Discussion Post: The Adventure of the Norwood Builder

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Sunday sneaks up on us again. Seems like this was a short week. Hi, everybody! What did you think about The Adventure of the Norwood Builder? As always, I have a few questions and thoughts of my own for the story -- please add your own!

- So last week in The Noble Bachelor, Watson was just about to leave their Baker Street rooms for his marriage. This week, Holmes is back (from the dead) at Baker Street and he lures the now-widowered Watson back as well, buying him out of his practice by proxy, "an incident which only explained itself some years later." What do you think Watson thought and said when he discovered this secret scheme to ensure his presence? It's both insulting and extremely complimentary, which is very Holmes indeed.

- A problem with The Norwood Builder is with Oldacre's method of faking his death. Holmes claims "a couple of rabbits would account for both the blood and the charred ashes", but does that make any logical sense? I find it hard to believe that the carcass of a rabbit or two could ever pass for human remains, no matter how severe the fire. There would be bones left surely, and they would be very wrong. Granada's version of NORW has Oldacre killing a tramp to pose as his body, a much more plausible scenario.

- The gamesmanship between Lestrade and Holmes is interesting. Lestrade almost gets the upper hand for once and relishes it, but of course Holmes is the victor in the end as always and puts the inspector back in his place with a showy case-ending reveal. At least Lestrade can console himself with the credit, even if he never gets the solutions right.

- Are we missing something that happened between John McFarlane's mother and Jonas Oldacre? She says he turned a cat loose in an aviary, an act of cruelty which led her to break off their engagement which in turn caused Oldacre to curse her, send her the mutilated photograph, and spend his years wishing for revenge upon her. This cannot be the whole story, can it? What do you think really happened between them?

The Norwood Builder: Indispensible

[hardboiledbaby]

Canon Story: The Norwood Builder
Title: Indispensible
Author: hardboiledbaby
Rating: G
Warnings: none

---

If nothing else, Oldacre's malevolent plan made Holmes realise there was no lack of diabolical criminals in London, despite Moriarty's demise. Holmes was still very much needed, his skills indispensible, and would ever be so. There would always be evil among us. I do not think he took pleasure in this fact, but neither did it sadden him, I fear.

The Adventure of the Norwood Builder: Mistreatment

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
Title: Mistreatment
Author: spacemutineer
Rating: G

By the third time Holmes starved himself into unconsciousness I was no longer surprised, but the visceral fear caused by watching him crumple motionless to the floor remained as powerful as ever.

When he woke, I told him the truth.

"Your heart may be strong enough for this mistreatment, but mine is not."

I waited. The fourth occurrence never came.

The Adventure of the Norwood Builder x2: Validation and Private Mention

[methylviolet10b]

Author: methylviolet10b
Rating: PG
Character(s): Sherlock Holmes, Doctor John Watson
Summary: A simple sentence changes everything for Watson.
Warnings: Very mild spoilers for NORW.
Word Count: 60 for the regular, plus a quote from the original story, in italics.
Author's Notes: 60 words of my own inspired by one of the canon stories.
Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Validation

“I feel as if I shall need your company and your moral support to-day.”

A simple sentence, and yet I felt my entire world shift upon its axis. Since Holmes’ return, I had assisted him in several cases, but this was the first time I felt truly needed. It was in fact a remarkable declaration from my undemonstrative friend, and validation that I had indeed made the right decision in returning to Baker Street.

Private Mention

Author: methylviolet10b
Rating: PG
Character(s): Sherlock Holmes, Doctor John Watson
Summary: After reading Watson's account of the case, Holmes has a question.
Warnings: Very mild spoilers for NORW. Ties in with a Holmestice fic I wrote, Doors. If you haven't read that, this probably won't make much sense.
Word Count: 60
Author's Notes: 60 words of my own inspired by one of the canon stories.
Disclaimer: I don't own them.

I awoke to Holmes’ gentle hand on my shoulder.

“I took the liberty of reading your latest manuscript. Watson, you mentioned the Murillo case.”

I blushed. “Yes, I did.”  

“Why?”

“Because although I know I can never record the details, in my eyes it remains our most important case. I wanted some record of it for posterity.”

Holmes’ eyes gleamed.

The Norwood Builder: The Estate Agent & The Aviary

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Norwood Builder
Title: The Estate Agent
Author: thesmallhobbit
Rating: G

“You will see that this is a very desirable property and at an extremely reasonable price.  It even has what might be considered a secret room at the end of this corridor...  Smoke marks on the ceiling? Nothing a touch of paint won’t cover...  Why so cheap?  I understand the previous owner has had a slight disagreement with the law.”

And, inspired by the discussion post
Canon Story: The Norwood Builder
Title: The Aviary
Author: thesmallhobbit
Rating: G

“Look, Jonas, isn’t it lovely to see all those little birds flying around?  Don’t you think they are very pretty?”

“Let’s see how they fly now.  In you go, Tom.”

Oldacre’s fiancée took one look at the malevolent expression on his face and threw her ring at him.

“One day, my dear, I will get even with you,” he snarled.

The Norwood Builder - Return

[snycock.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
Title: Return
Author: snycock
Category: Slash (Holmes/Watson)
Rating: PG
Warnings: spoilers for The Adventure of the Norwood Builder

“Come back to Baker Street,” Holmes asked, his hand extended. “Please?”

A shiver ran down my spine. His grey eyes gleamed with the promise of more than late-night suppers and violin serenades. And although I had loved Mary deeply, I knew that my life had been wanting without him in it.

“Of course,” I replied, grasping his fingers in mine.

The Norwood Builder x2 - Inanition and Remonstrances

[wild-huntress.livejournal.com]

Canon story: The Norwood Builder
Title: Inanition
Author: Rebecca (wild_huntress or always_1895)
Rating: G
Author’s note: I’m actually adapting this from a longer h/c ficlet I started ages ago - I just love the thought of Watson taking care of Holmes when the latter puts his work way before common sense or his own well-being, like with that whole “can’t eat as it’s distracting” thing.

“Holmes, let me see that -”

“In a moment.” He strode forward, that fierce yet distant look on his white face. “There are still some points which - some...”

In a moment he had collapsed to the floor. Miss Trehearne gasped, but I quickly eased Holmes onto the settee. At last I could help him without him pacing away again.

Canon story: The Norwood Builder
Title: Remonstrances
Author: Rebecca (wild_huntress or always_1895)
Rating: G
Author’s note: I suspect Watson was a serious pushover in arguments, which is why he offers so little resistance even when Holmes’s ideas are kind of bad, like this one. (And I had meant for the two drabbles to be completely independent, yet you could definitely connect them as both spring from the same throwaway line.)

“Holmes, that theory makes no sense -”

“I must disagree. I have been putting this ‘nonsensical’ theory into practice for years, with no ill effects.”

“No ill effects? You actually fainted yesterday. Of the two of us, I studied medicine -”

The first few notes of a violin concerto announced that this debate had reached an untimely end. I sighed.