Fanmix (Archive?)
Boredom begets productivity! No, not really. But in this case it begets a post of fanmix recommendations.
This is a work in progress in that I'll probably lose my patience before I finish it tonight and, of course, new mixes appear all the time and will hopefully be added later. I think all the fanmixes in this post are excellent and worthy of a recomendation, so the order in which I rec them has no meaning, it's simply the order in which I remembered/found the links to/itunes played a song off of - them.
Also, this is going to be heavy on the Doctor Who because that fandom just has so many wonderful mixes (and also I'm obsessed). And, lastly, I'm barely touching some of the large fandoms, like Harry Potter and Twilight, because theres just so much there, I'm only recing the ones that I might have currently open.
THIS IS NOT COMPLETE. IT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.
Also, I'm not providing warnings. I'll give a time line if I can but I'm not warning explicitly for spoilers or mature content.
Doctor Who
1. Lets Become Stories - dallowayward
2. As The Story Goes - dallowayward
3. Man of Steel, Man of Heart(s) - dallowayward
The above three mixes are a set, covering seasons one, two, and three respectively (season four soon to join them I'm sure). All three are excellent. The combination of music, cover art and presentation is tasteful and fitting. Perhaps one of the best qualities, the mixes are appreciative of all characters and unbiased in relation to relationships. They present the seasons episodically and provide due attention to all important events and people.
4. Ephemeral - boxed
boxed has many fanmixes, most of which I have not yet had the chance to listen to, but this one is excellent. It's a Ten/Rose mix, and the songs follow their many adventures together. The cover art is gorgeous and the presentation is clean and simple though devoid of a specific time line.
5. Don't Know Where, Don't Know When - uptheapples
This is a lovely Doctor/Rose mix. It begins at the end of season one, continues through two and doomsday, speculates on feelings through season three, and incorporates early season four foreshadowing. Nice front cover and simple presentation.
6. Leave Me Your Stardust - ilmadris
Another lovely Doctor/Rose mix (I promise I'm going to include non-Doctor/Rose mixes in this post too! Swear!). Beautiful cover art, nice presentation, excellent music choices. No real order or time line, the mix mostly describes post-doomsday feelings of longing.
7. She Dared To Dream - kit_kat1990
8. Dancing In Your Wedding Dress - kit_kat1990
9. She's Got Heaven in Her Eyes - kit_kat1990
Three wonderful mixes for the lovely and tragic Donna Noble. The cover art is just fantastic, the music choice beautiful and well chosen. Definitely some of the best mixes in the fandom.
10. Never Just a Passenger - darkangsty42 and knightbusdriver
A wonderful mix for the kick ass Martha Jones (has anyone else noticed that RTD seems to have an unhealthy admiration for the surname "Jones"?). It was a collaborative project and it has some nice cover art but no detailed time line. A bit of unrequited doctor love in there too, as this is, after all, a factor in the shaping of Martha Jones. But if you're a Martha fan, this is a mix for you.
11. The Future, Wouldn't That Be Nice? - claidi_art
One of my favorite Doctor/Rose mixes (oh you thought I was done with those did you?). Lovely art, great music, what more can I say?
12. I Feel It All - aderyn
Short, but no less sweet, I give you another Martha mix. This focuses on The Last of The Timelords and the aftermath (which was life altering for Martha, obviously). I'm not sure why, but the simple cover art really attracts me, something to do with the shapes no doubt.
13. Everything But Stop Time - colorbox
Short, poignant, and pretty cover art. Doctor/Rose. A lovely intro paragraph as well. Colorbox has several other fanmixes as well, check them out.
14. Beginning After The End - builtofsorrow
This isn't just a fanmix, its a ficmix, and even if you don't like the music, stick around for the fiction. Its a Martha mix (with a bit of Jack mixed in), post season three. And its beautiful, both the music and the writing.
15. Guilty by Design - katernater
The Doctor/Master relationship is just so complicated and - lets face it - fucked up, that how can you not be intrigued? Katernater's mix really captures the push-pull of the doctor/master relationship. A little bit of the Master's twisted obsession, a little bit of the Doctor's unending forgiveness. Lovely cover art and well chosen music.
