#reichenbach theory

[adashofnirvana]

my favourite thing about elementary so far is how different elementary sherlock is from the bbc one. he actually cares about people, and solves cases to help people over getting an adrenaline rush thanks to having solved a puzzle. also he doesn't try to make people feel stupid and actually explains stuff instead of being a know-it-all

[ponkydraws]

John starts feeling fondly towards the bullet holes in the wall

Whenever he finds something of interest in the newspaper he perks up only to remember there’s nobody to tell

He finds half done experiments scattered across the flat and he has no idea what to do with them

He tries to take on one of Sherlock’s unfinished cases to honor his legacy only to break down in frustration when he realizes he can’t

Now it’s suddenly his turn to talk aloud to someone who’s not listening

And he finally decides that he doesn’t want to feel or think or remember any of it, and he leaves everything that could trigger memories behind and tries to run away from it all

Sherlock could never truly understand how much John grieved for his death.

The morning he prepared two cups of tea instead of one.

The afternoon he came back from grocery shopping and realised he doesn’t have to place all the food so carefully not to touch the body parts in the fridge.

The night he could’ve slept through because no one was playing violin at 3 AM anymore but couldn’t get himself to even close his eyes as he feared that he might forget how Sherlock’s sharp gaze felt.

John could never truly understand how much he meant to Sherlock.

The night he thought all he could do with his brilliant brain was to vanish for years and endure not only physical but psychological pain of John’s absence.

The dawn he tried to tell John what his funny brain has come up with but didn’t find anyone by his side.

The morning he knew he could come back to London for the first time in years and the first thing popped up in his mind was to see John.

They both ridiculously underestimate their significance to the other.

John isn’t with Sherlock only because of the adrenaline he feels. He’s there also for the serotonin he feels listening to Wagner played by the delicate yet passionate fingers of the consulting detective.

Sherlock isn’t with John because of the sweet words he gives like “brilliant”. He’s there also for the scolding words like “Stop” that calm him down (occasionally).

They desperately need each other to even survive and yet they act like they are just roommates.

[tagitables]

Did Reichenbach propose his own Theory of Relativity? I haven't read any of his works yet

To clarify, Reichenbach did not publish a formal Theory of Relativity per se. Still, it could be mentioned that he has adopted an active yet careful position in his theoretical discussion and abstract formulation when he touched upon the principle of relativity in his Philosophy of Space and Time. If you have a chance to read this book, you could narrow your focus by directing your attention towards his objective mention of 'coordinative definition' as well as the usage of 'rigid bodies' as a tool to propagate the concept of relativity — for a start. While contemporary concerns and responses surrounding the topic of relativity could be pretty much monotonous, I would think that Reichenbach's account of relativity was not so convenient and simplistic like what a reader could expect from Einstein's Theory of General Relativity and Special Relativity. In areas where I should like to credit Reichenbach for his empirical formulations that could be rightfully called his own, Reichenbach's work remains saturated with so much conscience that he would not discredit the distant significance of other intellectuals who have shared similar (although not exactly the same) ideas as him.

[luminescentlama]

Sherlock meta time: 1895 counter on John's blog = gay

So I was scrolling on Pinterest - as one does - and I came across a post stating that the number John's blog is stuck on in I believe ASiB was the same as the year Sherlock Holmes fell into the Reichenbach falls in the ACD canon, 1895.

Now, this in itself is wild, but then my mind brought up another thing I saw a few days ago, a meme on Tumblr (if someone wants the link I can send it)

So

The reason they left London in 1895 (I assume in the same story with the Reichenbach Falls but I can't know for certain) was described as 'circumstances in which I need not enter' or something and people in this thread connected it to Oscar Wilde's trial for 'gross indecency' (aka being gay) which took place in the same year.

N o w, as a reminder, John's count on his website froze on 1895. In this year, Oscar Wilde was sentenced for gross indecency, Holmes and Watson went out of town presumably for that reason AND the Reichenbach Fall of the original stories.

While the number could stand for the original Reichenbach Fall, I don't really see where that would go BUT what if it stands for Oscar Wilde's trial? And for ACD Holmes and Watson being out of town because of it?

In my opinion, if we combine this with the 'Irene ships Johnlock' theory I read on @inevitably-johnlocked 's blog (it's a lot more complicated than that but that she basically knows something is going on), this could be her doing, trying to make fun of them or give them a hint in the right direction. Who knows? Not me, I'm just here to collect the puzzle pieces.

[chesie-blog2]

Analysing TGG The Pool Scene PART 3:

“Is that a British army browning L9A1 in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?”

“Both”

Sherlock is clearly pleased to meet him and Moriarty is glad Sherlock is putting in effort. Let’s not forget the intimacy. If he shoots, they both go down. Sherlock is aware it couldn’t be this easy, nor would he ever want to kill Moriarty anyway. It’s once again the Shakespearian notion that they’re forever connected, intertwined in an intellectual romance, even in death, which makes sense considering their passively suicidal tendencies.

