#johnlock is my whole life for real

[topsyturvy-turtely]

Hiii again,

you can answer these while I reply to the other one. ;) (No, I really like these ask games)

👻 What is your wildest headcanon?

🧪 Do you research for your fics?

🎨 If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

omg hiii (i am way too excited for even more asks!!!)

or you just like me and take that as an excuse to interact with me 😜 (that's what i do lol)

👻 what is your wildest headcanon?

my wilde- *confused* what even is considered as a wild headcanon?!

i like my headcanon that sherlock calls rosie watson "flower" - that's not very wild tho xD (for example in cuddles on wattpad or day 7 of my otp challenge on tumblr)

i also like the headcanon that sherlock TOTALLY knows how to uncuff their handcuffs in the episode when they are handcuffed (i honestly don't know which episode that is rn) (also please ignore me repeating myself like 3 times in that sentence haha) - i actually wrote a little something to that headcanon xD

actually "wild headcanons" (still confused what is considered a wild hc but imma roll with it pretending i totally know) are probably that john truly is a very unreliable narrator and just makes everything up. this could range from him actually making up sherlock holmes to him marrying mary as a disguise for his true sexuality...

yk what? this question overwhelms me lets move on to the next one-

🧪 do you research your fanfics?

of course i do! i think it is kind of a must-do as a writer. even if it's only little things. you can't really make everything up... but i also kinda avoid it if possible 😬👉🏻👈🏻 haha i do like researching for fanfics most of the time tho :) way more than for school or some shit

🎨 if someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

boiiii if anyone was ever inspired by MY works to make fanart- i would legitimately die have no restrictions whatsoever. i would tell them "please do whatever the fuck you want i am honored you wanna do anything at all"

but if i reaaaally have to answer this... (which is kinda the point of this whole ask thing right?) i would love some soft johnlock cuddles on the couch (there is a scene in johnlocked in a closet) but honestly if anyone wants to draw (or whatever) sherlock as he is dying in jawnny's arms - fucking go for it!

[hazzabeeforlou]

i had a question and i hope that it doesn’t sound rude. do you feel ashamed being in the fandom and being a shipper at 32? i ask because i am 27, and have been in the fandom since 2012, off and on. i haven’t rly been in it actively for the last two years or so, but when i want to come back, i feel embarrassed. i also don’t think i could handle the stress of it tbh! lol. i hope you are well <3

I was going to answer this yesterday but then remembered I had a 7 hour drive today and didn’t want to stay up later than I already was. Because I’m an adult, with (now one) previous multiple jobs, a pet, rent, vehicle, three post high school diplomas, and student loans, and there are many things in my life I get ashamed of, like when I answer “you too” when a cashier tells me thanks for shopping or when I let a whole bag of celery go bad in my fridge without ever cleaning or eating it. Shame? At my tax dollars funding death weapons and family members voting for strong men? Sure. Latent homophobic internalized shame from my upbringing? Yeah, sometimes.

But life is too fucking short to be embarrassed or hold shame about a FANDOM. Listen, I “ship” Johnlock, or Merthur, but Larry wasn’t a ship for me it was a discovery of queer joy. Like I’m so sorry but baby Larry was real. 100%, actually, seriously legit, like how else do you fucking explain any or all of that. We watched two boys fall in love with each other and okay we don’t know the devil or the details but we have how many albums and interviews, jokes made by media personalities etc, plus the fact that now, this many years later, their solo stuff is still haunted by a nauseating back and forth, these odd lyrical choices that are echoed in the other?

Yeah it’s not a ship. It’s a thing that happened, that we witnessed, and by virtue of it happening and us witnessing it something about gay love became dreamable, reachable, attainable, soft and puppy and exciting and wild. Their secret sign language and mimed blow jobs and jealous looks and touches when they thought there were no cameras, all those things made queerness not just something you saw on Glee. Not just something your parents talked about while wrinkling their nose up about ‘those people.’ It’s a generational thing, the world has moved on, we don’t NEED Larry anymore. And that’s okay. But we don’t need it because it happened. Not to be a brat but you exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.

And yeah, we wrote fics about highly characterized and publicized versions of Larry, often inserting our own traumas or fantasies, creating a kind of gay mythos around this witnessed event from the periphery, from the lens of the consumer, the only lens we have. But I’m not ashamed of that. You think stories are only ever written about people that don’t exist? At some point you have to acknowledge that in our world, celebrities are the deities of our popular imagination. I could write a thesis, but before I get into the weeds, suffice to say Harry and Louis have created a world of what can be, unburdened by what has been.

Yk? Anyways. Hope this made you feel better. And hope you come back to visit from time to time. I’ll be here.

[super-who-locked-me-in-here]

Pieces of media my mom has seen and the popular MLM ships in them that she doesn't think are gay:

MCU - Stucky (note that she does get a kick out of Stony stuff and she believes wholeheartedly that those two hate fucked in a not-filmed scene of Avengers 2012 so this is not about her thinking "oh Captain America is so straight-laced because he's the ideal American man" or anything)

MCU - Poolverine (she's fully aware and accepting of the fact that both Logan and Wade are canonically queer characters but she thinks all the flirting Wade did with Logan in the newest movie didn't necessarily mean anything because "he talks like that to everyone". Side note though: while she believes Wade should be with Vanessa, she does think that Logan can and should shoot his shot with Wade after Vanessa inevitably dies since he and Wade are both immortal. It's just that she thinks Wade should get his happy ending with Vanessa first.)

MCU - Lokius ("Mama have you ever seen a man fix another man's tie like that" "No but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen! I wouldn't know though; it's been like 15 years since I worked a corporate job.")

Sonyverse/Marvel - Symbrock ("They literally have a symbiotic relationship. That doesn't make them gay." So I showed her the comics where Eddie calls Venom "love" and gives birth to Venom's babies and she said "Fine you win but please never show me alien man birth ever again."