Torchwood
1. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone - boxed
Another excellent fanmix by Boxed. This is for Captain Jack Harkness. It's just a general character mix. The music is great, the cover art is lovely and theres a very nice introduction paragraph at the top that's worth a read. Oddly enough, I think my favorite part of this mix, is the title itself. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone is just Jack in a nutshell. It's perfect. If you're a Jack Harkness fan like myself, then take the time for this mix.
2. Young Liars - riot__libertine
While Gwen/Owen is not my Torchwood pairing of choice, sometimes we have to discard our biases in the face of brilliance. This mix, a Gwen/Owen tribute, is near perfection. A beautiful intro paragraph, fantastic cover art, and of course, excellent music. It's the kind of mix that gets inside your head. You might not latch onto it immediately but you'll find yourself humming the tunes next week, itching to play them again. Have at it.
3. LIKE PAPER CUTS; you took me by surprise - frotcake
A purely season one Ianto mix. An oh, what a tortured soul Season-One!Ianto was. This song has lovely music and art. It's an ode to the great lengths Ianto is willing to go through for those he cares about as well as the torrent of emotions (particularly fear and confusion) that he experienced in season one.
4. They Rewrote the Measure of You and Me - chemfishee
Oh, Owen and Tosh! I'm still sore from the loss. This is a lovely mix for Owen/Tosh. The mix is broken into two EPs, or two sides if you will, one for Tosh and one for Owen, so its a little melancholy, but beautiful nonetheless. The mix goes all the way through 2.13, Exit Wounds.
Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1. Lack of Grace - corellianjedi
This is a fanmix for Wesley, from mid-season three through season five. Well put together with simple but nice cover art.
2. I Kissed Your Lips and I Tasted Blood - adis723
A beautiful Buffy/Angel mix.
Lost
1. Not a Pretty Girl - vega_ofthe_lyre
This is a Kate Austen fanmix. It has some Kate/Sawyer and Kate/Jake undertones but that can be overlooked for the non-shippers because the music is great and the cover art beautiful.
2. 3 Figures on Your Heart - captaincatapult
I'm afraid this pairing, Jack/Kate, is sorely lacking in good fanmixes, mostly a result of broken links and locked posts. But this mix had a lot of hard work poured into it. Read the explanation paragraph at the top for an idea of the themes involved and enjoy the great music.
One Tree Hill
1. The Clouds Are Far Behind Me - finn21
This is probably the only Tree Hill mix I'm going to rec. Its a Nathan/Haley mix that covers their whole relationship, but its still a nice and reasonable size, 9 songs. Its a nice mix, good music, nice cover art. Check it out.
2. Where You Belong - kit_kat1990
I wasn't going to rec any other OTH mixes than the one above, because since I'm a die hard Peyton/Lucas fan (and mostly inflexible in this fandmo), there really isn't too much to choose from. And then kit_kat1990, author of the previously recced Donna mixes churned out this fantastic Peyton/Lucas mix and of course I had to add it to the list. So, a beautiful collection of songs and gorgeous cover art. No specific timeline is detailed but "implied spoilers for seaosn 5" is noted.
Avatar:The Last Airbender
1. Carve Our Hearts - sporkyadrasteia
This is a Pakku/Kanna fanmix (because old school ships need love too). Short but well put together and with nice fanart (manipulated fanart I might add, well done).
2. DESTINY CHOSE BEFORE ASKING - violensi
I don't ship this pairing and I haven't even finished the mix yet, but its so epic that I felt it deserved recing. Its an Aang/Zuko mix, but since I don't ship em, I try to look at it as more of a rivals/two-boys-who've-been-fucked-over-by-destiny mix. Enjoy.
Harry Potter
1. Now You Are Dangerous - captaincatapult
There are a vast array of Harry Potter fanmixes. One would need several lifetimes to sort through them all. I'm only going to rec this one for now. Its a Harry/Ginny Deathly Hallows mix, and its gorgeous. Its got a wonderful sound and cover art as well as an interesting title/subtitle.
The Chronicles of Narnia
1. What Didn't Last - chipped_icons
This is another ficmix. The writing is simply beautiful. Its a Susan/Peter mix. The time line is a bit vague, but I'd place the start after Caspian. The mix is Susan-centric and so follows her life.
