The Adventure of the Creeping Man: Final

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Creeping Man
Title: Final
Author: spacemutineer
Rating: PG

Presbury’s injuries were alarming and serious. He needed a quality surgeon’s immediate assessment. That professional recommendation was rejected outright however to protect reputation and position, neither of which would be of much use to the man debilitated or dead. All my years of experience were in an instant overruled and the matter settled. As ever, only Holmes’ word is final.

The Creeping Man

[shouldboverthis.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Creeping Man
Author: shouldboverthis
Rating: G
Warnings: None

The foolish desire for youth has been the ruin of many a man.  At the age of 49, there were gray hairs amongst the black upon his head.  His narrow face was etched with lines that told of acquired experience.  But his energy and passion was undiminished.  Even years later, I doubt that he longed to return to callow youth.

The Adventure of the Creeping Man: 1923

[methylviolet10b]

Author: methylviolet10b
Rating: PG
Character(s): Doctor John Watson, Sherlock Holmes
Summary: Holmes reflects on lost youth. 
Warnings:  Some spoilers for The Adventure of the Creeping Man, so if you haven't read that, you might not want to read this.
Word Count: 60
Author's Notes:  60 words of my own inspired by one of the canon stories.
Disclaimer: I don't own them.

1923

It was the story of the close of two careers – one ending in disgrace, the other retirement. It was also a tale of two men ignoring the treasures they had in favor of ephemeral desires.

Twenty years later, watching his Watson drowsing in their Sussex sitting-room, Holmes mused that he would not trade places with that younger self for anything.

The Creeping Man: View from the Kennel

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Creeping Man
Title: View from the Kennel
Author: thesmallhobbit
Rating: G

It’s a monkey!  We don’t want that nasty creature.

Why am I being chained up?  What have I done?  How can the master possibly like the monkey?

The monkey’s back and it’s throwing things at me.  If I strain hard enough maybe I can reach the horrible thing.  My collar’s off.  I’ll get it now and no-one can stop me.

The Adventure of the Creeping Man: Roots

[tweedisgood.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Creeping Man
Title: Roots
Author: tweedisgood
Rated: G



He writes that I had no roots. In fact, I had one: a deep tap that threatened to suck nourishment from the healthy root system of a sturdy, flourishing English oak. Time to pluck it up, any gardener would say.

That offending plant would wither into straw now, but it was a desiccated old stick to begin with. Small loss.

Discussion Post: The Adventure of the Creeping Man

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Hello, all! How did everyone find The Adventure of the Creeping Man? It's a bit of an odd one, isn't it? We definitely have some questions to ponder, but first, I'd like to apologize for my timing with these posts (and tags, commenting, etc.) -- I'm still getting used to modding, and I have been flying by the seat of my pants a bit. Pair that with some IRL issues and things really go off the rails. I'm going to set up a more concrete schedule for myself so everything will be more predictable and reliable. I am very sorry about this, and I promise I'll do better for you all. That aside, on to The Creeping Man!

- Could this story be considered science fiction? It borders the concept at least, which is strange territory for Sherlock Holmes. Holmes treads very rational ground as a rule, but this premise of essentially a were-monkey strains credulity indeed. Is science fiction desirable for a detective story, or is it better to stick to the plausible world? Would going even further into science fiction be better, throwing Holmes and Watson into all-new, bizarre-even-for-them territory?

- Holmes expresses a very grim, social-Darwinist view at the end of the story, lamenting the prolonging of "worthless lives" and the "survival of the least fit". Is this a step too far for Holmes or does it still make sense for his character? He is a cold fish on a good day, but this is a dark place even for him. And does the position even make sense? Doesn't it almost make an argument against health care entirely, perhaps saved only for a select set of worthy people? Who decides the worthy? Holmes himself? Seems like a very strange position for a man whose best friend is a dedicated physician.

- Not an important point or an actual question, but this is the second week in a row we've had a villain get his throat bitten out by an enormous dog. It's a bit of a funny trope to see twice in such a short span of time, a quirk of our alphabetical schedule. At any rate, Doctor Watson must be getting better at caring for these kinds of wounds with all the experience he's had.

The Adventure of the Creeping Man: Tamed

[lucybun.livejournal.com]

Title: Tamed
Canon Story: The Adventure of the Creeping Man
Pairing: Holmes/Watson
Rating: G

Presbury. A brilliant man willingly reduced to mindless beast by the vagaries of love. There were times — long nights, ravenous for what I couldn’t have — when I too must have resembled a wild animal. Years without my doctor brought me lower than any serum man could devise. He always returns to my side, though — human cage for my brutish heart.