Ho- Ho- Holy sh*t, it's that time of the year again! And even though I'm late as usual (or even later?) I hope many of you will join this year's postal holiday fun. Not fandom-exclusive, we're just keeping the name for sentimental reasons. Read more below.
This is the “official” copy-cat post of this year’s exchange. It’s heavily inspired by the original blog and doesn’t intend to take over or imitate it in any disrespectful way. Rather, it’s a homage to the wonderful exchanges of the past years.
WHAT
Originally it started as a Christmas card exchange in the Sherlock fandom some years ago. Lovely people sent seasonal greetings to other lovely people all over the world cheering up their often stressful and exhausting pre-Christmas period. As time has gone by, I know the Sherlock fandom has been put into a sort of coma and people found other fandoms. That’s why this isn’t an exclusive Sherlock event, but an overall-lovely-people-providing-Christmas-spirit-and-we’re-just-keeping-the-name-for-traditional-reasons-exchange. You want to send and receive Christmas post? You’re in! 💌
WHEN
Register until Saturday, 6th December 2025.
Exchange begins Monday, 8th December 2025.
HOW
Send me your name, postal address and any internet handle you want to add (tumblr, twitter, Instagram, etc.) to sherlock-xmas-exchange at outlook.com.
After I’ve received all your information I’ll create a PDF file and send it to all participants. Then you can immediately start writing, creating and sending Christmas mail to your heart’s content.
RULES
1. All information on the list you’ll receive is confidential and not to be sent or shown to anyone else.
2. Send at least one card to the person below you on the list.
3. Be friendly, cheery and nice to each other. :)
Disclaimer: If you register, you agree to be willing to share some of your personal data (name, address, email and/or social media handles) with other people taking part in this Christmas cards exchange. All data will be treated confidential by me and not be made public. I am, however, not responsible, nor am I capable of checking what any third parties (other participants) do with the data.
I’m tagging everyone who was interested and/or has participated in last year’s exchange. If you want to be removed just drop me a line.
Ho- Ho- Holy sh*t, it's that time of the year again! And even though I'm late as usual (or even later?) I hope many of you will join this year's postal holiday fun. Not fandom-exclusive, we're just keeping the name for sentimental reasons. Read more below.
This is the “official” copy-cat post of this year’s exchange. It’s heavily inspired by the original blog and doesn’t intend to take over or imitate it in any disrespectful way. Rather, it’s a homage to the wonderful exchanges of the past years.
WHAT
Originally it started as a Christmas card exchange in the Sherlock fandom some years ago. Lovely people sent seasonal greetings to other lovely people all over the world cheering up their often stressful and exhausting pre-Christmas period. As time has gone by, I know the Sherlock fandom has been put into a sort of coma and people found other fandoms. That’s why this isn’t an exclusive Sherlock event, but an overall-lovely-people-providing-Christmas-spirit-and-we’re-just-keeping-the-name-for-traditional-reasons-exchange. You want to send and receive Christmas post? You’re in! 💌
WHEN
Register until Saturday, 6th December 2025.
Exchange begins Monday, 8th December 2025.
HOW
Send me your name, postal address and any internet handle you want to add (tumblr, twitter, Instagram, etc.) to sherlock-xmas-exchange at outlook.com.
After I’ve received all your information I’ll create a PDF file and send it to all participants. Then you can immediately start writing, creating and sending Christmas mail to your heart’s content.
RULES
1. All information on the list you’ll receive is confidential and not to be sent or shown to anyone else.
2. Send at least one card to the person below you on the list.
3. Be friendly, cheery and nice to each other. :)
Disclaimer: If you register, you agree to be willing to share some of your personal data (name, address, email and/or social media handles) with other people taking part in this Christmas cards exchange. All data will be treated confidential by me and not be made public. I am, however, not responsible, nor am I capable of checking what any third parties (other participants) do with the data.
I’m tagging everyone who was interested and/or has participated in last year’s exchange. If you want to be removed just drop me a line.
Today Juliet and I found the key to the 4th World. We realise now that we have had it in our possession for about 6 months but we only realized it on the day of the death of Christ. We saw a gateway through the clouds. Everything was full of peace and bliss. We then realized we had the key. When we die we will go to the 4th World, but meanwhile on two days every year we may use the key and look in to that beautiful world which we have been lucky enough to be allowed to know of, on this Day of Finding the Key to the Way through the Clouds. —Pauline Parker, diary entry, Friday, April 3, 1953
The episode where Spock's dad needs him to give blood for a surgery but Kirk gets injured to Spock has to command the ship will forever revolve in my mind. Like, Kirk has a punctured lung and he has to trick Spock into thinking he's fine just so Spock can save his own father. This is distracting me in rehearsal, I have made multiple mistakes. Spock literally cannot even thank Kirk because his Logical™ father is Right There. I am not okay
The funniest part of the Gemstone family easily accepting Kelvin’s gay relationship with his ex-satanist best friend man servant is that it comes after four seasons of them aggressively hating Judy’s husband BJ for being a secular optometrist
Can you elaborate on Will's abilities? You talked about how you don't think he is actually empathetic, but does have a vivid imagination. What do you think is actually happening inside his mind in regards to his true abilities?
