What about the right of the internet to express itself any way it damn well wants?

If we don't stop them now...

Oh, fuck.

I'm pretty sure neither the Chicago Manual of Style or AP style would use the periods -- we don't anymore for things like USPS, etc.

If the USPS had branded themselves U.S.P.S., Chicago or AP wouldn't care?

Punctuation isn't really part of a name unless it's a trademark. The USPS styles itself as the United States Post Office (its official name) -- USPS is just an abbreviation, and the different style guides outline how to deal with punctuating (and capitalizing, etc.) abbreviations like that.

The showrunners can style it however they want, in the end, but it's going to depend on individual media outlets when it comes to how it's actually used. And there's no guarantee they'll all agree, either.

For typesetting purposes, which doesn't really matter anymore, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a lot of extra characters. And it's also a pain in the ass to type!

The USPS styles itself as the United States Post Office (its official name)

The postal service calls themselves the USPS with some kind of registered/trade mark I can't read at this magnification all over their website, so they might not be the best example for style guides overriding the organisation's wishes.

It just seems weird to not call a show the show's name, especially in these advanced technological days of search and replace.

The punctuation doesn't change the name, though. Not in my opinion, anyway. And honestly, like Consuela, if I'm writing about it, I'm not typing out all those periods.

But you can!

I save my ire for the people who spell it Shield.

The punctuation doesn't change the name, though.

Why is ABC bothering to be consistent with branding, then?

I'm not saying everyone has to do it that way, precisely like I said at the start. But ABC seems to have taken a stance on the show's title, and it's odd to say there isn't a right answer just because you don't want to use it. And if I were writing an article it would be spell-checked just like any other brand. I don't get to call it Fedex in formal circles just because. The *right* answer is FedEx, and I take that into consideration when I make my choices.

In other news, the portmanteau name I've been seeing tossed around for Sleepy Hollow is "Ichabbie," which sounds, to me, like an old time skin ailment. "Aye, the poor lad has dropsy and a terrible case of ichabbie."

You know, I think this is new to me:

that insufferable, pushy horrible person that reigned terror over the office

Congratulations, author! That hadn't even occurred to me!

An expression was just used to allude to suicide in a fic I'm reading, but I can't begin to figure it out: "Does he look like the type of guy to ride the two-legged mare?". The closest I've gotten is a Queen song that mentions a mule.

Maybe if he had a noose on, and was on a mare, and the mare only had two legs, he would be hanged?