221b_recs | Entries tagged with content: post-fall

Title: A Home for Us
Author: sussexbound (SamanthaLenore)
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 30K
Rating: M
Warnings: Mentions of torture and suicidal thoughts, PTSD
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: He has been on the road for two years, and he is exhausted. He’s almost accepted that he will never see London (John) again—almost. But then there are nights like tonight, where he is weak, and all he can think of is the warmth of the flat they once shared, the crackle of the fire in the hearth, the teasing smile playing at the corner of John’s lips, the boxes of half-eaten Chinese takeaway balanced precariously in their laps. He aches at the memory of it, at the realisation that it is something he may never experience again.

Reccer's comments: Of all the cliffhangers the show has given us, I think the one at the end of series 2 is the most powerful for fans. There's something about the potential for anything to happen during the time Sherlock is away, both to him and to those left behind, and for an emotion-laden reunion when the Prodigal returns. This fic does a spectacular job of both, taking us into the minds, hearts, and bodies of both Sherlock and John as we see what a toll those two years took, and how they slowly manage to help each other to heal. (All episodes after Many Happy Returns are ignored.) This fic is truly a gem of its genre, filled with self-flagellating pining and aching regrets. The quiet rightness of them being together that neither can deny. The delicious, heady delicacy of the realizations and declarations and finally the swoon-inducing beauty of their eventual, inevitable consummation. Although there are some very angsty bits, the entire fic buoyed me up on a cloud of endorphins and just made me feel so serene and peaceful and comforted.

( Excerpt... )

discordantwords

Title: All In
Author: thesignsofserbia
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 8,139 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Violence, references to past torture
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: There are moments in life where time stops, and all you can feel is one singular point of terror. It’s instant nausea, it’s the breath stuttering in your chest, every organ dropping, the ice crystallising down your spine. It’s that one thought that eclipses all else, that one feeling, that one, two letter word.

Reccer's comments: This painful, haunting fic explores an alternate take on Sherlock's return post-Reichenbach—he is badly damaged by the things he has seen and done, and his natural response is to retreat inward. He reunites with John and the two resume living together at Baker Street (there is no Mary in this story).

John tries his best to forgive. Yet it is Sherlock who continues to flounder, the trauma he endured while dismantling Moriarty's web threatening to overwhelm his already poor coping mechanisms at every turn. There is a palpable sense of unease, an understanding that they simply cannot go on like this, until a case goes bad and all of that repressed anger and pain comes to a head in one absolutely devastating emotional moment.

Sherlock does what he’s told, laying out his movements in minute detail; obscure facts, vivid descriptions. He explains everything he saw, heard, and did, without hesitation, as questions become increasingly irrelevant.

They ask, and they ask; what did he hear, what did it sound like? He tells them that when he screamed for death; the note was an A sharp.

This story has a lovely hopeful ending, which is a balm for how much the characters have suffered.

pipmer1

Title: Wick-craft
Author: okapi
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 1900 words
Rating: General audiences
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: One Hallowe'en, a tall, dark, handsome warlock walks into John's candle shop, Wax 'N' Lachrymose.

Candle Shop AU. Fluff. Crack. Post-Reichenbach Johnlock reunion.

Reccer's comments: This is, guaranteed, the least angsty Post-Reichenbach fic you'll ever read. Lighthearted, cracky, and Halloween themed, this short ficlet is a delight from beginning to end.

John is a witch doctor who runs a candle shop. Anyone who has worked retail will relate to his harried interactions with his customers, some more polite than others. Then a tall, handsome stranger saunters into the shop, and John forgets about everything else. Because there's something about this stranger -- or is he really a "stranger" at all?

( sneak peek )

ancientreader

Title: The Sun Is but a Morning Star
Author: krabapple

Pairing: John/Sherlock; a moment of incidental John/Irene
Length: 10K words
Rating: PG-13, I'd say.
Warnings: mentions of offstage sexual assault
Author's summary: “You’re trying to tell me Sherlock is alive.” The way John says it, it’s an accusation.
“No, I am telling you Sherlock is alive,” Irene says.

Reccer's Remarks: This hiatus/reunion fic has fewer than 9000 hits, which sounds like a lot now but for a terrific story posted in the fandom's heyday is shockingly low. A brisk, clear, exact narrative voice; the characterization spot on -- bear in mind when "Morning Star" was written, of course; an Irene who's sexy and competent and who, if not exactly moral, has a sense of obligation; and a beautifully sharp-edged, believable reunion and declaration scene.

