All gifts are posted: let the guessing begin!

[tweedisgood]

Greetings gentlefans

Please commence to place your bets/guesses on who wrote or created what in the comments to this post, and please also do comment on all the lovely entries, especially if you have not yet had time to thank the creator for your own gift - but generally comment all over the shop, we all thrive on it and positivity at the moment is so very welcome.

Reveal post (and ficlet) on April 1st!

Comments

[mightymads]

Unlike Holmes, I would rather not explain my reasoning as it is more often flimsy than not :)

To Cast Light on Each sanguinity 

The Reigate Revival mistyzeo 

All Night Long gardnerhill 

An intimate moment the_last_day_of_winter 

Masterpiece methylviolet10b 

Summertime ghostbees 

Riddle Me This, Mr Holmes smallhobbit 

[methylviolet10b]

I'm delighted by the attribution, but alas, I did not write Masterpiece! I'd love to know your reasoning, though...

[mightymads]

It’s gen, and you write gen more often than shipping. It’s an intricately plotted mystery, which is something you can do with excellence, and the note mentioned that it was written in a rush as you often remark about your own stories :)

[rachelindeed]

Okay, I'll take a crack at it! (With the reservation that there are still some fics I haven't yet had a chance to read, and some I've only skimmed but will comment on soon!)

I agree with most of mightymads' guesses, but personally I would re-assign smallhobbit to The Case of the Disappearing Husband. And I'm not convinced yet about where mistyzeo's work is...there are a lot of possibilities.

I'd also guess:

tweedisgood for Vocation and Douillet

methylviolet10b for Masterpiece as mentioned above but also for the podfic So Keen a Sympathy

spacemutineer for Present, Tense

saki101 for He's Not Here

mightymads for Simplicity Itself

I notice that there was no gift for sanspatronymic, so they must have had to bow out of this round. I also suspect that Capt_Facepalm may also have bowed out, since they do not ship Holmes/Watson and every fic this round was Holmes/Watson except for the one written for them.

I am genuinely, absolutely stumped as to the authorship of The Taste of Truth. A 25K word story is unusual in this exchange, and I've tried to narrow down the suspects by considering which authors have written fics of that length before. I came up with my persons of interest list, but it's very inconclusive:

Mistyzeo (but she said in her sign-up she was limiting her offer to 1K-4K. She could have gotten carried away by the idea, but still, how likely is it she'd write 20K more than she offered?)

Garonne (I don't recall her having written so long a single story in the Holmes verse before, but she has written Man From UNCLE fic of that length. But she says in her sign-up that she dislikes supernatural AUs.)

Saintdionysus (now here is a promising candidate. Their initial offer was for a 10K story, and it seems plausible that a story initially planned for that length could have grown to 25K. As far as I can see on their AO3 account they have never published a Holmesian story before, so I cannot compare the writing style, but they regularly publish works longer than 25K in the Harry Potter fandom. They also mentioned that they write horror professionally, which could feed into the eerie, haunting quality of the fic. But a strike against this idea is the fact that they also stated in their sign-up that they didn't like supernatural AUs. But maybe magical realism/horror is a different category in their mind?)

Two other possible candidates for authoring this story would be obstinatrix (another author who has written longer fics in other fandoms, shout-out from a fellow SPN and Destiel fan! But in their sign-up they seemed more focused on cheerful sexytimes), and Sanguinity (but she said in her sign-up she'd rather not work with addiction or Moriarty, so???)

Perhaps the wisest solution is to leave this mystery to SCFrankles, who can work her formatting analysis magic. But I'm going to tentatively pencil in Saintdionysus as my best guess for The Taste of Truth.

And now I'm really just throwing ideas at the wall, but purely based on their sign-up I think that maybe obstinatrix wrote Riddle Me This, Mr. Holmes.

Okay, that's the best I can do! Looking forward to finding out how wrong I am soon :)

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful stories this round, they've really lifted me up during this strange time.

