Prompting Part XXXV

[sherlockbbc_fic]

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OTHER LINKS AND AFFILIATES
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Useful resources for Sherlock and LiveJournal.
Sherlock screencaps.

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Comments

The Truman Show inspired prompt

[(Anonymous)]

Sherlock's entire life has been fabricated by his "brother", Mycroft, to make the world's greatest (and longest running) reality TV show: SHERLOCK. Even the London he lives in is just replica of the real one!

Years ago, Richard Brook auditioned to play John Watson, Sherlock's love interest, but didn't get the role. He was cast instead as the villainous, Jim Moriarty. All of Moriarty's games are scripted, of course, but that doesn't stop Richard Brook from leaving clues for Sherlock to help him discover the truth.

I just really want to see how Sherlock would react to discovering that everyone he's ever known, or does know and care about, are actors.

Re: The Truman Show inspired prompt

[(Anonymous)]

Great prompt!

Re: The Truman Show inspired prompt

[(Anonymous)]

Man...I really want to think more about this one. Unfortunately it kind of feels like a novel, urghhhh...

Re: The Truman Show inspired prompt

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

That was me, previous...um...your prompt has hijacked my brain. More soon. Er...sort of soon. Hopefully. My outline has at least 25 scenes and an epic sequel, soo...stay tuned. For like five years. I hope you will not be too sad if it comes out more Johnlock than Sheriarty...

Fill Part 1

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

(let's see how this goes...I'll post the roughs here and probably get stuff onto AO3 as I become more confident. BTW, I'm taking Sherlock's birth year as 1981.)

July 16th, 2001
Interviewee: Lester Gregson
Auditioning for Role: Police Sargent (alias Gregory Lestrade)
Function: Rehabilitation, Mentorship

Profile:
Mr. Gregson has had a moderately successful acting career to date, chiefly as a protagonist or secondary love-interest in a number of BBC period dramas and a few well-received but commercially insignificant films. Salient features of his personality include natural altruism, compassion, leadership. His similarity in voice and facial features to S’s favorite paternal uncle may have beneficial subliminal effects. Improvisational ability is strong.

Points of Interest:
Mr. Gregson is in debt to the tune of £45,000. Debt is currently owned by Blue Line Asset Management, and collection has been licensed to the Long Zi tong. While Gregson’s interviews to date do not indicate any objections to the premise of Sherlock, this knowledge could become valuable should he threaten to become unmanageable.

Transcript Excerpt:

MH: Mr. Gregson, hello. First of all, I’d like to establish some basics. Do you watch Sherlock regularly?

LG: ‘Course, yeah. I never miss it. Not for ten, fifteen years.

MH: How would you summarize recent developments on the show?

LG: Well, it’s a disaster, innit? We’re all rooting for Sherlock to finally have a chance to prove his abilities, but between the drugs and the bad crowd, seems like it might never happen. Everybody knows it’s a controlled environment of course, but, Jesus, sometimes it seems like he could really get into trouble.

MH: What sort of trouble concerns you most?

LG: That he’ll damage himself, seriously. I mean, he must be taking actual drugs, or he’d know something was up. He could get addicted, he could ruin his mind. That would be really tragic. Nobody wants to see that.

Fill part 2

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

January 3rd, 2008
Interviewee: Holly Cooper
Auditioning for Role: Forensic Pathologist (alias Molly Hooper)
Function: Potential love interest

Profile:
Ms. Cooper learned of the casting call through her very active membership in an unofficial internet-based Sherlock fan club. She has been pursuing an amateur acting career for the past six years, and has had one of her dramatic scripts produced by a community theater company. She has a degree in forensic pathology from the University of Glasgow, and has been working as a medical examiner for the past three years.

Points of Interest:
Ms. Cooper’s online activity has indicated a borderline-unhealthy obsession with a number of celebrities over the years. S is no exception. Her interest in him extends beyond the ordinary to include avid interest in paparazzi snaps, as well as both the creation and consumption of sexually-charged photographic manipulations and written material. As far as we know, she assumes that we have not discovered her internet pseudonyms.

Transcript Excerpt:

MH: How would you describe the current state of things on Sherlock?

HC: Well, it seems like…I guess…he’s coming into his own, a bit? Like he’s had some really good cases, and stuff, and it seems like, he should be taking some kind of big step…a big leap. Maybe getting some new friends, or a girlfriend. An ally.

MH: Do you see yourself in that position?

HC: I mean, I couldn’t presume, you know? (laughs) But yeah, I mean, I am a medical examiner, currently, and I assume you want those skills for the show. Somebody in that position, could help Sherlock a lot. Like that case with the poison frog? If I’d have been there, he would have solved it a lot quicker. I was like, jumping up and down on my couch, you know, being like “check the saliva!”, but it took him ages to get there! And lab equipment. Access to a good lab would help him a lot.

