Toast’s Rambles

[toastsrambles]

Hello!

you can call me toast (they/them) and here is my silly little blog where i ramble about my hyperfixations. i’m currently on yuumori, acd sherlock holmes, magnus archives, and a couple others.

i don’t really have any other links, but i will give y’all the link to my yuumori fics on ao3, in case you wanted to see them.

thanks for checking me out friends!

[toastsrambles]

moriarty the patriot part two c plot wherein john enters a writer feud with erik weisz, author of the beloved harry houdini stories, in which harry houdini, illusionist turned private eye, investigates supposedly supernatural incidents and proves that they are, in fact, ordinary crimes. their feud gets so bad that they each write each other into their stories (derogatory), which only serves to unite their fanbases. soon, people are clamoring for holmes and houdini to solve a case together.

this escalates to the point of weisz throwing a false séance, luring watson there, and trying to kill him. a leather bound copy of the adventures of sherlock holmes falls on his head and kills him. watson pens ‘sherlock holmes and the case of the authors death’ where the great sherlock holmes determines that this case is supernatural, and even mr harry houdini himself wouldn’t be able to say otherwise.

all of this is never plot relevant, of course. this is the only time john shows up in the whole story.

[toastsrambles]

What are your top 10 favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series/games/etc) and your top 5 favorite ships (can be canon or non canon) from any media ? Why do you love them? Thanks 🌻

Oh, a non-Moriarty the Patriot ask! Unexpected but welcome!

Top 10 of all time... ah, this'll be hard.

10. Pride and Prejudice (1995). This is such a good series! I've been rewatching it for years, but I find something new to enjoy every time. The casting is particularly spectacular, and the dialogue feels very true to the book without feeling stilted.

9. Six of Crows! Honestly, YA fantasy is not really my thing, but I loved this duology. Representation for characters of colour, religious characters, queer characters, disabled characters, traumatised characters... and an engaging story line to boot. This isn't high on the list because my hyper fixation has passed, but it's still dear to me.

8. The Magnus Archives. The first real fiction podcast I listened to and one that's always stuck with me. The way everything came together at the end, from the the first couple of episodes, just blew me away.

7. The Penumbra Podcast. Or really, just the Juno Steel arc, it's the only one I've listened to. But this podcast is just so well done- a sci-fi detective noir with some of the best portrayals of trauma and queerness I've seen in modern media.

6. Dead Poets Society. I just love love love this movie. It is truly my comfort movie- yes, including the ending.

5. A3! Act! Addict! Actors! I will forever mourn A3 English... but I have and will continue to lose my mind over this theatre troupe. And Mankai Stage... Half of my Spotify Wrapped, right there.

4. The Bifrost Incident, the album by The Mechanisms. Honestly, everything by The Mechs is such a banger - the other half of my Spotify Wrapped - but TBI is just so good! A perfect, sci-fi retelling of Norse mythology, with a million little Easter eggs.

3. NBC Hannibal. I won't elaborate on this, just. Yeah.

2. Sherlock Holmes, in general. The short stories have such a special place in my heart, as does the Granada TV series. But honestly, I have something to confess. My first real introduction to Sherlock Holmes was... BBC Sherlock. Yes, I know. Looking back, I can admit it's not the best adaptation. But it'll always be something special to me. And yes, this category includes Moriarty the Patriot.

And number one... The Picture of Dorian Gray! Pretty much my favourite book, ever. The writing, the plot, the toxic yaoi. It just has it all, I love it so much. I cannot wait until the day we get a good, true to the book adaptation.

Top 5 ships (Answering this without Moriarty the Patriot btw; I already talked about MtP ships in the other Ask):

5. MafuEna. I have no words. Simply them <3

4. Jupeter (Juno Steel/Peter Nureyev). Listen to Penumbra Podcast. Five seasons of queer sci-fi heartbreak. Obsessed.

3. Ineffable Husbands. I have read the book and watched the series, hmm… a dozen times? They ruin me.

2. Hannigram. One of the most compelling relationships of all time. Murder husbands real.

And number one... ACD Sherlock/Watson. All those plaques they have, like the one at the Criterion Bar, make me so emotional. And like... they're deathless, they're eternal, they are Holmes and Watson, they are soulmates. I love them so, so much.

