Acknowledgments

My profound and heartfelt thanks to my fellow shippers/Ares fans: Tango, RoxyWP, Taleen, AresDiva, CrazyCatGal, Enyo (M. J. Marin), Maid Serendipity, Karla von Huben, and honorary shipper Sais 2 Cool. My appreciation also extends to other Xenites from the old Studios USA Netforum, Mary D's Talking Xena Board, and other corners of Xenaverse who have contributed valuable ideas and insights or helped hone my own thinking on the Ares/Xena storyline, sometimes in amicable discussions and sometimes in heated debates: Julia Noel Goldman (a.k.a. Xena's Little Bitch), Alan Plessinger, Sue Beck, August/Joxerfan, and Spectacles (Patsy). A special thanks to AresDiva for her hard work in collecting a treasure trove of material on the Ares/Xena relationship from fan newsletters and magazines.

Notes

Note 01
"Immortal Combat: Kevin Smith Talks to K. Stoddard Hayes," Xena Magazine #11, August 2000
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Note 02
For more on topic, see M. J. Marin, "Evolution of the Xena-Ares Relationship," Whoosh!, No. 52, January 2001.
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Note 03
"Shippers" is short for "relationshippers," which is used to identify a fan that is favorable to romantic relationship with a certain character. In the Xenaverse, the practice began with Joxer/Gabrielle enthusiasts who called themselves "Relationshippers" which evolved into "shippers" and soon became a convention adopted by all fans that wanted to highlight specific characters. In this specific case, Ares "shippers" had been around since at least the second season and grew to a fairly substantial minority of the fan base by Season 5.

"Subtexters" is a term used in the Xenaverse to identify fans that are favorable to a romantic relationship between Xena and Gabrielle.
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Note 04
In the early days of Xena's parent show, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Ares had no human form and was represented by sinister symbols such as a fountain of blood.
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Note 05
THE XENA SCROLLS has been purposely left out of this discussion. THE XENA SCROLLS is a modern-day episode based on the premise that Xena trapped Ares in a tomb some 2,000 years ago. I have left it out because of my firm belief that the "ubers" are joke episodes that tell us nothing about the "actual" events in the Xenaverse timeline. "Uber" refers to episodes and/or fan fiction stories that deal with the reincarnations and/or descendents of Xena and Gabrielle. Other "uber" episodes are DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN, SOUL POSSESSION, and BETWEEN THE LINES. Although BETWEEN THE LINES was not a comedy, Ares does not appear in the episode.
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Note 06
See Nusi Decker, "Who Is Xena's Father? A Controversy Revisited", Whoosh!, Issue 52, January 2001.
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Note 07
Much of the belief that Ares was Xena's father arises from that fact that an earlier unshot draft of the script did indeed "out" Ares as Xena's father. However, the version filmed added the postscript of the conversation between Xena and Ares that effectively illustrates that neither Ares nor Xena believe such a paternity exists.
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Note 08
Virginia Kelly, Commentary 3, Whoosh! Episode Guide, EVE
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Note 09
Virginia Kelly, Commentary 7, Whoosh! Episode Guide, MOTHERHOOD
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Note 10
Xena alone would be facing two counts of aggravated assault and attempted murder against Gabrielle, not to mention numerous charges of crimes against humanity.
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Note 11
Geoffrey Moore, foreword to Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights (New York: Signet/New American Library), 1959.
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Note 12
"Immortal Combat: Kevin Smith Talks to K. Stoddard Hayes," Xena Magazine #11, August 2000
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Note 13
In CHAKRAM # 12, Chris Manheim spoke of an Ares/Xena kiss after his sacrifice that would be "an honest meeting of souls because he would have redeemed himself". She appeared to be referring to an alternate ending in which Ares would have sacrificed not only his godhood, but also his life to heal Gabrielle and Eve, and received Xena's kiss before dying.
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Note 14
In AMPHIPOLIS UNDER SIEGE, Xena says to Ares, "Look, you want immortality? A child is immortality. A legacy, a lineage. You help me save my daughter and you will be her father. Through her we can live forever." This seems to suggest that Ares' "legacy" will be as a surrogate father to Eve -- which, as one of my shipper friends who is also a biologist points out, reflects a rather peculiar understanding of genetics.
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Note 15
To be subsequently revived by Gabrielle, of course.
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Note 16
Interview with Chris Manheim in CHAKRAM #12. I am assuming that if one were to dream about being kissed by someone whom one did not in the least desire, one would hardly have the reaction Xena does.
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Note 17
Interview in CHAKRAM #12.
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Note 18
Interview in CHAKRAM #13.
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Note 19
E.g., Ares facing real and imminent danger to his once-immortal life, which was only hinted at in OLD ARES and THE GOD YOU KNOW.
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Biography

Cathy Young
Cathy Young, a 1988 graduate of Rutgers University, lives in Middletown, N.J. In Real Life, she is a journalist/commentator who writes about social, political, and cultural issues for a variety of publications, a regular columnist for THE BOSTON GLOBE and REASON magazine, and the author of two books, GROWING UP IN MOSCOW: MEMORIES OF A SOVIET GIRLHOOD (1989) and CEASEFIRE!: WHY WOMEN AND MEN MUST JOIN FORCES TO ACHIEVE TRUE EQUALITY (1999). In her life as a Xenite, she lives on the Talking Xena board and writes Xena/Ares fan fiction.

 

 

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