Mind you, I’m talking about the ‘JAWNLAWK 5EVAH I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP NOTHING WILL COME BETWEEN MY BBIES’ part of the fandom. I know a fuckload of people who are perfectly capable of shipping Johnlock and still manage to have an intelligent conversation with them. So yeah, it’s not an essay meant for the entirety of the Sherlock/Johnlock fandom.
Have you ever wondered why there is so much negativity about the entire Sherlock fandom? Well let me tell you something that might not come as a surprise: this is the part of the fandom that makes most of the other fans cringe with shame and wish they weren’t part of it all. Ship whatever the fuck you want, and ship however you fucking want, but do you really have to go and make a part of the fandom so uncomfortable they wished they had never joined the entire parade?
I started off in this fandom shipping Johnlock. To be honest, I started off with RDJ!Holmes and JUDE!Watson shipping at first. After that, I read a larger part of the books and only then did Sherlock came out. It is undeniable that, in whichever verse, Sherlock and John have fantastic chemistry. Whether you call it bromance or a ship, it doesn’t matter. There is great potential for those two to be shipped and have your imagination do whatever floats your boat.
But especially after Season 2 had aired, the Johnlock fandom become extremer and extremer. Even to a point that the cast and crew are aware of it and tut at a bigger part of the fandom for being such a childish, immature, radical part of the fandom that doesn’t accept that people are entitled to have their opinion.
Yes, you are entitled to say that you ship Johnlock 5evah and that you don’t like Mary. The thing that bothers me, is the reasons that are given as to why Mary shouldn’t be in the series. Because she’s fucking up your ship? She’s canon, mates. Yes, we know they’re not strictly keeping to the canon (since John also dated Sarah and the entire volleyball-team of other girls), but in the end, Mary is part of John’s life. He moves out of Baker Street after he gets married, and even though it’s not a big thing in the books (which is mainly due to the fact the CASES get the most attention because it’s a sodding detective series and not fucking East Enders), Mary is a part of John, until a certain part in the series (probably because ACD forgot John was married, or he forgot her name of he simply didn’t give a flying fuck).
Are you surprised John has found someone? He’s been alone in Baker Street after Sherlock’s ‘death’. He will have to move on eventually. At the end of the Reichenbach Falls, he mentions that he’s staying away from Baker Street for a while. Do you think he’s gonna lay in his new flat (I have a feeling he’s either staying at Lestrade’s or Sarah’s, or maybe even Harry’s), rolled up on his bed, clutching Sherlock’s scarf? John is a fighter. He’s seen a lot of things in the army. He’s gonna be depressed for a while, but he’s not gonna waste away. Yes, he’s going to meet new people, and presumably, Mary will get him back on track.
Personally, I had hoped the Mary-hate would die out a bit with casting Amanda. It’s hard to hate that woman after all, and since she’s such good friends with Ben as well, I had hoped her casting would be the peace-offer towards the Johnlock-shippers. Boy, was I wrong. But having been in this fandom from day one, I should have realised that was just wishful thinking.
Now I came to the part where I rant about people not minding Mary, cos she’s going to die anyway. No. Stop. Have you ever lost a loved one? Do you know what this will do to John? Do you think he’s gonna shrug his shoulders and fuck Sherlock the night after she’s dead? Grow some fucking empathy, okay? John is already scarred for losing Sherlock, and what I’ve figured so far, is that he’s found Mary to pull him out of his hell. He marries her (probably) and if Sherlock is best man, it will mean he’s somewhat fine with it. Knowing Sherlock he could easily deny being a best man because boring and ordinary people getting married and UGH. You get the picture? The video we’ve seen of Amanda and Ben doing a scene together (where Sherlock has the bleeding face), we can see they get along quite okay. Sherlock is not being snarky or anything. He tolerates her. Because she has made John happy.
I know nothing of this is certain, but it’s what would make the most sense, since they’re messing up the chronological order of the canon stories anyway. Yes, Mary died between The Final Problem and the Empty House, but are we going to fucking celebrate that John has lost someone whom he loved just so you can have your sodding ship back?
The funny thing about shipping is that it’s 99% imagination and 1% input from the actual source. The fact that John might get married has no fucking influence on your ship. So I find it fucking grant that people are saying Mary is ruining their ship while they can’t use their own imagination. Erm, Tunalock anyway? And all those other AU’s and crossovers and verses? Aren’t they part of our creativity and imagination as well? Why the hell do you POSSIBLY thing John getting married will ruin your ship? Ben and Martin have great chemistry, so it’s not as if they’re going to be awkward on screen together all of a sudden. Believe me, there will be enough material to satisfy your poor shipper heart.
