#(was obsessed with bbc sherlock at one point)

[allsortzofcrap]

i feel like for the rest of my life i will be walking around totally normal and then periodically, i will be absolutely brained with a metaphorical anvil falling off the side of a building that represents the absolute bafflement i have towards modern adaptations of sherlock holmes and their treatment of irene adler. bbc's most recent adaptation in particular.

im so sorry. please repeat. she was stupid u say??? and i'm sorry, IN LOVE with him u say??????

i'm a feminist so i think women are capable of being in love and also of being stupid. they can do anything they put their minds to ofc ❤️. but this is too far even for me.

it's just that i can't understand why you would choose to write a narrative that is more mysoginistic than the source material when the source material was written in 1891.

was it intentional? did they somehow not pick up on the implications? was it random?

i can't fathom it. it keeps me awake.

[old-memoria]

Can’t believe that Vivienne Westwood passed away. Can’t be true nooo

[hildegardladyofbones]

This js. Wow. I am Going Through a Stage In [my] Life right now

[savagewildnerness]

Immortal, bloodthirsty creatures that feed on humans - they have sharp fangs and a hatred for sunlight and garlic.

Vampires might not be the hero you typically root for, but they have transfixed us for centuries.

The first short story about the monster written in the English language was John Polidori's The Vampyre in 1819.

More followed, with Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1897 inspiring F.W. Murnau's silent film Nosferatu in 1922. This is now being remade by Robert Eggers and is set to be released in the UK in 2025, starring Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult.

But what's driving our hunger for vampire stories?

For writer and actor Mark Gatiss, his fascination with vampires started early. The co-writer of BBC drama series Sherlock and Dracula has been a "horror obsessive" for as long as he can remember.

Gatiss went on from a childhood love of scary stories to star as Dracula in an audio production, made a documentary on the monster as well as a 2020 BBC series, which sees the Count (played by Claes Bang) venture to London.

He says the opportunity to bring Stoker's iconic vampire to life felt "too good to be true".

"Like Sherlock Holmes, it's an imperishable myth and, really, if anyone gives you the chance to have a go at it - you have to do it," he explains.

Gatiss explains an image of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes "silhouetted against a doorway when he comes back from the dead with his collar up" helped spark the 2020 Dracula series with Claes Bang

Rolin Jones is an executive producer and a writer on the TV adaptation of Interview with the Vampire, based on Anne Rice's collection of novels.

The series, available on BBC iPlayer, follows vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (played by Jacob Anderson) who shares the story of his life and relationship with Lestat de Lioncourt (played by Sam Reid) with a journalist.

He explains stories about the vampires "come back over and over again" because they "get in your bones and haunt you," with many raising questions of immortality, death and love.

The modern popularity of the figures can be seen on social media with #vampire having 2.7 million posts on TikTok.

Jones adds that each day he will see more people tattooing the characters' faces on their body, explaining "this is a rabid fan base".

"They're really tense and complex characters", Jones says

'Scared me to death'

While the characteristics of fictional vampires have changed throughout history - some burn to a crisp in the sunlight, others have famously sparkly skin - they have one thing in common: immortality.

Dr Sam George - an associate professor at the University of Hertfordshire who taught students about vampires in fiction - explains that part of the reason the monster endures is because they "get us to think about the big questions that concern us, ideas about ageing" as well as "what happens beyond the grave".

She adds that "the vampire's always been linked very strongly with disease, with contagion," adding that if we look back in history we can see that our interest in the immortal monster seems to pique around times of mass disease.

"When the first fictional vampire appeared in 1819, there was a strong link with tuberculosis," she says.

"Nosferatu is made to actually look like plague rats," Dr George explains

She adds that F.W. Murnau's silent film Nosferatu in 1922, centring on a character famous for the plagued rats he brought in his wake, came shortly after the Spanish influenza pandemic.

The academic adds that this is "really important to why vampires are so popular and on trend now, when you think of Nosferatu and its link to the plague, post Covid we're very interested in the vampire as contagion."

Executive producer Jones adds that a key point of interest for him lies in working out why vampires want to keep living. "You take mortality out of any drama, and it's quite interesting," he says.

Jones adds that Ms Rice herself wrote the novel after losing her daughter and that this sense of "grief and mourning" is "exceptionally articulated" in the book.

'They seduce you'

"There's this allure to them," Jones says of vampires - like Assad Zaman, who plays the vampire Armand and Jacob Anderson, who plays Louis de Pointe du Lac

While vampires may let us play out our fears about mortality and death, Jones adds that there is something else that draws us to the fanged figures.

"They're the sexiest, the most sensual of monsters," he says. "They seduce you."

Jones adds that when he first picked up the novel Interview with the Vampire, "it seemed to me what I was reading was this really repressed and really messy love story."

Dr George agrees, explaining "vampires have gotten younger and better looking over the years" and notes the difference between Nosferatu and Twilight's Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson).

The academic adds there has been "a shift" in the way people read vampire fiction, explaining there has been a lot of interest in the topic of sexuality and vampires, like the "queer family" presented in Ms Rice's novel. 

The combination of love and immortality, Dr George says, is also seen in Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula, which ran with the tagline "love never dies".

For Dr George, the "sense that the vampire can address a number of questions all at once," from death to love is the reason it stays with us today.

This article made me curious (I haven't put combination of some/all as an option as 100% would vote for it, as of course it isn't just one thing... so I ask the *most* significant thing for you)...

Edit to add that this is very difficult even for me to answer and I created the poll. Now, I'd say existential questions would be my top answer, but when I first read the books, it was the exploration of the outsider/difference I think for me, so perhaps that's the truest answer?

[eyeballmarshmallowtea]

BBC Sherlock

Hi, I'm Sophie. This post will be a rant. You have been warned.

BBC Sherlock last aired in 2017, with Series 4 Episode 3, The Final Problem. I am still waiting for Series 5. I first discovered this show when my amazing English teacher showed us A Study In Pink before the christmas holidays. I went home, watched the next epsiode, and promptly forgot that Sherlock existed. Until a couple of days before the summer holidays, when we were shown The Hounds of Baskerville. We only got to watch half the episode, and me and a friend finished it and watched half of the Great Game in Science and French class. (It was the end of the year, there was practically no work). And then I left for music tour. We spent 30+ hours on a coach over 5 days. 28 hours of that (I checked) was spent on BBC iPlayer. That's the whole of Sherlock twice. I finished it and then rewatched with a friend, and from then I became obsessed. I got a group together of 4 people, old and new fans, and we chat about Sherlock the entire time and it is amazing. My parents used to watch it so I convinced them that my sister was old enough to watch A Study In Pink. (She was only allowed to watch that one, she is now on Series 4. I regret nothing). My dad found the DVDs in the free book pickup at our local station, so I watched the original pilot episode and it was amazing. I also read and write fanfiction, which leads me onto the next point. And it is a long point.

Johnlock.

Although the series ended 7 years ago, I still hold out hope. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson belong together and always have, and before I finished the show I truly believed it would become canon. I was heartbroken and I genuinely felt let down. As so many of fans were at the time of the show's release, I am an LGBTQ+ teenager, and representation in my favourite show would be more than just a stupid headcannon coming true, it would have meant the world to me and so many others. This show has made me laugh and cry but sometimes I think about what could have happened and I wonder what could have been different.

However, regardless of this, I truly believe that this show is an incredible feat of acting, writing, filming, production and it will come back. Even yesterday (I say yesterday, it's 00:16 currently), the producer said there might be a movie or a new series. There is always hope, and Sherlock will return, because it has to. The 'ending' cannot be the ending, because it is not the ending. It is the temporary ending, and the true one will be here someday, even if it takes another 7 years.

