#most of the questions are 'why is holmes so happy to see us?' and 'what has he done to his arm?'

[skyriderwednesday]

This sketch is entitled 'Gregson and Lestrade have questions...'

[tremendously-crazy]

Ranting about ACD Johnlock because these Victorian husbands need to be happy for me

What the hell happened between Holmes and Watson in 1902 and 1903?

Context: 3GAR is described as happening in July 1902, and ILLU happened in 1902. CREE and BLAN happened in 1903.

In 1902, Holmes and Watson were inseparable.

I don't even need to elaborate when I mention 3GAR. "It was worth a wound" should be enough to remind you of why. I was so touched when I read Holmes seeing his Watson injured and rushing to his side. He is terrified at the thought of losing his friend. It was amazing to read this seemingly cold, distant, and unemotional man threatening to murder the man who almost killed his best friend. There was loyalty, there was love, and it was beautiful.

According to ILLU, in 1902, they're also frequenting Turkish baths together. (which, I might add, was a common place for homosexual men to gather, do with that knowledge what you may) They're lying side by side on two couches with nothing but a blanket on either of them as they dry off. Watson hears Holmes is injured and nearly passes out, and he rushes to Baker Street to see him as soon as possible. He is terrified at the thought of losing his friend. He gingerly sits at his bedside to ensure that Holmes is okay. These are all very intimate things to do between friends. Indeed, this even suggests the possibility of the two being lovers.

IMAGINE that. These two are inseparable. Clearly, these two stories help to build on the idea that they love each other (platonically or romantically. To me, they seem romantically involved, but even as friends, they do love each other. It's all up to personal preference.) Their relationship is so strong, more than anything we have seen before. These stories showcase their love for each other and how passionate they are for each other.

Now, flash forward to 1903, when CREE and BLAN take place, and we are given an entirely different narrative. Watson describes himself as one of Holmes's "habits" in CREE, saying he felt as though he was an accessory to Holmes. Their relationship is "peculiar," and he is only called over to Baker Street as some kind of tool Holmes can talk to or use on a case. Holmes can rely on Watson, and he is, in a way, taking advantage of his reliability. Throughout the entire story, we can feel the tension between these two (remember how Watson had to stress over his practice in order to join Holmes on the case, and Holmes seemingly did not care at all). It seems partially resolved by the end, but there is still a feeling of bitterness that was fully apparent to me while I was reading it. It seemed like their interactions were angsty and passive-aggressive.

In BLAN, Watson does not even live with Holmes anymore, around a year after 3GAR and ILLU. Holmes explains he has "deserted" him for a wife, which he described as "the most selfish action I can recall in our years of association." Holmes was alone. In the story, Holmes cannot stop talking about how much he misses "his" Watson.

These four stories have such a sharp contrast. They have been absolutely terrorizing my brain a lot as of late. I feel like them being so close in ILLU, and *the* moment in 3GAR are some of their strongest moments together. They are both so terrified to lose each other. How is it that a year later, according to the canon, they are barely on speaking terms? My question is, if we are to trust the canon dates, what happened during those months that caused them to drift apart so terribly? How could Watson leave his Holmes for a wife so recently after these frightening events?

Another point about this supposed second wife. I don't think she even existed. (I do think Mary was really Watson's wife, and I might've reblogged a post about it somewhere) But about the second wife. As far as I'm aware, she's mentioned one (1) time in one (1) story by Holmes, and it was likely just a ploy by ACD to separate them (oh well, I'll just give him a wife. That'll separate them good enough.) It's easily enough ignored for that reason. Watson was, in fact, away from Baker Stret, but the idea of a wife was, in all probability, just made up by Holmes as an excuse for his absence.

I'd like to add my personal headcanon because the continuity in Sherlock Holmes is actually so messed up. John is called James in one story (TWIS, if you want to see for yourself.) October 9, 1890, is called a Saturday when it was really a Thursday (REDH) There's a story set in 1892, when Holmes was supposedly dead... etc, etc. Given the known unreliability of dates in these stories, would it be so unreasonable to suggest that the dates of the four I have talked about were swapped? That, in fact, CREE and BLAN were a falling out in their relationship and that ILLU and 3GAR was their healing? That the former were set in 1902 and the latter, in 1903? I can understand that after knowing someone and living with them for so many years, you may start to take them for granted. But after you narrowly lose them, you would not do such a thing again. (Especially not only a year after such a traumatic experience!!) Therefore, I believe CREE and BLAN were examples of how their relationship was beginning to fail and were actually set in 1902 (or some other date in the latter days of their relationship), and ILLU and 3GAR were reminders of how much they meant to each other, and they happened in 1903 (or, more simply, a year after CREE and BLAN).

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. I know this is completely incorrigible and nobody's gonna read it but I just wanted to get it out there.

TL;DR: Late Sherlock Holmes canon sucks. No way that they had both near death experiences in 3GAR and ILLU, and less than a year latery they can barely stand each other in CREE and BLAN. My personal headcanon says CREE and BLAN were moments of stress in their relationship and that 3GAR and ILLU happened afterward to remind them of how much they appreciated each other and help reconcile them.

[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.

[anulithots]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

I haven't been asked this question before, so thank you for asking!

I'm not sure if I'm going to run over ten, so I'll include duos/dynamics as well. (That was a mistake.. this is soo longggg. Thank you so much for asking but I don't think you knew what you were getting into. /pos.)

(In no particular order.... and I've written a lot about most of these characters, sorry if it's a bit long <3 )

Just a note that my JJK analysis's are up to the Hidden Inventory arc. I keep rereading that one to avoid the pain of the Shibuya arc... but I should be on my last reread for now!

Character quick list:

Donnie and Mikey from Rise,

Teacher and Shiva from The Girl from the Other SIde,

Itadori yuji, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki from Jujutsu Kaisen,

Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto from Jujutsu Kaisen

Inej Ghafa and Jesper Fahley (sorry if I spelled thier names wrong!) from Six of Crows

Emma, Norman and Ray from The Promised Neverland

And I really liked Roz from the Wild Robot, and The Magnus Chase series, but It's been a while since I've read them. Currently reading 'A tale for the Time Being' and I like Nao's deep thoughts and unabashed honesty. She's also quite dark and casual about dark themes, and it does feel like how my brain used to be... dark stuff is casual there.

I do like Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games. I watched the movies but have not read the books yet, and I want to before I start analyzing. I also want to read Sherlock Holmes so... yea.

#1: Donnie and Mikey from Rise of the Teenage mutant ninja turtles

Donnie is literally me. From the way he pronounces random words from his theater kid energy to his obsession with science. (I don't like physics but I'm writing a fanfiction on biology soooo....) I have a need to be useful otherwise I'm wasted space (because the information is more useful and important than the individual), go on infodumps for hours, get irritated and defensive easily and overall, I've never related to a character more. I just don't have the same empathy levels. For that I share traits with Mikey. I like being overly nice and trying to listen and make everyone feel heard. I also get very emotional very fast and constantly need hugs.

Also his relationship with Mikey reminds me of two of my siblings.

Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles took me out of a depressive period with the most intense hyperfixation I've ever had, and it's the first time I've read fanfiction (Like father like son..... sobs)

#2: Teacher and Shiva from the Girl from the Other Side.

They have the most wholesome found family relationship ever. The pain they give me is insurmountable. Every time I reread the manga I have the widest, dopiest smile because the wholesome scenes are so so so pure. I don't see a lot of stories that let the mundane be that special.

Also the way Shiva's written is just.. chefs kiss. Because she isn't written as an annoying child. She thinks she's being helpful, and she is helpful. All she wants is to keep everyone together, and for everyone to be happy, and the thing she hates the most is people hating her/being scared of her.... and the guilt. The most depth-filled child character in existence here.

And teacher... Just... *screams*. His overthinking and endlessly caring demeanor. The way he second guesses everything he does and worries so much that he gets worried about worrying. He's also quite hard on himself.

And I think they are supposed to represent the two sides of loving others. Shiva is the 'they make me happy and I can help them' part. The wholesome, childlike side.

Teacher is the worrying side. The side that tries so hard to protect the others that their anxiety drives them crazy.

(I got up to the second delux edition.)

#3 The Tokyo Trio (Itadori, Fushiguro, and Nobara) from Jujutsu Kaisen. (my most recent hyperfixation.)

Itadori: His fear of regretting his life, using a role to avoid that, making sure not to think about his execution or his death too much. Him trying so hard to help others in a way only he can do. Using 'dying a natural death' to justify to himself that he's okay with this (he isn't). Fearing death that he doesn't have control over. Structuring his life around caring for others. The sweetest bean here.

Fushiguro: HIs morrallittyyyyy. The way he needs to be the one to deliver fairness because the world isn't fair to him. The way he thinks bad people shouldn't be saved, that they deserve retribution, and that good people will let themselves suffer because they are good. So Fushiguro is going to protect good people as much as he can (see Itadori.) Itadori and Fushiguro's morality struggle is sooo interestingggggg aaaa-

Nobara: She's the strategist of the group, the one who'll keep emotions out of the missions so she can enjoy herself later. Kill people? Well, it's part of the job, she's not going to let that effect her. She tries not to get attached to people, and values enjoying herself in Tokyo. ITADORI AND NOBARA'S DYNAMIC IS SO FUNNY (and she would've gotten along with Gojo... I just want an episode with them accidently meeting each other on a shopping trip and getting into trouble.)

And I'm sorry in advance for all the writing I'm about to include:

Fushiguro:

Nobara:

#4 Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen

(Also I love Shoko despite how little screen time she gets. )

I've analyzed them here and I'll include my notes and written analysis... but overall...

