#bisexual xena

[xwpvs]

Rating: T Warning: Major Character Death Category: F/F Fandom: Xena Warrior Princess Characters: Aphrodite (Xena), Ares (Xena), Autolycus (Xena), Callisto (Xena), Diana (Xena), Draco (Xena), Ephiny (Xena), Gabrielle (Xena), Hades (H:TLJ), Hercules (Hercules 2014), Iolaus (H:TLJ), Joxer (Xena), Lila (Xena), Marcus (Xena), Perdita (Xena), Salmoneus (H:TLJ), Xena (Xena) Adittional Tags: Action/Adventure, Almost Death, Ancient Greece, Canonical Character Death, Fighting, Flirting, Gods, Greek Gods, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Kissing, Queer Character, Romance, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Trans Female Character

Summary: Xena but 1000x gayer with a happy ending. I took out the heteronormativity, added/changed a lot of scenes, made more characters lgbt+. The only deaths for Gabrielle and Xena are the ones they come back from. This is a slow burn romance between Gabrielle and Xena. WarriorBard is endgame.

Xena is known the world over as the Destroyer of Nations, but after a run in with Hercules & Iolaus and being made to run a gauntlet by her men, Xena has changed. Feeling guilty for what she's done, she decides to end it all. That is until she sees a young blonde woman stand up to her captors and try to protect the people from her village. In Gabrielle, Xena finds a reason to keep living and starts her path to redemption.

Gabrielle is a village girl. When Draco's men attack her home and try to capture her and her family & friends, Gabrielle is saved by Xena: Warrior Princess. Gabrielle has always wanted to study in Athens. Inspired by the older woman's heroics, Gabrielle decides to follow her in the hope of becoming a hero like her and having adventures instead of telling them. In Xena, Gabrielle finds a place to belong and starts her journey of self descovery.

Will they find love along the way?

The Adventure Begins

[rebornaophia]

This drawing is inspired by the first episode of the first season in which Gabrielle asks Xena to allow Gab to travel with her. However, Xena denies this because she only sees Gab as a helpless peasant. I just made everything gayer. If you liked it, please consider supporting my art on Instagram or Twitter

[midnight-love-song]

Goals

[allofthebeanz]

Xena really is the best show. Nowhere in the history of television can you experience an episode filled with the complexities of a character dealing with the overwhelming grief of losing her lover and sacrificing a chance to find closure in order to help those she hurt in the past... while also witnessing a bunch of people doing drugs, an intensely filmed staring contest, and a poorly done job of a woman's head photoshopped onto a spider's body. Perfection

[girl4music]

“But I can tell you this, Xena… you’re the only constant in my life, and unless you know something I don’t, I’m not going anywhere. So I’m going to say the most selfish thing I’ve ever said to you: that baby’s my baby too, and I deserve a chance to fight for it as much as you.”

- Gabrielle, ‘Them Bones, Them Bones’ (Original script dialogue.)

They knew what they were doing with this scene. Especially the way Xena AND Gabrielle’s heads turn back to the baby at exactly the same time as if they were both proud of making that little bundle of joy between their arms. Also notice how Gabrielle only steps away after a glance towards Xena and Eve, clearly assessing that they both need to be alone while she responds to Hercules' request. As if to say "You stay here, I'll take care of business."

Dialogue is rarely ever needed between these two because the body language communicates so much in small intimate scenes like this. Both the mark of great acting and great chemistry between the actresses. I've always said that it's the quiet moments that truly reveal the depth of the loving relationship between Xena and Gabrielle. Whether you see it in a romantic way or not, you cannot deny that it is not filled with unconditional love. Especially where Gabrielle is concerned.

In fact...

I'm reminded of what Ares says in the ice cave in confession to what he believes to be a dead Xena about the dichotomy between his love for Xena and Gabrielle's love for Xena.

"You're with her now. I handled you all wrong. I know that. She knew what you needed - unconditional and unselfish love - and I couldn't give that to you. But I appreciated you in ways she never could. Your rage, your violence, your beauty. When you sacrificed yourself for others, you were hers. But when you kicked ass, you were mine. I love you, Xena."

- Ares, ‘Looking Death In The Eye’.

And I back up what I say in my character study thesis. The reason why Gabrielle won Xena's affection every time wasn't just because she was good at that moment. It's because she was given a CHOICE to be good in EVERY moment. Ares never offered her that choice. It was always "be mine, or die". Gabrielle always did - she would just take herself out of the picture if Xena chose evil or stand against her.

