Thank you for your kind compliments, ukaunz! :D

Rubra and I are very happy to hear you enjoyed reading the story as much as we enjoyed writing it.

It seems like you're back home, by the way - all well, I hope? Solved the chocolate flake case? :D

And Kitty - don't feel bad about the puzzles. I think I would do exactly the same if I were reading the story all in one go!

Re: Shooting the cabbie:

In most parts of the western world, the law allows not only for self-defense (or defense of another, as in this case), but there are also provisions for crimes committed in "mistaken self-defense". The legal term varies, but it all comes down to this:

If John THOUGHT he (or a third party, in this case Sherlock) was in immediate danger AND he couldn't 't be blamed for making that mistake, because the circumstances all implied that the danger was real, he'd be let off the hook, too. (That's what Oscar Pistorius tried to claim after shooting his girlfriend dead, that he thought there was a break-in at his house.)

These cases are complicated, though - it needs to be proved that you really couldn't avoid the mistake. Simply claiming that you thought there was a real danger isn't enough. So Sherlock's assessment of the possible legal consequences if John was caught is totally accurate - he'd very likely not be convicted of a crime in the end, but the court case would be complicated indeed and thus better avoided.

Quite apart from the fact that John would hardly have come out of it still in possession of that gun!

It's interesting what you say, Liberty, about the pilot vs. the aired episode! The self-defense (or defense of a third party) aspect was much, much stronger in the pilot. There are no moral shades of grey in John's action there. I'm not even sure they realised how different it looks in the aired episode, where John really is saving Sherlock more from himself than from Jeff Hope! If you think about it, that's a lot closer to shooting Magnussen at Appledore, in terms of moral vindication, than I'd like to think!

As for the original Milverton story - I remember that interview, and I think Moftiss said they thought Holmes did it and Watson covered it up. I prefer that interpretation to Watson doing the killing. Watson is usual

Looking for some holiday reading?
Wondering what to do once we run out of daily Setlock updates?
Feel you need something to balance the gloom and doom of the season 4 trailer?

Join the "Sherlock" cast in picking up clues and deciphering riddles in our interactive multi-media casefic / extra episode where the next chapter doesn't come until you've put the pieces together!

"THE ADVENTURE OF THE GREY MESSENGER"
is now posting on AO3.

Summary:
A mysterious masked messenger appears at the door of 221B Baker Street, bearing a strange gift for the world's only consulting detective. Shortly afterwards, a series of seemingly unconnected tragedies rocks London, setting Sherlock and John off on a thrilling adventure filled with murder, mystery, and music.

Gen.
Rated "T" for canon-typical violence.


No need to sign up formally - just jump in and give us your ideas and theories to help Sherlock and John solve the case. Or simply lean back and enjoy the adventure unfolding before your eyes, if you prefer. My partner-in-crime (co-author RubraSaetaFictor) and I (Jolie_Black on AO3) are hoping to keep you all well entertained over the summer.


Please note: This is not a typical open-ended RPG; not even a WIP. The story is written, and will not be abandoned. Regular updates are guaranteed.

nakahara wrote:

I guess it is the blessing for viewers who loved Sherlock Holmes way before BBC adaptation appeared (like me) that they are absolutely immune to the slicked up hair looks. It´s a traditional Sherlock looks anyway.

 I have to contest that. Having been a Sherlock Holmes fan before ever Moftiss even conceived the idea for this show does most emphatically NOT make it easier. Because while I always was a fan, I'd never, NEVER been in love with the guy before. Then came the BBC, and that changed, and that's always been what made it special to me.

But yeah, I'll survive. I'll stop complaining now.

I'm giggling too much at the captioned "damned hat" scene right now anyway to feel bad about anything.


 

Ivy wrote:

I like it, but the curls lovers will cry during that special

I AM crying here already!!!!

I had NO idea how much the hair mattered to me, really not. But it does. God, he looks ten years older than he should.

goes away to cry some more

You're very welcome. I liked the music, too - especially the "Appledore" sequence - but I just never got round to really listening to it. Whenever I have a bit of quiet time, I'd rather watch the actual episodes, which happens rarely enough. But, yeah, I figured it would make more sense to pass it on to a fandom friend than put it on Ebay. Glad it worked.

Feel free to close this thread or deleted it now, of course.

Thanks, nakahara - as I said in the "What's the Special about?" thread (in which my question really belonged... sorry, mods), I'd feel happier if there WAS any ACD in it, but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

Can anyone tell whether there are any ACD canon references in the Special, from the newest trailer? At first, I thought some of those lines were terribly familiar, but I can't really place them anywhere in ACD. Nor any of the images. Ideas, anyone?

Tonnaree - I looked again and I think there's a way to send it to the US in an oversized letter rather than a parcel, and that's affordable. May take up to two weeks, but if you don't mind that, it's yours. Still interested?

Kittyhawk wrote:

And now I wonder whether I am being unfair: This story comes very highly recommnended and it has been written two years ago. Were the cited overused tropes already overused then? Or were they orgininal at the time? 

I think this is an excellent question. I hope someone who's been into Sherlock fanfic since before The Fall will answer it. (I came late to the show, so I wouldn't know.)

In fairness, I think one has to distinguish between tropes or clichés that come from the show itself, and those that were created within the fandom. I personally often find that the latter ones jar terribly; but the former sort, why not?

I've recently written two scenes for a story of mine, one in which John makes tea for Sherlock, and one in which John (and not Sherlock) pays the taxi driver, so this recent discussion in here really got me thinking. But as long as that's what they do in the show, how is it unoriginal or annoying to write it in fanfic, too? The moment we see Sherlock paying for a taxi ride or making tea for John in the actual show, I'll be ready to revise my perceptions; but before that, I'll stick with what's canonical.

(That said, I do agree that it's great fun when writers manage to turn the clichés on their head. I love that.)


Oh, and btw, I HATE "clueless virgin Sherlock", too. If anyone ever made a very, VERY informed and deliberate decision to remain a virgin, it's him.