May Prompt Challenge - Choice

The copyright courts in one voice Told the Doyles that they had no choice Set Sherlock Holmes FREE Or in trouble you'll be All fan fiction authors rejoice!

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Aside from personal names and a few extremely obscure words,* "choice" only rhymes with "voice" and "rejoice".

* https://www.rhymezone.com/r/rhyme.cgi?Word=choice&typeofrhyme=perfect&org1=syl&org2=l&org3=y

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@jrow - @weeesi - @elwinglyre @mydogwatson - @bertytravelsfar

@lxvenderjewel @amypihcs @gaylilsherlock @eyluvu @221bucky

@starkraivennemad @totallysilvergirl @thalialunacy @shirleycarlton

@peanitbear @bs2sjh @izhunny @deelaundry @jrow

@a-victorian-girl @startrekker2011 @sunfloweraro @gregorovitch-adler @disfictional

@friday411 @meetinginsamarra @helloliriels @momma2boys @stellacartography

@lisbeth-kk @keirgreeneyes @ninasnakie @raina-at

“The fixed point in a changing age” and other totally straight things to call your best friend

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30 day OTP challenge 20. Dancing. Sort of continuation of this one.

John uses his observation skills to cheer up his grump.

brainstorming notes:

For the only consulting detective in the world:

Sherlock Holmes

Holmes is a white man, holding a cigarette between his fingers is wearing a black suit, with a chain that goes across his waistcoat and his hair is slicked back.

Original illustration by @gooolabatooo for When the Rose Speaks Its Name: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology.

To learn more about the anthology or to join the pre-order mailing list visit:

@england-would-fall @momma2boys @bluebuell33 @keirgreeneyes @helloliriels @inevitably-johnlocked @dduane @totallysilvergirl @lisbeth-kk @sherlockwatson-holmes @calaisreno @arwamachine @aceredshirt13 @littlefluffycloudsao3 @221b-hound @atlinmerrick @iwantthatbelstaffanditsoccupant @spacemutineer @stellacartography @hiraethdays @mousedetective @wipbigbang @wohnjatson @swissmissfanartfavs @kettykika78 @mismeander

Used to have goals to be the crazy cat lady when I got old ...

Now my goal is to be insufferable about posting johnlock when I'm 82. Try and stop me.

Many thanks to @calaisreno for the prompt that got me writing the story that's been rattling around in my head for a few weeks.

John Watson has been invalided home from Vietnam and is desperately trying to keep Watson's Tri-State Trucking, the family business, solvent. As he travels across New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, he notices a slender stranger. Late one night, they meet.

Prompt for May 1: Open

Everything ached. Everything from his shoulder to his big toe. The ache in his shoulder was dull and heavy. John tried stretching his neck from side to side to loosen it; experience told him it would be useless to try rotating the joint itself. The ache traveled down his arm in buzzy pulses that pierced his elbow and froze his ring and middle fingers. Lifting his hand from the steering wheel, he shook it violently before rhythmically squeezing it into a fist and releasing it.

Harder to bear was the burning pain from buttock to toe. No matter how many times he shifted his weight from one cheek to the other, the pain was constant. Ten miles outside of Binghamton his thigh began to throb. Just a little farther, he thought. Get to a truck stop or rest area, someplace populated and he’d catch forty winks. The lost time would be better than driving his rig off a bridge in desperation.

On the far side of Binghamton he pulled into a truck stop, parking well away from the other semis. After a quick trot to the head, he swallowed two aspirins with a swig from his flask and settled down in his bunk. The aptly named coffin sleeper provided just enough room to pull off his boots and shimmy out of his jeans before pulling the blanket over himself, but he didn’t care. His rig was paid for—much as he admired the newer Peterbilts with their fancy cabs that were as well-appointed as a Newark studio apartment, the 1962 Mack belonged to Watson’s Tri-State Trucking one hundred percent and only needed the occasional bit of doctoring and prayer.

