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ineffably-human · 2 years

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here's the thing about 'queerbaiting', something I still think doesn't exist:

there are queer couples all over the place in media these days. most of them are traditionally sexy young adults, because most romance writing is about traditionally sexy young adults. but you tend to know what you're getting within a season or two. there's a distinct lack of queer slow burns in the traditional rom-com sense where you don't immediately know where it's going. if you've got a queer romance, then you've got a queer romance. most of the fanfare I see when something long-term goes canon is from 'animation lesbians': Catradora, Bubbleline, Korrasami, because the idea that animation is for kids (and Catradora's whole...deal) put their endgame in question.

but please consider: part of that is because in a M/F rom-com you know if they're devoting a lot of screen time to these two people interacting, that's your couple, and there's no doubt. the slow burn is HOW it's gonna happen, unless the show truly changes its direction halfway through, which is rare.

in a potential queer romance that doesn't immediately pay off, half the intrigue is sitting and wondering: if the writers realize what they're doing, if they're doing it on purpose, if this or that thing is symbolic or a hidden message, if that thing they said out loud is a joke or taking the possibility seriously. it's the ultimate parasocial 'does he like me or LIKE like me?' because it's baked into the experience itself that a little part of you believes it might not happen. I guarantee that there was never something with Jim and Pam or Jake and Amy where the actors/writers said something romantic about them in an interview and everyone went 'omg!! they were insane for this!!!' because there's nothing 'insane' about it, and there's nothing 'insane' about doing it for a queer couple either. we just don't EXPECT it yet.

the thing that makes a queer will-they-won't-they exciting for you is the exact thing that makes a queer will-they-won't-they potentially heartbreaking. I'm not saying it's bad to want it, just - understand that the reason you're reacting to That Very Intense Friendship and not the larger and larger offering of unambiguously canon queer media is because the potential 'taboo' of a queer pairing is like a mobius strip.

and half the time we're retrofitting a pairing. we want to ship, we find something shippable, we hunt for potential hints and dynamics accordingly. we are literally working in a different language than a lot of straight writers, and off a different set of endorphin rushes and emotional payoffs than a lot of straight viewers.

I can name maybe four shows that actually understood they had a queer fanbase and leaned into that fanbase while having no intention of paying it off. and almost all of those shows are like a decade old or at least started that long ago. some of them even clearly, vocally said they weren't writing a romance, people just didn't believe them or hoped they'd changed their minds. please name what you consider a clear example of queerbaiting that isn't Sherlock, Supernatural, Teen Wolf, idk maybe Gotham? (except does that even count if one of the pair is canon queer and the problem is they weren't taken seriously? I did not watch or Tumblr-osmose as much about Gotham.) and for whatever show you're naming, did they ever actually promise or even hint at queerness to begin with?

(I have remembered Loki after already posting this but I am like...torn on Loki. they said Loki would be bi and he is bi. him not getting with a man after being bi is not queerbaiting. it's a person being bisexual. and Disney being boring.)

I promise: OFMD didn't invent gay people, and there are shows on this earth that aren't Supernatural. I love hunting for whether they're 'actually gonna do it' as much as the next person, but understand why that hits a sweet spot that immediately canon queer relationships don't.

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horde-princess · 4 years

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I honestly can see a very korrasami-esque ending for Catra and Adora. It’s totally obvious by now that Noelle meant for them to be romantic and that she would like to end with them on a romantic route. Unfortunately, I don’t know if DW will be onboard for something very “in your face”. So I can totally see them doing a korrasami ending but making it a bit more obvious that it’s romantic.

i know ive always said “they will definitely absolutely kiss no doubt in mind” but now that we’re at the end i think i should actually take the time to discuss this more… i’m what you might a call a realistic optimist because i choose to have faith but i’m not ignorant to the realities of the situation you know? so buckle up this is going to be a long and probably unpleasant ride lmao

to be real, going into the last season I’m trying to not let myself have too many expectations with catradora. I do 100% fully expect that their relationship will be shown to be explicitly romantic by the end, but unfortunately, yes, its possible that they may not kiss. i’m at peace with that and i hope this post helps you guys see my thinking and come to terms with it too

obviously i dont understand all the underlying mechanisms of producing a tv show. i do know that dreamworks has hardly been a progressive studio in terms of lgbt representation. there are a lot of factors that would go into a decision about whether to allow a lesbian kiss in one of their projects, not least the fact that She-Ra is a reboot. having said all that, i’m still optimistic and there IS evidence in favor of a kiss that i think is worth talking about!

thinking about where to start with this discussion on Dreamworks vs. lgbt representation, Voltron came to mind. i’ve never seen the show but a quick google search brought me to this Geekdad article from an interviewer who did an investigation into Voltron’s lgbt rep failure and Dreamworks’ role in that. he argues that a lot of the blame belongs with the showrunners, because Dreamworks does at least provide resources and diversity consultants to help showrunners make respectful lgbt content, but the Voltron crew didn’t make use of them. the issue was not that Dreamworks actively blocked lgbt rep but rather that the studio did not work to ensure quality representation from the showrunners. which is a huge difference.

i dug a little deeper and found a transcript of an interview with the showrunners where they talk about the red tape they encountered, and what they say seems to implicate Voltron’s intellectual property holder as opposed to the Dreamworks studio itself. it sounds like Dreamworks’ hands were tied because the showrunners did not hold all the legal rights to the story.

of course we know IP is also an issue with She-Ra. however, correct me if i’m wrong, but I believe Mattel (the Masters of the Universe toy line) sold its property rights to NBCUniversal (Dreamworks’ parent company) a couple of years ago. this doesn’t mean all ties are cut with the original IP holder, but i think its safe to assume that She-Ra has some more wiggle room than Voltron did when it comes to the showrunners’ vision/creativity. especially because Mattel has been known to be pro-lgbt.

an interesting quote from Joaquim Dos Santos (voltron producer) was that after season 7, “She-Ra was in development within the studio and I think the studio was just sort of beginning to open its eyes to the possibilities of there being [lgbt] representation in their shows and there not being a huge public backlash for it.”

