#pj-gingernuts

[ivyblossom]

I would like to engage in a real discussion about s4. I found the suspension of disbelief demands too high in TFP. Secret crazy psychopath sister locked away since early childhood, convenient piracy of randomness boat in time for secret sister's murder maze, the Murder Maze, magic teleportation to Musgrave with John chained in well, silly graves conveniently solve song puzzle... oh and I forgot about the prank at Mycrofts house. Actually that was sort of believable from Sherlock. But thoughts?

I’m not sure any of these things on their own require any more suspension of disbelief than other plot points in this series, to be honest with you. But I think I know what you mean. 

You’ve raised a lot of issues, but let’s talk about the problem of Eurus.

Secret crazy psychopath sister locked away since early childhood doesn’t really require that much more suspension of disbelief than we’ve already been primed for, and that may be the problem. We know there’s a third Holmes sibling who Sherlock never mentions and the Holmes parents don’t invite to Christmas. It isn’t actually that far out of the realm of possibility that she’s the smartest of them all. 

They give us an explanation for why she’s locked away: she kidnapped and killed a child, burned the house down, and was threatening to kill Sherlock. She was institutionalized as part of treatment and to protect others, something that happens when a child is uncontrollably violent. I don’t think that’s too far out of the realm of believability.

Her superskill of controlling the people around her i actually like, as it’s a call out to Arthur Conan Doyle’s belief in mesmerism. It could have been more subtle, but it was wrapped up in an action-adventure film, so I think it comes off more heavy-handed than it could have.

The existence of Eurus answers a lot of big questions about Sherlock himself. We’ve been asking all along why Sherlock is determined to see himself as a sociopath when it’s clear he isn’t one: well, now we know why! It also answers the question about why Sherlock turns to drugs, and why he’s so driven to solve puzzles, particularly crimes. He’s reliving that key moment where solving a puzzle would have saved the life of someone he loved, and if he’s not busily doing that, the inside of his head is a fresh hell.

I think the essential problem with Eurus isn’t so much Eurus herself, but the fact that “extra-smart people exist and are terrifying” is the go-to trope for this show. We’ve got Sherlock, who is dazzlingly smart, and we’ve got Mycroft, who is extra-dazzlingly-smart. Then we get Jefferson Hope. Moriarty. Irene Adler. Mrs Holmes. Magnussen. Mary Morstan. Culverton Smith. Even, possibly, Mrs Hudson. And finally, Eurus. There’s just too many of them. 

This problem is, I think, a sign of limited planning and probably insufficient brainstorming. When you don’t plan to generate enough ideas to choose between, you tend to reach for the same solution to a plot problem over and over again because it’s sounds so great every time. Moriarty is a threat to Sherlock because…he’s smart in the same way Sherlock is. (So creepy!) Irene Adler is a threat to Sherlock because…she’s smart in the same way Sherlock is. (Forcing him to re-evaluate himself!) Magnussen is smart enough to keep a mind palace full of undocumented facts, just like Sherlock does! Culverton Smith is so smart he can be a serial killer hiding in plain sight, acting one way but secretly being something else (just like Sherlock!). Mary is sweet and nice, and you think she’s going to be a normal person in the mix, but she’s actually super-smart and dangerous, just like Sherlock! Individually these are great story decisions, but taken all together, the repetition of the theme undercuts them all, and fundamentally undercuts the final antagonist.

Eurus is one of the few characters who actually needs to be super-smart in the same way Sherlock and Mycroft are, but uncontrollably more. She is the Ur-smart person, the one Sherlock is both emulating and fighting against his whole life. But her existence is diluted and made to seem redundant because of all the other super-smart villains running around who faintly resemble her. They wouldn’t have had to make her quite so extra if Sherlock-like villains hadn’t been a dime a dozen already.

[notagarroter]

Nota, I have enjoyed your blog for a long time and respect your opinion, especially as a multi-shipper and respecter of many other opinions. What do you think Sherlock might have texted to Irene? I loved all of TLD but that one line. Sherlock casually texting someone? I struggle to think of what we are to suppose he writes to her since she can't pick up milk for the flat or meet him to get missile plans. Was Moffat off the rails here or is my imagination limited?

