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holmesticeTitle: Strange Coincidences Leading to the Most Outre Results
Recipient:armchair_elvis
Author:amindamazed
Verse: Elementary; Mary Russell
Characters/Pairings: Mary Russell, Sherlock Holmes, Joan Watson, Mrs Hudson, Ms Hudson, Kitty Winter
Rating: Gen
Warnings: none
Summary: what if Mary Russell was born 100 years later and ended up in NYC instead of Sussex? A bit of not-fic for a story that never came
As I was reading through everyone's Holmestice posts and got to yours, I had a flash of inspiration for this modern-day AU/fusion of Elementary and Mary Russell. Sadly, try as I might, no actual story or plot materialized in time; only more detail to the set-up. So I offer this toarmchair_elvis as a Holmestice treat in hopes it may amuse, and to everyone as a prompt, in hopes it may inspire someone to take it further. And I'd love to read additional speculation about this fusion in the comments.
At first I thought Mary would take Kitty's spot in the Elementary 'verse but eventually (thankfully!) realized there's no need: it's perfectly reasonable that Watson and Sherlock would have more than one apprentice, and perfectly in character that they'd discern potential in more than one determined, bitter young woman who had hard times in her past. Not to mention fascinating to contemplate the eventual adventures of Winter and Russell!
In this fusion, Mary's backstory is basically the same, except that instead of going to live with an aunt in Sussex, she ends up in New York City, in the care of foster-mother Russell!Mrs Hudson. (because reasons) This version of Mrs Hudson may or may not have met Sherlock Holmes long ago but did have a child from whom she was tragically separated decades before (as detailed in Russell 'verse), who turns out to be Elementary!Ms Hudson. Mrs + Ms Hudsons' reunion is a possible conduit that eventually connects this modern-day Mary with Sherlock and Watson. Or Mrs Hudson herself could be the link — if, say, she did meet Sherlock as she did in Russell 'verse — and she's the one who introduces Ms Hudson to Sherlock when he needed an expert in ancient Greek. Or it could be a coincidence that both Hudsons already know Sherlock before they find each other again - does Sherlock reunite them? However it happened, one or both Hudson could set up the circumstances that result in Mary meeting Sherlock and Watson.
Whatever the mechanism, Mary is extra prickly when they all meet, perhaps being unsettled and unsure of her place in Mrs Hudson's affections with the return of Ms Hudson to her life. (Mary would be intrigued, maybe intimidated, maybe jealous of Ms Hudson's status as an independent scholar.) There are any number of reasons from the Elementary 'verse why Watson and Sherlock might be similarly out of sorts and defensive with each other at this point, so the initial meeting of the three could have a similar tone to the meeting of Russell and Holmes in Russell 'verse.
Mary could eventually study both religion and chemistry at Columbia, perhaps? Harvard is an obvious analog to Oxford but may be a bit too on the nose. MIT might be a better parallel for her scientific side, but there's no theological option offered there. Perhaps she does *hand-wavey* dual degrees at MIT and Harvard Divinity School. The travel time (and travel snafus) between NYC and Boston in the early 21st century approximates that between Sussex and Oxford 100 years earlier, and the struggle to balance her academic aspirations with wanting to also work with Sherlock and Watson could still play a part. In addition or instead, Ms Hudson could become an academic mentor, as there are some areas of overlap between Classical studies and early theological studies. There must be some way to weave Dunleavy into this world, too, either keeping or revising the Moriarty connection.
I personally don't see Mary pairing off with this Sherlock (or this Watson), although as hinted above, maybe some day Mary and Kitty...?
Recipient:
armchair_elvisAuthor:
amindamazedVerse: Elementary; Mary Russell
Characters/Pairings: Mary Russell, Sherlock Holmes, Joan Watson, Mrs Hudson, Ms Hudson, Kitty Winter
Rating: Gen
Warnings: none
Summary: what if Mary Russell was born 100 years later and ended up in NYC instead of Sussex? A bit of not-fic for a story that never came
As I was reading through everyone's Holmestice posts and got to yours, I had a flash of inspiration for this modern-day AU/fusion of Elementary and Mary Russell. Sadly, try as I might, no actual story or plot materialized in time; only more detail to the set-up. So I offer this to
armchair_elvis as a Holmestice treat in hopes it may amuse, and to everyone as a prompt, in hopes it may inspire someone to take it further. And I'd love to read additional speculation about this fusion in the comments.At first I thought Mary would take Kitty's spot in the Elementary 'verse but eventually (thankfully!) realized there's no need: it's perfectly reasonable that Watson and Sherlock would have more than one apprentice, and perfectly in character that they'd discern potential in more than one determined, bitter young woman who had hard times in her past. Not to mention fascinating to contemplate the eventual adventures of Winter and Russell!
In this fusion, Mary's backstory is basically the same, except that instead of going to live with an aunt in Sussex, she ends up in New York City, in the care of foster-mother Russell!Mrs Hudson. (because reasons) This version of Mrs Hudson may or may not have met Sherlock Holmes long ago but did have a child from whom she was tragically separated decades before (as detailed in Russell 'verse), who turns out to be Elementary!Ms Hudson. Mrs + Ms Hudsons' reunion is a possible conduit that eventually connects this modern-day Mary with Sherlock and Watson. Or Mrs Hudson herself could be the link — if, say, she did meet Sherlock as she did in Russell 'verse — and she's the one who introduces Ms Hudson to Sherlock when he needed an expert in ancient Greek. Or it could be a coincidence that both Hudsons already know Sherlock before they find each other again - does Sherlock reunite them? However it happened, one or both Hudson could set up the circumstances that result in Mary meeting Sherlock and Watson.
Whatever the mechanism, Mary is extra prickly when they all meet, perhaps being unsettled and unsure of her place in Mrs Hudson's affections with the return of Ms Hudson to her life. (Mary would be intrigued, maybe intimidated, maybe jealous of Ms Hudson's status as an independent scholar.) There are any number of reasons from the Elementary 'verse why Watson and Sherlock might be similarly out of sorts and defensive with each other at this point, so the initial meeting of the three could have a similar tone to the meeting of Russell and Holmes in Russell 'verse.
Mary could eventually study both religion and chemistry at Columbia, perhaps? Harvard is an obvious analog to Oxford but may be a bit too on the nose. MIT might be a better parallel for her scientific side, but there's no theological option offered there. Perhaps she does *hand-wavey* dual degrees at MIT and Harvard Divinity School. The travel time (and travel snafus) between NYC and Boston in the early 21st century approximates that between Sussex and Oxford 100 years earlier, and the struggle to balance her academic aspirations with wanting to also work with Sherlock and Watson could still play a part. In addition or instead, Ms Hudson could become an academic mentor, as there are some areas of overlap between Classical studies and early theological studies. There must be some way to weave Dunleavy into this world, too, either keeping or revising the Moriarty connection.
I personally don't see Mary pairing off with this Sherlock (or this Watson), although as hinted above, maybe some day Mary and Kitty...?
