The Xena Story

The Xena Story

I'm really no good in talking... or writing, in this case. But I like writing, and I feel that I have to write this down someday, soon or later. I have to write this, to show how grateful I am that there's a show called Xena: Warrior Princess. It wasn't my first favorite show on TV and it wouldn't be the last, but I know one thing: there's never been a show that affected my life in the way XWP did. And I can imagine telling my grandchildren about the show years ahead.
It all began so easily. I was visiting my friend's home one Sunday afternoon and my friend and her sister were watching Hercules. I joined them, but after a while I decided to go home and watched Hercules there.
As you probably know, the Xena show was played after Hercules. I stayed tune after the Hercules show, and I watched Xena. Love at the first sight? Um... not that bad. But I did fall in love with the 'Miss Amphipolis', and I knew I had found my new favorite TV show. Ever since then, no matter what happened I always took time to watch Xena.
Well, I stopped watching Xena when I was in first grade of Junior High School because I fell in love with Oscar. It's only for a while, though. In the end, everything always led me back to Xena.
I didn't realize it at first... I watched Xena only for entertainment. But then slowly I realized... that I could learn a lot from Xena. Of course not about school subject. It's far more important. It's about life. Yes, I learned a lot from her. Like I always said, Xena taught me about love of friendship. Oscar taught me about love of eros. And Joan taught me about love of God. It's no longer true, by the way. Now, for me Xena had taught me everything about life without exception. Oscar had taught me about loyalty and leadership and strength, mostly in organizations. And Joan, well, she still kept me close to God.
This may take a rather long time, but I want to tell you how exactly did Xena change my life. To simplify it, she made me who I am today. I can honestly say that I am who I am today because I know Xena. It's not my tomboy way, it's not my sexual orientation. But she's in my principals of life, she's in my spirit, and she's in my love.
When I watched Xena I was a teenager. So it's not surprise that the effects she gave me were absorbed fully by my young mind. Thankfully, she's got only a feeeeeew of bad effects. I did spend more money for Xena stuffs and internet, I did become a little foul-mouthed, I did become a little like Xena... but well, it's all worth it, compared to what I've got through the years.
Sadly, I couldn't list the things I learned from Xena. They're way too many to list! Only, if someday I have kids, I want them to watch Xena. I want them to know what I've known through the show. To fight for the greater good, to listen to what your heart says, to help the unfortunate, to love your parents and to respect your children, to be thankful everyday for the things you have, to live your life to the fullest, to cherish every moment so that you won't regret anything, to open your mind to others, not to be prejudice and not to discriminate any groups of people, to be childish sometimes, to appreciate what you've been blessed with, to know how to forgive others, to know what strength really is, to know what life is all about. But the most important thing is the love. The show was full of love, really, and I don't mean eros love only. There're loves between man and woman, of course, but there're also love between women, love between mother and child, love between friends, love to God, and well, all kinds of love were in the show. You name it.

About the show:
I love Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor! You know that the Xena show always invites the debate of 'are they or aren't they', right? Do you know why, inspite of the story-line that made Gabrielle marry Perdicus and Xena was in love with more men than I can count, most people seem to agree that they're lovers? One of the reason why is because Lucy and Renee seemed to have 'the spark'. You try to see a scene when Xena and Gabrielle looked into each other's eyes. Or when one of them tried to comfort the other. Or when they simply smiled to each other, hugged, or laughed together, or just simply being together. There's something unmistakable, that they're soulmates, that they're meant only for each other. They have the spark that make people see that they're only right for each other. That they just simply belong to one another.
In the real life they are just casual friends - well, close friends, maybe. But they are not lovers. You know what's funny? What's funny is when I look at Lucy and Renee (not Xena and Gabrielle), I see two close friends, that's all. I don't see the spark of soulmates between them like what I see when I see Xena and Gabrielle. Maybe it's because they're just NOT Xena and Gabrielle. They don't have Xena and Gabrielle's history, they don't have Xena and Gabrielle's personalities.
Well then, the show has everything I've ever wanted to see on screen! Humor, music, action, horor, romance... the show gets everything! I've never seen a better show on TV. I just wonder why don't more people watch the show. If more people love that show, maybe - just maybe - this world will be a better place to live. Like what Xena said, "Peace might be boring, but it's all anyone really wants."

About fan fictions:
When I first tried to read a fan fiction it was about Xena and Gabrielle being lovers. I just couldn't bear reading about two women together at that time (I was too young, anyway, and I was prejudice like I was taught to be). So I never tried to read any fan fiction again until I knew that there're general fan fictions out there. I read one. I think it's called 'Love's Rendition' by Tragedy88. The story was about two women but it didn't have the 'sex scene' so I was okay and I loved the story! After that one I seek for more and more fan fictions. After sometimes the general story made me bored (because the main characters always ended up doing nothing!) so I transfered to alternative story. I forgot what's the first alt fanfic I've ever read, but the best fanfic I've ever read is 'I Found My Heart In San Francisco' by SX Meagher. It's the longest one I've ever read, too, but just like Xena, it never made me bored. I learned so much from Ryan O'Flaherty that I really think that she's my mentor in life.
Now I've read thousands of fanfics, but these are the fanfics that inspire me the most:
1. A Best Friend's Magic - Advocate
2. A Week In The Lives or The Week That Was - Maggie & PeriBear
3. A Year In Paris - Malaurie Barber
4. At First Sight - Colleen
5. Bard Challenge III - Alex
6. Because You Loved Me - Katelin B.
7. Blue Fire - C.E. Gray
8. Ding Dong Door Ditch - My Warrior
9. I Found My Heart In San Francisco - SX Meagher
10. Gabrielle's Gift - Queenfor4
11. Getting It Right - KG MacGregor
12. Hesed - Mayt
13. I Never Knew - KG MacGregor
14. Just Like Xena - LJ Maas
15. Making New Memories - LJ Maas
16. Lost Soul Walking - DJWP
17. Love's Rendition - Tragedy88
18. MVP - C.E. Gray
19. The Pappas Journals - Elaine Sutherland
20. Trilogy: Shaken, Stirred, Strained - KG MacGregor
21. Snowbound - Queenfor4
22. None So Blind - LJ Maas
23. Mel & Janice Series - Enginerd
24. This Is A First Time Story - Temora
25. The Evening's Tale - Silk
26. Xena & Gabrielle Series - Enginerd
27. An Affair To Remember - Ambrosia
28. Between The Lines Series - Linda Crist
29. Undeniable - KM
30. Cold - Midgit
31. Madam President - Advocate (Blayne Cooper & T. Novan)
32. Happy Anniversary, Xena - LJ Maas
33. Out of India - Enginerd
34. Spin The Bottle - C.E. Gray
35. Earth Angel - C.E. Gray
36. The Brass Ring - Mavis Applewater
37. The Curse of The Conqueror - Enginerd
38. The Healing Touch Series - K. Darblyne
39. The Light Fantastic - LA Tucker
40. Twelve Days - Colleen
These are only a few of the total fanfics I like, really. I love 'em all and thank you, authors, for writing them and publishing them online. I know I can't afford to buy the book in print (I'm not in USA so it'll take even more money for the mailing).
It's a great Xenaverse out there and I'm proud to be one of them. Being a Xenite really is more than being simply a fan of a show or an actress. It's almost like a spiritual experience for me. I'm so glad I 'm what I am today. Thank you.