Patching The Culverton Hole: AKA: Send Help. (S4 Spoilers)

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Posted by TakeMyHand
March 7, 2017 2:38 pm
#1

The amount of help I need is so much.

I'm writing an epic parentlock fan fiction. I'm basically re-writing T6T with a few of my own little changes, and then the parentlock is going to take off essentially as it did in the season 4 cannon. 

What I'm trying to say is, for the most part, everything in season 4 is cannon from Mary's death -----> to the hug scene in TLD. I don't want to bring Euros into it, since it's a parentlock fan fiction, not a Euros fanfic. But what I'd like to do, is be between Mary's death and the hug scene, try to crop out the whole Culverton mess. Just for the sake of it being unnecessary to where I am trying to get to. I like to be able to just crop that whole Culverton thing out and patch it with something else, something that would get me where I need to be.

Similarly, I also need a reason for John to move back into 221 B with Sherlock. I had an idea that I would make John a little more broken then he was in cannon. Basically: keep the Dead Mary hallucinations, keep John being unable to cope, but make it a little worse. Make John unable to cope, can't take care of Rosie, can't stop drinking, won't talk to anyone, especially not Sherlock.

Also, I thought I could keep Mary's postmortem "case", except tweak it a little bit to have Mary ask Sherlock to save John and Rosie from John's presumed downward spiral that Mary knew would happen. And somehow Sherlock would have to figure out how to get John back into his life (and eventually, to stay at 221 B?)

I just don't know what to do in place of Culverton, I don't know how to patch him and get John back to Sherlock in a different way. But it still needs to be a way that would make John Watson move his newborn daughter into the flat with Sherlock.

So, yeah. Basically: Crop Culverton---->patch plot hole with something to get John involved---->Get John back into 221 B

So my fellow Sherlockians, I ask you this question: If Sherlock were to attempt to get a badly-grieving John back into his life ( whether it's by Mary's request, or Sherlock's own need to fill the rest of his "vow" and be there for John and Rosie) but he would have to do it like Mary said in S4, without John realizing he was accepting help.

I don't know if any of this makes sense, but I've been trying to work this out for MONTHS. And I am about ready to set myself on fire using my own tears as gasoline. 

I can't do this on my own, not now. Not like this. 

Thank you all!


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My name is Sky.  

"I may not know where my life is going, but at least I know where my Sherlock fanfiction's going."

     
 
 
Posted by Elemental
March 7, 2017 3:26 pm
#2

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


"It is what it is"
"You see, but you do not observe"



"I shall die upon a cloud of Johnlock fluff and have my body launched into the sun". - LadyTuesday
 
Posted by TakeMyHand
March 7, 2017 4:30 pm
#3

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 then pick back up in the areas that I want to change...but I don't know. That just doesn't sound appetizing to me.  Maybe I was hoping to make something more original.....And Culverton still doesn't really help me get John to move back into 221 B.

Does that make any more sense of it? I think even I am confused as to what I want or need. 

Also, I'm really hoping to have Sherlock be strongly motivated by whatever it is I choose to leave in Mary's postmortem message. Just as how she inspired him in the cannon--told him what to do and how to do it. I love that concept. SAo if we can keep or just tweak that to fit, I think it would be great for the long-run.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------///----
My name is Sky.  

"I may not know where my life is going, but at least I know where my Sherlock fanfiction's going."

     
 
 
Posted by SusiGo
March 7, 2017 5:57 pm
#4

Just moved the thread here. Good luck with your fic. 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
 
Posted by TakeMyHand
March 7, 2017 8:20 pm
#5

SusiGo wrote:

Just moved the thread here. Good luck with your fic. 

Thank you! Sorry about my mistake.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------///----
My name is Sky.  

"I may not know where my life is going, but at least I know where my Sherlock fanfiction's going."

     
 
 
Posted by Elemental
March 8, 2017 7:57 am
#6

Ok, now I think I got it better. I'll think about it! I can't promise anything but I'll do my best!  


