#sometimes I think ACD was tired of Sherlocking and just wanted to write something else

[fogdraws]

Just finished The Valley of Fear and it was great but I gotta confess that the McMurdo story was so long that I started to forget what was the main story

[daisyfornost]

fanfic tag game

I was tagged by @greenapricot, and I feel so honored, not just because she’s wonderful and amazing and I’m in awe of her writing, but also because I’ve never written much myself and recently... almost nothing.

Ao3 name: daisynorbury, which I chose when I got involved in the Tolkien online fandom around 2002. “Norbury” is the Westron name for the old Arnorian capital of Fornost, north of the Shire. When Sherlock s4 happened suddenly that name conveyed something rather different, so I switched the second half to Fornost on tumblr. If it were less of a hassle I’d switch it on Ao3 too, but... hassle. Daisy’s just a nickname.

Number of fics: 18

Fandoms: Inspector Morse (1), which I’m putting first because it’s the only fandom I’m still writing in and even that’s just one, slooow, curatorial-rather-than-creative wip; Lewis (3), Lord of the Rings (7), M*A*S*H (3), Sherlock Holmes - Granada/ACD (3), Being Human UK (1)

1. Fic you spent the most time on: Aulë’s Gift, by far. Everything else took a few months at most. Aulë’s Gift took me 11 goddamn years. Eleven. Years. Which, at the time I finished it, was more than a quarter of my life. And it’s only 54k. I had one novel in me and that’s it. I like it and I’m proud of it, but to this day when I try to read it the formatting makes me CRINGE. Someday I’ll go back and fix it. *sigh*

2. Fic you spent the least time on: Dunno, maybe Lamedon Abandoned (LotR, L/G. 2.8k) but it was so long ago I don’t remember. I also feel like Fair’s The Last Thing It Is (M*A*S*H, gen, 3.1k) came pretty easily and quickly.

3. Longest Fic: Aulë’s Gift by a long shot. (LotR, L/G, 54k) See above.

4. Shortest Fic: Solid Choice (Lewis, Robbie/James, 1099w) because it was designed as a series of double drabbles. And from that experience I learned that I hate a word-count limit. Never again.

5. Most hits: As Yes To If (Sherlock Holmes - Granada/ACD, Holmes/Watson, 3k), probably because it ended up on a few tumblr fic-rec lists shortly after I published it.  Although somewhere along the line, someone miswrote my name on a rec list as “staceynorbury” and that name is still floating around the interwebs. Cracks me up.

6. Most kudos: Again, As Yes To If.

7. Most comment threads: Aulë’s Gift, but most of those are just me and @roselightfairy yelling back and forth at one another. Second-most: Silver Gaze, which is the sequel to As Yes To If. The one where H&W stay at an inn on Dartmoor after the Silver Blaze case. And there was only one bed.

8. Fave Fic you wrote: That’s very hard. Gonna set aside Aulë’s Gift just because there’s so much more of it than everything else that it’s unfair competition. Uh… maybe Hit What’s Pitched? (M*A*S*H, Hawkeye/BJ, 4.3k) Though some of my warm feeling for it is my readers’ reaction to Charles. Everybody loves my Charles. And after re-reading Venus the Bringer of Peace... gosh, I’d forgotten how much thought I put into that one.

9. Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: Venus the Bringer of Peace (Lewis, Robbie/James, 6.1K) is currently two chapters and officially “complete”, but was originally intended to be five (culminating in the night after Falling Darkness, when Robbie and Laura and James all go home together, because of course they do), and I still have a bunch of notes for the last three chapters. I hope to get around to writing them someday. Indeed, sometimes I even open my notes and, like, look at them. (And as mentioned, Aulë’s Gift needs some serious reformatting, but I don’t plan to edit the content. Happy with it as is.) 

10. Share a bit of your WIP or share a story idea that you’re planning: I just published the most recent chapter (12: The Infernal Serpent) of my episodic review of Inspector Morse, and I haven’t started working on the next one yet so there’s nothing to share. And beyond that, my muse is pretty much dead. Menopause really axed my brain.

Buuuut… I could open my Venus The Bringer of Peace notes and see what’s there.  *pokepoke*

1. “There are things about me that are... latent. Without you. I can’t find them on my own, and I’ve never found them with anyone but you. You showed me who I can be. I can’t even see that version of me without you to bring it out. You make me more myself. More…  real.”

