My list of all-time Fanfic favourites! (W.I.P.)
These are mostly pre-season 2 must-reads. For my list of post-season 2 fic-recs, head over to my Tumblr, where I rec one Sherlock-fic a day, post memorable fanfic quotes, and have a Sherlock whump rec-list .
Stars indicate my absolute favourites, which I go back to repeatedly...
ADVENTURE
***26 Pieces by lanning
Mycroft gives Sherlock the apparently simple task of solving a puzzle box containing a stolen microchip. It isn't simple.
(One on my most favourite stories in the fandom. I wish the author hadn't written one and stopped. One of the few slash fics that's not AU and completely in character at the same time. A real treat!)
The Burning Game by Lamiel
Two years after the Great Game, Moriarty is back and Sherlock couldn't be happier. John could.
the sensation of falling as you just hit sleep by greywash
Love is a much more vicious motivator.
FRIENDSHIP FICS
*** It's Complicated by Mistress Scribbles
A case leads Sherlock & John to a Holmes family friend's mansion, and to an event in Sherlock's past that he would rather not revisit. S/J friendship/tentative romance; past S/Victor Trevor. Adult situations & language, refs to underage sex & suicide.
Partners in Crime by Richefic
John Watson receives some devastating news which puts a spanner in his medical ambitions. Will Sherlock prove capable of the kind of comfort and reassurance he needs or will their partnership be ended before its even begun? Set between 1.1 and 1.2.
Risotto by Richefic
The first time that John cooks dinner for Sherlock is almost the last. Fortunately, Sherlock is really quite observant. Inspired by John's reference in "The Great Game" to there being some leftover risotto in the fridge.
Explosions, Literal and Otherwise by starjenni
Sherlock does not react well to idea that John might be dead.
HUMOUR
Unhealthy Competition f/b Going Down with this Ship by warriorbot
the prompt is when Sherlock or John are on the web they stumble on to a site like shkinkmeme. Do they take offence, is Sherlock able to dedue who the fans are from the prompts or do they try out a few of them themselves.
Pavlov's remote by lillyankh
Prompt: remote-controlled plug up sherlock's bum. at a crime scene. john's got the remote. After a while, I bet lestrade would figure it out. gimme that mortifying talk.
In Which John is a BAMFy MoFo, OMG! by kantayra
John's BAMFness and Sherlock's damsel-in-distress act are caught forever on camera. So Scotland Yard can mock. A lot.
John Watson Has His Limits by aslipperyslothSherlock has a rape fantasy in which he is the aggressor. He hesitantly brings it up with John who agrees to go along with it, despite it not really being his thing. Bonus points for John screwing up the first few times they try to play it out. I.E. giggling, overacting, or even correcting the way Sherlock is restraining him.
Another man by trillsabells
John has a secret. Sherlock is worried.
ROMANCE
The Progress of Sherlock Holmes by ivyblossom
Sherlock is head over heels for John, but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. First-person present-tense series of short scenes from Sherlock's point of view, borrowing heavily from Arthur Conan Doyle's stories.
The Road Less Traveled by verityburns
Sherlock realises that John's dating habits involve an unacceptable level of risk... what if he meets an unusually tolerant woman and ends up getting married?
Once More, With Feeling by redcarrigan
To put off his meddlesome, matchmaking mother, John convinces Sherlock to play the role of his significant other. Unparalleled awkwardness ensues.
The Heart In The Whole by verityburns
Events after 'The Great Game' leave Sherlock dependent on his best friend and colleague. But John has a secret of his own...
A Silver Sixpence by doodle
John, we need to get married.
Rolling in the deep by sirona_gs
Sherlock decides it's really the best idea ever to trail a suspect to Manchester's Canal Street and straight into a bar. And of course, once there, covers must be upheld.
A Study in Sexuality by jupiter_ash
What if John is straight, totally straight, so straight that he’d never even consider another man? What would happen if he found himself falling for Sherlock?
Waking You Up by brbsoulnomming
John dies and Sherlock blames himself, so much so that the guilt begins to affect his life. However he keeps getting dreams of John talking to him and assuring he's not dead.
For the Shopping List You Always Lose by stardust_made
As their first Christmas as flatmates approaches Sherlock and John are trying to make sense of their expectations of it, and of each other.
CHARACTER STUDIES
The Perils of Urban Warfare by phantomjam
The problems of acclimatising to civilian life a.k.a the travails of John, his therapist and Sherlock.
