#is there a specific ship name for THIS john and sherlock???

[octoberobserver]

The Comforting Detective - Sherlock & Co. Fic

(Read on ao3 here)

“No! No, plea—help! Please! Somebody hel—”

“...tson. Watson! JOHN!”

John shot up, his eyes bursting open, his whole world tilting on its axis.

A strong hand gripped his shoulder, stopping him from toppling off the…?

“Why’m’I on the couch?” he mumbled, his vision swimming as the chaotic sounds of gunfire and screaming still echoed in his ears.

“Because we fell asleep on it after getting back from the pub,” Sherlock replied, tone tired and still a little tipsy. “Your shoulder makes a surprisingly comfortable, sentient pillow, Watson.”

“Hm. Thanks,” he grumbled, running a hand through his hair as he felt Sherlock shift against him. “You wanna sit up, mate? This couch can’t be good for your back. I know mine is bloody killing me.”

“Can’t. Trapped.”

John frowned, turning around to gape down at him.

“What do you mean you’re—o-oh my God.”

A snort of laughter escaped him as his bleary eyes fell on Archie, who was sprawled right across Sherlock’s midriff, fast asleep and snoring loudly.

“Looks like you make a pretty good sentient pillow yourself, Sherlock,” he teased, groggily digging around in his pocket for his phone.

“Don’t you dare.”

“What?”

“Don’t you dare take a picture, Watson. I can see, even in my post-inebriated state, those cogs turning in that little brain of yours.”

“My brain isn’t little.”

“No, it’s perfectly average-sized for an adult male,” Sherlock waved his free hand, the other holding Archie in place. “But I can still see you scheming. Stop it.”

John half-heartedly dropped his phone back into his pocket, grumbling, “Fine. Spoilsport,” but firmly snapping a mental image of his flatmate and dog cuddling for him to chuckle at later.

The soft ‘tick tock’ of the clock on the mantelpiece, with the accompaniment of Archie’s not-so-soft snores, was all that sounded throughout the room for several beats. Until…

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The tears currently drying on John’s cheeks were enough for both of them to know what Sherlock was referring to.

He cleared his throat, trying (and probably failing) to subtly wipe at the corner of his right eye.

“Not really.”

“Okay,” he felt Sherlock shift again, the back of his forearm resting against John’s knee. “The offer to hold my hand still stands, though.”

He looked down at the narrow palm and long, bony fingers pressing against his jeans, and a familiar (if a little confusing) ache rose within him.

“Thank you,” he replied, his breath a touch uneven as he let his hand fall down on top of his.

Slowly and slightly awkwardly, Sherlock’s fingers closed around his and squeezed gently.

“Hm,” he murmured. “One more thing, Watson. Your equipment was still recording when we got back to the flat. So you may want to go in and edit out all of our…drunken ramblings and…everything that followed. Not sure the listeners would find that very enthralling.”

John thought the listeners would find that a lot more than very enthralling if the constant tweets, posts and emails speculating about the progression of their relationship were anything to go by. But he smartly kept that to himself.

“You’re a good friend, Sherlock,” he smiled softly, squeezing his hand back and feeling his once hammering heart beginning to slow.

He had said the ‘F’ word again. The good one. It wasn’t the first time he had referred to him as more than just his flatmate, but he could tell the detective was still surprised nonetheless.

“You too…John.”

With their hands clasped together (something John couldn’t find in him to be self-conscious about), another quiet enveloped them, even more comfortable than the last, until Archie let out a particularly loud snore that had them both chuckling. Sherlock’s entire body shook with it, despite his efforts not to rouse the dog.

“I wonder what dogs dream about,” John managed to ponder through his laughs, a fond warmth flowing through him. “Chasing squirrels or pissing against lamposts, probably. Not warzones or other traumatic things, I hope.”

Sherlock made a humming noise, his thumb brushing John’s pinky finger.

“Experts wager that they do have their own version of nightmares,” he mumbled, his face angled towards Archie, no doubt analysing him. “Fear of abandonment, a time when they fought with another dog, being caught in a thunderstorm, those sorts of things.”

John let that sink in, his index finger resting on Sherlock’s knuckle.

“And what do these experts say help rid our dogs of bad dreams?”

“Comfort from their loved one,” Sherlock answered easily, his tone laced with something John couldn’t decipher as he watched him begin to pet Archie’s head. “A good cuddle should have them back to dreaming about squirrels and lamposts in no time. Apparently. If the studies hold any water.”

“Huh,” John said almost to himself, remembering with vivid clarity the hugging machine and was troubled not for the first time at the thought that that was all he had had for comfort until John and Mariana came along. “So they need comfort, then. Hugs and cuddles and holding hands. Like people.”

“Yeah, like some people. However, they do lack opposable thumbs, Watson. So, ‘holding hands’ is—”

“Yeah, yeah, Mr. Smarty Pants, you know what I mean,” he cut across him, grinning and rolling his eyes simultaneously, something which he did with startling frequency since meeting Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective.

His heart rate was finally back to normal.

“You know what else works wonders for comfort?” he asked, feeling much more himself again as his eyes landed on the clock.

7:04 am.

“What’s that, Doctor?”

“Good food,” he squeezed his hand one last time before gently extracting himself and standing up, calling over his shoulder, “Archie! Breakfast!”

Predictably, the dog shot awake, jumping down from Sherlock’s stomach with force.

“Oof! Ar…chie!” he scolded, winded from the blow. “B-Bloody dog!”

Another laugh escaped John as he made his way into the kitchen, untangling his recording equipment as he went, noticing the flashing low-battery light on his microphone and finally switching it off.

It was just a quiet, hungover breakfast with his friend and his dog. The listeners could wait.

Some things were just for them.

[theshippirate22]

I have a theory

listen up bitches (gender neutral) (affectionate) i’ve been cooking this for an incredibly long time and i’m very very excited to share it but it is gonna be long so i’m putting it under a cut

my theory is that there has been a new set of archetypes created by popular m/m media either in canon or coding and i would love if it was more widely recognized by a distinct name so here we go:

I present to you: The Mirrorball x Running Up That Hill Boyfriends™️ Theory

i need to preface this by saying that i am absolutely not an english major or expert but i have done so much analysis that i’m 98% positive i’m on to something here

so usually mlm ships- at least in my experience- get boiled down into typical Grumpy x Sunshine, Golden Retriever x Black Cat, or like. Babygirl x Badass. and i hate that because those are like really watered down hetero romance stereotypes and i think queer people deserve to get our own archetypes instead of trying to force queer characters into prepaid boxes but that’s a story for another day so:

basically, all content with widely accepted mlm ships (even if they are more in coding than in canon) has this pattern with the ship that fits into Mirrorball x Running Up That Hill

(name pending- open to suggestions)

Boyfriend No.1 of course is the epitome of Mirrorball by Taylor Swift (i know, i know. bear with me here). He’s constantly trying to prove himself and his worth and usually he’s driven to hide or overcome 1-3 specific and intense insecurities/character flaws. He often has innate loyalty to a system or person who has repeatedly abused/neglected/abandoned him and thinks that this treatment is a result of his own character rather than a reflection of the abuser. In relation to the plot and audience, this is the “more dangerous” of the two because he’s so desperate to hold onto the status quo that he’ll often act in a way that makes things more difficult for himself, often by leaving Boyfriend No. 2, sacrificing himself, or doing “the wrong thing.” He also commonly has an older male figure that is breathing down his neck constantly, haunting his perceived inadequacies, and fueling his self-loathing. He’s constantly mischaracterized because he’s either boiled down to “the silly one” or a visage of his trauma and the people that relate to love these characters are usually extremely sad people. Usually this character is also the “mean girl” of the couple.

Examples of the Mirrorball boyfriend: Dean Winchester, Aziraphale, Stede Bonnet, Lucius Spriggs, Sherlock Holmes, Eddie Munson, Mike Wheeler, Prince Rupert, etc.

Boyfriend No. 2 then, is the Running Up That Hill Boyfriend, based of course, on the song by the same name by the perfect Kate Bush. He’s the one that’s seen The Horrors™️ and gained a layer of cynicism that Mirrorball doesn’t have. He was once loyal to something that used/hurt him but he rejected it and used his newfound freedom to restructure his entire personality and reach his much higher potential. Usually, he has passed so far from having a few insecurities to perceiving himself as utterly worthless and unlovable but he’s so convinced that it doesn’t even haunt him, he just goes with it and usually comes off looking overly-confident or cocky. This is The Bitch (affectionate)™️. There’s probably a scene of him covered in blood. This is The Girls’ favorite blorbo and ultimate whump. He tends to be really good with kids and he’s the kind of character that would and often has to CLAW a life out for himself by his fingernails.

Examples of the Running Up That Hill Boyfriend: Castiel, Crowley, Ed Teach, Black Pete, John Watson, Steve Harrington, Will Byers, Prince Amir, etc.

unfortunately i haven’t seen a lot of popular queer stuff so if you can think of other mlm or mlm shaped characters that fit into these archetypes please please please tell me

i’m specifically curious about:

-Hannigram (Hannibal)

-Buddy (911) (@criminally-obsessed if you would mind weighing in but obviously no pressure)

-Lokius (Loki) (@henderdads same thing)

-Any of the marauders but specifically WolfStar

-Stucky (MCU)

-RWRB (i’m so sorry i don’t remember the guys’ names)

-Nick and Charlie (Heartstopper)

-What We Do In the Shadows has one I think?

-literally anyone else please and thank you 🙏🙏 love you all

if you want like explicit examples of each piece for a character lmk for sure because i could talk about this all day long

[69-toojay]

I used to love BBC Sherlock so fucking much when I was like fourteen or something and it kinda got me into the Sherlock Holmes universe so when I watched the finale I was actually legitimately overjoyed because omigod fucking god they're living together no wives or girlfriends and raising a baby together and the whole finale was about Sherlock rescuing John. I thought everyone perceived it as canon Johnlock but then I found out how violently homophobic the actors and everyone involved in the production of the show were post finale. And how derisive the straight fans were, it was a specific brand of potent hostility I'd never encountered before up until then and have never seen since in such intensity. The thing is I still maintain bbc johnlock was not even queerbait, it was just textbook gaslighting at that point. They made a pair canonically queer then called us every name under the sun for seeing that it was queer. Anyway that was just one facet of it that made the show age badly to me.

I also hate shows with a white male protagonist who uses his " neurodivergent genius intellect" as an excuse to be an absolutely garbage person, because it attracts a specific kind of male demographic that try to emulate this condescend whilst completely missing the irony of the purposeful character flaw.

Despite everything I did love that show with my whole heart as a kid, and I missed it so much, I loved Andrew Scott's camp as fuck Moriarty, Lara Pulvers Irene made me go wELL fuCk If I wasn't Gay BeFoRe. But after everything that particular adaptation has perhaps permanently soured for me. I hoped one day I could go back to it without wincing at the scene where John hits Sherlock because he blames him for Mary's death because I read some sort of meta internalised homophobia into it. But I realised even though I'm grateful to bbc johnlock for making me fall in love with the ship it's just an adaptation. There's millions of better ones out there, bbc doesn't have be an end all be all and I've also only read one acd canon book. So not all is lost and maybe I will go back to Johnlock just not through that door.

[hornymagnets]

Calling All RPers

Hello everyone! My name is Crowley (21 f), and I fell out of RP for a while. Currently looking for any interested rpers to rp on discord that are 18+. My discord username is discreetyam5109#8611, so feel free to message me or interact with this post if you’re interested in any of the fandoms below! The ships I have listed are the ones I’d love to do, but I’m open to more, and I love a good au!

Assassin’s Creed        Malik x Altair, Alexios x Thaletas, Demosthenes x Lysander, Eivor x Hytham, Eivor x Basim, Hytham x Basim, Eivor x Vili, Eivor x Ivarr. Cyberpunk 2077        Johnny Silverhand x V, Viktor x V DC        Batman x Joker, Batman x Two-Face//Bruce x Harvey, Batman x Superman, Riddler x Scarecrow, Riddler x Penguin

Harry Potter       Harry x Draco, Sirius Black x Remus Lupin

Inkheart         Mo x Dustfinger

Kingsman         Harry x Merlin The Last of Us          Joel x Tess, Frank x Bill

Marvel        Loki x Tony Stark, Kaecilius x Karl Mordo, Matt Murdock x Frank Castle, Matt Murdock x Foggy, Warren Worthington x Scott Summers, Steve Rogers x Bucky, Zemo x Bucky, Charles x Erik, Azazel x Raven, Ronan x Peter Quill, Kilgrave x Jessica Jones, Marc Spector/Steven Grant x Frank Castle, Carlton Drake x Eddie Brock, Venom x Eddie Brock

Resident Evil         Heisenburg x Ethan Winters, Lucas Baker x Ethan Sherlock          Sebastian Moran x Moriarty, Victor Trevor x Sherlock Holmes, Lestrade x Mycroft, John Watson x Sherlock

Star Trek         Spock x Kirk, Kirk x Bones Star Wars          Hux x Kylo Ren, Finn x Poe, Anakin Skywalker x Obi-wan Kenobi The Walking Dead          Rick x Negan

Various Horror Genre (please message me for specific ships!)          AHS, American Psycho, Child’s Play, Creep, Dexter, Devil’s Carnival, Donnie Darko, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Hannibal, Hereditary, House of Wax, House of 1000 Corpses, Interview with a Vampire

[detective-writes]

Introduction and (future) Masterpost!