2. ... James doesn’t notice that Robbie’s returned from the loo until he feels a hand on his shoulder. James looks up, indicates the sleeping Laura with a dip of his head, and mouths “This should be you.” And Robbie misunderstands. He hasn’t been privy to James’ line of thought, and interprets his remark as James saying “It should be you, here, curled up on my shoulder, sleeping.”  And because Robbie is very tired, and wrung out, and freshly grieving the pain and awful injustice of it all, and despite Laura’s trauma and his fervent wish for her to feel safe and loved and held right now, for a second he imagines himself there in her place, and all he can think is “Yes, Christ, yes it should be, please.”  He stares down at James. He can’t make sense of what he just said. He thinks it should be me? He thinks it should... be me? He wants to be holding me? Now? James stares right back. Looking up at him like… like he means it. Like he’s both telling Robbie that he wants to hold him and unashamed of laying himself bare.

Robbie blinks a few times, then feels his hand drift up from James’ shoulder and two fingertips brush his jaw. He can’t seem to stop himself. He swallows, feeling immensely guilty, and whispers, “Ah, lad. She needs you more than I do just now.”’

[tinfoiltemplar]

Name / Alias: Clare Are you over 18?    Yes  /  No Is your muse over 18?  Yes (unless we’re doing something special) /  No When was your blog established? Oh gosh, uh, 2012?  But I’ve moved him a couple times. It’s a long story. This particular Victor is only a couple years old but he’s really the same Victor just, growing up. And sometimes edited for different muses.

– W R I T I N G –

Are you selective about who you write with? No (anyone)  /  Semi (most people) / Yes (some people)  /  Highly (few people - mutuals preferred) /  Private (mutuals only) 

(mostly I feel I need to reserve the right to tell jerks and people who make me uncomfortable to get the heck out. I’m not losing any more blogs.)

Are you selective about who you follow? No (anyone)  /  Semi (most people-BE. MY. FRIEND.)  /  Yes (some people)  /  Highly (few people)

If your muse is canon, how much do you adhere to canon? Not at all  / A little  /  Some  / Mostly /  Strictly /  Not Applicable Look, “canon” for Victor Trevor is one paragraph where ACD tells us they were friends in Uni, Victor has a dog who once bit Sherlock, that they’re nothing alike, and almost nothing else. So yeah, I’m mostly canon-compliant- I did change the dog breed because I used to be afraid of the dog in Babe 2, but other than that. Buuuuuuuuuut that left basically EVERYTHING for me to make up.

What post lengths do you write? One Liners  / Single-Para  /  Multi-Para  /  Novella / All of the aforementioned

Do you use icons and/or GIFS? No  / Gifs  /  Icons  /  Yes / Sometimes

Do you write on other platforms? No  /  Yes

What level of plots do you write? Unplotted  /  Open-Ended Plots  /  Semi-Plotted /  Fully Plotted Epics /  All of the aforementioned

How quickly do you usually respond to threads? Very Slow (more than a month) / Slow (3-4 weeks)  /  Average (1-2 weeks) /  Fast (less than one week)  /  Very Fast (less than three days) /  It depends

Mostly I try to get them done in a few days but sometimes I get tired and it becomes three months later and I’m still looking at the draft like “BUT I LOVE THIS THREAD”.

What types of themes do you like? Adventure / Romance / Fluff  /  Angst  / Smut /  Violence /  Tragedy  /  Domestic  /  Family  

WHAT GENRES DO YOU LIKE? ( Feel free to add! ) High Fantasy  /  Supernatural / Science Fiction  /  Historical  /  Horror /  Comedy  / Romantic  / Drama  / Action /  Adventure  /  Espionage / All of the aforementioned (no promises I’ll be good at them)

Are there any themes you’re uncomfortable writing on your blog? (Not triggers) No  /  Yes  /  Sometimes I don’t write abortion anything. Nope. Don’t touch it. Fertility issues, Miscarriages, child death- ok, fine, heartbreaking but fine I can get through it. But I am nonnegotiable on this one.

