#&&. quick man. if you love me! (watson & holmes)

[voilaammayi]

okay okay wait a second

victor trevor interrupting stranger’s conversation just because he heard the name sherlock holmes in it? asking if he has been mentioning him? being the only friend sherlock had in college? remembering that the one kind of pasta he eats is penne and having his own predictions about who sherlock’d be in the future? asking right away if he’d been right? thinking that sherlock of all people was a great laugh? and have I heard being in between boyfriends???

finally, speaking about sherlock with this warm nostalgic tone and always with a bashful laugh hidden behind it? oh my, mister victor trevor, you were in love!

and don’t mind me at all, but I’m having a certain vision - of sherlock and victor in college, victor coming late to their dorm after long evening studying in the library or a night out with friends in a pub, and finding sherlock transfixed on some experiment, of course having gone a whole day without a proper meal. victor complaining loudly about you and your fucked up diet, honestly, sherlock, but at the same time getting ready to go make sherlock some pasta for a late night diner. because did you know this penne with mascarpone and tomato sauce that is the only pasta sherlock eats, is originally a victor’s recipe? and after it’s done, them both sitting on a couch, sherlock eating from a pot - they’re students after all, the dishes are in a big dirty pile in the sink - while victor watches him out of the corner of his eye. then the rest of the evening spend on Sherlock talking about his experiment, some interesting plant or a new deduction, while victor just listens to him with a dreamy expression on his face, because that’s what he has been waiting the whole day for.

and I won’t speculate whether sherlock was in love, too, because the man is a mystery to me, but I do imagine victor calling him after the events of gloria scott, asking if he can come by to baker street to thank properly for solving the case. after sherlock agrees - but invites him over when he knows nor john neither mariana would be home - victor arrives with a shoping bag in hand and, in spite of some attempts at protest close to it’s not necessary, he prepares the penne pasta for sherlock one last time. then all is done and there’s no excuse for him to stay longer, really, so he stands up to say goodbye. quick enough for sherlock to not be able to do anything about it, victor kisses him on the cheek. but he had been watching sherlock during the case and heard enough my dear watson to know that he has lost his chance. so he says simply good luck, sherlock and walks out of baker street.

john would come back to the flat few moments later to find sherlock standing in a doorway, hands holding his cheeks. sherlock being even weirder than usual, john would get worried and trying to pry any information from him, even checking his temperature by a quick touch to the forehead. but as sherlock doesn’t comply, in the end john would just shrug his shoulders and leave him alone, only to become perplexed seconds later, when he enters the kitchen.

because there are leftovers of penne with mascarpone and tomato sauce already on the countertop, while john himself was just about to cook them this same thing for dinner.

[lexie-squirrel]

Sherlock Holmes is autistic

- “...he had contrived, with that cat-like love of personal cleanliness which was one of his characteristics”. (HOUN) -  “I have [...] an abnormally acute set of senses” (BLAN) - “My friend, who loved above all things precision and concentration of thought, resented anything which distracted his attention from the matter in hand” (SOLI) - “I was never a very sociable fellow, Watson, always rather fond of moping in my rooms and working out my own little methods of thought, so that I never mixed much with the men of my year" (GLOR) -  “Who could come tonight? Some friend of yours, perhaps?” “Except yourself I have none, - he answered. - I do not encourage visitors” (FIVE) - “...his disinclination to form new friendships...” (GREE) - “Without having a tinge of cruelty in his singular composition, he was undoubtedly callous from long over-stimulation. There was no trace then of the horror which I had myself felt at this curt declaration, but his face showed rather the quiet and interested composure of the chemist who sees the crystals falling into position from his over-saturated solution” (VALL) Low empathy - “He was a man of habits, narrow and concentrated habits“ (CREE) - “He had a horror of destroying documents, especially those which were connected with his past cases [...] Thus month after month his papers accumulated, until every corner of the room was stacked with bundles of manuscript which were on no account to be burned, and which could not be put away save by their owner” (MUSG) - “He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge “(STUD) - “...never have I wondered at it more than upon that spring morning in Cornwall when for two hours he discoursed upon celts, arrowheads, and shards” (DEVI) special interest/infodumping - “'My dear doctor,' said he, kindly, 'pray accept my apologies. Viewing the matter as an abstract problem, I had forgotten how personal and painful a thing it might be to you. I assure you, however, that I never even knew that you had a brother until you handed me the watch” (SIGN) low empathy - “Arrest you!' said Holmes. 'This is really most grati - most interesting. On what charge do you expect to be arrested?” (NORD) low empathy -  “We were residing at the time in furnished lodgings close to a library where Sherlock Holmes was pursuing some laborious researches in early English charters” (3STUD) special interest - “My friend's temper had not improved since he had been deprived of the congenial surroundings of Baker Street. Without his scrap-books, his chemicals, and his homely untidiness, he was an uncomfortable man” (3STUD)  - “Holmes could talk exceedingly well when he chose, and that night he did choose. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation. I have never known him so brilliant. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects - on miracle plays, on mediæval pottery, on Stradivarius violins, on the Buddhism of Ceylon, and on the warships of the future - handling each as though he had made a special study of it” (SIGN) special interest/infodumping - “His studies are very desultory and eccentric, but he has amassed a lot of out-of-the-way knowledge which would astonish his professors” (STUD) - “He is not a man that it is easy to draw out, though he can be communicative enough when the fancy seizes him” (STUD) - 'Holmes is a little too scientific for my tastes - it approaches to cold-bloodedness. I could imagine his giving a friend a little pinch of the latest vegetable alkaloid, not out of malevolence, you understand, but simply out of a spirit of inquiry in order to have an accurate idea of the effects” (STUD) low empathy - “He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge” (STUD) - “He seized me by the coat-sleeve in his eagerness, and drew me over to the table at which he had been working” (STUD) personal space problems - “With an apology for my intrusion, I was about to withdraw, when Holmes pulled me abruptly into the room, and closed the door behind me” (REDH)  personal space problems - “...his long, nervous fingers tapping upon the arms of his chair...” (DISA) stimming - “He paced restlessly about our sitting-room in a fever of suppressed energy, biting his nails, tapping the furniture” (BRUC) stimming - “He began biting his nails and staring blankly out of the window” (STOC) stimming - “Yes, I have been guilty of several monographs. They are all upon technical subjects. Here, for example, is one "Upon the Distinction Between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccos." In it I enumerate a hundred and forty forms of cigar, cigarette, and pipe tobacco, with coloured plates illustrating the difference in the ash” (SIGN) special interest - “'Well, he's that strange, sir. After you was gone he walked and he walked, up and down, and up and down, until I was weary of the sound of his footstep” [...]  “I was myself somewhat uneasy when through the long night I still from time to time heard the dull sound of his tread...” (SIGN) stimming - “...in his nervous restlessness, he could not sit still, but paced the carriage or drummed with his long, sensitive fingers upon the cushions beside him” (THOR) stimming - “He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century” (STUD) special interest - “When left to himself, however, he would seldom produce any music or attempt any recognized air. Leaning back in his arm-chair of an evening, he would close his eyes and scrape carelessly at the fiddle which was thrown across his knee” (STUD) stimming? - “But this is my special hobby, and the differences are equally obvious. There is as much difference to my eyes between the leaded bourgeois type of a Times article and the slovenly print of an evening halfpenny paper as there could be between your Negro and your Esquimaux” (HOUN) special interest - “'You are hungry”, I remarked. “Starving. It had escaped my memory. I have had nothing since breakfast”.''Nothing?'' “Not a bite. I had no time to think of it” (FIVE) eating problems - “...for days on end he would lie upon the sofa in the sitting-room, hardly uttering a word or moving a muscle from morning to night” (STUD) a shutdown? - “My friend had no breakfast himself, for it was one of his peculiarities that in his more intense moments he would permit himself no food, and I have known him presume upon his iron strength until he has fainted from pure inanition” (NORW) eating problems - “But how do you know that it is hereditary?” ''Because my brother Mycroft possesses it in a larger degree than I do” [...] “He has an extraordinary faculty for figures, and audits the books in some of the Government departments“. [...] . There are many men in London, you know, who, some from shyness, some from misanthropy, have no wish for the company of their fellows. [...] My brother was one of the founders, and I have myself found it a very soothing atmosphere”. [GREE] autism run in families - “We had a pleasant little meal together, during which Holmes would talk about nothing but violins” (CARD) special interest/infodumping - “For two hours the strange business in which we had been involved appeared to be forgotten, and he was entirely absorbed in the pictures of the modern Belgian masters. He would talk of nothing but art, of which he had the crudest ideas” (HOUN) special interest/infodumping - “I remember that during the whole of that memorable day he lost himself in a monograph which he had undertaken upon the Polyphonic Motets of Lassus” [...] “As to Holmes, he returned refreshed to his monograph upon the Polyphonic Motets of Lassus, which has since been printed for private circulation, and is said by experts to be the last word upon the subject” (BRUC) special interest - “Kindly look her up in my index, Doctor,' murmured Holmes, without opening his eyes. For many years he had adopted a system of docketing all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that it was difficult to name a subject or a person on which he could not at once furnish information” (SCAN) - “Sherlock Holmes sat moodily at one side of the fireplace cross-indexing his records of crime” (FIVE) - “The first day Holmes had spent in cross-indexing his huge book of references. The second and third had been patiently occupied upon a subject which he had recently made his hobby - the music of the Middle Ages” (BRUC) special interest - “An anomaly which often struck me in the character of my friend Sherlock Holmes was that, although in his methods of thought he was the neatest and most methodical of mankind, and although also he affected a certain quiet primness of dress, he was none the less in his personal habits one of the most untidy men that ever drove a fellow-lodger to distraction” (MUSG) - “Sherlock Holmes was a man, however, who when he had an unsolved problem upon his mind would go for days, and even for a week, without rest” (TWIS) sleep problems - “The mere sight of his excellent appetite was an assurance of success, for I had very clear recollections of days and nights without a thought of food” (VALL) eating problems - “You are knocking yourself up, old man,' I remarked. 'I heard you marching about in the night”. ''No, I could not sleep”, he answered” (SIGN) sleeping problems - “I do not know how far Sherlock Holmes took any sleep that night, but when I came down to breakfast I found him pale and harassed, his bright eyes the brighter for the dark shadows round them” (NORW) sleep problems