I believe Will has a vivid imagination, that can be related to schizophrenia, which to me, is his real diagnosis, although I like to have a triple analysis of media, a psychological one, a mythopoetic one, and a spiritual one.
One of the most apparent indicators of schizophrenia is Will’s persistent hallucinations, which continue even after he heals of his encephalitis. While it could have initially triggered his altered perception, the recovery would not account for the continuation of his visual and auditory distortions. This aligns with schizophrenia’s diagnostic criteria, which include hallucinations as a core symptom (on the DSM-5). Patients can experience vivid, intrusive imagery, sometimes linked to paranoia or delusions, much like Will’s hallucinations of the Stagman, antlers, and the general grotesque imagery he sees throughout the show.
Will’s speech is often cryptic, metaphor-laden, and elusive, which are characteristics that align with disorganized thought processes, a hallmark of schizophrenia. In clinical settings, metaphorical speech and tangential thinking can be signs of thought disorder, where a patient’s way of expressing ideas becomes abstract to the point of incoherence (except for his soulmate haha). While Will's speech remains articulate, it is often detached from conventional logic, reinforcing the idea that his mind does not process reality in a linear way.
Social withdrawal is another key symptom of schizophrenia, manifesting in Will’s isolation and discomfort in social settings. He has obvious difficulty forming and maintaining genuine relationships outside of his dogs, and even his romantic or friendly connections seem strained, distant, or transactional. His paranoia, especially his inability to trust those around him, further aligns with schizophrenia’s symptomatology.
While Will is portrayed as a reluctant hero, there is an underlying grandiosity to his belief that he is uniquely capable of understanding killers ("do you have anyone that does this better unbroken than I do broken?", "I save people", "I'm the best you got"). This may be less an extraordinary gift and more a delusional framework, very common in schizophrenia, where individuals believe they have special insight or purpose. Many patients develop messianic or chosen-one complexes, convinced they possess abilities that set them apart. Will’s belief that he is uniquely “good,” because he "can't help but empathize with killers", despite constantly aligning himself with violence, is an example of this cognitive dissonance.
Will’s perception of reality is very unstable. He sees things that aren’t there, purposefully dismisses red flags to fit his narrative, and frequently doubts his own experiences. Schizophrenic individuals often experience derealization, where their environment feels surreal or distorted, leading to a constant questioning of what is real. This explains Will’s struggle with discerning his own actions versus his visions, as well as his deep-rooted confusion regarding his identity.
Will experiences moments where he seems to lose control, of course before it could be attributed to encephalitis, but he also experiences the same in season three, after returning to investigate Dolarhyde. These episodes are reminiscent of psychotic breaks. While these moments are sometimes framed as deep immersion into his empathic abilities, they more closely resemble dissociation, which is a common phenomenon in schizophrenia, where a patient’s mind detaches from linear time and perception. The fall might also be one of them since I, personally, do not believe it was a literal fall.
But wouldn't they know he was schizophrenic since he had plenty of tests and exams?
Schizophrenia is notoriously difficult to diagnose, especially in individuals who can mask their symptoms well. Many high-functioning patients manipulate their surroundings, consciously or unconsciously, to avoid detection. Will's ability to function in his professional life, despite clear signs of psychosis, may contribute to his lack of diagnosis. Also, the series presents his symptoms through the lens of empathy, which allows his psychotic episodes to be misinterpreted as intuitive rather than pathological. Another point is that schizophrenia isn't necessarily something that is evident since birth, it can also be triggered by trauma if the individual has the tendencies.
"Mythopoetically", I like to see Will's arc and the entire show as an acceptance of sexuality.
And spiritually, I believe Will is the Yin, the Great Illusion, the Lunar/"Feminine" principle. Which I talked about in previous essays.
Murder? What murder? It was an act of mercy. You didn’t kill Lestat. You spared him, out of some fucked up idea you had about love. Love? I bled him like a pig and waited for the death rattle. You were shot point-blank by an alderman. You were dropped a thousand feet and survived. You torched Antoinette, just to make sure. Where does the trash go, Louis?
