221b_recs | Entries tagged with content: breathplay

Title: Unwind
Author: illwick
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 450K+
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Some very rough sex, including scenes gone awry; check individual tags
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: None provided by author, but this follows John and Sherlock post-series 4 as they expand their relationship to include BDSM practices.

Reccer's comments: On the surface, this looks like lots of filthy smut. And it is. But it's also so much more than that. The installments range from pure PWP to hurt/comfort, fluff, and casefics. Throughout, John and Sherlock deepen and reinforce their emotional connection through an exploration of a variety of kinks. They also work through issues from both their individual pasts and the trauma they've been through together. With very smart, sophisticated writing and consistently high emotional payoffs, this series definitely delivered far more than I expected.

The author is still adding to the series, but each installment can be read as a standalone.

ficklepig.livejournal.com

Title: Dégustation
Author: daasgrrl
Pairing: Mycroft Holmes/Hannibal Lecter
Length: 7799
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Minor character death
Verse: Sherlock (BBC) x Hannibal (NBC)

Author's summary: Hannibal meets up with an old friend for dinner. Amongst other things.

Reccer's comments: What do you know, it's the end of October already! Themed recs all around!

Mycroft uses Hannibal professionally, and Hannibal takes Mycroft apart for pleasure. Well, not that way, though one always has reason to worry. Worrying is half the fun in this unnerving game between complex and dark characters who might be underestimating each other.

Tags include painplay, edgeplay, implied cannibalism (there are also implied incestuous feelings). The author skirts around some very dark material without plunging right over the edge. Well, maybe a little dangling - it wouldn't be a crossover with Hannibal without archly revolting references to unsavory savories: "Before I set foot in here again, everything must be tidied away, do you understand? Including any … smells."

The pacing is languid but not frustrating. Hannibal and Mycroft both have secrets, and while the author gives us Hannibal's point of view, they don't give everything away at once - both characters' motives remain enticingly opaque. There's plenty of character development through conversation (and Hannibal's interior reflections), plenty of sensual pleasures, and plenty of spot-on imagery and turns of phrase.

Mycroft sighs as Hannibal’s fingers dig in, loosening his tight flesh, and Hannibal is irresistibly reminded of the way Japanese farmers massage their prize Wagyu cattle for the slaughter. He knows well how very tender that portion would be, just beneath the shoulder blade.

Read the follow-up, "Displacement," for more crossover cleverness and a couple of creepy twists. The action and implications get darker, though, be warned.

pipmer1.livejournal.com

Title: Inked
Author: Regency
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 43025 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: John has tattoos. Sherlock has questions. Something like romance eventually blooms, but it's not without its complications.

Reccer's comments: The summary sounds a bit cracky, but the fic is not at all. It's actually a beautiful character study of both Sherlock and John and their relationship. I envy the writer's ability to write with such beautiful language and imagery.

It starts out on a light-hearted note, with witty repartee between Sherlock and John that had me smiling more than once. It then moves into more serious territory as the reasons why John has so many tattoos and yet hides them away from everyone, including Sherlock, come to light. Sherlock is desperate to get John to trust him enough to reveal all his tattoos and explain the meanings behind each one.

Throughout all this, Sherlock struggles with how he really feels about John. To help him come to the right conclusion, Mycroft and Irene both do what they can to help him along the way.

( Excerpt )

pennypaperbrain.livejournal.com

Title: Cross-wired
Author: PrettyArbitrary
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 7,168 words
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: extreme violence
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: John reads Sherlock's diary. It turns out that this is not his first mistake.

Reccer's comments: This is twisty and gorgeous and richly disturbing, a dark fantasy played out in the intellectual light of credible psychology.
When John finds a diary detailing the graphic tortures Sherlock would like to inflict on him, he’s freaked out… mostly. Except for the part of him that’s insanely turned on. He can’t get it out of his mind, and reads more, and matters go on from there.
Most people with a BDSM kink occasionally experience a moment of self-doubt along the lines of ‘Oh fuck, maybe the bit of me that wants this is kind of broken… but WANT anyway!’ and while John’s longings in this fic are particularly extreme, they are used to explore that feeling, and how you live with it, to the full.
Probably my very biggest kink is for having John and Sherlock both be utterly weird beyond any conventional boundaries, and yet somehow form a loving relationship that works for them. Skulls and flowery hearts should decorate this fic.

( Excerpt )

pennypaperbrain.livejournal.com

Title: These Days You Don’t Know How to March
Author: cranberryloops
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 10,341
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: none needed by comm rules
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: It's not easy to be Sherlock's. Saved. Owned. Loved. These aren't words John ever thought to associate with himself.