Hello! My name is Rayx and I decided to revamp a dead sideblog to be something I wanted to try! Here you will find writing but it'll be from requests (either sent in the inbox or DMs)! I will have anon on in but it will be turned off if y'all don't behave.

What I will write, what fandoms I write for, and what I won't write for is under the cut!

Brief DNI: TERFs, H//rry P//tter fans, bigots, prosh//ppers,

Fandoms I'll write for:

Star Wars (The Clone Wars TV show, The OG trilogy, and the recent movies mostly. I have yet to watch the prequels and haven't finished other media.)

Sherlock (Doyle's, Elementary and BBC's mostly.)

Hitman 2016

Hannibal

Fablehaven

Lockwood & CO

Heavy Rain

Red Dead Redemption

Undertale (and any AUs that aren't NSFW)

Supernatural (I haven't watched the finale so please don't spoil anything)

Ace Attorney

Detroit Become Human

Venom (I haven't watched the second movie yet)

Legend of Zelda (I haven't played/watched Tears of the Kingdom)

My Hero Academia (I didn't watch all of it but I watched enough to get an understanding of characters)

Markiplier and Jacksepticeye Egos (is that still the term?)

AFK Arena

More to be added

Fandoms I might write for:

Danganronpa (I've only watched gameplay of THH though)

Attack on Titan

Death Note

Gravity Falls (I'm on the last season but haven't finished)

Rick and Morty

Scooby Doo

Love, Nikki

Slashers (it's under a 'maybe' because I'm not too confident in writing the slashers well but willing to try!)

Cookie Run

What I can write:

Character x Character

Character x Reader

Character Headcanons

Ship Headcanons

X Reader Headcanons

Hurt/Comfort

Fluff

Angst

AUs

Specific Tropes (enemies to lovers, "there's only one bed", etc)

What I won't write:

NSFW (I have a sideblog [ @detective4sideblog ] where I share my NSFW writing and do take requests. This is going to be a SFW blog.)

Inc//stous Pairings (*looks at SWs Clones in specific)

Adult Character x Underage Character

V//re

Over-the-top violence

Anything relating to self harm

Abusive Relationships (even if it's on par for the pairing, I do not feel comfortable writing that)

Ships I Will Write:

Note: Feel free to ask about any I did not list!

Star Wars:

Codywan (Obi Wan/Cody)

Rexwalker (Anakin/Rex)

Padtine (Satine/Padmé)

Obitine (Satine/Obi Wan)

Anakin/Rex/Padmé

Obi Wan/Satine/Cody

Ploit (Plo Koon/Kit Fisto)

Skysolo (Han Solo/Luke Skywalker)

Finpoe (Poe/Finn)

Poe/Rey/Finn

Most other ships you can think of from SWs, feel free to shoot an ask to make sure!

Sherlock:

Mormor (Sebastian Moran/Jim Moriarty)

Johniarty (John Watson/Jim Moriarty)

Johnastian (John Watson/Sebastian Moran)

Mollrene (Irene Adler/Molly Hooper)

Hooperan (Sebastian Moran/Molly Hooper)

Specifically Victorian Johnlock (John Watson/Sherlock Holmes)

I think that covers everything, though there's others but regardless.

Hitman:

Dianseven (Agent 47/Diana Burnwood)

Hannibal:

Hannigram (Hannibal Lector/Will Graham)

I don't know any other Hannibal ships but feel free to inform me, I'll gladly write for 'em :)

Lockwood & CO:

Locklyle (Anthony Lockwood/Lucy Carlyle)

George/Lucy/Lockwood (is this a ship? Either way, listing it)

Heavy Rain

Jars (Norman Jayden/Ethan Mars)

I might write for Norman/Blake if I like the prompt enough but they aren't my cup of tea. Same goes for Ethan/Madison.

Ethan/Grace (*shrugs*)

RDR

Vandermatthews (Dutch Van Der Linde/Hosea Matthews)

Arthur Morgan/Kiran Duffy (I can't remember their ship name atm)

Charles/Arthur Morgan (I can't remember the shipname again)

Most other pairings you can think of that don't break my "won't write" list :)

Undertale

Sansby (Sans/Grillby)

Burger Guy/Nice Cream Guy

Papyton (Papyrus/Mettaton)

Undyne/Alphys

Soriel (Sans/Toriel)

SPN

Destiel (Castiel/Dean Winchester)

Sabriel (Gabriel/Sam Winchester)

Bobby/Crowley

Like I said, I haven't watched the finale...or much past season 5 or 6 so...yeah.

Ace Attorney

Wrightworth (Phoenix Wright/Miles Edgeworth)

Detective Gumshoe/Phoenix Wright

Maya Fey/Franziska von Karma

Larry Butz/Phoenix Wright

DBH

Reed900 (Gavin Reed/RK-900)

Hankcon (Hank Anderson/Connor)

Markus/Simon

North/Markus

North/Markus/Simon

Venom

The obvious canon Venom/Eddie Brock

LoZ

Zelink (Zelda/Link)

Sidlink (Prince Sidon/Link)

Mipha/Link

Mipha/Zelda

Link/Sheik

Midlink (Midna/Link)

Midna/Zelda

MHA

Honestly anything BUT Midoriya/Bakugo.

Egos

Darkstache (Wilford Warfstache/Darkiplier)

Antiaverage (Antisepticeye/Chase Brody)

Anti/Marvin the Magnificent

Chase Brody/Marvin

Schneeplbro (Doctor Schneeplestein/Chase Brody)

Googleplier/Chase Brody

There's more but I'm forgetting them 😭

AFK Arena

Thane/Baden

Treznor/Nevanthi

Idk any other ships so feel free to request

Masterpost:

Will be updated in the future :)

[davidbowielovesyou]

Slash Ships to Get to Know Me

Awww thank you for tagging me @udaberriwrites :3 

**Rules**: Name at least five (but no upper limit) slash (M/M) ships you love. Each from a different fandom.

Hmmm. This is hard for me because I only started shipping less than ten years ago. Like... I didn’t get it before. I remember I was around 40 when someone asked me who I ship and I was like, what does that mean?? And then I couldn’t think of anything 1. But these assholes changed everything

Johnlock: Sherlock/John (BBC Sherlock) The way that show ended broke my heart, and not in a fun way. I didn’t write for this fandom, but oh lord did I partake the hell out of it

2. The Ineffables

Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) The show that gave me a taste of what it was like to be in a wholesome fandom, with a benevolent creator who encouraged fanworks. I loved Neil Gaiman before, but now I love him forever.  This was the first fandom I wrote for. And I drew Crowley naked. LOL.

3. For One Brief Shining Moment

Hughnor Hugh/Elnor (Picard) This was the fastest my heart’s ever been broken 😭 Whyyyyyyyy 😭😭😭

4. I Almost Forgot This One!

Lucius/Izzy (Our Flag Means Death) I can’t deal with the way Stede treated Blackbeard, so I hope they make up and all and are very happy together But I’ve read some amazing slash about these two, specifically kink in which Lucius is the only one who’s ever been able to dominate Izzy the way he needs to be dominated. I was pretty indifferent to them until I read that.

And it was my disappointment in Stede that led me to a google search for “lbgtq fantasy fiction” and the first search result was: *drumroll please*

5. The House in the Cerulean Sea

Arthur/Linus (The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune) (artwork by me)

And this is where I’ll die :)

Tagging with no pressure: @lucky-numberme​, @hoothalcyon​, @animeangelriku​, @hella-jazz​, @loki-the-trikster-god​, and anyone else who wants to do this!

[inevitably-johnlocked]

25 FIC REC BINGO (MARCH 2022)

Hey all!! I saw this post here by @7-percent and I absolutely had to do it myself, because, you know, that’s kind of my brand, LOL.

Setting myself a rule because multiple fics can fit under multiple titles: only one fic per square, no repeats! I’m also going to TRY to limit One Per Author, including if there are co-writers. Gives me more of a challenge and helps spread the love to 25 different authors! :) (EDIT: BAH I had to double up on two sections because the fics I picked so strongly called to me in the categories)

Let’s go for the full ⭐️  and give y’all 25 Fics!! Hope you guys enjoy!!

COLUMN B

A FIC I LOVE WITHOUT KNOWING THE SOURCE: I think I’m cheating with this one because I THINK it means a fandom you don’t know, but I chose an AU that I don’t know the original source of instead... I only read fics of fandoms I know.

Coventry by standbygo (E, 52,020 w., 26 Ch. || Dollhouse AU || Case Fic, Slow Burn, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, First Kiss / Time, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BAMF John, Falling in Love) – “Let me get this straight,” John said, wondering when his life had become a science fiction film. “Some guy orders up a personality, a person, to his specifications, and they program this into a real live person, who has consented to do this, and she goes to this person and acts as his wife, or lawyer, or Royal Marine, or Navy Seal or what have you, and she has all the skills, all the knowledge, everything? Then you say the magic words, and she follows you back to The House, and they erase it all until her next appointment?”

A CATHARTIC FIC:

a good old-fashioned happy ending by darcylindbergh (E, 32,731 w., 26 Ch. || Christmas, Frottage, Comfort, Est. Rel., Fluff, Insecure Sherlock, Frottage, Nightmares, Sleepy Sherlock, Marriage Proposal, Humour, Fluff, Dancing, Cooking, Happy Ending) – For Christmas this year, Sherlock wants to get John something special: something every fairytale deserves. Part 2 of things fairy tales are made of

A FIC I WISH COULD BE A MOVIE:

A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w., 23 Ch. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Facial Shaving, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship's surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there's more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin' the eye, he has to choose... is it a pirate's life for him?

A FIC THAT MADE ME GASP OUT LOUD:

Sink Like a Stone by pennydreadful (T, 4,348 w., 1 Ch. || Angst / Dark, Cuddling/Snuggling) – After defeating Moriarty at the pool, life isn't quite the same around 221B Baker Street...it's more peaceful. And stranger.

A FIC THAT GAVE ME BUTTERFLIES: (in the sense that my heart breaks so much in this story)

Only To Be With You by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (M, 40,768 w., 4 Ch. || Black Mirror / Future AU || Character Death, Future Technology, Sickness/Cancer/Illness, Heavy Angst with Happy Ending, First Person POV John, Pining John, Heart-Wrenching Angst, Promise of Forever) – I tell myself that next time I’ll come near this same place again. Wait around for the mysterious stranger in his coat to dash past me, hot on the heels of a new criminal in black. I think this all the way back to my Exit, planning where I’ll wait and what I’ll say when I see him. Scheming on how to get his name. It’s only once I reach the Exit Point door that I realize two hours and forty-five minutes have passed, and I realize that this won’t be the last time I Visit. It won’t be the last time at all.

-----

COLUMN I

A FIC WITH A PREMISE THAT SHOULDN’T WORK BUT DOES: (I haven’t read the penguin fic yet, but I’m sure it would be here if I did)

The Swan Triad Series by Pennin_Ink (T, 121,660 w. across 3 works || Swan Lake AU || Magical / Fairy Tale AU, Romance, Falling in Love, Pining, Psychological Torture, Transformation) – Sherlock and John grow up spending every summer together. Their mothers' attempts to play matchmaker only fuel their mutual resentment and scorn. But then, one summer.

A FIC I’D PRINT AND PUT ON MY BOOKSHELF:

A Promise Made to Be Broken by PlantsAreNeat (E, 37,018 w., 7 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Pining, Slow Burn, RST, Eventual Relationship, Primarily POV Sherlock) – A young John makes an ‘if we’re still single at 40, we’ll get together’ pledge to a woman who ends up all wrong for him. She keeps reminding him of the promise, and won’t let go of it. John asks Sherlock to pose as his boyfriend at a family wedding, so as to dash her hopes permanently. Sherlock, who has at last acknowledged his feelings for John, reluctantly agrees despite knowing how painful it will be to ‘have’ John, but not keep him.

A FIC THAT LED ME TO MAKING FRIENDS WITH THE AUTHOR: (I’m gonna cheat with this one, because I’m sure none of the authors I love to bits and try to befriend consider me a friend, just a nuisance lol... Instead I picked the fic that an author wrote inspired by something I drew, which rarely happens)

Your love it feels so good by Hotaru_Tomoe (E, 2,843 w., 1 Ch. || Gay Club / Gay Bar, Lingerie, Stripping, Anal, Crossdressing, Strip Tease, First Time) – Sherlock is last at a quiz night and is forced by Anderson to perform in a gay stripclub. John must be with him, because he will have to record the performance. Sherlock takes the task very seriously. Part 20 of The English job

A FIC I FOUND AT THE RIGHT TIME: This one was gifted to me when I was really in a bad headspace, and it made me feel much better when I read it.

The Imminent Danger of a Tumblr-Night by Loveismyrevolution (T, 2,135 w., 1 Ch. || Tumblr Fics, Friends to Lovers, Sherlock is Out of His Depth, Humour, Fluff, Pining Sherlock, Military Kink, POV Sherlock) – Sherlock gets into trouble when he pretends to know all about John's favourite social media site - tumblr. To save face he seeks help from one of the bloggers and gains more answers than he had aimed for.

