TJLC: A Letter from The Near Future (no spoilers at all)

Dear Lovely TJLC Folks,



Only a few of you know me, perhaps showing up in your notes from time to time, if at all, but hi, hello, it’s me–I’m you, slightly in the future: I’m a queer academic in my 30s who has been delighted to witness the community, collaboration and rigorous deductive reasoning of the TJLC community. I didn’t even know how to use Tumblr before you guys! Actually, I still really don’t, so bear with me.

(I want to say, upfront, that I know that there are many folks older than me in the community and many others who are academics or well-established in their professional fields, so please don’t think I am be glib in my framing here. If you don’t feel that this message is generationally aimed at you, then join me below as a co-signer!)



Let me explain a little bit about myself, because in order to plant what I so dearly feel called to plant in your hearts this evening, I will be stepping out in front of the veil of Tumblr anonymity (a bit). I’m a sociomedical anthropologist in New York City so, I study people and culture all day, every day. One of the things that I professionally specialize in is in analyzing power dynamics in historically contentious contexts (ugh colonization). I bet you can already guess why I’m mentioning that, for those of you who have been thinking about oh, 1895 or so. I am here writing this to you now while my cat looks on, resentful that you have all my attention right now (such a John, that one…) because I want to offer my validation of what you already see from a different perspective: The Game has some problematic power dynamics between creators and consumers and between various parts of community and you aren’t wrong in feeling upset.





You all have so many talents, I wasn’t even sure what I could contribute, but today, for strange reasons, it occurred to me what I can do. You see, today I learned about Aja Romano and saw how inappropriately her conduct as a journalist was toward her subjects, gleefully punching down and disparaging TJLC folks across her Twitter feed. She deleted most of them, which is equally unethical for her to have done as a journalist, but you can see some in my quoted tweets, I think. While I have been heartbroken about how your community has been treated, it didn’t occur to me that I could employ my professional skills towards shutting it down until I saw her wildly unethical conduct that I could maybe help stop it. I concede that my profession might have played a role in why she was willing to listen to me, but I genuinely don’t understand the point of having social or political capital if not to help protect those who are being disenfranchised from accessing it. It is why I never made a sideblog for my occasional Sherlock reblogs, because I don’t want to encourage the idea that nerding out over a show is something somehow shameful and I have nothing to hide.

When I referred to TJLC as a marginalized group in my call out of Aja Romero, it was offered with care, love and concern. I acknowledge than a large contingent of this community, and perhaps the majority, are young and LGBTQ+ identified. A splendid thing about TJLC is that the power of the message in many ways exceeds the collective social and political capital of the fandom (relative to TPTB, BBC, etc). That’s a mighty pen you all wield. The less splendid thing is the ways in which this fandom has been maligned because of that differential in social and political power. I have seen TJLC dismissed so many times because of the perceived youth and queerness of its progenitors. How shameful, how deeply shameful that is. And yet you resist and regroup and espouse such tremendous resilience. I am amazed.

Anyway, enough about me. Here are some things I want to tell you about you, TJLC-ers, just as you are now and have been over these past few years: You’re wonderful. You are conductors of light. You are funny, spontaneous, passionate, analytical, deliciously complex and complicated, dear, wacky, generous, unabashedly hopeful, brave and insightful. I have been inspired and deeply touched by your work repeatedly over these past few weeks in particular. A few days ago had to stop myself from using the expression “something’s fucky” while reviewing a data outlier with a colleague.

So, to make this a bit easier, I will put some numbers throughout this for what I want to take away from this:

1. You will have always been right.

This ought to be self explanatory. The brilliance of TJLC is the metanarrative of framing a game within The Game and that game is identifying and unravelling a deeply elaborate and brilliant puzzle concealing a beautiful queer story that had been silenced for 130 years. Brilliant. If the puzzlemakers somehow failed to create a product worthy of the solvers, it will be a travesty, but that travesty will never, never mean that you were not right. You are right. You have always been right, and for the sake of all those who come after us, you will have always been right. I am still ready to believe because of you. It is a beautiful thing that you have given all of us, especially those of us who grew up in a context of having zero media representation and came into watching Sherlock with a more generationally jaded perspective on what would be “possible” in mainstream media.

The power and vigor of your convictions is both an inspiration and reclamatory for those of us predating social media’s awesome capacity to facilitate direct communication with content creators and fans. You have been the best-case scenario of intellectually-rigorous media consumer advocacy, and the fact that your cause is in championing mainstream media to shout and sing ‘the love that dare not speak its name’ is incredible. Incredible. Your cause has been to reorient so many aspects of heteronormativity: demanding that the onus of queer representation fall upon content creators rather than non-canonical fan labor and making an eloquent case for the queerness of source material and subsequent interpretations to have been hampered and hidden by more than 12 decades of violently oppressive silencing. It isn’t just Watson and Holmes you honor in your efforts to help their love dare speak its name; it is all of the queer silences and violences that have come before. It’s all of us. It is the anxiety or shame or confusion we have ever felt in our queerness. That’s a lot to pin on a story, sure, but not without just cause. You understand acutely the power of normalization. I so wish those who seek to cause you stress better understood that this is what motivates you determination.