[thegildedbee]

Sherlock Fic Recs: Christmas Edition {2023}

❄️ Gather ~ ☃️ ☃️ ☃️ ~ 'round and 🎉 make 🎷merry🍹, all ye fic-loving fandom elves -- 'tis the season to shine a spotlight🕯️on Sherlockian Christmas fics!!! Here are some of my favorites -- I tried to pick ones that I haven't seen mentioned in recent lists that have been in my tumblr stream. Whether they're new to you, or just a reminder to re-visit faves, enjoy!!! ❄️ [In order of the year they were published.] ........................................................... 1. I'm Not His Date [2014] by objetpetita [ 17,029 words / T ] :: It all starts in a Boston coffee shop, where English professor Sherlock Holmes upends a visiting John Watson in a clever and fun "meet cute" (or "meet irritating-pompous-insufferable") in a whirlwind of Sherlockian proportions, and we're off to the races. There is a snowfight on the Common, Death Driving Miss Daisy: Lacan and Popular Culture, a Harry & Clara Christmas Eve wedding, witches, and a very boozy department party. It's as adorable as my favorite Christmas rom-com film, The Holiday. And it starts off with a corker of a first sentence: "It was morning, it was zero bloody degrees, everything around him was unfamiliar and American and cold, and John Watson was right on that inhuman precipice between still drunk and terribly hung over."

2. 5,687 (Approximately) [2015] by prettysailorsoldier [ 6,771 words / T ] :: Just a few years post-uni, Sherlock is enduring the agonies of a long-distance relationship with his boyfriend, who is on deployment in Afghanistan. During those times when John's on leave, the last people Sherlock wants to see are the idiots at the Met, so they've never caught sight of John and think he is a figment of Sherlock's imagination -- especially since he can't get home that Christmas. The set-up is sketched out with delightful fic flair, and the ending is not only sweet, but satisfyingly punitive [ c/o a very bamf John ]. The text messaging is some of my favorite writing in the Sherlock fandom -- their relationship in all of its multi-dimensionality comes through beautifully.

3. The 12 Truths of Christmas [2016] by @breath4soul [ 3,321 words / T ] :: This is a fic that has at its core the surfacing of unspoken emotional attraction betweenJohn and Sherlock via a very fun concept: “In place of some appalling or imbecilic gift inflicted upon me in the name of tradition on Christmas day, I propose that you provide me with one previously unknown fact about you for each day leading up to Christmas. 12 in total, John.” #9 has all the feels, and is a tour de force -- every time I re-read it it makes me break out in a smile, even though I know what's coming. Sherlock breaks out somewhat more: "Sherlock feels a flood of heat in several places at once. He stands up quickly and walks to his violin. He plays wild, erratic snaps of quick-paced music." The author has a whimsical and entirely understandable note to add: "You may fall in love with John reading this - I did." 4. The Romance Was There [2017] by @apliddell [ 4,011 words / G ] :: The author deserves an award for this being one of the best uses of Harry Watson in a fic, and of HW by Sherlock in a fic :-) 221B has never been cozier, Sherlock has never been more winsome, and John is a species type model of John in all of his clueless Johnness. The narrative dances along and sparkles and shines as seduction evolves, and Sherlock's rogueish charm is on full display. There's a poignant and endearing confessional letter, plus there's a Sherlock/Jeremy Brett reference that is absolute perfection in serving its role in helping the narrative quickstep the night away. 5. The Man in Aisle Ten [2020] by @blogstandbygo [ 1395 words / G ] :: Sherlock has several mysteries to unravel in the midst of Harrod's on Christmas Eve: what is the perfect gift for John? why is he having so much trouble identifying the perfect gift for John? and, incidentally, along the way to solving those, a local one. Luckily, Sherlock has Moira, master department store sleuth, to lead him to the solution. This fic is a small, perfect gift -- rather like the story's denouement --and is as witty as all of SBG's fics are. This is a veritable Peppermint Schnapps Hot Chocolate of a fic, warm, rich, sweet, delicious, tingly, and you'll find you reach the last bit much too fast, immediately requiring a refill. [ And there's a splendid podfic by @podfixx ! ]

..........................

*fic repost recruits, perhaps??? ❤️ @totallysilvergirl, @7-percent, @discordantwords, @helloliriels, @elwinglyre, @mydogwatson

[softestqueeen]

✧*̥˚ masterlist *̥˚✧

most of my fics are x fem!reader (i subconsiusly have me in mind, makes sense) but you can request fics with different dynamics!

all of my fics can also be read on my ao3: @ softestqueeen

my masterlist for my specials! -> my specials are NOT on my regular masterlist!

please MDNI!! most of my content is for a mature audience only!

