Meh

Oh wow what a tough question! First of all I'm honored that you trust my opinion on this matter <3 Second of all my favorite adaptations aren't necessarily the ones you should go to first. So I'm going to list 5 favorites and why I like them so you can decide which order to watch/listen/play them in.

Granada. This one is obvious. Granada (aka The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett and David Burke/Edward Hardwicke which ran from 1984-1994) is widely considered to be THEEE definitive Sherlock Holmes, and for good reason. It's incredibly book accurate (the cast and crew were all major fans of the books, and that really comes through) and wonderfully done. This show is the closest we've ever gotten to a 1-1 retelling of the stories, with no original cases. The whole show is available for free on youtube and tubi.

Elementary. I overlooked this show for sooo many years and I'm so glad I finally watched it because now I'm obsessed. It is THE modern adaptation. Holmes and Watson's dynamic in this is so fun (normally I ship them romantically but they have such good platonic soulmate vibes in this one, just absolute ride-or-die besties with not a single hint of sexual tension) and the cases are actually fantastic! These are all original mysteries (although some cases reference original stories, they're changed pretty drastically) and the show follows a modern detective procedural format. They also do a great job of taking characters who only appear for a tiny bit in the books (like Moriarty and Kitty Winter) and fleshing them out into really fascinating people. This show also deals a lot with Holmes' addiction in a really heartfelt and compassionate way, more effectively than any other adaptation I've seen so far.

Fawx & Stallion. This one is a podcast and while it's technically a Sherlock Holmes adaptation, Holmes and Watson are NOT the main characters. Basically the concept is: what if Holmes and Watson had neighbors who were also trying to be detectives but they kind of sucked at it and were constantly pissed off at the much more successful detectives who lived down the street? And it's HILARIOUS. Holmes and Watson do play a part in the show, don't worry (much more so in season 2) and I don't want to spoil too much but this show is very queer (there's like 2 token straight characters in the whole show basically) and they actually had the guts to make Holmes canonically gay, thank god. Also the creators are on tumblr @224bbaker and they're currently working on season 3!

The Beekeeper's Picnic. This is a lovely little game made by a lovely indie creator (who's actually active on tumblr @beekeeperspicnic and AO3!) where a retired Holmes puts together a picnic for Watson so he can ask him a very important question. This is the coziest of cozy games. I snuggled up with a blanket and tea to play it and it was one of the sweetest evenings I've had in a while. The writing and voice acting are both fantastic, and this game focuses less on mysteries and more on the human side of Sherlock Holmes and his deep, undying affection for his best friend and partner. This game is also explicitly queer and was made by a queer creator!

Sherlock Holmes (1954). Known within the fandom as Howard Holmes, this weird little TV show is very silly and absolutely delightful. The dynamic between Holmes and Watson is goofy and wonderful. Howard Holmes is so puppydog coded, idk how else to explain it. I love him. (Some of the episodes haven't exactly aged well, just a warning. This was made in the 50s, so whaddaya gonna do.) Also available for free on youtube and tubi.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes; A Game of Shadows (aka Guy Ritchie Holmes aka the one with RDJ and Jude Law.) These are not very book accurate and they're kinda dumb BUT they're fun and I like them. RDJ is an excellent super chaotic Holmes and their dynamic is a deliciously angsty combo of desperately yearning Holmes/deeply repressed Watson clinging to heterosexuality. Also Stephen Fry shows up as Mycroft in the second movie and he's great.

Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One and Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (aka Frogwares Holmes). This duo of games deals with a much younger Sherlock (the first one is him in his early 20s before he meets Watson and the second is in the early days of their partnership) and his MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA. This is a severely mentally ill and tragically fucked up version of Holmes and he's such a sad wet kitten and I want to wrap him in a blanket burrito. Oh also there's eldritch gods in the second one.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. This video game is a prequel to the Ace Attorney series and takes place in Victorian era England and also Sherlock Holmes is there. The main reason this game isn't in my top 5 is because Holmes and Watson are not the main characters and there are large chunks of the game where they're not really present at all. BUT their characterizations are so fun (Holmes has an adoptive daughter and he's written sooo well as a doting but chaotic girldad) and their relationship is gorgeous. Also this Holmes is maybe the fruitiest he's ever been in any adaptation (he's literally a blonde twink). This adaptation also really dives into the whole "Holmes Keeps Adopting Random Children" thing, which I adore.

