#MaybeItsJustMyType

[ohaine]

As long as I live, you will live.

As long as I live, you will be remembered.

As long as I live, you will be loved.

Rest well, my darling Kiki Bee.

[keepmyselfamused-othersconfused]

Sweet-Sweet-Escape

Three years. 

How is it possible that it’s been three years since the beautiful spark of life that we knew as @sweet-sweet-escape​ left this earth? 

I still find it so hard to believe. 

She was such a treasure, she still is, to me at least. I cherish all of the memories I have of her. 

Just recently I’ve been going over all of our email conversations, and oh how she could make me laugh! 

I’ve never known anyone quite like her, not sure I ever will again. 

Her fanfics were a blessing to the Sherlolly community. I adore every word that she wrote. 

I’ve set up a queue of reblogs of her own posts of her fanfics. They deserve to be read and loved by as many people as possible. That is why every year on her birthday and on the anniversary of her passing I share all of her fics. I just love them so much, and want others to love them as well. She adored getting comments and kudos, they made her so happy. 

Read them if you can (if Sherlolly is your thing of course).

Wherever you are Sweets, I hope you are happy and at peace. I love you.

[keepmyselfamused-othersconfused]

Happy Birthday, Sweets 

Love you and miss you forever ❤🧡💛💚💙💜💕💞💓💗💖💘💝❣

the cinemagraph artists  on instagram: @kitchenghosts

[sweet-sweet-escape]

THANK YOU

Thank you to all of sweet-sweet-escape’s community, who shared their loving condolences over her unexpected death on September 9. We have been truly touched by all your sharing and how much her writing meant to you all. The family are healing slowly and taking it one day at a time. Thank you for all your prayers to support her transition, and to help her family heal their grief. We miss her deeply. ~ Her Big Sis ♡

[thisisartbylexie]

Sherlolly Appreciation Week - 2020 Fic Rec Post

@sherlollyappreciationweek is this week and I’ve had my head not screwed on straight and missed daily posting.  Which means y’all are going to deal with a single LONG post of Sherlolly Fic Recs. I’m making up for timeliness by dumping more recs than anyone asked for. Buckle up. 

(tl:dr - Listen, you can find every flavor of Sherlolly fic curated like a Willy Wonka’s factory over on @miz-joelys-sherlollilists, but I have curated a gourmet banquet for you right here. Please leave feedback for the creators.)

DAY ONE -  Gone But Not Forgotten (WIPs/Incomplete Fics)

I left a review and am also recommending The Ghost and Molly Hooper by doctor_WTF. This is the story of Molly who purchased 221B Baker St only to find that the last inhabitant died, but never really left. This is set as an AU with the context of TRF. 

Also gonna recommend A Line to Cross by @blogyourfeelingsaway. This is an AU where Molly doesn’t actually like Sherlock at first, much to his surprise...

Delayed For A Little While by @lono285. A Princess Bride AU we don’t deserve.

DAY TWO - Angst Fest 

Phoenix by @lono285. This is the author’s summary: Nothing could bring Molly Hooper back to life. He saw her final breath leave her body. But with a few short words from a nameless voice on the telephone, he realized the resumed beating of his heart had a name: hope.

Ghost of A Girl by Alethnya. Author’s summary: Death, as it turns out, wasn't quite as final as Molly had always believed. Fear not, you will smile at the end, I promise. 

 All You Ever Wanted At Just The Wrong Time by @soyeahso. This wasn’t what Molly expected being a relationship with Sherlock would be like. 

The Coffin-Maker’s Lullaby by @hobbitsdoitbetter. This is ANGST but it’s more like catharsis post-S4. 

But if you’re REALLY looking for The Pain Train, take the emotional tour via The Gods Have [No] Mercy by TuesdayTerrible. This is a soulmate AU.

Also, The Five Stages of an Illogical Death by AndInTimeThisTooShallPass. It’s exactly what you think it is. 

DAY THREE - When We Were Young (S1 & S2)

A Beautiful Mind by jankmusic. I have a theme for fics, apparently, because this one is also super emotional. This is set vaguely in the S2 timeline, but it’s an amnesia fic that starts with established Sherlolly. But then...

Her Last Bow by @PetraTodd. This is just after S2. Author’s summary: Like a knight going off to war, when Sherlock goes off to fight Moriarty's network, he takes a favor from Molly Hooper. (Of course, favors are normally *given* but Sherlock isn't really one for manners.)

All The Things Said and Unsaid by @elixirbb. Molly goes with Sherlock after The Fall. 

Every Time and Always by @flaignhan. Written just after S2.01 aired. 

Do I even need to mention The Full House  and Always Something by @emceefrodis? Because like, that should be part of the Sherlollian Bible or something. 

DAY FOUR - Bust Out (Comedy Gold)

Friends Like These by @elixirbb. Sherlolly post-S2 from Lestrade’s POV. 

A Little Inspiration by @lilsherlockian1975. Humor with some angst, but a fun read. 

If You Like It... by ll_again. ...put a ring on it. Post-S3 where Molly and the Holmes parents form a friendship. 

The New Conception by Quarto. Post-S3 ish. Author’s summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single consulting detective in possession of an undercover assignment must be in want of a wife.

DAY FIVE - EPIC (Long Fics)

A Fearful Hope Was All The World by @miabicicletta . End of the world AU that somehow hits HARD especially now. Not for the emotionally fragile, but there’s still HEA. 

In matters of the heart by TheSapphireSky. Regency AU. There’s mystery and heart-wrenching emotion with our favorite idiots. It’s *chef’s kiss*. 

The Signs of the Four by Emma_Lynch. Victorian AU you’re looking for. 

