Superwholock

2010

Date: Mid-2010 through 2014 · Place: Tumblr · Figures: Supernatural, BBC Sherlock, Doctor Who source fandoms · Tags: Tumblr Fandom, Megafandom, Crossover 01. Three Shows One Dashboard Beginning in mid-2010 with the launch of BBC's Sherlock and continuing through the Eleventh Doctor era of Doctor Who and the post-fifth-season run of Supernatural, Tumblr users begin tagging fan content across all three with the portmanteau Superwholock. The crossover indicates allegiance to all three properties simultaneously. By 2012 the trio dominates the Tumblr fandom landscape. Crossover gifsets, ships, and AUs are produced at industrial scale. 02. The Megafandom As Identity Superwholock is the first true Tumblr-native megafandom, defined less by the source texts than by the platform's reblog mechanics and gif culture. Its dominant aesthetic, color-graded gif edits with hand-coded title typography, sets the visual idiom for the platform. Its decline after 2014, accelerated by Steven Moffat showrunner fatigue and the Sherlock fourth-season backlash, becomes the cautionary tale of fandom infrastructure outlasting fandom enthusiasm. Sources • KnowYourMeme, 'Superwholock' • The Mary Sue, 'A History of Superwholock on Tumblr' (24 February 2014) • Henry Jenkins, 'Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers' (NYU Press, second edition)