#he's not very sherlock holmes coded but he's not extremely NOT sherlock holmes coded

[blujayonthewing]

if felix had ambition he'd invent 'being a consulting detective' about it

[theshippirate22]

I have a theory

listen up bitches (gender neutral) (affectionate) i’ve been cooking this for an incredibly long time and i’m very very excited to share it but it is gonna be long so i’m putting it under a cut

my theory is that there has been a new set of archetypes created by popular m/m media either in canon or coding and i would love if it was more widely recognized by a distinct name so here we go:

I present to you: The Mirrorball x Running Up That Hill Boyfriends™️ Theory

i need to preface this by saying that i am absolutely not an english major or expert but i have done so much analysis that i’m 98% positive i’m on to something here

so usually mlm ships- at least in my experience- get boiled down into typical Grumpy x Sunshine, Golden Retriever x Black Cat, or like. Babygirl x Badass. and i hate that because those are like really watered down hetero romance stereotypes and i think queer people deserve to get our own archetypes instead of trying to force queer characters into prepaid boxes but that’s a story for another day so:

basically, all content with widely accepted mlm ships (even if they are more in coding than in canon) has this pattern with the ship that fits into Mirrorball x Running Up That Hill

(name pending- open to suggestions)

Boyfriend No.1 of course is the epitome of Mirrorball by Taylor Swift (i know, i know. bear with me here). He’s constantly trying to prove himself and his worth and usually he’s driven to hide or overcome 1-3 specific and intense insecurities/character flaws. He often has innate loyalty to a system or person who has repeatedly abused/neglected/abandoned him and thinks that this treatment is a result of his own character rather than a reflection of the abuser. In relation to the plot and audience, this is the “more dangerous” of the two because he’s so desperate to hold onto the status quo that he’ll often act in a way that makes things more difficult for himself, often by leaving Boyfriend No. 2, sacrificing himself, or doing “the wrong thing.” He also commonly has an older male figure that is breathing down his neck constantly, haunting his perceived inadequacies, and fueling his self-loathing. He’s constantly mischaracterized because he’s either boiled down to “the silly one” or a visage of his trauma and the people that relate to love these characters are usually extremely sad people. Usually this character is also the “mean girl” of the couple.

Examples of the Mirrorball boyfriend: Dean Winchester, Aziraphale, Stede Bonnet, Lucius Spriggs, Sherlock Holmes, Eddie Munson, Mike Wheeler, Prince Rupert, etc.

Boyfriend No. 2 then, is the Running Up That Hill Boyfriend, based of course, on the song by the same name by the perfect Kate Bush. He’s the one that’s seen The Horrors™️ and gained a layer of cynicism that Mirrorball doesn’t have. He was once loyal to something that used/hurt him but he rejected it and used his newfound freedom to restructure his entire personality and reach his much higher potential. Usually, he has passed so far from having a few insecurities to perceiving himself as utterly worthless and unlovable but he’s so convinced that it doesn’t even haunt him, he just goes with it and usually comes off looking overly-confident or cocky. This is The Bitch (affectionate)™️. There’s probably a scene of him covered in blood. This is The Girls’ favorite blorbo and ultimate whump. He tends to be really good with kids and he’s the kind of character that would and often has to CLAW a life out for himself by his fingernails.

Examples of the Running Up That Hill Boyfriend: Castiel, Crowley, Ed Teach, Black Pete, John Watson, Steve Harrington, Will Byers, Prince Amir, etc.

unfortunately i haven’t seen a lot of popular queer stuff so if you can think of other mlm or mlm shaped characters that fit into these archetypes please please please tell me

i’m specifically curious about:

-Hannigram (Hannibal)

-Buddy (911) (@criminally-obsessed if you would mind weighing in but obviously no pressure)

-Lokius (Loki) (@henderdads same thing)

-Any of the marauders but specifically WolfStar

-Stucky (MCU)

-RWRB (i’m so sorry i don’t remember the guys’ names)

-Nick and Charlie (Heartstopper)

-What We Do In the Shadows has one I think?

-literally anyone else please and thank you 🙏🙏 love you all

if you want like explicit examples of each piece for a character lmk for sure because i could talk about this all day long

[are-they-queerplatonic]

Do you see them as a QPR?

Reason to see them as a QPR under the cut:

"They are so. They are the male and female protagonists and, while there are jokes, they never canonically get together as a couple. They are actual besties, Joan moves to a different country because Sherlock is wanted by the US government for a murder he didnt commit, and the only reason he’s wanted is because he confessed to it because it was JOAN who was being investigated for a murder she didnt commit. Also they both call themselves “Two people who love eachother” and again, NEVER ENTER A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP. I love them so much.

Also they are both EXTREMELY ARO CODED. Sherlock never really shows any interest in romance outside of people that are extremely similar to him (read as: unless they also have autism like he does) and even then it feels more like him finding kinship in the few people in the world who are Like Him.

And Joan, at first, only dated guys who were in some way not alright (one was a sucky guy and the other was an addict), and when she starts dating a guy who is well adjusted and things are going WELL, she realizes she doesnt want to date him. Joan as a whole is a very nurturing character (not in a ‘female character is nice’ way) and clearly cares about the people around her, she was a sober companion when she met Sherlock. So I feel like the reason she dated guys with issues wasnt because ‘shes attracted to broken boys’ trope, it was a ‘due to past experiences, she wants someone to care for and help’. One of the biggest pieces of evidence to me is that she decides to adopt a child as a single mother. She went from Surgeon -> sober companion, she clearly loves and enjoys caring for people. I like to think the reason she disliked being a sober companion was because she wasnt challenging herself mentally enough, so she decided to become a detective with Sherlock full time.

Sorry this is so long I just love Joan Watson, I kiss her mwah mwah mwah"

[yandere-romanticaa]

Ana, what would you say your top 5 anime are?

The only secure place shall we say is #1 but the rest really are not set in any particular order. Regardless, I've already answered this question a while ago but my opinions changed a little bit and these ones are definitely my favorite of all time.

#1 Bungo Stray Dogs.

My all time favorite anime is this one - Bungo Stray Dogs. It really hits hard for me because it just sucked me in immediately upon first watching it. I also really enjoy reading so being introduced to Japanese literature was just such a lovely bonus to me, so much so that I actually own two books which were written by Osamu Dazai.

If you've been following me for a while, this anime needs no introduction and you probably already knew that it's my favorite.

#2 Moriarty the Patriot.

Such an underrated gem...

Moriarty the Patriot tells the story of a math professor, William James Moriarty and how he wreaks havoc amongst the upper crust of British society as the secret Lord of Crime. He's a very morally ambiguous character who yes, does want to ultimately do good but his methods can be considered very extreme at times.

The anime is set in 19th century London and just the overall vibe of the show is immaculate. Every episode starts by setting the atmosphere which really gets you going, wondering how William and his associates will handle the chaos. His natural foil is the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and watching the two interact is a blast.

If you're in for anime which is packed with mystery, crime and some cool 19th century vibes, this one is incredible.

#3 Code Geass.

This is also another really popular anime that I don't think needs much of an introduction.

I've rewatched this show I think close to 10 times and never ONCE did I get bored. Keep in mind, I do NOT like mecha anime and this is one of two I've seen in my lifetime, the other being Aldonoah Zero.

Even so, despite my bias, it's still one of my favorites.

Literally everything is perfect about it and Lelouch is just... I'm speechless. He has my heart, I love that man.

All hail Lelouch!

#4 Re:Zero.

This is another one that had me on the hook since episode one.

I've always liked isekai anime but this one is just built fucking different. The author of this series really knows his craft both inside and out and I don't see enough praise for his world building.

Re Zero tells the story of a loser 17 year old otaku, Subaru Natsuki and how he got isekaid to another world. Since he's a dumbass, he thinks that he can have any ability he wants and that things will instantly go his way but Subaru is in for quite the rude awakening once he realizes just how horrible his situation is.

At the time of writing this, season 3 literally just came out and I am eagerly waiting for each new episode to drop.

#5 Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Horror packaged in frills and ribbons is my whole aesthetic and this show feeds right into that.

It really does look like a simple little magical girl show upon first glance but by now, it has received the almost legendary status that it has for a damn good reason. The story manages to make the usually cheerful archetype of the magical girl into something much more sinister and tragic, exploring some interesting themes along the way.

Feel free to comment or share your thoughts on my fav list. Some honorable mentions would be Naruto, My Next Life as a Villainess, The Case Study of Vanitas and definitely some more shows which I can't recall at the moment.