[saki101]

You know I laughed when I saw your guess about He's Not Here. I wasn't at all surprised that you got it right.

[sanguinity]

Well, at least I confused you, if I couldn't confuse scfrankles...! ;-)

Re my sign-up: I do write addiction from time-to-time, and the same with Moriarty. But I'm particular about both topics, and would rather choose to write about them than be assigned to write about them, if that makes sense. (I don't like being pushed off the diving board, but I'm perfectly happy to jump!)

[rachelindeed]

Hee hee, I am very frequently confused when it comes to finding you, you chameleon! After the Moriarty/Athelney Jones fic I've just been like: "She can do anything. Just accept that in matters of disguise you will be the Watson to her Holmes and live in a perpetual state of surprise." :)

That it is an incredibly well-written and strikingly original fic doesn't surprise me, but I confess the length does a bit! Not because I didn't think you could do it, obviously you have an established record on that point, but because I was thinking to myself: she recently started a job and had been working on recreating writing time for herself...and I know she's been working on multiple WIPs...how likely would she be to write a 25K gift right now?? Clearly the answer was 'very likely!,' lol!

I certainly do understand your point about how you manage your offers in your sign-up, though. I do the same thing sometimes. If a topic or even a verse is tricky, it's nice to feel that you won't have committed yourself to writing it before you're sure you really have an idea for it you want to pursue, but are also mentally leaving the option open.

And your sign-up did say you loved writing science fictional AUs! But that comment was followed by an exclamation about how dinosaurs make everything better! THIS WAS NOT A HAPPY DINOSAUR AU, SANGUINITY.

[sanguinity]

Oh, god, the length! I have a reveals post about that coming, but YES, it was in fact a severe stretch to write that long of a fic, given the new job! I wrote that sucker longhand, on my commute and over my lunch hour, writing two pens dry and filling a notebook and a half. It was frenetic, I tell you. But as long as I knew what the next plot point was -- and I almost always did! -- I could scrawl out another 400 words in the thirty minutes before I had to change buses or go back to work. I didn't know until the week before the due date whether I would be able to finish it or not. I thought I could, if my length estimate wasn't too wrong and I could keep up the pace, but it was a nearer thing than I was quite comfortable with.

Hahaha, no, it's not a happy dinosaur AU, is it? But I've already done two 24K dinosaur AUS, and it'd be entirely TOO easy for you all if I did dinosaurs this time, too. ;-)

Do you mind if I ask what about the story didn't feel like me? I couldn't help but see your convo with scfrankles and now I'm curious.

[rachelindeed]

Omg, I can't imagine writing a fic of this length and complexity in snatched thirty minute increments in the midst of your travel and workday! I could tell from the feel of the fic itself that it had been an idea that possessed its author strongly, I think that's part of why it feels so intense, but knowing more about the process only increases my admiration. Wow!!

Do you mind if I ask what about the story didn't feel like me?

Not at all -- for me, it was the transition into romance for Holmes/Watson in the midst of all these discoveries. I consider you a writer who LOVES relationship negotiation, and I thought to myself that if you were the author, you would probably have made them do more relationship work before you got them together!

(Editing to add: Re-reading that, I just want to clarify that that's not a criticism in the least, the romance in the story is profoundly loving, compassionate, and beautiful! And the free gift of Watson's love is so necessary for Holmes's character arc, so ultimately freeing. It's just that, as I said, I tend to think of you as an author who usually likes to linger more on the process of relationship (re)building, so this just felt slightly unusual to me!)

[sanguinity]

Hahahah, I went back and forth on including that kissing scene, I tell you! Because you're right, I don't think them getting together is going to be NEARLY so easy as that. For what it's worth, I don't consider them together at this point. (Well, by the time EMPT is published, there in the last several paragraphs, they're probably together? But not while they're sitting there on firewatch in the dawnlight, negotiating whether they're going to be roomies again.) But the reader is welcome to believe whatever they want in regards to how much work they think these two need to do right now, and how much of a done deal their romantic relationship really is at this point. Ultimately, the story of "how do you come back from this and build something true and lasting?" is a different story arc than the one where they need to get rid of that freaking tree, and that's why I declined to do much with it.

