draconicsplendor

[draconicsplendor]

NEW NATE STEVENSON SHE-RA ART!

SO UM! NATE STEVENSON JUST POSTED A SHE-RA ANNIVERSARY COMIC ON HIS SUBSTACK! IT'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF POST CANON STUFF PLUS A SPINETOSSA KID! HE MADE ANOTHER SHE-RA FANKID! This made me so goddamn happy right now you have no fucking idea.

Thank you Nate Stevenson for every wonderful thing you have ever done.

[draconicsplendor]

Rewatch Rambles (tm)

Season 1

In the Shadows of Mystacor

aka the gaslighting episode!!!!!!

If you saw me skip System Failure no u didn’t. (Sorry it’s like one of the only episodes that I just can’t stand on rewatches, corrupted Adora is only funny on White Out bc she basically becomes a drunk dork) 

Pleek, Bow looks so in love with Glimmer, I can't take it.

Both Bow and Glimmer react in a bit of an exasperated way to Adora's "paranoia" (in air-quotes bc as much as Adora is hyper-vigilant in an unhealthy manner, her paranoia is correct here. These feelings were probably always warranted in the FZ, which fed into them more once they were confirmed Adora was in the right for being paranoid. Basically creating a very unhealthy loop).

Anyway tangent aside, I meant to say that Bow and Glimmer's reactions probably mean that Adora has been doing this since she got to Bright Moon and are starting to get irritated with her.

Man Glimmer’s kinda mean to Adora when she’s really anxious, u can see her comments really hurt her bc they really don’t take her seriously, which like, makes sense bc they don’t know how SW or the Horde is like but damn, maybe cool off a bit????? Y’all have no idea what the Horde was like. I bet that Adora really missed Catra in moments like this, she was the only one who really understood. 

But also Adora is SO bad at communicating, so it's very likely that she hasn't really said much about the Horde in general.

Adora adopting Catra's go-to pose when she feels vulnerable PLEEK.

Maybe I'm just coping and they always animate characters making this same pose when they feel insecure/vulnerable but I don't think so?

Girlie this is not the flex u think it is, please get that smirk off your face. (The way she is so proud of herself bc she was absolutely praised for this back in the Horde, god.)

Adora's like whoa dude why is this stranger hugging Glimmer. (because she doesn't know what an aunt is).

Which is also important to talk about. Adora can't stand not knowing things, which is why she pretends she knows what a party is, and an aunt is. She was probably punished if she didn't learn fast enough, or didn't know the answer to something, so Bow and Glimmer actually letting her not know things and show that it's okay, is very healing for her.

This is a very important episode for understanding Glimmer as well. She parallels Adora in the sense that she also feels that she has to bury her emotions with others. With Angella, it's because she feels like she is letting her down: she feels like her powers are weak, and she is not a good commander, so her mom is probably disappointed in her.

With Casta it's more like she is an extremely passive aggressive person and any boundary she tries to place is disregarded and flipped onto her, so Glimmer is put in the position of comforting Casta after she tries to put boundaries. So Glimmer simply bites her tongue and doesn't speak her mind.

Casta is honestly a very toxic family member to Glimmer very often. God she reminds me too much of some family members of mine. They like to act like they're a safe space to talk about your issues, but in reality it's just easier to pretend that everything is fine and agree with everything they say, because when you DO bring something up, they just guilt-trip you.

Bow is right, like he doesn't want Adora to feel left out and to not even have the option to go to the eclipse ceremony, but I also really understand Glimmer. Like, again. This is not a healthy family member to be around. Glimmer has probably talked about how uncomfortable she feels around Casta sometimes, due to her passive-aggressive behavior. And I would also feel very betrayed if my best friend, who knew this, did not back me up when I said I did not want to spend more time with her.

I think Adora defaults to trying to make adults like her bc of her relationship with authority figures. (And she doesn't understand the context of why Glimmer doesn't want to be around Casta.)

