#Holmestice 2021

[mouse-of-mischief]

I'm going to melt into a little puddle of warm fuzzy feelings, thank you how dare you.

“Labours of Love”

Summer Holmestice 2021 for “Ghostbees” 

After my giftee ( @ghostbees ) mentioned “scrapbooking” and “English paper piecing” I went down a rabbithole of research and learnt about this wonderful quilting technique.

From the EQS website: “English Paper Piecing is a method of quilting that involves using a paper shape, most commonly a hexagon, to add stability to the quilt. The quilt is hand stitched with pieces of fabric cut a ¼ inch bigger than the paper shape. The fabric is basted to the paper shapes before the shapes are sewn together. Once the quilt top is completed the papers are removed.” The technique dates from 1770s and was popular during the early 1800s in the UK, then in the mid 19th century in the US and it made a comeback during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when the pattern was called in the sewing magazines “Grandma’s Flower Garden”, but before that it was simply known as hexagonal pattern or (you guessed it) honeycomb pattern. The paper used for these quilts were usually recycled from newspapers or scrapped letters, and the fabric used to come from old garments that had seen better days, and since a lot of the times the paper was simply left in these quilts are marvelous time capsules that contain a wealth of information about the person who made them and their environment. I encourage you to look up English paper piecing (EPP) quilts from the early Victorian decades, they’re fascinating!

So this little series of illustrations shows Watson dealing with Holmes still indulging in scrapbooking, and how the doctor picks up the discarded pieces and their old 221B era clothes to make something entirely new and uniquely theirs.

1. I keep seeing lovely examples of Victorian silk braces with floral embroidery and I couldn’t resist giving the boys some fancy ones. Also I know that a bright pink and blue shirt is probably not too historically accurate 1910s but screw it, trans flag shirt colours!

2. I both hate and love drawing furniture. Footstools/ottomans are cute, though.

3. “My dear fellow, if you didn’t spend all morning in bed instead of reading the newspaper as soon it arrives all of this could be avoided.”  Also Holmes is wearing a silk piano shawl because what are gender norms?

4. Holmes not only uses newspaper clippings for scrapbooking, but per Ghostbees’ suggestion I looked briefly into the Victorian hobby of pressing and collecting seaweed and I think it would be a fantastic subject for Holmes to branch out to (especially if there’s any poisonous types).

5. Old dressing gowns and blankets that have seen better days. The moths got ahold of them but I’m pretty sure the constant chemical experiments back at 221B claimed more than one victim. 

6. I got a bit carried away with the ink and gouache here. But it was fascinating to see the first published patterns in magazines making their appearance, especially in publications aimed at women that contained a wide range of home-related subjects. 

7. Someone in the Dreamwidth website pointed out that both Holmes and Watson are working on beehives and that warmed my heart. One interesting bit about EPP is that the paper can be left inside the quilt, so historians have been able to gather very detailed information about the person who crafted these pieces and their life. 

8. Oh god so many hexagons. Here’s an example of one of those magazines with patterns and instructions. 

9. I had too much fun giving them embroidered slippers. It’s a shame I overdid the watercolours and turned out quite muddy, but I would love to draw their clothes in more detail in the future.

10. Smooch! (Also the paisley trim is my favourite part) 

11. Initially I wanted this story to end in a picnic at Beachy Head, until I was told that quilts aren’t picnic blankets and are more appropriate for domestic use only. You still get to see some of the cliffs at least!

12. Another accidental discovery during my research: pickle and marmalade jars! I could draw a hundred of them and not get tired. That little spoon! Ugh!

13. I will never not cry about these two old fools in love. 

14. Cross stitching and lettering isn’t my forte, nor is Watson’s, but I saw several quilts had names sewn into one panel, almost like a painter signing their canvas, or dedicating  the piece to a loved one. So you know I had to add this little detail, plus some green carnations for extra queerness, a forget-me-not flower and a plump bee because I have to be extra. 

Looking back this is one of the things I’m the most proud of that I have made this year, or even longer. I work digitally for my job and I miss the feel of traditional materials, so this was a project that let me flex those watercolour muscles and try gouache for the first time. All while drawing incredibly indulgent things, so thank you Basil for giving me an excuse to have some fun. 

[helloliriels]

LIRIELS CHRISTMAS MASTERPOST

All of my collected holiday works (so far):

🎁 The Abominable Bride

The Christmastime special Rankin/Bass (totally) would have made for our Baker Street Boys!

🎄 The Cranberry Jumper on John Hamish Watson

A Jumper So Fine!

🎁 It's Boxing Day ...

Let's drink to Rosie!

🎄 Christmas in Honeycutt

John's publisher asks him to entertain a war hero at their idyllic estate in Somerset for Christmas? Only ... John doesn't have a wife ... or a daughter ... or an estate! He has a bedsit. In London. And some wounds of his own to recover from!

Meet the cast of our story here! Read the fic here!

UPDATE POSTING FOR XMAS!

🎄Sleepless in London

"I think my daddy needs a new wife ..." Rosie calls into a late-night radio program on New Years' ... while across London ... Sherlock and Molly have just tuned in to 'Your Feelings and You' with Dr. Irene Adler.

See the full movie cover here! Read the fic here!

ALSO HOPING TO UPDATE BY NEW YEARS!!!

🎄 A Place to Call Home

Sherlock gets a holiday postcard from a homesick stranger across the pond ...

🎁 The '12 Days of Johnlock' from 2022

🎁 The '25 Days of Johnlock' from 2021

Plus some Holmestice & FTH gifts shared from/to:

🎁 All Tied Up - not all gifts come with a bow!

🎁 In Spite of Myself - mystrade christmas fluff!

🎁 It's Detective Time! - adventure time crossover art!

🎁 Received Fics - OR SEE GIFT MASTERPOST!

[thetimemoves]

WIP Wednesday

I was tagged by @discordantwords to share some of the WIPs I'm currently working on. Thanks for the tag!

