#death on the nile spoilers

[icebluecyanide]

I will just say, I do think that changing Julia Rothman's motivations behind the plan to make it about personal revenge/make her a woman scorned and then having several male characters calling her too emotional for it is uh. certainly a choice :/

[gweelczz]

Red’s M.list

“Cat got Your Tongue?” Series

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Pt. 3

Pt. 4

“Mo Baby”

Baddest in the west

Milk N Honey’

“Suga and Sunflower”

“Rosie”

“Vanilla”

“Emerald Haywood”

“Who Says I Don’t?”

“Don’t nobody wanna hear that”

“Oj Haywood”

“Who Says I Don’t?”

“Pretty Girl”

“Just for a moment”

“Don’t nobody wanna hear that”

“Shuri Udaku”

Nothing yet!

[kangelane]

Struck by the invisible sword

Summary: /// SPOILERS FOR S3E8!! /// An alternate version of the events taking place in the Abbey during the series finale – now including one character, that was missing during that part.

———————————

Alex took a deep breath, before allowing himself to be guided into the ancient church.

The interior also had its shared amount of crowds, but this was a very carefully selected bunch; containing merely SCORPIA agents. Alex scanned the crowd, gaze passing over Yassen Gregorovich where he stood leaning against the nearby brick wall – jaw surprisingly tense with a slightly more strained facial expression than usual. He continued and his eyes landed on the blond woman in the centre.

Julia Rothman faked a relieved smile at him. ”Alex! I was so relieved to receive your call. You managed an impossible Houdini-act, right from under Blunt’s nose. It was such a relief that you were able to do so, to be here in person, to witness this event.” Her hand landed on his shoulder. ”Now, let’s begin this demonstration of power. This will not only change this country, but inevitably also the world.”

Alex noticed in the corner of his eyes how Yassen shifted position; gaze unnaturally stern, keeping a close eye on the teenager.

The many screens and panels occupying the normally open space; the large red digits closing in on 12 o’clock hauntingly teased how fast his inevitable close was closing in.

The lad nodded towards the cluster of electric devices. ”So these are the control panels guiding the antenna on the roof?”

”Great observation,” Julia prised. ”Let’s head up there, so you can witness first hand exactly what it does.”

”You mean to see when the invisible sword is activated and kills major parts of this city’s population. Or at least, those who are already exposed to the Nano-toxin.”

Tilting her head, Julia’s face became neutral. ”I don’t think I informed you about those certain details.”

Smirking mischievously, Alex crossed his arms. ”I have a knack of finding out things.”

”He already knows,” Nile snorted.

With that, the blond woman’s countenance shifted; the mask of carry and worry was replaced by a revengeful determination.

”Yes. He clearly does.”

With a nod from her, Alex had both his arms harshly grabbed by two men and forced behind his back. He grunted at the strain on his limbs, as Julia took him in.

There was no point in denying the obvious. Alex voice remained surprisingly calm. ”The inhaler was an unexpected touch, I will give you that. But you will never get away with this.”

She sneered back. ”Oh Alex… Not all stories have happy endings, as you will see. I will enjoy watching that light in your blue eyes being wholly snuffed out. To first hand see the affect as the invisible sword will end you. Take him to the roof.”

The two goons forced Alex into the nearby tunnel and up the staircase, which lead up to the roof. Yassen remained leaning on the wall – to most people looking casual and normal – but his body was unnaturally tense.

Meanwhile, Julia turned to Nile. ”Activate the invisible sword at exactly 12:00. Then, you can join us at the top, to witness the teenage spy Alex Rider join his ne'er-do-well father and uncle in death.”

———————————

Read the whole story here:

~ Kangelane_Alex Rider 🤓📚📖

[dracolizardlars]

btw saw The Mousetrap last night and it was fantastic. I love Agatha Christie's murder mystery stories so much and honestly I think she should've always been a playwright rather than primarily a novelist because theatre is such a good format for that kind of narrative!

[zmorak]

Going for a swim in my favourite river, I've heard crocodiles are beautiful this time of the year

[formicarum-rex]

I have a pretty bad memory for the plots of the books I read, movies I watch, etc. (Actually, I have a pretty bad memory, generally, but that's besides the point)

I've discovered that this is a blessing in disguise when it comes to reading mysteries multiple times over

A couple of years ago, I listened to the Copper Beeches radio adaptation, and sometime since then I've also seen the Granada version of the story, twice. And I'm fairly certain I've read the original story before at some point as well.

As I started reading it today, though, I had forgotten how the case ends. The mounting horror as I slowly remembered what the conclusion was, before the plot arriving there itself, was absolutely exquisite

[necarion]

Was watching Death on the Nile (1978) with my parents, and we nailed the whodunnit and the whydunnit but couldn’t get the howdunnit. We were close-ish, but very much no cigar.

We also got as close as we did, in part, because we’ve seen a bunch of other mystery books and movies. Which is slightly cheating when you’re talking about Agatha Christie.

In other review notes:

The movie was way too long and astoundingly overacted (and not in the fun, Tim Curry, way). They really should have cut a couple of the red herrings (and minor characters) and at least twenty of the minutes.

There’s something I think might be a dig at A Study in Scarlet in there

Angela Lansbury was having a blast playing a horny romance novelist.

Ultimately, do not recommend.

[cinephiliaisnotadisease]

So many clues...

[stormhearty]

✨ pairings: Eris x reader

🔮 preview: “(Y/N)…” your name on his dry lips was hoarse, the sound a scratchy noise in your ears and all you could do was whimper, trying to scramble away from the re-dead animation of him. “All I wanted was to be in love… I didn't want to die. What was wrong to fall in love with the same woman as him? Was it so wrong to fall in love with the Lady of Autumn?” A sob escaped your lips, tears streaking down your cheeks, “I’m sorry, Felian…” you whispered, shrinking away from him, frantically tugging at your leg to try to run away. You watched those eyes — those lifeless eyes — stare up at you, begging you to stay with him, to let him drag you down with him to the fire pits of Hell.

