Amplirecathon 2012: Ode to the Tiny Fandoms: A Baker's Dozen of Podfics in Itty-Bitty Fandoms

[fire_juggler]

I'm fairly multi-fannish, but even as someone who is fairly indiscriminate when it comes to fandoms in podfic, I often overlook the tiny fandoms. These are the fandoms where you know the canon, but they are almost too tiny to actually… um… be in, if you know what I mean. Because of this, it's so easy to see someone post in them and to let my gaze flick down to the fandoms I'm more familiar with. The ones I regularly download.

Happily (for me at least), I know this is my tendency, so every now and again, I go to the Audiofic Archive and search out the podfics in fandoms whose canon I know, but only have a couple podfics made in them. These podfics are often tiny in length as well as fandom, so I'll download a whole heap of them, and put together a makeshift audiobook anthology, load it up on my iPod and then… almost unfailingly… I am delighted, moved to laughter, moved to tears, reliving stories and characters I thought I had long forgotten.

There is a pleasure in re-discovering the characters and worlds of these tiny fandoms that is as great, in a different way, as the pleasure I get from the fandoms I am well entrenched in. I listen to them differently, I think because I don't have a heap of fanon coloring my interpretation (not that I don't love fanon). I find myself more willing to be surprised and I find myself listening more carefully because I come into it with very few preconceived notions of what fics in these fandoms are like.

So here is a baker's dozen of podfics in itty-bitty fandoms, where there are only a couple podfics available. There are more, so many more, and pruning this post down was a painful exercise, but I didn't want it to get out of control. So I guess I'll say, let these podfics open the door to trying out the podfics in tiny fandoms, then go to the archive, and search out the rest. You won't regret it.

Note: Because these are tiny fandoms, I've also added a bit called "Fandom Knowledge Needed?" I might not be the best judge of this, since I have knowledge of (almost) all these fandoms already, but I did my best to make a guess as to whether or not you need fandom knowledge to enjoy the podfic or not. And if you need just a tiny bit of knowledge, I try to give that as well.



[Lord Peter Wimsey] An Ill Wind by tinx_r, read by hardboiledbaby
link to podfic | link to text
Relationship: Gen or Peter Wimsey/Mervyn Bunter pre-slash, depending on how much you wear your slash goggles.
Summary: Bunter is sick.
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: Ummm…. It would probably help, but you should be okay if you know that Lord Peter Wimsey is an amateur detective, Bunter is Lord Peter Wimsey's manservant, and they served together in WWI.

Brief Rec: There are several things I love about hardboiledbaby's reading of this fic. On the surface, I love the way she reads Bunter with a cold. I mean, I don't know what she did with her voice, but Bunter sounds sick. But what I really love is the way she captures the absolute affection between these two men. LPW would be (and is) completely lost without Bunter, and Bunter needs LPW just as much. Whether it's interpreted as a very deep friendship, or something more, these two men very obviously love each other, and this is absolutely clear in her reading. The warmth here is tangible and never fails to make me smile a little mistily. This one is a "comfort" podfic for me, and is almost never off my iPod.



[Brick] Equilibrated by marketchippie, read by nickelmountain
link to podfic | link to text
Character: Laura Dannon
Summary: None.
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: Nope. This is the only one I can say this for sure about, since I've never actually seen brick. It did not dampen my enjoyment of this podfic at all.

Brief Rec: So, I was introduced to nickelmountain late in the game. I had the pleasure of being assigned to her for the #informaltwitterpodficexchange this last December and she created me this awesome, awesome podfic (side rec... GO NOW!!!)!!! I can't believe that I had never heard her stuff before, but I think a lot of it is that we don't cross fandoms much. After listening to that one podfic, I downloaded pretty much everything else. I didn't care if I had knowledge of the canon or not. I have never regretted it. nickelmountain is a phenomenal reader. She has an incredible voice and takes an approach to fics that is somehow simultaneously really calm and incredibly emotive. Take this one. It's short. Just about 4 minutes long. I admit freely that I don't know canon. I don't know this character. But what I got in that 4 minutes was a glimpse from the POV of a woman who is incredibly angry and manipulative and proud and mean, but at the same time, kind of vulnerable and completely lost. nickelmountain's reading just captures this incredibly complex array of conflicting emotions so completely that I was completely immersed and captured from the first word to the last.



[Historical RPF] The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet by kindkit, read by elaineofshalott
link to podfic | link to text
Relationship: Christopher Marlowe/William Shakespeare
Summary: Set in the late 1580s, when Marlowe was relatively famous and Shakespeare was an unknown.
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: You vaguely know who Shakespeare is? Yes? You vaguely know who Christopher Marlowe is? Yes? Okay. You're good to go.

Brief Rec: Ah! This voice? Is…. perfect for this fic. You know those moments when the fic and the voice and the interpretation and the reading just come together in one, perfect, cohesive moment? That is this podfic. The reading is crystal clear, beautifully paced and imbues this very short ficlet with so much… time. I realize that doesn't really make sense, but this is one of those podfics that is incredibly short, and yet captures an expanse of history. Marlowe's affection and frustration and amusement at Shakespeare comes out in every word. elaineofshalott's smooth reading just sweeps me away. Every time. It is truly a delight.



