kai_sherlockian

Sherlock Holmes sat morosely in his chair before the fire, smoking broodingly on his favourite pipe.  It was a bitterly cold winter’s evening; the wind howled about our rooms at Baker-Street, and I saw my companion’s brow furrow further as he sank down into his velvet-lined armchair, his blue dressing-gown drawing around himself a bit more with the movement.

I was immensely grateful for the warm fire before us. I had been out most of the day on errands, and I still felt as if I had been chilled to my very marrow.  A knock at the door preceded our landlady, Mrs. Hudson, as she brought in a tray for tea.

“A cup of nice, hot tea will do you good, Dr. Watson,” she said. “You’ll pain that war wound of yours if you don’t take more care with the weather.”

I smiled as I took the cup she offered. The tone of her voice sounded more like a mother to a young boy that had been puddle-jumping all day than a landlady to her tenant.

“Of course, Mrs. Hudson,” said I.

She poured another cup and sat it on the table next to Holmes, who still stared into the fire and made no motion or acknowledgement of her presence. A frown of worry crossed my face as I stared at my friend over my teacup, but as Mrs. Hudson looked at me questioningly I smiled and thanked her for the tea. She shrugged slightly and left us, the silence again being broken only by the cheery crackling of the fire and dismal howling of the winter winds outside.

“Holmes,” I finally said. “What is the matter?”

My friend had been silent the entire day, save this morning when he did spare me a short greeting.  Before I had left all he had done that day had been pacing the short length of the sitting-room, but since I had returned he had been in his chair, hardly moving.  Now I wished deeply to know what was bothering him so, for to me it did not seem that he was on a case.

“Holmes—” I said again. Holmes abruptly took the pipe out of his mouth, passing the other hand over his lower face pensively, his dark brows gathering as his sharp grey eyes dulled.

“What is wrong?”

“It is…Mycroft,” he replied at last. “He is sick.”

He stared into the fire for a moment longer.

“Is he all right?” I asked, concerned.

In reply Holmes reached a long, thin, pale arm over to the desk and lifted from it a piece of paper.

“I received a telegram this morning,” he said as he passed the slip over to me. “He is all right for now—or so he says.  But that doesn’t hide the fact that this is the first time he has ever told me of a sickness by telegram.  In fact, it is the first time he has ever mentioned to me at all that he is sick.”

I took the paper and began to read to myself:—

SHERLOCK STOP AM SICK STOP AT HOSPITAL STOP DO NOT WORRY WILL BE FINE STOP

MYCROFT

“Indeed,” Holmes continued after he had seen I had finished, “it is the first time he has ever even allowed himself to be put in hospital.”

“Have you been out to see him?” I asked.

“No,” Holmes replied. “Not yet. I’m not sure that he would want me to visit.”

“Why not?”

“Because he is a proud man, Watson; because he doesn’t want his little brother to come in, pitying him.”

“Surely not, Holmes,” said I.

Holmes rested his chin in his hand as he leaned on the arm rest of the chair.  “Perhaps, perhaps not.  I am sure I would feel the same about his visiting me.  Regardless…” Holmes paused for a moment, “To-morrow, I will go visit him. He will, undoubtedly, act indignant, regardless of what he really feels.”

I smiled inwardly. The two brothers were different in their ways, indeed, but they were invariably similar.  I still felt for my friend, however, and worried for his brother.  Holmes had never looked quite so concerned, and the fact that his brother had never before mentioned any illness and now did so did seem to give good grounds for concern.

“To-morrow,” Holmes repeated, much more quietly as he stared again into the fire, “I will go.”

---- The Sign of Four, 1932-----
Sherlock Holmes....Arthur Wontner
Dr. John Watson.....Ian Hunter
---------------------------------------------

Arthur Wontner (1875-1960) was clearly chosen for the part due to his striking resemblance to many of Sidney Paget's Holmes illustrations (I have found via IMDB that he received the role after being seen playing a character based upon Holmes, but surely his appearance had something to do with it. I also found this on IMDB... "No better Sherlock Holmes than Arthur Wontner is likely to be seen and heard in pictures, in our time... The keen worn, kindly face and quiet prescient smile are out of the very pages of the book". Vincent Starrett's 'The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes' XD)

Here are some pros and cons of the film...

