#and adora is traumatized

[anti-catradora-collection]

"oh but catra acted that way towards adora cuz she's abused and traumatized and and and-"

okay, i know this may sound harsh, but listen to me for a second.

THIS. IS. NOT. ABOUT. CATRA.

#can we stop trying to make adora's abuse about her abuser? #of course catra is abused #of course catra is traumatized #of course all of these facts helped building catra's character #but nothing justifies the way she treated adora. #everyone seems to forget how she was a war criminal too lmao #anti catradora #anti spop #spop critical #spop criticism #spop discourse #spop salt #anti c//a #anti c/a #spop #she ra

[crownspeaksblog]

The fact that shadow weavers last moments consists of getting power, showing off that power, giving catra and adora orders and then traumatizing them even more by exploding infront of them...

#the fact that she said “you're welcome” to them is insane.. that woman truly thinks she redeemed herself.. #she really traumatized them even more.. now when ever they think of her they'll feel guilt in addition to pain.. #pain because she's hurt them their whole lives but guilt because she “sacrificed herself”... i just can't.. #I'd like for catdora to get therapy and move one from shadow weavers influence #she ra 2018 #she ra and the princesses of power #spop #she ra season 5 #catra #adora #shadow weaver #catradora #👑

[nny11writes]

Me, thinks of a WiP idea: Haha, that would be so fucked up, let me jot a rough plan out

Me, having written the WiP idea down in full: this is fucked up, this is so fucked up, wow this is more fucked up than I realized, jesus fucking christ-

#anyhow I don't know why I literally thought to myself #if Adora had Frisk's ability to save and reset SPOP would be seriously messed up #that perfectionism will murder her #and then immediately I went ''Okay but then Catra is like Sans and remebers everything'' #and somehow thought it would only be a little bit sad and messed up #IT'S MISS I MUST SACRIFICE MYSELF TO SAVE EVERYONE PERFECTLY AND #MISS ALREADY TRAUMATIZED OVER HAVING HER FREE WILL AND CHOICES TAKEN AWAY #together at the end of the world huh? #unfortunately

[candyskiez]

rewatching she ra is a wild ride man like damn I forgot how obviously traumatized adora is in retrospect. how she acts around angella? "People like me better when I'm she-ra"? running to get some sort of validation from any adult figure the second everything in her life goes to shit? her first reaction to a perceived fuck up is to self punish and leave glimmer and bow entirely since she "ruined" their lives by being "irrational" in shadows of mystacore? the fact everything is her fault in some way somehow since season one??? holy shit she was seriously considering staying behind with light hope and never leaving because she thought her friends were better off without her. I forgot how much she self punished. whoever thinks adora didn't suffer in she ra has never watched the show istg

also just. the fact she sleeps with a *knife* is so telling. what happened to her in the horde that made her feel the need to start? she was fully prepared to fight shadow weaver the second she woke up. she *sleep fights.* what the fuck did they do to her. this kid has been through so much.

#she ra #she ra adora #adora #adora she ra #she ra spoilers #not many but #i am a bitch abt tagging #i should specify #this is not a catra hate post #i LOVE catra so much #i will defend her till the day i DIE #don't tag this as anti catra #meta

[the-8-of-spades]

She-Ra fics I consider canon

Hey gang! here's a list of (mostly post-canon) fics I've read over the years that are I feel are well written and in character enough that they could be canon to the show, and to an extent, each other! I put the list in order for anyone who wants to read it like a season 6 :D

Don't Go - extended version of scenes in S5E5 and S5E6. Written by ND Stevenson so is basically already canon. Angst and fluff

Daylight - picks up a day after the s5 finale. Catra & Adora begin to really understand that they're free to live a peaceful life. Tooth rotting fluff.

Pros & Cons (NSFW) - Bow and Glimmer seem joined to Adora at the hip 24/7, and Catra just wants to make out with her girlfriend. Has a couple lines that could be seen as contradictory or foreshadowing to Carry our Bodies. Mostly 3/4ths fluff, 1/4th smut.

