The Johnlock Conspiracy

[bedelia1984]

I'm a bit biased about tea, I think the Irish brands are the nicest, Barry's tea or Lyon's Green Label. I even find in London I don't think the tea is as good, for the most part. Here a lot of people like leaving the bag in- or as strong as you can get- a friend's had used to say it should be strong enough for a mouse to trot on top of it...

[Carol the Dabbler]

It has accidentally gone in my mouth a couple of times. (I'm desperately trying to avoid making any tea-bagging jokes.)

Where's the fun in that ;)

Moderator Comment:

Best take any further discussion to Irene's lounge. 

[Artemis]

Meh, I do what I want. Something I do that is a faux pas, and revolts the people around me, is that I usually drink my tea with the teabag still in the cup. Reason being I like my tea as strong as possible, and without leaving the bag in whilst I drink it I find it too weak. 

 

Same here.  ...You're not supposed to do that?  I had no idea, lol.  Seems like a waste of good tea to take it out.

 

 

[Arcadia]

Same here. And other than that I'm not touching this topic with a ten foot, er ... pole.

[Van Buren Supernova]

I'm oblivious regarding what could those mean, eh.. but nevermind.

Blow my tea as well (oh is that it? ) 

 

Tea lover here! But to be honest I have not much idea about type and brand. Tried Twinning, didn't like it. Earl Grey, Jasmine, English Breakfast, Russian Caravan etc, not a fan. Lipton, yah, that is probably the safe one for generic need; I like the touch of lemon, lemongrass or ginger as and when I need it. Ginger tea is greatttt for cold weather.

My favorite is japanese Green Tea, or actually whatever green tea that looks green (seriously, there are lots of brown green tea, huh, faker. My usual one mostly comes in teabag or powder, cloudy green tea (from powder) is great as well. But yes, green tea doesn't taste as strong, so I actually always start with two bags in the morning and top-up another one in the afternoon, or more. Oh, and they soak in there.

Nope, I don't pour them in the saucer, anyone really do that? My friend does, I think it's a hassle. But he said it tastes better. never tried it though, I would need a bib for those. I don't use milk as well. I suspect I have lactose intolerant, so I don't generally like milk, especially in my tea, no sugar as well. 

 

Actually I have little patience with dunking the tea bag, I always feel so bored mid dunking and always try to find something to modify into 'automatic tea dunker', because it's necessary, sometimes I'm being a bit OCD that I have to dunk it certain time otherwise the tea is not as good.

 

Oh well, I sound very unsophisticated.

And good god, that is probably not as off topic as I thought it is. :D

But salty harbor tea is still ugh. :P

[Carol the Dabbler]

Nope, I don't pour them in the saucer, anyone really do that? My friend does, I think it's a hassle. But he said it tastes better. never tried it though, I would need a bib for those.

 

Pouring tea into the saucer to cool it is usually mentioned humorously around here, supposedly something that only a real backwoods type would do.  It does make a certain amount of sense, though, since it greatly increases the surface where evaporation (and therefore cooling) would take place, regardless of whether one actually blows on it or not.

 

There's an old joke about a fellow who generously offered his cup of tea to a friend, saying "Here, take mine.  It's already saucered and blowed."

[Artemis]

For iced tea I like AriZona.  I'm having some right now, mmmm...

 

 

[T.o.b.y]

I love how nobody is trying to get this conversation back on topic - and how I am not the only person on this planet who could talk about tea for hours.

 

I love tea but am also not very cultivated about it. Herbal or fruit tea is my standard drink all day long winter and summer. Black tea always with milk, no sugar please, I prefer strong blends. Love black tea with a bit of orange flavor like Lady Grey or Constant Comment (can't we introduce the latter in Germany please?).

 

I like coffee almost as much as tea though. What does that make me in the subtext world I wonder?

 

Anyway. It's kinda beyond me how anybody can still believe in the "conspiracy" after S4 and countless statements to the contrary by the creators but I love how they didn't really spoil the "ship" for anybody. The way they did the ending, you can pretty much imagine what you want without having to ignore too much evidence.

[Pseudonym]

 

Actually I have little patience with dunking the tea bag, I always feel so bored mid dunking and always try to find something to modify into 'automatic tea dunker', because it's necessary, sometimes I'm being a bit OCD that I have to dunk it certain time otherwise the tea is not as good.

 

What you need is one of those bobbing birds that go on the edge of a cup to peck the tea bag back down when it floats to the top. :D

 

What I don't get is how enraged people were when the end could easily be taken as Johnlock if one chose to do so. 

[Artemis]

I love tea but am also not very cultivated about it. [...]

 

I like coffee almost as much as tea though. What does that make me in the subtext world I wonder?

 

Likewise.