They encapsulate a comfort and trust and love for each other that I rarely see. It's something indescribable and special. They truly transcend labels for each tother and just.... yeah the relationships and dynamics in JJK are on another level. I've ranted about them before <3

AND I'LL RANT ABOUT THEM MORE:

#5? Inej Ghafa and Jesper Fahley.

(I read this before I started writing my analysis's down. Everything from here on out has less writing. Thanks for being patient with me <3)

(I prefer book them to Show them tbh... although I haven't watched all of the show and I prefer books/manga to shows sometimes because it's easier for me to analyze as I'm reading and reread)

Also it's been a while and I'm doing some analysis from memory so I apologize for any inaccuracies!

Why I like Inej: Her making herself a tool for others so that she could survive. She put her own wants and past to the side so she could become dangerous, so no one could take advantage of her again. Her growth to chasing her dreams, living for herself, saying that her heart aims true for making the world better. She has such a good arc.

Why I like Jesper: He's impulsive and silly and him not being able to get rid of his addiction to gambling even though he's aware of how it's making his father more in debt. Him using a skill he has (sharpshooting) to express his Grisha powers and not wanting to acknowledge that he's a Grisha. ALso him and Wylan. Adorable.

#6 Emma, Norman and Ray from the Promised Neverland.

(last one for now!)

Emma's caring nature and will not hesitate to beat you up if you're being self-sacrificial. (I wish they went more in depth with Emma's disregarding other's emotions to do what is best for them. Could've been cool conflict). Her wanting to save everyone no matter how hard it will be, loving her little siblings so much. The betrayal of Isabella towards her. ('She didn't like the tests, but she liked her mother's praise'). How scared and conflicted she became. How much she mourned her old life.

Ray's cold cut nature, practical, resourceful. His backstory in which he had to live with the death of his siblings for years, to the point where he resolved himself to save only Norman and Emma. His preparation for years and years to make sure they were safe. Not wanting to save all of the Grace field children because it would doom them all.

Norman knowing that they might not be able to save them all, but wanting to try for Emma. How much he strategized, how hard he tried. How he's in between. How scared he was for himself, how much he admired Emma's care for others, how he tried to strategize for all of them. How he hid his pain and fear.

______________________________________________________________

ThANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK!

and to all my mutuals/followers, @mylee-sketches, and anyone else who stumbles across this post...

yes I hyperfixate.

[dazaiandhislovelybandages]

hi, may i request mycroft holmes x fem reader where they’re both in a relationship (fiancé or married - your choice!) and mycroft seems to be interested in another woman.

it’s also your choice if you want it to be a happy ending or a sad angsty ending, thank you!

𝖰𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 {𝖬ycroft Holmes}

A/n: I have this deeling I have written something like this before with Mycroft but I can't remember. Anyways thank you for your request and I hope you like this!

Pairings: Mycroft Holmes x fem!reader

Genre: most probably angst Idk

Tw: toxic relationship

Being with Mycroft had never been easy. This man was the British Government, he was busier than your average man and if you were to be honest, you have no idea how he actually found the time to go on dates with you when you had first met him.

But it was relatively okay. You had gotten used to it. And at the end of the day all that mattered was that he was coming back to you safe.

With that in mind it was more than obvious that marriage was definitely out of the question. Not only you would become a target but the man himself didn't like the idea of marriage.

And life with him was as peaceful as life with the second most owerful person in England could be. The two of you didn't actually live together, at least not yet, but it was fine again but sometimes you couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like greeting him at night after a particularly hard day in the office, or cooking for him.

Which was why one day, a week prior to his birthday, you decided to surprise him with a homemade meal. You would have run him a bath but the relationship was still relatively new and you didn't want to push things too far.

You arrived at his place one hour before his usual getting back home time and was surprised to see that the lights in his bedroom were turned on. Now, of course Mycroft had a few servants working for him but as far as you knew, his study room and his bedroom were out of limits whenever he was out.

Raising your dress slightly so you wouldn't step on it, you made your way towards the stairs that led to the main entrance. The lady that opened the door for you, greeted you with a big smile on her face. Or what came close to a smile. Obviously she was nervous.

Nonetheless, you greeted her and asked whether Mycroft was home and her reply was obviously no. Leaving her alone to continue doing her work, you made your way to Mycroft's bedroom, wanting to turn off the lights.

Had he forgotten about them? Absolutely no! Mycroft never forgot anything.

Slowly, you opened the door and peeked inside. The room was of course empty. You reached out your hand to turn the lights off and that was when you saw it. A woman's dress was hanging from the door of Mycroft's wardrobe. It was definitely not our size.

After making sure that there were no servants around, you closed the door behind you and walked inside. Jewelery boxes were displayed across the small coffee table in front of the fireplace.

The answer was obvious. Mycroft was more probably cheating on you. It would explain why he didn't want to get married, the reason why he didn't even want you to move in with him and also why you barely went on dates.

"Love?" Your eyes widened the moment you felt someone's hand on your shoulder. Taking a deep breath, you turned around. "What are-"

"I am going to ask you this once, so we are both clear on where this" You motioned at the space between the two of you, Mycroft's hand fell from your shoulder and he straightened his back as if he was dealing with someone working under him. "is going." He didn't reply and there was no sign of him being nervous or scared. "Are you cheating on me?"

"What?"

"It explains everything Mycroft! We rarely go out on dates, you don't want me to move in with you and this dress is not even my size! I won't talk about the jewelery. I prefer silver over gold."

"Why would you even thi-"

"Just answer the question."

Mycroft fixed his posture, his hands behind his back. "No. I am not cheating on you. The dress and the jewelery are mere presents for Mrs Adler. She had done an excellent job at-"

"So she gets presents and I don't?" You cut him off again. There was something eerie to your tone. You were so calm and relaxed.

"Will you give me a chance to explain?"

"I don't think I will, no." Mycroft closed his eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh. Yet both of you were keeping your cool. There was no shouting, it felt as if you were having a normal conversation and that was exactly what ticked you off. "I am tired of this. I have been for a while and you know what Mycroft? I think I deserve someone who will want to spend time with me, take me on dates, move in with me, marry me perhaps. Don't you think?"

"And I can't be that someone?"

"No. Apparently you can't."

A/n: I might come back and fix this a bit but I hope you liked it!

[love-has-a-way-ofgrowingbackward]

look guys there's something weird as HELL going on with aziraphale. all three minisodes we saw gave us an insight on how his brain works and his beliefs and everything and how it leads to him making the choices he's made. right.

crowley said something weird has been going on before the attack and we know he has a sixth sense for these things but WHAT IS IT.

i think i REALLY REALLY THINK there's going to be flashbacks to season 2 scenes in s3 and we'll get context and ohhh moments. like.

1. at the mystic shop crowley puts his cap on a snake. maybe just a sneaky nod to how he was wearing a cap but maybe something more?

2. i think the way metatron says "how predictable" and when he says "are you going to take it" so deliberately. they're huge huge clues i think. i feel like the metabitch knows something i dont which pisses me off.

3. i dont understand why the job scene was shot a little different to other ones and also why crowley and aziraphale sounded so different from the scene chronologically before and after that we see in s1. except maybe the seaside bit the whole thing was. definitely odd. and its also mentioned again and again and again. biggest question i have and also one of the biggest foreshadowing in the show is the job quote from the matchbox. what is that WHY IS THAT.

will we realise parts of the job scene were fake or left out and see in s3 how the line was relevant.

4. WHAT does metatron want from aziraphale sooo badly that he went to the trouble of going through his entire earth file and carefully construct manipulation plans a through to z to convince aziraphale to come up.

unless he was unnerved that they together blocked gabriel from him and left him in the dark while actively trying not to do something powerful and he wants armageddon 2 so he can destroy earth because he's the bad guy. and he cant even feasibly start on that as long as aziraphale and crowley are together/friends/as long as, metaphorically, the bookshop is theirs.

(the bookshop wasn't 'theirs' by the time crowley left i think. they'd sort of mentally given up on that which is why at the end muriel could enter without permission i think. if the south downs thing ends up being canon then maybe the bookshop will be destroyed for real because otherwise at the end they would end up at the bookshop)

5. look one of the most terrible thing in the whole ep6 was aziraphale not paying any attention to crowley in the beginning of the confession. he's really really flustered and there's a heartwrenching theme of him staring out of the window. he's absolutely terrified of the metatron seeing them and half his mind is on him.

aaaaaghhhh losing my fucking mind. you could almost hear the quote about the straightforward love life when crowley looks at nina and maggie. that feels like a conclusion kind of? like a really happy ending just like beelzebub and gabriel had. they're both good and loved. which is why i dont feel like we'll be seeing them majorly again... maybe we will i hope we will but idk. there's.

season 2 was soft gentle romantic definitely but it was also a sherlock holmes level of mystery. except we're at the start of the story when holmes doesn't get all the facts to solve the mystery.

also random not plot related questions.

why does the sandwich woman blink so much in the seamstress scene and why does aziraphale blink so little during the last lift scene. these probably dont mean anything other than the womans mascara got in her eye or something

how does the bentley play classical music which doesnt change for aziraphale but doesn't do that for crowley? is it love i hope its love

why does aziraphale's face do something odd when he leaves crowley to talk to nina ep5? or am i reading too much into it? he was very forthcoming with the rest but with nina he was sort of quiet (?) and reserved and went away looking uncomfortable.

why did aziraphale want so badly to drive crowleys car? was it meaningful or connecting to him? i know a lot of people say the dont hesitate to ask me any questions about love scene was aziraphale giving crowley horny eyes but i thought he seemed itching and really eager to get the keys? why does he want them sooo desperately. i don't fully understand their relationship which makes me WANT TO. what happens to a person when they spend six thousand years with their only friend and companion being a hereditary enemy, watching every single thing they do?

also why was he willing to give away a book and bribe out a book for the meeting? seems overboard for someone who doesn't really seem to think about heaven checking on nina and maggie. i think tbh it had less to do with heaven's suspicions than aziraphale being the kind of person who would love an excuse to host a night of dancing and food and love (mood) and he even got to participate by dancing with the demon he loves instead of just watching! (though i suspect he really likes that as well). hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

guys the brain rot has set in someone tell me im not imagining things

[random-imagines-blog]

You Will See Me {Mycroft Holmes x Female!Reader Oneshot}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 4277 Summary: The last time you saw Mycroft, you had your heart broken. What happens when you’re confronted by him again? Notes: Not a happy ending.

