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Best Fics of 2017 (Sherlock BBC)
I think I’m going to have to admit defeat to the crushing wave of fabulous fics posted in 2017 and move on to the new pool of 2018 fics, which have already begun with a tremendous splash. As I’ve mentioned before, I didn’t have as much time to devote to fandom last year, which means that this list is shorter than in past years. It also means that I was perhaps more selective in my reading choices and stuck closer to my core interests: long, angsty, Johnlock, high-rated casefics, fixits and AUs. (Remember, I make no claims to exclusivity! These are just my personal favorites from the fics I read last year.) Even so, I think there’s a good selection here for a wide range of tastes, including some mid-rated fics, Johnlockary, vampires, retro post-Reichenbach, humor, and crossovers. So without further ado, I present my personal picks for…
On the Rack (286966 words) by J_Baillier, 7PercentSolution
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: The sequel to The Breaking Wheel, in which Sherlock goes to rehab (of the other sort), starts scraping his life back together, attempts to solve a case, and tries to make sense of what it actually means to be in a relationship.
I Just Want You for My Own (166833 words) by cwb
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock and John head home from their respective schools for the winter break.
Gimme Shelter (159369 words) by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: All John Watson wants is the feeling of a freshly waxed surfboard under his feet and the hot California sun baking down onto his back. To finally go pro in the newly formed world of professional surfing and leave the dark memories of his past behind him as he rips across the face of a towering blue barrel. To lounge beside the beach bonfire every evening with an ice cold beer tucked into the cool sand beside him and listen to Pink Floyd and the Doors while the saltwater dries in his sun bleached hair. That's all he wants, that is, until the hot young phenom taking Oahu and the Hawaiian shores by storm steps up next to him in the sand in the second round of the 1976 International Surf Competition.
Boyfriend Material (151282 words) by PoppyAlexander
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock/OMC, John/OMC
Summary: Boston Brawlers' team captain John Watson longs for two things: a championship before he retires, and a boyfriend. Assigned to room with goaltender Sherlock Holmes--known around the league as both a genius and a "weird dude"--on Brawlers' roadtrips, John discovers the things they have in common that lead to an easy friendship and a convenient arrangement. Slow-burn, adversaries-to-friends-to-lovers, romantic comedy.
A Pure and Simple Truth Series (137738 words) by 221b_hound
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson/Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: A Pure and Simple Truth reworks the last 7 episodes of BBC Sherlock, from The Empty Hearse to the Final Problem. Some elements will be the same, some reused, some discarded.
Out There (131695 words) by DiscordantWords
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: FBI Special Agent John Watson, medical doctor and army veteran, is assigned to assist eccentric genius Sherlock Holmes with paranormal investigations on the X Files project.
One Night In December (126187 words) by Holly Sykes
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: London, 29th December 1940, 8 pm. The London Blitz reached its nadir with the bombing of the City of London and the area around its most beloved landmark, St. Paul’s Cathedral. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes meet as the flames blaze and roar all around them. But who is that dark-haired young man and why is he risking his life in such a careless manner? This is what Doctor Watson is wondering, as he eventually becomes enmeshed in a mystery that will take him away from his dreary, hopeless life and plunge him into the secret life of wartime London.
Full Court Press (126123 words) by MissDavis
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Anderson/Sally Donovan
Summary: Sherlock Holmes has accepted a scholarship to play basketball at the College of St. Bartholomew's. He expects to be their star player and turn the team's losing record around. He does not expect to fall in love with the team's captain, a certain scrappy point guard named John Watson. Or:Sherlock is the team's best shooter. John is the team's best ball-handler.
The Illustrious Client (113288 words) by ArabellaStrange
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: ‘We’re a couple!' John burst out, bluntly. His face was nearly twitching with rage. He hadn’t even meant to say anything, to anybody, because he wanted what they had for himself just a bit longer, for a million reasons half-romantic and half-defensive, and yet here he was, gripping Chez Francine’s thick cream tablecloth with enough force to tear it in half, suddenly wanting nothing more than to tell everyone within earshot that Sherlock was absolutely infuriating, surprisingly good at blowjobs, and probably in love with him.
