#mystrade analysis

[casebasket]

The Mystrade Treatise

I am long, long out of the Sherlock fandom, but I still have a soft spot for mystrade after ~ 7 odd years (the only thing I really cared about in the show), so when a friend asked about mystrade I hit them with a spontaneous 2000 word block of text. I thought I’d share it as an homage to the still quietly existing community of mystrade shippers out there. Basically, in this essay I will argue for my interpretation of how the BBC TV show Sherlock (2012) establishes an implied relationship between Mycroft, (The Government) and Lestrade (The Force) in the subtext. This analysis will be broken down to two parts: 1) show chronology / their history and 2) their compatibility, which can be further split into 2a) personalities and 2b) external circumstances. 

(The beginning is the only formal(ish) part of - I’m calling it a treatise -, the rest of the piece is written in “I typed it all in messenger app” style. This all came out off the top of my head, so if you think I’m missing something I’m open to the callout)

TL;DR: I’m still mystrade trash and I’m pulling the receipts on mystrade canon

1) Their history - it's clear they know each other and are in communication with each other since the very beginning - and very likely even before - the events of the show. Just a show tidbit, the ending of the pilot episode has Lestrade watch John and Sherlock walk away happily staring into each other's eyes and tell Donovan about their potential as partners, whereas the actual first episode replaces him with Mycroft talking to his assistant Anthea, which shows their character parallels. In one aspect, their role as "aggravated older guardian" is a shared one and one that - rationally, but in fanon - allows them to commiserate with other another. Also, Mycroft kidnaps John in his very first day of him meeting Sherlock, so reasonable to conclude he did the same to Lestrade, so they've clearly met. And, I believe it's canon that Lestrade helped Sherlock with his drug problem, so he's clearly run into Mycroft, whether it's because his brother's OD'd or found with possession or whatever whatever. The possibilities are endless.

We have hints of them knowing each other throughout the show - in season 2 episode 2 the Hound of Baskerville (I am surprised and appalled I know this off by heart instead of more important things), the duo meets Lestrade in a tavern where he's clearly back from holiday and when Sherlock eggs him by basically calling him Mycroft's lackey, he, aggrieved, says "I don't just do what your brother tells me", which is a line I still unfortunately remember over 5 years later, and that is the first precedent set in canon that they clearly communicate. We can interpret this line, given the circumstances, that Mycroft asked him to cut his vacation short to go check up on his brother, and Lestrade, being whipped, was like fine.

This is mere speculation, but in that mini episode, Many Happy Returns, Lestrade is listening to Anderson go on about his conspiracy theories on how Sherlock is still alive, and at the end of it he passes a newspaper article about Sherlock, and he smiles at it like he KNOWS he's still alive somewhere even though he just walked out calling Anderson on his bullshit and dismissing his theories, and I like to interpret that as Mycroft told him Sherlock's still alive. Plus, when Sherlock greets him after his two year absence, the way Lestrade reacts is less “am I seeing a ghost because you’re supposed to be dead” and more “you’re finally back I already know you were alive because my boyfriend Mycroft told me”. 

The first time we see them in frame together (in the mystrade community this is famously known as the 29 frames moment because they only showed up for - 29 frames, like 2 seconds) was in season 3 episode 3, where Sherlock goes missing and everyone looks for him in the hidey holes they know of. Lestrade is seen in Mycroft's office while Mycroft tells him about potential hiding spots. Honestly he did look hella dismissive and rude but you know what? Everyone was stressed. But this shows not only is Lestrade trusted in his secret government offices - and likely this was the secret one because it looked like a cellar - but he trusts Lestrade implicitly. When Sherlock is about to leave on a plane, Lestrade's in a pub watching the TV screen when Moriarty's face is all over it and the very next scene we see Mycroft on the phone with someone getting the news that this was happening. Coincidence? I think NOT - Lestrade called up Mycroft and told him, CANON.

And then there's the Christmas special or whatever it was, about the abominable bride, and yes, this one is set in Sherlock's drug fevered mind, but that only means that, in Sherlock's mind, he sees the two of them as a set (Sherlock ships it confirmed lol). During the whole episode when we see the canon versions of Mycroft and Lestrade they are together as a unit. When John leaves him, Sherlock's mind goes to the most reliable thing in his life to help him, which is his brother (and his brother's boyfriend) and his friend Lestrade to help him, together. Sherlock asks the two of them to help him dig up a body and they share a Look, which is clearly Mycroft's way of asking Lestrade to do the dirty work of actually digging and Lestrade resignedly concedes because there is no other way to analyse the Look, and in the next scene we see Sherlock and Lestrade digging in a grave while Mycroft holds up a lantern because Mycroft doesn't like legwork and Lestrade, clearly his boyfriend in Sherlock's mind, understands this and is willing to accommodate.

And then we have the whole of S4, or as I like to call it, Johnlock hell but mystrade victories!, because in s4e1 when Mary is shot in the aquarium, the first person they look at is each other, indicating they take some level of comfort or seek it out from one another in a room full of other people, also the two of them arrived together so they clearly coordinated, also when the gun was lifted Mycroft looks shocked and steps back a bit while Lestrade moves forward in a “ready to step in” protective gesture, and this all happened in the same frame, and there are gifsets of this happening, and everyone was quietly screaming (Johnlockers in pain, mystrade shippers in "look at them sharing a frame together look at these scraps we're getting"). In the second ep we don't see them together but we do see Mycroft getting hit on by Lady Smallwood and he looks hella uncomfortable about it, while Lestrade is talking with another detective and Sherlock shoots him down telling him she's not the one (because clearly we all know who is the one and Sherlock knows it's his brother).

Oh yeah also jumping back to S3, Mycroft is saying no one can match him and he sees everyone as goldfish but Sherlock is like oh really and was lowkey concerned about him and that's how the mystrade fandom got this whole goldfish thing and it's adorable (special shout out to duchessclovery ‘s masterful fanvid romcom series A Fish Called Greg), and in the wedding ep Sherlock calls Mycroft to attend the wedding but he refuses, and Sherlock says "specter in the feast" to entice him and I like to interpret that as him lowkey jabbing him with a *in*spector in the feast because Lestrade was there looking tired and lonely throughout the whole ep lmaaaaaaaaaaaaao.

Anyway back to S4E2, Mycroft is getting hit on, Lestrade is the most tired we've ever seen him, Sherlock is trying to waive off Lestrade's suitors to save him for his brother. Why is Lestrade so tired? Yes, he's questioning a suspect or something, but also! maybe it's related to his love interest getting hit on, who knows???? And lastly, the last ep of S4, the golden era of mystrade, at the very end of the episode after we've seen Mycroft at his most vulnerable, Sherlock asks Lestrade to "take care of him (Mycroft). he's not as strong as he seems". This was an explicit request by Sherlock, addressing Lestrade correctly for the first time, to take care of his brother, and Lestrade says yes. Of course I will. S4 ended with the promise of the him taking care of Mycroft and honestly I don't care about the entire episode except that part

 2)    A: their personalities: so, Mycroft, as his colleagues know him, is ~ the ice man ~. He's hard to know, even harder and more stubborn and isolated than his brother, and on top of that he's like, contractually obligated under his top secret government job to not be known. That makes him, and this is canon as Sherlock discussed his loneliness with him in S3, even more lonely than his brother, and probably, as much as he likes to think himself more accommodating than his brother and he can definitely pretend for the sake of appearances, more difficult to deal with than Sherlock if he really sets his mind to it. But he's not a complete block of ice - after all, ice can melt - and he has soft spots for his family, esp. his unruly little brother, and by extension (maybe more necessity than real care, but still) the people his brother affiliates with. Because Sherlock is so tricky to deal with, I believe he has a soft spot for people who share that softness for his spiky sibling, and no one cares for Sherlock as he does except for Mrs Hudson, John, and Lestrade. Lestrade's done it for even longer than John, and in the show plays a somewhat paternal figure to Sherlock despite him causing him even more stress sometimes than solving cases for him would relieve. Lestrade is shown to drop everything to help Sherlock when he needs it, and is considered one of his best friends when Moriarty put a sniper on each of Sherlock's closest acquaintances (Lestrade was a target). Lestrade always saw the good in Sherlock despite everything, and believed he could be great. Very few sees the same potential, or shows that level of kindness for - lets be honest here - someone we would want to kick in real life. Lestrade's kindness and patience, enough to deal with Sherlock, surely can be extended to involve Mycroft, as Mycroft's protectiveness extends somewhat to Sherlock's friends.