Pros: This particular Wontner film doesn't have a deerstalker!Holmes in London, which is always a plus. (I don't mind if they show him in it in the country, but it hardly makes sense to go about in one in the city, I should think! xD)
Wonter does well, and I don't see any particular flaws in his performance, other than the fact that he might have been a bit too old to play the detective (he was about 57 at the time). If I play it on mute, I am actually reminded of JB's performance.
The film tells the story of SIGN well enough, but it takes a few liberties (such as its date, the fact tha Small has more than just Tonga as an accomplice, Mary gets captured, Sholto actually kills Morstan, etc.)
We get the privilege of seeing Holmes in costume, questioning Mrs. Mordecai Smith, and also we get to see when he returns to Baker Street and tricks Athelney Jones with the costume. (Also, the other scenes with Holmes and A. Jones are rather good.) Another pro is that this film does NOT feature an OoC or resurrected Prof. Moriarty.

Cons: This is yet another out-of-period Holmes film--though it is older than the Rathbone ones ;) --complete with motor taxis and terrible fashion (the women's clothing is especially distracting.)
The Watson (Ian Hunter, who in later Wontner films gets replaced with Ian Fleming) wasn't terrible, but he left something to be desired (though the fact may be attributed to the presence of Miss Morstan.).
I think the era was really the worst part of it...the rest was either quite good or interesting enough. Holmes's costume, however, was a bit poor: the stuffing job he did to give the impression of weight was terrible. XD
I don't know that I like Wontner's voice--though, I'll admit I am hearing it a bit now when I think of Holmes...
Another thing is that Holmes DID say "Elementary, my dear Watson," at least three times, which was laughable. But, since the last two times he said "elementary" was or a joke, that's a bit forgivable. :)

In all, I recommend it to any Sherlockian. I cannot guarantee that you will enjoy it, but I liked it, and I think it's something any Holmes fan should see.

A Christian poem I wrote up... Not sure if it's any good or not.

=======================

All this mind ever wanted was reason.

All this heart ever longed for was love.

All this flesh ever craved was work.

All this soul ever yearned for was peace.

My love, my desire, You have everything I could ever want—everything I so desperately need.

Love most of all, grace, mercy, comfort,
Reason and logic, power and justice,
Beginning and End.

You are perfect,
And for my imperfections you died,
And you rose again to guarantee our eternal life,
For my soul, which was not made to die.

You are precision, you are light,
Without you I am blind; without you logic crumbles away.
There is no purpose without You.

All this mind ever wanted was Your reason.

All this heart ever longed for was Your love.

All this flesh ever craved was Your work.

All this soul ever yearned for was You.

I came up with an idea that just might help me get into characters' heads/etc. more....comparing them to another series.  And what better to compare Sword Hunter to than Sherlock Holmes? :D
XD

It may not work, but I decided it would be worth a shot.  I'm going to start out with comparing Captain Laban to Inspector Lestrade, since I really need to work on the Twin Cities arc of Sword Hunter, and need to finish the Lestrade fic I'm doing...

SH vs SH--Part One
"Law Enforcement"
-Spoilers Ahead-

Institutions They Work for:
Laban:  Laban is Captain of the City on the Left Guard; the CotL Guard force is well-funded and not short of men.  CotL Guard is surprisingly low in corruption at this time.  
The Guard in general is the police force during peacetime and the army during times of unrest; currently, it is peace time.  They enforce the law:  preventing crime, catching and punishing criminals, and performing any other various public service that may arise.
Lestrade:  Scotland Yard is the police force over the Greater London area, and their job is to enforce the law (very much in the same way that the Guard acts).  

Their Jobs:
Laban:  As Captain, Laban is over all units of the Guard in his district, which is The City on the Left and the area outside of city walls for three miles (not counting the other side of the river).  He is the basic authority, and can only be overridden by order of the Central Guard, which is over the Guard as a national whole.
Lestrade:  Lestrade is one of Scotland Yard's inspectors (considered to be one of the best).  His duties as an inspector vary, one of the main jobs being investigating crimes.  There are authorities over him.