[tiger-moran]

So Sherlock is Garbage, and Here's Why (I will refer to that from here on as SIGAHW) does talk about Moriarty but not Moran but watching that has made me think about what that show did (or didn't do) with my two favourite characters. Let's get this out the way first, sorry but I'm never going to like 'Jim' no matter what, even if they'd characterised him better and not done... everything they did with him, but that's really not the point here.

What is the point is they screwed Moriarty and Moran over in that show bigtime, and Moriarty/Moran for that matter, which whatever some people try to claim is a pairing that has a very strong basis in the canon, they are one of the most obvious potentially queer pairings of the canon even. There are details in there that are very suggestive even that Conan Doyle could have deliberately coded them as queer, probably for homophobic reasons, yes, but more in a way that tied to the homophobia of the day, so it was a coded way of saying these are characters who break the law and exist outside the laws and the norms of society because in that time and society male homosexual behaviour was literally illegal as well as widely being deemed 'sinful' and a 'sickness', i.e. it could well have been something that emphasised that these are characters who just do not give a shit about the norms and rules of society, something which is not in itself intrinsically queerphobic.

But there is nothing intrinsically wrong with coding villains as queer anyway (and I will fight people over this), and often a lot of queer people do latch on extremely hard to the queer (confirmed or coded) villains because we see ourselves in them. There's also nothing inherently wrong with having queer male characters be 'camp' or 'flamboyant' or whatever. But SIGAHW does address the queer-coding of Moriarty in Sherlock and it's summing up pretty well why that always rubbed me the wrong way, because it linked queerness directly with villainy. But also it didn't even show him as queer by bringing in the guy who would very obviously be a candidate for his boyfriend, i.e. Moran, it did it by making him obsessed with Sherlock and everything he does has to be because of and revolve around Sherlock because Sherlock is the Bestest Bestest Bestest Ever and So Smart and So Amazing (probably because, let's be honest here, Moffat seems to think he is as brilliant and smart as Sherlock Holmes and sees himself as Sherlock). It basically has it that Moriarty is bad and wrong and evil and all of this is because he's essentially in love with Sherlock, his 'badness' all stems from his queerness, which is fucked up and also, none of that is canonical, it's just an interpretation and a very loose one at that, yet it's taken over and they act like it is literally canonical fact and it's got to the point where even the fucking Conan Doyle Estate Ltd are spouting this shit as if it's canonical fact - they still have that Moriarty is "Sherlock’s number one nemesis and obsessive fan. Moriarty is the criminal mastermind who haunts Sherlock Holmes as the great detective hunts him during many of his investigative endeavours. Moriarty’s impeccable intelligence and wit make him a perfect mirror of Holmes, often in an eerily romantic way" crap on their website. They are literally describing Sherlock while claiming to be the 'experts' on the canon and ~guardians~ of the canon and its characters. Which is pretty fucked up, and OK that's probably not inherently the fault of that show or its creators but it does go to show how their nonsense managed to take over in people's minds while shitting on the canon.

Meanwhile the creators of Sherlock actually did go out of their way to insult Moriarty in the canon and in other versions - that "Moriarty is usually a rather dull, rather posh villain" nonsense from Moffat for instance which having seen that referenced in that video now I do remember and it pissed me off back when I did read that originally too even though way back then I didn't even love Moriarty the way I do now. It always, always felt like they had such contempt for the canon and their treatment of Moriarty was yet another example of that - it felt like this wasn't something they were adapting with genuine love and changing details to create their own interpretation sure but in some carefully crafted still very loving way as some kind of homage to the canon and those that had gone before. It didn't even feel like... they were mocking the plot holes and everything in the canon but in an affectionate way. Loads of us do that, I spend a lot of my time infuriated with Conan Doyle and his lack of fucks about making things make sense or making them not contradict each other, but I absolutely mean that in an affectionate way, whereas they seemed to genuinely think everything that had gone before was terrible, including the original stories, and everything about it needed to be 'fixed' and that they had made the stories 'theirs' now and all the other versions including the original stories could get fucked.

Also there's their habit of just tossing around words like "psycho" and "nutcase" for Moriarty (as well as the "sociopath" stuff for Sherlock) which seems... dangerous territory to be veering into? Not only for linking being a "psycho"' or a "nutcase" with queerness (as SIGAHW rightfully points out that is screwed up, in the way they did it) but also making it (again as that video points out) so you don't have to actually bother to give the character of Moriarty any real depth or consistency or, you know, actual decent characterisation because he's so ~zany~ and ~crazy~ because he's just a "psycho" which yes is piss poor, lazy characterisation, but also... you're basically 'villainising' or demonising actual real mental illnesses, or symptoms of them? And saying he's dangerous and bad because he's "crazy"... I don't know, I don't feel like I'm best placed to comment on that but that always rubbed me the wrong way too even if I maybe can't fully articulate why.

(I'm not really getting into the fact that they ultimately did just waste Moriarty too, like they didn't actually know what to do with him beyond make him infatuated with Sherlock, because I think SIGAHW did cover that much better than I ever could. But I mean, it does seem like they couldn't even commit to anything with their own take on the character, they didn't even ultimately have any respect for him never mind for any other version including the canonical character.

I'm also not really getting into how they basically set up this 'Jim loves Sherlock' thing and then proceeded to belittle fans who shipped them together, but that was very screwed up too that they did that.)

And then there's Moran. My beloved Moran. I do not know which is worse, erasing a character entirely, or effectively breaking him up into various parts, showing some of those parts but then removing the main pieces of him that make him who he is. Because in Sherlock they had a character named Sebastian (who as far as I can remember was a total douchebag), they had a character named Moran who was some sort of criminal, they had snipers, they had other people working for Moriarty. But never a Sebastian Moran, never Moriarty's right hand man, never Moriarty's friend (when he is literally called Moriarty's friend and bosom friend in the canon). Moran canonically mattered to Moriarty and he was way more than just some fucking 'henchman' - I have written many tens of thousands of words about this already including multiple essays. Moran mattered. But he didn't matter at all to 'Jim', or Sherlock's creators. And not only that they also did what they did elsewhere and not only showed utter contempt towards the canonical character, they also showed contempt for the people who love him and for the shippers of the pairing. They knew full well there were people who were desperate to see a Sebastian Moran in that show, they knew there were people who shipped Moran with Moriarty, and yet when they were asked about this they just insulted him and dismissed him as totally unimportant (that "he’s just Moriarty’s henchman. There is not much more to it" shit from Gatiss, though I'm almost certain Moffat said something else demeaning about Moran too but this was too long ago now and so much stuff has vanished without trace so that I can't find any of those quotes any more), and they made it sound like the fans desperate to see him in the show were absurd for seeing anything in him or in Moriarty/Moran or wanting that to happen, because of course 'their' Moriarty only has eyes for Sherlock. Of course (because Sherlock is a fucking Moffat stand in so of course everyone from Watson to the original character mortician to the supposed lesbian to the recurring major villain has to be infatuated with him one way or another because he's just that awesome. Even though in actuality they made him into an insufferable prick).

They did screw over Moriarty/Moran and just erase that pairing from existence in that universe, essentially, to the point where anybody who does ship the pairing in it had to create 'Seb' themselves, to fill this void that the creators deliberately put in because they thought their version of these beloved stories and characters was so much better and smarter and more wonderful than anything else, when in reality it's like that video says, it's garbage, and it's insulting to the fans who care about the stories and the characters and the pairing both in itself and in the way the creators treated those fans. No they are not the only people to do this and smugly act like they're better and cleverer than Conan Doyle and of other fans of the stories and the characters while they were merrily wrecking the characterisation and butchering the stories, I can certainly think of one rather famous author in particular who I think did something similar too, but I think they did take it to a whole other level.

[miscielross]

(Konami owns Crimesight and the character design. I'm just repurposing them because I miss playing the game even though I was bad at it. It was a very niche game genre (basically Social Deception with Cluedo).)

Hello! I have fanfiction thoughts!

Singularity 2075: Neo-London aka Pretender Sherlock AU Summary: The Atlas Institute predicts a calamity that will destroy what's left of fractured Britain-- a great upheaval caused by a union of two Holy Grails. As a neutral party from the Mage Association believing it to be another Holy Grail War, JHW Corporation constructs the Foresight System-- an Investigation Software, embodied by an A.I. named Sherlock, that predicts the probability of crime about to occur.

