Very well written again, Liberty. The problem with these kind of metas is that, as you say, they aren't really proper analysis of the show. It's more looking for, and therefore seeing, patterns to support an already existing view.

You can do that with anything - that's why we have various types of divination, conspiracy believers who find stuff that support their view in everything from politicial agendas to folding up a dollar bill.

It's human nature, and very easily happens when you combine a massive fandom with long hiatus.

And, as you also say, it can be fun and there is in itself nothing wrong with it.

The problem starts when this kind of "changing the environment to suit with the map" becomes gospel, and all of a sudden it's Moftiss fault for not owning or living up to their conviction of what was put in the show.

To be honest, I think Moftiss contribution to this has been quite minor. I think they have – maybe intentionally, maybe not – added some ambiguity in some of the scenes. (Battersea station comes to mind).  So, yeah, I do agree that the very idea of Johnlock is not something just dreamt up by the fandom all alone (as I understand, this has been a discussion that is way older than the BBC version).



However, I do think that TJLC is more or less purely fandom-made. They’ve taken a slight ambiguity and made it into something enormous and very, very detailed – with very little help from Moftiss. I think TJLC is fueled more by itself and the fans than by Moftiss.



I don’t think I’ve ever seen Moftiss or any of the actors hinting to a gay relationship between Sherlock and John. (“Love” doesn’t have to mean romance). The only exception is Martin’s “gayest show on television”, but I’m not quite sure about the context of that remark. It could very well be his kind of sassy humor.



Mystrade is a good example of a very popular ship that is born purely out of fandom and absolutely nothing else. And I don’t think you can imagine all the ships that happily exists in the HP-fandom – it doesn’t even limit itself to human beings (or living things). Fandom is a fascinating, and sometimes scary, entity

I think the writers can't have it both ways. They want society to be at the point where kids playing Barbie and Ken as cute and normal to also be playing Ken and Ken or Barbie and Barbie as cute and normal.
We are not there yet , but almost ,in the UK at least. They have to accept that fiction and one hundred years of shipping  played some kind of role in the civil rights steps along the way.
Shipping in parts of middle Ameriaca or Russia etc etc is still playing an important part. The day gay shipping is as trivial and normal as hetero shipping is maybe one to aim at.
They are the ones that jumped onto the ship with he might be gay Sherlock. I don't think they will or have jumped off.

Last edited by Mothonthemantel (August 1, 2016 2:16 pm)

Just this.

Yes, exactly, Vhanja.  I'm sure they've even commented on the quality of the artwork at some point (and I have to say, I'm taken aback at how very good and professional some Johnlock artwork is). 

They have said that they didn't know if Sherlock was straight or gay when they started writing him.  Maybe they know now.   But it seems that people are saying they either go for a full on romance between the leads, or they remove any reference to possibly being gay in the show.   If it's not a romance, any reference to the fact that they might be seen as a couple is "queerbaiting".  But it's not, because they do make it clear in the show (as well as outside of it), that they're not a couple, that John at least, is straight, and that this isn't the story they're telling (there's none of the back story that would explain why they aren't "out"). 

I guess we can all only speak form our own experience.
For me, from episode 2, I knew they weren't a couple and weren't going to be

We all love Sherlock Holmes.

So how do you respond to them?

Same here.

Ah, well that's better than my explanation...