📣 trigger warnings: nightmares, mentions of blood, death 🔎 rating: PG-13 | 🔏 word count: 3.6k

💜 masterlist | series masterlist + notes: This part has been way overdue, and I am so sorry for that. Writing recently has been way too finicky for me but I’m slowly churning out fics, please look out for them. This part is a bit of (Y/N)’s history, on her reason to take Beron down, to make Eris High Lord. It’s kind of a filler episode, I guess? But still an important episode. In addition, this has a bit of a spoiler for ACOSF and a bit of non-canon stuff as well. The lore of how the Forest House came to be and where the castle was situated reminded me of Rivendell from LOTR. I hope you guys enjoy it! Like, comment, and reblog if you enjoy it! I would love to hear your thoughts!

Your pulse drummed in your ears, eyes trained on the blood that surrounded you — maroon pooled around your feet, like the Nile River that seemed to be overflowing. The stench of metal hit your senses, and you couldn't help but scrunch your nose at the smell, one so strong that the contents in your stomach churned like raging waters in the stormy sea. You fought the urge to vomit as your eyes trailed that river of blood — homing in on a lifeless body only a few feet up ahead.

The mass of hair, one similar to your hair color, was the source of the blood — the body lying on its stomach, a sword impaled in the middle of its back.

With shaky legs, you stepped forward, feeling and hearing the squish of maroon liquid underneath your bare feet. Your breath quickened as you leaned down, and with much effort turned the body around, a cry of horror unknowingly left your lips.

There, laid, your older brother — dead.

“Feilan…” you whimpered, a hand coming up to press against your mouth, holding back another scream at your brother’s lifeless form, taking a step back, your body wanting just to run away from such a horrifying scene.

But your body felt stuck as if your feet were glued to the ground below you and you glanced down, watching bloodied hands reach up from the pool of blood and grasp your calves and shins, leaving bloodied prints along your skin.

A terrified scream left your lungs, trying to reach down to swat those hands away from your legs, trying to desperately move your extremities from the tendrils of death. But when a lifeless hand reached over and grabbed your ankle, you let out a startled yell and fell backward, landing on your bottom.

You grunted, surprised that no pain racked your body at the fall, but when a squeeze of your ankle pulled you from your thoughts, eyes blinked open and trailed those ashen fingers to the revived hues of your older brother.

“(Y/N)…” your name on his dry lips was hoarse, the sound a scratchy noise in your ears and all you could do was whimper, trying to scramble away from the re-dead animation of him.

“All I wanted was to be in love… I didn't want to die. What was wrong to fall in love with the same woman as him? Was it so wrong to fall in love with the Lady of Autumn?”

A sob escaped your lips, tears streaking down your cheeks, “I’m sorry, Felian…” you whispered, shrinking away from him, frantically tugging at your leg to try to run away. You watched those eyes — those lifeless eyes — stare up at you, begging you to stay with him, to let him drag you down with him to the fire pits of Hell.

You wanted to, you had tried to save him, wanted to save your only family member. You were nothing but a child. You had no power in Autumn Court, no leverage of power to sway thoughts… you had little influence over the Autumn Court Family— there was no way for you to save your brother against the jealous rage of Beron Vanserra.

The grip on your ankle grew tighter, drawing your attention back to him and you watched in horror his features melt away — skin and muscle rotting away in blood, revealing the very male that had taken his life away. Lips tugged into a grin as the form of Beron Vanserra started to grab at your calves and thighs, pinning you underneath him. A scream pulled from your lips, as hands gripped the base of your neck, squeezing the air out of your lungs.

Frantic hands grasped Beron’s wrist, trying to use your strength to pull him off of your form — but it was to little use — he was stronger, more powerful than you and your femme stature was no match for the strength of a High Lord.

“—-S-stop…” you gasped out, feeling your body give out underneath his own, “Please…” you all but begged the High Lord.

The inhumane form of Beron grinned and leaned down, his face hovering over your own as you watched for the second time as those regal features shifted to someone you had grown fond of — Eris.

“(Y/N)…” he whispered your name, one filled with malice and hatred in every syllable.

Tears brimmed the edge of your eyes, as you felt your life slowly trickle away from you. Spots started appearing at the corner of your eyes, the grip on your throat growing tighter every second. You watched as his lips mouthed your name, your body feeling airless as you fell unconscious.

“(Y/N)!!!” You were pulled out of the hellish nightmare by strong and reliable hands, your eyes snapping open, your body lurching forward into a sitting position as hands came up to your neck, trying to feel for hands that were taking your life. Your chest heaved, trying to get the air that was sucked out of you… trying to gain your mind back from your dream.

“…(Y/N)…”

The sound of your name, one that was filled with love and care, pulled you from your racing thoughts, your body jumping slightly in the large bed and head whipping towards your left — Eris looking at you with worry, his hand raised in the air, his touch lingering on your shoulder.

Your body wanted to run — those hands were just on your neck, taking an attempt at your life — those hands wanted nothing more but to hurt you. But your mind screamed at you — this wasn’t the Eris that was in your dream, this wasn't the Eris that was trying to take your life.

This was your husband.

The one who knew your secrets, the one who knew your weaknesses. The one who plays your political games in Autumn Court. The one who protected you for millennials.

Your husband who would never lay a hand against you.

When the fight and flight eventually left your body, a shaky sigh escaped your lips — a signal that you were calming down from your dream. It was the only thing that Eris needed to see before he pulled you close, shifting your body to lie sideways on his lap, his arms wrapped around your waist and tucked into his chest, his chin on the crown of your head.

He didn’t say anything — he didn’t have to.

For centuries, your sleep had been plagued with nightmares of one particular day — the death of your older brother, at the hands of Eris’s father. You had watched him die in front of you, watched his life leave his eyes. And as a child of merely two centuries, you couldn’t do anything to save him.

You had despised your brother, no matter how much you missed him — hated that he had fallen in love with Gwinthedwe, Lady Autumn. You had watched him from afar as he courted her, watching her slowly fall in love with him — despite being married to Beron.

No matter how many times your mother had pleaded against continuing to court Gwinthedwe, he wouldn’t listen — begged that she had been the one for him. He planned to elope to another Court, to bring her with him — to save her from the claws of the High Lord.

That night… when the two lovers had planned to leave, Beron had found them and slayed Felian, in front of Gwinthedwe — and unknowing to them, in front of you, as well. You had followed them in shadow, using your power of illusion to cloak yourself in darkness, you watched from behind the pillar as the sword pierced through his chest, the terrified scream from Gwinthedwe echoing the halls.

But to you, all you could stare at in horror was your brother’s dying form and his gaze never left Gwinthedwe’s as the guards dragged her to the shared bedroom of Beron.

