XistentialAngst's Blog, page 21
January 6, 2017
Did John kill Mary? (Yes. Yes, he probably did.)
I think it’s now a widely enough accepted theory by now that what makes TST weird is that the story is being told us by Sherlock, who is altering the facts to give John an alibi, because he’s the one who killed Mary.
A few meta (these are just some) point that theory out, and here I gather a few facts that support this theory.
It became longer than I thought, so click on read more!
I was writing this last night and I had to retype it all up because tumblr had crashed and deleted it all, and so I forgot an important point, but:
In the canon, Milverton is killed by a random, unknown woman while Holmes and Watson watch on from their hiding spot.
Both Moffat and Gatiss mentioned that they believe this is the version of events Watson wrote, altering them to hide the fact that it was actually them, maybe Holmes, possibly both, who killed Milverton.
This is what we see at the beginning of the episode, Sherlock being saved by a version of events that Mycroft made up to hide the truth, but an element is missing: the random lady. In the book, that lady is believed to be Lady Smallwood, or another lady whose husband committed suicide after being blackmailed and ruined by Milverton, but they don’t have proof to arrest her.
That’s how I got to Vivian possibly being an actual, existing person, rather than made up like the soldier we see at the beginning. Because Mofftiss like to draw parallels like this, and they like to surprise and pull rugs.
OH. MY. GOD. @stravaganza, @skulls-and-tea, @inevitably-johnlocked
I think this theory is so cool and possible anyway but now that I saw this post it honestly triggered my memory and now I’m even more convinced of this theory being the truth! You wrote that Milverton is killed by a random woman in the canon. This draws a parallel between Milverton in the canon and Mary in TST.
AND GUESS WHAT WE HAVE? THIS SCREENCAP:
Look at that picture of Mary on the right. Look at that post-it note placed over it. Look at how it says “Milverton?” Is this a coincidence? Honestly?
HOLY SHIT! That’s a great find! What is that screencap from again? Was it the Sherlock game? I know I”ve seen it before.
But this is amazing! They’re linking Mary directly to Milverton, which is a huge hint that both of their deaths were similar - staged to hide the guilty party.
Did John kill Mary? (Yes. Yes, he probably did.)
I think it’s now a widely enough accepted theory by now that what makes TST weird is that the story is being told us by Sherlock, who is altering the facts to give John an alibi, because he’s the one who killed Mary.
A few meta (these are just some) point that theory out, and here I gather a few facts that support this theory.
It became longer than I thought, so click on read more!
Thanks for piecing this together with all the screen caps and everything. I’m onboard with the John killed Mary theory and this lays it out very neatly.
I feel like we’ve all decided what theory we favor about T6T at this point. At least until we watch...
I feel like we’ve all decided what theory we favor about T6T at this point. At least until we watch the episode and then I’m sure all bets will be off. I wonder if we’ll get the entire truth of what happened to Mary in TLD or if they’ll just avoid the issue and bring it back for TFP?
That one prevew did say there was a hell of a rug pull towards the end. Wonder if that’ll be Mary related or about johnlock.
Not necessarily published in 2016, but instead, read by me in 2016.
CAPTIVE PRINCE
series: Captive Prince, Prince’s Gambit, Kings Rising
by C.S. Pacat
I could rave about C.S. Pacat’s prose for days and days on end. Her writing is just truly so breathtaking and compelling and her world building is so very immersive. I was hooked from the first chapter on. This never happened to me before. C.S. Pacat got me back into reading original fiction again (as opposed to reading fanfiction), but almost a year later I still haven’t found anything comparable to the CAPTIVE PRINCE series. My book hangover from this series is still going on, and if I could read new stories about Laurent of Vere forever, I would. It is my hope the YA Pacat is now writing will give me a character to obsess over the amount I obsess(ed) over Laurent. I’m not that fond of YA in general, so if she will achieve this, she’ll have my adoration forever. (JK, she already has that.)
THE SOLDIER’S SCOUNDREL
stand-alone within a series
by Cat Sebastian
I just simply adored this read. Cat Sebastian’s writing is so good, and so well-flowing, I just always wanted to read on. The characters were both likeable and their actions and reactions understandable, which is always a thing I appreciate. The class differences between them didn’t end up being as big of an issue as I expected them to be but that didn’t take away from the story at all, or rather added to it. What I found interesting in this was that both MCs were totally enough to keep me entertained, and the rest of the cast, while interesting characters, were not really needed to push the story forward.
THE LION AND THE CROW
stand-alone / free read
by Eli Easton
I still can’t believe I got to read this one for free. It’s just so, so good. I am a sucker for historical romance that isn’t set within the Victorian era. This one is set in the Middle Ages, in England. It follows a knight seeking to free his sister from her abusive husband, and a Lord’s son who joins his journey out of more than one reason. I would’ve loved to read more stories like this one by the author, but unfortunately there were no more Historicals to be found in her catalogue. I will forgive her for it, but only because she left these characters off in such a great place. A true HEA in times where homosexuality could have gotten you killed, that is something not everyone is able to write. Eli Easton did it though.
