#[[Johnlock is appropriate]]

[highpriestessofchildsacrifice]

What yall really need to be doing is apologizing to the entire fujoshi community for appropriating the word yaoi to discriminate against their beautiful johnlock comrades across the ocean🫶🏽🫡 and I don't want to hear anyone saying "they'd spit in ur face; u wish jlock was on the level of true bl" cuz Japanese and Chinese gay bbcsh fandoms literally built this country and terrified the living shit out of straight woman sherlolly fandom elders just so u could blog about the guys on whose line is it anyway in the safety of ur home in 2023 now check that

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Regarding queerbaiting: Sherlock is one of the more famous examples, and the tumblr drama surrounding it is an... interesting story that I think is worth knowing if you want to understand the queerbait allegations.

The show, made and set in the 2010s, liked to poke fun at John Watson for being a straight man shacking up with another single dude. The show's creators -- one of whom is a gay man himself -- were born in 60s, so I see these jokes as two guys who were adults during the height of AIDS and Thatcherism taking delight in the fact they're now living in a world where queerness is largely accepted and somewhat normalized. A straight guy being forced to constantly defend himself from nonchalant assumptions that the man he's living with is his gay lover is funny when he's not in any danger of being hate-crimed over it, right?

(I'm not a fan of the joke personally, but I get it.)

They really liked this stupid joke though, so they used it again and again and again, to the point that young fans started to become convinced it was hinting at something. I can't blame them: there was even a lesbian character who fell for Sherlock and explicitly compared herself to John as someone who wasn't into men and yet was just so spellbound by this one special detective boi.

It was pretty lesbophobic imo, which should have been a massive red flag as to how the showrunners really felt about queer characters...

...But where the show went from annoying to actively hostile was the mystery of how Sherlock survived his apparent death at the end of season 2. The showrunners swore up and down it was solvable... and then when the next season aired, the "solution" was "lol who cares how he did it, this is a ~*character driven story*~ and only stupid obsessed idiots would want to solve the mystery. 🤣🤣🤣"

Make no mistake, they singled out the mlm shippers specifically for mockery -- there's a group of Sherlock Holmes conspiracy theorists in the show who argue over a theory that Holmes and Moriarty staged the death together and then kissed about it. (The viewer is clearly meant to laugh at this.)

Some of the Johnlockers on tumblr refused to believe this was happening to them and doubled down and convinced themselves there was going to be an amazing Johnlock plot twist at the end of season 4. My understanding (which might be wrong, I wasn't in the fandom) is that this contingent was largely composed of naive queer teenagers who blindly trusted a handful of influential adults who insisted that the show was deep and clever and didn't hate its fans.

So I can definitely sympathize with the folks who fear Byler is just queerbait. This too is a mlm fandom made up of naive teenagers trusting the adults who swear that the secret gay plot twist is totally gonna happen this time, trust me bro it's not called Surface Things.

And, look. I think it's very sensible to be skeptical of random strangers on the internet who insist they have the answers, no matter how authoritative they might sound. Keep on doing that, folks. 👍

But I think that principle applies just as much to the "this is just like Sherlock" doomers as it does to the "anyone who thinks Byler won't happen has no media literacy" lot. Yes, it's always possible that the Duffers were queerbaiting us all along... but the way Sherlock and Stranger Things approach queerness truly is like night and day.

Huh, well, if what you say is accurate, then it sounds like the Holmes writers were just jerks overall. I can see the joke, as you explain it. I may not think it appropriate to make it a running gag, but it's good for a chuckle or two. If it was truly presented as a joke, then it would be on the fans for misinterpreting it, but I don't know enough about how it was presented to know how easy it would be for fans to make that conclusion.

To me, it only makes it more apparent that things on Stranger Things are "night and day," as you put it. Will's feelings, and Robin's, for that matter, are not treated as jokes. They're treated as dramatic, emotional parts of their individual arcs. In Will's case, his happiness is linked to his relationship with Mike, which is complicated by the fact that he doesn't think he'll get to have a romantic relationship with him, or at all really.

I prefer to think the Duffers are better than whoever was responsible for what you described. While it all remains to be seen, they deserve the benefit of the doubt, for now.

