Oh my gosh, Elemental. I am sorry times a thousand. Somehow my notification for this got drowned in an overflow. My deepest apologies--you took time and effort to help me and I disgraced you by my lack of response and gratitude. Please know that I am endless grateful and appreciative for your assistance and brain power. Endlessly.

I think you're so right about the challenges of getting around John's being compelled proving to be a problem. And you've given awesome and inspiring suggestions. After contemplating your thoughts, I realized that if I am to do this, it might be necessary to shift my focus from Sherlock getting John into the flat, to a more, what could John need to from Sherlock that might make him more easily swayed by an (whether it be a scenario Sherlock concatenated, much like in TLD) outside occurrence that might cause him to be in Sherlock's flat more--and eventually permanently. 

To answer a few of your questions, it is indeed a Johnlock fanfiction--however, it is a parentlock based fanfiction and the Johnlock is an eventual realization that doesn't really start to come into play until later on. 

As for becoming more specific with the possibilities, this is what I have scribbled down so far:

After Mary is killed, both John and Sherlock start a downward spiral in their own respective ways. Sherlock is riddled with guilt and shock, and is slowly getting eaten alive by John's absence and rejection.  John is also struggling. He can't cope, can't go a day without constantly hallucinating his dead wife and is quickly falling deeper and deeper into alcoholism. He becomes reclusive, and all the while Rosie is nearly permanently living with friends. A few days after Mary's death, Sherlock receives the "save John Watson" CD from Mary. ( I will probably tweak the CD's continence a but to help achieve the following plot) Sherlock sets out to follow Mary's last wish and save not only John, but Rosie. He does this by immediately diving head first into drug

Elemental wrote:

I'd like to help and I'm going to put my mind to it. I haven't written any fanfic yet but I'm a writer and I love trying to figure out solutions to plot problems.
Just one question: I'm not sure I understand why exactly you want to crop out the Culverton story. You say it's unnecessary but then you admit that you need something that brings the characters to the same place (so it is necessary at least in that sense). So I'd like to understand better what is exactly that you don't like about the Culverton plot and in which way should the new event be different to the Culverton story.
Also, maybe this fits better in the Fan Fic subforum? I guess the mods will take care of it anyway

Aaah! You have no idea how much I appreciate this help. My mind is not powerful enough to do this alone. 

I never post anything in the right place on this forum. But it seems like whenever I post something like this in the fan fic forum, someone moves it here. I am attempting to learn from these mistakes, but I've probably just made another. hah.

Well, there's nothing exactly wrong with the Culverton plot.  It just--I don't even know how to explain it. In the cannon, Sherlock's case was to save John Watson as in to bring him out of his grief and back into the world. And I guess that's essentially what I am trying to do, but with more of a focus on getting John back into 221 B, and to have him bring the baby with him. I guess what I am trying to avoid, is having to write out, or summarize all of the events with Culverton. The audience has seen the episode, they know how it goes down, and I don't want to dedicate a whole chapter to trying to clarify what is and isn't cannon in my story. I think I was hoping for a faster, easier jump from sad, depressed, unmotivated John, to the hug scene and (I will add) somehow the getting together.

Maybe I could keep Culverton, and just kinda skim the surface of it and leave the audience to know what  went down, and

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and advice! You're all extremely helpful!!

This Is The Phantom Lady, Thank you especially for sharing your personal story. I think you've hit a lot of things right on the head.  I appreciate you!!!

ukaunz wrote:

Hi there, welcome to the forum, the fandom and writing Sherlock fanfiction Have you done any writing before? I agree, it's hard!

You asked these questions a couple of weeks ago, and you had some answers on the other thread, but I thought I'd add my comments anyway.

1. I always imagined that the top floor of 221 Baker Street was quite small, consisting of John's bedroom and perhaps a small bathroom, but there's no reason there couldn't be another room, perhaps stuffed with boxes and junk that Mrs Hudson has stored up there and forgotten about. I can envision a scene where Sherlock and John clear it all out for a small child to move into when she's old enough.