THE HIGH KING’S GOLDEN TONGUE
stand-alone within a series
by Megan Derr
I was so grateful for Derr’s world-building here. I had been looking for another universe to be pulled in by, and I got my wish fulfilled by THKGT. I rooted for the pairing to get their shit together, which is definitely a thing I need in my romance. If I can’t root for them, why do I read a romance novel in the first place, right? I also loved the side characters who were joining the main characters’ journey in this, and as someone who likes a well-employed “misunderstandings through miscommunication” trope establishing conflict between love interests, (and dislikes when it’s handled irrationally, when you’re just screaming at the characters to friggin’ talk already because this is ridiculous!!), as well as as a sucker of arranged marriage between reluctant parties, as someone who wants to root for a good-hearted character to be recognized like they deserve to be, this turned out to be a great read.
Months later I finally was in the mood to read the sequel THE PIRATE OF FATHOMS DEEP which pulled me right back in to this ‘verse and added a couple of characters to the line up that I really really enjoyed. I like Megan Derr’s writing in this series, and I think a flavor of angstiness in her characters always adds to my overall enjoyment of her words. (A thing I definitely missed in some of her “fluffier” works.) I’m definitely looking forward to more parts in this series!
THE GOD EATERS
stand-alone / free read
by Jesse Hajicek
This story was a free read online and I probably wouldn’t have given this a read wasn’t it reviewed with such adoring on Goodreads, so I said “eff it” and read this on my tablet in the browser. I did not regret it. The characters and the world building was enthralling, and the journey had ups and downs (so many downs) and you always had something to worry about while wanting the main characters to have a break to finally make sweet, sweet love. But circumstances weren’t always very profitable for that. (Like, never, in fact.) I don’t know what more to say. This was an enjoyable read all over. It was a love story and a journey with (many, many) obstacles to overcome all in one.
FAMILY OF LIES: SEBASTIAN
stand-alone
by Sam Argent
I read this a while ago, but I do remember I enjoyed this a lot. I think it was the first book I read after putting down Pacat’s KINGS RISING, and I was looking for a character that I could root for. With Sebastian, Sam Argent managed that. While I had an inkling what the mystery surrounding him was all the way through reading, this did not make me be bored by the story. I remember thinking this was less of a romance and more of a family tale, and I did like this fact about FAMILY OF LIES. I enjoyed the family going-ons more than the main pairing.
SPELLBOUND
stand-alone
by Marcus Atley
Usually I’m more a fan of epic fantasy, but this urban fantasy/paranormal romance was a good read for me as well. The main characters were the cliché misunderstood, bulky grump, and the take-no-shit “twink” being underestimated and ignored, having to prove himself. Overall it was a bit trope-y, and I wouldn’t expect too much from it, but sometimes you need a read that is simple and still enjoyable, and that was that.
M/M reads from other genres that I enjoyed:
OFF BASE by Annabeth Albert (Contemporary Military Romance)
DARK SOUL I & II by Aleksandr Voinov (Dark Mafia Romance)
TIMEKEEPER by Tara Sim (Steampunk YA Romance)
THE RAVEN CYCLE by Maggie Stiefvater (series, Paranormal YA)
BORROWING TROUBLE by Kade Boehme (Contemporary Romance)
SUPERIOR by Jessica Lack (short story, Superhero Romance)
All good titles. Thanks for the rec on The Lion and the Crow!
I loved The Lion and the Crow.
Aw! That makes me happy. Thanks for saying so!
Not necessarily published in 2016, but instead, read by me in 2016.
CAPTIVE PRINCE
series: Captive Prince, Prince’s Gambit, Kings Rising
by C.S. Pacat
I could rave about C.S. Pacat’s prose for days and days on end. Her writing is just truly so breathtaking and compelling and her world building is so very immersive. I was hooked from the first chapter on. This never happened to me before. C.S. Pacat got me back into reading original fiction again (as opposed to reading fanfiction), but almost a year later I still haven’t found anything comparable to the CAPTIVE PRINCE series. My book hangover from this series is still going on, and if I could read new stories about Laurent of Vere forever, I would. It is my hope the YA Pacat is now writing will give me a character to obsess over the amount I obsess(ed) over Laurent. I’m not that fond of YA in general, so if she will achieve this, she’ll have my adoration forever. (JK, she already has that.)
THE SOLDIER’S SCOUNDREL
stand-alone within a series
by Cat Sebastian
I just simply adored this read. Cat Sebastian’s writing is so good, and so well-flowing, I just always wanted to read on. The characters were both likeable and their actions and reactions understandable, which is always a thing I appreciate. The class differences between them didn’t end up being as big of an issue as I expected them to be but that didn’t take away from the story at all, or rather added to it. What I found interesting in this was that both MCs were totally enough to keep me entertained, and the rest of the cast, while interesting characters, were not really needed to push the story forward.