I reread this, making sure it was as good as I remembered it being (yes, and then some), and ... well, chalk up one for the it-might-have-beens of S3. Damn, but this would have been a great first episode.

Excerpt:

John comes home to find Irene Adler sitting on the sofa reading The Guardian.
“Jesus fuck.” He drops the Tesco bag, and the milk hits the floor with a vague thump.
Irene looks up, “Honey, you’re home!”

Read on the AO3.

(Mod: What would you think of a bamf!Irene tag? Her badassery is a prominent feature of the fic; but maybe that's too rare to qualify as a trope.)

ETA: I have no idea what gives with the formatting here. It looks fine when I open the entry to edit, and also in preview. Sorry for ugly post!)

bowl-of-glow.livejournal.com

Title: The Adventure of the Delirious Detective
Author: Mithen (AO3)
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 6066 words
Rating: G /Pre-Slash
Verse: BBC Sherlock
Author's summary: Sherlock is back in 221B, but John isn't yet--until he receives a frantic phone call from Mrs. Hudson begging for his help.

Reccer's comments: This fic is based on ACD’s The Adventure of the Dying Detective and was written post Season 2. I like the underlying humour of this piece, and even if Sherlock’s way of trying to earn John’s forgiveness is very… Sherlock, it still feels a bit less manipulative than what happened in canon (it’s what needs to be done to solve a case!) and it’s a less angsty reconciliation than many written before TEH.
( Excerpt )

write-out.livejournal.com

Title: The Pillar upon Which England Rests
Author: DiscordantWords
Pairing: Sherlock/John, Gen
Length: 27038
Rating: Mature
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: They have all saved him, at one time or another, in different ways, these people Sherlock Holmes has come to call friends. But she was the first.

Reccer's comments: How to begin? She can still see him, so painfully young, pale in the Florida sun, with a beet red stripe of sunburn across the bridge of his nose. Frank had favored Hawaiian print shirts, had just about insisted on them for anyone who worked for him in any capacity, and hadn't Sherlock just looked thunderous in those garish prints? She wishes, not for the first time, that she had a photograph. But that's the thing about living. You don't always know which moments are the significant ones until they're long gone.

snarryfool's recent rec of a Mrs. Hudson-centric reminded me of this heart-wrenching story. The Fall has just happened, and in a bid to comfort a distraught John Watson (and herself), Mrs. Hudson tells the story of how she met Sherlock Holmes. The story moves flawlessly between the past and the present as Mrs. Hudson spins the tale of a young and terribly lonely Sherlock and how they ended up saving each other. Hello, new headcanon! This is an intense, emotional read, bittersweet and melancholy, with one of the best characterizations of Mrs. Hudson I've read.

This is tagged Sherlock/John, but there is no overt romance here, just Mrs. Hudson's observations of the two and their mutual pining. I left it tagged as such, to follow the author.

pipmer1.livejournal.com

Title: Public, Private, Secret
Author: 221b_careful_what_you_wish_for
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 14,000 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: To the outside world, Sherlock and John are just friends. In private, they're much, much more. They've agreed to keep their relationship a secret to protect John's daughter, but it's not going to be as simple as they hoped.

(Or, bittersweet, hot, angsty, secret-relationship-while-coming-to-terms-with-emotional-baggage johnlock with parentlock as a background.)

Reccer's comments: This is a companion piece to the story Coming of Age, which is told from John's daughter's POV. In my opinion this story stands just fine on its own, although "Coming of Age" will provide additional context. In fact, if you're someone who generally doesn't care for parentlock it may be just your cup of tea, because Olivia doesn't have much of a physical presence in this one. The story's focus is on Sherlock and John, and how they navigate the minefield of a secret relationship that spans several years, and told from their points of view.

I like the sense of inevitability that we feel throughout this story. It's series 3 compliant, and at the start we find John as a single parent to six-year old Olivia. There's a lot of pining and yearning going on, and it doesn't help that John is initially firmly resistant to entering into a romantic relationship with Sherlock. But of course it happens that the two of them just can't stay away from each other for long. The angst is bumped up a notch just from the very fact they decide to keep their relationship 'private and secret'- from everybody, not just Olivia, and for a variety of reasons. Several years pass - over a decade - before a conversation happens that teaches them they had nothing to fear after all.

