#post-pool

[swissmissficrecs]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Word count: 44,284 Chapters: 10/10 Fandom: Sherlock (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Victor Trevor Additional Tags: Past Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor, Season/Series 02, Post-Episode: s02e01 A Scandal in Belgravia, Arthur Conan Doyle Canon References, Story: The Adventure of the Gloria Scott, Case Fic, Flashbacks, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, Drama & Romance, Blood and Injury, Gunshot Wounds, Head Injury, Injury Recovery, Love Confessions, First Kiss, First Time, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Praise Kink, Top John Watson, Bottom Sherlock Holmes, Sappy, Schmoop, Wordcount: 30.000-50.000, Complete Summary:

The thing that bothered John the most was the one thing he didn't know- who was the person Hurst killed, all those years ago, and what was their relationship with Sherlock? True, John hadn't known Sherlock for a long time, not long at all in relation to the thirty-something years of Sherlock's life before John had come into it, but he couldn't imagine that Sherlock had ever been the type to make friends easily. Maybe he had been different, before. Maybe something had happened. Maybe this, losing someone in such a way, had been the thing that changed him.

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Rec: A blast from Sherlock’s past returns to haunt him just as he and John are about to take the next step in their relationship. But all is not as it seems as feints, double crosses, hidden agendas, and shocking reveals combine to knock both men off balance and set them on a course of confrontation with a shadowy nemesis and their own emotional baggage.

I especially enjoyed the Mycroft-John interactions, Sherlock’s changing views on his past, the fact that he doesn’t always get things right, the moments of connection between Sherlock and John, and the many twists and turns that guaranteed nary a dull moment.

[swissmissficrecs]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Word count: 51,830 Chapters: 14/14 Fandom: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mrs. Hudson (Sherlock Holmes), Mycroft Holmes, Greg Lestrade, Original Characters Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Post-Episode: s01e03 The Great Game, Canon Divergence - The Great Game, Head Injury, Medical Procedures, Sherlock's Mind Palace, Mycroft Being Mycroft, Injury Recovery, Sherlock Whump, John Watson Whump, Emotions, Revelations, Developing Relationship, John Watson is a Good Doctor, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, First Time, Aphasia, Muteness, 69 (Sex Position), POV Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes Has Feelings Summary:

Sherlock is spending some time in his mind palace - so far, so normal. But why is John there, why do things keep changing and why are there only two exits from the sitting room at 221B, neither of which seem to go anywhere useful?

It's a case like no other for Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

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Rec: A rarity these days, this fic picks up at the end of series 1 and posits what would have happened if the bomb had exploded. The initial fun then is in knowing what has happened, and watching Sherlock piece things together from within the confines of his mind palace, which he cannot seem to escape. That’s only the first third of the story, though, as when the action finally shifts to the real world, we are in for the ride as much as the detective as to what will happen next. And what happens is a terrific tale of medical anomalies, epic friendship, unresolved past trauma, saintly patience, and more repressed emotions than you can shake a stick at. My favorite bits were the domestic moments - both quiet and not so - especially the enforced nonverbal communication due to Sherlock’s aphasia. It’s really a lovely story that focuses on their insularity and self-enclosed ecosystem, with glimpses of an even happier end to come.

[swissmissficrecs]

Hi, Are there stories wherein Moriarty died or disappeared in The Great Game? I hate that man so please I want to read stories wherein he never ruin the subsequent seasons (for me at least.) I know that Moriarty is a good character and Andrew Scott is a great actor, but still. Thank you.

Reply: I’m sure there are more, but I only found this one in my bookmarks. Although be warned, just because Moriarty is dead does not mean that his evil does not continue to affect the main characters. But if you just want the satisfaction of knowing he died at the pool, this should do you.

Chances Are by Berty (51K, M, Johnlock) Sherlock is spending some time in his mind palace - so far, so normal. But why is John there, why do things keep changing and why are there only two exits from the sitting room at 221B, neither of which seem to go anywhere useful? It's a case like no other for Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

At the same time though, I feel like I haven’t quite grasped what you have in mind, if you want to read fics in which Moriarty doesn’t “ruin the subsequent seasons.” For one thing, the entirety of series 2 is about Moriarty, and one of the main premises of series 3 is based on Moriarty having orchestrated Sherlock’s fake death. And of course Eurus was only able to do what she did in series 4 because she planned it all with Moriarty. So it’s impossible to have a story with everything else the same as series 2, 3, or 4, if you assume that Moriarty died in series 1.

If you just want a fic without any mention of Moriarty, on the other hand, then of course there are lots and lots of fics in which he simply does not figure at all. For instance, fics that aren’t set at any specific point in the series at all, like original case fics or getting-together fics that only focus on the relationship; whilst others are set during or after series 3, but only deal with Mary and Magnussen, or only deal with series 4 and Eurus without any mention of Moriarty. But it’s impossible to make a list of non-Moriarty fics because there are going to be literally hundreds if not thousands.

[swissmissficrecs]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Word count: 133,693 Chapters: 39/39 Fandom: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor, Victor Trevor & John Watson, Victor Trevor/John Watson Characters: John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Victor Trevor Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Nightmares, Deep Purple (Sex Club), Car Sex, Dubious Consent, Threesome - M/M/M, Angst, Grimm's Fairy Tales - Freeform, Past and Present, written before the S4 desaster, Angst with a Happy Ending, Depiction of Violence, depiction of drug use Series: Part 2 of Gravity (English version) Summary:

Sequel to RAW. John is struggling with his loss. Plagued by nightmares, his life gone topsy-turvy, he is no longer able to lead a normal existence. As he seeks out some stability, some way to slowly pull himself up out of the morass of his grief, old rivals become friends and details about Sherlock's past come to light, leading John to discover something strange that won't let him go.