Sorry this took me so damn long. But thank you so so so much for sending it in and bearing with me! ^^

[toastsrambles]

chapter 77 review! (so spoilers)

ok immediately props to the translation team!!! love y’all and tysm \(^^)/

upon seeing the ‘translucent crystal and white powder’ i immediately said ‘is that crystal meth?’ upon further research, the components of meth were first synthesized in japan by nagai nagayoshi in 1885, however was first turned into methamphetamines around 1919/1920. additionally, mycroft mentions that this mystery substance is ‘categorized as a treatment for neurosis’, and methamphetamines are used in the treatment of mental illnesses, so that tracks, too. moniepeny also name dropped a scientist called nagai, so that is also accurate. the time frame is off by a few years, and germany’s intervention is kinda sketch, but i suppose they could just be shoe horning drugs into the lead-up to wwi. mtp is not a good replacement for actual history, as we have seen.

sherlock is conspicuously absent. i predict we’ll start with him in chapter 78, but his absence was particularly felt, especially because he wasn’t even mentioned. but that first page what???? i don’t know if it has any plot significance… it almost seems like a ‘what if sherlock was a criminal?’ or even a ‘what if sherlock was the lord of crime?’ bit, but i could be wrong.

william and the paint gun is a reminder from the writer that no matter how good a leader louis is and how smart he is, william is smarter. however, raw intelligence does not equal situational competence. i predict (or maybe hope) we see a situation in which louis is the only moriarty brother capable of fixing it. i think it’d be a good way of showing how louis is capable of standing on his own.

that being said, he is absolutely the only one with common sense in that family. ‘i checked his pocket for his train tickets to find where he worked’. william ‘shakespeare is an acceptable script for crimes’ moriarty could never. but on a serious note, i think that is primarily what separates louis from william and albert. he is far more practical and less idealistic, which i think are his main strengths in relation to his brothers.

the difference in eye color between william’s damaged eye and his undamaged one implies some degree of vision loss. we could probably have predicted this given the eye patch - and it might’ve been confirmed, but i can’t remember - but it’s nice to see actual confirmation.

’i barely recognize him. i’m proud of my younger brother’ AHHHHHHH. but my damaged heart aside, i really hope we see william and louis reconnecting. the two of them sort of lost sight of each other, as shown by that moment in hunting of the baskervilles. i’d say william doesn't really know louis as a person due to both his absence and his obsession with protecting louis that unintentionally damaged their relationship. (on a side note, does louis actually have hobbies? he cooks but that seems like a necessity because his brothers can’t. he had fish that one time i guess??? at least william had math…)

louis and bonde’s interactions were put there purely for me. in case you were wondering.

they’re definitely teasing world war one here, and this drug issue seems to be setting the scene for it. there was also the remark the man made at the beginning about the struggling economy, which also works to establish growing tensions. this is a strong introduction to this new part of the series: while the first part was about tearing down society so that it could be reborn into something better, this second part is about protecting the peace they’ve managed to build. louis will, i think, be having a strong personal arc this time around, where he didn’t really have that in the first part. i can’t wait to see how the story develops from here!

btw: should i keep doing chapter by chapter reviews? i think it’d be fun ^^

[toastsrambles]

Hi, can I ask from both ask game :

https://www.tumblr.com/threecheersforinking/677824836625694720/anime-ask-game?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/rafael-silva/90297624190/send-me-a-fandom?source=share

For anime/manga : Moriarty the Patriot

Ooh, ask games! I've never participated in these, so this'll be fun!

First one:

Favorite Character: Like I already said, Louis. Really, just look at my other answer for the explanation, but I will add that I love him and his little fish.

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: So, confession time: I didn't finish the anime. I read all of the manga, but fell off the anime relatively soon. I'll pick it up soon again, but... yeah. For this, my favourite arc has gotta be Noahtic. It's part of the Rise of the Lord of Crime arc, technically, but I just love everything about it! It's a good insight into William's actions and motivations, and I love Sherlock's introduction.

Character I Think is Underrated: Ugh, I really don't know. I think Moriarty the Patriot is the first fandom I've seen where no main character is really shoved to the side, per se. But I'd have to say James Bonde. I haven't seen a lot of deep metas or fics centered around him (but shoot those my way if you have one you like).

Character I Think is Overrated: Again, this is really hard. There isn't a character I would say is overrated.

Favorite Ship/Pairing: I'll give my rare pair for the other ask game, so I'll give a canon-ish one here: Sherliam. It's a classic, and maybe a bit overrated in the sense that the manga is bigger than Sherliam, but I just love it. The mind games, the banter, the doomed soulmate-ism... every so often I'll remember a canon thing they did and just go feral. For example, the wedding vow scene. I was not immune to going insane over that.

