Fic Rec: Two Days

[numberthescars.livejournal.com]

Title: Two Days
Author: tweedisgood
Pairing: Holmes/Watson
Length: 6,500 words
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Victorian homophobia
Verse: ACD books
Author's summary: Sherlock Holmes is arrested before he gets the chance to commit that particular crime. He has thought about it, though.
Excerpt:

The telegram arrived, shortly before lunch amid hailstones in a thunderous July, at the hand of a pert lad with a lush crop of freckles and hair the colour of new carrots. It bore only the message: “Two days”. My enemy evidently wished to wear down his quarry before closing in to break its back with a final bite. As if I was not exhausted enough, running every dead-end alley in Whitehall, this time without Mycroft’s breadcrumbs to guide me through that labyrinth – for I refused to let him anywhere near this. I could smell the rotting corpse of honesty and good faith in the foul exchange of air between every underling and agent, and still found no evidence that would stand.

Two more days, then, in which to redouble my efforts, to make further contacts, to reassure Mrs. Hudson how really quite all right I was, how she might with good conscience go to visit her sick niece in Southend. To try to recall what I had planned (barely a week ago - that same night the first letter came) to do about the sensation of John Watson’s hand on my left knee under the dinner table, as we stammered over words which both of our fathers would have struck from our lips: his with an anguished glance, mine with a riding crop.

Watson did not attempt to press his suit in the days following, though a distinctly discernible air of hesitant yearning made a fair job of doing it for him. Perhaps he believed I’d had second thoughts. ‘Second thoughts’? My dear fellow, I hadn’t even formed a first thought that was rational.

Reccer's comments: 
I'm going to go out on a limb and say something blasphemous here: I think tweedisgood actually writes Holmes' voice better than the great Arthur Conan Doyle himself. The horror! All joking aside, this story is truly one of the best canonverse slash stories ever written. The writing is unbelievable, as I'm sure you can tell from the excerpt: stunning descriptions, beautifully constructed sentences (yes, grammar can be beautiful!), and just the perfect level of period language to evoke the tone of the era. One of my favorite aspects of "Two Days" is its treatment of Victorian attitudes towards homosexuality. The homophobia is realistic, painful and hideously unfair, but not heavy-handed, a problem for a lot of otherwise excellent stories. In a particularly stunning twist, Holmes is exquisitely aware of the biases of his time--and even though he doesn't seem to care too much about his reputation in the eyes of the masses, he worries about what Watson will think. It's interesting to read what is essentially a casefic in reverse: Holmes is stuck in jail, with no idea what's going on, while Watson is running about trying desperately to free his friend. The result is an introspective story, where much of the action takes place on an internal level, and all of Holmes' insecurities and negative thoughts come to the fore. 

There are no heros in this story, which I think is appropriate; merely two men, both confused, both in love, both constrained by social expectations and their own hesitancy. But what makes it so captivating to read is watching these two very human, very flawed men try to be heroes for each other. In the end, it is not their heroism that conquers the enemy and brings them together though--it is their imperfections that make them perfect for each other.

Series Rec: You Can Tell Me Anything

[swissmarg]

Title: You Can Tell Me Anything (Series)
Author: coletta
Pairing: Gen with John & Sherlock
Length: 2,957 + 34,765
Rating: Teen and Mature
Warnings: Suggested character death
Verse: BBC Sherlock
Author's summary:
A Place for Quiet Conversations: With a little encouragement, Sherlock comes out to John. Not slash, Celibate-Gay!Sherlock/Straight!John friendship.
Please Say Something: THE CONCLUSION. After Sherlock comes out, John thinks he's happy for his flat mate until he starts struggling with unexpected feelings of homophobia. Sherlock's trust is shattered when John breaks his promise to accept him unconditionally. CelibateSherlock/StraightJohn.

Reccer's comments: This is much different than my usual recs. It is not happy, and there is no romance. The / in the summary indicates only a friendship, not a romantic relationship. In fact, let's get all the caveats out of the way. I found both Sherlock and John OOC in the second part, and there are moments that border on John-bashing. I still want to rec this.

The main thing that makes me feel this is an important fic to read is the fact of its brutal honesty. What would really have been the repercussions of the way Lestrade led investigations? How would a normal person really have reacted at being treated the way Sherlock treated John (putting him down, ordering him around, being disrespectful of him as a person)? What would John's life really have been like without Sherlock? And Sherlock's without John? What really happens when people make wrong decisions?

Excerpt:

John's anger flared. "I'm not going to let you make this my fault. I had every right to walk away from this relationship. Sherlock was a prat. He was rude to my girlfriend, he tried to sabotage our dates, he was always…"

Without warning, Mycroft turned suddenly and grabbed John by the throat with one hand. He picked John up, squeezing his windpipe shut for a moment and set him down in front of the sink, so that John was nearly nose-to-nose with FAGGOT.

Then Mycroft let go of John without harming him. He gently smoothed his hand down the side of John's neck, over John's shoulder where his jumper had rumpled, almost affectionately. He cleared his throat and smiled, almost as if to say, Oh, was that me just now that nearly broke your neck? Ha-ha, please excuse me.

The story deals extensively with homophobia, from both the points of view of the perpetrator and the victim. There are several very disturbing scenes, including physical violence and suicidal ideation, and I was brought to painful tears more than once. If that sounds too heavy for you, then just read the first part, because alone, it's a beautiful scene. But for a very well-done and in-depth exploration of the underlying issues at work in the dynamic between Sherlock and John, find a safe place, take a leap and try the second part as well.

