Amplirecathon 2010: 3 lists of 3

[fishpatrol]

I discovered podfic two or three years ago and they have certainly made activities such as walking to class and entering data and jogging much more enjoyable. I love reading fanfiction and having someone read to me is like icing on the cake. Sometimes I listen before sleeping and it's like having someone read a bedtime story. :>

I'm a bit finicky when it comes to reading style and editing, so all of the podfic I've included in my lists below are well-edited with few to none reading errors (i.e., stumbling) and all of the podficcers are well-paced in their reading and sound clear in their recordings.

Hopefully I've picked out a few that not everyone has listened to already (but even if you have, perhaps you can rediscover some old favourites!)


Short and scorching hot:

These three recordings are all less than half-an-hour long and are hot-like-burning.


Starting with the shortest, Bringing Sexy Back (As Only the Ancients Can), written and read by aphelant. [SGA, John/Rodney] This fic is delightfully hot and funny (an Ancient device that turns people on when you turn and twist the knobs? How is that not awesome? ;)). aphelant has a sweet and clear voice and is lovely to listen to. Also, she does a wonderful articulate-and-snappy!Rodney and breathy-and-desperate!John.


And then there's No One Loves Me (Not Like You Do), written by fleshflutter and read by ifyouweremine, with one Dean and multiple Sams (a winning combination, if you ask me!). [SPN, Sam(s)/Dean] ifyouweremine reads in a low, steady voice -- and slightly hushed -- which is perfect to convey the this-is-kind-of-creepy-but-so-damn-hot aspect of the story. There are a lot of italics in the text and ifyouweremine adds just the right amount of emphasis in her voice to make the point, but not sound over-done or dramatic.

"He needs to beg," says Sam.

"Make him beg," Sam says.

The way she delivers each of the Sams' lines just works.


Last, but most certainly not least, Sacramentum by smallcaps, read by juice817. [SPN, Sam/Dean] juice817 has a fantastic reading voice -- steady, smooth, and clear. She reads Dean's mental voice with a playful lilt and you can hear the amusement in her voice when Dean makes jokes and inappropriate comments to himself. She pitches her voice slightly lower for the boys' compared to her narrative-reading voice, which makes it easy to differentiate between narrative and dialogue (especially when there is a lot of switching back and forth near the end of the fic).


Written and read by:

These three were all read by the authors themselves. In fact, one of the main reasons I signed up for the Amplirecathon was so that I could rec the first fic on this list. ;)


A Very Long Summer (scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the link to the mp3), written and read by calathea, was the first podfic I'd ever listened to. [I Want to Go Home, Rudy/Mike] I hadn't even known about podfic back then -- when I came across the recording of AVLS after reading the text, I thought it was the most brilliant thing ever. calathea differentiates the characters not with the pitch of her voice, but with the delivery: she speaks Mike's lines a little faster (and more panicked when the situation calls for it) and infuses Rudy's lines with aloofness and the campers with excitement. It's great fun to listen to, even for those who aren't familiar with the canon.


Another favourite of mine is Plan C, written and read by toomuchplor. [SGA, John/Rodney] toomuchplor reads Rodney's POV in a voice that is smooth and articulate with just enough feeling to convince the audience of Rodney's logic and plan, despite its absurdity (and I love how she makes John sound mostly bemused and somewhat indulgent). The story is funny and hot and delightful to listen to.


Consequences of Falling is written and read by pandarus, one of my favourite podfic readers. [SPN, Dean/Castiel] I admit, I'm an OTP-er when it comes to SGA and SPN (could you tell? ;)) -- Dean/Castiel (with a side of Sam/Ruby) isn't normally my thing, but I've pretty much gobbled up all of pandarus's Dean/Castiel podfics because it's such a pleasure to listen to her read. She pitches her voice differently for each character and infuses every word with feeling. She speeds up and slows down and pauses at just the right places, with the perfect amount of emphasis on certain phrases. Consequences of Falling, in particular, is definitely one of those podfics that changes the way the story is experienced.


Moar plz!:

I would lovelovelove to hear more from these readers.


balefully has two recordings, both Sam/Dean fics. balefully is often rec'ed for her writing, but I find her to be a wonderful reader as well. She has smooth, even voice, and I could listen to her read for a long time without tiring.


ponceflower has been rec'ed several times already, but seriously, if you haven't listened to Them Other Boys Don't Know How to Act already [SGA, John/Rodney], you should definitely give it a shot. ponceflower is like this one person drama production -- she can mimic the characters' speech patterns! the tone and pitch! and even accents! Them Other Boys is her only solo recording, but I hope one day she'll return with more recordings. *crosses fingers*


I'm totally cheating with this one because juice817 is one of the most prolific readers in the fandom, but there can never be too much Juice!podfic, right? The first time I heard her reading was in And Be One Traveler [SGA, David Hewlett/John/Rodney] -- I hadn't heard of her prior to that, but I thought that she had a terrific voice, and pity she hadn't recorded any other SGA podfics. Months later, I decided to listen to So Close to My Heart [CW RPS, J2], despite not being in the fandom. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the next thing I knew, I was neck-deep in the SPN fandom and listening to everything juice817 ever recorded. She has a voice that is easy and soothing to listen to, and I love the little cat bell that jingles every now and then.


And that's it from me -- happy listening! :)

Comments

[cookiemom6067.livejournal.com]

I LOVE "Sacramentum" and I second everything you said. I downloaded "Them Boys" this week but haven't listened to it yet - I feel spoiled for choice right now, between Podbang and the recathon.

[fishpatrol]

I can't even remember how many times I've listened to Sacramentum! I no longer blush when I listen to it in public (listening to NC-17 fic on a crowded bus is always fun ;)), but I still find it as hot as ever. I think you'll really enjoy Them Other Boys! It's fairly short, so you can squeeze it in between long podbang fics. ;)

[yukisherry.livejournal.com]

i'm downloading "Consequences of Falling" based on your rec! (i'm a otp girl too, usually, and have stayed away from most dean/cas fics so far... also because they are often not nc-17, but pg13 or R... *shrugs*)

[fishpatrol]

I rarely ever read Dean/Castiel fics, but I would highly recommend listening to all of Fayjay's Dean/Castiel recordings -- I find them very enjoyable to listen to despite my indifference toward the pairing (you might like The Stars Threw Down Their Spears if you prefer listening to NC-17 fics). Fayjay has also recorded a Sam/Dean fic (The Incestuous Courtship of the Anti-Christ's Bride -- I love this one) and two J2 fics if they're more to your preference. \o/

[yukisherry.livejournal.com]

:D i love the podfic of Incestuous Courtship, too! and i think i've listened to all J2 fics available here. thanks for pointing out that other nc-17 dean/cas fic for me! *dl-ing*
hmmmm... i basically listen to podfics of any rating when they're about my otp(s), but if they're not, i prefer them to have p0rn... i'm shallow like that! ;)

[idella]

Thank you for reccing the podfic of 'A Very Long Summer'! I never would have found it without this rec, and I loved it to pieces. :DDDD