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: The relationships between all the characters. Pretty much every major character in the series has a relationship with each other, at least when it comes to Team Moriarty and Sherlock. I really like that, it makes all the characters feel much more real.

Now, the second one!

The first character I first fell in love with: Probably William. His little endearing expressions and psychotic mannerisms captivated me.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Moran. I was interested in what Moran would be like, given his hit-or-miss portrayals in other adaptations - his non-appearance in Sherlock vs his starring role in A Study in Emerald - but honestly? The first couple chapters, I kinda just didn't connect with him. But then I read Golden Army and... oh yeah. He isn't quite my favourite, by any means, but he is quite intriguing to me.

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: I don’t think I have one? I mean, I love pretty much all characters equally, and I haven’t seen an overwhelming amount of support for a character I’m not into. I suppose Milverton could count; I see a lot of fics and theories, and while he’s a good villain, I don’t love him. Still, I do like him, so I’m not sure I have a character that fits this.

The character I love that everyone else hates: Again, I don’t think there is one. Maybe it’s just that I’m not overly involved in the fandom, but I haven’t seen hate for any characters. I do love John, and he doesn’t seem to get much focused stuff, but again, that’s not hate. So yeah, I guess there isn’t one.

The character I used to love but don’t any longer: I’ve stayed pretty consistent, I think! But maybe Fred. I still like him, but he’s no longer a favourite.

The character I would totally smooch: My asexuality is showing! But, uh, probably Moniepeny. She deserved to be in the anime and the musical! She deserved a solo song at the very least!

The character I’d want to be like: James Bonde. The vibe, the energy, the gender euphoria. He truly has it all.

The character I’d slap: Milverton. Hands down. He's a good villain, but yeah. I'd smack those glasses off his face.

A pairing that I love: Loubonde 🥺. I don’t know when exactly the rarepair demons found me but they did. I have a ton of oneshots and stories in my drafts (including but not limited to a Picture of Dorian Gray inspired mystery, a Dead Boy Detectives AU, and a modern university AU). I know it’s a rarepair - believe me, I know - but they’re still my favourite. If anyone sees this and is inspired to write fics or something, please please send them my way! ;-;

A pairing that I despise: I don’t know if there is one. I’m very much of the ‘ship what you like’ mindset. So even if there are ships I don’t like to read content about, I just… don’t. So yeah, no answer here, too.

Sorry I’m late with this!

[toastsrambles]

Hi,.....if you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from Moriarty the Patriot? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

Ah, it’s never a bother to answer asks! If anything, feel free to send me more.

Top five characters…

First is probably Louis! I think his relationships with William and Albert are very compelling, and the disconnect between what people expect from him and what he does is also interesting. For example, in Baskerville William insists that he doesn’t Louis to have to become a killer… and then Louis murders a guy in cold blood. I also have to say that his relationship with Sherlock is pretty funny. I can't wait to see where his arc goes in art two! I would really appreciate a chapter dedicated to his headspace during part one, like we got with Albert.

Second is James Bonde! And yes, I will always spell his name that way… the fact that they tried to get past copyright by just adding an ‘e’ to the end of Bond is hilarious and I will always honour that. I also just love the fact that they didn’t make Irene Sherlock - or for that matter, William’s - love interest. Bonde is also just so fun, a really great mix funny and intelligent! And, the canon trans representation was unexpected but really delightful.

Third would probably be Albert! Honestly, I wasn’t too interested in him until the very end, particularly that chapter of him in the tower. But rereading the story now, with all his trauma and backstory in mind, he is just so fascinating! I also think is relationship with his original sibling is interesting, even though we get to see so little of it.

Fourth is William himself! I swore to my friend that I would never feel sympathetic for someone who opened the series with a triple murder but… ah, he’s worked his way into my heart. His mindset throughout the series is so intriguing, and I particularly enjoyed reading through his breakdown during the Final Problem. We got a real insight into his head, and it was fascinating to see. And the way they balance the ACD Moriarty with their Moriarty is also so cool!

Fifth is Sherlock. I am a massive Sherlock Holmes fan - why I started reading in the first place - and their approach to Sherlock is delightful. Every other adaptation insists on making Sherlock very serious, and Moriarty the Patriot just has fun with him! He’s silly and energetic, and I love his relationships with just about everybody- Mrs Hudson, John, and - of course - William.

And then, top five moments…

My first, most favorite, has to be the bridge scene. Ugh, the tension, William and Sherlock, the art… it’s so memorable, and just such a good conclusion to that part of the story. I really don’t have words for how much I like this scene.

