Fic for rachelindeed: Particular Debts

[holmesticemods]

Title: Particular Debts
Recipient: rachelindeed
Author: sanguinity
Source: Nicholas Meyer, The Seven Percent Solution; ACD, “His Last Bow”
Characters/Pairings: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Non-explicit discussions of sexual assault and medical abuse
Summary: “And for another, Dr. Freud has saved my life. Had I not come to Vienna, and had your

Comments

[saki101]

I loved the subtle tone and the placing of Holmes and Watson firmly in a historical moment with other historical figures. (The note at the end is brilliant. There is something about chronology that is almost always amiss with Sherlock Holmes stories. I ascribe it to both Watson and Holmes seeking to obscure identities, so then there is another mystery in the narratives.)

The dialogue is so delicate, outlining a relationship of great complexity and durability.

Thank you for this!

[sanguinity]

Haha, I spent far too much time trying to resolve the date conundrum before finally throwing up my hands, and I worried that a reader would do the math and be stuck with the same questions I had. It was this, or having a tangled THE DATES THE DATES THE DATES meltdown somewhere in the author notes. :-)

Oh, your comments about my dialogue are very kind. I'm pleased to know it served so well. I did want them to have a messy relationship, but also one that could weather considerable wear, and I'm glad that came through.

Thank you for your comment, and I'm glad you enjoyed!

[starfishstar]

Marvelous! So marvelous. The voice, the setting, the dialogue...the everything. From the first sentence, which captured so well both the tone of Conan Doyle canon and a wry, clever, humorous voice for Holmes, I knew I would be in very good hands.

I haven't read The Seven Percent Solution, but as others here have said, it doesn't matter a whit - the story itself deftly and quickly provides the necessary setting and background. Holmes and Watson's interactions are wonderful, rich with their mutual history and regrets and caring for one another, but full of humor, too. I would happily keep reading this story much, much longer - I want to see them traveling across the continent with Anna, getting into adventures in Malta, and on and on. Oh, and of course taking down Dr Jones with perfect panache.

Beautiful story, thank you!

[sanguinity]

Would that I had the WWI chops to write their adventure through Malta and back again, I would have enjoyed that story, too! Sadly, it is unlikely to be. Even making sense of the July Crisis was daunting enough, and it'd take a lot more research to begin to take a crack at that adventure.

Also sadly: Holmes and Watson will not be taking down Dr Jones, because the historical Dr Jones was instrumental in helping the Freuds escape the Nazis. (I do not wish to write an AU in which the Freuds might fall prey to the Nazis!) But I can still see my way clear to arranging a good horsewhipping for the man -- or making him fear one, a la James Windibank -- so there's that.

I am very glad that you felt the voice for Holmes rang true, and that you enjoyed the story so well! Thank you for reading and commenting!

[dognmonkeyshow]

What a marvellous story! I'm not familiar with the various incarnations and interpretations that inform this fic, but the story is self-contained enough that that doesn't matter. I love the even-handededness of their senses of obligation and attachment, and the subtle shift from initial wariness to the re-establishment of their partnership. A lovely read from start to finish.

[sanguinity]

Aw, thank you for your kind comments! These were all things I was hoping to accomplish in the story, and I'm very glad to hear that they came through for you, even without knowing the source. :-)

[rachelindeed]

Ah, sanguinity! I'm tempted to apologize for not guessing your true identity, but I somehow feel that remaining successfully anonymous might actually have pleased you more :)

Thanks again for your lovely gifts, I loved them so. <3 <3

[sanguinity]

To have my work mistaken for graycardinal's? How could I possibly object? But yes, I did feel a frisson of pleasure that I had successfully remained anon to you. ;-)

(But only you, as it turned out: k_e_p and amindamazed both nailed me instantly. But then they both know my work extremely well, and were in position to see a few of my during-the-writing-of slip-ups. You had a lot less info to work with.)

And you are very welcome! You are an incredibly satisfying recip to be assigned to, from prompt right through to reveals. (In fact, your prompt had already inspired one complete story -- neither of these, a Holmesian 'verse you didn't request -- before the match was even made.) It was very much my pleasure to write these stories for you, and I'm glad you enjoyed them. :-)