Fool's Paradise
is a very Dark Fic set in the world of Fate/stay night. It was written by Tungsten Cat and completed on September 2021.
The story begins during a variant of the "Mind of Steel" ending, except that it's Shirou who attempts to kill Sakura. Rin arrives unexpectedly on the scene and kills him, much to the grief of both girls- and the disappointment of Archer, who has not been paradoxed out of existence like he hoped. Several days later, Rin and Sakura realize Archer's true identity...and resolve to keep this version of Shirou with them by any means necessary.
This fic contains the following tropes:
- And I Must Scream: Archer suffers even more in this fic than in canon, becoming a silent puppet who can't so much as twitch a finger unless his rapists will it.
- Deal with the Devil: Despite Caster's sobriquet as the "Witch of Betrayal", Rin and Sakura ask her to brainwash Archer and cut Sakura's connection to the Grail. She does so (presumably in return for victory in the War), but leaves out the component that would have anaesthetized Archer to his violation.
- Mercy Kill: To prevent Rin and Sakura from condemning themselves to an eternity of torturous servitude to Alaya, Archer tries to murder them in their sleep. Unfortunately (?), Rin predicted that he would do this and uses a Command Seal to forbid it.
