[theshapeofwallace]

as much as i miss my two favorite swashbuckling queer women, i just don’t think a Xena reboot would make it past season one. the media illiteracy and bigotry of today’s fandom would bury it within weeks if that long. i’m perfectly content keeping XWP the time capsule it is. a definitely criticizable time capsule in hindsight of course, but for what it was worth, there’s a lot we’d be without now if Xena didn’t exist.

[girl4music]

Gender critical people would just go to town on it.

Referring to it as “woke” and not in a good way.

[constant-eggs]

I’d really love it if they did a continuation that was animated with Renee and Lucy voicing them.

[harrykim]

Xena: Warrior Princess 04.21 The Ides of March

[girl4music]

Intercutting this scene with Xena and Gabrielle’s crucifixion was so brutal but done so beautifully.

[constant-eggs]

Happy Xena and Gabrielle died so we could all be gay day (and took that bastard Caesar with them!)

[harrykim]

Xena: Warrior Princess 04.21 The Ides of March

[constant-eggs]

Happy Xena and Gabrielle died so we could all be gay day! (And took that bastard Caesar with them.)

[quasi-normalcy]

The fact that you can’t raise taxes on billionaires even slightly without them pouring money into fascist political movements is, of itself, evidence that billionaires as a class shouldn’t be allowed to exist in the first place.

[quasi-normalcy]

I’d just like to point out that every single thing that has happened in the 6 years since I created this post has only reinscribed its absolute moral correctness in my mind.

[winged-mammal]

[constant-eggs]

Made my first GIF of my favorite couple.

[girl4music]

Xena, Gabrielle and Tara play charades which in the Xenaverse Gabby made up. BONUS:

[girl4music]

@willnotacceptalifeundeserved

[constant-eggs]

Whoa. This post showed up for me as “potentially mature content.” Really, tumblr? You ban a bunch of artists for nude portraits, Gabrielle can’t even brush her fully clothed self in a non sexual context, and yet porn bots still get to run amok.

[constant-eggs]

One queer person’s perspective for Captainswan. This will probably neither appeal to CS or SQ fans, but I’m throwing out what I wish I would’ve seen in a Captainswan pairing anyway.

The long and the short of it is a true enemies to lovers. I don’t mean they happen to be on opposite sides, but on one end there’s softer banter to let us know that the villain has a soft spot for the hero like we get in canon (looking at you too Delena). I mean, in your face, I hate your face and your guts, back off but also I can’t stay away from you shit. Like, SQ.

I think it would’ve been great post curse if (in addition to actually dealing with the fallout of the curse) the focus of the enemies dynamic between Emma and Regina had shifted to a new, compelling storyline between Emma and Killian. They were already slowly tapering off the feud between Regina and Emma.

Another thing I would’ve liked is if their stories had interwoven more and if Killian had gotten more to do in terms of the main plot after his beef with Rumple died down. That seemed to resolve pretty quickly within the context of the show. Off the top of my head him actually being Rumple’s son and hating Rumple for killing Milah in that context, the same trafficking thing with Neal happening to him instead and winding up in Neverland would’ve been really cool. But I’m sure there are plenty of other things that could have embedded Killian into the main story.

I think the initial dynamic that they had not being a enemies/comrades/lovers to the scale I had hoped for + Killian not being brought into the fold of the main storyline and intertwined with Emma’s sooner and consistently, is why Captainswan falls flat for me. I also would’ve been okay with a different trope too other than enemies to lovers, but this milquetoast enemies to lovers doesn’t work for me. I still like Killian, and appreciate the time that is spent on building up Emma and him as the major couple, but there was a journey that I wanted. And yes, that journey, those deep stakes on opposite sides of a curse, the budding hatred turned reluctant allies to save who is most important to them, their son, is why Swanqueen is my ship. I still love Killian tho; I think he and Emma are sweet.

