#guard me sherlock event

[allthenobodypplfics]

Arousal Poisoning (Chapter 1)

Fandom: MCU Loki

Pairing: Soft Dark!Loki x Female Reader, or Soft Dark!Loki x Original Female Character, depending on reader interpretation.

Other Characters: Mobius, B-15

Rating: Explicit

Summary: This takes place in season 1, episode 2 of the Loki series; before Pompeii. Mobius takes Loki and a team of hunters to a Nexus event on some inhospitable planet. Mobius and Loki are supposed to investigate the event before the branched timeline collapse, but a trap poisons Loki and a (female) Hunter, causing them to fall into their baser instincts… Or, in other words, a sex pollen, drug-induced, rough sex smut fest.

Warnings: Soft Dark!Loki, Smut, Sex Pollen, Drugged Sex, Rough Sex, Consensual Sex, Slight Fluff

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist

Read on AO3

“Alright, team,” B-15 announced as a time door closed behind the last hunter stepping through. “This is one of the most inhospitable planets in this side of the galaxy, and the only thing here is this prison.” She pointed her thumb behind her where a formidable building lies. “This is where they chuck the most hardened criminals and toss away the key. Now, everyone inside is dead – they’re not supposed to be dead; that’s the Nexus event – so be prepared to see some horrible shit. The next guard shift change is in a week, so we have plenty of time before the branch collapses. We’re supposed to take readings and investigate the area; find out what the Variant took and why. Keep your eyes peeled and be careful of your surroundings. Let’s move.”

“How thrilling!” Loki quipped as he walked beside Mobius.

“Yeah, okay, calm down,” Mobius scolded, “don’t look so excited, you’re weirding everybody out.”

Loki huffed and jammed his hands into his pockets.

They entered the building and the first thing to grace their presence was a bloodbath.

One of the hunters whistled. “Yeah… everyone’s dead alright.”

A female Hunter made a soft sound of disgust at the back of her throat.

“Not used to the horrors of battle?” Loki mocked. “Thought you TVA agents have seen it all.”

“Don’t talk to me,” she deadpanned.

Loki’s shit-eating grin turned into a pout.

“Come on, Loki, make yourself useful.” Mobius pulled Loki further into the prison. “What do you see?”

“Death.”

“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. What else? What was your Variant looking for?”

“How should I know?”

“Loki!”

“Fine, fine, give me a minute.”

The female Hunter followed along. “This doesn’t make sense,” she said. “The Loki Variant had been killing our people this entire time. They usually spared the people on the timeline. Why did they massacre everyone here?”

“Well, these are the worst of the worst, and I guarantee you the prison guards aren’t any better. Maybe… altruism?” Mobius replied.

The Hunter snorted, “A Loki? Yeah, right.”

Loki gave the Hunter a side-eye.

“Anyway, we’re not here to figure out why they killed everyone,” Mobius explained, “we’re here to find out what they took, why they took it, and what they plan to do with it.” Turning, he said, “Did you sniff anything out yet, Loki?”

“‘Sniff anything out?’” Loki spat. “What do you take me for? A dog? First I was a little pussy cat, and now I am a little lap dog?”

“Now, don’t get so sensitive–”

“I am not being sensitive, you are being rude–”

The Hunter left them arguing amongst themselves to take readings elsewhere. Her readings began to ping the closer she got to one of the hallways. There was… something… sitting on a table with a piece of newspaper covering it. She gingerly pulled the newspaper away and let it fall to the floor.

“The fuck?” she uttered. It looked like a huge flower bud the size of a basketball. The dark green sepals wrapping around the petals had golden veins running through them, veins that seemed to glow with a pulsing heartbeat. The very tippy top of the bud had some deep red petals peeking through. There was a sickly sweet fragrance emanating from the bud. Leaning closer, the Hunter could see a trickle of golden viscous liquid seeping from the top where the petals were. The bud twitched and the Hunter jumped back.

“Hey… guys?” the Hunter called out. “You should come check this out…”

Loki looked in her direction and his eyes almost popped right out of his skull. He pointed at the bud and screamed, “Stay away from that!”

Loki ran to the Hunter and grabbed her arm to pull her away from the flower, but it was too late. The flower popped and splattered its contents all over Loki and the Hunter. The Hunter grimaced as this golden, sticky, shimmery goop slithered down her face and body.

“Jesus Fucking Christ, what is this? Is this…” She touched her fingertips to her lips. “Honey? Nectar? It’s sweet–”

“Don’t eat that!” Loki furiously shouted as he slapped the Hunter’s hand away from her mouth.

The Hunter was shocked. “Wha–”

“Take your clothes off!” Loki demanded.

The Hunter belligerently narrowed her eyes at him. “What?”

“I know what this is!” Loki yelled as he grabbed the Hunter’s wrist and pulled her with him down a random hallway. “Where are the showers? Every prison has a shower wing! We need to wash this off immediately!”

“What the hell is going on?” Mobius called out as he followed them.

“Let go of me,” the Hunter snarled as she tried to pull her wrist out of his grasp, but he wouldn’t budge. His hold was so tight that he was grinding her bones together.

Mobius, sounding exasperated, sighed, “Where the hell are you going?”

Mobius reached out towards Loki and Loki recoiled, screaming, “Don’t touch us!  We’re contaminated!”

“What?” Mobius snatched his hand back.

“With what?” the Hunter screeched.

“There!” Loki pointed at a sign for the washroom. “The showers! Quickly!” He dragged the Hunter towards his intended destination.

“With what?!” the Hunter repeated as she smacked Loki’s arm with her free hand. The goop caused his clothes to stick to her palm and it released with a wet squish. “Ugh! Loki, contaminated with what?”

“It’s- argh!”  Loki was annoyed with the Hunter’s lack of cooperation. “It’s a very concentrated form of aphrodisiac. It’s usually used in very small amounts – and I mean very small; miniscule, and tremendously diluted – during feasts where – I’m not sorry to say – an orgy is the main event. But the amount that has bespattered us is deadly. So we must dispose of our clothes and wash the nectar off of our bodies. This is very potent; you don’t even have to ingest it – although you already did. Just letting it touch your skin is enough to feel its effects.”

“Holy shit!” Mobius’ voice cracked behind them.

“Holy. Shit.” The Hunter gasped as well.

“Indeed,” Loki scowled. “Now, come on.”

Loki shoved the Hunter through the door of the communal shower. She stumbled but he righted her and then stuffed her under a shower head. He turned the water on as hot as he could and left her there. She yelped and turned the water back to a more comfortable level.

“Hurry,” Loki said as he turned his own shower on and started tearing off his clothes. “Take everything off and throw it there, furthest away from you.” Loki pointed to the corner of the room. “Thoroughly wash yourself. Use soap – use a lot of soap – don’t just stand there, hurry!”

The Hunter tore her eyes away from the undressing god and quickly unclipped her helmet, throwing it in the direction Loki told her. She ripped the hair tie out of her ponytail, letting her dark, straight hair fall just past her shoulders; then she started peeling off her armor and utility clothing. There wasn't any shampoo, but there was a bar of soap sitting on a wall-mounted soap dish and she grabbed it. It squished out of her hand and jumped in the air. She did a small little dance as she tried to catch the soap, but it kept shooting out of her grasp. When she finally caught it, her relief at not dropping the soap was short-lived when she noticed a very large mirror stretching the width of the room on one of the walls.

“Is that a two-way mirror?” the Hunter cried, her lips curling incredulously. “Why is there a two-way mirror to view the showers? That is disgusting!”

Loki scoffed, “I assure you that this isn’t the only place that has such an amenity throughout the galaxies.”

“Agent Mobius, you and the team better not be watching us!” the Hunter yelled.

Mobius’ voice rang through a loudspeaker. “Sorry, kid, I promise we’re not looking. It’s just me and B-15, okay? Hurry up and wash that crap off.”

“Why the hell did the flower explode?” the Hunter hysterically squealed as she frantically rubbed the bar of soap into her hair and face.

“It was overripe,” Loki answered. “It’s normally harvested long before it gets to that size.” Loki tilted his head up to catch some water to rinse his mouth, but he, too, already swallowed some of the nectar earlier so it really didn’t make much of a difference now.

“Ugh, it doesn’t wanna come off!” the Hunter squeaked in a panic.

“Just keep washing! Don’t stop!” Loki told her.

After a few minutes, the sounds of frenzied scrubbing slowed and stilled. The Hunter suddenly felt dizzy and she fell forward, placing her forearm against the shower wall. She wheezed and leaned her forehead against the cool tiles and let the water run down her hair and back. She closed her eyes and swallowed. This growing… yearning… was steadily building in her groin to the point of pain.

“Oh, crap…” she grumbled.

The sound of the Hunter’s voice caused a violent tingle to run down Loki’s spine. He shuddered and clenched his jaw as he tried to even out his breathing. He glanced at the Hunter to see her back towards him. She was practically shrinking into herself; she was biting one of her fists and her shoulders were trembling. He huffed as he looked down at himself and watched his cock harden and grow.

He shook his head and chuckled, “It’s too late.”

Loki’s unhinged laughter caused Mobius to glance up and see Loki slowly turning to look at the Hunter, his eyes burning with desire, his breathing came out heavy through his parted lips; his chest was heaving as if he had been running a marathon.

“Hey…” Mobius’ voice piped through the loudspeaker. “Nooo…” he scolded as if to a dog about to do something they shouldn’t – like humping someone’s leg. Except this wasn’t a dog and he would do a lot more than hump the Hunter’s leg.

Loki eyed her from the top of her head to her feet on the floor. She was a young recruit. Well, young was subjective, as time moved differently at the TVA. She could have been working there for decades, maybe even centuries, and still look to be in her twenties; barely pushing thirty. She had an athletic build, showing that she had been a fighter for many years. Her shoulders were broader, slimming down to a smaller waist, giving her a bit of an upside-down triangle figure. Her arms were somewhat thickened with firm muscles, as were her thighs and calves. His eyes lingered at her delightfully round and lifted ass.

“Loki…” Mobius dragged out the “i” in Loki’s name in warning.

Loki turned completely and started to take slow strides to stand behind the Hunter. The two people watching behind the mirror caught a glimpse of the god’s cock; it was fully erect… and very well endowed.

“Oh, shit!” B-15 spluttered before coughing and clearing her throat, embarrassed at her little shocked outburst.

“Loki, no!” Mobius continued in the same scolding manner. “Now, you stay away from her! Don’t you touch her!”

And Loki touched her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“What did I just say?” Mobius snapped, the loudspeaker creaking with feedback. “Loki, get away from her!”

Loki ran his palms down to her upper arms and squeezed. He didn’t use his full strength, not even a fraction of it, but it was hard enough to leave bruises in the shape of his gorgeous hands on her skin. He pulled her back towards himself until she could feel his length pressed against her tailbone.

“Loki, stop that! Bad, Loki!” Loki could almost imagine Mobius wagging his finger at him if he wasn’t so engrossed in the naked woman in front of him.

Loki wrapped an arm around the Hunter’s torso, cupping one of her breasts; it barely filled his large hand. He placed his other hand against her abdomen, but it was slowly slinking lower. The Hunter’s breath hitched as her jaw went slack and her lips fell open. She leaned her head back against Loki’s shoulder and he leaned forward to plant a kiss on the side of her neck.

Mobius smacked the two-way mirror and yelled, “Loki! Let her go!”

Loki gave Mobius the middle finger salute.

“Well, fuck you too!” Mobius smacked the mirror again.

Loki let out an irritated sigh as he gestured towards the two-way mirror and it completely frosted over in white, keeping prying eyes from getting a free show.

Mobius screamed, “God dammit, you stop that, Loki! Stop that right now!” With a flick of his wrist, Loki crushed the loudspeaker in a glittery swirl of green. It let out a metallic shriek before it became blissfully silent.

“Oh, that mischievous scamp!” Mobius glowered as he stomped his way out of the nasty-shower-watching office. “That mischievous horny scamp!”

“Mobius, what do you think you’re doing?” B-15 grabbed Mobius’ arm and pulled him back into the office.

“I’m going in there and separating those two!”

“Are you crazy? They’re contaminated! Do you wanna go in there and start an orgy? ‘Cause I don’t! You don’t know how… sticky… that goop is! It might not be washing out; it might still be stuck on them. You wanna start touching them and pulling them apart?”

“B-15, they’re drugged.” Mobius sounded frustrated as he waved his arms around. “They don’t know what they’re doing; they can’t control it. They can’t consent. It could really mess them up!”

“If they survive,” one of the other hunters snorted.

B-15 glared at the tactless hunter and he snapped his mouth shut, having the grace to look abashed.

“Get out,” B-15 ordered as she pointed to the exit. “When the hell did you get in here anyway? Pervert. I will write you up!”

She turned back to Mobius as the hunter scurried out of there.

“They’ll probably be fine.” She sounded unconvinced, but she wasn’t willing to step foot in the showers and she would not allow anyone else to go in either. They had no idea what the nectar did; if those affected would just… make love until they died. B-15 cringed at her own description of the matter. It was hardly “making love,” it was more animalistic than that, but she didn’t want to think “mating” either because that just sounded worse. She’d be damned if she allowed anyone else to fall under the same toxin and… made love to death. She cringed again. But, considering one was a god and the other was human, it was more than likely the human wouldn’t survive.