"It is what it is"
"You see, but you do not observe"



"I shall die upon a cloud of Johnlock fluff and have my body launched into the sun". - LadyTuesday
 
Posted by Elemental
March 14, 2017 2:34 pm
#7

Sorry for the delay. I've had a crazy week!

OK so here's what I've got so far. 

Things that could make John move back to 221B:
- Sherlock is in danger and only John can protect him (this prop would be similar to the Culverton thing). Someone is threatening Sherlock and John wants to be near him. The main problem here would be Rosie: John wouldn't care about danger as a bachelor, but I don't think he would want Rosie around in that kind of situation.
- John and/or Rosie are in danger and only Sherlock can protect them. Maybe Mary could tell Sherlock in the DVD that they are being threatened by someone from their past. I like this option because I think only Rosie being threatened would be a strong enough reason for John to move back in (other than acknowledging his feeling for Sherlock) (BTW is this a Johnlock fic?).
- John is financially unable to keep the house by himself. Maybe he didn't get any money from Mary's insurance for some reason. 
- They want to be together for emotional reasons, i.e. John realises he is in love with Sherlock and wants to live with him. Maybe Mary knew it and tells Sherlock on the DVD so he can be happy after she's gone.
- He is forced by something external, like a fire in his house. Maybe Sherlock could stage this because he has some ulterior motive for John to come back (like protecting him from something).

Other than that, I can't think of any other reason why John would move in with Sherlock. Even Sherlock doing drugs didn't seem compelling enough for him to do it.

Maybe you can tell me if some of those possibilities appeal to you or look plausible inside your fic and we can figure out something more specific?

I know it's not much but I hope it helps!


"It is what it is"
"You see, but you do not observe"



"I shall die upon a cloud of Johnlock fluff and have my body launched into the sun". - LadyTuesday
 
Posted by TakeMyHand
March 22, 2017 9:27 pm
#8

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 abuse, knowing the word will get to John. Then he starts really loosing it. Mrs. Hudson seeks out John and begs him to help Sherlock, tells John of Sherlock's digression. John, who is numb and bitter, refuses. But the thought is now stuck in his head. (just as Sher plans) Finally one night Mycroft calls John and explains that an intoxicated Sherlock has left his flat and is reeking torment to the London streets, endangering himself, and then managed to escape Mycroft's protective radar. John refuses again. But later on ( with the help of Dead Mary) John finds himself out looking for Sherlock, (just as Holmes planned) only to find that Sherlock has left him a trail, obviously knowing that John would come. John finds Sherlock in a deplorable state (much like TLD) and Sherlock explains that he needs John to help him with a case blah blah blah ( basically exactly like TLD when Mrs.Hudson brings Sherlock to John and Sherlock, just as Sherlock knew she would, and then Sherlock explains about Culverton, and explains he is unable to bring the man down because of his deplorable state. He needs John. And John needs an escape, he needs a case, he needs his adrenaline junkie high.) Except instead of Culverton, I was thinking I could just invent some other scenario that would involve the imminent danger of innocent people (to appeal to John's heart) and ask John to help save him. Then Blah blah blah, they go save the day, basically as things went down with Cuverton. I haven't figured out what specifically yet ( so if you have any ideas? I was thinking something to do with an imminent bombing...but that plot already kinda happened. I was also thinking that possibly it would be something Sherlock completely made up and orchestrated for the soul purpose of giving John something to save/do with him. Like Sherlock paid actors and stuff, like the whole Moritary isn't real stint, except make it REAL. If that makes sense? Sherlock stages a bad guy. There. And then that can come up later and make a big stink. ) The blah blah blah they save the day and in the process, revert to their own ways and save each other, then we end back up at the flat and the whole Hug Scene from TLD happens, and then somehow I'll use John's emotions and inability to cope and Sherlock's risky drug addiction and need for surveillance will come together and somehow get John in the flat--Just as Sherlock has planned all along. 

That was so long and so rambling I am so sorry UGH. You didn't need all that, but it just kinda happened--actually just typing all that out really helped me figure out stuff...wow. 


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------///----
My name is Sky.  

"I may not know where my life is going, but at least I know where my Sherlock fanfiction's going."

     
 
 


 
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