The Necessary Mother by darthsydious. Victorian AU where Sherlock is a single father and Molly comes to help him. This isn’t on AO3, so I will tag with the warning of character death (secondary, but still gutting due to period typical mortality). 

Molly Hooper and the Flagon Nocturnal by Zoa. It’s a CRIME that this Indiana Jones AU doesn’t have more comments.

In general, if you’re looking for LONG fics, check out the 2015 Sherlolly Big Bang Collection. Every fic has a minimum of 25K. 

DAY SIX - Fluffy Friday

So I like my fluff with a side of angst (for ~flavor~).

Order From Chaos by MaybeItsJustMyType. Soulmate AU. 

Semantics by @geekmama. Sap everywhere. 

Intuit by ClassySpanks. Molly runs away to Switzerland. 

Zephyr by @writingwife-83. A Victorian AU arranged marriage. 

I also had to mention Wedding Day by floosilver8. This is Groundhog Day-set up, Molly POV, set at the Watson wedding. Not like 100% fluffy, but I love reading it when I need a pick me up. 

DAY SEVEN - Free For All

You guys know I’m a sucker for a period AU. So I’m going to recommend one of my favorite AUs: London Bridge Is Falling Down by @lono285. This is a WWII-era AU that I love to bits and pieces because it’s ADORABLE. 

Speaking of AUs, here’s a Victorian amnesia fic. Changing Faces by @likingthistoomuch

Also, there’s an S2-ish hasty marriage AU Band of Gold by @mizjoely and the 1940s AU remix With This Ring written by me. (yup, I am SHAMELESS. And quite proud of this one.)

I’m gonna add with a tear, the truth comes by broomclosetkink. Semi-angsty AU of the Watson wedding. Fix-it fic.

Looking for the Christmas Carol AU? Well, try A Knockout Christmas by Ellis_Hendricks.

Here’s Sherlock-Is-An-Actual-Moron. Unplanned pregnancy AU where Sherlock doesn’t realize it’s his. Hearts Don’t Break Around Here by darthsydious. 

OOOOOOOOF. I’ve been reading your Sherlolly fics since like 2011 and I have heaps more (SO many fantastic authors I didn’t even mention here!). 

Please check out the official post because the other half of this appreciation week is also leaving feedback for authors.  

Give them some LOVE! 

[youknowmymethods]

Content Creator Interview #11

Hello folks and happy Friday! We’re back, and this time @likingthistoomuch interviews @ohaine (aka, me) so I’m jumping straight into the interview because it’s awkward af to introduce yourself.

Trigger warnings: here be brief discussions of grief and mourning, and because it’s me, there’s also some bad language. Sorry.

OhAine: She arts, she fics, now you can add witty limericks to her repertoire for she is truly an accomplished young lady; because when the question of how to introduce me for this interview came up likingthistoomuch chose to write a poem.

It goes like this:

 She is smart

She has sass

Thinks her writing isn’t good

Someone get her head outta her ass.

 Charming. And as that isn’t massively helpful to anyone reading, I’ll flesh it out a bit for you. My name is Áine (yes, my pseud is that imaginative), I’m Irish, married to a tall, curly haired Brit (no, not *that* tall, curly haired Brit). I’m a professional doer of double entry (that means I’m an accountant not a p0rn star, get your dirty minds out of the gutter), an amateur writer who is obsessed with Sherlock and Sherlolly to a point that isn’t dignified. I’m the mod of this interview project, and also of the MaybeItsJustMyType Collection on AO3, a double SAMFA winner (yay me!) and I also won a Community Games gold medal when I was eight ( @hobbitsdoitbetter will know what that is, but she’s literally the only one of you who will) for a picture I drew in crayon of a cat jumping over a skipping rope (although if I’m honest I think everyone who entered the competition got a prize so I really don’t know if I should brag too much about it.) Currently I’m in the market for someone who’ll do a better job of my eulogy than I’ve done with this intro, so maybe it’s best if I stop talking now and we just move along with the questions… Ahem… Gee it’s back to you.

 likingthistoomuch: I’m going to start with Kat (aka satin_doll, aka @ashockinglackofsatin) who’s submitted a few reader questions if you’re ready.

 OhAine: Sure. Shoot.

 satin_doll: The Fate of Glass is one of the most beautiful and touching stories I’ve ever read dealing with grief and the aftermath of the death of a character. It also illustrates perfectly Molly’s relationship with Sherlock from her side. We know you were dealing with your own loss when this was written. How much of your writing springs from your own real life emotional experiences?

 OhAine: Well first, thank you dear heart. It’s a tricky question to answer because The Fate of Glass is unique for me. I wrote it and ‘Where the Lost Things Go’ in the same two week period, at a time when I was really struggling to accept what had happened to Kieren. Funnily enough, Gee (likingthistoomuch) and I were talking only a few weeks ago, and I told her this: for the only time I can ever remember doing, I put my words into Sherlock’s mouth. The bit where they’re sitting on the floor, smoking and talking about Mrs H, where Sherlock finally says what’s on his mind – that he’d failed her – was exactly what I felt at that moment about Kiki’s death. I drew on something deeply personal in a way I hadn’t done since ‘Take me and erase me’ and the death of Molly and Sherlock’s son. Initially that story was me working through my feelings and grief, but after the first draft I had to abandon that agenda and remember that this was about Sherlock and Molly now. The real life experience of survivor’s guilt, of losing someone you love was there, but oddly Molly’s rebuttal to Sherlock’s assertions about blame were very much me too, they came from my father’s loss, and that reconciling a terrible end with a life well lived and full of love. Of all my stories, it’s the closest to describing my actual experience in a given context.