[cerullos]

Oh, you foolish girl–don’t you know? Love is weakness. No, it’s strength. 

[constant-eggs]

What has struck me about the relationship between Regina and Emma is that it encompasses more than friendship, rather it is a partnership.

This shows in their magic, with raising Henry, and with every major problem they face. They look for each other first, choose each other to collaborate with, refuse to leave the other behind. Even with their “heterosexuality” they look to each other. At first when they are enemies it’s a tug of war over Graham. Later on with Robin and Killian there are constant parallels to Emma and Regina learning how to love their significant others by watching each other and then either doing the same thing - or the exact opposite if they think the other is wrong. The most blatant example coming to mind is Regina on the ground kissing Robin and then Emma turning and immediately kissing Killian. But it happens all. Of. The. Time. Even when it comes to their grief over their dudes, there is an overlap and passing on the torch of grief when Killian is dead and Regina sees Emma is distraught, asks her to take it slow while they together endure the-problem-of-the-week, and then Emma mirrors what she says in the very next episode when Regina loses Robin. They also share the burden of feeling alone and unique in this world. They learn to accept Snow and Charming as their family at the same time. They hold each other accountable, shoulder past and present darkness within each other, forgive each other all the fricken time. They defend each other when the other person isn’t there, and if they disagree with the way the other person is handling something from S3 onward, they go to each other to air their grievances.

This partnership starts in the pilot with finding Henry, to the mines, to the poison apple tart and it never lets up. They trust each other to help them tackle the problem early on. When they have little reason to.

They also refuse to leave each other behind to be sacrificed as they are both so willing to do, and refuse to let each other go until both are sure that the other seems happy with their “happy endings.” Sure, at the end of season 4 Emma could’ve saved anyone from the darkness, and for most people she would’ve tried to, but in the narrative they chose to have it be Regina, and it makes sense because the show revolves around their commitment to each other and to their family. Emma could’ve handed her dagger to anyone, but she handed it to Regina because again, it’s about them, and Regina is the person who she trusts. Even for all of the frills of Regina begging Emma to save Robin, and Hook becoming the second dark one, started from and revolved around Regina asking something nearly impossible of Emma; the source of conflict and its consequences starts and ends with them.

Rumple grabbed Emma and Regina’s names way back when to set them on a course to carry out their roles for the curse: the Evil Queen and the Savior. And years later they are able to shoulder the weight of these roles together, circumventing that they are merely mortal enemies. They are two sides of the same coin, they are partners by choice, and they are family.

[constant-eggs]

“Actually Romantic” is such a Swan Queen song.

[csevet]

you say to me here is a woman. she's insane and irreparably broken and probably a danger to herself and others. and i say yay yippee woohoo! and things of this nature

[constant-eggs]

I’ve been thinking about the characters I root for romantically and how I usually choose wrong. Either the characters are never canon, aren’t “the one” the main character chooses in the end, or one or both parties die.

I’m just wondering if there’s anyone else who always chooses wrong? This could say nothing about me, it’s all fiction and anyway, a lot of these are tragedies, but I just wonder sometimes, man why do I set myself up for disappointment?

Spoilers for the Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, She-Ra, Outlander, Once Upon a Time, the Arrowverse, The Children’s Hour, Xena, Degrassi, Cable Girls, the Hunger Games, Arcane, ATLA, Agatha All Along, All My Children, Attack on Titan, Dickinson, Killing Eve, Wednesday.

Of these shows, here are the couples I rooted for who got together and had happy endings:

Katniss/Peeta: The Hunger Games

Ray/Nora: Legends of Tomorrow

Everyone in She-Ra (hooray!)

