221b_recs | Entries tagged with content: bamf jw

Title: The Five Doctors
Author:

gardnerhill
Pairing: None
Length: 10,006 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Author did not give warnings (see reccer's comments)
Verse: Elementary, ACD Canon, BBC Sherlock, My Dearly Beloved Detective, Ritchieverse, Granada Holmes, Rathbone Holmes (films)
Author's summary: Great minds think alike.

Reccer's comments: So many Watsons and so many Holmeses! Joan being a BAMF and being the Default Watson! Crack treated seriously! Such a good read.

There is some brief Victorian Era-typical racism (specifically orientalism) and misogyny

swissmarg

Title: Whiteout
Author: SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Greg Lestrade/Molly Hooper
Length: 37K
Rating: M
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: A documentary crew follows the Matterhorn aerial rescue team from Air Zermatt, profiling the mechanics, pilots, and paramedics as they save patients on the infamous mountain.

Their camera may catch more than they're looking for, however, when it comes to a certain paramedic named John Watson. . .

Reccer's comments: What an incredibly inventive and gripping story! This is a complete AU in which Sherlock, John, and Greg are members of a Swiss mountain rescue team. Told in the format of a documentary with an extremely skillful film editor, the focus is nominally on the rescues and life on the mountain, but more tellingly digs into the private lives of the team members. The documentary format is pure genius with juxtaposed scenes, quick-paced montages and theatrical cuts that create fantastic tension and drama while preserving the mystery and building up an emotional reveal that literally had me grinning with tears of joy.

The rating is for language and possibly some depictions of injuries, no sex.

( Excerpt... )

pipmer1

Title: Signs Following
Author: vulgarweed
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 24,285 words
Rating: Explicit
Verse: BBC Sherlock

Author's summary: 1976. Bone Fiddle-verse; Appalachian AU. A couple years into their relationship, John and Sherlock are cozily setting up for spring with Mrs. Hudson's expert guidance when a distraught young woman appeals to them for help and sends them on one of their strangest cases yet - in order to solve one murder and prevent another, they must tangle with a sinister preacher and enter the much-sensationalized, little-understood world of Pentecostal Holiness believers who strictly observe Mark 16: 17-18:

(And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.)

Reccer's comments: This takes place in the awesome Bonefiddle 'verse, an AU set in 1970's Appalachia. Considering how well known this verse is, I'm surprised at the comparatively low kudos and hits, so I thought it deserved a shout-out here.

Sherlock and John are an established couple here in rural West Virginia. Don't let the American setting put you off: these are the Sherlock and John that we know and love, just transplanted into a different culture. They are still very much themselves. John is a doctor and a war veteran, and Sherlock is a self-proclaimed detective. Together they solve crimes. For this specific story, it is a retelling of The Speckled Band, using a most unique twist. Here, the villain is a Holy-Roller snake handling preacher who preys upon his flock's vulnerabilities in order to commit murder. It never descends into religion bashing, though. The author deftly navigates between good old Sherlockian skepticism and sensitivity to good people's sincerely held beliefs. It's manipulative evil that is the true villain here.

The reader will surely enjoy John's reaction to Sherlock's prowess with a tire iron, as well as his BAMFness when it comes time to save Sherlock from himself.

pipmer1

Title: The Last Companion
Author: standbygo
Pairing: Sherlock/John, Sherlock/OMCs, Sherlock/OFCs
Length: 34,075 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Discussions of non-con because Moriarty is creepy
Verse: Sherlock BBC/Firefly

Author's summary: Thirty years after the Miranda Wars, there is peace, both on the Rim and the Core planets. There are a number of old social mores still in place, such as the Order of Companions, but there is a sense that even such respected practices are coming to an end…

Sherlock is a Companion - the best Companion on Persephone. With a bit of detective work on the side, of course. Then he meets a man named John Watson, encounters a series of bizarre cases, and finds his world is getting turned upside down.

