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swissmissficrecs · 4 months

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Top 10 Sherlock fics by kudos in 2023

Top 10 fics completed in 2023 that garnered the most kudos on AO3. Excluded: chaptered "fics" that are actually collections of standalone ficlets and crossovers that are mostly about the other fandom. Fics that began posting earlier (in some cases, years earlier) obviously have the advantage of more time to rack up kudos. Kudo counts as of 2 Jan 2024.

1. 1,720 kudos: The Case of the Man Who Was Wanted by MyDearLadyDisdain (232K, M, Sherlock/Harry Potter) After an inexplicable case in Surrey, Sherlock is after the strangest criminal he's ever encountered: a mass murderer, that has eluded the authorities for almost 14 years. Unfortunately, Sherlock Holmes is the only one that can see right away that this Harry Potter character is completely innocent. And hang on, is that tea set floating?

2. 1,682 kudos: Shift by stopthat (48K, E, Johnlock) Sherlock is tired. John senses a shift.

3. 1,102 kudos: Ride On by Silvergirl (38K, E, Johnlock) After the disastrous reveal at the Landmark, John tells Sherlock there can be no excuse for what he’s done, and no forgiveness. Sherlock leaves London and starts a new life, and not even the British Government knows where. It’s up to John to track him down and make things right, with a trip around the world and a clue only John would recognize.

4. 851 kudos: Till Death Do Us Part (Not Yet, Not Yet) by Civilized_muppets (8K, T, Johnlock) In which Sherlock and John have been married for years, not that any member of the yard has ever heard of John, much less that Sherlock was married at all, until John is kidnapped from Afghanistan.

5. 797 kudos: The story of the Forgotten Wallet. by Headphones_on_the_Skull (25K, E, Johnlock) Just some dirty Alpha/Omega Johnlock porn.

6. 788 kudos: Nothing to Celebrate by DiscordantWords (30K, M, Johnlock) Sherlock Holmes is back from the dead. Things only get worse from there.

7. 726 kudos: A Tale of Two Soldiers by batslikepastel (14K, T, Johnlock, Jolto, Mystrade) It's Christmas, and Sherlock and John are finally flatmates again after the tumultuous events of the previous year. But a sudden revelation about John's sexuality and James Sholto's unexpected presence throw a wrench into Sherlock's plans, and his jealousy threatens to overwhelm him even as John remains blithely oblivious. Their relationship has reached a turning point, and the ball is in John's court now.

8. 671 kudos: Nightjet by khorazir (22K, M, Johnlock) Officially deceased for eighteen months and still looking for the last remainders of Moriarty’s criminal empire, an exhausted Sherlock boards a night train in Germany to bring him to his next hunting ground. Due to a mishap with the sleeper cars, he is forced to share a compartment with a stranger – who turns out to be not quite as strange as Sherlock thought. The universe isn’t lazy, after all …

9. 646 kudos: Our Love Keeps the Things It Finds by her_ladyships_soap (25K, T, Mystrade) Everyone has a soulmate. Everyone. It's simple human biology. Over the course of every person's life, they develop tattoos of the things their soulmate loves most. Though he has always disliked the concept, Mycroft Holmes is painted from head to toe with dozens of brightly-coloured tattoos. Greg Lestrade, once-firm believer and hopeless romantic, has just nine. They are all quietly sophisticated, sketched in smooth shades of black and grey and easy to hide. Neither of them has gained a tattoo in years. But when they both suddenly find new markings, things finally fall into place.

10. 636 kudos: In Fine Spirits by EventHorizon (189K, M, Mystrade, Johnlock) A very upscale bar/private club needs a bartender and scruffy, punky Greg Lestrade is certain he has the right skills (and needs the job), so walks in to apply in person. He didn't realize that someone else he knew works there, also. Though… 'knew' probably isn't the proper term for a one-night stand where you didn't even learn their name during the fun…

#rec list #best

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kwebtv · 3 months

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Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, Edward Hardwicke as Dr. John H. Watson, Rosalie Williams as Mrs. Hudson, Jenny Seagrove as Miss Mary Morstan, Emrys James as Inspector Athelney Jones, Robin Hunter as Major Sholto, Ronald Lacey as Thaddeus/Bartholomew Sholto, Terence Skelton as Captain Morstan, John Thaw as Jonathan Small, Kiran Shah as Tonga, Lila Kaye as Mrs. Mordecai Smith and Toby in "The Sign of Four"

#The Sign of Four #TV #Jeremy Brett #Edward Hardwicke #Rosalie Williams #Jenny Seagrove #John Thaw

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anonymousewrites · 2 months

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A Study of the Heart and Brain (Book 3) Chapter Eight

Father Figure! Sherlock Holmes x Teen! Reader

Chapter Eight: Bloody Guardsman

Summary: Sherlock tells a story of one of John, (Y/N), and his cases.

