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writefinch · 1 year

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In Hot Pursuit (Part 3)

(more Catradora She-Ra slashfic, see previous parts here: https://www.tumblr.com/writefinch/728642200176574464/in-hot-pursuit-part-1

https://www.tumblr.com/writefinch/728754104388796416/in-hot-pursuit-part-2)

It got worse when she slept.

An hour before sunrise she stopped trying to sleep. Everything felt tender and she could feel roots and rocks digging into her under the bedroll, so she got up. She couldn't go further than a hundred meters in any direction for another hour, so she stood up and stretched, which felt good, really good, almost good enough to make up for how badly she'd slept. She had time to eat a whole meal-sized ration pouch of tuna pasta, and she actually heated up her instant tea to go with it. She wished she hadn't heated the tea; her cheeks flushed the second she sipped it. She cleaned up her camp, packed everything away, checked her maps and checked her pack and double-checked both of them again out of boredom.

The sun rose with a few minutes to go. The dirt under the tree had smeared into clay where she'd spent hours tossing and turning on top of it. It irked her, she was supposed to be able to curl up and sleep anywhere, Adora was the one who shadowboxed in her sleep. She scattered dead pine needles to conceal the depression, but even Adora would be able to spot it.

Her transponder buzzed and flashed green. She beelined for a creek nearby to refil her canteens. It was small and muddy but it'd be fine after a pass through a water filter, and a walk upstream through the shallow water would completely wash away her scent, at least for a while.

The cold water around her ankles shocked her awake. The next transmission point was five kilometers east from here, an hour's hike in this terrain. Scorpia said this estrus thing lasts three days, it's been one day, so all she needed to do was stay ahead of Adora, even just one kilometer ahead of her, for the next forty-eight hours. That was assuming that this thing broke like a fever and got worse until it stopped, maybe she'd get lucky and it'd peak today, and even assuming Adora caught up tomorrow - and why assume that, it's not like she doesn't run circles around Adora all the time - it'd probably be so mild by then that she could play it off as getting over a cold, and then Adora would have to accept that even sick Catra was a better scout than she was.

Spite hardened into determination as she pushed forward, channelling the nervous, gnawing energy into her step. She crossed the creek and set off up a hill, staying within the treeline wherever she could. If she moved fast enough, she could trick herself into thinking that the flushed cheeks and hard breathing were just from exertion.

X623, Y031, Z108. A clearing with a jagged lump of shale sticking up out from the dirt. At the top of that rock was a small antennae. Catra scaled the rock, connected her transponder to the antennae, and patched into the hailing frequency. A progress bar filled in the bottom of the tranponder screen as it relayed the last day's tracking data back to base.

'Scorpia, this is Catra, I'm at the second point, confirm when you've received the transmission.'

'Catra, this is Scorpia, all data successfully received, you're cleared to move on to the next point.' Instead of giving the next set of coordinates, she paused. Then, she said. 'So, how are you holding up?'

'Ugh.' She'd meant to think that, not say it. 'I'm fine. This estrus thing is driving me crazy but I'm halfway through it, right? It'll be over before Adora even sees me.'

'Right. About that, Catra, yesterday I felt lost after I couldn't give you any good advice, so I looked through my personal files and found a copy of the orientation document, with appendices.'

'Yeah?' Something gnawed at her stomach. She'd heard this tone in Scorpia's voice before.

There was a deep intake of breath through the transponder, and then '"First estrus in felid phenotypes occurs sixty Etherian days after the last suppressant dose and lasts between seven and twenty-one days with an average length of fourteen days. During this period, observed symptoms are flushed skin, tail deflection, spinal flexion, rubbing or rolling, treading of the hind legs, body and tail tremors, emotional instability and vaginal discharge." Catra, that's the appendix for your body type.'

'No. That can't be right. Read it again.'

Scorpia carefully repeated the paragraph. Catra shook her head, and had to stifle a sob when she heard the words 'between seven and twenty-one days' again.

'Fourteen days? I can't draw this out for fourteen days.' She winced as she felt her voice crack.

'It could be as low as seven days!'

'I can't draw this out for seven days!'

'I am so sorry.'

She glanced down at her hand. It was shaking, and her claws extended and retracted involuntarily. She lowered her voice. 'Scorpia, change the frequency to our personal encrypted line, and if there's anyone else in the room with you, get them out.'

A click, a crackle, a beep. Scorpia's voice sounded tinnier. 'Done, and I've been alone the whole time.'

'Okay, first question: estrus makes me feel really, really needy. Every time I slow down, my brain yells at me to curl up somewhere quiet and lick myself until I can't see straight. If I do that, what will happen?'

'You'll feel great! The appendix says "genital arousal is magnified significantly during the estrus period."'

'That'll cure me? Really!?'

'Oh! No, I'm sorry, it won't help that at all, it just feels good.'

'Gah!' Catra felt her teeth clench and her forehead pulse, and then a thought struck her. 'Wait, estrus is about mating, right? What if I trick my body into thinking that's happened?'

'Let me look, just one moment, ah, "during the estrus period, stimulation via vaginal penetration combined with firm pressure to the lower back and the application of viscous fluid to the cervical opening will trigger ovulation--"'

'Yes! Yes! Here's what I need you to do, first you need to find Entrapta and swear her to secrecy and tell her that this is for your own personal use, you need to make her build a cylindrical device with a rounded end sixteen centimeters long with a slight and I mean slight upwards curve, it needs a pump device filled with that goop in aloe vera leaves and it'd be good if it vibrates but that's not like critical, she's got to build it in the next five hours and that'll give you time to use an old Horde drone to airdrop it at the next--'

'"--however, this will not end the estrus period, and multiple ovulations can be triggered within a single felid estrus."'

'No!' Her voice cracked the 'no' into three syllables.

'I'm sorry. I wish I could help you more.'

'No, this can't happen! Scorpia, everyone is gonna--' her voice cracked again, '--gonna see me like this. I can't let this happen to me again!'

'What can't you let happen again?' Scorpia spoke with the softness of caution.

Catra stifled a sob, sighed, and sobbed anyway. 'Two months ago, I saved Adora, by extension saving She-Ra, the Heart of Etheria and the entire universe at the same time,' she said, hoarsely. 'It was really impressive.'

'You did a great job. I was so proud for you.'

'Do you know how they've all treated me since then? They're treating me like a hero! This is the first time in my life where I've done something great and nobody is trying to undermine ten minutes later! Nobody says it doesn't count because I didn't train hard enough, nobody is 'rewarding' me with a bunch of paperwork they think I'll fail at and nobody is telling me Adora did it better!'

'Yeah, people out here are a lot nicer than--'

Catra sighed. 'It's not cause they're nice, it's cause they're still deciding. They know I was the one who was always one step ahead of Adora, and they know I saved everyone. If people see Adora catching up to me, if they see me like this - needy? feverish? meowing? - then I'll go back to being treated like Adora's sidekick. I can't take that again.'

'Catra, I want you to listen to me,' said Scorpia, her voice unusually firm. 'The only person in the Horde who thought you were less capable than Adora was Shadow Weaver, and she thought that because she was a bad guardian, a bad commander, and a bad person. You were never a sidekick.'

'But don't you see? Right now, everyone loves Adora, and they're scared of me. If they think I'm a dumb little housecat who just wants to curl up in Adora's lap and purr and lift her tail, then I'm not so scary any more am I? They won't have to flinch when I look at them, they won't have to stay on my good side, they won't have to ask what I think about anything, they can just ask nice, loveable Adora what she thinks her sidekick thinks.'

'Catra! It's not going to be like that.'

Catra thought she sounded just like her, and for a moment wondered if Adora had given her lessons. Her voice hardened. 'I know it's not going to be like that. Scorpia, I've changed my mind, I'm not dragging this out. I'm going to beat her so fast and so hard that she'll have to re-think the entire exercise and prove to everyone that she's not my sidekick.'

'It's only a training exercise--'

'It's more than that and you know it!'

'I was going to say, it's only a training exercise, so, as your friend, why don't I modify your transponder and cut an hour off your daily rest period, just to give you a little edge?'

'You'd do that for me?'

'If you're not cheating, you're not trying. I had to forge paperwork all the time back in the Horde, with pincers, so our unit wouldn't fail half its inspections. I honestly kind of miss it.'

Catra felt tears on her cheeks again. 'You're the best. Thank you.'

'I know. The next coordinates are X829, Y042, Z055.'

'I'll see you there.'

* * *

She saw the outdoors for the first time when she was seven or maybe eight, all young kids, too young to be issued rifles as they marched around a small hill in the arable land south of the Fright Zone. It wasn't real wilderness, walking by the hedgerows of mechanically-tilled fields, across runoff-filled ditches that were more algae than water, through the copses of grid-planted timber trees on the hillside, but when you're three feet tall it might as well be the Whispering Woods. It took three hours to get to the far side of the hill and four hours to get back and by the halfway point they were bug-bitten, sunburned, chafed, thirsty, briar-scratched and exhausted.

It was wonderful.

She remembered the mint bush at the side of the trail, one weed among many, how she'd taken a single leaf between her thumb and forefinger and gently plucked it off, slick and waxy on the dark upwards-facing side, soft and almost fuzzy on the underside, and how it smelled like nothing else in the Fright Zone, like you'd given coldness itself a flavor. She remembered trying the same thing with a stinging nettle, and how hard she'd worked not to cry, and how Catra distracted her from the pain by challenging her to a cranefly-eating contest, which worked because she hadn't yet learned that Catra always won those contests.

It made the Fright Zone feel… delicate. The Fright Zone was a garden of pipes and right-angles that required constant tending to fix the cracks, the leaks, the mould and the pests. The outdoors was the opposite, it had to be hacked back and controlled to stop it turning into more of the outdoors. The wilderness grew its own possibilities, and the wonder she'd felt at that had never really gone away.

In the present, her quads burned as she hauled her way up the slope. She found herself missing Bow and Glimmer. She'd see a weird plant or a shortcut or an animal track and she'd get that tiny impulse to turn her head and halfway-think to say 'Hey guys, look at this!' before remembering she was alone. Also, a teleport or even a good rope arrow would come in clutch right now.

Still, there were silver linings to solitude. There was a kind of freedom to it. Hard to make a lot of noise when you're the only one there, less shapes to silhoutte against the skyline, less scent to leave on the trail. It stripped away distractions, it gave her space to listen, it gave her time to think.

It also gave her time to not think. Without the thoughts and voices of others to crowd it out, she could let her mind empty out until nothing but the shape of her training remained, and her instincts would fill in the gaps. You couldn't follow a trail this quickly thinking hard about it, she'd been moving at a light jog for hours like a truck barreling down a highway on autopilot, the track marks and hints of scent like tail lights seen through heavy rain, nudging her steering one way or another to keep her on the road.

With all that had changed since the Heart incident, all the Horde territories that had gone dark overnight, the nootectonic shifts which had turned lethally-dangerous First Ones waste zones into traversible territory, the enticingly dangerous ancient ruins springing forth from the soil, the Princess Alliance needed a strong cadre of pathfinders just to map the new Etheria. It was Catra's mission to recruit a promising team, train them, send them out into the field, and use them to train a whole corps of scouts. It had been Catra's idea, lock, stock and barrel.

Catra hadn't asked Adora to join her. She'd left the files where Adora could see them, and she'd talked about it where she knew Adora would overhear her, and then she'd spent all day being hard to find so Adora had to run around looking for her. When she finally caught up with her, Adora very casually and very cooly asked her, with no hint of neediness or fear-of missing out, if she could be part of the operation.

'Adora, I could get used to hearing you beg…'

That little smirk of hers was criminal.

She was glad Catra had talked her into doing this dry run, no trainee scouts, just the two of them. There was clearly some rust to shake off. When they'd both been cadets, they'd been allowed to do the Raider Assessment and Selection Course, a miserable six week ordeal of long marches, reduced rations and constant discipline. The only personal items they were allowed were a toothbrush, a uniform, and the Raider's Handbook, a comprehensive guide to Horde light infantry doctrine and procedure. She'd brought along her old copy of the handbook, and she read a few pages at the start of each nightly rest period, wincing as she recognized her mistakes. It was nice to be able to spot these things before a trainee could point them out.

It was mid-afternoon when she reached Catra's last campsite. At first it was a guess, based on the 'slow' look of the tracks around the clearing and the timing of when their last rest period took place. She saw leaves and pine needles lying in piles like leaves and pine needles don't, and when she nudged the pile with a stick, she saw a depression in the dirt as if someone had laid down a rucksack or a bedroll. She got low to the ground, and sniffed. Catra.