And this is not a one way street of just Lestrade being kind and accepting. The people Sherlock surrounds himself with appear dull, and have "normal" lives, but secretly either have a florid past (Mrs Hudson) (and her present with the race car and her quick thinking when the flat gets ransacked) and/or crave adventure and danger and intrigue (John) (Molly). Lestrade is the probably the same. He seems aggravated by Sherlock but still like him a whole lot and truly care for him, and you don't go into policing if not for some kind of excitement. He has a failed marriage with his wife who boringly cheated on him with a PE teacher, like how predictable and cliche, and they broke up. Lestrade is loyal, and he wants to fix things, but in the end it doesn't work out. The show doesn't really tell us why, but given what we know of his work and his habits, he probably spends way too much time on the job and in part, neglected his home life. That isn't to say the cheating his wife did can be condoned, nor was it justified, but it does tell us that Lestrade is a workaholic who craves excitement and adventure which explains his attachment to Sherlock. Who else can match that with him in a relationship? Another workaholic who surrounds himself in government intrigue and MI6 bullshit cloak and daggers who also share a soft spot for the most annoying detective consultant, of course!!! For all we know from the show, Mycroft is Lestrade's one constant relationship outside of work. Their common interest is keeping their shared loved ones safe. Beyond that, even though Mycroft feels bored by everyone because "no one is as smart as i, hohoho", Sherlock used to be the same but he found John. We see Lestrade able to hold his own against Sherlock sometimes too, and he is a detective inspector, so as much as Sherlock likes to call him dumb we know that Lestrade's actually pretty smart. If he can hold up his own against Sherlock, he can hold up his own against Mycroft. Mycroft needs someone with the patience to go through all his bullshit, and Lestrade needs someone smart and interesting and protective, because as a protector himself sometimes you forget you need someone to protect you in turn. And that is basically their whole thing - two fierce guardians, trying to protect the world, finding they also need protection, and finding it in each other (end of season 4). Also there's this scene where Lestrade is sitting by his desk with his feet propped up while he eats a donut and says "not my division" which looks exactly like this scene where Mycroft is sitting by his desk with his feet propped up looking smug, or as the mystrade shippers like to call it, "boyfriends picking up each other's behaviours". Essentially, the johnlock relationship sort of parallels the mystrade relationship in that we have a smartass, spiky, secretly vulnerable one paired with a badass, patient, relatively more sunny one. But more mature. And also preferable. The two of them share some kind of relationship that has reached the point of nonverbal understanding, as we can see in their quiet glances towards each other during the few times we see them on screen together, that requires a level of trust and time. 

2)     B: compatibility in external circumstances - this is a short one, it's mostly that they're both workaholics who needs someone to understand their unpredictable work schedules, and also how minimal their social life can get being a) married to work and b) work can be classified and you can't tell anyone about your case files / government coverups. No one could understand the need for secrecy and getting up in the middle of the night for a case/subterfuge than Mycroft and Lestrade, as their career roles work in tangent with each other. And they share (1) chaotic child between the two of them, so they just. get it when one receives a call telling them to fish this loud annoying bitey man child out of the Thames. Their jobs get in the way of establishing close relationships, so who better to relate to than another who live the same kind of life and can understand?

[jaybeefoxy]

This is it, this is Mystrade.

Re: Mycroft saying please. When powerful men beg it is hotter than the sun.

There’s a lot of reasons I fell for Mystrade. 

I like how their differences match up as tight as jigsaw pieces. Openhearted bravery, and emotionless logic; a man who clearly once owned a motorbike, and a man who takes time each morning to match his pocket handkerchief to his suit. Mycroft delegates; Greg rolls his sleeves up. 

Mycroft is, in a word, difficult. Greg is easy. 

I like the emotional quality of the things they share - a certain weariness, a touch of impatience, a force of will. 

And I really like that when you put them together, it’s not at all obvious who’s coming out on top.

In every sense of the phrase.

These two are decisive, intelligent, successful men - committed professionals, used to being listened to, used to a certain level of respect.

I fucking love that.

It reminds me of the whole reason I fell so hard for slash fiction. 

A romance between two heroes? Yes please. I don’t want to read about one heroic bell-end and a suitably accommodating love interest, who’s only there to reflect back at him how heroic he is. I want to read about two people, who both deserve my adoration as a reader, and the things that they do together. 

I like reading about characters who have weaknesses and cracks and flaws, but are strong enough to do something about it - and strong enough to look out for someone else on the way.

I love reading stuff where two men manage to fall in love while remaining as the men they were. Slash couples shouldn’t be crammed into some creepy “I’ll be The Man, you be The Woman” parody of that heterosexual fairytale we’re all so forcefully told is the only possible True Love.

It’s not. 

And Mystrade is so awesome for illustrating that. 

Isn’t it fascinating that Established Relationship stories are so easy and plentiful in our pairing? Because we all know it works so well. 

All those “I had a terrible day at the office” stories work because that’s the kind of thing two real, rounded people do in an actual relationship. 

Here’s the thing. 

Mycroft and Greg, as characters, both contain a huge amount of strength and weakness. Mycroft in particular runs the full gamut from “I am the power of the British nation” to “oh shit, I absolutely cannot cope”. 

And yeah… I like it when he begs.

Because that’s the utter joy of most slash pairings. Two decisive, intelligent, successful people who can occupy the entirety of the emotional scale in their own right - from way up on high, “I’ve got this, we’re going to be okay,” all the way down to, “I need you to help me, I am not okay”. They can occupy that scale around each other, transform each other, drag each other up from the dirt - kicking and screaming if necessary. But there’s movement. There’s dynamism.

And that’s really sexy.

And it means more to us as readers. 

That’s all of our lives, right? One day you’re leading the front line attack. The next you’re curled in a ball somewhere. We’ve all done it. And we���ve all known what it feels like when someone reaches down for you and says, “I’m strong today - because yesterday, you dragged me up here. Now you’re down there. So get a hold of my hand.”

I like when powerful men beg because there’s not actually any such thing as a powerful man.

Society has tried convincing us of it for years, and it’s not true. We’re constantly fed these Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows and cultural myths about supposedly Powerful Men who blow up the helicopter, get the girl and save the day.

It’s unrealistic. It’s boring. 

It doesn’t mean anything to us. 

I’d much rather have the story about two blokes who try their hardest, feel like shit sometimes but don’t give in, get hold of each other, and together become more than the sum of their parts.

Who wouldn’t rather have that?

So yes, he’s The British Government - and yes, he can have people dragged off into limousines - and sure, he could probably have the whole world moved an inch to the left if he wanted…

But now and then, he needs somebody to say, “I know you’re not alright. Just show me that you’re weak, and I’ll give you my strength.”

That gives me shivers.

That’s why I like it when Mycroft says ‘please’.

[timebigbangatomichindi]

अनसुल्झे रहसय | 5 Most Unsolved Mysteries Analysis the greatest Unsolved...

[onthecrosslook]

A Comprehensive Guide to Sherlockian Abbreviations

It has come to my attention that some of you poor lads have no idea what us Sherlockians are referring to.

So, I’m going to do my best to explain! I’ll start simple, so don’t worry.

