221B Recs

Title: Sketchy
Author: serpentynka
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 186,281
Rating: E
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: Sherlock takes on an obvious case (barely a 4) and is forced to re-examine what it means to see and observe.

Reccer's comments: Serpentynka is new to fanfiction, but I was blown away by their magnum opus, Sketchy. Blown away as in they have written what will doubtless be on my list of best Sherlock fics of 2014. I was first drawn in by the masterful Sherlock POV, then charmed by the main OC, Alex Nussbaum, an artist who reluctantly agrees to tutor Sherlock in drawing (some of Sherlock's art is scattered about the text). Initial distrust eventually grows into a warm, honest friendship:

( Long non-spoilery excerpt... )

The rich depiction of places (primarily Norfolk, London, and Vienna) and an organic sense of structure brings additional depth to the world of this story. What kept me enthralled, however, what made me feel 100,000+ words were not enough, was the slowly evolving relationship of Sherlock and John, underlined by rapid POV switches and a dynamic approach to combining narrative, dialogue, and interior thoughts:

( Another non-spoilery excerpt... )

The reader is treated not to just the movement from friends to lovers, but a detailed evolution of their romantic and sexual relationship in the months that follow the admissions of love and attraction. We experience the external and internal obstacles that challenge Sherlock and John, realizing before the end how much that relationship has deepened, despite their own considerable flaws and Mycroft's well-meant but heavy-handed "tests".

Add to all this erotic storytelling, initiated by John and later attempted by Sherlock. John's steamy fantasies are realistic enough to be re-imagined in the "real world" (as some are!), whereas Sherlock's are more overtly biographical and can be hot or intensely moving (sometimes both).

( One of John's stories... )

If you love reading about the visual arts and the skill of craftspeople, this is a work for you. If you adore sophisticated, sensual fiction that repays multiple readings, if you enjoy memorable OCs, and treasure IC romance between two flawed characters who struggle (and sometimes fail) to communicate, this is the work for you.


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Note: this is set in an imagined S5, but was begun before S3 aired, so no S3 characters or spoilers are included. See comment below for additional information.