#but will also roast watson

[contact-guy]

lol THIS ENDED UP BEING SO LONG but it's such a cute story opening that I had to draw Watson roasting Holmes's messiness for the newspaper and Holmes skillfully maneuvering his way out of having to do chores. It's all canon, even the indoor sharpshooting, except for the bit about the cold bath.

canon text under the cut:

An anomaly which often struck me in the character of my friend Sherlock Holmes was that, although in his methods of thought he was the neatest and most methodical of mankind, and although also he affected a certain quiet primness of dress, he was none the less in his personal habits one of the most untidy men that ever drove a fellow-lodger to distraction. Not that I am in the least conventional in that respect myself. The rough-and-tumble work in Afghanistan, coming on the top of a natural Bohemianism of disposition, has made me rather more lax than befits a medical man. But with me there is a limit, and when I find a man who keeps his cigars in the coal-scuttle, his tobacco in the toe end of a Persian slipper, and his unanswered correspondence transfixed by a jack-knife into the very centre of his wooden mantelpiece, then I begin to give myself virtuous airs. I have always held, too, that pistol practice should be distinctly an open-air pastime; and when Holmes, in one of his queer humors, would sit in an arm-chair with his hair-trigger and a hundred Boxer cartridges, and proceed to adorn the opposite wall with a patriotic V. R. done in bullet-pocks, I felt strongly that neither the atmosphere nor the appearance of our room was improved by it.

Our chambers were always full of chemicals and of criminal relics which had a way of wandering into unlikely positions, and of turning up in the butter-dish or in even less desirable places. But his papers were my great crux. He had a horror of destroying documents, especially those which were connected with his past cases, and yet it was only once in every year or two that he would muster energy to docket and arrange them; for, as I have mentioned somewhere in these incoherent memoirs, the outbursts of passionate energy when he performed the remarkable feats with which his name is associated were followed by reactions of lethargy during which he would lie about with his violin and his books, hardly moving save from the sofa to the table. Thus month after month his papers accumulated, until every corner of the room was stacked with bundles of manuscript which were on no account to be burned, and which could not be put away save by their owner. One winter���s night, as we sat together by the fire, I ventured to suggest to him that, as he had finished pasting extracts into his common-place book, he might employ the next two hours in making our room a little more habitable. He could not deny the justice of my request, so with a rather rueful face he went off to his bedroom, from which he returned presently pulling a large tin box behind him. This he placed in the middle of the floor and, squatting down upon a stool in front of it, he threw back the lid. I could see that it was already a third full of bundles of paper tied up with red tape into separate packages.

“There are cases enough here, Watson,” said he, looking at me with mischievous eyes. “I think that if you knew all that I had in this box you would ask me to pull some out instead of putting others in.”

“These are the records of your early work, then?” I asked. “I have often wished that I had notes of those cases.”

“Yes, my boy, these were all done prematurely before my biographer had come to glorify me.” He lifted bundle after bundle in a tender, caressing sort of way. “They are not all successes, Watson,” said he. “But there are some pretty little problems among them. Here’s the record of the Tarleton murders, and the case of Vamberry, the wine merchant, and the adventure of the old Russian woman, and the singular affair of the aluminium crutch, as well as a full account of Ricoletti of the club-foot, and his abominable wife. And here—ah, now, this really is something a little recherchè.”

He dived his arm down to the bottom of the chest, and brought up a small wooden box with a sliding lid, such as children’s toys are kept in. From within he produced a crumpled piece of paper, and old-fashioned brass key, a peg of wood with a ball of string attached to it, and three rusty old disks of metal.

“Well, my boy, what do you make of this lot?” he asked, smiling at my expression.

“It is a curious collection.”

“Very curious, and the story that hangs round it will strike you as being more curious still.”

“These relics have a history then?”

“So much so that they are history.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Sherlock Holmes picked them up one by one, and laid them along the edge of the table. Then he reseated himself in his chair and looked them over with a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.

“These,” said he, “are all that I have left to remind me of the adventure of the Musgrave Ritual.”

I had heard him mention the case more than once, though I had never been able to gather the details. “I should be so glad,” said I, “if you would give me an account of it.”

“And leave the litter as it is?” he cried, mischievously. “Your tidiness won’t bear much strain after all, Watson. But I should be glad that you should add this case to your annals, for there are points in it which make it quite unique in the criminal records of this or, I believe, of any other country. A collection of my trifling achievements would certainly be incomplete which contained no account of this very singular business.

-The Memories of Sherlock Holmes: The Musgrave Ritual

[dathen]

“We had got well out on the country road when a somewhat mortifying incident occurred. The carriage stopped, the doctor alighted, walked swiftly back to where I had also halted, and told me in an excellent sardonic fashion that he feared the road was narrow, and that he hoped his carriage did not impede the passage of my bicycle. Nothing could have been more admirable than his way of putting it.”

Fucking crying at this. Holmes talks about how mortified he was being caught out and bested, but you can tell he’s vibrating in admiration for A WORTHY RIVAL and HE EVEN HAD A POLITE ZINGER FOR ME.

“Nothing could have been more admirable” Watson is sitting there like “Okay clearly I need to roast you to your face more”

[livingfictionsystem]

Today seemed like a good day to roast the signs!

Now. These are just my own personal experience of each sign and obviously don't apply to everyone. I don't pre-judge anyone based on when they were born. I just thought it'd be fun and, since I love reading these things, I decided to make one. If this is accurate to you, awesome, feel free to tell me. If it isn't, awesome, feel free to tell me~

Virgo:

Some of the most authentic, witty, genuine people I've ever met. Pragmatic, honest, and ambitious. I've dated numerous Virgos. My Rising is in Virgo.

BUT.

I have never met a Virgo that did not let a single bad experience colour their entire view on something. If it went badly the first time, Virgos think it will Every Time, no argument. Also, AJ is Virgo, and that's a blight on the sign if I've ever seen one. (Also fucking just. BREATHE. Please. You blighters give me second-hand anxiety)

Cancer:

Caring, expressive, funny. Loyal to a fault. I think of them as the John Watson of signs. My best friend is a Cancer sign. Genuinely warm people that just wants their loved ones to be happy.

BUT

You take things way too personally and also you never stop crying.

Leo:

Another good friend of mine is a Leo. My moon is in Leo. Bold, fun, confident and I love a little ego in my friends. Or like a lot. They also have an uncanny intuitive sense, too. Freddie Thornhill from Vicious is a canonic Leo.

