#fun fact: Eurus means east wind

[doueverwonder]

Todays Brainrot is sponsored by my own oc's and hc.

W. Rome - Zephryos - Decently smart - absolutely cannot apply himself tho - a functioning alcoholic - was in the military - got kicked out for messing around with girls - had his first kid (Romano) when he was like 17 - wasn't actually allowed to raise said kid - an artist but the kind that only drew naked guys - had too many human wives over the years - has 5 sons from said human wives

E. Rome - Eurus - also decently smart - but he can apply himself so he seems smarter - is often an unwilling accomplice in his twins (Zephryos) schemes - was also in the military - requested early leave to go learn stuff and was given it? - at least tries to be responsible - Gifted Kid Syndrome (aka would prob have an ADHD diagnosis in modern day) - the man has like,,, 3 pet cats - married Keivan-Rus unwillingly - is Ukraine, Russia and Belarus's dad

[xu-ren]

Genshin gods and their connection to demonology and mythology

I’m no expert on demonology nor mythology, simply someone that enjoys both and the connection between them and Genshin Impact. I think that Mihoyo did a splendid job on the choices they made when deciding which demons in The Lesser Key of Solomon to use. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy. 

Barbatos

Barbatos in demonology is one of the earls of hell, ruling thirty legions of demons and has four kings as his companions to command his legions. His name seems to derive from Latin 'barbatus', bearded, old man, philosopher. He is the 8th demon in The Lesser Key of Solomon, while Pseudomonarchia Daemonum listed him as the 6th demon.

So far it does not really have anything to do with Genshin, except maybe the fact that Barbatos refers to Morax as old man when his name means old man, so that’s a little ironic.

Barbatos is very known for his command over archery, which is why Barbatos in Genshin uses a bow.

Alright, here is the fun part, Barbatos, unlike some of the other demons in The Lesser Key of Solomon, doesn’t have anything to do with foreign gods. Foreign gods in this case refers to gods not belonging to the Abrahamic religions.

In fact, Barbatos is a fallen angel and was once of the order of the virtues of heaven. This is a delicious piece of irony, given that Barbatos’ godly form greatly resembles an angel.

Barbatos takes upon the name ‘Venti’ as a mortal. The name Venti is most likely Latin instead of Italian. Venti in Latin means wind, and can either refer to the entirety of the four wind gods that serve Aiolos, the Roman Lord of the Winds, whose Greek counterpart is Aeolus or a specific type of wind spirit in Roman mythology, whose Greek counterpart is known as Anemoi Thuellai. The wind spirits are violent storm winds, sons of the monstrous hurricane-giant Typhoeus and were kept locked up in Aiolos’ floating fortress. 

The four wind gods that served Aiolos are Aquilo, the north wind, Favonius, the west wind, Notus, the south wind, and Vulturnus, the east wind. Their greek counterparts are Boreas, Zephyrus, Notus and Eurus respectively. I brought this up because of the Knights of Favonius. 

Another of the four winds gods appear in Genshin, although this time with a Greek name. Andrius, the Wolf of the North, is also known as Lupus Boreas. Lupus is the Latin term for wolf while Boreas, as stated above, is the Greek god of the north wind. In conclusion, the name Lupus Boreas itself more or less means Wolf of the North. 

Morax

Morax in demonology is one of the presidents of hell, ruling thirty legions of demons. His name seems to come from Latin 'morax', that delays, that stops. He is the 21st demon in The Lesser Key of Solomon.

So far, similarly to Barbatos, the only thing that has anything to do with Genshin is his name, mostly because rock is the most likely to be able to endure time.

Morax appears as a great bull with the face of a man, which is interesting in a Chinese context, as Liyue is based on Ancient China. In the Chinese zodiac, an ox has a fixed element, which is earth. The Chinese zodiac sign Ox is disciplined and orderly in his or her thoughts and actions. They are known for the strength of body, mind, and character, and tend to be very conservative. They do well in business, not because of ingenious inventions or clever self-promotion, but by hard work and long hours. Sometimes considered old-fashioned, Chinese Oxen are well-known for their moral fiber. They live by a code that may no longer be popular, but they have a clear sense of what is right and wrong. While others may see them as slow and plodding, inside, they are romantics who want to look at the world as it once was (or at least how they know it was).

This makes the ox a very fitting animal for the Morax we know in Genshin.

Furthermore, another belief for his name is the Egyptian goddess Maat, the goddess of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality, and justice. This makes it fitting for the Morax in Genshin in my opinion.

Alright, back to demonology, Morax teaches Astronomy and all other liberal sciences, and gives good and wise familiars that know the virtues of all herbs and precious stones. The precious stones part is fitting for the Morax in Genshin but also the fact that Morax in demonology likes to teach, just like the Morax in Genshin.

