It's harder to get tired people riled up, but not for lack of Scott and Tessa trying.

I think quite a few fans are burned out with Scott and Tessa's reindeer games, and I suspect Team Sham sees this as a problem. The problem wouldn't be that fans are fans possibly burned out from the games as such, because - tough shit. But burned out by the whole shipper cycle doesn't seem to be acceptable to Virtue and Moir.

The shipper stuff is the pivot around which Virtue Moir pr (largely sham-based) orbits.

As I start this post, I'm going to try to pull together a few things that relate to the m'ovember sting.

One. Back when the blog started, a lot of people from the Scott and Tessa fan boards would visit the blog to argue. This includes the fan who was "accidentally" left on Scott's facebook friends list.

Two. I have a stat counter, and make note of shit stirrer IPs that can be matched to comments. Shit-stirrers are people who drag their obsessions from some other site to this one, or their control issues from another site to this one; they're people whom I know are lying, and people who are trying to derail the focus of the blog and focus on the blogger. Those people hardly ever leave comments anymore, but back then they were frequent visitors.

Three. I know that the night the flickr photos were posted on the blog, the "accidental" fan had the blog open on her browser before the photos were posted here, while, simultaneously, her flickr remained visible to anyone with a link. Immediately those sham images went live on this blog, she re-privatized her flickr but stuck around on the blog for awhile (And later commenced her dance of mortification and accusation for other people's benefit.)

I'm not an idiot - she was waiting for the photos to be posted, keeping her flickr open until she was sure I had them.

Why would she want them posted - everyone would know, including Scott, that it was her! It might get her deleted from his facebook.

It didn't, though.

So now she does a hi-and-bye on fanforum and in a matter of no time the entire fandom has the Cassandra fb profile shot. What are the odds?

Excellent. There's no odds - it's a sure thing slam dunk. The Moirs knew it. She knew it.

Sure, some fans may feel foolish that they were speculating about Tessa and Scott's Carmen and post-Carmen body language. That's all that Tessa and Scott accomplished, though, fanwise. Made a few fans feel a little deflated.

I think that deflation isn't about "oh, they're not a couple" disappointed. I think it's a lot of fans feeling disappointed that Scott and Tessa are still such incredible assholes.

Fans were starting to hope that, along with their new Carmen skating moves, Scott and Tessa were classing up their pr game.

Deflated fans don't believe the Cassandra profile picture nor the intended message of the Semple tumblr photo, but were hoping Scott and Tessa were possibly being a little nicer/respectful (especially respectful). 

Maybe Scott and Tessa were saying "Never mind" to the sham, and, while not admitting anything or doing anything incriminating, had decided they wouldn't treat fans anymore as if fans were pieces of meat and Scott and Tessa got a tenderizer for Christmas.

Fans were maybe thinking - okay, Scott and Tessa would say nothing, fans would let bygones be bygones, and everyone would have a great season watching Carmen.

It could happen. Look at Scott - he took the microphone and earnestly thanked fans for attending Skate Canada, specifically mentioning their "hard-earned money." Things are improving. He slow-danced with Tessa on the gala sidelines to My Girl and Tessa didn't turn into a pillar of salt. They are finally starting to humanize this whole thing! Don't spook them!

So naturally, it turns out the slow dance was part of the set up. Of course it was. That's cynical of them, but when do they act any other way? Scott in particular thinks he knows where the buttons are. He thinks he's a step ahead. 

IOW, fan deflation this time isn't about Scott's got a gf or Tessa's with Semple. It's fans feeling disappointed after seeing that despite how Scott and Tessa appeared to conduct themselves recently - more naturally, more openly, declining to be interviewed by Skate Canada's own Jabba the Hutt, appearing to sincerely thank the fans at Skate Canada - they are still complete dicks.

Fans really want to like them. It's difficult not to like them. But Scott and Tessa are doing their best.