~

Johnlock: A fictional ship between John Watson and Sherlock Holmes. If you don’t know what this is, I don’t know if I can help you.

Mystrade: A fictional ship between Mycroft Holmes and Greg Lestrade. Even though, well, they’ve barely shared a single scene together.

Adlock: A fictional ship between Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes. Irene is canonically a lesbian, but you do you, I suppose.

Sheriarty: A fictional ship between Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty. Referenced in TEH as a possible canon solution to Sherlock’s faked death. Also known as ‘Jimlock’.

Sherlolly: A fictional ship between Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper. She’s honestly way too good for him.

Warstan: A (sadly) canonical ship between John Watson and Mary Morstan. It’s…okay at the best of times. Dunno what Moftiss was thinking. Also, the ship name is quite awful.

Moftiss: An amalgamation of the names Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. Used to refer to the writers of BBC Sherlock in unison.

Sherlock Meta: A theory based on careful analysis of an episode/scene of BBC Sherlock. Fan-made.

TJLC: The Johnlock Conspiracy. It’s a giant conspiracy theory involving thousands of metas and such about people who are convinced that Johnlock is the endgame of the show.

TRMoJaS: This reminds me of John and Sherlock. Used by fans when stumbling upon a piece of media that triggers a recollection of the titular characters.

The Secret Episode: A supposedly filmed but unreleased episode of Series Four (?). Highly unreliable, likely a figment of hopeful imaginations.

The Purple Shirt of Sex: A purple button-up that is sinfully tight and parodied, as a result of the buttons always looking like they’re about to pop off. Seriously, go look up Ben in a purple shirt. You won’t regret it.

Tarmac Hell: A scene from His Last Vow in which Sherlock aborts a supposed love confession to John to instead tell him that ‘Sherlock is actually a girl’s name’. Hell for everyone involved.

ACD Canon: Events that happened in the Original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle publications of ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’. Often referenced in metas.

The Elephant in the Room: A supposed euphemism for Johnlock. Also a popular meta in which elephants are referenced throughout the series of BBC Sherlock.

Character Mirror: A minor or major character meant to simulate another character in actions to recall a certain scene for the audience. (Ex. Sholto/Sherlock, Irene/Sherlock, etc.)

[Sebastian] Moran: A sniper (originally from ACD Canon) referenced often in Sherlock metas, and Moriarty’s right hand man. John mirror. Not included in BBC Sherlock, but a popular part of fandom culture. Often depicted as in an unhealthy relationship with his boss, Jim Moriarty.

The Gay Bar Scene: A deleted scene from BBC Sherlock. John and Sherlock go to a gay bar for entirely heterosexual reasons.

Harriet ‘Harry’ [Watson]: An alcoholic, and also John’s elder sister. Referenced in BBC Sherlock. Often portrayed as being either divorced or married to her wife, Clara.

Victor [Trevor]: Sherlock’s childhood best friend who was murdered by his sister, Eurus. Revealed in TFP. Alternative name is ‘Redbeard’.

TPLoSH: Short for ‘The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes’. It’s a movie in which Sherlock Holmes is canonically gay. It’s often talked about by Moftiss.

Granada Holmes: A seven season Sherlock Holmes TV show starring Jeremy Brett. Many find that Holmes and Watson are essentially married in this series, so a few fans have made the fandom switch to this show.

Richie Verse: The unfinished Holmes and Watson movie trilogy starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. The titular pair in these films are undeniably in love, and (according to a popular source) may have the first Johnlock canon in cinematic history.

Bisexual Lighting: In which John Watson is bathed in purple, pink, and blue lighting while in a bar. Questionable music plays.

The Gay Pilot: The original unaired pilot of BBC Sherlock. Called the ‘Gay Pilot’ for being incredibly homoerotic, and also for the set looking like a 70s p*rn shoot. Runtime was only an hour, and there were a few notable cast changes, including Angelo and Sally Donovan.

ASiP: A Study in Pink. Episode one, series one of BBC Sherlock. Villains are Jeff Hope and Moriarty.

TBB: The Blind Banker. Episode two, series one of BBC Sherlock. Villains are Shan and M.

TGG: The Great Game. Episode three, series one of BBC Sherlock. Villain is Jim Moriarty.

ASiB: A Scandal in Belgravia. Episode one, series two of BBC Sherlock. Villain is Irene Adler.

THoB: The Hounds of Baskerville. Episode two, series two of BBC Sherlock. Villain is Dr. Bob Frankland.

TRF: The Reichenbach Fall. Episode three, series two of BBC Sherlock. Villain is Jim Moriarty.

TEH: The Empty Hearse. Episode one, series three of BBC Sherlock. Villains are Lord Moran and C.A.M.

TSoT: The Sign of Three. Episode two, series three of BBC Sherlock. Villains are C.A.M., Mayfly Man, and (in my opinion) Mary.

The Stag Night: A sub-class of TSoT. In which Sherlock and John do unspeakably homoerotic things that reek of unresolved sexual tension. The tension is not relieved. They get arrested. Villains are the writers, for queerbaiting their fans.

HLV: His Last Vow. Episode three, series three of BBC Sherlock. Villains are Charles Augustus Magnussen and Mary Watson (Morstan? Rosamund Mary?).

TAB: The Abominable Bride. Episode four, series three of BBC Sherlock. (Originally aired as a TV movie that won a Primetime Emmy.) Also known as the ‘Gay Victorian Fever Dream’ to avid fans. Villains are Emelia Ricoletti, Sir Eustace Carmichael, Jim Moriarty, Mary Watson (Morstan? Rosamund Mary?).

TST: The Six Thatchers. Episode one, series four of BBC Sherlock. Villains are Vivian Norbury, Ajay, and Mary Watson (Morstan? Rosamund Mary?).

TLD: The Lying Detective. Episode two, series four of BBC Sherlock. Villains are Culverton Smith and John Watson.

TFP: The Final Problem. Episode three, series four of BBC Sherlock. Villains are Eurus Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Jim Moriarty, and Moftiss.

~

[Will add more if necessary or requested.]

Hope this helped any confused fans/users!

[fffinnagain]

10 Years of Sherlock (TV)  AO3 stats!

Sherlock fans, new and old, click below to read a long list of graphs and comments about our communities fanworks over the last 10 years. I scraped AO3 again and demonstrate that:

More creators are writing longer works in 2020

Readers engaged more as the fandom changed after S4

Top ten new tags per year for the last 10 years

And a lot more. 

PS the code to gather this data and analyse it can be found way over here. 

Activity over 10 years

The last 10 years in the BBC Sherlock fandom have been tumultuous, but this community persists, with engagement from new fans and continued creative output. To commemorate over a decade of squee, I’ve done another scrape of the fandom’s imprint on the Archive of Our Own and will share some insights from the numbers in these plots. A very late update on my post S4 snapshot from 2018.

Note: This analysis is of completed public fanworks only, about 101000 of the 122000 Sherlock (TV) works available at present. This is to remove the late WIP effect, which adds a bulge to the last few months, and out of respect to creators who wish to have their material reserved for other registered AO3 users.

The works are still coming

Counting the number of works posted per day, we can see the peaks associated with each series airing (in UK and US). After that, the number of works continues fairly evenly, 20-30 per day, plus seasonal peaks. This rate is continuing on without a hint of new canon in sight. So who is posting all this work?

Creator-waves, monthly output

Years ago I started plotting creator waves, basically I group fanwork producers by the year they first posted to the fandom and then count how many of this group are active in later time intervals. This lets us get a sense of how long people are contributing and whether new fans are getting the urge to create. 

This plot of the Sherlock (TV) fanworks on AO3 shows the standard shape of plump participation in the first year of any given set of creators, followed by a slowly thinning tail as they because less active over time. Turnover is natural in fandoms, with most only posting a work or two within a fairly limited amount of time, while a precious few persist for years.  The surprise for me here is that the ratio of new creators is higher in 2020 than it was in 2019. Maybe the excuse of lockdown encouraged more folks to take a turn at creating content. 

