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lisbeth-kk · 11 months ago

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Sherlock fandom.

Hold Me

Sherlock thought his heart broke when his grandmother died. He was wrong. It got a crack, sure, but it was nothing compared to the heartbreak he felt when Victor walked out of his life without any explanation.

Please, tell me what I’ve done wrong! I can fix this. I promise you. Anything, Victor. Please. Sherlock.

The letter was never answered.

Sherlock wanted to drown himself in the nearest river or rob the medical cabinet in Matron’s office and OD on whichever substances it contained. He never got the chance to do either because Mycroft turned up at Cambridge and took him away to their favourite place in France, their grandmother’s family home.

After a week of fresh air, delicious food and Mycroft’s advice, Sherlock was able to shut the door to his heart. Infinitely.

“Seal it tight, brother mine. Only then can you be certain to never get hurt again. Sentiment is never an advantage.”

Sherlock was grateful to his brother for the advice. It worked and slowly the thought of Victor and what they had faded, and he was almost successful in deleting it. Almost.

He was always confident when he faced danger and criminals. Every word he spoke was the truth, unless he was lying to get a confession or trick said criminals. But that kind of lie came out easy and confident as well, because it was part of the game. His voice never faltered or showed signs of distress. He was quite certain he would pass a lie detector test if required.

***

It came as a shock to him that lying to Moriarty was futile. When he told the villain that he had no heart and Moriarty contradicted him, Sherlock knew he was beaten.

John Hamish Watson, who thought himself to be ordinary and unworthy, did something no one had ever accomplished. By being himself, never put off by Sherlock’s odd behaviour, always praising his deductions, protecting him from harm’s way from day one, he’d torn the seal over Sherlock’s heart to shreds. It lay bare for anyone to crush and break, and Moriarty knew. The most dangerous man Sherlock had ever encountered knew his weak point, that he was human and not a stranger to sentiment and love.

Sherlock could barely breathe after he’d tossed away the bomb jacket John had been wearing. John who’d urged Sherlock to run. John who’d been willing to die so Sherlock could live.

He tried to stand up, but his feet wouldn’t cooperate, and he sunk to the floor, his head slumped forward. Meeting John’s eyes was out of the question. His own eyes would reveal too much now that he was utterly shaken and out of control.

A sound broke the silence. It was a choked sob. Sherlock realised it came from his own throat and tried to fight his transport to regain his normal superior posture but in vain. He was trembling all over.

Warm hands on his shoulders startled him and all his defences broke when John spoke.

“Come here,” he said softly and pulled Sherlock to him.

Without hesitating or giving his movements a second thought, Sherlock encircled John’s back with his arms and held on for dear life. He rested his head on John’s shoulder finding comfort in the familiar scent from John’s skin.

“Hold me,” Sherlock whispered almost inaudible. “Please, John.”

And John held him as tight as Sherlock had ever been held. Sweet words were murmured into his hair.

“I’ve got you. Always. Don’t shut me out anymore, Sherlock. Let me love you the way you deserve. Please?”

***

Sherlock had thought it would be awkward once they returned to Baker Street, but John was nothing but determined when he’d set his mind to something. John showered first and when Sherlock came out from the bathroom, John was waiting for him and simply took his hand and led him to the bedroom.

Before Sherlock fell asleep in John’s arms, he asked John to promise something.

“Keep my heart safe, John. It won’t survive another break.”

And John, wonderful John, promised. Without blinking or hesitating.

“I promise, my love. Your heart is safe with me. Always.”

@flashfictionfridayofficial @totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @calaisreno @a-victorian-girl @phoenix27884 @peanitbear @safedistancefrombeingsmart @gregorovitchworld @helloliriels @topsyturvy-turtely @raina-at @7-percent @ninasnakie @sabsi221b

#flash fiction friday #sherlock fandom #sherlock #john watson #mycroft holmes #bbc sherlock #sherlock fanfic #johnlock #FFF239 #seal it tight

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amypihcs · 1 year ago

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Bonsoir! Second part of this pretty spooktober story! Holmes and Watson are re-interviewing GK and they are NOT. AMUSED. Let's listen to the rich ass

Tell him Holmes! Teach this guy how a gentleman behaves when he has no blackmailer to catch!

Look at this! Holmes is a moment from STRANGLING this man.

SHE IS NOT AN OBJECT YOU BIG BASTARD! Holmes is taking the case only for HER sake, not sure for yours! And you ARE asking for criticism. I'm bonking him HARD over the head! With my chemistry universitary book (1.8 kilos)! (Also Watson is torn between tearing GK to shreds with his eyes and admiring his husband's FORMIDABLE self. Man's sooo much in love)

HE SAID IT! Assault or attempted assault CAN BE WORSE THAN MURDER. AND I HEREBY QUOTE THE LAST SENTENCE TOO.

Rich people, this was written at the beginning of 1900s and IT'S STILL VALID. Holmes is being so valid in this story.

Well, story gets explained, Holmes snarls a bit more and then off to the country to talk to the policeman. Watson favors us with some pretty description too, but i do believe i'm doing what holmes would do in omitting them.

Holmes OF COURSE REMITS ALL THE MERIT! Don't even worry, he's not like Scotland Yard. (Lestrade, yes, it's Holmes, let's postpone this week's thursday sleepover and dinner, ah yes, sorry i've a case, maybe on saturday?) Watson will publish a full account in a couple of years anyway, lol. People still trusting Watson to shut the hell up about the cases.

And incredible but true, even the local police is ANXIOUS to hold GK accountable for his actions! Godo. Come. Un. Riccio.

Let's see what we have here...

detectives detectiving for a while. And apparently we lost a pistol. GK is being very american in having so many firearms, no offence to my dear American mutuals but this is a part of what America looks like from Italy.

And we have to praise Holmes' intellectual honesty. It was sensible. Even if he's saying it through gritted teeth as every single letter was more painful to him than having his nails tore out. Chapeau!

Hey, nice and anxious cop, calm down. There's an overabundance of 'sir' there! Holmes is seeing some light in it? Apparently?

Let him sit and think... Meanwhile infinite thanks to Jeremy Brett that gave us Holmes walking on the parapet and having a lil lie down on the bridge. I loved that sce- WHAT'S THAT??!

Chipped! And even violence time served just to understand that it took A LOT of violence to chip the stonework. Interesting.

Now, let's hop at GK's, we have a nice examination of the arm-room and then our boys try to go to talk to the young lady. Let's have some considerations

Watson is having a Himbo moment... And Holmes is of course willing to explain. Of course, the place where the weapon was found is the key detail! In freeing her. Let me explain, dearest Watson

Holmes: -sigh- My husband will be never a good criminal. He's too honest. Watson, my darling, DO try and think like a character of your stories THIS ONE TIME.

BUT THE POINT STILL IS

-rubs hands- We have a NEW TRAIL! A new line of inquiry. Ah, the day's so beautiful, don't you all think?

Which line? Oh well, that comes with the end of the story!

#letters from watson #sherlock holmes #dr john watson #victorian husbands #Himbo Watson #well - only a himbo moment #Guy's a Hunk uwu #i'm very much liking this story

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jabbage · 2 months ago

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#Letters from Watson #lettersfromwatson

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helloliriels · 2 years ago

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Hello Wip Fics!

Christmas in Honeycutt 🎄

Ch. 12/?? up▪︎25,765▪︎T▪︎WWII AU▪︎Xmas

John's publisher asks him and his family to entertain a war hero at their idyllic estate 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. But he can't tell his publisher that ... or he'll be fired. What's a writer to do?

What If I'm Not? 💌

Ch. 14/?? up▪︎11,850▪︎T▪︎first fic collab @fluffbyday-smutbynight

'What if I'm down, what if I'm out? What if I'm someone you don't want around? I'm falling again ...'

John's letter to Sherlock after Mary's death. Maybe in confessing why he's not okay, he is really pushing Sherlock out of his life for good?

For ... how could such a disclosure not?

(I Love You) Infinitely 🌈

Ch. 14/16▪︎20,048▪︎T▪︎Infinity WarPost-TRF

With a snap of his fingers, Thanos had caused the heartache and loss of half a planets population. And John Watson, of all people ... could have kissed the glove that did so ...

Dungeons & Dragons, Detectives & Dates🐉

Ch. 3/5▪︎2,971▪︎G▪︎1st fake fic titles real fic!

'He called me a twink, John!'

John & Sherlock’s raid banter may lead to a night out in London ... or did John just stand him up?

You Can See Me 🖤

Inspired by this artwork. Ch. 3/??▪︎3,320▪︎T

When Mike takes John to meet his potential flatmate ... he isn't expecting to fallen so hard, so fast!

... and Sherlock it seems, has already fallen.

The Shape of Us 🎻

Ch. 1/3 up▪︎3,144▪︎M▪︎fluff without plot

It had devastated John ... seeing Janine go in to share a bath with Sherlock. Why it still bothered him a year later? He didn't know ...

Sherlock had explained it all. It was a ruse ... but that didn't make the truth any easier.

Mary was gone ...

And Janine had shared a bath with Sherlock,

... and John had not.