Rules: post the first few lines or the summary of as many WIPs that you care to expose to the reading public. Tag others if you are curious to see what they are working on.

I have a lot of WIPs! Here are three that have a very good chance of being posted sooner rather than later. We’ll see. Life keeps throwing surprises my way.

Roundabout

A fic for @discordantwords, who had an old Holmestice prompt for Sherlock and John at an amusement park. 

When John and Sherlock find themselves stuck on what just might be the oldest wheel in England, they finally run out of excuses and confront their feelings. Confessions abound.

“Sit still, you git!” John tightened his grip on the metal bar locked across his and Sherlock’s laps. “If you keep moving like that, we’re going to tip out.”

Next to him, Sherlock scooted back—fractionally—but continued to lean forward, making the car sway uncomfortably. He was too busy looking over the park to admire the sea view, clearly aware of John’s tension, but also clearly determined to ignore it.

John shook his head and tried not to curse. Again. He focused on the water in the near distance, sparkling like diamonds as the sun glinted off the waves of the Channel. He didn’t like heights, never had, yet here he was. The things he did for Sherlock Holmes.

The old car rocked to and fro as they spun round, dropping towards the ground and rising back to the sky. Over and over.

“Remind me why we’re going round in circles on what has to be the oldest wheel in England?” John picked at the chipping paint on the bar and wondered when the ride had last been inspected.

“It’s called an observation wheel for a reason, John.” Sherlock didn’t look over, just kept scanning the crowds on the ground. “I’m observing. What better way than from the highest point in the park?”

Pull Me Up Again

This is a gift for @educatedinyellow, inspired by her amazing Reichenbach vid Underwater (I can’t rec it enough, all the Reichenfeels!). It’s a gentle, domestic post-Fall fic with John and Sherlock finding their way back to each other.

Sherlock is not actually dead after all.

In fact, he’s currently at the kitchen table happily grumbling to himself over his latest experiment. A viscous liquid, possibly poisonous but almost certainly corrosive, bubbles away in a beaker. There’s the scratch of pen across paper and the clink of slides, all signs of Sherlock completely engrossed.

John is in his chair doing his best to concentrate on the book in his hands, but it’s a lost cause. He can’t see Sherlock from where he’s sitting, but that doesn’t keep him from repeatedly cocking his head to listen to the familiar sounds coming from the kitchen. He knows he’s being ridiculous but doesn’t care. It’s needed reassurance that this is all real, that Sherlock is there, and he is there and that this miracle is not in his head.

Against all hope and logic, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are back at 221b Baker Street. Together. The ‘how’ is still mostly a blur to John and the ‘where’ is even more so, but the ‘when’ happens eight days, three hours, and 51 minutes after Sherlock’s dramatic reappearance on John’s doorstep.

The ‘why’ is the easiest part. Sherlock is there, so John will be there too. Full stop.

A Dreadful Darkness Closes In

This is another installment in my (2021, yikes) Whumptober challenge, a short fic from Mycroft’s POV during the initial days of Victor Trevor’s disappearance. Here, young Mycroft helps search for little Victor Trevor, comforts a distraught Sherlock, and comes to a horrifying realization about Eurus.

It’s late, well after 9 pm, when Mycroft and his father return to Musgrave Hall.

An unsettled silence hangs over the house as they shrug off their coats. There’s no sign of Mummy, but Mycroft detects the slightest hint of woodsmoke. She is likely in the sitting room, waiting by the dying fire for an update.

Another day of unfruitful searching. Victor Trevor is still missing, vanished into thin air.

Mycroft watches his father toss keys into little ceramic frog that has been on the table next to door for as long as he can remember. A box of Halloween decorations sits on the floor, untouched.

The menfolk of the village have been searching for Victor Trevor for the last three days, with Siger Holmes leading the efforts.  

Mycroft was on the first train home upon hearing the news. His first thought was of sweet Redbeard, that tiny towheaded pirate who is constantly, happily, attached to Sherlock’s hip. His second was of Sherlock, who can’t go a day without asking to see his best friend. The two of them together are a hurricane of noise and activity and a joy to watch. Their intense bond is a relief to Mycroft, who knows his time away at school upsets his baby brother. He can’t fathom not finding little Victor, can’t bear to think of what will happen if they don’t.

Of Shags and Squires

And a bonus WIP, one that has been languishing for a few years. It’s my BBC update of REIG, with John dragging Sherlock down to the countryside for a rest after an exhausting case. They’re staying with John’s old Army buddy, Colin Hayter. There will be kisses and confessions and a curious case featuring an old legend to crack. This bit takes place when they arrive at Colin’s place. The names might be familiar to ACD canon lovers. :)

As they stepped out of the car, they were swarmed by three large, fluffy white dogs. Sherlock immediately knelt down and opened his arms up to one of the dogs, which proceeded to lick his face.

“Down, girls!” Colin laughed as he moved to pull the dog away from Sherlock, who had a wide grin on his face. “I assume John warned you about these beasts, yeah?”

“He did, but I do like dogs very much, so you needn’t worry.” Sherlock scratched the dog’s head and practically hugged it.

“That’s Birdy, she’s a love, isn’t she? The one mauling John over there is Bradstreet, and the one waiting for whichever one of you is free first is Baynes.”

“Great Pyrenees, I presume? They make excellent guard dogs for the sheep, I presume.”

“That’s right. Sisters from the same litter. I was only looking for one but couldn’t bear to part them. They’re a handful, but I can’t imagine life without them now.”

“Sorry, boss!” A young man jogged around the corner of the garage. “I was trying to keep them together, but they bolted as soon as they heard the car turn down the lane.” He pulled up, panting, and bent over slightly to catch his breath. “Naughty things.” He ruffled the fur of Bradstreet, who ran back over to him.

Colin smiled. “Gents, this is Liam Kirwin. His mum works for the Cunninghams next door and they live on the estate over there. He’s been helping me out a lot as the place gets busier. Think I might poach him from Old Cunningham and install him here. Don’t know what I’d do without him! He’ll be around even if I’m not and can help you with anything you might need. Liam, these are my friends I told you were coming for a visit. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes.”

