Hi everyone! Hope you're all keeping well. I have been so swamped with work lately, I've barely had time to answer messages, let alone make any new posts. :sob:
Lack of time (and energy. Mostly the energy zzzz) hasn't stopped Sherlock from consuming my brain, though, and yesterday morning on the bus to work, I saw an interesting pair of shoes, which I thought you might all like to have a go at deducing. What might Holmes infer from them? What is the reasoning? Don't forget the context - this person took the seat across from me at 7:30am, on a bus which reaches its final stop at 7:50am before going back the other way.
Let me know your thoughts! I'll share mine in discussion in the comments.
The game is on!
Comments (17)
The person is sitting in the back of the bus. engers who sit furthest in the back of buses are usually rebellious, risk-taking and don’t like having their personal spaces invaded. This doesn’t apply to everyone, but works in of probabilities so I thought I could mention it. Those who sit on elevated spaces may do it to make themselves feel more important. Notice they are sitting in the middle. When you sit in the back, you have a view over the whole bus. You are in control of your environment. By sitting in the back, you also avoid interaction with other people as much as possible. You rarely have to move for someone else, and people don’t by you. You are less exposed to having to interact with people. Therefore, this person might be an introvert, who rather keeps to themselves. Young people also tend to move to the back of a bus.
Seeing that the bus doesn’t seem to crowded, there must be plenty of choices where you can sit. Therefore, the choice matters.
I've been a bit harsh not including more of the person in the picture, but of course, I don't want to expose them on our little corner of the internet. That being said, I hope you can see from what I included of their legs, a bit of their body language.
Their knees are pressed together (and the rest of the body language was much the same). This was a person drawing themself inwards, taking up less space, and perching at the end of a row of three seats so that they would not have to sit besides anyone. I would agree that they are young, nervous, and introverted.
Reply to: Ace Detective
Indeed, I did think of it and I agree with you. I think body language can be tricky sometimes though, for in another situation that posture means confidence
The shoes could either be second hand, or they could’ve gotten them from a family member who wore them previously. They look worn out, and considering their design, colour and condition they seem to be a pretty old model of Vans sneakers. I looked online, trying to find a similar pair. I did find a pair just like them, but trust me, it was difficult. Sadly, the ad didn’t give much information about the shoes which was disappointing. However, they were indeed old skool Vans. The original colour is dark brown. Sinch I basically couldn’t find them anywhere else, I had to assume they are a rather old design. Those models were created back in the late 70’s, so these shoes were probably created sometime around then.
What do these shoes say about their owner? Clearly, they are not in a good condition, they don’t look well-cared for. They probably were quite inexpensive. Owner is either lazy or simply doesn’t care what they wear on their feet. Casual, cool. Doesn’t like to stand out that much. A liberal thinker.
There's also a chance that they were fake Vans, rather than legitimate. Markets in this area often sell shoes, bags, clothes in a similar style to well known brands without the designer label.
I wouldn't say that changes the conclusions you came to, though.
Reply to: Ace Detective
true
Now, what art school/class is the person going to?
I in one of your posts, you mentioned you lived in London, so wherever they are going, also must be in London as well.
Chances are, wherever they got off, the school must be close to that stop, I’d say within 10 minutes of walking. Because, it’s still winter. It doesn’t look like they have a heavy jacket and with sneakers, it must be pretty cold to walk long distances. Also, London happens to have a lot of bus stops and it’s likely wherever you want to get to, is close to one. In that logic, it wouldn’t be too difficult to figure out where they go to school.
Now, I can’t say for sure that the reason they don’t have a winter jacket on is because they don’t need it. The clothes and shoes look worn out. The jeans look almost too small, too tight. The person must have had these clothes for a while and that can mean two things:
1. Their family has a financial situation. Saving money is a priority, not buying new clothes. (even though some jackets go for a really good price second hand),/The person is saving money.
2. The clothes have some emotional value, perhaps because they simply have had them for a while and feels safe wearing them.
(Not too caring for fashion or style, easy-going and laidback. Possibly lazy. Carefree and liberal towards life, if they choose to wear such clothes).
I don't live in London, although I do visit the city frequently. :') But this area does have a lot of bus stops, and in these temperatures, I really hope they are not walking far to get to their destination! Thin shoes below the ankle and skinny jeans in that weather would have been frightfully cold (I felt the chill and was wearing a thermal base layer under my work uniform).
I would say that the reason for keeping the shoes despite their condition is either sentimentality or finance. The UK is currently experiencing what we are calling a "cost of living crisis" because of inflation and other issues. Some people are forced to choose between keeping the heating on and buying groceries because they can't afford both. And this bus route runs through both more affluent and more deprived areas.
Potentially it could also be due to anticipating further growth? Not wanting to replace them while they still fit in case you had to budget for going up a size? But hard to say the likelihood of this for our estimated age group.
Reply to: Ace Detective
True, inflation’s been going like crazy
There is bleach on the shoes. The stains don’t have a particularly compelling pattern, which means they didn’t get there intentionally. Who uses bleach? Bleach of that type is used for a variety of things: as a cleaning substance, in chemistry, for dyeing fabric or as an art medium. Which of these seems the most fitting? Cleaning? I Doubt it. They’d probably have to clean at home. I know some people wear their shoes inside, but I don’t think, if you were cleaning, that you would at the same time wear your shoes that would just make the floor dirtier. I truly doubt they were using it for chemistry either. Someone who is familiar with chemistry would truly value being careful with substances and making sure to not spill them. Some can be very dangerous, and bleach is corrosive. A chemist would be much more careful with chemicals, suggesting this is indeed an artist. Art seems quite likely, whether they used it for painting or dying fabric. It is of great possibility they go to art school. Using bleach in art can be quite messy. Also, it smells and will need to have great ventilation, which makes me believe they were using bleach in class, since it would be very bothersome to do it at home. More specifically, I believe they were standing up, painting something big using bleach. In art classrooms you can usually protect your clothing by wearing a coat, but the shoes are exposed. Therefore, it would be able to accidentally spill some on them. Also, their clothes scream artist, but who knows?
I would definitely wear shoes cleaning indoors! I'm not going to mop the floor in socks or bare feet, especially not if I'm using diluted bleach. Apart from that, I agree with everything else.
Reply to: Ace Detective
I’m so used with never wearing shoes inside my house, I forget it’s common
Reply to: ⋆ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴɪsᴛ’s ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴀʟ ⋆
My floors are quite dirty at the moment because of home renovations and dogs, so shoes are a must! Ordinarily, I wouldn't wear shoes in the house, but when cleaning, I always will. Wet floors are gross.
Ah, how I’ve missed this.
If I’m not mistaken, this picture was taken on a Tuesday. They got on the bus at 7:30 am, with the bus reaching its final destination at 7:50 am. Where is this person going on a normal weekday? Most likely, either school or work. I believe, a person who went to work would wear more formal clothing than that, which means it is likely they went to school. And as you said, it matches with the morning registration times for schools in the UK. I in one of your posts, you mentioned you lived in London, so wherever they are going, also must be in London as well.
They don’t seem to be wearing a school uniform. School uniforms are worn in over 90% of secondary schools in England, and the majority of universities and colleges in the UK do not require students to wear an academic uniform. Therefore, it is most likely they are above the age of 16. I’d guess age 17 to 20. (Vans, the shoes they are wearing, are also usually worn by teens or people in their early twenties.)
Agree with the lack of school uniform! I couldn't see a university or college lanyard, but they may have had one in their bag. But they were not in any professional attire or specific workwear, so I felt them being a student was most likely.