#Sherlockian AU

[thereddevils]

"The Lovers" (2024)

Comes as a set, do not separate.

[redrobin-detective]

I love writing my favorite characters and projecting my personality and interests onto them. Its healthy even.

[gregorovitch-adler]

Clock

John stifled a yawn with the back of his hand as he checked the time on the classroom clock. Half past twelve. Fifteen more minutes of this dreadful lecture till the afternoon break.

The topic going on in the class was not so hard, besides Year 13 meant you had to cover up most of the topics on your own, anyway. John could not bring himself to listen to the lecture today.

John looked around at the other students instead. To be honest, he was looking for one specific person in that room.

There he was. Sitting in the last row, but paying full attention - staring at the teacher like a hawk. John had been admiring this guy's looks - dense, black curls; sea-green eyes, and those sharp cheekbones - and his intelligence for quite some time.

The name was Sherlock Holmes.

John had not stopped thinking about that bloke ever since he'd guessed some other student's personal life correctly in an attempt to tell them off. Deduction, as he would rather call it.

He had been trying to get to know Sherlock in person and to talk to him properly - instead of just nodding in his direction as a greeting like he used to do, every morning.

John was not sure what he would even talk about. Sherlock seemed so closed off, heading straight to the library during the afternoon break every day. John did not want to make an arse of himself trying to talk to him.

He realised he was staring, so he looked away quickly and pretended to pay attention again.

After a few minutes, the bell rang, followed by the teacher muttering some words to the TA before leaving the class.

The class began to chatter, as everyone slowly made their way to leave.

Suddenly, someone across the room turned around to face Sherlock in the last row. "Hey, Holmes!"

Sherlock looked up from his book at that guy.

"Nobody gives a shit about your Tobacco ash list," he said, and his friends burst out laughing. "Seriously, quit blogging. Your website is embarrassing enough already." Another fit of laughter from his group.

John furrowed his brows and clenched his fist on his left side. Strange that he did not know much about Sherlock, but felt like standing up for him anyway.

"At least I don't have to juggle three girlfriends every single day."

A complete silence erupted among that friend group.

"What's he talking about?" asked a girl from the group to that arse. Probably one of the girlfriends.

He ignored her as he marched his way to the last row to approach Sherlock. "Say that again." The guy slammed his massive fists on the desk.

John turned around and went to that row too.

"I think he was loud and clear the first time," said John as he stood beside Sherlock, staring daggers at the other guy.

"Oh, so the fake genius has got himself a pet!" the bloke exclaimed and walked up close to John, practically towering over him.

John was waiting for one move from the side of that guy. Just one. This would all be over in a minute.

"I haven't," said Sherlock and walked close to the guy, invading his personal space. "Though I would think twice before doing anything I regret if I were you." His low voice had dropped even more to a dangerous tone. "Especially if I were sleeping with one of the teachers for a better score like you are, currently."

This made the guy back off. "You didn't - you can't possibly know that!"

"You didn't even bother changing your perfume," said Sherlock and brushed past that guy, his long legs taking him to the classroom door swiftly. He stopped short in the doorway and turned around to look at John with his eyebrows raised.

John quickly collected his things and left the room; ignoring the other guy and leaving him behind.

Sherlock and John walked out of the class, and John tried to suppress a smile.

"Where are we going?" John asked, trying to match Sherlock's pace.

"I am going to the library."

"I can join you."

"Why?"

"You can tell me about the Tobacco ash."

Sherlock stopped in the tracks to face John properly. John had slowed down as well.

Sherlock gave John an intense look as if trying to look into his soul.

John was physically unable to look away.

"In that case, I expect you to listen to every single thing I have to say. Try to react properly instead of just staring at me." The corner of his heart-shaped mouth quirked up.

John cleared his throat and nodded before looking away for a moment. "Let's go, shall we? We don't have much time."

"Come on, then," said Sherlock, and they began to walk again in the direction of the library.

Not sure why, but John felt as if his day had become at least a hundred times better.

***

Sherlock September Challenge.

Prompt Clock by @onesmallfamily

Tags: @helloliriels @topsyturvy-turtely @keirgreeneyes @lisbeth-kk @gaylilsherlock @missdeliadili @curlyjohnlock @lookingforlifeoutthere @calaisreno @a-victorian-girl @peanitbear .

[poetrybypuck]

I need a Sherlock AU inspired on Zodiac. I think it would be fun.

John could be the journalist and Sherlock some random guy who is not even part of the journal crew.

[helloliriels]

✍️ May Masterpost 2024

Saving a MASTERPOST for returning to these delicious fics, ficlets, limericks, and more inspired by @calaisreno 's prompt list. Most have made it to the AO3 collection (linked), but also (more ... much, much, more!!!) findable on their Tumblr pages:

✨ Open Your Eyes by @jrow : John fell and Sherlock's about to fall apart.

✨ Come What May by @weeesi : Ficlets, 221Bs, no particular theme or timeline, mostly johnlock.

✨ Ravelling by @calaisreno : Sherlock ruins John's favourite jumper. To make amends, he secretly learns to knit and replaces it.

✨ Trifles 3 by @calaisreno : A 3rd series of drabbles, 221Bs, flashfics, mini-epics, written in response to one-word prompts.

✨ Screw Spring, May is for Limericks by @ghostofnuggetspast

✨ 2024 May Prompts from @ Calais_Reno by @thegildedbee

✨ May Has 31 Days by @bs2sjh : What if one day everything changed? 31 - 221Bs shorts 

✨ MayPrompts2024 by @starkraivennemad : All 31 of them in list order.

