(no subject)
Yesterday, I found something amazing. About once a year I stumble across something that hits me hard, like a ton of bricks to the chest. Something in either video or written format that so overwhelms me with its character depictions, I can't help but obsess over them and feel affected for weeks on end. Such is the case for the fan fiction I accidentally uncovered lately. A Halo fanfic. Can you believe it? Yes, it is a romance between two male Sangheili (Elites). No, I'm not kidding.
It's incredibly well done. Realistic, plausible between the characters, and not in the least bit ideal. Everything has consequences. Every mistake the characters make feels practical, understandable. This is NOT an exercise in some fanboy's wet dream, and you honestly only need to know the slightest bit of Halo storyline to be able to enjoy this. The events of the game only really play as a backdrop for the focus to remain entirely on these two and their duties in the war and what they're involved with. They're not glorified and they're not big standout heroes, but that's what you love them for. They're alien, but distinctly familiar, and everything about their society, hierarchy, and way of living shows through.
By the end of the current seventh chapter, I've felt love for these characters, anxiety, general care for their futures, and even disgust at times. They're flawed, and very capable of making mistakes. This is complex character writing at some of its best. Proof that something not out of the ordinary can be written about and made into something glorious. It's also adult, but the eroticism is really second fiddle. Sexual tension that ebbs and flows every now and then between the two. And when a minor sexual act does occur between the two about midway through, it's not the end-all "I love you, you love me, let's fall asleep in each other's arms" finish. Far from it. It's realistic. Awkward. Alleviates some things between them, but forces out more questions, more uncertainty and confusion. It's something many people can relate to.
I wouldn't even call this fandom writing. It has nothing to do with a fandom, or pandering some slash fic, or focusing on homosexual pairings. These are living, breathing characters with very understandable issues and thoughts. This is just somebody who knows how to write, knows how to express complex characters and situations that never end up exactly how you expect. It's done with utter genius. And it all feels natural.
The story itself revolves around two Sangheili called Usze and N'tho, who eventually get nicknamed "Uzi" and "Nitro" by their new human companions. They both serve as the Arbiter's honorary guards while he works alongside Master Chief. It's hard to both hate and fully like N'tho. He's got a horrible reputation and an inferiority complex that puts him below most other soldiers, especially from being such a used creature. But you learn about him more and pity him. I like how he learns more human mannerisms and slang over time. And I relate to Usze on an incredibly personal level, especially as he attempts to understand himself better. I also love how both characters start out hating each other, yet it's a mutual feeling specific to their personalities and reasoning that eventually melts away as they shed their perceptions of why each of them are the way they are. The author even manages to humanize Master Chief himself, portraying him as just another human. He even has a great line to the Arbiter in a related fanfic, replying to his alien friend's troubled love life with a statement from his own: “I’m in love with a computer program. You think people wouldn’t call me sick, if they knew?”
Anyway, I urge, no BEG, anybody to give this fan fiction a shot, at least into the third chapter when things start becoming more personal. It's not that incredibly long, but it's filled with so much rich detail and tension, you'll wish it was. Even if you're not a fan of anything other than humans, or of male relationships, or of subtly detailed sexual innuendo (suck it up, be a man), you owe it to yourself as a reader to see what real characters are all about. The link is below.
http://games.adultfanfiction.net/story.php?no=600083850
Update: Apparently Usze and N'tho aren't original characters and are the third and fourth players in Halo 3's co-op mode. Given only profiles and no interaction within story scenes, I believe the author has done a great job shaping them into the characters they are hinted to be.
It's incredibly well done. Realistic, plausible between the characters, and not in the least bit ideal. Everything has consequences. Every mistake the characters make feels practical, understandable. This is NOT an exercise in some fanboy's wet dream, and you honestly only need to know the slightest bit of Halo storyline to be able to enjoy this. The events of the game only really play as a backdrop for the focus to remain entirely on these two and their duties in the war and what they're involved with. They're not glorified and they're not big standout heroes, but that's what you love them for. They're alien, but distinctly familiar, and everything about their society, hierarchy, and way of living shows through.
By the end of the current seventh chapter, I've felt love for these characters, anxiety, general care for their futures, and even disgust at times. They're flawed, and very capable of making mistakes. This is complex character writing at some of its best. Proof that something not out of the ordinary can be written about and made into something glorious. It's also adult, but the eroticism is really second fiddle. Sexual tension that ebbs and flows every now and then between the two. And when a minor sexual act does occur between the two about midway through, it's not the end-all "I love you, you love me, let's fall asleep in each other's arms" finish. Far from it. It's realistic. Awkward. Alleviates some things between them, but forces out more questions, more uncertainty and confusion. It's something many people can relate to.
I wouldn't even call this fandom writing. It has nothing to do with a fandom, or pandering some slash fic, or focusing on homosexual pairings. These are living, breathing characters with very understandable issues and thoughts. This is just somebody who knows how to write, knows how to express complex characters and situations that never end up exactly how you expect. It's done with utter genius. And it all feels natural.
The story itself revolves around two Sangheili called Usze and N'tho, who eventually get nicknamed "Uzi" and "Nitro" by their new human companions. They both serve as the Arbiter's honorary guards while he works alongside Master Chief. It's hard to both hate and fully like N'tho. He's got a horrible reputation and an inferiority complex that puts him below most other soldiers, especially from being such a used creature. But you learn about him more and pity him. I like how he learns more human mannerisms and slang over time. And I relate to Usze on an incredibly personal level, especially as he attempts to understand himself better. I also love how both characters start out hating each other, yet it's a mutual feeling specific to their personalities and reasoning that eventually melts away as they shed their perceptions of why each of them are the way they are. The author even manages to humanize Master Chief himself, portraying him as just another human. He even has a great line to the Arbiter in a related fanfic, replying to his alien friend's troubled love life with a statement from his own: “I’m in love with a computer program. You think people wouldn’t call me sick, if they knew?”
Anyway, I urge, no BEG, anybody to give this fan fiction a shot, at least into the third chapter when things start becoming more personal. It's not that incredibly long, but it's filled with so much rich detail and tension, you'll wish it was. Even if you're not a fan of anything other than humans, or of male relationships, or of subtly detailed sexual innuendo (suck it up, be a man), you owe it to yourself as a reader to see what real characters are all about. The link is below.
http://games.adultfanfiction.net/story.php?no=600083850
Update: Apparently Usze and N'tho aren't original characters and are the third and fourth players in Halo 3's co-op mode. Given only profiles and no interaction within story scenes, I believe the author has done a great job shaping them into the characters they are hinted to be.