For both podfic performers and listeners to discuss and enjoy our fave podfics!
Why do you enjoy podfic?
So I thought this would be a great introductory question to start us off! What gets you going when it comes to podfic? Why do you enjoy it?
I'm relatively new to podfic, both listening to it and recording it, but I love the amazing performances I've heard, particularly of my own fic - it really brings out new dimensions of the writing that I hadn't considered before. Thinking about how someone might perform my fic is making me a better writer, and thinking about how I might perform someone else's fic makes me a better reader, as well.
I had a total Eureka moment about podfic when I listened to a recording someone made of my own stories - I've always had a blanket permission statement but usually didn't listen to the recordings - it was a smutty story and the performer made me go weak at the knees from listening to my own fic, and I was just like WOW this is incredible. Since then I've managed to record only one story of my own so far, but I have plans for many many more, and not just my own stories!




The podfic community was a real revelation for me when I first discovered it. I've always had sort of a dramatic bent and I have fond memories of reading to my little sister when we were growing up (and later to my college roommate), so a hobby that involved performance art and reading was perfect. The community itself had (and still has) a vast range of skill levels that I felt comfortable jumping in almost right away. And everyone was so welcoming and encouraging! I may not have the talent for professional audiobook work like some of the podficcing stars, but I sill feel like my work is valued.
A lot of people into podfic are interested in very different fandoms, but we all share common ground as lovers of podfic. A lot of friendships have started with that very simple base and it's a beautiful thing.
Recording is both challenging and fun. For me it's a lot like a really elaborate fic rec that involves me waving my arms and saying, "Hey, you! This is a great story! Don't have time to read it yourself? Let me read it to you!" Reading out loud also lets me toy around with how pronunciation changes meaning. I can more closely analyze what the author's intent may or may not have been. I often discover things about the story that I hadn't noticed when silently reading, just because I'm forced to slow down and think.
As a listener, podfic has enriched my fannish interests. I know how much work goes into recording and editing something, so when I see an hours-long podfic in an unfamiliar fandom, I usually pause only to ask if it's a story understandable to an outsider before downloading. AUs are my lifeblood! I've listened to so much Teen Wolf podfic without ever having watched an episode that I should probably feel guilty. And then there's the Bandom podfic, when I'm not even that into music...
"I often discover things about the story that I hadn't noticed when silently reading, just because I'm forced to slow down and think."
This is one of my favorite parts of podficcing. I spend a lot of time editing (choosing between different line readings I did of the same line, then listening through to the whole draft, then taking my notes from that listen-through and going back to substitute in different takes for the parts that didn't feel quite right), and even though I'm spending that time partly thinking about how to make my podfic the best it can be, I'm also spending a lot of that time having insights into the story and the characters. I leave most podfics feeling like I've just had the characters over for an awesome dinner party where I got to know them a lot better.
Podfic is my favorite elaborate rec system! Whenever anyone asks me for recs at this point I poke AO3 and see what I've recorded because I no longer save/organize fic by favorites because if I loved it I'll have podficced it 95% of the time. It's something I love about this community too, because so many other people seem to be the same way so I know going into a podfic that the fic is likely to be great, and I'll get to experience the performers love and investment in that story and those characters to a greater degree than I'd have just reading the fic itself. It's why I always curse myself if I hit the bottom of an AO3 page and realize I missed the 'related works' note at the top! I'd always prefer to listen to someone's podfic than to read a fic.
As a child I used to love having people read aloud for me and I guess that still holds true years later.
I started listening to podfic as a student, when my daily commute was almost 2 hours long and I didn't have a smartphone to keep me entertained. At first I just listened to my favorite stories over and over again until I grew bored of them and discovered the goldmine that is the audiofic archive.
Podfic can be a lot of things: it can be arousing, it can be angsty, it can even be a simple way to pass the time when you're doing tedious work. The right performer can make you feel things deeply, they will make you cry or laugh until cry. They will make stories stick with you, to the point where you'll be reading the fic by yourself and hearing it in the podficcer's voice, which is awesome!
