Behind The Pod - S01, Party Favour: Podficcers of Color Roundtable

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Behind The Pod - Series (or Season) 1, Party Favour: Podficcers of Color Roundtable. Dated: December 2019.

Summary: Podficcers discuss how being people of color impacts their work as podficcers and how they experience podfic fandom, as well as the strengths and pitfalls of how podfic fandom handles characters of color (CoC) & stories about CoC. Also includes discussions about how to raise the profile of podfics about CoC in fandom and podfic recs! [Fan of color = FoC]

While different responders have done popular white M/M fic, several make a point of prioritizing CoC fic in their To Podfic list. The lack of a ‘visible’ race on the internet can be erasing (queer fic tends to be white, which can create distance for queer FoC), but it can also provide a more level playing field in some situations (compared to conventions and in-person fannish spaces with more white fans than FoC attending). Podfic Fandom can trend more international, which makes sharing being a podficcer of color feel different to sharing being a FoC in a particular fandom space. (Not really better or worse; different.)

Podfic Fandom has recently seemed a little more aware of needing to focus on CoC in challenges (drew comparison to femslash challenges needing to focus on women, in reaction to M/M popularity). Jazz also writes fanfic, so she makes a point of trying to pick up prompts for CoC [so there’s more CoC focused fic that can be podficced]. For some responders, it also depends on the fandom and writing tropes that pop-up in fic with CoC versus what podficcers focus on. Examples: Sam Wilson hasn’t been written well in MCU stuff (started with Stucky focus way back), but there was a challenge about Marvel CoC. Star Wars writers focus on Reylo, but there are podficcers who have made a point to focus on Finn and other CoC.

[One responder brought up in relation to wanting a WoC challenge that Black History Month is in October in the UK, so international challenges don’t have to feel restricted to what American observances do. It was in relation to a certain femslash challenge being in February already, which is when Americans observe Black History Month.]