An Open Letter to Unnecessary Hate
If I see one more “pro-swen/anti-sw” thing in the SLEEPING WARRIOR tag that disregards the very ship this tag stands for I’m going to start going off on people.
SW has as much potential for a great love story as SQ does, even if it’s between minor characters.
“It’ll only be fanfiction”, indeed! They might not get even a sliver of screentime in comparison to Regina and Emma, being so far down the line they’re practically forgotten, but they’re still fucking there. Saying things like “idk why we even bother with this ship when there’s the potential for the greatest love story of all time right in front of their faces!” or some variation of that statement is damn rude af.
No one harps on Red Beauty because Rumbelle has problems.
Just because Sleeping Warrior is (one-sidedly) canon does not invalidate Swen.
You can ship both; that is a thing! My girlfriend does, and I want to as well because I see SQ just as clearly. But, there is such a thing as more than one queer ship in a show, ya know? And the cast doesn’t have to be all queer! Like, canon representation is important, yes, but if the only rep you want is by your ship because the other characters are so irrelevant, then anyone not involved in that portion of the fandom--casual watchers and shippers of any other couple in this show--are going to wonder why this is the only ship that’s getting all the attention, which leads me to my next point.
Just because Mulan is coming back, truly and unfortunately, does not guarantee a reunion with Aurora.
The way I understand it, the reason why some (not all) SQers have come into the Sleeping Warrior tag mostly to invalidate and put down those who ship SW (while also claiming to ship it... c’mon, that’s a weak defense, guys), is because they’re afraid if this ship becomes canon, SQ will be left in the dust.
I really hope you realize this logic works in the opposite direction as well.
Person A: If they make SW canon, it’s throwing the lgbtq+ shippers a bone! They won’t care about SQ anymore because ‘look repreezentashon!!1 Isn’t that enough?:)″ Who cares about these minor characters when we watch FOR THE MAIN CHARACTERS? Like? That’s why they’re the mains?
Person B: If they make SQ canon, that’s it. The most vocal faction of this entire fandom wins. No one is going to care about the other queer ships anymore because “Look! Swan Queen! Isn’t that enough?” But if I don’t ship it, and that’s all the representation we have, why can’t the other ships get something too?
Just because Mulan is back---and I say this solemnly---does not automatically mean she will be reunited with Aurora. She did have a scene with ‘Lancelot’ back in S2 and we’re probably going to see how they met and stuff, which ties in with Camelot and Merlin. She’s probably only going to be there for plot convenience, which is annoying, but unless they bring her into Storybrooke, which is a definite possibility, everything is speculation.
I don’t like saying firm or harsh things but here goes.
I’m really appalled there is even an anti-Sleeping Warrior tag.
With every major ship comes major hate, but Sleeping Warrior is NOT a big ship so wtf, guys? It might be bigger than Philora, but that’s not very big either. This part of the fandom lay dormant for well over a season, and once activity spikes for the first time in a long while, without even a sliver on the ass of a pimple of a chance anything is for certain other than one half of the ship returning, there are people trying to push it back into the ground again because “Oh no! Maybe there’s competition for canonship! Kill it before it takes over!”
This is the literally the Once equivalent to #AllLivesMatter.
It’s not about you so you have to make it about you. You have to draw attention to the fact you should be included in a thing even when it doesn’t apply to you.
(And I bet any hate on this post, not that anyone’s gonna look at it or read it all the way through even, is probably going to be the equivalent of #NotAllMen).
Literally all we SW shippers have to go on right now is ONE HALF of the ship coming back. Regina and Emma (disappearing like that doesn’t count) have not gone anywhere. They are and will still be in every single episode. Mulan disappeared without explanation (and I am so sick of repeating because everyone automatically assumes I don’t know this: yes, Jamie left because of another show but for those dense enough to equate the actress with her character I am talking about her character in-universe because they are, surprisingly, two different people) and Aurora, fuck. When Maleficent was a major character in an arc, Aurora was nowhere to be found. This is especially glaring since Mal put the whole town to sleep and Aurora can’t be affected anymore. But, I digress.
Or, maybe it’s the same as Animal Farm.
“All ships are equal, but some ships are more equal than others.” Is this what you’re trying to say? “Everyone can ship SW, I even ship SW, but it’ll never happen. SQ4LIFE!”
It’s called your inner voice for a reason. You don’t have to ship it; it can not make any sense to you; you can say it’s shoddily written---all of that that is fine. Your opinion is perfectly valid until it disregards another’s existence, in this case, another ship’s existence. And again, this is not an attack on every SQ shipper. Just on those who decided it was their job to come into this tag and start shit. You’re making an obnoxious fool out of yourself and giving your part of the fandom a very bad name.
No one fights for Sleeping Warrior as much as people fight tooth and nail for even a glimpse of Swan Queen, and that makes me die a little inside. Since both characters are rarely if ever on the show, no one cares. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Bullfuckingshit. If you don’t like it, don’t care for it, don’t need it, good for you. But do not come in here with your bitching. Just because your specific ship isn’t specifically stated to be canon, that doesn’t give you the right to invade another ship’s tag simply because a character came back.
My girlfriend and two of the most sweetest people I’ve ever met ship Swan Queen, and believe me, I wish I could as well. It’s literally Jori with magic. I see the love in those long stares and their dynamic is quite the spectacle. I came into this fandom for Sleeping Warrior but I never lost hope I’d be able to join the largest section of the entire Once community and revel in all the gay.
“It’ll just click,” I kept thinking, “There’s always a moment!”
But that moment never came, and I can’t force it. I am still a die-hard Sleeping Warrior shipper and I always will be. I thought maybe I’ll be able to ship Swen eventually, but after today, I don’t think so. My girlfriend and my two lovely friends will have to sail on without me. I don’t need to be in it.
So while certain members of the fandom go on and force their opinions and disrespect into others and their tags, I’m gonna sit right here and enjoy the mostly hate-free zone of SW, because aside from some rare banter with Philora, I’ve not heard one case of someone who ships SW going into another’s tag to spread the malice.