Supernatural - Destiel ("They're like Steve and Bucky! They're brothers in arms! They've been through hell and back together!" Note that she only watched through season 5 but she does know about a lot of their later interactions because I told her about them)

House M.D. - Hilson ("Dot I watched that whole show and they were never anything more than good friends" "What about when House admitted to thinking about Wilson during sex? What about that whole episode where they pretended to be gay for each other to prove a point to a neighbor and Wilson proposed? What about that whole episode where Wilson had to furnish the apartment and House told him not to let a woman tell him what to do but Wilson let House tell him what to do? What about the whole ending?" "Why can't two men just be close enough friends to joke about that stuff with each other?"

Real life - Me and my best friend of the same gender orientation who I've kissed multiple times and have had a requited crush on for years that neither of us have ever persued for logistical reasons (I literally used me and this friend to try and prove my mom wrong about Stucky and Destiel. I asked her if she thought me and this friend were like brothers and she said yes with a straight face)

Sherlock - Johnlock (to be fair this is the BBC ship name, but she doesn't think any iteration of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are the slightest bit gay. "They're business partners and roommates.")

Our Flag Means Death - BlackHands (Should go ahead and say that I'm not really a BlackHands shipper myself; we both really enjoyed Stede and Ed's romance in the show. BUT it takes so much away from Izzy's character and his development if you don't acknowledge that he was jealous of Stede and in love with Ed, at least a little. My mom thought Izzy was just an extremely loyal first mate.)

Also, for the record, I'm not trying to call my mom out as homophobic. I'm queer and so are two of my siblings and she's very supportive of us. There are gay romcoms she enjoys like Our Flag Means Death and Red, White, and Royal Blue. The reason I'm making this list is because I think it's really funny how she doesn't understand the concept of queerbaiting (not that all of the above listed ships are queerbaiting). She thinks things are either explicitly straight or explicitly queer (whether it's gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc) and cannot comprehend the idea that some character relationships are deliberately pushing the boundaries of straight friendships into queer relationships to get more minority viewers and I think her explanations are funny.

[curlyjohnlock]

Hi,

I'm new to this. I'm genuinely curious how johnlock fandom happened. I watched sherlock and didn't notice any chemistry between them. I'm just trying to understand. And how do you feel about Ben and Martin not liking each other in real life? Thanks.

Hello anon!

The Johnlock fandom was born long before BBC Sherlock aired. I think there was a speculation about them in the late 1800s but, obviously, talking about homosexuals was out of the question at the time. But the ship took off in 2010, when it all started.

I have met several people in the fandom who told me they didn't notice anything romantic between the two at first viewing, but then they had to change their minds with rewatches.

Now, it must be said that the characters themselves constantly imply that the two of them behave like a couple.

1. Mrs Hudson

From the first moment, in A Study in Pink, she believes that Sherlock has brought his new 'boyfriend' home.

In The Empty Hearse, she can't believe that John is now engaged to a woman.

"So soon after Sherlock?"

"Hmm... well, yes."

"What's his name?"

"It's a woman."

"A wOmAn?!?" and then she laughs. She sounds rather incredulous, perhaps believing he is moking her.

"You really have moved on, haven't you?"

2. Mycroft

Nobody knows Sherlock better than Mycroft. In A Study in Pink, when he meets John for the first time, he says: "Might we expect a happy announcement by the end of the week?" and literally Sherlock and John met the DAY BEFORE! Why would Mycroft bother stalking a poor army doctor if he doesn't believe that Sherlock could be attracted to him? 🤷🏼‍♀️

In The Final Problem, Mycroft already knew that Sherlock would sacrifice him and save John. Sherlock loves John more than Mycroft, AND HE'S HIS OWN BROTHER!

3. Angelo [the restaurant owner in A Study in Pink (although I prefer the one in the Unaired Pilot, better known as the Gay Pilot)].

Angelo has known Sherlock for years, and why would he make Sherlock attractive to John? "Hey, you know this macho guy got me out of prison?" "OH! Wait! I'll get you a phallus candle, that'll be very romantic. 🥰😍😛"

4. Donovan

In The Great Game, when Sherlock finds the abandoned car, Donovan says to John: "I see you're still hanging around him. Opposites attract, I suppose."

This one may not be the best example, but it's worth including.

5. Irene Adler

My God that woman. She's in love with Sherlock, and that's fine. Who wouldn't fall in love with Sherlock or his brain? But she also knows that Sherlock only has his heart set on John. In A Scandal in Belgravia, when they go to her house, she immediately says to Sherlock: "And somebody loves you. If I had to punch that face, I'd avoid your nose and teeth too."

Then, when John goes to Battersea and meets her, she asks: "Are you jealous?"

"We're not a couple."

"Yes, you are."

Again, she met them for literally 3 minutes and immediately realised it!

6. Mary

Mary should hate Sherlock to death (and I'm still convinced that she never liked Sherlock).

What was that proverb again? Respect the owner's dog for your own sake. It means: like the dog to please the owner. Or something like that.

In this case, the owner is John and the dog is Sherlock. It's obvious that at a certain point Mary starts shipping them, almost as if she doesn't really care about John.

7. Magnussen

In His Last Vow, Magnussen meets Sherlock and John for a few minutes, and immediately tells them: "You two are sooo domesticated." Later in the episode, he tells Sherlock that John is "your damsell in distress."

I hope this was exhaustive from Johnlock's point of view! Maybe try looking at it from another point of view and rewatch the whole serie. At that point, if you're still not convinced, it's okay, anon, we don't bite!

Moving on to Benedict and Martin... we all know that Martin has a particular character and that he has trouble getting along with literally anyone, but I don't believe the newspapers. They are journalists, they HAVE to cause a SCANDAL!! Otherwise no one would read them. They take sentences from a completely different context and pass them off as true. Take for example when it was said that Benedict had called Martin 'pathetic.'

There is a video of this interview. The presenter asked Benedict to drink tea the way Martin drinks it, Benedict imitates him and then says 'pathetic', but it is not strictly intended to refer to Martin.

I know for a fact that Martin took it out on Benedict when he got married to Sophie Hunter, just because he didn't invite Martin to his wedding. On the same day, Amanda reported Martin's tantrums on twitter!!! 🤣🤣

Anyway! Even if the rumors were true, it doesn't matter. It's their problem, not ours.

