John H. Watson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bachelorblogger) wrote2023-08-21 10:08 am
bachelorblogger) wrote2023-08-21 10:08 am
Application | Ryslig
SPOILERS for BBC Sherlock CW: for mentions of PTSD, feigned suicide.
OOC INFORMATION
Name: Meowzy
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
meowzy / Meowzy @ Discord
Age: 35
Other Characters: Otto Octavius, Steven Grant
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: John Hamish Watson
Age: Never confirmed, presumed 40.
Canon: Sherlock (BBC)
Canon Point: After visiting Sherlock's grave at the end of The Reichenbach Fall. (s02E03)
Character Information: Baker Street Wikia Link
Personality:
We all know John Watson, trusted friend and right-hand man to the world's greatest (and only) consulting detective. BBC's adaptation of Sherlock brought this character into the modern day, but added a few other peculiar touches to him to be sure he isn't quite the Watson you'd expect him to be.
Let's start with the basics. One thing that hasn't changed is John's loyalty to his friend Sherlock Holmes. If anything, one could argue this trait has been amplified. In this particular adaptation, Sherlock is a very difficult person to be around. When John first meets him, this man has no real friends and is rude to anyone he meets, even his own landlady. Even so, John decides to give him a chance and from this, Sherlock's first real friendship is born. No matter how dangerous the situation, John sticks by him. No matter how many of his potential relationships are ruined because of his association with Sherlock, John doesn't even consider finding other living quarters. When people like Sergeant Donovan accuse Sherlock of creating his own murders just to solve them, John refuses to accept the notion. He tries to protect Sherlock's reputation from defamation, even steers him gently in the right direction when it comes to PR moments. The further down Moriarty's rabbit hole of 'Holmes is a fraud' they go, the more determined John is to help prove the opposite.
But this brings us to one of the reason why John takes on the challenge of being Sherlock's assistant of sorts. It isn't just because they're friends, it's because John is a thrill-seeker. This is already revealed to us in the very first episode. When serving in Afghanistan as an army doctor, he sustained an injury and PTSD, but the latter doesn't manifest the way one might think. He didn't develop a limp in his leg and a tremor in his hand because he is afraid of the battlefield, he developed those things because he misses it. The thrill of the hunt, the adrenaline, the excitement... John needs these aspects in his life in order to function. John has seen 'enough injuries and violent death for a lifetime', but when the question is posed by Sherlock whether he'd like to see some more, the answer is a resounding "oh god, yes". From the (literal) moment he starts chasing criminals through the streets of London by Sherlock's side, John no longer requires a cane to get around. His hand becomes perfectly steady. He thrives, and his therapy sessions end, up until Sherlock supposedly dies at the end of the Reichenbach Fall. Only then does he return to speak to his therapist again after all that time. The adventures ended abruptly, and too much was left unsaid. John doesn't end up back in his depression, but it's implied that Mary Morstan's support is the reason he avoided that fate. Even after John's living the happily married life, he still has nightmares of the battlefield, just as he did when the series first started. He takes the first opportunity he can get to visit a crack den and pick a fight with a knife-wielding junkie, just to go fetch a neighbor kid he doesn't even know.
Normally, one would say that John Watson is the empathetic one of the duo. And sure, in a technical sense that's true for this one. He's more social, more caring of how they come across to other people and is generally nicer and more respectful to upset clients. Sherlock will say something blunt, and John will attempt to smooth things out again. That's just how it works. We see a few concrete, isolated instances of this supposed empathy. For example, when word reaches him that Mrs. Hudson has been shot in the Reichenbach Falls episode, he leaves St. Bartholomew's immediately to go see her. When his reclusive (and disgraced) old army superior attends his wedding, John shows genuine interest and concern regarding the man's current state of living. But here's the trouble: Those two instances are rare outliers. 90% of the time, this version of John Watson is only seen as empathetic when put alongside a much more abrasive Holmes. Viewing him separately, in nearly all other solo interactions with people, there's no denying that he's often rude and impatient. On several occasions, he appears exasperated when Mrs. Hudson starts rambling to him, doesn't know his neighbors very well (and, as Mary implies, isn't neighborly at all), barely reacts with empathy when a crying woman is on his doorstep... I wish I could assign this trait to him with full confidence, but alas.
