We have all been there. A new and interesting show has been discovered and you want to find out more about the characters and the storyline...or, the latest season of your favourite program has finally aired or you are eagerly anticipating it to air.
So, you log into Tumblr and are besieged by posts and gifs and images of your favourite programs, books and characters. Your eyes widen in disbelief and fury when you see that people who have already seen the latest episodes or seasons have ruined what you were eagerly waiting for with spoilers, shipping and theories. The latest episodes haven't been released in your area yet and now you already know what has happened and what will happen. Now, your favourite series is ruined and you are disappointed.
Because of rampant rumors and posts of plot theories and explanations and "feels" brought on by what you were once excited to see, several new shows, and several current shows with new seasons have been spoiled.
We here in North America aren't lucky enough to see BBC One shows like Sherlock and Doctor Who until months after those in Europe have seen it. Those of us who are busy parents and have careers and lives rely on our PVRs to tape missed episodes. Others rely on downloads and iTunes to get the latest episodes and films because they can't afford the exorbitant prices of theatre tickets or simply do not have the time to rush to see the latest films.
So what gives fangirls and fanboys the right to ruin our favourite shows because they got to see it first? Canadians don't jump on Tumblr and discuss the final season of Republic of Doyle before the other continents air it. So why should the rest of the world ruin Sherlock, Doctor Who and other series?
I have a massive bone of contention in regards to the Sherlock series, not just because of the spoilers, but also with the "shipping".
"Shipping", according to the Tumblr savvy crowd is the act of pairing two characters together in a romantic partnership. You will see name mashups like "FrostIron" (Loki and Iron Man), "JohnLock" (John Watson and Sherlock Holmes), "CapWidow" (Captain America and Black Widow) all in the spirit of fandoms.
While some of the pairings are passable, others are quite bizarre. As someone who has enjoyed the plays, programs and novels about Sherlock Holmes since early childhood, I do take offence to the "Johnlock" pairing because neither Sherlock nor Watson were homosexual. Now, don't start thinking that I am homophobic as I am passionate about equal rights for the LGBT community and have signed several petitions and have given my support to them so they could enjoy the same freedom as the straight community.
I am quite sure that a large number of those who ship Watson and Holmes have never read any of the books or seen the classic series with Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett, which is the really offensive part because I grew up with all of that and was a fan before many of these fangirls/fanboys were even born. I don't appreciate my childhood solaces and interests ruined by someone who hasn't given those same mediums their full attention.
Don't mistake shipping with modern fanfiction because a lot of fanfiction before the rise of Tumblr was created by people who were longtime fans of their subjects and those slash stories were pretty much taboo.
Discussing "feels", also known as feelings brought on by a particular series, film or book is alright in moderation. Before the rise of the internet, people have gathered around water coolers to discuss a recent episode of a prime time television show. But fangirls and fanboys should have the courtesy of keeping their feels out of Tumblr until the series and movies have been released worldwide...or at least put the two most courteous words in the world to the rest of us fans...SPOILER ALERT...in the title or even in the blog description.
Plot theories are generally harmless, but, if it involves something that hasn't been released to everyone, fangirls and fanboys should keep it to themselves.
Generally, fangirls and fanboys should keep a lot of things to themselves, especially where new shows, episodes, films or books haven't been released yet.
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