Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Just ship it

I’m not a superfan. No, wait. Lies. I’m a superfan of you-know-who. (Hint: Glasses. Bonus hint: It’s Tina Fey.) But I’m not a superfan in the sense of internet superfan fandom. Certainly, I am a fan of a lot of shows and a lot of characters and a lot of relationships (both real and imaginary). But I don’t have entire tumblrs dedicated exclusively to them or read/write femslash feverishly about them or join message boards to gab with strangers over them. I’m not disparaging such activities in the least – far from it. I find that level of devotion and inspiration amazing and one of the best things about the internet. It allows us to create and cultivate the communities we care about the most. It’s just that I come from a time when being a young fan meant begging your mom to buy the latest copy of Tiger Beat and then taping a poster of Michael J. Fox to your bedroom door while secretly starring at pictures of Jennifer Connelly from “Labyrinth” and wanting desperately to stroke her pretty, pretty hair.

So I am impressed and awed (and only occasionally frightened) by the fervor of online fandoms, particularly lesbian fandoms. When we invest, sweet Jesus and Mary, do we ever invest. So in the interest of sharing, I want to know yours. What’s your fandom? Now, I realize, you probably enjoy multiple fandoms simultaneously. This is the 21st Century and we’re all consenting adults – at least in our imaginations. But what is your No. 1, most-adored, most-obsessed about, most-likely-to-watch-YouTube-fanvids-until-3am lesbian fandom? Which lady ship – either canon or subtext – makes your heart race the fastest?

To get the conversation started, here are just a very few of the biggies – both past and present.

Tibette, “The L Word”The lesbian power couple, period.

Naomily, “Skins”I loved them from the first time I saw them; I think I was 12.
(Not really, but metaphorically.)

Calzona, “Grey’s Anatomy”Good women in a storm.

Rizzles, “Rizzoli & Isles”Where subtext meets chemistry and has a big, fat, gay baby.

Brittana, “Glee”BFFs forever, with benefits.

Xena/Gabrielle, “Xena Warrior Princess”They don’t even need a dumb portmanteau.

So, share. And remember, this is for posterity, so be honest. (Wait, is there a Princess Bride fandom?)

p.s. Dammit, I just realized this whole thing is a lie. I am a recovering Willow/Tara shipper with the Kitten Board T-shirt to prove it.

133 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kitten Board. Willow/Tara for ever!

Beati3 said...

As people are likely to stick with, well, people, I have to say Sakura and Tomoyo from Cardcaptors, the gayest anime ever. Tomoyo's devotion is truly inspiring.

Anonymous said...

For me, it has to be Cara/Kahlan from Legend of the Seeker. Their subtext is so very far from subtext that it's pretty much maintext. Cara being canonically bi, and them both being insanely hot, make it an obsession worthy of the hours I've spent picspamming episodes.

FASTTCR said...

Guiding Light's Otalia! I thought no ship would ever move me as much as Tibette and then I started watching Guiding Light. My love for all things Otalia drove me to Internet fandom and 5 hours of soap opera watching a week and endless hours of on-line dialogue. I still miss them 2 years later.

Rosie said...

Cagney and Lacey! AH Haaaaaaaaaa! Just joking on that one.Seriously.I think Rhoda and Mary Tyler Moore.Now try watching some old episodes of that and see:)

babydykecate said...

I read, write and ship a ton of fandoms and pairings, but if I had to pick one it would have to pick my first. If it hadn't been for Olivia/Casey in Law & Order: SVU I never would have discovered fanfic, femslash, or the true delights of being a fangirl.

Anonymous said...

I know this is weird but Mirandy. As in Miranda and Andy of Devil Wears Prada. I can't get enough of those two and they aren't even a subtext couple. Not really. But there's just something about those two characters and especially the fanfic that just has me completely and absolutely addicted even after all these years.

Anonymous said...

Oh god, you're asking something too big! I've beed in countless fandoms, especially femslash ones, and I loved every single one of them with the same feverish intensity! (which could come back at any time, given the right inspiration, even If I moved on from it).
Anyway, just a few of them (in no particular order):
Buffy/Faith
Naomily
Xena/Gabrielle
Cara/Kahlan
Faberry
Brittana
Spashley
Willow/Tara
Sam/Brooke (Popular)
New ones: Paige/Emily (Spencer/every other PLL except Aria XD); Tea/Michelle; Franky/Mini!

Anonymous said...

Willow and Tara will always be my number one. My first girlfriend and I identified soo much with those characters. They will always be a favorite in my heart. The only other big, big one would be Alex and Olivia from SVU.

Anonymous said...

Kahlan/Cara from Legend of the Seeker.

Brittana, Faberry

Sophia/Tara/Parker from Leverage

and I really hope that someone would write about Kalinda/Lana from The Good Wife.

Lotta said...