Morax descends upon Liyue as a dragon. Dragons in East Asian mythology is commonly associated with good luck, propitiousness, power, and nobleness. In ancient times, only emperors were allowed to use a dragon as a symbol. This is probably used to further reaffirm Morax’s position as the highest of the adepti. The colours used in Morax’s dragon form are simple, brown for the earth and gold for the gold that flows in his veins. Even if he did not create Mora, it is typically said that immortals bleed gold, which is commonly known as ichor.

“The Dragon is believed by the Chinese to present power and valiancy, excellence and determination, dignity and divinity. A dragon is believed to have the powers to overcome obstacles to see success. He is spirited, confident, enthusiastic, intelligent and determined.”

As a mortal, Morax takes the name ‘Zhongli’. Chinese names are a bit more difficult to decipher, compared to Latin names since they depend more of the characters used to make up the name as compared to just the sound of the name. Different characters in Chinese could make the exact same sound but mean very different things. Zhongli’s name in Chinese characters is 钟离, the Zhong in his name means clock while the Li in his name means leave. A interpretation of his name would be off the clock, symbolising his retirement. 

His name is likely from a figure in Chinese mythology, 锺离权, Zhongli Quan, one of  the Baxian, the Eight Immortals of Daoism. Zhongli Quan is also sometimes known as , 汉锺离, Han Zhongli because he is said to have lived during the Han dynasty. In legend, he wields a large fan which can resurrect the dead and transform stones into silver or gold. The Zhong in his name is actually the same Zhong used in Genshin’s Zhong but in traditional Chinese as opposed to the simplified Chinese used in Genshin. 

Baal

Baal in demonology is a Duke of Hell, with 66 legions of demons under his command. His name comes from a Canaan and Mesopotamian god, specifically the god of fertility and storms. The Semitic word Baal means lord or master, and the ancient people believed he was in charge of all of nature and humans. He is the 1st demon in The Lesser Key of Solomon.

Baal in Genshin forms herself as a ruler or lord and master of Inazuma. Unlike Barbatos, who is mostly absent or Morax, who descends once a year, Baal seems to be a god that rules with an iron fist, appropriate for someone whose name means lord or master.

Baal in Genshin claims that her ideal is "nearest unto Heaven," calls her body the "noblest and most eminent of all in this world," and sees her reign as eternal which is again, fitting for someone whose name means lord and master.

Baal in demonology is also commonly associated with Satan or at least as his primary assistant. The arrogance shown in Baal in Genshin is therefore fitting, given that Satan was once Lucifer, the most perfect of angels before he rebelled against God and fell to heaven. He too believed that his ideal was the nearest unto Heaven and that his body is the noblest and most eminent of all in this world. Another interesting factor is that Baal in Genshin believes that humans are not deserving of visions, similar to Satan’s reason for his rebellion against God, for he believed that humans did not deserve God’s love or protection.

Baal as a god was believed to be the "giver of life" and mankind was dependent upon him for providing what was necessary to sustain the farms, flocks and herds. Baal was the god of fertility and storms, it is fitting as storms meant lighting and therefore electricity. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baal’s epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds.

The question on how a powerful ruling god, similar to Zeus in Greek mythology, became known as a demon is fairly simple.

“According to the Old Testament, after the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, they arrived in the fruitful land of Canaan where the prime deity was Baal. Before they entered the Promised Land, the Hebrew people were warned not to worship the pagan gods of Canaan. However, after wandering in the desert for all that time, they weren’t quite sure that their god was the right choice since the Canaanites were living it up on the fertile soil. Many split their allegiance and decided to worship both their god and Baal.”

Many pagan gods were demonised by the Abrahamic religions as the Abrahamic religions did not allow worship of gods that weren't their God. They called it idolatry and deemed it a sin.

Baal’s primary prophet was Jezebel, if you are not familiar with the Abrahamic religions, she is symbolically associated with false prophets. The original Jezebel instituted the worship of Baal and Asherah on a national scale and violently purged the prophets of Yahweh from Israel. Through the centuries, the name Jezebel came to be associated with false prophets. By the early 20th century, it was also associated with fallen or abandoned women. In Christian lore, a comparison to Jezebel suggested that a person was a pagan or an apostate masquerading as a servant of God. By manipulation and seduction, she misled the saints of God into sins of idolatry and sexual immorality. In particular, Christians associated Jezebel with promiscuity. The cosmetics which Jezebel applied before her death also led some Christians to associate makeup with vice.

Personally, given that the records of Jezebel are mostly from Abrahamic religions, I would advise that it be taken with a spoonful of salt. I mentioned Jezebel because she was said to have violently purged the prophets of Yahweh from Israel, similar to how Baal in Genshin purged the vision holders in Inazuma.