And even if not, then there will be more adaptions, and someday someone will tell the true story of Sherlock.

And whether you ship Johnlock, or are a fan of Sherlock, this show is incredible. And honestly, if there is another series, I don't even care what it is about as long as it just happens.

In conclusion, this show has genuinely been life changing. It has changed my perception of things, given me friendships, made me less bored, given me something to do and something to talk about, and I am endlessly grateful for the show.

So when it does return, I will be waiting for it, and when the first announcement comes, I know my reaction will be pure joy, and probably make me look very stupid in public.

I'm now crying. I need to sleep.

Thank you for reading

-Sophie

[ryanjudgesthings]

Nothing like getting into Elementary after being a BBC Sherlock fan for so long. Sherlock was overhyped to the point where I was barely aware of Elementary's existence. Now having finished the first season of Elementary, I find it to be infinitely superior. (The same way I find the Davies era of Doctor Who infinitely superior to Moffat's, but that's a rant for another time.) It's incredible how a show can have roughly the same premise and elements and yet one can be so vastly superior.

Miller's Sherlock Holmes has many of the same flaws as Cumberbatch's. Miller's Sherlock can be abrasive and insensitive and even demanding at times, and yet he's far more likeable than Cumberbatch's. Elementary Sherlock Holmes endeavors to acknowledge his failings and apologize, he endeavors to do better. Where BBC Sherlock Holmes loves to humiliate people to prove his cleverness, Elementary Sherlock tries (with mixed results) not to cross lines that are too personal. Elementary Sherlock Holmes doesn't view everyone around him as a complete and utter imbecile; he respects those who put him in his place when he's being an ass. Elementary Sherlock cares about the well-being of others and at times barely manages to keep his anger under wraps when he deals with the evil of the world.

(Of course, it's okay to write a character with flaws, but when you romanticize those flaws it is quickly exhausting to watch.)

I'm usually a little hard on American adaptations despite being an American myself, but CBS Elementary respects its viewers whereas BBC Sherlock insists on treating you like a complete and utter imbecile for having the gall to ask about the giant plot holes littered throughout the show.

CBS Elementary tells a compelling story about Sherlock's struggle with mental health and addiction that humanizes the character. Sherlock has an interesting and compelling dynamic with his family where he feels neglected by his father, correctly predicting yet another failure to follow through at dinner. BBC Sherlock gives us a background for the main character that makes no sense after the writer said it would be a mistake to go there.

BBC Sherlock takes one of the most iconic female antagonists of all time and just... ruins the whole story with her. Elementary respects its female characters, isn't an all-white cast, and responds to the possibility of people being LGBT with a mere shrug, as if it's nothing out of the ordinary. (In stark contrast to BBC Sherlock that reminds you every five minutes its main characters aren't gay and then decided that they'd make their main villain scary by having him act gay to the point where it's noted by characters on screen, including said villain himself. Also his main motivation is he's obsessed with the main character I guess??)

It's... wild to think that all this time I could have been enjoying a show that didn't make me feel like an idiot for liking it. Oh well, I get to enjoy it now.

[dlrconlicense]

MY CULTURAL FIRSTS

Louise Brealey: My first kiss with Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch

The actor and writer on taking acid at her first gig, meeting Michael Caine – and the moment she knew the BBC detective drama was going to be huge

Louise Brealey

LEO STAAR

Jake Helm

Sunday November 12 2023, 12.13am GMT, The Sunday Times

First concert I went to

I would like to say an unknown band called Blur in a tiny tent at Reading in 1994, but I accidentally took my first and very much last acid tab off an apprentice plumber called Tony from Swansea and watched the The on the big stage instead. It was all fine until the music started to creep up from the grass right up my legs and I was surrounded by terrifying gargoyles.

First pop-inspired fashion trends I adopted

I’m afraid I was a relentlessly unfashionable child. I was a square and listened to 10cc I’m Not in Love and The Eagles’ Desperado on repeat. I did love Robert Smith [from the Cure] but I didn’t wear enormous jumpers until my twenties.

First time I realised the BBC drama Sherlock was going to be a huge hit

The read-through was electric, which is not normal. Usually, it’s nerve-jangling because everyone is terrified they’re going to be sacked. A few weeks later I was watching the scene where Benedict first stuck his head round the lab door and said to Martin Freeman: “The name is Sherlock Holmes and the address is 221b Baker Street.” And I thought, yes it is. But really, I realised it was going to be huge when I was on early Twitter and the show went off. When Sherlock kissed [my character] Molly I got 60,000 followers in an hour.

Louise Brealey as Molly Hooper, right, and the cast of Sherlock

TODD ANTONY/BBC

First TV show I enjoyed

Like everyone at school I was obsessed by Jim’ll Fix It. I put two letters into one envelope to double my chances. One was to ask to meet John Travolta because I’d seen him star in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, a film in which he plays this kid that can’t step outside a little plastic tent or he’ll die. The other was asking to meet the pop star Paul Young — I figured I had a better chance with him because he was from Luton. At least I didn’t do what my brother did and write to Jimmy Savile to ask to meet Rolf Harris.

First film I saw at the cinema

The first film I saw on my own at the pictures was Stand by Me at The Point in Milton Keynes. I had seen River Phoenix in the video for Ben E King’s single on Top of the Pops and was utterly love-struck. That was it. River was the only one for me. I still think River was the great acting talent of his generation.

First time I cried at the cinema

Watership Down. That was actually the first film I saw at the cinema. At the Palace in Wellingborough, when I was five or six. It was the first time I had any clue that creatures die. I was very affected by it — I called my next rabbit Bright Eyes.

First actor I admired

Joan Greenwood in Kind Hearts and Coronets. She was the single most beautiful woman I’d ever seen — and I was fascinated by her voice. I also loved Richard Burton’s voice, mainly because he narrated The War of the Worlds, my dad’s favourite album. I wanted to marry Richard Burton so I could listen to him all day long.

First thing I did to embody my new character Deb in Such Brave Girls

I started with her voice. I wanted to use the Northamptonshire accent. It’s the land of my birth and how my whole family talks except for me because I was a scholarship kid at a posh school, and I’ve never worked in it before. And then the clothes — Deb is obsessed with being feminine, so with her costumes it’s often about the cleavage. I think of her as a wily street rat in dangly earrings.

First famous person I met

I didn’t meet anyone famous until my first proper job, which was as a film journalist. The most exciting thing to happen was to go to a film set and sit in Michael Caine’s trailer. He asked: “Would you like to marry me?” I blushed and started stammering at him. And then he politely pushed a little dish of Murray Mints in my direction and I realised that he’d actually said: “Would you like a Murray Mint?”

[meetinginsamarra]

My Fave Sherlock BBC tropes - Casefics

Around mid-month I’ll do a fic rec list with my fave AU genres or tropes. Summaries are taken from OP on AO3.

Okay, so there are obviously a lot of Sherlock fics where a case gets solved. Here, I only include the especially plotty ones.

*********************************

“The Case of the Green Gown” by splix

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2659472

...Watson had at that time deserted me for a wife, the only selfish action which I can recall in our association. I was alone.  -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier

(Please ignore this useless summary! This is hands down the most complex but still completely logical casefic I’ve ever read. Layers upon layers of stunning reveals, intriguing case and beautiful characterization of our beloved. Awesome!)