Yes, it may upset us as fans, but these two are real people in the real life.

I'll conclude with this. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me again! And anyone is welcome to comment on this or ask me anything. 👋🏻

[sherlockholmes-real]

Kinktober day 4- Under the Table

Sherlock BBC- Johnlock

Sherlock had this strange habit of claiming himself bored and just flinging himself across John's lap. This usually ended up with Sherlock asleep in John's lap, either that or both of them equally fucked out.

On the rare occasion that Sherlock would decide he wants to really get to John, he does something while he is working. Most of the time, John works by himself, but every now and then, he has to have a meeting or interview for his blog.

Today, he decided he'd bring in Lestrade for an interview. It'd be real quick and just a few words from him on their latest crime. Once Lestrade knocked on their door, John brought him over to where his desk was, and the two sat down together.

The way John's desk was, the back was fully closed on the bottom, and he pulled himself into the desk. He bumped into something but mostly just ignored it. "So, Greg, what did you do to contribute to the latest murder solved?" John asked him. He then felt a hand on his thigh. He glanced down and saw a devious looking Sherlock. Fuck. This is gonna he the longest interview of his life.

This seemed to be a kink of Sherlocks. Something about the fear of getting caught got him aroused. Maybe it's the adrenalin junkie in him.

Lestrade finally answered, "Oh well, you know, Sherlock really does all the stuff my team should be doing." He groans.

John laughs lightly, Sherlocks hands trailing up his thighs and to his belt. "Uhm," John pauses, "Yes, but you still help with the basic information and stuff like that." His belt was being unbuckled. He was already half hard, and as much as he hated to admit it, he got off on this, too.

"Yes, my team does all that, you know, we get the cases, and then when we can't deal with it, we usually bring it to the two of you."

John hums in response, Sherlock pulled John dick from his pants and puts his mouth around it, licking a stripe from his balls all the way to the tip. John groans lightly, Lestrade gives him a strange look. "Everything alright?" He asks.

"Yes!" John's eyes dodge, "er, and just one more question." Sherlocks lips remain on the head, his hand going between stroking John's cock to fondling his balls.

Lestarade nods, and John starts to speak quietly, "Do you enjoy your job?" John sort of draws out the last sylablle of the word 'job' as he asks it. He feels Sherlock swirl his tongue on it. How Lestrade doesn't hear this is a miracle.

"Oh yes, I love my job," he nods and pauses, "helping people and stuff is very nice, and the pay is good." He draws off his sentence then looks around, "where is Sherlock anyway?" He asks. John panics slightly.

"Uhm, I'm not sure, anyways you can go now. That's all I needed." John says quickly, trying to get Lestrade out of here.

"Oh," he sounds a bit sad, "Uhm, alright." He stands up and smiles awkwardly at John, "Bye then." John waves at him as he exits.

"My god, Sherlock, you're such a prick." John looks down at him, shoving both his hands into his brown locks.

Sherlock pops off for a moment, "You're so hot when you're trying to act normal, John." He then goes back down onto John, deep throating his whole cock. At this point John was basically already done for, after a couple more times of Sherlock going down on his cock he came into the tallers mouth.