[mxsinistir]

Dangerous Woman (pt.1)

Pairing: Eurus Holmes x Fem!Reader

Summary: You are Jim Moriarty's younger sister, aka the most dangerous women in London, and while on a mission with Sebastian Moran, you're captured by Mycroft and sent to Sherrinford, where you meet the other most dangerous women. This takes place right before The Reichenbach Fall.

Warnings: N/A, maybe language?

This is also on my Quotev w/ the rest of my Eurus one-shots: https://www.quotev.com/story/11117878/Eurus-Holmes-One-Shots/4

       "Sebbyyyyyy," You dragged out your words with a smirk, your arms around the shoulder of the man you were walking with. The sniper rolled his eyes. "I'm bored,"        "We are literally going to kill a Government agent in two minutes," The blond scoffed around the cigarette on cold-chapped his lips. "[y/n], how are you already bored?"

       "Because some MI6 Idiot doesn't interest me," You mused, your voice dipping through a range of strange pitches and octaves. "I have an idea, let's go kill Mycroft Holmes." You clicked your tongue, your lips close to his ears.

       You were odd, to say the least, but just as dangerous as your counterpart. Some days, you were cold and merciless; an ice woman. Times like this, you were childish and irritable. It was a role of the dice, but that wasn't what destroyed those who crossed your path. It was your skill set.

       You had the brains of your dear brother, James Moriarty, as well as his connections. But right now, you were on the way to kill somebody with Sebastian Moran. You didn't need a sniper, nor friends - you were your own asset.

       "We talked about this," Sebastian started. He'd lived with you and Jim ever since the game with Sherlock had started. By now, Sebastian wasn't as easily manipulated. That was good - it was painfully simple when he'd first moved in.

       "Then let's burn him," You sang. Ever since the game had been set afoot, Moriarty was bent on mirroring the Consulting Detective. Himself being Sherlock, obviously, with Sebastian being hired as John. You were (against your will) assigned Mycroft Holmes as your "angelic" counterpart.

       The sibling equal for the other to bounce their plans off of. The fisherman in a sea of goldfish. Seeing straight through the water with the ability to pluck any of them out of the ocean with a flick of a line. Well, that's what Sherlock was supposed to assume.

       Mycroft wasn't really necessary to Sherlock's story, at least not in Jim's eyes. No more so than Molly Hooper or Greg Lestrade. Important and character building, but Jim didn't bother filling his life with mirror images of them. No, you'd only been called back after your brother's little visit to a place called Sherrinford.

       Because you, in your own way, was the secret sister that Sherlock didn't yet realize existed. The clever girl alone on the plane, trying to reach out for an older brother's validation. When you'd first infiltrated the Parliament to work close to the eldest Holmes brother, you'd heard about Sherrinford and Eurus. You'd asked Mycroft, as no one else seemed to know anything more than her name.

       "Run, [Y/N]!" Sebastian's voice slashed through the air, the heavy rooftop wind carrying it through London. Your teeth chattering, your heart pounding. You'd left your sniper and your sniper rifle to be found by Mycroft and his Government. succour that moment, all that mattered to you was making it out alive.

       "That's her," You heard Mycroft's voice sail over the speaker. "Get [Y/n] Moriarty!" And so they did. By the time you'd texted your brother, you were already on your face on the rooftop, being stripped of your belongings - telephone included - and being thrown blindly into the helicopter.

       "Just a simple shot," One of the MI6 men said, putting a needle into the hollow above your collarbone. You weren't sure what it was at first, but you quickly realized that your deductions were becoming fuzzy, and all you remained aware of up until your final consciousness moments was Mycroft Holmes, standing smugly in the corner of the same helicopter, speaking many words - only one that you could fully comprehend.

       Sherrinford.

***

       The floor was cold, the air was cold, you were cold. The white nightdress they'd given you was impractically thin and impossible to warm yourself with. The slippers were plain uncomfortable, but taking them off hadn't helped your temperature by any means.

       "Mycroft," You sang through the glass, drumming your fingertips against the wall madly, "You can't possibly think you'll keep me here for very long, do you?"

       "This isn't just another prison you can walk out of," Mycroft said, sounding awfully proud of himself. "I'm afraid that you'll never see the light of day again, Miss Moriarty." You could only laugh lightly to yourself. Oh, you'd misjudged him; Mycroft really was funny!

       "Yes, I'll send you a postcard from Eastern Europe when I get around to escaping." You mused. Mycroft, despite being obviously unsettled, kept his composure and muttered something to the guards before turning on his heel to leave. "Tell me, Mycroft." You sang, "Does Sherlock know about the dirty little secret you're keeping?"

