We Were Twenty, read by dramaqueen469 (Podfic Critical Feedback Exchange)

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Name: dramaqueen469 (tangotofandom)
Title: We Were Twenty
Author: elohvee
Fandom: SPN, Sam/Dean
get mp3, get m4b


The headers for the recording are what I've come to expect from most podficcers - title, author, and reader- which I think is sufficient. There are no sound effects, music, or background noises in the recording, so there is nothing to interfere with hearing the reader's voice. Dramaqueen469 has an accent that I will admit took me a few minutes to get used to, but in a story that's more than 2 and a half hours long, I realized that after the first 10 minutes I didn't even notice it anymore. As a listener, I enjoy hearing different accents, because I haven't traveled much and it's like a little bit of New Zealand, Germany, England, etc. coming to visit.

There are clear breaks in the story -which I find helpful- indicated by Part I, Part II, December, June, etc., but there are a few times the story moves from scene to scene when a few seconds in between would more clearly indicate that the reader has moved into a new scene (1:01:06, 02:23:55).

There were a few stumbles, and during the first hour I got the impression the reader might have been a little nervous. The breath sounds were louder, and there didn't seem to be much inflection in the reader's voice, especially at the beginning. But, as the recording progressed, she seemed to get more comfortable, and the characters' emotions were more clearly communicated with her voice. The first sex scene occurs late in the first hour, and the reader did a very good job with the breathy, passionate tone the text suggested. And at 2:33:46, she absolutely nails the sorrow in Mrs. Bennett's voice.

There was one technical issue I found problematic. While the recording was plenty loud, I think the reader might have the input level set just a little too high. Any time the reader raised her voice (for Dean to call to Sam from another room, to demonstrate intensity of emotion, yelling) the sound was distorted and crackly (29:50, 33:54, 1:20:37, etc). Addtionally, the initial /p/ sound was a little too intense in places. I can't be sure, but I think reducing the recording level just a little would clean up both things.

This was a sweet, domestic fic. The big punch of a major character's death comes right at the beginning, but I was still surprised when the story caught up to that point in the timeline; I was enjoying the idea of Dean as a third grade teacher too much. Despite small technical issues, I would recommend this podfic to those who enjoy reading domestic Sam/Dean and who enjoy Dean interacting with children.

Thank you to dramaqueen469 for recording this (mostly) cheery story and letting me review it.