The men shook hands. Liam was a shade taller than Sherlock and about 20 pounds heavier. He had an open, friendly face.

I'll tag @calaisreno and @helloliriels​ and anyone else who sees this. If you'd like to share some of what you've been working on, consider yourself tagged!

[bookgirlfan]

What It Is To Be Lonely

Authors have been revealed, so now I can share my Holmestice fic! 

“Holmes?” I asked, one rainy afternoon when we were both at work in our sitting room, me writing up one of our previous cases and Holmes updating his encyclopaedias. “Aren’t you ever lonely?”

It was a question I had pondered many times over the years. I had even asked a similar question during my engagement to Mary, and Holmes had brushed it off. At the time, I hadn’t wanted to damage our friendship by pursuing it. Now, with many more years of friendship between us, and the spectre of Holmes’ retirement visible in the distance, I was determined to have an answer.

In all those years of friendship, I had never seen Holmes show any amorous intentions towards a woman unless required for a case; even Mrs Irene Norton, who Holmes referred to as The Woman, had not inspired any such feeling in him. Of course, I was aware there were some men who preferred the company of other men, but I had never noticed Holmes portraying any of those signs either.

Holmes’ lip drew up in scorn. “Watson, as I have said before, allowing any emotion into deduction is like grit in a delicate instrument; it distorts the purpose and leads to inaccurate results.”

I would not be waylaid so easily, and raised an eyebrow to him in turn. “And so you insisted I move back here after your return because you find me useful.”

Holmes was uncharacteristically hesitant to reply, clearly unwilling to disparage our friendship yet equally unwilling to concede the argument. “Watson... your medical skills are undoubtedly useful, and your loyalty and accuracy with a gun have been invaluable on several cases...“

“I’m not asking you to justify our friendship, Holmes,” I said, taking pity on him. “I merely meant to show that emotions are not always a hindrance. I’ve often rather found them to be a help.” In a sudden rush of honesty, perhaps brought on by the thought of Holmes’ retirement and how few of these quiet afternoons at Baker Street we might have left, I continued, “There were many times when my worry for you gave me courage enough to follow you even in the worst of circumstances.”

“You underestimate yourself, Watson.” Holmes favoured me with a warm smile. “You fought in a war before you ever met me, and I do believe you have courage enough to venture through hell itself if you felt you could help someone by doing so.”

“I do what is necessary to save lives,” I protested, uncomfortably aware of the colour rising to my cheeks. I’ve never sought praise for doing what is only right. “Even so, it does not change my point. Courage is an emotion, and so emotions can be helpful.”

“Very well, Watson, I accept your argument.” Holmes lay down his book and turned to face me. “Some emotions may prove beneficial, yet on the whole, I believe emotions, particularly of the romantic sort, cause more problems than they solve. How many of our cases have come from someone blinded to the obvious by love?”

“Obvious to you, Holmes, but not everyone,” I retorted, but I had to admit he had a point. The unfortunate Miss Sutherland and her misguided love for Mr Angel came immediately to mind, among many other cases Holmes had solved over the years. Nevertheless, I was still concerned that upon Holmes’ retirement, when he no longer had his cases to distract him, he would feel he had missed out on something important. “Haven’t you ever seen a beautiful woman and wanted to kiss her, or take her out for an evening?”

Holmes dismissed me with a wave. “Women remain your bailiwick, Watson. There may be some I admire for their cleverness or devotion, but to kiss one seems pointless and absurd.”

I hesitated to ask for fear of giving offence, but my concern for Holmes was great enough that I dared to continue, “And what of kissing someone...not a woman?”

Holmes’ brow furrowed for a moment before he divined my meaning and laughed. “No, Watson. I would no more take a man to bed than a woman, and neither seem nearly as comfortable as simply having the bed to myself.”

“So you won’t be lonely without a companion once you retire?”

Holmes stopped. He laid aside his newspapers and put the cap back on his little bottle of glue. Finally, he turned to me. “I had always assumed, Watson, that when I retired, you would retire with me. As ever, assumptions lead to mistakes, and I realise now I have not asked your thoughts on the matter. What are your plans, my dear Watson?”

Despite all my thinking on the matter of Holmes’ retirement and how the future would look for the two of us, it had somehow not occurred to me that perhaps the future did not have to look so very different. “I used to think one day I would retire with Mary, and perhaps our children.” I couldn’t help the sorrow from creeping into my tone, and Holmes did not interrupt while I took a moment to pull myself together. “After Mary died, I tried not to think about it. I wasn’t ready to leave London yet.”

“And now?”

I gave Holmes a weak smile, knowing he would not like what I was about to say. “No, Holmes. Not yet. Even in a few years, I don’t think I’ll be ready to leave London. Someday, certainly, but I don’t think it will be as soon as you would like.” He didn’t speak, and my concern came back full force. “Would that change your mind about being lonely?”

“I...had not imagined my future without you in it, Watson,” Holmes said with difficulty. “As much as I deplore the sentimentality that saturates your writings, I find that I am strangely sentimental myself at the idea of leaving London without you.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t wish to find a nice girl who would be happy to settle down with you?”

Holmes frowned at me. “You are not so replaceable, Watson. No, I have lived alone before and am perfectly capable of doing it again. But whenever you do decide to leave London, please remember, my dear friend, there will always be a room for you with me.”

[vulgarweed]

Fandoms: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and Related Fandoms, Victorian Undead: Sherlock Holmes vs Zombies (comic)

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson

Tags: Declarations of Love, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Hurt/Comfort, Bathing/Washing, Zombies, Fear of Death, Fear of Undeath, ambiguous ending but it’s a happy ending in my mind, Horror, Romance

Summary: After a horrific zombie encounter in old underground London, Holmes and Watson get a chance to assess their priorities. Or, a version of a pivotal scene from the Three GarriDEADS.