THE LION AND THE CROW
stand-alone / free read
by Eli Easton
I still can’t believe I got to read this one for free. It’s just so, so good. I am a sucker for historical romance that isn’t set within the Victorian era. This one is set in the Middle Ages, in England. It follows a knight seeking to free his sister from her abusive husband, and a Lord’s son who joins his journey out of more than one reason. I would’ve loved to read more stories like this one by the author, but unfortunately there were no more Historicals to be found in her catalogue. I will forgive her for it, but only because she left these characters off in such a great place. A true HEA in times where homosexuality could have gotten you killed, that is something not everyone is able to write. Eli Easton did it though.
THE HIGH KING’S GOLDEN TONGUE
stand-alone within a series
by Megan Derr
I was so grateful for Derr’s world-building here. I had been looking for another universe to be pulled in by, and I got my wish fulfilled by THKGT. I rooted for the pairing to get their shit together, which is definitely a thing I need in my romance. If I can’t root for them, why do I read a romance novel in the first place, right? I also loved the side characters who were joining the main characters’ journey in this, and as someone who likes a well-employed “misunderstandings through miscommunication” trope establishing conflict between love interests, (and dislikes when it’s handled irrationally, when you’re just screaming at the characters to friggin’ talk already because this is ridiculous!!), as well as as a sucker of arranged marriage between reluctant parties, as someone who wants to root for a good-hearted character to be recognized like they deserve to be, this turned out to be a great read.
Months later I finally was in the mood to read the sequel THE PIRATE OF FATHOMS DEEP which pulled me right back in to this ‘verse and added a couple of characters to the line up that I really really enjoyed. I like Megan Derr’s writing in this series, and I think a flavor of angstiness in her characters always adds to my overall enjoyment of her words. (A thing I definitely missed in some of her “fluffier” works.) I’m definitely looking forward to more parts in this series!
THE GOD EATERS
stand-alone / free read
by Jesse Hajicek
This story was a free read online and I probably wouldn’t have given this a read wasn’t it reviewed with such adoring on Goodreads, so I said “eff it” and read this on my tablet in the browser. I did not regret it. The characters and the world building was enthralling, and the journey had ups and downs (so many downs) and you always had something to worry about while wanting the main characters to have a break to finally make sweet, sweet love. But circumstances weren’t always very profitable for that. (Like, never, in fact.) I don’t know what more to say. This was an enjoyable read all over. It was a love story and a journey with (many, many) obstacles to overcome all in one.
FAMILY OF LIES: SEBASTIAN
stand-alone
by Sam Argent
I read this a while ago, but I do remember I enjoyed this a lot. I think it was the first book I read after putting down Pacat’s KINGS RISING, and I was looking for a character that I could root for. With Sebastian, Sam Argent managed that. While I had an inkling what the mystery surrounding him was all the way through reading, this did not make me be bored by the story. I remember thinking this was less of a romance and more of a family tale, and I did like this fact about FAMILY OF LIES. I enjoyed the family going-ons more than the main pairing.
SPELLBOUND
stand-alone
by Marcus Atley
Usually I’m more a fan of epic fantasy, but this urban fantasy/paranormal romance was a good read for me as well. The main characters were the cliché misunderstood, bulky grump, and the take-no-shit “twink” being underestimated and ignored, having to prove himself. Overall it was a bit trope-y, and I wouldn’t expect too much from it, but sometimes you need a read that is simple and still enjoyable, and that was that.
M/M reads from other genres that I enjoyed:
OFF BASE by Annabeth Albert (Contemporary Military Romance)
DARK SOUL I & II by Aleksandr Voinov (Dark Mafia Romance)
TIMEKEEPER by Tara Sim (Steampunk YA Romance)
THE RAVEN CYCLE by Maggie Stiefvater (series, Paranormal YA)
BORROWING TROUBLE by Kade Boehme (Contemporary Romance)
SUPERIOR by Jessica Lack (short story, Superhero Romance)
All good titles. Thanks for the rec on The Lion and the Crow!
January 5, 2017
livingjohnlock:THINK: how many times did Sherlock/someone ask...
THINK: how many times did Sherlock/someone ask him if he made something up in TST….this alibi theory I love it
slow-burn-bromance:I just keep thinking of some reviewer sitting there watching Sherlock grab a...
I just keep thinking of some reviewer sitting there watching Sherlock grab a handful of biscuits while proclaiming ‘I looooooove Gingernuts’ and thinking to themselves ‘This Bond bullshit it NOT what I signed up for!’
jon-lox:
davidburked:
i can’t believe they showed john walking through a graveyard and a 1 second...
i can’t believe they showed john walking through a graveyard and a 1 second clip of a coffin going up in flames like damn that’s cold sherlock got a whole speech……. he got a whole frame narrative based on john’s grief…. like truly they did not care about making us care that she died alkdsjd
akjfad i know like
TRF: [john has 15 minute monologue by sherlock’s headstone]
TST: [loud car zooming noise while we whiz past mary’s death]
What is your favorite theory of TST?
fake baby, You Can’t Arrest a Jellyfish, Sherlock would flirtatiously describe himself as a vampire = the trifecta
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