Another way to look at the output of fan creators on AO3 is to see the total amount of words being shared across all fanworks. The total has been pretty close to 300-400k words per month since 2018! To get a sense of what that means per work, I also plotted the median number of words per fanwork in these monthly sets. The median in higher in the last year than it had been staying for a while. 

Reader behaviour: Hits & Kudos & Comments

Fan creators are only part of the story. Stats on engagement are a bit trick to interpret, I’ve got some plots here that tell us something about how works have been engaged with over time. 

The obvious first to consider is Hits. Above is the total number of Hits given to works published each month. This is the current totals, not a historical snapshot, so we have a very strong bias  towards early works, what we might call the Classics Effect. Works that have been around longer have had the chance to be seen by more people, and in particular those works that become must-read classics in a fandom, extending their exposure through prominence in top ranked works and recommendations. 

To cut down on the advantage of the classics, we can also consider median hits per work for each month. As most works get a lot attention when they are first posted and then fade out of sight, the median number of hits reflects instead the ratio of readers to creators, basically how many eyeballs are around to look at the latest work, regardless of status. The median plot shows how the hyper-visibility of the few work available before 2012, and then a more steady curve once the fandom had gotten established on the platform after Series 2. Amazingly, the hit rate for the median work was steady through the big bumps in activity with later series, a 1000 hits for median works between 2013 and 2018, followed by a slow decline. I’d expect the 2020 works to continue gaining for a few months yet, but the median is probably 50-60% of what is was when the show was in production.

Kudos counts and medians show a similar story to hits, but there is a dip down around 2013 for kudos reflects the frenzy of productivity that saw the fandom grow during the Series 2 hiatus. Readers were getting spoiled! From the airing of Series 3 (2014) until a year following Series 4 (2018), the median work received an even 60ish kudos and 1000 hits, a niche audience that decreased to 50/750 through 2018-2019. The numbers of 2020 suggest a smaller community of readers again, though these numbers may still rise a bit in the next few months before the median works are forgotten. 

The statistic that tells a different story is Comments. Looking at the total comments counts, there isn’t a drop after Series 3 (2014). Instead, the fandom compensated for changing numbers with more feedback and discussion attached to works. This is reflected in the median comment rate as well, which shows seasonal variation but doesn’t really drop off until 2020.

It’s remarkable that without fresh canon we continue to have new creators contributing to the fandom, and while that may be outpacing the readership somewhat, the standard of engagement has been very high. One could say the fandom is chugging along quite nicely!

What about Tags

So, with all that turnover and shifting population, is there a change in the kinds of works being posted? We can look at tags, all tags and freeform tags, to see if there were any meaningful trends. 

First up, I did a creator-wave like analysis of works just for tags, to see how tags continue to be used after being introduced. Unlike the creators, tags clearly persist for years. After 2015, it looks like the core tag set has been established, with very few tags persisting in usage per  subsequent year.

This graph reports numbers over time that are not proportional to the number of works or creators active. Instead, works on AO3 have been getting more and more tags over the years, with the average steadily growing from 5 in 2011 to 15 in 2020, with freeform tags (not characters or ships) from 2 to 8.

To get a sense of fic and tagging culture changes over time, I counted the most popular NEW tags of each year (wave). Note: this analysis is using exact matches, not the networked associations of tag meanings wrangled into AO3 today, so some things that pop up aren’t new concepts but instead newly popular TAGs for whatever they represent. 

2011: 2752 (First year, so all solid stuff, tags that continue to be popular forever)

Angst                 323

Fluff                 232

Humor                 216

Hurt/Comfort          188

Romance               168

Friendship            168

Crossover             138

Crack                 121

Alternate Universe    119

First Time            106

2012: 11637 (still early, first references to Series 2)

Fluff and Angst                           145

Episode: s02e03 The Reichenbach Fall       97

Kid Sherlock                               54

Puppies                                    50

Sad                                        48

Episode: s02e01 A Scandal in Belgravia     47

Mathematics                                42

Season 2 spoilers                          38

Omega Verse                                38

Feels                                      38

2013: 16176 (Omegaverse nomenclature is growing, Top/Bottom terminology, new challenges)

Alpha Sherlock                               65

Omega John                                   61

30 Day OTP Challenge                         59

Tumblr: letswritesherlock                    56

Top John                                     49

Sherlock Holmes Returns after Reichenbach    44

Bottom Sherlock                              40

Reichenbach Angst                            30

Don't copy work to another site              29

Age Regression/De-Aging                      27

2014: 19256 (Mostly Series 3 related

Episode: s03e03 His Last Vow         249

Episode: s03e02 The Sign of Three    167

Post-His Last Vow                    149

His Last Vow Spoilers                142

Sherlock Series 3 Spoilers           128

2000 AU                              100

The Sign of Three Spoilers            74

Fatlock                               72

Post-The Sign of Three                66

Post-Season/Series 03                 57

2015: 14272 (New challenges, new prominent Sherlolly tags)

Chats                                      47

International Fanworks Day 2015            34

Watson's Woes July Writing Prompts 2015    27

S3 referenced                              25

Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Kissing       22

English Accent                             22

Sound cloud                                19

Eventual Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper      19

Protective John Watson                     18

but not that kind of graphic               17

2016: 13517 (New stylistic tagging, TAB references, a lot of epilepsy?)

Slowwww burn                         92

John Watson Loves Sherlock Holmes    37

Sherlock Holmes Loves John Watson    33

post-tab                             30

JME                                  27

Post TAB                             25

Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy          23

Sherlolly Appreciation Week 2016     19

epileptic                            19

fraternal love                       17

2017: 15067 (Series 4 tags and challenges)

Episode: s04e02 The Lying Detective         133

Episode: s04e01 The Six Thatchers            93

Post TFP                                     73

Sherlock Series 4 Spoilers                   69

Episode: s04e03 The Final Problem            60

Post-Episode: s04e02 The Lying Detective     55

Sherlolly Appreciation Week 2017             50

Post S4                                      48

Sherstrade Month 2017                        44

31 Days of Porn Challenge 2017               41

2018: 10733 (Lost of new challenges, seasonal and weekly)

Towel Day 2018                       64

Mystrade Valentines Calendar 2018    25

Kinktober 2018                       23

Pregnant Molly Hooper                23

Soft Smut Sunday                     23

Tom Robbins                          23

Sherlolly Appreciation Week 2018     21

Inktober 2018                        20

established universe                 16

Always1895                           16

2019: 7785 (More prompts, and character attitudes)

Sherlolly Appreciation Week 2019    25

221B Autumn Challenge               21

A-Z Christmas Prompt                19

KatsJohnlockXmas2019                16

Whumptober                          11

Poor Greg Lestrade                  11

Kinktober 2019                      10

Dissonance                          10

John Watson is a Good Friend         9

Sleepy Sherlock Holmes               8

2020: 8074 (Not all COVID related, thank heavens)

Mystrade Monday                           59

COVID-19                                  48

Coronavirus                               46

Mystrade Monday Prompts                   40

Whumptober 2020                           36

warning for a covid-19 setting            33

Flufftober prompts 2020                   24

Do Not Translate                          24

they're all right they're just at home    23

Granada Sherlolly                         21

A little note from looking across all freeform tags, not just the new ones, we see a curious pattern with regards to two actions: First Kiss and Anal Sex. They appear amongst the most common tags as of 2014, neck in neck for two years, than Anal Sex drops off the top ten in 2016. From there out, First Kiss stays in the top 5 from that point on, while anal sex appears at rank 9 from 2017-2019 and is gone again in 2020. This probably says something about the fandom, somehow. 

Bravo for making it to the end and thank you for reading! 

Questions/comments welcome.

