This is pretty incredible. STAY OUT OF IT, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY.
Okay, this is seriously hysterical. For those who know fandom, just click the link in the VH1 post and read all the glory. For those who want background or just don’t want to deal with navigating Tumblr, here’s what happened, simplified.
- Teen Wolf. Teen Wolf happened.
- Entertainment Weekly asked fans to nominate their favorite summer “ship” online, but suspiciously left off all same-sex nominations. (Their reasoning was that the same-sex couples weren’t actually couples within the show, but A) “ship” in fandom terms doesn’t actually require an in-show romantic relationship, B) they’ve left in same-sex couples for previous polls, and C) they left in male-female couples who weren’t in a romance.) Fans of Sterek (Stiles/Derek) from Teen Wolf reacted… loudly.
- AfterElton responded by holding the Ultimate Slash Madness Tourney to let fans vote on their favorite all-male ships. Obviously, Sterek is a front-runner.
- That’s the background. More recently, someone asked the VH1 Tumblr for their favorite couple. VH1 responded, “Sterek”.
- VH1 and AfterElton bonded on Tumblr over their love for Sterek.
- Fans joke that their ship should become “Vhelton” (VH1/After Elton). VH1 and After Elton approve.
- Brief cameo by the Entertainment Weekly Tumblr, proudly claiming responsibility for starting the Vhelton ship, which is a bit like the ‘L’ claiming responsibility for “While You Were Sleeping”.
- The Teen Wolf Tumblr reblogs everything, with the comment “BRB shipping Vhelton.”
- An industrious fan actually writes Vhelton fanfic, bringing it all full circle. Because that’s how fandom rolls.
Reblogging this for the fantastic explanation above for people who have no idea what’s going on ;D
I love that every item on that list is a special piece of Special. Each in their very own way.
One small correction to point number 4: I do believe that VH1 was asked what their favorite character was, and they replied “Sterek”.
OUR SHIP IS SO POPULAR AND POWERFUL AND RIGHTEOUS THAT IT HAS BECOME ITS OWN PERSONA IN PEOPLE’S MINDS.
THIS IS VERY EXCITING TO ME.
