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amplificathonPodfic is one of my favorite things about fandom. It makes me feel connected to fellow fans--there's something about hearing another person's voice read the stories to you that brings home that fandom is something we do for ourselves and each other, you know? I'm constantly blown away by the talented podficcers producing recordings. It was really hard to limit myself to just two podfics in each of my categories.
I mostly listen to podfic while traveling or commuting, and I've noticed I tend to like certain kinds of podfic for certain types of travel. So, I invented my own prompts:
Podfics I Love While Traveling Long Distances:
I think my favorite podfic for long trips are long stories, pensive stories, the kind with quiet gravitas, with subtle character development as well as great plots. The kind you don't want to be distracted from or have to listen to in installments like you might on a commute. It can also be fun to listen to road-trip fic while traveling. These are stories I didn't listen to while traveling, but in retrospect wish I had, because I think among other things they capture the experience of a cross-country journey so well that it would be an uncanny thing to listen to on a trip.
Sailor's Delight, BtVS/SGA crossover, written bygeneral_jinjur, read by aphelant
This is an apocalyptic crossover fic that singlehandedly made me love Dawn. It has this dreadful feeling of foreboding as Dawn embarks on a cross-country road-trip in the wake of the unexplained end of the world. She meets up with Jeannie Miller and her two kids, and they're the only people left in the world. There's just the right amount of snappy dialogue, in keeping with both sources, whichaphelant brings out perfectly. This is a story that's about two women who are often overlooked by their respective canons, and aphelant really does justice to the interesting characterizations at work in this fic through her inflection and attention to voice. Her reading is assured and gripping, and she's got an incredible emotional range of expression, bringing the right inflection to every line without being over the top. It's a superb reading of an incredible story.
Ordinary Life, SGA, written byastolat and cesperanza, read by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
zoetrope
This is a story about a vacation... sort of. It's a (deservedly) well-loved fic in the fandom, but it's definitely one of those fics that I love even more in podfic form.zoetrope gives really fantastic John and Rodney, which I find really truly impressive. She manages to capture the range of each of them, from Rodney's smug self-congratulation to his self-deprecation, the wistful and the petulant. For John she reserves the lovely drawl, the dry observation, occasional irritation, and third person POV that somehow captures the sense of being just this side of exhausted, which is exactly where John is for this story. She also admirably masters the incredible breathless exchange of technobabble between Carter and McKay early on that I think was probably written just to foul up the poor podficcer. It's a gorgeously nuanced reading of a story that really calls for it. She's also got this smooth, throaty voice that makes the sex scenes utterly GUH.
On the Bus:
I don't know why, but I get a perverse sort of satisfaction from listening to really funny fic on the bus. It makes me giggle and bite my lip and try very very hard not to make eye-contact with any other passengers.
Gun, With Occasional Kangaroo, due South, written byrunpunkrun, read by myriad69
Oh my GOD, this fic is hilarious, and Myriad's reading takes it to new levels. It's got the quick breathless pacing that's exactly suited to the snarky banter of the thing. She's also got an incredible way with the voices, especially Frannie and Ray's accents. It's peppy and relentlessly funny and full of observational humor, all perfectly inflected. It's just ass off-kilter and zany as the show, only somehow even moreso.
My Name is John Sheppard: I'm A Mathematician, SGA/Mathnet, written bythingswithwings, read by lunate8
Okay, this is one of those rare podfics where I absolutely LOVE the music, because... it's Mathnet music! The transitional music took me by surprise, but in the best way.lunate8 really pulls off pissed-off Rodney perfectly. Her deadpan Sheppard folksy-drawl is in perfect counterpoint to the venom and outrage she puts into Rodney's lines. Perfect timing on the pauses, too--this story was hilarious in print but I was helpless against the giggles when I listened to this on the bus.
On foot:
When I'm walking I like a mid-length story with intensity and provocative emotion. It's an ideal time for me to listen to really thinky stories, because I chew on things best when I'm walking.
