In which John moves back in with Sherlock after Mary dies, bringing his son Hamish and a thousand echoes of the past into the rooms of 221B. This is gorgeously, perfectly rendered. Sparse and considered in all the best ways.

In which there is a temperamental swan and a modestly sized duck. Sigh. I finally gave in and read this, and lo, it was just as adorable as everyone's always said it is.

In which John gets amnesia and mistakenly thinks he and Sherlock were together before he lost his memories, and Sherlock can't bear to correct him. So sorry it's taken me so long to read this, I should have known better, I LOVE dramatic irony, why did I deny myself this?? Ugh, so good.

In which Sherlock is a fashion photographer and John is a model, and you know, somehow, it works. Delightfully zany and even more delightfully in-character.

In which Sherlock's Mind Palace has always had a throne room, though who sits on the throne changes over the years. This was exquisitely realized and wholly amazing.

In which Sherlock was born cold, except of course she wasn't. Ooooh, I liked this one even better.

In which John sees people's red strings, and surprisingly, it only makes him turn out stranger. Not surprisingly at all, his string is attached to Sherlock.

In which there is a PWP where the clothes come on, not off. SUIT-LIKE CLOTHES. MILITARY DRESS-LIKE CLOTHES. Sherlock, you are a man after my own kink set. Although honestly, some of Sherlock's voice here sounded a little off for me, but did I mention the suit porn? And the ending was perfect. And also the suit porn. That was actual porn. I apologize, but this is monopolizing a great deal of my mental capacity at the moment, I'm sure you understand.

In which they live in a world where people produce gemstones as manifestations of their wishes and desires. This was very cool, an extremely neat and clever magical realism character exploration. I was thrown a bit by the epic climax. It was all a little bit Sailor Moon for me, quite the Silver Crystal-producing moment, if you catch my implication...? But I've been conditioned to be delighted by stuff like that, so it ultimately worked for me. Others might find it a bit cloying.

In which John doesn't exactly move on with his life, but he doesn't exactly stop moving either. Sequel to The Perils of Urban Warfare, but S2 compliant (mostly--here, they were together romantically during it). This was hard, full of thoughts on mourning and the long, slow effort of living through it. I was unsatisfied with where the fic ended, but I can't imagine any other way it could or should have ended. It's a fic about how unsatisfying loss of this magnitude is. It fits.

This vid is actually unfair. I started out loling because of the song choice and a questionable use of the ~so heterosexual~ spin from TBB, but around the halfway point I was sucked in and suddenly violently choking up. By the end, I was completely gone. On my tombstone, I want it to read "strangled by Sherlock feels," and I want this vid brought up on charges of involuntary manslaughter. Fuck this fandom, seriously. The hiatus turned us all into sentimental sadomasochists.

In which Molly keeps Sherlock's secrets, and his counsel. Ahhh, Molly, my stars. This was lovely.

In which it is John who is dead for three years, and Sherlock who stutters through his grief into some semblance of moving on. Pre-S2 canon, post a non-canon Reichenbach. This was frenetically gorgeous, a captivating portrait of Sherlock in the disarray of mourning. I could have taken or left the photography hobby, but in the end, I loved where the story went with it, what it meant in Sherlock's psyche.

In which Sherlock asks for advice in composing a love letter. I am 100% positive I've already read this fic, and yet I do not appear to have saved it? POOR JOB, PAST ME. This is very, very cute.

In which John and Sherlock are blood bonded, which means something very specific in this universe, something incredibly complex and fascinating. Written pre-S2, but post a non-canon Reichenbach. When I say this fic is complex and fascinating, I really, really mean it. As usual, Luchia writes enchanting fantasy AUs that are somehow chilling and wryly funny and completely in character all at the same time. My one big criticism is that it ends on an aprupt note. It's warned for, but I don't think I was really prepared for how hard my heart would be left screaming for a continuation.

