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linkspooky · 5 months ago

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Just got done with reading your "How To Do a Dark Deconstruction of your Shonen Hero" post, first off amazing work as always! As much as it pains me to hear (good faith, non-reactionary and well thought-out) criticism due to having gotten into MHA in middle school when I was impressionable and attached onto works quicker than I do, it was satisfying to hear someone as well-worded as yourself put into words a thought that I had. For a while I could only summarize it by thinking "Man MHA sure does feel toothless and inconsistent about what it delivers on, and what ideas or themes or messages or what have you are left in the fridge and forgotten about."

It was also fun to hear about Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, growing up YGO was only ever a game some of my friends played or "HEART OF THE CARDS" and Kaiba memes, so hearing that there was a lot more to the series was a welcome surprise, even if quite anecdotal on my part.

As for the question part of this ask, near the middle of it you brought up how despite being quite captivated with the idea and the final result, you weren't as impressed with how YGO got there, and vice versa with MHA in how it was paced better but so far(let me have a little bit of hope lol) ultimately hasn't made good on it's "storytelling promise" if you will.

With the preface that no story is "perfect" along with the fact that everyone has their own interests, biases, icks, etc., I wanted to ask if there was a story which in your opinion, that blends proper pacing and build-up, with proper follow-up and payoff? I had the idea of deconstructing the perfect shonen protag or similar character in mind, but I'm also curious to hear about other ideas as well if you have them.

PS Thanks again for writing and posting these. They're often the highlight of my day when I remember to get around to reading them. And apologies for this long-ass ask hehe.

If you want a shonen series with similiar themes of "saving the villains" as MHA and Season 3 of Yu-Gi-Oh GX! but better pacing, buildup, payoff and overall story structure then both manga then I strongly reccomend another Yu-Gi-Oh series, Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal.

To begin with as a disclaimer I think Yu-Gi-Oh, but especially the spinoffs post 5DS get a bad reputation. For several reasons, the dub, but also the Duel Monsters anime adaptation is kind of bad. A lot of people forget that Yu-Gi-Oh! started out as a very dark urban fantasy, or just the fact that it runs in the same magazine as MHA and JJK. Once you get over the fact that it revolves around card games, Yu-Gi-Oh is as much of a battle shonen as MHA or JJK.

If you give Zexal a chance, it has everything MHA promised us. A conflict where there's really no heroes and villains, a story about what it means to save people, and a protagonist who wants to save everyone.

Yu-Gi-Oh no Cristo!

If you want to take my word for it that Zexal is good, and avoid spoilers then don't read any further. However, I thought I'd demonstrate HOW Zexal tackles the same themes that My Hero Academia tried to tackle.

I'm going to limit this analysis to Zexal I, because while Zexal II is superior in every way I don't want to spoil the whole darn show. Zexal deconstructs the idea of what it means to save others, by having the central conflict in its first season focus on several different factions where no side is the clear good guy. it also tackles the theme of "revenge", and how no character's revenge is justified no matter how wounded they are.

Zexal has three main characters, Yuma, Kaito, and Shark. The latter two are deuteragonist, and tritagonist respectively, and vacillate between being rivals and outright antagonists. If you wanted a story where Shigaraki post My Villain Academy was basically given deuteragonist status alongside Deku then this is the story for you. From her on out I'm going to focus on the cycle of revenge and also the intertwining arcs of Yuma, Shark and Kite and how these characters develop the themes.

Before I get to the World Duel Carnival, I would be amiss to mention that Zexal has a faster start then any Yu-Gi-Oh anime barring 5DS. The introductory arc is episodic in nature, but it does two things really well, first establishing Yuma as a character and second laying the groundwork for both Shark and Kaito showing they are human beings with their own motivations even when they act as antagonists to Yuma. World Duel Carnival starts at 27, but in my opinion the real conflict starts in episode 33 with the introduction of the Tron Family.

In comparison My Hero finishes the Stain arc around episode 33, so I'd say they equally have as strong a start, and both works have introduced their main trio in that time.

With the Tron Family the secondary antagonists of the season we're finally introduced to the season's main confict of revenge. There are four factions and I'm going to take the time to explain each one's motivation before digging in deeper.

The conflict starts with the parents of the three main characters, Lord Byron Arclight (who will later return as Tron), Dr. Faker, and Kazuma Tsukumo. The three of them were studying alternate dimmensions together when Dr. Faker betrayed his two close friends. Kazuma and Lord Byron were dropped into an alternate dimmension as sacrifices to open the door between dimmensions. Kazumi did his best to try to save himself and Lord Byron, but he was unsuccesful and they both dropped out of the world.

Arclight wandered around between dimmensions, until he was eventually saved by the Barian world, a world of pure chaos kind of like the flipside of our world. However, his salvation came with a cost he was reverted from an adult man to a ten year old's body, and he also lost half of his face which is now a black hole (it's weird I'm not sure how that happened). The only thing that sustained Tron was the idea of getting revenge against Dr. Faker and now that he's returned he's determined to have it.

Tron had three sons, Michael, Thomas and Christopher. Which he renames III, IV, and V because he can't be bothered to remember their names I guess. Tron was once a very loving father and left his children behind on what was supposed to be a temporary research trip. However, their father apparently died, and Christopher the oldest was not old enough to take custody so III and IV were sent to different orphanages. At the same time Christopher was broken-hearted to learn that the man who killed his father, was the father of his student and close friend Kaito Tenjo, and ended that relationship for those reasons.

With the return of Tron the family was allowed to be back together with a now older Christopher taking custody of his brothers and now parenting his ten year old father (which is hilarious by the way). However, Tron distorted by the Barian world and his desire for revenge now uses his sons as tools in his revenge scheme against Dr. Faker. All three sons comply on the thin hope that if they complete their father's revenge, he will go back to being loving Byron Arclight. The Tron Family is a family united by revenge, but also defined by an intense family loyalty to each other, both as siblings, and to their father. While their father may not deserve it, all three sons love him deeply and would do anything to try to save him.

IV: You can't trust me that much. Just because I can't become an obedient servant to you like III and V. IV: But even so...I still also...for your sake. IV: Dad, you always smiled gently in the past. IV: But... after you returned from the parallel world it's like you had an entirely different personality. IV: Despite that we were still willing to follow you, Tron. Shark: Stop pretending to be a victim. Shark: Even if you were being used, I won't forgive you for what you did.

Which dovetails nicely into the conflict between Shark and IV. IV, obeying his father's orders challenged Shark's sister to a duel in a building that later blew up. He knew about the first part, but not the second, but still is somewhat responsible despite his ignorance. He did his best to save Shark's sister from the flames getting scarred in the process, but she was left comatose.

Soon after, IV engineered Shark's disgrace as a duelist, by purposefully letting his cards fall on the ground so Shark could see them during a tournament so he'd be disqualified for taking a peek.

All of these under his father's orders to turn Shark into yet another tool of revenge against Dr. Faker, as a wildcard to be pointed in Faker's direction. IV further antagonizes him by giving him a Numbers Card knowing that the darkness of the Numbers card will soon possess him in order to further his father's scheme. He also just wants to flat out defeat Shark so he can prove to his father he's more useful.

Shark looks like the clear victim in this situation, but his complete lack of sympathy for IV is total hypocrisy. Because, Shark is also only after revenge for what was done to him and his sister. Shark was hurt by IV's revenge, but Shark will also attack completely innocent people, including Yuma, just to get his revenge against IV. Shark is the aggrieved victim, but he fights only for revenge not to save someone and he just does not care for anyone other than his sister, himself and Yuma to an extent. Unlike IV, who has the added motivation of saving someone, and also is self-aware that he did something wrong that he can't take back.

Shark is very much a case of "well, my revenge is different from your revenge" somehow, and it makes him look like a hypocrite. Which is why Shark wavers between being an anti-hero and an anti-villain, because in spite of his mroe heroic qualities and his friendship with Yuma he pretty consistently is only motivated to duel for revenge and not for saving others like Yuma is and the show is clear on it's themes of "there is no such thing as a justified revenge."

Shark does not get his revenge, in fact the same way IV is manipulated to pointing his anger at Shark, Shark gets manipulated by Tron to pointing all of his anger at Yuma. Yuma basically has to act as the punching bag, in order to try to calm Shark down again and in Shark's own words even if you were being used, I won't forgive you for what you did.

Shark won't forgive IV, but he ends up committing the exact same unforgivable acts, and by his own logic manipulation is not an excuse.

Now that we've introduced Shark as the wildcard, the last faction is Dr. Faker's. Kaito and Dr. Faker both are fighting to save Haruto, Faker's second son and Kaito's little brother. Here is the twist with Dr. Faker's betrayal he's presented as a "I did everything for power" type of villain, but he's actually doing everything to save his son from dying and is willing to backstab his closest friends to do so, and turn his son Kaito into a pawn. There's an added layer of complication where Dr. Faker is legitimately using his son as a pawn, but much like the Tron Siblings, Kaito is also willing to comply because saving Haruto is just as important to him.

Kaito is a numbers hunter who rips out the souls of people in order to reclaim numbers cards from them, something which ages them and leaves them completely comatose. Kaito also blatantly says on several occasions, he doesn't care how many people he has to hurt to save his brother. So Kaito's motivations aren't revenge like Tron's, but he's also just as willing to get innocent people involved. He even attacks Shark once who didn't even have a number card, simply for GETTING IN THE WAY when he was trying to steal Yuma's key.

Kaito's not just an "I'll do anything to save my brother" type of character, he actively does not care about how many victims he creates along the way.

KAITO: You're wrong. Just one person matters to me. I only care about Hart.

And he sure does mean that. His own allies? Don't matter. His former friend Christopher? Doesn't care. Yuma who actively wants to save Hart too? Get out of the way bucko.

YUMA: Kaito, Droite fought desperately against Tron for your sake. YUMA: Droite liked y- KAITO: That's none of your concern.

Kite's obsession with saving his brother is all-consuming, and even ignores that Haruto does not want Kaito hurting himself for his sake, because it is just as much about Kaito as it is about Haruto.

Kaito also clashes with V from the Tron Family, and is deeply hurt by the fact that V will make punching bags out of both Kite and Haruto in order to get revenge against their father.

However, Kaito who has at this point put several people in comas in order to save his brother (the exact same motivation V has for his father and two younger brothers) is a complete hypocrite in this regard.

V: Friend you say? V: But that ideal was completely wrecked by Dr. Faker. V: Could you forgive that person's son? V: When I realized the truth, I... KAITO: Enough of this nonsense.

I'm sure none of the people Kaito put in comas had brothers, and they all kicked puppies when no one was looking. Even after Kaito realizes that Christopher was only trying to save his family the same way that he was, and promises to inherit his feelings, he forgets all about that when dueling Tron.

Kaito's one and only loss in the whole series comes from when he loses himself to revenge against Tron after he provoked him one too many times by tormenting Haruto. Once again, no matter what the reason revenge is never justified in Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal!

Tron: You're right I have no emotions. Droite and Shark... I was willing to even use my sons in order to create rage. Kaito: Say what? Tron: You did pretty well, too! You get angrier and angrier when it comes to Haruto. It's all thanks to you, have a look.

As much as Kaito would like to make a martyr of himself, he is just like the Tron siblings, just like Shark, an angry little kid lashing out against innocent people for the pain both him and his brother has suffered. Even kaito who has the most explicit desire to save someone, succumbs to revenge in the end when he's pushed.

The tragedy of season 1 is that basically every faction involved has a case of "my revenge is more important than your revenge, and my loved ones are more important than your loved ones". Even though both the Tron Family, and Kaito are fighting to save their families, neither of them ever backs down or considers the other side's motivations because THEIR PAIN is more important.

The last faction of the story is Yuma's, and as stated above Yuma is the only one who attempts to see his opponent's side. Yuma's central motto is "if we've dueled each other, then we're already friends." He also believes that duels should never be used as tools for hurting each other, something Shark, Kaito and the Tron Family all gleefully do in their conflict against one another.

Yuma is a deconstructoin of the "save everyone" because while he is involved in the conflict too because he lost his father to Dr. Faker, unlike the other three factions he has a support system. He still has his grandmother and sister, childhood friends, friends at school and Astral.

This fact is explicitly called out in his duel against III who by that point Yuma considers a friend. III spends a day with Yuma, bonding with him over their shared love of archaelogy, seeing his family and home life, only to turn against him.

Yuma tries to reach out to III the entire time through the duel and talk him down, and it doesn't work because Yuma with his support system, cannot truly understand where III is coming from and the desperation that drives him. Yuma's not caught in the same rock and hard place that III is, and all the sympathy and good intentions in the world cannot overcome the difference between that.

Yuma also in spite of his desire to solve things peacefully is basically forced to still fight, because if he loses a duel his close personal friend Astral will die, so it's actively a challenge for him to seek the third way to settle things without contributing to the cycle of revenge.

So Yuma represents the correct path, forgiveness and understanding the other's point of view, but it also shows that Yuma is able to do that because unlike everyone else he has a support system. Yuma is not internally more good than Shark, Kite, or the rest. He's just in a place where he can afford to look at the other people's perspectives because he's not desperately fighting for survival.

It's also a challenge for him to do so, because Yuma is someone very immature. As I said with III he does not understand the depths of what they are feeling even if he wants to make the pain go away. He tries to offer his unwavering support to people, but he fails just as often as he succeeds due to his immaturity.

In Yuma's case it's less being a perfect hero, but rather making an unrelenting effort to help others and offer a hand that matters. Yuma's character development in season 1 for me crystallizes in his final redemption of Tron, the character besides Faker who makes him the most angry because of his gleeful abuse of his sons for the sake of revenge. Not only does Yuma start to get through to Tron at points in the duel, because he tries so hard to make Tron understand how much he's hurt his sons, but at the end of the duel he mirrors his father's own action of trying to save both himself and Byron Arclight I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

Yuma: I won't give up! Tron: But why? Why are you trying to save me? Yuma: It's obvious, isn't I? Everyone I duel are my friends. Yuma: I don't understand all that complicated stuff, but we create bonds through dueling. And since you dueled me you are my friend. Tron: I finally understand. Your dueling goes beyond my desire for revenge. Yuma I can't live the same way as you and Kazuma, but I can't let Dr. Faker go either. I'll release all the souls I captured.

Yuma does represent the themes of love, and understanding being the only way to heal revenge (because more revenge does not fix anything) but he's not just propped up as a saint by the narrative. He's a character who has to go through serious character development before he's finally able to back up his good intentions with actual concrete action.

Yuma isn't just good internally, but rather his constant efforts to find the third path, and befriend other people is what makes him the hero of the story. Yuma is Deku done right and I will stand by this.

I hope I've been able to demonstrate the themes of Zexal, and I would be amiss to mention this is just Zexal I. Zexal II the second season does all of this even better. The Barians are an even better version of the League of Villains because despite starting a war with the main characters, they are all sympathetic and their point of view is just as valid as Astral and Yuma's. I don't want to spoil Zexal II though, so if anything about Zexal I caught your eye I reccomend watching both series.

#yu gi oh zexal #ygo meta #shark #tron family #christopher arclight #thomas arclight #tron #yuma tsukumo #kaito tenjo #michael arclight #metasks

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starry-907 · 3 months ago

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hi starry!!! <3 i've been seeing so many stick men on my dash, and i've gotten super curious. the fandom wiki page answered none of my questions, so i thought i'll turn to the resident expert <3 <3 <3 whomst may be these characters and where do they come from?

RESIDENT EXPERT SJDLFJSKDJ THANK YOU I GUESS?? i'm just very autistic abt these silly sticks, i don't think i'm much of an expert

the stickfigures are from Alan Becker's Animation Vs series/franchise (calling it a franchise seems wrong but there's multiple series under the umbrella so idk how else to describe it) on youtube! i'm gonna go into more detail on that but i'm putting it under a cut because i don't know how long this'll get to be completely honest

also sorry if this takes a while to get answered i wanted to collect screenshots and visuals

So i'm not gonna get into a full play-by-play, mainly to avoid spoiling you, but the series can be kinda split up into a few different categories (the first two being the "primary" series of the overarching series)

ALSO the creator refers to all the sticks with he/him but a lot of people tend to headcanon differently (it's me i'm people) so i might use my own hc pronouns for characters. honestly part of the series' appeal is the fact that there's wiggle room for headcanons to emerge.

anyway! starting off with the og:

Animator vs Animation

animator vs animation starts off with the simple question of, "hey what if my drawings came to life and fought me", which is somewhat of the overarching question through the first 3 installments

the fourth one winds up turning that question on it's head by the end because of this silly li'l guy, The Second Coming (usually called second or orange by the fandom)

by the end of ava 4, second (and the friends they found on a website) have reached an understanding with the animator (who's also alan, it's a bit confusing but i try to think of it like mcyt rules where there's the creator and then the character), and are now friends with him. ava 1-4 were recently bundled into being animator vs animation season 1, i'd recommend you start with these four if you want to watch the other series.

ava seasons 2 and 3 (season 3 is currently ongoing) take a bit of a different turn, delving into the previously left up to question fates of the past three sticks that alan had made in ava 1-3, along with also dropping some bombshells of lore here and there. semi related side note i'm taking the chosen one and shaking them in a tupperware violently.