[Circle of Magic] a cup full of comets by metaphorically_blue, read by paraka
link to podfic | link to text
Relationship: Tris/Briar
Summary: Life measures things in stages conversations and cups of coffee, comets and spare change . They are no different.
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: Hmmmm.... It would probably enhance your experience, but this is really AU. I'm pretty sure that you can enjoy this one without it.

Brief Rec: When I saw that there was a coffee shop AU of the Circle of Magic characters, I pretty much gobbled it down. The story itself is delightful. The characters personalities survive fully intact and the story is a sweet, lovely piece of a growing understanding between disparate people, not unlike the books themselves. I don't think that the fact that I love paraka's readings is any secret to my friends. Listening to her read this story kind of encapsulates some of what I love about listening to her. paraka never goes over the top with her readings. She always seems to let the story tell itself, like it's speaking through her. She doesn't try to make it into anything it's not, and the result, for me, is that no matter what the overall atmosphere of the fic is (sweet, sexy, fun, exciting), that feeling always sucker-punches me right in the gut. This particular story is calm and sweet, so listening to paraka read it, takes me to this really calm place, where the words just flow over me and sink into me and take me over.



[Top Gun] Kings of the Air by FabulaRasa, read by chemm80
link to podfic | link to text
Relationship: Maverick/Iceman
Summary: Fighting and fucking: two things he did extraordinarily well. How could he have known what the effect would be when you combined the two?
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: ETA: I have been informed by luzula that she read this fic without ever having seen Top Gun and LOVED it, so I retract my statement that it would probably help. Still, it wouldn't hurt to go watch it! It's a classic of the 80s!!! Before Tom Cruise got weird! Ok, he was always weird, but pre-couch-jumping... What are you waiting for?!

Brief Rec: Ok. True fact: I will follow chemm80 into pretty much any fandom, regardless of my knowledge of it. So, when this showed up on this year's podficbigbang, I was like, *shrug* "I have vague memories of watching Top Gun…." *downloads*. I'm so glad that I did. This is the only long podfic I have on this list, and it is worth every bit of the 2 hours, 45 minutes, and 39 seconds you will spend listening to it. chemm80's understated style complements this fic perfectly, and I was with the characters all the way. In fact, I was with the characters way more than when I was watching Top Gun. It's a gorgeous story that rings true to temperament, and chemm80's reading is just spot on, every step of the way.



[Nero Wolfe] Dark Horse by hardboiledbaby, read by cantarina1
link to podfic | link to text
Characters: Saul Panzer, Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe
Summary: Saul's reaction/thoughts when Wolfe hired Archie on full time.
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: This is one where I think having at least a basic knowledge of who Saul Panzer, Archie Goodwin, and Nero Wolfe are would be helpful. But I don't think it's imperative. On the upside, you can kind of pick your poison on this one, and it is absolutely worth it. Book canon is the original, but there have been cinema, radio, and television incarnations as well. If you enjoy mysteries, these are classics.

Brief Rec: I've seen a couple Nero Wolfe fics out there. Not many, but they are around. Every time I contemplate podficcing them, I hesitate, and then run the other direction. Because Wolfe's voice!!! You guys, how can I possibly try to achieve Wolfe's voice?! Happily, I don't need to, because cantarina1 does. And she does it beautifully. When I was listening to cantarina1 read this fic, I was mainly all "That's Wolfe!!!!!!" and then I flailed like a mad person. The fic, itself, is a wonderful telling from Saul Panzer's POV about how Archie came to be employed by Wolfe, and every second of the reading is just perfect. Each voice is just… lovely--everything I would want a Nero Wolfe story to be. Even if you're not familiar with the canon, you might want to give this one a try. Who knows, it might inspire you to read the books.



[Newsies] You Call It Madness by grim_lupine, read by bessyboo
link to podfic | link to text
Relationship: Jack/David
Summary: You meet Jack Kelly when you are twelve years old. Modern-day.
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: Nope. I admit that I saw the movie, but only when it came out *cringes* 20 years ago. Most of my canon knowledge is… something to do with newspapers?

Brief Rec: So, bessyboo has one of those voices that just instantly calms me down. Panicking? Just listen to bessyboo. In a rage? Just listen to bessyboo. Yup. I don't know what it is, but something between the quality of her voice and the way she reads affects me like a dog whisperer. Yup. She's a fire_juggler-whisperer. This podfic, in particular, is always on my iPod. Something about the way she reads from David's point of view, the way Jacks larger-than-lifeness comes through, and the way she reads this coming-together story never fails to make me smile, calm me down, hit me in just the right spot. It's such a pleasure to listen to. Over and over and over and over again.



[XKCD] Spirit, The Sequel by linaerys, read by dodificus
link to podfic | link to text
Characters: The Mars Rover "Spirit"
Summary: This XKCD cartoon about the Mars Rover "Spirit" made me sad so I had to write a little fixit story.
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: See that link up there to the XKCD cartoon? Click it. That's all you need.

