Fic Rec: Two Two One Bravo Baker
Apr. 23rd, 2012 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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221b_recsTitle: Two Two One Bravo Baker
Author: abundantlyqueer
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 109,564 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: A novel-length, pornographic case-fiction set seven months before and three and a half thousand miles east of A Study in Pink. Captain John Watson of 40 Commando, the Royal Marines, is assigned to protect and assist Sherlock Holmes as he investigates what appears to be a simple war atrocity in Afghanistan. An intense attraction ignites between the two men as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens everything they’ve ever known, but Sherlock’s as much hunted as hunter, and everyone close to him is in deadly danger. Can he solve the case in time to save himself and John?
Reccer's comments: Another one that I can hardly believe hasn't been recced yet. In fact, that nothing at all from this amazing author has been recced yet is an oversight that needs to be fixed posthaste. This fic is actually complete, as I've been told the author has said on tumblr, even though the AO3 listing shows that 26/28 chapters have been posted.
This is an AU based on the BBC verse, but you won't even notice that it's not canon after the first few sentences. The author has painted a chillingly believable look at the war in Afghanistan that feels like something right out of a documentary. John and Sherlock are instantly recognizable, and I was immediately drawn into their world and their relationship, which starts with a bang and only gets hotter.
This epic fic is equal parts action, case!fic, smut (OMG the smut), and emotional roller coaster. I read it all in one sitting, and I honestly can't imagine reading it any other way. It's one of those fics that, once you've started, you will completely forget about food, water, sleep, family members, and pets.
Not only the story itself, but the skill of the writer is something to be stunned by. The author is equally adept at descriptions of the raw beauty of Afghanistan, the high emotion and fast action of combat, and achingly honest personal interactions. Not one line of the story lagged or felt extraneous or trite. The dialogue rings truer than true, and I especially enjoyed the cool flippancy of the soldiers communicating with each other while shots hailed down on them.
The fic is rounded out by a stable of solid original characters who fit right in and stand on their own without ever taking over the stage from the canon characters.
Really, this is a fantastic story, and would be even without the BBC verse to build on. Even if you are hesitant because of the military setting or the fact that it's an AU, I encourage you to give it a try. This is an absolute classic must-read for all Sherlock fans.
P.S. I seriously considered warning for the graphic depiction of violence, especially atrocities of war, but as there are only a couple of scenes that might possibly be called 'extreme' (i.e. beyond what you'd see in an R-rated movie or even on CNN) and the violence is not pervasive throughout the story, I will leave it as a comment here that there are parts which sensitive readers may want to skim over. There are also some deaths, but as they are OCs I didn't think I needed to specifically warn for those, either. Still, war is hell.
Author: abundantlyqueer
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 109,564 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: A novel-length, pornographic case-fiction set seven months before and three and a half thousand miles east of A Study in Pink. Captain John Watson of 40 Commando, the Royal Marines, is assigned to protect and assist Sherlock Holmes as he investigates what appears to be a simple war atrocity in Afghanistan. An intense attraction ignites between the two men as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens everything they’ve ever known, but Sherlock’s as much hunted as hunter, and everyone close to him is in deadly danger. Can he solve the case in time to save himself and John?
Reccer's comments: Another one that I can hardly believe hasn't been recced yet. In fact, that nothing at all from this amazing author has been recced yet is an oversight that needs to be fixed posthaste. This fic is actually complete, as I've been told the author has said on tumblr, even though the AO3 listing shows that 26/28 chapters have been posted.
This is an AU based on the BBC verse, but you won't even notice that it's not canon after the first few sentences. The author has painted a chillingly believable look at the war in Afghanistan that feels like something right out of a documentary. John and Sherlock are instantly recognizable, and I was immediately drawn into their world and their relationship, which starts with a bang and only gets hotter.
This epic fic is equal parts action, case!fic, smut (OMG the smut), and emotional roller coaster. I read it all in one sitting, and I honestly can't imagine reading it any other way. It's one of those fics that, once you've started, you will completely forget about food, water, sleep, family members, and pets.
Not only the story itself, but the skill of the writer is something to be stunned by. The author is equally adept at descriptions of the raw beauty of Afghanistan, the high emotion and fast action of combat, and achingly honest personal interactions. Not one line of the story lagged or felt extraneous or trite. The dialogue rings truer than true, and I especially enjoyed the cool flippancy of the soldiers communicating with each other while shots hailed down on them.
The fic is rounded out by a stable of solid original characters who fit right in and stand on their own without ever taking over the stage from the canon characters.
Really, this is a fantastic story, and would be even without the BBC verse to build on. Even if you are hesitant because of the military setting or the fact that it's an AU, I encourage you to give it a try. This is an absolute classic must-read for all Sherlock fans.
P.S. I seriously considered warning for the graphic depiction of violence, especially atrocities of war, but as there are only a couple of scenes that might possibly be called 'extreme' (i.e. beyond what you'd see in an R-rated movie or even on CNN) and the violence is not pervasive throughout the story, I will leave it as a comment here that there are parts which sensitive readers may want to skim over. There are also some deaths, but as they are OCs I didn't think I needed to specifically warn for those, either. Still, war is hell.
