#sherlock and watson do Christmas

[voilaammayi]

Okay I’ve just realized that bbc!sherlock’s birthday is the 6th of January (I hope I’m not wrong). It’s like. In five days. And I wasn’t even ready for the christmas episode on 26th December. And Sherlock mentioned an underlying threat of birthday surprise party while talking John’s ear off about how he love christmas. And I’m still not over it, but that’s for another post. And-

When is s&c!sherlock birthday? Are we getting Sherlock birthday episode? are we getting Sherlock’s birthday surprise party? a r e w e ???

[quill-of-thoth]

Letters from Watson backlog special: Holmes' birthday

So Sherlock Holmes' birthday is often interpreted as January 6th, but why? Well, there have been a BUNCH of different scholars considering every aspect of the Sherlock Holmes stories over the years, and the common motivation among them is being considered a "Holmes Scholar" instead of a mere fan.

The evidence, as it has been presented over the years, has only one source that uh, has any connection to the actual text: The works of William Stuart Baring-Gould, best known for his only partially definitive Sherlock Holmes chronology. (AKA: The dead guy I have ongoing beef with and whose work in dating the Holmes stories I have been reviewing sporadically for the past year.) However, Baring-Gould is not automatically wrong, so let's follow his chain of logic, such as it is.

The final Holmes novel, Valley of Fear (1914-1915) starts on January 7th with Holmes being a bit tetchy

No boring Doylist explanation for Holmes' bad moods need apply.

No Watsonian explanation that Holmes is not always a good-natured roommate or considerate friend need apply either. No, Holmes, known for having no sleep schedule, no tolerance for his own failure, and no moderation in terms of taking mood altering substances more unusual than alcohol, must be hungover

Why would Holmes be hungover? He must have been up late celebrating.

What could he have been celebrating by drinking alone? His birthday! Therefore yesterday (January 6th) is his birthday! Case closed!

This conclusion is, kindly, a stretch, but in this fandom we love having answers almost as much as we love being the one to provide the answer. We must have rituals to keep a fandom alive over a hundred years, and celebrating Holmes' birthday on Jan 6 is as good as any other. I merely want to point out alternatives to the dates and timelines established by Baring-Gould like any good peer reviewer. Alternative speculation under the cut.

So... why, on his birthday, would Holmes have been celebrating by drinking alone, instead of drinking with Watson? Or going to the opera (alone or with Watson?) There is no indication at the beginning of Valley of Fear that it takes place when Holmes and Watson are living separately. They're having breakfast together. Or rather, Watson has long since finished breakfast, and Holmes has yet to start, which lends better support to the hangover theory than his momentary brusqueness, but not by a lot since the man is known to forget to eat. Reading it over without Baring Gould's conclusions in mind, I think very few fans would find this scene out of the ordinary for 221 Baker street, but since I'm willing to play along with Gould: what if the event that Holmes is celebrating privately isn't one that Watson would wholeheartedly accompany him for? What events occur on Jan 6th that Watson, the average victorian man, would not be a part of? Epiphany. No, that's literally the name of the holiday, part of the christmas season. It's cited as the date of the Wise Men's arrival to bring Jesus presents (er. presents but also you know, expensive dire omens regarding his eventual death, if you've never been forced to sing all the verses of "We Three Kings of Orient Are," which becomes grimmer as you go on.) It's the last of the 12 days of christmas and the "Twelfth Night" referenced in that one shakespeare comedy. It's not commonly celebrated in the modern (united states) conception of christianity, whether devoutly practicing or cultural. It was a great reason for the Victorians to party, however. ... which doesn't exclude Watson. Unless we imagine Watson as having been invited to an epiphany party and Holmes, either uninvited or uninterested in a party atmosphere, staying home, which is possible.

But this doesn't result in a revelation about Holmes' identity, so in the spirt of going out on a supported but not definiitive limb, I propose that Holmes is Catholic. (Not, most likely, practicing in any major way at this point in his life. There's belief and practice, and then there's culture, and if your only idea of growing up Catholic is John Mulaney skits about god not hearing you if you don't sing loud enough... well, it's far more complicated than that if you're a Victorian.) - Catholic celebration of the Epiphany has historically taken on a more somber tone than Protestant or Anglican celebration. (See: we've all had fun here during Advent and Christmas but you're obligated to remember that Jesus is gonna die. By mid spring. By the way, Ash Wednesday and Lent are coming up so if you got candy, eat it, you'll be giving it up in a month.) - Holmes' general slight out-of-step-ness with the general Victorian shared expectations and culture could be partially explained by being raised in a different iteration of Christianity. - And his reticence regarding his family history could be explained by growing up experiencing social rejection due to the anti-catholic sentiments that were absolutely all over England in the 1850's to 90's (and well the hell into more modern times too) - Anti-catholocism isn't something he could dodge by simply not actually practicing the religion he was raised in either. - Holmes' references to a french side of the family could indicate that he has, at the very least, catholic close-ish relatives, as that was the most common religion in france. - Enough scholarship has been written on "is Holmes secretly Irish?" given his surname and Doyle's background as an Irishman that I think we should spend at least a minute considering that these points could also be taken to mean that Holmes is Catholic.

People (Anglican descended Puritans, for example) were complaining about the secularized parts of christmas by the 1700's, (Meaning: any celebration that was not prayer inside the church) and the Victorian celebration of Christmas is the direct ancestor of the US and England's current Culturally Christian but not necessarily religious practice related celebrations, so I don't see Holmes having any difficulty fitting in with buying a goose, having a nice dinner, or listening to carols. But there's a chance that if he wanted to celebrate Epiphany with any family traditions, regardless of how far they were removed from actual religious practice, he might not invite Watson.