[itsonlytext]

'must a cup of tea be such an arduous request?'

slightly (and a bit obsessively) in love with bbc sherlock.

i gladly take all types of requests regarding him - whether it's x Y/N, john & canon characters, an OC, if we're going for a dadlock vibe, childlock, some fluff, angst or a little bit more (winky face) - i'm always ready. oh, and i'm on ao3, too, if that sort of thing suits you better.

let me know if you would liked to be tagged in anything specific. i will, of course, appropriately use content warnings for certain triggers or 18+ topics.

just be kind and remember that there is no queerbaiting in this house.

a (progressive) list of my works:

quiet days - in where sherlock begins to look forward to quiet days as opposed to resenting them

the circle of life - john moves out and sherlock struggles to cope

lost at sea - sherlock x femOC, just some sour talk, really

innate destructibility - john struggles to communicate, sherlock struggles to understand

sacrificial investment - sherlock tries to come up with ways to make john stay

restoring balance - post season four, sherlock learns to let go of how things used to be at baker street. see part two here

until we fall asleep - ten-part johnlock fic set after the lying detective (chapters complete: 2/10)

sherlock & co:

sea salt & cologne - a miscommunication and some bad wording leads to the obvious. (according to sherlock, at least.) see part two here.

[loverboy-havocboy]

9 people you want to know better

i've been getting tagged in this for months i'm sorry 😭 but i'm doing it now!! it looks like there were 2 different versions, so i'm just combining them here 🤷

thank you for the most recent tag @cacodaemonia

and thank you for the other tags @hastalavistabyebye @whiskygoldwings @brokenightlight @aerjnn @theproblemwithstardust

and @hawthornsword who tagged me while i was doing it 😂💖

three ships: i'm going to leave all wolfpack ships out because i feel like they're obvious 😂 so - echo/fives, quinlan/fox, and dogma/pretty much anyone (because he's just crunchy!), but i'd say especially torrent

first ship: bbc johnlock 😔 i don't remember my very first url, but i'm sure it was johnlock related. my first star wars ship was codywan, and my first cloneship was echo/crosshair because i got here from tbb.

last song: right now it's babydoll by dominic fike! i heard his song mama's boy a few months ago and i fear i've been stuck here since then. oop - the song changed while i was typing that and i Really Like this one so i'm cheating. out of control by she wants revenge is also so choice

last movie: my cousin vinny !! lisa my beloved

currently reading: nothing, i'm afraid 😔 i've read a lot less since i started writing, which is a little heartbreaking

currently watching: house of the dragon (i see you prev 👀), and rewatching once upon a time, but we're getting up to where it grates on my nerves, so i think we'll be done soon 😂

currently eating: nothing 🥺😔

currently craving: raising canes chicken (and, appropriately, sweet tea)

favorite color: blue! 4/5 rooms of my house are painted blue, which was an accident 😅 i like all shades, but my favorite is a dusty sort of blue

hobby you would like to try: i'm pretty content with writing, actually

coffee or tea: tea! i don't dislike coffee, but it makes me jittery no matter how i drink it - so maybe it dislikes me, actually. chai lattes hold a special place in my heart, but i'm us-midwestern, so good sweet tea is a food group to me.

an au you've been plotting for: so many you would not believe the first few off the top of my head are slaat'cyar'ika which is a gffa au where comet and wolffe are ftm; the beast of concordia which is a fantasy (? ish?) au where boost, comet, and sinker's village is terrorized by a monster and they're chosen as sacrifices; a modern au currently dubbed meetscary, in which boost & sinker and comet & wolffe survive the sinking of the triumphant and don't meet until boost and comet end up on the same bridge one night by chance. they are not sight seeing.

no pressure @the-starry-seas @insertmeaningfulusername @mamuzzy @catbuir @adhd-coyote @nooneherebutusghosts 👉👈

[gregorovitch-adler]

Scarf

(Now on AO3)

John was sat in his armchair with his forehead propped over his elbow, which was placed on the arm rest. His hand was twitching; his other hand clutching on the navy blue scarf. Sherlock's scarf.

