Metafic: B221
BBC Sherlock
Rating: U
Set in the Mary Sue Sutherland metafic verse.
Summary: Mary Sue discusses writing techniques...
"Before we start, let me be clear that my interest in 221Bs is purely for a case."
"Of course. Because why would the great Sherlock Holmes stoop to writing fanfic?"
"Less sarcasm, Miss Sutherland. You're an idiot, but try at least to be a useful idiot."
"Remind me again why I'm helping you?"
"You want dirt on my brother's private life to incorporate in your RPFs."
"I prefer calling it background colour. But why come to me?"
"I need someone with a rudimentary grasp of both mathematics and fanfic. The intersection of those two sets has remarkably few members. Lestrade believes that our suspect's using some variant of the old trick of having every third word in a text spell out a message."
"As in the Gloria Scott case?"
"Exactly. But surely that's implausible?"
"Extremely. The 221B's a pretty strict form. It'd be tough to get more than a very short message into one while retaining any proper narrative. Much easier with a longer fic."
"You could doubtless camouflage the entire text of a naval treaty within some of your own effusions, Miss Sutherland. Yet you also persistently continue to churn out 221Bs."
"When they work, they're very satisfying. Though I tend to cheat, naturally."
"Naturally. How?"
"I think of a word starting with B and then write the fic backwards."
Rating: U
Set in the Mary Sue Sutherland metafic verse.
Summary: Mary Sue discusses writing techniques...
"Before we start, let me be clear that my interest in 221Bs is purely for a case."
"Of course. Because why would the great Sherlock Holmes stoop to writing fanfic?"
"Less sarcasm, Miss Sutherland. You're an idiot, but try at least to be a useful idiot."
"Remind me again why I'm helping you?"
"You want dirt on my brother's private life to incorporate in your RPFs."
"I prefer calling it background colour. But why come to me?"
"I need someone with a rudimentary grasp of both mathematics and fanfic. The intersection of those two sets has remarkably few members. Lestrade believes that our suspect's using some variant of the old trick of having every third word in a text spell out a message."
"As in the Gloria Scott case?"
"Exactly. But surely that's implausible?"
"Extremely. The 221B's a pretty strict form. It'd be tough to get more than a very short message into one while retaining any proper narrative. Much easier with a longer fic."
"You could doubtless camouflage the entire text of a naval treaty within some of your own effusions, Miss Sutherland. Yet you also persistently continue to churn out 221Bs."
"When they work, they're very satisfying. Though I tend to cheat, naturally."
"Naturally. How?"
"I think of a word starting with B and then write the fic backwards."