Carry our Bodies Safe to Shore - Adora finds an old Horde incident report, and Catra has to tell Adora about the kiss that Shadow Weaver erased from her memory. Angst and fluff.

Keep on Walking, Come What Will - Adora & Catra accidentally get engaged. Pure fluff

Alternatively, Princess Prom 2.0 (One Year Later) - Adora & Catra get engaged on purpose. Pure fluff

^ honestly, I reconcile these two by head canon-ing that the "accidental engagement," happens at the impromptu princess prom and then they get too busy for a wedding and then the on purpose engagement happens at the real princess prom, because both are so well written and so in character.

Anachronism (and sequel) - Adora & Catra get traumatized again while rescuing Angella.

^ (Fic is pretty good, mostly on here because I haven't found any fit that does "rescuing Angella" better, lmk if you have any recs!). Angst and Fluff. I don't think there's any NSFW but it's a long fic and it's been a while since I read it.

If anyone has any other recommendations for this list please leave them in the replies! I would love to expand this list until I have a sixth season worth of content!! (also only one NSFW fic rn cause I mostly read fluff lol but if anyone has NSFW recs that feel canon send those as well!)

Addition 1: honorable mention for Breathing Room by ResFlower because it is almost IDENTICAL to a scene from one of the others where Catra has to break it to Adora that their fight in the Red Waste was actually Double Trouble.

#she ra spop #she ra #she ra catra #adora #she ra adora #catradora #glimbow #spop adora #post canon #she ra and the princesses of power #spop fanfic #ao3 fanfic #she ra fanfic #she ra fanfiction #ao3 #archive of our own

[sealnoodlesoup]

My stupid opinion that will get me killed by the entire She-Ra fandom

Shadow Weaver had a better redemption arc than C4tra

Yes, I know that Shadow wasn't fully redeemed, was terrible, and never apologized for her actions. But at least she was useful and helped the rebellion, unlike C4tra who was just getting in everyone's way. Shadow had many chances to betray the rebellion but she didn't meanwhile C4tra (who committed more and worse crimes than Shadow) would probably betray them all if someone offered her greater power because she only joined the rebellion when it was her only chance of survival despite being offered to join them many times before. And while C4tra did say she was sorry she never properly apologized for everything she did (like killing Angela and almost destroying the universe) and her apology always felt like she was just trying to earn sympathy from others. And she continued treating everyone horribly even after that. Shadow Weaver stayed loyal to the rebellion until the very end and even died for them, I know many people say that she only killed herself to traumatize C4tra, but the only proof of that they have is the "You're welcome" and it still can be argued what she meant by that (In my opinion it was "You're Welcome, now that I'm dead I won't bother you anymore" I'm not gonna explain why I think that here because this post is not about that). Shadow was the one who found a way to stop Horde Prime and did everything to make sure it worked, meanwhile, C4tra was being a nuisance and a distraction just so she could be with Adora and didn't care that the world might get destroyed because of it. She tried to stop Adora from taking the failsafe even though Adora was the only person who could survive it and got angry when Adora chose to save the world first instead of making out with her. Just to be clear I'm not talking about who was a morally better person, but who made up for their actions more.

In conclusion: Actions speak louder than words, Shadow Weaver was useful to the rebellion while C4tra was not.