It had been a week since Sherlock had jumped off the rooftop and died. The newspapers and obnoxious journalists were calling it a suicide, but given the fact that the whole London was throwing false allegations at him, calling him a fake genius, and provoking him to take this step and end up like this- dead - it would be more appropriate to call it a murder.

A murder committed by no singular person, and Moriarty being the direct cause.

John screwed his eyes shut as tears started to form in the corner of his eyes. Again.

If only he had the wits to realise that the phone threatening to kill Mrs Hudson was a hoax and had not left the lab at all.

If only John had not called his best friend a machine just before leaving the lab in St. Bart's- the last time John had ever had a face to face interaction with Sherlock.

If only he'd said something more convincing during their last conversation to actually prevent Sherlock from taking this step.

If only John had been honest about how he actually felt for Sherlock when he was alive.

If only...

The tears were rolling down his face freely now. John covered his eyes with his left hand and clutched the scarf in his other one as tight as he could, until his knuckles were white.

John had been living at this place since Sherlock's death. All of Sherlock's other clothes were packed and sent away. John could do nothing to stop that. It wasn't his place to say.

He didn't let of that blue scarf, though. He could not.

Keeping the scarf himself was John's way of keeping Sherlock still alive. As though a piece of Sherlock's soul lived in that scarf. How could John possibly let go of it?

John was letting out soft sobs and was sniffling. His hands and shoulders were trembling, as he recalled that day again, when he had to see Sherlock's corpse on the pavement, covered in blood.

John wrapped the scarf around his neck and kept crying for a while, his face covered with both of his hands.

After some time, John forced himself to stop. He ducked his face to sniff at the scarf. His nostrils flared up and he closed his eyes to drink that pleasant smell.

Sherlock's cologne and natural scent. Sherlock's skin texture. Sherlock himself.

John shook his head furiously and got up from his chair. He couldn't live in this flat anymore. Not without Sherlock. Not like this.

John walked to the stairs leading to his bedroom. He started climbing up, Sherlock's scarf still wrapped around himself.

It was his scarf now.

John would go to his bedroom, pack his things and leave, as soon as he could. Find a different place to live, far away from here.

For what it was worth, John knew that he would be at home wherever he went, as long as he kept the navy blue scarf safe with him.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇　⋇⋆✦⋆⋇　⋇⋆✦⋆⋇　⋇⋆✦⋆⋇　⋇⋆✦⋆⋇　

Prompt: Home by @notjustamumj

Thanks for the tag, @helloliriels !

Tagging- @totallysilvergirl , @jawnn-watson , @inevitably-johnlocked , etc.

[alectoperdita]

20 questions writer meme.

Thanks to @heyholmesletsgo for tagging me <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

178 (one is a podfic)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,761,591 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I'm mainly in YGO only now, but in the past, have written for Lucifer, Sherlock, Gundam Build Fighters, Sailor Moon, and a few other random fandoms

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The sum of our choices (Lucifer post-S3 canon-divergent AU)

Side Deck (YGO post-canon kaijou)

obvious things observed by nobody (also part of the same post-S3 Lucifer AU)

Confirmation Bias (Sherlock, post-Reichenbach Johnlock)

The tomorrows we'll never have (YGO Battle City canon-divergent AU with hints of kaijou and Priest Set/Jounouchi)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yeah, I usually try to. I've definitely fallen behind in the last few months, though. I'm sorry. I try to tackle it when I have energy, but it's a rare commodity and I use it to write usually.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

These are more open endings than specifically sad/tragic endings, but they could end up there because they're open. It's a toss-up between Chilled to my bone and the recent ficlet where Jounouchi was kidnapped by Hirutani.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of them are fairly happy because I tend toward happy endings. But I can't really think of which is the happiest?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Somehow in the last two years, I morphed into being a majority smut writer. I'm still in the experimental phase, trying to write different kinds of kinks/tropes, but I feel more practiced at it compared to when I started. Overall, my preference is to try and use smut as a way to advance character/relationship development.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Yes. It's maybe not crazy per se, but some of them may feel discordant(?) in their source materials. Like I find it amusing to write crossovers between animes and Western live-action properties.

We do ourselves no favors is a Lucifer/YGO crossover casefic.

Going forth by day is an unfinished Sherlock/YGO crossover casefic.