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Rec: Are you kidding? I never recced the first part of this? I can’t imagine what I was thinking, unless I was hesitant because I am the translator. (The fic was originally published in German.) But guys! This is spectacular! I would not have spent a year and a half working on the translation of this nearly 300K series if it weren’t.

It’s a massive, canon-divergent series set after series 1 but ignoring everything else for the most part, although there are lots of Easter eggs along the way that riff off of canon events and moments. Part 1 ends on its own version of Reichenbach, and part 2 picks up directly from there as we see how John -- and Victor Trevor -- deal with Sherlock’s “death”, and eventual return. Victor is a major character in both parts, as the story is told in a dual timeline of the present versus the story of how Victor and Sherlock met at university. This means that the story covers basically all of Sherlock’s adult life, and there are consequently lots of pairings, both as noted in the tags and others. I know that might make this an iffy prospect for some, but I promise there is nothing gratuitous or contrived and everything is, at the heart, grounded in and leading up to Johnlock.

Aside from the central Johnlock focus, there is a truly brilliantly done case built up throughout, with great original characters, lots of action, puzzles to solve, along with just plain fun.

[swissmissficrecs]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Word count: 72,684 Chapters: 18/18 Fandom: Sherlock (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Greg Lestrade, Henry Knight, Major Barrymore, Doctor Stapleton Additional Tags: Post-Episode: s02e02 The Hounds of Baskerville, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD, Whump, Sickfic, Injury, Guilt, John Watson Whump, Protective Sherlock, Big Brother Mycroft, Protective Greg, Minor Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Guilty Sherlock, Medical Jargon, Virus, Suspense, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, John is a Bit Not Good, Implied Mystrade, Angst with a Happy Ending, Late Night Conversations, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Johnlock Roulette, Garridebs moment Summary:

They stood face to face in the middle of a clearing. The dim light of the moon barely allowed Sherlock to see the glassy terror in John’s eyes and the sweat that glistened off his forehead. His nose was bleeding again, blood dripping in a slow stream from his right nostril. They were both gasping for air, John’s eyes locked on Sherlock’s. There was no recognition there, just wild animal fear. Time stood still for an eternal few seconds, and Sherlock took a shaky breath. “John—”  Spell broken, John spun and bolted back into the woods.Still heaving for air, Sherlock took off after him.

Little did Sherlock know that the vapor to which he exposed John was a bioweapon— containing a bioengineered hybrid virus. Now, John is fighting for his life in the early stages of encephalitis, and it’s down to Sherlock and a team of scientists to save him, if they can only find him first. Sherlock needs to keep fear and guilt from getting the better of him if he’s to salvage his relationship with John—and that’s assuming the love of his life even survives….

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Rec: This is a sickfic alternate ending to THOB in which John contracts a scary virus at Baskerville. What ensues is an intensely angsty race against the clock to save his life, followed by even more angst in the fraught recovery period as John pieces together what happened. It’s a terrific (and at times terrifying) drop into the depths of John’s and Sherlock’s deepest fears, both regarding each other and their own personal demons. I especially liked seeing the parallels between the two men’s behavior, despite their very different mental states: for both of them, their paramount priority was to make sure the other one was safe, even if that meant doing quite irrational and even dangerous things. An exciting, fast-paced story with lots of juicy medical realism, tough love, men being idiots (in love), and good friends going the extra mile.

As an extra added bonus, this fic can be purchased in book form for a limited time.

[mormorisstayingalive]

#39 – After the Pool 15/01/17

“What the hell was that?” Seb sat in the darkness, with the car running. Jim sat to the left of his favourite sniper in the passenger seat. The brick building was illuminated by headlights, glaring back in his eyes.

“It’s a fault,” Jim said, shrugging. “You’re wasting petroleum.”

“No, we’re not going home until you tell me what that was about. What would you’ve done without that call? You were stupid, sir, extremely stupid,” Sebastian said, gripping the steering wheel.

“You’re upset.” Jim blinked, unaccustomed to this. Seb didn’t get upset, over anything.

“Of course I am! You risked your life for nothing.” The car was then turned off, promising that Jim wouldn’t get home anytime soon.

“It wasn’t nothing. It was for the game.”

“No.” Seb looked over, furious. “No, your ‘game’ is stupid, non-existent and suicidal.”

“Oh, you don’t even know,” Jim murmured. In a louder voice, he commanded Seb to start the car.

This was more than going back to Sherlock with a claim of being changeable. This was a death match, to end the painful drag of life.

[swissmissficrecs]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Word count: 12,815

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Sherlock (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mrs. Hudson, Lestrade (Inspector) Summary: A series of events that show John just how real he has become to Sherlock – like a bright, brilliant flash of colour in an otherwise greyscale world.

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Rec: A series of scenes showing the gradual tilt from friends to more. With lots of juicy hurt/comfort.

[swissmissficrecs]

Word count: 33,870 Chapters: 11/11 Fandom: Sherlock (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary:

After the events of The Great Game, Sherlock is on the hunt for revenge as John waits for Sherlock to join him. But deception abounds as both men struggle to come to terms with the paths their lives have taken.

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Rec: The set-up: After the explosion at the pool, John knows that Sherlock survived, but Sherlock believes that John is dead. Mycroft keeps them apart so that Sherlock is not 'distracted' while he goes after Moriarty and his network. The story flips back and forth between the 'present' and flashbacks to Sherlock and John's early months together as they became lovers, managing to perfectly balance the angst and fluff and play them off each other.