“Ten Days” (part 1 of “The Fallen” series) by Engazed @engazed​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/456761

Sherlock Holmes has been dead for forty months, and John is at last beginning to live his life again. But just when he believes he might be happy, his world crashes back down around him.

John is named a missing person. Someone is pointing DI Lestrade in the wrong direction. And as the days pass, his situation only grows more dire. It seems like the disappearance of his best friend is the only thing that can bring Sherlock Holmes back from the dead.

“The Slash Man” (part 2 of “The Fallen” series) by Engazed @engazed

https://archiveofourown.org/works/949101

After ten days of unspeakable torture at the hands of Sherlock's worst enemies, John Watson has returned to Baker Street to live with a man whose death, no matter how fake, still haunts him. But his recovery is not easy, his friendship with Sherlock is strained, and a dangerous but hidden menace continues to threaten them both.

(”Blackbird, Fly” is part 3 and currently a WIP)

“The Green Blade” by verityburns @verity-burns​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/320879

As a serial killer hits the headlines, the police are out of their depth and the next victim is out of time. With faith in Sherlock Holmes at an all time low, this is a case which will push loyalties to the limit...

“A Goose Quill Dipped in Venom” by Polyphony

https://archiveofourown.org/works/344050

Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective, is called in to a very ordinary although brutal murder. Something is badly out of tune with the whole scenario and Sherlock finds himself becoming more and more obsessed with the crime - and also with the victim.

“The Iceman cometh” by Polyphony

https://archiveofourown.org/works/539555

Title from the Eugene O'Neill play of the same name. An intriguing puzzle tempts Sherlock to accept Victor Trevor's invitation to the French Riviera, but all is not what it seems. Frustrated by the case and increasingly concerned about an absent John, Sherlock uncovers far more than he was meant to and is forced to become a fugitive, pursued by those on both sides of the law, as he fights for his freedom and the lives of all those around him.

“The Edinburgh Problem” (part 1 of “Scotland series”) by snorklepie @snorklepie

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2392997

“A nice holiday, just a bit more...murdery.” John said drily. “Yes! The best kind of holiday!” Sherlock beamed. “So we won’t get bored!”

After he separates from Mary, John returns to Baker Street. Following a request for help from Sherlock's cousin Violet, the detective and his blogger take a trip to Edinburgh. John discovers more about the Holmes family and Sherlock than he bargained for, but tries not to run screaming.

“October to Hogmanay” (part 2 of “Scotland series”) by snorklepie @snorklepie

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3606486

“What are we, now?” John mused aloud, once they were in a cab heading back to Baker street. It was a cool, damp afternoon and Sherlock was studying the passers-by with detached interest. He glanced over at John with a raised eyebrow, his fingers idly worrying at one of the buttons on his coat.

“Nothing seems quite right. What would you call me, if somebody asked?” John waved a hand vaguely at the space between them. “What do we call… this?”

(”Savage Music, Sombre Light” is part 3 and currently a WIP)

“Periodic Tales -series” (18 fics) by 7PercentSolution @7-percent​

https://archiveofourown.org/series/504749

Lots of science, lots of case fic! This is Sherlock as chemist, using the periodic table of elements for many different reasons. Each story is centred around one particular element, in two parts. One focuses on aspects of Sherlock's childhood and events in his life; the other part shows how that has influenced his abilities as the world's only consulting detective, demonstrated through a case fic that shows off his deducing skills.

(most of Seven’s fics could be put onto this list btw, but I’ll add only one more)

“Devonshire Squires” (part 8 of “Fallen Angel” - series) by 7PercentSolution @7-percent

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11830755

Post THE/Pre So3, John and Sherlock try to rebuild bridges, but a demanding case challenges both of their assumptions about what happened to the other one during the hiatus. Lestrade tries to play peacemaker, but Mycroft's meddling is counter-productive. Case fic, sickfic and angst all rolled into one misery-laden ball of reading pleasure

“Midnight Blue Serenity” by BeautifulFiction @the-pen-pot​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/635897

“This was like nothing John had ever thought to associate with Sherlock: stubble, skin-tight jeans and three small silver rings gleaming at the crest of one ear. It was unbelievable, like stepping into an alternative universe, and John couldn't stop staring.”

When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate's charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim?

“The Adventure of the Body Snatchers” by dioscureantwins

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5574523

“Body snatchers,” whispered a girl. “Oh, Mr Holmes. Oh, Davey…” Her eyes watered and with heaving shoulders she buried her face into her neighbour’s overcoat.

Sherlock looked perplexed. “Is this one of those pop culture things?” he asked the room at large.

John nodded and drank the last of his tea while his flatmate rolled his eyes before leaping to his feet.

“Right. I can’t think with so much stupidity in the room.” He began making shooing motions at the distraught girl and the boy who sat comforting her as well as the others. “Everybody out. John and I don’t have time for this nonsense. Out, out, all of you.”

“The Moonlight and the Frost” by CaitlinFairchild

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1998777

“And once again, you think you know what’s best for me.”

John rises from the chair, the anger and frustration and hurt overwhelming him, bursting out of every pore, and he doesn’t even know for sure that it’s Sherlock he’s angry at, really, but the only reason he tied himself to Mary in the first place is because the person he really loved left him behind, and the woman he married once sat in the shadows above a darkened swimming pool and aimed a sniper rifle at his heart and later shot his best friend in cold blood and cuckolded him and just gave birth to a child that wasn’t his and right now he just can’t do this, he just fucking can’t do this anymore.

John has to somehow rebuild his life in the wake of Mary's betrayal and Sherlock's deceptions.

“Sketchy” by serpentynka

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1090850

What (and who) will be left when nobody cares about your Work? A slow-burn fic with cases, places, mistaken identities, unfair choices, essential changes, violent feels, blatant lies, fearless portraiture, family secrets, high-risk bespoke gifts, durable friendships, bedtime stories, foreign travel and tongues, sickness (and health), and the significance of things which are slow to unfurl -- but cannot be ignored. Oh, and...porn.

“All the best and brightest creatures” by wordstrings

https://archiveofourown.org/works/582059

Sherlock sent Jim Moriarty to prison for killing Carl Powers at age ten. This is the story of the consequences.

“The adventure of the silver scars” by tangledblue

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5131763

“All this does not mean that I’m not still basically pissed off with you. I’m very pissed off, and it will come out now and then.” –His Last Vow   It’s been thirteen months since Mary shot Sherlock and John finds he’s still pissed off about it. Sherlock had thought everything was settled: John and Mary, domestic bliss. But when John turns up at Baker Street with suitcases, the world’s only consulting detective might not be prepared for the consequences. A new case. Some old scores to settle. Certain danger. Concertos, waltzes, and whisky.

“Major Pieces” by Lindentreeisle (Captainblue)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/162152

Sherlock knew that he could thoroughly rely upon John Watson's moral sense. And that's why he knew that Lestrade was wrong, wrong, wrong.

