It’s endearing how self-sustaining fandoms have become. Even after years have passed with no sequels, spin-offs, or even acknowledgment their favourite media exists, hardened creatives keep a collective passion alive with new art, fiction, discussions, drama, and love for shows, films, games, and books that mean the world to them. She-Ra is the epitome of such dedication.ND Stevenson’s take on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power premiered on Netflix back in 2018, and throughout its run amassed an audience of viewers both young and old, many of whom were drawn to its story of overcoming trauma and embracing queerness through characters who explored complex emotions and asked difficult questions. It was a triumph, evident in how years later fans continue to build upon the canon and engage in nuanced debate that not only reinforces the original narrative, but is often determined to compliment its greatness.We’re never getting a movie, or likely any form of official continuation from DreamWorks, so giving it a go ourselves is the next best thing. I’ve made close friends in communities spread across Discord servers and social media that are writing fanfiction and drawing fanart almost each and every day, major parts of their social lives revolving around the existence of these characters and how we’ve come to love them. ND Stevenson and Molly Knox Ostertag held a charity stream for Black Lives Matter several years ago in which Finn, a potential child of main characters Catra and Adora, was born. This isn’t canon, but it might as well be given how immediately fans took to their existence, making them a substantial part of future media through adorable characterization and a considered perspective on how exactly they’d fit into what we already know. The fandom took this out-of-universe development and brought it to life.
Recent years have been filled with occurrences like this. Small pockets of fans celebrate the tiniest morsels of news or minute anniversaries that aren’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but through passion alone we’ve transformed them into causes for celebration. No place is this more apparent than SPOP Caps, a Twitter account which for over a year now has been sharing sequential screenshots of the show every 20 minutes. It’s gone through each and every episode, and last week it reached the finale and got Catradora trending all over again.
Defining moments in the show’s history have been experienced for the first time despite the fact we know what’s going to happen, but now there’s an added layer of social adulation to proceedings as we sit waiting with bated breath for certain twists and turns. All so we can bring discussion about them back to the forefront. Not a single day has passed in recent weeks that didn’t see a killer observation or new piece of art produced in response to the account, either resurfaced from the past or birthed from this unorthodox perspective.
When Queen Elizabeth II croaked it I recall the account pivoting to the episode focusing on Glimmer’s coronation, which was either a warm tribute, a cutting joke, or a hilarious coincidence. Either way, it was timely, smart, and considered where SPOP Caps exists in the wider zeitgeist and how fans engage with it. It exists both for the fandom and as a part of it, keenly aware it retraces groundbreaking milestones in queer animation again and again in honour of those this show means so much to. Catra and Adora’s kiss amidst the Heart of Etheria was proof of that, and how a known conclusion somehow became a source of anticipation after we’d gotten so wrapped up in consuming She-Ra through nothing more than screenshots.
There was a pronounced anticipation as we moved closer to the conclusion, reacting in feigned shock as it became clear Catra and Adora were far more than gals being pals. We knew precisely where the cards were going to fall, but in creating this gradual recollection of past events we gave them renewed purpose, reigniting a dormant fire that reminded us why She-Ra commands such respect in the first place. It’s a shame to see it come to an end so soon, although this grief is circumvented by an appreciation for this fandom and how even after several years it isn’t going anywhere, and chances are another experiment will emerge in the future that encourages us to fall head over heels for it all over again.
It serves as an infectious reminder of how media not only holds power over us, but who we are, the friends we make, and the lessons we carry forward in life. SPOP Caps might just be a Twitter user sharing screenshots from a show they love, but in turn it has brought an entire community together and recontextualised its shared appreciation for something very special.