atomicheavybike:

The three things that happen when a show unexpectedly discovers it has a popular gay ship

1. They ignore it while panicked efforts are made to heterosexualize the couple in question. An acceptable straight white love interest is rapidly shoe-horned into the narrative.

2. They decide to do something nice for their queer fans by introducing an entirely different gay romance that those fans had no previous interest in. This couple will quickly be sidelined.

3. They actually get the gay couple who are shipped by the fandom together. Then they kill one of them.

The one thing that never happens when a show unexpectedly discovers it has a popular gay ship

1. They realize they can take advantage of the scorching chemistry between the pair, slow-burn the romance and end the show by sending them off happily into the sunset.