Well, that, and also I HAD NO TIME TO DO ANYTHING MORE WITH ANYTHING. :-P

[methylviolet10b]

You got me on the podfic - how did I give myself away? Or was it just a general lack of people who offered it?

I am, I admit, rather delighted that I managed to sneak Douillet by both you and scfrankles... :-D

[rachelindeed]

Yes, I'm sorry to report the uninteresting answer that it was mainly a process of elimination from a very small pool of podfic offers. Apart from the recipient herself, the only other person who'd offered podfic was gardnerhill. Gardnerhill also regularly offers podfic over at Holmestice, but she always mentions that she can't add music/FX and so would stick to a voice-only reading, so I didn't think this was hers. I knew you were American, so the basic accent fit. The question was complicated slightly by the fact that the comm had publicly called for a pinch hitter for Sanguinity's gift; I also knew there were two pinch hits this round. By the time we got to the guessing post I knew that one outside pinch hitter had volunteered themselves, while the other was already a fest participant (given that only one of the two pinch-hitters required an extra gift). It did occur to me that, when the first pinch hit call went out, maybe a friend of Sanguinity's might have volunteered either to join the fest on her behalf or, if they were already here, to create something for her that they hadn't initially offered in their sign up -- I especially wondered if maybe colebaltblue might have done that. But I've heard colebaltblue's voice before, thanks to the convention panel she and Sang did together last year discussing Holmestice. And I decided it didn't quite sound like her voice. So I settled on you as the most likely after all!:)

But I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that this did contribute to my overlooking your hand in Douillet! I was under the mistaken impression that you had also written Masterpiece, mainly because the author's note for that story says "written in a huge rush," which is a phrase I associate strongly with you in your posts over at watsons_woes :) Since the pinch-hitter's gift must have come from the mods, I had the choice between you, tweed, and spacemutineer, and I thought you had already created two works and that Douillet would have made three, which seemed excessive! So I guessed one of your co-mods instead :P

Oh the tangled webs we weave!

[scfrankles]

The Taste of Truth: I enjoyed this fic a great deal and was so impressed by it - the creativity, the reframing of events in canon to make everything recognisable but entirely new, and that balance of examining the characters’ feelings but also giving the reader an engrossing story, wondering what’s going to happen next.

Some minor things I noted about this particular fic:

the author knows how to use the DW blockquote html tags. Yes, ok, a very minor thing but not everyone is comfortable and competent with html;

the length. That made me think of a particular author who had written something of a similar length for Holmestice;

Holmes and Watson aren’t written as soulmates and Mary isn’t written as a minor bump in the road to them getting together. Watson has feelings for and is attracted to Holmes. He makes his move, is rejected and… he gets over it, moves on and falls in love with someone else, as people tend to do in real life. When he finds out Holmes had in fact felt the same way his reaction is rather dispassionate because he knows if his life had taken that path at that time, he would have missed out on his relationship with Mary. That way of looking at things again makes me think of a particular author;

and finally, in the fic Moriarty’s work On the Dynamics of Asteroids is revealed to actually be nonsense. This is ringing a vague bell. I am half certain someone has brought up something similar before. And if my memory isn’t playing tricks on me, it might have been brought up by someone in my acquaintance who has a maths degree…?

Anyway, I’m guessing the author to be sanguinity.



Riddle Me This, Mr Holmes: This is one of the very last fics posted - the final two being a gift for one of the mods and a gift for an external pinch-hitter. I am going to put forward the hypothesis that “Riddle Me This, Mr Holmes” has actually been written by that external pinch-hitter.

Who could this author be? Well, there is some evidence as to their personality. “Warnings: Nah.” The fic is rather quirky and unusual. Rachelindeed has an extraordinarily positive and emotional response to the fic in her comment, indulging herself in the use of many capital letters. And also there is: “Additional notes to come on the AO3 following reveals.” Calling the site “the AO3” is perfectly correct but… hardly anyone actually calls it that.