Hello Finished Fics 🤍 | Hello Podfics 🎧 |

Posting master lists for reference, since I'm working on updates! ☕️💕 @johnlocky @chinike @rhasima @masterofhounds @missdeliadili @2smach @scrub456 @peanitbear @peageetibbs @glows-n-the-dark @john-smiths-jawline @atomiccollectorcreation-blog @raina-at @kettykika78 @totallysilvergirl @discordantwords @itsnewt1234 @original-welovethebeekeeper @221b-alovestory @mxster-jocale @hasenkind687 @myriath @meetinginsamarra @musingsofmyown @iwlyanmw @jobooksncoffee @kabubsmagga @forfucksakejohn @writing5ever @gregorovitchworld @safedistancefrombeingsmart @im-erin @amyreadsandstresses @i-call-me-clarence @br00klynn2428 @keirgreeneyes @cyn2k @jrow @bertytravelsfar @sarahthecoat @7-percent

#sherlock #johnlock #bbc sherlock #johnlock fan fic #helloliriels

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msfilmdiary · 4 years ago

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Starring: Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman, Nina Dobrev, Paul Rudd, Johnny Simmons, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Nicholas Braun, and Melanie Lynskey

Screenplay by Stephen Chbosky

Directed by Stephen Chbosky

Cinematography by Andrew Dunn

I do not own any of the photos posted.

SPOILERS AHEAD

First of all, I want to say that I love this book. I read it once about every couple of months, and I find something new in it every time I read it.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age film written and directed by Stephen Chbosky. The film is told, like the book, in a series of letters written by Charlie to an unknown recipient. These letters include his triumphs and tribulations of his freshman year of high school. The films depict his mental struggles and his journey with his friends, Sam and Patrick.

After meeting the well-rounded seniors Sam and Patrick at a football game, they invite him to a party. At said party, Charlie accidentally consumes a weed brownie and tells Sam that his best friend committed suicide. He also walks in on Patrick and the school’s quarterback Brad, kissing, to which Patrick tells Charlie that Brad is closed. Both Sam and Patrick then drive Charlie home and experience the infamous tunnel scene, which is possibly one of the most memorable scenes in the film.

As the film progresses, Charlie slowly develops feelings for Sam and tells her on multiple occasions. Sam, however, has a boyfriend in college named Craig. Charlie later confesses to Sam that he’d never been kissed, and Sam tells him that his first kiss should be with someone who loves him, and ultimately ends up kissing him.

Charlie later begins a relationship with Sam’s friend Mary Elizabeth after the Rocky Horror Picture Show, while still having obvious feelings for Sam. At a party, Charlie is dared to kiss the prettiest girl in the room by Patrick, to which he ends up kissing Sam instead of Mary Elizabeth, upsetting them both. Patrick advises Charlie to distance himself from everyone for a little while, and he ends up in isolation and deep depression.

When Charlie returns to school, he notices that Brad shows up with bruises on his face after being caught having sex with Patrick by his father. He claims he was jumped, and begins to distance himself from Patrick, calling him a f*ggot. Patrick punches him, and Brad’s friends begin beating on him until Charlie intervenes and blacks out. After recovering, he finds that Brad’s friends are incapacitated, while his hands are bruised from fighting. Sam and Patrick express gratitude towards Charlie, seemingly forgiving him for past events. However, after blacking out, Charlie’s mental state begins to worsen and worsen.

TW: sexual assault

Patrick then kisses Charlie and immediately apologizes. Sam is accepted into Pennsylvania State University, and breaks up with her Craig after learning of his faithfulness. The night before she leaves for college, her and Charlie confide in each other, and he experiences flashbacks of his Aunt Helen, his aunt who died in a car crash when he was seven. After Sam leaves for college the next morning, Charlie’s mental state deteriorates, and his flashbacks become more and more apparent. He blames himself for his aunt’s death, and is later committed to a mental hospital where it is revealed that she sexually abused him.

The film ends with Sam, Patrick and Charlie revisiting the tunnel where Sam has revealed she has found the perfect tunnel song–“Heroes” by David Bowie. Sam kisses Charlie, and he stands up on the back of the truck, acknowledging that he feels alive with the statement “We are infinite.”

As someone who's both read The Perks of Being a Wallflower and seen the film, it’s difficult to separate the materials into their own entities, despite being the same story. The casting is near perfection, as I couldn’t imagine anyone besides Emma Watson playing Sam and Ezra Miller playing Patrick. They both deliver a stellar performance, as did Paul Rudd with Mr. Anderson, and Mae Whitman as Mary Elizabeth.

The film allows Emma Watson to shed her ten year Harry Potter skin, in a role that I don’t think could’ve been more perfect for her. It allows Ezra Miller some dimension when compared to his character in We Need To Talk About Kevin.

I want to talk about Sam and the “manic pixie dream girl” stereotype that is often placed on her, mostly because I don’t think she fits any of the characteristics. I recently wrote an essay about strong female characters being overtaken by this craize of the “manic pixie dream girl,” to which I discussed her character, and how I think that she is not solely there for Charlie’s gain and fixation (as many characters with manic pixie dream girl syndrome are.) I think her character separation from Charlie is more prevalent in the book, as I believe that her character on paper is more determined to be seen as separate from the people around her. She isn’t there solely to fix Charlie, or anyone around her for that matter. She has dreams and ambitions, and her own goals away from Charlie. She grows as a character, but not at Charlie’s, or any other male character's expense. She is her own person, or character, rather it be.

Let’s talk about the soundtrack, which I think truly brought The Perks of Being a Wallflower to life from paper to screen. From my perspective, many of those who watch the film now associate certain songs with certain scenes, like “Come on Eileen” with Sam and Patrick dancing, or “Heroes” with the tunnel scene. For one, I think that replacing Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” for David Bowie’s “Heroes'' made the tunnel scene absolutely magical, more than the book could ever do. I think the tunnel scene made the movie stand out, while the tunnel scene in the book was what I remember being as words on paper. I couldn’t see the scene in my head, whereas the film depicted a version that I believe to be more memorable than the film as a whole itself. Other notable mentions I would like to include would be the song “Could it Be Another Change?” and “Teen Age Riot,” which I think were perfect selections for the feel of the film.

I would categorize this film as a teenage classic (I know, big words) mostly because I think so many teenagers relate to it. It’s funny and charming, but also at times it allows the viewer to think and reflect about what’s happening around them. The film allows a break from reality, but not a complete severe that doesn’t allow one to stay grounded. I also, for another pointer, think the soundtrack is phenomenal.

That being said, do I think that the film is better than the book? No. A hundred times no. Do I detest the film? No. I don’t. I think it’s a extraordinary adaptation, and I think that it’s so extraordinary because it’s written and directed by Chbosky himself. He created real characters, both on paper and on screen, that allowed many of the viewers to see themselves in the film. He allowed the viewers to (forgive me) feel infinite. Which, in turn, is all anyone truly wants, to feel completely and utterly infinite.

Overall rating: 8/10

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drabsyo · 4 years ago

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Phoenix here! Thanks a lot, and I hope you don’t mind but I took the liberty of sending you something already XD Ah I was also curious; what songs do you associate with Fleurmione or feel that it sounds like and fits such a pair?

A Fleurmione Playlist you say...

ALRIGHT. Here we go again... 👀👀 And I suggest you buckle up, because... well, you’ll see.

Bookstore Girl - Charlie Burg from Album: Two, Moonlight

(I mean, the name says it all. Seems like someone’s been stealing glances at the bookworm at the library...)

“Oh, bookstore girl, I wonder what your name is, You know you're famous in my group of friends. Oh, bookstore girl, I feel a sudden urge to, Purchase the book you shelved the other day.”

Literature Lovers - Jose Vanders listen at time stamp 29:39

(Ah, falling in love in the library? Pretending to be more interested in the books rather than the company? Too afraid to admit to that unspoken something? Sounds like an average wlw Tuesday at Hogwarts.)

“She's a fiery way with words, Or so you have heard. From your friends and, what will you do? With those hopeless two, Both pretending to be literature lovers instead.”

Metaphors - Keaton Henson

(Finally admitting to falling in love at the library, despite the goings on in the Triwizard tournament... Fleur’s just so in love, and they’re both so young, but Hogwarts makes it seem like they have all the time in the world to stay in love.)

“And I love that you talk about Dylan Harry, And all the books you read, I know you so well, didn't notice any spell. But you seem to be taking the lead, And not to mention, Despite pretension, You are infinitely interesting to me.”

Blue Notes - Jose Vanders

(That vacation to Fleur’s home during the summer? The little bubble of safety before Hermione disappears into the fray.)

“And we'll confess our interest in each other, Though we've known for a while, Then we can listen to records with the lights off, And you can draw letters on my hand, And we can talk about predestination,”

Two - Sleeping At Last from Album: Atlas Enneagram

(Because Hermione’s fifth year at Hogwarts is hell, and Umbridge is absolutely rotten. And she misses the French witch so terribly. But at such a distance, there’s only little Fleur can do to help our bookworm.)

“Sweetheart, you look a little tired. When did you last eat? Come in and make yourself right at home. Stay as long as you need Tell me, is something wrong? If something's wrong, you can count on me. You know I'll take my heart clean apart if it helps yours beat.”

To Build A Home - The Cinematic Orchestra, Patrick Watson from Album: Ma Fleur

(Shell cottage feels, anyone? Because I think this one broke me.)