✧*̥˚ key *̥˚✧

❤️‍🔥 smut 🌸fluff ⛓️ hurt/comfort 🖤 dark ✍🏻 request

✧*̥˚ BBC Sherlock *̥˚✧

i can't do this anymore! ⛓️🌸 sherlock holmes x reader When Sherlock overhears you talking on the phone, he thinks you're going to leave him.

let the light in 🌸 sherlock holmes x reader After a particularly frustrating case, all the consulting detective needs, is closeness.

misty mornings 🌸 sherlock homles x reader feat. Mrs Hudson and John Watson When Sherlock Holmes awakes on his birthday, he doesn’t expect anyone to remember it. But of course, you do.

don't you forget about me, sherlock part 1 sherlock holmes x reader When Janine forces Sherlock to choose between being in a relationship with her and living with you, he has to make a tough decision. How will your feelings for each other be affected by it?

✧*̥˚ Marvel/mcu *̥˚✧

need to be closer ❤️‍🔥🌸 bruce banner x afab!reader You love your boyfriend Bruce Banner with all of your heart but sometimes you just don‘t feel close enough. So you decide to try something new...

when you come home to us, pretty boy... ❤️‍🔥 sub!steve rogers x dom/afab!reader x dom!buck barnes It was no secret that your relationship was kinky. Even though Steve has been pleasured by Bucky multiple times, he wants you to mark him. And who are you to turn such a good boy down?

i have an idea... ❤️‍🔥 sub!steve rogers x dom/afab!reader x dom!buck barnes On the first vacation with your boyfriends, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, you notice the shower with a glass wall into the bedroom and immediately know how to put it to good use…

let me teach you pt. 1 🌸 steve rogers x afab!reader x bucky barnes You are a literature professor at university and your boyfriends decide to pay you a visit and listen to one of your lectures.

let me teach you pt. 2 ❤️‍🔥🌸 steve rogers x afab!reader x bucky barnes You are a literature professor at university and your boyfriends decide to pay you a visit and listen to one of your lectures. When they join you at your office, things get a little out of hand…

slipping and gliding pt. 1 ❤️‍🔥🌸✍🏻 natasha romanoff x afab!reader When the Avengers spend a day at the local water park, you start to see a certain redhead in a different light. You’ve never had anything with a woman before, but Natasha doesn’t mind showing you what feels good.

slipping and gliding pt. 2 ❤️‍🔥 natasha romanoff x afab!reader After what happened in the showers, you and Nat make a quick exit to move your fooling around to somewhere else…

but daddy i love him ⛓️✍🏻 stephen strange x fem!stark!reader Tony Stark – your father – finds out about your romantic relationship with the infamous Stephen Strange. How will he react to you dating someone who is almost 20 years older than you.

natasha romanoff smut drabble

✧*̥˚ Call of Duty *̥˚✧

it's yours, princess ❤️‍🔥 simon “ghost” riley x reader x könig (cod) On a mission with König and Ghost you have to stay at a safe house. The only problem – there is only one bed.

my little flower pt. 1 ❤️‍🔥🖤🌸✍🏻 stalker!könig (cod) x reader You were just minding your business, planting some new flowers in your garden, when suddenly a (charming) man in a mask abducts you to use you for his pleasure. You are incredibly conflicted; the stranger seems to be kinda nice but also incredibly selfish at the same time.

my little flower pt. 2 ❤️‍🔥🖤✍🏻 stalker!könig (cod) x reader Slowly you’re getting used to living with the man that was slowly becoming more than just the man who abducted you. You’re also getting used to the different ways he’s using and abusing your body.

do you trust me, sweetheart? ❤️‍🔥🌸✍🏻 simon “ghost” riley x afab!reader After an unsuccessful mission, you notice how tense and stressed your colleague and friend Simon “Ghost” Riley is. When you ask him how you can help him relieve some stress, things take an unexpected turn…  

thank you for your service ❤️‍🔥✍🏻 simon "ghost" riley x gn!reader You boyfriend, Simon “Ghost” Riley has to do way too much work at home for your liking. But no worries, you found a solution that works for the both of you.

✧*̥˚ Haunting Adeline*̥˚✧

red roses and deadly promises ❤️‍🔥🖤🌸 zade meadows x fem!reader When your stalker, Zade Meadows, has to do some business out of town, someone new makes an unwelcome appearance. How will Zade react when someone tries to steal you away from him?

untitled asian!reader blurb ✍🏻🖤

✧*̥˚ Criminal Minds*̥˚✧

ugh, i just love you ⛓️ spencer reid x reader When you accidently let the a love confession towards your best friend, Spencer Reid, tumble out of your mouth, you think you’ve ruined the friendship between you completely.

i don't know what i'd do without you 🌸⛓️ aaron hotchner x gn!reader Aaron comforts you after a nightmare.

pretty when i cry 🌸⛓️ spencer reid x gn!reader When Spencer returns home he gets immediately worried when he sees you bawling your eyes out. Little does he know, it’s just because of a book.

care for a dance? 🌸 spencer reid x gn!reader spencer learns how to dance to teach you.

long hair!spencer nsfw drabble ❤️‍🔥

aaron hotchner luff drabble/ficlet 🌸✍🏻

✧*̥˚ Actors/Actresses*̥˚✧

like the movies ❤️‍🔥✍🏻 mads mikkelsen x actress!reader While attending the premiere of your new movie “The Hunt” with your co-worker and good friend Mads Mikkelsen, you get a little bit emotional. After Mads comforts you, he offers to bring you home. Once at your room, things develop quite different than you imagined..

[lisbeth-kk]

Sherlock fandom. The significance of Molly Hooper.

Of the utmost importance

Molly knew she was doomed the day she fell in love with Sherlock Holmes. He was gay and gorgeous; she was straight and unremarkable. Once Molly Hooper gave her heart, she did so fully. She’d do anything for the person in question and endure whatever cruelty they may send her way. A quick smile of gratefulness or the slightest touch made her swoon for days. It was always worth it. Until it wasn’t. 

When Sherlock Holmes entered her morgue for the first time, she knew after mere minutes that she’d die for the man if that’s what he’d ask of her. It was a kind of madness, and she was helpless once it got a hold of her. 

And then, John Watson walked into the lab with Mike and the world Molly knew changed. Sherlock became less brusque with her, at least in John’s presence. After the disastrous Christmas party at 221B, when Sherlock had analysed her gift and her feelings for the recipient, she’d finally snapped, and to her utter surprise Sherlock had apologised to her; even kissed her cheek. A shame she was too agitated to enjoy it fully. 

Molly admitted her defeat when she caught Sherlock’s glances in John’s direction. To her knowledge he’d never looked at anyone like that. The glances were brief, but Molly was always so tuned to Sherlock when he was around, and it wasn’t difficult to see if you knew where to look. 

“You look sad when he can’t see,” she told Sherlock in a bold moment. 

He hadn’t responded, but she saw his jaw tighten, and he’d left the lab shortly after without saying goodbye. That was answer enough.

***

Molly had cried and begged Sherlock not to go through with his plan, when Moriarty threatened John, Mrs. Hudson and Greg, but he was relentless. 

“It’s the only way to save them, Molly. I’m not doing this to hurt them, but it’s crucial that they’re left oblivious and John in particular. They’ll go after him if they for one second think he’s faking his grief,” Sherlock explained frantically while making a mess of his curls. 

“But it will destroy him, Sherlock! He loves you,” Molly tried to reason.  

“Don’t be ridiculous, Molly! Nobody loves me,” Sherlock huffed but he didn’t meet her eyes.

When she opened her mouth to protest further, Sherlock moved into her personal space. He cradled her face softly in his hands and looked her in the eyes without blinking.

“Please, Molly. There’s no other I’d trust with this. Moriarty thinks you’re insignificant and won’t suspect your involvement. Despite his shrewdness, he too has failed to observe all factors. If this shall work, I need your assistance.”