And there is someone who isn’t officially part of the exchange but has been commenting on the gifts. And they haven’t commented on this one. I’m going to say this fic is a pinch-hit by ancientreader.

[rachelindeed]

Oh brilliant, it hadn't even occurred to me that ancientreader might have been the pinch-hitter for this round! Very cleverly reasoned, as usual :) And the concisely sharp, humorous, elegantly suggestive style of "Riddle Me" does indeed feel like her prose, now that you mention it!

And I am beyond surprise when it comes to Sanguinity at this point, so you may well be right about that one as well. I certainly consider her an excellent suspect. There are a few things about "Taste of Truth" that don't quite strike me as Sanguinity-like, I suppose, so I'll wait for the grand reveal to resolve all doubts!

[scfrankles]

There are a few things about "Taste of Truth" that don't quite strike me as Sanguinity-like, I suppose...

Yes, me too. I am honestly not confident about either guess ^^" But we shall see ^__^

[rachelindeed]

Sanguinity has just reminded me, though, that she loves epistolary fic and is currently enrolled in an exchange focused on fics that tell their stories through letters or diary entries...maybe writing "Taste" revived her (wait for it) taste for that genre and inspired her to write more for her other fandoms in that style? Your guess is looking better and better, I think...

Also, as long as I'm diving back into the guessing post: I think maybe Love As Fearful Torment might be Garonne's.

[rachelindeed]

You were right as usual! Amazing detection!

And we both missed Capt_Facepalm, of course, because THE EXCHANGE RULES CHANGED HOW VERY FIENDISH, lol! But even there your instincts were on the trail! Hers was indeed the ack! of a fic writer approaching her goal (while also presumably snickering into her sleeve!)

[scfrankles]

The things is, we were both maybe 25% there. You realised that all but one creation were H/W and therefore capt_facepalm couldn't have come up with anything but her own gift. And I realised that the comment on the mods' chivvying post probably meant she hadn't dropped out. (I really don't think someone who was actually thinking of dropping out would draw attention to themself in that way, but I do wonder if capt_facepalm left the comment to try and make us think she was having trouble with her fic. I am pretty certain she hung back with the commenting to make us think she'd dropped out.)

But we didn't put those facts together because we weren't prepared for that Napoleon of Crime-level of sneakiness ^___^

[methylviolet10b]

Apparently our announcement of the reveal on April 1 inspired the good Captain a great deal. We couldn't resist the request to be assigned to create their own gift; it was just too brilliant an idea. :-)

[ancientreader]

I really, really thought that if I left off the usual obsessive source notes I could sneak past all the Holmeses in this comm, especially since I wasn't even a participant. BUT NO. Busted, as always!

[sanguinity]

Even the scantest author note is enough for these bloodhounds!

[sanguinity]

Masterfully guessed, as always! Thank you for your kind comments; I do not mind in the least being known for giving Mary her due. I remember writing the journal entries about Dynamics and wondering if you'd nail me for that particular headcanon, but I honestly thought it was the backstory set in Nelson's navy that was going to be the anonymity-buster. (After you made this guess, I said to my beta that maybe I should get myself some new mathematical headcanons for Moriarty? She replied that it wouldn't help; I'd still write Moriarty like someone who had informed opinions about mathematics.)

[scfrankles]

I think when I got to the line another sketch of two Naval gentlemen wearing the high cocked hats of Nelson's era..., I may have thought of you and your other major fandom ^___^ But it was primarily your attitude to Watson's relationships with Holmes and Mary - giving them equal weight - that made me think of you.

And it makes me smile that I had (half) managed to recognise you from your mathematical headcanons for Moriarty, of all things ^__^

[sanguinity]

It makes me smile, too. I'm very flattered that you remembered that little sixty!