And if Watson knows, he has, loyally, not written a word.

[watsonyouare-the-one-fixed-point]

there's not a single part of the "no chance to be a hero this time, mr holmes" scene that doesn't make me go absolutely feral

[contact-guy]

THE DYING DETECTIVE - part 3 - part 1 - part 2 - "to the last gasp he would always be the master" - there is at least one panel that made me laugh while drawing it so I hope it makes you laugh, too. It's the least I could do.

This will most likely be the last update for a few weeks - going to England on a trip (where Sherlock Holmes lives!!! omg!) - when I return it will be for a cozy early Christmas special, THE BLUE CARBUNCLE.

(This is in the Watsons sketchbook series!)

[chrischannibal]

why do so many people not know that House MD is an american sherlock adaptation

please… yall…

House = Holmes

James Wilson = John Watson

House lives in apartment 221B.

He literally gets shot by a man named Moriarty.

When Wilson is messing with Taub and Kutner about the Christmas gift book��� He name drops Irene Adler. There are so so many Sherlock refs in the series

[topsyturvy-turtely]

sometimes christmas escalates tho.

(come on johnlock would totally get drunk on christmas and then have the brilliant idea to go "clueing for looks")

Sherlock admiring his tree-decorating handiwork.

[ace-sher-bi-john]

While I absolutely love both BBC Sherlock and Sherlock & Co, Sherlock & Co definitely depicts a more healthy relationship between Sherlock and John.

For starters, on BBC Sherlock, Sherlock and John are both co-dependent on each other. John was implied to be suicidal before he met Sherlock. Sherlock relapses without John by his side. Even with Mary to substitute the void in his heart and help him find purpose again, John would never move on from Sherlock. If anything happened to John, it wouldn't end well for anyone, especially Sherlock.

On Sherlock & Co, one of John's only problems after returning home from Ukraine was that he couldn't afford a flat on his own. He seemed to be very excited about life, going on dates, couldn't wait to start his podcast. He was genuinely happy to see Mike.

Sherlock could easily manage on his own without John. He doesn't need to be reminded to eat, he doesn't need an assistant for cases, he doesn't need someone to take care of him. His only problem is that he needs a flatmate.

Although John and Sherlock both need each other to afford rent, they don't need each other for anything else. They want each other's company, they don't need it. They aren't two halves of a whole, they are two wholes coming together. That's how it should be with all healthy relationships, platonic, romantic, queerplatonic, or otherwise.

It also helps a lot that Sherlock isn't a complete jerk on Sherlock & Co. He genuinely treats John and everyone else with a kindness that while I believe BBC Sherlock is capable of it, he rarely showed it. When John's PTSD is triggered, Sherlock asks John if he'd rather sit out that case. He then asks John if he wants to hold hands and discuss his feelings. In part one of the Blue Carbuncle, Sherlock complimented, actually complimented John. That kind of scene just never happened on BBC Sherlock. John was doing his "That was fantastic! You're amazing!" and Sherlock said, "You flatter me, Watson. But you did awesome too! You should have seen the way you did that! It was brilliant!"

John seems like a much more well rounded happy person in general. Just listen to any of his viewer discretion warnings. "Greetings you handsome devil! This episode will contain a bit of the old swearing, a bit of violence, some drug use. Oh and a bit of duck poo!" I hate to make this comparison, due to how much it will sound like an insult. But he acts like the quirky Disney Princess personality that every Disney Princess from the 2010s has and I mean that in the best possible way. It's my favorite thing about him. He's so adorable.

In the Blue Carbuncle, John has a moment similar to ones that you've seen many times before on BBC Sherlock. John has plans that mean he won't be able to help with the case. He is going to Berlin to spend Christmas with his old army friends. It's going to be his first boys' trip in years. But then he gets so sucked into the case that he's almost late for his plane and decides to just stay with Sherlock anyway because the case is just so fascinating he can't leave. On BBC Sherlock, John has abandoned his plans, his job, his girlfriends, for a case because he couldn't stand to be without Sherlock for so long. Also because Sherlock would often crash is dates, ruin his relationships, just so that John could assist him on cases. On Sherlock & Co, Sherlock was happy for John that he was going out with friends, even though it would mean spending the holidays alone. And Sherlock LOVES Christmas, so it's sad to think that he would have to spend it alone.

Where BBC Sherlock would manipulate or guilt John into staying, Sherlock & Co Sherlock let John go and was genuinely fine with going it alone for a week or two, even if it meant being all alone on Christmas.

I love BBC Sherlock, toxic co-dependent relationships and all, and I always will. But Sherlock & Co gives a little something different and I am happy that my boys are happier.

SH: *laughing* What's so funny Watson? JW: *laughing* It's just hearing you say "bell end" SH: Lovely and jubbly

[aveline-amelia]

You know what I love about BBC Sherlock?

You only catch some things on your 2nd, or 5th or 10th rewatch.

Like with Mycroft and Sherlock.

You watch Mycroft be annoyed at Sherlock calling at Christmas, so you think he would rather be left alone and doesn't want to deal with anyone, including Sherlock.

But his initial expression is one of surprise. He doesn't want to believe that Sherlock could be calling for sentimental reasons because he cannot bear to be wrong.

He wants Sherlock to show him he cares, like he did back when they were children.

And notice his wording there. "Did they pass a new law?" Sherlock is not the one who cares about upholding the law, Mycroft is. He is setting the stage for Sherlock to banter, but Sherlock just tells him Irene Adler is dead and hangs up.

When Sherlock calls Mycroft (despite the fact he prefers to text) in TSO3 many speculate the reason he wants him at the wedding is to have someone for support.

