Now that the first episode of the season is out, I can finally comment on how hilariously intense the meeting of the Upper Moons was. 

Like, we really watched (I, even paid money to see in the cinema) the equivalent of Akaza just taking the elevator to the office, pass by the recepcionist, get greeted by the one coworker he can’t fucking stand, get chewed up by the boss like every Monday and having to insist to his bitchass coworker that he’d rather die than go ‘hang out’ after work.

We really saw that but with an animation budget that’s off the charts. 

NIGHT CHANGES

Dick Grayson x Reader

Contains: team-member reader, possibly a platonic or romantic relationship, mentions of an injury.

Sophie Beckett & Female Power: Untapped Potential

That's right here we go, buckle up and in.

So, this is going to be a bit of a mix between creative ideas/character analysis mixing both Bridgerton the show and An Offer From A Gentleman. (AOFAG)

Currently, in the show, we have roughly seen two types of femininity (if I were to generalise). We have Lady Violet and Daphne exhibiting a more maternal take on femininity, and then we have Kate and Eloise (even Penelope) with a more ‘girl-boss’ femininity.

But I think in the character of Sophie Beckett, JQ laid the foundations for a different type of femininity, another facet of female power, which can be explored further in the show...

I argue that the show could emphasise how Sophie Beckett’s female power comes from her kindness and empathy, which enables her to create strong, female relationships. It is this female power that enables her to save herself and orchestrate her own emancipation.

Background: Cinderella & Female Power

Now, due to AOFAG being a Cinderella retelling, I can see how some people might assume the opposite from Sophie. I have already touched upon this in my other comment on @bridgertonbabe’s post concerning Posy’s role and some of those ideas shall be repeated here. Concerning ‘background’, I shall refer primarily to ideas/debates surrounding the 1950s Disney Cinderella, as I believe that is most prevalent in people’s minds when we talk about this topic.

As I said in that other post, many people critique Cinderella as an ‘anti-feminist’ figure, a ‘weak role model’ for young girls. Many argue that Cinderella does not have agency because events happen to her, she does not initiate them; it is her father’s death that leads to her servitude; the fairy godmother steps in and enables her to go to the ball, and the prince steps in and marries her.

However, when people brand this character as a portrayal of ‘weak’ femininity, I do not think they are considering that Cinderella is an abuse victim. While yes, some abuse victims can find their own ways out of abusive situations, it is very common that abuse victims need some type of intervention.

AND THAT DOES NOT MAKE THEM WEAK. NEEDING HELP IS NOT A SIGN OF WEAKNESS. NEEDING INTERVENTION DOES NOT MEAN YOU LACK AGENCY; IT DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE ‘LESS’ OF A WOMAN.

I believe it is the opposite. Cinderella shows amazing strength, because she is in this abusive situation BUT SHE STILL GETS UP. Cinderella still puts one foot in front of another, she has hope even in the face of great unkindness, Cinderella is still kind in the face of great unkindness.

Cinderella’s story might not teach girls how to stand up to the patriarchy, but it does teach young girls that sometimes, the strongest and most rebellious thing you can do, in the face of a situation where you can’t fight or scream, is to put one foot in front of another and hope. And I think that is such an important lesson not only for girls but for humanity. The world is confusing, the world can be bleak but hope and kindness can create a little light among the chaos.

So yes, events do happen to Cinderella. And yes, she does marry the prince. And in some parts of the film, she does not have as much agency as other Disney princesses. However, that does not mean she does not show female power, it is just that her female power is a little more subtle than Elsa’s.

Sophie Beckett and Agency: A little good, a little meh–but a lot of potential

Now I think, due to genre restrictions, time of publication, and perhaps the writer herself, that JQ does not give Sophie as much agency as possible.

Don’t get me wrong there are moments when Sophie does have agency. (There’s a really funny post from @sophiamariabeckett here, linking once again with @murielstacy and @bridgertonbabe)

As I mentioned in my Posy comment, Sophie’s kindness and empathy to Posy creates a bond strong enough that Posy is willing to defy her abusive mother and free Sophie. In this way, Sophie’s kindness saves her. It also shows that Sophie saves herself and does so by establishing female friendships.