This is a delightful question, thank you!

I’ve thought about this quite a bit since TLD aired, and I haven’t come to any conclusiveheadcanon.  I don’t think I want to!  I don’t want a definitive answer,because it’s more fun to play around with the possibilities. 

But let’s look at what we know.

Whatever it was, I think we can be certain it wasn’t“casual”. Irene Adler is not someone one texts casually.  Did Sherlock occasionally try to make it*look* casual?  Haha, maybe.  I can just about see him spending 20 minutestrying to compose the perfect “off the cuff” text to her, one thatwill betray nothing of his feelings, one carefully calibrated to convey theimpression that he really couldn’t give a toss about her.  Isn’t that what everyone does?

Though maybe it’s hard to maintain an air of studied indifference onceyou’ve flown to Karachi to save someone’s life. ;)

Of course, maybe there’s nothing more to it than what we already know.  Sherlock says, “Even I text. Her, I mean, TheWoman.” But we knew this:

It’s possible that’s all he meant! Literally one text, telling her Happy New Year five years ago. In which case, what did it mean?  Looked at one way, it’s about as impersonal as you canget.  Anyone on earth could reasonablytext “Happy New Year” to anyone else and not mean anything inparticular by it except “It’s January 1st”

And yet…  The context is thatshe has sent him 57 texts that he has ignored, then convinced him she wasdead.  And then showed up again,texting him "I’m not dead, let’s havedinner.”

How does he respond to that?  Hecould have been angry, or dismissive, or hurt, or impressed.  But what he says is, “Happy NewYear.”  What’s that mean?  I imagine Irene tied herself in knots tryingto figure it out.  My best guess is itmeans: “I’m glad you’re alive.  I’mnot angry, but I don’t trust you, so I’mbeing extremely cautious and have no intention of revealing anything more ofmyself than I have to.  But consider thisan invitation to continue texting me.”

Frankly I think Sherlock was probably thrilled that New Year’s gave himan excuse to text her without having to come up with anything personal tosay.  Have you ever tried to text someoneyou’re sort of interested in but don’t know well?  It’s excruciating!  I’m sure many of us have defaulted toconventional scripts like “Happy New Year” that allow us to say“I’m thinking of you, and want you to be thinking of me,” but withoutactually *saying* any of that. 

So maybe that’s it.

But Sherlock does say in TLD, “you know, sometimes.” Plural.  So let’s assume there’s more than just thatone text.  What might these texts say?

Given that Irene is texting him on his birthday, I kind of like theidea that they have kept up this awkward, excessively formal and impersonalmode of texting-only-on-holidays-and-special-occasions because they’re both tooterrified to express any actual emotion without a buffer of plausibledeniability.  I can imagine that at somepoint in the past five years, Sherlock texted Irene on her birthday, and she wonderedhow he knew (I mean, she’s probably changed identities three times, so it mightnot be an easy thing to uncover.).  Ofcourse, he was showing off his detective skills, so she had to respond bymeeting his challenge and figuring out when hisbirthday was.  Maybe that’s the gamethey’re playing?  That could be fun.

But to me, the most intriguing part of Sherlock’s admission is that hesays, “Badidea; try not to."  Whyexactly is it a bad idea?  Why does hetry not to? 

I’ve sent a few "bad idea” texts myself, over the years, so Ithink I can conjure up some possibilities. ;)

– maybe it encourages her to text him more often, which distracts him fromhis work.

– maybe they’re sexting, which is enjoyable at the time but alwayskind of embarrassing in the light of day (especially if Sherlock is really badat it).  

– maybe he feeds her clues from cases and asks her opinion (since shelikes detective stories).  Maybe sheresponds to these overtures in a more frankly sexual way than he is comfortablewith, leading to blushing at crime scenes, etc.

– maybe texting her makes her expect more out of him than he’sprepared to give, and he then has to spend five months blowing her off so shedoesn’t think they’re “dating” or anything so commonplace.