I found some interesting images when I googled "london victorian terrace plan layout" for my own story a while ago. There's also a great floor plan of the main level of 221B that someone created that was helpful to me http://spiceinthecoffee.tumblr.com/post/28316664217/221b-baker-street

2. Others have answered this, but I thought it worth pointing out that heaps of people living in London have kids and don't own cars. I'm not sure how practical or fun it is, as I didn't have kids when I lived there, but people must manage to do it somehow. Sherlock and John use taxis a lot anyway, so you could keep them doing that, although John does use the tube at least once in the series (when he's travelling to Baker St to see Mrs Hudson in TEH). There's also Uncle Mycroft to help out with emergency transport. If John did need to get a car, he would have to get a resident parking permit, you can read more about this at the Westminster City Council website https://www.westminster.gov.uk/where-you-can-park-resident-permit

3. I just feel in my gut that Sherlock would do brilliantly with children but they would occasionally stump/surprise him.

4. Ask away, I'm happy to try to help

Hello, ukaunz! Bless your soul for posting all the incredibly helpful information. I am so very grateful.

So I realize that the last post in this thread was like six months ago, but are any of these offers still available? I'm hoping to find someone who would like to stick with me for a long-term fanfiction (it's only one chapter right now, but I'd expect at least twenty more. It's going to be epic. )

But I understand that's a lot to ask. (Beggars can't be choosers!) I'm also totally willing to look at anyone else's fanfiction if they'd like!

Lola Red wrote:

For the bedroom, there is also 221C (or A, I am not sure), the basement flat seen in TGG. I don't know how old the child is supposed to be, so I don't know if it would work for you to spread them out over the whole house or if you need the rooms closer together. 

Oh my gosh, I considered that! I would like the rooms to be somewhat closer together, but this is definitely a possibility! Thank you! 

JP wrote:

As for a car: in big cities with good transportation infrastructure it's just inconvenient to own a car. You are mostly stuck in traffic jams anyway. Don't know about London, but in some cities taxis have some privileges like buses and trams. As with the child - if you are thinking about why John buys a car in HLV - it's most probably that he lives somewhere in suburban area where care makes more sense (less traffic and less public transportation).
Besides I think London has some restrictions when it comes to cars in the downtown.

Extremely helpful, thank you! In my head it just seems unreliable to have a child and not own your own vehicle, but as I've said I'm from a small town without public transport. You're thought make much more sense than mine, however. Thank youuu!!

Liberty wrote:

It might be better in the fanfiction section, but they are interesting general questions too, so I'll give them a go!

1. I don't think the layout allows for another bedroom without partitioning, and Mrs Hudson does say there are two bedrooms, doesn't she?   But it's kind of an odd layout, with John's mystery bedroom that we never see, so I don't see why there couldn't be another room upstairs.  There's also Mrs Hudson's flat, so if she left (or died and left the house to Sherlock, etc.) then there would be more room.   If the child was John's, she'd sleep in John's bedroom, maybe?  Or they could have a sofa-bed in the living room, or John could move to Sherlock's room.

2. I would imagine it would be very expensive, but possible, to own a vehicle.  It would probably mean renting parking or a garage/lockup.  I imagine the public parking in the Baker Street area is short-term, and I don't know if there is any residents' parking there.  Maybe some of the people who have visited will know!

I don't think a car would be necessary for most things in London, as there is public transport. 

3. Yes, I think Sherlock could deduce children.  He is able to connect with Archie, and with the the kidnapped boy.

I suppose I could put it in fanfiction, as well! I'm always so uncertain where to put my threads. I just don't want to be yelled at.

I agree with you about the odd layout, it's giving me lots of grief! I believe Mrs.Hudson does say there are two bedrooms, the one Sherlock sleeps in and John's mysterious one upstairs! I think adding another bedroom upstairs is probably the simplest (whilst least cannon) answer. The sofa-bed might also be an option! Especially since I feel like Sherlock probably does use his own bedroom much.

This makes sense. I live in a very small town where public transport doesn't even exist, so it's hard for

Kratula wrote:

I remember in one fic, John choose names with Sherlock's initials (WSSH) in reverse order. I 'm not sure about the exact names. It was Helene (maybe Hannah) S(mething) S(something) Watson.

This is so incredibly creative and intuitive! I love it, thank you for sharing!

GimmeCat wrote:

Np

Be sure to post your work in the "Fics from forum members" thread so we can read it when it's posted!

I will indeed! Thank you!