Take Clothes Off As Directed written byhelenish, SGA, read by ann_ciudad
I don't habitually re-listen to podfic (I don't have enough time as it is to listen to the good stuff once!). But this story left me so unsettled, parts of it resonating in little pieces for me at odd times, that I had to listen to it again a month or two later. It's a story set in a sort of alternate universe in which top/sub is the main organizational principle for society, not male/female, if that makes sense. There are some slippages between allegories of gender and those of queerness, as well as the provocative way the BDSM dynamic is portrayed here that... well, unsettle me, and I'm still processing the implications of the story itself, which I'll set aside for this post because I want to talk about the incredible podfic here.
ann_ciudad does phenomenal work with deeply difficult material. There's a simmering, fraught outraged resignation underlying the whole thing. Her reading is so subtle, yet beautifully in character. She has a real knack for the kind of banal talking-past conversations people have, where people are constantly misreading each other, speaking past each other, these totally awkward and unproductive conversations they have, that they have to have because that's how things are done. She's so good at conveying John's truly complex identity, at inhabiting his personality and letting his voice come through incredibly. Little things, like her delivery of "it's fine" at 1:00:50, where we hear the cracks in his facade, just really blow me away. It's a heartbreaking reading, leavened by occasional humor and tiny moments of grace.
Friendly, SGA, written bycesperanza, read by fiercelydreamed
This is one of my favorite fics in the fandom. It's a fic about gay underground communities, the kind you don't often see get this kind of treatment in fandom.fiercelydreamed clearly loves this story, too--she gives her all to this reading, lets the anger and outrage and hope and pain and need build and build in John's third person POV as he uncovers the gay Atlantis network. The whispered, heated exchanges between John and Rodney early on are so gripping, painfully and honestly delivered. The relief of it, and the humor and occasional pangs of grief that come with being a part of community--those are all present in her reading at the end. This is an emotional journey, and fiercelydreamed does not pull any punches as she grabs you by the hand and doesn't let you go until you've come through it to its (happy) end. It's an incredible reading of an intense story.
(NOT) While Driving:
These are two fics I listened to in the car while driving and I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS because they had me so doubled up with laughter and the incredibly hot porn that I very nearly went off the road. UM. Don't worry, I have since become more cautious about operating heavy machinery while under the influence of porn.
Healing Station Argh written bytoft, read by general_jinjur
I had a really hard time picking just one of Jinjur's recordings to rec, because I am constantly blown away by her range and facility with a variety of tone and genre. But this is another of my favorite stories, and this recording does it so much justice, OMG. It is SO FUNNY and so breathlessly hot. It's Teyla/Ronon/Rodney/John pegging fic, written bytoft for kink_bingo, and if you have not listened to it, do yourself a favor and download the podfic right now. Jinjur has such an assured, vibrant third person voice, it sets off the individual voices she does for each character so perfectly. There's all kinds of awkward cross-culture hilarity about our ridiculous Earth customs, and Jinjur does an incredible job with the curiosity and humor of Teyla and Ronon explaining Pegasus euphemisms and sex mores. Her humorous delivery never comes at the expense of the relationships, though--everything is warm and affectionate, here, just perfectly in tune with the OT4 and the Team dynamic.
Feeding Frenzy, SGA, written byastolat, read by anatsuno
Ridiculous porn. It is porn everywhere. I loveanatsuno's readings in general, but oh wow do I love her reading of this fic--there's something debauched about her delivery, a sort of snark that makes John's (consensual) pushy-bottom-in-the-gang-bang scene incredible. Her pacing is so fantastic--swiftly moving through the story only to pause at just the right moments to deliver the sexy lines slowly, with gleeful warmth. This is an unabashed reading of a very hot story.
I mostly listen to podfic while traveling or commuting, and I've noticed I tend to like certain kinds of podfic for certain types of travel. So, I invented my own prompts:
Podfics I Love While Traveling Long Distances:
I think my favorite podfic for long trips are long stories, pensive stories, the kind with quiet gravitas, with subtle character development as well as great plots. The kind you don't want to be distracted from or have to listen to in installments like you might on a commute. It can also be fun to listen to road-trip fic while traveling. These are stories I didn't listen to while traveling, but in retrospect wish I had, because I think among other things they capture the experience of a cross-country journey so well that it would be an uncanny thing to listen to on a trip.
