#xena did it first

[girl4music]

I love it when supernatural/fantasy or otherwise just genre shows throw in ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ references in the show writing. It’s like they’re acknowledging what the art/entertainment industry won’t. That ‘Xena did it first’ with many things that so many other show creators or movie makers had the doors blown wide open for to do because of it.

Bad ass main female protagonists,

WLW representation

The first TV musical episode

Uber and femslash fanfiction.

I could go on…

It’s like they’re paying tribute to it. And so they should. Because we owe a lot of things to Xena.

That show changed the game so fucking much. And it’s nowhere near appreciated and celebrated enough.

Buffy, Charmed and Wynonna Earp have all payed tribute to Xena. I couldn’t be prouder to be a fan of all of these amazing shows and will always support them.

[arytha]

[ID from ALT: A digital fullbody art of my OCs, one of which is Epoch's Maker in a hooded cloak, and the other is Era as he appears in his first life. Era is positioned mostly with his back to the viewer, prevented from turning fully towards the viewer by the Maker, who is gripping his arm. Era's eye, with his face in profile, glances forward. The Maker is completely turned away from the viewer, his cloak a blend that starts with white and cream colors on the top, and ends with blended streaky red and blue panels with defined, rounded black edges at the bottom. Era's complexion is more ashen than normal, and he is dressed in the same cream color as the Founder, with white pants. The background is white save for a simple pale red and yellow aurora. End ID]

Remember. This is for all of us.

[lizzieisright]

Just saw a post about Xena and immediately remembered when my therapist asked me what formed my taste in women, and I had no clue so she asked me if it was my mom (4'9, girly, wears obnoxiously tall heels) and I was like hell no.

But then I remembered I was obsessed with Xena when I was little (even played pretend like I was her) and it clicked.

So thank you Lucy Lawless for turning me gay.

[smallhatlogan]

This was such a conscious act of bullying the shippers lmao???

[bloodyke]

heres the finished waistcoat btw im really proud of it

[90stvqueen]

x/g vs utenanthy... i want a xena sweep but this is the anime lesbians website

[clumsycapitolunicorn]

.

[the-femslash-wishlist]

Yes, yes, The L Word intentionally excluded.

Place your answer in the tags if it’s none of the above, especially if it’s The Facts of Life, or South of Nowhere, or Sailor Moon, or Skins, or Rizzoli & Isles, or Grey’s Anatomy, or Person of Interest, or Orange is the New Black, or Orphan Black, or Steven Universe, or Agent Carter, or The Bold Type, or Killing Eve, or Captain Marvel, or The Haunting of Bly Manor, or Critical Role, or Warrior Nun, etc. etc. etc. eta: or Legend of Korra, or Wicked, etc. etc.

It was hard to whittle the choices down to 12, okay?

[girl4music]

Being a fan of Xena and Buffy is hard because you see Buffy get praised for absolutely everything that Xena already did and arguably did much better than Buffy.

First female main protagonist that kicks ass.

First TV musical episode.

First protagonist CORE GANG/ensemble cast.

First longtime WLW couple (subtext counts if it’s X&G, don’t care that it’s not maintext or canon. It is to me.)

First UBER/ALT REALITY/GENRE episode.

First feminist male creator (and still is respected for it)

But at the end of the day.

I just feel sorry for Charmed fans.

Because that never gets anything.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Do you know if Cassie ever get called "Cassandra" in cannon, or is that just a popular headcannon? Because it's always bugged me when characters in fanfic call her Cassandra, even though I know it's not actually a big deal. I'm %100 projecting, as someone whose given name is usually a diminutive of a larger name, I'm aware of that, so I'm not out to make a big deal out of it either way, I'm just curious

Nooooo I also have a huge peeve about fic characters (especially Jake) calling her "Cass" or "Cassandra." We never learn her full name in canon, so it could be "Cassandra" or just "Cassie" or anything else. And only Ronnie calls her "Cass."