It had been a long time since you had seen Holmes come up on your cellphone. Years, actually. You couldn’t remember the last time that one of those boys had any reason to call you. Mycroft, that bloody bastard, was off being the Queen’s hand or something like that, running the government from the inside. And then there was Sherlock, who was always in the papers for something or other, solving a case. You had nothing to do with either of their worlds anymore. And they had nothing to do with yours since the incident. There’s always a goddamn incident, isn’t there?

And yet, for some reason, you had kept both of their numbers in your phone. You haven’t texted, you haven’t called, you’ve skipped past them in your contacts multiple times without giving them thought. You were sure that Sherlock could tell you the reason why, though you couldn’t. He knew everything, especially about you. That’s what best friends did. They knew each other, they took care of one another. Although brother trumps best friend, and a brother is always on a brother’s side.

You thought about not answering Sherlock’s call. It was obviously a mistake of some sort. And if it wasn’t - bad  news, surely. Something like a funeral invitation. No, no, Sherlock would have just sent something like that in the post. He wasn’t the personal sort. Knowing that it was going to bother you until you found out that it was a butt-dial, you answered it, keeping your tone as neutral as possible. “Hello?”

“Ahh, good, so you’re not that busy then,” Sherlock said, curt as ever. No hello, no greeting, just straight to what he is deducing from you. You hated when he did that. And you hated when he was correct because it was your one day off from work this week, and you were intending to spend it doing the ever-blissful nothing at all. The most action that you had taken today was getting out of bed and moving to your sofa, turning on the telly and making yourself a nice cup of tea. “Can you join me this evening?”

“I just want to make sure that you have the right number,” You said, leaning back against your cushions. “This is y/n, not John, or whoever it is that you are ordering around at this moment. Would that be all of Scotland Yard now?”

“Yes, I’d say it’s about all,” Sherlock said, and you could imagine his face getting a little smug at the admission. He did enjoy showing off how superior his intellect was, and using it as some sort of power trip. You put up with it in the past, but you haven’t had to in quite some time. It was more annoying and irksome than you remembered. “But I did call the right person, I don’t make amateur mistakes like that. You didn’t answer my question. Can you join me this evening?” And just as you were attempting to think up some sort of excuse, he added on, “Don’t come up with a lie. You know I’ll know if you do.”

“Fine,” You groaned in a very non-adult way. If you were going to be dragged into whatever it is, you had every right to act petulant. “Yes. I can join you this evening - depending on what we are doing. I’m not a detective, and I really don’t want to see any dead bodies -”

“I know you’re not. You used to get sick at the thought of maggots, you’d never be able to handle seeing them on a corpse,” He said, so matter-of-factly.  “No bodies. Unless you are objecting to the animal kind. I was thinking dinner. Bring a guest, if you like. If you have one.”

The thought of Sherlock with a fishing pole came into your mind, wearing wellies because oh the man was fishing. You weren’t in any sort of mood to tell him that you had no boyfriend, no girlfriend, no partner of any kind. You debated on bringing a friend. Surely, Sherlock was going to be bringing John Watson with him. None of your friends would get along with Sherlock - it would be like mixing oil and vinegar together and expecting them to fuse.

“Dinner at your expense I hope?” You questioned.

“Yes,” He said, sounding annoyed for the first time in the conversation. That made you grin. That lightened up your mood a little. That irritation that you could drag out of him without getting insulted the way that everyone else did.

“Then absolutely. I’ll see you at dinner.”

--

As you attempted to pick out a dress from your closet - Sherlock had given you the address of a rather upscale place, a fancy steakhouse that was way above your budget on an ordinary day - you thought back to the last time that you had seen the Holmes boys. Years ago. Almost two decades. You were wearing a dress that was much like the one that you were picking out now - so you quickly returned it. The color red was gorgeous  but it held so many negative emotions now. And then you decided - sod it. You weren’t going to let the color be ruined just because Mycroft had hurt you when you had worn it once. None of what had happened was Sherlock’s fault, and now that he had reached out, you weren’t going to take it out on him anymore.

You stepped into the dress, then pulled it up around your figure. It fit perfectly. It highlighted what you wanted to highlight and it hid what you wanted it to hide. As you looked in the mirror, you really came to grips with the fact that you weren’t the same young, naive woman that you had been when you last were around the Holmes. Your hair might be the same color that it was then, your eyes were still the same shade, but you had a few gray hairs now, a few small wrinkles. You were a professional with a career, not a student at college. The outer differences were slight but everything inside was completely was different. You had confidence. You had experience. You had -

The trauma of being in love with Mycroft Holmes.

Nope, nope, you weren’t going to go there. You were going to smooth the dress over yourself and put on small touches of make up so that you looked like a million bucks when you walked into that restaurant. Like you belonged there. Like you were completely happy to see an old friend and there was nothing at all mortifying about this. A touch of lipstick, swipes of mascara, putting earrings on, all while trying to keep your cool, all while trying not to think about the past but about what this could mean for the future.

Shoes, check. Purse, check. A black-cab waiting outside of your flat to zoom you through the London streets towards the restaurant, check. Time to go.

No matter how much you tried, you couldn’t get Mycroft out of your head now. Sherlock had just brought it all coming back. All of the memories, all of the feelings that you had been burying for so long. Hurt always bubbles up to the surface. That’s what it does. Once a wound is reopened, the scar tissues takes even longer to make it heal. Even the passing streetlights coming on as dusk started to make the sky darker, turning it into a shade of indigo. How many evenings like this had you spent wasting your youth on a man that had been stringing you along? On one that didn’t love you?  Too many. Way too many.

You grew up with the Holmes brothers. You were the same age as Sherlock, and Mycroft was the cool, smooth older brother. You grew up across the street from them, and unlike a lot of the other children in the neighborhood, you weren’t scared off by their intellect and naturally cold demeanor. You knew from the start that there was a warmth underneath there, you just had to stick around for the ice to melt. You might not have been as smart as them, and sometimes it was difficult to catch up to a lot of what they said but you showed an eagerness to learn. They appreciated that. They started to enjoy teaching you, not just calling you an idiot for it like they did the other kids.

Instead of hopscotch and football, it was crossword puzzles and University Challenge. It was a lot of reading outside with Mycroft while waiting for Sherlock to finish his violin lessons. That’s what you always liked about Mycroft. He didn’t have to sit out here and hang out with you. Most people didn’t do that with their kid brother’s friends. But he seemed genuinely interested in what you were reading, asking questions, telling you more information than what was in the book, always amazing you with how much stayed inside of his head. Even when high school was finished with, and you moved on to a college while Mycroft went to Cambridge, he stayed in touch with you. A little too in touch.

You met up for dinner one night. You had expected him to bring his surly brother along but no, it was just the two of you, at a rather nice Italian restaurant that you had always said you wanted to go to but could never afford. The kind with real breadsticks on the table, not ones out of a box. Where the waiters had uniforms and not just a dirty t-shirt with a washed out logo on it. He treated you to dinner, and a cheeky glass of wine, and listened to - or seemed to - you talk about your annoying dormmate and the lame parties that you had been invited to go to. He eventually got around to asking you if there was anyone interesting that you were seeing on campus. You found it hard to believe that he asked something so personal. He never asked about other friends, let alone boyfriends. The question made you nearly choke on your wine. He was there with a napkin which you gladly used to blot at your mouth.

“Oh um - well, there is one bloke I’ve been talking to a little bit, his name is Kevin, he’s really nice actually. He’s studying-”

“Oh, Kevin,” Mycroft said, the snobby voice starting to take effect. Oh yes, he had that since you two were children as well. There was no getting rid of it, as annoying as it sometimes could be. “Pedestrian name. Has he ever taken you to a place like this?”

You looked around, and had to admit that no. Kevin really hadn’t taken you to a place like this. “He hasn’t taken me to a restaurant, actually,” You admitted. “We went to a party, the one that I was just telling you about. But then he went to his friends and I went to mine...”

“Doesn’t sound much like a gentleman,” Mycroft mused. “If I were to go to a party with you, though I do find the idea of a party to be degrading and below the both of us, I wouldn’t leave your side. Especially not to go and talk to the sort of people that I’m sure that he considers friends.”

You continued sipping on your wine despite the fact that you were feeling rather confused. "Are you telling me that you want me to bring you to one of the college parties? I can’t even picture it,” You laughed. “But you do have a point. His friends are definitely chavs. I try not to speak to them really but-”

“No, I’m most certainly not asking to go to one of those depraved get-togethers,” He scoffed. “What I am trying to say is that you deserve someone who is not going to walk off once there are other options of people to talk to. Why, I’ve always found conversation with you to be quite stimulating. The person that you deem as your equal, as someone worthy of being in a flirtation with, let alone a relationship, should be seeking you out at a party. That is what I’m saying.”

Was it hot in the restaurant or was it just you? “A compliment from Mycroft Holmes. I can hardly believe it,” You chuckled over your wine, holding it in front of your face. “And one involving a party no less. Well thank you, Mycroft. I appreciate it. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Will you?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “I do hope so. We’ve known each other all of these years and still keep in touch. You must know how rare that is for me. I do believe the word is ... captivated.”

