#cocoapost

some part of me earnestly can't help but wonder what might have changed if cesare actually managed to do this before he died. what could have been different if he got popular enough from this puppet that he found a decent audience. if people started buying from him. if he got well-known from his work and got connected with others, ones higher-up on the social ladder. if he and his shop actually grew more famous than geppetto.

mud is panicking because he doesn't know how to distract a pretty violent robot from its goal -- especially one named diligence -- but after a few failed attempts and getting nowhere fast, he decides to say screw it and go for the seduction route (hey, the man's done more embarrassing things in his life than a little flirting).

and it... works? somehow??? as desperate as he is to keep the virtue's attention on him, diligence does seem to be into the flattery, at least, and far be it from mud to stop a plan when it's going well. in the end, however, he ends up fleeing with the others, happy to wipe his hands of the affair in the chaos and not tell anyone the specifics.

and that's when the Problem™ happens.

see, the Problem™ isn't that diligence is furious and wants some form of revenge, like he would've thought, (though he wishes that was the issue, he could handle that).

no, the Problem™ is that diligence is now apparently so enamored by the idea of having a supposed 'suitor' that they're now actually reciprocating, and strongly, to boot.

week after week, it's a flood of phone calls (where did they get his number?), gifts (where did they get his address?!), and bouquets (where did they even get those?! nothing grows here!), until the butcher shop is practically drowning in their letters of how they're waiting for him to return to paradise lost, finish what he started, come and take their virtue, already (he tore it up before the kiddos and ken could see, he's not. he's not even gonna start with that one).

mud is torn between a sense of pride for being able to apparently bag a virtue if he really wanted to, and wishing that he doesn't come back when he dies so he doesn't have to deal with all of this.

he cares about this role so much that he practices by himself every day, just to get the rhythm and emphasis of the lines right, something that doesn't stop even when he's elected to help lead the cast in their rehearsals and productions. steve's lost count of the amount of times in those early years when munk went over a line that was troubling him and fumble, only to growl in frustration, take a breath, and try again, sometimes late in the night, until he gets it just right.

primarily, it stems from a burning love of the work, but also a thirst for success and approval. he gets frustrated with himself if he or someone else slips up, because this is the most vital performance in the entire world. "mistakes" are simply not an option. you can either do it, or you can't. no inbetweens. he pushes his fellow cast members to be sure, but he pushes himself most of all. he has expectations, and he's absolutely determined to reach them.

it also adds on to why his anger at steve was so severe; if the two of them really were as close as they seem to be in canon, then steve knew how much this performance meant to him -- not just the planet, not the audience, to him -- and he blew it. he's not just upset, he feels let down by someone he considers a friend.

imagine a villainous hershel in a meeting with some of the lower grunts on the ladder, a dark pillar of genteel manners and terrifying charm, looking absolutely stone-faced at the head of the table and glaring at some schmuck who's running behind schedule for the third week in a row --

cats, the musical (this one is a given, obviously, but specifically the 1998 version. i think he'd be curious about the costume differences and vaguely fascinated by hearing the one "off" note that kept it from becoming a religion.)

the aristocats (he comes over to penny's place and watches it with her daughter, seeing as she has all the old disney films -- comes with the territory -- and finds it delightful, if not a little strange.)

the nutcracker ballet (no cats, but mice! theater! merriment and magic of all sorts! plus, drosselmeyer's general mystique and charm would resonate with him, i feel.)

chitty chitty bang bang (he would like it, but be only sorta into it until they get to the kingdom, when he would really get invested. the child catcher would outrage him for a whole load of reasons.)

anything else by andrew lloyd webber (he wants to see if the False Prophet has created anything else. imagine his surprise when there's a whole library to go through, and it's the exact same as clowndrew's.)

any batman movie / episode involving the joker (he would have Opinions and i want to hear them.)

doctor who (i think tim or billie should be the one who shows him, curious as to what he thinks of the logic and science. they are NOT prepared when munk not only understands the technology, but mentions that his people have far surpassed it in terms of advancement.)

like. sherlock, in the mildest terms, is Fucking Going Through It. lost his mom, is on poor terms with his brother, and is grappling with the idea of this otherworldly, cosmic entity connected to this case not only existing, but being real enough to influence his mind, the one place he considers -- perhaps on some level -- sacred, or at the very least, important. he is desperately trying to keep a grasp on himself and what he knows to be true, on top of keeping strictly on professional terms with watson instead of letting him in, even when it's obvious he's very dear to him.

this whole case has him going off the deep end and sinking further and further into this mystery. the fact that he doesn't feel in control of what's happening -- or even know what's happening, really -- is the one thing he's terrified of, in a way. he's scared that if he goes mad, or loses his mind, he won't have anything left of him. it's why it's one of the most pressing options during his confrontation with rochester.

it's also why his announcement to rochester of "i have made a friend," is so oddly tender in that scene. because if nothing else -- if he's either mad or still sane, if he knows that this is the end, if nothing else really does matter -- that much is true, as well. and that's not even getting into the ending and final cutscene of the game.

and watson! oh my gracious, watson. watson has no idea what the fuck he's doing or why he's involved in any of this, how he got dragged into this mess, only that he's following sherlock to help him and this case. watson underplays himself so much in this investigation, thinking himself as a coward in so many aspects, even when he's shown multiple times to be braver than he thinks; lying to gygax to eventually get the key, standing up to mycroft, being willing to follow sherlock practically into hell to help him, even if it makes him uncomfortable. he's trying to keep himself put together enough for the both of them.

he practically word vomits onto wolff in edelweiss about how he's stressed and confused and sort of wants a strand of a normal life again, and is just. so very clearly involved in this only because sherlock asked him to be, and how -- even when he CANNOT explain why -- he finds himself thrilled by it all and alive. and he does this only because wolff will forget almost immediately!!! and watson can act like nothing happened and he didn't say something absolutely devastating!!!!!

it's also why his standing up to mycroft for sherlock is also very tender. his comment of essentially, "i know you know him, i just wished you respected him". watson has no IDEA why the fuck he's following sherlock this far, but he respects him and his wishes, and cares for him enough to know when to help and when to step away, ("you asked me to intervene if i saw you cracking. this is me intervening!")

they are both so desperately trying to cling onto each other for this whole case, because they're BOTH damaged people trying to hold onto the only thing they each know to be true. they're each other's fail-safes, only going to stop if the other honestly -- sincerely -- wants to, but they won't!