A while ago…

Sherlock stood in front of the wall of wedding information he’d compiled for the wedding. He had approached preparation like a case, with categories for wine, catering, transport, and rehearsal. Sherlock had been so honored that John had chosen him as his best man that he had decided nothing would stop him from making sure the entire day was perfect (which inevitably meant it wouldn’t be, but the heart was there).

Mary had a 3D model of the reception venue in front of her, John was on his phone (the stress was getting to him), and (Y/N) had the guest and RSVP list in front of them.

“Need to work on your half of the church, Mary. Looking a bit thin,” said Sherlock.

“Ah, the orphan’s lot. Friends—that’s all I have. Lots of friends,” said Mary. She smiled, and (Y/N) cocked their head. There was something in the muscles that twitched in her face, something in the size of her smile, that put (Y/N) off.

“Schedule the organ music to begin at precisely 11:48,” said Sherlock, and (Y/N) focused back on the task at hand.

“But the rehearsal’s not for another two weeks,” said Mary.

“I thought people wanted everything to be ready soon,” said (Y/N), looking up from the lists they were correcting.

Mary sighed. “Let’s get back to the reception. (Y/N), there’s John’s cousin. Top table?” she asked, gesturing to the RSVP card.

(Y/N) glanced at the name and card. “No, she hates you. Doesn’t even like thinking about you.”

“Seriously?” asked Mary, surprised.

“Second-class post, cheap card bought at a petrol station, last minute, the stamp has three attempts at licking, so she unconsciously retained saliva. All signs of dislike,” said (Y/N).

“Ah. Let’s stick her by the bogs,” said Mary.

(Y/N) tossed the RSVP card into the pile that had been designated as the worst guests (aka: should be shoved as far away from the bride and groom as possible)

“Who else hates me?” asked Mary.

“(Y/N) made a list,” said Sherlock. (Y/N) held it out silently.

“Oh, great—thanks!” said Mary with faux-brightness as she took it.

“Priceless painting nicked. Looks interesting,” said John, looking at his phone.

“Table four?” said Mary, looking at Sherlock and (Y/N).

“Done,” said Sherlock.

John chuckled as he looked at another case in the inbox. “ ‘My husband is three people.’ ”

“Table five,” continued Mary.

“Major James Sholto. Who’s he?” asked (Y/N).

“Oh, John’s old commanding officer. I don’t think he’s coming,” said Mary.

“He’ll be there,” said John.

“Well, he needs to RSVP, then,” said Mary.

“He’ll be there,” said John firmly. He looked at Sherlock and repeated the latest case possibility he’d found. “ ‘My husband is three people.’ It’s interesting. Says he has three distinct patterns of moles on his skin.”

“Identical triplets—one in half a million births. Solved it without leaving the flat,” said Sherlock, and then he got back to the wedding planning. “Now, serviettes.” He reached under the coffee table and pulled out a tray with two folded napkins. “Swan or Sydney Opera House?”

Mary stared in surprise. “Where’d you learn to do that?!” she exclaimed.

“Many unexpected skills required in the field of investigation—”

“Fibbing, Sherlock,” said Mary, calling him out immediately.

“I once broke an alibi by demonstrating the exact severity of—”

“I’m not John, I can tell when you’re fibbing,” said Mary.

“Okay—I learned it on YouTube,” said Sherlock.

“You’re very good,” said (Y/N). Mary had surprising skills at times. She was…smarter, or at least more preceptive and aware, than most people.

“Thanks,” said Mary, smiling. She looked at Sherlock. “Um, Opera House, please. Ooh, hang on. I’m buzzing.” She pulled out her phone and headed towards the hall.

John stood. “If that’s Beth, it’s probably for me, too. Hang on.”

“What do we do while they’re gone?” asked (Y/N).

“Fold,” said Sherlock, tossing napkins to them. They had watched the videos while he did, so they could do it.

The pair sat down and mechanically began folding. (Y/N) liked the repetitive motion. In the midst of all the chaos and planning, it was calming.

John finally walked back into the room and stared at the mass of Opera-House-napkins piling up around the father and kid.

“That just sort of…happened,” said Sherlock in response to the stare.

“Sherlock, (Y/N), um…I’ve…” John sighed and sat down. (Y/N) and Sherlock exchanged glances and followed him. “I’ve smelled eighteen different perfumes. I’ve sampled nine different slices of cake, which all tasted identical. I like the bridesmaids in purple—”

“Lilac,” said (Y/N).

“—Lilac. Um, there are no decisions left to make. I don’t even understand the decisions that we have made. I’m faking opinions, and it’s exhausting,” sighed John. “So, please, before I have to do anything else, pick something.” He held out his phone to them, on the page to show case offers. “Anything. Pick one.”

“Pick what?” asked Sherlock.

“A case. Your inbox is bursting. Just…get me out of here,” said John.

“You want to go out on a case? Now?” questioned Sherlock.

“Please, for me. I just need a break,” sighed John. (Really, he knew (Y/N) and Sherlock needed one since they were working way too hard on this).

As dutiful friends as ever, Sherlock and (Y/N) nodded.

