Short commercial break: GAD mystery.

I keep thinking I've written a post about the Golden Age of Detection.  Apparently not, or I just didn't tag it properly.  Alas!

Some of these will remind you of Sherlock Holmes in more ways than one, and some will feel like they've gone in very different directions.  Which is right and proper, since not all detectives are Sherlock Holmes -- and wouldn't the world be boring if they were!

If you happen to be desperate for more to read, and you enjoy books and short stories offline as well as on... try these GAD authors.

Mystrade; John's blog; spec or spoilers?

Need something to distract you -- or feed your SH obsession?  What about the classic fics?

Like the fantastic Mystrade by kazvl.  This particular installment is a) brilliant b) involves angles of something you've seen in s1 c) is as always, amazingly written.  I do not ship; but her writing carries me off.

In fact, I treat this series (Fire and Ice) as an alternate universe of our SH universe.  Which I adore.  Anyone who can make me suspend my belief that way for an AU is spectacular.

#Mystrade #Mycroft #Lestrade http://t.co/plFYCBJzrt "Don't commit suicide"? #BBC #Sherlock fic
— Anne Zanoni (@ninja_CE) December 20, 2013

And have you checked up on John's blog lately?  Because it's been updated.  If you read nothing else, read his last blog post for Many Happy Returns.

Of course, if you want a teeny bit of possible spoiler for s3, there's Twitter RP with CAM...

Or you could get lost in the Final Problem tumblr (what fangirls do).

Short, from BC to LOTR. Plus audio candy!

From the Gent festival -- a really neato interview of Benedict.  I enjoyed it.  Hope you do also!

Benedict reading from Moby Dick, from Radio Times.

A fan's thoughts on Benedict Cumberbatch and fandom.  :D

Cumberbatched moment as Sherlock; how to waffle; advanced waffling.


A bit of LOTR art, brought to you by American politics.  (You can read the poster completely straight, mind you, but it's funnier when taken in context of 17-Oct-12.)

Cover illustration of The Hollywood Reporter:  The Hard Road to The Hobbit.  Plus a building that became a poster for The Hobbit!  Thanks to my Tweep Bell for these two!

Cheltenham Lit Fest!

Today was the Cheltenham Literary Festival, with questions put to Benedict by our lovely Loo Brealey.  Which, if you hadn't heard, broke her Twitter that day Louise asked for questions.

No, really.  Here's one question from The Woman herself.  :D

The Daily Dot shows a story told by Tweets for our viewing pleasure.

So there will be many pictures.  Including:

The Cake, delivered to the Cheltenham green room!  Lokke reports on Benedict's response to The Cake.

Lovely Loo Brealey, getting ready to take the stage.  RadioTimes with their cover of Benedict on the big screen!  Benedict and Loo onstage.  Loo, with Ben cracking up.

Benedict's signature on Lokke's book.  :D


The Benedict/Sherlock cake as a Keep Calm poster.  A good [poster] idea for the Cumberlings in the queue at Cheltenham.

The travelling lemon, and what happened to it.  :D

Cumberbatched moments, Cheltenham edition:  Meeting Benedict.   Brought along to Cheltenham, Harpers Bazaar.

Pics and theory; plus 2012 Guide to Sherlock events!

Never enough pics, right?  :D

Cumberbatched moments:  

Brunet Batch with black tie.  Benedict discussing something with a statue (thanks to Cumberbatchweb for link).  Benedict as brunet, in more casual wear -- looking almost like circa 2008.  Smiling Benedict in front of BBC backdrop.

Blond Batch, probably from Parade's End.  Benedict "the life ruiner" Cumberbatch, from The Last Enemy.

Audio Benedict, as demonstrated in Colorado.  Also... Happy Sherlock.


Adorable:  Benedict and Martin.  Met Benedict and Martin at an Emmy party.


Sherlockology created a 2012 Guide to Sherlock events, starting with October and November.  Check to see what's happening near you!

Locations range from Cheltenham and London UK, Belgium, Seattle and Kentucky USA.  They're all listed, but not in that order...

These are diverse events, such as showings of Parade's End and Sherlock, as well as conventions, re-tellings, and two events with Mark Gatiss.

Visuals, essay of candy, Finals, etc.

A Sherlock/Benedict poster for fangirls everywhere.  

Star Trek 2 villain revealed, or, who IS Benedict playing?

If you haven't read enough Benedict interviews yet, @Cumberbatchweb has a big index.  For example, his MTV interview about The Hobbit.  :)

Cumberbatch moments:  a solemn pic of Benedict from Third Star. Quiet Benedict in costume [from another show he's in that I haven't seen and don't yet recognize on sight, sorry].  Gorgeous curly GingerBatch.


To Johnlock... or not?  ;)  Different opinions about this pic, such as here, also this, and more here.  :) Along with the one-upping here which would spawn if you insist.

Season 2 of Sherlock will start in the Philippines 23-July.  Yay for them!!

What to do when people say "Sherlock sucks and Benedict Cumberbatch is ugly" [from Benedict's reaction to pushy autograph sellers at Look Back in Anger].

After this point: Spoilers for season/series 2 until the final two paragraphs!

One semi-spoilery pic from Reichenbach; do cover your eyes if you haven't got that far yet!! 

A Believe in Sherlock poster.  Crossover pic:  Who Sherlock really meets at Reichenbach! 


Lessons from Sherlock Holmes essay.  Really Sherlock Holmes candy of writing and reading. 


