Merlin podfic: "Arcane Asylum" by new_kate

[sophinisba]

Title: Arcane Asylum
Author: new_kate
Reader: sophinisba
Fandom: Merlin
Starring: Arthur/Merlin (+ everybody)
Rating: NC-17
Contains: sexual assault and mind-control sex (not between the main pairing), imprisonment, graphic violence, death of minor characters, grief, occasional discriminatory language.
Author's summary: "Modern AU. For the last twenty two years Uther Pendragon has been waging war on magic. Now his son Arthur has been framed for a magical crime and sent to the prison for magic users. Arthur is instantly targeted by the inmates, but mysterious top dog Merlin takes him under his wing. They form a bond, and Merlin decides to help Arthur clear his name."
Reader's notes For the podficbigbang challenge, by far the longest podfic I've ever made. I started recording this in December! Big thanks to eosrose for running the challenge and hosting the files, lolafeist for making the covers, and my Twitter friends and the folks at remopodmo for all their encouragement!!
I liked both of Lola's covers so much that I didn't know which one to choose, but as it turned out my audiobook building software couldn't fit the whole thing in one file anyway, so I put it in two parts and I get to use both! The fic itself has 16 chapters and is not divided in two parts; if you download the m4b (audiobook) version you should be able to see chapter stops on your iPod.
Length: 12 hours and 43 minutes (omg)
Text links: AO3, LJ
Other podfic posts: podficbigbang on DW, podficbigbang on LJ, podficbigbang website

Arcane Asylum download links
Part 1, 6 hrs 1 min	Part 2, 6 hrs 42 min
mp3 pt 1 at Sendspace, 206.7 MB	mp3 pt 2 at Sendspace, 230 MB
m4b pt 1 at MediaFire, 169 MB	m4b pt 2 at MediaFire, 185 MB
mp3 pts 1 and 2 at podficbigbang 430.3 MB (.zip, right-click save)
m4b pts 1 and 2 at podficbigbang 347.6 MB (.zip, right-click save)

Comments

[meri]

I am so excited to download and listen to this. I'm so proud of you that you got through that monster of a story. Though I can guarantee that real feedback will take a long time to get to you.

[sophinisba]

Thank you so much, Meri, I really appreciate how encouraging you've been through the whole long process of making this (since even before I decided to start)! I've made an edit to part 1, so if you haven't started listening (and haven't left for your trip yet) you might want to re-download.

♥ ♥ ♥

[endeni]

Wow, what a really gorgeous reading! I've just begun listening but I'm enjoying your podfic tremendously. ;)
Also, just a note, I realized that mid-chapter three (circa 01:38) you missed reading this sentence: "Of course. Oh, but just so I know what I'm dealing with here, what can you tell me about an inmate called Merlin? I don't know his last name."
I just hear a bit of silence were these words should be, so I thought you may have at one time deleted this bit and later forgotten to edit the words back in? (Unless it was just my file?)
Anyway, I'm back to listening... *g*

[sophinisba]

Wow, that's so frustrating! I remember coming across that missing sentence on my last edit, but I also remember fixing it! I don't know what happened to cause that piece of the recording to disappear twice, and now I'm worried that the other edits I did on that last round might not have taken either, ugh. I don't think it would be too hard to do the actual fixing, but compiling and uploading all the files again would probably take a couple hours, and that's before I get back to eosrose about it. Whah, podfic!

Okay, sorry for the little tantrum there. I'm really so grateful that you let me know (and thanks for being so specific) and of course even happier that you're enjoying the rest of the podfic. AA is one of my favorite fics in any fandom and I'm super excited to be sharing it with people like this. If you come across any other problems as you're listening I'd really appreciate it if you let me know. <3 <3

[endeni]

No worries, with so many hours of recording, something like that is bound to happen... No rush either! I just wanted to let you know. ;)
Oh yes, Arcane Asylum is really a terrific fic. *nods* I remember being thoroughly floored the first time I read it and now I'm going to fall asleep listening to it! And tomorrow I'll /wake up/ listening to it. Brilliant! Your voice is always so very clear and engaging! *g*
I really enjoyed your reading of "Lunch and Other Obscenities" too - loved your Uhura voice!
Plus, your podfics basically introduced me to Gwen/Morgana fics. I loved "Pastimes & Lifestyles" and I really adored your reading of "The Universal Language": so lyrical and moving, it made me really feel for Morgana. ...and that's it, sorry for the (very) belated feedback. ;)

[sophinisba]

Apologies for never answering this, but thank you. It always makes me so happy to hear that I helped someone get into Gwen/Morgana. :)

[yue_ix]

I've tried twice to download this on the bigbang link and it failed but the Mediafire files you have are working so far. *crosses fingers* Can't wait to listen to this! Yay, 12 hours of your voice. ^__^ Thank you so much for doing this huge project.

Lolafeist's covers are beautiful, a good mix of modern but also out of time and slightly spooky. I like the faint runes tracing lines in the sky the way Merlin's magic isolated the asylum.

[sophinisba]

Hey buddy I had to do an edit and re-upload part 1 because of a mistake in chapter (10 seconds of silence) so if you haven't gotten that far yet or if you plan to listen again you might want to download it again. I'm sorry about that! I don't think eosrose has had a chance to replace the files at the website yet.

I love the covers a lot. At first I liked the first one better but the second one keeps growing on me, so threatening and haunting with all that open space around it.