A FIC THAT EMBODIES SOMETHING I VALUE IN LIFE: (unconditional love and realistic portrayal of mental health awareness and disabilities. I value empathy a lot, so it spoke to me)

Breakable by MissDavis (E, 117,627 w., 34 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE, WiP || Established Relationship, Major Character Injury, Fluff/Angst, Depression, Paralysis/Disabilities, Hurt/Comfort, POV Sherlock, Mental Health Issues, Drug Use, Happy-ish Ending) – After John is seriously injured, Sherlock struggles to figure out how to help him, keep himself sane, and maybe, just maybe, get their life back to the way it's supposed to be. Part 1 of Breakable Not Broken

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A FIC I’VE RE-READ SEVERAL TIMES: (literally have multiple lists LOL)

Iris by slashscribe (E, 11,948 w., 1 Ch. || Parentlock, Pining Sherlock, Post-S3) – Sherlock does his best to make John happy when John comes back to 221B with his new baby after the events of Season 3, but Sherlock has a track record of getting things wrong in this area. This story is an exploration of their gradual shift from friends to lovers, told from Sherlock's perspective, full of a lot of pining and lack of emotional awareness.

A FIC I ASSOCIATE WITH A SONG:

Sunday Evening 6 p.m. by Silvergirl (E, 30,712 w., 6 Ch. || Post-TRF / TEH Divergence, Grief / Mourning / Stages of Grief, Mutual Pining, Dreams, Reunion, Love Confessions, First Kiss / Time, Alternating First Person POV, Smart John, BAMF Boys, Emotional Love Making, Song Fic, Referenced Suicide, First Kiss / Time, Touching, Sleepy Sherlock, Blow Job, Villain Mary) – Six months after Sherlock jumped, he learns that John is dedicating songs to him on a requests-only radio programme. Is John just working through grief? Or is he—communicating? Fixes the hell out of S3 by pre-empting it altogether. Remember, as TAB told us, John is Pretty Damn Smart.

FREE SPACE: (I chose another fic I read a lot!)

Midnight Blue Serenity by BeautifulFiction (E, 151,907 w., 19 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar / For a Case, Drugs, Pining, Case Fic, UST) – When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate's charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim? 

A FIC I WOULD READ FIC OF:

Uphill by scullyseviltwin (E, 84,945 w., 18 Ch. || Olympics AU || Sherlock POV, Skier!Sherlock / Medic!John, Rivalry, 2014 Olympics, Happy Ending) – Sherlock Holmes is striving for gold in this, his fourth and final Olympics as a downhill Alpine racer.

A FAVOURITE AU: Lots I can add here, but ultimately chose an “original” AU over an I.P. AU, and the one I re-read a lot that’s not already on this list

The Horse and his Doctor by khorazir (T, 129,003 w., 13 Ch. || Horse / Vet AU || Magical Realism, Horses, Vet John, Horse Sherlock, Implied Alcoholism) – Invalided after a run in with a poacher in Siberia, veterinary surgeon John Watson finds it difficult to acclimatize to the mundanity of London life. Things change when a friend invites him along to a local animal shelter and he meets their latest acquisition, a trouble-making Frisian with the strangest eyes and even stranger quirks John has ever encountered in a horse.

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COLUMN G

A FIC I STILL REMEMBER MANY YEARS LATER: (This was one of the first Johnlock fics I’ve read, it’s a nice starter fic for the ‘ship)

The Green Blade by verityburns (T, 72,929 w., 15 Ch. || Case Fic, Bromance) – As a serial killer hits the headlines, the police are out of their depth and the next victim is out of time. With faith in Sherlock Holmes at an all time low, this is a case which will push loyalties to the limit...

A FIC THAT INSPIRES ME: I chose this fic because it makes me want to write my own meta-fic I’ve had in my head for years, and I actually started piecing together notes I’ve made over the years to write around this ficlet headcanon I wrote back when TFP came out. Probably won’t ever happen because Procrastination is one of my features, but it still inspired me anyway LOL.

The Lost Special: Family Matters (As Do Relationships) by ShirleyCarlton  (M, 144,688 w., 40 Ch. || S4 Fix It Fic / Meta Fic, Unreliable Narrator, John’s Mind Bungalow, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Demisexual Sherlock, Holmes Family, John Whump, Gay Mycroft, Misunderstandings, Drug Addiction, Parenting, TFP is a Nightmare, Virgin Sherlock, Slow Burn, Minor Character Death, Switchlock, John’s Past, Sherlock’s Past, Eurus, Love Confessions) – Sherrinford is not really the name of some high security prison. That was just a figment of John’s frantic coma dream. And Eurus is not actually Sherlock’s sister. That’s just something random she said to John before shooting him. Sherlock and John were never actually estranged. That was just their act to cover up what really happened to Mary – or Rosamund Moran, as her real name has turned out to be. Sherlock does have a secret sibling, though, and his name is Sherrinford. After finally eliminating Moran – though in a rather dramatically different way than they had envisioned – and exposing the truth about Eurus, John encourages Sherlock to delve into his past and to find out whether the reasons to keep Sherrinford away from Sherlock were the right ones, and to discover what really happened in 1981. Along the way, Sherlock and John gradually, finally, stop keeping each other at a distance, and eventually become a proper family of their own.

A FIC I’VE GUSHED ABOUT IRL: (I’ve got like 4 of them, but they’re already in others spots on this list, LOL. This one I did talk about at Cons)

Corpus Hominis by mycapeisplaid (E, 47,709 w., 12 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Case Fic, Fluff, Romance, Frottage, Angst, Anal, Blow Jobs, Rimming, Spas / Massages, Shampoo, Jealousy, Fake Relationship) - John knows the human body intimately. He’s had plenty of opportunity for study as a doctor, soldier, and lover. There’s one particular body, however, he knows very little about. When Sherlock launches himself head-first into a new obsession and they get sent on a case in an unlikely location, the pair discovers each other’s bodies with confusing yet delightful (and sometimes hilarious) results. 

A FIC THAT MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD:

A Week is Just Seven Days Isn't It? by scifigrl47 (T, 39,906 w., 4 Ch. || Humour, Friendship/Bromance, Stroppy/Bored Sherlock, Undercover/Army John, Texting, Pining-ish Sherlock, John Whump) – When John heads overseas for a week, Sherlock's forced to fend for himself. It goes about as well as anyone could have anticipated. Which is to say, very, very poorly. Don't worry, things'll be fine in just seven days.

A FIC THAT I STAYED UP TOO LATE TO FINISH:

Summit Fever by J_Baillier (M, 78,802 w., 18 Ch. || Mountain Climber AU || POV John, Angst, Tragedy, Suicidal Ideation, The Himalayas, Mountain Guide / Doctor John, Mount Climber Sherlock, Loneliness, Drama, Suspense, Slow Burn, Injured Sherlock / Sherlock Whump, Pining John) – After graduating from medical school, John Watson followed his heart to the Himalayas. Ten years later, he's a haunted cynic working for his ex-lover's trekking and mountaineering company. Will leading an expedition to Annapurna I—the most lethal of all the world's highest mountains—shake John out of his reverie, and who is the mystery client added to the group at the last minute?

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A COMFORT FIC:

Last Christmas by Mazarin221b (T, 3,911 w., 1 Ch. || Fluff, Pining Sherlock, First Kiss) – That Earth-shaking revelation, then, leads to a problem, and one that Sherlock realizes should be solved quickly, before John’s dates turn into girlfriends or boyfriends, because sometimes girlfriends or boyfriends can turn into wives or husbands while your back is turned. Every time John hums happily at the mirror as he shaves, splashes on a little gift cologne Mrs. Hudson bought him for Christmas, Sherlock is drawn back to that night by the fire, and the way John’s touch had made the world stand still.

A FIC THAT BROUGHT ME ON BOARD A NEW SHIP: (This one is NOT Johnlock)

Seasons: Summer by astudyinotters753 (M, 23,582 w., 3 Ch. || DETROIT BECOME HUMAN || Post-Canon, Fluff and Angst, Beginning of a Relationship, Slice of Life, Summer Heat, Road Trips, Hank’s Self Esteem Issues, Depression and Anxiety, Anxiety/Panic Attacks, Emotional Love Making, Caring Connor, Connor Loves Hank, Slow Burn, Romance, Top Connor, Bottom Hank) – The first thing Connor comes to learn about summer is that it is universally romanticized. He’d done his research to prepare for the rising temperatures, or at least, he thinks to himself as he sprawls a little more loosely across Hank’s couch, he thought he’d done adequate research. It had taken the better part of one of his lunch breaks to download the several thousand forms of media that had been recommended to him by Simon and Markus. But, he thinks as he plucks at his sweat-slick shirt, dissatisfied with the way it sticks to his synthetic skin, there was no way his research could have prepared him for this.

A FIC I ASSOCIATE WITH A PLACE: (Makes me nostalgic for DisneyWorld every time I read it)

Chaperones by MissDavis (T, 34,114 w., 7 Ch. || 11 Years Post-S4, Fake Relationship, Parentlock, Disney World, Bed / Room Sharing, Friends to Lovers, Fluff, First Kiss, Obsessive Sherlock, Insecure John) – Right. Of course. Everyone assumed they were a couple and no one would question it. John put his elbows up on the table so he could rest his head in his hands. "You want to pretend to be a couple so we can chaperone a trip to Disney World with Rosie's class and you won't have to share a room with a stranger?" "Exactly." Sherlock beamed at him. "Don't worry about the cost. The Birmingham case last month paid more than enough to cover expenses for all three of us."

A FIC WITH A LINE (OR TWO) I’VE MEMORISED BY HEART:

Albion and the Woodsman by Glenmore (NR [E], 54,437 w., 50 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post S3, Parentlock, Pining Sherlock, Angst, Family, Drug Use, Depression, Sherlock POV, Light Humour, Reconnecting, Declarations of Love) – Sherlock and John are devastated after Mary Morstan makes her final moves. Sherlock relapses at the crack house, John walks around the world … and a lot happens in between. Parentlock, in the good way.

The line(s): Oh, my captain! // John Watson has a special smile he uses when he is about to maim or kill you. It looks like an ordinary closed lipped smile, and can be mistaken as quite friendly until you see his eyes, which will be filled with mayhem and lethal conviction. (Ch. 33/34... this is my FAVOURITE part of the whole story)

A FIC THAT MADE ME FEEL SEEN: (in the sense of CANADIANA!!!! YES!! Just love how winter is described in it)

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria (E, 95,157 w., 27 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canadian AU ||  BAMF!John, Canadian John, PTSD, Anal / Oral Sex, Rimming, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Drug Rehab, Falling in Love, Pining Sherlock, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Violin, Panic Attacks, Switching, Anxious / Protective Sherlock, Hugs for Comfort, Suicide Mentions, Healing Each Other) – Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn't truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes." Part 1 of Tales from the Northwest

[inawickedlittletown]

Queerbaiting and Buddie

(word count: 1,900)

I keep saying that I don’t want to spend any more time on 9-1-1 meta or fic, but the events of this weekend made me open up a document where I had some unfinished meta and in light of the S4 finale airing tonight, I thought I might at least write this: 

“Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not actually depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ representation. They do so to attract a queer or straight ally audience with the suggestion of relationships or characters that appeal to them, while at the same time attempting to avoid alienating other consumers.” 

That is how Wikipedia defines queerbaiting. And I really feel like everyone needs to read that and then read it again and realize that what is happening on 9-1-1 with Buddie is NOT queerbaiting. 

I don’t want to go into the long history of queerbaiting because we would be here all day and anyone that wants to do some research should go and do so. There are a lot of resources out there. Use them. 

But the short of it is this: queerbaiting has a lot more to do with the way a show is promoted, with the way that anyone involved in the show talks about a queer ship, and with the show deliberately scripting scenes that hint at a relationship without any intention of following through. Expectations and wanting a queer ship to go canon and those expectations not being met do not alone equate to it being queerbaiting. 

For any of us that have been around a long time there are a lot of perfect examples and if you compare Buddie to any of them, they are very different. I’ll name a few:

Merlin/Arthur

John Watson/Sherlock

Emma Swan/Regina

Derek/Stiles

Castiel/Dean Winchester (though they did go canon...barely)

Lena/Kara

Buck and Eddie do not fit into that list. Which isn’t to say that someday they could belong there, but I just do not believe that they will even if Buddie never becomes canon. And this all lies in how Buddie as a ship has been treated both on screen and off. I’ll break it down by season. 

S2: 

Eddie is very clearly introduced as a new character, a straight Army veteran with a disabled kid and family drama. He and Buck have immediate chemistry. We can’t deny that, or deny that from that first episode there are immediate sparks. Unintended sparks, but sparks nevertheless. And it is easy to tell that no one on the production team expected that and the story reflects that. 

Yes a foundation for their friendship is formed and yet the season long story focuses on Eddie’s relationship with his estranged wife and Buck is dealing with his own growth after being left by Abby. Their friendship shines and their scenes are great but none of them suggest romance and there are actually a lot of episodes where Buck and Eddie barely interact in S2 aside from in the background or for small work related moments (this mostly happens after Shannon returns). 

S2 does give us the first acknowledgement from the powers that be aka Tim Minear that they know what the fans have seen. This is why the elf scene exists, but it exists in a space where it’s a nod to the fans and not meant to do much more than that. The other moment is during the call with the livestreamer. But S2, places them completely and without question on a strong friendship. 

S3: 

We see a lot more conflict for Buck and Eddie in this season and we see how close and important they are to each other. Those are the two main things. That can be read as friendship easily and it’s a season where both Buck and Eddie deal with their pasts and in one way or another start to get closure while their friendship remains intact. 

