Aha!

[selenak]

Much as there are easy markers by which to divide movieverse Avengers fanfiction written after the movie got actually released from the fanfic written before that based onl the other films and the comics (to wit: does Bruce Banner have a personality and a prominent role in the story? Does Natasha have characterisation and dialogue? Is either of them paired up with another Avenger? If so, it's likely to be written post release and based on the film), it's now easy to separate the Hobbit fanfic written pre movie release from that written post movie release. (Hint: if the central pairing is Bilbo/Thorin an/or if Kili and Fili are involved, and/or if Bofur has dialogue and characterisation, it's based on the movie.) Now, given the phenomenon discussed in this post of writers pairing up characters because their actors played roles involved in a popular slash pairing elsewhere, one pre-release pairing that was subsequently crushed by the mighty tide of Bilbo/Thorin was Bilbo/Smaug.

It occured to me that frustrated Sherlockians need not despair, but rather feel inspired. Because the new popularity of Bilbo/Thorin should free the way, on the same general principle that caused pre-release Bilbo/Smaug, for John Watson/Lucas North (Armitage's character in Spooks), which was clearly meant to be. Lucas North spent years in Russian captivity, being tortured and forming a weird relationship with the torturer in chief. (It just occurs to me: he was Nicholas Brody before Brody got invented.) (Except that the answer to "is he or isn't he a terrorist?" was different.) (I think. I haven't watched the last two seasons yet.) He's in the spy business, which offers at least as much excitement as the consulting detective business, and between his imprisonment and several betrayals and losses of comrades occuring thereafter has enough issues to make Sherlock look like the picture of emotional health, only he's an adult. In conclusion: bring on the John Watson/Lucas North!

(I'm only half joking about this.)

Next: Guy of Gisborne/Lord Shaftebury: or, would the Restoration have survived so much smouldering? Comes complete with the Duke of Buckingham discovering he's really a police inspector at heart.

Comments

[likeadeuce]

Ooh, I've been meaning to watch the Armitage seasons of Spooks and now you've given me extra incentive. I also just saw season 1 of Homeland and am still mulling over what I think of it, but it was definitely well-done dramatically speaking.

[saturnofthemoon]

Bilbo/Smaug? But how do you even....nevermind, I don't want to know. Funny thing is that I don't even ship John/Sherlock because the writers so obviously want us to....and I'm just rebellious.

[kittydesade]

Just skimming through on Network and this post is the best thing I"ve seen all week. I may have to go mainline the Armitage seasons of Spooks, now. I've already subjected myself to Robin Hood!

[weewarrior]

Lucas North/John Watson: I've already seen gifs for that on tumblr, although I think they were used for a sort of modern Hobbit AU (go on, imagine Bilbo Baggins as an MI-6 agent).

Are Armitage's Spooks seasons worth watching? I would need huge amounts of bribery money to watch Robin Hood, but I guess I could live with a spy drama.

[kalypso]

Just noticed on the sherlockbbc comm: "John Watson/Sebastian Moran (Past Bilbo/Thorin) - Reincarnation AU". Couldn't check it out, as there didn't seem to be any link, but evidently the absence of Richard Armitage in Sherlock is being rectified by casting him as a not-yet-seen character!