Everything You Need To Know About: BBC Sherlock

L-R
John Watson/Martin Freeman
Sherlock Holmes/Benedict Cumberbatch
Mycroft Holmes/Mark Gatiss
(Source)

Something you need to understand before we dive into the deep recesses of the Sherlock fandom: Sherlock fans have always been crazy. Always. When Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes in his beloved books, there were riots in the streets. Riots in the streets. Any fandom willing to riot is a winner in my book. So if I--or any other Sherlock Fan-person--gets a little crazy, passionate or just weird, we're just carrying on the tradition.

Enter Sherlock Holmes (surprise, surprise).  Sherlock is a recovering drug addict, high functioning sociopath, more than a little bit mad himself, incredibly brilliant, and (more times than not) an arse. He works as the first Consulting Detective in the whole wide world. "Whole wide world" is a strong claim. He said,  "I invented the job," but... What was I saying? Oh yeah, Sherlock works with New Scotland Yard along side Detective Greg Lestrade, Molly Hooper, Sgt. Sally Donovan (whom we hate) and Anderson (whom we hate even more).

Sherlock's brother Mycroft is the British government, "when he's not too busy being the British Secret Services or the CIA on a freelance basis." He may not be as mad as his brother, but he is as intelligent. Which is a little scary.

Sherlock's assistant/companion/only friend is John Watson, a former British Army officer/doctor. Watson served in Afghanistan, where he was shot in the left shoulder, then returned home suffering from PTSD. One day he went out for tea. Tea. And his life changed. He ran into a friend who introduced him to Sherlock. Through circumstances I won't spoil for you, Sherlock and Watson became co-workers and flat-mates, and they're taking London by storm.

Now in this storm, there's one little cloud that's not happy. 

You are not allowed to be this cute AND evil.
(Soruce)

And his name is Moriarty. Played brilliantly by Andrew Scott, Moriarty is definitely the Big Bad. And cute. And evil. He made me question my morals. He makes me question my morals. Stupid morals.

If you want an insanely well put together guide to Sherlock (and who doesn't?), you can find it here.

BBC has so far produced three series of Sherlock, each three episodes long. There was a terrible cliff-hanger at the end of series 2, and there was much wailing and gnashing of fan teeth during the hiatus. (Stupid successful actors and their other brilliant projects.) Two additional series have been ordered and Gatiss and Moffat report to have the story lines already developed. Hopefully we won't have another interminable hiatus before series 4 begins, either Christmas 2014 or sometime in 2016, depending on which account you read.  

Popular ships: 

Johnlock (John Watson/Sherlock Holmes), Sherlolly (Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper), Sheriarty (Sherlock Holmes/Jim Moriarty), Mylock (Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes), Mystrade (Mycroft Holmes/DI Greg Lestrade), and Grolly ( DI Greg Lestrade/Molly Hooper). What's a ship, you ask? Let me 'splain. 

There's a lot more to say about Sherlock, and I will, but this is the end of the "Everything You Need To Know About" blog series as a regular thing. There will be "Everything You Need To Know About"s in the future, but starting next Monday, we launch "SuperWhoLock: The Musical"! A song for every main character and ship! If you have a suggestion, comment below. Until Wednesday, dear reader, I bid thee adieu.  

Everything You Need To Know About: Doctor Who Part 2

A lovely diagram of the Companions and Doctors
(Source)

Hello world! Welcome to Everything You Need To Know About: Doctor Who, part 2! Duh Duh Duuuuhhhhh!


Let's dive right in then.


After reading my last expertly written post, you might be asking yourself,  "Self? Doesn't the Doctor get lonely in all of time by himself?"


Well he does. And that's where the Companions come in.


Companions are more than just side-kicks. They are his Time-Buddies, if you will. A Companion and extra pair of eyes to keep the Doctor from blowing up planets when McDonald's forgets his fries. They also keep him grounded and in touch with the human side of his nature when the enormity of his role in the universe becomes too much.