Said the spider to the fly is a Sherlock/xxxHOLIC crossover ficlet.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Sorta? The Horny Cinderella Incident was an idea workshopped between wahwahwashbear and myself. I wrote the prose for the

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Kaiba and Jounouchi forever 😍

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I try not to give up on WIPs, as it may take a few years but I eventually get back to them. But if I'm honest with myself, I'm probably never going to finish he lit a fire with icicles 😔.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hmm... perhaps the smaller gestures characters might make that hint at their feelings?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue, especially in a way that distinguishes between characters via appropriate voice/cadence is something I generally struggle with. I also tend to be verbose even in dialogue, which means they require a lot of editing.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Unless the point is for the reader to also not understand the dialogue, I prefer to not do that.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Sailor Moon

20. Favorite fic you've written?

It changes every once in a while but right now it might be Lure. 😈

Tagging @leechysmile, @arien-elensar, @worldendercharles, @chazz-is-a-zelda-fan, @bdeblueyes, @unfriendlyamazon, @kaijous, and any other writers that want to do this one. <3

(Give me permission to tag you on games here.)

[priestess-of-yuri]

Guy who added Ivan onto sexypedia here. I have also made a page for Till on there. Ps it's a bit incomplete and it may have grammatical issues because it was literally just made today but you get it LMAOOOO

(x)

THIS IS THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED AND MOSTLY WELL-WRITTEN!!!! you're doing the fandom a service o7

i would just maybe suggest some edits. with the descriptions for the characters, specifically ivan and sua (since you explained the deal with till)... ivan being "emotionless", sua being "doll-like"... it paints them kinda one-dimensionally imo?

you can change that by just adding "seemingly" in front of those terms! makes it much more appropriate and nuanced and accurate i think.

otherwise, really well-done and an enjoyable read.

also i'd never heard of the "johnlocked" trope before but that's really funny lmao.

[olderthannetfic]

Making slash content is fine but insisting that the relationship is canon *has* to be romantic is not. Especially when the creator has insisted that portraying an intimate platonic relationship between men is important to them.

Sure, male-male 'friendship' might be overrepresented but male-male platonic intimacy is not. Men deserve representation of the kind of intimacy and love so often represented and accepted in female-female platonic relationships. While a lot of the backlash against male-male platonic intimacy stems frim homophobia, a lot of it stems from sexism and toxic masculinity.

Then there's amatonormativity and aphobia. Those are already serious issues but then add to that the popular ideas that all men need sex (because apparently it's in male nature or whatever) and romance (because apparently it's not appropriate to hug or open up to the homies).

So it's important to me that people don't call a creator invested in portraying male-male platonic intimacy 'queerbaiting' or 'homophobic', or insist that the relationship is actually romantic.

--

People whining about platonic male intimacy being under threat from slash can shut the fuck up. The issue is straight men in the mainstream, not shippers. The people who post these kinds of viral posts on Tumblr generally turn out to be homophobic fundies taking advantage of gullible fools to spread their message of homophobia.

People can also shut the fuck up about amatonormativity and aphobia if they're talking about fandom and shipping. Shippers come here to ship. It has nothing to do with whether they want all canons to have romance/sex or think all humans are broken without them or whether they want them in their own lives. "Why are the people in the romance novel section of the bookstore buying romance novels?" Gee. We just don't know.

Johnlock conspiracy style assholes who harass creators should also shut the fuck up though. I have no patience for queerbaiting discourse as I've said many times.

[jrow]

Fic Writing 20 Questions

Thanks for the tags @khorazir and @raina-at

How many works do you have on AO3?

13

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

268,623

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Sherlock (BBC). I may try my hand at a Merlin fic in the next year, but we’ll see ...

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Beautiful Pictures

A Week in November

Lines in the Sand

The Man with the Cartier Frames

That Time of Year

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I love getting comments, so it’s the least I can do (even if it takes a few days). I love when authors respond to my comments, so it’s only fair.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Like many of the people answering these questions, I don’t write angsty endings. I considered it for Jam (I almost didn’t include the epilogue) but I love a happy ending.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All my fics have happy endings. If I had to pick one as “happiest”, I’d say The Man With the Cartier Frames.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have not, luckily. I’ve had a weird comment or two where I’ve thought “why did you tell me that”, but nothing super negative.