However, I feel that with a couple of little tweaks, the show could take this idea from the books and expand it.

So, let’s take a look at events where Sophie is ‘saved’ or is ‘enabled’. And I’m either going to advocate how these events signify Sophie’s agency or I am going to give them a little tweak. Here’s the list I’m working from:

2. Benedict saves Sophie from her would-be-rapists.  

3.a Posy Reiling swoops in and unlocks the door for Sophie’s freedom-> twice.     

3.b The Bridgertons save Sophie from jail. (Particularly Benedict and Violet)

1)The servants push Sophie to attend the ball where she meets her Prince Charming AKA Benedict Bridgerton.

Now, JQ does not make it explicit, but she does mention that Sophie has a good bond with the servants throughout her childhood, often seen helping in the kitchen. However, JQ also writes that as she grew up, the servants distanced themselves.

So, on the one hand, Sophie’s own actions and bond with the servants set up their motivation to get Sophie to the ball... Once again, her kindness and her ability to form friendships, enable her to step closer to freedom. However, I feel the motivation for Sophie to attend the ball could be stronger. So…

CHANGE: Sophie Beckett goes to the ball, because of her friendship with Genevieve Delacroix.

Firstly, I think that Sophie needs more characters to interact with and Genevieve Delacroix is a character that could easily be orchestrated with.

So, according to this change, Sophie Beckett and Genevieve Delacroix are good friends, and Sophie Beckett’s infamous silver dress—is one of Genevieve Delacroix’s designs.

Now, my book lovers. We can still have the servants and housekeeper Mrs Gibbons help Sophie to the ball. But I want the main reason Sophie goes to the ball, not because she deserves one night to ‘be who she was meant to be’, but because Genevieve asks her to.

Picture the scene. Genevieve and Sophie have been friends ever since Sophie was relegated to servitude. Over the years, the pair have gained a deep friendship through sharing dreams, pasts and storms of life. So, Sophie obviously knows of Genevieve’s talents as a designer. One night there is a masquerade ball, the biggest party of the season, and Genevieve turns up in the servant’s quarters of Penwood Place with a silver dress in hand. She’s finally ready to show her design to the ton but she needs someone to model it, someone who has the right accent, the right upbringing… someone like Sophie.

Now, Sophie is hesitant; by going to the ball Sophie would be risking the wrath of her abuser—Araminta. I can only imagine that this would create great anxiety for Sophie. But after a moment of hesitation, Sophie looks at her best friend who is ever so close to attaining her lifelong dream. So, Sophie accepts the silver dress. Sophie’s choice to put her friendship with Genevieve over the toxic & abusive relationship with Araminta enables Sophie to meet her Prince Charming.

Personally, I feel this is a greater motivation for Sophie to go to the ball than in the book. Also, if the show does not want to do a ‘fancy dress’ masquerade but a normal one, then Genevieve’s dress can facilitate this.

 2)Benedict saves Sophie from her would-be-rapists.

The problem I have with this scene is that, (like the trope in general), it draws focus away from the woman and onto the man. Scenes like this are commonly used to show how good the guy/romantic lead is, rather than anything about the situation the woman is in. 

Due to the show, we already know that Benedict would never dream of conducting himself like Philip Cavender. Further, in prior seasons we see Benedict's respect for working-class women (another post I could do). So, this scene is kinda redundant, but it can easily be adapted for a more modern audience.

CHANGE: Sophie is the one who frees herself.

The scene goes as normal, Sophie is running away and gets caught. Benedict is exiting the party and comes up to Cavender’s crew. But instead of intimidating Cavender into letting Sophie go, he merely distracts Cavender (with the intention to free Sophie). Sophie uses Benedict’s distraction to punch her way out of the men’s clutches and runoff. (Benedict standing for a couple of seconds utterly stunned at this very pretty woman who just felled three men in one swoop).

We still get a Benedict and Sophie reunification and Benedict still aids Sophie, but I feel this tweak gives a bit more power into Sophie’s hands. Once again, Sophie saves herself—a little more obvious than her other times.