#54 says "Jake always called me Cassie. Never Cass like Ronnie did." I love that detail. Jake uses people's correct names, never their nicknames — he never uses "Xena" or even "Rach" or other common shortenings. Heck, he'd probably use "Aximili" if Ax didn't introduce himself as "Ax."

Which is why I gnash my teeth over first AniTV, then later the Animorphs Graphix, having Jake use "Cass." It's one of my favorite details from canon that he is so freaking careful about names. He learns people's names and titles and then uses them ("Aunt Naomi," "General Doubledday, sir" #53). It's why he hates being called "prince," because it's not correct, AND HE WOULD NEVER USE "CASS" OR "CASSANDRA" HOW DARE YOU.

[hubristicassholefight]

Swordswoman showdown FINALS

Hornet (Hollow Knight) vs Xena (Xena: Warrior Princess)

(Better here in a "preferred character" sense, not "who would win in a fight")

Propaganda below cut

Hornet

Technically its not a sword but she wields a needle in a setting where swords do not exist and she wields it in an exceedingly swordlike fashion so. She counts; Girlboss demigoddess spider lady. She's been protecting an entire kingdom for longer than many of the other characters have been alive. She systematically kills her siblings for being too weak. She's simply the best.

#im pretty sure hornet can beat like. anyone in a fight.#have you ever fought hornet#its so fucking hard getting past her every time i play hk i go literally insane.

#i remember getting stuck on the first hornet fight on mt first play through and bring likr#''omg the boss fights in this are so hard!!!''#like what. you're not even half way through what are you talking about#you can't even DASH honey. you don't know what's diffcult or not in this game.

So, SPOILERS

but I feel like the "she systematically kills her siblings" part needs a little clarification. See, one of her siblings was used as a living prison for an angry god and that uh. Didn't work out for the sibling in question or anyone else.

This account is itself heavily abbreviated but it's likely that any other sibling Hornet encounters will be trying to take over as the god's new prison. She appears to challenge any sibling she sees to battle, in order to test their resolve against herself and her needle - would they actually have a chance against that god?

We never actually see her kill any siblings, but she does quite pointedly tell one of them that (to paraphrase) "My needle is lethal and I would feel no sadness in a weakling's demise."

Feels like a relevant quote. In any case, if they can't beat Hornet, it seems like her needle would be a far more merciful end than what the god would grant.

Anyway, a bit of additional material for @swordswomanshowdown :

As is the case for any cool swordswoman, it's not just her sword that's lethal, it's her with it. And Hornet's needle was custom made for her - the creators have said that, while other needles exist, hers was made specifically for her to wield, and its construction allows her to use her spider silk better in combat.

And another thing that I think makes her a good swordswoman: she's actually pretty thoughtful about how she uses it. There's a least one instance where she tries to warn someone off before fighting them! At the same time, when she does fight, she seems to enjoy it - during her boss battles, you can hear her laugh sometimes, as if exhiliarated. She's really got it all, as a swordswoman!!!

#HORNET SWEEP CMON PLEEEEEEASE#shes gay. shes the only sibling with a gender. shes a spider named HORNET. look like croissant. whats not to like

Xena

Warrior Princess

She wields a sword and chakram. Just had to submit a biconic swordswoman.

i love her. she made me gay as a kid. Anyway, her weapon of choice is her sword, she is obviously very good with it

#unfortunately i have to choose and i have to choose xena#a) utena had no warcry. b) xena fought gods. c) xena has kickass goofy comic book combat which is my favorite

xena didn’t just fight gods. she fucked up a girl’s life so bad that she (calisto) devoted her entire being to destroying everything that xena loved that ended up with calisto becoming a god in order to destroy xena, which didnt work because xena entombed her in lava. and then when xena and gabrielle encountered calisto in the (christian) afterlife (different from the greek one which they also fought her in), calisto dragged gabrielle to hell so xena became an archangel in order to save gabrielle and then sacrificed herself in order to undo all the harm that she did in calisto’s life and then when not!jesus (played by timothy omundson) revives xena and gabrielle, calisto impregnates xena with the reincarnation of calisto’s soul in order to end the cycle of hate. xena doesnt just fight gods. she creates and destroys them