– maybe his texting back freaks her out because she doesn’t wantanything more than a light flirtation, and he gets hurt when she backsoff.  

– I can totally imagine Irene as the kind of person who doesn’trespond to a text for months and months, until the sender has gone fromintrigued to annoyed to frantic to humiliated to despairing to blocking thenumber (just let her *try* to text me), then surreptitiously unblocking it(because that was juvenile, I’m bigger than that), to finally deciding she’snever going to text again and he doesn’t even care because it’s not like heliked her anyway.  And that’s the momentwhen she texts back and starts the whole cycle over again.  Talk about a power play!  I can imagine Sherlock would *really* hatethat, but not be able to resist it either.

– maybe Sherlock asks about work and she describes what she’s doing toher clients and that’s both interesting and alarming.  And distracting.

– maybe he occasionally asks for advice on personal matters (like, how can I suggest to my friend and his wife that I’d be up for a threesome?), and she responds with what might be good advice, but he’ll never know because he never takes it.

– maybe no matter what he texts, sheinvariably responds that he’s been a bad boy and could use a good thrashing,and he’s…  not at all sure if he shouldtake her up on that.  

– maybe they text each other the same kind of banal, idly flirtatiouschatter that we saw John exchange with Eurus, and it all simply drives him madwith frustration.

– maybe they reminisce about Moriarty, and what he meant to them both, and that dredges up uncomfortable feelings he’d rather not examine too closely.

– maybe they exchange n00ds.

– maybe they discuss philosophy and literature but it always devolvesinto an argument over some minor theoretical point, and neither of them is precisely surewhat the hell they’re fighting about but it gets vicious really quickly becausethey’re both hate backing down. (that one might be borrowed pretty directlyfrom my life, oops.)

– maybe he sent her a dick pic and she rated it against all herclients and well if that wasn’t humiliating! He will definitely not try that again.

Hmmmm I think that’s all I’ve got. Anyone else got any ideas?  

[lunadax]

pj-gingernuts replied to your post “I’m currently reading the Patrick Melrose novels. I just finished the...”

And how are you enjoying the Melrose series?

I read Never Mind this morning (a two hour affair, they’re not really long.) and will maybe start the second one tonight. 

I thought all these people are so, so far away from my reality, it’s almost like reading science fiction about the habits of an alien race. Somehow I was able to feel a tiny wee bit of pity for them: being so rich yet SO miserable...but I’m afraid that this will be the extent of my positive feelings for them (apart from poor little Patrick, of course. I’m sad that we can already see the snobbery that his education instilled in him so early in life, and the anger that the abuse will undoubtedly exacerbate)

The writing is just perfect. St Aubyn is able to describe this whole society of quite horrible people in a very precise, clear prose that is quite funny at times. The “funny” I mean is almost always sardonic, or even savage, in a way.  

I feel i’ll be able to find this more in the next one, where Patrick is 22 and most probably inherited his father’s repartie...  

[teaandforeshadowing]

pj-gingernuts replied to your chat “ben c: love wins literally every character: still single”

Love does come in non Romantic

While that is true, they still chose to tease several different romantic relationships, and not give any of them a satisfying resolution. I made several other posts at the same time I made that one detailing my frustrations about the issue.

The issue that most people have with Ben saying “Love Wins” is that it’s become something of a slogan among the same-sex marriage and LGBT+ right movements. That phrase has a certain romantic (and queer) connotation. For him to use it to describe the frankly undeserved “brotherly love” that Sherlock uses to save Eurus is a bit out of place.

EDIT: The phrase he used was actually “Love conquers all” (curse my memory), but the point still stands that that phrase isn’t usually used in contexts that aren’t romantic.

[destinationtoast]

Replies, some long overdue.  Many in all caps, as it turns out.

@pj-gingernuts@

replied to your photoset “TOASTYSTATS: Sherlock fanworks on AO3, S1-S4  Date of post: February...”