Also, in a different interview they said “to Dreamworks’ credit, I think the tide started changing internally” regarding the studio’s outlook on lgbt rep around the time that seasons 7/8 were in production.

so in addition to potential IP issues, Dreamworks is obviously concerned about their reputation and losing money. however we can gather from these quotations that (due to recent cultural shifts in the U.S.) Dreamworks has felt comfortable making efforts in the last few years to distribute more/better lgbt rep.

you also have to consider that Dreamworks KNEW what they were getting into with hiring Noelle. it’s hard to know whether lgbt representation was the vision for the show from the beginning or whether Noelle brought it with her (tho it seems like the latter). but either way, the studio must have been actively seeking to improve their lgbt representation because i’m sure she made her vision clear from the very beginning.

There’s a great article where Noelle talks about the fight to include lgbt rep in She-Ra:

“When you’re aiming to tell a story like that, you have to get everyone who’s working on the show, whether on the crew, or at the executive level, to believe in that world as well. It’s all part of trying to create the type of world in real life that you’re creating in the show. While I hope it comes across in a natural way in the show, it’s something you have to constantly fight for. You can’t take it for granted. I never take it for granted. It’s a really important thing to fight for, and a lot of it is just, “Trust me, this is gonna work. Believe in me. I can pull this off.” I am really fortunate to work with executives who do believe in me and who have allowed me to do a lot with this show. I’m very fortunate for that.”

So that is awesome to hear!! It wasn’t a tug-of-war situation with Noelle having to make concessions for execs who didn’t believe in her vision. She says the studio was supportive. But I think only time will tell us what the definition of “a lot” is.

Okay so, whew, that was a lot of information. i’ll be amazed if anyone actually reads this far lmaoo 😂 anyway i wanna move away from logistical stuff and talk about some other things Noelle has said about her show.

geekdad did another great interview with Noelle (and a Dreamworks PR representative!! it’s a good read) where he asked “if you wanted to depict a same gender relationship with foreground characters, do you think we’re at that stage yet in children’s animation where you could? Or do you think we still have a ways to go?”

Noelle replies “I think that remains to be seen, and I think… that’s something that–you should watch the show. You should see the storylines that we pursue in the future.”

When asked about catradora’s romantic undertones, “just keep watching” is something Noelle has said repeatedly in many different interviews. She wouldn’t say that if there wasn’t going to be a payoff at the end. It’s obvious she’s not at liberty to discuss the ending of the show, you can tell she’s always extremely careful with her wording when she’s faced with questions like this. But she consistently expresses, as a lesbian herself, that she has created a show she expects her own community will be excited about. Whatever actually happens, Noelle doesn’t believe that She-Ra will let us down 😌

Shes also mentioned that she’s grateful for shows like Steven Universe and Adventure Time that were trailblazers before She-Ra, because every successive show has the opportunity to be a little bit more progressive than the shows that came before it. We all have to continually strive to push the envelope and demand more inclusivity. If it turns out that that’s all She-Ra is–a small step towards quality representation–then yes of course it will feel like a massive waste (just because this story Noelle created is so incredible), but we’ll have to remember that the show is still playing a very important role in the history of children’s media. Even without a kiss, She-Ra has made incredible strides in lgbt rep. what i would hate to see is people complaining (god forbid calling it “queer baiting”) if there isn’t a kiss. Noelle and the crew have worked on this show tirelessly and passionately and we can’t yell at them for something they had no control over. the only people we should hold accountable are Dreamworks/Mattel. so i agree with you there anon.

Personally, at this point, I’m just here for the ride because i trust Noelle Stevenson with my life and She-Ra is the best show i’ve EVER seen. and i’m gonna keep talking about catradora kissing because

#she ra #asks/replies #this actually turned into a whole ass research article i'm insane for writing this lakjdlfs #no one can EVER doubt how seriously i take catradora

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badgerthegnome · 4 years

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OKAY so I binged season 5 of She-Ra

and it was ~♡*SO GOOD*♡~

Here is my very spoilery review, from perspective of I, a Glimadora fan, but a Glimadora fan who grew up in the Queer Representation Drought of the 90′s.

OKAY, so, if you’ve kept reading firstly thank you. And may we all dance together and THANK NOELLE.

Admittedly I went into this season not hopeful anyway for Glimadora, after what happened with them last season (and the fact that Catra and Adora’s star signs match the star signs of the Showrunner and her Wife? .....Yeah).

I still love them, and think the spark of possibility of their romance is and was a gorgeous thing, and will remain one of my favorite parts of the show.

But.

WE GOT DECENT REPRESENTATION, SO very DECENT REPRESENTATION. BETTER THAN ANYTHING I’VE SEEN IN AN ALL-AGES SHOW IN MY LIFE SO FAR.

And I HAVE to be grateful for that.

The people behind Korrasami fought so that we could have canonical, actually represented Catradora. The entire Crewniverse, esp. Rebecca Sugar, fought SO HARD so we could have canonical, actually represented Catradora. Hell, Naoko Takeuchi made Uranus and Neptune lovers, and Be-Papas made Utena queer as the day is long, so we could have canonical, actually represented on-screen Catradora. So much has been done to get us here, so I can’t help but be grateful - baseline, gratitude, first and always - that we got this level of representation AT ALL.

And ALL THOSE Netossa and Spinnerella moments. MY GAY HEART. The fact that we got all those kisses, and the actual use of the word WIFE. Priceless.

AND Double Trouble. EXTRA priceless.

AND Kyle/Rogelio.

AND all the moments where everybody was queer with.....well, everybody.

This show has given us SO much, that even though I didn’t get exactly what I wanted..... I can’t be mad. I’m not. I’m just so touched and pleased.

And honestly - I didn’t know how they were going to get Catradora to where they ended up, after everything. Not having shipped it before, I didn’t have a lot of thought-energy invested there, and since I didn’t have high hopes for a Glimadora-romantic-reconciliation after their fall last season I didn’t really forsee anything Catradora going well. I thought, honestly, that if they were going to push for Catradora endgame after all, it was going to feel forced and we’d only get implications, not THE CONFESSION. AND THE KISS (both kisses!).