“We’ll get you out of this,” said (Y/N) while Sherlock looked at the options.

“ ‘Dear Mr. Holmes,’ ” he read aloud. “ ‘My name is Bainbridge. I’m a Private in Her Majesty’s Household Guard. I’m writing to you about a personal matter one I don’t care to bring before my superiors—it would sound so trivial—but I think someone’s stalking me. I’m used to tourists—it’s part of the job—but this is different. Someone’s watching me. He’s taking pictures of me every day. Don’t want to mention it to my major, but its’ really preying on my mind.’ ”

(Y/N) hummed in consideration and flipped over their lollipop.

“Uniform fetish,” decided Sherlock. “All the nice girls like a soldier.”

“I think the phrase is ‘sailor,’ ” said John. “And Bainbridge thinks his stalker is a bloke.”

“It could be a gay man, but the odds aren’t exactly in that idea’s favor,” said (Y/N).

“Let’s go and investigate, please?” said John, looking between the two detectives.

“Elite guard,” mused Sherlock.

“Forty enlisted men and officers…Wonder why this grenadier is special,” said (Y/N).

John grinned. They were in. “Now you two are talking.”

“Okay,” said Sherlock, handing back the phone to John.

(Y/N) stood up from the ground and walked to the door with John and Sherlock. Mary entered the room at the same moment.

“Bye,” she said into the phone.

“Er, we’re just going to…I need, um, Sherlock and (Y/N) to help me choose some, uh, socks,” said John.

“Ties,” said Sherlock at the same moment.

“Pocket squares,” said (Y/N) simultaneously.

“Why don’t we go with ties?” said Mary, obviously amused.

“Yeah…” said John, laughing nervously.

“I mean, I know (Y/N) still hasn’t bought one,” said Mary.

“I’ve been a bit busy,” said (Y/N), shrugging and going along with the lie they all knew was one.

“And you want it to go well with the theme of the wedding,” said Mary.

“Right,” said Sherlock, nodding.

“It’ll take a while, right?” continued Mary in amusement.

“My coat in there?” asked John, walking to the kitchen.

“Yes,” said Mary, smiling.

“Just going to take him out to run him down,” said Sherlock.

“You said you’d find him a case,” said Mary, grinning. She was playing them all (though, by the look on their face, (Y/N) was a little more aware than the others that Mary was orchestrating time for John and Sherlock to relax and have fun).

“Come on, you two,” said John, pulling on his coat and opening the door.

“Coming,” said (Y/N) and Sherlock going after him.

Mary gave them a thumbs up and happily closed the door for some peace and quiet of her own.

The trio arrived at the barracks, and Sherlock and (Y/N) let John walk ahead since he was the veteran among them. He held up his military ID to the duty sergeant at the barrack entrance.

“We’re here to see Private Stephen Bainbridge,” said John.

“He’s on duty right now, sir, but I’ll certainly let him know when he’s free,” said the sergeant.

“And when will that be?” asked Sherlock.

“Another hour,” said the sergeant.

John, Sherlock, and (Y/N) left the door to the barracks and headed to a bench facing the gates. They sat down, leaned back, and waited.

Eventually, Sherlock spoke up and remarked upon something that had been on his mind since the morning. “So, why don’t you see him anymore?” he asked.

“Who?” asked John.

“Your previous commander, Sholto,” said Sherlock.

“Previous commander,” repeated John.

“You ex,” said (Y/N).

“Previous suggests I have a current commander,” said John. He eyed Sherlock. “Which I don’t.”

“Sure,” said (Y/N).

“He was decorated, wasn’t he? A war hero,” said Sherlock.

“Not to everyone. He led a team of crows into battle,” said John.

“Crows?” asked (Y/N).

“New recruits. It’s standard procedure, break the new boys in—but it went wrong,” said John. He looked down. “They all died; he was the only survivor. The press and the families gave him hell. He gets more death threats than you.”

“Probably not from worse people,” remarked (Y/N), and Sherlock nodded in agreement.

“Why have you two suddenly taken an interest in another human being?” asked John suspiciously.

“Just chatting,” said Sherlock. John raised an eyebrow in complete disbelief. “Won’t be trying that again,” decided Sherlock.

“Changing the subject completely,” said John, saving everyone from embarrassment or vulnerability. “You two know it won’t alter anything, right, with me and Mary getting married? We’ll still be doing this.”

“Oh, good,” said Sherlock, and (Y/N) nodded.

“If you two were worried,” said John.

“Wasn’t worried,” said Sherlock.

John sighed and looked down at his hands. “See, the thing about Mary—she has completely turned my life around, changed everything. But, for the record, over the last few years there are three people who have don’t that…and the other two are—” He looked back up and found that Sherlock and (Y/N) had disappeared. “—complete dickheads.”

(Y/N) and Sherlock marched behind the guards playfully to get into the building. Honestly, (Y/N) was surprised the guards weren’t guarding that well, but they weren’t about to complain.