BUT:

You all realise you're allowed to be corrected? Admit you were wrong? Have the spotlight off you for two seconds? You're all so high energy and I need nap. (In my experience, you can also be loud.)

Aries:

Ooooh boy. My worst relationship was with an Aries. But I have a couple of good friends in Aries! You're bold, charming, and charismatic as hell. I always like the good and friendly competition I get from Aries. And they're actually pretty loyal friends. Like to a fault.

BUT:

The explosive bloody temper. The arrogance. How they're suddenly the expert in every subject brought up in their vicinity. Aries can be A Lot.

Gemini:

Honestly, this is the one sign I have NEVER gotten along with for long periods of time. And I do try. But! Wilde's best friend, Robbie Ross, was a Gemini and he was a creative writer and brilliant friend. (Who put up with a lot.) Great communicators.

BUT:

Speaking from personal experience, if there's someone locking themselves in a bathroom during a party and loudly threatening to hurt themselves, there's a 80% chance they're a Gemini. (20% is Aries.) Dramatic, vindictive, and most apt to lying.

Scorpio:

This is my sun sign, and I also married one of these spiteful fuckers. I love the depth, the aesthetic, the romanticising. And our intuition is one of the best out there. You know, when we listen to it.

BUT:

Love gets us SO fucked up. We can't help but go from "meant to be" to "dead to me." Romance brings out the best and worst in us. We're SO romantically ruled. Also our grudge-holding and pettiness can get like straight-up childish. Two Scorpios arguing can last for months and take cheap shots at each other. Voted most likely to risk jail to get back at an ex. We need to CHILL.

Taurus:

Used to be one of my favourite signs before I met Rowan. The respect for indulgence bordering on hedonism, how it balances with being surprisingly pragmatic, and many are So aesthetically inclined. And protective and parental.

BUT:

Sensitive as a Richter scale. Their communication likes to tilt between letting things build up until a breaking point, or jumping several conclusions within a millisecond. Many have severe control issues.

Capricorn:

I like Caps. Some people think they're cold, but I think they're assertive and have a good sense of boundaries. I love their ambition and they're pretty genuine.

BUT:

Do ALL of you have depression? Happiness takes like a 7-day processing time, apparently. Your mood is SO connected to your energy levels, too. Are you okay?

Sagittarius:

Intuitive as HELL. Also creative and down to back you in your impulses. The amount of ambition and energy they put into their goals is admirable. Genuine friends, a good friend of mine is a Sagittarius.

BUT:

They cut off people quick enough that it breaks the sound barrier. They'd rather burn down a building than let the occupants walk all over them again. Which clashes with the usual desire to be the parent of the friend group. Also impulsive as all hell.

Pisces:

I've never spent a ton of time around this sign. They usually seem like they've got a pretty good sense of the future. They always have a back-up plan and are intuitive. Pretty good sense of humour, too.

BUT:

That ego will swing pretty quick from king of the world to lower than dirt, won't it? A very emotional sign. Once that temper is reached, there's no going back.

Aquarius:

This is a fun one. Creative, spontaneous, usually downright weird. Sherlock is a canonic Aquarius, which explains a lot. They're usually highly intelligent. I've dated only one, and it was one of my best relationships.

BUT:

"Down to earth" doesn't apply when these blighters can't FIND the earth. They can be unreliable-- a LOT are pretty selfish. "Out of touch" is also a good descriptor.

Libra:

Oscar Wilde is a Libra. A witty, charismatic sign. They also usually have a pretty good aesthetic/artistic sense. So many Libras have me laughing until I cry. GREAT at parties. I get along with a good lot of them.

BUT:

I have Never seen a Libra admit they were wrong. They also can be pretty flaky and unreliable. They will sit on that fence until they become one with it.

-Xanthe

[matxhstixkers]

CHARLIE WATSON:

He/Him(trans), gay, 18

Major: Classical Arts

Facts: he got the scar on his check from a fight he was in, his go to snack would be cheeto puffs and pickles

Hes also the main character

THOMAS PENCRAFT:

He/Him, bisexual, 19

Major: Shakespearean Theatre

Facts: when he first dyed his hair it was to separate strips of his bangs and he was so scared how his mom would react.

also a main character

THEA WILLIAMS:

She/They, Aro/Ace, 20

Major: Psychology and Law

Facts: She can roast you hard and prove that you are so very wrong. They also ran away from their family but regrets it cause of her big sister

Side Character

OCTAVIA GOMEZ:

She/Her, Demi-romantic, 19

Major: Literature and Writing

Facts: Shes such a romantic. All of the books in her personal library are romances. She knows all the tropes from enemies to lovers to ‘only one bed trope’

Side Character

OLIVER CABRET:

He/They, Pan, 18

Major: Mechanics and Astrophysics

Facts: He does not care about your gender. Like at all. He seems like the cool bad boy but hes a huge nerd for astrophysics

Side Character

ADDIE OAKS:

She/Her, Bicurious, 19

Major: Astronomy

Facts: Shes and Thomas were high-school sweethearts till Thomas broke up with her. She has a fear of the dark

Side Character

PEONY WOODS:

They/Them, Omni, 28

Job: Hair Stylist and Piercer

Facts: They was born deaf so theyre very fluent in sign language. So when theyre pissed they take out their hearing ads and only sign till they cool off. They once gave a tongue piercing at Claires.

Minor Character

ASREAL PENCRAFT:

He/Him, idfk at this point, 26

Job: Tattoo artist

Facts: He owns a shop with Peony and its called the Dragons Flower. Even though its not in the pic, Peony got Asreal a glasses chain that looks like a dragon

Minor Character

(i messed up on the backgrounds for asreal and addie and i got their colors mixed up ;P oh well((also picrew goes go @potato-lord-but-not )))

[amypihcs]

Finished this story! Another case of bad communication, apparently, or complete lack of thereof.

Let's see what our favourite bistinguished bisaster tells us!

He had left with Ferguson going to check oh his wifey

No husband but a doctor. EXCELLENT. Some food wouldn't be bad as well, Dolores, eh! Let's meet this woman, Watson has to visit her

cut the bisaster, doctor.

That's better. I honestly love seeing Watson doing his job. He's very competent. And... the lady won't see her husband

WELL I WONDER WHY. Watson, your friend behaved QUITE badly with her. He could've at least tried to talk. But after all...lack of communication. These two idiots are afraid to hurt each other by talking and are HURTING EACH OTHER MORE BY NOT DOING IT. IDIOTS!

