sakura_no_miko | Archvied fic rec

Rating: PG-13 / NC-17

Pairing: John/Sherlock

Warnings: dark fic, BDSM practices, corporal punishment, drugging

Other notes: kink meme fill, episode-based fic

Length: 3k

Summary: It’s the aftermath of “The Hounds of Baskerville”. John is very, very, VERY angry with Sherlock (and you probably know why). Sherlock’s going to pay for what he’s done.

My thoughts:

I remember brushing over this fic during one of my BDSM runs or other. I always feel bad when I stick something on my list and find myself unable to write anything. Sometimes it’s just a matter of mood–that I just can’t what I was feeling when I bookmarked the fic, or I can’t find the words I need to express my feelings.

Anyway, these two piece are just–short, but really packing a punch. I like Doubt for how it deals with the idea of vengeance and punishment. It can be very easy to mistake one for the other. I agree with John wanting to teach Sherlock a lesson, because I think his actions in Hounds were quite cruel. I haven’t watched Elementary, but a lot of people have pointed out that one of the big differences between Elementary and Sherlock is that Joan Watson will call Sherlock out on his arrogance, his lack of empathy, his callousness, whereas John, for the most part, adjusts himself to Sherlock’s behavior. Wait, no, that’s not quite right. I mean, John does make some efforts to sort of civilize Sherlock–no body parts in the fridge and all–but it always seemed to me that he was more on the idea of ‘Sherlock is misunderstood, and it’s not about changing him from what he is, it’s about both of us trying to adjust.’ Where with Elementary I get more of a vibe of, 'Sherlock’s like a petulant child, and he has it in him to be a decent guy, he just needs someone to actually call him on his bullshit.’ If that makes sense. (Oh, sentence fragments, you will be the death of me.)

At any rate, this is a story where John is actively trying to teach Sherlock a lesson, and yet–as it says in the end, he ends up feeling worse for it. That, to me, is a great example of the difference between punishment and vengeance. Punishment is about making someone realize they did something wrong and making amends for it; vengeance is about satisfying yourself. In this fic, John lets his vengeful tendencies get the better of him, and he ends up learning as much of a lesson as Sherlock.

Kinky Hiking, on the other hand, is more on the punishment side for me. John exhibits more control. He’s angry in both fics, but it’s a different sort of anger–a raw, uncontrolled anger in Doubt that ends up making him regretful, and a more controlled, restrained anger in Kinky Hiking that works more as a motivator than a deterrent.

I think they work well together.

(Looking for more fic recs?)
Originally posted on tumblr on 02/20/13

Archvied fic rec - Doubt

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