January Activity Post

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

We traditionally celebrate Sherlock Holmes’ birthday on the Epiphany, previous fans having formed hypotheses based on information in the canon. But Mr. Holmes keeps his cards close to his chest all the way through and this needn’t be the correct day—we are always free to choose another one if we want to.

So for this activity we want you to have a go at coming up with alternate possible birthdays, using evidence you find in the ACD stories.

Maybe Holmes’ birthday is in early June, as one year he seems very keen to whisk Watson away on a mini-break then [BOSC]. Or what about other characters? Maybe Mrs. Hudson’s birthday is the same day as Irene Adler’s wedding day—21st March—as Mrs. Turner is apparently standing in for her on that date [SCAN]. Or there’s Wiggins—a member of the Irregulars in 1881 [STUD] and still a member in 1888 [SIGN]. Perhaps like Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, his birthday is 29th February. He’s only had two birthdays in the seven year period and so still qualifies as being the correct age.

The deductions can be as sensible or as daft as you like. Please leave all your ideas in the comments!


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!

Comments

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Since in ENGI Watson persuades Holmes to come and visit him and Mrs Watson it might well have been so they could given him a birthday dinner. This was in the summer.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Very sound theory.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Another vote for a summer birthday! ^_^ Excellent thought, madam.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Perhaps Mister and Mrs. Holmes thought January 6 (when three wise men were said to bring gifts to a remarkable child whom the world would remember for millennia to come) was a better choice than his real birthday, January 14 (the Feast of Asses).

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

A fact which brother Mycroft would occasionally remind him about.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Like any good brother!

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear God ^___^ I so want Holmes to have been born on the Feast of Asses ^__^

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

It would explain a few things...

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking - what if the Epiphany was Watson's birthday? And the Feast of Asses was Holmes' birthday.

Every year they'd go through the routine of new acquaintances congratulating Watson on his birthday and then saying, "The Feast of the Epiphany? That would have been such an appropriate birthday for you, Mr. Holmes! So what feast day were you born on...?" No wonder Holmes was in such a foul mood on the 7th at the beginning of VALL ^___^

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting scenario :)

[mafief.livejournal.com]

Yes! I can get behind (hehe) this theory.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

:)

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Mycroft Holmes birthday is the third week in November. He arrives at Baker Street with Inspector Lestrade - clearly this is for a birthday celebration. Later, when Watson came to write up BRUC, and needing to obfuscate the date (for reasons of state), he hit upon using that date.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Also very interesting!

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

:)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Most intriguing interpretation.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

It works as well as many others.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

What about Holmes' birthday being in March?

COPP begins on 'a cold morning of the early spring', and Holmes is in a terrible mood after searching the advertisement columns of the newspapers and only receiving Miss Hunter's letter in the post. Was he hoping for birthday greetings and cards instead...?

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Heh, heh. The Victorian equivalent of the phone that never rings. :(

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Although sadly he had failed to tell anyone when it was.

[mafief.livejournal.com]

Maybe that’s when Mycroft's birthday is and Holmes was trying to think of a reasonable present for the man who has everything.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Yes! That would fit very neatly with him desperately scouring the advertisement columns ^__^

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Mycroft's true birthday is a secret. He guards the secret carefully as it was the first, and last, deduction he ever made in front of his mother. Instead, he and Sherlock have a tradition where every calendar year, Sherlock decides what day Mycroft's birthday is and surprises him with a small gift and good meal.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Sounds plausible. Fits in with my deduction, in that Sherlock chose November in the year BRUC happened.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

That tradition sounds a rather charming one ^_^

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

It's a surprise for Mycroft and Sherlock gets to invent clever reasons he's chosen a given date. And they play a little deduction game.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

The date of Lestrade's birthday is undisputed. It's year that no one can remember...was it the Year of the Ferret...or the Bull-dog...or perhaps the Rat...?

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

The most auspicious would clearly be the Year of the Ferret.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Oh, very well played, madam ^____^ I love that.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Maybe when they leave to go to Oxbridge it has nothing to do with the Wilde trial, they are fleeing Mrs. Hudson's wrath after the birthday bash go wa-a-ay out of hand.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Very plausible!

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Works for me ^^"

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

:)