Drowning by dayja
Sherlock has never learned to swim.
Hope for Heroes by Richefic
In the final moments of "The Great Game" Holmes hopes he will have the chance to tell his flatmate that he was wrong. Heroes do exist after all and the one in front of him is called Dr John Watson.
The Whore of Babylon Was a Perfectly Nice Girl by out_there
Sherlock walks into a room and takes all the space right out of it. He does the same inside John's head.
EPICS (Mostly AU)
not necessarily in length
A) Independent verses
*** Needing is One Thing (Getting is Another) followed by The Infiltrate Series by mirrorskippy and ladyflowdi
This is a moment Sherlock will look back to time and again as the future stalks forward; an instance he will use to justify his actions, the decisions he will make. He'd known Moriarty was working solely for his attention, even John had recognized as much during the first assault. But Sherlock has been a fool, a dangerous, incompetent fool, because this is so far beyond all that. It always has been.
**The Paradox Series by wordstrings
Being with Sherlock is a series of shocks, but John is game for it anyhow.
Two Two One Bravo Baker by abundantlyqueer
A novel-length, pornographic case-fiction set seven months before and three and a half thousand miles east of A Study in Pink. Captain John Watson of 40 Commando, the Royal Marines, is assigned to protect and assist Sherlock Holmes as he investigates what appears to be a simple war atrocity in Afghanistan. An intense attraction ignites between the two men as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens everything they’ve ever known, but Sherlock’s as much hunted as hunter, and everyone close to him is in deadly danger. Can he solve the case in time to save himself and John?
Performance In a Leading Role by mad_lori
Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world?
The Prize by trillsabells
On 29 January 2010 an unknown Event wiped out 98% of the population. This is the story of the survivors, four months on.
The Blog of Eugenia Watson by mad_lori
I like to think of this not so much as a blog but as the first draft of my inevitably best-selling memoirs. My Life In an Unconventional Family. How unconventional? Well, I live with my divorced parents and my dad's husband. How's that for starters? Trust me, it gets weirder.
My name is Eugenia Watson, but you can call me Genie. I'm sixteen. This is my life.
*** The Sofie Series by morganstuart
In this series, John Watson and Sherlock Holmes are both recovering from serious injuries sustained in the explosion at the pool after "The Great Game." Jim Moriarty continues to lurk in the shadows and dog the steps of everyone close to Sherlock.
These stories feature canonical characters and introduce original character Sofie Lestrade, the young daughter of widower Detective Inspector Lestrade, who lives in London with her maternal grandmother but sees her father whenever his work permits.
Winter's Child verse by canonisrelative and impishtubist
Sherlock and John grow closer in the years after the series, and eventually start a family.
Long Ago (And Far Away) verse by lotherington
WWII AU in which John is an army doctor and Sherlock is a codebreaker at Bletchley Park. Instalments are below in reading order.
***Ingenium Series by thisprettywren
(my description) A dark hiatus fic which is season 1 compliant. Warning for Stockholm Syndrome.
A Study in Winning by jupiter_ash
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?
Sustain (or Concerto for the Famished in D Minor) and Sustain II - Refrain by maybe_amanda
"So now you're behaving like a six year old 'cause he didn't take you along on his honeymoon?" Lestrade said. "Grow the hell up."(The definitive Sherlock-Molly story in my opinion).
The Ship of Dreams by mia6363
AU Titanic Fusion. Sherlock still wants to keep bees, John is still a doctor, and they both happen to be on the Titanic.
B) Kidfic
- Where either Sherlock or John or both are kids
Another Life to Live by medorikoi
It was almost as if he had died, to look into the eyes of a three year old Sherlock and know that they no longer shared a past, that the memories lived on only in himself. But what if this time could be better? What if this time he could protect him? A Sherlock Holmes who grew up safe and loved? A John Watson who never heard the snap-click of a beer can?
***Family by Eva
Prompt: "Mycroft has a sulky little brat named Sherlock, Lestrade has a BAMF little soldier named John. Their kids are fast friends, so Mycroft and Lestrade end up becoming friends too...and then things start getting serious."
Family Affairs by s0mmerspr0ssen
When John's family is involved in a car accident, only nine-year-old John survives with bad damage to his shoulder. With no relatives left to raise him, John ends up in a children's home and quickly loses any hope that he will ever be considered for adoption. That is, until the Holmes family announces their interest in adopting a brother for their brilliant but troublesome son Sherlock.