 I suppose in the first instance, what you write has be honest, authentic. That doesn’t mean that it has to come from your experience directly, but if you have the framework there for something that you want to say, then you use it. There are small bits of me in all of my stories, but I can’t rely on my own emotional experiences too heavily because then I’m limiting the characters. What I’ve found you can do is take the essence of an emotion, distil it down to its component parts and feelings, and then apply them to a different situation. Your job when writing a story is to tell someone else’s story, so you have to be able to extrapolate beyond your own experiences. But if you can ground that in something real, it somehow gives it a ring of truth that wouldn’t otherwise be there.

 satin_doll: Amor Vincit Omnia is quite simply devastatingly beautiful, despite the pain that runs through it from beginning to end. You’re so adept at writing Molly’s steadfastness and loyalty despite Sherlock’s rough treatment of her over the years and it seems to be a recurrent theme in your stories. Can you talk a little about where this picture of Molly comes from, how she developed as a character in your head?

 OhAine: We get so little of Molly on screen, and in a way that’s a blessing: we have so much room for interpretation, so many directions we can take her in, you know? But something Mofftiss have gone to pains to point out is that not only is Molly loyal to the bone, but that Sherlock trusts her loyalty in a way that he doesn’t trust anyone else’s.

 You have to be careful how you allow her to give that loyalty, it can’t be done in a way that demeans her, or would make her bitter. In order for that not to happen you have to imagine why someone would give so much in the face of – what you termed – rough treatment. I’ve come to the conclusion that although she’s sometimes hurt by it, impatient with it, she views his actions not as intentional, but rather as him simply not knowing how to do things any differently. He’s ever so gentle with her in TEH, when no one else is around to see, and that episode informs so much of what I imagine their between-the-scenes life to be like: he shows respect for her, love, affection, he respects her mind, her opinions, he is eternally grateful for all that she has done for him, and grateful that despite everything he’s done she still allows him to call her friend.

 Sherlock asks in TRF, ‘If I wasn’t everything you think I am, everything that I think I am, would you still want to help me?’ and Molly doesn’t hesitate, she’s straight in with ‘What do you need?’ She has zero doubts about the man that he is.

 Earlier in that episode she says, ‘You’re a bit like my dad,’ going on to tell Sherlock about how her dad behaved when he was dying, and I think that’s a very under rated line. I think it shows that to Molly he’s more than – what other’s call him – the great detective, machine, freak. It shows she sees the man beneath. She sees that he is more than the sum of his parts. She’s telling him that she sees his humanity.

 She doesn’t want to change him into someone he’s not. She sees deeper, she sees the bits of him that he guards, the parts of him that are just like you and me. Molly’s not blinded by his brilliance. To her he’s just a man, albeit one who has a very special gift.

 Even when she says ‘Why do you always say such horrible things?’ she’s not treating him like a bold puppy and smacking him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper like the others do, she’s attempting to understand him, perhaps even asking him to try to understand himself.

 He’s a very vulnerable man, and she treats him with care because of that. His actions weigh on her I think, they have a cost, but it’s one she chooses to accept and she doesn’t punish him for her choice.

 It can be argued that Molly is the only one who loves him just for him. Lestrade wants his brain; Mycroft sees him as an asset; John is a junkie, Sherlock his dealer; Mary takes his help; Hudders once took help from him. But amongst those who take, there’s only one person who takes nothing. Molly.

 I suppose the other large part of her development in my mind is the ethical code that she’s had instilled into her from an early stage of her education. Medical ethics, and the application of deontological and utilitarian principles in her everyday decision making, must have influenced the person she became by the time we meet her. There are four major principles at play for her: do good, avoid doing harm, be fair, and respect individual autonomy. And I think it’s those principles of fairness and respect that she applies to her relationship with Sherlock. I think she respects his mind, his abilities, even his education (because they have components of their formal education in common), but I think it’s fairness that she applies most liberally: he is unique, different, and he lacks certain skills when it comes to interacting with others, Molly takes his treatment of her in that context.

 satin_doll: In Take Me and Erase Me, one of your earliest stories, you mention Lorca (the Spanish poet) and you’ve made numerous references to poetry since you started posting fics. What else besides poetry and fanfic do you read these days? What do you see as the biggest influences on your writing?

 OhAine: Biggest influences. Honestly?  Stephen (both of the King and Moffat varieties) have said that the best advice they could give aspiring writers was to read as much as you can of the kind of thing you want to write, and I’ve found that to be so true. The Sustain Stories are probably the single biggest influence on my interpretation of Sherlock and Molly. I remember saying it to someone once (I think it was actually you Kat) that I’ve been writing Sustain fanfiction rather than Sherlock fanfiction all these years. It was that big a deal for me.

 As for what I’m reading now… I always have a few books on the go, currently open are Leonard Cohen’s Book of Longing (Jesus, the raw intensity of his imagery), Tom Robbins’ Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (the absurdity of it appeals to me) and James Joyce’s Dubliners (The Dead is my favourite short story ever, so I finally decided to read the rest of the book).

 Thank you Kat for your lovely questions x

 likingthistoomuch: Going all the way back to the beginning, what prompted you to start writing fanfic in the first place? Where did that first impulse come from?

 OhAine: I’d never heard of fanfic until I became obsessed by Sherlock, but once I found it, it was like falling down a rabbit hole. I read. And I read and I read and I read. When I first found Sherlolly in mid-2014 there were about 3,000 stories in the tag on AO3 and I went about systematically reading them all in descending order from the largest hit. It took me about six months or so to get through them and then I hit a wall, there was nothing left to read. But by then I started seeing Sherlolly everywhere: in every song I heard, every poem I read… and at the time I was living away from home while doing a master’s degree, and I remember so clearly driving back to my little flat outside Galway one night after a late lecture and Lana del Rey’s Young and Beautiful came on the radio, and it was like, BANG!, this fully formed story of an insecure Sherlock hit me. It was so clear, so well defined and complete, and it wouldn’t leave me alone. The end result was Saving for a rainy day, and the other two stories in The Dance series.  

