simply clockwork

Lace Code is one of my favorite things, and so it happens to be the Punk 101 post that I’ve worked on the most. I’m sorry (I know I said at some point band shirts were up next 😬)

*Long Post - if you see anything thats wrong or missing, please feel free to leave a note or message me*

To start, it is important to talk about where Lace Code came from, and where it is now. Using lace colors on your boots (doc martins specifically) started with London Skinheads in the 70’s. Their white and red laces were typically symbols of white supremacy, and in some groups those laces had to be earned.

I’ll eventually do another post on Skinheads, but for now all you need to know is that the Skinhead subculture is historically known for being racist and violent. I always feel the need to point something out when talking about Skinheads: NOT EVERY BALD OR SHAVEN PUNK IS A SKINHEAD!

Later on in the 80’s, Lace Code became a popular way for many Punk subculture to communicate things such as their stance on racism and their sexuality. Now, in many areas, Lace Code is dead, but not everywhere!

Lace Code applies to ladder laced black combat boots (typically people wear docs). Each color represents something different, and this can vary by area, so it is important to check your local scene

How to ladder lace:

Traditional ladder laces are shown on the left, and quick release ladder laces are shown on the right. And here is a site that goes step by step

What do The Colors Mean?

(Colors mean different things in different places. These are the most common meanings and the ones I personally know - check your local scene to ensure its not different for your area)

Orange: Anti-Racist // Anti-ICE // No Meaning

Yellow: Anti-Racist

Green: Environmentalist // Peace // No Meaning

Blue: Killed a Cop

Purple: Queer // Gay

Pink: Feminist // Queer // Gay

Black: No Meaning

Patterned: No Meaning

Red: Nazi // Neo-Nazi // Anarchist

White: White Supremacy // Nazi // Neo-Nazi

Note: no one can stop you from wearing whatever you want, but in some areas you should be mindful because there are still people who follow Lace Code, and if youre seen with red or white ladder laces, you might be in for it

The crowd boos. I begin to walk off in shame, when a voice speaks and commands silence from the room.

These 2 are my first absolute Sherlock Fanart!! I did them in early 2021 to visualize our boys for the beautiful "Hired Gun" by @simplyclockwork

As we close out the year, here are some of the (completed) fics that I've read and enjoyed over the last couple of months. I feel so incredibly lucky to be a part of this fandom. Look at all these fics! What an embarrassment of riches!

4 Times Sherlock Proposed, & One Time John Returned the Favour by PipMer

5 Times Rosie Gets Into Trouble & 1 Time She Doesn't by Jaye Harriet

A Case of You by Silvergirl

A Midnight Clear by Khorazir

A Poison Garden, a Prize-Winning Leek, & a Corpse in the Maris Pipers by mydogwatson

A Wedding on Christmas Eve by PoppyAlexander

All Too Familiar by weeesi

Armour Plastique by 796116311389

Cold Inside by LoloLolly

December Moments by Lock_John_Silver

do not stand at my grave by rachelindeed

Don't You Mind by Goldt_39

His Very Last Vow by bozuri

Home by vitruvianwatson

Home is Where the Human Skull Is by theclosetenby

Locked Room by Calais_Reno

Lost Along the Coast by JRow

moon earth sun by orphicsun

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Raina_at

Nothing to Celebrate by discordantwords (self rec!)

Point Zero One Percent by amaruuk

Pretty Paper by stopthat

Relapse and Redemption by JennLynn77

Scream! by johnwatso

smoke signals by simplyclockwork

Stages of Grief by IwillbeReichenbach

The Adventure of the Reluctant Docent by mydogwatson

The Marked Man of the Emperor Dragonfly by Jaye Harriet (heed the tags on this one, MCD, not a happy ending)

The Skin Over My Heart by standbygo

The Way Home by Calais_Reno

The Wizard of Baker Street by Calais_Reno

Three Impossible Things by Snowfilly1

What If... by johnwatso

What should I do but tend by Ibbyliv

Wrapped Tight by CopperBeech

Yorkshire by lurikko

Reply: First of all, thank you as always for the very interesting request. This made me take a moment to consider what a thriller is, since it's not a tag that's used very frequently on AO3.