It's totally Calzona for me. Two years ago, when I was seventeen and just had like ultimately realized that I was a lesbian, Calzona was totally there for me. I watched some The L Word too but that was nothing like what I wanted lesbianism to be like. Everything was so messed up and like an eternity in hell. But my Calzona was there for me. What they had was totally what I wanted lesbianism to be like. It was in their good times before everything went really weird... Now they're just as messed up as The L Word. But I'll stay true to my Calzona. They were totally there for me when I needed them, now I will be there for them when they aren't at their best. That's the least thing I can do.

Shade said...

Chronologically:
1) Xena / Gabrielle
2) Willow / Tara - ever read 'Neverland'?
3) Callie / Erica

Erica said...

It was Callica, because of the glasses speech--and then I rejected Grey's when Erica was sent to the parking lot of no return.

Now, forgiven but not forgotten, I am onboard with Calzona. They're just so cute...and hot.

Bottom line: I'm a blonde and my Fake TV Wife is Sara Ramirez.

Collins said...

i agree with FASTTCR. Otalia is the only fandom I've ever invested in to the point that I joined a forum, I chatted with strangers, I watched YouTube videos until 4AM, I listened to podcasts, I tweeted, commented, wrote letters and even traveled to NYC to support GL and Otalia. oh, and i met my wife. so, i'm slightly partial...

Anonymous said...

Shane and Carmen first and foremost then Callie and Erica. More recently Bo and Lauren from Lost Girl, a series I highly recommend.

Team Serrins Springfield said...

Willow/Tara

Anonymous said...

Just to kick it old school: Joe & Blair from facts of life. Both of them were so clueless, just like me way back when.

Ava said...

If I had to choose just one, it'd be Willow & Tara. They had, hands down, the best lesbian relationship ever on television. (Although I was not opposed to Willow/Kennedy either. Hotness.)

Runners up are:
Marissa & Alex from The O.C. (I know, I know, but Olivia Wilde.)

Brittana - My current favorite. I fully admit to staying up way too late watching Brittana fanvids.

Anonymous said...

1. Alex/Olivia
2. Rizzles
3. Naomily
4. Brittana
5. Cara/Kahlan

but at the moment I ship nothing harder than Caskett (Castle/Beckett), total squeeling obsessed fangirl
I'm so confused because it's not even f/f...haha guess I'm not THAT gay

I love my fandoms

MakingSpace said...

The lead characters from the movie Elena Undone

And then there's Eddie Izzard... he doesn't fit the category except that I'm more obsessed with watching Eddie than anyone else LOL

Neergs said...

For me it's definitely still Helen & Nikki in Bad Girls.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I can't believe no one is into Mel and Lindsey from Queer as Folk. The L Word wouldn't have even gotten on the air if it wasn't for QAF imho. The L Word was sad in comparison but I watched it just because QAF was over and it was "lesbians".

HistoryGrrrl said...

Wow. This fandom stuff seems *so* crazy generational. And I feel kinda old. Surely, Janeway and Seven (Voyager) should get recognition as foremothers or foreplay or something. And Kim and Kerry (ER) also deserve some kind of olde timers' shout out along with Alex and Olivia (L&O-SVU), Catherine and Sara (CSI), and maybe even Barbara and Helena (Birds of Prey).

Anonymous said...

Ok, so anybody who has watched "Firefly" should remember this too brief but oh-so-hot moment. There is one episode where things get steamy for a second between Inara(Morena Baccarin) and Yosaffbridge(Christina Hendricks). That is the stuff my fanboy dreams are made of.

Unknown said...

oh man, from the time I was fourteen I pursued and devoured every scrap of lesbian TV/Anime/Film/book I could get my sweaty little teenage fingers on. In fact, almost the whole reason I ever got into anime was the far higher quantity of girl on girl subtext- even in kids shows! I was so into it I actually learned Japanese like it was some cultish lesbian language. When your that age you'll reach out for anything to identify with, if it'll give you a bit of validation. Kaorin from AzuDaioh, Tomoyo from CCS, Kirika&Mireille from noir (and seriously, I love rizzles but people should watch Noir if they want intense subtextual gun-weilding-lady-loving). When willow and tara got together it rocked my little world, and when Tara died I was truly gutted. I don't think a straight white guy can understand being impacted so hard by a fictional death- I think you need to feel marginalised in order to find that kind of representation so personally important.

It's only in recent years I've stopped. I think I can thank the L word for that- I can remember actually thinking "I don't care how many lesbians are in it, I'm not watching this garbage every week." Since then there's been a tailing off in my fannish obsession. I'll still catch channels on youtube and yes, i will still read fanfiction if I've got nothing better to do.

I think the truth is, I don't need validation anymore, so I don't get the same kind of imprinting effect. I watched otalia fairly religiously, but that was the last time, and I don't think there'll be another.

Vulture said...

