Fic and Art Series: The White Clouds, Flying

Sep 24, 2013 19:10

Title: The White Clouds, Flying
Authors: alltoseek and Jessamy Griffith
Pairing: Sherlock/John and Gen
Length: 9,718
Rating: Teen and Gen
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC and and the Master and Commander series

Author's summary: 1) "Many Weary Months": In the summer of the year 1812, a Lieutenant S. Holmes of His Majesty's Royal Navy, banished to Upper Canada for insubordination, wrote a personal letter to his friend and companion Doctor St-J. H. Watson. He enclosed this letter in a package with several other objects intended to be sent to the Doctor via the next packet ship.
This parcel was never received by Doctor Watson, nor was its existence ever known of to scholars or historians. Until now.

2) "A Letter from Dr Saint-John Watson to Lt Sherlock Holmes": In the year of 1812, England still carried out its bloody war with France upon the seas. Gravely injured in action, Dr Saint-John Watson, physician and ship's surgeon aboard HMS Fortitude wrote a letter to Lt Sherlock Holmes of His Majesty's Navy, who at the time was banished to the Provincial Marines in Upper Canada.

3) "Captain S. Holmes, of HMS Peregrine": 19th century style portrait sketch of Captain Sherlock Holmes. Commissioned by his brother, on the occasion of his first ship command, the 'Peregrine.'

4) "Doctor Watson, Physician": 19th century style sketch and ficlet of Doctor St-John Watson, ship's surgeon and physician in His Majesty's Royal Navy.

Reccer's comments: What do a long-lost letter, a pickled!sloth, an elegant portrait of a captain in the Royal Navy, and a brass seal of a bee have in common? They all make an appearance in a clever art, object, and fic collaboration. This series is a testament to the friendship of the characters and of two talented friends who shared their fandom loves with each other (and us!). Designed specifically for British and Canadian history/Royal Navy/Regency Period geeks as well as Sherlock and M&C fans. Through an archaeological report, an auction book catalog entry, and a variety of objects and fanart, alltoseek and Jessamy Griffith bring alive flashes of a relationship which outlasted Sherlock and John's naval careers.

A note about the Captain and his Physician: the authors clearly depict Sherlock and John in a same-sex romantic friendship, something which both men and women of the period practiced. The gift giving and affectionate modes of address of the early nineteenth century show how the words and behaviors of middle- and upper-class British men differ from the 21st-century "mainstream" (for want of a better term) model of Anglo-American masculinity, details which I find delightful. Whatever else occurred between them was likely not going to appear in an uncoded letter, so like historians, we are left with an incomplete picture. And while I have heard rumors that a couple individuals are privy to sources yet unseen about this illustrious couple, I can only work with the material at hand. ;-)

genre: crossover, content: bamf jw, verse: sherlock bbc, artwork, content: hurt jw, character: real person, character: anderson, genre: au, character: original character, genre: friendship, pairing: jw/sh, character: john watson, genre: slash m/m, character: sebastian, character: inspector lestrade, character: sherlock holmes, genre: gen, theme: sherlock pov

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