#this isnt even mentioning her fighting julius ceasar several times#telling brutus that caesar is not his friend#xena and gabrielle’s souls reincarnating across centuries in order to kick ass and fall in love all over again#or the time xena became a god but tbh that ep is kinda ‘uhhhhh…..’ even if they did hire a consultant for it

#I think everyone here knows to vote for Xena. I think a couple people here might have some propaganda for Xena saved already#everyone remember that Xena/Gabrielle is CANON and that's a pretty big deal also#(does anyone have that Xena Loves Trans People interview around because that would also make good propaganda)

I love Xena ❤️ 😍 💖 ❣️

[sgiandubh]

Show must go on...

... and rather very much in your face, mind you.

Scottish Xena posted two stories at about 7 AM, counting calories, and, in the process, making sure to address roughly any objections that were ventilated on this side of the fandom, including this very page. See for yourself...

What are the odds she'd be talking about nutrition? Right. I am not an idiot. I know when something is way Over The Top - less is more, Xena. Less is always more: there was no need to overdo it like that, placemat and all, if you wanted to remain credible. You read us and you have been instructed to do so, just to perfectly stick to your walking, talking and very profitable Local Innuendo script.

Fair enough. And then, you also tell us that you will be at Hyrox today around noon, to film some ESN promo: your bread and butter, of course. S is just for shits, giggles and that Instagram yield:

So, there's that. *urv connecting dots like crazy, without having the slightest clue of what was discussed at that table. Her own brand of cheap fanfic for the masses, for the other five clowns commenting, out of which three at least are her own sock accounts.

Cue in the Useful Idiot. The Brazilian Tourist and Fan. Uma senhorita tão desagradável, who changed her story in between her first reaction reel and the debrief, back at her suburban Airbnb or where the fuck that was filmed.

First reaction reels:

'Just saw SH.' Not alone, oh no: 'com uma moça'. With a girl. So yeah, she had qualms asking for a pic.

First lie and dramatization. She posts a message for S where she explains she did not dare approach him, but she saw him alright. The one in Portuguese is completely different, though: 'I am going to post the video without sound, because I could only say "what a shame", while I was filming him on the sly. LOL.' I guess she thinks we are all idiots, or something. Also, in her reel, she confirms: 'ele estava almoçando com outra pessoa'/he was having lunch with another person. So far, so good, right?

Six hours later, a second debrief batch of reels, taking her reader's questions. The narrative changes, with a strong bias:

'Yes, he is super accessible and educated! I did not freak out, I just politely asked to take a pic (what I do consider the right way to approach famous people, at the end they are still human beings).'

For the people in the back: she is a lady. And a liar. The worst kind of liar, actually: a narcissistic one. Let's see what else she takes great pains telling us: 'ele tem um fandom bem tóxico'/he has a very toxic fandom. From now on, we just know what to expect, right?

Second answer, she explains he is very tall. He went inside to pay the bill and then he also went towards the bathroom (wtf?), she followed him inside, she asked for the menu, he finally went out and she approached him ('abordei' - 🙄) between the door and her table. Classy.

Cue in to a third answer (and second lie) to a very odd question: 'what did he smell like?' or something along those lines. For this one, I had to ask confirmation from Shipper Mom, who told me two things (she knew next to nothing about the whole episode- no bias): ' it's damn hard to understand what the hell she is talking about, she is eating half of her words. Plus you can tell she is lying.'

He doesn't smell, she tells us. But hey, she also freaked out a bit, finally (I thought she hadn't?!) and then well, 'ele estava com outra pessoa, uma moça, deve ser a namorada dele'/ he was with another person, a girl, probably his girlfriend'. But then he went inside (again? wasn't he coming out of the venue?), 'and the girl stayed at the table'. Things go murky afterwards, like they absolutely always do: she tells us she spoke to her (?), but would not say anything more, yet making sure to tell us she 'saw both of them'.

