Single Girl, Married Girl: Looking at How I Write Women in Johnlock Fics
The femfirmative-johnlock blog on Tumblr has got me thinking about how I write women in my Sherlock fics.
This is Part One. Part Two, which focuses on my Johnlock fics only, should follow in the next few days.
(WARNING: This little essay contains spoilers for all my fics, obviously)
Now, I really like all the women characters in Sherlock the show - despite serious missteps by the writers for most of them, I find them pretty rich and rewarding to explore. Yet I’ve written so many Johnlock stories where they barely appear at all. I do feel this is balanced out by the fact that I write a lot of poly/OT3/threesome fic where women are very present and strong, and I’ve also written femslash (I sail the tiny but fierce gunboat Marene), and I’m also one of the mods of the Get Mrs Hudson Laid blog and AO3 collection.
Part 1 is about women in my fics that are not Johnlock (in the sense of the Johnlock pairing being a dyad only). Here’s a list of those under the Read More (cause it’s loooong). All are rated Mature or Explicit unless marked otherwise). Questions and commentary very welcome.
Threesomes:
Like You Mean It (John/Sherlock/Molly) Apology orgasms. Primarily Johnlock with poly negotiations at the ending after the proceedings go very well for all three participants. (At the start, Molly is under no illusions, but she’ll take the opportunity. She’s a lot more devious than many people give her credit for.)
Start Me Up (John/Sherlock/Molly) Necrophilia roleplay. Sherlock is the “corpse.” Molly is the one who’s got the freaky fantasy here.
Genetic Markers (John/Sherlock/Mary) Conceiving another child, this time with Sherlock as bio-dad. It’s Mary’s idea and John is all for it. Sherlock warms to it very quickly. I meant this to be funny and fluffy and sexy, and I think it mostly is, but there’s some angsty true confessions. Sherlock’s forgiveness of Mary is sincere but guarded, and Mary thinks he’s right to feel that way. There’s a lot of love between the three of them, even as all of them acknowledge their mutual up-fucked-ness.
Firebird (John/Sherlock/Mary) Gunplay and kink-pology. Mary’s danger kink might be bigger than Sherlock and John’s put together.
Our Doctor, Clean-Shaven (John/Sherlock/Mary) Sensory deprivation and shaving kink - Mary and Sherlock collaborate on John.
After Me, the Deluge (John/Sherlock/Mary) Mary has a secret. It’s tentacles.
Filled Afresh With Each Flow (John/Sherlock/Mary) Sequel to AMtD. Alternate T6T ending; Mary lives (with tentacles).
Long Hard Day (221B ficlet), (John/Sherlock/Mary) Sexting gone wrong.
Yes, Mrs Watson, You Will (221B ficlet, no sex; rated T for violence, John/Sherlock/Mary poly relationship strongly implied) The scene in CAM’s office goes very differently.
Double Dare (221B ficlet), (John/Sherlock/Mary). Cuckolding kink, voyeurism
Mrs. Hudson’s Guide to Care and Control of Household Pests (When to Call a Professional) (Mrs Hudson/Irene/Sherlock). Mrs Hudson calls a professional to help discipline her household pest.
Femslash:
The Passion That Slays and Recovers (Irene/Mary) More atonement-through-kink. I love this trope. I do believe that Mary is deeply remorseful for shooting Sherlock - not only because someone she and John love (sort of) died but also because she believes it was a strategic error. In this one she seeks out kink therapy for her anger at herself over this. She can be abject and vulnerable with Irene in a way she couldn’t let herself with a man, I think. Surprise guest appearance by one of Irene’s other clients, at the end. :)
Venus Infers (Irene/Mary) Voluntary servitude, boot worship. In these stories and also in Firebird, I’ve written Mary taking the sub role, which I don’t see very often (especially with Sherlock as dom, as in Firebird.) (With varying degrees of defiant; she’s far more so with Sherlock than with Irene) I see Mary being really good at this if she chooses to do it, and it requires remarkable people and circumstances for her to make that choice. I don’t see her as someone who carries around a lot of guilt - but I definitely see her enjoying a good sacrificial purge once in a while. She’s somebody who appreciates the services of a Sin Eater. This story is set in an AU I have in my head, where Irene and Mary are a dashing jewel-thief duo like a kinky lesbian Raffles & Bunny, and it’s deliberately written as a heavy-handed homage to E.W. Hornung’s “The Ides of March.”