“They’ll be fine once they get it out of their system,” B-15 added while nodding, still sounding unconvinced.

The squeal of feedback from the smashed loudspeaker jolted the Hunter. Her eyes widened and she blinked hard, shaking her head. Her wet hair slapped and stuck against her face. She took a few gasping breaths and, in a moment of clarity, pushed away from Loki; stumbling her way towards the exit.

Loki’s lips curled in indignation as he gestured towards the door and a blast of green magic jammed the lock into place, keeping the Hunter trapped with him while keeping everyone else from interrupting. He grabbed the Hunter by her wrist and yanked her back. She slipped, but he caught her and shoved her against the wall. She tried to step away again, but he wouldn’t allow it and pressed his slicken body against hers. Hot water from the shower fell over them.

“Nowhere to run to now, little agent,” Loki chuckled as he brushed her wet hair out of her face to get a good look at her. She was cute, he could say that much. She had a slightly round face with big eyes and full lips.

“I’m not an agent,” the Hunter slurred, as if drunk. “Mobius is the agent. I’m a hunter – a soldier.”

“What’s your name, soldier?” Loki placed two fingers under the Hunter’s chin and lifted her head to meet his gaze.

“B-38.”

“That’s not your name,” Loki sneered.

“That’s all I know.”

“Alright then…” Loki leaned in and brushed the tip of his nose against hers. “Little Bumble Bee.”

“Don’t call me that,” B-38 said as she shoved at his chest. He didn’t budge. “Don’t give me any pet names. That’s weird. We’re not that close.”

“Well, we’re about to get a lot closer.” Loki firmly pressed his lips against hers. She grunted as he pried her jaw open by squeezing her cheeks and he unceremoniously drove his tongue down her throat.

B-38’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and her knees gave out. She would have sunk to the floor if Loki wasn’t holding her up.

“Aw, hell. Screw it,” B-38 thought as she got her feet under her, reached up, and raked her nails into Loki’s back; kissing him just as aggressively.

The kiss was messy. Their teeth clicked and their noses didn’t align quite right and were a bit smashed against each other’s faces. Loki ground his rock-hard cock against the Hunter, and she kept shifting and squirming until she was able to get the positioning right and felt his length rub against her clit. She whined against his mouth and he swallowed her cries.

Loki pulled away and tugged her hair back, forcing her to crane her neck; then he pressed his lips to her throat – rough kisses and bites that hurt just as much as felt good. He slowly trailed down until he reached her breasts, pausing to admire them – they’re small with caramel-colored nipples. He sucked one nipple into his mouth and she moaned. B-38 tangled her fingers into his wet hair and raised one of her legs to wrap around his hip. He grabbed her thigh harshly to keep her there. He drew a line with his tongue across her chest to lavish attention to the other nipple, twirling his tongue around it before licking it. With his other hand, he reached between them and cupped her cunt. She instinctively ground against his palm and drenched him with her arousal. He released her nipple from his mouth with a wet kiss; then he straightened and grabbed her chin to make her look at him. Her lips were parted and her breathing came out in heavy gusts. Her pupils were blown open; he could barely tell she had brown eyes when almost all he saw was black. Her entire face was blushing a deep crimson. He could tell the flower’s toxin had taken hold of her completely; he wondered if he looked the same.

Loki positioned the tip of his cock to her opening and watched her face as he callously thrust into her. She yelped at the very sudden invasion; then leaned forward and bit his shoulder in retaliation. He grunted but didn’t push her away. The one leg she still had on the floor was shaking uncontrollably as it was on its tippy toes to accommodate his height. He hooked his other arm under that leg and lifted her completely off the ground. From that position, his cock sunk even deeper into her; she groaned against his shoulder.

Loki started his thrusts long and slow, feeling her tight walls mercilessly squeeze against him. She freed her teeth from his shoulder and tilted her head back; the water from the shower rained down her face. He was the largest she ever had and she could feel him stretching her just almost shy of pain. When he shifted and began to pick up speed, hitting her at just the right spot, her eyes fluttered close and she moaned loudly, “Oh, God, please, please, please…”

Loki laughed breathlessly, “Are you begging?”

B-38 inhaled sharply and then she sputtered, “No.”

“Don’t stop,” Loki demanded; his smile full of glee. “I like you begging. Beg me like a wanton whore.”

“Stop that.” Her face twisted in annoyance.

“Alright, darling, forgive me,” Loki relented, his voice lilting. “I was too crude. My gentle Bumble Bee deserves tenderness.” He slowed his momentum and leisurely pumped in and out of her, teasing her and driving her insane.

B-38 let out a sound of frustration; then she snarled, “Will you just shut up and fuck me? Stop messing around!”

“Not so gentle then,” Loki chuckled. His face then grew dark as he ruthlessly slammed into her.

B-38 shrieked and then choked on her gasps to keep herself from screaming her lungs out. He was practically jackhammering her at this point; their flesh obscenely slapping against each other. She clung to his shoulders, digging her nails into him. She was half sobbing, half moaning. It hurt so good. Tears ran down her face, but neither she nor Loki would notice as the water from the running shower masked it.

Loki muttered into her ear as he fucked her silly; muttering pure vulgarity. He cursed her beauty and he cursed her sweet weeping voice. He cursed her perfect tits and he cursed her impossibly tight cunt. He described to her in very detailed imageries exactly how tight she was; how her cunt just kept greedily swallowing him up and not wanting to let go. He told her he wanted to fuck her wide open and make her bleed on his cock, but they were just words. He didn’t mean it and he didn’t do it. He told her such deliciously horrible things; so atrocious that it made her cry harder and harder as he fucked her harder and harder with every terrible thing he said.

B-38’s orgasm took her by surprise and she wailed, throwing her head back and accidentally smacking her skull against the tiles. Her quivering tunnel clamped down on Loki and he gasped, feeling his own orgasm nearing. He came with a soft cry and buried his head into her neck. She was a little surprised because it sounded quite vulnerable. Lokis were a lot of things, and vulnerable was never one of them. She found it quite endearing…not that she would ever say that out loud. In a moment of impulsiveness, she tugged at Loki’s hair until he looked at her, then she placed a soft kiss against his lips.

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist

Read on AO3

[jrow]

May Prompts (16)

Day 15 here. Day 17 here.

Experiment

“It’ll be an experiment!”

He grimaces. Linda’s over-the-top cheeriness hardly breeds confidence, but she is his favourite nurse so he’ll give her a bit of leeway.

His recovery is going decently well, but his amnesia around the evening of the fall persists. It’s hardly surprising or worrying—these things take time his doctors keep saying, and it’s only been a couple days. But, his inability to remember what happened is eating away at him. He knows Sherlock isn’t sharing the full story.

He had mentioned his frustration to Linda and her eyes had lit up. She claimed to have had some success with helping patients with memory through guided visualization and said she would be happy to help John.

It’s funny that her calling it an experiment is what got John to finally agree. It reminded him of the type of argument Sherlock would make (although he would be far less peppy).

Linda lowers the lights before asking John to close his eyes and focus on his last memory from before waking up in hospital.

“I said goodbye to the staff at the nursery and Rosie and I started towards the tube.”

“Good, good. Tell me about what you remember about that moment.”

“The street was busy.”

“With who?”

“Oh loads of people. Looks like people going home from work.”

“Good, good. What’s the weather like?”

“Fine.”

“You can do better than that, John.”

A sigh. “It’s chilly, of course, but no wind. There hasn’t been a cloud in the sky all day. It’s nice…good weather. I hoped it would stay like that.”

“Why did you want it to stay like that?”

“Why wouldn’t …” A pause. “I’m nervous about rain.”

“Why, John?”

His heart starts racing. “If it rains, or god forbid snows, it’ll take longer to get to Baker Street. I don’t want to be late.”

“Late for what?”

“Meeting Sherlock for his birthday.” He tries to push ahead in the day, tries to remember meeting Sherlock, but he can’t. He hates it.

“Stay there, John. I can see you’re getting frustrated but it’ll come. You’re doing great. Just focus on getting to the tube.”

“I need to wrap his present before I go,” he blurts out without thinking. “Oh god.” He opens his eyes. “Sherlock’s birthday gift.”

“Are you okay?” Linda asks, gently, reaching out and gently touching his shoulder.

“Yeah, I just …” John says before trailing off. “I just remembered something,” he adds after a pause.

Before collecting Rosie he hadn’t been sure he’d have the balls to give Sherlock the gift, but in that moment he had decided. And once John Watson was sure of something … well nothing could have stopped him.

Nothing except a fall off a roof possibly. Possibly?

But, Sherlock said they met at the flat before heading out for cake. Which means John must have brought the gift. Which means …

There’s no way Sherlock opened it before John fell because they didn’t have cake. Gifts after cake, that’s the rule. So, either Sherlock opened it sometime in the last couple days and or it’s sitting unopened in the flat.

Either way Sherlock hasn’t mentioned it. That can’t be good, right?

“Why don’t you rest,” Linda says, interrupting his thoughts, knitting her brow.

“No, no, let’s keep going!” he says, closing his eyes tight. He needs to remember!

Linda chuckles. “Not now. Sadly, I do have other patients. And you should rest. I promise rest will make it easier.”

He huffs, but doesn’t argue. He opens his eyes and Linda gives him a smile before opening the door.

The constable who’s standing guard outside the room—he’s there on Greg’s orders officially, although everyone knows Mycroft is pulling the strings—pops his head in. “How are you doing, Mr. Watson?”

“Fine.”

Linda tsks. “Better than fine, I’d say. He is starting remember a bit. Not the events before the fall, but it’ come.”

“Oh?” Says the constable, eyes darting around the room. The man is visibly surprised and wonders what Greg has been telling the Yard about his injuries.

Linda smiles wide. “Only a matter of time.”

@keirgreeneyes @raina-at @totallysilvergirl @meetinginsamarra @jolieblack @phoenix27884 @friday411 @calaisreno @quimerasyutopias @lisbeth-kk @safedistancefrombeingsmart @momma2boys @helloliriels @dapetty

[amberkendslacy]

Fun Opinion:

Sherlock/Dracula crossover novels have to put Sherlock in the middle of the Dracula plot because if he investigated post-event, the Team of Light would look... very sketchy.

(These points are made from memory of the plot - top of my head - I did check SparkNotes to verify some but correct me if I'm wrong lol).

The file they have at the conclusion to prove their story is made mostly from copies of statements made by the group themselves (the original recordings/diary entries being destroyed by Dracula).

The most notable figures that could back up their claims are dead. (Jonathan's boss, Lucy's mother, Lucy herself, Renfield, Quincey Morris).

The deaths of these people are... suspicious. (The guard was asleep when Renfield was attacked, Jonathan's boss died from a timely illness, Lucy's maids were drugged the night Lucy's mother died, Lucy was alone with members of the group when she died, Quincey Morris dies in the wilderness observed only by members of the group).

Some of those deceased people have left significant wealth to members of the group (The previous Lord Godalming, Lucy's mother, Lucy & Jonathan's Boss).

The only person of the group who did not significantly gain anything during this time (money, business, a title) died in the Transylvanian wilderness.

The original narrative could still be true - Dracula was a vampire. He did kill Renfield, Lucy, her mother, and Quincey Morris. But who is going to believe that when the evidence is: it happened. I swear it did.

Also rich people getting away with murder - Sherlock would eat that up.

