Amplirecathon: 8 fantastic podfics about female characters
Title: The Persephone of Dust
Author: marlowe_tops
Reader: argentumlupine
Fandoms: Arkham Horror (Board Game)
Pairing/Characters: Trish Scarborough/Patrice Hathaway
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Length: 40min:55sec
Summary: Trish has been sent to Arkham to investigate Patrice, the spectacular violin prodigy who’s a few years past her prime and recently destroyed what remained of her career by having a screaming mental breakdown in the middle of a concert. Patrice retired quickly to Arkham, and Trish has been sent in search of a particular book which is theorized to be in the violinist’s possession. Her contacts told her that she’d know the book on sight-it’s the one bound in shagreen, with hasps of human bone.
Reccer's comment: This podfic is a real nail-biter in the best Lovecraftian tradition! argentumlupine sells the magical realism of the story with a mix of matter-of-fact narration style, subtle hints to the supernatural and the effective use of special effects.
You don't need to have any knowledge about the fandom to enjoy this recording.
Title: Out of Season
Author: Joandarck
Reader: malnpudl
Fandoms: due South
Pairing/Characters: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Rating: G
Length: 27min:01sec
Summary: It made sense this city would feel like Hell. She'd left her life, her career behind to come here to find the killers of her husband, after all; like an Orpheus with no hope but revenge. (The Episode "Hunting Season" through Maggie's eyes, because it is really Maggie's story, after all.)
Reccer's comment: This podfic became my new head canon for Maggie. malnpudl gave Maggie a speech pattern similar-sounding to (though distinguishable from) Fraser and transports all the grieve and its suppression in her voice.
And adding original sound snippets as scene dividers added another layer to the experience.
Title: babel, babel, look at me now
Author: jumpfall
Reader: exmanhater
Fandoms: Iron Man (Movies)/The Avengers (2012)
Pairing/Characters: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Length: 37min:36sec
Summary: Fixing Extremis doesn't mean removing it. Tony Stark may in fact be dating a superhero. (There's a line in the budget for it.)
Reccer's comment: After watching Iron Man 3 I was longing for a story, where Pepper keeps her powers and exmanhater delivered instantly. Her Pepper and Tony voices are spot on. As "babel, babel, look at me now" is the first story in the "Rescue 'Verse", I'm hoping she's planning to record the rest as well.
Title: The Shieldmaidens of Erebor
Author: madame_faust
Reader: kalakirya
Fandoms: The Hobbit (both movie and book compliant - mostly)
Pairing/Characters: Gen
Rating: G
Length: 54min:21sec
Summary: AU BotFA, based on a prompt from the Hobbit Kink Meme - "How about, when in the heat of battle Thorin realizes that they are outnumbered and he is injured and his dear boys are likely going to be killed because they just won't leave him, he hears the horn echoing from the distance. He thinks at first it is a fruit of his pain-clouded mind, but no- it echoes again, and with the first rays of the sun he sees- a small army of dwarves on the hill top, charging to their aid.
It is Dis and her female dwarves, who upon receiving news about Erebor (from Elrond) refused to sit and wait and decided to act. "
Reccer's comment: The first time I listened to kalakirya's beautiful narration of this tale, I was walking along the beach of Barcelona. I had to stop and sit down, I was so enthralled.
Title: The Future is Ours
Author: lady_ragnell
Reader: Chestnut_filly
Fandoms: Merlin
Pairing/Characters: pre-Arthur/Gwen/Merlin/Morgana
Rating: G
Warning: canon character death (in an alternate universe), references to unconsummated half-sibling incest
Length: 20min:20sec
Summary: Morgana wakes, and it's all been a dream.
Reccer's comment: I love the author's note "It isn't a headcanon so much as it is basically a big screw-you to destiny the way the show does it, with bonus pre-OT4 added in." Chestnut_filly takes this and gives us a strong, determined Morgana, who does everything to change the furture.
Title: The Pillow Book of Nyota Uhura
Author/Reader: Hananobira
Fandoms: Star Trek
Pairing/Characters: Spock/Nyota Uhura, James T. Kirk/Spock, Pavel Chekov/Hikaru Sulu
Rating: G
Length: 16min:10sec
Summary: "Let me make these unused pages into a pillow," I said. "Very well," said the captain. "You may have them." I now had a vast quantity of paper at my disposal, and I set about filling the notebooks with odd facts, stories from the past, and all sorts of other things, often including the most trivial material....
Inspired by The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. Basically a travesty of an imitation of the most gorgeous work of non-fiction in the Japanese language.
Reccer's comment: This intriguing historical AU is read by Hananobira with a combination of subtle humor and intimate confession in her voice, which makes it sound like she is talking to a close friend or lover. It makes this podfic perfect to be a bedtime sweets right before falling asleep.
Title: Sing Me the Ages
Author: tassos
Reader: kalakirya
Fandoms: Star Trek
Pairing/Characters: Uhura/Spock (but mostly Uhura/awesome)
Rating: G
Length: 41min:34sec
Summary: Nyota Uhura fell in love with music, poetry, and language all at the same time.
Reccer's comment: Another wonderful podfic by kalakirya. You can hear Nyota's love and enjoyment swinging bright in kalakirya's tone, when she reads about language, poetry and music.
Title: The Excellent Glass of the Body
Author: roque_clasique
Reader: nickelmountain
Fandoms: Supernatural
Pairing/Characters: Gen
Rating: G
Length: 26min:26sec
Summary: "There was no choice."
Reccer's comment: nickelmountain is one of these podficcers, who broaden your horizon by recording stories, you never knew you wanted to find/hear. "The Excellent Glass of the Body" is such a story: Ellen and Jo relationship through the years.
Ellen's voice rings so true and the sound excerpts from their last conversation nearly broke my heart.