That's where I believe many fans are at the moment. Taking another hit and shaking it off. They're not let down that Scott and Tessa aren't a couple. Many fans just roll their eyes at the fb profile shot and the Semple tumblr.

Scott and Tessa WANT people to think they're together and to get excited, the better to shoot fans down, perhaps the better for the media to once again talk about how the fans are obsessed with Virtue and Moir. Can you tell us some of your strategies for hiding from fans, besides that pocket thing you do, Scott? What else do you do to hide from all these fans - especially now that your program is sexy! How do you handle it all.

I feel media profiles can't be the key reason; Virtue Moir are cagey about straight up denying on the record these days. But it's clear they do want to get the fans worked up about them, they want to set things up to appear as if fans are still obsessed. Maybe it's so they can lie to themselves that everything they've done to date was justified?

But, it's getting so they'll have to have sex in public before any fan says out loud they think Scott and Tessa are together. Even then, nah. Forget sex in public. They'll have to say the WORDS. "We're together" before fans will admit on the web they think Scott and Tessa are together.

Meantime, back to our current situation - fans were kind of quietly hanging out different boards and walls, unaware they were being massaged, injected, propped up and reanimated to play the role Scott and Tessa need them to play. Come on fans - one more time!

If you don't want people to think you're together, how about not slow dancing on the ice in semi-darkness to My Girl while fans get out their cameras and you dart your eyes around a bit to confirm they've taken the bait?

Look at us! Aren't you still upset we're not together? Maybe we're getting together! Get excited!

Okay, I see you guys are a little gun shy. Let's amp this baby up and have Marina run around telling everyone Tessa was in a nun's story but when her legs got better she jumped over the wall and now she's a woman. She has those feelings. Those womanly feelings! She's experienced those womanly feelings!

That routine came off like Marina wanted us to think that compartment syndrome had somehow prolonged Tessa's virginity, but after Tessa had shin surgery Tessa unlocked the gate to her secret garden and gave Scott the key. Whatever, Marina is laying it on thick. What were fans supposed to get out of that. Was it - finally! Maybe compartment syndrome-induced virginity was the reason they weren't together! Now she's free to be a woman!

Let's not even deal with, while they have Marina going on like Tessa has been skating in a chastity belt but has gotten rid of it on and off the ice, Tessa is seeing to it that tumblr is posting photos of her with Semple. So Semple is the guy you delivered your purity to, Mrs. Moir, mother of Scott's child?

Pitching in, Scott, who for the past five years has described Tessa as "so sweet, she's the way you see her on TV - she's so sweet" announces that anyone who thinks Tessa is too sweet and innocent for Carmen doesn't know her at all.

Are you getting it yet? Come on - we feel like you're smiling and enjoying it, but it's not the frenzy we expected. It's Scott and Tessa and SEX!

Actually, the fans were more excited by the program and the skating. They're actually obsessed with the program itself this time. It's that good. You'd think that would make Scott and Tessa happy, but I feel like they wanted that George Clooney element and weren't getting it.

Maybe there are folks asking questions and Scott and Tessa need some examples of the extreme fan scrutiny they're under in order to make the case for all their lying and hoaxing (and profiteering, chain jerking and manipulation).

Also, it's family fun for them. It's a way the Virtues, Moirs and Scott's friends can feel part of Scott and Tessa's big deal - by helping Scott and Tessa jerk fans around and treat them like shit.  Just look at their web behavior - they're having a great time with this.

Rosie DiManno (of course) did a little article with that hot-on-ice/buddies-off spin, but fans had their hands up like - "Whatever, we get it. We're tired, okay? Uncle."

Then fans went back to: "Now, do you think D/W have a chance of beating that Carmen? I just can't see it happening!"

This sham has circled in on itself - it's a perversion of what it set out to be. Scott and Tessa were going to become huge stars, and they needed a zone to focus in - and everyone - families, SC - was excited about them becoming huge stars and wanted them to be big stars. It was the biggest thing ever.

