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Maybe I SHOULD try to write an AU

The alogrithm is wise. Or at least canny.

A youtube named Nicole Coenen put out a hatchet restoration video, which made my feed, which led me to this short which brought me to this short and now I think the world needs a wholesome She-Ra AU about dueling YouTubers.

This is not my fault. Well, I'm a huge fan of Ashley Gavin so probably this is in some way my fault.

#spop #spop fanfic

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Catra's Redemption?

TL/DR: Catra is the product of brainwashing and abuse who heroically shakes that off and bravely gives her greatest betrayer a second chance.

In my barely-on-life-support fic "Catran", I'm going through SPOP episode by episode, in a more gritty universe than canon, and from the point of view of a non-binary Catra.

Yes, Adora is still queer in this fic. I'm not a monster.

Anyway, this has me spending a LOT of time in the head of the Catra in my head. And from in here...

Fuck everyone who says I needed redemption. Fuck them forever. Do you have any idea what it's been like for me? The torture? The abuse? Have you ever wondered why I scratched Octavia's fucking eye out? I mean, have you? Cause it ain't pretty, I'll fucking tell you that. Adora left me in that fucking hellhole. Yeah, she was all enlightened and shit but I was raised to believe that Princesses were all evil, and you know what? I didn't know any better, because I never had a chance to learn any better. I was raised from the age of fucking three to fight for the Horde, and you're going to hang a bunch of shit on me for that? Say that somehow, I was supposed to see past all of that and make good choices while I was being brainwashed and abused and abandoned? Fuck. You. I saved Adora. I saved your whole god damn rebellion when I put my ass on the line to give her that fucking sword back and saved her ass from being fucking mind-wiped and what did she say to me? That she was surprised. The one person I ever let myself care about and get close to and fucking love, and she left me and had the balls to be surprised that I would keep my promise to protect her? Yeah. That hurt. How was I supposed to know she really loved me? She sure as fuck didn't say it. She sure as fuck didn't show it. "One good thing"? Fuck. You. I didn't need redeeming. Adora needed redeeming.

#spop #catradora #she ra and the princesses of power #catra #spop adora #catra redemption #adora redemption

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Yep.

#mac and cheese #food

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Burrrffoooooot!

I'm on this discord server with like 20 other people who all play DnD with the same GM. Dude runs at least 3 campaigns at all times, he's a beast of a GM, but that isn't the point.

Point is, it's also a fun little community of DnD nerds but we do have a couple of people who occasionally comment that they hate Kender and Tasselhoff Burrfoot in particular.

If you don't know what a kender is, and you don't know Tas, I have no idea why you would be reading this but I will fill you in. If you do, feel free to skip the next paragraph.

Kender are a humanoid race in the "Dragonlance" fantasy novels. They are shorter than humans (or elves or dwarves) but typically slightly built. They are a lot like hobbits, except that kender don't feel fear and have no sense of property rights. They just steal stuff, not because they're greedy, but almost as a compulsion. They don't think about it, they just absentmindedly pick pockets or shoplift or whatever. Tasslefhoff Burrfoot is a character in the Dragonlance books. He's a kender, so he tends to "find" a lot of items that other people "lost."

So the typical complaint is that Tasslehoff is a joke character, that kender are an annoying race, and that the whole thing should have been dropped kicked out of the franchise and thrown into the sun. Because people see the "you must have dropped that" part of Tas and they don't see anything else.

This is an extraordinarily shallow reading of the character, of course. I would argue that in the original series, no character goes through as many changes as Tasslehoff Burrfoot. Here's an example quote of how his worldview changes:

Something had changed inside Tas. He would never again be like other kender. Through grief, he had come to know fear; fear not for himself but for others. He decided right now that he would rather die himself than lose anyone else he loved.

Okay. You see that, right? This character changes so much that a part of him will be forever separated from his home, from the culture he grew up it. These are young adult books, coming of age stories. Tas is the one who comes of age.

So if people think the character is shallow or one-dimensional, it's because they just can't see past that one dimension. They are stuck seeing kender the way that most people in the world of the books see kender: as lazy, thieving pests.

Some strong feelings towards fantasy races is pretty common. For example, I'm pretty annoyed by JRR Tolkien's elves. They're just so... perfect. They live forever, they're smarter than everyone else, better looking than everyone else, and they know it. They think they are better than other people because they are better than other people. Gross.