The best we can attribute to him instead is that he's selfless. And not exactly in the virtuous way. I mean selfless in the self-destructive kind of way. John Watson will run through fire for the people he cares about, but he'll also light a fire for those he cares about. Mary once says: "John Watson never accepts help from anyone. But here's the thing, he never refuses it. [...] The only way to save John is to make him save you." He finds fulfillment in helping others, and in putting them before himself. A prime example is when Sherlock is forced to shoot either Mycroft or Watson in the Final Problem. Mycroft reasons that John is the one who has to die, and John just accepts that right off the bat. No arguments, and he doesn't even seem upset by it. Addicted to danger as he is, he'll go out of his way to protect even the most problematic people, no matter how badly it will end for himself.
John is fearless. In fact, in a way, he welcomes danger. He actively seeks it out. It plays right into the thrill-seeking problem. He doesn't flinch when there's a gun pointed his way. Having a bomb strapped to his chest is a discomfort at best. Even when under the effects of HOUND and supposedly having strong fear induced inside him, he doesn't fly into a panic like most others subjected to it. Instead, he has enough common sense to mask his breathing and find a hiding spot in the lab. The second time they're subjected to it, he barely flinches and instead shoots the would-be demon hound with a steady hand. It's like he's immune to fear. (Or it's just bad writing, but you know what? I'm leaning into it.)
At his wedding, Sherlock describes him as a romantic. That's already true on the surface level of the word, as John places a lot of importance on his developing relationships. He's tried dating several women before finally meeting Mary Morstan, hoping to take them on pleasant dates, only to have those disrupted by Holmes. He stumbles his way through his proposal to Mary, admitting that while he hasn't known her for all that long, she was the best thing to have happened to him. When he discovers she's been lying to him, it breaks him. He takes it so badly that he apparently doesn't speak to her for months, despite still associating with her on a 'client' level. Once he's done stewing, though, he decides that his love for her is what's more important than, you know, the fact that she's an undercover assassin. He claims he doesn't need to know about her past, that only her future is his privilege. He asks her if being Mary Watson is good enough for her, because it's enough for him.
But the trait runs deeper than that: John seems to romanticize most situations in a rather unhealthy way. Even his own friendship with Holmes, one could argue, is romanticized (in a platonic way) and put on a pedestal it doesn't quite deserve. Holmes can get away with all sorts of terrible behavior, like drugging John and manipulating him. While John's reaction is one of anger at first, it's all forgiven extremely fast. The only times John seems to hold onto his spite for longer than five minutes is when it appears their friendship might have been false (examples: Hounds of the Baskervilles and Holmes's sudden return from 'death' in The Empty Hearse), and the time he blames Holmes for Mary's death. Only then does he keep a cold-shouldered distance from Holmes, at least until the friendship is reaffirmed and they fall back into their usual status quo. And one could argue that even the notion of cheating on his wife is romanticized in a problematic manner, because he's more than happy to accept a phone number from another woman and exchange messages with her for a while, knowing full well it wouldn't work out. He later admits 'he wanted more'. He never acted on it, but the fact that another beautiful girl would smile at him and take interest in him had captivated him. He even romanticizes Holmes's interactions with Irene Adler. His mind sees romantic interest and potential between those two when there's... barely anything there.
Yep. This Watson is a shady one, and that's not all. There are times where John turns downright vicious. He can turn very sarcastic and defiant towards people he doesn't like, especially when he feels they've done wrong in his eyes. He won't hesitate to get his hands dirty, nor will he hesitate to get them bloody. When he gets angry, he will kick over a chair and shout at anyone around him. He has a strong moral compass, and combined with a stubborn nature, this can result in merciless actions. Hasty, impulsive, violent and without remorse. He shoots Jeff Hope in cold blood for manipulating Sherlock, as the detective is close to becoming the killer's next victim. He does so without hesitation; just pulls out his gun and fires. Were it not for Sherlock's protection, he would've been arrested for murder, and he doesn't even seem to care. When it's revealed in season 3 that Sherlock was alive for two whole years, John absolutely loses it. He lunges at Sherlock to assault him, resulting in them getting ejected from the fancy restaurant they were in. And then he attacks him again in a diner not long after. And again in a small take-away shop. Three consecutive physical attacks against his best friend with palpable consequences, but once again, John doesn't actually seem to care. Don't even get me started on the time he beats Holmes up severely in the Lying Detective. (The Final Problem tries to suddenly tell us that John has a 'moral code' and 'doesn't want to get blood on his hands', but that goes against everything set up about him so far, so... Nice try, Moffat.) When you get on his bad side, you get on his bad side.
