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KINGSMAN : THE GOLDEN CIRCLE Red Band Trailer

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BBC Sherlock: Ugh god u guys are dumb, this concrete was clearly mixed in 2009 because it tastes like the beginning of the recession. how did you miss that you total idiots? im now going to whine for 8 hours.

actual Sherlock:I perceive this door was forced open because of the marks on the lock indicating a wire was used to do so. If you look closely you can see it as well.

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The first donation has been made! $122 USD

Thank you all for purchasing the zine! If you haven’t bought it yet, you can still find the zine here; we’ll keep sending the money to The Honeybee Conservancy as long as people keep purchasing it 🐝

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The Always 1895 Johnlock Zine is for sale!

(To buy it, either click this link or else visit this tumblr webpage and then click on the button in the top left corner.) You can pick your own pricing, starting at $5 USD. The money will be donated to The Honeybee Conservancy.

The zine features art and writing by @ajanuarylark, @aly-cat-scat, @baskervilleain, @camillo1978, @devilfoot, @jenna221b, @marathecactupus, @mintyarrow, @pagimag, @trewepenny, @urcheekbones, and @vamptokio. Thank you guys so much for submitting!

(Hopefully we will be able to organize more zines in the future, so you can keep following this blog for that possibility, as well as for updates on donation progress.)

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“Do not watch this!” Breaking the fourth wall in a video message... the wheel turns, nothing is ever new...

Sleep No More, a Doctor Who episode written by Mark Gatiss.

Here we have a Professor Moriarty “who has been playing a long game.” 

(more Sleep No More/Sherlock parallels (before s4 aired) in this episode here). 

The Professor interrupts “THE END” of the story in a video message, looking directly at the camera. 

They are all villains in control of the story:

“I do hope you’ve enjoyed the show. I did try to make it exciting: all those scary bits, all those death-defying scrapes, monsters, and a proper climax with a really big one at the end. Compulsive viewing. I did tell you not to watch.”

^Directly showing the idea of a story being created, (the Professor’s ALIBI). aware of it being fictional (this is the story of Sir Boast-A-Lot)… a creepy glitchy noise very like the ‘Did you miss me’ videos… a video message with a poisonous message hidden inside ( “who you really are, it doesn’t matter”/ “he planted that doubt inside her head, that little nagging sensation you’re going to have to be strong to resist”). 

Compulsive viewing. Like a game show. With a time limit.

And “I did tell you not to watch” rather reminds me of one of Mark’s friends… ;)

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The Johnlockian Game - The Final Problem

Or rather the Key to The Final Problem: Series 4.

When I started analysing TFP and was surprised how little notes I was taking compared to the other two episodes. I was also perplexed by the storytelling, which was, once again, different from the previous two. So I started doing some research, by which I mean I took out my Complete Sherlock Holmes and started reading.

(please don’t shame me for not having read them yet, I was reading fanfiction, ok, go hate on all the wonderful fic writers for writing awesome stories and fix-it fics, WE NEEDED A PERIOD OF RECOVERY, OKAY?!)

So when I did start reading ACD, what was obviously going to happen happened: I got a bit carried away, because they’re good stories, obviously, and full of wonderful Johnlock, but they’re also full of clues. The more I read, the more S4 made sense. I was going to read just The Musgrave Ritual and The Final Problem and ended up reading about twelve this week, and, well, you know, I can’t read while I’m writing this, and I do have a life (I saw after having spent my entire Saturday evening and night working on this post, finally putting aside the book attempting to synthesize what I’ve found).

Let’s say I did not know where to start, so I’ll explain my methods and let you go make your own deductions.

There were two things that my brain would not let go of:

Eurus keeps repeating that it’s all about context

and this line at the end: I’m letting the water in now. You don’t want me to drown another one of your pets, do you? At long last, Sherlock Holmes, it’s time to solve the Musgrave ritual. Your very first case! And the final problem.

Because now that I’ve read that story, and a couple of others: that is a lie. Sherlock’s first case is called The Gloria Scott, that is also the story about Sherlock’s first friend, Victor Scott. What is interesting about both The Gloria Scott and The Musgrave Ritual is that both stories are told by Holmes. We’re simply reading Watson’s retelling of how the story was told to him. This type of literary storytelling is called a Frame Story. 

Why is this relevant? Because a Frame Story also referred to as a story within a story, or a play within a play. When you aren’t a literary buff, like me, you continue reading the Wikipedia page and learn that this is also designed to distance the writer from the story and to position the reader’s attitude towards a tale. This is also a technique commonly used to draw attention TO THE NARRATOR’S UNRELIABILITY.