Reccer's comments: This is the kind of love story where one or both parties are desperate and damaged but find stability in each other. In this case, John is the more obviously damaged one, floundering after his return from Afghanistan, in search of a place to emotionally and physically belong. Cranberryloops’ dom Sherlock is compelling too, sharp and abstract and palpably devoted to John.
John is sent back to Afghanistan for part of the story, so he gets to keep that side of himself, and reconcile it with his increasing attachment to Sherlock. The story as a whole charts John’s progress as he (re)learns to be all his apparently contradictory selves, and it explores how, in a tenable BDSM relationship as in any other, responsibility goes both ways.
One of my favourite things about Sherlock fandom is the volume of thinky BDSM fic and IMO this is one of the best. It’s not extensively and graphically sexual, but the entire thing is suffused with sexuality and need. Many of the sex scenes are just beautiful, suggestive, one-line vignettes, and everything that happens is fully plugged in to the characters’ complex, entirely real psychologies. Nothing is simple, John Watson, even if you think you are.

( Excerpt )

swissmarg

Title: Restless Things
Author:

redhandsredribbons
Pairing: John/Sherlock, Jim/Molly
Length: 35,879 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Extreme violence, non-canon character death, dub-con
Verse: BBC Sherlock
Author's summary: John Watson and Molly Hooper are each paid a visit after Sherlock's fall. John, a visit from a very alive Sherlock, who's investigating the bizarre murder that's drawn him back to London. Molly, a visit from a very alive Moriarty, who only plans on a quick little interrogation—until he wonders if Molly's not quite as boring as she seems. (Johnlock first time fic/case fic.)

Reccer's comments: I almost didn't read it because of the Jim/Molly pairing, but I can't turn down anything with Johnlock in it, so I gave it a try, and I am so glad I did. This has something for just about everyone. You want Johnlock feels? This has Johnlock feels. You also like het? This has het. Do you want casefic with your smut? This has case. And smut. Can you not get enough creepy!unbalanced!Jim? This has creepy!unbalanced!Jim. Are you a fan of Molly? This not only has Molly, but BAMF!Molly, which. Obviously. There is even oblique Mycroft/Lestrade, although I don't want to get your hopes up on that count because it's really just a brief mention. Still.

Right, let's back up. First, a brief synopsis. As the summary says, both Sherlock and Jim survived the Fall, and both have come back to pick up their sidekicks to continue their 'game'. In Sherlock's case, it's not surprising that he's come for John, but no one was expecting Jim to choose Molly. Not even Jim. But things – and people – are not always as they seem...

( Excerpt contains unrealized threat of violence )

I loved Jim in this. Well, not that I was rooting for him or anything. He is completely bonkers. And creepy and evil and utterly manipulative and I gobbled up every scene with him.

The John/Sherlock part was a slow build-up to an eminently satisfying resolution. I appreciated that John was just as much of a dick as Sherlock, and not just the wrongfully slighted, long-suffering, secretly pansexual, all-round do-gooder. The banter between the two of them was the perfect blend of aggression and affection. And the pillow talk at the end, OMG! I was giggling so hard.

If you read this at the AO3 link, there are several wonderful illustrations embedded (this was written for the 2012

johnlockbigbang). However, they are spoilerish, so you may want to refrain from scrolling through the entire work before you read. Also, while we're on warnings, see how I put 'extreme violence' up there under the official warnings for this rec? Yeah, there's a reason for that. There was one scene that I couldn't even read all the way through. I got about halfway and said, 'Okay, I get it, the guy's toast,' and skipped to the next page. There's also torture (less graphic, but still present) and gore and basically a huge list of trigger warnings at the top of the fic, so just be aware.

The ending was another one of those stroke-of-genius things, both the main climax and then the little extra epilogue-type scene tacked on at the very end, where I just sat there for several minutes afterwards nodding and going, 'Yeah. Yeah. I can totally see that. Sequel please?'

brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com

Title: Numina
Author:

thisprettywren
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 10,000
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: BDSM, knifeplay, breathplay, self-destructive behaviour, general darkness
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: John's never really been one to shy away from responsibility, but some are easier than others.
Reccer's comments: This fascinating, suspenseful, and tender tale examines what too much being at home does to Sherlock, then turns 221b Baker Street into a small battlefield as Sherlock races to solve an important puzzle.

So, John had left tools. Clues. Something. Where, though? He turned, looking for obvious signs (disturbances, things shifted from where they’d been that morning) but he couldn’t see anything, but he’d been distracted, wrapped up inside his head—the whole problem, stupid— couldn’t remember how things had been before now that it finally mattered.

unovis.livejournal.com

Hi!
Just a few words on our tags and tagging your recs.

Tags are useful search tools for grouping the recs by categories: by pairing, genre, content, and sources for the stories or other fanworks.

We ask that reccers attach tags that are relevant to the works they rec. You don't have to add everything that applies-- for example, not a character tag for everyone who might appear in the story, or every theme or content. But if Molly has a significant cameo, say, that you think people searching for her might appreciate, then by all means list her in a tag. Likewise if you think this is the addiction story people should read, then use the content: addiction tag.