John pulls Sherlock up from underneath the table and places a kiss to his lips tasting his own cum, he doesn't mind much though, he'd kiss Sherlock regardless. Forever and always.

~~~

Sorry it's a day late, you guys, I'm on vacation 😭 October is always a hectic month for me.

[thegayestdiaz]

this whole 911 thing is wild to me as someone who has been stung badly with other shows / ships. I mean if John had been actually confirmed as bi on Sherlock I don’t think anyone would’ve thought he wasn’t gonna eventually get with Sherlock lol but also that half assed destiel thing does exist so maybe my expectations were too high

DONT get me started on johnlock i might just go into shock. if john or dean had been confirmed bi that would’ve been like confirming johnlock and destiel because who else would they be in love with other than the person they think hung the stars and the moon? all these ‘best friends’ who were so Not Normal about each other have taken years off my life. the way we always have to keep our expectations on the ground because what if a character confesses and goes to super-mega-forever hell? like imagine buck confesses and then one of them fucking dies 😭?

that got off topic but yeah buck even getting a queer arc already puts this show leagues ahead of anything that’s ever queerbaited us, so making buddie happen should be considered a real possibility

[livingasaghost]

it's actually sooo annoying that there are now shows like our flag means death that are like so queer friendly and are literally built around queer identity and queer romance because the creators are mostly all queer or queer-adjacent and so those stories get told (mostly) the way they deserve, with real queer plots and payoff and it's a new phenomenon!!! like just by making a few heartstoppers or a couple good omens my brain has now started to believe that we can have queer media! and i seem to forget that for the early half of my life any and all queer shipping in media was delusional and unlikely and never going to happen. because there are shows like loki that are not made for queer people and it's actually the norm! it's always been like this! and yet the queer audience are the driving force behind the whole fucking show and it's like we've timetravelled back to 2011 when you could only HC a gay ship bc there's no way it would ever be real on screen. and it's like okay! i get it! you don't want two guys kissing on a disney show! but you're telling me you don't even kIND OF get some fruity vibes from those two guys??? like it's so insane to think that if another studio headed up the loki show or if they'd hired (more?) queer writers or they had the freedom and capacity to do it Less Disney it could have been something else? like god that's so sad and unfair and it's no wonder being queer was so hard and sad when i was growing up like even if you saw the Queerness in some piece of media, the creators would turn right around and gaslight you and tell you that you're insane to believe you see a glint in the eyes of two men and now in the year of our lorde 2023 i have to admit that i finally finally understand the johnlock shippers and oh my god guys you were so brave wtf

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hey Steph, hope you are doing great. I sent you a request for internalized homophobia John ficrecs a while ago, accidentally as anon because it had been years since I last used Tumblr and clearly I have a hard time keeping up haha.

Anyways, while I patiently wait for your answer, I just wanted to send you some love because I got back into the fandom last December after years of pushing it aside, and it's been a wonderful experience of coming to terms with what fanfiction meant for me when it was a part of my life as a teenager. Your blog, which I found so quickly googling "johnlock fic recs", really facilitated the whole process of finding fics that could speak to me, and that reminded me why I used to love fanfiction so much.

I was just listening to "Probably Me" by Sting on the subway and thoughts it was such a Johnlock coded song and might be a great fit for your playlist. (I think this was the original intention for my message, and it kind of turned into something else haha.)

In other words, thank you :)

[Verse 1: Sting] If the night turned cold and the stars looked down And you hug yourself on the cold cold ground You wake the morning in a stranger's coat No one would you see You ask yourself, who's watched for me My only friend, who could it be It's hard to say it I hate to say it, but it's probably me

[Verse 2: Sting] When your belly's empty and the hunger's so real And you're too proud to beg and too dumb to steal You search the city for your only friend No one would you see You ask yourself, who's watched for me A solitary voice to speak out and set me free I had to say it I hate to say it, but it's probably me

[Bridge: Sting] You're not the easiest person I ever got to know And it's hard for us both to let our feelings show Some would say I should let you go your way You'll only make me cry If there's one guy, just one guy Who'd lay down his life for you and die I Hate to say It I hate to say it, but it's probably me

[Verse 3: Sting] When the world's gone crazy and it makes no sense There's only one voice that comes to your defense And the jury's out and your eyes search the room And one friendly face is all you need to see If there's one guy, just one guy Who'd lay down his life for you and die I Hate to say it I hate to say it, but it's probably me

[Outro: Sting] I hate to say it I hate to say it, but it's probably me I hate to say it I hate to say it, but it's probably me I hate to say it I hate to say it, but it's probably me

[Lyrics from Genius.com]

=====

Hi Lovely!

First of all, thank you so much for your lovely ask! I really am SO honoured you think so highly of my blog, and that it is a source of great enjoyment for you!

Secondly, I DID get your ask, and I have enough for a new list, so it is being saved for a Sunday posting! I ADORE when people give me asks I've already got lists for, so thank you!

And finally, THANK YOU for this playlist suggestion!! It's a great song for them for sure! *HUGS* Cheers!!

🎶 LISTEN TO THE JOHNLOCK PLAYLIST ON [SPOTIFY] & [YOUTUBE] 🎶

[moriarty1234]

T*LC Refutation (but decidedly NOT Johnlock refutation, because that definitely was a thing.)

Part- 1: Introduction.

[Note: I love and ship johnlock because I saw it for myself in the show when I watched it and was part of the general audience in the past. I even want it to become canon in some Holmes adaption in the future. But T*lc needs to get sucked into obscurity and forgotten. Other fandoms like Good Omens, etc., are following the same rhetoric in their "meta" posts, and that needs to go. This is crucial for our basic critical thinking skills and objectivity.]

Alright, folks. Let's talk about the logical fallacies, and how most of the t*lc metas are flawed to their core.

Not to beat the dead horse here, but I entered the fandom in late 2021 (after having watched BBC Sherlock a year ago). I'd started to ship Johnlock as soon as I entered the fandom (because that's what I saw on the show independently, as part of the general audience in the past, even though it was on a subconscious level at first).

I discovered T*LC in December, watched and read metas about it, became a T*LCer myself (albeit briefly - for like a month or two), and then I grew out of it.

I grew out of T*LC because while the meta posts were seemingly clever, I always thought there was something off with most of them. I didn't have much vocabulary related to critical thinking skills back then (because English is not my first language), so I couldn't put my finger on exactly what was wrong with them.

I reluctantly and falsely assumed they must be right just because I couldn't come up with effective counter-arguments then (what a flawed way of thinking). I just thought that this thing (t*lc) was not my cup of tea (ha!).