 Honourable mention too at this point to @sundance201 and her beautiful fic Hello My Old Heart. That story was the beginning of my love affair with music in fanfiction, I started my Sherlolly playlist with the song it references and I don’t know if I would have ever made the connection between music and writing without it. So blame Sundance201 :P

 Likingthistoomuch: When you wrote your first fic how did that process go? Did you have someone review the work? Also, when did you share the fact that you had attempted fanfiction with someone around you?

 OhAine: As above. No, it was a type and go thing. Literally. I have no idea what madness overtook me to actually post it on the internet where other real live people would see it. It was (still is) full of mistakes, and reads like an outline rather than an actual story, but I knew no better at the time. It was the first piece of fiction I’d ever written, and I had zero expectations that anyone would read it. I bawled like a baby when the first comment came in.

 Anyway, it was a Sunday morning, and I was staying at Uni that weekend because I had exams the following week, hubby was coming that day to see me and make sure I hadn’t died under a pile of textbooks and fast-food containers. When he arrived I showed him the post on AO3, and he was so sweet. He still reads all of my fics, gives me feedback and suggestions. He’s even got an AO3 account now so that he can leave kudos. Bless him. He’s still the only one I share with.

 Likingthistoomuch: You are amongst the few who seem to write comic themed, angsty, fluff as well as explicit with ease. At least that’s how it comes across. Which genre is the easiest for you and which one would you prefer to write as, say an outlet for real life pressures?

 OhAine: I’m shocked that it comes across that way, because writing doesn’t come easily for me at all. I’m not a writer, I’m an auditor who writes when she has time. Every single word is like squeezing that last bit of toothpaste from the tube, and although I’m a very verbal person words are not my strong point. My vocabulary is technical and that’s fine when I’m writing reports and letters for work, but I don’t have an emotional vocabulary so I have to work really hard at finding the words to describe the feelings I want to write. And I’m not a fluffy person so writing anything sweet is like pulling teeth for me. None of it’s easy, but Molly and Sherlock are in my bones now so I keep doing it.

 I suppose comedy and angst are slightly less of a struggle. But comedy is a tricky one, because you’re either in the right frame of mind to write it or you’re not. It can’t be forced, you can’t make something funny if it’s not.

I don’t have a favourite genre, and none of them come naturally, but if it’s a question of what’s an outlet, then I’d say all of them serve an equal purpose, although the most satisfying to get right is definitely angst, even if it’s a rare jewel. I think I’ve only ever managed to get it almost right twice, maybe three times: Amor Vincit Omnia, The Fate of Glass and possibly A Sunset Bird in Winter. I kind of hold those three up as times when I was happy with the finished product.

 Likingthistoomuch: How do you plan out your work? Do you plan the end, the beginning and what’s in the middle before you start posting?

 OhAine: Bold of you to assume I plan!!!!

 The beauty of writing (mostly) one-shots is that you’re presenting a finished piece. I’ve written just one multi, Take me and erase me, and that was done completely on the fly. I was so traumatised by the whole thing that I’ve been put off for life.

 When it comes to the one-shots, I usually have a pretty good idea what the beginning, middle and end are before I begin – even if the end result turns out to be something else entirely. I do a first draft, then revise, revise, revise until the flow feels good and I think I’m saying what it is I set out to say.

 Likingthistoomuch: You work with a beta - do you share the entire plot of your fic and discuss before you start the writing process? How does that work?

 OhAine: It works differently with different people. When Kiki and I worked together, every detail was shared and there were masses of emails over and back discussing plot and structure. A three thousand word doc could come back with fifteen hundred extra words of notes. She had an opinion about everything. It worked because we were each other’s beta, and we’d built up a rapport and trust. She was never afraid to offend me and I loved that about her. She was also very verbal, so feedback was always detailed, she’d be very clear about the whys of it. We were both new, both learning, so that extra communication was great to get. And I genuinely miss being a beta for her.

 Kat on the other hand has a light touch approach, she gives me a far longer leash and lets me express myself – just myself and my ideas. If I have a specific concern I’ll share that with her, and she’ll give me advice and her opinion. What I tend to share with Kat is what I’m hoping to achieve, and she’ll let me know if, in her opinion, I’ve done what I set out to do. She trusts me more as a writer, if you know what I mean.

 likingthistoomuch: I am heavily influenced by Bollywood songs and get one shot ideas by the ton. Kat mentioned your love of poetry, and I wondered has there been a poem that literally made you wanna rush home and write down stuff as soon as possible?

 OhAine: Oh that was Where The Lost Things Go, by Anne Casey. She wrote an entire book of poetry about loss (in particular losing her mother) and it makes for a devastating read. When I heard her recite that poem:

“We sat upon a golden bow, my little bird and I, indivisibly apart, we dived into the sky. And to the purple-hearted dark, an ocean we did cry, for all the lost things gathered there, in rooms beyond the eye.”

I could see Sherlock and his little bird crying for the things they’ve lost, things hidden in secret places. I’d had the image for ages and ages of a little girl coming to Sherlock with a case, but the story that went with it never presented itself. Stories are like that sometimes, bits of them linger until the right structure comes to you. The fic came out in one draft, I did minor revisions later, but it was just this one thing all of its own from the start. And it was sort of the poem coming to me at a time when I was grieving too, and it fitted so well with this image I had of Watson in her big boots and pink hair. Everything coalesced into a coherent story. The end result was my own ‘Where the lost things go.’