Mycroft says they will spend more time together now that John is married. Just like old times. He knows Sherlock would hate that, yet Sherlock doesn't deny it. He could say he can spend extra time with Mrs Hudson, or Lestrade or Molly or Wiggins.

He could say he doesn't need him at all. But we know that's not quite true.

If Sherlock was being sincere here and said he needs someone on his side, by his side, someone to be there for him, so he feels less alone... Mycroft would most likely think he was being mocked. He wouldn't believe him. Why should he?

When Mycroft tells Sherlock his loss would break his heart, he isn't doing it because of the drugs.

The drugs are just an excuse to hide behind. A smokescreen. He can't even look at Sherlock while is he saying it because he knows what's coming. Mockery.

"What the hell am I supposed to say to that?"

Mycroft broke script. He said the quiet part, the subtextual part out loud. I do care about you and it would break my heart if you died.

Sherlock doesn't know what to say. You can even read his bewildered statement as a genuine question. Mycroft does, in a way. So he answers.

"Merry Christmas?"

"You hate Christmas."

"Perhaps there was something in the punch."

I know you are up to something.

On the tarmac, Sherlock didn't even want to say goodbye to his brother. But when Mycroft calls him in 4 minutes, Sherlock has no idea Moriarty might be back. He just thinks Mycroft couldn't go even five minutes without speaking to him again and checking up on him.

Sherlock didn't say goodbye to Mycroft because he knew that wouldn't be the last time he'd hear from him.

"I will always be there for you."

"Shouldn't you be out there getting me a pardon, like a proper big brother?"

"He was a rubbish big brother." Was, not is.

"You were great."

He didn't find Lady Bracknell convincing. He isn't talking about that.

"Dr Watson? Look after him, please?"

"Mycroft. Make sure he's looked after. He's not as strong as he thinks he is."

Neither of them are.

[saioratral]

"imagine yourself in a fanfiction, what trope would you want to be in?" - reporter sai

what a question, my dear readers! A bold one, I dare say. But I, the gossip favourite journalist, sought the answers with my own style, approaching none other than lord Moriarty and his family! along with that, i bumped into Britain's best detective and his crew, how could i not ask them too?

After careful collection of their responses, I am pleased to present to you this week's entry, steeped with my imagination and the insights I received

together with my.... 'editor', we have to present this compilation!

each response is a reflection of their unique view of love! flip through our pages to find your interest!

Team Moriarty:

ALBERT JAMES MORIARTY spy and the aristocrat | page 1

LOUIS JAMES MORIARTY art of the charade | page 2

WILLIAM JAMES MORIARTY power price | page 3

SEBASTIAN MORAN confined? can't be my feelings | page 4

FRED PORLOCK my friend soulmate | page 5

VON HERDER sarcasm is a great mentor | page 6

JAMES BONDE admirer for art; myself | page 7

MISS MONEYPENNY pinning = muse | page 8

Team Holmes:

SHERLOCK HOLMES ew it's sherlock, again | page 9

JOHN H. WATSON find your way | page 10

MISS HUDSON rescue a stolen heart | page 11

MYCROFT HOLMES argument heartbeats | page 12

© saioratral 2024-25 -- do not repost, translate, alter, etc on any platform without permission. Any characters used in my work do not belong to me, they are created by their original creator. all images used are from pinterest. banners are made by me

official release date: christmas week

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Five Fics Friday: December 13/24

Happy Friday the 13th everyone! Let's get into the long weekend with five more fics that have been put on my radar this week! I hope you have a gay old time!! :D

RECENT MFLs

A Magical Holiday by PipMer (T, 1,107+ w., 1/2 Ch. || WiP || Established Relationship, Fluff, POV Sherlock, Johnlock on Holiday, Magical Realism, Christmas) – He had wanted to wait until after the new year, but it seemed that John needed some kind of pick me up to get him through his first Rosie-less Christmas. Maybe a get-away was just the thing. Not an exotic, far-away place, but just far enough removed to escape the melancholy and focus on fresh surroundings. And he could kill two birds with one stone in the process. Yes. Good. He would do this.

Every Song Reminds Me of You by ChrisCalledMeSweetie (G, 1,157 w., 1 Ch. || Fluff, Humour, John's an Idiot, Posh Sherlock) – Music hath charms to help John acknowledge his feelings for Sherlock.

Polychromatic Wrapping by Lock_John_Silver (M, 6,187+ w., 12/31 Ch. || WiP || Alternating POV, Established Relationship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Childhood Memories, Domestic Fluff, Tumblr Prompts, Kissing, Minor Illnesses, Sherlock's Mind Palace, Christmas Presents, Rimming, John's Red Pants, Grumpy John, Cooking, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Traditions, Caring Sherlock, John in a Kilt, New Year's Kiss, Celebrations, Travelling, Switzerland, Blow Jobs, Alcohol, Making Up) – Sherlock tells John about a challenge he and Mycroft participated in when they were children, initiated by their mathematician mother. (NOTE!! WiP updating daily in December 2024)

Looking Up by StarlightAndFireflies (T, 11,704+ w., 3/4 Ch. || WiP || Alternate First Meeting / Neighbours AU || Single Father John, Domesticity, Falling in Love, Mental Health Issues, Crime Fighting, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Sexual Content) – When John Watson, single father to toddler Rosie, finds a cheap flat for rent in central London, he's sure there must be a catch. He can't afford to be picky, though, and so he moves in... only to discover that his upstairs neighbor is far more unconventional than he bargained for. But this strange man might just be the fresh start John needs. AU in which Sherlock and John meet when John moves into 221c.

Murder in Sussex Trilogy by ChrisCalledMeSweetie (T, 78,331 w. across 3 works || 1920s AU, Case Fics, Surprise Ending, Alternating POVs, Humour) – Can you follow the clues to deduce whodunnit?

