#The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton

[werrrrrrrrrrrrrrrcat]

the adventure of charles augustus milverton

[theladykit]

I am so tired of people thinking Watson is this nothing, that he's just Holmes' sweet little BFF, that he doesn't contribute much except writing the stories, or being in the room, or whatever.

Guys, gals, nonbinary pals, let me introduce you to John H. Watson, lately of the Army Medical Department (from "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton"):

"He [Milverton] stepped forward, took up his coat, laid his hand on his revolver, and turned to the door. I picked up a chair, but Holmes shook his head and I laid it down again.”

His first instinct to keep the odious snake Milverton from leaving was to THROW A FUCKING CHAIR AT HIM in sheer outrage. And that IS Watson. Always ready to throw down in defence of friends or strangers at the earliest opportunity, if the need arises.

What an icon.

[supreme-leader-stoat]

CATFISH HOLMES! CATFISH HOLMES!

[doingbad]

No wrong answers here, judgment free zone

[anneangel]

The way Watson in Victorian-era canon says "oh, god, yes! Take me to one of your dangerous cases!" goes like this:

“Well, I don’t like it, but I suppose it must be,” said I. “When do we start?”

“You are not coming.” (Said Sherlock).

“Then you are not going,” said I. “I give you my word of honour, and I never broke it in my life, that I will take a cab straight to the police-station and give you away, unless you let me share this adventure with you".

The way Sherlock in Victorian era canon says "I need a partner!" and like this:

"I think that I had better go, Holmes." Said Watson.

"Not a bit, Doctor. Stay where you are. I am lost without my Boswell. And this promises to be interesting. It would be a pity to miss it."

"But your client --"

"Never mind him. I may want your help, and so may he. Here he comes. Sit down in that armchair, Doctor, and give us your best attention." (...)

"If not, I should much prefer to communicate with you alone." Said the client.

I rose to go, but Holmes caught me by the wrist and pushed me back into my chair. "It is both, or none," said he. "You may say before this gentleman anything which you may say to me."

And other:

With an apology for my intrusion, I was about to withdraw when Holmes pulled me abruptly into the room and closed the door behind me.

"You could not possibly have come at a better time, my dear Watson," he said cordially.

"I was afraid that you were busy."

"So I am. Very much so."

"Then I can wait in the next room."

"Not at all. This gentleman has been my partner and helper in many of my most successful cases, and I have no doubt that he will be of the utmost use to me in yours also." [explains Holmes to the client].

The stout gentleman half rose from his chair and gave a bob of greeting, with a quick little questioning glance from his eyes.

"Try the settee," said Holmes to Watson, relapsing into his armchair and putting his fingertips together, as was his custom when in judicial moods. "I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum routine of everyday life. You have shown your relish for it by the enthusiasm which has prompted you to chronicle, and, if you will excuse my saying so, somewhat to embellish so many of my own little adventures."

[monocordum]

Sherlock on Watson, taken exactly in context: there's NOTHING like breaking and entering with one's PARTNER, you know, the person you LIVE with, the person you're ready to face PRISON with, as long as you are in it TOGETHER; the person who reacts weirdly when you tell them you're in a fake relationship for investigating purposes, who seems almost offended, but surely it's only for your honor's sake; who NEEDS to be as physically close as possible to you the whole time, hand-holding, really, but it's all for the best, since that way you can WHISPER directly to their ear without getting caught.

I can't even

(From The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, April 1904 issue of The Strand)

[rhymingteelookatme]

So I just read The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton thanks to @contact-guy’s FANTASTIC illustration/spin on it and like. My god. I have a friend irl who is also big into Sherlock (has been since childhood) and he advised me that Watson does many Gay Actions in the story. It was even better than I hoped.

Gay Actions taken under the cut.

-Nearly clobbers Milverton with a chair at end of the initial scene in 221B (was it in hopes of going through the pocketbook to be absolutely sure the client’s letters weren’t there? unclear. but for sure it was out of frustration on Holmes’s behalf) -Threatens to go straight to the cops unless Holmes lets him come along on the burgling scheme so he can protect his mans -Is incredibly quick to fabricate black silk eye masks for the two of them to go burgling in -Gets led by the hand when they enter the house since Holmes is the one who’s practiced seeing in the dark :3 -Uses such lingering phrasing re Holmes “putting his lips to [Watson’s] very ear” so as to whisper to him in the study :3333 -“Thrill[s] with a keener zest” at defying the law; see also “I rejoiced and exulted in our dangers.” Watson has always wanted to be gay and do crime -Is going to be Such a Good Watchdog when Holmes tells him to stay by the door and listen for anyone approaching, and to bolt it if anyone does -Promptly forgets these instructions in favor of watching Holmes start safecracking “[w]ith a glow of admiration” -Hides w Holmes behind the curtains when H hears Milverton coming... and watches events through careful gap, shoulder to shoulder w Holmes -Instantly perfectly interprets Holmes’s “cold, strong grasp” on his wrist to mean don’t do shit, Milverton deserves every bullet -Watches Holmes burn all the blackmail letters with what I just know is gritted-teeth grim satisfaction -Has to kick free of a hand catching his ankle whilst booking it over the wall of the grounds after Holmes -Maintains a completely bland, unaffected face when Lestrade comes round in the morning to a) report H&W’s own crimes and b) give a description... of Watson

Absolute delight of a tale. I await all further illustrations with great anticipation.

[kajaono]

The CAM case is honestly my favorite case when people try to claim Sherlock and John were never meant to be gay.

The CAM case gets adapted a lot because it is a good story with a lot of storylines to explore. But everytime we get an on screen adaptation of it we NEVER see Sherlock holding Johns hand to lead him through the room, Sherlock holding the door open for John. Sherlock and John pressing their bodies against each other behind the curtain, Sherlock and John holding hands behind closed curtains for… at least a minute or more.