A lovely story that ends with Retirementlock, I hope you enjoy!

pipmer1.livejournal.com

Title:Ford
Author: theshopislocal
Pairing: Sherlock/John, John/OMC, John/Mary
Length: 31,750 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Canon-typical violence
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: He turns back round then and looks down at me, eyes curious. “Your name, W.S.S. Holmes.” That’s not my name. “Is it Walter? Or Wilbur? Maybe something really awful like, er,” he smiles wryly, “Willoughby? Winchester?”

I feel my face go blank as my body numbs over. “Scott,” I say, voice devoid of emotion. “My name is Scott.”

Reccer's comments: Wow does this story pack a punch. It has a unique writing style that I haven't run across before that is very effective and emotionally harrowing. Filled with clever twists, it'll keep you guessing as to what is what (and who is who) until the very last chapter. Out of all of the outstanding fics to come out of the most recent round of Holmestice, this is one of the most memorable for me.

It's a bit difficult giving a rec for this without giving too much away, but I will do my best. The story takes place post-Reichenbach, and is not series 3 compliant. It has all of the angst one comes to expect from such a fic, along with offering its own unique twist to it. Someone is kidnapped off the streets of London - someone who the kidnapper thinks is the 'deceased' Sherlock Holmes. The story is told in first person, mostly from the kidnapped person's perspective. The narrative is non-linear, so we also see scenes from Mycroft's POV as he and Sherlock plot to bring down Sebastian Moran. Mary also has a role here, albeit offscreen.

The scenes between the kidnapped person and the kidnapper are at the crux of the story, emotionally intense and done in such a clever way that I was not completely convinced of the identify of either one of them until the grand reveal. The emotion coupled with heartstopping action left me on the edge of my seat the entire time. This is the type of story that I live for, and that will remain with me for a long time.

A possible trigger warning: there is a death of an unborn child, although it does take place offscreen.

Here is an excerpt from the very beginning of the story to give you a taste of the experience you are in for:

( Sneak Peek )

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 )

rachelindeed.livejournal.com

Title: What John Knows
Author: Lariope
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 7,800 words
Rating: E
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: John tries to take on a case of his own. The results are not quite what he expected.

Reccer's comments: This is a very interesting and lovely post-Reichenbach fic. It does something that I'm not sure I've ever seen elsewhere: it allows Sherlock's confidence in his own planning to be so shaken, and his awareness of John's suffering to be so acute, that he can't carry out his mission. Rather than pursuing Moriarty's network, he drifts around John's periphery, nearly paralyzed. He no longer trusts himself to protect John, and he's not sure whether there really are still threats left behind by Moriarty or how to judge what they might be. He's lost and humbled. It's a version of his post-Fall character that I find tremendously empathetic and plausible.

I usually have a hard time forgiving Sherlock for leaving John in grief rather than trusting him, but this story gives Sherlock an awareness of his own mistakes and lets him show desperate and sincere concern for John's emotional well-being rather than just his physical safety. For me, that lays the groundwork for the complex but tender and loving reconciliation that closes this fic.

theanglophile.livejournal.com

Title: Sentiment
Artist: A-Little-Night-Music
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 2 pages
Rating: PG-15 (blood/gore)
Warnings: Contains spoilers, highlight to view Character death, blood/gore
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary:
BBC Sherlock fanart :3
size: 16x9cm ~ 8x9cm
done with rotring art pen EF & isograph pen 0.1, 0.3, 0.5
colored with Photoshop CS5

Reccer's comments:
Another from ALittleNightMusic. This bit of sequential art exemplifies just the sort of angst that can reach into one's chest and crush one's heart in its cruel fist. Sherlock has been looking for John, post-hiatus, and he finds him... and refuses to ever lose him again.

These drawings are truly excellent examples of hatching and cross-hatching technique, and the framing is purely cinematic, as is typical of this artist.

Page 1

Page 2

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ancientreader

Title: This Is Not a Love Song (Except That It Is)
Author: yaycoffee
Pairing: John/Sherlock; John/Mary Morstan (but not the Mary of S3)
Length: 20,469 for part 1, "This Is Not a Love Song"; 6303 for part 2, "If These Walls Could Speak"
Rating: T/PG for part 1; M/R for part 2
Warnings: Nah.
Verse: BBC Sherlock
Author's summary: Part 1: Sherlock left London to keep John safe. John's life kept moving forward. When Sherlock returns, will there still be a place for him in John's new life? Post-Reichenbach.
Part 2: 221b Baker Street would have a few stories to tell. Or, snapshots of a growing partnership. [The author has linked these two fics as a series, but also remarks that part 2 could work as a stand-alone.]
Reccer's comments: First things first: This was written before S3 aired so of course it has been jossed. Except for the punching. John does punch Sherlock, although not right away.