Such a striking difference is often not spoken about in this love triangle the writers obviously intended between Xena, Gabrielle and Ares. It says that the show never really went one way or the other on the romance not just because it couldn't... But because it didn't have to. There was importance in keeping the romance balanced although many wouldn't admit to it and would rather just complain about it instead. As for me, I think it's one of the most groundbreaking things about it. Rob was definetly right about keeping it this way and I back him up on it 100%. We knew that Gabrielle had Xena's heart. However, the conflict in Xena's heart would always remain because Ares would always be around to remind her of her former life. And in so doing this, we learn that Xena could never be definitively one way or the other either. This is what made her character so damn dynamic. And why it was leagues ahead of its time in queer representation. Even today, a bisexual narrative like this is never done. Or rather - it’s done but it’s never written this well. It’s never connected to the major narratives and themes. And that’s because the queer characters are never the major characters. They’re never the actual narrative. Instead, the queer characters have to wrap around it. And that’s the wrong way of going about doing this.

I don’t care what anyone says.

Gabby was the daddy.

Or the other mother, if you prefer. Although, I would definetly say Gabrielle’s role was typically that of a father. I don’t like gender norms, roles and stereotypes either but that doesn’t mean those are off-limits to a woman.

I’ve said before that the fact Gabrielle was depicted as doing the “typical father” role means the writers were abolishing the belief that only a man can do it and therefore using gender norms, roles and stereotypes as a way to promote equality and solidarity.

If you have a problem with me calling Gabrielle the “father” of Eve, you have to understand I am speaking from the point of view they would have in their time. There was no such thing as a same-sex couple in Ancient Greece in the sense that they could marry and have children without the participation of a male figure. Of course gay couples would exist but would not be socially accepted. Hell, it wasn’t even socially accepted a decade ago. What makes you think it was then? So me referring to Gabrielle as that male figure in Eve’s life should be seen as a compliment, not an insult. I’m saying she had the capability to fill that role and she wasn’t even a man. Just like how Xena could fill the role of a warlord and she wasn’t a man. Can’t you see that I am giving them respect as people who can take on both the feminine and masculine side of situations? Xena and Gabrielle were human anomalies and that’s bloody awesome as far as I’m concerned. I wish more shows today had that kind of gender roles representation with their characters. Sadly, they don’t.

[fazedlight]

"How could anyone think Xena is straight?"

The answer is biphobia.

In the mid-90s, bisexuality was not a mainstream topic. You were either straight, or you were gay. The year Xena started airing was the same year that Newsweek came out with the cover above: Not Gay. Not Straight. A New Sexual Identity Emerges.

Even within gay/queer/LGBT spaces, bisexuality was often regarded as a temporary stage before you figured out your "real" sexuality. People asserted that bisexuals were confused or greedy, that true bisexuals - if they existed - were rare. Biphobia isn't limited to straight people.

So you have this character with wonderful subtext with a woman, as well as very concrete interest in men (Ares, Marcus, Borias, etc). With bisexuality not even considered an option, there was a tug o' war - straight people could ignore the subtext, queer people wanted to keep the groundbreaking representation. With bisexuality shut out of the discourse, both sides had to ignore key dynamics in the show.

In reality, Xena and Gabrielle form a wonderfully crafted love story (one that is, frankly, still groundbreaking to this day for queer women). And like many other love stories, their trials and tribulations included old flames and chaotic love triangles, on the path to crystalizing as soulmates.

And I think that's a beautiful story.

[whenfatecollides]

Xena Warrior Princess 1x07 The Titans

[xenaskywalker]

Remake of the edit that made me insane

Xena: "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's rude to stare?" - Motive

[cha-mij]

SO THAT'S what did it 🤣

[sapphiccharacterstournament]

Canon Sapphic Characters Tournament Round Four

[filmmakerdreamst]

Every Xena and Gabrielle Hug & Kiss

[gabs-magical-abs]

Xena and Gabrielle Relationship Timeline (official)

Xena fell for Gabrielle pretty early in Season 1 but didn't act on it because she was dealing with her whole "Woe is me, I'm bad and evil and Gabrielle is pure and good" drama.

