#but I was very happy about that because I really like Sherlock Holmes

[starpros-sunshine]

If I loved Wataei less I might be able to talk about them more....

[weast-of-eden]

I've been thinking about how I could contribute to the ACD/Granada Sherlock Holmes fandom for a while, seeing as I'm neither an artist, a writer, or anything actually useful lol. But then I realized something I myself always treasure are curated fic recs, which I could actually do! I've read probably like 25% of all the h/w ACD and Granada fics on ao3, so I compiled a short list for anyone who is just starting out with the fandom. Without further ado, may I present

Eden’s Top Picks for Beginning ACD/Granada Fics:

(edit: i made a second list here!!)

The Adventure of the Doctor's Heart by mistyzeo 12k | Rated E Summary: Holmes has observed much of Watson's habits and tastes over time, which is why it surprises him when his friend objects strangely to a folk song sung at the conclusion of a case. Disturbed by the Doctor's unexpected display of emotion, Holmes becomes determined to lift his spirits by any means necessary, with mixed results. Notes: obviously if you're going to read canonverse h/w, you are going to read mistyzeo. this one is just so good and angsty and features music (!!). it's got some steaminess but it also has wooing. basically it has everything you ever need. this is my odyssey, my iliad, my hamlet, etc.

Cameo by what_alchemy 8k | Rated M | For Archive Users Only Summary: Holmes and Watson become embroiled in a case Scotland Yard refuses to acknowledge. A soulmate AU. Notes: i honestly skipped over this fic for a while, since i'm not the biggest fan of soulmate aus. do not make the same mistake i did, because this shit HITS. this fic has hit after hit: soulmate-mark based case for our main duo, angst, hiatus feels, MORE ANGST, and ofc a happy ending. ugh. read this fic if you enjoy being happy.

A Tide That Does Not Turn by tweedisgood 3k | Rated T Summary: Holmes is a very bad patient with a devoted doctor who adores him. Watson wishes it was safe to speak up, but his friend is a tide that does not turn. Notes: do NOT read this if you don't like angst... ok now i'm sensing a pattern. anyways this is the first hurt/no comfort fic i read for this tag and i literally have cried more than enough tears over it. poor, poor watson :( iconic author though, read everything they write!

The Adventure of the Glad Outlaw by radondoran 7k | Rated T Summary: While Sherlock Holmes solves the mystery of a student's disappearance, Dr. Watson is more puzzled by the changing dynamic between his flatmate and himself. Notes: cute pastiche! a nice little mystery and a nice little get-together. ahhhhhh.... this fic is like cotton candy to me, so sweet and fluffy. defo recommend

Hands by MinorObsessions (draculard) 1.4k | Rated T Summary: Naturally, there are some things Watson thinks about Holmes that don't make it into the books. Notes: i'm also in the star trek fandom, so if you know anything about that then you know that hands are kind of A Thing in both circles and ergo i now Have A Thing about hands. so this is a nice little ode to holmes' hands, featuring some doctoring by watson AND a nice reverse appraisal at the end. it's so sweet :)

Conductor of Light by ColebaltBlue  1.4k | Rated T Summary: A Victorian stiff upper lip won't prevent you from falling in love, but it might prevent you from realizing it. Notes: they finally get their shit together! honestly i would recommend this fic to anyone just starting out with h/w fics in any medium. the characterization and dialogue is A1, and their argument is really realistic to me, idk. also features the iconic HOUN quote for its title so props to that!

A (Mis)fortunate Man by sans_patronymic 1.5k | Rated T Summary: December, 1880. Watson writes a note which may be his last. December, 1899. Watson writes back. Notes: READ THE TAGS BEFORE READING. this was a gut-wrenching read but god i cried at the end for watson. don't worry, this one has a happy ending. ugh now i wish there was a second chapter where watson lets holmes read the letters. to sum up: oof, my heart

The Second Smartest Man in London by FairSinner 73k | Rated E Summary: Dr John Watson returns from Afghanistan to Victorian London, wounded, traumatised and alone. When he meets Sherlock Holmes, his life begins to seem worth living again. But Holmes is a man who despises sentiment and Watson cannot seem to expunge it from his heart. Notes: congrats, you've made it to the end!! so now i must confess that it's been a loooong time since i've read this fic, but the private note i left on my bookmark was just "holy shit", so i'm sure it's a banger. i'm also sure it has angst because i love angst and i love bookmarking angst so i can read it again and again and suffer infinitely. enjoy :)

anyways, now that i've put these all here i realized how much i enjoy angst and hurt/no comfort fics. if any of you guys have a favorite fic you want to link or want to plug your own writing, feel free to!

[glossglamour]

Full Robert Sean Leonard 'House'-a-palooza Interview: "As we know, I’m straight, but yeah, it’s like, homina homina homina."

May 01 2006 | By Maureen Ryan

Do you watch the show much?

"I can't watch it. I mean, Hugh doesn't watch it because he's anal and … eight years old. [laughs] And by the way, I don’t buy it, I think he does watch it.

“I watched in the first year. We live in New York and [my fiancé] was in California] and she likes it because I’m on it. But then she left, she had to come back to New York, and what are you going to do? The idea of me watching myself on TV, alone in Santa Monica, was just about... just short of, like, a bottle of Maker’s Mark and a shotgun away from shooting myself. [much laughter]  So I haven’t watched it all season. But when I have watched it, I’ve been mildly confused and Hugh is appropriately grumpy."

I have this theory that a lot of my favorite shows aren’t even about what they’re supposed to be about -- they have to be set in a hospital or police station or outer space or whatever because the network can market that, but they’re secretly not even about that. Like, “House” is really about ethics and morality.

“Yeah, sure, I think that’s true.”

But you can’t pitch that show to the network. “Hey, we have this great show that examines personal morality!"

“‘It’s based on “A View from the Bridge.”’

Right! They’re really going to for that.

“Yeah. [laughs] I think it’s good, and when it’s right, when the show works, the mystery works. It has a Sherlock Holmes-ian feel to it, and you do kind of want to know what’s wrong with [the patients]. And it is interesting, the turns and twists that get you there. And there’s always a little bit of character-driven fun stuff in between, of who these people are and how they affect each other. And that’s it at its best. And I guess that could be true of any show.

“It’s tricky, you’ve got a lead character [who’s different from the TV norm] and you’ve got to be careful because those characters can be one-note. He’s the cranky guy, he’s the Australian guy, I’m the friend in one or two scenes a week. You just have to be careful, and I think we are, we have a really great team of writers. And the numbers are building, people are watching.”

So this two-parter on May 2 and 3, I think the unofficial subtitle is the “Festival of Foreman.” I guess they’re his Emmy episodes, and that’s fine. But you’re hardly in them, what’s up with that?

“Honestly, I’m okay. I don’t want an Emmy. This is what I want -- I know exactly what I want. I did play with a guy named Skip Sudduth, ‘The Iceman Cometh,’ seven years ago. I saw him five years later, and I said, ‘Geez, Skip, where have you been? I don’t see you at readings anymore.’ He said, ‘I’ve been on “Third Watch.”’ It sounded familiar but I’d never seen it. He said, ‘I’ve been doing it for five years.’ I said, ‘Holy crap!’ And he was back doing theater. That’s my dream.

“And it’s happening. I walk down the street and people say, ‘Where are you?’ and I say, ‘I’m on this show called “House.”’ My friend Lewis Black [from 'The Daily Show'] said, ‘What is it called? “Head”?’

“I’m okay. I’ve never been happier than where my career is now. And I don’t want it to change necessarily. Money’s good, and I’m glad I’m getting that, and I’m putting it away for later in life when I do more Tom Stoppard plays at Lincoln Center and make no money. But really, I’m great. I don’t mind working two days a week.

“Because those other guys, the Scooby gang, or the Mod Squad -- they are at that studio for 16 hours a day saying ‘tachycardia, lupus, blablahdeblah.’ Honestly, I’d kill myself if  had to do those scenes for that long. I’m very happy with the size of my role, I don’t want it to get any bigger. I’m happy.”

So we won’t see the very special “House” episode where Dr. Wilson almost dies?

“That might be how I get off the show.” [laughs]

Well, you could die and come back as a ghost. Then it would be the “House Whisperer.”

“Yeah [laughs]. The hair makeup people were saying one day, ‘Oh, I love those scenes with you and Hugh, there should be more of that.’ And I’m like, ‘Shhh! Don’t say that!’ I’m the luckiest man in Hollywood. I work only with Hugh, pretty much, who’s great. And I work two days a week.”

Do you fly back and forth to New York then?

"No, not really. They don’t let me because they need me around, the schedule changes so much. I’m going to try to get away with that a little more [in the upcoming season]. Now that [my fiancé] is here, I really will kill myself if I’m out there as much as I was last year, without her.”

So five days a week you’re doing what – Botox injections? Going to the mall? Watching “Maury”?

“Rob Lowe once said the secret to being an actor in L.A. is sleeping as late as you possibly can and going to be as early as possible. I remember him saying, ‘I recommend pajamas by 4:30 p.m.’”

What’s interesting about this show is that they’re taken something that could be a very formulaic procedural and quite often turn it on its head.

“I didn’t know anything about TV, I’d never done [a TV show], but I now know very well that there are procedurals and character-driven shows. ‘Law & Order’ is a procedural and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ is a character-driven show. The test [as to which category a show is in], someone once said to me, which I thought was hysterical, is this question: Did Sam Waterston sleep with [the assistant DA] on ‘Law & Order’? If the answer is ‘I don’t give a [hoot], I want to know the next element of the case,’ then it’s a procedural.

“Our show is weirdly, and there must be precedent for this, but it’s weirdly equally both. I think it’s very much a procedural, and without that sick patient every week, we wouldn’t work. And without the character stuff it wouldn’t work. And weirdly, people do care if House sleeps with one of our characters, and also care equally what’s wrong with this person and how they’re going to solve the case.”

I guess I like the character stuff better, but you’re right, it probably wouldn’t work without the suspense of the weekly case and somebody being critically ill.

“No, I think you need that. I think the echoes of Sherlock Holmes are too strong. The original idea of the show was House and Wilson, like Holmes and Watson. But it got away from that, and his team is Watson, if you want to be technical about it.

“I’m more like … the only way I’ve found to define it, and it’s so pretentious that it makes me want to jump out a window, is like King Lear’s fool. I’m like the only one who tells him the truth. And [Wilson] has nothing to lose. I don’t work for him and he doesn’t work for me. I’m the only character who chooses to be with him as opposed to being there because of a job. And because of that I have the freedom to tell him what I think. Not that Cuddy holds back much.”

I think her role is to say, "No! Bad House!"

“Have you talked to Lisa Edelstein [who plays Cuddy]? She’s so great. This Japanese woman once said to her, ‘You on “ER”!’ And she said, ‘I have been on “ER,” but now I’m on “House.”’ And [the woman says] ‘Oh yes, “House.” You say, “No, you don’t!”’ Every time we do the table read, I burst into laughter at some point, because there is the voice of that woman in my head, ‘You say “No, you don’t!”’ That’s the entire definition of Lisa’s character. Not completely, but we laugh [about it]. We have the same dilemma. We’re on this show that we’re … kind of on. Crew members say, ‘How long have you been on the show?’ ‘Uh, since the pilot.’ They really don’t know what we’re doing there.”