TINaLS is one of those pleasingly complicated reunion fics in which John hasn't spent the entire hiatus pining away with his face in Sherlock's pillow -- not that the pillow doesn't have its moment, mind you. By the time Sherlock reappears, John's just about to give his clever, interesting girlfriend, Mary Morstan, her own key to 221B.

About that punch: I much prefer the punch in this fic to the punch in TEH; there's a delayed-reaction thing going on that to my mind is emotionally richer and more telling than the assault in the restaurant. See what you think.

A common theme in Johnlock is John's self-deception, his unwillingness or inability to acknowledge how he feels about Sherlock. One of the things that interests me in this story is how, as soon as Sherlock reappears, a false note enters into John's previously quite real relationship with Mary. And then there's the matter of what Sherlock sees and knows that Mary doesn't, not because she doesn't care but because she can't -- she isn't Sherlock.

In the following passage, Sherlock is trying to clue Mary in to the resurgence of John's PTSD:

He doesn’t quite know how to begin, so he just starts. “His hand has been shaking a little, and he’s favouring his right leg, have you noticed?”

“No,” Mary says flatly, and she is looking at him, as ever, with thinly veiled distaste (more pronounced tonight).

“He has nightmares sometimes,” Sherlock continues.

“Yes,” she says, still guarded.

“Haven’t you noticed that in the days preceding his nightmares, he presents symptoms in his hand and in his leg?” She says nothing, and he can’t help but turn and mutter, “No, of course you haven’t.” He waves a hand dismissively.

“I’m sorry,” she spits. “If his leg is bothering him, why did you take him bloody running today?”

Sherlock fights the urge to roll his eyes. “Exercise helps,” he says, wheeling back toward her, and then he just lays it out, “Exercise and work help the most. He didn’t have a shift today at the surgery, which might be problematic, but from the looks of things, you two have quite obviously had a shag, so it is possible that he is physically spent enough that tonight won’t be an issue, but do make sure he keeps busy until the symptoms pass.”

Her face is red, from anger and, likely, embarrassment, but Sherlock isn’t concerned with her.

She takes a deep breath before speaking. “Don’t talk to me like I don’t know him. It’s you I’ve only just met. Tell me this, Sherlock—what sort of toll do you think watching his best friend jump off a building took? Do you know that I met him nearly a year after you’d gone, and what do you think he shouted in his sleep? ‘Sherlock, no.’” She steps in close. “Don’t you dare talk to me like I’m fucking new.”

Read on the AO3 (link goes to part 1).

Or here (link goes to series page).

theanglophile.livejournal.com

Title: The Silent Girl
Artist/Author: Devilry
Pairing: Watson/Lestrade
Length: 60 pages
Rating: R (mature subject matter, sex)
Warnings: Contains spoilers, highlight to view Implied non-con/incest/underage
Verse: Canon
Author's summary:
During Holmes' absence Watson and Lestrade travel to a village on a case.

Reccer's comments:
This is one of my favourite fanworks in Sherlock Holmes fandom, and it is a standout piece among all the fandoms I've participated in, as well as being one of the most sophisticated and successful graphic novels I've had the pleasure to get my hands on. This is a complete graphic novel pastiche that pairs Watson and Lestrade during the Great Hiatus to investigate the disappearance of a young girl from a prominent family. As well as providing us with an intriguing (and tragic) case to follow, the author also weaves in several other story elements, including Mycroft's correspondence with Sherlock, a plotline featuring Sebastian Moran, Watson's continuing grief over the loss of Holmes, and some very satisfying character and relationship development involving Lestrade.

The supporting characters are lively and believable as individuals, each with their own inner lives and motivations. While there aren't many significant female characters in canon to work with, the artist does an admirable job adding in the women in this story, and even creates an original character who I would love to know more about. Exterior and interior shots are meticulously detailed and create a living, atmospheric world for the characters to inhabit, with weather, architecture, period clothing, animal and plant life all given the time and attention needed to paint a portrait of the era and location in the reader's mind. Gentle touches of humour are incorporated into the artwork, and I particularly enjoyed a certain canine character who appears briefly.