Do you have any triggers? How do you request it tagged? not really, I mean abortion as a concept, animal cruelty, and child sacrifice (like having to give up a child for the good of bla bla bla one to save many bla bla) make me really uncomfortable

– S H I P P I N G –

What types of relationships are you open to? Romantic  /  Platonic  /  Familial / All of the aforementioned

What types of pre-established relationships are you open to? Romantic  /  Platonic  /  Familial / All of the aforementioned / I prefer plotting

I mean just shoot me a message, right? Like “yo I think they used to be bros”.

Do you have OTPs? No /  Chemistry Only  /  Yes

What is your muse’s sexual orientation? Heterosexual  /  Heteroflexible  /  Bisexual  / Pansexual  /  Homoflexible (?) /  Homosexual / Demisexual /  Sapiosexual /  ( Grey ) Asexual / Still trying to figure it out.

What is your muse’s romantic orientation? Heteroromantic  /  Heteroflexible  /  Biromantic /  Homoflexible  /  Homoromantic   / Panromantic /  Demiromantic /  Sapioromantic  / Aromantic / Still trying to figure it out.

Are you comfortable writing smut? No  /  Selectively /  Yes

How early in a relationship do you ship romantically? Autoship  / During plotting /  After a couple IC interactions  /  Several IC interactions / Slow burn   /  Plot dependent  /  Never  

Honestly, this depends more on my relationship with the mun than anything else.

Are you open to toxic ships? No / Selectively  / Yes /  I am not sure.

I WANT ONE FOR VICTOR SO BAD. HE’S AN IDIOT AND HE JUST- HE’S JUST WAITING TO BE DRAWN INTO THESE AND HE NEVER IS??? WHICH IS GREAT I’M SO HAPPY FOR HIM BUT LIKE??? HOW???

Are you open to problematic ships? No /  Selectively /  Yes /  I am not sure.

Are you open to polyshipping? No (This might change, but in the past, when Victor has been approached about this it got bad very, very quickly. Ended a lot of relationships.) /  Selectively  /  Yes /  I am not sure.

Are you an exclusive shipper? Never (Multi-Ship)  / Sometimes  /  Yes

Does crack shipping ever happen? No  /  Yes (and it is usually a mistake because I get ATTACHED)

– T A G G I N G! –

tagged by: @bakerstreetramblings tagging: whoever you want man

[juniper-and-lamplight]

Recent Reads--April 30, 2017

I’ve recently realized that it has been SIX MONTHS since I made a rec list, which is just…not on. So here’s a collection of fic I’ve consumed in those six months. You’ll notice it skews even more strongly than usual towards Johnlock–the blame for this rests squarely on Moffat and Gatiss for messing up Sherlock season 4 SO SEVERELY that I required excessive amounts of fic in order to recover. (J/k, I’ll never recover!) However, there ARE a few other fandoms and ships in here, so please have a little scroll-through, read what appeals you, and be sure to leave some love for the authors & podficcers <3</p>

His Name Is John Watson - ampersand_ch, translated by SwissMiss - 19k, Explicit, Holmes/Watson “A summer’s idyll in Sussex. Holmes and Watson seek some peace and quiet. But that’s not as simple as they imagine.” A gorgeous casefic in which Holmes and Watson confront the depth and intensity of their connection.

Speaker for the Bees - antietamfalls - 14k, Mature, John/Sherlock, AU “It isn’t always easy assisting a deaf detective. Luckily for John, they make a pretty good team.” After reading a completely different romance with a Deaf protagonist, I got curious and read a whole bunch of deaf Sherlock fic, and this one emerged as my favorite.

(Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea - @discordantwords - 40k, Mature, John/Sherlock “Baker Street is very much the same. Only different. And Sherlock is just trying not to drown.” I saw this fic recced all over Tumblr for weeks before I finally got over my fear of in-depth post-season-4 fic and read it myself, thus verifying that HOLY WOW YES the hype was deserved. The way the author captures Sherlock’s internal voice in this fic feels SO TRUE–his shattered hubris, his desperate resistance to vulnerability, and the believable way he and John finally get through it all is spot-on. This fic repaired some of the damage that season 4 inflicted on my heart.

look west from London - @fahye - 4k, Teen and up, John/Sherlock but only in the background, AU “There are almost no lies in the way that Molly presents herself, only omissions.” A wonderfully uneasy and darkish character study of Molly, and how she might have actually helped Sherlock fake his death.