Animation vs Minecraft

this one is the longest of the different series, with 35 episodes (36 counting the original). it also pulls off the "mainly filler eps until everything suddenly spurs into motion" thing very well. it's also funny because the series started out named as "animation vs minecraft shorts" when episodes in season 3 would get up into at least 20 minute runtimes.

this series is where we start to get personalities developed for the four sticks that second befriended in ava 4, through the lens of different minecraft niches, from animal care to potions to redstone to noteblocks.

avm seasons 1 and 2 focus more on exploring the different aspects of minecraft (such as build battles), though season 1 does have a very brief arc involving this other stick, purple

(purple shows up in later episodes as well)

speaking of purple, if you're watching animation vs minecraft as a whole, make sure to watch animation vs leauge before you get to season 3 otherwise there could be a brief moment of confusion.

"but starry idk anything about minecraft-" THAT'S OK!! sorry for yelling i got excited. the series does a pretty good job of laying down the basics of the more complex mechanics before the stickfigures proceed to take it to heights that are probably not achievable in vanilla.

"starry what about season 3-" I'M GLAD YOU ASKED sorry got excited again. season 3 takes a hard pivot from "semi-unconnected episodes with maybe a few overarching elements" to "fully episodic adventures that will genuinely make you a bit emotional at times near the end". it also starts with blue going to find netherwart before the escalation escalates and trust me once you know how the season ends that seems so much funnier.

season 4 goes back to the less sequential episodes, just with a few status quo updates from the end of season 3 added in, namely the occasional addition of two characters from season 3 that people go feral over seeing included.

I'LL ALSO USE THIS SPACE TO TALK ABOUT THE ACTUAL SHORTS, which, as stated, are shorts that don't have a runtime over a minute or a minute and a half. they're somewhat of a mix between minecraft themed and being themed around other aspects of the series (there's one where the sticks and alan try to max out a clicker game, for example).

animation vs education

these ones are a bit less "plot" and a little more "hey look at this cool thing". the only character we're familiar with to be in this is second, and we essentially follow them going through these various black spaces exploring different educational concepts. right now we have avmath, avphysics, and avgeometry.

they all manage to be engaging and interesting even when the concept being explored reaches the point where you might not understand what the heck is going on (a big example for me being when avphysics started getting into more theoretical stuff, the sequence was cool enough that i didn't even care that half of it was going over my head).

i also feel like these are the ones that people unfamiliar with the series are likely to find? at least when i mention the series usually if someone's heard of it it's cuz they've watched avmath or avphysics.

even though these don't seem to have any connection to the main series (though a lot of people hc that they're second's dreams), i still recommend giving these a watch if for no other reason that they're really cool!

influencer arc

this one's the newest bit added to the umbrella! it's a 3-episode arc about one of the sticks, green, making a youtube channel with his friends and also exploring adobe products. we only have one episode of this so far, and it was funny because everyone was literally going feral over it when it released.

this one's also fun because there's an actual youtube channel for green, so you can see the full version of the videos they make in the episodes! the channel was leaked before the episode release so everyone went feral over that then too. the videos on the channel are very much "kids messing around with a camera" vibes.

the one-off eps

there's quite a number of these that explore different things, like animation vs youtube, where second and green manage to tick off a video player, or the team trees and team seas videos where blue gets the ability to grow trees and remove trash with money (at least in second's dreams). like i said, for understanding one aspect of avm season 3 (namely why everyone's fairly chill with purple when meeting them), i recommend watching animation vs leauge before reaching season 3, purple shows up there.

if you want me to go more in depth about the characters themselves (with some of my headcanons bleeding through a li'l), let me know and i can make a part two! i recommend giving the series a watch if you want to understand better but you'll likely want to break it up into more managable chunks

i also wrote most of this while on the bus to work

#animator vs animation #animation vs minecraft #tbh i don't know what else i can tag this with cuz i'm not about to tag every character i mentioned more than once #if you have any other questions i guess let me know?

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nozunhinged · 5 months ago

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my love sea rollercoaster

Okay so I was at the forefront of the love sea haters (don't ask me about mame I don't know anything about that discoure you can read why I didn't like it here if you want) but as weak as I am I kept watching and ep 2 still didn't do it for me but ep 3 turned the boat around so fast that I feel absolutely sea sick (literally!!) right now -- and because the discourse and perspectives on tumblr made me try to keep watching unbiased, I'd like to share my five cents as to why the story suddenly works for me after I've spent the first two eps rolling my eyes so hard I got a migraine.

I think it comes down to three major moments, with their conflict as the turning point

When rak started spitting the most degrading speech going at mut for dragging him out of the house, literally blowing so fucking low the blowjob mut was wishing for in the end was sky high terrain, I went "ok that's it, I'm turning this off" -- rak said word for word "no means no" but mut still kept pulling him I was close to angry tears what a fucked up situation that is, I thought.

But just as mut made rak snap out of it with his unimpressed reaction, so did I.

It was like the first half of the episode flashed right in front of me within the second rak was speechless. He was so on edge from the many calls he had in the first part and before that the diving incident -- he was streched out so thin that of course he would fall back to his default mode which is insulting anyone who dares to get within a 10ft radius of him. And then a guy who even dares to break down his pretentious walls? Better double down! (I'm still mad about raks tirade though, I would've dumped him in the sea right then and there)

But here's the thing, mut isn't fazed at all. Like, at all at all. And that's exactly what rak needs in this moment. Someone to vent his anger at so he can collect himself. We know now that mut had it a million times worse than this and his reaction isn't just because he has the hots for rak, it's literally his character. They both would react the exact same way if it was any other person. The difference? They develop an emotional bond over it and that's how they move forward. CHEFS KISS!

You might think but noz, of course its his character, thats the whole point? Yeah but not to me.

In the last two episodes, it felt like everything that happened between them was excruciatingly forced by the narrative (see my yaoi-post why I despise that) -- that everything between them is only brought out because they met. I know that thai bl (no, lets say the romance genre in general) has a big issue writing and introducing characters in a manner that makes their romance believable, but most of the time I can overlook that because we're not here for deep literary masterpieces, we're here for the smooches and the fumbles. I get it.

But when it feels so forced like it did the last two eps to me, even I just check out. So I already shelved that series in my mind and it's the first time I get so damn humbled that I have to write down a million paragraphs to defend myself lol. I think my longing for watching a believable lovestory reached so deep that it contributed to my current brainrot.

Don't get me wrong -- I attest this shift 100% to fortpeats insanely stellar acting. They make the characters believable and they make me understand why rakmut are prefect for each other although I HATE their dynamic. But that's the beauty of a good story my friends, I get now why their pulling and pushing works for them and I'll gladly watch them do that! Because until now, no aspect of the show managed to do that, neither the narrative progression, nor the editing, writing or pacing. Nothing. It was all just a jumbled, annoying mess.

So what's different now? The story lets fortpeat finally shine! (Accidentally maybe?)

Someone already said that the scenes are stale and slow (cant find the post anymore sorry) due to the fact that nothing is happening other than the two of them talking in the same position behind a different background and I 100000% agree. And the only way this poor choice is saved by is fortpeat. I was hanging on their lips for every single word. Their dynamic was suddenly so clear and palpable to me, I struggled to breathe properly. Rakmut are fucking made for each other and I'm losing my shit over it.

I can't believe they managed to make ALL the flaws of this show just POOF -- go away??? And it just keeps going like that. I could write 10 more pages about the little details of their dialogues that cemented my impression but I'll try wrap this up first.

The two other pivotal moments (to me) were muts reaction to rak telling him about his name. Yes, you read that right. Now that I finally understood how these two are ticking, I absolutely 100% understand where mut was going with this objectively BONKERS suggestion. Rak drops this bombshell of a trauma on him and he offers to do exactly that too??? Well, in muts head this is the only way to make rak understand that the outcome can be different. So of course, this idea would only work on him. Made for each other, I'm telling you. Two pieces of a fucked up puzzle.

Now, that scene.

First, doubling down on how much worse mut had it. (I'm not talking about his house thats a topic for another post) I think this one little story was enough to land the punch, the talk last ep was too long and clunky. I wouldve loved to have a scene where the guy who was fired tells the story to someone and rak overhears it, not understanding a thing and then putting the pieces together when mut starts talking I-- oh I think i wouldnt have survived that, I cried then and there already.

Well yeah I was in tears when they started fucking that was awkward but again raks reaction just made sense. They don't know each other that well and rak only knows one way how to make mut feel good which is riding him to the moon and back. And as a little cherry on top he completely let loose without any restraints.

There's already this amazing post by @hanhonymous which explains perfectly why the pillow talk after works so well as it does, so I'm not gonna say anything more. Just know that I was full on bawling at this point. When rak said "try it" it lost it. How he encourages his island boy who said "someone like me" a million times in the last ten minutes was perfect. Beautiful. Absolutely wonderful. Even his false lead felt perfect for this moment because only this way mut would understand that rak is absolutely serious.

I don't know how the bangkok arc will play out, my hopes are not very high but I will forever have this lovely little episode. And their lovely little pillow talk. And when they confess and love each other for real I will once again cry like a loser because fortpeat are amazing. Please someone get them a high quality production they deserve it so much.

#love sea the series #love sea #fortpeat #rakmut #mutrak

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liquidorcard · 2 months ago

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Has Lily acknowledged your existence yet?

SOLID LILY WILL NOT RESPOND TO MY CEASE AND DESIST FROM MY TOTALLY REAL LAWYER TO STOP COPYING ME!!! MY FACE IS COPYRIGHTED BINCH!!!

She also has never responded to a single one of the thousands upon THOUSANDS of hand written notes that we could be

💖~ kissing each other right on the mouths as sisters ~💖

While I even bring her coffee! 😭

____

Yes. Sort of at least. The whole "Solid Lily," "Liquid Lily" episode, I can more or less confirm happened because of me.

The day I made this account, though I never interacted with her directly on purpose, I was watching to see when/if she blocked me. Took her something like, two or three hours to find my account and block. Which, in Lily's defense, fair enough. I think my reasons for mocking her are more than valid, but I wouldn't expect anyone to NOT take being openly made fun of like this as more than enough reason to cut off direct contact. It's clear I don't like her. But by the timing I can all but confirm the ask she got next was a self ask:

She didn't get the joke. Poor Lily doesn't get a lot of things, though.

She referenced me and another parody Lily account more directly here:

The "Mega Milk Lily" Liquid drawing came out if me making fun of this comment.

There was an instance of Mikaila vagueposting about someone drawing Lily as a "big titty goth gf," implying that artist, whoever they may be, wanted to bone Lily. That was also probably in reference to me. If it was, that tells me two things:

1. Mikaila doesn't know what a goth is (speaking as a goth guy.)

2. Not a surprise they both think drag is some kind of pervert satanic ritual if they interpret absolutely ridiculous drawings that don't even look close to the real Lily as flirting. I'm not trying to play dumb, I know there's a sexual implication to the way I draw Liquid. Liquid's origins as a character are a little messy because the original Lily Wojaks I drew ages ago. The "abusive wife" wojak has big tits, and that was the first one I made.

But as I started developing the character as a whole persona by herself, I started leaning into it more to both parody how in a performative hyper femininity. I'm a drag performer in real life. Though I don't perform as much as I used to, I used to do a lot of parody impersonations (Ben Shapiro was my favorite, lol.) Also, it's just way easier to draw curvy women super fast since they're made of a lot of distinct shapes.

If they think me drawing a parody Lily this way makes me think I'm into her, well. Sorry Lily I'm only into chicks who hurt people consentually. Full offense, with all do respect.

There's been a few instances I've been made aware of I personally concluded was not actually all that likely to be about me. However, there was one instance involving Loly alluding to a phantom violent drawing Courtney supposedly commissioned. In my opinion, Lily is making the whole thing up, or her friend is. Courtney supposedly sent it to a friend of Lily's instead of her directly, and this friend refuses to show or send it to Lily.

I can't confirm who speculated about this first, but either Lily or KiwiFarms suggested it was me who drew it. This drawing no one's seen but a friend of Lily's, who Courtney supposedly paid money to have made, only to ever send it to JUST Lily's friend.

I mean I can't prove a negative, but like, if this commission ever materializes there's a million different ways to at least show I would have had to go to take pretty extreme measures to hide that I made it.

The last instance I really can't say for sure if it was me or not. But it may have been me that caused Lily to go on a prolonged rant about metaphors. The same day I made fun of her for the same thing, referencing a 9 month old Sai stream where she confused "symbolism" for "simile." Symbolism can absolutely be used in a visual or conceptual metaphor.

#lily orchard #lily orchard critical #anti lily orchard #lily peet #lorch posting #lily orchard stuff #youtube #lily orchard is a bad critic #lily orchard receipts #sai scribbles #metal gear solid #drag queen #rocky horror picture show #wojak #solid lily #eldrich lily #liquid orcard

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mercurygray · 6 months ago

Note

Random fic ask: a plot point in any of your fics that you ended up scrapping or recycling into a new idea

I have...a lot of outtakes from The Darkening Sky. (It was four years, guys, there was a lot of time for outtakes.)

In one of the earlier scenes I wrote (August of 2020), I was going to have Lee Miller cover the Girl Gang when they ended at the Eagle's Nest, and I was going to have Joan do a version of Lee's famous picture in Hitler's bathroom. Joan was then going to ask the photographer to share proof photos of the shoot (in which she is artfully naked) with Dick.

I'm not sure what I was going for with that idea. Both of these characters are famously tight-lipped about their emotions, and to be honest, I don't think it would have worked to get him to make a move or talk more. I think I imagined that Joan felt she needed to give Dick some kind of very tangible sign that she trusted him implicitly.

By the time I got to Germany, Dick and Joan's relationship didn't need that moment - they'd had a lot more moments a lot earlier in the story where Dick got a chance to reflect on how much he admired her and show that he trusted her and she trusted him. I'd also learned a little bit more about Lee Miller and didn't think I'd be writing her very accurately to be doing a puff piece on Joan at the end of the war. (There was also a lot of missing infrastructure around developing and printing the photos that I didn't feel like I could handwave through.) So the scene was cut, the photos never appeared, and Lee Miller's part was given to @shoshiwrites' war correspondent OC Jo Brandt, who'd already made an appearance in an earlier part of the piece and could be relied upon to have a sympathetic view of lady lieutenants in the paratroopers. Some of the original article copy was recycled into the final draft, but much of it went in the wastebin.

I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair: Lt Joan Warren, 101st Airborne, was one of the first Americans to see Hitler's famous Eagle's Nest. Satisfied with the view, Warren did what any sensible soldier would after a hard three years' work - she took a bath. The lieutenant's boots give the reader some idea of how well deserved this is.

Her boots were, indeed, right there at the side of the tub - tired, well-broken jump boots that looked, in the tiled elegance of the bathroom, very sad indeed, her equally battered uniform in a neat pile on the floor next to the boots.

It was a tasteful picture, not...sensational, or designed to titillate. Joan was simply sitting in the tub, head resting against her knees, a woman finally allowed to rest after the long labors attested to by the boots.

Lt Warren is the rarest of a rare breed, a female officer in the parachute infantry, and she has earned her stripes, with jumps in Normandy and Holland, and has been wounded twice. The last three years have not been filled with luxuries, or comforts - the soap she used was a sliver in a small tin tray, as GI as can be, and the only pretty thing in her bunkroll is a silk scarf, patterned in leopard, which she says all her girls in the parachute regiment wear as a badge of honor, in nod to the Amazons they are. No man owns one, she says, though it is the view of this correspondent that, like the swapping of class pins, the possession of such a scarf will soon be a sought-after prize, much like the woman who gifts it.

