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SHERLOCKIAN FANDOM STATS

A QUANTITATIVE LOOK AT FANDOM ACTIVITY

I’ve been gathering some data about fandom.

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“It is a capital mistake

to theorize before

one has data. ”

- Sherlock Holmes

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TOPICS

Popularity of Sherlock Holmes in fandom
Genres of fanfiction
Crossovers and AUs
Shipping and (a)sexuality
Response to recent series (Sherlock & Elementary)

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BEFORE THE STATS, SOME CAVEATS...

Fandom

Sherlock Holmes

Popularity

A lot of the data we’ll be talking about comes from AO3, because they have a very accessible and well-organized system of tagging and searching. But that doesn’t mean that AO3 is representative of the fandom as a whole. You have to apply for an invitation to post there, so there’s a higher barrier to entry than some platforms. And it has a bunch of quirks and biases as a platform. So when I talk about what’s popular on AO3, it’s not necessarily true everywhere, or anywhere besides AO3!

There’s also more data here from BBC Sherlock than other adaptations. That’s partly because there is a lot of data about BBC Sherlock right now, but also largely because the presenters are all big BBC fans, so that’s where they started looking. We would be so excited if some of you wanted to ask statistical questions about your favorite Sherlockian fandom — or other fandoms!

Also, we’ll be talking about how “popular” some things are with readers. There are many ways to try to measure popularity, and all of them capture somewhat different things. In this talk, we’ll focus on how many kudos different works have gotten on AO3, but there are many aspects of popularity this doesn’t capture. I have done a lot of thinking about popularity metrics and posted some alternative analyses on my blog at destinationtoast.tumblr.com/stats.

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THE POPULARITY OF SHERLOCK HOLMES IN FANDOM

There’s a hell of a lot of fanfic out there about us, Watson.

Do tell.

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HOW MUCH BBC SHERLOCK FANFIC IS THERE?

Top 10 TV fandoms on major fanfiction archives

# Works

174K

125K

107K

88K

66K

59K

43K

41K

39K

37K

Sherlock

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DIFFERENT SHERLOCKIAN FANDOMS

# Works

107K

25K

5.9K

1.7K

598

319

188

172

3.4K

(ACD)

(RDJ)

(Granada)

(Mary Russell)

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BBC SHERLOCK

ACTIVITY OVER TIME

1K

2K

3K

4K

S1 UK

S1 US

S2 UK

S2 US

setlock

# Works / Month

DATA FROM

S3

holmestice

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ELEMENTARY

ACTIVITY OVER TIME

100

# Works / Month

DATA FROM

Elementary S1

Elementary S2

BBC

holmestice

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RDJ HOLMES

ACTIVITY OVER TIME

DATA FROM

# Works / Month

RDJ Sherlock Holmes

100

Game of Shadows

single creator mass upload

BBC

Elementary

holmestice

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GRANADA HOLMES

ACTIVITY OVER TIME

# Works / Month

100

DATA FROM

BBC

Elementary

RDJ

holmestice

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ACD HOLMES

ACTIVITY OVER TIME

# Works / Month

100

DATA FROM

BBC

RDJ

Elementary

holmestice

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SHERLOCKIAN [-BBC]

ACTIVITY OVER TIME

# Works / Month

100

ACD Elementary Downey Granada

DATA FROM

BBC

RDJ

Elementary

holmestice

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GENRES OF

FANFICTION

It’s all porn,

isn’t it?

Well.

Not all.

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BBC SHERLOCK:

RATINGS

31%

30%

15%

14%

9%

more explicit ratings

DATA FROM

% Works

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BBC SHERLOCK:

RELATIONSHIP TYPES

61%

29%

12%

2.8%

1.9%

1.8%

M/M

Gen

(not ship focused)

F/M

Multiple

Other

F/F

DATA FROM

% Works

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BBC SHERLOCK:

WORDCOUNT

35% of Sherlock fanworks are less than 1,000 words.

90% are less than 10,000 words.

3% are exactly 221 words. (AO3 average: 0.2%)

The median is 1,624 words.