#anti spop #anti catradora #anti catra #anti catra stans #spop discourse #spop critical #spop criticism #spop salt #my opinion #anti c//a #ftlosw

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i love that adora is allowed to be vulnerable around glimmer and bow.

i love that adora doesn't have to walk on eggshells around glimmer and bow.

i love that adora is allowed to stay mad at them if they make a mistake.

i love that glimmer and bow actually care about adora's well-being.

i love that glimmer and bow protect and take care of adora without expecting anything in return.

i love that glimmer and bow don't put adora on a pedestal or expect too much from her.

i love that glimmer and bow actually communicate with adora when there's a misunderstanding (yes, glimmer does try to communicate with adora even in s4).

i love that glimmer stayed when adora asked her to, even though she was mad at her.

i love that bow supported adora when she was going through a rough patch with glimmer.

i love that glimmer took the initiative to apologize after she accidentally hurt adora's feelings.

i love that bow reassured adora that it was okay to fail.

i love that glimmer and bow never let adora face a difficult situation on her own.

i love that glimmer and bow actually listen to adora and help her calm down when she's panicking and traumatized.

i love that adora doesn't always have to put glimmer's and bow's feelings over her own.

i love that glimmer and bow never manipulated, victim blamed, gaslit or abused adora in any way.

i love that adora actually has a healthy relationship with glimmer and bow.

#spop critical #spop salt #spop criticism #spop discourse #spop #she ra #anti spop #spop sugar #spop bfs #spop best friends squad #spop adora #spop glimmer #spop bow

[queerplatonic-msr]

What I wish the She-Ra fandom was:

People who acknowledge that Catradora is abusive and probably shouldn't have been romanticized in a kids show, but still enjoy it as the dark romance turned wish fulfillment wlw it is.

People who believe that Adora, Catra, Glimmer, and Bow should all be living happy fulfilling lives full of queerness by the end of the show, but that Catra should be living that life away from the people she traumatized. 

These two groups are friends. 

What the She-Ra fandom is: 

People who are in complete denial that Catradora is abusive. 

People who think Catra is irredeemable and should die. 

These two groups hate each other. 

(If you are actually a member of the first two groups though please hit me up I would love to have an spop community like that!!!)

#potentially the spiciest post I've ever made #what do i even tag something that is in a way both pro and anti catradora #guess ill use both #spop #catradora #anti catradora #spop fandom #fandom discourse #she ra #she ra and the princesses of power #princesses of power

[anti-catradora-collection]

ADORA NEVER LEFT CATRA.

And that's a fact, even if this show loves to contradict itself.

in fact, adora gave multiple opportunities for catra to come with her. catra is the one who constantly abandoned adora. catra REFUSED to go with adora multiple times and then acted like she was in the right for saying that adora abandoned her.

adora left the HORDE, not catra. she really wanted catra to come with her, she did her best for catra to accept that. however, as shown in these three scenes as examples, catra left adora. nothing else, she just left adora behind.

and even so, this show loves to make the spop fandom believe that adora is the abandoner here. like in the scene below, where double trouble says "left you" in adora's form to catra. catra even implies in season 5 that "of course adora left, that's what she does isn't it?" and even during her love confession where she says "so please, just this once, stay!".

yeah, spop really doesn't give a shit about adora. CATRA is the traumatized one, the abused one, the abandoned one. adora's trauma doesn't matter to them.

#anti spop #spop criticism #spop salt #spop critical #spop discourse #spop #she ra adora #she ra #she ra and the princesses of power #anti catradora #spop catra #anti c//a #anti c/a

[darkcrowprincess]

Nimona is basically if genderbent Adora was on the wrong side, and Catra adopted a kid more traumatized that she was.

#nimona #ambrosius goldenloin #goldenheart #ballister x ambrosius #ballister blackheart #ballister #she ra spop #she ra

[horde-princess]

so okay like. okay so. in evangelicalism everything is about spiritual warfare right. if you're not a soldier for god then you’re working for the devil, whether you know it or not. it's super interesting to see how nate stevenson plays with different sides of this.

adora was turned into a weapon for the “heroes,” while nimona was considered a weapon for the "villains.” along with the subversion of these institutionally-defined roles in both stories, there's this common thread where nimona and adora both reject this label of being a "weapon" - either for OR against the unjust system. 

which is weird right? why would nimona care if someone called her a weapon for good. it becomes clear though when you think about the religious metaphors... it’s always about choice.