 Generally that isn’t how it works for me. I usually take away just an image or a phrase, sometimes just a feeling, and I try to structure something around it. But like you, I get a lot from music (Elbow’s music could be the official soundtrack of Sherlolly) and movies as well as poems

 Likingthistoomuch: Let’s be honest here, you get tons of reviews. I know, I read most of them (turn down that stalker alarm!!!). Has your story ever been influenced by a comment given on the initial chapters of a multi fic? Not the plot per say, but maybe a small scene or interaction?

 OhAine: No, I really don’t think so. But then there’s really only ever been one multi of any real significance, Take me and erase me, and the initial chapters of that got very few comments, or even hits for that matter (chapter one got 17 hits on its first day, but I stuck with it and it did okay in the end). What does happen with comments is they encourage me to keep going, to keep writing, especially when I feel like I’m just rubbish at this. I’ve been blessed with people who are generous and kind when it comes to egging me on and making me feel okay about what I’ve written. I tend to be very sure about where I want to go when I write something, and I think that if you allow things to intrude on the picture you have in your mind you run the risk of ending up with something that’s a bit all over the place. The reader you write for is you, and you either live or die by it.

 Likingthistoomuch: In your fic “The Pinch Hitter” (I absolutely love the Simple Chemistry series) there is dialogue that has the potential to turn the fic any way you want:

“I don’t want you because I’m lonely, you little moron.” He shouts, full to breaking point with impotent frustration and clawing at his own hair. "I'm lonely because I want you!" 

Funny and yet heart wrenchingly raw. Did you work specifically on introducing something like that, which can be a palate changer for a moment?

 OhAine: Oh boy, tough question. Short answer is no, I wasn’t looking specifically for that line. The prompt for this fic came to me by way of a pinch hitter assignment in the 2017 Sherlolly Fic exchange, and I had about four days to come up with a story that fitted the brief. I work at a snail’s pace under normal circumstances, and I was under so much pressure to get something done. I’d pissed away three of the four days on a fic that I couldn’t make work (still can’t, *sigh*) and in desperation I turned to the next prompt on the list of four. In the end this one just came out, and I’m lucky it’s as okay as it is given the rush it was written in. That line: if I recall, it came out of some wanky meta that was doing the rounds at the time, the mirror theory, and I guess that line is my response to it. He wasn’t running to her because she was a surrogate, she, Molly, was the reason he ran to Molly.

 On the other hand, that line is very much part of my overall head canon for Sherlock in the series. He’s the cause of his own isolation and I remember either Moffat or Gatiss saying that he was like a child pressed up against a sweet shop, window, longing. I see him very much that way. He doesn’t make friends because he’s lonely – the loneliness is part of the choices he’s made – but he acutely feels loneliness now because he finally understands friendship and love. Does that make sense??

 I don’t seem to be able to do straight comedy, there’s always a little angst with my absurdity, a little absurdity with my angst. Some of that is to do with wanting to introduce contrast, some of it is because I think the show does that too and when I’m writing, to some extent, I’m trying to emulate that style.

 Likingthistoomuch: On the topic of light works or ones with a comedic thread, you seem to have mastered the tough-as-nails art of writing genuinely funny work which is not slapstick by a mile. Is the writing process for that different than your other works?

 OhAine: It is. Totally. I can’t decide to write something funny. It either is or it isn’t, and I don’t have much control over that. No amount of revisions will make something that’s not funny work as a comedy piece. I tried that once with The Truth Will Set You Free, and I think it was 20+ drafts before it started to get giggles from my beta. That was when I realised that trying to be funny wouldn’t work. Kiki said to me after that one was posted that she thought I was rubbish at comedy, which was strange given how often I made her laugh in my emails. It dawned on me then to just be myself, write in a more naturalistic tone and focus on being absurd instead of laugh out loud slapstick.

 The next one I tried my hand at was The Adventure of the Berenstein Baby. I took a different approach and wrote it as though I was telling a friend about something hubs and I did, using the exact same style I’d use in conversations (like the side bar thing, my emails are famous for them, I go off on so many tangents) and the result was one draft with minor revisions to get the finished product. When that fic won the 2017 SAMFA for humour, I almost died of pride.

 Likingthistoomuch: The Fate of Glass, that letter, that fabulous, fabulous, piece of work. How long did you take you write that?

 OhAine: The first draft contained all the bones of the story, it was 1,700 words long and it came out in one afternoon. The letter was there right from the start, always at the end. The rest needed much more work, I think I added another 2,000 words during revisions. I have a memory of it being an easy one to write, but I had a week off work that January, and I know I spent at least another 40 hours picking at it during my leave. It had the story right off the bat, but none of the detail. My vocabulary isn’t what I’d like it to be, so when I feel I don’t have the words to tell a story I read. I had an anthology of Pablo Neruda’s poetry on the arm of my Queen Anne, and every night I’d read for an hour or so, and the next day I’d have the words I needed. Reading, for me, is sort of an ignition tool, it sort of opens that part of my brain that isn’t bogged down with technical language, it opens up my creative side. I sometimes forget just how many revisions even the easy stories take. I forget sometimes that I have to work hard at it, but I do.

 Likingthistoomuch: When it comes to naming you work, how do you plan that out?

 OhAine: More bold assumptions about planning!!!!

 Sometimes a story has an obvious title, like The Science of Seduction (because it was about the application of mathematical theories to love and relationships, so it just seemed obvious). Others, like Better, or The last person you’d think of, they were obvious because the whole story is geared toward making the point that these phrases represent. When I find a name I want to use I do an AO3 search of the Sherlock/Molly tag just to be sure no one else is using it (or has used it for a very long time).

 Names are something I struggle with, and at the beginning I went almost exclusively with lines from songs, but I’ve stopped doing that now because it felt, I don’t know, a little forced? These days I try to make a stronger connection between the story and the title without making it too wordy or over explaining what’s going on in the story. I often have a placeholder title while I’m working on it, but keep trying out new ones as I go to see how they fit.