*edit: It was not stated in canon that Quincey was buried in Transylvania - sorry 😅

[sasheneskywalker]

about me

an ordinary media enjoyer, wandering from one fandom to the next. an avid reader and writer of fanfiction. a sociology major. three unfathomable creatures in a trench coat.

fandoms: star wars, mcu, dc comics, sherlock, supernatural, merlin, arrowverse, naruto, my hero academia, death note, code geass, steins;gate, yuri on ice, owari no seraph, banana fish, bungou stray dogs, durarara, jujutsu kaisen, dune, disco elysium, the old guard, harry potter, percy jackson and more.

ao3: SasheneSkywalker

check out the events i'm running: dc prompt meme 📔, dc trans week 🏳️‍⚧️, rainbow exchange 🌈, enemies to lovers exchange 💘, jason todd-centric exchange 🧨, dc rare character exchange 💎

join the crow bar, a jason todd-centric discord server!

faq 💬

can i message you? yes. i’m always down to talk about characters, ships, fics, ideas and general fandom stuff. send me a tumblr ask, dm me or find me on discord.

do you accept fic prompts/requests? yes, although there’s no guarantee i’ll actually write them.

when will you post/update one of your fics? hopefully before the world-ending apocalypse begins.

do you ship [insert a ship name here]? if they could be described as "complex and toxic" then yes.

why do you make so many lists? i just like collecting and categorizing stuff ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

masterlist of posts 📋

resources useful resources for fanfic writers and readers

fandom meta rec lists sex, love, fiction, and fandom - video essays

dc meta rec lists jason todd meta list dick grayson meta list politics, philosophy, and superheroes - video essays books and articles about about comics, superheroes, dc and batman

fic rec lists jason todd-centric fic recs dc/marvel crossover fic recs dc poly ships fic recs dc fics that leave you staring at the wall after the words have ended and the story is done on the page but not in your mind brujay fic recs brudick fic recs sladick explicit fic recs sladick mature fic recs jayroy with robin!jason fic recs batfamily fic recs that will make you laugh batfamily fic recs where someone from the batfamily kills a person (or jason kills the joker) batfamily fic recs where members of the batfamily deal with their experiences with sexual assault batfamily fic recs which are told through unusual formatting batfamily fic recs where original characters are main characters batfamily fic recs which are told from an outsider’s perspective batfamily fic recs where the main character is transgender or non-binary batfamily fic recs where the main character is asexual or aromantic weekly batman/dc fic recs tag

tags directory 🏷️

tagging pattern: #[fandom], #[character], #[ship], #[category] tagging categories: #meta, #fanart, #fanfic, #fandom, #shipping, #fic rec, #book quotes, #book recs, #comic recs, #podcast recs, #rpg, #writing, #idea, #bookmark, #resources, #academia, #wild tumblr, #humor, #negativity, #society, #history, #science, #ask meme, #[character name/ship name]-core

personal tags: #sashene creates -> my art (fanfiction, fanart) #sashene's drawer of wips -> my works in progress #sashene commentates -> my meta #sashene answers -> my answers to asks that i've received #sashene rambles -> personal posts #sashene’s diary -> other people's posts that describe me well

(i don't tag nsfw posts and rarely use trigger warnings. consider this blog "not rated" and "creator chose not to use archive warnings")

[taempteng]

So, I finally finished 2ha.

I... have some thoughts.

Let's talk!

【 Story Review 】 The Husky & His White Cat Shizun

I started this story on the 30th of May through the manhua. When I caught up to the latest release, I switched to the novel. I binged the novel day and night, until finally ending the story on the 12th of June.

I want to clarify that I’ve only finished the main 311 chapters. I haven’t read the extra 39 chapters.

This review will only discuss my thoughts on the main story. I'll decide whether to talk about the extra chapters when I finish those in the future.

With that said, what is 2ha?

2ha is short for Dumb Husky and his White Cat Shizun. It came from the Mandarin title 《二哈和他的白猫师尊》 where 二哈 literally translates to “2 ha(s)”. It’s written by 肉包不吃肉 or “Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat”.

What’s the story about?

Well, it follows a man named Mo Ran. He’s a regressor and in his first life, he was the 踏仙君 or Celestial-Trampling Emperor. He was at the peak of the Cultivation World, a tyrant who ascended to godhood. However, at the age of 32, he poisoned himself and died.

But then, he wakes up! And he’s back to 16 years ago, before his life went to shit! The guy he likes is still alive, so are his sect members-

Oh, and his Shizun isn’t dead anymore, he supposed.

Either way, he swore to turn his fate around, ensure his crush doesn’t die in this life, and get back at everyone who had wronged him in his first life! Especially that darn Shizun who he hates the most!

Now that you know what the story is about, what is the story like?

2ha has your blueprint regression story beginning. Mo Ran dies bitterly in his first life, regresses, and swears to annihilate all his adversaries while aiming for a better future. That better future being ensuring his crush stays alive.

You must think that, because of the premise, Mo Ran will use the knowledge of his past life to team up with characters that can help with his goal, have intense scheming face-offs against his adversaries, and eventually find a way to overcome his crush’s death. Right?

Well, you would be wrong!

You see, the events in the second timeline unfurled much differently than the first. And when I said “differently”, I don’t mean “the main character did this, so the other characters did that”. No, I meant “the main character didn’t get to move an inch before something completely sidetracks”.

Usually in regression stories, the main character will narrate what happened in the first timeline and tell the audience how they will counter the events in this new life. In 2ha however, despite being told by Mo Ran about the events of the first timeline, what ended up happening in the current life was straight up different. So, Mo Ran was unprepared and had to deal with the situation differently.

It’s definitely a refresher to see Mo Ran being flustered by the change of events, especially when he’s not written to be a masterclass schemer. He’s not shounen-MC-dumb, but he’s clearly not Sherlock-Holmes-genius. It’s a good balance between being thrown off guard by the unfamiliar situation while also trying to adapt to the new scenario.

So if you had been put off by the idea of a stereotypical regression story, you can rest assured that 2ha subverts this trope. It’s packed with interesting twists and dramatic turns, while displaying compelling characters and rewarding developments. It’s a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and always wanting to turn to the next chapter!

Since finishing the story, what did I think of the ending?

Obviously, as the finale, the final arc had to be the most dramatic. Many things happened that honestly had me restless and fearful. With how the plot was progressing, I thought the ending would be a downer.

By the final chapter, all I felt was peace and calm. Not the kind of “and they lived happily ever after”, but more of a “and everyone moved on with their lives”. It’s the kind of feeling when a disaster happened, but you got away with your life, so despite the depression, you still found a way to pick yourself up again and overcome the difficulty.

The final arc was one heck of a rollercoaster ride, but the ending was sweet enough that it makes you glad that everyone could live as happily as possible. In a way, it’s bittersweet, in that the bitter memories will now only bring a sweet fondness of bygone past and a hopeful future.

So for readers who don’t like sad/bad endings or open/ambiguous endings, you don’t have to worry as everyone in the story (or at least the important characters) gets some form of closure.

Overall, what are my thoughts on 2ha?

I personally think the story is amazing. It’s a long story, and there’s a lot of drama and angst. However, reaching the end after all the turmoil and agony, I think it’s worth the arduous read and late night binging.

For me, even if some characters are unbearable at the beginning or some times, they’re still ultimately interesting and endearing. Even with the characters I despise, I can understand why they act the way they do. I don’t like them and I certainly don’t suddenly like them just because they’re sympathetic, but the characters are distinct, convincing and not one-dimensional.

The plot progression is exciting but not spontaneous. Every event happened for a reason, and you won’t feel as if something occurred for the shock value. As the story progresses, the puzzle pieces will piece themselves, leaving you wide-eyed with realisation.

The story isn’t fast-paced, but it isn’t draggy either. It dwells on emotional scenes to bring out the rawest feelings, making you explore the minds of the characters. It also concludes each chapter with a hook, resolving one scene while making you curious for the next.

It is a story that captivates your attention while squeezing your heart where it hurts. Definitely a must-read if you’re an angst or drama lover! The ending is worth all the pain and anguish.

What is the moral of the story?

Some common themes I noticed in 2ha include loneliness, anger and resentment, and karma and revenge. There may be other themes, but these are the most prominent ones.

I’ll explore these themes more thoroughly in the future. For now, I want to talk about what we can take away from this story.

I think this line by Xue Meng in the final chapter perfectly encapsulates the overarching message of 2ha.

I’d love to discuss how this line summarises the lesson in the story, but that’ll require me to spoil a lot of important plot points. So instead, I’ll leave this conversation for another day. Now, we’ll move on to the final part of this review!

Any last words for anyone who wants to pick up 2ha?

A fair warning before you begin: You will hate Mo Ran at the start. His attitude towards Chu Wanning, his master and endgame, was very frustrating. Although there were sweet moments, the way he went straight for Shi Mei when he comes into view will probably make you tear your hair out.

Of course, it gets better as the story progresses, but if you don’t like seeing one side of the couple mistreating and misunderstanding the other side, then this story is not for you.

Not to mention, there are triggering themes discussed such as SA and cannibalism. If these topics make you uncomfortable, proceed with caution or reconsider starting the story.

2ha also touched upon subjects like misogyny, dehumanisation, hate campaigns — just a lot of heavy topics that may be distressing if you’re trying to read for fun and not to be reminded of reality.

With all that said, if you can handle a good dose of heartache, I highly recommend this story! It’s amazingly written (in my opinion) with lovable characters and an intriguing plot. I give 2ha 5 stars!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be reading those extra chapters!

[joanquill]

Confession time

I like this for Louis and the Little sister of holmes + date

Louis James Moriarty

A/N: The reader is Sherlock and Mycroft's youngest sister. AND I'M DONE WITH VALENTINE'S FINALLY! Tag/s: Holmes!Fem!Reader

"How dreadfully boring..." you sighed, leaning to the wall as you took another sip of wine, your eyes scanning the ballroom for something interesting.

Suddenly, a familiar shade of blond and glasses walked in, and your eyes lit up in interest.

"No way...!" you breathed out with a smile, stepping through the crowd and straight to the man.

"Mister Moriarty," you called out, making the man turn to you.

"Such a pleasure seeing you again," you courteously bowed with a smile while the man had a permanent scowl.

"Miss Holmes..." he greeted back, doing a short bow.

"I never thought I'd see you in a social event like this," you mused, a playful smile on your lips.

"Yes, well... My brothers wanted me to attend," he sighed, his eyes averting from you.

You raised a brow, "Are they here?" you questioned, not remembering spotting any of the two.

"No. Both of them are busy, but this is still an important social event," Louis answered, fixing his suit.

"So, I will bid you a good day," he smiled, venom seeping through as he excused himself.

"Aww, come on, Lou!" you giggled, following the man,

"Don't be so cold!"

For the rest of the night, you followed Louis, trying to start a conversation while he avoided you the best he could.

"You're really not much of a talker, are you, Lou?" you mused, following Louis as you looked around the floor.

"Miss Holmes," he muttered, sharply turning to you.

"May I ask why you follow me like a lost puppy?" he questioned, an aura of fire surrounding him.

"Surely there's something for you to do this evening,"

"Nope," you shook your head, "Like you, I'm just here for appearances." you shrugged, looking at the dance floor.

"This evening would have been an absolute snoozefest if you didn't arrive," you admitted, making him pause.

"What are you saying...?" he narrowed his eyes at you, making you smile.

"I'm saying..." you stepped closer to him, and he stepped back, "...that I'm glad you're in this dance with me," you genuinely answered, making him stumble.

"...What are you playing at, Holmes?" he asked, making you breathe out a smile.

"I'm not playing, Louis," you reassured, chuckling a little.

"Is it that unbelievable that I like spending time with you?" you asked, confusing him even more.

"But if you wish me gone that much, I won't force you to keep me company," you reassured, stepping back.

"Have a good evening, Mister Moriarty," you smiled with a bow, walking away.

"Wait," Louis called out, grabbing your wrist.

You looked back and saw his face completely red, catching you by surprise.

"...I apologize for my sour attitude," he coughed, fixing his glasses, "That is not how you should treat a lady... Even if it's you,"

"Pfft," you quickly held in your mouth and stomach, but your laugh overpowered you.

Louis stared at you in shock as your laugh echoed through the hall, catching everyone's attention.

"Miss Holmes..." Louis warned, calming you down.

"Sorry... I... I wasn't expecting an apology..." you snickered, using your fan to hide your face.

Louis sighed as he waited for you to calm down, letting you fix yourself.

"I knew it," you chuckled, looking up at Louis, "I'm truly glad I met you. Louis James Moriarty," you confessed, smiling at him.

Louis' eyes widened as he stepped back, caught off guard by your genuine smile.

"...How cunning..." Louis muttered under his breath, looking away as he fixed his glasses.

"What?"

"I said that makes one of us,"

[fistfightinganxietyandlosing]

"MY HUNGER IS THE RULE I CANNOT OVERTURN~"

mutuals / masterlist / simpler intro / free palestine

"Everyone likes talking about himself —"

𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐑. she/her ✫ aroace ✫ minor ✫ filipino ✫ multilingual and multifandom ✫ bookworm ✫ writer ✫ likely neurodivergent ✫ cabin 6 or 7 ✫ infp-t ✫ theatre kid ✫ former fencer ✫ researching random obscure facts is the love of my life ✫ agatha christie enthusiast ✫ sometimes i have the tendency to talk like a 1950s british schoolgirl and it's entirely enid blyton's fault

STUFF I'M NERDY ABOUT...

literature ✫ mythology ✫ philosophy ✫ folktales ✫ theatre ��� history ✫ marine biology

I LOVE...

mystery novels ✫ the found family trope ✫ misty mornings ✫ documentaries ✫ the sims 4 ✫ minecraft ✫ knives out ✫ the lego batman movie ✫ the breakfast club ✫ gothic fiction

WARNING! I AM PRONE TO...

