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amplificathon
Amplirecathon 2011 Entries
I was wrecking my brain for a good way to start this amplirecathon. I first wanted to look at the way music and audio changes and sound effects were effectively used, but I knew I'd have to relisten to a lot of things and didn't have enough time for that. So I stuck to a thematic rec list. I initially had thought about expanding my worldbuilding rec list from last year (such as the brilliant and beautifully read bandom story The Sky High City (written by Sevenfists, read by Inkjunket), but I couldn't find enough different ones to fit.
I've always loved AUs, especially when the new jobs and identities seem so utterly at odds with the characters we know yet at heart we *recognize* them nevertheless. So this rec list is effectively created in honor of the wonderful gem of a story that is Setissma's Wide Open Sea. In this story, John ends up working in a marine lab and yet he is the John we know and love. A good AU for me takes not necessarily the outward signifiers (John loves flying) but instead looks at what these things represent (a passion for something, interest in the unknown, freedom and safety from other people) and creates a character where these characteristics take on a different shape.
This rec list, then, looks at AUs where the characters hold entirely different professions and jobs, live entirely different lives--and yet they're still themselves. However, I avoided two categories (or the list would have been much longer): (1) stories that are road-not-taken AUs, and stories where the fields are related (music star instead of actor and vice versa; physics professor instead of physicist in SGA, present day prince, etc); and (2) rentboys, strippers, pornstars, etc. on the one and school and uni AUs on the other hand. In both these categories there are so many excellent ones that I felt they should constitute their own lists.
I wanted to spread it over fandoms, authors, readers, but came across something I'd long noticed and pondered: some fandoms just have more/better AUs. Add to that that podfic is a tiny selection, and it was difficult to find anything in some fandoms I listen to (HP, Merlin, SPN) and hard to pick amongst its wealth in others. So instead, I tried to not repeat professions and I looked for stories where the professions were somewhat central to characterization and/or plot. There are many more, but I hope this proves a nice cross-section.
Strange Professions, Unusual Identities
Assassins AI (Kris/Adam) - winterlive - All These Things That I've Done (read by klb): [m4b, 44.6 MB, 1:35:01] Klb's reading is a bit more acted out than many other readers', but for AI, and especially since this is from Adam's point of view, it's perfect. It's a seemingly out of character AU that nevertheless works with our sense of Adam and Kris and their perceived dynamic. Klb got me into listening to AI for the most part, and her readings thus are exactly how I think of the two. Crazed intended violence and hot sex round out this lovely podfic!
Spies J2 (Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki) - fleshflutter - Someone You Might Have Been (read by fayjay): [m4b, 316.4 MB, 11:03:52] there are many amazing AUs in J2, but even with this steep competition, Fleshflutter's epic stands out. Jared is a government spy/assassin and Jensen is his handler, and the crazed and complex journey starts from there. Fayjay brings her brilliant style to the story and makes this eleven-hour-performance seem effortless and immensely enjoyable. This is a pleasurable tour de force on all levels. [musical intro]
Soldiers J2 (Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki) - Tabaqui - South China Sea (read by juice817): [m4b, 25 MB, 52:09] When first listening to this podfic I was uncertain how to feel. Tabaqui's a great writer and Juice817 one of my favorite readers, yet I always feel uncomfortable when our guys are set into historical situations, especially devastating and traumatic ones. I feel in the end the story walks the fine balance of Jensen and Jared as Vietnam soldiers during the war and in the aftermath. It's a story that has stayed with me for a long time and got me thinking, so between that and the beautiful reading, I'm including it.
Aristocrat and new money AI (Kris Allen/Adam Lambert) - Astolat - A Matter of Inconvenience (read by lunchy_munchy): [m4b, 58.6 MB, 2:03:24] This story is a tad outside of the realm of this rec list insofar as it is a historical AU (and in a fictional gay-men-can-get-married Regency one to boot), but it's realist otherwise and certainly places them in a different socio-economic and professional setting to see how that changes all main characters. It's Astolat, which pretty much guarantees great writing, plotting, and consistent characters. The reading is great in terms of performance but quality-wise it has a metally static sound to it. It's easy to get used to and lunch_munchy's animated reading of the dialog makes it worth it!
Hockey players DS (Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski) - dira sudis - Hawks and Hands (read by issaro): [m4b, 381 MB, 26:30:00] Issaro was one of the first podficcers I listened to, and I fell in love with her long, calm, high quality readings. This recording was actually the result of an auction, if I remember correctly, and luckily so--Hawks and Hands is a central AU not just in DS fandom but, I'd argue, in fandom period. Ray and Fraser are clearly themselves but also these hockey players, and there's great characterization and intriguing plot. The reading is pretty much flawless and consistent, which is particularly impressive given the length, and the sound quality is excellent. It's a tad slower than I prefer, but that's both Issaro's style and DS standard i'd say.
Tennis players J2 (Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki) - lazy_daze - Topspin (read by chemm80): [m4b, 140 MB, 4:47:34] I don't even like tennis, but this story and its reading makes me be there right smack in the center and makes me care! The AU manages to translate the J2 characterizations into their different styles, and the reading is engaged and consistent. [musical intro]
Race car driversSGA (Rodney McKay/John Sheppard) - Celli Lane - Fireball (read by shaenie): [m4b, 72.7 MB, 2:34:27] This is a perfect AU in the way i was looking for: we have all the characters we love and they are all in character both in terms of themselves and their dynamics yet the world that is depicted couldn't be farther from Atlantis. This is NASCAR, something I care extremely little about and yet the story had me on the edge of my seat. I cared! I loved it as a story and then shaenie's superb reading brought it to me as a podfic with great reading (she has a very soothing voice that allows me to focus on the exciting plot!) with no distracting sound issues whatsoever. A real treat!