I find myself thinking back over this story often, particularly when I'm considering how to improve my own writing skills, and the book stands up very well to re-readings. The artist has generously shared the whole tale online, and it can be enjoyed here: The Silent Girl

theanglophile.livejournal.com

Title: at night he dreams
Artist: FerioWind
Pairing: Holmes/Watson or Holmes & Watson (not specified)
Length: 4 pages
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Verse: Granada/Canon
Author's summary:
My take on Watson after the events at Reichenbach Falls in comic strip form. So yes, I guess this will be kinda depressing.

Reccer's comments:
A brief, but poignant view into Watson's sleeping mind after after he returns to London following the loss of Holmes. I'm going to be reccing stories told in images this month, and this particular one has only a few words, relying on visuals to convey its message. It has the feel of an old silent film, with its vignetted, black and white panels and the mysterious and dramatic figure of Holmes.

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

verdant_fire

Title: in the hearts of small things
Author: michi_thekiller
Pairing: Sherlock & John
Length: 10329 words
Rating: Gen
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: In which John gets a cat and names it Sherlock.

Reccer's comments: This fic was so well done that it made me cry. It's a beautiful character study, and a very moving portrait of John's grief. Cat!Sherlock is perfect, and watching John try to heal from Sherlock's death through looking after his feline namesake is unexpected and poignant. It's a unique and emotionally honest take on post-Reichenbach, and it's really stuck with me.

write-out.livejournal.com

Title: The Frayed Edge

Author: hyacinth_sky747

Pairing: Sherlock/John

Length: 3,155

Rating: Teen

Warnings: None

Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: Lestrade deals with the aftermath of the fall.

Reccer's comments: Told from Lestrade's POV, this is his story of how he had his own fall after Sherlock's. It was written well before S3 aired, so it's not remotely canon, but the opening scene with Sherlock's return is one of the most moving I've read. We see Lestrade struggle with guilt and forgiveness over his role in the fall and we learn how he perceives his friendships with both Sherlock and John. This is Lestrade's story, but he is incredibly insightful when it comes to Sherlock and John's evolving relationship and we are witness to that through his eyes. Mary has a slight presence here; her departure falls more in line with ACD canon. I love everything this author has written and this is no exception. It's intense, sad, maybe even a little grim in spots when we see Lestrade at his lowest, but there is a thread of hope and optimism throughout. When Lestrade bursts into tears at the end, after John asks him an important question, I want to as well. Just a very lovely, moving story.

verdant_fire

Title: The Pillar Upon Which England Rests
Author: DiscordantWords
Pairings: Sherlock & Mrs Hudson, Sherlock/John
Length: 27038 words
Rating: Mature
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: They have all saved him, at one time or another, in different ways, these people Sherlock Holmes has come to call friends. But she was the first.

Reccer's comments: Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of the holiday, here's a different sort of love story: this wonderful fic about Mrs Hudson's love for her boy, Sherlock. The present-day framework of this fic takes place directly after Reichenbach, with Mrs Hudson trying to comfort a grieving John by telling him the story of how she met Sherlock. This fic became my head canon as soon as I read it. Its compassionate depiction of a younger Mrs Hudson and a barely-grown Sherlock, and the backstory of how Mrs Hudson got out of Florida and Sherlock got her husband convicted, are masterfully done, and the characterization is fantastic. DiscordantWords is new to the fandom, and we're lucky to have their lovely writing. :)

pipmer1.livejournal.com

Title: An Innocent Man
Author: Fangs_Fawn
Length: 183,531 words
Pairing: Gen
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Violence, attempted suicide
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: "And what about John Watson?" Sherlock had asked. He had expected a rather dull answer...after all, he had been away. He had not expected to hear that John had spent the past two years in prison. Series 3 AU. Not slash.

Reccer's comments: If you like John whump, this is certainly the fic for you. Sherlock comes back after two years of being away, only to find out that John has spent that entire time behind bars, convicted of being an accessory to Sherlock's supposed 'crimes.' He's exonerated and released just before Sherlock's return - but not before going through some pretty traumatic experiences at the hands of certain guards and prisoners.

This is a Series 3 AU, but you will still meet some of the characters from that series, only under different circumstances. And some of the same dialogue takes place as well - only, again, in different scenarios than in canon. I particularly liked Bill Wiggins here, as he happens to meet John while they are both serving time, and ends up in a happier place than his counterpart does as a result.