All Things Will Die, Nothing Will Die (109662 words) by Holly Sykes
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Time: January, 1831. Something suspicious is happening at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital: corpses are brought in and sold to the surgeons, but Sherlock Holmes suspects foul play.
He’s not alone: at Guy’s Hospital, Doctor John Watson refuses to pay twelve guineas for a body that he fears has been tampered with. The lives of the two men collide one frosty winter night and from that moment on, they will never be torn asunder. A macabre AU story of grisly murders, passion, sex and mystery, with an unambiguous happy ending; inspired by the London Burkers crimes, by several short stories written around that period and by the book The Vampyre Family by Andrew McConnell Stott. Also, a very big help was the Italian Boy by Sarah Wise, which chronicles grave robberies in 1830's London.
The Summer Boy (94748 words) by khorazir
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: About half a year after the fateful events at Appledore, Sherlock and John embark on a private case in Sussex. For Sherlock, it’s a journey into his past, bringing up memories both happy and sad that he has locked away for almost thirty years. For John, it means coming to terms with the present – and a potential future with Sherlock.
Truth May Vary (93197 words) by amalnahurriyeh
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Summary: Seven years after Sherlock's death, John's life is normal. And then it isn't.
Mr. Psychopath (80249 words) by Zingiber
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: "Sherlock Holmes has made one enormous mistake which will destroy the lives of everyone he loves... and everything he holds dear." John's life unravels. Still reeling from the Magnussen case, he begins to question everything he thought he knew: his marriage, his child's safety, and his relationship with Sherlock. And a stranger has come to Baker Street with a case for Sherlock - one that will draw them into a dark conspiracy that threatens to consume them all. It's fine. It's all fine.
The Vampires of London (72648 words) by consultingdetective
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Over one hundred years after the first battle, a series of murders have caught the attention of London's police force and Sherlock Holmes. While most of the city has forgotten the vampire that once walked its streets, the descendants of the Van Helsing, Harker, and Seward families have not.
The Sweetness Makes the Smoke and Stings Worthwhile (70031 words) by 221b_careful_what_you_wish_for
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor
Summary: After nearly being expelled from university, Sherlock is banished home to Musgrave Hall for the summer. A friend introduces him to John Watson, a handsome medical student visiting the area. Sherlock and John find themselves drawn to each other, falling into a summer romance that may be as painful as it is sweet. Although they follow different paths, their feelings for each other still haunt them, their love finally coming full circle years later.
Guilty Secrets (55053 words) by Ellipsical
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John has a prostate exam and discovers something surprising about himself. Experimentation follows. Sherlock wants to help. They're in love. You know the drill.
Points (53791 words) by lifeonmars
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: The little things are infinitely the most important. -- "A Case of Identity," Sir Arthur Conan Doyle What if His Last Vow never happened? This fic picks up a few months after John and Mary's wedding, in an alternate universe where Magnussen doesn't exist, but Mary is still pregnant. Life continues -- just in a different direction.
Restoration (50002 words) by Chryse
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/OMCs
Summary: “It won’t ever be the same as it was.” “Of course it won’t be the same. But it might be even better.”
The Pieces That Fall to Earth (49513 words) by Itsallfine
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/OMC
Summary: John and Sherlock have hit rock bottom, but with all their armor stripped away, they can finally speak honestly, seek healing, and find the truths that matter most. An epistolary post-s4 fix-it fic.
The Sacred Bond (42394 words) by ampersand_ch
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: A series of mysterious deaths among priests puts John and Sherlock onto the trail of an ancient, secret brotherhood. Little do they suspect how deeply their own situation is tangled up with the case.
(Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea (39971 words) by DiscordantWords
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Baker Street is very much the same. Only different. And Sherlock is just trying not to drown.