Actually I can see it as her thinking that Casta's behavior is normal bc Shadow Weaver is also passive aggressive with her, just in a different way.

SW does not do the joke-filled, self-deprecating passive aggressiveness, hers is more like thinly veiled threats and belittlement/condescension ("do not let this happen again" in a sweet voice to kid Adora, "she was always [paranoid] like this" talking to Glimmer about Adora as if she's not in the room)

Whereas Casta is more victim playing, guilt-tripping, resentment and insinuations. ("why are u visiting, oh is it once in a blue moon already?" "don't you want to spend more time with your aunt?" "I certainly don't want to waste your time")

Oh god Castaweaver's communication style would be,,, a lot. They literally interact like bitter ex-wives when they do interact. (I ship it, but oh god would they be TOXIC without any therapy skahdka)

This is literally what it feels like when non AD(H)D people tell me that sitting down with my eyes closed is the only way to meditate. Like PLEASE let me move. My life changed when I realized there were movement meditations out there that actually worked.

These gender neutral swimsuits mean everything to me.

I mean I love the transmasc Bow hcs but since Nate Stevenson drew Sea Hawk and Micah wearing these style of swimsuits for the 5th anniversary comic, I also think these are just regular swimsuits on Etheria which is so cool tbh.

Oh yea so as I said in the beginning, Adora has absolutely shared NOTHING about her past. She has probably talked about the Horde's tactics and stuff but not anything personal. She absolutely feels guilt about it and feels responsible.

The fact that Glimmer says “mom stuff” to the things Adora says (SW taught me how to read, tie my boots, subvert the enemy and be victorious in battle) is so sad. I like how they integrate being raised during a war in subtle ways like this.

Bow is such an awesome friend to Adora tbh. He validates her feelings and asks if her way of “relaxing” - hitting things, would go better.

The way Adora runs towards Catra's voice to reassure her RAH

It's really sad and upsetting that Catra does end up using this exact language with Adora down the line. Actually SW probably used the same phrases Catra told Adora when they argued back in the Horde as a reference for this.

Shadow Weaver uses sooo much touch as part of her manipulation tactics. She knows how touch starved people in the Horde are. But Adora is better at looking thru this tactic than Catra, and I think it's because she is not as touch starved as her + she has people in her life now who are showing her what healthy relationships (and physical touch) look like.

I wonder if the forehead touch is actually something she saw Catra and Adora do and that's why she uses it, or is it the other way around. Forehead touches being used by SW and them reclaiming it for themselves.

I'm really glad Adora is already realizing that the conditional praise SW gave her is not love. This was a person who very recently thought that there was no manipulation in the Horde at all, so this is is a huge milestone for her.

The parallels between Light Spinner and here.

Interesting difference in words. Adora's "cruel" vs Catra's "weak". The line right before this one, Catra asks "what could I have possibly done to deserve the way you treated me?" Which means that on some level, she does believe she deserves the treatment, bc there MUST have been a reason, right? There must be something she can fix to get treated right, otherwise there is something inherently wrong with her and she doesn't deserve love bc of it (which is what SW always told her).

She is not seeing SW as necessarily wrong or cruel. Especially bc SW justifies this abuse by saying that she just was preparing her for the world, as if she was just expressing a harsh truth Catra did not want to hear.

Catra instead uses the word "weak" to describe her, because if there is no love that she deserves, then there is only winning and losing and your value is tied to whether u can succeed or fail.

It's also interesting that Shadow Weaver laughs when Adora says "I'm nothing like you" vs in Light Spinner when she responds "oh but you are like me".

Also the fact that Catra doesn't say the "you used me" line until later, because she really wanted to believe this was a genuine act of kindness.

I can only put like 2 more images on this post sahkdkh otherwise I would put more, but I love how well this show portrays manipulative parents: SW runs through every tactic she has here: praise, belittlement, false kindness, preying on Adora's insecurities.