And so let's do this sham, cause that's the kind of geniuses running Skate Canada.

Scott and Tessa became popular - people love to see them skate. I think, though, that the post-Olympic manipulation has left a lot of fans weary from the shipper angle. Together - not together - can we stop talking about it - I'm tired. No matter how shrill and OTT the sham became, people got weary.

Of course, the blog did come along and call Scott and Tessa out.

I think that pissed off Team Sham, but Team Sham also was - cover the trail, batten down the hatches, re-group and when we think we're clear, find some back channels.

Over the past almost two years, I think the blog has desensitized a lot of internet fans to the idea of the sham and to the reality that Scott and Tessa are together. Not everyone, but I think quite a few figure - okay, they probably are. But they're still great skaters and I like to see them skate.

And that has disappointed Team Sham, because the lies have lost their rationale. Now they're just lies. They're lies for sport. They're lies of self-importance and feeling special.

They're not lies that are necesssary. The recent shut up and skate and leave well enough alone thing was working really, really well.

You'd think Scott and Tessa wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. A settled down fandom that was really excited about ... their skating program. A fandom that was willing to look the other way on the whole sham thing - let's move on and say no more about it! We won't ask you anything!

Instead, VM have just finished doing their level best to get fans worked up so as to disappoint them, deliver a punch in the gut, keep them off-balance, and make them feel stupid. Oh how familiar.

Cue the hub bub about Virtue and Moir! Everybody's talking.

Is it working anywhere but on the blog? Are fans getting together and consoling each other about Tessa and Scott still not being a couple? Or did fans just ice the sting and move on? Do they even need ice?

So - apart from Scott and Tessa and their family having sport - what's the point? What role are fans supposed to be playing in this scam right now?

Are there people questioning why Virtue Moir have lied so much, profiteered, been such dicks - so they need fans to get worked up NOW so they can point to that and say - that's why? Are they trying to keep the retroactive justification going?

Whatever the reason, they created this one. There was no OMG - they must be together! going on in the fandom, no matter how hard Scott and Tessa were working it, slow dancing on ice and all. Hell, the fan who posted the slow dance photos couldn't have been more respectful, sweet, and normal about it, reporting that Scott and Tessa "danced to My Girl in hold." 

Even the blog was mostly talking about Debbi. But experience tells me that when things are quiet and nothing is happening, just wait. VM will make sure there's something for the fandom to fret itself about for weeks. Always, always. They don't want to be left alone. The idea that they do want their privacy might be their biggest scam of all. They have all the privacy they want. If they came out tomorrow, they'd still have it.  They drop out of sight and stay out of touch like pros even now, fans not knowing where they are or what they're doing.

The blog is the only platform for a Virtue Moir fan where people can say what they want without dealing with peer pressure and politics. They want the blog to talk about them now. Enough talking about Debbi. Get back to stirring the fans up!

The easiest way to get fans interested enough to have a sham justification is to act like a couple until the fans have their guard down, and then blow it up in their face.

I hope it blows back in Team Sham's face, and I think it's going to.
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*Isn't it interesting that they have to go out of their way to get fans' attention before they can even sham? Some superstars they are. Hey - over here! Wonder about us!

Scott once said he's not a classy guy. I don't think he was saying "I'm really a jerk." I think he was saying he's not polished, he's (Tessa's favorite word) raw sometimes, he can be goofy and weird.  But that's not really what "not classy" means. Classy in action is how you handle yourself with other people. It's consideration, respect, thinking of the other person. Maturity. Don't be a narcissist and make other people the victims of your selfish needs.* Don't do that.

An example of immaturity is to get into what you think is a pissing contest with a blog and use fans who care about you as weapons. So no, not classy.

                *Selfish needs would be - need to win, need to have something to do that makes you feel important, need to feel important by setting up and making fun of less important people and getting your yucks from it. Those are selfish needs.