I really enjoy these comparisons. I have only begun to reap the rewards of fan fiction post-S4, as I am desperate for MORE Sherlock and there is no guarantee of future series. Fascinating to see how A03 has trended over time. Thanks.

Thank you!!  I missed this reply at first, but really appreciate the feedback.  And may all of (y)our fanfic and canon desires be fulfilled!  <3

redbuttonhole replied to your photoset “TOASTYSTATS: Top fandoms on AO3 As of February 26, 2017 I’m doing some...”

obviously the "top" fandom is the one that penetrates the "bottom" fandom during anal sex. ;)

AHAHAHA, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. XD

@teaforlupin replied to your photo “kedgeree11: devilduck: “I always like toast in a crisis” –James...”

Those are the best goddamn toasters I've ever seen

AREN’T THEY, THO 

@anonsally replied to your photo “Brave Bennet bravely kneading the soft blanket, between my knee and my...”

Look at brAVE LITTLE BENNET ACTING ALL TAME AND CUTE AND FUUUUUZZZZZZZZYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

i knOOOOOOWWWWWW  ASDFL;KAJSDF;LADFSFSAL;KJFASD;

@recentlyfolded replied to your post “Someone just bluetooth paired with my TV speakers, changed the volume,...”

Ooh, ugh. Thanks for reminding me why I like hard-wired things. The IOT isn't all it's cracked up to be; sometimes it seems it's just cracked.

Ugh, yeah. I still haven’t figiured out what happened or how to definitively turn off access to the damn things.  At least bluetooth has a very short range...  Thanks also for the sympathy, @anonsally @goblinhorde @mugenmine !

@anonsally replied to your post “Bennet sometimes meows, seemingly unhappily, when looking in the...”

awww. Poor Bennet. Mirrors are very confusing.

They are!  Especially when there are multiple of them at angles to one another, as in my bathroom.  Though she also gets confused by empty corners in ways I don’t understand...

@shinythedragon replied to your post “Bennet sometimes meows, seemingly unhappily, when looking in the...”

Perhaps she sees something we do not. Perhaps rename her Alice? :P

Hee!  New nickname!!

@tiltedsyllogism replied to your post “Meme!”

aaaaaa I love girlyman

ZOMG LET ME HUG YOU <3  I think I’ve seen them in concert more than any other musical act, and I’m very sad that the opportunity has passed.

[abovethethroat]

pj-gingernuts reblogged your photoset and added:

Ew. Never noticed his hand’s reaction to the...

that little hand thingy is so precious?? what tHE HECK

[papa-rhys]

Hi, i saw the other day you get stomach problems. For a week ive had bad stomach and intestine cramps and the doctor put me on an acid blocking tablet. But its made me feel worse, ive not felt like eating at all since last thursday, i just want to sleep all the time and i ache all over, do you have any advice?

It honestly depends on what your doctor thinks you have. I was diagnosed with chronic gastritis a year and a half ago. Basically, I have open sores in my stomach because the lining of my stomach has eroded away. Because I don’t know what you have (and because I’m not a professional) my advice might be kinda limited, but here we go!:

Eat bland food. No spicy stuff, no acidic stuff (meaning no citrus fruits, no tomato products, etc. if in doubt, google the pH of the food you want to eat), no fatty foods and limited amounts of dairy. Also avoid caffiene and fizzy drinks. All of those things increase stomach acid with isn’t what you (or your doctor) want right now. Literally all I eat every day is crumpets and a portion of rice noodles. I can’t really tell you to just eat that because it really isn’t healthy (and I have so many deficiencies because my body is literally starving) but the point is to eat plain stuff. Stuff that isn’t gonna aggravate your stomach and is easy to digest. Veggies should be cooked well because raw veggies are tough to digest. I recommend adding sesame seeds, almonds, cashews, and chia seeds to your diet; all in fairly small portions due to them being quite fatty (though they’re good fats). They’re packed full of good stuff that your body needs, so its a good idea to have them in your diet so that you’re getting at least some nutrition. Other than that, it’s all about trial and error, unfortunately. Some things are okay for some people and terrible for others. You just gotta try stuff to see if your stomach can handle them. If you feel you need help with knowing how to get healthy stuff into your diet, then ask your doctor about seeing a nutritionist.