She crouched down next to the tree, drank from her canteen and ate - raisins, an oatmeal bar, a block of spicy chili cheese. She opened her map. She'd checked off the last transmission point, and followed with her finger to Catra's last campsite. There were five potential transmission points Catra could be headed to from the last one. This campsite ruled out one, assuming she wanted to reach the next one before tomorrow.

Something felt strange. She looked down at the impression in the dirt. Catra was a quick sleeper, and she's light. She wasn't the type to wear a hole through the mattress tossing and turning all night. Had she been trying to level out the ground? Or trying to rig together some piece of equipment? When she got bored and didn't care who knew it she liked to scratch stuff up, but there was no sign of that, no claw marks and no wood shavings. It was suspicious.

Which was normal for Catra, in all honesty.

She stood up and continued walking. There was a creek nearby on the map. She needed to go there for water. She knew Catra would have gone there to mask her scent, which she clearly needed because Adora could practically see her smell today. It would be difficult with the water washing away prints and scent, but if she could work out if Catra had gone upstream or downstream she could rule out another transmission spot either way.

When she reached the riverbank, she saw the entry pawprints in the soft mud. That meant Catra hadn't just crossed the creek, she'd waded in and continued on through the water. That would make her scent impossible to track.

But it didn't?

It was faint, sure. It faded and shifted as the breeze changed, but its traces still lingered on the banks of the creek. Almost right away, she knew that Catra had gone upstream. There were a dozen points where Catra could have crossed but one just… it just smelled like Catra! Not long after, once she waded across the creek, the trail picked up just as strong as before.

Adora stopped, crouched, and thought.

Catra never smelled this strong before. The smell was strong and strong in a weird way too, more concentrated and more Catra-ish, like a fighter cutting weight before a match, condensing her bodily essence as she sweated out all her excess water. She didn't know how, but Catra was clearly marking her scent deliberately. She wanted to be found.

For a moment, Adora thought Catra was patronizing her. Catra considered herself the better scout by far, and she wasn't completely wrong. This was just her way of ruffling Adora's hair, calling her 'squirt' and reminding her who was learning from who out here.

She then remembered Catra would never do that. That was what she would do to if she felt cocky. When Catra wanted to prove her skill, that meant complete domination of her opponents. And if she wanted to demonstrate total superiority, to beat Adora and force her to her knees, why would she make her trail easy to follow unless--

Catra was preparing an ambush.

That would technically be a victory condition, she thought. The hunter team can't exactly accomplish its objectives if its lone member is gagged and hogtied at the runner team's feet. She grinned wide, and blushed a little.

Things had been wonderful since the Heart of Etheria, and the nights and days she'd spent in Catra's arms had been the sweetest of their lives, but it had been so sweet and so pure it had almost scared them, as if they had found themselves back in a dream that they might wake up from at any moment. As much as she'd never admit it to Catra, she craved a little spite, some rivalry, some… claws, and some teeth.

And right now, she wanted to see exactly how Catra was gonna scratch and bite once Adora pinned her to the ground and rubbed her face in the dirt.

#catradora #fanfic #story #she ra

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catrasredemption · 1 year

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Fic Roundup - Multi-Chapter

It's been awhile since I went through all my stories, so I figured this would be a good time (before I start my next multi-chapter fic) to do a little organizing.

So here's a list of all my multi-chapter works for easy access:

'Cause There's Magic In My Bones (Magicatra AU) : Easily my most ambitious project - a three-part series about Catra as She-Ra. Obviously extremely canon divergent, minor warnings for extremely low self-esteem and temporary sort of character death. Fun Fact: Every title, including the title of the overall series, comes from an Imagine Dragons song.

This Is My Kingdom Come | This Burden Came To Me | Smoke and Mirrors | Here's To My Yesterday (post-series onshot)

I have faced it, a life wasted: The very first She-Ra AU I ever wrote. Catra and Adora reunite after not speaking for 8 years following Catra crashing a car they were in while driving drunk. The reunion brings a few unpleasant secrets to light. Major Themes: Alcoholism and Recovery, Abusive Mothers, Chronic Pain, Head Injuries.

Accompanying Oneshot But why let the sad song play: Snapshots of Catra's birthdays throughout the years

Fun Fact: Both titles are from Pearl Jam's song Life Wasted.

Always A Heartbeat From Me: Werewolf/Werecat childhood best friends to lovers AU. Adora and Catra grow up together in a wonderful and loving environment, where they can be themselves and love each other, until tragedy strikes, and both their worlds fall apart. Major Themes: CHARACTER DEATH, fake character death, GRIEF, trauma. This story has a happy ending, but it takes a hot minute to get to it.

Accompanying Oneshot Series Between The Heartbeats: The stories of what happened between chapters and after the end of the series.

All Eyes On Me: Drunken Dial/Wrong Number AU. Catra is a retired musician dealing with years of abuse by her record label, Adora accidentally calls her after mixing up the digits in her friend's new phone number. Yes the title is from the Bo Burnham song. Major Themes: Abuse in a professional setting, Coming out, Transgenderism

The Day The Sun Vanished: Alien AU based on The Sun Vanished ARG. Horde Prime's forces invade the planet, taking out all sources of light to drive people out of their homes and make them easier to capture. Best friends Adora and Catra survive several weeks alone in their homes before they're force to flee into the world.

It's dangerous to go alone: Streamer AU. Adora and Catra dated and broke up five years ago after crazy fans of Adora's YouTube channel went after Catra, driving her off the Internet and across the country to escape it. Now she's remaking her online persona, and will be facing Adora again. Yes, the title is from the Legend of Zelda. This story's been described as "a love letter to video games", and that sticks with me.

Leap of Faith: In one universe, Adora is Spider-Woman, with the help of her best friend Catra. In another universe, Catra is Spider-Cat, with the help of her best friend Adora. Unfortunately, every hero has a tragic back story. Fortunately, the multi-verse has other ideas. Title is from Into The Spider-Verse, with all the chapter titles being songs from that soundtrack. MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH.

Little Wonders: Catra and Adora (who is trans but very not out as a teenager) have a relationship in high school that mysteriously ends when Catra is sent to a new foster home and never contacts Adora again. Ten years later, Catra's child walks into Adora's fifth-grade classroom. Major Themes: Transgenderism, long lost lovers, surprise you're a parent, teen pregnancy

#My Fics #Multi Chapter #spop fanfic #she-ra-fanfic

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aprillikesthings · 7 months

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YOOOOO IT'S MY WEEKEND and I have eaten dinner and it is time for MORE SHE-RA

yayyyy

OH GOD we're getting into the really good shit btw

if I manage not to do a marathon of these it'll be a gd miracle

Usual reminder: this is a REwatch and there's spoilers ahoy, I make a lot of bad jokes, I reference other cartoons

s4 ep10 fractures

okay before we get started

ahahah

I've given in. I'm gonna cosplay Catra. >_< wish me luck, I'm aiming for some kinda loosely post-canon thing, in part because there's no hiding my age at this point, except via like, photoshop pfft

side note the place I was looking at that makes custom fangs based on dental impressions is usually a month and change out, and the con I want to wear this to is in mid-April. *GROAN*

I have tried the cheap ones they don't stay on D:

OKAY

Dialogue is Double Trouble. Why are you even in the room??

oh it's a truth-telling spell lol

(it didn't work)

LOLOL the disbelief in Double Trouble's voice. "Can she do that?"

oh my GOD (yes it's Double Trouble)

but their Adora looks like Johnny Bravo aaahaha

Double Trouble does blow a raspberry at Shadow Weaver, tho, so they're forgiven

Adora explains the Heart of Etheria Project

Shadow Weaver: oooh we can use this to our advantage Me: okay Boromir but NO

Adora's about to blow a fuse, but I would be, too! Like what part of "the planet could explode" is fucking difficult

Meanwhile, Catra is watching porn video feeds of places the Horde has taken

and thinks she spots someone!!!

(she hasn't, and she makes a sad little face when she realizes)

yeah she's being a bitch but also her deranged little face is great

OR EVERYONE COULD DIE. THERE'S ALSO THAT.

YAYYYY

does anyone else remember the old video "what your fave she-ra ship says about you"? this was made just after s4 actually. anyway I'm remembering it because it includes the line "you just want good things for Scorpia. and really, who wouldn't?"

youtube

Daci and I, for a while, couldn't stop quoting the ContraPoints clip used early on to reference "The inherent eroticism of the sea."

"MMmmm yeah. Don't you wanna just...get in there?"

It's a really funny video (I am called out SEVERAL TIMES) and the channel did a bunch of similar videos for other shows.

(also looking at the home page of the channel, she's a she now!!!! HELL YEAH)

Anyway everyone is surprised to see Scorpia :D

And their initial reaction is Not Good D:

the poor thing accidentally stuns Perfuma (...oh god that'S HILARIOUS knowing later stuff)

well that stops Adora in her tracks

back in the Fright Zone, Catra thinks she hears Scorpia's laugh and again is visibly relieved before realizing she's wrong

babygirl you need some rest (and so do your soldiers), you are getting paranoid and hearing things

so what, you're going to torture the rest of the soldiers who haven't left????

(I understand why she does the things she does but I still want to shake some sense into her)

JUST GET SOME GD SLEEP

she tries to call Double Trouble, but they don't answer

I want to give her a hug. But also shake some sense into her.

Another one to add to my "cartoon bondage" collection, as one does. But Perfuma is clearly a little smitten, though: she smiles as she walks away and makes a flower grow in the vines, awwwww

okay oh my GOD okay Scorpia's dialogue is KILLING ME i am CACKLING

"Wow...Yeah, but just-- Shadow Weaver. And at Bright Moon. Everything is making so much sense about why Catra's been acting the way she has."

Adora goes wide-eyed at Catra's name, Shadow Weaver looks at her, and then Adora looks away, pissed off.

like I was saying: SMITTEN

Anyway Scorpia explains why she wants to go find/save Entrapta, who's on Beast Island, and:

bahaha

they relate various stories about the horrors of Beast Island and Shadow Weaver insists they're nicer than the actual place, it's starting to sound like some bad joke about Etheria's version of Australia

I mean also you should go get her because she shouldn't be stuck there but okay

They all decide to go to Beast Island to rescue Entrapta but Glimmer is having NONE of it

Glimmer: "Adora, have you ever heard of anyone coming back from Beast Island? Do you even know where it is?"

I mean, good points, but

aaaugh

Bow: "There's an unstable mass of magic in the middle of the planet. Everyone's at risk unless we can get Entrapta to shut it down."

OKay I'm not typing up the whole damn episode you can read the transcript if you really want to, lol they argue about this for a bit longer, Glimmer even recommends they ask Light Hope how to use it even though that's a terrible idea, Glimmer tries to appeal to Bow but Bow is on Adora's side on this one

oh honey, no

She tries to order Bow and Adora to stay in the castle and not leave

Scorpia's "prison cell" is a very nice spare room. Perfuma brings her a salad and Scorpia doesn't recognize it as food immediately, the poor thing has only ever had ration bars.

Frosta: "It's not a sleepover!!! Perfuma: ":D I'll get pillows, brb!"

But then Frosta asks about her pincers with genuine interest and makes ones for herself out of ice...and Scorpia starts to cry

;_;

GO. TO. BED. oh my god

I RAN OUT OF IMAGES fhghgh okay gonna reblog

#april rewatches spop #fractures #Youtube

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internetspacegirl · 2 years

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InternetSpaceGirl - Master Post

Hi, my name's Enid! I'm a Writer/Video Editor and sometimes when I'm feeling up to it I draw some Pixel Art :)

I run a fictional journalism site (Celestial Publishing) under the alias @foxwithakeyboard (which has its own Tumblr Blog).

Here's a list of the Articles:

The New “Nicolet High School”

The “Hunters” Internet Cult

A New Revolutionary Blogging App

I post fanfics to AO3 with the username InternetSpacegirl and here's a list of all my Fics (Top is newest):

Dreaming of a Better Space in Time - She-Ra Breakfast Club AU

Black Vein (written at age 12)

Here's a list of all my pixel art I've done:

The Ferryman - Before Your Eyes

A Rose

Sticks The Badger - Sonic Boom

Windows XP Wallpaper

Future Catra - She-Ra

Toothless - How To Train Your Dragon

Octavia - Helluva Boss

Adora - She-ra

Here's some of my (good) YouTube Videos: - most recent at the top

The Entire 2b2t Timeline (Part One)

Minecraft's Legacy

A Speedrunners Rise To Fame (EazySpeezy)

some weird comments on my channel...