Two days on the road with minimal breaks—the client in Buffalo paid a bonus for early delivery—meant John was exhausted. Despite the pain, he was asleep in minutes. His dreams were painless, pleasant, in fact. He was two-stepping ‘round the dance floor at the Bluebonnet, feet sliding on the smooth wooden floor, slow-slow, quick-quick. He swayed in sync with the music and his hips moved easily. Slow-slow, quick-quick. His partner was vague, as happens in dreams, but he didn’t care. His body felt loose, moving to the music—some cover band playing classic hits--and his partner was gracefully leading him around the floor. The hips beneath his hands were slender and their gentle motion filled him with a tingling that was the opposite of pain. Together they moved in perfect harmony like a set of well-matched horses at the county fair. Slow-slow, quick-quick. A welcome warmth surged below his waist and he pulled his partner closer. John threaded fingers through his partner’s belt loops to tug their bodies closer, allowing him to feel a bulge there, matching and meeting his own. Slow-slow, quick-quick. As he dug his hips against theirs, his partner came into focus; not a woman, but the man from the truck stop. Dark curls, sharp cheekbones, pale skin, cupid bow lips. A little closer and he could kiss that plush mouth.

Suddenly, the twangy music was overpowered by the screeching whine of artillery.

“Incoming!” John yelled as he pulled the stranger off the dance floor.

Cover, they needed cover. John scanned the bar for a table, an alcove, anywhere that might provide shelter. This was a complete clusterfuck—his head ached from the constant whine of missiles and the acrid stink of explosives. The dance floor was littered with spent shells and disembodied limbs. John pulled on the stranger’s arm, sending them both skating through the slick of blood covering the smooth wooden boards. His eyes were watering now, his nose dripping from the smoke and the smell of burning flesh. This is it—this is how he’ll go home, another body bag, another nameless number on the evening news— He is shaking, huddled on the floor with a stranger in his arms because there is no escape, unless….Unless this were a dream, if he were dreaming, he could wake up. Wake up, he willed himself, wake up, dammit…wake the fuck up, asshole!

He shut his eyes and covered his head with his arms—he owed it to Harry, to Dad, to at least try to survive—

“You’re all right,” soothed a resonant voice.

“It’s not all right,” John heard himself say, “it will never be all right…”

Cold. He was cold despite being soaked in sweat.

“Yes, I know,” the voice answered, “but you are all right.”

There was a hand on his back, firm and steadying. Whoever was with him was close enough that he could smell the coffee and peanuts on his breath. John found himself matching his own breaths to those of this nameless, faceless companion. He didn’t realise how disordered his breathing had been until it slowed into an ordered rhythm. In, two, three, out, two, three. Slow, slow, slow.

“That’s it. Breathe. Good.” The strong hand traced circles on his back in time to their respirations.

John squeezed his eyes tightly shut before opening them. The world around him came into focus. It was night—he was in his truck—the 1962 Mack that his father had paid off before he died—tangled in his blanket. Kneeling on the driver’s seat was the stranger he’d seen in Gouldsboro and Norristown and Buffalo.

“What…how’d,” John croaked, he swallowed hard and tried again, “what are you, how did you get into my truck?”

“Hanger,” the man said, “left your window rolled down enough to work it through, which makes sense given the temperature and humidity this evening, but you might want to consider a different sleeping arrangement if you are opposed to uninvited guests. An inch and half of space is an open invitation, although I wouldn’t have taken you up on it if you hadn’t been screaming your head off. I rather thought you were being attacked, but now I reckon it was just a nightmare.”

The hero England deserves. 

I saw the the 2010 “Sherlock Holmes” movie last weekend during 221BCon (twice) and had a lot of fun, and the meme Crop-Top Watson was the cherry on top. 

Dino Sherlock coming whenever I figure out how to manage work load without dying  soon.