Over the years, his companions have been family members, friends, mechanical (see K-9), alien, and even love interests. Some have been there for only an episode, while others have traveled from one doctor to the next.  My mother has a theory that the relationship between your favorite companion and doctor may just mirror your own feelings about and relationship with him. But then she's weird.

(Source)

The Doctor's mode of transportation in time and space is the Tardis, which stands for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space." The Tardis looks like a blue police box from Britain in the 1960s. She, because ships are always she, has a chameleon circuit that allows her to change her appearance, but alas, it is broken. Although the Tardis' appearance changes internally and incrementally externally from Time Lord to Time Lord, she remains the blue box we all love and know so well.

Another perk of being a Whovian--that's what DW fans are called BTW--is the spin offs! The Sarah Jane Adventures starred the late Elisabeth Sladen, a former companion, and Torchwood (fun fact: Torchwood is a anagram for Doctor Who) which stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness (#TeamIanto). While "The Sarah Jane Adventures" are targeted for a tween-teen audience, "Torchwood" is much more adult let's just say. How Adult? F-Bombs and naked Barrowman butt adult. Mom won't let me watch unsupervised adult. Just saying.

So now you've got enough basic Who knowledge to dive right in and binge watch several seasons or at least some episodes. Which episodes? Well, we'll talk about that soon enough.


Next stop on the "Everything You Need To Know About" train? Hide yo dead bodies, hide yo sanity:  it's BBC SHERLOCK TIME.

Everything You Need To Know About: The Doctor, or Doctor Who Part 1

(Source)

It is my task to explain Doctor Who (DW) in this post. Oy vey. Crapaflap, 50 years of TV in one post; I repeat, oy vey.

(Some time passes wherein I pull out my hair.)

Do you know how hard it is to explain Doctor Who in one post? There are encyclopedias, literally encyclopedias, explaining Doctor Who.

There's too much to explain within the current temporal parameters. Let me sum up. Starting with The Doctor. (As always, I'll never spoil you for anything that matters without warning you.)

The Doctor is, naturally, the main character, our flawed yet much loved hero whose adventures through time and space form the basis of the show. "The Doctor" is his title, self-chosen, rather than his name, which is never revealed to us, even in the episode titled "The Name of the Doctor." For all we know, his name could be Bruce. Or something that sounds like dolphins crying in space ("So long and thanks for all the feels!").

Although he struggles with conflicts and challenges that are all too human, the Doctor himself is not human. He is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. Are there other Time Lords from Gallifrey running around? Kind of, but to explain that would involve spoilers, sweetie.

What does a Time Lord do, you ask? He has a really big brain, capable of seeing all of time at once. And he's a kind of guardian, making sure nobody mucks about in the time stream, changing things. Except Time Lords, of course. But even then there are certain fixed points in time, things that HAVE to happen, that can't be changed.

Beyond that, Time Lords have a particular fondness for London and its home planet, saving us from complete and total destruction over and over again. Including one memorable episode where he prevented the Titanic from falling from the sky and crashing into Buckingham Palace, which would have really interrupted the Queen's tea. (He has a whole thing with the Queen, which you'll discover later, you lucky Anglophile.)

The Doctor is old. How old? Hella. <---SPOILER-ish. He's a Time Lord though and when Time Lords get mortally wounded they regenerate into a new form/actor. So he doesn't have to iron his face in the morning. 

(Source)

You must admit the whole regeneration idea is fantastic, to borrow a word from the 9th Doctor. It allows one character to exist throughout the whole of the series while being played by different actors, each bringing their own brilliant flavor to the job. How many doctors have there been? Depends on who you ask. Let's go with 12 for now, although there are two others you'll meet and consider at some point in your descent into Whovianism.

Each Doctor has his own unique outfit, some that should probably have landed on "What Not to Wear: Time and Space Edition." Celery? Enough said.

Is there a limit to the number of regenerations the doctor can have? That number was 12, but there were some....occurrences, shall we say, in the episode "The Time of the Doctor," which was the 800th episode. 800 episodes. The mind boggles. So could there be more than 12 doctors eventually? The BBC locked Moffat in a box until he fixed the problem the first time--rather brilliantly, I might add--and I'm sure they'd do it again in a double heart beat. Did I mention the Doctor has two hearts?