Sorry, I’ll say that louder for the casuals in the back: BY EXPLICITELY MAKING THE NARRATOR A CHARACTER WITHIN THE FRAME STORY, THE WRITER DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM THE NARRATOR; HE MAY ALSO CHARACTERIZE THE NARRATOR TO CAST DOUBT ON HIS TRUTHFULNESS. (go read more about it, super interesting)

The point?

Fairytales.

Because that’s is exactly what The Final Problem is: a fairytale.

Keep reading

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A Mycroft Theory

Here is my idea of how Mycroft could be the driving force behind the mystery plot, the source of ‘Moriarty’, and the one ‘behind it all’, without needing to consider him a villain or a bad guy, and without having to attribute any dark motives or evil agenda to his character. Instead, it’s a case of misplaced love and protection, and the unfortunate side-effects of Mycroft’s position and power. I will try and show you how Mycroft does have an agenda, and it’s gotten him involved with Moriarty AND Mary AND Magnussen, but that his agenda arose from his love for Sherlock, and his motivation to protect Sherlock from harm.

I had this idea months ago, and I’ve spent a lot of time refining it and thinking about how it would fit in with everything else. By the end of this you might not be on board, but I’ve got more planned to show how Mycroft’s actions stem from the subtext of what he represents. Also since coming up with this, I’ve completely changed my mind about who and what Moriarty is. But to not make this meta too confusing, I’ve left my descriptions of Moriarty’s history and motives as they are according to what the show leads us to believe; that he is a consulting criminal who developed an obsession with Sherlock, and that Moriarty has kept an eye on Sherlock since they were kids, since the Carl Powers case. I’ll do a Moriarty meta soon, but for now, I’ll keep my Moriarty details very general so I can just focus on Mycroft. 

Here we go then, under the cut… 

Keep reading

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Colours in Sherlock

I know colour has been talked about a lot, especially the gay green of carnations and the purple shirt of sex. But these are just my thoughts on Blue, Red, and Black and White based on @longsnowsmoon5 ‘s colour metas. 

BLUE

Blue = Deceit/Facade. It’s the colour of the skull print, and the colour of villains. It’s also the colour of water, and water is associated with villains. Moriarty and Mary especially are often decked out in blue. We’ve seen tons of blue on Mary during this setlock.

But Sherlock and John and other good guys also wear blue. Why? Because people wear blue when they’re deceiving in their behaviour or intentions, a villainous quality, but not one that is reserved just for villains. Characters are also marked with blue when they’re deceiving themselves and their heart’s true desire. For John, this is when he is choosing his heteronormative facade over Sherlock. For Sherlock, pushing John away and playing the ‘high-functioning sociopath’ is his facade. He wears his blue dressing gown when he shoots the smiley face, reminds John that the work is all that matters to him, then drives John out of the flat. Sherlock and John both wear blue on the stag night. They’re together, but moving in opposite directions, both “choosing” their facade over being together romantically. 

Blue marks Sherlock and John when they are being lead away from each other, or making choices that will lead them away from each other. Sherlock and John moving towards each other is the right direction, so any time situations drive them apart, or their own behaviour drives them apart, we see them wearing blue. Just as the villains try to drive Sherlock and John apart, which is why they wear blue (everything is johnlock!).

RED

Red = John. It’s his red chair, the red in the wallpaper over the fireplace. It’s the colour of fire, and fire is a metaphor for love, that’s why at Mary’s house in TAB the fires are rarely lit. It’s John’s maroon cardigan of love that he wore at the pool, and that Sherlock pictures him wearing in his mind palace in TSoT. 

Notice that blue is water and red is fire. Blue is cold, and red is warmth. Mycroft, the ice man, is both water and cold, which associates him with blue, which marks him as a force driving Sherlock and John apart. 

When else do we see red? When John is influencing others, or when others are marking themselves as belonging to John. Sherlock wears his maroon shirt in TSoT, wearing John close to his skin, marking himself as John’s. 

And while Sherlock’s maroon shirt is worn close to his heart, Mary wear’s John’s colour as her bright red coat on the tarmac. She marks herself as John’s, but it’s an outer layer of clothing because it’s just a facade, she can take that coat off in a flash and no longer be his. It’s also worn like a cloak of protection, because John’s fake-reconciliation with her is the only thing keeping her alive right now. And as a statement of authority, the sheer hugeness and brightness of that red coat speaks to Mary’s ambition, and assertion that John belongs to her.

BLACK AND WHITE

Black and White = Mycroft. (This meta) Mycroft is black and white because he’s all and nothing; total suppression of sentiment for complete dedication to brainwork. Mycroft is forced to make decisions that weigh individual lives with the greater good, and there’s no room for shades of grey. Mycroft’s black and white perspective is a looming presence in Sherlock’s life, like the imposing black and white wall at Baker St.

