“He hasn’t noticed you’re missing. What does that tell you?”
John says nothing.
“You keep waiting, wondering when he will ask too much of you. You fear it because then you’ll have to choose between your self-respect and your compulsion to follow him. That’s it, isn’t it? You shot the cabbie, and it gave a whole new meaning to your life.”
Moriarty smiles, his eyes empty.
There’s no answer to this. John has been waiting, thinking he’ll reach the limit, but Sherlock only pushes, and asks, and John keeps giving.
“I have an idea,” Moriarty says. “Let’s find his limit.”
Part 7 of the More Words series, this one is for lovely reader CocoCrispian 💕
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I know I’m a loyal person. At least toward people who deserve my loyalty. After our first meeting in the lab at Barts, I didn’t consider that I’d be so committed to Sherlock as I became. Not to this extent. It frightens me sometimes, to be honest.
“You are quite loyal very fast,” Mycroft remarked when we first met. (When he abducted me, to be correct)
I puzzled him, and very few people were able to do that. Anyway, I passed the test and was “allowed” to move into 221B Baker Street.
God, I was so pissed off with him.
He was not the only one who irritated me, but he was Sherlock’s family, so mostly I let it slide.
When Sherlock brought me along to our first crime scene together, I was too stunned to speak my mind to the other yarders. Sherlock’s intellect had already amazed me profoundly, but when he listed all the things he observed from the pink clad woman on the floor, I was blown away, and there was no force in the world that could’ve silenced my praise.
“You know you are saying that out loud, yes?” he asked when I’d uttered the second ‘fantastic’.
I blushed and excused my behaviour; after all, we were standing around a murdered person. He brushed it away and said it was fine. It was evident that he’d never heard the words before. Not directed at him, at least, which I found incredibly sad.
So, when Sergeant Donovan warned me about him afterwards and referred to him as The Freak once more, I made up my mind.
***
As a doctor, I never believed in the label Sherlock put on himself as a sociopath. Granted, I am no psychiatrist, but I know he has empathy for (a few) people around him. Mrs Hudson is a good example.
When I first met her, she opened her arms to Sherlock, and he willingly hugged her as if she was a beloved family member. There was nothing artificial about it. It was genuine affection.
That said, he drove her mad fairly often, but the few details they both let slip about her past, told me that she was used to all sorts of ruckus and shenanigans. She needed excitement in her life just as much as we did.
Angelo is another one of Sherlock’s devoted fans, and Sherlock tolerates the gushing, and the teddy bear hugs admirably. It’s easy to discern that he feels relaxed in the Italian’s company, and his mask of indifference vanishes completely. I find it utterly fascinating to watch.
***
I was much more prepared at the next crime scene some weeks later.
Sherlock found nearly half a dozen clues in under one minute that had escaped the police. Both Anderson and Donovan mocked him and told everyone willing to listen that he made it all up to sound interesting. He didn’t bother to reply but kept the deductions coming. Luckily, Lestrade took notes and told the others to keep their mouth shut. They didn’t.
I decided to intervene and took a step toward them both, crowding them so they had to step back a few feet.
“What the hell?” they asked in unison.
I lowered my voice, which I knew was far more effective than yelling. By this point, my subordinates from the army would’ve realised that the best way forward was to keep mum and agree to everything I told them. Of course, Anderson and Donovan weren’t that clever. They both perceived me as non-threatening, a lap dog. Big mistake.
“If you two continue to call Sherlock Freak and to ridicule his deductions, you’d better watch your backs. The ice under your feet is about to crack real soon if this doesn’t stop.”
“Are you threatening a police officer, Doctor Watson?” Donovan asked in her normal condescending tone.
“That’s right, Sergeant.”
“We will report you to the Superintendent!” Anderson exclaimed in a high-pitched voice which hurt my ears.
“Please do. There are enough witnesses who have heard you two harass Sherlock every chance you get,” I said calmly.
“As if he’s not offending us,” Sally scoffed.
“Oh, I know he does. But he’s not the one starting it, is he? He only replies accordingly. I assume you’d done the same if you were in his shoes. Most people would. You should be ashamed of yourselves, acting like teenagers instead of adults. Grow up, for goodness’ sake!”
“But I – “
“Shut up, Anderson! He is summoned by your commanding officer, and he solves every case you lot are unable to. Surely, that should be enough for you to keep your thoughts about him to yourselves. Without him, dozens of criminals would still walk the streets of London. Feel free to correct me if you think I’m wrong.”
And with that, I walked away from them and stood a little closer to Sherlock than normal. He didn’t seem to mind one bit; he was practically beaming at me.
“Dinner?” he asked after he’d lifted the police tape for me.
“Starving,” I replied.
“Is Angelo’s, okay?”