***Nanny John Verse / Ain't Seen the Sunshine by emungere
"I have two sons," she said. "Ages five and twelve. They're very bright, and I don't say that as a doting mother. I say that as someone who's seen their IQ scores and discovered that the elder was writing essays for a number of university students at fifty pounds a paper."
- Where either Sherlock or John or both have kids
Infiltrate Interludes by mirrorskippy and ladyflowdi
The reason John and Sherlock have four children is because they didn't want five.
The Blog of Eugenia Watson by mad_lori
I like to think of this not so much as a blog but as the first draft of my inevitably best-selling memoirs. My Life In an Unconventional Family. How unconventional? Well, I live with my divorced parents and my dad's husband. How's that for starters? Trust me, it gets weirder.
My name is Eugenia Watson, but you can call me Genie. I'm sixteen. This is my life.
Paved with love by KeelieThompson1
Five year old Ava Watson's life is changed forever when her Daddy's old friend comes calling. Set five years after Reichenbach under the premise that Sherlock disappears for a bit longer than in ACD canon.
Getting Better by nox_candida
Tristram Holmes dreads attending his new primary school, fearing he'll be teased and bullied as usual. Only, nothing goes exactly as he thinks it will when he finds himself with a seemingly unlikely friend in Emily Watson.
Father Trap by trillsabells
OP- Parent Trap AU. (plot paraphrased for those you haven't seen the Parent Trap)
so Sherlock and John were married, adopted two beautiful twin girls and then everything went tragically awry and they separated. Years later, the girls meet at a summer camp (I can't escape the idea of band camp and feel so horrible for the thought) but the girls piece together what happened and switched places for their trip home, hijinks ensue.
Hamish Watson-Holmes Series by ununpentiumHamish Malcolm Watson-Holmes is the son of Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson.
C) Teen AU
*** Incantations and Deductions by hbomb90 (w.i.p.)
Unlikely friendships, unusual deaths, Sherlock with a wand and John with a broom, what is not to like?
(My most favourite Harry Potter crossover)
Common Grounds by couchbarnacle
John Watson is working at Holmes Manor for the summer and is caught up in the whirlwind that is Sherlock Holmes. Teen AU. Eventual M/M (quite OOC but I liked it)
The dangerous book for boys by orange_crushed
There is already someone sitting at the opposite end of the table, but there are books and slides and petri dishes spread out across the length of it, in all directions. There is an unlaced man's shoe sitting on the edge. There does not appear to be a foot attached to it.
sins of our fathers Series by Vera_DragonMuse
A spark was all it took to change John's path, throwing him in Sherlock's way twenty-five years early.
The Poem by Mariposa en Arrullo
High School! AU. John is horrified when his project partner turns out to be the insane Sherlock Holmes. SLASH- warning for some language and teen smut! M to be safe
The New Kid by sirona_gs
Eighteen year old student John Watson finds himself entranced with an arrogant, aloof new student named Sherlock Holmes.
Game Theory and it's sequel Zero Sum Games by cyerus
John is the teacher. Sherlock is the student. So why is John the one being shagged to within an inch of his life?
Academic Eros by deuxexmycroft
It's John's last year doing theory at university before he starts training in a hospital. But to get there, he first has to pass the infamous Dr Sherlock Holmes' Biochemistry paper
D) Slave AU
*** My Master's House universe (w.i.p.) by brighteyed_jill
As a new slave in the Holmes household, John is having trouble finding his place.
John started out as a free man, and he’s not having an easy time coming around to being a proper slave. On the other hand, Sherlock’s not exactly a model master, so perhaps the two of them will find a way to coexist.
***Slave Me by skadi_zlata
In the gambling dens of a vaguely AU London, John Watson has won and lost fortunes in a night. One evening he winds up playing with entirely the wrong crowd, the kind of people that make him feel he’ll be lucky to get out of there with his life - let alone anything else. But the announced prize is somewhat unexpected. It’s an abused slave with dark curly hair and mesmerizing blue-grey eyes.
Collared by velvet_mace
OP: Slave!AU Where as John was sold into slavery during/after the war and is bought by Sherlock.
Restitution by author anon on the kinkmeme
OP- We've had Slave!John. Now I want Slave!Sherlock.John returns from Afghanistan and gets punished rewarded with a slave. Sherlock. Bonus if Sherlock is still Sherlock and that is why he keeps getting sold.