The pair took off the hats they’d put on and fixed their flattened hair before continuing on through the halls. Two guards in khaki army uniforms were on patrol, and (Y/N) and Sherlock hid around the side of the stairs until they were gone. They crept onwards, and they came across a room with voices within. (Y/N) opened the door for a moment and peeked inside. It was a group of soldiers chatting and relaxing. They closed the door, shook their head, and continued on with Sherlock.

“Hey, you two!” shouted a guard.

Damn, I guess some of them are good at their jobs, thought (Y/N).

“Sir, caught these two snooping around,” said the sergeant who had found Sherlock and (Y/N) as he shoved them into the changing rooms of the guards.

A body lay on the ground, wet and soapy, clearly having died while in the processing of showering. John was already standing inside, and judging by his and Major Reed’s (they had noticed his office earlier, and seeing as he was the man in charge, it was definitely him) expressions, they were all in trouble.

“Is that what all this was about?” demanded Reed, glaring at John. “Distracting me so these two could get in here and kill Bainbridge?”

(Y/N) cocked their head. Their client was dead, and that meant there was something more to this case than met the eye.

“Kill him with what? Where’s the weapon?” said Sherlock, instantly dispelling the idea they had killed anyone (and making sure (Y/N) wasn’t pushed around anymore).

“What?” asked Reed, furrowing his brow.

“Search us. We don’t have any weapons,” said (Y/N).

“Bainbridge was on parade. He came off duty five minutes ago. When’s this supposed to have happened?” asked John.

“Those two obviously stabbed him before he got into the shower,” said Reed.

“No,” said (Y/N).

“No?!” cried Reed incredulously.

“He’s soaking wet, and there’s still shampoo in his hair. He got into the shower, and then someone stabbed him,” said Sherlock.

“The cubicle was locked from the inside, sir. I had to break it open,” said the sergeant that had come across the body.

“One of you must’ve climbed over the top,” said Reed stubbornly.

“We’d be wet, too,” said (Y/N), crossing their arms.

“Major, please,” snapped John, his voice full of authority and irritation. “I’m John Watson, Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers. Three years in Afghanistan, a veteran of Kandahar, Helmand, and Bart’s bloody Hospital. Let me examine this body.”

Reed stared at John for a moment before looking at Bainbridge’s body and then back again. He nodded sharply.

“Thank you,” said John in exasperation, and he knelt beside the body. Sherlock and (Y/N) leaned over him.

“Suicide?” asked the duty sergeant.

“No, the weapon again—no knife,” said Sherlock.

(Y/N) cocked their head as they noticed someone and leaned closer. “There’s a wound in his abdomen, isn’t there?”

John nodded. “Very fine, but yeah.”

“Man stabbed to death. No murder weapon. Door locked from the inside. Only one way in or out of there,” mused Sherlock.

(Y/N) peeled back one of his eyelids to check for any other signs of death. A soft breath landed on their hand. They blinked. “He’s still breathing.”

Everyone’s head snapped towards them.

“Oh my god!” exclaimed the sergeant.

“What do we do?” asked Sherlock, looking at John.

“Give me your scarf,” said John, in complete doctor mode.

“What?” asked Sherlock.

“Now,” said John, and Sherlock unwound his scarf and handed it to John. He looked at the sergeants and Reed. “Call an ambulance.”

“What?” asked one of the sergeants.

“Now!” ordered John, and the sergeant jumped to obey while John pressed the scarf to Bainbridge’s wound. “Nurse, press here, hard.”

“Nurse?” said Sherlock and (Y/N).

“I’m making do,” said John, reaching out with one hand and dragging Sherlock closer so he could put pressure on the wound. “Keep that on there.” He moved back to Bainbridge’s head. “Stephen? Stephen, stay with us.”

(Y/N) looked at Sherlock and John as they saved Bainbridge’s life. Their eyes flicked from his face as he tried to breath to the wound Sherlock was pressing on. It was in a rather specific place. Long, thin, precisely made…If only (Y/N) could put it together.

Taglist:

@stilesstilinskiforlife-blog

@im-making-an-effort

@ilse235

@schrodingers-intelligence

@awsedrftgyhujikol

@lxserthxngzzz

@forever1313

@mentallyunstablemanlover

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holmesillustrations · 4 months

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Vote for your favourite, the top 9 will proceed in the bracket. Since theyre all different shapes and sizes, make sure to click into the full views!