Written for @sanguinarysanguinity​ in the Winter 2021 Holmestice Prompt Fest.

For this prompt: (Note: this prompt is inspired by the comic Sherlock Holmes vs. Zombies by Ian Edgington and Davide Fabbri, but there's nothing so specific in there that you couldn't do in a zombie AU of your own creation.) I want the anxious and frenetic hurt/comfort aftermath of this panel (larger), wherein Holmes has just saved Watson from a zombie that had him literally in her clutches. A distraught Holmes checking Watson all over for bites or scratches and washing all the zombie goo off of him. Bonus points if Holmes ignores his own injuries in favour of checking over Watson, and Watson having opinions about that. I prefer neither of them getting zombified in the end, although I'm not about to tell an artist how to make cake.

(Spoiler alert: they do not get zombified in the end. You don’t need to be familiar with this comic to understand the fic - though if you like zombie stories, pick it up, it’s a hoot)

[discordantwords]

Fic Recs - June 2021

Below are just some of the fics that I’ve read and enjoyed over this past month. This has been a particularly active month for BBC Sherlock fics (yay!), and I haven’t even come close to reading everything that was posted for Pridelocked and Holmestice yet. I still have a lot of catching up to do.

Everything listed below is complete:

♢ ♧ ♤ ♡ by Saki101

and drive such lonely thoughts from your mind by subtext-is-my-division

And if You Want Me (I’m Your Country) by MythAnd

and let me hold you as we fall by zigostia

Beautiful Pictures by JRow

Black Cherry by ohlooktheresabee

Coffee Black and Egg White by monkiainen

Cold Feet by BakerTumblings

Horribile Dictu by the timemoves

House of Light by AlgySwinburne

Human Behaviour by toyhto

Love Like Ours by Berty

No Clean Slate by BeautifulFiction

Nowhere Else But Here by UrbanHymnal

Paternity by Calais_Reno

Sleepwalkers by ArwaMachine

Steady as They Go by thetimemoves

The art of giving in to the inevitable by EarlGreyAndBiscuits

The Contest, aka the Battle for John Watson’s Heart by PipMer

the mystery of the red pants by simplyclockwork

Happy reading! As always, be sure to check the tags on each individual fic before diving in.

[language-escapes]

Chapters: 5/5 Fandom: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Irene Adler & Sherlock Holmes, Mary Morstan/John Watson Characters: Irene Adler (Sherlock Holmes), Godfrey Norton, Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mary Morstan Additional Tags: Epistolary, archives, Friendship Summary:

A part of the John H Watson Collection, the Norton-Holmes Correspondence Collection contains the known letters and telegrams exchanged between Irene Norton, nee Adler, and Sherlock Holmes. Included here is box one from the collection.

_______________________________________________

I wrote a thing for Holmestice Spring 2021! It’s not my usual style, but then, can I be said to have a usual style anymore? Anyway, I wrote a thing!

[simplyclockwork]

Thank you for the tags @7-percent @br-nz @jobooksncoffee and possibly others that I missed. Thanks y'all! Sorry for the slow reply, I'm not on tumblr as much as I used to be.

Writer’s tag

Name: simplyclockwork

Fandoms: BBC Sherlock

Where you post: Ao3, Tumblr

Most popular multi-chapter: By kudos, it's hands full of matter. By hits and bookmarks, it's hired gun.

Fic you were nervous to post: Hmm, not sure. I guess I'm always nervous to post my FTH and Holmestice fics because I agonize over whether or not I've done the prompts justice. But all have been well-received so far, so hopefully that means people enjoy what I've written.

How do you choose your titles? Most of my titles are either a reflection of the story, something silly, or a play on words.

Do you outline? Rarely. I sometimes write a vague little blurb about the ideas in my head. Whenever I do try to write and stick to a full outline, I end up meandering as the story takes shape.

Complete: I think it's easier to say what I haven't completed. Out of 182 works on Ao3, I think 3 are WIPs. Two may never be finished.

In progress: Out of my three WIPs on Ao3, I want to finish unfinished business (ironic title since it's unfinished!). The other two I might abandon. I want to write the sequel to hired gun as well. I am also in the process of writing my second 2021 FTH fic for @kettykika78

Coming but not soon: blessing in disguise, my second 2021 FTH fic, an alternate meeting fic that takes place in Venice, Italy and involves a case in a 'cursed' palazzo. Also, the sequel to hired gun, which I'm currently calling smoking gun. This will feature the rescue of a certain missing mercenary and a reunion between our heroes.

Do you accept prompts?  I sure do! I am, however, super behind on filling the prompts I have at the moment, so while I am willing to take more, it will be a while before I can fill new prompts.

Upcoming story you are most excited to write: I think the sequel to hired gun is really getting me stoked. I've written a bit of the first two chapters and done some outlining, and I'm excited to get back into that world.

Upcoming story you are most excited about reading: Oh, so, so many. I am so behind on my fic reading that I can't even name just one.

I'm tagging @annecumberbatch @heyblinken and anyone else who hasn't had a chance to do this yet and wants to!

[v-thinks-on]

2020 - A Year in Review!

Happy New Year, everyone!!

And what a year it has been... The obvious aside, this marks the end of my second full year of posting once a week (and every day for the month of December), for a total of 221k words. It also marks something of a milestone, as I have now reached 100 fics on AO3!

Just like last year, I’m going to count down some highlights from the past year!

Generations: The year started off strong with my fix-it of the infamous Star Trek: Generations movie. Kirk survives and he and Spock get a second chance in the 24th century.

Once Upon a Dream: What can I say - I just love the idea of my favorite couples dancing, and I had great fun writing this little scene with Holmes and Watson.

A Fond Farewell: I discovered a new fandom in Jeeves and Wooster (about a silly, rich young man and his hypercompetent manservant). This is, in my opinion, the best of several short fluffy fics I wrote about them (though Oh By Jeeves! deserves an honorable mention just for being so much fun).