The Gentleman Thief (221B ficlet, Irene/Mary) In the same jewel-thief ‘verse as “Venus Infers.” I have another one in the works inspired by “The Red-Headed League”; Sherlock/John is in that one.
A Lady’s Enhancements (double 221B ficlet, Mary/Mrs. Hudson) medical play, titfucking, tentacles. Same universe as AMtD and FAWEF. Mrs Hudson gets deep into her herbal soothers. Nurse Mary is on the case.
Het, Gen, and Other
A Firm Footing (221 B drabble, Irene/Sherlock) Human furniture kink. I headcanon these two as having a relationship that’s kinky as hell but no sexual intercourse needed. (This comes up in “TPTSAR” too)
Five Minutes in Purgatory (221B drabble, Eurus/Jim) Eurus basically Force-chokes Jim through glass showing off lingerie and Jim loves it. My second attempt at writing Eurus. I didn’t see much point in trying to make her abilities realistic, although it really is mostly in Jim’s mind. Mostly.
When Wind is In the Deadly East (Eurus OK, I really have to classify this as “other” because it’s a Tolkien fusion fic where they live in Middle-earth AND ARE GIANT EAGLES. Everything about this fraught sibling relationship is filtered through being giant, somewhat magical predatory birds. (And frankly I think it makes their motives make more sense.)
If you’ve read this far, THANK YOU!! I hope you find something on the list you might enjoy. Questions and comments very welcome, but no women-character hate please.
Part 2 will focus on the role of women in my Johnlock fics.
This is Part One. Part Two, which focuses on my Johnlock fics only, should follow in the next few days.
(WARNING: This little essay contains spoilers for all my fics, obviously)
Now, I really like all the women characters in Sherlock the show - despite serious missteps by the writers for most of them, I find them pretty rich and rewarding to explore. Yet I’ve written so many Johnlock stories where they barely appear at all. I do feel this is balanced out by the fact that I write a lot of poly/OT3/threesome fic where women are very present and strong, and I’ve also written femslash (I sail the tiny but fierce gunboat Marene), and I’m also one of the mods of the Get Mrs Hudson Laid blog and AO3 collection.
Part 1 is about women in my fics that are not Johnlock (in the sense of the Johnlock pairing being a dyad only). Here’s a list of those under the Read More (cause it’s loooong). All are rated Mature or Explicit unless marked otherwise). Questions and commentary very welcome.
Threesomes:
Like You Mean It (John/Sherlock/Molly) Apology orgasms. Primarily Johnlock with poly negotiations at the ending after the proceedings go very well for all three participants. (At the start, Molly is under no illusions, but she’ll take the opportunity. She’s a lot more devious than many people give her credit for.)
Start Me Up (John/Sherlock/Molly) Necrophilia roleplay. Sherlock is the “corpse.” Molly is the one who’s got the freaky fantasy here.
Genetic Markers (John/Sherlock/Mary) Conceiving another child, this time with Sherlock as bio-dad. It’s Mary’s idea and John is all for it. Sherlock warms to it very quickly. I meant this to be funny and fluffy and sexy, and I think it mostly is, but there’s some angsty true confessions. Sherlock’s forgiveness of Mary is sincere but guarded, and Mary thinks he’s right to feel that way. There’s a lot of love between the three of them, even as all of them acknowledge their mutual up-fucked-ness.