Reccer's comments: All of this author’s Sherlock fics are well worth the read, but I chose this one because of the unique fusion with Firefly, a sci-fi television show. I myself wasn’t that familiar with the world of Firefly, and I don’t think knowledge of that world is necessary to enjoy this story to the fullest. The writing is such that any necessary background information is seamlessly woven into the narrative.

In this universe, Sherlock has been groomed from childhood to become a Companion, and in adulthood he has become one of the most sought-after ones. A Companion, to put it delicately, is a paid escort. But Companions have been trained not only in the art of pleasure and seduction, but they are some of the most educated and talented people on the planet. They are paid not only for providing sexual intimacy, but almost anything else that the client may crave as well. And Sherlock’s skills at deduction ensure that the clients always come away satisfied.

Of course being a Companion is not Sherlock’s only vocation. He also does detective work on the side. In the middle of one of his investigations, he is rescued by a stranger going by the name of John Watson. Of course, the two of them get caught up in a case, become fascinated with each other, go dancing, fall in love -- and it almost all comes crashing down due to the machinations of one James Moriarty.

swissmarg

Title: The Vampires of London
Author: consultingdetective
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 72K
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major character death
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: Over one hundred years after the first battle, a series of murders have caught the attention of London's police force and Sherlock Holmes. While most of the city has forgotten the vampire that once walked its streets, the descendants of the Van Helsing, Harker, and Seward families have not.

Reccer's comments: Perfectly timed to coincide with the recent announcement that Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, and Sue Vertue will be teaming up again to bring Dracula to the BBC, this unites Sherlock Holmes and Bram Stoker’s Dracula in a casefic full of classic Gothic horror, secrets, ancient magic, and the past coming back – sometimes quite literally – to bite. The fic delights with twist after earth-shattering twist, simmering Johnlock UST, and John Watson as the baddest BAMF to hit the streets of London since 1897. The OCs are deliciously wicked, and in true ensemble style, secondary characters such as Mycroft, Molly, Moran, Lestrade, and even Sally Donovan all have crucial and prominent parts to play. There is a modicum of gore and major character death, but it’s not a sad ending and I mean, without spoiling… vampires. ;)

pipmer1.livejournal.com

Title: Albion and the Woodsman
Author: Glenmore
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 54,437 words
Rating: Not Rated (I would rate it Mature)
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: Post Series 3. Sherlock and John are devastated after Mary Morstan makes her final moves. Sherlock relapses at the crack house, John walks around the world ...and a lot happens in between. Parentlock, in the good way.

Reccer's comments: If you are the type of reader who, like me, generally avoids first-person storytelling, then do yourself a favor and make an exception for this one. It's one of those rare fics that successfully paints Sherlock Holmes as a devoted single parent. The story is in turns funny, heartbreaking, and heartwarming.

It is told from Sherlock's POV, and begins post-series 3. It starts out after Sherlock has been shot for a second time by Mary Watson, an event that leads to her arrest and to John needing to disappear for awhile in order to get his head together. He leaves for a year-long walkabout around the world, leaving Sherlock devastated and returning to drugs. Of course he cleans himself up, only to be confronted several months later by a pregnant stranger claiming that Sherlock is the father.

We get to watch Sherlock fall immediately in love with his son Albion, and then take to single fatherhood like a duck takes to water. As Sherlock grows into his new role, he continues to pine for John and wait for his eventual return. The way Sherlock refers to John in his absence by different epithets such as 'eleven jumpers Watson' and 'Three pairs of brogues Watson' kept me delighted and laughing throughout.

We are introduced to several OC’s, not the least of which is Albion himself. His nanny gives soldier!John a run for his money (once he returns), and even the mother who abandoned him manages to turn her life around and gain at least a smidgen of our respect.

There are struggles and lessons to be learned, not the least of which that 'happily ever after' does not mean what all the fairy-tales claim. Reality is much more complicated, but all the more rewarding because of it.

( sneak preview )

verdant_fire

Title: All the Best and Brightest Creatures
Author: wordstrings
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 188426 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock sent Jim Moriarty to prison for killing Carl Powers at age ten. This is the story of the consequences.