The required aspects to tag are pairing (if it applies), relationship genre (i.e., gen, slash, or het*), and verse (the source: ACD books, Sherlock BBC, Granada, etc.).

The easiest place to see all of the tags available is in this list of tags.

Tagging is enabled only for the author of the post and the mods. Only the mods can add new tags. We have a beginning list up now, anticipating likely categories and characters. We'll add more as recs are made, if characters and pairings, for example, aren't covered already. You can request a new tag to be added by commenting here or by contacting one of the mods. Keep in mind, again, that we'll be adding character tags as additional characters appear in recs.

Sherlock Holmes and John Watson have been abbreviated as SH and JW in pairings and some other places (e.g., content: sick jw). Since this recs comm is open to all versions of Sherlock Holmes, it seemed the simplest way to identify the characters. Lestrade, Gregson, and Dimmock are listed as "inspector" following ACD book canon, and Moriarty is listed only once by his (their) surname alone. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is abbreviated throughout as ACD.

*We won't add a category for "slash-if-you-squint" or similar invitations for the reader to see subtext in a story. If the author hasn't labeled her work as slash, then it's genre: gen or genre: friendship.

themusecalliope

The Paradox Series (in order)

Title: An Act of Charity
Author:

wordstrings
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 4,032 words
Author's summary: In which what's in his head is never going to get any better, and John is nearly thrown out of his flat. Sherlock POV
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Dark themes, Mental Strangeness
Verse: Sherlock (TV)
Reccer's comments: (Podfic of same by

pandarus) This is the beginning of a dark and enthralling series. (Fair warning. These stories contain: insanity (no...really), controlling behaviour, dark stuff, drug use, alternative ways of perceiving, relationships that would be unhealthy outside of this context, and all manner of disturbing things. They are also very, very good. This first story is quite tame compared to the rest.)

Title: The Paradox Suite
Author:

wordstrings
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 5,369 words
Author's summary: Being with Sherlock is a series of shocks, but John is game for it anyhow. John POV
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Language, Dark themes, Violence, Sex
Verse: Sherlock (TV)
Reccer's comments: (Podfic of same by

pandarus.) This installment looks at John's perception of his world, paradoxes, and and Sherlock. This series switches back and forth between POVs in each installment, so you often get both sides of an event.

Title: The Death and Resurrection of the English Language
Author:

wordstrings
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 15,663 words
Author's summary: Wherein the English language dies, Sherlock mourns it, and John revives a dead tongue. Sherlock POV
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Language, Dark themes, Violence, Sex, Mental Illness
Verse: Sherlock (TV)
Reccer's comments: (Podfic of same by

pandarus) Wow. Sherlock goes through the mill a bit in this one, but he also gets something he never thought to. You really get a look inside Sherlock's mind in this one.

Title: Entirely Covered in Your Invisible Name
Author:

wordstrings
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 15,722 words
Author's summary: Sherlock solves crimes, loses himself, comes back again, and all the while John prays that he never comes to his senses. John POV (A/N - WARNING: this fic paints a picture of a relationship many reasonable people would find crosses the line into disturbingly possessive and/or flirting with actual abuse by way of verbal threats. If verbal threats and brief physical restraint bother you, skip this fic. I'd never fault you for it in the slightest.)
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Language, Dark themes, Violence, Sex, Mental Illness, Drug Use
Verse: Sherlock (TV)
Reccer's comments: (Podfic of same by

pandarus) This installment kicks the series up another notch...of tension, worry, and awe. Heed the author's warning.

Title: Moon River Wider than a Mile
Author:

wordstrings
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 1290 words
Author's summary: None
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Kissing
Verse: Sherlock (TV)
Reccer's comments: A ficlet written for a meme, that nevertheless falls here. A melancholy moment.

Title: New Days to Throw Your Chains Away
Author:

wordstrings
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 14,803 words
Author's summary: When Sherlock decides that he needs to be higher functioning, he simultaneously finds the perfect tutor. Sherlock POV (A/N - WARNING: this fic paints a picture of a relationship many reasonable people would find crosses the line into disturbingly possessive and/or flirting with actual abuse by way of verbal threats. If verbal threats and brief physical restraint bother you, skip this fic. I'd never fault you for it in the slightest. It also has one torture scene, so skip that if you are disturbed by what Sherlock does at the end of Study in Pink.)
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Language, Dark themes, Violence, Sex, Mental Illness, Torture
Verse: Sherlock (TV)
Reccer's comments:...And this is the last of it (so far). I love this series.

(...and I hope that I did all of this correctly.)

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221B Recs

A Sherlock Holmes Recs Community

Entries tagged with content: breathplay

Series Rec: Unwind

Fic Rec: Dégustation

Fic Rec: Inked

Fic rec: Cross-wired

Fic Rec: These Days You Don't Know How to March

Fic Rec: Restless Things

Fic rec: Numina

Tags and tagging

FicRec: The Paradox Series by Wordstrings