My mind feels warped after reading this... but in a good way! Your writing style is very good and a pleasure to read, capturing the emotions and events with words expertly. The three short sentences about Anthea's guises, for instance. No more than a sentence but you perfectly show their personality and a vivid image appears in my head; kind of reminds me L. M. Montgomery's (author of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES) way of writing. I have no idea where you got the idea for this (in fact, I'm not sure I totally understand it still) but it's very interesting and intriguing. Loved it!
-Starluff

Hi there! This is the SOTW in the RLt, so I thought I would drop by and see what's up. Thankfully, I am not canon-blind! :) ONWARD!

I have written about Anthea myself, and I was fascinated by the mystery that surrounds this woman. I have never seen her written about in a mythical way, so immediately I was intrigued by this beginning. And you know what, this would suit her character. In the show, she sounds a little like a goddess, with her gentle voice and presence, though I'm not sure goddesses use BlackBerrys, but I digress... :)

"There are skins, which are useful when she craves exploring at ground-level, full-formed, imagined souls with bodies and memories and credentials, which she tugs on gleefully like a child playing dress-up in its mother's wardrobe" - wow. This line to describe her different roles and how she came across them over the span of Time is mind blowing. To think that she had this much control over which 'skin' she takes on...wow.

I love how you describe each relationship with the three main men. Mycroft is IT, the man that captures her attention; Sherlock is just kind of there being Sherlock and John is just dismissable. Each description did a great job with mirroring her reactions and interactions to each of them in the show.

"She is London, after all" - a perfectly beautiful end to a piece that made my mind stretch itself. Thank you very much for writing this piece, it deserves the recognition! Good luck on your future projects!

What a marvelous take on that tiny little scene! I didn't even remember the name 'Anthea' until about halfway through, when it dawned on me who that was.

That character (whatever her real name might be, heh) struck me as a strong one, one capable of affecting a great amount of change herself (as much as Mycroft, with the same behind-the-scenes machinations), and yet she appears in perhaps one other scene in the nine episodes so far produced?

This characterization far surpassed any sort of influence I imagined she might wield. Considering her true nature, her preference for Mycroft over Sherlock certainly makes sense, and presents a very-welcome perspective, which differs greatly from the mass Sherlock-mad mobs.

Thank you very much for a beautiful read.

This was wonderful to read.
I love Sherlock, and it's intriguing to me how you explained in your own way the mystery of Anthea. We know next to nothing of her, so this was a really interesting take on her background; giving it a little bit of a supernatural feel.
You managed to convey a wonderful connection between how old London is, and how old Anthea's apparent background goes back. It was a powerful connection throughout the piece, and made it incredibly enjoyable to read.

The SPaG part of it was fine to me, nothing really stood out.
The last two lines of the story really brought it together nicely, and made me kind of smile on the outside:)

Very well written, very nicely done.

The beginning really fascinated me. I wasn’t expecting it to open with the thought of age. It really intrigued me and made me wonder what that had to do with the summary.

I loved the line “Still older ones created the blackness”. This made me feel as if Sherlock was speaking. It had such a vibe for him and set the tone so well, I could tell this was a Sherlock piece even if it hadn’t been categorized.

You really craft a living city. When you talk about her flowing like the Thames or stirring when something rouses her, it really breathes life into this fic and makes a city seem like a human being that Sherlock can communicate with.

I didn’t expect a look through the ages at who she’s been. I thought that was really nice. The visuals with the brooch and the 1920’s heiress were splendid. My favorite was the Victorian businessman’s daughter. I loved the visual of the russet hair, was curious about what you mean by ‘father’s’, and loved the part about the steps being girlish and uncertain. That was absolutely beautiful. I love how it lead into who she is today: Anthea.

I never thought about the fact that cities have skins and they’re all powerful. That is a great little thought-provoking piece to put in there.

I didn’t expect a jump to the woman and it caught me off guard. I didn’t expect her to be there with them. I really like how she classifies the three boys. I like that she sees Sherlock is less than his brother. It doesn’t appear though that this comment is because he actually is less, so much as the idea that he believes he’s less. I thought it interesting that she dismissed John entirely.

This was a very interesting concept. I love the writing.

