Fic Rec: How to Earn Your Discharge from the Last Chance Fusiliers

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

Title: How to Earn Your Discharge from the Last Chance Fusiliers
Author: marlowe_tops
Pairing: John Watson/Sebastian Moran
Length: 11453 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: non-con, graphic violence
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Welcome to the Last Chance Fusiliers, John Watson. There are three ways out. One is getting shot. That’s an honorable discharge. Two is getting shot where it counts. Do send us a letter from hell, won’t you? And three is finally earning your dishonorable discharge.
Plenty of ways to do that.
Reccer's comments: This is one of those stories that I didn't think I would enjoy. It's part of a werewolf AU series, but what captivated me was the author's portrayal of John Watson. He's soldier, a doctor, and a very good man who forms an unlikely friendship with Moran, who is MORE than a bit not good. And yet it all makes sense, and feels perfectly in character.

It is common knowledge that Moran cheats. But his men love him, and have adopted an unofficial regiment-wide policy that if you don’t notice your opponent cheating at cards, you deserve to lose. Few things delight Moran more than being successfully outwitted by one of his men at cheating. The whole regiment is constantly working to come up with new cheating strategies for the games they play, and the favored card games around the fusiliers are picked accordingly. Watson is one of few who doesn't enjoy the attitude. He can keep up with the rest without a problem, and has a better eye for it than most, but it’s common knowledge that Watson won’t cheat, and that even Moran doesn't cheat against Watson, out of respect.

Follow Captain Watson down the rabbit hole.

Comments

[black-rider.livejournal.com]

Ok, the paragraph you used dragged me in, because I used to know a group of magicians who played cards in exactly that way... and good lord if you've ever watched a group of professional con men cheat at cards, well, it's a sight to be seen -- that is, IF you can see it.

[bk7brokemybrain.livejournal.com]

That is such a cool image! Like watching gods playing or something, just manipulating the world to their liking. Wow! lol

[black-rider.livejournal.com]

It was beautiful. They'd switch out cards from their own deck, give people terrible hands when they dealt, and I mean, yeah, just everything you can even think of, they'd do it. The only rule was that if someone CAUGHT you, you forfeited. It was fantastic.