More of Miller's photos followed, the Easy Company officers on the veranda, a box of booze in the middle of their meeting, more shots of the house, in all its splendor, looking out onto the peerless beauty of the alps. An almost candid shot showed Speirs and Nixon playing chess with the mountains behind them. Miller had captured them at their finest hour, conquerors in their castle, not a man among them sad. It seemed a strange sight, that they should all be smiling, after all they’d seen and done.

...

The photographs were several iterations on the same theme - Joan’s head in different directions and from several different angles, each trying to capture the elusive glimpse of a hero finally at rest. But the last - the last was - was Joan … before she’d gotten in the bath, stark naked, head tipped forward as she massaged some kink in her neck, knee slightly knocked to one side. There were the scars along her arm where she’d gotten pinked in Holland, and the ugly pucker along the side of her leg where that shell had practically laid her open, not quite the now-traditional Easy Company shot in the ass, but close. Three years on Army rations had left a woman who had never been given to overeating a lean, whipcord look, better-fed than some of the DPs they’d seen recently but not by much. And ...she was beautiful. His fingers brushed the line of her back, the curve of her buttocks, remembering what she’d said in Paris about being painted naked, remembering how unsettled the idea had made him. And here she was - not painted, but photographed, a thing to be admired, desired, wanted.

And, god in heaven, he wanted her. His body was becoming slowly electric with it -- before he remembered, chillingly, that he still had an audience - an audience, now that he looked up, that was contemplating him with a pleased smile, the look of a woman who knows she has done something to disquiet the stoic man of war.

“What she’s picked is fine,” he said, shoving the pictures furtively back into the envelope and handing them back to Miller - but the War Correspondent wouldn’t take them.

“I asked her first,” Miller said with a smile, in answer to his unspoken accusation. “She saw them all. She knew I was coming here to get your permission for the article copy, and she wanted you to see those, Major.”

The thought of Joan sending these into his hands momentarily made him weak. She wanted you to see them, Dick. She wanted to be seen. “A soldier has very little privacy, Correspondent Miller,” he said, forcefully. “Take them back. Please,” he added, as an afterthought. “No one under her command can -” no one under her command can see them, I shouldn’t have seen them, I cannot have these in my trunk or on my person. He was being reminded, violently, of inspections at Toccoa, and Sobel going through their footlockers, pornography, contraband, and the sly, slimy smile as, going through the women’s things, he’d held up a garter belt, nonregulation clothing, contraband. I’ll keep this, and the woman from whose trunk it had come paled under his eye.

“Suit yourself.” She took back the envelope and fastened the flap shut. “She really is a keeper, Major. If you don’t get that, someone else will.”

#asked and answered #emilykaldwen #fun with dick and joan #joan warren #director's commentary

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hadesknockedupintheunderworld · 3 months ago

Note

Imagine the Tails Polycule in the death of the sonic the hedgehog game.

Oooh interesting

So, I'm going to interpret as if they (prime!polycule I assume) were inserted into the game to join the main cast, and I'll start with placement first

(Game spoilers ahead)

Shadow, Knuckles, and Sonic all start out being the only person in their respective cars (not including the conductor in this). Since we have 3 foxes to place, I think it's best to just spread them out among these 3 cars (the Saloon, the lounge car, and the conductor's car)

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My decided placements are as follows:

Sails – the Saloon car with Knuckles

Nine - the lounge car with Shadow

Mangey - the conductor's car with Sonic and the Conductor

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And with that, the following are their roles and brief backstories (to fit with the theme of the murder mystery party):

Sails – Bartender

He's a bartender at the Saloon the town sheriff (Knuckles) frequents. He doesn't particularly have the passion for bartending, but it’s due to his (now passed) elderly boss's getting him this job that saved him from a worse life, so he can't complain too much. His real passion lies in his contraption making, which only his coworkers and the Sheriff knows about. While he tries to be decent at his job and maintan a friendly exterior for the customers, you can occasionally spot him leaning over the bar counter with a bored look on his face. He also enjoys a good riddle.

Nine – Programmer

The programer is married to his job (developing new robots that exist to help vulnerable people). After he happened to win an all expenses paid vacation in the lottery, his boss forced him out of the office to take the vacation in question, and he reluctantly complied. He has a hard time sitting still and relaxing, which results in him often working on something when not on the clock. Because of this, he took his Bits with him on vacation to tinker with. He doesn't like it when his work is interrupted and can be a bit prickly, but he can't suppress his excitement or interest in machines or programs he's never seen. Coincidentally, the only person on the train he recognizes is the locksmith (Shadow), who he shares a bit of a bitter (or bittersweet?) past with.

Mangey – Co-captain

He met the captain (Sonic) in college and the two have been attached at the hip since. While easily mistaken as Captain and assistant (since the co-captain often runs errands for or assists the captain), in truth the co-captain functions both as backup and a support partner. Should the captain have complications, it's up to the co-captain to step into his role, and if the captain needs to make a hard decision or needs assistance with something difficult, the co-captain is who he asks first. They are partners who rely on each other, and good friends.

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Now, for the game itself, each of the main characters had a set of movements, other people they talked to, and things they did, so these three would be no different.

At this point I actually started plotting out the movements of each of our 3 additional characters and how they shift the story and add to it. However, once I'd done enough work I'd realized I'd come out of this ask with a full blown au rather than just passing thoughts. As such, so as not to spoil a bunch of major moments in an au I may seriously end up writing for and showing off, I've decided instead to finish off this ask with some notes and tidbits about the au.

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Misc Notes:

Nine's Bits are based upon these little guys from Archie Sonic from Silver's future (post sgw):

I couldn't think up a better name and "the bits" is still classic to me, so I made up a random lore reason why they'd be called that in this au. Answer? Professor Von Schlemmer exists in Silver's future in this au, and either Silver accidentally brought some bits back with him once or ended up showing Tails or Nine some of his work. So Nine ended up taking the basic idea from the professor's bits to create his own. Since this is a bit more of a careful situation and Nine isn’t in the business of passing others' ideas off as his own, until he comes up with another name and makes them sufficiently different, his bits are a semi-secret not so secret personal project. Idk it's kind of like how in Prime he used the Chaos Council's power core schematics to create the shatterdrive, if that makes any sense. He claims the title of inventing shatterdrive technology, but he does not hide where he drew inspiration or based his designs from

Nine (and his programmer role) have two bits. One is modeled after Chaos Sonic, and the other is modeled after Alpha Grim Sonic.

The purpose of Nine's bits are essentially to act either as extensions of Chaos Sonic and Alpha Grim Sonic or to be additional bodies the robots can upload themselves into. The former is largely useful for stuff like recon, and the latter is used in the event Nine needs to make his robots more portable for some reason (for example, in this case, he wanted to keep his robots with him during Amy's party, but didn't want them taking up space on the train)

Unless one has the proper tools, only Nine is able to access the memory of his bits (in regards to actually scrolling through their memory logs AND in accessing footage they record). Tails did not bring tools necessary for this on the train with him (especially since he takes his role as detective very seriously). This is important in case, say, the Detective and Barry end up getting ahold of one of the Bits and they happen to maybe have crucial evidence.

Fun fact! The Poet does manage to "finish the job" about the same way as he does in the original game. He is lucky that The Programmer is not in the lounge car during his arrival before and escape after the attempted murder. However, this doesn't mean The Programmer left the room completely empty and unsupervised...

Another fun fact! Rather than getting an interrogation like The Sheriff does in the Saloon Car, the Bartender withholds a special clue he found (that could possibly lead to the murderer). Tails and Barry just have to complete a task for him that involves the Super Monkey Ball arcade machine

The same way Sonic and Mangey's character cards and Sails and Knuckles' specifiy that they have a type of relationship to each other, so, too, do Shadow and Nine's cards.

Excluding Barry, The Co-Captain is the only character to suspect foul play when the Captain is "murdered" during the game. However, this is largely due to the fact that (with how the character movements are structured) the Captain and the Conductor suddenly disappear, leaving the Conductor's car in disarray. It's also a while before the Co-Captain reaches anyone who is aware that Sonic's character was murdered.

Final tidbit...! There are kisses involved. Even if they're ooc for the roles they're playing, with the prime polycule involved I had to work em in! 😂

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And with that, I'd love to thank you for the ask, anon! Although it may not have been your intention, I bamboozled myself into getting majorly invested in this little prime polycule au 🥰

#sonic the hedgehog #the murder of sonic the hedgehog #tmosth #saitaininegy #tailscest #prime polycule #tails the fox #mangey the fox #nine the fox #sails the fox #nine sonic prime #mangey sonic prime #sails sonic prime #miles tails prower #miles sails prower #miles nine prower #miles mangey prower #sonic prime #for reference #prime polycule tmosth au #will have to come up with a better au name one day #but yeah thank you again anon!#If anyone has any other questions regarding the prime polycule (relationship wise or their individual characters)#have more questions such as this one‚ or anything else‚ please feel free to shoot me an ask!#And if you'd like to see more of this au‚ feel free to let me know as well!#anon interview #tmosth au #Also uh apologies for how long this took me to answer. It was gonna be pretty straightforward and then I got really invested and started au #plotting (in depth) inside my draft and then I ultimately ended up deciding to share tidbits and notes rather than spoiling everything #au musings

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resident-sean-expert · 2 years ago

Text

(yes I already posted this yesterday but I deleted it, unintentionally 🙃)

Welcome to another episode of me overanalyzing side-characters !

I'll explain why I consider this scene to be one of the most fucked up moments of the show (wwdits shitty meta) :

(the scene lasts 1min 45)

TW : Child abuse ¦

(I probably extrapolated, it's just my personal interpretation)

So in short, Colin stole Sean's car, the man is not upset with the teenager, actually it's Laszlo who is really mad because it could have seriously pissed off his best friend; Sean initially sides with Colin.

S : "Look, uh, we all make mistakes. It's no big deal - Listen, he was just taking it for a little joyride."

So Sean is aware that it was basic teenagers' bullshit and isn't particularly upset about it. Guillermo prompts Colin to speak up.

As Colin starts to vent, Laszlo interrupts him, even insulting him, Sean tries to step in to calm the tension.

C : "You can't tell me why I grew a foot and a half overnight like a human radish."

L : "Listen, you ungrateful f*ck, you're giving me the pip."

S : "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa."

[...]

S : "Guys, guys, guys."

L : "All right, you cheeky f*ck." (to Colin)

S : "Things are getting a little too heated in here."

[...]

S : Okay, listen, my dad and I used to fight like this all the time ! And nothing good came from it ! You understand me ?

This exact moment particularly struck me.

The acting was so good, the emotions so sincere that the first time I saw this scene I had to pause it (because I felt really uncomfortable)

For me, it was 'young Seanie' who expressed himself here, not the adult man, look and tell me if it was not a fucking cry of distress from his "young self", he raised his voice when it was not necessary, like a child about to have a tantrum.

And for me the best detail of this scene : while Sean explains what solution he proposes for "settling differences" between Colin and Laszlo, just behind him, on the top of his shoulder, there is the head of the Devil Jersey, as if the demon on his shoulder whispered (bad) advice to him :

S : "Now, I'm gonna count down from three. When I say go, start swinging."

G : "Wait, what ?"

S : "First one to tap out, other one's head of the household."

Then he encourages Colin to make eye contact when he is clearly uncomfortable, the only one at ease is Laszlo.

Why force him to do eye contact ? So that Colin can see himself being punched in the face in high definition, wtf Sean

Laszlo was ready to hit Colin at that moment.

Only Guillermo reacted with GOOD SENSE ! And we are talking about one of the most unhinged characters of the show, even for him it was too much.

Since when ??! you encourage your best friend to beat up his "son" (as a parental figure), how messed up is that ?

And while Guillermo is holding them back on this shit, Sean exclaims "C'mon !" as if he's disappointed that it didn't happen.

Now we can ask ourselves why Sean would encourage his best friend to do something as stupid as hitting his child; I personally think it's because Sean has only developed unhealthy coping mechanisms (alcoholism, gambling)

It is implicitly nuanced that Sean was beaten up by his father on a regular basis, and probably in the face (no wonder he resisted to the brain scramblies, it was already pudding before/hj)

Let's face it, Colin would never have had time to react if Laszlo had decided to hit him.

I think that at this point, Sean wanted to be a spectator, he wanted to revisit unconsciously the violence that he himself had suffered when he was younger but this time from an external point of view.

After all Laszlo loves Colin Robinson deeply, and it is even Sean who reassured Colin about that during the Pine Barrens episode.

S : You know, you're lucky to have a guy like Lasz - taking care of you.

C : I guess. Sometimes I think that Lazzo doesn't like me so much.

S : Are you kidding me ? He loves you.

So if Sean saw Laszlo beating his son in front of his eyes, maybe he would have had the confirmation that his own father loved him, that his father beat him, but that it was a 'sign of love' in the end.

Sean never learn to communicate properly (hence the dysfunctional marriage with his wife) and when he had to argue with his father, it ended in violence (with fists)

Sean was forced at a very young age to take on a role that he wasn't supposed to be, in this case the fight that was supposed to take place between Colin and Laszlo was to determine who would be "head of the household."

Colin here is a teenager, he should not have all the responsibilities expected of an adult, but it seems that Sean at the same age had to undergo it (he wasn't allowed to watch PBS, at 14 he killed his first deer (let him jerk off instead of forcing him to hunt srs 😭) , Sean seems to have never experienced a childhood that a 14yo is supposed to have.

At a minimum he had the decency to say "First one to tap out" indicating that if Colin gave up and didn't want to fight anymore, he at least had a way out. I doubt Sean had that same chance, and I think he must have been knocked out many times.

Sean's response to problems is usually to give up or violence (e.g. when he threatens Guillermo "to ream him" after he thought he made a homophobic remark)

Sean is deep down emotional but has never been able to express his emotions in a healthy way, seeing Lasz's love and attachment to teen Colin, he saw before his eyes what he missed during his childhood to build himself psychologically.

In reality, he is not inclined to violence, he even hoped that Baby Colin would only be violent towards walls :

The only times Sean almost cried were when he offered the Jade necklace to his wife :

[...] talking about his favorite movie series which is probably the only valid excuse he has for crying as a 'real masculine man yk', not supposed to be fragile or to show emotions :

He was a neglected and abused child and I think that during this scene he almost indirectly succeeded in repeating the cycle of abuse he suffered from, but by projection this time.

So I just wonder, if Colin had been knocked out by Laszlo (without having the time to "tap out"), how Sean would have reacted afterwards.

Seeing with an outside eye himself (teen Colin) lying on the ground.

Would he have been angry at Laszlo, at himself, at Teen Colin for not being strong enough ?

I leave you with his thoughts :)

Conclusion : get Sean a fucking therapy.

#tw child abuse #wwdits #what we do in the shadows #wwdits meta #wwdits analysis #sean rinaldi #wwdits sean #laszlo cravensworth #wwdits laszlo #baby colin robinson #teen colin robinson #kztpost

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tarisilmarwen · 1 year ago

Text

Rebels Rewatch: “Spark of Rebellion”

With the Ahsoka show coming up here in August, I have just enough time for a full refresher so, you know, I Might As Well.

This is going to be different from my normal liveblogs, obviously, less real-time reactions and more commentary and meta analysis, though you’ll probably still get some incoherent nerdery and feelings spew here and there.

All right, let’s get into it.

You know with the benefit of hindsight, Vader’s speech to the Grand Inquisitor here is actually a perfect encapsulation and summary of the premise of the show.

“Hey so the Jedi are dead and the Empire reigns but the Emperor is still worried about threats to his rule, so your job is to hunt down and kill anyone a little bit too Force Sensitive and also anyone Order 66 managed to miss.”

It’s an interesting choice of phrase too.

“The Children of the Force”

Emphasizes the villainy of our bad guys in that they’re hunting down literal children and also seems to suggest some kind of protectiveness from the Force here; these are its children, people born into its “family”, so to speak.

Anyway.

OKAY WAIT NO I NEED TO STOP BECAUSE I STILL CAN’T GET OVER HOW THIS SCENE IS PARALLELED IN THE FINALE.

SHOT FOR SHOT. SHOT. FOR. SHOT.

