Sub Rosa

[prof_pangaea]

Title: Sub Rosa
Author: Professor Pangaea
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Disclaimer: Mr. Holmes and sundry other characters are now in the public domain, but of course I give ultimate credit and thanks for their existence to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Summary: "One of the most attractive things about the flowers is their beautiful reserve. The truly beautiful and noble puts its lover, as it were, at an infinite distance, while it attends him more strongly than ever." -- Henry David Thoreau
























































































































































































Note: The full quote of the text "High and mighty" etc. is from Hamlet, Act IV, scene vii. It is a letter from Hamlet to Claudius, and reads: "High and Mighty,-You shall know I am set naked on your kingdom. To-morrow shall I beg leave to see your kingly eyes; when I shall (first asking your pardon thereunto) recount the occasion of my sudden and more strange return."


EDIT: I want to sincerely thank everyone who has commented, both positively and critically -- I am very pleased at the amount of response that has resulted from this piece. I'm afraid that there were so many comments initially that I wasn't able to reply to each individually, as I usually do, but be assured that I have (and continue to) read and appreciate every single comment.

Comments

[trin-chardin.livejournal.com]

Pure genius. Reminds me of the Griffin & Sabine series, yet at the same time, entirely SH canon. Kudos.

[axmxz.livejournal.com]

Wow! I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this... I couldn't help but snicker at the telegram sent by Holmes from... the USSR. He's been gone a *while*, hasn't he? :))

Exciting!!!

[susigolfin.livejournal.com]

This work is a marvel, original and canonical to his(her,your) way. Can I have hopes that there are others?
Pleasseeeee

[sine-que-non767.livejournal.com]

There's not the words to express how awed I am by the sheer amount of work this must have taken, and your commitment to it! It's the best Photoshopping I've ever seen, and certainly the best use of space - my heart was in my mouth through all that blank part. Snarky Mycroft 'in your charming fashion' and weary Holmes 'I am done with pretty toys', and grieving Watson, all so subtly portrayed. The Hamlet quote was genius. Thank you SO, SO much for this.

[penwiper26.livejournal.com]

Forgot to actually make my post toasting the virtues of this piece. Very lovely indeed.

[(Anonymous)]

An excellent piece of work Professor.

Perhaps you would be interested in joining the WelcomeHolmes discussion group.

See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WelcomeHolmes/

[prof-pangaea.livejournal.com]

I've wondered whether I should join, but I always hesitated simply because I'm a member of so many other groups -- I've been with the Hounds since 2000, and I'm also over at Scarlet Street and several communities here on livejournal. But I should probably check it out.

Thank you, and I'm glad you liked the piece.

[mad-with-july.livejournal.com]

All right. That? Coolest thing I've EVER seen.

A.

Bravo to the Professor!

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you for all your hard work.
This is magnificant and truly a masterpiece!
It gave me much joy reading the correspondence from the lost years because one can never get enough of Sherlock Holmes.
Thank you again!
Bravo!

[norah.livejournal.com]

I recced you here:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/makesmewannadie/219084.html

[marginaliana]

Here via someone or other's rec (makesmewannadie, I think) and... wow. This is an amazing piece of work. I am impressed not only with your talent but also your dedication. I loved that each piece had an unmistakable ambiance, and I loved the way you captured the voices of both of them. Very very nice work. *runs off to see if you've done other things I can squeal at*

[sprat.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, so awesome. I'm a sucker for any kind of epistolary fic, but this is amazing. Thanks for making it!

[theodicy.livejournal.com]

My God, this is extraordinary. I have no idea how you did it, but I am so pleased that you did.

[thegryph.livejournal.com]

Really fun and well executed. Thanks!

[miladyhawke.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. This has got to be the coolest thing I've seen in fandom *g* Kudos on a most excellent job!

[significantowl.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is just too nifty. And not only that, but so right.

[brownbetty]

This is absolutely fabulous, I just admire it to pieces.

Wonderful story, great illos

[(Anonymous)]

Wow! I would swear that this was the actual correspondence. A great, incredibly detailed and a fun read to boot!

Sub Rosa

[marylinusca.livejournal.com]

Brilliant work!
Mr. Peter Blau mentioned it in his Sherlockian newsletter, "Plugs & Dottles", so others will visit and also be impressed.

- Bailey's friend Marilyn P.

Re: Sub Rosa

[prof-pangaea.livejournal.com]

All I can say to that is, well, sort of a happliy stunned silence is actually the expression here. That is fantastic, and thanks so much for telling me -- and of course many thanks for your kind words about the piece. I aim to please.

Sub Rosa

[(Anonymous)]

This is astonishingly good! It's witty, touching, exciting and beautifully presented. I don't even like to think of the research that must have gone into it. Professor Pangaea, whoever you are, I salute you!

Roger Johnson, BSI
Editor, The District Messenger: The Newsletter of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London

[squeemu.livejournal.com]

This is amazing. I can't even begin to imagine how long it must have taken, but it was well worth the effort (at least, from my point of view it was). The details are just fantastic, I love all the subtle references, and I find myself liking Mycroft much more, now. Mycroft talking about Watson almost broke my heart. "Your doctor," indeed.

I found this through rionaleonhart, by the way.

[dexter-ward.livejournal.com]

This is charming as well as authentic.

I am speechless, prey do not refrain from bestowing more of your works on the public.

Yours faithfully,
-Dex

[thirdblindmouse.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful and uniquely presented story! Mycroft is truly long suffering in regards to his infuriating brother. I want to slap 'Caine' upside the head for his maltreatment of Watson. 'Re: doctor tell him nothing' indeed! All very in character, of course.

[simplysidhe.livejournal.com]

What's great about how you've written SH's half of the correspondence is not so much what he says as what he doesn't say. Possibly the best line in the whole thing is his simple, curt, childish, "No." It speaks volumes about the man.

[fallingscribble.livejournal.com]

...*dead*

Damn, this is love on so many levels. So many. Wow.


"I AM DONE WITH PRETTY TOYS"

[howahoai.livejournal.com]

god heaven!this is the most serious bussiness dude!