(x)

i think the word weapon is intended to convey a sense of absent free will. you're not the one making decisions, someone else is controlling you in their own war. in nimona’s case it’s about rejecting the church's perception that being queer = being used by satan, and then nate goes a step further in she-ra to say actually, the real weapon was when i was being wielded by the church. in either case, i reject the idea that i’m just a pawn in some kind of spiritual war, and also reject your perception of me as such. i have the power to claim autonomy over my own life - "i am not a weapon.”

so with this context we can more fully appreciate adora’s line here, the whole metaphor of she-ra being a weapon and how it wraps up with a bold and genuinely heretical statement that challenges christian control of the narrative. you could think of "weapon" literally, like the inquisition which helped inspire nimona’s character, and she-ra addresses christian imperialism in general. but more subtly it’s also evangelicals believing that it’s ok to harm & traumatize people in the name of “love.” a huge theme in the show is about this uniquely cruel trauma of being taught to hate and attack lgbt+ people while you yourself are repressing your identity and sense of belonging in the community.

THIS IS SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT HHHH NIMONA IS SO GOOD!!!!!!

#hey guys did u miss me #lkdjfd i wrote this a while ago but thought it deserved to see the light of day😔 #she ra #nimona #religious meta

[that-ari-blogger]

What Secrets Lie In Mystacor's Shadows?

So, it has been noted many, many times that She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a series about trauma. And usually, this takes the form of overcoming conditioning and pre-programmed responses. But there is another aspect of the trauma that is less obvious.

Adora suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), not from the war or the Horde, but from Shadow Weaver. This is examined in the topic of this post, In The Shadows Of Mystacor.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I'm going to start by taking a look at the bath sequence. It shows two things. One: Adora is paranoid and brings a sword to a place in which she should feel safe. Two: Shadow weaver is just messing with her.

That's what's happening here, this is how Shadow Weaver acts. Her stated motive here is bringing Adora back to the Horde, and her preferred method is psychological. She tries to scare Adora into returning, she tries to convince Glimmer and Bow that their friend is unreliable. And she tries to convince Adora that her friends are giving up on her. She's trying to isolate her prey.

Shadow Weaver doesn't have to be a physical threat to be intimidating. She's intelligent, and manipulative. Her power comes from her patience, and her drive, her understanding. She doesn't have to be present to have an impact.

"I saw her shadow on the floor"

A shadow is a reflection, of sorts. It is a sign that there is someone there, not detailed, but enough to be sure. Shadow Weaver is very much here, but its her shadow. You see the impact she has had, more than you see her.

There's even the transition at the end, as the shot of Adora fades into a much closer and larger Shadow Weaver, showing their connection and power dynamic with all the subtlety of a crocodile in a steakhouse.

Despite receiving its name in 1980, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is one of the oldest mental health problems afflicting humanity. It is a response to fear and/or pain that is designed to avoid the same situation again.

Shakespeare famously wrote a character from Henry IV, Hotspur, with what would now be diagnosed as PTSD. There is a whole speech on it in part 1, which I highly recommend you look up. But Cambridge University, the article Shakespeare And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, gives another description from the bard of the phenomenon:

"Or in the night, imagining some fear, How easy is a bush supposed a bear!" (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

In essence, PTSD has many forms and symptoms, but most revolve around sensory processing and instinctual reactions.

Notice how Adora shows both in this episode. She mistrusts her senses about Shadow Weaver, and immediately goes into a fighting position when snuck up on by Glimmer and Bow.

The point I am making is that this is an episode about Shadow Weaver as much as it is about Adora, and a lot about her can be inferred from Adora's reactions to everything.

"Pull it together, Adora. There's no way shadow weaver can be here."

Again, notice how Adora's shadow is the spy, the influence. Again, Shadow weaver is here, not in person, but through Adora's trauma.

