One more reccer needed

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We have one space left for March! If you're interested in reccing next month, please leave us a comment in the sign up thread.

ETA: March is filled up. But April sign-ups are now open!

Fic Rec: (Beyond) The Science of Horizons

[swissmarg]

Title: (Beyond) The Science of Horizons
Author: thetreesgrowodd
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 11,403 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: In the downtime after a disastrous case, Sherlock is depressed and John is ailing. That's when Sherlock discovers an amazing new ability that manifests when he strokes John's skin. Whether or not it's all in his head is insignificant.

Reccer's comments: This is a gorgeous inside-Sherlock's-head view of what happens to him after a very difficult case, when he struggles with severe depression. In this story, Sherlock is asexual, but he is deeply in love with John and finds himself transported to a transcendental mental state when they touch. John takes comfort in the intimacy as well and acquiesces to it all in his usual stride.

Excerpt:

"Sherlock, what is this?" John asks quietly.

Sherlock can't voice one single word of what he's experienced. He can't because he's a rational person. He supposes there are terms like meditation and hallucination and lucid dreaming. Explanations to be made, but...

"I don't mind it," John says, vulnerably. "I won't make you stop. It's just..."

He can either act like a Real Human Person and make up some lie (probably too late for that, to be honest) or he can be Sherlock and tell the truth. No, make that part of the truth. "I like touching you."

"Alright," John says. "I like it too."

"Excellent."

The descriptions of Sherlock's raptures are beautifully poetic, and the depictions of his depressive mood achingly real. I think what I liked the most, though, is how both men try to continue to function outwardly, forcing themselves to do 'normal' things, while their inner world is plagued by demons and horrors. And in the end, what saves them is this strange, inexplicable connection, and the fact that they don't try to explain it, but just accept it and let it heal them.

Another interesting facet of the story is that 'The Recent Case' which started it all is never fully detailed, but we get snippets and flashbacks that allow us to understand in part the anguish and trauma which both men experienced (no serious physical injuries though). Trigger warnings for depression, suicide, and graphic violence.

Fic rec: As Long as It Takes, by PlainJane

[internetname.livejournal.com]

Title: As Long as It Takes
Author: PlainJane
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 14,866 words
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Nope
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Anything Sherlock wants. All night. No strings attached.
Reccer's comments: It looks and sounds (at first) like a PWP, but it goes far beyond that. It's a love story told almost entirely through sex, which should sort of be impossible, but PlainJane manages it beautifully.  If you do want more story, there's a plot-heavy sequel.<

Fic rec: On the courting behaviour of the British Sherlock, by

[internetname.livejournal.com]

Title: On the courting behaviour of the British Sherlock
Author: Bold_as_Brass
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 1,541 words
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlocks can be destructive when bored. We're hoping the introduction of a companion John Watson will improve matters.
Reccer's comments: Okay, I like epics and I like angst, but I cannot help but adore this short, cracky AU told from the perspective of the primate keeper at a very odd sort of zoo. It's simply hilarious, quirky, and somehow quite satisfying.

Fic rec: Secrets and Revelations, by Hisstah

[internetname.livejournal.com]

Title: Secrets and Revelations
Author: Hisstah
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 83525 words
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: nope
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Dr John Watson has some major secrets that he's kept from his flatmate, Alpha Sentinel Sherlock Holmes. Now the Sentinel Tower is after him. Can John stay out of their hands until he can reveal his secrets to Sherlock?
Reccer's comments: All right!  Now here's an epic with some angst! Also lots of plot and sex and suspense, with bad guys to dislike and heroes to root for.  This is a blend of Sherlock BBC, the omegaverse, and (bits and pieces of) The Sentinel series, with spirit guides.  The author calls it an homage to (the lamentably unfinished) Velvet Mace's AU "Chameleon," and it includes the concept of the Tower where guides are locked away until they're bonded to a sentinel.  It's great fun and seriously hot in places, and there's an even longer sequel, Consequences and Repercussions.

Vid Rec: Sherlock BBC meets Metal, 331Erock

[the-hobbet.livejournal.com]

Music Title & Artist: Sherlock soundtrack, David Arnold and Michael Price
Vidder: 331Erock's Youtube channel
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Link: Sherlock BBC meets Metal
Vidder's comments: So I've been getting hit with this one ever since Dr. Who haha. I love this show and it has a FANTASTIC score. So, as usual, figured I'd give it a try.

Reccer's comments: And now for something completely different. I'm not normally a fan of heavy metal, but this guy rocks it and it only goes to show - everyone loves Sherlock!

Fic rec: Splitting the Atom - dogpoet

[peeveee.livejournal.com]

Title: Splitting the Atom
Author: dogpoet
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 3.4k
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: If there's one thing Sherlock has learnt, it's not to trust what people tell him. He always, always trusts the evidence instead, even when it comes to John.

Reccer's comments: The thing that prevents this lovely, understated fic from being lost amongst swathes of similar fic is the simply masterful way that dogpoet writes Sherlock. His thought processes, the way he filters data, the way he approaches the world in this fic is just so utterly perfect, so perfectly in character, and his attempt to quantify what is unquantifiable with chemical and biological analogies was oddly poetic. I loved the mundanity to what happens too, just the little parts of everyday made notable for their quiet intimacy, and there was a gentle humor to the whole story that worked so well. 