“I’ve given you a glimpse, Sherlock, just a teensy glimpse of what I’ve got going on out there in the big bad world. I’m a specialist, you see”“Like you” 

S: “Consulting criminal. brilliant.” A moment of pure admiration from Sherlock.

M: “isn’t it?” 

Another parallel. Of course, many of which are the products of Moriarty’s life long obsession with Sherlock. 

*John looks at Sherlock* He’s searching to decode whether Sherlock is with him or if he’s aligning with Moriarty on some deeper and more unsettling level. John wants reassurance that Sherlock isn’t crossing into Moriarty’s territory, where morality and loyalty are fluid.

*Moriarty looks at John looking at Sherlock* Moriarty of course notices that, he understands what an influence John is to Sherlock even if it’s subconscious. So he decides to play along, to be the villain everyone wants him to be, thus allowing Sherlock to become the hero, making this moment more comfortable for Sherlock. Ultimately, as I've stated before, Moriarty longs to free Sherlock from the chains of responsibility that don't reflect his true values, thus freeing himself (mostly from the loneliness, by having someone who's on the same page), but to do so he can't risk scaring Sherlock off.

"*Moriarty smiling* No one ever gets to me, *face darkens* and no one ever will”

The singsong tone is followed by a voice drop. It’s not hard to notice that the charisma is an act, it is a part of the Moriarty, "The Criminal Mastermind" persona. So here that first half of the line in singsong is a way to trick John into thinking that this is just a normal “crazy funny villain and the serious hero” situation. Which of course it is not. Then the second part of the line is a very cold “ and no one ever will”. Now that was said directly to Sherlock.

(Let me explain how to understand most of these lines with this example:

Moriarty says something that is such a basic villain line that “villain: 101” should sue. But what he says doesn’t matter in the context of “the game”, if we think of this line literally, the only thing it's adding to the tension of their rivalry is the challenge of unattainability. But it’s not about the game anymore. Nothing in The Pool scene actually is. Such basic villain lines don't matter in their content. All that matters is HOW Moriarty says them. The words were basically said to John, but the intention behind them was bluetoothed directly to Sherlock.)

He says it so calmly and yet with a note of despair, this hopeless level of indifference and emotional resignation that he couldn’t hide, that his fun act can’t cover. 

This line has more significance than it seems so on the surface. A theory is that with this line Moriarty admits to his loneliness, he jokes about it first, concealing the meaning behind with the very literal unapproachability that comes with his job, but ultimately no one gets (to) him, because no one understand/reaches him personally and emotionally. He might even be sceptical that Sherlock actually could, maybe he’s Moriarty’s only chance, which considering what happens in the Reichenbach fall, seems to become a reason for his suicide (with calling Sherlock "ordinary"). He’s been disappointed all his life, he’s so used to the isolation, so it seems natural to doubt the possibility of happiness. And so he communicates that with Sherlock, his only chance, he reaches out, because he knows Sherlock understands that feeling, that untreatable loneliness of unreachable ideals, which in a way makes it all even more heartbreaking. This glimpse of hope, Sherlock, in front of him and a painful crumb of realisation (“and no one ever will”) that the connection he seeks may be impossible after all…

*cocks gun* “I did” Sherlock doesn’t let the moment linger for too long and answers back with confidence. 

Sherlock truly is the first person to really meet him. Moriarty is a puppet master which means everything is done remotely, he “knows people”. But Sherlock is the only person who was actually allowed to see him, whether literally or figuratively.

Now… I would normally leave it at that, but something about this moment hooked me. I must warn you that this is some deep water, bottom-of-iceberg shit that you’re about to read.

REGARDING THE *cocks gun*:

I did some mild research and cocking a gun usually means “establishing control, authority”, I think everyone knew that. But what’s interesting is that the gun useless here in a traditional sense. It isn’t a threat, as NO ONE HERE CARES ABOUT THEIR LIVES. Which then means that it’s symbolic.

I WON’T BE ANALYSING THE GUN SYMBOLISM HERE. PLEASE I’VE BEEN IN THE DUNGEON WRITING 20 PAGES OF THIS ALREADY (I want to do it someday though, I think it's very interesting and GAY)

What will do though is walk you through everything that this moment could mean. Which is a lot.

1. Playing the Hero for John  

 The *cocks gun* moment is, above all, for John. Sherlock knows that John needs reassurance, not just of his safety but of Sherlock’s allegiance to morality and goodness.  The cocked gun signals that Sherlock isn’t on Moriarty’s side, that Sherlock hasn’t been seduced by the villainous allure of Moriarty’s chaotic world. It’s a signal to John that, at least in this moment, Sherlock chooses him. 

2. Sherlock’s fear of vulnerability and threatened identity

It’s also important what that gesture means to Sherlock himself. He’s in the middle of this intense intellectual and emotional push-and-pull with Moriarty, someone who fascinates him, understands him, and yet challenges him in ways John can’t. 

Sherlock is so invested in maintaining the illusion of invulnerability, not just for Moriarty or John but for himself. Acknowledging fully that he loves and needs this connection would shatter the way he defines himself. 

