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SHERLOCKIAN FANDOM STATS

A QUANTITATIVE LOOK AT FANDOM ACTIVITY

Sherlock Seattle 2015

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

Do tell.

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“It is a capital mistake

to theorize before

one has data.”

- Sherlock Holmes

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Sherlock Holmes has inspired some of the most active modern fandoms.

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POPULAR SHERLOCKIAN FANDOMS

# Works

118K

25K

6.4K

2.0K

636

363

195

179

3.4K

(ACD)

(RDJ)

(Granada)

(Mary Russell)

DATA FROM

num fanworks

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TOPICS

ACD in modern fandom
What’s special about Sherlockian fanfic?

Elementary & Sherlock

Shipping and (a)sexuality
Crossovers and AUs

Gender change AUs

Did BBC Sherlock’s S3 kill the fandom?

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BEFORE THE STATS, SOME CAVEATS...

fandom

content

popularity

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ACD IN MODERN FANDOM

I’M JUST SUCH A FAN OF YOUR CASES AS;DKLFSADF;LJ!!1!

Calm yo tits. I’m blushing.

You like blushing.

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Any guesses about:

... the most popular ACD story in fanfic?

… which ones never get referenced?

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ACD STORIES IN FANFIC

DATA FROM

# Works

1972 fanworks total

Every ACD story referenced at least once

Empty House:

334 stories

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SHERLOCK HOLMES-AUTHORED DOCUMENTS IN FANFIC

DATA FROM

# Works

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WHICH FANDOMS REFERENCE ACD MOST?

DATA FROM

# Works

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WHICH PLATFORM REFERENCES ACD MOST?

DATA FROM

# Works

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WHAT’S UNUSUAL ABOUT SHERLOCKIAN FANFIC?

I must say, fanfic!Me does some rather crazy things...

You don’t say.

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5.1% of AO3 is Sherlockian.

4.7% of AO3 is BBC Sherlock fic.

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25% of Asexuality fanfic on AO3 is Sherlockian.

[Toasty slide] Note -- I’ve updated the numbers, but this data and all the asexuality data in this deck either originally came from or was inspired by analyses by Strangelock.

So, the Sherlockian fandoms create a disproportionate amount of fanworks dealing with Asexuality and related topics. Cool! We’ll revisit this in more detail.

(Note: due to the awesomeness of AO3 volunteer tag wranglers, this category actually includes a bunch of works that don’t use this tag but do use related tags, like “ace fic” and “Asexual Character” -- you can see the synonyms and subtags here. Throughout this presentation, unless I say otherwise, I am counting ALL the fanworks returned by AO3 when you click the “Asexuality” tag -- not just the works that literally use that tag. That means these stats are influenced by classification choices the tag wranglers have made.)

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37% of Case Fic on AO3 is Sherlockian.

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62% of Bees fic on AO3 is Sherlockian.

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81% of 221-word fanfics on AO3 are Sherlockian.

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ELEMENTARY & SHERLOCK:

CASE STUDIES

I’d like to shed some light on some specific subsets of fandom...

*groan*

Did you just

I can’t even

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Let’s look at how two currently active Sherlockian fandoms compare to AO3 overall...

Note: the following graphs are not on the same scale, from slide to slide.

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ANGST

9.9%

14.6%

3.8%

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ANGST

9.9%

14.6%

3.8%

Sherlock

is way angstier than average!

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FLUFF

1.0%

14.8%

9.6%

5.6%

...and also way fluffier!

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Hmm…

Maybe Elementary fandom just uses fewer tags than usual, and Sherlock uses more?

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Probably true, but Elementary still has some relatively popular tags...

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BEES

4.0%

1.0%

7.9%

6.3%

0.24%

0.02%

4.7%

1.4%

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0.3%

1.8%

2.2%

CASE FIC

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FRIENDSHIP

4.0%

1.0%

7.9%

6.3%

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DRUGS

1.1%

3.8%

5.7%

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MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

1.3%

2.2%

2.3%

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CHARACTER(S) OF COLOR

4.0%

1.0%

6.3%

0.1%

0.4%

4.7%

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POV FEMALE CHARACTER

4.0%

1.0%

2.1%

0.2%

0.3%

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Do the genders of the canon characters influence the types of fandom pairings?

(Is Sherlock more slashy than Elementary?)

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GEN

1.0%

24%

24% of AO3 is not ship-focused.

(AO3 is more shippy than some platforms, like FFNet.)

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GEN

1.0%

54%

24%

30%

Elementary has far more Gen fic than AO3 overall or than the Sherlock fandom.

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GEN

M/M

1.0%

66%

51%

8%

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M/M

GEN

F/M

1.0%

15%

23%

35%

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M/M

GEN

F/M

F/F

1.0%

2%

6%

13%

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ASEXUALITY

0.2%

1.0%

0.3%

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So, does the Sherlock fandom really create more crazy AUs than most fandoms?

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AU

15.2%

15.1%

10.6%

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CROSSOVERS & FUSIONS

2.7%

4.8%

7.7%

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CROSSOVERS & FUSIONS

2.7%

4.8%

3% crossovers with BBC Sherlock

4.7%

other crossovers

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GENDER CHANGE AUs

0.3%

0.7%

4.7%

0.8%

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OMEGAVERSE

0.5%

1.6%

0.1%

(1 fic)

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OMEGAVERSE

0.5%

1.6%

0.1%

(1 fic)

1053 A/B/O fics

(16% of AO3 Omegaverse)

More than any other fandom on AO3

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WHAT’S POPULAR TO WRITE

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WHAT’S POPULAR TO WRITE

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So far we’ve looked at what writers are producing.