And everything that built up to that? SO WELL constructed. I am so impressed. Not only between Catra and Adora directly, but the fact that Catra fits so well into the Best Friend Squad that I can’t picture them without her now that it’s happened. And I never, ever thought that was gonna happen.

(And I’m not even going to start about the Utena parallels in Catra saving Adora from that last vision she was having. You know what I mean.)

NOELLE I WAS SO WRONG TO DOUBT YOU.

On that note, again, I REALLY REALLY REALLY also SO much appreciate the Spinnetossa storyline, that we got to see SO much of them, and SO many kisses, and the threat of Spinnerella having been compromised was taken SO SERIOUSLY. DAMN. I shipped it before (how could you not?) but I ship it so hard now, and HAPPILY take it as consolation about my aforementioned ship woes (which can’t even really be woes. See above).

Here, have some crappily-taken phone camera shots of me pausing and flailing over the kisses as I watched on my tablet:

And as usual, the world building for the whole show - the world itself, the plot, the historical impact of all the backstory, everything - was SO WELL DONE. I have been massively impressed on that level alone since day 1, and now, at the end, I’m still not disappointed.

Also Scorpia. Always, but especially in her friendship with Perfuma this season (love love loved the resolution between her and Catra, too. I may be on board with Catradora now but I may have still cheered a lot when she blasted her, even though she was mind-controlled, and definitely squealed at the hug).

And all the scenes between Shadow Weaver and Castaspella. The build up to her redemption was handled very, very well, too. Even though I still hate her face.

I do have to say, though, that as a Glimadora fan I’m not sure how to approach Glimbow. I did not see that coming (as much as it wasn’t explicitly shown, and as much as I appreciate that it was left open to interpretation, I do think that the timing of their “I love you” shortly before Catradora’s “I love you” was not an accident). What I DO appreciate about them together, though, is that both characters are still queer af - and in my opinion, their love pushes Bow’s sexuality in a more fluid way than I expected. When I first saw the character designs in season 1, and with how he reacted to Seahawk, I was pretty sure they were going to go ‘stereotypical gay man’ with him - and I don’t say that with any harshness on the need for gay male representation, or any doubts about Noelle or anyone else on the creative team. I say that from the background of someone having grown up in the 90′s, where the best queer representation I saw on any non adult-adult TV was Willow and Tara of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (which and who I LOVE). BUT even with their loveliness, Willow’s bisexuality/pansexuality was ERASED as soon as she became attracted to a woman (like she tripped and was like “Whoops, guess I’m homosexual now!”). So I wasn’t very optimistic about Bow being any of the LGBTQ’s except the G, BUT a) clearly I was wrong, from the start, and yay for that, and b) he reads so strongly as pansexual, in my opinion, and so does Glimmer (I know and respect that many may disagree with me on this, not trying to start any kind of wars here. Especially since we just wrapped one up ;D ). So them together actually only solidifies that representation, I think.

(And I also gotta note that I am SO PLEASED with my girl Glimmer’s character development this season, in general. I was very very glad with how they handled her, especially after how hard - though understandable - how hard her decisions in season 4 were to watch.)

Definitely definitely definitely need a rewatch, now, from the perspective of Catradora AND Glimbow. An open one, trying to see both developing from the beginning, and value and respect all that went into building them.

I wanna end by saying that one of the things I appreciate SO much about this fandom is that we all have SO much LOVE for the show itself, and the representation we’ve been given. So I hope no matter what we shipped, still shipped, whatever we wished for - we can be grateful for the gift that this show is. And hopeful, too, for a spinoff in whatever format they can give us.

(I personally want more comics, but I’m super biased.)

P.S. Shoutout also to Entrapdak, Wrong Hordak and to Keston John for all the amazing work he did with all the clones this season. Damn.

(And that moment with Prime-possessed Hordak and She-ra/Adora at the end was ALSO PERFECT.)

(Okay really shutting up now.)

#spop #spop spoilers #spoilers #review #catradora #glimadora #glimmadora #spinnetossa #glimbow

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tumblezwei · 4 years

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Like, I think you are free to not like Catradora and have your own opinion about their relationship, but I'm very curious about what you think makes them so toxic. Like, I also think the redemption arc was kinda rushed and if they've planed to do it from the start they should have Catra starting to doubt her goals from like season 4... But I do think Adora and Catra have character besides each other, they have a clear personality from the start and they complement each other very well

Toxic may be too strong a word, but I think the two just aren’t compatible with each other for a lot of reasons.

On Adora’s end, her obsession with Catra was always portrayed as unhealthy. It made her lose sleep, it made her paranoid, it had her assuming the worst of any situation because what if Catra is already here or has some plan we don’t know about??? Guys we have to take this seriously or Catra’s going to win. This was at it’s worst in season 2, and they hadn’t had a single friendly meeting since season 1, ya know, when Catra tried to kill Adora which set off Adora’s paranoia. Like sometimes Catra wasn’t even behind the shit Adora was so worried about, but she acted like she was anyways because her paranoia was that bad. To me, that’s not something that can pave a way to a healthy relationship.

Not to mention how, again, season 3 cemented the idea that Catra fucked up so bad and for too long for Adora to forgive. Catra chose her path, and Adora decided then and there to let her walk it. In my eyes, backtracking that development and making CA canon anyways just undermines that moment and sends mixed messages to the audience. Especially the child demographic this show is targeted toward.

On Catra’s end, I just don’t think Adora ever really got why Catra was so angry at her in the first place. Adora’s emotional abuse at the hands of Shadow Weaver should absolutely not be downplayed, but I don’t think Adora was ever able to understand how ostracized and alone Catra felt when Adora was getting special treatment and Catra was treated like a pet that was only kept around for Adora. It’s not that their abuse should be compared, but I feel that there was a huge disconnect in how Adora saw her time in the Fright Zone, and how Catra saw her’s. And because of this, the two never really felt like they were ever on the same wavelength. Catra trying to explain to Adora why it didn’t matter to her that the Horde was evil, or her jealousy at Adora living a better life away from her, felt like Catra was just talking to a brick wall. Their relationship has always operated on this series of misunderstandings and trauma that never really get addressed or resolved. So the idea that they get together after one season of development from Catra where she says sorry and cuts her hair just doesn’t vibe with me.