All you had wanted to do was scream at the High Lord for killing your brother, scream on the hatred that grew in your stomach for your older brother — but had been too terrified to do so, too afraid to be caught and be at the end of Beron’s sword.

It was Eris who had pulled you away from such a gruesome scene, saved you, and protected you from his father, though he was only a few centuries older than you.

It was right then and then, that you knew what you had to do — to take revenge for your older brother — and to ensure that Beron’s wrath would be ultimately stopped.

You and Eris had played the long game — a millennial long game. You had played the lovely marriage candidate for Eris, softened the heart of Beron, who had long forgotten that your brother had died by his hand and learned the political ways of the Court — all the while being by Eris’s side.

You had played the beautiful wife, the doting wife… the wallflower that only spoke when spoken to.

Unknowing to all that you were nothing but a vicious butterfly waiting to bite on her prey.

“…—-(Y/N)… (Y/N)…!”

A light shake pulled you out of your thoughts, the growing panic in Eris’s voice evident as he called your name again. You hummed, letting your husband know that he had gotten your attention, pulling you away from the past.

“…Sorry…” you apologized, a word that rarely slipped your lips, “I got drawn to the past…” eyes lifted and looked up at Eris, whose features softened at your words.

“How bad was it this time?”

Eris had been your only confidant about these nightmares. He always had asked about it since the first night you had one, millennials ago at the start of your friendship and into your married life.

And he will only be the only one who will ever know your weakness.

A light simper tugged at your lips as you rested your head against his shoulder, “Beron tried to choke me… and then he turned into you… and then you tried to kill me…”

Your words were light — as if it was a normal conversation.

But it wasn’t.

No matter how much you tried to deny it, your figure shook, still traumatized by the dream — by the reality — that still haunted you. The dream took you into the depths of your fears, where you lost your brother, and where you lost your life — whether it be by Beron’s hands… or by Eris’s.

The idea of death scares you, that you were nothing but a shaking leaf in Eris’s lap, paralyzed by the very thought.

You didn’t want to lose your life… not yet.

Not when your revenge against your brother was unfulfilled.

And you would not lose your life before you fulfilled your promise with Eris.

To put him on the Autumn Court throne.

You felt your hands shake in your lap, you glanced down at them with a frown. You hated when your body became vulnerable like this, showing every emotion that you attempted stomped down in your chest. You practiced for millennials to keep your body and emotions in check — to ensure no one knew of your vulnerabilities.

But moments like these, in the dead of the night, where they ran rabid through your body — it was hard to control them.

A large hand grasped your own, pulling you away from your mind once again, seeing Eris’s hand grasp both of yours gently, forcing you to look up at him. His eyes showed with worry, but with a hint of resolution, he brought your hand to his lips and kissed it, letting his lips linger on your skin as he spoke.

“You know I would never lay a finger on you, right?” he asked, truth dripping with every letter.

You nodded your head, and Eris sighed and pressed another kiss on your palm.

He knew your dream was unusual — your dreams usually consist of your dead brother and his father — that nightmarish day still haunting you after so many millennials. However, the fact that he appeared in your dreams with the intent of hurting you, made him worry.

Eris shifted you in his arms, moving you so that you were straddling his thighs, your arms placed around his shoulders while he grasped your waist. Amber hues looked up at you, assessing your features for a moment, “I will never hurt you, nor try to kill you. That would break my promise, wouldn’t it?” he said with a light simper of a smile, softening his features.

You chuckled and nodded, your fingers playing with his auburn hair, the long locks out of its usual ponytail and free flowing over his back, “I know… I just, don’t know why you appeared in my dreams either. I just… think that I fear one day…” Your eyes averted his own, staring at the wall behind him, “I fear one day you will not need me anymore and will dispose of me…”

You felt Eris stiffen underneath you and those hands that were on your waist, slid up your back and grasped the back of your neck, gently forcing your gaze to return to his own.

“I will always need you, (Y/N). You are my wife. After millennials with me, of being at my side, can you not see I need you? As my wife, as my partner-in-crime… You are what I need right now. I will never leave you, I will never dispose of you. Do you understand that?”

His tone was so determined, so strong… yet all so soft that you felt your heart — one that you were sure stopped beating all those years ago — thump in your ribcage. Eris always seemed to see you in such a good light, one that was not tainted in blood nor poison.

You had done horrible things — killed people with your magic, manipulated people to your liking. You did everything in your power to turn the tides to your liking, to ensure that once it was time, Eris, with your help, would be sitting on that throne. That he would have little bloodshed on his hands, and you would be the one bearing all the weight of all the people you’ve killed.

And yet, here was he… your husband, showing you that you were still needed, you were still wanted. That he needed you after all of this, even if he sat on that throne, ruling over Autumn Court:

He would still need you.

A soft sigh escaped your lips and nodded your head, silently answering his question.

Eris let out a disappointing click of his tongue, fingers grasping your chin, “Words, my butterfly. I need your words.”

You chuckled softly, bringing yourself close to him, letting your breath fan over his features, “I understand that you will not abandon me, that you will need me long after you sit on that throne...”

Eris let out a pleased sound, leaning up to kiss your jawline before he maneuvered the both of you back into bed, an amused chuckle escaping your lips.

“You look gorgeous as ever, sister-in-law…”

You paused mid-step, a well-practiced smile tugging on your lips, turning on your heels to greet Rian — the third Vanserra son. You gave an elegant bow, before feeling a finger against your chin, forcing you to look up at him, that arrogant smirk on his features.

“In my eyes, you’re more gorgeous like this… below me…”

Oh the conceit that radiated off him made your lips twitch with annoyance, and your head pound.

Were all the Vanesrra blood like this?

You stood up, forcing his hand off you, tilting your head and feigning innocence, “Unfortunately, Rian…” His eye twitched at the lack of title before his name, “Much to your dislike, I am the wife of your eldest brother… And I’m quite sure he would not be pleased with your words towards me…”

Rian stiffened at such threatening words. Like the other Vanserra brothers, he knew you were off-limits. Eris had made that quite clear when he had married you all those millennials ago — even had decided to kill someone on the spot for attempting to seduce you in front of him.