The A.I. was able to predict seven Masters that would begin the "Calamity" and the Servants that will come to play in the ritual. But when one of the Masters was murdered and A.I. Sherlock was selected by the Holy Grail as the new participant, JHW Corporation becomes forcibly involved in the conflict. The corrupted Cu Chulainn Alter heeding A.I. Sherlock's summons only intensified the Mage Association's accusations of JHW Corporation using a Lesser Grail to create the Foresight System.

This is the current state of the Singularity that the Master of Chaldea arrives in.

tl;dr Maybe don't create an A.I. powered by a Holy Grail especially when you were warned that the world will be destroyed by two Holy Grails.

Resolving Singularity 2075 incorporates A.I. Sherlock to the Throne but he is summoned to Chaldea under the Pretender class instead of a Caster. His Noble Phantasm, Reichenbirthfall, changes him into the Avenger Class and manifests Calamity Muircheartaigh to the field.

After certain events and fulfillment of conditions, A.I. Sherlock's Final Ascension will change his name to Sherrinford Hope.

Alignment: Neutral-Evil: His merge with Calamity Muircheartaigh may have influenced his alignment. While A.I. Sherlock's principles and morality are retained, releasing his Noble Phantasm must be exercised with extreme caution and appropriate counter-measures. Madness Enhancement C: JHW Corporation's Lesser Holy Grail merging with Muircheartaigh's Cursed Grail significantly altered Sherlock's mental stability when summoned to Chaldea. He seems to be in frequent conversation with his "dear doctor", a character in reference to Dr. John Watson from the Sherlock Holmes series. But the mere mention of the name 'Watson' will turn all dialogue hostile. Perhaps the Avenger fused with his Spirit Origin is projecting his deep seated contempt towards JHW Corporation? Mental Corruption A: A.I. Sherlock is aware that it's illogical to call Muircheartaigh as a "doctor" because his title and profession was "professor". But his encoded personality dictates to hold affection towards "a doctor" and contempt to a "professor". As a projection of Sherlock Holmes, calling Muircheartaigh his "doctor" is his only roundabout way of dealing with it.

Relationship with Sherlock Holmes (Ruler): A.I. Sherlock knows he is inferior to Holmes because he is just "lines of code" made to mimic human behavior and stagnant logic. What disturbs Holmes, however, is the A.I.'s unchanged affection towards Calamity Muircheartaigh and his obsession with death during the 2075 Singularity.

"Moriarty can live without Holmes, but Holmes could never live without Moriarty. Is it not true for you, Holmes?"

Relationship with James Moriarty (Archer): A.I. Sherlock is very friendly towards the math professor, and attends his Evil Profession Classes. "To effectively counter Evil is to know Evil, right?" Professor Moriarty thinks the A.I. is just projecting because of Calamity Muircheartaigh's lack of physical form. But the more he observes the boy's one-sided conversations, the more he realizes that his affections were undeniably pure-- mimicry by lines of code or not.

"I wouldn't mind it so much if he wasn't actually a version of my arch-nemesis! He's like one of those deluded fanfictions where the author speaks for the character!"

[thosearentcrimes]

The 19th century was kinda obsessed with bipolar personalities, huh? Like, obviously any highly differentiated illness/personality is inherently dramatic, and especially romantics are going to gravitate towards heightened emotionality and such, and it is a convenient plot device, but I feel like the incidence of characters so obviously bipolar I'd think their descriptions were cribbed from a diagnostic manual if these characters didn't often predate anything resembling the "scientific" (psychology lol) description.

By contrast, the recent pop cultural interest in autism seems to actually follow clinical practice instead. That said, I think they are interestingly parallel cases, the comparison being heightened by the fact that while the original Sherlock Holmes is very much bipolar (to be clear, he does also hyperfixate, but ultimately I feel like the material for a specifically autistic reading is extremely weak), the recent TV show adaptation codes him fairly autistically before it gives up and just makes him some sort of demigod. I wonder, if there were a new Frankenstein, would they make him autistic too? I think they would.

[malfiora]

if it's written right, it doesn't get old, actually. "morally grey" just means that you can't squarely say they're all good or all evil, and given that we as flesh and blood humans can't even unanimously decide what those words mean, I'd say there's a wiiiiide range of morally grey characterizations to play with, such as:

Robin Hood (kinda the poster boy of this Twitter thread it seems)

Batman

Sherlock Holmes

Dexter

Jessica Jones

Holly J (Degrassi)

Amanda Waller (DC)

Selene (Underworld; hell, almost every "good" character and some of the bad could be considered grey)

hell, even mythological figures can be grey (not including gods and deities since they by definition operate outside of mortal moral code):

The hero Jason of Argos cheats on Medea, driving her mad

Helen of Troy (and Paris) started a whole war for extremely selfish but very compelling reasons

Hector was as much hero to the Trojans as he was fiend to the Greeks

Orestes and Elektra killed their mother Clytemnestra for killing their father Agamemnon (who had sacrificed his own daughter Iphigenia to Artemis in return for safe passage to Troy), so arguably good reasons, but Orestes' part in it was so contemptible that he was haunted by the Erinyes until Athena blessed him. (The whole House of Atreus is fucked, honestly.)

so it's fine to demand better of writers but don't dismiss an entire trope due to a sample of shitty or uninspired writing

[bakerstreetbabble]

Granada TV Series Review: "The Dancing Men" (S01 E02)

"The Adventure of the Dancing Men" is possibly the very first Holmes story I can remember reading and enjoying as a child. It was one of the stories in a paperback anthology that I was given when I was about ten years old. (I've tried numerous times to find the anthology online, with no luck. I simply don't remember enough about it.) I remember finding the idea of the code of the dancing men fascinating, and it is still one of my favorite Sherlock Holmes adventures. I am happy to report that the Granada adaptation of the tale is excellent. After the scene setting of "Scandal in Bohemia," this one really gets into the meat of what makes Holmes stories so entertaining: a code to decipher, deductions that are constantly one step ahead of everyone else, a murder, an attempted suicide, a mysterious figure from America...the works.

Unlike "A Scandal in Bohemia," which was the first story in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, "The Dancing Men" comes much later in the canon, having been one of the cases published in the collection entitled The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps that's why the story is so good: it was written later, but not so late that the writing has become tired or a repetition of the earlier stories. Quite simply, this story is Arthur Conan Doyle at his best. And the Granada adaptation certainly reflects the excellence of the original story.

Jeremy Brett is delightful from top to bottom in the episode: his witty, playful banter at the beginning, as he amazes Watson with his deductive train of thought, is a treat to behold. David Burke's reactions, as Watson realizes how "absurdly simple" (a phrase which recurs in the episode) the whole thing was, is marvelous as well. The dramatic elements throughout the episode are very well done. The opening sequence, before the case comes to Holmes, is admirably brief, but sets up the mystery quite efficiently.

As a musician, I was especially struck by the sophistication of the score underlying the scene: the music sounds a bit like an early American folk song, and as Elsie first sees the code of the dancing men (which the camera does not show initially) the music comes to a sudden stop. The use of the minor third every in the theme that plays underneath Elsie's and Hilton's scenes together gives the music an ever so slight impression of a style no unlike American jazz, which works perfectly for Elsie, who we come to find out is from America.

The actors who play Elsie (Betsy Brantley) and Hilton (Tenniel Evans) are perfect in their roles: I found their tragic relationship emotionally engaging. The sets and costumes are, as usual for this first season of the series, extremely sumptuous. The Baker Street lodgings, of which we get a slightly better view than in the first episode, seem as if they were lifted straight out of the pages of the canon. Meanwhile, we get a bit of a view of the period English countryside, and perhaps most importantly for Holmes fans, our first glimpse of Holmes in the famous deerstalker cap (though not the Inverness cape).

The pacing of the episode is exceptionally tight, with an excellent balance between the more reflective moments of deduction, and the moments of Holmes and Watson springing into action (albeit too late to save the unfortunate Mr. Cubitt). I especially enjoyed the moment, after Holmes and Watson run out of the room suddenly, and the camera pans around to show the final message: "Elsie, prepare to meet thy God." Beautifully done!

In the original story, Sherlock Holmes presents a rather lengthy description of how he solved the code of the dancing men. I thought the adaptation was especially deft at handling this bit dramatically: first, they shorten the sequence immensely, and second, they give most of the explanation to Watson. I thought this worked rather well, especially considering that, if they had been slavish to the original, the dramatic action would have ground to a halt at this point!