Sherlock’s fear of vulnerability runs deep, and it often manifests as denial—of feelings, of needs, even of his own humanity. With Moriarty, the connection is so raw, so intense, that it’s almost impossible for Sherlock to face without losing the carefully constructed emotional distance he clings to.

Cocking the gun could be a way for Sherlock to reassert his own identity, to remind himself and everyone else that he isn’t like Moriarty, that he has lines he won’t cross. The gun becomes a tool of self-protection, not physically, but emotionally. He’s essentially saying, “I’m not like you. I’m not drawn to you. I don’t feel this.” But the very intensity of his reaction suggests the opposite. He does feel it, profoundly, and that terrifies him more than any bomb or bullet ever could. 

3. Emotional Deflection through aggression

Sherlock is creating a barrier between them by cocking the gun, a way to avoid confronting the depth of their connection. 

And then there’s Moriarty, who seems to recognize this instinctive defense for what it is. He doesn’t flinch, he just watches with this almost knowing, dark amusement, suggesting that he sees right through it. Moriarty understands that Sherlock’s aggression is rooted in fear, and maybe even hurt, at the prospect of what their connection means. Moriarty doesn’t flinch because he knows the gun isn’t the real weapon here, it’s Sherlock’s emotional avoidance. Moriarty’s indifference to his life in that moment reinforces this. He’s not afraid of dying, what wounds him is Sherlock’s inability (or refusal) to meet him on that emotional plane, even though it’s what they both crave deep down. And to be fair threatening with a gun is such a "normie" move. Not only isn't it a threat, but Moriarty probably likes it. Ignoring the emotional connotations of this moment, this was flirting more than it was ever tactical.

In a way, both of them are locked in this tragic dance, afraid to admit they want the same thing: to be understood, to be gotten. But while Moriarty expresses his fear as defiance, Sherlock buries his in shame and instinctual rejection.

It’s also ironic that he hates the idea of being a hero, of being boxed into John’s moral framework, but he uses it here because it’s convenient. It gives him an excuse to push Moriarty away under the guise of righteousness. 

4. Returning to the Game to Avoid the Emotion: 

Sherlock’s inner conflict: He needs to say something to continue the game (which they both love), but the truth behind his words is dangerously real: “I see you. I understand you.” It’s a confession disguised as a taunt. 

The *cocks gun* and “I did” together are Sherlock’s attempt to drag the moment back into the comfort of their shared game, away from the messy, vulnerable reality beneath. Let's not forget the line before this "No one ever gets to me, and no one ever will". Sherlock's smug answer is almost like saying "yo, what are you talking about, can we just like, be normal?".

The line is textbook intellectual sparring, a move in their game, where Sherlock is claiming a small win over Moriarty. But beneath the surface, this line is charged with raw emotion. It’s Sherlock’s way of acknowledging Moriarty’s vulnerability while hiding his own. The cocky delivery is Sherlock’s shield, a way to keep things “in the game” rather than letting them spiral into the emotional realm that terrifies him.  

This is classic Sherlock. He frames everything as intellectual so he doesn’t have to confront the emotional. But the irony, is that his response betrays his emotions more than he realizes. By adopting the “hero” role here, Sherlock not only reassures John but also deflects attention from the growing tension between himself and Moriarty.

Yet Moriarty hears the disguised confession in “I did,” even if Sherlock is trying to drown it out with smugness. It’s like he’s patiently waiting for Sherlock to catch up emotionally, to stop hiding behind his role as the hero and see the truth of their dynamic for what it is. 

SUMMARY:

On the surface, it’s a simple game move: Sherlock reasserts control.  But beneath that, it’s profoundly emotional—two people who understand each other deeply, who see themselves reflected in the other, but who are too guarded to fully acknowledge it. It’s a moment of connection, disguised as competition, wrapped in deflection.  

M: “You’ve come the closest. Now you’re in my way”

Basically to translate: “you are truly remarkable, because you’ve gotten so close that now you’re capable of disrupting my plans, which no one before was able to do”.

The singing tone this time implies that his plans, his work don’t mean much to him. Sherlock is in his way and he doesn't mind one bit. It’s not really about all that, all his criminal work was the best high he could get when he couldn't have a connection with Sherlock. The real point here is that Sherlock cracked him, Sherlock passed the test. He saw through his villain behavior and found a lonely, tortured sould just like him. Sherlock was able to understand Jim and that intimacy is what Moriarty values more than anything. So yes, it is a compliment. but Moriarty says “closest” as if it’s still not close enough, that’s a hint for the hopelessness Moriarty feels. I don’t think at this point they’re fully aware of just how deeply they need one another, the feeling of being understood, valued and accepted, whilst being intellectually stimulated and entertained. “Thank you” Sherlock demonstrates their understanding and connection, even if here he's probably answering in the context of the game(aka: he's the first to come so close to an opponent of such class). And he genuinely appreciates the compliment, their mutual respect is apparent.

M: “I didn’t mean it as a compliment” was definitely teasing.