So in terms of the other stuff going on in your career, that’s going well, all the theater stuff?

“I’ve achieved everything I wanted to do. When I was growing up, I wanted to be Kevin Kline, Sam Waterston. I grew up watching the Public Theater and Shakespeare in the park and Marion Seldes. I mean, I may as well be gay.”

I’m not entirely sure you’re not.

[laughs] “But the thing is, I got it [i.e. his goals]. I’ve done 14 Broadway shows and got a Tony award, and now I’m making money and no one even really knows. I’m getting away with murder. If I come back to New York in two years and nothing’s changed, I’ll be thrilled. All I really want to do is [act in] plays, play with my dog, have kids. My desires are pretty simple. I don’t really want to do movies anymore. I’m pretty tired of camera acting.”

Why are you tired of camera acting? Is it the repetition of it?

“No, no, quite the opposite. We don’t rehearse enough. We do scenes where people barely know their lines, where people just about know their lines. In theater, you do it so many times and you get so familiar that then you can actually start having fun with it. And I really miss that feeling.

“It’s true of films too. I don’t know. I think I’m fine on film, but … I have walked offstage and thought, ‘Wow, no one has done that better. People may have done it as well, but not better.' I’ve actually had that feeling after ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night,’ or a Shaw play or whatever. I’ve never felt that way with film. I always feel like, ‘Boy, Donald Sutherland would have done that a lot better.’ [laughs] I just don’t think it’s what I do best. I think I’m fine, but there are people who are eerily good at it. In all humility, of which I have none [laughs], that’s how I feel about my work on stage. I really do feel that I’m gifted at it.”

Just to change gears completely, what happens in the finale?

“Well, I think the finale is a bit of a cliffhanger. Something very exciting happens. It’s extremely exciting and freaky and I think it’s great. I can’t say what it is. You end this season very curious about how the next season is going to start. It’s a great final show and a big cliffhanger.”

So it seems like Hugh Laurie is so disparaging of his own talents. But he’s so good as House.

“Some people ask me, ‘Oh, why does Wilson want to hang out with House so much?’ and I’m like, ‘You idiot.’ [laughs] House is designed to be attractive! He’s brilliant, he’s self-deprecating, he has a limp. But yeah, Hugh hates himself and he’s very funny about it.  There’s no better combination in my book. Like Lewis Black.”

But as an acting partner, he’s good to work with?

“Oh yeah. The thing is, with this part, Hugh has a huge obstacle he has to deal with, having an American accent. His problem isn’t our problem. We as the audience don’t have that problem, because what he doesn’t know is that he does it perfectly. But of course he doesn’t hear that. That’s why he can’t watch the show.

“When you’re doing an accent, you don’t feel like you’re interesting in the role. Even if everyone around is telling you that you are. And to be in a play is one thing, but to be on TV show that runs for years, I don’t know how he’s going to do it. To be that hard on yourself and be that disappointed in your own work. But as I said, and underline this four times, he’s wrong.”

And then he obviously hates when anyone calls him a sex symbol. You read his quotes when people ask him about that stuff and you can feel the embarrassment rising off the page.

“Yeah, he hates that stuff. And even more than the ‘sexy’ stuff, he hates the ‘you’re brilliant’ stuff. Of course there’s a part of him that likes him, there’s a part of all of us that likes that. [But him being hard on his performance], it’s not false vanity.

“I think Hugh does work he’s proud of and does work he thinks is good, I’m just not sure it’ll ever be this [show]. Having an accent… acting is letting go and forgetting yourself, it’s the opposite of ego. It’s flying away and getting away from yourself and forgetting. And when you’re doing an accent, it’s virtually impossible to do that.

“It’s hard when you're in a play, doing the same lines, the same way for eight months. Hugh learns 72 new lines a day and has to put an American accent on them. It really is an actor’s nightmare. I’ve done [with accents] Brian Friel plays, Martin Sherman plays, Tom Stoppard plays, and maybe five months into it you have a night where you kind of feel OK and kind of forget the accent and let go and let the scene happen. To have a strange accent in your mouth while playing a role, and then be judged for it, that’s hard stuff.

“And can I tell you, when you have dinner with Hugh Laurie [speaking in his real accent]… I miss that voice.”

Yeah. He called me once directly for an interview. I was expecting the publicist to put him through, but it was just that voice on the phone. I was sort of thrown for a minute.

“As we know, I’m straight, but yeah, it’s like, homina homina homina.” [laughs]

---- [source (part 2)] | part 1 | part 3 ---

it took me two hours to track this interview down. it might be the longest one he's ever done. first i tracked it down to tumblr pages posting about it with no source please stop doing that. then i found a short youtube video of laurie saying "homina homina" on an snl skit i think and someone in the comments mentioned the site where the rsl interview was posted. however the site wouldn't let me in, i guess they took it down so i headed to archive dot org. i didn't have a specific link though so that didn't really work out either. then for nearly an hour i tried a wide range of word combinations on google until i stumbled upon a livejournal page of rpf hugh laurie/rsl fanfic. SOMEONE tysm karaokegal posted the exact link i was looking for in the comments. quick trip to the wayback machine and here you go!

i should be on those ethical hacking competition things

[dyns33]

Flufftober 18 - Enola Holmes

Sherlock Holmes x Reader 

It was a game between them, even if they had never talked about it.

Ever since he'd met her during an investigation that she'd helped him solve, impressing him with her intelligence and thinking skills, Sherlock Holmes and Y/N Y/L/N were seeing each other regularly.

There had been some rumours about their relation, since it was not proper for a young lady to find herself so often alone in a man's house, to walk down the street with him and accompany him on dangerous adventures, but none of them were paying attention, too busy having fun together.

For his part, Sherlock liked to test the intellectual capacities of his young friend. Y/N did her best to surprise him. To say or do something that he did not know or that he could not guess thanks to his science of deduction.

Until now, if they had counted the points, which they were not doing, Sherlock won largely, because despite all her goodwill, Y/N did not always find the solution to the questions, riddles and investigations he gave to her, and she absolutely never managed to take him by surprise.

           "You'll never guess who I saw this morning."

           "My sister." he answered without looking up from his newspaper.

           "... Possible. But you'll never guess what happened."

           "You had a chat, she offered you to work with her on a case, you followed your prime suspect to find out it couldn't be him as he was going to his mistress, only to find out the culprit was obviously the butler."

           "... You are not funny." she mumbled, sulking as she sat across from him. "Anyway. Anything new ?"

           "Can't you guess ?"

           "I repeat, you are not funny."

Trying to hide his smirk, Sherlock told her about his new investigation, eager to get her opinion. Of course, he already had an idea of ​​who had committed the crime, why and how, he wanted to see her think. Unlike most people, she knew how to use her brain, although she still needed a little practice. It was pleasant to see her face light up and her eyes sparkle when she found the solution.

It had nothing to do with romantic feelings though.

Not at all.

Sherlock often repeated it to himself when he took her arm not to lose her in the crowd, when he was composing a fiddle tune for her, or when he was worried that she was not arriving on time at a meeting.

A simple meeting between friends and work colleagues, of course.

Sometimes he suspected that Y/N loved him more than just a friend. But it embarrassed her and he didn't want to embarrass her.

After all, even though he came from a rather noble family and with money, he was not the eldest son, and he had a very particular way of life. Not really the ideal husband. She had seen him in many situations that would have scared off intelligent men and women.

If Y/N hadn't left yet, it was because he offered her a freedom that she didn't have as a woman in this society.

Sherlock understood this matter quite well thanks to his sister and his mother, and although he unfortunately did not have the solution to this problem yet, he was happy to help Y/N flourish as she deserved.

           "I'm sure you already know who stole that diamond." she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I don't even see why you need an assistant."

           "I never said I needed an assistant."

           "You said I was very useful for your investigations !"

           "Not exactly. I said you help me stay focused and eliminate leads faster. You're also good at following people, acting as a witness when Lestrade isn't listening, and responding to reporters who ask too many questions."

           "... So I'm here... To be a secretary ?"

           "... Again, that's not what I said."

           "What you just said is more or less the definition of a secretary, or an idiot who spends her time with a man who uses her."

Despite all his intelligence, Sherlock Holmes was not very good at talking with his peers, even those he cared about.

Especially those he cared about.

He knew all the same that he had just hurt Y/N, her grimace and wet eyes not leaving too much room for doubt, and he stood up quickly to prevent her from leaving, grabbing her hand.

           "That's really not what I meant." he repeated apologetically.

           "You don't have to talk, I get it. I'm really stupid. I thought we had fun together, that we were equals, that we... I was stupid."

           "What ? That we what ?"

           "Oh please, Sherlock, you know that very well !"

           "No I do not know."

           "That I love you !" she exclaimed, looking at him in the eyes, beautiful and furious. "We have been working together for months, having dinner together, spending several hours in your apartment, by the fireplace, and I know very well that the great Sherlock Holmes has long guessed that it was not simply because I love adventure !"

This, he could not deny.

However, Sherlock remained silent, because not for a single second had he imagined that she loved him so much, and especially he would never have thought that she would confess her feelings to him.

It was a real surprise.

And Y/N read the shock on his face perfectly.

           "... You did not know ?"

           "I... Of course I did. Well, I was hoping. I mean, I was suspecting. I didn't have all the...."

           "You were hoping ?" she repeated, slowly approaching him, her eyes becoming sparkling again. "Sherlock ?"

He could have said nothing, lied, run away, but that would have hurt her again, even more, and he didn't want that, so Sherlock didn't move, staring at her for a long time, before biting his lip.

           "I think wedding is a totally useless and absurd thing. But if it was necessary, I'm not against it."

           "... Should I see this as a marriage proposal ?"

           "What do you think ?"

           "I think you are panicking about the situation, that you are unable to tell me that you love me too, at least not right now and not in these terms, but you want to make me understand that my feelings are shared, that I don't have to be ashamed of my confession, and that if one day my father comes screaming to your house, you will take a ring out of your pocket and get on your knees."

           "Wrong ."

           "... Wrong ?"

           "Or rather, almost wrong. The majority of your deduction is correct, proving your great quick-wittedness, and that's why I love you."

It didn't make her laugh, but Y/N smiled all the same, gently hitting on the shoulder.

They didn't talk about it again after, for many months, because it was unnecessary.

[swissmissficrecs]

Johnlock fics I read in 2023

This is everything I read in the Sherlock Holmes fandom last year that made it into my bookmarks. So while I may not have read enough to make a selected "best of" list, consider these the ones that made it past all my internal selection criteria and are deserving of a spotlight. A few of these were completed prior to 2023.