Try to eat something. An empty stomach is even worse than eating. It often makes stomach pain worse and being hungry is generally just bad for your entire body. It may be why you’re feeling tired and achy. Just try a couple of bites of a plain cracker at first and if it goes down okay, then have a few more bites. Take it slow, there’s no rush.

If the acid blocking pill is making you feel worse, then my first advice would be to go back to your doctor and ask to try another one, but if that isn’t an option at the moment, then try rennies, tums, or gaviscon. These should give you fast relief from the pain (depending on what’s wrong with your stomach) but be careful not to use too many because you may get a rebound effect that causes more acid to be produced.

For the aching, I suggest taking a bath with Epsom Salts in it. You can find Epsom Salts in the bath/toiletry section of pretty much any supermarket. Failing that, they should have them in your local pharmacy. Epsom Salts are amazing for healing and they’re also amazing for relaxing muscles and getting rid of aches and pains. Just put 2-4 cups of the salts into a warm/hot bath and soak in it for 20-40 minutes. You could also put a few drops of any citrus fruit essential oil into the bath, too (I use grapefruit oil) and that should wake you up a little bit and help fight the tiredness and urge to sleep.

AVOID NSAID PAINKILLERS. I cannot stress this enough. Stuff like ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin is SO bad for your stomach. Taking that type of painkiller is actually what eroded my stomach in the first place. Please, please, please stay away from them. If you need to use painkillers, use paracetamol (or even cocodamol if the pain is particularly bad) instead.

Try a hot water bottle on the stomach. Hot water bottles are magical. Heating pads may be more convenient for you, and that’s fine. Just get some heat on the stomach and it should help with the pain. Even if it doesn’t, it’s still comforting to have one. If you’re struggling with the hot weather, then try having a fan pointed at you while you have the hot water bottle/heating pad so you don’t overheat!

Try ginger capsules. Ginger is good for just about any health problem. Among other things, it helps with sore muscles and joint pain. It also helps settle the stomach. You can get them from any health food store, but I really recommend getting them from amazon instead because they’re cheaper there. I use Swanson ginger root capsules at 540mg and I swear by them for my tummy troubles (and also for mentrual cramps and headaches). If you prefer not to take pills, then you can also take ginger through food (gingernut biscuits are good, though not too many as they’re high in fat) or mix some into hot water to make a soothing tea.

If nausea is a problem, then try sniffing some peppermint oil or wearing a pair of Sea Bands. Ginger is also amazing for nausea.

Try yoga. I know many of us think yoga can sometimes be kinda pretentious (I was/still am one of those people) but yoga is actually super benefitial for a lot of things. You need exercise, even when you’re not feeling great, but it can be pretty difficult to even think about jogging or doing pushups when you feel crappy. Yoga is super easy and isn’t too taxing. I started yoga for my mental health, but I also find it helpful for my physical health, too. You don’t need a fancy mat or gym wear, and you can do it in your pjs in your bedroom if that’s where you feel most comfortable! Just google some simple poses to get you started and away you go! It just helps to stretch out those achy limbs and it feels good to have done something productive afterwards! Don’t push yourself; take it easy. If a certain position hurts, then stop doing it and try an easier one. Ease yourself into it and it’ll benefit you a lot!

That about covers it, I think. I’m sorry you’re not feeling well; hopefully some of these things help! I recommend keeping in touch with your doctor regularly. I know that may sound obvious, but a lot of people don’t go back to their doctors often enough. Hope you feel better soon!

[mama-orion]

Now Complete!

Sacre Coeur

Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Rated M 92,930 words - complete Sherlock must help John unravel drugged dreams, blocked memories, and offers him an outpouring of truth to make him understand just how long he’s been fighting for his heart... even if he fears the truth will drive him away. We divert from the series after Sherlock is shot in s3. Mary is a strong villain. Euros is a passing whim in a drugged dream. Sherrinford is a charming rogue of a chemist brother from Sherlock’s past. Moriarty is more than just a man. Action, mystery, romance, takeaway. While the journey is tense, I write happy endings and lots of banter. Love ignites and the boys quickly come together to face their demons as one. We follow them into parenthood and leave them whole and healed.