[mwagneto]

sherlock & co. review from an insane person (me) coz this is like. the 25th? sherlock adaptation i've checked out so ofc i have opinions on everything ever. and ik ppl who work on indie podcasts browse tumblr sometimes so just in case you work on this DON'T click keep reading, this post is not for youuu shoo. thanks x

ok so far it's like. fine? which is lowkey sad coz i wish it was smtg i really liked but it hasn't gripped me yet which is a shame but yknow. early days. i'm giving it time since it's only 15 episodes so far

my main issue is like. i really wish it wasn't so obviously influenced by bbc but it just so clearly is which is a shaaame like it's better than bbc in every aspect but yknow. not a high bar to clear. like it kinda feels like they liked a lot of things abt bbc and set out to fix the bad parts (h&w friendship being nonexistent, the mysteries being shit) but just kept the rest? in some places keeping things that were invented by bbc which is. baffling tbh

i'm not really picky when it comes to h&w personalities like i think it's fine to just do whatever you want w them, i think it's really fun when an adaptation gives them different personalities than what you're used to but, and this is where it feels far too bbc-ish for comfort, i just don't like it when sherlock is a cunt for no reason? like. he's not a mean person he's only mean in bbc coz moffat thought house md was cool and ripped it off. can we stop making him mean pleeeease 😭 he's just some guy..................

h&w relationship wise it's like... ok so i tend to go into adaptations with a fully clean slate so like i never let my general attachment to them influence how i view them in specific adaptations, the work itself needs to sell me on both the characters and the relationship and like... here neither of those really happened yet which makes me sad coz i think by now it should've but i'm giving it time. at least they're friends and i like that watson is useful for cases/knows things holmes doesn't sometimes coz thats like. such an essential element to sh stories for me and a loooottt of adaptations tend to just completely forget it so that's a win but idk if anything they're too tame? like i dont expect a romance but they can't just be casual friends they need to be bat shit crazy about each other. to me. but like maybe that'll develop over the rest of the podcast we'll see

kinda related to that point but case-wise i think holmes is a bit too ahead of everyone else sometimes which isn't inherently a problem but it does once again smell of bbc which like. noone should ever emulate moffat writing don't do that 🙏 god bles. but i've been able to solve every case along with/before the mcs which is like. thee point of mystery stories for me so yea i really like the stories themselves so far, especially the way they manage to make them solvable even without visuals or narration. OH and i almost forgot but i rly like the soundtrack, i love it when sh soundtracks have a heavy emphasis on violins coz. yknow

howeverr i am on my hands and knees begging them not to give watson a girlfriend tho like please oh myfffucking god . obvs watsonlock doesn't usually factor into my enjoyment of adaptations given that like. y'know. out of the hundreds out there theres only two where either of them is even gay so it's not something i expect nor require but like. to me it is essential that these two ppl are insane abt each other and don't really have anyone else, definitely noone important. like even the rdj movies got this despite ritchie's obsession w the 2 men 1 woman dynamic so idk why i'm constantly having to wage a war against random unnecessary romances for either watson or, god forbid, holmes. when the only interesting relationship either of these men have is with each other. that one granada holmes quote about them choosing not to include mary coz holmes and watson dont need anyone else etc etc. like i seriously dislike it when they introduce anyone else like cmonnnnnn thog dont care

anyway tldr. i guess if asked to pick a short description i'd say. promising? i hope it's gonna be good in the long run. the way they do mysteries is already something i like so. i hope they keep that up and i hope the h&w relationship evolves into something i enjoy coz so far i'm like. i can see the bones of smtg i'll potentially like but it's not there yet. but also like. this is an indie production i'm listening to for free so ion wanna rip into it these are mainly just what i liked/disliked based on the preferences i developed with this one quick trick (grow up completely insane abt sherlock holmes -> consume every adaptation that you can get your paws on -> no profit)

[lastweeksshirttonight]

Lee is re-watching Sherlock for some fucking reason - Season One

I'm well aware that the crossover between "currently popular and loved British comedian in the US updates, thirst, and accoutrements" and "BBC show that went so off the rails that people now like to pretend Andrew Scott's breakout role was the Hot Priest in Fleabag" is limited, but weirdly, returning to Sherlock was one of the few things that was keeping my brain somewhat grounded and whirring during Work Hell.

We're in uncharted territory here. You're gonna learn a bit about the things I do when I'm not tracking John Oliver obsessively. I am nervous about this but hey, I'm guessing most of you knew I don't solely live and breathe John Oliver. (I know. I have multitudes. This is a shocking revelation. Please take time to process it.)

Firstly, a content note - there's going to be discussion about queerbaiting and queercoding villains, and the beginning of this goes into some of James Somerton's absolutely disgusting claims about the AIDS crisis. This post will only be focused on Season One, as that's all I've finished at this point.

Let's go.

(above image sourced from Writing Tips and Memes)

My sudden re-emergent hyperfixation started because of the hbomberguy takedown of James Somerton, weirdly. I don't follow many YouTubers - I like Bright Sun Films because he goes urban exploring, something I've always wanted to do but have never managed to make happen, and also Todd in the Shadows, whose Trainwreckords series is very well-done and expertly researched. Seeing that name, you might know where this is going. Todd dropped a video about James Somerton, who I had never fucking heard of and now wish I'd known about before, so I could scream bloody murder about what an absolute fuckwad he is.

(I don't want to get too in the weeds here, but the things James asserted about WWII, Nazis, and the AIDS crisis are so vehemently offensive that I'm still struggling with them. Claiming that only boring gays survived the AIDS crisis in particular is so vile that I have gotten anger flashes thinking about it almost daily since hearing it.)

Todd recommended watching all four hours of the hbomberguy plagiarism video, and I ran that in the background while working about two weeks ago. Eventually I had to stop doing that because the plagiarism revelations were so distracting and shocking. Todd's video was even more of a goddamn mindfuck, and even the smaller, less offensive things have taken up far too much space in my brain. Californians, does anyone at all deify Bob Iger??? Like... what the goddamn fuck??? Bob Iger????

After watching one hbomberguy video, the algorithm did its thing, and gave me a video called "Sherlock is Garbage and Here's Why". Posting it here for posterity:

Because my brain works in mysterious ways (-cough-ADHD-cough-), watching this... made me want to rewatch Sherlock.

I initially saw Sherlock for the first time thanks to someone I met in my last year of college, 2012. At the time, Michael (a nickname) was my neighbor in the dorms; over the past ten years, she's become one of my closest friends and a true rock in my life. One of the first things we bonded over that I introduced her to was the San Francisco Giants and the ghost I will always be chasing, Tim Lincecum; one of the first things we bonded over that she introduced me to was BBC Sherlock. The show was in the early months of its extended hiatus after Season Two, at the height of its fandom, and we were both completely obsessed. I read all the Doyle stories, took in a truly wild amount of fanfiction, wrote a not-very-popular AU fic, became part of a strange inter-dorm ARG based on Sherlock orchestrated by Michael... it consumed a huge part of our lives.

When Season 3 dropped, I almost stopped watching after "The Empty Hearse". I don't want to get into why it offended me so much before we get to a Season 3 post, but just know my enthusiasm severely dampened there. The rest of Season 3 I think of with blase emotions, especially the ending, which I found just dumb, save one part of it. I recall going to see The Abominable Bride in theatres with my mom (and maybe Michael?), and I think I liked it fine - aside, again, from the ending. But I had no interest in a Season Four, and when it dropped, Michael's long rambling phone calls describing the absolute shitstorm of a plot cemented that I was never going to watch it again.

Until now.

I definitely don't think the hbomberguy video is perfect. His insistence that Doyle canon never had Holmes pull answers to cases out of his ass is... something, lol, as is his opinion that changing the solution to certain puzzles in A Study in Pink disrespects the original canon. (Bro, these stories have been retold a bajillion times, they need to mix it up to keep it interesting.) But he put a finger on something that I'd wrestled with regarding Sherlock for a long time - that the show's writing often teased something big and new and conclusive in the horizon, but almost never delivered. That wasn't an issue in early days when there was less invested in an increasingly convoluted mythic story, or when they weren't fully blowing off the resolutions to cliffhangers, but the flaw in writing a story where you promise something huge on the horizon and never deliver should be obvious.