Nucleus (39411 words) by ampersand_ch
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock attends therapy sessions with Ella to work through his family history. In doing so, he stumbles upon another issue that's been buried deep down inside him. This story picks up immediately at the end of series 4 and contains spoilers.
He Was a Friend of Mine (38387 words) by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/OFC
Summary: Sherlock presses his nose into my hair and inhales. “Told myself the whole way here we wasn’t gonna get into this again,” he says low. His breath moves soft against my scalp, and his words rumble deep into my bones. It sounds like the open sky throwing wind against the boulders up on Baker, rattling the thin walls of the tent with the rushing force of the mountain. I hum. I don’t believe him for a second – steppin’ out of his gleaming white Ford back in Signal with his best shirt on and his curls all combed lookin’ up at me like he just took a breath after five years of holding it. I know because I did the same.
carrying up his morning tea (34508 words) by darcylindbergh
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Summary: His fingers tremble as he dials and he can’t force them steady. Familiar number, even though he hasn’t used it in two years. He isn’t even sure he should be calling it now, but she’d asked. She’d made him promise.
Elementary, Actually (26526 words) by blueink3
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Just back from the war, 26-year-old John Watson is looking for a job. Luckily, his old buddy Mike Stamford has one in mind:
“Mike, you did not tell me this was a porno.”
“What? It’s not!”
“No? Then why the hell am I being asked to eventually take my kit off and mount some kid who barely looks like he’s out of secondary!”
He expects Mike to be angry or indignant on his behalf, but what he does not expect is for the man to burst out laughing on the other end of the phone.
“Mike!”
“Sorry, sorry. Are you serious? Frankie told me it was an art house/independent type but I thought he meant Little Miss Sunshine, not Eyes Wide Shut!”
“Oh my God, Mike, I’m going to kill you.”
Or, what happens when the author watches Love Actually with Johnlock in mind.
The Red Ridge (16044 words) by Mamaorion
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Four years into their relationship post s4, Sherlock reminisces the case in Snowdonia that finally brought he and John together... with help from a perilous murder scene investigation, a terrible nightmare, and a forgotten violin.
Where You Hang Your Heart (13521 words) by suitesamba
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: When it was all over, when the east wind had blown through and they’d picked themselves off the pavement, Sherlock said enough. When it was all over, when Mary was dead and Rosie didn’t have enough family left for John to risk even an adrenaline high, John watched Sherlock go. Eighteen years later, the real journey begins.
Best Fics of 2017
On the Rack (286966 words) by J_Baillier, 7PercentSolution
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: The sequel to The Breaking Wheel, in which Sherlock goes to rehab (of the other sort), starts scraping his life back together, attempts to solve a case, and tries to make sense of what it actually means to be in a relationship.
I Just Want You for My Own (166833 words) by cwb
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock and John head home from their respective schools for the winter break.
Gimme Shelter (159369 words) by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: All John Watson wants is the feeling of a freshly waxed surfboard under his feet and the hot California sun baking down onto his back. To finally go pro in the newly formed world of professional surfing and leave the dark memories of his past behind him as he rips across the face of a towering blue barrel. To lounge beside the beach bonfire every evening with an ice cold beer tucked into the cool sand beside him and listen to Pink Floyd and the Doors while the saltwater dries in his sun bleached hair. That's all he wants, that is, until the hot young phenom taking Oahu and the Hawaiian shores by storm steps up next to him in the sand in the second round of the 1976 International Surf Competition.
Boyfriend Material (151282 words) by PoppyAlexander
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock/OMC, John/OMC
Summary: Boston Brawlers' team captain John Watson longs for two things: a championship before he retires, and a boyfriend. Assigned to room with goaltender Sherlock Holmes--known around the league as both a genius and a "weird dude"--on Brawlers' roadtrips, John discovers the things they have in common that lead to an easy friendship and a convenient arrangement. Slow-burn, adversaries-to-friends-to-lovers, romantic comedy.