Making Terrible Mobile Game Ads

demotivation. (Short Story)

What's Happened on the FoxDen SMP? (Stream Summary)

My Socials:

FoxWithAKeyboard Tumblr Celestial Publishing Website AO3 Profile YouTube Twitter (ISG) Twitter (Cosmic) Letterboxd Serializd

Whilst I'm here, I'm gonna promote my partners stuff because they're amazing and deserve SO much <3 They're an amazing writer and they're really funny and cool so I'm gonna link their Tumblr

And some of my favourite fics that they've written :>>

say what you mean (i want to be with you) - Six of Crows and fall apart - She-Ra lovefool - Wednesday manta rays (all for you) - She-Ra just leave the party with me (and never go home) - She-Ra

Here are some Google Docs I've written because why not:

Why I Love Declan McKenna

Note: i reblog a bunch of my stuff if people don't see it if im like proud of it so sorry if u see the same piece of fanfiction or pixel art etc multiple times i am sorry 🙏

#internetspacegirl #masterpost #collection of everything i've made

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pe4chpunch · 2 years

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modern au but the adora, catra, bow, and glimmer are all big youtubers for no reason 😭😭

adora is a gamer,, probably does a lot of minecraft content on his channel as well as horror games (they’re a big baby and get scared easily 😔😔). catra is a musician and posts a lot of her own music as well as song covers,, maybe she’d even do lyric breakdowns and things like that. bow would be a tech channel for sure,, he does PC builds, tech reviews, maybe some game reviews. he’d do things like switch customizations too. as for glimmer, she’d definitely have a channel all about true crime and just grim stuff in general. i just like the idea bc it goes against her whole pink cutesy girly aesthetic 😔 i just wanna hear her talk about murder

#glimmer would definitely be super respectful though #like she isn't reckless about it #i feel like she just thinks that looking into a murderer's psyche is super fascinating #spop #also catra and adora have a separate channel where they vlog together #and catra is on adora's channel all the time #mostly just so she can hold their hand when they get scared 😔#not art #i could also see adora as a super obnoxious movie reviewer #'THIS MOVIE SUCKS' head ass

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cosplayinamerica · 2 years

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Adora from She-Ra : colleen_cosplay

Something I really love about She-Ra and the Princesses of Power as a show is that the characters are all strong and powerful in their own ways, but you also get to see their weaknesses. Adora has great leadership skills, she sees the best in those around her, and she is She-Ra, a super strong warrior!

What really made me love Adora though, was seeing her weakness. Adora really struggles with self-worth. She wonders if she is good enough to be a leader, or good enough to be She-Ra, or good enough to save Catra. She has a huge burden of responsibility to shoulder in a world that is largely unfamiliar to her after she left the horde. Did she choose to be strong? Or was it that she was put in a situation where she had no choice but to get stronger?

I resonate a lot with Adora’s weaknesses. I struggled for a long time with self worth even though a lot of people on the outside see me as very strong! I’ve taken on more responsibilities and leadership roles as I’ve grown as a cosplayer, and as a person, and sometimes I don’t feel good enough to be worthy of that responsibility. Sometimes, I don’t know if I really am strong or if I was just put in a position where I had no other choice.

I went to my first con when I was 15 and once I knew what cosplay was, I knew it was something I wanted to do! That wasn’t the start of Colleen Cosplay though, that came later.

When I first discovered cosplay I was still able-bodied and my free time was largely taken up by athletics. I was a cross-country athlete, horse owner, and martial artist. I did cosplay very casually, maybe one cosplay a year for Halloween or a convention I wanted to go to.

By the time I was 21, my athletics days were over. It was very hard for me to sell my horse and quit athletics entirely. So I looked at what I could still do and I could still do cosplay. From there I really became obsessed with the hobby. With no other interests to compete with cosplay, I went all-in as a cosplayer. I learned to sew and craft and I started my cosplay YouTube channel! Cosplay has had a huge impact on my life since then. I spend so much time doing cosplay now and it has become a passion of mine. I made cosplay friends and I found the cosplay community and I can’t imagine quitting for anything now!

”Ableism in the Cosplay Community. Let's Talk.“ (Dec 2021) Link

When I first started cosplaying seriously, I was concerned about how my disability would be perceived. I hadn’t recalled seeing many disabled cosplayers, and with my disability being progressive, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would need to use mobility aids with my cosplay. I thought that surely there must be disabled cosplayers out there since there are a lot of cosplayers in the world and also a lot of disabled people in the world. I gave it a search on YouTube and ….nothing. I was surprised to find there was very little content on YouTube or even the Google search about cosplaying with a disability.

For a while I tried to hide my mobility aids and pass as able-bodied when in cosplay. All the cosplay I saw around me was able-bodied so I just conformed to that. Eventually, I could hide it no longer and I started using my knee braces with my cosplays and I was surprised that I was, in some cases, treated differently because of it! People started to point out the inaccuracies of my knee braces and I started to get comments of “But this character doesn’t use a knee brace” or “is that part of the costume?”. I was immediately self conscious of my aids, but at that point I really couldn’t go without them. It took time, but I found other disabled cosplayers. There were other people who echoed my story and there were also other people who were just as lost.

I decided that I never wanted anyone else to feel the way that I felt when I was starting out. I already had my YouTube channel, so I decided to use it to share my story and create a guide that my younger self could have benefitted from. I make videos covering everything from decorating mobility aids, to bringing awareness to ableism in the cosplay community.

YouTube has helped me a lot! At first, it was just a distraction from what I was going through at the time, then it became a hobby, and now I see it more as a passion.

YouTube has given me a way to communicate with other people and share my journey with them. I’ve met so many people through my YouTube and it has opened up a lot of opportunities for me. My channel also provided a way for other disabled people to find me and reach out and that’s how I’ve met so many people and made a lot of friends. I really feel like we have created a welcoming community on this little corner of the internet and I think it has helped a lot of people.

I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from it! I didn’t expect my content to resonate with so many people. I’ve gotten many messages from disabled cosplayers that have found confidence in watching my videos. I’ve gotten comments from able-bodied people showing understanding and empathy. I’ve gotten comments where people have decorated their mobility aids by following my tutorials! I’ve heard stories that were very similar to mine and found a whole community of disabled cosplayers from it.

#adora #adora cosplay #she-ra #she-ra cosplay #disabled cosplayer

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courtneysmovieblog · 2 years

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Disney Channel rerunning those episodes of Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure reminded how much the last season sucked, and how annoyed I get by people not only making crappy excuses for Cassandra but also acting like she and Rapunzel are somehow soulmates. It’s just as bad as the Raya/Namaari fandom. And the Reylo fandom. And the Catra/Adora fandom.

I really want to know why the idea of shipping a lead character with a shitty person is so appealing. We rail against toxic relationships in real life all the time, yet in fiction, it’s suddenly acceptable?

#tangled the series #anti reylo #raya and the last dragon

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gimme-tea-bitch · 3 years

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Catradora, Abuse, Manipulation, Misunderstanding

So I was talking with a lovely friend the other day. And the topic shifted to fandom perceptions of Catra and Adora, and then to their perceptions of each other. So I wanted to type up a meta sort of elaborating largely the mechanisms that caused Catra and Adora to fall out initially, as well as the misunderstandings that lead to them fighting.

When it comes to fandom, I always found it odd how often there were people who either hated Catra but loved Adora, or hated Adora but loved Catra. And when thinking about it, I came to the realization that, actually, it kind of makes sense. See, Catra and Adora, especially early in the show, are very much opposites. They get along well, but a lot of their traits and actions very much run counter to each other.

We see early on where Adora seems to blame Catra for “being kinda disrespectful” and Catra being angry at Adora because she thinks Adora is choosing Weaver over her.

This interaction became a sort of staple for a number of the fandom’s reasoning for hated one or the other. People who hate Catra seemed to view it as Adora trying to help Catra, and Catra being mean in response to Adora’s help. People who hate Adora saw it as Adora blaming Catra for her own abuse, instead of blaming Weaver. And I found this kinda of interesting in retrospect, because those two views seem to directly mirror how Catra and Adora viewed each other in that interaction.

See, the thing about this interaction, and a lot of Catra and Adora’s conflict, is that it is based on the context of their abuse. Because both of them are victims of abuse.

Catra is a very clear cut victim of abuse. We see it early and often, and quite vividly. We see Weaver using the Black Garnet to restrain a child Catra with electricity, we see her regularly berate or manhandle Catra. We see Weaver threaten her often. Catra, from a very early age, all the way through her entire life, is abused in this way. She is punished regardless of whether she did something wrong. And in the events where she did do something wrong, she is punished much more severely than someone else would have been. There’s been tons of brilliant analysis of Catra’s abuse, so for time saving reasons, I won’t recount all of it.

The reason I bring this up is that Catra’s abuse required a method of coping. Because that kind of environment can and does very quickly break people down, especially someone brought into it as a toddler. Catra’s abuse was constant and unfair. There was no avoiding it, there was no stopping it. So Catra, to survive it, got angry. She is shown often to be aggressive, and she often times instigates Weaver, as well as pretty much every major character she runs into. And in her pre show years, she clearly takes on an air of aloofness and laziness/uncaring. Both of these serve as coping mechanisms for the constant and unfair abuse she receives. The aloofness distances her from the emotional side of it. Weaver’s criticism of her abilities/skill doesn’t matter anymore, because she’s not actually trying. So the weight of her verbal cuts it lessened. Her anger and outbursts on the other hand, give her energy to survive. Survival is exhausting, it wears you down day by day. Catra stayed angry, she channeled that rage and anger into action, keeping herself mentally afloat, hopefully long enough to escape the abuse when she and Adora become captains.

Adora’s abuse is very different, in fact, so much so, that a lot of the fandom didn’t even seem to consider her much of an abuse victim, if at all. One of the bigger criticisms of Adora tend to be that she’s spoiled, or stuck up, or something to that affect. A lot of this seems to stem from the fact that, compared to Catra’s abuse, Adora’s is more subtle, her trauma less obvious, and her coping mechanisms are viewed as positive traits. Lets start early. Adora from what we see, is focused on by Weaver from a young age. Weaver sees power in her, so she focuses on her early, which should be a red flag for anyone familiar with abuse. Because Adora, regardless of any power, is a child. And Weaver’s obsession with her is purely self serving.

Weaver’s manipulation of Adora starts as an infant. We see in the Black Garnet chamber when they are kids, Adora physically attempting to shield Catra with her body. Despite the fact that there’s nothing she can really do. This early sign of care and the urge to protect is normally a very good thing. But for Weaver to see it, it becomes a tool. And we see the fruits of that in Adora as an adult. Weaver builds up Adora’s budding want to help and to protect. She feeds it. And when it has become an integral part of Adora’s self worth, Weaver puts the success and failures of those around her onto Adora. Weaver is shown to tell Adora that her teams failure, and subsequently, their possible deaths, were a direct result of Adora’s failings as a leader. She instills in Adora the idea that the injury of her squad/friends, is entirely her fault for not being a good enough leader. And this, this is the basis for Adora’s abuse. Because Adora is raised from a child, to carry the burdens of everyone around her. And any time someone around her fails or is injured, to view it as her failure, her fault. Which is insane. Because that’s not realistic even for grown adults, much less for children. And this weighs on Adora obviously. We see multiple times, even early on, Adora have sever mental spirals where she is terrified and overthinking possible failures. Mystacor and the D & D episode early on being two examples. To cope with this pressure Adora does the opposite of Catra. She buries herself, pretty much in every way she can, emotionally. Adora doesn’t talk back, she takes control, she over analyzes, she doesn’t even let herself think about how she feels or what she wants, outside of her friendship with Catra, which is the only exception to this. Adora minimizes herself as a person, to the point where she treats herself more like a machine than a person. Combined with her taking control and perfectionism, Adora does this to try and prevent anything from going wrong. Because if something goes wrong that means her friends get hurt or killed. There is no room for mistakes, there is no room for failure, because that means death for those she cares about, and that’s her fault, and makes her worthless. Her coping mechanisms serve to prevent any negative outcomes.

Both of these coping mechanisms work for each character individually. They successfully help Catra and Adora survive their abuse, but, they are not alone.

See the problem is that their coping mechanisms are very much opposites. Catra acting out is helpful to her, as a way to maintain her sense of self, but for Adora, it is an uncontrollable variable that means she failed, that means those she cares about are in danger.