[johannadc]

I suddenly really, really want a Mystrade Olympic water polo story. 

Greg: controlled strength, holds the team together through goodwill and getting along with everyone. 

Mycroft: sleek and fast and great at strategy analysis, but others find him off-putting. 

Are they on the same team? Competitors? I don’t know, someone write this and tell me! 

[peacxhybxtch]

More of my favorite Johnlock fanfics:

- The River Variations by withoutawish

Tags:

Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Greg Lestrade, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, three garridebs, Near Death Experience, Romance, some case fic in here IDK, Overuse of italics Soulmates

Words: 11,619

Chapters: 1/1

Summary: John Watson never knew that he wanted a ‘no toast in the mornings’ normal until he realized what an honor it is to be destroyed by Sherlock Holmes.

Written for Johnlock Challenges: “The modern take of The Three Garridebs; essentially, John is wounded during a case and Sherlock loses his mind a little bit. And then gayness. Obviously that last bit is where it deviates from canon…or is it? Any rating.”

- Faerie-Touched by Blind_Author

Tags:

Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Alternative Universe - Fantasy, First Time

Words: 9,283

Chapters: 2/2

Summary: In a world of sorcerers and magic, Sherlock is a Faerie-born and John, lacking any kind of magical talent, often seems a bit out of place. But he has a gift all his own...

- Notes by Kryptaria 

Tags:

Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Fluff, Sherlock's version of handwriting analysis, Don't copy to another site

Words: 2,756

Chapters: 1/1

Summary: It had begun innocuously enough, when Sherlock had found a scrap of paper under the armchair that had become reserved solely for John’s use. Sherlock Holmes, it read, with 221B Baker Street underneath.

- A Terrific Soporific by antietamfalls

Tags:

Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Fluff, Insomnia, Accidental Cuddling, Sharing a Bed, Sleepy Cuddles, Sherlock Experiments on John, Sleep Deprivation

Words: 11,269

Chapters: 1/1

Summary: Sherlock, a long-time sufferer of insomnia, is forced to share a bed with John at a hotel while on a case. To his astonishment, he finds that spending the night next to John helps him sleep and becomes determined to maneuver himself back into John's bed.

- Scales and Skin by TheMadKatter13

Tags:

Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Greg Lestrade, Poppy Pomfrey, Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Omegaverse, Alpha/Omega, Potterlock, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Mounting, Biting, Marking, Teenlock, Omega John, Teen John, Teen Sherlock, Gryffindor John, Creature Sherlock, Merman Sherlock, First Time, Top Sherlock, Bottom John, Alpha Sherlock, Ravenclaw Sherlock

Words: 15,008

Chapters: 1/1

Summary: John never thought he’d present at all. The few times he’d put thought to it, he’d never thought he’d present omega. And if he’d put any more thought into it past that, he wouldn’t have imagined sharing his first heat with a mermaid. Er, merman.

- The Vapor Variant by 88thParallel (CanadaHolm)

Tags:

Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Henry Knight, Barrymore (Sherlock), Doctor Stapleton (Sherlock), Post Episode: s02e02 The Hounds of Baskerville, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD John, Whump, Sickfic, Injury, Guilt, John Watson Whump, Protective Sherlock, Big Brother Mycroft, Protective Greg, Minor Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Guilty Sherlock, Medical Jargon, Virus, Suspense, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, John is a Bit Not Good, Implied Mystrade, Angst with a Happy Ending, Late Night Conversations, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Garridebs Moment, Podfic Available, Sensitive Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock is a Mess, Don't copy to another site

Words: 72,684

Chapters: 18/18

Summary: They stood face to face in the middle of a clearing. The dim light of the moon barely allowed Sherlock to see the glassy terror in John’s eyes and the sweat that glistened off his forehead. His nose was bleeding again, blood dripping in a slow stream from his right nostril.

They were both gasping for air, John’s eyes locked on Sherlock’s. There was no recognition there, just wild animal fear.

Time stood still for an eternal few seconds, and Sherlock took a shaky breath. “John��”

Spell broken, John spun and bolted back into the woods.

Still heaving for air, Sherlock took off after him.

[swissmissficrecs]

Underrated Fics, Part 12

I’ve got a nice bunch to share this time! Have a look, try something new, help encourage these writers to keep sharing their time and talents.

My requirements:

Fic complete

Last chapter posted prior to April 1, 2019

Fewer than 200 kudos as of this posting

Earned a 'favorite' from me on AO3 

(P.S. See my other “Underrated” lists here.)

In descending order of length:

1. The size and crossover (with Star Trek) nature of this may make it seem daunting, but it's a fabulous, intricately plotted adventure that is 110% worth the investment.

Voyages of the Bakerstreet (528380 words) by fresne Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: John Watson had worked hard to be accepted at Starfleet Academy. As an Augment, a descendant of the super soldiers who seized power on Earth during the Eugenics wars, he's had to work twice as hard. Play twice as hard too, because screw them. The only path to ship duty for an Omega is extra credits like T.A.ing a Professor's class. The mysterious Commander Holmes, an Augment like himself, would do nicely. Very nicely. Sherlock Holmes had gone to considerable effort to put his past - and his family - behind him. His career in Starfleet hadn't gone exactly as envisioned. Bounced from research facility to facility, his analysis on how to defeat the Borg ignored, now he's finally washed up teaching at the Academy. His T.A. is fascinating. Of course, he's entirely above all that alpha biological nonsense. Starfleet never really intended to assemble a crew with a half trained doctor and an alpha Augment with authority issues. But they also didn't really intend for the Borg to make it quite as far as they did. And so...These are the Voyages of the USS Bakerstreet. Her five year mission (make that ten (okay fine twelve year mission + time travel)), to seek out new life and new civilizations. To go boldly.

======

2. Some readers may be wary of the pairings, but it's a core Johnlock fic with that being the final pairing. It's also the sequel to an equally long fic, which should be read first. The other reasons to read this are for the truly brilliantly done case built up throughout, great original characters, lots of action, puzzles to solve, and just plain fun.

Vertigo (English version) (133693 words) by kirin_calls Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor, Victor Trevor/John Watson Series: Part 2 of Gravity (English version) Summary: Sequel to RAW. John is struggling with his loss. Plagued by nightmares, his life gone topsy-turvy, he is no longer able to lead a normal existence. As he seeks out some stability, some way to slowly pull himself up out of the morass of his grief, old rivals become friends and details about Sherlock's past come to light, leading John to discover something strange that won't let him go.

======

3. Part 1 of this was on my last Underrated list (although it has since broken 200 kudos), but it's not strictly necessary before reading this one. Fantastic psychological character work and high-tension pacing create a satisfyingly well-rounded werewolf story that’s equal parts thinky and physical, with the addition of some casework and nice, steamy smut.

The Change (28841 words) by Laur Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Series: Part 2 of The Wolf Summary: Sherlock and John struggle to accept the Wolf as they begin their new relationship. A sequel to The Bite.

======

4. There's been at least one installment from this series on all of my Underrated lists lately, and as I'll reiterate, it's not necessary to read the entire series to enjoy any of the individual parts (although I do recommend the whole series, as it's fantastic). This one is a smutty stocking stuffer filled with treats for any time of year.

Revelation (26562 words) by illwick Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Series: Part 23 ofUnwind Summary: A new negotiation puts John and Sherlock in the Christmas spirit.

======

5. I know there are a lot of these "A Christmas Carol" fusions around, and it's not the season now, but honestly the trope never gets old, and this one is very well done.

John Watson and the Three Spirits (aka A Ghost Story of Christmas) (18788 words) by PipMer Rating: Teen And Up Audiences £ Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Molly Hooper/Greg Lestrade, Clara/Harry Watson Summary: John hadn’t planned on becoming a grumpy old man. Well, he wasn’t old quite yet. But he wasn’t getting any younger, and as he thought back on his life so far this Christmas Eve, he was coming up with a lot of regrets. He had been here before, at a crossroads. Feeling as if his life were over, only to have it turned around in the blink of an eye. Could it happen again? Or was it finally, truly, too late?