Secondly is, oddly enough, Sherliam after the Noahtic. When Sherlock deduces everything about the crime in front of William, who is visibly becoming more and more interested and/or worried? Classic. And of course, the iconic line- “When you’ve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, how improbable, must be the truth”? Perfect.

Third is the time in A Study in S where Fred, dressed as an old lady, evades Sherlock. Just, imagine being a random passerby in London seeing a grandma parkour his way away from a detective- who is also an accused murderer. And the grandma wins. Iconic. A scene I frequently giggle about at random times throughout the day. Much sillier than the rest of the moments on this list, but still. Fourth, Louis and Fred going to Sherlock for help during The Final Problem. It’s such an emotionally charged moment- Fred being nervous about betraying William, only for Louis to agree with him and then them both going to ask Sherlock for help. The relationships in this scene are so complicated, and I particularly love Louis and Sherlock’s relationship. Also, Louis’ visceral reaction to Sherlock and William being friends is priceless.

Fifth but not least, the train scene. Ah, the iconic train scene. I love this initial depiction of William and Sherlock’s relationship, and how this theme of William being the enigma and Sherlock trying to crack him that will continue to be explored throughout the series is introduced. Also, there’s a certain hilarity to this scene. William, stop telling the detective you could be the criminal he could be looking for. What do you mean ‘catch me if you can’, he’s accusing you of murder. Your little brother is right there, stop flirting with this man. And Sherlock’s everything through this scene. A wonderful lack of interpersonal skills all around.

Notable runner ups include every scene Moniepeny is in, John and Sherlock's first meeting, William being reunited with everyone, and Louis and Fred mocking Moran in that one omake.

Seriously, I love answering asks! And any chance I get to talk about Moriarty the Patriot.

[toastsrambles]

things i’d like to see in yuumori part 2:

fred backstory

moniepeny backstory

von herder backstory

all the backstories

mi6 time skip missions

more acd short story easter eggs

more james bond easter eggs

MARY MORSTAN WATSON MY BELOVED

more moriarty sibling childhood stories

moriarty sibling moments in general

a big overarching villain/plot

some sherliam married couple moments

mycroft backstory…? (or at least some solo stories about him)

my rarepairs (please please please please please pl-) (i’m delusional)

america stories

although we all know i’m just glad it’s coming back. i swear i’ll have more to say then 😭

[toastsrambles]

it’d be so funny if mi6 just had a completely different three years than liam and sherlock and albert all did.

like… liam goes, “oh! but louis, tell me what you all did when we were gone! it must have been hard… but i’m sure it went well, yeah? :)” expecting to hear some stories about atoning or protecting the stability of the british empire or whatever.

and louis is just white knuckling his wine glass because fred tamed a bear and it lives in the basement, moniepeny accidentally became the idol of a cult, bonde crashed his car thing into parliament and he still hasn’t finished the paperwork about that, von herder regularly shoots cannonballs through his bedroom floor, and he hasn’t slept for a solid week.

and he just meets liam’s eye and says “……..fine.”

because honestly? the rest of mi6 had to bodily hold him back from assaulting a visiting diplomat in the street last week, so fuck it, if they keep his secret, he’ll keep theirs.

[toastsrambles]

it’s all about how the moriarty brothers love each other so much but none of them believe they deserve that love.

albert sees himself as poison, corrupted from birth. he recruits william and louis and he ruins them too, dragging them down to his level. he sees himself as fundamentally lesser than the two of them, and how he thinks he’s tricking them into loving a lie, a version of himself he can never be.

and how william knows he is his brothers’ idol, and he did that to himself, but it also means that no one can understand him. he has to do it to fix the world, to make it better for his brothers, but it makes him so, so lonely. and how he also knows he is a devil, and he can’t let himself bring his brothers down with him.

and louis knows that his brothers want him to be a part of their better world but doesn’t realize until too late that he’s going to live there alone. he wants to be there for them but they won’t let him in, and he’s helpless to do anything as his brothers burn themselves out for him. he never asked for it and he never wanted it and he can’t bring himself to tell them that.

it’s how louis just came along with william, albert didn’t really want him and louis knows it. how albert wanted a new world first and a sibling second. how william longs for connection but refuses to let himself have it.

how they love each other but they don’t think they deserve each other. how they all see themselves as the odd one out, the one that the others would be better without.