       Any normal person would turn around, but you should have known that Mycroft wasn't a regular. He'd dealt with taunts before - anyone who worked in Politics would have. So you'd have to try harder, obviously. You sucked in a breath and started to speak in a low whisper that resonates through the cold walls and cold air and turned the ice man's bones crystalline.

       "Oh, I am lost, oh who will find me?" You smirked. He turned, a look of horror struck across his face. "Deep down below that old beach tree. Oh, help succor me-"

       "Stop it!" Mycroft hissed, "Stop it right now!"        

       "Now the east wind blows. Sixteen by six, and under we go." The words fell gracefully off your tongue. Another thing that Eurus had told James when he'd come to Sherrinford in person.

       "You will never meet Eurus Holmes. Never in a million years."        You would have waited that long if you had to.

***

       "Compare us," Eurus whispered to her guard, and like clockwork, he walked out in search of you. You, who Eurus was eager to meet and compare to your elder brother.

       You were brought in wearing a straight jacket, set in the cell across from her, smiling like you had nothing to fear. Because in truth, you didn't. Even if Sebastian was dead or worse, you had others you would run to your beck-and-call. You brother could send them, in fact, he probably had sent out his assassins hours ago to find you.

       "Leave," Eurus said, noticing the barely-noticable look of confusion that struck your face. But your surprise was more obvious when the guards turned on their heel and promptly left you alone.

       Left you alone with the second most dangerous woman in the world.

       "I'm almost disappointed," You clicked your tongue expressively, pulling your arms and joints in all sorts of ways to remove yourself from the straight jacket as you had done a thousand times before. "Your big brother really thought so highly of this place." You pouted.

       "Prisons don't do contain people like us," Eurus said, her voice ethereal upon your ears. "Do they? Not for long and not well."        "Oh, I should hope not," You took a daring them to the glass, stepping a foot past the line, "So why is the genius woman still in her glass bowl made for a goldfish?"

       Eurus smiled, "Put your hand to the glass and find out." You hated orders. Hated them from your brother, from Sebastian. But for Eurus, you would take them with a smile, because the game she was offering to play was simply too fun not to play.

       With a cheeky smile, you stepping right to the glass and outreached your fingers. But instead of glass, you found Eurus' soft, unexposed hands. Your own fingertips must have felt like sandpaper to such uncalloused hands.

       "There's no glass to touch," You said with amazement, "You can walk in and out of here at will and the guards are all too stupidly loyal to stop you."

       "I do better from here," She said, "I can control whoever I want from my little glass cell that Mycroft thinks is so impossible to shatter.

      "Well, then there's no reason for me to stay." You decided, "If I were in the cell across from yours, Jim would really be putting all his eggs in one basket. I, however, prefer to get things done from the outside world." You sang,        

       "[Y/n]!" A voice hissed at the entrance. You turned to see Sebastian walking towards you, disguised as an officer and ready to shoot whoever was in the corridor. He looked stupidly stunned to find that both women were standing casually on either side of the non-existent glass and talking about life.

       "Seb, please don't interrupt me while I'm trying to talk to a clever person." You criticized, and your sniper simply bit his tongue and guarded the door, muttering something into his transceiver about having found you and Eurus.

       "Will you be back?" Eurus asked. You smiled,        

       "Oh, I'm sure." You said, clasping your hands behind your back as you walked towards Sebastian, "Cheerio, Eurus; don't be too bad while I'm gone."

       You weren't quite sure, but as far as you were informed, you were inclined to believe that you'd just found a dangerous new friend.

[mild-lunacy]

TFP: to squee or not to squee, that is the question

...well, here we are. I’ve watched it. More like made myself finish it, haha. If not today, then when? So.

I’ll just... be over here, then. Meanwhile, I have some feels about TFP, so here you go if you’re interested.

So yeah. The way it turned out, I ended up watching the Eurus plot on Sunday, and the rest today. Even though I’ve been avoiding fandom pretty hardcore, I haven’t been able to entirely avoid the negativity, so my initial squee has been a bit spoiled. It’s ironic, because I expected S4 to hurt, but I thought fandom would help somewhat (even if it made certain things worse). I expected that it’s likely enough I’d have to avoid fandom altogether after S4, no matter what happened with canon Johnlock, because there were no non-wanky solutions, more or less. Well... at least that prediction came true. Oh man.