Yes there are some scenes that make us squint and go huh, wtf? (I’m looking at you kitchen scene), but narratively we also know that neither of these boys is ready for a real relationship with anyone, let alone each other. But we can bask in how close they are as well as how Christopher fits in into all of it. 

But in S3 we are also introduced to Ana and we see the return of Abby. We also get to see that Buck and Eddie have become closer than ever and that the lawsuit only serves to highlight the importance that they both feel about having the other available to them. I’ll also quickly mention that Eddie Begins worked hard to highlight Buck’s devotion to Eddie. 

S4: 

Without considering the events of the finale (I am avoiding spoilers and know nothing about it or the speculation), we’ve seen Buck and Eddie both grow and get further closure on their past. This season has paralleled them well and their friendship has not faltered, they’re as close as ever. 

The beginning of the season was heavily focused on Buck and we saw him grow as a person and begin to work on himself in a healthy way and we’ve seen Eddie be supportive of that. 

We also have Ana to consider and her relationship with Eddie as well as the return of Taylor and yet the appearance of these women has not changed the Buck and Eddie dynamic. And I find it fascinating that Eddie beginning to date Ana, is the thing that prompted Buck to start dating. The parallels are all over the place but it is the strength of the friendship and the way they care so deeply about each other that remains whether that becomes romantic is still to be seen, but it could still go either way.  

Off-screen by the end of S2, Tim Minear had already addressed Buddie by throwing in that elf scene in a wink/nudge fashion that said “I see you” and in the scene with the girl with the livestream with the comments. During S3 he tweeted about being frustrated by the fans demanding and being hostile and thinking that that would make him more likely to do what they want (I’m paraphrasing what I remember seeing). Tim has never once said that Buddie will happen or shut the door on the ship entirely, but he did say he did not want to engage in conversation about it because he doesn’t want to get into arguments with fans. 

Oliver has always been enthusiastic about Buddie and has even said that he would be perfectly fine with it happening both a while ago and more recently in promo for S4. Conscious of queerbaiting and not wanting to give fans false hope, he has specifically said that he does not know if it will or won’t happen and that he wouldn’t speak on that as he’s not the one making that decision. His support for it happening does not mean he has any sway one way or the other. He’s said this a few times and even wrote a letter to the effect to make it clear to fans that the last thing he wants is to disappoint someone due to something he’s said. 

All in all, it just isn’t a constructive environment for anyone working on the show to interact with fans on this topic because any time that they do, they get attacked by overly enthusiastic buddie shippers that in many ways are making everything worse. 

In all of the interviews from Tim that I’ve seen, he has always been very quick to hint at what was coming up on the show in a way that at times has been misleading on purpose. The number one thing that comes to mind is early in S4 where Buck was said to get a new woman in his life. Tim absolutely made it out to seem like it was a girlfriend while knowing fully well that it was a therapist. This is an excellent example of what promoting and hinting is actually like. No one from this show has done that in regards to Buddie. 

No one has gone out of their way to hint that it may happen in a way that excites the fans. And this is one of my main reasons for knowing that Buddie is not a queerbait. At no point in the life of the show so far has anyone used Buddie in a promotional way to bring in viewers. Because THAT was the whole point of queerbaiting in the past. 

It was a way that some showrunners found to bring in a lot of viewers when they needed to up their numbers in order to show networks they were worth keeping around. Someone figured out that LGBTQ people wanted to see themselves represented so much so that they would tune in to anything that promised an LGBTQ character in some fashion. It was a tactic that worked well in the landscape of tv where there was so little LGBTQ content on mainstream media that anyone wanting it would latch onto anything. And then they just wouldn’t deliver on those relationships or characters. In 2021, that is not the world we live in any longer. 

In today’s tv landscape there is so much to watch and so much to pick from and diversity has grown, it is celebrated. Queer characters are well represented as are queer relationships and queer stories. The times are different. A while back I was listening to a podcast (Bait: a queerbaiting podcast) and something I found interesting was how the hosts both agreed that in today’s tv landscape there is no more real queerbait and that we won’t easily find anything like the ships I mentioned above. I think I agree more with this than I expected to, because I do think that it exists in some spaces, but it definitely isn’t what it used to be. This is a good thing. 

Specific to 9-1-1, this is a show that has that diversity and that isn’t afraid of tackling that diversity and giving us interesting and nuanced perspectives and stories embracing that. We have characters of color, women in positions of power, a F/F relationship, two multi-racial relationships, a disabled character, other queer characters including a M/M relationship. There is so much in this show that embraces diversity and that embraces the reality of what the world looks like. To call it queerbait is to disrespect everything else that this show is and has done and the hard storylines that have been tackled that we would not have seen on tv ten years ago. 

And I get that Buddie would be another breakthrough. It would be a novel way to tell a queer story, and it would be amazing if it were to happen. The set up is there, but it isn’t fully realized, and Buck and Eddie can still be read as just friends if we take off the shipping goggles. But it also isn’t queerbait or likely to become queerbait and people have to stop calling it that. 

What Buddie resembles is one of the many unintended slow burn ships that have frustrated viewers in many forms across fandoms and we just have to go along for the ride and maybe it will happen. Or maybe it won’t. But if we know anything about relationships on tv, it is that a lot of the fun comes from the journey, even if the destination is good too. 

[pickledpascal]

There's a She-Wolf in the Closet

Chapter One: my future

Summary: Jayden Wayne needs to leave the US when her safety is breached, and with the help of a friend she moves to 221A Baker Street.

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: 18+ themes

TASWITC Masterlist

Next chapter

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As her cab gets closer to the address, Jayden takes a deep breath. This is supposed to be a fresh start but she’s having a bit of trouble accepting that this will actually help her. At least she’s an ocean away from her home town. That should help.

When the cab stopped at the side of the road to let Jayden out of the cab, the driver chuckled a little. “You have a case for Sherlock Holmes, miss?” The question made the young woman cock her head. She’s never even heard of that name before.

“No.” Jayden said simply, slinging her backpack around her shoulder as she got out of the cab. She grabbed her stuffed suitcases from the trunk and then went to grab some money for the driver. “How much?”

The man responded with a number and Jay hastily gave it to him. That guy gave her bad vibes, partly because of the meaningless conversation he tried to start on multiple occasions during the ride. Jayden knew she was pretty, hot too.

She became a porn star for a reason.

Jayden approached the door labeled 221b Baker Street and knocked on the door. Her friend, Mrs. Hudson came to answer the door and the girl smiled, relieved. The young woman already knew she had other tenants so she was a little afraid someone else would answer the door and she would fumble over her words. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

“Jayden! Come in, come in!” Mrs. Hudson waved the girl inside, smiling happily. “Oh! Let me help with your bags.” She offered. Well, it wasn’t much of an offer, she took the lighter luggage out of the two. Jayden laughed quietly, Mrs. Hudson loves to help but obviously not at the expense of her own well being.

As they scaled the stairs to the top floor, Mrs. Hudson was talking and Jayden didn’t really mind listening to her. “Sherlock and John are not in their flat today so they shouldn’t disturb you too much. Y’know Sherlock plays the violin! Maybe you and him could play together?” She suggested unlocking the door to 221A once they got there. “Though I’m not sure what he feels about the guitar.” She hummed as she opened the door.

Who is Sherlock anyways?

Jayden had most of her things already shipped in, the things in her suitcases were mostly precious things and some clothes she wanted for the trip. But, now, her furniture rested in random places all around the apartment. Fresh start, indeed.

“Thank you, Mrs. Hudson.” Jayden smiled as she pushed all her things inside. “This is the best favor anyone’s ever done for me.” She said happily before hugging her friend. “I better get to decorating and should be enjoying the day at this hour.” The young woman winked as Mrs. Hudson laughed and nodded, making her way back downstairs.

Jay sighed softly as she turned, closing the door. The place seemed cold, lifeless, and horrible.

Thankfully, Jayden knew how to decorate. She went to her bedroom to change into some…. Not so nice clothes to paint. She pre-ordered all the ones she wanted. For the main room, she decided on….. Black. Her furniture was nice and bright so she wasn’t so scared of it being too dark. Jay put her brunette and blue hair in a ponytail to start painting the walls of the living room, she also decided to put on some music as she painted.

Jayden herself was a beautiful girl. She was in her twenties, twenty-three specifically. Young to be moving to another country. Jayden was mixed so her skin was naturally tanned already, she was mainly Latine, African, and she had some Indigenous in her as well from her mother's side. She had short, wavy, dark brown hair with dark blue underneath but the color under hair depended on what she wanted when she redyed it. She had one brown eye and one icy blue eye with small specks of green in it, a little bit of everything. She also had a few piercings on her face, one on the bridge of her nose, a septum, and one on her left brow. The woman’s stature was actually very tall, taller than most men and also stronger than most men as well. Ever since Jayden was little, she wanted to be the epitome of a physically strong woman and she completed that goal. Hell, Jay found buff women hot so why not become one too? And, as she put it, she grew like a beanstalk in High School.

Once Jayden finished painting the living room, she started on the kitchen with a deep green to compliment the black cabinets nicely, then for the bathroom she did a soft blue. Now, for her own room, she settled on black again but she knew her walls would mostly be covered in art or other decorations she would eventually print out.

After painting everything, Jayden took a deep breath. There were colors splattered everywhere on her clothes, in her hair, and in her face. The woman blew a piece of hair that fell in her face and pursed her lips for a moment before she took all the sheets off her furniture and moved it into place.

It was easy for her to do, but she was tired. Jayden just wanted it to be done as soon as possible. By the time she was done with that, it was squarely midnight so Jay decided to shower and sleep.

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The next day, Jayden started to take everything out of the boxes and put them in their respective places. Cabinets, drawers, dressers, and desks were filled with silverware, mugs, cups, glasses, pencils, pens, shirts, shorts, and pants.

For a moment, Jay wondered if her self-care things shipped to the UK but she realized they did because it was the most well known European country. They had to.

That day though, Jayden heard some banging downstairs. She shrugged it off, humming a little as she set some makeup in her desk. Then she heard a knock on heer door and immediately went to open it.

“Hello, dear! I decided to make you some breakfast for your first day here!” Mrs. Hudson said, carrying a tray of food for Jayden. The woman blinked before stepping to the side to let the older lady in. “This is so exciting. This also will not be happening again, I’m not your maid.” She shook her head. Jay cocked her head, it seemed like Mrs. Hudson was irritated by her tenants downstairs.

Jayden rolled her eyes and laughed a little, hugging the lady once again. “Thank you, Mrs. Hudson! You're adorable.” She smiled happily. She was very genuine in her response, she hasn’t had anyone besides her parents cook for her before so this was kind of monumental. Although, Mrs. Hudson seemed like she’d be a second mother.

After that day, the only person in Baker Street Jayden interacted with for a month was only Mrs. Hudson. She would only see some blurs of a pair leaving Baker Street and that was it. Plus, her own schedule was very hectic.

—---------

See, the porn scene in London wasn’t so different than it was back in Chicago so Jayden was used to the restlessness.

Occasionally, a shoot would start early. But that was rare. Most of them were from the middle of the day to the end of it. Thankfully, Jayden was already adapted to that kind of schedule.

So imagine Jayden’s surprise when she came home around three a.m. one night and heard the violin as she scaled the stairs to her apartment. That had to be coming from 221b, right? Mrs. Hudson was dead asleep by then and Jay knew she didn’t leave anything on when she left for the day. Mrs. Hudson did say Sherlock played the violin…. At three a.m. though?

At least it was good, enjoyable even. It did sound very…. Sad though. The chords and the harmonies all expressed the feeling of loneliness. Well, Jayden could relate to that.

Jay was never really a people person, she could talk with strangers but it was never something she would really go out of her way to do. And, well, recent traumatic events certainly didn’t help. But, either way, Jayden was excited to start this new chapter of her life, hopefully with new people as she found her way.

The woman yawned as she closed the door to her apartment and walked to her bed. “Got damn.” Jayden groaned a little, scratching her head as she flopped on her bed. The shoot that day was tiresome. More than usual.

At least she had an off day in the morning.

Jayden’s morning routine stayed mostly the same, not changing much even if it was a shoot day. She would wake up, shower, wash her face for the day and put on some comfortable clothes then have some breakfast. On a shoot day though, she would put on some makeup as well and occasionally put something more nice on if the shoot called for it.

That day, though, since Jayden didn’t have much else to do, she decided to break out her acoustic guitar. She did have an electric one, she got it from a friend who just never learned so she was given it as a gift. The woman undid the clips of the case, her thumb stroking the metal for a moment. Jayden’s acoustic guitar has been with her through a lot, she had it ever since she was twelve. It was a simple design, a white body with a black neck and it was also not full size since she got it as a child. The guitar did have a few nicks here and there but it was mostly in good condition.

Jay started to play a more quiet piece, not wanting to bother the tenants downstairs or beside her. She hummed along with the song she played, closing her eyes as she let her fingers pluck notes like they had a mind of their own. A smile broke out on her lips, hastening the tempo slightly to match her mood.

Then there was a knock on her door.

Jayden stopped suddenly, her guitar making a distasteful sound. She set it off to the side, letting it rest against her couch as she stood up to get the door. The girl chuckled a little, “Mrs. Hudson, I told you I don’t need you to keep making me coffee!” She exclaimed, opening the door.

