Sherlock Recs: Dark!John

Fuck it, I don’t care how out of character it can seem, the idea of a John who is morally compromised in some way (dark!John) is so hot to me. I mean, this is the guy who shot a man, giggled, and then immediately went out for Chinese afterwards (as always, abundantlyqueer says it best). I think what I like about it is the idea that Sherlock looks to John for moral guidance (“Not good?” “Bit not good.”), and if John isn’t okay, how much more messed up is Sherlock going to get? I especially like it when Sherlock suffers for John’s misdeeds. Because apparently I like it when Sherlock suffers. *is a sadist and hurt/comfort junkie*

So let’s have a list! Please let me know of any I’ve missed! Almost all these are going to be John/Sherlock or gen, and most of them have either non-con or dub-con by their very nature, so please avoid this list if that’s triggering for you. I’ve tried to list warnings, but please tread carefully.

Links I found helpful in compiling this:

• this search and this search on sherlock_search


• the theme: dark!john tag on sherlock_search


• tenderly_wicked’s The Dark List recs and Dom/sub recs


• the dark!John tag on AO3


• this discussion by wellingtongoose (warning for some gruesome pictures)

( Onto the Recs! )

Back to the Sherlock Recs Masterpost: (Taxi!)

Please let me know your favorites, too (if anybody else is into this but me!). As always, I will add to this list as I read others. :)