It's February

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Short month, high anticipation!

Many thanks to our inventive and enthusiastic reccers for January: arminaa, butterflyweb, dalekbarbie, mainecoon76, and whitefang3927.

And a warm welcome to February's team: the_hobbet, internetname, swissmarg, thehighwaywoman, and peeveee.

Sign ups are open now for March. If you're interested in making recs next month, please add your name to our post heree. We welcome recs for all versions of Sherlock Holmes. To offer as many different voices as we can, we ask that prior reccers wait three months before volunteering again. Thank you all!

Fic Rec: Be Here Now

[swissmarg]

Title: Be Here Now
Author: todesfuge
Pairing: John/Sherlock, mentioned Irene/Kate
Length: 94,446 words
Rating: Mature (on AO3, but the author notes separately that the rating is Hard R, some chapters NC-17 (though not too explicit))
Warnings: Minor character death, extreme violence (in a war zone)
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: John Watson was already fighting demons when he and Sherlock met. With Sherlock's suicide, it all comes flooding back, forcing Sherlock to intervene before he's solved the persistent riddles of Jim Moriarty and his game. Together they find that something darker lurks behind Moriarty, forcing Sherlock, John, and Irene Adler into an even deadlier game with a much more dangerous foe. Begins six months after the events of The Reichenbach Fall.

Reccer's comments: You know that fic you want to read where John goes with Sherlock to help him bring down Moriarty's network? This is like that, only better. It is not your standard chase around the world bringing down criminals. It is a very personal game, tailored to each of the three key players (Sherlock, John, and Irene) by a very clever and disturbed individual. Each one must meet the personal demons of their own pasts in order to save themselves, each other, and quite possibly the world.

The author takes us on a tour not only of the world (in addition to London, we visit Switzerland, Tunisia, Afghanistan, the Netherlands, Russia, and Germany), but of the human psyche: from the darkest lows of despair and guilt to the sharp-edged corners of greed and ambition, to the noblest heights of self-sacrifice, trust and love in all its forms.

In addition to the main action plot, there is a very interesting exploration of the dynamics between Sherlock, John, and Irene. There is no threesome, but the love doesn't just flow one way, and I found the final constellation of the relationships to be satisfying, if not entirely devoid of heartbreak.

Excerpt:( Cut for needles... )

There is military action with shades of abundantlyqueer's Two Two One Bravo Baker. There are plots within plots, hidden motives, and surprising twists. There are well fleshed-out and sympathetic OCs who bring out the best in the canon characters. There are feels and smut.

There are also more unpleasant things, like forced drug use, graphic descriptions of war, (consensual) torture, suicidal ideation, and PTSD, so check the internal story warnings.