Warlock Holmes by G. S. Dennings, specifically the audiobooks by Graphic Audio. This one is hard to categorize because technically they’re novels and then audiobooks but the audiobooks have full casts and sound effects and a soundtrack so it’s actually more like a full on audiodrama. So even though it’s not technically a podcast I basically think of it as one.

I've seen ones today including photos, dates of birth, place of birth even!

So many women feel the need to mention their young children in their cover letters and CVs. Some young people slip in that they can't drive, a sort of pre-emptive "but it's okay I have a bus pass". So many people go and shove their mental health issues with anxiety and depression in there.

I remember one girl had clearly been told that she needed to explain any gaps in employment in the cover letter (terrible blanket advice), and so had described how she had developed depression after a traumatic miscarriage and spent a year in a terrible spiral getting worse and worse before getting on a new medication that, and I quote, "seemed to be finally starting to work." There are ways she could have written that information if she was desperately wanting to include it (I cannot stress enough that she should not have included a word of it), but the way it was written was almost literally a description of how she would be a horrendously unreliable employee who could dip out at a moment's notice and would never be seen again, while also demonstrating that she cannot determine appropriate professional communication.

(And for the record, the latter is the actual issue. I have no problems at all hiring employees with mental health issues, and did several times hire people in recovery to help them get back on their feet. Only once did that not work out; all others were amazing, and two became some of our best employees - one is now a manager there, in fact. But if an employee can't be trusted not to over share personal information with customers or colleagues, particularly triggering topics... That's a different issue. She did herself no favours at all there, and nor did whoever told her employers will always need employment gaps explaining in a cover letter).

Another guy once wrote in his cover letter "I want this job because after years of messing about I now have a little girl, so I need to sort my life out for her, and if I can't do it even for her then more fool me." Which, like, I admire the drive and passion. But again. Why are you telling an employer that you're a flight risk. Why are you telling us this.

One 18 year old volunteered, unforced, that he was gay. Just right in the cover letter. That he sent to a future employer.

And then, of course, the thousands that send in CVs and cover letters that are horrendously mis-spelled. Again, as an employer, I care dick-all if you're dyslexic or what have you; but I do care that you didn't think it was important to get someone to proofread a professional document for you before submission. That tells me quite a big thing about the level of professionalism I can expect from you in the role. It wasn't massively relevant for the job I was hiring for (escape room game master), but if we'd had slightly different job duties (e.g. writing official soc med posts), that would be the difference between getting an interview or not.

So, my insurance has been trying to not cover my SNRI because it is new on the market and no generic available yet, so pricey.

I apply for a refill and the request gets locked for review. Again. For the 3rd time.

This time I call and immediately ask to speak to the actual doctor making these clinical decisions. Very politely. Must be a slow day because they allow it.

ME: [Teacher voice] I'm calling in regards to the SNRI you have placed a lock on. Why was this decision made?

DOC: Well, there are dozens of other medications on the market in that tier, and far cheaper for you and [insurer]. We have sent a request to your doctor to consider alternatives.

ME: I am aware of that. So, can you do me a HUGE favor and look up my prescription history really quickly and tell me how many SSRIs and SNRIs were only filled once in 2022 for me, showing they were poorly tolerated?

DOC: It looks like eight.

ME: Great job! Now, can you please look at my genetic test for psychiatric drug tolerance and tell me how many medications are listed in the safe category?

DOC: Two.

ME: Awesome! Now, can you tell me what type that other drug is that I'm not taking?

DOC: Yeah, totally, it's an MAOI.

ME: That's correct, you're really knowledgeable! Should I be taking something as dangerous as an MAOI with my other medications, or even just in general?

DOC: It's contraindicated for sure.

ME: It is! So true! So, last question since you've been incredibly smart and helpful. Is it less expensive for [insurer] to pay out for the medication knowing they already get a huge manufacturer discount anyway, or is it more expensive for them to pay for me to need potentially long-term inpatient psychiatric care?

DOC: I'll clear the code, ma'am and flag it as medically necessary. I'm sorry about this.

ME: I appreciate you SO MUCH. You have a great day now.

reasons to start can include:

the hobby industry wants only for us to keep buying and never use, so using the stuff pushes back

some hobby items do not survive long term storage

if there's some craft or hobby thing that you want to do but feel your skills aren't up to, consider that those skills won't improve if you don't practice on other things

using it allows it to move from the hobby hoard to the [whatever you made it into] hoard, where you may be more likely to enjoy it more often than just when you specifically look at the hobby hoard

making things is good for the brain

So, I know exactly how it feels to be saving that thing for something special

and also how--for me--it normally ends up feeling pretty special to use it at all

Not always, though! there will inevitably be hobby projects that don't go the way you expected. I have learned (and am still learning) to acknowledge that nothing's perfect and mistakes happen and then move on to the next project.