That’s all it took. That’s all that it took for you to stop seeing Mycroft as just Sherlock’s brother, and as someone beguiling. The strawberry blonde hair that curled just above one eye, just short enough not to be annoying but also just long enough to get him a step away from the squeaky clean boy image that he had. You spent night after night with him, doing things that you wouldn’t regularly do. Sneaking onto the Cambridge campus for film nights, and then holding onto his arm as he walked you back to the bus stop, laughing about the historical inaccuracies. Walking past protests that were happening against Thatcher and talking about it. You sneakily pinned a ‘Down with Thatcher’ pin onto his jacket. Despite the fact that he would have realized quite early on that it was there, it wasn’t taken off until he switched jackets for the season.

Then there was that night. That dark and fateful night, as a gothic novelist might put it. Where you put your favorite red dress on, with matching rouge upon your cheeks and lipstick upon your mouth, your best pair of heels and stars in your eyes. Stars and hearts both. This was going to be the night when you were going to tell Mycroft Holmes that you had fallen in love with him. This is the night where you were going to go back to the restaurant where he first paid you those compliments that you did keep in your mind, right at the front of it, repeating those words to yourself again and again whenever you had some alone time. Touching yourself to them. Quite stimulating indeed. You were going to confess your love and he would do the same and  you would kiss, shamelessly. You would share a tiramisu dessert, noting that he quite enjoyed sweets.

That’s where the good ended. Right when you walked into the restaurant. Up until then, everything had been sublime. You even had been complimented by a couple of people on the subway. And not just leering perverted comments either. You looked lovely, you looked great, where did you get that dress, someone is going to have a good night. You were feeling it. And you had been trying to chase that confidence ever since.

“Ma’am?” The cab driver asked, bringing you out of your reverie. “We’re here.”

“Thank you,” You said, gathering yourself. You paid him with a hefty tip and then got out, and stood in front of the steakhouse. It was just Sherlock, surely. And John. And a chance to have a good meal on someone else’s dime, never anything wrong with that.

Shoulders back and stand up tall. There were workers right there at the doors who opened them with a greeting and a friendly smile which you returned. You gave your name to the host and he immediately brought you towards a table in the back. You smiled to yourself when you saw Sherlock’s messy head of curls. Some things would never change. The more that people tried to tell him to cut it, the longer he let it grew, until it annoyed only himself. The little rebel. And John, of course, whose blog you’ve perused once or twice - shorter than you imagined but pleasant nonetheless.

What did Sherlock need? He got straight to the point, or rather he did in his own sort of way. There was a lot of information being thrown at you but you remembered enough from your friendship days to sort through it and find what was important. An art piece had been stolen. He didn’t care much about art. But since you had gone to the college of the arts ... he needed your help. He wouldn’t say so upfront, but the way that he spoke made you feel like you were obligated to help him.

“It could be a homophobic attack,” You said, stroking your chin. “The artist was known to have some close male friends. Or it could have something to do with the Nazis. Everything always comes down to them but art theft - they hid so many masterpieces from the world, and some had yet to be discovered. This piece that was stolen is one of the recovered pieces. It could be some deranged supremacist trying to regain the lost collection.”

“Ahh, speaking of supremacist,” Sherlock said, his eyes now gazing above your head. A shadow had come over you, darkening your plate, your glass. You knew who it was by the silhouette.

“Apologies for being late - I didn’t wish to come,” Mycroft’s voice rang, as snobby as ever. It was such a him answer to give. You wish that you had thought of it. You were finding yourself wishing that you hadn’t come either, despite enjoying yourself a few moments prior, remembering why you and Sherlock had been friends in the first place. He walked around without greeting you, or even seeming to notice you - up until he sat across from you at the table. Whoever he might have been expecting to be sitting there, it wasn’t you, and for the first time, you saw surprise gleam across his eyes. And then - was that guilt? You could only hope so.

You were pleased to see that he had aged. That helped you a small bit. In your mind, he stayed in his early twenties, but here he was now, his hair thinning, hairline receding, wrinkles and all. It would have been better if he wasn’t still handsome despite this, but beggers can’t be choosers.

“Miss y/l/n,” Mycroft said, his voice raising as if he were asking a question more than a greeting. You decided not to respond, turning your head towards Sherlock, and bade him to continue, which he did without delay. Get him talking about a case and he can go on for hours. You attempted to enjoy your meal, all while trying your utmost not to look across from you but it was so damn hard. Seeing Mycroft hit you like a truck. It brought back all of those unpleasant memories.

--

You had walked into the restaurant, eager and ready. You thought that perhaps ... just maybe... this would be one of the best nights of your life. Mycroft, your partner, had admitted that he had been hiding something and was ready to come clean. You and your girl friends thought this meant that he was going to tell you that he loves you. You wore your best outfit, you had gotten your hair done, your make up was perfect. You were going to open your heart once he did and say those three words back.

You loved him, you loved him, you loved him. The way that he was so smooth. So debonair. So ambitious. He was going places. You were so proud of him for all of it. Every contact that he made, who he’d tell you about, getting excited like a child because he shook the hand of someone in parliament. He opened doors for you, he would ask you what you wanted at a restaurant and then order it for you, he’d send you flowers when you did well on an exam.

That wasn’t what it was at all. You were having your heart broken. Decimated. Crushed beyond recognition.

An experiment. For school. That’s what this whole thing had been. He’d been studying the psychology of romantic couples, and what better way was there to study than be a part of one himself? He proudly showed you the marks that he had gotten, the stacks of notes in case you wanted to read them over. He had only done a good job because he had a good partner. Well done. Cheerio. Claps all around.

You couldn’t breathe. You felt like you were drowning, you just wanted to flail, to kick, to pull yourself up into the air but you were also terrified of making a scene in the restaurant, of having everyone look at you and know immediately that you were nothing more than a grade, not good for anything else. Wasted time, wasted effort, wasted love.

“Excuse me,” You said, throwing your napkin down on your half-finished meal and you departed. You didn’t go to the bathroom, you walked home. All fourteen blocks. Your heels clicked and clacked against the London streets, and you hadn’t paid any attention to anyone who walked past you. You think, perhaps, someone had asked you if you were alright? But you weren’t. You just kept walking until your feet hurt, and then you took off your shoes, carried them in your hands, and kept on walking. You had dropped one. You got home with only one of them but you didn’t care. You dropped into your bed and stayed there for two full days.

Mycroft tried to call a couple of times. You kept the phone off the hook. He tried to call some of your friends, but after they had found out what had happened, they said such scathing things that he hadn’t dared to call again. A part of you was hoping that he would show up at your dorm, or at one of your classes and tell you that he knew he had made a mistake, but that was not something that a Holmes would ever do. As far as you knew, he had never showed up.

Time went on, life went on, but you never forgot the pain. You never forgot Mycroft. You tried to go on dates with other men, your friends setting you up, dating apps, people from work, but it never felt right. If they didn’t open the doors for you, or offer to order for you, it felt like you weren’t being treated quite right. If they did do those things, since there are still gentlemen left in the world, you couldn’t trust that there was some ulterior motive. That this was a study. A joke. Nothing ever got past a first date. A spinster by twenty-five.

--

You hated how much you looked at him while you were trying not to. Out of the corner of your eye, there he was. In the reflection of your knife. Of your wineglass. Every time that you heard his voice, you remembered the sweet nights, the old dates. The conversations that lasted for hours. You tried to focus on what Sherlock was saying, but it felt impossible. You were trying to overcome that feeling of drowning again. Trying to keep in control and not just walk out like you had the last time.

But when it came down to it, you were still just help in a study. Whether it was for school, or for a case, it was all the same.

When the waiter came around with the bill, you jumped at the chance to leave at an appropriate time. You went through your purse, dug out some notes, and put them onto the table. “Well, gentlemen, it has been a lovely evening.” Your voice was shaky, giving you away. You did your best to ignore that. Pretend it didn’t happen. Pretend a lot of this didn’t happen, for your own sake. “I’m glad you have been of help, and I hope all goes well.”

“So you do still love him,” Sherlock said, making all eyes at the table, including yours, turn to him. And then six were right back on you.

“P-pardon?” You asked, hoping you heard him incorrectly.

“You’re flushed, your palms are sweaty,” Sherlock started to list.

“It’s warm in here.”

“Your voice went higher once he came in-”

“Did not.”

“The complete and utter avoidance while you were still mirroring his movements,”

“We’re at a restaurant, everyone is eating here...”

“And you’ve been fidgeting for the past half hour,” Sherlock finished.

“How do you know I don’t just fidget all of the time?” You argued.

“Pardon, I forgot becoming defensive.”

You couldn’t take anymore. You finally looked right over to Mycroft. Stared into his blue-gray eyes. And then yours narrowed. “I’ll never forgive what you did to me, Mycroft Holmes. Not for any of it.”

And you stood up then. No one tried to stop you this time around. Sherlock didn’t have anything witty to say, or if he did, it blended in with the rest of the noise of the restaurant. You took your leave. You stepped out into the gloomy London evening, raised your arm and fetched yourself a cab. You got into it slowly, situating yourself, looking towards the door of the restaurant, hoping and also dreading that he might come out. That Mycroft is going to run out and apologize and grovel at your feet. No. He didn’t happen. So you gave your address to the patient cab driver and made your way home.

At least you had both shoes on this time.

[storyandseries16]

Detectives Love- Chapter 5

Pairing: Henry!Sherlock Holmes x Female!reader

Chapter summary: You and Sherlock go on a promanade together and have a conversation about love.