To the Stars and Back Again: This is a story I’ve wanted to write for a few years, and I was finally able to finish it as part of this year’s @thylabang, with lovely illustrations by shepromisestheearth. It’s the 1960′s; Kirk is an astronaut, Spock is a NASA astrophysicist, and things are never as simple as they appear.

Jeeves Meets the Phantom of the Opera: The highlight of my adventures with Jeeves and Wooster is a still ongoing series about Wooster slowly learning about Jeeves’s mysterious past. And the highlight of that series thus far is Jeeves and Wooster being kidnapped by the Phantom of the Opera and recovering from their ordeal.

Fairy Lights: For the second year in a row, I participated in the winter @holmestice gift exchange, and I really like how my story turned out. A bit of magical winter romance, and a Holmesian fairy tale.

And, of course, I can never just leave well enough alone. 2021 will begin with the latest installment in The Mysterious Mr. Jeeves: Bertie Solves a Mystery (for which I’ve already posted a little teaser), intercut with shorter fics every other week - including one for this year’s @theinbetweenevent. I’ll also be resuming my weekly “considerations” on Wednesdays.

A few things to look forward to later in the year: I have a couple other Jeeves and Wooster fics waiting in the wings. I’ve recently rewatched Season 4 of Yugioh, so keep an eye out for the third and final piece of the Millennium Death Note saga. This year’s Sherlock Holmes calendar challenge has gotten me thinking about writing a more relationship focused fic or two for Holmes and Watson. As my recent reblogs have perhaps indicated, I’ve had superheroes on the brain, especially Superman and Batman, so something may come of that. And I’ve actually been thinking about original fiction again, so I may post a few original stories along with the fanfic.

I wish you all the best in the new year!

[helloliriels]

GIFT WRAPPED

Gifts are meant to be shared! 💝and I couldn't be more grateful for each and every one these lovely gifts! THANK YOU BUNCHES FOR MAKING MY YEAR BETTER!!! 💋- Liriels

2023

💝 Of Scars and Revelations by @catlock-holmes for Holmestice Winter 2023 (I MaDe A BaNnEr FoR YoU!!!)

Sherlock has returned from his presumed death, but he isn't the same he used to be, after experiencing torture and trauma. His friendship with John isn't the same either, can they rekindle their friendship, or maybe even become something completely new? Maybe a stay at a hotel after a case could help them rediscover their bond. LOVE THIS SO MUCH !!!! 💖😍🎁 John & Sherlock finally GeT SoMe!!!! (SleEp ThaT iS!!!) haha, baths, only one bed, hurt/comfort, with plenty of feELs!!! 💋

🎁 Human Urges by @topsyturvy-turtely

John hated it. He utterly and truly hated it. Despised himself for it ... That stupid, always present, torturing urge to be kissed!

💝 The Case of the Serial Secret Admirer by @hasenkind687

It is seven days until Valentine's day. Humbuk - if you ask Sherlock. But then, anonymous gifts appears!

🎁 "John what the bloody hell are you doing?" by Atrocious_Magpie

Sherlock catches John baking cookies while listening to abba, what do you think happens next?

💝 This perfect JOHNLOCK IMAGE for 'It Belongs in a Museum', made by @a-victorian-girl

2022

🎁 Live from the Morgue by @disfictional from Holmestice Winter 2022. (i MaDe A BaNnEr FoR YoU!!!) 💀🎙️tysm!!!

A very special podcast episode 'Live from the Morgue' with Molly Hooper, featuring guest star Sherlock Holmes, discussing his years away (playing dead) - while John listens ...

💝 Mrs. Hudson's Crack Brew by @chriscalledmesweetie for 2022 Year of the Crack Fic!

Mrs. Hudson is beginning to regret the part she played in bringing Sherlock and John together. Not to put too fine a point on it, those boys are LOUD. Can she find a way to make things better? Or will she only make them worse? It all depends on your perspective…

🎁 Knitting Needles Out by @fluffbyday-smutbynight

Knitting. How hard could it be? Pretty hard, as it turned out. Especially cable knitting.

💝 This lovely GIF collab made by @liquor-liquor-lips for 'pack up the moon, and dismantle the sun' quote by WH Auden & all the reichenbach feels. 💋

2021

🎁 Shared Proximity by @fluffbyday-smutbynight for Holmestice Open Promptfest Winter 2021

“As ever, you see but you do not observe. Our respective lives are so enmeshed together, that such labels - like flatmates or colleagues or, yes, even friends - evidently fall short. Partners might do it, and it’s not a coincidence that it’s a stand-in for couple.”A definition might prove necessary, but still not enough in itself. What's the next step?

💝 (Full) Contact With Nature by @fluffbyday-smutbynight

Sherlock puts all his weight on him pushing him back on the ground, and simultaneously catches John’s arms and pins them down ...

🎁 A Story of Scent by maelle_lardeux & 💝Un affaire de sentur by malle_lardeux (french translation) 🥰 for @ohlooktheresabee & me

It's amazing how smells can affect people's emotions, in a good or bad way.C’est incroyable comment les odeurs peuvent affecter les émotions des personnes, d’une bonne ou d’une mauvaise façon.

🎁 The Mystery of the Red Pants by @simplyclockwork for Holmestice Summer 2021

A few spectacular laundry mishaps lead to revelations between Sherlock and John - and maybe a bit more ...

💝 Practice Date by Fantasy_Fan_26 (so brilliant!)

Sherlock wants to go on a date with John to figure out his feelings, but doesn't want to be rejected, this is the plan he comes up with ...

OMG I love them all!!!

Plus these translated fics 💖:

🎄Шерлок – это женское имя [Sherlock is a Girl's Name] translated by Flamyenko_No_Kami 🎄Бутылочка [Spin the Bottle] translated by Flamyenko_No_Kami 🎄Таксофон [Payphone] translated by Flamyenko_No_Kami  🎄Эксперименты по проводимости [Experiments in Conductivity] translated by Little_Unicorn 🎄【福华福】[授翻]Kiss Me Now Before You Go／离开前请吻我 translated by 十三横夏 [Whale_Juan] 🎄Dawno utracone [Long Lost] translated by Tulippa 🎄Помни меня [Remember Me] translated by Little_Unicorn

Is there anything better than a fandom gift??