Here's a list of the Doctors, along with the actors who had the honor of playing him, as well as the years they were on. Doctors 1 through 7 are part of the classic series. The 7th Doctor also had a cameo in the Doctor Who movie produced in 1996, which featured the 8th Doctor. The 8th Doctor appears chiefly in the movie, some webisodes that led up to something special, and well, that something special.

The new series of Doctor Who began in 2005 with the 9th Doctor. The new series does not pick up where the classic series left off. What happened between the two series is alluded to, hinted at, and explained later in the new series.

One thing you'll soon discover is that everyone is passionate about "their" doctor. It might be the doctor from the first episode you saw, or the first one that you watched arrive on the scene through regeneration. But whoever it is, like the t-shirt says, you never forget your first doctor.



The 1st Doctor: William Hartnell (1963–66)
The 2nd Doctor: Patrick Troughton (1966–69)
The 3rd Doctor: Jon Pertwee (1970–74)
The 4th Doctor: Tom Baker (1974–81)
The 5th Doctor: Peter Davison (1981–84)
The 6th Doctor: Colin Baker (1984–86)
The 7th Doctor: Sylvester McCoy (1987–89, 1996)
The 8th Doctor: Paul McGann (1996, 2013)
The 9th Doctor: Christopher Eccleston (2005)
The 10th Doctor: David Tennant (2005–10)
The 11th Doctor: Matt Smith (2010–13)
The 12th Doctor: Peter Capaldi (2013–)


Anxious for more Who? Don't worry. We haven't even scratched the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey surface. 

Everything You Need To Know About: Supernatural

From L-R
Sam/Jared Padalecki,
Dean/Jensen Ackles,
Castiel/Misha Collins/The reason faces were invented

Slip into your flannel shirt and grab a piece of pie: it's time to talk Supernatural. 

Supernatural is a TV show on The CW and is what the "Super" in "SuperWhoLock" stands for.

So here's your Spoiler-free introduction to Supernatural. At the heart of the show are the two brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, respectively. Recurring characters include the angel Castiel, played by Misha Collins; hunter and father figure Bobby Singer, played by Jim Beaver; the demon Crowley aka the King of Hell, played by Mark A. Shepard; and the prophet Kevin Tran, played by Osric Chau. And we cannot forget Eric Kripke, who is to Supernatural what Moffat is to Doctor Who, e.g. brilliant writer and wrencher of emotions.

When Sam is only six months old, his mother dies under mysterious, tragic, violent and, we later learn, demonic circumstances. The boys' father John Winchester, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, sets out to seek revenge on the demon responsible for her death, dragging his young sons in his wake.

As a young college grad, Sam has left behind "the family business," leaving Dean and his father to hunt alone while he pursues a "normal" life. Dean shows up unannounced and tells Sam that their dad is overdue to return from a "hunting" trip. Reluctantly, Sam joins Dean in a search for their father. Enter one of my favorite uncredited characters: Baby, aka Metallicar, aka the '67 Chevy Impala that Dean drives/lives in/loves.

As you might have guessed, there's no happy family reunion with dad. Instead, we get more evil, sibling rivalry and dysfunction, and more flaming blondes. (First episode hankie alert: grab your tissues when you see the cookies, 'cause tears are imminent.)

The ongoing strained relationship between Sam and Dean is a central theme of the show. The first season has a "monster of the week" kind of vibe, although a "big bad" does appear. Later seasons have season-long big bad story arcs with some supporting evil thrown in for good measure. Fairly quickly the show settles in to what it does best: the battle between good vs. evil with nothing less than the world at stake, with warriors on both sides who are all too human, even when they're not.

L-R Crowley/Mark A. Shepard
Bobby Singer/Jim Beaver

Supernatural is currently in season 9, with season 10 already on order. There's even serious spinoff talk. So there's more than enough of the Winchester brothers for more than one weekend watching binge.

There's a handy Supernatural Wiki if you're dying to know more. It's exactly what it sounds like, and can be found here.

