Additions: The Way Joan Has An Intense Knowledge Of New York Mob Families. The Way Joan Is An Equal To

Additions: The way Joan has an intense knowledge of New York mob families. The way Joan is an equal to Sherlock, they're different but equal. How she solves cases on her own, offers insights that Sherlock wouldn't have thought of or couldn't have known. The way Sherlock is written as overtly neurodivergent. How sex and sex-workers aren't vilified, they're just there and regular people like every else. Mrs. Hudson and her expertise which lead her to becoming an irregular. The spite and love between the Holmes' that feels so very natural, like a distant family that drifted apart after tragedy and still cannot dissolve the unit, after all it's still family.

The fact that Sherlock actually uses consultants (Mason, Harlan, Mrs. Hudson, Everyone, the Nose etc.) because while he is an expert on many things, he can't be the expert on everything. The way Moriarty is build up across a season with frankly one of the most amazing climaxes I've ever seen in procedural tv. The way Sherlock relapses, the way it is handled as a part of recovery. Mycroft's story making a surprising amount of sense. That one time Marcus and Sherlock solve a case involving missing zebra's. The way Gregson steps up as a father figure for Sherlock in moments when Sherlock least wants it but most needs it. Naming a bee after Watson. The one case all about colony-collapse disorder and the genuine enthusiasm and passion Sherlock shows, not only for bees but also a variety of other activities. The way he's constantly doing experiments and gaining knowledge.

I don't think there will ever come a day were I can accurately describe how endearing I find Elementary (2012) and how it is the superior modern-day Sherlock adaptation.

This is not a perfect show, far from it. It's a procedural show, some of the story-lines are simply weak, there's an abundance of copaganda and there are many more things I could name, small or big.

And yet every time I open an episode I find myself inevitably drawn in fully because the show does do a lot of good. I am drawn in by the relationship between Sherlock and Joan, how deep their love goes and how it is far more important than any kind of romantic love could be. By the way addiction is handled without vilifying anyone, with the gentle hand that is necessary whilst also showing it in its fullest and without censure. By the way we see Joan progress through the show, moving from an ordinary barely satisfying existence to one she really calls her own, regardless of how odd it is. The way it dealt with sexual assault and the compassion that was shown to Kitty at all times. The growth Sherlock experiences, not because he's suddenly a better person but because he made mistakes and mistakes and finally had a network for whom he wanted to do better, be better, because they deserve it. The way the show actually solves crimes using logic (instead of some other adaptation).

There are many other things I find absolutely endearing, big and small (such as a random king dropping in to blackmail a lawyer or cylde, just anything related to clyde), I could go on for hours but the picture seems clear enough. The show isn't perfect, but it did good. It is good.

Sidenote: One thing that I feel is very important to point out which I also like is that the show makes it very obviously that all of it is based on the premise that Sherlock has a ridiculous amount of resources and time, both to be so knowledgeable himself as to take 2 different people under his tutelage. A small thing, but nonetheless important that they show his life is very much a result of privilege and hard work.

the painted hall / old royal naval college, london.

“““You’re not a monster,” I said. But I lied. What I really wanted to say was that a monster is not such a terrible thing to be. From the Latin root monstrum, a divine messenger of catastrophe, then adapted by the Old French to mean an animal of myriad origins: centaur, griffin, satyr. To be a monster is to be a hybrid signal, a lighthouse: both shelter and warning at once.””

—

— Ocean Vuong, from “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”

Hello, I hope you are doing well and that if not, that the tides will change soon. I once saw you say that you used journaling as a form of meditation. Could you elaborate and explain how you do that? Take care and stay safe!

It's quite simple. For me, meditation is nothing more than being present in the moment. Journaling allows me to ground myself in the present, as I write I hear the crisp sound my pen makes against the paper, I can see the way shadows shift as I move my hand around. I take the moment to pause and ponder, scratch things through and do all of this fully aware of only the very moment I am in, the very act I am engaging in. On top of that it helps me clear my mind and thus removes that distraction as well.

pictures from last night -- stayed on campus until 9 PM studying for my botany exam that i took this morning. i think i did really well!! 🪴

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Switched my phone to a distraction free one, I would have taken the step towards a dumb phone if it wouldn't take a month to come. In general I've been in pursuit of solitude. Much of my life has been defined by a struggle between things that are opposite but also not quite, I find solitude and companionship more complementing than contrasting and yet I cannot unify them. Perhaps theoretically, but theory can't always be implemented. I am not as plugged in as most and yet my erratic tendencies have left me with a lingering anxiety, the slowness of life can induce dread worse than that of a brain high on endless dopamine. Sometimes what I write here comes together as a cohesive whole, I'm not so sure about it this time.