Sherlock has the worst possible timing. John learns this when Sherlock reveals his longing for John immediately after his wedding to Mary.
This fic is short so this review will be also: ANGST ugh. Mentions of drug use. And it hurts quite a bit. I think that about covers it. But I liked this one, for some odd reason. It just resonated even after I’d closed the window. So here you go!
Words: 631
My Rating: B+
Read it here, fic by sickbacchus
Review by: Taylor
Sherlock meets up with an old friend
I’m not usually one for Victor Trevor fics, but I really liked how this was written. It’s basically a giant headcanon, telling the back story of Sherlock and Victor. Their dynamic is an interesting one, and I like how this one is explored. Victor isn’t necessarily an asshole and Sherlock isn’t necessarily in the right, which is rare for Victor/Sherlock fics. My favorite element to it is definitely how Sherlock just eases into realizing what John means to him. SPOILER: This is not a fic to read if you want anything between Sherlock or John, so it ends with massive UST. There is also mentions of drug use. Just a warning. MATURE READERS ONLY
Words: 7,256
My Rating: B
Read it here, fic by linpatootie
Review by: Taylor
There is a belief in this world that every decision you make opens up dozens of new ones, new and unseen parallel worlds where your decision had gone differently, where you’d done something else, made a different choice. Dozens and dozens of alternate worlds, adjacent but never open; dozens of different lives this version of you will never live. From the moment John Watson walks past Mike Stamford in the park, his decisions spin countless of parallel worlds, parallel lives, where things could have gone differently with Sherlock Holmes. But the reality of it is that he only has this one, and there is no changing that.
If you think you’re losing steam on your own personal S.S. Johnlock, this might revive you. This is a look at the different things that could have happened had one or the other made a different decision. John deciding to take a walk in the park could have gone entirely differently and he may never have met Sherlock and his life may have been meaningless. On the other hand, he could have refused an offer from Sherlock and gone on to marry Sarah and retire early. This fic lays them all out and it somewhat made me grateful that it does play out the way we see it. From a walk in the park to avoid the loneliness of his pathetic flat to a chase through the streets of London and to the return of a dead friend, you get a chance to read all the what ifs and could have beens. That should put some fire back under your belt for your OTP. There are only brief mentions of sex, so I think you guys can handle this one without a mature reader warning.
Words: 3,099
My Rating: B+
Read it here, fic by harlequindreaming
Review by: Taylor
Everything felt wrong. His hair was going the wrong way. His arms were bent in ways he wouldn’t choose to bend them. His neck hurt and he couldn’t really feel his toes. Something was dripping on his face – and rolling up.
No, this definitely wasn’t right.
“Sherlock? Sherlock!” a frantic and pained voice whispered next to his ear. Sherlock groaned and turned his head, hissing as the muscles at the juncture of his neck and shoulder flared with pain.
“All right, it’s all right, it’s fine.” Sherlock couldn’t finish turning his head for fear of the muscle seizing completely, but the rest of his senses were kicking back in. Metallic creaks and groans, cracking glass, the distinct smell of petrol and burnt rubber.
A car crash. He had been in a car crash.
This is one that I read quite awhile ago actually and just now found in my bookmarks! It’s actually a very heartwarming story that stays, for me, reasonably in character. John also talks about Detroit in this one, so it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that I like it! In this story, Lestrade, Sherlock, and John are in a car crash and John is hurt much more than he’s letting on. What’s interesting to me is that it’s not painfully obvious that Sherlock and John are in a relationship, you catch on very quickly but they never act dramatic. I really like the slow realization of their relationship and how close they actually are. The Detroit part will always be my favorite about this, despite my bias it’s actually a very beautiful parallel to their situation. The buildings John describes are very beautiful in their destruction, much like their crash. It’s scary and exhilarating to be in a place of so much danger but it’s peaceful and beautiful at the same time. While the crash was all destruction, what was happening between Sherlock and John was wonderful. Things from there get a little confusing. John ends up in the hospital but the narrator jumps around too fast. There’s actually a sex scene snuck in there that I missed at first and had to turn around and figure out exactly when Sherlock got on top of him! It was just a little addition that felt out of place and ended up just being confusing. Overall a very well done concept, and if you have the time I definitely suggest googling “Detroit Ruin Porn”!
Trigger Warnings for car crashes and injury
Word Count: 4,256
My Rating: B+
Read it here, fic by BootsnBlossoms
Naturally, it was Tuesday. The worst things always seemed to happen on Tuesdays.
“Melancholy” and “domestic” are the first words which come to mind when describing this fic. Short and charming, this is a soft moment between John and Sherlock after an unfortunate shift at the clinic. Rather than go into detail about the patient or the situation, the fic remains fixed in Sherlock’s perspective as he attempts to process this need to comfort John. Sweet, but not out of character, their cuddle on the sofa seems to serve as a grounding confirmation for the pair that affection might be uncomfortable but it is soothing. One of the aspects I enjoyed most was their silent communication and sharing of each other’s presence.
Word Count: 1233
My Rating: B
Read it here, fic by veronamay.
