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Player Information
Your Nickname: Mal
OOC Journal: [mustakrakish] at LJ
Under 18? Nope - 20!
Email/IM:

EMAIL: deanpants@gmail.com
AIM: drunkandblogging

Characters Played at Singularity: N/A

Character Information
Name: Sherlock Holmes
Name of Canon: BBC's Sherlock
Canon/AU/Other Game CR: N/A
Reference:

Canon Point: Just after #2.03, and the incident at St. Bart's.

Setting: Sherlock is based very largely on the Sherlock Holmes novels by Arthur Conan Doyle, and thus the character histories themselves follow the ones from the books as close as possible. Sherlock, however, while borrowing heavily from such, is most definitely a modernization of the original materials, taking place in the 21st century rather than the 19th. It's still London, and still 221B Baker Street as it should rightly be, but 120 years after Sherlock Holmes SHOULD be alive.

There's really no bells or whistles there. It's just London in recent years, and while the street where Sherlock's and John's flat resides has a fictional name in the realm of the show, there aren't really any differences from the actual, live London. The two live in the heart of it, near a number of restaurants, office buildings, and public transport. Their flat isn't a very expensive one, but it will do, and the landlady is Mrs. Hudson as per the novels as well. The streets are rife with pedestrians and traffic, and Sherlock, as per usual, knows every last alleyway and every dark corner therein.

Perhaps the biggest thing of note and importance in Sherlock's setting is just that: How the show is portrayed and filmed. That is, through the eyes of Sherlock Holmes himself, for a great manner of it. Words, text, symbols and the like tend to appear on the screen to demonstrate Sherlock's thought process, and what's interesting is seeing London through the eyes of Sherlock. Most famously, there is a scene where Sherlock and John cut through the back buildings and streets of the area in order to catch up to a taxi cab - on foot. The overlay shows an accurate and detailed map of the city, and which route is best to take.

Still, the general era is the one with which we're all very familiar; regular British government, schoolings, careers, technology, and people.

There really isn't much to elaborate on beyond that, this is just silly padding by this point, oops.

Personality: At first glance, Sherlock Holmes does not have a very attractive personality - he's cold, calculating and precise; he's rude, he's arrogant, and he has little to no concept of how humans or emotions work, and certainly not how they'd be put to practice. Sherlock is incredibly intelligent and, as such, that intelligence is both a bridge (in cases, in his work) and an inhibitor (in emotional situations, in social interactions).

The first glance is not wrong, if perhaps oversimplified. It's too often that people resort to rudimentary terms when referring to Sherlock's atypical behavior - "Asperger's" has been tossed about; "psychopath" has been mentioned more than once canonically - for someone who is, quite candidly, just weird.

Sherlock is incredibly hyper intelligent, well educated in a number of areas which are involved in his work (i.e.: anatomy, chemistry, forensic sciences) and is able to induce copious amounts of information from a seemingly minute set of details. The way he describes it, while most people merely 'see', he takes things a step further - he 'observes'. As a self-invented consulting detective, Sherlock is able to recognize patterns where "normal people" are unable, and has a tendency to make everyone else feel incredibly stupid along the way. Sherlock's arrogance isn't unfounded - he IS smarter than everyone else, in the sense of knowledge and logic - but it's still a source of endless frustration to those around him.

Consequentially, Sherlock is remarkably stunted insofar as social interaction. Not only does he have a very limited, next to nonexistent, understanding of pop culture (he refers to the cinema as 'dull' and 'predictable' on one occasion; he fails to recognize a rather popular television personality on another), but also of tact. He is constantly belittling those around him ("You're an idiot. No, don't be like that, practically everyone is."; "Look at you lot, you're all so vacant - is it nice not being me? It must be so relaxing."), if not just because he's so academically exceeded so many of them. He has a thirst for proving his intelligence, and while he doesn't go out of his way to do so, he never misses an opportunity to deprecate.