I also LOVE this shot wow. SW is the one preventing Adora from reaching the "light" of her self-worth and power.

I find it really sad that although she has no explicit power over Adora anymore, her teachings are so internalized that it still affects her until the end of the show. It just means a lot to me that this show understands relapses and how mental health works. Just because you are aware of something, it doesn't mean it will not come back, or in a more implicit way that you're not fully aware of.

Trauma becomes a part of you and your behaviours, even without that person there.

The way she is absolutely thinking of Catra here :(

Now THESE were rambles, damn. We're getting into the big leagues now. You know what's next? PRINCESS PROM BAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

STRAP IN CUZ I GOT A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THAT EPISODE.

[draconicsplendor]

Rewatch Rambles (tm)

Season 1

PRINCESS PROM PRINCESS PROM WE'RE GOING TO PRINCESS PROM

(pt 1. Listen, u don't understand. I wrote SEVEN pages of notes while watching this episode dude)

The way this show deals with propaganda, I stg. Phrases like this make Scorpia's defection hit so much harder. The way the Horde just fed complete lies to this really sweet and kind person to destroy her self-esteem and prevent her from looking deeper into the colonization of her home that took place.

The destruction of the Scorpioni people's culture and home is horrible. Scorpia desperately holds on to the propaganda that her family just "handed over" the land to Hordak to deal with the cognitive dissonance of being part of the Horde. It breaks my heart every time.

RAH just the way that Catra has internalized Adora’s abandonment and compartmentalized that She-ra and Adora are two different people to cope with her abandonment bc she is so angry at Adora but she loves her and the only way those two can co-exist is if she turns She-ra into a different person than Adora and dump all of the anger she feels towards She-ra. 

And also this phrase

Is so sad because it just goes to show that Catra fully believes Adora asked her to come with her as an afterthought after meeting Bow and Glimmer and thinking they’re better friends bc they “fit in”.

She thinks Adora is embarrassed of their past connection and again, it stems from the “you are kind of disrespectful”, at least the sentiment behind that statement. To Catra, Adora sees her as inferior and a person who is so disobedient and socially weird, that that’s why she gets mistreated and doesn’t get what she wants, cuz she doesn’t “fit in”. 

The way I fucking LOVE extremely neurodivergent Adora planning for the ball, I love her so much. It feels like that thing I do where I practice what I’m going to say to a person and like possible conversation topics before a hang-out but cranked to 300. 

The way Adora is so freaking uncomfortable throughout the makeover sequence bc she only feels safe in her clothes. It’s so transmasc coded,  being forced into dresses and feeling like it’s ur only choice and like,,, disappointing ur female friends when you’re not into makeup and dresses and nails AURGH. I know Adora is comfy with dresses later, in the future vision, but I just relate to her discomfort on very femme presenting clothes in the early szns a lot. 

This transition from Adora’s room to the FZ using Catra putting on her jacket is so GOOD.

Also holy shit she's so hot, suit Catra HELP ME. Listen they don't call me the Masc Catra CEO for nothing, I will go FERAL over her during all of these rambles. U signed up for this.

I gotta admit that Catra did go thru gay panic looking at Scorpia in that dress.

I mean, same. Scorpia is fucking ripped and she WORKS that dress.

Also maybe I’m reading too much into it but this transition of Scorpia walking to grab Catra’s hand into Adora ready for the ball could symbolize that Catra is only thinking of how jealous Adora is going to be? Like she’s grabbing Scorpia’s hand but she’s really thinking about Adora and how she’s going to get a rise out of her. 

This frame just symbolizes Adora’s coping mechanism since she left the Horde so well. She’s just leaned completely into She-Ra and feels completely dependent on her bc she will just break down with so many emotions if she takes like a single second to process all that’s happened to her.

Huh, you know what? I'm pretty sure this is the first episode in the series so far where Adora doesn't turn into She-Ra throughout the whole run.