Chronologically:
Jo / Blair from facts of life. because I'm a child of the 80s too.
Xena / Gabrielle, my all time favourite, I still have VHS tapes in my mom's house somewhere
Willow / Tara brought the shipping to the 21st century
Brittana is my current favorite

Lenore said...

Soooooo many to choose from! My number 1 is Buffy/Faith. I think I read every fic posted at oralfxatn.com until 2009!

I also ship:
Willow/Tara (Buffy)
Kaylee/Inara (Firefly)
Echo/Priya (Dollhouse)
Bo/Kenzi and Bo/Lauren (Lost Girl)
Spencer/Emily (PLL)
Olivia/Astrid (Fringe)

My favourite writers of all time are The Rainbow Writers. I read everything they ever wrote, some more than once, and LOVED it all.

Unknown said...

Cara/Kahlan for maintext, but
Roslin/Starbuck for subtext

Anonymous said...

Currently: Emily / JJ from Criminal Minds (despite what the show is doing / has done to their characters)

Truly Obscure: Alice / Rain and Alice / Claire from Resident Evil.

Previously: Janeway / Seven from ST: Voyager.

First and Always: X & G from Xena WP

Anonymous said...

Sam/Janet, Stargate SG-1
is my all time favorite!

Solo said...

right at this moment Brittana....,but my very first one and big one was/were t.A.T.u. .... :)) not movies i know i know,but still they were pretty much everywhere L(

Anonymous said...

TiBette. Always and forever!

Kait B. Roe said...

Gabrielle and Xena all the way. But I am definitely working on serious fandom of Peyton and Elena, and Lucretia and ANY WOMAN on Spartacus.
Bottom line... hehe, if Lucy Lawless is in it, I'm hooked. Also, Lena Heady.

But in the end, X and G will keep me up all night with their maintext/subtext dancing and love.

phillydyke said...

okay, Pepa & Silvia from "Los Hombres De Paco" Thank you to pepsienglish2 on YouTube for compiling their love for me, w/ subtitles.

Naomily, “Skins”

But I'm a Cheerleader couple, it's a movie but i don't care. I love them

Shasta said...

Well, Xena and Gabrielle forever and always! (yes, I too have my Xena video tapes all lovingly labeled, but unnecessary because of the dvds. But that means I have that awesome twitchy apology they tacked onto the end of The Way!)
A distant, but cherished second is Willow and Tara. And then for fun, Seven and Janeway. Yummy.
I'm also totally shipping Castle and Beckett. They're both just adorable.

Anonymous said...

My biggest fandom was `Saddlehorn', an all womyn's mailing list for XWP fans of Xena/Gabrielle subtext. It got me out of the closet, out of my straight marriage and into the arms of my fanfic writing wife of 13 years.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe no-one has mentioned Warehouse 13! Myka Bering/HG Wells is my current ship that I stay up all night reading fanfic for... HG is canonically bi, and the way those two look at each other? SHOULD HAVE BEEN MAINTEXT.

In the long run, though, Xena/Gabrielle is my one true timeless pairing that I will never get over or abandon or move on from. I also have a huge soft spot for Dana Scully/Monica Reyes.

Other favourites:
Rizzles
TiBette
Sam Carter/Janet Fraser, Sam Carter/Vala Mal Doran
Barbara Gordon/Helena Kyle
Kerry Weaver/Kim Legaspi, Kerry Weaver/Sandy Lopez
CJ Cregg/Ainsley Hayes
Calleigh Duquesne/Natalie Boa Vista

And two crossovers that really appeal to me:
Stephanie Powell/Lisa Cuddy
Vicki Nelson/Sara "Pez" Pezzini

LadySirWolfe said...

Top 5: (in no particular order)

Sam/Janet - SG1
Cara/Kahlan - LoTS
Rizzoli/Isles - R&I
7of9/Torres - ST:Voy
Krista/Chase - B:tS

Honorable Mention:
Alice/Claire - RE movies

Anonymous said...

Bette and Tina always and forever

In second Callie and Arizona.

Big Shamu said...

None.

Steph said...

Oh God, and I thought I was the only one into the Mirandy/DWP thing...

RiverGirl114 said...

Totally Calzona! Sara Ramirez is pure sex on a stick and I never had a thing for blondes until Jessica Capshaw. Even with all the baby wierdness on Grey's, I'm sticking by them through it. Calzona gives me hope and Sara Ramirez is my Fake TV Wife. You just can't compete with that amount of hot.

Anonymous said...

Alex/Olivia SVU
Rizzoli and Isles

HBC Lovett said...

Bellatrix and Hermoine!!! OMG!!!

Vicky said...

"most-likely-to-watch-YouTube-fanvids-until-3am lesbian fandom"

LOL

NAOMILY!!!

Anonymous said...

Naomily all the way!!!