2. It is what it is.

I don’t want to speak to only the positives, though, because I think it is important for you as a group to hear from the wider world that you deserve respect, care and consideration from both fandom and the wider world even when not everything in the community is functioning smoothly. I see, acknowledge and hold each of you in whatever personal array of anxiety, doubt, trauma, depression/mental health struggles, anger, fear, paranoia and all of the other emotions and conditions that you may be experiencing either on a day to day basis or in particularly difficult personal or community moments. I write to you with an extraordinarily fond heart of full of tenderness and respect and I hold you all dearly in your best and your worst moments.

I don’t draw focus to my age or my profession for any disparaging reason, but there are specific messages I have for you that are informed by both of these aspects of my life, if that’s okay. One aspect of my professional life includes working with and mentoring high school and college students interested in studying social science. I was absolutely mortified by Steven Moffatt’s respond to the question about John and Sherlock at the BFI screening yesterday. Tears sprang to my eyes as I watched, thinking about how broken an adult would have to be to respond to an honest, respectful inquiry from a teenager in that way. Mortified. Which brings me to:

3. You will have always deserved better.

The potential payoff and historical importance of canonical, onscreen confirmation of Johnlock isn’t diminished by this fact. This is a matter of talking about “the ends justifying the means.” And boy, do I mean “mean” pretty literally there, too. If Johnlock is ever confirmed (and by the way, you all have been wildly persuasive and I continue to back you up, just as I would if you were my academic colleague who made a brilliant point detracted by the mainstream scholars of my field. Your work is good. It is sound. I continue to hold my wand aloft with you, to mix fandoms…) part of the mechanism of “the means” to get there will have included some forms of humiliation and microaggressions to “keep the secret.” Seeing the consequence of that aggression is heartbreaking and infuriating.

Remember how I mentioned up top how one of my areas of expertise is in power dynamics in cultural and social contexts? Well, let me use that expertise to say that one needs no expertise whatsoever to identify this pattern of fan engagement as violently rude and unacceptable. Even if they somehow manage to confirm every single last niche Johnlock flavor, down to Benedict Cumberbatch swimming through the flooded living room of 221B as a merman on Sunday night, it will have never been okay for them to have behaved as though shaming TJLC was a necessary means to an end of giving us this wonderful surprise. That isn’t to suggest one should not enjoy the surprise, of course, but you are within your rights to communicate to the showrunners than any measure of amazing payoff does not justify coming at the expense of your dignity.

3. If Your Dads Mess Up, Hang Out With Your Cool Aunts, Sisters and Cousins.

Moftiss messed up, although we don’t yet know to what extent. Like I said, that Moffat answer at BFI? Nope, never going to be okay. I have loved seeing you guys frame them as Gay Dad and Curly Dad; it is very cute, especially because you also have smol sons. So much family. But also, they messed up. You should never be made to feel like you have to beg for the attention and affection of people in whom you have placed trust. Especially people with power. Especially men.

So, like in any other family, what do you do when an older male relative is spoiling the day? Hang out with the cool family members, the ones who tell it like it is and are willing to watch Steel Magnolias with you after a break up or have your back when you are arguing with Uncle Harold about Trump during Thanksgiving. Or give you advice and encouragement when school or work sucks. I feel like TJLC could use a little bit of this as well? I bet I am not the only older person who is willing to be an adoptive aunt/sister/cousin while the Dads are being absolutely monstrous.

In fact, I think it would be a good idea for those folks to identify themselves by reblogging this with some of the things that they are willing to do for younger folks around here. We have an obligation to help this community to succeed. Let them know about internships at your organizations, fellowships and scholarships in your universities and jobs in your workplaces. Let them know about activist organizations or safe spaces in your communities. Let them know about the feminist bookstore nearest to you. Let them know about all of the queer creator opportunities that are on this earth. This is how diversity is protected and fostered, by making sure the opportunities are available and in reach of those who might be otherwise be marginalized. Those of us in a position must to amplify this amazing talent and capacity.

Personally, I can offer to be a resource to people interested in science or humanities, especially social science, and give advice on colleges/grad school/funding. I can also offer mentorship to those interested in working in museums. I am particularly interested in helping out those of you interested in writing academically about the show. If you need help on how to write an academic publication or if you are looking for an editor for an academic text, hit me up. Especially going into hiatus, the change in support structures might be stressful, but having different ways of conceptualizing the family within fandom might alleviate some of that stress. And like any family member: If anyone gives you guys shit, send them my way and I will Deal With In in my Scary Anthropologist Voice.

And, on a related note, it is completely ridiculous to see the rejoinder “Oh man, they care so much, haha, they must not have jobs.” Oh, how I would love to combat the stigma of people caring about something or being fans being inextricable from meaningful employment. It is a sad presumption about the presumption that work destroys our capacity to invest in other passions. Let’s change the conversation: being passionate should be seen as an asset in a professional context!



