I don't suppose anyone wants to help me work through my big bang plot, do they? I'm meant to have the first draft in next weekend and I have about 900 words, so far.
The essential premise is that Moriarty, after being in hiding for six months while he recovers from the wounds inflicted by the bomb, returns with his vow to burn the heart out of Sherlock.
He does this by luring Sherlock back to his past - the only person he cared about before John (who he is not romantically involved with...at least not yet) and the unsolved mystery of his death; the death which lead Sherlock to drop out of University, grossly embarrassing his parents and starting his feud with Mycroft, who he feels betrayed him because he did not support his belief that it had been a murder, not a suicide.
A big part of the story will be revealing Sherlock's past, growing up in boarding school and finding his only friend (I think for the sake of ease, I'll base the friend on Victor), looking at what it was like when he did make small attempts to 'fit-in' and what pushed him into such deep isolation.
I think, aside from flashbacks, most of it would have to be from John's POV, which makes it harder.
Also, the only thing that the prompt poster really requested, was Sherlock whumping, either emotionally or (preferrably) physically. So I don't have much to live up to, yet.
Alright, sounds great so far; I'm loving the overall plot :) Now, the framework as in you're not sure how to present the flashbacks without it appearing forced? Or, this being primarily John POV, how to it out of Sherlock, since it's probably the most personal information he has?
Well, more like how to unfold the story in general. I've started a scene with Mycroft telling John that Sherlock has gone to Cambridge and that he's not to follow as that would be exactly what Moriarty wants (the idea being that in fact, Victor's death truly was a suicide brought about by his complicated relationship with Sherlock and the disapproval of his parents - bearing in mind that he's from an old-money family and this is the mid-90s, when we were significantly less liberal in those terms).
Moriarty wants to show Sherlock that it was suicide and have him believe that ultimately, it was his responsibility, and convince him that makes him a murderer, just as Donovan has always predicted.
So it's a directive from Sherlock, yes? Because with Sherlock suddenly leaving without a word and Mycroft telling him to drop it, John's got to be curious/wary. He's not above respecting people's wishes, so he initially wouldn't go to Cambridge, but I can't see that stopping him from doing his own line of investigation and trying to find out if Sherlock is in serious danger.
Not so much from Sherlock, as Mycroft knowing that John finding out the truth and what happened has - at least in theory - the power to come between them in exactly the way Moriarty wants it to. He wants John to leave, because that's really what would burn the heart out of Sherlock.
He doesn't let John know as much, preferring to be direct about wanting John to stay away from the subject, but little else. So the question is where does he go from there?
Oh, no - Mycroft literally warns him to stay home and tells him he's being watched.
I'm thinking maybe John stays at home twitching, over night, then goes to Mike Stamford to ask him what he knows (which isn't much, although he does mention that Sherlock studied at St John's College) and then off the back of that, he goes to (reluctantly) to Sebastian and asks him for information. I'm trying to decide how much Sebastian tells him, but I think what he says is what ultimately makes John go to Cambridge. Perhaps after going to Sherlock's room and finding the photograph of Sherlock and Victor as teenagers.
We all know how well John reacted to that last time XD
Makes sense--besides Mycroft, I doubt anyone knows anything about Sherlock from back then. Mike and possibly Lestrade know him on a more professional level, the latter likely having been around when Sherlock was still getting himself cleaned up, so how much he knows is debatable. Sebastian is more forthcoming, but I doubt that it's for any beneficent level. He'll give a generous hint at the Incident but not blurt all of it out, not for any fond feelings for Sherlock, but because John may look into it and come to the same, less-than-charitable view of Sherlock on his own.
Would Sherlock's room still be in use? Maybe a cordoned off, disused section of Cambridge. Or if it is, the photo is well hidden.
I hadn't considered Lestrade, actually. I wonder if he'd go to him first? I think he'd tell John some of what he wanted to know, but still sort of protect Sherlock's privacy in a sense. He wouldn't tell him about how he first met Sherlock, really; he may have started working with him five years before, but in his younger days, before he was a DI, he would have known Sherlock as this obnoxious, disgraced, crackhead aristocrat. It would only be when he'd gotten himself clean and Mycroft directed him to Sherlock yard with his information on a case that he was stuck with Lestrade.
I definitely think you're right about Sebastian not giving it all away, but giving Sherlock just enough rope to hang himself, in John's mind.