“There is a house built out of stone, Wooden floors, walls and window sills. Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust, This is a place where I don't feel alone. This is a place where I feel at home, 'Cause, I built a home. For you For me Until it disappeared, From me From you.”

Novels - Rusty Clanton from Album: Calm & Normal

(Because Hermione can’t tell Fleur what their quest is. And she has to go. She doesn’t know when she’s coming back, if she’s coming back at all. And running away from everything just seems so easy.)

“Let's save up for something new, Someday I won't have to wait for you. What if I asked, What if I asked you to stay? What if it cost, You, your heart and your last name?”

Land of the Living - Roo Panes from Album: Tiger Striped Sky

(And so the battle is over, the war is won. But not all victories are forged in glory. There’s healing to be done, scars that needed tending. But not for the first time, Hermione thinks with Fleur by her side, things might just turn out okay after all.)

“I hear the voices of my childhood singing, It's the world beyond those doorways where we used to play. I know a land called the Land of the Living, It's the world beyond those curtains where we learned the play. Oh, we'll go back, we'll go back to the beginning, And we'll pickup on the trails of forgotten ways.”

You wanted a Fleurmione playlist?

There’s. Your.✨Fleurmione. Playlist!✨;)

Happy listening! 💙💖

#fleurmione playlist #fleur delacour #hermione granger #hermione x fleur #these songs are absolutely beautiful on their own #but they remind me of those two dorks so please i hope you enjoy this playlist <3 #hp wlw #anon #drabstuff #yes i've been exposed i listen to all these songs and im a sap #fleurmione

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batmanisagatewaydrug · 4 years ago

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reading update

well, team, out here in American I’m nervously waiting to find out if an out and out maniac is going to be re-elected, but endlessly refreshing my twitter feed isn’t going to speed up the process at all. so instead I’m going to talk at you about what I’ve been reading, since it’s been nearly a month since the last time I did this and there’s no time like the present.

what have I been reading?

Pet (Akwaeke Emezi) - like I said last month, I ultimately wasn’t super impressed by Emezi’s debut YA novel, which feels like it might more appropriately be aimed at middle readers. it’s a splendid little parable about complacency and restorative justice that I’d love to hand off to some cool woke kids, but I’ll likely be sticking with Emezi’s adult offerings in the future - like their novel The Death of Vivek Oji, which will be very high on my to-read list as soon as I get through the current crop of books.

Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman (Laura Kate Dale) - I’m a little ashamed to say that I think this is the first time that I’ve read a book featuring an autistic person’s writing about being autistic. Dale’s no-nonsense style is a sort of mundane revelation, in that it makes very clear what other writing has left out, things I presumed I knew and understood but had never seen validated in print.

Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger (Soraya Chemaly) - like I said in my goodreads review, this book will presumably make a lot of introductory gender & women’s studies classes very happy, since it covers a lot of Feminism 101 issues in one convenient place. that’s not a knock on Miss Chemaly, whose writing is clear and well-presented, but the book overall feels like it’s lacking a certain something. it was written in response to the 2016 election and published in 2018; one gets the sense that in their eagerness Chemaly and her publisher might have churned it out a little too quickly. I remember that I didvery much enjoyed the personal anecdotes Chemaly used to frame her chapters, and was always disappointed when the text started to segue away from them to throw out more facts about the wage gap or unequal divisions of childcare.

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex (Angela Chen) - an absolutely DELIGHTFUL entry into the eclectic category of “books about sexuality.” Chen is young, topical, infinitely relatable; she easily balances conversations about patriarchy with musings on Tumblr while reflecting on the worries that plagued her while she came to understand herself as asexual. I’d recommend Ace widely - to those who are asexual, questioning, or hoping to be better allies - and it’s got me very excited for an up and coming wave of queer writers exploring the depths of some of the community’s more recently recognized identities.

Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger (Rebecca Traister) - jesus christ you guys, can I be totally honest with you? I remember that while I was reading it I liked this one more than Chemaly’s book but that’s absolutely all I’ve got. I cannot remember, like, anything about this book. it’s been a week and a half since I finished reading it and I’ve got absolutely nothing. this is what 2020 has done to my brain.

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter (Alexis Hall) - GOD this book was a breath of fresh air. if you like fiction where weird shit happens and no one’s trying to explain it and you just have to accept that the world is weird, this is absolutely the book for you. it’s Sherlock Holmes by way of eldritch horror and deep science fantasy; Holmes is reimagined as a blasphemous consulting sorceress of wild sexual appetite while her Watson takes the form of a sweetly prudish gay trans man who has recently returned from time spent fighting in space wars. a simple blackmailing case devolves into fights with necromancers, dramatic battle with sky pirates, and a close encounter with some wildly horny vampires. read it immediately.

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower (Brittney Cooper) - Cooper is tackling a LOT in this book, and does a pretty admirable job parceling it out. being who I am, I was always most intrigued by her readings on gender and sexuality - the factors that lead to Black men like Cooper’s father becoming threats to their own families and communities, the pressure cooker that is “choosing” between racial and gender oppression for Black women, getting free of the sexual shame steeped in the Southern church. the chapter “Love In A Hopeless Place” made me immediately put in a library order for Dianne M Stewart’s “Black Women, Black Love: America’s War on African American Marriage.”

what am I reading now?

Gideon the Ninth (Tamsyn Muir) - at the pleading of a friend, who desperately needs me to read the sequel and weigh in on what the fuck happens at the end, I am finally reading the much-hyped lesbian space necromancer book. it’s an absolute whirlwind delight so far; I have no idea what’s going on and I’ve seldom been happier about it.

Wanderlust (Rebecca Solnit) - it’s been too long since I read Solnit, and this has been on my to-read list for literal years.

Brown Girl Dreaming (Jacqueline Woodson) - I am OVERJOYED that Woodson is the subject of next year’s community reading project at the library where I work. because she’s written So Very Much, her events will focus on a couple books in particular. one of them is Brown Girl Dreaming, and that seemed like a sign to bump it to the top of my reading list.

#bookblr #reading updates

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eirinstiva · 2 years ago

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And after four letters, the arrest of someone inocent, a kidnapp and lots of racism~ I'm sure Watson in an effort to conceal the identity of people in this case he mixed a lot of stuff from different American countries, rumours and tales to create this fictional place called San Pedro.

Infinite love to Miss Burnet who participated in this plot for revenge <3. Women taking justice for her own hands is my guilty pleasure and something that usually doesn't gain much attention in history.

Before I forget this: "Signora" in italian means "Mrs.", so Signora Victor Durando sounds really weird ._.

EDIT: Instead of changing women their surname after marriage, in Spanish-speaking countries women used to add their husbands. For example Mary Watson (née Morstan) could be "Mary Morstan de Watson". This currently is a bit outdated in some countries like Chile, where is used in obituaries and was used for first ladies until the first period of Michelle Bachelet.

#letters from watson #wisteria lodge #WIST #acd canon #letters in the underground

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hauntedbubblewriter · 5 years ago

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Just a second longer... Part 4

Summary: “What If we would date for 24 hours? No awkwardness just a perfect day without any worries”

Pairing: Jung Wooyoung x Reader

Words: 1,987

Genre: Fluff

Chapter: 4/4

Previous Chapter: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

A 24 hour relationship brought more than just a 24 hour heartbreak. The feeling of missing something stayed very strong with him from day to day.

He knew it from the point he closed his eyes that he didn't want her to leave, how frightened he was to open his eyes and finding no one in front of him. He should have told her to ignore the idea he had at the start. It was idiotic, he never expected to get so close to someone in just 24 hour, just the mere thought was ridiculous, he had the idea because he was bored of the stupid small talk, the awkward dates. He wanted to try something new something dumb, honestly he didn't even believe someone would even do something like that and The 20$ he got from San for his win on their bet about it didn't cheer him up either. San of course saw right through him as he gave him the 20$. It wasn't like he tried to hide it in the first place. Wooyoung sat down next to him on their usual spot in college with a light smile and the simple question "Where are my 20$?" In disbelief he pulled out his wallet "You found someone crazy enough? On a speed dating Event? Those people really must e desperate wow."

Just that simple comment broke that fake smile of Wooyoungs face. "she wasn't crazy" he mumbled, defeated he took the 20$ and slumped down on the bench. "oh I expected more triumph here? What happened?" San knew more assumpations wouldn't help this situation so rather than making it worse he would just let him talk. He hasn't seen Wooyoung this disappointed in a long time. "Just as planned, it worked out perfectly as planned" the statement itself would have sounded positive if his voice didn't sound like he had ust lost something very dear to him. "I had the best 24 hours I could have wished for, she was everything I didn't know I wanted and then the 24 hours ended...." he stopped himself when the memory repeated itself in front of his mental eye. "and she left?" San added his voice was careful, well trained with former events of an emotional Wooyoung. He was sensetive way more sensitive than most people expect him to be and in this state he snapped easily, saying words he didn't mean. So San stayed careful with his words , but there was no explosiv outburst, no train of tears nor shouts, just a weak "yeah". Wooyoungs head hung low mustering the floor beneath him. In his eyes was no hate, no saddnes nor anger just emptieness and San hated it. There was nothing worse than seeing his best friend so defeated. He couldn't bare it. Before he had formed a thought his arms were already around Wooyoung to give him some kind of reassurance. They stayed like this for a while till San had the idea to cheer him up with a movie night with his favorite movie to be exact.That should distract him at least. If San were capable of finding her he would do that but both of them knew he couldn't so at least he should try and make him feel better.