Anyway, so my initial PBS watching on Roku stalled out at exactly the moment Mary was saying something about what John and Sherlock ‘could be’. Can you imagine my reaction? That was where my connection died. I was so happy. I knew (I was told) canon Johnlock didn’t happen (I was told after the leak on Saturday! gah!!), but like, I had about 20-30 seconds of disbelieving, if hysterical, bliss, all alone away from the Internet. After the leak, it’s not like I really believed the ep really sucked that much (nothing would convince me that’s possible), but my expectations had still been low. So I was amazed at how much I enjoyed it. I loved the plot of TLD, as I said, but I loved the plot of TFP even more. I always loved the surrealistic touches and stylistic elements of BBC Sherlock, and I love huge, dramatic reveals. I always wanted Mycroft to be hiding some kind of huge secret, which is what attracted me to M-Theory (in part). I love extreme drama and action, I love badass soldier!John, so I loved the whole thing (including the clown, okay). I loved the Eurus plot, really. It’s all a bit tarnished, knowing that apparently most people hated it, but it’s just so delicious. The hidden fortress prison, the forgotten Holmes sister, Victor Trevor (Jesus Christ fandom! several of us totally nailed it!), this exact kind of angst.... as far as a plot resolution, honestly, it’s everything I could’ve desired. Intense! Great acting. Action-packed! Dramatic! I was at the edge of my seat.

So, stuff I loved:

EURUS! I loved Eurus. I know it’s over-the-top (the secret evil sister!) but this is the only worthy successor to Moriarty (whom I love, but let’s face it, he’s a crazy over-the-top guy who rants about shoes). The true appeal of a worthy Big Sherlock Villain is the high drama and the intellectual equal aspect, as well as some emotional mirroring and trauma. You need someone who Sherlock can admire but will also traumatize him hardcore. That’s why Mary as Moriarty never worked for me-- she is so dull in comparison to sparkly, clever Sherlock! But Eurus, on the other hand... now that’s what I call a level up. I love the sheer ballsiness of it. Jesus, the East Wind from HLV is a person. Whoa.

The setting in general-- Sherrinford was a place! It’s a great, genre classic setting from top to bottom, and their arrival (with Mycroft in disguise! oh my god!) was priceless. You can really tell the love of genre infusing the whole thing. Baskerville 2.0, except even better.

‘TELL MY SISTER I’M HERE’ haha

Mycroft as the client! Oh my god, the whole idea is a fantasy come true. He’s much more satisfying in ‘the chair’ than Mary was, ‘cause he actually did tell them (some of) the truth. It was really great. I loved all the Mycroft, and I mean, I don’t even like Mycroft that much. 

‘There’s a place for people like you....’ Oh my god, John. I missed you, John. *sobs*

I even loved the sudden bomb thing. I just love the idea of Mycroft doing legwork and/or having to go all James Bond. Oh man.

Mycroft as the chump, though! haha. That was awesome. I was really creeped out and a bit freaked out, too. And then it just went further and further, until it was just funny. Both creepy and funny-- again, genre classic setting.

Solving the murders in minutes such a great homage to TGG and our old Sherlock, I could cry! The TGG feels were very overt and I felt so nostalgic. Ahhh.

John! John!! The old morally correct-to-the-core John Watson. Gaaaah. Light of my life, fire of my heart! Maybe I’m pathetic (I don’t care) but just seeing John be John and the two of them being partners (FINALLY!!!) made my heart beat faster.

The Dilemmas! Need I say it? Genre classic! haha. I dunno if you enjoy it as much if you’re not a fan of the 50s/60s old mystery/horror shows, but this is some prime Twilight Zone-type psychological angst stuff. And of course, seeing Sherlock emote so much, so intensely, is all I loved about the Mind Palace scene in HLV leveled up.

Mycroft vs John! And the fact that it’s just so inevitable and obvious that Sherlock would choose John, because that was the only solution! And Mycroft trying to make it easier... by mocking John, like that would make it easier for Sherlock to kill him. Aaaah. *claws at the wall* It’s a weird form of emotional intimacy. Seeing them all stripped bare, though particularly Sherlock. Gah. Yes please.

MORIARTY! Oh my god, oh my god, oh, ohhh. Even that little bit of old-school Moriarty flashback, that first glimpse of him at the beach. I nearly squealed. I cried a little. I’m sitting here with a huge doofy grin on my face. I really did miss him. And it really does explain why he’d kill himself, knowing Eurus was his back-up. It makes sense.

REDBEARD! Oh my god, it really was set up, all the way back in TSoT what with ‘remember Redbeard’, all through TAB and everything! I was like, wow. Fandom really saw the Victor thing! Amazing. I really didn’t like non-dog Redbeard, but honestly, it just made sense and so I was happy.

