221b_recs | Entries tagged with content: pets

Title: No Ordinary Cats
Author: philalethia
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 8,700 words
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Mrs Hudson adopts a cat called Sherlock, who soon becomes bored being an only cat. So she tries to find a friend for him. Silly little AU in which Sherlock and John (and Mycroft) are cats.

Reccer's comments: The author's summary makes this sound like an adorable piece of fluff (literally!), and to a large extent it is. Light and charming, it always brings a smile to my face. But ironically, given the fic's title, what I most enjoy about it is the loving detail with which it portrays Sherlock and John as thoroughly ordinary cats. This fic was clearly written by someone who loves the animals and has a fond, familiar eye for their behaviours, postures, temperaments and mannerisms. Translating Sherlock and John's personalities into the animal world has often been done, but I've rarely seen a version in which they remain simultaneously so recognizable and so genuinely feline. Mrs Hudson's irritated adoration with her beloved but occasionally awful tenants translates perfectly into cat ownership :)

Every time I read this story, I am surprised at how easily it engages me and how utterly sold I am on the details and descriptions.

pipmer1

Title: You Should Have Changed Course Long Ago
Author: msdisdain
Pairing: Sherlock/John, background Mycroft/Lestrade
Length: 33,235 words
Rating: Explicit
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: John realizes too late what has been in his heart all along, and flees London. But can he ever truly leave Sherlock behind?

Reccer's comments: Written before Series 4, this story is in turns heartbreaking, painful, cathartic - and, above all else - joyful and full of hope. Told mostly from John's POV, it begins with both Mary and the baby gone. John finally finds the courage to tell Sherlock what he really wants, only to have Sherlock send him away because he can't trust that he isn't John's consolation prize. And so begins a painful journey for both men, separated by both distance and time, as they struggle to accept the fact that neither one is going to have what he truly wants. And it's not until that reality is finally accepted, that both men can fall back together again. Painful, but worth the payoff in the end.

( sneak peek )

bowl-of-glow.livejournal.com

Title: The Case of the Unexpected Guest
Author: codswallop (AO3)
Characters: Lestrade, Sherlock & John
Length: 5615 words
Rating: Gen
Verse: BBC Sherlock
Author's summary: Written for the kinkmeme prompt "Lestrade finds a pet bird at a crime scene, but he likes birds, so he delivers it to Sherlock and John rather than having it euthanized. Sherlock is fascinated."

Reccer's comments: As a favour to Lestrade, Sherlock agrees to take care of a peculiar piece of evidence – a little pet bird. Sherlock takes a liking to it, though he pretends otherwise.
If you’re looking for something amusing and sweet, this is the fic for you.

( Excerpt )

pipmer1.livejournal.com

Title: Dust and Ashes
Author: Atiki
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 10,000 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Suicidal ideation, minor character deaths, pet death
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: John becomes used to it. If he’s perfectly honest with himself, he’s become used to it a long time ago. At night, things are different. The darkness tickles his skin and the cemetery is the loudest place in the world and he tastes dust and iron on his tongue when he hears them talk. In the dark, the bones whisper.

And sometimes John whispers back.

Reccer's comments: This is something a little different. In this AU (not series 3 compliant), John can hear the bones of dead people, and he can talk back to them as well. It makes for an intriguing, if a bit macabre, premise. What makes it truly unique, is that the most interesting character in the story is Sherlock's skull. Per the author's tag, the skull is a bit of an asshole, and yet ends up being the impetus John needs to face his fears and acknowledge his feelings.

The story follows John from childhood all the way through Sherlock's Fall and eventual Return. The language evokes within the reader all of the emotions that John is feeling as he deals with his mixed blessing/curse. A highlight for me is a scene during which John puts his unique skill to use in solving a crime before Sherlock does.

A warning: there is some suicidal ideation here, and at the very start of the story there is a pet death that may be upsetting.

A lovely story. Here is a sneak peek:

( Sneak Peek )

write-out.livejournal.com

Title: Cygnet

Author: what_alchemy

Pairing: None

Length: 1,033

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Mycroft Holmes, age fourteen, finds his way.