Wooyoung was happy to have a friend like San so when they collected the Popcorn and ordered Pizza while setting up the movie he felt bad that he couldn't put on a smile and act like everything is fine. He was never good at controlling his emotions. So the last thing he wanted was to destroy the mood, but the memories of her stayed vividly in his mind with a simple subtitle below. "You lost her" and that knowledge would haunt him till the end of his days.

A 24 hour relationship brought more than just a 24 hour heartbreak. The feeling of missing something stayed very strong with her from day to day. She had cried the day she had left him but that was about it. She wasn't containusely desperate and depressed, she just felt empty. On the next Monday she simply fell back into her routine, but even in the middle of all the stress the picture of him, simply standing there, his eyes anxiously closed. She liked to believe that what happened was what he wanted, what she wanted, but every time her head pushed the memory back into her mind, she couldn't help but feel dumb. The person she left standing there didn't look like someone who was happy about the departur, herself was desperate to stay, but she didn't and she couldn't stop looking back and regretting it so badly.

She couldn't change it now tho. No matter how badly she wanted to go back, time doesn't play by her rules. So Weeks over week went by and no signs of Wooyoung were found. Her Subconscious brought her back to the restaurant they first met, in the end he was no where to be seen somehow she was glad about that, scared to find him in the Speed Dating event again, that he already was happily talking to someone, prettier than herself, maybe funnier. Just a better version of a girlfriend that would bring him the happiness he deserves. It wasn't rare that those thoughts filled her mind. Reminding her that she had no knowledge about his feelings or what he was doing now. Hell she barley even knew anything about him. Did he study? Could he be at this campus? What are his hobbies? There was so much more to discover for her and she had messed up that opportunity. She had messed up the chance to wake up to a loving smile.

She didn't want to give up that easily, so when she had a bit of spare time she would go through social media. Looking for "Wooyoung" just to realize she didn't even know his last name. The search brought her no where. The results stayed the same occasionally adding a new profile or removing one. It was hopeless and even then she tried to check as regularly as possible.

Another thing that was a regular part of her life was the small cafe her friend worked at she always stayed there with a hot tea while working through her notes and trying to get her schedule fixed of the next week.Today was another one of those rather stressful day. It was the last finals week. Her auto pilot for learning had set in while she went over the most important notes. Despite her looks she was actually very good at her studies she might have not been the best of her course but surely on the top half of it. So when her mind didn't desperatel clutch onto the memories of the best day of her life it worked, its all she knew that kept her of thinking about him, to function through the day all she did was work on her studies.

So y/n was mindlessly reading over her behaviorism notes when a familiar voice returned to her "Do you mind if I sit here?" Her head was stuck in her auto pilot so taking in the info that someone would like to sit at her messy table full of notes what made no sense to her, so instead of whispering out a mindless "sure" she actually averted her eyes from the paper in front of her and towards the voice that triggered too familiar memories at once. There he was, simply standing there with a shy smile on his lips, the whole confident energy he had was coated in a veil of uncertainty. For the first few seconds she was sure that John B. Watson bored her to sleep and she was dreaming, Wooyoung standing there waiting for an answer. Before anything could stop her she was standing and wrapping her arms around him, finally feeling the soft sweater under her skin, feeling his breath on her neck and she almost asked if he was really here.

Wooyoung was so overwhelmed when he saw her, he almost run over to her, but then he stopped himself as a wave of hestiation stopped him. Not even close to being strong enough to stopping him from going to her completly, but with calm mature steps. As calm and mature it was to leave San and Yeosang on the counter with his americano order. Then everything happened so quickly his mouth was already asking for the spot next to her when their eyes locked onto each other. Her bored eyes turned into a glossy glimmer of happiness and her lips peeked up right away.

If you would ask how San had interpreted that moment he would have described it as "two deers caught in a lovelight"

When she hugged him all the weight of those weeks without her dissappeared as if he wasn't trying to find her for the last 26 day he couldn't help but holding her as close as possible.He wouldn't want to let her go ever again. He wanted to stay in that protective space and protect it at the same time. "You have no idea how much I missed you" her voice cracked a little as if she still cound't believe what was happening at the moment. "I missed you as well. You have no idea how much I actually missed you. I" he started rambling but she couldn't help but laugh at him, maybe out of disbelief, maybe it was her bodys way of trying to handle how overwhelmed she was feeling. "Yahh Don't laugh at me now" he complained playfully and that just made her laugh even more. Wooyoung himself couldn't stop that big smile on his face honestly he didn't want to, he wanted to feel the complete wave of joy that he actually managed to find her again. Maybe it was destiny or just luck. Whoever he had to thank for this he would write the biggest "Thank you" Letter in the whole universe.

"Maybe your interested in another 24h date but let's add an + afterwards so it's an infinite 24 hours" his suggestion was idiotic but so idiotic it became cute again, but instead of answering she just looked into his eyes with a bright smile and kissed him. The hesitation of the last few weeks was gone and everything filled this moment full of passion and love Wooyoung returned the kiss so natrually but he just couldn't stop smiling into the kiss with pure happiness

"is that answer enough" she asked after she pulled away to look at him again just to actually be sure she didn't mistook him for the wrong person.

Wooyoung just nooded before he returned to kissing her and no more words were needed.

DUCKING HAPPY END

HELL YEAH

here some small bonus stuff:

Sans first instinct was to yell at him that he tried to get away with paying again even tho he invited him and Yeosang here, but when he saw where Wooyoung was going he understood an instead of asked the waitress if they had popcorn, while pulling out his phone and recording that event that was about to happen.

Meanwhile Yeosan was utterly confused.

-----------------------

"Maybe your interested in another 24h date but let's add an + afterwards so it's an infinite 24 hours" his suggestion was idiotic but so idiotic it became cute again, but instead of answering she just looked into his eyes with a bright smile and kissed him. The hesitation of the last few weeks was gone and everything filled this moment full of passion and love Wooyoung returned the kiss so natrually but he couldn't just stop smiling into the kiss with pure happiness"

y/n: he is talking bullshit again what should I do Brain: Kiss him y/n: okay

-----------------------

Did I forget to upload the final chapter?

Defiently

Am I sorry?

Ohh of course I am

Did anyone care

Nope

#Wooyoung #Ateez #ateez wooyoung #ateez imagine #ateez writing #Jung Wooyoung #Kpop #original fiction #original writing #Reader #Fluff

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anotherwellkeptsecret · 6 years ago

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I’m copying and pasting this because I couldn’t reblog the original post. If you want to share this, please reblog the original here.

Here are some H/W ACD fics that I think you might enjoy, if you haven’t already read them:

Masked Ball by Waid (rated Teen, 31K) Six months after Holmes’ return from the dead, the delicate equilibrium in Baker Street is disturbed when a stranger walks out of the London fog with a case – for Watson. Holmes is wary, Watson is fascinated. But who is the man calling himself Álvaro de León? And what does he really want?

The Missing Pages series by PlaidAdder (most are rated Teen, one is rated Mature, 83K). This is a group of interlinked short stories (most between 2000 and 7000 words) which tell the story of how Holmes and Watson really came to be separated at the Reichenbach Falls, and how they found each other again. Each story is in the form of a document–a letter, a journal, a surveillance report, an affidavit, etc.–which is linked to one or more ACD canon tales, and which tells us something about that story that was changed or suppressed in Watson’s published account of it. Holmes/Watson, with glimpses of other relationships.

Birds to a Lighthouse by Katie Forsythe (rated Explicit, 54K) Every story has a Reichenbach, and this is theirs: what did James Moriarty do to cause Holmes to abandon his family for three years?

A Hymn to the Endlessly Falling by Katie Forsythe (rated Mature, 18K). In 1927, a funeral, a wedding, and Sherlock Holmes teach John Watson how to let go.

The Mirror of Myself by tweedisgood (rated Explicit, 10K). Who is the young client with the eerily familiar face? Why does the person he represents not want to come to Baker Street? Can Holmes solve a twenty-year-old mystery? How is Dr John “3 Continents” Watson coping with a life of celibacy these days?

The Apothecaries’ Garden by saki101 (rated Teen, 10K). Watson hopes to distract Holmes during a lull between cases.

The Seventeenth Page Affliction by EmmyAngua (rated Explicit, 10K). His face was so severe, so preoccupied that I knew at once that this case would be either a most intriguing story for my readers or one I never dared to retell.

Private Friends by orchid314 (rated Teen, 7K). John Watson tries to make sense of words and desire. Sometimes, he finds, that’s not such a simple task.

Intimations and The Taste of Love by nlr alicia (not rated, I would say Teen). The first is an epistolary chronicle from Lestrade’s point of view as he gradually grows to understand all that Holmes and Watson are to each other. The second is a series of epicurean vignettes that follow Holmes and Watson’s delight in more than one type of delicacy.

Sub Rosa by prof_pangaea (rated G, a story in images). “One of the most attractive things about the flowers is their beautiful reserve. The truly beautiful and noble puts its lover, as it were, at an infinite distance, while it attends him more strongly than ever.” – Henry David Thoreau. After Reichenbach Falls, Mycroft Holmes finds himself engaged in a singular telegram correspondence.