[eyeballmarshmallowtea]

BBC Sherlock

Hi, I'm Sophie. This post will be a rant. You have been warned.

BBC Sherlock last aired in 2017, with Series 4 Episode 3, The Final Problem. I am still waiting for Series 5. I first discovered this show when my amazing English teacher showed us A Study In Pink before the christmas holidays. I went home, watched the next epsiode, and promptly forgot that Sherlock existed. Until a couple of days before the summer holidays, when we were shown The Hounds of Baskerville. We only got to watch half the episode, and me and a friend finished it and watched half of the Great Game in Science and French class. (It was the end of the year, there was practically no work). And then I left for music tour. We spent 30+ hours on a coach over 5 days. 28 hours of that (I checked) was spent on BBC iPlayer. That's the whole of Sherlock twice. I finished it and then rewatched with a friend, and from then I became obsessed. I got a group together of 4 people, old and new fans, and we chat about Sherlock the entire time and it is amazing. My parents used to watch it so I convinced them that my sister was old enough to watch A Study In Pink. (She was only allowed to watch that one, she is now on Series 4. I regret nothing). My dad found the DVDs in the free book pickup at our local station, so I watched the original pilot episode and it was amazing. I also read and write fanfiction, which leads me onto the next point. And it is a long point.

Johnlock.

Although the series ended 7 years ago, I still hold out hope. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson belong together and always have, and before I finished the show I truly believed it would become canon. I was heartbroken and I genuinely felt let down. As so many of fans were at the time of the show's release, I am an LGBTQ+ teenager, and representation in my favourite show would be more than just a stupid headcannon coming true, it would have meant the world to me and so many others. This show has made me laugh and cry but sometimes I think about what could have happened and I wonder what could have been different.

However, regardless of this, I truly believe that this show is an incredible feat of acting, writing, filming, production and it will come back. Even yesterday (I say yesterday, it's 00:16 currently), the producer said there might be a movie or a new series. There is always hope, and Sherlock will return, because it has to. The 'ending' cannot be the ending, because it is not the ending. It is the temporary ending, and the true one will be here someday, even if it takes another 7 years.

And even if not, then there will be more adaptions, and someday someone will tell the true story of Sherlock.

And whether you ship Johnlock, or are a fan of Sherlock, this show is incredible. And honestly, if there is another series, I don't even care what it is about as long as it just happens.

In conclusion, this show has genuinely been life changing. It has changed my perception of things, given me friendships, made me less bored, given me something to do and something to talk about, and I am endlessly grateful for the show.

So when it does return, I will be waiting for it, and when the first announcement comes, I know my reaction will be pure joy, and probably make me look very stupid in public.

I'm now crying. I need to sleep.

Thank you for reading

-Sophie

[teaspoonnebula]

VALL Chapter 1 - The Warning

So as a recap - yes I run this substack. No, I haven't read this novel. I'm really looking forwards to getting to experience new (to me) canonical Sherlock Holmes for the very last time in my life... and I'm going to write a bunch about it, so hold on tight.

“I am inclined to think—” said I. “I should do so,” Sherlock Holmes remarked impatiently. I believe that I am one of the most long-suffering of mortals; but I'll admit that I was annoyed at the sardonic interruption.

LOL I love how we jump right into Holmes and Watson banter. Watson's understated "“you are a little trying at times" reminds me of his reaction to Holmes shooting holes in the walls at Baker Street being "I felt strongly that neither the atmosphere nor the appearance of our room was improved by it."

Of course we don't get any indication of the tone in which he says these things, but I think we can guess Watson is countering with a little acerbic wit of his own.

So, Holmes has received a letter from a mysterious figure known as 'Porlock'

Picture to yourself the pilot fish with the shark, the jackal with the lion—anything that is insignificant in companionship with what is formidable:

This idea of the pilot fish is a very cool metaphor. Unfortunately it is entirely ruined for me because it was also used in the Christmas Invasion episode of Doctor Who to describe these things and that's always where my brain is going to go:

Porlock is one of Moriarty's henchmen or representatives! Which makes me interested in the fact that I've never come across this character in pastiches or adaptations or fanfic - why not?

(Also it makes no sense for Watson to know all about Moriarty but that's a Continuity Thing and we all know Arthur Conan Doyle didn't let that sort of thing get in the way of telling his story - more power to him, honestly.)

“You are developing a certain unexpected vein of pawky humour, Watson, against which I must learn to guard myself.

I JUST SAID THAT, HOLMES.

“May I be there to see!” I exclaimed devoutly.

Well THAT is a sucker punch of a line. No, Watson, you won't be there to see, I'm afraid. See, there will be this Swiss boy... anyway, we're getting off track.

Turns out Porlock is a bit of a mole (I wouldn't quite go so far as to say 'double agent'), and has been giving Holmes information provided he is paid enough. This includes a secret cipher which relates to a particular book, which Holmes assumes will arrive in the second post.

GUTTED I didn't read this book when I was 11, I loved ciphers and would have lapped this up.

“Your native shrewdness, my dear Watson, that innate cunning which is the delight of your friends...

"your friends" Lol Holmes just say "Me" we know that's what you mean - and gosh, he's being so sarcastic with Watson!

Billy the page shows up with the second post and readers, I CHEERED at Billy. Does he say anything? No. But BILLY!!! Alas the letter from Porlock says that he just had an unpleasant encounter with Moriarty (with an envelope addressed to 221b in his possession, whoops!) and so so he won't be sending along the key to the cypher.

I love that Holmes' reaction to this isn't frustration at not getting his cypher, but worry for Fred Porlock, and hope that Moriarty doesn't actually suspect him. THIS is why I love Canon Holmes - I think he is fundamentally kind...

