#arwb

[winterdaphne2]

Favorite Johnlock Fics (BBC Sherlock)

I went on a bit of a fic-reading spree this spring, and this list of favorites is the result! There are many other fics that I’ve enjoyed reading, but these are the ones that I’ve really loved for one reason or another.

I’ve tagged the authors whose tumblrs I could find. If that’s you, thank you so much for sharing your writing with us. If your work is on here, you wrote something that I really treasure.

1. A River Without Banks, by Chryse. E, 203,286 words. Starts right after Season 3. A mix of Sherlock’s perspective, John’s perspective, and the perspectives of other characters. Sherlock-focused for the first half.

Author’s summary: “‘You love this, being Sherlock Holmes.’ He had once. When had it all gone so wrong?”

This is my absolute favorite. The author’s characterization of Sherlock is amazingly accurate, and Sherlock’s character development over the course of the story is breathtakingly executed and moving. The plot is fantastic and takes you on a page-turning emotional roller coaster, especially for about the first half of the story. I was also continually impressed by how many details from the show and references to earlier parts of the fic the author was able to weave in throughout while still keeping the story creative and original. Most importantly, though, I love this fic for the message that it sends about Sherlock and John’s love, which is a far more positive message than the one that the actual show settled upon in the end. I’m grateful that we have this version of their love story, and, personally, I like to pretend that this was Season 4 and how the show ended.

2. Another Country, by Chryse. E, 67,414 words. Starts right after the end of TAB. Sherlock’s perspective.

Sherlock spends one month and three days under house arrest in 221B, trying to get clean from the drugs, track down the new Moriarty, and figure out what the hell is going on between him and John.

Another fantastic work by Chryse. This author really gets Sherlock’s character, and once again the characterization of Sherlock is spot-on and convincing. There are a few other elements that also make this a compelling story, including smart use of minor characters, a solid central mystery, and a complicated relationship between Sherlock and John that includes a pretty convincing post-Season-3 version of John. Excellent.

3. walk through ghosts, by @augustbird. M, 6,125 words. Written between Seasons 2 and 3. Sherlock’s perspective.

Author’s summary: “The thing is: Sherlock thought that the two of them would have forever to figure it out.”

This is the saddest fic I have ever read, and so beautifully written. The author captures Season 2 Sherlock’s character perfectly; the fact that this story feels so real is what makes it devastating. The day after I read this, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and walked around with my heart physically aching in my chest.

4. Nature and Nurture, by @earlgreytea68. M, 203,273 words. Set sometime after Season 2. Alternates between John’s and Sherlock’s perspectives, but mostly told from John’s.

The British government clones Sherlock. He and John decide to raise the baby.

A true fandom classic. The premise sounds super cracky, but somehow it really works. This fic is surprisingly serious at times, but overall it is the cutest and funniest thing I have ever read in my life. Basically 200,000+ words of Sherlock and John being adorable gay fathers together and working through some feelings, with line-by-line some of the most hilarious dialogue ever. The five accompanying ficlets that the author wrote as short follow-ups are also worth checking out; my favorites were School (T, 4,753 words) and The Radovljica Apicultural Museum (T, 4,540 words).

5. To a Friend Who Sent Me Roses, by @algyswinburne. E, 16,147 words. Set sometime after Season 4 (but ignores TFP, as we all should lol). Sherlock’s perspective.

Author’s summary: “Five times Sherlock is mistaken for John’s partner and Rosie’s father, and one time it isn’t a mistake.”

This fic is sad, sweet, and hot by turns. Absolutely lovely to read in so many ways, and with so many great details and lines. I think this story offers convincing portrayals of what Sherlock’s and John’s characters might be like after it all and how they might finally get together. This and A River Without Banks are my favorite alternate endings to the show. Beautiful!

6. for all that bitter delights will sour, by @darcylindbergh. E, 9,585 words. Set sometime after Season 3. Sherlock’s perspective.

John initiates a sexually and emotionally abusive relationship with Sherlock.

The second saddest fic I have read. I would never want what happens in this fic to happen to Sherlock and John, so I don’t exactly recommend it as a Johnlock fic. But as a short story, this is a gem, full of absolutely gorgeous and incredibly moving writing. It depicts difficult themes very deftly, in lines and paragraphs that I had to stop to read over and over. I appreciate this as an emotionally powerful and thought-provoking piece of writing inspired by Sherlock, so for that reason I think it deserves to be on this list.

7. The Ground Beneath Your Feet, by Chryse. E, 68,803 words. Set after Season 3, but as if the last two minutes of HLV never happened. “The plane went on to Eastern Europe, and this is what came after.” John’s perspective.