 Don’t ever underestimate the power of a good title: along with the summary they’re your elevator pitch to the reader. A brilliant story can be sunk by a bland title or bland summary.

 Likingthistoomuch: How do you gauge the success of your work?

 OhAine: Oh jeepers. I’m a numbers girl, so the stats page on my AO3 account is my enemy LOL. I’ve tried to find my own metrics, because it’s easy to fall into the trap of judging success on hits and kudos when there are so many things that can influence those little numbers. Like, Trial by Existence was a failure if you go by the stats, but I still feel in my gut that it’s a strong fic, and I learned so much about writing from it. Anyway. There’s a bunch of things I ask myself during the inevitable post-mortem: first and foremost, did I say what I wanted to say? Did I convey the message that I was attempting to put out there? But then I also consider was the quality up to standard, did I build on my learning from the last thing that I wrote? If it’s a gift work, did I please the person it was gifted to? In terms of grammar and punctuation, phrasing (none of which are my strong suit) have I improved? And though I never set out meaning to, I start to fret about the stats…

 But I also think that if someone has said in the comments that they’d love to see more of this particular story, then you’ve succeeded in making something that someone else connected with. That’s always a really important metric for me.

 Likingthistoomuch: Coming to the topic of Social Media, what effect does that have on your work? Have you ever faced rude reviews or comments or called out for offending people? Because we know, if you log in, someone somewhere is offended.

 OhAine: And I specialise in offending people LOL it’s why I stay off social media for the most part.

 Everyone gets the odd rude comment, I think. It’s the risk you sign on for when you put something out into a public space. I try hard not to take those personally.

 It seems to me people are looking for a fight and they don’t care what it’s about. I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter how convinced I am of my position or opinion, if there’s even a hint of aggression I walk away because to engage with them is just giving them what they want. Don’t add fuel to the fire, you know? And it’s not my job to educate. It just isn’t. So I do what’s healthy for me, and I avoid the nonsense even when I know I’m right and they’re not. I don’t need to explain myself to strangers.

 Having those things said, I wouldn’t trade away the positives of social media just to be rid of the negatives. I’ve found fantastic friends on sites like AO3 and tumblr, I get so much from our little community and the lovely people in it. I suppose the Sherlolly community is lucky: we’re small, able to self-regulate, and the people here are genuine and kind. I’ve learned so much, gotten so much joy from writing, so much from reading, the beautiful artwork that’s posted here, and my fellow shippers… I’m grateful for that, so that’s where I keep my focus.

 Likingthistoomuch: As per the new guideline, the blue hellsite will not allow explicit work to be posted. Does that make you want to write more E rated stuff, in a virtual Up Yours to Staff?

 OhAine: I gave up on writing E-rated fics two years ago, and I suppose I am kind of sad that I don’t anymore because I would dearly love to say to anyone who tries to censor others to go fuck themselves.

 On the one hand, the ban doesn’t really affect me because I don’t create that kind of content anymore, so I could just be tempted to shrug my shoulders and move on. But. It affects others who do create that kind of content, and I’ll support them all the way, not only because they should be allowed freedom of expression, but also because the purge is part of a bigger problem: the suppression of freedoms, under the guise of protecting the innocent, and is driven by a puritanical streak that’s becoming pervasive in our culture, one that is more about control and suppression of free ideas than protection. Tumblr is lying to us, pure and simple. They could deal with the p0rn problem but they don’t, and therefore you have to assume this isn’t about p0rnbots: this is about commercial considerations, and the suppression of creativity that they can’t commercialise. It’s also very telling that the ban is overly focused on the female body (and I can’t help but feel that because a good percentage of content creators are women, that the purge conveniently silences women’s voices) and the ideal of womanhood held by a very narrow band of its user base.

 Historically, censorship (and that is what this is) doesn’t lead us anywhere good. It’s a slippery slope, folks. We’ve got to be careful, or next thing you know we’ll be in red capes and white hats remembering the good old days when women were allowed to read.

 likingthistoomuch: Last question: If you could change just one thing about BBC’s version of Sherlock, what would it be?

 OhAine: Oh dear. Just one??? Okay, let me discount a few contenders first:

 I would ask that there be more Molly. Lots more Molly. That the kiss had been real. That Sherlock be naked at all times. That the shirts were tighter and the curls longer. That Mary had lived. That Holmes got the Watson he deserved. That Moriarty had lived. That Eurus hadn’t. That Paul McGuigan had stuck around. Ditto Stephen Thompson. That they had kept production values at primetime and not Saturday tea-time CBBC levels. That the production staff hadn’t stirred the shit just because they liked the attention. That Mofftiss had had a beta, or at least someone who challenged their ideas…

 But if I could choose just one thing, one thing that would be possible for them to do and not go off at a tangent, then I would have them stick to the cases. Tell the story they were telling at the start: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, as told by his Boswell. I’ll be forever sad that they chose not to do that.

Next week, Friday 10th of May, part two of this interview turns the tables and @ohaine interviews @likingthistoomuch.

[lilsherlockian1975]

I've got an address to send flowers or cards to sweet-sweet-escape's (maybeitsjustmytype, Kiki, Sweets) family. PM me for it please.

[ohaine]

For Kiki Bee, who would have been 43 today.

You are loved and missed every single day.

[keepmyselfamused-othersconfused]

My Darling Sweets

Two years ago today the world became a little bit bleaker, a little less brighter, when we lost the beautiful @sweet-sweet-escape 

She was a brilliant, shining gem in the Sherlolly fandom, gracing us with her glorious fanfics, some sexy (ohhhh so sexy, how that woman could write smut!), and some with plenty of feels too. 

She was always ready and willing to chat, to give guidance of any kind. I never had her as a beta for my own fics, but there were a few times where she helped me through some bits I was struggling with. 

