#tsiov

[victorianpining]

But perhaps in your blood, perhaps stories flow in our veins, if you know how to read them...

Given the unique combination of this story's premise and its highly unreliable narrator, The Stories in Our Veins is a bit difficult to talk about in any amount of detail without spoiling it. Suffice it to say, it is a BBC Dracula inspired retelling of Holmes and Watson's romance that begins with Dr. John H. Watson traveling to Professor Moriarty's castle in Transylvania in hopes of securing a promising opportunity for his future and that steadily unravels from there.

This fic is a passion project if there ever was one. More than two years of my life have gone into planning, writing, and refining it, and at many points I despaired that I would ever be able to create something on par with the swirling, nebulous ideas that led me to take on the project to begin with. I never would have gotten there in the end without the emotional and editorial support of my beta readers, particularly @queerholmcs, @consultingwives, and @sightofsea. You all have my undying gratitude ♥️

To the rest, I bid you enjoy 🍷

Read The Stories in Our Veins on AO3

Listen to the soundtrack on Spotify

Cover art by the ever amazing @clytemenestras ✍🏽

[queerholmcs]

TDC (TSIOV VERSION) STARTS TOMORROW LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

[victorianpining]

Tentative Announcement!

Tentative because my spring semester hasn’t started yet, so I may be slightly underestimating my workload in the coming weeks (or overestimating it, you never know). But as of this moment, it is my intention to publish The Stories in Our Veins in daily installments throughout the month of February, beginning with the first and ending with the twenty-ninth (as good a day as any, Johnny).

Keep your eyes out for more teasers and updates throughout the month of January! For now, here is a preview of the fic description to whet your appetite 🍷

You hold in your hands a leather-bound book inscribed with the title The Stories in Our Veins. No author is named by the cover. On the first page, the following passage has been written in an elegant, cursive hand: A confederate who foresees your conclusions and course of action is always dangerous, but one to whom each development comes as a perpetual surprise, and to whom the future is always a closed book, is indeed an ideal helpmate. Sherlock Holmes in “The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier,” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1926.

[victorianpining]

TSIOV TOMORROW!!!!

The Stories in Our Veins will be releasing in daily installments throughout the month of February. Reminder that the first entry is a foreword and so is quite brief (but very important!!!) so it will be Friday when you start getting into the actual plot. I'm very pleased with how this story came out in the end; I hope you enjoy sipping on it throughout the month 🍷

[victorianpining]

After all, stories flow in our veins, if you know how to read them...

🌄🌅 Words: 101,000 | Chapters: 29 of 29 🌅🌇

It's finished!!! Those of you who have now read through the entire fic yourselves will have a sense for what I mean when I admit that this story was primarily written for the reread—if you do decide to return to it, I hope you have as much fun searching out all the little hints hidden along the way as I had weaving them in! (if you really want to have some fun, try reading 1 paired with 29, then 2 with 28, 3 with 27, etc all the way to the midpoint; that's how I spent at least 50% of my time working on it). New and returning readers alike, I hope you enjoy playing The Game! 🖋 🪞 ♥️ ♟

Once again, my undying thanks to my beta readers @consultingwives, @queerholmcs, and @sightofsea; and to @clytemenestras for drawing the lovely cover art!

Soundtrack to The Stories in Our Veins on Spotify 🩸🎶

(secret bonus spoilery playlist to be enjoyed after a first read) 🍷 🎼

[victorianpining]

So obviously some of them might change between now and when it’s done, but I have been having so much fun with the chapter titles for The Stories in Our Veins! They’re almost entirely taken from canon quotes, apart one taken from Doyle’s introduction to The Casebook and from three taken from Vincent Starret’s 221b! The full list is below the cut if you’d like a preview 👀 :

[victorianpining]

This might sound a little odd if you've been reading along but the story in TSIOV doesn't really start until tomorrow's entry

[victorianpining]

One of my goals for the vampire fic was to work in a reference to every time chess is mentioned in the Holmes canon ♟

[victorianpining]

I'm so excited about my vampire fic!!! It's taken a lot of work, and probably still won't be done for months, but I'm so proud of how it's shaping up. I hope you all like it when it's done!! 🍷 🖋

[victorianpining]

Similar to what I did for From a Drop of Water, I wanted to share some of my thematic inspiration board for The Stories in Our Veins early on in the drafting process. 

[victorianpining]

My last stop in London being the cemetery in St. John's Wood was on purpose, me having walked so far to get there that it caused the veins in my neck to stand out like in photos that was a happy accident

[queerholmcs]

i find it shockingly funny that u refer to moriarty as “jim”… like sherlock is like “moriarty!” and john is like “moriarty!” and mycroft etc and then there’s molly saying “hi this is jim”. you are molly kin

skdfjlsdjfksklj please look at this man... he's like a cat you swing back and forth in your hands and call mean names in a high-pitched voice. how am i supposed to use a multi-syllabic name for him.

[queerholmcs]

things they did not tell me about grad school: did you know it is very difficult to make yourself focus on chemistry when bbc sherlock is right there for you? or is that just me.

[victorianpining]

Hi dear! If you don’t know about Veneer Theory, definitely look it up, it relates to what Dracula says to Agatha! (I just learnt about too.)

Yes, I did! I think Dracula thinking all people are ultimately as selfish as he is makes sense for his charater, and him realizing he was wrong in the end (in fact even *he* isn't as selfish as he thinks he is) is a big reason why the ending hits as well as it does for me!

[queerholmcs]

maybe if i actually say it here that'll hold me to it. but i think friday will be a good day for a trf rewatch + actually doing that poll.

[victorianpining]

My goal is to get a detailed outline of The Stories in Our Veins done by the end of the year!