Reccer's comments: Quite simply, one of the most beautiful stories I've ever had the privilege of reading, in any medium. The prose is gorgeous, the emotions are heart-stopping, and the love is transcendent. Sherlock's character arc is stupendously well-written, as are his alternate history with a terrifying Moriarty and his growing relationship with John, and the OCs and secondary characters are vibrant and fully fleshed-out. It's a living, breathing world of its own, and a pretty astonishing feat of storytelling. It's hard to properly praise this story without sounding hyperbolic, but if you've never read it, or have been waiting for it to be completed, now's your chance. It deserves every bit of its fandom fame.

swissmarg

Title: The Napoleon
Author: darcylindbergh
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 24,859 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: Halloween, 1989: John and Sherlock both have big plans for the night, but some serial killers have the worst possible timing.

Reccer's comments: I went into this thinking, okay, a fun little Halloween story. Then BAM! i got hit hard in the feels. First off there's the case, which is a fabulous tongue-in-cheek romp through the 80s that leaves bodies galore in its wake. Then there's all the fun of dressing up for Halloween in sexy, subtext-laden costumes. But finally (most importantly), of course, there are John and Sherlock pining desperately for each other until they finally get a clue, and it’s at that point that the fic takes off from being a good-natured dashabout and becomes something of real substance and beauty. This is one of those stories that you think is just going to be a quick distraction, but ends up sneaking into your heart and settling there.

swissmarg

Title: Thirteen Dances (Or, The Doctor Dances)
Author: Knackorcraft
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 17,544 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: Written in response to this kink meme prompt: "John is a great dancer: we're talking all types. Not only is he able to pop and lock it, he's got some great ballet technique. He was best at lifting / holding girls." Thirteen chapters, thirteen dances, interwoven in two parallel tracks: John's past and his present. And maybe his future, too. (I do love a happy ending with a bit of smut.)

Reccer's comments: This is the quintessential fic for those who wanted to see that scene of Sherlock teaching John to waltz for the wedding. Only in this fic (written prior to series 3), it's John who teaches Sherlock. To tango. And yes, it's everything you hoped for and more.

John is the ultimate BAMF here, wowing all the lads and ladies with his moves both on and off on the dance floor. It's all done with complete aplomb and understatement, though, never turning John into some kind of flamboyant dancing wunderkind but keeping him grounded and quietly confident, making his dancing talents as natural a part of him as his gun-wielding or jumper-wearing. We get a broad survey of John's life through dance, from ballet lessons as a child to high school disco parties and a brief stint as the star of a viral YouTube video from his time in the army.

And woven through it all is the stomach-fluttering, throat-tightening, heart-stuttering metaphorical dance that Sherlock and John engage in as they feel their way toward each other's arms. And that tango scene. ;)

swissmarg

Title: Say You'll Stay With Me
Author: justacookieofacumberbatch/buffyholic
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 63,349 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: It was just supposed to be an ordinary business trip, but when John's car stalls out on Hollywood Boulevard, he meets someone who just might change his life.

Reccer's comments: This was an excellent Sherlock/Pretty Woman fusion, keeping quite close to the original movie but with absolutely no doubt about which characters these are, and with enough surprises and extras to keep the story fresh.

I especially liked seeing Sherlock and John's emotional connection grow over the course of the fic, from an initial gobsmacked fascination through a more global appreciation to something quite profound and very nearly overwhelming to both of them.

The casting choices were fun, the angst factor manageable, and the sex scenes extra steamy and delish. And the fic is just the right length for a good, self-indulgent afternoon or evening. Just don’t start reading right before bed, you won’t be able to put it down!

lijahlover.livejournal.com

Hello everyone I am one of the reccers for November with my first must read story.