3.a) Posy Reiling swoops in and unlocks the door for Sophie’s freedom-> twice.     

The first incident I refer to occurs at the beginning of the book when Posy unlocks the cupboard door that Araminta locked Sophie in, thus allowing Sophie to escape. The second is her dramatic entrance into the jail at the climax of the book with the will that enables Sophie to be freed from her cell.

These events should stay the same. Because Posy is awesome, and Sophie is awesome.

As I mentioned before (and in a previous post), Posy is the main piece of evidence highlighting Sophie orchestrating her own emancipation.

Sophie did not have to be kind to Posy. I think it is reasonable that Sophie could have grown to resent Posy. Perhaps, due to Posy’s silence, Sophie could have seen Posy as an enabler of her abuse. (Especially because Sophie was a child and so, would have had a child-like mentality).

NOW. DON’T GO HATING POSY. I DO NOT STAND FOR POSY SLANDER IN THIS HOUSE.

And I am not blaming Posy, I am saying that it was a possibility that Sophie would perceive Posy like this. Or at best, distance herself from Posy due to Posy’s association with Araminta.

But Sophie doesn’t. JQ makes a point in the prologue of AOFAG to show that Sophie goes out of her way to help Posy and be kind to Posy.

It is because of Sophie's kindness towards Posy that establishes a bond between the girls. A bond that enables Posy to be incredibly brave and go against her abusive mother by unlocking the door for Sophie not once–but twice. Through being kind and empathetic, Sophie enabled herself to escape that jail cell. 

3.b)The Bridgertons save Sophie from jail. (Particularly Benedict and Violet).

Now the only reason Benedict Bridgerton is in that jail is because he has fallen in love with Sophie. Once again, by establishing a relationship, Benedict is willing to propose and get her out of jail.

But more importantly, (or what I wish to stress more), is the presence of Violet Bridgerton. Violet Bridgerton is the one to threaten Araminta; Violet Bridgerton is the one who manipulates Araminta into instating Sophie’s legitimacy and removing herself from Sophie’s life and future. Now, in this case, it seems that Sophie does not save herself, Violet does.

But why does Violet do this? Sophie is merely a maid, a hardworking maid, yes; a maid with a suspicious past, yes. But still a maid.

Violet is a Dowager Viscountess, many levels of nobility above Sophie the maid, levels above Sophie the ‘ward’ of Penwood, and levels above Sophie the illegitimate child of an Earl. So why does Violet bother?

Because Sophie and Violet have established a relationship—a friendship.

Once again it is Sophie’s ability to create a female relationship that helps her gain freedom.

But then again…

CHANGE: The show should show more of Violet and Sophie’s relationship.

I feel in the book Violet does the most work in establishing the bond between her and Sophie. Further, JQ presents Violet's motivations to be mainly ones of intrigue concerning Sophie’s identity rather than friendship.

Now, this can stay the same, Violet initially invites Sophie to tea because she is intrigued by the plot holes in Sophie’s backstory. However, due to Sophie's interactions with her daughters and her kindness—that is how the bond is established.

Due to the longer ‘content time’ the show has than a romance novel, I think the show can expand on the nice interactions JQ gave us concerning Sophie and the Bridgerton women. Instead of telling us how Sophie has fit into the family, the tv series could show us.

PS. I actually have the idea that there should be one scene/instance when Sophie connects with each Bridgerton female. Concerning Violet, this is a very sweet conversation about motherhood concerning Eloise. (I am still manifesting the fan theory that Sophie will end up as Eloise’s maid and I also might have that whole storyline planned out. Woopsie).

Apologies. Back to the main show.

Through establishing a female relationship Sophie enabled herself, and even Posy, to be freed from their abuser. Through her own actions, Sophie set up the potential for her own rescue. She is not passive; she is active in her emancipation.

So after all that let’s do a whistle-stop summary of points so far:

Okay, ok Hope you’ve babbled on long enough—what’s your point??