Well, time to see the second to last member of the family.

Enter Jack! Apparently him and his father do love each other!

And finally the last but sure not least member of the unhappy incomunicative family! BUT WAIT!

IT'S JOHN H WATSON WITH A STEEL CHAIR offering a MUCH BETTER ROAST.

Let's get back to the lil one, alright? Alright. The baby is very tiny and cute and WATSON!

CLOSE YOUR MOUTH! I know your Holmes is so very handsome, i know that discovering that he's tender and likes children is a terribly sweet. But you're actually drooling on the floor. Back to the narration, come on! You two will make out later, up to the lady!

Holmes. I do understand ripping off the bandaid. But it's not always so, it's why people invented anesthesia-

ALSO IF THOSE TWO WOULD JUST TALK! Now, let Holmes explain

EXPLAIN THAT YOU BIG RUGBY PLAYER COULD'VE USED YOUR BRAIN AND AVOIDED TO LEAVE OUT POISONED ARROWS. This is basic safety measures, Ferguson, c'mooon!

Well at least now they'll talk...

sure, TALK. nothing else. Let's get out of their air now that they're still dressed. Take the maid too!

And in the next story WATSON will have the chance to infodump on Holmes, because it's missing three quarters and Holmes doesn't know shit of rugby!

[alexjcrowley]

I am watching Heat and making it everyone else's problem, BUT Al Pacino and De Niro in there are top tier queerplatonic relationship goals. Obviously no hate to the shippers who see them romantically involved, it's definitely something that I could see, but let me push my aromantic agenda here.

Because, honestly, Pacino and De Niro being like "this hunt, this kind of rush is my life, I can only get a woman to stay with me for limited time, because it's this what gets me going, being a criminal/hunting criminal"? SIRS MAY I SUGGEST YOU ARE BOTH LOOKING FOR A ROMANTIC PARTNER BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE WHAT YOU SHOULD DO BUT YOU'RE PRETTY GOOD ON YOUR OWN?

Don't get me wrong, I feel like Pacino cares about his wife and his wife's daughter a lot, but he doesn't love his wife romantically, you know what I mean? He chose a woman he likes and likes to have sex with, and he cares about her but no romo. Even when she says "I'm going out" without him, he doesn't explode into a jealous fit, he is just like "okay, I get you're angry with me, I'll go do my thing now" and that's that.

Robert De Niro being the only one of the group without a partner AND NOT EVEN LOOKING FOR ONE (it's Eady who goes to him). And I'll be honest, him meeting a woman and asking her to move to New Zealnd with him after two weeks to me seems a pretty forced writing choice. Just because they wanted to get him a woman, you know?

Of course the conversation at the bar between Pacino and De Niro is an iconic movie moment per se, but if I put my aro lenses on watching it I love it even more. I like to think their experiences are similar also because they don't need romance in their life, they basically have no place for it.

Pacino is like "my sentimental life is a mess and I wouldn't want it any other way if it meant abandoning what I think is my life purpose" and De Niro is like "Nah, I get it, to keep doing what I do I'd too drop everything that could stop me, romantic partner included".

I don't know, it's like "aromantic meets another aromantic for the first time in their life, turns out they have quite a lot in common".

And I like the idea of them developing some sort of qpr also in a sense that their relationship with eachothers, as cop and criminal, is what keeps them alive and makes their life interesting. That's what fuels them, not a happy ending with their loved one, but the thrill of the hunt!

I know obviously the movie wasn't intended to be aromantic and I don't mean to flatten the interpretation of Heat by reducing it to a queer reading, but there are basically zero movies about aromanticism and when I see a film in which at least one character could be interpreted as aro (usually when they're very focused on their job and they seem to gain more issues than benefits from romantic relationships) I can't help but being like "me! They're like me!". So indulge me, please.

Pacino and De Niro in this movie really feel like Sherlock and Watson in a way, let me explain. I always disliked that part in Sherlock adaptation when John ends up with Mary and wants to marry her and move on from his aventurous life with Sherlock, and not because I want John to be romantically involved with Sherlock, but because I think John is giving up a fantastic, intriguing, exciting life to...be married. If you were to aske me "would you prefer to settle down with a ring on your finger or live the rest of your days solving mystery wuth your best friend" that's not even a question for me, I choose the second option.

And Pacino and De Niro in Heat are people who would choose the second option in a blink like me! Yes, they want to keep ghe hunt going, the adrenaline pumping, they couldn't sit at home watching tv and eating roast, where's the adventure, where's the fire???? The best moment of their day is not at home with their partner, in on the field, oursmarting the other!!!! As far as I am concerned, they said aro rights to me, I don't care. Qpr goals, they wouldn't settle down together, they would play the cat and mouse game for as long as they can meeting weekly in cafe to update the other about the rest of their life and flirt.

After spending 5 days hiding in some secret cove, De Niro walks into a bar where Al Pacino held a sit for him, they order coffee and Pacino is like "What are you doing this days?" "Oh, same old stuff, caught Starsky & Hutch on TV yesterday" "Oh, so you're hiding in a place that has a TV and decent enough signal :)" "Yeah, you got me, what about you ^-^"

It makes sense in my head I swear. They flirt all the time but in a queerplatonic way you know what I mean. You know it.

[peppermintquartz]

Dinner

Peter B Parker/Mary Jane, Miguel O'Hara, Mayday

Across the Spider Verse, Gen

*

"So, you're also Spider-Man, but from a different universe?" MJ asks sweetly as she sets down a plate of roast chicken in front of Miguel. Off to the side, Peter B. Parker is making silly noises as he feeds Mayday. "Do you go by Spidey? Peter used to like that."

Miguel manages a tight, polite smile. Why did he agree to come over for dinner? But she seemed so sincere in the moment when Miguel returned Parker to his dimension safely that Miguel said yes without thought.

"Everyone calls me Miguel," he answers, even though that's not true, but there is far too much to unpack in the statement and he's not about to reveal his past to one woman, even if she's a Mary Jane Watson. "This chicken is delicious."

*

As MJ rests her head on Peter's shoulder that night, she says, "Miguel is very lonely, isn't he?"

"Hmm?" Peter blinks and drags his focus back to his wife. "Miguel? I don't know. I mean, he did manage to pull a huge group of Spiders together."

"Doesn't mean he's friends with them."

"He's friends with Jess," Peter supplies. "And... Well, Lego Spidey. I think. And me. See? Not lonely."