doomed romance? pfft. doomed siblings. that’s where it’s at

[toastsrambles]

i think the reason why only fred and louis went to sherlock before the final problem is just that they loved william as a human while everyone else saw him and loved him as more than human.

william was something Other to albert, and to moran, and to bonde.

he gave albert hope, and the motivation to achieve the world he always believed should exist. he freed albert from his past life and, although albert corrupted him, gave him the chance to fix the broken world that had scarred him so much.

he gave moran purpose, and a cause to fight for. after everything fell apart while he was at war, after the greatest tragedy of his life, william showed up, pure and with a fresh cause to fight for. young and brilliant, william became moran's north star.

he gave bonde freedom, a chance to do more. not only did william help him find a way to be who he really was, he also offered the opportunity to fix a world which bonde had seen hurt so many people he cared about.

to those three, william gave so much. he, purposefully or not, indebted them to him. made himself more than human.

but to fred and louis, he was just william. they could see past william's ideals and sparkling new world to see the person underneath.

since we don't know fred's backstory, it's hard to dissect why, exactly, fred sees him like this. but the hunting of the baskervilles provides some insight into this.

fred doesn't have unshakeable devotion to william; he doubts, he wavers. but he still makes the decision to trust him, and to work with him. it isn't devotion, and it isn't debt; it's just fred deciding that he'll help support william and his mission, because he believes in him.

and louis? louis had always looked up to his brother, but that's who william always was. his brother. nothing more and nothing less. does he place his full faith and trust in william? of course. but he knows better than anyone else that william is just human.

albert and moran and bonde would follow william to the ends of the earth, would do everything they could to follow through on his plans. and if his plan meant his death, then they would still help him, no matter what.

fred and louis would follow william to the ends of the earth, would do everything they could to follow through on his plans. but if his plan meant his death, then they would save him, no matter what.

to albert, moran, and bonde, william was more than human.

but to fred and louis, he was more than the lord of crime.

and that made all the difference.

[moransrifle]

I agreed with this post when i first read it but i found this when i reread hunting of Baskervilles;

I'm just curious if this changes what you said regarding Fred's perception of William in your opinion

[toastsrambles]

Oh! I actually haven’t seen this translation before! In the version I read, Moran says:

But yeah, that version does throw me a bit. The thing is, this seems to contradict most of Fred’s actions, especially at the series. Perhaps it’s Moran projecting his own worship of William onto Fred?

Of course, thinking it over, I do think that it’s more possible that Fred became disillusioned (in a sense) with William over the course of the series (and more specifically, the Final Problem).

I would certainly agree with Moran and say that Fred verges more on the side of worship at the beginning of their relationship, but during the Final Problem, we get this:

I imagine that this is the moment it really sunk in for Fred that yes, William is only human.

While Fred is, overall, much less devotional than Moran, there definitely is the aura of hero worship. I think that Fred realizes William’s actual state over the course of the series, and that the strength of this realization is what really pushes him to try and save William.

So while my perspective on the situation has changed, I’d still say I agree with my original point. It’s just that Fred is more complicated than I originally gave him credit for, it seems.

Ahhh, I wish we had his backstory already :(

[toastsrambles]

I saw you post about a Sherlock musical so...

Obligatory Morimu propeganda! Did you know Moriarty the patriot also has a musical adaptation? There have been five shows so far, and it's fantastic.

You might find the various ways they approch the characters interesting. There's a few elements from the musicals that made their way into the manga after being explored there first. (Most notably, William's guilt and Albert's religious trauma). They take a very "internal" approch to characters and their emotions. A real focus on the unspoken and symbolic.

They just "get" the manga. I feel Shogo Suzuki's William is someone every yuumori fan should meet. The music and acting are stellar.

You write so wonderfully. I would love to hear your thoughts on these shows.

Ahhh, hello!

Yes, I have heard of the musicals! I haven’t watched them in full, but I have listened to the song collection on Spotify- though the fact that they only have the first three musicals (and as far as I know, not even all the songs!) keeps me up at night.

I can’t give a full review because I really don’t know enough about the musicals, but some of my various thoughts about them:

the voices are just stellar, particularly William (these high notes during Making the Devils Pay genuinely made me pause to process)

the lyricism is beautiful! The religious language in the opening of Making the Devils Pay was downright poetic, and I love In this Lonely Room… there are just no words.

everyone in the cast is just amazing! Fred, Moran, Hudson, Mycroft, and even Lestrade all have their moments to shine, and they definitely take it!

just like you said, it really does feel like they understood the manga. things like Mycroft and Albert’s duets, Adler/Bonde’s songs, William’s solos… all of it just shows such understanding of the source material.