Sherlock aspires to Mycroft’s standard, but the cold unfeeling walking brain is just his facade, whereas the opposite red wall, red chair and red fire represents his heart (John), his true human self. 

Black/White and Red are incorporated into the Baker St set as opposite sides of the room, opposing sides of the battlefield, with Sherlock in between, choosing which direction to go. On one side is Mycroft, he offers only isolation by persuading Sherlock to suppress all emotion and not get involved. On the other side of the room is John’s wall where the warmth of the fire invites Sherlock to leave behind the black and white coldness of the Ice Man’s influence. John’s wall is where their chairs sit facing each other and the fire is lit (because johnlock! yay!). 

[This is part of my Mycroft theory, which will be finished and posted in about 2027. So feel free to ask me to explain any of the crazy shit I just spewed forth!] 

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submissions are due next Sunday!

REMINDER: submissions for the Always 1895 zine are due next Sunday, April 16th! (That’s Easter!)

So far I’ve heard from about five people who are writing short stories, and about five people who are doing illustrations. If you’ve been thinking about contributing something, please don’t wait until the last minute!

You can contact me with questions or submissions at marathecactupus.gmail.com. Please notify me ASAP if you need the deadline extended for whatever reason, and we can work something out.

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Many thanks to deebzy for her commissioned artwork for my story Two Halves Make the Whole. I love it!

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“Nothing’s certain, nothing’s written”= John’s blog

Mary’s line in The Six Thatchers “Nothing’s certain, nothing’s written” always stood out for me and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why- until I started viewing it in the light of it referring to the blog John writes.

Of course, we already know about the notice of John no longer updating his blog and the oddness with the repeated The Six Thatchers blog and episode title (more here).

Before series 4, we always had corresponding blog posts for previous series. So, why the change?

It’s another flag to Series 4 presenting a false version of events. NOTHING’S CERTAIN, NOTHING’S WRITTEN– because John has not or even is not able to write anything down. So, the entire of series 4 is “uncertain.”

And we also have Sherlock confirming that when John eventually updates his blog, the true story will be told:

SHERLOCK:Congratulations, by the way. LESTRADE: I’m sorry? SHERLOCK: Well, you’re about to solve a big one. (He turns and walks away.) LESTRADE: Yeah, until John publishes his blog. SHERLOCK (over his shoulder): Yeah. ’Til then, basically. (x)

Until John publishes his blog, we’ll be left with a narrative that is lying to us. ^Here it’s ‘just’ about Lestrade solving the case and not what ‘actually happened’ (Sherlock solving it), but a much bigger reveal is in store: John’s next blog post revealing the genuine narrative, what really happened in Series 4 as a whole.

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Hello ! :) I don't know if someone already mentioned it before but I've been watching the hug scene again and I noticed that the mirror above the mantlepiece is totally black, no reflection when John is talking with Mary walking around them and is normal again after she disappears and Sherlock goes to hug John. Another thing to add to the S4 fuckery ?

Hey! So I had a look at some screencaps (still don’t have an actual copy of the series yet lol) and the mirror isn’t black:

^But what is VERY interesting to me is that you can quite clearly see Mary’s reflection in the second screencap. 

Now, if they really truly wanted to us 100% without a doubt believe that this Mary is merely a ghost (or a Vampire ;) )/figment of John’s imagination, wouldn’t it have been a lovely touch for her not to have a reflection?

But, no, she’s still able to be reflected… to me that says they want that doubt still there. Both this, along with Sherlock addressing Mary with her “hat” comment point to part of Mary’s appearances in TLD are coming from a very much real and alive Mary.

More on that here. 

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Well I guess I’m getting back into doctor who

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“Do not watch this!” Breaking the fourth wall in a video message... the wheel turns, nothing is ever new...

Sleep No More, a Doctor Who episode written by Mark Gatiss.

Here we have a Professor Moriarty “who has been playing a long game.” 

(more Sleep No More/Sherlock parallels (before s4 aired) in this episode here). 

The Professor interrupts “THE END” of the story in a video message, looking directly at the camera. 

They are all villains in control of the story:

“I do hope you’ve enjoyed the show. I did try to make it exciting: all those scary bits, all those death-defying scrapes, monsters, and a proper climax with a really big one at the end. Compulsive viewing. I did tell you not to watch.”

^Directly showing the idea of a story being created, (the Professor’s ALIBI). aware of it being fictional (this is the story of Sir Boast-A-Lot)… a creepy glitchy noise very like the ‘Did you miss me’ videos… a video message with a poisonous message hidden inside ( “who you really are, it doesn’t matter”/ “he planted that doubt inside her head, that little nagging sensation you’re going to have to be strong to resist”). 

Compulsive viewing. Like a game show. With a time limit.

And “I did tell you not to watch” rather reminds me of one of Mark’s friends… ;)