Adora’s self suppression and control are good for her, because they function as checks against failure, and by proxy, methods to ensure the safety of those around her, and especially, Catra. The problem for Catra is that this stripping of agency and passiveness are very similar to Weaver’s preferred methods of abusing Catra. Helplessness is one of the main things Weaver seems to love making Catra experience considering how often she restrains her with magic.

All of this is context to really explore and understand the conflict at the center of them. Returning to the earlier example. Catra acts out and talks back to Weaver, so that she can feel like a person, like she’s not broken, like she’s more than just nothing. And we have established that this is necessary for her to survive her abuse. Adora on the other hand sees this as Catra egging Weaver on for fun, which means retaliation, which means Catra is going to be hurt, which is the worst case scenario. Now, this wouldn’t be as big of a problem if either one of them voiced their thought process here, but this is the horde, and any expression of vulnerability is weakness and not allowed. Which results in a further miscommunication. Because Catra’s aloof act in the face of retaliation triggers Adora’s anxiety and fear for Catra’s safety. And Catra treating it as inconsequential after seemingly egging Weaver on for no good reason is terrifying because it means Adora will have to keep experiencing that reality of Catra being hurt. Which in turn causes her to try and control the situation, in this case, pointing out what she perceives to be the “cause” for Weaver’s wrath, not understanding that Weaver will abuse Catra regardless of reason.

The key thing to note here is that, neither Catra nor Adora understand each other’s motivations. They are making assumptions and acting according to their own experiences trauma’s. In this situation, Catra’s coping mechanism inflames Adora’s trauma, which causes her to react with her own coping strategy, which in turn inflames Catra’s trauma further.

See, the issue is that even though Catra and Adora are close, they do not experience the abuse of the other. Of course they see some of it, that’s inevitable. But they do not experience the full extent of Weaver’s individual manipulations. Catra does not see all the ways in which Weaver grooms and twists Adora’s own desperate wants and desires against herself. She just sees Adora following Weaver’s teaching, and not seeing how she’s twisted herself to fit Weaver’s image of her to try and keep them safe. Adora does not see all the abuse that Weaver inflicts on Catra regardless of reason. She just sees Catra acting out and goading Weaver, and Weaver retaliating. And though that’s still horrible, in Adora’s mind it’s preventable, if only Catra would listen.

It’s interesting to me that the even though so much of the fandom seemed to hate one and love the other, both sides of that situation seemed to come away with just half of the puzzle.

And you would think that seeing both perspectives by the end of the show would undo that single character focus, right? Well, there’s another issue here, and it’s buried in their coping mechanisms.

See, I think a lot of people, especially those that aren’t familiar with abuse, don’t understand that coping mechanisms are not healthy. They are not good things. Yes, when you are suffering abuse, they seem very good, because they serve to help you navigate and survive your abuse. So in that context they are very helpful and necessary. They are however, inherently self damaging. And this is shown with both Adora and Catra.

With Adora, we see her leave the Horde and join the Rebellion, and in the process become surrounded by kind people who genuinely care about her and want good things for her. And this is great, it’s a much healthier environment, free of the constant and ever present abuse that she was raised in. And yet, it only serves to make Adora’s mental health spiral further down. See, Adora’s method of treating herself like a machine was exceptionally helpful in the Horde. It allowed her to climb the ranks and prove her skill. In the rebellion however, it is a barrier between her, her friends, and growth. Her complete and utter lack of self hinders her power as She-Ra, it regularly causes misunderstandings with those around her, examples being the D&D episode again, as well as Mystacor, and later on, her conflicts with Glimmer in season 4. It also stands between her growth as we see no improvement in her self worth, in fact, we see her self worth get worse and worse, particularly during/after the portal, and during/after Glimmer and Light Hope attempting to use the Heart. In fact, Adora only starts to finally grow and heal at the very end, when she accepts Catra’s love and voices her love for Catra in return. And we see how profound of an impact this has both on the world and her powers as She-Ra, but also on her emotions and sense of self. It gives Adora a desire to live for once.

Catra, similarly struggles with overcoming her coping mechanisms. Catra’s situation changes less dramatically than Adora’s, in fact, the abuse worsens for her for a time, which does not help. Eventually, she does become Force Captain, and eventually Hordak’s second in command. And you would think that with Weaver, her prime abuser out of the way, she would be able to start to improve, and yet, we only see Catra spiral further. Season 4 marks Catra’s rise to power. She is second only to Hordak, and leading the most successful campaign the Horde has ever had. She is winning battles left and right, and proving her abilities. Yet she’s paranoid. She’s angrier than ever. And she’s becoming abusive herself. See, Catra’s coping mechanism of aloofness falls away partially, because now she is in the position where someone powerful is watching, and unlike Weaver, this person seems to value her abilites. So she starts to actually apply herself. And it works wonders.

The problem is her rage. For so long, the only things that kept Catra going were Adora, and her rage. And Adora is gone. All she has left is that rage. The problem is that it’s only grown, and she has no real target to aim it at. Weaver is out of the picture. She aims it at Adora, but after the portal and the shame of her betrayal of Entrapta, Catra cannot justify aiming it at Adora, because Adora tried to still be repair their friendship, and Catra betrayed the friendship of one of the few people who cared about her. No, now the target of her anger was herself. We see that in her steadily declining self care. The lack of sleep, the overworking. And what’s worse is that her anger continues to grow. To the point that she’s not enough of a target. She becomes paranoid, accusing the troops of laughing at her, and culminating in her berating Scorpia. Scorpia is the straw that breaks the camels back. Because Catra already hates herself more than anything else. She’s hurt so many people, and she’s struggling to justify it anymore. And Scorpia calling her out on being a bad friend, and her desertion break Catra down. She can no longer control her anger, she can’t blame anyone else, because she knows that unlike all the shit Weaver unfairly pinned on her, these things were her fault. Catra’s own coping mechanisms destroy her relationships, and in the process, break her more than anything else could.

And just like Adora, we finally see Catra grow in season 5, though admittedly, earlier and more noticeably than Adora. We see in the season 4 finale that, much like Adora, Catra is at her lowest. And season 5 shows us Catra desperately clinging to her villain persona, and we see that that persona has lost its appeal and effectiveness. That it is hollow to her. Catra’s bonding with Glimmer, her self sacrifice to save Glimmer, and to try and save Adora’s life are the start of her growth. Her continued support of the rebellion, and fierce protectiveness start resurfacing, and she begins to show that she cares again. All of this culminates in Catra coming back to save Adora, choosing to stay with Adora even through loss, and choosing to tell Adora that she loves her, showing vulnerability, something they had both denied themselves for so long.

And that’s kinda all I have for you. I find it interesting that so much of the criticisms that people have for either character seem to noticeably mirror the way in which Catra and Adora misunderstood each other at the start. And how learning about the mechanisms and reasons for those misunderstandings really lets you appreciate them both much more. Anyway, thank you for reading if you made it this far, lol, this was a much longer essay than I thought it’d be.

#spop #catradora #catra #adora #meta #FUCK shadow weaver #tw abuse

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yurimother · 4 years

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How 'She-Ra' Delivered on Queer Promises and Helped Revolutionized LGBTQ Representation

DreamWorks's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has already cemented its place among the short but rapidly growing list of children’s animated shows with impactful LGBTQ representation. Showrunner Noelle Stevenson made it a point to push and fight for more diverse characters in every aspect from race, to personality, to sexual and gender identity. However, the finale of the GLADD Award-nominated program delivered on a revolutionary promise built up throughout all five seasons and completed one of the greatest queer narratives ever seen in children’s media.

As She-Ra progressed, Stevenson became more encouraged and inspired to pressure executives to allow more and more explicit LGBTQ characters and relationships. While ever-present in the series, season one only featured a background couple, Spinnerella (Noelle Stevenson) and Netossa (Krystal Joy Brown), and of course, the famous dance sequence between Catra (AJ Michalka) and Adora (Aimee Carrero). While this amount of representation is comfortably leagues ahead of the vast majority of cartoons, the show only upped the ante and the amount of representation from there. Season 2 introduced viewers to George (Chris Jai Alex) and Lance (Regi Davis), Bow's fathers. The series presents them in a normalized fashion as a happy gay couple in love that built a family together. Jacob Tobia's non-binary Double Trouble featured heavily in season four, making them one of the first non-binary characters in children's animation and one of the first to holding an integral role in the show, a major step in representing such identities.

The many achievements and strides She-Ra in LGBTQ representation featured in She-Ra will doubtlessly affect other projects in the industry and help further programs walk a similar path. However, the greatest queer story inShe-Ra is the spectacular series-long arc exploring the relationship and dynamics between de facto antagonist Catra and protagonist Adora. The former friends, who grew up together in the ranks of the Horde, turn enemies at the start of the series after Adora gains the power of She-Ra and betrays Catra, joining the Rebellion.

Fans quickly began speculating on the nature of Adora and Catra's relationship during season one, mainly because of the Princess Prom dance scene. After the young women shared a charged and sinister dance, fans quickly began supporting and analyzing "Catradora." The next three seasons would gradually and gracefully define both characters' complicated feelings for each other. Initially, Catra attempts to rationalize Adora's leaving as a relief or else forces herself to appear apathetic towards it. She continuously uses the excuse that she is no longer living under Adora's shadow to gradually build up more power, rising through the ranks of the Horde while stepping on those who helped her.

While Catra's motivations are appropriately layered and complex, it becomes clear that she is attempting to win approval, to be less alone than she has felt since Adora abandoned her. She seeks others' approval, including her abusive maternal figure, Shadow Weaver (Lorraine Toussaint), and the cruel Hordak (Keston John). However, Catra does not realize until confronted by Double Trouble's gut-wrenching and emotionally resonating analysis of her psyche. They inform Catra that the reason she is alone and abandoned, she pushes others away. The realization that her problems and loneliness are by her own doing combine with her guilt for betraying her allies Scorpia (Lauren Ash) and Entrapta (Christine Woods), leads Catra to an emotional breakdown.

Thee fifth and final season of She-Ra opens with Catra still plagued by loneliness and self-doubt. She starts to form a bond with Prime's captor Glimmer (Karen Fukuhara), seeing her guilt reflected by Glimmer's regret for trying to use the Heart of Etheria's power. Eventually, Catra learns about Adora's impending rescue attempt and the villainous Prime's plants to capture her once she arrives. Ultimately, all the feelings and circumstances surrounding Catra clash together as she remembers a childhood promise that she and Adora would always be friends. The revelation that she loves Adora finally causes Catra to turn and do "one good thing," protect Adora. She frees Glimmer to prevent Adora from walking into Prime's trap; thus, Catra becomes the Horde's prisoner.

Adora's character arch is much less tragic than Catra. The "frenemies" clash multiple times throughout the early seasons with an ever-shifting dynamic that hints at their intricate relationship and confused romantic feelings. But, at the end of season three, Catra's reckless plan against Adora almost leads to Eternia's destruction. As Catra taunts and blames Adora for her suffering, Adora seemingly ends their conflicted relationship, noting that Catra's misdeeds are all her own, "You made your choice, now live with it."

In the final season, Adora has lost the powers of She-Ra. But, she continues to charge into battle headfirst, exposing herself and her tendencies to put other's wellbeing before her own. This tactic mirrors why Adora left Catra's side in the first place all the way back in the first season. She places more importance on duty and service to others than herself and her friend. Later, while Adora, Bow (Marcus Scribner), and Entrapta are traveling towards Horde Prime, Catra sends a signal to their ship, apologizing for everything she has done while teleporting Glimmer to them. Adora decides that she cannot leave Catra behind, and the Best-Friend Squad hurries to rescue Catra from the Horde. Adora saves Catra not only from Prime's vile clutches but her loneliness too. Adora's exclamation "You matter to me" is a powerful and victorious moment, as the two friends turned enemies unite, and acknowledge their connection.

Unfortunately, even after the Adora and Catra are together again, conflict continues to rise between them and with themselves. Catra feels unlovable because of her past and so convinces herself that Adora will not accept her feelings. She continues to struggle with abandonment, especially when Adora willingly takes the responsibility of a suicide mission to destroy the Heart of Etheria, yelling, "It doesn't always have to be you." Sadly, Adora again abandons her, putting the good of everyone else above herself and Catra. Acknowledging that Adora, "Always sacrifices everything for everyone else," Catra runs away. However, upon realizing that Prime is moments away from taking control of the Heart and killing Adora, Shadow Weaver and her run to rescue the girl she loves.