I really, really would love the chance to watch these musicals. I don’t know Japanese, so it’d have to be subtitled… but seriously, I’m half in love with these musicals without even seeing them.

Thanks so much for the ask :D

[toastsrambles]

thinking about john watson today.

for three years (give or take), he knew that sherlock and william were alive. and he told nobody.

he spent about three years lying to the entirety of london. the only person he told was miss hudson. he didn’t even tell mycroft or louis.

he didn’t know if they were ever coming back. how long was he prepared to lie for? when would he have reached his breaking point?

and was it worse? knowing that sherlock, his best friend, was alive but never coming back? not gone but out of reach, with nothing to be done? there’s hope, but doesn’t that make it worse? he can’t grieve because sherlock is still out there, still alive, but how could he be happy when sherlock is still gone?

sherlock is alive but it doesn’t feel like it. john is still grieving, in a way, for three long years.

[toastsrambles]

One of the Best Sherlock Holmes Adaptations No One Seems to Know

I know that I’ve been mostly (read: only) doing Moriarty the Patriot metas, but I wanted to talk about something different.

I’ve been obsessed with Sherlock Holmes for… a while. Seriously, everyone I talk to is sick of this Victorian detective by now. I’ve also encountered my fair share of adaptations (shoutout to A Study in Emerald, a short story by Neil Gaiman and 221B, a poem by Vincent Starrett, for being some more of my favorite adaptations). But I’ve seen no one - no one - actually talk about my favorite - and in my opinion, one of the best - Sherlock Holmes adaptations.

Sherlock: the Musical (2022)

With a book by Stefan van de Graaff and Denning Burton, and Music and Lyrics by Denning Burton. It’s currently touring, with the full musical available, professionally filmed, on YouTube. The official cast recording is available on YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, and more.

I could geek out about this musical for literal hours, so some of my favorite highlights will be under the cut. Spoilers ahead, so if you really want to go in blind, listen/watch first.

Now, important to note that this is not an adaptation of BBC Sherlock, like the name might imply. This is an adaptation of the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Firstly, the opening song, Streets of London.

This song gives you the perfect insight into all the major characters (sans Moriarty).

Sherlock Holmes, the famous consulting detective, is completely confident in his abilities. No criminals can escape: “not when you're messing with Sherlock and John/you just lose your freedom”.

John Watson is Holmes’ loyal companion, his Boswell. Whereas Holmes sets them up as partners, John sees things a bit differently: “right by his side is my spot/and I’m just fine writing lines of what he did”.

Lestrade is impressed by “this Baker Street detective”, while fellow Scotland Yard officer Alice is a bit more judgemental and skeptical: “he doesn’t have any friends”.

We also get this lovely chorus (00:54):

”Streets of London hide

Nothing from Sherlock’s eyes

This darkening plot

Is not what you thought, so

Are you watching close enough?

Blink you’ll miss this mystery unwind

He won’t be undone

Sherlock Holmes, always one step ahead of them

There’s only one you can’t outrun in London”

This song establishes the two main conflicts of the musical: the public perception of Sherlock Holmes and Watson’s relationship to Holmes.

Now, Holmes and Watson have a duet, Elementary, where their chorus reads:

“It’s elementary

Without a doubt, we’re the greatest duo sround

Elementary

The higher we go, the further they fall down

It’s just like gravity

How do we do the things we do?

It’s a natural phenomenon

That the best things come in two

It’s elementary”

And yet, Watson still says in the bridge: “behind every legend stand dynamic friends”. He’s behind the legend, in that he’s responsible for Holmes’ fame, but he’s also behind the legend; he’s just… not as important as Sherlock Holmes.

And, in case you didn’t notice: in Streets of London, the ensembles sings Holmes’ praises. Not Watson’s. The only person who notices Watson’s contributions is Holmes. Not even Moriarty does, not all the way.

Moriarty first becomes known when he plants a bomb that even Sherlock wasn’t able find- it was Watson who found it. However, the bomb never went off. Still, the story somehow makes it to the paper that Sherlock stopped the bomb.

The song Read All About It is something of a reprise of Streets of London, both in music and theme. It drills in the fact that Sherlock works alone, that it’s him and him alone who can save London. The way the public is whipped into a fervor of idealism is almost similar to Moriarty the Patriot, actually.

However, while the public places their faith in Holmes, he worries:

“Terror in London Nowhere to hide, fear in the streets, people are running Running to me How could I not see it coming? How do I not know what’s coming?”