A Case of You by Silvergirl (17K, M, Johnlock, Sherlock/OMC) Sherlock is marrying an American, and at the rehearsal dinner, best man John makes a drunken love confession he doesn’t remember the next day. Badly hungover, John can't find anyone to tell him what the hell happened to the wedding, where the grooms are, or how he can put it right so that Sherlock can be happy. But what if he's dead wrong about what will make Sherlock happy?

A Midnight Clear by khorazir (16K, T, Johnlock) It’s Christmas Eve, and Sherlock is working. Because that’s what he does. He doesn’t need Christmas, or holiday cheer, or even company. He’s fine on his own, thank you very much – until a series of strange encounters on his way back to Baker Street makes him reconsider.

A Story That Is Almost, But Not Quite, Entirely Unlike Blue Carbuncle by Iwantthatcoat (16K, M, Johnlock) It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and the Holmes Family is all set to have one of those unimaginable Christmas dinners— but the game is afoot, as Mummy’s friend is caught up in a Christmas mystery.

An Elegant Solution by ArwaMachine (19K, E, Johnlock) Sherlock finds himself unspeakably aroused by the idea of John with another man. Problem is, the only man Sherlock will permit be with John is Sherlock himself. Seems like an unsolvable problem. ... or is it?

An Ocean Away by westernredcedar (14K, T, Johnlock) Sherlock Holmes has been gone for twenty long years, time enough for John Watson's daughter to make it all the way to Harvard University.

Avast Ye Merry Gentlemen by StellaCartography (10K, E, Johnlock) Sherlock is not a Christmas person. John decides it's Christmas that needs changing.

Bright Blue Ink by 13_33 (13K, G, Johnlock, Warstan) When one of my patients asks me about my relationship with Sherlock Holmes, the great detective, I answer this: I am his chronicler, his assistant in solving crimes, his confidant and friend. Of course, all these terms hold true, now as then, at the beginning of our shared history. But just as in a family portrait you can only see the put-on smiles and never the real faces of the people, they were only part of what made up my true relationship with Holmes. I know him, I then add; I know him well. [ACD]

Deductive Reasoning by cormorant (8K, T, Johnlock) John finds out that Sherlock has assumed for a while that their relationship was romantic, and feels like maybe he should have been notified about that.

Doting Husbands by Calais_Reno (16K, M, Johnlock) Sherlock takes on a new hobby: writing a story. If only something would happen! Takes place a year after the ending of Wooing Sherlock Holmes. He and John have been married for a year, still retired, living in Sussex.

Full Mount by ArwaMachine (54K, E, Johnlock) After Sherlock unceremoniously returns from the dead, John finds himself inexplicably angry all the time. So he does what any emotionally-constipated British man does: he joins a Mixed Martial Arts gym. As John throws himself into the sport and joins in on underground no-holds-barred brawls, situations arise that just might force John to face what is really going on underneath all the rage.

Indefinite Lines by ArwaMachine (298K, E, Johnlock) When two lines, inclined towards each other, are extended indefinitely, it is inevitable that they meet. Upon meeting, the lines become something new. Together. Perhaps it’s been like that from the beginning for Sherlock and John—their lives weaving together, inclined towards one another, moving closer and closer to something greater than themselves.

Live from the Morgue by disfictional (8K, E, Johnlock) Molly interviews Sherlock on her podcast, Live from the Morgue. John listens.

Lost In A Good Book by khorazir (68K, M, Johnlock) After chasing a criminal into a poky second-hand bookshop, John and Sherlock find themselves not only stuck in the building, but in L-space itself. With things still raw and unsettled between them after the events surrounding the Culverton Smith case, this adds another dimension to their predicament, which not only consists of finding a way out of the shop (while avoiding getting murdered by the criminal), but also to finally address the issues between them.

Nightjet by khorazir (22K, M, Johnlock) Officially deceased for eighteen months and still looking for the last remainders of Moriarty’s criminal empire, an exhausted Sherlock boards a night train in Germany to bring him to his next hunting ground. Due to a mishap with the sleeper cars, he is forced to share a compartment with a stranger – who turns out to be not quite as strange as Sherlock thought. The universe isn’t lazy, after all …

Nothing to Celebrate by DiscordantWords (30K, M, Johnlock, Warstan) Sherlock Holmes is back from the dead. Things only get worse from there.

Our Ghosts And This by LipstickDaddy (12K, T, Johnlock) An epilogue in three acts.

Primavera by Berty (9K, T, Johnlock) Italy in the springtime is as romantic as it gets but is it enough to free unspoken words and feelings after years of silence?

Salut d'Amour by ecoutes (11K, G, Johnlock) Despite Holmes claiming that my narrations of our cases were tainted with sentimentality, his preferences in music, I learned, were awfully romantic. [ACD]

Spare Parts by Raina_at (63K, E, Johnlock) Two years ago, Sherlock Holmes jumped off the roof of New London Hospital. Two months ago, he walked into John's clinic as if no time had passed at all. John hasn't seen him since. But then Sherlock knocks on John's door with a case he can't say no to, and while figuring out why the biggest manufacturer or synthetic limbs in the System is going after veterans, they also need to find out whether there's a way to fix what's broken between them.

stirringofbirds between my arms by NotusLethe (18K, E, Johnlock, Enola/Tewksbury) Over the years, John Watson gets to know his new flatmate, Sherlock Holmes, and the man's clever ward. [Enola Holmes]

Stretch by illwick (13K, E, Johnlock) Sometimes the lines get blurry. [Part 35 of a BDSM established relationship series]

The Adventure of The Reluctant Docent by mydogwatson (23K, T, Johnlock) Someone is killing the docents of London. Sherlock is on the case when he meets a very interesting docent.

The Case of the Freudian Dick Pic Slip by expoduck (11K, E, Johnlock) John accidentally sends Sherlock a dick pic he'd intended for another man.

The Mystery of the Missing Metallurgist by rudbeckia (14K, M, Johnlock) A young wife engages Holmes to find her missing husband. Lestrade thinks the man has absconded to America, but Holmes rises to the challenge of Proving Lestrade Wrong. The case turns out to be far more complex and dangerous than they first thought, and Holmes sends Watson to secure Lestrade’s help in bringing a criminal gang to justice. When Holmes gets injured, Watson realises where his heart lies and a little lighthearted banter leads to a tentative confession. [ACD]

The Silence Between the Notes by J_Baillier (44K, M, Johnlock, Viclock) Lieutenant John Watson's days in London are painted in shades of grey after losing both his military career and his family. Could an unexpected request to travel to Vienna to track down the errant son of a wealthy family break the monotony?

The Wizard of Baker Street by Calais_Reno (23K, T, Johnlock) In which Sherlock is a wizard under a curse and John spends a lot of time as a cat.

‘tis the damn season by chrysanthemumsies (22K, E, Johnlock) Sherlock and John travel to Edinburgh to catch a homophobic serial killer in time for Christmas. They figure out how to use their words, more or less.

Trapezoid by SilentAuror (27K, E, Johnlock, OMC/ OMC) Corey Graham invites John and Sherlock to visit L.A. to consult on a project… at least, officially.

Yorkshire by lurikko (8K, E, Johnlock) They're in Yorkshire, in a house in the moors, for a case, only Sherlock keeps touching John. [Omegaverse]

[teaspoonnebula]

Woooo I'm back! I was away this weekend at Thought Bubble, a comic convention that is very near and dear to me :D

...And which also happens to be situated across the road from the Harrogate Turkish Baths that were built in the late 1890s, and with our first mention of Turkish Baths about to come up in Letters from Watson, you know what I did with my evening...

As someone who has ever been to a spa or a sauna, I went into it pretty nervous. I was reassured that I knew everyone would be in swimming costumes and there would be attendants on hand to help, but also nervous that I would do something wrong or end up getting a bit overwhelmed by all the sensory stimuli going on (smells! noise! colours! heat! cold!) I was also worried I'd have to take my glasses off, because I was on my own and I have very poor eyesight without them.

But I guess my raging inner history buff that's both interested in late Victorian forms of entertainment and also pretty interested in Roman baths that are a comparable process won out, because I went.

AND I LOVED IT!

I was honestly fizzing with excitement just to be walking around an environment I'm used to seeing in old black and white photographs...

But it was like... REAL!!!

I couldn't take photos in the baths myself because obviously that would be incredibly creepy but please enjoy this picture I took of a logo model in the lobby, and an actual Thomas Crapper toilet, yes I do get excited by silly things

The process of using the baths was all about alternating heat and cold, with three rooms with different heat levels, and a cold plunge pool and showers.

The best thing about it for me is that while there was a recommended sequence to follow, you could pay attention to your own body and just do whatever you wanted to do.

I was surprised how tolerable the hottest room was because it was a really dry heat, but I spent most of my time lounging around in the two lowest heat areas. If I do it again I'm definitely going to bring a book - I wouldn't have thought that was an option, but they actually provided magazines and I saw a fair number of people reading!

I found myself feeling so happy and floppy afterwards. I joked that it felt like I had no bones. In fact it's been nearly 48 hours now and I swear I still feel like a happy puddle.

Anyway as a treat for reading to the end, please enjoy the Sherlock Holmes Turkish Baths illustration that makes the fandom go absolutely feral:

[afairytalestray]

OK so on Saturday I got to go to Milan to see the Cats Il Sistina tour and HOLY GOD IT WAS AWESOME. I'm glad I studied the character designs in advance because a lot of the costumes are really different. I'm not typically a huge fan of nonreplicas but Il Sistina may well change that!

I've compiled my thoughts on the show here! Nb, I do not speak Italian so I'm not sure how close to the original lyrics the translation is 😅

There were no green goggles, but the Cats did come in through the audience. I had an aisle seat and Cassandra walked right past me! She was right there and so beautiful omg.

I've gotta get in right at the start that Simone Ragozzino is my new all-time favourite Mungojerrie. The most ever! A little guy. He got most of the acrobatics that Tumblebrutus usually does - apparently Simone used to be an acrobat/gymnast so that makes sense. He and Rumpleteazer were sufficiently chaotic but also clearly valued and beloved members of the tribe. Idk man Simone just got it. Tumble-jerrie ftw. 

The cathedral from "round the cathedral" was changed to a Colosseum reference which I loved 😍

I'm obsessed with Demeter’s makeup from this tour actually. I'm personally not the biggest fan of cryptid-style makeup and looks in Cats in general, but I feel like Deme was balancing just on the edge and it really worked and I loved it. Maybe it was Viviana Salvo's acting as well - she was fabulous at toeing that line between stunning and unnerving!

Tugger and Munkustrap were super close! Munk was less annoyed by Tugger’s antics than normal and they did this thing at one point where Tugger was holding onto Munk who leant fully backwards off the edge of the stage - it was like a trust exercise and I was a fan. Their rendition of Old Deuteronomy was lovely and their voices worked so good together! Tugger was definitely Munkustrap’s second in command of the tribe. I wish Tugger was a bit more Tugger in appearance, he seemed very yellow with not a lot of detail on his costume, but the personality was hundo p present and accounted for. He did the "bite is worse than your bark" line in Jellicle Songs and legit barked at the end.

