#sherlock holmes is sherlock holmes. casey selmore is casey selmore.

[aroacettorney]

sometimes i do wonder if those people who keep complaining about casey selmore being sherlock holmes bootleg/wannabe realise how boring aup would be if she was literally sherlock holmes. it would entirely change the genre and plot focus.

like, despite her first introduction, her main role in aup is not to be ludgers archnemesis, but his foil character. she is there to highlight, contrast, challenge his pov with regard to the unfairness of the world, and offer a different approach to his problems.

her deductions are not always perfect, because she is not sherlock holmes.

her judgment is sometimes biased and emotional, because she is not sherlock holmes.

her sense of justice in some regards is not absolute and can be shaken, because she is not sherlock holmes.

her purpose every time is not solving a case, because she is not sherlock holmes.

if anything, these differences are what make her indefinitely more unique/interesting *and* reasonably more relevant to the plot. not to mention, how are you gonna give character development to an already well-rounded character?

if i want a 1:1 sherlock holmes adaption, i would just simply go reread arthur conan doyle works. goddamnit.

[humanoidtyphoons]

ludger cherish, as casually as he can: hey, this waterfall. does it have a name?

casey selmore, oblivious to any sherlock holmes references: ???? no??? why would there be a name for a waterfall no one goes to???

ludgar cherish, visibly trying not to vibrate in excitement: ah! then i shall call it raihenbach. as a treat!

me: HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT YOUR ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS SHERLOCK/MORIARTY ROLEPLAY TO HAPPEN, MY GOOD MAN???? THIS MIGHT AS WELL BE A LOVE CONFESSION OH MY GOD!!!!

[aroacettorney]

tbh its kinda disappointing that aup focused so much on the power struggle between marias and casey to conclude their sibling arc when their conflict was much more subtle/psychological and had little to do with whether they could beat each other into submission.

marias didnt corner casey and scare her into agreeing to an engagement/arranged marriage just by force, as it would have ruined the reputation of both of them. instead, she seems to have given casey extremely generous terms when it comes to choosing her own love interest, but thats only because she lowkey already knew its not gonna happen, fully aware that casey had zero interests in love or romance.

the deal between them was rigged against casey from the start, and it was even done under the guise of giving casey a fair chance to fight for her own happiness. casey, being herself — living only in the present, gave it a lick and a promise without any second thought, not knowing that even her reaction was also a part of marias's grand scheme to put casey under her control.

marias was absolutely certain of her win against her beloved sister, which was why she didnt even bother to check up on how casey was actually doing before sending the letter to call her home, but miraculously for casey, ludger agreed to help and everyone in the entire continent for some reasons seemed to be convinced there was something that ambiguously could be romance between them.

marias is the extraordinarily cunning politician archetype of character — one that is on a par with eileen von exilion in terms of foxiness and cannot simply be defeated through brute force or sheer strength, while casey is... casey, ever straightforward in her problem solving approach. casey might have won in terms of raw power but it would still mean nothing if she couldnt outwit marias. the fight between the selmore sisters didnt end with the holy war; it barely just started.

[humanoidtyphoons]

eeek!!!! ludger cherish screams internally and quickly turns around bc he’s a mouse and desperate to remain inconspicuous, freaking out for a moment because how did his sherlock holmes find him???? before taking a deep breath and reassuring himself that casey selmore don’t have a clue what’s going on and how is a protagonist this cute???

i am so stupidly, stupidly enamoured and charmed by this dweeb. like he’s op and handsome always, but then he has these moments when he’s genuinely caught offguard, and it’s like, you dope! you’re so endearing all the time!