What Sherlock lacks, in addition to his intellectual prudence, is empathy, and this is an area where the "psychopath" implications come into play. At the time, Sherlock immediately corrects "psychopath" with "high-functioning sociopath," insinuating a marked absence of remorse or guilt, and incredibly shallow emotions. Speculatively (and more likely), this was merely a throwaway comment, perhaps even Sherlock's own, strange brand of joking. While Sherlock's personality undoubtedly echoes several markers of the condition, antisocial personality disorder is more likely a misleading diagnosis - perhaps one that he would rather the police believe, out of convenience and a need for solitariness; perhaps even one to which he aspires, in a way.

People are comfortable with assuming Sherlock is, very simply, insane. He's received a plethora of colorful descriptions in regards to his character - "melodramatic," "arrogant sod," "this freak" - despite some being more endearing than others, albeit accurate - "an idiot," "not decent," "in [the] way." Sergeant Anderson regularly refers to Sherlock as if he should be committed ("our favorite psychopath"). Sergeant Donovan has a bit more of a brusque approach, saying that Sherlock "gets off on" these cases, and warning John that, one day, Sherlock's like to be the cause of the very murders they solve right now.

Despite his failings (using a young doctor's attraction for him in order to gain access to otherwise inaccessible evidence, sacrificing an old woman's safety for the sake of gaining an edge on an opponent, and failing to realize why a woman would be sensitive about a stillborn child more than a decade after the incident; all amongst them), Sherlock is far from being remorseless, much as he would like to be. He's helped an old school friend who was in need with a case that might not have been otherwise promising, and looks noticeably numbed after the realization that he's quite possibly gotten the aforementioned victim in a case killed after his prolonging her capture.

Most telling is his relationship with John Watson. Where he was flippant and dismissive with Molly Hooper's advances ("I was wondering if you'd like to have coffee." "Black, two sugars, please - I'll be upstairs."), he chooses to turn down John more carefully and politely when he thinks the doctor is propositioning him ("John, I think you should know that I consider myself married to my work, and while I'm flattered by your interest, I'm really not... looking for any..."). Similarly, he has a strong protective urge when John is involved - he hides evidence of his being potentially fatally attacked on two separate occasions - and is visibly rattled, distraught even, when John is captured and put into harm's way because of his own doing. John is also seemingly the first person to whom Sherlock has referred as a 'friend'.

More likely than remorselessness is that, due to his work, this is a mindset that he has observed - 'Caring takes too much effort, too many emotions, so I must quell it for a moment so I can get things done' - in order to do his job more effectively. Emotions are wasteful in a logical setting and only serve to haze an otherwise clear insight to a situation. They're useless while he is on a case.

However, this is all unclear canonically - this analysis is pure conjecture on the mun's part.

Overall, Sherlock is his own person, unapologetic to a fault for his personality and his actions. He's incredibly fast-paced, constantly craving mental and adrenergic (and more often than not potentially self-destructive) stimulus ("All that matters to me is the work, and without that, my brain rots."). He chooses his own cases as they come to him, only flocking to the most difficult and intellectually engaging, and as a consequence, he often has long periods between them that leave him depressed, lethargic, and, most dangerously, bored.

He's been shown flopping about on his couch in pajamas, playing dissonant and crude chords on his violin, irritably nitpicking small details for the sake of argument, shooting smiley faces into walls, and even keeping bits of corpses in the fridge and the microwave, all in the name of boredom - generally relying on the excuse, "It's an experiment." Sherlock can sometimes go for days without eating, without sleeping, without speaking because of these episodes.

He's also an observed drug addict, most likely flocking towards the nervous and emotional stimulants (enactogens such as MDMA [ecstasy] or hallucinogens such as mescaline, though a preference in the novels leaned towards cocaine). These were likely employed in the case of such aforementioned boredom, in attempts to keep his mind stimulated and alert. Though he claims he's clean, he also shows a notable avoidance of admitting his flat is drug-free, and is more than likely to experience relapse, should desperation call for it. Similarly, he's also a heavy smoker (upwards of two or three packs a day), forced to quit because of a twenty-first century stigma involving cigarettes. He relies on nicotine patches canonically, multiple ones at a time ("Helps me think.").