5-10 Key Character Traits:
- Loyal
- Thrill-seeking
- Selfless
- Fearless
- Romantic
- Vicious
- Merciless
Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, EITHER, or opt for 100% RANDOMIZATION? Fits
Opt-Outs: Minotaur, Harpy, Pooka, Kelpie. Plus Merperson (Otto), Naphil (Steven)
Roleplay Sample:
Test Drive Meme top-level
Thread with Jon on the TDM
Thread with Britta Perry on the TDM
OOC INFORMATION
Name: Meowzy
Contact:
Age: 35
Other Characters: Otto Octavius, Steven Grant
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: John Hamish Watson
Age: Never confirmed, presumed 40.
Canon: Sherlock (BBC)
Canon Point: After visiting Sherlock's grave at the end of The Reichenbach Fall. (s02E03)
Character Information: Baker Street Wikia Link
Personality:
We all know John Watson, trusted friend and right-hand man to the world's greatest (and only) consulting detective. BBC's adaptation of Sherlock brought this character into the modern day, but added a few other peculiar touches to him to be sure he isn't quite the Watson you'd expect him to be.
Let's start with the basics. One thing that hasn't changed is John's loyalty to his friend Sherlock Holmes. If anything, one could argue this trait has been amplified. In this particular adaptation, Sherlock is a very difficult person to be around. When John first meets him, this man has no real friends and is rude to anyone he meets, even his own landlady. Even so, John decides to give him a chance and from this, Sherlock's first real friendship is born. No matter how dangerous the situation, John sticks by him. No matter how many of his potential relationships are ruined because of his association with Sherlock, John doesn't even consider finding other living quarters. When people like Sergeant Donovan accuse Sherlock of creating his own murders just to solve them, John refuses to accept the notion. He tries to protect Sherlock's reputation from defamation, even steers him gently in the right direction when it comes to PR moments. The further down Moriarty's rabbit hole of 'Holmes is a fraud' they go, the more determined John is to help prove the opposite.
But this brings us to one of the reason why John takes on the challenge of being Sherlock's assistant of sorts. It isn't just because they're friends, it's because John is a thrill-seeker. This is already revealed to us in the very first episode. When serving in Afghanistan as an army doctor, he sustained an injury and PTSD, but the latter doesn't manifest the way one might think. He didn't develop a limp in his leg and a tremor in his hand because he is afraid of the battlefield, he developed those things because he misses it. The thrill of the hunt, the adrenaline, the excitement... John needs these aspects in his life in order to function. John has seen 'enough injuries and violent death for a lifetime', but when the question is posed by Sherlock whether he'd like to see some more, the answer is a resounding "oh god, yes". From the (literal) moment he starts chasing criminals through the streets of London by Sherlock's side, John no longer requires a cane to get around. His hand becomes perfectly steady. He thrives, and his therapy sessions end, up until Sherlock supposedly dies at the end of the Reichenbach Fall. Only then does he return to speak to his therapist again after all that time. The adventures ended abruptly, and too much was left unsaid. John doesn't end up back in his depression, but it's implied that Mary Morstan's support is the reason he avoided that fate. Even after John's living the happily married life, he still has nightmares of the battlefield, just as he did when the series first started. He takes the first opportunity he can get to visit a crack den and pick a fight with a knife-wielding junkie, just to go fetch a neighbor kid he doesn't even know.
Normally, one would say that John Watson is the empathetic one of the duo. And sure, in a technical sense that's true for this one. He's more social, more caring of how they come across to other people and is generally nicer and more respectful to upset clients. Sherlock will say something blunt, and John will attempt to smooth things out again. That's just how it works. We see a few concrete, isolated instances of this supposed empathy. For example, when word reaches him that Mrs. Hudson has been shot in the Reichenbach Falls episode, he leaves St. Bartholomew's immediately to go see her. When his reclusive (and disgraced) old army superior attends his wedding, John shows genuine interest and concern regarding the man's current state of living. But here's the trouble: Those two instances are rare outliers. 90% of the time, this version of John Watson is only seen as empathetic when put alongside a much more abrasive Holmes. Viewing him separately, in nearly all other solo interactions with people, there's no denying that he's often rude and impatient. On several occasions, he appears exasperated when Mrs. Hudson starts rambling to him, doesn't know his neighbors very well (and, as Mary implies, isn't neighborly at all), barely reacts with empathy when a crying woman is on his doorstep... I wish I could assign this trait to him with full confidence, but alas.
The best we can attribute to him instead is that he's selfless. And not exactly in the virtuous way. I mean selfless in the self-destructive kind of way. John Watson will run through fire for the people he cares about, but he'll also light a fire for those he cares about. Mary once says: "John Watson never accepts help from anyone. But here's the thing, he never refuses it. [...] The only way to save John is to make him save you." He finds fulfillment in helping others, and in putting them before himself. A prime example is when Sherlock is forced to shoot either Mycroft or Watson in the Final Problem. Mycroft reasons that John is the one who has to die, and John just accepts that right off the bat. No arguments, and he doesn't even seem upset by it. Addicted to danger as he is, he'll go out of his way to protect even the most problematic people, no matter how badly it will end for himself.