University professors DS (Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski) - The Hoyden - Academic Punk (read by luzula): [m4b, 129.1 MB, 2:21:28] Luzula is one of the few non-native speakers I thoroughly enjoy listening to (and that is not meant as a comment on other non-native reader as much as it is about my own listening position as ESL). on the whole her reading is a tad slower and with that more solemn than I prefer, but I think that may be a DS style (I've noticed it in other fic and she and I have had long conversations about that :) The story is a fun and quirky university AU (and for Ray and Fraser being profs is sufficiently AU in a way that it isn't for Rodney, for example, so thua I included it...plus DS!!!)
Aquarium worker and vet SGA (Rodney McKay/John Sheppard) - Setissma - Wide Open Ocean (read by Winkingstar): [m4b, 30.1 MB, 1:02:51] I loved this story when it was first posted, and Winkingstar's quiet, confident reading perfectly does it justice. John is undersocialized in a way we're used to, though for very different reasons than in canon. He escapes into the world of the sea and its mammals rather than the air, and the story as well as the reading mirror his disconnectedness. Rodney's loud and obnoxious and the only real character voice in the reading, which otherwise keeps John's even point of view sound. The sound quality is excellent with great editing that leaves the reader the focus on the story.
Anti-globalization protesters SGA (Rodney McKay/John Sheppard) - Sapote3 - The One Where They're Anti Globalisation Protesters (read by Izzady) [m4b, 24.1 MB, 48:19] This is an odd little story in that even at its length it feels almost vignette-like, i.e., it picks up and almost almost in media res. At the same time, we still know and learn all we need to: our team are all involved to varying degrees in anti-establishment, pro-environment, anti-globalization protests. I know very little about that particular subculture, but I assume the author does, which makes the SGA version an intriguing mix between our fannish familiar characters and these RL situations. Izzady's reading is slightly self-amused, which is perfect for this story. The sound quality is OK (there's a slight background hum that doesn't distract though) and her reading very engaging.
CEO and barista!activist Merlin (Merlin/Arthur Pendragon) - Ras Elased - Two Weeks Notice (read by Jenna Corinth) [m4b, 124 MB, 4:17:36] This fits borderline into my category, given that Merlin's barista job is not quite central, but it was hard to find Merlin AUs that don't replicate their canon dynamic professionally, and it's a fun story all around. The reading is good, though there are some background noises, mostly because the recording's clean otherwise. The characters don't have distinct voices but it's clear nontheless at any point who's speaking and the reading's consistent. The Merlin/Arthur storyline's lovely and much of their canon engagement translates into the present and their different situation. The magic prohibition is updated into arguments over environmental concerns, and side characters (Morgana, Gwen, Lance) are likewise updated.
Baker and artist Bandom (My Chemical Romance: Frank Iero/Gerard Way) jjtaylor - Buy handmade (read by falter): [m4b, 53.2 MB, 1:49:02] I don't really listen to bandom and I adore this story. It's strange and quirky, and I can't really say how canonical this AU is, but I love this Frank who decides that he rather bake bread than work as a tech nerd and this Gerard who's a creator of quite odd artifacts. Their courtship is quirky and sweet, mostly conducted via their creations and their mutual understanding of how much these things mean. The reading is calm and evenly paced with no errors or noises and is perfect for this story and its quiet passion. The other guys feature centrally as well and are likewise well drawn. The whole story feels much shorter, which probably means I didn't realize that I was listening for nearly two hours!
Doctor and architect J2 (Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki) - Audrarose - So close to my heart (read by Juice817): [m4b, 41.5 MB, 1:28:33] I could easily create a list of favorite J2AUs read by juice817 and fill an entire rec list. Even having to restrict myself, I had to pick this one, even though it has kids (well, one :) in it. I'm not a big kid!fic fan, but I like the way Jensen, the single dad, and Jared, the doctor who treats his child and loves him desperately, interact with the kid and one another. Juice817's reading is engaging as always and she makes this story a joy to listen to.
Author and bookstore owner J2 (Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki) - cjmarlowe - Let Us Compare Mythologies (read by weimar27): [m4b, 43 MB, 1:32:54] I adored this story when I first read it and weimar27 definitely delivered in her excellent reading. Jensen and Jared see one another across the street, one a novelist starting to write again, the other a bookstore owner attracted to that mystery man in the coffee shop. The sound quality is a bit lower than most of the other recommended stories but it only takes a few minutes to get used to the slightly dulled sound. It's definitely worth a listen.
Biologist and life guard J2 (Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki) - gretazreta - A Bright and Golden Streak of Land (read by chemm80): [m4b, 50 MB, 1:42:31] I tried to not double any authors or readers but Chemm80 is not only an amazing (and amazingly consistent) reader but is also scarily prolific--and loves AUs. I fell in love with this quiet story of Jensen, the life guard, who rescues Jared and they weirdly and quietly begin a friend- and relationship. Gretazreta's prose is fitting for this quiet and hesitant and ultimately traumatized Jensen as is Chemm80s reading. A real treat that felt much shorter while never feeling rushed.
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Date: 2011-03-27 06:14 am (UTC)May I ask what Bandom encompasses? Is it any RPF with band members in it? I've never quite figured out the term.
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Date: 2011-03-27 06:45 pm (UTC)Usually RPF is named after its source text (like SGARPF) but some of the huger RP fandoms have their own names. The early ones, lotrips and popslash, and recently J2 (which really often includes all kinds of WB shows RPF, or at least different SPNRPF)
Yes, more than you wanted to know :D