Quote: None

Your outfit (It doesn’t have to be this one, I just like it)

It had been a week since Enola had been missing and since Sherlock paid you that visit. In the beginning, you felt bad for yelling at him and thought that he would never want to speak to you again. You were wrong, the next day Sherlock sent you a letter asking if you would accompany him to lunch. You thought nothing of it and said yes. Today was the day you were expected to meet him. 

~

Currently, you Sherlock had just finished eating and were walking alongside one another in a garden. It was relevantly dark outside even though it was early. 

“Mr. Holmes, why are you so against getting married?” You asked, It had been something you thought about ever since he told you he didn’t want marriage.

He was silent for a moment before answering, “I don’t want an arranged marriage that is used solely to get money or land. I am quite happy with my life at the moment.”

You nodded slowly, then stopped. You were both on a beautiful bridge and the sun was setting quickly so it looked beautiful reflecting against the water, you put your hands on the rock railing of the bridge before asking him in again, “So you never wish to fall in love either?”

Sherlock looked at you, surprised that you would ask such a question. “Love is a distraction to my work. And I have seen love in my line of work ending utmostly horrible. It makes people do insane things.”

You turned to him, now only one hand on the railing and the other at your side, “I disagree, I don’t think you’ve seen love at all” Sherlock looked at you perplexed so you carried do, “I think what you have seen is an obsession, which is completely different. Obessiossion is not love. Love can be beautiful and pure.”

“I thought you said you were not a poet” Sherlock smiled, “though that is true, it does not change my first point.” He said a matter-of-factly

“I think that you aren’t worried about the work aspect of it, I think that you are scared” He looked at you shocked before shaking his head and saying, “Scared? I am not scared.” 

“Really? Because I think you are” You were growing tired of his stubbornness, you don’t know why you cared so much whether he wanted to marry or not, but you did, “You have never seen real love in your life have you? Therefore you don't know how to go about it, or how it feels, so you are scared”

“And you... you have been in love?” He asked silently hoping you weren’t. 

“No, I have not I have seen it though, from my parents, and my sisters. You, you have not seen it at all.”

“What makes you think that?” 

“Am I correct?”

“...yes, I suppose you are. Not about me being scared, about me never seeing love”

You both stared at one another, just looking into each other's eyes before he cleared his throat. 

“Well, I suppose I should get you home.”

“Yes, I suppose”

~

Weeks later and you and Sherlock would hang out more often. Sometimes even in private, you knew it was wrong to be alone with him but you were growing very fond of him. You knew if most men would be with you this often they would be courting you, and you did have some hope that he was courting you but you knew that it was a small chance considering he did not want to get married. 

One other thing had happened, they had found Enola and Mycroft sent her to finishing school, against her will. Currently, Sherlock told you that he was going to visit his sister. You were happy that he seemed to care for her and that unfortunately made you grow even more enamored with him.

~

At the finishing school

“Sherlock, why are you here?” Enola asked still clearly upset. 

“I came to check on you. Is that so wrong?” He said and for once in his life, he was fidgeting

“Alright, what is the other thing? I can tell you want to ask me about something else.” Enola said 

“Alright, well, I was wondering how you would go about courting someone?”

[agirlandherquill]

Knock, knock! I'm here to ask you about your lovely work! Don't mind if I just...

Ruin's Reprisal

A Deal of Daggers

Between The Lies

Fables of Fate

The Light of Darkness

Thank you, have a lovely day!!!

thank you so much for asking!

now, where to start? well with the top of the list I suppose as logic dictates, and it's also the work that's the most completed (and by that I mean im editing the second draft, everything else is only draft 1, if that)

Ruin's Reprisal in simple terms is a homage to all the fantasy books I grew up reading, and the one's I've read whilst drafting - it's in essence one big heist, lots of questionable morals (on the second protagonist's part more than most, aka Fenley), and a journey from losing everything to finding a purpose again, and the truth, or at least that's the case for Edeva, the main protagonist of the story, now what else is there to say? hm, there's fights, there's violence, there's betrayals and broken hearts, and magic - my interpretation of it, at least, and it's also a story of rebellion against the upper classes and the monarchy - it's the first story I ever wanted to write, and now about four years on it's almost complete, it's undergone a couple complete rewrites but I'm so happy with where it is now

A Deal of Daggers - this was the first time I ever tried nanowrimo, about a year ago, and I wondered if writing 50k words of something was possible (turned out it was, I'd hit the 80k mark by the end of it) and I fell in love with the characters and decided to keep on working through Christmas, then I sort of got side-tracked with Ruin's Reprisal, so that draft is about halfway complete, but knowing me by the time I get around to revisiting it (hopefully around autumn time) I'll fall in love all over again - but to tell you about the story itself, rather than a fantasy story I wanted something a little different, something more perilous, something darker - so, I ended up with an ex-assassin hiding her secret life from the man she is forced to partner with on a royal quest of sorts - an assassination ordered by the King, to remove the Queen, and that story's the amalgamation of secrets, forbidden desires, and the dangers of a society overrun by the underworld of crime

Between The Lies - well, I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone in this one, and tell a story in many different ways - through the eyes of a camera, transcripts, and most importantly, a journal - the journal of a doctor whose job it is to understand why a man killed the Chancellor of the country, and with a strict regime bearing down upon her it becomes a struggle to hide a secret of her own - she is not who she says she is, and the patient, the man under her care, has her figured out all too well - so to sum it all up, their lives are in each other's hands, and there's only a few days until the explosive trial which decides how their stories end

Fables of Fate - this one's much simpler than the rest, I wanted to test myself and see if I could write a novella, and I ended up writing three, which were prequels to two of the main characters of Ruin's Reprisal, and the background story of another character that readers will get to meet in it's sequel novel

The Light of Darkness - it's a ghost story, after watching Lockwood and Co, and being incredibly inspired by both that and Sherlock Holmes, I wanted to create a story that combined the supernatural with mystery - and that started with Emmeline, the main character, and the ghost hunter, who stumbles across Barnaby, a deserter from the military, in the middle of a hunt for a being that holds a clue to the mystery that her life depends upon - if she does not solve it, she will die. The two band together, after she rescues Barnaby, and he does his best to aid her and protect her from threats far more real than she is used to - society

and that's it, some stories are more developed than most but one day I hope to get them all fully fledged into novels!

[sandcobangevent]

FlashBang Fic!

Written by: @whrys  With art by @aro-sherlockholmes

Sherlock Holmes is a strange man; I’ve known that since the first day I met him.

Forgetting that day is almost impossible. I was looking for someone to share a flat with since I had just come back from the war. Luckily, he was too. I was very happy I had found someone so quickly, and I hoped we would get along. I expected him to be a bit strange, yes. We all are. Maybe he put milk before cereal, or he had the most ungodly sleeping pattern. 

What I did not expect when I entered that room was Mr. Holmes on a treadmill, bleeding from the arm. He seemed completely nonchalant to both my presence and the wound currently leaking blood down his bicep. Our first conversation was mostly me trying to get to know him at the same time as I was trying to understand why he was bleeding and running on a treadmill. I found out relatively quickly that it was because he had cut himself and was measuring his adrenaline compared to his pain. I still could not understand why, and I was so confused I kind of stopped trying to get to know him, instead I tried to get out of there. This was too weird for me. 

But he suddenly got off the machine and went to a surgical sewing kit, and to my surprise, he started to sew the wound on his own arm shut. This is when my doctors’ instincts kicked in and I asked if I should sew it as I had been a doctor. He proceeded to tell me everything about my life, without me adding anything. 

He got it all. 

From the war to becoming a doctor, me getting blown up and my hurt leg, he even said I had PTSD, which even I did not think I had at the moment but have now accepted. He listed all his disorders, and then it was off to the flat. I was just dragged with him, not physically, but it felt like this could actually work, so I silenced whatever voice in my head that was unprepared or even scared, and I went off to 221A Baker Street. And after a mishap with the number of beds that were needed; the company believed we were a couple, and that we only needed one bed; we had rented 221B Baker Street.

After that it was us and Mariana, somehow running a company together. It went very well, actually. We got cases, and solved them, even though some of the more interesting cases for me, were completely lost on Sherlock. But after the last case we did, some rich guy exploiting his workers, it felt like some kind of Scooby Doo episode, he has been acting weird. 

I would like to say I’m not suspicious of people, and that I’m very trusting, but war does things to you. He has been gone more and more, and I thought it was a drug problem at first, some kind of relapse. But when he actually comes home, he seems fine. No noticeable symptoms or weird behavior. But he does do something weird, he asks questions. 

I didn’t think of it much at first, Sherlock likes knowing things. He asks about people things a lot since he has a hard time understanding them sometimes. I answer as best I can and he seems satisfied with them, if not a bit confused. But as of late, the questions have been getting more personal. 

“John”, first name, huh. “Have you dated before?” 

“What?“ This caught me off guard, as we had been sitting in silence for a while. “Um, yeah, I have. Why do you ask?” 

“No particular reason, just wanted to know. Research. Generally.” He was fidgeting with his phone, and I could see him thinking really hard about something. More than usual, that is. 

“Oh, okay.” 

“How many?” He asked. 

“Only a few. The normal amount, I guess.” 

“And how many is that?” I could hear him using the particular voice he uses when someone isn’t giving him the information he wants. 

“Four or five, I think. Many were in college, and not serious, so I don’t remember a lot.” He seemed bothered by that and typed something out on his phone. 

“And how…far, did you get with them?” I was not expecting that. Sherlock never asks about these things; he hates personal stuff. Me and Mariana have had small talk about our respective love lives, but when we do, Sherlock can be heard very audibly sighing. Something must have happened for him to ask about things that are this personal. 

“Wow, that’s very personal.” 