S: “yes you did”

M: “yeah, okay I did” (cutie :3)

^(MY FAV MOMENT EVER)

[stede-bonnets]

Hearing all the theories about how Aziraphale is gonna escape Heaven/how it wasn't actually Aziraphale in the lift to Heaven feels exactly how it felt when I was in the Sherlock fandom right after the Reichenbach Fall

[thetardisisnotourdivision]

THEORY: SUSAN FOREMAN IS THE ONE WHO WAITS.

And also possibly Ruby's mother. 

And also Mrs Flood. Probably.

The Doctor promised her that he'd come back. And she never stopped waiting. She's been waiting for sixty years. 

THEORY, (it's very specific because it's inspired by “Wait For It” from Hamilton):

So Susan is left on Earth with David, whom she loves. Over the years, they become closer, even when sent to separate battlefields. The pain of being abandoned softens over time, and as she and David grow closer, eventually she allows herself to love him properly. He proposes, and they get married, and have children.

But over time, especially once she finds Ian and Barbara's diary - and possibly, subsequently, their graves - it starts to weigh on her. And, slowly, first her husband, her friends, her son Alex, and then her other children, her grandchildren, their children, start to die around her, and she's powerless to stop it.

And still the Doctor does not come back - she waits and waits for him, but he does not return. 

Until one day she receives summons from Gallifrey - a Time War, and they need her. She's extremely powerful, the only living descendant of the Timeless Child, (EDIT: in canon she had strong telepathic skills that even the Doctor was impressed by, and which almost got them all killed a few times) and one of the most important people they get on their side. Therefore, they also need a way of controlling her, which they don't yet have. During the Time War she spirals out of control - she repeatedly throws herself towards death and danger, only to find out that she cannot die once she's killed for the twelfth time. She starts experimenting with her power, testing her limits, seeing how powerful she can become. And when people ask who she is, she leaves a message for the Doctor - “tell him I'm still waiting for him to come back.” This leads to her being nicknamed "The One Who Waits".

Eventually, this madness manifests as her trying to attract the Doctor to her - creating mysteries, eventually creating fear and destruction amongst her enemies, terrorising the Pantheon - able to predict, via telepathy, every move that the Toymaker will make - in an attempt to lure him in, just so that she won't be alone anymore. (see: that one post about Sherlock post-Reichenbach where John is the murderer to lure Sherlock back to him).

The Time Lords realise that they need a way to control her, PRONTO. 

Now this bit in particular is a bit iffy:

Ruby might have been an orphan that Susan decided to look after, feeling responsible for the deaths of her parents

She may have been created like Jenny in an attempt to make more soldiers to fight, only it went wrong 

Maybe Susan fell in love, and as such has a baby.

Whatever the case, the Time Lords suddenly have their hostage. 

And they take Ruby. 

Doesn't really work. Susan's accustomed to committing war crimes at this point, therefore probably qualifies for President automatically - anyway, she storms the Capital and takes her baby back. But now she has the problem of how to protect her. So she takes Ruby to her own home - Earth. Uses a chameleon arch on herself, to make herself human, and watches over Ruby as Mrs Flood (that's a whole other theory that I'll post very soon)

Either this, OR

While Susan spirals out of control, the Time Lords, in retribution, dump Ruby on Earth, in 2004, just before we first meet the Doctor again (so near the end of the Time War probably is what I'm saying). The Doctor possibly has something to do with it. Susan, furious, burns through space and time in an attempt to find Ruby - which is why we keep seeing Susan Twist. She then - having regenerated - came up with the false identity of Mrs Flood upon finding Ruby living in London and settled down as her neighbour.

(EDIT: I would guess that Susan Twist is a red herring, created and fractured through time by the real Susan in order to find Ruby, but not only that - she's a mystery that the Doctor cannot resist, and he'll follow the trail, and finally "come back", like he promised.)

Whatever happens, Susan begins to blame the Doctor for hers and Ruby's situation, blaming him for taking everyone she loved from her - for abandoning them both on a planet where they would outlive everyone they love. 

There's the theory. Now, even in the Classic series, while Susan is often shown as the typical screaming girl stereotype, this is not the case - often, it's her who tips the balance of power within the TARDIS, she's often violent, quite ruthless, threatening, even, and seems to know more about hers and the Doctor's home, and why they left it, than the Doctor does. Whenever Gallifrey is described, it's Susan describing it - she reacts almost in horror when he says that they'll someday return there - and when Ping Cho asks where her home is, she replies evasively - “that's a very difficult question to answer, Ping Cho”. Usually, she's the one to explain things to others, a role that, when she leaves, the Doctor then takes on. 

I'm writing this out now because in the latest DWM there was an article on The Legend Of Ruby Sunday/Empire Of Death, with no less than SIX REFERENCES to Susan's era, directly using the phrase "unearthly children" to describe the Space Babies. The article also contained the phrase, "it started out as a mild curiosity in a churchyard -" (a play on a first doctor quote, "it started out as a mild curiosity in a junkyard") "- Now it's time to return". I take this as a reference to the line "One day, I shall come back" - and use it as further proof of Susan, who is waiting for him, ending up with the nickname The One Who Waits.