Anonymous said...

i kinda can't believe that no one has mentioned sarah connor chronicles. There is a wicked good virtual season one out there and it's starting on virtual season two.

sadly when i find a pairing i like i fall hard, and so in no particular order:

sarah/cameron (SCC)
sam/janet (sg1)
rizzles
faberry (brittana too, but less so)
emily/jj (cm)
cj cregg/kate harper

crossovers:
sarah connor/river tam

i have to say at the moment though, it's faberry. ftw.

Anonymous said...

I haven't encountered much of a fandom for it, but my latest ship is Penny/Amy from The Big Bang Theory.

The ones that give me happy sighs are Kaylee/Inara from Firefly and Leslie/Ann from Parks & Rec.

And of course, I'm pulling for Brittany/Santana (I don't do smush names) to make it.

Laura L said...

Gelphie! (that's Glinda & Elphaba from Wicked for you non believers)

Solo said...

how could i forget this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-chMarK_JM&feature=related
Thirteen and Cameron from HOUSE :))

Anonymous said...

Xena and Gabrielle. I discovered fanfic when I was looking for Lucy Lawless interviews. Changed my life. I read hours of that stuff. And then I got really into the beyond uber stuff. I was already obsessed with the show and in the closet and it just satisfied that lonely part of me that needed to find community.Haha. Man the summer between 9th and 10th grade was consumed with it, thanks to living in the middle of nowhere with only the internet as my friend. I'll always have a place for them in my heart.

Norma Desmond said...

Well, you covered all of my ships (5/6 you listed are ones I've been on at one point or another... The one I haven't shipped is the "Skins" one).

My biggest one ever, though, is probably Tibette, though Xena/Gabrielle are a very close second. And, at the present, I am riding the Rizzles ship to the horizon and back. The subtext is just... delicious.

BobGrrl said...

My past faves:

Sam/Janet - SG1
Scully/Reyes - X-Files
Helen/Nikki - Bad Girls
7/Janeway - ST: Voyager
Barbara/Helena - Birds of Prey

Recently it's all been about Rizzoli & Isles. *thud*

Ace said...

It's a toss-up between Jo/Blair (Facts of Life) and Bailey/Jennifer (WKRP in Cincinnati).

Adm_Hawthorne said...

Good gawd, I ship way more than I should:

Rizzles (Heavily)

J/7 (Janeway/Seven of Nine)

Benson/Cabot (with a side of Benson/Novak)

Xena/Gabby (What lesbian doesn't? I mean, really?)

Amanda said...

Do they have to be a t.v. couple? I watch youtube vids/facebook/twitter of Kaki King and Esperanza Spalding religiously. But if we have to go the lesbo couple route.. Alice and Dana. Duh.

Amanda

Dylan said...

Gotta admit to being in to Faith/Buffy for years. Nothing could beat them, but then I started watching Legend of The Seeker, and now I totally ship Cara/Kahlan big style ^^ I also love me some Brittana too :p

So my picks are...

Cara/Kahlan
Faith/Buffy
Brittany/Santana

Anonymous said...

Because if this:

"most-likely-to-watch-YouTube-fanvids-until-3am lesbian fandom"

I have to go with Sophian (Sophie and Sian) from Coronation Street. I should be embarrassed with the number of favorited videos I watch of them. A close second of Naomily.

Now reading of femslash goes to:
FaBerry, Buffy/Faith and Cara/Kahlan

MsHacker said...

Wow. These lists are all so American. What about some Brit pairings like Nikki Wade and Helen Stewart (Bad Girls) or Margaret and Beth (Brookside)? Happy (old) times ...

plasticcalifornia said...

Call me old school but I only ship non canon pairings. Subtext is queen. I'm all for the OTP Olivia/Alex.

electrasteph said...

Faberry is my OTP (Rachel & Quinn, which will sadly never be canon now that Britanna is on.)
Hermione/Fleur - there are some publisher-quality fan fiction stories on fanfiction.com for this pair
Miranda/Andy (Devil Wears Prada - I wouldn't have initially thought of this pairing, except that there are some really superb stories on fanfiction.com

And I'm in the midst of writing Kate/Lauren fan fic for Fairly Legal, because the last time I checked, there was NOTHING out there, and boy those two characters hate each other so much that they clearly want to make out.

Anonymous said...

grr stupid post didn't go through the first time. hopefully this isn't a double post.

Anyways, Although I have made myself abundantly clear about my love of Kahlan, and therefore Kahlan/Cara, my ultimate cannon couple and fandom squee is BENSON/CABOT.

Here are a few runner ups

Kahlan/Cara because let's me honest folks, that's just freakin hot.

Buffy/Faith. Buffy/Satsu because well... see reasons above.

Sara/Catherine because we all know it's true

Sara/Sophia because MissFrost makes the funniest sassy fanvids on youtube

Lindsay Boxer/Cindy Thomas because A. that's just too cute and B. Lesbians love angie.

Olivia Dunham because even though i do approve of Olivia/Astrid fanfiction, she's so epic she just deserves a catogry of her own.