“It’s for research John. Just answer.” 

“Okay, okay. I guess, um, third… base. With a few of them. And the first ones I was with we just kissed.” 

He went silent again. I was doing anything short of literally just sinking through the floor to escape my embarrassment. He was typing again. “What are you researching?” I asked. 

“Relationships.” 

“Why?” 

“Watson, I have to go. I’m meeting a friend.” 

“Oh, okay.” 

And he stood up and went out the door. I was left wondering what the hell just happened. I was slightly confused at that time, but now that I’ve thought about it for a while, it seems weirder by the day.

Right now, I’m sitting on the couch in our apartment. I’m supposed to be editing the latest podcast episode, but it’s very hard when Sherlocks phone is buzzing constantly on the table. Not even my headphones can block it out. The ping sound that happens every time isn’t helping either. 

My eyes are automatically drawn to the phone every time it happens, and it is really messing up my flow. It pings again. I know I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help myself. I picked up the phone and read the text. I should at least know what all this ruckus is about. 

“OMG It sounds like you like John!!”

What. What does that mean. Who is this that Sherlock is talking to?

And what do they mean that he likes me? God, my mind is racing. What am I supposed to do with this? Should I talk to him about it? Will he be mad that I looked at his phone? I slowly put the phone back on the table after what feels like an hour. I guess I’ll just wait until he gets home and talk to him then. Wait, is he even away? His phone is here, would he leave without it? I look around the apartment and don’t immediately see him from where I’m sitting on the couch.

Well, I will definitely not be able to work now, so I just put my computer down and go on my phone. That doesn’t work for long, my thoughts are too fast. What should I do when he gets home? Or comes downstairs, if he already is home. Do I even like him back? Does he know if he likes me? 

The questions he asked the other day. That’s what they were about. He’s curious about my love life because he likes me. 

The door opened. 

I hear someone coming upstairs. 

My heart is beating through my chest. 

“Hello Watson.” 

“Hey Sherlock.” 

“Any luck with editing?” 

Am i supposed to take it up now? Immediately? “Eh, not really.” I say, trying to catch Sherlock eyes. He walked past me and sat in his chair when he walked in. “Sherlock, I want to talk about something.” 

“Yes, Watson, what is it?” 

Alright, here we go. I’m not sure what i want from this conversation, but Sherlock is very important to me, and I want to be honest with him. 

“You left your phone on the table. Someone was messaging you quite a lot.”

 “Oh,” he said, and I could see him looking for the phone, “I’m sorry if it disturbed you.” 

“Well, a bit, but I was wondering what they wanted? It seemed important.” 

“Probably nothing, or a case I don’t care that much about.” But I could see he was worried, or interested. Maybe both. He grabbed his phone from the table. 

“Oh, okay.” I say, and then silence. It was deafening. 

“John, did you read the texts?” 

Damn that detective ability of his. “Yes, I did. I’m sorry, Sherlock, I didn’t mean to. It was just on the screen and i happened to see it.” 

“That’s… okay, John. I guess you have questions.” 

“I do, you okay with answering some of them?” He’s taking this surprisingly well. 

“Yes.” Then we talk. With every question I ask, he seems to be more emotional. The person he was talking to was one of his friends, who he was asking some questions about relationships to. Just like me, although less personal. Turns out he has been worrying that he likes me but doesn’t want to do anything with me. 

“So, you thought you were broken somehow?” I asked carefully. 

“Well, from what I’ve heard, intimacy is a part of every relationship.” 

“Did you learn something?” 

“I did. Have you ever heard of asexuality, John?” 

“Yeah, in passing. So, that’s what you are?” 

“Yes, I believe so. Along with aromantic.” 

“But you think you like me, romantically?” 

“Yes, that is the problem, and why I was consulting with my friend.” 

“And have you come to a conclusion?” I ask, tilting my head to the side, watching Sherlock intently. 

“I believe so.” 

“Do share.” 

“Since I’ve concluded that I am aromantic, these feelings I have for you are different from romantic ones, but stronger than just platonic friends, I’d like to propose something. Wait. John, I forgot to ask how you feel about all of this. I have just sprung a lot of information on you. About me and us. I’m curious about how you feel about it.” 

“Sherlock, you are very special to me too. I’d like you to tell me the idea you have. It seems like it isn’t romantic feelings, which I don’t have either, but you are very important to me.” 

“Okay. You know I crave knowledge. In cases and in my personal life, but I’ve never craved knowledge about another human as much as I do about you. How would you feel… about being in a queerplatonic relationship? It’s not the same as a romantic one, there’s no intimacy and we won’t call each other boyfriends, but it will be special.” 

“Oh.” 

“It doesn’t matter that much, we don’t have to, I’m just happy I figured it out and that we talked about it.” 

At this point I am very overwhelmed with emotions, and I make my way over to Sherlock to look him directly in the eyes. “And what if I want it to matter? I like your proposal a lot. How would you like me to act in this relationship?” 

“I don’t want much to change. But maybe more physical affection? Not much, but hugging and holding hands are very appealing.” 

“I can do that,” At this point I’ve automatically taken his hands. “What a fantastic idea, Mr. Detective.” 

We stand there for a bit, just existing. 

Then Sherlock wants donuts, so we get ready to go get donuts. 

As we leave out the door, I can’t help but think ‘I’m so happy I get to be with this strange man’.

[springsteens]

15 questions and 15 mutuals

thank you so much for the tag, @gilliandersons 🤍

were you named after anyone?

my dad says the most beautiful girl he's ever known had my name and he met her in uni but I'm not sure if it's really how I got my name. when my parents were naming me, not many people liked it because it was an old and forgotten name (although it was used in one side of my family frequently back in the day, which I have found out not so long ago). two years after I was born, almost every girl had this name here lol my dad keeps saying I was a trendsetter

when was the last time you cried?

like two weeks ago when I found out my vacation trip for the summer that was supposed to be just my mum & I having a girl time is no longer going to happen because she decided to take her boyfriend with us, too... and I hate him 😔 and he hates me... 😐

do you have kids?

I'm 25 and getting my second Masters degree lol

do you use sarcasm a lot?

almost all the time and it's the reason why I don't vibe with certain type of people but I don't even care 🤷🏻‍♀️

what's the first thing you notice about people?

looks, clothes, the way they speak etc. not to judge who is rich or popular etc. because that's primitive but it says a lot about what kind of person I am dealing with. it says a lot about their background, even their parents' education. I feel like a little Sherlock Holmes then lol and funnily enough, I'm rarely wrong...

what's your eye color?

hazel brown (one eye is more brown, one is more green)

scary movies or happy endings?

both is good! I love creepy horrors about demons and witches etc. but I also love a happy ending (maybe not in a horror movie, though)...

any special talents?

I'm sort of a witch in denial because I kinda don't believe in this shit but it keeps happening to me and I find it funny when I see all those spiritual girls trying so hard with their unethical crystals and paraffin candles and here I am, not wanting this and not vibing with this but still receiving energy against my will

where were you born?

poland

what are your hobbies?

literature, cinema, music, the sims 4 (building and furnishing apartments the most!), some fashion and some history, some mythology

have any pets?

two cats 😊 my baby boys!

what sports do you play/have you played?

I wanted to play football when I was younger and by football I mean soccer just to be clear although saying soccer makes me angry because there's only one football ⚽

how tall are you?

1'69

favorite subject in school?

polish, english, history, culture class

dream job?

• nepo baby • modern day royal lady • mafia princess • 70s it girl • librarian in an old library that earns enough money to survive (as realistic as the ones above)

no pressure tags (and certainly not 15 people, do forgive me) — @violaobanion @violetwanderer @xbellaxcarolinax @melancholic--soull @the-makingsofgreatness @hellshee @caelys @depoteka @pierangelis @laurennbacall

[no-side-us]

Letters From Watson Liveblog - Apr. 18

The Copper Beeches, Part 3 of 3

In hindsight, it's kind of obvious that Alice is the prisoner. There's not really anyone else it could be, and I don't know why I just believed Mr. Rucastle when he said that she left for America.

I guess this story is another case of a young woman abused and controlled by her father. It's unfortunate how many of these sort of situations Sherlock had to deal with.

That's a smart way of doing things, more so when the parents are pretending to be sweet and smiley all the time. And I doubt he'd care either way, but I'm curious if little Edward knows that he has a sister locked in the attic.

I can't believe Alice was kept in such deplorable conditions. Honestly though, the main thing I noticed was the lack of any sort of place to use the bathroom. No mention of a toilet or anything, not even a bucket! That just makes it so much worse.

I don't see this ending well for good ol' Carlo the mastiff.

Terrible and gruesome.

Well, on the bright side Carlo got a real good bite out of Mr. Rucastle's throat before Watson had to shoot it, so at least in the end he got some revenge for his poor treatment.

I'm not sure how this scene is supposed to come off, but to me the fact Mrs. Toller mentions how the court should take all this makes her seem like she's out for nobody but herself. Especially with her saying that she was Miss Hunter's and Alice's "friend" despite not really doing anything to help either one.

And this was ultimately all about money, which is insane. I hate to imagine any of the real life scenarios Doyle was deriving these stories from, mainly because they probably didn't end happily with someone like Sherlock coming in to help.

"Worrying her" is an interesting way to phrase it. I feel like it hides a lot of what was most likely threats and abuse. I highly doubt she got brain-fever just from Mr. Rucastle bothering her about it from time to time.

Okay, so Mrs. Toller did help Alice escape, so I take back my words about her being only out for herself. Still, I feel like there must be something else she could have done in all that time Alice was imprisoned.

I'm amazed Mr. Rucastle survived. Amazed and disappointed. I'm also surprised that Mrs. Rucastle genuinely seems to love him. You'd think she was just here for Alice's money or something. But she has a kid with him, so I suppose that makes sense.