The first season doesn't trade much in that idea, and going back to it was something I found exceptionally enjoyable!

Before I watched:

I remembered bits and pieces of "A Study in Pink" and the whole plot in summary.

I truly didn't remember anything about "The Blind Banker" except that I found it fairly 'yellow peril'-y when I saw it in 2012.

I mixed up huge chunks of Season Two's "A Scandal in Belgravia" with "The Great Game" in my head and somehow forgot the main plot thrust was Moriarty kidnapping people and strapping bombs to them.

I genuinely forgot Sebastian Moran was a character basically hallucinated into existence by the fandom and didn't appear in the show at all until a brief appearance in Season Three.

In a way, it was like I was watching the show for the first time all over again. My partner also watched the first season with me, and it was interesting to get his thoughts on the show as we watched.

To start, his favorite character is Mycroft. Watching Season One, I had to agree that Mycroft has a depth of character that I'd forgotten about. Mark Gatiss plays him perfectly, aloof and smarter than you but unsure of how to deal with his natural feelings of concern and fear for his oft-spiraling, danger-seeking younger brother - and how those feelings magnify with the influence of extreme danger-seeker (at least in this season) John Watson. The show wants you to believe so badly that he's Moriarty in "A Study in Pink", which I don't think works even if you know he isn't Moriarty - there's a warmth to Gatiss' Mycroft that, even while he's doing incredibly ominous things like shutting off all cameras in a busy intersection, still comes through.

My favorite character is Moriarty. I haven't mentioned this very much here, because why would I, but my favorite character type in media is "theatrical abject shithead". It's why I cosplay Bakugo from My Hero Academia and loved everything about Akechi in Persona 5. Hell when I was a kid, I told teachers that when I grew up, I wanted to join Team Rocket. I love the theatrical shitheads. And boy, is Moriarty some sort of theatrical shithead. I don't DISAGREE with hbomberguy pointing out that, as written, Moriarty is a complete mess of a character, a queer-coded literal terrorist with no motivations besides "I did that because I'M CRAAAAZY!"... but he's my queer-coded literal terrorist, ok? I could write a whole paper on all the harmful stereotypes inhabiting this version of Moriarty... but I can't deny that the flamboyance and violence pulsing just beneath the surface of Andrew Scott's performance was the beating heart of that show for me. Sure, Sherlock and John, at least early on, were a compelling duo, but the show was at its best with Moriarty pulling strings for inexplicable reasons in the background. I love him.

(An aside: watching Sherlock made me remember how hilarious it was to see basically every major actor from the show in one of my favorite movies of all time, 1917, to the point that I actually kinda laughed in the theatre thinking about it.)

The entirety of the first season also is more devoted to actual crime-solving and detective work than I remembered the show being. I think that works strongly in its favor, and as I recall things from later seasons, drifting from that element definitely hampers the show greatly. In particular, while the lazy and uncomfortable Orientalism of "The Blind Banker" is still incredibly glaring, the actual mystery at the core of it is very excitingly tracked and easily followed while watching. The fact that John is treated like an equal (mostly) throughout only enhances my thoughts on that. "The Great Game" is a little more slapdash (and hurt by the fact that the entire Vermeer section would be solvable with a smartphone nowadays), but you can still make connections mentally with most of the cases and deduction/investigation is being shown logically. (hbomberguy cites the Golem as a problematic logical leap akin to some of Season Two's dumbest, and I can't agree. It's a reasonable suspension of disbelief to assume Sherlock knows about assassins and is followed by some more sensible investigation and inspection of the Golem's victim. The sequence of Sherlock fighting the Golem, however, is very, very silly.)

Related to that... the autopsy doctors on this show are fucking AWFUL at their jobs. Like straight-up negligently awful. How in the actual fuck did they not investigate the puncture marks on Connie Price's body? How did they not notice a highly distinctive heel tattoo on three recently-murdered corpses? Is Molly the only vaguely competent person in the mortuary? My partner and I were extremely amused that, while Lestrade and his police force are thankfully shown with much more intelligence than in other Holmes adaptations and BBC!Watson wouldn't think jam is a clue, the writers seem to have shunted the stupidity straight to the invisible autopsy doctors.

The first season also does a good job of making Sherlock seem like an overly intelligent if socially stunted human being, instead of the condescending prickish intellectual Ubermensch he ends up becoming as the show progresses. "A Study in Pink"'s ending being Sherlock throwing aside his deduction of the cabbie's killer when he realizes it's Watson, unconvincingly lying to Lestrade and insisting he's in shock before rejoining the other man and genuinely bonding with him, is remarkably compelling as fulfillment of a promise we get from Lestrade earlier in the episode - "Sherlock Holmes is a great man. One day he may even be a good one." My memory is admittedly faulty, but part of why "The Empty Hearse" turned me off so viscerally was Sherlock's (and to an extent, Mycroft's) insufferable growing smugness, particularly where explaining plans or mysteries to John. We get told often that Watson humanizes Sherlock and that the two have a strong bond throughout the series, but Sherlock gets much more dickish in general as the series progresses. One thing I do remember with stark clarity is that after being utterly chastised at a Christmas party in "A Scandal in Belgravia", Sherlock does visibly treat Molly MUCH better throughout the remainder of the show. So, uh, why did we lose that energy with the show's central pairing?

Speaking of the show's central pairing, the queerbaiting starts SO EARLY on this show. I want to make it clear that obviously the benefit of hindsight and knowledge of how the show ends really colors a lot about the Johnlock relationship now, and as a society, we're more aware of what queerbaiting is and what it looks like, which will obviously alter how I perceive these interactions now. I also want to make it clear that I never really shipped Johnlock outside of just kind of assuming that it would be canon because everyone seemed really convinced of it. (I was an absolute degenerate that shipped John with Moriarty. On top of enjoying theatrical disasters, I enjoy ships with an abundance of chaos and impossibility.) There's some biases at play here.

Even so, we are not far into the episode where John is protesting that obviously he needs a second bed in 221B to Mrs. Hudson, he's not gay! The scene in the restaurant has such an aggressively shippy energy to it (despite Watson's consistent denials) that I actively commented on it to my partner as it was happening, saying "the queerbaiting happens WAY SOONER than I thought!" It's distracting and has aged absolutely terribly. The worst by far is John quipping, after being removed from a bomb vest at a pool in "The Great Game", that people will talk because of Sherlock ripping his clothes off in a darkened swimming pool. Why is Watson's heterosexuality so fragile that he's thinking about gossip rags as he's actively recovering from a near-death experience?!

(Aside: I'm aware that last point is not as effective when you think about the fact that I shipped two characters whose sole canonical interaction was one man kidnapping and forcing the other into a bomb vest. In my defense, a) I love mess and b) John never quips about thinking people will talk because he got kidnapped.)

Moriarty's first appearance in "The Great Game" sees him as Molly's fake boyfriend slipping a phone number to Sherlock, which lead to my partner commenting about how distracting it also was, on top of the queerbaiting, that almost every single person on the show has some sort of deep metaphysical attraction to Sherlock. Those people aren't on the lighting and cinematography team for sure; Benedict Cumberbatch is lit ominously and sometimes demonically throughout the first season, highlighting his antihero and brusque nature effectively. But many, many characters in the show - just in season one, Molly, Moriarty, multiple characters of the day, the Cabbie, and John - are all drawn to Sherlock and his very special brain and his very sharp cheekbones. Signs of a big future problem come through in this way, where the show starts sidelining Watson as our central figure and puts Sherlock squarely at the center of everyone's universe and makes lesbians fall in love with him.