They absolutely have characters outside of one another, and I liked their dynamic in the beginning because they worked well as foils, but the fact that those characters were railroaded, in my opinion, to put them in this romantic relationship that I just can’t justify to myself, makes me believe that it’s not an earned relationship at all.

#ask #anon #discourse tag #I should start tagging this as ''the shera debacle'' if it continues

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gracestone · 4 years

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Hi! First of all I wanted to say I LOVE your catradora vid last year, the Still with heart beating one. It’s seriously like my favorite vid ever, you did them so well! Idk if you finished She Ra, and I don’t wanna spoil it, but there was some HUGE development with them and I was wondering if you were going to make another vid of them? Because the last one was so pretty like wtf I still can’t get over it and I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like now with all the new moments lmao

Thank you SO MUCH for your sweet message! You have no idea how much that means to me! That Catradora vid got blocked in most countries initially and I was so bummed because it meant that most people wouldn’t see it, so your message really made me so happy! As for whether I’ve seen She-Ra S5: I ABSOLUTELY HAVE AND I LOVED IT SO MUCH! I was actually just opening my vidding software because today is the first day I’ve had time to vid since S5 came out and I’ve had a Catradora vid planned for ages. If all goes well, you can expect to see that one not too long from now! I’ll have to spend some time cutting all of their scenes first, but once that’s done I doubt it’ll take too long for me to finish the vid :)

#ask #youtube #she ra spoilers #catradora #really thank you so much!!#you made my day!#Anonymous

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lab-partners · 4 years

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What endings do you want for each of the villains?

Oh boy, sorry for taking so long to answer this! I actually had most of this written out the day I got the ask, but then Christmas happened and I kind of forgot? Anyway I got it now!

Hordak

Okay so I think everyone who follows me already knows that I want only the best for Hordak. I really hope he gets his memory back and reunites with Entrapta, finds freedom and finally gets to be himself. I do really love the idea of him and Entrapta leaving to explore the stars, but whether they do that or stay on Etheria, I just really want them to be happy.

Not much else I can say here since I've said it before like a LOT and I don't want to repeat myself. But seriously, just let him be happy I beg of you.

Shadow Weaver

I made a pretty lengthy post about her just earlier this month. Just as for the other villains, I really hope she gets some form of redemption! I would love to see her be healed properly, freeing her from the curse she's been under for so long. Maybe once she gets reunited with Micah she'll have a proper reason to turn good too, especially since she does seem to have a liking towards Glimmer as well. While obviously many interpret her behavior as manipulation (and I'm undecided there myself), Glimmer did go to her for help and not the other way round, and since Glimmer is Micah's child I really like to think that SW has some sort of liking towards her. If she does get reformed I would love for her to be Glimmer's teacher (along with Micah ofc) as long as she does it right!

Obviously that doesn't excuse her actions, and Adora and Catra especially are not required to ever forgive her, but that doesn't mean she can't still start over for herself, just preferably not living at Bright Moon anymore. I don't know, I still feel bad for Adora for having to live with her abuser like that. I like the idea of her becoming good friends with Micah, but forcing Adora to live like that is just wrong. Maybe she could live with Castaspella again? If she could handle going back there of course - we don't know how she feels about the place she used to live at before she changed sides.

Horde Prime

Okay this is the one guy I don't need a redemption for.

Don't get me wrong; She-Ra has amazing writers and I do believe they could pull off his redemption if they wanted to, but honestly? It's not fun if /nobody/ dies, so...

Not to sound like an anti but I do like the idea of Prime either dying or being detained somewhere he can't ever harm anyone again. I'm certain that somebody is going to die before the show ends, and I'm still praying to anyone who'll listen that it won't be one of my babies.

Besides, if he died, that would truly set all his clones free, as well as all the planets he's conquered. I'm really expecting him to either get killed (please let it be done by Hordak or Entrapta just because) or for Adora to pull an Avatar Aang and find an alternative way to render him harmless. I'm pro-redemption for all villains, but sometimes... sometimes I just want a good ol' fashioned death.

Lonnie, Rogelio and Kyle

I'm putting these three together since they don't really have large enough individual arcs to each fill their own section. I haven't thought too much about how I want them to end up, but since they already did leave the Horde, I like to think they can go reunite with Scorpia and learn about normal life together with her. It'd make adjusting easier to have someone familiar with them too.

And 👏🏻 please 👏🏻 respect 👏🏻 Kyle 👏🏻

Catra

For Catra, admittedly, I'm not really sure what I want yet. It's no secret that I don't particularily like her, and although I do want her to get redeemed (and I'm pretty certain she will be) I just.. don't really think about her all that much.

I would absolutely hate it if she were do die or anything like that, because that would be an awful way to end her story. And imprisoning her for who knows how many years wouldn't be much better either; she deserves a chance to work through all her trauma. I do believe that she will bond with Glimmer during their escape attempt from Prime's ship (or during whatever else they'll be doing up there) and maybe she'll finally see that the Princesses are not bad people? I just hope Glimmer will give her some sort of a chance, as especially right now she isn't exactly the most welcoming person. But Catra did save her before, so we'll just have to see.

Either way I still do not want Catradora at all - too much has happened for that to be healthy in any way. Same with Scorpia actually, she deserves much better. My ideal ending would be Catra getting therapy (or similar help) with no romance involved, because she meeds time to heal first. But if that happens it will definitely be really awkward if she becomes friends with the "good guys". Somehow I really want her to make new, proper friends that have no connection to the war? I doubt that will happen, but it feels like the best way for me.

Maybe she'll also go to the Crimson Waste for a bit to figure herself out? Not necessarily to assert dominance as much as she did of course, but I feel like some quiet time could benefit her a lot, and she did like it there before, she just wasn't ready to let go of her past yet.

