Johnlock vs. BSI

 There was an interesting article on Wired this morning (Editor's Note: Many mornings ago, as I try to finally finish this blog post), about the new Captain America movie and the current state of the once-mighty "Stucky" ship. Those last few words are going to be Greek to many a Sherlockian, being both from a different fandom and a medium traditional Sherlockians haven't been into as often. And shipping. For those who need the explanation, "Stucky" is the "Johnlock" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe pairing Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Which brings me back to Johnlock, which was what that Wired article would term "a juggernaut ship."

Ten years ago, Johnlockers were an incredible movement of fans around Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Younger, female fans. The traditional Sherlock Holmes fandom, to whom the letters "BSI" are so important in America, didn't have much interest in that surge, even while constantly concerned about how its fandom was aging, and supporting causes to get school kids into Sherlock Holmes. Even after admitting that women could be in their more rarified circles in 1991, the bones of the old, male fandom still propped up the BSI structure, and the leadership was definitely more interested in looking back than curiously looking forward.

There has always been a very conservative streak in Baker Street Irregular-ity, and an unwillingness to color outside the lines in its devotion to the Original Canon. CBS's new Watson show has met with harsher criticism than it deserves by many on that front, which is completely what one would expect. It's just what an elder fandom does, be it Doctor Who, Star Wars, or Dark Shadows. (Hey, maybe the Dark Shadows fans are down to a scant few, but they had their day.) Nothing is ever as good as when you were first into it. But Sherlockiana takes that a step further. We diehards anchor ourselves on stories that were being read two centuries before. Of course we trend conservative.

There are two events this year that are really bringing out the changes in Sherlock Holmes fandom, and they both occur in April. One is possibly the last 221B Con in Atlanta, a gathering originally fueled by BBC Sherlock fandom, and the other is the brand new "Midwest BSI Canonical Conclave of Scion Societies." The former is winding down because it can't exist in its previous form with attendee numbers under a few hundred, the latter is a hopeful build-up in a realm where a hundred attendees is a terrific success. The demographics of the two events are going to be interesting -- 221B Con's population came from outside traditional Sherlockian circles. Those attracted to anything with the letters "BSI"  in the past have trended as old school as old school can be. But the times, they are a-changing.

Those who have only discovered the joys of 221B Con in recent years have a hard time understanding what the con was at its peak, and, sadly, most Sherlockians of a certain age or older will never know what they missed. We had a period of excitement and creativity surrounding Sherlock Holmes like nothing in the century-plus of his existence. The amount of material on AO3 alone with a "Sherlock Holmes" tag pulls in around nine thousand entries, and that was just one venue where the post-Sherlock boom saw works explode. Johnlock was a huge part of that, with many a rare pairing of other characters following in its wake. More non-male fans being drawn in by the popularity of a younger Holmes and Watson caused their relationship to gain more of a focus in our fandom as a whole.

And as the Johnlock wave recedes and its remaining members settle into our more traditional Sherlock Holmes fan venues, it's very easy to see the energy and life that the last decade have brought into our fan culture. CBS wouldn't be running Watson right now without Elementary preceding it and Elementary would have never existed without BBC Sherlock. And every TV show and movie incarnation causes a few more people to want to read the original Canon and bring their take on Holmes and Watson to our fandom. (An established fandom with many a truly scholarly wing to it, but a fandom none the less, despite certain failed efforts to claim it otherwise.) Without that energy, I doubt there would be a Midwest BSI Canonical Conclave, a statement that I'm sure many a traditionalist will argue.

But sometimes, one has to step outside the bubble and take a long look at where we are in our Sherlockian hobby. And even then, it's hard to see it all and express what one sees, which is probably why this post has been gestating for about three or four weeks. And on we roll.