Popular ships include:  Destiel (Dean/Castiel), Sabriel (Sam/Gabriel), Samifer (Sam/Lucifer), Wincest (Sam/Dean), Samstiel (Sam/Castiel), Cabriel (Castiel/Gabriel), Crobby (Crowley/Bobby). What's a ship, you ask? Let me 'splain.


Next week? Who, Who.

Everything You Need To Know About: Shipping

Nope.
(Made by me)

Shipping! Whoo!

Shipping has nothing to do with actual watercraft. Or canoes or "Boats, boats boats!" I felt the need to clear that up. Shipping is derived from the word relationship. Some people (namely my OBF(Other Best Friend) K) thinks shipping is called shipping because you'd put two people on a boat and ship them off to a desert island where they could enjoy their love in solitude. Shipping is the belief that two people (sometimes three) are made for each other.


SHIPPING TERMINOLOGY: 

OTP: "One True Pairing." By deeming a Ship your OTP, you are declaring really strong emotions for it, perhaps to the extent that you feel the characters involved are meant for each other above all other relationships they could have. We're talking soulmates here. For example, I ship Sherlolly (Molly Hooper/Sherlock Holmes, BBC Sherlock), but my OTP is JohnLock (Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, BBC Sherlock). **Please don't hate me because I'm a Johnlocker, oh Sherlolly-pops.**

Ghost Ship: A Ship that went down in the ocean, drowning all on board. Kaplooie. Ain't happen'. Mostly because a member of the Ship has died, likely for good. So essentially, a Ghost Ship is a hopeless Ship. You may still Ship a Ghost Ship, but you have reallized that it is no longer in the metaphorical fleet. Like Tarow (Tara/Willow, Buffy), for example.

Sailed Ship: A ship that is canonically true, like Mahn (Mary/John Watson, BBC Sherlock).

BROTP: OTP bromance edition.

NOTP: A Ship you will not ship. Not to be confused with "No TP," which is a desperate cry you hope never to utter while in the loo.

Shark: A person who is against a particular ship. For example, I am a Wincest (Sam/Dean Winchester) and Mylock (Mycroft/Sherlock Holmes) Shark. Why? Because they're brothers, ya idjits! Ew.


So, boys and girls, now that you've got a basic working fandom vocabulary, we're ready to start tackling "Everything You Need to Know About" each of the various shows. Don't worry: here there be no spoilers. (Bonus points to you if you read that last word in River's voice.) First up? Grab your salt and iron, and we'll look at "The Road So Far."

Everything You Need To Know About: Fan Terms

Hello Fangirls and Fanboy! ('cause there's just the one)

Consider this post the Fandom equivalent of the Rosetta Stone. Let's begin.

Feels: Feels is a shorted version of the word "Feeling." Feels are what you feel, in the deep down dark shadowy corners and recesses of your heart of hearts. The ache when someone dies or cries or lies. An intense emotional response, such as sadness, excitement, or awe. When your favorite characters make a bad choice. Or basically anything written by Moffat.

GIF: Graphics Interchange Format. Little moving picture-y things, to illustrate feelings, thoughts and general Fangirling or Fanboying.

Pinkie can't capitalize.
(By TexasUberAlles)

Canon: Canon is things that the writers, director, actors, etc. have said and have been confirmed as true. Official stuff that is accepted in the Fandoms as real, actual stuff. Like when BBC approved Pantone 2955C as "TARDIS" blue. That is canon.

Head-Canon:  Interpretations of a fictional universe accepted by an individual fan, but not found within or supported by the official canon. Like this. Often followed by "Head-Canon accepted," which means "I find this valid and believe this makes perfect sense." Back in the olden days, the term "fanon" meant stuff the fans made up and pretty much all agreed on, which is similar to head-canon.

There many more Fan-terms. Many many. Many many many.

This is an ongoing project and soon will be a separate page on this blog for you to click over to at will. If you are a newbie and want something explained, let me know in the comments. If you are a veteran Fanperson, please feel free to pontificate in the comments with your expertise or suggestions for future fan term posts. 