Firebird (John/Sherlock/Mary) Gunplay and kink-pology. Mary’s danger kink might be bigger than Sherlock and John’s put together.
Our Doctor, Clean-Shaven (John/Sherlock/Mary) Sensory deprivation and shaving kink - Mary and Sherlock collaborate on John.
After Me, the Deluge (John/Sherlock/Mary) Mary has a secret. It’s tentacles.
Filled Afresh With Each Flow (John/Sherlock/Mary) Sequel to AMtD. Alternate T6T ending; Mary lives (with tentacles).
Long Hard Day (221B ficlet), (John/Sherlock/Mary) Sexting gone wrong.
Yes, Mrs Watson, You Will (221B ficlet, no sex; rated T for violence, John/Sherlock/Mary poly relationship strongly implied) The scene in CAM’s office goes very differently.
Double Dare (221B ficlet), (John/Sherlock/Mary). Cuckolding kink, voyeurism
Mrs. Hudson’s Guide to Care and Control of Household Pests (When to Call a Professional) (Mrs Hudson/Irene/Sherlock). Mrs Hudson calls a professional to help discipline her household pest.
Femslash:
The Passion That Slays and Recovers (Irene/Mary) More atonement-through-kink. I love this trope. I do believe that Mary is deeply remorseful for shooting Sherlock - not only because someone she and John love (sort of) died but also because she believes it was a strategic error. In this one she seeks out kink therapy for her anger at herself over this. She can be abject and vulnerable with Irene in a way she couldn’t let herself with a man, I think. Surprise guest appearance by one of Irene’s other clients, at the end. :)
Venus Infers (Irene/Mary) Voluntary servitude, boot worship. In these stories and also in Firebird, I’ve written Mary taking the sub role, which I don’t see very often (especially with Sherlock as dom, as in Firebird.) (With varying degrees of defiant; she’s far more so with Sherlock than with Irene) I see Mary being really good at this if she chooses to do it, and it requires remarkable people and circumstances for her to make that choice. I don’t see her as someone who carries around a lot of guilt - but I definitely see her enjoying a good sacrificial purge once in a while. She’s somebody who appreciates the services of a Sin Eater. This story is set in an AU I have in my head, where Irene and Mary are a dashing jewel-thief duo like a kinky lesbian Raffles & Bunny, and it’s deliberately written as a heavy-handed homage to E.W. Hornung’s “The Ides of March.”
The Gentleman Thief (221B ficlet, Irene/Mary) In the same jewel-thief ‘verse as “Venus Infers.” I have another one in the works inspired by “The Red-Headed League”; Sherlock/John is in that one.
A Lady’s Enhancements (double 221B ficlet, Mary/Mrs. Hudson) medical play, titfucking, tentacles. Same universe as AMtD and FAWEF. Mrs Hudson gets deep into her herbal soothers. Nurse Mary is on the case.
Het, Gen, and Other
A Firm Footing (221 B drabble, Irene/Sherlock) Human furniture kink. I headcanon these two as having a relationship that’s kinky as hell but no sexual intercourse needed. (This comes up in “TPTSAR” too)
Five Minutes in Purgatory (221B drabble, Eurus/Jim) Eurus basically Force-chokes Jim through glass showing off lingerie and Jim loves it. My second attempt at writing Eurus. I didn’t see much point in trying to make her abilities realistic, although it really is mostly in Jim’s mind. Mostly.
When Wind is In the Deadly East (Eurus OK, I really have to classify this as “other” because it’s a Tolkien fusion fic where they live in Middle-earth AND ARE GIANT EAGLES. Everything about this fraught sibling relationship is filtered through being giant, somewhat magical predatory birds. (And frankly I think it makes their motives make more sense.)
If you’ve read this far, THANK YOU!! I hope you find something on the list you might enjoy. Questions and comments very welcome, but no women-character hate please.
Part 2 will focus on the role of women in my Johnlock fics.