(My partner also laughed pretty hard at how obvious Moriarty's pratfalls were as Molly's boyfriend, noting that the show was pretty bad at hiding who Moriarty was every time it came up.)

Some of the seeds of Sherlock's destruction are sown in this first season, obviously. The big one I haven't touched on is the ending cliffhanger itself. Moriarty has John and Sherlock trapped in the pool, tens of sniper sights trained on them, and says that he can't let them escape. Amazing cliffhanger here! It is not fulfilled on at all, but because Andrew Scott can carry anything on his back (including Spectre, which I cannot start talking about because we'll be here all day), the scene doesn't feel like a total waste and makes you want to hang on to find out what happens later.

But there was so much here that was delightful. All the acting is uniformly excellent, and the overt physical tics that come to define Sherlock's mind palace and mental prowess being showcased are barely evident here. The actual detective work, like I said earlier, is really involving! I don't feel like I figured out the solutions for the mysteries I couldn't recall the answers for too easily and thought Sherlock's deductive reason largely followed and wasn't too obscure. I'm still such a sucker for the show's style - that opening credits sequence is so perfectly put together, the text messages that interact with the scene and at the time made this show feel so fresh and modern to me, filming the character's faces in taxis through panes of glass and obscuring material in "A Study in Pink" to give everything an obfuscating sheen... give me all of it.

The music, too, was something I'd forgotten about and truly ended up adoring. Taskmaster (and The Horne Section's score for it) really owes a debt to Michael Price and David Arnold. So much of Sherlock's score could probably be dropped straight into a Taskmaster episode and I would have to think pretty hard to notice a difference in the show's usual musical palette. I've been eyeballing the vinyl on eBay, to give you an idea of how much I love this score. "The Game is On" is a perfect piece of music, clockwork spinning noises emphasizing the jauntiness of Sherlock as he drags Watson on his latest case before sliding into the more subdued, vaguely ominous thrum of its second movement descending into the madness of the third part, violins shrieking as the action reaches its apex.

Normally, with such a degree of pleasant surprise, I'd be eager to move forward to Season Two. Unfortunately, I know the first episode of Season Two is... a doozy. To say the least. A doozy that may get its own essay because of how doozy-ish it is.

In any case, I ended up really enjoying going back to Season One of Sherlock! Super down to talk further about the show, future write-ups, and my horrible taste in fictional ships and men - shoot me a message, reply to this post, wherever, I'll be here! <3

[shinybearnerd]

“At Dead of Night”

Hi everyone!

This is a little ff for the BBC Sherlock fandom.

It's set a little bit before the events of the third season. So !SPOILER WARNING! if you had not seen it yet.

   Honestly, I don't know what it is. I'm tired and I wanted to exorcise my old obsession with this (wonderful) series by writing something.

It was supposed to be longer, with the reader that finds out that Sherlock is alive and that Mycroft lied to them. Let me know if you're interested in that. I'll do a part 2 if that's the case.

Anyway, I hope you like it. Let me know what you think down below!

(no use of y/n - the reader has they/them pronounce)

-Engish is not my first language. So I'm sorry if there are any mistakes-

Pair: Mycroft x reader, a few remainders of Sherlock x reader

Words: 1,5k

Genre: Fluff , a little bit of Angst

Story: Reader and Mycroft finally have some precious time alone. During this, Reader remembers and thinks about the last three years and his relationship with the Holmes brothers. About that, lately, they have the feeling that the oldest might hide something...

Dining with Mycroft is... strange. Beautiful but strange.

No. Strange is not the right word.

Upsetting, perhaps?

Disarming?

Yes. Disarming is the right word.

You were so used to the half dinners that every so often you and Sherlock indulged between one case and another that remaining seated from ordering to withdrawing the last dish destabilized you in a good way. Even if you can't help but think that with Sherlock you would have had more fun. Not that Mycroft was boring. No, it was quite the opposite.

The charm and elegance of that man had always been something that had fascinated and impressed you. It's a characteristic that could also be seen in the younger of the Holmes brothers but stood out in the movements of the older one. Like right now: he had raised his arm slightly, getting the attention of a waiter who immediately ran towards your table. Then he asked if it might be possible to have another bottle of who knows what fine wine he was craving at that moment. And all you can do is smile at him and restrain the urge you had at that moment to jump on him and make love once again. It mattered little to you if everyone saw you.

Mycroft loved to spoil you.

You came to understand it quite soon. When you pointed out that there was no need and that all that attention could embarrass you, he replied that if you wanted the world, he would have brought it to you on a tray of gold.

That statement turned you on more than you care to admit.

Next month will be the third year since you saw him die. Sometimes that horrible, heartbreaking image would come back to visit you during your nightmares. Since you've been dating Mycroft tho, things started to change.

Having someone take care of you, and granting any kind of wish was incredibly pleasant.

Not that Sherlock didn't care about what you needed. He had his way of dealing with this kind of thing. And, even late at times, your needs were met.

He was a lovable and, more than his pride would admit, forgetful idiot. Your lovable and forgetful idiot.

He has been your rock in difficult times. He was your confidant. A person you could talk to. Over time he too has opened up to your presence and you have discovered a side of Mycroft that you would not even have imagined before.

Then things started to change. And perhaps for the best.

Between one evening together and another, a kiss escaped. Then a date. And after even more time, a night of love at the man's house. The first time after Sherlock's death.

You felt awful. Disgusting.

You hated yourself because you felt like you cheated on Sherlock by sleeping with his brother. With his enemy.

In all this, however, Mycroft was always understanding. He didn't push you into doing anything. He always listened and asked if you were comfortable doing anything.

He was able to make you feel alive and loved once again. Which you didn't think was possible. Spending time with him was magical and incredibly peaceful. Maybe more than you wanted, but you need calm and serenity in your life. So everything was perfect.

Except for one thing. You had the sensation that he was hiding something from you.

As the waiter walked away from your table, Mycroft noticed your gaze on him. He smiled too, taking your hands and leaving a kiss on your skin.

     <<Are you enjoying yourself, my dear?>>

     That nickname always managed to make you blush like a teenager.

    <<Very.>>

    His smile widened. <<I'm happy.>>

He had a strange look in his eyes. Like someone who has a cross to bear.

It's not the first time you've noticed such a look. In these three years, you have noticed it several times. Particularly when he thought you were not watching him.

    <<Hard day at work?>> You ask him.

    He looks down at your hands and strokes them with his thumb. <<No more than others.>>

    <<Something wrong? I see you a little tense, love.>>

    <<I'm fine. Don't worry.>>

    <<Is there anything I can do to help you?>> You ask with a hint of maliciousness in your voice.

You give up, even if momentarily.

Mycroft could be stubborn if he wanted to and you're sure if you insisted you wouldn't get anything out of it. Might as well wait for the moment when he wants to talk.

But you know that something was up.

Mycroft's smile went from adoring to mischievous in fractions of seconds. He was about to say something when he was interrupted by two waiters. One who served you dessert and another who opened the requested bottle and poured it.

    <<What are we toasting to?>> You ask, taking your glass.

    <<To the beautiful person in front of me.>>

    You blush hard while smiling. <<Stop it! You know it bothers me!>>

    He chuckles and clinks both glasses together. <<To you, my love.>>

    <<You know what? I don't want to do anything more for you. Keep your secrets.>>

He looked at you with a beaten puppy gaze as he lowered his wine glass and opened his jacket to reach for his cell phone in the inside pocket. You see him getting white as a ghost as soon as his eyes rest on the name that appears on the screen.

