#complete now

NOTE: I’m so sorry if it takes forever to load all the gifs accompanying this gigantic text post but they’re necessary to illustrate my point perfectly and remove any possible ambiguity that might get me in trouble with anon h8ers (and also, the gifs make it more interesting). If necessary just let this page load for a few minutes in the background. Anyway, let’s begin:

So, I love this character. As most people do. I remember in.. 2007/8 when this show first came out and all people talked about at my school was Sheldon. Maybe a little bit about Howard but mostly Sheldon. He was, and in many ways, still is, such an unlikely likable character. For real, like, imagine reading this character, before seeing Jim playing him. He’s a dick. But somehow, and I don’t think we’ll ever know why, we all love him. We feel this strange sympathy for him.

I attribute a lot of that to Jim Parsons’ adorableness.

I mean look at HIM. But we’re not here to talk about that.

We’re here to talk about how he went from being this guy, who hated relationships and had no interest in other human beings

to becoming this guy.

Because I remember very well how everyone was so apprehensive about the idea of Sheldon having a love interest back in season 3.

Almost as much apprehension as we feel about the Sheldon spin off right now, am I rite? *high fives u* Ok, sorry. I’m gonna try to explain, or describe how I think the writers pulled this off. And you’re entitled to disagree with me, ok? This is just my opinion.

I think the writers of this show are geniuses, a little bit. Not because they write science jokes, because it’s barely about that anymore. But because they found a way to develop a character who seemed 1000000% the most unlikely to ever change in any way.

Let’s look at Season 1/2/3 Sheldon for a second.

He’s a germaphobe.

He doesn’t even like human company.

He disagrees with everyone.

He’s (as far as we know) asexual.

Best part, he’s 100% clueless.

100%!!!

Even when a girl shows interest in him, he doesn’t realize it

Or a guy.

It was funny, yes, but then the news came out that Sheldon was going to have a love interest

And we all wondered how the hell that was going to work. This is how they made it work: They brought in a character that was exactly like Sheldon. Despised physical contact.

Only went out with him to please his mother

Was just as smart as him.

Had the same interests as him.

But the best part about Amy was.. She did not seem as much into Sheldon as Sheldon was into her.

I loved that. Because it seemed so unlikely. I think most of us have forgotten this. Because the way they played it in every other season after season 4, it was the other way around, but not at first.

Amy seemed mostly unfazed by Sheldon.

At least from a relationship point of view.

It would’ve been so much easier for these writers to have this girl be into Sheldon and Sheldon not into her at all but then Sheldon could’ve never fallen for anyone like that, because we remember how that Ramona business turned out, right?

So of course, he liked her more.

He got a bunch of cats after a fight that ended their “relationship” (their words, not mine).

He asked her out and she turned him down

He got jealous of Leonard

He liked her kisses.

But the part that remained very true to the character we all knew and loved was that he denied all of it. That was what still made him very Sheldon. The Sheldon we all loved.

He denied jealousy

He let go of her hand after grabbing it.

He denied being hurt

He denied her being more than a friend.

Meanwhile Amy was just there… a bit of a mystery. Both to us, and Sheldon. Until we got to know her a little bit She became her own character and she.. had desires.

The roles reversed but Sheldon could not let go of her at this point. He was already so into her.

She kissed him and he pretended like it never happened. But it did.

And this is something we’ve come to see from this couple over and over again, and I suspect its the reason why we’re all oddly ok with Sheldon being the way he is today, compared to what he was then. They dragged things out as long as possible. It got to the point where we were all screaming at our TV screens, GOD, JUST ASK HER TO BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND ALREADY!!!!!1 It got to the point where Sheldon just couldn’t deny his own feelings anymore.

He had to ask her out.

He had to apologize when he was wrong.

He had to allow himself to love her.

And boy, that took a while.

But Amy always found ways, because she’s THE BEST.

So patient, so loving, so understanding.

Because she was Sheldon at some point, right?

She knew what he was going through.

And yet another great example of the writers dragging things out like crazy. Even “Sheldon initiated kiss” (SIK) was a thing on tumblr. I remember the 1000 fanfics written about how a SIK could happen. It was our #1 dream

And let’s all face it, season 6 was a major disappointment. Not only did we not get our SIK, but Sheldon was just… a dick this season.

But we got a cute hug

And Sheldon kinda admitted how much Amy meant to him 

So we decided to forget about it and hope the season 7 was the year of the SIK AND BOY IT WAS.

But before we get into that, let’s look at how much they dragged things out, shall we? 1

2

3

4

That last one was honestly just brutal.

I think all of us shamy shippers would’ve been ok if they just kissed whenever. We would’ve been fine with anything as long as he kissed her on the lips, but the writers probably struggled with the “everyday, normal, general, casual viewer” who doesn’t write huge essays like this one.

And it was so perfect man, I remember watching that scene, I almost had a heart attack.

I remember so very clearly when this scene came out and some Shamy haters (yes they exist, omg) were like “EVERYONES TALKING ABOUT HOW PERFECT IT WAS BUT ANY SCENE WOULD’VE PLEASED U GUYS” and I was like, yeah, thats true but. This kiss was on EVERY NEWS NETWORK IN THE WORLD

THIS STUPID MEME HAD LIKE A MILLION NOTES

EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE

it. was. so. perfect.