Read Sacre Coeur on AO3

If you like what you read, please consider reblogging. I’d love for Sacre Coeur to reach more of this excellent fandom. (I’ve truly never had so much fun writing, and I’m not slowing down now!)

To my readers who endured this as a WIP for 8 months!! I am so grateful for your kind words along the way. To my tumblr pals, look!!!  I made a thing!!! To a few of my fic heroes I’m audaciously tagging – even if you never read this, please know that your excellent long-form stories gave me the courage to take on this project. yeaaaaa johnlock!!!

Tags, sort of: Fixit-fic, Caretaker Sherlock, Bamf John who also cries, Memory loss, New history, Flashbacks, Angsty with islands of fluff, Happy ending, Evil Mary, TD12, Secret organizations, Mind Palace, Coming out, Hospital confession, Resolved romance, First kiss, First time, Developing relationship, Lots of healing crying, And cuddling, Protective Mycroft, Flashback teenager Sherlock, Brother Sherrinford, Chemist Sherlock, Implied character death, Resolved stag night flirting, Marriage proposal, Alternative wedding, Drunken shenanigans, Birth of daughter, Sussex cottage, bee keeping

@ineedhugz @sherlockisnolongeravailable @brilliantorinsane @pinkrose423​ @shiplocks-of-love​ @pj-gingernuts​ @e--q​ @girlofgeekery​ @shirleycarlton​ @jazzthecat00​ @may-shepard​ @septemberlight13​ @tali-zora​ @librarylock​ @khorazir​ @alexxphoenix42​ @chriscalledmesweetie​ @angel-without-wings-sew​ @bbcbluebell​ @coloringthegreyscale​ @thespiritualmultinerd​ @deducingbbcsherlock​ @inevitably-johnlocked​ @quirkycinnamon​ @desolationofsmaug​ @sherlockchallenge​

[pj-gingernuts]

I was tagged by @librarylock​ by nature of having commented on her fabulous fic, The Pieces that Fall to Earth, which made me a parent!lock lover and believer in johnlock smut. Thank you?

Name: pj-gingernuts (formerly pj_garvin)

Nicknames: No one’s reading my blog. I don’t have any.

Zodiac sign: Capricorn

Hogwarts House: Eesh. Griffandor?

Height: 5′4″

Orientation: In the Bi spectrum. And married to a man.

Ethnicity: Mostly Eastern European with some German and English.

Favourite Fruit: Fall apples and Winter grapefruits.

Favourite Season: Fall 

Favourite Book Series: Ashamed to say I haven’t read many series. I usually read stand-alone novels. Harry Potter?

Favorite Fictional Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Ellie Arroway, Stella Gibson, I recently saw National Velvet again and fell back in love with Violet Brown

A Fictional Character I’d like as a sibling: John Watson, because I would like to know more about him.

Favorite Flower: Wild violets. 

Favorite Scent: Grapefruit and Eucalyptus. Not necessarily together.

Favorite Color: Today? Sky blue.

Favorite Animal: Great blue heron. They look mythical.

Favorite Artist/Band: Rufus Wainwright and I really loved D’Angelo’s latest album

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Cocoa: Mood dependent. Today it was tea.

Average Sleep Hours: 8:15

Number of Blankets You Sleep With: Sheet, down comforter and a wool blanket, too, in January.

Dream Trip: Rural China. Or old castles and cathedrals in Europe. Or just England. Basically anywhere where the customs or architecture is OLD.

Last Thing Googled: How to spell Wainwright

Blog Created: After Sherlock S3 I created this Tumblr so I could keep track of all the stuff I was finding. Now I also follow miniatures artists. Because I love things that are the wrong size.

How many Blogs do I follow: 40 or so.