The Molly thing was so intense! Did I mention I love angst? Because I love angst. That was brutal. (*insert evil laugh*) On the other hand, I sort of cringe imagining how could their relationship recover in a normal way after this. Yikes. On the other other hand, I mean, certainly, Sherlock and John have recovered from things that were just as bad and worse, so... I don’t feel too bad. Hurt herrrr! Paaaainnnn. Heartbreak. Loss. DEATH! It’s all good, haha. (With the only exception of death re: John or Sherlock).

Equating John and Victor at the well was so... lovely and right. Even if John is more, I just love the symmetry and it was done so beautifully.

Oh man, Mrs Holmes going all hardass on poor Mycroft. That was great. (Though it does make me wistful that she never did find out about Mary.)

Anyway, I really loved it. It’s like the most over-the-top, deliciously painful caper. All the genre high notes, all the time. While I really enjoyed the crazy ‘cereal killer’ stuff from TLD, this levels it up and then some. I watched it thinking ‘wow, I’m apparently enjoying this way more than I’m supposed to’ at the back of my mind, but the fact is that the Sherrinford stuff is ridiculously fun. I mean, on the one hand, I don’t watch BBC Sherlock for the cases-- I watch it for Sherlock and John. But I’ve always loved the genre, and yeah-- the cases, too. A lot of it’s like, people not getting how over-the-top and pulp the cases always were, though they’ve leveled up in that sense. The very presence of Moriarty, of Baskerville, of Irene Adler the dominatrix-- all that was always pure pulp. Maybe the fact that most ‘casefic’ fanfics just had them pursuing ordinary criminals should’ve clued me in that people weren’t exactly aware of how weird this show is. Anyway, the whole drama was intensely personal, too! It was all about Sherlock’s family history, after all.

Would I prefer it was all about Sherlock and John, ala TSoT and TAB and/or fanfics? Yeah, but... I mean, it’s always about Sherlock and John. I don’t know, the fact that I feel vaguely defensive and uncomfortable after being spoiled as to the lack of canon Johnlock is why I’ve been procrastinating on this. It’s ironic, ‘cause I personally never really expected canon Johnlock in S4 (though who’s listening?) Many people in fandom whose opinion I respect and whose intelligence I admire seemed pretty sure. And there was definitely some heavily suggestive PR, as well as the existence of TAB (though I was hesitant to admit TAB was all but impossible without Johnlock, it was certainly a heavy undercurrent). I’ve definitely expected and hoped for some kind of resolution of certain things I found unclear in the first two eps, in terms of the characterization. Anyway, that’s a heavy burden to place on the last 3 minutes of the show, and there’s definitely no way to really resolve anything in a satisfactory manner in that time. My trepidation has understandably been pretty severe, but I had to know, and so, my first impressions....

Oh my god! ahahahaha. Yeah, I’m so relieved. Oh my god I was so scared I barely made myself watch this. This was terrifying. I was expecting Mary to say god knows what awful yet subtexty thing, to either create or destroy Johnlock, to put some awful stamp on them forever, somehow. I mean, Christ, I was so stressed the past few days. So stressed. I really thought the ep was somehow ruined in the last 3 minutes, though I should’ve known. I should’ve known that if I disagree with everyone on the rest of it, the last bit couldn’t possibly be not to my taste.

Still, I heard that the ending wasn’t simply bad, but also just ambiguous.

No. Yeah, okay, no canon Johnlock. But nothing happened. I mean, obviously I’m disappointed and confused about that, to say the least, but we’re no worse off than before, and better off than anytime other than the end of Series 1, though I suppose they’re not living together (but they haven’t since Series 2). Well, except for the Parentlock (*sigh*) but I’m relatively open to that the same way I was relatively open to Birdy!Mary. I just... don’t think it’s an ambiguous ending, really?

It was just a bit lame ‘cause Amanda’s narration wasn’t remotely natural-sounding (the same sort of issue I had with Mary’s death). Here, you can tell it’s not the writing-- the writing’s fine. It’s definitely Amanda’s acting. She really wasn’t pulling it off too well. She seemed to be somehow using the Narrator voice, which, okay if you’re the narrator, but otherwise... weird. A bit cringey. Not her best acting. Still, it was a narrative epilogue, through and through. Rather than leaving things genuinely open-ended, I thought the narrative (and it was ‘the narrative’, not Mary) said this is their life, and they’re about to live it, same as they always have. It wasn’t even particularly subtle about that. The summary was reductive.