I know, without a doubt, that I would not be the person, the woman, I am today without having had her in my life. And I am so very grateful for that. She helped me accept and understand parts of myself that I might never have. 

Although the time that I knew her was brief, far too brief, and that I never got the chance to meet her face to face, I am forever grateful that this crazy site of tumblr, and A03, and Sherlolly brought us together. 

There are still days where I struggle to believe that she’s really gone. That I can’t open up the tumblr app and send her a message, or write her an email. There’s so much I want to tell her, want to hear her opinions about ... and it hurts so much that I never will. 

I never had a friend quite like her, someone that I could open up to, tell anything with no fear of judgement. She was a brilliant, beautiful, and loving woman. Which makes it all the more harder to have lost her. 

I love her dearly, and always will. 

I miss her dearly, and always will. 

You live on in my heart Sweets. 

[ohaine]

Can I suggest an addition? Maybeitsjustmytype’s Don’t Pinch Me If I’m Dreaming.

OMG They Were Flatmates! Fics - Updated 06/29/19

Sherlock and Molly sharing a flat - what could possibly go wrong? (Or in many cases, what could possibly go RIGHT?) Slowly adding in “Molly moves in with Sherlock for Reasons (often having to do with Moriarty returning) fics as well.

Don’t see your fave? Let me know and I’ll add it!

A

A Kindled Man by MoldyMangoes (Rated M, Incomplete, Multi-Chapter) Long fic, PHLV, Slow Burn ff.net 2014

A Mary Misunderstanding by lilsherlockian1975 (Rated T, One-Shot) PHLV, Matchmaking AO3 2015

Arrangements for Living by spastasmagoria (Rated T, Complete, Multi-Chapter) AO3 2014

F

First Meeting by GoddessOfApples (Rated K, One-Shot) Uni!lock AO3 2015

Flatmates by Astroboating (Rated T, One-Shot) Uni!lock, SAW 2016 AO3 2016

Flatmates by MrsMCrieff (Rated M, Complete, Multi-Chapter) Post HLV ff.net 2016

The Full House by Emcee Frodis (Rated M, Complete, Multi-Chapter) Post Reichenbach ff.net 2012

H

Hooper and Holmes by theSapphireSky (Rated K, One-Shot) Uni!lock AO3 2018

How to Play a Game Called Murder by Liathwen (Rated M, Complete, Multi-Chapter) Casefic, Long fic, Post HLV AO3 2014

I

Infinite Sundays by Conchepcion (Rated M, In Progress, Multi-Chapter) Uni!lock, Long fic AO3 2014

K

Keep the Quiet Out by cycling_lane (Rated K+, Incomplete, Two-Chapters) Uni!lock AO3 2017

L

Little Black Pants by theSapphireSky (Rated T, One-Shot) Post HLV, Toby fic AO3 2016

M

Molly Hooper and the Adventure of being Sherlock’s flatmate by KendraPendragon (Rated M, Incomplete, Multi-Chapter) MCD, Long fic ff.net 2013

Mrs. Hudson took my Skull by Sherlockian 87 (Rated M, Complete, Multi-Chapter) Post HLV, Virgin!lock AO3 2015

O

On The Road From Friends To More by afteriwake (Rated M, Complete, Multi-Chapter) Professorlock, The Arts, Swaplock AO3 2018

S

The Switch by toooldtobeonhere (Rated M, Complete, Multi-Chapter) Jealous!lock AO3 2015

[miz-joelys-sherlollilists]

Latest & Greatest Sherlollbrary Additions, maybeitsjustmytype Edition 04/06/21

Sadly these are the last of the stories by Sweets that will ever be added to the Sherlollbrary as she sadly passed away only a few short years ago. It was wonderful to reread these again, especially Scrummy, her very first Sherlolly fic - indeed, her very first fanfic ever written. Please enjoy and remember that her family will read any comments left by readers.

Baby Needs Some Sugar (Rated M, One-Shot) PWP AO3 2015

The Bedroom, The Bathroom or The Linen Cupboard (Rated K, One-Shot) Parentlock, Married Sherlolly AO3 2018

Can't Help Falling in love (Rated T, One-Shot) Pridelolly, Femslash, Post HLV AO3 2015

How long? (Rated T, One-Shot) Crack!fic AO3 2016

Off The Menu (The Whole Enchilada series) (Rated T, One-Shot) AO3 2015

Revenge is a dish best served cold (The Whole Enchilada series) (Rated T, One-Shot) Post HLV, Outside Looking In AO3 2015

Scrummy (The Whole Enchilada series) (Rated T, Complete, Multi-Chapter) Godparents, Post HLV AO3 2015

[keepmyselfamused-othersconfused]

🥰🥰🥰

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Sherlock (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Characters: Sherlock Holmes, Molly Hooper, OMC Additional Tags: Fluffy, First Kiss, Sherlock may have stolen something, – besides Molly’s heart, Sherlolly - Freeform Summary:

Gently, she said, “Sherlock, I want a family, I want a husband, I can’t find those things when you’re using my flat - when you’re using my bed - as a bolt hole.”

He swallowed. “You can find those things while I’m there.”

[ohaine]

Source

It’s been two years since we lost our darling @sweet-sweet-escape. Throughout the day I’ll be reblogging some of her personal posts and stories using the hashtag #remembering Kiki.

If you have time please spend a few moments in her world, read her stories and remember her with me.

[keepmyselfamused-othersconfused]

Happy Birthday Sweets 💖💘💞

@sweet-sweet-escape miss you and love you 💗💗💗

[keepmyselfamused-othersconfused]

The Glorious Works of MaybeItsJustMyType - AKA - Sweet-Sweet-Escape - Part 5

I have decided to make several masterposts of my darling Sweets’ ( @sweet-sweet-escape ) fics  ... in honor of her ... because I love her so much, and miss her so much. 