Number of Followers: Around 40. Seriously. I don’t know why anyone follows me. I create almost NO original content. I just like stuff.

What do I usually post about: Reposting other people’s Sherlock meta or commenting on other people’s posts.

Do you get asks regularly: Only once. 

What’s your aesthetic: Jeans with a belt, short boots, white blouse over a tank top, earrings and a bracelet. There.

[amydanzigerross]

Survey

Tagged by @notesoflore.  I haven’t done this one in a while, some of my answers have probably changed.

Name: amy danziger ross

Nicknames: donut

Zodiac sign: Cancer

Hogwarts House: I used to say Hufflepuff, lately I lean more Slytherpuff.

Height: 5′2″ ish

Orientation: North-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.

Ethnicity: mmm that info is released on a need-to-know basis

Favourite Fruit: Quentin Crisp (oh dear that actually sounds like a type of apple, doesn’t it?)

Favourite Season: Autumn.  And Winter.

Favourite Book Series: I don’t read series very often... Nancy Drew?

Favorite Fictional Characters: Currently Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde.  :)  But Dracula is also high on the list.

A Fictional Character I’d like as a sibling: Hmm, good question!  Let’s say Hamlet.  Then when he dies, I can be King of Denmark.

Favorite Flower: I can only reliably name maybe five flowers, so let’s say daisy. 

Favorite Scent: Fields of rosemary and lavender.

Favorite Color: Orange.

Favorite Animal: Bears

Favorite Artist/Band: Talking Heads or Magnetic Fields?

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Cocoa: Oh, it depends on the setting...

Average Sleep Hours: all of them

Number of Blankets You Sleep With: only one because my apartment is TOO DAMN HOT

Dream Trip: I hear DMT is interesting.

Last Thing Googled: pompidou red rhino

Blog Created : a few months ago

How many Blogs do I follow: 60ish?

Number of Followers: I prefer not to say

What do I usually post about: on this blog, writing-related stuff, books, victoriana, and anything else that intrigues me.  and bears.

Do you get asks regularly: Not much.

What’s your aesthetic: Edmund Burke’s notion of the sublime: "The passion caused by the great and sublime in nature . . . is Astonishment; and astonishment is that state of the soul, in which all its motions are suspended, with some degree of horror. In this case the mind is so entirely filled with its object, that it cannot entertain any other."

tagging @pj-gingernuts :)

[ivyblossom]

Curious - how did you feel at the closing of TST? Did you take it at face value? I did not because the odd pacing and inconsistencies were so loud to me that, in addition to melodrama at Mary's death, I thought we were supposed to feel off kilter. I was convinced by theories of Unreliable Narrator or John's Alibi, etc. What were you thoughts about the construction and execution of TST? Have they changed since the series ended?

I did take it at face value, yeah. I agree that Mary’s death was clumsily accomplished, but I think it’s meant to show an emotional story rather than a clinical one. 

When the bullet is fired, we have two internal stories to follow: Sherlock’s and Mary’s. Both of these stories have to be shown without dialogue, because once we’re into the seconds before and after a trigger is pulled, there’s no time for talking.

For Sherlock, this moment feels very slow. As much as Mary has an appointment in Samarra, Sherlock himself has had one for much, much longer, and he knows it. He’s felt marked for death ever since his sister threatened to kill him as a child, and has been dangling himself in front of life-threatening danger ever since, even without knowing why. He pushes Mrs Norbury too far, and as that gun is fired he’s certain this is finally it. Take a deep breath, Sherlock, it’s showtime. 

So the story shows some slow, slow beats as Sherlock realizes what’s about to happen, sees that there’s nothing he can do about it, understands that he’s about to die, finally, this is how it was always meant to end, and takes a deep breath. He recognizes it and accepts it. This is his fate, and he’s meeting it. And it’s all happening underwater, which must feel especially apt to him. But of course given the speed of a bullet, Sherlock can’t have all those thoughts after the gun is fired. So it’s in the moments between knowing it’s about to happen and it happening.