In the catagory of "very creepy and i'd never actually want to read this kind of fanfiction but secretly love the fact that this could potentially exist" is Mariska/Tina because we can't deny the photographic evidence.

Anonymous said...

Oh fandoms and femslash, I too am very fascinated with this phenomenon. I follow and ship a number of pairings but none of them has taken me to the same level of obsession that Otalia did. I was completely swept away in the mass hysteria that was that fandom at it's peak and they'll always hold a very special place in my heart mostly because of all the friends I met through them.

Some other favorites are:
Rizzles
Helen/Nikki from Bad Girls
Xena and Gabrielle
Esther and Maca from Hospital Central

Anonymous said...

Gotta go with Jo/Blair from Facts of Life and Olivia/Alex from SVU. Best pairings ever.

DEM said...

Gotta represent the Buffy/Willow shippers! We are a rare and misunderstood folk.

I've shipped many gals over the years. The first I can recall is Jo/Blair. Right now I'm crushing hard on Nikita/Alex. (Watch Nikita!)

Anonymous said...

Alice and Dana forever!

Anonymous said...

All Rizzles, all the time these days. Ex-Kittenboard and Izzie/Addison. Yes, I know the last one is weird, trust me...

Fluteplayer said...

Cabenson FOREVER!!! I love Olivia and Alex together. Still Rizzles is pretty awesome.

Anonymous said...

I'm Spanish, so I'm going to say Maca & Esther from "Hospital Central".

FeltHat said...

Janeway/Seven

& tibette & some rizziles. I never got the xena thing tho.

eh_hee said...

definitely Mirandy: Andy and Miranda from DWP, this fandom has one of the most brilliant authors ever. Any stories on its lj community page are awesome, but some of them are one of the most amazing pieces of fanfiction I've ever read. Like 'sitting till 5am reading, even though you're going to work next day great' ;D And my love for Meryl Streep doesn't have anything to do with that ;)

Anonymous said...

FUFFY

Anonymous said...

The big one for me is Achele/Faberry, that is my current seriously obsessive favourite, (and there is a LOT of good stuff going on there at the moment!!) They're just the cutest couple ever, and one of them slips up in pretty much every episode, Dianna is especially bad. I'd give up all my other ships if I could have those two be happy together. Here's hoping Djion decides to fire back at Glee for firing him in the next five years and writes a tell-all book which just so happens to include details about what actually happened in Boston and how lovey-dovey they were all the time!!


I used to be massively in love with Tibette, The L Word will never be a failure because of them.
Obviously the Rizzoli and Isles stuff, although I have severe fear about them trying to bury that next season!
The couple I see stuff that nobody else does has to be Addison and Dereks little sister Amelia on Private Practice. It started out because she wore a tank top, a blazer and a massive belt one day, and then I noticed how she acts like a slut, but never sleeps with anyone, and she hangs off Addison and tells her she loves her. It's not friend or sister touching, it's proper cuddling, and they look at each other all doe-eyed all the time. Thanks to the whole Achele-in-the-Faberry thing I also think maybe the actresses are sleeping together, lots of the bloggers swear Kate Walsh plays for our team anyway!

I also adore Naomily, and Sophie & Sian are pretty great too!

Anonymous said...

Alex and Olivia (SVU). The fanfic is amazing and the stories keep coming. Found out about A/O fic on 2007 and I am obsessed to this day.

Spellbound said...

Easy! Willow/Tara.
2 words, Unexpected Consequences. If you haven't read it, do so!!!!! You will not be disappointed. Greatest fanfic EVER written.

Anonymous said...

Always Xena/Gabrielle. Got into it late, but I don't think I'll find another ship that really compares. Not to say I haven't fallen in love with others but...I'll always come back to these two. :)

Anonymous said...

Okay, so besides XG, lessee...no particular order:
Willow/Tara
Rizzles
Pepa/Silvia
Kaylee/Inara(Firefly)
Brittana
Lucretia/Gaia(Sparty)
Spashley
Doctor Who sadly has none, but if it happens I will ship it. lol
Kahlan/Cara
Helen/Nikki(Bad Girls)

Wow. I have so many fandoms. O_O

Deb said...

Didn't even know about fandoms and "shipping" until I formed a Shenny obsession watching the L Word, waited an eternity for it to manifest in season 6, along with my Shenny online fellow obsessives.

Anonymous said...

I am the farthest thing from a superfan . . . but I do love Callie & Arizona . . . mostly because I love Sara Ramirez.

Also, interesting how every one of those couples is a brunette/blonde combo.

Phyl said...

MY OTP is BAM, Bianca and Maggie from All My Children - still daytime's only lesbian Supercouple (sorry Breese fans). After that, Pepsi - Pepa & Silvia from "Los Hombres De Paco. But my heart will always belong to BAM.

inthewoods said...