• worrying

• being either overtly polite(masking) or very awkward

• rambling about the things i'm fascinated by long past the time considered appropriate to do so

• missing the point

"To love is to suffer and there can be no love otherwise —"

CURRENTLY ~

Reading : The Stranger by Albert Camus

Watching : Murder, she wrote

Listening to : Driver's seat by Madds Buckley

BOOKS: the riordanverse, osemanverse, murder most unladlylike, a good girl's guide to murder, a series of unfortunate events, sherlock holmes, the mysterious benedict society, the secret history, the hunger games, the song of achilles, nancy drew, enola holmes

SHOWS: ducktales 2017, the owl house, octonauts, amphibia, gravity falls, merlin, dead boy detectives, gilmore girls, lockwood and co, voltron legendary defenders, total drama, the dragon prince, brooklyn 99, the umbrella academy, camp cretaceous, the lion guard, kny, my little pony

MUSIC: musicals, good kid, madds buckley, crane wives, dirt poor robins, conan gray

MISC: the magnus archives, epic the musical, school bus graveyard, genshin impact, mcu, nevermore, marionetta, hooky, high class homos, alien stage

MY FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS:

"I usually solve my problems by letting them devour me —"

my dms are closed but my ask box is always open! feel free to tag me in things too :)

dni if you're a... homophobe, transphobe, racist, ableist, sexist, loli/shotacon, incest supporter, pedo or map, antishipper, or a supporter of israel

Userboxes —

[destiny-in-the-universe]

I’m bored out of my mind so now you get a mini list of my current au’s for my interests! I’ll do a bigger version later but again, right now, I’m trying to finish Whumptober and adulting is also a very fun thing happening in my life!

Isn’t that swell? /s

This is very informal, but I’m more than willing to talk about any once Whumptober is finished! As mentioned before, this is a multi-fandom blog so… you’ll be surprised at what you can find here! I’m also ADHD and just like to infodump!

So.

Here’s a silly list of au’s and crossovers! Read below the cut for them!

Cars (Pixar)

Infection AU

The Roads We Take: post-apocalyptic/virus inspired universe where an outbreak occurs and Doc Hudson makes it across several state lines in search of Lightning, hoping to bring home. Back to Radiator Springs, but of course, it won’t be easy.

The Radiation Verse: Bad End Infection AU. In an apocalyptic setting, luck is scarcely on Lightning’s side and well, after witnessing a distressing event - he only has Cal to rely on and trying to reach Radiator Springs won’t be easy.

Merlin (BBC)

Court Magician AU: In which Arthur legalizes magic and Merlin becomes a Court Warlock- I mean, Magician. Unfortunately, this comes with a little bit of resistance.

[REDACTED]: Post-Canon Continuation. Merlin has long resigned himself to the thought of Arthur not returning and now runs a little shop, but it seems destiny’s about to give him and so many others a second chance.

Godling Merlin AU: Merlin is more than just a warlock. He’s the patron deity of magic and now that Uther’s declared war on his people, well, there’s no telling what might happen.

BNHA

Guard Dog Dabi AU: Tread with caution when it comes to this AU. It’s not for the faint of heart. Touya Todoroki meets a different path and Endeavor’s willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the future and legacy of the Todoroki family - even if it means handing his eldest son to the Hero Commission. And things won’t be the same. In which Touya is subjected to borderline pet whump and has become property of the Commission.

(There is another AU, but I’ll talk about it later!)

Wordgirl

The (Mis)adventures of Technofire and Lexidoe: A Role Reversal AU with a twist. Where Tobey is a superhero and Becky is a supervillain, shenanigans are about to ensue.

Lab Rat AU: Ongoing Whumptober Prompt/DD:DNE. Wordgirl is captured by the government but of course, it’s met with retaliation. Heavy Content will be present in this.

Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja

Tales of the Nine: Randy’s chosen to bring back the Norisu Nine but the journey to their success is perilous but maybe, just maybe, they’ll be able to finish what the original clan started.

(There’s honestly too many for me to lift if I’m being honest- and because this fixation lasted for many months, I’ll just write all of them in a separate post. This fandom holds a special place in my heart!)

Multi-Fandom AU’s

Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons: Crossover between Rise of the Guardians, Brave, Tangled, and How to Train Your Dragon. This is my own spin on it. A separate post will be dedicated to it!

Secret Quartet: Expanded Version of the Secret Trio. American Dragon: Jake Long, Danny Phantom, Randy Cunningham, and Miraculous Ladybug all rolled into one!

Superwholock + Merlin: Developing Crossover between Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock! As well as Merlin. The crossover was not begun by me, but this version is mine.

Mystery Kids: My Own Spin on the Mystery Kids AU, but since I haven’t seen Psychonauts - it’s replaced with Danny Phantom. Because I can

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hopefully you or some of your wonderful followers can help me out with a really odd question: what is the difference between an AU and a crossover fic?

This might sound silly, but I've always assumed that a crossover is something like "Sherlock and John, while solving a case, cross paths with Mulder and Scully who are also trying to solve their mystery, and they join up to work together." vs. an AU is more like "Sherlock and John are solving cases in the X-Files universe" and their characters are like combinations: Sherlock/Mulder and John/Scully. But the characters from X-Files don't actually exist in the fic.

Or even fics that are just a completely new universe altogether, not necessarily based on an already known one (like Sherlock and John are from Las Vegas and Sherlock the always winning poker player is under suspicion from security guard John that he is cheating, and that is how they meet, etc etc) would be considered an AU.

Anyway, that is how I've always filtered on AO3 when searching. But now I've come across a few lately that are tagged AU but when I start reading them, they are more what I consider crossover fics (which aren't my preference, sorry. I just don't care to read about Sherlock and Iron Man working together lol).

Maybe I've missed out on some great fics that were tagged as crossover but were actually AU's? Is my assumption of which one is which completely off base? Other than reading every fic until it's obvious which type of story it is, is there a better way to at least get an idea for filtering purposes?

I don't want to miss out on fantastic fics because I don't really understand what they're about because I've misunderstood all along!

Thank you for any help you or your followers can give! 😁

Hey Nonny!

Alright, so here's how _I_ personally understand it, and I'm probably totally off-piste, but it's how I've always understood and try my best in my sorting of fics. PLEASE note that EVERYTHING BELOW is how I PERSONALLY UNDERSTAND it all.

Generally, there's a VERY thin line between AUs and Crossovers AND it also melts into Fusion fics as well.

Alternate Universes:

Basically, AU (or Alternate Universe, for my newbie lovelies) is the "larger umbrella term" that all fics NOT following canon events have. These can be as simple as a non-canon-compliant fic, but GENERALLY it's understood as stories that take place in different franchises, eras, timelines, professions, species, etc. That's the broader definition. It covers everything, really. It doesn't necessarily mean just other franchises, but it can contain them.

But in terms of "this story with BBC Sherlock Characters takes place during the Avengers" for instance, each character from BBC Sherlock REPLACES a character in the Avengers. They would never ever meet any of the cast of the main Avengers IF they are a replacement character.

So let's say we're adapting the Avengers. For the sake of this example: Sherlock is Tony, John is Captain America, Molly is Black Widow, etc. Now THOSE characters in the Avengers franchise should never show up AS those characters. We are doing one-for-one replacements to put Sherlock Characters into the MCU AS Iron Man, AS Black Widow, AS Captain America. Tony, Natasha, and Steve cannot exist in this universe.

(as an aside though, given the MCU's current state of Variants existing in multiverses, it can be argued that they can exist, but I'm being pedantic... for the sake of this example let's say they don't)

TL:DR; we replace main characters with other main characters, and those main characters from either franchise should never meet. So TECHNICALLY what is labelled for your example is actually correct (Crossovers and AU), and unfortunately the filtering needs to be whittled down more. Filtering by "Alternate Universe" does NOT guarantee no-Crossovers, so you will have to add crossovers as an exclusion in your filtered terms. On AO3, there is a place to select exclusions, so just type in "Crossovers" there, or character names.

Crossovers and Fusions

I'm grouping these two together because my understanding of these two is that they're PRETTY close to each other enough that they do overlap.

Crossovers are stories that characters from one franchise meet and interact with characters from another franchise; no characters are omitted intentionally, and don't replace other characters in a story. For instance, in a Harry Potter AU, the Sherlock gang all go to Hogwarts, and Harry and Co. all exist and continue on with their story, probably interact occasionally, but we're focusing on the Sherlock gang and their exploits rather than Potter people.

Fusion stories, or my understanding of them anyway, is one of two things:

You have characters that replace SOME of the characters but keep OTHER characters from Universe 2 to interact with Universe 1. Let's go back to the Avengers sample; Sherlock (Tony), John (Steve) and Molly (Natasha) meet and interact with Bruce Banner and Clint. Now it's a FUSION of two universes, interacting and existing based on the actions of what our BBC AvengersLock is doing.

A fusion can ALSO be adapting or using a franchise storyline as inspiration for the plotline of what an author is writing, ie. the rules of ONE franchise's universe can be brought into another. So you can have a FUSION of Sherlock and the X-Files by adapting an X-Files episode as inspiration for the story with BBC Sherlock characters, but doesn't necessarily take place in the X-Files Universe, just simply the rules of the X-Files universe apply also to the BBC Sherlock Universe.

======

ALL that said, the gist of what I'm trying to say is this: All Crossovers and Fusions are Alternate Universes, but not all Alternate Universes are Crossovers/Fusions.

I tried my best to simplify everything as best I could, so I hope I helped a bit. And hey, if I'm wrong somewhere, or you want better clarification, feel free, all, to reply or send me another ask :)

Cheers, all <3

[nientedenada]

The Disturbance at the Waiting Door - Another of the Cases of Canon Telvayn

The great detective, Canon Telvayn, solves yet another case as chronicled by Healer Adras of the Temple. A short mystery story/Sherlock Holmes pastiche set in Morrowind. Read it on A03 or under the cut here.

In all my years assisting the Canon, it never ceases to amaze me how often he comes to the truth of a situation without leaving the Temple. Yes, on occasion, he will need to go out - the Temple requires him to perform a number of duties and Canon Telvayn is a loyal son of the Temple. But when it comes to the cases I enumerate in these records, you will notice that the Canon often ascertains the facts without leaving our temple. He will inevitably send me or one of the acolytes to check his conclusions but we rarely find him wrong. One such perfectly intuited case was the bizarre set of circumstances I am calling here The Disturbance at the Waiting Door .

This case originated with a visit from a very upset parishioner of the Temple, a devout mer of advancing age, Muthsera Vadeni Serano. The acolytes of our temple had already been out to her house to give her aid, with no effect. I showed her to the Canon’s study, where she told us a horrid tale.

Muthsera Serano has lived peacefully in the same house for nearly two hundred years, venerating her ancestors at a small Waiting Door. She described it to us as an alcove in the wall of the front room, holding small slivers of bones resting on a base of ashes. Most of her family’s bones have gone to the Temple for the building of the Ghost Fence. 

“A commendable shrine,” commented the Canon. “But you say it has been vandalized?”

Muthsera Serano nodded. “Every day for the past two months, when I rise, I find a small bit of bone knocked out of the alcove, lying on the floor. I first questioned my great-grandchildren and the slaves, but none would admit to doing it. I called an acolyte from your Temple to come and bless the shrine again, to make reparations to the Ancestors.”

“You did well,” said the Canon automatically. Despite his many eccentricities documented in these pages, he always encourages the piety of the common people. 

But Muthsera Serano’s ordeals had only begun that day. As she explained to us, the event repeated itself every day after.  She lectured her dependants, set guards upon the room, emptied the house of all family for seven nights in a row, and even brought the case to the local guard. But each morning, she would find the bone on the floor. 

“I fear an evil force is meddling with our waiting door. Do the Daedra ever meddle with our shrines like this?”

The Canon shook his head. “I doubt it. The waiting door is guarded by ALMSIVI and your ancestors.”

“But Canon Telvayn. How can any living mer cause this sacrilege? We have done all we can to watch the Door. We never see anyone remove the bone.”

“Tell me, Muthsera, is it the same bit of bone you find on the floor each morning?”

“Yes, your reverence, a small bit of a knucklebone.”

“Do you know from which ancestor the bone originates?”

“I am sorry, your reverence. I have been remiss in my care of the shrine. I have never taken any particular notice of the individual shards’ provenance.”

“There is no fault in that, Muthsera. The bones and ash act as an anchor to the whole array of ancestors. But it is curious that it is the same piece of bone each day. Tell me, was there any event or ill omen that preceded this disturbance? Anything awry in your family?”

“No, your reverence. Our family has been in good health and prosperity.”

“Three months ago I oversaw the marriage rites of your great-granddaughter in this very temple. How have the young couple fared?”

“Well, your reverence. She and her husband are residing in our household.” Then the implication hit her. “Your reverence, you’re not suggesting her new husband is involved in this sacrilege? He was away visiting his parents when this first happened.”

“I am not,” the Canon assured her. “He appears to be a filial mer who will be an asset to your House. How long after the wedding did the disturbance begin?”

“Nearly a month later,” Muthsera Serano replied. 

“And you say that your great-granddaughter’s husband had departed the home when it first occurred?” “Yes, your reverence. His mother was suddenly taken ill. He stayed by her side for some weeks till she died.”

The Canon looked to me. “Adras, what do you think? Is there a possibility here that the good woman has overlooked?” 

I do not enjoy it when the Canon puts me on the spot like this. He invariably already has an answer in mind but likes to test me, to see if our years of collaboration have taught me any of his skills. I would like to object to him that I am simply a healer in our temple. Yet these pages show I have developed a keen interest in his work of deduction, and so I play along in these moments. One day, I may hit on the correct solution. It has not happened yet.

“Perhaps the disturber uses an invisibility spell” I suggested.