MJ props herself up on her elbow. "Does he have a family? An Uncle Ben, an Aunt May, his own MJ or Gwen Stacy?"

Peter opens his mouth. Peter closes his mouth.

MJ flops back down into her husband's arms. "Poor man. He's got no family."

Peter knows the story behind that, but it's not his story to tell. Instead, he kisses the top of his wife's head and murmurs, "I'll bring him around for dinner more often, how about that?" Smiling, he adds, "He's good with Mayday. Never drops her or snaps at her when she climbs all over him."

"He must love kids then," MJ remarks. "Because that girl is eight handfuls of curiosity and trouble."

"Don't say that about my girl."

"I'm saying that about my girl."

Peter laughs quietly and sighs, rubbing his hand over MJ's shoulder. "He doesn't think of himself as Spider-Man, even after all he's done for the other Spiders."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"He never calls himself Spider-Man. Doesn't help that his abilities aren't like most spiders, too." Peter thinks about what he's learned of Miguel's past, and thinks about the weight of guilt and self-loathing, and how much Miguel is trying to make up for that tragedy. But no one knows why that happened in the first place. No one knows for sure if it's because he broke the so-called canon, or of it's some other power.

MJ is silent. She knows when Peter's thinking hard. Instead, she wonders why Miguel doesn't grin, why he keeps his shoulders so tight, why he seems uncomfortable with Peter and glances longingly at Mayday when she's playing with her daddy.

"Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"If he's open to it, can you ask him to be Mayday's godfather?"

Peter exhales heavily and kisses the top of her head. "Yeah. Yeah I'll ask."

[mejomonster]

On that note. Im playing sherlock holmes chapter one. The pluses? It feels like a genuine sherlock simulator/roleplaying so theres that, they made sherlock pretty and u dress him up so its very Secret Agent Barbie in a good way. The game is mostly puzzle solving which i personally enjoy. Ur traveling a town with "Jon" (not john watson) and it very much feels like a vacation with a bf simulator where Jons into supernatural stuff and ur desperate to please him (because if u dont then Jon kinda roasts u, which is very mich a sherlock simulator lol)

My only complaint so far? Sherlocks a bit sexist and i dont view canon sherlock as such so, thats a bit annoyingly offputting.

If ur into mystery games? I do maintain Lost Jugdement is the best detective simulator story game ive played in years. This game is fun, and well worth the 10 dollars its on sale for. But Lost Judgement is nonstop intense drama plot mixed with silly but slice of life shennanigans and tons of mysteries and yakuza games just have a knack for filling your time up enjoyably. Also i like action and Lost Judgement does combat very fun, while also giving me the terror of what if i cant solve a case. Also a very hot partner in Kaito.

[galactic-pirates]

How about Sanctuary fandom + Once Upon a Time (show)?

Ok cool. This will be the top 5 things off the top of my head, so I reserve the right to facepalm if I forgot something important. Thanks for the ask!!!

send me a tv show/book/fandom and i’ll say the top 5 things i’d change about it

Well first off let's address the elephant in the room that there are two ways to answer this question. 1) Is how I would change it to make it more like what I wished it was, 2) Is how I would change it to improve on what they actually chose to do. Those are two very different things. I am going to attempt to answer in the vein of number two, accepting canon and just tweaking it to be better, rather than throwing out everything in favour of the show I would have written, as I feel that's more in the spirit of what the question is actually asking.

So without further ado!

(I am longwinded so cut)

Sanctuary

Will was an entitled arse and that reflected badly on Helen. Why did she allow it? I'm sure he had some skills... maybe? I mean Season One Will wasn't so bad, but merlin by Season Four I was like "why is he even here?" and "the stones to demand Helen let him be an equal partner" - I mean how was he an equal??? Like NO! Anyway ahem I would change this. Lose the entitlement, increase the respect and definitely increase the competence. I'm not saying he shouldn't disagree with Helen because debate is healthy, and even the legendary Helen Magnus will sometimes miss an angle to consider but there are ways to write that respectfully.

Ashley lives! Is Sanctuary the Helen Magnus show? Or is it an ensemble? I think it sort of walks a middle ground, and I definitely feel like there should have been room for other characters to go on their own journey's and Ashley had a rich seam to mine. The whole "only child of the Five" thing, and her bio-dad being possessed by The Ripper. I googled after one of the previous asks made me go 'hey why did she leave?' and apparently it was a network decision and ugh. No. She still had a lot to contribute. Just imagine Ashley and Kate sparring together. Ashley noticing something was wrong with Biggie and saving him (I mean he was like her father figure right? Family!). Ashley being there for Henry, roasting him as only a sister can over Erika. Being all protective future auntie when he discovers he's going to be a dad.

This leads to the next point really - amp up the family vibes. I love James Watson as a character (and not just for ship reasons). Killing him off in his second episode was so wasteful and one of those reasons was because he was a link to the past. To Henry and Ashley growing up. To all those decades as Helen's friend. James was family. Yeah we had a couple of plot-centric flashbacks interweaving with present day. I loved seeing him like that but it wasn't enough. I know I said I would try and answer this as 'tweaking canon' rather than rewriting the show, and my desire for more of The Five probably falls under the latter, but still Uncle James, head of the London Sanctuary had more to contribute.

More worldbuilding/make use of the environment. I appreciate that this was probably a budget thing but I am dying to know more about Old City vs New City. From the pilot they teased that Old City had rumours of weirdness, and season 4 showed a large abnormal population (had that always been there?). I headcanon that an abnormal is what wrecked the old bridge but how? It just would have been cool to make more use of the setting, and deepen it/ground it more.

Last one (from off the top of my head) and I say this about most things I watch but honestly more politics. I know that we had the UN and SCIU and I mean that but also not. I feel like it would have been good to have more of a feel for the Sanctuary network as it was. Hear more/see more about the different Sanctuary's around the world before the network got rolled up in season 4. The whole "everyone has an abnormal taskforce" in season 4 was interesting but why did it wait until then? Like yes the Sanctuary network had a mandate but full offense really to the military complex - I call bullshit. The Sanctuary is about helping people, not about using abnormals for their skills. The show touched on this occasionally with Kate, and the black market, and of course we had The Cabal who seemed to be corporations in it for the money. I also get that the show was relatively light and it would get depressing being too realistic about how darkly self-serving governments could be. I just feel like the delicate balance/other players etc. should have been established earlier than season 4 somehow. Because even if they supported the Sanctuary officially, I can't believe they didn't have shady underground projects the whole time.