======

6. A deliciously frustrating comedy of errors and near-misses as the universe tries its darnedest to get Sherlock and John together.

Serendipity (18222 words) by Calais_Reno Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: A bit of New York Christmas fluff, based on the 2001 movie.

======

7. I think people have shied away from this one because of the ambiguous ending, but it's beautifully written and well worth a look.

A Walk in the Woods (16062 words) by Ginger_Cat Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: After a series of traumatic events, John has left London in self-imposed isolation. Permanently. There is, of course, one man who might succeed in bringing him home.

======

8. This is a one-shot add-on to a much longer fic, but although that one got over 1000 kudos, this doesn't have many at all, which doesn't add up because this is so tender and intimate, a perfect coda to lull the emotions. (Necessary to read the main fic first.)

Silent Night (15060 words) by khorazir Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Series: Part 2 of Enigma Summary: It’s Christmas Eve 1944, and Sherlock Holmes has received his most precious gift already: after a long, dangerous deployment, Surgeon Captain John Watson of the Royal Navy has unexpectedly returned from the front. As if this weren’t enough, there’s a case. Both events make for a night full of promise, excitement, and the difficult task of getting reacquainted with the man Sherlock hasn’t seen in three years and feared he’d lost forever.

======

9. This is hilarious, and so well done, especially if you know Brooklyn 99 (although that's not strictly necessary, it enables an appreciation of how in-character everyone is).

Boat Chase! (14317 words) by shamelessmash Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago Summary: Sherlock, John and Lestrade are on a case that lead them to Brooklyn, NY. Reluctantly, Sherlock accepts the 99th precincts offer to help with the legwork. Welcome to this Sherlock/Brooklyn 99 crossover, where everyone ships Johnlock, and the case doesn't matter.

======

10. This author has written exclusively Mystrade up to now, so for that reason are probably unknown to Johnlock fans. They have honed their wordcraft well, though, and really know how to create depth and emotion through understated words, actions, and gestures.

Afraid of the Light (12063 words) by hippocrates460 Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: After everything, comes a time of quiet. There's cases, and Baker Street, and really, life is good. It gives John time to work through something he's been struggling with. OR: The one where I surprise myself by writing Johnlock. And like, quite a lot of it.

======

11. Yummy angst and UST abound in this dreamy tale told through sleeping habits.

The Sleeper and the Sleuth (11874 words) by Zingiber Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: John Watson is a light sleeper - plagued by dreams, nightmares, and Sherlock Holmes.

[johannadc]

I have often thought it would be interesting to do an analysis of how often certain lines appear in Sherlock fics as an indicator of what moments really stuck with people.

What's your most loved popular line?

Mystraders, I'm guessing "make sure he’s looked after. He’s not as strong as he thinks he is" is a favorite.

[chriscalledmesweetie]

Talking in a Winter Wonderland

Sing to the tune of Winter Wonderland

Greg’s phone rings He is listening His heart sings Eyes are glistening When Mycroft does call His words do enthrall Talking in a winter wonderland

Mycroft’s gone For a few days And Greg longs For him always But he’s on the phone So Greg’s not alone Talking in a winter wonderland

On a case Greg catches up with Sherlock Who stares at him, deducing, with a frown Says, “You’re getting married—” Greg says, “Don’t mock— But we’ll tie the knot when Mycroft’s back in town”

Later on They'll conspire As they chat ‘Cross the wire To face unafraid The plans that they've made Talking in a winter wonderland

In the chapel they can have a wedding And invite the whole wide world to see All the joy around them they’ll be spreading And what a perfect union this will be

When they’re wed Dreams fulfilling Life ahead Will be thrilling They’re making their plans To publish their banns Talking in a winter wonderland

Mystrade in a winter wonderland

Talking in a Winter Wonderland is also on AO3 as part of my Mystrade Holidays series.

Tags under the cut — please let me know if you’d like me to tag or untag you

@femalepresentingnipple4ever @love-in-mind-palace @loves-to-read-fanfic @chinike  @may-shepard @missdeliadili @missmuffin221 @crazycatt71 @yorkiepug @imnova @daisyfairy1 @breath4soul @mycroftshipsjohnlock @consultingsmartarse @morgendaemmerung89 @roadara23 @nightscandlesareburstout  @lockedinjohnlock-podfics @thegildedbee  @hubblegleeflower @ghislainem70 @jazzthecat00 @justinmymindpalace  @my-johnlocked-life @fandom-in-abyss @failing-analysis @kayjaykayme @myladylyssa  @alexxphoenix42 @atlinmerrick  @sad-little-coward @masterofhounds @riorothbates @girlwhowearsglasses @escaroles @chrwythyn @221bsweetheart @strawberryhiddleslock @sincerely-chaos  @hushwatson @totallysilvergirl @daringlydomestic @orenbeval @cyncyrwrightings @daydreamerjohnlock @redscudery  @sarahthecoat @sweetmandolins @sherlockssister1 @artemisastarte @simpleanddestructivechemistry  @lindame1968 @honeybeelullaby @221bookworm @echoknockdown  @jonlockandyouknowit @lainikim  @lijahlover @221b-hound @roadswewalk @iwantthatbelstaffanditsoccupant @theredheadinquestion @almosttomorocco @whodwantmeasaflatmate @janeofcakes  @conversationswithjohnlock @weneedtotalkaboutsherlock @freebirdflyingforever @egmon73 @muffy-the-alchemist @hotdogsngiggles @midnightcat167 @sorryimsooochangeable @15qwerty @fangirl-says @risherinobombing @badkatpat @nottoolateforthegame @wingirl2015 @hpswl-cumbercookie @bakingsherlycakes @multifandomagic @idontneednormal @gaelicblue @artfulkindoforder​ @manic-moose​ @non-binarypal7​ @jobooksncoffee​ @ithinkthereforeiamaswell​

[violet-vernet]

I don't know what took me so long to realize this, but... you know how johnlockers' no. 2 ship tends to be mystrade? If this is all "just crazy shippers shipping their crazy gay-fetish ship," where are the 8 years' worth of detailed critical analyses of The Mystrade Conspiracy? Or, where are the academic claims of textually supported evidence that John and Lestrade are meant to be? They seem compatible, and there's some really hot semi-plausible johnstrade fanfic, and that's all the johnlockers are basing theirs on, right? 

I mean I'm personally pretty convinced of s5 and willing to bet it ends in Johnlock, but that's not even what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about the attitude in some parts of fandom that other parts are just seeing what they want to see. If that's true, why are we all seeing the same thing, and not a bunch of things with equal amounts of specious literary analysis to back it up? If I know anything about the internet, it's that the internet rarely agrees on what it likes. So why now, why this one ship?

Because, to paraphrase Ron Swanson, we know what we're about, son. 

[hpswl-cumbercookie]

The last day of bidding week for the @fandomtrumpshate auction!! If you have any interest in bidding on my works you’re running out of time to do it! I’m putting my auction info below for your viewing pleasure! Thank you dears.

You can also see my page here at Dreamwidth.com https://fth2019offerings.dreamwidth.org/tag/username:+hpswl-cumbercookie

HPswl-Cumbercookie Auction #1

Organizations this auction benefits: Bidder's choice of any of

the listed groups

(See full list.)

Type of fanwork: fanfiction

Subtype(s): N/A

Fandom(s): Sherlock (BBC)

Highest rating: M (mature)

Length/size: 5 -10k words But honestly I’ll happily write more.

Especially interested in: Johnlock

Unwilling to address:

Notes: I've never written Mystrade but I can try if you'd like.

I'm good with angst and fluff alike. Gen fics and case fics I have

never written so I can't guarantee quality work if that's what you

request.