✨ Sandbox by @copperplatebeech : Playing in the Johnlock sandbox for May.

✨ The Perfect Place by @meetinginsamarra : Bed shop boys, actually ... 😏😎 Sherlock needs a flatmate and already has the perfect person in mind.

✨ White Pony Tattoo by @meetinginsamarra : John Watson needs a tattoo covered up. Sherlock Holmes is one of the best artists in London.

✨ May Prompts 2024 Ficlets by @raina-at : A collection of stand-alone ficlets I wrote for the Tumblr May challenge.

✨ There Once Was a Man Lived in London by @friday411 : A limerick for each of the 31 daily prompts for the challenge + 1. plus Sherlockian Limericks of Dubious Memory to be ongoing ...

✨ The Luckiest Girl in the World by @lisbeth-kk : Rosie thinks back to the day her and John's life changed because of Sherlock Holmes.

✨ You're Not Designed to be Alone by @thalialunacy : A journey from friends to more, told in bite-sized pieces.

✨ May is for Limericks by @helloliriels : Johnlocked angst. Sorry!

✨ One More Time (with Feeling) by helloliriels for @totallysilvergirl : Sherlock gets help with a do-over ... from another doctor!

✨ Home by @actually-a-girls-name : ficlets for May Prompts 2024 

✨ May Prompts by @peanitbear : Sherlock's past closed his heart. Will it ever open again?

✨ Plant's May Prompts 2024 by @solarmama-plantsareneat

✨ Penitence by @naefelldaurk : John and Sherlock find a way forward.

✨ + 26 Ficlets posted to the collection by @amypihcs !!!

✨ Updates! to The Private Personal Blog of Dr. John H. Watson by @deelaundry and;

✨ Sharing is Caring and Choice by @dragonnan : John takes care of a sick Sherlock. And when Sherlock and Mrs. Hudson first met.

✨ Hungerford Bride by @jolieblack : "We're chained to a boat?"

✨ Love Over Gold by @rudbeckiasunflower : 221B format ficlets

✨ Whatever Remains by @ snowy_firewind : A series of drabbles

✨ Kaiju AU for May Prompts so far posted, here by @keirgreeneyes : with links to the prior posts!

✨ Calm (Andante, andante) by @ohwhataniight : It finally happens on their holiday. 

And I know a ton of you haven't added yours to the collection yet (looking at you @totallysilvergirl ...) cause I don't see 'em here!! haha 💕feel free to link/reblog with! - Liri

[meetinginsamarra]

Fanfics I Really Liked in May 2024

So. Since I keep a list of what I´ve read anyway (there´s always a list), I will rec all the fics I´ve wholly enjoyed on a monthly basis. Old and new, canon or AU, big or small authors, long or short but nearly always Johnlock (-ish).

+++++

This May has been totally dominated by Calais_Reno's May Prompts 2024 writing frenzy. I've "only" read the ficlets/fics that have been created for this occasion. There are so many great stories!!

Here is the collection Calais_Reno made for this event  May 2024 Prompts Take a look, there are so many fics/ficlets in there!

+++++

Sherlockian Limericks of Dubious Memory and There once was a man lived in London... -- The Sherlock Holmes - May Prompts 2024 by Friday411 @friday411

May is for Limericks by helloliriels @helloliriels

Screw Spring, May is for Limericks by GhostOfNuggetsPast @ghostofnuggetspast

Four collections of limerick shenanigans! They come in all tastes but are always delicious.

+++++

Come What May by weeesi @weeesi

A collection of great ficlets for the prompts.

May Prompts 2024 Ficlets by Raina_at @raina-at

Another collection of great ficlets, some take place in one of Raina_at's AUs.

Trifles 3 (May Prompts 2024) by Calais_Reno @calaisreno

The ficlets our impresario of the may prompt event created.

Open Your Eyes by JRow @jrow

John fell and Sherlock's about to fall apart.

Angst, hurt/comfort and a happy ending in this fic that follows the 31 prompts.

May Has 31 Days by SophB_Holmes @bs2sjh

What if one day everything changed?

31 shorts as part of CalaisReno's May Prompt Challenge

The Luckiest Girl in the World by Lock_John_Silver @lisbeth-kk

Awesome idea to write one ficlet for every year in Rosie Watson's life, thus following her from baby to adult. So many lovely moments!

You're Not Designed to be Alone by thalialunacy 

A journey from friends to more, told in bite-sized pieces. 

Very tasty bites they are.

2024 May Prompts from @Calais_Reno by thegildedbee @thegildedbee

John had eventually figured out, post-Reichenbach, that Sherlock was alive and working on getting rid of Moriarty's network, and that he had strong-armed Mycroft into facilitating his being able to also go out on the road and help protect Sherlock on his missions.

This became an impromptu fic following the prompts!

What Hands Hath Wrought by emilycare @keirgreeneyes

With Ghast pilot John Watson by his side, can Holmes overcome a new threat offered by eccentric genius, Professor Moriarty?

This has become to be known as the Kaiju AU and boy to they wreak havoc on poor old London!

+++++

*self plug 🙂* I wrote two fics for the may prompts

The Perfect Place aka The Bed Shop Boys AU and White Pony Tattoo a tattoo shop AU. Both with happy Johnlock endings.