The longest fanfic is over 1 million words.

Comparison:

The Final Problem

7,488 words

A Study in Scarlet

104,333 words

DATA FROM

% Works

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BBC SHERLOCK:

MOST COMMON TAGS

DATA FROM

% Works

TOPICS

SIDE CHARACTERS

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BBC SHERLOCK:

WHAT’S POPULAR TO READ

Word Count

DATA FROM

(fandom median = 22)

Kudos

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BBC SHERLOCK:

WHAT’S POPULAR TO READ

Relationship

Rating

DATA FROM

(fandom median = 22)

Kudos

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BBC SHERLOCK:

WHAT’S POPULAR TO READ

(incomplete set)

average number of kudos for fandom

DATA FROM

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ELEMENTARY:

MOST COMMON TAGS

DATA FROM

% Works

TOPICS

SIDE CHARACTERS

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RDJ HOLMES:

MOST COMMON TAGS

DATA FROM

% Works

TOPICS

SIDE CHARACTERS

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ACD:

MOST COMMON TAGS

DATA FROM

% Works

TOPICS

SIDE CHARACTERS

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CROSSOVERS

AND AUs

In some of these stories, I’m a dog?

LOL.

In some, you’re a lamp.

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SHERLOCKIAN AU v AO3 AU

MOST COMMON TAGS

% Works

DATA FROM

AO3 AUs

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SHERLOCKIAN AU v AO3 AU

MOST COMMON TAGS

% Works

DATA FROM

SHERLOCKIAN AUs

AO3 AUs

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SHERLOCK CROSSOVERS

(BY FIC)

DATA FROM

# Works

Doctor Who

Harry Potter

Supernatural

James Bond

Marvel

Cabin Pressure

Star Trek

J. R. R. Tolkein

Merlin

His Dark Materials

Hunger Games

Labyrinth

X-Men

Inception

Buffy

Good Omens

Hannibal Lecter

Highlander

Stargate

Firefly

Pacific Rim

Bandom

Hitchhiker’s Guide

Sandman

Discworld

Maurice

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AO3 TAG WRANGLING

Sherlock (TV)

Sherlock Holmes - Doyle

Elementary (TV)

Sherlock Holmes (Downey Films)

Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV)

Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)

Basil of Baker Street - All Media Types

Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century (Cartoon)

Without a Clue (1988)

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)

Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms

DATA FROM

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AO3 TAG NORMALIZATION

Harry Potter - Fandom

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter - Rowling

only knowledge of Harry Potter is necessary so don’t worry

Harry - Fandom

Harry Potter/Sherlock (BBC)

Sherlock/Harry Potter Crossover

Harry Potter

DATA FROM

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SHERLOCK CROSSOVERS

(BY KUDOS)

DATA FROM

28440

22761

16291

11046

7696

7071

7044

4928

4556

4273

3460

2306

2111

1302

1228

1135

1111

1050

1040

1038

1020

Harry Potter

James Bond

Doctor Who

Marvel

Supernatural

Cabin Pressure

Star Trek

Sentinel

J. R. R. Tolkien

His Dark Materials

Merlin

Jane Austen

Good Omens

Teen Wolf

Highlander

Garden Spells

X-Men

Push

Labyrinth

Firefly

Bourne

Mission: Impossible

Inception

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SHERLOCK CROSSOVERS

(BY SHERLOCK)

DATA FROM

# Works

Doctor Who

Harry Potter

Supernatural

James Bond

Marvel

Cabin Pressure

Star Trek

J. R. R. Tolkien

Merlin

His Dark Materials

Hunger Games

Labyrinth

X-Men

Inception

Buffy

Good Omens

Hannibal Lecter

Highlander

Stargate

Firefly

Pacific Rim

Bandom

Hitchhiker’s Guide

Sandman

Discworld

Maurice

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SHERLOCK CROSSOVERS

(BY SHERLOCK, - BBC)