This fic is pretty dark; the author describes it as “a PTSD story in which John was wholly devoted to Sherlock.” I don’t love it quite as much as the other two fics by Chryse that I’ve listed here, but that’s mostly because those two are just so amazing! I still really enjoyed this one. It was wonderful to see a kind and caring version of John emerge out of Season 3, and the story had several memorable moments, including one particularly nail-biting scene. I also really liked seeing John and Mycroft become friends as they bonded over their shared concern for Sherlock.

8. The Adventures of a Single Girl in London (Plus a Consulting Detective), by @earlgreytea68. M, 32,913 words. Set soon after Season 3. Alternates between different characters’ perspectives.

Bored with life at her new cottage in Sussex, Janine returns to London and moves in with Sherlock at 221B. Hilarity, heartbreak, and eventual Johnlock ensue.

This is a Season 3 fix-it fic that features an absolutely lovely friendship between Sherlock and Janine and the best version of Janine that I’ve come across in a fic. Sherlock is vulnerable and sweet, John is an absolute idiot, Janine is perfect, and the last two chapters just make me scream. Great stuff.

And that’s it for now! If you know of any other fics that I might like based on the above, I’d be happy to hear about them, so drop me a line!

Happy reading 😊

[bakerstmel]

Fall Favorite Fic Festival, Entry 1

I’ve decided to reread some favorite fics to celebrate the coming of fall. A Fall Favorite Fic Festival, as it were.

And also I’m feeling kinda sad and lonely, so I’m gonna write about them.

Okay! First up:

Restoration by Chryse

There are many, many things I like about Chryse as a writer, but this fic highlights a big one: their ability to surprise me. This story goes places I would never have expected, but the characterization stays true and I will follow that anywhere. When I was reading this as a WIP, I didn’t think it would stick with me like it has (whereas I knew ARWB was rewriting my neural pathways back in the day), but now, even 6 years after completion, sometimes an image or a phrase will cross my mind and I’ll need to revisit this world. It fixes S4 for me and you know that’s saying something.

If you decide to check it out, be sure to read the tags. It ends well but I remember some johnlockers struggling a bit in the midsection.

[kijosakka]

eyes arwb heavy,,,, sleepy,,,, but writing calls,,,

[hudders-and-hiddles]

Heyyy~ have you got some Broken!Sherlock fanfics? (Or depress, hurt... or something like that? Thanks :)

Sorry I didn’t get to this sooner–I wasn’t around much this weekend. I don’t read a ton of things that fit this category, but here are the few that I thought of. Be sure to heed the tags, of course. Some of them are more depressed than broken…

carrying up his morning tea by darcylindbergh 

The repeated image by teatrolley 

White Tulip by withoutawish

A River Without Banks by chryse, with additional trigger warnings for domestic violence and child loss (a few other chryse fics probably fit this ask, too, so take a look at her other works as well)

The Speed of Objects in Motion by holyfant, particularly the second half

[diningwithdeb]

Keisha McKinney: Mr. McKinney's Biscuits http://bit.ly/2lqmw8M @bigpittstop

Keisha McKinney: Mr. McKinney's Biscuits

  One of the first gifts I gave my husband was a Tervis with candy in it. Yes, I felt like I was in middle school. I mean, what gift do you give a boy who …

[airmanisr]

DHC-1 Chipmunk 22A ‘WK611’ (G-ARWB) by Alan Wilson Via Flickr: c/n C1/0621. Built 1952. In genuine Royal Air Force markings as ‘WK611’. Seen during the Chipmunk 70th Anniversary event. Old Warden, Bedfordshire, UK. 22nd May 2016

[thegildedbee]

emp theory agnosticism, tab, tst, and chryse

So, I’ve been an #emp theory agnostic -- I think the crew, which is at least (?) @monikakrasnorada, @isitandwonder, @tjlcisthenewsexy, @ebaeschnbliah, @yan-yae, @gosherlocked, @longsnowsmoon5, @tendergingergirl, @loveismyrevolution, @may-shepard and @the-7-percent-solution (I’m probably leaving some out unfortunately or not tagged this list correctly, apologies if so) -- has been brilliant and it’s been delightful to see their posts fly by every now and then and experience second-hand the fun and fervor they’re having considering how it could all work.

I’ve been agnostic, though, because I felt that having that much of the series devoted to mind-palacing didn’t seem cricket somehow with the viewers (although if an #emp involved a few multiple episodes in one season of a series that had a normal number of episodes like 10 or 12 the thought of a #moffitss #emp probably wouldn’t exasperate me the same way the thought of it does for a series that has the hiatus hell that is BBC Sherlock’s schedule. It also seemed too much of a Doctor Who bleed-back, but then #mofftiss having DW experience lends credence to #emp, yeah?).

