Fic for xfdryad: Acme

[holmesticemods]

Title: Acme
Recipient: xfdryad
Author: rabidsamfan
Verse: ACD Canon
Characters/Pairings: Holmes, Watson
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Summary: Watson and Holmes have a conversation during the events of The Final Problem, and Holmes learns some things about his friend he never knew.

Author’s note: I have included some links to modern pictures of the Gemmi pass,

Comments

[rojo3131]

This is delightful!! Thank you very much for writing it!

I did not expect that kind of explanation for Watson to enlist, but somehow it fits perfectly! And I think the Doctor is quite right in that last bit of the fic.

Holmes' voice is perfect in this, not many can achieve that, so congratulations to you and the recipient!

[rabidsamfan]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed this. I had a lot of fun thinking about why Watson might go into the Army, and it seemed only right that Holmes should be the one to hear him tell the tale.

[scfrankles]

How lovely and how poignant. Your story is so beautifully written. I really admire your use of description in this - I felt I was admiring the view along with Holmes.

Our days of walking in the sun had awakened the nut-brown sunburn I remembered from our earliest acquaintance, and the irregularity of our meals had thinned his face enough that it was easier to see the soldier from Afghanistan than the doctor from London. It's rather heartbreaking how Holmes' thoughts go backwards as he feels himself approaching the end. And his thoughts on how important Watson has been to him and his work are so moving.

I love the little glimpse we get of Mary and her early life, and the humorous look we get at Watson's past. And I'm glad that Holmes and Watson were able to find this moment of peace together in this terrible situation.

I appreciated the links too ^^

[rabidsamfan]

Oh, I'm glad you enjoyed the links! I had a great deal of fun researching for this story, and I just had to share.

And thank you for pointing out a description you enjoyed. It always gives me a warm feeling when people do that, because description is hard! And Holmes, who sees so much, always wants to tie his conclusions to what he sees.

[snarryfool]

Fantastically beautiful story. Their voices are pitch perfect, the scene so exactly realized. I'm rather in a fever of authorial envy, O Anonymous Writer!

[rabidsamfan]

Aw... Thank you. I enjoyed writing it very much, and I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.

[xfdryad]

Oh, what a delight! I love how intrigued Holmes is, and the quiet affection between the two of them.

Watson thinks me reticent, but that is most definitely a case of the pot discussing the kettle.

Hee! And so true.

Ah, I do love the two of them like this - thank you, nonny!

[rachelindeed]

Seconding the praise for that particular line, it was so succinctly insightful!

[rabidsamfan]

:)

[rabidsamfan]

Thank you for the prompt! Once I started wondering why Watson went into the Army the story began to fall into place. I'm glad you liked it!

[rachelindeed]

What a unique and beautiful story! The backstory you gave Watson was nothing I've ever considered before, but it reminded me just how young Watson was when he made these huge life decisions. The gambling story shed such light on the strange combination of his conviviality, recklessness, honorable determination to make good on his word, and adventurous spontaneity -- he would have been something of a walking time-bomb of a young man, wouldn't he? I also adored the details about Mary's childhood, and I love the thought that they traveled together to the mountains. The lush detail with which you drew the scene really brought it all to life, as did Holmes' profound admiration for Watson and his melancholy appreciation that he had not yet grasped all of his friend's mysteries (and likely never would). The sense of fatality is still looming over it all, but this was a lovely moment, a last happy memory of shared intimacy for them both to hold onto through the dark years ahead. It was impeccably written, and I just loved seeing them

[rabidsamfan]

Thank you! Your comment is one that I want to wrap around me like a nice warm blanket. I'm so glad you liked the story, and that you could see them having this time together. (And I do love writing about young Watson, can you tell?)