Reccer's comments: I'm a sucker for stories about the Holmes brothers. I love fics that dive deeper into their relationship and poke around in the corners to see what bites. And oh, this story does bite. Teenage Mycroft, away at boarding school, is the primary focus. He is lonely, he is in pain, but he is determined not to let that break him. We get a hint here of some of the forces that drove and shaped him into the Mycroft we see in the show. Mycroft is the star of this story, but the other Holmes brothers feature as well. Sherlock makes a heartrending appearance, while the Other One's presence is more ominous. Written post-S3, this is one of the many interpretations of the Holmes' family dynamics, but it's one of the best ones out there. We don't leave the story knowing all the answers, but like Sherlock, we can find comfort in Mycroft's inner strength.

scfrankles.livejournal.com

Title: Safely Delivered
Author: methylviolet10b
Pairing: Gen
Length: 1,903
Rating: Teen and Up
Warnings: Canonical character death
Verse: ACD books
Author's summary: The story of Mrs Hudson's terrier from A Study in Scarlet.

Reccer's comments: In A Study in Scarlet, Mrs. Hudson’s unfortunate terrier is abruptly written in merely to be part of an important plot point. But here the author has given him his own backstory. The piece is told in the terrier’s own voice but there’s nothing twee about it—it’s deeply moving. This isn’t just the loyal terrier’s story: it’s the story of Mrs. Hudson and her family, and of 221 Baker Street itself. In canon, Mrs. Hudson and 221 can feel as though they never existed before Holmes and Watson—they are simply there to be the supporting character and backdrop to the stars. But here the roles are reversed. Holmes and Watson are just another phase in the long history of 221 and its inhabitants.

The ending of the story is done so, so touchingly. You’ll perhaps never look at that moment in canon the same way ever again.

pyjamapants.livejournal.com

Title: Love and Other Phantom Limbs
Author:

ceywoozle
Pairing: Mainly Gen with John/Sherlock
Length: 5,788
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock brings home a cat one day. It's not quite what John expects.
Reccer's comments: Like John in Ceywoozle’s summary, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read this story. The author warns for fluff, and while there’s an elemental of fluff present (take or leave that pun), aspects of this story ache in the most gorgeous way. It’s primarily about the cat (who is a perfect reflection of both its owners in so many ways), but it’s also a reflection of the life John and Sherlock have built together, shown beautifully in John’s observations and dialogue.

Ceywoozle characterizes this as Gen, as the romantic relationship between John and Sherlock is nowhere near the primary focus of the story. But they are together, so I've tagged the rec for their relationship as well.

seren-ccd.livejournal.com

Title: It’s Dogged as Does it
Author: merripestin
Pairing: slight Lestrade/Molly Hooper
Length: 6855 word
Rating: T
Warnings: No warnings apply
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Next to Sherlock -- aristocratic skull and glossy black coat and really just unfeasibly enormous -- John was small and fuzzy and ginger, with a flat, grumpy little face. Greg, who knew about John's previous life as an alley cat, petted round John's left ear exactly once, and John showed his appreciation for the affection by not clawing Greg's fingers off.

Reccer's comments: First off - Sherlock is a greyhound and John is a cat. Now, that that’s out of the way, this fic is brilliant. Even if this kind of AU is not your cup of tea, do give this one a try. There’s a wonderful camaraderie between canine!Sherlock and feline!John that is remarkably close to the one on the screen. Lestrade is the perfect pet owner and this fic manages to incorporate all the wonderful moments that having a pet involves as well as the hard and difficult moments.

Molly appears and is wonderfully practical and just delightful. Moriarty even turns up and he still manages to be extremely menacing. I do want to mention that there is some violence towards animals, but it isn’t terribly graphic. Feel free to pm me if you’d like spoilers.

In short, this story is extremely well-written and despite the AU manages to stay incredibly in-character. I found myself remembering sections throughout the week.

rachelindeed.livejournal.com

Title: Practical Johnkeeping
Author: what_alchemy
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 4,300 words
Rating: M
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock predicts nectar flow the same way he deduces a murder, but he harvests the honey like John coddles the dog.

