Sherlock Tag War of 2012

Event
Event:	The Sherlock Tag War of 2012
Participants:
Date(s):	March 2012
Type:	Fandom Wank/Fan War
Fandom:	BBC Sherlock, SHINee
URL:
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The Sherlock Tag War of 2012 was a fandom wank/fan war that occurred on tumblr in March of that year between fans of the BBC television series Sherlock and fans of the k-pop boy group SHINee. The drama occurred when, in response to the release of SHINee's song "Sherlock•셜록 (Clue + Note)" [referred to in English-speaking fan spaces as "Sherlock" or "Sherlock (Clue + Note)] started to mark their posts with #Sherlock. This flooded the Sherlock tag with content related to the band, to the confusion of many. This resulted in drama between the two groups.

During the drama (c. March 11th), someone started to spam the Sherlock tag with dick pics, further adding to the chaos. In response, another tumblr user by the name of kyuhynsass supposedly wrote crossover smut fanfiction, though this does not appear to have been archived. Other users made manips in response.

In the end, the two fandoms were forced to share the tag. This event may have contributed to the rise in usage of the BBC Sherlock hashtag to differentiate this specific version of the Sherlock canon.

It is remembered as one of the more outlandish, crazy things to have happened in English-language k-pop fan spaces.

Primary Sources

THE SHERLOCK TAG IS NOT JUST BBC SHERLOCK

THE SHERLOCK TAG IS THE ORIGINAL NOVELS AND ALL TV SHOWS AND MOVIES ETC ETC BBC SHERLOCK JUST HAPPENS TO BE VERY POPULAR THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT ALL OTHER SHERLOCK THINGS MENTIONED ARE NOT ON THE TAG SO YES, THE SHERLOCK TAG IS A BIG DEAL A REALLY REALLY BIG DEAL SO IT’S PRETTY DAMN OBVIOUS THAT THE ENTIRE SHERLOCK FANDOM ISN’T GOING TO, AND HAS NO OBLIGATION, TO MOVE TO ANOTHER TAG SHERLOCK FANS DON’T WANT SHINEE IN THE TAG SHINEE FANS DON’T WANT SHERLOCK (YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN) IN THE TAG THE IDEA OF THE ENTIRE FUCKING SHERLOCK FANDOM MOVING IS STUPID THE IDEA OF SHINEE FANS MOVING STUFF ABOUT ONE DAMN MINI ALBUM TO ANOTHER TAG ISN’T STUPID IT ALSO ISN’T EVEN SOMETHING THAT IS HARD TO DO IT WILL BENEFIT BOTH SHERLOCK AND SHINEE FANS IT SHOULD BE PRETTY OBVIOUS WHAT THE CORRECT COURSE OF ACTION IS

(I PERSONALLY SUGGEST SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF #SHINee Sherlock)

I DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT THE KPOP STUFF APPEARING IN THE SHERLOCK TAG TOO MUCH. IT DOESN’T REALLY BOTHER ME WHAT BOTHERS ME IS THIS STUPID FUCKING FIGHT THE ENTIRE SITUATION IS ANNOYING BOTH THE SHERLOCK AND SHINEE FANS, SO REALLY, THIS WHOLE THING NEEDS TO STOP

JUST LIKE NON-HETALIA FANS DON’T WANT TO SEE NAKED GAY ANIME MEN IN THE TAGS OF COUNTRIES, NON-SHINEE FANS WOULD APPRECIATE NOT SEEING KPOP STUFF IN THE SHERLOCK TAG

ALYSHIA OUT

prussias-dick, 2012 https://nigecha.tumblr.com/post/19101051831

I get every one of your points, but I disagree.

NOBODY should move their tags. Both fandoms need to quit shitting bricks. You must assume SHINee’s fandom is small. SHINee is only maybe the 4th or 5th most popular Korean idol group, and their fandom is still huge as shit.

Convincing ALL Shawols to move their tag is illogical, because you will NEVER reach every Shawol, not to mention every casual K-pop fan who happens to post about this album, and every non-Shawol K-pop fan who randomly posts about this album.

Right now, pretty much K-pop fans from every K fandom are reading this tag because you bitches on both sides are such drama queens and it’s really entertaining.

The idea that anyone should have to move to a different tag is absurd, considering both things are legit named “Sherlock.” Technically, tagging both things “Sherlock” is correct.

RE-FUCKING-LAX. It’s a tag. It’s not your life. It’s not your soul. It won’t affect the actual show. It’s just a tag. The tag is mostly Sherlock (BBC) related until the teasers drop (around 6/7PMEST as far as I can tell), and then it blows up for a few hours with SHINee. I’ve been watching this tag for entertainment purposes, and this is what I’ve noticed. So, no one should move, kids should just learn to play nice and stop acting like a tag is your entire life.

And again, Sherlockians (and Shawols, though I don’t think BBC Sherlock in the tag is bothering Shawols much, because why the fuck would it?), if SHINee bothers you so much, get tumblr savior and block the fuck out of the tags “SHINee” “Key” “Onew” Jonghyun” “Taemin” and “Minho”. That will block the SHINee pictures, YOU WON’T EVEN SEE THEM, and everyone will be happy, and at least you can pretend to have maturity and share the damn tag.

Sherlockians are acting like they’re the first ones to ever have to share a tag, Gat Damn. RELAXXXXXX.

Share and share alike, kids. WTF, people, it’s a tag, breathe!

ramblingssk, 2012 https://nigecha.tumblr.com/post/19101051831

Oh I agree, no fandom should have to move their tags, but this whole thing is starting to get insane. I’m all for peace between fandoms, WHICH IS WHY THIS WHOLE THING IS PISSING ME OFF.

