[[ooc. About Watson]]
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
There are so many contradictions within this fandom that I actually have to give a lot of thought in filling out dear Watson's history. For example, exactly how many wives did Watson have? I have no idea. I could hazard a guess at three, but Doyle never specifies within his stories. And then, was he shot in the shoulder or in the leg in that battle of Maiwand? The first story written, A Study in Scarlet, details that Watson had been shot in the shoulder and then rescued by a faithful orderly. Later stories claim that Watson had been shot in the leg (the simple explanation would be that Doyle simply forgot where he put the wound and was too lazy to look it up, never expecting for rabid fans to examine every word of his 60 stories), and I remedy this by having him shot in both areas (for the sake of this RP). My last example (though there are plenty more, I assure you) is when Watson's (assumed) second wife calls him James. Since Watson's first name is very much not James, fans have explained this away by pointing out Watson's middle initial: 'H,' which of course stood for 'Hamish,' a name of Scottish origin that means (you guessed it) 'James.' It's sort of my hope in joining this community that such small things are explained.
History: John Watson attended medical school at the University of London and then proceeded to train to become an army surgeon. After completing his training, Watson joined the army and fought in the second Afghan war. However, at the battle of Maiwand, he was wounded in the shoulder and leg by a Jezail bullet. After taking several months to heal, Watson is dispatched to London as an invalid. With no close family or friends within London, he drifts for about a month until he realizes that he is running out of money despite the pension he recieves. At this point, Watson runs into an old friend, to whom Watson confesses that he is in need of cheaper (yet still comfortable) housing. This old friend very helpfully suggests that he share an apartment with someone and then they could split the rent. And this friend also very helpfully has someone in mind.
ENTER: SHERLOCK HOLMES.
After Holmes stuns Watson with the discovery of some chemical that causes blood to precipitate (allowing for the easier detection of blood at crime scenes and whatnot) and then stuns him again by deducing he had recently been in Afghanistan without any prior introduction, Holmes and Watson agree to share these nice rooms at 221b Baker Street. The friendship of the ages begins. :3 Holmes then proceeds to drag a not-very-reluctant Watson to various murders, kidnappings, thefts, you-name-it. In the second case (in order of publication), Holmes' client is Mary Morstan, who Watson becomes absolutely enamored with. They marry, Watson moves out of 221b Baker Street, starts up his own practice as a doctor, and settles down with his first wife. That doesn't mean he didn't still run around with Holmes, only that their adventures became less... frequent.
At some point, Holmes becomes involved with Professor Moriarty. He and Watson cross-country the Continent trying to escape from Moriarty's murderous goons, and [does this really count as a spoiler now? I mean the books were written practically a hundred years ago] Holmes wrestles Moriarty and falls off the Reichenbach Falls throws Moriarty off the Reichenbach Falls, faking his death, leaving Watson heartbroken as he returns to his life in London. But we all know that Holmes scares Watson shitless when he returns three years later. Published as 'The Empty House,' this short story, which details the return of Holmes to London after his three-year trek around the world, is rife with unanswered questions and holes. Nonetheless Watson claims to be perfectly happy with his friend, and they once again settle back into their old Baker Street apartments.
Although many more cases were published, Watson's own personal history becomes a bit muddled. More than one Sherlockian has pointed out that by 'The Adventure of the Illustrious Client', Watson had moved out into his own rooms at Queen Anne Street, although for what reason your guess is as good as mine (the consensus has been that Watson has married once again). Published cases are usually dated to no later than 1903, until Sherlock Holmes himself publishes a small adventure he had during retirement in 1907. Watson resurfaces in a story told in third person right on the eve of the first World War, and that is the last we hear of him from the Canon.
Personality: Incredibly easy-going and loyal to a fault, Watson is simply the best friend a man could ever have. He forgives all sorts of nonsense that normal people wouldn't forgive, like Holmes' extremely irritating egotistical manner, and he has a high tolerance for being dragged out of bed at all ungodly hours. When asked to name his vices, the only things he can come up with are that he owns a gun, his nerves are shaken due to the war, and that he's lazy.
Many misconceptions have occurred due to a certain actor's depiction of John Watson (ehem, Nigel Bruce) that became extremely famous (especially since he was paired with the extraordinarily talented Basil Rathbone). These misconceptions include (but are not limited to): Watson is stupid. Watson is clumsy. Watson is inept. Watson always messes things up. Watson sucks at life. But seriously, if Watson really was this kind of idiot, why would Sherlock Holmes the genius detective keep Watson around? Answer: he wouldn't, because Watson isn't and idiot. He is, in fact, extremely competent and is full of awesome supreme. He's not a bad shot with the gun, and he does the best he can given the circumstances he's in.
Holmes often uses Watson to think out loud - being of a solid character, Watson is not only a good listener, but also extremely discreet. Although Holmes did not need Watson to solve cases, textual evidence reveals that Holmes' thought processes are smoother when Watson is around. Unfortunately, since Watson's intelligence is meant to be only slightly higher than the average Victorian male, he is often subject to Holmes' rather blunt remarks regarding his mind (especially on the rare occasions in which Watson attempts to apply Holmes' methods of logic and fails). On the other hand, Holmes completely trusts Watson to ultimately do the right thing, and treats him as his moral anchor.
Finally, being a doctor meant that Watson does have a very caring, open (and as a certain detective might say, gullible) heart. This balances the rather cold, calculating demeanor of Sherlock Holmes, who might forget the people in lieu of the puzzle. While Holmes might rarely notice if a woman has any beauty of any sort, choosing instead to focus on the task at hand, Watson would most definitely notice. The details which Watson might notice are distinctly different from what Holmes would notice: for example, while Holmes might notice the ink stain on a visitor's finger, Watson would comment on their appearance. Holmes has been known to call Watson a 'ladies man.'