alaylith: (hound)
[personal profile] alaylith
Title: Grand Show
Theme: Watson's Woes July Writing Prompts 2015
Prompt: JWP #31 Putting on a Show. Canon is full of colourful characters, and we all know Holmes loves an audience for his deductions. Whether it's a grand gesture, breaking the fourth wall, or just the conclusion of a case in front of a crowd, make an audience part of today's entry.
Author: Alaylith
Rating: General Audiences
Universe: ACD
Characters: Holmes, Watson
WordCount: 427
Summary: Holmes is a magician and he performs a grand show.

A/N: Firstly, I do not know where this came from. I had the first sentence and I knew the end, but I have no idea where the middle part came from. O_o But I have to admit I like it. :D
Secondly, when I was searching for a title I found this quote: I'm not here for your amusement. You're here for mine. (John Lydon Rotten)
That is so perfectly Holmes and I really, really wanted to use that as this drabble's title, but sadly it does not exactly fit.
But it's still a great quote, so I just had to share it. :D


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It is a grand show, Holmes muses as he rattles of his deductions to his awed audience. He could tell their suspect came from the moon and for a moment, it's length depending on the general intelligence of the group, they would believe him.
It is not about his methods, it is not about his intellect or his work - the people want to be entertained and his work is a magic show for them. They do not understand his tricks, but that is the thing with magic tricks - you do not want to understand them.
Understanding them would mean the loss of the magic and all that is left would be silly tricks anyone could do if you just tried.

You see, but you do not observe.

Holmes can see this, he knows his audience well and so he perfoms his perfect little magic show for them, shows them the truth while hiding more truths in his sleeves and pulls out a criminal out of his hat like a rabbit.
In the end he bows down to their applause and leaves the stage. Then from the shadows of the curtains he watches how others try to take the spotlight, amused at their gaucheness and how there are aces falling out of their pockets as they stumble over their shoe laces.

It does not matter what these people think of him, how they applaud him in his presence and then whisper behind his back about his weird behaviour.
They call him brilliant and then they call him mad; they call him their saviour and then they call him their doom. They pay him for his tricks and then pay another to stop him from perfoming them.
He knows and sees it all, this grand show of life - the roles all these people play and their well-trained dialogues and he can see beyond the fallen curtains and sees how they take of the costumes and make-up, their true faces empty as their minds.

But Holmes does not care about it at all, because all that matters to him is the time when he and his boswell sit in their living room without any audience, without anyone watching and his boswell listens to him talk about his work. Listens to him talking about all his little deductions, about every step he had to take and all the tedious work and study he had to invest to make the magic real.
And his silent adoration is worth more than all the applause of the greatest audience in the world.

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Date: 31/07/2015 17:43 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] laurose8.livejournal.com
A great idea, very well told. And then you give us that end as well.

Date: 31/07/2015 18:22 (UTC)
ext_1789368: okapi (Default)
From: [identity profile] okapi1895.livejournal.com
Well done. Hope your wrist gets a break.

Date: 01/08/2015 00:35 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rachelindeed.livejournal.com
That was really lovely. Thanks for sharing it!

Date: 01/08/2015 01:54 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] maestress83.livejournal.com
True to the last word. Excellent piece.

Date: 01/08/2015 03:03 (UTC)
ext_3554: dream wolf (Default)
From: [identity profile] keerawa.livejournal.com
They pay him for his tricks and then pay another to stop him from perfoming them.
*winces* That reminds me of the Charlie Sheen quote about prostitutes. 'I don't pay them for sex; I pay them to leave afterwards.'

Date: 10/08/2015 12:41 (UTC)
ancalime8301: viola (viola)
From: [personal profile] ancalime8301
Oh, yes, Watson as audience is the only one he needs. :-) I loved the tone of this! Very nicely done.
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