I continued to ship Johnlock though. I still do it wholeheartedly. I'm no longer part of the BBC Sherlock fandom, but I do still ship Holmes/Watson enthusiastically in various other Sherlock Holmes adaptations.

In the meantime (i.e., from when I dropped the idea of t*lc like a hot potato to the day I decided to exit this fandom for good), I did a lot of research.

Research related to what the fandom used to be like throughout different eras when the show was still on air (through sources such as old posts on Tumblr/other social media platforms, Sarah Z and hbomberguy's videos on t*lc and the actual show criticism respectively), and also research about how the rhetoric of most conspiracy theorists looks and sounds. I've read about articles on science vs pseudo-science as well (I come from a science background myself, so those articles were helpful as a refresher for me).

I also read a lot about cult psychology and how it can be used effectively to lure anyone in.

T*lc checks all the boxes of flawed ways of thinking, various logical fallacies used to prove or disprove something, pseudoscience, a typical conspiracy theorist's rhetoric, and a cult group's way of thinking in real life.

When I use these terms, I do not throw them around lightly. I've read a lot about this along with my friend, let's call them Kim. For context, Kim also comes from a science background. They ship johnlock too.

I know the comparison of T*lc with a religious cult in real life has been done to death, and same is the case with the comparison of t*lc with any other outlandish conspiracy theory out there. It's just that I've been bottling up my thoughts and feelings on this thing for way too long. I can't do that anymore. Just bear with me if you find something repetitive.

Kim and I read about all these things on the internet, had a lot of long discussions for months altogether, and now I've personally decided to share our conclusions with anyone out there who stumbles upon this post.

This blog is a few days old, and I'm the only person behind this, so I don't have many followers just yet. I'm not even expecting anything from anyone. If you see this post, I just want you to read it with an open mind and act according to your judgement afterwards.

Now that we have the whole context with us, let's begin.

Part- 2 : What's wrong with their actual meta posts?

T*LC (but NOT Johnlock as a whole) refutation master post.

[johnlockrdj]

While remembering all Johnlock scenes from Game of Shadows, I thought more about the chess scene with Moriarty- and OMG I JUST UNDERSTOOD WHAT HOLMES REALLY MEANT WITH HIS WORDS:

"His advantage: my injury. My advantage: his rage"

I think there are 2 meanings under those words. First one, obviously, is that Holmes meant the advantages of both Sherlock and Moriarty in the fight that happened right after his words.

But another meaning is much more complicated. As he said, Moriarty's advantage is Holmes' injury. And by "injury", Holmes meant not only a physical wound(on his shoulder). But to understand it we have to understand the meaning of injury:

Injury -hurt, damage, or loss sustained. And it is usually vulnerable to more damage. And it can be both physical and psychological.

Now the second meaning of Holmes' words is connected to a psychological wound. By "my injury" he meant Watson- his heart was injured by John's marriage and his feelings were vulnerable now, because his sadness was too immense to hide it. Moriarty found his injury and tries to damage it, causing Holmes pain. And because Moriarty found it, Holmes says that "his advantage-my injury" meaning that Moriarty's advantage is Holmes' vulnerable spot, his injury- Watson. He can cause him pain by hurting Watson.

However, Holmes has his own advantage-"Moriarty's rage". By this he meant that Moriarty was so obsessed with going after Watson and trying to hurt him to affect Holmes, that he didn't think that Sherlock can have other ways to save John. Moriarty was smart enough to assume that Holmes can throw both of them into the cliff- but he didn't think that Holmes would sacrifice himself, because he was too blinded by his rage and lack of love to understand it.

All of this follows to a fight in their minds. And when you think about what they were saying during the fight, it all makes sense: they were describing their strategies during the whole movie! First, Holmes tried to stop Moriarty(saved Doctor Hoffmanstahl who had to be killed, stole the letter from Adler and etc.), and in their "mind-fight" Holmes attacked first too. Then Moriarty said "You think you are the only one who can play this game" and then he damages Holmes' wound, while saying "Target weakness". And this physical damage to Holmes' wound during the fight is parallel to Moriarty threatening Watson. Then ,in the fight, Moriarty tries to punch him on the wound(a.k.a. Watson) several times, but fails- this describes when Moriarty tried to hurt Watson many times, but Holmes dodged the attack. And Holmes cannot attack properly , because Moriarty is causing him pain by hurting his wound- and this describes how Holmes can't openly act against Moriarty since he started threatening Watson's life. Holmes even says "As I feared, injury makes defense untenable". Then Moriarty drags Holmes on to the edge of the balcony, with Holmes saying "Prognosis-increasingly negative"- and here Holmes meant that he understood that if they continue to fight, Moriarty will be able kill Watson one day, so Holmes chose to sacrifice himself to save Watson- and this is the real end of the game and the fight.

I thought a lot about the accuracy of my explanation, while rewatching the fight scene again and again, and I think it is quite accurate because Holmes said those words right after Moriarty threatened Watson's life again and the fight is a parallel to all his actions.

Even a simple sentence in this movie can have such a deep meaning, and it is one of the things that makes Game of Shadows unique and brilliant!

[gregorovitch-adler]

The codependency in Johnlock-

I was thinking about this today.

In Many Happy Returns, John says, "I can tell you what to do. You can stop being dead."

He's drinking a lot and he still hasn't moved past the 'please stop being dead' thing since TRF. Everyone else has moved on with their lives but John is still stuck at that point. He's still grieving deeply even after two years.

If Sherlock hadn't returned to London, if he'd actually died, John would've been fixated on that thing for the rest of his life. Sure, he started dating Mary and was going to propose to her in that restaurant but I really don't think he would've been quite invested in that relationship with her

(He's not invested in that relationship with her even in Sherlock's presence but still. You get my point.)

If Sherlock had died, he would've just drunk a lot, with sleepless nights, self blaming, survivor's guilt, etc and his suicidal tendencies would've returned.

He would've married Mary, life would've continued normally (on the surface) and at one point John would've come to about Mary's criminal record. He would've still got to know about that even in that situation because of CAM (or through some other source).

Double heartbreak. John would've been completely alone in this whole world.

He doesn't get along with Harry, he doesn't mention his parents at all- probably they're not in the picture- and he doesn't have any other friends apart from Sherlock. Mike tried to reach out him in ASIP but John's response, in turn, was quite cold.

He wasn't quite keen on continuing his profession as a GP (we'd seen that much in The Blind Banker). He would've gone to his new clinic for some time but he would've done his job in a half-arsed way.

He didn't have any other hobbies either. He'd stopped updated his blog after Sherlock's supposed death.

