221b_recs | Entries tagged with theme: open recs

Title: The Five Doctors
Author:

gardnerhill
Pairing: None
Length: 10,006 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Author did not give warnings (see reccer's comments)
Verse: Elementary, ACD Canon, BBC Sherlock, My Dearly Beloved Detective, Ritchieverse, Granada Holmes, Rathbone Holmes (films)
Author's summary: Great minds think alike.

Reccer's comments: So many Watsons and so many Holmeses! Joan being a BAMF and being the Default Watson! Crack treated seriously! Such a good read.

There is some brief Victorian Era-typical racism (specifically orientalism) and misogyny

swissmarg

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.

amindamazed

Title: Transports
Author:

ancientreader|

ancientreader
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 136K
Rating: explicit
Warnings: childhood sexual abuse, show-typical violence, character death (not John or Sherlock)
Verse: BBC
Author's summary:
[part 1, Curriculum Vitae] How to become a consulting detective.
[part 2, The Beginning of Knowledge] Jim's lessons are hard to unlearn.

Reccer's comments:
This AU examines Sherlock's troubled relationship with his "transport" and with self-acceptance by having him grapple with the effects of sexual trauma and progressive physical disability. (To clarify, those two life events have entirely independent origins. Sherlock deals with both, but they had nothing to do with each other at the outset.) Although the fic has the "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings" tag, the author provides notes and content warnings at the chapter level. It's a roller coaster ride of angst to be sure, but there's wisdom, warmth, and humor throughout. And a happy ending. I actually thought I'd found it via rec here, and I was surprised to discover I was mistaken.

( Read more... )

( And here's a non-random sample )

methylviolet10b

Title: The Allure of the English Countryside
Author:

stardust_made
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 2,200 words (more or less)
Rating: G
Warnings: None, per comm guidelines on warnings
Verse: Sherlock BBC, with clever nods to ACD canon

Author's summary: Written for

nausicaa83 whose prompt was "how about something with Sherlock playing the violin for John? Something like this, maybe?" It was the first prompt I filled, partly because I was instantly inspired by the musical piece, partly because in all the stories I'd written not once had I had Sherlock playing the violin for John.

Reccer's comments: Sometimes you just want a well-written, non-angsty fic full of sentiment. The tea-and-buttered-toast equivalent of fanfic. THIS is one of those. An imaginative view of John and Sherlock in the future, and a lovely inspiration for what might coax Sherlock out of London. And be sure to listen to the Paganini piece, too.

Current Mood: cheerful

numberthescars.livejournal.com

Title: Cost of Living
Author:

americanjedi
Pairing: Gen
Length: not sure of word count...12 chapters
Rating: R
Warnings: Horror, violence, and some intense dream sequences
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: John Watson's family has always been a little different. He never thought about it until Sherlock died. Now John is running through dreams collecting hearts. Monster!John
Reccer's comments: One of the most criminally under-appreciated fics I've come across in this fandom.

americanjedi constructs a completely believable world, in which John has the dangerous and disturbing ability to hunt for other peoples' hearts--and an unfettered loyalty to Sherlock that makes him want to do it. The transformation John undergoes in pursuit of his goal is startling, and brilliantly written; it will cause you to shudder, laugh and cry right alongside him. Also, the dream sequences in this fic--so tough to get right--are amazing: just the right mixture of fantasy, memory and absurdity. It almost feels like you're dreaming yourself as you read. I won't say more about the plot, for fear of spoiling it, but let me just say: read it. You won't be sorry.

iamshadow.livejournal.com

Title: On Boden, or the Nature of the Game
Author: zihna
Pairing: Gen
Length: 1,101 words
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Verse:Ritchie films, specifically A Game of Shadows
Author's summary: He doesn’t have a ‘last thought’ before going over the falls. To have one singular last thought would imply that he is only capable of having one thought at a time, which is just preposterous. He has last thoughts, certainly, ranging from “two hundred and seventy-nine meter fall into thirty meters of water, will reach terminal velocity in approximately seventy-two meters” to “oh, what a lovely draft,” but one, singular, lonely little last thought?

Absolutely not.

Or, Sherlock Holmes on chess.
Reccer's comments: With all the excitement over Sherlock season two, there have been a number of great Game of Shadows fics that have been overlooked, amongst them, this little gem.This story explores Sherlock Holmes' memories and his thoughts on the nature of chess, strategy and sacrifice, against the backdrop of his plummet into Reichenbach. It gives an interesting extra insight into the pivotal balcony scene, and into Holmes and Moriarty's strategies in general.

While I know there's a lot of love out there for longer fics, I think this story works well at the length it is and says what it has to say in the amount of words it uses. In a way, it's a bonus for those of you with hectic schedules - it's a short enough length that any reader can make time for.

teatotaller.livejournal.com

Title: Bedside Manners
Author:

keelywolfe
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 3800 Words
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Coming on to night shift was no different as far as Maggie was concerned than a daytime one. Oh, she knew that plenty of other nurses hated the night shift, had trouble sleeping, dealing with the ruckus of the drunken patients but it had never bothered her. The only really difference for Maggie was her caffeine intake and that increased plenty as the night went on.

Reccer's comments: I love outside POV fics and this recent offering from

keelywolfe needs to be archived forever. You get a lovely hurt/comfort piece with a deliciously protective Sherlock and a wonderful birdseye view of John and Sherlock. Extremely well written and a very satisfying read.

On LJ
AO3

numberthescars.livejournal.com

Title: Quercus Robur
Author:

kikainausagi
Pairing: Gen
Length: 1,600 words
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: One day John Watson turns into a tree.
Reccer's comments: This fic was inspired by one of those prompts on the meme you think are destined for crackdom, and then suddenly you get...this. A brilliant, touching fic that integrates a truly insane idea into a the real (er...television) world with such deftness and beauty that you swallow it completely, hook, line and sinker.
I think they call it "magical realism."

"An English oak," he says, voice deep with amusement, "Quercus robur. Of course. But John," and here his eyes crinkle up at the corners with merriment, "you do realize 'Heart of Oak' is the Navy's march? Wrong branch entirely."

John drops a twig on Sherlock's head in retaliation.

Read it on LJ or AO3

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 theme: open recs

Fic Rec: The Five Doctors

Series Rec: Unwind

fic rec: Transports

Fic Rec: The Allure of the English Countryside (BBC)

Fic Rec: After Life and After Death

(no subject)

On Boden, or the Nature of the Game

Bedside Manners by keelywolfe

Fic Rec: Quercus Robur

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