Basically, podfic is great and I love it. I'm too lazy to record it, but I try to remember to leave feedback both to the writer and the podficcer to thank them for their work and telling them how much I enjoyed it <3
Reading a fic and hearing it in the performers voice is the most fun. For certain fandoms I started reading character voices as particular podficcers might read them, even in fics they hadn't recorded because it was just how I'd come to hear the character in my head. There are definitely a couple of fics I can quote, and when I do it's in mimic/cadence of the podficcer who recorded them.
Recording podfic scratches a number of itches for me: it's fun, it's creative, it (can be) collaborative, it's a fannish contribution I'm proud of, it lets me be verbally on top of things (left to my own devices I often feel that I verbally fall on my face as often as not, so it's nice to be in control, even if I'm borrowing other people's words to do it). Listening to podfic, depending on the story and the podficcer, can be another way of experiencing a story, or a way of getting fannish when I can't read, or of having company, or of sharing a moment, or of spending time with a friend. It's also become a way of making friends and a large part of my fannish identity.
I fall more on the recording side of things than the listening (I like listening to podfic, but it's sort of fallen by the wayside the last few years with my daily routines changing & stuff). For me porn is definitely the most fun to record ;) Really, anything that lets me do fun stuff with my voice - that tends to be porn, oftentimes, but characters in pain for example works too - breathy moans, whispering, groaning - those moments, really is when I remember why I love podficcing so much ^^
I've also been absolutely throwing myself into it the last few weeks - I've had such low energy the past year or two, and due to Reasons I haven't been working the past two months, and apparently by now I've finally recovered enough for more active fannish participation? (It's not gonna last; I'm starting a full-time apprenticeship in two weeks.) But it's been an absolute joy to just read a thing and be so enamoured by it that I immediately sat down to podfic, edit, and post it. It's so much fun this way! (This is why I so rarely podfic longer fic :P)
That's definitely been helped by falling into a fandom that has a lot of people with blanket permission. The fandom I was in before, for most people I wanted to podfic I couldn't find one :< Podfic (and translations) are kind of unique among fanworks, in that way, where if that's your primary fannish thing you do you end up relying so much on other people.
I am so pleased by your eureka story :D And delighted that you've taken up podficcing yourself!
I mostly listen to podfic to relax and help me fall asleep, and I started off recording things that I wanted to listen to, but no one had done for me yet. But I actually find recording really relaxing. Its not as demanding as writing, but it takes a ton of focus and a quiet environment, and I get to do something creative instead of staring at Tumblr or the TV.
I record hurt/comfort fluff, because that's what I listen to and like to read and its not especially fancy, but I used to be really bad at reading aloud, so I'm proud of myself.
This is my first time talking to other podficcers.
high fives I'm also someone who was really bad at reading aloud before I got into podfic (I think I've gotten much better now, perks of practice). It's definitely daunting at first, but the power of editing is great! And gaining the confidence to feel ready to read aloud at any moment is a great bonus which I continue to appreciate.
I have always loved audiobooks and been an auditory person so discovering podfic was a great joy for me. There wasn’t a whole lot available at that point so when I wanted certain fics recorded I figured I was gonna have to do it. As someone who started off pretty bad/afraid of reading aloud I appreciated the editing capability that came with podfic, and the more I did it the more I got into it. There’s something extremely cathartic/emotionally engaging/energizing about the way recording a podfic allows me to embody the story. Particularly since I record fics I love, it’s a way to really be the story. When I have space for it I find I often gesticulate and do facial expressions. I love scenes of characters going through emotions in podfic that I get to be happy or sad or angry, or expressionless. It also offers a way to walk alongside beloved characters, particularly when working on a long series over a wide time duration.