The Price We Pay for Wings - Frayach, read by raitala - 13k, 80min, Mature (Harry/Draco, HP) “Scorpius Draconis Eltanin Malfoy read the first book in the Alford Ocamy series over Christmas hols when he was eleven. Well, he didn’t so much “read” it as he devoured it.” I CRIED ACTUAL LITERAL TEARS LISTENING TO THIS. Raitala’s podfic performance makes this already intense and moving story feel that much more vivid. 10/10 would be devastated by again.

Who I Want To Be - @hubblegleeflower - 3k, General Audiences, John/Sherlock “What happens when your author writes you wrong? When someone else has the power to decide who you really are? Does it matter?” Sort of AU, shades of RPF, definitely metafiction, and quite satisfying as a rebuke to the writers who made such a hash of season 4.

Intersection - celeste9 - 5k, Explicit, Finn/Poe, AU “Finn had managed to get seated beside a gorgeous, sweet, funny ex-military gay pilot… and he was one more rough patch of sky away from barfing all over his feet. Or, worse yet, all over Poe’s feet. It figured. It really fucking figured.” Am I sucker for a social worker AU? You bet I am.

One Week - JaneTurenne - 42k, Explicit, Holmes/Watson “An average week in the life of Our Heroes becomes a battle of wills when the boys make a wager.” A beloved trope executed beautifully.

Minor Interludes for the Solo Violin - Katie Forsythe, read by general_jinjur - 27k, 3hr, Explicit, Holmes/Watson “Wounded and traumatized by the Afghan War, John Watson falls in love with a detective who is also a remarkable violinist. Connected pieces of emotion and movement.” This podfic of a classic H/W is immersive and excellent, and the download link includes the sequel, Hallowed Be Thy Name, which is also excellent, though significantly darker and more difficult for the characters.

There’s Only One Sure Thing That I Know - leah k (blinkiesays), read by exmanhater - 20k, 2hrs, Explicit, Dean/Castiel “Dean doesn’t even get halfway through explaining before Bobby starts laughing. When he lets himself think about it for more than five seconds, Dean can almost see Bobby’s point: he’s faced down demons, witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, angels, and Satan himself and now he’s been defeated by the God damn Midwest.” A well-paced and gently humorous podfic in which an unexpected sojourn in Ohio forces Dean to confront love, honesty, and his fucked-up self esteem.

What He’s Like - magikspell - 3k, Explicit, John/Sherlock “‘I’m so in love with you,’ John says, a statement of fact. 'I will never not be in love with you.’ Realistic first time. They love each other so much.” FEEEEELS.

et faisons la grasse matinée - mazily (@ylizam​) - 1k, Mature, Phryne/Mac, Phryne/Jack (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries) “'I do love you,’ Mac says. She’s not fond of saying it.” This one is short and has a slightly hazy, hungover feel (appropriate) that I adore. The only problem with Mac/Phryne fic is that there’s not enough of it, so extra blessings upon those who write it!

Time on my hands - Mildredandbobbin - 7k, Explicit, John/Sherlock “Virginity’s a construct, a concept—what does losing one’s virginity entail for a gay man anyway? Sherlock wants to fill that particular gap in his knowledge but John won’t, can’t, never will assist and there’s only so much desperately unspoken pining even Sherlock can take.” Despite the description, this one is more about practical sexual exploration than “virginity” or loss of same, which makes it a lot more interesting IMHO.

Sentiment to Paper - @mistyzeo​, read by RickyPulsifer - 7k, 57min, Explicit, Holmes/Watson “No fewer than three times by the winter of 1883 had I heard Sherlock Holmes disparage the ways of lovers and their irrational tendencies toward writing letters. With this often and loudly-expressed opinion in mind, I was very surprised indeed to find a stack of unsent, unsealed letters in a drawer in his desk.” Here you will find a convincing Watson POV (complete with “damn my leg” in-joke), a secretly sentimental Holmes, and juuuuust enough miscommunication and tension to make the romantic (and hot) resolution feel very satisfying indeed. Additionally, RickyPulsifer’s podfic is a quiet wonder of smooth pacing, emotive delivery, and thoughtful production.