Minimum Bid: $5

Step 1: Check the bidding spreadsheet to find out

what the current high bid is. (Note: It may take up to five minutes

for a bid to appear.)

Step 2: Fill out the seller’s bidding form with a bid that is higher than the

current high bid. If you want to make it harder for someone to outbid

you, bid higher! You will NOT be notified if someone outbids

you, so please bookmark this page and check frequently. You will

only be notified if you are the high bidder after the auctions end.

HPswl-Cumbercookie Auction #2

Organizations this auction benefits: Bidder's choice of any of

the listed groups

(See full list.) 

Type of fanwork: fan labor (such as betaing, brit-picking,

translating, etc.)

Subtype(s): Betaing

Fandom(s): Any

Highest rating: E (explicit)

Length/size: More than 50k words

Especially interested in: I'll beta just about anything, but I

am best and most familiar with Harry Potter, Sherlock BBC & RDJ, and

Marvel when it comes to character analysis and staying in character.

Please keep that in mind when you consider me.

Unwilling to address: I will beta just about anything, except

any pairings that involve children in a romantic relationship (calling

you out starker shippers)

Notes:

Minimum Bid: $5

Step 1: Check the bidding spreadsheet to find out what the current high bid is. (Note: It may take up to five minutes for a bid to appear.) Step 2: Fill out the seller’s bidding form with a bid that is higher than the current high bid. If you want to make it harder for someone to outbid you, bid higher! You will NOT be notified if someone outbids you, so please bookmark this page and check frequently. You will only be notified if you are the high bidder after the auctions end.

[fortune-bash]

Lost - fluffy one-shot Mystrade fanfiction

Greg was completely, utterly terrified. He looked everywhere he could. He checked the bathroom about 5 times, looked down the disgusting shower drain twice, he even went to his husband's car that he was technically not allowed to touch. Sighing loudly, he tried to do the "trick", as he called it, of Mycroft and Sherlock's. It was not a mind palace, not at all. But it was something that Greg had been trying to build up with a little help from the older Holmes. "I surely had it when I came home," he started his analysis by muttering under his breath. "When I came home, I put my keys here and my wallet..." Greg moved to the place he was talking about - a tiny table that was standing near the entrance of the house. "Here," he assured himself of his previous actions by patting the wallet laying just where Greg thought it would. "It's not possible that I have lost it in the shower as I went straight to the kitchen and took out a beer. Did I have it on while making dinner? Yes, yes... For sure I did... I still had it on then," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. This soft movement messed up with his beautifully silver hair a little bit. If he doesn't have it on by the time Mycroft is back home, his husband will surely notice and get absolutely mad... Lestrade reminded himself about that one time he lost Mycroft's private journal. Mycroft gave it to him to check if he was trustworthy and if he wouldn't look at what was inside. The pretext for giving it to Lestrade was something as stupid as: "I am going to Sherlock's and I cannot have it with me because he will surely steal it from me. I should have left it at home but since I didn't, I would very much appreciate you taking care of it until tomorrow when we shall meet again, Detective Inspector." Mycroft knew that Lestrade had not looked inside of his journal. First of all - he lost it somehow. Second of all - he did not comment on the fact that the journal was nothing more than "MYCROFT LESTRADE" or "GREGORY HOLMES" or "M+G" calligraphy... (In the end, the "Gregory Lestrade-Holmes" ended up to be the case that Mycroft was "wondering" about) "Gregory, darling, I'm home!" Mycroft laughed softly, entering the house of the two. Greg approached him shyly, keeping both of his hands behind his back. "Welcome home, hubby," he said, giving Mycroft a sweet peck on the cheek. "I thought we have agreed upon this awful nickname," Mycroft rolled his eyes. He quickly eased on his tone, when he saw the most beautiful dark eyes staring into his own. Holmes placed his long-fingered hands on his husband's waist, securing his walk as he guided him to the nearest wall. "Well, it's either that or Myc. Or My. Or Mickie. Or May. Or..." Greg said teasingly, coming up with new nicknames, but was quickly hushed by his husband's soft lips on his own. He almost immediately put his hands on Mycroft's cheeks to deepen the kiss but kept in mind the importance of not showing Mycroft his hands now. "You know I'm only allowing you this bad behavior in exchange for your sweet moans being "Mr. Holmes" at night..." Mycroft said seductively in the low voice of lust that Greg adored wildly. "Technically, I'm also Mr. Holmes since February, so..." Greg giggled, causing sighing Mycroft to push his head back in annoyance. "It's only been two months, I can still easily get rid of your disrespectful manner in a matter of days," Mycroft joked, running his long nose on his husband's neck. "Myc, you wouldn't survive a day without my witty comments." "I'm afraid you might be right, husband mine," Mycroft whispered into the neck of the love of his life. He then lightly bit it, only to start leaving soft and long kisses on this tanned skin. That was the moment Greg had lost it. "Take me to bed," he demanded, pulling Mycroft's face up and joining their lips together in a hot kiss, full of love and desire. But Mycroft was a smart man. Well, probably the most intelligent man in England. If not in the whole world. And if was all thanks to his observation skills. "Gregory," he started, pulling away from the kiss. "Oh God, I am so so-..." Lestrade began his explanations, realizing what the younger man might have noticed. "Where is your wedding ring?" "I am... I am so sorry, Myc, darling, I have no idea, I looked everywhere, I swear I did, it's just gone, I don't know where, I really don't, I'm so sorry," Greg left his husband's warm embrace to escape the gaze of those icy-blue eyes that could have pierced into his soul. "You lost it?" Mycroft asked, even if he knew the answer. "I'm afraid I have, yes..." "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" "Because you would flip out!" Greg suddenly raised his voice as if it was nobody's but Mycroft's fault that the ring was nowhere to be found. "I can indeed understand where you could get that idea from but do you see me "flipping out"?" Mycroft came closer to the shorter man, putting his protective arms around him. He knew that it was a big deal, a wedding ring, but on the other hand - did that really matter? He would just get Gregory a new one, that was everything but a problem in his book. He decided to say his thoughts out loud. "The jewelry stores are quite likely to be still open, we can-..." Holmes started but was interrupted by the devastated DI. "I don't want a "new" one! I want the one that you slid on my finger over two months ago, claiming your undying love and that you will never, ever leave me!" "Gregory, I do not understand why you're getting angry with me. You act as if I was the one who lost it," Mycroft started getting really irritated with the whole situation as well. He hated seeing his dearest Gregory mad or helpless and right now he was a combination of both. Over a stupid, in Mycroft's opinion, ring... "It's just..." Greg started to explain himself, trying his hardest to avoid Mycroft's piercing gaze. "I might be too "ordinary" as you or Sherlock would say for what I'm about to imply but... Ok, so it's just a ring. A piece of metal. And it can be bought anywhere anytime. That's what you think of it, isn't it?" he looked up at Mycroft but his face was full of concern and a reply did not came. "Well," Greg continued, "for me it a sign to the entire world that I love one wonderful man and he loves me back. That we will be together till death do us part. Even, actually, even if it does, we'll manage to find one another and still be together. Because I love this man so madly I will not die until I'm sure I'll have him in the past life too..." Greg said quietly, tiny amounts of tears appearing in his brown eyes. Silence fell between the two men. Greg was looking down, rubbing his hands together. Instead of that movement calming him, he could again feel his naked finger... "Gregory, I love you," was all that Mycroft managed to say after all. He leaned down to cup Lestrade's cheek and kiss him sweetly. "And I you," came the response. "It's just a minor inconvenience, darling, that you cannot find it now," Mycroft said, kissing the top of Greg's head. "Whatever it takes to find it, I will provide it. I promise. Even if it takes ten consulting detectives," he chuckled sweetly, hearing the older man laugh in a very modest way at the joke. "I love you. To the Moon and back," Greg whispered, hiding his face in his husband's chest. "So roughly 768 800 kilometers of love," Mycroft couldn't help but state, causing both of them to giggle. When they went to bed that night, the last thing Mycroft expected to hear, while kissing his husband fiercely and taking of his button up, was a soft noise of metal hitting the wooden floor. "What was it?" Mycroft stopped making out with Greg, but Greg didn't stop making out with him - his pink lips traveled on Holmes' face, leaving random little kisses. His hands started unbuttoning Mycroft's waistcoat so that it would be thrown where his long gone jacket was. On the floor. "What was what?" Greg whispered in between the kisses. "That "ding", if I allow myself to say so," Mycroft said slowly, gently pushing Greg away to his very surprise. "What "ding"?" "When I took off your shirt," Mycroft knelt on the floor, patting it with his hands, "something fell out of your front pocket." "Something like," Greg joined Mycroft on the floor, "my wedding ring, maybe?" Mycroft felt the coldness of gold underneath his finger... "Now, why exactly did you hide it in your front pocket and how exactly then forgot about it?" Mycroft asked, with a genuine smile on his face, showing the ring to Greg. The DI took it into his own hands and brought it close to his chest, as if he was about to hug the hell out of the golden ring. "Oh my God, Myc, you found it, you found the ring!" "Can you at least tell me how did it end up in your pocket?" Mycroft giggled, softly stroking his husband's cheek. A little bit red cheek from all the hotness of the pre-sex kissing "Oh..." Greg opened his eyes widely. "I put it there before making dinner!" He suddenly stopped his story, embarrassed with the reason why the ring ended up in his front pocket. "I hid it there because I was afraid of losing it in the... Cooking proces..." Mycroft bursted out laughing. He couldn't stop, laying down on the floor and wiping away the tears that started appearing in his blue eyes. "Oh my darling, oh my love," Mycroft giggled, back down on the cold floor. Greg wasn't half as amused as his husband but seeing him laugh so much and in such a adorable way... Greg started chuckling himself. "It's not THAT funny," Greg said quietly, lying down next to Mycroft and putting his head on his chest. "It is, husband mine," Mycroft giggled quietly, his lips against Greg's forehead. "But don't be afraid of ever losing anything again. I think I just proved how great I am in finding things that are yours." "The best thing that you managed to find that is mine," Greg started, "is my heart." Still on the floor, the two men shared a long and passionate kiss. It wasn't filled with lust or with desire. It was a loving kiss of two husbands, who will stay together till the end of time - regardless of having rings on their fingers or not. "Can I see yours?" Gregory asked, reaching to Mycroft. Holmes didn't exactly knew what was the point of seeing the two rings together. Especially now, after Gregory proved how good he was at losing things. Luckily, Mycroft was good at fining them, apparently. That was why they were made for each other. Although hopefully Gregory will not lose their child if they ever have one... Thinking about this silver-haired man as a father, Mycroft took off his wedding ring and handed it to his husband. All that Greg wanted was to look inside of the rings to see the engraving. On Mycroft's, he could see the words "To the Moon and back". On his own - "768 800 kilometers".