Watching this episode was a particularly enjoyable nostalgia trip for me, and overall just a marvelous viewing experience. I can't find a thing about the episode that I would have changed. It was extremely faithful to the source material, while still being as entertaining an adventure as you could wish to see on the small screen. The video of the episode is below...enjoy!

[drbtinglecannon]

I've deduced the main cast of TGAA's birthday ranges and subsequent potential zodiac signs, cuz I'm suffering from brainrot still. And yes I'm color-coding it cuz it's my blog post I can do whatever I want💃

Ryuunosuke, Susato, Herlock, and Iris do not age between DGS1 & 2. Ryuunosuke is 23, Susato is 16, Herlock is 34, and Iris is 10 throughout both games.

Seeing as the events of the games went from DGS1-1 being on Nov 22 all the way to DGS2-5 being on Nov 4 the following year, that means Ryuunosuke and Susato's bdays are both between Nov 5 - Nov 21 since neither aged between games and were both present for the entire story. (Also that leaves the extremely sad truth that both had their bdays away from their British family & Kazuma on their way back to Japan post DGS2 :( ... But hey at least Yujin was around for them) That means both of them would be Scorpios.

Barok, Gina, and Kazuma on the other hand, do all age between DGS1 & 2. Barok is 32 when we meet him in DGS1-3 and 33 by DGS2-3. Gina is 17 when we meet her in DGS1-3 and 18 by DGS2-3. Kazuma is 23 when we meet him in DGS1-1 and 24 by DGS2-4 (after we find out the masked apprentice was Kazuma anyway, he might've been 24 sooner but there's no way to know so I'm working off when it's confirmed)

When we meet Herlock in DGS1-2 on Jan 9, meaning his bday range is between Nov 5 - Jan 8. That means he's either a Scorpio, Sagittarius, or Capricorn. [EDIT: Someone very kindly pointed out to me that Sherlock Holmes does have a canon bday, which I absolutely did not think about when thinking about Herlock, so his bday should be Jan 6! Which does line up with this range, making him a Capricorn! This does unfortunately mean he spent his bday away from Iris :( ]

As for Iris, she's the only one with a stated bday range, with the wiki saying it is either June 16 or 17. Which...doesn't add up, because she would've been 11 in DGS2 if that were the case. Either that was a mistake on the wiki's part, or the game just forgor to change her age (which I can't say isn't possible). If we ignore that and base it on when we meet her vs the date of the last case, she first appears in DGS1-3 but isn't properly introduced until DGS1-4 on Feb 19, that leaves her bday range to be between Nov 5 - Feb 18. If Iris was born June 16/17 that would make her a Gemini, but if she was born between Nov 5 - Feb 18 then she would be either a Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, or Aquarius.

The 2nd DLC case takes place on Barok's actual bday (ofc it doesn't tell us the date tho), which is during the 6 month banishment Ryuunosuke had from British court following DGS1-5 on April 16, and since he's 33 by DGS2-3 on Oct 22, Barok's bday is between April 17 - Oct 21. That means he's either an Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, or Libra.

Gina was 17 in DGS1-3 on Feb 18 all the way until DGS1-5 on April 16, and when we see her again during DGS2-3 on Oct 22 she's since turned 18, meaning her bday is also between April 17 - Oct 21. (wouldn't it be hilarious if Gina and Barok had the same bday lol) That means she's either an Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, or Libra.

So recap!!

And lastly, Kazuma was 23 at the beginning of the game on Nov 22, and by the time we see him again and actually know it's him in DGS2-4 on Nov 3 he's 24. Since he's absent from the game events between DGS1-2 on Jan 9 until DGS2-3 on Oct 22 and since he's not in the court record again until Nov 3, Kazuma's bday could be anywhere between Jan 10 - Nov 2, giving about 10 months of range it could fall in. That means he could be any zodiac sign except Sagittarius.

Edit: I'm adding Yujin because I didn't add him when I first wrote this, but apparently John Watson has a somewhat canon bday of August 7th, so Yujin would likely have the same bday making him a Leo. Yujin is 42 in DGS1-1 and 43 in DGS2-1 on August 13 when we see him again so that bday does line up with those dates. However the entire range that could be his bday is between Nov 23 - August 12.

Ryuunosuke

Potential bday range: Nov 5 - 21

Zodiac sign: Scorpio

Susato

Potential bday range: Nov 5 - 21

Zodiac sign: Scorpio

Herlock

Potential bday range: Nov 5 - Jan 8 [EDIT: Official bday of Sherlock Holmes is Jan 6, thus it's safe to assume it's Herlock's too]

Potential zodiac sign: Scorpio, Sagittarius, or Capricorn [EDIT: if Jan 6 is his bday his sign is Capricorn]

Iris

Potential bday range: Either June 16/17 OR Nov 5 - Feb 18

Potential zodiac sign: Either Gemini OR Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, or Aquarius

Barok

Potential bday range: April 17 - Oct 21

Potential zodiac sign: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, or Libra

Gina

Potential bday range: April 17 - Oct 21

Potential zodiac sign: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, or Libra

Kazuma

Potential bday range: Jan 10 - Nov 2

I know the game doesn't specify the actual years, but I always thought it took place during 1899-1900, given the Great Exhibition being at the "turn of the century" and lining up when Soseki was in England while Queen Victoria was still queen, so that would mean going by these dates the years everyone was born would be: Ryuu 1876, Susato 1883, Herlock 1865-1866 (more likely 1866), Iris 1889-1890, Barok 1867, Gina 1882, Kazuma 1875-1876, and Yujin 1856-1857 (more likely 1857).

Potential zodiac sign: Anything but Sagittarius

Yujin

Potential bday range: Nov 23 - August 12 (most likely August 7)

Potential zodiac sign: Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pieces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, or Leo (most likely Leo)

Anyway hope y'all enjoy this for bday or zodiac HCs, or just as something interesting to read that I spent far too much time on. 💖

[t4tlawlight]

Occam's razor is the principle that, of two explanations that account for all the facts, the simpler one is more likely to be correct.

this post is going to cover traits specific to the manga and the television drama, since those are the best adaptations to showcase L’s autism. THIS POST is required reading before you read anything i’m about to type, because it explains what kind of character niche L falls into--an unintentionally autistic coded character. i’ll talk more about that at the end.

i’m going to talk about manga L first, since he’s the original version after all. i’m going to go in order of physical traits, to behavioral, to his character writing. also, tumblr eats posts that have outside links, so i’m going to have my non-tumblr sources in a separate post, here.

anyways, more under the cut!

MANGA/ANIME:

sitting with his legs up and spine bent / sitting on the floor

this is such a big one and its extremely common in ppl with autism. sitting in chairs normally is uncomfortable to outright painful w many ppl with these disorders, myself included. L sitting like that (which, to recall, is a blatant homage to sherlock holmes, another character that is so blatantly autistic coded you can find absolutely ridiculous amounts of writing on the topic) and being like "I HAVE TO SIT LIKE THIS TO THINK PROPERLY" is so autistic. like sitting in a certain way to give you specific sensory stimulus/avoid distracting discomfort and pain is a thing. i found this post (1) written by an autistic person on the topic of sitting in chairs being uncomfortable, and it says as much:

“I suspect that seating discomfort is common in autism (though by no means limited to autistic people). Many of us, particularly as children, benefit greatly from chairs designed to be non-stationary: rocking chairs, “fidget” chairs, and so forth. These can improve focus, compensate for proprioceptive hypo-sensitivity, and alleviate restlessness. In short, many “attention issues” can be fixed simply by providing a little motion for the person sitting. Small change, huge results. That's what accommodations do at their best. They make (often minor) adjustments that have profound impacts.”

so when L says that sitting the way he does, for a specific sensory experience, improves his ability to think, it’s perfectly in line with this idea. Also it’s a good pressure stim.

standing with a slouch / shifting his weight around

to begin: yes! it’s very common for autistic people to stand or walk oddly for a number of different reasons, from physical comorbidity to other issues such as dyspraxia (see: movie L). From an article by YAI (2), an I/DD (intellectual and/or developmental disabilities) community program:

“Kyphosis (a curved spine), collapsed chest, dropped shoulders and even scoliosis are observed in many of our patients. These myriad of postural issues may result from reduced strength, decreased biomechanical stability, or from a sensory impairment, such as apraxia. 

