Because just because someone is asexual doesn't mean that they can't somehow find a soul mate. And because soul mate does not necessarily equal sex, sexual attraction, or any of that stuff. Yet, it seems that 90% of people who write fanfiction are unaware of the fact that there can be any sort of close relationships besides sexual ones, and ignore the romantic aspect entirely.

As an asexual I do have some pretty strong feelings about this, in case you couldn't tell. (Though, I'm not 100% certain that BBC Sherlock is asexual: he's usually very observant of when other people are in relationships, when that information seems useful to him, and he certainly notices Irene, though throughout that episode their interactions did read kind of oddly. Personally, I once got lost in my school gym because all the other girls had stopped to watch the guys play basketball with no shirts, which I hadn't even noticed was going on. I had to go back and find them and ask them why they'd stopped, but I suppose I can't be a completely representative sample for every Asexual.)

Seriously, though, that's why I love BBC Sherlock so much. The Sherlock/John relationship is, human heads in the freezer aside, pretty much an ideal slightly romantic friendship. And next season needs to get here now before I annoy the heck out of my friends going over last season with them.

I can ship them in any format - platonic, romantic, sexual, whatever. They're like soulmates for me (and I have been reading far too many fics in which they're descendants or reincarnations of the ACD!Holmes and Watson, oops).

And I have gotten to the point where I've drawn up a list of warning signs of a BBC Sherlock Holmes character replacement. I think the drinking game is on its way.