All of this were delivered in the softest tone she’d ever heard Sherlock use. He finished by kissing her temple. She bowed her head and whispered her acquiescence and to her astonishment his “thank you” had sounded choked, but when she looked up, he was his normal self again.

*** 

The goodbye kiss a few weeks later took her by surprise. It was fierce and dramatic like the man himself, but also a heartfelt thank you Sherlock couldn’t express in his hurry to get away to hunt down Moriarty’s network. 

She cried herself to sleep for months, and she had no difficulty mourning Sherlock at his funeral. Only one glance over at John convinced her that he loved Sherlock just the way Sherlock loved him. Her father had looked just the same at her mother’s funeral. A grieving husband, a widower. It had taken all her willpower not to spill the beans to John, to tell him that it was just a magic trick, that Sherlock was alive, but she’d promised. Sherlock had even made her say the words – “I can’t tell.”

@flashfictionfridayofficial @totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @phoenix27884 @safedistancefrombeingsmart @calaisreno @a-victorian-girl @topsyturvy-turtely @gregorovitchworld @helloliriels @peanitbear @meetinginsamarra

[thefisherqueen]

It was selfish, no doubt, disloyal, wrong, but I could realize nothing save that the golden barrier was gone from between us. “Thank God!” I ejaculated from my very heart. She looked at me with a quick, questioning smile. “Why do you say that?” she asked. “Because you are within my reach again,” I said, taking her hand. She did not withdraw it. “Because I love you, Mary, as truly as ever a man loved a woman. Because this treasure, these riches, sealed my lips. Now that they are gone I can tell you how I love you. That is why I said, ‘Thank God.’” “Then I say, ‘Thank God,’ too,” she whispered, as I drew her to my side. Whoever had lost a treasure, I knew that night that I had gained one.

Congratulationst to Watson and Morstan :) *is off to give Holmes a good long hug*

[athenasdragon]

Got to the Dying Detective in my rewatch and I couldn't remember if Holmes really said "if you love me" in the books and he does. God. I need to reread.

Transcript below the cut

[A screenshot of text, reading as follows:

"I must wait and hear his opinion, Holmes."

"Of course you must. But I have reasons to suppose that this opinion would be very much more frank and valuable if he imagines that we are alone. There is just room behind the head of my bed, Watson."

"My dear Holmes!"

"I fear there is no alternative, Watson. The room does not lend itself to concealment, which is as well, as it is the less likely to arouse suspicion. But just there, Watson, I fancy that it could be done." Suddenly he sat up with a rigid intentness upon his haggard face. "There are the wheels, Watson. Quick, man, if you love me! And don't budge, whatever happens--whatever happens, do you hear? Don't speak! Don't move! Just listen with all your ears." Then in an instant his sudden access of strength departed, and his masterful, purposeful talk droned away into the low, vague murmurings of a semi-delirious man.]

[mariana-oconnor]

The Abbey Grange pt 3

I'm fairly confident I've pieced this one together correctly. I'm a little annoyed that it appears that Lady Brackenhall didn't do it herself, but I suppose I'll allow it. I feel confident that she could have done it herself, though, had the narrative allowed her to.

...our door was opened to admit as fine a specimen of manhood as ever passed through it. He was a very tall young man, golden-moustached, blue-eyed, with a skin which had been burned by tropical suns, and a springy step which showed that the huge frame was as active as it was strong.

I stg, every time Watson describes someone in this story he gets hornier. 'As fine a specimen of manhood as ever passed through it.' Put your tongue back in your mouth.

He's looking respectfully.

I've always thought that how horny literally every version of Watson seems to be was just exaggerated, but no. Reading/rereading these as an adult shows me that Watson is exactly that horny on main.

And by 'on main' I mean 'in a widely distributed publication'.

"I know so much already that if you go one inch off the straight I'll blow this police whistle from my window and the affair goes out of my hands for ever.” The sailor thought for a little. Then he struck his leg with his great, sun-burned hand. “I'll chance it,” he cried. “I believe you are a man of your word, and a white man, and I'll tell you the whole story."

First, the captain's kinda racist, I guess.

Second, this is an exact template of what not to do when being interviewed regarding a crime you have committed. Never believe that they know everything. Never agree to tell them anything. Say nothing.

Captain Croker is kind of an idiot.

But then, given the racism, we already knew that.

"So far as I am concerned I regret nothing and I fear nothing, and I would do it all again and be proud of the job."

This is also exactly what you should not say in this situation. He's just determined to be a waking talking exemplar of what not to do, I guess. And he's doing a great job of it.

"...many a time since have I kneeled down in the darkness of the night watch and kissed the deck of that ship because I knew her dear feet had trod it."

That seems unsanitary. Sir, please desist.

Is this why they transferred you to another ship? So people would stop coming across you licking the deck? People walk on that. Sir. Sir, please.

This is yet another example of things you shouldn't do. Just in case you were wondering.

If you want to kiss her feet and you're both into that, go for it. But don't just, like... kiss the dirty deck of a ship where hundreds of people have walked because she walked there. Not only is it unhygienic, it's kind of stalkery.

Yeah.... no.

This guy is giving unhinged vibes.

"One day out in a country lane I met Theresa Wright, her old maid. She told me about her, about him, about everything."

Theresa 100% knew what she was doing here. There is no way she looked at this guy literally kissing the ground Mary walked on and didn't realise that he would be down to murder. Theresa wins the prize here. Excellently executed. Get the dumb stalker to kill the abusive husband. A+ work. She deserves a raise.

"This drunken hound, that he should dare to raise his hand to her whose boots he was not worthy to lick!"

Was not expecting to tick off 'foot fetish' on my Sherlock Holmes bingo card, but there we go.

"Theresa was always my friend, for she loved Mary and hated this villain almost as much as I did. From her I learned the ways of the house."

My dude, my dude. Theresa fucking played you.

"At first she would not open to me, but in her heart I know that now she loves me, and she could not leave me in the frosty night."

That's a really quick turn around from 'it was only friendship for her and I was happy with it' to 'I know she loves me now'.

"Theresa was as cool as ice, and it was her plot as much as mine."

It was all her plan. I bet she made sure the husband was awake at the right time.

"...since she was trying hard to shield him and so showing that she loved him."

Really? Was she though?

"See here, Captain Croker, we'll do this in due form of law. You are the prisoner. Watson, you are a British jury, and I never met a man who was more eminently fitted to represent one."

I guess Watson has enough horniness in him for 12 people.

I mean, I don't have a problem with the guy being allowed to go free, the victim literally burned a puppy alive. Also, I'm pretty sure he was manipulated into being there at the right time. Because there's no way a maid who has been frequently mentioned to be really good at her job, just blurts out her mistress's private business to a guy they met on a boat in the middle of the road. She knew what she was doing. And the husband just happened to come along?

"Come back to this lady in a year, and may her future and yours justify us in the judgment which we have pronounced this night.���

I note that this is as much of a 'happily ever after' as we get for this story. I choose to believe Mary had already moved on in a year and had given up the pretence of being in love with him.

But I am cynical, as we have previously discussed.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi Steph!!! Hoping you can help me since @bluebellofbakerstreet is trying to kill us all softly ...

Are there any John in a kilt stories?

Preferably making Sherlock all hot and bothered?

Hey Lovely!

Ahh, I do have an old Community Recs list from 2019 here, but you're giving me a good reason to make a new list of my own; I have enough on my MFL list to make one of my own, after all.

Please, if you guys have any, add them below! <3 I’ve only added anything that a search of “kilt” gave me on my personal offline list :) I know there are a tonne that I may have not tagged, and I surely don’t have nearly all of them.