#this includes sports/movement hobbies#use your skates your bicycle use the fuckin. soccer ball you have in the back of your closet. go crazy

Yes! Every hobby. The crafty hobbies, the art hobbies, the movement hobbies, the food hobbies, the game hobbies (tabletop and video), the music hobbies, the fashion hobbies, the "it's all done on the computer" hobbies, the "go out in nature" hobbies, and every other kind of hobby.

There are entire industries associated with most hobbies, and each of those industries very often wants you to think the stuff you already have isn't enough, that the next purchase will be what really kicks the hobby into gear for you.

Plastics deteriorate, bugs get into stuff, gaskets leak, electronics fail (or the manufacturer stops supporting them), things fall apart, wild plots of land get developed, things expire or dry up or otherwise become unusable while in storage.

No matter what it is: if you want your skills to improve, they won't get better by waiting for it to happen. You can never enjoy what you don't do.

Using it allows it to be shared more readily--showing it to friends, giving it as gifts, making it part of your daily life, chatting with people who have similar interests. Keeping everything in storage not only isolates the things, but it doesn't do much for your own sense of community, either, does it?

Of course, if you're happy to be a dragon sitting on your hoard, that's great for you! Genuinely! But, if there's even a hint in your mind that maybe you might want to use it...? It could be the time to start.

Going through your stash and figuring out what you want to use, where your tastes have changed and you now know you won't ever want to use, and what you didn't get around to using before it became otherwise unusable, and then paying attention to and remembering these things, can help you keep the stash from growing so much in the future

Having your hobby stash be more focused can help you be more likely to use the things, because it's not as overwhelming

Actively using the things can help you see that, quite possibly, it doesn't take as much as you thought to make the things you want to make, and your existing stash--even after you've started using it, given a lot of the unwanted stuff away, and gotten rid of the ruined stuff--will already be able to provide materials for years' worth of projects

And it can help you be more selective when acquiring more--for example, I am now a lot better at recognizing that, yes, I might be able to see the potential in something, but, if it's not necessarily the potential for something I actually want to make, so I am more able to pass on it

It can also help you identify gaps--there might be something you've been making do with that works well enough, but is annoying or painful or otherwise unpleasant to use, so you are far more likely to just not do it at all, and there might be something that would solve that. This is not the same as the thinking that says "If I buy this next New Thing, then I'll really start the hobby!"—this is about already being engaged with the hobby and analyzing what could help with what you're already doing. (This applies to not only tools, but also things like taking the time to get a sewing pattern adjusted to fit the way you want, or re-arranging storage so it works better for you, or making a point of de-linting and oiling and changing the needle on your sewing machine on a regular basis)

Notice I used the auxiliary verb "can" in the paragraphs up there—nothing is universal, and I acknowledge that. What works for me will not necessarily work for you.

For me, personally, though: I gave away so much (I have crafty friends and access to a craft thrift store and that helps), threw away a lot (so much cardboard), used a large amount (including most of what I brought in after analyzing the things I let go), and my craft stash is still enormous.

Patronus was invented by a transphobe.

To 2025:

Hell, they even cover the devastating heaviness of MASS SHOOTINGS without censoring or watering anything down.

They've been doing this for YEARS, and it's ALWAYS handled with dignity, respect, seriousness, understanding, and love.

This clip is from 1968 and discussed assassination after Bobby Kennedy died.

We need to start commenting under other people's posts about how to properly warn for flashing lights and eyestrain. We need to be emailing and calling companies about their possibly triggering advertisements that could induce seizures. We need to stop tolerating ableism and start speaking up for the more vulnerable.

Also, stop putting epilepsy warnings. That's like saying "warning: schizophrenia" on a post including unreality or "warning: dyslexia" on a post with a typing quirk. First off, the disability mentioned isn't the only group of people that this could trigger. Second, it doesn't truly get the message across and instead makes it worse for those with the disability-- scrolling through the epilepsy tag on Tumblr should get you to view the content of other epileptic people, but no, you just get a bunch of flashing lights and eyestrain, even though you could instead tag for, oh I dunno, flashing lights and eyestrain.