I often see canon Holmes and Watson's default state pictured as

but what I read them as, is rather

and I think that's a lot funnier

*watson enters sitting room occupied by holmes and client*

watson: oh i'm so sorry for intruding. i'll just leave--

holmes: *JUMPS OVER SETTEE* *PULLS WATSON INSIDE* *SLAMS DOOR* *PUSHES WATSON INTO ARMCHAIR*

holmes: this is my friend and soulmate, dr watson

have i ever fully watched or read an acd era story? no. will that stop me from being menaced by them? also no.

Holmes: my dear Watson :c i'm so sorry i put you through an extremely dangerous situation (again)

Watson: that was the best day of my life and I'm going to write about it in my diary with a glitter pen

HOLMES. He has done it again. This reminds me so much of the beginning of the story where he writes:

In both cases, the longer sentence could technically be read as criticism (or a compliment!) or irony, thus taking away some if the rawness of "I was alone" and "And here it is that I miss my Watson".

But. But then Holmes says "my Watson" (an expression he uses often!) which is so clearly indicating that they still belong together, Watson may be married but he's still Holmes's Watson, at least in Holmes's thoughts ... And although he has brought his strange new doctor friend, he could not replace his Watson or even only his unique skill set.

This is often a feature of the cases, but I also think it's weird how abruptly the story is over. Clearly, for Holmes it's Case Closed - end of narrative. But the thing that strikes me is that we don't learn anything about Dodd's reaction. Won't he be overjoyed to learn he will be reunited with his friend? (No, because there is no reunion between Holmes and Watson.) And why is there no real conclusion, only the suggestion that the symptoms might be psychosomatic?

This case openly suggests a psychological explanation, and sorry, I can't stop think about the Holmes/Watson mirror (Emsworth was shot in the shoulder), and how Watson is married and how Holmes is alone ... And society keeps them apart, because no matter whether they were in any kind of romantic or sexual relationship, for two bachelors to live together for so long must have been a bit suspicious (and let's not forget the "combination of events, into which I need not enter,").

This story's leitmotif is the search for a lost friend, and the whole last paragraph seems to me to speak of how internalised prejudice makes you sick. We never see the social outcast who was shunned by society because of a alleged "disease" actually return to a regular life. We don't know if it will be possible. Holmes will certainly go home alone.

Oh, I really wonder what Watson thought when he read all that.

One of the important roles Watson has in Sherlock Holmes stories that I don't see mentioned often is that of devil's advocate. He's there to present arguments in favor of the more prosaic theory which goes against Holmes's seemingly unlikely theory.

This is done not just to challenge Holmes and his theory in universe, but also as an opportunity for Holmes (and by extention the author) to explain why Homes is right and Watson is wrong.

Don't you dare belittle the contributions of my dear good friend Dr. John H. Watson, MD.

He's also there to carry the gun

Watson's uses:

tryin to figure out my version of him

Of course he needs a friend

Wait these illustrations are p e r f e c t

The way Holmes textually canonically frequently regularly and often without hesitation commits crimes and/or protects criminals because he likes them, he thinks it's a silly thing to be criminalised for, he's bored, the police annoy him, he's gay, he's been drinking his respect women juice, or it was a really funny crime is just... Perfect of him actually

Literally canonically in his eyes basically the worst thing you can do is be a rich guy using your power to hurt people especially if you're hurting women or warmongering but if women commit treason he thinks it's hilarious and they end up besties who send each other Christmas cards every year its so fucking good

He's 100% right about all of this by the way

As a cop, you've got to be really SURE about the cases you bring to Sherlock Holmes. Because there's every chance he'll just decide to help your suspect flee the country.

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👸🏻 girlbossladyjane Follow

It really makes me sick to see people giving money to penny weeklies when Franklin's expedition STILL has not been found 😭 There are good men out there trapped in unimaginable temperatures and literally all that's needed is a little more funding for another rescue mission yet all you guys seem to care about are your vulgar little stories...

🧔🏻‍♂️ queerqueg Follow

the franklin expedition is dead as hell

👸🏻 girlbossladyjane Follow

Disgraceful thing to say but I'd expect nothing more from a M*lville fan

10,558 notes

👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 hartgrindisreal

Sorry for posting so much about Tom Gradgrind/James Harthouse from Hard Times lately. It turns out that I was getting arsenic poisoning from my wallpaper? Anyway I took a seaside stroll and I'm normal now. Check your walls y'all

#whyyy did i assume they were committing unlawful actions together like where did i even get that from lol #hard times isn't even that good by dickens standards tbh

659 notes

🎨 asherbrowndurand

Just painted this

2 notes

ss-arctic-girlie-deactivated18540927

RIP Napoleon... you may have been unable to conquer Alexander's Russia but you sure as hell conquered Alexander's bed

🖼️ preraphaelitebro Follow

HERITAGE POST

📝 shakespearesforehead Follow

How does this have less than 100k notes you could literally not avoid this post back in the 20s lol

