Aless Nox

midnightficobsession.podomatic.com
Episode 12 - (Enchantment and Devotion)
Time: 16 minutes and 46 seconds

Fic recs:
Fandom: Sherlock
I wake up and I wake up and you're still dead by thisprettywren
The Madness Of Angels by ayalesca
Fandom: Merlin
We Are All Diamonds by Footloose

Podfic:
The Student Prince
by Fay Jay

Day 12
In your own space, rec at least three fanworks that you think would make a good intro into XYZ fandom. Rec a fandom overview, a introductory picspam, stories that define and shape the fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Although I feel my humble efforts are poor faced with the enormity of the genre, I thought that I'd start by expanding on a post that I wrote earlier for a friend writing her first Johnlock story. Here we go...wish me luck.

AN INTRODUCTION TO JOHNLOCK

1. It's Sherlock (Bloody) Holmes!

Who hasn't heard of Sherlock Holmes? The stories of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson have been fan favorites since they first came out in the 19th century, but lately there has been a plethora of stories showing these two characters as being romantically involved. These fan fiction stories are collectively called JOHNLOCK ( an abbreviation of John/Sherlock) and the reason that these stories have exploded recently is because of the new BBC television show SHERLOCK that has a younger Holmes than is normally portrayed, and is set in present day London.



In the first episode, Sherlock Holmes meets retired Army Doctor John Watson and they move in together. Their friendship is rapid. The chemistry is electric, and it is an excellent example of a 21st century Bromance (a close non-sexual relationship between two (or more) men[wikipedia]).

So why the interest in writing John/Sherlock fiction now?

Well first off, the actors are gorgeous. I mean just look at them. Second, John Watson in this show is not written as a complete idiot as he normally is. He is actually quite impressive, a doctor and an ace marksman. Very lickable. It doesn't take long for certain impressionable minds to start to wish for reasons to imagine them with their clothes off.

But the real reason is that the characters as drawn in the show have a certain fragile dependency. They are both introduced as slightly broken men. They are talented, but flawed. When they get together, they make a whole greater than its parts, and considering how great they were before, this is saying something! Their friendship is so compelling that it leaves many people wanting more.
2. Why Johnlock?
The point of JohnLock is simple. Take two complex and beautiful characters and somehow get them into bed with each other. This can be quite challenging as the show is quite clear that they are NOT sleeping with each other and that John is NOT gay. Show canon also says that Sherlock is a virgin, and Arthur Conan Doyle canon says that he is basically asexual, therefore making us believe that they would ever have a sexual relationship is difficult. This is part of what makes this genre so compelling. Only the bravest and best writers can succeed at this task, and when they do. It is wonderful.

Lazy Johnlock authors solve this problem simply by saying that all of the facts above are a lie. Sherlock is often portrayed as promiscuous and John as openly gay. This is cheating, but it is fairly common.

A good Johnlock author must make us believe that either we or the characters themselves are mistaken about these facts. Then, we can get them together. The elaborate dance is one of the greatest joys of Johnlock, and many solutions to this problem have been made, some more successful than others.

3. What in the hell are they talking about?
First lets get some vocabulary out of the way,

FIRST TIME

A first time Johnlock is a story that conveys either a first kiss or a first sexual encounter between the two. This is most of the stories I think. Like I said, this is the hard part. Once you get them together you are mostly home free.

So how is this FIRST TIME usually accomplished?

EXPERIMENT

This is a story where the initiator of the romance is Sherlock. He convinces John to do increasingly more intimate acts by saying that it is an experiment.

WOKE UP GAY or WE'RE NOT GAY; WE JUST LOVE EACH OTHER

These are stories where John realizes that he is NOT as heterosexual as he thought when he starts having sexual thoughts about Sherlock.

