October Activity Post
Oct. 15th, 2016 08:01 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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Welcome to the October activity post—this month it’s story time!
Yes, for the rest of the month we will be telling a spooky story together, comment by comment.
My esteemed co-mod has furnished me with an example, to explain how all this is going to work:
Person A (the mod) starts the ball rolling: Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson found a…
Person B adds a new comment: Nasty smell in the house where they believed lived their…
Person C adds their comment: Suspect. Looking in the kitchen they saw a...
So in each new comment we resolve the previous cliffhanger and leave one of our own for the next contributor. There’s no hard and fast limit for the number of words you can use but the game will probably work best if you make your addition relatively brief.
You are free to make as many contributions to the story as you like. However, once you have made a contribution, you must wait until at least two other people have had a go before adding your next comment.
Incidentally, please remember to put each new contribution as a new comment, not as a reply to the previous comment. And let’s aim for bringing the story to a close somewhere on Halloween itself! As we’re all in different time zones, perhaps by 08:00 UTC? (That is, by 8am on the 1st of November in the UK.)
And so, here is the first line of our spooky story:
It appeared Holmes and Watson's new client had a haunted…
And away we go!
As always, you needn’t take part in this activity if you don’t wish to. Once you’re a member, you can post what and when you want—as long as you keep to the 500 words or less wordcount and the ACD Holmes ‘verse. AUs, crossovers and fusions are all permitted, as long as the characters remain essentially recognisable as the original ACD versions.
Please see the profile for the full posting guidelines!
Yes, for the rest of the month we will be telling a spooky story together, comment by comment.
My esteemed co-mod has furnished me with an example, to explain how all this is going to work:
Person B adds a new comment: Nasty smell in the house where they believed lived their…
Person C adds their comment: Suspect. Looking in the kitchen they saw a...
So in each new comment we resolve the previous cliffhanger and leave one of our own for the next contributor. There’s no hard and fast limit for the number of words you can use but the game will probably work best if you make your addition relatively brief.
You are free to make as many contributions to the story as you like. However, once you have made a contribution, you must wait until at least two other people have had a go before adding your next comment.
Incidentally, please remember to put each new contribution as a new comment, not as a reply to the previous comment. And let’s aim for bringing the story to a close somewhere on Halloween itself! As we’re all in different time zones, perhaps by 08:00 UTC? (That is, by 8am on the 1st of November in the UK.)
And so, here is the first line of our spooky story:
And away we go!
As always, you needn’t take part in this activity if you don’t wish to. Once you’re a member, you can post what and when you want—as long as you keep to the 500 words or less wordcount and the ACD Holmes ‘verse. AUs, crossovers and fusions are all permitted, as long as the characters remain essentially recognisable as the original ACD versions.
Please see the profile for the full posting guidelines!
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Date: 2016-10-15 07:47 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2016-10-16 10:40 am (UTC)"A cat's digits are neither long nor dexterous and to extend them, he must unsheath his claws," Watson said through teeth that appeared to be clenched. "I am grateful that no claws are involved...as yet...
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Date: 2016-10-16 02:35 pm (UTC)He failed to finish his sentence as ...
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Date: 2016-10-16 03:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-10-16 05:48 pm (UTC)Watson gripped my shoulder. "Was?" he asked.
I would have made an enquiry on that point in a moment myself, but the progress of my apparent transformation had seized almost all of my attention. The little that remained was resisting an urge to stretch my neck back and rub the side of my head against whatever part of Watson I could reach.
"That was over twenty years ago," the butler explained, "of course, since then there have been...
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Date: 2016-10-16 06:37 pm (UTC)The last comment was addressed to me, as I had decided ...
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Date: 2016-10-16 10:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-10-17 12:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-10-17 01:03 am (UTC)"Here now," the laundress scolded, seizing his collar and tugging him in the direction of the back stairs. "If you get mud on my antimacassars, you can forget about soup bones for a month."
She had a special understanding with the cook.
The butler looked at Watson. "If you don't require Mrs Childers attendance any longer." He let the sentence trail off.
Watson looked up at me. I ...
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Date: 2016-10-17 05:38 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2016-10-19 06:54 pm (UTC)My friend seized a set that were handily resting on a nearby table - and began to juggle with them! I simply stared. The man is an enigma. Is there no end to his accomplishments? As the skittles flew ever higher, I admired the elegance of Watson's movements: his strength, his adroitness, his-- You know, Watson was quite right. If I was distracted to this extent, I'm sure Miss Daisy wouldn't be able to keep her eyes off him.