[brunettepet]

I listened to this over the course of several days and I wanted to say I love this engrossing, vividly described story and your reading was pitch perfect. Twelve hours of your voice and I was enthralled the entire time. I read the story as it was being posted, so the twists and turns were no longer fresh in my mind. You captured the drama, intrigue and romance and it felt new to me. It was a delight to listen to.

[sophinisba]

Thank you so much for this wonderful comment! I didn't read the story until the whole thing was posted on the AO3, but I still remember the excitement of the first read, wanting to plunge ahead with it but also glorying in how long it was, knowing I had days of reading ahead of me. It was really fun to spend a lot more time with it again this year - the making of the podfic stretched out over about six months - and I am so happy with how it turned out.

[appleqb]

Thank you so much for podficcing this story. I can not wait to listen to it!

[sophinisba]

I'm glad to hear it, hope you enjoy!

[dodificus]

This was AMAZING.

[sophinisba]

Thank you! I love it so much.

[daraq]

I'm looking forward to listening, thank you!

[sophinisba]

Great, thanks for checking it out!

[analise010]

0_0. 12.5 HOURS??? Wow. That is a total commitment, but I'm so glad that you did it. I'm an avid user of public transportation and this fic is exactly what I need to get me through the morning and evening bus ride.

This may sound weird, but I also wanted to thank you. Listening to your wonderful podfics (What We've Become, #Annie'sMove, Lunch and Other Obscenities, Returning to the Deep, etc.) are what got me started as a podficcer. It was always something that I wanted to do, but I never took the initiative until I heard your stories. So...thanks. ♥

[sophinisba]

Thank you, Analise, we are so lucky to have you in the podfic community and I'm proud to have had some part in drawing you in. <3 <3

[crinklysolution]

I finished listening to this today, and wow, what a fantastic work you have created! Incredible story you chose to record, so epic in scope and content. But what captured my attention was your storytelling ability - you did an excellent, heartfelt and I think truly brilliant job. I loved all your voices, your Merlin and Arthur were just right - but your Gwen voice was delightfully tentative and you did an awesome job of making Sophia sound manipulative and bitchy but with an evil sense of humor as well. It is so good I am sure I will listen to it again - thank you ever so much for putting the hours and hours into it that you must have had to. You really knocked it out of the park with this one...

[sophinisba]

Thank you so much for this comment (and sorry for not answering earlier). I loved doing the voices on this and Sophia's was probably my favorite. new_kate did such a fabulous job with her characterization (and so many others) that when I got to that section I knew exactly what I wanted to do - it was SO much fun.

awesome!

[(Anonymous)]

this story is FANTASTIC. i just finished it and i can't believe something with this much angst and pain and injustice also gives me so many warm and fuzzy feelings. i love the characterization AND the plot - which is an incredible combination. awkward, sweet but BAMF merlin is immensely lovable and devastatingly honorable, prattish but forgiving arthur is wonderful. this is such a satisfying fic! it is the thanksgiving meal of fanfiction. thanks so much for taking the time to record such a long fic. it must have been a lot of work but you have a lovely voice and i love the extra zing you give everything you read. you are awesome. thanks!

Re: awesome!

[sophinisba]

this is such a satisfying fic! it is the thanksgiving meal of fanfiction.

That is how I felt when I was first reading it! Took me a couple years to decide for sure that I wanted to take on podficcing it but I ended up having a great time with it. So glad it was good for you listening. :)

[applegeuse.livejournal.com]

I've been slowly listening to this over several days, and finally finished it today! You did such an absolutely wonderful job with this reading! Your reading was perfectly emotive, and so steady, and your editing was FLAWLESS! <3 <3 <3 I especially liked how you read the section that was in Merlin's POV; you handled the transition in tone in that section really beautifully.

Thank you for recording this! :)

[sophinisba]

Thank you very much!

[brownbetty]

I listened to this story!

I read Arcane Asylum years ago, and yet somehow managed to wander off halfway through, (no fault of the story) and it was so long I couldn't quite face going back to it to find my place again. Listening to your version, I stayed up late, and powered through it over a weekend. I really appreciate your delivery, and the way you gave so many characters distinct voices.

[sophinisba]

Thank you! I've had similar experiences before - love it when a podfic helps me enjoy a story that it just didn't work out for me to read as text.

[(Anonymous)]

I cannot believe how few comments you have received on this! I am not even all the way finished with the 2nd podbook and I literally had to pause and search out this post to tell you how amazing this work is. I like to listen as I fall asleep, but I started this masterpiece last night and found myself stiil awake at 6 am and just finishing the 1st podbook, riveted. Your editing is absolutely impeccable! I cannot believe how much hard work you put in making every.single.word so perfectly read. When I read podfic, there is always that couple of phrases I didn't get right during the reading but I hardly ever go through all the hard work to correct small things like that. I cannot get over how steady and powerful you perform this throughout. Absolutely impeccable.

I love your voices for both Arthur and Merlin and love how smoothly you go from emotional scenes to comedy to sex. It's really brilliant. Thanks for being out there, reading and performing!! Wish I saw 100 more comments in this thread because they would be well deserved!!

[sophinisba]

I apologize for not answering this comment but I have really treasured it. Thank you so much for letting me know how you felt about the reading. <3

[jennacorinth]

I just finished listening to this today and I absolutely LOVED it! Thank you so much for taking the time to record this epic masterpiece and infusing it with your marvellous reading skills, I loved every word! Very well done!

[sophinisba]

Whee, thank you so much! I'm very glad you enjoyed it!

[vepres]

So excited to listen to this! Will be back when I have :D