JOHNLOCK AND KILTS

See also: Alexx’s “Johnlock in a Kilt” List

All the Girls Love a Soldier by Book7BrokeMyBrain (E, 12,951 w., 1 Ch. || Military Kink, Frottage, Domesticity, Post S3, Pining Sherlock, Kilt John, Wedding, Dancing, Oral, Romance, ) – John is invited to a stag party and a wedding. The related accoutrement suit Sherlock to a T. 

MARKED FOR LATER (TO READ)

the dead-end case of the kilted kirkyard killer by darcylindbergh (E, 8,823 w., 1 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting || Scotland, First Kiss/Time, BAMF John, Frottage, Blow Jobs, Banter) – In which Sherlock follows the wrong man and gets more than he bargained for.

The Perfect Specimen Series by Cleo2010 (E, 27,825 w across 2 works || Kilts, Masturbation, Drunkenness, Oral / Anal Sex, Hand Jobs, Cock Worship, Manipulation, Toys, Rimming) – After seeing John undressed for the first time and making certain observations, Sherlock quickly becomes obsessed with a certain body part belonging to his flatmate. This is the story of how that first sighting came to be and the following attempts to learn more. An unashamed masturbation-fest, first person and very detailed. It's rated explicit for a good reason!

The Bachelors' Handfasting by Jberry (E, 30,624 w., 20 Ch. || Regency AU || Arranged Marriage, Virgin Sherlock, 1800′s Scotland, Bodice-Ripper, Romance, Kilts, No Period-Typical Homophobia, Smoll Sherlock, Suicide Discussion, Romance, Miscarriage, Depression) – After her son is caught in a compromising position, Victoria Holmes must make arrangements for a quick marriage between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

Men in Kilts by okapi (M, 33,000 w., 23 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting, Meet-Cute, Hurt/Comfort, Kilts, Fluff, Slow Burn, Hand Jobs, Oral Sex) – Mrs. Hudson hires John, who works for the Men in Kilts housekeeping service.

The Straw Man Fallacy by Vulgarweed (E, 40,422 w., 8 Ch. || Wicker Man AU || Ritual Sex, Sacrifice, Mystery and Horror, Romance, Fuck or Die, Dubious Morality, Mildly Dubious Consent, Pagan Festivals, Public Sex, First Time, Case Fic, Virgin Sherlock, Scotland, Kilts) – Summerisle is not a welcoming place to visitors, but it shows its best face at May Day. For ulterior motives.

Philia and Eros by distantstarlight (E, 84,660 w., 20 Ch. || Historical AU || Friends to Lovers, Time Travel, Kilts, Possessive Behaviour, Love Confessions, Slow Burn, Implied Rape/Non-Con) – Love is timeless but time isn't necessarily linear. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes are about to embark on an unintended adventure that will take them far away from the comfortable confines of 221 B Baker Street. Part 1 of Strange Paths

October to Hogmanay by snorklepie (E, 127,318 w., 25 Ch. || Post HLV Fix-It, Awkward First Times, Hurt/Comfort, Sherlock is a Mess, Shameless Smut, Sherlock’s Past, Scotland, Poison, Holmes Family, Kilts, Dancing, Angst) – John stared at Sherlock’s profile against the cab window and exhaled slowly. After a long moment, he reached out and touched Sherlock’s long fingers where they were fiddling with the button on his coat. The tall man didn’t look around again, but his fingers slowly unfurled before curling deliberately around John’s hand. Part 2 of Scotland

Nine and a Half Weeks by CumberCurlyGirl and Kameo (E, 198,502+ w., 40/? Ch. || WiP || American AU || Different First Meeting, Daddy Kink, Bottomlock, Anal Plug, Riding Crops, Spanking, Light Bondage, Anal/Oral, Aftercare, Posh John, Virgin Sherlock, Homophobia, Sugar Daddy John, Rimming, Coming in Pants, Light Dom/Sub, Past Sherlock / Victor, Light BDSM, Public Sex, John in a Kilt, Vibrators, Happy Ending) – Sherlock Holmes is about to graduate from high school in midwestern America. Despite his intelligence, his prospects are bleak due to poverty, an indifferent, alcoholic father and poor choices. One day, at work, he sells a riding crop to a handsome blonde Brit and his life is changed. He doesn't know what hit him - until he does. This is a story of a journey to love and self-acceptance and explores many themes along the way: drug abuse, grief, coming out, age difference, consent. Lots of sex but so much more.

[fruitviking]

Director's Cut request: please say more about your catlike Holmes in Reliable?

He looks about him. He does indeed have a good view from up here, but he still cannot see Watson. Where is he? Granted, Holmes bolted out of the house and into the gardens with barely a word of warning, but Watson is usually very good at keeping up with him. A cold trickle of fear starts to coalesce in the pit of his stomach. 

In a rather detached way, he realises he is beginning to panic. 

Stop it, stop it. You've done this sort of thing before. All you have to do is keep him talking, keep him focused on you.

"Truth be told, I don't mind if you stay up there all day, Mr Holmes," Redford is saying. Holmes blinks and tries to focus on the gardener's words instead of his own anxieties. "But seeing as nobody else knows where we are, it seems this has come down to just to two of us, don't you agree?""

Holmes freezes. He can hear people calling in the distance, but the gardener apparently cannot. "Indeed!" he declares, trying to sound confident. His voice has a slight tremor. 

"Either you come down and we settle this between the pair of us, or you stay up there, and I may try and find out where that doctor friend of yours has got to instead. Do you think you'd be able to find him before I do?"

He clenches his jaw in sudden outrage. A bead of sweat runs down the side of his face.

Redford is grinning up at him. Holmes curses himself for reacting so obviously to his provocations. "I'm surprised he's not here; he seems to follow in your footsteps wherever you go. I had a dog like that once. Wouldn't leave me alone. Of course, I did have to put him down eventually. Poor old thing couldn't keep up anymore."

Holmes, narrow-eyed, hisses an exhalation through his teeth. Anger and anxiety are battling for supremacy inside him. He's half a mind to leap out of the tree like a jungle cat and face Redford head on, pitchfork and all. "I would advise you," he says instead, excruciatingly slowly, "not to threaten Dr Watson. He can turn into quite the formidable foe when necessary."

"Thank you for the advice, Mr Holmes. I shan't threaten him, then - I suppose I can make it quick."

His right foot slips from its perch and he nearly loses his balance entirely. Anxiety is winning. Come on, man, don't lose your nerve now. Keep him on your scent. "I thought you were not looking to hurt anyone?" he chokes out. He feels like his throat is closing up; it's a struggle to speak, and he suspects he will very shortly lose the ability altogether. How poorly timed these episodes always are. 

He hopes he won't be required to call for help.

Thank you!

Ah, cat!Holmes, my beloved.

I am a firm believer that for all the times he's described as a "sleuth hound" or thereabouts, Holmes is a cat. The Anxious Cheetah to Watson’s Emotional Support Golden Retriever, if you will.

As a cat lover myself, I've known plenty of them which act aloof when they don't know you, but once you've established yourself as someone to trust they can chill alongside you without worrying. And with Holmes's expressions of affection - again, much like cats, it's easy to misunderstand them! He isn't ignoring Watson by sitting nearby in silence, he feels comfortable around him! He loves him!

'Reliable' was a fun one to write with this idea in mind! Holmes determined to keep the villain’s attention on him results in the classic cat behaviour of climbing somewhere high and not being entirely sure how to get down again 😅 and he even hisses at Redford when Watson is threatened!

Such a cat. Honestly.