[scfrankles]

Oh, it was a 60! Thanks for putting me out of my misery - I just couldn't put my finger on the context. I'd thought it was something you'd mentioned on Tumblr, to be honest ^___^

[sanguinity]

The Dynamics of Intimidation. Although I might have talked about it more generally on the comm, too.

[ancientreader]

CURSES! FOILED AGAIN!

[scfrankles]

I was so pleased with myself for spotting you ^__^ It was one of those times where, after looking at all the clues, the solution seemed to come on its own in a leap of inspiration.

[scfrankles]

I also suspect that Capt_Facepalm may also have bowed out, since they do not ship Holmes/Watson and every fic this round was Holmes/Watson except for the one written for them. This is an excellent piece of reasoning from my colleague Rachel. I hadn’t thought about that at all.

But it got me thinking, and I really don’t believe that Capt_Facepalm dropped out. On the post reminding participants that their works were due in a few days, Capt_Facepalm left the comment “Ack!” That to me is the clear and recognisable ack! of a fanfic writer who is almost at the end but just knows they have to get their finger out.

So, if they didn’t drop out… then they must have written an H/W fic. And with one fic, the formatting looks kind of familiar. And the emphasis is on the intriguing and moving case that Watson relates to Holmes - the relationship between them is entirely naturally and skilfully drawn but kept a little more to the background. And the fic is firmly PG.

I am going to be bold, and say that He’s Not Here is by capt_facepalm.

[scfrankles]

In the cold light of day, I must admit Rachel is absolutely right. Capt_Facepalm probably did drop out, and as saki101 has generously commented on pretty much everything, going by the lack of any comment on "He's Not Here", they must have written it.

Another couple of guesses though:

To Cast Light on Each: Putting Eugenia Ronder and Elsie Cubitt together in a fic is such an inspired connection to have made. I was so impressed by that. And the story is so moving - the exchange at the end between Mrs. Ronder and Mrs. Cubitt had me in tears. The author has taken inspiration from poetry and song lyrics. And the fic has many comments but one particular generous commenter is missing. So, I’m not certain but putting all those points together, I’m going to guess the author is rachelindeed.

Simplicity Itself: Another participant has also been a generous commenter, so that allowed me to whittle possibilities down a bit. Just going by general style, and the fact there are some useful notes at the end, I am going to say this is by mightymads.

[rachelindeed]

Saki101 has been wonderfully generous with their comments, they are often lovely like that! Having been granted the honor of appearing as your colleague in this thread, I will talk shop for a moment and add that one of the most distinctive elements of saki101's style is their rich descriptiveness when it comes to details of furniture, architecture, or clothing. They have a vivid visual imagination and a love for material culture and physical artifacts. To me the peacock motif of Madame Willow's room, particularly the details of the seance table, seemed like saki101's thumbprint in that story. Note also the delicate descriptions of inner and outer robe, with attention paid to color and texture. And finally, the very distinctive, pretty, and ornate curlicue at the close of the story is a text pattern that saki101 has used before to separate sections in their stories :)

[saki101]

Speaking of being generous with their wonderful comments, Rachelindeed! Yours always make me so very happy!

I am intrigued that it was the description of the room and the table that totally gave me away. :-D *chuckling* And, and...you recognised the style of my ending curlicue!! That is careful reading with all capital letters and several exclamation marks!!!

Thank you, thank you!

[rachelindeed]

Now that I'm at liberty to say so, thank you so much for your lovely comments about To Cast Light on Each, I'm so happy that you liked it! :) Once I thought about it, I was surprised by how much Elsie and Eugenia seemed to have in common.

I know that generally you don't really need to do your formatting analysis to recognize my works, but I want you to know that I changed my em-dashes and quotation marks just for you <333333

[scfrankles]

...I want you to know that I changed my em-dashes and quotation marks just for you <333333

You know, I did actually notice that your fic used single quotation marks, and was planning on doing a bit of compare and contrast to track down the author. But once I'd read the fic properly and looked at all the other works, I decided it was very likely to be yours and didn't need to do any further analysis. I appreciate the thought though :P