That show of power and dominance for the Autumn Court Heir had made the brothers wary of you, but being the innocent wallflower you portrayed caused the brothers to seek you out more often than both of you wanted. The brothers vied for your attention, often seeking you out in their free time. They believed that if they had you by their side, they would become the Autumn Heir, pushing their eldest brother out of contestant. You played them, and used that to your advantage — you used them to gather information about the Court, confidential information only the Royal blood would know; using their infatuation to pit them against each other.

The brothers played right into your hands.

“(Y/N)…”

You watched as Rian’s form stiffened, eyes averting from yours to look behind you. He bowed his head and stepped aside, eyes glancing at you for a split moment before he turned his heels and walked down the hall into the throne room.

You knew that voice anywhere — the voice that still echoed in your head, one that still accompanied your nightmares.

Turning on your heels, you gave another deep bow, “Lady Autumn…” you greeted her, straightening from your curtsy to look at the female.

She was still as you remembered, that nightmarish day — beautiful and immortally young. Gwinthedwe hadn’t changed since that day and you couldn’t help but wonder if your brother was still alive, would he have aged as well?

You felt an arm on your shoulder and you snapped out of your thoughts, looking up at the female as she gave you a soft smile — but you could see, underneath that smile was pity. You know that she still looked at you as that child, the child that lost her older brother.

You wanted to blame her — your whole being wanted nothing but to blame her, but you knew you shouldn’t.

She was Eris’s mother, the only person Eris cherished besides yourself.

But she was also the main reason your brother died — their romance was why Felian had to be at the end of Beron’s sword. You knew she regretted it, you saw it every time she looked at you.

And all you could muster up every time was a stiff smile.

“…Was Rian bothering you, (Y/N)?” she asked in a motherly tone, light and airy, soft and gentle.

It made your heart pang.

You shook your head, gently sliding out of her hold, “No more than usual, Lady Autumn…” you answered, eyes averting away from hers, towards the large double doors.

There, you noticed Eris standing near them, awaiting the two of you to enter the throne room.

It seemed that Beron had called the entire family — he had an announcement to make.

Glancing back at the Lady of Autumn, she gazed at you with a light twinkle in her eye, one that came and gone before she stepped ahead of you, greeting her eldest son with a kiss on his forehead before she entered the room.

Eris looked back at you before silently offering his arm.

With your head held up high, ensuring your mind was wrapped in fire and protected by your hounds, you stepped up to your husband’s side, slipping your hand into the crook of his arm. His hand slid into yours, squeezing it as he signaled the guards to open the grand doors.

The groan of ancient wooden doors opened, and you couldn’t help but bring yourself closer to your husband as you stepped through the archway and into the throne room, where the Court turned their heads.

Scrutinizing gazes fell onto you, but you kept your head high, walking gracefully to the dias, and gave the Autumn High Lord and Lady of Autumn a curtsy, all the while Eris gave a bow at his waist.

“Ah, Eris… my son…” Beron’s voice was full of pride at the sight of his eldest son, “And (Y/N)… It seems the whole family has finally arrived. Sit, we have much to discuss…”

You straightened and allowed Eris to lead you to the long table that was situated in the middle of the throne room — an oak table that was carved eons ago from a large oak tree that grew right where the Forest House now stood.

It was said that the first Autumn High Lord searched high and low for the perfect place to build his Court. And when he found the tree — one that had little leaves compared to the foliage that surrounded it — that was near the top of a jagged cliffside, he declared this was where his castle should stand. He built the large castle, allowing the rivers to flow from the top of the mountain to the caverns below, creating intricate pathways and bridges that would confuse trespassers. Only those who have lived in the Forest House and be told its secrets would know the correct path. He built a multitude of rooms to house family and guests, and where that singular oak tree stood, he placed his throne.

With skillful hands, he used the wood of that oak tree to carve this table, the official insignia of the Court — the large oak tree — was carved onto the top. Millennials passed and all the Autumn High Lords added their signature to the Forest House, but this singular table — where the rulings and laws of Autumn Court were created, had never been altered or changed.

You sat in your usual spot, next to Eris, near the head of the table, across from Gwinthedwe. Your eyes focused on the High Lord as he sat at the head of the table, the Autumn Crown made of golden twigs and leaves glimmering on top of his head. Once he had settled in his chair, a pleased smirk tugged on his lips.

“I have found her… I have found Briallyn…”

👑 General Tag List: @prythianpages . @strangelygreat . @honeybeeboobaa

🕯️Series Tag List: @imma-too-many-fandoms . @assriels . @kiarathace . @xyzmeh . @doctorpeterphan . @phoenix666stuff . @glaciuswduo . @glitterypirateduck . @cat-or-kitten . @sevikas-whore . @darling006 . @inloveallthetime . @viatorem-maris

those italicized I was not able to tag.

[suzie-shooter]

Alex Rider season 3 unhinged liveblog ramblings scribbled during first watch. Spoilers, obvs. (also fair warning, I am not particularly a fan of Tom or Kyra lol)

Episode 1 - Widow

S2 recap trivia - Alex's therapist is Molly Doran from Slow Horses and married to Alan Blunt IRL

Malta: Ok, so we're not just going to pretend it's Venice lol.

Creepy old men already hitting on Alex. Standard.

"After this we're out of leads." How do you even have any leads in the first place? Oh ok, Smithers' phone. Terrible security protocols from him, leaving that much historical classified data on it.

"Find the Widow - surely he could have given you an address?" First thing Tom's ever said I've agreed with lmao

Aaaand within a second he's back to being deeply irritating, okay.

Yassen living rent free in Alex's head, you love to see it.

"They've got this picture of me being the responsible one." Have Tom's parents actually met him?

Ooh Razim mention.

You maybe want to clean that wound before whacking a dressing on it Alex?

"Do you think you'll ever lose your appetite Nile?" Spat my drink.

Damn, no harem pants then. Scrubs up well tho.

Listing Levin in the opening credits than having him be only a S2 flashback should be a warcrime.

Episode 2 - Lab

"This weapon is called pork sword, wait, no, shit, wrong USB."

"Julia Rothman. Definitely a wrong un." Spat my drink again.

Do Crawley and Pritchard not warrant helmets and visors? Are they somehow immune to shrapnel?

So, room 6, wired to blow, yes? It's what I'd do…

Oh yeah sure guys, they're going to still be sitting there, all unmoving in the dark, for sure that's a person, and not a Massive Trap.

