Epic fic rec!
Oct. 29th, 2011 12:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eponymous_roseMass Effect: Interregnum by The Naked Pen.
So, first thing about this fic: it's, uh, 250,000 words long (including the separate one-shot story set in the same universe). It's also in-progress, although the current story arc has just concluded with the latest chapter. The fact that I've now read it twice in its entirety should be a bit of an endorsement, right there.
It's a genfic (the T rating is for f-bombs and violence, about on par with the game itself), and as the title suggests, it takes place in the two-year gap between ME and ME2, following everyone's favorite turian ex-cop around Omega. And while it starts as a pretty light accounting of Garrus's wacky misadventures as he accidentally recruits the galaxy's least professional vigilante squad (complete with somewhat over-the-top noirish monologues), the latest couple story arcs have taken a turn for the incredibly dark that have made the whole fic go from "mildly entertaining with good action scenes" to "holy crap this is awesome... with good action scenes".
I am extremely impressed that a fic of this length has managed to have such organic and gradual character arcs that you can transition seamlessly from laugh-out-loud hilarious moments (the horrors of elcor karaoke, the most unfortunately named starship in the universe, the mental picture of a salarian wearing blue jeans, the gigavolus, and oh, the banter) to absolutely devastating developments serving to remind you that you know exactly how this story's going to end, and that it definitely isn't going to be happily ever after. It's also taking a huge chance in that it's essentially an entire fic about OCs, with the exception of Garrus, but the original characters are all entertaining and extremely memorable, to the point where I can't read other fics speculating about Garrus's squad without thinking of these versions. And I am such a sucker for a well-written action scene. Always.
Anyway. If you're looking for a long, action-packed read that digs into Garrus's character and morality (especially dealing with the transition from Shepard's black-and-white situations to Omega's infinite shades of grey), you could do a lot worse than this story. It's a great read.
So, first thing about this fic: it's, uh, 250,000 words long (including the separate one-shot story set in the same universe). It's also in-progress, although the current story arc has just concluded with the latest chapter. The fact that I've now read it twice in its entirety should be a bit of an endorsement, right there.
It's a genfic (the T rating is for f-bombs and violence, about on par with the game itself), and as the title suggests, it takes place in the two-year gap between ME and ME2, following everyone's favorite turian ex-cop around Omega. And while it starts as a pretty light accounting of Garrus's wacky misadventures as he accidentally recruits the galaxy's least professional vigilante squad (complete with somewhat over-the-top noirish monologues), the latest couple story arcs have taken a turn for the incredibly dark that have made the whole fic go from "mildly entertaining with good action scenes" to "holy crap this is awesome... with good action scenes".
I am extremely impressed that a fic of this length has managed to have such organic and gradual character arcs that you can transition seamlessly from laugh-out-loud hilarious moments (the horrors of elcor karaoke, the most unfortunately named starship in the universe, the mental picture of a salarian wearing blue jeans, the gigavolus, and oh, the banter) to absolutely devastating developments serving to remind you that you know exactly how this story's going to end, and that it definitely isn't going to be happily ever after. It's also taking a huge chance in that it's essentially an entire fic about OCs, with the exception of Garrus, but the original characters are all entertaining and extremely memorable, to the point where I can't read other fics speculating about Garrus's squad without thinking of these versions. And I am such a sucker for a well-written action scene. Always.
Anyway. If you're looking for a long, action-packed read that digs into Garrus's character and morality (especially dealing with the transition from Shepard's black-and-white situations to Omega's infinite shades of grey), you could do a lot worse than this story. It's a great read.