The show opens with the “boy who was lost” and closes with the “girl who was broken”, Sabine’s move into more narrative prominence S3 onward was not a writing mistake, it was purposeful, it was deliberate, the show is their coming-of-age arc, they are co-protagonists, they are each other’s Most Important Person and have so much influence on each other’s character development and it’s reflected so perfectly in that seventy-something episodes later we’re going to see Sabine standing right here where Ezra’s standing now.

*sobs*

Okay I’m good.

Right here is also when we hear our first classic Star Wars leitmotif, as the Imperial March blares out with obnoxious brassy flair.

Followed almost immediately by the short excerpt of the Rebel Alliance theme that functions as our stinger.

(I’m going to be talking about the score A LOT this time around, better get used to it lol.)

Ugh, there was this one stupid post that was like, “What’s so bad about the Empire regulating commerce anyway? Controlling food safety is a good thing!” REGULATIONS ARE A TOOL OF THE STATE TO CONTROL ITS PEOPLE SHARON, you notice they harass this vendor specifically because he hasn’t asked permission from the oh-so-benevolent Empire to make a couple credits selling a single basket of fruit, as if that’s something the Empire needs to control, and when he dares to complain about it they immediately want to toss him in prison. That’s the epitome of petty state authoritarianism.

This is also such a wonderful character establishing moment for Ezra, because as much as he says he’s only out for himself and doesn’t stick his neck out for people the very first thing we see him doing in the show is surreptitiously sticking up for this harassed vendor.

We learn three main things here: 1. He’s clever and agile, 2. He’s a street kid trying to survive, 3. He actually really does care about people. All in less than a minute. Very tight writing.

I love the sound effect they use to signify Force use. It’s very pretty.

Aaaaand of course accompanying it, the quiet string prelude to the classic Force theme. An immediate auditory clue cueing us into the fact that Ezra is also Force Sensitive. So unconsciously, we’re already primed to expect that.

Snrk, I still love how casually Sabine tosses the grenade onto the speeder.

There’s a strechiness and elasticity to the character models here that I think they lose later, as the tone evens out into being more serious, but it’s very Disney-esque.

Actually hilarious and kind of fascinating that instead of stopping Ezra, Sabine lets him keep part of the shipment and have a fair shot at escaping.

She definitely sounds like she likes his gumption.

If no supposed to ship, why let Tiya say the line so playfully here?

Zeb’s resigned thumbs up always cracks me up.

It bears repeating but the animation? Very Disney-esque. The whole way characters move, their design, how they emote and express.

I was always particularly impressed by the hair.

Look at it.

It’s always shifting softly around Ezra’s face and blowing in the wind and reacting to his movement shafkjghkajh.

SO much better than early Clone Wars.

No, shut up, go back and watch those awkward early episodes.

The faces don’t emote.

Kanan’s fond little smile. :) He already loves that kid so much.

Again with the animation being very 2D Disney hand-drawn inspired in the way Kanan sloughs his shoulders here replying to Hera.

Hgnnnglllll the little shine in Ezra’s irises shifts like it’s an anime sparkle, I love this animation I love it I love it your Clone Wars could never.

If no supposed to ship, literally why have this moment with the classic Sees Her In Sparklevision trope? (Okay so I added the actual sparkles but still.)

Seriously Filoni. “I think there’s an automatic instinct to ship them.” WELL WITH THIS COMING DAY ONE EPISODE ONE WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?!

Hi Kallus!

Right so after this sequence where Ezra feels inexplicably guilty for not doing more to help the people of Tarkintown despite him literally only finding out they existed two minutes ago there was pretty much no way I wasn’t going to love him.

I think my brain subconsciously recognized, “Oh, he has a Hero Complex.” annnnd yep, yep, that did it, he’s my son now.

Interestingly, this is also I believe the first time we hear Ezra’s leitmotif, which like Luke’s theme is primarily in brass but in a minor key, slower, more somber, more introspective, almost a thematic foil to the adventurous bold excitement of Luke’s theme.

Luke’s theme, AKA the Star Wars Main Title theme, by the way, is primarily used throughout Rebels to denote heroism. Typically it comes in whenever we have a Gunship Rescue from the Ghost or some other kind of Big Damn Heroes moment.

Side note appreciating the animation again, the storyboarding and blocking is very cinematic. The camera moves as it might on a modern Hollywood production instead of a weekly TV serial, which I think helps makes Rebels feel closer to the Original Trilogy.

And here the full Force theme breaks through. :)

Note: At this point, behind the scenes, Hera and Kanan have already discussed Ezra’s potential Force Sensitivity, and agreed to test him. I am still sorely in need of fanfics that cover that conversation. Just saying.

AGAIN. WRITERS. YOU NEED TO BE A LITTLE MORE AWARE OF JUST HOW SHIPPY THINGS COME ACROSS BETWEEN EZRA AND SABINE THIS FIRST EPISODE.

Like, there’s a reason why this conversation and footage is used in a million Sabezra amvs.

Ezra rubbing his hand on his neck, Sabine’s soft looks of concern at him, how warmly she finally reciprocates on telling him her name...

(Also notice how Ezra, empath that he is, immediately cottons onto the fact that Sabine considers the Ghost crew her family and discerns that something or other happened to her bio family.)

Gremlin child Ezra. <3

I’m sorry, I just noticed this:

What is that look, Sabine? Lolol.

Hera going into Mom Mode immediately. Her cheeky look back at Kanan, lol, she knows exactly what she’s doing.

Edgy TWC bros complained so much about the humor in early Season One and I say they have no taste, “rare hairless Wookie” is hilarious.

Part Twooooooooo!

For all his bluster and his devil may care facade, Ezra had that Jedi compassion and drive in him from the very start, I will hear NO slander otherwise.

Something in this escape sequence I absolutely love? Ezra clinging to Zeb’s back. Just the way he grabs Zeb’s legs and climbs him like a feral cat. And Zeb does not appreciate it lol.

Oh hey, we’re at The Scene That Basically Sealed Ezra As Tari’s New Favorite Whump Target.

Yeah, protip to all showrunners, you put an emotionally vulnerable young male protagonist in mortal peril and you basically guarantee that I will obsess and fixate on them forever.

EVERY SINGLE FRAME OF THIS SHOT IS MORE HEARTBREAKING THAN THE LAST.

Hngl and you can hear him hyperventilating too ow my heart.

A brief excerpt of Ezra’s theme plays right here too, as if to compound Zeb’s guilt about the whole thing lol.

Like the score itself is saying, “HEY AREN’T YOU MISSING SOMEONE?!”

Sabine automatically assuming Zeb did something to Ezra. <3

Hera full-naming Zeb. <333333

A couple people pointed out before that Ezra flinches pretty noticably when Kallus reaches for him, and Kallus definitely marks that reaction with his eyes. It’s such a quick little sequence but it’s fascinating in the layers it suggests.

I reiterate: The subtle facial animation is this show is fantastic. The minute little emotions that you can pick up tell so much story.

Chopper voting with Hera to go back for Ezra. <333333333333333 The murder hobo does have a heart.

I love the little sideglance these troopers give each other after Ezra seals them in. You can’t even see their faces but you know they’re chagrined all, “Oh. Ohhhh we’re in so much trouble.”

And the joke is even followed up on when Kallus demands to know how Ezra escaped and this poor dude just has all the notes of, “This is the worst day of my life.” in his voice lololol.

I gotta gives props to Taylor Gray, he pulls off Ezra’s impersonations really well.

So how much do you want to bet Kallus had unfortunate flashbacks every time one of Sabine’s bombs threw him?

“I’m sure your parents must be worried sick.” “I don’t have parents.”

*URGE TO ADOPT HIM INTENSIFIES*

(Also, same, Hera, same.)

Speaking of entire stories being told in the subtle expressions...

Tangenting here a little bit, I’ve seen more than one bad faith reading chiding Kanan and especially Hera for “manipulating Ezra into being a child soldier” and hnnghghghgkjgdksh could you guys have any worse comprehension?

Ezra’s fate, narratively and meta-textually speaking, was sealed the moment he volunteered the information about the Wookies and actively took part in their rescue. He didn’t have to do any of that. He could have stayed quiet. He didn’t. He could have made Hera drop him off first. He didn’t. He could have stayed on the ship the whole rescue. He didn’t. And yeah, some of the reason why is because Hera told him it was better to fight for others than only for himself, but also have you considered that Ezra maybe is just that selfless at heart?

(See above where his Establishing Character Moment was saving that fruit vendor.)

ANYWAY, if he hadn’t done any of that, Kallus would have never seen him leap far higher than he was supposed to be able to, and would never have marked him as a Force Sensitive, would never have alerted the Inquisitor to him and basically marked him as a target.

Any time the local Lothal garrison spotted him, their impetus would be his capture and/or extermination. Ditto for when news eventually reached the Inquisitorius.

The safest place for him was absolutely staying with the Ghost (where he could be trained to protect himself) and they even gave him the choice about it.

To say that he was manipulated or guilted by Hera into following instincts that were already inside him denies Ezra his narrative agency; he chose to become a Rebel and fight against the Empire. Hera might have awakened his heroism but it was Ezra who Answered The Call.

All right, tangent over.

Oh ho man, you can tell they went into this with zero plans to redeem Kallus.

I mean, I’m glad that it happened, I definitely enjoy that aspect of his character. But there was noooooo groundwork laid for it in these early episodes lol.

Writers got halfway in and realized, “Shit, we like him.” and then had to scramble to come up with something, which, I mean... I relate.

Ah, here’s what I mean when I say Luke’s theme is used primarily as a shorthand for the element of heroism.

And for an example of what I’m talking about re: cinematic camera motion, there’s the bit right where the crew charges out of the cargo hold onto the platform on Kessel. The camera is behind our subjects and instead of immediately cutting to an exterior shot (which would be perfectly acceptable), instead it sort of rolls out behind them, pushing down and forward with them, for a more dynamic shot.

Add several tracking shots after that, that basically follow specific characters, and with that simple cinema magic, the action sequence feels more frenetic and energized.

Gosh, Ezra was so tiny back in Season One.

I do like this cue right here, when the Imperial ship drops in, don’t know if it’s generic action filler or it becomes a leitmotif later, will have to pay attention I guess.

With context from A New Dawn, we know that Kanan has not ignited his lightsaber since Order 66, though he apparently came pretty close it in that book. I just find it rather beautiful and poetic that the Force tells him it’s time right when he has a padawan to protect. :)

And this reveal is still excellently done, fine candidate for my personal No Context Signature Scene Test (that being a scene which, when shown in isolation, showcases off the best of a movie or show and entices watchers to check out the rest, it must do a good job of selling the work, essentially).

POV shot as Kanan stands up out of cover, cut to in front of him, the action music drops out and fades into the Force Theme and Kanan just kind of... casually walks through shots, leaning around them, the sound gets muted slightly, we get the gunslinger shot of the lightsaber pieces clicking together and then the Force Theme gets a bass drum flare to emphasize the moment. Awed looks from everyone. A triumphant musical cue.

Even Kallus is unnerved for a second lol.

And I love the verbal hesitation when he says, “Focus your fire on... on the Jedi.” like he can’t even believe he’s saying that.

Is it any wonder why I love the whole Rebellion Era Jedi aesthetic? It does such a good job of encapsulating pure eucatastrophe, the sudden happy turn for good, a beacon of light and hope breaking through the darkness and despair.

The Wookies look at Kanan like a living legend has stepped out of the pages of their storybooks.

HNGH no one touch me.

And of course, Kanan stepping up immediately inspires Ezra to do the same, I love these two so much.

Wilhelm scream, lol.

See people, Kallus already associates Ezra with Kanan and has marked them as a master-padawan pair, there was no chance Ezra was going to just be able to keep his head down and live his life after this.

And again with the subtle expressions, there’s just a flash of sadness from Ezra here as he watches Kitwarr reunite with his dad, HAVE I MENTIONED I LOVE HOW UTTERLY EXPRESSIVE THE FACES ARE IN THIS SHOW?

I do kind of wonder what made Ezra decide to swipe Kanan’s lightsaber.

He had a thought to sell the holocron but honestly it seems like he wanted to keep the saber. As a keepsake? To use?

Honestly though I love it when writers have Force Sensitives just kind of compulsively drawn to Jedi artifacts and tools. Like some part of them is called by the Force within the items.

There’s a really cute, almost shy way that Sabine ducks into her shoulders here. I see it in amvs all the time but no one ever really talks about it.

I mean, along with Chopper’s sad little moan I think it’s meant to convey that they’re already fond of him and regret him having to leave.

Chopper loved Ezra from the beginning and only gave him grief because that’s how he shows affection change my mind.

Ezra does not take Zeb’s playful hit well, flinches like he did with Kallus. Of course later he’d get used to it but right now Ezra definitely does not associate roughhousing with affection.

Ezra gets so timid in his body language here.

I... I would really love to know how Kanan got up the tower. Where exactly is the turbolift in this thing? Is it in Ezra’s room? How’d Kanan sneak past?

I know we’re meant to believe Kanan is physically there and just Batmans in and out but honestly I don’t blame the people with the wild theory that Ezra’s having a vision of Kanan in this moment.

Speaking of Ezra’s timid body language, have you noticed how often he crosses his arms, in an insecure kind of self-protective fashion? This all but goes away in the later seasons as he grows up.

Aaaaaand we hear a snatch of Leia’s theme as Obi-Wan’s message plays again, a little musical Call Forward to the princess’s iconic plea for help perhaps?

Interestingly it fades into a very understated version of Luke’s theme, without the full orchestral accompaniment, just a single trumpet and then some quiet strings playing the notes.

I’m going to have to pay attention but I’m tentatively hypothesizing that Leia’s theme will primarily represent the aspect of hope in the series, to accompany Luke’s representing the idea of heroism.

Hope and heroism, two classic archthemes of Star Wars, lol.

Maybe it’s fitting that Ezra’s theme kind of blends the feel of both of the twins’.

On a completely different note, nice to see composer Kiner keeping in the tradition of assigning the Ominous Latin Chorus to the villains, lol.

I like Grand’s theme, it’s reminiscent of the Emperor’s, all bass male voices and dark minor chords in the strings.

I warned y’all I was gonna be talking about the soundtrack a lot in these.

And that’s the pilot premiere down. Some people said they found it hard to get into the series at first, but I was never one of them, the pilot had me hooked from the get go. Granted it was my birthday and I was a bit, ah... sloshed at the time.

Still, there was pretty much no way I wasn’t going to be into this show. The classic Star Wars feel, the lovely animation, the fact that Ezra was basically exactly My Type... (Orphan, tragic backstory, Hero Complex, heartwarming relationship with (surrogate) father figure, this boy was ticking off boxes left and right lemme tell ya.)

Pilot still holds up. Not every show’s first episode does but this one does.

This was a fun exercise. I think I’m going to try to knock one of these out a day at a time until Ahsoka drops, maybe not as in-depth and rambly as this one, but we’ll see.

Until tomorrow then.

#star wars #star wars rebels #ezra bridger #sabezra #space dad and his precious pumpkin child #liveblog #rebels rewatch #music #soundtracks #tari has a type and apparently it is shonen #your clone wars could never #agent kallus

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mysterious-moonstruck-musings · 1 year ago

Text

Destiny & Deliverance: Chapter 13

Destiny & Deliverance Masterlist ||| Dieter Bravo X OFC New as of 8/07/2023

SUPPORT YOUR CREATORS. REBLOGGING & COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.

Series Rating: Explicit (18+)

Series Summary: Natalia Cohen is experiencing major life changes, beginning with leaving an emotionally abusive husband. She is learning how to navigate life on her own while dealing with high functioning anxiety, depression, and mild PTSD. Everything is looking up for her. She is a highly respected consultant for a major LA firm, has her best friend, Lauren, by her side, and is on her path to healing. Everything changes when she meets a handsome and broken stranger on a work trip. He turns out to be a well-known actor, with a heart-breaking past. They quickly develop a connection that will forever alter their lives.

Warnings: Themes dealing with mental health, emotional trauma, alcohol use, and discussions about suicide. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn type of story. Read at your own risk.

Chapter Quote: "Please be patient with him.”

In the weeks that followed, things were more chaste between Dieter and I, however, we were spending significantly more time together. We had even started spending time with his sister and her family on the weekends. She and I were becoming close. Even exchanging numbers and chatting on occasion.

Ever since Lauren had mentioned the wine and paint night, Dieter kept talking about doing it. He thought his sister might enjoy it and that it would be a fun activity for the kids (minus the wine for them of course). We decided to have it during one of our Friday night gatherings at my place since I had a lot of supplies on hand. What I didn’t have, Lauren provided.