This is a work in progress in that I'll probably lose my patience before I finish it tonight and, of course, new mixes appear all the time and will hopefully be added later. I think all the fanmixes in this post are excellent and worthy of a recomendation, so the order in which I rec them has no meaning, it's simply the order in which I remembered/found the links to/itunes played a song off of - them.
Also, this is going to be heavy on the Doctor Who because that fandom just has so many wonderful mixes (and also I'm obsessed). And, lastly, I'm barely touching some of the large fandoms, like Harry Potter and Twilight, because theres just so much there, I'm only recing the ones that I might have currently open.
THIS IS NOT COMPLETE. IT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.
Also, I'm not providing warnings. I'll give a time line if I can but I'm not warning explicitly for spoilers or mature content.
Doctor Who
1. Lets Become Stories - dallowayward
2. As The Story Goes - dallowayward
3. Man of Steel, Man of Heart(s) - dallowayward
The above three mixes are a set, covering seasons one, two, and three respectively (season four soon to join them I'm sure). All three are excellent. The combination of music, cover art and presentation is tasteful and fitting. Perhaps one of the best qualities, the mixes are appreciative of all characters and unbiased in relation to relationships. They present the seasons episodically and provide due attention to all important events and people.
4. Ephemeral - boxed
boxed has many fanmixes, most of which I have not yet had the chance to listen to, but this one is excellent. It's a Ten/Rose mix, and the songs follow their many adventures together. The cover art is gorgeous and the presentation is clean and simple though devoid of a specific time line.
5. Don't Know Where, Don't Know When - uptheapples
This is a lovely Doctor/Rose mix. It begins at the end of season one, continues through two and doomsday, speculates on feelings through season three, and incorporates early season four foreshadowing. Nice front cover and simple presentation.
6. Leave Me Your Stardust - ilmadris
Another lovely Doctor/Rose mix (I promise I'm going to include non-Doctor/Rose mixes in this post too! Swear!). Beautiful cover art, nice presentation, excellent music choices. No real order or time line, the mix mostly describes post-doomsday feelings of longing.
7. She Dared To Dream - kit_kat1990
8. Dancing In Your Wedding Dress - kit_kat1990
9. She's Got Heaven in Her Eyes - kit_kat1990
Three wonderful mixes for the lovely and tragic Donna Noble. The cover art is just fantastic, the music choice beautiful and well chosen. Definitely some of the best mixes in the fandom.
10. Never Just a Passenger - darkangsty42 and knightbusdriver
A wonderful mix for the kick ass Martha Jones (has anyone else noticed that RTD seems to have an unhealthy admiration for the surname "Jones"?). It was a collaborative project and it has some nice cover art but no detailed time line. A bit of unrequited doctor love in there too, as this is, after all, a factor in the shaping of Martha Jones. But if you're a Martha fan, this is a mix for you.
11. The Future, Wouldn't That Be Nice? - claidi_art
One of my favorite Doctor/Rose mixes (oh you thought I was done with those did you?). Lovely art, great music, what more can I say?
12. I Feel It All - aderyn
Short, but no less sweet, I give you another Martha mix. This focuses on The Last of The Timelords and the aftermath (which was life altering for Martha, obviously). I'm not sure why, but the simple cover art really attracts me, something to do with the shapes no doubt.
13. Everything But Stop Time - colorbox
Short, poignant, and pretty cover art. Doctor/Rose. A lovely intro paragraph as well. Colorbox has several other fanmixes as well, check them out.
14. Beginning After The End - builtofsorrow
This isn't just a fanmix, its a ficmix, and even if you don't like the music, stick around for the fiction. Its a Martha mix (with a bit of Jack mixed in), post season three. And its beautiful, both the music and the writing.
15. Guilty by Design - katernater
The Doctor/Master relationship is just so complicated and - lets face it - fucked up, that how can you not be intrigued? Katernater's mix really captures the push-pull of the doctor/master relationship. A little bit of the Master's twisted obsession, a little bit of the Doctor's unending forgiveness. Lovely cover art and well chosen music.