4. It Gets Better.

While one of the reasons I am here is to simply serve as a small reminder that it so possible to live a happy, satisfying life as a queer adult, I am also here to talk with an open heart about the harrowing parts, too. I have seen more than a few posts from people who are experiencing some psychological and emotional challenges with all that has unfolded in the past few days, along with expressions of hopelessness tied to what happens in the end of this season. I see you, I hear you, I care about you. But more importantly, so many of your friends and colleagues in conspiracy are here to see, hear and care for you here as well. Please reach out, please let people comfort you, even in silent presence if that is all you can handle, rather than experiencing your despair in isolation. Please let people let you know how much richer this world is for your presence in it.

I am not here to say “Oh well, life goes on if TFP doesn’t end the way you’d like.” I am not here to diminish the importance and responsibility of *this particular* representation. It is a big deal. What I want to do is say that if you feel like you’re falling down a dark hole either because of the resolution or because of the stress of getting there, I want to remind you that there are people who would love nothing more than to help find the light and crawl out. If Johnlock doesn’t happen, it isn’t because your perceptions are wrong or that something is wrong with you. It is so easy to believe that people with power are right, but in this case, don’t let the power of some men in the media and entertainment industry compromise your sense of power, value, dignity and capability. Take all the time to grieve or worry or panic or walk away that you need, but remember that there are so many ways for the world to benefit from the passion and perspective that you have honed in this community. Some of you are amazingly talented writers, editors, illustrators, etc, but not everyone is, and hey, that’s okay! There is something of value for you to add to the world based on your experience with TJLC, regardless of outcome.

Please let me know if I should add specific tags for addressing this, but as a queer woman in her 30s who has lost 3 dear queer and trans friends to suicide in the past 18 months, I want to take the opportunity to speak directly to the heart of anyone who needs to hear this: Please. Hold. On. Please. Get. Help. I would give literally anything to tell my friends how much this world is a colder, darker place without their light and I want to believe that I can help honor their memory by sharing that loss with you, and reminding you of where you can find help.

That sense of powerlessness or lack of control that you might be feeling with respect to the outcome re: tjlc – I get that. It sucks and it is being exacerbated by Moftiss, which is not okay. For those of you who are younger, I can’t promise that adulthood is a sudden and full realization that everything is in your control. It never is. There are always people with more power and many of them often don’t use it wisely or kindly. For me, adulthood has meant feeling like I have more options and tools at my disposal to protect myself and those I care about, however, and that is a big part of It Getting Better. There is nothing, nothing shameful in opening your heart to media, in being deeply affected by art, in feeling vulnerable when your mental health triggers are pressed by media that corresponds to identity issues. There is no shame whatsoever in the depth of your love and affection. How beautiful you are, for loving deeply.

5. You Were Born to Make History

But you already knew this, right? (Seriously, someone tell Rebekah to contact me when things have calmed down re: the academic article writing that I mention below, please! And all you amazing meta writers!)

I believe this, wholeheartedly. You all are more groundbreaking and history-making than the show can ever be, at this point. I can’t wait to see what happens next and to keep an eye on your blogs and see the marvelous things you do in the world. Clearly, the next generation of media makers is about to experience the Queer Awakening/Reckoning. You inspired me out of my silence to say thank you for making me believe and thank you for letting me share this with you. I can’t wait to see what you will do next. I can’t wait.

I’m writing all of this to you because I see so much of myself in you and I wanted to validate what you have been feeling from a different perspective and also offer my support and help in whatever capacity that I can. I want to ease the stress while also telling you that you are within each and every one of your rights to be feeling it. It is so scary and shameful that so many people have delighted in tearing down a community that was literally build on radical, audacious queer hope to dream. When the show provided such a feast of subtext, it was entirely sensible that this hope turned to expectation. That anyone should come and tell you that you are out of line or asking too much for expecting subtext to stand in full light of day is *outrageous*. For those of us who have been culturally/generationally conditioned to expect less from queer representation, we will always be in your debt for inspiring us with your refusal to settle for less. I’ll be right there on the ship beside you come Sunday night, sink or swim.

You make this world a better place with your queer precociousness.

Generally Fond & Amo,

JQ

thevelvetdays@gmail.com

PS. Please share widely to help reach those who can take comfort in the message and resources that might accumulate on this thread and to get it in front of those who can be jumping on here as cosigners and adding to the list of what they can offer to those in the TJLC community in some capacity. Also, FYI, this is spoiler free but I am putting spoiler hashtags on it because some of the folks most in need of the message are, I have a feeling, hanging out on those tags!

@kinklock @neroslyre @quietlyprim @martinfreeman @joolabee @ohgodjohnlock @bbcsherlockftw @witch-lock @shawleyleres @chimpsinsocks @loudest-subtext-in-tv @earlgreytea68 @sherlockedwatson @captain-liddy @emilociraptor @bechdels @sidryan @actingchoices @clueingforlooks @holmesboi @graceebooks @bbcjohnlocked @femlocktm @gregoryhouse @eloquentmydear @vitruvianwatson @beesussex @marcelock @johnlockstars @shag-me-senseless-watson @bbcdetectives @ineffableboyfriends @inevitably-johnlocked @primdetective @legacy-of-bast @atikiology @piningjohnlock