The fics are listed from oldest to most recent.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

------------------------------------

How long? - One-shot, Rated: Teen

Sherlock Holmes, The Great Game

"Listen. This is my hard drive and it only makes sense to put things in there that are useful. Really useful. Ordinary people fill their heads with all kinds of rubbish. And that makes it hard to get at the stuff that matters. Do you see?"

I think I do Sherlock, yes, and I think Molly does too..

*

*

The Cure or the Kill - Multi-chap, Rated: Explicit

Molly’s father the healer has died under mysterious circumstances; headaches and a tumour in the shape of a M on his stomach. John Watson is the new healer in town and is willing to apprentice Molly.

When Healer Watson learns of Molly’s own headaches he believes her to be cursed and in need of a visit to a sorcerer; Sherlock of the Holmes Clan.

*

*

Praise the Spells and Bless the Charms - One-shot, Rated: Explicit

Her voice was soft when she spoke again, “Sherlock?”

He turned toward her slowly, his stomach doing barrel rolls, the tenderness in her voice making him ache. She was right there, lips parted, the wind rippling through her hair and tugging out messy strands to frame her face fetchingly.

Their eyes locked and he strained up toward her, at the same time he grazed his hand up and over her back to her neck and pulled her down.

*

*

Game, Set, Match! - One-shot, Rated: Explicit

“Sherlock? I'm Molly, Molly Hooper."

Looking down and then back up through her lashes, she smiled almost shyly before uttering five little words that rocked his world. "I want you inside me."

*

*

The Ground Beneath Her Feet - One-shot, Rated: Explicit

“Sherlock, it was me who chose my reactions to your behaviour. You don't owe me your love to keep me out of trouble, to keep me safe…” Trailing off, she frowned, derailed by the sudden and overwhelming fear that tonight had not been about a shared desire, but rather a skewed sort of sense of responsibility.

Her hand shot up and covered her mouth, “Oh god, I'm going to be sick.”

*

*

Contentment - One-shot, Rated: Teen

Turning her slowly, he aligned her body with his own and slipped his other hand around her waist.

The music was still low, the murmur of the rain and the raging storm outside guiding their movements. As Sherlock led them around the room, he kept his eyes fixed on Molly, when she finally dropped her gaze he felt a surge of such bitter disappointment that it bordered on agonising.

The cogs whirred in his brain and finally slipped into place; he wanted her to be looking at him. He’d observed John and Mary dance at their wedding and they had never once looked away from one another.

“Molly, look at me.” He beseeched.

*

*

Terms of Endearment - One-shot, Rated: Teen

Sherlock has been addressing Molly using idiosyncratic communication. More specifically, the type typically reserved for reinforcing emotional bonding and showing a desire to begin - or continue - a romantic partnership. Is he sincere or conducting a callous experiment?

[keepmyselfamused-othersconfused]

The Glorious Works of MaybeItsJustMyType - AKA - Sweet-Sweet-Escape - Part 2

I have decided to make several masterposts of my darling Sweets’ ( @sweet-sweet-escape ) fics  ... in honor of her ... because I love her so much, and miss her so much. 

The fics are listed oldest to most recent.

Part 1

--------------

A pair of pretty brown eyes - Multi-chapter, Rated: Teen

One week post HLV, Mary sends John to check on Sherlock, John finds Sherlock so overwrought that he lets slip about a certain pathologist being in his mind. John runs to Mary with the news like a puppy bringing back a ball and they decide to play Cupid, but they've got their work cut out for them. The broadcaster is about to make his next move which will throw everything into turmoil and who even knows how Molly feels about him anymore, those slaps were hard.

*

*

Mine, all mine *adults only special* - One-shot, Rated: Explicit

Molly and Sherlock are alone at last, finally.. Maybe it's time something wonderful happened..

This is the extended version for those who prefer to get up close and personal when your OTP gets down and dirty..

This is the out-take chapter for A pair of pretty brown eyes, it replaces chapter nine for the M level readers.

*

*

A pair of pretty brown eyes: continuation and conclusion - Multi-chapter, Rated: Teen

To mark what would have been her birthday, this work is posted as part of The MaybeItsJustMyType Collection in Kiki's memory. Following on from her story 'A pair of pretty brown eyes,' these are the concluding three chapters based on MaybeItsJustMyType's notes and drafts, completed by OhAine (posting as OhMaybe because that was a silly ship name we used for each other).

— @ohaine ‘s brilliant conclusion of Sweets’ fic 💗

*

*

Sherlock’s reward - One-shot, Rated: Teen

missmollybloom prompted:

Sherlock and Molly have been secretly dating since his return from exile. They think they're doing a good job of hiding it until John and Mary turn up unexpectedly at Baker Street early one Sunday morning…

*

*

Filing Mishaps and Other Adventures - One-shot, Rated: Explicit

Sherlockian_87 prompted me: I shall forever be in love with the prompt that Sherlock thinks he and Molly are in a relationship and she hasn't a clue. Hehehe! Make it as long as you want and feel free to make it smutty if you so desire… heh …

*

*

Eavesdropping will get you everywhere - One-shot, Rated: Explicit

Molly is discussing with Meena how well her imagination serves her where her lack of sex life and Sherlock Holmes intersect. Of course he overhears, where would the fun/plot be if he didn't?

*

*

Do not disturb! - One-shot, Rated: Teen

Cumberbabe-usa on Tumblr prompted me, (full prompt in the notes) Married/parent!Lock, Enjoying each other in the way that adults like to do when their child walks in on them.. She requested sexy and funny but it took a turn into sweet.. I think a marshmallow wrote this to be honest. So it's very much a T rating..