Poking the Fans With Sticks

I signed in to a certain social media site yesterday to discover that a dear friend of mine, who knows and enables my Benedict Cumberbatch addiction, had posted the above photo for me.  Along with the information that said photo had originally been posted on Twitter by Mark Gatiss.

I have to tell you, it’s a heck of a way to start a Sunday!  Gazing at that gorgeous white throat sliding down to the open shirt and tantalizing glimpse of chest. 

That photo is possibly the most erotic thing I have EVER seen.   After 3 minutes of concentrated viewing, my ovaries were hiding in a corner of my abdomen whimpering, and my uterus was attempting to turn itself inside out!

Once I was able to think again, ie, after I’d closed down my browser and got to hell off my computer, I started to think about the reasons for posting the photo.  Apart from the obvious fact that Mark Gatiss is a closet sadist!

Of all the fandoms out there, the Sherlock one is the only one where cast and crew actively tease the fans.  Others interact with their fans to a degree, but the guys and gals on Sherlock take this to new levels.

This isn’t like the usual behind the scenes shots and promo photos gently leaked out, like a carrot being dangled in front of a recalcitrant donkey.  No, this is taking a very long pole and prodding a caged tiger in the arse with it!  We throw ourselves at the bars howling and snarling with every photo and tweet.

Mark Gatiss is particularly good at this.  In fact, I would say he is the master of it.  But here is the scary thought.  Mark probably wouldn’t have posted that photo on Twitter without discussing it with Benedict first.  After all, the image is of Benedict.  You see what this means?

Benedict Cumberbatch has started poking the fans with sticks as well!

My sanity won’t stand it….let alone my ovaries.

But then, do I want to be a part of a sane, staid, boring fandom that is happy with posed photos and the occasional retweet from one of the stars?

After much consideration of this (abetted by frequent viewings of the photo), I came to the conclusion that the answer is no.

I’d rather be a part of a wild, crazy fandom that ships otters and hedgehogs, obsesses on umbrellas and violins, and frequently needs to be straightjacketed for its own safety.

Now, if you will excuse me, I’ll be in my cage, looking at my photos and waiting the the stick to come sliding through the bars yet again.