Here’s what various writing sources say: Thrillers are dark, engrossing, and suspenseful plot-driven stories. / Thriller stories blend elements of three other genres: action, horror, and crime. / Thriller novels usually involve a protagonist who is working to fight a foreign power, criminal organization, or a ruthless villain.... The protagonist is suspended in an almost constant state of danger.

As you can see, many stories that would be a thriller by one definition are not by another. And in fact, I have a grand total of 3 fics in my 1500+ bookmarks that are tagged as thrillers... and 2 of them I wouldn't personally consider thrillers. One is too fluffy (it's also tagged as “seriously just a tropey fun fluff-bomb”) and the other leans more heavily into action (both combat and smut) than tension in my opinion.

Having said all that, here are some older lists of mine that cover at least some of the above aspects:

Page-turners

Stalker fics

Horror master list

John and Sherlock go after Moriarty's network together

Sherlock is a bit not good

Sherlock is a secret agent

And here are some additional fics not on those lists that I would also consider thrillers:

All Things Will Die, Nothing Will Die by Holly Sykes (109K, E, Johnlock) January, 1831. Something suspicious is happening at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital: corpses are brought in and sold to the surgeons, but Sherlock Holmes suspects foul play. He’s not alone: at Guy’s Hospital, Doctor John Watson refuses to pay twelve guineas for a body that he fears has been tampered with. The lives of the two men collide one frosty winter night and from that moment on, they will never be torn asunder.

and your very flesh shall be a great poem by CaitlinFairchild (151K, E, Johnlock) After a tragic confrontation with terrible consequences, Sherlock and John follow Mary as she flees to America.

hands full of matter by simplyclockwork (21K, E, Johnlock) When Sherlock is captured in Serbia, Mycroft cannot afford to involve the British government in his rescue. Instead, he sends John. After two years spent thinking Sherlock was dead, John finds himself navigating not only Sherlock’s rescue but their fractured friendship as well.

hired gun by simplyclockwork (232K, E, Johnlock) After faking his suicide in response to allegations of fraud, two years into dismantling Moriarty's network finds Sherlock Holmes in Morocco. Nearing the end of his mission, he is apprehended by a man with the mercy of a doctor, the control of a soldier, and the brutality of a mercenary.

immediate and inglorious by simplyclockwork (72K, E, Johnlock) Bodies are showing up in back alleys, with no sign of a struggle, no trace of drugs. With New Scotland Yard dumbfounded by the Grim Reaper Killer case, Sherlock is called in to consult. The more he investigates, the deeper Sherlock finds himself drawn into the work of London's newest serial killer.

Four Degrees Celsius by ampersand_ch (28K, E, Johnlock) The Reichenbach story in the original setting. Sherlock and John move their relationship to the next level at the beginning of their stay in the Bernese Alps.  But as it turns out, there's no time for the two of them. Moriarty is here, and a catastrophe is looming.

Soul Set in Darkness series by BroadwayStarletQueen (87K, E, Johnlock, Sheriarty, Mystrade) Sherlock decides to give up on his life of detection to join Moriarty in a life of high-stakes crime and entertainment.  His ever-faithful flatmate believes wholeheartedly that Sherlock is faking this alliance to play Moriarty and beat him from the inside, but when he finds himself pitted against the evil team, John finds himself questioning if Sherlock's playing a game or giving in to darkness...

The Baker Street series by magicbunni (199K, T, Gen) Series of 4 loosely connected casefics.  

Having said that, the safest bet is probably AU’s. I made an AU Master List a couple of years ago with 20+ separate lists. Since then I’ve added these:

New Lists

Plus a couple older lists that didn’t make it onto the above master list for some reason

1950s-1990s AU’s

19th and early 20th century AU’s

Actor AU’s

Athlete AU’s

Ballet AU’s

Boarding School AU’s

Historical AU’s (pre-1880s)

Long Johnlock AU’s (+ older list here)

Movie fusions

Potterlock at Hogwarts

Potterlock action/adventure

Scientist AU’s

Sex therapist AU’s

Sports AU’s

World War I AU’s

Zombie AU’s

New Fics

(Some of these may be on the above lists as well)

After Hours by simplyclockwork (32K, E, Johnlock) - Doctor AU

Bakers With Benefits by Raina_at (83K, E, Johnlock) - Baking AU

Do No Harm by Calais_Reno (79K, T, Johnlock) - 1920s AU

Fading Stars and Black Holes by lurikko (19K, M, Johnlock) - Actor AU (However, this one has lots of references to the BBC series, so you’ll probably miss all the Easter eggs and cleverest bits; still, the story itself doesn’t depend on the aired episodes)