Muthsera Serano shook her head. “We thought of that. The guards brought in one of their best mages to pierce any such spell.”

“As I thought,” the Canon commented. “I believe the answer is more simple than either of you imagine. I daresay there has been no sacrilege at all.”

“But, Telvayn!” I roared, forgetting to show him the proper deference of his rank. “How can you say that? This woman’s family has been terrorized every day by the awful treatment of their ancestors’ remains. What is this if not sacrilege?”

“Is it sacrilege if the ancestors act on their own initiative?” the Canon asked. “Muthsera Serano, I think that if you question your great-granddaughter’s husband, you will find this particular bit of bone is the one that he brought to the Waiting Door as part of the marriage. No outsider is vandalizing your Door. Your ancestors are rejecting the bone of this outsider.”

The woman was immediately skeptical. “If it's the bone Bolyn brought, why wasn’t it rejected right after the wedding?”

“ You must ask the young mer. But I can predict his answer. He found the bone on the floor soon after he settled down in your household. It must have caused him great fear and anxiety, to see his new bride’s ancestors reject his union to the house. Is this young mer an early riser?”

“Yes, your reverence. He’s up even before I am.”

“There you have it. Every day he replaced the bone in the shrine before the rest of your family woke. But then he was called away to his mother’s sickbed. He could no longer replace the bone. That is when you began to find the rejected bone.”

“If this is true,” Muthsera Serano replied with a grim tone, “This marriage displeases the ancestors. We will have to send Bolyn back to his family.”

“Let’s not be hasty,” I said quickly. “Perhaps the Canon is mistaken. Bolyn may not be involved at all.”

The Canon laughed at that. “By all means, make sure of my theory, Muthsera Serano. But even if I am right, there may be a less drastic solution to the problem. Adras, I will need to take a look in our temple registers, I may find aid for the Serano family within them”

I was mystified by his comments, but he refused to explain further. In fact, he seemed delighted to keep us in the dark. I took it as a good omen. This reticence usually means he is on the cusp of presenting his audience with a satisfying unforeseen conclusion.

  The good woman went back to her family to confront the unfortunate Bolyn and the Canon went to our archives. He emerged a few days later with a triumphant look and ordered me to summon not only Muthsera Serano but her great-granddaughter and her husband to the temple.

Bolyn Serano, lately Bolyn of House Salvu, was a handsome young mer with a hang-dog face. He had confessed to replacing his ancestor’s bone in the shrine and expected the Canon to dissolve his marriage to his distressed wife Lliana. The Ancestors cannot be gainsaid in these matters.

The Canon, however, welcomed him warmly. “This has been a most confounding mystery,” he continued. “Clearly, the revered ancestors of House Serano have rejected this bone you bought from House Salvu.”

Lliana Serano began weeping then. “Calm yourself, Muthsera," the Canon chided her. "Your ancestors did not reject your husband, merely one of his ancestors.”

“How can you know that?” Bolyn demanded. 

“The Ancestors are not cruel. They linger in our world to bless their descendants. I am satisfied you are a good husband to Lliana, and will uphold the house you have joined. I would not have presided over your marriage rites if I had any doubt.”

This is true. Canon Telvayn is very conscientious in all his Temple duties, and somewhat notorious for refusing to marry couples when he finds the marriage unworthy. 

“I concluded, therefore, that the problem was with the bone itself. Do you know the name of the ancestor from whom the bone came?”

Thankfully, Bolyn knew more about the provenance of his ancestors’ bones than the Serano family did of theirs. He gave us the name of his ancestor, a certain Madres Salvu.

The Canon nodded in recognition. “I have been studying the registers of the Salvu and Serano families. I found a record of a betrothal some three hundred years ago between Madres Salvu and Noveni Serano. However, the betrothal was put aside very soon after.”

“I remember that story,” Vadeni Serano spoke up. “My great-aunt Noveni was left at the Temple door by a scoundrel who was seeing a Khajiit behind her back.”

“The records do not state the identity of his paramour,” the Canon said quickly, a note of annoyance in his voice at this lurid detail of family gossip. “But we can be certain that the spirits of the Serano family were not happy to receive the bone of Madres Salvu into their midst, not after he had jilted Noveni.”

“So what shall we do now?” asked Vadeni Serano.

“Remove the bone, and ask the Salvu family for a less objectionable one. Preferably from someone more recently deceased with no links to this old tragedy.”

“My mother died not long ago,” Bolyn spoke up. “I could ask my father for a piece of her bone.”

“An excellent solution,” the Canon pronounced. “I will await the results with interest.”

They did as the Canon had ordered. The offending bit of bone was placed back in the Salvu family shrine and replaced with a sliver of bone from Bolyn’s mother. A few days later, Vadeni Serano returned to tell us that there was peace now within the alcove. The Serano family had welcomed the newcomer and through her, her son.

This is not the most shocking or complicated case that I have recorded in these pages, but it is elegant in its simplicity, as I told the Canon afterward. He remarked that all mysteries are more simple than they seem, the complications are only in the search for the truth. But as you know, he sees everything rather differently than the rest of us.

Notes:

I read a lot of Sherlock Holmes as a kid. Can you tell?

There's no official lore about mingling ancestors' remains at the Waiting Door, but it seemed like something that might catch on in some Dunmer families. And gave me the idea of ancestors who can't stand the other ancestor and keep knocking his bone to the floor.

[mariana-oconnor]

The Naval Treaty pt 2

Here we are, back again. Last time we learnt about Watson's previous life as a school bully and I took an instant and entirely unsupported-by-the-text dislike to a man named Joseph Harrison because he was described as being nice.

This is also a problem I sometimes have in real life, btw. I am suspicious of people who seem too outwardly open and friendly. My brain assumes that they are hiding something. Maybe my soul is broken.

I'm still convinced he's a secret puppy-murdering villain, though.

"I was a happy and successful man, Mr. Holmes, and on the eve of being married, when a sudden and dreadful misfortune wrecked all my prospects in life."

Look, look, look. If there's one thing these stories have told me it's that in Sherlock Holmes world the time just before you're married is the most dangerous time in your life. Evil parents, lost loves, evil exes and all sorts of foul fiends crawl out of the woodwork of your past and try to drag you down. Engaged people should have constant bodyguards in this world.

"They should not leave my bureau were it not that it is absolutely necessary to have them copied."

I'm feeling like I'm about to have a bit of a rant about opsec and how to protect confidential documents. Percy, if you take this treaty offsite, we're gonna be having words.

“Excuse me an instant,” said Holmes. “Were you alone during this conversation?”

Exactly what I was thinking. Did you take proper precautions before talking about the secret documents that you were going to be moving from their secure location? Was anyone listening at a keyhole?

“My uncle's voice is always remarkably low. I hardly spoke at all.”

His uncle whispers constantly. Is that because he feels like true authority never shouts? Or does he have some sort of a condition? Does he just smoke so much that now he constantly has a rasp?

"One of them in my room, Charles Gorot, had some arrears of work to make up, so I left him there and went out to dine."

You mean he's working on these top secret documents and locking them up in a shared office space. But the other people sharing his office do not have the clearance to work with them? And he just... left the building? With someone else right there?

Nope. Nuhuh. If they're as important and secret as indicated, could he not have a private office for the duration. You said he's working on these after hours, so you could totally lock him in a separate room with a guard on the door (it's a fire hazard, but it's the Victorian Era, so I don't think they cared). Are there no free rooms available in this building at all? Have you never had this situation come up before?

Also, those desk drawer locks are not very secure.

“When I came to examine the treaty I saw at once that it was of such importance that my uncle had been guilty of no exaggeration in what he had said. Without going into details, I may say that it defined the position of Great Britain towards the Triple Alliance, and fore-shadowed the policy which this country would pursue in the event of the French fleet gaining a complete ascendancy over that of Italy in the Mediterranean."

Percy. That's too much detail. No. You don't talk about it. You don't talk about it. Oh my god. You are bad at this. If it's so secret that no one in your office was supposed to know about it's existence in that office, then it's way too secret for you to just go about telling these two guys who just rolled up - one of whom used to beat you with wicket stumps - anything about its contents.

Percy... please...

(image from Wikipedia)

“It was a long document, written in the French language, and containing twenty-six separate articles. I copied as quickly as I could, but at nine o'clock I had only done nine articles, and it seemed hopeless for me to attempt to catch my train."

There is a theme in these stories of people being set tasks to copy out documents that are too long for the copying time allotted. Did ACD have a job as a copyist at some point. This feels like some shade coming from personal experience to me.

A quick glance at his biography doesn't give me any indication of that, but does reference his school being run on 'medieval principles' and I can well imagine that one of the things they were forced to do was copying. But that is only my imagination.

Also, I can empathise so much with Percy here. The 'oh god, I'm going to miss my train and be stuck here if I don't finish this work soon' feeling is real and valid and very upsetting.

"I was feeling drowsy and stupid, partly from my dinner and also from the effects of a long day's work. A cup of coffee would clear my brain."

Accent on the stupid, I fear. Are you about to leave this top secret document on your desk while you go looking for your caffeine fix. Say it ain't so.

"I rang the bell, therefore, to summon him."

I stand corrected. And wow - personal delivery service of hot beverages at the office. How times have changed!

Although, since I now work from home I do get biscuits delivered to my desk every day, so I can't really complain.

“To my surprise, it was a woman who answered the summons, a large, coarse-faced, elderly woman, in an apron. She explained that she was the commissionaire's wife, who did the charing, and I gave her the order for the coffee."

OK, problem number 1 - your own colleagues weren't high enough clearance to be in the room when you're copying this, but the commissionaire is?

Problem number 2 - you don't recognise this lady. She says she's the commissionaire's wife, but do you know that. And even if you do know that, does she have clearance for this document?

ALSO - 'large' and 'coarse-faced' given the time period, this could well be indicative that this is a man disguised as a woman.

“I wrote two more articles and then, feeling more drowsy than ever, I rose and walked up and down the room to stretch my legs. My coffee had not yet come, and I wondered what was the cause of the delay could be."

Oh Percy.

Oh Percy you didn't.

You went and left it sitting on the goddamn desk didn't you?

Clean. Desk. Policy. NEVER LEAVE ANY DOCUMENTS ON YOUR DESK WHEN YOU ARE NOT AT IT. This is basic security protocol if you work with sensitive material, Percy. It's not difficult. This isn't something you do every day so you don't even have the excuse of just forgetting this one time. This is a specific document that you have clearly been told is not to be removed from its locked drawer except in exceptional circumstances. And you're wandering around the halls and leaving it just lying there. After having spoken to a woman you don't know with it right in front of her.

Oooh, we get a map. I love maps.

I thought for a minute the map was going to prove that there was only one corridor between his room and the commissionaire's office, meaning that if anyone went past, he'd see them, making him leaving the document on the desk almost acceptable. But no. There's a second corridor off. The man is a muppet.

Please have this image of an infinitely better Percy to tide you over:

"Then I put out my hand and was about to shake the man, who was still sleeping soundly, when a bell over his head rang loudly, and he woke with a start."

First instinct is that he was drugged.

But the commissionaire seems to know about the coffee... which he wouldnt' if the woman hadn't told him about it. So was she his wife? Was I off track with that? Or is she telling different lies to both parties?

“‘If you was here, sir, then who rang the bell?’ he asked.

GHOSTS!

I mean, no, but once again we have a horror movie sort of line.

“A cold hand seemed to close round my heart. Some one, then, was in that room where my precious treaty lay upon the table. I ran frantically up the stair and along the passage. There was no one in the corridors, Mr. Holmes. There was no one in the room. All was exactly as I left it, save only that the papers which had been committed to my care had been taken from the desk on which they lay. The copy was there, and the original was gone.”

I know I say this a lot but: Oh no! Who could ever have foreseen that this would happen? What a totally unpreventable occurrence! Clearly nothing could have been done to stop this. Fate is so cruel.

So nice of them to leave the unfinished copy, though.

“I recognized in an instant that the thief must have come up the stairs from the side door. Of course I must have met him if he had come the other way.”

Wow, look at that braincell chugging along. If only you had thought of this before.

"It was quarter to ten.” “That is of enormous importance,” said Holmes, making a note upon his shirt-cuff.

Obviously.

I feel like this might be because of train times. We had that comment before about Percy being afraid he'd miss his train, and now the time is important. Train timetables are where my brain automatically went to. Quick! To the Bradshaw's!

“‘Ah, that is only my wife,’ cried the commissionaire; ‘has no one else passed?’"

So either the wife is involved, or his wife is currently being impersonated. Which is a difficult task to pull off to the person's spouse, so I'm inclined to believe that his wife is just tall and coarse-faced and in league with Joseph Harrison (Stop looking at me like that! He'll be involved somehow. 'How could he possibly have known about Percy copying the treaty?' you ask. I don't know, there are two more parts of this story left. That guy's bad news. I feel it.)

“But I was not satisfied, and the attempts which he made to draw me away increased my suspicions. “‘Which way did the woman go?’ I cried. “‘I don't know, sir. I noticed her pass, but I had no special reason for watching her. She seemed to be in a hurry.’"