A Pure and Simple Truth Series (137738 words) by 221b_hound
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson/Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: A Pure and Simple Truth reworks the last 7 episodes of BBC Sherlock, from The Empty Hearse to the Final Problem. Some elements will be the same, some reused, some discarded.
Out There (131695 words) by DiscordantWords
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: FBI Special Agent John Watson, medical doctor and army veteran, is assigned to assist eccentric genius Sherlock Holmes with paranormal investigations on the X Files project.
One Night In December (126187 words) by Holly Sykes
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: London, 29th December 1940, 8 pm. The London Blitz reached its nadir with the bombing of the City of London and the area around its most beloved landmark, St. Paul’s Cathedral. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes meet as the flames blaze and roar all around them. But who is that dark-haired young man and why is he risking his life in such a careless manner? This is what Doctor Watson is wondering, as he eventually becomes enmeshed in a mystery that will take him away from his dreary, hopeless life and plunge him into the secret life of wartime London.
Full Court Press (126123 words) by MissDavis
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Anderson/Sally Donovan
Summary: Sherlock Holmes has accepted a scholarship to play basketball at the College of St. Bartholomew's. He expects to be their star player and turn the team's losing record around. He does not expect to fall in love with the team's captain, a certain scrappy point guard named John Watson. Or:Sherlock is the team's best shooter. John is the team's best ball-handler.
The Illustrious Client (113288 words) by ArabellaStrange
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: ‘We’re a couple!' John burst out, bluntly. His face was nearly twitching with rage. He hadn’t even meant to say anything, to anybody, because he wanted what they had for himself just a bit longer, for a million reasons half-romantic and half-defensive, and yet here he was, gripping Chez Francine’s thick cream tablecloth with enough force to tear it in half, suddenly wanting nothing more than to tell everyone within earshot that Sherlock was absolutely infuriating, surprisingly good at blowjobs, and probably in love with him.
All Things Will Die, Nothing Will Die (109662 words) by Holly Sykes
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Time: January, 1831. Something suspicious is happening at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital: corpses are brought in and sold to the surgeons, but Sherlock Holmes suspects foul play.
He’s not alone: at Guy’s Hospital, Doctor John Watson refuses to pay twelve guineas for a body that he fears has been tampered with. The lives of the two men collide one frosty winter night and from that moment on, they will never be torn asunder. A macabre AU story of grisly murders, passion, sex and mystery, with an unambiguous happy ending; inspired by the London Burkers crimes, by several short stories written around that period and by the book The Vampyre Family by Andrew McConnell Stott. Also, a very big help was the Italian Boy by Sarah Wise, which chronicles grave robberies in 1830's London.
The Summer Boy (94748 words) by khorazir
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: About half a year after the fateful events at Appledore, Sherlock and John embark on a private case in Sussex. For Sherlock, it’s a journey into his past, bringing up memories both happy and sad that he has locked away for almost thirty years. For John, it means coming to terms with the present – and a potential future with Sherlock.
Truth May Vary (93197 words) by amalnahurriyeh
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Summary: Seven years after Sherlock's death, John's life is normal. And then it isn't.
Mr. Psychopath (80249 words) by Zingiber
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: "Sherlock Holmes has made one enormous mistake which will destroy the lives of everyone he loves... and everything he holds dear." John's life unravels. Still reeling from the Magnussen case, he begins to question everything he thought he knew: his marriage, his child's safety, and his relationship with Sherlock. And a stranger has come to Baker Street with a case for Sherlock - one that will draw them into a dark conspiracy that threatens to consume them all. It's fine. It's all fine.
The Vampires of London (72648 words) by consultingdetective
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Over one hundred years after the first battle, a series of murders have caught the attention of London's police force and Sherlock Holmes. While most of the city has forgotten the vampire that once walked its streets, the descendants of the Van Helsing, Harker, and Seward families have not.
