Even the Worldcon panel did not, I think, really agree on a set? I feel "sword lesbian" might be a... vibe or sentiment? As much as anything? Thoughts?

I kind of feel like this is a stock character that is nonetheless not actually that prevalent in prose? I feel like there's some overlap with the yuri girl prince in anime/manga (Utena, Sailor Uranus, their predecessors Lady Oscar of Rose of Versailles and Sapphire in Princess Knight) though, maybe

Is "sword lesbian" a figure distinct from "lesbian with a sword"?

I think it's a vibe. Been thinking about it a lot as I'm writing a short story to submit to a "sword sapphics" anthology - it feels like the aesthetic is "practical but not really butch" and all kind of ... clean and sanitized?