RECS: April 22, 2012
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beth_hIf the following stories aren't enough, go check out the first week's art and fic on the Harry Potter HP_Beholder community, for romantic and/or erotic works featuring those characters who are often overlooked because they're considered too old or too unattractive or otherwise not "relationship material." To see the week one links list, click here
Lewis
emungere (emungere on DW/LJ): "The Steep and Thorny Way" (Hathaway, Lewis. "Just a snippet, set right after the pilot episode." As the author notes, this is quite short, but it's fully as rich with meaning and emotional resonance as it could possibly be if it were twenty times the length. James' thoughts feel spot on, and Lewis' reactions are equally perfect.)
Sherlock Holmes
Atlin Merrick (atlinmerrick on LJ & tumblr): "All That Glitters" (BBC. Sherlock/John. "So. John and Sherlock. Sherlock and John. Getting together. Romantically. How'd it all start, anyway? Well, essentially it was Gary Glitter's fault, and you can take that to the bank." Sherlock has no idea he's interested in John until something happens one day that makes certain he can't think of anything but his interest in John. Coincidentally - or perhaps not - the same could be said for John Watson. Funny, with just a smidgeon of angst and a whole lot of hotness. Plus, the Skull is a pretty decent conversationalist!)
Cleo2010 (cleo_2010 on LJ): "Correspondense" (BBC. John/Sherlock. "Sherlock's been spirited away on a case for Mycroft. Part of the deal was that he and John could communicate via letter until the case was completed. Maybe the cliche is true, absence does make the heart grow fonder. Or perhaps something is growing on the feet in the fridge. " Set after series one. Sometimes sweet, sometimes, funny, and nicely in character except...no, even when Sherlock's notes are out of character, they're really in character. *g*)
Jupiter_Ash (jupiter_ash on LJ): "A Study in Winning" (BBC. John/Sherlock. "John and Sherlock are professional tennis players and it’s Wimbledon. One is a broken almost was at the end of his career, the other an arrogant rising star tipped for greatness. It should have been a straightforward tournament. It really should have been. How were they to know that a chance encounter would change everything?" This sort of AU - which takes known characters entirely out of their usual milieu - can sometimes stray so far from the canon setting that even the characters are no longer recognizable, but that's absolutely not the case with this story. This John and this Sherlock - and most of the ancillary characters besides - are perfectly themselves. As for the tennis: while I don't know how the match commentary would read to somebody with no knowledge of the game at all, for anybody who ever spent hours glued to a television broadcast of a great Grand Slam event, the games we see in this story are not only believable, but some are actually thrilling. This story is complete, but as I write this rec, there are in-progress follow ups in what is now the Tennis series)
Melandria (rhapsodious on LJ): "Negative to Positive" (BBC. Sherlock/John. "Tis the season and Sherlock has decided that he must show John what he means to him. The problem is that he doesn't understand what that is, least of all how to show it. He is so out of his depth that he decides to enlist Mycroft's help: cue mischievous brotherly teasing, poor John being ridiculously confused, tinsel on Sherlock's violin, a shopping trip to Harrod's, and copious amounts of Christmas fluff." Sweet and nicely written, although really, this is a self-indulgent rec, for the story contains not only one of my perennial favorite fic tropes, i.e., an exchange of gifts, but also the far more rare 'quality time' between Mycroft and Sherlock.)
Mirith Griffin (mirith on LJ): "Control, Alt, Delete" (BBC. Sherlock/John. "If you could delete everything except what was really important, would you? Sherlock and John explore the question and each other." Smart, funny, sexy, bantery, clever, original...all good stuff. I will say this, though: Potentially spoilery content information: halfway through the story, when I was loving it, John had a reaction to something Sherlock had done before they met that I thought was over the top and, honestly, a little ridiculous. I'll admit my pleasure in the story faded a bit, but I forced myself to get over it, and thank goodness, because I was rewarded wildly for keeping with the story. So...there you go. *g*)
tweedisgood (tweedisgood on LJ): "To a Doctor's Wife" (ACD. Married!Watson, Asexual!Holmes. "Watson writes a letter, because people talk." This story - along with its sequel "Frail Memorial" - is wonderful, perfectly voiced, and so very sad...in the very best of ways. Potentially spoilery content information: major character death, i.e., Holmes; this isn't the point of 'To a Doctor's Wife' or 'Frail Memorial,' but it is foregrounded in both stories)
verityburns (verityburns on LJ): "The Green Blade" (BBC. John&Sherlock. "As a serial killer hits the headlines, the police are out of their depth and the next victim is out of time. With faith in Sherlock Holmes at an all time low, this is a case which will push loyalties to the limit." Set after season one. A really clever and intriguing case fic with an almost perfect dynamic between Sherlock and John. By the way, this John is smart and perceptive and able - within his own areas of expertise - to deduce things just fine, thank you, and all without becoming some unrecognizable Sherlock Jr. Good OC's, too.)
White Collar
China (china_shop on LJ): "Bowl Me Over (AKA The Bowling Fic)" (Neal/Clinton. "In which Clinton is experienced, and Neal is not." You know how people often leave comments on stories that begin with the words "This isn't my pairing, but..." and how incredibly annoying that is, especially for the author? *g* Well...this isn't my pairing, but for this story, it works. I particularly like how really well thought out this all is, given how very different these two men are and how 'little' things like fraternization rules would have to taken into consideration if Clinton and Neal tried to make a start at a relationship. Smart and really well done.)
Lewis
emungere (emungere on DW/LJ): "The Steep and Thorny Way" (Hathaway, Lewis. "Just a snippet, set right after the pilot episode." As the author notes, this is quite short, but it's fully as rich with meaning and emotional resonance as it could possibly be if it were twenty times the length. James' thoughts feel spot on, and Lewis' reactions are equally perfect.)