Like she was smuggling stolen documents???

Also, Percy is engaging his brain here. It might not be the right solution, but at least he isn't just blindly trusting that the commissionaire's wife is fine. She saw the document, he hasn't seen her since, she left after the document was stolen.

“‘You're only wasting your time, sir, and every minute now is of importance,’ cried the commissionaire; ‘take my word for it that my old woman has nothing to do with it, and come down to the other end of the street."

OK, commissionaire's also sus. We do not trust him. Maybe he isn't married at all. Maybe he's just been paid off by Joseph Harrison who is posing as his wife with a paisley scarf.

Still doesn't solve the question of how Harrison would know about the document. Unless the commissionaire was paid to tip him off about anything weird going on so he could capitalise on it. Possible.

It also doesn't explain the bell.

Why the bell? Why summon them back to the room when you're about to make your escape? I can't think of a reason for that to be a good idea. Although we only have the commissionaire's word it was the bell in Percy's office. Could have been any bell. But even then, why did they need him to find the documents gone right then and there?

Always possible someone was standing behind the door when they came in and in his panic Percy just didn't think to look around at that point. Classic locked room mystery trick, although this time there wasn't even a locked room.

“‘16 Ivy Lane, Brixton,’ he answered. ‘But don't let yourself be drawn away upon a false scent, Mr. Phelps. Come to the other end of the street and let us see if we can hear of anything.’"

This is a reasonable line for the commissionaire to take if the lady is his wife, but at the same time, there's something about the way in which it is phrased that still fills me with suspicion. 'don't let yourself be drawn away upon a false scent' is so very odd a way to say it. You'd expect more protesting his wife's innocence. The values of her character that mean she would never. This reads like someone who is very intent that Percy should indeed be drawn away upon a false scent, just the one he's dangling in front of him.

“Nothing was to be lost by following his advice."

Nooooo. Percy. You should have kept going. Believe in yourself. Sure, up to this point you've been pretty rubbish at this whole spy thing, but these were good instincts.

“How is it, then, that the woman who came into the room about nine left no traces with her muddy boots?” “I am glad you raised the point. It occurred to me at the time. The charwomen are in the habit of taking off their boots at the commissionaire's office, and putting on list slippers.”

This did not occur to me, but cool little bit of evidence, and nice to see Percy using his brain again. The man clearly used wisdom as a dump stat, but his intelligence is pretty high.

“We examined the room also. There is no possibility of a secret door, and the windows are quite thirty feet from the ground. Both of them were fastened on the inside. The carpet prevents any possibility of a trap-door, and the ceiling is of the ordinary whitewashed kind. I will pledge my life that whoever stole my papers could only have come through the door.”

Our options are these: it was the wife, or it was a third person who hid behind the door when you came into the room and then escaped while you were busy chasing after the thief you assumed had already left. The ringing of the bell makes no sense in either of these cases because it would be easier to just walk out without attracting attention back to where you are. it's not like they needed you to unlock the door. Why did the bell ring? Was it an accident?

“They use none. There is a stove. The bell-rope hangs from the wire just to the right of my desk. Whoever rang it must have come right up to the desk to do it. But why should any criminal wish to ring the bell? It is a most insoluble mystery.”

Precisely! I'm sure it's not insoluble, but as the case stands currently, I cannot make it make sense unless it was a mistake. But pulling a bell by accident is a strange sort of accident to have.

A young woman opened the door, who proved to be Mrs. Tangey's eldest daughter. Her mother had not come back yet, and we were shown into the front room to wait. “About ten minutes later a knock came at the door, and here we made the one serious mistake for which I blame myself. Instead of opening the door ourselves, we allowed the girl to do so. We heard her say, ‘Mother, there are two men in the house waiting to see you,’"

That's your serious mistake?

I mean, yeah, it's bad, but I think that is just the most recent in a series.

OK, so either the commissionaire has a wife OR the young woman is also caught up in this affair. It's becoming more convoluted to believe the commissionaire is involved, but if he isn't involved then are we to assume that old woman number 1 was indeed his wife and old woman 2 was an imposter. Or are they both his wife and he just doesn't know she's involved. He is sus, but his involvement makes everything more complicated and to occam's razor the thing, one thief is more likely than a conspiracy.

“Then for the first time the horror of my situation came in its full force. Hitherto I had been acting, and action had numbed thought. I had been so confident of regaining the treaty at once that I had not dared to think of what would be the consequence if I failed to do so."

Percy isn't very good at thinking ahead, apparently.

"It was horrible. Watson there would tell you that I was a nervous, sensitive boy at school."

Maybe that was because people beat you with sticks.

"What though I was the victim of an extraordinary accident? No allowance is made for accidents where diplomatic interests are at stake."

Uh, my dude. This wasn't an accident. This was negligence. You should totally be fired for this. Sorry.

"Here I have lain, Mr. Holmes, for over nine weeks, unconscious, and raving with brain-fever.[...]Slowly my reason has cleared, but it is only during the last three days that my memory has quite returned."

90% that the motive was not political because after 9 weeks there's no way a political threat hasn't already taken the papers and used them. No way of resolving that. But these stories often end with 'well, we can't get the bad guy', so maybe not. But I can't see them doing that in a case of national security because they tend to be fairly patriotic. It has to be somewhere close for there to be any chance of recovering the treaty.

"If you fail me, then my honor as well as my position are forever forfeited.”

You should already have lost your position. The only reason for you keeping it right now is nepotism. You were given a top secret document. You, through negligence, allowed it to be stolen. That's not even a vaguely unreasonable dismissal.

“There is one of the very utmost importance, however. Did you tell any one that you had this special task to perform?”

This is the one sticking point for my Joseph Harrison blame party. How would he have known? Unless he didn't know how important the document was, but then what's even the point?

"The authorities are excellent at amassing facts, though they do not always use them to advantage. What a lovely thing a rose is!”

Holy non sequitur, Batman!

“There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion,” said he, leaning with his back against the shutters. “It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.”

O...kay... Objection: relevance?

“You suspect some one?” “I suspect myself.” “What!” “Of coming to conclusions too rapidly.”

Not helpful, Holmes.

“Then go to London and test your conclusions.” “Your advice is very excellent, Miss Harrison,” said Holmes, rising. “I think, Watson, we cannot do better. Do not allow yourself to indulge in false hopes, Mr. Phelps. The affair is a very tangled one.”

Oof, Miss Harrison is very direct. I like that. I hope she isn't involved, but I can't currently see a motive for her. 'Stop talking about roses and go do your job.' Heh.

“He was cold, but not harsh. I dare say my severe illness prevented him from being that. He repeated that the matter was of the utmost importance, and added that no steps would be taken about my future—by which he means, of course, my dismissal—until my health was restored and I had an opportunity of repairing my misfortune.”

I guess firing someone with brain fever does come across as a bit rude. Maybe I'm just mean.

I hope to conclude the tale in my next email.

But it says 2 of 4, Watson?

I'm still sure that Joseph Harrison has something to do with it. Sure, there's literally 0 evidence of that. He hasn't even been mentioned in this section that I've seen. He has no way of knowing about the document, no evidence that he was there. No evidence of motive (except that his sister is getting married and that makes people commit crimes sometimes apparently). But I don't like him, so I will persist.

We've got a mysterious bell, a fleeing woman who may or may not have been the commissionaire's wife and a document that no one should have known Percy had.

The only people who knew about the document were Percy, his uncle and the woman who came to take his coffee order, as far as we know.

So either one of them told someone, the crime was merely opportunity based and not specific to that document, or one of them committed the crime.

We're going to discount Percy because why would he call in Holmes if he did it himself and he's been pretty clear and explicit in his insistence that he did not tell anyone.

His uncle could have told someone. No doubt other people were aware that a copy needed to be made and could have made extrapolations, but that seems too distanced from the narrative at this point. His uncle could have stolen the treaty himself, but it seems unlikely he'd be involved in treason based on what we've seen of him. We have no motive for his treason.

Would the commissionaire's wife be able to read French legalese? Maybe? Was the woman even the commissionaire's wife. Or perhaps the wife herself is uninvolved. She came, took the coffee... but then how would her imposter know about the document?

Whoever the woman who took the coffee order was, they're the only person who had a chance to see the document. But why would anyone think to impersonate the commissionaire's wife if they didn't already know about the treaty? I keep going round in circles.

And the bell is still weird. Accident or lure? But why lure? How accident? Hmmmm...

[derekscorner]

Fated Rantings: Airgetlám

It's been a while, no? Welcome to my 11th (or was it 12th?) march into the Fate series. Albeit it delayed by covid, I finally saw the second of the two Camelot movies.

I made a small post after watching the first movie but I didn't make my usual long post for it since it was one part of two and because I had little to say.

In fact, some of what I said in that post apply to both films. Such as how the pacing feels a bit rushed, some characters change quickly, and some events are moved around or removed.

However, I can't call these faults with the movies since they're adaptions of the FGO mobile game and do not let the "mobile game" moniker fool you, FGO has novel volumes of text.

Some of it's arcs are even written by the original novel writer Nasu. He may be even more involved than that but my development knowledge on FGO isn't as broad as other series.

All that you need to know is that there was no way to compress that full Singularity into a movie just as there's no way to compress FGO into a full anime.

The one FGO anime that does exist just covers one singularity in of itself. (Babylonia Front) That is how each entry is.

So while I won't fault the movies for such things I do still miss certain aspects the mobile text had. Such as the lengths to convince Ozymandias, the hilarious fact that Hassan had beheaded him before the story started, Sherlock Holmes making an appearance, etc.

Instead I'd rather focus on how the movies made story moments full highlights. Such as Arash's sacrifice, it was damn near beautiful. Then you have any scene with Da Vinci in them. There's a fun troll energy to everything she does and I liked seeing it animated.

The glow up of Nitocris also caught me off guard. Her sprite and art in FGO is "eh" but she's downright adorable in these movies...and more powerful than the game gave me an impression of.

I am also glad I got to see at least some of the uneasy tension between Lancelot and Mash. Mash, being possessed by Galahad, Lancelot's son, does not give him any slack. You only see bits of it in the movie but each scene reminded me of the sheer disapproval Galahad has for Lancelot in the game.

For as badass as Lancelot is in legend, for all his power as a spirit, he can't deal with his son and it's amazing.

I also haven't forgotten other characters such as the Hassan's, the mountain people or even our leads Mash and Fujimaru but I will admit I have little to say about them.

The mountain people are shown little for the novel to movie compression reasons I already covered and the Hassan of the Arm and Serenity are good characters but I do not know what add about them.

I do like their characters thanks to the mobile games context but what you see is also what you get. They are great assassin's and the movie gives them great moments.

It would've been hard for them to compete with the original "Old man of the Mountain" anyway. Hassan, the real one, is legitimately intimidating and I looked forward to every scene he was in.

The way he taunts Gawain with the truth just moments after rendering his powerful holy sword useless. The way he just appears or vanishes, Hassan truly is death personified and you see even more of that ambiance in the game. Even a primordial god (tiamat) comes to fear him.

In turn, Mashu and Fujimaru are more or less "just there". Mash gets more interaction than Fujimaru but she does not take spotlight. The most significant of her time is in relation to Sir Galahad who had possessed her when FGO started.

Even then Galahad does not physically appear. He'll talk through Mash toward Lancelot but most of the relation is the other Knights realizing (usually in shock) that he is there thanks to Mash's shield.

You wonder why since Galahad doesn't appear in many movies/shows based on Arthurian legend but the short of it is Galahad's talent.

The Fate Galahad reflects his IRL myth, he was the perfect knight. He was nearly uncontested in swordplay, loyalty, and overall skill. He was the only knight to successfully get the Holy Grail, the real one.

In other words, even if just in spirit, Galahad's presence is to be feared. Him opposing knights is also a clear reminder to them that they're in the wrong because they know Galahad's moral compass is flawless.

Fujimaru felt the most like he was "just there" to me but I expected it in some form since he's just one of the two gender options for the FGO protagonist. A person you're supposed to name and see the PoV of in the game.

I see lots complain about how perfect or "overly good" he can be animated and while I can understand someone finding that annoying I also do not know what they expected. Fujimaru is a stand-in, they took the safe route with him for these films.

Granted, I know some of those complaints are levied at the Babylonia anime which is a bit more fair since it was a full anime production. It's also hard to not feel the flatness of him when you see his opposite, the female option in FGO dubbed "Gudako", being downright chaotic and funny in several Fate productions.

Her appearance in Carnival Phantasm is comedy skit gold and whoever wears her mascot attire in Japan is known for being a chaotic lil shit. I kid you not, look up videos.

And yes, I know that "Fujimaru" refers to both as well as that the male version is often called "Gudao". My point is that our mobile game PoV insert isn't too fleshed out a character nor do they have odd quirks to identify with.

I think this is fine because the two Camelot films aren't about Mash or Fujimaru. No, the true star of these films is Bedivere.

Knights of the Lion, Knight of the Round

I don't even know what to say about this man to get myself started. He, like most of the round table, is a tragic soul. More so in the Singularity than he is in other versions of history.