Blue

I didn't quite understand the capitalization of "beings" in the first sentence, although it was clearly intentional. (I suppose it belongs in the same vein as "old" later on.) The sense of grandeur you imparted there was exceedingly clear, particularly with the mention of those who "created the blackness, filled it with cold stars and spinning rock."
Your description of her as "fixed but not chained" reminded me of fog, particularly in cities where it's all-pervasive.
The third sentence of the fourth paragraph seemed like a run-on. I'm surprised that you didn't split it after "ground-level." Also, are the apostrophes in "It's monitoring - or perhaps it's egotism" intentional? I tried to picture it both ways, but neither made a great deal of sense to me. (Lastly, this might be a difference of dialect, but shouldn't it have been "how different he is from the average mind of Man?")
Unlike most tense shifts in short works, the move into the present was nicely timed, and it flowed well. The comparison of Mycroft to a butterfly, while entirely appropriate, was a slightly amusing surprise. The shift from crude entendre to sweeping, beautiful metaphor at the end was similarly jolting. You have a real gift for switching moods without changing the style of your narration or the flow of events.

This was absolutely beautiful! Oh my word. I have always been interested about Anthea and I want to start writing about her soon. This piece was beautiful and I love the flow and chilling poetry of it. She reminded me of the TARDIS in some way. I really enjoyed the imagery, and the almost Gothic touch. The way you described her as protective over Mycroft and how she see's John and Sherlock. is absolutely perfect. Well, done. May I add it to the Non Slashers Unite c2?

-Bally

This was a very interesting story and I think an interesting take upon Sherlock as well. Never would have imagined a science fiction/supernatural story quite like this in the Sherlock universe. So major kudos on that. I really loved the voice you give to this narrator in the piece, it has this dark and almost slippery undercurrent to it that makes me think of an evil character, but it completely fits in the setting in which you are working. London has a lot of really dark and malevolent energies, is very old and has a lot of imprints left upon the Earth which could flavor it's paranormal side (which it has IMO).

Loved your opening line: ((She is not the oldest.)). So many ideas raced through my mind at who the 'she' automatically was you were referencing.

Your level of imagery here: ((Fixed but not chained, she flows, like the grey deep water of her Thames.)) is absolutely gorgeous. I could imagine this as water, or as a definition of a woman's body. It's very moving and has quite a sensual edge to it because of the fluidity and wording.

This: ((...which she tugs on gleefully like a child playing dress-up in its mother's wardrobe.)) gives her a personality. Now I see her as a bit if a sprite, a mischievous sort who is playing dress-up and taunting her siblings and friends because she has access to amazing 'props'.

I really like how you have Anthea analyze Sherlock and Mycroft and come up with how she and Mycroft are ((...almost comrades, together in the Alone.)). It is a very unique twist I must say. Having her and Mycroft painted as two beings sharing in their 'alone' almost reeks of them sharing their loneliness. However, I don't feel as if either are truly lonely. Anthea has her connection to the city of London and Mycroft has Sherlock to keep him occupied.

Again, another lovely work of wording here: (( - living and breathing and dreaming inside her, cradled like babies.)). A definition of her being like a mother who cradles all the people in her arms. Just a fantastic twist and spin upon the mother-child relationship.

This closer sums it up so much for me: ((She is London...)). Nothing more needs to be said. She's their mother city, the one who holds them when they cry, who hears their confessions, listens as they rages, etc. Brilliant ending!

Just a minor suggestion:

With this line here: ((the very Earth, Beings who)), I'd just pit a period after (Earth.) and open a new sentence with (Beings who). Just my suggestion :)

In all this was a fantastic read!

Wow! This was absolutely awesome! I love that you make Anthea the soul of London; not only that, you develop her, give her past lives...that's very unique. And you really said a lot in so few words. I love that she's been protective and connected to Sherlock over the years. I love how she compares Mycroft and Sherlock and points out they had a bit of a falling out due to different views/personalities. It's also sweet she hopes they'll reconcile, even if they live quietly sideby side. I also love her thoughts about John. And the last line explains it all. This was brilliant! Absolutely beautiful! Well done. :)

This was an interesting look at Holmes and Mycroft and the others through the point of view of an immortal character. I'm mostly fandom-blind, but it’s interesting to see Anthea as the personification of London.