“Perhaps there are points which have escaped your Machiavellian intellect.

Holmes points out that they might be able to work out which book is required for the cypher, and guides Watson through his deductive process - which is adorable. And I loved following along with it too - with my knowledge of Victorian ephemera I was hoping it was going to be a Bradshaw, but as Holmes notes to both Watson and me, the range of vocabulary needs to be broader!

It's a Whitaker's Almanac! But not the new edition - the old one. This is a fun little reversal which gives us a moment of Holmes thinking he's 'failed'.

The message suggests that someone called Douglas who lives at Birlstone House, Birlstone, is in danger.

(Clearly this is a totally different house to Hurlstone, from Musgrave Ritual....)

After deciphering the message, Holmes and Watson get a visit from an Inspector MacDonald. I was a little sorry this isn't one of the familiar Yarders (Hopkins, my beloved...) but I'm going to be interested to get to know him. Alas, Holmes is too late to save Douglas - he has already been murdered.

***

So, uh, I'm having the time of my life reading this, honestly. It's such incredibly good fun. I'm intrigued that whatever has happened to Douglas must somehow be linked to Moriarty.

There's a lot of banter about Watson's intellect which I feel should frustrate me more, a lot of the dialogue feels like it's bordering on being quite patronising to Watson, but I think his reactions suggest this is comfortable back and forth done from a place of security in each other.

[riddlerosehearts]

list of acd canon sherlock holmes things i absolutely love

(and am going to mostly put under a readmore because i made most of this list while rereading the entire canon so it is very long! listen i just think sherlock holmes is the best character ever and i need to share my love for him--)

immediately upon being introduced to watson he grabs him by the sleeve, starts excitedly showing off his bloodstain testing experiment, and claps his hands “looking as delighted as a child with a new toy”. once he finishes, his eyes glitter and he puts his hand on his heart and bows “as if to some applauding crowd conjured up by his imagination”.

watson: “i object to rows because my nerves are shaken”

holmes: “do you include violin playing in your category of rows?” he asked, anxiously

he’s noted to be extraordinarily knowledgeable and zealous in his studies, and yet on the same page it’s stated that he doesn’t know the earth travels around the sun and once watson tells him about it he immediately decides to forget about it because it’s not relevant to his work. this is where the famous “brain attic” monologue comes in.

watson writes this list about him and then throws it into the fire in despair:

has a habit of laughing in a way that’s described as bursting into an “explosion” or “roar” of laughter

frequently does this at crime scenes:

enlists a gang of street orphans to help him on his cases, pays them for their work, and generally treats them as equals but also playfully talks to them like a general to his soldiers

plays the violin for watson to help him get to sleep

is incredibly knowledgable on anything from different types of tobacco, to the ways one's trade can influence the form of their hands, to medieval pottery and stradivarus violins. and yet, i reiterate, does not know the earth revolves around the sun.

has a tendency of waxing poetic about the meaningless of existence, particularly when he’s bored from not having any cases to work on

once said about a dog “i would rather have toby’s help than that of the whole detective force of london”

used the word “doggy” when speaking to toby

once told watson “i don’t wish to be theatrical” despite all evidence to the contrary

disguises himself as an old man just to play a prank on watson

watson: “i think i had better go”

holmes: “not at all, doctor. stay where you are. i am lost without my boswell.”

is known to wiggle in his chair when he gets excited about a case

discovers that a man has tricked his own stepdaughter into a fake marriage so he can keep her at home and control her life and inheritance. acknowledges that said man hasn’t done anything illegal but still tells him “there never was a man who deserved punishment more” and that he ought to get whipped for what he did, and then goes to actually get his hunting crop, causing the man to run out the door at top speed

let a criminal go free because it turned out the man he murdered was trying to force said criminal’s daughter into an unwanted marriage

was suddenly made to participate in the wedding of someone he was tracking for a case, came home and laughed about it for several minutes, exclaimed “well, really!”, laughed for several more minutes, and only then did he actually tell watson what happened

responds to the king of bohemia insulting irene adler and saying she’s not on his level by saying coldly: “from what i have seen of the lady, she seems indeed to be on a very different level to your majesty”, which is basically him saying “actually she’s way better than you, so fuck off”

refused to shake said king’s hand

built a pillow fort in a client’s house so he could think better

let a poor jewel thief go because he cried, because it was christmas and therefore it was the season of forgiveness, and because the case was really easy anyway so it’s not his fault if the police are too stupid to solve it themselves

always reassures clients that they can trust him and watson and speak freely around them

is willing to waive his fee for clients who can’t afford to pay him, because according to him his profession is its own reward

this entire scene from speckled band when he gets confronted by his client’s abusive stepfather:

this nice little example of the gentleness he often displays with his clients:

the adventure of the copper beeches. just, all of it. a woman he doesn’t know comes to holmes for advice about a potential job she’s interviewed for and they both agree it sounds incredibly sketchy, she says she’s gonna take it anyway because she needs the money, and he’s like “well i wouldn’t want any sister of mine doing something like this but FINE i guess, just please write to us and let us know if you’re okay and if anything bad happens we’ll drop everything and come help you immediately”, and then the job does in fact turn out to be super sketchy and they drop everything and get on a train as soon as she writes to them

sometimes spends several hours out on walks through the park or the town with watson just relaxing and talking with him for the sake of it, despite watson frequently noting that holmes doesn’t have much appreciation for nature