I believe you already read all of A_Candle_For_Sherlock’s stories, which I wholeheartedly recommend, and I also second the recommendation of Garonne’s works (I’m especially fond of The Incident with the Bicycle). Other excellent ACD writers who have a large catalogue to explore include sanspatronymic, spacemutineer, flawedamythyst, methylviolet10b, and mistyzeo.

And I’ll throw in a self-rec here at the end, too: you might like my WWI epistolary fic, Rewriting History (rated Teen, 10K). A correspondence between Holmes and Watson in the immediate aftermath of the Great War in which they discuss questions of history both public and personal.

Also, speaking of WWI, I haven’t had a chance to read this one yet, but I am sure that the writing and history will be marvelous, given that it’s written by OldShrewsburyian: The Craven Hive (rated Teen, 35K). In the last days of the First World War, Dr. Watson returns from the service for which he departed in “His Last Bow,” and looks for a new kind of work. He joins Dr. Arthur Hurst in his pioneering treatment of shell-shocked soldiers. But their work on the forefront of medical research, locked in battle against the destruction of the war, is disrupted by violent death. In addition to the obvious danger near at hand, there is the risk that this will discredit Hurst’s unusual methods. Dr. Watson does the only thing he can do: he calls in Holmes. The case will require their joint expertise, and all the wisdom of their shared experience.

#fic rec #fic recs #acd

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brilliantorinsane · 7 years ago

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Sherlock Holmes, 1899: Detective 2.0 (Part 1)

Note: As always, please let me know if you want to be tagged or untagged :)

… Look, I said I wasn’t going to write about this one. And I know that it hardly counts as an. ‘obscure’ adaptation, although to be fair it doesn’t appear often in tumblr discussions. But Sherlock Holmes by William Gillette is the first ever licensed Holmes adaptation, so of course I had to read it, and then I had thoughts and—well, here we are.

This is the fourth installment of my series on obscure Sherlock Holmes adaptations. For a master-list of previous write-ups, see this post.

Production and Reception

William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes exists in two primary iterations. The first is a play released in 1899 (you can read the script here), and the second is a 1916 silent-film starring several of the stage actors, including Gillette as Holmes. This post will discuss the play only; I will review the film in part 2.

The original script for Sherlock Holmes was written by Doyle, but his script was rejected and heavily reworked by William Gillette. Gillette’s script showcases an original plot, although it features Moriarty and Alice Falukner, a loose Irene Adler analogue. Disappointingly, the parallel between Alice and Irene is purely circumstantial: Alice has much of Irene’s courage but none of her active cleverness, and is reduced to a paper-thin damsel-in-distress. This is even more unfortunate given that—contrary to Doyle’s wishes—Gillette makes her Holmes’s love interest, thus initiating the hellish proliferation of Adler/Holmes storylines. So … thanks for that one, Gillette.

The play was wildly successful, and Alan Barns asserts that it has been “crucial to the development of Sherlock Holmes on film … [i]ts impact cannot be overestimated.” Even Doyle appears to have softened towards the play after seeing it performed, and is quoted by Vincent Starrett as saying: “I was charmed both with the play, the acting, and the pecuniary result." Whether Doyle was more pleased by the art or the currency is perhaps unclear.

For myself, insofar as it is the first Holmes adaptation I find this play fascinating; but insofar as it is just one of many retellings, my feelings are mixed. I confess I kept comparing it to Doyle’s stage adaptation of The Speckled Band (you can read the script here and my analysis here), and Gillette’s play seldom looked better for it. I found Doyle’s plot more compelling, his villain more threatening, and his characters more vibrant. All the same I was not bored reading Gillette’s play, got a few laughs, appreciated Gillette’s Watson and was intrigued—if not wholly pleased—by his Holmes.

But I hope you don’t think me terribly petty if I confess that I struggle to entirely forgive Gillette for launching the legacy of Holmes adaptations with a ‘straight’ Holmes.

William Gillette as Sherlock Holmes

There are things I quite like about Gillette’s Holmes. He is deeply composed, but fully capable of action and self-defense. He has plenty of snark, is openly affectionate with his Watson, yet is deeply troubled—he cannot be accused of being without feeling.

Nevertheless, I suspect that he played a large role in establishing the stereotype of the hard-boiled detective, the DFP, the detached and cold-hearted reasoning machine. Gillette consistently leans into Holmes darker and more reserved qualities: his Holmes is almost always composed and never excited—although he is often quietly amused—and there is little sense of his love for an audience. The extremity of his cocaine habit is emphasized, to the point that he is clearly suicidal—an aspect that is belabored rather frequently.

But the thing that really irks me is the case. The case is loosely based on A Scandal in Bohemia, in which Holmes is working for a prince in an attempt to gain incriminating letters/pictures from a woman. Scandal is an anomaly in the canon insofar as Holmes is not strictly on the side of justice—either in the audience’s eyes or his own—and yet goes through with it (x). This is distinctly unusual for a man who ordinarily allows nothing, including the law, to sway him from what he sees as true justice. And yet it is this dark deviation that Gillette chooses as the framework for presenting Holmes to a new and wider audience.

And look—there’s nothing wrong with exploring Holmes’s darker side. But I still struggle with the characterization on two levels:

I’m not saying the persistence of this darker Holmes in public imagination was Gillette’s fault; he’s hardly responsible for all adaptations that followed his. I just … I just would have liked the legacy of Holmes adaptations not to begin with a straight, hard(er)-hearted Holmes.

Frankly, I find the ‘borderline-cruel straight white guy is redeemed because a pretty young girl saw his secret golden heart’ plot infinitely more tired and less compelling than the complex, transgressive, damaged, but deeply kind character Doyle created.

Edward Fielding as John Watson

If Gillette perpetuated some of my least favorite Holmes stereotypes, on the whole the same cannot be said of his portrayal of Watson. Yes, Watson is sidelined to make room for Alice, and like the other characters in the script I found him a bit … flat. But he is never portrayed as a fool, his role was somewhat larger than I expected, his connection to Holmes is palpable, and if I had a checklist of characteristics a good Watson ought to posses, he would do a surprisingly good job checking them off.

The first thing we know of Watson is Holmes’s affection for him. The second is Watson’s protectiveness of Holmes as he expresses his distress over Holmes’s cocaine habit and the danger posed by Moriarty. We also get a sense of Watson’s attraction to danger when he observes, “this is becoming interesting,” as matters become tense.

My favorite moment, however, comes near the end when Watson is alone and two false patients come in, attempting to set a trap for Holmes. Watson not only catches on to their facades immediately, he also notices that the blind had been raised when he briefly stepped out of the room. So thanks to Gillette’s script, we get to see Watson be clever, observant, and a great doctor all at once—a rare occurrence in early adaptations.

As much as I enjoy this scene, however, it also gets at my one major disappointment with Gillette’s Watson: although he is entirely capable, he is never given anything to do. In this instance, when Watson realizes his ‘patients’ are setting a trap he begins to act; but then Holmes appears and takes charge. Later Watson blocks the window and closes the blinds to avoid a signal being sent out to Moriarty—but only at Holmes’s instructions. And this, sadly, is the consistent pattern of the play.

In the end, I was left with a confusing dual sense that on the one hand Gillette seems to have a fairly good grasp of Watson and his capabilities, but on the other doesn’t really seem to know what to do with him. He seems to know that Watson is important, but not how he is important.

So … What About Johnlock?

After everything I’ve said, that’s clearly a hard ‘no,’ right? Well, sort of—they certainly aren’t riding off into the sunset together, but I still find myself with rather too much to say on this topic. To my mind, there are four categories worth touching on: a). The relative strength of the Holmes/Alice relationship vs the Holmes/Watson relationship, b). subtext carried over from Doyle’s stories, c). queer elements of the Holmes/Alice relationship, and d). assorted moments.

a). Holmes/Alice vs Holmes/Watson

Here’s the thing: my complaints about the Holmes/Alice romance aren’t just because Holmes is gay and in love with Watson. They are also because Gillette couldn’t have written more of a dime-a-dozen (+vaguely sexist) hetero romance if he tried. Here is a point-by-point summary of their ‘relationship’:

Holmes is on the point of further stripping agency away from a helpless girl who has been physically and psychologically abused for months.

Alice cries.

Holmes doesn’t do the cruel thing (he’s still planning to do it, but Alice doesn’t know).

They are now in love.

I’m not exaggerating here: in terms of length the above scene is hardly a blip in the play, and yet next time they see each other Alice is saying that if Holmes dies she wants to die too. Yep.

On the other hand, the relationship between Sherlock and Watson is established and their care for one another is palpable. Watson first appears immediately after Holmes refuses to see Mrs. Hudson, clearly wishing to be alone. But then his boy Billy comes up, and this exchange follows:

BILLY: It's Doctor Watson, sir. You told me as I could always show 'im up. HOLMES: Well! I should think so. (Rises and meets WATSON.) BILLY: Yes, sir, thank you, sir. Dr. Watson, sir!

(Enter DR. WATSON. BILLY, grinning with pleasure as he passes in, goes out at once.)

HOLMES (extending left hand to WATSON): Ah, Watson, dear fellow. WATSON (going to HOLMES and taking his hand): How are you, Holmes? HOLMES: I'm delighted to see you, my dear fellow, perfectly delighted, upon my word.