If anyone has a better version than mine, please step forward: we listened three times in a row, with Shipper Mom, a teacher of Portuguese and published literary translator. She was appalled by this young woman's carelessness and mendacity.

The Brazilian Tourist Fan is 23 years old (and it shows), she presents herself as a journalist and writer:

Seriously? What are the odds?

And finally, to wrap it up, the classical cheering moment, at yesterday's Hyrox: ' yeah, Sarah, nice!'

Nice, indeed.

FFS. Will it ever end?

Yes, it will. Anything ends: even Stalin's terror.

[theosconfessions]

Love is Embarrassing

The Final Choice- For Real

i know ive been saying this since the dawn of time but you guys. i appreciate every single one of you who have participated in scars bachelorette challenge. we've been on this since december and its so crazy to me that its over... or should i say the bc is over. the story is not. she bonded so much with all of them and she had such high romance bars with all of them by the end.but eugene won ..not only because he got her pregnant [which lmao i knew it was coming .she was def gonna get pregnant by someone.. its not a kline bc without that happening] but because he never stopping showing up for our girl. shed get home from dates and eugene was hanging out waiting to play some games with her. including the lame llama one she loves. they just have a really special connection. elia- they bonded from the jump i mean not only sexually but he was the only contestant to call her out on her bullshit. which i loved.and its what the klines need more of @fl0ptrait thank you for creating such a doll for scar to meet and fuck haha! he was always right there fighting for her xena- was a fucking CHARMER. like that girl knew how to speak to scar to make her swoon and swoon easy. i think she had the quickest romance jump from the beginning of this challenge. i think while her interest may have wained in the end of the challenge bc lets face it scar threw some curveballs she really really did want to romance the shit out of scar .. and i was here for it @bubblepopsims luxor- what can i say this guy surprised me on the first solo one on one date. partly bc scar freaked him out to begin with haha! but also because of how suave he can be. like he was calm through the whole thing but making his intentions known once he got to know her. HOWEVER this isnt the last time we're seeing luxor and he will be in the stephens continued thank you to the lovely @simvanie eugene- THIS BOY... mannnn he never gave up on her and lets face it if the baby were elias hed be like i mean thats okay. still pick me though to be your husband haha! theyre not married YET they will be but these two just mesh.and i think they always have . scar was just too blind to see if way back then.and it too this challenge to make it known to her what a catch eugene was @duusheen many cute babes to come bonus shots under the cut of their reactions.. i dont know when my next bc will be or if i will do one but man you guys made this such a great experience. the stephens continued will be picking back up as well as finnies globetrotter and his part of the stephens soon <3

[bloodyke]

we're in the homestretch

[stelladonna]

I’m watching Xena for the first time, now, in my 30s, since I was a very little girl. My mom used to watch it all the time, almost obsessively— she loved it so much—and I would groan bc I was little and would rather watch cartoons. Anyway, my memory of Xena is ethereal at best, except for a few things, including: 1) Callisto and the body switching episode where I had a “funny” feeling watching her as Xena. That was because I was a baby gay and she was my first on-screen crush, and 2) that I never made time to actually sit down and watch Xena as an adult for some strange reason I now realize is childhood trauma that is now healed.

At the end of the series, when Xena and Gabrielle get together, I distinctly remember my mother’s homophobic reaction and the way she immediately turned against the show, never watching it or mentioning it again. In that moment I did not feel safe. Something inside of me closed up, and it took years into adulthood before I was ready to accept my queerness. It was that moment that shut down the possibility of me exploring that funny feeling.

It’s healing for me now because I recently moved back in with my mother after heartbreak and the end of a LT relationship (ofc a lesbian one) while I transition into a new job in an old place and rebuild my life. For context, my mother knows, but let’s not get into my coming out story 🤪.