As Adora journeys to the Heart, she sees and an illusion of Catra, envisioning that her friend meets her to approach the suicide mission together. Soon, Adora faces a vision of Mara (Zehra Fazal), the previous She-Ra, who tells her that she does not always need to sacrifice herself and is deserving of love too. She becomes trapped without her powers by a first-ones' guardian until Catra and Shadow Weaver save her. Telling Adora to go on, Catra stays to fight the beast in vain. Moments before destroying the Heart and herself, Adora finally chooses to return to Catra, to put Catra and her own happiness over her sense of duty.

As Adora and Catra approach the Heart, the former almost succumbs to Prime's power and has one final vision. Adora dreams of living a life in peace in Brightmoon alongside her friends, Glimmer and Bow, and with her loving, playful partner Catra by her side. In the apparent final moments before her death, Catra reaches out to Adora. At last, the two confess their love for each other and embrace in a momentous kiss, restoring She-Ra's power to Adora. Renewed in strength and standing beside her beloved, Adora finally destroys Horde Prime. The series ends as Adora and Catra plan to travel together and restore magic to the universe and fades to black as the couple prepares to take their next journey together.

as Adora and Catra plan to travel together and restore magic to the universe and fades to black as the couple prepares to take their next journey together.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has always been a powerhouse of LGBTQ representation, especially the final season. For example, it heavily features former background characters and married couple Spinnerella and Netossa in leading roles, as Netossa attempts to recover her wife’s mind from Prime. However, the relationship between Catra and Adora is not only the series highlight but a revolutionary in LGBTQ representation in children's television.

LGBTQ history in children's media and cartoons is disappointingly brief and, at times, unpleasant. Early examples mostly featured coded queer characters with harmful and stereotypical traits, such as the Silver Spooner from Dexter's Laboratory. Some works were able to include less harmful depictions. Networks allowed characters like Richie from Static Shock, who is gay, to exist as long as their identity was kept extremely subtextual.

Slowly some more limited progress was made, and a few less offensive or hidden characters were permitted to appear in one-off and minor roles. Nelvana's Canadian animated sitcom, 6teen included many vague but most neutral references to homosexuality and eventually a one-off character Jean, who says that she is "gay" and has a girlfriend. Notably, this 2009-episode marks not only one of the first moments of a character confirming their sexuality but also using the word "gay." This feat is so rarely replicated even in LGBTQ family media that even giants like Steven Universe do not include it. Outside of pedantic educational programs on minor networks, it may be the only time someone said "the-G-word" in such media until 2019's Kippo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (live-action sitcom Andi Mack on Disney Channel also used the term that year). Sadly, American showings cut 6Teen's references to homosexuality, and the episode featuring Jean never aired at all outside Canada.

When most people look back to the beginning of the recent small boom in cartoon LGBTQ representation, they point to The Legend of Korra. In 2014, the series finally ended with female leads Korra and Asami taking hands and going on a private vacation in the spirit world. The Korra moment set the LGBTQ fandom on fire. Even so, the show faced incredible resistance and backlash. After the final episode aired, creator Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino had to go online to confirm that the somewhat ambiguous finale indeed depicted a same-sex romance. They then began to face backlash from a section of the fandom who believed bringing this badass bisexual moment to television was only for fanservice or to forward an agenda.

The Legend of Korra was a revolution in modern children's television, putting cracks in the oppressive dam that kept such dynamics out of the limelight and slowly pushed back against the status quo, allowing for more LGBTQ representation. Now, over five years after Korra, numerous children's programs feature queer characters in minor and supporting roles, often more explicitly than Korra was able to do. The Loud House includes a main bisexual character, and there are queer characters and couples in multiple works, including but not limited to Gravity Falls, Adventure Time, and Craig of the Creek.

The most notable LGBTQ representation in a children's cartoon comes from Rebeca Sugar's incredible creation, Steven Universe. As with She-Ra, LGBTQ characters make up a large portion of the cast and it features several groundbreaking LGBTQ scenes, including the iconic wedding of Ruby and Sapphire.

Sadly, many of these works had to fight tooth and nail or suffer through horrific backlash because of their dedication to diversity. Alabama banned an episode of Arthur that featured a gay wedding, and the depiction of lesbian mothers in Clifford the Bid Red Dog caused some parents and organizations to speak out against it. Perhaps most famous of all, Rebecca Sugar had to struggle to put LGBTQ representation on the small screen. Ultimately, to make the wedding scene happen, Sugar had to lay everything on the table and was willing to see themselves separated from the show and have it end to bring their vision to life. Unfortunately, many other countries censor the show to remove LGBTQ content. Still, Sugar's tireless work has pushed the boundaries of LGBTQ representation in children's media so incredibly far, allowing shows like She-Ra to exist.

The recent rapid progress of LGBTQ representation becomes apparent when comparing She-Ra to the "originator," Korra. The series share similar themes and mutually place importance on diversity in its main cast. At the climax of both programs, two female main characters became romantic partners for the other. However, the differences are what truly sets them apart and highlights the progress representation has made. Back in 2014, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes was the most action Korra could feature.

However, a myriad of queer characters and identities perforate She-Ra, all of which are more apparent and obvious thanks to actions including kisses, confessions, and other actions. This difference is especially true in season five, where even the title cards feature Netossa and Spinnerella engaged in a passionate kiss. Of course, the main couple was permitted a full on-screen confession and kiss, as Catra and Adora locked lips in the final episode. Finally, many "critics" complained that Korra and Asami's relationship came out of nowhere, despite it progressing the show’s last two seasons. If one were to assert the same claim about She-Ra, they need to completely ignore how Stevenson built Adora and Catra's romantic relationship as a fundamental aspect of the show from the very start.

She-Ra's depiction of queer characters was deliberate, explicit, and incredible. Not only did LGBTQ side characters express their identities in a variety of ways, but the main couple also got to show their love with both words and a kiss. Furthermore, and perhaps even more importantly, the main couple in She-Ra got a happen ending and a future for them and the viewers to imagine and look towards with excitement. Sadly, many LGBTQ characters and couples do not get to experience such conclusions. For decades, queer relationships ended in tragedy, often with the death of one or more queer characters killed off as part of the "bury your gays" trope. Even if the characters live, narratives rarely provided a happy future for those with queer identities. Sadly, this trend is alive and well. Recent examples include Adam from Voltron: Legendary Defender and Annika and Neha from The Dragon Prince.

Stevenson actively set out to avoid this trope in She-Ra, telling the Los Angeles Times, "I can't see another gay character die on TV for the moment." Not only did she not kill Adora and Catra, or any of the show's other queer characters, she gave Adora and Catra, the two lesbian leads in love, a happy ending. The show even offers viewers and Adora a glimpse of one possible future for the couple in the final vision of domestic bliss in Brightmoon. Both Adora and Catra struggle and suffered greatly, but they were allowed a happy ending and the opportunity to look forward to a life together. For the two main characters of a children's cartoon to achieve such a fantastic ending in such an explicit way is a genuinely revolutionary moment of representation, proudly standing alongside defining scenes like and Ruby and Sapphire’s wedding in Steven Universe. Importantly, both shows are made by queer creators, showing young viewers that people like them can achieve and create great things and that there are those out there fighting for them. For these reasons, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is one of the single most significant works of LGBTQ representation in children's media.

Queer representation in children's media matters so much, likely more than it does in any other medium. It normalizes LGBTQ identities for families and sends a powerful message to all LGBTQ children who may be feeling sad or alone or sacred: 'You are not alone, you matter, and you are accepted.' These words, implied with every positive depiction of queer identities, save so many children and young adults from unnecessary suffering and sometimes even saves lives. Noelle Stevenson and She-Ra will likely create giant waves in the medium just as Steven Universe did before it, and generations of queer people, myself included, wait with bated breath to see what results from it.

#She-Ra #yuri #gay #catradora #lesbian #lesbians #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#queer #news #essays #article #girls love #wlw #catra #adora #noelle stevenson #non-binary #cartoon #cartoons #history #shera

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calmenergy · 3 years

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i've been re-watching season 4 and thinking about glimmer and her motivations and why she did what she did so because she's one of my favorite characters in any media ever im gonna rant. don't read this as me excusing her actions by the way, but rather talking about her motivations and why she did what she did

throughout the entirety of season 4, glimmer is looking for some form of control. she hasn't been able to have any impact, adora and bow weren't listening to her, they didn't let her make her own decisions because they disobeyed her orders pretty often, etc. and whenever she tried to do something, go out and fight like she wants to, adora and bow were upset with her. she felt powerless and out of control. didn't help that double trouble was poking holes in their relationship as well.

but then shadow weaver came in and offered her power and control. she turned it down at first but after bow gets hurt by the pulse bot she takes her offer. thats a key distinction by the way, because all of her decisions had to do with her love for her friends and her people. anyways, she finally gets some genuine impact with her decisions in destroying the big pulse bot and beating catra, and so she keeps letting shadow weaver teach her magic. but she didn't completely trust her, not at first. at first, in her mind, she was just gaining information and knowledge from SW. she even says she didn't trust her at first as well ("do you think im naive enough to trust shadow weaver?"), but shadow weaver is a master manipulator. sure she knew she was bad but shadow weaver was an expert at manipulating people to her will and wants. glimmer felt like she had control over the situation when in reality she didn't.

should glimmer have let shadow weaver manipulate her? no, of course not. but she felt like she needed some kind of power to regain control in some way. shadow weaver was the only one who would listen, who would offer her some way to help, who would give her some way she could help. she was desperate to stop them at the time so she was more willing to go to underhanded tactics like using adora as bait to get to catra and stop her while she's undefended. again, not defending her actions but still.

then there was mer-mysteries, where a lot of her issues in season 4 took hold. she lost any control she had again because of the spy ruining any potential plans, as well as knowing that *something* was up and that the horde was planning something but not knowing what and not being able to do anything about it. so when she finds out that salineas was lost without anything she could do, she gets more desperate, being more willing to use worse tactics, ("whatever it takes...") and even to use the heart of etheria. but it should be noted she didn't know everything. she didn't see what bow and adora saw. she wasn't on the ship when that all happened. had she been, she probably wouldn't have done what she did. we as the audience get the grace of the big picture, but glimmer didn't. also note that she didn't intend to use all of it. she intended to channel a small part to supercharge their magic and beat the horde.

also in fractures i want to bring up that again, nobody talked to glimmer when they wanted to go to beast island to save entrapta. glimmer wanted to talk about it. she wanted to come up with an actual plan for when they go to save entrapta. she wanted them to stop barrelling ahead without a plan. and she *did* want to save entrapta, but the horde was winning, they had so much more territory now, they had salineas, they had a lot, and she had no idea if entrapta would actually help them or go to the horde or anything like that. because they didn't know the full extent of what happened. glimmer is right, from her perspective. entrapta kinda did betray them, she helped the horde, a lot of her tech is why the horde is so powerful. if bow and adora explained more of what happened, showed her the hologram and what mara said, and things like that, maybe she would agree with them, but they didn't. again, glimmer *was* in the wrong for a lot of this, but she didn't have all the information and she felt like she wasn't trusted by bow and adora, and she felt betrayed when they left to get entrapta. ("if they don't trust me, i don't trust them").

her talk with scorpia really shows some of her insecurities and doubts, especially this quote. "my best friends left me. even before this, i was the weak princess, the one who had to recharge, who didn't fit."

in destiny we see her fully willing to use underhanded tactics to win, with lying to shadow weaver about the plan and having double trouble manipulate catra.

and then we get to destiny part 2, and her realizing winning like this, wasn't what she wanted. the moment with catra really solidified this, where she realizes she's alone just like catra. ("looks like we're both alone, sparkles.") (i thought you wanted to win. use your weapon." "i cant, it would destroy everything.) when light hope activates the heart, she realizes she was wrong. she realizes she failed. both in her mission to stop the horde, and she failed her friends by pushing them away for nothing. she fucked up, but she tries to fix it. she tries to stop it by attacking the black garnet, even if she knew it wouldn't work.

overall, i loved her character arc throughout season 4. she was a queen before she was ready, she felt like she lost agency and control, she felt like nobody was taking her role as queen seriously, she felt weak. and even when she was winning, she wasn't. she was being manipulated almost every step of the way. manipulated by shadow weaver. manipulated by double trouble. manipulated by light hope. she pushed away her friends hoping to end it, to stop the horde, she was hoping the end would justify the means, but they didn't. she was wrong, she realized she was used by everyone. but that didn't stop her from attempting to stop the heart. it didn't stop her from trying to fix her mistakes. and i love that. everything she did, she did for her people, even if it didn't seem like that to others. no matter what happened to her, she kept fighting, kept trying to do what was best for etheria, even if she was wrong. god i love this character so much.

this was a lot longer than i thought it would be and took me a lot longer to write than i thought it would, but she's just such an interesting and complex character that i wanted to try and do her as much justice as i could. i know i missed some things like her search for approval as well, since the people who manipulated her that she went along with offered her some kind of approval. shadow weaver and light hope both praised her, called her strong. and that desperate need for approval just let them manipulate her so much easier. ok this is actually it for now but glimmer is so good and i love her.