Splendid Creature - mistyzeo, read by RickyPulsifer and the_dragongirl - 2k, 20min, Explicit, Holmes/Watson "Holmes has tired himself out on a case and wants to go straight to sleep. After an orgasm or two. Watson is more than happy to help.” A sleepy, steamy PWP podfic featuring a trans Holmes. Really, you should just listen to all of Ricky Pulsifer’s ACD Holmes podfic recordings.

Grazed Knees - montparnasse (@montpahrnah​) - 5k, Teen and up, Luna/Ginny “The war is over, except that it isn’t, and Ginny is done fighting, except that she’s not.” A wonderfully atmospheric coming-of-age postwar fic. I think I need more Linny in my life.

Hearth and Home - @mycapeisplaid​ - 5k, Teen and up, John/Sherlock “Sixteen years after the east wind came and went, two men embrace their future.” A post-season 4 fic set well into the future, including a teenage Rosie Watson who knows her two dads better than they know themselves.

The Truth of the Musgrave Ritual - @mydwynter​ - 13k, Explicit, Holmes/Watson “It is my custom, you may have noticed, to save those little cases which we have solved until such time as danger to those involved has passed, or until Holmes otherwise suggests I may write about them.The happenings at Hurlstone Hall, however, received a very different treatment indeed.” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you just can’t go wrong with mydwynter’s canon fic.

Shoreline - @penknife​ - 2k, Mature, Remus/Sirius  “Sometimes it takes being someone else to sort out who you are.” A short, angsty-yet-sweet character study of  one Remus Lupin, teen werewolf and aspiring cool loner.

Take My Breath Away - Quesarasara (@itsnotgonnareaditselfpeople) - 14k, Explicit, John/Sherlock “Sherlock opens his eyes and looks at his friend—his best friend—and slowly tips his chin down until his forehead rests softly against John’s. They stay that way for a long moment, lips just a whisper apart, warm puffs of air mingling as each of them struggles to breathe. It’s no wonder they ended up here, really, locked in this breathless moment balanced on the cusp of something new. They’ve spent years taking each other’s breath away…” Honestly, the “got your breath back?” thing is a brilliant way to organize a series of vignettes, and the sexy bit at the end is achingly sincere.

All Life is Yours to Miss - Saras_Girl, read by originally reads (@originally) - 114k, Mature, Harry/Draco “Professor Malfoy’s world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.” I have to admit that if had read this instead of listened to it, I might have noped out–mostly because it’s long, I’m impatient, and as Draco character studies go it’s much sweeter than my usual taste. Yet the podfic was well-performed, and the slower listening process made the resolution feel even more satisfying.

Revolutions - @scullyseviltwin - 3k, Explicit, John/Sherlock “Things got in the way, yeah, a whole fuckload of things.” It feels like cheating to call this a PWP, becuase even though it’s mostly sex, it’s the kind of sex that reveals things about the characters and their changing relationship.

Two Weeks - @shiftylinguini - 21k, Explicit, Harry/Draco “If Harry had to guess which out of he or his Auror Partner, and tentative new friend, Draco Malfoy, would turn out to have Veela ancestry, his answer would be: neither, because that is ridiculous. Finding out the answer is actually him, and that his Veela heritage is wreaking havoc on his ability to work, sleep, and above all be in the same room as Malfoy, is a surprise to say the least. But this is fine. Harry’s been through worse, and he can just sit this one out, regardless of how much his body is screaming for the one person he doesn’t want to ask for help. Can’t he?” I mean, that description tells you what you need to know. Delicious, delicious TENSION.

Diversionary Tactics - @shinysherlock, read by @fffinnagain - 2k, 16min, Explicit, Molly/Irene (BBC Sherlock AU) “Oh. This could be interesting. Irene’s fingers moved to the third button of the dress and paused. 'Shall I just … check the rest of you, then? Make sure you’re quite all right?’” A brief, hot, historical PWP, Mollrene style. UNF. Finnagain’s podfic performance is very…impassioned–maybe don’t listen in public ;)

His Almost Lover - @writcraft - 9k, Explicit, John/Sherlock “John grieves for Sherlock, dreams offering his only escape but no real satisfaction. When Sherlock finally confronts him, alive and well, John has to learn to love all over again.” A surreal, dreamy beginning leads into a very real post-Reichenbach coming-to-terms.

For further recs, check out my Fic Bookmarks or Fic Recs Masterpost; I hope to add some of these fics to my various faves lists sometime in the next few weeks.