Gabrielle, meanwhile, was suffering some serious comphet and it wasn't until Girls Just Wanna Have Fun when she realised GIRLS ARE HOT and that she didn't just want to be Xena, she wanted to be WITH Xena.

That end scene in GJWHF is basically Gabrielle propositioning Xena and in my head canon, they become FWB after this because a) Gabrielle is a baby gay and b) Xena is scared of commitment.

Gabrielle then got guilted into marrying Perdicus because he threatened to kill himself (classy dude that one), but also because of gay panic and the fact that Xena wouldn't agree to make their relationship more serious.

If Ulysses is actually a real episode and not a fever dream, it definitely happened after ROC but before The Quest, where X and G are still in their weird FWB but not willing to admit they are actually girlfriends stage. I have no idea what Xena would ever see in such a boring dude but whatever. Something something hurt feelings about Perdy and maybe some more internalised "I'm getting too close to Gabrielle and I will hurt her, better to hurt her now by latching on to this boring man" thinking.

Then The Quest happens and they admit they love each other (gay) and then they're officially girlfriends and they get married after A Family Affair and honeymoon in India.

[gay-aunt-jackie]

Xena and Gabrielle raising their babies together

[graendoll]

Just remembering that Xena was a bisexual in love with her best friend and they did finally kiss but at what cost and how Buddie is the closest thing I have to that again and how it's making me have a lot of feelings.

[girl4music]

Remember what I was saying about bisexual narratives? This is one but since it's about a female romantic interest they had to be a lot more careful with it. But the fact they did an entire episode about the concept of Gabrielle being jealous over Xena and Lao Ma's intimate relationship is significant, and again, just proves how much they took Xena and Gabrielle's relationship seriously whether it was interpreted as a romantic one or not because this is a DRAMA. It's not a joke. In fact it's the only Gabrielle-centric drama. Yeah, there's humour in it with an amnesiac Gabrielle and Joxer trying to get her to remember but that's completely besides the point of what they're saying here.

Which is that Gabrielle betrayed Xena in Chin because she thought Xena was leaving her and going to hook back up with an ex-girlfriend because neither Xena nor Gabrielle had any idea Lao Ma was dead until the point of reaching Chin and then learning that information. So making this an episode in actual context of why Gabrielle did what she did in betraying Xena makes complete sense. Why wouldn't she think that when Xena literally says to her that she'd give her life up with Gabrielle to fulfil some insane debt to a woman she once loved. Gabrielle doesn't understand what that debt is UNTIL Xena explains it after the whole ordeal so - naturally - Gabrielle would think in her grief and anger shit like: "She still loves her and she doesn't want to be with me anymore. I'm nothing to her. I'm not a lover, I'm not a friend, I'm not a sidekick... I never was important to her at all. I was only there to help her pass the time away. Why should I let her have happiness now? Why should I let her have that power over me?" and they really go into this area of thought with her as a full-on drama because petty jealousy like that can be a really compelling storyline and vehicle for character development and we come to get a whole other dimension to Gabrielle's character that we have never gotten before - that we probably never wanted to get - but the creators were like "No, we're taking this relationship so seriously to the point where we have to depict the ugliness in it as well as the beauty because that's what real life couples go through” and Gabrielle has to finally stop lying to herself as well as Xena that her motivations for betraying her and hurting her were not selfish or self-serving because they were and she had to come to terms with the fact that she was never like this when it came to any of the male romantic interests in Xena's life. But with a female one... because she knew Xena was a lot more emotionally invested there... she was a lot worse than she ever was when it came to Ares or Draco or Marcus. She was a lot more fucking concerned and rightly so because like if Xena was into women - why the hell haven't they gotten together? Why are they not more than they are? So you see what I mean about how interpreting them as a slow burn really works with everything going on in the show with all of the narratives because they can do an episode like this and it doesn't feel like it's just come out of left field at all. It feels logical and necessary.

I think as much as Season 3 showed us Gabrielle wasn't the entirely innocent, pure or selfless character - this was the storyline arc that showed that she could be pretty freaking vindictive when she can't get her way with Xena or when she wasn't the center of her attention but I thought that all this made her even more of a great character because she wasn't clean cut anymore. She could be a bitch too and so she was on more equal footing as Xena who we know used to be and would absolutely understand where Gabrielle was coming from.

[rosetterer]

came into a terrible, horrifying conclusion about all the ships I have shipped...