Mycroft opens his mouth to tell you that your beauty was meant to be celebrated every second, when he is interrupted by his cell phone ringing.

     You were annoyed that someone was interrupting you, but you know very well that Mycroft can't help it.

    <<I'm sorry, my dear.>>

He gets up, kisses you and walks towards the exit.

You can see him through one of the vertical windows on either side of the hall. He's tense. Very tense.

He walks slowly up and down the street. He is listening to someone, trying to assess the situation. Suddenly his head snaps up. You can't see his face because of the distance, but you know that it's no good and that Mycroft must leave as soon as possible.

You thank the waiter by leaving a generous tip and get up, walking towards the lobby.

You call the waiter with a wave of your hand, asking for the bill and if it were possible to pack the two desserts to take them away.

In a few minutes, he fixed everything.

    <<Are you going away, miss?>>

    <<I'm afraid so.>>

    <<Okay. Wait here while I get your coats, please.>>

As the woman walks away, you can get a better look at your boyfriend.

His back is straight and tense. The expression is always cold and detached but the movement of his lips makes you understand that he is furious.

You are very concerned about this situation. You’ve never seen him so upset.

The receptionist's voice wakes you from your thoughts.

She moves behind you and helps you put on your coat.

    <<Thank you.>>

    <<You’re welcome, miss. Here. This is your husband's.>> She smiles as she hands you Mycroft's coat.

    <<He’s- ...Thank you. Good evening.>>

Husband...

You’ve never thought about that

As the woman opens the door to let you out you find yourself looking at your left ring finger. Smiling at the idea.

How can't you? Mycroft was perfect.

As soon as you finish the sentence, Mycroft feels weird. He doesn't know what that depends on. He just can't help but smile.

    <<Yes, I'll be right there.>>

    Your boyfriend has just ended the call when he notices your presence.

    <<I figured that the circumstance was important.>> You tell him as you hand him both the jacket and the box containing the desserts. <<And these are both yours. From how tense I see you, I know you deserve them all.>>

    <<I love you so much...>>

You both are surprised and stare blanc at each other.

It's the first time either of them has said the l-word.

A taxi appeared, parking in front of you. You share another kiss before the eldest Holmes opens the door for you, and then closes it behind you.

    You smile at him. Hug him to you and kiss him. <<I love you too.>>

    He melts under your touch.

    <<I would have liked this evening to have ended in another way...>>

    <<I think we both hoped so.>> You reply mischievously.

    Mycroft chuckles. <<That's not what I meant ... Or at least in part.

<<I have to go...>>

    <<I know.>>

    <<I'll make it up to you.>>

    <<I know that too.>> You stated as you caress his face. <<Can we talk later?>>

    <<Of course. Call me when you arrive.>>

    <<The same goes for you too, Mister.>>

You think for a long time about that "I'll make it up to you". He had an odd tone. As if he was hiding something.

He smiles at you, kisses you one more time and gives directions to the taxi driver.

As soon as the taxi starts you realize that his car has arrived, but Mycroft doesn't get on it. He waits for you to leave, waving at you from a distance. You blow him a kiss and sit up composed.

You suppress a yawn in your throat and blame it all on tiredness and your overthinking. Mycroft has always told you everything. Sure he would not hide something from you... right?

[soraisnotsleepy]

☆ Acc intro + in search of moots ☆

🧋(☆ε☆)🧋(☆ε☆)🧋(☆ε☆)🧋(☆ε☆)🧋

Last updated: 25 nov

About me:

☆ I go by many names!! Call me sora, dima or tori

☆ 18 y/o

☆ eng/rus/est

☆ she/her or any pronouns I don't mind

☆ artist, game dev, writer

☆ I already posted my 1st visual novel, go check it out on itch.io (just write dimkabiznes in users and u'll find it in my profile lolol)

☆ astronomy n.o 1 fan

☆ I have lots of fandoms, my main fandoms currently are gravity falls, mouthwashing, patho HD & 2, steven universe, jjk and fear and hunger 1 & 2. My other fandoms that I've been in at some point or I am in them, but not as active, are moriarty, BBC sherlock, yttd, bsd, genshin, honkai, hsr, pjsekai, mlp, undertale, hetalia, etc... Just ask if I'm in ____ fandom if you're curious!

☆ currently obsessed with billford and fiddlestan (and pyramid steve)

☆ azul, malleus, stanford, stanley and rui kinnie

☆ I'm usually busy with school and tired, so I sometimes disappear for an uncertain amount of time

Moot requirements:

☆ at least one fandom in common

☆ not necessarily, but I'd really love to have art moots 🧋🧋🧋

☆ nothing really anymore lololololol

🧋(☆ε☆)🧋(☆ε☆)🧋(☆ε☆)🧋(☆ε☆)🧋

that's it!!! have a nice day lololol

[kierrasreads]

A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes #1) by Arthur Conan Doyle Review

Plot

Our first meeting with Sherlock Holmes. And John Watson's too! The young doctor is astonished by Holmes' many idiosyncrasies, including his talents on the violin.

But it's not long before Sherlock Holmes, with Watson in tow, is working with Scotland Yard investigating the murder of two Americans whose deaths have some mysterious connection to sinister groups gathering power in both Britain and America.

Here's where it all began, 'A Study in Scarlet.' Meet Sherlock Holmes, one of the world's leading consulting detectives - fictional of course!

Discussion

We meet again, Mr. Holmes! Like many fans of this iconic detective, my first introduction to him was through the BBC adaptation of the series, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. I was obsessed with this show! Then, my interests shifted and I left this British character in the past. My interest in the series got ignited again fairly recently. One day after work, I was browsing the Roku channel and saw that the platform had many Sherlock Holmes films from 1939, with Basil Rathbone portraying Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce portraying Dr. John Watson (I believe all 14 films from this series are available on Roku). Anyway, the point is that I decided to read the Sherlock Holmes novels again and stick to them this time. This first Sherlock Holmes story totally captured my interest. The first part of this novel (Dr. Watson's reminiscences) proved to be fairly interesting and I was surprised at how fast Sherlock Holmes was able to solve the case.

The second part of the book focused on Jefferson Hope's past and took place in Utah (I'm sure some of you can see where this is going). I was utterly shocked at the portrayal of the Mormons, especially Brigham Young. I'll admit, I know next to nothing about Mormonism, its history, etc., but the whole second part of the novel read as..well..anti-Mormon. I couldn't help but wonder if Doyle had a grudge against the religion/group in general, or used this as an opportunity to let his grievances be known, but let's just say that I was relieved when Jefferson Hope finished his story and the focus shifted to the trail/conclusion. I'll have to research to see why he chose this particular lighting to portray the Mormons (of course, I realize that every story with revenge and murder must have a villain, otherwise it would be a completely different type of novel).

That's all I have to say about that! It was a good, brief read that got me back into the Sherlock Holmes fandom.

Rating

5/5

[spocks-evil-godmother]

Rest in peace to me because I am vague blogging so forgive me everyone but sometimes I am so very obsessed with people's opinions about why Elementary is Bad in the year of our lord 2023.

The argument was that Elementary was bad as an adaptation for making it a procedural crime drama and for making Sherlock an addict, both of which "miss the point" of the ACD canon. (This person was very obviously a big Johnlock person as well which wouldn't matter except for the particular hill they decided to defend.) I can't disagree that procedural crime dramas are a function of modernity, and are certainly not the "point" of the Holmes canon. If you dislike procedurals on principle then I think that's that and there you have it—but considering that procedurals are a very common way to do mystery-writing now, and considering that to my knowledge there has never been a Holmes & Watson procedural before, I do think that it makes sense for a modern adaptation. Modern Holmes, modern storytelling convention, matchy matchy. But no, not the point and perhaps a valid complaint.