The point is that I decided to start watching Xena and have just finished that body switching episode. When I started watching it, I reflexively recoiled when my mom walked in like I was a sneaky teenager doing something wrong. I had to remind myself that I am in fact a complete adult and that I no longer care what she or anyone thinks of my lifestyle.

Anyway, she saw it on the screen and said “do you know I used to watch Xena? It was my favor show,” and I said “yes, I know. I remember.” Then she sat down and watched it with me. Then she went to her room and proceeded to watch the whole thing on her own (she has impressive marathoning skills I could never dream of matching). Then she came out and told me the show has so many lessons about how to be a good person. Then she asked me to let her know when I get to the “Asian” part (forgive me but I don’t yet know what that means. I’m paraphrasing her, a Thai woman).

It’s healing for me bc, even though I know my mom has accepted this part of who I am, this small act, this radical change of heart toward Xena and her eagerness to share it with me and again to embrace it herself means so much ❤️‍🩹

[azgfggf]

For a while I’ve been trying to articulate why XWP means so much to me, and I think I’ve figured it out. It seems to come from a bizzaro world where everything is just. Equal. It feels like a real feminist show because the women are so respected.

I realized this when watching episode 6 (or seven maybe?) there was a scene where Xena was imprisoned, feet chained to the floor and hands to the ceiling. A group of men came in with the express purpose to harm, and in a moment of clarity I realized that I didn’t fear for Xena in the way I did for every other female in fantasy. Fantasy (as a male dominated genre) is full of sexual violence towards women, often used as story beats or just shock. It permeates women’s real lives and bleeds into what they read for escapist fantasy. For a long time I’ve felt as if nowhere is truly safe, because most fantasy media eventually has a scene or two where a woman is violated, or a costume that’s glorified lingerie, and I have to remind myself that this genre was never made with women in mind. But that scene ended with Xena beating the shit out of them, because they tried to beat her. Not assault or grab, just punches and kicks, like men would fight in fantasy. And she fucking won because she’s Xena and she’s awesome.

Again, in many episodes men want her. But they’re never violent towards her. In the show she is treated like a man would be treated in any fantasy setting. With respect. That’s true escapism for me, some world where that kind of violence either doesn’t exist or isnt prevalent. A world so easy to make, and yet so often thrown aside because of “historical accuracy”. In fiction. The specifically not historically accurate genre where you can pull anything out of your ass and people just kinda have to vibe with that.

I’ve also mentioned this before, but it’s so rare in fantasy for women to be…carefree I guess? Most of them are jaded from past violence, or future survivors, or meek healers, or old wise women. None of which are very allowed to be silly like their male counterparts. They’re always serious, always the voice of reason. Always so reigned in from what male characters are allowed to be. Xena has a dark past, but she’s still kind. The story is still light. Women are allowed to be happy without being victimized.

XWP is fantasy first and foremost, and it works wonders. There are POC everywhere, and nobody calls attention to it because, well, that’s just how it is in Xena-land. There’s no sexual violence toward any strong women, because, well, that’s just how it is in Xena-land. People fight on bamboo poles and race chariots in rivers and the steaks only go up to “Ooooo she has to marry the big bad” which never goes anywhere because we all know Xena is gonna stop them.

Xena Warrior Princess is always gonna be my favorite fantasy show, because it’s fantasy that’s finally geared towards women. A fantasy where women are safe, are capable, are treated in the same regard as men with no quippy girl-power one-liners because nobody needs to quip about the status quo. In a genre where women are so often demeaned and violated for minor story beats or shock value, seeing a work that actually feeds into a more female fantasy is what I’m obsessed with. It’s wonderful to see a magical world where women don’t have to live in fear. Or they do, like because cyclops’s n shit but everybody else does that too.

PS: this mostly applies to modern fantasy. Tolkien and Lewis were two authors I grew up on who I largely blame for my fantasy obsession today.