I know, I know it was supposed to be five changes. Call this one a bonus. Something a bit more about how the secret was kept. Why the world in general didn't believe/know? Especially with the advent of the internet/video. As a big picture thing. And then so I don't make a Point Seven - consequences. More about people struggling to fit in, struggling to hide, or not wanting to hide. A bit like "mutant and proud", as why should they have to? The whole abnormals thing speaks to me as someone who is other, and I wish they had delved more into this, "putting a face" on it so to speak, with individuals grappling with what their abnormality means in a world where it's "secret". I mean if there are those who want people to know, does the community force them to not stand on rooftops and shout? (metaphorically speaking). Do they keep silence for all the others who wish to hide? So yeah. More about the personal struggle.

Once Upon a Time

Neal should have lived. I said what I said. I know that wasn't the show they wrote, but I stand by the fact that is when the show started to really go off the rails. Now this isn't about shipping anyone in particular with Emma, it's about the heart of the story. Neal was a linchpin, connected to everyone, and made for a deeper story with more feeling. He was the reason for the dark curse, he was Henry's dad, he was the son of the dark one. I'm not Hook's biggest fan (I will get to him) but Neal (or Bae as he was known then) knew Hook on Neverland. Hook loved Neal's mother. Now I said this wasn't about shipping so CaptainSwan was canon, so we'll keep that, but imagine Hook pursuing Emma with Neal still alive. I think it would have humanised Hook a bit more, to have him apologise for having let Milah down, when he let Bae down on Neverland, and to promise that he wouldn't do that for Henry. To let Neal have feelings about that, to have them come to an understanding over it. Imagine a season 5 with Emma now as the Dark One, with Neal looking at Henry in horror, as his son now has a parent with that curse, for Neal to see his dad without it, and then to see his dad take it back. I could write far more than a (very extended) paragraph about this as Neal would have added so much to every plotline they wrote (even if I wish they hadn't written some of them).

Consequences. This is a theme I sort of touched on but oh man it's true. My biggest issue with Hook is the disconnect between reality and what the characters say. It makes it feel very OOC. Just declaring someone a hero, doesn't make them one, it doesn't erase their past or grant them instant redemption. Hook and Zelena did whatever they wanted with impunity and it was all just glossed over as they were "one of the heroes now" but they never actually changed. I'm not talking about punishment here, or justice, as that's a whole can of worms, I'm talking about the fact that they didn't do the work on themselves. Regina is probably my favourite character so I'm definitely not against redemption, but she struggled with it, wrestling with herself and with her past. She made clear steps over and over to make better choices. That was not true at all for Hook or Zelena. Actions speak louder than words. I absolutely hated how the narrative said one thing, but then the characters parroted something else - it just did not make sense. What the characters said/thought/felt needed to reflect the events on screen.

Pacing, logic, common sense. I often say that up until mid-season 3 the show was better, and it was downhill pretty much after that. However, season 3 was not immune because dear oh dear Neverland. The way they just wandered around the jungle for episodes and episodes, and then everything just got all crammed into the last couple of episodes in the arc. I really, really, really hate this tendency of shows. I rant about it often. Some shows are worse than others, (Picard Season 3 was a particularly bad offender), but Once had it's moments and it didn't even make sense. Another thing I super hate is when for no apparent reason really competent and powerful characters don't use the skills we know they have. If there is a) no reason why they can't, and b) they don't because it would solve the plot too easily - that's a writing problem. Make the villains more powerful, make there be a reason why they can't use their powers, but just to have them be incompetent is incredibly frustrating. Let them be awesome and still fail - that is fine. I'm not saying they need to be successful. I'm saying I shouldn't be side-eyeing them for walking around a jungle for eight episodes before doing what they should have done Day One.

Answer the damn questions and respect the viewers intelligence. Harsh? I said what I said. I am a writer and I create worlds and yes you don't have to know everything, giving the allusion of depth is a valid strategy - right up until the point that a plot point hinges on it and it doesn't make sense. Season One started with Henry stealing Mary Margaret's credit card, and using the internet to find Emma. The town was cursed, frozen in time, how did she have a credit card? WHY did she even have one? They couldn't leave. What about food - where did that come from? Petrol for the cars. Fashion - they were not dressed like it was still the 80's. Yes, I know magic/the curse, but how? It seems like such a vital underpinning they handwaved away, and it doesn't stack up. Going with the premise of "well it's cool" is fine for a personal project, but a multi-million dollar primetime show? I expect better.

Finally in the same vein - continuity. I have referred to this many times because it annoys me so damn much. In the Underworld arc they established that a special chisel/hammer thing was the only way to etch the tombstones. Then three episodes later Hook's hook could do it. When I complained about this before I vaguely recall somebody telling me it was spelled for that. All these years later I'm not sure but I am a detail-orientated person and I find it hard to believe I would have been so up in arms at the time, if that had been the case. At the very least it wasn't explained properly/shown explicitly, and I pay attention. I do. So if I missed it then GA would have. And the entire plot hinged on how they couldn't leave because of these tombstones so it was a pretty important detail. Anyway! This is only one example and there are others (but I have rambled long enough). I just feel like they should have had a series bible where they had a complete timeline of events, where everything they had established as fact was written down, so they didn't contradict themselves or wind up rehashing the same plot point a different way, like we'd forgotten this had already been dealt with (as I had not). Once is not the only show with this issue. I yell about it often. It's not hard to keep track of your own canon and I wish shows would do a better job of it. Callbacks are a favourite of mine because yes I do remember, thank you for respecting me.