Although Mary said ‘I know what you could become’, that’s not as impactful as similar things Irene and Janine have said. Mary’s definitely not pushing for Johnlock like Irene did; this is closer to being on the same level as Janine, with her knowing the ‘kind of man’ Sherlock is. When she says ‘I know who you really are’, she’s essentially summing up the show on the most surfacey level it has ever been. That’s ‘the story’, the legend of the detective in the funny hat we’ve heard about in TEH and TAB. The bit where Sherlock ‘solves crimes to get high’ is practically a calling card at this point. No revelation there. Even the part about ‘who you really are, it doesn’t matter’ is stuff that we’ve gone over before, although putting it here, at the end, certainly makes it sound like their final word on the matter. Not ambiguous so much as unimportant to the story. That’s their thesis: it doesn’t matter, because ‘it’s all about the legend: the stories, the adventures’. The bit about ‘the last refuge’ even echoes the thing John told Mycroft earlier, which makes it even less like Mary’s voice and more explicitly that of the narrator.

Is that disappointing? Of course it is. But I take it as gloss. Mary says she knows Sherlock, but she doesn’t; we know she canonically idealizes rather than really understands John, and she went along with the ‘psychopath’ thing in HLV, so there’s no reason to pay her too much attention. Of course, she’s elevated by her placement as a framing device and/or narrative voice. The heteronormative voice, even. That’s unfortunate. I don’t pretend to have processed or addressed all of the mixed feelings I have about that. Still, nothing shocking happened, on the characterization front. John’s arc is more or less unresolved, and all these things I said ‘the jury’s out’ on have not been addressed, unless you count that awkward conversation at the end of TLD. That is, he’s ‘not a saint; not a hero’ (ala Sherlock’s proclamation to Magnussen). Instead of giving John a growth arc, he’s just sort of who he is, in the end. ‘It is what it is’; in that sense, while BBC John’s clearly a sign of progress from Conan Doyle and TPLoSH, he still hasn’t had his day in the sun.

The fact is, though, I still love him, and I still love them. And, goddamnit, I can’t help myself: I still love this show.

[rem-ir]

the four winds

Turns out translating ancient stuff as a field of study pays off! 

So in Greek myth and poetry, we have four winds. You already know Eurus, the southeast/east wind. The woman calling herself Eurus might be the same person as Sherriford, but she also might not be. The others are Boreas, the icy north wind (possibly Mycroft, recall Irene’s iceman comment in season two) Zephyr, the gentle summery west wind, and Notus, the stormy south wind. (Fun fact: his Roman counterpart is Auster, which is why that continent down south is called Australia.)

Anyway, I have no idea which wind Sherlock would be, or whether the fact that there are four winds must nescessarily mean that there are four Holmes siblings. But there are four key players, or four of something, because there are hints in the script. Recall Sherlock’s comment to Culverton about the recorders: there's something about the number three that makes people stop counting after three. 

I'm going off on a limb here, but remember how in the waterfall scene in The Abominable Bride, John shows up to Moriarty’s surprise? Because moriarty was not counting on the two of them? 

What I’m inclined to think is that John is the unexpected fourth piece of something important, and that he's going to save the day.

[grassangel]

some thoughts on TFP

Mary would’ve figured out the song was about Eurus wanting Sherlock to play with her in a snap. because even without the code, the song itself is about doing things together and the East wind and love. Gatiss and Moffat aren’t exactly the most subtle when writing their ciphertext. (this also supports my headcanon that daddy Holmes was some kind of literary/classics scholar, the kind that can spin out an entire essay on how an entire poem or work can hinge around a single word and the correct translation) 

Mycroft loves all his siblings ;_; perhaps even especially Eurus. (though I do feel a little bit of that is she’s his youngest sibling and she’s the girl)

early 19th century is probably when Musgrave Hall was built. might have outbuildings, might have other old buildings, maybe an old church (and graveyard) nearby. no idea where it might be located, but I like the idea of somewhere like Sussex or Kent or maybe even a bit more east all the way to Somerset. (probably within the home counties though) because deneholes and chalk pits and caves and other places it’d be easy to trap a child in but still not inconceivable they’d get lost in

as much as I hate to admit it, Eurus’s drawings of Sherlock being dead does seem to indicate that Mycroft is her favourite brother when she’s little. which means something’s changed in the 30 years since. Sherlock was her favourite to torture, Mycroft was a favourite when he paid her attention and played with her.

thinking about how long Eurus has been institutionalised, those chips were probably one of the best things she’s eaten for a while. fatty and salty! she may be aware that those things are biologically pleasing, but she’s not going to be able to suppress the reactions her body is giving her as a result, especially if she hasn’t been exposed to them on a regular basis

and I do find it either incredibly shortsighted or plain old laziness that Mycroft refers to Sherrinford as hell when, for two episodes, Mary was talking about Sherlock having to go to a metaphorical hell to save John. it’s something I feel like that if Eurus had appeared in s2/3 the order of this series could’ve been TFP-T6T-TLD on the other hand, it does mean I get to tinhat that Mary is alive and well, just Mycroft has locked her up because she’s a danger to Sherlock.