#glimmer #she ra #spop #she-ra #she ra and the princesses of power #long post #roxy.txt

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everythingcatradora · 3 years

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a new year’s kiss

i started this back in late December but never got a chance to finish and post it on ao3 around new year’s so I thought I’d just post it here

Adora breathes in deep through her nose and exhales. “I’m gonna do it tonight guys. I’m gonna tell her.”

Glimmer aimlessly scrolls through television channels with their remote. “You’ve been saying that for the past three months.”

Bow shoots Glimmer a look of disapproval and she shrugs defensively in response. They’re all sitting on the sofa in their roomy apartment, Bow and Glimmer sitting super close with Adora curled up several inches away from them.

Bow smiles at the blonde in a supportive and genuine manner that’s basically second nature to him. “That’s great, Adora.”

“Please actually tell Catra you’re in love with her tonight and not chicken out. I don’t think I can deal with the lovesick puppy eyes from either of you anymore.” Glimmer says.

“I do not give her ‘lovesick puppy eyes’.” Adora slides down the sofa seat, sitting in a slumped position. “And she definitely doesn’t give me lovesick puppy eyes,” she mumbles.

“Ooh! Tell her so we can go on double dates too.” Bow beams.

Adora puts her head in her hands and shakes her head. “I’m only telling her so everything can be out in the open and so I don’t feel like I’m keeping this big secret from her anymore. I don’t expect her to y’know, love me back.”

“Adora. She looks at you like you’re the most important and precious thing in the world-”

Adora cuts Glimmer off. “She does that to everyone.”

Glimmer snorts. “She most definitely does not.”

“Catra is a very thoughtful and attentive person.”

“I guess you could argue that but what about her spending more time at our apartment- to be with you- rather than her own.”

“Making up for lost time? We did spend almost three years apart.”

“And the ‘not because I like you thing?’ When a person isn’t interested in someone like that they don’t constantly feel the need to prove it by reminding said someone.”

“You would know that, wouldn’t you?”

Glimmer flushes. “This isn’t about me! Don’t deflect!”

Bow laughs and Adora can’t help but ache at the two of them. She's already set herself up for rejection and disappointment but there’s a small yet consuming want locked inside a compartment in her heart, that desires something akin to what her two best friends have, with Catra. Adora’s happy for them but still.

“But seriously Adora, don’t just expect the worst and think so lowly.” Bow looks at Glimmer again and smiles. “Because you truly never know.”

Glimmer gives him the same lovestruck expression that makes Adora feel like she’s intruding. “And there’s always a chance they could feel the same way.”

catra: hey, im on my way to your place rn

catra: entrapta set something on fire in the microwave so thats why im a little late

Adora shuts her phone off and sighs. She paces the hallway near the apartment’s door starting a mantra to herself consisting of “you can do this” and “you got this”.

“Hey, where’s your ‘Happy new year’ sparkly headband? And are you…talking to yourself?” Glimmer says abruptly causing Adora to jump.

“It’s on the table and whaaat? Pfft no.”

Glimmer completely disregards Adora’s reply and Adora can’t even blame her because it was a terrible excuse of a lie. “You’re actually gonna tell her tonight aren’t you?” She says softly.

“Yeah. It just doesn’t feel right to keep it from her anymore with our new ‘everything on the table’ friendship deal. Keeping things from each other and not being honest with one another is what caused our big blow up in the first place and…I can’t lose her again, Glimmer.”

“Hey, you won’t. And in 10 years when you guys are married you’ll be happy that you told her that one fateful New Year’s Eve night.”

Adora playfully rolls her eyes. “Shut up.”

Then there’s a knock on the door and Adora rushes to it without a second thought. She tightens her ponytail and unlocks the door.

“Hey Catra!”

“Hey Adora.” Catra gives her a small smile to accompany the greeting which Adora’s still getting used to over her previous smirk.

Catra’s in all black, a black leather jacket, a tight black crop top with a heart-shaped boob window (gifted to her for Christmas by Bow) , black ripped jeans, and black Doc Martens. She pulls it off though which isn’t surprising considering Catra’s always been the more fashionable one out of the two of them. Adora looks down at her simple red cashmere sweater and light blue jeans.

She looks back up and clears her throat. “Come in, we’re just setting up a few more things before everyone gets here.”

Catra steps in and hangs her leather jacket on the coat rack. As soon as she turns back around Adora pulls her into a gentle hug.

“I missed you.”

Catra blinks in surprise but relaxes into the hug and hugs Adora back. Adora sighs. She loves Catra’s hugs. Catra’s arms always hold her upwards (like if she were to carry something) with the palms of her hands at the top of her back.

Catra giggles and Adora feels the rumble of her laugh against her chest. “You just saw me on Christmas, dummy,” she replies, her voice laced with fondness. “So it’s only been a week.”

“So? I still missed you.”

#she ra #spop #catradora #catra #adora #my c/a writing

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tippenfunkaport · 3 years

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SPOP Catradora ZOMBIES AU

I have been haunted by this idea since September but there is no way I am going to have time to write it so I am unleashing this AU idea into the world, free to a good home.

Yes, we are talking about Zombies (sometimes written as Z-O-M-B-I-E-S the cheese-tastic 2018 Disney Channel movie). Quick recap if you've never seen the movie, it's a high school love story between a "zom" aka zombie and a "pom" aka cheerleader. Zombies face a lot of prejudice but are being allowed to attend regular high school for the first time this year. They have a kind of hulk mode that gives them super strength but they lose control without their (easily hacked for plot purposes) wrist bands. Meanwhile, the cheerleaders represent the status quo and see the zombies as a threat to normalcy. There are also werewolves that come in later movies we could add if we wanted.

(And, yes, I'm aware that the way I'm casting this makes the prejudice / racism metaphor weird but I would argue the metaphor was already weird considering the two main leads of the movie are white so...)

Here's how we cast it...

Adora as Zed. She just wants to live a normal life but is cursed with super strength she cannot control and the prejudice of being a zombie in a world that still thinks they are nothing but monsters. She's become an unwilling symbol of hope, assimilation and the model zombie but all she really wants is a normal life hanging out with her girlfriend and playing on the football team. In time she comes to realize that she can control her powers without the wrist band.

Catra as Addison. Her mother, the mayor (Shadow Weaver), is pushing her towards a picture perfect life and a spot on the cheerleading team, but she's not sure if that's what she wants, especially because the spotlight makes it harder to hide her terrible secret: she was actually born a cat girl with cat ears and a tail that she hides with a wig and creative tailoring. Falling for a zombie is only going to put more attention on her and make it more likely people will learn that she's not as perfect as her mother likes to pretend she is!

Bow as Bucky. Listen villain cheerleader Bow is hilarious to me, let me have this. Plus this makes him Catra's cousin so we get those good platonic Bowtra family vibes! He is the star cheerleader on the school's championship squad who wants the zombies out of the school and will do whatever it takes to get rid of them (he justifies this as being for the good of the school and everyone's safety but that's just because he doesn't want to admit this his motives are mostly selfish and he resents the attention the zombies get because it takes away from him and his team). We combine his arcs from both movies and let him come around midway so he's not quite as terrible as in the movies. His evil minions on the cheerleading squad are Double Trouble, Mermista and Sea Hawk (aka Lacey, Tracey and Stacey, you decide who is who).

Glimmer is Eliza. She's tiny. She's angry. She WILL try to blow up an entire occupied building if it means helping her people. Now, you and I know that there is no Eliza / Bucky romance in the movie but here's how the Glimbows can still win: we do it anyway. Picture it: enemies to lovers Glimbow, opposite sides of a culture war, first they are trying to kill each other, then they are hate smooching and then they are overcoming their differences and smooching for real. A proper redemption arch for Bow!Bucky instead of whatever half-ass thing the movie did? Come on, it could be so good!

Scorpia is Bree, Catra's best friend, who doesn't think she has the right "look" to be a cheerleader (come on, this fits so well) and Perfuma is Bonzo, the sensitive zombie poet who wins her heart.

(Because Eliza is also the tech girl we could split her character and give the wrist band hacking part of her storyline to Entrapta if we want to include her too. Alternately, she can be a techie allied with the cheerleaders since Catra and Scorpia are already on that side for Super Pal Trio vibes.)

Zed!Adora's family is made up of Mara in Zevon's parental role and Razz as Zoey, her sweet, lovable zombie grandma who just wants to get a dog and name it Loo-Kee.

Hordak is Shadow Weaver's brother who is the head of the zombie patrol. Castaspella and Huntara are the principal and football coach. (Yes, this makes Casta a prejudiced nightmare, sorry Casta, there are only so many roles.) For the purposes of this bit, Casta has to either not be related to Glimmer or she is but was never turned into a zombie and is prejudiced against her own kind I guess?

If I were writing this, I'd fold in stuff from the second movie too so Lonnie is Willa (but she's the one with sexual tension with Addision!Catra instead of Wyatt), Frosta is Wynter (I mean...), and Wyatt is Rogelio. Kyle is... also there? I don't have a part for Spinnerella and Netossa, sorry gals, maybe you are background citizens of the town? We save Prime and the gang for the alien movie part whenever that comes out.

Anyway, think about it, it works incredibly well with everyone's canon storylines and could be a lot of fun! Forbidden love Catradora! Enemies to lovers Glimbow! The evil trio of Seamista and DT, taking people down with the power of bitchiness and cutting remarks! Scorpia being an adorable bean who just wants to be a flier while Perfuma is a hippie zombie who just thinks she's the greatest! Everyone has lots to do plot wise so it's good ensemble fun!!

Free idea to a good home!!

#zombies #z o m b i e s #catraodra #spop #shera #she ra #glimbow #seamista #adora #catra #au idea #free idea #glimmer #someone write this please #it would give me such joy #bow #scorfuma #zeddison

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jinxedcatra · 3 years

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could you tell us some of your catradora HC's please

could be from canon or any of your AU's

hmmmmmmm okay well

canon adora really doesn’t know how to interact with children and obviously they all like her because “turn into the big warrior lady with the sword!!” but beyond that adora has no idea how to entertain them meanwhile catra is over here with 100% maternal instinct and EVERYONE is surprised by that bc they always figured adora would be good with kids and catra would be like… no

90s au catra has MAD beef with mcdonald’s bc a drive thru opened near bright moon about a year before the fic started and took business away from spinnetossa’s diner and she continues to hold that grudge a year later when the fic begins… catra’s whole thing is loyalty and she’s incredibly loyal to netossa and spinnerella so she literally refuses to eat mcdonald’s and bc of that has never tried it

90s au adora listens to catra’s favourite bands and songs and does enjoy it but honestly??? her favourite band is abba and she’ll literally die before admitting that to catra because she knows catra would tease her mercilessly and never let her hear the end of it (another parallel to mara/hope and their ongoing bonnie tyler debate)

when popstar au catra stops hating her old pop songs she has to relearn like 90% of the chord progressions bc she ignores them, doesn’t perform them or listen to them for years

she also does a little series on her youtube channel where she tries to teach adora certain songs on guitar and adora is so confused by it and catra thinks it’s the most adorable thing ever to watch her try and play a chord and get the finger positions completely wrong and learns that while adora can sing, playing an instrument isn’t her forte (but it is good for youtube content)

also i hc that catra is lactose intolerant in every universe but literally doesn’t care and eats her body weight in ice cream at least once a week bc “i’m here for a good time not a long time adora shut up”

#ask #anonymous

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etheriadearie · 4 years

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What if it's Adora's... and Catra's- Dream?

::It's been eight months since The Kiss and Catradora becoming canon in one of the most breathtakingly romantic and beautiful endings of all time. Now that we've all throughly gotten to enjoy that, I'd like to take some time to explore how Adora's dream might tie into everything having to do with its ending, as well as the entire romantic arc of SPOP.