[winedark]

rules: list eight shows for your followers to get to know you better.

tagged by @alethiometry!! thank u bestie <333

tagging: @wolfhalls, @godsopenwound, @derelictship, @avgustea, @besukhov, @wolveswithoutteeth <3

(lets see if i HAVE 8 shows)

elementary. SHOW OF ALL TIME. it is truly the only sherlock holmes adaptation i've watched from the last 20 (30? 40??) years that feels like a modern adaptation and not a self-parody (miss sherlock excluded — i've yet to watch!). i never got the hate towards nyc being the setting except i guess america bad?? but it makes total sense imo and it breathes light into one of the most adapted books ever. jlm's sherlock is SO treasured to me, lucy liu's watson is just as dimensional as sherlock, girlboss moriarty, BEES, also the focus on recovery throughout the series gave it so much heart, its truly such a good adaptation. i know fundamentally its just some procedural crime show (and its biggest flaw is obviously the inclusion of ny-pd, s03 e08 you mean nothing to me) but i love her and i rewatch the first season pretty much every year. literally where would i be without her

the x files. mulder and scully have had an IRREVERSABLE impact on my fashion sense. i am watching every single episode with a notepad by my side and taking detailed notes of what they're wearing. i love this show so much, every other episode is outrageously problematic even for its time, but i'm obsessed. iconic theme tune (my dads ringtone btw). scully is one of my ultimate pop culture heroes but i think i'm more like mulder (my hero for being irritating). i think my favourite episode is wet wired. i've never seen anything past season 7.

the sopranos. WAIT! wait before u (understandably) judge me i promise its more than a dudebro mafioso show, i think the characters are all some of the best written characters i've ever encountered, and idk i don't watch a lot of similar shows but i don't get the impression that its about justifying the mafia lifestyle, quite the opposite. also the introspection that you see develop is phenomenal. what really floors me about the show is that the female characters are ALL so incredibly written, carmella soprano i love u 💍 i'm actually only half-way through this show so maybe the inclusion to this list is premature but i trust my judgement

succession. this show is constantly rotating in my mind like a slow roast. i'm also quite convinced that 90% of the fans are watching an entirely different show. is tom my favourite character YES but i hope shiv leaves him and he gets nothing in the divorce and he has to move back to iowa or wherever. he's the worst. marcia i love you

it's always sunny in philadelphia. embarrassing how many times i've seen seasons 2-10 but my brother and i's lexicon are primarily references from this show. i think my favourite episode is the cereal defense, it's so stupid.

1899. netflix i am gonna get you bitch 🔪 daniel crawling out of the atlantic ocean changed me

ummmm. i don't have 8 shows. can i leave this as a placeholder for yellowjackets because i see potential my loves <3 if not um. earth's greatest spectacles, the 3 part documentary series narrated by domhnall gleeson that changed my world. i think about it all the time. i love u new england i love u svalbard i love u okavango.

how to get away with murder.

this show has done so much psychological damage, charlotte and i watched it together and i've not been the same since. i don't even know where to start; why is your penis on that dead girls phone. season 1 part 1 being the best few episodes of television ever and immediately going downhill after. annalise keating will send anyone to jail. bonnie killing a 22 year old because why not. whatever the hapstall case was. michaela pratt's villain era (ilu). laurel's flop era. connor's haircut. michaelasher breakup on some random crossover episode in favour of a character who gets about 2 minutes screentime. guy murdered at the gay wedding. michaela growling at someone in a grocery store. connor being the ONLY person to get arrested for murder(conspiracy?) out of the k5, while arguably being the person most removed from committing actual murder (flop king). gay divorce. frank incest reveal based entirely on the ''foreshadowing'' of some throwaway season 1 line. franklaurel girlies found dead. whatever the fuck was going on in the series finale. i'm not the same

[cypress-punk]

There should be a Spider-Man show that's entirely about early career Peter Parker going through his usual struggles as Spider-Man but also very focused on messy teen romance drama he gets into with all the people he's usually shipped with, Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, Black Cat, Human Torch, Kitty Pryde, Iceman, etc. Just a terrible bisexual mess. Then as contrast we introduce Miles Morales midway through the season as a second Spider-Man and Miles just has a much easier times with things because he's essentially less of a hopeless romantic/horn dog. And he's always giving Pete shit for his antics.

Importantly most of this romantic drama should be self inflicted on Peter's part. He can't help himself but be smitten with all these people and is always trying to flirt but is just awful at balancing multiple crushes and relationships especially since some of them are only aware of the Peter Parker identity and some of them are only aware of the Spider-Man identity.

This is mostly played for slapstick as his relationship drama comes back to bite him in various ways. Kitty finds out he's also flirting with Iceman and Collossus gets so mad at him for breaking her heart that he literally throws him out of the Xavier Institute. He has some kind of kerfuffle with Johnny Storm and later when Peter is fighting some villain and needs help Johnny rolls up and just kinda pouts at him from the sky while he's getting his ass beat. Gwen gets spider powers and ends up joining him and Miles as crime fighters, Peter tries to rekindle their relationship but shes just totally moved on and this puts him in funk cause hes extremely not moved on. Mary Jane finds out he's bisexual and asks if he's into Flash and this causes Peter to have a psychological spiral as he realizes he IS into Flash despite hating the guy. Venom constantly teases him about his various failed romances. Just roasts him mercilessly. Ben Grimm finds out he's dating Johnny and takes him aside to give him one of those fatherly "don't break my kid's heart" talks but also ends with "and if Johnny breaks your heart let me know, I'll clobber him for ya". J. Jonah Jameson has to cut back on running Spider-Man stories because he's turning the Daily Bugle into a celebrity relationship gossip rag by accident. Peter accidentally ruins at least one relationship by selling JJ a roll of film he forgot had photos of him macking on someone. Harry Osborne has genuine feelings for Peter but is somehow the only person Peter doesn't show any romantic interest in. Norman Osborne tries to give Pete a talk about safe sex on Aunt May's behalf and its exceedingly awkward for the obvious reasons and because Peter found confirmation that Norman is the Green Goblin moments before. Black Cat insists it isn't cheating so long as he never takes off his mask. You know. The works.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

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Last night I may have gotten into that thing that is absolutely terrible but for some reason appeals to the sort of thing I enjoy when I’m drunk, and that is re-watching some bits of Roast Battle. God, it’s a really bad show. But it can be fun, if whiskey has been involved.

Roast Battle is mainly made up of younger comedians, who were just trying to get their faces out there. Older comedians being on there is less common, and it’s a bit unfortunate to see, because I guess it means they wanted to be on TV but that plan had not gone well enough to turn down TV work even if the show was shit. Though that doesn’t explain all of it – Richard Ayoade appeared on one episode as a judge, for reasons I absolutely do not understand. I mean, other judges have included Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross, who were also hardly desperate for TV work, but they like doing this sort of shitty TV show. While Richard Ayoade is just… undeniably better than that. He kept deadpanning throughout his episode that he hadn’t read things very carefully before agreeing to appear on that show and he just wanted to leave, and I don’t think he was 100% joking.

The other weirdest one is that Johnny Vegas appeared, not even as a judge but actually doing one of the roast battles. I don’t know what his excuse is for doing that shit, as he’s on all the other panel shows and just has a very successful TV and stage career, so he did not need this. But he was on there with his friend Phil Ellis, a comedian who’s never been on TV otherwise, and I have a theory that’s based on nothing (except for… why else would he be there?) that Johnny did it as a favour to his friend, because they’d have on this completely unknown guy if it meant they’d get Vegas.