Some common plot lines include:

• UNNATURAL CAUSES These are where John and Sherlock are drawn together by some unnatural event. For example, maybe John is a werewolf or were-velociraptor and Sherlock becomes part of his pack and therefore drawn to him.
• EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES They are about to die (not that uncommon), and one of them admits feelings for the other. They have sex. They may not both be gay, but they want so much to please the other person that they do it anyway because of their strong feelings for each other.

But most Johnlock begins with the affection that the characters already show for each other in the series. There are enough dangerous situations in their everyday life to push the characters into a confession. Because the two are already friends, their greatest fear is usually that a romantic relationship will ruin their friendship and cause them to separate. This is a real fear, and a good Johnlock writer must make us believe that things are better. Writing good Johnlock is a challenge.

The best JohnLock is slow. It is a war of attrition where their defenses are worn away little by little until they can't help but be together. It is a very specialized and interesting form of romance, and after such a build up, you have to have the sex, or (as Moriarty said) "What is the point of this?"

I lie a bit because there are many CUDDLEFICS out there. In these, John and Sherlock have a romantic relationship, but mostly this is shown through cuddling. Most often cuddlefics are ACE!Sherlock. That is John likes Sherlock romantically, but Sherlock remains asexual so cuddles and kisses are as far as he's going to get. As you will see, the Sherlock fandom is a vast sea.

4. Not that I'm homophobic, but why should I read this?

Because Johnlock has some of the best writing on the internet, hands down. The Sherlock fandom is highly educated. Excellent writers flood this genre, and when you have characters as interesting as John Watson and Sherlock Holmes, it draws them like a moth to a flame. Also, the stories vary from incredibly sweet, to extreme Angst, to stories so hot that you think they'll set the mouse on fire. You don't want to miss this stuff. It's Fantabulous!

5. Johnlock recommendations

Here are some stories to start with.
WARNING! - Johnlock stories often deplict graphic homosexual sex including anal sex. If this shocks you be cautious of this genre.

The Perils of Urban Warfare
by phantomjam

Words: 7300

A WOKE UP GAY, FIRST KISS story in John's point of view.

Podfic:
podfics temporarily down.Archive of our own links.
Mediafire link to mp3: Here (67.64 MB)
Mediafire link to m4b: Here (60.86 MB)
EQUILIBRIUM
by augustbird

 

Words:  12,351
FIRST TIME story with EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES. ANGST!

Podfic: mp3  mp4

Alone On the Water

by Madlori
Words: 8,210

Classic JohnLock with existing relationship. Warning: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH

 Almost Always and Carte Blanche

by Ivy Blossom

Words: 3480 AND Words: 6877 RESPECTIVELY

PODFIC: mp3     mp4
Way lighter than the previous two recommendations. FIRST Romantic KISS (not first sexual encounter).


FIRST NIGHT OUT
BY VERITY BURNS

Words: 3267

PODFIC

Short and cute. Existing relationship. "Coming out" holiday fic.

The Progress of Sherlock Holmes

FANDOM:     Sherlock(BBC)
GENRE:        Romance
TIME:             7 hours 45 minutes
PODFIC:       http://www.audiofic.jinjurly.com/progress-of-sherlock-holmes
STORY TEXT:   http://archiveofourown.org/works/173274/chapters/253157


At over seven hours this fanfic is not for faint of heart or the casual Sherlockian, however it is perfect for a long day of solitary housework. I must warn you, however, that at some scenes you will want to just close your eyes and listen because the images are particularly intense and evocative, especially if you are as much of a fan of the John / Sherlock pairing as I am.

OVERVIEW:
Sherlock Holmes is in love with his flatmate, John Watson, unfortunately he is unable to express his feelings. John Watson appears to like him, but his mixed messages are hard for Sherlock to understand, and then Mary Morstan walks into John's life.


PODFIC
The reader, cellardoorpodfic, has a pleasant voice that is not annoying to listen to which is important in a story of this length. She makes distinct, recognizable voices for John, Mary, Mycroft, Sherlock, and Sherlock's thoughts that make it possible to understand Sherlock's story.