Emily/Sue: Dickinson

Maaaaybe Claire/Jamie: Outlander

One or both characters die:

Leonard/Sara: Legends of Tomorrow

Eve/Villanelle: Killing Eve

Oliver/Felicity: Arrow

Carlos/Lydia: Cable Girls - also don’t choose each other cross referenced

Carlota/Oscar: Cable Girls

Stefan/Elena: The Vampire Diaries - also don’t choose each other cross referenced

Karen/Martha: The Children’s Hour - also don’t technically choose each other cross referenced

Mikasa/Eren: Attack on Titan

Ymir/Historia: Attack on Titan

Jinx/Ekko: Arcane

Xena/Gabrielle: Xena Warrior Princess

Agatha/Rio: Agatha All Along

Dean/Castiel: Supernatural, only one half chooses each other cross referenced

Fanon

Lena/Kara: Supergirl

Katara/Zuko: Avatar the Last Airbender

Emma/Regina: Once Upon a Time

Bonnie/Damon - The Vampire Diaries

Romantic but don’t end up together:

Eren/Mikasa: AOT

Stefan/Elena: TVD

Historia/Ymir: AOT

Dean/Castiel: Supernatural - maybe one sided

Agatha/Rio - technically: Agatha All Along

Carlos Lydia: Cable Girls

Jane/Spinner: Degrassi

Bianca/Maggie: All My Children

(Currently okay with Wenclair or Wyler but I feel like neither will be canon or end happily) : Wednesday

So yeah, regardless of whether it’s a love triangle, supposed to be straight, a tragedy whatever, it’s often not a couple who ends happily. I see how there’s the draw of a doomed story but I think one of my patterns are picking people where one or both parties shows up for each other consistently, pushes them to be better, and often who the main character says they love the most and want things to work with.

Does anyone else have this pattern? What do you think it speaks to? Cause I need some more happy endings that I’m drawn to, I can tell you that.

Please feel free to tell me your romantic happy ending suggestions! Slowburns are a plus but they don’t have to be.

Do you often

Pick the love interest who isn’t chosen

Pick a relationship where one or both characters die

Pick a relationship that will never be canon

Usually choose well and see happy endings

Voting ended onSep 16, 2025

[girl4music]

Well I’m 2 and 3 since most of my ships are WLW ships.

They either always die or never end up canon because the industry is WLWphobic. What does it speak to?

That I want better WLW representation where they get to be honoured and respected for the romance they have between them and no one tries to no-homo it.

[constant-eggs]

I understand that. Twelve of these ships of mine are WLW and as you can see, and two of those happy ending. Xena’s death are the only two episodes that I flatly can’t rewatch. I was surprised for myself when writing them all down that even if they were MLM or straight, they still usually died. Which makes it feel like more of a me thing. I totally understand, with She-Ra there were finally well developed characters, a WLW slowburn that wasn’t canceled. I hope we get more shows like that.

[girl4music]

I feel like even if Xena was a man and straight, she still would have died because that’s what she believed. That she would die as she was - with a sword in her hand.

So I don’t class that as either Bury your Gays or Bury your Gay show. Just an ignorance of the audience.

[constant-eggs]

Yeah, I didn’t say it was Bury Your Gays. I don’t think they did it because she was gay. I don’t think it had to go down like that though. I can see the appeal of having a warrior’s death and it was alluded to that she didn’t think she would live long, but I also think it would have been more subversive and an equally good story for her to have lived. I like redemption stories where the character is able to have happiness, and for a long time. But at least she got those years with Gabrielle, and in Xena becoming more at peace with herself.

It is still something that upsets me because it’s a hard ending, and if there were more stories like it - epic journeys with equally epic queer loves, I probably wouldn’t be so affected.

[silvabendiir]

Long post... again

Friends. How many times have you come across posts online like, "Can't girls just be friends? Why do gay people always have to turn everything into a queer relationship?" Ahem... let's be honest.

Many heterosexual people (myself included) ship Wednesday and Enid. I love their dynamic, how different they are, and they're just fascinating to watch. It's not the tired old high school romance between a guy and a girl (in which case, tell me: why can't a guy and a girl just be friends? Why do I so rarely see cross-gender friendships in media? I have many male friends whom I love like brothers, and I rarely see that kind of friendship portrayed).

