victorian221b | Entries tagged with universe: acd canon

Genius (100 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: John Watson
Additional Tags: Observant John Watson, POV First Person, Drabble, community: 100fandoms
Series: Part 90 of 100 Fandoms Challenge
Summary:

Just an observation Watson makes.

(I am very rusty with the voice)

mightymads

We know that Holmes is taller than Watson, Holmes being “rather over six feet” (STUD) and Watson “middle-sized” (CHAS). But what exactly is the height difference? Sidney Paget always drew them roughly of the same height:

Watson seems to be shorter only by a couple of inches, so maybe he is just under six feet tall, like 5”11? There is evidence in the canon too that the height difference between them is not that big:

He had risen from his chair and was standing between the parted blinds gazing down into the dull neutral-tinted London street. Looking over his shoulder, I saw that on the pavement opposite there stood a large woman with a heavy fur boa round her neck. (IDEN)

Holmes ascended the stair first, and as he opened the door of our room he gave a start of surprise. Looking over his shoulder, I was equally astonished. (GREE)

If Holmes were considerably taller, surely it would be difficult for Watson to look over his shoulder?

mightymads

Delightful stories I’ve been reading these days:

Wounded Warriors series by

gardnerhill (G, ~10K in total) - Watson becomes friends with Henry Wood (The Crooked Man), and they bond over their tragic war experiences. Watson helps Wood to get his war pension, and Wood helps Watson through PTSD flashbacks. It was Holmes who with tact and delicacy asked Wood to talk to Watson when Watson was injured in an accident which triggered Watson’s traumatic memories. And then during the Hiatus Wood was a friend Watson could turn to for company and conversation. Warning for descriptions of torture in the first story. A heartwarming series where injustice is overcome, and Henry Wood gets a happier coda.

24 Caprices & a Bottle of Claret by

stonepicnicking_okapi (Holmes/Watson, T, 17.5K) - in CARD Watson mentions a dinner with Holmes at a restaurant and Holmes telling him anecdotes about Paganini. And this is their conversation at that dinner. Humorous, insightful, and philosophical, with Watson’s pawky puns and Holmes’s masterful storytelling. A pure pleasure to read.

Lion by

rabidsamfan (G, 3K) - a touching and wonderful insight into Watson’s time in the army, and Holmes supporting him at the anniversary of Maiwand.

Goose by

rabidsamfan (G, 8.6K) - I simply loved this Christmas story about Holmes and Watson’s earlier days when they were poor. So funny and endearing how they had to cook their meals for themselves due to Mrs. Hudson’s visiting her daughter and the maid being on a leave-turned-quarantine. Shenanigans with hosting a Christmas dinner for the Irregulars were just hilarious.

mightymads

I’d like to rec some awesome fics by

methylviolet10b, all in ACD ‘verse:

Sixfold in Scarlet (Holmes&Watson, G, 3.8K)—Five times Holmes should have called for Watson, and one time he did. It’s a delightful slice of life, showing through six episodes how precious their companionship is. There’s character development and a perfect balance of Holmes’s eccentricity and Watson’s being a ray of sunshine.

Intimate series, which includes four stories (Holmes/Watson, E, total word count ~12K)—Striking up an intimate acquaintance with another man is even more difficult when that man is Sherlock Holmes. It’s an exploration of Holmes and Watson’s relationship as lovers, how they get to know each other closer and learn about each other’s desires. Holmes is a virgin in the beginning and eager to learn from Watson all about lovemaking. Watson is only happy to oblige.

Taking the Steps (T, 3.5K)—Mycroft climbs a staircase while pondering a particularly difficult problem, one he cannot solve alone. Written from Mycroft’s POV, and Holmes and Watson’s relationship is platonic as no pairing is listed, but it could easily be read as romantic too. Watson is severely ill and unconscious for several days. Sherlock is beside himself with worry and anxiety, neither sleeping nor eating. Mycroft comes to offer him some support and make him take a brief rest by replacing Sherlock temporarily at Watson’s bedside. An angsty, in-depth character study of the Holmes brothers and their family bond, how it evolved and had its ups and downs. Very touching in showing how essential Watson is for Holmes, Holmes’s vulnerability, and Mycroft taking care of his younger brother when Sherlock needs it most.

mightymads

The first fill for Victorian Holmes Kinkmeme! In response to the following request by Anonymous:

Well, since we’re calling it a kink meme, I’ll go right ahead and be #basic about it: I just need a lot more of Sherlock Holmes getting spanked, okay. Not fussy about the details :D

while the iron is hot (ACD | M | 1.4K) by

laurajv - Having concluded successfully a blackmailing case, Holmes becomes curious about the appeal of spanking. Watson is ready to oblige. It's incredibly hot and naughty, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it 👍👍

mightymads

I’d like to rec two fics which capture Watson’s inner life with fascinating vividness.

In the Shadow of Mount Sikaram by

orchid314 (G, ~3K, ACD): it’s an episode from Watson’s military service, and I love the subtle way Watson’s loneliness is conveyed—he has no one to write letters to, so he sketches out his recent experience of delivering a baby in a form of a journal or a short story draft. His talent as a writer already shines in that short sketch: his sincerity, his knack for detail, and the realism with which he describes harsh conditions of a local village. This story reminds that it takes a great deal of nerve to be a doctor because one has to deal with life and death situations, relying only on one’s skills and composure. Another beautiful touch is that Watson’s orderly Murray, who later saved his life at Maiwand, makes an appearance.

Sand in His Teeth by

colebaltblue (G, 2.3K, Ritchie): the atmosphere of Watson’s “comfortless, meaninglessness existence” upon his being invalided from the army is just astounding. His bitterness, his despair, his anger, and again his loneliness are conveyed in a most striking way. Amidst this misery he meets a mysterious boxer which proves to be turning point in his life and leads to the not entirely accidental introduction made by Stamford later.

mightymads

In TWIS Holmes says,

“My room at The Cedars is a double-bedded one”

Then, a few pages later,

“Mrs. St. Clair has most kindly put two rooms at my disposal,”

Dear me, Watson, your obvious is showing. Either you forgot to edit the former statement or you left it that way deliberately for your perceptive readers. Then again, Mrs. St. Clair could have given Holmes a double room suite with a bed in each room, but that would’ve been superfluous, right? Since Holmes had intended to be there alone and met Watson at the den after the arrangements had been made.

It seems that the Granada adaptation went with a room with two beds scenario, with Holmes sitting on one bed and Watson going to sleep in the other:

( Read more... )

mightymads

The upper condyle of a human femur

This post on tumblr made me wonder why ACD used a term which seems to be incorrect:

ACD wouldn't make Watson incompetent deliberately because Watson in the stories is never a buffoon. On the contrary, he is a fine professional and a reliable friend.

So I had two guesses: either ACD forgot the proper term since by 1927, when Shoscombe Old Place was written, ACD hadn't been practicing medicine for a long while. Or he did use the correct term which by now became obsolete.
( Read more... )

Victorian 221b

Entries tagged with universe: acd canon

Watson Drabble: Genius

Height difference

Some more ACD fic recs

More ACD fic recs

while the iron is hot by laurajv | ACD | M | 1.4K

Fic recs: Watson’s state of mind (Afghanistan and return to England)

How many rooms and beds?

Medical accuracy in ACD's stories

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