[kings-highway]

you talk about ushijima/sherlock vs dirk gently/tendou. but i shall give you THIS proposal: kita in sherlockian fashion, and atsumu, in his scrubs, working on patients. he is dr house.

(i cannot expand upon this, as i have never seen dr. house and have only heard very infamous tales of his personality and exploits. however, i will say that aran is watson. a very exasperated watson, who does not understand why kita never bothered to learn that the our solar system has 8 planets but somehow knows the difference between every single type of blood spatter and their colors)

jokes on YOU Sherlock and House are the same character!!! this would be like having a sherlock au with just a second sherlock. and thats just Mycroft.

My version was better :p

[ninasnakie]

My first time participating in FANDOM TRUMPS HATE!

It's hard to believe but I'm here! Honored to be among prolific, amazing writers ! , Scared out of my brain and super excited at the same time! 💃🏻🤩🤘

I will be offering all kinds of fanfic except heavily explicit , including those ideas you turn into a movie in your head before going to bed, the ones too silly/ weird to even talk about😄 alternative ending/fix-it for your favorite episode… AUs you daydream about😏 also if you're searching for some good angst with happy ending, with lots of comfort and care and fluff….Well, this old-time fan is here for you!

Please share #FTH 2024! sign-ups are OPEN!!

Your Sherlockian humble serpent- NinaSnakie

Example of my writing: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52907212

[mouse-of-mischief]

Bloody hell, I am SO happy that I'm not the only one who has thought about this! I agree with Sherlock being The Eye/The Web aligned/connected, but if we're talking about BBC Mycroft, I always thought of him being attached to The Lonely in some way because of that one scene where Sherlock calls him out for secretly being very lonely, and Mycroft seems a bit on edge as he tries to deny it. As for John, I can't decide if he'd go better with The Slaughter or The Hunt, but I TOTALLY see where he could be connected to The Lonely too.

i need everyone to hear me out:

sherlock is avatar of the eye touched by the web

mycroft is avatar of the web touched by the eye

watson is avatar of the slaughter touched by the lonely

irene adler gives me stranger vibes, maybe also the eye? desolation? i like the destruction motif

idk if lestrade would be inflicted with the fear, he gives me georgie barker vibes where he just Doesn't Fear

okay thats all

[poetrybypuck]

Teenlock AU in which Sherlock has a tumblr blog and is always feeding the fandom of his favorite crime show with his deductions and analysis.

[lupizora]

DCMK Empire of Corpses AU

This will be based on the 2015 anime movie Shisha no Teikoku or The Empire of Corpses. (I can't believe it's been almost ten years since it came out. The grip this movie has on me *sighs*). If you haven't watched it, I'll be dropping MAJOR SPOILERS from it for the overall development of this AU. Kind of like a speed-run of the important plot points. Also, lots of Character Death mentioned left and right. So, please consider yourselves warned 😅

The basic premise of it is that in an Alternative History Victorian era with a lot of steampunk influences, people have found the method of reanimation. Reanimated corpses don't have fully human sentience. They're more akin to zombies and can lose control just as fast, if the reanimation code is damaged in some way. Therefore, they're usually used for manual labor or in wars since they are still considered Undead.

The movie follows John Watson who reanimated his recently deceased close friend "Friday". Doing that outside of the government's control is considered illegal, so to avoid going to jail and other more personal reasons, he's roped into a mission from the government to find the notes of Victor Frankenstein, who was rumored to have produced the first Corpse that retains a soul. It has several philosophical debates about the nature of the soul which I personally found fascinating. Plus, it's gorgeously animated with how it combines the zombies/steampunk aesthetic (even if the ending leaves a lot to be desired imo. I mean we can't know if that was the author's original intent since he apparently passed away before he could finish the novel the movie was based on and someone else stepped up to finish it in his stead. But I digress since I will incorporate the movie's ending into the AU anyway lol).

Okay. Back to the AU.

Given that the characters were more or less contemporary historical figures or fictional heroes of the era, case in point John Watson, and even a cameo of dear Mr.Sherlock Holmes in the post-credits scene, my brain jumped at the opportunity of making it about DetCo.

DetCo has so many characters that could be used for this, but my first thought was focused on the Gosho Boys quartet. You can literally go for every ship variation between them, especially if you don't want to follow the movie's plot to the letter.

However, my BFF and I both agreed that the one who encompasses the headstrong, laser-focused determination Watson exhibits was Hattori Heiji. Because of course, Heiji will throw caution to the wind and go to great lengths for a friend (and/or potential lover).

If anything, this AU is so HeiShin-coded that you could more or less reenact the whole movie and not change much; even with the allusions in the credits scene that Friday turns out to maybe(?) be Moriarty when he gets his soul back. Like in my humble opinion, Shinichi and Saguru (the true Sherlockians) seem to personify different sides of Sherlock Holmes, with Shinichi being closer to (and I'm paraphrasing): "If he didn't give his brilliant mind to solving the crimes, he would be a criminal mastermind instead".

But! I never make things easier for myself that way so this turned into a HeiSagu/SaguHei AU 😂

Frankly, going for this ship angle was more compelling for me. Because Heiji's motivation behind his actions will come from a place of necessity instead of true compassion at first. Like he and Saguru were barely on civil interaction terms, maybe even academic rivals to a degree, at the point of Saguru's death. On the other hand, he couldn't let one of their generation's brilliant minds disappear like that. If Heiji got to prove his "rival's" theory wrong too in the process, no one would be any wiser.

