#winterdaphne2

[winterdaphne2]

Forever at a Price

I've just started posting my new multi-chapter Johnlock fic! I've been working on this for quite some time, so I'm very excited to share it at last.

Forever at a Price, by winterdaphne2. Rated T.

Tags: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes & John Watson, Greg Lestrade, Mycroft Holmes, Irene Adler, Jim Moriarty, Original Characters, POV Sherlock Holmes, Canon Compliant, Missing Scene, a lot of missing scenes!, John’s blog, Case Fic, Mystery, Arthur Conan Doyle Canon References, Friendship, Slice of Life, Romance, Falling in Love, Pining, Missed Opportunities, takes place entirely within S2.

Summary:

In the months after the pool, Sherlock and John’s friendship strengthens and Sherlock falls more and more deeply in love. Haunted by Moriarty’s threat at the pool, however, Sherlock remains determined not to let John find out how he feels.

Covering the fifteen months between the pool and the rooftop, this is a story of unseen moments and unheard thoughts; of friendship, romance, and falling in love; of quirky cases and quiet nights in; and of the mistakes people make in the hopes of protecting the people they love.

~

If you ever wanted to see more of Sherlock and John’s friendship between the events of TGG and ASIB, or if you like any of case fic, ACD canon references, pining Sherlock, or reading relatively new Johnlock authors, then this might be the fic for you!

This thing is fully complete, and I'll be posting updates at least twice a week. There are 12 chapters and the full story is about 65k words. I hope some of you read it and enjoy!

Thank you so, so much to @givemesherbet-blog-blog, who has been an incredibly generous and helpful beta reader and Brit-pick for this fic as a part of Fandom Trumps Hate 2025. 💙 Thank you as well to the lovely @ohwatson for moral support along the way! 💙

[devoursjohnlock]

Hello! I have a question about ACD canon that I was hoping you might be able to help with. I reread all the Sherlock Holmes stories last summer, and I could have sworn that there was a story that has a moment something like this: Watson is on his way to or from Baker Street to see Holmes, and he reflects that he is lucky that "my wife never accused me of marrying her under false pretenses, because all along my heart belonged to Holmes" (or something to that effect). I've been looking for this quote again and can't find it, so I'm starting to wonder if I hallucinated it entirely. Does this sound at all familiar to you? If so, do you happen to know what story it might be from? Thank you so much!

I came so close to answering this ask right away with, "No, I don't think he ever says anything like this". Then I second-guessed myself and left it in my Inbox for something like two years only to look again today and think, "No, I don't think he ever says anything like this."

I think probably the closest thing to this sentiment in the canon is the following passage from The Man With the Twisted Lip:

'I should recommend you also to send a note by the cabman to your wife to say that you have thrown in your lot with me. If you will wait outside, I shall be with you in five minutes.' It was difficult to refuse any of Sherlock Holmes's requests, for they were always so exceedingly definite, and put forward with such an air of mastery. I felt, however, that when Whitney was once confined in the cab, my mission was practically accomplished; and for the rest, I could not wish anything better than to be associated with my friend in one of those singular adventures which were the normal condition of his existence.

If this isn't it, maybe the source of the memory is a fic/pastiche or meta? Or maybe the wording is just different enough to throw me off.

[asherlockstudy]

Hi! If you're still open to answering Sherlock-related asks, I was wondering when you think John realized Sherlock was in love with him? I know you've said you think they both know about each other's feelings, and I'm with you on when Sherlock figures out about John. But I've never been able to quite figure out when John recognizes Sherlock's feelings. I think the waterfall scene in TAB implies that John knows, and I think he might know by the time of the tarmac scene. But I'm not sure. Thanks!

Hello! I am so sorry for this huge delay. I was busy IRL and at the same time a lot of stuff was happening in another fandom which is very active rn, so the ask was kinda staying behind. I know answered asks get a notification however I will tag you here too @winterdaphne2 to make sure you see this after all this time.

Yes, I strongly believe John knows by HLV. I talk about it a little in the meta "Why did Sherlock push John and Mary back together?" . The key phrase "Your way. Always your way" and the context within which it was uttered, John's confession that Mary was never supposed to be someone he would truly fall in love with (as opposed to Sherlock who was ticking all John's boxes, adventurous people living in danger etc) and Sherlock understanding it but pretending he didn’t and thus failing John and provoking more anger in him ("Why is everything...always... MY FAULT?!"), all those things make me conclude John knew by that point that Sherlock loved him and yet he was insisting on doing nothing about it. In other words, John knew the truth.