Jennyanydots was fabulous! Instead of a big coat she literally wore a giant ball of wool, and one of the props was giant knitting needles and the start of what might have been a giant scarf - it took 6 of the Cats to carry it. It actually worked super well for Milan, which is known for fashion and fabrics - there's even a giant sewing needle sculpture outside Cadorna Station! It was probably a happy coincidence but I enjoyed it!

Victoria's role was changed quite a bit, her solo was totally different and the pas de deux was gone. There also kinda just... wasn't the big small first touch Vic and Grizabella moment, which I was sad about, but if Griz's big moment wasn't "TOUCH MEEEEEE" in the translation, I'm not so bothered by it. I wish Vic had a bit bigger of a role because I love her, but she was killing it whenever she was on stage.

We are all stan pink Jemima, she had such a lovely voice too. Her and Alonzo were playing with a tennis ball during the interval and it was adorable.

My beloved Coricopat and Tantomile were lying in the Mouth of Truth prop after Moments of Happiness; they had their usual role of translating Old Doots through Jemima so I thought their placement here was deliberate! They weren't always fully in sync which I kinda liked, it was like they were allowed to be their own characters rather than just "the twins". I definitely got the impression that Tantomile was the older sister which hella backs up my hcs about her!

Gus was absolutely WILD. He comes in after Jellylorum has done her whole first part of the song in this raggedy old tradiotional Sherlock Holmes-style beige plaid coat instead of being there but kinda out of it the whole time. At first he wasnt keen on replaying any of his roles, but then all the others were like please please please and he relented. I think they were calling him (or his role) Romero? Idk if that's an Italian reference I just don't get? They did Pekes and Pollicles (one of the above had been changed to chihuahuas!) and then the bold Rumpus/Romero appeared... in a red satin bath robe and holding a sabre??? I need to look up this reference! Dude didn't just intimidate the pollicles, he straight up cut a couple of them down with his sword! Grandpa woke up and chose violence 😂

There was no trash train in Skimbleshanks 😭😭 there were giant glowstick things that changed colours though. Skimble and Bustopher were played by the same actor which is a combo I haven't seen before. Skimble was definitely still everyone's favourite train dad, all the characters were totally hyped for his song. HE DID TAP LIKE IN 2019. It was really cool how they did it, all the music stopped and he started a call and response tap dance with some of the other characters. The background showed an animated video of going through a train tunnel, like from the perspective of a train driver! The tap was gradually speeding up and became the sound effects of a train setting off and moving through the tunnel. I'm not explaining this super well but it was SO cool.

The Macavity Fight was quite different. There wasn't him disguised as Old Deuteronomy and then unmasked. What happened was he showed up and caused some shenanigans and then disappeared. There were about 4 of him around, so it looked like he was teleporting around the stage and audience! Bombalurina and Demeter performed his song which was absolutely fantastic (seriously how do these actresses actually manage to dance like that and sing at the same time?? Goddesses), after that he showed up again and the full cast was involved in the fight. Munkustrap still got the good choreography, but the whole tribe was involved trying to protect Old Deuteronomy. Tugger was definitely a protector in this production, he was very involved. Jerrie got KO'd a good few times, and Macavity absolutely destroyed poor Jenny! It felt like all of them were trying to protect their family and I really liked that. Despite that, Macavity was still able to win and successfully kidnap Old Doots!

"Mungojerrie, RUMPLETEAZER, Griddlebone" they let my girl do crime again!

Mistoffelees and Quaxo were besties, and Misto was REALLY enjoying Tugger's song I'm just saying. Delighted to announce Il Sistina Misto was a fruity little guy. He didn't get the terrible bore line, sad face, that went to Quaxo, but tbh idk how they translated that so it could be totally different! At one point Alonzo was holding him back at the start of Tugger’s song! We then saw a sponge-like Misto who picked up behaviours from the others around him, like he wasn't too sure of himself. This is actually one of my favourite Misto hcs so i was so chuffed to see it so clearly. He then helped Alonzo rein George (at least I think it was George!) in from going mental fanboy at Tugger. He was originally curious about Griz but then adjusted to hissing upon seeing the others. This fully went forward into his song. They did some big choreo changes. It was significantly less dance-heavy than traditional Misto performances and had a stronger focus on him being magic. There was a levitating box that they spent a lot of time with - Magician's Assistant Cass got in, but then she didn't disappear? She just popped back out again after the box had been rotated a few times. Some of the Kittens were waving their hands under the box to prove there was nothing holding it up and looking amazed which was adorable though. There was also a bit where Misto put some cards into a hat, the hat got passed down a line of Cats and then at the end they just sort of flew out? Like idk maybe they changed the lyrics where they're describing different magic tricks and it all makes sense! I THOUGHT THE CONJURING TURNS WERE GONE, but they were just moved to the very end of the song and cut down quite a bit.

Ok BUT LISTEN, à la 2019, the poor boy tried and failed twice to bring back Old Deuteronomy and then just sort of flopped in the corner all defeated but then BOYFRIEND TUGGER HELD HIS HANDS AND GOT RIGHT UP CLOSE AND WAS LIKE I BELIEVE IN YOU BABE and omg for real those actors knew EXACTLY what they were doing Tuggoff nation RISE. I'm always a red-sheet-turned-cape stan but I can definitely get behind the sparkly tail coat and playing card bowtie. He also had this handkerchief that he threw up in the air and it became a magic wand. I have no idea how and it was very silly so obviously I loved it. Although I wasn't massively into the choreo changes (ballet dancer Misto 5eva), Pierpaolo Scida was a magnificent Misto and I adored him - he was so cute! The little background actions and looks he did were so in character with how he interpreted Misto! Also he was beautiful you can't change my mind.

Malika was such an intense Grizabella - 10/10. She was proud but so vulnerable. She walked right past me when she first came in and lads, she did the whole show in these massive stilettos - absolute queen. At one point it literally rained on her on stage! During her first Memory, Old Deut was really watching her, and at the end of it he approached her, but she ran off when she saw him. I thought it was a super cool character moment, like she knew she wanted to be accepted, but wasn't quite ready for it. Even after the big Memory and Old Deuteronomy declared her the Jellicle Choice, Victoria approached her, but she was still too scared to let her, and it was Jemima who finally was able to reach her and bring her in. At the end she just kinda disappeared off stage - there were no flying tyres or magic stairs in the circus tent!

During the bit after the bows some of the cats were out in the audience and Tugger scared the absolute crap out of this one woman by poking his head in between her and the person sitting next to her. Iconic. Also during the latter part of the interval the audience was allowed to come up to the edge of the stage where some of the actors were goofing about in character. This mf pretended to cough up a hairball and now I have it on video. I also got some close ups of Teazer and the beautiful Bomba!

The Italian Junkyard was fabulous! It was mostly roman landmarks like Piazza Navona and Bocca della Verità, but there was also Michelangelo's David (which I'm pretty sure is in Florence) above the orchestra! There was also a giant marble foot, an Italian-style water fountain, and a broken column. My favourite prop was the bench, it's elevated at the back left of the stage and the cast were using it like a slide to enter the stage! Also it seemed to be Misto’s preferred location to lounge.

In conclusion, I will never get over this.

[heavenphantomhive]

My favorite Sebaciel fanfics - Part 1

Hi! In the last post, I asked for some recommendations for Sebaciel fanfics, so I thought it would be a good idea to show my favorite ones, so I made a list with the fics that left the biggest impression on me, and I'll try to briefly talk about each one (although it's been a long time since I've read some of them, so I might not remember all the details).

I hope you enjoy!

1. Fanfics

1.1 Complete

Solomon’s Purgatory: Ciel acting as Sherlock Holmes in a modern day's Weston College. The plot is great, it's just a shame that Sebastian doesn't appear until almost the end (yeah, Ciel falls for him during his investigation without even knowing the real Sebastian, which is kinda cute too).

Shapeshifter: Sebastian is a serial killer, and he adopts Ciel after the suicide of his aunt Ann (Madam Red), which is obviously Sebastian's work. It's kinda graphic, and I don't recommend it if you have some kind of sensibility with rape and violence. However, if you like drama and a bittersweet sensation, this fic is for you. Just a warning: there's no happy ending.

Phantom, phantom: It's a PWP in every sense, but why is this so good?? (One shot)

1.2 In progress

Those Gentle Slopes that Lead to Hell: It's a slow burn, mostly centered in Sebastian's point of view and his journey to understand the feelings he didn't even know he had. I like it because it's totally in character, specially because their relationship isn't linear.

The Siblings and The Young Master: OK, IT'S BEEN A LONG, LONG TIME SINCE THE LAST TIME I READ THIS. However, I remember hunting down the writer to beg them to finish this piece, so I could say that I really liked it that time. Besides this, I don't remember a thing, just this and the fact that the drama isn't clear at the beginning, it's a thing that grows during the plot and gets SO GOOD. Anyway, read at your own risk since, sadly, the writer probably will never post the last 7 chapters (WE WERE SO CLOSE, I WANNA DIE! *crying compulsively*).

2. Series

Evil Flowers: It's a classic, all of fics of this series are masterpieces and I don't think I need to explain anything. Every Sebaciel shipper MUST read these fics at some point in their lives!

Debate Club: Ok, I'm obsessed with this series, specially with Devil's Advocate. It's simply how I always imagined the relationship between Ciel and Sebastian if they were in a modern school setting. I don't think the trope popular guy/nerd fits them. Both Sebastian and Ciel are nerds, but both of them have too much charisma to not be popular, so I always thought they would be over competitive with each other if they studied together. Also, Sebastian being completely clueless about his feelings to Ciel, and interpreting this strange sensation in his chest every time he sees this little brat as "I hate him", is my favorite fanfic trope.

PLEASE GUYS, I BEG YOU, write more fics like this. I want to see them in a high school and competing over grades, but being secretly in love with each other in a very dramatic and confused way. I also LOVE when Sebastian turns his repressed arousal for Ciel into violence over him (not in a physical way, like punching him, but acting rude and sarcastic).

If you know any fic like these, send them to me, pleeease.

Well, I've made a list much longer than this, but since English isn't my first language, writing this was SO EXHAUSTING that I need a pause, so I'll post the rest later. I hope you liked this.

[dixons-sunshine]

Half Awake (Xavier Thorpe x fem!reader)

Summary: Admittedly, being in detention was never on your to-do list, neither was your half awake rant about Xavier's hair. But everything always happens for a reason, right?

Warnings: Some swearing but that's about all I can think of. Let me know if I should add anything.

You're telepathic and telekinetic in this. (Very original, I know 😌😂)

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

"'Don't worry,' you said. 'We won't get caught,' you said. Well, looks to me like we got caught, Xavier!" You said, throwing your hands up and gesturing around.

Xavier leant back in the uncomfortable chair he found himself forced to sit on, letting a sigh escape him. "I, clearly, didn't think that through."

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock Holmes." You let out a huff of frustration, leaning forward to lay your head on the table.

The two of you- more Xavier than you- didn't think you'd get caught. The two of you had snuck out of the school on more occasions than one, sneaking through an abandoned gate at the far end of the school where no one went anymore, and never once did you two get caught.