Not to Mrs. Hudson.

The young woman let her surprise show, her eyebrows furrowing at the man in front of her. He was very pale compared to her with dark curly hair that framed his face, accentuating his cheekbones more than they would be without them. Jayden fully took in the person in front of her, he wore a nice suit. Who wore that at eight in the morning unless he was in some sort of business?

“Not Mrs. Hudson.” Responded a deep, accented voice. The man had a small smirk on his lips, one that someone may not think was even there unless they were looking for it. “You play the guitar.” He narrowed his eyes for a moment, Jayden feeling a little exposed under his calculating gaze.

Jayden shifted her weight on her feet for a moment, keeping her hand on her door. She was very guarded around new people. “Um, yes I do?” She cocked her head, somewhat confused. If this was a complaint about the noise, Jay would rather have him be more straight-forward than him just stating something.

There was a long, uncomfortable pause as the man’s eyes roamed her body. Yeah, this was weirding Jayden out. She’s had this happen before, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed it. At the same time, this didn’t feel as violating as previous times.

Early twenties. Physically strong. Mentally? Not so much. Male to female transgender. Anxious, sometimes crippling. Depressed. Insomniac. 1.778 meters in height. Guitar player. Self-harm? No…. past abuse. Clumsy. American, quite obviously. Born in Chicago, previously lived in Florida. How she knows Mrs. Hudson. Sex worker, porn industry. Has glasses, prefers contacts for work. Near-sighted. Estranged Parents. No partner. Trouble with commitment. No siblings. Art lover. Dog lover. Film lover. Vintage antique collector. Punk style. Size ten and a half, US. Size eight and a half, UK. Right-handed. Loves to listen to music loudly. Favorite color is deep blue.

“I’m Sherlock Holmes.” He said, his eyes blinking for a moment as they snapped back up to Jayden’s. Oh, right! Mrs. Hudson’s tenant for 221b. Sherlock seemed very…. Interesting to say the least.

Jayden nodded, “Yeah, Mrs. Hudson’s told me about you.” She said. She was honestly expecting someone…. Older. Like a cranky old man because that’s what Mrs. Hudson described him as half the time. This man seemed young enough to be a millennial and it surprised her. He was only a generation older than her, that was better than some previous men she’s known.

“Interesting, Mrs. Hudson hasn’t told me a word about you and you moved in last month.” Sherlock said with a small shrug. Though she probably did, he just wasn’t listening. Might’ve been in his mind palace or, quite plainly, not listening.

Jayden slapped a hand over her mouth, a laugh escaping her. She didn’t know why but she found it hilarious. She took a breath as she got her giggles out, “I’m sorry. That fucking got me!” She sighed, a bright smile on her face before she looked back up at Sherlock, though he wasn’t too much taller than her. Maybe a few inches.

Sherlock opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and closed it.

After that day though, Sherlock decided to bother Jayden every chance he had. After John left, after or during a case, usually when he was bored. Thank god or else he would shoot up the walls and Mrs. Hudson didn’t want to keep telling the people next door that she would pay for the holes in their walls. Strangely, Sherlock never decided to bring up his deductions about Jayden, maybe because she somewhat already knew that he knew what she did for a living. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for a man (usually) to recognize her. Either way, it was a little strange for Jayden.

Sherlock was intrigued by Jayden. Mostly how many people younger than him functioned, he couldn’t ask a child because there were no children that knew how to speak in his life. So a grown woman from the generation below him would fit well enough.

Not that he actually liked Jayden or anything.

[possiblyimbiassed]

Ships and Cars - The Sign of Code

There have been lots of discussions about code in BBC Sherlock, and the possible metaphorical meaning of different things that appear frequently in the show, such as coffee/tea, water/fire, dogs/cats and many more. This show indeed seems filled with ciphers, code and secret messages. In this meta (X) I tried to decipher the encrypted name of the fishing boat that Sherlock and John hijacked in TFP, when it was called upon from Sherrinford: “Golf-Whisky-X-ray”. 

The Ship coding

At first I thought this was referring to the international spelling alphabet for wireless communication (X, X) where there’s a word for each letter. “GWX” didn’t make much sense to me, though, until I stumbled upon something deeper: ‘Golf’, ‘Whisky’ and ‘X-ray’ are also part of the marine Code of Signals (X) that was established in Britain around 1850. It’s still used by water vessels to communicate important messages regarding safety of navigation and such, and the signals can be sent by, for example, flaghoist, signal lamp or flag semaphore. Conan Doyle worked on a ship at least in 1880 and 1881, so the signals could totally have been known to him already in Victorian times. And since Sherlock and John are on board a boat in TFP, 

I think it’s reasonable to assume that the marine code is the relevant one here. In this signal code, the flags for “Golf”, Whisky” and “Xray” mean the following:

Golf = “I require a pilot.” 

Whiskey = “I require medical assistance.”

”Xray = “Stop carrying out your intentions and watch for my signals.”

Which in other words could be read as:

I need a pilot (a maritime pilot to help me navigate)

I need a doctor

Pay attention to code

But is this use of marine signals something that only appears in BBC Sherlock? Is it Mofftiss’ own idea to use them, or could there possibly be any canon references to them? In the discussion that followed my meta (X)  @frailtyofgenius​ pointed out to me that ACD’s canon actually does mention “Naval signals” in His Last Bow (LAST), which I think might be very significant. And the one who uses the naval signals is Holmes himself.

Continued under the cut, because this is reeeally a long ‘transport’... ;)

So I took to read LAST and realized that there are several ’naval’ references (my bolding) in this story by Conan Doyle. In the beginning, as a romantic landscape framework, we’re told about the surroundings of the German spy Von Bork’s house:

Above, the stars were shining brightly, and below, the lights of the shipping glimmered in the bay.

LAST takes place on the English east cost, near the port of Harwich. The spy Von Bork is chatting with Baron Von Herling, a German diplomat, bragging about the intelligence he’s gathered for his country, and then he shows the Baron the contents of his safe:

And all in four years, Baron. Not such a bad show for the hard-drinking, hard-riding country squire. But the gem of my collection is coming and there is the setting all ready for it.” He pointed to a space over which “Naval Signals” was printed.

But apparently the naval authorities have changed the code: 

“But you have a good dossier there already.” “Out of date and waste paper. The Admiralty in some way got the alarm and every code has been changed.”

So Holmes, posing as the Irish-American spy Altamont, is supposed to bring new ones. I think the real ‘feature of interest’ in this story, however, is the coding that Holmes/Altamont uses in his telegram to the German spy:

“Will come without fail to-night and bring new sparking plugs. ALTAMONT.”

And the conversation between Van Bork and the Baron continues:

“Sparking plugs, eh?” “You see he poses as a motor expert and I keep a full garage. In our code everything likely to come up is named after some spare part. If he talks of a radiator it is a battleship, of an oil pump a cruiser, and so on. Sparking plugs are naval signals.”

So here in ACD canon we’re explicitly told that the spark plugs, the ignition of the car’s engine (which generates an explosion in the engine’s combustion chamber) actually represents code - marine code. And other car references, according to Van Bork, are also marine code. I can’t help wondering if water was actually meant to represent emotions already in canon? ACD canon is packed with references to water: sea, coast, lakes, ponds, rivers and waterfalls but also ships, steamers, boats, submarines and such. Some of the criminals in canon are seamen and the navy is mentioned in some cases. And in two stories (NAVA and BRUC) the ‘naval’ issues contain secrets of national importance. 

I’d love to try to analyse all the water and boat references in ACD canon and see if/how they tie into emotions, but that’s for another meta. :) But what if something similar is done in BBC Sherlock; what if Mofftiss have used not only canon’s water metaphors for emotions but also the same general secret cipher as Holmes used in LAST? But maybe Mofftiss also took the cipher one step further, interpreting anything car-related not as general metaphors for emotions, but specifically as code for sexuality.

In TFP there’s a great explosion at 221B, and next thing we know, Sherlock and John are aboard a fishing boat, which is called upon with naval signals. But there’s actually very few ships in BBC Sherlock (while canon, as mentioned, is full of them); the fishing boat in TFP is one of very few boats in the show. As for seamen, there’s also very few in the show. Except for the fishing father and son in TFP, there’a also Sherlock’s deductions about the unemployed fisherman and his mother in THoB. @sagestreet​ has written an excellent meta suggesting a significant symbolic meaning of ‘fishing’ in this case (X).

In this self-censored post on John’s blog, however, there’s a cruiser mentioned in the title: Tilly Briggs Cruise of Terror. But we never get to know anything about this case; the post is taken down entirely since, according to John, “the ship’s owners are launching an appeal”. 

Why is this post even there, if no one is allowed to read it? Every other blog post from John has some kind of content in it - at least since he met Sherlock. But this one only has a title (and a teaser in the post before: “I'm going to tell you about a couple of the smaller cases we've been involved in. What really happened on the Tilly Briggs pleasure cruise.” (X))  

So the supposed ‘pleasure cruise’ was turned into a ‘cruise of terror’ and then deleted. Maybe it’s just me, but I strongly suspect this is a clue from the show makers telling us that a certain ‘ship’ is not allowed in BBC Sherlock, for ‘legal’ reasons having to do with the ‘owners of the ship’ (ACD Estate). 

Actually, there’s more info than this about the ship even in ACD canon, although it’s scarce. In The Sussex Vampire (SUSS) “Matilda Briggs” is mentioned in a letter to Holmes from the company Morrison, Morrison, and Dodd: 

“As our firm specializes entirely upon the assessment of machinery the matter hardly comes within our purview, and we have therefore recommended Mr. Ferguson to call upon you and lay the matter before you. We have not forgotten your successful action in the case of Matilda Briggs.” 

After Watson has read it, Holmes explains to him (my bolding): 

“Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson,” said Holmes in a reminiscent voice. “It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared.” 

If this is an allusion to a possible relationship between Holmes and Watson, indeed the world would not have been ‘prepared’ in Victorian times, since homophobia was prevalent and same-sex couples illegal. 

Source: (X)

Directly after this, while perusing his lexicon for ‘Vampires’ (the actual topic of the letter), Holmes also mentions another ship that was associated with Victor Trevor’s father’s secret past as a mutinous convict:

“Voyage of the Gloria Scott,” he read. “That was a bad business. I have some recollection that you made a record of it, Watson, though I was unable to congratulate you upon the result.”

Indeed this voyage in GLOR was a ‘bad business’; it ended in mutiny and disaster. The ship Gloria Scott exploded and sunk in the Atlantic, and most of the crew and passengers died.

So, not many ships appear in BBC Sherlock. But instead, there’s plenty of cars in the show. What if all these car references actually somehow actually refer to a ship - a very particular ‘shipping’? ;)

The Cars

So, might these cars code for some hidden secrets? And/or is it possible to tie the car references to ’naval code’, as Holmes claims to do in LAST, assuming that naval = water = emotions but also sexuality? 

Returning to canon, please note that Holmes and Watson (both in disguise) arrive in a car to the scene of this story in LAST. This is one of the very few cars that appear in canon, since they weren’t yet very commonly in use by those times. Holmes’ and Watson’s car is modestly described as “a small car” and “a little Ford” (as opposed to Baron Von Herling’s car, which is a huge limo). But at the end of the story, Holmes says about the little Ford: “Start her up, Watson, for it’s time that we were on our way.” And there they go, happily together, with the criminal tied up in the back seat, heading for Scotland Yard. Sweet, isn’t it? :) This is the very last we see of Holmes and Watson in canon. (Unfortunately, I can’t find any illustration of it).

BBC Sherlock, however, is full of cars. So, if we apply this analogy to BBC Sherlock, what car references can we find that could be translated into marine (= emotional) terms? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the cab, the taxi, which is Sherlock’s preferred means of transport. 

A taxi has a driver, which is the word that the little girl on the plane in TFP uses instead of ‘pilot’. But we don’t see any taxi boats in the show, do we? In the Unaired Pilot, however, the cabbie drives Sherlock home to Baker Street (not to Roland Kerr’s), and there he tries to ‘kill’ him. One could even assume he makes a kind of sexual innuendo when Sherlock is sprawled face-down on the floor and the cabbie says “I could do anything I wanted to you right now, Mr ’olmes.” 

As I explained in my other meta about marine code (X), a marine pilot is someone who leads a ship through dangerous waters. Mofftiss haven’t included any marine pilots in their show, but they do use aircraft pilots, even if they’re not labelled as such: 

But if ‘driver’ should be read as ‘pilot’, then Jeff Hope - a John mirror - in the Unaired Pilot, the ‘driver’ of the show, guides Sherlock home emotionally and sexually, doesn’t he? ;) 

But there’s more about the signals in LAST. This is what the counter-agent Sherlock ‘Altamont’ Holmes says when he arrives at Von Bork’s place:

“You can give me the glad hand to-night, mister,” he cried. “I’m bringing home the bacon at last.” “The signals?” “Same as I said in my cable. Every last one of them, semaphore, lamp code, Marconi – a copy, mind you, not the original. That was too dangerous.”

This seems very similar to Wikipedia’s explanation of the Marine Code of Signals, as I quoted above: apart from flag hoist, the signals can also be transmitted by, for example, flag semaphores, radio communication or signal lamps. We do have radio communication in TFP, when Sherrinford receives the message from the boat ‘golf-whisky-x-ray’. But are there any signal lamps in BBC Sherlock? Yes, in fact there are - and they’re tied to a car! 