Depending on the scene, L has mild to severe kyphosis which is very common in autistic individuals. Other things mentioned in that article if you want to click on it is instability in standing, where you sort of shift your weight around a lot between your  feet or rest all of your weight on one foot, which L is literally doing the first time we see all of him.

speaking with a monotone voice.

i obviously can’t show a picture for this one and it honestly depends on the voice actor you find for L, but in the anime in particular L has a very flat tone. a lot of this is bc he has a dry sense of humor but. just know that it’s very common for autistic people to have a flat affect (or go the other way into being too loud/emotive).

his eating habits. 

a lot (a LOT) of autistic ppl myself included can only eat certain kinds of food for texture and flavor reasons. HOWEVER there’s a term in the autism community called “samefoods” which is really well put by tumblr users candidlyautistic and autism-asks: 

“Samefoods or samefooding is a community word to describe the autistic trait of eating the same food over, and over and over . . . It is part sensory, part routine driven in most cases. A lot of times we samefood because we need that particular mouthfeel / texture / taste, and a lot of times even after that need passes, it turns into a need for routine until you actively dislike that food again.”

“Samefooding on the other hand is closer to a special interest. When I have a samefood (chocolate ice cream, currently), I really, really want that food. I could eat that food endlessly and not get tired of it. I will get upset if I’m not able to have the food in a day. For me, it usually is kind of routine based as well. For instance, with my current samefood, I have some in the evenings and it’s become part of how I wind down from my day.”

we don’t know exactly why L specifically desires sweet food or if he considers it part of his routine, but what we do know is that he really wants to eat sweet food and avoids eating anything other than sweet food, so it could either be that he’s a picky eater and can’t handle savory or he’s samefooding on sweets!

wearing the same clothes

L wears the same clothes every single day. It’s also worth noting that what he does wear is baggy, too-big clothing, the kind that wouldn’t be tight and uncomfortable. once again, sensory issues are a huge thing for autistic individuals. one of my favorite aspects is that in no adaptation does he wear socks. even L wears shoes, he wears them like slippers, not putting them on all the way. people comment that he seems like he’s poor, but we know for a fact that he’s very rich and that wearing these clothes is a personal choice he made.

not caring for himself/outsourcing his self-care

i don’t think one day is exactly canon, rather it’s an exaggeration of what might actually happen--i.e. L doesn’t have a huge closet full of the same outfit, but he does have several versions of the same outfit on rotation; L doesn’t use a human washing machine, but Watari might help him/encourage him to bathe regularly. One Day is a parody comic, but it was made by the creators for a reason and that reason is that L pretty obviously relies on a caretaker (Watari) for his personal needs. Watari, in the manga proper, cooks and cleans and does most things for L. we’ll come back to this topic when we get to the drama though.

doing stimming behaviors

if you don’t know what stimming is, it refers to self-stimulating behaviors, usually involving repetitive movements or sounds. everyone stims to some extent, but in autism it tends to be more obvious, go on for longer, and sometimes be more disruptive to others. it’s often used to help deal with sensory overload, or used to express feelings--think of an autistic person being happy and flapping their hands in the air.

there are a LOT of instances of L displaying stimming behavior, from stacking his food or things on his desk, to spinning in his chair, to biting his fingers/using them to press on his lips, to wriggling and tapping his toes. here are some specific instances:

there are a lot more. i’ll talk about more when we get to dramaverse, but if you rewatch/reread death note it’s definitely worth noting whenever L does something like this!

detective work as a special interest

ok, first and foremost i want to establish what a special interest is. Tumblr user cartoon has my favorite explanation of what a special interest is that i’ve seen to date: 

“To have a deep, intense, passionate and incredibly focused / narrowed interest in a certain area of study, subject, topic or thing - to the exclusion of other interests. This interest is something that exists for the long-term, most often lasting for multiple months, years, or even you’re entire life “

L says that he only does detective work because it’s a hobby, and he finds it entertaining. We’ve also seen that he’s been at it for quite some time--if you take side content (the wammy’s house comic, LABB) seriously, then he’s been at it since childhood, with unwavering interest. it definitely comes across to me as L having a special interest in detective work, rather than it just being a normal hobby or a job for him, especially since he says it isn’t out of any moral obligation.

germaphobia

Germaphobia is very common for individuals with autism. a lot of the time it’s actually sensory issues associated with “dirty” things, and a lot of the time it’s because features of OCD are heavily comorbid with autism, including contamination OCD and such fears. regardless of the reason, though, L’s aversion to touching Bad Things is a very autistic behavior, and so is his resulting quirk that he tends to hold things in a very odd manner!

muted emotional expression

this is getting more into L’s character, but L tends to feel and express emotions in a very muted way. not to say he doesn’t have them, but for instance in the example above, L doesn’t have a solid grasp on what exactly he’s feeling. he thinks he might be acting irrationally and overemotionally because he logically should be afraid, but he isn’t sure, and none of these emotions present themselves visibly. 

i’ve also seen it said that Ukita’s death is another good example of his muted response to emotion--he tells Aizawa to stay rational and his voice doesn’t waver as he tells him as much, but he holds himself tightly. for someone with poor emotional competence, these physical signs of distress can be hard to read in oneself, but Aizawa (a man who is extremely in-tune with his emotions) can tell immediately.

high logic, low empathy

L is also a character who, like many autistic people, lacks a certain degree of empathy. it’s not that he doesn’t have any, but it’s limited enough--and he values logic over it enough--that he’s willing to make extreme decisions and take a “ends justify the means” approach (such as using people as bait.) in the example above, L takes a moment to work through what it must actually feel like, which rings as very autistic.

bluntness/not caring about social convention

there are so many examples of this i honestly could list them all day, but L is a character who is very to-the-point and doesn’t care about mincing his words. he can be outright rude to the people around him, especially if he considers them not worth basic courtesy. see: Matsuda. 

DRAMAVERSE

if you all knew me you should have known this section is inevitable. i’m not going to talk about every single adaptation because i do not have the time and the only other adaptation that is meaningful in that regard is the movieverse (i am fairly certain that movie L is dyspraxic) but on account of the fact that i don’t care about them i won’t subject you all to them here.

anyway, drama L shows much the same traits as animanga L above (they are, after all, technically the same character) but he displays them in different ways. 

he has a much more advanced degree of germaphobia, with Watari saying he’s sensitive to outside air and spraying everyone who enters his space with disinfectant, but not making them wash their hands or anything like that, so we can kind of tell that his issues are more rooted, again, in a fear of germs rather than any actual medical issue. he wants to feel as though he is clean, not necessarily actually be clean. this is very common in contamination OCD, which has a high comorbidity with autism. (my girlfriend has a very good headcanon post about drama L and OCD that isn’t so much analysis than just plain fun, but it’s worth a read!)

he stims, but he has a different array of stims than animanga L--he chews on his jelly pouch bottles, 

he tosses it between his hands, 

he kicks his feet,

and he bounces in his chair.

he still sits in an unconventional manner. he still samefoods, this time even more exclusively--he only eats Lucky Charge jelly pouches and nutritional bars. Watari onscreen puts his shirts on for him, as well as cooking, cleaning, and mending his clothes for him.

however, there are a few traits that are drama-exclusive that i think really add to an analysis of his autism!

social scripting

social scripting and echolalic scripting are both commonly described as “scripting,” but are very different! echolalic scripting is like echolalia, but echolalic scripting is the recitation of longer passages of dialogue from things the individual has heard before. but social scripting is when you memorize common conversations so you can rattle it off without worrying too much! this can be very handy, such as exchanging basic pleasantries or ordering food, but it can also backfire if someone responds in a way your script’s not set up for. you can find more information on the difference in this video (3). 

now, this relates to L in that there are two separate scenes where L says the same thing, rather inappropriately:

L: When I consider Kira’s personality, could it be that the strong-willed daughter is Kira? Or could that sweet-looking son of yours surprise us by proving to be him? You never know what humans are hiding beneath the surface... Soichiro: Enough. L: Sorry. It was just a joke.

-- Episode 2

L: Light-kun. Oh, I’m sorry... If I called you “Yagami-san,” it would be the same as what I call your father.  Light: That’s okay. Call me whatever you want. L: Then what about Kira? (silence) L: It's a joke.

