I'm a big fan of AUs, while at the same time I have this horrible habit of being extremely nit-picky. It's like some kind of extra warning light pops up for some reason in my head, ready to start blinking and wailing at the slightest hint of awkwardness.
And really, logically speaking, this premise should be full of awkwardness. Holmes and Watson as modern, American college students? This should, logically speaking, work better as an original story rather than as a fanfic.
But oh boy, is logic wrong in this case. Because this AU you've written is entertaining, smart, fascinating and it feels true, despite all the changes. I love that these Holmes and Watson are so incredibly similar to the original duo, but are still their own characters. You've really managed to create modern counterparts to the characters; how they would act, behave and sound if they'd been born and raised in the late 20th century rather than the 19th. It's amazing. I especially love your Watson. I imagine Holmes would be the easier to "re-create" of the two, since him acting like he's off his rocker fits rather nicely with our society. But Watson. Watson. Wow. This is certainly not Doyle's Watson. This is not the Watson of the '09 movieverse either, but very close. This Watson curses, snarks, behaves badly and is undoubtably American, but somehow, it's still John Watson. How you manage that is beyond me, and I am in awe.
Plus, you know, modern!Watson's personality makes the prose so entertaining and lovely to read. I could read it for hours on end and not tire of it. ♥
And then we have the major AU issue, I suppose: how to tie in original canon without making it seem awkward. Which is an issue you've avoided so elegantly it's almost ridiculous. I still find the first chapter hilarious, with the character's very sensible reactions to the "coincidence" of their names. It might be because of my love for parodies and meta, but I really like the way the characters point out the ridiculousness of it, rather than just accepting it. It makes things seem more realistic, imho.
And, you know, apart from all of these things, I find the story so entertaining that I would easily buy and re-read it several times if it had been a "real" book.
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Date: 2010-05-26 11:59 am (UTC)And really, logically speaking, this premise should be full of awkwardness. Holmes and Watson as modern, American college students? This should, logically speaking, work better as an original story rather than as a fanfic.
But oh boy, is logic wrong in this case. Because this AU you've written is entertaining, smart, fascinating and it feels true, despite all the changes. I love that these Holmes and Watson are so incredibly similar to the original duo, but are still their own characters. You've really managed to create modern counterparts to the characters; how they would act, behave and sound if they'd been born and raised in the late 20th century rather than the 19th. It's amazing.
I especially love your Watson. I imagine Holmes would be the easier to "re-create" of the two, since him acting like he's off his rocker fits rather nicely with our society. But Watson. Watson. Wow. This is certainly not Doyle's Watson. This is not the Watson of the '09 movieverse either, but very close. This Watson curses, snarks, behaves badly and is undoubtably American, but somehow, it's still John Watson. How you manage that is beyond me, and I am in awe.
Plus, you know, modern!Watson's personality makes the prose so entertaining and lovely to read. I could read it for hours on end and not tire of it. ♥
And then we have the major AU issue, I suppose: how to tie in original canon without making it seem awkward. Which is an issue you've avoided so elegantly it's almost ridiculous. I still find the first chapter hilarious, with the character's very sensible reactions to the "coincidence" of their names. It might be because of my love for parodies and meta, but I really like the way the characters point out the ridiculousness of it, rather than just accepting it. It makes things seem more realistic, imho.
And, you know, apart from all of these things, I find the story so entertaining that I would easily buy and re-read it several times if it had been a "real" book.
Damn, girl, you're one talented writer. ♥