This fictional British Government does not take lightly illegal reanimation, more so from a foreign citizen on their soil. So to avoid forced deportation and/or jail, Heiji and his "servant" (I'm not sure what sort of different name Saguru could have as a reanimated corpse. I was thinking some kind of bird of prey because of his falconry hobby) are tasked with finding the Karasuma notes. Said notes are currently rumored to be in the hands of some researchers Heiji and Saguru were having regular correspondence with. Special Agent Sera Mary and her daughter Masumi tag along as insurance so they won't run off.

The researchers are holed up at some secluded place in Siberia though, so the team ends up finding guides in the form of Kaito and Aoko. Despite Kaito's antics, the one Heiji finds odd is Aoko instead. She rarely eats, rarely sleeps, and she keeps talking in third person about herself. Heiji wonders if she's some kind of advanced corpse but Kaito dodges the question.

Before they reach their destination, they get attacked by corpses with higher mobility that usual. Then it's revealed that Aoko is a high-specs automaton Kaito had built himself when her arms change into weapons mid-fight. They are saved when another automaton, Conan, appears and fries the system running in those advanced corpses with a pulse attack. Conan explains that they were made with designs someone stole from his creators, who were trying a different approach than what the Karasuma notes were describing.

After the final stretch, they find the secluded town they were trying to reach filled with the original design of those advanced corpses and the only alive people there are Shinichi and Agasa. Nothing else seems amiss at first, even if it's creepy how life-like and not at the same time the citizens appear. The team stays there for a couple of days. Heiji is delighted to learn that Shinichi had been the one exchanging letters with him, instead of some stiff researcher like his teachers back in London. But Shinichi keeps diverting the conversation when inquired about the Karasuma notes.

It all comes to end the moment Shinichi realizes that the corpse following Heiji around is Saguru. Because all the time in the world can't prevent him from dying due to an accident or sudden illness before finishing his research. The reason the town's corpses look kind of alive is because they were created when the person was near-death. This time, in his fit of desperation, Shinichi does the procedure to a very much alive Kaito, hoping to preserve both of them for if/when proper reanimation succeeds, and follows suit in front of an appalled Heiji (this part in the movie was so unsettling, to put it mildly. I still shiver whenever I remember it. Here's even more terrifying to imagine because their appearance is so similar 😰). Shinichi does manage to tell them before he loses awareness that the previous researchers took the Karasuma notes with them to Japan.

But Heiji does not want to hear about the notes anymore or anything else really. He goes out in the cold to grieve and mope. Despite not giving him any commands, Saguru joins him. This only serves to anger Heiji because it doesn't prove that this action was made from any remnants of Saguru's "soul", and not a byproduct from the reanimation code. So Heiji lashes out, tackling him to the snow-filled ground. His fist stops midway though because he realizes that there is no point venting his frustrations on someone that will not comprehend why or even fight back.

Mary comes to remind him that he can't stop the mission whenever he wants, so they have to head out. They take Aoko and Conan with them while Agasa stays behind to take care of everyone for as long as he has left.

In Japan, they track the notes all the way to Osaka. Heiji learns that after the news of his transgression reached his father, he was disowned. Fine by him. It does not stop him from roping Kazuha and Otaki into helping him bust into the lab of the shadowy organization that seems to have the notes. And they do actually which amidst the chaos Heiji feeds them into Saguru's reanimation code to analyze them. Right about then though, the rumored successful reanimation project of Karasuma himself—Vermouth (of course it was gonna be her lol) appears, kills Mary and Otaki before she steals the notes.

The place burns down, separating Heiji and Saguru from the rest as they end up in the sewers. Since the notes were analyzed halfway and jumbled Saguru's code, he acts like a feral zombie. Heiji tries to hold his ground, but there is only so much he can do against a corpse that doesn't hold back its strength at all. Pinned against the wall by Saguru trying to choke the life out of him, Heiji ponders why he got into this mess and if dead people should stay dead and dammit he might have cared about Saguru more than he originally thought but he sure as hell won't allow him to run amok any longer. So he headbutts him, causing Saguru to drop him. While Heiji is wheezing for breath on the floor, he notices Saguru isn't moving. If anything, it looks like he calmed down. And then, a soft sound starts coming from him until it's apparent that Saguru is laughing. Heiji flashbacks to the aftermath of a fencing duel they had during their first days in the academy. For a moment, the images overlap and Heiji could believe that Saguru is still alive right before he "shuts down".

Reconnecting with the girls and Conan, they escape Japan through Kazuha's connections (she stays behind to cover their tracks). Saguru is back to being feral the next time he "wakes up", but Heiji has seen hope that he's still there (even if inevitably this is confirming Saguru's theory) so he continues to struggle to fix the scrambled reanimation code. While on Vermouth's trail, they come across the Kudous along with Nakamori Ginzo and learn that Aoko was modeled after his daughter because her body had been cremated before Kaito could even consider the thought of reanimating her. Aoko isn't interested in playing make-believe with Ginzo, even with the implanted memories Kaito had given her. Since she's just an automaton, therefore lacking a soul by conventional means, she wants to find her place in the world by herself.

Around then, Vermouth kidnaps Aoko to use as a vessel to bring back her beloved "angel" (Ran, the only human who showed her kindness) and the recently fixed Saguru because he has the missing portion of Karasuma's notes inside of him. Heiji, Conan and Masumi follow her back to a London in flames. Vermouth intents to use the Archive of the Dead that holds every reanimation code ever issued which is akin to holding humanity's collective conscious along with the notes for her plan. Although they manage to intercept her in the control room and Masumi shoots her, Vermouth's "soul" had already entered Saguru's body.