Dieter and I got started setting everything up in the back yard to avoid any major messes. Rather than cooking, we planned to order pizza, just to make our lives easier. Lauren came early to help set up since she was bringing additional supplies. To my surprise, Alex showed up early too. I had a feeling that was Dieter’s doing, but he didn’t mention it. Alex was quick to help Lauren with the extra folding tables and the tabletop easels that she brought from her shop classroom. She had also brought some smocks for the kids. Dieter and I hung back, getting things set up for the food so Lauren and Alex could have a few minutes to themselves.

As far as we knew, neither one had pulled the trigger and asked for the other's number yet. However, Alex was definitely inquiring about her when the opportunity presented itself. Dieter said that Alex tried to be casual about it and would only ask questions when the topic came up. He would never directly ask about her. Lauren took the same approach with Dieter, never directly asking him anything about his brother. However, she had made it very clear to me that she was interested but didn’t want to make things weird with Dieter in case it didn’t work out. She valued the friendship they had built and didn’t want to mess it up.

Shaun dropped Gabby and the kids off soon after we had everything ready to go. Shaun, unfortunately, couldn’t stay due to a prior commitment, so he was missing out on the festivities. We got started as soon as we helped the kids pick out their paint colors. Each of them fought over who was going to sit by Uncle Dieter and Uncle Alex. The guys ended up pushing two tables together so that they could sit in the middle of the three kids. Gabby and I got one to ourselves, where Lauren later joined us. Lauren did take a few minutes to show us some techniques using different types of brushes and painting knives.

Dieter and Alex were both helping the kids with their “masterpieces”. Sara insisted that Dieter paint a unicorn to match hers, and he obliged by painting a rather realistic looking one. Samuel and Luke begged Alex to paint one of their favorite cartoon characters. He agreed and they tried to do it exactly as he did on their own canvases, though they were not quite as successful. Alex ended up having to make two of the same things to give to each of them.

The ladies were already a few glasses of wine in when Gabby momentarily got up to run to the bathroom. Lauren took the opportunity to lean over to me to say that she was pretty sure her ovaries just exploded as she watched Dieter and Alex with the kids. Dieter had smeared paint on Sara’s nose and Alex was leaning over in concentration explaining how he was doing something to Luke and Samuel. I was not expecting that sort of comment from her. It took me a moment to realize what she had said before I burst out laughing, which drew some interesting looks from the neighboring table. I apologized for my outburst. Not that I didn’t agree with her assessment.

When Gabby came back, Lauren decided she was going to join the kids table and show them how to make some fun paintings with their hands because they seemed to be finishing up what they had been working on. Though, I’m pretty sure she was just using it as an excuse to be near Alex. That left Gabby and I alone to chat.

Dieter briefly left his station to get everyone something to drink, stopping to ask us if we needed anything as he went. As he did so, he ran his hand down the back of my hair, leaning down to give a brief smile as he spoke. He looked like he was having a good time. He was genuinely happy, showing no signs of the sadness that often plagued him. His boyish charm was on full display as his eyes crinkled from his smile. When he came back with an arm full of cold bottles of water from the cooler, he took one and stuck it to the side of my neck, causing me to jump from the contact, which incited a burst of laughter from him and Gabby. I gave him a dirty look as I took the water from him. He leaned down and kissed the top of my head and apologized, but muttered, “Worth it!” as he walked off. He was looking back in my direction with a sly grin on his face as he went. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at his antics.

“You know,” Gabby started, but paused briefly as she watched her brother. She seemed to weigh her words before continuing.

“I’ve noticed a big change in him since he’s been on his break. He seems different…with you.”

“What do you mean?” I could feel the confused look forming on my face.

She shrugged, “He seems happier. I mean, I know he has his bad days, but they seem to be happening less.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. I knew what she was insinuating.

“Gabby, we aren’t together like that. We’re just friends...”

She held up her hand to silence me while she gave a doubtful look. “I’m still hopeful he’ll finally open up and let someone in. I really do hope that someone is you. You fit into this family so well. I feel like it’s meant to be.”

Her eyes turned glassy as she looked down at the drink in her hand. I could feel a lump forming in the back of my throat. I hoped it would be me too, but I was afraid to admit that, even to myself. I looked at her with my brows drawn down together. Fighting the emotion that was trying to spill out. She looked back up at me, continuing to speak.

“I don’t know the details of what happened to you in the past, but I can see how you hurt sometimes, a lot like he does. It’s not obvious to everyone else, but I see how you two silently communicate with each other. You both know when the other needs…” she briefly waved her hands around as she struggled for the words.

“I don’t know what it is, reassurance maybe? It’s interesting to see that dynamic and how it’s changing him. He isn’t as closed off as he used to be. He’s opened up to me some, but I know there’s things that he hasn’t told anyone about his trauma, that he needs to say. I just hope you won’t give up on him before he makes it to that point. Please be patient with him.”

I always knew there was some type of trauma that troubled him, but hearing it confirmed out loud was hard. I felt a tear sliding down my cheek. I turned in my seat so that my back was to everyone else. All I could do was shake my head in agreement. I didn’t trust myself with words at that moment. Gabby leaned in close, reaching over to squeeze my arm that was propped on the table. I took a steadying breath and wiped my face.

She smiled, “Clearly, I don’t need to drink. It makes my mouth a little too loose.”

We both chuckled at her statement. Sara appeared beside me with her unicorn painting that Dieter had made for her. She wanted to show it off. I looked it over. There is no way this was his first-time painting. There was too much detail. Gabby must have noticed me studying the painting.

“You know, Dieter used to paint. He was really good at it too, but he stopped when his acting career started to take off.”

Why did I always feel like she was reading my mind? She was just as perceptive as her brother.

“Really? He hadn’t mentioned that.” I looked over at him. He was laughing out loud about something Lauren had said to them.

I had wondered why he was so eager to have the paint night. Maybe he missed it? Maybe he would pick it up again after this? He seemed to be enjoying it. Or maybe he was just enjoying spending time with his family. This evening was certainly giving me a lot to think about.

A commotion drew me out of my thoughts. Dieter, Alex, and the boys were now chasing each other around the yard with paint on their hands, smearing it on each other’s faces and arms when the opportunity presented itself. Lauren was quick to get away from the fray and join us girls. We sat laughing at their antics. Once they had finally worn themselves out, I had to get out the water hose and spray all of them off the best I could. There was no other option. Luckily, Gabby had brought extra clothes for the kids. Dieter had to lend his brother some of his clothes from his gym bag, which I silently hoped were clean.

As everyone was getting settled, I put in the pizza order. It didn’t take long for it to arrive, and everyone immediately dug in. The kids started getting tired soon after they ate. We all sat around talking for another hour or so, giving the wine a chance to get out of our systems. Once Gabby announced Shaun was on his way to pick them up, Dieter and Alex helped the kids pack up and walked them out to the car when Shaun arrived. Alex and Lauren hung around to help us clean up and he also helped her load the tables back into her vehicle. They both left soon after that.

At this point, it was around ten thirty. Dieter and I both came inside and collapsed onto the sectional, exhausted from the day's events. He started telling me about some of the funny things the kids had said while they were painting. The boyish grin had returned to his face, and he had a glimmer in his eye as he talked through it. Both of us laughed during certain parts. When he finished, I spoke up.

“Can I ask you something? Without you getting upset or offended?”

“Of course,” he looked taken aback by my question.

“And you don't have to answer me, just so we’re clear.”

“Ok, you’re making me nervous. Out with it already,” he said as he made a waving motion with his hand.

I chuckled before I continued, “Did you not ever want to have kids? I only ask because you said you had a vasectomy. It surprises me, especially after seeing you with Gabby’s kids.”

He was quiet for a moment, thinking about his response. His face tensed.

“That’s a complicated answer.” He took a deep breath before continuing.

“I would love to have kids, I mean the procedure is reversible, so it’s still a possibility. I just…never felt like I was in the right place for that. I’m too afraid of everything that could possibly come with it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m too afraid of loss. So, I avoid it. That’s why I haven’t really done the whole relationship thing. At one point in my life, I was hopeful that someone would come along that I’d be willing to fix myself for, but I’ve realized I need to do it for myself before I can take that next step, or else it’s never gonna work out. I’m just afraid it’ll be too late by the time I finally get there.”

He paused for a moment with a pensive look on his face as he stared off into the distance at nothing. Again, I felt like he had an underlying meaning to his words.

“What about you, did you ever want kids?”

I sighed. I brought the topic up, so I might as well be honest and open.

“Initially, yes. When I first got married, we tried. It just never happened. We never went to the doctor or anything, so I’m not sure what the issue was. Though, looking back now, I’m happy it didn’t happen or else I’d be tied to that asshole for life. At this point, I’ve accepted the fact that it’ll probably never happen. I’m not sure that it can or ever could.”

He reached over to grab my hand that was at my side, giving it a small squeeze. We sat in silence for a few minutes, seemingly mourning the lives that we could have had if only things had gone differently. I briefly wondered how things would have turned out if we had known each other back before things went so wrong. Maybe we wouldn’t have wasted so much of our lives on meaningless pursuits. I realized I was still wasting it, insisting we stick to the “just friends” agreement. I know he keeps saying that’s where he’s at too, but some days, I feel like he wants more. Especially after hearing the comments from Gabby earlier in the day.

Dieter broke me out of my thoughts when he released my hand, indicating that it was getting late and he better head home because we had plans for the following day. We were finally going to go look at furniture for his house and look at some paint colors. He had been talking about it for weeks. He was insistent that he would like anything I came up with, but I wanted a better idea of his likes and dislikes.

I walked him to the door. Rather than the loose hug and chaste kiss on the cheek that he usually gave me, he pulled me in for a tight hug, completely engulfing me with his body. We held each other for a moment before he kissed me on the top of the head and told me good night. He released me reluctantly and kept his head down. He wouldn’t meet my eyes as he opened the door and walked out to his car.

I tried not to think too hard about his change in mood as I got ready for bed. We had left on a heavy topic that had most likely started to weigh on his mind. It had definitely weighed on mine as I laid in bed, trying to sleep.

I woke up the next morning to a text from Dieter asking me what time I wanted to leave, noting that there was no rush, of course. He sent it at 6 AM. I looked at the time and it was almost nine. He had been such an early riser here lately. I rolled my eyes at the ridiculousness of it. When I closed my messenger app, I noticed I had an alert on my security camera app. I opened it to check, figuring it was an opossum or something. To my surprise, it was a clip of Dieter entering through the basement door a little over an hour ago. He must have come over to workout, which was odd. He didn’t usually do that on the weekend.

I rolled out of bed and went to the kitchen to make us some coffee. Once it was ready, I filled up two travel mugs. I made sure to make his cup the way he liked it, then headed downstairs. As I walked into the room, he was walking out of the bathroom, buttoning up his jeans. His hair was still wet from the shower he had just taken, and he hadn’t yet put a shirt on. I paused briefly, taking in the sight before me. My eyes roaming up and down his body. He gave me a lopsided grin and raised an eyebrow.

“See something you like, cariño?”

His morning voice was husky and low. His words went straight to my core. I could feel my face getting hot.

“I’m just surprised to find you here this early on a Saturday to work out, is all.”

He narrowed his eyes at me before he continued, I didn’t think he was buying my response. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep and was feeling a little keyed up. I thought it might be good to get rid of the excess energy. I was coming to pick you up anyway. So why not?”

“Maybe I should have made you decaf then,” I said as I handed him his coffee. He gave me a look of disgust, shaking his head from side to side as he took a sip.

“Well, I’m gonna go shower. I’ll be ready in like forty-five minutes.”

He nodded and said he would be up in a minute to watch some tv or something.

The entire time I was in the shower, I kept thinking about Dieter with his wet hair and shirtless torso and his hands as they worked to button his pants. He looked fucking amazing, and it was dredging up memories from New York. Memories of being in the shower with him, what his hands felt like on my body. I could feel my reservations about a relationship with him slowly slipping away. I needed to get it together.

After I showered, I rubbed some products through my hair, opting to let it air dry. I went light on the makeup for a more natural look. I changed into a floral print wrap skirt, a white tank, and threw a jean jacket on. I rolled up the sleeves of the jacket. I grabbed my white sneakers and sunglasses out of the closet, then walked out toward the living room. As I went, I realized I didn’t even give my outfit a second thought. I just grabbed something and went with it. I was really starting to embrace the more casual looks and realized that I felt more like myself in them. I felt oddly proud of myself for the progress.

I walked into the living room to find Dieter dozing on the sectional. He had his right arm folded behind his head, while the left rested across his stomach. A sliver of his abdomen was peeking out from under his tan short-sleeve Henley. A small area of his chest was showing where he left his shirt unbuttoned. He looked so relaxed and comfortable, I hated to wake him. Especially since he said he couldn’t sleep last night.

I walked over and stood next to him, reaching down to grab the remote that was lying on the couch, against his hip, and turned off the tv. The movement seemed to stir him. He moved his right arm down over his face and groaned. He reached out with his left hand, sliding it around to the back of my thigh, just above the knee and gave it a squeeze. Then he just left it there. I looked down at his hand, slightly confused and also enjoying the heat of his touch a little too much. I reached down and removed it from my leg, giving it a tug to wake him up. He groaned again before he finally uncovered his face and sat up sleepily. He looked up, giving me a lopsided smile as he rubbed the bare skin of his stomach underneath his shirt.

“Are you ready to go, or would you rather nap some more?” I gave him a playful smile.

“Ugh, whose idea was this anyway. It’s terrible,” he mumbled as he got off the couch.

“Pretty sure it was yours,” I said through a chuckle.

He came over and wrapped his arms around my shoulders for a tight embrace. He put his face to my hair and inhaled deeply. I was surprised by his actions but hugged him back.

“Are you hungry? I’m hungry,” he said into my hair.

He didn’t even let me answer before he released me and walked off to go in search of his phone, wallet, and keys. I watched him for a moment, he was acting a little off.

I grabbed my purse and phone and followed behind him as we walked downstairs to go out the basement door next to where his car was parked.

As we got in the car, he reached for his sunglasses. I felt like he was avoiding my eyes. I reached out and lightly touched his arm, leaning my head forward to look directly at him.

“Are you ok?”

He finally looked up at me, seeming startled by my question. His eyes looked sad and tired.

“Yeah, I just haven’t been sleeping well. I guess it’s making me a little moody.”

He gave me a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes, then he put his sunglasses on. By this point, it was getting close to lunch time. He mentioned a cafe that he liked going to on occasion and asked if I had been there. I hadn’t but was open to trying it. He put the car in reverse and started to head that way.

It was about a thirty-minute drive, and it took several more minutes to find a parking spot. As we were walking in, he looked me up and down for the first time since waking up. He put his hand on the middle of my back, running it up the center underneath my hair to rest on the back of my neck, where he started rubbing with his thumb. I immediately got goosebumps all over my body from the contact. He leaned in closely, laying the side of his face on my head to tell me that I look nice today. I gave him a half smile as I glanced up at him.

I thought back to what Gabby had said, about giving each other reassurance. Is that what we were doing? He dropped his hand from my neck, and I reached over to link my arm with his. He visibly relaxed as he smiled over at me. He must have been having one of his bad days I thought to myself. I felt like he was seeking comfort, but I didn’t know why. As we reached the front of the cafe, I held back while he went to reserve a table for us. It was a little crowded around the hostess stand and I didn’t want to get in the middle of it. I aimlessly paced around as I waited. When I turned toward the direction we had just come from, I was met with a familiar face I had hoped I would never see again.

Next Chapter

A/N: Are you all ready to see snarky protective Dieter? Cause it's coming...

Tag List: @rhoorl, @bitchwitch1981, @readingiskeepingmegoing, @runningmom94, @for-a-longlongtime, @hisandsnakes

#dieter x ofc #dieter bravo fic #dieter bravo x oc #pedro pascal #Destiny & Deliverance Series #pedrostories #Pedro Pascal Character #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character fanfic #dieter bravo #pedro boys #pedro pascal fanfiction #Pedro Pascal Fanfic #dieter bravo fluff #dieter bravo fanfiction

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clambuoyance · 2 years ago

Note

ngl I know nothing ab your DC blorbos except they're gay and cool or something Idk I just think they're neat... I'd ask what comics I could read ab them being super blorbo-y but Idk...