Thereeeee we go. Agent mince. Top of your class huh, well you're certainly at the top now, and down the sides and partially out of the window.

I know there's the whole 'characters don't know what genre they're in' thing but you are literally in the 'working for MI6 genre', you are up against people notorious for booby traps and blowing shit up, why the fuck would you touch something that hadn't been declared safe first? Apart from anything else you're fucking up the scene before forensics get there.

"I love you man." Vom.

Alex: breaks into super sekkrit lab. Also Alex: doesn't have the faintest fucking idea what he's looking at, so not really helpful.

COMICALLY LARGE BOMB KLAXON.

Episode 3 - Enemy

"Welcome to Malagosto." OooOOooh.

Maybe I'm just looking at it from a fic writer's perspective but it does seem a massive anticlimax to immediately let Tom and Kyra know Alex is okay? Like, you could have got a good couple of episodes of angst out of that uncertainty.

"Do you want me to kill them?" Oh God yes please.

Why the fuck have they plugged the USB directly into the network rather than an isolated PC? 'Hur dur we checked it first', you literally believe Scorpia are smart enough to not be bluffing about the nebulous death threat but you don't think they could hide something on the hardware? Fuck's sake lads. Amateur hour.

Is this Home Secretary meant to be Suella Braverman? Or Priti Patel maybe lol. (Equal rights and all that, and if it had been a white male character I don't think I would have thought twice about the dialogue but having both your two new female characters be immediately proved wrong/ massively patronised/ blown up ain't hugely comfortable viewing tbh).

HOW MANY FICS INVOLVING ALEX GETTING FUCKED ON THAT BED HAVE JUST BEEN BORN?

"Are you suggesting we break into a dead man's house?" "It's not like he's going to be there." 😂

"He became a very close friend of mine." Fnar.

Omg making Alex read his father's love letters is hilarious.

Alex: you could have faked that news report Also Alex: handwriting can definitely never be faked (how is Alex even familiar with his dead father's handwriting? wouldn't recognise mine)

Ugh please stop trying to make Alex/Kyra happen.

Alex up the vent shaft. I hope they're sitting casually at the top going - you could have just taken the stairs love.

If he's climbing upwards, why is his hair dangling like he's upside down? Have they filmed this like 60's Batman, and he's just crawling along a horizontal set lol.

Alex never once asks about his mother does he. Given the shagger-John route they seem to have gone down you almost think Julia would be in a better shout of getting Alex to switch sides by claiming to be his mother.

And - yeah, Alex's recruitment just doesn't feel that convincing here. Adding Tom/Kyra/Jack so much to the mix has changed the feel of his life a lot, and TV verse Alex has had a lot less fucking over by the Department by this point too. And Rothman feels too creepy to be effectively convincing him of anything.

"I want you to meet your tutor." FUCK YES FINALLY 🙌 (may have rewound that part several times lol)

Episode 4 - Recruit

Nicaragua: 18 years ago OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPENING

Baby Yassen is adorable, I'm in love.

OH MY GOD THAT'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE FUCKIN SPIDER THING

OH MY GOD THE REVEAL OF HIM STANDING OVER THE SLEEPING ALEX I'M DEAD

(Ok, I'm calm again. For now. We continue.)

"You killed my uncle" - all the hundreds of ways this conversation has been written over the years and Yassen's just like lol get over it 😂 (here for it tbh)

Rothman: He's one of our best Yassen: One of? Bitch.

Yassen watching Alex train like 👀👀

"Did he ever tell you you're no fun?" Oh you want to have FUN with Yassen do you?

Yassen bitchslapping Alex to fuck, both hilarious and hot.

Oh, you want to be WET wet.

"Matteo's the guy with the blanket." Why is that so funny.

Omg Yassen stepping in to protect his boy and humiliating Nile in the process lol. And Alex doing what Yassen tells him, because of course he does 🥰

"This one is my responsibility" 🥰🥰

"What about love, friendship?" Alex has only known Yassen five minutes and is already down bad.

"Kind of lonely though, right?" Yeah, Yassen needs you at his side Alex, so step up and stop being a whiny little bitch about killing people.

Never get in the first taxi, rule one of espionage.

Yep, called it. Tom's like: I'll have my fucking tip back in that case.

This scene is so dark I have no fucking idea what's going on, I thought Nile had attacked Alex, but apparently not. Is Nile officially part of this exercise or not, it seems really unclear lol.

The power of friendship and sparklerabbits saves the day, apparently. Yawn.

Jesus, we really ATE with this ep, huh.

Episode 5 - Revenge

"Would you rather your arms around me, or my arms around you?" Way to make it creepy Tom you skeevy fuck.

"Can we focus please?" "We're multi-tasking."

Sure Grendel, rock up to the super sekkrit spy base in a massively conspicuous car why don't you?

"Yassen will give you everything you need." Oh I BET he will.

Feels sloppy them not removing the diffuser from the vent tbh.

"What does this say?" Alex hasn't inherited John's neat handwriting then lol. Alex leaning into him like that > me making noises only dogs can hear.

"You've put lockpick?" "I left my last one in Nile."

Ooh, suicide pill, nasty. Kind've pointless though, given they've been left with the evidence anyway.

Yassen in Alex's bedroom again, likely place for him to be.

"I don't want you to fail. I don't want you to die." 🥹💕🥰

Yalex roadtrip, let's goooo.

Disappointed they're not making Alex do the Entrapment infrared acrobatic sequence here lol.

If this is Yassen's idea of a date it definitely needs work.

So no surprise scorpions then? Can't have shit in Detroit Malta.

"Why? Why did she kill him?" Well taking things at face value here he was a highly murderous member of a terrorist organisation, so you know, kind've her job.

Yassen does like a casual lean, doesn't he.

Episode 6 - Target

Alex and Yassen have shacked up in London, hope there's only one bed.

Now they're in the back of a van, SO many opportunities for shagging, they're spoilt for choice.

Yassen's impressed look when Alex reels off all the security details, so proud of his boy.

"What happened to my mum?" Finally he wonders lol.

"And I'm good at it. You could be too." 🥹

"You think Alex killed him?" I mean, he was also there with a notorious assassin, so probably not, y'know.

Domestic Yassen cooking Alex's dinner and also cooking him a gun lol.

Smithers' "How I've missed you" ahahaha. Smithers/Kyra much better pairing tbh.