In which John barely makes it out of the pool alive, but it is Sherlock who does not make it out of the pool unchanged. Pre-S2 canon. I wanted to like this more than I did, for connected reasons. The first is that the arc of the fic was metaphoric in a really unsubtle way that I found I couldn't appreciate. And second, Sherlock suffering under that metaphor was not quite brilliant enough for me to feel like he was believably characterized. By that, I think I mean he felt normal things, and dealt with them normally (at least from a psychological standpoint), and that was a huge disconnect for me. As a normal human being caught in a similar sort of self-imposed limbo, I was deeply weirded out to have Sherlock living my stupid life, when the reason to love him is that he lives a much more crazy/impossible i.e. brilliant one.

In which Sherlock keeps his own council, and then bees, and eventually John Watson.

In which John works, and waits, and isn't crazy. It's really unfair to have read The Perfect Post-Reichenbach Fic less than a week after the damn episode aired. The catharsis in this fic is a force to be reckoned with. The infinitely careful and yet brutal honesty of it something to cherish.

UGH, no one told me greensilver did a Sherlock vid? Shame on you all.

In which John writes himself notes, and some stick out to Sherlock. Wow, for 444 words, this sure does pack a FEELINGS punch.

In which Sherlock is unfairly distracting, and one day John will figure out how to resist, but it is not this day.

In which John is a BNF author and fandom's darling, while Sherlock is a combative BNF fanartist who can't seem to keep himself off fandom_wank. Together, they fight sockpuppets (also, crime). A complex and utterly delightful love letter to the Sherlock Holmes fandom in all of its many interpretations and reincarnations. Completely wonderful. // YESSSSS, MASTERPOST. Usually I'd just go back and edit my save of the kinkmeme entry, but that's so full of roleplaying accounts and various reader-based ephemera that I actually want to save both of these. This version is probably more readable though. :)

In which John comes home to Sherlock in a dress. This was kind of absurdly perfect for them. There was a moment in the middle where I thought the author might not pull it off, but no, it came off absolutely right. I liked that the crossdressing element was very specifically not a genderplay thing so much as a generalized (if unusual) admission of a desire for intimacy. It's the exposure, more than the posturing, that makes it work for them. That reassured my inner gender studies critic. Anyway, their exchange at the end was impossibly endearing, so I'm prepared to admit a forgiving bias.

In which Sherlock, John, and a very harried real estate agent search the English countryside for the perfect place for an aging detective and his partner to retire. That poor, poor real estate agent. I'm so sorry Carol. (But I'm not sorry at allllll. >:D)

In which caring is awful, but somehow Sherlock has managed to fall into the trap anyway. Oh, this was criminally adorable. Petulant Sherlock, wry John, and then there is that one completely devastating flash of insight, yes, yes, yes, this fic is awesome.

In which they're supposed to be straight, but it turns out they're more for each other than anything else. The slow kindling burn of this fic is unbelievably satisfying. Unbridled affection sparking in small ways until suddenly, finally, there's fire. This fic is amazing femslash. I loved the ways that this Sherlock and Joan intersect and depart from their canon selves.

In which Sherlock has Faerie blood, giving him unusually strong magical abilities, but John has some unusual abilities of his own. Really compelling world-building, as is usual for this author.

In which their relationship advances with three various instances where lying down together and sleeping together are spaced widely apart. The prose here is kind of unaccountably lovely. Poetic, but intent and aggressive and full of pulls in unexpected directions.

In which there is a Christmas farce told entirely in texts from one extremely harried John Watson. THIS. WAS. HILARIOUS. SO FUNNY. BREATHING. HOW DOES IT WORK? I CAN'T. JUST READ. GOGOGO.

In which apparently the Watson appeal runs in the family, and is stronger than we might have previously understood. God, this was hilarious. The power of the ordinary is obviously not to be trifled with!

In which, once he's got the evidence, Sherlock comes to a conclusion very quickly, and its an interminable wait for John to catch him up. Which contains the lines: "It's not that I don't trust your conclusions." John spoke more softly now that the lights were on, and Sherlock debated switching them off again. "I do. Obviously. That's why—" John bit his lip, and Sherlock resisted the impulse to rush over and shake him until he revealed whatever monkey-logic was clouding his judgment.  Feng shui.  Astrology. -Psychoanalysis-. Sherlock suppressed a shudder. // LOLOLOL, I loved Sherlock's voice in this.