[thetimemoves]

The results are! Between the results and the tags on reblogs, I'm finding myself pumped up to dive back into all of these WIPs. In case anyone is curious about these, extended summaries are under the cut.

Self-explanatory, I think. :) It doesn't get much more complicated than what it says on the tin. Called Roundabout, this is a gift fic for @discordantwords and is inspired by a Holmestice prompt she once tossed out. I got stuck in an unnecessary research rut, overwrote the beginning, and then had an epiphany that solved both issues. As a result, this is closest to being finished out of all of my WIPs.

This is my oldest WIP, almost six years old now (which doesn't sound that old, but I posted my first fic at the end of of 2017, so this is the second fic I ever started). It's my BBC version of REIG. Sherlock is in a bad way after a grueling case, so John whisks him away to the countryside to recover at the home of an old Army mate, Colin Hayter. Despite John's best efforts to make them both relax (and test the boundaries of their developing relationship), they get caught up in village drama, including a string of bizarre robberies and the possible return of a monster of local legend, the Buckland Shag. I actually got a good bit written but was never able to fit all the pieces properly together. I'm still quite fond of it, despite my struggles. I think with fresh eyes and more stories under my belt, I can pull this one off.

This is a yet another BBC post-Reichenbach reunion fic, but one can never have too many, right?? Called Pull Me Up Again, it's a gift fic for @educatedinyellow inspired by her glorious multi-Holmes-verse vid Underwater. Not remotely canon compliant, this reunion is a much gentler landing for Sherlock and John. It's more 'slice of life' than anything else.

Ahh, this one. This is my Sherlock/Stand By Me AU. It sounds strange, I know, but hear me out! It starts with John learning about Sherlock’s jump from the roof of Barts, which leaves him devastated. He and Sherlock were childhood best friends but had drifted apart after university and have not been in touch in years. Sherlock’s death triggers a flood of memories and regrets and love as John remembers the summer he was 12, when he and his friends set out to find a dead body. John decides to tell their story, to honor his old friends and to finally acknowledge his feelings for Sherlock. I plan to have the fic go back and forth between that long-ago summer and John’s present, as he grieves Sherlock and uncovers the truth behind Sherlock’s fall, which just might have a tie to that long ago summer. Fear not, there will be a happy reunion! Just imagine: John as Gordie LaChance, Sherlock as Chris Chambers, Mycroft Holmes as 'Eyeball' Chambers, Jimmy 'the Spider' Moriarty as Ace Merrill, and Jennifer Wilson (the Pink Lady in ASiP) as the dead body/Ray Browers! Friends, I cannot tell you how badly I want to make this one happen. I actually have a decent outline! There are so many scenes I can't wait to write. Yes, there will be a train coming on the tracks. Yes, there will be a campfire confessional in the woods. Yes, there will be leeches!

This one is part of my 2021 (yikes) Whumptober series I'm still slowly working on: the prompt I chose was 'Dread.' It's pre-canon kidlock. Not exactly the top of everyone's To Read list (as my results show), but hey, different strokes. Here, Mycroft Holmes is home from school to help in the search for missing Victor Trevor; he attempts to comfort little Sherlock and comes to a horrifying realization about Eurus. It's a short fic (so why can't I finish it??) but hopefully packs the punch I'm aiming for.

The winner! Tentatively titled The Ghosts of Our Old Lovers, this is another BBC update of a canon story- GLOR. Sherlock and John travel down to Dorset, where Sherlock takes up the case of Alice Trevor, whose son Victor was once Sherlock's best friend and his first love. Sherlock's inadvertent deductions about her activities years ago was the reason for his falling out with Victor, but Alice never blamed Sherlock and still has much affection for him, which he returns in kind. John sees a new side of Sherlock, or rather, Sherlock reveals facets of himself he's finally ready to share. There will be pining by the sea, a case with connections to the past, the unexpected reappearance of Victor, and confessions all around. I have about 8k of an extremely rough draft written so far.

Now, if I could focus on these WIPs as much as I focused on this post, I'd be gold. :) Wish me luck!

Badly Summarized WIP Game

How fun! Thanks for tagging me, @discordantwords!

Rules: Pick a bunch of your WIPs and summarize them as badly as possible, then ask your followers to vote on which one they’d be most likely to read.

And yes, these are all BBC Sherlock-related.

Tagging @educatedinyellow @raina-at @notagarroter @the-sign-of-tea @arwamachine @kettykika78 @shiplocks-of-love

[bookgirlfan]

Partnership

Authors have been revealed, so now I can share my Holmestice fic!

“Sherlock, that’s the fifth time you’ve introduced me as your partner instead of your friend,” John paused meaningfully, “this week. Someone’s going to get the wrong impression.”

Sherlock, lounging along the couch, tossed a ball up in the air and caught it again, completely ignoring John.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with being gay,” John said defensively, “but I’m not. And we’re not that kind of partners.”

“The general public’s obsession with the relationship status of strangers is not something with which I am overly concerned,” Sherlock said, tossing his ball in the air and catching it again. “If people want to inject sexuality into a statement of partnership, why should that bother me?”

“Or, and this is just a thought here,” John said with obviously rising irritation, “you could stop calling us partners. What was wrong with saying ‘my friend, John Watson’?”

When he answered, Sherlock’s tone dripped with condescension. “And how many of your other friends are you raising a child with?”

John didn’t answer.

“That’s what I thought,” Sherlock said smugly.

John stood. “If we’re going to talk about this, I need tea.” He went into the kitchen, and soon Sherlock could hear the sounds of the kettle being filled and turned on.

Sherlock continued to toss and catch his ball. It helped him think, and he needed to think right now. He and John had never properly talked about what they were to each other after Mary died, not even when John had moved back in, bringing baby Rosie with him. Sherlock wasn’t even sure what he wanted from this conversation, except that he knew friendship didn’t seem to cover it.  