The movie didn't mention it but the sole reason this singularity existed, the catalyst for history altering, was Bedivere. Lion King Arthur is a result of Bedivere's actions, not the Mage King or the grail.

This movie also reminds me of the thing that pulled me into Fate to begin with, it's odd but loyal use of Arthurian legend. You may see female Arthur and laugh but do understand that King Arthur and his knights are more faithfully portrayed in Fate than they are most modern western media.

Bedivere is no exception. Everything from his personality to his fake arm are a nod to it. I'm not sure how true it is in Fate's history but the earliest versions of our history portray Bedivere as missing a hand (or arm) and while handsome he was not among Athur's most well known or even skilled knights.

He, however, was the most loyal. Galahad excelled in all areas but most knights matched (if not surpassed him) in one and for Bedivere that was loyalty.

That loyalty is shown in every version of Arthur's myth with his death. Bedivere was the one at his side when he died and he was the one that thrice approached the lake to return Excalibur.

It is also here where this version of Bedivere failed, in the final moment he was not loyal.

He could not accept Arthur's death and did not return the sword as instructed. That single act altered history and doomed it because Arthur was not by her tree when Bedivere returned.

He knew that Excalibur made her ageless & immortal but he didn't know that her holy spear Rhongomyniad did the same thing. By denying her Arthur's destined death she also held onto the spear and became a wandering spirit.

You see, the thing about gods in Fate is that many were originally something else before human faith and worship elevated them into a god. What Bedivere had no way of knowing is that centuries of wandering with a holy spear would eventually turn Arthur into a god or "divine spirit".

And this is more tragic than you can fathom because gods in Fate do not comprehend humanity. They are affected by it but they do not think on the same level and what they deem rational a person will not.

The great sin Bedivere committed here was rob King Arthur of her human heart. Something that her subjects already doubted that she had.

A good deal of Bedivere's guilt is see in the two movies as he realizes what exactly he has done.

He already felt guilt before the movies started and he was already warned by Merlin that the end of his journey would be rough but he didn't realize the extent of those words.

He, now ageless due to Excalibur, spent 1500yrs looking for Arthur hoping to apologize. A truly grueling punishment within the Fate series because souls, like bodies, degrade.

Your "essence" will go back to "the root" when you die but a soul can degrade overtime if left clinging to the mortal plane. For many, this results in their mind breaking and going mad.

Even the gods only thrive as long as the civilization that believes in them does. Nothing is eternal and that is the lesson Bedivere had to learn in the movies.

That's why I say that he is the star of this story. Over two films he has to learn that everything ends and that endings have meaning. Something doesn't just vanish when it's over.

He could not accept that Camelot was over or that Arthur was meant to be over.

Idolism

For many reading this you probably ponder "why?" but the movie also answers there albeit it in spurts. The best window into his loyalty and guilt is seen in how he reacts to the other knights.

Many of them look down on Bedivere even if they also praise his loyalty to the king to the point that him standing against the Lion King shocks them.

Even then, they see Bedivere as beneath them. Mordred especially chides Bedivere harshly for weakness. But what's telling is his words and replies to them, especially Mordred.

Bedivere looks down upon himself. Even after 1500yrs he does not understand why Arthur made him a knight when he's essentially just a normal person.

He was not blessed by faeries, he did not have a holy sword or other magical weapons...in Fate. Irl he supposedly had a magic spear but Fate seems to have forgone that.

In Bedivere's mind he's outclassed by the Knights of the Round in every possible aspect. Even his loyalty, the thing that the other knights were say he's best known for, is lacking in his eyes.

That does not mean Bedivere is a depressed or self loathing individual either...well originally. He's very harsh on himself in the movies for what he's caused but there's no indication he was that way originally.

He was truly at a loss as to why Arthur made him a knight and fully believed himself inadequate for the role but worked his hardest anyway.

This eventually put him in the pitfall that nearly everyone fell into, they idolized Arthur. All of the knights in the movie have flaws in their logic due to their idolized views and it's reflected in their words and oath to the Lion King.

Mordred & Agravain are possibly the biggest victims of this mindset but they're a topic for another day. What is unique here is that Bedivere wanted to see Arthur's true smile or see her drop the ideal king act.

This was not for any grand or selfish reasons Bedivere just wished for his king to be happy in a sense. Ironically, he too only ever saw the perfect king and could not let them go.

Even at the end of the movie I wonder if he ever truly understood Arthur. Because when I saw the film, the flashbacks, I didn't just see the tragedy of Bedivere's quilt and choice but I saw what Arthur saw.

Personally, I think that Artoria valued the normalcy of Bedivere. He truly was not blessed by faeries, heaven, or by magical blades. He was a guy that tried his best and he saw things the way a normal person would.

I can't say to what extent of course but I do think she saw true value in what he saw as shortcomings with himself.

Either way, these movies are truly beautiful and what makes them so isn't just the animation or OST but the tragedy that is Bedivere.

Other Knights and Conclusions

As said earlier, Mordred is a topic for another day and I've already talked about Lancelot in my Fate Zero post. In fact, the Lancelot here seems either loyal in spite of what happened to Guinevere or because of it.

Had the other knights not referenced his betrayal I'd have assumed he was summoned lacking those memories.

And I haven't read the 'Garden of Avalon' novel to truly know about the whole round table. Let alone Tristan who is infamous for the line about “The king does not understand the hearts of men.” which is misinterpreted.

Not in the sense that it's mistranslated but in the sense that how people took his words both in-story and out were not his intented feelings.

And I know next to nothing about Gawain in Fate other than he, like many, was a child of Morgan. Much of the chaos in Camelot was either direct or indirect thanks to Morgan's relationship to her children.

Agravain is a fascinating case study due to his nature. He famously hates women despite his king being a woman and it's thanks to his relation to his mother Morgan.

A trait he shares with Mordred oddly enough. Both have a complex relationship to Arthur based solely on how their mother warped them.

You can also see Agravain's dynamic with Lancelot in the movies. There's a disdain there and Lancelot is quick to suspect him despite being a betrayer. This is presumably due to Agravain exposing Lancelot's affair in life.

It is also due to people misreading Agravain's intent. He often appeals to Arthur's kingly or inhuman side and many assumed he was trying to run a shadow kingdom but Agravain was just trying to help his ideal king the best way he knew how.

He, to the disbelief of many, is actually very loyal to the king and country. His actions and feelings are just complex due to his hatred of Morgan and women compounded with his ideal king being a woman herself.

One day if I manage to read the novel I may come back to give Agravain a proper post since he fascinates me.

For now though I think I'll stop and focus on the Mordred post while it's fresh in my mind.

I can't really think of anything else in-depth to add. These movies are amazing, especially if you view it as Bedivere's story more so than an adaption of Fujimaru's.

The animation is godly and the scene of Bedivere returning Arthur's sword and her heart/memories with it is beautiful. The music is beautiful.

The OST for that scene is 'walk by' btw. Go give it a listen, bye now~

=============================

For my other experiences with Fate go here: https://derekscorner.tumblr.com/tagged/fated-rantings

[alias-sam]

Pierced by a Golden Soul

Chapter 39. (Don't Fear) the Reaper Part 1

Platonic Jojo's x Reader

Summary: Fate is a bizarre concept with countless more bizarre implications. In life sometimes such extraordinary events happen that the only reasoning left must be fate. The tragedies that constantly befall the Joestar bloodline for example may be the unluckiest series of cards drawn in human history, or perhaps the work of a greater power. There is no way to tell for sure. Had Dio Brando or Jonathan Joestar moved slightly on a divergent path the world itself would be left very different. The fate or luck of the noble Joestar bloodline has led to destruction of evil likes of the Pillar Men and DIO. This story is of a similar caliber to that of the other Joestars (as I am sure you are familiar with them). This is a story of lost souls, compassion, hope, and above all fate.

Word Count: 2,967

(Crosspost from Wattpad, full fic is already posted there.)

"Umi! We're here!" Vita called as he led you inside his home.

"Sommar?" A woman wearing a hijab stepped out into the entryway to intercept a hug from Vita. She was young, but her face was unjustly aged by stress and exhaustion. The smile that crossed her face upon seeing her son was genuine and warm.

"Sommar....?" You murmured to yourself in quiet confusion.

You were caught off guard at first when you came upon the large three-story house. Noticing your surprise as you walked up the driveway, Vita explained his father owned a rather successful oyster and fishing business. Before that moment you never really stopped to wander about what Vita's home life was like.

Apparently, he was loaded.

Now you were standing in the entryway of the fanciest home you had ever seen as Vita hugged his mother. When the two eventually separated, Vita's mother turned your way.

"You must be Sommar's friend." Her voice was gentile, and fairly quiet.

"Yes ma'am. Y/n Jones." You nodded and politely shook the woman's hand.

"Wonderful to meet you." She pat her son on the shoulder. "Dinner isn't quite ready yet. You two go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll let you know when it's done." Vita ushered you through the large house to a staircase.

"So.... Sommar?" You asked as you followed Vita to the second floor. It had occurred to you that Vita exclusively used his last name at school.

"Right." He sighed, ducking his head for a moment. "Guess I never told you my first name."

"Why don't you use it?"

"I just don't like it I guess." Vita shrugged. "It's the name my birth father gave me." He suddenly stopped on the steps in front of you and turned around. "I'd prefer if you kept calling me Vita."

"Sure, no problem." You smiled. Vita nodded appreciatively before bringing you down a long hallway to his bedroom. He opened the door and you followed from behind. "Oh... wow." The walls were plastered with a unique assortment of movie posters and anatomical sketches of various insects. Your attention was drawn to one poster in particular. "Tsukumojuku Kato?" You mumbled, reading the jumble of letters at the bottom of the movie poster. There was a picture of a boy, looking whimsically off into the distance while holding a magnifying glass. The stereotypical image of a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective came to mind just looking at the character.

"He's the main character in a book series, 'The Locked Room Mysteries'." Vita commented, coming to stand next to you. "Not many people like the movies, but they're my absolute favorite."

"What's the series about?"

"You wouldn't believe me." Vita giggled. You looked at him unimpressed. Vita sighed. "A lot of people don't like the story because it's completely insane. I enjoyed reading it because of the insanity. Sometimes something can be critically bad but ironically good." You still didn't look impressed, in fact you had only grown more skeptical. "I'll tell you this:" Vita relented. "One minor turning point in the mystery involves an invisible polar bear. I won't say anything else because I don't want to spoil anything."

"What about these?" You asked, shifting your gaze to your friend's bookshelf. It held a collection of numbered books that were lined up so that the design on the spines formed the image of a boy wearing a pink suit and a weird hat.

"Pink Dark Boy. It's my favorite manga series."

"I can see that." You laughed looking at the bookshelf filled with only the manga series and it's merchandise. Before you knew it you were curiously flipping through a random volume. "You told me about these before." You stopped when you found yourself unable to read the words. "Are these in Japanese?"

"Yep. There isn't an official English translation of it, but I learned the language."

"Impressive." You flipped through a few more pages, admiring the artwork. "These are some great drawings. A little gory..." You mentioned as you came across a rather detailed image of a disemboweled spider. "But intriguing."

"Rohan Kishibe is the best!" Vita assured you excitedly. You could almost see little stars appear in his eyes as he gushed about the artist. "If you'd like, I could translate the first few volumes so you can read them."

"I'd appreciate that." You said, closing the book and putting it back in its rightful place. "Maybe you could teach me a thing or two in Japanese." You turned to your friend, only to find Vita staring off into space at the wall. "V?"

"Right!" Vita's head suddenly snapped to the other side of the room where a few shelves with glass cases were situated. He removed the tops from two of the glass boxes and retched a hand in both. Soon, Vita returned to your side with a beetle gently cradled in each hand. "These are Harvey and Rodger!" Vita held up the creatures so that you could get a good look at them. "Harvey here is a Rosenbergi beetle I bought while my family was visiting Indonesia." You took a slight step back as the gold-colored beetle tried crawling out of Vita's outstretched hand. "Rodger is a Dorcus Palawanicus my mom bought me when she was visiting the Philippines."

"Lovely..." You smiled wearily at your friend. As you watched the creepy crawlies roam around on Vita's hands your memory flashed back to a comment Tim had made.

This wasn't necessarily a red flag, just a quirk. You hoped so at least.

"There's also Jacques, Enzo, and Johana." Vita pointed back at other glass cases scattered around the room. There were so many beetles, all from different parts of the world. You kept a fair distance as Vita returned his pets to their glass enclosures. As he was tending to that, you noticed a TV and game console tucked away on the other side of the room.

"I didn't know you like video games." You said, curiously picking up a game cartridge. "37 Cars on Mars?"

"I don't think I could explain that one even if I tried."

.............

After you initial exploration of Vita's room and subsequent introduction to the beetles he called his friends, you and Vita got to work on your project. It was a long arduous process, but with each other's company it wasn't so bad. Every once in awhile if Vita noticed you losing focus, he'd make a comment or joke to keep you engaged. When Vita looked like he was dosing off you would ask a question about his beetles. Despite his quirks and obvious social ineptitude, he was a very passionate about his interests, as well as a hard worker. Two hours later you and Vita finally decided to take a break. Due to your combined efforts, the project had progressed faster than expected. At this point, you were practically finished. You leaned back, stretching out your back. Vita wobbled over to his bed and collapsed onto it face first.