Not until today.

Xavier supposed that he should've listened when principal Weems said that there would be no going of campus until further notice. He just didn't think that she would go to the extremes of having guards covering every inch of the school.

"You seriously didn't expect Weems to go to that extremes? Are we thinking about the same principal here?" You asked unexpectedly, startling Xavier.

"Jeez, don't do that!" Xavier said, placing a hand over his chest dramatically.

"Consider it a small amount of payback for getting us in detention."

"How many times do I have to apologize? And besides, it's not like we're in jail!"

"We might as well be!"

"Stop being so dramatic," Xavier said, getting his notebook out of his bag to work on a sketch.

"Oh, I'm being dramatic?" You said, narrowing your eyes at him.

"Wait, how were you reading my mind in the first place?"

"The bracelet fell off when we were being escorted back into the school. I couldn't exactly say anything because Weems wouldn't let us speak, remember?"

The bracelet.

It's something that you gave to him a few months into your friendship. It gave him the ability to block you from reading his mind. He never really used it at first, but he's been using it a whole lot more recently.

However, you didn't dwell on it too much.

You could see how Xavier's face lost a bit of colour. He quickly shut his notebook and opted for doing something on his phone instead.

Deciding against reading Xavier's mind again, you leaned back in your chair, closing your eyes and thinking about how you got into this situation.

Flashback

"Are you sure about this, Xavier? Weems seemed serious when she said that the school would be on lockdown," you said, nervously following him towards the 'forgotten gate' that the two of you used to sneak out of the school on multiple occasions.

"Of course I'm sure. Stop worrying so much. This is a once in a lifetime experience. Ajax and Enid are gonna meet us there," he said.

The two of you successfully reached the gate, stopping only so that Xavier could pick up the backpack he hid there earlier.

He got his phone out of his pocket to let Ajax know that the two of you were on your way, until an amused smile graced his features.

"What's so funny?" You asked, confused.

He looked up at you. "Enid somehow convinced Wednesday to tag along."

"Oh," you said, suddenly feeling out of place. Jealousy seeped through you, replacing the happiness you felt earlier. It was no secret, to you at least, that Xavier had a crush on the Addams girl, even though she made it clear that she didn't reciprocate his feelings.

Although you never really said anything, you had feelings for Xavier. He was unlike any other guy you have ever met or been with and he always treated you like you were a princess. You thought that meant he might reciprocate your feelings, but since Wednesday came to Nevermore, you haven't been so sure.

"What's wrong?" Xavier asked upon seeing an unreadable look rest on your face. He reached to place a hand on your shoulder.

"Nothing. I just want to get this over with," you said, moving away from his touch.

This confused Xavier. During the entirety of your friendship with him you have always loved physical contact, no matter how mad you were at him. You never once denied his touch, yet there you were, moving away from him.

"Are you sure?" He asked awkwardly, not knowing what he did wrong.

Before you could respond, someone cleared their throat. "I thought that Principal Weems made it very clear that no one was to go of campus."

The two of you looked at the werewolf that Principal Weems probably hired to guard the school. The werewolf crossed their arms. "Come on. I'm pretty sure that Principal Weems would love to have a talk with you."

End of flashback

"Damn, how long do we have to endure this torture?" Xavier jokingly asked. Confusion dawned on him as he didn't get a response. You couldn't still be mad at him, could you?

He looked over at you, seeing you leaned back in your chair with your eyes closed, breathing evened out as you had fallen asleep. He took this moment to admire the peaceful look on your face.

He never could understand how someone as perfect as you would ever want to be associated with the likes of him. All he knew is that he thanked his lucky stars for your unlikely friendship, even though he wished you two could be more than that.

Everyone always asked him if the two of you were together, which he always had to deny. He hoped that one day he'd be able to say yes to that question, but in reality he knew that having your friendship was more important to him and he wouldn't risk it for the off chance that you would say yes to dating him.

A guy could always dream, however.

He sighed, deciding to work on his sketch again. Admittedly, it was a sketch of you. You once told him that you would love to be drawn by him, to see him capture all your imperfections although, to him, you didn't have any.

"I want you to draw me like one of your french girls," you had jokingly told him a few months ago. He had laughed it off, but that did put a blush on his face.

He looked up at the clock, sighing as he saw that the two of you still had two hours of detention left. Weems had told you that it was either five hours of detention or one hour every day for five days. You had decided on the five hour one, saying you'd rather get this over and done with in one day.

So, while everyone was out in the sun and Ajax, Enid and Wednesday were at the Imagine Dragons concert, the two of you were stuck in detention. Luckily without any supervision, because Weems said she trusted that you wouldn't try to escape, basically implying that there would be serious consequences if the two of you did.

For now, he'd let you sleep. It gave him time to finish his sketch for you.

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

"Hey, wake up. It's almost time to go." A soft voice broke you from your slumber.

You looked up, confused at your surroundings, until the haze from your sleep cleared up a bit and you were reminded of where you were.

You don't even recall falling asleep, or when Xavier moved his seat right next to yours. The last thing you recall is Xavier saying something, and then the rest went black.

"What?" You asked, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. Next to you was Xavier, who gave you a small, loving smile.

"There's only ten minutes of detention left. I doubt Weems will notice if we leave a few minutes earlier," he said, laughing lightly as you groaned. "Come on, you can go right back to sleep once we get to your dorm."

You looked at him with one eye open, motioning something to him. He playfully raised his eyebrows.

"You want a piggyback ride?"

"Yes, please," you replied, voice more timid than usual.

Xavier's smile didn't falter. He gave you a silent nod, motioning for you to get on his back.

You hopped on his back and picked up your bags with your telekinesis, letting it float behind you as you two made your way to your dorm.

On your way there, Xavier noticed you softly playing with his hair, making tiny braids and then taking them out, restarting the process.

"You have amazing hair, you know that?" You said quietly, opting to lay your chin on his head.

Xavier chuckled lightly, a blush covering his cheeks. This wasn't the first time you've absentmindedly complimented him while in this stage. Being a telepath took it's toll on you, considering how your mind worked overtime. Because of this, it takes you longer than most to properly wake up, resulting in these compliments from you.

"You really think so?" He asked. You nodded.

"Yeah. I especially love when you have your hair down. Don't get me wrong, I love it when it's in a ponytail, I just think that..."

Xavier smiled the whole way to your dorm room, listening to you rant about his hair. He could listen to you all day if he could. You were the most adorable person to him, and these half awake rants of yours always made him smile.

"Here we are," he said, opening the door to your dorm. He closed the door behind him, moving over to your bed to put you down.

As he basically tucked you into bed, you said something he didn't expect. "Did you mean what you thought? Back in the detention room, I mean."

"What do you mean?" He inquired, sitting down on the bed. His heart raced as he thought of all the possible things you could've seen in his mind back there, but he tried to remain calm.

"That you liked me. That you wanted to date me but you didn't wanna risk our friendship?"

Xavier gulped. It was now or never. "Would it be a good thing if I did?"

You smiled, sitting up. "It would be the best thing ever, because I like you too."

Xavier smiled, slightly leaning in. "Enough to go on a date with me?"

"Even more than that."

You closed the remaining distance between the two of you, lips melding together perfectly. Xavier put his hands on the sides of your face, while yours went to the back of his neck.

It was the best thing you have ever experienced. All those times you imagined kissing him didn't come close to the actual feeling. His lips were incredibly soft and he kissed you in a slow, passionate way that made you feel as if you were on cloud nine.

Unfortunately, air was still an important thing. The two of you pulled away from each other, hands still where they were during the kiss. Blushes covered both of your faces.

"That was- wow."

You laughed. "It really was. I never knew you were such a good kisser, Xavier."

"I have a couple of secret talents that you don't know about," he joked.

You laughed at that. Just as you were about to pull him back in for another kiss, your roommate, Yoko, entered the room.

"So, Xavier, you still gonna tell me that the two of you aren't a thing?"

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

This was my first time writing Xavier, so I'm so sorry if this sucked. I hope that some of you thought it was okay, though. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you beautiful people next time. Bye!

[islayhawkin]

Denial

Sherlock x f!reader

Summery: Sherlock doesn't want to feel the feelings he has for you but still can't help but enjoy the attention he gets from you.

Angst/ feelings

The cold rain poured down his neck as Sherlock tried in vain to pull his coat closer to himself. Excited to get back to Baker street again after a criminal chase in the usual london rain made him quicken his steps. A small smile formed on his lips at the hope that you’d still be up and would fuss about his soaked form , which he’d never admit to relish.

He pushed the big oak door open and let out a releasing sigh at the dry warmth that engulfed him immediately , shook off some water on his coat and ruffled his hair. He made long strides up the stairs while skipping two steps at a time. When he pushed the door to his apartment open and scanned the room for either John or Y/N he was surprised to find neither present in his view. You should be home according to your still present jacket , shoes and hat on the clothing rack.

Sherlock’s mind of course considered the possibility that you were dragged out of the flat through force , which triggered a weird feeling of worry somewhere deep inside of him. To his irritance the worry about you getting hurt popped up in his mind more than he liked since Moriarty made his apearence.

“Y/N!” His baritone voice echoed through the room.

You stormed down the stairs and looked questioningly at Sherlock.

“Everything alright?” Sherlock looked you up and fast knew that he just had torn you from reading a particular good book.

“Oh yeah. Didn’t know if you where here.” he spoke dismissivly. With that he shoved past her , took off his soaked coat , which continued to drop water on the floor and sat in his armchair to ponder his newest case.

“Sherlock! You’re soaking wet. What did you do out there by this weather. You could’ve at least taken a rain jacket.” you muttered the last part under your breath as you strode into the bathroom and came back with a few old ‘dog towels’ , which were always used for wet things. This specific thing being Sherlock at the moment. “I don't need a rain jacket.” he stated with knitted eyebrows but continued quickly with a sigh. “Well the criminals don’t go on holiday just because it rains and is not particularly comfortable going outside, mind you- it isn’t a rare occurrence so it would be absolutely devastating if they actually did.” Sherlock rambled off slowly realising how horrible this imagine would be. “You shouldn’t be happy about criminals running around in the rain but, oh well, if it makes you happy.” You chuckled lovingly.

Wait. Lovingly? No it was probably friendly.

He was never good with emotions so he shook it off fast when you threw a towel over his head and wiped his hair dry. He relished the feeling of your touch and let his eyes close as he let out a relieved sigh. You felt him relax under your touch and heard the small sigh, which you were sure wasn’t meant for you to hear so you said nothing but felt strangely proud to be able to make the Sherlock Holmes so comfortable that he let himself be vulnerable around you.

“Now dry yourself off some more as you change clothes. I’ll make some tea and look after...this.” you gestured to the dripping coat of his and the wet floor. He stood up as he rolled his eyes at you. “They can dry also while their on.” “Yeah they could. No argument there.” you agreed.

“Great! Then I can-” he was cut short as you wiped the towel over his cheek to wipe away some falling waterdrops.

