m looking forward to listening to more of her performances.

[NCKN] 25th Hour [mp3, 3 MB 3:29]
American Actor RPF | Lindsay Lohan/Samantha Ronson

Written by yeats
Read by anna_unfolding

I barely know who Lindsay and Samantha are, and I have no idea what event, if any, the story centres on, so this is probably a podfic that can be enjoyed without canon knowledge. Lindsay and Sam haven’t spoken in six weeks, and now Lindsay’s texting Sam. With her performance, anna_unfolding brings the emotions that seem to be lurking behind the original text to the foreground in a compelling way. I really like how she distinguishes between texts and thoughts, too.

[NCKN] Catherine's Fairy-Tale [mp3, 6.1 MB, 6:22]
Northanger Abbey | Catherine Morland/Henry Tilney

Written by ryfkah
Read by winkingstar

The newly-married Catherine Morland discovers a giant bean-stalk in her garden. winkingstar reads the Austen-like prose of the story with aplomb and humour; her performance is at least as delightful as the text. I think someone who likes fairy tales could probably enjoy this without having ever read Northanger Abbey, too.

[LA] The Queen in Exile [mp3, 7.7 MB, 7:08]
Chronicles of Narnia | gen

Written by lindamarie
Read by dodificus

This sombre, haunting story is set five years after Lucy is told she cannot go back to Narnia. I loved this story before ever listening to the podfic, and dodificus totally does it justice. Her voice is compelling, drawing me in and not letting me go until it’s all over. This is a favourite of mine.

[LA] Tironian Notes [mp3, 5 MB, 7:21]
Leverage | Alec Hardison/Eliot Spencer/Parker

Written by amaresu
Read by tinypinkmouse

Parker wants Eliot and Alec and she to live together; Eliot and Alec are not so keen on this plan. Two of my favourite things about tinypinkmouse’s performances are the way she often sounds like she’s sharing a joke with the listener, and the way she sounds like she cares about the characters. This podfic showcases both of these things, sometimes at the same time; plus, tinypinkmouse’s voice is so moreish that I’ve contemplated listening to the podfic she’s recorded in languages I don’t actually understand, just because.

[LA] [NCKN] Genesis [mp3, 8.6 MB, 9:23]
The Tempest | gen

Written by fahye
Read by luzula

This is a hard story to sum up! Even the author doesn’t give a summary. Um, it’s atmospheric The Tempest story that uses language in interesting ways? It’s beautiful and kind of scary and luzula does a wonderful performance; she has lulling voice that recalls the spell-casting of the story, but she brings out all its sharp edges, too. It’s a treat to listen to. I feel that this could possibly be enjoyed without knowing canon simply because of the richness of the language and imagery.