Looking at utenanthy official art, I love how genuinely happy Anthy is portrayed in art that is meant to be post-anime.
Look at how happy she is!! Another notable detail is that she tends to be more in control in comparison to her art with utena as the rose bride (I mean, that's a bit obvious considering she was the rose bride but I still feel the need to point it out)
She is held (damsel in distress style) by utena, who looks to be more in control and still has the prince mentality. (not all the art before the ending is like this, but a lot of it is). So it makes me really happy to see a genuinely happy and free anthy be more in control. They're in love!! They're free and they're happy!!
This post doesn't bring anything new to the table and I'm guessing this has been pointed out a million times before, but I want to gush about 90s anime lesbians. I love them dearly. Did you know they changed my life forever.
this. this right fucking here.
CATRA AND ADORA ARE NOT SISTERS.
Not "Adopted" or "related by blood", they were NEVER sisters, Period. They grew-up together as best friends in a military-school/orphanage. Plus, Shadow Weaver was their mentor, NOT their "mother".
"Oh but that page from the show bible-"
-Was made before the show ever went into production and was written either by Dreamworks or Netflix higher-ups, without ND Stevenson's consent. So it makes perfect sense that Stevenson fought long and hard, with all of his strength, against these ideas being forced upon the story so that Catra and Adora could fully consummate their love for each other and make cartoon history. Sadly, these bad-faith actors are so desperate to turn Stevenson into this disgusting "incest-abuse fetishist", not because they care about "wanting good writing" or "better representation" but because they want less competition. It's what they tried to do with Rebecca Sugar and others, lie about a genuine, honest-to-goodness LGBTQ+ creator fighting for diversity being the most depraved, most vile monster imaginable just so they can chase them out of the industry and take their place as "the better creator".
Because they believe the animation industry works like some high-school popularity contest where the only way upwards is to tear others down.
Happy five year anniversary of Catradora! This is a holiday for me.
i'd say this is the last time i'll ever mention the jump in save the cat.. but i think we'd both know i was lying.
cause i know the first time i ranted on it my focus was on how heart-wrenching it is to think adora jumped without any idea or awareness quite yet of the fact that transforming without the sword was not only possible - but would actually conjure her true she-ra form, one far more seemingly invincible, able to innately wield her magic and abilities, displaying prowess and powers she had never before reached after all her training with light hope.
and how that meant she jumped just cause she couldn't stand the thought of catra dying down there alone, and even though it meant she might end up dying down there with her, one way or another, at least catra wouldn't have to face the end on her own.
but then i was making an amv using these scenes for literally prob like the 30th time lol annnd then the thought hit me - she had to have known there was a good chance catra wouldn't have survived the fall at all. and with the bottom cloaked in shadows, there was no way for her to know how far she, adora, would fall herself if she were to jump. so her own survival of even just the impact without her she-ra form was no guarantee, either.
but she still goes after her. she takes that risk. cause she can't just leave catra in the dark.
never could
never really meant to
never will again
and catra? ends up doing the same for adora. over and over. i'd add more examples but i hit my gif limit lol
<3
the actual fucking chills that i get listening to perverts ♡
they are so beautiful ₊˚⊹♡
beach episode! 🌺
alcoholic game: take a shot every time Adora tries to sacrifice herself for her friends (level: impossible)
catra in her princess prom suit, gotta be one of my favorite genders
Both Catra and Adora defying death at the height of their character journeys in such a powerful and subversive way. Whenever I think about it deeper, both deaths were very traditional and demeaning ’feminine’ deaths. Catra had a man literally controlling her body and mouth to fight against her friend (and lover) for seemingly his own amusement, and when she resisted, he disposed of her by throwing her off a cliff (the gwen stacy method), she was barely present in the entirety of the episode, her agency stripped (not for the first time), the emotional stakes were felt, but by Adora not catra and how bad she felt to see catra this hurt, even though catra was the one in pain, we don’t focus on catra’s perspective at all during it, so if she did die at the end of it, she would have just been another name to add to the list of female love interest violated and killed by the hand of men for the development of the main character’s story. Except she didn’t die! that wasn’t her end, but her beginning, that part was just a step on the rest of her life that she grew and recovered enough to have power to control. To change.
As for Adora, there’s no shortage of self sacrificial women and female martyrs both in history or fiction, it’s been romanticised and encouraged since the dawn of the patriarchy for girls to grew up being conditioned into giving up their own needs, desires and even lives and health for the convenience and goals of others, and when they obey that to the extreme (like with the failsafe) they’re celebrated as the ultimate heroes. The perfect women are dead women after all. but instead Adora doesn’t die not just because of her power or sense of duty but because she learns to be selfish and choose something for herself for once and that’s what ultimately saves her. She rejects her conditioning and the message of what a hero must be and choose to live for her own self. Self love is radical.