Reccer's comments: My favorite retirement fic, although it's definitely not smooth sailing. Sherlock is going through a difficult time, struggling with deep-seated fears about John's health, powerful insecurities about John's faithfulness, and magnificent irritation about John's bloody bulldog. (I thought it was inspired to pick up that throw-away line from A Study in Scarlet about Watson's "bull pup" and make it into an ongoing source of conflict at the other end of their lives). Sherlock in this story is, by turns, stroppy, frantic, achingly tender, painfully vulnerable and at a loss, but ultimately this is the story of a love that stands the test of time. No relationship, no matter how long established, is easy, but it doesn't have to be easy to be beautiful.

phoenixfalls.livejournal.com

Title: Telling the Bees
Author:

sanguinity
Pairing: Gen
Length: 882 words
Rating: G
Warnings: Major Character Death
Verse: Elementary
Author's summary: "It fell to me to tell the bees, though I had wanted another duty..."

Sherlock returns from Switzerland, but Watson does not.

Reccer's comments:
Reichenbach, Elementary-style. Which is to say: Reichenbach inverted, Joan the one who takes the fall and Sherlock the one who has to hold himself and his world together in the wake of her death.

A vignette more than a full fic, it’s built around an old English beekeeping tradition that Ms. Hudson encourages Sherlock to maintain. Sherlock’s head is filled with bee-related lore and he focuses on it because falling apart is not an option. The way he's holding on to his control by the skin of his teeth is palpable, as is the weight of Ms. Hudson’s own grief.

There’s a whole fandom conversation surrounding the fic as well: sanguinity uses the bee nomenclature from language_escapes's fic “La Chanson des Vieux Amants” instead of the one put forward on the show; hophophop wrote a prequel fic (that must be read after the main fic as it’s a spoiler), “The Steep Part of the Wind,” which shows Sherlock notifying Mary Watson (Joan’s mother); sanguinity even posted an extensive and fascinating set of endnotes on tumblr going into a lot of the literature and lore referenced in the fic. The entirety of that conversation is worth reading and I am recommending it here too.

But “Telling the Bees” is perfect at just 882 words, absolutely heartbreaking, and even though I love the conversation that surrounds it I also recommend reading it just by itself, because its very brevity lends it incredible power.

phoenixfalls.livejournal.com

Title: The Case of the Decoy Tortoise
Author:

siriaeve (Siria)
Pairing: Gen
Length: 1,531 words
Rating: G
Warnings: None apply
Verse: Elementary
Author's summary: Joan sipped at her coffee as she shuffled into the living room, grateful as always for how caffeine could make the world bearable before midday. She rounded the corner, stopped, stared, and blinked. "Sherlock, why are you making a leash for a tortoise?"

Reccer's comments:
Siria has written two absolutely adorable semi-casefics featuring Clyde the tortoise (semi- in the sense that they’re excerpts from a case, which we do not see the solving of), and this one just edges out the other as my favorite (today at least). The banter between Sherlock and Joan is spot-on; the case is quirkily off-beat in a way that suits the show and characters (as are the other invented cases that are referenced); but what gives this one the edge is the little moments of emotional realism, Sherlock’s bits of vulnerability and Joan’s understated care of them. This is fluff with just the right amount of depth.

phoenixfalls.livejournal.com

Title: You Say Surrender Like it’s a Bad Thing
Author:

goddessdster
Pairing: Gen
Length: 3,421 words
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: None
Verse: Elementary
Author's summary: The Third Step is just about making the decision. Just that, and nothing more. So why is Alfredo having such a hard time getting Sherlock to do it?