Well, with my little tweaks, the three people who ‘save’ Sophie would be:

1)      Genevieve who gives Sophie the opportunity to go to the ball and meet Benedict

2)      Violet Bridgerton, who helps blackmail Araminta into establishing Sophie's legitimacy, further legitimising her marriage to Benedict.

3)      Posy

 What do all these people have in common?

These three characters experience Sophie’s kindness.

These three characters have a friendship with Sophie.

These three characters are all women.

So, S4 could use Sophie to show that kindness and hope have real power in changing a woman’s circumstances, (while presenting a complex female character with agency to boot). But S4 could also show the power of female friendships.

Now, Benedict and Sophie’s relationship should be the centre of the series, I am not disputing that. And while Benedict does ‘help’ Sophie in the prison, I think Benedict’s role is to help Sophie emotionally break free. By loving Sophie, showing her how worthy she is to him, and giving her the opportunity to experience a life of love without Araminta’s shadow, Benedict ‘saves’ Sophie. (Although once again it is Sophie’s choice to eventually accept this, and it is Sophie’s actions that made Benedict fall in love with her).

But alongside this, I think the show should emphasise the idea of female friendships being able to instigate change in regency society, particularly because these women already had limitations on their agency.

Yes, these women do not topple the patriarchal pressures they were under, but they instigate change and freedom by supporting each other. And I think that is such an awesome lesson, such a wonderful story of female power to show on screen and is easily applicable to the 21st century.

And in the centre of this story is a woman whose strength isn’t in her fiery opinions or her vocal battle against the patriarchy; but a woman who saves herself through the bonds she establishes. What an amazing (and rarely told) example of a female character.

Sophie is not the antithesis of the typical ‘girl-bosses’ seen in Eloise Bridgerton or Kate Sharma but nor is she necessarily the maternal femininity seen in Daphne and Violet. Instead, she is a different kind of woman, her story showcasing yet another remarkable complexity of womanhood.

CONGRATULATIONS!! You made it to the end. Go grab a cuppa and a biscuit. 

 Thank you so much for reading the piece and I hope it was worth your time. 

Let me know your thoughts on whether you are in an agreement or not. Anything you want expansion on? Anything else you want to hear my over-analytical brain interrogate? 

Honestly, while I really didn’t like AOFAG as a book, (that’s for another post) there is so much potential to update it for S4–and not necessarily throw away the original story. 

Most importantly, I want to give a shout out to the wonderful @murielstacy who proof-read this post and gave me some great ideas. Please, please  go follow her. She has such a cool run of posts about Modern Bridgertons and royal fashion and so many other things (I know, sounds interesting, right? Go check it out!). 

Thanks once again.

Hope xx

Oh Milo! #Milo

So true yaotome papa

Know Your Place

Pairing: William James Moriarty x Fem!Reader

Tags: nsfw, smut, cum eating, blowjob, cunnilingus, office sex, cockarming, power play, cum marking, a little bit of hair-pulling (for Reader)

Word count: 0.5k

Kinktober Day 24: Power play

A/N: More Yuumori content for kinktober! You all really popped off with these.

Signing up to be William Moriarty's secretary meant keeping track of his appointments, sorting out letters, giving advice on the rare occasion he asked for it. You never imagined that it also included sucking his dick under the desk.

He looked down at you both hands tangled in your hair tugging then letting go when you swallow him all the way to the base. "You're getting better at this dear."

@anemoneforever​

See, I don’t think that’s the case, either. I do not think at any point, they stop being intelligent, clever men who overthink just about everything.

(Although I think John and Moran and Ms. Hudson are the only characters in this series with an EQ consistently higher than that of an average block of cement)

William knows William is fond of Sherlock. Sherlock knows Sherlock is fond of William. That’s about all they understand, but who cares; that’s the important part. They have a fair understanding of what they want (time together, conversations together, etc.).

They do not have a fair understanding of how to make that happen.

Being smart doesn’t mean there aren’t things you’re just unskilled at. They have no instinct or gift for this, really. William can be charming, but William’s charming side also has about as much of his actual self in it as homeopathic medicine has medicine. And he doesn’t turn it on Sherlock really ever because he just wants to be real, actual, true friends with Sherlock and you cannot do that through mask.