82,170 notes

🌄 loyalromantic Follow

poets just aren't dying young in mysterious water-related incidents like they used to :/

#as useless and degenerative as i find 'the living poets' and i'm glad we're finally moving on from them #i have to agree with op in this respect

6,884 notes

🎀 thefopdiaries Follow

I finally got a daguerreotype of myself ^_^ Porcelain urn for scaling

📜 bartlebi-thescrivener

i think i hauve consumption

112 notes

🐋 whaler4life

They found oil in the ground??? WTF. THIS IS LITERALLY THE WORSTTTT. FUCK MY LIFE FOR REAL THIS TIME

11 notes

🌿 naturesnaturalist Follow

I swear this website has 0 reading comprehension skills. Darwin NEVER claimed we "evolved" from apes like if one of you guys actually bothered to open his new book you'll see all his arguments are backed up by evidence. He actually makes a lot of sense

#sure there's nuance like i don't fully agree with all of it #but his general theory of natural selection seems pretty sound imo

56 notes

🤵🏻‍♂️ byronicherotournament Follow

🙈 butchbronte Follow

Of course these are the finalists lmao this website is so predictable. Anyway vote Heathcliff if you dont i'm going to assume you're a phrenologist

📖 sapphichelenburns Follow

It's not problematic to acknowledge the fact that Heathcliff was a brute like he literally killed dogs in case you forgot. #rochestersweep

🙈 butchbronte Follow

I love the implication here that Rochester never did anything cruel either. He literally locked his wife in the attic and lied to Jane about it 😭 like that was a pretty significant thing that happened

📖 sapphichelenburns Follow

And? God forbid women do anything

#why'd you have to pit two bad bitches against each other #anyway i'm not attracted to men but still went with rochester #bc in terms of living quarters thornfield hall > wuthering heights easily

8,027 notes

👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 hartgrindisreal

Not the Russian tsar dying immediately after hartgrind became canon

#i know dickens hasn't technically confirmed it yet but like. SOMETHING was strongly implied ok #see: my previous post #dickensposting

522 notes

👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 hartgrindisreal

LORD HELP ME. THE BODY LANGUAGE. THE WAY THEY'RE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER. AHHHHHH

#this installment!!! im-- #dickensposting #i can't fucking cope #dickens wants to KILL us he wants us DEAD....

2,309 notes

⭐️ newamerican

Hi guys sorry I haven't been posting lately it's been so difficult getting to California 💀 I'm finally here now though just need to find a pickaxe and soon I'll be digging! :-) wish me luck lol

#gold #gold rush #gold rush grind #california #adventure

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Sherlock Holmes

The thing is, you read the stories written by Dr Watson and you think “this is the most down bad a narrator has ever been” and then you get to the stories written by Sherlock Holmes from his perspective and he’s somehow worse.

You need to understand, Watson does not appear in this story and has nothing to do with the plot. And Holmes still will not shut up about him

Really want a Holmes adaptation where, like in the text, Moriarty is referenced but never definitely appears, and it’s an open question whether he is real or a self destructive invention of Holmes……I think there’s a case to be made that Holmes wanted to disappear (because Watson got married??? Just a theory) and made up the whole thing, which is very in keeping with his tendency to pretend to be sick and injured and generally to have elaborate schemes he doesn’t let anyone in on. (And Holmes only comes back once Watson’s wife has died or dumped him which LENDS WEIGHT TO MY PREVIOUSLY STATED THEORY THANK U VERY MUCH)

IN GENERAL I really want an adaptation that engages with the unreliability of Watson as a narrator and Holmes’s tendency to hide the truth! When the narrative is being written by one of the main characters - AND when every single story is about uncovering hidden truths - that’s an open invitation to the reader to question its veracity!!!

"Er Mr Sherlock Holmes? I am so sorry. I know you're here on doctor's specific orders to have a quiet relaxed time but you see there has been a murder-"

From Sherlock Holmes: the Valley of Fear

(Something something queerness was considered a form of insanity in the Victorian era something something mostly I am just Moved by Holmes having a crisis of confidence and needing reassurance before he can go to sleep)

Text under cut:

no wait i'm thinking about the Three Garridebs again-

Watson gets shot (or rather, shot at). This is a man who was shot before (twice, if we go with the interpretation that he was shot in both the shoulder and the leg) and pretty much as soon as it happens, he's focused on Holmes and Holmes's reaction and he's filled with awe and love when he sees just how important he is to Holmes.

but. my man got shot. again. this man has PTSD, getting shot again is not going to help that in the slightest. but he focuses on Holmes, Holmes's reaction was so stunning and important to him that his reaction to that preceeds any reaction to getting fucking shot at itself.

it's possible he could have had some sort of breakdown later, but idk. i've just been. Thinking.

recently i reread a bunch of my favorite sherlock holmes stories (norw my beloved) and felt compelled to create my own diagram for 221B