Xena and Gabrielle and then Helen and Nikki from Bad Girls

Anonymous said...

H.G. Wells and Myka from Warehouse 13, they're just so lovely. And of course I'm a huge Willow/Tara fan, they were my gateway into online fandoms.

Anonymous said...

omgoodness!!

my absolute OTP is Cara/Kahlan from Legend of the Seeker.
And then my second favorite is Nikita/Alex from Nikita.

I also ship:
Brittana
Quinn/Rachel
Bella/Leah

Sweetiedarlinmia said...

I never got into these until Otalia. They were my gateway fandom. That then encouraged the buried Tibette. Then Calzona come full steam. I wade in and out of Brittana, simply b/c Ryan Murphy annoys me to no end. But yea, Otalia & Calzona would have to be the ones I've wasted the most time on.

Anonymous said...

Naomily! Their relationship feels so genuine and natural...and not like "look its lesbians on tv"

Vale said...

Willow & Tara and Xena & Gabrielle. 'nuff said.

Anonymous said...

Tibette will always be special.

But my favourite femslash pairing has got to be Emily Prentiss/JJ from Criminal Minds! :)

Anonymous said...

Callie/Arizona. Always. Forever. MFEO!!

I honestly didn't know what "fandom/fangirling" or any of its jargon WAS before I fell in love with these two.
Though, I also didn't know how freaking gay I was until I fell in love with these two...
I just did a Google search one day and stumbled upon a piece of fanfiction. I still remember exactly what it was too!
That lead me to the Callie_Arizona LiveJournal community (I had also never heart of livejournal before C/A) and as they say, the rest is history! ;)

I was pretty gung-ho about Nathan and Haley from One Tree Hill but I've never been so committed to a couple as I am to Callie and Arizona. My mother may argue, in fact, that I've never been so committed to ANYTHING in my entire life... but mothers just don't understand these things! :p

It may sound crazy but the Callie/Arizona story has changed my life in SO many ways on a personal level between realizing, accepting, and loving who I am and the amazing community of people I have met and befriended and gained support from.

p.s. I felt like you were spying on my life with that YouTube comment...

Anonymous said...

What about gay girls whose favorite ship is gay guys? I'm a JD/Cox fan (JD & Dr. Cox from "Scrubs") and have been for years, though I wouldn't protest to seeing more Jordan/Elliot out there either. ;)

Anonymous said...

First, my word verification was "dildo". I shit you not and how appropriate. LOL

Fandoms I'm OBSESSED with:

1. Alex/Olivia- so good... so good.
2. Alex/Paige- Maybe it's an Alex thing?
3. Brittana
4. Faberry
5. Buffy/Faith
6. Spashley
7. Calzona
8. Brooke/Sam- so glad others remember them! They were so delicious!
9. Tibette
10. Dalice
11. Ginny/Hermione... but only when I'm feeling naughty :)

Anonymous said...

Shipping Rizzles pretty hard right now, though still not as much as I did Janeway/7 of 9 back in the day. Also hit up the following pairings in the past (to varying degrees):

Scully/Reyes (X-Files)
Benson/Cabot (L&O SVU)
Carmichael/Southerlyn (L&O)
Carmichael/Cabot (L&O/L&O SVU)
Carmichael/Me (the highly pornographic show in my head)

rk3810 said...

1. alex/olivia (law and order:svu) so good.. it hurts.
I'm so obsessed with this pairing to the point that i can't stand bobby flay on tv just because he's married to the lovely stephanie march.
2. callie/arizona (grey's anatomy)
3. jane/maura (rizzoli and isles)
4. ashley/spencer (south of nowhere)

Anonymous said...

OMG! I can't believe NOT ONE of you has called out Jess/Jules from Bend It Like Beckham. I mean COME ON. It's Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra DOIN IT... IN SOCCER SHORTS!

Anonymous said...

Xena/Gabrielle first - with Buffy/Faith being close second.

fleshnblood said...

Didn't know anything about shipping or subtext or femslash until you first typed "rizzles sizzles," Miss Snarker! All your fault! Now VERY into the fandom and all its parts. Led me to meeting some fun ladies online. I'm not put off by the fact that rizzles won't be "real" like Tibette or Calzona. They just have to be adorably hot together on screen and the fan fic does the rest. In retrospect, I guess I "shipped" Xena/Gabrielle, always wanted Mulder/Scully, and am presently waiting for "Caskett." In super retrospect waaay back, I now know I wrote Simon LeBon/Nick Rhodes slash. Queer in every sense of the word.

cj said...

Rizzoli & Isles and it's all your bloody fault! It's not even aired in my country but I ended up watching it online thanks to your subtext reviews. Actually, seriously, thanks. The fandom is a lot of fun, the subtext is fabulous and the lovely ladies just make me smile :-)

Ryou said...