All of this makes it very hard to show Sherlock's side of things, though... maybe I do need to write in his POV more.
Between John's sections and the flashbacks, you could have a few parts where we see what Sherlock is doing, concurrent with John? If Moriarty brought him to Cambridge to show him something, there could be little investigation scenes where he's trying to figure out what Moriarty is on about.
Yup, and Moriarty's trying to prove that Sherlock was responsible--there's got to be a purpose to luring him there :) Unless the little shit is going to be there?
I like! :D Lestrade and Mike only know/will say so much, so when John's hitting a dead end, Moriarty sends a little gift, and maybe that reminds him about Sebastian? Then whatever Seb says prompts him to go, etc.
Maybe he sends him a photo of Sherlock and Victor - the one I'd talked about. Maybe on the back is the date and location, like people used to do when we still printed photos.
"Victor T. + Sherlock H., St John's College, 1995."
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on 2010-10-17 02:23 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-10-17 02:32 pm (UTC)Okay. So, things we know:
The essential premise is that Moriarty, after being in hiding for six months while he recovers from the wounds inflicted by the bomb, returns with his vow to burn the heart out of Sherlock.
He does this by luring Sherlock back to his past - the only person he cared about before John (who he is not romantically involved with...at least not yet) and the unsolved mystery of his death; the death which lead Sherlock to drop out of University, grossly embarrassing his parents and starting his feud with Mycroft, who he feels betrayed him because he did not support his belief that it had been a murder, not a suicide.
A big part of the story will be revealing Sherlock's past, growing up in boarding school and finding his only friend (I think for the sake of ease, I'll base the friend on Victor), looking at what it was like when he did make small attempts to 'fit-in' and what pushed him into such deep isolation.
I think, aside from flashbacks, most of it would have to be from John's POV, which makes it harder.
Also, the only thing that the prompt poster really requested, was Sherlock whumping, either emotionally or (preferrably) physically. So I don't have much to live up to, yet.
The biggest question, is the framework of it.
no subject
on 2010-10-17 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-10-17 02:59 pm (UTC)Moriarty wants to show Sherlock that it was suicide and have him believe that ultimately, it was his responsibility, and convince him that makes him a murderer, just as Donovan has always predicted.
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on 2010-10-17 03:46 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-10-17 03:55 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-10-17 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-10-17 04:28 pm (UTC)I'm thinking maybe John stays at home twitching, over night, then goes to Mike Stamford to ask him what he knows (which isn't much, although he does mention that Sherlock studied at St John's College) and then off the back of that, he goes to (reluctantly) to Sebastian and asks him for information. I'm trying to decide how much Sebastian tells him, but I think what he says is what ultimately makes John go to Cambridge. Perhaps after going to Sherlock's room and finding the photograph of Sherlock and Victor as teenagers.
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on 2010-10-17 04:54 pm (UTC)Makes sense--besides Mycroft, I doubt anyone knows anything about Sherlock from back then. Mike and possibly Lestrade know him on a more professional level, the latter likely having been around when Sherlock was still getting himself cleaned up, so how much he knows is debatable. Sebastian is more forthcoming, but I doubt that it's for any beneficent level. He'll give a generous hint at the Incident but not blurt all of it out, not for any fond feelings for Sherlock, but because John may look into it and come to the same, less-than-charitable view of Sherlock on his own.
Would Sherlock's room still be in use? Maybe a cordoned off, disused section of Cambridge. Or if it is, the photo is well hidden.
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on 2010-10-17 05:22 pm (UTC)I definitely think you're right about Sebastian not giving it all away, but giving Sherlock just enough rope to hang himself, in John's mind.
All of this makes it very hard to show Sherlock's side of things, though... maybe I do need to write in his POV more.
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on 2010-10-17 09:39 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-10-17 09:43 pm (UTC)I could have Moriarty start sending John clippings or emails, I suppose...
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on 2010-10-17 09:53 pm (UTC)I like! :D Lestrade and Mike only know/will say so much, so when John's hitting a dead end, Moriarty sends a little gift, and maybe that reminds him about Sebastian? Then whatever Seb says prompts him to go, etc.
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on 2010-10-17 10:00 pm (UTC)"Victor T. + Sherlock H., St John's College, 1995."
And an obituary.