I think my favorite lines were:

Of course, she's an immortal goddess with lifetime upon lifetime building up around her like minerals and he is a tiny human who'll live for a flicker of time. He's still something to admire. Butterflies don't live long either, but their beauty does.

I love your word choice throughout the piece and especially here, and how Mycroft and Holmes are nothing but insects compared to her (but lovely, fascinating insects). Nice work!

That's slightly disturbing, actually, that they are all living somewhere inside Anthea.

Oh, this is interesting!

While I've seen my fair share of Sherlock/John/Mycroft/Mrs Hudson is London/England/Avalon, this is definitely the first time that I've come across of a fic that has Anthea in that role, and I think you've written it wonderfully.

I really love your characterisation of Anthea who is so much more powerful than any of her inhabitants, but still feels the occasional need to become a part of them. She is London, but at the same time she is the people too, and I think that's really appropriate for someone who's canonically Mycroft's - the British government's - secretary.

The psychic paper is a really interesting device, and one that reminds me of Doctor Who - was that intentional, by any chance?

The musings on the Holmes brothers and John are really interesting. I love how you have her more interested in Mycroft than Sherlock, and that the reason for it is basically the opposite of what attracts John to Sherlock in the first place. And her thought on John - how he is [for now, dismissible] are wonderful, because it shows how powerful she is, that she can see who John is going to become by Sherlock's side.

The bit of inadvertent humour at the end - with the exploration of John already being "in" Anthea - were the perfect place to end this.

This was lovely - well done! :)

Athena being the soul of London – that's something I'm pretty sure I would never have thought of.

I appreciate the poetic style at the beginning here. There's almost a sense that this is an old story about an old being among other old beings, as though this is mythology or a fairy tail. It seems quite fitting.

I get a feeling of almost dread, though that might not be the right word, at the line, “Something big to pierce her dreams.” It's a sense of import, I guess. After all that poetic descriptions about who she is, we're about to get to the point, perhaps.

The short descriptions of the other skins she's worn are vivid. Very nice touches, there.

The line, “All the skins she wears are powerful,” made me smile. And it would seem she really is powerful, since she can make Mycroft believe there are words on a blank piece of paper. Seems like a reference to Doctor Who and the psychic paper – was that intentional?

The comparisons between herself as an immortal goddess and Mycroft as a proud genius work well. I especially like how she wishes she could be honest about being something “other” as he is.

I really like the line about her feeling protective of him. We need more stories were female characters are the protectors, so I very much approve of this.

The ending was quite clever. Overall, I quite enjoyed this. :)

I don't know where you've created Anthea Thomas from. Is she a walking metaphor for the City itself? If so, well done.

From the beginning, this flows beautifully, and I love the slightly-formal tone and the way it lends sort of a sense of ethos and heaviness to the narration-fittingly, since it's about things that are ancient. The capitalization (Beings, Old, Alone) was a great touch, and you have great use of italics throughout, too, putting them into the appropriate moments.

You have an excellent command over the way you interlock different trains of thought-going on tangents, returning to previous ideas, incorporating fleeting memories. The skins metaphor is a great example of this, with the way you weave the different sentences together and then tie in the examples of different dress-ups, which are otherwise unrelated but linked in really well by the overarching idea of those couple of paragraphs.

"funny how a being without self can have such a strong sense of self -" - I really like how you fit this in between paragraphs like an interruption.

"Butterflies don't live long either, but their beauty does." - I love this!

"Little does he know that he already is, in a way, just like the rest of them - living and breathing and dreaming inside her, cradled like babies." - Also this!

The first half of this fic comes off a bit more nicely than the second, just because your style is so abstract and that's where the themes are abstract as well, but the entire thing is gorgeous. Be proud of this! The only issues I had were a couple of slight punctuation things in the second half:

[Thomas," he flicked an eye over words that were not there, "and] - should read like [Thomas-" he flicked an eye over words that were not there "-and]

["Anthea," she smiled in correction.] - Should be two separate sentences.

[Mycroft is refreshing, he's] - Should be a colon, not a comma.

[He's somehow less there than his brother, he] - Same here-colon or semicolon.

Well done, seriously. This is great.