The most stressful scene in this episode is Adora, alone, in a room, taunted by her own thoughts, or rather, thoughts Shadow Weaver has put in her head.

It is almost more comforting when we finally see Shadow Weaver. She becomes a tangible problem, one Adora can talk to, one Adora can physically fight.

I've mentioned Shadow Weaver's shadows before in how they frame a shot, but that was in relation to Catra, notice the difference in how they interact with Adora. With Catra, the shadows cover her up, and corrupt her, they look painful, like claws that scratch specifically at her eyes. With Adora, the shadows encircle her, they compress her, they trap here. The imagery in this shot is reminiscent, at least to me, of fingers clasping shut around Adora to reach for her and grasp her, to control her.

"I could give you Etheria, we could rule the world together."

Here we finally get Shadow Weaver's actual motivation. She doesn't align herself with any faction, she wants control. She offers Adora the world not out of benevolence, but because Adora is the one who can give the world to Shadow Weaver, and all she has to do is manipulate Adora's perceptions to get what she wants.

I do not like Shadow Weaver.

Previous - Next

#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #character analysis #what's so special about...? #she ra and the princesses of power #she ra adora #she ra #she ra spop #spop #adora #shadow weaver #light spinner

[terrabdectyle]

"Hey Adora" "let's be honest" "you just loving feeling like a hero" "all of this is your fault" *any form of gaslighting*

Me: *traumatic flash back of Catra*

#I used to genuinely get anxious when i heard these sentences #Even the sight of Catra's hands makes me anxious #She makes me uncomfortable ngl #The fact that her stans find it sexy is so weird #spop critical #anti catra #anticatra #anti c//a #anticatradora #anti catradora #catra #catra critical #catradora #adora #Adora deserved better #Saying any of these sentences makes me feel evil ngl

[candyskiez]

rewatching she ra more and I completely forgot about adora saying "I'm useless, no matter what form I take" and I am officially: Fucking Concerned! holy shit! she thinks she's useless without the horde, without someone to give her orders. without praise she falls apart. her entire self worth is based almost solely on outside approval because that's what she was conditioned to be. shadow weaver taught her to be dependent on her praise and instructions. she rushes to razz to try and get her approval and instructions because that's what she was taught. she was never taught she was allowed to think for herself or to be her own person.

she thinks she's useless the second she can't be what everyone tells her to be because that's what she was taught to base her self worth on. she was taught to base her worth on how well she can follow orders. holyyyy fuck.

I forgot how obviously traumatized this girl was holy shit. I want to fistfight shadow weaver in a dennys parking lot

#she ra #spop #shera #not tagging spoilers bc its like. fourth ep #adora #adora spop #adora she ra #adora shera #spop adora #she ra adora #shera adora #tw abuse #abuse tw #cw abuse #abuse cw #meta

[theonlypterydactyl]

Catra, the realistic abused child

Shadow Weaver gives Catra her view of the world and Catra becomes an outlet for her shame and self-hate. Love is weakness and weakness isn't allowed. Love is finite.

When Adora leaves Catra's sense of safety is shattered. Adora was the person who protected her and gave her value. If Adora is gone what value does Catra have? So, Catra has to prove herself. If she never needed Adora her betrayal can't hurt.

Catra's story is about protecting the little girl who didn't know the cruelness of the world, who was innocent. She does everything to protect her, even if that means pushing everyone away. So, she's cold and cruel to Scorpio who wants to give her the closeness she needs. But, Catra is a walking paradox, she craves connection, but closeness is a precursor to pain.

Adora is begging her to come with her, and Catra doesn't. It would've saved a lot of time and pain, but going with Adora means that she would have to accept the word of two complete strangers. Adora chose the two strangers over her. When Catra sees that She-Ra is Adora this proves to her how meaningless Catra is and how great Adora is.

To Catra familiarity and power mean safety. If she's at the top no one can hurt her. So, she takes on Shadow Weaver's role to feel safe. But, it stops working. She is tortured by Horak and sent to the Crimson Waste to die.