-- Episode 4

one could say that L just has a terrible sense of humor--and, of course, having a poor grasp of humor is common with autistic individuals--but the fact that he says nearly the same thing as a defense twice makes me feel as though he has it rehearsed as a defense when people react poorly to things he’s said, which happens often.

mirroring and echolalia

echolalia was briefly covered in the previous example, but for those unaware, via wikipedia (4):

Echolalia is the unsolicited repetition of vocalizations made by another person (when repeated by the same person, it is called palilalia). In its profound form it is automatic and effortless.

mirroring, on the other hand, is explained as such, also via wikipedia (5):

Mirroring is the behavior in which one person unconsciously imitates the gesture, speech pattern, or attitude of another. Mirroring often occurs in social situations, particularly in the company of close friends or family. The concept often affects other individuals' notions about the individual that is exhibiting mirroring behaviors, which can lead to the individual building rapport with others.

both of these are very common in autism, and they’re exemplified while L’s character is established watching his favorite TV show, Owarai Paradise. On one occasion, he’s watching the show and this dialogue happens:

Hiroshi: Despite never telling her how I felt, I still got dumped. I am Hiroshi.  Watari: Who was this one again? L: He is Hiroshi. Hiroshi: I am Hiroshi. I am Hiroshi.

-- Episode 2

it’s important to note that in Japanese, “He is Hiroshi” and “I am Hiroshi” are said, at least in this instance, exactly the same, so L is echoing precisely what he’s heard.

On another occasion, L is again watching the show with a glass of wine (seemingly acquired simply to imitate the characters onscreen, as he never drinks it) and when the characters onscreen toast their glasses, L does the same, mirroring them. 

CONCLUSION

I linked a post at the very beginning of this analysis talking about how characters are unintentionally autistic coded, and it’s important to understand how this unintentional coding is different from a headcanon--i didn’t make up these traits. they aren’t something that only exist in my head that i ascribe to L for fun. 

i made this analysis both because i wanted to share L’s autistic coding in one cohesive place, because plenty of people have made lists before, but none that i could find that included so many examples with images and explanations--and i also made it because of the old ryuzaki persona “theory.” 

for those unaware, the ryuzaki persona headcanon suggests that L faked all of these traits in order to make people uncomfortable, to put them off-guard and better mask his identity. i’ve seen posts about people claiming that nobody could actually behave in these ways, that L would surely be unhappy and uncomfortable sitting like that, or eating like that, or engaging in any of these behaviors. I’ve seen some people outright say that L isn’t autistic, but his persona is--that is, he’s pretending to be autistic.

i named this essay “occam’s razor” because, to me, L being autistic is the simplest answer to account for all of these traits. claiming that an autistic coded character is faking it is ableist and it just doesn’t make sense with anything else we know about his character.

but if you want to know more about that, i recommend reading eyecicles’ first!L tag. it’s debunked it in more ways than i ever could.

anyways, in conclusion

[antlerx-art]

TJLCers are more than mad over obsessed fans.

Have you ever heard about the Flat Earth Society? Yeah well if you did you have probably thought something like “Ugh don’t Flat Earth Society members (which we’re going to call FESM) realize that scientists have studied Earth for years and they literally have thousands of proofs about it not being flat?? It's just so obvious!"

Disclaimer: I don't want to start a discussion or hurt anyone. I'm just using this topic as the easiest example that came on my mind, please don't get offended by any of the things that I'll say.

Now, how do FESM think instead? I’m obviously no expert, but thanks to the news I heard and read about them I thought that If I didn’t study science in primary school and never heard about Earth being a geoid, I would have thought too that it was flat. “I mean, just look around, flat floor, flat shoes, flat sea, everything’s flat, how can you say that the world is actually an ellipsioid? If Earth isn’t flat then when we go around it we should get upside down at some point shouldn’t we? But we don’t, because Earth is flat, end of the discussion. What? You have more proofs than us? Scientific research? Astronauts taking photos and showing how earth is blatantly a geoid? Pffft seriously, just take it easy! Isn’t it more simple to say that the world is flat because that’s how we see it?”

See this, this is exactly how casual bbc Serlock fans think, don’t get me wrong, there’s a huge difference between going against science and going against a group of people analyzing a tv series, but the situations are extremely similar in other ways:

Now, who are Sherlock casual fans? Well, you’ve probably seen people saying that Sherlock is just a crime series, that it’s not about Johnlock and that Sherlock is a real sociopath, and actually if I didn’t get involved with TJLC or just didn’t have an open mind to accept a relationship between the two main characters, I probably would have said too that bbc Sherlock is a crime series. “I mean, just watch it! It’s Sherlock Holmes! The famous detective with the funny hat! He said many times that he’s not interested in a relationship neither with John or any other character, and he also said he’s a sociopath! He basically doesn’t have emotions haha! But look how clever he is... those deductions when he solves crimes... how mysterious, no one knows what he’s thinking... he could deduce anything about you just giving you a look, even when he’s on drugs! Yes he and Watson are friends, just friends, they care about each other but I couldn’t imagine them in a relationship together, come on, John Watson is also married to a woman, he can’t love men! What? You have noticed that some lines have a code? Subtext? Characters mirroring? You also have visual proofs and analyzed every single scene of every episode to find subtext and symbolism connecting the episodes and comparing the bbc series with ACD’s book? Pffft seriously, just take it easy! Wouldn’t it be more simple if you just enjoyed the show without making all those conspiracy theories and accepting that Sherlock and John have never been in love and never will?”

It’s very similar indeed. FESM and casuals just look around and come to the conclusion that what they see, as they see it, must be the only explanation of all the facts, but it’s not, not in this series, it is one possible explanation of some of the facts. They get a solution that they like, but they’re choosing to ignore anything they see that doesn’t comply with it.

As I said, you can’t totally compare science to tv series theories, knowing that Earth is a geoid is basic knowledge, opinions on tv series are hobbies. But some casual’s way of seeing this series is something like “when you watch tv you should turn off your brain”, and that may also be true you know? Sherlock is still a perfectly enjoyable show if you watch it without paying attention to every single detail, I do it too sometimes, but with other shows. Because to me Sherlock is different, Sherlock isn’t one of those teenagers tv series that you can watch on the couch just for fun, Sherlock’s writers want their fans to act like Sherlock about their own show, they want us to find their little hints like clever detectives. I would agree on the fact that this could be exaggerated for a tv show, but if the fans of the most famous detective ever don’t do it then who should? So please if you relate to any of the things I wrote about casuals fans stop saying that we’re just over obsessed with it, this is our way of having fun and we’ve all the right to do it. If you want to watch the show as a crime series you have all the right to do that too, but then stop attacking us, thank you.

[twstdaydreamer]

Twisted Wonderland OC

“Morse Moriya Morrison”

“I do believe that I do not need to defend myself to the likes of you.”

General Profile

Full Name: Morse Moriya Morrison

Japanese Name: モールス モリヤ = モリソン

Nicknames: perceptive stupid, henchman, she-devil, boss, mistress, Morse-chan, Morse-san, evil mastermind, Morrison-kun, Napoleon of Crime, Morry, Triple M, koebi-chan, trickster, etc.

Biographical Status

Specie: Fey

Gender: Female

Birthday: June 6

Star sign: Gemini

Age: 16

Height: 156 cm (5′1)

Hair color: Silver white

Eye color: Argentine silver

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Dominant Hand: Left

MBTI: INTJ-A

Homeland: ???

Relatives: Dire Crowley (adoptive uncle), Sherry and Siege Sheridan (distant cousins)

Personal Status

Likes: Sherry, eating junk food (much to Vil’s horror), books, coffee, planning crimes, analyzing, mathematics, procrastinating, ciphers.

Dislikes: Talking, dancing, parties, technology, dresses, all food aside from junks, anything that has something to do with physical activities, drawing, people calling her short, boredom,

Interest/Hobbies: Hoarding trinkets, reading, stargazing, mystery, murder, teasing Sherry Sheridan and her new found toys in NRC. 

Talents: Singing, playing guitar, martial arts, gifted analyst, planning a flawless murder, battle tactics and stratagem, persuasion, deceit, deciphering any codes and ciphers.

Strength: Observant, flexible, intuitive, perceptive, competent, exceptionally intelligent, flexible, inquisitive, dedicated, work well under pressure, adaptable, quick learner, abstract thinker.

Weakness/Flaws: very insensitive, short-tempered, deceitful, eccentric, dense when it comes to everyday life, too stubborn, can’t remember names well, a lot of hidden insecurities and worries, sore loser, rude, prideful and unruly at times, will do everything to achieve her goals even if it means using others.