A blinking, grinning Peugeot, no less, in THoB. And it’s definitely connected to sex, because that’s what’s happening inside. ;) Even if we’re lead to believe that this isn’t actually code, John does try (unsuccessfully) to decipher the blinking lights from this car as Morse signals and gets “U M Q R A”.

Apparently this code is not referring to the Marine Code of Signals. But @bug-catcher-in-viridian-forest​ has written an excellent meta (X) deciphering the possible code “UMQRA” as meaning “TORCH”, using the Ceasar cipher, which Sherlock refers to on his website (X) in combination with another cipher. In my opinion this does make a lot of sense. John does indeed use a torch to try to decipher this message, and there are also lots of other possible metaphorical meanings of ‘torch’ in the show. 

So I think it would still be wise to pay attention to code, wouldn’t it?

As for Holmes’ quote from LAST above, “a copy, mind you, not the original”, I’d interpret this at Holmes pointing out that these signals can be copied (’mirrored’?) and also that they can vary in type (I imagine that ‘Marconi’ stands for radio transmission (X)). All in all, these naval signals are of national importance in canon, just like the Bruce Partington Plans and the Naval Treaty. And these are all military top-secrets clearly connected to the British navy. At some point in LAST, believing he has won the spy game, the Baron says:“There may be other lights within the week, and the English coast a less tranquil place!” Seems like the East Wind is coming. ;)

But back to the marine codes and cars: in canon (LAST) the car references hide secrets of national importance, connected to Britain’s naval defense, and some of those secrets, in turn, are encrypted with naval signals. That’s double coding, right? Also: the navy defend British waters and water = emotions.

As for cars, there’s a lot more of them in the show, while canon has very few; cars weren’t in use during most of Holmes’ career. I think LAST is the first time that cars appear in ACD canon? And the spare parts that Holmes/Altamont talks about as code in LAST never actually appear in the story, only the Baron’s limo and Holmes’ little Ford, where Watson is the driver.

But in the modern show there’s plenty of cars, of course; they’re literally everywhere. Many people have long ago pointed out that cars represent transport metaphorically, which is how Sherlock views his bodily needs in the unaired Pilot. Which ties in well with the assumption above that cars also represents sexuality, which is related to emotions even if it’s not the same thing.

But let’s also try to decipher the car references with Holmes’s code in LAST in mind, shall we? Where can we find water and/or possible hints about emotions and/or sexuality?

Apart from the taxis, which run like a red thread through the episodes (ASiP, TBB, TGG, ASiB, TRF, HLV, TST), and the abundance of police cars and ambulances, I can think of the following:

Mycroft’s black governmental car which is used to kidnap John in ASiP (and other episodes).

If Mycroft represents Sherlock’s brain, this might be about Sherlock trying to examine and test John with his intellect, to get an idea of who John is and what to expect from him. But this task is driven by his car - bodily needs - and behind them there’s still emotions, if we apply Sherlock’s code in LAST.

The first hostage’s car in TGG, where she is wrapped up in semtex.

This woman is literally trapped inside her car and metaphorically trapped inside her bodily needs, which are threatening to explode (remember Holmes’ ’sparking plugs’ in LAST?) if Sherlock doesn’t solve the puzzle about Carl Powers. And in this screen cap she is literally juxtaposed to Sherlock:

So it seems like Sherlock is now trapped inside his ‘transport’, yes? Still driven by emotions rather than intellect. And he probably sees this as very dangerous.

The finding of The ’dead’ man’s car with (fake) blood in TGG.

This ill-treated transport device (John calls it ”an abandoned sports car” on his blog X) leeds to more cars - Janus cars - and it turns out that the driver - Ian Monkford - isn’t dead; he’s just on ’vacation’ in Colombia (with the real purpose of cashing in his life insurance money). Sherlock figures this puzzle out and the poor fellow wrapped in semtex can breathe out; he’s not going to explode, either physically or emotionally. And no-one is dead in this case, but the driver faked his own death to avoid exposure and get his ‘security’.

The car with a dead body in the boot in ASiB

Licence plate: PYO3 HYN. The dead man in this car was destined for Germany according to his tickets - another ‘vacation’? But he never reached there; his plane crashed but he wasn’t in it, because he was already dead - trapped in his transport a car. Now, this case seems intimately connected with Sherlock in the boot of Mrs Hudson’s Aston Martin in TLD (see below). Except that Sherlock was being transported alive in that boot, but this guy is dead.

The client’s back-firing old SAAB in ASiB

The client stops near a wetland area and a stream because of problems with his engine. The driver - a John mirror? - tries to fix his ‘engine’, but the old car just won’t start. Sherlock analyses this case in his (drugged) Mind Palace together with his libido Irene Adler.

People have pointed out long ago (sorry for not remembering who - was it LSiT?) that the back-firing SAAB engine in the hiker case in ASiB might represent John’s dysfunctional sexlife with women; Sarah in specific and probably their trip to New Zeeland after TGG. (Maybe this is also why Sherlock in TSoT, when John has just been married to Mary, deduces that one of the wedding guests - a doctor - has ‘erectile dysfunction’?)

Irene’s black car in ASiB

Licence plate: SKO8 ZYL. This black car, which has a private driver, is used to transport John to the Battersea station on New Year’s Eve in ASiB. In spite of being in midwinter, Battersea seems to be flooded with water. And this is the place where Irene exposes John’s sexual relationship with (or at least interest in) Sherlock while Sherlock is listening to the conversation from another room, but John declares that “I’m not actually gay”. This car is so similar to Mycroft’s black car (see above) that John thinks this is Mycroft who kidnaps him again. If Irene represents Sherlock’s libido, what does her black car stand for?

Sherlock’s and John’s hired Land Rover in THoB

Licence plate: OEI0 HFK. The Land Rover is a British car, known for its four-wheel drive and vast off-road capacity. Sherlock drives this car to “deepest, darkest Devon” with John in the passenger seat, so it seems like they were prepared for a ‘bumpy ride’. And this car actually has a visible spare part; an extra wheel in case of emergency:

And their journey really became ‘bumpy’ - at least on an emotional level, since they were both dosed with a fear-inducing gas, had a quarrel, and the gay couple who were running the Inn where they were staying took for granted that they were indeed a couple too.

John’s and Mary’s car in HLV and in TST

Licence plate: SP56 LJY, black Audi. Mary is the driver in HLV. (By the way, why has this car the steering wheel to the left, in a country with left-hand traffic?). Here we’re presented with the interesting idea from the billboard that “Information is the power to change 1895″. In HLV we actually do see something like a spare part for this car; John’s tyre lever. ;) (which looks more like some sort of pipe key, if you ask me, but whatever; it’s still a spare part - or at least a ‘tool’ - associated with John’s transport car):

So this would be consistent with Holmes’ cipher in LAST. And this spare part is treated with very sexual overtones in HLV, so I think the influence of Sentiment and Sex is pretty clear here.

Mrs Hudson’s red Aston Martin in TLD

License plate: APIS CXJ. Now, this is a really interesting and beautiful car I think, and it shows its capacity when it goes speeding in TLD. Mrs Hudson has more resources than some people might believe. But John is only allowed to use her sports car - the ultimate symbol of male virility - when he’s off to rescue Sherlock. ;) 

The license plate reads APIS, which I’m sure is a reference to bees and bee keeping, because Apis mellifera is the scientific name of the honey bee. Holmes’ main occupation as retired in ACD canon is bee keeping, which is shown in LAST, where his secret ‘sparking plugs’ turn out to be the Practical Handbook of Bee Culture. ;)) So Holmes stood by his words in his telegram to Van Bork; he did “come without fail to-night” (he came together with Watson) and he did “bring new sparking plugs”. It’s just that the ‘spark’ wasn’t maybe of the sort that Van Bork had expected... 

Anyway, in this scene in TLD, Sherlock is being kidnapped and handcuffed by Mrs Hudson and transported in the boot of that sports car; he’s literally trapped inside the rear end of his transport, which has John as its direct destination. 

Sadly for all of us, however, John refuses to ‘examine this body’, and this is instead done by the John mirror Molly (inside an ambulance), who tells Sherlock that he’s dying and that “it’s not a game”. 

The next time we see this red sports car, however, John is the driver, and he’s using its great capacity as it should be used: to come to Sherlock’s rescue. ;)

Come to think of it, there’s actually at least one more car spare part mentioned in the show, even if it might not be meant as this specific part:

This car has a steering wheel nevertheless, and Sherlock is sitting in the car while saying this. And yes; this show is indeed repetitive when it comes to certain topics. Like ‘transport’, emotions and bodily needs. But I do hope we’ll finally see some new turns on this topic in the next series. ;)

Thanks for your patience in following this marathon meta to its end! Tagging some people who might be interested (please alert me if you don’t want to be tagged):

@raggedyblue​ @ebaeschnbliah​ @gosherlocked​ @sarahthecoat​ @lukessense​ @therealsaintscully​ @thewatsonbeekeepers​ @sagestreet​ @tjlcisthenewsexy​ @thepersianslipper​ @loveismyrevolution​ @shylockgnomes​ @frailtyofgenius​

Screencaps in this meta are in some cases borrowed from this site (X). 

[n3on1ns0mn1a]

you can request;;

Any xenogender flags or terms !

Name recommendations

Pronoun/neo pronouns recommendation

fic recs for the following shows OR their ships: Sherlock BBC [Sherlock/john , Mycroft/lestrade] , The untamed [any ships] , Alice in borderland [chishiya/Niragi] and more! extra: DSMP fics specifically tommyinnit angst requests are open as well!

playlist recs for the following: any character or ship requested! i can do it on Spotify OR link the songs here !

you can request any pride pfp from the following list and format!: characters; check pinned post !

format; [which charter(/s) you want] , [which pride flag(/s)]

[kitkatopinions]

Accidentally deleted my Tyrian and Watts asks while I was trying to fix a mistake so... Sorry about that, everyone! Here they are! Tyrian and Watts for the RWBY character asks!

Let’s do Tyrian first, because I have less to say about him, I feel like.

My top three ships for the character

Tyrian/Watts. Dysfunctional villainous romance of the century, no one knows how they’ve managed to make it to their tenth anniversary without killing each other, including them. Tyrian/Salem is my second top ship for him. Major Bellatrix/Voldy vibes with this one, but I could see it. Tyrian/Hazel is my third ship for lack of options. Does this one make sense? No. But I can at least see Tyrian being super flirty and Hazel being endlessly tired, but never really stopping it. (Also I hate Hazel so much lol.)

My three least favorite ships for the character

Tyrian/Qrow sucks for me. Like... I kinda feel like two people fighting each other just gets shippers, which is fine and totally understandable. But for me, Tyrian poisoning Qrow and almost killing him and calling his beloved niece a bitch and then killing Clover is a big no from me, dog. On that note! Tyrian/Clover is also one big no from me, since Clover murdered him. And Tyrian/Ozpin is another really big no from me. Tyrian and his crazy Salem worship can stay five hundred and fifty feet away from my son.

My biggest criticism for the character

They went a little too much on the crazy in the fourth and fifth season and it made him feel annoying. Like, I don’t mind the Bellatrix vibes, but I do mind the movie version Bellatrix vibes, sometimes. It just got kinda annoying. I wish his crazy was always more on the dangerous side and less on the kooky side, but that’s just personal opinions.

My favorite thing about the character

The way people are so uncomfortable around him. Whenever Tyrian talks to Emerald or Mercury, he’s honestly freaky. Like both me and the characters are waiting for him to snap. That’s a great quality in a villain that we’re meant to hate or love to hate. He has a real presence and it’s enjoyable.

A headcanon I have about them

Tyrian doesn’t often try to act normal, but he can, and he’s got a great ‘respectable, cool guy’ act that’s actually a little reminiscent of Qrow or Clover. He’s even passed himself as a Huntsman here and there.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

More involvement in volumes 4 and 5, and I’d treat him a bit more seriously and make him a bit more dangerous. Maybe I’d have him wound a member of Team RNJR in his attack as well as poison Qrow (maybe give Jaune a reason to unlock his semblance in season 4 and in response to the pain of a member of his team. Also, his ‘Tyrian purple’ color should be more than just the color of his eyes. Like, how come so many RWBY characters season 4 and onward have such boring colors? I’d give Tyrian some strong purple and pink.

What I I think of their character allusion and what (if anything) I would change about it

Tyrian alludes to the animal fable ‘the Scorpion and the Frog,’ and that’s... really in name only, I think. A part of me wants to give them some kind of points for having Qrow work with him against Clover, only for Tyrian to kill Clover, which lines up with his ‘its just my nature’ scorpion stinging the frog so that they’ll both drown and die. But they didn’t mean for Qrow to really be wrong! They didn’t mean for the lesson to be ‘Qrow shouldn’t have trusted the poisonous villain’ it was ‘wowza does Qrow’s semblance hurt him. :( Too bad Clover got himself killed.’ Which makes the whole allusion kind of suck.

Now for Watts, the single best villain in my opinion.

