sherlockbbc_fic | Prompting Part XXXV

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Prompting Part XXXV

THE MEME NEEDS ARCHIVISTS!

GUIDELINES

Anon posting is not required, but most definitely allowed. If you think you recognise an anon, keep it to yourself and don’t out them. IP tracking is off, and will remain that way.

Multiple fills are encouraged, and all kinds of fills are accepted! Fic, art, vids, cosplay, interpretive dance — whatever. Go wild! :D

Don’t reprompt until TWO parts after the last posting of the prompt.

RPF (real person fic, i.e. fic involving the actors themselves) is not supported at this meme.

Concrit is welcome, but kinkshaming, hijacking, and flaming are not tolerated.

THE FILLED PROMPTS POST
When you fill a prompt, please use the appropriate Filled Prompts Post to archive your fill (there are instructions on the actual post).

If the part you wanted isn't up yet, just wait and one of the archivists will get to it, but please, once it is up, make sure you post your fills there according to the guidelines. DO NOT skip out on doing this because it seems like too much effort. If you want your fill to make it to the Delicious archive, that’s the way to do it.

Do not be afraid to ask questions about how it works if you are confused! The mods will be happy to explain.

WARNINGS/OFFENSIVE WORDING IN PROMPTS
Please consider warning for prompts that may trigger people (and also for fills, because some people read in flat view) and phrasing prompts in a manner that strives to be respectful.

Things which you might want to consider warning for include: Rape/Non-Con, Death, Suicidal Thoughts, Self-Harm, Underage Relationships, among others.

That being said, this is a kink meme. As such, there will be prompts that could offend you in a number of different ways. Not every prompt will have a trigger warning, and not every prompt will rub you the right way. If you have an issue with a specific prompt, feel free to bring it up in a discussion that takes place off the meme. However, flaming will not be tolerated regardless of origin.

You are highly encouraged to scroll past any prompt that you dislike.

Remember: be civil, be friendly, but don’t be shy!

THINGS THAT MAKE BROWSING THE MEME EASIER FOR EVERYONE
Please nest your fills. Doing so will make it easier for archivists to save your fills to the Delicious archive. Using subject lines will also help people reading the meme in flatview keep track of what’s happening. Finally, titling your fills (even if it’s something silly) will be helpful to those tracking a lot of prompts or scrolling through the meme.

PROMPT FREEZES
Depending on the rate of activity, there may or may not be a prompt freeze when a part reaches 2000 and 4500 comments. However, there will be one when it reaches 7000. After the 7000 comments freeze, a new part will be posted, and all prompting should happen on the new part.

CONTACTING MODS
Your mods for this meme are

ellie_hell,

anonspock and

anonbach. If you have any questions, concerns, comments about anything at all on the meme feel free to send a PM or contact us via the Page-A-Mod post.

MEME LINKS
Pinboard Archive - Delicious Archive - Guide to the Archive
Filled Prompts Posts: Parts 1-23 - Parts 24+ - Spoiler Free
The Glorious FAQ - Page-A-Mod

Flat View of This Page - Newest Page in Flatview - Newest Page of the Meme

Love Post - Chatter Post - Searching Post
Concrit Post - Story Announcement Post - Orphan Post
Spoiler Free Prompt Post - Overflow Post

Links to previous prompting parts

OTHER LINKS AND AFFILIATES

sherlock_rant: A place to rant about or discuss anything with few to no restrictions.

sherlock_rpf: This is a kinkmeme for RPF about the show.

sherlockcrit: A multi-fandom betaing/concrit community, with a focus on BBC Sherlock.

sherlockbbc: A community dedicated to the BBC adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.
Useful resources for Sherlock and LiveJournal.
Sherlock screencaps.

NOTICE: All links on the meme are now being screened because of spambot issues. When you submit a comment containing a link, it will be marked as spam. Please don't worry, the mods will unscreen it as soon as they can.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

'Mary's gone.'

Sherlock looks up from the microscope, stalling his examination of a peculiar fungus. John's stance is rigid, and the deductive reasoning of the world's only consulting detective is far from necessary to read the lines of distress on his face and the creases of his clothing. Regardless, Sherlock examines each tell, adding up the sum total of each to come to his conclusion: not good, not good, not good.

