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Mycroft Holmes is the older brother of Sherlock Holmes, but with a modern twist. Set in the 21st century, it's an updated take on the classic series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Depending on who you ask, Mycroft either occupies a minor position in the British government, or he is the British government (or MI6 or the CIA; Sherlock does like to be dramatic). As it is, only two people seem to actually know what it is that he gets up to (three, if you count his personal assistant, but that's debatable).

When he's not busy starting wars in the Middle East or screwing up airline travel in the States, Mycroft spends his time looking out for the well-being of his baby brother. This often takes the form of spying, whether by means of bugging 221B Baker, fiddling with CCTV cameras, or just plain old fashioned tailing and surveillance.

Like Sherlock, he's undeniably brilliant. While he prefers to get his information by way of subversion and subterfuge, he can read people just as easily as Sherlock can, and has an uncanny ability to make himself almost impossible to read. Also like Sherlock, he can be cold, calculating, and dangerous, and has some degree of antisocial personality disorder (or, as Sherlock so colloquially puts it, is a high-functioning sociopath), although he hides this fact much better than his younger brother, and can be quite charming and very rarely resorts to insults of any sort.

Mycroft always has a large umbrella with him, even when the skies are perfectly clear and he's been inside all day. Along with many habits he's developed over the years, the umbrella is a means of personal safety. If you're lucky, you'll never have to find out what it does.

He also has a rather incurable sweet tooth, and seems to be constantly worried about his weight, although no one really seems to understand why.


Mycroft will not be going through canon, and the reason for this is simple: each series consists of three episodes, with a year-long wait between series. Important canon events may be occasionally referenced, but at this point, The Great Game has not happened yet, and will not for quite some time.

There's also ample possibility for canon screw with this one, so there may be some moments of discontinuity next autumn after the next series airs, as I've no doubt Moffat and Gatiss will find a way to contradict something I have to say. Please ignore these moments when they do happen.

Mycroft Holmes is from the BBC series Sherlock, and exists on LJ for the purpose of roll playing in milliways_bar and mixed_muses, from which no profit is being made.