My top three ships for the character

Tyrian/Watts. See above. This ship would be a dysfunctional mess, but it’d be a wild ride. Watts/Villain!Ironwood. I kind of hate this ship when it’s ‘fallen hero turned villain’ Ironwood. But if he actually had been written as a secret villain or obviously headed that way from the start, I can see him and Watts also being a dysfunctional mess of a wild ride ship, only with way more ‘evil power couple’ vibes than Tyrian and Watts would have. Also my favorite version of this features Watts having been the one to build Penny (maybe by stealing the plans from Pietro) and him and Ironwood raising a still bright and cheerful, still innocent and trusting, villain Penny who will attack to kill with a smile on her face and a ‘it was nice meeting you!’ And this is very weird and niche but Watts/Evil Stepsister (specifically the one with the sharp bangs and highlights.) Someone sent me an ask saying the Evil Stepmother and stepsisters should’ve been connected to Salem and gotten Cinder involved and I totally agree with this. I then started envisioning a world where the step sisters competed with Cinder and all three of them were raised in Salem’s circle. In this version of things, I could totally picture one of the step sisters having a romantic tension driven connection with Watts and the two of them subtly flirting sometimes (and bonding over their mutual hatred of Cinder.) I picked the sister with bangs for no real reason except that I like her look more.

My three least favorite ships for the character

Watts/Cinder. Watts thinks of her like a bratty little girl, and Cinder kills him. Watts/Lionheart. Kinda really hate this one because of how clearly Lionheart was terrified of him. Just a bit uncomfortable for me to see that in a relationship. Watts/Hero!Ironwood or Watts/HeroTurnedVillain/Ironwood. Sorry, but Ironwood in canon got such a bad, bad portrayal in season 8 and the end of season 7, and I just can’t help but blame Watts for quite a bit of it. I only like them as a ship if Ironwood is an antagonist from the start.

My biggest criticism for the character

They shouldn’t have killed him! He was one of Salem’s best followers and one of the best villains and it was such a big mistake to kill literally one of the only actual loyal followers. It threw off any character development for Cinder and it was a big mistake. I really wanted the Cinder / Watts / Neo team up to keep going! I’m so disappointed it got thrown away.

My favorite thing about the character

Watts is an entitled, petty bastard, and I think that’s so good for a villain that isn’t meant to be social commentary (because tbh, RWBY never should’ve tried to be social commentary.) Watts isn’t sympathetic, he’s an Atlas born and raised guy in a three piece suit, he’s posh, he’s upset because he wasn’t given exactly what he wanted. Most of the villains in RWBY are either victims of abuse, systemic oppression, or poverty, and that’s... Not fun in a show that’s never handled social commentary well and is about magical girls destroying Voldemort/Satan with the power of friendship (Ruby literally never says anything about Faunus rights iirc.) Watts is refreshing because he’s exactly the type of villain that you can expect in a show like what RWBY should’ve been, and he flourishes as that. Why would we be sympathetic to Watts when he’s just doing this all because he wasn’t picked first for his tech? Why would we feel soured towards conflicts with Watts and Team RWBY? He’s just a petty bastard being evil because he was snubbed. Why would we be frustrated that incredibly significant problems are being shoved to the side with Watts? He’s a fun villain, he’s not meant to be more, he’s not meant to make you emotionally invested only to then be gutted for it. You can hate to love him without it feeling bad. Maybe that’s why he’s just my favorite non-kid villain (other than Roman.)

A headcanon I have about them

Watts has been trying to build his own AI robot like Penny, in his spare time. He wanted it to be done in time to become a Maiden, but it wasn’t, and Salem gave that slot to Cinder and got after Watts for not contributing enough. He of course thought this was deeply unfair (especially after being made to contribute a lot to Cinder’s Beacon success without getting any credit for it.) And this just fueled his hatred of Cinder, his hatred of Pietro and Ironwood, and by extension, his hatred of Penny.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

I would keep him freaking alive and keep up the pair up he had going on with Cinder and Neo! But also I’d increase his relationships with Emerald, Mercury, Tyrian, Hazel... Just some more Salem’s Inner Circle moments to flesh out their characters. Other than that, I wouldn’t change much. He’s a pretty good character.

What I I think of their character allusion and what (if anything) I would change about it

Okay, I’ve talked about his character allusion in a very long post awhile ago, but I’m not scrolling down that far to tag it. To sum it up... I hate his allusion. XD I loved the Sherlock Holmes books and read most of them, and I didn’t realize he was supposed to allude to John Watson until I read someone else’s post saying so, and I started freaking out about how awful it was. Watts has so little in common with Watson, he’s essentially the anti-Watson. Which basically means he’s Sherlock Holmes, the opposite of Watson in almost every way, up to and including freaking faking his death which is one of the most iconic Sherlock Holmes thing ever. Watts is everything Sherlock Holmes is on his worst days, arrogant, callous, consumed with his projects, petty, smug, over the top - as well as being hyper intelligent and a genius who often just gets passed over. He has rivalries with his colleagues like Holmes did. And like I said, he faked his death, only to reveal himself to an old friend later on the cusp of carrying out a scheme. He’s evil Holmes! He has nothing to do with John Watson - caring, humble, down to earth, not brilliant like his friend but content to be ordinary and special because of his emotional depth and devoted heart, medical former doctor who spends quite a lot of time chronicling the successes of someone else because he’s content to live in the background. Don’t get me wrong, a ‘Watson’ character who is evil could work - Watson himself indulged in crime for the sake of Holmes sometimes in the original works and if he worshipped Salem or one of her followers and did everything for her while still being a more humble, more friendly, not brilliant person he could be good - but Watts is not that person. Even the gimmicks Watts is given are stupid and don’t make it obvious he’s Watson. Boy’s got a moustache and a revolver and they thought that’d be enough. Idk why they thought 'we’ll make him Watson’ when he’s clearly a Holmes! Also, he’s supposed to be ‘Watson if he’d met Moriarty instead of Holmes,’ and to that I say boo! Watson wouldn’t turn into a super genius just because he meets a different mastermind!

...That’s summing up my feelings, yeah. Because I have so many feelings about his warped, weird character allusion. If I was changing it, I’d just make him Holmes like I think he was clearly supposed to be.

[musingsofanunorgainizedmind]

Top 10 Things I Love About Supernatural

It’s been almost half a year since the show ended and now that the dust has settlIed, I just want to list ten reasons I love this show. Despite it’s flaws, it’s been quite the ride.

1. Team Free Will

When I first got the idea to make this list, I originally planned on doing entirely separate entries for “Sam & Dean” and “Destiel”. Except then I wanted to pay tribute to “Sastiel”. And then I wanted to do an entry for “Team Free Dads”. By that point, I was already halfway through the list and I hadn’t even moved on from the main characters. A few months ago, I made a post about why I love every single pairing in this group. Obviously, Sam and Dean are a legendary duo. Obviously, Dean and Cas have an unparalleled story. Obviously, Sam and Cas are an underrated team. As for Team Free Dads, I’ve always had a soft spot for father/mentor figure characters and and all three tackle the role in different ways. I love Jack, too. I love how everyone in this bizarro family is “broken” in some way. We’ve got the Allistair’s prized pupil, the spawn of satan, the boy with demon blood, and the angel who nearly obliterated all of heaven. But they help each other heal by being supportive and seeing the good in each other. They all love each other so deeply and when together, nothing can stand in their way. Not Michael, not Lucifer, and not God himself. They tore up the book and wrote their own story. And it was a pleasure to watch it all unfold.

2. The Suppporting Characters

To list every single supporting character I have loved and lost in this show would take way too long. I don’t know if it’s the writing or acting performances, but I love pretty much every single supporting character on this show. Even villains like Azazel or Allistair are top-notch villains. Hell, I even like characters like Metatron, Lucifer, Mary, and John! Characters like Rufus, Charlie, Crowley, Rowena, Kevin, Ellen, Jo, Bobby, Gabriel, Balthazar, Mick...how am I not supposed to love them??? All of their stories were cut so short. I’d watch a show about any of these characters. The Wayward Sisters were robbed. So many ships were gone too soon (Sam/Rowena, Dean/Jo, Cas/Meg, Etc.). So many heartbreaking deaths. I want to be best friends with all these characters. Why be a “dean-girl” or a “sam-girl” when you can be a garth-girl? A kevin-girl? A claire-girl? A bela-girl? There are so many great characters with interesting and compelling backstories and so much untapped potential. I could go on forever on this, but I digress.This show has one of the best supporting casts I have ever had the pleasure of watching.

3. The Themes

It’s no accident that I got addicted to this show at the time that I did. Namely, my Senior Year of College and 2020. Graduating college and entering the “real world” felt like it’s own sort of apocalypse. 2020 definitely exacerbated my worst tendencies. Messages like “family don’t end in blood”, “you can write your own story”, and “always keep fighting” really resonated with me. I could definitely relate to the feelings of insecurity these character’s felt and the ways they suppressed/repressed their issues instead of facing them. I could relate to the feelings of not fitting in and I could definitely relate to the loneliness. This show helped remind me that I’m not alone. That it’s okay if my values and identity don’t line up with the what I envisioned for myself. And, most importantly, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that I should never give up. If Dean, Sam, and Cas can keep moving forward despite their demons and despite how bad it gets, so can I. Regardless of how the story ended, these themes resonated with me and I’ll still hold them with me. A single episode can’t take that away.

4. The Fun Episodes

This show has so many legendary standalone episodes. Changing Channels. Ghostfacers. The French Mistake. Fan Fiction. Tall Tales. Bad Day at Black Rock. When this show goes for the absurd, it goes all-in. It takes the risks it needs to take, it gets completely insane, and it pulls it off. So many of these episodes could have easily been the moment that the show “jumped the shark”. Yet, time after time, the show delivered on it’s potential. I don’t know how much I can say about these episodes except that they made me laugh out loud, made me fall even harder for these characters, and that they’re the episodes I remember best. If I were to rewatch any episode, it would be one of the fun ones. This show knew how to not take itself too seriously and how to poke fun at itself. I’ve always had a soft spot for shows that can make me laugh and cry (X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, Doctor Who, etc.), and this show definitely nails the fun part. 

5. The Sad Episodes

Death’s Door. Hammer of the Gods. Despair. Carry On. Abandon All Hope. In My Time of Dying. Swan Song. When this show wants you to cry, it doesn’t pull the punches. It gets downright devastating. No character is safe. Literally every character you love will either be forgotten or will die. Or both. The amount of trauma Sam and Dean have to go through is insane. Both have literally been to hell and back. Both have killed countless people, including innocents. When this show decides it wants to wreck you, it’s overwhelming. I sobbed when Bobby died. I sobbed when every single member of Team Free Will died for the final time (I still can’t watch any of those scenes). I still wish Jo, Ellen, Charlie, Kevin, Mick, and Gabriel had been given more time to tell their stories. Being a hunter means a life of endless angst. Being an angel or demon doesn’t get you off the hook, either. I remember going into this show thinking it couldn’t hurt me. My favorite character type is “mentor/father figure”. But holy hell...I don’t think every single sad moment was necessarily good writing, but when it was? Damn. 

6. The Biblical Themes

I’m not a relgious person. But, despite this show being steeped in Christian mythology, it really touched on my feelings about the Old Testament in a profound way. Well, really just Ben Edlund and Robbie Thompson did. I’ve never seen a show really hit the overall feel of the bible the way this show does. The idea of Angels as mystical and terrifying creatures. The idea of God as a flawed father figure with a penchant for wrath. The sheer epicness of the biblical stories. The idea of family members constantly being turned on each other. Cain and Abel. Jacob and Essau. Moses and Ramses. Moses and Aaron. Abraham and Isaac. The bible is full of stories of family drama. This show doesn’t always give angels and demons weight. Sometimes it’s silly and stupid and cheesy. But when it hits right? It’s epic. This is more of a personal thing I love about the show, but definitely a plus!

7. The Music

The early seasons music is so good. I really miss the classic rock of the golden era of the show. I mean, there are still some great musical moments later on, but damn. I loved hearing songs I recognized and I loved learning new songs. I loved when the song and the scene hit perfectly in time (Death’s intro. Cas’s return in Season 13.). Also Supernatural wouldn’t be Supernatural without the ‘Carry On My Wayward Son’ song at the end of every season. Even at the end of a season I didn’t love, that recap would always get me pumped. Also Chuck singing Fare Thee Well? Dean and Lee singing together? Fan Fiction? All great. 

8. The Cast & Crew

I never care about the actors or actresses in a show. I definitely don’t bother with the names of specific writers and directors or their styles of writing/directing. They’re just random people who happen to write for or play these characters I love. They’re not actually the characters. But these guys? Well, for one, I’m pretty sure half this cast actually is their character. At least to some degree. They’re also just...really cool people? Who are all friends? They make a point to do community service, to interact with fans, and to promote positive ideas. Jared’s Always Keep Fighting campaign. Misha and GISH. The fact that they all participate in fundraising opportunities and encourage fan engagement. Do they all have issues? Definitely. Have they said stupid things? Yes. But the good far outweighs the bad. They’re an entertaining bunch whether onscreen or not and I hope they all do well in whatever their future endeavors may be.  

9. The Fandom

I joined this fandom late. To be honest, I thought this fandom was obnoxious before I found myself a part of it. Now that I’ve been in the trenches? It’s got it’s ups and downs like any fandom. There are some parts that are more toxic than others. A lot of people yelling that their opinion is the only opinion. But overall? The good outweighs the bad. And the good? The good is great. Some fanfictions I’ve read are better than actual books I’ve read and just as moving. The fanart? Incredible. I love reading all the metas about random aspects of the show I never would have noticed. I love the music videos and I love the analytical videos. In real life, I’ve made many friends through our mutual love of this show. Hell, even getting sucked into GISH once or twice has given me some solid memories and brought me closer to friends. I wish all fandoms were this much like family. I’m so glad I got to be a part of this fandom and I can’t wait to continue being a fan. After all, nothing ever stays dead in Supernatural.

