Art Rec: Untitled Sherlock Portrait

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Title: Untitled Sherlock Portrait, based on an image from A Study in Pink.
Artist: fhlostonsparadise on tumblr
Pairing: Gen
Rating: not rated, I would say G
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock.

Reccer's comments: There are so very many beautiful portraits of Sherlock, but to me personally, this is the most beautiful. I'm not sure why, it just clicked with me. The artist has captured the odd proportions of Sherlock's face, and I love the white tones of cool light on his skin and the way the artist plays up its sharp contrast with his dark hair by mirroring it in the black and white floral patterns that surround him.

The pose, too, is dear to me. His eyes are closed, his face relaxed, his hands steepled beneath his chin. To anyone who didn't know him, this would look like pallid, deep rest. But to those who do know him, we can recognize that this is Sherlock at work.

It reminds me of this quotation from Aristotle, which I've always considered very Holmesian:

"For contemplation is both the highest form of activity (since the intellect is the highest thing in us, and the objects that it apprehends are the highest things that can be known), and also it is the most continuous, because we are more capable of continuous contemplation than we are of any practical activity."

Anyhow, have a look at Sherlock in thought. He's gorgeous.

Fic Rec: incessantly, softly

[dioscureantwins.livejournal.com]

Title: incessantly, softly
Author: frozen_delight
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: approx. 2,800 words
Rating: teen
Warnings:the author has chosen not to warn. To warn here would give away the plot. Don’t read this if you don’t like unexcpected twists of plot
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock wakes up to an empty flat.
Post-Reichenbach return Mystery-Spot-style. Because returning from the dead or being stuck in a time loop isn’t already angsty enough in itself. Not S3-compliant.

Reccer's comments: I love stories where Sherlock is stuck in a time loop because the very idea of a time loop is so contrary to his impatient nature. He’s a creature of habits, obviously, but those home comforts mainly serve as a necessary interlude between all the excitement and adventure with something new always just around the corner.

A time loop however, is exceedingly dull, with the same thing happening over and over again while Sherlock has to try and find out how he can change the pattern.

In this post-Reichenbach fic the author has returned Sherlock to a world that’s slightly off from the surroundings he said farewell to when he decided to jump. John is angry with him, shouting at him, running out on him and what’s the broken chemistry set doing on the kitchen table? Sherlock is left trashing through possible answers. Of course he doesn’t learn of the truth until he decides to turn to Mycroft for advice.

Then it suddenly all becomes so very, very clear.

You really, really shouldn’t read this if you don’t like unexpected turns in stories. I really can’t say what it is for that would spoil the cleverly crafted story. But if you like surprises, even potentially upsetting ones, I’m convinced you’ll be as smitten with this story as I am.