Methods of Action:
Laban:  Is certainly a man of action and is good at anticipating criminal movements.  He patrols more than the average captain and overwhelms criminals easily with his machinery. 
Lestrade:  A man of action; good at getting his man once he's set upon their trail.  Seems to be more of a footwork officer than a brainwork officer.

Adherence to the Law:
Laban:  Does not like unofficials or vigilantes (thinks they interfere with official business.)  Has the law-book memorised, and does not deviate from it without some great force of nature.  Has a great desire to see justice done.
Lestrade:  Dislikes unofficials, esp. at first, but eventually gets used to Sherlock Holmes.  Seems to follow the law very strictly and has a desire to see justice done.

Attitudes:
Laban:  Laban can be friendly enough when off-duty, but when on duty he can be professional to a fault.  (Due to his circumstances, however, Laban has few cronies with which he can be friendly with on his off duty time.  If he does go out, it will likely be with fellow Guardsmen.)  Has rather let his emotions die out, and lives solely for his duty.  Is not very prideful, but does find satisfaction in his work.  Will ask for help if it is needed, but is most reluctant to ask for assistance from an unofficial.
Lestrade:  Lestrade is a proud man, but is able to swallow his pride when he needs help (though he might not admit it to too many people.)  Seems to care for professionalism.  Tenacious.

Physical Characteristics:
Laban:  Tall--6 feet in height.  Very strong build, though his natural frame was only 5' 11" and not so broad-shouldered.  Hair is orange in tint with sideburns, and his eyes are hazel.  Cheekbones are slightly sharp, jaw is strong, and his nose is distinctive. 
Lestrade:  Short, wiry, described as "ferret-like".

---------------------------------

That's all I can think of for now....and I don't feel quite like reviewing it...xD  I'll fix errors and add more later.

Well, I figure that I want to do another random writing.  So here I am to do that.
I wonder if it will be good....well, it'll be Sword Hunter, so no one here but me will understand it, but still...83

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Jollo, his hands in his pockets, strolled through the long, empty corridors of the immense palace.  He was not used to the lavishness of it all yet, and he doubted he ever would be.  Nice as it was at first, a lot of it made him uncomfortable.  At least the food was good...
He wouldn't be here much longer anyhow, not if the shinobi forces were preparing for their final assault at last.  

That thought made him nervous.  There would be hundreds and hundreds of shinobi, while it was just five ordinary adventurers, Lord Honda, and the remnants of the great Antioch Guard.  It would be an actual war.  Never in his life had he dreamed he would be in a situation like this... But, if he didn't, the people of Antioch might be in trouble.  Zeromaru was giving Lord Honda as much information on shinobi patterns as he could, and Draco was helping, but...how much good would that actually do?  But surely there were enough Guardsmen left to win with...under the right direction.

From a door ahead on the left, Jollo heard beautiful music.  His step quickened from curiosity, and when he reached the open door he peered inside.  

It was a fairly large room filled with many kinds of instruments... probably the practicing room for the palace's musicians.  Spider, Lord Honda's adviser, was in there alone, playing a violin.  Jollo stood in the doorway for some time, quietly listening.  After about ten minutes, Spider lowered the instrument with a smile.

"Why don't you come in farther?  It sounds much better in here," he said.

Jollo started in surprise, standing up straight from his position of leaning on the door-frame.  After a brief moment of hesitation, he walked into the room.

"How did you know I was there?" he asked as he approached the blind man.

"I heard your footsteps in the corridor.  Come, sit down and take up a violin.  There are plenty."

Jollo started again.  "How did you know I play?"

An enigmatic smirk spread across Spider's face.  "Oh, that's not important.  Let's see how good you are."

"Well, what should I play?" Jollo asked.

"Hm... Just follow me, and we'll see how that goes," Spider said, tucking his instrument beneath his chin. 

Jollo selected a violin and did likewise, and Spider began to play.  At first it was a soft air, but as Jollo kept up the speed and complexity of the tune increased until both musicians' fingers and bows were flying.  Finally Spider slowed to a stop, lowering the violin and bow and cocking his head toward Jollo.

"You are...quite good!" He said with a slight smile.  "Where did you learn?"

"My father taught me...until he died.  And then I mostly taught myself."