I love Entrapta just being so completely sure of herself here and loving her own company, I would be talking about “the social experiment” with her for hours lol.

This really shows how much of a show Catra is putting on. She looks around for Adora and then grabs Scorpia's pincer. Her #1 goal tonight is make Adora jealous. Kidnap her friends for her master plan is a close second.

This whole transition is peak, when she notices Catra entering the ball right after saying that is RAH. It's a good wake-up call, that at the end of the day she did leave Catra behind, even if she tried to get her to come with. Idk, I just like that she is made aware of the loose ends in her past. That even though she is starting to fit in with the alliance and crafting a new identity for herself, she shouldn't forget where she comes from and the relationships she left behind.

Especially because this is the first ep that highlights Catra and Glimmer’s parallel struggles with fitting in and dealing with their abandonment issues. They actually deal with it very similarly, trying to get a rise out of the person they love by showing "they’re so much better off without them".

Bow doesn’t really rise to the bait bc he’s much more emotionally mature and secure, but Adora totally falls for it bc,,,, she doesn’t really know how to deal with most emotions. 

This is Glimmer’s first time really seeing Catradora interacting and I love her confused ass face like “why is Adora being really intense with this specific horde soldier rn” also Catra’s mlep is 10/10

The way Adora IMMEDIATELY falls for Catra’s bait. like, it’s actually kind of embarrassing for her how fast she folds shkdjshsaj there is NOTHING in that party except for Catra as soon as she arrives.

Also the special Adora smirk, love to see it.

literally SO unnecessarily sensual. She did NOT have to caress the pole like that. Girlie is working overtime.

I am also obsessed with thinking that Catra made the lil paper ahead of time and even put in a little doodle. My blorbo doesn’t mess around, she clocks IN to her shift as #1 ex situationship menace.

Also arghhh as a person with abandonment issues, I feel this fucking episode so hard with Glimmer. I know Bow is frustrated and annoyed, which is so fair but it’s also kinda mean how he doesn’t take a second to validate her feelings of fear of him moving on from their friendship.

Like Glimmer's feelings are valid as hell. When you are used to having a best friend u do everything with, that dynamic changing without any warning is scary! Especially if you struggle with feelings of inferiority.

I just LOVE the parallels between glimbow and catradora in this ep. And I like how glimbow’s way of communicating is slightly better but it’s still unhealthy and invalidating vs Catradora’s,,,,, not communicating at all

Bow straight up ate with this line tho.

I'm gonna save the dance for pt 2 bc I have 5 pictures left on this post and y'all know there's gonna be a LOT of dance screencaps.

[draconicsplendor]

Rewatch Rambles (tm)

PRINCESS PROM PRINCESS PROM WERE GOING TO PRINCESS PROM pt 2

Once again obsessed with Adora falling so easily for Catra's bait, she can really read her like a book.

In the previous episode Catra says

And this is so true, and why Adora is so scared of going against Catra.

Catra knows exactly how to use this against her. But the interesting part is that "the heart" in question is not only Bow and Glimmer, but Catra as well. She is formulating a plan that's hinging on Adora going to the FZ to rescue Bow and Glimmer, but it also hinges on Adora being distracted by Catra from their attachment to each other.

I wonder if Catra being able to successfully pull this off gave her a twisted sense of security. As in, she was able to make Adora jealous and fixate on her, so that must mean Adora still cares about her right?

It's so jarring to hear Catra explicitly say the word love bc most of her interactions with others are spent pretending she doesn't care about the other person.

And of course the first time she mentions loving another person is to get a rise out of Adora and try to make her jealous bc the only person she truly loves at this point in her life is Adora.

I mentioned it in a conversation with Chase where someone was saying that the dance scene was harassment from Catra, but I don't believe that. First up, Adora is never forced to dance with Catra, she offers up her hand and Adora takes it after a beat, after looking around to scan for people's reactions.