But, you know, give me a specific elf and I'll judge that elf on the basis of their behavior, not on the shape of their ears. Legolas is a great character and I would happily buy the man a beer at The Prancing Pony.

We have a word in the real world for people who can't see people as themselves, but can only see them as stereotypes based on their origin.

When it comes to kender, and especially to Tasslehoff Burrfoot. This really, really bother me. Much more than it should. I mean, what do I care if other people like or don't like a character I like or don't like? I'm not the character.

Except I sort of am, in the case of Tas. Because to me, his kleptomania is a standin for my neurodiversity. His trouble was my trouble.

Because remember, Tas doesn't steal because he's greedy. Kender don't have much of a property sense. They really only own what they're wearing and their sling-staffs. Kender don't lock their doors, they consider it impolite to be protective about mere things. He doesn't consciously lift things, he just does it. Most of the time, he doesn't know what he took or who he took it from. He never tries to keep anything that someone asks for.

Tasselhoff tries. He tries to follow these rules but he can't internalize them, they never become second nature. So if he isn't constantly vigilant over his behavior, he'll act normally (for a kender) and that will cause trouble and then someone will yell at him.

If you're neurodivergent, this probably sounds a little familiar.

What's even harder is that sometimes his friends want him to pick a lock or a pocket and while he's happy to do so, it's pretty clear that there are times when it is okay to be a kender, and times when it is not okay to be a kender... and he has trouble knowing what the difference is.

Again, if you're neurodivergent, this probably sounds a little familiar.

And I guess that's the thing that really bothers me about all the hate toward kender in general and Tasslehoff in particular. It feels personal. They're saying it isn't okay to be a kender, but I feel like they're saying it isn't okay to be neurodivergent. They say it isn't okay to be Tas, and I feel like they're saying it isn't okay to be me.

#neurodivergent #dragonlanc #tasslehoff burrfoot #Dragons of Autumn Twilight #Dragons of Winter Night #Dragons of Spring Dawning #Dragonlance Chronicles #tasslehoff is the heart of that series

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adora day!

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra) Characters: Adora (She-Ra), Finn | Adora/Catra Child (She-Ra), Catra (She-Ra), Melog (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Major Original Character(s) Series: Part 36 of Snapshots of Recovery Summary:

Catra reaches out in a new direction.

Yes, I’m still writing these! And I’m still working on Catran, although that’s been a bit like pulling teeth. 2021 was not a great writing year for me, so I’m working on getting back to it.

#spop #spop fanfic #catradora

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Adora & Catra (She-Ra) Characters: Adora (She-Ra), Catra (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Drabble, Drabble Collection, Post-Canon, Canon Universe, Pain, Trauma, Non-Graphic Violence, Injury Recovery, Catra Needs Therapy (She-Ra), the title is somewhat ironic, Suicide Attempt, Triggers Series: Part 13 of Snapshots of Recovery Summary:

Catra is not universally accepted.

This is not the story I would have expected to be the first drabble in this series to go past 1000 hits, but it is. 

#spop #spop fanfic #catrauma

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Bow (She-Ra), Entrapta (She-Ra), Catra (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Drabble, Drabble Collection, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Entrapta is still a genius Series: Part 29 of Snapshots of Recovery Summary:

Space is big.

#spop #spop fanfic

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Chapters: 13/13 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra) Characters: Catra (She-Ra), Adora (She-Ra), Scorpia (She-Ra), Frosta (She-Ra), Entrapta (She-Ra), Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Canon Universe, Alternate Canon, TW: animal cruelty, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Graphic Violence, Trans Catra (She-Ra), Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Past Child Abuse, Childhood Sexual Abuse Series: Part 1 of Catran Summary:

Catran lives in a cruel world of abuse, neglect, and violence. As a child in the Horde, he is expected to grow up to kill and destroy, efficiently and without mercy, and he has learned those lessons well. He's also learned that even the people who are supposed to be on his side can't be trusted. The adult who raised him tortured him with her magic, the team he grows up with don't respect him. In the brutal world of the Horde, Catran grows up without friends or protection. Every day is a fight.

The only bright spot in his life is Adora, his lifelong companion. She's the only person he's ever trusted, the only person who seems to care.