Anyway, last night I watched the Mark Watson versus Andrew Maxwell one, which is… possibly an example of some comedians who said yes to something shitty because they weren’t getting offered as much TV work as they wanted. It was maybe, possibly, a little bit that. There’s a Mark Watson quote in an old article about his feud with Frankie Boyle that says: “I am also aware – as my adversary pointed out – that I’ve done things that suggest a lack of integrity (advertising cider, appearing on shows that I knew weren’t very good and giving a private performance for the Pope, though one of those may not be true).” This quote is from 2011, but I’m pretty sure he actually saw into the future and knew he’d be on a show called Roast Battle in 2018, and that’s what he was talking about there.

There’s something I find inescapably hilarious about this one, as not only is Mark Watson just too good for the show, but obviously its format does not remotely suit him. He was so very far out of his comfort zone. Luckily he had a somewhat easy one; you don’t need to get that creative or cruel to come up with things to say about Andrew Maxwell, you can just repeat the word “short” over and over until it mercifully ends. A credit’s a credit on IMDB.

This is the first time I’d watched this one since I got more into Mark Watson’s stand-up recently (I swear I don’t re-watch them that often), which means it’s the first time I got that when Maxwell called him an alcoholic, that’s… actually sort of slightly accurate. Which does make that one a little harsh, for something to shout at someone on a televised roast battle. So it’s harsher with that context, but also funnier with the context of other stuff I learned recently, which is that 20 years ago at the Edinburgh Festival, Andrew Maxwell was involved in making fun of some other people for not being alcoholics by naming them after chocolate milk. I don’t think he specifically coined the term Chocolate Milk Gang – that has been credited to Glenn Wool – but he has been described as basically calling them a bunch of nerds because they didn’t get drunk every night for a month. Even though I’m pretty sure Daniel Kitson’s the only one of them who abstained from drinking entirely.

So they did not drink enough by Andrew Maxwell’s standards, but Mark Watson drinks too much. Given that, I think I can make a list that ranks comedians by most alcoholic to least alcoholic:

- Jon Richardson

- Mark Watson

- Andrew Maxwell and Glenn Wool

- Non-Kitsonian members of the Chocolate Milk Gang

- Daniel Kitson

- Frankie Boyle

The order of the first two is because their stories suggest that Jon Richardson and Mark Watson probably drink similar amounts, but at least Mark admits he has a problem.

The order of the last two is based on the logical precedent set in the brilliant stand-up bit by Paul Foot, about levels of homophobia. Paul Foot claims that the highest level of homophobia is if you go around punching people just because they aren’t homophobic. Punching people because they’re gay is actually only the second-highest level of homophobia. Following this logic, just being teetotal is only the second-highest level of non-alcoholism. The highest level of non-alcoholism is when you call someone a cunt because they advertised cider.

[cackled0g]

My secondary beef with frogwares Holmes (specifically CaP) is the lack of Watson badassery. Holmes gets plenty of time to shine as everyone's favorite quirky weirdboy, now let the good doctor beat some asses. You're telling me that in the first case when some dude is in their flat knocking feckers out and trying to beat the shit out of Holmes Watson is just pulling the 🧍‍♂️maneuver? Let him go apeshit--the Watson I know would be rugby tackling that dude to the ground the second he threw hands with Lestrade.

I have beef with Frogwares Watson in general, from the games I've played he seems like the typical post Nigel Bruce toothless idiot Watson who stands around like an idiot going "trains can't disappear!". I get that that's a Watson adaptational flaw in general with Sherlock Holmes media, but man. Guess I'm too spoiled by Soviet Watson and Granada Watson.

I do appreciate the Holmes/Watson banter though, they play off each other well when they're allowed to talk at all. Holmes being like "You're home early, did you kill all your patients? :D" is absolute peak. I guess I wish Watson shot back more, it kind of feels like Holmes is dishing out more than Watson is giving back. A good H/W dynamic in my opinion at least needs to have a fairly balanced amount of praising each other and roasting each other--and it should always be mostly good natured ribbing. In short, let Watson snap Holmes’s neck for poisoning himself, and let Holmes talk up Watson more.

Also love that Toby is their dog now--I appreciate the dogboy Holmes propaganda. Also love that Toby is doing some different shit every case, chewing up Watson's shoes or eating his rough drafts or whatever.

I'm iffy on Frogwares Lestrade. On the one hand, the voice is good for him, on the other, I think I'm too attached to Colin Jeavons Lestrade to ever accept the moustached Lestrade propaganda. Also he should be more ferretty. If that man doesn't look like the rat from flushed away he isn't Lestrade enough for me. Also I NOTICED them stealing Holmes’s praise for Hopkins in The Abbey Grange and giving it to Lestrade--you cannot tell me that Lestrade only ever gives Holmes good cases because I solidly believe that Lestrade goes over to Baker Street every time he has any stupid murder just because he a.) Likes Mrs. Hudson's cooking (thanks for that headcanon, Margaret Walsh) and b.) Is too prideful to admit that he wants to hang out with the boys so he has to bring a case to justify it.

I greatly enjoy Mycroft in CaP though--I like the tension between Holmes and he a lot. The design was decent also. I guess with Mycroft in general I can go either direction on the brother friendliness spectrum. I really like Granada Mycroft's general jollyness, but having a more foreboding Mycroft is pretty cool too. I feel like Soviet Mycroft falls right in the middle, where he's got a good relationship with Sherlock, but he's not uncharacteristically warm with him.

[mostweakhamlets]

Fears: Millennial AU WIP

A very rough WIP for my millennial/vlogger AU. It’s very rough and will be on AO3 after polishing! NOT A BBC SHERLOCK FIC. 

Summary of AU: John Watson starts making video blogs about Sherlock Holmes after he gets no credit in the Jefferson Hope case (from the novel A Study in Scarlet). Holmes, however, has failure after failure without proper support from the police and without enough experience. They’re just millennials killing the police industry. But really, they’re poor and young. Someone help them. 

It’s meant to be a late-coming-of-age AU set between the seven year gap in canon--before the The Sign of the Four and after A Study in Scarlet. 

They had started putting aside money every week to make sure they had enough to keep little luxuries in the apartment. They found the cheapest wine that they both liked and always kept at least one bottle in the fridge, opening it when they had particularly rough days.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

The best way to open to one another was to be a little tipsy. Holmes especially found it easier to talk after a couple glasses of wine.