That bring us to next week's post... Shipping!!! Scary huh? BWAHAHAHA! Your fear makes me happy.

Everything You Need To Know About: The Fandoms

credit 3chicgeeks.com

Welcome to the second post in the "Everything You Need To Know About" Blog Series! I have been informed that tens of people read last weeks posts, and that fills me with such joy. This week we start the never-ending journey down the rabbit hole of insanity that is the Fandoms. One of the basic things you MUST learn is that Fandom is an ever-changing, moving and living being.One day something can be huge, and the next POOF gone. No one cares anymore.

What is a Fandom? Any thing can have a Fandom--books, movies, actors and actresses, TV shows--if some one can love can it, it can have a Fandom. (And no, that does not apply to your boyfriend Brad. Unless Brad's last name is Pitt, then yeah. And also ANGELINA JOLIE IS READING MY BLOG! EEP!) Fandoms often spring up among groups of friends who like the same thing, then grow from there. Some fans contribute to their Fandoms through Fan-Fic, Fan-Art and Meme making. All though not mandatory, the above are appreciated and applauded. And remember, there are no Fan-Fic, Fan-Art or Meme police. Just trolls.

Because a lot of fans are alone in their towns, school, family, etc., you may be wondering, "Where can I find fellow fans?"

A good place is to start is the Internet, a favorite for homebodies and those who fall down easily. So perfect for me. Tumbler, FaceBook and Pinterest are good places to look. And blogs, of course **wink wink**.  Below I've listed some places on the interweb (mostly Facebook pages and Pinterest Boards) I like to frequent (sorted by Fandom).

Supernatural: 

Supernatural
 
Misha Collins

Supernatural Lifestyle

Jensen Ackles

Cruising in the Impala

Misha Collins Addicts

Supernatural Insider

Madly in love with Sam, Dean and everything Supernatural

Supernatural Monster

Misha Collins stole my heart.

Team free will

Supernatural my life my world

Oh, Misha.

Pudding - All Things Supernaturally Awesome

Jared Padafandom

Doctor Who:

Doctor Who 

Fantastic! Allons-y! Geronimo! Brilliant! Jelly baby?

The Daily Dalek

Alex Kingston

Catherine Tate

Sherlock (Because not everyone has seen Sherlock s3 just know, SPOILERS):

Mrs. Hudson took my skull.

 

SHERLOCK SEASON 3 BOARD SPOILERSSSSS

 

Consulting Fandom

Harry Potter:

Harry Potter Madness

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Harry Potter

General Fandom:

BuzzFeed

Anglophenia

BBC (and other stuffs)

I'm a geek... on days off...

Fandominium

Wayward Sons, A Consulting Detective & Other Geekiness

That is a LOT of stuff. I didn't know I like to frequent that many places.

Next week on the "Everything You Need To Know About" blog series: fan terms!! Because when I say, " I can't even... My feels over my OTS... brb DYING," you'll need to know what I mean.

Everything You Need To Know About: The Everything You Need To Know About Blog Series.

     Hi, my name is Molly Winchester (not really, just go with it). Next week I'm starting an "Everything You Need To Know About" blog series. On Mondays I shall post a new riveting installment, and we'll cover everything from:
Shipping to SuperWhoLock
Head Cannon to Cannon
Feels to Emotions
And why The Padafandom (fans of Jared Padalecki) hates Justin Bieber (besides the obvious)
I am a SuperWhoLock fangirl.
What is SuperWhoLock you say?
Well, short answer: Insanity.

Long answer...

  

L-R: Moriarty/Andrew Scott (Sherlock), The Tenth Doctor/David Tennant (Doctor Who),
The Ninth Doctor/Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Castiel/Misha Collins (Supernatural),
Sherlock/Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Dean Winchester/Jensen Ackles (Supernatural),
Sam Winchester/Jared Padalecki (Supernatural), John Watson/Martin Freeman (Sherlock),
Captain Jack Harkness/John Barrowman (Doctor Who and Torchwood),
The Eleventh Doctor/Matt Smith (Doctor Who).

Yep, I'm probably crazy but,