Fic Rec: The Allure of the English Countryside (BBC)

[methylviolet10b]

Title: The Allure of the English Countryside
Author: stardust_made
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 2,200 words (more or less)
Rating: G
Warnings: None, per comm guidelines on warnings
Verse: Sherlock BBC, with clever nods to ACD canon

Author's summary: Written for nausicaa83 whose prompt was "how about something with Sherlock playing the violin for John? Something like this, maybe?" It was the first prompt I filled, partly because I was instantly inspired by the musical piece, partly because in all the stories I'd written not once had I had Sherlock playing the violin for John.

Reccer's comments: Sometimes you just want a well-written, non-angsty fic full of sentiment. The tea-and-buttered-toast equivalent of fanfic. THIS is one of those. An imaginative view of John and Sherlock in the future, and a lovely inspiration for what might coax Sherlock out of London. And be sure to listen to the Paganini piece, too.

Open Recs Post/ Open Recs Weekend

[tanpopo03.livejournal.com]

Welcome to another open recs weekend.

You're invited to post in comments here any recs or requests for recs for fic, vids, art, or podfic. All versions of Sherlock Holmes are welcome.

The comm is also open today and tomorrow for anyone to make a rec in a separate post. Please use our headers and make sure you've read the rules if you're new to reccing here, especially our tagging and warning guidelines.

Please let us know if you have any questions in comments or PMs to the mods.

Fic Rec: Redivivus

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

Title: Redivivus
Author: cathedralcarver
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 5,000 words
Rating: PG
Warnings: Character Death
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: There are so very many different ways to die.
Reccer's comments: This story is a particularly brutal take on the Groundhog Day trope. In it, John dies. Sherlock's grief is palpable, believable, and absolutely wrenching. Then after the funeral, Sherlock wakes up on the day that John died. He tries to save him, but John dies again, in a different way. And again. And again.

Mycroft is a menacing presence in this story, and Sherlock's slow disintegration is unforgettable.

Read ( Redivivus )

Fic Rec: to paint the speed of light

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

Title: to paint the speed of light
Author: whimsicalimages
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 3,200 words
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: I thought, 'What if John was a painter?' then I thought, 'What if John was a painter who painted Sherlock?' then I thought, 'What if John was a painter who painted Sherlock who then came to life?' then I thought, 'Well, shit, I have to write that.'
Reccer's comments: John is lost when he returns from Afghanistan. But John Watson, this John Watson, has a particular gift:
Once, when he was very small, John had drawn a butterfly, wings in blue and orange pastel. He turned around and the paper was blank, the butterfly sitting on the tip of his pencil. He watched as its wings moved up and down, one slightly larger than the other. Symmetry wasn’t something he had figured out yet.

So when John paints a man with dark curly hair, a sly grin, and an impossible brain, something special happens. This story is bitter-sweet and magical, and vastly under-appreciated.

Read ( to paint the speed of light ) and let the author know what a marvel she's created!

Fic rec: Voulez-Vous

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

Title: Voulez-Vous
Author: AlbaNix
Pairing: Gen
Length: 5,300 words
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: It’s an ordinary day at 221B apart from the fact that Sherlock is speaking in French. What John doesn’t know is that Sherlock has an ulterior motive. What Sherlock doesn’t know is that while John may not speak French, he’s almost fluent in Sherlock.
Reccer's comments: You may have heard of the broccoli test as a fannish way of determining how in-tune two characters are. Well, here's the Sherlock version. Sherlock decides to speak French for the day. John understands him anyway.

This is hilarious, and I can imagine it happening in canon. The bit that makes it amazing is that the author has hyper-text coded the French dialogue, so you can read the French and share in John's semi-comprehension, then mouse over it and see what Sherlock's actually saying.

Excerpt:

'Erm, I don't think it's anything to do with how you're speaking,' John says to Mycroft doubtfully. 'I don't understand French. It's not because he's speaking French that I understand him, he's just… Sherlock. I can tell his moods from his walks, for god's sake.'

'Qu'est-ce qu'elle a, mon allure?' exclaims Sherlock.

For once, John hears the actual French word. 'Allure?' He feels his ears go red. 'I didn't say anything about alluring.'

Across from him, Mycroft snorts in a rather un-Mycroft-like manner. 'You really don't speak French,' he says as though John has just presented him with a particularly sugary chocolate cake. 'Allure means "walk", John.'

'Oh.' John feels like a complete idiot. Stick to the plan - listen to Sherlock! Not the words! 'Oh, right. Well, your walk is… um… You've got a few. There's your "Get your coat, John, we've got a case" walk, there's the bored walk, there's the "Look at me with my swishy coat and my deductions" walk, there's the "I've done something stupid and there's no way I'll admit it so I'll just slope off" walk…'

'Je ne fais jamais rien de stupide,' Sherlock grumbles.

'Yes you do.'

*cackles* Now go and read ( Voulez-Vous )!

Fic Rec: You'll Never Have Nowhere to Go

[chapbook.livejournal.com]

Title: You'll Never Have Nowhere to Go
Author: thisprettywren
Pairing: Gen
Length: ca. 18,800
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character Death
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Is this what he’s become? Someone who interprets anything new as some sort of danger? Never mind that there was a time when that wouldn’t have been wrong, when that wouldn’t have been a bad thing at all. He isn’t that person anymore.

Reccer's comments: Wrenching, claustrophobic, and visceral are words that aptly describe this post-Reichenbach story. Masterful handling of tension: I found myself holding my body tensely in sympathy with the characters. John's POV and the dialogue between him and Sherlock are handled well and seem quite appropriate given the plot of this piece. The author does not flinch from demonstrating the horrible nature of the killing (not a major character), but does not fetishize it. Some may quibble over where this piece ends, but from an emotional standpoint it felt like a good place to end. If the author continues with a sequel (which would be fantastatic), it would be fascinating to see how she develops the two central characters.