“we have had the good fortune to bring peace to many troubled souls. i trust that we may do the same for you,” he says “in his easy, genial way” to a potential client who’s clearly very upset and sleep-deprived

is completely wrong about a particular case and asks watson to remind him of that case next time he gets overconfident

is noted by watson to be very neat and methodical in his methods and way of dress, while simultaneously being one of the messiest people ever who keeps his tobacco inside a persian slipper and his unopened letters held up by a knife in the center of his mantelpiece, keeps tons of criminal relics which apparently somehow end up in the butter dish sometimes, and keeps countless stacks of papers and documents all over the place

tells watson anecdotes about his past just to avoid cleaning up said documents

deliberately knocks over a table, shattering a glass fruit bowl which then sends oranges rolling all over the room, and then blames it on watson and runs away

says snarky things like “when gregson or lestrade are out of their depth–which, by the way, is their normal state” and “you’ve done very well, watson! it’s too bad you’ve missed everything of importance”

laughs when watson suggests he’s being modest about his abilities

picked up a rose and got all sappy and poetic about it

more specifically, picked up a rose and said that religion can be a science which involves a lot of careful deduction, and that flowers are a source of hope and proof of the goodness of god due to the fact that they aren’t a necessary part of life but are still so beautiful anyway

recovered an incredibly valuable government treaty for a client and had it served to him on a platter at breakfast because, in his own words, he “never can resist a touch of the dramatic”

faked his death and then revealed to watson that he was still alive in a manner that even he admitted was unnecessarily dramatic

had a full-scale wax model of himself created and used it to fool his enemies

made a diagram out of breadcrumbs to explain something to watson

broke into a blackmailer’s house for a case because he believed it to be morally justifiable, and admitted that he always thought he might make a good criminal

held watson’s hand while they were burgling said house together

twice

allowed said blackmailer to be murdered in front of him by one of his victims and then refused to take the case when asked because he just hated the guy that much

“flushed up with pleasure” when watson complimented him

asked watson to sell his medical practice and move back into 221b with him after the death of his wife. and then secretly gave a relative of his a ton of money to buy watson’s medical practice at the highest price watson would ask for, just so they could live together again

was nearly brought to tears by lestrade saying he was proud of him

let a dog lead him around on a case, multiple times in different stories

was very gentle with a client who he knew to be the victim of an abusive marriage and allowed the man who killed her husband to go free out of sympathy for their situation

noticed watson looking sad and touching his war wound and tried to cheer him up by echoing his thoughts and providing a deduction of how he knew what he was thinking

mentioned watson’s sparkling eyes in said deduction

talked about nothing but violins and his favorite violinist for an hour while he and watson had lunch together

likes going to classical music concerts and getting lost in the music

does scrapbooking

chuckles and rubs his hands together when he’s happy

this:

takes getting called "the devil himself" as a compliment

let a killer go because he had only killed in retaliation for the unjust murder of his lover, and holmes felt that he might’ve done the same if someone were to kill the woman he loved

on a completely unrelated note tells a guy who shoots watson “if you had killed watson you would not have got out of this room alive”

also reacted like this when watson got shot:

went undercover to supposedly give a guy secret government intelligence documents, and then gave him a book about bees instead

frequently disguised himself either for cases or just to fool watson and was noted to be a great actor

once disguised himself as an old woman with a parasol

tried the best he could to talk a young woman out of marrying a man who had a history of “collecting” women for sport and destroying their lives, and admitted to watson that he thought of her as he would think of his own daughter

was prone to “imp-like moods”

sent watson a message to come over at once ("if convenient--if inconvenient come all the same") just so he could infodump to him about dogs

wasn’t surprised that a dog died of grief shortly after its owner’s death, because of “the beautiful, faithful nature of dogs”

listened with great sympathy to a depressed woman who wanted to tell him her tragic story, picked up on hints that she was planning to commit suicide, talked her out of it by convincing her that her life does have value and then called her brave for choosing to live

got lost in thought looking out the window at the publicly funded elementary schools and randomly went on about how he believes they and the children who attend them are beacons of a brighter future

made hot cocoa for watson

shook hands with a baby

retired to the countryside to live on a farm and become a beekeeper.

[ohwhataniight]

I'm stuck on your heart - Chapter 1

Words don’t come easy to me

They’re buying Christmas ornaments in a crowded and flashy shopping centre, letting Rosie choose her own. They leave the shop with bags full of tinsel and balls, as well as the glittery duck with the surf board and the singing porcupine that Rosie picked out. It is early December and the temperature outside is flirting with zero, making even Sherlock avoid leaving the mall, although he won’t stop mumbling about “consumerist fiestas” and deducing what kind of dogs people have at home.

Both Rosie and Sherlock are particularly well-behaved, John muses. Rosie hasn’t thrown a tantrum or gotten a sugar rush, and Sherlock willingly bought a marshmallow cinnamon latte. That, until Rosie sits on Santa’s lap and pulls on his fake beard, and Sherlock tells him that his wife is having an affair with her yoga instructor, followed by “you’re welcome”.

They arrive at 221B Baker Street upset and ashamed, all but Rosie who’s exhausted and crying at the top of her lungs.

“Oh my,” Mrs. Hudson covers her mouth with her hand when she sees them walking up the stairs, hunched and defeated. “What happened?”

“Sherlock got us banned from the mall,” John answers grumpily. Sherlock, who’s holding Rosie, trying to calm her down, turns to him with an indignant look on his face. “Essentially, I gave Santa an early Christmas present. I was feeling generous. I won’t be doing that again.”

John throws his hands in the air. “You told him that his wife was having an affair!”

“I was saving him the trouble of staying with her and having to buy her something expensive for Christmas to cover for his own affair with the blond elf! He was clearly broke!”

“Also, Rosie threw up on Mickey Mouse.”