On top of that, Catran hasn't been feeling all that comfortable in his body, lately. It has its advantages, sure, but sometimes... sometimes it just doesn't fit. And there isn't a single person he can talk to about that. Even Adora might not understand.

When Adora leaves the Horde and joins the enemy, Catran's entire world collapses. But he's been fighting his entire life. He isn't going to give up now.

(It's She-Ra Season One told from the POV of non-binary Catra.)

So... that’s season one in the bag. Book one, anyway.

And in the end, we haven’t progressed very far on Catran’s gender journey, because he hasn’t figured out that he isn’t a “he” yet, although it seems obvious to other people (like Scorpia).

This sort of mirrors my own coming out process. I’ve faced hostility, denial, acceptance, and “duh”. Ex-girlfriends are the most likely “duh” candidates, or lesbians.

Catran will probably face some of this on his way to getting a queer conversion chip in Season 5, but I’m not sure how much. This is Etheria, after all. Transphobia is just not a thing on Etheria.

But here it is. Traumatized, non-binary Catra on their way to a queer awakening. I’ve written the final scenes, and they’re great. Now I just have to finish 40 something chapters in between.

#spop #spop fanfic #nonbinary catra #lesbian adora

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Catra (She-Ra), Bow (She-Ra), Entrapta (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Drabble, Drabble Collection, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Bow Is a Good Friend (She-Ra) Series: Part 28 of Snapshots of Recovery

#snarky catra #spop #spop fanfic

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Chapters: 12/13 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra) Characters: Catra (She-Ra), Adora (She-Ra), Scorpia (She-Ra), Frosta (She-Ra), Entrapta (She-Ra), Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Canon Universe, Alternate Canon, TW: animal cruelty, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Graphic Violence, Trans Catra (She-Ra), Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Past Child Abuse, Childhood Sexual Abuse Series: Part 1 of Catran Summary:

Catran lives in a cruel world of abuse, neglect, and violence. As a child in the Horde, he is expected to grow up to kill and destroy, efficiently and without mercy, and he has learned those lessons well. He's also learned that even the people who are supposed to be on his side can't be trusted. The adult who raised him tortured him with her magic, the team he grows up with don't respect him. In the brutal world of the Horde, Catran grows up without friends or protection. Every day is a fight.

The only bright spot in his life is Adora, his lifelong companion. She's the only person he's ever trusted, the only person who seems to care.

On top of that, Catran hasn't been feeling all that comfortable in his body, lately. It has its advantages, sure, but sometimes... sometimes it just doesn't fit. And there isn't a single person he can talk to about that. Even Adora might not understand.

When Adora leaves the Horde and joins the enemy, Catran's entire world collapses. But he's been fighting his entire life. He isn't going to give up now.

(It's She-Ra Season One told from the POV of non-binary Catra.)

#spop fanfic #spop #nonbinary catra #lesbian adora #catrauma

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra) Characters: Adora (She-Ra), Catra (She-Ra), Melog (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Drabble, Drabble Collection, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Popcorn Series: Part 27 of Snapshots of Recovery Summary:

Catra never knows what to expect.

#catradora #spop #spop fanfic

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra) Characters: Adora (She-Ra), Catra (She-Ra), Entrapta (She-Ra), Hordak (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Aftermath of Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Past Abuse Series: Part 25 of Snapshots of Recovery Summary:

Catra opens up to Adora.

#spop fanfic #spop #catrauma

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Chapters: 9/13 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra) Characters: Catra (She-Ra), Adora (She-Ra), Scorpia (She-Ra), Frosta (She-Ra), Entrapta (She-Ra), Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Canon Universe, Alternate Canon, TW: animal cruelty, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Graphic Violence, Trans Catra (She-Ra), Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt Series: Part 1 of Catran Summary:

Catran lives in a cruel world of abuse, neglect, and violence. As a child in the Horde, he is expected to grow up to kill and destroy, efficiently and without mercy, and he has learned those lessons well. He's also learned that even the people who are supposed to be on his side can't be trusted. The adult who raised him tortured him with her magic, the team he grows up with don't respect him. In the brutal world of the Horde, Catran grows up without friends or protection. Every day is a fight.

The only bright spot in his life is Adora, his lifelong companion. She's the only person he's ever trusted, the only person who seems to care.

On top of that, Catran hasn't been feeling all that comfortable in his body, lately. It has its advantages, sure, but sometimes... sometimes it just doesn't fit. And there isn't a single person he can talk to about that. Even Adora might not understand.