OKAY so there’s a lot of characters in dc but the ones I draw/talk about the most are these group of friends!! They feature in Young Justice 1998, Teen Titans 2003, and Young Justice 2019, as well as having their own comics and other appearances :)

each comic run has different vibes but my personal favorite is yj1998 bc I like its wacky and zany vibes. It was not my first comic though, and it’s a little older so it might be hard to understand or read if it’s your first time reading comics like this, and again it is old soooo some stuff does Not age well such as certain jokes or depictions and it is of course not all perfect but overall I love it and think it has a lot of heart

I think i have a lot of fun with it bc it feels so…animated? And it has funny slapstick humor. Honestly I probably like it bc it makes me laugh the same way ninjago makes me laugh…a group of 4+ friends that have cute dynamics with each other and just Being Silly Together. I really don’t know how to explain it but between all three runs, I can see yj1998 in my head the most as a wacky animated show with exaggerated bouncy animation idk so that’s part of the fun for me. I think the moment I realized this was going to be a long term emotional investment was When I read the issue where they randomly end up on a planet and have to play baseball bc I am a SUCKERRR for baseball shenanigans

But yeah the group starts out with Bart, Tim, and Kon in JLA: A world without Grownups, and they just have a good trio dynamic 🙏 the banter between all three is so good 🤩and I liked seeing their friendship develop throughout yj1998 too! Especially for Tim, with his hesitancy at the beginning.They weren’t without conflict ofc but that adds to why I like them bc eventually they became besties for life. They are also quickly joined by others but the main one that stays w the group through all three runs is Cassie Sandsmark , aka Wonder Girl ii.

But yeah I guess some things I like are the way they actually Hang out? like they will do camping trips or go to the mall and games together etc etc, but there will be parts that feel more serious while never losing that humorous tint to it. For some examples, I love how Tim tries to be a leader in the beginning, but then one arc shows just how much Cassie is more fitting for it, and how they bond over Leader things like how hard it is to tell Bart what to do and then will share a really nice hug 🥺, and I love Cassie and Cissie’s relationship a LOT because they sometimes misunderstand each other but clearly care for each other (they aren’t canon but in my heart they are.) I also like Tim and kon’s build towards understanding and friendship for a similar reason, and cissie and Anita also have a nice development with each other, but yeah all the dynamics are just fun to think about tbh 🤷🏻‍♀️ I am pointing at them eagerly and going “wow! Friendship!!”

And as for the guy I never shut up about…well that’s a whole thing I could ramble about but i became obsessed with him the moment he quoted Peter Pan while lamenting about how he was afraid his friends would leave him behind after several issues of him acting like Hot Shit and erm I’m predictable so it got to me 🙄 also he makes dumb jokes every second like he expects someone to laugh at them like he’s so dumb sometimes….anyways I do not want to ramble too much so I will get on with it

I was only familiar with his black tshirt look before, so when I first saw this goofy looking dumbass with a leather jacket and glasses and an earring I WAS LIKE “THATS SUPERBOY? THATS REAL?” and quickly became interested in the notion of a Superman associated hero wearing something like this bc I don’t think my brain ever considered the possibility before….also it is something I cannot explain some panels just activate my cuteness aggression 😔 I just think he’s really cute 🫶🫶🫶

#sorry for rambling and in a totally not concise way #dc #clam answers #young just us

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j-eryewrites · 2 years ago

Text

The Blind Banker (IV)

Part 13 of The Arbitrary Lives of the Occupants of 221b Baker Street

SERIES MASTER LIST | MAIN MASTER LIST

Previous | Next

Word Count: 9.4k

Warnings: Gun violence, descriptions of murder, character death, Y/N is in danger, mentions of strangulation, Sherlock gets scared, Sherlock is Sherlock. Sherlock fluff, Sherlock is still sherlock.

If I missed anything let me know!

Notes: Thank you all for your patience! I tried making this chapter a little extra length with some more Sherlock x Reader stuff. Can’t leave you guys hanging now, can I? ;)

In times like these, John appreciated Y/N’s addition to the crime-solving group. The two of them sat on a bench in the museum, eyes darting back and forth as they watched Sherlock pace around the room. His mouth was open and moving as he asked Andy the questions that plagued his brilliant mind.

Andy, the poor man, had developed a cold sweat. When he arrived at work today, he did not have been interrogated by a stern and cold consulting detective. John felt pity for the man. Most people did not know how to handle Sherlock’s sherlockiness.

“So…” John began. His dark eyes were no longer on Sherlock but are now instead on the woman next to him. Y/N bore an expression of worry that had only increased since she and Sherlock had emerged from the apartment. Her worry sparked a tiny voice of doubt about John’s original idea of what happened earlier that day.

Y/N’s eyes darted from Sherlock to John briefly. “So…?”

“What really happened in the apartment?” John whispered. He briefly looked at Sherlock to make sure he wasn’t listening before he turned his body to face her.

She frowned. “I…”

“He’s not going to find out,” John assured Y/N.

“Yes, he will, he’s Sherlock,” Y/N said harshly. She winced seeing John flinch at her tone. “Sorry, just–” She sighed in defeat. “He was strangled.”

John could barely hear her response. “He what?”

Y/N leaned in closer to John. “The intruder was still in the apartment. When I left the room to let you in, Sherlock got attacked and then strangled.”

John stared into Y/N’s eyes which were trembling. “That’s why…” John began.

The two of them went silent as they heard Sherlock’s thundering footsteps near them.

“When was the last time that you saw her?” Sherlock interrogated Andy.

“Three days ago, um, here at the museum.” Andy motioned to the room around them.

Sherlock’s pacing paused as he observed a glass case in front of him. In this case, there were clay teapots. The reddish-brown clay was brittle and dry all except for one. The glossy and shiny surface made it shine like a diamond. Sherlock’s eyes narrowed in thought.

“This morning they told me she’d resigned just like that,” Andy said.

Sherlock whipped around to the other cases in the room. One of which contained some jade figurines and the other pieces of artwork.

“Just left her work unfinished.” Andy’s voice grew sombre.

“What was the last thing that she did on her final afternoon?” Sherlock questioned.

“The tea ceremony. She would have packed her things and put them back in the archive.”

Y/N’s head perked up. She turned to John. “I was there three days ago. Jim took me to the tea ceremony for a date.”

John raised a brow and turned to her. “Really?”

Sherlock rolled his eyes and marched over to his friends. “Care to share with the rest of us?”

Y/N’s mouth went slack. “I was just…” Sherlock’s eyes peered at her. “I was here three days ago for the tea ceremony. It was for a date.”

Sherlock involuntarily flinched, but he played it off as him going into thought. “Show us the archive,” Sherlock commanded.

Andy nodded and motioned for them to follow him. As they walked down the elegant halls of the museum Y/N thought of Jim. She thought of how she led him around the museum. She smiled at the memory. It was strange to have been here three days prior for extremely different circumstances than she was there for now. The paintings and artefacts of old no longer seemed to hold the awe and mystery that they held when she came with Jim. Now, the paintings of great artists and historical objects seemed lifeless.

Soon, they descended the stairs and into the basement of the museum. The basement was colder than the rest of the building. Its dim lights only did so much to illuminate the place. Statues and paintings were leaned up against the sides of the walls. Pristine white sheets covered them. Each object mourned for its turn to be in the sun and in the gaze of guests of the museum.

“SooLin does this demonstration for the tourists – a-a tea ceremony. So, she would have packed up her things and just put them in here.” Andy explained. He led them over to a row of shelves. He carefully opened the drawers to where Soo Lin kept the teapots.

John and Y/N walked down the hall after Andy, but Sherlock stood as stiff as the marble statues filling the basement. He steps farther away from John and Y/N to a sculpture of a nude woman. The sparkling snow-like surface was tainted by a bright yellow streak. The same yellow spray paint from before vandalized the surface of the statue leaving the Chinese numbers 1 and 15 to stand out.

“John! Y/N!” Sherlock called out. The two of them including Andy emerged from behind the shelves. Their eyes widened as they took in the view Sherlock had noticed moments before.

“We have to get to Soo Lin Yao,” Sherlock stated.

John approached Sherlock. The view of the graffiti on the statue became more vibrant.

“If she’s still alive,” John croaked.

Sherlock, John, and Y/N shared a look of worry and concern. So far two people have died and if it were up to the trio, they wouldn’t allow for any more.

They hastily thanked Andy for answering their questions and showing them around. Then Sherlock, John, and Y/N dashed out of the museum.

The sun was blaring down on them as they descended into the sky. Shades of pink, purple, orange, and hints of red mixed together. People were out and about. Everything seemed cheerful around the three of them despite the grim news they had just discovered. Y/N was the first to collect her breath from their quick exit. “How are we going to find her? London is huge. She could be anywhere!”

Sherlock, whose face was flushed from the run, opened his mouth to answer but he was silenced by a shout of his name.

A familiar red jacket filled their view. It was Raz.

“Sherlock!” Raz called again.

“Oh, look who it is,” John grumbled.

Raz has reached the group. A large grin adorned his face. “Found something you’ll like,” he said. Then he turned on his heel and was off. Sherlock, John, and Y/N trotted after him.

Raz seemed to have the three of them follow him a great distance. An ever-present soreness plagued the feet of Y/N. She swore to herself that she’d invest in some shoes that would not hurt her feet.

It was dark when the three of them crossed over a bridge. The streetlights were the only source of illumination as they journeyed along the south side of the river. Raz’s pace had slowed down allowing John and Y/N to walk alongside him and Sherlock.

“Tuesday morning, all you’ve gotta do is turn up and say the bag was yours,” John told Raz who completely ignored the comment.

Sherlock rolled his eyes. “Forget about your court date.”

John sighed and Y/N patted him on the shoulder in a comforting manner.

Soon the sounds of wheels against concrete, loud rap music, grunts, cheers, and light chatter filled Y/N’s ears. Teens and young adults skated across the ground. Occasionally flipping the board in the air as they did tricks.

“Dude, that was rad!” a teenager cheered as one of their friends successfully jumped off the railing.

“If you want to hide a tree in the middle of a forest, this is the best place to do it, wouldn’t you say? People would just walk straight past, not knowing, unable to decipher the message.” Sherlock muttered to the group. His bright blue eyes scanned their surroundings. Every wall was decorated with vibrant graffiti designs. Skulls, flames, roses, and symbols scattered the walls and ground of the skate park.

Raz nodded at Sherlock’s comment. He pointed his hand to the right of where the group stood. “There. I spotted it earlier.”

Sherlock, John and Y/N approached the area which Raz had directed them to. Amongst the colourful expressions of art and protest there stood slashes of yellow paint forming the Chinese symbols. Some of the symbols had already been painted over by other artists.

The consulting detective’s eyes widened. “They have been here.” Sherlock turned to Raz. “And that’s the exact same paint?”

The young man nodded. “Yeah.”

“John, Y/N,” Sherlock stated. “If we’re going to decipher this code, we’re gonna need to look for more evidence.”

The three of them shared a look of understanding as they split up around the skate park. Eyes wide as they took step by step, scanning the walls and floor to not miss anything. They turn up nothing in the skate park. The group’s search radius now spread to the railway system next door to the park. Sherlock went off on his own. John and Y/N stood next to each other walking in the opposite direction.

Y/N and John walked through a nearby underpass. The rumbling of the train passing overhead shook the walls. The thundering sound only added to the eeriness of the dark passageway. What disturbed her the most was the silence that came. She hadn’t heard a silence like that since she was locked away in the classroom. Separated from Sherlock, trapped by a serial killer and chained to a heater. The walls around her seemed to close in. The darkness swarmed her mind. Y/N found herself walking closer to John. Her arm brushed by his as the sounds of the train screeching against the railing above echoed throughout the chamber. The sound of his footsteps next to hers kept the monsters at bay.

Soon the two of them found themselves outside the underpass staring at a brick wall covered with dirt, grim, posters, and graffiti. Again, they had no luck finding any clues, so they moved on to the next wall. The underpass area seemed to be a sort of museum for graffiti artists. Unlike the oil paintings from the masters of old showcased in golden frames, the lively and vibrant art created by just anyone brought a sense of peace to Y/N. It was art and art was to be respected. For some reason, the smell of spray paint and the depictions of the artist’s inner conflicts and trials on the wall brought a sense of peace to Y/N. This was a place of reverence. The ground was scattered with litter. The glass bottles of beer shattered and mixed with the cobblestone. The faint sounds of the skate park in the background. The dimly lit lights flickered as they fought off the darkness of the night.

Y/N found her step fell behind. The distance she desperately sought to close between her and John grew. Whilst he was looking for familiar symbols, Y/N browsed the art. Her pace was the same as when Jim had taken her to the museum a few nights ago. The woman grinned. Jim would like this. The graffiti, the art. She was sure of it.

“Y/N!” John called out.

Y/N snapped out of her trance and jogged over to John. His mouth hugged agape. His eyes were practically sticking to the wall in front of him.

“What is it?” She asked.

John could only point his flashlight at the wall in front of them. Not that they needed to. The bright yellow streaks of paint illuminated in the dark like the stars in the night sky. Their bright golden hue was a stark contrast to the worn and dirtied bricks on which they were painted on. The entire wall was filled from top to bottom with numbers.

Quickly, Y/N yanked out her phone and took a picture of the wall. There were the familiar numbers of one and fifteen, but those weren’t the only numbers present. Y/N’s lips pursed as she tried to decipher the numbers. The yellow spray paint wasn’t the cleanest with drips and leaks spreading from one number to the next.

John reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to call Sherlock. The phone buzzed before clicking. A robotic voice chimed over the speakers. It had gone to voicemail.

“Damn it, Sherlock. Y/N, we’ve got to find him,” John said. His words passed through Y/N’s ears. Her mind focused on the numbers.

The rocks underneath his feet crunched as he took a hesitant step away from the woman.

“Y/N.” He said again. John was unsure to leave her here by herself.

She turned to him at the mention of her name. “Coming.” She had to peel herself away from the wall to follow John.

When the two of them found Sherlock, he was staring at the side of a freight container.

“Answer your phone! I’ve been calling you! We’ve found it.” John explained.

“Where?” Sherlock asked.

“Near the underpass,” Y/N said.

Sherlock's eyes met hers. They held an uncertainty to them. A part of him was still surprised she was standing next to John–talking to him. Another was worried. What he wasn’t sure. Though he found himself being concerned for the woman more than was appropriate. Sherlock shook himself from his daze and motioned for the two of them to lead him to the location.

______

Sherlock stares at the wall. John groans and Y/N curses under her breath. The wall was now blank. A fresh coat of black paint now covered the entire surface. John shook his head. He looked between the walls. He was sure that this was it. The numbers had been here a second ago. How…

“It’s been painted over!” John cried in frustration. This case was really getting to him.

“I don’t understand. It-it was here …” John stumbled backwards. “... ten minutes ago. I saw it. A whole load of graffiti! Y/N saw it too.”

“It was here, I swear Sherlock,” Y/N responded.

Sherlock nodded. He believed his friends. “Somebody doesn’t want me to see it,” he muttered.

Suddenly, Sherlock had his hands on John’s shoulders. His long fingers wrapped tightly around John, and he began to spin his friend around.

John’s eyes widened at his friend's action. “Hey, Sherlock, what are you doing ...?”

“Shh, John, concentrate,” Sherlock replied. “I need you to concentrate. Close your eyes.”

The two kept spinning in circles. Y/N grew dizzy just watching them dancing around her. She could only imagine how John was feeling right now.

John tried to fight Sherlock’s grasp on him. “No, what? Why? Why?!”

“Sherlock,” Y/N shouted.

“What are you doing?!” John asked again.

Sherlock kept spinning John and completely ignored his friends' questions. Sherlock leaned in closer to John.

“I need you to maximize your visual memory. Try to picture what you saw. Can you picture it?”

John rolled his eyes. Something he wished he hadn’t done. Now it felt like his whole body was rolling. “Yeah,” he groaned.

“Can you remember it?” Sherlock interrogated.

“Sort of.” John was feeling sick now. If Sherlock didn’t stop spinning him around soon, he was going to be sick.

“Can you remember the pattern?”

“Sherlock,” Y/N called warningly.

“How much can you remember it, John?” Sherlock asked.

John snapped his arms around, breaking himself free from Sherlock’s grasp. With a thud, he fell to the floor. John’s head spun around.

“The average human memory on visual matters is only sixty-two per cent accurate,” Sherlock said.