“God yes!”
***
Neither of us made a big thing out of it when our hands brushed, and our fingers entwined a few moments later; it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Apparently, Angelo discerned that something had changed between us, but he didn’t remark on it. He just fetched a candle, lit it, and went to get us a bottle of wine on the house.
To my astonishment and delight, we reached for the other’s hand once we had removed our coat and jacket. A voice in my head told me I was on thin ice starting a romantic relationship with the slightly mad world’s only consulting detective, but I told it, in no uncertain terms, to stop bothering me. I was fine. It was all fine. More than fine, in fact.
Summary: John has finally taken the leap, and decides to direct his stories at a new audience. He is sceptical before the meeting with his new editor at Mike's pub, and when the young woman walks into The Dragon Slayer, John invents an emergency and flees the place.
sometimes I’m reminded that there are still people who don’t know ao3 was literally created by incest shippers — and the site’s sole purpose is to 1. be completely against censorship and 2. host all kinds of dark, taboo fics that are banned on other platforms — and the first ever fic that was posted on ao3 was a fic about an incest ship from supernatural.
you are in the house that was created by freaks. for freaks (affectionate). every disgusting thing you can think of is rightfully allowed and welcomed on ao3, because they are exactly the reasons why ao3 was created in the first place.
ao3 was created because its creators got tired of censorship, they got tired of dark and taboo fics getting banned on pro-censorship platforms, and they wanted a place that was safe for ALL FICS THAT WERE DARK AND TABOO.
ao3’s main principle is being against censorship and being proship / profic.
there are some things in fiction that make me uncomfortable, but instead of shaming people who are just minding their own business and not harming anyone in real life, I choose to curate my own internet experience by blocking/muting what I don’t want to see. ao3 has excellent tagging system, so instead of being a bitch, use their tagging system properly and you won’t see the things you don’t want to see.
it’s your job to curate what you see. it’s not other people’s jobs or responsibilities to censor themselves for your personal comfort. the world does not revolve around you.
also you cannot censor “only the things you personally hate” without expecting everything else, that isn’t of conservative beliefs, to be censored too. because censorship is a slippery slope and a fascist tool. I promise you there are people who think “why do tags for queer love even exist on ao3? they’re grooming children”.
if you allow the things that you hate to be censored — because someone with enough power gets to control what other people can and cannot create/consume, it will not stop at the things that you hate.
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For this end-of-career investigation into the disappearance of a gentleman’s army mate, we are astonished to hear from Holmes himself for the first time. There is no denying that Holmes’ narration lacks Watson’s warmth and poetic touch, but his two stories are not as inferior as some critics seem to think. It is true that compared to his earlier recollections in "The Gloria Scott” and “The Musgrave Ritual”, they could do with some joie de vivre, but that is only in keeping with the tone of the other tales from The Case-Book, including those narrated by Watson. What is evident is that, at the time he is writing these, Holmes does miss his friend terribly and funnels his loneliness into sarcastic remarks, as he is wont to do.
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A series inspired by the amazing artwork created for @ohlooktheresabee’s Pridelocked 2021 Collection
Do You Want to Know a Secret?
John has a secret. Does Greg want to know?
The Hike-n-Talk Fall
Sherlock is falling for John. Quite literally.
Paint Your Palette Lavender
Sherlock has an epiphany.
Giving Us Lift
How will John entertain Rosie while Sherlock is out on a case?
X Marks the Spots
After Mrs. Hudson accidentally gives Sherlock and John a pan of brownies enhanced with her herbal soothers, the boys engage in some pirate role play.
Well I’m Not NOW!
When Sherlock goes undercover in a drug den, John will go to any lengths to get him out. In the process, he’ll discover a very interesting length, indeed…
The Value of Deductions
If Sherlock had a gold coin for each of his deductions, would it be a blessing? Or a curse?
So there's a Bill Bryson book called The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way, which is a fun accessible book about English and etymology.
Are there any books/blog/documentaries kinda like that about non-English languages written in English for English speakers?
Because I really like learning fun trivia about languages but I don't want a textbook, you know? I like knowing that Chinese calls a penguin a business-goose, but I'm never going to learn Chinese. I know that English's history is unique, being three languages stacked on top of each other in a trench coat, but I want to know more about history and etymology in other languages. Like if there's something like "101 weird facts about Welsh" that'd be great.
I have one for Latin: A Natural History of Latin by Tore Jansson. Not as amusing or entertaining as Bryson (as I recall), but it's not a hard read, very clearly written, and it's interesting:
"No known language, including English, has achieved the success and longevity of Latin. French, Spanish, Italian, and Romanian are among its direct descendants, and countless Latin words and phrases comprise the cornerstone of English itself. A Natural History or Latin tells its history from its origins over 2500 years ago to the present. Brilliantly conceived, popularizing but authoritative, and written with the fluency and light touch that have made Tore Janson's Speak so attractive to tens of thousands of readers, it is a masterpiece of adroit synthesis.