Paget Eliminations // Other Artist Eliminations

Full captions and details for each illustration below the cut:

"In the light of the lantern i read, with a thrill of horror, 'the sign of the four'." HM Kerr, Sign of Four (1890 Spencer Blackett Novel) Characters: Watson, Holmes, Batholomew Sholto

[Holmes and Watson hiding on the train platform] Harry C. Edwards, Final Problem (McClure’s) Characters: Holmes

"You infernal spies!" the man cried." FD Steele, Priory School (Collier’s) Characters: Holmes

"The lady lay back exhausted upon a couch enveloped in a loose dressing-gown of blue and silver." FD Steele, Abbey Grange (Collier’s) Characters: Hopkins, Holmes, Lady Brackenstall, Theresa, Watson

"Halloa, Watson! What is this?" Arthur Twidle, Bruce-Partington Plans (The Strand) Characters: Watson, Holmes

"What has happened to the Lady Frances? Is she alive or dead? There is our problem" FD Steele, Lady Frances Carfax (The American Magazine) Characters: Watson, Holmes

"Mrs. Douglas turned, and in an instant her arms were round him. Barker has seized his outstretched hand." Frank Wiles, Valley of Fear (The Strand) Characters: Cecil Barker, Douglas/McMurdo, Mrs Douglas, Holmes, Watson

"This quiet house is the center of half the mischief in England; the sporting squire the most astute secret-service man in Europe!" FD Steele, His Last Bow (Collier’s) Characters: Baron von Herling, Von Bork

"Dog and man were rolling on the ground together, the one roaring in rage, the other screaming in a strange shrill falsetto of terror." HK Elcock, Creeping Man (The Strand) Characters: Prof Presbury, Trevor Bennett, Holmes, Watson

"In the great drawing-room a lady awaited us, demure and remote as a snow image on a mountain." JR Flanagan, Illustrious Client (Collier’s) Characters: Violet deMerville

"I gripped the old man by the shoulder, but he shrank away." HK Elcock, Blanched Soldier (The Strand) Characters: Col Emsworth, James Dodd

"There was something in the woman's voice which arrested Holmes' attention." Frank Wiles, Veiled Lodger (The Strand) Characters: Watson, Holmes, Eugenia Ronder

#acd holmes #sherlock holmes #tumblr bracket #sherlock holmes illustrations #elim poll #oa elim

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inevitably-johnlocked · 11 months

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Five Fics Friday: June 2/23

Happy Pride month everyone! Why not celebrate with fics about our favourite husbands?????? Enjoy!

SIGNAL BOOSTING

Deduce Your Own Adventure by Jimlockian (E, 35,380 w., 99 Ch. || Choose Your Own Adventure-Style || Alternate Canon, Humour, Canon Divergence, Assorted Tags) – A Sherlockian, old fashioned, Choose Your Own Adventure book!! At the end of each scene (chapter) you are presented with choices which can lead to any number of options – three different cases, a chase, four romantic pairings (navigational Johnlock & Sheriarty/Jimlock smuts!), three main characters to kill, kidnappings of different characters, rewritten RBF, endings that are odd, happy, angst-filled, humorous, fluffy, smutty - all from choices made by you! Will you take the case of a body turning up where it oughtn't be, or a stolen artifact from a museum, or perhaps theft after a lover's quarrel? Will you find Johnlock, Sheriarty/Jimlock, Johniarty or minor Johnbastian? Is Sherlock witty or romantic? Does John's nobility last? Is Jim patient or naughty? Will you make it to the chase scene, or to RBF? Fluff or smut? Your choice will decide! Choices: 2-3 varying solutions for each case, many pairing themed storylines/endings; 5+ Johnlock & Jimlock, 3 Johniarty (NEW: smut, fluff endings), 2 Johnbastian, 1 Morlock... +25 endings!

RECENT MFLs

Sexual Frustration by SailorChibi (E, 2,181 w., 1 Ch. || Semi-Public Sex, Possessive Sherlock, Porn with Feels, Neglected John) – "You," Sherlock said very quietly, "have a 15 minute head start to get home, strip, and get in my bed. If I catch you before you make it back to the flat, I will fuck you where I find you regardless of who is watching." His hand tightened, fingers threatening bruises. "Either way, I am going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk for three days."

Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down by standbygo (M, 3,282 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Five and On, Food, Missing Scene, Three Garridebs Moment /John Whump, Cuddling/Snuggling, Hurt/Comfort, Love Declarations, Parenthood, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss) – Five times when Sherlock and John ate together, and one time they didn't. A history of the boys, in food.

A Tale of Two Soldiers by batslikepastel (T, 14,136 w., 5 Ch. || S4 Fix It, Jealous Sherlock, Misunderstandings, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Christmas, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Developing Relationship, Cuddling / Snuggling, First Kiss, Stress Baking, Domestic Fluff) – It's Christmas, and Sherlock and John are finally flatmates again after the tumultuous events of the previous year. But a sudden revelation about John's sexuality and James Sholto's unexpected presence throw a wrench into Sherlock's plans, and his jealousy threatens to overwhelm him even as John remains blithely oblivious. Their relationship has reached a turning point, and the ball is in John's court now.

