Rec - Diplomatic Relations
My favorite Epic Rec listing site asked for small fandom recs. Since my favorite epic fic is in the Naruto universe, I thought I'd give it a try. I know Naruto isn't exactly a, ahem, small fandom but it's incredibly hard to find good, long, adult fiction in this fandom.
Title: Diplomatic Relations
Author: maldoror
Fandom: Naruto
Length: Very Long (100k+)
If you've ever stumbled across the cartoons, mangas, games, and/or fiction, you know Naruto is the adventures of a young boy trying to become the best ninja in his village while working with, against, and beside dozens of fellow ninja students. The universe is vast, containing a dozen countries, ninja villages, characters and twisted plotlines - most of which don't exactly play toward a child's audience. Canon includes murder, rape, child abuse - mental & physical, pornography, genderswitching, perverts (one of Naruto's teachers' is actually nicknamed Pervy Sage), obsession, magic, beastiality, and demon posession, to name a few. Naruto & his fellow students are ages 12-13 to start. Since we are ten plus years into the manga, they are ages 14-15 present day. (smirk)
Diplomatic Relations is the story of Rock Lee, one of Naruto's school mate/rival, being sent to the Sono (Sand) Village to hold a diplomatic post in the future. There, he gets to know Gaara, his once bitter enemy, and they strike up an 'unusual' friendship. Both characters are over 18 here although the involved flashbacks go as young as 2 to 'present' day.
If you have seen any of Naruto, then you know how interesting Gaara is. After all, how often does a mass-murderer become a hero? (Dexter doesn't count.) This is the best Gaara fic out there. Long and involved, it takes a couple characters never seen enough, expands their personalities/history, and gives the reader an incredibly complex, fun, smart read without drowning us in too much info. I re-read this every few months just to find the wonderful little extras the author snuck in Naruto for obsessed fans. (cough) But it's even a great trip for people who are only vaguely aware of the series. It does an wonderful job of showing the other side of ninja life - paperwork, practice, waiting - besides the missions. And you get a view of life outside of Lee and Naruto's Konoha (Leaf) Village, where most of the series normally starts. It's also the only story of a psycho in love that I truly enjoy.
This story would actually qualify as epic (200k) if you include all the other stories the author has written in the series. If you love anime love, give it a try.
I don't know if I would really recommend this to anyone who hasn't seen an episode or two. The language - chuunin, hokage, sensei - is a bit of a stumbling block if you don't have some idea who or what some of these people are or what they are doing. But Cartoon Network shows new episodes on Sat. night and repeats are plentiful. However, if you are a regular reader of fantasy/scifi and are used to an author dropping you in a world you don't know, give this a try. You would be surprised at how complex, involving and fun Diplomatic Relations is without even knowing a soul. Enjoy!
Title: Diplomatic Relations
Author: maldoror
Fandom: Naruto
Length: Very Long (100k+)
If you've ever stumbled across the cartoons, mangas, games, and/or fiction, you know Naruto is the adventures of a young boy trying to become the best ninja in his village while working with, against, and beside dozens of fellow ninja students. The universe is vast, containing a dozen countries, ninja villages, characters and twisted plotlines - most of which don't exactly play toward a child's audience. Canon includes murder, rape, child abuse - mental & physical, pornography, genderswitching, perverts (one of Naruto's teachers' is actually nicknamed Pervy Sage), obsession, magic, beastiality, and demon posession, to name a few. Naruto & his fellow students are ages 12-13 to start. Since we are ten plus years into the manga, they are ages 14-15 present day. (smirk)
Diplomatic Relations is the story of Rock Lee, one of Naruto's school mate/rival, being sent to the Sono (Sand) Village to hold a diplomatic post in the future. There, he gets to know Gaara, his once bitter enemy, and they strike up an 'unusual' friendship. Both characters are over 18 here although the involved flashbacks go as young as 2 to 'present' day.
If you have seen any of Naruto, then you know how interesting Gaara is. After all, how often does a mass-murderer become a hero? (Dexter doesn't count.) This is the best Gaara fic out there. Long and involved, it takes a couple characters never seen enough, expands their personalities/history, and gives the reader an incredibly complex, fun, smart read without drowning us in too much info. I re-read this every few months just to find the wonderful little extras the author snuck in Naruto for obsessed fans. (cough) But it's even a great trip for people who are only vaguely aware of the series. It does an wonderful job of showing the other side of ninja life - paperwork, practice, waiting - besides the missions. And you get a view of life outside of Lee and Naruto's Konoha (Leaf) Village, where most of the series normally starts. It's also the only story of a psycho in love that I truly enjoy.
This story would actually qualify as epic (200k) if you include all the other stories the author has written in the series. If you love anime love, give it a try.
I don't know if I would really recommend this to anyone who hasn't seen an episode or two. The language - chuunin, hokage, sensei - is a bit of a stumbling block if you don't have some idea who or what some of these people are or what they are doing. But Cartoon Network shows new episodes on Sat. night and repeats are plentiful. However, if you are a regular reader of fantasy/scifi and are used to an author dropping you in a world you don't know, give this a try. You would be surprised at how complex, involving and fun Diplomatic Relations is without even knowing a soul. Enjoy!