But disliking Sherlock as an addict is a VERY FUNNY ISSUE TO TAKE WHEN YOU ARE PUTTING BBC SHERLOCK ON A PEDESTAL. My number one complaint about season four of Sherlock (and I am being dead serious) was the relationship they presented between John, Sherlock, and drug use. Because the "point," I think, was that Sherlock Holmes is willing to escalate conflict, lie to his partner, and put his own life in jeopardy for the sake of the mystery, damn the consequences (and, for that matter, he trusts that his partner will accept being abused and still help him no matter what). And I get that ACD!Holmes would do anything for the mystery and he didn't always treat Watson well in the canon but I think if the "point" were that these two characters are locked in an immutably abusive and codependent relationship then these characters would not having the staying power that they do. I won't say that the episode was bad writing per se, but I felt like that was the nail in the coffin for BBC Sherlock as an adaptation for me. It was like, yes sir, we've always given Sherlock drugs to use recreationally as in canon, and when he starts to use them in unhealthy ways and they negatively impact his relationships, it doesn't need to be addressed to the audience as an issue because actually Sherlock Holmes is Too Smart to have a drug problem, he was tricking you the whole time, and you were stupid for worrying.

Which like. Okay. I don't think that's the point, and if it is, I don't want it. No thanks.

Compare with Elementary. And not saying it's perfect. Not saying anyone has to like it. But we are thinking about Sherlock Holmes in a modern setting. And the fact of the matter is, when ACD wrote Sherlock Holmes, we did not have the same amount of information on substance use or addiction that we do today. This isn't to say that people can't use substances recreationally and safely, whether they live in the late 1800s or in the modern era. But in ACD's time, the common understanding of chemical dependence was often attributed to moral failing rather than any other contributing factor. There was no such thing as chemical dependence. There were people strong enough to make good choices and people who weren't. And that's not to say they didn't notice, say, genetic predispositions. That tied into much of eugenicist thought at the time. "Ah, yes, the way to fix society is to get rid of those gross people who keep generating morally weak children. Then society will be great!" The way people thought about drug use had very little to do with medicine and a lot to do with self-reinforcing prejudices against class or race. The Sherlock Holmes written by Arthur Conan Doyle did not have an addiction, not because he was just amazing at maintaining a healthy and recreational relationship with his substances, but because deep down he's Too Good For That. Back then Good People didn't have addictions. He had vices, perhaps, or indulgences, or experiments. But Holmes couldn't have a problem with substance use because he was above having a problem with substance use.

So we are left with Holmes in the modern era. Like before, Holmes uses drugs recreationally. He enjoys them. They, as before, help him think and help him stay close to the mysteries he solves. But something else has changed. Now we know that there is no such thing as being Too Smart or Too Good to have an addiction. And so our modern Holmes has to contend with the fact that yes, he's not Too Smart to develop a dependency, he's not Too Smart to relapse, and he is not Too Smart to suffer the same kind of struggle that so many ordinary people have also suffered. It's very humbling. It is indeed painful for him to accept Joan as a sober companion in his life. It's something impossible to escape. And it is really, really fruitful as a character trait. The conversation he has with Joan in the season 3 episode "The Eternity Injection" still sticks with me:

Sherlock: If you must know, Watson, I've been feeling a little bit down of late. It's the process of maintaining my sobriety. It's repetitive. And it's relentless. And above all, it's tedious. When I left rehab, I... I accepted your influence, I committed to my recovery. And now, two years in, I find myself asking, "'is this it?"' My sobriety is simply a grind. It's just this leaky faucet that requires constant maintenance, and in return offers only not to drip.

Joan: You have your work, you have me. You're alive.

Sherlock: I've told myself that many times. So many times, it has become unmoored from all meaning. Odd. I used to imagine that a relapse would be the climax to some grand drama. Now I think that if I were to use drugs again, it would in fact be an anticlimax. It would be a surrender to the incessant drip, drip, drip of existence.

I love this scene. I love this conversation. And I love it as an adaptation because this is not a conclusion or moral that Arthur Conan Doyle could have written in his own time. This scene captures some of the knowledge we have now, and likely some of the hurts and harms of our era as well. However, it says something about these two famous characters: that Sherlock, whose mind aches for mysteries, is equally if not more challenged by the practical matter of living his life, and that Joan is with him in it. It's not dramatic. It's just a conversation in their living room.

I think that's sufficient.

Sherlock is a detective and an addict in Elementary. His addiction changes the way he thinks and acts forever. And in some regards, that makes him worse. And in other regards, that makes him the best he's ever been. No, Arthur Conan Doyle did not write a story about an addict. Elementary did. And the point is that he solved mysteries and helped people, the point was that he was an incredible detective, and the point was that he was human, only human.

rrrrrrr don't say weird things about my show kthxbai

[why-the-heck-not]

top 5 shows/anime :p

Thanks for asking !! :D haven't actually ever watched an anime (unless u count like some episodes of Pokemon when I was a kid), so it'll just be like other tv-shows

Criminal Minds (Spencer Reid is The comfort character)

Grey's Anatomy (and like they just keep going. At this point I'd let Ellen Pompeo operate on me actually in real life)

The Bear (I just finished it yesterday tho, so might be a very big recency bias here, but there were layers and I love a good food related show and it made me question my life choices which is always a good indicator of great tv-show (bc like I want something to be that passionate about damnit))

Top Chef (I love a good food related show)

Hannibal (I keep saying it's one of my favorites but actually I haven't watched it since I was like 15 bc it's been nowhere ever since and I'm too paranoid to pirate stuff, but from what I remember it's so good) (I love a good food related show)

Honorable mentions to X-files (bc currently watching that and it seems right up my alley (like criminal minds with a twist)) and Teen Wolf bc damnit it was there during some important brain growth-years and I will now always love it even tho it's like pretty basic teen show thing (void stiles plot is a winner tho). Resisting the urge to also say bbc Sherlock, but I think I have to; I was highly obsessed at one point and still watch it sometimes ("A scandal in Belgravia"-episode has to be like one of my fave episodes of any tv-show ever, feels like a whole ass movie that one and I love it) (actually now thinking I should have Sherlock in the top 5 but idk I'm sticking with this; Tumblr/my wifi is being too annoyingly slow rn to fix anything)

[yonpote]

how did you discover dan and phil? for me it was my best friend who got really into them and she was completely in love with dan lmao… at one point she basically forced me into watching a sims video and well here i am ever since. i believe this was in 2016

i got into the wild west of british youtubers back in 2011, i think this was peak "british invasion" renaissance on tumblr? i was really into bbc sherlock 😔 i also dabbled in doctor who and was raised on the fuckin terf wizard book, and then my friend showed me charlie mcdonnell's video about exploring tumblr LMAO. so i was really into her and... a few people she once associated with who were revealed to be Not Good People :\ i was into carrie fletcher as well, and benjamin cook's becoming youtube series. basically dnp were just another couple of brittubers in my ever growing bucket of 2011-2012 era brittubers. i think my first dan video was either lefthandedism or i will go down with this ship (rip to both these videos) and my first phil vid must have been pinof 4!

i wasnt obsessed with them and in fact detested the "creepy tween girl yaoi fetishists" fanbase until 2017 when something in my brain chemistry got switched around and i was suddenly a 20 year old digging deep into various documents and forums and now-dead blogs and such lmao