"He's actually quite good at this stuff." Smithers' little snort lmao

Time for Alex to be blacked up/ dunked in a teabag bath/ gussied up. Although he still looks exactly like Alex afterwards, which feels less useful lol.

"You love him, don't you?" Yassen loves him more. I have to say Alex had far more chemistry with Syl, and frankly for that matter with Tom. I really don't get the Kyra agenda.

"It's a dry hole." Alex's worst nightmare.

Is Alex going to look through Mrs Jones' knicker drawer?

Episode 7 - The Shot

Mrs Jones and her tall murderous hobbit son lol. Otto really looks about 58 here.

Hope they bill him for her fucked up fridge.

Is that Bath? Oh, it is.

Mrs Jones casually throwing Alex back into play lol. Maybe she can have a little revenge for him trying to shoot her.

"Everyone breaks into houses." Jack's face lol

Ewww put him down, you don't know where he's been (Yassen's bed, almost certainly)

"Remember they can't hurt you unless you invite them in." "That's vampires."

Yassen arguing in favour of going to rescue Alex MY HEART

"Sit down. I'm going to tell you a story. About your friend, John Rider." HOLY PLOTHOLE TIMELINE PATCHING BATMAN

"John was embedded inside Scorpia for three years." Not the only thing he was embedded in by the sounds of it.

Alex seems to be hallucinating again lol.

Yassen, maybe psychoanalysing your insane boss isn't the safest thing to be doing?

"It's quite mad Julia." Yassen really gives no shits omfg

"I know my place." Yes, at Alex's side.

I like how Julia thought telling Yassen she'd killed John would do anything other than piss him off lol.

Episode 8 - Invisible Sword

"But you do owe me a new fridge." LOLLLLLL

Crawley feeling like a spare part during this lift convo, hahaha

"Smithers, you can do me some kind of tracker, right?" "Yeah, if you promise to keep it on you this time."

Alex is like ohshit I'm gonna die fr

"Not for the agents. They undid their seatbelts." Eyyyyyyyy 👉

Aww they've given him a little baby assassin outfit, how cute.

Where's Yassen, has he just fucked off to the pub?

"For the head of Scorpia, you're a really bad liar."

Laughing at all the other Scorpia agents having to listen to this convo about their boss like we are not paid enough for this shit 😬

"Everyone else is getting what they want, let me have my cereal."

Protecting his boy to the last. Yassen really is purely on Alex's side, we love to see it.🥰

And OMG HE LIVESSSSSSSS 🙌🙌🙌🙌 (I voted yes in that poll, I had faith lol)

Well that was - far more fanservice than I dared hope for, after the meagre pickings we got in the first two series. Yalex supremacy to the motherfucking end, let's go.

[simplyiigiselle]

Alright so these are the teams in six legged pentathlon in smg4 squid game au (og by @tsucacatenma )

This is how it would play out

Btw Wren is a guard in this au

All the deaths in this au =

Axol: I made a video about it

Desti: essentially semi’s death(by Francis)

Francis: same as Desti(by Saiko)

Bcl: killed in the restrooms by Niles using a fork

Luigi: can’t say for spoiler reasons but it’s at the end of squid game season 2

Fred: in Mingle, couldn’t find a room in time

Depresso: died in mingle bc no one wanted him in the same room as them(LMAO)

Wren: Meggy shoots him during the attack, he had his mask off

[agnoscoveteris-vestigiaflammae]

Now that I'm all caught up with Doctor Who, here is an update on my (extremely long) Doctor Who Theory Masterpost I made last week !! As I am writing this, there are mere minutes to go before the premiere of the series finale, though I won't be seeing it until it's on BBC in 19 hours lol so hopefully no spoilers !!

So I'm still a firm believer that the *Colour* *Weekday* (or vice versa) or just *Shade of Red* naming convention for several characters was intentional, even if it's just a red herring. If you don't know what I mean, here are some examples

Ruby Sunday

Mundi Flynn (Monday Red) in episode 3

Marti Bridges (Tuesday Red) (Also a direct reference to Mars, ie. Pyramids of Mars, Sutekh, Osirans, etc.) in episode 4

Cooper Mercy (Red Wednesday) in episode 5

Rogue (anagram of Rouge = Red) in episode 6

Poppy in episode 1

Rose in episode 7

Cherry Sunday

While I still think that these names and their associations with ancient deities add to the theme of ‘The Pantheon' and all-powerful beings, and that this kind of repetitive naming convention is reminiscent of a dream-like logic or storytelling convention centred around Ruby, which could play into everyone’s TV show/fairytale/dream theories, I now also think with hindsight that the Red aspect of the names could just be a sneaky reference to Mars as the Red Planet and its associations with Sutekh.

I mentioned how due to her surname, Ruby would be aligned with the Roman God Sol Invictus, but now knowing that we're working with Egyptian mythology, it's more likely that she is aligned with the sun god Ra or the god of the sky, sun, and light, Horus. While both are plausible, my bets are on the latter for a few main reasons.

Horus' was the child of Isis, the goddess of love, magic, fertility, and healing, and the god Osiris, who was killed by Seth (Sutekh), the god of death and darkness, and then resurrected by Isis to conceive Horus. While pregnant with Horus, Isis fled to the marshes of the Nile Delta where she hid her child from Seth because she knew he wanted to kill him to maintain his place on the throne. Horus' birth is commonly accepted to have occurred on the 25th of December. Is this story starting to sound familiar? Could baby Ruby have been left in that snowy churchyard in the early hours of Christmas day because her mother was trying to hide her away amongst humanity and protect her from Sutekh?

In Pyramids of Mars, it is Horus, Sutekh's brother, who attempts to put a stop to Sutekh's evil plan with the Eye of Horus, could this also be related to the object that the Doctor and Ruby have to obtain from the nameless planet?

While Sutekh is the god of death and darkness, Horus is the god of light. Could Ruby be a messiah-like figure created in direct opposition to Sutekh with the sole purpose of destroying him when the time comes?

Isis is commonly associated with the Egyptian FLOOD myth which tells that when Osiris was killed, the Nile spilled over with the tears of Isis's grief. Now, we are aware that Mrs Flood is a widow, that she's always hiding herself away and that she is aware of Sutekh and his power... Could she be Isis in disguise secretly watching over her own child, waiting for the moment they can come together to try to defeat him?