The affection, intimacy, eagerness for one another’s company, and trust evident in these first lines remains throughout the script, and puts Holmes and Alice’s hurried and stilted relationship to shame.

Ultimately Holmes marries Alice and Watson is sidelined, but the relationship between him and Watson remains the more palpable and affecting.

b). Subtext carried over from Doyle’s stories

There are at least two threads that are strongly reminiscent of subtextual cornerstones in Doyle’s canon. Perhaps they are intentional, or perhaps Gillette borrowed them from the stories/Doyle’s original script without reading them the way we do, but they exist nonetheless.

The first is Holmes’s cocaine use. In the canon Holmes occasionally claims that he uses drugs to escape the crushing boredom of inactivity between cases, but The Sign of Four in particular makes it clear that he also uses them for emotional comfort—specifically to cope with loosing Watson to Mary. A similar pattern is evident in Gillette’s play: his Holmes claims that the threat of Moriarty “saves me any number of doses of those deadly drugs,” and yet Watson points out that Holmes has been using the drugs “in ever-increasing doses” despite the fact that he has been engaged in his most all-consuming case—fighting Moriarty—for fourteen months. But the cause of Holmes’s increasing drug use and attendant suicidal depression is far less clear in here than it is in the canon.

Hollow as his semi-frequent ‘because I’m bored’ explanations ring in light of Moriarty, I am inclined to think Holmes is most honest near the end when describing his distress over his treatment of Alice:

HOLMES (turning suddenly to WATSON): Watson—she trusted me! She—clung to me! … and I was playing a game! … a dangerous game – but I was playing it! It will be the same to-night! She'll be there —I'll be here! She'll listen—she'll believe—and she'll trust me—and I'll—be playing—a game. No more – I've had enough! It's my last case!

To me this clearly reads as an ongoing distress which was brought to a head by Holmes’s association with Alice rather than originating with it—“I’ve had enough! It’s my last case” indicates that the dilemma is linked to Holmes’s work as a whole, not the affair with Alice particularly. The surface (and likely intended) reading of this is that the work was a decent antidote for boredom for a time, but was ultimately too empty of real connection to be fulfilling in the long term, resulting in Holmes’s ultimate spiral into depression.

However, it also works surprisingly well for a queer reading: Holmes’s prior life was in some way a facade, “a dangerous game” perhaps involving the ongoing deception of someone he cared about. Interesting ...

A queer reading of his deterioration is further supported by the fact that Watson is married in this story. While we don’t now how long he has been married, one wonders whether his absence might coincide with the increase in Holmes’s drug habits—it seems possible that Gillette recognized the link between cocaine and Watson’s marriage in the cannon and intended committed fans to likewise make the connection in the play.

Another interesting moment comes when Holmes is lamenting ‘the good old days,’ and in theory he is complaining about the un-originality of criminals. But although he begins by speaking of what “I” used to do, later he slips into “we.” Is he really missing the old days of criminal creativity, or is he missing the time when he had a constant companion to share them with?

In short, although Gillette is likely appropriating the cocaine and never-quite-explained melancholy of the canon merely to portray Holmes having a mid-life crisis, it works surprisingly well—and in my opinion more compellingly—to read it as the fallout from the loss of his companion for whom he had socially inadmissible feelings which kept him playing a duplicitous game. (Unfortunately the side-effect of this reading might be that the solution is for Holmes to step out of the ‘dangerous game,’ leaving his old life in Baker Street in literal ashes, and into the clear light of a heterosexual relationship, which is, uh … Wrong).

One other brief matter of note: to my great amusement this play also joins canon in playing the game of the vanishing wife. Watson has scarcely entered the story before Holmes comments on Mary’s (timely as ever) absence on “a little visit,” and near the end we discover that Holmes and Watson have planned a trip to the continent (!). How long is the trip? Is Mary coming? Does she have other plans? How does she feel about her husband gallivanting off to another country with a man pursued by a master criminal??? Meh. Who knows.

Miss Plot Device does, however, appear briefly and silently offstage when Watson wants Holmes to peek in at her for a quick lesson on domesticity.

c). Queer elements of the Holmes/Alice relationship

We’ve established that their relationship is as dime-a-dozen and cringey as literary relationships come. However, in the final scenes Holmes has admitted his affection for her to Watson but believes he must set them aside for the following reasons:

HOLMES: That girl!—young—exquisite—just beginning her sweet life—I—seared, drugged, poisoned, almost at an end! No! no! I must cure her! I must stop it, now—while there's time!

And again, when Alice has confessed her love for him:

HOLMES: no such person as I should ever dream of being a part of your sweet life! It would be a crime for me to think of such a thing! There is every reason why I should say good-bye and farewell! There is every reason—

So essentially, he sees his love for almost as some sort of disease, even a crime, something that would endanger the one he loves, that he ought to resist for their sake; only he is quite wrong and that love is in fact the way to happiness for them both … Hmm. Well then.

d). Assorted

There were a few moments in the script which do not fit within a wider thematic arc, but which I couldn’t go without mentioning.

1. Upon Watson’s first appearance, Holmes greets him and then says:

HOLMES: I'm delighted to see you, my dear fellow, perfectly delighted, upon my word—but—I'm sorry to observe that your wife has left you in this way.

Okay, so Mary has only left for a visit and is back the next day, but is it just me or did Holmes make it sound like she’d left Watson for good?? Because if that was intentional, that a first-class Petty Gay antic.

2. The cocaine scene near the beginning ends with these line:

WATSON (going near HOLMES—putting hand on HOLMES' shoulder) Ah Holmes—I am trying to save you. HOLMES (earnest at once—places right hand on WATSON'S arm): You can't do it, old fellow—so don't waste your time.

Partly I’m just struck by the tenderness of the moment, which is heightened by the stage directions. But I also wonder—why couldn’t Watson save Holmes when Alice presumably can? Apparently Holmes needs romantic affection to move forward. If he believed that Watson was capable of offering him that, would Gillette’s Holmes accept it?

3. In a confrontation with the criminals, one of them reveals that they struck Watson at an earlier stage of the conflict. Holmes’s response?

HOLMES (to ALICE without turning—intense, rapid): Ah!

(CRAIGIN stops dead.)

HOLMES: Don't forget that face. (Pointing to CRAIGIN.) In three days I shall ask you to identify it in the prisoner's dock.

Its not necessarily romantic, but I can’t pass over protective!Holmes, especially given its slight Garridebs vibe. I also can’t resist mentioning that this bit all but interrupts the first clearly romantic moment between Holmes and Alice.

4. Near the end, when Moriarty is captured and spewing threats of revenge, he declares that Holmes will encounter his retribution during his planned trip to the continent with Watson. Ever the optimist, Watson suggests that they cancel the trip, but Holmes replies:

It would be quite the same. What matters it here or there—if it must come.

There is nothing strange in the moment; what is curious is that, for all Holmes’s fears about the damage a relationship with Alice might do her, the very real threat of Moriarty is never mentioned. Realistically this is likely a bit of sloppy writing, and yet the resultant image of an omnipotent web (and yes, the spider’s web metaphor is used for Moriarty in the play) which will inescapably pursue Holmes and Watson wherever they flee and yet leaves the appropriately heterosexual Holmes at Alice alone is, um, Really Something.

5. Finally, as I wrap up I cannot resist calling your attention to a number of lines and stage directions which are (almost definitely) meaningless in context, but out of context are too delightfully gay to ignore. Here they are, presented entirely without context for your viewing pleasure:

HOLMES: Mrs. Watson! Home! Love! Life! Ah, Watson!

HOLMES: I must have that. (Turns away towards WATSON.) I must have that.

HOLMES: (Saunters over to above WATSON'S desk.)

HOLMES: Why, this is terrible! (Turns back to WATSON. Stands looking in his face.)

… I’ll just leave those there.

After everything, the question of whether Gillette might have seen or suspected a romance between Holmes and Watson is unresolved. For myself, I vacillate regularly on how likely I think it is. This excellent post gets into why it is quite likely that Gillette may at the least have seen Holmes and Watson's relationship as a homoerotic (but strictly sexless and ultimately woman-mediated) friendship. Thus at minimum he could have intended to hint at the pain of moving away from such a deeply bonded friendship. From there it is not difficult to imagine the that he could have speculated the possibility that something in their relationship or desires moved beyond what was acceptable in Victorian society. Even if he did there remain two very distinct possibilities: a). That he was secretly supportive and despite protecting himself with a socially acceptable paring tried to hint at the pain of a forbidden love and even queer-coded the heterosexual resolution, or b). That he saw himself as ‘saving’ Holmes from ‘self-destructive game’ of his old love, redeeming him through the all-healing power of heterosexuality (ugh).

On the other hand, there is also a highly eminent possibility that I’m just looking too hard, and nothing I thought I might see was intended to mean anything in that way.

Ultimately, at this stage my only conclusion is that the evidence is inconclusive. But I will say this: regardless of intention, the relationship between Holmes and Watson remains the strongest and most poignant in the play, and faithfulness to elements of the cannon results in moments that sure do make it look like something is up. If nothing else, that made me smile.

Conclusion: Should You Read It?

