If you're a queer person on twitter (or just happen to follow a queer fangirl on there) there's a chance you've heard of Juliantina. You may not know who or what it is, but you've most likely heard it. Well, my friends, I'm here to tell you that Juliantina is the ship name for Juliana and Valentina - a same sex coupling from the Mexican telenovela Amar a Muerte. I'm going to go out on a whim and say that they're probably going to be your new obsession, if they aren't already. It is also 100% fair to say that fans from across the world are going CRAZY for them.
Amar a Muerte's story arc consists of destiny, violence, and ultimately love; with Macarena Achaga starring as Valentina Carvajal, and Bárbara López as Juliana Valdés. Over the course of 87 episodes, Juliantina's relationship blossoms from a beautiful rom-com esc meeting in a park to one of the most swoon-worthy authentic wlw storylines on television. The story between Valentina and Juliana never feels forced or hypersexualised. The kisses they share come across real and their first time is one of the most accurate depictions I've seen, along with Elena and Syd on Netflix's One Day At a Time.
In terms of the actresses who are playing out this story, both Macarena and Bárbara have taken to their new found status as lesbian icons like ducks to water and are both extremely active with fans on social media. It's really beautiful to see just how much they love and support their queer fans from all over the world, and it's also refreshing how those same fans have latched onto a ship from a show not in the English language. Fans are no longer relying on British or American television to give them the representation they deserve. Whilst we've seen fans flock to shows from non English speaking countries before for queer representation, most recently with Luisita and Amelia from the Spanish novela Amar Es Para Siempre, it has never been at this level, Juliantina are by far the most popular wlw ship on Twitter and Tumblr right now.
There is one particular section of Juliantina fans that stand out to me more than most, Clexa stans (fans of Clarke and Lexa from The 100 for those of you who don’t know). Clexa kru seem to have fallen for Juliantina in droves, most stating this is the first ship they've been able to connect with fully since Clexa. If I'm being honest - I get it, because I feel the same. Since what happened with The 100's writers/showrunner and Lexa's death, I've found it damn near impossible to trust showrunners or storylines that seem too good to be true and I'm not the only one. Yet with Amar a Muerte, I and other fans like me have been blessed with a cast and crew that are not only supportive of queer representation but also absolutely overjoyed to be a part of it.
The Juliantina storyline as a whole, and the fact it is authentic and well written, definitely plays a huge part in the popularity amongst many fandoms including Clexa kru. However I really do believe Bárabara and Macarena have played an immeasurable part in the ship and the shows success. I've never come across actresses this involved in their ship; they constantly show their unwavering support to the fans they know are desperate for the representation that they have helped provide. They seem to completely understand the importance of the relationship they're portraying, especially in regards to the fact their show is on Mexican prime time television - which is ground breaking. Macarena and Bárbara don't take their position lightly in the slightest. They provide fans with almost constant content (including THAT bed selfie), they listen to fans, and they seem to truly get it. This, to me, is what has made Juliantina and Amar a Muerte so special.
With Juliantina, we see a beautiful love story played out in real time where the couple is literally destined to be together; it's part of the plot, I'm not kidding. Although this season of Amar a Muerte has just finished, on the 3rd anniversary of Lexa's death might I add, I hold out hope that we will get either a season 2 or a spin off due to the overwhelming popularity. I love Amar a Muerte, I love Macarena and Bárabara, and my god do I love Juliantina. Please, if you do anything today go on YouTube, watch their scenes, and fall in love with this ship. I promise you will not regret it!
Come and join the side of the JULIANTINAS!!
- Sara
Juliantina scenes are avaible to watch (with English subtitles) on YouTube.
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