This is the last full day before the Anglo Fan Finals poll wraps Wednesday:  11am Eastern on 11-July-2012.  Have you been voting for Benedict and Martin?  Weirdly enough, Martin's lead of about 7.3% is about the same as Benedict's not-a-lead against Tom.  Argh!

We love them no matter what.  So it all works out.  :)

A Sherlock manifesto: "I'm a specialist -- like you."

There is lots to do.  Curl up with Sherlock's shock blanket and get ready.  Share the show with those who haven't seen it yet!

Don't just weep after you see your first three episodes, or even after you've seen all six.  However many times you watch them.  :D  Make the Reichenbach feels and the angst be useful.

(Whatever you do, don't steal the DVDs from your library.  Someone else hasn't seen them yet!)

Stimulate the world economy -- buy art and other swag.  Create your own swag if nothing suits you, and sell it.  Buy the eps on DVD/Bluray or separately.

Then... Watch the eps again.


Read the Sherlock candy -- which I first introduced here, along with other goodies.   Explore tumblr and deviantart and blogs and fan forums... read and write and share fanfic.  Create fan art; you can make your own too!  Without fellow fans we'd not have all these lovely fan vids, posters, etc.  Knock yourself out.

Have you looked at the Final Problem tumblr for Reichenbach?  That enormous Theory Index alone is worth a lot of your time.  

If you don't know where to start, try SherlockCares, as the blogroll alone will give you some help; I've always found the Baker Street Babes and Sherlockology to be very fine and most helpful... along with many other Sherlockians.  There's links at that blogroll to BBC Sherlock news as well.



Turn your friends and family to Sherlock, it will keep them from killing you.  Recall that our John has a long time to wait, we're lucky.  He doesn't know what we know. 

Watch everything you can find that Benedict and Martin and all our crew are in.

Read Arthur Conan Doyle, read other authors like Ellery Queen and Nero Wolfe.  Ask friends and librarians and booksellers for recommendations!  Buy books, swap them, share them.



Get into the friendly Sherlock fandom.  There's all sorts of us, you know. 

Try out the Sherlock RP and cosplay.  That might suit you.  Look on Twitter and other social networks.  Try your local SF conventions.

Join or start a Sherlock fan club.  Put yourself on the Believe in Sherlock map.  Arrange Sherlock meetups; create Believe in Sherlock images wherever you can and leave them for other fans to discover and delight in.

"I've given you a glimpse... of what I've got going..."  :)

Finally, remember that not everyone's seen all the eps.  First the UK, then the USA, then Germany -- the show hasn't been released everywhere yet.  It's been just over two months since Scandal came to the States.

I met some lovely UK fans who asked on 20-May-12 how America was handling Reichenbach.  We're out there all over the world, we Sherlockians.  Check the map if you don't believe me.

Be ready to share that shock blanket along with the quotes and hand out tissues when needed.  When 2013 brings us BBC Sherlock, let's make that even bigger than 2012, shall we?

I bet we can.  Let's!

Those Finals and images.

To start, a thought about reading from George R.R. Martin.  Use it whenever someone asks you why you read or enjoy fiction.


Cumberbatched moments:  Sleeping Benedict pic.  Benedict in costume from Look Back in Anger.  If you aren't Cumberbatched enough, there's also A Study in Cumberbatch from the same tumblr. 

Speaking of Look Back in Anger... mobs, anyone??  You could swim in the amount of fans there. 

Here's a good pic of Andrew Scott smiling.  :)

After this point: Spoilers for season/series 2 until the final two paragraphs!

This is the one picture I don't think I've ever put up here.  It is now infamous since Reichenbach, or famous depending on your view. Did you need some cheering up after that last bit?  Here's just what you require!

Or more medieval Sherlock quips.  :)

Another website for Sherlock season 2 quotes [here's Baskerville] and also recaps, which I haven't read yet. 

Some fan art from Comic-Con Paris wrt our own Moriarty.


Voting continues at Anglo FF for Benedict and Martin.   Martin is still ahead.  Benedict lags behind TH between 6-7%.  Do vote!  Please RT and post it all over as well; voting for the Finals ends this Wednesday.

Keep in mind the backup plan, however... If Benedict doesn’t win you can be sure Cumberbabes will avenge his loss.  =twinkle=

Finals time! Plus BC audio dynamite.

Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch to perform one-off reading of Look Back in Anger -- I wish I could be there. I hope someone puts this on YouTube!!

Cumberbatch moments: Time Traveller Problems; Casual (Blue Jean) Batch and another Casual Batch; Anything will be held against you poster; ibelieveinmycroft offers Blond Batch when he's Peter Guillam from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy... and Benedict smoking (obviously in smokers' jail, hmmm; maybe while filming Sherlock).

If audio Benedict is more your cuppa, there WAS a tumblr for that [link broken as of October 2013].  From that lovely source, I found that Benedict has read a Ngaio Marsh novel, Death in a White Tie; you can find that and other audio books via LiveJournal now. First, I highly recommend Dame Ngaio Marsh's mysteries, and second: WOW. You can also Google to get various YouTube readings, such as Jabberwocky and Kubla Khan, for starters.

Review of the unaired pilot for Sherlock; and another longer review of it over here. 

After this point: Spoilers for season/series 2 until the final paragraph!

Our lovely ladies of BBC Sherlock pic!  Martin having a John moment with The Hat.

Yes, Anglo Fan Favorites did it for their 2012 Finals tourney.  

You knew it was coming, that Benedict would be pitted against Tom Hiddleston... and that Martin would be up for the Bronze! Finals voting ends Wednesday, July 11 at 11 am ET.