Honey and the Bee
Okay, so, thanks to this sweet video, my brain took off on a walkabout regarding Elementary last night. It was fun. :-)
It occurred to me - I've mentioned before how I love the set design and colors of the Brownstone. It's shabby, enough that you can't imagine anyone happily wanting to live there, with the peeling wallpaper and dodgy electrical wiring, grungy plumbing and tiles that look like they aren't ever going to come clean. And yet, the shabbiness serves to highlight that it's not the physical surroundings - instead, it's the other person being there that makes it a home, someplace you want to return to, to stay.
But the colors are inviting, too - all the golds, browns and reds. It's warm and cozy, even in its shabbiness - it glows with the warmth of love and home, to be somewhat cliche about it. (Even Joan's room plays into this - her room is not like the rest of the house, instead it tends toward pale grays, dingy blues and greens. Her room is lonely, empty, apart from the rooms they share together.)
And then last night, especially after watching and thinking about that video, it occurred to me (and I don't know if this was intentional, but it could well be - I'd love if TPTB could elaborate) that.....the colors of the Brownstone are the colors of honey. From the pale, clear straw color, through goldenrod, apricot, into a deep amber, right into cinnamon, nutmeg, cherry, and a rich molasses.
I have loved the motif of the bee throughout the whole series - how one solitary, rare/endangered bee somehow connects with an ordinary bee, becomes part of their society, and they create an entirely new species - something original, a blend of both of them, new and possibly better than either of them alone.
But bees make more than new bees - bees make honey. Something so delectable, sweet, and valuable due to the effort required to produce it. Something designed to give both energy and pleasure.
The Brownstone is a visual representation of this sweet, rich nourishment that Sherlock and Joan are producing together.
And then my mind took a turn and went all cutesy on me. :-)
In CBS-canon-land, I adore Sherlock and Joan as platonic partners. I believe that not only is that more true to the original canon, but it is unusual to see a m/f relationship that is deep, strong, affectionate and loving, and yet.....not romantic. Or at least - not sexually romantic. I believe you can actually have platonic romance, no matter gender or orientation, and so I am watching Elementary with great interest, to see if the writers can keep this up. It's fascinating.
In fanfic and fanvideos though? I ship it like FedEx. ♥ ♥ ♥
But here's the cutesy turn.
I don't write much fanfic, sadly - I occasionally have ideas, but my standards are higher than what I can produce, so it turns into an exercise in frustration. But I was reminded of a writer-friend's foray into young-adult fiction, and I thought - *that's* what Elementary fanfic needs!
Hear me out:
Imagine ten years or so into the future. A young girl is sharpening her remarkable deductive skills on her neighborhood, friends and 4th-grade classmates, much to their annoyance - as she can sometimes be too sharp...and not always right, though she always means well.
Her name? Honey Holmes. Madeleine Beatrice Holmes, technically (named for a grandmother she'd never met), but always known as Honey - although if you call her Honey B., she'll hit you.
Yeah. It's silly, but I think it's adorable, could be COMPLETELY AWESOME if it were done right, and I'm so sad that I don't have the skills to bring it to life. I can't even draw a picture from my imagination, which would of course be kick-ass and adorable.
But I had fun sketching it out in my mind, so that counts for something, right?
Edit - oh my goodness, Honey Holmes just dropped into my inbox. Well, an image that comes awfully close to matching my mental picture of her - a bit younger, but still.
It occurred to me - I've mentioned before how I love the set design and colors of the Brownstone. It's shabby, enough that you can't imagine anyone happily wanting to live there, with the peeling wallpaper and dodgy electrical wiring, grungy plumbing and tiles that look like they aren't ever going to come clean. And yet, the shabbiness serves to highlight that it's not the physical surroundings - instead, it's the other person being there that makes it a home, someplace you want to return to, to stay.
But the colors are inviting, too - all the golds, browns and reds. It's warm and cozy, even in its shabbiness - it glows with the warmth of love and home, to be somewhat cliche about it. (Even Joan's room plays into this - her room is not like the rest of the house, instead it tends toward pale grays, dingy blues and greens. Her room is lonely, empty, apart from the rooms they share together.)
And then last night, especially after watching and thinking about that video, it occurred to me (and I don't know if this was intentional, but it could well be - I'd love if TPTB could elaborate) that.....the colors of the Brownstone are the colors of honey. From the pale, clear straw color, through goldenrod, apricot, into a deep amber, right into cinnamon, nutmeg, cherry, and a rich molasses.
I have loved the motif of the bee throughout the whole series - how one solitary, rare/endangered bee somehow connects with an ordinary bee, becomes part of their society, and they create an entirely new species - something original, a blend of both of them, new and possibly better than either of them alone.
But bees make more than new bees - bees make honey. Something so delectable, sweet, and valuable due to the effort required to produce it. Something designed to give both energy and pleasure.
The Brownstone is a visual representation of this sweet, rich nourishment that Sherlock and Joan are producing together.
And then my mind took a turn and went all cutesy on me. :-)
In CBS-canon-land, I adore Sherlock and Joan as platonic partners. I believe that not only is that more true to the original canon, but it is unusual to see a m/f relationship that is deep, strong, affectionate and loving, and yet.....not romantic. Or at least - not sexually romantic. I believe you can actually have platonic romance, no matter gender or orientation, and so I am watching Elementary with great interest, to see if the writers can keep this up. It's fascinating.
In fanfic and fanvideos though? I ship it like FedEx. ♥ ♥ ♥
But here's the cutesy turn.
I don't write much fanfic, sadly - I occasionally have ideas, but my standards are higher than what I can produce, so it turns into an exercise in frustration. But I was reminded of a writer-friend's foray into young-adult fiction, and I thought - *that's* what Elementary fanfic needs!
Hear me out:
Imagine ten years or so into the future. A young girl is sharpening her remarkable deductive skills on her neighborhood, friends and 4th-grade classmates, much to their annoyance - as she can sometimes be too sharp...and not always right, though she always means well.
Her name? Honey Holmes. Madeleine Beatrice Holmes, technically (named for a grandmother she'd never met), but always known as Honey - although if you call her Honey B., she'll hit you.
Yeah. It's silly, but I think it's adorable, could be COMPLETELY AWESOME if it were done right, and I'm so sad that I don't have the skills to bring it to life. I can't even draw a picture from my imagination, which would of course be kick-ass and adorable.
But I had fun sketching it out in my mind, so that counts for something, right?
Edit - oh my goodness, Honey Holmes just dropped into my inbox. Well, an image that comes awfully close to matching my mental picture of her - a bit younger, but still.