9. Do you write smut?

Not really? I’ve written some mature scenes that allude to things, but don’t go into detail.  

10. Do you write crossovers?

No. I have particular objections, but I doubt I ever will.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, Lines in the Sand has been translated into French and That Time of Year into Russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I haven’t. I don’t object to the concept, but I’m not sure I’d be a great collaborator given my current writing style. I think I’m better at betaing which gives me a way to work with other fic writers.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

This is really tough. I feel like it’s okay if your “all time” favourite ship changes every five or ten years. I mean, I am a very different person at 40 than I was at 25. My favourite to write is definitely Johnlock—they have a great dynamic and are both really interesting characters in their own rights. So, they are definitely up there. The other ship that comes to mind in terms of those that have really stood the test of time for me is Goren/Eames from Law & Order:CI (a very small fandom). Goren has a lot of Sherlockian traits and Eames is just incredibly cool (and both actors are gorgeous, which doesn’t hurt!).  I discovered Merlin in the last year or two and really like Merthur (honestly, I also really like Mergwenthur which I never thought would be my thing, but Gwen is so lovely), but it’s too early to tell if that will last long enough to be on my all time list!

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Corsi, my NHL Johnlock AU. I have a couple chapters written, but I started it a long time ago and my writing style has changed a fair bit since then. I think I’d want to go back and rewrite the first chapter, but that seems like a waste … so, instead, I will just leave it to languish.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I write Parentlock really well. I have young kids, so it’s relatively easy for me to make kids read age appropriate (which they often don’t in stories, be they fic or published). I hope I am also able to convey that delicate balance that parents feel—namely adoring their kids with every once of your being while wanting to throttle them.  Basically, I think I can write believable kids and believable parents.

I also think I am okay at creating cases, mainly because I become a bit obsessed with making the pieces fit.  I like internal consistency!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I can’t plot out a fic well enough that I can post anything before it’s done. Which means, that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to write a truly long fic (say longer than 50K words).  To have the motivation to write something that long, I think I would need the dopamine hit from posting and getting feedback. But, I just can’t see me ever posting a fic before it’s completely written, because of how often I go back and revise as I write. Particularly for fics with any sort of case—I’ll have the loose parameters of the case set out, but the details won’t emerge until I write. Which may mean I have to go back and edit earlier content to make those details work (internal consistency!). Even things like John’s work schedule or the timing of a phone call or what time Rosie gets out of school may change a half dozen times as I write to make the other pieces work.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic? 

I think it’s fine, but it’s best if you have a half-decent knowledge of that language. The only language I would use is French, should that ever come up.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

X-Files (this also seems to be a common theme)

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Ugh. This is an impossible question. I really like Beneath the Surface—I love epistolary fics and I think I did pretty well with text exchanges in that one. I am also pretty proud of Jam. So, I suppose those would be my faves.

Hmmmm, I think I am late to the game here so anyone interested in doing this, consider yourself tagged!

[thegildedbee]

10.28 [ ghosts ]

Halloween is just 'round the corner, so this final Friday of fic recs means it's time for the list to expire, and to join the sheeted dead: it seems appropriate, then, to give over week 4 to ghosts. Sending out wishes to one and all for a splendid All Hallows' Eve, snug in the knowledge that the ghostly presence of 1895 continues to reappear in so many variations across the future, and, most compellingly of all, due to the fabulousness of fic writers and the gifts they bestow. 👻