There's a lot more to this theory, including the Mrs Flood side of it, but there's the basics of it. Let me know what you think :-)

[yurisupernova]

why does the sherlock and co fandom love to torment each other with Reichenbach/tfp theories,,,, i cant scroll through the tag for 2 minutes without seeing the most heart shattering angst

[jabbage]

I need to tell Tumblr about my hero Ronald Knox, Absolute Troll.

Here he is sitting on a fireguard like the absolute dreamy goblin that he is:

(Caveat that I don't actually know much about his personal life or politics. He seems ok. )

Facts About Ronald Knox

He invented the use of the term 'Canon' in a fandom context. Yes, that's right, this man is responsible for everyone arguing about canon ever. It's all his fault.

Absolute troll. Wound up fellow Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts with such theories as "Sherlock Holmes died at the Reichenbach Falls and Watson made up all the later stories for the money" and "Mycroft was working for Moriarty all along". He wrote very very deadpan monographs putting forward these theories. They're hilarious.

He wrote his own detective stories and invented the Ten Rules of Detective Fiction, and kind of helped to codify the whodunnit as a genre:

You know that famous War of the Worlds radio play by Orson Welles which portrayed the alien invasion through a series of "We interrupt this broadcast!" messages? He was inspired by a similar satirical radio drama Knox did for the BBC In Knox' piece, there is a revolution in London and Big Ben gets destroyed. Believe it or not, it's very funny.

Translated the whole of the Latin Vulgate Bible by himself.

He's just so photogenic. I'm an aroace, he's a Catholic priest who gives me big aroace vibes the more I find out about him, and yet, and yet...

KNOX STOP IT STOP LOOKING INTO MY SOUL I swear every photograph of him is like this.

Anyway that's Ronald Knox, Father of Canon and Being An Absolute Madlad.

[beekeaper]

CBS WATSON THOUGHTS

First things first: I decided not to read any other people's opinions about the show until I formed my own

Some theories to check out after the first episode and the rest of the season for me to have some fun with:

Some considerations:

- From the same producer of Elementary:

This is a guarantee that Watson is in good hands. Elementary has the best-written version of Watson, Lucy Liu's Watson is not an extension of Holmes or an accessory to the narrative, she has her own individual plot, she is a detective as capable and good as Holmes, they complement each other, orbit each other, the Holmes & Watson dynamics in Elementary is beautiful, the companionship, friendship, trust and love between them (CANON). THE BEST

CSB will have an excellent new Watson for sure.

In defense of Elementary

In the trailer, we can already see Watson's kindness, care and empathy, as well as his determination. How dear he is to his patients and his team. Very in canon.

- a medical show:

Both Doyle and Joseph Bell were doctors, so if the show is going to focus on the medical aspect, it still makes sense. As valid as it is to compare it to House, H&W "in real life" were doctors, so it's okay if they're not detectives. (X)

Theories and speculation:

- Holmes is a doctor.

The clinic is named after him. Like House, he was a “Diagnostician”, he will be more like Dr Joseph Bell who occasionally, being a doctor, sometimes was consulted by the police on some cases. My bet would be that Holmes was also a doctor, and had some cases with the police as well, more in a forensic way.

- The Irregulars

Just like in House, Watson has his own team. Would they be Dr. Watson's Irregulars? One of them may be Wiggins

- Watson wrote a few books

I don't think this was the first one Watson wrote.

It's either fictional or it's Holmes' medical cases, assuming he was a doctor.

- The Fall

Watson jumped after Holmes into the waterfall. I believe he is the first Watson to do so.

Either Holmes really died and Watson will find him in the water OR there is no body and it will be Watson's main plot throughout the show whether Holmes died or not.

Characters

Diogenes Club? Is Mycroft a woman in this version?

The old man wearing the beret (?) appears a second time in the trailer, with Watson. They smile and talk. And who else would wear such a specific kind of HAT if not Holmes himself?

I can't see shit but I think it's a beret, or this old man it's Holmes or Moriarty.

Moriarty will also have a part in the plot, based on his point of view of what happened. (X)

Need it? No. If it is a medical plot, it could place Milverton as Holmes' enemy.

Doyle wrote Moriarty in the story to kill Holmes, it's not like it was something super developed. Did he traumatize H&W? Yes, but there are more interesting criminals to explore and be used as Holmes' enemies. I'm tired of Moriarty

In the book, Holmes says that the type of criminal he hates the most are blackmailers; CAM traumatized the hell of BBC Sherlock and the public (me), is one of Granada Holmes' best films, and can be use in the subtext to explore various aspects of the canon and theories.

Elementary failed a lot with Moriarty, probably because CBS couldn't afford Natalie Dormer, but despite that, we had a replacement for Moriarty who was Odin Reichenbach, who served blackmail, betrayal, conspiracy, threats and almost destroyed Holmes and Watson's reputation. Maybe the new Moriarty will be really good this time.