See, the climax of this musical is the song One Step Ahead. Moriarty has lured both Holmes and Watson to Reichenbach Falls under the assumption that the other is in danger. Moriarty then holds Watson at gun point and tells Holmes that if he doesn’t jump, he’ll shoot Watson. In the end, Holmes agrees, and the song ends with this exchange:

“Holmes: I have to save John

So this is how it ends

Not enough time

Maybe death will be a friend

Moriarty: You? You don’t have any friends-

Watson: This time I’m one step ahead of you!”

Watson then tackles Moriarty off the cliff before Holmes can jump, leaving Holmes alone on the cliff.

The next song, Love Someone, is just- it’s so good. It can be read as both platonic or romantic, but the underlying fact is that Watson has shown Sherlock how important loving someone is, and how important it is to hold the ones you love close because “time is yours before it slips away”.

And, some more of my favorite lyrics from this song:

“It was love that took all my fear away If that love could be here and here to stay How would things change?”

“Love someone Love can hold the world until healing comes The greatest conclusion yet, when all is said and done”

“If you’ve prayed for a moment, pled to take their place And yet how quiet it felt, when you imagined their face Pure love, unchanged, a peace that carries your pain Time is yours, before it slips away”

And of course, the last line: “things have changed now”. The acknowledgement that Holmes is fundamentally different without Watson, and maybe can’t even be Holmes without Watson. It’s so incredibly touching.

Of course, though, Watson isn’t truly gone. We learn shortly after his funeral that he managed to survive by holding onto a ledge he spotted when making his way up the cliff in the first place.

This is where we truly learn how much everyone underestimated Watson. See, while Moriarty was the only one to see Watson’s importance to Sherlock, Holmes was the only one to see Watson’s true value. Watson is smart and competent; when Moriarty planted a bomb, he was the one who jumped on top of it with no hesitation (a la Captain America).

We wrap up with Streets of London (Reprise), where Holmes and Watson accept a new case and return to 221B.

Honorable mentions of stuff I ADORE about this musical:

Watson’s song Into the Shadow. Not only are the vocals superb, this song perfectly encapsulates how Watson has faded into Holmes’ shadow in the public eye. But his solemn acceptance of this - “if it saves your life/and they forget mine/then I don’t mind/stepping back into the shadows” - just makes it heartbreaking.

The fact that every single musical number is just awesome. A Different Story, where Holmes, Watson, Lestrade, and Alice interrogate a suspect? A Most Unusual Case, where we see the people who come to Holmes for help? The Greatest Mind, where Holmes and Moriarty first face off? ALL OF THEM are great, including the ones I didn’t just list. The lyrics, instrumentation, and vocals just blow me away.

The references to other cases! For just two examples: in A Most Unusual Case, the blue diamond in a coat sleeve is a reference to The Blue Carbuncle; and in Streets of London (Reprise), the recently engaged typist with a mysteriously vanished fiancée is A Case of Identity.

Also, Watson making deductions in Streets of London (Reprise) is just great :D

The way Watson supposedly dies at Reichenbach, and the subconscious message that it doesn’t matter that it was Watson who died instead of Holmes; either way, Holmes and Watson are dead. The death of one is the death of the other.

The way minor characters like Mrs. Hudson and Mycroft are portrayed is amazing. Seriously, I love the characterization here.

Just… I love this musical so much. It just feels like a love letter to Sherlock Holmes, and the passion behind it is astounding.

So, yeah. If you like Sherlock Holmes, give this a watch/listen. (Please, I really need to know that more people are aware of this masterpiece).

[toastsrambles]

sometimes, i just mourn for the moriarty brothers’ childhoods, or lack thereof.

albert was a child for a little bit. there were a few precious years when he had everything he could ever want. but he was robbed of his innocence when he was so young and he could never go back. he still believed that a good, pure world was possible, but he also believed that he could never do enough to deserve it.

william had a childhood, albeit a poor one. he had his parents for a little while, or at least his mother. but he was on the streets and became an orphan quickly, and he was always aware of the unfairness of the world. he accepted his role as the savior, the martyr, the devil, when he was so, so young.

louis never had a childhood. since he could remember, it was just him and his brother, and he lived every day knowing it could be his last. and when he finally did get some semblance of a childhood, he knew it wasn’t real. his name wasn’t his own and he lived knowing his brothers’ wanted to die.