My ultimate has got to be Xena/Gabrielle - been shipping them forever.
2. Tibette
3. Rizzles
4. Prof Trelawney/McGonagall
5. Luna/Hermione
(no 4 & 5 actually a lot alike... haha)
6. A bunch of manga characters. The classic was Haruka/Michiru of Sailor Moon, but have you ever heard of Girl Friends? I'd love to read your review of it. The story is well written, the art is highly cute, and if you have any interest at all in manga, then please read it. I swear you won't be disappointed! :D

http://www.makimakimanga.com/girlfriends.php

Raven said...

#1 for me is and always will be Xena/Gabrielle! I am who I am becouse of those two...
#2-3 (it's a tie) Elpihe/Glinda and Jane/Maura
#4 Willow/Tara

Kait B. Roe said...

I realized after my last post, whilst thinking on the topic while trying to go to sleep, that my first "ship wish" crush was actually - wait for it... Sabrina and Kelly. Yes, I said it, Charlie's Angels. Not the reboot, the original with Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith.

So there.

electrasteph said...

I totally forgot a couple of my favorite fandoms in my list.

There's a really cute story out there on the unique love affair that Santana has with bread sticks from Breadstix, which is eclipsed only by the epic (and hilarious!) love stories about Quinn/bacon.

Girls who aren't afraid to love food hold a special place in my heart.

Anonymous said...

J/7 was my first obsession--like hours and hours of it at a time, but also Xena and currently its Mirandy. Honestly, its like crack. I think I've watched Devil Wears Prada about 100 time.

島嶼之下The island said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
島嶼之下The island said...

TiBette forever~ and they are happy together again in the end of story (at east in S6). I choose to ignore the fxxking interrogation 'unreasonable' tapes.

Pepsi (Silvia + Pepa) are also hot couple, but the end of their story line was very bad (death).

Anonymous said...

Lol, let's go waaaaay back and say Haruka and Michiru from Sailor Moon! They were my first real slash ship and brush with the hilarity of ridiculous American censorship (they're cousins....right).

Right now though, I'm all about Brittana and I love that you keep posting about them. The fandom is upbeat and a lot of fun and most of all appreciates the truly important things like creating 10,000 different gifs of that body shot last week (it deserved it!). Can't wait until IT'S ON!

Whodee said...

@ electrasteph

That particular fic "Match Made in Weird Hell" is by Insaneantics. Who, in my opinion, is the UNDISPUTED QUEEN of Faberry fanfition. Seriously all you Faberry lovers have to check out her stuff on livejournal. Although... if you're a Faberry fan I don't know how you can possibly have not read her stuff already. Seriously she's the best. Her Puppyverse makes me piss my pants with Glee! :)

Also...
Tibette- how dare you call yourself a lesbian and NOT ship them

Anonymous said...

I would definitely have to say Xean/Gabrielle number 1. No question about it whatsoever. They got my through high school and are my first television true loves. Number 2 would have to be Alex/Olivia from Law & Order SVU and number 3 is Glinda/Elphaba from Wicked.

Anonymous said...

I have Kitten Board T-shirt, too.

Brittana for the win!

Absolutely Angie said...

To echo a few other commenters, I have to go with my first pairing, just because of the doors it opened for me. It gave me something to relate to, got me into LiveJournal, and is directly responsible for me meeting a community of people I never would have crossed paths with otherwise, some of whom I'm still close friends with to this day and have met IRL. For me that pairing was Liv/Alex from "Law & Order: SVU." No other pairing has really come close in terms of the "most-likely-to-watch-YouTube-fanvids-until-3am" fervor you so brilliantly described, and I think that has a lot to do with what Emma said in an earlier comment about needing to reach out for anything to identify with and get validation from. I was about 15 when I got into A/O, and I would read fic and literally feel this pain in my chest because of how much I identified with it. Because of that I don't think any other ship can or will ever compare.

Anonymous said...

Was a Superfan of Xena (fanfic, conventions, hours upon hours spent on the internet), so Xena and Gabrielle got it all started.

Next favorite was Bad Girls' Helen and Nikki, and that one two holds a special place in my heart.

Anonymous said...

Was a Superfan of Xena (fanfic, conventions, hours upon hours spent on the internet), so Xena and Gabrielle got it all started.

Next favorite was Bad Girls' Helen and Nikki, and that one too holds a special place in my heart.

kabe said...

TiBette, hands down!
They had an amazing chemistry, I loved watching them together (at least at the begining, before all hell broke loose).
They were the reason I started learning english :) I just wanted to understand what they were saying - turns out, watching TiBette was probably the best thing that happened to my foreign language education!
Now it's Calzona but I'm beginning to think that I should just move on to something else and stop caring so much...

Karen said...

Helen and Nikki from Bad Girls - they're both gorgeous, have great chemistry, and there was plenty of drama.

Bette and Tina - I'll always love them.

Willow and Tara - also a favorite.