Y/N’s voice grew in pitch. “Yeah, well, don’t worry Sherlock. I remember all of it.”

Now, this got his attention. Sherlock left John’s side and marched over to her.

He raised his brow in disbelief. “Really?”

Y/N nodded before shoving a picture of the wall into Sherlock’s face.

“You took a photograph,” Sherlock stated.

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock. That’s my job,” she said.

He took the phone out of her hands, and his finger buzzed when they touched hers. There it was. The photo of the graffitied wall. John groans as he gets up off the ground. Sherlock flashed a look of embarrassment before zooming in on the photo on Y/N’s phone.

________

The photo was now placed on the wall. Each section zoomed in so that Sherlock could see the whole message clearly. Underneath each number, was Y/N delicate handwriting. She had been so kind as to translate each of the numbers for Sherlock. Not that he could do it himself, she was just faster.

The fireplace crackled to life as the warm fire lit up the room. John sat in his chair with a large quilted blanket over him. In his hand, he held a cup of tea to help settle his stomach. John was begging to think that he was getting old. It had only taken Sherlock a few seconds of swirling him around before he was on the floor sick to his stomach.

Y/N sat on the couch. She drank her own cup of tea. John had told her she could have gone to bed for the night to which she just shook her head. She had been with him and Sherlock long enough to know nothing was really over until the case was solved. Though by the looks of John dozing off in his chair, it seemed he needed to sleep more than she did. By now she was used to the long restless nights. Bjørn on the other hand did not agree. She felt bad for her cat even though Mrs Hudson spoiled him rotten when she was away. Y/N swore her cat gained a few pounds every time he visited her aunt.

“Always in pairs, John,” Sherlock noted.

John felt his eyes grow heavy, closing them briefly before prying them open again. “Hmm?” He hummed.

“Numbers come with partners.” Sherlock’s baritone voice rang.

John gazed blankly at his friend. The warm orange flames lulled him into a daze. He shook himself awake.

“God, I need to sleep,” he groaned.

“Why did he paint it so near the tracks?” Sherlock asked.

“No idea,” Y/N replied.

“Thousands of people pass by there every day.” Sherlock continued.

“Just twenty minutes,” John mumbled before he dropped his head back against the chair’s cushion.

Sherlock stepped back from the fire. The light of the fire reflected the sparks of his brilliant mind at work. “Of course.” He took one more look at the photos before turning to his friends. “Of course! He wants information. He’s trying to communicate with his people in the underworld. Whatever was stolen, he wants it back. Somewhere here in the code.”

His longer fingers ran over the papers until they stopped on the original photo. He yanked it off the mirror and shoved it in his pocket.

“We can’t crack this without Soo Lin Yao,” Sherlock stated as he walked to the door, threw on his coat, and jumped down the stairs.

“Oh, good,” John groaned. He pushed himself off the chair and tiredly stepped over to the door. A hand stuck out in front of him. It was Y/N and she was holding out his coat for him.

“Here you go,” she said softly. A soft smile formed on her face. A smile that John returned. He was glad to have Y/N by his and Sherlock’s side.

“Thanks,” he whispered back as she helped him put on the coat. She led him out of the flat. The door closed behind them.

“Let’s go!” Sherlock shouted from down the stairs.

“Coming,” Y/N replied. “Some patience would be appreciated.”

Sherlock rolled his eyes at her response.

______

“The National Antiquities Museum will be closing in 30 minutes. Please make your way to the exit soon. Thank you.”

John groaned. The museum closed around eight at night and he was already exhausted. By now he would’ve had a word with Sherlock, but his body only had the strength to follow his friend around.

Andy was surprised to see them back. Sherlock strolled over to the man and began his questions again.

“Two men who travelled back from China were murdered, and their killer left them messages in the Hangzhou numerals.”

Andy’s eyes went wide at the mention of a killer.

“Soo Lin Yao’s in danger.” Y/N told him. Her voice full of concern contrasted with Sherlock’s neutral informative tone. Andy’s body trembled. It was clear he cared for Soo Lin. “Now, that cypher – it was just the same pattern as the others. He means to kill her as well.”

Andy shook his head. His hands ran through his curly brown locks. “Look, I’ve tried everywhere: um, friends, colleagues. I-I don’t know where she’s gone. I mean, she could be a thousand miles away.”

Sherlock shook his head, and a glimmer in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He walked over to a case in the room. His lips pursed.

“What are you looking at?” John asked.

“Tell me more about those teapots,” Sherlock asked Andy.

“Th-the pots were her obsession,” he replied. “Um, they need urgent work. If-if they dry out, then the clay can start to crumble. Apparently, you have to just keep making tea in them.”

Sherlock bent down to get a better look at the shelf of teapots. “Earlier today, only one of those pots was shining. Now there are two.”

He stood up. His eyes looked at Andy. Then to Y/N and to John. John grumbled. He knew that look well. He wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon.

_______

A silence fell upon the museum. It had been a few hours since the building had closed. Only the sound of the air conditioning could be heard, but that soon changed with the sound of footsteps. A figure entered the display room and walked towards the display case that held the tea pots. Slender and delicate hands carefully picked up a dull teapot. The woman, Soo Lin, took the tea pot into the back of the museum. She placed it gently on the desk and began to work away.

The hot liquid of the tea poured over the surface of the pot. Soo Lin’s finger brushed over the pot, rubbing the tea into the surface. Then she placed the pot down and reached for a few small cups. Each one filled to the brim with the tea. She picked up the cups and poured the tea over the pot.The leftover liquid dripped down into the tray.

“Fancy a biscuit with that?” A voice shot out.

Soo Lin gasped and turned towards the sound. The teacup in her hand slipped from her fingers. A gloved hand shot out and caught the cup moments before it hit the ground. Sherlock placed the cup back onto the table.

“Centuries old. Don’t wanna break that.” He said. His eyes met Soo Lin’s.

The woman took her hand and flipped on the desk light. The room came to life. She gasped again seeing two more people in the room with her.

“Hello.” John waved.

Soo Lin looked from John to the woman standing next to him.

“你看到了。” Soo Lin spoke. Her voice was directed to Y/N. She nodded.

“English please,” Sherlock asked.

“You saw the cypher. Then you know he is coming for me,” Soo Lin whispered.

“You’ve been clever to avoid him so far.” Sherlock chimed.

“I had to finish ... to finish this work,” She pointed to the pot in front of her. “It’s only a matter of time. I know he will find me.” Her voice got quiet.

“Who is he? Have you met him before?” Sherlock questioned.

Soo Lin nodded. “When I was a girl, I lived back in China. I recognise his ... ‘signature’.”

Sherlock’s eyes narrowed. “The cypher.”

“Only he would do this. 蜘蛛(Zhi Zhu).“

“Zhi Zhu?” John wondered. He looked at Y/N.

“The Spider.”

Then Soo Lin lifted her foot. Her hands worked quickly to untie the shoes. She removed the shoe and ran her hand over her heel.

“You know this mark?” She asked. Sherlock peered at her foot. It was a black lotus flower inside a circle.

”Yes. It’s the mark of Tong.” Sherlock replied.

“Hmm? John and Y/N asked.

“Ancient crime syndicate based in China,” Sherlock explained.

Soo Lin’s shoulders sank. “Every foot soldier bears the mark; everyone who hauls for them.”

“Hauls?” Y/N wondered.

Soo Lin’s dark almond eyes met hers. There was a sense of regret in them. “Y-you mean you were a smuggler?” Y/N clarified.

“I was fifteen. My parents were dead. I had no livelihood; no way of surviving day to day except to work for the bosses.” Soo Lin explained. Her head lowered and she placed her shoe back on.

“Who are they?” Sherlock queried.

“They are called the Black Lotus. By the time I was sixteen, I was taking thousands of pounds worth of drugs across the border into Hong Kong. But I managed to leave that life behind me. I came to England.” A soft smile adorned her face. “They gave me a job here. Everything was good; a new life.”

“Then he came looking for you,” Sherlock guessed.

“Yes.” The smile wiped from Soo Lin’s face. A tear fell down her cheek. “I had hoped after five years maybe they would have forgotten me, but they never really let you leave. A small community like ours – they are never very far away. He came to my flat. He asked me to help him to track down something that was stolen.”

“And you’ve no idea what it was?” John asked.

“I refused to help.”

“So, you knew him well when you were living back in China?” John asked.

Soo Lin nodded. There were tears that now flowed freely down her face. “我哥哥。”

Y/N gasped. “Her brother.”

“Two orphans. We had no choice. We could work for the Black Lotus or starve on the streets like beggars. My brother has become their puppet, in the power of the one they call Shan – the Black Lotus general. I turned my brother away. He said I had betrayed him. The next day I came to work, and the cypher was waiting.”

Sherlock ruffled through his pocket before he pulled out the photo. He laid it on the table in front of Soo Lin. “Can you decipher these?”

She leaned forward and ran a hand over them just like she did with the teapot. “These are numbers.”

“I know,” Sherlock said. “But what’s the code?”

“All the smugglers know it. It’s based upon a book …” Soo Lin began.

Suddenly the lights cut out. Soo Lin shot out of her seat. Dread filled her face. Sherlock and John looked around sharply. Their heads darted around the room for any sign of an intruder.

“He’s here. Zhi Zhu. He has found me.” Soo Lin whimpered.

Sherlock doesn’t waste a second running out of the room in search of the intruder.

“Sh-Sherlock. Sherlock, wait!” John called. He turned to Y/N and Soo Lin. “Stay here.” He led the two women into a cupboard in the back of the room. “Get in!” He commanded. Y/N and Soo Lin stepped. It was a tight fit, but they made it work. John nodded and closed the door. Then he ran after Sherlock.

____SHERLOCK’s POV____

My feet clatter against the stone floor of the museum. The noise of my steps would no doubt give me away. Not that I cared. I came to a stop in a large open foyer. Above me was a glass roof. Possible entrance, I thought. My head whips around for any sign of the intruder.

Bang!

I ducked to the floor.

Bang!

I quickly ran out of the foyer and down a hallway. The figure jumped to the ground with a thud. Their quickening footsteps chased after mine. I came to halt.

The room was filled with glass cases holding skulls and artefacts that have lived throughout the ages. Each case was transparent allowing one to see into the next. Not much of a place to hide, I grumble to myself.

Bang!

The intruder is close behind me now. I dart behind a nearby case. The display sign blocked the view from the other side. It would have to do for now.

Unsure footsteps clattered against the floor. The sound echoed throughout the room and in my mind. My breath stills. A second pair of running footsteps dulls the sound of the nearby footsteps. John.

The figure turned around and ran out of the hall. I peer over the corner of the case and quickly make my way out of the room. In the corner of my eye, I see John. He’s standing behind a column. His back was against the marble surface as he looked over his shoulder. I try to make my way to John. My feet lift off the floor and move in his direction.

Bang!

I duck to the floor and dash into a nearby room. The gunman is on my tail. To my luck, there is more cover in the room. The display cases were opaque. Tables and wooden platforms are scattered in the room.

Bang!

I slide to the ground and behind a display case.

Bang!

“Careful!” I call out.

Bang!

“Some of those skulls are over two hundred thousand years old! Have a bit of respect!” My breath is heavy. My heart is pumping, and adrenaline runs through my system. My hands feel clammy as I brace myself against the case.

“Thank you,” I grumble into the silence.

Silence. Which means quiet. It’s too quiet. I frown. My eyes widen as I peer through the glass case. The figure is gone.

____Y/N’s POV____

Silence. That’s all I could hear or at least try to hear. My lungs exhale like the wind thrashing against my window on a stormy night. My body was trembling. My body rumbles like an earthquake shaking through the city. My hands grip tightly around my legs hugging them close. I wouldn’t dare shut my eyes. Even in the darkness, my eyes were on alert. The drumming of my heart pounds louder and louder. It slams against my rib cage threatening to break free–threatening to give our hiding location away.

There was a creak beside me and my head whips to Soo Lin. She pushes open the cabinet door and extends her legs. I reach out and grab her wrist. I shake my head and dare to whisper.

“No.”

Soo Lin places her hand on mine in a soothing manner. Her soft fingers wrap around mine and gently pulls them off. She brings a finger to her lips and smiles. All I can do is shake my head as she closes the door to the cupboard once more. Faint light leaks into the cabinet and I shuffle my position. My eyes now catch sight of Soo Lin creeping over to the desk. Her hand works away at solving the cypher that we had brought her. The light flashes. I stifle a cry. My hand glued over my mouth as tears flooded my view.

Behind Soo Lin was a man. He stood slightly taller than her. I could see her smile. Her hand came to cup her brother’s cheek.

“亮 ” She whispers. “大哥 ”

I shake my head. Soo Lin looks behind her brother at me. She smiles softly. Her tear-stained cheeks crinkle. She turns back to her brother.

“请你” Soo Lin pleads.

Bang!

A cry escapes my lips as Soo Lin’s body crumbles to the floor. The man–her brother turned around. His eyes scan the room. He heard me. My nails dig into my hands in an attempt to freeze my shaking body. My ears whimper as the man steps towards the cupboard. The light disappears and I can see no longer.

___SHERLOCK’s POV___

I ran out to find John. He was still hidden behind the column. I ran over to him, my hands grasping his shoulders. There it was. A single gunshot. The sound rang out from a distance. I look at John. His face grows cold, and his eyes fill with horror.

My face drops. “Where’s Y/N?” I ask. My hands shake his shoulders. “John!” I yelled. My voice broke.

“Oh, my God.” John cries. He runs in the direction of the back room. A grim feeling creeps up my body. My eyes darken and I run. My feet are tumbling against the floor. John and I race back to the stairs. We dash up the steps and run into the room. The doors slam open banging against the walls.

I ran into the room. My eyes frantically dart from wall to wall. One word in my mind. Y/N. Y/N. Y/N. John crumbles to the floor next to Soo Lin’s desk. I look over in his direction.

___Third POV___

They say that the human body is made up of 60% water. For Sherlock. At this moment, the image of Soo Lin’s lifeless bleeding body is in his mind. His body was 100% filled with a sea of dread. Tears threatened to escape his eyes the longer he looked at the body. He wouldn’t dare move for fear of stepping into some dark corner and finding her. Y/N. Hair strewed across her face. Her beautiful eyes now hazed over. Her body lying limp against the floor.

A creaking noise came from the left of John and Sherlock. The two stood defensively fists held close to their body.

Then there she was. Full of life. Her eyes were red and tears were flowing from them. Her body shook as her feet hit the floor. Sherlock darted over to her, his hands wrapped around her, holding her close. He pulled back slightly. His eyes filled with worry as he cupped her face. Her lips trembled as she tried to make out words. Sherlock’s hands dropped from her face to her neck. Her pulse beat fast underneath his cool hands. She was alive.

John ran over to the two of them. His doctor instincts took over. He asked her questions checking her physical well-being. Once, John was sure that Y/N was alright. They all turned back to Soo Lin. Y/N sobbed at the sight. She leaned into John who took her into a hug.

Sherlock’s face dropped at the sight of them. Then he crouched down to the body. His hands picked up the origami black lotus flower in the palm of Soo Lin’s hands.

____

“How many murders is it gonna take before you start believing that this maniac’s out there?” John said to Dimmock.

The Detective was trying his very best to, what seemed to John and Sherlock, ignore them. His hands rummaged through the paperwork on his desk.

John placed his hands on his hips and stepped closer to Dimmock. A sense of urgency in his voice. “A young girl was gunned down tonight. That’s three victims in three days. You’re supposed to be finding him.”

Behind John sat Y/N. She had a far-off look in her eyes. They were frozen over. A layer of frost covered them. Her mind was far from the walls of the precinct of Scotland Yard. Her eyes cast down at her feet. She was sitting so still that someone could have mistaken her for a dummy. Sherlock sat next to her. His hand ran up and down her arm in an attempt to comfort her.

Sherlock’s hand fell still and he gave Y/N’s shoulder a squeeze before releasing her. Reluctantly, Sherlock left Y/N’s side and walked over to where John and Dimmock stood.

“Brian Lukis and Eddie Van Coon were working for a gang of international smugglers,” Sherlock said. “A gang called the Black Lotus operating here in London right under your nose.” His smooth voice grew tense as the last words spilt from his mouth. The fear from this evening mixed with the anger and frustration from the case.

Dimmock stilled his motions. “Can you prove that?”