"Scotland Yard is always a step ahead of me, and they keep taking credit for my work."

They sat across from each other, curled up in their chairs. It was nearing midnight. The sky was dark, and the television was on a late night news channel that was repeating the same depressing news from that evening. Watson could have been asleep already, but they had an unspoken agreement that they had to stay up for each other during these nights. It was cathartic to be up so late in their quiet apartment when the rest of the city was still running like it had all day. It gave Watson a sense of security and growing camaraderie. Maybe a little youth, too, which too often felt like it was slipping from his fingers at the end of his 20s.

"They'll have to stop someday," he said.

"What if they don't? That's what I'm worried about. What if I'm constantly losing credit for work."

They would hardly talk about these times, though. It was too sensitive, and the conversations could only exist in these conditions. But at these times, they let go of whatever they needed to.

"I want to hear that you're scared."

Holmes looked up. His eyes were glassy and didn't understand. Didn't want to understand. He built up so many walls Watson knew from the first day they met. It would take work to break them down to see the vulnerability that he knew Holmes had. It would take time. Holmes was so afraid of looking powerless. Revealing his worries deepest fears would unravel everything he had crafted for himself. To protect himself. From the manipulative eyes of criminals and police offers. From anyone who could break him down for their benefit.

He looked at Watson almost like a kid.

"Tell me that you're scared," Watson repeated.

"Why?"

"Because you need to hear it from yourself."

Holmes rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious. When was the last time you admitted you were scared of something?"

"Fears are for children."

"Sherlock, you're never going to outgrow having fears."

He pressed his knuckles to his mouth.

"I'm afraid still," Watson said.

"I don't mean that no adults have fears," Holmes said. "I mean that I don't have fears because I'm not going to waste my time excessively worrying about things that may or may not happen and that may not even be in my control. I deal with things as they happen. I worry as they happen. I won't waste my time with hypotheticals."

"That's bullshit. You have to be afraid of something. Everyone is. You can't control it."

Watson leaned over to pour more wine in his own glass. He sat back and watched Holmes. The more he drank, the harder it was for him to hide from Watson.

"I'll tell you what I'm afraid of."

Bargains worked sometimes.

"I think I know what you're afraid of."

"What am I afraid of?"

"That you've wasted time. You tried a military career, and that didn't unfold like you wanted it to. Now you're struggling to find a practice to work in, and you're uncertain where to go because you're worried you're going to get stuck in a career you settled for."

"That's generic. That could be anyone about to turn 30."

"Is it wrong?"

Watson sighed. "No."

"See? Fears are pointless. You're not going to get stuck because you spent years studying to be a doctor, and now that you are one, you're either going to be consumed by regret regardless of your career path or your going to be satisfied because you learned how to take care of people and see them in a different way. It's a gift, John. But the fear of living in constant disappointment isn't going to help you. Almost everyone else has that fear, so the herd mentality drives to think that there's a much higher chance of it happening that what there really is."

Holmes was clever, and his words brought an odd comfort to Watson. But the self-righteousness of it made Watson dismiss any truth he said.

"I'm afraid of becoming an alcoholic."

Holmes bit his lip.

"One of the first things you knew about me was that my brother was an alcoholic," Watson said. "In my first year of university, I had to take a psychology class. My professor told us that addiction is genetic, and ever since then I've been afraid that I'm going to be an alcoholic like my brother."

"And other family?"

"My dad. When he was younger."

Holmes was quiet. Sometimes it took him a little time to process heavier emotional conversation. Watson was patient. He knew that silence wasn't an indicator of anything bad.

"I'm afraid that dropping out of university was an irreparable mistake."

They so rarely talked about Holmes dropping out of school. It never seemed like a big deal to Watson. When it came up for the first time, he had just shrugged and said, "It doesn't work for everyone."

"I could have had a degree in forensics and maybe have the Yard take me more seriously. And maybe have more resources or connections... and maybe be more successful by now."

"Do you think you would have worked for the police?"

"No!"

The somber moment was lost, and Watson broke into a smile at Holmes's disgust.

"So if you were still going to be an unconventional detective, why go about getting there in a conventional way? I'm sure you've taught yourself more than you could learn in a classroom. Besides, degrees don't really mean anything. They're just paper that says you satisfied requirements. What matters with a degree is that you learned something. And I think that you've learned plenty--and about things that the Yard knows nothing about. So why should the paper matter? The Yard'll realize that you're valuable to them and that papers don't mean anything."

Holmes's face was red from either the wine or Watson's compliment.

"What happened tonight?"

"Lestrade doesn't want me involved in his new case. I think promotions are being decided soon, and he doesn't want anything interfering with his minuscule chance of becoming a DCI."

"He'll get over it when he doesn't get promoted."

"But it'll still be my fault somehow." Holmes drained the last of his wine. "If something goes great, the inspectors get the credit. If something goes wrong, it's all on me. The only time they were almost willing to give me credit was when you made a video about the Jefferson Hope case."

"Really? That worked?"

"You didn't realize that when it became popular, the Yard would be in hot water for not giving me credit? It was hilarious. You scared them."

Watson straightened up. "I scared them?"

"It was almost a PR scandal."

"What if I uploaded more about your cases?"

"Do what you want."

"They might get a little more attention drawn to you rather than the Yard."

Holmes was drowsy from the wine. Watson could tell by the way he sank back into his chair and grinned.

"You can always come with me when I go out for cases. If clients don't mind, you can sit in on meetings. And maybe an appearance at Scotland Yard would bully them into letting me in on more interesting cases."

"Alright. I'd love to. I'm not doing anything else with my time."

"We can split the pay 50/50."

Watson would have done it for free. "We'll talk about it later. You don't make enough to split it."

"But either way we'll be partners."

The word made Watson's heart swell.

"Partners," he echoed.

He left his unfinished wine on the coffee table and walked to Holmes. He offered a hand and helped Holmes to his feet.

If their drinking sessions didn't end with a resolution, they would normally drink until they could come up with a superficial one under the deceptive haze of alcohol. It wasn't a bad way of coping. They never thought of it that way because eventually the need for drinking lessened. Eventually they were able to sit together and talk over dinner or in front of a camera if it was entertaining.

Eventually they were closer and warmer.

[thenon-fictiondays]

THEY BROKE INTO HIS HOUSE AND CALLED HIM UGLY ASKSDFNKD