The Case of The Boy & The Soldier by WhatLocked (T, 36,263 w., 18 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting AU || Sherlock POV, Sneaky Mycroft, Parentlock, Developing Relationship, Case Fic, Lists, Original Child Character, Parent John, Light Mystrade, Kidnapping) – When one William Watson wanders into the life of one Sherlock Holmes, claiming that his daddy has been taken by bad men, Sherlock finds himself caught up in a rather intriguing case of not only locating the boys father but also in discovering a side of himself that he never knew existed. Part 1 of The William Watson Case Files

#five fics friday #my fic recs #johnlock fic recs

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maryholmes94 · 2 months

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Rewatched 'The Sign of Three'. Without doubt, one of the most heart-breaking episodes of 'Sherlock' and also one of the best. The structure and storytelling are very clever, the pacing is perfect and the characters are fun. One more step towards making Sherlock the only main character of the show, but it looks natural and nothing seems amiss. The supporting characters of this episode are memorable and fit very good into the story. Alistair Petrie gives a powerful performance as James Sholto, Ed Birch is fun as Tom, Alfred Enoch has a small, but significant role as Bainbridge, and Adam Greaves-Neal delights the viewer as a sweet page boy. On the whole, 'The Sign of Three' is one of the best interpretations of a rather tedious original story which was not that lucky when it came to adaptations (the 1932 movie is my favourite one, with Granada and the Soviet versions again showing very little ingenuity). One of the reasons is the touching performance of Benedict Cumberbatch who portrays Sherlock Holmes at the brink of a life-changing drama. Losing a friend to death is tragic, but losing a friend to a different life can be truly unbearable, and some of us who know what it's like are not able to watch this episode without feeling a heart's pain. The answer to this drama given later in the series felt a little controversial, but there is always hope where Sherlock Holmes is concerned, so let's not be too sad because of this bitter-sweetness, so loved by the show's creators.

#SherlockBBC #SherlockSeason3 #TheSignOfThree #TheSignOfFour #SherlockHolmes #BenedictCumberbatch

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coffeeteaitsallfine · 10 months

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JOHN: Priceless painting nicked. Looks interesting. MARY: Table four... SHERLOCK: Done. JOHN: “My husband is three people.” MARY: Table five. SHERLOCK: Major James Sholto. Who he? MARY: Oh, John’s old commanding officer. I don’t think he’s coming. JOHN: He’ll be there. MARY: Well, he needs to RSVP, then. JOHN: He’ll be there.

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londonlock · 5 months

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do u think james sholto was ok. like after all that. like he wanted to be killed by his uniform. he has no one. he got special dispensation to keep his uniform but barely any occasion to wear it. i hope he’s alright

#sherlock

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shylockgnomes · 1 year

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The Chequered Flag Update!

The Chequered Flag (9405 words) by littleweedwrites Chapters: 6/16 Fandom: Sherlock (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson, James Sholto & John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, James Sholto/John Watson Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Molly Hooper, Harry Watson, James Sholto (Sherlock), John Watson's Mother, Ella (Sherlock), Mike Stamford, Mrs. Hudson (Sherlock Holmes), Mary Morstan, Irene Adler (Sherlock Holmes), Mycroft Holmes Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Car Racing, Car Accidents, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, death mention, Therapy, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Johnlock - Freeform, Mechanics, Past Mary Morstan/John Watson, Really I promise it's not really a thing, She's nice in this because to be honest she doesn't feature very much at all Summary: John Watson used to be a top class racing driver, before. Now he's a wreck and if he stands any chance of getting back behind the wheel he needs all the help he can get.

It's another Pit Stop! We meet a bunch of a familiar faces in this one!

Just as awarning there's likely to either be a delay or mini hiatus through the next month as I'm taking part in @fluffbruary with one of the other long works I'm working on.

#the chequered flag #john watson #agra racing #car racing au #sherlock holmes

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amyreadsandstresses · 2 years

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AMY'S DAILY FIC REC

Or, the best fics I read yesterday and the day before. Today ft. Star Wars and BBC Sherlock

*Die With You - unwithered

1k, 1/1, Rex & Ahsoka Tano, Implied Character Death, Minor Character Death, Angst

Trapped behind enemy lines and gravely wounded, Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex have little hope of surviving and making it back to their base. Rex is ready to die for his Jedi, but she refuses to go on without him.

*Teachers - Selena

4k, 1/1, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Obi Wan Kenobi, Character Study

"Remember, Anakin, the master learns as much from the padawan as the padawan learns from the master." Eight lessons Anakin Skywalker learns through Ahsoka Tano, and one Darth Vader does.

*Ridiculi Sunt (oh, quam eos amat) - RealmOfTenderness

3k, 1/1, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Obi Wan Kenobi, Post Zyggeria, Family Fluff

Anakin and Ahsoka are both lost in the music, elbows locked, jumping in rhythm, arms and legs going everywhere. His brown curls appear golden under the ship’s artificial lights, bouncing on his shoulders like tiny little dancers of their own. Her lekku follow the same pattern, sliding on her back, probably overwhelmed by sound and vibration. He sings. She laughs.

They are ridiculous. Obi-Wan loves them.

*Little Sherlock - Peppykitty

4k, 1/1, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, De-Ageing

When Sherlock is turned into a toddler, John has to always be on his toes.

*He Gets That From Me - CrayolaDinosaurs

1k, 1/1, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sad, Hamish Watson-Holmes

Sherlock discusses the traits that Hamish gained from John and himself.