DATA FROM

# Works

Doctor Who

Harry Potter

Supernatural

Marvel

Cabin Pressure

Star Trek

J. R. R. Tolkien

Merlin

His Dark Materials

Hunger Games

DCU

X-Men

Hawaii Five-O

Buffy

Sentinel

Teen Wolf

Highlander

Stargate

Game of Thrones

Pacific Rim

Bandom

Howl’s Moving Castle

Jeeves

Discworld

Mary Russell

James Bond

Phantom of the Opera

Ripper Street

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SHERLOCK CROSSOVERS

(- TOP 7)

# Works

DATA FROM

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SHERLOCK CROSSOVERS

(RARE BUT INTRIGUING)

DATA FROM

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SHERLOCK x SHERLOCK

ACD

# Works

(ACD)

(BBC)

(Elementary)

(RDJ)

(Mouse)

(22nd)

(Granada)

(Young)

50

39

4

1

Thanks: Es Gibter (esgibter.tumblr.com)

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SHERLOCK x SHERLOCK

BBC

# Works

(ACD)

(BBC)

(Elementary)

(RDJ)

(Mouse)

(22nd)

(Granada)

(Young)

39

87

24

12

4

2

5

1

Thanks: Es Gibter (esgibter.tumblr.com)

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SHERLOCK x SHERLOCK

Elementary

# Works

(ACD)

(BBC)

(Elementary)

(RDJ)

(Mouse)

(22nd)

(Granada)

(Young)

4

24

31

1

Thanks: Es Gibter (esgibter.tumblr.com)

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SHERLOCK x SHERLOCK

RDJ

# Works

(ACD)

(BBC)

(Elementary)

(RDJ)

(Mouse)

(22nd)

(Granada)

(Young)

4

12

1

21

3

1

Thanks: Es Gibter (esgibter.tumblr.com)

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SHERLOCK x SHERLOCK

CROSSOVERS

ACD Canon

RDJ movies

Granada TV show

# Works

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SHERLOCK x SHERLOCK

CROSSOVERS

ACD Canon

RDJ movies

Granada TV show

# Works

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SHIPPING AND

(A)SEXUALITY

IN FANDOM

...and then there’s this fic where you’re leaning over the sofa, and then I...

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HOW BIG IS THE HOLMES/WATSON SHIP?

32.1K

28.9K

26.8K

14.6K

11.1K

11K

9.2K

8.4K

Sherlock/John

Castiel/Dean (Supernatural)

Derek/Stiles (Teen Wolf)

Harry/Louis (One Direction)

Dean/Sam (Supernatural)

Merlin/Arthur (Merlin)

Draco/Harry (Harry Potter)

Steve/Tony (Avengers)

Sherlock & John [friendship]

Blaine/Kurt (Glee)

DATA FROM

# Works

8.3K

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HOLMES/WATSON

ACROSS ADAPTATIONS

Percent of fanfic devoted to ship

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

DATA FROM

% Works

(ACD)

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JOHNLOCK (BBC SHIP)

OVER TIME

Percent of fanfic devoted to ship

100%

50%

0%

DATA FROM

S1

S2

S3

% Works

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MAJOR BBC SHIPS

7.4%

% Works

DATA FROM

Moran/Moriarty

Sherlock/Molly

Mycroft/Lestrade

Sherlock/Moriarty

Sherlock/Mycroft

Sherlock/John

John/Mary

Sherlock/Irene

Sherlock/OCs

Let’s look at percentages devoted to other ships as well. The AO3 numbers are a lot more certain than the FFNet numbers, because FFNet doesn’t offer relationship tags, and AO3 does. But making our best guess, Johnlock is most popular on both platforms, followed by Sherlolly, Mystrade, and Mormor.

We’ll talk about changes post S3 later...

FFNet methodology: add number of works with ship name to number that are “sherlock” + “romance” + both characters:

"johnlock" + Romance(Sherlock H., John W.)

"sherlolly" + Romance(Sherlock H., Molly H.)

"mystrade" + Romance(Mycroft H., DI Lestrade)

"warstan" + Romance(John W., Mary M.)

"mormor" + Romance(J. Moriarty., Sebastian W./Seb)

"sheriarty" + "jimlock" + Romance(Sherlock H., J. Moriarty)

"holmescest" + Romance(Sherlock H., Mycroft H.)