[johannadc]

Mystrade Plot Bunny - Time Travel

Something goes terribly wrong on a mission Mycroft was in charge of. He’s shaken, and questioning himself, brings Sherlock in for analysis. The two together conclude that the only solution is for Mycroft to go back in time and remove himself from the equation, up to the extreme if necessary. Because they can only see the elaborate plan. 

Greg finds out about this and he, panicking, enlists John on a rescue mission. Because they are fine with simple, direct answers and know that making Mycroft not exist could never be a good solution. Greg keeps muttering to himself about self-esteem issues and the idiot needing a good hiding while they chase Mycroft back through time. 

[hastalux]

Greg sings this at Sherlock to annoy him when Mystrade squad is visiting the Holmes-Watson hives and associated gardens and Sherlock is being too pretentious about his detailed hive architectural planning and genetic analysis. It makes John laugh hysterically (carefully hidden out of Sherlock’s view). 

[britsgovernmentmh]

I remember after falling deep in Mystrade hell and told my friend that I want what they have. All those bittersweet, hurt/comfort stories... that just real life and I want to experience that in my life.

Mystrade just like a perfect puzzle. They fit with each other and like Moth said, they are strong and independent on their own but they are not afraid to lean on each other for comfort.

Re: Mycroft saying please. When powerful men beg it is hotter than the sun.

There’s a lot of reasons I fell for Mystrade. 

I like how their differences match up as tight as jigsaw pieces. Openhearted bravery, and emotionless logic; a man who clearly once owned a motorbike, and a man who takes time each morning to match his pocket handkerchief to his suit. Mycroft delegates; Greg rolls his sleeves up. 

Mycroft is, in a word, difficult. Greg is easy. 

I like the emotional quality of the things they share - a certain weariness, a touch of impatience, a force of will. 

And I really like that when you put them together, it’s not at all obvious who’s coming out on top.

In every sense of the phrase.

These two are decisive, intelligent, successful men - committed professionals, used to being listened to, used to a certain level of respect.

I fucking love that.

It reminds me of the whole reason I fell so hard for slash fiction. 

A romance between two heroes? Yes please. I don’t want to read about one heroic bell-end and a suitably accommodating love interest, who’s only there to reflect back at him how heroic he is. I want to read about two people, who both deserve my adoration as a reader, and the things that they do together. 

I like reading about characters who have weaknesses and cracks and flaws, but are strong enough to do something about it - and strong enough to look out for someone else on the way.

I love reading stuff where two men manage to fall in love while remaining as the men they were. Slash couples shouldn’t be crammed into some creepy “I’ll be The Man, you be The Woman” parody of that heterosexual fairytale we’re all so forcefully told is the only possible True Love.

It’s not. 

And Mystrade is so awesome for illustrating that. 

Isn’t it fascinating that Established Relationship stories are so easy and plentiful in our pairing? Because we all know it works so well. 

All those “I had a terrible day at the office” stories work because that’s the kind of thing two real, rounded people do in an actual relationship. 

Here’s the thing. 

Mycroft and Greg, as characters, both contain a huge amount of strength and weakness. Mycroft in particular runs the full gamut from “I am the power of the British nation” to “oh shit, I absolutely cannot cope”. 

And yeah… I like it when he begs.

Because that’s the utter joy of most slash pairings. Two decisive, intelligent, successful people who can occupy the entirety of the emotional scale in their own right - from way up on high, “I’ve got this, we’re going to be okay,” all the way down to, “I need you to help me, I am not okay”. They can occupy that scale around each other, transform each other, drag each other up from the dirt - kicking and screaming if necessary. But there’s movement. There’s dynamism.

And that’s really sexy.

And it means more to us as readers. 

That’s all of our lives, right? One day you’re leading the front line attack. The next you’re curled in a ball somewhere. We’ve all done it. And we’ve all known what it feels like when someone reaches down for you and says, “I’m strong today - because yesterday, you dragged me up here. Now you’re down there. So get a hold of my hand.”

I like when powerful men beg because there’s not actually any such thing as a powerful man.

Society has tried convincing us of it for years, and it’s not true. We’re constantly fed these Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows and cultural myths about supposedly Powerful Men who blow up the helicopter, get the girl and save the day.

It’s unrealistic. It’s boring. 

It doesn’t mean anything to us. 

I’d much rather have the story about two blokes who try their hardest, feel like shit sometimes but don’t give in, get hold of each other, and together become more than the sum of their parts.

Who wouldn’t rather have that?

So yes, he’s The British Government - and yes, he can have people dragged off into limousines - and sure, he could probably have the whole world moved an inch to the left if he wanted…

But now and then, he needs somebody to say, “I know you’re not alright. Just show me that you’re weak, and I’ll give you my strength.”

That gives me shivers.

That’s why I like it when Mycroft says ‘please’.