Sherlock is merely difficult. Difficult to understand, intellectually or emotionally; difficult to get along with; difficult to live with. He has little sense of personal space and social stigma, often asking probing questions and making blunt observations that put people immediately on the defensive ("[That was] quite extraordinary." "That's not what people normally say." "What do people normally say?" "'Piss off'."). He has a wealth of knowledge, little tact, and is a force with which to be reckoned.

TL;DMFR: He's a too-smart, emotionally stunted, crack-addled asshole and John Watson thinks he's the bee's knees. Sometimes. The end.

Abilities, Weaknesses, and Power Limitation Suggestions: He's brilliant. Plain and simple. He has a wealth of knowledge over a wide array of intellectual areas, with access to obscure trivia involving chemistry, geology and forensic sciences. His memory is extraordinary, and likely - if he wasn't born with one, that is - he's trained himself to have an eidetic one. Sherlock's able to "maximize his visual memory," and recall small details and exact wording of a plethora of observations.

Sherlock is also incredible at solving puzzles, and finding otherwise hidden links between seemingly insignificant details, all in his head. His attention to the particular is extraordinary.

Despite his smoking habits and his poor sense of self-preservation insofar as sleep and nourishment are involved, Sherlock is very physically fit. He was able to run for miles on end, over obstacles and rooftops, with less noticeable signs of exhaustion than a trained army soldier. He's also able to hold his own in a fight against an angry client - the client was armed, with a sword; Sherlock was not.

Overall, Sherlock is still very human, at least physically, and, as such, is obviously limited insofar as powers.

Inventory:

One (1) black pair of trousers
One (1) cream-colored shirt, tucked in, two buttons undone
One (1) pair of black dress shoes, with matching socks
One (1) very expensive and very loved grey wool jacket, knee-length
One (1) magnifying glass, retractable
One (1) lighter kept in a hopeful manner
One (1) Blackberry, rendered void on Sacrosanct

Appearance: Sherlock is a stick. He is a man composed nearly entirely of limbs. He is just over six feet tall, and, yes, is a bit of a waif. He has incredibly pale skin and a shock of dark hair, black, the two only really serving to stress the other. In addition to this, his eyes are a vivid shade of pale blue, very clinical and very intense. It's easy to tell that he's a very rigid, no-bullshit sort of person, all angles. Sherlock dresses very uniform, generally a pair of slacks and a buttoned shirt, tucked in; more often than not, a suit jacket to match the slacks. He dresses for function - composed, but not very fashionably.

Age: Lower to mid-30's.

OC/AU Justification
If AU, How is Your Version Different From Canon, and How Will That Come Across?

I'm not sure if this is something I actually have to fill out, as we're both applying at the same time and-- WHO IS THE AU, I don't understand, it's a canon one, BUT, just in case! Here we are.

Rightly speaking, the BBC Sherlock is truly the AU of the original 'canon'; that is, Doyle's novels. While the Sherlock Holmes movie is adapted from the books (the characters more carefully, though the story is only very loosely so), the Sherlock television show is as well. Where they vastly differ is in their time periods, and it really does make a significant impact upon their characters because of the setting around them.

Sherlock is a modernization of the Sherlock Holmes tales that have been around for decades and decades, planting Sherlock into today's society. As such, he has access to gadgets, texting, internet, and a menagerie of other useful technology advances to which the Victorian era Holmes hasn't been held privy. Sherlock sometimes won't even leave his home to solve a case at hand, choosing to solve them from the safety of his flat. Holmes obviously doesn't have the benefit of webcam, or any sort of instant social means (other than the good old fashioned stopping by his home), and has no access to this luxury. Sherlock is also stunted by the notoriety of drugs and tobacco use in today's society: He is begrudgingly clean of all narcotics for the time being, and doesn't even smoke, instead using nicotine patches to quell his urges (unsuccessfully, in some occasions). Holmes lives in an age where, while cocaine isn't perhaps the most orthodox extracurricular, it is still legal to buy. He also smokes from a pipe, in inordinate amounts.