"adlock" + "sherene" + Romance(Sherlock H., Irene A.)

Romance(Sherlock H., OC)

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MAJOR ELEMENTARY SHIPS

7.4%

% Works

DATA FROM

Sherlock/Moriarty

Joan/Sherlock

Joan/Moriarty

Joan/Marcus

Sherlock/Marcus

Joan/Mycroft

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ASEXUALITY ACROSS FANDOMS

1% of Sherlock fics are ace-related

38% of ace fics are Sherlock-related

586% more Sherlock ace!fic than Marvel

DATA FROM

# Works

Marvel

Sherlock

Les Mis

Supernatural

Homestuck

Doctor Who

Teen Wolf

Harry Potter

White Collar

Supernatural

Pacific Rim

Star Trek

James Bond

J. R. R. Tolkien

due South

RPF

WTNV

Bandom

Hetalia: Axis Powers

Original Work

Boondock Saints

DCU

Inception

Death Note

Disney

Dragon Age

MS Paint Adventures

Attack on Titan

Buffy

Cabin Pressure

Criminal Minds

Free!

Knight Rider

Merlin

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ASEXUALITY & SHERLOCK

DATA FROM

# Works

Mycroft/Lestrade

Moran/Moriarty

Sherlock/Molly

Sherlock/Lestrade

Sherlock/Moriarty

Sherlock/Mycroft

John/Lestrade

Sherlock/John/Lestrade

John/Mycroft

Sherlock & Lestrade

Sherlock/John

Sherlock & John

Sherlock/John/Mary

Sherlock/Victor

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RESPONSE TO

SHERLOCK s3 &

ELEMENTARY s2

The latest reports indicate that our fandom is decidedly #NotDead.

Woot!

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#ELEMENTASQUEE

ON TUMBLR

DATA FROM

Posts / Day

S2 premiere

S2

finale

Aug 2013 - Jul 2014

#elementary has ~5x traffic

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ELEMENTARY SHIPS:

CHANGE IN POPULARITY

DATA FROM

% Works

On the rise:

Joan/Moriarty
Joan/Marcus
Joan/Mycroft
Joan/Ms. Hudson

Sherlock/others

Joan/Sherlock

Joan/others

Joan & Sherlock

(friendship)

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SHERLOCK “FIX-IT” FIC

ON AO3

July 2010-July 2014

S1

S2

S3

DATA FROM

Works / Month

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SHERLOCK RARE SHIPS:

CHANGE IN POPULARITY

DATA FROM

% Works

Mycroft/Lestrade

Moran/Moriarty

Sherlock/Molly

Sherlock/Moriarty

Sherlock/Mycroft

Sherlock/Lestrade

Sherlock/John/Mary

John/Mary

Molly/Lestrade

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#BALLETLOCK

ON TUMBLR

Jun 2013 - Feb 2014

26 June - 1 July

peak meme

TSoT

“balletlock is canon!”

DATA FROM

Posts / Day

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#SHERLOCK HOLMES

ON TUMBLR

DATA FROM

# Tags

July 22-24, 2014

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THE END.

That was an exhausting amount of statistics.

Quite.

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ABOUT US / MORE FANDOM STATS:

destinationtoast

stats + fanfic + meta

destinationtoast.tumblr.com

destinationtoast@gmail.com

just the stats

toastystats.tumblr.com

strangelock

ace!Sherlock + johnlock

+ occasional analytics

strangelock.tumblr.com

strangelock@icloud.com

Thanks: Es Gibter (esgibter.tumblr.com) for help with the circular crossover visualizations & general feedback; centrumlumina (centrumlumina.tumblr.com) for AO3 ship stats; pennswoods (penns-woods.tumblr.com) for help & feedback on some slides.

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BACKUP SLIDES

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SHERLOCK x SHERLOCK

CROSSOVERS

ACD Canon

RDJ movies

Granada TV show

# Works

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SHERLOCK x SHERLOCK

CROSSOVERS

ACD Canon

RDJ movies

Granada TV show