Title:Till death Do Us Part
Author:prettysailorsoldier
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length:15,390
Rating:Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: [e.g. Sherlock BBC
Author's summary:When Sherlock links a recent spree of murder-suicides to a psychologist who specializes in marriage counseling, there's really only one thing to do: Go undercover as a couple in hopes of drawing the killer out. Faking a relationship seems easy enough, but things take a turn when their real issues start to creep into the sessions, and, all the while, a killer is watching, waiting in the shadows for their chance to strike.
Reccer's comments:Ohhhhhhh I do adore fake relationship troupes sooooooo much and this is wonderful. Boy do these two need counseling and in this story it works for the best. Make those two idiots talk to each other with nice results. :)))))))

This author was brilliant with how well she wrote their longing with a build up of emotions that you know will have to blow up sometime. Then add in all the tension and action *swoons*

This line here was one of many I adored...."Only once he was kissing Sherlock Holmes did he realize how many times he’d imagined it, and, though it was unlike every hypothetical scenario he’d concocted, it was also exactly what it should have been." We are alike John, I always looooove to imagine you two kissing and it is always as it should be ;))))))))

You should check out this gem of a story, you won't be sorry. :)

swissmarg

Title: Emperor Tales of the Frozen South
Author: cwb
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, others which would be spoilers
Length: 153,593 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: At the bottom of the world, two intrepid explorers make their way in the harshest of environments. An important journey must be taken, and prophecies fulfilled, but not before family meddling, political interference, and self-doubt threaten to alter the future of an entire species.

If you know me at all, you know that this had to be done.

Reccer's comments:

photo 587f4d9a-7b64-4893-ae0a-12a0a6e9c8f4_zpstyqszm3d.jpg

Look at that face! How could you say no to this little guy? You couldn't, and that's why you won't want to miss this unusual and breathtaking adventure of a penguin AU. It's not crack, far from it. Instead, it is an endearing, heartfelt, fluffy yet earnest coming-of-age-stroke-salvation-and-redemption story set in a colony of Emperor penguins in Antarctica. The story focuses on Sherlock and John from the moment they hatch onward, through their chickhood, adolescence, and into maturity, as they try to find their place in society in this exotic, icy wasteland.

The author has interwoven many fascinating aspects of Emperor biology and behavior with Polynesian mythology and language to create a unique Penglock world of complex politics, societal structures, beliefs, and rituals. The real draw for me, though, is the beautifully depicted relationship between Sherlock and John, as they evolve seamlessly from "best pengs" to "ipo" and "tahu". As if those fuzzy little grey balls of poofiness weren't cute enough, just imagine them cuddling.

I'll be honest, the character of Sherlock is not the rude, easily bored, addictive personality whose main goal in life is to play "the game"; the misunderstood, abused and abusive genius loner we are introduced to in the BBC series. Instead, this is more a vision of what Sherlock might have been if he'd grown up with a true friend, caring mentors, and a supportive community behind him, where his quirks and talents were nurtured and promoted, and where he received personal and public affirmation, appreciation, and recognition. Although there are some moments of angst, the story is very positive and uplifting throughout. Really, the prophecy made at Sherlock's birth says it all: You will love, you will suffer, you will prevail.

write-out.livejournal.com

Title: It's Only Natural
Author: esterbrook
Pairing: Gen
Length: 1,987
Rating: Teen
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: "You mad bastard," John growls, "if you're planning to fuck off and do something dangerous without me, I will kill you myself right now to spare you the trouble."

Reccer's comments: Sherlock makes his way to the couch with half a dozen balled pairs of socks in his hands. "John," he says pensively, "what would you pack if you had to go on a long trip?"

Ah, the second hiatus! It was a glorious time for fic, thanks to all of the creative Reichenbach theories and fix-its. This is an older favorite I recently came across again and I'm so glad I did. In this, John finds Sherlock sitting on their sitting room floor, rucksack at his side and clothes strewn across the floor. He gives Sherlock some packing advice and makes a joke about surprise weekend getaways, but the conversation takes a turn when John's instinct tells him something is "extremely not good." I don't want to give it all away, but when John marches upstairs and comes back down with his own rucksack in hand, I cheered. This is a short but powerful story that showcases what a badass John Watson is (and Sherlock, too) and just how perfectly matched he and Sherlock Holmes are.