Heiji asks Conan to overload the Archive while Masumi reluctantly helps him connect himself to it through Shinichi's reanimation method. In the sea of humanity's collective conscious, Heiji finds Vermouth clinging to Saguru like a parasite because otherwise her artificial "soul" would disperse and disappear. Heiji yells at her that there is nothing artificial about someone with such a strong will to live. It's just that humans were not made to last for centuries on end and there is not much left of her anymore. Right then, someone looking like Aoko (but not really) appears and after fusing with Vermouth's remnants, disperses into their surroundings.

Saguru opens his eyes, finding himself in Heiji's embrace. Heiji offers his congratulations to him for being right about this, but the latter does not accept it. Because Heiji's recklessness to be here will make him die when he returns to his body. Their little reunion is interrupted by Kaito and Shinichi showing up, since the Archive overloading connected every Undead around the world into the sea of humanity's collective conscious. They all brainstorm together if there is a way to prevent Heiji's death or actually resurrect Saguru. Kaito proposes that before the Archive completely collapses, they could connect Heiji's living body and Saguru's reanimated one and feed the system the leftover pieces of the Karasuma notes (it's similar with how they implant memories on automaton brains). But if it works, they'll lose every memory they have of each other. While the notes work like the glue keeping their souls tethered, a certain amount of energy still needs to be spend for all this.

Heiji wakes up and tells the others of Kaito's proposal. Conan tells him that there is no guarantee that both of their objectives will become true. Heiji's final words are that he doesn't care if his soul takes all of the burden for Saguru to return to life.

***THE END?***

Quite a while later, Kazuha drops Heiji at a lodging in Tokyo.

After he returned from London still being disowned by his father, Heiji worked odd jobs here and there; relying on his employer to provide him with a place to stay. His latest job unfortunately doesn't, and even though the pay is alright, it's not enough for one person to live alone. So Kazuha had asked around and heard from Momiji that someone was looking for a roommate, before dragging him there.

Heiji is a bit hesitant about all this. The house looks kind of out of his budget, even with a roommate. His alarms go off when Kazuha vanishes while the housemaid (Keiko) had just let them in. But before he could make up an excuse to leave, the master of the house comes down the stairs.

He seems familiar; from his build to how he handles himself and the way he speaks. The only thing that strikes Heiji as odd are his eyes. For some weird reason, he was under the impression they were going to be blue and faded. They are a warm brown instead.

The man introduces himself as Hakuba Saguru.

Heiji had heard of him. Something about rebelling against his father wishes to join the military and leaving for London to pursue some kind of criminology field. Several different people had asked Heiji if he ever met him while he was still in England, and Heiji had denied it. But this familiarity, tugging him to close the distance between them, is unmistakable.

"Do I know ya?" Heiji asks.

Saguru smiles politely as if he's humoring him. "I would have certainly remembered someone rude enough not introduce themselves first."

Irritation, that comes off as borderline déjà vu, flares up in Heiji's chest as he gives back only his first name. That catches Saguru's attention as he inquires about it. Despite his reservations, Heiji admits that he isn't allowed to use his family name anymore.

"Why don't you take mine?" Saguru says.

At the shock of Keiko, more so to Heiji himself, he backtracks and goes on about housing laws and contracts being troublesome without full names from both participants. However, Heiji can somehow tell that Saguru is a bit flustered from that fumble.

"Sure," Heiji says with a chuckle. "As long as ya won't take yer word back."

Outside, in a cafe across the street, Kazuha joins the others to discuss the success of their little scheme. Conan wonders if this would be alright in the long run, because the chances of them remembering everything is close to none. Kazuha starts harping about fate and similar romantic notions, leaving him unimpressed.

Aoko stirs her teacup with a mysterious air about her. "We only helped them find each other faster. It's up to them whether they will cling to the past or set forth to make new memories."

Changing the subject, Masuki asks her if she has decided on her name yet. Aoko is conflicted since she has always been Aoko, but after what happened at the Archive, she isn't so sure about it anymore.

"Something starting with M sounds interesting though."

Around then Kazuha notices that Conan is gone. Masumi reassures her that he has been doing this kind of thing lately. Even after following him a couple of times, it didn't seem like something to worry about.

Conan enters the dilapidated warehouse he had been visiting and finds its sole occupier tinkering on his body again.

"I know I'm better at taking things apart than fixing them," he complains, "but you could have waited a bit!"

Turns out that before making Aoko, Kaito had made an unfinished automaton prototype based on himself that he hadn't told anyone about, more so Shinichi. While Conan was connected to the Archive, he saw it in his memories. Apparently, he had reactivated amidst the chaos of Vermouth's plan, fixing himself little by little and sending out some sort of signal. The first thing Conan told him when he found him was that only someone like Kaito would think to make trial runs on himself. Automaton!Kaito asked if he hadn't done the same since Conan is technically Shinichi (made from Agasa as a compromise for his parents, in case things went wrong with his research), not to mention his self-destruction in Siberia.

"Even in death, we still kept a lot of secrets from each other," Conan says with a bitter smile.

"Showing all your cards leaves you vulnerable. Isn't it in human nature to hold a part of ourselves hidden?" He pauses, thinking it over. "Although, I suppose we don't qualify as 'humans' at the moment."

Conan rolls his eyes. "It's a matter of perspective."

Kaito teases him about his optimistic outlook when they are merely shadows of the originals, stuck into artificial bodies.