I believe if Sherlock had died for real with no possibility of coming back, it's quite a high possibility that John would've committed suicide, eventually.

The same thing happens in Series 3. John gets married. Sherlock's drug addiction has relapsed.

J-What kind of case would need you doing this?

S-I might as well ask you why you’ve started cycling to work. (X)

This theme is surprisingly carried over to S4 as well even if that season doesn't feel connected to the rest of the show.

John abandons Sherlock after Mary's death. Sherlock is high out of his mind, weeks away from death, he's going crazy in 221 B.

John is at his own place in The Lying Detective, drinking way too much once again, clearly not okay. He's just this 👌🏻 close to dying as well. (He's grieving for Mary but lack of Sherlock's presence is also a contributory factor).

John has pushed Sherlock away himself and he's actively hating on him in this episode but he even in that state he obviously needs Sherlock (he'd never admit it but it's quite clear that he does).

John's desperation was obvious in the beginning of His Last Vow too.

J-Is it Sherlock Holmes you're looking for? Because I haven't seen him in ages.

M- A month.

He's visibly angry and frustrated at literally everyone who's NOT Sherlock. He's dying to meet him even if it's only been a month since his wedding day.

So what I'm trying to say is, as much as I love Johnlock, I can't overlook this unbelievable amount of codependency in their relationship. It's unhealthy but fun to have a close look at.

You try separating them from each other, they'll become physically miserable and they will throw themselves in front of fatal danger which would eventually lead to their death in quite a short period of time.

I used to think that 'I can't live without you' was supposed to be a cliché. Just an exaggeration that people say to their significant others.

Apparently that's not the case with Sherlock and John. It becomes quite literal when these two are concerned.

Conclusion- If you write a Holmes adaptation or a story, you don't ever seperate Holmes and Watson from each other. You do that and you watch them die (for real, this isn't even an exaggeration).

D'you know what's actually frustrating?

It's the fact that the creators of this show already knew about this. They were the ones who wrote their version of Holmes and Watson like that and the above mentioned subplots are taken from their show. They wrote it in that way themselves. The codependency and everything.

And yet they did exactly that. Separate Holmes from his Watson, that is (in TST and TLD).

They broke the rules of their own show and that's why here I am, ranting about the show even in 2023 lol.

[textualviolence]

um what else am i currently or have ever been ashamed of or felt pressure to disavow ummm...

i liked good omens both seasons. Writing on season two couldve been better but those two actors have good chemistry & comedic timing its entertaining to watch them on screen and the little cringe love story did tug at my heartstrings a little like i do care what happens to them.

I was also very much a bbc sherlock fan during the peak of tjlc and i believed in it with all my heart and when the last episode of s4 came out i was in denial for 4 months and then i pretended id never heard of the show in my life for the following few years...hbomberguy made a whole video calling me a stupid idot loser for falling for it and it felt like a knife to the heart. & you know what i rewatched it recently with a lightened soul & no karmic debt & now recognize the pain behind the vitriol cause he was clearly also a disappointed fan though i could not see that at the time. maybe not tjlc who's to say but he loved bbc sherlock & hated himself for that once the last episode came out and we all realised it was bad its pretty obvious in the way he talks about steven moffat like an ex-lover who betrayed him. But i think its not even bad i still like it ill rewatch it and have a good time,

and yes i am a johnlock shipper. those ugly british men have a handle on my psyché though with the shifting tides im feeling like i would enjoy a wider range of pairings and themes from that show. I am generally very susceptible to outside influence when it comes to these things its part of why i find it hard to ignore when the trends oscillate wildly between loving something absolutely and hating it with a passion i find it very tiring because i feel it in my heart as if the urge came from the inside...sometimes something is just okay and its okay to like it an average amount without having to wildly overcorrect to atone for having liked it more than it deserved. maybe i was too intense about bbc sherlock and got my heart broken even though it was obvious i was projecting something that was not there on a cryptic blank screen, and so it is mostly my own fault but i don't have to hate myself for it either its all fine.

Loving something a little too much and being heartbroken when you realise it wasn't actually what you thought is painful but its part of life its not something to bury into the earth its fine....and im uncool to the extreme ive never been cool not once in my life im sort of embarrassing in most of the things i do and say and thats okay too i don't have to change because i can't anyways and besides its not hurting anyone. I'm literally a theater kid and theres something very freeing about being in the middle of a gaggle of nerds well sort of like being a tumblr blogger but the two balance each other out. I can't be cool on here because im a theater kid to my core in real life in the hamilton fan sort of way and i can't be cool in really life because im literally a tumblrina of the superwholock variety and in both there is a kind of peace and relief knowing that i will never have to be cool and am always lamer than most people around me at least in my heart of hearts...

[broomsticks]

me, seeing if i can bait anyone into diving into BL fandom drama with me 😈

transcript (pdf) here

v interesting episode bringing together some really different perspectives! podcast hosts are australia-based academics who usually focus on china politics—i haven’t listened to any other episodes but they’re definitely on my to-do.

they also brought on an american(?) scholar of chinese history/ art history lecturer at HKU, who reads fanfiction and is interested in chinese tv dramas from the state censorship/regulation pov — and a(n asian?) BL (+ thorki, johnlock, etc) fanfic author 幻想症患者 (love the nick. means smth like ‘suffers from delusions’)

it’s no easy feat to be the lone fanfic writer in this discussion, to have to fairly represent the many aspects to these really complex issues, and there were a couple of rather - honestly not even fandom 101, more like fandom 100-level type questions you’d only get from people with no fandom experience.

on the whole though the hosting was good, you can tell the hosts did a lot of prep on the untamed show and the controversies re. the actor and his fans/his real-life fans fandom

though, on that note, i thought the discussion was a bit muddled between these different groups of ‘fan/fandom’. i have no doubt that everybody in the discussion was clear that these were separate things and which they were talking about at any point in time, just maybe didn’t have the language to signpost/ organize it more clearly, but i could’ve used more structure imo.

• • •

i especially appreciated huanxiang’s point about how (very grossly paraphrased) there is safety and protection and freedom in nicheness and obscurity and (less grossly paraphrased) drama draws unnecessary attention from outsiders who don’t understand fandom - particularly this bit:

I would be very, very careful to link [fandom trends and phenomena to anything (LGBTQ issues etc) in real life], not that it cannot be done. But please don't do that before like, before you have finished like 100, 200 BL novels or something like that with like a full understanding of the space