Maybe Moriarty is also a doctor, or who knows he runs the pharmaceutical industry.

Other considerations:

At first I thought it would be a classic "we are not going to see Holmes’s face or hear his voice until the very end" but after watching the trailer again, I'm going to bet on flashbacks. Even though it's the best adaptation of all, it's going to be hard to sell the series without Holmes appearing at least sometimes. But also, no need to be like CW Arrow

Delusional me:

THEY WERE MARRIED, WATSON IS A WIDOWER, Mary is just a friend, and I hope they are not absurd cases like House. 🕯️

[discordantwords]

20 questions for fic writers

I was tagged by @khorazir and @raina-at. Thanks so much for tagging me!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 47 (how is it that many?!) 29 for BBC Sherlock 18 for The X-Files

2. What's your total A03 word count? 897,533

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently only BBC Sherlock

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

(Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea

White Knight

Incidents with Dogs, Curious and Otherwise

Another Auld Lang Syne

The Dead Detective

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to! I'm not always the best at keeping up, especially lately as my schedule has been erratic and I can only steal a few minutes here and there for fandom activities. But even when I don't have a chance to reply, I do read and treasure each and every comment.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I guess maybe The Pillar upon which England Rests has the saddest ending of anything that I've ever written, but I don't really consider it a sad story. It's set immediately post Reichenbach, told mostly through flashbacks as Mrs Hudson shares the story of how she met Sherlock with John. Sherlock is still "dead" when the story comes to a close, and John and Mrs Hudson are both grieving, though we as the reader know their loss is temporary.

I have a few shorter fics with ambiguous endings that lean in the angsty direction:

Nothing Happened in Belarus deals with accidental time travel, with grief-stricken S4 Sherlock finding himself briefly in the care of S1 John. Alas, the reprieve is a short one, as neither Sherlock nor John become aware of what is happening in time to take advantage of the opportunity.

At the end of Leaves Sherlock and John have either triumphed over the hallucinogenic vines that have invaded 221B… or they haven't. (I have my own theory, but you are free to interpret the ending however you choose.)

In EXECUTE John inadvertently deletes Mary from existence. He gets his happy ending, but has to live with the uncomfortable knowledge of the choices he's made.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Most of my fics have happy or at least hopeful endings. I like leaving the boys in a good place. I guess it depends on the flavor of happy you're looking for. But I'd say that these are probably the happiest:

(Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea

Inscrutable to the Last

White Knight

Another Auld Lang Syne

Whirlwind

8. Do you get hate on fics? Thankfully, no. A few weird comments here and there, but nothing too bad. The vast majority of my interaction with others in the fandom has been absolutely wonderful.

9. Do you write smut? Most of my sex scenes stay in R rated territory. But I tend to roll with whatever the plot demands of me.

10. Do you write crossovers? I've done quite a few fusion fics, but not crossovers. Crossovers aren't usually my cup of tea.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Once, sort of, but I don't believe it was done maliciously and I don't wish to call attention to it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! I'm always flattered by requests to translate my writing.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? A friend and I used to write together quite a bit in high school, but nothing that has made it out into the world.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? Sherlock & John and Mulder & Scully.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Crime Writer is a Sherlock/Knight Rider fusion that ran out of steam a while back (although it was intended to be episodic and IMO doesn't feel too horribly unresolved where it ends, so don't let the unfinished nature of it put you off if you're inclined to read it).

I'm still optimistic about most of the WIPs in my WIP folder, heh. I guess we'll see what next year brings.

16. What are your writing strengths? I like to think I'm good at writing complicated people with complicated feelings that don't always resolve neatly.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I don't think my smut is particularly inspired. And I have a very hard time writing fluff or domestic situations without having some angst to drive the plot.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I personally wouldn't attempt it. I'm not fluent in any other languages and there's far too much nuance to leave in the hands of Google Translate. :)

19. First fandom you wrote for? X-Files! (Unless you count unrefined and unposted scribblings from my younger years, I definitely went through a phase where I was trying to fix the Terminator time loop in a way that allowed Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese to live happily ever after.)

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? Oh, this is always such a hard question to answer. The Pillar upon Which England Rests is the first fic I wrote for the Sherlock fandom, so it has a special place in my heart. I'm really proud of the cases and complex plot in Out There. (Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea is the one that seems to resonate with the most people. And White Knight is the fic I'd most like to see turned into an episode of the show. :D

I'll tag @thetimemoves @insistentbass @lololollywrites @arwamachine @naefelldaurk @clueless-mp4 @totallysilvergirl and anyone else who would like to play along!