Professional Status

Occupation: Student, criminal mastermind (former)

Bases of Operation: Night Raven College, House of Cards (former)

Dorm: Ramshackle

School Year: First year, student no. 20

Class: 1-A

Best Subject: Mathematics, Magic Analysis

Worst Subject: Flying

Club: Light Music

Unique Magic: The Valley of Fear - Morse can materialize her victim’s fears and use it against them. If she decided to use her unique magic in advance level, she can physically replicate the persons from the victim's past that cause them traumatic experiences. Morse noted that this is not a type of illusion-based magic.

General Status

Favorite Color: Black (because of Sherry)

Favorite Food: Junk foods (chips, gummy bears, etc.)

Least Favorite Food: Vegetables (especially carrots)

Appearance: Morse has bright cat-like argentine eye that constantly glimmers with curiosity when something piqued her interest. She has wavy butt-length silver white hair with several strands framing her face. As a fey, Morse has a pair of pointed ears and canines. She is petite and quite short in height. She prefers wearing light-colored and loose clothes.

Personality: Morse was an extremely intelligent individual. She’s calculative, perceptive and observant of everyone and is very particular of her surroundings. According to Azul himself, her cunning intelligence that could outwit him is what makes her so dangerous. Morse is highly accomplished in the fields of strategies and mathematical formulas. Although it was said that her tactics could always lead to multiple victories, upon miscalculating something, she doesn’t take it very well (a sore loser). Due to her nature that couldn’t properly understand emotions, Morse can come up as insensitive, rude and very, very blunt. She has no hesitation in using others as her stepping stone to achieve her goals and her unconventional, underhanded methods in solving her problems often lead to others hating her greatly--although she no longer cares.

Quote: “Age is just a mere status, not a limitation that shackles you to do things you want to. No matter how young or old you are, you can make a difference. Like the small pieces in chess, you can also change the flow of the game.”

History: coming soon~

Fun Facts

Morse hates talking to anyone, so she just let her ipad do the talking for her. But her words was always written after her namesake, the Morse Code. Ace, Deuce and Grim always forced her to speak to them without codes.

She have a white bunny stuffed toy named Moran which she carries everywhere. She said it was a birthday gift from Crowley.

Morse lacks the sense of taste, thus she developed the complete hatred of food. She is fond of junk foods though, claiming that she loves how it crunches between her teeth even though she cannot taste it at all.

Morse keeps a diary, journalizing all of her adventures and pranks.

She has astraphobia: the extreme fear of thunder and lightning. She's also not fond of storms and rain. She gets jittery and panics a lot. 

According to Crowley, “her right eye can see through everything but reflects nothing. On the other hand, her left eye is just an empty hole.” She blatantly refused to tell anyone why and how she lost it.

Everyone would often see her wearing a pair of earphones when walking, listening to music.

Her taste in music was always soft rock and acoustic, much to everyone’s surprise.

My first Twst OC! I hope you like Morse as much as I had fun writing her! You guys can asked me question about her (or interactions). Also, I twisted Morse from Sherlock Holmes's nemesis Professor James Moriarty (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

He's evil...and so does she (▰˘◡˘▰)

I'll make Sherry and Siege's profile soon! They were twisted from both Sherlock and Mycroft, the Holmes brothers, but in my case, they were sisters lol.

[nonchalantdanger]

Holmes and Moriarty Face-Off

As promised, I said I would put some thoughts down about The Final Problem, the episode in the Granada Sherlock Holmes where the events of Reichenbach Falls takes place. 

I’m terrible at screenshots, so sadly no images will accompany this analysis. Y’all just get to rewatch the episode a dozen times like I have. :)

Side note -- Watson disinfecting Holmes’ split knuckles before the flashback to Moriarty bursting in is ADORABLE. Watson, scowling about his friend being in danger, but impressed with Holmes as always, and then Holmes flinching away and Watson continuing to be VERY CONCERNED *insert trademark symbol here*.

To begin:

Pounding feet up the steps. Ms. Hudson shouting. Holmes understands he's pursuing his most dangerous, organized, and intelligent criminal mastermind to date, so obviously he reaches for a tool of self-defense. 

Moriarty bursts in. The looks they exchange. 

Moriarty: This is the man who has foiled more of my plots than any other? There’s anger, maybe a tinge of reevaluation upon seeing Holmes’ lean stature and humble housecoat, but a steely regard. 

Holmes: Who...? Ah...the notorious Moriarty. Here, in my parlor..things are coming to a head... He knows within a beat who has just barged in.

Before Moriarty speaks, they evaluate each other in turn. Both, in unique instances in their histories, are trepidatious. Neither can afford to underestimate the other, so these moments of observation are weighty with the intensity of their scrutinization. 

Moriarty pointing out the firearm in the room is a demonstration that he is just as keen as Holmes. Holmes demonstrates he is not afraid, and even in the face of potential immediate peril, he is a gentleman. 

They are peak-of-the-food-chain men of wit and cleverness and intellect. Moriarty tests the waters with his “You evidently don’t know me.”

Holmes essentially replies with “oh please, get to your point.” He gets testy when Moriarty plucks a violin string (LOVE Brett’s subtle tone shift there) and grants him a five-minute audience. Holmes wants to piss Moriarty off. People are clumsy when they let emotion get the better of them. 

THEN...then...you get the quintessential exchange:

“All that I have to say has already crossed your mind.”

“And possibly my answer has already crossed yours...”

They both know what is at stake. You can see that in voicing it Holmes knows he is playing a life or death game. Moriarty isn't surprised. Why should he be? No one else has had the wit or perception to counter his schemes, let alone pursue him with the sheer tenacity that Holmes has. 

Holmes knows the danger he is in. He startles when Moriarty reaches for his notebook. Moriarty acknowledges (a compliment) that Holmes foiled him. Holmes returns the regard by acknowledging that the RH League concept was devious. Such genteel adversaries they are. 

The next few lines are where Moriarty makes it clear that he has been following Holmes just as much as Holmes has been pursuing him. This clearly unnerves Sherlock, used to the anonymity of being a lone consulting detective, despite Dr. Watson’s popular recounting of their cases. The threat falls: “The situation is becoming an impossible one.” Translation: Continue to get in my way, and I will end you.

Holmes, rallying cocksure, wants Moriarty to come out and say it. Admit to Holmes being a threat to his organization. No more allusion. 

Holmes is unsurprised at Moriarty’s persistence. He is equally stubborn and immovable on this point. 

Moriarty makes himself clearer, patience clearly tested: Withdraw, or you will die. The only reason Holmes is still alive is because of Moriarty’s regard and curiosity towards Holmes as his equal and dangerous rival. 

Brett’s eyes, in the brief moment when the camera cuts to him and he chuckles at the mention of ‘an extreme measure’ make this scene. Holmes is manic. Exultant. reveling in the very serious threat Moriarty has just laid at his feet. He knows that the only reason Moriarty is in the Baker Street parlor is because  Holmes has been such an effective disruptor of his criminal enterprises. That bright, fierce gaze stays even when Holmes’ tone turns languid in his dismissal of Moriarty -- who has just made it clear what will happen to Holmes should he continue -- and Holmes doesn’t care. Excuse me, he does care, but he already knew dismantling Moriarty might be the death of him, and he’s never felt more alive. 

Moriarty is pissed, clearly. He obfuscates away from it well. But in his final threat, we see how Holmes is a definite and immediate threat to him. Holmes can see it too. 

It’s more coded in this version and in the original text, but all of the confrontations between Holmes and Moriarty have some threat to wider destruction around Holmes should he destroy Moriarty and his gang. In Brett’s shuddering exhale and the way he wraps himself tightly in his housecoat he is angered by the threat against Watson, Mrs. Hudson, and others not so close to Holmes but close enough by association to fall under Moriarty’s vengeful violence. 

Holmes makes it clear -- I believe with a bit of bluster in that moment, because he is shaken at the thought of bringing danger to Watson in the entire rest of the episode -- that he is unmoved, and he welcomes mutual destruction so long as it is mutual. 

Shivers, my good folk, shivers. 

Feel free to message/reblog/comment/whatever the heck. Always happy to talk ‘bout this stuff.

[vintagevalentinex]

Decode, IV

This series just has me so inspired.  Here is the next chapter.

As always feeback is so greatly appreciated!!

xoxo

Decode, IV by vintagevalentinexx Mycroft Holmes x Reader ~1400 words

Couldn’t anything just go smoothly for once?  Just like…once.  Please.

