221b_recs | Entries tagged with content: psycho sh

Title: Smile Like A Paper Cut
Author: J_Baillier
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson
Length: 37,708 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: Many serial killers are capable of leading outwardly normal lives, hiding in plain sight as husbands, wives, scout leaders, doctors, policemen, soldiers and employers. What if Sherlock is one of them? And what if John discovers his secret?

Reccer's comments: I’m going to need to read a lot of fluff after this to re-calibrate my Sherlock sensors back to the not-really-a-high-functioning-sociopath setting. Because boy, does this present a chilling and convincing picture of the Sherlock from Sally Donovan’s initial warning to John. It is scary how easy it is to imagine a Sherlock like this, and the author has done a fantastic job of making him an object for both sympathy and horror.

The story is excellently told from alternating POVs of an OC policeman and John, and paradoxically, the fact that we know (more or less) what is going to happen only makes the whole thing more suspenseful as you wait for the final shoe to drop. This doesn’t have a happy ending, but there is no major character death, and although it’s not slash, somehow the depth of John and Sherlock’s connection is even more profound here than if they were having sex on every surface of the flat.

This is truly a masterpiece of a psychological study, and well worth the wade into the dark places.

dioscureantwins.livejournal.com

Title: Please
Author:

thisprettywren
Pairing: none
Length: 1,400 words
Rating: gen
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary:White, padded walls. Straightjacket. “Please, John.”

Reccer's comments: Sherlock has done… something. Something bad enough for John to have Sherlock locked up in an institution. He visits Sherlock regularly. And every time Sherlock asks John to please forgive him and let him out.

Then one day a dispassionate eye looks through the observation window to tug at your heartstrings and give them a terrible twist.

Please, keep a hanky at the ready when you start reading this. You’ll need it.

andrea-deer.livejournal.com

Title: Cake and Other Sins
Author: Indybaggins
Pairings: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes/Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 100.673 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: none
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: AU. Sherlock and John meet as competing bakers on The Great British Bake Off. There’s intense baking, lush recipes and enticing food. Mycroft, guilt, past sins in chocolate and gingerbread. And love. That too.

Reccer's comments: I've read the summary and I've read the warnings and neither had prepared me for this fic. There is crack in this fic, yes. But there's also plenty of angst. It's way more intense, disturbing and serious than you'd think upon seeing it's a Great British Bake Off AU.

I freely admit that while I appreciate this threesome and how John somehow balances things out, and I also quite enjoy Johnlock in here, this fic for me is won by holmescest and quite probably the most fascinating description of this relationship in fandom. Almost all fics that describe Holmes' brothers relationship somehow touch the subject of food, diets and fat jokes, but this is the one ties it all up into one perfectly twisted mix.

I feel I have to say that even if these pairings are your cup of tea, this fic might not be, might be too much in the wrong direction. However it just might hit all of the right buttons and you will realize what a gem it is and how quite possibly it's the most perfect, most twisted love story ever written. Plus, there will be cakes.

swissmarg

Title: Four Corners of the Western World
Author:

pennypaperbrain
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 100,480 words
Rating: Mature to Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: None provided for the series. Summary for part 2: Four months after his best friend and unrequited crush apparently committed suicide in front of him, John’s life has been turned upside down again by a voicemail from Sherlock in the US, saying he is covertly tracking down the remains of Moriarty’s network, and asking John to join him. Two days on, John is on his way to meet Sherlock in Malta. Everything seems to have changed between them: not only is Sherlock being overtly affectionate in his texts, but he quite explicitly wants sex. But there’s just one problem (apart from the small matter of the international assassins etc): Sherlock’s behaviour is getting steadily stranger, even by his standards. John starts to worry his friend may be on drugs again…

Reccer's comments: This is a raw, intimate look at bipolar disorder (manic depression) in the context of the aftermath of The Reichenbach Fall. The insights to Sherlock's thought processes and states of mind as he see-saws between highs and lows are in turns fascinating, exhilarating, and devastating.

( Excerpt from part 1... )

When Sherlock realizes he needs John's help - both to complete his quest and to get a handle on what is happening to his brain - we get to see the other side of the picture, with John struggling to deal with everything Sherlock is throwing at him. Not only his illness and the mortal danger they find themselves in, but the new aspect of a sexual relationship - and one shaped by BDSM practices at that.

The series is a whirlwind of sex, danger, murder, mistakes, and through it all, unwavering love and devotion. One of my favorites.

dioscureantwins.livejournal.com

Title: Series: What He Likes
Author:

solojones
Pairing: Sherlock/Irene
Length: about 65,300 words
Rating: mature
Warnings:author has put up warnings in the summary. Reccer has included those.
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Six months post-Reichenbach, Sherlock approaches Irene with an unusual job offer: he wants to shoot up, and he needs someone to mind him. But can she remain detached whilst Sherlock spirals deeper and deeper into his addiction? This series spans 5 different escalating encounters Sherlock and Irene have over the course of eleven months. This is a dark and frank character and relationship study, and a look at the terrible pull of addiction. M for pervasive drug use, some language, and sexual content.

Reccer's comments: This series is everything the author promises it to be and so much more. It is indeed very dark, and a frankly terrible read at times. However, thanks to both the beautiful and precise language and the thorough examination of the motivations and actions of both Sherlock and Irene the reader becomes committed to the fic, and decides to push on regardless, thus mirroring the main characters’ approach to life and the trials and tribulations they have to confront.

Here be dragons. Sherlock’s addiction pulls Irene irresistibly towards territory she’d rather not explore, but, just like he can’t resist the drugs, she can’t resist him and together they spiral ever deeper downwards to confront his demons, and maybe, ultimately, hers as well. Layer after layer is peeled away, until, in the end, two naked, vulnerable people remain, who have just discovered that in choosing the other, they might actually make it through the rest of their lives.