[theriseofthesea]

The Adventure of The Dying Detective Live Blog Part Two

I’m also anxious to hear about the rest of the story. I am worried.

Oh??? Okay then. Immediately suspicious of this Mr. Culverton Smith.

He’s like oh?? Holmes is ill? How very…unusual. >:D. He’s smiling evilly >:) and then the next moment he’s like :/. Oh yes. Must be concerned a how awful.

Suspicious! Suspect I tell you!

Aw poor Watson. He must have been racked with worry that he would come home and his dear friend won’t be there. *hugs him tightly*

“Quick, man, if you love me!”

Holmes. You really are not making this easy for Watson. I’m starting to figure out what’s going on but come on. :((

“Just listen with all your ears” uh Holmes. You do understand that most people only have two ears?

*hugs Mrs. Hudson and Watson closely*

Poor Mrs. Hudson. I can imagine she won’t be pleased when she finds this out.

And poor Watson is like… I thought you were dying, I was so worried.

We don’t really get to see Watson fully respond to this. I wanna know what he thinks about all this.

[no-side-us]

Letters From Watson Liveblog - Apr. 7

The Greek Interpreter, Part 1 of 3

Sometimes Watson says things like this, and I wonder why when he himself has seen many moments of sympathy from Sherlock. You'd think it's the sort of impression only someone unfamiliar with him would have.

I love learning about Sherlock's history. I looked it up, and there were a few French artists named Vernet, but the one commonly associated with Sherlock seems to be Émile Jean-Horace Vernet.

So Watson finally learns about Mycroft, the smarter, more mysterious older brother, all because Sherlock wanted to win an argument.

Speaking of said argument, that does make me wonder whether their shared skill in observation and reasoning is actually hereditary, or if the fact they likely grew up in the same environment meant they both simply acquired their skills in the same manner.

Ah, and another cornerstone of Sherlock Holmes lore is cemented. Also, I've never realized it before but the club is obviously named for Diogenes the Cynic, an apt name for a place where no one wants to talk.

I bet I won't be the only one to highlight this line. It does make me want to ask if today there actually exists a club in London for queer people that is called the Diogenes Club, cause I bet this line could be used as a great slogan or something.

This was always an interesting little tidbit, that Sherlock sometimes goes to Mycroft for help. I wonder what cases, if any, of those we read might have had Sherlock send a quick telegram to his brother, just to ask.

And we finally see Mycroft in the flesh! Watson's line here seems to imply that Mycroft is always just at full observational and reasoning capacity, which is so cool.

You know, I was pretty pleased with Watson for not describing Mycroft poorly even though he's quite a larger man, and then Watson had to go and make this comment comparing his hands to a seal's flippers.

Oooh, deduction battle!

Now, I've seen some fans criticizing this scene, saying that the picture book and rattle is something Sherlock should normally be able to observe, but he doesn't here because the story wants to make Mycroft smarter.

However, I like to look at the scene as though there's a bit of rivalry present, not the animosity seen in some adaptations, but a friendly bit of showing off. And with Watson here, Sherlock is just a little too eager and, shall I say, rattled to think as clearly as he does. Also, I doubt either Holmes brother is taking this seriously, they seem to just be having fun, that's all.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

[lily-valley-hyperfixates]

hi there! it makes me unreasonably happy to see anyone gushing abt sherlock holmes so take this ask as an opportunity to yap (especially re: granada holmes pls, if u don’t mind) however long u want 🤎 also BOY do i understand ur impulse to talk & talk abt him bc, -and nobody ever tells u this- once holmes gets in ur brain, u will ALWAYS find him there. crawling around. the sneaky bastard ;) okay bye

actually, two other things: firstly (in response to ur tags on a post) YES IT IS ALWAYS 1895 FOR THEM. may i direct u towards this poem, which btw leaves me an emotional mess every time i think of it???? secondly, which is your favourite sh story?

HELLO FELLOW SHERLOCK ENJOYER!!! Thank you so much for this ask, gushing about Sherlock Holmes is quite literally my favorite hobby right now. Especially especially Granada Holmes which is so???? It’s just such a breath of fresh air in compared to the common pop culture view on Sherlock and Watson. Everyone and their mom has said this but it’s so awesome to see a Sherlock who actually cares about people and a Watson who is allowed to be competent!!! On top of that, it’s just really, really fun to see people and places from the stories come to life in the very specific way of Granada Holmes. I’m still watching through the episodes (very slowly, it’s taking me a hot second!) but I am enjoying every minute of it.

You so right about how once you’re a Sherlock Holmes enjoyer, you’re ALWAYS a Sherlock Holmes enjoyer; you literally cannot shake the man. Every few years or so, I have a hardcore Sherlock Holmes relapse where like I fall completely down the rabbit hole again, and I’m currently in the middle of a relapse now (couldn’t be happier about it tbh!!!) also you saying he’s crawling around in my brain seriously makes me picture him in the same position as my banner (for posterity: Sherlock Holmes is on his stomach investigating something on the ground) which is very silly. Actually that’s one of my favorite Holmes illustrations!!!

Also: YES I HAVE READ THAT ONE POEM AND IT ALWAYS FUCKING GETS ME…….like damn it’s always 1895 for them……..and for the readers…….and like idk……..that poem’s just so good <3

Favorite Sherlock Holmes story is a tough one, partially because I haven’t finished all of them yet (working on it, though!) Right now, I’d have to say “Copper Beeches,” mostly because the solution to that one is both very satisfying (aka I came to the same conclusion and it was very rewarding to be right) but also because of the interesting way it frames women’s roles in that story. I don’t want to spoil it here, but it gets very gothic and Jane Eyre-y, plus the character of Violet Hunter is so great!!! I’m not a fan of the characterization of her as another Sherlock love interest (some people do that, which I completely respect!!!), I kind of saw the relationship as more protective than anything else, where she’s in this bad spot and Sherlock is very concerned for her in that way. She’s super capable and smart, both in accepting the job and then very very quickly realizing that something is up with her boss. Maybe the conclusion is a little quick? But it’s also very satisfying and everything turns out well! Also the final confrontation with the criminal at the end actually made me gasp, specifically in how he gets seriously injured. The dog really came in with the steel chair fr fr

Anyways thank you for this ask!!! I always love yappin about Sherlock Holmes, I think about him all the time <3

[titconao3]

New tag game! Name nine fictional crushes (option to include photos) 

Summarize it and/or let your followers drag you for your type :) 

Thank you @acydpop for the tag! IDK that i have crushes of the twu wuv kind, but! i've definitely imprinted on some fictional characters harder than others. Here's a selection! Also, i cheat ;-) If you, yes YOU, would like to be tagged, then yes! You're tagged, come and play along !

1/ SPOCK!1!1!1!!! (Star Trek: TOS and the subsequent films only; the constant retconning of the new versions is... not for me, but kink tomato and everything). First saw the original show dubbed on TV as a pre-teen; Spock was me, Spock was aspirational, Spock was who my best self could be. Small me trained in front of a mirror to be able to raise one, and only one, eyebrow. It worked (but i only trained one eyebrow). This was before i knew of fandom and of course slash, and the internet was barely starting; i wouldn't even have heard about it. It may very well still have been the Cold War, or at least the death throes of the USSR. (Kirk/Spock forever!)

