A Scandal in Bohemia: Profession / Vacancies

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: A Scandal in Bohemia
Title: Profession
Author: spacemutineer
Rating: G
Author's Note: I have two other ideas for 60s, a matched set actually, but I'm not sure if they're a bit too... conceptual to use. They may or may not appear here later tonight. For now, I at least have this. ETA: Okay, new bits are up, below.

My biographer is over-quick to mourn the loss of my talents from the realms of stage and science. He fails to appreciate it is precisely those talents that make me the specialist in crime that I am. I am an actor. I am a scientist. The profession I devised for myself requires all my skills, with nothing lost or wasted.

---

Title: Vacancies
Author: spacemutineer
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: These are a matched set as you'll see, and very angsty. I'm forever drawn to the pathos for whatever reason.


Spring again, cool and damp. The breeze rustling the curtains steals the last warmth off another untouched dinner plate.

The detective sits curled in his own chair and tries to avoid looking at its mate standing loyal guard by the open window, much as its previous owner did.

The doctor's chair is empty.

At least the syringe is full.

---

Their funerals were a week apart, as it happened. Holmes' was an indistinct blur, a parade of pale well-wishers squeezing Watson's hand and dropping flowers onto an empty casket.

Irene's ceremony was similarly overflowing with mourners, admirers, and hangers-on. But the only witness to her wedding three years prior was missing, his seat there as coldly vacant as his grave.

Comments

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

very nice...
and now the rest - no teasing - no documents under the bacon type theatricals if you please!

[castiron.livejournal.com]

Very true! Nice!

[shadowycat.livejournal.com]

Yes, I imagine that's exactly how Holmes would look at it. Lovely! :D

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked! And, at your (adorable) insistence, the new 60s are up. Warning, though: they're awfully angsty. Thank you as always for reading with us here!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Thank you kindly!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks! I always get a kick out of writing from Holmes' perspective. :)

[hisietari.livejournal.com]

I like how the first made me wonder if it's about Holmes or Irene (actually I read it twice, trying to imagine both of them as the narrator). Then the threads split up, but they do indeed match very well. These parallels are intriguing.

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

angsty? fear not, i am sufficiently case-hardened and i find a 7% solution of caffeine floats me through my weaker moments!

as for reading here, the pleasure is all mine and the effort is everyone else's! :))

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

PS; re - Holmes as 'the Actor' true, very true... i am reminded of The Three Garridebs and Watson being so grateful to see at last behind 'the mask' (as he puts it).

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Oh, you do like to pile on the angst, don't you? And I love it when you do.

[methylviolet10b]

Wow! All three of these are absolute gems. I particularly enjoyed Holmes' observations on the non-waste of ALL of his talents in his chosen profession. Very true! And the other two pack an impressive wallop. Putting Irene's death (and funeral) a scant week after Holmes' own demise might go a long way in explaining Watson's negative feelings towards her, as unconscious resentment on top of everything else.

I'm glad you went ahead and posted all three of these. Well done!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

See, you get right at the heart of one of my headcanon things, that Holmes is acting all the time. He holds himself so tightly inside that very little of his true feelings, particularly about Watson, escape.

Can't wait until we get to Three Garridebs! That's going to be a great week of 60s!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

I'm certainly happy to hear you do, because for some reason, I always am tempted to go with the angsty angle! And there always seems to be an abundance of opportunities in these stories... Thank you so much!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

That is very kind of you to say! I was hoping it wouldn't be too heavy-handed. Thank you very much!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

It means a lot to me that you liked these! I was very much afraid that the matched set would be just too heavy-handed. It was certainly skirting that line, but I went ahead with it anyway. Oh, well. :)

That theory of yours about Watson here... Oh, yes, that is terrific! I'm going to put my 60 and your idea together for my headcanon from now on!

Thank you so much, Violet!

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

re; the actor - yes, and in his own urbane fashion perhaps Mycroft no less than Sherlock.

and i agree - Garridebs is likely to be a good one for the comm. here :)))

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, cannot agree more with your thought about Mycroft. Especially in the BBC version, where Mycroft seems to be pushing his own feelings down as hard as he can constantly. I actually find BBC Mycroft to be much more similar to ACD Holmes than BBC Sherlock is.

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

that's a very interesting observation re; BBC Mycroft - reminded me of (something i'd forgotten about) the first Downey Jr film where Mark Strong was more like the 'traditional' (tightly controlled) Holmes in both manner and appearance compared to Downey's boulevardier.