#ask #she ra #spop #she ra and the princesses of power #netflix she ra #catra #horde prime #hordak #shadow weaver #spop kyle #spop rogelio #spop lonnie

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catradoramma · 5 years

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How about some diverse Catradora?: Catra joined the rebellion a few days ago and Adora wants her gf to be friends with Bow and Glimmer, but Catra doesn't quite like them cuz she feels they stole Adora from her.

New Beginning

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Adora?” Catra’s ear flicked as Adora desperately tried to straighten the collar of Catra’s shirt.

“Yes,” Adora’s voice was certain and firm. “You’re one of us now, and everyone needs to get used to that. You’re here to stay. If you go, She-Ra goes, too.”

Rated Teen

Hey, I don’t know if this is really what you wanted when you sent this in, but I really hope you like it. :)))

You can read it on ao3 or down below

Adora really should not have been surprised that literally none of her friends got along. Really.

“Look Glimmer, all you have to do is not insult her,” Adora stated, following her friend as she angrily paced into her room.

“I can’t make any promises, Adora,” Glimmer spit, teleporting up to her bed that was hovering 50 feet—at least—above Adora.

“Glimmer,” Adora started making her way up the hovering steps. Bow was so much better at this, Adora thought as she almost fell off of one. “Please. Catra has switched sides. We can trust her.”

“Can we though?” Glimmer turned to face Adora. “Can we really? Adora, Catra had strung you along this whole time! How do we know this isn’t just another one of her tricks? How do I know that Catra isn’t here to hurt you again?”

Adora pulled up short at that. because Glimmer was right wasn’t see? Catra had been stringing her along this whole year. Catra would seek Adora out, and, like an idiot, Adora would always take the bait.

During the Princess Prom, Adora had been so preoccupied with Catra that she hadn’t seen Scorpia kidnap Bow. In the Last One’s temple, Adora had trusted Catra to hep her…and Catra had let her fall.

What’s stopping Catra from doing that again?

— . —

“I was angry that you left me,” Catra yelled, her voice bouncing off the trees around her, stopping Adora where she stood. Catra huffed with the strength of her words, tears making tracks down her face. She was beautiful and Adora was breathless.

“You left me, Adora,” Catra’s voice was softer now as it wobbled over her tears. “You left me in that place, and by the time you’d gotten back, the damage had already been done.”

Adora’s heart sunk into her boots. “Catra,” she sighed, her breath clouding into the air in front of her.

“And so I wanted to make you feel the way you had made me feel.” Catra’s face twisted as she spat, “Forgotten. Second-hand. Unworthy.”

They were silent for a moment, letting the words sour in the air.

“I knew the Horde was bad, but I stayed because I knew it would hurt you.” And that was a killing blow.

— . —

The elation of having Catra back—of her warmth at the end of Adora’s bed, of her clawed hand at the small of Adora’s back, of her mouth tracing hot lines down the column of Adora’s neck—cooled, and her heart froze.

Because what if Catra was manipulating her? Shadow Weaver had manipulated Adora without her notice for almost 18 years of her life.

Adora swilled her doubts, “Catra wouldn’t. We—we talked in the woods. She’s telling the truth, and I believe her, Glimmer.” Adora cleared her throat, “Isn’t that enough for you?”

“It can’t be, Adora,” Glimmer’s voice was hollow, “It can’t be.”

— . —

“I knew what the Horde was doing for almost our whole lives,” Catra was looking at the ground. “But I couldn’t stomach the thought of leaving without you, and I didn’t know how to make you believe me, so I just waited. I waited until either you saw what the Horde was doing, or I could find some sort of evidence.” Catra laughed then, a humourless and empty sound. “But by the time I had an opportunity, you’d already gone and done the one thing to me, that I’d swore I’d never do to you.”

Adora trembled when Catra’s shining mis-matched eyes landed on her. “You left me.”

— . —

“Adora, there you are!” Bow lowered himself onto the fountain’s edge next to Adora. His smile melted as he looked at Adora. “Is…is something wrong?”

Adora sniffed. “Do you…” Adora trailed off, then started again. “Do you think Catra’s manipulating me?”

Bow’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“Glimmer says she won’t trust Catra because she think’s she’s stringing me along or something,” Adora sighed and looked in the opposite direction of Bow.

Bow didn’t say anything for a moment. “Well, I don’t know Catra very well, but I do know you. And I know you’d do anything for those you care about. And I also know that you really, really care about Catra.” Bow sighed and played with the string of his bow that rested against his chest.

“What I’m trying to say is that, I’m with you on this one, Adora,” Bow smiled at Adora. “If you trust Catra, I’ll trust Catra. If Catra stabs you in the back, I’ll be there to stab her right back.”

Adora laughed as Bow mimed stabbing the air.

“So, I think the more important thing for you to answer is, what do you think?”

— . —

“So, I climbed the ranks here, and I did everything I could to make you pay for making me feel that way, Adora,” Catra spit the words into the grassy floor between them.

“But nothing I did made me feel better!” Catra yelled into the night. “Every time I hit you, and taunted you, and let you fall off cliffs, it made me feel worse. I wanted you beside me, telling me jokes. I wanted to lay down at the end of your bed, to make you feel warmer. I wanted your laugh and you smile all to myself again.”

“And I still do…” Catra’s voice was so, so quiet. her brows furrowed and her eyes shut tight. “So, Adora, I’m done being angry.”

Catra picked up her head and looked right at Adora—looked right through her maybe. “I’m done being angry, and if you’ll have be back, I’ll never leave again.” Catra cracked a smile. “As long as you promise not to leave me either. We’re such a good team and we’ve been depriving Etheria of it for too long.”

Catra’s smile sparked something in Adora, and the only thing she could even begin to think was, “Yes.”

“Yes,” Adora said louder, “Yes, yes, yes!” Adora ran forwards into Catra’s arms and pulled her close, so, so close. Adora was never letting go, not ever. They would go to the bathroom together, and that was final.

“Catra, I’ll never, ever leave you, and if I ever start pulling away, promise you’ll pull me right back.”

“I will.”

— . —

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Adora?” Catra’s ear flicked as Adora desperately tried to straighten the collar of Catra’s shirt.