*Erosion - saintscully

53k, 12/12, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, James Sholto, Rosamund "Rosie" Mary Watson, Slow Burn, Holmes Family, Grief, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort

Sherlock’s father falls ill, leaving the surviving family members broken and rudderless. James Sholto shows up in London unexpectedly, his intentions unclear. John has to navigate the consequences of crime, illness and death and their impact on his frayed relationship with Sherlock.

*Puh for Picasso - nauticus

5k, 1/1, Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock Holmes, Autistic Sherlock, Dysfucntional Family, Ableism, Non verbal Sherlock

Their parents oftentimes think that Sherlock can't understand them, but Mycroft knows differently. Sometimes words aren't necessary.

*Proxy - CherryBlossomTide

13k, 2/2, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Mummy Holmes, Angst, Abuse

No good deed goes unpunished.

*My Will's Not My Own - SailorChibi

50k, 45/45, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Jim Moriarty, Mycroft Holmes, Greg Lestrade, Molly Hooper, Recovery, TRIGGER WARNING: R/NC

The bomb exploded, and Sherlock was kidnapped in the immediate aftermath of the Great Game. Moriarty has come up with a plan to discredit him, and it works perfectly: everyone believes that Sherlock wanted to have sex with Moriarty, and it's turned his life upside down. He doesn't fully understand what happened, and Moriarty is still out there - and he's making promises to come back.

But now that John, Lestrade and Mycroft have found out the truth, they're going to do everything they can to protect Sherlock and give Moriarty what he deserves. The real question is whether or not they can ever make it up to Sherlock.

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royalgroove · 4 months

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Looking Back at 2023

From acid jazz to hypnotic world grooves and beyond, Royal Groove presenter DeLuca (that's me 🤓) brings a personal selection of tracks from his favourite releases of 2023.

🎧 Listen to Royal Groove's Looking Back at 2023 over at Mixcloud.

The list is also available on Spotify.

Playlist

Joy Guerrilla - Golden Gate

Azamiah - Night Woman

Tommaso Cappellato - The Flow Must Go On

Melodiesinfonie - Seaside (feat. OG Florin)

Golden Mean - The Breaks

Brian Nasty - Loso Na Madesu (feat. Natanya)

Robohands - Individuation

Sven Wunder - Ultramarine

Adja - Sambafassa

Yoni Mayraz - 1999

Mestizo - Arroyo

Surprise Chef - Spike Boy

The Lahaar - Chase Scene, pt. 1

Il Mago del Gelato - Maledetta Quella Notte

The Kanpai Quartet - Rick James Dwells In The Abyss

Huw Marc Benett - Red Valley

Qwalia - Electric Highway

Erobique - Acquamarina

Lorenzo Moressi - Pop Flop

Espen Horne - Bakeren

Psyché - Kuma

Last Nubian & Sweet Fruity Brunch - og outro

Gotts Street Park - Got To Be Good

Move 78 - Hal Wandered Off

Greg Foat & Ayo Salawu - Stasis Loop

John Roseboro - How To Cope (feat. Mei Semones)

Jasual Cazz - Mèches

Isobella Burnham - Roam The World

13th Ward Social Club - Chariots of The God

Bibio - Sorry Won’t Cut It

Mama Terra - A Mind Supreme

Don Leisure & Amanda Whiting - Walk With Us

Cujo - Early For Clink Street

Menagerie - Earthrise

Kutiman - Darkness In My Light

The Offline - Cap Camarat

JJ Whitefield - Parmigiano

Pedro Ricardo & Damián Botigue - Sem Dizer

Sholto - The Pearl That Glitters

John Haycock - Reunify

Me And My Friends - Witness

Flaer - Follow

Mocky - Just A Litte Lovin’

Cheers!

#funk #jazz #best of 2023 #rare groove #vinyl

0 notes

bakerstreetbabble · 3 years

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Granada TV Series Review: "The Sign of Four"

Finally, here it is! My review of the 1987 Granada TV adaptation of The Sign of Four...enjoy!

First of all, one could give this installment in the series a two-word review: mostly faithful. That is, the adaptation follows very closely all the main plot points of its source material, with a few little tweaks here and there. I shall mention some of the most obvious changes as I go along. It may be best to begin with the title: Arthur Conan Doyle's novella was originally published in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine as The Sign of the Four (1890), but many subsequent editions omitted the second definite article and were released as The Sign of Four. Granada chose to go with the latter. In the novella, of course, Jonathan Small's calling card reads, "the sign of the four."

As I said, the adaptation is nothing if not faithful to its source. This can be a bit problematic, as it means the last twenty minutes or so of the film are told in flashback by Jonathan Small, which strikes me as a bit anticlimactic for the flow of the story. However, if one were to place the past events told in flashback at the beginning of the film, one would be faced with a Sherlock Holmes story in which the detective doesn't show up until well into the story. Either way, it's a difficult problem for the writers. Overall, I think they did a very good job, despite some of the inherent problem of somewhat slow pacing.