(Sherlock doesn’t have a mask, so his weird awkwardness is just hanging out for everyone to see and run away from)

Friendship is not a thing they are good at. It is not a thing either of them have any practice at. It is not a thing either could probably make a stab at of normally anyway because they are both incredibly weird fucking people.

Intelligence isn’t magic. You still have to practice skills you want to be good at. You still have information to piece together. They don’t have any of those things in the realm of “Enjoyable Human Interaction.”

Sherlock starts picking it up pretty quickly once he has a John to teach him.

This whole thing made me wonder why Liam, who is surrounded by at least two people who ostensibly care about him, doesn’t pick this up while Sherlock does.

And then I thought about it a little more and realized that where John looks to Sherlock for companionship and company (which Sherlock returns by dragging John into his messes, though as John seems eager enough that’s really neither here nor there), Liam does not have friends in his brothers. He does not confide in them, does not ask them for personal advice, does not share the things that bring him joy with them. He’s a General to Albert and a mentor/guardian figure to Louis (who at the point yuumori begins, lbr, does not need it and probably hasn’t for a while) and is a source of Orders and Explanations but very little else. Albert strikes me as probably fine with this dynamic, but it makes me positively ache for Louis, who clearly adores his brother.

It makes me a little angry at Liam, actually. Your brother cooks and cleans and runs your life for you out of concern for your wellbeing and you can’t reciprocate that, not even a little bit? Iirc we see Louis ask Liam once to be let in on the plans, to be allowed to help, and from this framing it feels like Louis has learned that the only way into Liam’s life is to facilitate his murders. This is the only truly personal connection Liam has with other people. God.

No wonder his plan for Sherlock involves folding him into the Moriarty plan. It might be the only way Liam knows how to relate to people at this point.

William is Made of transactional relationships that he pretty intentionally sets up as transactional, because he’s not capable of understanding another kind of relationship. Even wayyy back when he met Albert, he was expecting Albert to want something from him in exchange for Louis’s surgery (and Albert…did not prove him wrong. Nothing in the world has ever proved William wrong on this note except for Sherlock. Sherlock doesn’t need him, has never needed him).

I think he got a little lost in the sauce of thinking of himself this director, this actor, this dramatic mythological figure, to accomplish his Great Purpose that he sort of forgot, um, that he’s also Liam-whatever-your-birth name-is. The story he is trying to tell does not require him to be more than a cardboard cutout of a person, so he doesn’t bother nourishing any other part of him that does not service the plan.

He sort of. Cut off every piece of him he didn’t think he needed and hope they died, because all those human pieces of him were soft and tender and hurting and traumatized and he is not good at dealing with pain.

(Kind of like how Dissociative Identity Disorder often manifests, when it does, as a function of trauma and trying to create a mental shield to defend against it and somewhere else to deflect it that Isn’t You.)

He didn’t need friends, because The Lord of Crime did not need friends. So he did not learn how to make them. And the Lord of Crime was strong and heartless and safe for him to retreat into when everything else hurt too much. The Lord of Crime doesn’t hurt.

Liam-whatever-your-birth name-is hurts.

Sherlock sort of defibrillated parts of him he’d already built a grave for because Sherlock could not be confined to a transactional relationship even when William tried to force them into one where William gave Sherlock puzzles he wanted and Sherlock happily solved them for him to advance the Purpose.

But Sherlock showed up to “Reichenbach” as William’s friend and not a detective and took down William’s entire defensive wall, what thin shell remained of his view of himself, The Lord of Crime.

It’s really interesting to me how many people go, “Aw, William is in love with Sherlock, therefore Sherlock will get to see a soft gentle side of him he won’t show to anyone else.”

When…actually, it’s kind of the opposite. The secret, private side of William that doesn’t come out often except with Sherlock is the irritating, hyper-competitive, teasing asshole. William’s mask is the polite, gentle, kind, quiet part of him. The part he keeps locked up tight is the challenge-seeking nightmare drama king.

Even as Lord of Crime, really only small parts of this leak out (mostly the drama king nonsense). His brothers and friends don’t really see much of it. Unless Sherlock is there.