“I told you we shouldn’t have gotten her the ice-cream and the donut! Besides, that Mickey Mouse was drunk, he was bound to throw up inside the costume at some point!”

“Now, now boys,” Mrs. Hudson holds up her hands. “Let’s all have a nice cup of tea, and everything will make sense, alright?”

Rosie lets out a final sniffle and wipes the tears from her pouty face with her little fist. “Tea?” she asks, thinking about what that means, then calms down completely and makes grabby hands to Mrs. Hudson.

“She’s clearly your daughter,” Sherlock mutters to John, without facing him.

“Gi’ger cookies! Nana! Gi’ger cookies!”

She’s clearly also yours, John thinks, but doesn’t say that out loud.

After Rosie has had her bath and John has changed into his checkered pyjama pants and a Christmas sweater of the kind that Sherlock deems obscene, he starts walking down the stairs to join the others in decorating the tree, but he almost trips over the steps when he hears an appalled gasp coming from the living room. Steadying himself, he runs downstairs, a hundred horrible scenarios running through his head, and shouts “What happened?”

He finds Mrs. Hudson with her apron on, looking at Sherlock defensively and avoiding John’s gaze. Rosie is completely unharmed, sitting on the floor and playing with tinsel. “Dada!” she exclaims happily. The ginger cookies have obviously done their job.

“She tried to hang mistletoe!” Sherlock barks. “It’s lethal if ingested, Mrs. Hudson! Think of the children!”

“I am thinking of the children, that’s why we need the mistletoe,” Mrs. Hudson mutters under her breath, quickly disappearing into the kitchen. John tries hard to hold back a smile.

They spend the evening eating cookies and decorating the tree. Sherlock plays Rosie’s favourite carols on the violin and John, wearing a Christmas hat, lifts Rosie on his shoulders to help her place the star on the top of the tree. Little Watson ooh’s and aah’s at the beauty of the glinting lights and the bright colours that fill the living room, and Mrs. Hudson bosses them around and brings more cookies and milk.

They are really indebted to her, John muses. Looking after Rosie whenever they are on a case, or when they return from one bleeding and Sherlock has to get stitches in the bathroom. When John gets too angry, when Sherlock becomes impossible, she puts them in their place. John feels a wave of warmth taking over him. All those years since his mother passed, he hasn’t allowed himself to acknowledge how much he’s needed one.

Rosie falls asleep in front of the Polar Express and Sherlock quietly carries her to John’s room.

“Thank you, Mrs. Hudson,” John says, taking her hand in his. “And sorry you got yelled at”.

The fuzzy feelings are replaced with those of annoyance when he walks into the apartment after work the next day, and is greeted by a branch of fake mistletoe hanging on the doorway.

To be continued...

[contact-guy]

helloooo this is a MASTER POST of my Sherlock Holmes annotations, aka shitpost doodles of my favorite parts with occasional headcanons. I will pin this so it's available and update it as I go because this feels like it's becoming a full series, god help me.

I'm reading the stories in the order they occurred (according to Baring-Gould, who I am currently arm wrestling in the astral plane over how many wives Watson had) so that's how I will present them!

EDIT: decided to draw them in the order that makes sense to me, Baring-Gould you’re too silly

EDIT 2: this is basically a webcomic at this point, with ongoing continuity and a romantic storyline that can be enjoyed if you read in order. I did not intend this, but I have Sherlock Holmes disease and there's only one cure (doing this)

EDIT 3: content warning/advertisement depending on your temperament: this series gets into one of my big interests, historical queerness, period accurate homophobia, and how laws around queerness affected lived experience. it also has things that you can expect from a Sherlock Holmes story like: drug use involving needles, violence, flagrant use of old timey guns, and people dying in shocking and mysterious ways!

Copies of Volume 1 can be pre-ordered here!

A Study in Scarlet 🩸

The Speckled Band 🐍

The Resident Patient 🩺

The Noble Bachelor 👰

The Second Stain 📮

The Reigate Squires 📝

The Dancing Men 👯‍♂️

Silver Blaze 🏇🏻

The Six Napoleons ⚫️

The Red Circle 🕯️🪟

The Greek Interpreter 🩹

Mycroft Interlude 🎩

The Beryl Coronet 🥪

The Yellow Face 🙂

The Hound of the Baskervilles 🐺

-Part One

-Part Two

-Part Three

-Part Four

-Part Five

-Part Six

-Part Seven

The Gloria Scott ⚓️

The Valley of Fear 🏰

-Part One

-Part Two

Shoscombe Old Place 🎣

Charles Augustus Milverton 💌

-Part One

-Part Two

-Part Three

-Part Four

-Part Five

The Copper Beeches ✂️

-Part One

-Part Two

The Sign of the Four 💉

-Part One

-Part Two

-Part Three

-Part Four

-Part Five

-Illustration

-Part Six

-Part Seven

The Cardboard Box 📦👂🏻

Second Interlude 💒

A Scandal In Bohemia 💃

-Part One

-Part Two

-Part Three

The Stockbrokers Clerk 🦷

The Engineer’s Thumb 👍🏻

The Crooked Man 🦝

The Naval Treaty 🌹

The Five Orange Pips 🍊

The Man With The Twisted Lip 🧽

-Part One

-Part Two

The Boscombe Valley Mystery 🪨

-Part One

-Part Two

-Part Three

The Dying Detective 🦪

-Part One

-Part Two

-Part Three

Christmas Eve, 1890 🎄

-Part One

-Part Two

-Part Three

The Blue Carbuncle 🪿💎

-Part One

-Part Two

-Part Three

-Part Four

The Blanched Soldier 🪖

The Final Problem 🏔️

-Part One

-Part Two

-Part Three

-Part Four

-Part Five

[astudyintheburningofhearts]

Yeah I don't really know what this is- it just happened. Enjoy?? Hopefully?