rachelindeed.livejournal.com

Title: A Study in Rehabilitation
Author: TheWhiteLily
Pairing: Gen. John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, OCs
Length: 12,500 words
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: In a rehabilitation clinic in London, John Watson is just home from Afghanistan and having a difficult time coming to terms with the bullet in his shoulder’s devastating impact on his life. But now there’s a serial killer on the loose — and a certain consulting detective is on the trail…

Reccer's comments: This is a prequel AU to the BBC Sherlock series, answering the question: what if Sherlock and John had met just one case earlier? This is a brilliant casefic full of wonderfully smart deductions. It's also an intense and very well-researched medical drama that allows John to rise to an emergency with utterly convincing skill. Best of all, it catches the perfect chemistry of that first meeting once again, with clever allusions to certain elements of A Study in Pink but even more departures from it. I particularly loved seeing how a difference in circumstances altered what Sherlock got right and wrong in his deductions about John, and how the author created a fascinating backstory to explain the roots of John's psychosomatic limp. With the leads precisely in-character and an interesting canvas of OCs to act as suspects and victims, this fic drew me in and held me rapt from start to finish.

dioscureantwins.livejournal.com

Title: Toplock Talent Search
Author:

anarfea
Pairing: Sherlock/John, Sherlock/Irene, Sherlock/Jim/Molly
Length: approx. 25,000 words
Rating: explicit
Warnings: top!Sherlock (the reason the fic exists)
Verse: BBC Sherlock
Author's summary: “It’s frankly alarming,” said the Sherlock in the fishnet top, “watching you simper and fawn and make puppy eyes over John like a … sad, gay baby.”
Sherlock’s mouth fell open. “I am not a sad gay baby!”
“Yes, you are,” said Irene.
“Well, what is he, then?” sputtered Sherlock. “Splaying his legs open so everyone can see his cock through those trousers. Sitting there leering at the rest of us like some sort of superior … Dark fuck prince.”

Currently a WIP. Last updated July 2015. There should be one more chapter according to the author. However, as chapter three to five are pretty much stand alone's you can really go ahead and read!

Reccer's comments: This fic is proof of the human mind’s remarkable talent to turn something vile into something hilarious. Written in response to the vagaries imposed upon last year’s 221B con by a this fic has the show’s characters discuss fanfic, gender politics, sexual roles, ship wars, and fandom, as they search for the perfect incarnation of Toplock.

The author masterfully plays with tropes and head!canons as exploited in the series by Moffat and Gatiss, by fanfic writers (the author included) and readers and shows that the pen, especially when wielded with a humour that manages to cast everyone in a satirical light, truly is the strongest weapon ever invented.

The fic heads off with lots of clever banter flying around the living room. Anthea presides and has a hard time keeping the various characters in their respective incarnations in check. We get to meet DarkFuckPrince!Sherlock, GayBaby!Sherlock, JustTransport!Sherlock, Angry!John (well, he doesn’t get laid, obviously), Saint!John and BAMF!John, Virgin!Sherlock and all these incarnations, traipsing around 221B’s living room together, are totally IC. As are Irene, Mycroft, Anthea, Mrs Hudson, Jim and Molly and even Sebastian Moran. Because no fic featuring Jim is complete without a truly creepy Moran in the background. Fie Moftiss.

Once Anthea has waved her magic wand and decided upon the various pairings we follow those to the rooms allotted them for yet more talk, debate, argument, conference, exchange, review, conversation,consideration, dialogue, consultation, seminar, discourse, deliberation,symposium, colloquy, confabulation not to mention examination, investigation, analysis, scrutiny and dissection that will have you screaming with laughter and chuckling over so much cleverness. Then in each chapter the whole delicious concoction gets topped off with some scorchingly-hot sex, with Sherlock topping of course. Yes, even GayBaby!Virgin!Sherlock gets to do the topping.