Elizabethan John

‘Who on Earth is disturbing us at this hour?’ I muttered resentfully, rubbing old sleep out of older eyes. ‘Only the foulest dregs of society, my dear boy,’ Holmes declared, sitting up beside me in a flash. ‘Capitalists.’

from 'Bee Afraid,' a 221B by A. C. McGrapth

soon to be published in the charity collection: When the Rose Speaks Its Name: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology

@england-would-fall @momma2boys @bluebuell33 @keirgreeneyes @calaisreno @blogstandbygo @totallysilvergirl @mybestfriendmademe @shewalksinthenoir @lisbeth-kk @7-percent @aceredshirt13

Who Are You?

SC Taylor, Simplyclockwork (on ao3 and tumblr) and @clockworkfic on twitter

How did you get interested in Sherlock Holmes?

Back when the BBC Sherlock show came out, my closest friend bullied me into watching it. I was delighted by the first season, and the experience sparked an intense obsession. Though I left the fandom around 2011, I was drawn back in 2019 by the allure of fandom. Though I don’t write much Sherlock-related fic right now, I’m still so grateful for the friendships and connnections I made by coming back to the fandom.

How are you involved with the anthology?

excerpt from 'Thick and Thin," by SC Taylor

In a garden behind an old Sussex cottage, Holmes glances at Watson, sitting at his side, a singular constant. He takes in Watson’s quiet existence, breathing it in alongside the scents of lilacs and lavender. The hot and pollen-thick air tastes heady on Holmes’ tongue. Watson speaks, his voice earning a lazy smile from Holmes. “Eleven years,” he muses, making Holmes hum through upturned lips.

Who is your favorite character from the Arthur Conan Doyle canon?

John Watson, in every form. I’m a sucker for a loyal, kind-hearted character with a badass edge. And he’s John Watson - what’s not to love?

What's a favorite tip or trick of yours for writing or art?

Have fun with it. I’m guilty of over-thinking and hyper fixating on trying to make my writing perfect. Which, being human, isn’t possible. That kind of drive takes away from the experience. You have to leave room for the messy and the mistakes.

Who do you think would have blushed the most reading a romantic story about them: Holmes or Watson?

John Watson

Anything else to share?

I’m really glad to be part of this anthology. It’s an achievement put together by some amazing, wonderful souls. I can’t wait to see all the beautiful works included.

To learn more about the anthology or to join the pre-order mailing list visit:

@england-would-fall @bluebuell33 @momma2boys @keirgreeneyes @lisbeth-kk @totallysilvergirl @blogstandbygo @simplyclockwork @calaisreno @stellacartography @inevitably-johnlocked @helloliriels

The wind gusts and dry leaves swirl around their feet as they walk.  A shadow falls across Regent’s Park as the temperature drops and the chlorine smell of ozone signals the approaching storm. 'We should go,' John says, looking up at the dark clouds roiling above them. 'No, let’s stay,' Sherlock says, and his gloved hand brushes John’s.

from 'Rain,' a 221B by Kyndall Potts, CumberCurlyGirl on ao3

soon to be published in the charity collection: When the Rose Speaks Its Name: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology

@england-would-fall @momma2boys @bluebuell33 @keirgreeneyes @blogstandbygo @calaisreno @aceredshirt13 @iwantthatbelstaffanditsoccupant @dr-johnwatson-ama @iwlyanmw @semiotomatics @iamjustreading @lisbeth-kk

A slight blush spread across Miss Holmes’s handsome features at my confirmation of her deductions, as if a gentleman had paid her a great compliment.

My new acquaintance cut an unusual figure, uncommonly tall, with unruly dark hair that she wore in an unkempt bun.

She offered her hand and I reciprocated, my heart quickening within my breast…

from An Unusual Introduction, 221B by CS McGuigan

soon to be published in the charity collection: When the Rose Speaks Its Name: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology

@england-would-fall @momma2boys @keirgreeneyes @bluebuell33 @jrow @7-percent @totallysilvergirl @blogstandbygo @calaisreno @gooolabatooo @stellacartography @lisbeth-kk @jrow @aceredshirt13 @fluffbruary

How many subscriptions to The Strand were cancelled when Sherlock Holmes 'died'?