Brief Rec: When I saw there was a podfic for XKCD, I was "???", and then I was "!!!", and then I listened and just… fell in love. There aren't many readers out there who could actually make me care about the Spirit rover on Mars. But… true fact… I teared up at the end of this podfic. In less than 5 minutes, dodificus had me completely invested. She reads it so wonderfully with this amazing empathy that made me want to cuddle Spirit up and tell her that it's okay!!!! So, yeah, this is one of those podfics where I went from "???" to "!!!" to "THIS CAN NEVER LEAVE MY IPOD EVER!!!!" in 4 minutes and 36 seconds. Click the link. Read the cartoon. Download the podfic. Be moved.



[Into The Woods (Musical)] Ever After by stopstartstall, read by podklb
link to podfic | link to text
Characters: Little Red (and other assorted characters)
Summary: None
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: This is one of the few podfics where, yes. You really need to have a working understanding of the music and plot of Sondheim's Into The Woods (which is all things awesome and amazing).

Brief Rec: I love listening to podklb read. She's one of those readers where I know, absolutely, that I am in good hands, no matter the fandom or subject matter. This podficlet she approaches with such humor, with the matter-of-factness of Little Red coming through perfectly. Not only was it a an absolute delight to listen to the after the after-happily-ever-after, but the punchline was just flawlessly delivered. Every time I listen, I just grin and think "here we go again."



[Calvin and Hobbs] This Kid I Once Knew by Minnow, read by Lann
link to podfic | link to text
Characters: Susie Derkins, Calvin
Summary: Daniel sends their whole improv group an e-mail saying "check this out its fun1!1" and a link to a web comic called The Adventures of Spaceman Spiff.
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: Nope, but does anyone not know Calvin and Hobbs?

Brief Rec: This podfic. God. I wish that there were about 10 more of it. First of all, the incorporation of music was just impeccable. Secondly, the voices. The voices are amazing here. And Susie's absolute delight and joy are center stage. One of the things I love about this podfic is that everyone can relate to it. We all have people from our childhoods who we've lost touch with, but live in our memories in such bright color that sometimes they drown out the people that are with us in the here-and-now. Calvin is that person for Susie and there is such unsullied happiness in her discovery of his work, such possessiveness in the way she keeps him safely in her memories. Lann just brings all these emotions out with such starling clarity that it kind of touches my soul. I find myself misting up, not because it's sad, but because I understand.



[Center Stage] Eva, Out on the Floor by preromantics, read by greedy_dancer
link to podfic | link to text
Relationship: Eva/OFC
Summary: None
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: I don't think so, but if you need background: Eva is a ballet student at an extremely hard-core, competitive ballet academy. She needs to unwind.

Brief Rec: I once told greedy_dancer that I wish I could wallow around in her voice forever. I stand by that statement now. Her voice has this subtle power and flexibility that brings out nuances so wonderfully without going into undue contortions. This is especially apparent here, because Eva is such a powerful character here. She knows exactly what she wants and how to get it, and greedy_dancer reads it with a sensuality, with a…. texture that totally gets me, every time.



[Toy Story 3/Up] dirigibles and talking dogs by hapakitsune, read by lunchy_munchy
link to podfic | link to text
Relationship: Andy/Russell
Summary: Russell has a test for his dates. He calls it The Mr. Fredrickson Test.
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: Yeah, I think it would help on this one.

Brief Rec: This podfic is just…. charming. Totally delightful in every way. And don't worry, Andy and Russell are all grown up and on the verge of college, and if they met, I feel absolutely sure this is how it would go. lunchy_munchy does a beautiful job with the whimsey and joy and affection and humor in this fic. There is a lightness to the reading that suits a podfic for the movie Up and when I listen, I feel a little like the podfic will float away and take me with it and it never fails to leave me feeling lighter and happier than I did when I started.



[Tangled] All The Days We Never Lived by bluebleakembers, read by reena_jenkins
link to podfic | link to text
Characters: Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Mother Gothel
Summary: Five ways that Tangled didn't end.
Fandom Knowledge Needed?: Yes. You need to at least have a familiarity of the characters.

Brief Rec: I actively try not to pigeon-hole voices and readers, but I admit that for some reason, when I think of reena_jenkins's podfics, I tend to associate her with the light-hearted, fun, humorous podfics that I first listened to by her. Podfics like Dork Reign and I Have a History of Taking of my Shirt come to mind (and they are delights indeed). It's true that she reads humor exceedingly well, but listening to her read this fic just shows how beautifully her voice and interpretation melds and adapts to a dreamier, more lyrical style. The fic itself is gorgeous and the podfic reads like tales spun by a campfire, or at the bedside of a child. Soft and dreamy, in spite of the more serious themes it explores, this is one I pull out when I'm in one of my more pensive moods.

Comments

[fire_juggler]

ooooh!!! Thanks!!! I'm going on a downloading spree right now! I saw a Spirited Away podfic in there too!!! \o/ So looking forward to listening!!!! (ummm... and my Podfic Masterlist is... kind of pathetically out of date. Like... 17 podfics out of date /o\, so if you're looking for a more up-to-date list, I'd definitely recommend my AO3 page instead.)