But we never see it in ANY adaptation. Why? Because if John and Sherlock are not gay you can show those moments, right? If they aren’t gay why are you erasing those moments?! What are you afraid of? You just said they aren’t gay, show those moments on screen. Come on, do it!

They can’t! They can’t do both! You can’t claim Sherlock and John aren’t a couple AND simultaneously show those moments on screen. It’s impossible

And everytime i remember that I die laughing because the bigotry reveals itself so easily

[thebeesareback]

The most evil Sherlock Holmes villain: champions edition

Hello beloved thots. The results of the semi-finals are in, so now you can vote for your favourite overall villain

[a-forbidden-detective]

The anime season 1 OP: an analysis

I have the strangest feeling that the context of the opening song’s ending scenes could be taken straight from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton.”

You know that famous “You aren’t coming!” “Then you aren’t going!” debacle between SH and JW that’s been dramatised, re-enacted and analysed throughout the years?

“Well, I don’t like it, but I suppose it must be,” said I. “When do we start?”

“You are not coming.”

“Then you are not going,” said I. “I give you my word of honour--and I never broke it in my life--that I will take a cab straight to the police-station and give you away, unless you let me share this adventure with you.”

“You can’t help me.”

“How do you know that? You can’t tell what may happen. Anyway, my resolution is taken. Other people besides you have self-respect, and even reputations.”

Holmes had looked annoyed, but his brow cleared, and he clapped me on the shoulder.

“Well, well, my dear fellow, be it so. We have shared this same room for some years, and it would be amusing if we ended by sharing the same cell. You know, Watson, I don’t mind confessing to you that I have always had an idea that I would have made a highly efficient criminal.”

This Toto and his dominant side taking over. There’s more than meets the eye.

They aren’t holding hands, per se, but Toto is trying to prevent Ron from doing something stupid, or to do it all by himself. Because, they are partners now.

Hence, Ron’s reaction and a resolution that is going to work out in the end.

[ineffabletwaddle13]

Holmes breaks in (yet again)

Holmes in the Arthur Conan Doyle books is also proficient at breaking and entering

In The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton Holmes proudly describes his tools to Watson before they break into the blackmailer’s house: “This is a first-class, up-to-date burgling kit, with nickel-plated jemmy, diamond-tipped glass-cutter, adaptable keys, and every modern improvement which the march of civilization demands”

Holmes even brags to police inspector about how good he is at burglary in The Adventure of the Retired Colourman: “There being no fear of interruption I proceeded to burgle the house. Burglary has always been an alternative profession had I cared to adopt it, and I have little doubt that I should have come to the front.”

[general-sleepy]

AU where instead of Irene Adler, Agatha the maid from "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" is the character who is constantly made into Sherlock Holmes' love interest in adaptations.

[shortstorytournament]

Pre-Tournament: Arthur Conan Doyle Brackets

Sorry for how bulky this one is! For Doyle to have five fighters in the tournament, with the submissions I got, there had to be a 4 story fight.

THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GARRIDEBS (1924) (link) - tw: death

"I was in the law at Topeka, and one day I had a visit from the old man, and he was tickled to death to meet another man with his own name. It was his pet fad, and he was dead set to find out if there were any more Garridebs in the world. ‘Find me another!’ said he."

THE ADVENTURE OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS MILVERTON (1905) (link) - tw: death

"“I’ll tell you, Watson. He is the king of all the blackmailers. Heaven help the man, and still more the woman, whose secret and reputation come into the power of Milverton."

THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE STUDENTS (1904) (link)

"When once the law is evoked it cannot be stayed again, and this is just one of those cases where, for the credit of the college, it is most essential to avoid scandal."

THE ADVENTURE OF THE DYING DETECTIVE (1913) (link) - tw: death, disease

"Well, Watson, we seem to have fallen upon evil days," said he in a feeble voice, but with something of his old carelessness of manner.

[thelastofthebookworms]

For more polls, see my pinned post.

[readingbooksinisrael]

Prompt: Features a death (square 29)

Book read: The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton/Arthur Conan Doyle

Why: For this prompt there are a number of ways to go about it. You could read a murder mystery, a book which features war, a book about death, or reread something you know already has a death in it. I did try to read a murder mystery (Murder on the Orient Express) but I dnf’ed it, so I decided to reread my favorite Sherlock Holmes story of all time.

What I Got: This isn’t only my favorite Sherlock Holmes story, but one of my favorite short stories in general. And guess what! It’s public domain! Read it here.

[ritsukageyamas]

i saw a post just now about how people tend to forget that sherlock holmes, in arthur conan doyle's original stories, is actually very dangerous and eager to take justice into his own hands if necessary, from actively threatening dangerous and coldhearted criminals to letting other types of criminals go free if he can sympathize with and relate to their motives--those who only killed in retaliation for their loved ones being harmed, for example. it's an aspect of his character that makes him so much more complex but has been left out of so many adaptations! and i felt awkward about reblogging the post here on my silly anime sideblog, because i know it's not what it was about, but i just feel like moriarty the patriot is SO good about exactly this!! i love the fact that its version of sherlock holmes directly killed charles augustus milverton to protect john and mary!! and then he didn't just destroy milverton's blackmail material, he burned the guy's whole mansion down!! i love that in the manga he specifically points out to william that they are both criminals and murderers and asks that he live so they can atone together, and i really wish the anime had left that in!! as a huge fan of sherlock holmes it makes me go insane in the best way thinking about what a genuinely good and thoughtful adaptation this animanga series, where holmes himself isn't even the main protagonist, manages to be. i love when people who make sherlock holmes adaptations actually seem to really love and respect the source material.