When Adora leaves the Horde and joins the enemy, Catran's entire world collapses. But he's been fighting his entire life. He isn't going to give up now.

(It's She-Ra Season One told from the POV of non-binary Catra.)

Spoilers!

It’s something I noticed from the show... Adora asks Catra to leave with her any time they’re alone, but never when they’re with other people. It’s almost like she’s ashamed of her feelings.

I don’t think that’s intentional, I think I’m reading in a little bit, but still. There it is.

#spop fanfic #spop #non-binary catra #lesbian adora

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Chapters: 8/13 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra) Characters: Catra (She-Ra), Adora (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Canon Universe, Alternate Canon, TW: animal cruelty, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Graphic Violence, Trans Catra (She-Ra), Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt Series: Part 1 of Catran Summary:

Catran lives in a cruel world of abuse, neglect, and violence. As a child in the Horde, he is expected to grow up to kill and destroy, efficiently and without mercy, and he has learned those lessons well. He's also learned that even the people who are supposed to be on his side can't be trusted. The adult who raised him tortured him with her magic, the team he grows up with don't respect him. In the brutal world of the Horde, Catran grows up without friends or protection. Every day is a fight.

The only bright spot in his life is Adora, his lifelong companion. She's the only person he's ever trusted, the only person who seems to care.

On top of that, Catran hasn't been feeling all that comfortable in his body, lately. It has its advantages, sure, but sometimes... sometimes it just doesn't fit. And there isn't a single person he can talk to about that. Even Adora might not understand.

When Adora leaves the Horde and joins the enemy, Catran's entire world collapses. But he's been fighting his entire life. He isn't going to give up now.

(It's She-Ra Season One told from the POV of non-binary Catra.)

So... why does Scorpia, who is definitely gay, like Catran, who is definitely AMAB?

I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m writing from experience here. I’ve been the exception to the rule for gay women who did not identify as bisexual over the years. I don’t know why, but I have my theories.

And the thing is, had I really understood which part of my energy they were responding to, I think that those situations would have gone a lot better. If by any chance you’re one of them, sorry about that. Neither of us knew I was trans.

So what I think is going on here is that Scorpia likes cats, thinks Catran is cute, and is responding to whatever it is about them, chemically, that makes them non-binary. 

Because (and now I’m speaking as a non-binary person) it has to be somethting, right? I don’t believe in souls or magic of any kind, so whatever makes me different has to be something physical, something in the way my body has developed that makes this something I am.

I don’t know, I guess. That’s probably why I’m writing this.

#spop #spop fanfic #fanfic as therapy #catradora #scortra #non-binary catra

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Catra (She-Ra), Glimmer (She-Ra), Hordak (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Drabble, Drabble Collection, Post-War, Canon Compliant, Post-Canon Series: Part 24 of Snapshots of Recovery Summary:

The problem with the alliance is that they've never understood what they were fighting.

#spop #spop fanfic

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Chapters: 7/13 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra) Characters: Catra (She-Ra), Adora (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Canon Universe, Alternate Canon, TW: animal cruelty, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Graphic Violence, Trans Catra (She-Ra), Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt Series: Part 1 of Catran Summary:

Catran lives in a cruel world of abuse, neglect, and violence. As a child in the Horde, he is expected to grow up to kill and destroy, efficiently and without mercy, and he has learned those lessons well. He's also learned that even the people who are supposed to be on his side can't be trusted. The adult who raised him tortured him with her magic, the team he grows up with don't respect him. In the brutal world of the Horde, Catran grows up without friends or protection. Every day is a fight.

The only bright spot in his life is Adora, his lifelong companion. She's the only person he's ever trusted, the only person who seems to care.

On top of that, Catran hasn't been feeling all that comfortable in his body, lately. It has its advantages, sure, but sometimes... sometimes it just doesn't fit. And there isn't a single person he can talk to about that. Even Adora might not understand.

When Adora leaves the Horde and joins the enemy, Catran's entire world collapses. But he's been fighting his entire life. He isn't going to give up now.

(It's She-Ra Season One told from the POV of non-binary Catra.)

Short chapter this week, but I think important for character development. Our protagonist has to come to the conclusion that SW can be beaten before they beat her.

#spop #spop fanfic #nonbinary catra