Fan Tales: How the 'Sherlock' and Benedict Cumberbatch fandom gave me a new lifeMumbai, Apr 5(AZINS) Shah Rukh Khan's Fan releases on April 15 and from the trailers, one can tell it's a fan tale gone awry. But that's not the case all the time. My own journey as a fan has been vastly different and has opened up my world view in several ways.

One fine day in 2013, I was given six episodes of Sherlock by a friend with a note stuck on it saying "If you do not watch this, you will regret it your whole life." I had a free day and with my food order sorted, I embarked on the binge watch. By the time the end credits for the last episode of Season 2 rolled, I was fixated with Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Mark Gatiss, Rupert Graves, Una Stubbs, Andrew Scott, and Steven Moffat. More importantly, I had become a 'fan' of Sherlock and Benedict Cumberbatch. The ship was on full sail on the Cumber-Collective sea.

To be honest, this was not my first brush with Sherlock or Cumberbatch. Back in 2010, mundanely flipping TV channels at home, I remember seeing an odd looking fellow in the modern setting of Sherlock Holmes. But a TV spot hardly generates much attention. Come the year 2011, I saw the same odd looking bloke, this time, blonde, with a Beatles-like haircut in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy with Garry Oldman and Colin Firth. That fellow's voice stayed with me long after I left the theatre. I could not get his 'pretend' shrug and his silent wailing after asking his partner to leave him alone, out of my head. Yet, I didn't bother looking him up on Google then.

Next stop was 2013. By this time, I was a pro at Tumblr. Learning the gif language, following John Green, Coveture. Basically "utilising" my time when not freelancing. It was a great way of dealing with the depression too. I was using the platform to connect with people facing the same issues and trying to build a support group among the sea of anonymous.

And then Sherlock happened!

I started devouring anything and everything written, drawn, gif-ed, uttered about the show. I turned my Tumblr upside down. I watched everything that was listed on the IMDB pages of Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, and Mark Gatiss. I realised that I was already a fan of Steven Moffat, just didn't know it because I never bothered to pay attention to the credits of Coupling.

I started lurking around what I love to call the biggies of Sherlock fandom. They were dissecting every single frame, musical note, gesture, expression, position of the prop and analysing every single word for sub-text. It was an enticing world created solely by what BBC offered them. Three episodes of about 90 minutes or so per season, with undecided gap days during the seasons. The hiatus became a fertile ground. There was fanart, fanfiction, and a lot more.

For once, I let something consume me. Not a day passed without me going through something related to Sherlock or Cumberbatch. I noticed that what the fans created was born out of sheer love for the show. They were unabashed about it. Their discussion points were logical and based on solid research grounds. Hell, a lot of them chose Arthur Conan Doyle, BBC Sherlock as a subject for their PhDs! The concept of 'Setlock' was born where many of us donned the Deerhunter, took out our magnifying glasses, and started following the crew on Twitter, visiting set locations, clicking images of the ongoing shoot and creating spiderwebs and wall charts to keep track of which scenes they were shooting on a particular day, and then deduce which story of Arthur Conan Doyle would be brought to the modern times. 'Setlock' became an alive creature. People planned vacations to the Queen's land according to the dates of shoots. Disciplined in all manners, they never interrupted the shoot of the show they love so much. (FYI, the setlock for Season 4 is already underway, if you want to enjoy the storm!)

#setlock Tweets

Being a part of the fandom opened my eyes. I started detaching myself from inhibitions. I slowly revived my blog, letting go of the fear of not being able to make an impact. I was finally writing for myself. The confidence in the voices of my fellow fans gave me courage. I started getting better at negotiating deals with my contractors. Conversations with my fan tribe gave me the confidence to apply for the job I am now working at. My pool of anonymous Sherlock fans was rooting for me.

Sure, BBC created the show to rake in money, which it has and how. But the fandom the show has built, has changed the cultural dimension in many ways. The fans have become a self-thriving ecosystem. We were commissioning fanfiction, fanart, we were helping artists, writers earn money, get recognition. Some of them have earned book deals, some of them are collaborating with crew members who worked on the show. There are also so many ones like me who found support in the fandom to achieve something in their regular lives. We also take care of each other with our unique system of fandom. Are you sick? Here's a cute illustration or a ficlet to make you feel better. Did you achieve something? Here's a Johnlock button I specially made for you. Are you feeling down? How about this funny fanvid I made to cheer you up. Are you short on funds for tuition fees? Let me help with a shout out to my followers to buy your creative work.

Outside this ecosystem, we worked just as vigorously to raise money and manpower for charitable causes, as we worked on Setlock.

The fandom also made me an eternal romantic. It gave me strength to accept my depression and deal with it. Sherlock fans gave me a new life. I have built strong friendships with people I have never met in my life. Someone is a professor in Orlando, US. Someone is a temp in Amsterdam. Someone is a high school senior in Sussex, UK. Someone is a scientist in Atlanta. Someone is a Ph.D. student in Switzerland. Someone is my best friend. Someone has become my shoulder to lean on. This support system has always come through for me and is one of the things I hold closest to my heart.

This, I believe, is what being a fan means. Sure, there are sore thumbs. YRF is making a whole movie about it. But the creators should know that fans are everything. They are your box office collection, they are your TRP, they are your stadium full of supporters singing 'Kicking A Blue', they are your answer to critics of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Don't get me wrong, there are fans in critics too. They would not be writing on the subject unless they have a thorough knowledge about it. To be a critic, you need to have a passion for the subject, and having a passion for something makes you a fan.

So, I'll just say, be a fan. It means you are passionate about something, which in turn means you are alive and the game is afoot!