2/ Saint Seiya!! Not Seiya himself (lol nope), but otherwise... Max Whump (Hyoga and Scorpio? i MEAN! A quick look-see on Youtube showed me only dubbed versions, too-short versions, or WHAT THE FUCK is this video-game reboot or something??? ANYWAY) Central! Our Heroes keep being Mega-Whumped, but the Power Of Friendship etc etc. And when i say mega-whumped... From Shiryu who keeps blinding himself, to Shun and his many, many issues with self-worth, to that fight i mentioned with Hyoga still crawling forward even as Milo (Scorpio) keeps wounding him... And Ikki and his Tragic Backstory TM and sacrifice for his baby brother. DON'T start me on the gold saints and the ladies, k? (Yeah, i know, misogyny etc)

3/ Methos from Highlander Ooooh boy. He's sarcastic, self-serving, detached - or is he? Is he? (Yes, Methos/Duncan forever. What can i say? i'm basic) First fave in the morally grey area for this list... but not the last ;-)

4/ Daredevil/Matt Murdock *points at all the fic on my AO3* Yeah, so. Yeah. Nuff said. Picking this gif because crucifix + blood. Taking off a bloody shirt, the crisp white kind he'd wear in a court room as a lawyer, in a church: quintessential Matt Murdock. i just *clenches fist* Have Feelings

5/ Root (and the whole Person of Interest team) She's unhinged <3 Picking her because out of the whole team she's probably the one with the most compelling arc, IMO.

6/ Rodney McKay and John Sheppard and Ronon Dex (SGA) Über-nerd McKay was my first fave (yes, he's a jerk. Your point?), but also-über-nerd Colonel Sheppard and dead-pan Ronon Dex were faves as well <3 (AND RADEK!!!!) (Yes, Ronon Dex is Baby Jason Momoa before he grew huge muscles, and he is quite charming!)

7/ Sherlock Holmes (ACD or Granada versions mostly) He, too, in unhinged :D i probably don't need to introduce him, right? In the larger fandom, i also have a soft spot for JOAN Watson, in Elementary.

8/ Loki (and Cap and Iron Man, yes it's cheating) (so you're getting a two-fer in the gif) We shan't mention the various character assassinations that occurred in the MCU, k? There's an arc that shows change and growth, and then there's inexplicably ignoring huge bits of previous motivations, backstory, or characterization. But i digress

9/ Severus Snape So it's a bit hard here, because Rickman!Snape has never been my Snape, and i've only watched... idk, maybe the first... three? films? So i can't really provide a pic that fits. Anyway, loved the character from the start (he's funny, what can i say?), and when his childhood was revealed i was extra-sold. The social commentary behind his very poor origins, how he didn't fit and was bullied and grew bitter, and everything else... i discovered fandom at the time i started reading the books, around the time Goblet of Fire was published, so i first gravitated towards two fandoms: Star Trek and Harry Potter. Hence those two characters bookending this post ;-)

[zealouscanonindeer]

3. We meet again.. For the first time

During the course of my friendship with Watson, I have frequently cautioned him against the dangers of forming theories prematurely, before one has all the facts and evidence. When one simply guesses, without having all the pieces of the puzzle, any further evidence is often tainted by the theory, and distorted to fit the theory rather than the theory altered to fit the evidence. This backwards form of criminal investigation, which even today I continue to see with distressing frequency, often leads to the wrong man being convicted, while the true culprit walks free.

I knew that the lost and found pocket-watch and the diamond bracelet were only pieces of the overall picture. I needed to find the rest of the pieces if I was to understand how the two I had were related.

I decided then that Lestrade had no pressing reason to see the bracelet; on the other hand, I had my own, quite pressing reasons to see the scene of the crime.

I hung Watson's coat back on the coat-rack and picked up that morning's edition of the Times, opening it to the article that first reported the most recent burglary. I traced my finger down the column until I found the information that I needed to proceed with my own investigation - the name of the recent victim.

That evening I sent my calling card to one Mr. Edmund Cartwright, requesting permission to make my own investigation into the break-in at his estate.

The next morning's reply was a curt note by post:

Dear Mr. Holmes,

Come if you must. The inspector says they already have a suspect in custody, but it seems you have a fan here.

Edmund Cartwright

Hmph. I seemed to have fans everywhere, ever since Watson started publishing his accounts of our cases. However, I was already committed to this case, come what may, especially if this "suspect" was indeed Watson.

*****

The Cartwright estate possessed an aura of dignified understatement. It was a venerable, well-kept, white three-storey residence, crawling with tendrils of artfully tamed ivy. The topmost storey possessed balconies from which one might enjoy a picturesque view of some of the more cosmopolitan rooftops of London.

The butler, a kindly-looking man whose silver hair announced him to be at least in his late fifties or early sixties, answered to my knock on the door, and showed me to the parlour where the master of the house waited.

As I entered, he stood up from the wingbacked chair in which he had been sitting, and extended his hand to me. "Mr. Sherlock Holmes, I presume?"

Mr. Edmund Cartwright appeared to be in his late forties, though his face was rather more worn than most men his age and his mousy hair was shot with gray. A quick glance around the room showed me several photographs, carefully preserved. There stood a frame enclosing the members of the family, I presumed. Beside it was one of a child, about four years of age and one of a lovely young woman. The woman struck an odd chord of familiarity in my mind; however, the photographs appeared to be at least ten or twelve years old, and I wondered why new pictures had not replaced the old... unless the subject of the pictures was since deceased.

"My condolences for your loss," I said to Mr. Cartwright, after we had exchanged greetings and pleasantries. He looked startled until I pointed out the photos.

"Ah, yes," he said sadly, "My wife, Laura. Those pictures are all I have left of her... besides Emily."

"Your daughter," I concluded.

"Yes," he replied, "Em got most of her personality from her mother, I fear."

"You fear?"

Mr. Cartwright smiled, the slightly weary and indulgent smile of a long- suffering parent. "You'll see." He turned to the butler. "Leopold, go fetch Emily here to greet our guest."

"And what if she will not be fetched?" the butler asked, apparently used to such a reaction.

"Then you tell her that that Baker Street detective is here as she requested and if she won't come I'll send him away."

"Yes, sir." Leopold departed.

I have, in my career, been called many things by many people, an amusing proportion of which are quite unprintable, but "that Baker Street detective" was a new one; it was, of course, quite accurate, but the tone made the combination of residence and occupation seem almost as exalted as scavenging from dumpsters. All the same, I decided not to pursue the point. "Am I to understand that you do not believe I can help?" I asked instead.

"The investigators said they already had someone in custody," he replied, "so I don't know if you'll be able to find anything new."

"I prefer to form my own theories and opinions about cases," I said, "rather than rely upon those already formed by others."

Just then Leopold returned, followed by a young woman, whom I supposed was the aforementioned daughter, clad in a dress that was a shade of metallic green usually found on ruby-throated hummingbirds. This time the sense of familiarity was stronger - the molasses-brown hair, the bright, intelligent eyes...

"Mr. Holmes," said Mr. Cartwright, "This is my daughter, Emily Cartwright. Emily, this is Mr. Sherlock Holmes." She and I clasped hands briefly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Holmes," she said, "again."

[storytellingdreamer]

Watching Granada Holmes: The Abbey Grange

After a longer than usual break thanks to the holidays, I’m back to doing my recaps! See my other recaps via my watching granada holmes tag. 

A fun meta note is that this episode was actually the first one that Brett and Hardwicke did together (so they could get a feel for working together before Empty House). 

This episode has something of a circular narrative, in that the events we’re told about the first half of the story are revisited later with new information added that puts them in a new light. Therefore my review isn’t exactly a linear retelling. 

The story also bears a strong resemblance to The Crooked Man - a similar plot with different character backstories and a slightly more active heroine (though her silence is still a key point of the narrative). 

As for themes, this episode is one for the High Stakes Deductions category, as well as being a Woman In Need one - albeit reluctantly, due to the lady in question’s mingled fear, protectiveness, and learned helplessness. This episode deals with the lack of options women faced in those times when in unhappy marriages. It also deals with domestic abuse and alcoholism. 

