In 2019 I wrote a short fic called The Story of Us, inspired by a line from the movie Arrival. It was an intriguing idea and good enough story, but it felt incomplete, as if I'd skipped over a lot of the best parts. I had ideas about it.
A few months later, I started writing a story called Palimpsest, but backed away from it when other things took my attention.
At some point, I realised that these two ideas were made for each other. The John from The Story of Us with the Sherlock of Palimpsest might create an interesting dynamic.
In May of 2020 I wrote Sherlock investigating the murder of Vincent Karpaty. He didn't know John yet, but John had already -- well, you'll see.
The Sibylline Book includes some of my favourite things: ancient books, manuscripts written in unknown languages, conlang nerds, cold cases, murders, Chicago, classical scholars feuding over trivial things, first meetings, a John Watson obsessively trying to read a story written eight hundred years ago, and our favourite consulting detective falling in love. Did I say murders?
And Johnlock, for sure 💕
I'm aiming for early 2026, but will give you a bit now:
“Where is his laptop?”
“Didn’t see one.”
“Really, Lestrade.” I’m holding up a power cord, still attached to the wall under the desk. “Obviously it’s been taken.”
“Okay, someone broke in and stole his laptop. Killed him when he caught them at it.”
“A rather stupid thief, then, since he left the mobile.” Plucking the cell phone off the floor, I flip it open. “Enabled for email. Maybe it’s here.”
“What’s here?”
“The last message he sent, warning his colleague.”
“Colleague?”
“Partner, whatever. He’s an archaeologist, an unlikely victim of murder, unless he was involved in something more than ancient history. For that, he would need a partner, a collaborator, a confederate. Here it is.” I pause, frowning at the phone.
“What, like smuggling artefacts? Running drugs?”
Ignoring Lestrade, I continue looking at the email.
Don't go home tonight.
It appears that our victim wasn’t warning his colleague; instead, he has received a warning himself. Not the only interesting feature of the case, but certainly worth looking into.
“So, they weren’t supposed to kill him? What were they after? And why not take the phone?”
“I don’t know yet. Probably thought the laptop had what they wanted. When I’ve studied the message, I might have a better idea.”
“His last email?”
I raise my hand for a cab. “Trace the sender for me. The name’s JH Watson.”
Lestrade grimaces. “Common name. I’ll see what I can do.”
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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.
“june is over so now it’s gay wrath month” blah blah reminder that july is disability pride month and is often ignored and disregarded!! funnel that wrath into advocating for your disabled peers and amplifying their voices
Chapter 9 - Celebration, Nail Polish, and a Corpse
Summary: They keep their marriage small and private, and their wedding night is celebrated in the best possible way. There is no time for a honeymoon; everyday life is calling, and the two girls meet two very different and interesting women.
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I'd like to get to 100. Soon? I have a few things in the hopper but also three kids (what???) and a lot on IRL, so, if you're up for it, help me get there with prompts and encouragement. I'm open to your little whims.
I found two G-RATED oldie-but-goodies from the Watsonian and have posted them:
The Tenderness of Patient Minds (7935 words) by mistyzeo
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Case Fic, World War I, Post-World War I, Sherlock Holmes Retires to Sussex, Sherlock Holmes's Retirement, POV John Watson, Watson solves the case
Summary:
That Holmes retired to Sussex at the turn of the new century is a matter of public record, but the details of my accompanying him must necessarily be passed over in narrative. For this reason, and for several others which may become apparent, the story of Private William Daniels’ year in France will almost certainly not make it into print. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to write it down.
The Adventure of the Doctor and the Duellist (11824 words) by mistyzeo
Chapters: 8/8
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Original Character/Original Character
Characters: Isadora Persano
Additional Tags: Bigender Characters, Nonbinary Character, Queer Character, Queer Themes, First Time, First Kiss, Mutual Pining, Case Fic, Untold Cases of Sherlock Holmes, Queer John Watson, Bisexual John Watson, Closeted Character, Queer Sherlock Holmes, John Watson Loves Sherlock Holmes, Virgin Sherlock Holmes
Summary:
One unusual case that was unsuitable for publication took place in early September, 1895, some eighteen months after Holmes had returned from what I privately called his Unexpected World Tour: that of Isadora Persano, the well-known journalist and duellist, who was found stark staring mad with a match box in front of him which contained a remarkable worm said to be unknown to science. I took notes during the course of events and will now attempt to realign it into a narrative, but I am certain that this particular puzzle will have to go into the box at Cox & Co. and may not be retrieved until very long hence. The story is simultaneously unsatisfactory and unsuitable, though it demonstrates the quickness of Holmes's deductive talents, but as it resulted in a critical shift in the tone of Holmes's and my partnership I am nonetheless compelled to write it down.