Simultaneously for Mary, it’s a very fast moment. She sees that Sherlock is about to take a bullet again. She’s tries to be a good guy, but her instincts keep taking her in the wrong direction. She hurts the people she loves instead of protecting them. This time she’s bound and determined to do the right thing: put yourself in the way, take that bullet. You owe him one. Not really a terrific idea, but there’s no time for more thought, no time to consider how terrible this is about to be or what the right thing to do really is. She jumps.

Can you do that? See a bullet fired and decide to get in the way of it? Can you take a deep breath and prepare yourself for a bullet that’s just been fired? No. So technically both of these things had to happen just before and as the gun is fired. 

As with many other scenes in Sherlock, it’s a depiction of what this moment felt like more than what it actually was. A bullet is fired. Sherlock has time to take a breath, and Mary has time to jump.

Is it melodramatic? I suppose so. 

I agree that we’re meant to feel off-kilter after that, but I think more so because John is so irrationally angry at Sherlock. Sherlock is in pain as well, but now he has to endure the ultimate rejection of the most important person in his life exactly when he wants to be there for him. He’s devastated and at a loss, and I think we’re meant to feel that. Mary made a decision, and since she isn’t there to be angry with, John will be angry with Sherlock. It’s unfair, but John is utterly broken, and broken people often lash out sideways.

So no: I don’t find myself looking for an explanation for any of this. I, like Sherlock, take a deep breath and accept my fannish fate.

[notagarroter]

pj-gingernuts replied to your post “Nota, I have enjoyed your blog for a long time and respect your...”

I forgot about "Happy New Year". I am going to run with the idea that he texts her puzzles from his cases as a salute to her intellect. She's gay and wasn"just playing the game". He might be gay but at least women are not "his area". I just can't imagine Sherlock in a romantic relationship with a woman. I can only imagine him being interested inJohn, but even

You’re of course free to your own headcanons and ships.  I’m sorry if my answer was not what you were seeking, but I’m afraid that if you wanted someone to reassure you that Johnlock is the Only True Ship, you were very much barking up the wrong tree.

I have to admit I’m a bit baffled that anyone could follow me and be unaware of my status as a proud and flagrant multishipper.  I ship Sherlock with anyone and everyone, and I’ve never been shy about that. 

But in case anyone out there is still confused, please see my Multishipping Manifesto. 

ETA: looking back at the original ask, I see that you did know I was a multishipper.  So I suppose you must not be surprised at my answer?

[teaandforeshadowing]

warmth-and-constancy replied to your post “pj-gingernuts replied to your chat “ben c: love wins literally every...”

Not to be That Person, but wasn't his quote "love conquers all"? That saying predates the "Love Wins" slogan and is not explicitly connected to the LGBT community. But it still makes it odd that no one ends up "in love"!

Oops, yeah you’re right! The sentiment of the post still stands, of course, especially with that “I love you” trailer that ended up leading nowhere...

[asherlockstudy]

@pj-gingernuts replied to your post “@moonlightlock replied to your post “A new rant” ...”

Kind of like the cop-out Fall explanation. How did he REALLY do it? Or the ambiguous "I love you" in TFP. Was that a realization of platonic love or romantic love? Or just a good fakeout? What's up with that "establishing" shot panning into 221b  after The TLD Hug? Did they get it on? No. But the camera is acting like they did. What was Sherlock going to say on the tarmac? Was he going to tell John something deep and personal, like I love you? You decide! Decide all those things! Not only will the writers not spoon-feed warm paste to their viewers, but they won't even figure it out for themselves, it seems. I get mad when I think about it.

This exactly

[mama-orion]

@pj-gingernuts  “You know I’m gonna tap that shit, Mama!“

I would be so damn honored if you read it. Two chapters to go. The latest one just went up.

[amydanzigerross]

Five Things

Finally getting around to responding to tags.  Tagged by @pj-gingernuts​

Five things that make me happy:

1. Bears (especially their ridiculous little tails)

2. A truly original piece of writing

3. That moment when a draft I’m working on finally comes together

4. Planning, cooking, and eating something I’ve never made before

5. Beauty in all its forms