Fit to Be Tied by Kameo (10K, M, Johnlock preslash) - BDSM AU

Learning the Heart by Calais_Reno (10K, T, Johnlock) - Android AU

Love Me, Love Me Knot by xBelladonnax and kirin_calls (213K, E, Johnlock) - Omegaverse AU

Quid Pro Quo by J_Baillier (10K, T, Johnlock) - Surgeon AU

Messages from Deep Waters by J_Baillier (56K, E, Johnlock, Viclock) - MI6 AU

Slipstream by khorazir (290K, M, Johnlock) - Pro cycling AU

The Ancillus’s Tale by Chryse (128K, E, Johnlock) - Handmaid’s Tale Omegaverse AU

The Best Seats in The House by J_Baillier (22K, T, Johnlock) - Volcanologist AU

The House on Rue des Boulangers by Berty (24K, M, Johnlock) - France AU

The Last Envoy by Calais_Reno (127K, M, Johnlock) - Aliens AU

The Short Tragic Death of John Watson by Calais_Reno (49K, M, Johnlock) - Actor AU

Thermocline by J_Baillier (83K, M, Johnlock) - Marine archaeology AU

What Makes Us Real by lurikko (26K, E, Johnlock) - Android AU

Reply: I feel like you are the same person who asked for fics where John "saves the day" and weren't satisfied with my response (although elwinglyre's fic was in that collection). So, here is my second attempt. I'm sure there are a lot more, but this is what I've come up with for now:

John rescues Sherlock

Between Friends by SilentAuror (18K, E, Johnlock) Sherlock gets abducted. As John discovers him tied up naked in an empty storage facility and comes to rescue him, Sherlock's body has an unfortunate reaction which triggers a series of events.

hands full of matter by simplyclockwork (21K, E, Johnlock) When Sherlock is captured in Serbia, Mycroft cannot afford to involve the British government in his rescue. Instead, he sends John.

How to Unfold a Heart by elwinglyre (25K, E, Johnlock) Past horrors return unexpectedly in a cryptic note folded in the shape of a heart. To decipher the message, Sherlock must uncover the nature of the hearts around him, including his own.

Red Apples by naughtyspirit (21K, E, Johnlock) John and Sherlock work on a new case where the perpetrator seems overly fond of Grimm fairytales.

Summit Fever by J_Baillier (78K, M, Johnlock, past Jolto) After graduating from medical school, John Watson followed his heart to the Himalayas. Ten years later, he's a haunted cynic working for his ex-lover's trekking and mountaineering company.

The Night Riviera from Paddington to Penzance and Back Again by Iwantthatcoat (12K, M, Johnlock) Mrs Hudson has decided her boys need a little vacation way from London. Devil's Foot adaptation.

To Be Human by ohlooktheresabee (78K, T, Johnlock) There is a serial killer on the loose with a penchant for collecting the brains of his victims. Something about the chosen victims has Sherlock on edge.

Underground Rescue by khorazir (48K, M, Johnlock) When Sherlock goes missing, John has to play detective to find him.

Whiteout by sincewhendoyoucallme_John (37K, M, Johnlock) A documentary crew follows the Matterhorn aerial rescue team from Air Zermatt, profiling the mechanics, pilots, and paramedics as they save patients on the infamous mountain.

body and soul by simplyclockwork

Johnlock Love Letters #2328

Word count: 32,108 Chapters: 10/10 Fandom: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mike Stamford, Other Character Tags to Be Added, Original Characters, Mrs. Hudson (Sherlock Holmes), Mycroft Holmes Additional Tags: Johnlock - Freeform, Alternate Meeting, Doctor John Watson, Injury, Insecurity, Supportive John Watson, Tumblr Prompt, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Bisexual John Watson, Gay Sherlock Holmes, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Chronic Pain, First Time, sex with feels Series: Part 27 of Tumblr Inspired/Prompted Fics - Part Two Summary:

After meeting Sherlock Holmes as a patient, Doctor John Watson can’t get the intelligent, attractive consulting detective with the limp off his mind. He is determined not to overstep professional boundaries until an after-hours encounter with the man himself has John seeing things in a different light.

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Hey Anon!