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Fic Rec: The Waiting Isn't the Hardest Part
Title: The Waiting Isn't the Hardest Part (locked on AO3, message the author on tumblr if you need an invite)
Author: starrysummernights
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 56,723 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock (BBC)
Author's summary: Expecting a baby should be a joyous event in an Omega’s life. It’s what all the books, websites, and talk shows bleat about. It’s the crowning moment of glory in any Omega’s life. John’s just ready for it to be fucking over.
Reccer's comments: At first glance, this looks like a pretty standard Omegaverse mpreg fic, but it's much more complex and thought-provoking than that, and manages to put itself a cut above in several ways.
First off is the exploration of gender roles and something approaching genderqueerness in the Alpha-Omega-Beta 'secondary gender'. There are plenty of fics that depict Sherlock (or John) as a strong, independent-minded Omega unwilling to submit to Alpha rule, or one of them as a restrained, enlightened Alpha who sees their partner as a person and an individual first and foremost, rather than a fucktoy. But this fic goes a step beyond that, I think, in depicting John as truly conflicted over his gender and not just trying to assert himself or redefine his role in society. He is deeply unhappy with being an Omega, to the point of self-hatred. Through the course of the story, he discovers that he is much more comfortable when he acts as an Alpha, which I found to be a fresh and intriguing perspective.
Of course, trying to deal with Omega biology is doubly hard when his body is undergoing all the changes wrought by pregnancy, and that's the second thing that I thought set this fic apart: John's attitude toward his pregnancy. He is deeply ambivalent, not necessarily to the point of seriously considering an abortion, but he basically throws up a mental block toward the pregnancy, ignoring it as much as possible. I thought that was an interesting choice, as John is usually depicted as the caring, nurturing one. It was so hard seeing Sherlock want to support John and participate in the pregnancy, and for John to completely shut him out.
Which brings me to what really drew me in, and that was the completely messed up, dysfunctional, codependent relationship between John and Sherlock. They both struggle so hard against their respective instincts - both physical and emotional - thinking they are doing what's right, but they only end up hurting each other more and more. It's one of those where you just want to grab them both by the collar and mash their heads together and say, “Now kiss!” For example, the scenes where John has to force himself to do things in order to act like he thinks a good partner should for Sherlock are masterful, striking a delicate balance between pain and hope.
( Excerpt... )
This is part of a longer series, The Illusion of Control, although I don't think it's absolutely necessary to read the earlier parts. The salient points are reiterated in this story so you shouldn't feel lost.
Author: starrysummernights
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 56,723 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock (BBC)
Author's summary: Expecting a baby should be a joyous event in an Omega’s life. It’s what all the books, websites, and talk shows bleat about. It’s the crowning moment of glory in any Omega’s life. John’s just ready for it to be fucking over.
Reccer's comments: At first glance, this looks like a pretty standard Omegaverse mpreg fic, but it's much more complex and thought-provoking than that, and manages to put itself a cut above in several ways.
First off is the exploration of gender roles and something approaching genderqueerness in the Alpha-Omega-Beta 'secondary gender'. There are plenty of fics that depict Sherlock (or John) as a strong, independent-minded Omega unwilling to submit to Alpha rule, or one of them as a restrained, enlightened Alpha who sees their partner as a person and an individual first and foremost, rather than a fucktoy. But this fic goes a step beyond that, I think, in depicting John as truly conflicted over his gender and not just trying to assert himself or redefine his role in society. He is deeply unhappy with being an Omega, to the point of self-hatred. Through the course of the story, he discovers that he is much more comfortable when he acts as an Alpha, which I found to be a fresh and intriguing perspective.
Of course, trying to deal with Omega biology is doubly hard when his body is undergoing all the changes wrought by pregnancy, and that's the second thing that I thought set this fic apart: John's attitude toward his pregnancy. He is deeply ambivalent, not necessarily to the point of seriously considering an abortion, but he basically throws up a mental block toward the pregnancy, ignoring it as much as possible. I thought that was an interesting choice, as John is usually depicted as the caring, nurturing one. It was so hard seeing Sherlock want to support John and participate in the pregnancy, and for John to completely shut him out.
Which brings me to what really drew me in, and that was the completely messed up, dysfunctional, codependent relationship between John and Sherlock. They both struggle so hard against their respective instincts - both physical and emotional - thinking they are doing what's right, but they only end up hurting each other more and more. It's one of those where you just want to grab them both by the collar and mash their heads together and say, “Now kiss!” For example, the scenes where John has to force himself to do things in order to act like he thinks a good partner should for Sherlock are masterful, striking a delicate balance between pain and hope.
( Excerpt... )
This is part of a longer series, The Illusion of Control, although I don't think it's absolutely necessary to read the earlier parts. The salient points are reiterated in this story so you shouldn't feel lost.