MH: So you’ve thought about this already.

HC: I mean, who hasn’t? He’s the new Sherlock Holmes. He’s brilliant. We’d all love to be part of his world, if we could.

Re: Fill part 2

[(Anonymous)]

This is a great start! Can't wait to see John!!!

Fill Part 3

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

February 8th, 2009
Interviewee: Martha Hudson
Auditioning for Role: Mrs. Hudson
Function: Landlady, Housekeeper

Profile: Ms. Hudson has been a Holmes family friend for over forty years. Sherlock remembers her from early childhood, and later solved, via emails, the Case of the Black Opal, in which her (fictional) husband was found to be the criminal. We see her reappearance at this juncture as crucial to maintaining continuity of experience for S.

Points of Interest: Although S thinks of her as indulgent and matronly (and her character on Sherlock will bear this out), she is in fact a keenly pragmatic woman, strongly motivated by materialistic concerns.

Transcript Excerpt:

Hudson: I won’t take less than two-fifty. And don’t pretend you can’t afford it, I know what you make off of all this.

MH: Martha. A quarter of a billion pounds?

Hudson: You heard me.

MH: You must realize that most of the revenue goes directly back into production. Just doing the background checks to find trustworthy extras is a monumental expense, not to mention the security personnel, the set work, the media filtering…

Hudson: Nonsense. I know you have it. You do realize you’re asking me to change my entire way of life, for an unspecified period of years, to live within this fantasy of yours? You’re only lucky I don’t ask for more.

MH. …Fine. Yes. I’ll see what I can do.

Re: Fill Part 3

[(Anonymous)]

*gasp* perfect! More please!

Fill Part 4

[(Anonymous)]

February 27th, 2010
Interviewee: Richard Brook
Auditioning for Role: Jim Moriarty
Function: Nemesis

Profile: Richard Brook is a well-known actor and a prominent old-school Sherlockian, active in the Baker Street Irregulars. He auditioned in 2008 for the part that was eventually given to Holly Cooper. Since then, he has had dramatic commercial and critical success with his one-man stage show, The Moriarty Monologues, wherein he reimagines the character of Professor Moriarty as a demented yet charismatic criminal mastermind.

Points of Interest: Casting him opposite S would be a significant ratings draw; his publicist has been in touch with acceptable terms.

Transcript Excerpt:

MH: How would you see your version of Moriarty fitting into Sherlock’s life right now?

RB: Well, I think he needs someone who can kind of push him to ever greater heights, you know? That’s the beauty of an arch-enemy. They push you. There’s a kind of…I guess…almost an obsessive thing that goes on.

MH: Do you think there is an obsessive aspect to Moriarty’s character?

RB: Oh, for sure. I mean, I have you seen my show? I think everything Moriarty does, even if it doesn’t involve Sherlock directly, he’s conscious of how he will react, how it will affect the shape of their relationship, however amorphous that may be. It’s fun to think about that, I think, about what this relationship looks like between two people who don’t even meet, in person, until quite late in the game.

MH: And you’d be all right with that? With having your character work mostly off-screen?

RB: Well, I can’t deny it would be less work! (Laughs) But seriously, yeah, I love that. Just a spider, you know, pulling the strings. And when he finally appears—what a shock! What a delight! That would be fun for me. And I think it would be fun for Sherlock, too…I think he’d like that kind of thing. It would hold his interest, for sure.

Re: Fill Part 4

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

Arg, that was me.

Re: Fill Part 4

[(Anonymous)]

omfg... this is genius! More!

Fill Part 5

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

February 28th, 2010
Interviewee: Jack Wilson
Auditioning for Role: John Watson
Function: Sidekick, blogger

Profile: Jack Wilson was scouted for the role of John Watson based entirely on his skillset; he is a medical doctor and a military veteran, qualities which the public will demand in their Watson and which will, in fact, be invaluable to S as his career develops. He suffers from a moderate case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, for which he is seeing a therapist. If cast, he has stipulated that he be allowed to continue treatment. The only potential drawback of casting Dr. Wilson is that his condition is associated with a psychosomatic limp. However, there is some hope that this will resolve with continued treatment.

Points of Interest: Psychological profile is promising but risky. If cast, Wilson will need to be closely monitored for signs of intractability.

Transcript Excerpt:

MH: I’m sure this isn’t the sort of invitation you receive every day. What made you accept the chance to audition?

JW: I’m—I suppose it’s…a bit hard to say.

MH: Because you don’t know?

JW: (laughs) Because I’d rather not! It’s—look. I don’t have a lot going on, right now. This is better than...

MH: Anything is better than nothing, is that it?