One reason I think these theories are unlikely is that after being revealed as a god or at least some kind of god-human hybrid, I don't think it's likely that Ruby would continue to travel with the doctor, as she is speculated to do in series 15/2. but who knows! that sure would make things interesting.

In regards to the Trickster theory, I was Delighted to even get a trickster as ‘the god of traps’ mention last episode, but with all the talk about traps in UNIT HQ and the references I mentioned in my previous post, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does make a little cameo in this episode, or if he returns in S15/2. Also still not letting go of the Trickster being trapped in the ocean x ‘The War between the Land and the Sea’ x Mrs FLOOD theories idc idc. 

Okay finally here’s some more quickfire bananas theories I’m throwing at the red string board

Susan cameo 

Ruby has a perception filter that conceals either her true form or something that has attached itself to her but it cuts out at 73 Yards and that’s why everyone ran from her

The Doctor uses Rogue’s ring in defeating Sutekh

Mrs Flood (Mrs F) is Susan

Jenny is Ruby’s mother/Ruby is Susan’s mother/Kate is Ruby’s mother/Ruby is her own mother (i really dont wanna believe this one cause its boring)

Mrs Flood is connected to The Flood from The Waters of Mars

Rogue is Horus - ship shaped like a falcon

Finishing this with seven hours to go until I see the finale!! Still haven’t seen any spoilers but from the official teasers I saw and the fact that the episode is only 50 minutes, I highly doubt anything this lore-heavy could happen lol. thank u for reading and indulging me doctor who besties <3 see u on the other side

[your-nanas-house]

Thank you so much for answering my ask, and also the imagine with it was so lovely! I’m so happy you’re taking requests too - your writing is brilliant. I should probably say major spoilers for Death on the Nile in this if anyone hasn’t watched it yet! I had an idea where it was the reader who was shot in Death on the Nile instead of Bouc, except it’s non-fatal (maybe Jacqueline had bad aim and hit her in the leg or something) and it’s Poirot’s reaction to that - he’s torn between apprehending the culprit and taking care of her. I imagine Bouc would urge him to stay with her, and Poirot would be furious about her getting hurt.

Thanks for requesting, dear!! Love it, I wanted to do it a bit longer but I opted for a shorter version, hope you won't mind 🥰

Worried sick

◇ Pairing: Hercule Poirot X platonic!Reader

◇ Warnings: you can see it as romantic or platonic honestly, wounds, blood, gun, roughness, fainting

◇ Summary: You get shoot while on the Nile with your friend Hercule Poirot and he freaks out.

◇ Note: Sorry for the mistakes and the English.

The excruciating pain didn't make you think properly, things around you were blurry as soon as your eyes landed on the gunshot wound.

As soon as you woke up, you found yourself on the sofa in the room you were in, they had already taken care of your wound which fortunately wasn't too serious but enough to be felt and cause a dramatic reaction from your friend Hercule Poirot.

He was a calm and calculating man most of the time, although he had moments like that—messy hair and clear concern in his eyes as he paced the room as Bouch tried to reassure and calm him down.

It took you a couple of minutes to be able to sit up and inspect the fresh wound, which was now covered by a band

"Geez, luckily they had a bad aim or I was 7 feet under the ground right now" you murmured, half joking half serious, jumping slightly when your friend rushed to you to grab your shoulder in a rough way.

"What were you thinking?!" Poirot exclaimed, his accent way heavier than usual "You could have get killed! I told you to be careful" he added quickly, shaking your shoulders as he thought at a way to keep you same for the rest of the 'journey'.

He needed to interrogate you first, to understand more and be able to take care of the person who had used the gun to hurt you.

Taglist:

@gabile18 , @mrsfullbuster500 , @rex-ray , @elizamalfoyy, @eovjjj , @wife-of-magic-monkeys , @jeremiah-va1eska , @gothamchic16, @rabbiteggz , @dieg0brandos-wife , @rottenecstasy , @lazyexcuse , @teh-vampire-bunny , @lobotomy-lover , @slasher-smasher , @sleepycreativewriter

[nile-the-empathy-cleric]

Ego Death writing/ vent posting… don’t read below the cut if you want to avoid potential spoilers/ my writing process and stream of ideas

Holy shit, I feel TORN! So many readers are curious as to if/ when Nile will discover the vampirism of it all, but I’m still debating whether or not it happens and if it does, where and when to put it. I kind of know and have had an idea of when and where to put the reveal but it seems like it could feel cheap/ like a cop out and not very rewarding. I also think where I want to put it would be kind of hilarious, but also an incredibly powerful place for the reveal.

Uhg! Idk what to do. Some of you really want Nile to find out and some of you don’t. This was one of the things I didn’t really plan/ decide before writing and now I kind of regret it because I feel very torn. I kind of feel like I need permission to do it— to have the vampire revelation and permission to stick it where I want. I’m normally very Rolin Jones about my writing and don’t care about fan service, but I still want the story beat to be satisfying. Help me writing gods 🥺

[theaistired]

What's the inspiration behind your wip Little Remains?

Hello and thank you for the ask @wyked-ao3!

Sorry it took so long for me to answer, this week was... let's say annoying. Maybe a bit of a train wreck.

Anyway, the original idea for Little Remains, the basic building blocks of "teens investigate crimes", came from watching video essays on YouTube about stuff like Pretty Little Liars. Since the essays often focused on the writing, I asked myself the question: "How would I write something like this?"

But since I've never actually watched those mystery teen dramas or whatever you might call it, while the ideas for some of the main characters and the plot are rooted in that genre, the whole execution of the story I think is more similar to other crime/mystery media I've actually consumed.

In Germany, there are several series called SOKO which are police procedurals and I started watching those at a maybe not appropiate age. I think those play a big part as well as other German productions of the same genre. Looking outside of German media, stuff like the 1978 production of Death on the Nile (also watched that when I was probably too young for it...), NCIS (I think at that point I had reached an acceptable age for this kind of stuff), Broadchurch and Criminal Minds (actually watched those as an adult, look at that) probably also played a role.

Weirdly enough, Robin from DC comics could technically also be listed as an inspiration, although getting into that would involve massive spoilers for the WIP and several weird turns through my brain's wires.

So, long story short, the inspiration for the WIP is a mess of things involving crime fiction I guess. Don't know if this is a satisfying answer but that's all I think I can offer without spoiling too much? Not sure.