The podfic has a foreword by the author, ivyblossom, that discusses the narrative structure, first person present tense. We only see things from Sherlock's perspective. We may infer what others feel, but we don't know for sure what they are thinking.


MY IMPRESSIONS:
This work has a soothing, lyrical quality. Sherlock is a strange person with strange thoughts, but the author makes us comfortable in his head. This Sherlock thinks about John a lot. John also often thinks of Sherlock, but his intentions are unclear to Sherlock. They dance around each other for what may be months or years not talking and not understanding each other. In a way, the story evokes a bit of the Victorian quality of the original, because there are so many things that they cannot or will not say.

Mary is a flawed woman with philandering ways. She is so good at hiding her emotions that most of the time Sherlock cannot read her. John tries to lead his own life, but he is unable to stop working with Sherlock for long before his limp reappears. Mrs Hudson is a jewel, seeing to the heart of the story, when most of the other characters are blind to their own and other's emotions.

If there is a villain to the piece, then it is Mycroft Holmes who interferes too closely in his brother's affairs. If we assume that he treats all of Sherlock's acquaintances the same as he did to John Watson when he first met Sherlock, then we might get a glimpse into why Sherlock has no friends, and why he hates his brother so much.

RATING: Mature

This work is rated mature for graphic sex scenes, however they do not take up most of the work which consists of bits of interesting cases, texts, flirting, and lots of suggestive and sensual touching followed by Sherlock's ever unsure interpretations.

ANGST
The sense of loss and longing in the story is palpable, for Sherlock (our viewpoint character) but also for John who wears his heart on his sleeve. John is trapped between his desire to live with his wife, and his almost physical need to be with Sherlock.

Mary is a complication that makes a successful romantic resolution difficult, and when the resolution does come, it is not without it's share of discomfort. We get the feeling that Sherlock Holmes is a very misunderstood man doing his best to interact with people although he is horribly repressed and unable to communicate his true feelings to others. Perhaps it is only that no one has ever listened closely enough before.

Overall, the story is worth the listen if only for those moments when John and Sherlock finally begin to realize that each of them truly do have feelings for each other that go beyond friendship. The sex scenes are good too.

PEOPLE
For the most part, the other characters fade into shadows. John and Sherlock think almost constantly about each other to the exclusion of all else. The fact that they can't see what's in front of their eyes is sad. Then again, this is what makes the conclusion more satisfying. Even so, one is left with a sense of regret, if only they had communicated a bit better a few years earlier, then we could have missed all of this angst.

PLOT
The plot is what the title says. The progress of Sherlock Holmes as he goes from totally sexually repressed and uncommunicative to sexually active and slightly more emotionally open. Other than that, the days are fairly repetitive for Sherlock, (case, no case, case, no case). We never are given a complete case to investigate. Mostly Sherlock just looks at things and deduces with John there to say "Amazing!" The only thing that gives a sense of time to Sherlock's existence is John and his relationship with Mary. John is the timepiece for the work. The clock on which Sherlock's life runs, and this more than anything tells us that there is only one satisfying resolution to this work.

WORRY POINTS
If I have any criticisms of the work, it would be in the obviousness of making Mary so flawed. It seemed like her faults were paraded by us just so that we would not pity her so much when John's affections turned to Sherlock. Mycroft was surprisingly noteworthy because he ended up being such a shit. They explained his viewpoint in the end, but even so, I just didn't like him. Also, his ability to control Sherlock with petty, though very expensive, bribes made Sherlock come off as a bit too juvenile and materialistic in my opinion. Despite these minor faults, overall I consider this story an excellent work, and a very well executed podfic.

My rankings (0 yuck to 5 WoW!)

Romance: good 4
Hotness: good 3.5
Mood: excellent 4.5
Case Quality: fair, interesting 2.5

Overall: 4 ( out of 5)