An Open Letter to Unnecessary Hate
If I see one more âpro-swen/anti-swâ thing in the SLEEPING WARRIOR tag that disregards the very ship this tag stands for Iâm going to start going off on people.
SW has as much potential for a great love story as SQ does, even if itâs between minor characters.
âItâll only be fanfictionâ, indeed! They might not get even a sliver of screentime in comparison to Regina and Emma, being so far down the line theyâre practically forgotten, but theyâre still fucking there. Saying things like âidk why we even bother with this ship when thereâs the potential for the greatest love story of all time right in front of their faces!â 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 doesnât 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 thatâs 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... câmon, thatâs a weak defense, guys), is because theyâre 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, itâs throwing the lgbtq+ shippers a bone! They wonât care about SQ anymore because âlook repreezentashon!!1 Isnât that enough?:)âł Who cares about these minor characters when we watch FOR THE MAIN CHARACTERS? Like? Thatâs why theyâre the mains?
Person B: If they make SQ canon, thatâs it. The most vocal faction of this entire fandom wins. No one is going to care about the other queer ships anymore because âLook! Swan Queen! Isnât that enough?â But if I donât ship it, and thatâs all the representation we have, why canât 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 âLancelotâ back in S2 and weâre probably going to see how they met and stuff, which ties in with Camelot and Merlin. Sheâs 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 donât like saying firm or harsh things but here goes.
Iâm 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 thatâs 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 âOh no! Maybe thereâs competition for canonship! Kill it before it takes over!â
This is the literally the Once equivalent to #AllLivesMatter.
Itâs 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 doesnât apply to you.
(And I bet any hate on this post, not that anyoneâs 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 doesnât 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 donât 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 canât be affected anymore. But, I digress.
Or, maybe itâs the same as Animal Farm.
âAll ships are equal, but some ships are more equal than others.â Is this what youâre trying to say? âEveryone can ship SW, I even ship SW, but itâll never happen. SQ4LIFE!â
Itâs called your inner voice for a reason. You donât have to ship it; it can not make any sense to you; you can say itâs shoddily written---all of that that is fine. Your opinion is perfectly valid until it disregards anotherâs existence, in this case, another shipâs 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. Youâre 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 donât like it, donât care for it, donât need it, good for you. But do not come in here with your bitching. Just because your specific ship isnât specifically stated to be canon, that doesnât give you the right to invade another shipâs tag simply because a character came back.
My girlfriend and two of the most sweetest people Iâve ever met ship Swan Queen, and believe me, I wish I could as well. Itâs 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 Iâd be able to join the largest section of the entire Once community and revel in all the gay.
âItâll just click,â I kept thinking, âThereâs always a moment!â
But that moment never came, and I canât force it. I am still a die-hard Sleeping Warrior shipper and I always will be. I thought maybe Iâll be able to ship Swen eventually, but after today, I donât think so. My girlfriend and my two lovely friends will have to sail on without me. I donât 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, Iâm gonna sit right here and enjoy the mostly hate-free zone of SW, because aside from some rare banter with Philora, Iâve not heard one case of someone who ships SW going into anotherâs tag to spread the malice.