Thanks to i-am-only-a-dreamer for your submission.
Review by: Becka
When Sherlock is forced to share his eyrie, he is determined to make the best of it. However, he has no intentions of ever pair-mating. It’s a pity his body has other ideas.
John Watson cannot believe his luck when he meets Sherlock Holmes. But then, who would ever want a flightless Tiercel with PTSD who can’t even manage a courtship flight?
At this point it should come as no surprise that I’m the one reviewing wing!fic… There’s just something about people with wings that I find utterly fascinating. That being said, I absolutely adored this fic. It was detailed without being overly graphic and descriptive without being too word-heavy or poetic.
I appreciated the characterizations in this story; they seemed pretty spot-on for the universe these characters are placed in. I love how Sherlock doesn’t realize at first he’s responding to John’s advances, and how Mike had to point out to John that Sherlock was making advances of his own… Absolutely clueless, our boys. Sherlock’s reluctance also seemed very in character; he didn’t want to lose himself in the rush of lust/love/heat his body produced whenever John was around, and that seemed right for such a controlled person. John seemed a bit out of character at first, but then I read the second chapter and things made a lot more sense. The author does a great job while telling this story; giving us the relevant details in flash-backs without making the plot drag or providing too much exposition. I also really enjoyed that the characters were modeled off various birds of prey, and had personalities and courting styles to match. The author clearly did her homework, and it makes for a much more engaging and interesting read.
MATURE READERS ONLY FOR SEXUAL CONTENT.
Word Count: 26,646
My Rating: B+
Read it here, fic by JessamyGriffith
Sherlock knew John even before he knew him- knew him with a glance, knew his past and his present and his soul by the dust on his shoes and the curl of his fingers. He knew with a bat of his lashes that neither smoke nor pill nor paper had ever passed the barriers of John’s teeth, and he knew that John’s brain had never swam in its own swirling unconsciousness, its primordial soup of hormones.
With little focus on work, this fic is an interesting look at how John and Sherlock’s relationship would have been different if Sherlock’s addiction were still a prominent concern. The descriptive language in this is gorgeous as well as the stream of consciousness narration. From the first few paragraphs, Sherlock’s disjointed perception while on his high contrasts with the certainty with which he knows John.
Because this is more character driven with less conflict from involvement with cases, Sherlock and John’s interactions dominate as they attempt to navigate around the boundaries of their platonic bond. Overall, I love how poetically this reads, but there are some small technical errors including grammar and inconsistent point of view (which doesn’t seem connected to Sherlock’s narration while under the influence).
Word Count: 1835
My Rating: B+
Read it here, fic by KillNatalie.
Thanks to delicious-crab-meat for your submission.
Review by: Becka
Sherlock hides it for as long as he can. But John is a doctor. He’s trained to notice these things, and notice he does.
Ugh Memory Loss fic. It hurts so good.
John and Sherlock react to the deterioration of Sherlock’s mind almost perfectly. I feel that John brushing the forgetfulness off at first rang a little false, and I think it took him too long to get Sherlock checked out. But even with that, I felt the emotion of the two characters acutely.
My baby Sherlock, punishing himself for forgetting the smallest things, and his constant struggle to remember the important ones. Oh my heart.
Warnings for contemplations of suicide and memory loss.
Word Count: 2748
My Rating: B
Read it here, fic by matureandresponsible.
Thanks to nerdomanytrades for your submission.
Review by: Angela
He had to admit that he had a problem. John was starting to have a serious sexual connection with Sherlock’s voice.
Let’s be honest: when it comes to Sherlock Holmes, everyone has a voice kink. It’s no surprise that John Watson is going to eventually fall prey to it too. This is definitely for those with serious voice kinks. I really liked how John’s mind works in this one. Sure, Sherlock’s voice does something to him, but he assesses whether or not the rest of Sherlock does anything, which a lot of fics seem to blatantly ignore. It’s fun to see Sherlock’s way of revealing he figured it out. I believe I actually laughed, until I registered what was being said and heard it played back in my head, at which point it becomes quite sexy. It could use a little bit of general editing, but other than that, it’s a fabulous fic and a fantastic one if you like some ‘debauched domesticity’ and dirty talk. MATURE READERS ONLY
Words: 1,671
My Rating: B+
Read it here, fic by homosociallyyours
Review by: Taylor
Sherlock’s never dated or been in a relationship and is suddenly showing interest in a young woman he met at a party. Naturally, he goes to John for very personal, intimate, ‘hands on’ advice.
Sometimes, you just need something simple, cute, and sort of sexy. Considering this is the first one from this author, I say kudos. One of the nice tropes you can’t deny that you love: Sherlock gets a date and someone has to show him the basics. The whole idea is very cute, and I love the bits of Sherlock trickery as well as John’s sneaky methods to try to get the best out of the deal that he can, while simultaneously trying to not be a jealous git. Just something cute and nice. Oh, and then a bit of sexy. MATURE READERS ONLY.
Words: 10,258
My Rating: B
Read it here, fic by sherlockandjohnwatson
Review by: Taylor