As to when he first realised, well we should keep in mind that John suspects Sherlock is gay from the very first day they moved in together because everybody who knows Sherlock insinuates it, Mycroft, Mrs Hudson, Donovan... The fact that from the Blind Banker onwards John suddenly becomes very heteronormative and defensive shows he feels a "threat" in the atmosphere, both due to his own impulses but also due to Sherlock's flamboyant demeanour, his habits, including casually walking around him naked (see John’s blog). In fact, when John starts suspecting Sherlock might be into the Woman, he's equal parts angry and startled. I suppose there was no way to know before the third season because Sherlock was so emotionally guarded, however he did hope, given his suspicions that Sherlock was gay and that their bond was unique and he was visibly an exception in how Sherlock treated people in his life.

At the wedding night John sees the sorrow on Sherlock's face and nearly has a heart attack. I think everything was confirmed there for him. However, I think the time he started landing on the conclusion for good was in TEH. This is the episode in which, after John is kidnapped and thrown into the fire, John keeps pressing Sherlock for an answer regarding why one would choose to harm him if it's Sherlock they are after. He is not truly wondering though. He lingers in the pavement (always a romantic affair, Sherlock tells us in the next episode) and then goes up and asks this with a very knowing look. Then again towards the end of the episode, in the staircase. His face screams suspicion, it screams tease, it screams expectation to finally hear Sherlock say it. Alas, Sherlock doesn't. Met with Sherlock's stubborness and with a wedding proposal looming over his head, John has no choice but to open up himself so he starts telling Sherlock that he went to his grave and "spoke" to him. Sherlock acknowelges this but again chooses to avoid the conversation John tries to start multiple times. John gives up and resumes his proposal to Mary. I think at this episode John finally knew for sure but he also realised that Sherlock was determined to not act on his feelings. I have made a more detailed analysis of this with pictures in the meta "John's Choices (from TEH to TLD)".

Besides, the next episode, TSOT, is the only time John actually makes a physical advance on Sherlock. Sure he was inebriated but I think John had SO many inhibitions anyway that even when drunk he would not be so bold if he wasn’t getting all the green lights of the world from Sherlock at that moment. So, he knew. He knew that if Sherlock dropped his fascade, he would want this.

[winterdaphne2]

Last Chances

I have a new fic!

Last Chances, by winterdaphne2. Rated M.

Tags: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan, Molly Hooper, Greg Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson, Angst, Mutual Pining, Dubious Consent, Non-Linear Narrative, Canon Divergence – The Sign of Three

Summary:

John’s stag night goes exactly to plan. Well, for John it does. For Sherlock, it doesn’t go to plan at all.

After that, nothing goes to plan—not for anyone.

~

As always, please read the tags, and you're more than welcome to dm me on here if you have any questions about the content before reading.

Acknowledgments! I am so very grateful to @naefelldaurk (amaruuk on ao3) for the incredibly detailed and generous beta read, and to @givemesherbet-blog-blog for also offering great feedback as a beta reader and for Brit-picking. Talking with you both about this fic has been absolutely wonderful. Thanks as well to @ohwatson for her enthusiasm for this story and to @loudest-subtext-in-tv for helpful and encouraging conversations along the way.

This fic is fully complete, coming in at ~28k words and four chapters in total. I'll be posting the remaining chapters over the next few days as I have time.

Thank you to anyone who reads this! Hope to see you in the comments on ao3 :)

[winterdaphne2]

Fandom Trumps Hate 2025

Inspired by @ohwatson, I decided to take the plunge and just signed up for Fandom Trumps Hate as a beta! I'm offering beta services for BBC Sherlock fics or meta of up to 50k words, specifically Johnlock or gen. I also signed up for the Regiment of Fan Laborers!

This is my first time participating in FTH, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also soooo excited to bid on some of the wonderful creators who I've seen post about their FTH offerings over the past two weeks! Let's go!!

[winterdaphne2]

winterdaphne2's Meta Masterpost

Here's a list of the various Sherlock metas that I have on tumblr. I've changed my mind about some things over time, so I don’t agree with everything that I wrote in some of these. But I still agree with a lot of it! Feel free to read and judge for yourself.

First and foremost:

Deciphering the Romance Arc. This is the main place to go if you want my thoughts on the show. A multi-part meta project that offers my TJLC reading of the show up through TAB, as of February 2026.