__

The realisation had crept up on Sherlock one uncharacteristically sunny autumn afternoon in Baker Street. It had been a slow day, Lestrade yet to come bursting through the doors with a new case for them. John, having finished posting all their latest adventures on his blog, had been sat reading the book he'd been meaning to finish for well over a month at that point. Sherlock, meanwhile, was lounging on the sofa as per usual, one of his favourite books on beekeeping in his hands.

It was when he'd gotten up to get a glass of water that he'd stopped in his tracks, eyes widening minutely before they turned to his hands. He'd gone to get a glass of water for himself, yet here he was, standing barefoot in their kitchen, with two glasses in his hands.

With a sharp intake of breath, Sherlock marched over to John's seat, soundlessly offered him the glass, gave a curt nod in response to John's absentminded "thank you", and returned to the sofa; only this time he was faced away from John.

It had just now occurred to Sherlock that John Watson was indeed his favourite person. Yes, he loved Mrs.Hudson and (reluctantly) Mycroft and Lestrade and his Mummy and Daddy, but if he had to pick his absolute favourite person, he'd simply have no choice but to pick John. The realisation was juvenile, and yet. It made Sherlock burn from the roots of his hair to the tips of his toes.

Ever since the day he'd had the realisation, Sherlock ensured he would make more of an effort to pay conscious attention to John's needs and desires, in order to make sure the good doctor would have no reason to consider leaving, for what would Sherlock do without his favourite person.

Which is why he felt like the stupidest man on the planet when he deduced John's niche interest in astronomy and cosmology. The signs had been right in front of him the whole time – the way John's lips would purse and a wistful longing would shadow his countenance every time someone brought up space; how when Sherlock had shown his utter disdain for learning the workings of the solar system, John had been more affronted than Sherlock had ever seen him; how when he'd moved in, he'd brought a decently sized collection of books on the subject – god, how could Sherlock have been so blind?

After having mentally berated himself, Sherlock set to work learning everything he possibly could about astronomy, just so that John could ramble on to Sherlock about the stars and the solar system and faraway galaxies and black holes; so John would stay.

And so, Sherlock set about learning astronomy and cosmology, first from John's own books, and then from various sources over the internet. Even when he'd had a particularly tough case to crack, he'd taken fifteen minutes each day to read up on astronomy, so as to not hinder his learning process.

By the end of the week, which gracefully had them solving only one case this time around, Sherlock had finished reading all of John's books and was currently working his way through some of NASA's many articles on various parts of the study that had fascinated him, and of course, what he'd picked up from John's books in the form of his little scribbles and highlights.

And really, he hadn't meant to reveal to John in any way what he was doing, at least not until the next time it was brought up in common conversation with someone they knew. In fact, Sherlock was planning on gifting John a short collection of scientific papers he'd found in the archives of Mycroft's vast library for Christmas if the topic wouldn't come up naturally.

His plans, however, came to a screeching halt when he'd left his laptop open on the coffee table while he went to the loo. When he returned, he found John scrolling through an article about black holes and the information paradox, resting his chin in his palm as he did so.

He paused, having been caught red-handed, clearly. John's eyes remained fixed on the screen as he slightly angled his head towards where Sherlock had entered the sitting room and asked, "Since when have you been interested in black holes and the such? Do we have a new case I don't know about?"

Sherlock paused, stood like a deer caught in headlights, unable to speak a word. John, having received no response, furrowed his brows and looked up at Sherlock, "Sherlock, is everything alright?"

Swallowing once and ducking his head, Sherlock embarrassedly went and sat on the seat adjacent to where John was sitting. He clasped his hands and held them between his knees as if he were a child waiting to be berated for something he'd done.

John's voice was softer now, "Sherlock you know you can tell me anything, but if you don't want to, I'm alright with that too."

Sherlock continued staring at his lap as he whispered, "I was reading for you."

"Pardon?"

Taking a breath, he looked John in the eye as he spoke again, "I was reading up on space for you. Not for a case."

John blinked in confusion – "For... me?"

Of course John thought it was odd Sherlock had done that, of course he did. This was clearly a mistake, Sherlock should never have considered doing this in the first place.

Becoming defensive, Sherlock snapped at him, "No, John, I clearly read all those books and articles because – oh."

He'd been cut off by something most unexpected. John had wrapped his arms around him and had half-nuzzled his face into his neck. "Thank you," John breathed.

Sherlock didn't reciprocate for the first minute or so, thinking John would let go, but when he gave no indication of doing so, Sherlock gingerly wrapped his arms around the smaller man as well, resting his head against John's as he did so, and something warm and pleasant settled in the pit of his belly at having his flatmate so close.

"Nobody's ever... nobody's ever really tried learning about something especially for me. They've never expressed interest in learning about the things I enjoyed learning about, so thank you."

John held on to Sherlock for a moment longer after he finished speaking and then he pulled away, leaving Sherlock feeling bereft.

John cleared his throat and returned to his previous seat, "So, what have you learnt so far? Anything that caught your fancy in particular?"

The smallest grin appeared on Sherlock's face, "You first Doctor Watson, what part of astronomy catches your particular interest?"

John smiled back and shut Sherlock's laptop as he settled in, "Well..."

And Sherlock found that though he doesn't particularly care for when people have to ramble, finding most of them to be dull and boring either way, he hardly minds when John rambles to him. In fact, he found he rather enjoys listening to John ramble.

And that was how the rest of the evening was spent, engaged in conversations about the cosmos and accompanied by an eventual Chinese takeout dinner.

AO3 Link – https://archiveofourown.org/works/59543044/chapters/151856185