"But we are still here, aren't we?"

[jrow]

Fic Writing 20 Questions

Thanks for the tags @khorazir and @raina-at

How many works do you have on AO3?

13

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

268,623

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Sherlock (BBC). I may try my hand at a Merlin fic in the next year, but we’ll see ...

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Beautiful Pictures

A Week in November

Lines in the Sand

The Man with the Cartier Frames

That Time of Year

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I love getting comments, so it’s the least I can do (even if it takes a few days). I love when authors respond to my comments, so it’s only fair.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Like many of the people answering these questions, I don’t write angsty endings. I considered it for Jam (I almost didn’t include the epilogue) but I love a happy ending.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All my fics have happy endings. If I had to pick one as “happiest”, I’d say The Man With the Cartier Frames.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have not, luckily. I’ve had a weird comment or two where I’ve thought “why did you tell me that”, but nothing super negative.

9. Do you write smut?

Not really? I’ve written some mature scenes that allude to things, but don’t go into detail.  

10. Do you write crossovers?

No. I have particular objections, but I doubt I ever will.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, Lines in the Sand has been translated into French and That Time of Year into Russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I haven’t. I don’t object to the concept, but I’m not sure I’d be a great collaborator given my current writing style. I think I’m better at betaing which gives me a way to work with other fic writers.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

This is really tough. I feel like it’s okay if your “all time” favourite ship changes every five or ten years. I mean, I am a very different person at 40 than I was at 25. My favourite to write is definitely Johnlock—they have a great dynamic and are both really interesting characters in their own rights. So, they are definitely up there. The other ship that comes to mind in terms of those that have really stood the test of time for me is Goren/Eames from Law & Order:CI (a very small fandom). Goren has a lot of Sherlockian traits and Eames is just incredibly cool (and both actors are gorgeous, which doesn’t hurt!).  I discovered Merlin in the last year or two and really like Merthur (honestly, I also really like Mergwenthur which I never thought would be my thing, but Gwen is so lovely), but it’s too early to tell if that will last long enough to be on my all time list!

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Corsi, my NHL Johnlock AU. I have a couple chapters written, but I started it a long time ago and my writing style has changed a fair bit since then. I think I’d want to go back and rewrite the first chapter, but that seems like a waste … so, instead, I will just leave it to languish.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I write Parentlock really well. I have young kids, so it’s relatively easy for me to make kids read age appropriate (which they often don’t in stories, be they fic or published). I hope I am also able to convey that delicate balance that parents feel—namely adoring their kids with every once of your being while wanting to throttle them.  Basically, I think I can write believable kids and believable parents.

I also think I am okay at creating cases, mainly because I become a bit obsessed with making the pieces fit.  I like internal consistency!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I can’t plot out a fic well enough that I can post anything before it’s done. Which means, that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to write a truly long fic (say longer than 50K words).  To have the motivation to write something that long, I think I would need the dopamine hit from posting and getting feedback. But, I just can’t see me ever posting a fic before it’s completely written, because of how often I go back and revise as I write. Particularly for fics with any sort of case—I’ll have the loose parameters of the case set out, but the details won’t emerge until I write. Which may mean I have to go back and edit earlier content to make those details work (internal consistency!). Even things like John’s work schedule or the timing of a phone call or what time Rosie gets out of school may change a half dozen times as I write to make the other pieces work.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic? 

I think it’s fine, but it’s best if you have a half-decent knowledge of that language. The only language I would use is French, should that ever come up.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

X-Files (this also seems to be a common theme)

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Ugh. This is an impossible question. I really like Beneath the Surface—I love epistolary fics and I think I did pretty well with text exchanges in that one. I am also pretty proud of Jam. So, I suppose those would be my faves.

Hmmmm, I think I am late to the game here so anyone interested in doing this, consider yourself tagged!

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Five Fics Friday: June 2/23

Happy Pride month everyone! Why not celebrate with fics about our favourite husbands?????? Enjoy!

SIGNAL BOOSTING

Deduce Your Own Adventure by Jimlockian (E, 35,380 w., 99 Ch. || Choose Your Own Adventure-Style || Alternate Canon, Humour, Canon Divergence, Assorted Tags) – A Sherlockian, old fashioned, Choose Your Own Adventure book!! At the end of each scene (chapter) you are presented with choices which can lead to any number of options – three different cases, a chase, four romantic pairings (navigational Johnlock & Sheriarty/Jimlock smuts!), three main characters to kill, kidnappings of different characters, rewritten RBF, endings that are odd, happy, angst-filled, humorous, fluffy, smutty - all from choices made by you! Will you take the case of a body turning up where it oughtn't be, or a stolen artifact from a museum, or perhaps theft after a lover's quarrel? Will you find Johnlock, Sheriarty/Jimlock, Johniarty or minor Johnbastian? Is Sherlock witty or romantic? Does John's nobility last? Is Jim patient or naughty? Will you make it to the chase scene, or to RBF? Fluff or smut? Your choice will decide! Choices: 2-3 varying solutions for each case, many pairing themed storylines/endings; 5+ Johnlock & Jimlock, 3 Johniarty (NEW: smut, fluff endings), 2 Johnbastian, 1 Morlock... +25 endings!