understanding before judgment! please! yes!

but also — while n=1 is just that, n=1, but i’d be lying if i said i didn’t giggle a little at the undertone of the cultural value(?) that attention, standing out, is a negative thing and viewed with this like default-aversion/suspicion. idk

that said, my main thought re. this hesitation wrt people who don't belong to this community and understand the norms of this community wasn’t so much kinks and fantasies and premier zhou/chairman mao RPF, but rather not showing celebrities rpf of themselves / creators fic of their characters. neither type of wank is great, obviously, and the two types do often go hand in hand, but i’d almost rather wank be brought into the community than leak out of it

• • •

another point alluded to (not really discussed) on the pod that might be new to western media fandomgoers/ my usual mutual circle is that the untamed netflix tv show originated as original fiction published on a site that hosts both OF and FF both pay- and free-to-read. there were fan translations and all, that were taken down after official translation rights were sold (there is a lot of wank & drama on this issue. a lot.)

a 2019 censorship crackdown on the site, unrelated to (predating) the untamed/xiao zhan controversy discussed on the pod

anyway, point being - the coexistence of the two camps — intended-for-commercialization amateur fiction, presumably sanitized and lowest-common-denominator and all that, and niche not intended for wider popularity-type writing — is fascinating. good to know that they can stably coexist in some form, given how much concern there often is re. commercialization of fanworks that the former will outcompete the latter!

• • •

BY FAR THE BEST TAKE - MY FAVE part of the podcast - was dr angie baecker’s response to the question is BL (response is also applicable to slash fic) subversive?

BL is and can be an extremely subversive space. But I also think BL can replicate a lot of structures that are not subversive. I also want to draw attention to the fact that many people in the LGBTQ community, some enjoy BL, some read it, some don't, some hate it.

when you have largely straight women writing romances about gay couples without having much access to knowledge about what those relationships are like, I think that there is [huge potential] for misunderstandings about queer identities and the LGBT community

It can be really freeing to see [to see the range of different types of M/M relationships], to explore not just homosexuality, but also homosociality

But at the same time, when you have such an emphasis on the male relationships, like everyone in the Untamed is a gay man or in an M/M relationship, that often comes at the cost of erasing a lot of female characters. And so you have this drama that may have started in some ways from the lack of agency given to female characters, but then it replicates a lot of the erasure of women as centres of agency within stories, too. So, I think it can be subversive, yes. And it could be very unsubversive, actually.

definitely some food for thought there. obligatory (and i do mean it!!) preface that fandom is not meaningful activism, does not have to be, you are not a bad person for not engaging with it — but i do wonder… in my view, there’s an element of - ‘with how oppressive the power structures of mainstream media, wider society, etc can be… why not take the opportunity to push back against them a little, here in this space where we can?’

• • •

also had a laugh at dr baecker’s unfortunately prescient prediction, their hesitation, that while I feel like right now we're really on the cusp of a rising trend in terms of seeing BL represented in pop culture - we're only going to see more and more of it -

I am a little worried that there might be some kind of like a foreclosing of this space because there's always this kind of Icarus phenomenon of when something gets too popular, right, it gets clipped back a little bit. So, I do worry about that.

😬 hahaha. that aged well.

• • •

misc pieces of fun fandom drama:

whether character name tags should include diacritics/tone marks! on the side of no: convenience - up until recently, tone marks wouldn’t autocomplete correctly. and for all the incorrectness, it’s not (any more) ambiguous. on the yes side: tone marks are objectively (more) correct. does their omission amount to racism?

it seems like (some sections of?) chinese webnovel fandom apparently have the fandom culture of not messing with the creator’s stated preferences — not just canon ships, but sexual preferences (topping and bottoming). fascinating!! fandom etiquette 👀

[somebody-already-took-this-url]

Tag 9 People You Want To Get To Know Better

I was tagged by @zackinpink !!! thank u for the tag, ily bestie<3

Three Ships:

Swanqueen

Regina and Emma were directly responsible for 13 year old me being comfortable admitting I liked girls. Regina Mills has been at the center of who I am for over a decade, and I don’t think I’ll ever let her go. These two are part of me, and I love them so much. Plus me and Emma share a birthday, and the show came out the day after my 13th birthday so it basically belonged to me (in my adolescent brain). They also are responsible for making me become obsessed with the enemies to friends to lovers dynamic haha (I am mentally unwell)

Mumbroom

This is my biggest ship for The Worst Witch 2017 fandom, I absolutely ADORE Hecate and I love her with Julie more than anything!!! It’s not as popular as some other ships in the fandom, but I kind of like that it’s just me and a few other people who ship it tbh. I like the dynamic of a witch dating a non magical, and I love mumbroom specifically because while Julie is Mildred’s actual mom, Hecate sort of becomes Mildred’s school mom while Millie attends Cackles Academy.

Mystrade

I think this ship started out as a bit of a crack ship??? Not just for me, but for the whole BBC Sherlock fandom really. But it very quickly became just as real as johnlock (Sherlock x John) and even though it was never quite as popular, is still my favourite BBC Sherlock ship. Mycroft has always been my fav character from the show, and I think he deserves happiness! Plus Greg is one of the most wholesome characters in the entire show, and even though he has very little scene interaction with Mycroft, they still somehow make so much sense.

First ship: Swanqueen & Snamione (these happened basically simultaneously). Is snamione embarrassing? Yes. Moving on now thanks

Last song: Bringin’ Back Christmas by Ryan Reynolds from the new movie musical Spirited 🫢 guys this is so embarrassing I’m sorry… I actually really enjoyed this movie tho💔

Last movie: Thunder Force (2021) with Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer!!! It’s so sososo good btw, I’ve seen it a bunch of times lol. I watched it a couple days ago with my mom, it’s such a funny movie! I’ve also watched The Addams Family & Addams Family Values in the last week, but those are total classics that I’ve also seen a million times before lol. I love movies!

Currently reading: The Ministry of Unladylike Activity by Robin Stevens! It’s not as good as the Murder Most Unladylike series but it’s still a good addition to the world she’s built in her previous series.

Currently watching: Emergence. I watched it when it first started airing on tv in 2019, but I’m rewatching it with my aunt :) I love you Allison Tolman!!!

Currently drinking: water! I’m sick so I need to drink a lot of fluids

Currently craving: peace and quiet… my little cousin decided I needed noise in my life 😔

Tagging! Ignore this if u want btw Idc<3

@vampiralia

@booitsrue

@avalonmoonshinesstuff

@theanxiousenglishmajor

@txciaz

@severusobserver

@morewinepls

@onecolorgirl

@fortyflightower

[zz-kennedy]

HOLY SHIT Jawn is wielding the Dawnbreaker 🫰🫰