 

I have a milk allergy (and I don't really like it anyway), so no milk for me.  I add sugar sometimes, but more often leave it plain.  With tea, that is.  Coffee I never leave plain, way too bitter for me.  My favorites are ridiculously expensive mochas.

 

What you need is one of those bobbing birds that go on the edge of a cup to peck the tea bag back down when it floats to the top. :D

 

I was thinking exactly the same thing, lol.

 

What I don't get is how enraged people were when the end could easily be taken as Johnlock if one chose to do so.

 

I think they were enraged because it could also not be taken as Johnlock.  They wanted undeniable confirmation of their ship.

[Arcadia]

Ah. Methinks you are on to something. Hadn't thought of it that way.

 

My favorite tea is Tazo's Sweet Cinnamon Spice. Yum. Or maybe it's Stash's licorice tea. Or Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice. At any rate, I have a low tolerance for caffeine, so I mostly drink herbal teas. Hot, cold, whatever, I practically live on the stuff. Which I know is shocking to "real" tea drinkers. Bite me. :p

[Carol the Dabbler]

I was really into Bengal Spice for a while, till I read the ingredient list and found that it's not just simple spices. I'm not home at the moment, but near as I recall, one ingredient was "natural flavor" -- which nowadays (at least in the US) means basically "artificial flavor that's not made from petroleum." They can start with any plant or animal matter they like, subject it to whatever chemical processes they like, and still call the result "natural." Amazingly enough, "natural strawberry flavor" (for example) need not come from strawberries at all -- it just means a non-petroleum derivative that happens to taste like strawberries.

 

The worst part is that many of the processes they use can create MSG and the like, which does not need to be declared on the label because it's "naturally occurring" -- meaning it was created in the process of making something else, rather than coming from a big barrel labeled "MSG."

 

I know that I can react badly to hydrolyzed products, so I try to avoid anything containing "natural flavors" because hydrolyzation is one of the processes commonly used to create them.

[Arcadia]

Spoilsport. :p

 

I am very grateful ... and I know, very lucky ... that I don't have too many food intolerances. Caffeine's one, and even that I can handle if I don't drink it at night. Actually, that may be the only thing. My chief problem with food is that I like it too well.

[T.o.b.y]

I need a little bit of caffeine every day to function properly. Got into the habit early and became addicted I guess. I have had to limit my intake though and am doing surprisingly well with just one cup of coffee or two cups of black tea a day. If I want more I use decaf - tastes like the real thing and has a pleasant little placebo effect.

[Boton]

Wow, I don't get to visit the forum for a couple of days, and look what I miss!

 

Having my coffee right now; with local, raw honey.  :-)

[Pseudonym]

Getting back on topic, something I read that really irritated me lately were a couple of quotes from Sue Virtue from the latest con. Now these were filtered via Tumblr, I don't have the time or inclination to hunt out anything direct, but there were two quotes that annoyed me. 

 

First, not related to this thread, that Mary shot Sherlock 'nicely.' Because that's entirely possible, obviously, anyone with a modicum of common sense can tell that was a friendly shooting. My mates shoot me all the time, what's the big deal?

 

Second, belonging here, Virtue giving her opinion that both Sherlock and John are straight. I have no issue with John being straight, we haven't seen anything on screen to indicate otherwise imho, but I think Sherlock has been left ambiguous for a reason, and it's a pretty clever move on Moftiss' part (perhaps a bit too clever given the conspiracy it's caused). It means people can read anything they want into Sherlock and decide for themselves what he might be. Having her, a straight woman, piping up that they are both straight (because of course they are), is really annoying and detracts from anyone who appreciates the fact that maybe, just maybe, Sherlock isn't just the same as most other characters on TV, that he might actually represent them in some way. 

Apparently one of the reasons she gave for this was because when Mrs Hudson asked if they would need two bedrooms the answer was yes. Now I'm a bit wary to make too much of this due to it being filtered via Tumblr, but if that is the case and she actually did say that it's outrageous. Because all gay people instantly sleep together as soon as they meet do they? There is no way two gay guys could possibly be living together and not sh*gging? Hm. 

She would have been better off butting out of that debate entirely rather than giving opinions that are bound to enrage fans who already feel betrayed by the show. Personally I don't think Sherlock is straight (not that I'm 100% convinced he's gay either), but I have no issue with people who feel he is, but to have someone who is so involved in the show announce she thinks he is really gets my goat. 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

It seems a bit odd that Vertue would speak publicly on any plot-background type of subject, since her official position is producer (i.e., running the business side of the show). Of course she's married to one of the writers, so she may have the inside scoop in some cases. But those comments - which I have of course heard third-hand at best -- sound more to me like her opinion as a viewer. Which of course she is fully entitled to have. Having not been there myself, I'm gonna guess that somebody stuck a microphone in her face and asked a question, so she felt obligated to answer. I'm sure she'd be the first to say that her word is by no means official.