previous weeks 10.21: most spine-chilling adversaries 10.14: occult transformations 10.7: tricks to treats ......................................................................................... ~in order of word length~ The Haunting of 221B Baker Street by earlgreytea68 (2012), rated M, 10388 words. We know from the start that: Sherlock hasn't survived the Reichenbach Fall; is very much a (spectral) presence; and is surreptitiously resident at 221B. Unaware of the latter two facts, John has decamped from Baker Street, but when Mrs. Hudson has trouble keeping tenants because they report the flat is haunted, he comes back to investigate. Experiencing a moment of emphatic ghostly dramatics convinces him that "if anyone was going to figure out how to be a ghost just to be a pain in everybody’s arse, it would be you" -- and he promptly moves back in. 221B is something like a deserted island in which two shipwrecked flatmates -- one alive and one not -- negotiate the perplexing terrain engendered by that great divide. The bittersweet premise starts out weighted more toward the bitter, although their journey through various forms of emotion (reminding me quite a bit of the film Inside Out) eventually delivers them with a never-to-be-forgotten rightness to the other end of the spectrum. A stunningly-executed love story that takes you on a deep dive into John's and Sherlock's personalities as revealed through their interpersonal dynamics -- which is why we read Johnlock fic, yeah? -- this is a fic that is supernaturally good, in all senses of the good word good.

podfic by magiccranberries

A Thousand Kisses Deep by Susan (2017), rated E, 12689 words. This fic is such an exquisitely cut gem that it is thrilling (I guarantee that sentence will make perfect sense once you read the fic). A soul-satisfyingly second chances reversal of time narrative, in which a Sherlock who is old in body and spirit is informed by a ghostly visitor one sleepless night that a wish by John is being granted -- that is, if a Sherlock returned to 2010 can set things right. The incredible amount of readerly fun that results from following Sherlock's high-spirited romp as he makes his way through his gob-smacked deductions (about his reinstated younger body, about the perfection of his only consultant in the world London life, and in aid of his race to outwit the fates), brings about an equally incredible amount of heart-melting readerly rapture at the romantic entanglement that ensues. The different bits of call-and-response literary flourishes evoked in the text lend an already deeply-layered story an extra-dimensionality that goes beyond the temporal paradoxes. The epigraph to the story is from Leonard Cohen, and is a perfect distillation of the story that unfolds: And fragrant is the thought of you / The file on you complete / Except what we forgot to do / A thousand kisses deep.

podfic by podfixx

He's Coming To Us Dead by Vulgarweed (2014), rated E, 13397 words. Part of the Bone Fiddle universe (but can be read alone), set in 1970s Appalachia, a place where enigmatic trouble-magnet Sherlock Holmes has drifted to, and to which Vietnam war vet John Watson has returned home. The two have semi-secretly taken up with each other in ways undeniably mutually satisfying, although the strain that possible apparitions place on their connection turns out to be scarier than the 'haints' themselves. This is a classic ghost story, steeped in local and Doylean lore (tragic love for the first, Baskervillean unease for the second). A fic full of questions answered and unanswered, in which Sherlock observes, "when we've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable -- is still fucking impossible." Like everything in the BF universe, this is a totally absorbing ride through the ways in which Sherlock and John reveal themselves to each other and to us, indelibly inscribed in smart, funny, captivating prose that gives us an addictively realized picture of them.

De profundis by darcylindbergh (2017), rated M, 32036 words. This is a charmer of a tale, sprung from the premise that since the age of 12 Sherlock has been able to see ghosts, and which uses that fact to ingeniously repurpose the elements of A Study in Pink in all kinds of clever ways. The ins-and-outs of what seems to be his singular ability to attract the attention of ghosts upends Sherlock's life, accompanied as he often is by the the dearly-departed-although-not-yet-gone, and the fic's depiction of his inventive interactions with them -- exasperated, yet tolerant and kind and gentle -- has a winning sui generis tone that is sweetly absurdist. The chief plot point hinges on Sherlock's uncertainty when he meets John Watson as to whether or not he's alive or dead, a question that is stubbornly resistant to resolution over the course of the next day as he and John become increasingly enamored with each other as they team up to tackle the serial suicides, leaving the reader with an enticing puzzle to try and solve before Sherlock does.