Reccer's comments:
I’ll start with the caveat that I know very little about 12-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous, as I have neither first-hand nor second-hand experience with them. That said, this fic, which is all about Alfredo’s work as Sherlock’s sponsor, rings incredibly true to me. Sherlock is balking at the step where he has to submit to a higher power, and the way Alfredo works his way to the core of Sherlock’s objection and finds a way to coax him through it is just beautiful. The bits of Alfredo’s back story that are cut in really flesh out a character we haven’t seen nearly enough of on the show, and the way goddessdster shows Alfredo maintaining his cool with Sherlock, then opening up a little to Joan, and finally really leaning on his own sponsor is deeply compelling.

keerawa.livejournal.com

Title: Sniffer Dog
Author: TSylvestris
Pairing: Sherlock/John, OMC/OFC
Length: 3,143 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: If anyone had asked him, Robbie could have told them the way they were handling Holmes was all wrong. They were giving him lots of attention for behaviour they didn't like, and for a man or dog as lonely as Holmes, even negative attention was better than being ignored.
Reccer's comments: This is a truly unique outsider perspective on Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, pre and post Reichenbach, from a man who works with the NSY canine unit. The narrator doesn't really understand or like people, but he understands Sherlock. The story's difficult to categorize, but it helped me see Sherlock in a different light.

Read ( Sniffer Dog )

blissthisway.livejournal.com

Title: The Baker Street Nativity
Author: SwissMiss
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 99,662 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC crossover with Nativity! (the movie)

Author's summary: Fusion between Sherlock (BBC) and Nativity! (2009 movie starring Martin Freeman). Sherlock is a primary school teacher and John is assigned to be his classroom assistant. Together, they are charged with putting on the school's Nativity play. What could possibly go wrong?

Reccer's comments: This is a fun story. It stays true to Sherlock while still managing to keep the flavor of Nativity!, not an easy feat as they are very different works. Her Sherlock POV voice is convincing, and her John working with the kids is a joy. Heartwarming Christmas fun. With sex, boundary issues, and Moriarty. Highly recommended.

bluebrocade.livejournal.com

Title: Five Times Sherlock Hated Gladstone (and One Time Sherlock Thought Gladstone was a BAMF)
Author:

katie821
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: ~2500 words
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock hates Gladstone.

Reccer's comments: For my last rec of the month, I present an adorable, fluffy, first-time fic featuring Gladstone. There is nothing more delightful than Sherlock being forced to interact with a puppy. He forbids John from bringing the pup home, then spends the rest of the fic glaring at and resenting the little dog in his childish, self-centered way. But hilariously! What I especially like about this fic is how John, while more patient & accomodating and plain old nicer than Sherlock, is not a pushover. Sherlock's loud and obnoxious, whereas John just quietly goes about being the boss of him. Hence, we get Sherlock walking a happy little bulldog while resenting it for making him appear normal. Hee!

( Excerpt )

fitofpique.livejournal.com

Title: Everything to Change (and stay the same)
Author:

giddygeek
Pairing: Holmes/Watson
Length: ~6,700
Rating: PG-13
Verse: A mix of '09 film, canon, and Granada (according to the author)
Author's summary: Watson tottered to his feet, and that was when it struck him how thoroughly Holmes's experiment had gone wrong.

Reccer's comments: This is a bodyswap story, and a very clever and funny one, at that, but it's also about perspective, about longing (sweet, delicious longing!), and about love. A crazy premise, but a sweet and utterly adorable story!

Current Music: panic! at the disco feat fun - c'mon

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.

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221B Recs

A Sherlock Holmes Recs Community

Entries tagged with content: pets

Fic Rec: No Ordinary Cats

Fic Rec: You Should Have Changed Course Long Ago

Fic Rec (BBC Sherlock) | The Case of the Unexpected Guest

Fic Rec: Dust and Ashes

Fic Rec: Cygnet

Fic Rec: Safely Delivered

Fic Rec: Love and Other Phantom Limbs

Fic Rec: It's Dogged as Does it

Fic Rec: Practical Johnkeeping

Fic: Telling the Bees

Fic: The Case of the Decoy Tortoise

Fic: You Say Surrender Like it's a Bad Thing

Fic Rec: Sniffer Dog

Fic Rec: The Baker Street Nativity

FIC REC: Five Times Sherlock Hated Gladstone (and One Time Sherlock Thought Gladstone was a BAMF)

Everything to Change (and stay the same) by giddygeek

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November 2018

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