“Nope that’s really uncomfortable and you should change into your pyjamas anyway.” you looked at him expectingly. A snarky remark was on the tip of his tong but your sudden action had somehow startled him, which made him obey you. It wasn’t really that big of a deal you both weren’t very fond of touch so they never invaded each others personal space, there were only sometimes quick touches. It was always comfortable. But now it brought a lump into his throat and made his heart ache in a way so that he couldn’t trust himself to speak.

He closed the door to his room behind him and let himself lean against it which left a wet print. Frantically he tried to swallow the feeling down. When he would be honest with himself those situations happened to happen more times than he was comfortable with: You'd sit next to him in a cab- really close next to him , you’d place your hand on his back , he’d pull you close to him to bring you out of harms way and so on.

Of course he wasn’t honest with himself so he tried to swallow it down all those times and think nothing further of it. He was knowingly bad with feelings and held the believe that sentiment was just a chemical defect. He hated to feel such things. Things he had no control over.

Still despite of this he really felt comfortable with you and WANTED to feel those feelings when you were with him.

“Stop it.” he scowled himself and began to hastily change out of his clothes. When he had his pyjama pants halfway up there was a knock on his door.

“What is it?” Sherlock rather rudely shouted. You came barging in with some papers in your hands sitting on the bed.

“Before I forget: A man came by earlier and brought a package from a certain moriarty. Said it was important...”

You didn't even realise he was halfway naked until you looked up at him. It wasn't unusual for you to see eachother in compromising situations. You, john and sherlock had all seen eachother naked at one point even thought john is still very embarrassed about it. Now it still made you adjust your eyes to the side.

Sherlock didn’t hear anything after you mentioned Moriarty. His face even paler then usual.

“Everything alright?” you asked confused to Sherlock’s obvious shock.

“Did you let him in? I told you not to let people in when I’m out! How did he look like? What did he say? And do leave nothing out.” he rattled off appearing to be angry with you while you crossed your hands defensively over your chest and swallowed. “Mrs. Hudson let him in.”

You couldn’t have had ignored him while he was practically standing in your living room even if you really wanted to. “In his 30s maybe. Short dark hair, dark eyes, suit on, chewing a gum.”

You were thinking a moment too long for Sherlock’s liking so he growled angrily at you to hurry up. You took a step back at his outburst which set off the feeling of guilt in his gut whereby he wanted to apologize. He hated it that you were afraid of him. That you even felt the need to distance yourself from him while all he wanted to do was pull you closer. For you to never leave his side.

“Er, he asked me some questions. If I lived here, how I come to know you and then he gave me the package saying it was for you.” You rushed out the words in a annoyed tone and took on a stoic face. “I don’t have any more information.”

Sherlock looked after you as you made your way out of his room. The hurt evident on your features.

Emotions. Mycroft always knew they would be the death of him and never missed a chance to remind him of it. Yet Sherlock had managed to become entangeled with the most complicated of them. He knew that he lacked the ability to show or handle emotions correctly. But he understood that because of this you thought he was angry with you while he was quite the opposite. He was concerned for you. Terrified at the thought of Moriarty getting close to you. Which scared him even more that he felt those feelings. As said Mycroft was of course right and he shouldn’t even have started to get involved with such complicated things, that made life miserable, as emotions.

He sighed and pulled the shirt over his head.                                *** As John came home that day the air in the flat seemed more tense than normal. He didn't see you around and assumed that you were in your room and sherlock was sitting in his chair. Hands folded under his chin and eyes closed. This made john assume that sherlock was in his mind palace but as he took of his coat and sat down in his armchair across from him the eyes of the detective snapped open. "Evening John."

"Good- good evening sherlock." He said a bit suspicious. "Where is Y/N?" John made a small look around the room to check again.

"In her room."

"Oh. Yeah right."

There was silence and john tapped his finger on the armrest. He knew that something was up. You were usually downstairs with them in the evening. And you always tried to mentain that routine.

"Is she not joining us?" John probed.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't think she wants to be in my company right now."

Oh this is going to be interesting. John had seen you two dance around another for ages now.

"...and what did you do?"

Sherlock looked at him with a frown. "What did I do?"

"Jeez sherlock. Why is she angry with you. What have you done this time?" John leaned back in his chair in expiration.

Sherlock pursed his lips and pulled his attention to a thread on his shirt. Trying to pull his attention away from the topic. "I suppose I hurt her feelings."

"Yes I understood so much." John leaned forward again in his chair and pointed a finger at sherlock. "You. Need to pull yourself together. And tell her."

"Tell her what?" Sherlock played oblivious. Still seemingly very interested in the thread on his shirt.

"That you bloody love her."

Sherlocks jaw clenched. The movements of his fingers stopped. He gave john a dirty look. "I do not."

John scoffed. "I know you got that whole 'I'm sherlock holmes and I don't have feelings' " he mocks sherlocks voice. "But someday you got to accept it and take your chance until it is too late."

"Drop it john." Sherlock grumbled angrily. John clearly had pressed a sore spot.

"Fine. But if you don't take your chance soon, I tell you- you. will. lose her. She won't wait around forever for you to come of your high horse."

John got his bag and made his way up the stairs to his room. Leaving sherlock to ponder his words in the living room. And as much as sherlock pretended to not care about johns words they hit him hard. They made him angry. Angry at himself for feeling that way. Angry at you for making him feel this way in the first place.

He felt to urge to go out and chase the next criminal that crossed his road but after Moriarty's visit in the flat he didn't dare leave you alone. He knew you still had John around but Moriarty wasn't to be taken lightly and apparently he decided to bring you in the sick games he played with sherlock.

[rmoonstoner]

***

Poisoned Empanadas

***

Pairing:

Moon Knight (Jake Lockley) x Spider!fem!reader

Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O'Hara) x Spider!fem!reader

***

18+

Warnings:

Violence, strong language, mentions of death, mentions of depression, sexual themes, warnings may change.

***

Summary:

You move out of the old house at your friend's request. It's a very short chapter.

***

Chapter 2 - Empanadas de Santa Rita - Chihuahua City, Mexico

A Mexican pastry served in honor of St. Rita every year on May 22. Typically they are sweet and savory at the same time, containing meats, raisins, pecans, butter, garlic and assorted spices, peas, potatoes, and sherry.

***

A few months had gone by, with absolutely no word from Jake. You weren't surprised one bit, and had already gone through the process of selling most of your things. It was the big stuff, like your living room furniture, the bedroom set, any tools you had, and other such things too big for a studio apartment that you had your eye on. You even got rid of the car for a nice fat stack of cash. It was fitting that you had sold the car to Hawkeye. He was happy, and claimed that he was going to give it to his wife.

Today you were dropping off a huge bag of clothing to a local shelter. Anything that Gwen or America didn't want, ended up here. You made the old lady's day as she went through the nice and gently used items, all of which Jake had bought for you. After the drop off, you made your way back home the easy way, by web slinging home. By the time you got back, you found Peter standing at your front door.

"Hey! Sorry, I was out dropping off some clothes. You didn't mention that you were coming by." You greeted Peter with a wave and gave him a hug.

"It's alright. I was just on my way to the Sanctum, and I wanted to know if you wanted to accompany me?" He asked with grin.

"Really? You sure you want me to come along? You did mention the doctor hates unexpected guests…" You replied. Peter could see your hesitancy and he held both hands up.

"It's totally okay with Doctor Strange. I asked first, and besides, you're friends with his daughter, so…"

"Does he know-"

"Uh…" Peter looked away sheepishly as he rubbed his neck and laughed.

"Peter! Just because he's an Avenger and the king of the wizards, you can't be telling people my secret identity!"

"I am sorry! He saw you on the roof the last few times, and he wanted to know why I hadn't introduced you to him. Then America let it slip she's your friend, and, so… He kind of figured it out. He's a genius, and has that eidetic memory."

"Oh fantastic, a real Sherlock Holmes type, eh?" You retorted, and he laughed.

"Yeah, so I am sorry…"

"It's fine. Like you said, he probably already knew. I'm not mad."

"Oh good! So, do you need to do anything before we go?"

"I just need to put the washing on the next load of donations, then grab some water."

"Cool!"

***

***

Once at the Sanctum, Peter introduced you to Wong. The man seemed grumpy at first, but after hearing who you were, he changed his tune rather quickly. He made you a tea while Peter left to find the doctor, and the two of you chatted about how Peter basically lived here at the Sanctum since his Aunt and Tony Stark had passed away. He asked about what you did for a living, and you shrugged. You didn't have a paying job, and you lived in your ex boyfriend's house, which you were getting ready to move out of.

Wong seemed impressed that you were taking charge and moving on with your life, which told you that Peter had been blabbing his mouth again. You would have normally been upset by this, but Peter had told you all about who Wong was, what he did, and who he worked with. He was like the other king of the wizards, and Peter claimed he was way nicer than Strange. You found that hard to believe, because both of the wizards had a reputation for being formal hard asses.

Peter ended up coming back with Doctor Strange, and the lad was just talking up a storm as the doctor nodded along while sipping from a steaming mug. The way they looked was adorable, like a son telling their dad all about their day after school, but it was Peter talking about his patrols, while the older man listened intently.

"-And then she flashed him with the lights, kicked the guy in the balls, and he fell off of the roof. I've never seen Sandman go down that fast before! She managed to get him, before he could turn into sand!"

"Oh wow, Peter. That's most impressive." The doctor winced a bit, but he was impressed all the same.

"I take it that this her?" He asked as he motioned towards you. You gave a polite smile and waved.

"Yeah, that's her! You should see her and Gwen work as a team! It's so fun! She's the one making all the weird lights at night." Peter said as he made the same hand motions you did for the lights. You laughed and looked over at the older man who was chuckling softly at Peter's energy.

"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, it's lovely to meet you, young lady. My name is Stephen, but you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Uh, yes, sir, er, uh, doctor."

"Stephen is fine. Any friends of Peter's or America's are welcome to use my first name. Unless, of course, I don't like them." He laughed and held his hand out to you. You took it gently, remembering that Peter had told you the man had delicate hands that had once been crushed.

"Okay, Stephen, it is nice to meet you too. I always wanted to see what America's and Peter's adopted dad was like."

"Oh, well, I-" Stephen seemed flustered when you said adopted dad.

"Oh, he's a good dad. Very supportive of my Spider-Man gig." Peter said as he patted Stephen's shoulder. The man beamed at the praise and kept drinking his tea. You didn't understand why he was known for being snobby, stoic, and rude.

"That's good. Peter talks about you all the time. Says you've saved the world a lot, and kept the spooky magic things at bay." You remarked, and Stephen burst out laughing.

"I suppose that's what I do. It's a new way of saying it though. Oh, I have to talk to ask Wong something. Be right back." Stephen smiled and then excused himself to go talk with Wong for a bit.

They did not come right back.

It was three hours before they did, and by then, America had come home, said hi, then left again for her studies at the Kamar-Taj. You had spent the time playing chess, and had won three to two. When Stephen and Wong came walking in, they looked frustrated. It turned out there had been one of those cosmic fluctuations, and Stephen was telling Peter and you to keep an eye out for anything weirder than normal. 