The Cost of a Wish by slashscribe (2015), rated E, 102493 words. Since John Watson was a boy, he's had to contend with the terror that grips him due to the "formless spirits and ghosts that it seems only he can see," which press against him in threatening ways as a darkly massed cloud, chilling him to the bone, whenever he dares to venture outdoors. The desperation he feels one day suddenly lifts as he flees down a familiar street and ends up at the door of a building he's never seen there before. He tells the woman who opens the door that he has no idea why he's there, but the deep rumbling voice from the man at the top of the stairs gives him one word in reply: "Inevitable." Sherlock is the proprietor of a wish-granting shop, and the fascinating series of events that take place reveal the many mysteries of Sherlock, John, and the ways in which their lives have been entwined. The Sherlock series’ characters turn up in especially memorable ways, along with an enchanting cast from the Japanese manga the fic is fused with -- including what is the most ridiculously cute animal in all of Sherlock ficdom, a Pipe Fox spirit creature, whose mysterious nature brings John and Sherlock closer in many endearing ways.

........................................................................ *fic reblog recruits, perhaps??? ❤️ @totallysilvergirl @blogstandbygo @mydogwatson @keirgreeneyes @helloliriels ........................................................................

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Sharing a beautiful fic rec for those who love arranged marriage/omegaverse/prince! Sherlock and Prince! John: As the Summer Rains Fall by starrysummernights. I cannot emphasise how well-written and lovely her characterisation of our boys are, it’s everything my soft heart needs! Underage Sherlock and John growing into adulthood, but very age-appropriate affection/slowburn.

As the Summer Rains Fall Series by starrysummernights (E, 333,612+ w. across 14 works || Series WiP || Royalty Omegaverse AU || Teenagers, Falling in Love, Mystrade & Johnlock) – Captain Lestrade attempts to teach a 15-year-old Prince Mycroft self-defense and hand-to-hand combat skills. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

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Hey Nonny!!

THANK YOU so much for a new suggestion! I've been recced this one before, but I am TOTALLY all for suggesting it once again, because I want to get to reading it eventually so reminders are good!

Everyone give this one a read! :D

[milquetoast27]

Giving The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (Nicholas Meyer) AO3 tags

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution is one of the most well-known Holmes pastiches, and it's one I absolutely adore! It blew my mind when I first read it because it was exactly like the stuff I was reading on AO3, so I figured it'd be appropriate to give it some AO3 tags.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Fandoms: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Categories: M/M

Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson

Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Professor James Moriarty, Mary Morstan, Mrs. Hudson, Mycroft Holmes, Sigmund Freud, Toby the dog

Additional Tags: Angst with a happy ending, uplifting, hurt/comfort, drug abuse :(, SIGMUND FREUD???, Final Problem rewrite, platonic/romantic Johnlock, Canon-Typical Violence, Sherlock Holmes Needs a Hug, Canon Divergent, Sherlock Holmes Has Issues, Kidnapping, Tragic Backstory

Highly recommend! 🥰(there's a movie adaptation too but it's not as good as the book)

[khorazir]

7 and 39 please!

I’m not sure I’ve got a favourite tag, but I find the “Idiots to Lovers” one highly appropriate for Johnlock.

As for the wildest AU, I think my Horselock fic The Horse and his Doctor is pretty wild and unusual even for an AU. It tends to confuse people who don’t really know what to expect. Kudos to all who’ve given the fic a read anyway ;)

[novemberhush]

Ten Fics, One Line

Thanks for tagging me, @josjournal ! 😘

Pick any 10 of your fics, scroll somewhere to the midpoint, pick a line* and share it! Then tag 10 people to do the same.

*No one’s gonna be mad if you go with more than one line.

In the Heat of the Night (Sterek, rated General, 262 words)

Grabbing a bunch of clothes off the floor when he’d seemingly recovered enough from the shock of seeing all that pale, sweaty, mole-spattered skin on display to remember how to move, he threw them at Stiles with a growled, “Put some damn clothes on!”

The Heroes We Deserve (Sterek, rated General, 100 words)

They were still mocking him, Scott poking the Batsuit’s plastic nipples, Dusty Springfield soundtracking his humiliation, when Derek walked in.

The Gift (Buddie, rated General, 2587 words)

“You can, and you will,” Eddie insisted, rolling his eyes at the earnestness in those blue eyes that had seen through him so many times but never seemed to help Buck see his own self-worth.

And We Danced (Johnlock, rated General, 891 words)

“Right, okay, we'll try this again, since you insist on being a condescending dick about everything.”