But it made me think. If Watson was going to present himself as a door-to-door juggler, perhaps I should go in disguise as...
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Date: 2016-10-19 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-10-22 09:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-10-22 09:00 pm (UTC)"I've come to drop off Mr. Holmes's most stubborn collars, Mrs. Childers," she called.
The laundress blushed at this announcement of her laundering moonlighting but our landlady's attention had become diverted.
"Dr. Watson..?"
Mrs. Hudson's eyes were wide in surprise. Then suddenly they narrowed, and she began to approach us.
"Holmes," whispered Watson, "did you clean up your latest explosion in the sitting-room before leaving..?"
"Miaow..." I admitted.
Watson nodded grimly, and he swiftly effected our escape by climbing out of the window.
My mind now was awhirl. Could the fact my laundry was being done in this very house have anything to do with my transformation? I made my decision. There was no need to visit the land steward and to brave Miss Daisy after all. I patted Watson on the cheek and waved my paw. We would head straight to the stables!
But behind us, Mrs. Hudson was shouting. And oddly, it sounded like...
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Date: 2016-10-31 03:53 pm (UTC)Watson, meanwhile....
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Date: 2016-11-01 01:46 pm (UTC)At the neighbour’s kitchen I found a freshly roasted leg of lamb. Grabbing it in my mouth, I dragged it back to the scene of the action and pointed it towards the house. To my satisfaction, Carlo the dog was attracted to the scent and came running out of the house, pulling Mrs. Childers with him. I miaowed in approval. It was as well that he should be here for the end. There was a theory I wanted to test.
I turned to view Watson and Mrs. Hudson. They were herding Lestrade, the butler and the strange creature towards a pond. Perfect. I gave an enormous yowl, and Watson glanced back at me to watch my frantic paw signals. The dear fellow nodded and urged Mrs. Hudson on.
Having no other means of escape, the butler plunged straight into the pond. And almost at once, the Shetland pony was a detective again! Lestrade grabbed the butler and held the struggling man tight.
Even from where I was standing I could hear Watson ejaculating in surprise. He sent himself and Mrs. Hudson into the pond too. I saw Watson tumble from her back and both briefly disappear under the water. And then Watson was standing up, holding the hands of our bedraggled but thankfully human landlady.
It was my turn to act. I pulled faces at Carlo and dashed for the water, dog and laundress lolloping after me. I dived in, and heard the larger splash of my pursuers too. I struggled in the water, fought to get to the surface— And then I didn’t need to fight. I could easily stand up in the shallow pond.
“Holmes!” cried Watson. “You’re back to normal!”
And now Carlo resurfaced in his original form too—that of our unfortunate client. Watson splashed over and restrained Mrs. Childers before she could try to escape.
“Thank you, gentlemen!” spluttered our client. “That evil ferret-faun has been haunting my family for generations demanding revenge for us cutting down his forest. It seems he finally found two willing accomplices in my butler and my laundress though—I believe they were hoping in return to take control of my estate. They changed me into a dog by using a bag of cursed laundry starch, made from vegetables grown in a graveyard and picked at midnight!”
Mrs. Hudson looked about with dangerous eyes. “Where is that ferret-faun?”
I could understand her displeasure. Laundry was not something to be trifled with and misused, no matter what your grievances.
“He’s gone,” grinned the butler. “Back to whence he came and waiting for the next generation.”
I groaned in frustration but my client smiled at me. “At least you have returned everyone to their true forms.”
“But that was nothing,” I said. “All that was needed was a way to dissolve the evil starch.”
Watson looked over from where he was holding the laundress, water dripping down his face.
He smiled at me.
“Indeed, Holmes. Everything has come out in the wash.”
The End
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Date: 2016-11-01 01:49 pm (UTC)Let's move on, shall we?
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Date: 2016-11-01 05:09 pm (UTC)And congratulations on ending with such a great pun!
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Date: 2016-11-01 08:20 pm (UTC)How could I not have seen?
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Date: 2016-11-01 09:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-11-05 09:14 pm (UTC)It was all great fun!
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Date: 2016-11-06 03:36 pm (UTC)