Vid Rec: Sherlock + John - ♪ 'Swan Lake', beadedstar (Amy Kinley)

[the-hobbet.livejournal.com]

Title: Sherlock + John - ♪ 'Swan Lake'
Music Title & Artist: A Swan Song (For Nina) from Swan Lake Suite by Clint Mansel/Tchaikovsky
Vidder: Amy Kinley (beadedstar) on Youtube, Tumblr
Pairing or Character: John Watson, Sherlock Holmes
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Link: Sherlock + John - ♪ 'Swan Lake'

Reccer's Comments: There are so many talented vidders in the Sherlock fandom and beadedstar is one of the best. She uses a wide variety of music, overlaid images, and incredible timing to great effect. I picked this one because Swan Lake is not the kind of music that usually comes to mind when thinking fanvids but it works so well here to delineate the relationship between Sherlock and John. With the gorgeous black and white photography and the sparse piano it gives the impression of a silent film at times. I love the way the images and music alternately sweep around the lab and then still, holding a note, between approximately 0:43 and 0:53. My heart skips a beat. Beadedstar layers images and emotions beautifully, builds to a shocking moment and then lets us down gently. Incredible!

Fic rec: Fill, by Anonymous

[internetname.livejournal.com]

Title: Fill (which isn't really the title, but it's all I've got)
Author: Anonymous
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 3,323 words
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Rape/non-con
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: None.
Reccer's comments: This is seriously the most un-PC story I've ever recc'ed.  Moriarty puts Sherlock into a classic "fuck or die" situation with an unknowing John. I'm not sure what makes it so good, but the story is wonderfully straightforward, even kind of raw, and somehow both Sherlock and John (and Moriarty too) are in perfect character.

Fic and Podfic Rec: Major Pieces

[the-hobbet.livejournal.com]

Title: Major Pieces
Author: lindentreeisle on AO3
Reader: diane_mckay
Podfic: Major Pieces podfic
Pairing: Gen - epic bromance
Length: 31,858 words
Rating: Teen
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary:Sherlock knew that he could thoroughly rely upon John Watson's moral sense. And that's why he knew that Lestrade was wrong, wrong, wrong.
"An hour's history of two minds is well told in a game of chess." - José Raúl Capablanca

Reccer's comments: A series of shocking muders appears to have been done by a doctor, a military doctor. Sherlock's deductions aren't helping. Now he is desperately trying to solve a case he has been shut out of because he is too personally involved with the primary suspect. Major Pieces is an exciting casefic with a wonderful Sherlock/John dynamic and a nail-biting, almost erotic, Sherlock/Moriarty standoff. There's nothing I like better than a long fic that both satisfies and leaves me wanting more.

Read it or listen to the wonderful podic, skillfully read by diane_mckay, or do both (I did).

( A little taste... )

Fic Rec: The Witch's Heart

[the-hobbet.livejournal.com]

Title: The Witch's Heart
Author: magicbunni on AO3, FF.net
Pairing: Gen
Length: 54,596 words
Rating: General audience
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock has been at the University of Cambridge for a relatively short time, but he's already making waves, and not all for the good, to his family's chagrin. He's on notice for rule-breaking and working to patch his reputation when a mysterious body interrupts his plans. Can he turn his back on a dead boy in need, or are some things simply worth notoriety?

Reccer's comments: I tried for days to come up with a description of this story that will do it justice and make you want to put it at the top of your reading list. The story deserves it. You, the reader, deserve it. Alas, it makes me all too aware of why I read fanfiction and make recommendations, instead of writing stories myself.

"The Witch's Heart" is a complex story, interweaving action and insight. Magicbunni's crisp prose and sharp observations mirror Sherlock's turbulent mind. Her supporting characters, including several well-developed women, enrich the story.

It's the story of seventeen-year-old Sherlock at a vulnerable, transitional time in his development into the adult we know - disoriented by the attentions of girls and by the desires of his own adolescent body.

It's a story about music, Sherlock's soul, and his violin as he struggles with a piece that demands his emotional engagement as well as his technical skill.

It's the story of a case that draws Sherlock in almost without volition.

It's the story of Sherlock trying to find a place for himself in the shadows of a harsh father and a 'perfect' older brother. Arrived underage at Cambridge, he is too brilliant, too abrasive, and too pretty - irritating his peers, and arousing the suspicions of police.

It's the best young Sherlock story I've read and one of the best Sherlock stories, period. I love it even more each time I read it.

( Try a sample... )

Fic rec: Thrall, by Velvet Mace

[internetname.livejournal.com]

Title: Thrall
Author: Velvet Mace
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: Around 100,000 words in four chapters
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Nope...well, I guess there are hints at non-con, but not really.
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock is sober, but his life is still spiraling down hill. Despite this, he has resisted the notion of ever getting a mate. The very idea of having a human balancing his life is abhorrent. As Mycroft, a case, and a new flatmate all vie for his attention, he misses the most important clue of his life: that his mate has found him.
Reccer's comments: (This is a sequel to the Mycroft/Lestrade story Mate, which you don't have to read to understand this story, but you should read if M/L is your thing.)

Imagine "A Study in Pink" told with everything pretty much the same except that Sherlock is a powerful vampire and John is one of those people suitable to be a vampire's mate, though he doesn't know it.  Here's an excerpt from near the beginning:

"Sherlock looked up, suspicious. A short man, normally of stocky build but now hiding his thinness under a loose  checked shirt and a heavy jacket, limped into the room. Soldier hair cut. Injured. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome – still shedding vitality, willy-nilly like he expected his life to end any moment. Mouthwateringly eager to have some monster snatch him up and steal away his blood, take him to the brink.

"Sherlock let out a breath. Mystery solved. Just a twitchy ex-soldier. For a second he'd been worried the man might be a mate or something."

Very fun and super hot like only Velvet Mace can make it!