“Yes,” Adora’s voice was certain and firm. “You’re one of us now, and everyone needs to get used to that. You’re here to stay. If you go, She-Ra goes, too.”

Catra let out a little huff of a laugh, her eyes still downcast and worried. “You’re using She-Ra as leverage?”

“Yeah,” Adora chirped, finally giving up on the collar and placing her hands on either of Catra’s shoulders instead. “Like you said, we’re a great team. We just need to convince everyone else of it first.”

Catra’s face fell into a smirk. “And how do you supposed we do that?”

“Well,” Adora rocked on her heels, “First we get through this dinner, which will be extremely awkward by all accounts, and second, we win a super awesome battle together, proving that we make a great team, and that you are officially part of the Rebellion.”

“Well, then,” Catra purred, leaning in with hooded eyes, “Looks like you’ve got it all figured out there, Princess.”

“Of course I do,” Adora leaned in after Catra.

“Very impressive,” Catra mumbled, her breath washing over Adora’s lips just before they collided.

Catra pulled Adora closer, her hands warm on Adora’s waist, as he lips moved intoxicatingly over hers. Adora threaded one of her hands into Catra’s hair. It was much wilder than usual without the Hoard headband she used to wear, and Adora was secretly very happy about Catra’s freed locks.

Regretfully, Adora pulled away after only a few beats. “We have to go,” she mumbled, a smile on her lips as Catra made an annoyed noise in the back of her throat and dove in for another kiss.

Adora let herself be reeled back in, before she pulled back, placing a bracing hand on Catra’s chest. “As much as I’ve missed you, we really can’t be late for this dinner.”

Catra sighed, placed one last chaste kiss to Adora’s lips, then pulled away completely.

“It’s not my fault you’re so irresistible,” Catra shot a lazy smirk over her shoulder, her tail flicking hypnotically behind her as she went.

Adora made an affronted noise, feeling her cheeks warm as she watched Catra walk away.

— . —

The dinner table was horribly, uncomfortably, painfully silent. The only sounds that could be heard were those of cutlery on porcelain and chewing. It was horrible and Adora seriously could not stand another second of the awkward atmosphere.

Adora cleared her throat, “So,” she started, “Dinner is really good. I’ll have to talk to the kitchen staff after dinner.”

“Y-yeah, I agree,” Bow stuttered, looking extremely grateful for the interruption from Adora.

“We never had food like this in the Fright Zone,” Catra added, her eyes glittering.

Glimmer narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything. Angella side-eyed her daughter then looked back at Catra. “What was the Fright Zone like?” Angella asked.

Adora felt Catra tense up beside her. Adora dropped her hand onto Catra’s knee. “It was bad,” Catra deadpanned, and Adora squeezed her knee.

“I mean it is called the Fright Zone,” Adora pinned a smile onto her face. “Emphasis on Fright,” Adora said through the clenched teeth of her pinned smile.

“An evil place, for evil people,” Glimmer mumbled, pushing her food around.

All eyes flew to Glimmer, and Catra stilled completely. Adora could feel the tension in Catra’s body under her hand on her thigh.

“What? I’m right,” Glimmer looked around the table.

Bow sent her a small smile, “Yeah, I’m really glad none of us are there anymore.”

“Yeah, even if some of us belong there,” Glimmer spat, looking directly at Catra.

A lot of things happened at once, then:

Catra pushed out of her chair, the sound of it harsh and grating against Adora’s ears.

Glimmer was out of hers in less than a second, closely followed by Angella and Bow.

Catra hissed as Glimmer started to sparkle, but before Adora could do anything, Catra was gone. She’d left the room, her napkin floating onto the table behind her.

Adora stood, wiped her face and place her napkin down as well. She sent a look—mostly of hurt—to Glimmer before going after Catra.

Perhaps, Adora had been too hasty in trying to bring her two worlds together.

— . —

Much later that night there was a knock on her door. “Come in,” Adora called, and a second later, Glimmer was standing hesitantly inside.

“Hey,” she said, her voice low, her head bowed, and her fingers tying themselves into knots.

Adora straightened from where she was polishing her sword. “Hey.”

Glimmer kicked the ground, pushing around invisible pebbles. “I just wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Okay,” Adora said, patting her bed next to her. Glimmer teleported to the spot.

“Why do you trust her?” Glimmer started, “After all of the things she’s done, why do you still trust her?”

Adora sighed. “Glimmer, you would trust me and Bow no matter what, right?”

“Of course,” Glimmer didn’t waste a second with her response.

“Even if we lied to you and we hurt you…” Adora trailed off, “You’d still think the best of us, wouldn’t you?”

Glimmer thought about it for a few seconds. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. “Yeah,” she finally said, “I think I would.”

Adora cracked a small smile, “That’s how I feel about Catra.” Adora sighed and knocked her knee against Glimmer’s. “I understand you want to protect me, and I’m so grateful that I have a friend like you Glimmer.”

Glimmer cracked a smile at that.

“But Catra and I, we’ve already had our talk. We’ve figured it out. She’s with us.” Adora smiled at Glimmer. “I trust her, and I need you to trust that I know what I’m doing, but be there for me if anything does go bad.”

Glimmer sighed and buried her face in her legs. “I’m sorry I said those things to her at dinner.”

Adora let one side of her mouth lift up. “You should tell her that, Glimmer. She’s a lot less scary then you’d think.”

“Okay,” Glimmer pulled her head out of her knees.

#catradora #my fic #answered #deadcool14 #catra #adora/catra #Catra (she-ra)#adora #adora (she-ra)#she-ra #she-ra and the princesses of power #spop #fanfic

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horde-princess · 5 years

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An Analysis of 4 Key Relationships in Season 2

Now that we’ve had some time to digest season 2, I wanna take an in-depth look at some of the new relationships and group dynamics that have popped up in the show. Specifically, seeing Catra interact with Bow and Glimmer was something I’ve been excited about for a really long time, and then of course there’s Scorpia, and wow do i have THOUGHTS alright here we go

Catra and Bow

i know, weird right. there’s a reason i’m writing about these two first and it’s because i have a lot of feelings lajksdfd just hear me out okay

Idk about you guys, but when I was watching Catra attack Bow in 2x02 it just felt so weird, like in a bad way. Catra’s anger towards him for stealing Adora away is obviously valid, but Bow is just so pure and righteous and good, you know? He doesn’t have a bitter bone in his body (unlike Glimmer, who can give as good as she gets). Bow doesn’t know how to respond to Catra’s anger... and I think the reason that it was so hard for me to watch is because Catra and Bow actually have the potential to be good friends.