In ASiP we are told that Harry was married ti Clara, so Harry's a lesbian or at least partly attracted to women. John seems to resent Harry because of her drinking habit, but what if this resentment made him dislike the idea of himself being gay, or bi. And that's why he's so quick to correct people when they ask if he's dating Sherlock.
I don't know if this has been done before, I'm relatively new to tumblr and have never made a post before lolll
A year into their separation, John has been remembering Sherlock with the rosiest tint of glasses. The human organs were endearingly quirky. His hubris was deserved. His deductions were perfect, etc. John's dreams are less bloody and more nostalgically depressive.
Go to Ao3 for the rest of this piece!
An Ode to the Arms Flailing About Whilst He Talked
His arms were corded, white, and long.
Tipped with dext'rous fingers, dyed.
They stroked his violin — thought-song —
Conducted his deductive pride.
O, perfect limbs of warm restraint
You framed my friend, a Logic Saint.
I know you arms held secret darks
Within your elbow joints, the scars,
But long since past and fading marks
You'd moved to holding burning tars.
O, shaking arms, if you could hear,
I only yelled because of fear.
Your bicep strong, skin milky pale,
To shoulder — languid, waiting, warm —
You crossed the line, not fe- nor male
To me, you were just Sherlock's arm.
O, limbs I miss beyond all measure,
You deserved to feel more pleasure.
Oft' hidden deep within the folds
Of black cloth — Belstaff-made, a prize —
Sometimes at home, through heats and colds,
A rolled-up sleeve would tantalize.
O, arms that punctuated beats,
I wish I'd seen you swathed in sheets.*
You left before I had the chance —
Your arms to hold,
My hands to dance.
*The palace incident doesn't count, jackass.
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It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but that you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it.
[ID: Digital painting, a recreation of one of Leyendecker's Interwoven Socks ads, of a gentleman sitting in a wooden chair before a wooden desk, clutching some envelopes in hand. Instead, it's Dr Watson as played by David Burke, and there's an assortment of chemistry vials on the desk as well as a microscope.
Watson's in a light suit and has a yellow flower pinned to his lapel. The chair he sits in is a swivel one. He sits before a solid coral background. /end ID]
(details and some rambling under the cut!)
While I mostly find that quote up there like a big backhanded compliment, there's a part of me that finds it really endearing.
I think, the question is, can pure sunshine be a conductor of light? Because that's what Watson, especially David Burke's, is to me.
I started this study on the day Mr Burke's passing was shared publicly without knowing if I'd finish it, but I ended up chipping away at it light by little these past few days. I hope I have managed to do him even the slightest bit of justice 💛
Anyway, deets!
[ID: An assortment of details of the above illustration, each focusing on a different part of the image. In order:
Sherlock huffed a silent laugh at the trite fortune cookie paper he held in his hands.
Behind him, he heard a fellow patron snicker as well and he quickly turned around to see what he could deduce.
Read it here on AO3
The year is halfway over and I've managed to make my very first contribution to the 'Fortune Cookie Fic Collection' on ao3! Ahhhhgh!!
Feel free to jump in with your own one-shots, ficlets, or full-fledged stories anytime this year! Mostly just challenging myself to try something outside the box and to just WRITE! haha 🫶💕🥠but I'd love to have friends join me! (Plus who doesn't love a little luck?)
Summary: Six weeks have passed in a whirlwind of tedious chores in the wake of Harry and Clara's demise. John is exhausted and constantly on edge; he finds it hard to completely believe that things are working out so perfectly. Sherlock decides to intervene.
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The Sandcastle Suite by CumberCurlyGirl (M)
John thinks he knows how to get Sherlock down to the beach.
Sun, Sea and Sandy Cracks by Chaosopher (G)
John, Sherlock, Rosie and Mrs. Hudson are at the seaside! How will Sherlock cope with the utter domesticity?
Sand in his shoes by crazycatt71 (G)
Sherlock doesn't understand John's love & fasination with the beach but he will go because he loves John.
Loudly, Loudly by tellywhich (stargrit) (E)
John and Sherlock's beach holiday would have been perfect if it weren't for those honeymooners next door. Leave it to Sherlock to come up with a solution…
Sand castles by Johnlock_4_ever (T)
Sherlock is bored out of his mind at the beach. John has an idea to make the day a little less boring for his boyfriend.
Studland by ChrisCalledMeSweetie (T)
Sherlock and John visit a nude beach.
This list will be on hiatus while I post a chapter from my FTH fic every day in July. Short & Sweet Johnlock Fic Recs will resume in August.
