Satriani pays tribute to them in her creative undergraduate thesis.
Korra and Asami of “The Legend of Korra,” Princess Bubblegum and Marceline of “Adventure Time,” and Caitlyn and Vi of “League of Legends” may be from different worlds, but they now share a place in the thesis acknowledgements of a University of the Philippines Los Baños student.
The author, who asked radar to identify her as Satriani, is a communication arts student, majoring in writing.
In a viral July 6 post on X, she showed a portion of the acknowledgements page of her creative thesis, a collection of young adult short stories centered on Philippine mythology and queer women.
Addressing her “comfort ships”—which also included Chloe and Max of “Life is Strange” and Catra and Adora of “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”—Satriani thanked them for helping her understand herself.
“I would not have accepted my sexuality or my love for women without the countless hours I spent obsessing over your stories throughout my adolescence,” she wrote. “You may be fictional, but the representation you gave me made reality feel more romantic.”
normalize putting ur favorite ships in your thesis acknowledgment pic.twitter.com/IsRyNlR2oG
— ian (@SOULPRlCE) July 6, 2026
After her post gained attention online, radar reached out to Satriani about featuring her story. She said she initially hesitated because she was not fully out to her family.
“To be completely honest, I was initially a bit hesitant because of the possibility that articles or posts might show up on my family’s social media feeds, as I’m not fully out yet,” she said.
After learning that the article centered on the discourse surrounding LGBTQ+ representation—a topic she also explored in her thesis—Satriani decided to participate.
“I concluded that it’s worth the risk,” she said.
The post drew support from Filipino queer students and netizens, who celebrated the inclusion of sapphic representation in a local academic work. However, it also drew criticism from some users who called the acknowledgements “cringe” and claimed without proof that her writing was AI-generated.
Others defended Satriani, arguing that the criticism overlooked the personal role of thesis acknowledgements and the ways stories can shape identity and self-acceptance.
Many pointed out that thesis acknowledgements have long served as a personal space where students recognize the people, communities, stories, and experiences that helped them complete their work.
They said the backlash overlooked how fictional characters and stories can influence the identity and self-acceptance of young queer Filipinos.
“Our stories are important,” Satriani told radar, “and our voices deserve to be heard.”
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