You know, if you write a strong friendship between a man and a woman with the same romantic subtext that they create for queer relationships... people will inevitably start shipping them. A perfect example is Aloy and Kotallo from the game Horizon Forbidden West. The creators were so lazy in writing Aloy's relationship with Seyka that the most popular ship ended up being a heterosexual one.

It's not that people are just desperate to pair up same-sex characters. No. People want to see LIVING, breathing relationships built on small moments, where you can feel that intangible care, life, and mutual respect in their glances. People are NOT interested in feelings that come out of nowhere after 2-3 episodes; they're not interested in this forced love where you don't even know the person and are already in love with them. We're not in the 1950s with Disney cartoons—this isn't love at first sight or clumsy attempts to get attention over a couple of episodes that somehow turn into love.

It's something shared, like a unity of souls, where people slowly find in another person the answers to what troubled them (this applies to both LGBT and straight relationships). It's care, attachment, loyalty. This is exactly what I find in Wednesday and Enid's relationship. They are interesting, soulful, and unusual. I, like many others, am fascinated by this interpretation.

Why, in our modern world, do we still get questions like: "Why do you ship two girls? Can't they just be friends?" Why do people always see such relationships as just friendship? Why can't something so profound be something more?

I'll say it again. I am a heterosexual woman who loves well-written heterosexual romances: Monica and Chandler, Lucifer and Chloe, Morticia and Gomez, Sheldon and Amy, Piper and Leo. And in the Wenclair pair, I see something similar. I get the same feeling when I see how Wednesday cares for Enid in her own way, just as Lucifer cares for Chloe, and so on.

And why are fans of this pair being shamed now? (I know many say, "Wyler shippers get brutally bullied too," but... many Wyler shippers do the same. I'm not talking about everyone; there are good people on both sides of the barricades.) I'm increasingly leaning toward the thought that people genuinely can't stand the idea that something like this could exist between two girls. It's cruel.

A well-written relationship with such a great chance to be shown on screen and enter television history not as a lazily written romance for a "checkmark" (Seriously. It infuriates me when they introduce a character, make them gay just to "have one," then abandon them. It's clearly done just so the creators aren't accused of homophobia—sarcasm—and then they don't develop it at all. People aren't stupid; they won't fall for this nonsense anymore. I'd be offended.) but as something serious, truly serious. Not a game, not a lazily written script for a diversity checkbox, but something global. Something that has a right to exist.

[constant-eggs]

Let’s hear it for it for Xena and She-Ra, the only two shows I can think of with same sex couples who were brave enough to do a slowburn.

[constant-eggs]

I’ve been thinking about the characters I root for romantically and how I usually choose wrong. Either the characters are never canon, aren’t “the one” the main character chooses in the end, or one or both parties die.

I’m just wondering if there’s anyone else who always chooses wrong? This could say nothing about me, it’s all fiction and anyway, a lot of these are tragedies, but I just wonder sometimes, man why do I set myself up for disappointment?

Spoilers for the Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, She-Ra, Outlander, Once Upon a Time, the Arrowverse, The Children’s Hour, Xena, Degrassi, Cable Girls, the Hunger Games, Arcane, ATLA, Agatha All Along, All My Children, Attack on Titan, Dickinson, Killing Eve, Wednesday.

Of these shows, here are the couples I rooted for who got together and had happy endings:

Katniss/Peeta: The Hunger Games

Ray/Nora: Legends of Tomorrow

Everyone in She-Ra (hooray!)