The Sweetness Makes the Smoke and Stings Worthwhile (70031 words) by 221b_careful_what_you_wish_for
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor
Summary: After nearly being expelled from university, Sherlock is banished home to Musgrave Hall for the summer. A friend introduces him to John Watson, a handsome medical student visiting the area. Sherlock and John find themselves drawn to each other, falling into a summer romance that may be as painful as it is sweet. Although they follow different paths, their feelings for each other still haunt them, their love finally coming full circle years later.
Guilty Secrets (55053 words) by Ellipsical
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John has a prostate exam and discovers something surprising about himself. Experimentation follows. Sherlock wants to help. They're in love. You know the drill.
Points (53791 words) by lifeonmars
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: The little things are infinitely the most important. -- "A Case of Identity," Sir Arthur Conan Doyle What if His Last Vow never happened? This fic picks up a few months after John and Mary's wedding, in an alternate universe where Magnussen doesn't exist, but Mary is still pregnant. Life continues -- just in a different direction.
Restoration (50002 words) by Chryse
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/OMCs
Summary: “It won’t ever be the same as it was.” “Of course it won’t be the same. But it might be even better.”
The Pieces That Fall to Earth (49513 words) by Itsallfine
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/OMC
Summary: John and Sherlock have hit rock bottom, but with all their armor stripped away, they can finally speak honestly, seek healing, and find the truths that matter most. An epistolary post-s4 fix-it fic.
The Sacred Bond (42394 words) by ampersand_ch
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: A series of mysterious deaths among priests puts John and Sherlock onto the trail of an ancient, secret brotherhood. Little do they suspect how deeply their own situation is tangled up with the case.
(Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea (39971 words) by DiscordantWords
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Baker Street is very much the same. Only different. And Sherlock is just trying not to drown.
Nucleus (39411 words) by ampersand_ch
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock attends therapy sessions with Ella to work through his family history. In doing so, he stumbles upon another issue that's been buried deep down inside him. This story picks up immediately at the end of series 4 and contains spoilers.
He Was a Friend of Mine (38387 words) by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/OFC
Summary: Sherlock presses his nose into my hair and inhales. “Told myself the whole way here we wasn’t gonna get into this again,” he says low. His breath moves soft against my scalp, and his words rumble deep into my bones. It sounds like the open sky throwing wind against the boulders up on Baker, rattling the thin walls of the tent with the rushing force of the mountain. I hum. I don’t believe him for a second – steppin’ out of his gleaming white Ford back in Signal with his best shirt on and his curls all combed lookin’ up at me like he just took a breath after five years of holding it. I know because I did the same.
carrying up his morning tea (34508 words) by darcylindbergh
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Summary: His fingers tremble as he dials and he can’t force them steady. Familiar number, even though he hasn’t used it in two years. He isn’t even sure he should be calling it now, but she’d asked. She’d made him promise.
Elementary, Actually (26526 words) by blueink3
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Just back from the war, 26-year-old John Watson is looking for a job. Luckily, his old buddy Mike Stamford has one in mind:
“Mike, you did not tell me this was a porno.”
“What? It’s not!”
“No? Then why the hell am I being asked to eventually take my kit off and mount some kid who barely looks like he’s out of secondary!”
He expects Mike to be angry or indignant on his behalf, but what he does not expect is for the man to burst out laughing on the other end of the phone.
“Mike!”
“Sorry, sorry. Are you serious? Frankie told me it was an art house/independent type but I thought he meant Little Miss Sunshine, not Eyes Wide Shut!”
“Oh my God, Mike, I’m going to kill you.”
Or, what happens when the author watches Love Actually with Johnlock in mind.
The Red Ridge (16044 words) by Mamaorion
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Four years into their relationship post s4, Sherlock reminisces the case in Snowdonia that finally brought he and John together... with help from a perilous murder scene investigation, a terrible nightmare, and a forgotten violin.
Where You Hang Your Heart (13521 words) by suitesamba
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: When it was all over, when the east wind had blown through and they’d picked themselves off the pavement, Sherlock said enough. When it was all over, when Mary was dead and Rosie didn’t have enough family left for John to risk even an adrenaline high, John watched Sherlock go. Eighteen years later, the real journey begins.