RECENT MFLs

Sexual Frustration by SailorChibi (E, 2,181 w., 1 Ch. || Semi-Public Sex, Possessive Sherlock, Porn with Feels, Neglected John) – "You," Sherlock said very quietly, "have a 15 minute head start to get home, strip, and get in my bed. If I catch you before you make it back to the flat, I will fuck you where I find you regardless of who is watching." His hand tightened, fingers threatening bruises. "Either way, I am going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk for three days."

Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down by standbygo (M, 3,282 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Five and On, Food, Missing Scene, Three Garridebs Moment /John Whump, Cuddling/Snuggling, Hurt/Comfort, Love Declarations, Parenthood, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss) – Five times when Sherlock and John ate together, and one time they didn't. A history of the boys, in food.

A Tale of Two Soldiers by batslikepastel (T, 14,136 w., 5 Ch. || S4 Fix It, Jealous Sherlock, Misunderstandings, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Christmas, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Developing Relationship, Cuddling / Snuggling, First Kiss, Stress Baking, Domestic Fluff) – It's Christmas, and Sherlock and John are finally flatmates again after the tumultuous events of the previous year. But a sudden revelation about John's sexuality and James Sholto's unexpected presence throw a wrench into Sherlock's plans, and his jealousy threatens to overwhelm him even as John remains blithely oblivious. Their relationship has reached a turning point, and the ball is in John's court now.

The Case of The Boy & The Soldier by WhatLocked (T, 36,263 w., 18 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting AU || Sherlock POV, Sneaky Mycroft, Parentlock, Developing Relationship, Case Fic, Lists, Original Child Character, Parent John, Light Mystrade, Kidnapping) – When one William Watson wanders into the life of one Sherlock Holmes, claiming that his daddy has been taken by bad men, Sherlock finds himself caught up in a rather intriguing case of not only locating the boys father but also in discovering a side of himself that he never knew existed. Part 1 of The William Watson Case Files

[andresylupin]

Btw do you have headcanons for what kind of poetry Lupin would enjoy? I know there’s that one poem about the willow tree he recited in the Confessions of Arsene Lupin, but I’m curious about other people’s thoughts :D (I also failed to track down the author who wrote that poem?) Do you think he’d read William IX or Marie de France? I’m a literature major myself and I got take a little peek at medieval French poetry in my courses

Interesting question! I am unfortunately not much of a poetry person, so I'm probably not the best to ask what Lupin's taste in that area would be ^^'

Although that doesn't mean I have nothing to say on the matter hehe. First of, the willow tree poem is an excerpt from Lucie, élégie by Alfred de Musset. The whole poem is quite long, and it begins and ends with the stanza about the willow tree.

"Mes chers amis, quand je mourrai,

Plantez un saule au cimetière.

J’aime son feuillage éploré ;

La pâleur m’en est douce et chère,

Et son ombre sera légère

À la terre où je dormirai."

"Friends beloved, when I die,

Plant a willow over me,

Through its leaves the night will sigh,

Kindly will its shadow be,

And its drooping boughs shall weep,

O'er the earth wherein I sleep."

(not quite accurate as far as translation go I'd say, but that's the first official translation I found online, and translating poetry is SO HARD anyway, so I'm leaving it as is)

Secondly, there are literary references, quotes, nods, etc, everywhere within Lupin stories, whether from Lupin himself or from the narration (found this really neat article about intertextuality by Leblanc in Lupin, which lists most of what we can find and goes into a bit more details than I did here→) Looking at it from a watsonian perspective, this is simply Maurice Leblanc's way to reconcile more "classic" literature with the more "common" style of Lupin: by making his character quote Musset, Shakespeare, Chateaubriand, Milton or Pline, Leblanc elevates Lupin to a learned scholar, and signals that he, as an author, is also a reader of that kind of literature. From a Sherlockian perspective, it just makes sense that Lupin be well learned in everything: he is a man of culture, that's precisely what sets him apart from regular thieves. Going by what we can find in the text, he seems to favour XIXe authors and old classics, which is not very surprising, since, remember, this is mostly a reflection of Leblanc's own library. So I fear french medieval poetry might a bit out there in that context, but as far as headcanons go, I really see no reason why he wouldn't have something by Marie de France on his shelves! The man's eclectic 😌

Somewhat related, there's also Gérard Baupré the unfortunate aspiring poet from 813, who Lupin treats rather condescendingly, disparagingly even. Now of course Baupré is nothing remarkable, and Lupin is only using him as a pawn, which explains this attitude (+ Baupré dares fall in love with the same woman as Lupin, and even *gasp* pursue her!). But it's interesting with how Lupin adresses him, always calling him "poet", making a mockery of it: further proof imo that Lupin is very much presented to us as a literary connaisseur, and in this case specifically poetry, thus making him able to judge whatever Baupré's scribbling, and evidently he doesn't think much of it.

And there you go, hope this was somewhat what you were looking for :D honestly I think headcanoning Lupin as a reader of pretty much anything really, is fair game. I like how french/European his references are (because, again, so are Leblanc's), but I'd be interested in him reading outside of European literary canon as well!

[a-victorian-girl]

I loooooove the multiverse of Sherlock omg!! Drives me crazy!! ♥️♥️♥️

Clock

John stifled a yawn with the back of his hand as he checked the time on the classroom clock. Half past twelve. Fifteen more minutes of this dreadful lecture till the afternoon break.

The topic going on in the class was not so hard, besides Year 13 meant you had to cover up most of the topics on your own, anyway. John could not bring himself to listen to the lecture today.

John looked around at the other students instead. To be honest, he was looking for one specific person in that room.

