Shotgun Mary/Sister Shannon
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Shotgun Mary/Sister Shannon Masters |
| Alternative name(s): | |
| Gender category: | F/F, femslash |
| Fandom: | Warrior Nun |
| Canonical?: | Unclear, possibly |
| Prevalence: | Uncommon in fandom |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Shotgun Mary/Sister Shannon is a femslash pairing in the Warrior Nun fandom. While technically unconfirmed by canon, many fans felt there was a lot of subtext to suggest that there was a past relationship between the pairing, including deliberate parallels between the Mary/Shannon pairing and the canonical Ava/Beatrice pairing. Fans of the pairing often took the moments of subtext and flashbacks within the show and expanded them in fanfiction.
Canon
While Shotgun Mary was a main character throughout season one, Sister Shannon's role played out primarily in flashbacks due to the character dying in the opening act of the first episode. Many of Shannon's appearances after her brief, present-day, appearance on screen were connected to Mary and her memories of Shannon, though some would later be connected to Mother Superion.
Throughout season one, one of Mary's story arcs is her processing her grief over losing Shannon as she tries to convince and support Ava to accept her role as the new Warrior Nun. Additionally, when Toya Turner was unable to reprise her role as Mary in season two, her dialogue was redistributed to other characters, and fans suspected that a line spoken by Sister Camila, "It’s easy to fall in love with a Warrior Nun. It’s loving the Warrior Nun that’s the hard part. They’re never yours. They never last", was originally intended to be Mary's, all but confirming that she had been in love with Shannon. Later, during Twitter Q&As, both Kristina Tonteri-Young and Toya Turner confirmed the line was originally Shotgun Mary's[1].
While the original comics bear little resemblance to the Netflix series, Shotgun Mary's character in the comic books was canonically a lesbian[2], which some fans felt was another small piece of confirmation that Mary in the show was in love with Shannon even if her feelings weren't returned.
Fandom
After season one, a number of fans began to discuss in social media spaces whether other fans also felt that the show was leaving implications that Mary and Shannon were romantically involved in some way.
[[deleted user][3]]
Shotgun Mary's distress and grief of Shannon's death seemed very much like she was grieving a lover. Were they lovers rather than good friends? Did I miss something?
[comiconomist]
That's the subtext, but it's not explicit. See also "Who says I suppress them?" comment in episode 6.
[bugcatcher_billy]
"subtext but not explicit" could be used to sum up this entire season.
[shanviii[4]]
I kind of had the same inkling that Mary and Shannon had a "thing" too. Like how Mary was the one hurt the most with her being gone and the one who's so eager to find the truth on who killed her. Also there was a throwback scene about a bothered Shannon. Where she told Mary "You know I love you right. And I love the other girls/sisters too" something like that.
[Ur_mine]
Oh i bet my life they were more than friends
The more times I rewatch Warrior Nun, and let’s be honest - we’re streaming all day, everyday - Mary and Shannon were absolutely more than friends. And I’m pissed we didn’t get Mary in season 2 because that storyline as Beatrice tried to sort out her feelings for Ava? Omg it would have been amazing. And now that it’s cancelled? Get fucked Netflix, we deserve at least a season 3, if not more, so we can bring Mary back and get the closure we deserve. Like what the fuckphoenix-rises-again [5]
On Archive of Our Own, Shotgun Mary/Sister Shannon are tagged in 327 works as of March 2024, with 26 of being 'otp:true'.
Common Tropes in Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
- Alternate Universe - AUs are popular within the Warrior Nun fandom generally, and many include Mary and Shannon in a relationship without the tragic events of canon appearing.
- Pre-Canon - Similarly, for canon compatible or compliant works, other fans create works set prior to the season one events to explore Mary and Shannon's relationship.
- Angst and Grief - For fanworks based during or after the events of the Netflix series, many focus on Mary's grief about losing Shannon.
Example Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanfic
Canon Compliant, Compatible or Divergent
- but the sun - it kept on rising by birgittesilverbae - A grief-focused Mary-centric one-shot.
- all the glory that the lord has made and the complications you could do without by lesbians_and_puns - A pre-canon Shannon POV one-shot leading up to the canon events of season one.
Alternate Universes
- though you dreamed a wealth of flowers by daisychiansandbowties - A Star Wars AU with Mary and Shannon as Jedi Knights
Fanart
Fanvids
Other Fanworks
- GIF set - It's easy to fall in love with the Warrior Nun, Archived version by julianavalds - Parallels between Mary/Shannon and Ava/Beatrice.
Archives and Communities
Other Fannish Resources
(Rec Lists, Big Bangs, Thing-a-thons, Holiday Exchanges, wiki links, etc.)
References
- ^ you are who you pretend to be and in the replies of tiredwriter888's post both at Tumblr [Original Twitter Sources would be appreciated if available]
- ^ Wikipedia Article, Warrior Nun Areala Characters (Accessed 18 March 2024)
- ^ "'Mary's grief over Shannon', r/WarriorNun, July 2020". Archived from the original on 2024-03-18.
- ^ "'Mary and Sister Shannon?', r/WarriorNun, December 2022". Archived from the original on 2024-03-18.
- ^ "phoenix-rises-again post, Tumblr, December 2022". Archived from the original on 2024-03-18.
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