JW: Basically. Yes. But also, yeah, I do love the show. I mean, I grew up with it, with him. It’s like…like a fantasy world. An escape—look, I know how that sounds, but, you’re the one who brought me here, so.

MH: I expect you have some questions for me.

JW: A few, yeah. Uh—one. I’m not an actor. What makes you think I can be convincing? I mean, to Sherlock Holmes, in particular?

MH: A reasonable worry. But remember that the whole point of Sherlock is that it feels like real life; it’s seamless. If he finds it convincing—and he does—then you should have no trouble. There will be a few scripted encounters, but for the most part, all you would have to do is relax, play along, be your charming self. Sherlock, don’t forget, is not an actor, either. All you have to do is interact with him as you normally would. No pretending necessary.

JW: Hmm. Hmm, okay. That might…work. Maybe. I’ll think about it.

MH: Any other questions?

JW: Yeah, um, can you just—and I don’t want this to sound like I’m not interested, because I am. But I’d just like to hear from you, from your own mouth: how can you justify doing this? To your brother?

MH: Surely that’s been covered in the media.

JW: I mean, yeah, I’ve heard the interviews, where you explain his…mental illness. But that’s never quite seemed like the whole story, to me. I mean, there are easier ways to protect someone from the world.

MH: Easier, perhaps. It’s true that he could be institutionalized, or drugged, or simply kept sheltered on an estate somewhere. But I love my brother, and I want him to have what the average person never gets: the chance to be the hero of his own story. To struggle, to achieve, to live in the certain knowledge that his life has a purpose, that he is doing what he was born to do. It’s the greatest gift any of us could hope to receive. Putting it on television is simply a way to make it pay for itself.

Re: Fill Part 5

[(Anonymous)]

I hope John will love Sherlock for real.

Re: Fill Part 6

[(Anonymous)]

OMG! The game is on indeed. ;)

Re: Fill Part 6

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

Oh, Bollocks, I left out a part, grr, let me fix that...

Fill Part 6 (fixed)

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

1. Jack Wilson

The scripted scene with Mike Stamford needs a couple of takes, thanks to my nerves, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s not live; only Sherlock himself is ever shown live, and you can see that all day, every day, around the clock. The screen only goes dark when Sherlock is doing something private—which, for Sherlock, just means it’s something the showrunners deem inappropriate for broadcast. Most people just think it means he’s naked during those times, but nobody really knows. Then they show an edited version for an hour every night, just the highlights of the day, together with background scenes, like the one I’ve just done with Mike (or whatever his real name is; nobody tells me).

And next thing I know, I’m being ushered into the lab at this world’s version of St. Barts, and into the presence of Himself. I see a dark-haired person leaning over a microscope, he looks up, and—bam, it’s him. It’s Sherlock Holmes, the center of my new universe. In person, he’s…different. Not quite as tall, not quite as flawless. I’m almost disappointed for a second, but then he meets my eyes.

This is him, really him, not some actor. He knows and feels and believes that he is extraordinary, and when he looks at me, it’s like having my soul x-rayed. I’m immediately terrified that he’ll see through everything right then, but I guess the beauty of the whole setup is that he’s so used to being the only real thing in the world that he no longer even questions the feeling.

And I guess I’m real enough, after all, because he says “Afghanistan or Iraq?” And it’s true that I don’t even have to pretend. If anything, that first moment of raking scrutiny drives out of my head any hope that pretending might be remotely possible. I’ll be myself, or I’ll be nobody.

Fill Part 7 (formerly part 6!)

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

2. Jack Wilson

We visit our flat, my new home in TV Land, and then we’re in a not-real cab, and Sherlock deduces everything about me except the one thing that matters, and then there’s a dead woman, and, oh, yes, she is really dead. I knew to expect it; Mycroft Holmes has explained it in interviews, that of course they have to have real corpses, or Sherlock would figure out the game. They get them through legal channels; in fact, since Sherlock started doing murder investigations, more than one person has actually willed their body to the show. A team of forensic geniuses cleans them up and plants evidence for Sherlock to find. In this case: dirty wedding ring, water under her collar, mud spatters on the back of her leg, chipped fingernails. No suitcase. Sherlock takes the bait, and we’re off.

Or rather, he’s off. We’re separated, which means that he’s on camera, and I’m…not. A script consultant pops out of the woodwork and chats with the others—Anderson, Donovan, Lestrade—and they come up with a game plan, where Sally warns me off of Sherlock and I go off by myself to be abducted by Mycroft. So far, nothing about Sherlock’s behavior has surprised them, including his running off without me. I try to decide whether John Watson would be annoyed by this. Would I be annoyed by this? Am I annoyed?