E) Magical/Supernatural AU (Includes werewolf and vampire AU)
Fallen and it's sequel Invisible Bonds (w.i.p.) by mamishka
In a world where myth, mystery, and the supernatural flourish beneath the veneer of modern civilization, Sherlock is a master of magic as well as science and deduction. But there are some things that he cannot see, riddles he cannot unravel, even when they walk right beside him in the form of one John Watson…
Embers Series by what_alchemy
Regular people, normal people, people like good, warm, tea-making, hair-stroking John, they have visible pulses, pulses that slow and quicken, pulses tied to their emotions and their brains and their life forces. Pulses attached to whatever animates them.
Sherlock has no such time-keeping.
Touchstone by shefa
On John Watson’s sixth birthday, his mum gave him a flat wooden box to hold his wish stones.
Faerie-Touched by blind_author
AU. In a world of sorcerers and magic, Sherlock is a Faerie-born and John, lacking any kind of magical talent, often seems a bit out of place. But he has a gift all his own...
*** Man and Beast by jupiter_ash
Sherlock is a werewolf who is captured by a facility which wants to experiment on him. When John is placed into his cage they expect Sherlock to attack him, but instead, he tries to mate with John.
Above, Below (Through the Cracks) by doodle
London is a city with two faces. There is Above and there is Below. And Below is the city of people who have fallen through the cracks, the lost, the forgotten and the broken.
John Watson returns to London from the war, broken and lost until fate leads him to a man who calls himself the consulting detective and the mercenaries who are hunting him. As the result of a single act of kindness John finds himself pulled in the strange, and wonderful, world of Below as the consulting detective attempts to get to safety and solve the string of violent deaths plaguing Below before he is next.
***Mate and it's sequel Thrall by velvet_mace
Mycroft is a 300 year old vampire with his life and ambitions pretty much order: First set his errant brother straight, next take over the world. But to do the former seems impossible, while the latter requires that he find a mate -- a rare human whose blood is capable of helping him create vampires. Both his answers come in the shape of one man: Detective Inspector Gregory Lestrade. The problem? Mates can't be forced and Lestrade has no interest in becoming Mycroft's.
Sherlock is sober, but his life is still spiraling down hill. Despite this, he has resisted the notion of ever getting a mate. The very idea of having a human balancing his life is abhorrent. As Mycroft, a case, and a new flatmate all vie for his attention, he misses the most important clue of his life: that his mate has found him.
A Priori 'Verse by rubberbutton
In which vampires have enslaved humans and control, well, everything. Vampire!Mycroft insists his little brother get a slave -- even though it didn't work out with the dog -- and Sherlock chooses the one guaranteed to irritate his brother the most: an unassuming little doctor with an ugly past and absolutely no style to speak of.
The Swan Triad by pennin_ink
Till Now I Never Knew: A prompt fill fusing Sherlock with The Swan Princess. Sherlock and John grow up together, gradually falling in love in spite of themselves.
Interlude: John and Sherlock correspond during John's two-year tour of duty and find the strength to admit how they feel.
Find a Way to You: Sherlock struggles to free himself from Moriarty's prison as John devotes every waking moment to finding the man he loves.
F) Prison AU
Dehumanise Me by deuxexmycroft
John is sent down for life after accidentally murdering someone, and gets snatched up to play prison wife for a strange man named Sherlock Holmes.
Warnings: noncon/dubcon turning into consensual relationship, abuse, violence, D/s elements
Swallow The Key by crocodile_eat_u
Sherlock will incredibly, almost certainly, quite literally drive John Watson mad one day. John just doesn't know when. But when they both have to go undercover in a prison, of all places, he revises that thought and thinks maybe, just maybe, he's already quite possibly insane.
Serving Time by yalublyutebya
John is arrested and serves time for shooting the cabbie.
G) Omegaverse AU
Rarest of the Rare and it's sequel Light and Shadows (w.i.p. follow the same thread) by Anon author on the kinkmeme.
OP- A universe that’s D/s AND Alpha/Omega. Any pairing. (I love well-characterised Mystrade. This story is fabulous as the characterisation has been done fabulously. The added dollop of delicious porn doesn’t hurt.)
If you can't stand the heat by velvet_mace
OP- John has always kept kiddding that he was an Omega, so that he could do everything he wanted to do without predjudice. He stopped going into heat using pills. However, for some reason, his pills don't work, and he goes into heat when he and Sherlock are living together. Sherlock breeds him for the whole heat, and confessess to John how he feels about him.