I think mostly Adora is embarrassed. She’s embarrassed by how much Catra affects her, and how people will see her being seen dancing with Catra. She's a Horde soldier after all, and has tried her best to sever all ties with the organization because she still feels like her position in the rebellion is extremely unstable. That she is one mistake away from people labelling her a traitor bc of her past and banishing her, and she has nowhere left to go.

I think she misses Catra, and that she wants to dance with her despite herself. That even though she is so annoyed by her antics and brattiness, that's also a lot of what Adora misses. We have to remember that because PDA is seen as a weakness in the Horde, the only way these two could express their love for each other was play-wrestling, pranking and bantering/playful bullying.

That dynamic is on full display this episode, but Adora is desperately trying to prevent herself from enjoying it. She does this by focusing on her suspicion and framing the easy return of their dynamic as a facade for Catra's plan.

Which... she is right about, but it's not the only reason Catra is acting this way. She misses Adora and their dynamic AND she is trying to prove to Adora she is better off (by flirting with other women) AND making Adora jealous to prove to herself that Adora still cares about her even after the abandonment (bc she cares so much and hates it).

Like im SORRY but look at Adora's face here, she's having fun despite herself. Before she remembers and turns it back into a scowl.

Side note: The way the entire episode budget was spent on the dance sequence between Catra and Adora, like you can TELL. the expressions, the animation, everything is so freaking immaculate. They knew what the gays wanted and they delivered.

Love how Adora can't stop looking at Catra even as she gets sent to another dance partner, while Catra is so sure of her control over the situation, that she acts non-nonchalantly about it and doesn't look back.

Also omg someone help Glimmer, poor girly is dissociating on that frame.

The dance is also just SO well paced and choreographed. Adora getting information by dancing with other partners is so creative and genius.

Side side note: this dance sequence is so gay, I can't believe this episode exists honestly.

They had to make this a Perfuma and Adora frame bc if the fandom got the dip AND Adora/Catra basically groping the other's ass, the world would have imploded I think.

Also please the EASE with which Adora carries Perfuma and lets her down...... oh to be a buff futch with arms of steel.

The way Catra just LAUNCHES herself into Adora's arms im going to bite my arm off actually.

Note how Adora's expression changes from angry to surprised and suspicious when Catra grabs her hand.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I have no analysis I’m just barking and yelling at my screen at this point. (have I seen this exact sequence 300 times? yes. Does it still affect me the same each time? also yes)

Well u can have the little analysis/note that Adora is totally looking at Catra's lips on the dip before looking up, as a treat.

Side side side note: Holy shit Catra is so hot, send help actually.

Catra looks so cute in this in-between frame :)

I have the power to do whatever I want so I am going to count this as a straddle (note their leg positions) so

SC = 4

Ok WAIT. I have to point out that Catra LETS herself be picked up by Adora. She raises her claws to fight back and then she lowers them willingly when she realizes Adora is going to pick her up. HELP THEYRE SO GAY.

This episode has some of the best Catra smirks I fear. This face combined with the knowledge that she is entirely in control of the situation despite being fucking pulled up from the ground by her collar,,, she’s got Adora in the pads of her hands and she fucking KNOWS. 

The tail to get her attention… PLEASEEEEEEEEE

Ok I am done screaming for now, I can analyze again.

Adora’s “this isn’t a game, people are going to get hurt” just goes to show that for all they know each other, they don’t really know what motivates the other person. And it’s bc they have no understanding of trauma, both theirs and the other person’s. Catra is so good at her nonchalant facade that she has genuinely convinced Adora that she doesn’t care, bc that’s what she always said.

"Promise" is such a surprise to Adora bc she was so focused on her duty as cadet that she couldn’t really unpack or discern the extent of Catra’s hurt under her facade of not caring.