In which every journey has an end, and every story has a final page, except sometimes when the Doctor steps in. Final part of the Two Doctors, a Nurse, a Detective and a Scot verse. UGH MY CREYS. I AM SMILING AND MISTING UP AND HEARTBROKEN AND LAUGHING I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MY FEELINGS ARE DOING THIS IS THE DOUBLE RAINBOW OF CROSSOVER FICS WHY IS IT OVERRRR

UNF, THIS GRAPHIC. ANYTHING INVOLVING 7 WAS MY FAVORITE. ALSO THE BANTER LOOP. FLOWCHARTS, MAN. THEY MAKE EVERYTHING AMAZING.

In which John is a BNF author and fandom's darling, while Sherlock is a combative BNF fanartist who can't seem to keep himself off fandom_wank--together, they fight sockpuppets (also, crime). A complex and utterly delightful love letter to the Sherlock Holmes fandom in all of its many interpretations and reincarnations. Completely wonderful.

In which Sherlock is ace, John is flexible, Mary is kinky, and everybody is crazy, but also kind to one another. Not done with this yet, only 10 chapters into Indecorous, but this is the best thing I have ever read. Ever ever ever read. Don't walk, run into this fic's arms, they are warm and sexy (and uproariously funny, and shockingly spot-on IC, but that doesn't exactly fit the metaphor) and you should do yourself the favor of knowing them. / I've read the rest, and stand by my assessment. Best.

In which Jo gets pregnant and tries to hide it from Sherlock. Which contains the lines: "And their eyes always narrow, and they are always thinking, sad woman, tagging after a man she'll never catch. It makes Jo furious. When she sees those eyes narrow, she wishes she was a dyke, or a bloke, or that she was in her desert gear and could cock her rifle and say, "Fucking say it, I dare you, you sodding cocksucker. Say I'm only here for the man. And when I blow your cerebellum out the back of your thick skull the last thing you'll remember is that I'm here because they wouldn't let me do another tour."" I really, really liked this, right up until the end when warning bells screaming "reckless endangerment" started going off in my head, but until that point, this was pretty awesome.

In which John's Christmas gifts to Sherlock speak a lot louder than he may have intended them to, but that works out well for Sherlock.

If you've ever heard this song before, you know this vid is going to be hilariously perfect already, but seriously, seriously, ROFL.

In which Sherlock crashes one too many of John's attempts to pull, and things come to a head.

In which they're both a bit ridiculous and a touch psychologically disturbed, and they will never have sex, but it works, it works, it works. God, those pins. God, this 'verse! All of my love all over this fic. Sequel to Traffic Lights For The Colour Blind.

In which Sherlock keeps an index that is vaguely disgusting and definitely Not Good, but nonetheless helps John make a Very Important Deduction. I was skeptical about the concept of the Index at first, but I grew to love it. Also, the last lines of this were delightful.

In which John and asexual!Sherlock are interrupted on the one day a year they spend on sex to help process a crime scene relating to a serial killer. I don't really understand the underlying bits of this, and I'm a little worried about the idea of a sex marathon being some kind of compromise in an asexual relationship, but fuck it, this fic knows it doesn't make a great deal of sense, and knows that the whole premise is patently ridiculous, and then rises above that knowledge to be completely fucking adorable, so whatever, it made me smile, they love each other a great stupid amount, moving right along. 

In which divine intervention ensures that Sir John of Watson survives the desert to become Sir John of Baker Street. A Tortall AU of serious, serious awesomeness. I wish I could explain, but it's just really fun and surprising and fascinating and lampshading in all the best genre-related ways. I would welcome more in this universe with open arms and shouts of extreme delight.

In which Sherlock is a little uncomfortably interested in the parts of the human body, and John is a little uncomfortably interested in Sherlock. I didn't like this overmuch, but John thinking of Sherlock was some really beautiful prose.

In which the final showdown with Moriarty is appropriately dramatic and epic and horrifying and ridiculous. Sequel to Needing is One Thing, prequel to The Love Song Of Two Idiots, but much closer to Needing in tone, and understandably so. This fic is relentlessly dark, but frequently, if morbidly, hilarious (much to my relief at times) especially the longer it goes on (Sebastian Moran with a grenade launcher, oh my GOD). It's full of unexpectedly serrated edges, particularly in its stubbornly mystifying, undeniably heart-breaking family backstories. It's somehow still about how completely stupid these two are for each other, but often in a completely discomfiting and totally fucked up way (BDSM still not my thing, apparently). On the other hand, it's also still an amazingly gripping and unusually high-stakes case fic that is done up to levels of perfection I think might be previously unheard of. To me, this fic IS Sherlock--if it was made for HBO or Starz instead of the BBC.