Let me tell you why, this episode begins with this scene: Sheldon, once again, suppressing his feelings. He counts down until he no longer feels the need to hug her.

And he’s so betrayed when he finds out Amy was hoping for some romance, cause he does NOT enjoy romance. He tries to make a point.

But now his own body betrays him.

It’s also perfect because this isn’t like every other time where Sheldon’s actions are completely misaligned with what he says. He’s not denying something, he’s just doing it. And he doesn’t ever try to deny it.

Let’s look at Sheldon with the cats once again.

He’s clearly struggling, while saying he’s not pining over anyone.

But kissing, he’s never talked about kissing. He’s never been in a position where he really wanted to kiss her and did it but then denied it.

This, somehow, has never occurred before. 3 years in and this has never happened

And now it does, and he so clearly loves it, and he never, ever. Not even the day after, tries to deny how much it meant to him.

This, ladies gentlemen, is when Sheldon realizes he’s in love.

And he sooo wants to kiss her again, but he doesn’t do it.

Instead he adds it to the relationship agreement, of course. And he’s so willing man, it’s beautiful.

Of course he doesn’t admit he’s in love ’til a year later, but that’s how much we have to drag it out right?

And now that he’s said it, he doesn’t have to hide it anymore.

This guy is just so in love

It’s beautiful. We’re all so happy

and Amy too, and she starts to think that maybe that means Sheldon’s ready for a little bit more.

But he’s not, and that hits her like a damn truck.

She has to break up, patience’s run out, she needs some time off.

And Sheldon knew what had happened. Amy was disappointed because he wasn’t thinking about sex, so he thinks it’s the coitus part that made Amy want to break up.

I’ve said this 10 thousand times already but I love that look (JIM YOU DESERVE EVERY EMMY). It’s such a small, 2 second shot but it shows exactly his thoughts this whole time.

He thinks Amy broke up with him because of the lack of coitus, but it wasn’t that. It was so much more than that.

This whole episode was so clearly a set up to them getting back together.

They’re back to season 4 Shamy. They’re playing games, admiring each other.

Once again, we’re all going JUST KISS HER DAMMIT GET BACK TOGETHER PLEASE

And the end hit US (and Amy) like a damn truck now.

Sheldon was so hurt, he didn’t want to go through all that pain again. He decides he’d rather have Amy as a friend, now that he sees it as a possibility, rather than risk getting his heart broken again.

But then, he comes to a great realization. Amy’s only made him better since they met.

He realizes he is, once again, denying his own feelings.

To hell with that, they’re back together, and this time, for real.

Yes, that means coitus, too. And once again we all went.. “how the hell is that gonna work”. This is probably the first time, since Amy’s arrival, when something happened when we were not expecting it.

They didn’t really drag this out, I mean, in a way, they did cause it’s already been 5 years since Amy’s introduction but also.. not so much. They’d just gotten back together, and we’d all probably thought that 2 kisses were supposed to hold us for a while.

And coitus happened. Something I mysteriously haven’t talked about yet, is why this couple is so appealing to so many people. In part it’s beautiful because of Sheldon’s development, yes, but also because Sheldon and Amy are each other’s 1st love. It seems so unlikely that two people would find love for the first time in their 30s, but that’s exactly what this relationship is.

This is the first time for both of them, and I’m not talking about virginity, no. I’m talking about first time falling for someone. Watching that is so beautiful. It’s one of the best parts about this couple. It brings out a familiar feeling for all of us.

Same with them losing their virginity, it wasn’t about “oooh, Sheldon’s a stud in bed!!”, it’s about, being nervous, anxious...

But ultimately knowing it’s the right time because you love this person and know them and trust them.

It’s again, so unlikely that Amy would be the one having doubts and being nervous right before it happens, and Sheldon’s so calm and sure that this is right.

But that made it all the more beautiful for us, didn’t it?

And yes he’s a genius in bed, too. Period.

Now there’s nothing really holding them back. Coitus only once a year, sure, but that’s it.

Sheldon makes mistakes, and denies his own feelings sometimes but he’s matured enough to realize it and apologize for it, but more than that, he makes adjustments for Amy.

He moves in with her,

adjusts his lifestyle for her

he makes a real effort

Something Amy’s been doing for years now, he’s finally doing it for her.

And, as I’ve said 10 thousand times already, it’s BEAUTIFUL.

And finally, to end this extremely long text post, my favorite headcanon about this couple has always been how Amy is the ONLY person that could’ve made this happen for Sheldon.

She’s the only woman he’d ever want to date, be intimate with, kiss, etc. She’s the only one he could fall for. And I’ll be honest, I was never really sure that that was really canon on the show. Until season 10, episode 24 happened.

And it sucked seeing Sheldon enjoying somebody else’s company so much, even though he obviously did not enjoy it as more than a friendship, but

when Ramona kisses him, he realizes Amy’s the only person he ever wants to be with. It’s canon now, bitches!

Amy’s the only one.