...and apparently no one has Siri. (motion detectors can also be fooled by moving very very slowly, but that would be dreadfully boring)

I do love the tender ‘I love you’ moment when talking about Mycroft’s Lady Bragnell.

the guy playing the seaman with the deep voice makes me laugh because I RECOGNISE THAT VOICE. he does narration a lot.

Gatiss had far too much fun with that seaman costume. far too much.

Eurus’s ‘deterrent’ so Sherlock doesn’t figure out the glass trick too early really is quite clever.

really was worried about the intensity with which John paid attention to Eurus on those tapes. like she’d planted a trigger in him and it might have made it go off. I am forever amused that John is attracted to Sherlock’s sister. which is also something that might be implied by the amount of attention he pays attention to them

the music for Moriarty’s visit, both the Queen and the background soundtrack is so great and I like the way they subtly made Mycroft younger by giving him more hair

though really Mycroft, did you have to clarify that she was that kind of genius? you might as well said ‘my sister wants to dissect your brain’. and in fact did say that a minute later.

ha! John woke up in Eurus’s bed. that is a canon fact.

Eurus’s tone when she asks Sherlock is he’s ready to condemn one of the Garridebs is plaintive and whiny and I love that it illustrates how child-like Eurus is at times.  I also really like the way she says et cetera et cetera et cetera. although I do have to rule out daddy Holmes being a Latin Literature scholar because she says setrə not setərə, the latter being the more Latin pronunciation (am I a pretentious ass who says the latter? yes)

‘Obvious Sherly’ ! canon use of Sherly as a nickname!

Mycroft’s reaction is... well now I’m shipping Mollcroft, even if it’d be mostly in a platonic manner. not a fan of the rather overwrought music though. loudness does not indicate intensity of emotion

and the... lack of explosives does make me think that, Eurus might not have directly killed anyone. she wouldn’t be that clumsy. except for Victor, but that death was a result of Sherlock failing to solve her riddle than due any actual murderous intent.

she favours sedatives; with John, with Sherlock. probably even the therapist. she could’ve shot the Governor’s wife with one. she likes illusion. she donned multiple disguises. given the fact she has prepared for ages, the window with the Garridebs hanging outside could’ve been a projection (yay for shitty CGI) and nobody tried to shatter the glass with the rifle. (and I’d kind of like to think that maybe the rifle had a bullet in it as well, just in case someone decided to get rid of the competition. if someone decided to act as executioner, it would’ve broken the illusion)

also it’d be a neat way to illustrate that no, Eurus is not magical, she’s just an illusionist. and also a callback to Doyle’s friendship with Houdini and how all his tricks were illusion and sleight of hand. because Gatiss and Moffat are certainly fond of their meta

I get the niggling suspicion that if Sherlock had even entertained the thought of pulling the trigger while pointing the gun at John Watson, Eurus might’ve stopped the experiment there. because it is all about Sherlock showing his love for her. showing her that she is a priority for him, above his friends. and the way she looks at them when they are earnestly discussing it, like she’s excited by that yes, Sherlock loves family more than he loves anyone else. and then the betrayal and sadness when it’s revealed it’s a ploy by Mycroft, that her other brother, the one that plays with her, might die. Sian Brooke’s acting is extraordinary in this scene and it’s my favourite

I also would’ve liked to see Sherlock request that John and Mycroft stand in front of each other and claim to wish to play the last game with Eurus directly to see how that would’ve played out. 

then her protest! peak whiny 5-year old and I love it

‘save John Watson’ again with a repeated phrase which I’m fairly sure it just laziness and pseudo-themes. you could go conspiracy theory and say Eurus is supposed to parallel Mary (in which case Eurus/John is implied to be canon) . you can also go conspiracy theory and go that it’s all about Johnlock. (and I’ve been soured by the Sherlock fandom and it’s now a notp of mine, so good job there fans I’m going to entirely ignore that line.)

LET SHERLOCK BRING HIS SISTER HOME. I’VE ALREADY EXPLAINED HOW SHE MIGHT NOT BE CULPABLE OF ANY DEATHS

also dying slightly because of Sherlock carrying his violin in a duffel bag and not a hard case, especially when he’s travelling by helicopter and walks on a beach.

I love the duet before it turns into the theme though. not such a fan of Mary’s epilogue, though I do love the idea of a DVD for every occasion and that subtle uptick in Sherlock’s expression just kills me. Sherlock loved Mary so much. (LET MARY LIVE)

also not a fan of the whole ‘place for the desperate’ monologues that bookend this episode. it’s canon, kind of, but the way Sherlock uses it makes it sound lurid and not a place of safety, which it is supposed to be.

Rathbone place!