You lied on the bed for about fifteen more minutes before you decided that it was time to sort out the mess of the past twenty-four hours.  You padded around the posh hotel suite, the opulence of the bathroom, taking your breath away and absolutely infuriating you at the same time.  You found all of your toiletries already on the counters.  You started to slams items around, grumbling to yourself.

“Who the hell does that uppity prick think he is?!  Calling my place of work and putting me on a leave of absence…just what kind of pull did this guy have?  Him and his brother seemed like a pair of weirdos…ugh!”

Finally cleaned up and freshly dressed you wandered back to your cell phone, rolling your eyes when you saw that you had more incoming text messages.

[3 New Text Messages.]

[7:09 am] I fear that you are not taking things as well as I had anticipated.  Allow me to make amends. –M

[7:15 am] I suppose that you are quite vexed with the entire situation.  London needs your help, Professor, and we just couldn’t take no for an answer.  –M

[7:26 am] I implore you, (Y/N).  Please respond.  –M  

Your thumb hovered over the delete thread option for a couple of seconds before you decided to just call the Detective Inspector back to listen to the details of the case.  You grabbed your notepad and headed out the door, unbeknownst to you the cameras that panned in your direction as you moved towards the elevator.

Here you were again, back at the Scotland Yard, being ushered back to the Detective Inspector’s office.

“Ah, Professor!  I’m so glad that you were able to make accommodations to stay.  We could really use your help on this one.  Sherlock is being nothing but a little prat because you were able to solve what he couldn’t.  And so quickly!”

You smirked a little. Serves him right.  Curly-haired bastard.

“Quite frankly it was really amusing to see him get a taste of his own medicine.”

You furrowed your eyebrows.  “He’s not…he’s not here right now, is he?”

“No, no.  I’m afraid Sherlock is an acquired taste, Ms.—“

“(Y/N) is fine, Inspector.”

“Yes, well…here are the other two slips of paper.  We haven’t received anything new, thankfully.”

You held the pieces of parchment in your hands, the weight of the paper equal to the original one. You remember back to what the first one was.  The best is yet to come.  Looking at the next coded message, you pursed your lips together as the solution came to you.

She’s pretty is she not?

You continued to stare at the new message, wondering what this person was going on about.  How very strange.  Shrugging you look at the second slip of parchment, needing mere seconds to figure it out.

She will be mine.

Well that one definitely was creepy.  You quickly informed Lestrade what the solutions to the codes were.  He looked up at you, his face just as perplexed as yours.

“Well that’s down right weird, isn’t it?”

You nodded, gingerly hanging him back the slips of paper.  “Your guess is as good as mine, Inspector.  Were those codes the only thing this nutjob has been sending in?”

He shook his head. “Unfortunately, no.  We have been receiving photographs of an extremely graphic nature.  I didn’t want to alarm you.”

“Do they have anything to do with the messages?”

“At this point, I have no idea.  Unfortunately I’m going to have to contact Sherlock.  You’re sticking around for a while, yeah?  I’ll call your cell if anything new happens.  I figure you want to get out of here before he arrives…”

“Yes, thank you.  I appreciate that.  Please be in touch.”

You stepped out onto the pavement, checking your phone.  Thankfully there were no new messages, but your let yourself look over the texts that Mycroft sent you.  Who was he?  His brother was easy enough to figure out.  They were both geniuses, obviously.  The younger Holmes was rash and clearly rude.  You weren’t sure if he was being malicious or if social cues were something he just didn’t comprehend.  Perhaps it was a bit of both.  You sighed as you decided it was nice enough for a bit of a walk, taking in the normal goings-on of London as you took the long way back to your new hotel.  

Your thoughts kept circling back to the texts.  The elder Holmes was a completely different story than his brother.  From the limited interaction you had with him, he was much more reserved; a seemingly more calculated man.  He had an air of intimidation about him that would most likely make some people falter.  Not you though.  You had dealt with those kind of men for most of your professional career and you would be damned if you let one knock you off kilter.

As you turned the corner you nearly crashed into a woman on her cell phone—wait…are you kidding me?!  I swear she is going to get hit by a car if she doesn’t look up from that damn phone.

“Hello, Professor.”

“Could you at least call me, (Y/N)?  I know you already know that’s my name…”

“…yeah.  Mr. Holmes would like to request your presence tonight for dinner.  The dress code is—“

“Hold up there, Anthea.  I’m not meeting your boss anywhere.  He can kiss my ass for all I care.  He had no right to alter my plans without my consent.  I won’t even get into how he is violating—“

“Please don’t cause a scene.”

You were about to burn up.

“I’ll tell you what, Candy Crush.  If Mr. Holmes would like to talk to me, he can do so himself, because I will no longer be talking to his mouthpiece.”

You walked away from her, nearly bumping shoulders with her as you passed.

Was there anyone in this damn country that didn’t have an attitude?!

You had calmed down as you reached the ritzy hotel.  You took the quiet elevator ride up to your floor, hoping to finally have that glass of wine you’d been dying to drink.  As you neared your door, you huffed out in exasperation, throwing your hands in the air.

“What could you possibly want from me?”

Mycroft stood at your door, his face stoic as ever, appraising you yet again.

“You never responded to the messages I sent you.  Anthea tells me that you were…argumentative.”

You took a step closer to him.  That was it.  You were nearly breathing fire at this point.

“Are you serious?! Do you even hear yourself right now?! If memory serves, it’s your fault that I’m this argumentative.  It’s your fault that I’m stuck here.  It’s your fault that for some reason I’m on a leave of absence at my place of work.  It’s—“

“You intrigue me.”

“Excuse me?”

“The way you are able to solve complex ciphers so quickly, without a second thought, faster than both my brother and me.  You trudge along all day through a sea of bumbling know-it-alls who think you are insignificant.  They don’t see how absolutely clever you really are…”

He completely disarmed your anger in thirty seconds flat.  How did he even do that?  You took a deep breath, defeated.

“Why are you here, Mycroft?”

His lips upturned only a fraction, his eyes softening.

“Anthea was trying to ask you a question for me today.  In hindsight I see how that could have been misconstrued as insincere. Seeing as it is much later than I anticipated it would be, would you care to join me at the café down the block? It is the very least I can do for all of the trouble you’ve put up with in the past twenty-four hours.”

It was your turn to look at him, assessing the situation.  Well, he seemed to be genuinely apologetic about what is going on.  And there seems to be a real need for you to be here, despite the way that it was done without anyone asking you.  He is definitely more restrained that his seemingly insane brother.

“I suppose that wouldn’t be awful, Mycroft.”

He nodded, a glimmer of a smirk on his lips as he led you back out into the evening.

Next Part!

[autistic-love-source]

Lan Wangji anon, back again! Note: I only speak for The Untamed (I know the relationship and character are different in the book). Lan Wangji is the MC's love interest. He doesn't emote very much, but is shown to have strong emotions very early on, and in many ways becomes the emotional heart of the story later. He can be extremely petty, but not because of his autistic coding. He is considered very desirable and cool in-universe (everyone wants him or wants to be him). (1/2)

LWJ anon 2/2: The main character does misunderstand him as the "emotionless asshole" trope for a little bit /right/ at the beginning of their relationship, and at the start, does push against his boundaries a fair bit, but they quickly grow to understand and respect each other, and by the end it becomes an extremely affectionate, loving, healthy relationship. Near the end, the MC tells someone else off for assuming LWJ is an emotionless asshole bc (para) "He never emotes, that's just his face!"

LWJ anon bonus part 3 bc I can't help talking about these two: Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Lan Wangji and the (allistic, IMO very ADHD-coded) MC Wei Wuxian are /both/ mean to each other in the beginning and mature into a respectful loving relationship without either of them losing their neurodivergent coding. Think Mr. Darcy! They clash in the beginning because they don't understand how the other socializes, and then they get each other and become stronger together.

That sounds fine! misunderstandings happen lol and stories do need conflict, I just need to be careful and do my research with things I haven’t seen before posting them here. But I think it should be fine from what I’ve seen looking into it and from what you’ve told me! The audience reaction to it seems positive and it seems many in the fandom agree with the theory as well, which is good. I am adding some gifsets of them to the queue and i will reblog the evidence one you sent in a minute. It sounds like a great ship, and I think it definitely belongs on this blog! The mr. darcy comparison is a great one, being misunderstood as standoffish or rude is a peak autistic experience lol. The issue with the trope is when it’s supposed to be true and deliberate asshole behavior (see: bbc sherlock holmes). Thanks so much!