However, it has a love plot that is very sweet. Initially I was a bit put off by it because I didn’t catch all the details, but once I viewed it through the right lens, it’s a lovely brightness in an otherwise heavy episode. 

Onto the story proper. To begin, we have a slightly different opening scene. 

It starts after the murder has been discovered, instead of just before it), in which we see that the Granada team seem to be more willing to show the bloody parts of the dead body this time around, too - the camera angles are less discreet. I don’t know if I like it.

From there, it’s a quick jump to Holmes and Watson - another instance of Holmes waking Watson up for a case at what are, to them, rather early hours. 

Watson’s pocket watch reads 06:45 AM, I believe. Usually Holmes and Watson are not early risers (see Letters from Watson discussion of this week).

It’s a delightful scene of Holmes being Dramatic for fun - and I giggle at the fact that he knows to double back into the bedroom after leaving, just as Watson flops down into bed again. 

Making sure that Watson doesn’t go back to sleep, no doubt.

After that we have more Holmes and Watson Togetherness - another delightful train scene.

Holmes reads the letter aloud to Watson, as Watson prepares to take notes. 

They discuss what they know of the case - note the back-and-forth between them; they are partners in the Work, and it shows.

Even with a bit of playful bickering about Watson’s stories.

Finally we get to the case proper, in all its complexity. 

Holmes and Watson are told one narrative by the first guest protagonist, Lady Mary Brackenstall. 

They spend most of the rest of the episode figuring out the real tale, and the longer they take to uncover the truth, the more Holmes wonders if uncovering it will do more harm than good. 

Is it any wonder that by the time the second guest protagonist, Captain Jack Crocker, fills in the blanks for them, Holmes is very easily able to decide to take matters into his own hands?

There are some delightful case moments scattered throughout the episode. For example: 

Holmes examining the crime scene, and asking Watson to look at the carpet while he studies the rope; then sprawling on the floor when Watson finds a clue. You can see him envisioning the scene as he speaks.

Holmes’s discovery of the gravestone for the poor dog - his “What’s this?” turning a general look around into something more pointed. (Even the music says so - delightful!)

The bit about the log that hadn’t moved. 

The bit afterwards where Holmes climbs all over the mantelpiece around the fire. Being as careful as he can with his own safety whie ensuring he collects all the evidence he needs. 

Also, the bit at the end where Holmes confronts Crocker in the sitting room of 221b: “be frank with me and we may do some good. Play tricks with me - and I’ll crush you.” Crocker is taller than him. And yet. 

The bit where Holmes begs Lady Mary to let him into his confidence is agonising. When she won’t tell him, Holmes takes his leave and finds out the truth through other means. 

It feels like a missed opportunity - and I think it is meant to. 

Mary refuses to speak for herself (or in defence of others) more than her initial first interview (which seems to be a practiced speech, with how poised most of it was). Her silence is her defence. 

But that is a hindrance where Holmes is concerned. In the original canon, she’s written out of the story after this, with others speaking for her. Here, she fares a little better. 

But it still itches, as it creates yet another instance of a woman’s story being told by men. 

Okay, so. About that love plot. My initial thoughts upon watching the episode were not the most charitable towards pre-incident Crocker. I misinterpreted/ misheard his early narrative as one of pining, and that usually doesn’t end well. 

Pining for someone you’re unlikely to see again, and/or who (you think) sees you just as a friend, usually only leads to heartache and obsessive behaviour that turns stalkerish and can lead to all sorts of bad things. 

Case in point: the villain of The Dancing Men.

However. 

Crocker is actually an extremely kind-hearted man, who only wants the best for Mary. When he thinks she has that - when he thinks she is happily married - he simply resigns himself to never seeing her again. 

Meanwhile, pre-incident Lady Mary is in quite the tough spot. The free-spirited girl of Adelaide has been reduced to a quiet woman who explains away her husband’s “weakness” (initially described as a “quiet shame” of alcoholism, when actually it’s "drunken cruelty” - an ugly temper made worse by drink) as something comparable (and “understandable”) next to her “unsuitable behaviours” as she’s struggled to “adjust” to the stricter social norms of English society. As if the latter was some punishable failing! 

Lady Mary’s explanation of this in the initial interview is an example of her learned helplessness - finding socially acceptable excuses for her husband’s deplorable behaviour by finding fault in her own. :(

Pre-incident Mary has no friends in England save her devoted maid and mother-figure, Theresa. There is no acceptable way out of her marriage; she must put up with the situation, even as it destroys her spirit. 

Is it any wonder her dreams are full of the man who made her feel so happy and hopeful on the boat ride to England, eighteen months previously? 

(We know it was eighteen months ago thanks to a question Holmes asked Hopkins after the first interview.)

Depending on whether the boat was a clipper or a steam ship, the voyage could have taken anywhere from 40-70 days (source). That’s six to ten weeks at sea. Quite a long time, really, in knowing a person. Certainly enough time to fall in love. But because Crocker thought it was all friendship on her side, he said nothing. 

Then, after another 80-140 days (2-4.5 months), at the end of another return voyage from Australia, he discovers his love is married. So, the gentleman that he is, he accepts that. Not even entertaining the thought of seeking her out, despite knowing he’s been billeted close by her new home. 

And then he runs into Mary’s maid Theresa - who provides the news that Mary is not happily married after all. That the marriage is a horror. (That bit about the dog!) 

So he visits her clandestinely (possibly, if I heard correctly, several times - all but the last away from the house, I presume). The final time, he tells her he’s leaving... then, as Mary tries to put a brave face on things, finally admits his love for her. Mary, having just called him “friend”, reproaches him - “Jack,” (no more “Mr Crocker!” - an important distinction!) “Don’t make me say it - it won’t make us any happier.”

And just as Jack Crocker begins to realise what Mary’s true feelings for him are - Sir Eustace interrupts. From there, the stage was set for an ugly finale. 

Fortunately, Holmes has the solution - because Crocker told him the truth. 

In return, one of Holmes’s deductive explanations to Crocker contains the gem: “it was evident she was shielding someone. To do so under such circumstances meant that she must love them.” Then the sweethearts are reunited, with Mary summoned to 221b via telegram, as Holmes is a (not-so-secret) softie. 

This creates a delightful image of Mary and Crocker on one side, with Holmes and Watson on the other. Two pairs. Look at the colour coordination, btw - Crocker and Mary in black with gold or red accents respectively, and Holmes and Watson in grey with black and white or grey and white accents respectively.  I love it. 

After a bit of encouragement, Watson is “jury” to Holmes’s judge, and Crocker and Mary are free to live their life in happiness, once the obligatory social norm of the year-long mourning period for the unlamented Sir Eustace is up, and Crocker returns from the sea. 

This causes Mary to give Holmes a delighted hug of thanks. 

Holmes’s look of Pure Awkwardness is delightful, and lends credence to my Autistic Holmes headcanon that he doesn’t like to be touched except by a select few. (Namely Watson.) 

You could also make something of a queer Holmes headcanon from that scene - e.g. Holmes doesn’t like to be touched in a familiar way by women.

I’m going to leave it there tonight, as I need to get to bed. I will say that the discussion between Holmes and Watson at the end is interesting - another example of Holmes having a Very Particular Idea of what “justice” actually means. One that’s not exactly shared by the courts of the day. Watson is still perturbed by this, but willing to forgive him, because Holmes is “unique”. 

I leave you with the delightful end frame: 

[Image description: Watson and Holmes in their armchairs in front of an unlit fire, lamps lit, sipping their drinks.] 

it puts me in mind of a certain poem.