Fandom leads to the creation of awesome things
I'm here to rec a fascinating fanfic house of mirrors that will punch you right in the emotions and make you crave more. There are multiple parts to this recommendation, because the last fic has prerequisites.
First, have you seen Sherlock? If not, you must be mighty bored with my LJ. :-P If you have, good! Let's move on.
All the fics in this linked recommendation are by bendingsignpost. (He used to write in Doctor Who fandom as rallalon.) bendingsignpost has created some amazing and thoroughly original AU fics. The Watches verse (link goes to the start of the first story, "The World on His Wrist") posits that when John Watson was shot in Afghanistan, his consciousness began to split its time between four parallel timelines: the familiar one where following his injury he goes to London and moves in with Sherlock, one where he goes to London but ends up with a much more normal flatmate, one where he wasn't actually shot and continues serving in Afghanistan, and one where he never joined the Army at all and now works as a surgeon in Chelmsford, Essex. Every time John goes to sleep he switches from one universe to another. The Watches verse tackles the practical as well as emotional implications of this remarkable curse (which is also sometimes almost a superpower, because remembering events from the universes that are a few days ahead means that he can predict the future a bit.) John's BAMFhood level is through the roof, and the build of Sherlock and John's relationship is really well done.
In addition to the Watches verse, you should also read bendingsignpost's Stranger at the Gate. It's far more AU than I typically read, being set in a fantasy universe rather than 21st century London where Sherlock and John aren't even flatmates, but I'm so glad I gave it a try. "Stranger" packs quite an emotional wallop. It's the sort of fic you want to read through a crack in your fingers because you are so worried that what happens next will be awful, so you can hardly bear to look but you can't seem to stop reading because the plot is too exciting and you care about the characters so much. There are also moments of beauty and lovely emotion mixed in with the "oh no!" moments. The worldbuilding is first rate. Also, Sherlock is a vampire, but don't let that deter you if vampires aren't your thing. Vampires in this world are rather unlike any other variety you've read about; Sherlock is as vulnerable as he is powerful. (BTW, heed the trigger warnings on this fic.)
Have you read those now? (Weren't they awesome?) Now we get to the final part of the fic rec: a crossover AU of both these AUs! Watches!John is shot in his remaining Afghanistan universe, and suddenly he finds that his universe rotation includes taking the places of the Johns in "Stranger at the Gate" and "Behavioral Modification," another of bendingsignpost's stories that I haven't yet read. (I'm following the crossover quite well without "Behavioral Modification," though I'm sure I'm missing things.) The collision of stories creates a glorious tangle of angst. The perspective of a newcomer to the Stranger at the Gate universe offers new insights into the world and relationships we previously only saw through the perspective of that Sherlock. This untitled AU of the AUs is currently a WIP accessible only through annoying collapsed comment threads, but if you like the other stories, it's well worth the bother. Updates are frequent.
I love fandom for the capacity to do this sort of thing. A series of mysteries from the Victorian era was transported to the 21st century, and from there we made it sprout into a nigh-infinite tree of possibilities that can then cross-pollinate each other. Fandom creativity can produce infinite diversity in infinite combinations, but all founded on a common canon. Of course fandom can also rewrite the same lousy story over and over, but I prefer to focus on the extraordinary creativity that sometimes emerges.
First, have you seen Sherlock? If not, you must be mighty bored with my LJ. :-P If you have, good! Let's move on.
All the fics in this linked recommendation are by bendingsignpost. (He used to write in Doctor Who fandom as rallalon.) bendingsignpost has created some amazing and thoroughly original AU fics. The Watches verse (link goes to the start of the first story, "The World on His Wrist") posits that when John Watson was shot in Afghanistan, his consciousness began to split its time between four parallel timelines: the familiar one where following his injury he goes to London and moves in with Sherlock, one where he goes to London but ends up with a much more normal flatmate, one where he wasn't actually shot and continues serving in Afghanistan, and one where he never joined the Army at all and now works as a surgeon in Chelmsford, Essex. Every time John goes to sleep he switches from one universe to another. The Watches verse tackles the practical as well as emotional implications of this remarkable curse (which is also sometimes almost a superpower, because remembering events from the universes that are a few days ahead means that he can predict the future a bit.) John's BAMFhood level is through the roof, and the build of Sherlock and John's relationship is really well done.
In addition to the Watches verse, you should also read bendingsignpost's Stranger at the Gate. It's far more AU than I typically read, being set in a fantasy universe rather than 21st century London where Sherlock and John aren't even flatmates, but I'm so glad I gave it a try. "Stranger" packs quite an emotional wallop. It's the sort of fic you want to read through a crack in your fingers because you are so worried that what happens next will be awful, so you can hardly bear to look but you can't seem to stop reading because the plot is too exciting and you care about the characters so much. There are also moments of beauty and lovely emotion mixed in with the "oh no!" moments. The worldbuilding is first rate. Also, Sherlock is a vampire, but don't let that deter you if vampires aren't your thing. Vampires in this world are rather unlike any other variety you've read about; Sherlock is as vulnerable as he is powerful. (BTW, heed the trigger warnings on this fic.)
Have you read those now? (Weren't they awesome?) Now we get to the final part of the fic rec: a crossover AU of both these AUs! Watches!John is shot in his remaining Afghanistan universe, and suddenly he finds that his universe rotation includes taking the places of the Johns in "Stranger at the Gate" and "Behavioral Modification," another of bendingsignpost's stories that I haven't yet read. (I'm following the crossover quite well without "Behavioral Modification," though I'm sure I'm missing things.) The collision of stories creates a glorious tangle of angst. The perspective of a newcomer to the Stranger at the Gate universe offers new insights into the world and relationships we previously only saw through the perspective of that Sherlock. This untitled AU of the AUs is currently a WIP accessible only through annoying collapsed comment threads, but if you like the other stories, it's well worth the bother. Updates are frequent.
I love fandom for the capacity to do this sort of thing. A series of mysteries from the Victorian era was transported to the 21st century, and from there we made it sprout into a nigh-infinite tree of possibilities that can then cross-pollinate each other. Fandom creativity can produce infinite diversity in infinite combinations, but all founded on a common canon. Of course fandom can also rewrite the same lousy story over and over, but I prefer to focus on the extraordinary creativity that sometimes emerges.