#acd talk

[marbleboa]

i hope you don't think your old writing is cringe, cuz i still think about this line on a daily basis: "Internally, Tardif cringes at the despicable tenderness making itself known in his chest. The hell have you done to me? he almost wants to ask aloud, as if in accusation. The question burns in his mind with a scorning of this complacency, this betrayal of his own rules in favor of sentimentality. Whatever this is, it won’t last. It can’t. Tardif wordlessly turns his face into the crook of Damian’s neck, feeling the faint pulse against his cheek. Blind to the wounds and scars that signal Damian’s solitary march towards his end. It won’t last. No matter how badly he wants it to."

AHH thats very sweet of you anon...admittedly there's some old chapters of ACD I can hardly bear to look at now, but I guess that just goes to show how much I've grown since then? Either way I try to tell myself to be content with it, that someone out there still enjoys it even then--so a message like this means a lot.

As thanks, I offer you a lil sketch of this scene...

[contact-guy]

A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA part 3 (part 1) (part 2)! the 'goodnight Mr Holmes' illustration is a direct reference to the Paget one, and Holmes is playing Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique Symphony) if you wanna listen along. And it really is canon that Watson sleeps over at Baker St here for uhhh no discernible reason

This is in the Watson's Sketchbook series!

[somethingintheforest]

Sherlock Holmes is a canonically queer character. He makes it abundantly clear that he has no intrest in women, he is not attracted to them, he has no intrest in marriage. He is queer.

If we take the canon texts at face value, he's aroace. But reading him as gay is also another very valid interpretation, given the time period in which the stories were written. Hell, maybe he's both.

Ultimately, I don't think it matters much. He's queer, and that makes me very very happy.

[sesamestreep]

I really feel like one of the best details in “A Scandal in Bohemia” that I never see people fixate on enough is that the story starts with Watson stopping in to see Holmes at Baker Street on a complete whim, because he happens to see that he’s home (and Watson is now married and living elsewhere). Like he doesn’t send word first, he’s not invited, he just shows up and surprises Holmes. Which is not that weird but then Holmes is like “oh good, I’ve got a case anyway, you might as well hang out!” which just makes it funnier when the King shows up and is like “I’d really rather speak to you alone, actually” and Watson tries to leave and Holmes is just like “anything you can say to me, you can say to my best friend John Watson, and if you ask him to leave, I would consider it a grave insult, you would be my enemy and I will not help you ever!!” And the king is like “…ok” and just moves on.

like, that is crazy behavior. Holmes is talking about how there’s probably lots of money in this case, and then almost turns away the client for…not knowing who the fuck Watson is?? He’s not even supposed to be there?? He just came to say hi?? “It is both or none”… girl, GET UP.

[pepperpepperz]

hes the silliest guy ever. he represses every feeling known to man. hes like. the 2nd smartest man in london. hes a chainsmoker. he loves pillowforts. and cocaine. he keeps getting hyper-realistic wax figures of himself from somewhere?? hes gay. i didn't say a name but he popped into your head didn't he

[ID: a digital drawing of sherlock holmes casually lying on his settee in his dressing gown. his cheek rests on his left hand and his right holds a smoking pipe. his expression is casually smug. the art has a warm hue. /End ID.]

[julienbakerstreet]

From the introduction of Leslie Klinger’s New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

[benrybenrybenry-chr]

being into sherlock holmes is so stupid like. yeah here's my blorbo, you don't know him. you think you do, but unless you've systematically fallen in love with him through the personal writings of his retired army doctor best friend you really don't. yeah. he's one of the most popular and well known characters in the world. I have interacted with at least 60% of the current fans. hey do you think he associates the sounds of waterfalls with death? do you think he'll ever get over that? I won't. good talk

[tremendously-crazy]

The reason we never see a Sherlock Holmes mystery narrated by Holmes where Watson is actually there is because Holmes would ONLY talk about Watson the entire time

[ogsherlockholmes]

What do you mean I’m not Sherlock Holmes I literally love bees and am nosey as fuck

[joanjettenthusiast]

"what's your favourite sherlock holmes adaptation?" them.

[agoddamneddelight]

how reliable is the london northwestern. spent way too long on this :)

[marbleboa]

HELLO CASPER i'm here to haunt you with your past (no pressure if you don't want this haunting). but for the director's commentary... this little scene from ACD haunts me to this day:

“Anything happens, wake me up.” Tardif says, trying to arrange the two of them comfortably despite the cramped space of the bed. Damian nods, his own body filling the spaces the other man leaves. His voice comes out with just enough energy in it to be audible.

“You’re…a good man, Tardif.”

At first Tardif has to suppress a snort, but as the other man solemnly stares back the genuineness of Damian’s words hits him with an almost painful force. He says nothing, reasoning to himself that the flagellant’s state of mind must still be detached from reality for him to say something as laughable as that.

[fic commentary meme]

HOOO BOY HOO BOY alright. Had to reread a to get back in the ACD brain but I'll do my best >:D

Rereading this part of the chapter, I feel like I wanted to show two things: Tardif managing to set aside his pride and self-isolating tendencies for Damian's sake, and Damian accepting that in kind.

This part in particular reflects the latter: everything has changed for Damian, the faith that's kept him alive has been shaken in a way it's never been before. Tardif is the only constant he has left to hold onto: a self-proclaimed selfish man Damian's previously scorned and rejected. But he still brought Damian into the closest thing to home he has, tries to take care of him even when he's lived so much of his life hurting people. Tardif still can't reconcile this in himself, but...actions speak more than words. And Damian can't help but acknowledge that.

Despite the circumstances surrounding it, I also did just love the visual of these two bulky tough guys squished together in a tiny bed. I think Tardif ends up becoming a jetpack(gotta hold onto Damian so he doesn't get taken by the Horrors).

Admittedly, it's scenes like this in the most recent chapters I get conflicted on. It's satisfying to finally have some of these walls fall down--but sometimes I feel I softened the edges that made these two initially appealing a bit tooooo much to fit a romantic narrative. But, then again, this is all after nearly 20 chapters of buildup, soooo...hopefully it feels earned? Either way, I'm happy to hear it's a scene that stuck with you. :]

[sherlock-is-ace]

every adaptation of Sherlock Holmes tried to link Moriarty to another story somehow, just so that his entire character won't feel like a stupid plot device to kill Holmes lol

Soviet Holmes connected him to Milverton and Granada Holmes to The Red Headed League. Everyone's so desperate to make Moriarty into an actual character, bless them

[keepthemacramesecret]

thinking abt the degrees of abstraction from the truth in autobiography/memoir fiction with unreliable narrators...

u know??

[spiciestmarinara]

The two biggest mistakes that any Sherlock Holmes fan can make, in my opinion, are 1. Thinking any single adaptation has a monopoly on using the source material and 2. Taking anything in the source material too seriously because while it’s a cornerstone of the genre, you have to remember Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also believed in fairies and ghosts and that his friend Harry Houdini was a wizard.

[moonlightandpalmtrees]

you know that comic with the birds? “Do you think we’re best friends in other universes too”? I think about that but with all the different Holmes & Watsons