Sherlock Remix

[pendrecarc]

sherlock_remix is up! Cheers to innie_darling for splendid organisation in getting them all in a day early.

First, the story written for me--hold on a minute, I need to flail around here.

...

Okay, I'm good now.

My author remixed "For Great Justice", aka the one where I tried to write PWP with a quirky hook and ended up writing about negotiations of power and consent, sex and asexuality, and the expression of affection. Or, you know, about porn; maybe I'm overthinking the issue.

The author rewrote the story from the opposite character's perspective, but they didn't just play it straight--instead we get an exploration of the way Sherlock deals with pain; his own, and other people's. And oh it is good.

The story is not particularly explicit, but my favourite line is not G-rated, so I'll stick it below a cut.

He pulls the two fingers he's slid inside Joanna toward him. Later, he'll look at them carefully, red and white, as he draws hot water and then cold from the taps.

Yes, that exactly--clinical more than sexual, with evocative (rather than provocative) imagery, and exactly the sort of thing Sherlock would do if he ever happened to be in that particular position. (Also, fingers. I have a thing for hands. Possibly the original version of the story made that apparent?)

I also love the end, though; just the right dash of humour, which is good, because the original really was meant to be funny; and there's also the nice, understated sense of hurt-comfort. I decided ages ago I wasn't really into the sort of h-c where one character's down with a fever and needs some TLC, but I am a sucker for oh-you-almost-died-you-are-important-to-me-but-I'm-still-emotionally-constipated, and there's a nice bit of that as a grace note. So, so happy with my remix.

Here's the link. Warnings are at the top of the page.

As for my own story...

This remix kicked my ass. It took me approximately five minutes to decide what to do, weeks to work out how to do it, several feverish days (non-sequential) to write most of it out, and then until the eleventh hour to figure out that it just wasn't working. So I took an axe to it, changed my approach, and finished up with something quite different than what I'd expected.

Still, I'm pleased with it, and it seems to have been well-received by the original author, and what can you really ask for beyond that? It's probably the height of something to write a "why I wrote this story" post, but I think I'll do that after the reveals; I think the reasons the original attempt didn't work are actually quite instructive, and I have Things to Say about the remixed story and my final product. Any excuse for meta.

So, generally, that was pretty fun. :) And I haven't even had time for the other stories yet! Head on over--there's lots to see.

Comments

[legionseagle]

Following the reveal today, I was very pleased to discover it was you; you were one of the writers whose participation encouraged me to sign up for the remix in the first place.

I really enjoyed what you'd chosen to do with the story - I commented on this when the story first went up, but it's great to have the chance to expand on it (and, yes please, I'd be first in line for the promised meta on why the original attempt didn't satisfy you).

I originally conceived Rigging Screws as very much in the tradition of what I've called "ACD Holmes' Linked-In network that works" - the tradition of women coming to him and saying "You helped my friend Mrs Farintosh in her greatest need..." etc.

Some of my favourite stories are the ones where the client is female and,especially, where the female client is not your typical damsel in distress, like Mrs Mabberley , the middle-aged widow who dreams of going round the world or Mary Sutherland, who Watson is unbelievably catty about and on whose behalf Holmes is prepared to resort to horse-whipping the villain.

Furthermore, I've always had the slightly heretical view that there's much more solid evidence for Violet Hunter being "The Woman" than there is for Irene Adler - and I'm delighted that Hunter ends up as the principal of a successful girls' school and not as *anyone's* love interest.

I tried to put Marjorie Jameson into that tradition but updated and was absolutely delighted to see that what you'd done was to take that story back to its roots explicitly. I also liked the way you'd chosen to frame it, as a told (shared) anecdote, in a Baker Street setting. Classic.

Thanks again.

[pendrecarc]

you were one of the writers whose participation encouraged me to sign up for the remix in the first place

That's lovely to hear! Your fic has always stood head-and-shoulders above most of the fandom for me, so I was thrilled and apprehensive to get this assignment.

I look forward to posting about writing this; I loved the original on first read, but I got so much more out of it when I came back the second time. The structure is really clever, you pack plot with characterisation into each scene, and the plot device (as you mentioned in your recent post) has so much thematic resonance.

I had forgotten Mrs. Mabberley! I don't know the later stories as well. Violet Hunter's always been one of my favorites, though, and I'm also delighted by Watson's coda about her future career.

Basically, I love your work and am thrilled that you enjoyed what I've done with it. Thank you for being so effusive in your response! It's made my week.