Beautiful People: Sherlock Holmes and John Watson

It would appear that we are long overdue for a Beautiful People post. Just to bring everyone up to speed: 

Beautiful People is a monthly thing hosted by the estimable Sky and the equally estimable Georgie. They post a list of questions, and writers write posts where they write about one of their character's answers to these questions. Here's the info:

Once a month Sky and [Georgie] will be posting a list of 10 questions for you to answer about your characters. You can use the same character every month, or choose a new one for each set of questions. Your call. You can answer all the questions, just one, or however many you have the time and energy to answer. Just go for it and have fun.

This month's questions can be found here. 



See, I'd already begun a Beautiful People post for these questions. It was going to be about Rowan Damon, and it was going to be epicsauce. But somehow I forgot to finish it, and so it was never posted. Then something rather awkward happened. A plot bunny jumped me in the middle of English class, demanding that I scrap my plans for NaNoWriMo 2011 - the one Ro was supposed to feature in - and instead write a dystopian steampunk fantasy about Sherlock Holmes. After much sulking, I gave in, although I've never written a dystopia or anything steampunk, and my Holmsian (Sherlockian? Doylian? Doily? Ooh, I like doilies. Doilies are pretty and look like snowflakes! Except you know what's infuriating? When you buy a cardboard box at an auction because you think your kidnapped best friends are hidden in it and it just turns out to contain Very Fine Doilies. I hate that! So annoying, especially when it turns out they were in the red herring all along.)


Anyway, since I'll be writing a book on them in two months, it seemed reasonable to write about Sherlock Holmes and his friend John Watson. (The picture at right is by Sidney Paget, and I stole it from Wikipedia, but apparently it's in the public domain anyway so s'all good. Holmes is the one with the pipe.) 

Also, Watson is a magician. 

November is gonna be fun. 

1. What are their biggest accomplishments?

Holmes: Well, I've solved quite a few crimes, notably...

Watson: They don't want to hear it, Holmes. 

  

2. What are their strongest childhood memories?

Watson: Well, it's rather unpleasant, but I suppose my strongest childhood memory is when I found out I could do magic. 

Innocent Blog Reader: That sounds rather pleasant to me. 

Watson: It stopped being pleasant quite rapidly. I'd rather not talk about it now. 

Innocent Blog Reader: But no, seriously...

Watson: *hits Innocent Blog Reader*
 
3. What are their favorite foods? 

Watson: Nothing that Holmes cooks. 

Holmes: That's why you do all the cooking.  In any case, food is interesting only as a necessity to life. Indeed, I personally partake in it as little as possible. When I do, I consider taste to be quite irrelevant.

Watson: He likes coffee, though. 

Holmes: My dear Watson, coffee is not a food.

 

4. Do they believe in love at first sight? 

Watson: Holmes believe in love at first sight? Excuse me, I'm laughing too hard to talk. 

Holmes: And what on earth do you mean by that, Watson? 

Watson: Shush. I'm laughing. 

ZNZ: I should probably note that Watson doesn't believe in it either. 

5. What kind of home do they live in? 

ZNZ: They live at 221B Baker Street. 

 

6. What do they like to wear?

Holmes: Clothes. 

Watson: What a coincidence! 

Holmes: Indeed.

 
7. What would they do if they discovered they were dying? 

Watson: I believe I'd continue on as I am, thank you.

8. What kind of holidays, or traditions do they celebrate? 

Watson: Oh, the usual. 

Holmes: I don't celebrate holidays. 
 

9. What do your other characters have to say about them? 

Watson: Well, I admire and respect Holmes. I think that he is immensely courageous, utterly brilliant, distressingly arrogant, and quite annoying. Also I wish he would stop shooting holes in the wall. Violin - fine, I can live with the violin. I'm not really okay with the shooting holes in the wall bit. 

Holmes: I think that Watson needs to shut up about my shooting practice now. He's annoying as well.

ZNZ: Outside of that, most people who know them despise them and/or just think that they're extremely odd. Oh! Except for one person. Well, she gets exasperated by Holmes rather a lot but she has absolutely nothing against Watson. 

Holmes: Who? 

Watson: Yes, who? 

ZNZ: Oh, I forgot; you haven't met her yet. Oh my goodness cannot wait!  She actually likes Watson quite a bit even though she can never remember his name - to be honest I'm not sure if she ever learns it. I don't think Watson minds too much, though, or at all. Also Holmes doesn't like her but no one cares. 

Holmes: *suspicious stare*

Watson: So what does she call me? 

ZNZ: Ecklebert. 

Watson: Really? 

ZNZ: No; I made that up on the spot. It amused me. What she really says - ah, that would be telling, wouldn't it? *taps nose mysteriously*

10. If they could change one thing in their world, what would it be?

Holmes: Nothing. 

Watson: ...Nothing? 

Holmes: Nothing.

ZNZ: It's a zarking dystopia, for cake's sake! What do you mean you wouldn't change anything?! 

Watson: I can't decide what I'd change. There's far too much.

Holmes: You know, ZNZ, in the course of this interview I have come to several conclusions about you. 

ZNZ: Fire away. 

Watson: *groans*

Holmes: I percieve that you are a writer, that you are rather careless, that you have little concern for your appearance, that you have an unhealthy obsession with the works of one John Ronald Reuel Tolkien...

ZNZ: Hey, I resemble those remarks! 

Holmes: Come along, Watson. I also percieve that we have outstayed our welcome. 

Coming soon to a blog near you.