Sailor's Delight, BtVS/SGA crossover, written by
general_jinjur, read by aphelantThis is an apocalyptic crossover fic that singlehandedly made me love Dawn. It has this dreadful feeling of foreboding as Dawn embarks on a cross-country road-trip in the wake of the unexplained end of the world. She meets up with Jeannie Miller and her two kids, and they're the only people left in the world. There's just the right amount of snappy dialogue, in keeping with both sources, which
aphelant brings out perfectly. This is a story that's about two women who are often overlooked by their respective canons, and aphelant really does justice to the interesting characterizations at work in this fic through her inflection and attention to voice. Her reading is assured and gripping, and she's got an incredible emotional range of expression, bringing the right inflection to every line without being over the top. It's a superb reading of an incredible story.Ordinary Life, SGA, written by
astolat and cesperanza, read by zoetropeThis is a story about a vacation... sort of. It's a (deservedly) well-loved fic in the fandom, but it's definitely one of those fics that I love even more in podfic form.
zoetrope gives really fantastic John and Rodney, which I find really truly impressive. She manages to capture the range of each of them, from Rodney's smug self-congratulation to his self-deprecation, the wistful and the petulant. For John she reserves the lovely drawl, the dry observation, occasional irritation, and third person POV that somehow captures the sense of being just this side of exhausted, which is exactly where John is for this story. She also admirably masters the incredible breathless exchange of technobabble between Carter and McKay early on that I think was probably written just to foul up the poor podficcer. It's a gorgeously nuanced reading of a story that really calls for it. She's also got this smooth, throaty voice that makes the sex scenes utterly GUH.On the Bus:
I don't know why, but I get a perverse sort of satisfaction from listening to really funny fic on the bus. It makes me giggle and bite my lip and try very very hard not to make eye-contact with any other passengers.
Gun, With Occasional Kangaroo, due South, written by
runpunkrun, read by myriad69Oh my GOD, this fic is hilarious, and Myriad's reading takes it to new levels. It's got the quick breathless pacing that's exactly suited to the snarky banter of the thing. She's also got an incredible way with the voices, especially Frannie and Ray's accents. It's peppy and relentlessly funny and full of observational humor, all perfectly inflected. It's just ass off-kilter and zany as the show, only somehow even moreso.
My Name is John Sheppard: I'm A Mathematician, SGA/Mathnet, written by
thingswithwings, read by lunate8Okay, this is one of those rare podfics where I absolutely LOVE the music, because... it's Mathnet music! The transitional music took me by surprise, but in the best way.
lunate8 really pulls off pissed-off Rodney perfectly. Her deadpan Sheppard folksy-drawl is in perfect counterpoint to the venom and outrage she puts into Rodney's lines. Perfect timing on the pauses, too--this story was hilarious in print but I was helpless against the giggles when I listened to this on the bus.On foot:
When I'm walking I like a mid-length story with intensity and provocative emotion. It's an ideal time for me to listen to really thinky stories, because I chew on things best when I'm walking.
Take Clothes Off As Directed written by
helenish, SGA, read by ann_ciudadI don't habitually re-listen to podfic (I don't have enough time as it is to listen to the good stuff once!). But this story left me so unsettled, parts of it resonating in little pieces for me at odd times, that I had to listen to it again a month or two later. It's a story set in a sort of alternate universe in which top/sub is the main organizational principle for society, not male/female, if that makes sense. There are some slippages between allegories of gender and those of queerness, as well as the provocative way the BDSM dynamic is portrayed here that... well, unsettle me, and I'm still processing the implications of the story itself, which I'll set aside for this post because I want to talk about the incredible podfic here.