Anyway thanks again for the ask and have a good time!

~ Thea

There currently isn't a taglist, but if anyone wants me to make one and add them to it, let me know!

@the-letterbox-archives

[child-of-the-danube]

Ok, I need to preface this with saying that I have not read any of the Doom Patrol comics so I have no idea how well or in what quantity the show follows the comics so I have no concpet of spoilers/certainty as to how it will all end after next episode.

This is gonna be a long ass post so buckle up motherfuckers.

I am thoroughly worried with how it will all be wrapped up in a single episode. They have not gotten their longevity back, Immortus is still out there now planning world domination, Rita's basically dead, the Buttpocalypse future is on their doorstep etc. Either it will be all to quickly concluded with a Deus-ex-machina solution to everything given that Laura in one episode said that the future they saw was only one possible version of it and in this episode future Vic seemed way too calm finding out that his past self is being helped with the time portal thingy and saying it'll work out OOOOR the future they saw is really it and it's all a lost cause. I'm going to focus on my thoughts about the other one.

I would kind of prefer the sadder ending cause it would be more, I guess, poetic that these people turned mutant-turned superheroes who more than once saved everyone around them, the world and eachother, could not, despite all their effort, save themselves this one last time. Well, except for Vic but depends in what version of it.

Digression: I am also 99% sure the Immortimas episode was the one where Michelle and April kissed (which they mentioned in their insta live) cause if you look closely at the "Best friends" scene when they're really close together but we see Michelle's face more, April has her lips pursed and only switches back to a smile when Michelle moves her head away and I am so very calm and normal about this, not wanting to rip my skin off and scream into the void at all. It's fine, it really is :))))))))))))

I'm skipping talking about Rita since she wasn't in this episode at all. I'm assuming that they will either find her dead or on her last breaths once they return from the time stream unless, again, some magical solution falls from the sky immediately.

LARRY: I think of all the characters, Larry seems to be the one who's most prepared for his death. I feel like he always knew, no matter the longevity, that his body would give up on him at some point and was kind of always ready to go. He worries way more about Keeg than he does about what end is awaiting him. I love that he got to experience fatherhood once again through Keeg and I get his frustration about the Negative spirit not wanting to take care of Keeg, but if his end is set in stone, I could see him embrace the fact that he becomes "a new Sun". His journey started in space and ending it there as a new star would be full circle. In a way by becoming a star, a permanent part of the sky, he'd always be, though in new form, there for Keeg to see and visit.

CLIFF: I was wondering when and if it would be explained how Niles broke his back and I have to say I absolutely hate that it was Cliff given that, especially this season, a lot of shit seems to be portrayed as purely Cliff's fault. Like anything he touches or is given the role to take care off goes to shit. He has always been unlucky in that regard but I feel like the last thing in the "how can we fuck Cliff's already declining mental health up some more" arsenal should have been the fact that the first thing he felt in years wasn't his grandson but the blood and insides of another being he just killed. Like, I truly think that was the tipping point to break him completely, the rest is overkill. I hope if the spirit loop Buttpocalypse future is the end that he at least got to see and feel Clara and Rory once before returning to the Doom Patrol and accepting his end.

JANE: Similar to Larry, I feel like Jane got her resolution this episode. She finally said it out loud and accepted what truly happened to her. She became, both literally and metaphorically one with her whole self and can now be at peace, however long that might be, with the people she loves. She got her clarity in a way.

VIC: Vic being alive, well and teaching kids in the version of the future that saved them from the time stream is giving me hope that it might not all be set up to end tragically. That he might find his purpose and happiness after all. Cause of what use is it for him to be the last man standing in the future when everyone he loves is gone or soon to be gone. It's just survival, not life.

LAURA: Oh, boy. Oh, Lord. Here we go. Bare with me.

It's no secret she's my absolute favourite character and the one I have the most feelings and thoughts about. First of all, hats off to Michelle Gomez and her acting once again. You could feel the difference in past and present Laura not just by the way they are dressed but the mannerism, the speech, the body language, everything. The fear in past Laura's eyes not due to being beaten but due to the fact that she HERSELF is saying, or better, admitting, that she's in fact not a good person no matter how much she tries to delude herself or others. I love this character so deeply and that's why I am losing my mind over her.

Present day Laura saying she hasn't changed broke my heart into a million of peaces cause in the same way past Laura deluded herself into believing she's good, present Laura kept that same self hatred and turned it into convincing herself that no matter how much she tries, she'll never be good, she'll never escape her past, making people weapons or fucking it all up for the ones she truly cares about. For my Doctor Who fans, are you all reliving Missy's plot and the pain her end brought as much as I am???? And the "WE'RE THE FUCKING WEAPON" part??!!?!? Holy fucking shit. Her whole life and career she was hiding her abilities for her own safety and partially for the sisterhood's safety, declaring others as weapons, sending them off to fight and die but it truly was her who was the weapon. When you fire a gun, yes, the bullets are what ends up doing the job but they're disposable, you always need new ones to reload. What remains is the gun itself, needed for further firing of shots. Well, Laura was the gun and all those she branded weapons were just the disposable bullets.

It pains me inexplicably to say it, but I simply don't see any kind of happy ending for her. She has no one else but these bumbling idiots she met only a little while ago, who I'm not entirely sure would YET go to the lenghts she does for them for her, and Rita who:

a. Still hasn't fully forgiven her (I mean shit she called her a monster like 2 episodes ago)

b. Is on her death bed

c. I doubt would use her last breaths to tell her she's forgiven or admit that Laura does mean a lot to her

Nobody knows where she's in the future and I have a crippling feeling that it might be caused by Rita's death. If you think about it, all of them love Rita and will be there to comfort eachother after she's gone/as they inevitabely each go. Laura isn't dying. She has whatever natural time is left there for her still to go. She does not share their fate. And, as I've already said, they have known eachother for decades. Laura is someone they've basically just met, learned to trust even later, and in their mind to some degree the one who caused the Immortus stuff. If Rita dies, I have a feeling she will either immediately distance herself from them (or be distanced) or she'll end up watching all of them but Vic die one by one and then leave or worse...

So unless by some miracle everything turns out fine or after they're all gone she encounters Shelley and the Sisterhood and they embrace her, I see no bright ending there

Anyways, I'm booking therapy in advance cause I'm going to need it after next week more than I already did...