Things roll along to one of their many possible conclusions, Sherlock and me sitting in an Italian restaurant. I order wine, because there is an edge that needs taking off. I make small talk; asking Sherlock if he has a girlfriend feels extremely strange, since I know very well that he has only ever been single (speculation about his sexual identity is rampant; if he’s ever sex, it was completely darked out), but it feels like the thing to say in the moment. Something about my delivery must be off, though, because he thinks I’m chatting him up. Am I chatting him up? Would John Watson chat him up?

We’re saved by a high-speed foot chase, and for a while I stop worrying about whether it’s real, just fling myself into the action as hard as I can. Sherlock runs, climbs, leaps; I run, climb, and leap after him. Afterward, when we’re standing, breathless and laughing, in the foyer of our house, he—fuck. He’s called up Angelo to hand me my cane.

My fucking psychosomatic limp. It’s been deleted. It was never real, anyway; a phantom injury, a phantom pain. Sherlock has restored me to myself. The lie of pain has been revealed, truth restored. Jack Wilson or John Watson—one of the two—is now a little more real.

Re: Fill Part 7 (formerly part 6!)

[(Anonymous)]

'Most people just think it means he’s naked during those times, but nobody really knows' He's taking drugs and they don't show it, do they? Unless he really is a quitter by now.

Damn, this whole thing is both scary (because poor Sherlock; his whole life is a lie) and amazing. I would be a liar if I said I wouldn't watch this show even though I normally don't watch TV. John Watson's character would immediately become my favourite I think.

I can't wait to read more of this story.

Re: Fill Part 7 (formerly part 6!)

[(Anonymous)]

fans are so going to love Jack Wilson/John Watson!

Re: Fill Part 7 (formerly part 6!)

[(Anonymous)]

Just discovered this! Amazing!

OP

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry for not commenting sooner. I decided to check on this prompt on a whim today, and can't believe it's actually being filled. You're doing an incredible job so far, and I'm very much looking forward to the rest. :D

Re: OP

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

Hooray, I'm glad you're enjoying it!! I'm still working on it, but I've hit a difficult spot. We've established that the dead bodies are real, which means the Jeff Hope's dead body has got to be real, which means that John has to "really" shoot him, and...how is that going to work? Hmm.

This is turning out to be quite a fun universe to think about...the interplay of real and not real. Thanks for a neat prompt. :-) I hope I can keep it rolling.

Fill Part 8

[trickybonmot.livejournal.com]

3. Jack Wilson

In this universe, I own a very real gun, and a supply of real ammunition—not blanks. These items were issued to me before filming started. I want to ask Mycroft about it, but I haven’t seen him yet; the scene where he abducts me is going to be filmed out of order. I suppose the gun would have to be real in case Sherlock gets hold of it, but surely the better option would be just not to have a gun at all. I wonder whether anyone else has a real gun.

The case of the serial suicides clicks along, Sherlock putting things together, until, suddenly, he’s—gone again. He disappears while we’re waiting for the tracking service on Jennifer Wilson’s phone to load up. I peer out the window and see him get into cab.

“He’s gone,” I say. “He went off in a cab.”

Everybody relaxes fractionally, knowing we’re no longer on camera. We all look at each other, trying to figure out what to do next, when Mrs. Hudson pops her head in.

“What are you lot standing around for?” she asks. “He’s just gone off with the killer. Somebody has to follow him.”

At this point, the laptop starts chiming, and we all turn to look at it. The phone trace. The cab. Christ, we really are all idiots.

“John’s supposed to be his new bestie, I think he should go after him,” Lestrade says. The others nod.

“Have you got your sidearm?” asks Mrs. Hudson.

I’m feeling lost. “Uh, sorry, why do we have to follow him?”

“Because he’s with the killer,” Sally says, as though I’m the dimmest thing since nighttime.

“But he’s…not really a killer?”

“But Sherlock thinks he is,” Lestrade says, “which means something’s got to happen. Something dangerous, or he might get suspicious.”

“Or worse, lose interest,” Sally says.

“Shit,” I say. Then, as things sink in: “Shit. Okay, fine, yes, what do I do?”

“There’s a cab waiting,” says Mrs. Hudson. “The driver has the phone trace on GPS.”

“We’ll bring the cops a few minutes behind, give you time to do something cool before we get there.”

“John! Hurry up!” Mrs. Hudson all but shoves me out of the flat, and I get into the fake taxi.

On the ride across town, I take out the handgun. It’s—it’s pretty much my old gun, a Sig Sauer P226R, British Army equipment designation L106A1. This is the gun they give you when you go to Afghanistan. It feels terribly familiar in my hand. It was loaded when I got it, and still is. I’m pretty sure John Watson would not actually carry around a loaded pistol in his everyday life—I wouldn’t—but these are the facts in this moment. I make sure the safety is on before I tuck it back into the back of my waistband. I drum damp fingers on the tops of my thighs. My hands feel extremely steady.