There he was. Sitting in the last row, but paying full attention - staring at the teacher like a hawk. John had been admiring this guy's looks - dense, black curls; sea-green eyes, and those sharp cheekbones - and his intelligence for quite some time.

The name was Sherlock Holmes.

John had not stopped thinking about that bloke ever since he'd guessed some other student's personal life correctly in an attempt to tell them off. Deduction, as he would rather call it.

He had been trying to get to know Sherlock in person and to talk to him properly - instead of just nodding in his direction as a greeting like he used to do, every morning.

John was not sure what he would even talk about. Sherlock seemed so closed off, heading straight to the library during the afternoon break every day. John did not want to make an arse of himself trying to talk to him.

He realised he was staring, so he looked away quickly and pretended to pay attention again.

After a few minutes, the bell rang, followed by the teacher muttering some words to the TA before leaving the class.

The class began to chatter, as everyone slowly made their way to leave.

Suddenly, someone across the room turned around to face Sherlock in the last row. "Hey, Holmes!"

Sherlock looked up from his book at that guy.

"Nobody gives a shit about your Tobacco ash list," he said, and his friends burst out laughing. "Seriously, quit blogging. Your website is embarrassing enough already." Another fit of laughter from his group.

John furrowed his brows and clenched his fist on his left side. Strange that he did not know much about Sherlock, but felt like standing up for him anyway.

"At least I don't have to juggle three girlfriends every single day."

A complete silence erupted among that friend group.

"What's he talking about?" asked a girl from the group to that arse. Probably one of the girlfriends.

He ignored her as he marched his way to the last row to approach Sherlock. "Say that again." The guy slammed his massive fists on the desk.

John turned around and went to that row too.

"I think he was loud and clear the first time," said John as he stood beside Sherlock, staring daggers at the other guy.

"Oh, so the fake genius has got himself a pet!" the bloke exclaimed and walked up close to John, practically towering over him.

John was waiting for one move from the side of that guy. Just one. This would all be over in a minute.

"I haven't," said Sherlock and walked close to the guy, invading his personal space. "Though I would think twice before doing anything I regret if I were you." His low voice had dropped even more to a dangerous tone. "Especially if I were sleeping with one of the teachers for a better score like you are, currently."

This made the guy back off. "You didn't - you can't possibly know that!"

"You didn't even bother changing your perfume," said Sherlock and brushed past that guy, his long legs taking him to the classroom door swiftly. He stopped short in the doorway and turned around to look at John with his eyebrows raised.

John quickly collected his things and left the room; ignoring the other guy and leaving him behind.

Sherlock and John walked out of the class, and John tried to suppress a smile.

"Where are we going?" John asked, trying to match Sherlock's pace.

"I am going to the library."

"I can join you."

"Why?"

"You can tell me about the Tobacco ash."

Sherlock stopped in the tracks to face John properly. John had slowed down as well.

Sherlock gave John an intense look as if trying to look into his soul.

John was physically unable to look away.

"In that case, I expect you to listen to every single thing I have to say. Try to react properly instead of just staring at me." The corner of his heart-shaped mouth quirked up.

John cleared his throat and nodded before looking away for a moment. "Let's go, shall we? We don't have much time."

"Come on, then," said Sherlock, and they began to walk again in the direction of the library.

Not sure why, but John felt as if his day had become at least a hundred times better.

***

Sherlock September Challenge.

Prompt Clock by @onesmallfamily

Tags: @helloliriels @topsyturvy-turtely @keirgreeneyes @lisbeth-kk @gaylilsherlock @missdeliadili @curlyjohnlock @lookingforlifeoutthere @calaisreno @a-victorian-girl @peanitbear .

[meetinginsamarra]

Fanfics I Really Liked in February 2024

So. Since I keep a list of what I´ve read anyway (there´s always a list), I will rec all the fics I´ve wholly enjoyed on a monthly basis. Old and new, canon or AU, big or small authors, long or short but nearly always Johnlock (-ish).

Walk of Shame by 72reasons @onesmallfamily

John is just back from the war and lonely. He distracts himself with casual sex. Sherlock usually refrains from sex, but in trying to stay sober he indulges in it now and again. One day, Sherlock meets John on the street and sparks fly. Casual sex is one thing, but what about something more?

Hurt/Comfort, vulnerable characters and sex. Great.

Exsanguinate by 7PercentSolution @7-percent

A Five+1 of missing scenes from HLV when Sherlock nearly bled to death and what happened next.

Way more logical explanations for what happened medically and psychologically in canon HLV and afterwards.

Compartmentalised Troubles by BakerTumblings

John Watson is in financial need, so he finds a job for a home monitoring company. Next client? Mycroft Holmes.

Something is amiss in the mansion and then a mighty thunderstorm happens and John has to use all of his doctoring skills to save the unusual visitor.

Time in a Bottle by DiscordantWords @discordantwords

One wasted wish, five wishes that changed the world, and one wish that changed nothing at all.

Such a clever premise and suspensful fic. A genie gets to grant Sherlock and John three wishes and they use it to change things in the past. What they wish for is very telling about their characters but the changes made are not what they expect them to be.

Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68 @earlgreytea68

The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street.

I am so very late to this fandom classic but somehow the sheer length and the concept of a clone baby always kept me from reading. A huge mistake! The fic is very diverting albeit the length and the Sherlockian clone baby is one of the best and funniest OMCs (if you can call it that) I have read about. Also, lots of insight into the inner workings of John and Sherlock via their accidental (and awesome) parenting. Brilliant!