The small differences are numerous, and they do add up, but where the two really differ probably has a lot to do with the societies in which they were raised. Sherlock is the product of the modern age, where aloofness is abound and it's far too easy to become cold, calculating, detached from one's cases and the people around them. He has a wealth of technology which enable him to mimic social interaction via text, which allow him to become much more of a recluse than Holmes, and drift far more into the territory than his Victorian counterpart. That's not to say that Sherlock is someone entirely antisocial, but he does seem to be much less well-versed in the ways of social interaction in general, rather than Holmes who finds such unavoidable in a world where letter-writing isn't a very feasible substitute for personal interactions.

It's inarguable that the two are very similar if not just because they were both so closely based off of Doyle's novels. The interesting result is that one now has access to two Sherlocks who are unmistakably and irrefutably Sherlock Holmes, but in very distinct ways from each other - Guy Ritchie's Sherlock focusing more on Holmes' bohemian lifestyle, his strange behaviors, his drug addiction; Steven Moffat's Sherlock focusing more on Holmes' antisocial behaviors, his cold and calculating nature in his detective work, and his struggles with his social interactions. It's also of note that the BBC Sherlock is a much earlier Holmes - he is introduced at the start of his and John's friendship, whereas the movie Holmes is taken from a later point in his timeline, closer to the middle of his career.

Still, they are both completely and utterly intelligent beyond their years, elegantly so; both are the best friend that John Watson has come to know and love; and they are both very strange men, no matter what era they've been placed into.

If OC, Did You Run Your Character Through a Mary-Sue Litmus Test?
And What Did You Score?

Samples
Log Sample: "A missing mobile, as requested by a woman who's misspelled both 'mobile' and 'missing' - oh, this is a fantastic new batch, of which I'm sure to find something absolutely worthwhile and memorable."

If John has any protests for Sherlock's latest endeavors into his website and the comments people have left asking for his services, Sherlock certainly doesn't hear them. He's had just about a steady stream of dialogue for a good ten or twenty minutes now (sixteen exactly, if anyone cared to count), and most of it was seemingly to himself. At least John could safely assume so, considering Sherlock had hardly left room to breathe, let alone a space for anyone to respond.

Sherlock tuts disapprovingly, scrolling through the site in a harried manner. "Honestly, wide a readership as your blog has - and we all know you're SO proud, pats on the back for being an internet phenomenon as you so like to brandish about in my face - you'd think there'd be at least one or TWO who were of any interest, but it's all missing cats and purses and people who want their ditching classes cleverly disproved to their teachers." With a wrinkled nose and an air of disgust, he shuts the laptop - not his own, John's, and it's a marvel he hasn't gotten sounds of dissent from the other man yet.

"If you'd be so kind as to post requests for only the most interesting of cases, I think all of our lives would run a little smoother. Now, there's your computer, I'm sure you can think of some kinder way to refer to it to keep all of your little fans happy, though my exact words would be effective, so perhaps you should write this down while you have the chance, hm?" He pats a hand on the back of the armchair where John is sitting, distractedly, crossing over the the window and peering out of it.

"It's been too quiet, absolutely hateful, and it would--" He glances back with a cross look on his face, only for the first time in eighteen minutes noticing that the chair he's been talking to on and off for two hours is quite empty. Hm. Sherlock scowls back out the window.

"You're not even listening."

Network Sample: [ TEXT ]

Just what I wanted to see. Nothing really rouses the senses like a good, fun kidnapping, but then
of course you'll have to understand that, if money is the main reasoning for this endeavor, then I'm
horribly grieved to inform you that I'm impressively poor. The real "big bucks", as it were, would
notoriously have to be credited to my brother. Perhaps you've got your hands on the wrong sibling?

Wouldn't that be a charming development? I suppose I'm meant to be awed by my surroundings, they're
advanced as ever; I have noticed. What I'm just as curious about, in addition to the 'why', is inarguably
the 'how' and the 'where', but discrepancies are discrepancies, as I'm very sure you'll know. That being
said, I've a number of various questions to which I'm expecting to find answers. Expected, naturally,
of someone of an irrevocable competence, naturally, because I've really a famously small patience for
nabbers of the idiotic variety. But all in all, a bravo is certainly in need of a place. Is it not
?

SH