This post centers on Adora's dream, with the goal of exploring the dream as a part of the Catradora romance. Really, truely, as part of their romance. Pardon my vagueness, because it is out of kindness: if you haven't finished the series, THIS IS A SPOILER WARNING. 🚨🚨🚨 ... If you don't like spoilers, now is the time to scroll on by, Horde soldier // Rebellion fighter!! (and please, return when you do- <3)

If you have finished the show, please consider joining me below, as i'd love to hear your opinion on the following theory...

💜💙💚💛🧡❤️💜💙💚💛🧡❤️💜💙❤️🧡❤️💜💙💚💛🧡❤️💜💙💚💛🧡❤️💜💙❤️

Hey Adora ~❤️

Are you still with me?

Good, then let's get this started-

It is highly probable that Adora’s 'dream' is a canon romantic moment for each of them, which not only Adora experiences, but so does Catra.

The dream is, instead, a spontaneous reaction of Etheria’s deep magic and their love, in particular because Catra is with Adora as she tries to save Adora through her love for her. They both share in the creating of the dream, but it's meaning is that of Catra showing her love to Adora: they are connected within the dream by way of this Etherian magic, which they have shared in before.

I say this because what we’re actually seeing is a simulation, much like the ones that Catra and Adora shared together during Promise: these simulations are based on memories and on emotions: it is Catra’s emotions which are being channeled as Etheria creates the dream for them.

We will indeed discuss the arc of their love in this post, but, this theory is based on the use of a oft neglected, but powerful, mode of storytelling:: Known as ‘visual cues’ this method of storytelling is employed by Noelle and Friends as the way to tell us the deeper meanings behind the dream sequence. And the use of these cues tells us that this is intended to be seen as a shared romantic moment for both girls, showing their love for one another.

I know, this might seem like a lot to process, after all, isn't what we see during the dream supposedly Adora’s subconscious response to Mara’s words of wisdom about love, when she asked Adora what she wants, and tells her to not give up?

And how would it even be possible for Catra to be in the simulation with Adora? To the former, Adora still had no answer to Mara’s question, like she didn't when Catra asked her what she wanted the night before. And in the dream, we watch as Adora spends almost all of it denying what she's seeing, believing she has failed her duty to save everyone as She-ra. Considering Adora’s resistance to the dream, does it make sense for the dream to be self actualized by Adora, or is what she sees originating from somewhere else, and if so, how?

As to whether Catra can be there with Adora, the answer is a resounding yes: and that's because we already know that Catra is in the dream with Adora, for part of the time. How we know this is that after Horde Prime traps Adora, Catra intervenes to save Adora and they interact: Catra reaches down to try and save Adora, ending famously with her beautiful love confession, which helps Adora find the strength to reach out to take her hand.

That we see Catra do this, and that she does it so purposefully, tells us that this is something that actually happens between the two of them:: Catra must have seen Horde Prime trap Adora, and Adora can see and hear Catra in her mind as she calls for her- Adora really does reach up to take Catra’s hand, and as she takes it, is pulled from the edge of death. It's not a metaphor at all, even though we know Catra is holding Adora's body in the real.

And so, if Catra was with Adora then, why not before, too?

To put it simply, all of the visions that Adora has, including her meeting Mara before the dream, is Etheria’s deep magic trying to help her, and so it helps to bridge the gap that's needed for Catra to share her love with Adora. After all, Etheria "is a living creature" (s5ep8) and Catra, actually, has a strong connection to Etheria’s magic, and to magic in general (we will revisit this later).

All that happens is tied together, which we'll talk about below: what Adora sees in the dream is the true beginning of Catra’s love confession, because Catra is coming through for Adora as her best self to save her, much like Adora did for Catra during Save the Cat.

::And that's where our visual cues come in, because as it turns out, the Dream and Save the Cat are related: they are related in storytelling and in emotion, but most importantly:: they are related visually.

This post will cover these similarities starting below. We’ll also take a look at two separate and distinct visual cues having to do with how Catra acts in the Dream to further the discussion, and lastly we'll cover how, in fact, all of Save the Cat and Heart Part 2 are related, starting well before the dream, continuing right through it, and afterwards as well.

But, to get this started, let's take a look at visual cue #1: when Catra offers her hand to Adora in her dream.

::During the dream, Adora has such disbelief when she finds herself in it, and she keeps this disbelief right up until the critical moment: when Catra turns to her and offers her hand to Adora, lovingly asking her if she's ready to go. That, is the moment when we finally see Adora give herself over to the idea of their love, she suspends her disbelief… only to have the moment so cruelly ripped away by Horde Prime...

As it so turns out, this sequence of events has happened before, almost exactly down to the frame by frame:: it happened during Save the Cat, when Adora offered her hand to Catra. These moments are visually similar, emotionally parallel, and story parallel as well. Here are the two scenes, and while you look at them, consider how the girls are arranged compositionally with each other:

What we have here is visual parallels, many more of which we'll discuss later. But, it goes deeper than that:: because on closer consideration, we see that the girls are arranged ‘mirror’ to each other. For example:

::In Save the Cat, Adora offers her hand to Catra from the left, and in the dream Catra offers her hand to Adora from the right-

::When Prime electrocutes Catra after she reaches for Adora’s hand, she falls downward on the right; when Adora is trapped by Prime, she sinks downward on the left, with her tears showing the direction of her descent (note, Catra’s tears were not depicted, but she is crying as Prime shocks her). This mirroring is shown repeatedly throughout the two episodes, and not just during the dream itself.

So why are these moments mirrored?

That's what this theory aims to prove, with all the muster that it can:: this mirroring is a purposeful artistic collaboration between the art and writing teams, letting us know by way of it, that we're suppose to understand how these scenes are parallel: with the meaning of this being that one girl is mirroring the other’s actions in order to save them.

Therefore, in theory:: what we're seeing during the dream is Catra mirroring the heroic love Adora shows for Catra during Save the Cat, and all of what we see in the dream is actually Catra showing her true love, is the true beginning of her love confession, and is done to save Adora. As for the other deeper, more involved reason, it is that Adora and Catra are actually parallel characters throughout the series, who vary by circumstance, but are struggling with much the same issues. (a discussion for another time, however)

For instance:: consider how similar the virus that Adora is fighting during her time in the Heart chamber is to the mind control that Catra fought in Save the Cat:: Prime is using the virus to control Adora, and she ultimately is able to reject Prime's control because of Catra’s actions- much like Catra did, after Adora showed up in Save the Cat to restore their love, telling Catra to fight Prime’s control, so that they can be home together again.

And here's the thing: if the artists and writers go to such lengths to make these scenes parallel… even moreso, the characters are mirrored, doesn't the meaning of it therefore demand that Catra be with Adora during her dream, to help her fight free of Prime’s control by showing her love to Adora, just like Adora did for Catra during Save the Cat?

Now really, what confirms this theory is the entire arc of the show, which, *puffs up cheeks* is a bit too much to cover here, so I'll save us some time and stick to a couple of themes instead. One of these will be the Catradora love arc, as it is integral to the next visual cues.

And these cues are that Catra’s truest love is shown during Adora’s dream, something which we don't see Catra do before this moment. So, sit tight for a bit, because this'll take some explaining-

Visual cues #2 and #3: Catra’s most earnest love is shown in the dream, and it's both what Adora needs to survive, and is fundamental to Catra’s redemption-

Redemption arcs are popular for a reason, and because the next cues relate so strongly to Catra's redemption, I'll be talking about how Catra’s redemption is fully realized by the honest and earnest love she shows for Adora, inside the dream as well as right before it.

In order for Catra to complete her redemption, or since that's cliche, ::for Catra to realize her best self:: she has to accept her truth as the absolute total romantic that she is, who through the braveness of her confession of love, is the one who helps their dreams come true, and brings Catradora into canon.

This is because, in all seriousness, Catra is and always has been a romantic, she's just blocked by her own traumatic experiences (plz consult Princess Prom if confused about how Catra is a romantic, 😼😹). And, she's always known she was in love with Adora- who, unlike Catra, never quite realizes her full feelings until Catra’s confession. And Catra needs to redeem herself by showing this love, because she chose to deny her love to Adora, as well as to herself, at the end of Promise after seeing how very little love and understanding Adora had to give to her in season 1. This next set of visual cues is all about how we see Catra’s feelings and actions change to reflect her true feelings of love, and that through accepting her own love for Adora, is able to help Adora to succeed in her final task.

::As Adora faces down her final challenge of disabling the Heart, Catra makes what could best be described as a decision of ‘radical love’: that she's willing to give everything she has- to help, love, and support Adora. We first see Catra’s decision to show such love right before the dream when she swears to stay by Adora’s side, and she then fully completes this love during the dream when we see Catra show her precious love for Adora.

In the dream, the Catra we see is much more tender, vulnerable, and intimate, than we’ve ever seen her be at any other time previous to this point in the series… her love is even more earnest than during their earliest memories as children. That's because we’re seeing a completely novel and honest expression of Catra's love, one which Catra hasn't been willing to show before this. Catra really needs to show her full feelings to redeem herself, not just a last second love confession. What we're seeing during the dream is her truest feelings, without her own self doubt or fears of vulnerability blocking her.

And this new love we see is part of the decision which Catra makes, right before the dream, swearing that she will stay with Adora no matter what, letting Adora know she has her full love and support as Adora faces her final task. This decision is the other half of the visual cue #2, and here’s the two moments together::

Is Catra ending up positioned so similarly just coincidence, or does it have deeper meaning as well? A couple things for consideration:

Firstly: Adora probably doesn't notice this shift in Catra’s behavior, especially before the dream, as Adora is completely focused on her burden of saving-the-entire-universe-along-with-every-last-person-in-it, which is rather a lot to expect one girl to do... even if she is She-ra. Also note: Adora is a romantically oblivious person, so there's that, too. And since she's so preoccupied by mortal peril, it really doesn't make sense for the sweet and loving Catra we see in the dream to originate from Adora’s subconscious, as Catra has never shown Adora this tender, loving version of herself: and so, it makes more sense that the magic of the simulation would be drawing from somewhere else entirely: it draws on Catra’s own feelings of love.

I know, these scenes vary in mood significantly, but the difference we're seeing in the dream is actually a heightened version of the love Catra shows before it, one where Catra is not only showing Adora that she values and supports her, but that Catra quite literally feels precious love for Adora. Catra clings to her, letting her know that she is treasured above all else, which is really, really REALLY sweet, and also really really not in line with how Catra has acted up to this point in the series...

Catra loves Adora, this is central to her arc, even during the times when she's aligned so strongly against her. Her story is about learning to accept her love, and she's reestablishing her love for Adora during these scenes... this is the total truth of her love and affection, that is.

She’s already established that she's willing to risk herself to protect Adora, such as when she tackles Melog on Krytis. But, Catra protecting Adora from harm physically isn't enough to fully redeem herself: she's also got to show the romantic love she feels which she denied to Adora so long ago. This love she feels is something that Adora continuously teases Catra over, constantly ruining the moment by misinterpreting Catra’s feelings simply as attraction, never fully realizing or acting on the romantic implications. This happened as recently as when Catra jumped into the fire to save Adora... Adora is a romantic idiot. (don't you worry, I say this with fondness) This is part of Catra's test: even though Adora never gives her a sign that she feels romantic love as well, Catra has to show her love because that's what it has always been about for her. Loving Adora properly means Catra has to accept Adora as she is, and not let her own romantic frustration block her. It's also simply the right thing to do, as they are out of time, and could all die if Adora fails... Adora's story, on the other hand, has been about becoming the hero, and Catra has to accept that yes, in total reality, Adora simply has never considered what she wants because of her burdens.

As Adora faces her final task and is feeling crushed by the weight of her burdens and fears of failure, Catra has to show this love to counter Adora’s own obliviousness and internalized emotional barriers, as Catra realizes how Adora really doesn't "get it" right up until Catra’s love confession. Adora is not seeing what she has to live for, and Catra's fully accepting Adora as who she is helps Catra to see how she can help Adora, because Adora's romantic awkwardness is really more about her emotional trauma than her love for Catra- Adora loves Catra, that much is clear. But is it romantic love? Catra takes a risk and shows her true feelings, because she knows Adora is struggling, and they are out of time... so no matter what, Catra has to show her romantic love to Adora, and luckily she's able to do so during the dream (because of the help of Etheria's magic).