 

In short, I see no reason for anybody to get any more worked up about it than if you or I said something online -- but of course people DO get upset about what other fans say.

 

I agree with her about halfway. At that range, Mary could have made a sure-fire killing shot, but she didn't. I still wouldn't call it "nice" of course (and maybe Vertue didn't use that word either), but I see what she means.

 

As for the two bedrooms thing, that was JOHN's request, so (whatever it may mean) it speaks only for him, not Sherlock.

[Pseudonym]

Well, Sherlock did flatline, so it could very easily have been a killing shot. 

 

She is entitled to her opinion, but given the fact she is not just a viewer I think it would have been a lot wiser for her to demure rather than giving such a strong answer. I posted in the Moriarty thread an answer Andrew Scott gave when asked a question about Moriarty's sexuality, which he answered probably a lot more seriously than people were expecting and still avoided giving a definitive answer on - giving a very good reason for doing so. Something like that would have been much wiser and got people a lot less riled up. 

 

Andrew Scott is obviously coming at it from a very different angle than Vertue, but the fact he answers it seriously instead of just throwing out an easy answer, the fact he recognises that it matters to people and actually is important is so much more switched on than just tossing out an answer that is bound to rile people up. 

 

Here is it, btw, for anyone who missed the post. 

 

[Pseudonym]

Sensitive is the word I was looking for - I got interrupted mid flow. Andrew Scott is sensitive to the answer because he actually gets it's importance. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Well, Sherlock did flatline, so it could very easily have been a killing shot.

Yes, but what I meant was the sort of shot that police, soldiers, and presumably professional assassins are taught to use when they fully intend to kill someone, like aiming for the heart or the brain.

 

What Mary did was not just a disabling shot either, but she wanted Sherlock to be unconscious, so that wouldn't have been an option.  Therefore she aimed at something quite vulnerable but probably not lethal.  I read a blog (sorry, don't recall where) that explained she apparently hit a major artery, which could not have been intentional, since they move around and it's impossible to be certain where they are.  My guess is that she intended something sufficiently traumatic and painful that he'd pass out, but yet could most likely recover from.  She knew (and so did Magnussen) that there was a doctor on the premises who would undoubtedly come looking for Sherlock sooner or later, so it wasn't like he would just lie there for long.  In fact, there's some evidence that it was actually CAM who called the ambulance.

 

[Pseudonym]

Wouldn't CAM be unconscious after she pistol whipped him? And doesn't Sherlock say that Mary called the ambulance (though of course how he'd know that is another thing entirely). I still don't get the shooting, it doesn't make any sense - he would have helped her, and yes she didn't want John knowing her secret but if she just wanted Sherlock unconscious and didn't want to kill him she must have known he'd tell John anyway. He's friends with Mary because of John, it's always going to be John that his loyalty lies with. Killing him would make the most sense to keep him quiet, but then, as you said, why not just shoot him in the noggin? If she just wanted to knock him out, for whatever reason, she should have pretended to be harmless, got in range and used the element of surprise to pistol whip him since he was so convinced she wouldn't hurt him. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

CAM was clearly crawling around in the background after Mary shot Sherlock, though I don't offhand recall whether that was before or after she clobbered him with the pistol.  He seems to be picking something up off the floor, perhaps a cell phone.

 

I assume that everything Sherlock says about what Mary did after shooting him is pure conjecture, and not necessarily correct.  For example, he says that she left by the same route she had entered -- but since she apparently came in by way of the office (where she knocked out Janine and the guard, and yeah, why then didn't she just clobber Sherlock? what's one more?), and since Sherlock had told her that John was down there, I suspect she found another route out.  Since clearly somebody called the ambulance, he probably just assumed it was Mary.  But if it really was CAM, why?  Did he want to keep Sherlock alive for his own nefarious purposes?

 

As for Sherlock's offer to help Mary, that help would surely have been on his terms, not hers -- quite possibly not what she would consider "help" at all -- and she didn't really have time to discuss the details.

[Pseudonym]

I remember him crawling about for his glasses, picking those up and putting them on but that was before he was hit. Can't remember if he was moving after, from what I remember I don't think we see him.

 

I don't think CAM called the ambulance but I think he would have done. I think CAM loves lording power over people, and I hate him, but I don't think he's evil to the extent of just letting someone die, especially in his office. Besides, Sherlock is a good pressure point to get to Mycroft. Possibly. Sometimes Mycroft seems to be overprotective of Sherlock and other times it seems like he doesn't give a sh*t. Can't work it out.

[Artemis]

I remember him crawling about for his glasses, picking those up and putting them on but that was before he was hit. Can't remember if he was moving after, from hat I remember I don't think we see him.

That was after, actually. It's when John comes into the room and sees that Sherlock was shot.

 

I do think Mary called the ambulance.

[Pseudonym]

Ah ha. Man, he must have a thick skull.