The kettle whistled, and soon John returned, cup of tea in hand. He settled back into his chair. “Alright, Sherlock, if we’re not friends, what are we?”

“We are friends.”

“Fine. If we’re not just friends.”

Sherlock didn’t respond. Friends didn’t seem enough to him, partners was apparently too much for John, and co-parents made it seem like he was trying to take Mary’s place, and he didn’t want that. He didn’t want to be John’s husband.

John sighed, and Sherlock knew he must have been thinking too long. “Sherlock, Rosie will be home from her play date in a couple of hours. If we’re going to talk about this, we have to do it now.”

“I don’t want to have sex with you,” Sherlock announced.

He could almost hear John’s jaw drop. He’d wondered, over the years, if he still had the capability to surprise John, and some small part of him was delighted to discover he did.

“Sherlock, what are you talking about? I know some of the details of human interactions escape you, but when I asked what we are if not just friends, that wasn’t an invite for sex! Besides, I thought you said you weren’t gay?”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t gay. I said I didn’t have a boyfriend.”

“So you are gay?”

“I didn’t say that either.”

John sighed again, this time more exasperated. Somehow, a catalogue of all John’s sighs had made its way into Sherlock’s mind palace, and this was definitely one of the exasperated ones. “So what are you saying, Sherlock? Are you gay or aren’t you?”

“I’m not either. I’m not attracted to anyone.”

“Everyone’s attracted to someone, Sherlock. Just because you don’t like emotions doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

“Once again, John, you are taking something from your own experience and extrapolating it to apply everywhere,” Sherlock snapped. “Unlike you, and apparently the moronic majority who are constantly concerned with sex and romance, I am not attracted to anyone, and I do not need romantic entanglements to ‘complete me as a human being’!”

He turned away from John, his desire to have this conversation evaporating. It had been a long time since John had made that remark about romance completing him as a human being, but he hadn’t quite been able to forget it – no matter how many times he banished it from his mind palace, it always came back, just like the expression on Lestrade’s face when he realised Sherlock hadn’t died after Reichenbach, or the way Mycroft had tried to goad him into killing him.

“Sherlock...” John sighed again, and Sherlock absently categorised it as one of his tired sighs, with a slight overtone of remorse.

Sherlock didn’t deign to turn around. He heard John leave, and the following sounds in the kitchen were enough for him to deduce John was making tea long before the kettle boiled. Even the mug John set down on the small table next to him wasn’t really a surprise – despite what others thought, John wasn’t much better with emotions than him, and a mug of tea was much easier to make than a sincere apology.  

Sherlock reluctantly turned back towards John, sitting up enough to sip on his tea. If he ignored John’s conciliatory gesture now, John might go past being remorseful and into annoyed, and then they’d never finish this discussion.

John broke the silence. “I shouldn’t have said that, alright? It’s not my business who you’re attracted to.” Sherlock rolled his eyes, and John added, “Or, if you aren’t attracted to anyone.”

“I’m not attracted to anyone.”

“Whether you are or not, Sherlock, you’re missing the bit where I’m not attracted to you. Might be hard for you to believe, dashing around everywhere in that coat, but I’m not, so whatever you’re thinking of with this whole ‘partners’ thing isn’t going to work.”

Sherlock rolled his eyes. “I’m well aware you’re not gay, John, I’m not asking you to be my boyfriend.” He imbued the word with as much disdain as he could muster. “Not only do I not find you remotely attractive, but sex in general seems unnecessarily messy.”

John opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. When he opened it again, he had apparently decided to drop that line of conversation, instead asking, “What are you asking me to be then, Sherlock? You already know you’re my best friend.”

Only decades of practice in concealing his emotions was enough for Sherlock to hide the way his insides lit up when John said that. There was no scientifically valid explanation for how those words made his heart feel warm, and yet that was the best description of the sensation. It was enough to soften his irritation at John for asking a question he’d already answered. Really, was John paying any attention? “I’m asking you to be my partner. Or really, you already are, so I’m just asking you to acknowledge it, and stop pretending we’re just associates, or whatever word you’re using to protect your heterosexuality from an imaginary threat.”

John took a deep breath, and Sherlock realised that last part might have been a bit much. As irritating as he found it, most heterosexual men were resistant to any idea they might not be straight. He just didn’t think of John as being like most people.

He couldn’t say sorry, as that would make it seem he hadn’t meant it, so instead he said nothing, and tried to convey without words that he hadn’t meant to offend John.

Fortunately, despite their current disagreement, John could still read him better than anyone (except perhaps Mycroft, but that wasn’t worth thinking about).

“You know, most people hear partners and think,” he gestured back and forth between them, “together.” Sherlock opened his mouth to object, they had just covered this, but John barrelled on. “I know you aren’t attracted to me, but did you think about what happens if I start dating again?”

“You won’t,” Sherlock immediately replied. “You wouldn’t want to bring a new person into Rosie’s life and potentially upset her if things don’t work out.” Plus John had been devastated by Mary’s death and was unlikely to return to dating for a long time yet, but Sherlock had the sense to keep the comment to himself this time. Even John’s patience wasn’t endless.

John scowled, but didn’t actually object. “What if you found someone you were interested in?”

“Not going to happen.”

“It happened before.” Sherlock raised his eyebrows, and John said pointedly, “Irene.”

Sherlock rolled his eyes. “Irene had a uniquely brilliant and creative mind, but I would no more have sex with her than I would with you.”

“Are you saying you never slept with Irene? Irene Adler?”

“Do try to keep up, John. I have no interest in sex with anyone.”

John had leaned forward in his chair to ask the previous question, but now he pulled back like he’d been struck. He opened his mouth, then closed it, running a hand over his face.

Sherlock watched him, nerves dancing. He didn’t know why he felt so jittery, but he didn’t like it. In an effort to calm himself, he picked up his mug and had a long sip of tea.