What really blew me away in this fic however is the encounter in chapter four, between JustTranpost!Sherlock and a beautifully brave and tender Irene. Even if you don’t read the rest of the fic, read this chapter at least for the wonderful insight into their relationship. You won’t regret it.

theanglophile.livejournal.com

Title: Watsonapped
Artist: Eliosu
Pairing: Sherlock/John or Gen
Length: 1 page
Rating: PG
Warnings: None (unless buffoon!Sherlock AU counts)
Verse: Crossover: Canon / Sherlock BBC / RDJ films (aka buffoon!Sherlock AU)
Author's summary:
all John Watson have been kidnapped. What would Sherlock Holmes-es do ?

Reccer's comments:
One more for the month!

Hilariously accurate little comic about how each Holmes would rescue his Watson from a kidnapping, and each Watson's response to that. The artist's style is sleek, smooth, and a pleasure to look at.

Watsonapped

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verdant_fire

Title: History, Repeating Itself
Author: gyzym
Pairing: Sherlock/John, Mycroft/Irene
Length: 45489 words
Rating: Mature
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: John Watson is a med student, a war veteran, and, by and large, a fairly sensible person. He had every chance to run.

Reccer's comments: Perhaps fittingly for Leap Day, this fic is a bit of an odd one, but I've never forgotten it. Though it's tagged as RDJ-verse, I think it's really more of an original fic based on ACD's characters than it is any established verse, but it's fantastic writing no matter how you categorize it. This is a sort of Unilock, with John and Sherlock meeting as post-grads and moving in together while Sherlock does a lot of chemistry and gets in over his head, both professionally and romantically. Mycroft and Irene are also great in this, even though, again, they're not really the ACD characters but an original version of them. John's long-suffering affection and pining over his manic, stoner, genius Sherlock is really well-written, and Sherlock is both endearing and exasperating (and also instigates one of the best Johnlock clubbing scenes I've read). It's an engaging and unique take on them and their relationship.

verdant_fire

Title: the dead-end case of the kilted kirkyard killer
Author: darcylindbergh
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 8893 words
Rating: Explicit
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: Of course, a man walking about Edinburgh while wearing a dark-patterned kilt was not suspicious in and of itself. But a man walking about Edinburgh alone, in the night, so close to the hunting grounds of a serial killer, wearing the costume the killer preferred to hunt in--now that might be worth looking into. Sherlock stepped back into the shadows of the buildings and followed after him.
*In which Sherlock follows the wrong man and gets more than he bargained for.

Reccer's comments: Another excellent fic from this author, this alternate first meeting in Edinburgh is endearing and tender and sexy and engaging, featuring a murder in a haunted graveyard and BAMF John in a kilt. It's a fantastic romp, with humor and Scottishness and vulnerability, all in the same short, skillful, pleasingly alliterative fic. <3

write-out.livejournal.com

Title: Order of Operations
Author: patternofdefiance
Pairing: Gen, pre-slash Sherlock/John
Length: 2,839 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary:
Emergency lights flicker on.
Never a good sign.
John opens his eyes. Smoke, hazy air, smells sour, concrete dust. Not the desert. City. Insurgent bombings. Civilians. Casualties.
Wounded.
“Sherlock?”

Reccer's comments: Sherlock and John are trapped in an elevator after a terrorist attack at Mycroft’s building. I don't feel like i'm giving anything away when I say they make it out, but not without some heartstopping moments. (ETA: No one dies in this!) The intensity is sky high as Sherlock and John fight to escape and the author does not hold back in showing us just how precarious their situation is, physically and emotionally. Each of them is almost primal in how they make the other's escape their main priority. It's a thrilling read with a great heaping dose of hurt/comfort in the end.

The author has tagged this both gen and pre-slash, so you could read this with either intense friendship or slash goggles on. Either way, it's not a disappointment. This is a fantastic look at Sherlock and John's deep friendship and just how much they really mean to each other. I will never get tired of coming back to this story.

rachelindeed.livejournal.com

Title: Watershed
Author: finangler
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 40,000 words
Rating: E
Warnings: the crimes investigated include human trafficking, rape, and murder, though none are graphically portrayed; also has themes of drug use/abuse
Verse: other
Author's summary: In the year 2207, John Watson went to war. (Written in response to the shkinkmeme anon-prompt: SH in Space.)