I'd love Sherlock as the dragonborn, but John would be a better fit, at least in my gaming style . After a serious leg wound, he was discharged from the Imperial legion until a disheveled stranger came stumbling into his life, claiming Dragons were alive again.

Sherlock would be great as part of The Companions or a mysterious mage from Winterhold's College (though I prefer the latter).

How does Sherlock know the dragons are back? Mycroft, as one of the Greybeards, would be awesome, asking for help from his little brother and giving him the details of a possible dragon born who was recently spotted in Whiterun.

Also, the dawnbreaker 👀👀, I can only think of 'John the conductor of light'. Technically, for you to retrieve the sword, you have to replace Meridia's beacon, guide, and restore the shrine's light.

Maybe some Johnlock tea with Mary as one of the Blades, trying to exterminate dragons such as Paathurnax and Odahviing, although they are allies to the dragonborn and his comrades. Mycroft is always grateful to John for not murdering his master.

For a little twist, Lestrade and company would be great as the Dark Brotherhood. They were being misled by Anderson's delusions until the real listener, the dragonborn, appeared through Aventino's quest.

I loved skyrim's DLC's, but Hearthfire is my favorite, I can imagine Sherlock helping John build the Lakeview Manor for them to live in. John being moved by the orphans' stories and adopting them. (Sofie and Blaise, poor things, they always break my heart).

Let's say someone else can be the leader of a specific guild, Sherlock, as the Archmage of Winterhold's College. I mean, it would be the next right step for him. After the whole Magnus' (jeje) eye ordeal, he would be a right fit. The top student becomes the new dean, who wants people to stop being afraid and judging those who practice magic. It's better, unlike the Canon storyline where the dragonborn (who barely knows one spell) becomes the archmage.

Either vampire or werewolf Sherlock, buuut he is not trying to find a cure for either one he embraces what he's become. Sherlock is afraid once John finds out he will leave, because you know in game nordics we're a bit hateful of everything different. It is on one of his transformation nights that John finds out he's appalled at first. However, as the night moves on, he doesn't leave. He stays by his side, helping Sherlock through whatever challenge comes their way. They don't talk about how he became a beast, John accepts him, and the past doesn't really matter for him.

Oh, I could go on for ages with this AU. It's my favorite by far. 🫰🫰

- What is THAT…? - Dragon. - I thought they were legends… - Obviously not. I needed a SkyrimXSherlock. this is important to me.

[battyblog]

Gaylor and online queer spaces

This blog post is inspired by the (kind of) recent New York Times article speculating about Taylor Swift’s sexuality and the so-called ‘Gaylor’ conspiracy. Ethically it is undeniable that this, very public, speculation on a person's sexuality is invasive and dehumanising. Yet, as a society we are obsessed with 'uncovering’ celebrities' sexualities – look at the recent events and outing of Billie Eilish. Queer or presumed so, celebrities who do not choose to come out are subject to gross examination and pressure to divulge such a personal aspect of life as their sexual preference. It is a culmination of para-social relationships, celebrity culture and the taboo secrecy that still surrounds sexuality.  

Taylor Swift is the undisputed queen of para-social relationships. Her personal lyrics in songs have created a fanbase that feels entitled to know her deepest feelings and desires. Other than the obvious lack of boundaries here, another issue I have with the ‘Gaylor’ theorising is how it reduces queerness to stereotypes. Taylor refusing to speak on the subject has led her rabid fans to analyse everything she does and create their own queer narrative. This does reflect the queer experience of meeting someone you’re attracted to and trying to figure out if they're interested, or vice versa trying to outwardly express your sexuality. But it's not like TS is walking around with the tiger rainbow tote bag, she just follows trends, it’s not her fault that lesbians have the coolest style.  

How is this not homophobic? This theorising reduces sapphic sexuality to fashion choices.  

Another celebrity that is surrounded with online speculation over their sexuality is Harry Styles, discussing him and Taylor feels like I’m really poking the hornets' nest. But he is another artist that capitalises on the excitement surrounding sexuality rumours. Again, no one should ever come out if they don’t want to, but it brings into question, if these celebrities really were so unwilling to be seen publicly as gay, why are they still willing to capitalise on the speculation? Either or, baby! Profiting off this cloud of speculation is greedy, this breathes life into these conspiracies, how could a celebrity morally do this? Your fave pop princess would never lead fans on just so they can make money. These celebrities can wave rainbow flags all they want at their concerts, but they are taking spaces that could be given to out and proud LGBT artists that will then uplift others and provide vital representation for queer folk. 

One thing that the online ‘Gaylor’ conspiracy does highlight is the demand for queer online spaces. This conspiracy does create online discourse surrounding sexuality and allows those within it to discuss aspects of queerness without self-reflection. Is it a leap to say that some of the people analysing Taylor swifts ‘hidden messages’ may be projecting their own oppressed queerness? This blatant online discussion of sexuality reminds me of shipping culture and the well-known practice of taking two (often non overtly queer) characters and creating conspiracies of a queer relationship. Think Johnlock, Darry or my personal teenage ship Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Shipping culture can extend to real people, but that's a whole post in itself. For myself as a teen figuring out my own sexuality, seeing the breadcrumb sapphic relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy was fascinating, it allowed me to talk about queerness whilst I was still coming to terms with how I felt. Gaylor and this speculation creates the same environment for Taylor Swift fans, folks who, due to their own views on sexuality, may be apprehensive to enter pre-established online queer spaces. I hope that it provides that for some, and isn’t just a vulgar dehumanisation of a pop icon 

I know Taylor will not read this post, but if she was to I would give her some advice. Firstly, she owes no one the truth about her sexuality, and, although it is profitable, needs to work on breaking that parasocial relationship her fans have with her. For everyone's sakes. It is not healthy for people to centre their online personalities on whether or not someone is gay, you don't have to come out to call it out. It’s clear her fans hunger for a female queer icon, and if she is unable to fill that role then she should be uplifting other queer artists, put them as supports in her tour, I’m sure a single tweet would create a storm. She could keep her ‘gaylor’ fans satisfied and actually do some good for the LGBT community. You don’t have to be out and proud to support LGBT rights and who has a bigger platform than her to speak out about issues facing the community. 

But this issue is not just due to a handful of pop singers, as a wider society we need to become more aware how we discuss sexuality. How celebrities are treated can be a public example of societal attitudes towards ‘regular’ people. These fans need to be educated that, celebrity or not, it's not okay to speculate and almost fetishize someone's sexuality. If you think they're LGBT and they haven't told you, maybe you should self-reflect and think about why that is.  

GAY RIGHTS!