So everything for them just goes back to normal? Nobody got punished? Legally I mean. Keeping someone locked up against their will seems like a crime punishable by law. Or is the fact Alice was Mr. Rucastle's daughter mean that he got off scot-free?

Also, Mrs. Toller, despite helping Alice escape, just goes back to work for Mr. Rucastle? I can't imagine he's okay with that.

Good for them. It's a shame we didn't actually get to meet Alice or Mr. Fowler, but based on how devoted he was to her I think it's safe to say they'll be happy together.

I don't know what Watson's expectations are, especially since Holmes has only thought of Miss Hunter more as a sister than anything else.

Good for her, too. Sometimes I'm glad we don't see some characters again, cause it means the last note that we're left with is a happy one.

I have some few remaining questions.

Why was Mrs. Rucastle crying alone so much? Is her relationship with Mr. Rucastle really bad (which wouldn't be surprising) despite what Watson wrote earlier? Or was it actually just because her kid is shitty?

And about that kid, I don't know why but I'm very curious as to his thoughts about all this. I'm also sorry he won't have better parents.

And regarding Mr. Rucastle's plan: the impersonation didn't work, right? Cause Mr. Fowler still came back to the house for Alice despite Violet waving him away when she was pretending to be her.

Also, why didn't they fire Violet after they stopped having her pretend to be Alice? That seems like an easy way for someone to find out about her imprisonment. Although maybe they just genuinely needed someone to look after their kid.

Another also, but now that I think about it, if Sherlock weren't a part of this story Mr. Fowler would have still convinced Mrs. Toller to help Alice escape. The only difference would be that Mr. Rucastle wouldn't have gotten his throat torn out. So I guess Sherlock's appearance is justified.

Good story. I'm glad I read it.

No tease for the next one? Guess it'll be a surprise.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

[sercezgazety]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @zyrafowe-sny, thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

21 at this point (and I’m sure glad you’re not asking about older platforms because uhhhh. My FFN era was terrifying)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

257,205. Huh.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Welp, Re-Animator, currently. But the majority of my works is a result of a powerful The Owl House obsession, and I do have another TOH fic in the making. Star Trek, though it’s really odd how little Trek fic there is on my account – I guess that’s because most of my hyperfixation went into the papers I published on the franchise.

Terra Ignota my beloved, but the books are so incredibly well-written, I get scared whenever I want to write anything about those characters. Everything I do is going to suck in comparison (and the one fic I did write indeed sucks balls). I had some flings with Sonic (kek), Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and before that, Phineas and Ferb. In the pre-AO3 era, The Penguins of Madagscar (a fic after which I stopped writing for almost a decade), Discworld, Kick-Ass (my first English-language fic; what a trainwreck), Invader Zim, Storm Hawks (oh boy), Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Sherlock Holmes (the original, ACD one), Teen Titans, and some insane amounts of insanely bad, angsty Xiaolin Showdown fics with insane ships and insanely bad characterization. Look, I was 15. I’m pretty sure there was even more, and I can only be grateful that I don’t remember.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Oddly enough, Inhale, Hold, Exhale with over 1,1k, even though it was just an ultimate traumadump. Then, A Silver Platter (992), A Comparative Study in Redemption Arcs (789), The Matter at Hand (778), and The Deal (718).

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

I do! First, they make me happy and I’m grateful for them. But it’s also just a polite thing to do, and honestly? when I want to comment under a fic and I see OP doesn’t respond to comments, sometimes I shrug and decide kudos will suffice (not proud of myself for doing that, but oh well).

There were some comments I left unanswered, but those were from people I know IRL and I answered them somewhere else, or they were hate comments. Aaaand some comments I left unanswered back when I didn’t know it was possible to answer on AO3, and now answering them would be too awkward.

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

I write almost exclusively angst, so it’s more of a question about the specific flavor. I guess the biggest number of characters suffer miserably in a very mundane way in A Potter’s Field. In The Deal, the main character suffers in a very mundane way to such an extent, he willingly chooses to be possessed just to feel useful, so there’s that. Both stories have been bookmarked by people with notes such as “jesus fucking christ dude” or just “JESUS CHRIST,” and thus, I consider my mission accomplished and people's days ruined.

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

The Red Crayon. Even I couldn’t write angst about Doofenshmirtz and Perry the Platypus. Like, come on.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

YEAH BABEY. And I don’t mean the ‘I liked the fic, but there’s this thing I disagree with’ kind of comments, I mean the ‘this fic is terrible, have you ever watched the show?’ type of comments. The first time I got one like this, I was crying hysterically for two days.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not sure? This year, I did write some sex scenes or almost-sex-scenes, but the thing is, they were about everything but sex. And one of them was very, very awkward.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nnnope, and I hate those. But at one point, when I was very much into French Revolution, I had some grand plans for a Doctor Who fanfic in which Ten would meet Robespierre and realize he was a good guy.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t think so? I had my fanart and my photos stolen, yeah, but not fanfic.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, though there was one person who asked if they could do that (I think they lost interest/didn’t have the time).

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

Yeah, back in middle school me and my friend ran a blog nobody read, and it was about two Discworld OCs. It was horrible.

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

Spones (Spock/Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy). I will go down with it. I’m married to it. I’ve been happily married to it for half of my lifetime (and the entirety of my adult life).

I like other ships in other fandoms, especially the ones with a similar dynamic. Spones, though, is the archetype.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

A Star Trek fic about Spock being unable to fully process the death of his pet sehlat, and that fact influencing his approach to animals in the years to come. I’m quite happy with what I have – for instance, there are five pages of Spock and McCoy arguing over the factors that make animals cute, with Spock being super scientific and judgemental, and McCoy having a gotcha! moment when Spock says axolotls are not cute.

I started writing it when I learned about my beloved cat’s diabetis. Then he died, I had a massive depressive episode, and now it’s been almost two years and I still cry because I miss him and he deserved so much better. And perhaps I would be able to finish the fic, given that half of my fics are traumadumps anyway, but I have no idea how this thing is even supposed to end.

16. What are your writing strengths?

POV and characters not knowing things that the audience knows

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Getting to the point. Or, like, having any point.

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

Erm. Everything I write is in another language. English is not my native language, I never had private lessons, I still don’t understand how the tenses or the punctuation work. But in case of Luz and Camila, I do tend to use Spanish words or expressions from time to time.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Okay, so back when I was 7, I had no idea fanfic existed or that you could just use the names and locations somebody else created, so I was writing stuff that was very much the terf-created wizard boy and very much Lord of the Rings, but like. With different names. The headmaster of the magical school was named fucking Ambli Dimbli. The first fanfic that I knew that was a fanfic, though, was for Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

The Matter at Hand. It’s not my most popular fic, it doesn’t have my favorite TOH character in it, but it’s about politics and scapegoating, and it has puns in it. And I’m really proud of how everyone in this story sucks. I like it when characters suck.

[queen-susans-revenge]

Writer 20 Questions

seen via @findswoman!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

58

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

177,314

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Dragon Age, fairy tale retellings, and one fic each for Sherlock Holmes and Batman

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

so Fade to Black and Fade to Black and Back, my two multi-chapter smut series for Star Wars Rebels, are I guess going to be my enduring fandom legacy lol. 637 kudos for the first and 452 for the second.

After that it's...more smut, but Talk About It is Dragon Age smut, and I guess my most popular stand-alone story at 399 kudos.

Then it's back to Star Wars Rebels, but Wedding Dance (377 kudos) is a gen fic, so that's my most popular non-smut piece. Braided at 320 kudos is another explicit one.

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

I always mean to, but sometimes when a bunch come in at once I get overwhelmed. I try and go back and respond to unanswered comments every time I revisit an old fic. Just this week I answered a couple that were seven years old *wince*. It's never too late, right?

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

That's Scenes From Rivendell, no question. I can still make myself cry re-reading that fic. Poor Celebcarch.

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

Most of them have happy endings really, but I'll say the happiest is Marriage of Convenience, because it was written to provide a happy ending for Alistair and Anora--and that's a pairing that only arises out of some pretty grief-laden circumstances in Dragon Age: Origins. So that's the fic that takes something sad and makes it better.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

A couple times people have tried to chide me for writing smut, which is like ??? Did you not see ALL the warnings? My sister what were you even doing at the devil's sacrament?

9. Do you write smut?

I doooooo. Yes I do. I don't feel even a little bit bad about it, either.

Sex is important! It's one of the most intense, emotion-rich experiences in life! Especially in a love story--there is nothing that will tell you more about the dynamic between two people than showing how they have sex. And the smut is the part that's usually left out in mainstream media, so it's the big "missing piece" that I am often drawn to want to fill in, creatively.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I haven't, but it would be a fun challenge.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes and it's the best feeling every time. Same for getting podfic made of my stories, or fanart. Just the best.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

No, but from rp experiences, I think collabs are absolutely the way to go if possible. It just gets lonely writing on your own, and having a partner keeps the energy up.

14. What‘s your all-time favorite ship?

Space pirate OCs. But excluding my own characters... man, I've had poor luck with my ships, honestly. Looking back through the characters I was really passionate about, canon screwed me one way or another on all of them. I loved Mulder/Scully, Xena/Gabrielle, and Kanan/Hera, and all of their shows went off the rails at the end, so I think about them all with a tinge of sadness now.

It's better to love your own characters, because then at least when you make awful things happen to them, it doesn't come as a surprise.

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

My only current WIP is a kid's book, and I hope I do finish it!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialog, and also there's a sort of lyrical register that I can shift into pretty easily (it's a trick I often use for endings).