Finally, John spoke. “Do you remember, that first time I asked you if you had a girlfriend or boyfriend, I said it was all fine?” He paused, and Sherlock nodded, sensing this wasn’t the time to remind John that he had a mind palace capable of keeping any memory as fresh as the day it was made. “I haven’t really been living up to that, have I? If you’re not interested in anyone, fine, I’ll trust you on that. I don’t understand, but frankly, of all the things I don’t understand about you, that doesn’t really rank.” John gave him a half smile, and Sherlock involuntarily closed his eyes to keep them from betraying all the emotions he felt in that moment.

His nerves fled as though they had never existed.

“Will you be my partner, John?”

John gave him a half smile. “Might as well, after all that. You are raising a child with me.”

Sherlock snorted, and they both collapsed into laughter.

[jamesphillimoresumbrella]

I’m tired, my dears. I think we all are, this year and of this year. I know it’s not going to magically get better at midnight, but I will feel much better about it anyway.

I had very different plans for 2020 - I wanted to do so much - but here we are.

I got angrier this year. I worked at the polls, and I wrote a shitton of postcards  for the election. I wish I could have done more, but thank the gods that the mass effort seems to have been enough. Almost enough - all eyes on Georgia now.

I got the COVID vaccine on Tuesday. I’m still boggled that I work in healthcare now. I am fully cognizant of the great good luck that it is to have the vaccine, to have it given to us because we happen to work where we work, and my heart aches because I also know that it’s going to be a long uphill slog for the Philippines. (I also want to punch every antivaxxer in the face for spreading poisonous rhetoric that is scaring even people who don’t subscribe wholesale to the idea of evil scary chemicals into not wanting to get vaccinated, but that is an angrier rant for another time. You know why smallpox only exists in a freezer now? You know why it isn’t a matter of course that some part of a generation will have to stay in an iron lung and/or be crippled for life? People die from the flu, you say - you know why more people don’t die from the flu? Vaccination is why, bitches.)  

I wrote a bit, if not as much as I had hoped, though I did rediscover the joy of the handwritten draft - in pretty colors too. Mostly for @bluebellofbakerstreet‘s Inksolation (in May, and in June), and for Holmestice for the first time (Doggone Luck for dryadinthegrove was me learning to write again, and The Hunting Dogs for @vtsuion​ was unlike anything I’d ever tried my hand at). I didn’t make as much progress with my mountain of WIPs as I would have liked, but hope to rectify that in 2021 since I am unlikely to churn out a final chapter of anything in the next, what, 2 and a half hours. I’ve learned that my writing and my worldview changed quite a bit from when I started ficcing in 2011.

I ran. Not the marathon I wanted to do, but it got me out of the door for a bit. I miss pole dancing, but what can you do.

I still don’t have much of a plan. I hope it’ll be fine, but I have to get moving in 2021, one way or another.

And I know I was lucky this year. It was not easy, but I was pretty damn lucky, and I fully appreciate that, and I want to do my best to pay it forward.

I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year. Here’s hoping 2021 will be kinder, and may it be as uneventful as you wish it to be.

Onward.

[afteriwake]

WIPBB Update #2 - Working Admin Is *Hard*...And I’m Adding More This Summer

So we had, like, 114 different banners (with a few repeats) of various fandoms for @wipbigbang for advertising. I thought I had downloaded all the old ones (pre-2021 round) onto my laptop, so I was tearing apart all my folders trying to find them to no avail. Fortunately, they were still on the blog’s Google drive, so I downloaded them all today from the Drive around 3 PM and started uploading them with the links to the FAQ/Schedule and sign-up post.

I finished at 1 AM.

And then I started making new banners for the fandoms we have that are new this round/fandoms that have popular followings on Tumblr.

I finished maybe 1/5th of them at 4 AM before my head hurt so much I had to stop. Then I mixed up the queue so all the new banners are mixed in with the old ones. But the queue is already running for a week of just fandom advertisements and filler posts related to fanfic and writing and art.

Now mind you, what took so long is that I try and add the main characters in the fandom (ior main sub-franchises in some cases, like the Transformers banner), so since I’m not familiar with every fandom we have a banner for, Google has become my best friend this afternoon/evening.

So no writing today, but I did post one of my @fandomtrumpshate works and I got a lot done admin wise.

And speaking of admin work...I may have also signed up to help co-mod Holmestice (the bi-yearly Sherlock Holmes multifandom fanwork exchange) when the current mods step down this summer/winter (I wasn’t quite sure). Six of us volunteered so unlike @wipbigbang I’ll be more on the fringes of admin scuttle work, but I couldn’t bear to see such a great challenge bid adieu. So that will be fun to see how I balance everything. But I feel more comfortable running WIPBB this round than I did last year, so that’s a start.

[discordantwords]

Holmestice!

Holmestice fanworks for the Summer 2021 exchange are now posting!

I’m always completely blown away by the talent and creativity in this fandom. New works are posted every day, so be sure to keep checking back!

Holmestice community on Dreamwidth

Summer 2021 collection on AO3

[lapuslazulli]

Chapters: 6/6 Fandom: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes (Radio 1989-2010 Coules), Elemental Masters - Mercedes Lackey Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson, Mary Morstan & John Watson, Sherlock Holmes & Mary Morstan Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mary Morstan, Colonel Warburton (Sherlock Holmes), Lieutenent Warburton (Sherlock Holmes), The Bessamers (Sherlock Holmes) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Period-Typical Homophobia, Suicidal Thoughts, Insanity, Supernatural Elements Summary:

It’s Elemental-ry, my dear readers! John and Mary Watson are Elemental Magicians, no matter how hard Sherlock Holmes tries to deny it. When Watson’s former commanding officer has left his fortune to con artists pretending to have made contact with his deceased wife, his son asks for Holmes’ assistance.

 Written for language_escapes, Holmestice Exchange-Summer 2021.

Massive thanks to my beta-readers, bakerstmel, 221bcrow, and M. Walsh.