(Because seriously, I seem to be one of the few people who doesn’t seem to be annoyed at the pescence of the SHINee stuff in the tag. I’m not a huge kpop fan, but I do enjoy it, so seeing the SHINee stuff is just kinda interesting to me, I suppose)

(And I know that SHINee’s fandom is fucking huge, I’m not an idiot XD; I wasn’t talking about fandom size~)

But I think it’s pretty clear that neither of the fandoms are going to share nicely

The sherlock fans are pissed

The SHINee fans are getting pissed that the Sherlock fans are pissed, and trolling

The Sherlock fans get more pissed because of the trolling

And the cycle continues

Sherlock fans are NOT going to be angry if they just see something pop up occasionally

And many Sherlock ARE SHINee fans (they are pretty big after all, as you said), so blocking those tags isn’t an option for a whole bunch of people.

I know that nobody is going to be able to reach the entire fandom, and nobody is going to be able to keep all the kpop stuff out of the tag. Anyone who has been on tumblr for a decent amount of time knows that random stuff pops up in tags all the time.

But it’s not that hard to get the word around that ‘HEY, IT’D PROBABLY BE RESPECTFUL IF WE KEPT OUT OF A CERTAIN TAG’

People got pissed about seeing Hetalia stuff in the tags of countries. Word got around that it was disrespectful to post stuff in those tags, and for the most part, people keep to different tags. The characters HAVE THE NAMES OF COUNTRIES, so OF COURSE STUFF WOULD BE POSTED THERE But I think it’s pretty obvious that if you just get the word around, you can get a pretty big result. People can be very understanding. Of course stuff gets posted there sometimes, but for the most part those tags are Hetalia free~

I do think people need to relax, but that obviously isn’t going to happen And I REALLY don’t want this to turn into something like the whole HETALIA VS HOMESTUCK thing. Cause THAT SHIT is fucking idiotic.

So something needs to change.

nigecha, 2012 https://nigecha.tumblr.com/post/19101051831

Anyway, mostly I’ve been scarfing down popcorn while laughing hysterically due to the wank because both fandoms were fighting over the #sherlock tag on tumblr. :)

kisskisskpopreviews, 23 April 2012  https://kisskisskpopreviews.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-shineesherlock-clue-note.html

First..the Shawols tagged everything ”Sherlock”

then the sherlockians got mad

…

but now there’s a penis

Just another day in the SHINee World

fantasticbabyboomshakalaka, March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120322141315/http://breathinginsilence.tumblr.com/post/19093281624/but-why-is-there-a-penis

you’d think sherlock fandom would be ecstatic that they could go into their tracked tag and actually see attractive people for once

pikitis, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20150811023856/http://pikitis.tumblr.com/post/19092056750/youd-think-sherlock-fandom-would-be-ecstatic-that

Go away trolls STOP SPAMMING THE SHERLOCK TAG! This fandom will crush you, we are one of the best fandoms out there I have no idea who these asians are but they need to leave the Sherlock tag. Now. I just know the other tags and I will tag then with this. I hate trolls, spammers, whatever the heck you are leave. No Sherlockian approves.

ottersandhedgehogshavethetardis, 2012 https://www.tumblr.com/ramblingssk/18977390951/go-away-trolls

Reflection

for babywols who may not know this historical battle, when sherlock was released, shawols were tagging shinee sherlock related posts on tumblr with "sherlock" (naturally) and fans of the bbc sherlock tv show went nuclear bc they didn't want to see shinee in "their" tag lolll

@m0oondubu, 18 March 2024 https://x.com/m0ondubu/status/1769758479156183360

i dont want to start shit again because it would be a waste of time on both sides (and also im too old for that lol) but i think it’d be really funny if i just posted a single shinee picture in the sherlock tag. mix it up a little. bring back some fandom history.

ALWAYSSHINEE, 10 January 2021 https://alwayshinee.tumblr.com/post/639940227560046592/speaking-of-sherlock-do-u-guys-remember-when

Ah, reminds me of the good old days when SHINee released their album, Sherlock in 2013, right when the famous BBC Sherlock was supposed to release another season. Tumblr was a total mess with locals wanting to know why the sherlock tag was filled with beautiful young men posing seductively for the camera.

makriwakri, c. 2021 https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/syvhlm/what_is_the_dumbestmost_ridiculous_reason_your/

I was a BBC Sherlock fan back then and wasn’t angry about it, I was just very confused about the men in the tumblr tag haha. As a 2021 Shawol I am kicking myself for not getting into Shinee then..they were right in front of me!!!

multistansendhelp, c. 2021 https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/syvhlm/what_is_the_dumbestmost_ridiculous_reason_your/

I love love love new Shawols but I truly feel so bad that y’all were not here during 2012....the fans of the BBC Sherlock show got mad at shawols for putting “half naked Asian men in our tag”...

synfulxvengenz, 16 August 2020 https://synfulxvengenz.tumblr.com/post/626642549254356992

wait anyone else remembers when sherlock by shinee came out and the whole sherlock tag on tumblr was flooded with shawols talking abt it and the sherlock fandom got rlly mad abt it GKDJCNDNCF

@touchnct, 6 August 2018 https://x.com/touchnct/status/1026517142496264192

See Also

The tag war was chronicled on the LiveJournal fandom wank. The link is no longer live, but the url can be accessed on the WayBack Machine.

• https://www.tumblr.com/ramblingssk/18979846421/shinee-x-sherlock
• https://wildcat-zafiro.tumblr.com/post/18987593789/sherlock-tag-war