And I think that’s great.

Many, many moons ago, back when the fandom as a whole was under the mistaken impression that YuuMori would end at The Final Problem, I made a comment (that is definitely on this blog somewhere if I felt like searching for it), that it was a shame we hadn't gotten a chance to see Liam go completely feral to protect his family/loved ones, because he is a possessive, overprotective little menace.

Anyway.

Come on, Liam, go feral. I wanna see a Feral Liam.

Thinking today about YuuMori’s John Watson.

Because the series is about Professor Moriarty, he takes a less active role here than he does in most adaptations and in the original. He’s not the narrator or a reader proxy or anything like it. Instead, John serves as a moral compass for Sherlock, and as a guidepost for him so Sherlock can in turn become one for William. He teaches Sherlock so Sherlock can teach William.

But he also does one other critical thing for the story, and for William: lie.

He writes popular stories. His version of reality becomes well-accepted, and inviolable in the eyes of the public. Enough that people have expectations of who Sherlock is that…aren’t necessarily true.

And William always wanted to sell a story to the public. The story he refers to as a play all the way back in chapter 5; the same one he casts Sherlock in as the protagonist. The story in which an evil villain is defeated, uniting London to work together against him. And he thinks of what he does in terms of the narrative he’s trying to craft: what effect will this piece of known information have? How can he cover things up and manipulate things so people see what he wants them to see?

He asks Sherlock to be a star actor with him, but John is the one actually taking the lie and presenting it for the public eye. And he does it on purpose: he knows what the lie and what the truth is. Sherlock makes sure he does. He lies to keep Sherlock’s confidence at Sherlock’s discretion under his advisement for what would be good for people to know and what would only incite problems. He lies for Sherlock and the country to smooth out rough edges before he ever knows William is involved in anything.

If it weren’t for Sherlock, William’s plan wouldn’t have worked.

But if it weren’t for John, William’s plan wouldn’t have taken off at all.

I think this is also an interesting contrast to Milverton.

YuuMori takes apart the ideas of narratives, stories, lies, adaptations, all of it, all the time. It’s kind of obsessed with it (and so am I, so here we are). It has William and his entire…personality, honestly…invested in spinning a story and casting people into roles and being confused about what happens when the back cover closes and the story doesn’t quite go the way the storybook says. From early on John is there, lying and twisting the truth to the public, and he was introduced as a writer.

And in contrast we have Milverton. Who is unabashedly evil with basically no shades of gray, who comes into conflict with William and Sherlock/Watson both. And yet, Milverton does not lie.

William lies. Sherlock lies. John lies. Milverton actually doesn’t. He takes the truth and uses it to hurt people.

There’s a bit in The White Knight of London, actually, where we also see this: during the park opening where Whiteley is to celebrate and do speeches, William sets him up to be called out—factually—for problems behind the scenes. Whiteley doesn’t actually care enough about his reputation to combat these truths—with lies or with facts. Much like William, he accepts his role as a villain because his reputation is not what matters to him when he could be helping people. And William accepts this as a marker of his Goodness. The truth was used against Whiteley, but he did not use other truths to combat it.

(Also because Whiteley is a self-sacrificial dumbass like William, but that is not what this post is about).

And in the same way, William is called out by Milverton with the truth in public—he is the Lord of Crime, after all—to their revulsion, and instead of combating any of that with more truth, he simply continues on as a he would a narrative.

I think it’s also important that the major players in this story are all aware of what the truth is. William, his brothers, his subordinates. Sherlock (even if he still has yet to uncover a lot of it). Mycroft. And John, because Sherlock tells him everything. And we’re currently sitting through a ridiculously long flashback of yet more truth of what truly happened.

And yet, they take that truth and twist and manipulate it into something that’s an easily acceptable and frankly, useful, narrative. Perhaps soon we will see yet another plan to take this story and spin it into yet another narrative tapestry.

Perhaps John Watson will take on yet another penname as Ian Fleming. Perhaps not. But either way, I’m sure he’ll play another quiet, pivotal role to help guide the story where it’s going, just as all good authors do.