I really liked Lestrade's character her as well, as he ends up being the loyal friend and champion that John needs to secure his eventual release.

A big part of the story is John coming to terms with the fact that the people who knew about Sherlock's fake death - Mycroft and Molly - never came forward with the truth so as to exonerate John before he ever went to trial. Sherlock is off the hook in this regard, at least, since he had no idea what was happening with John while he was away.

Throughout all of this, there is also an actual "Empty House" scenario unfolding through it all. We get an actual Sebastian Moran and an actual, very tense confrontation, something I really missed in the BBC's version.

And one final warning: There is mention of John having attempted suicide while in prison, although the event itself occurs offscreen. Just be aware.

Enjoy!

sanguinity

Title: (22)1BR/1BA
Music Title & Artist: 1BR/1BA - Vienna Teng
Vidder:

purplefringe
Pairing or Character: John Watson
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Link: DW announcement post: Another vid about John’s face. But a different John. (LJ mirror)
Vidder’s Summary: soon as this wall in my heart comes down, I'm gonna make it feel like home.
John, after the Fall.

Reccer's Comments: Constructed reality vid, in which John doesn’t leave 221B after the Fall.

I will say flat out that I don’t connect with a lot of grief-about-the-Fall vids, mostly because they are too far away from my own experiences of grief. For me, grief is rarely dramatic or operatic; it is more usually exhausting, relentless, grinding. Claustrophobic. Intrusive in the most banal way possible.

This vid, I connect with: the quiet, desperate fear that one may be trapped forever inside these emotions, despite the fact that you’re doing the goddamn best that you can with going on living. It is a quiet, understated vid, and all the more powerful for it.

Grief may be banal; this vid is not.

The execution, too, is impeccable. Constructed-reality vids are often a bit hit-and-miss, especially for viewers who know the precise original context of every shot. Here, however, any lingering sense of the original contexts only highlights Sherlock’s absence. Nearly all of these shots of John, after all, were originally paired with a corresponding shot of Sherlock (just out of the frame, on the other side of the room, about to enter), and while I watch, I keep waiting for the camera to cut to Sherlock. After a while, I am wound up tight waiting for the camera cut that never, ever comes.

And while I am heaping praise upon this:

purplefringe is a vidder who knows precisely what to do with a musical bridge. Their musicality, too, is perfect. (I could write odes about the musicality, but I will call your attention to the transition out of the bridge at 2:20, and leave it at that.)

For those who are interested, there is also a Sherlock-pov companion piece: “Unwritten Letter #221” (LJ mirror). As one might imagine, its tone is very different from “(22)1BR/1BA.”

ficklepig.livejournal.com

Title: Ruins of the Dark
Author: philalethia
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan
Length: 8,205 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic/extreme violence, non-consensual sex
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Three years after “The Reichenbach Fall,” Sherlock comes back. But he comes back wrong.

Reccer's comments: Sherlock comes back very wrong, and he doesn't care what John thinks about it. This is very dark, no kidding. Non-con note for apparent consent under extremely dubious conditions.

A passing conversation in this story regarding what might have happened to someone who got too nosy is still giving me bad, bad feelings. In the good way, obvs. This is a neat shot of something strong and bleak to make you forget S3 ever happened.*

*I liked S3, don't get me wrong. Just, you know.

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221B Recs

A Sherlock Holmes Recs Community

Entries tagged with content: post-fall

Fic Rec: A Home for Us

Fic Rec: All In

Fic Rec: Wick-craft

Fic rec: The Sun Is but a Morning Star, by krabapple

Fic Rec (BBC Sherlock) | The Adventure of the Delirious Detective

Fic Rec:

Fic Rec: Public, Private, Secret

Fic Rec: Ford

Fic Rec: Dust and Ashes

Fic Rec: What John Knows

Art Rec: Sentiment by A-Little-Night-Music

Fic Series Rec: This Is Not a Love Song (Except That It Is), by yaycoffee

Art Rec: The Silent Girl by Devilry

Art Rec: at night he dreams by Feriowind

Fic Rec: in the hearts of small things

Fic Rec: The Frayed Edge

fic rec: The Pillar Upon Which England Rests

Fic Rec: An Innocent Man

Vid Rec: (22)1BR/1BA

Fic Rec: Ruins of the Dark by philalethia

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November 2018

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