ann_ciudad does phenomenal work with deeply difficult material. There's a simmering, fraught outraged resignation underlying the whole thing. Her reading is so subtle, yet beautifully in character. She has a real knack for the kind of banal talking-past conversations people have, where people are constantly misreading each other, speaking past each other, these totally awkward and unproductive conversations they have, that they have to have because that's how things are done. She's so good at conveying John's truly complex identity, at inhabiting his personality and letting his voice come through incredibly. Little things, like her delivery of "it's fine" at 1:00:50, where we hear the cracks in his facade, just really blow me away. It's a heartbreaking reading, leavened by occasional humor and tiny moments of grace.Friendly, SGA, written by
cesperanza, read by fiercelydreamedThis is one of my favorite fics in the fandom. It's a fic about gay underground communities, the kind you don't often see get this kind of treatment in fandom.
fiercelydreamed clearly loves this story, too--she gives her all to this reading, lets the anger and outrage and hope and pain and need build and build in John's third person POV as he uncovers the gay Atlantis network. The whispered, heated exchanges between John and Rodney early on are so gripping, painfully and honestly delivered. The relief of it, and the humor and occasional pangs of grief that come with being a part of community--those are all present in her reading at the end. This is an emotional journey, and fiercelydreamed does not pull any punches as she grabs you by the hand and doesn't let you go until you've come through it to its (happy) end. It's an incredible reading of an intense story.(NOT) While Driving:
These are two fics I listened to in the car while driving and I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS because they had me so doubled up with laughter and the incredibly hot porn that I very nearly went off the road. UM. Don't worry, I have since become more cautious about operating heavy machinery while under the influence of porn.
Healing Station Argh written by
toft, read by general_jinjurI had a really hard time picking just one of Jinjur's recordings to rec, because I am constantly blown away by her range and facility with a variety of tone and genre. But this is another of my favorite stories, and this recording does it so much justice, OMG. It is SO FUNNY and so breathlessly hot. It's Teyla/Ronon/Rodney/John pegging fic, written by
toft for kink_bingo, and if you have not listened to it, do yourself a favor and download the podfic right now. Jinjur has such an assured, vibrant third person voice, it sets off the individual voices she does for each character so perfectly. There's all kinds of awkward cross-culture hilarity about our ridiculous Earth customs, and Jinjur does an incredible job with the curiosity and humor of Teyla and Ronon explaining Pegasus euphemisms and sex mores. Her humorous delivery never comes at the expense of the relationships, though--everything is warm and affectionate, here, just perfectly in tune with the OT4 and the Team dynamic.Feeding Frenzy, SGA, written by
astolat, read by anatsunoRidiculous porn. It is porn everywhere. I love
anatsuno's readings in general, but oh wow do I love her reading of this fic--there's something debauched about her delivery, a sort of snark that makes John's (consensual) pushy-bottom-in-the-gang-bang scene incredible. Her pacing is so fantastic--swiftly moving through the story only to pause at just the right moments to deliver the sexy lines slowly, with gleeful warmth. This is an unabashed reading of a very hot story.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-19 06:44 am (UTC)Debauched, yes, I think that's the best word to describe the way anatsuno reads. She can bring the sexy to *anything*, she totally immerses you in it.
You've picked some of my favourite readers here, you have good taste:)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-19 01:23 pm (UTC)There are so many awesome readers, it was incredibly hard to pick just 8. I'm a bit shamefaced that all but 1 of these are SGA...
(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-19 09:40 am (UTC)Excellent!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-19 01:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-19 02:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-19 02:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-19 04:10 pm (UTC)I enjoyed your recs a lot, and am off to download new stories right away! WHEE! Thank you.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-20 12:52 am (UTC)And thank you! I know they're not the most obscure, and my monofannish roots are certainly showing *cough*, but they're great readings of excellent fic!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-19 10:41 pm (UTC)(And Friendly as podfic was my first SGA fic. Lucky me!)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-01-20 12:56 am (UTC)Friendly is a really tough act to follow! I can't remember what my first podfic was, it might have been Written by the Victors?