Fall Favorite Fic Festival, Entry 2
I’m revisiting some of my favorite fics to celebrate the coming of fall. I’ve been feeling nostalgic, you see, and a bit sad, and I don’t know, maybe I’ll remind you of an old favorite. Most, but not all of these will be Sherlock, because I’ve gotta be me.
Also speaking of being me, please allow me to remind you of the most delectable angst: The Speed of Objects in Motion, by Holyfant.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Those of you who know my fic preferences know that I dig me some retirementlock. This isn't that, precisely, in the cottage-in-Sussex way that it's normally understood (and that I've repeatedly savored, and even written), but it is John and Sherlock aging together and finding ways to make that work. This fic excels in its Sherlock characterization and its realism, its creative OCs, and also (spoiler alert) in its eminently earned happy ending. This fic is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and by god it holds up. It's 48k in two long chapters and even though I tend to swallow (ha) fic, it's not a quick read.
I don't know how to explain this but there is language that fills me with exhilaration even as it breaks my heart, words that are so perfectly chosen and placed that I have to stop, lift my eyes to the sky and thank the blessed universe that I speak English. It's almost a sense that there's more to the language than its meaning, an expansive feeling that I'm perceiving a level of meaning beyond the words. I refer to it as "flow" sometimes, but it's more than that. I wish I could explain it; maybe you've felt it too. Anyway, this fic has given me many of those moments over the years.
I corresponded with Holyfant in the comments after my last reading, and I'm glad to know they're still out there and doing well. Cheers to them and to you all for humoring me in my ranting.