I also really value the community that podfic has connected me to. I have gotten to know people all over the world and have had amazing experiences that otherwise never would have happened because of podfic. Podfic has led to so many important relationships in my life, I can’t imagine who I’d be without it and this community! I’ve really appreciated shifts in podfic fandom over my time here to more collaborative opportunities and greater connectivity. It’s super cool to meet people, in person, online, to record together over Skype, or sitting next to one another, or passing a recording back and forth and watching it grow each time over the course of months.
Listening to podfic is something I do a lot (though I also listen to a lot of audiobooks so sometimes I’m listening to less podfic because I’m in an audiobook swing). I use podfic as a motivational tool to do stuff I don’t enjoy and it’s really effective, for which I’m grateful. I listen to podfic while exercising, cleaning the house, shopping, doing chores, if I have to drive somewhere. I listen to podfic when doing data entry or mind-numbing tasks for work I listen to podfic (some places I’ve worked way more than others. At one of my most soul-sucking/distressing jobs podfic was one of the only things that got me through). I am grateful for podfic as a way to speed along my commute on the bus. I listen to podfic for fun while doing art projects, and I am entertained with podfic while embarking on cooking projects. I have, on occasion, when really into a story been known to just walk around with headphones on basically all day.
I now really love reading for people, I love sharing a story that I think is great with other people and spreading that joy. I like knowing that I can provide the happiness that listening to someone’s podfic gives me to others.
I got into podfic a few years ago now by searching "fanfic audiobooks" and found the audiofic archive. I liked to listen to someone talking at night and was just unimpressed with the TTS readers at the time. (I'd c/p fics into readplease free). I started loading the fics onto my phone and ended up listening to them while walking to classes and while riding the bus. They were also really good for keeping me entertained during a VERY dry job. (I sat in an empty meeting room and would open, sort and deliver 3 days worth of mail 2x a week for an office)
Now-a-days, I tend to read a fic and then listen to the podfic of it, so I can find the parts that would be emphasized differently. I have a few where I listen to the podfics exclusively. I enjoy podfic because it keeps my hands free and I can craft, clean, deal with hour long commutes from my neighbourhood etc while listening to it.
I've been considering starting to podfic, I have a couple of segments of my own tiny fics I've recorded, but I've been afraid to open them up and listen to them to edit them.
Wow almost everything you all have said here really has resonated with me so much.
I came into podfic in 2014 after having been involved in the vidding side of fandom since 2006 and involved in the fic side of fandom since 2010, and also after having enjoyed podcasts throughout college.
More than ever fully getting into audiobooks or books on tape/CD, I really fell for a couple fandom-related podcasts (basically fan theories and audio-meta is what it ended up being) around my freshman year of extreme introversion and later on branched out into podcasts about other topics. Hours and hours of pure music could get boring for me at times, but binge-listening to hour long episodes of podcasts made the time fly when I was walking across my huge campus or eating dinner alone. And then... later... as I was 2 years out of college my podcast listening had been dying down, but I had managed to consistently be enjoying fanvideos - consuming and creating - for about 8 years. High school, college, post-college - I never stopped being heavily involved in vidding fandom.
Between knowing how much I once-upon-a-time had enjoyed reading aloud, like as a child in school or in CCD always volunteering to be the person reading aloud, or sharing Harry Potter meta essays with my dad and brother by reading aloud printed out copies in hour+ long car rides back in 2005/2006 was something I did before I even really knew the word "fandom" lol.. and knowing how much of an ability I had to appreciate podcasts, discovering podfic at the end of 2014 was a true match made in heaven for me, in a way.
I think I love podfic for a lot of similar reasons to why I love vidding, actually. So many fanfiction-only types of fandom folks don't see the appeal of either form of fanart. They look at clips of their favorite TV show set to music and are bored because they've seen the show already,what they want are original and fresh ideas that fanfiction can provide. Or they can't get into podfic, they prefer to read a fanfic silently to themselves, it's easier that way for them to imagine the visuals of what is happening, it's easier for them to become emotionally invested if they read it themselves. Granted, some vidders who adore vidding and appreciate fanvideos still have told me these sentiments about podfic, and I haven't talked to many podficcers about vidding lol. BUT still... I see parallels.