Torchwood
1. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone - boxed
Another excellent fanmix by Boxed. This is for Captain Jack Harkness. It's just a general character mix. The music is great, the cover art is lovely and theres a very nice introduction paragraph at the top that's worth a read. Oddly enough, I think my favorite part of this mix, is the title itself. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone is just Jack in a nutshell. It's perfect. If you're a Jack Harkness fan like myself, then take the time for this mix.
2. Young Liars - riot__libertine
While Gwen/Owen is not my Torchwood pairing of choice, sometimes we have to discard our biases in the face of brilliance. This mix, a Gwen/Owen tribute, is near perfection. A beautiful intro paragraph, fantastic cover art, and of course, excellent music. It's the kind of mix that gets inside your head. You might not latch onto it immediately but you'll find yourself humming the tunes next week, itching to play them again. Have at it.
3. LIKE PAPER CUTS; you took me by surprise - frotcake
A purely season one Ianto mix. An oh, what a tortured soul Season-One!Ianto was. This song has lovely music and art. It's an ode to the great lengths Ianto is willing to go through for those he cares about as well as the torrent of emotions (particularly fear and confusion) that he experienced in season one.
4. They Rewrote the Measure of You and Me - chemfishee
Oh, Owen and Tosh! I'm still sore from the loss. This is a lovely mix for Owen/Tosh. The mix is broken into two EPs, or two sides if you will, one for Tosh and one for Owen, so its a little melancholy, but beautiful nonetheless. The mix goes all the way through 2.13, Exit Wounds.
Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1. Lack of Grace - corellianjedi
This is a fanmix for Wesley, from mid-season three through season five. Well put together with simple but nice cover art.
2. I Kissed Your Lips and I Tasted Blood - adis723
A beautiful Buffy/Angel mix.
Lost
1. Not a Pretty Girl - vega_ofthe_lyre
This is a Kate Austen fanmix. It has some Kate/Sawyer and Kate/Jake undertones but that can be overlooked for the non-shippers because the music is great and the cover art beautiful.
2. 3 Figures on Your Heart - captaincatapult
I'm afraid this pairing, Jack/Kate, is sorely lacking in good fanmixes, mostly a result of broken links and locked posts. But this mix had a lot of hard work poured into it. Read the explanation paragraph at the top for an idea of the themes involved and enjoy the great music.
One Tree Hill
1. The Clouds Are Far Behind Me - finn21
This is probably the only Tree Hill mix I'm going to rec. Its a Nathan/Haley mix that covers their whole relationship, but its still a nice and reasonable size, 9 songs. Its a nice mix, good music, nice cover art. Check it out.
2. Where You Belong - kit_kat1990
I wasn't going to rec any other OTH mixes than the one above, because since I'm a die hard Peyton/Lucas fan (and mostly inflexible in this fandmo), there really isn't too much to choose from. And then kit_kat1990, author of the previously recced Donna mixes churned out this fantastic Peyton/Lucas mix and of course I had to add it to the list. So, a beautiful collection of songs and gorgeous cover art. No specific timeline is detailed but "implied spoilers for seaosn 5" is noted.
Avatar:The Last Airbender
1. Carve Our Hearts - sporkyadrasteia
This is a Pakku/Kanna fanmix (because old school ships need love too). Short but well put together and with nice fanart (manipulated fanart I might add, well done).
2. DESTINY CHOSE BEFORE ASKING - violensi
I don't ship this pairing and I haven't even finished the mix yet, but its so epic that I felt it deserved recing. Its an Aang/Zuko mix, but since I don't ship em, I try to look at it as more of a rivals/two-boys-who've-been-fucked-over-by-destiny mix. Enjoy.
Harry Potter
1. Now You Are Dangerous - captaincatapult
There are a vast array of Harry Potter fanmixes. One would need several lifetimes to sort through them all. I'm only going to rec this one for now. Its a Harry/Ginny Deathly Hallows mix, and its gorgeous. Its got a wonderful sound and cover art as well as an interesting title/subtitle.
The Chronicles of Narnia
1. What Didn't Last - chipped_icons
This is another ficmix. The writing is simply beautiful. Its a Susan/Peter mix. The time line is a bit vague, but I'd place the start after Caspian. The mix is Susan-centric and so follows her life.