(and the first william, who was a child right until the end. poor, spoiled, cruel william, whose childhood was ripped out from under his feet as his brother stabbed him and his house burned around him. william who was never mourned because the only people who knew he died hated him too much to care.)

[toastsrambles]

i haven’t read remains yet, but it kills me just how much louis has grown as a person.

in empty hearts, we see louis without his glasses and his hair parted in the center. he puts on a fake name and is able to act the part of a perfect, charming, sympathetic noble to entice a mark. he manipulates and controls the situation via card counting, to make sure the mark plays his part perfectly.

his perfect front and careful manipulation of the situation is so much like william that it’s almost uncanny. moniepeny even says: “before, he was content to sit in william’s shadow. he rarely had a chance to show his own talents. but watching him now, it’s almost like i’m looking at…”

now, to dissect this statement a bit.

for the first part: “before, he was content to sit in william’s shadow. he rarely had a chance to show his own talents.”

i personally think that that was due to a combination of love for his brothers and a lack of ambition. if they were happy and accomplishing their goals, then louis was happy; he didn’t need titles or admiration to feel complete. as long as his brother’s plan was progressing, that was enough for him.

while louis was certainly smart and talented in his own right, he didn’t do anything to pursue attention: he didn’t get a job, try to take a larger part in william’s plan, or anything else. he was content where he was, purely because of william.

if he hadn’t been forced to live without william, i don’t think louis would have matured and grown as much as he did.

and the second part: “but watching him now, it’s almost like i’m looking at…”

almost like. almost.

the more i put william and louis side by side, the more different they are.

while louis has adopted william’s techniques - a charming front instead of charging in with knives - he is remarkably different in that the pressure william suffered under doesn’t affect him.

that is to say, he doesn’t obsess over the morality of his actions. while he does say that killing people on a whim isn’t something mi6 can do anymore (despite the fact that he definitely would have preferred to do that pre-time skip), he doesn’t linger on it. that’s just a fact: they can’t kill people like they used to, because that’s not what they do.

he doesn’t worry about morality or ethical repercussions, and it’s just so intensely practical. the rules have changed, so louis will just plan around them.

and that is so much like louis, even before the timeskip. he doesn’t bother with big questions about morality or atonement; just pragmatic solutions to his problems.

william is shutting him out? ask to be let in.

william is trying to atone for his sins via death? go to the person who has the best chance of saving him, regardless of personal feelings.

and how to stop an evil man when killing is off the table? set up a plan, elaborate enough to work but simple enough to be easily and safely done, and execute it to the best of your abilities.

it’s louis’ pragmatism combined with william’s moral compass, without louis’ ruthlessness or william’s guilt complex. it’s a softer, more confident version of louis.

i don’t know. i just love how much we’ve seen louis grow over the series.

[toastsrambles]

Squeeeeeeeeeze!!! You've been given a hug! Send this to all the people who you think deserve a hug. Let the hugging begin! ♥

Ahhh, thank you so much! :D

*hugs!*

[toastsrambles]

louis and moran as foil characters drive me insane.

from the outside, moran had everything- a good family, good education, and a respectable military career. and louis had nothing- a sick orphan on the streets of london with no future. and they ended up in the same place- at william’s side.

and yet, moran was driven to join william out of desperation, while louis chose to be with william out of love.

moran had just faced the biggest betrayal of his life, lost all of his men and his hand, and was legally dead. he had nowhere to go, and in a complete absence of hope, found his through william. william became everything to him.

louis, meanwhile, was given a good life for the first time. he had a roof over his head, steady food. and healthcare. and yet, because of his love for his william, he burned it all down for him. for the first time in his life, he had hope, but he chose to put his faith in his brother.

it’s the difference between desperate devotion and a loving choice.

and i think that’s why, ultimately, louis persevered after the final problem while moran couldn’t.

moran had made william his purpose for existing, to the point where he’d help william kill himself if only he asked. despite his carefree attitude, he was loyal to the end. and his devotion outlived william, or at least he thought it did. he was completely free for the first time in years, and he still chose william.

he chose devotion, and never truly lived for three years.

louis, however, loved his brother moreso than he was devoted to him, and he decided that having william alive was more important than being loyal to him. it didn’t work in the end, though, despite his best efforts. his love outlived william, or so he thought. he was completely free for the first time in years, and he still chose william.

he chose love, and forced himself to keep living for three years.

moran and louis were dealt opposite hands in life, but made all the same choices. they ended up in completely different places for exactly the same reasons.

they are both opposites and parallels. exactly alike and nothing alike.

i just think it’s neat. is all.