The Professor and the Colonel

Forgive an indulgence. I just remembered this sketch/story I wrote in 2011. It was a plot bunny on the Holmesslash mailing list, inspired by Chapter 2 of Valley of Fear, when Holmes speaks of breaking into Moriarty's office "with the most unexpected results." In fact, maybe I should call it "Unexpected Results" instead, since only the first chapter is about Moriarty and Moran? Sorry that I keep changing present tense to past tense and vice versa. It would take time for me to fully clean it up. I'll post the second chapter in a day or two.

Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Story: chapter 1 of The Professor and the Colonel
Pairing: Moriarty/Moran, Holmes/Watson
Warnings: slash, internalized homophobia, gay sex not described explicitly

Chronology part 17

Chronology of these short stories.

• CHAS - January 4-14, 1898
• SOLI - April 23, 1898. I changed the year from 1895, so that the date is actually Saturday, and the case doesn't conflict with 3STU

First published in March 1904, CHAS features the master blackmailer Charles Augustus Milverton, whose visiting card only vaguely calls him an "Agent." Watson says it has been "years since" this case happened and that someone concerned, probably the murderous woman, is now "beyond reach of human law" i.e. dead. Watson tells us he will conceal the date "or any other fact" that could give someone a clue.

Idiot Cultists

I have the day off but I'm bruised and achy due to falling down yesterday. I'm sad to hear that Bonnie Tyler died. I looked for the CD I bought of hers years ago, but can't find it. I hope I didn't sell it.

Meanwhile I'm glad that the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, but it's concerning how close the vote was. The 14th amendment is plain language, and the landmark Wong Kim Ark ruling helped Chinese people finally get be citizens despite the racist Chinese Exclusion Act. But a lot of American-born Asians are still treated as perpetual foreigners to this day. Always asking "where are you from?" when you actually mean, "what's your race?"

People finally abandoned Graham Platner due to the rape allegation. But he's had red flags ever since the Nazi tattoo, so I don't understand why it took so long for people to drop him. Why on earth would I trust a Nazi liar with no previous goverment experience, and a bad history? I'm supposed to believe he's super sincere about leftwing ideals, the working class, and protecting people's rights? Plus his obnoxious fans would constantly frame the Senate race as him vs. Susan Collins, not acknowledging that there were other Democratic candidates still in the race. Even after Janet Mills dropped out, there were still other candidates in the race, and Mainers had ranked-choice voting to push progressive leaders in the primary. But no, they clung to Platner cultishly, even after months of time to find a better candidate. People were saying, "oh that bad behavior was just a phase. He's all better now." Telling women and minorities to shut up about their doubts and vote for the disingenuous asshole, for the good of the country. When the fuck will "progressive" white men shut up and vote like how we tell them to, for the good of the country?

Some people are STILL supporting Platner even now and whining about the "Establishment" corruptly sabotaging him. As if Susan Collins wouldn't have attacked him the same way, with much worse timing, in the general election. Blame Platner for being a fucking shitbag liar. He better stop dragging his feet and officially leave (he's yet to do the paperwork to drop out) so that Maine Democrats can pick someone before it's too late! Fucking Nazi.

Chronology part 16

Chronology of these short stories.

• ABBE - late January 1897
• MISS - February 1897
• DEVI - March 16, 1897
• REDC - October 1897, or maybe winter

ABBE begins on a "bitterly cold night and frosty morning, towards the end of the winter of '97" when Holmes wakes Watson up, announcing that the game is afoot. He doesn't even let Watson say anything, just urging him to get dressed before dawn. They skip breakfast and take a cab to the train station in silence. Only after they have hot tea on the train does Holmes explain himself by showing him the note from Stanley Hopkins, dated at 3:30 AM that morning. The reason for choosing January rather than February will arise later.

Movie Malaise

Well, I was finally able to sleep through the night despite the summer heat. Pride month is almost over, and next weekend is July 4th. At work, my office will celebrate on July 2nd. I don't feel that happy about this 250th anniversary, and I'm short of money until my next paycheck. The short-term disability money while I was on leave was much less than my normal paycheck. Plus I had to reapply to make them cover the final couple of weeks. Anyway, because I was afraid I had cancer, I had previously signed up to get the "critical illness" coverage, and that benefit is just now kicking in. I should just be happy I have it in case I get any else later.

I saw Supergirl yesterday hoping it would be a fun romp like Superman in 2025, but I was disappointed. I had hoped that Gunn was finally allowing bright colors back into DC movies, but no, it's all dark browns and greys, desaturated and subdued. Kara doesn't even wear the Supergirl costume until late in the movie. I know, it's thematic, to show that she's depressed and traumatized, not feeling like a hero. But even if she's going to wear that brown coat and Blondie shirt most of the movie, at least let me see the colors of those clothes! Let me see vibrant, saturated colors with full sun!

Baker Street Studies

I bought a bunch of Sherlockian books, but I still can't get the rare chronology books by H. W. Bell, and Ernest Bloomfield Zeisler. Even if I could afford those out of print books, I wouldn't spend that much money on them. After all, their information may be superseded by more modern books; I just wanted to hear their logic and know their sources. The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia provides their chronologies, but those are plain lists without the reasoning behind the dates.

However, I was able to buy Baker Street Studies edited by H. W. Bell in 1934. It's one of many reprints by Otto Penzler's Sherlock Holmes Library, to keep Sherlockiana available to readers; check libraries and used bookstores for them. Baker Street Studies contains essays from other Sherlockians on various topics, but Bell does provide his own chronology of SIGN at the end. So I can at least get a taste of his opinions. He thinks that SIGN took place in 1887 too. This probably explains why Bell dates VALL to 1887 before the marriage, when most others place it in 1888. However, it looks like he believes in Watson having 3 wives per the Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia above.