What do readers like?

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AVERAGE HITS

(MEDIAN)

407

1.6%

744

650

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AVERAGE KUDOS

(MEDIAN)

1.6%

13

26

30

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BBC SHERLOCK:

WHAT’S POPULAR TO READ

Fandom average:

26 kudos

Omegaverse average:

118 kudos

(incomplete set of pop. tags)

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SHIPPING & �(A)SEXUALITY

IN FANDOM

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

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Fanfic is sometimes accused of being

mostly porn.

Is it really?

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BBC SHERLOCK

WHAT RATINGS ARE POPULAR TO WRITE?

DATA FROM

increasingly explicit

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BBC SHERLOCK

WHAT RATINGS ARE POPULAR TO WRITE?

DATA FROM

increasingly explicit

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BBC SHERLOCK

WHAT RATINGS ARE POPULAR TO READ?

DATA FROM

increasingly explicit

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Okay, so some fans are here, in part, for the romance. So let’s take a look at shipping...

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HOW BIG IS THE HOLMES/WATSON SHIP?

37K

36K

32K

18K

12.9K

12.5K

10.5K

10.4K

9.7K

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 (Marvel)

Sherlock & John [friendship]

Blaine/Kurt (Glee)

DATA FROM

# Works

9.6K

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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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Okay, right, but what about rare pairs?

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SHIPPING VARIES BY PLATFORM

Mystrade:

12%

as many works as Johnlock

(John/Mary is big, too, but often past only)

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SHIPPING VARIES BY PLATFORM

Sherlolly:

22%

as many works as Johnlock

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SHIPPING VARIES BY PLATFORM

Sherlolly:

13%

as many works as Johnlock

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SHIPPING VARIES BY PLATFORM

Mormor:

10%

as many works as Johnlock

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SHIPPING VARIES BY PLATFORM

Sherlolly:

35%

as many works as Johnlock

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How about polyamory/ more-than-twosomes?

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POLYAMORY OVER TIME

DATA FROM

# Works

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POLY SHIPS IN BBC SHERLOCK

DATA FROM

# Works

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POLY SHIPS OVER TIME

DATA FROM

# Works

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HOW POLY SHIPS ARE TAGGED

DATA FROM

# Works

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How does asexuality fit into the

shipping picture?

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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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CROSSOVERS

AND AUs

In some of these stories, I’m a dog?

LOL.

In some, you’re a lamp.

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SHERLOCKIAN AUs

MOST COMMON TAGS

% Works

DATA FROM

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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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SHERLOCKIAN AUs

MOST POPULAR TAGS

DATA FROM

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SHERLOCKIAN CHARACTER AUs

MOST POPULAR TAGS

SHERLOCK

JOHN

DATA FROM

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SHERLOCKIAN CHARACTER AUs

MOST POPULAR TAGS

MYCROFT

LESTRADE

DATA FROM

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SHERLOCKIAN CHARACTER AUs

MOST POPULAR TAGS

MOLLY

MRS. HUDSON

DATA FROM

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SHERLOCKIAN CHARACTER AUs

MOST POPULAR TAGS

DONOVAN

ANDERSON

DATA FROM

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SHERLOCKIAN CHARACTER AUs

MOST POPULAR TAGS

MARY

IRENE

DATA FROM

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SHERLOCKIAN CHARACTER AUs

MOST POPULAR TAGS

MORIARTY

MORAN

DATA FROM

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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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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

(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)

DATA FROM

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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)

DATA FROM

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AUs: GENDER CHANGES

Holmes! You’ve turned into a woman?

You see but you do not observe.

I frequently do.

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Changes from canon gender/sex are relatively common -- which changes get written about most?

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CIS-TO-CIS TRANSFORMATIONS

DATA FROM

# Works

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OTHER GENDER TRANSFORMATIONS

DATA FROM

# Works

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What about... other genders?

(ones that start with A, B, O?)

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A/B/O ASSIGNMENTS IN OMEGAVERSE

DATA FROM

# Works

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RESPONSE TO

SHERLOCK s3

They’re reporting

the death of the fandom...

Perhaps fandom

is faking it.

Who would do such a thing?!

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BBC SHERLOCK

ACTIVITY OVER TIME

DATA FROM

# Works / Year

Number of fanworks posted

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

?

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BBC SHERLOCK

ACTIVITY OVER TIME

DATA FROM

# Works / Year

Number of fanworks posted

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

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BBC SHERLOCK

ACTIVITY OVER TIME (FFN)

# Works / Month

Fanworks/month

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So does this mean nothing actually changed?

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BBC SHERLOCK

ACTIVITY OVER TIME

DATA FROM

% Works

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BBC SHERLOCK

ACTIVITY OVER TIME

# Works / Month

DATA FROM

S2

S3

S1

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How does this compare to other fandoms?

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SHERLOCK VS. OTHER FANDOMS

# Works / Month

DATA FROM

S2

S3

S1

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SHERLOCK VS. OTHER FANDOMS

# Works / Month

DATA FROM

S2

S3

S1

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Have the types of fic changed?

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BBC SHERLOCK

FIX-IT

DATA FROM

S2

S3

S1

% Works

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BBC SHERLOCK (POST-S3)

MARY MORSTAN

DATA FROM

# Works

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JOHNLOCK (BBC SHIP)

OVER TIME

Percent of BBC fanfic devoted to ship

100%

50%

0%

DATA FROM

S1

S2

S3

% Works

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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.