All the rest of it:

Plot Points & the Narrative of Sherlock and John's Love Story

When did Sherlock and John each fall in love?

Moriarty came up with the idea for and arranged Sherlock’s fake suicide. Sherlock planned nothing; all he did was fall. I've changed my mind on a lot of this; my updated thoughts are in the TRF section of Deciphering the Romance Arc.

Sherlock looks much older in S3 than he did in S1-S2

Sherlock thinks John is more interesting than "the most perfect locked-room mystery"

John knew he was making a mistake at the wedding

When did John realize Sherlock was in love with him?

Casablanca (1942) and Sherlock S3

S4 and storytelling in Sherlock, written in response to an existing meta

Comparing ACD Canon and BBC Sherlock

TRF and TEH are based in part on "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor," with Sherlock and John mirroring a married couple

John trying to get to Sherlock's body in TRF and The Valley of Fear

No Sussex retirement in BBC Sherlock?

Johnlock and Moftisson’s use of dialogue from ACD canon

Doylist and Watsonian inconsistencies in how John sees Sherlock, written in response to an existing meta chain

Additional Character Analysis

Two scenes from ASIP and TBB and Sherlock's and John's differing levels of comfort with homosexuality in S1

Sholto and subtext in TSOT, written in response to a meta about how TRF is based in part on the Oscar Wilde trials

Mary's character and why her moral philosophy is so different from Sherlock and John's, written in response to an existing meta chain

John doesn't really have close friends besides Sherlock, written in response to a meta about what we know about John from his blog

More thoughts on John, written in response to an ask!

Who were all the people at John and Mary's wedding?

Differences between pre-S3 and post-S3 fics, with an emphasis on Sherlock's characterization

The morgue, S4 writing, and seeing abuse for what it is, written in response to an existing meta

Misc.

Gay Easter Eggs in BBC Sherlock. I have mixed feelings about this post now. I think the line between an Easter egg and subtext is blurry, and the queer subtext is the whole show! But I've left it up for now.

(updated May 6, 2026)

[winterdaphne2]

Eyes Like the Sea

I've just posted my first Johnlock fic (in a very long time) to AO3. The idea for this fic just sort of came to me late at night on an evening a few months ago, and then it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. It's an attempt to work through one interpretation of where S4 might have left Sherlock and John.

Eyes Like the Sea, by winterdaphne2. M, 14,055 words (one-shot, complete).

Tags: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Rosamund Mary “Rosie” Watson, Greg Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson, Sally Donovan, Molly Hooper, POV Sherlock Holmes, Post Episode: S04/E02 The Lying Detective, Ignores The Final Problem, Angst, Unhealthy Relationships, Abusive Relationships, Ambiguous/Open Ending

Summary: Sherlock and John are in love. After the morgue, maybe that isn’t enough anymore.

Please do heed the tags, and you're more than welcome to send me a message on here if you'd like more information before reading. If this isn't "your glass of tea," no worries, and I hope to see you around for something else in the future! I'm currently at work on a multi-chapter Johnlock fic set during S2 that's much happier and has lots of missing scenes, casefic, and pining.

I'm very grateful to @ohwatson, who cheered me on during the early stages of the writing process and offered great feedback on an earlier draft, and to @givemesherbet-blog-blog, who has been an absolutely wonderful beta reader and Brit-pick for this as a part of Fandom Trumps Hate 2025. Thank you both 💙💜

Reblogs are greatly appreciated! And my deep gratitude goes out to anyone who reads this 💙 If you do, I'd love to hear from you in the comments on AO3 or here on tumblr!

[asherlockstudy]

Hi! I wanted to tell you that I absolutely love your Sherlock metas. I discovered them back in February and spent a ton of time reading and thinking about them in the weeks after. You basically reignited my love of Johnlock and prompted me to finally get a tumblr after 10+ years of holding out, lol. Thank you for doing all that work and sharing your brilliant insights with us! If you do decide to write up those metas that you mentioned in a post a few days ago, I would love to read them!

Wow the feeling of these metas being revisited and appreciated even though I am not that active in the Sherlock fandom anymore is honestly amazing! I am so grateful for your wonderful words and the time you dedicated to read my thoughts. Thank you so much ☺️

There is this couple of metas that keep poking my brain but they are meant to be huge works and I always lose motivation… I promise I will at least try to talk myself into it!

Thanks again for your mail 🥰❤️