John is fearless. In fact, in a way, he welcomes danger. He actively seeks it out. It plays right into the thrill-seeking problem. He doesn't flinch when there's a gun pointed his way. Having a bomb strapped to his chest is a discomfort at best. Even when under the effects of HOUND and supposedly having strong fear induced inside him, he doesn't fly into a panic like most others subjected to it. Instead, he has enough common sense to mask his breathing and find a hiding spot in the lab. The second time they're subjected to it, he barely flinches and instead shoots the would-be demon hound with a steady hand. It's like he's immune to fear. (Or it's just bad writing, but you know what? I'm leaning into it.)
At his wedding, Sherlock describes him as a romantic. That's already true on the surface level of the word, as John places a lot of importance on his developing relationships. He's tried dating several women before finally meeting Mary Morstan, hoping to take them on pleasant dates, only to have those disrupted by Holmes. He stumbles his way through his proposal to Mary, admitting that while he hasn't known her for all that long, she was the best thing to have happened to him. When he discovers she's been lying to him, it breaks him. He takes it so badly that he apparently doesn't speak to her for months, despite still associating with her on a 'client' level. Once he's done stewing, though, he decides that his love for her is what's more important than, you know, the fact that she's an undercover assassin. He claims he doesn't need to know about her past, that only her future is his privilege. He asks her if being Mary Watson is good enough for her, because it's enough for him.
But the trait runs deeper than that: John seems to romanticize most situations in a rather unhealthy way. Even his own friendship with Holmes, one could argue, is romanticized (in a platonic way) and put on a pedestal it doesn't quite deserve. Holmes can get away with all sorts of terrible behavior, like drugging John and manipulating him. While John's reaction is one of anger at first, it's all forgiven extremely fast. The only times John seems to hold onto his spite for longer than five minutes is when it appears their friendship might have been false (examples: Hounds of the Baskervilles and Holmes's sudden return from 'death' in The Empty Hearse), and the time he blames Holmes for Mary's death. Only then does he keep a cold-shouldered distance from Holmes, at least until the friendship is reaffirmed and they fall back into their usual status quo. And one could argue that even the notion of cheating on his wife is romanticized in a problematic manner, because he's more than happy to accept a phone number from another woman and exchange messages with her for a while, knowing full well it wouldn't work out. He later admits 'he wanted more'. He never acted on it, but the fact that another beautiful girl would smile at him and take interest in him had captivated him. He even romanticizes Holmes's interactions with Irene Adler. His mind sees romantic interest and potential between those two when there's... barely anything there.
Yep. This Watson is a shady one, and that's not all. There are times where John turns downright vicious. He can turn very sarcastic and defiant towards people he doesn't like, especially when he feels they've done wrong in his eyes. He won't hesitate to get his hands dirty, nor will he hesitate to get them bloody. When he gets angry, he will kick over a chair and shout at anyone around him. He has a strong moral compass, and combined with a stubborn nature, this can result in merciless actions. Hasty, impulsive, violent and without remorse. He shoots Jeff Hope in cold blood for manipulating Sherlock, as the detective is close to becoming the killer's next victim. He does so without hesitation; just pulls out his gun and fires. Were it not for Sherlock's protection, he would've been arrested for murder, and he doesn't even seem to care. When it's revealed in season 3 that Sherlock was alive for two whole years, John absolutely loses it. He lunges at Sherlock to assault him, resulting in them getting ejected from the fancy restaurant they were in. And then he attacks him again in a diner not long after. And again in a small take-away shop. Three consecutive physical attacks against his best friend with palpable consequences, but once again, John doesn't actually seem to care. Don't even get me started on the time he beats Holmes up severely in the Lying Detective. (The Final Problem tries to suddenly tell us that John has a 'moral code' and 'doesn't want to get blood on his hands', but that goes against everything set up about him so far, so... Nice try, Moffat.) When you get on his bad side, you get on his bad side.
5-10 Key Character Traits:
- Loyal
- Thrill-seeking
- Selfless
- Fearless
- Romantic
- Vicious
- Merciless
Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, EITHER, or opt for 100% RANDOMIZATION? Fits
Opt-Outs: Minotaur, Harpy, Pooka, Kelpie. Plus Merperson (Otto), Naphil (Steven)
Roleplay Sample:
Test Drive Meme top-level
Thread with Jon on the TDM
Thread with Britta Perry on the TDM