"Tired?" You asked sarcastically. Vita rolled over to face you.

"Yes." He groaned. "But I guess it's not so bad." Vita smiled. "You've been fun to work with."

"You too. I wouldn't mind doing this again." You replied, standing to once again look over Vita's extensive Pink Dark Boy collection. As you were flipping through what looked like a special New Years addition you heard a loud car's engine. Vita's eyes widened before he suddenly bolted up and ran to the window.

"You have got to be kidding me." He groaned. Confused, you followed your friend. You looked outside where a red car rolling up the driveway. The monster of a vehicle shut off and a man stepped out.

"Who is that?" You asked. He was an older man, his hair and beard were already a mixed gray and white. You got a good look at his scowling face as he stomped towards the house's front door.

"My stepdad." Vita sighed. "He wasn't supposed to be back for another few hours." Your friend glared down at his front yard before heading towards the door.

"He doesn't look very happy." You observed before turning to Vita. "You don't seem all that happy either." There was an obvious shift in Vita's demeanor that you just couldn't ignore. His expression had darkened, similar to how he looked when you met up with him earlier.

"Dinner's ready." Vita's mother called from downstairs just as he was reaching for the doorknob.

"Would be rude to keep them waiting." Vita grimaced before turning to your concerned face. "This should be interesting." With that, Vita led you out into the hallway. The light in Vita's eyes had exhausted. It was worrying how dull his demeanor became. He didn't say a word as he led you through his house. As the two of you were passing by an adjacent hallway you saw a silhouette out of the corner of your eye. Intrigued and confused you stopped in your tracks and took two steps back to peer down the darkened corridor. A pair of bright yellow eyes stared back. You jumped back immediately from shock. Vita stopped and looked at your panicked expression.

"W-who?" You stuttered, pointing down the pitch-black hallway at the approaching figure.

"What are you talking about?" Vita went to your side and followed where you were pointing. "Oh, hi Mannesh." Vita waved as a younger boy stepped into the light where you could see him. "Jojo, this is my brother Mannesh." Vita happily introduced you.

The younger boy looked like a slightly shorter version of Vita. Both boys shared a sepia, reddish-brown complexion. Their hair was the same dark brown, but Vita's hair was more wavy in comparison to his brother's loose curls. You noticed the most striking difference between the two was their eye color. Mannesh's eyes were a distinct shining yellow, while Vita's were a deep red-orange.

"Nice to meet you..." You held out an awkward hand to the boy who'd just jump-scared you.  It was a bit pitiful that you were shaking at the sight of a nine-year-old, but in your defense it seemed the brothers shared an innate ability to be intimidating without trying. Mannesh glanced at your hand before sidestepping you and heading downstairs.

"Don't take it personally." Vita chimed upon noticing your expression. "He's... not all that social."

"It's fine." You assured.

"Mannesh has his quirks. One of those misunderstood kid geniuses, ya'know? He'll be nicer if he doesn't see you as a stranger."

........

You and Vita came downstair just in time to watch Vita's stepfather stomp through the living room. He glared at Vita's mother before shoving the door to an adjacent room open and slamming it closed behind him. Vita's mother smiled nervously upon realizing you Vita and Mannesh saw the interaction.

You did your best to ignore the awkward atmosphere created by Vita's stepfather. Though, it was hard not to notice the tired and depressed expressions around the quiet dinner table. The koshari was delicious, but the mood spoiled it. There was enough tension you could cut it with a knife.

It wasn't until twenty minutes later when Vita's stepfather finally reappeared. He padded into the kitchen and upon coming back to the dining room with an open beer in hand. Vita's stepfather stopped in the doorway to look at you strangely. You stared back upon noticing him.

"Hi..." You greeted cautiously. He was intimidating, the stereotypical image of an old sailor, white hair, beard, and a face squinted into a permanent scowl. He seemed a fair bit older than Vita's mother.

"Who the hell are you?"

"A friend?" You answered, highly confused.

"Sommar who the hell is this?"

"A friend." Vita responded curtly, not looking up from his plate. The man growled and turned back to you.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Visiting your son?" You answered, still confused by the sudden interrogation.

"Get the hell out of my house."

"Um-" You glanced around the table before looking back at the man. "Why?"

"Why?" The man mocked your voice. "You did not get my permission to be here." You once again looked around the table for some kind of cue or help from Vita or his mother, but their eyes were both downcast.

"Are you being serious?" You were oddly tempted to laugh given the situation.

"Deathly." The man seethed. Vita tensed and looked like he was about to protest, but you decided not to escalate the situation any further. You had no idea of what was going on, and didn't want to cause any trouble.

"Alright then." You stood up from the table, looking over to Vita's mother. "Ma'am thank you for the meal. It was lovely."

With that, you simply left the house. It was around time for you to be heading home, and you were done with your work anyway. You looked down the empty street as shadows crept across the ground from the shifting storm clouds above.

"Y/n wait!" You turned about to find Vita running after you. The front door of the house flew open.

"Sommar!" Vita's stepfather yelled. "You better get back in here!"

"I'll be back in a minute!" Vita snapped, surprising both you and the old man. Your friend waited until his father closed the door to speak again. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, you could also sense a hint of embarrassment. "I'm really sorry about all of that. I should have warned you."

"It's fine." You tried reassuring the boy. After facing a gaggle of guys who you knew literally wanted to kill you, this was nothing. "Some people just have bad days. I get that."

"Everyday is a bad day with him." Vita looked down guiltily. "He...doesn't like having people over, he's paranoid about things getting stolen."

"You don't need to worry about it. I for one can handle a grumpy middle aged man-" You stopped mid-sentence as you noticed Vita wobbling, and his face turning a shade lighter. "Are you okay? You don't look so good..."

"Y-yeah-" Vita responded airily. "But maybe I should sit down." The guy looked like he was about to fall over, so you weren't going to argue. You helped him down to sit on the concrete driveway. "Sorry, I just got dizzy for a second."

"No need to apologize." You insisted while making yourself comfortable sitting next to him.

"Believe it or not this is what a good day looks like for me." Vita laughed humorlessly.

"What?"

"Severe anemia, weak immune system, and a constant vitamin deficiency no matter how many supplements I take. That's just listing a few." Vita coughed dryly. You had seen Vita's eyes light up, darken, flare with anger, but right now, he looked empty compared to the creepily cheery character you knew. "I'm a whole cocktail of broken parts." Vita did his best to hide it, but you noticed the shine of tears welling up in his eyes. "But it's fine. I still lead as normal a life as I know how. I'm a bad fever away from a coffin anyway, might as well live as best I can."

"Vita..." You trailed off, caught completely off guard from the sudden confession. He seemed really out of it. His head was bobbing slowly in every direction as if it was too heavy for him to keep up. You noticed his skin still looked sickly, and lighter than normal. Ultimately, you decided to let him talk. Vita obviously had some things he needed to say. The least you could do was listen.

"It's kinda sad really." Vita continued, letting a single tear roll down his face. "I spent my whole childhood in and out of hospitals to the point my only friend growing up was my own mother." His shoulders shook as he held back a sob. "She left behind her life and family in Cairo to marry an asshole and move to America-" Vita's voice cracked and he took a moment to steady himself. "All for me...I guess that's one reason I never quite got along with classmates. I wasn't healthy enough to attend in person until middle school. I went in with no knowledge of social cues whatsoever." Vita shook his head and wiped away a few stray tears. "I don't really care what other people think, I never have. But that doesn't make it less lonely." He paused and looked up at you with reddened eyes. "Maybe that's why I like you so much Y/n. You're weird, like me."

"We both have terrible dads, that's for sure." You muttered offhandedly. "I guess we don't particularly take a shine to normal social activities either." You didn't understand how that made you 'weird' like him, but you decided to roll with it.

"Indeed." Vita breathed, expression finally lightening. "I'm really glad that fate or whatever brought us together for this project. I know you were really intimidated by me that first time we talked, but you were nice enough to never spread rumors or spit in my face." Vita looked away sadly. "Or call me a freak."

"Those are some low standards buddy." You noted sarcastically. That made him laugh. You couldn't help but smile at the fact you cheered him up a little, the moment was spoiled for you however when you realized a light rain was sprinkling across your back.

"All jokes aside..." Vita sighed. "The first time we really talked... I got this weird feeling. This strange pulling sensation." His hand slowly went to his shoulder. "I don't know how to explain it."

"I think it's about time you head inside." You said, barely paying attention to what the boy was saying now that the rain was getting heavier. "Sitting out in the rain can't be good for your condition."

"It's not." Vita groaned. "Oh!" He said reaching behind himself. "I think this is yours." He had your umbrella. You had left in such a rush earlier you forgot to grab it.

"Thanks." You said, taking the item back gratefully. "See you tomorrow?"

"Not if I see you first." Vita responded with a smile and awkward head tilt.

There was the usual creepiness you were missing.

[paigebbooks]

I have completed my book review on goodreads about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Careful. Read at own risk as from here on it consists of spoilers.

My gosh was this ever a hard book to even get into. I literally had to force myself to read it to see if it got any better and luckily it did but unfortunately not until 100+ pages in and that disappointed me. I am glad that once I got into it, I couldn't put it down and I believe some areas can be shrunk or excluded entirely as I found them not important to the storyline or distracting.

I felt like I was Sherlock Holmes trying to figure out the mystery before the characters solved it. I was pleasantly surprised by the twist of events in the story as things unfolded and was mildly surprised on who was the culprit. Although I feel it would have been better if it was one of the women from the family instead of Harriets own father. I mean her father makes sense to but Stieg brings you on this journey where you think it is Cecilia or Herald or even Henrik himself in the end. All three of these people would have also been great substitutes as a murder instead of Martin. Heck even Martin's mother would have been a great fitting explanation as they talk on how crappy of a mother she was as she was blind to the criminal activity in her household.

I grew attached to Salander. I seriously was able to relate to her in many ways and I felt like I should protect her. When I read the wrong-doings done to her, I was disgusted to the point I couldn't continue reading. They were just so graphic. I don't like how Stieg writes her as if she is some simple minded, aggressive, idiot because she is exactly the opposite. She is closed off because of how the system has treated her when she was young. Her trust in people has been shot down so many times that it is riddled with holes that are next to impossible to repair. Only Mikael was able to really start mending her back together because he helped understand who she is, he helped her understand her mind where everyone else called her a freak. He called her a genius because she has a photographic memory, a memory billions would kill for and to not think of it as a curse but as a great gift. He looked at her as human being and didn't press her on her personal life. He left her alone when she wanted to be alone. In a way her understood her better than anyone which made her drop her guard and start trusting him. It made me upset that at the end of the book when she was going over to his place to give him a surprise christmas gift, that Mikael walks out of the bar with Erika, his close friend and occasional lover. I was able to feel the betrayal and the hurt that Salandar felt and I just wanted to hug her. Truly remarkable writing. Highly recommend.

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Hooray to another year down! Honestly, this has been one of my best years. I'm super excited to share some of my accomplishments.

My Totals

Fandom(s) Written For: The Adventures of Tintin, Dungeon Meshi (new for me this year!), The Hobbit, Sherlock

Pairings Written For: Bagginshield, Bifur x Oin, Chilshi, Filori, Haddotin, Mortson, Nwalin

Number of Works (Total on AO3): 67

Number of Completed Works for 2024: 23

And Watch Them Grow

Back in the Game

Behind the Money

Beneath the Oak Tree

Breaking the Rules

Bruise and Batter My Heart

Chasing Dreams

Cooking is Better with Company

Dwalin Guards Thorin's Heart

Every Wedding Has a Few Disasters

Ghost of a Chance (FINALLY!)

Give Floating a Try

Guarding Alliances

Labamrazûkh'azghu

Learning What It Means to Be You

The Love of Mahal's Children

Most Valuable Treasure in Erebor

My Love is a Language for You to Interpret

Seeing Stars

A Story of Home

True Loathe's Kiss

Until Our Next Encounter (collab with @fantasyinallforms)

A Welcome Change of Pace

Total Word Count: 273K

Average Chapter Word Count: 3584.49

Events Participated In: Swapped Age, Same Love Haddotin Zine, Fandom Trumps Hate, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Collab

Biggest Percent of the Year’s Writing Dedicated to: Ambassador to Madness 10.7%

January: SOS Oneshots 35.8%

February: Ambassador to Madness 29.1%

March: SOS Oneshots 38.5%

April: SOS Oneshots 33.2%

May: Ambassador to Madness 28.9% June: Oakenshield’s Fourteen 12.9%

July: Beneath the Oak Tree 16.5%

August: Birthday Plot Bunnies Tournament 13.6%

September: The Twelve Transformations of Bilbo Baggins 17.1%

October: Trick or Treat Prompts 22.3%

November: Just Out of Reach 24.2%

December: Labamrazûkh'azghu 43.6%