Reccer's comments: This fic is remarkable for many reasons. It combines economical yet expansive world-building, clever plot twists which impact both the case and the relationship of the characters, a gritty futuristic setting, and a love story which does not run smoothly and is all the better for its frictions and false starts. Its happy ending, once reached, feels earned.

It is also remarkable because it presents a version of these characters which does not fit entirely within any particular established 'verse. The story was completed several months before the BBC series first aired in 2010, and this author independently undertook, not only a modernization of the Doyle characters, but a projection of them into the future. It is fascinating to see the characterization decisions here made, and to meet versions of Holmes and Watson who are in some ways quite similar to what the BBC characters became (in some instances the parallels are astonishing), but who remain in some respects unique, while at other times reminiscent of the Ritchie or Granada versions.

This fic begins as a version of Doyle's "Man with the Twisted Lip," but the case quickly takes on a life of its own. It offers a new version of Holmes and Watson's first meeting, and throughout the story Watson's issues surrounding self-perception, illness, and trust are dealt with in a complex and compelling way. I find this a rich and rewarding read.

It should be noted that the story is a complete and satisfying whole, but although it is listed as being part of a series, the sequel fic was abandoned after only one chapter so you may be happier simply stopping at the end of this story. (The sequel makes quite an interesting epilogue, though it raises important character issues which are never resolved). If you are interested in seeing more of this author's work, and in particular how they engaged with the BBC characters once that series aired, their excellent BBC adaptation of "The Devil's Foot" has already been recc'd on this comm. Authors who can skillfully entwine original mysteries with nuanced relationship and character drama are treasures, and I hope you enjoy finangler's work as much as I have.

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A Sherlock Holmes Recs Community

November 2018

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Page Summary

venusinthenight - Fic Rec: The Five Doctors
swissmarg - Fic Rec: Whiteout
pipmer1 - Fic Rec: Signs Following
pipmer1 - Fic Rec: The Last Companion
swissmarg - Fic Rec: The Vampires of London
pipmer1.livejournal.com - Fic Rec: Albion and the Woodsman
verdant_fire - fic rec: All the Best and Brightest Creatures
swissmarg - Fic Rec: The Napoleon
swissmarg - Fic Rec: Thirteen Dances (Or, The Doctor Dances)
swissmarg - Fic Rec: Say You'll Stay With Me
lijahlover.livejournal.com - Fic rec-Till Death Do Us Part
swissmarg - Fic Rec: Emperor Tales of the Frozen South
write-out.livejournal.com - Fic Rec: It's Only Natural
rachelindeed.livejournal.com - Fic Rec: A Study in Rehabilitation
dioscureantwins.livejournal.com - Fic Rec: Toplock Talent Search
theanglophile.livejournal.com - Art Rec: Watsonapped by Eliosu
verdant_fire - fic rec: History, Repeating Itself
verdant_fire - Fic Rec: the dead-end case of the kilted kirkyard killer
write-out.livejournal.com - Fic Rec: Order of Operations
rachelindeed.livejournal.com - Fic Rec: Watershed

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221B Recs

A Sherlock Holmes Recs Community

Entries tagged with content: bamf jw

Fic Rec: The Five Doctors

Fic Rec: Whiteout

Fic Rec: Signs Following

Fic Rec: The Last Companion

Fic Rec: The Vampires of London

Fic Rec: Albion and the Woodsman

fic rec: All the Best and Brightest Creatures

Fic Rec: The Napoleon

Fic Rec: Thirteen Dances (Or, The Doctor Dances)

Fic Rec: Say You'll Stay With Me

Fic rec-Till Death Do Us Part

Fic Rec: Emperor Tales of the Frozen South

Fic Rec: It's Only Natural

Fic Rec: A Study in Rehabilitation

Fic Rec: Toplock Talent Search

Art Rec: Watsonapped by Eliosu

fic rec: History, Repeating Itself

Fic Rec: the dead-end case of the kilted kirkyard killer

Fic Rec: Order of Operations

Fic Rec: Watershed

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November 2018

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