The Skeleton Winter, by branwyn (R)
[Transmission from Universe 6VX.52]: Hey all! This is alternate!lolitakun here, to tell you that it's Theme Week! This week's theme: Alternate Universes!
Title: The Skeleton Winter
Fandom: BBC Sherlock
Pairing: Joanna Watson/Sherlock Holmes
Categories: Angst, AU, Casefile, Genderswap
Length: Long (~29,500 words)
Warnings: Suicide, attempted rape, PTSD, off-screen drug use
Author on AO3:
branwyn
Website: n/a
Summary: Joanna knows that enlisting as the only recruit in Sherlock's private army isn't going to make her less damaged. But Sherlock puts her damage to good use. Joanna thinks that is by far the best thing that could have happened to her. It may, in fact, be the only thing that could have saved her.
Review:
I absolutely love
branwyn's Joanna Watson. She is such a well-rounded, fully developed character in her own right, and not simply as John Watson with a vagina.
branwyn is unafraid to delve in to the vast damage that Joanna carries with her, even the uncomfortably gender-specific issues that most authors would gloss over. At the risk of this rec becoming an overwrought cliche,
branwyn looks beyond the superficial issues and tropes of genderswap and brings us a thoughtful, stark view of what it may mean to be a soldier and a woman (in that order) to Joanna Watson. She is longing to be on the front lines in a war she is no longer part of, and society expects her to be glad of it. But, like John Watson, she finds the next best thing in Sherlock. But instead of just being the long-suffering doctor sidekick, people look down on her with pity, assuming her following Sherlock is because she's in love with an unattainable figure. A lot of genderswap fic doesn't look at the double-standards and acceptable/unacceptable behaviors that are unfortunately still silently accepted a part of Western culture, but I'm really happy that this fic does. It's depressing, uncomfortable and something that many people don't want to address or even think about, but it's also something that should be recognized.
And if you aren't as into gender studies as I am, might I also add that this is also a fantastic casefile too? It's based on ACD!canon's "The Dancing Men", and has a really great modern twist to it. It's exciting and really well-plotted, and I was on the edge of my seat by the end. There's also some romance in there between Joanna and Sherlock, but it (rightly) takes a backseat to the characters and the case. This is the first story of a series that is still a WIP (link), but I encourage you to read the second one if you enjoy this fic.
The Skeleton Winter
Title: The Skeleton Winter
Fandom: BBC Sherlock
Pairing: Joanna Watson/Sherlock Holmes
Categories: Angst, AU, Casefile, Genderswap
Length: Long (~29,500 words)
Warnings: Suicide, attempted rape, PTSD, off-screen drug use
Author on AO3:
branwyn
Website: n/a
Summary: Joanna knows that enlisting as the only recruit in Sherlock's private army isn't going to make her less damaged. But Sherlock puts her damage to good use. Joanna thinks that is by far the best thing that could have happened to her. It may, in fact, be the only thing that could have saved her.
Review:
I absolutely love
branwyn's Joanna Watson. She is such a well-rounded, fully developed character in her own right, and not simply as John Watson with a vagina.
branwyn is unafraid to delve in to the vast damage that Joanna carries with her, even the uncomfortably gender-specific issues that most authors would gloss over. At the risk of this rec becoming an overwrought cliche,
branwyn looks beyond the superficial issues and tropes of genderswap and brings us a thoughtful, stark view of what it may mean to be a soldier and a woman (in that order) to Joanna Watson. She is longing to be on the front lines in a war she is no longer part of, and society expects her to be glad of it. But, like John Watson, she finds the next best thing in Sherlock. But instead of just being the long-suffering doctor sidekick, people look down on her with pity, assuming her following Sherlock is because she's in love with an unattainable figure. A lot of genderswap fic doesn't look at the double-standards and acceptable/unacceptable behaviors that are unfortunately still silently accepted a part of Western culture, but I'm really happy that this fic does. It's depressing, uncomfortable and something that many people don't want to address or even think about, but it's also something that should be recognized.
And if you aren't as into gender studies as I am, might I also add that this is also a fantastic casefile too? It's based on ACD!canon's "The Dancing Men", and has a really great modern twist to it. It's exciting and really well-plotted, and I was on the edge of my seat by the end. There's also some romance in there between Joanna and Sherlock, but it (rightly) takes a backseat to the characters and the case. This is the first story of a series that is still a WIP (link), but I encourage you to read the second one if you enjoy this fic.
The Skeleton Winter