Well, it depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a particularly compelling/unique/vibrant take on Sherlock Holmes, or even just a story with a thrilling plot, intriguing concepts, and living characters, this isn’t a bad choice—but you could do better. (This is where I remind you that Doyle’s play, The Adventure of the Speckle Band, is genuinely excellent). But if you’re looking for an entertaining play which also happens to be the first Sherlock Holmes adaptation in existence and which had an enormous impact on every adaptation that came after—then yeah. Go read it. It’s right here! Have fun! And if you post about it, whoever you are, I would deeply appreciate a tag :)

@devoursjohnlock @thespiritualmultinerd @a-candle-for-sherlock @ellinorosterberg @cuttydarke @inevitably-johnlocked @alemizu @astronbookfilms @battledress @disregardedletters @materialof1being @sarahthecoat @spenglernot @authordrawingmusic @hewascharming @infodumpingground @rsfcommonplace @the-elephant-is-pink @johnhedgehogwatson @lokis-warrior-queen @sonnet59 @sherlocks-final-resolve-is-love @artemisastarte @tjlcisthenewsexy @nottoolateforthegame

#william gillette #sherlock holmes 1899 #sherlock film meta #sherlock holmes adaptations #johnlock #sherlock holmes #John watson #Arthur conan doyle

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firewritten · 7 years ago

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10 More Questions!

I was tagged by @summerkiska to do another 10 questions. And such awesome questions they are! Thank you for the tag, and I hope it helps with the getting to know each other. :)

My 10 Questions

1. What’s a line in your current WIP that you’re proud of (or just like a lot)?

Oh. I was going to post a whole passage but then I realized that “like a lot” meant liking that one line a lot, not a lot of lines that you’re proud of. ;)

Okay, well, let’s go with this line from a recent Emo Pistols chapter.

But there is no one around to answer your questions, and the musty old store with the piles of junk under dim lighting and the wizened shopkeeper with the creepy laugh has been replaced by a shiny new coffee house with skinny and damp baristas who set your tall mocha frappuccino on fire as they serve it to you, saying, “This is for your bad taste in glasses!”, and you walk home with a heavy heart, knowing that you have to use the flaming coffee to dispose of your loved ones, who leer at you as you enter the front yard, saliva dripping from their lolling tongues as the smell of your brain reaches their nostrils.

2. What’s a question that you wish people would ask you about your writing? (And what’s the answer??)

Hmmm. Once someone told me "I know you like Sims stories but you have the talent for original fiction", which my reaction was something like, "Oh, my Sims story about a narrator with no gender or name traveling around various universes with its friend the darkness, a conscious bit of the void who can wear anything as a skin, isn't original enough for you?"

So, maybe the question would be "Why do you write Sims stories?"

And my answer would be because they're extremely fun and addictive and I love improvising with the game and I love taking the screenshots and editing them and putting the pictures and the words all together to tell the story. I love seeing what I can come up with based on the game and all its absurdities. It makes me really really happy.

And also over the years people in the Sims community have sometimes come out of the woodwork to tell me what my work means to them, from helping them get through their mother dying from cancer to helping them deal with their own feelings of isolation and anxiety, and that their life is better because my Sims stories exist.

3. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

I guess actually writing? There’s not much else to the process really for me. I don’t usually plan or do outlines or anything. I just start typing, and I see what happens.

I’ve noticed that outlines and plans are big around here, and I think that’s cool because I like it when people’s brains work differently from mine and I get to learn about things that I haven’t experienced and read things that my brain would not have come up with. But the most outlining I’ve ever done is a few lines of “hey, this could happen maybe” before starting a new chapter, and I haven’t done that since...2011?

I just kind of....feel the story out? I reread what I’ve already written constantly, and I feel what the story wants. I don’t know how to say it, really. A lot of writing is subconscious for me. I start typing, and I get in the zone, and it’s like everything is green and golden and beautiful and the story is flowing through my fingers and I’m one with the universe and on the good days it can be like seeing the face of God.

4. What song best fits the theme of your WIP main character? (And why?)

Seth has hundreds of songs across dozens of playlists, but two stick out. Old school Seth’s main song was Possum Kingdom, by the Toadies. Emo Pistols Seth is the healthiest and least murderous version of him I’ve written, so Arsonist’s Lullabye by Hozier is more his speed.

Possum Kingdom fits perfectly with his role in his first story, In the Valley of the Sun, where he was the villain and he was intent on killing the main character and then bringing her back to life with ambrosia and keeping her with him forever. :)

In Emo Pistols he’s the main character, and he’s writing letters to two penpals. He is actually trying to work on his issues and figure things out. He’s had a lot of trauma around fire in his life. You can read about him as a teenager here - Eggshells. His father was blamed for a fire at the factory where he worked. 10 people died in it. His father survived, but he was severely injured and his mental health never recovered. The kids he went to school with did not let him forget that.

In Emo Pistols he’s an adult and married. He became an alchemist, and he was working on experiments in his lab when a fire broke out. He almost died of smoke inhalation, and the trauma reawakened the scars from his childhood. Same backstory as Valley. Just at this point in Valley, he went to the dark and became the villain. In Emo Pistols, he’s trying to, well, keep his demons on a leash. ;)

Okay, I am verbose and this is getting long, so I'll put a cut.

5. What habits or rituals do you have for writing sessions?

I have to take a shower and eat first, because I need clean hair and calories to write, and then I always have a playlist relevant to the story I’m working on going.

6. What’s one piece of advice you wish you were given when you first started your writing journey?

I don’t know what advice six year old me would have understood. But I guess...I grew up with people who loved my writing. My teachers and the other kids at school always praised my work, like to the extent of giving me a standing ovation in 8th grade when I read my essay on beauty out loud. So the first time I got hate online it was a totally new experience, and it knocked me sideways.

I don’t know that I would have wanted someone to tell me this though. I had to learn it the hard way, but that means that I’ve really learned it and that I’ve taken it to heart and that I’ve struggled to come to terms with it and that I can empathize with other people in that situation. But the advice I would give a young writer who came to me now upset about people hating their work is this:

Our view of reality is curved around our ego. Our experiences and prejudices and problems are the lens through which we see the world. Other people bring their own stuff to your work. You can listen to them and see if what they say has any merit, but remember that they may not be seeing your work at all. They may only be seeing themselves reflected back at them. What they say has no bearing on the value of your work, which is of infinite worth just like everything else in creation.

Also, after seeing a movie or watching a TV show that you like, go and look at what other people say about it. You’ll see that some people seem to have watched something entirely different than you did. The work is the same, but we all see different things when we look at it. It’s up to you whose view of your work you let in.

7. Who was your first book character crush? (Or if you can’t remember, who’s your favorite book character crush?)

Sherlock Holmes. My sixth grade literature textbook had a play version of The Dying Detective, and I immediately fell in love. We didn’t have the internet then so I didn’t write it and publish it online, thank goodness, but I had self-insert fanfic daydreams of going back in time and chilling with Holmes and Watson all the time.

8. What’s one of your writing pet peeves?

The arguments in the writing community. I don’t know, I guess it’s because I grew up in Appalachia and went to rural working class schools and didn’t get socialized into mainstream American middle class culture or something, but seriously, guys. All the genres can be special. All kinds of books can have worth. You don’t have to insult other styles and writers and books. You don’t have to show off whatever it is you think you’re showing off with “literary” stuff and you don’t have to show off your “common man” cred with yelling about how much you hate classics and literary fiction. Just chill. Let other people read and write what they want. It’s not that important.

9. Who’s your favorite character in fiction that you loved to hate?

This is hard. I don’t like hating. I like liking people and things. But I guess if there is one that gets mentioned around here fairly often in conversations with the spousal person, it’s book five Harry. And even that’s not hate. Dude had a reason to be annoying and emo and whiny, and really all it needed was an editor to slim it down some.

Kylo Ren is annoying, but that’s not hate either. He’s too pathetic for hate.

Going back to Harry Potter, Umbridge, maybe? She’s a good representation of everything I dislike in humans, and a much better villain than Voldemort.

10. What are you currently trying to work on when it comes to growing as a writer? (And how’s it going??)

Hmmm. This is a good question, because actually I don’t know.

I was reading something online and for some reason there was a line break in the word sunlight, so s was the end of one line and unlight was the beginning of the next. I looked at “unlight” for a while, and now I’m all about words that make the spellchecker yell at me. Like in Emo Pistols Seth talks a lot about the sun wanting to eat him, so there’s teethlight and sunbelly. Toomuch and notenough. Me and notme. Starteeth halos. A chapter of Surreal Darkness is titled The Unswallowing Place. I want to stretch the language and make it do tricks.

I think it’s going okay. I’ve been writing for a long time, and at this point a lot of it is muscle memory. Like I talk about how much I love taking hours to find the right word, but really it doesn’t take that long anymore. I guess now instead of finding the right word, it’s more like “How can I combine words in new ways and make them do new things? How can I take cardboard and caramel and doors and the sun and make them explain what it means to Seth to be human? What can I do with the edges of the Sims 4 worlds and making my characters walk in the flat places with painted-on mountains and trees, and what can I make that say about reality and skins and being and friendship?”

Hmmm. That probably sounds terribly pretentious if you don’t know me yet, lol. I like to think that it’s not, though. I guess you can read it and see how it looks through your experiences. :)

Okay, now I have to do the 10 questions thing. I'll tag @etherayy, @lazyfox411, @fuckenwhatever, and @somethingwriterly. If you don't wanna do it that's perfectly fine.