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Oh, self-indulgence. Things like writing about Kanan's seaglass eyes, or people "growling" their dialog. Cheese, basically. I don't rein myself in too much for fanfic, but in original writing I have to be strict with edits because if I don't force myself to stay spare and restrained, I'm probably getting cheesy with it.

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

Tricksy, very tricksy! It's certainly not something you can just hand off to Google Translate. I personally wouldn't do it unless I had some first hand experience with the language, or could consult with native speakers.

Funny story on that, for the space pirate novel, I had a bit where I needed an automated warning looping in various languages. The English was "Warning! Please evacuate the building!"

I asked my Russian friend to give me a translation, and he said I'd need to do some cultural translation first, because the Russian "would be a lot more direct. And they wouldn't say 'please.'" So he gave me Vnimaniye! Vyhodi zdaniye! which apparently translates more directly to "Attention! Exit building."

That's the kind of thing Google Translate can't do for you.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

X-Files. This was Usenet days. Alt.tv.x-files. Many many memories. At one point there was a spinoff group so we could roleplay, but not roleplay being in the show, exactly. Just like all living in a town. It was almost a proto-Tumblr.

I miss Usenet.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

It might be The Last of the Rebel Angels: that one's not the best, I don't think, but it's the weirdest and most ambitious. I had something to say, and even if I only managed to sketch it out or gesture at it, there's still a really tender place in my heart for that fic.

Any fic writers who'd like to fill out the questions, please consider yourselves tagged!

[hechiima]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thought this would be fun with the end of the year!

1. How many works do you have on A03?

31.

2. What's your total A03 word count?

398,723. I'm really proud of this number tbh; never thought I'd write this much. Was hoping to hit 400k by the end of 2023 but I don't think that's gonna happen. Here's to hoping I hit half a million by this time next year!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

AA/DGS

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

You Ever Been In Love?

Things Are As They Are

On the Morality of Birds

Awkward Business

The View from the Gallery

No DGS fics. I know its a smaller fandom so it makes sense but still. 🥲 Also I swear I'll finish Awkward Business someday I'm just. So deep into Sherlock Holmes/DGS hell atm. ;A;

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

I never do unless it's a specific question. I used to but then I got overwhelmed/I never knew what to say so I just stopped. That said, I read all of them and they really mean a ton to me!!!

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

Prob Running Late or Shoulder Pain. I'm not really good with angsty endings so I usually only keep it angsty in the shorter fics lmao.

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

Lololol I think most of my fics have happy endings so that's a hard one.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope! Thankfully, I think the hate on fics trend has died down a lot since the ff.net days.

9. Do you write smut?

Hell yeah. Please read my smut I'm so proud of it. I'm also on a quest to boost the hmmk smut tag on ao3 so if y'all have any smut you wanna see for them lmk.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope. My dream fic of a holmesverse crossover will happen someday though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Thankfully no.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I've had a few translated to Russian and Chinese. Honestly it's insanely flattering when ppl ask to translate a fic like ough you liked my story so much you wanted to share it with others who don't speak English? It's so sweet. ;A;

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

Okay so Mango and Krissey and I started an amazing pirate AU and l adore it. And someday. We will finish it. I believe in us. I'd love to co-write a fic tho so if anyone's interested please hmu I think it'd be so so fun.

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

Ugh. Johnlock/Hmmk or Nrmt have to be like. The only ships that made me insane enough to write multiple fics over so it's def them. I love insanely codependant relationships.

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

There's so many. But off the top of my head, I have a fantasy AU that Beau and I came up with that I still love a ton (Finding You) and want to finish and a Edgeworth ends up in a Gregory lives AU (In Another Life) that I'm not sure if I'll ever finish. The former is just so much work and the latter I've kinda lost the plot thread so. Ough. Sorry.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

aksfjjalsjflsjf everything else LMAO. That's why we practice!

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

I don't love doing it? I've done it like once for a fic where language was important but other than that I try to avoid doing it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

....hetalia..........it was the only other fandom i wrote for before AA. This was like in 2009/2010 tho I know better now but those fics ARE still up on fanfiction.net (: It sucks b/c sometimes I wanna compare my old writing to my current writing but I'm like ough. I cannot read these old fics.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I'd have to say A Study In Gold. I genuinely love that one so much. Thinking about hmmk early days makes me insane. I also really liked On the Morality of Birds b/c it was just such a supremely stupid fic.

@anyone who sees this and writes fic please feel free to do it! I'd love to see others talk about their fics <3

[lordgrimwing]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @zannolin. Not tagging anyone but never let that stop you from doing something.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

98 (100 by early next week. the wonders of posting two short stories a week)

2. What's your total A03 word count?

274,925 (over 100,000 from works posted this year. Again, the wonders of posting two little things every week)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The exhaustive list (but only what I've posted to public places), in no particular order

The Transformers

Brave Police (Mostly just a beta reader on that one, though)

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Star Trek/Enterprise

The Expanse

Inheritance Cycle

Torchwood

Rowland Sinclair Series (by Sulari Gentill - yes, I will encourage you to read/listen to the series! Also, the smallest fandom for which I write, ie. I created the tags and it's basically mine to control. Gosh, I should really finish my current WIP so the characters don't feel abandoned.)

Redwall (technically, the only things I've posted in a podfic of someone else's story)

Sherlock Holms

Temeraire

Detroit: Become Human

Beyonders (Another WIP I should finish so I can once again say I own more than 10% of the fandom)

Rings of Power (I'll separate it from the works that Tolkien was actually involved in)

Lord of the Rings/The Silmarillion (the source of the 2 stories per week)

-I sure hope that's everything-

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

In order of greatest to least

It Started With A Fever (Detroit: Become Human)

Interruptions (Transformers)

Checking Samples In Real Time (Detroit: Become Human)

Dawson's Christiana (Temeraire)

Scavenging More Than Parts (Transformers)

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

I respond to every comment. Why? Because I like it when authors respond to my comments and I want readers to know that I see and appreciate that they not only took time to read my story but also to say something kind about it.

Admittedly, I am sometimes very late to responding when I'm busy or the comment left me very flustered (because how do I adequately convey how wonderful the reader made me feel?)

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

Probably, It Started With A Fever. It's a sickfic and the sick character isn't better by the end but there is a plan for diagnostic testing and treatment. So, more open ending than angsty.

Actually, I looked back and realized that Spy in the DMD (Transformers) is angsty because readers don't know what will happen to the characters at the end (live? die? etc). Yeah, so that's probably my angstiest ending.

Though now that I'm thinking about it, Negligence (Silmarillion) is also a but angsty and certainly more likely to actually get people to have feeling over the characters and want a good ending than Spy in the DMD.

Okay, okay, I'll stop thinking about it and just move on (but Dawson's Christiana is--)

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

Home (Inheritance). Ok also a little angsty, but the entire purpose is saving a character who died in canon and at the end he finally gets to go home with his best friend, even if he isn't totally healed from everything.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope. Most I've had is someone taking the time to comment about how they disagree with the premise of a story/how I interpreted why the directors/designers of a TV show did what they did.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Awkward smut? Like, I've only written it a little so it's probably still pretty clunky for people to read.

But in all seriousness, I write enthusiastically consensual slash and het smut. Basically, I want everyone to be happy and have a good time while I use them as writing guinea pigs. I'm sure that the more I write, the more I'll branch out into trying various things.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I have not written a crossover (beyond crossovers between various series/universes in the Transformers franchise. Does that count? Like, it's canonically established that that's a thing that can happen).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope (when your writing is only so-so, you fly under a lot of radars)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope again (see above)

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

I am a co-author on two stories (Transformers and Brave Police). For both of those, I was mostly just a beta reader but I did end up writing 2 chapters for the Transformers story when the author wanted a different POV (most of the story was first person and then I did more of an omnipresent third person).

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

Across all fandoms? That's actually very hard. I'm not a huge ship person, like, let everyone be with whoever they want to be with. BUT, if we're going based on ships I've written and that I enjoy writing, Celebrían x [loving and devoted person, usually Elrond] is pretty high up there (Silmarillion). It's good soup.

But also, Carn x consequences of his actions and pinning for Roran is near and dear to my heart (Inheritance).

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

The sequel to It Started With A Fever. I would love to explore how my medical and scientific training could fit with android diagnostics/medicine, and you know I love me some good angst and hurt/comfort with a happy ending. However, I just don't really see it happening because of how much work it will require and the fact that I'm not even reading fics in that fandom now and have my writing time filled to bursting with LOTR/Silm stuff.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm reasonably good with grammar? Like, I passed all my English courses and writing classes? I write what I want to read so at least one (1) person enjoys it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I spend too much time working out exactly how I want to say something and end up not actually writing very much. I'm not very confidence with figurative language, so my writing tends to be quite straightforward and literal (which isn't bad, but I WANT to use more figurative language). Editing, my nemesis.

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

I'm not opposed to it and I've seen it done very well with non-sense languages from Transformers. If someone does it, I prefer that the narration indicates at least the general idea/mood of what was said so that I don't have to translate it. Also, it feels clunky when the author just writes the direct translation after what is said (if it's important enough that you want the readers to know exactly what is said, why are you using a different language in the first place?).

So, that's my two cents.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Publicly? Transformers.

But way back in the distant years of my youth, before I knew what fanfiction was, I did a lot of fanfiction and story planning for Redwall.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I am very proud of It Started With A Fever. I put a lot of time into writing the story and even worked with a wonderful beta reader. In the end, I think it really improved my capacity as an author.

On the other hand, I love Home because I SAVED CARN!!! My sweet, pathetic little spellcaster who gave it his best and had a death that was at both times thematically appropriate and sadder the longer I thought about it. *gently hugs him so he doesn't break before passing him back to Katrina and Roran*