Join our pre-order mailing list and comment with your answer for a chance to win a free e-book edition of When the Rose Speaks Its Name: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology.

everyone can make a guess

you don't need to be right to enter

three winners chosen on April 10, 2024

Good Luck!!!

please note - include your social media names in the mailing list so we'll know when you've entered! (you can DM us if you're already on the list)

Trivia Questions will be posted Monday and Wednesday - answers on Saturday and Sunday weekly. Post your guess before the answer is revealed for a chance to win.

Full value of the giveaway copies will be donated to akt.uk.org, on behalf of the winners.

@england-would-fall @bluebuell33 @momma2boys @keirgreeneyes @wyrcan @jrow @totallysilvergirl @lisbeth-kk @gooolabatooo

[Plain text. Image description: A peach and pink banner with the drawing of a cream and white rose in the lower right hand corner. Text reads: Trivia Question 4. Comment with your answer for a chance to win a free e-book. Drawing on April 10, 2024. whentherosespeaks.com.

How many subscriptions to The Strand were cancelled when Sherlock Holmes 'died'?

Join our pre-order mailing list and reply at any of our social media sites with your answer for a chance to win a free e-book edition of When the Rose Speaks Its Name: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology.

Good Luck! Please note - include your social media names in the mailing list so we'll know when you've entered! (you can DM us if you're already on the list)

One chance per each question answered. You don't need to be right to enter. Three winners chosen on April 10, 2024.

Trivia Questions will be posted Monday and Tuesday - answers on Saturday and Sunday weekly. Comment here with your guess before the answer is revealed for a chance to win.

Full value of the giveaway copies will be donated to akt.uk.org, on behalf of the winners. End plain text.]

This is art for the story “I Am Your Man” by Eleanor Newell on the When the Rose Speaks its Name Sherlock Holmes Anthology!

You can check out their blog @whentherosespeaks . This is a non-profit project, Returns from sales will be donated to AKT, a UK charity benefiting LGBTQIA+ youth.

Image Description: Mary on the left is wearing a hat decorated with roses, shes wearing a long coat and holding a parasol. Shes also wearing a messenger bag filled to the brim with sheets. Behind her is a trunk that says 'Paris; one way' as well as a music sheet stand. She has her left hand out and she is smiling directly at Watson. Watson on the right is holding her left hand, looking down and smiling.

For more information:

Website | Tumblr | Instagram

Who Are You?

Holland Parker; @mybestfriendmademe on Tumblr

How did you get interested in Sherlock Holmes?

Honestly, Alexandra

How are you involved with the anthology?

excerpt from 'The Plot Thickens', by Holland Parker

Watson walked into 221b after his shift. It was quiet—Holmes was out or at the microscope. After climbing the steps he saw dark hair on the arm of the sofa. ‘Pondering a case’ thought Watson. Further into the apartment, he realized that Holmes's hands weren't right. Rather, a book was on his chest and he was asleep. He didn't recognize the book. The title surprised Watson. He thought Holmes really wouldn’t want him to see this.

Who is your favorite character from the Arthur Conan Doyle canon?  

Sherlock

What's a favorite tip or trick of yours for writing or art?

Leave it overnight and look at it with fresh eyes the next day.

Who do you think would have blushed the most reading a romantic story about them: Holmes or Watson?

Sherlock Holmes

Anything else to share?

I love that the editors did this. Even more, I love that it's for charity for LGBTQIA+ youth.

To learn more about the anthology or to join the pre-order mailing list visit:

@england-would-fall @momma2boys @bluebuell33 @calaisreno @lisbeth-kk @totallysilvergirl @7-percent @stellacartography @blogstandbygo @gregorovitchworld @iamjustreading @peanitbear @helloliriels @jrow @gooolabatooo @khorazir @mori-was-here @busyreadingsonnet57