I’m a lot more sympathetic to #emp after #tst given that it seems hard to parse meaning out of #tst without it being a running of scenarios of some kind in Sherlock’s mind (which I think works whether or not you posit #emp as happening in a coma) and this is also intermeshing with current activities outside of his head (like Sherlock and John working together to take down the bad guys and girls).

@impatient14 has an elegant #tst aftermath run-through of some of the key points here which fits the feeling that #mofftiss are doing something substantive with the hyperactivity of #tst.

But in addition, there’s something that struck me this morning in thinking about #tst being frustrating for serious viewers to watch but also being convinced that there is some fascinating story-telling (visually and narratively) and post-shadowing and pre-shadowing going on in #tst and that #mofftiss are at the top of their game.

And the thing that struck me is comparing #tst with Chryse’s  A River Without Banks on A03. ARWB is an amazing piece of writing and it pulls no punches emotionally and intellectually and it is gutting and dazzling and affecting on so many levels. If #mofftiss are trying to do what Chryse has done using time-traveling -- then #emp of some form would make a plausible vehicle.

That’s how good I think Chryse and ARWB is :-) in playing with “worlds within worlds”, as @alexxphoenix42 terms it in a rec. So in addition to all the #emp meta if #mofftiss are working at that level, then go #emp ;-)

[taaorafr]

On craque pour ces Stan Smith roses à scratchs >> http://ptilien.fr/Arwb

[lickedlipssinkships]

So I really want to reread "A River Without Banks," but I reallyyyy don't have the time to read a 200k word fic right now...

[garkgatiss]

(fin!)

omg, I made it!! What a beautiful fic. 

I’m still digesting it but one of the strongest reactions I’m having right now is that I feel like it was maybe a bit... unbalanced? Chapter 6 was absolute murder to read, and after setting that precedent, narrative-wise I sort of expected an even higher emotional climax toward the end that... never really came? The Man at the Falls was a gorgeous story on its own with a lovely sweet ending but never really lived up to the shadow I felt was hanging over the whole thing after showing what horrific lows she was willing to go to. I was really really prepared for it to go even darker than before and then end in a blazing triumph out of nowhere. And I’m still trying to understand why that was my instinct - despite all the ANs to the contrary!!! - and it’s interesting to see from the author’s perspective what she felt would be the most emotionally compromising to read and how that aligned with my own emotional rollercoaster while reading.

I may have more thoughts later. What a fic. WHAT A FIC.

[hudders-and-hiddles]

Nonny, I’m not gonna post your ask because I don’t want to post spoilers, but I feel you. That’s def a good chapter ending. Like I said before though, there are still a lot of twists and turns ahead, some of them dark and rather hard to read, so definitely just keep that in mind. (And as always if you get to something you find triggering, please take care of yourself and nope on out of there.)

[diningwithdeb]

Brittney Lee: Celebrate Church Suppers and Hash Brown Casserole http://bit.ly/2lbh8Sa @brittneydeanne

Brittney Lee: Celebrate Church Suppers and Hash Brown Casserole

Celebrate Cooking Together One of the highlights of my week is Wednesday night church supper. I don’t know that it’s inherently Southern – I’m sure there are churches outside of our region that do weekly meals. …

[airmanisr]

DHC-1 Chipmunk 22A ‘WK611’ (G-ARWB) by Alan Wilson Via Flickr: c/n C1/0621. Built 1952. In genuine Royal Air Force markings as ‘WK611’. Seen during the Chipmunk 70th Anniversary event. Old Warden, Bedfordshire, UK. 22nd May 2016

[madnina]

Before I go to bed can I just say how relieved I was to have found other people who have been similarly affected by A River Without Banks

*still not over that fic*

**collective hugs to all of you**

[thegildedbee]

yesilian replied to your post “emp theory agnosticism, tab, tst, and chryse”

Sorry, but if we're talking Chryse, try Another Country. Seriously, that's TST. Estrangement, John being a dick, secretaries running the plot, it's all there.

Well what was kicking in for me @yesilian was the framework for ARWB which is different than that for Another Country. But, absolutely, Another Country is a marvel of getting at the insides of the heads of John and Sherlock circa now. I soooooooooooo loved her characterization of Sherlock in AC. Following his development was addictive in itself. Mofftiss should take note.

[diningwithdeb]

Puppy Love http://bit.ly/2kx0bVb @bigpittstop

Puppy Love

By Keisha McKinney Yall, I’m in LOVE (insert deep sigh…..). What a year 2016 was for me.  I know I gave you a full list on my blog of all the things that had me mesmerized …