by Jenn and Lauryn (link)
Genre slash, crack, comedy, parody
Pairings Isaac/Jonny Lang, Taylor/Scott Moffatt
Length 30 chapters
Status Completed
Given that the authors describe this story as crack, I was unsure I would enjoy it. Their other collaboration, The Moffson Tapes, often veers into over the top drama, so I wasn’t sure what Jenn and Lauryn would or could do with something purposefully written to be over the top.
The premise itself is completely absurd — Zac directing a movie production of Romeo and Juliet staring Ike and Jonny. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. The story being crack, after all, there’s no explanation for this and the boys personalities are deliberately exaggerated for comic effect. In some cases, they bear no resemblance to the real boys at all, and in others their real traits (Scott’s furry-ness, for example) lead to running jokes that actually work (Scott hiding in a bear rug). Crack can be really hit or miss like that (the interlude to discuss whether or not Zac is actually a viking is definitely a hit; the twins’ stupidity is usually closer to a miss).
Despite all of the crack, Lauryn and Jenn manage to include a fair amount of real drama in this story — pun intended. Of course, that drama is stolen from not only their own other stories, but all the most popular hanfic and moffic authors of the time, including Aspen, Akimbie and Brooke. I think all this lampshading is what really makes Phonetic work. It doesn’t come remotely close to taking itself seriously; it’s a parody within a parody with a parody. The script format is nearly necessary to tell this sort of story and only a little difficult read.
While I do enjoy this story, I suspect it has a limited appeal. If you aren’t familiar with the authors parodied here, the DAE or Clintism, most of the jokes will fly straight over your head. For those who enjoyed the heyday of Moffson fic, though, Phonetic is a great little piece of crack.
Review by Bethany (website)