221b_recs | Fic Rec: The Ties that Bleed (Reply)

Title: The Ties That Bleed
Author:

luchia13
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 11,700 words
Rating: R
Warnings: I think the "R" rating is for the difficult themes, including suicidal thoughts and mental illness; there's also some description of violence though not graphic, and dub-con soul-bondings
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: John Watson has been bonded by blood to Sherlock Holmes. Until the day Sherlock dies, they will be tied together. Until the day Sherlock dies, John can't.

Reccer's comments: This is a soul-bonded Reichenbach AU. I adore well-done magical realism, and in this story I find the world-building both economical and compelling, surpassed only by the incisive characterizations. John, especially, is a beautiful trainwreck. The story delves into his intensely fluctuating mental and emotional states without ever losing touch with that part of John Watson that disdains his own drama. The story combines deep angst and conflicted romance with sharp and satisfying humor.

Essentially, this is the story of a haunting, and the way that Sherlock's shade within John's shared soul creates temptations, doubts, beliefs, and ultimately revelations during a truly agonizing hiatus.

Beautifully written and richly imagined, this story is a favorite of mine, although I should say in advance that it ends abruptly and does not really resolve the complex emotional tangle that it has built up. The author has said, though, that their goal was to tell the story of John's mental journey rather than to resolve his relationship with Sherlock, and in that the story succeeds brilliantly. Where he and Sherlock go from there is up to us.