Jeremy Brett is in excellent form throughout the film, despite the fact that he was beginning to struggle with his bipolar disorder around this same time. Perhaps this explains the unusual decision towards the beginning of the film, in which Holmes displays some rather unusual behavior as Mary Morstan tells her story. He complains of the messiness of the flat at 221B and begins to brush lint from his suit as she talks. His reaction ends up coming off as boorish and eccentric. Holmes in the book shows no such odd behavior. Still, Brett is mostly excellent in the adaptation, and Edward Hardwicke had clearly become quite comfortable in the role by this time, so the chemistry between Holmes and Watson works quite well.

I'm afraid Jenny Seagrove's portrayal of Mary Morstan struck me as a bit bland and uninteresting. I was at a loss to understand exactly why Watson seemed so charmed by her (apart from the fact that it's a fairly major subplot point in the book). She's adequate in the role, but I found her quite unimpressive. In contrast, I thought Ronald Lacey (better known as the creepy Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark) was delightful as Thaddeus and Bartholomew Sholto. He's eccentric, funny, and just a bit unsettling at times. Really, an almost perfect portrayal of the unusual character. Emrys James as Inspector Athelney Jones was also quite entertaining, serving as a pompous, comical foil to Holmes's far more intelligent investigation. Brett and James do a fabulous job in the scene in which Jones is presenting his theory of the murder of Bartholomew Sholto, with Holmes wryly responding, "On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside." (A marvelous line, straight from the original novella.)

As often happens in some of the Granada adaptations, the director makes several unusual visual choices, displaying a fondness for shots that show Holmes in mirrors or shots that are obscured by objects in the foreground. A few of those choices work fairly well, though. A couple that I thought were interesting: shortly after Holmes climbs down from the roof of Pondicherry Lodge, there's a brief segment of dialogue in which the camera focuses on the characters' shadows on the brick wall; a particularly effective shot is when Holmes is reading about "the aborigines of the Andaman Islands," and the camera slowly zooms in on him as he smokes, surrounded by stacks of books. Less successful were several shots during the river chase scene, where the view of the steamboats was obscured by various objects in the foreground. Very odd.

Of course, what would a Sherlock Holmes adaptation be without at least one scene where Holmes remains in disguise just to mess with Watson? Jeremy Brett always seemed to take a special delight in such scenes, as displayed in this film, when he shows up at 221B dressed as an old mariner and completely fools both Watson and Inspector Jones. It does require a bit of suspension of disbelief to accept that neither man would see through such an obvious disguise. Still, it's quite entertaining.

One unpleasant detail that I can't help finding cringe-inducing is, of course, the portrayal of Tonga. There's really no way to get around the inherent racism of Doyle's portrayal of other races, which was not at all unusual for the late 19th century English culture. But it is particularly uncomfortable in this day and age to see the obvious blackface makeup applied to actor Kiran Shah, who would later do quite notable work in The Lord of the Rings and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And the prosthetic teeth are just badly done. It also doesn't help that, right towards the end of the film, we're given a really tacky shot of Tonga sinking into the Thames as gold coins splash around him (another Jonathan Small flashback, telling how he disposed of the Agra treasure).

A good decision made by the writers was the decision to move the revelation of the empty treasure box to occur after Jonathan Small's story has been told. I've always been confused by Doyle's decision to have that moment (as well as Watson's profession of love to Mary) happen before Small is allowed to recount his entire story. I still find myself wondering, however, how no one who lugged that treasure chest all the way across town (to Mary's employer's house in the book, and to 221B in the film) could tell that it was empty! I imagine many viewers have been disappointed that Watson's declaration of love and his subsequent proposal to Mary have been omitted. I can only guess that the writers for the Granada series were not interested in having Mary become a recurring character, and that they preferred to keep Watson and Holmes a couple of bachelors. Thus, we are only given a few longing looks from Watson as Mary goes her merry way. (See what I did there?)

I mustn't forget one of the most enjoyable moments in the film: the appearance of the famous Baker Street Irregulars. Although these little ragamuffins don't appear all that often in the canon, they certainly have earned the affection of Sherlock Holmes fans that probably ranks right up there with Sherlockians' fascination with Irene Adler (another fairly minor character who has achieved great fame). The scene where the Irregulars arrive at 221B, much to Mrs. Hudson's consternation, is done perfectly, and Jeremy Brett seems to be having a lot of fun at this point.

I have to say, overall, I enjoyed this particular adaptation of The Sign of Four. I found it engaging, despite just a bit of slow pacing here and there. Faithful to its source material, the film is a credit to its production team and cast. Brett and Hardwicke were quite comfortable in their roles, and the level of production value was still quite high at this point in the Granada series. As their first attempt at more long-form storytelling, it seems to have been a success, one that was not repeated with their adaptation of the most popular Holmes tale, The Hound of the Baskervilles. Ah, but that's a story for another time...

youtube

#Granada TV Sherlock Holmes series #Jeremy Brett #The Sign of Four #Youtube

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