Sorry I’m screaming again, just the fact that Catra fights this entire fight with her hands on her pockets,,,, PLEASE SHE’S SO COCKY THIS EPISODE

The split second where Catra thinks Adora is going to let her fall AUGH that pained expression just destroying her smirky and confident facade. "I really thought she still cared about me."

Lesbianism?????????????????????????????????????????

Ok we’ve had our laughs and some gaffs but like,,, can I take a second to just talk about how much trauma this poor girl went through in the last like 20 minutes? 

Her ex shows up at a party after her literally saying “I don’t leave my loved ones behind”, everybody at the party shuns her bc she is acting like a complete freak chasing her ex (who is also from her military / colonizer upbringing she's trying to distance herself from) around. She is also jealous despite herself bc Catra is being touchy with other women on purpose and riling her on, then she makes sure to dance a very romantic and intimate dance with lots of touching and Adora is conflicted bc she’s like “argh no I know you’re planning something but also I’ve missed you so much but also you’re the enemy and I can’t be seen enjoying this and also you’ve been teasing me all night long and then you DIP me and then u tell me u did actually kidnap my friend???!!!??”, then she gets banned from the party over something that she was actually right about, fights her ex, realizes she still cares about her and can’t let her fall, intense eye contact, “oh shit I am gay”, they fall off the cliff, she thinks Catra KILLS HERSELF by letting go of her hand and then she sees her fly away with her kidnapped friends??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Girl I’d be [sobbing] as well!

[draconicsplendor]

[draconicsplendor]

I think everyone should have to see this animation from Hima’s old blog

[draconicsplendor]

Wave in Backlight - Peter Witt

German , b. 1966 -

Oil on canvas, 80 x 80 cm.

[draconicsplendor]

Commishes for September completion are OPEN!

Info + form here if you'd like to grab a slot!

[draconicsplendor]

Car wash fundraiser for Tboy Wrestling

[draconicsplendor]

I can’t stop thinking about crocodiles for some reason so here’s some cool pictures I found of probably the second largest one in captivity, his name is Utan:

isn’t he beautiful

listen to the SOUND when he bites

and that’s not even a real power bite, that’s mostly just heavy bone falling on heavy bone from his jaws and the air rushing out from between them

[draconicsplendor]

Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of free resources for different sign languages:

American Sign Language (ASL)

Australian Sign Language (Auslan)

Australian Indigenous Sign Languages

Black American Sign Language (BASL)

Brazilian Sign Language (LSB)

British Sign Language (BSL)

Chinese Sign Language (CSL)

Emirati Sign Language (ESL)

French Sign Language (LSF)

Italian Sign Language (LIS)

Indian Sign Language (ISL)

International Sign Language (IS)

Irish Sign Language (ISL)

Japanese Sign Language (JSL)

New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL)

Mexican Sign Language (LSM)

Plains Indian Sign Language (PISL)

Polish Sign Language (PJM)

Ukrainian Sign Language (USL)

Yolŋu Sign Language (YSL)

Please feel free to add on if you know of others, be it more resource for one of the sign languages above, or resources for learning any of the other 300 plus sign languages.

Edit: I updated the ASL reference to Bill Vicars, but reminder that these are just things I found around, please find Deaf teachers wherever possible! And for ASL, lifeprint.com is another wonderful resource.

[draconicsplendor]

can anyone tell me the watch order for every movie ever so i can understand all references and homages

[draconicsplendor]

this post's hypothetical by itself is already ridiculous but the thing that gets me is how the wording implies two very funny things that become funnier in tandem

1. "Accidentally, the pitcher tosses a Christian baby" means this is a mistake on the pitcher's part. i imagine the pitcher is breastfeeding on the field and they pitch and they look down at their hands and they see the ball still in the glove and they go "fuck"

2. hitting the baby will still win you the game

[draconicsplendor]

[draconicsplendor]

there’s a lot going on here

[draconicsplendor]

Paying 5 yuan for hot gossip

English added by me :)