Emily/Sue: Dickinson

Maaaaybe Claire/Jamie: Outlander

One or both characters die:

Leonard/Sara: Legends of Tomorrow

Eve/Villanelle: Killing Eve

Oliver/Felicity: Arrow

Carlos/Lydia: Cable Girls - also don’t choose each other cross referenced

Carlota/Oscar: Cable Girls

Stefan/Elena: The Vampire Diaries - also don’t choose each other cross referenced

Karen/Martha: The Children’s Hour - also don’t technically choose each other cross referenced

Mikasa/Eren: Attack on Titan

Ymir/Historia: Attack on Titan

Jinx/Ekko: Arcane

Xena/Gabrielle: Xena Warrior Princess

Agatha/Rio: Agatha All Along

Dean/Castiel: Supernatural, only one half chooses each other cross referenced

Fanon

Lena/Kara: Supergirl

Katara/Zuko: Avatar the Last Airbender

Emma/Regina: Once Upon a Time

Bonnie/Damon - The Vampire Diaries

Romantic but don’t end up together:

Eren/Mikasa: AOT

Stefan/Elena: TVD

Historia/Ymir: AOT

Dean/Castiel: Supernatural - maybe one sided

Agatha/Rio - technically: Agatha All Along

Carlos Lydia: Cable Girls

Jane/Spinner: Degrassi

Bianca/Maggie: All My Children

(Currently okay with Wenclair or Wyler but I feel like neither will be canon or end happily) : Wednesday

So yeah, regardless of whether it’s a love triangle, supposed to be straight, a tragedy whatever, it’s often not a couple who ends happily. I see how there’s the draw of a doomed story but I think one of my patterns are picking people where one or both parties shows up for each other consistently, pushes them to be better, and often who the main character says they love the most and want things to work with.

Does anyone else have this pattern? What do you think it speaks to? Cause I need some more happy endings that I’m drawn to, I can tell you that.

Please feel free to tell me your romantic happy ending suggestions! Slowburns are a plus but they don’t have to be.

Do you often

Pick the love interest who isn’t chosen

Pick a relationship where one or both characters die

Pick a relationship that will never be canon

Usually choose well and see happy endings

Voting ended onSep 16, 2025

[girl4music]

Well I’m 2 and 3 since most of my ships are WLW ships.

They either always die or never end up canon because the industry is WLWphobic. What does it speak to?

That I want better WLW representation where they get to be honoured and respected for the romance they have between them and no one tries to no-homo it.

[constant-eggs]

I understand that. Twelve of these ships of mine are WLW and as you can see, and two of those happy ending. Xena’s death are the only two episodes that I flatly can’t rewatch. I was surprised for myself when writing them all down that even if they were MLM or straight, they still usually died. Which makes it feel like more of a me thing. I totally understand, with She-Ra there were finally well developed characters, a WLW slowburn that wasn’t canceled. I hope we get more shows like that.

[muzzledgod]

the new wave of puritism around the US is genuinely starting to distress me like it actually freaks me out. i recently saw this video of a woman talking about how disgusting this book was (about a 16 year old being groomed by her coach) and how it should be illegal, and literally EVERYONE in the comments was agreeing, saying how they supported “reasonable” book banning + censorship, about how it was child abuse material, how the author should be arrested, etc. and i just. how does no one see it. do they not realize censoring one thing can and will lead to extreme censorship? do they not realize that this is fiction? that it can’t be csa because no child was harmed? i feel like a crazy person.

[cryoverkiltmilk]

These motherfuckers need to get it in their heads that

not everything is for everyone

discomfort exists

engaging with this won't make it happen in real life

NOT engaging with this won't make it not exist in real life

[constant-eggs]

I’ve been thinking about the characters I root for romantically and how I usually choose “wrong.” Either the characters are never canon, aren’t “the one” the main character chooses in the end, or one or both parties die.

I’m just wondering if there’s anyone else who always chooses wrong? This could say nothing about me, it’s all fiction and anyway, a lot of these are tragedies, but I just wonder sometimes, man why do I set myself up for disappointment?