In which the events of TGG force Sherlock to realize in a terrifyingly visceral and psychological way that if John left, there would be no one. John, luckily, is very content to be Sherlock's someone for as long as they live. This was quite, quite lovely. As weird as it is to see Sherlock left so uncertain, I was completely overtaken by John's idea of therapy, and oh God, hahaha, the last section is almost too wonderful for words. 

In which John and Sherlock are really amazingly stupid over each other, their arguments with each other are really AMAZINGLY hilarious, and oh yes, a really amazing number of proposals are rejected. I opened a bookmark tab the second I finished the first section of this, laughter still streaming out of my mouth. COMPLETELY THICK. I just knew this fic would be awesome and lo! It contained gem after gem of complete and utter hilarity. I am talking actual honest-to-god knee-slapping levels of humor here. I need to read the companion piece to this immediately.

In which John watches Sherlock sleep while he does a bit of navel-gazing about their peculiar relationship. Oh, this was really, really lovely. 

In which Sherlock and John end up on an enforced vacation in Bermuda while Mycroft sorts out the Royal Wedding. This fic, oh maaaan. I hate beaches and this fic made me want to run to one and go lie out. Honestly, this fic was charmingly evocative in a lot of different ways. It earns a starred review because I'd not yet read a believably characterized vacation scenario for these two, and this fic did it up right. Kudos.

In which Sherlock becomes confused about the line between platonic friendship and romantic relationship thanks to a women's magazine quiz. Teeheehee!

In which we see the Christmas party from Evander's perspective. Remix of Winter Delights from my favorite member of that version of the Holmes family, yay!

In which there is a threequel to that amazingly, epically delightful Sherlock/Doctor Who crossover. LESTRADE!!!!! That is all I have to say.

In which everyone thinks that Sherlock must be a nightmare flatmate, but to Sherlock it's not like John is a picnic himself. THIS WAS ADORABLE. Sherlock's comprehensive list of all of John's quirks and rules, John making the stuff on the bed into a game--the amount of showing in this fic was completely delightful. Also SUCH an adorable confession. The situation was a little contrived, but who the hell cares, that quiet outburst was so unexpected, and so tensely full of both conviction and uncertainty, ugh, perfection.

In which there is a sequel to the greatest crossover in the universe and it is just THE GREATEST EVER. MORE OF THE SAME DELIGHTFUL AMAZINGNESS EXCEPT EVEN BETTER THIS TIME AROUND.

In which the TARDIS acquires some additional regular passengers. OH MY GOD. MOST PERFECT CROSSOVER IN ALL OF EXISTENCE. CHEEKY AND DELIGHTFUL IN EVERY WAY.

In which Sherlock's keeping something from John and John's keeping something from himself, but perhaps those two somethings are related in the best way possible. Awww, lovely. Also, I really loved the structure of this.

In which John is a soldier and a doctor and reminded of those facts.

In which their story runs parallel to the show while also giving it a deliciously epic and romantic HDM spin. Despite hiccups in the quality of writing (much, much more telling than is necessary), this fic is well-plotted and emotionally satisfying and loooong. I don't even care that it's a WIP or that I desperately need to be finishing my thesis. It was just too good to put down.

In which John decides he needs to start having casual sex again to get over Sherlock, but Sherlock makes this pursuit rather difficult. Lol, okay. I was a little bit annoyed with the conceit of this fic, and some of the "blunt" language was more inelegant than I would have preferred ("I want gay sex"? That's not just blunt, it's also awkward. This is probably related to the reason I didn't like the conceit. "Get Some Sex" is uninterestingly crass phrasing, and I had to see it over and over.), but the overall feeling was so light and enjoyable that I ended up liking this despite myself.

In which Sherlock and John make it out of the pool, but just barely, and Sherlock is forced to acknowledge there was some truth to Moriarty's threat. Okay, this was lovely. Also, kudos for making a collapsing building actually suspenseful and imaginable.