10. The Chaos & Insanity

Season 16 has been a time. First, Destiel went canon. Then suddenly Sherlock was having a 5th season, Putin was retiring, and Georgia was going blue. Destiel going “canon” and Joe Biden winning the presidency will always be correlated in my mind now. Things in the fandom went from quiet to blaringly loud real fast. Carry On happened. The fandom went into a civil war. I can’t even remember half of what happened in Season 16, but it’s been a wild ride. There’s been ups (my personal favorite being the french dub and the Saileen wedding). There’s been downs (Jared’s controversial statements and the original scripts being leaked). At one point Misha Collins had sex with Bill Clinton???? It’s been a wild time. It’s honestly gotten me through the end of this pandemic. At least it’s entertaining. I would say that at least all the craziness is over, but is it ever really over? Every time I say that something else completely insane happens. But it’s been fun. I’m glad I started watching this show despite my reservations and here’s to whatever happens next. 

[luwupercal]

my most passionate pitch for you to read a specific novel yet

Okay. This is gonna be a long post and I apologize for that.

Here is a list of fictional couples and/or duos:

Sherlock Holmes and John Watson (Sherlock Holmes media properties, inc. BBC Sherlock)

Enjolras and Grantaire (i hope i spelled those names right) (Les Mis)

Frodo and Sam (Lord of the Rings)

Hamlet and Horatio (Hamlet)

Bertie Wooster and Reginald Jeeves (Jeeves and Wooster)

Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway (the Great Gatsby)

Dennis Reynolds and Ronald “Mac” MacDonald (Always Sunny)

Achilles and Patroclus (The Illiad)

Estragon and Vladimir (Waiting for Godot) (niche, i know)

Not fictional but the grandparents from This Post (the  “I don’t want to be 85” / “well your only alternative is to die” post) (Alternatively, the “Have a safe flight” / “I have no say in the matter” / “Die then” meme exchange)

The OP and the husband from the “Babe wake up, I solved the Jon Benet Ramsey case” / “Let’s go over the facts” post

Again not fictional but Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West in this exchange of love letters (esp. “Damn you, spoilt creature; I shan’t make you love me any the more by giving myself away like this  —But oh my dear, I can’t be clever or stand-offish with you; I love you too much for that. Too truly. You have no idea how stand-offish I can be with people I don’t love. I have brought it to a fine art. But you have broken down my defences. And I don’t really resent it.”)

Here is a series of images:

Okay.

You’ve parsed all of that. Here is my pitch:

If you vibed with anything of the above, if you had an embarrassing phase shipping any of the above duos, or you watched their source material and thought it was kinda gay, if you looked at those images and thought “Damn, that sounds like a good descriptor for a fictional relationship I’d be emotionally invested in”, I need you to do me a favor.

I need you to read “Severed” by Nate Crowley.

If you can’t afford it: Send me an ask and I’ll help. If you don’t know what that is: A necrons-centric novella (so it’s even shorter than a regular novel, I read most of it in one afternoon), but you don’t need to know much about necrons to read it, just the rough gist of their idea. If you don’t know what the rough gist of necrons is, hmu and I’ll catch you up, or look them up. If you’ve already read it, or you’re reading it, and you’re annoyed you have to scroll through this post: Listen, I’m doing this for a good cause, plz be patient. If you aren’t planning on reading it: Sorry. 

Thank you for listening.

[aromantic-enjolras]

(hello! Idk if you prefer asks to your main blog or this one but anyways I am here)

8. Do you prefer happy, bittersweet, or sad endings?

14. Name a fandom/ship/character that you love that others would send you hate mail for liking

20. Name a song that reminds you heavily of a specific fandom or character

(Either one is cool! Whichever you follow the most or feel is more relevant. In this case the difference will be that if you ask me about fandom in this blog I’ll answer with Les Miz stuff and if you had asked my main I’d had answered with Cats stuff.)

8. Do you prefer happy, bittersweet, or sad endings?

Normally either happy or bittersweet. Sad endings have to be well-deserved, I don’t like being sad.

... What the hell am I doing in this fandom??

14.  Name a fandom/ship/character that you love that others would send you hate mail for liking

Hmmm, this one is hard... I feel being into Cats can get me some weird looks? Also, I am very protective of Mary Morstan from Sherlock. She was a cool character before she got fridged and she didn’t deserve the shit she got just because people wanted John and Sherlock to get together.

I do have a few Les Miz headcanons I love that I think could get me hatemail, though. The big one is obviously “Enjolras is romance-repulsed aromantic and finds Grantaire creepy and annoying”, but I also have a really big soft spot for white, blond, rich Enjolras who is privileged in almost every way but chooses to care for other people’s problems, and also for gender-non-conforming cis Jehan who is very done with people assuming he’s non-binary just because he likes poetry and flowers and has long hair.

20. Name a song that reminds you heavily of a specific fandom or character 

Oooooh boy, do I have a lot of these!! I’ve been talking to @my-life-as-a-reader for a good hour today just about what songs remind us of what Amis... so they’re going to be a lot and in Spanish, sorry in advance!

For Grantaire, you have “Las Ruinas”, by Silvio Rodríguez (a love song full of Ancient Greek references) and a fuckton of Joaquín Sabina. In particular, we can see Bossuet or Éponine singing “Conductores Suicidas” to him (a song about being worried for a friend and fellow partier who has gone too far down the addiction hole), and Grantaire singing “El Muro de Berlín” to Enjolras to rile him up (a song about how old activists have become bourgeois).

For Enjolras, the song I quoted for my aro!Enjolras fic, “Créeme” by Vicente Feliú (a song about not having time for love because you are too busy with the Revolution), and also “El Necio” by Silvio Rodríguez (a song about staying true to your ideals even if it kills you).

For Bahorel, “CRS” by Les Wriggles and “Romero el Madero” by Ska-P (both songs are about answering to police brutality with violence).

I could continue, a lot, but let’s stop there. Someone else has also asked me that question, and I don’t want to overwhelm you! ;)

[collaborationandresearchproposal]

Thursday 29th April, Research Report: Lycanthropy and the hays code

Notable points * lycanthropy seems  to be synonymous with homosexuality- parallels between Teen Wolf and Buffy The Vampire Slayer's respective coming out scenes. * The Queer-ness of the character Remus Lupin from the Harry Potter books and film series. Many fans head cannon and write slash fics about Remus and Sirius' romance and relationship, reading the characters as queer. The ship, named 'Wolf Star' is quite popular and well known within the fandom. Many fans feel there is enough evidence to build this relationship on; Remus and Sirius' ghosts stood next to each other in the resurrection stone, mirroring Harry's parents,  a canonically married couple. They also bought Harry a joint present for his birthday and know the intricacies of each others personalities. Dumbledore also infamously told Sirius to 'lie low at Lupins.' But the problem here, as the article points out, is that Rowling doesn't acknowledge Lupin as queer, despite the homoerotic cues in the writings,  and instead gives him a female love interest and admits that Lupins Lycantrhopy is a metaphor for AIDS/HIV. She has further dismissed any alternative readings of the character, disappointing fans' hopes of there being a shred of representation in a queer monster who is actually queer. This sort of behaviour from authors and creators is what turns Queer-coding into the more harmful and frustrating Queer-baiting. A large majority of queer representation comes from connotations and interpretations. the clues are there and queer audiences do pick them up. However this grey area allows allows straight culture to use queerness for pleasure and profit in mass culture without admitting to it. Modern examples of this are CW's Supernatural and BBC's Sherlock. I can't personally speak for Supernatural but having watched Sherlock with the advantage of a queer eye, I can say with confidence that it is a prime example of queer-baiting. there is clear homoerotic subtext between Sherlock and John and even Sherlock and Moriarty. I Personally think it's entirely romantic as I head cannon Sherlock to be Asexual or at least on that spectrum but the point is, it is not just wishful thinking or pushing of a narrative. It's manipulation. Queer-baiting takes advantage of an already vulnerable group of people by preying on their desire for representation in the media.

In modern media werewolf's are often portrayed as having chiselled bodies and looming over each other. The 1985 Teen Wolf received a television reboot and it's fair to say it got reasonably more progressive.  It seemed interested in queering the werewolf narrative and in a sly moment of gender-bending the traditional Little Red Riding Hood narrative, protagonist Scott receives the Bite from a male werewolf while wearing a Little Red Hoodie (‘Wolf Moon’). Additionally, the show features LGBTQ characters while Scott’s human best friend Stiles visits a gay bar and makes friends with a group of drag queens in startling contrast to the gay panic of the 1985 film’s version of Stiles. By midway through the show’s second season, the slash pairing that had proved dominant in the fandom was Stiles and wannabe-Alpha Derek Hale. The two characters, who operate in the narrative as belligerent and begrudging allies, rapidly became a slash phenomenon, due, in part, to the chemistry and comic timing between actors Tyler Hoechlin and Dylan O’Brien. The narrative is further subverted when Derek is raped by an adult  human woman.

The pair 'Sterek' gained so much traction that it caught the attention of MTV and the cast and crew behind the show. So much so that they released a video of Hoechlin and O'Brien cuddling on a boat, asking fans to vote for Teen Wolf for this  years Choice Summer TV Show at the Teen Choice Awards. This  was big as it acknowledged fans and slash flics and the pairing itself as a possibility and many queer voices who watched the show felt heard and validated. However this didn't last long. MTV released a video on the official Teen Wolf Facebook, this time featuring O’Brien asking fans to vote for Teen Wolf in a TV Guide Poll. O’Brien joked that if fans did not vote, then the show would kill off its sole remaining gay character and one of the few remaining non-white characters on the show, Danny. The Teen Wolf Facebook released the video with the following caption: ‘Keep #TeenWolf in first place! Heed Dylan and Linden’s advice or we might have to. #KillDanny’ (Teen Wolf). The show’s social media team then attempted to make the #KillDanny tag go viral on Facebook and twitter, but fans, understandably, were not amused, primarily using the tag for outraged tweets to MTV (Baker-Whitelaw).Such blatant disregard for fans’ concerns about queer representation on the show alienated a large number of fans, especially when coupled with Jeff Davis’ more frequently dismissive and condescending comments about the Sterek pairing where he had been enthusiastic and even encouraging of the ship. As seasons wore on without any indication that Sterek would indeed become canon, it became clear that MTV and Jeff Davis had been queer-baiting Sterek fans as a marketing technique and that the unique interplay that fans had enjoyed with Davis, which offered a new kind of truly interactive fandom had, in fact, been something of an illusion. ' serial killer Hannibal Lecter and his love interest Will Graham in Hannibal, and reanimated gay corpses Kieren, Simon, and Rick in In the Flesh. Notably, both series have received an overwhelmingly positive response from fans and critics who have applauded the series for taking their queer monsters beyond mere coding and into explicit text. The warm reception of Hannibal and In the Flesh’s handling of queer representation by fans, and the continuing frustration with Teen Wolf’s queer-baiting and the appropriative nature of Remus Lupin’s narrative in Harry Potter, belie a desire not only for better queer representation, but also for more complex re-articulations of queer monstrosity' the symbolic and narrative trappings of monsters are often used as metaphors for queerness without actually acknowledging the positive behind that queer identity or even confirming the queer identity at all. Another positive example is the miniseries Good Omens. Based on the book of the same name, written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Pretty much the whole fandom believe That the two leads, Crowley and Aziraphale are in a romantic relationship. They've known each other for centuries and perhaps what was the main fuel to this ships fire was the episode 3 cold open. Even fans who have only read the book seem to support these two as a couple and what's perhaps even more amazing is Gaiman’s response on twitter. "I wrote it as a love story. They acted it as a love story. You saw it as a love story. How much more proof do you need?" and "I wouldn't exclude the ideas that they are ace, or aromantic, or trans. They are an angel and a demon, not as make humans, per the book. Occult/Ethereal beings don't have sexes, something we tried to reflect in the casting. Whatever Crowley and Aziraphale are, it's a love story." It's beautiful because not only does it confirm that they are in love but it also leaves room for interpretations of what kind of relationship they have together.

https://dialogues.rutgers.edu/images/Journals_PDF/2017-18-dialogues-web_e6db3.pdf#page=164

In the year 1922, when cinema was gaining traction and popularity, The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association (MPPDA) hired a devout Presbyterian, Will H. Hays as its head. Eight years later, in 1930, the MPPDA ratified the Motion Picture Production Code. Also known as the Hays Code, these guidelines were set up as “a list of rules that studios could follow to avoid the censors’ wrath” one specific line read “sexual perversion or any inference to it is forbidden” This era in censorship set the stage for a culture in which the stereotypical behaviour of homosexuals, or any behaviour deviating from the traditional gender roles, is seen as dangerous, evil, and even fatal. By representing coded homosexual characters as depressed, perverse, and succumbing to punishing ends, it shifted social subconscious beliefs of LGBT individuals in real life to those represented on screen. Media often teaches us how to feel about others and ourselves – e.g., it promotes specific body types and clothing styles. In the same way, by promoting gendered behaviour and banning homosexuality, it spread a message that homosexuality was not fit to be viewed openly. Although themes of homosexuality were banned they were definitely alluded to and that continues today.