[crowboy-bebop]

For the ask game: vriska did nothing wrong and onceler green?

i already answered the first one so you get a Cool Bonus Fact: i was really into all the Reichenbach Fall theories about how Sherlock survived, this one (content warning for blood/gore) being my personal favorite. i'm pretty sure this is the exact post i read all those years ago

as for my favorite tumblr sexyman, my favorite Classic™ Sexyman is Cecil Gershwin Palmer, who has no canon appearance but tumblr collectively decided was a tall skinny white man with blond/white hair, a third eye, and cool sleeve tattoos. i think because it was a gender awakening for me

i don't know if he counts as a True Sexyman, but i also really love Alastor from Hazbin Hotel. he fits the tall skinny (white?) man criteria imo, and i'm a sucker for the trans-Atlantic accent

i'm kind of afraid to admit that i enjoyed Hazbin Hotel, maybe that should have been my actual answer for the first question

[jurakan]

Can I get a Fun Fact for this fine Friday before February

Alright, so last week, we talked about author, Inkling, and friend/biographer of C.S. Lewis, Roger Lancelyn Green. Today You Learned about his son, Richard Lancelyn Green, who was in his day arguably the foremost scholar of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the world.

From ConanDoyleCollection.org

Richard was born in 1951, and like his father, pursued literature as a field of study at Oxford University. He was fascinated with Sherlock Holmes from a young age; one of the photos at the Conan Doyle Collection has him as a child wearing a deerstalker cap. He, and John Michael Gibson, edited the first comprehensive bibliography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He published collections of Sherlock Holmes stories and letters and such, became chairman of the Sherlock Holmes Society, and dressed in costume to go visit Reichenbach Falls. His knowledge of the material was astonishing. Lancelyn Green planned to publish a biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that took up three (!!!) volumes, though it was never finished.

At some point, Lancelyn Green actually befriended Jean Conan Doyle, a daughter of Sir Arthur. See, the descendants of Doyle are not... always great people, because they're often very stingy about who gets to touch Sherlock Holmes stuff. They tried to sue Netflix for Sherlock caring about women in Enola Holmes after all (because they argued that was a character trait that didn't appear until stories that were then not part of public domain). But Jean and Richard struck up a friendship, and she was the owner of a vast trove of treasure: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's archive. They worked together a lot, and she made it clear (he said, at least) that when she died, the documents would go to the British Library, so that scholars from all over could go through it. Then she died, because she was quite old, and... the archive disappeared.

Troubling.

And then part of it appeared in an auction held by another of the Doyle descendants.

Hm.

Lancelyn Green, having known Jean Conan Doyle, and wanting the world to have access to these documents, tried to stop the auction, but couldn't. He had a falling out with the surviving Doyles, who were apparently all nuts.

But things got... weird. Richard's friends reported strange behavior. He insisted he was being followed, and that his house was bugged. Richard also insisted that his life was in danger because of what he knew about the documents. His loved ones were very, very worried about him.

His sister called him one time, in March 2004, worried, but couldn't reach him, only getting an unfamiliar voice on the answering machine (she later suggested it could have been the pre-set message, she was just stressed and didn't notice). She asked the police to check on her brother.

The police found Richard Lancelyn Green dead in his bedroom, garrotted with a shoelace, tightened by a wooden spoon.

We still don't know what happened.

The foremost scholar on one of the most famous authors in the English language was garrotted in his bedroom and we still don't know what happened twenty years later.

The obvious conclusion is that he was murdered. But who did it? The Doyles? Someone else? Someone else working for the Doyles? We don't know. One theory is that he staged it himself, as a parallel to "The Problem of Thor Bridge", in which it is also a suicide meant to look like a murder to implicate someone else. Maybe he hated the Doyles so much that he wanted them to take the fall.

But some of his friends say he wasn't a suicidal type.

A lot of the documents from the Doyle Archive ended up in the British Library anyway, so if it was suicide, it seems pointless.

We don't know! WE DON'T EFFING KNOW! Isn't that insane?

Anyhow, it's a crazy story. There's a novel inspired by it, The Sherlockian by Graham Moore, and a 2019 play (that starred Alan Tudyk?!) called Mysterious Circumstances by Michael Mitnick.

For a full write-up with all the details, there's this article from the New Yorker titled "Mysterious Circumstances" by David Grann.

[thats-entirely-too-much-tuna]

this may be my last chance to post this before season 2 airs, so i present to you all: a theory.

okay, i'm sorry to invoke bbc sh*rl*ck, but stick with me, i promise there is a point to this! remember how the empty hearse was peppered with fantasy sequences about how the reichenbach fall was faked? and it was basically the showrunners' way of being like "hey fandom, we see you and your theories! you are ridiculous and wrong, and in the end none of it matters!"

here's what i'm saying. we know that there are dream sequences in season 2. we know from that one review that there are also fandom in-jokes. we know from the promotional stills and the BTS video that both bearded stede and merman stede are likely to make appearances. so what if david jenkins & co have done something similar, but in a fandom-honoring way? my prediction is this: while many of our favorite season 2 theories and tropes might not be canon this season, several of them will nevertheless be featured in stede's (and maybe ed's) dream sequences as a nod to the fans. there will be a dream where the steard is full, alive and well. there will be a dream where stede is a gorgeous gorgeous merman. perhaps there'll be a dream where ed has tentacles! or one where the entire crew bursts into song and dance! the sky is quite literally the limit, and i, for one, will not be remotely functional until november at the absolute earliest.