I imagine them all living happily ever after somewhere out there.

Anonymous said...

Bette & Tina only...(especially Bette).
No interest at all in others.

Anonymous said...

really? 113 comments?

i don't understand why people
go crazy about this issue,

anyway,

ahem~

visually, my fave couples are,

Rizzoli and isles, and grey's anotomy.

I really don't like grey's story but

they looked good long~ time ago, right?

I really like R&I, it's very funny,

like them both!

Wobby said...

I think you summed it up quite nicely... I would, however, like to add Charlie and Joey from the australian soap "Home and Away". Their sweet romance was cut short by idiots, but I'm still hoping for Joey to come back to her soulmate.

Anonymous said...

Tibette forever.

warriordebs said...

Xena & Gabrielle are my all-time fav ship & will always hold a special place in my heart!

My other ships are in no particular order:

Kahlan & Cara- Legend of the Seeker
Faberry- Glee
Brittana- Glee
Seven & Janeway- ST Voyager
Nikki & Helen- Bad Girls
Tibette- The L word
Calzona- Greys Anatomy
Willow & Tara- Buffy tvs
Sophie & Sian- Coranation St
Denise & Claudia Joy- Army wives

Wow I'm a big old fangirl & it's all because of Xena & Gab ;o)

Erika said...

Naomily Naomily Naomily!

Also Benson and Alex Cabot, when Btchy McFabulous was still around!

Anonymous said...

Melanie Marcus/Lindsay Peterson (QAF) totally under-appreciated yet much better power couple than Bette/Tina.

Anonymous said...

Real Ships:

Thought you might like this. Not sure where to send it:

Amy + Danielle

http://vimeo.com/11965563

Unknown said...

So shocked to realize that you had nothing on Thea Gill or Michelle Clunie that I had to write a blog post on it! What's wrong with Melanie and Lindsay?
http://imhappygrrl.blogspot.com/2011/03/completely-unrelated-to-anything.html?zx=a641f4643f662f12

jb4uiwill said...

Hands down my first love is still Bette and Tina!! I was overly obsessed with them. Fandoms, youtube, fanfic, all of it lol I needed those fan sites because I wanted to talk about them 24/7. TiBette: First, Last, and FOREVER!!!
My new loves are Callie and Arizona. Like others Im so frustrated with their storyline. But Im sticking with them all the way. Plus Sara Ramirez is so HOT!! That smile, hair, voice, body EVERYTHING!!!!
Calzona 4 EVER!!!

cate said...

oh my. first and foremost, xena and gabby started it all for me. then of course there's 7/Janeway; Troi/Beverly; Willow/Tara, natch; Olivia/Alex, altho more recently, Olivia/Melinda; Brittana, of course; dana scully and just about any woman on the planet, tho Olivia would be ideal.

Anonymous said...

Xena / Gabrielle from XWP

My first and best fandom. And they continue to crank out the highest quality fanfiction I've ever even though the series was dead way before I first saw it.

Ok, I have to admit, I MAY have little, tiny weak spot for XWP, but that's ok, I think. Everyone has her weak spot.

And some time in the future, I'll have enought money to make it to a XWP convencion.

Anonymous said...

EMILY and PAIGE from Pretty Little Liars all the way.
And since there's not so much about them (right now) a little bit of Emily and JJ from Criminal Minds or Santana and Brittany from Glee.

Anonymous said...

You always remember your first: X&G, baby, all the way. That fandom changed my life (the real one, not just cyber) in some astonishing ways. I stopped 'shipping when it died, but now Rizzles has resurrected the impulse. Long live Subtext! It's the sexiest fruit...

no.2 said...

Randy/Evie: the incredibly true adventure of two girls in love

Tina/Bette: The L Word.

true classics... and a bit of a Laurel Holloman crush. =)

Anonymous said...

I cannot believe you were on the Kitten Board. That was basically all I did back in the day and that means it is entirely possible I have interacted with you on the Internet in a more casual and less writer/fan manner, which is tripping me out

Paigue said...

i'm in fond with Tibette, Tina make me dreaming!

Anonymous said...

Brittana, Calzona, Callica...
But my first lesbian shipper love was from Wicked...Gelphie (Glinda/Elphaba) and Chenzel (Kristin Chenoweth/Idina Menzel)

Anonymous said...

Alex/Olivia- Law & Order SVU
Otalia- Guiding Light
Sam/Brooke- Popular

Anonymous said...

For me the best pairing is ALEX and OLIVIA from SVU.... I'm totally obsessed

Sara said...

Like many others have said, you never forget your first-that's Xena and Gabrielle all the way for me. It was because of them I even jumped into this wonderful fandom world in the first place, so kudos to them :)

Now-a-days I absolutely CAN NOT get enough of Rizzles-they're just so darn adorable and fun to fangirl flail about all day long lol

Also Kahlan mother-effing Amnell. Anything and everything related to her = win