Think about it like this. Catra and Glimmer are a lot alike--they’re fierce and intense and they each have someone who helps bring them back down to earth: their respective best friends, Adora and Bow! And we see how much Adora and Glimmer have grown to love one another, right? It’s because their different personalities complement each other so well.... So I think that, given the chance, Catra and Bow could have a similar dynamic :)

There was a sweet moment in 2x02 that offered a glimpse of this, when Bow was trying to show Catra some kindness. He’s such an earnest, straight forward character, he sees right through Catra’s bullshit and knows exactly what to say to get through to her (i mean look at her expression here, the way her ears are flattened--so different from her absurd behavior in the rest of the episode).

Lock these two in a room for an hour? Yeah, they’d come out best friends 😭💖 I hope we get more of them in future episodes!!

Catra and Glimmer

Oh man...... Whew. YIKES. Where to even begin with this alsjdfsdjld. Catra and Glimmer’s rivalry is just. everything.

To Glimmer, Catra is the girl who is trying to destroy her home, murder her and her loves ones... the girl who’s breaking the heart of someone she loves (Adora).

To Catra, Glimmer is the girl who stole Adora away from her. She tore her life apart. She represents what it means to be born into a position of privilege and (literal) power, which Catra resents with a burning passion.

Seeing these two go head to head, sparring physically and verbally, it’s so freaking delicious. Catra has the advantage over her in almost every way: she’s a better fighter, she lies and manipulates, she’s willing to do evil things to win battles that Glimmer, as a typical hero, refuses to do. But despite all that, Glimmer still wins every time... Because she has Adora.

It’s interesting, though. Even though Adora is on Glimmer’s team, Catra knows that she is the one who holds Adora’s attention, if not also her affections--and she knows this fact drives Glimmer crazy. I mean come on, Adora means everything to Glimmer! She loves her as a friend but more than that, She-Ra gives her hope that they can save the world. Yet Adora loves this feral half-cat demon over her?? what???? lmao. So I think part of what’s fueling Glimmer’s hatred, her desire to just beat the absolute shit out of Catra, is that she feels like she’s contending for Adora’s love.

There were four glitra moments this season that I wanna highlight.

First, when Catra tries to get in her head and make her doubt her relationship with Adora. I found this interesting because you almost see a glimpse of sincerity in Catra--as if she’s trying to warn Glimmer against repeating the mistake she herself made. Glimmer’s reaction to the words are just as telling. She gets angry, but I don’t think it’s because she believes Catra. I think she’s angry because Catra is slandering Adora’s character. Unlike Catra right now, Glimmer sees Adora for who she truly is. She knows that Adora isn’t the kind of person who abandons her friends in pursuit of power. So yeah this was a cool moment that illustrated Glimmer and Catra’s contrasting perspectives.

Second, I LOVED this line, when Catra makes fun of Glimmer and Adora’s relationship (but it just comes off as jealous lmaoo). The reason I love it is because it’s so true!!! Glimmer and Adora are perfect for each other. What this line proves is that she is absolutely threatened by Glimmer in a romantic context. She recognizes that Glimmer might actually be more compatible for Adora than she is, and that Glimmer is her foil (which I’ll explain more in a minute).

Next is the scene where Glimmer actually threatens to kill Catra in cold blood. If you’re like me and you missed that when you first watched it, yeah, that’s what happened--Catra gives Kyle the order to “take Entrapta out” and then Glimmer slams her against the tree and says “two can play at that game.” She gets this close to blasting her face off but Bow is able to talk her down from it. And the whole time, Catra is just fucking smirking at her, calling her bluff because she knows Glimmer won’t compromise her morals (parallel to catradora in 2x05 anyone??). But yeah this was crazy. Catra just wanted to see how far she could push her and it turns out... pretty damn far.

One of my favorite lines in the whole season was Glimmer telling Catra “I’m not as naive as you think.” Catra thought she had her outsmarted, forced to deplete her magic, but in the end Catra had underestimated her as an adversary.

The more I think about it, the more I realize Glitra’s rivalry is a hundred times more intense than Catradora’s. Remember in the DnD ep when femme fatale Catra points at Glimmer and calls her her greatest enemy? That was veeery interesting... Their relationship really has a life of it’s own now, like, separate from Adora. They hate everything about what each other stand for. They’re both so strong and hot-headed, with opposite moral compasses--like two rockets on a collision course. But I also love that they have this sort of begrudging respect for one another. Look at what Glimmer says here in 2x03, the ghost episode:

How random, right, that Glimmer would be thinking about some offhand comment from Catra from the previous episode? AND! In context, it just sounded to me like Catra was saying Glimmer was terrible at taking people hostage lol. Glimmer extrapolates and applies her comment to her courage, her capability as a hero. That’s like.... whoa. It shows that Glimmer actually cares about Catra’s opinion of her.

So yeah Glitra’s dynamic is more amazing than i could’ve ever dreamed.. not to mention their weird flirtation and oh no looks like we’re out of time for this section kjdfljsdkaskjd

Adora and Scorpia

Ok seeing these two dorks together in 2x05 was so amazing 😂😂 As cute as it was though it was one of the most heartbreaking parts of the season. I can’t remember a time that Scorpia ever demonstrated such bitterness towards someone.

Not exaggerating when I say that last line brought me to tears like wtf.... 😭

I’ve mentioned this before but Scorpia genuinely loves Catra so much and she just can’t stand seeing her heart breaking over Adora when Scorpia feels like she could treat Catra better. She’d give her the whole world if she could (which is quite literally what she’s trying to achieve!)