[secretmellowblog]

so sherlock will be javert, got it!! /pos /j

ba dum tss. Tangentially related, but I do have this theory that part of the reason 2013-era Valjean/Javert fic was Like That is because it came out around the same time as the Reichenbach Fall episodes of Sherlock, the angsty episodes where Sherlock throws himself off a building to his death. I feel like a lot of 2012 Javert/Valjean fic was heavily influenced by the tropes of the far more popular Sherlock/Watson ship, with Javert's characterization often being very Benedict-Cumberbatch-Sherlock-y while Valjean often played a Watson-like role of emotional support. However I have done no research to support my thesis, it is completely vibes-based.

[tyrannuspitch]

Yet further dead parents thoughts:

Another reason I like the dead parents headcanon is that I think Sherlock himself having serious unprocessed grief casts a very interesting light on how bad he is at handling other people's grief.

Sometimes Sherlock is genuinely low empathy or genuinely cruel, but equally, from time to time, Sherlock will make comments that seem like one or both of those on the surface, but on closer inspection what they actually reveal is that he isn't used to people openly caring about him. (Yes, Mycroft cares, Mycroft "worries", but he never admits to emotional vulnerability - in fact, he takes pride in lacking it. For the most part, Mycroft's concern looks like criticism and attempts at control.)

A key example, said to John in The Reichenbach Fall: "It really bothers you. What people say. About me? I don't understand, why would it upset you?"

This isn't just low empathy, because Sherlock has had time to think about this comment and he knows that most people get upset when their loved ones are hurt or threatened. He even knows, in theory, that emotional or reputational damage is more than enough to "count". In The Great Game, one of the mysteries hinges partly upon Sherlock picking up on Kenny Prince's relationship with Raoul and anticipating that Raoul would hate Connie Prince on Kenny's behalf - and Connie didn't do anything violent to Kenny. She was "just" a bully.

So. This isn't just Sherlock being confused by empathy - this is him being confused that someone "normal" likes and cares about *him* enough for that empathy to extend *to him*.

And I just think it would be interesting if something similar applied to comments like: "But that [bereavement] was ages ago, why would she still be upset?"

Perhaps what this indicates is not so much that Sherlock doesn't understand how or why grief hurts, but that his own grief has never been treated with the gravity it deserves, and so his baseline for how well people are meant to function while grieving and how long the impact is "supposed" to last is skewed.

Perhaps he thinks, incorrectly, that a) his grief was never "that bad", and b) that he is (he must be!) "over it" by now.

(Note before we continue: No, not all of Sherlock's callousness around grief fits this model. Sometimes he does overstep knowingly. But knowing that he's doing it wrong is still not the same thing as knowing how to do it right.)

So. If Sherlock has been through significant grief, he hasn't handled it well. Why not?

I'm aware that I'm now building headcanons on headcanons, but let's take for granted for a moment that Sherlock went to boarding school. (Source: look at him.) Let's also imagine that his parents died when he was somewhere between 16 and 18 - so while he was still at boarding school. This is very unlikely to be an environment in which grief can be processed healthily.

Consider the following factors:

Boarding school is already a rupture in the parent/child relationship. Arguably, it's emotional neglect. It can very easily create the idea that children of 11 (or younger!) should become "grown up" enough not to need their parents overnight, and that missing their parents is somehow weak, childish, girly, gay, etc, etc.

Boarding school is often a tense, oppressive social environment, especially for the weird kids. It's very likely that Sherlock was isolated and bullied (which is not contradicted but reinforced by the fact that it's also likely he fought back). The effects of both would be compounded by being trapped in the school 24/7 for months on end.

Boarding school is generally a socially conservative and therefore (for boys) toxically masculine environment. (It may or may not have been an all boys' school, but as anyone who's been to any school can tell you, teenage boys don't need formal gender segregation to be horrible to one another.) Sherlock as an adult doesn't seem feminine, but he's still frequently assumed to be gay, and he goes to great lengths to hide all signs of vulnerability.

Sudden bereavement in a long-distance relationship can be difficult to process and accept as "real". ("They're not dead, they're just not here.") If Sherlock was already used to not seeing his parents, then the pain of grief might not feel too different from the pre-existing pain of separation... which he was already used to repressing, and had already internalised shame over.

If Sherlock's parents a) sent him to boarding school, b) despite him being bullied there, then their parenting is already a least a little bit questionable, and his relationship with them might already have been strained. It's difficult to grieve while angry, and it's difficult to stay angry while grieving - so it would be very difficult for him to feel like he had a right to either of those feelings.

So if Sherlock was experiencing all of this at once - the sudden loss of both his parents, the accumulated hurt and anger of years of bullying, and the near-total social isolation that results from both of the above - it would be so so easy to try to just... shut it all down. To run from it, and keep running, and never let himself look at those emotions directly at all, and to tell himself that putting time between himself and his grief is the same thing as healing. I think this is a very plausible route to the character we meet in pre-hiatus canon.