1. When did you first become interested in writing?

2. How did the idea for your current WiP come to you?

3. What other authors/life events/etc. influences your writing?

4. What are your hopes for your work?

5. What would you want the book cover for your current WiP to look like? (If it's not a book, then any kind of illustration pertaining to it.)

6. Have you noticed any repeating themes or imagery in your work? If so, what are they?

7. What are your writing strengths?

8. What have you learned about yourself through your work?

9. How would you define art?

10. What's your favorite word?

#tagged #writeblr meme #10 questions #tag game #writeblr

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deducemyheart · 7 years ago

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Saving Sherlock Holmes

“I will solve your murder, but it takes John Watson to save your life. Trust me on that – I should know. He’s saved mine so many times, and in so many ways.” –Sherlock Holmes

This has always sounded like a romantic, declaration of love to me. It is reminiscent of Rose from the Titanic, speaking of the man she fell in love with:

“ … he saved me in every way that a person can be saved” –Rose Dewitt

From episode one we saw John save Sherlock’s life from death, but what other ways had Sherlock been aludding to? Could it be he was speaking of something infinitely more tender, more hidden than what we see on the surface? Were his heart and soul also saved by John? Here are a few possible ways John could have saved Sherlock:

from death

from isolation/loneliness

from touch starvation

from lack of purpose

from lack of love

from bordom

from obscurity/not having an audience

from unhappiness/despair

from lack of encouragement

Was Sherlock alluding to romantic feelings, of a heart that was awoken (saved) through their intimate companionship? Was he unconsciously reading a love letter out loud to John at his wedding to another–making his love for John as hopeless as Rose’s ill fated romance? (I for one refuse to accept this along with how s4 ended up. The “real” John and Sherlock have been happily together for over 150 years, but I digress). What might have happened if Sherlock had read this to John before the wedding, when they weren’t in front of everyone and no eyes but their own were there to see? Perhaps we would have still heard wedding bells, but of a different, more joyous nature.

#johnlock #sherlock #tsot #bbc sherlock #tjlc

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cumulustrapparatus-blog · 7 years ago

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And in this moment, I swear we are infinite. --Charlie(Logan Lerman)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is a book written and a film directed by Stephen Chbosky. The story revolves on a significant main theme about learning how to understand the things that are happening to ourselves and to the people we love. The narration is smoothly transitioned through a series of letters written by “Charlie,” addressed to you, the audience, and tells his memories as a freshman, either cheerful or sad.

Writer-director Stephen Chbosky prefers the technique of showing rather than telling—you never see Charlie (Logan Lerman) delivering his dialogues literally infront of the cameras, you’ll also notice that any technological markers aren’t used. While the letters in the book were written sometime in 1991, the movie was set on a timeframe before cellphones and other technologies dominated the world and the teenage life.

The life of Charlie, being loved, turned into sweet friendship and then goes back again to lovers, serves as the main stand of the film. Though he had experienced some of the happiest and coolest things on his teenage life, Charlie’s true feelings about what is happening inside of him and about the things that had occurred to him, were still locked through himself. In the film, this kind of depression is compounded by the trauma of his Aunt Helen’s death, who was critically abused by her husband and dies on Christmas Eve in a car accident; after he recovered from this kind of situation, only he had clearer vision of the molestation that her aunt Helen had made to him.

However, the main cell of the social group wherein Charlie had made himself involved—Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), half-siblings who had experienced love at different angle and perspective—are as wonderful as a rainbow, both in terms of the two artist’s performances and how they made themselves useful in the narration. Completely the same to a real teenager, both of them had perfectly made their actions move swiftly from being so rude when it comes to loving to some kind of joke when life is so funny to a totally hurt human beings. For any kind of films, stories and scripts, Perks of Being a Wallflower is just my favorite.

#long watched #we #deserv #the #love

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wineanddinosaur · 5 years ago

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It’s Impossible to Define ‘Sessionable’ in Craft Beer

If you’re a beer drinker (and even if you’re not), chances are you’ve seen the word “session” on a can, bottle, or tap list, often preceding the beer world’s three favorite letters: IPA. Definitions of “session beer” abound on the internet, from stories of sustaining World War I shell factory workers, to low-proof beers that pair well with weed.

The most common use of “session” in beer contexts is as a qualifier. It means the beer in question contains low enough amounts of alcohol that several, or even many, can be consumed in one drinking “session.” The term “sessionable” is commonly used to suggest something is easily drinkable, light, refreshing, or any combination of the three.

But even those airy definitions leave a lot open to interpretation. As all beer drinkers are different, with individual sizes, appetites, tolerances, and preferences, how can we say what “session” or “sessionable” even means?

In a post on his blog Zythophile, British beer writer and historian Martyn Cornell suggests the concept of a session beer has only been around since the 1980s. According to his research, the first recorded uses were from 1991: “One in Britain, where someone in the magazine of the Institute of Practitioners in Work Study, Organisation, and Methods wrote: ‘A good tip is to pour it into a jug first, leaving the sediment in the bottle, thus enabling you to share the contents with your colleagues, which I would certainly commend, as this is definitely not a session beer,’” Cornell writes.

Another came from the U.S. “Steve Johnson, in ‘On Tap: The Guide to U.S. Brewpubs,’ wrote: ‘Session beer: Any beer of moderate to low alcoholic strength,’” Cornell adds

According to the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines, the suggested strength of a session beer is less than 4 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). According to U.S.-born, London-based podcaster, beer sommelier, and author Natalya Watson, this isn’t a rigorous, strict definition.

“In my understanding, there is no formal definition for a session-strength beer and, in reality, I’d say most American consumers consider beers below 5 percent ABV to be of session strength. While most British consumers are more likely to agree with the BJCP guideline of less than 4 percent,” Watson says.

Beer writer and judge Melissa Cole agrees. “I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a very parochial thing. When I learned to love beer in the north of England, nothing above 3.8 percent would have even entered into the idea of a session beer,” she says. “If I had to nail my colors to the mast on a definition, I’ll always go back to the sub-4-percent idea.”

John Harris, the founder of Ecliptic Brewing in Oregon, believes session beers sit “generally below 5 percent for normal beer.” When I asked what the word means to him, he replied, “in the beer world, it means high drinkability.”

Regardless of which side of the Atlantic you sit on, it appears that “session” still refers to a low strength. Unless, of course, you happen upon a Session Imperial IPA, Imperial Session IPA, or Session Barleywine, such as Space Ghost, a Golden Session Barleywine Ecliptic collaboration beer that, by Harris’s own admission, isn’t a Barleywine at all. At 8 percent ABV, it’s not what would commonly be considered sessionable, either.

But to be sessionable, does a beer simply have to be of a low strength? James Rylance, head of the U.K.’s Harbour Brewing’s experimental program, who was instrumental in creating the now-ubiquitous Neck Oil, Beavertown Brewery’s first Session IPA, doesn’t agree.

“The easy answer with sessionability is about ABV, but I think that’s not really understanding it enough,” he says. “Sessionability is about balance. You probably don’t really have many sessionable beers that are 8 percent, but you also you don’t have many balanced beers that are 8 percent. I think, in the U.K., we have the concept of sessionability must mean a whole day drinking pints, and it must be a certain thing. In other parts of the world, there’s less of that ‘single unit of measurement; must come in a pint.’

“I think ‘sessionable’ is a beer that can be drunk repeatedly, multiple times, in its correct volume. There’s a lot of Belgian beers that are super sessionable, like Saison Dupont at 6-point-something percent — that’s sessionable, but I’m just not drinking a pint of it. And that’s a beautifully balanced beer,” Rylance adds.

Does that mean that sessionable beer is more than just low-strength and refreshing? For example, is a lighter, weaker, mass-produced lager less sessionable than a Session IPA? It depends on what you’re looking for, Rylance says. “I think that’s true of people who are looking for flavor,” he says, but others probably think “the perfect definition of sessionable, statistically, is probably something like Carling. It’s probably the session beer.”

Indeed, the very concept of a session IPA only exists within the context of craft beer: If you were to walk into a bar pouring only Budweiser, Carlsberg, and Coors Lite and ask for a sessionable beer, you’d likely be met with blank stares.

“The words ‘Session IPA’ only exist because a lot of things aren’t sessionable. But when you live in a world where everything is Carling and Strongbow and Guinness, everything’s sessionable,” Rylance says. “Why the f*ck would you have a 7 percent beer?”

As craft beer continues its often-confusing growth, will we see a rise in session double IPAs? “That’s bullsh*t,” Rylance laughs. “Yeah, that is bullsh*t. But it’s an interesting thought, though, isn’t it?”

Even the very concept of a session is changing, albeit slowly. As modern beer cultures grow, attitudes toward drinking are evolving, and so, too, is the idea of a session developing.

“A ‘session’ is no longer about everyone ordering the same 4 to 5 percent lager rounds for everyone in the group,” says Chris Hannaway, founder and CEO of alcohol-free brewery Infinite Session. “There’s a world of choice now, and people can drink 0 to 14 percent-plus beers interchangeably, and go at whatever pace they fancy on that round, night, week, or whenever.”

The article It’s Impossible to Define ‘Sessionable’ in Craft Beer appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/craft-beer-session-definition/

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