And yes, when I'm not scripted, this is the speed at which I think out loud. No Sherlock Holmes am I! 😁

221B Con and Community YouTube video by A Study in Imagination

I recorded a little video last weekend at 221B Con so that I would have something to share this week. Someday I'll cover this topic in more depth, but for now, here are some reflections on community.

youtu.be/QiRNcP-nD_I

We have gone from "incredible weekend" to "FML." 🤦‍♀️ Can't I just sleep in peace???? I don't want to go down to my basement — it's cold and there are big spiders down there!

And I can't find any information about local alerts online. Maybe because it really is rare for us to get a tornado here? But it's still not impossible. I'd feel better if I knew for sure that I'd get SOME kind of alert if a funnel showed up!

And the more I learn about tornadoes so that I can try to know when one might be HERE... the more terrified I am that one could come upon us and we'd never know until it's too late. I don't think my lakeside town has a siren. I've certainly never heard one being tested.

So... I can only pray that my friends and family and I here in southern Michigan all stay safe tonight... We have had more severe storms this spring than I can ever remember having before, and they're mostly at night and include tornado watches, which is also unusual for this area here on the lake.

Some moments from @221bcon.bsky.social this past weekend, all featuring the lovely @curtisisbooger.bsky.social. Also featuring @sherlockphd.bsky.social and @bradkeefauver.bsky.social. 💛💛🖤

At @221bcon.bsky.social: An Hour with @sherlockphd.bsky.social and @curtisisbooger.bsky.social. Love these nerds. 💜💙🩶

There are still more things I need to do, but right now, things are okay, rather than things being a massive mess with me running around with my hair on fire.

But... the world... *gestures expansively* So... yeah.

Like, I have been getting things DONE. I'm still not making enough money, but I have been getting things done that need doing, and I'm in a better place right now than I thought I'd be. In a month, I could even start seeing a therapist for the first time ever.

I feel stupid for saying this but it's very confusing emotionally, because I'm relieved and happy and scared and angry all at the same time, and all for very valid reasons.

On one hand, things are looking up for me, personally, right now. Not as far up as I would like, but still up.

On the other hand, the world is absolutely insane right now and could quickly get WORSE, and...

Oh, and yes, that's my art. 😊

The Underappreciated Beginning of The Lord of the Rings YouTube video by A Study in Imagination

I love the first half of #TheFellowshipoftheRing — Old Forest, Tom Bombadil, and all — and I had to make a video about it. Stay tuned for discussions of conspiracies, Black Riders, and Fatty Lumpkin! 😁
#LotR
youtu.be/UmgguR86EgU

I will say this: when people say something like, "it's a good story, it's just not Sherlock Holmes" — and I have heard this said about multiple adaptations and pastiches... All I can think is, my idea of Sherlock Holmes is big enough to encompass just about everything we've ever put him through.

I can't wait to podcast about this. I have to save my thoughts for the podcast! And I probably CAN'T record about it this week because I'll be busy getting ready for 221B Con! *flails*

Finished #YoungSherlock. That was really good. The second half of the show (season? please? I want more) differed from the first half, but I think they laid the groundwork well enough in the first half that it wasn't too jarring. I enjoyed it so much, and I hope we'll get a second season.

Five television programs to get to know me:
Sherlock Holmes (Granada)
Doctor Who
The Nanny
Avatar: The Last Airbender
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1950s)

YAAAAASSSSSSSSSS

As more people outsource their brains and creativity, those of us who fight to keep our grey matter sharp and fluid will be more sought after than ever. Demand grows higher when supply grows smaller, after all. It will suck for a while, no doubt about that. But keep fighting the good fight.

Call me naive, but while I do fear things will get worse before they get better re: AI, I also believe that eventually, true artists and writers will win out. Study after study has shown the masses do not like or want content spat out by generative AI, and eventually, this will impact companies.

One thing is for sure: I really need to do a video essay about this moment — the Witch King rides into Minas Tirith, but then a rooster crows, and Sauron's darkness breaks, and Theoden rises "out of the shadows to a last fair morning." It's such a breathtakingly beautiful moment.
#LotR #Tolkienverse

I'm still rereading #TheReturnoftheKing, and I just finished the chapter "The Ride of the Rohirrim," which ends on Theoden and his army charging into battle just in the nick of time to save Minas Tirith. And I started crying. I'm not sure why. That's never happened before.

True, true! I know the Ronald Howard fandom is dedicated, but it’s still too small — I would love to see more love for him and H. Marion Crawford! They’re so wonderful!

Oh no, it's not dead, certainly — just not white-hot like it was ten years ago. Cumberbatch will remain the iconic Holmes of the early twenty-first century; there's no getting around that.

Well, yes, it doesn't help Brett's popularity that he was on television rather than in movies, and specifically on PBS in the US. But I've moved in Granada fandom circles for a long time on Tumblr, and the love there is pretty strong, and primarily from folks around my age or younger.

Oh, I won't deny that Granada fans can be obnoxious, too. I must admit I'm more sympathetic to those arguments, but I wouldn't post them in a Rathbone comment section; that's just rude. :)

Most listeners ARE first-timers to the stories — in fact, a lot of them are children and teenagers. According to the website Podcasting Today, the show gets 800K downloads per month, and has almost 4K Patreon subscribers. It's not Sherlock levels of huge, but it's pretty significant nonetheless.

Rabid BBC Sherlock fans haven't really been a thing for several years now. Jeremy Brett is often THE screen Sherlock Holmes for younger Sherlockians, although nowadays Sherlock & Co. is EXTREMELY popular.

But yes, in traditional circles, the Rathbone support can still be pretty overwhelming.

I really don't mean offense to any Sherlockians who are Basil Rathbone fans... but Basil Rathbone fans kind of ruined Basil Rathbone for me. 😅

Iconic for his time? Agreed! Not gonna deny his importance. But, nobody else can hold a candle to him? Nah, fam, miss me with that nonsense.