Neal's connection to the art of paper-folding can be traced back to the flashback episode "Forging Bonds" where when he and Alex communicated via origami flowers. In "Bad Judgment," Kate left Neal an origami message in a bouquet of flowers at her father's grave. When Neal stole a painting in the first season episode "The Portrait," he replaced it with an origami butterfly.
Warning for minor spoilers for the Caffrey Conversation AU.
Neal's interest in origami was a plot element I wanted to maintain when I began writing for our AU. I had learned the technique at the American Museum Of Natural History in New York at one of their Christmas workshops and it gave me special pleasure to have Neal volunteer there as well (An Evening with Genji). When Neal learned Columbia University had accepted his application in my first story, Complications, he conveyed the news to Peter by means of a blue lion representing the Columbia mascot. In The Woman in Blue, Klaus Mansfeld hid a message for Neal in an origami leopard. Later, in An Evening with Genji, Neal related how he learned to make origami as a child from his first fencing instructor.
When Penna developed the idea for Neal to have a milestones box, she provided the perfect place for Neal to store his origami mementos. Since then, he has added several creations for successful cases, including a dinosaur for An Evening with Genji, a sailing ship for the capture of the Dutchman, and a dragon for the recovery of St. George and the Dragon.
The cybercriminal Azathoth is aware of Neal's interest in the Japanese art and manipulates it for his own purposes. In An Evening with Genji, he left a message on the Christmas tree at the museum. In Raphael's Dragon, he added an origami starfish to a hidden treasure box for Diana. By using origami, Azathoth demonstrates how familiar he is with Neal's interests. It's yet one more weapon in his arsenal as he wages his particular brand of psychological warfare.
Azathoth's use is more effective than even he may realize. In The Woman in Blue, Neal compares himself to a square of paper waiting to be folded. After assuming one shape, he then unfolds and refolds himself into another shape. Now Azathoth seems intent on reshaping Neal yet again.
Recently, I found that origami can also be an effective writing tool. For the past few stories, I've chosen an origami to symbolize it. It's my challenge to take that blank document and fold and refold the text until I have a complete story that can be published. Those paper symbols can take on a life of their own. Currently, I'm working on a story for the Crossed Lines series tentatively called Dark Rabbit, and that origami bunny is providing me with plenty of ideas.
Raphael's Dragon on Archive of Our Own
Raphael's Dragon on FanFiction
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