You left soon after, and went back home to grab a nap before patrol later.

***

Three weeks later…

Peter and Gwen had convinced you to move out of the house Jake owned. You didn't make it easy for them either. You felt reluctant to leave that house. It had bad memories, but it also held so many good ones with Jake.

You gave the excuse that you couldn't afford to move. The house and utilities were paid for, and you didn't have a paying job to get something new. Peter shut you up so fast by having Stephen and Wong literally coming out at that exact moment and time to offer you a room next to America's and Peter's. You groaned when that happened, because who the hell says no to the Sorcerer Supreme, which was basically your friend's dad?

That gave you a free place to live, free utilities, and free food. That also offered you access to being transported anywhere in the world if you ever wished it, not that you really wanted to unless the others needed you to. You had lost the will to travel after what happened with your ex, but it was nice that the option was there. Living there would gain you security, because there were at least three sorcerers at the Sanctum at any given time, not including Doctor Strange or Wong who were fully aware of your relationship problems.

They even said they could keep Jake from coming in if you gave them some of his hair. That was easy to do, and you did it, mostly because Peter and Gwen said they'd try to kick his ass if he showed up unannounced. You weren't sure if they meant the wizards, or themselves.

Plus your friends were there…

How could you refuse?

Notes:

***

Series Master List

***

None for now. Again, sorry for the short chapter.

Tags:

@theaussiedragon @autismsupermusicalassassin @readingfan

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 2

Propaganda Under Cut

Joan Watson

How were BBC Sherlock shippers so rancid about a WOMAN who wasnt even in the SAME SHOW?????

Lucy Liu real life victim of yaoi despite being on a DIFFERENT TV SHOW. And everyone was so busy hating her for getting in the way of johnlocke that they ignored the massive yuri potential of Elementary :(

she wasn't even in the same SHOW as the yaoi I've been convinced she deserves to win the entire poll. I was a Johnlocker but I did watch the first season of Elementary and it was fine????? It was totally okay????? Especially in hindsight given how hard Sherlock season four flopped. Also Lucy Liu is a queen and deserved zero vitriol for *checks notes* playing a character???? A fucking fictional character???????? Oh my god we were all SO mean to this show and we (or at least I) thought it was like The Good Fight™️, like we were defending BBC Sherlock against copyright infringement and straightwashing and Jonny Lee Miller's bizarre scarf, (it wasn't a good scarf I do stand by that) but then Elementary didn't make Holmes and Watson a couple either???? And also it didn't insult its audience constantly etc etc we've all seen the Hbomberguy Sherlock is Garbage video. This is really long sorry hashtag justice for Joan Watson.

Yona

She’s the fiancé of prince Sidon, (arranged marriage) and since Sidon is almost always shipped with link, people went feral the second they saw her. She’s genuinely very kind and cares about her people and wants Sidon to be happy! She is NOT jealous, she wants him to hang out with his Best Friend. I have seen firsthand in real-time, people being SO misogynistic and cruel, and saying she’s ugly. She’s good in a crisis, very friendly, has a great design, and she doesn’t deserve the hate in the slightest!

so the breath of the wild fandom is pretty well known for REALLY liking prince sidon aka that one really tall fish guy. and they're also really well known for shipping him with link because every fandom needs a gay ship right. so then the sequel (totk) comes around and it's revealed that sidon has a fiance now and it's not link it's some zora girl from another domain. the game hasn't even been out for a month but i've seen people act so vile towards her like yona get behind me!!!! 

i think it should really be mentioned now people in her round 1 poll were literally still treating her like shes there to stop yaoi that was never intended to be canon to start this with.in the poll about criticizing people doing that.

[haveyoureadthisscifibook]

Hey! What books by POC got a majority yes result? I'm interested in reading more by authors of color but when I used the be loathed Tumblr search function the only posts it brought up as tagged 'result: yes' were by white authors. Also, any personal recommendations for sci fi by POC?

hello! don’t mistake the stats — no books by authors of color have gotten a yes result either here or on the fantasy blog, and I don’t think any are likely to at this point (if Jemisin’s The Fifth Season couldn’t do it on the fantasy blog, I highly doubt anything else will); authors of color simply have an average yes percentage here that’s only slightly lower than the average percentage for white authors.

I’m happy to give my own recommendations, though:

any of Samuel R. Delany’s sci-fi. I think Nova is maybe the most approachable starting point (and quite good in its own right), but if you want to jump off the deep end, I think Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand is the greatest science fiction novel ever written; whether or not one agrees with that statement, I think it is pretty unequivocally the most science fiction novel ever written, by which I mean that no other book I’ve encountered or heard of has made such a thorough use of everything science fiction can be and do as Stars.

I also would be remiss to not recommend Octavia E. Butler; I’m personally not a huge fan of her books, but I do think every sci-fi reader should read at least one of them. the Earthseed duology (Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents) is probably most-discussed in recent years because they seem to parallel current developments in US politics, and the Xenogenesis trilogy (first book Dawn) is also considered a classic.

the elements of it that read as (at least potentially) science fiction upon publication now read as fantasy, but if you’re interested in something older, Pauline Hopkins’s Of One Blood, or The Hidden Self is an early work of science fiction/fantasy by a Black writer — it was serialized in 1903. it’s part lost world narrative, part last gasp of (pseudo)scientific mesmerism/animal magnetism theory, part troubled romance (caught up in turn-of-the-century racial politics).

Zainab Amadahy’s novel The Moons of Palmares is a cool (though a little short) novel about a racially diverse mining colony trying to break away from Earth’s capitalist / colonial domination.

I’ve enjoyed several of Aliette de Bodard’s Universe of Xuya books, which are mainly short — I think the first I read was On a Red Station, Drifting, and I also enjoyed The Tea Master and the Detective (even though I often don’t really care for Sherlock Holmes adaptations) and The Citadel of Weeping Pearls.

if you like science fantasy, I loved Jacqueline Koyanagi’s Ascension when I read it back in 2014. it hits a lot of ~found family~ notes that I think would appeal to what people on tumblr (say they) like.

I also would recommend any of Yoon Ha Lee’s books; I think the best starting point for his work is his short story collection Conservation of Shadows, which is incredible and also contains “The Battle of Candle Arc”, which I think is the best intro / preparatory reading for his Machineries of Empire trilogy (first book Ninefox Gambit), which is excellent (though very dark) but can be challenging to get into.

I read and enjoyed a lot of Nnedi Okorafor’s books in the past, although I haven’t read most of her more recent stuff, and I would particularly recommend Lagoon, as well as her short story collection Kabu Kabu, which includes some excellent sci-fi stories, especially “Spider the Artist” (also available online).

if by any chance you read Spanish, I can’t recommend Edmundo Paz Soldán’s Iris highly enough — incredible, deeply fucked-up novel about an anticolonial war in a corporate dystopia somewhere in ambiguously Latin America-slash-Oceania.

also “authors of color” isn’t necessarily the right rubric for these, since he’s Wajin in Japan, but if you like military sci-fi I’ve been really enjoying Tanaka Yoshiki’s Legend of the Galactic Heroes novels, although tragically Tyran Grillo’s translations of the middle novels are very bad.

Masande Ntshanga’s Triangulum was something I’d picked up entirely on spec at a bookstore a few years ago and it absolutely blew me away — I’ve been recommending it to everyone.

if you liked The Locked Tomb and ever found yourself thinking, “what if this decadent space empire ran on sex magic instead of necromancy”, I’d highly recommend Bendi Barrett’s Empire of the Feast

and some other short fiction collections (some with the same caveat re the utility of “POC” as Tanaka Yoshiki):

Gillian Ybabez, Homeward Bound, and other stories includes some sci-fi and some science fantasy, published as part of the now sadly defunct Trans Women Writers Collective booklet series and is still available through its successor, River Furnace.

Ted Chiang, Stories of Your Life and Others (now sometimes titled Arrival)

Hassan Blasim (ed.), Iraq + 100

Basma Ghalayini (ed.), Palestine + 100

Sofia Samatar, Tender  — Samatar is imo the greatest living fantasy author, but this collection is also about 50% sci-fi and she’s just as good at sci-fi.

most of it is realist but I have to mention Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s This Accident of Being Lost, which has two excellent sci-fi stories (“Big Water” and “Akiden Boreal”); Simpson has imo perfect prose — never a word out of place.

Sunyoung Park and Sang Joon Park (ed.), Readymade Bodhisattva

Michel Jean (ed.), Wapke, which was originally published in French but is apparently now also available in English

it wasn’t all my preferred kind of specfic, but Chelsea Vowel’s Buffalo Is the New Buffalo is worth a read in any case.

[fuckyeahfightlock]

20 questions for fic writers 2023

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

207

2. What’s your total A03 word count?

1.2 million (!!!)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

BBC Sherlock (Sherlock TV, ACD), Doctor Who/Torchwood, Black Sails/Treasure Island, Maurice (film/novel), Raffles/Raffles TV, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Dexter, The Sandman (comics), Versailles, The Untamed, MST3K

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

The Imposter Art and Nature Boyfriend Material Eight and Fifty Nights Wind and Winter

No surprise three of those are from the same series (my most popular one). I kind of feel like The Imposter is my fandom legacy, which is fine by me; I'm proud of it.

(they're all beauties, in my eyes)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I started out responding to every one. I barely do anymore, only because when I was writing long, chaptered fics, it became overwhelming. Lately I get many fewer, so I do respond to some. I tend to reply to comments on non-Sherlock fics more now, because the fandoms are smaller and I like to gas us up a little!

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Am and Was, the final story in my fight!lock series Bleed So Pretty, ends with a double suicide.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably All Said and Done, the happy ending for the 1920s stately home series, Dawn Before the Rest of the World. But a lot of my fics have happy endings, even most of the angsty ones.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have! Very early on someone got very angry that AUs even exist, and took it out on one of my stories (maybe it was the first AU she ever read???); she mostly complained that I was writing Them out of character, which is probably true to some extent, but everyone has their own tolerance levels for that kind of stuff, so, whatever. Someone got very angry that one of my missing-scene fics based on a novel included verbatim text at the beginning and end (context being necessary to the bit I wrote in the middle), even though I made that VERY CLEAR in the beginning notes; she was not satisfied and felt I was a plagiarist, which to me is not a concept that even applies to transformative works, so again, whatever.

I don't mind any comment except ones that boil down to "I don't like this," because there's nothing I can do about that. I can fix spellings and punctuation, sew up plot holes, and make other minor adjustments to the technical stuff. But if someone just comments that they don't like the story, I'm helpless.

9. Do you write smut?

Very much so! I have written entire long novels just as set dressing for smut.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Several! I decided as soon as Sherlock came out on BBC that it takes place in the very same universe (London, present day) as Doctor Who/Torchwood (so, aliens exist). So I crossed those over a bunch. Doctor Who/Torchwood also got crossed over with Dexter, and with The Sandman comics. ACD!Holmes crossed over with Raffles, based on a screenplay of a film featured on MST3K. Black Sails is already Treasure Island pastiche, so that counts though I'm not responsible for it.