We also need to talk about how Catra stands with Adora: in both moments she chooses to stand behind Adora. Catra is showing her true support to Adora, and her most honest feelings of love- something I discussed in my Promise discussion is how Catra never wanted power for herself, she just wanted to be safe, and to be with Adora. Here we have Catra, definitively showing after all this time that she doesn't want power, she just wants to love Adora.

The Catra we see in seasons 1-4 rejected Adora as She-ra, seeing her as two faced for ignoring and then abandoning her to continued abuse while fighting for others, breaking her final promise as she did. This was a trauma decision, but Catra is done letting trauma control her life. So here we see Catra choose to support and love Adora no matter what, like she always wanted to do, and she's even choosing to support Adora as the hero. This is further demonstrated as true during the dream, as Catra (albeit jokingly) asks Adora to save her from a determined Glimmer.

All in all, the Catra we see in the dream is very unlike anything we’ve seen before, she's outwardly in love, feelings which Adora herself feels but struggles to understand. And that Catra ends up positioned so similarity is a cue that Catra is allowing her true love to be shown during the dream. It's exactly what Adora needs to feel coming from Catra, as years of being abused and new hardships have convinced Adora that sacrifice is the only thing that makes her worthy of love- Mara tells her “You're worth more than what you can give to other people, you deserve love, too”. Sadly, when you watch this scene you see that Adora has a hard time accepting Mara's words, she shys away from them instead.

Catra’s choosing to stay with Adora, and then show her most earnest love inside the dream, helps Adora to see how she deserves to be loved: as the person she is, and not only as a hero. Catra is the only person who loved Adora before she was She-ra, and her love for her has never been about her being a hero, like Adora was told she had to be by Shadow Weaver.

That was something done out of malicious intent, as Shadow Weaver did it to control Adora and to prepare her as her sacrifice. Young Catra was there when it happened to Adora, and always knew that it was done out of some dark intent (hence her frustration during the battle of Thaymore- “Duhhh did yah just figure that out??”). Catra constantly shows that she is wise to manipulations.

... And Adora is still stuck on this trauma: the love that Catra shows Adora helps her see past her own hurt.

::Ok. I say this next part with all the sincerity I can: expecting Catra to carry the entire burden of their romance all on her own is rather a lot to expect her to be able to do. And yet… she does it. She's the one who confesses her love, she's the one who kisses Adora, and in the dream, she shows Adora that she's in love with her. This is because Catra is a person who understands what she wants. She chooses to have faith that their love is real, and so she shows her heart to Adora. How does Catra trust enough in love, considering her past mistakes, and all trauma that she's been through?

People mostly think that Catra post season 5 would be a person who is still in a state of hurting from her past, that she constantly struggles with self hatred and doubts. But, ask yourself: is that how Catra is portrayed, or do we see a person who has faced her trauma so that she can live free of it?

That Catra would be able to do this so totally is what I think throws so many people about Catra. After all, most people who have trauma struggle with it continuously, so why wouldn't Catra struggle like this too… people have a hard time accepting that she is able to change her behavior so much for the better. But, don't let that stop you from seeing her as she is presented to be, there's powerful reasons why Catra is like she is, Noelle wouldn't take a shortcut in this. The reasons are there... it's just… complicated.

Probably too complicated to cover here, but I'll try to summarize a theme here: Catra is a survivor. That's what her attitude is, and her arc. She's survived ever since that day when Shadow Weaver threatened to kill her as only a small child, and she’s survived many other near deaths and hardships getting to this point. And because of that, she's found what she really wants to live for, and she's become too strong against others hurting her to let them control her. This strength includes against her own bias of self judgement over her past actions, because she understands how her actions were the product of manipulative abuses by others who wanted to control her. She knows trauma, in fact she's somewhat blessed in this ability (see this meta). What Catra does during the dream and her love confession is to reject ALL of the trauma, the falseness, the negativity, and hurt that's been put into both her AND Adora all of their lives. She's way too strong to let her own fears block her, and as she sees Adora struggling with her own fears, Catra gives her full heart to Adora because Catra knows how important it is to want to live and to love, and if she can just get Adora to understand that too, then she can save her.

... because Catra is brave, perhaps the bravest person in all of SPOP, she comes through to save Adora from Adora's own fears by showing her the power of love. Catra sees Adora for who she is better than anyone else can: she sees her humanity, and her struggles. And seeing is very important to our next cue::

Cue #3 ‘I’m YOUR idiot’

During Save the Cat, as Adora watches Catra teetering on the edge of the platform, she implores Catra to keep on fighting. She tells her: “you've never listened to anyone in your life, are you really going to start now?”

Catra responds by very fondly calling her an idiot.

And Adora freely accepts this, saying:

“I know.”

Then we get this frame, as shown above: Adora sees Catra, and how she's always tried to find safety from those that would hurt her by not letting them control her life.

Catra only ever listened to one person: she listened to Adora, and their promise... hence the ‘idiot’ part. And Adora is saying, as she accepts being called an idiot, that ‘I should have seen it sooner, and why my love was so important. You always felt like you had to fight to survive, and I was suppose to be different than those who hurt you. I was wrong not to understand sooner, and I shouldn't have hurt you like I did.'

And she proves it to Catra with her next words: “I'm going to take you home.”

Home. The thing Catra felt she had lost when Adora abandoned her at the Horde. Adora is saying: ‘I know this is what you want.’

‘So, live.’

::In the second frame, we see Catra show absolute acceptance of her love for Adora. It's just like Adora accepting being Catra’s idiot: Catra is telling Adora: 'Don't you see how I love you? You tease me, but this is not because I like you, it's because I'm crazy about you. I'm in love with you. And I want you to see this, my silly, beautiful love. Because I want you to know how I love you. I should have seen why my love was so important sooner, and I never should have left you."

‘I do freely admit that I am your idiot.’

‘And I know you. I know that this is what you really want. And that it hurts you that you were made the hero, and how everyone expects so much of you, but they never seem to see how much it hurts you.’

‘And I know that what you want is to be loved.’

‘I see you. I know you.’

‘So... live.”

It's exactly what Adora needs to see to accept love, and not let her trauma stop her. This is part of what helps Adora overcome Prime’s virus so she can absorb the Heart's power: she needed to see that she's loved. Much like Catra did, back on Prime’s ship.

Sidebar discussion 1: thoughts regarding this theory-

How exactly does the dream come to be, how does Catra experience its creation, all of these finer points we kinda hafta leave to the 'magic' that happens. We can't know exactly how it happened, but maybe we don't need to.

As to why didn't they didn't just tell us, *if* this theory is true, that is- probably because She-ra's ending is beautiful, it's hard to imagine it being any more beautiful than it already is. It's worth watching again and again: not having everything spelled out for us just makes us want to watch it more. -etheriadearie

Part 4: How everything is mirrored starting well before the dream, as well as after🪞♾🪞

All of Heart Part 2 is a mirror of Save the Cat, starting from the very beginning. And, if you look carefully you can see stylistic elements repeated throughout each (mirroring, compositional arrangements, use of green in both to represent Prime’s corruption, etc.) They are different enough that each is worthy of being called an artistic masterpiece of its own, but everything in them is related, and what happens as Catra saves Adora is very much the story of Save the Cat being retold.

Catra’s decision to return to help Adora inside the Heart chamber is synonymous with Adora’s decision to face Horde Prime on his flagship. Neither have a plan worth mentioning, both know they could fail, but they have to try, no matter what. They love each other too much not to try.

… and the other is totally dismayed when they show up to save them, knowing how perilous their situations are, as they had resigned themselves to their fates.

Oh, hey Shadow Weaver. Looks like you slipped in to be a stand in for Horde Prime ? Could this be because you were the real villain of SPOP all along ?

Even though the one is so unhappy that the other is risking themselves like they are, each girl continues to fight to free the other. They need the other to see how much they care.

Above: Adora makes a similar declaration of love to Catra's in cue #2, more mirroring 🪞

Sidebar discussion 2: Catra’s strong connection to magic-

A subplot of She-ra is how Catra unlearns her negative perception of magic she has from it being used against her as a child by Shadow Weaver, and instead comes to see magic as something beautiful. Even though Catra professes a strong dislike of it “why does everything have to be so weird with you guys ?” (s5ep8), magic constantly seeks her out.

It starts during Promise, when Catra’s subconscious seemingly guides the memories they see, ending with her seeing her inner child's hurt. It continues in the Portal episodes when she's given up hope, and after trying to destroy herself, instead returns as Corrupted Catra, a magical being with knowledge and purpose. Then, in season 5, Melog chooses Catra, she nervously accepts their friendship and is surprised to finds them to be very good friend to her.

And so, during the dream, as Catra and Adora lie mere feet from the center of Etheria’s magic, it reaches out to help them- it is a living thing, and Catra welcomes its help, proving she has incredible harmony with magic, and by allowing herself to work with it during the dream, she completes her journey of unlearning her bias- because the truth of Etheria’s magic is love.

Like Adora's jumping off the platform after Catra falls, Catra refuses to give up, and finds a way to get to Adora~

Sidebar discussion 3: Horde Prime’s virus

Another bridge between our girls is that when the monster attacks Catra, she's infected by Prime’s virus along with Adora. This is another route by which their minds can be connected (see Catra’s right hand, above) which begs the question: is everything that Adora sees in the dream just an elaborate cruelty of Horde Prime's?

I'm going with no, because of the visions which Adora has before the dream. Most of them happen well before the infection reaches Adora’s location, and their meanings don't really make sense as part of Prime’s deceit. He also says “So this is where you've run to hide" when he interrupts Adora's conversation with Mara.

It makes more sense that it is as Razz says: "You cannot control magic, magic simply is" and the magic is communicating with Adora and with Catra. It is rather, that Catra manages to use Prime's virus against him, as she's faced his control before. Her personal knowledge of his technology likely means Catra knows to help Adora overcome his control, and this along with her confession, helps Adora to break free of his control.

As Adora struggles with her final duty as She-ra to stop the heart, feeling alone in the face of it because she alone is She-ra, the only one who supposedly can do it, she's feeling crushed by the weight of a millennia old war and other's past cruelties forced onto her life. She believes it's too much for her to do alone, and that she's not a good enough hero.

Catra’s ultimate answer to Adora is: 'Don't be.’

Catra is telling Adora to stop being the hero just long enough to realize what she already has, because she's not alone. She needs help, but it's right there with her- she doesnt have to do it alone, no one should.

And so, by asking her to stay, Catra is telling Adora: 'Forget about being She-ra, and right now instead just focus on wanting to live... because if you don't live, then I can't help you. I know, this is hard. But if you can just accept that you want to be with me, then we can figure this out, together.'

And that's exactly what they do- they face the heart together.

Adora accepts love, and so Catra is able to help her absorb the Hearts power.... because love is the strongest thing in the entire universe... 💞

A few closing thoughts regarding this theory: We don't have a lot of time with the romance between Catra and Adora, as their kiss is the apex moment. But, by way of these cues perhaps us seeing them in the dream at their most romantic is real. When Adora wakes up, she doesn't even have to say anything about what she saw- Catra was there, helping her. One of the reasons why the kiss and Adora's confession of love back to Catra seems so pure is because she's understanding Catra perfectly. In fact they both are, because of the dream they shared together.

Considering how short She-ra is, for them to actually share this romantic moment together would be is key. And I feel it makes sense that they do, as such a beautiful moment deserves to live on in their (our) memories... and a way by which they could share this moment may very well exist, *if* this theory is correct.

Noelle and Friends may have cleverly given us this answer, and as beloved as the dream scene is, I'd like to think that they're together during it. Either way, She-ra's ending is beautiful.

As always, thanks for reading... I hope that you enjoyed it. Hopefully it's not just stating the obvious ? Feel free to let me know- 😅 And I couldn't get to all of the endings complexities here (for instance, Adora's confusion on love and needing someone like Catra to show her the way is very interesting, and worth exploring), and, believe me I, too, have questions. Feel free to ask questions or give me feedback, as always I will try to respond!! Also, I will be posting something related to this regarding their arcs in the near future~ hopefully. Until then...

"Don't you get it ? I love you. I always have. So please, just this once. Stay!" 🏳️‍🌈💞💋🏳️‍🌈

~EtheriaDearie

::As always, thanks for a like or reblogg!! I'm still new to tumblr, so thank you for reading- ❤️🙇

P.S. Here's the short version of this post. Yes, the "cliff notes" 😅. For a quick share with your friends!!

#she ra #spop #catradora #she ra meta #she ra and the princesses of power #Catradora dream theory #my writing #she ra fan theory #she ra spoilers

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