After having dwelt amidst so much dank and dark despair that tentatively hopeful ending feels almost like a catharsis.

Not the easiest of reads, but definitely worthwhile.

the-hobbet.livejournal.com

Title: The Best of Times
Author: Polyphony
Pairing: John/OMC, John/Sherlock
Length: 72107 words
Rating: Adult
Warnings: violence, character death
Verse: Sherlock BBC, hint of the books
Author's summary: Struggling to cope with life after Reichenbach, John is gravely injured during a vicious, apparently motiveless street attack. Convalescing, on Mycroft’s invitation, at the Holmes family seat, John encounters someone entirely unexpected and uncovers an intriguing seventeen year-old mystery. Things hot up as John finds himself battling to work out the solution before James Moriarty’s legacy catches up with him – and also rekindling a love affair that was never really given the chance to blossom.

Mystery, murder and mayhem together with love, romance and the return of the absent Sherlock in an enigma that will keep you on your toes until the very end.

Reccer's comments: I'm not going to say very much because I wouldn't want to give away any of the twists and turns in this addictive story. If you love a long story that you can't put down this one qualifies in spades!

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 )

sussexdowns.livejournal.com

Last June, Caers and pulangalaw's brilliant serial killer AU, the Inverse series, was recced here. It begins with:

Title: Reinvent the Pain
Author: Caers, pulangaraw
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 25,768
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Drug use, violence, murder, minor character death
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock has grown up to be a serial killer. Just how will this impact John Watson when they finally meet?

Reccer's comments: This doesn't really have anything to do with family other than some brief cameos by Mycroft, but it's necessary as a background for the other two stories in the series, which are all about the Holmes siblings. It's also creepy and clever and an amazing read all on its own. If you didn't catch it last summer, give it a shot now because it's really excellent.

WHICH BRINGS US TO:

Title: Stop and Go
Author: Caers
Pairing: Gen
Length: 4,634
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Drug use, violence, murder
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: A look at Sherlock's childhood and what caused him to become a serial killer.

Reccer's comments: This is the second installment in the series and serves as a flashback. It expands on events referenced in Reinvent the Pain, namely the death of Sherlock's mother, and its aftermath. Like the rest of the series, it's pretty dark and disturbing and completely genius.

AND:

Title: Darkness/Influence
Author: Caers, pulangaraw
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 8,519
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Drug use, violence, murder, major character death(s)
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: The Holmes family comes together for Christmas. John wonders just how he'll survive it, and the aftermath.

Reccer's comments: The third and final installment in the inverse series, and the sequel to RtP. This is a bizarre, terrifying Holmes family Christmas...even more than it would be if this wasn't a fic about murder (and lots of it). Featuring Mycroft of course, Sherringford (my favorite!), and Irene Adler as the fourth Holmes sibling. This fic is insane and bloody and amazing. It will absolutely not disappoint. As usual, there is tons of murder, general creepiness, and some major character death this time. It's not quite rocks fall/everyone dies, but it sure does come close, so prepare yourself.

jordan-frog.livejournal.com

Title: The Best of a Bad Lot
Author:

shiny_n_new
Pairing: Gen
Length: approx. 7k
Rating: Pg-13
Warnings: violence
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock and Lestrade meet in different, dangerous circumstances, and Lestrade ends up in over his head.
Reccer's comments: This author has some really great stuff and I literally ended up flipping a coin to decided which of shiny-n-new's stories to rec. I seriously urge you to just go read the other 2 as well, because they are just as brilliant (if not even more brilliant) than this story. As for this one, Sherlock is a serial killer and Lestrade has figured it out. What's not to like?? Even the complete absence of John doesn't take away from the entertainment value.

lelek.livejournal.com

Title: Reinvent the Pain
Author: Caers, pulangaraw
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 25,768
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Drugs, violence, murder, character death (( spoiler ))
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sherlock has grown up to be a serial killer. Just how will this impact John Watson when they finally meet?

Title: Stop & Go
Author: Caers
Pairing: Gen (Sherlock and his siblings)
Length: 4,634
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Drugs, violence, and murder.
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: A look at Sherlock's childhood and what caused him to become a serial killer.

Title: Darkness/Influence
Author: Caers, pulangaraw
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 8,519
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Drugs, violence, murder, character death (( spoiler ))
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: The Holmes family comes together for Christmas. John wonders just how he'll survive it, and the aftermath. [End of the series]

Reccer's comments: I adore this series. It's dark and bloody and features a Sherlock and John who are not well at all, and it's absolutely brilliant. The writing is lovely, the plot is fabulously twisted, and the development of the characters and relationships is complex and like a slow descent into insanity. It's not everyone's cup of tea, with how dark and unhappy it is by nature, and note that there is character death, but if you enjoy dark fic, give this one a read.

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.

Profile

A Sherlock Holmes Recs Community

November 2018

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30

Syndicate

Page Summary

Style Credit

Style: Neutral Good for Practicality by timeasmymeasure

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated May. 22nd, 2025 11:51 pm

221B Recs

A Sherlock Holmes Recs Community

Entries tagged with content: psycho sh

Fic Rec: Smile Like A Paper cut

Fic Rec: Please

fic rec: Cake and Other Sins

Series Rec: Four Corners of the Western World

Fic Rec: What He Likes

Fic Rec: The Best of Times - Polyphony

Fic rec: Cross-wired

FIC(S): Inverse Series by Caers/pulangaraw

Fic Rec: "The Best of a Bad Lot" by shiny_n_new

Fic Rec: Inverse Series

Tags and tagging