(this legendary bitch was only a bitch from a legend in Treasure Island)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I was a victim of netscraping of the AO3 by various pay-to-read schemes, twice. But to my knowledge, no one person has like, copy/pasted my fic and put their name on it as the author.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A couple in Russian, a couple in Chinese.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Twice. It's not really my jam.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Johnlock.

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

A final story in my Road to Home series, a fix-it fic where Donna gets her memory back (which I began writing in 2013 or 2014). Now that she's got it back in canon, it seems even less likely I'll ever finish it.

(Russell T Davies accepted it maybe a little TOO hard)

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Right now, discipline (mine, not in my BDSM AU characters')

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I've done it, probably not 100% correctly or well, but I try really hard (not just google translate! I consult native speakers!) to get it right. Generally I recommend keeping it to a minimum unless you learn the trick where AO3 lets you hover a cursor over text and you can put the translation in the pop-up. Too few people are multilingual.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I wrote self-insert Duran Duran bandom fic starting when I was 12, in 1984. My first fic on the AO3 was a Sherlock fic.

(my first husband, John Taylor)

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Don't make me choose! I can't choose a favourite child. Today I was writing on One-Man Advantage, so that's a fave because of recency bias, but I was also thinking about Stages, so that's a fave because when I think of it my heart aches. The Re/Formation of Billy Bones is a fave because I love the backstory I created for him and I think I wrote it well. At Depth is a tiny hidden gem. I love all the Christmas ones and all the snowed-in ones. I love the kinky ones and the fluffy ones and the ones with OCs. I love some I've forgotten about. I love'm all.

Thanks for tagging me, @onesmallfamily !

[beneathashadytree]

Hi! I really like reading your moriarty the patriot fanfics. Is it ok for me to request William x reader who is Sherlock's younger sister on their first meeting?

ENSNARED - WILLIAM MORIARTY X READER

Warnings : discussions of period-typical misogyny, reader is Sherlock’s younger sister, this is not proofread and quite literally written as I procrastinate for my Oral Histology quiz, reader identifies as female!

Genre : fluff ig?

Word count : 0.8K words

Additional notes : I’m really sorry for taking so long, nonnie, but I was swamped over with work the past week! So many assignments, so little time to write😭 I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my YuuMori writings! Hopefully you’ll enjoy how this one turned out💗

Requests : Are open! Check the rules over here.

Want to support me financially? Here’s my CashApp!

Masterlist

I think we all know by now (from canon content, that is) that William has a penchant for falling for minds and spirits

He just finds it most attractive when someone goes head-to-head with him and challenges him; part of him because he loves the adrenaline of the chase, and part of him because he loves people who remain interesting and unique

It’s that fact that has him drawn to her from the very first moment they’d met on the Noahtic

He’d actually met her a while before he’d stumbled upon meeting with her brother by the stairs

In her stunning dress, complementary jewels, and elaborate hairdo, she was the very picture of poised timeless elegance, but though she was rather captivating, what brought him to a stop was the sharpness in her eyes

Calculative and intelligent, they were carefully scanning every single person in the room, and he could swear that he could see from afar the thoughts that came with every glance of hers

And yet when they flitted over to him, William hadn’t the faintest clue as to what she was thinking

Perhaps she’d shuttered her expression on purpose (she probably had, given that someone that seemingly smart would know better than to reveal their hand to someone as cunning as he was), or maybe she simply had her guard up all the time like that (a wise decision, really, seeing as openness spelled for vulnerability)

In all cases, he couldn’t read her thoughts as he approached her and offered her a polite smile

“It seems that nothing here particularly calls for your attention, Miss…?”

“Holmes,” she offered, eyeing him cautiously as he gently took her hand to place a gentlemanly kiss to the back of it, “The lack of ingenuity in the manner men and women proffer themselves to each other is rather dull. Their tedious nonsensical conversations about nothing at all don’t exactly stimulate the mind.”

“Indeed, it seems that senseless words are a one-way ticket to marriage these days,” William chuckled, arms behind his back and following her as she strolled across the magnificent room

She hummed at that, “My brothers don’t seem any closer to marriage themselves, so I believe they’ve rubbed off on me. They have reassured me, time and time again, that they’re in no hurry to marry me off either. I suppose I should count myself lucky for that.”

“But isn’t autonomy the very reason for our existence?” William pushed, curious to find out more about how she viewed her role in this world they’d been born into

“A reason women scarcely get to possess. Even if I shouldn’t, I feel some semblance of gratitude for my brothers having granted me this.”

Nodding in agreement, William had barely noticed that they’d walked themselves over to the stairs of the steamer, and he found himself intrigued by the architecture and magnificence of them

It was only when they paused by them did he hear her groan from his side

“There he goes, being the show-off he is. He prances like a peacock during mating season, I swear.”

Following her line of sight, his crimson eyes settled on a man with a particularly cocky grin on his face, lazy confidence on his every feature as he spoke animatedly

“Who’s that,” a reassessment of his overall appearance and aura had him carefully continuing, “Interesting character?”

“My older brother, Sherlock.” She rolled her eyes, boldly taking his arm in hers as she added, “He’ll make his way over here soon enough, the moment he notices how intelligent you are. He finds that riveting, much like I do.”

William arched his eyebrow, slight mischief dancing in his eyes, “So meeting me today was a fascinating experience?”

The growing smile on his face prompted her to quip back, “Would you rather I write it off as another drab chance meeting with nobility?”

That was a little surprising, he had to admit, and he said as much, trying to stave off his surprise from his voice, “I don’t recall telling you who I am.”

It was her turn to have her lips quirk upwards in a smirk, her words almost a purr as she leaned in, “I’d have to be daft to not recognize the infamous William James Moriarty.”

She glanced back at her brother, whose sharp gaze settled on them, and she turned to the mathematician one more time

“I believe my brother has found himself a new victim for tonight. My condolences.”

And with another smile that oozed a cheeky sort of charm while somehow revealing nothing, she vanished before her brother’s words left his mouth and before William himself could respond with a promise of his own

He had to admit, she’d done a rather brilliant job at ensnaring him from the first moment

Taglist: @sherlockscumslut @lilias-highlights @thispersoniscrazy @wifeofkyojuro

[artist-issues]

People don’t seem to understand what makes fan content good. Not likeable necessarily, because likability is another thing. I mean, objectively good.

So I’ve decided to illustrate my point. (badly, because I’m a doodler not a pro) Let’s say this is my character, Snatch. He’s just a simple character: a rat who lives on the streets, avoiding humans and surviving. But as simple as he is, Snatch has two distinct character traits that make him “Snatch.” 

And these character traits define everything Snatch does. They are his Unbreakable Character Traits. For example, Snatch won’t jump into traffic to save neighborly  possums because he doesn’t like risking his own skin. He’s perfectly happy stealing from babies because that also gets him food without endangering the beloved skin.

The character traits can go deeper! Like when Snatch starts to make friends or like other people, it’s usually because he was getting something out of the relationship. For example, his very closest friend, Buster the Dog, is the only friend Snatch cares about because Buster makes him feel safe. 

So we can have adventures, and people can like my character very much, because no matter how deep or shallow the antics, he’s a consistent character. He’s always Snatch. And in my story, Snatch never grows past those particular flaws.

Now let’s say people like Snatch enough to make fan content about him. (Let’s say. Hypothetically.) They want more of Snatch! So they put him in new situations, wacky worlds, and even let him meet different characters.

Some of the new situations can even break some rules, and that’s okay, as long as the rules aren’t about who Snatch is.

For example:

Cyborg Snatch! (that’s cool! Maybe he escaped from a lab, and that’s why he’s so self-protective.)

See, even though a major part of Snatch has been broken—the fact that he is a regular rat with no close experience with humans—he still has an opportunity to remain Snatch. All the fan-content creator has to do is make sure Snatch’s Unbreakable Character Traits are incorporated into the cyborg story. And it has to be believable, in some sense. Maybe, like I said, Snatch is still concerned with protecting himself…but now he can do it with lasers! Or he’s still selfish, but he talks like a robot.  This way, fans of robots and fans of Snatch can have the best of both worlds. Snatch’s nastiness is still there, but you get to explore it from a new angle. You get to fall in love with his character all over again. That’s what fan-creators who really know the original and care about craft integrity LOVE about fan creations, and it’s what other fans search for, too. But there’s a dark side. When fan works just becomes Lazy Self-Service. And that happens when a character’s Unbreakable Character Traits are treated like easily-snapped old rubber bands. Unfortunately, I’m just the original creator. I can’t stop people from breaking Scratch’s Unbreakable Character Traits. They don’t really understand Snatch himself—or else, they don’t really like him for who he is. They would rather see a story about a rat who falls in love. Or maybe they want a story about a green rat who learns the value of selflessness and proves the haters wrong.  But they don’t do the work to move Snatch from a selfish coward to a selfless cutie. They don’t write Snatch into a believable scenario that would force him to learn from his mistakes and become a better rat. They don’t explain why he would ever grow out of caring for himself above all else. Instead, they simply plop a rat character into a dangerous situation, and have him save a baby mouse’s life…he willingly shares cheese with Buster…he comforts sad lady rats…and the fan-creator tells everyone that the hero rat doing all this is Snatch.

This goes for characters like Snatch, who are simple or purposely nasty, and more complex characters like Sherlock Holmes or Tony Stark. No matter how complex or simple, most characters (that are good enough to have a fan following) do have Unbreakable Character Traits. Things that make the character who they are. Things that should not be changed without lots of hard work and believable buildup to explain the change.

You see, much like real people, most characters need lots of experiences and hard knocks before they can change what makes them who they are. And if they do change those Unbreakable Character Traits, the fan creator will have to care more about the effort that it takes to understand a character and reproduce it faithfully…and care less about what makes them feel good to write without much hard work or risk.

So if you are making a story about Captain America, but he’s got trauma from losing his friends and can’t bring himself to rescue kids from a war zone because of it, then you’ve shattered one of his Unbreakable Character Traits: doing the right thing, especially when it’s hard for him. You’re not really making a story about Captain America anymore.

If you are making a story about Eddie Munson, but he’s a brave hearted warrior who takes Chrissy on a date to a fancy restaurant after beating up the whole basketball team, you’ve shattered his Unbreakable Character Traits: before the events of Stranger Things 4, Eddie Munson is afraid and runs from trouble, and he certainly doesn’t believe in conventional dates enough to spend money on a fancy restaurant. You’re not really making a story about Eddie Munson anymore. 

If you are making a story about Snatch the Rat, but he’s a cute little guy just looking to be accepted by his neighbors, you’ve shattered his Unbreakable Character Traits: Snatch doesn’t care about acceptance, he only cares about grub and shelter. You’re not really making a story about Snatch the Rat anymore.

I could go on and on. But the point is: instead of writing a story you want to see and lazily dragging established characters along when they don’t fit, just make up your own character! Or change the original, but show your work. Either way, work harder.