In which you start a prank war with Sherlock Holmes at your own peril. Teeheehee.

In which Sherlock gave his heart away a long time ago. HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE CROSSOVER OMGGGG. I'd complain it was too short (moremoremoremore), but actually it's perfectly contained. 

In which both John and Sherlock both have atypical views on sexuality, but it takes John's particular view to finally open Sherlock's eyes. Eeeee, this was awesome!

In which we see some of the more informal (also slashier!) entries on John's blog. "This is what life is like here in Baker St., folks. All glamour, all the time." Teeheehee.

In which Sherlock's heart is disused, not inactive, and problems of expression rear their ugly head. I read a grand total of one chapter of this (1754 out of 62006 words) and already decided this was one of the loveliest fics I've read in this fandom. Sherlock voice, when it is done right, is brilliant and immersive and heartbreaking, and here it is done so fucking right, my God. Finished now, and while there were some problematic characterizations of Mary and some moments of emotional awakening that crossed a line into mawkish, overall, these 62000 words were emotionally powerful and poignant and fresh-eyed, all breathtakingly voiced. I say that as a glutton for emotion porn, so take my words with a grain of salt, but I insist you at least give the first chapter a try. It encapsulates the overall tone beautifully well.

Mmmmm, shiny, shiny photo realism.

In which Sherlock and John get into the habit of texting each other during their hospital stay after The Great Game, and a new kind of intimacy blossoms. Oh, I loved this. <333

In which the world ends, and T.S. Eliot was right. Ugh, this has taken up residence in my chest as a huge crushing weight, but wow, wow, wow. The whimpering was me as much as it was this fic.

In which Holmes is concertmaster at a concert John happens to see one night with his wife Sarah. Needless to say, John's life takes a drastic turn soon after. CLASSICAL MUSIC WORLD PARTIAL AU, MY HEART MY STARS MY LIFE HAS BEEN MADE.

In which they're both more than a little shell-shocked after The Great Game, and it's a bit of a process to figure out if they've still got each other. God. GOD. This fic is so heartbreaking, the tears welled up about halfway through without me even realizing they'd been threatening, but Jesus ("lonely," oh God, *BAWLS*). A hard read, but a good one.

In which John is frequently amazed and Sherlock is bewildered by subtleties in mood, and sometimes genius needs an audience, but sometimes an audience needs a genius.

In which hurt and touch are intricately related in Sherlock's mind, which has lead to some of his more unhealthy habits, as this fic demonstrates. This fic is strange and disjointed and substance-altered, but never vague, and somehow really poignant.

In which Sherlock and John's first five kisses are invalidated by mood-altering substances and life-threatening circumstances, but that doesn't make the growth that follows each of them any less notable. God this was just an amazing, ridiculously exhilarating romp in the Holmes universe. As mad and brilliant and dangerous as they are, they are for each other.

In which there is a catalogue of Sherlock's various near-to-death experiences. Remix of moony's The Vast Perhaps. Very good.

Which contains the first time Sherlock falls in love, and many other firsts besides. Oh, this was really good. I am ashamed to admit that I really enjoyed that this Sherlock was just this side of ridiculously sappy. So adorable.

In which we see the many near-death experiences of John Watson. Oooooer.

In which living with Sherlock is like travelling in space, like learning new languages, like turning the the whole world up louder, like constantly breaking up and constantly falling in love, and like being John Watson and Sherlock Holmes and making each other work. A weirdly melancholic, but ultimately hopeful look at where John is as he settles into the domestic spaces of 221B.

In which Sherlock is the worst flatmate in the world, and not even the sex can make that fact less tangible. Hahaha, the worst. THE WORST. SO MANY WAYS HE IS THE WORST, I LOVE IT.

In which it isn't long into John Watson's Hogwarts career that he meets the boy that will become the greatest man he'll ever know. Long and really rather thrilling Hogwarts AU. :D

In which John tries beekeeping to keep himself busy. Empty House fic. Which contains the lines: "The first time John tries a drop of the honey, he closes his eyes and nearly groans. He didn't know honey could taste like this, like herb gardens and spring and the wind over the downs."