Family Man (Part 1 of Family Is a Law Unto Itself, Marvey, rated General, 1021 words)

They take it in turns choosing an age-appropriate movie so they each get one choice a month, and, honestly, if you’d told Harvey ten years ago that this would be his life, lazing on an overstuffed couch on a Friday night with Mike’s head a warm, welcome weight on his shoulder and a beautiful, perfect, beloved son curled up on each of their laps, popcorn strewn about the place from their food fight earlier and the latest Pixar behemoth on the box, he’d have said you were crazy.

Tibby, or Not Tibby (That Is the Question) (Part 2 of Family Is a Law Unto Itself, Marvey, rated General, 1005 words)

A worried Harvey finds himself feeding a supremely zen Tibby a strawberry and telling him about the time he got mono, the animal’s unwavering serenity having a somewhat pacifying effect on his own frayed nerves.

Waiting for the Inevitable (Barisi, rated General, 5024 words)

There was only Sonny and Rafael and too much space in between.

He Also Cooks (McDanno, rated General, 886 words)

“Oh my God, I’m right, aren’t I?!” Danny crowed, stepping back because this was apparently too good to miss seeing the look on Steve’s increasingly red face.

Broken Windows (Parkbarrow, a.k.a. Thomas Barrow x Andy Parker, rated General, 6815 words)

Phyllis had seen him drowning, tried to throw him a lifeline, but he rejected it, full of misplaced pride and indignant at the thought anyone should think Thomas Barrow was a sinking ship.

... Is But a Dream (Hathaway/Lewis, rated General, 3273 words)

“Right then,” Robbie said, clapping his hands together briskly and interrupting James’ train of thought, which was probably for the best seeing as it was currently stalled at the crowded station James and every other man in existence knew as Women, I’ll never understand them.

I tag @jmeelee @imwritesometimes @matan4il @oneawkwardcookie @sal-si-puedes @evanesdust @firstdegreefangirl @katries @tabbytabbytabby @allourheroes and anyone else who wants to play. No pressure on anyone who doesn’t!❤️

[swissmissficrecs]

Hi there!

A friend of mine needs to write a paper for a course that discusses adaptations of famous literary works. More specifically, she‘s looking at how queerness is implied (but not acted upon) in the canon and how it then is executed in fanfiction - she‘s decided to write it on Johnlock, and now she needs a suitable fic.

These are her criteria:

- ideally related to a case that was used in the show (because they‘re based on the canon)

- strong relationship arc (they can‘t start out as lovers, but as colleagues)

- medium length (not novel length, but enough to really have some substance)

With your huge collection and knowledge, I thought I‘d ask you. Thanks in advance! :)

Reply: Unfortunately, you have asked this of a teacher. Although other teachers might have a different perspective, as I see it part of the assignment is researching source material. Your friend needs to familiarize herself with a range of adaptations (i.e. lots of fanfiction) and discover for herself which one(s) are appropriate for her analysis.

AO3 has an amazing tagging, searching and filtering system. I will give you this much help: search for tags with the names of episodes (ASiP / A Study in Pink, etc.), friends to lovers, set relationship to Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, and filter for the word count 30,000 - 50,000. Then sort by kudos. The ones with the highest kudos will generally be well written.*

*I know this is a sore point for many authors, and yes, there are amazing fics with low kudos and popular fics with lots of technical issues, but for this purpose, you are looking for a quick solution and not trying to find hidden gems.

[alectricblue]

For the ask game: 5, 29 and 37

5. what made you start your blog?

I had gotten tired of tumblr bc my previous blog's circle had become a very toxic place

but deltarune ch2 had just come out and I needed to go back to my undertale roots and interact with the utdr fandom again, something that couldn't happen in that blog (I did try tho)

so I decided to create a new blog (and delete the old one after a while) and the rest is history

29. what do you do when you’re sad?

I go to one of my comfort things, depending on what I need. a song, a youtube video, a blog, a show

37. share a secret

oh no I didn't think anyone would actually choose this one lmao

uhhhhhh tbh idk if I have that many secrets I haven't shared here already

ok in the topic of my first answer. my prev blog was mainly a johnlock blog, one still clinging onto the promise of more show that never came to be. I was a just lurker then tho

god that was difficult, to think of an appropriate secret for tumblr

thank you for the ask!!