Sherlock Holmes
Atlin Merrick (atlinmerrick on LJ & tumblr): "All That Glitters" (BBC. Sherlock/John. "So. John and Sherlock. Sherlock and John. Getting together. Romantically. How'd it all start, anyway? Well, essentially it was Gary Glitter's fault, and you can take that to the bank." Sherlock has no idea he's interested in John until something happens one day that makes certain he can't think of anything but his interest in John. Coincidentally - or perhaps not - the same could be said for John Watson. Funny, with just a smidgeon of angst and a whole lot of hotness. Plus, the Skull is a pretty decent conversationalist!)
Cleo2010 (cleo_2010 on LJ): "Correspondense" (BBC. John/Sherlock. "Sherlock's been spirited away on a case for Mycroft. Part of the deal was that he and John could communicate via letter until the case was completed. Maybe the cliche is true, absence does make the heart grow fonder. Or perhaps something is growing on the feet in the fridge. " Set after series one. Sometimes sweet, sometimes, funny, and nicely in character except...no, even when Sherlock's notes are out of character, they're really in character. *g*)
Jupiter_Ash (jupiter_ash on LJ): "A Study in Winning" (BBC. John/Sherlock. "John and Sherlock are professional tennis players and it’s Wimbledon. One is a broken almost was at the end of his career, the other an arrogant rising star tipped for greatness. It should have been a straightforward tournament. It really should have been. How were they to know that a chance encounter would change everything?" This sort of AU - which takes known characters entirely out of their usual milieu - can sometimes stray so far from the canon setting that even the characters are no longer recognizable, but that's absolutely not the case with this story. This John and this Sherlock - and most of the ancillary characters besides - are perfectly themselves. As for the tennis: while I don't know how the match commentary would read to somebody with no knowledge of the game at all, for anybody who ever spent hours glued to a television broadcast of a great Grand Slam event, the games we see in this story are not only believable, but some are actually thrilling. This story is complete, but as I write this rec, there are in-progress follow ups in what is now the Tennis series)
Melandria (rhapsodious on LJ): "Negative to Positive" (BBC. Sherlock/John. "Tis the season and Sherlock has decided that he must show John what he means to him. The problem is that he doesn't understand what that is, least of all how to show it. He is so out of his depth that he decides to enlist Mycroft's help: cue mischievous brotherly teasing, poor John being ridiculously confused, tinsel on Sherlock's violin, a shopping trip to Harrod's, and copious amounts of Christmas fluff." Sweet and nicely written, although really, this is a self-indulgent rec, for the story contains not only one of my perennial favorite fic tropes, i.e., an exchange of gifts, but also the far more rare 'quality time' between Mycroft and Sherlock.)
Mirith Griffin (mirith on LJ): "Control, Alt, Delete" (BBC. Sherlock/John. "If you could delete everything except what was really important, would you? Sherlock and John explore the question and each other." Smart, funny, sexy, bantery, clever, original...all good stuff. I will say this, though: Potentially spoilery content information: halfway through the story, when I was loving it, John had a reaction to something Sherlock had done before they met that I thought was over the top and, honestly, a little ridiculous. I'll admit my pleasure in the story faded a bit, but I forced myself to get over it, and thank goodness, because I was rewarded wildly for keeping with the story. So...there you go. *g*)
tweedisgood (tweedisgood on LJ): "To a Doctor's Wife" (ACD. Married!Watson, Asexual!Holmes. "Watson writes a letter, because people talk." This story - along with its sequel "Frail Memorial" - is wonderful, perfectly voiced, and so very sad...in the very best of ways. Potentially spoilery content information: major character death, i.e., Holmes; this isn't the point of 'To a Doctor's Wife' or 'Frail Memorial,' but it is foregrounded in both stories)
verityburns (verityburns on LJ): "The Green Blade" (BBC. John&Sherlock. "As a serial killer hits the headlines, the police are out of their depth and the next victim is out of time. With faith in Sherlock Holmes at an all time low, this is a case which will push loyalties to the limit." Set after season one. A really clever and intriguing case fic with an almost perfect dynamic between Sherlock and John. By the way, this John is smart and perceptive and able - within his own areas of expertise - to deduce things just fine, thank you, and all without becoming some unrecognizable Sherlock Jr. Good OC's, too.)
White Collar
China (china_shop on LJ): "Bowl Me Over (AKA The Bowling Fic)" (Neal/Clinton. "In which Clinton is experienced, and Neal is not." You know how people often leave comments on stories that begin with the words "This isn't my pairing, but..." and how incredibly annoying that is, especially for the author? *g* Well...this isn't my pairing, but for this story, it works. I particularly like how really well thought out this all is, given how very different these two men are and how 'little' things like fraternization rules would have to taken into consideration if Clinton and Neal tried to make a start at a relationship. Smart and really well done.)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-21 09:01 pm (UTC)And . . . the mystery continues. I had only seen two of these even mentioned, and passed over them both because the summaries seemed to fluffy for my tastes. But since you recommend them, I'll try them, so yay, seven new stories for me!
And the batch I am going to post recs for next (when I get some free time, heh) has NO overlap with this at all. It is just ongoing bemusement for me that we seem to read such different lists. But good, eh? Because then we find new recs on each other's pages.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-21 09:12 pm (UTC)(which two had you seen mentioned before? Had you really never even heard of the other two?)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-21 10:48 pm (UTC)If I cared, I'd figure out why our reading is so divergent, but I'd rather not, because then your recs are often a nice surprise.
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