Spoilers for the Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, She-Ra, Outlander, Once Upon a Time, the Arrowverse, The Children’s Hour, Xena, Degrassi, Cable Girls, the Hunger Games, Arcane, ATLA, Agatha All Along, All My Children, Attack on Titan, Dickinson, Killing Eve, Wednesday.

Of these shows, here are the couples I rooted for who got together and had happy endings:

Katniss/Peeta: The Hunger Games

Ray/Nora: Legends of Tomorrow

Everyone in She-Ra (hooray!)

Emily/Sue: Dickinson

Maaaaybe Claire/Jamie: Outlander

One or both characters die:

Leonard/Sara: Legends of Tomorrow

Eve/Villanelle: Killing Eve

Oliver/Felicity: Arrow

Carlos/Lydia: Cable Girls - also don’t choose each other cross referenced

Carlota/Oscar: Cable Girls

Stefan/Elena: The Vampire Diaries - also don’t choose each other cross referenced

Karen/Martha: The Children’s Hour - also don’t technically choose each other cross referenced

Mikasa/Eren: Attack on Titan

Ymir/Historia: Attack on Titan

Jinx/Ekko: Arcane

Xena/Gabrielle: Xena Warrior Princess

Agatha/Rio: Agatha All Along

Dean/Castiel: Supernatural, only one half chooses each other cross referenced

Fanon

Lena/Kara: Supergirl

Katara/Zuko: Avatar the Last Airbender

Emma/Regina: Once Upon a Time

Bonnie/Damon - The Vampire Diaries

Romantic but don’t end up together:

Eren/Mikasa: AOT

Stefan/Elena: TVD

Historia/Ymir: AOT

Dean/Castiel: Supernatural - maybe one sided

Agatha/Rio - technically: Agatha All Along

Carlos Lydia: Cable Girls

Jane/Spinner: Degrassi

Bianca/Maggie: All My Children

(Currently okay with Wenclair or Wyler but I feel like neither will be canon or end happily) : Wednesday

So yeah, regardless of whether it’s a love triangle, supposed to be straight, a tragedy whatever, it’s often not a couple who ends happily. I see how there’s the draw of a doomed story but I think one of my patterns are picking people where one or both parties shows up for each other consistently, pushes them to be better, and often who the main character says they love the most and want things to work with.

Does anyone else have this pattern? What do you think it speaks to? Cause I need some more happy endings that I’m drawn to, I can tell you that.

Please feel free to tell me your romantic happy ending suggestions! Slowburns are a plus but they don’t have to be.

Do you often

Pick the love interest who isn’t chosen

Pick a relationship where one or both characters die

Pick a relationship that will never be canon

Usually choose well and see happy endings

Voting ended onSep 16, 2025

[constant-eggs]

Went onto Reddit for a spell because they have a large community still engaged in OUAT. But I’ve found that it’s largely focused on straight pairings - and that Swanqueen is amongst the most hated ships there so I peaced out. The only two pairs that did worse for a vote out your least favorite couple were Charming/Regina and Red/Whale.

Aurora/Mulan, Ruby Slippers, Red/Belle were also voted out very early. Alice and Robin were the only ones that made it decently far - which I could be hopeful about, or otherwise wonder if it’s because they were kids and whether it feeds into straight people preferring queer ships/relationships that are devoid of sexual tension.

I’m way more bummed than I should be. Seemingly every fifth post or so had anti Swanqueen elements.

I dunno, I get not shipping something. It just doesn’t feel great meeting a deluge of “step grandma” justifiers, saying SQ was more toxic than other ships or I dunno the real-life shipping that happened. (And I know that shit went down where some SQ were toxic btw but truly CS shippers also had their moments and the real life shipping is where it got out of hand.) It can’t just be ship and let ship there’s this “you should feel weird and “you’re wrong for seeing things that way” and “why must you make everything romantic?” - A standard only held for queer ships, mind you. On a show where true love is one of the core tenants and where you can throw a woodchip and hit a canon straight pairing.