But, to end this meta on a silly note: as a writer myself, talking writing with other writers is the most addictive thing in the world. I would love to see William and John talking Narrative.

Thank you.

I want Liam to just be hanging out in 221B one day (well, I want him living there, but that’s a wish for another time), and someone comes in with a case and is all, “Oh, Dr. Watson, you’re…prettier than I imagined. And I didn’t know you wore an eyepatch!” and Sherly and Liam just play along and do a whole case together that way. John isn’t quite sure how he feels about it, but realizes it’s convenient for days when he’s got a lot going on with his practice. So sometimes Liam gets a telegraph that’s just: John busy. Care to play the doctor? The girls at the telegraph office are quietly convinced this means something kinky. They are…not entirely wrong.

So Sherlock and Liam have presumably been apart for months while Sherlock traveled, right? (It’s not like he was hopping flights all over Asia and Europe, even with trains as an option I assume travel would have been a comparatively long-ass process at the time.)

Post dinner party, imagine a sitcom-esque sequence where they’re desperately trying to have some reunion sex - or hell, even just do a little snogging - but every time they get within two feet of each other another character c*ckblocks them. 

Louis is orchestrating this by sending people on little tasks to wherever they are every time he catches them sneaking away. They’re always at the Exports building because Louis and especially Albert are practically holding William hostage, needing to be certain that’s he’s really home and okay.

And Sherlock and Liam can’t even come up with some ridiculous story to give them an excuse to be alone. This is an extended family where faking kidnappings and deaths is standard; everyone would see right through it.

Finally Liam snaps and announces to the whole Universal Exports household over breakfast, “I am going to 221B. Do not follow me, do not spy on me. I am going to have sex with my husband and I will come back when I damn well feel like it,” and just stomps out.

Bond fishes out several banknotes and hands them to an ever-so-slightly smirking Louis.

I’ve said this before (here and here) but I’m thinking again about how I’d love for Sherliam to become fully canon in an unspoken and semi-subtle way. 

Imagine: Billy and Sherlock are in Sherlock and Liam’s lovenest apartment, getting ready to go out, talking and walking. They drift into Sherlock’s bedroom because Sherlock has to grab a coat or part of a disguise or something.

The bed is a double, and one of the nightstands is covered in Sherlockian clutter piles. There’s like, a wig and some unsettling bubbling concoction and a live ferret over there. The other nightstand is clean except for a lamp and a copy of Shakespeare’s works, and a cane leaning against it. It’s never mentioned or focused on, it’s just there in the background of the scene while Billy and Sherlock chat, and they leave the room without any attention ever being directed to it.

Imagine if it had been Albert with Liam on the train, instead of Louis.

Louis is freaking out up until Liam pulls his little seduction stunt, then starts to chill once he’s confident that William has the situation under control. I might be infantilizing Louis a bit here (like his brothers do lol) but I perceive him as likely a bit naive in this scenario. I think he reads what William is doing as showmanship rather than flirtation, and is then annoyed at Sherlock for being forward but doesn’t process that William just did some sort of sapiosexual striptease.

But if it was Albert with him it would be the complete opposite. Albert isn’t the slightest bit ruffled during Sherlock’s bluff. He’s just sipping wine and waiting to see what Will does. Then when Will does that, Albert’s eyebrows hit the ceiling and he almost does a spit-take.

Y'all I just noticed this.

During the court scene, when William first tries to cut out a pound of flesh he pulls out a fucking butter knife.

Then when he's not allowed to he puts it away.

And later he pulls out this

I already loved this scene but this made it even better. Where did he even get that? Look at the little demon baby. He just HAD to be extra about it.

I will never forgive the anime for depriving us of William being a complete weirdo.

He's so serious all the time in the anime, but in the manga he actually has a personality.

He does get more serious later on, as they grow closer to the end of the plan and his mental state starts to get worse. (Is there a term for backwards character development?)

Basically every interaction he has with Sherlock feels slightly out of character in the anime (sniffing him, catch me if you can, etc) but in the manga it like: Yeah, he would do that.