I’m sure I’ve read the older works at some point, but since I wasn’t present when they were first posted, I’m just treating all of these as new releases, and I read through them all in one sitting. (Well, there may have been an eight-hour sleep in the middle there.) Looking at the overall romance arc as presented across the stories, I liked how there were little signs of interest from both Dafydd and Constance that slipped out almost unconsciously during their earlier missions: him creating the nickname “Connie” so quickly, and her finding opportunities to pat his back or touch his arm. The interlude was cute, too; nothing says, “I prefer to spend time with you” than mutually hiding under a table during an awkward party! Despite being ace/aro, I can definitely sympathize with wanting to monopolize a close friend while surrounded by people I don’t know as well . . . And lastly, in the new mission, I enjoyed watching Constance more or less have to coach Dafydd through how relationships function, and work him past the asocial habits he had developed after centuries of isolation. It’s a nice, calm romance, overall!
Some more story-specific notes:
“Two Worlds United”
Excellent opportunity to pit Dafydd against a cultural appropriator of Welsh things! And appropriator of all of Wales, to boot! I particularly liked the line in the pre-mission: “This train of thought wasn't getting him anywhere, except… stopping in front of a random door.” I love the double meaning of the phrase “getting anywhere,” while playing with the consciousness element in HQ, to boot. “Train of thought” . . . there’s a joke to be made there, I just know it . . . Oh, when Constance commented that the wraith “didn’t look like that in training,” I have to know . . . Since it’s in Labyrinth, was that a muppet ghost? Like, literally one of these guys?
One typo:
She looked at the wall contemplatively, then slid her backpack off her shoulder, and prepared to swing itl.
“The Blood of Those Betrayed”
Yeah, you’ve had a talent for finding fics that would directly frustrate Dafydd, haven’t you? One typo here:
He knelt down and rooted through his back, checking his weapons.
“Pack” or “backpack” I hope, I know elf physiology is different from mine, but uuuuhhhh
“Interlude 2”
Guess I mostly covered these middle stories in the opening section. Just a typo:
As they walked, with no clear destination in mind, they completely ignoring the numerous possible destinations . . .
“The Heir of Feanor”
I’m amused by the line about most of Dafydd’s reports never being written to begin with, explaining both why this one “appeared” so much later, and why portions of Dafydd’s time in HQ seem absent from the narrative! I hope Terri gets all those reports in . . . someday . . . (I mean heck, she’s been ridiculously patient up to this point!) It was fun getting a little hint of Naergondir’s existence before he joined the PPC, as well.
Oh, wow! An actual scene inside the Temple, and not just during investigative journalism! It’s fun for me to get a peek of it during its operating years, since I wasn’t around while it was “active.” I was also enjoying watching Dafydd slip back into Tolkien-style dialogue to talk to Celebrimbor, partly because it’s fun seeing him in his “native habitat” and recognized by a canon character, and partly because I had forgotten who “Lord Annatar” was . . . Once Constance gave his other name, it did change the tone of the conversation a bit, yeah!
Hrm. Selene casts a reflection in the console screen? Shouldn’t she . . . not that, as a Stoker vampire? I’m sorry if this has been explained before, but I’m not remembering . . .
—doctorlit adds Kushiel’s Legacy to the required reading list