Sherlock’s eyes narrowed. “John,” he said. “Take Y/N home.”

John looked between Dimmock and Sherlock then over at the slumped figure of his friend. He sighed and agreed to Sherlock’s request. John carefully made his way over to Y/N. He placed a hand on her shoulder, just as Sherlock had done. He helped her out of her chair.

Y/N found her feet mindlessly moving as John guided her out of Scotland Yard. Sherlock’s eye never left her figure until she was out of view.

This case had gone on long enough, thought Sherlock.

_____

“Let’s get you inside,” whispered John. He held a steady hand on Y/N’s lower back as he led her inside 221B Baker Street. The hallway was dark. The only light to be seen was the light that escaped from under Mrs Hudson’s apartment door. A door which soon creaked open.

“Is that you, N/N?” Mrs Hudson asked into the darkness.

“It’s us,” John replied.

The hallway light flickered on and Mrs Hudson felt her heart sink at the sight. Y/N was leaning onto John. His arms around her holding her up. Y/N’s face was lax. No emotion held in her features except for her eyes. They were glossed over. The frost had melted and now there were tears.

“Come here, dear.” Mrs Hudson urged. She crept towards Y/N and wrapped her in a hug. “Why don’t you come in? Have some tea. Bjørn’s here. I’m sure he misses you.” She comforted her niece. “John, you too.”

The three of them made their way into Mrs Hudson’s home. The walls were decorated with a whimsical wallpaper. Almost fairytale like with all the birds and greenery. On the walls hung photos of Mrs Hudson and her family. Young Y/N in grade school, her front two teeth missing. A spark in her eyes, that was absent now.

Bjørn’s ears perked up at the sight of his owner. His tail twitched as he sat up. Mrs Hudson had sat Y/N down on the couch next to her. Bjørn meowed sweetly. His sound was like that of a kitten. The cat’s golden eyes softened at the sight of his owner. It didn’t take long before Y/N shot out a hand and pulled her cat close. Her tears stained his brown fur a few shades darker.

“What happened?” Mrs Hudson asked. John wasn’t sure to whom she asked, but he answered.

“The case.” John wouldn’t dare say more for fear of worsening Y/N’s condition.

Mrs Hudson shook her head in understanding before asking John to sit down in the open chair. A seat his tired form gladly took.

Gently Y/N peeled away from Bjørn and laid her head down on her aunt's lap. Bjørn snuggled in close to his owner. His tail wrapped around her forearms as she held him close. Mrs Hudson ran her hands through Y/N’s hair. Her nails softly scratched Y/N’s scalp in a calming manner.

John sat in his seat. His brow furrowed with worry as he looked at his friend. He couldn’t help but blame himself. For her state and the death of Soo Lin. He thought about what would have happened if he had stayed with the two women. Would Soo Lin be dead? What if he and Sherlock hadn’t made it in time. What if the man had found where he hid them. There were so many what if’s for his tired mind. It didn’t help that Mrs Hudson had turned on a soap opera. The faint voices in the background pulled John to sleep. His head hung heavy against the chair’s cushion.

Mrs Hudson began to braid her niece's hair. A soft lullaby in the form of a hum fell from her lips. In the corner of her eye, she saw John asleep. Beneath her, she saw her niece. The light from the screen flashed as it changed from scene to scene. The niece’s reddened eyes and trembling lips were in full view. Y/N laid with Bjørn in her arms.

“Auntie M.” Y/N croaked. Her voice was sore from all the crying.

Mrs Hudson’s hands stopped as they finished a braid. “Yes?”

“Can I have some tea?” Y/N asked. Her voice was so quiet. There was a remnant of shakiness to it.

Mrs Hudson smiled lovingly and nodded. “Of course.”

Y/N lifted her head up and let Mrs Hudson stand up. Y/N laid back down on the couch. Her eyes focused on the screen in front of her. In the soap opera, a man appeared on the screen. He was chasing after a beautiful woman with tears in his eyes. The actor had deep brown eyes. Eyes that reminded her of Jim. Oh, how she wished he was here. She’d cuddle close to him. His warm embrace protected her from the horrors she had just witnessed. But Jim wasn’t there. Sherlock was. She remembered how he ran to her and held her close. His eyes frantically looked her over with a hand on her neck. Her beating pulse pounded underneath his cool hands. There she felt safe. In Sherlock’s arms, she felt safe. She closed her eyes shut and allowed a few tears to escape. She wanted him to hold her now.

“Y/N” Mrs Hudson whispered. “Tea’s ready.”

Y/N nodded and sat up. Her hand wiped away her tears and she sniffled. Mrs Hudson handed over the cup and then settled back down in her seat. Y/N brought the warm beverage to her lips. The sweetness of the tea mixed with honey soothed her throat. The comfort of the tea seeped into her bones and for once that night she finally felt her mind relax. Y/N tucked her legs and laid her head against her aunt’s shoulder. Bjørn occupied her lap.

“Thanks,” whispered Y/N.

Mrs Hudson smiled. “Anything for you dear.” She replied.

With another sip of her tea, Y/N pointed to the screen. “Mind telling me what that’s all about?”

“Well, you see that man there, he’s in love with the blonde…” began Mrs Hudson. She knew her niece wasn’t really interested in some soap operas she watched on daily. However, she knew that’s what Y/N needed. A distraction. Something else to focus on other than whatever happened that night. So, from love triangles to long-lost siblings Mrs Hudson explained.

______

John shook himself awake. His eyes winced as they tried to adjust to the bright screen of the television. The door to 221 B had opened. Mrs Hudson turned away from her door and looked at John.

“That must be Sherlock.” She said, her voice was just above a whisper. On her lap lay Y/N. Her face lay peaceful as she slept.

“Right,” John replied. “I’d better go. Want me to?” He pointed to Y/N.

Mrs Hudson waved her hand. “Let her sleep a bit longer. I’ll wake her up soon enough.”

John nodded and looked at Y/N once more. Then he pushed himself from his seat and made his way up out of Mrs Hudson’s flat and up the stairs to his own home.

John found Sherlock standing in the living room. His hand propped up against the mantle.

“Sherlock,” John said.

“Is she…?”

“Asleep. She’s with Mrs Hudson.” John explained.

Sherlock nodded. A silence fell over them. “You left her there,” Sherlock said coldly.

John looked at his friend. Sherlock’s jaw was so tense he could have ground up steel nails with his teeth. “If I had known…” John began.

“She–she could have been killed,” Sherlock spat.

John gasped. “You don’t think I know that? What about you, Sherlock? You ran out of there with no regard for her. I did my best to…”

There was a glint in Sherlock’s eye. John’s words changed course. “You already know. You’re angry with yourself.”

Sherlock’s eyes closed. John knew he hit the nail on the head. “You like her. Don’t you?”

Sherlock turned around and faced John. “I care as much as you do.”

John rolled his eyes. “Right.” He knew Sherlock wasn’t going to say anything more, but in his heart, he knew. Sherlock cared for Y/N.

Sherlock sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I…” He began. John tilted his head. Was Sherlock going to say it?

“I…It’s not just a criminal organization; it’s a cult. Her brother was corrupted by one of its leaders,” Sherlock stated.

“Soo Lin said the name.”

“Yes, Shan; General Shan,” continued Sherlock.

John moved to his seat and sat down. His head resting on his hands. “We’re still no closer to finding them.”

“Wrong,” Sherlock said. John looked up at his friend with a brow raised. “We’ve got almost all we need to know. She gave us most of the missing pieces.”

“Why did he need to visit his sister? Why did he need her expertise?” Sherlock asked in John’s silence.

“She worked at the museum,” John muttered.

“Exactly!”

“She was an expert in antiquities. Mmm, of course. I see.” John responded.

“Valuable antiquities, John. Ancient Chinese relics purchased on the black market. China’s home to a thousand treasures hidden after Mao’s revolution,” Sherlock clarified.

“And the Black Lotus is selling them.” John finished.

Sherlock tilted his head to the side. An idea forming in his mind. Quickly he reached for the computer next to his chair and pried it open. His hands furiously typing away at the keys. John stood up and looked over Sherlock’s shoulder. He was on a website–an auction website. Sherlock scrolled through the screen, numerous Chinese and Asian artworks were listed.

“Check for the dates …” Sherlock mumbled to himself. His eyes widened and he pointed to the screen. “Here, John. Arrived from China four days ago.” His eyes scanned the details of the listing. “Anonymous. Vendor doesn’t give his name. Two undiscovered treasures from the East.”

“One in Lukis’ suitcase and one in Van Coon’s,” John said.

Sherlock nodded and scrolled down the screen once again. “Look, here’s another one. Arrived from China a month ago: Chinese ceramic statue, sold for four hundred thousand.

John had removed himself from Sherlock’s side and retrieved Lukis’ diary. As Sherlock read the dates, John flipped through the diary. “Ah, look a month before that – a Chinese painting, half a million.”

“All of them from an anonymous source. They’re stealing them back in China and one by one they’re feeding them into Britain.”

“And every single auction coincides with Lukis or Van Coon travelling to China,” John said as he compared the diary to Van Coon’s schedule.

Sherlock looked up from the computer screen. A brow cocked up. “So what if one of them got greedy when they were in China? What if one of them stole something?”

“That’s why Zhi Zhu comes,” John said in a hushed voice.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Mrs Hudson’s head appeared from behind it. “Sorry. Are we collecting for charity, Sherlock?” She asked.

“What?” Sherlock asked in confusion.

“A young man’s outside with crates of books.”

Sherlock nodded and shortly afterwards two police officers were carrying in plastic crates of books. Crate after crate, the free space in Sherlock and John’s flat seemed to disappear.

“So, the numbers are references,” Sherlock explained.

“To books,” John said quizzically. He didn’t understand how people could own so many books.

“To specific pages and specific words on those pages,” Sherlock stated.

“Right, so ... fifteen and one: that means …”

“Turn to page fifteen and it’s the first word you read.”

“Okay. So what’s the message?”

“Depends on the book.” Sherlock declared. “That’s the cunning of the book code. Has to be one that they both owned.”

John looked around the room. A sense of despair filled his mind. “Okay, right. Well, this shouldn’t take too long, should it?”

John walked over to the nearest crate and flips open the lid. The sight before him elicits a sigh. He most definitely wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. Beside him, Sherlock opened another crate. With his hands full he looked over the covers of each book. John, copying Sherlock, took a handful from his crate and carried them over to the dining table. The books thudded to the table. Dust flying from the surface.

“We found these, at the museum,” a voice spoke out from behind the towers of crates.

It was Dimmock. In his hand, he held a plastic bag. Inside was the photograph of the cypher that they had taken to Soo Lin.

“Is this your writing?” Dimmock asked. John and Sherlock walked over to him.

John was the first, taking the bag into his hands.

“Uh, we hoped Soo Lin could decipher it for us,” he explained.

Dimmock nodded. His eyes scanned the room. “Anything else I can do? To assist you, I mean?” He asked Sherlock.

“Some silence right now would be marvellous,” Sherlock replied. His eyes focused on the bag in John’s hand.

Dimmock just stares at Sherlock. John flashed an apologetic look at him. Then Dimmock turned on his heel and was out the door.

John returned to his seat by the table. Sherlock took out another handful of books. His eyes froze over one. He had seen this cover before. He found the second book and laid them side by side before cracking one open. Page fifteen. Word One.

“Cigarettes.” Sherlock sighed in disappointment. He closed the book shut and delivered it to John at the table before searching through the books again.

Again, Sherlock finds two copies of a book. Page fifteen. Word one. “Freakonomics.” then it was “Imagine” in another book. A frown appeared on Sherlock’s face. He dumped the books on the table and picked up his search once more. A pile that once was two books tall now stood sixteen. Next to that pile, there were three more. One could hardly see John from underneath all the books. Behind him stood Sherlock. His hands made quick work through the crates of novels.

Page by page. Word by word flew by John’s mind. The words muddled together one after the other. His eyes blurred and his head sunken deeper and deeper. The book's stacks got higher and higher as John fell deeper and deeper into a restless sleep. His back and neck strained as they rested against the table.

_______

Sherlock placed, yet again, another pair of books when the floorboards near the door creaked.

His eyes, with dark circles underneath them, gazed in the direction of the noise. Y/N stood against the door frame. A blanket wrapped around her slumped shoulders.

“Hi,” she whispered.

Sherlock smiled. “Hello.”

Y/N’s eyes scanned the room, and a chuckle left her mouth. “Either you really like books, or this is for the case.”

“The case.”

“Knew it,” she replied. “I, uh…” She began before she shook her head. “It’s stupid.”

Sherlock placed the books in his hands back into the crate. He walked over to the woman. “Tell me,” he said.

“I couldn’t sleep, so thought I’d come to bother you.” She said, her eyes lifted up to meet his. She wanted to say more. She wanted to say that she didn’t feel safe alone and that the only place she considered safe was in his arms.

“Perfect. I’m going to need all the help I can get, especially since John fell asleep a while ago.”

“What can I do?” She asked. Her hands hung at her sides brushing the loose fabric of her sleep shirt.

Sherlock led her over to the crate and briefly explained the process. The numbers correlated to pages and the word on the page. Y/N nodded her head trying to understand it all. It was simple. However, for her tired mind with the reminisce of fear from earlier that evening, it was hard to grasp.

Sherlock could see that. So, instead, he suggested she’d read the pages and he’d find the books. She nodded in agreement. She turned away from him and found a seat on the couch. The soft cushion sank underneath her, enveloping her in comfort. She pulled the blanket around her tighter as Sherlock carried a set of books over to her.

“Page fifteen. Word one,” he said. He handed her a notebook. “Write down the word and the book title.”

She took the pen and paper from her hand and opened the first book. Her eyes found the page and jotted down the word. It was a task to keep her mind busy. Her left hand moved across the pages of the books and with her right she scribbled down the information.

As she worked through her fifth book, Sherlock turned to her. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Y/N’s hands stopped moving. She peered up at him. Her lips slightly parted.

“I’m sorry about leaving John behind. I’m sorry for–” his voice threatened to break. “For leaving you in the room with Soo Lin by yourself. You’re too important to…” Sherlock paused, “to John and I.”

“I forgive you,” she replied. A soft smile appeared on her face and Sherlock felt a weight lift off his chest.

“I’m sorry for being stubborn,” Y/N jokingly said. “But at least I’m not as stubborn as you are.”

Sherlock grinned. “I’m not stubborn. I’m right.”

“Oh sure,” Y/N rolled her eyes. The smile was still on her face.

The two of them settled into a comfortable silence. Sherlock dived through the books as Y/N tried to find the code that the Black Lotus used. The weight of her blanket and the way the couch’s cushion swirled around her, Y/N found herself dozing off to the same spell that put John to sleep. Her body went lax and her head sank into the pillow behind her.

Sherlock looked up from his pile of books at the sleeping woman. He shut the cover and moved towards her. He didn’t know how, but his arms slipped around her legs and back. He lifted her off the couch. His mind followed the map of the apartment to his room. The door swung open and Sherlock carried Y/N over to the bed. He reasoned with himself, saying her neck would be sore in the morning from the position it lay in, as he laid her on his bed.

She whimpered in her sleep at the loss of Sherlock’s warmth. After he had placed the blankets on top of her, that whimper soon faded. Instinctively, Y/N snuggled into the sheets. Her head lay against Sherlock’s pillow. Eyes closed and relaxed.

Sherlock didn’t know how long he had stood there watching over her sleeping figure. His blue eyes roamed her face. Her lips parted slightly, and a few stray hairs fell against her cheeks. Sherlock reached a hand to brush away the hairs. His hand lingered. Y/N’s chest rose and fell. She was alive. She was safe. Sherlock’s heart couldn’t take it any longer. Soon he found himself leaning over. His lips brushed against her forehead. His eyes closed as if he was in reverent prayer. Her skin felt like silk underneath his lips.

Reluctantly, Sherlock pulled away. His feet took him backwards until he reached the door. His hands ran through his curly locks. His cheeks flushed. He had kissed her. His eyes fell over Y/N once more before he forced himself out of the room. He needed to think. He needed to work and not think about her, but that’s all his mind seemed to think about nowadays. With a soft click, the door had shut, and Sherlock made his way over to the books–the distractions. Without another sound, he picked up the book he had placed down earlier. His eyes scanned the cover before he dropped it down once again. His eyes darted over to his bedroom door.

This was going to be a long night, Sherlock thought.

____________________________________________________________

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