Adora, on the other hand, she doesn’t really know who Scorpia is. To her, Scorpia is just someone who is enabling Catra’s descent into darkness, so there is a hostility there already. If I had to name one thing that I’m excited about for upcoming episodes, it would be Adora inevitably growing jealous of Catra and Scorpia’s relationship. We haven’t seen it yet but mark my words we WILL AND ITS GONNA FUCKING DESTROY US okay i could yell about adora and scorpia for hours but let’s just move on and get to my fave part of this meta laksjdfs

Catra vs. Glimmer, and Adora vs. Scorpia

So Catra and Glimmer rivalry’s is obviously really fun, same with Adora and Scorpia. But the real magic comes in when we look at the dynamic of this whole 4-person group. I didn’t take Scortra seriously in season 1 (blasphemy... i know) so it took me until season 2 to catch onto this pattern, but now that I have it makes so much sense and gives the show a new perspective for me.

Glimmer and Scorpia’s relationship hasn’t really been explored in the show but there is one thing we know they have in common: they both love two girls who are obsessed with someone else. And they both act as foils for our two protagonists.

Glimmer is Catra’s foil. The similarities between these two are obvious. They’re both passionate and angry and driven and traumatized. But Glimmer’s strong moral code contrasts sharply with Catra’s lack of one (and really that difference is just a result of their disparate upbringings).

Glimmer is right in front of Adora. And she’s everything that Adora only wishes Catra could be... yet Glimmer will never be able to compete with Catra in the contest for Adora’s affection. Adora is stuck between loving someone that she can’t be with, or being with someone she can’t truly love... at least, not in the same soul-altering way that she loves Catra.

Scorpia is Adora’s foil. Scorpia and Adora are also alike in some ways, but there’s a key difference. The fandom has discussed before how, yeah, Scorpia is part of the Horde, but she doesn’t appear to have any kind of moral stake in the war that’s going on. What Scorpia really cares about, what she’ll fight to the death for is... her friendships. She’s loyal to a fault, and she would do absolutely anything for Catra. Catra is her number one priority.

GUYS! This is the exact opposite of Adora!! Adora may love Catra, but she will always choose the greater good over her. She won’t betray her convictions for love. That’s just who she is. Thus, Scorpia is everything that Catra wishes Adora would have been for her. Someone who would have stayed by her side no matter what. Someone who wouldn’t have cared whether or not the Horde was evil, as long as she could be with Catra. But again--though I do think Scortra’s budding romance will continue to develop--in the end Scorpia simply cannot compete with Adora for Catra’s affection. She acknowledged it herself.

I wanna mention one more thing here.. So Scorpia and Glimmer are playing similar roles for their respective love interests. From my point of view (feel free to disagree this is just the way I’m interpreting things) I don’t believe that those relationships are gonna be endgame. To me this show always has been and always will be about Catra and Adora. And while I can’t wait to see them reconcile with each other, Noelle has suddenly got me falling in love with these other characters, too, and I'm so afraid??? ESPECIALLY for Scorpia. While Glimmer at least has Bow and the Princess Alliance, Scorpia has absolutely no one. Catra is Scorpia’s whole world. What will she do when that falls apart? (god please i’m begging, just let scorpia find happiness 😭)

Catra and Scorpia

Honestly I don’t even think I can write this part without having a meltdown but its the last one so im gonna push through alksjdfls. I already talked a bit about how Scorpia is exactly the kind of person that Catra needs at this point in her life, and I think it’s best summed up in this quote from Noelle:

“We see Scorpia expressing this admiration for Catra, expressing desire to get close to Catra... Catra is just not at this point super open to Scorpia’s affection. So I think it’s kind of tragic at this point. And I think for Catra, although she’ll never admit it, what she really wants is love and acceptance. Suddenly she is getting that, no strings attached, from Scorpia, and she is not ready.”

-wiping away tears- okay so yeah, Scorpia is over here offering Catra unconditional love and Catra’s just.... she’s so traumatized and has such deep-seated abandonment issues that she just doesn’t know what to do with it. She doesn’t feel she deserves it. Also, up until 2x05, Catra didn’t respect Scorpia much at all and definitely did not see her in a romantic light. But I have a theory on why that changed.

For much of her life, I think the Horde taught Catra to associate love with blind loyalty and submission. Now, she is starting to question this belief. She thought Adora loved her, but Adora ended up being disloyal. She thought she could earn Shadow Weaver’s love by submitting to her, but Shadow Weaver continues to prove her wrong. So what is love, exactly? What is an expression of love? Catra’s not sure anymore.

When Scorpia defies Catra’s orders in 2x05--she destroys the First Ones disc, lets Adora escape, fucks up Catra’s plan--Catra is completely thrown. In the animation alone, you can see they’re trying to convey that Catra is seeing Scorpia in a way she never has before.

It’s precisely because Scorpia defied her and chose not to blindly submit to her, that Catra is still alive. It’s the first time that Scorpia went against Catra’s wishes in a big way. And I think this moment shook Catra to her core because it made her question what love is truly about. Like maybe Scorpia understands something that she doesn’t.

We see this again in episode 2x07, where she’s stressed out about Shadow Weaver and yelling at Scorpia to just obey her orders but Scorpia isn’t having it. And in that we see a special trust developing between them. Even when Catra’s being a dick to her, denying that they’re friends, saying things like “get used to not getting what you want in life...” Scorpia stays by her side and refuses to be discouraged. and I think that really is something that’s going to leave a huge impact on Catra. Scorpia is no longer just a tool for Catra to manipulate--she has come to seriously rely on her without realizing it.

Still, Catra doesn’t seem quite capable of understanding what a beautiful friend she has in Scorpia. and I’m afraid (predicting) that she might take it too far one day, and figure out the hard way exactly how much she had to lose. But that tragedy may also turn out to be her saving grace ✨

congrats if u read this whole thing lmao id love to hear your thoughts/criticism on it!! i was gonna discuss catradora too but actually i think that should be a separate meta so..... yeet .

#she ra #spop #catradora #meta

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