"Ah, I see.  You should be a professional musician, rather than this "champion" thing."

"Well, I want to be.  But I'm...doing this first," Jollo said, looking at the violin in his lap; it wasn't as nice as his own, but he could tell it was quite expensive.

"Mm..." Spider muttered, leaning back some and stroking the wood of the violin he had lightly.  "So what do you and your friends hope to accomplish?"

"I don't know exactly.  We're trying to find out what the ninja want, I suppose.  Trying to find out how to stop them, you know?  To stop this senseless violence."

"You know," said Spider, his head tilted back meditatively, "The ninja probably have a leader... I doubt they'd all just be running around on their own."

"That's what I think.  It's what Zeromaru thinks, too.  But we haven't been able to get any information on him," Jollo sighed.

Spider sat his violin to the side.  "Well, perhaps after you defeat the shinobi that are plaguing this fair city, you will find something?" he said, flashing a wry smile in Jollo's direction.

"I hope so," Jollo said as he sat his violin back where he had taken it, sighing softly through his nose.

"Don't worry," said Spider as he stood.  "It shall all be over soon."

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Random.... I wonder if it was any good...  I think Spider may smile too much for his own good. XDD
I suppose I'll read it to-morrow.  Or sometime. xD

Sword Hunter and its affiliated characters and ideas belong to me.

...A beautiful violin.

Not just a beautiful violin, but an old one.  And it's German.  And, it's a copy of a Stradivarius.
:)
It's a bit worn in spots, but it seems to be in overall good condition.  It even came with a lovely old case, and of course it came with the bow.  Mom tried to talk the guy down on the price (which was a bit silly, since it was a very nice violin at only $199...) and he said he really couldn't (for one thing, it was a consignment) but he would give me a $14 sachet of rosin for free. :D
I bought it, the lovely thing, and it's now in my new room. 

I wish I could take picture and show everyone...!!!  Alas, my sister took the digicam, and her boyfriend stole it from her.  So we're digicameraless.  (We have a film camera, but that does me little good right now...XD)

But, when I can, I'll let everyone see it.
:D

Now I have to find a place to get lessons...  The place I bought it from offers private lessons (a country music guy owns it) but he only teaches country-style, of course.  And all that is, essentially, is just a modified version of the style the Scotch-Irish brought over.  I want to learn, as they put it here, "Violin, not fiddle."

*is VERY happy*

Well, other people are making icons. I thought I should, too.
So here are some random icons I'm making while babysitting...83 Some are low-quality, but they should be decent enough. xD Enjoy the JB eyecandy. (Well, there is one with Mr. Burke and one with Mr. Porter...xD)

XD
*stole title for post here from title of most recent dA journal post*

I've (mostly) finished my ocarina.  And I had enough left over to make another...a little one.  Both make sounds and have good tones....
But...
I didn't have time to actually TUNE them.  So, when they are fired and finished, they will be nothing but very pretty, multi-toned whistles.  I can only get about three tones MAX from each.  Which is quite pathetic considering that there are four holes on each....XD;;;
But at least I know the process now.  In the future, I may make one that I can actually play.
Or, I'll buy one from the Songbird ocarina site. xDDD

I'll take pictures with my mom's camera phone, since the digital camera is broken (sister seems to have done that...).  The big, prettiest one is rather thick, so I'm worried it will explode in the kiln.  The other, which is not as good, is thinner, so it SHOULD be fine.  I don't think I'll get to glaze them, though.  I'm a trifle too lazy to take it BACK to get it re-fired after borrowing glaze, then returning to pick it up.  That would make two trips other than the two I'm already having to do to take it to get it fired the first time and picking it up.

Why am I even wasting time with this?  It's not because I think ocarinas are the only really cool wind instrument, it's not because they're pretty, it's not because you can chuck them at people.....

I've just always wanted to play the Song of Storms near a bean plant. 83

*is shot*

Yes, I'm rather happy right now.  It's a strange happy...which is why I'm acting strangely.  I haven't got to work with my hands in so long, it's quite nice. X3  (I used to do all sorts of little sculptures, Lego stuff, and devices...I haven't done anything but draw, write, and play video games in a while.)

*goes to check on drying progress of sweet potato ocarina*