The book commences with a description of the origins, emergence, and dominance of Latin over the Classical period. Then follows an account of its survival through the Middle Ages into modern times, with emphasis on its evolution throughout the history, culture, and religious practices of Medieval Europe. By judicious quotation of Latin words, phrases, and texts the author illustrates how the written and spoken language changed, region by region over time; how it met resistance from native languages; and how therefore some entire languages disappeared. Janson offers a vivid demonstration of the value of Latin as a means of access to a vibrant past and a persuasive argument for its continued worth. A concise and easy-to-understand introduction to Latin grammar and a list of the most frequent Latin words, including 500 idioms and phrases still in common use, complement the work."
Sherlock’s deductive mode sifts
Through all of the boxes John lifts,
‘Cause after their wedding
It’s time to be heading
Back home to unwrap all their gifts.
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Hold tight, barachiki has been doing some historical musing:
Let’s start here. The funny thing about Sherlock Holmes is that, despite 150 years of scholarship, adaptations, annotations and theorizing, you’ll still meet someone whose Holmes take is somehow even more unhinged than yours (tone indicator : affectionate). There are simply too many flavours of insanity.
Also, ACD wasn’t especially consistent with his own characters, so generations of fans have cheerfully built elaborate theories to explain all the contradictions.
Mary called Watson “James” one time, leading fans to say James was based on his middle name Hamish and Mary was using it as a pet name,
Mrs. Hudson was the but was accidentally called Mrs Turner in one story, so fans decided Mrs. Turner was a neighbor or a temporary cook hired to assist her.
What I’m trying to say is that headcanons have been around for aaaages. Some just more agreed upon than others.
Ok, getting back on track: When I was at university I think we were studying The Blue Carbuncle, I was internetting and stumbled across an article strongly pushing the idea that Watson had accumulated a whole bunch of wives throughout the stories. Mostly casual references and whatnot became clues, and we ended up with a whopping six wives. Through his evidence, he concluded that Watson's final wife was .... Mrs. Hudson. The evidence was... let's call it creative.
(I tracked it down. It's from 2002, and yes, it really exists: Counting Watson's Wives.)
I absolutely loved this bonkers theory (again, tone indicator: affectionate). My favourite part is that the author doesn't merely suggest the possibility. He confidently concludes:
"And on his sixth try, it looks like Watson finally got it right."
Nowadays we'd probably say, "here's my headcanon" "I've got a meta about that" or whatever. This guy looked at the Canon, built a board and connected some red string from of timelines, throwaway references, and whatever Victorian train schedules, and declared: "No, actually. This is what happened. You're welcome."
And honestly? That's what makes it so awesome.
Sherlockians have been doing exactly the same thing for ages, even in the face of so many plot holes and inconsistencies, they will pull things together and glue them into a way that makes sense for them.
Yeah this is an article from 2002 (ish?) but it cites reasoning from old ACD fandom lore throughout the whole thing. It's a nice reminder that tumblr fandom didn't invent elaborate theories, obscure evidence chains, or double down in the face of overwhelming uncertainty. We've always been like this.
Today it is just someone explaining why the secret fourth episode definitely exists, TJLC is real, and how Mary is actually Moran.
“Teachers are often unaware of the gender distribution of talk in their classrooms. They usually consider that they give equal amounts of attention to girls and boys, and it is only when they make a tape recording that they realize that boys are dominating the interactions. Dale Spender, an Australian feminist who has been a strong advocate of female rights in this area, noted that teachers who tried to restore the balance by deliberately ‘favouring’ the girls were astounded to find that despite their efforts they continued to devote more time to the boys in their classrooms. Another study reported that a male science teacher who managed to create an atmosphere in which girls and boys contributed more equally to discussion felt that he was devoting 90 per cent of his attention to the girls. And so did his male pupils. They complained vociferously that the girls were getting too much talking time. In other public contexts, too, such as seminars and debates, when women and men are deliberately given an equal amount of the highly valued talking time, there is often a perception that they are getting more than their fair share. Dale Spender explains this as follows: “The talkativeness of women has been gauged in comparison not with men but with silence. Women have not been judged on the grounds of whether they talk more than men, but of whether they talk more than silent women.” In other words, if women talk at all, this may be perceived as ‘too much’ by men who expect them to provide a silent, decorative background in many social contexts.”
—
PBS: Language as Prejudice - Myth #6: Women Talk Too Much (via misandry-mermaid)
Every EVERY women’s studies class I’ve been in has had this problem and failed to address it.