In the Crimson Waste Catra changes. Just a short amount of time away from the place where she's been abused and traumatized she's nicer towards Scorpia and more playful. When she captures Adora and finds out that Shadow Weaver went to Brightmoon, to Adora. Adora is greater than Catra even if she defected. She's still the golden child.

She has tunnel vision. There is only one thing that will match the amount of pain that she is feeling. She pulls the lever, knowing full well that everything will change.

Everything is how is should be. Adora is Force Captain and Catra isn't in charge. Shadow Weaver is kind. But, no matter how much Catra tried to make her stay, Adora was bound to leave anyway. With nothing left to lose she lets herself and the world burn.

Catra comes back to her addictive patterns full force. It's easier to hide from the pain that to confront it. Her treatment of Scorpia is reflected in if love comes to easily it isn't worth something.

In Corridors we see Catra and Adora as children. Adora is friends with Lonnie. Catra thinks that Adora is going to leave her and be with Lonnie all the time, because to her love is finite. Catra loses value to Adora because there is this other person she has to compete with and Catra isn’t deserving of love. She goes and talks with Glimmer and they start talking about Adora. Catra realizes that maybe Adora didn’t leave for power and glory, maybe she loves Glimmer, and maybe, just maybe, she loved Catra as well. Maybe it’s too late, but Catra gains this new clarity and wants to do one good thing in her life. She saves Glimmer and expects to die at the hands of Horde Prime and she’s okay with it. There is nothing left for her. The only person who cared about her was Adora and she left for bigger and better things and better connections.

Adora comes back for her. Catra has two options, accept Adora’s forgiveness or be dumped on a planet and die. But, her forgiveness is what cuts through. Adora is the only person who has seen both her pain and the person beneath it, so if Adora can forgive her maybe Catra is forgivable?

The addictive cycles are far from broken. She’s actively trying to be a better person. But, she falls back on old patterns when she is scared. It is easier to accept hate than it is to accept love that can be taken away. To Catra love is finite.

But, she stands up to Shadow Weaver for her and Adora. But, Adora is manipulated by Shadow Weaver takes the Failsafe and sacrifices herself. Catra is trying to protect Adora from her own self destructive behaviors, but it doesn’t work. Adora still is determined to sacrifice herself for the sake of Etheria.

She's scared and and runs away. She can't watch Adora sacrifice herself. Catra asks Adora what she wants, maybe just maybe she wants her, but that would be too far fetched, right?

At the Heart of Etheria, Catra goes back for Adora. She stays by her side as she is willing to give up her life for everyone on Etheria. Without expecting any reciprocation, Catra tells Adora that she is loved.

Catra’s story is realistic childhood abuse and trauma. It isn’t romanticized with these vulnerable, meek victims. Her story is messy and violent and ugly, as it should be. But, the solution is just as simple as it sounds. Change. Trauma brain relies on patterns and predictability. In Corridors, Catra is looking down two hallways. A light one and a dark one. The light could be symbolized by Horde Prime’s “light”. He enlightens these worlds and makes them better. This “light” is what strips them of their identity. The light is what strips Catra of her identity. The dark corridor could represent the choice of the unknown, the change that the unknown will bring, or the dark where Catra would hide in order to get away from everything, the dark where Adora willingly sat with her. This change is what led her to breaking the cycle of a trauma mindset and allowed her to accept Adora’s forgiveness. Catra’s character arc isn’t one of linear growth, it rises and it falls because she’s human. Unlearning the familiar cycles is hard and you’re going to fall back on them because familiarity is safety, but acknowledging and pushing past those lows is what leads towards a better tomorrow.

(my own interpretations backed up five by five takes)

#she ra #catradora #gay #lgbtq #trauma #breaking the cycle #betrayal #love #sapphic #catra #forgiveness #change #finite #safety #familiarity