For me, part of the beauty and fun of both fanvideos and podfics is how they do "force" me to look at something that otherwise already exists in a way I never would have looked at it otherwise. Podfics are to fanfiction stories what fanvideos are to the actual TV shows/films, for me, and sometimes also what fanvideos can be to music. Fanfic I'm less likely to read if it's for a ship I don't like, but fanvideos can show me what a vidder sees in them in a way that is usually... well eye-opening and perspective shifting, even if only slightly.
There are always less choices of podfics to listen to than fics to read, regardless of fandom so I find myself listening to stories about characters or ships or plots I never would have chosen to read. Because podfics are also USUALLY the ultimate rec, I feel pretty confident that even if it's something that isn't exactly my cup of tea, it'll be a pretty great example to introduce me to that new thing. And being pushed toward expanding my fannish horizons is something I really love. I love variety. I love learning to appreciate what a new side of fandom is all about.
The analogy between vids and podfic is fairly loose and not exactly perfect, but I can at times appreciate both vids and podfic for fandoms I don't have any idea at all of, and it's easier for me than with reading fic, because I have a fan in between helping me with what I should feel - with vids I have the exact specific visuals to focus on and the emotion of the music they chose and with podfic I have the performance, I have the combination of the fanfic author's usually pretty amazing words plus the podficcer(s)'s enthusiasm to help guide my reaction! :P
Another thing I truly love about podfic is that it's one of the best (and one of the very few!) ways that I can engage in fandom activites when my eyes are otherwise occupied. I need concentration so I can't just listen to podfic whenever, but if I'm driving somewhere where I already know the route, or washing dishes by hand, or scrubbing a floor, or even if I have a migrane headache which thankfully is fairly rare for me but in those cases keeping my eyes closed is pretty ideal... I love hearing stories! I extremely rarely actually read a fic first before listening, usually listening is my primary and only way of experiencing a story. Sometimes it kind of feels like the equivalent of reading fic, except I'm often doing it at a time when I never would've read fic before, and that makes it special.
Vidding for 10 years now also clearly means that I really do love editing too. I love spending hours on just a few minutes of final product. I'm not sure why I devote so much time, energy, etc to these kinds of projects, but podficcing and vidding are similar for me in the editing regards. Especially now that there's even a visual element to podficcing too, when it comes to cover art!!
I now cannot engage with fiction at this current point in my life without fandom stuff flitting through my mind. I watch TV and I think about vidding it, or about writing fanfiction for it, or about fanfics/podfics I hope exist because I want to consume stories about the characters I'm falling in love with. I listen to music and vid ideas overwhelm me. And now, being in podfic, the same is completely true of how I read fanfiction. I can't read fanfiction anymore and "just" read it. I so often start thinking about how podficcing it would work. How I'd love to podfic it if only just to share it with a wider audience. How this sound effect could work perfect here or that song they mentioned literally being included briefly! Even in some cases how a fic wouldn't be particularly podficcable because idk, it has things about it that would be a challenge for me such as too many words I don't know how to pronounce. But regardless, podficcing has changed the way I read fanfiction. I think about podfic while I read, and it's largely outside of my control! I am just so... addicted.
Podfic is also special because when you actually hear a fan's voice, you are exposed to a variety of accents and it's a unique way to truly engage with the internationality of fandom!
And one last thing I'll mention, since this has already gotten incredibly wordy... Podfic is a way to experience a fanfiction story with another person! Obviously not everyone will ever listen non-privately, but... Reading at the same time doesn't really work?? Or... well... I've never experienced it. But if you are in the room or car with another person and play a podfic over speakers, or in a waiting room and share your earbuds, it can honestly be a real shared experience and a joy! You could laugh at the same time, gauge the other person's reactions in live time, etc. I find that power of podfic as a way to transform fic into something that can be experienced in live time with a friend to be really special.