The quiet anguish written in the lines of his face causes a sharp pang in his heart. He never did like seeing John in pain. In this moment, Sherlock is almost ashamed of the other emotions that wash over him at the news. He knows he ought to say something, something to show that he cares about John, and he knows that it certainly isn’t ‘good riddance’ or ‘she should have never insinuated herself into your life.’

But Sherlock has never been . . . good with people, and he hasn’t the foggiest what the appropriate response is. He swallows and asks, ‘tea?’

For once in his life, Sherlock makes the tea, and he doesn’t poison it.

He clears the table of some of the paraphernalia associated with his experimentation (or rather, a small surface of the table), and John sits with a harsh sigh, placing his elbows on the wood and his head in his hands. He looks even smaller like that, the overwhelming sense of hopelessness acting like a magnifying glass in reverse. Something intangible in him has crumpled, his visage that of a beanbag popped, the stuffing draining out, and with it, all that his marriage to the woman of his dreams had imbued him with.

Seeing John so small, so down, . . . Sherlock finds he doesn’t much like it. He wants to make sure John never feels that way again, wants to protect him like he did when he walked, no, jumped off the roof of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, wants to bring him back to life like he did when they first met.

But—

Over. It's over, finally over, and Sherlock wouldn’t have to share John with anyone any longer. But that wasn’t a good thought, was it? John is hurting, John has lost his wife, and here Sherlock is thinking about how he would benefit from the unfortunate situation.

He tamps down on the thoughts, and pushes them away. Sherlock knows he is a selfish person, but he would do anything for John Watson. He would die for him (and he has), he would kill for him (and he has), and he could certainly pretend he didn’t feel the slightest relief or happiness in the face of the situation.

Because Sherlock Holmes is John Watson’s best friend, and he would try his best to keep that title. It may not be the sum total of what he wishes to be, but it would have to be enough because he could not lose John Watson.

_TBC

_{AN: My apologies the repost -- I noticed some verb shifts.}

I am extremely sorry that people felt the need to go and actually attack you!!!

Over tea? And grief? And....I'm literally shaking my head here.

If I had been aware that this was happening I would have left a note from the very start.

You have done nothing wrong. Nothing. It will be interesting to see where your story goes and I look forward to reading it. I truly hope you continue.

-AA

Thank you so much. That makes me feel a lot better. I shall keep a look out for yours as well.

-author Anon the Second

I'm really hoping you'll continue :)

I really liked your writing style and where you were going with this. I hate that you were unfairly attacked & that it apparently turned you off continuing this story; please know that it was appreciated in its own right and that I for one wish for more.

First of all loving the fill and don't let people with too much opinion and too little common sense (it's two fills for the same prompt... OF COURSE they're going to be similar), stop you from continuing it!! Please? pretty please with a cherry on top?

I liked you fill very much, darling :)

If I have one word of advice, from one author to another, it would be to not let naysayers affect whether or not you continue to write. I've been writing fanfiction for over twelve years now. In 2004, when I was 16, I posted my first story that was kind of a hot mess, but liked well enough. I had to take it down a few years later due to privacy reasons. When I began a repost in 2008-2011 I found that it made its way to a community called 'bad slash' or 'MST', which is basically a group of overly critical and cruel fans who literally ripped all my stories apart comma by comma. I stopped writing for two years.

I returned to writing in 2013 on this fandom, and found, for the most part, other writers to be very kind and supportive (so far, knock on wood, lol!) but you're always going to find people that have unkind words, or even just don't like your stories, and you know what? /That's okay./ My heart still races every time I get a comment alert from AO3 in my email because I remember how gutwrenchingly painful it was to read such awful, awful things about something I worked really hard on. There will always be people who love your writing and people who hate it, and all manner of people in between. Don't write for them; write for yourself.

I think you show a lot of promise, and I hope you continue to write and fill prompts. It can be awful to not get the response you were hoping for, but for every person who has negative comments, there will be those who have positive :)

xx lilylashes

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