#Perils of Peekablue

[hatebitxh]

Old Drawpile doodle.

[aprillikesthings]

Now that I've spent a good day thinking about how hot it is when Catra is a terrible person corrupted by setting off a portal, I'm ready to go back to (re)watching her try to be Good lolol

well okay more than one day.

I mean I literally spent the last four? five? days listening to songs off The Downward Spiral over and over while thinking about Catra and practicing my makeup for my Catra cosplay and ordering more of the things I need for it; like literally just staring off into space at work between phone calls thinking about Catra

I'm totally a well-adjusted middle-aged adult, thanks for asking!

Shit where did I even leave off

Oh right

SO HEY if you're new here, I've been rewatching all of the 2018 She-Ra, and I started doing it for fic-writing reasons but predictably I have become deeply obsessed. Anyway these posts sometimes have a lot of asides and commentary and references to other stuff and dumb jokes among a ton of screenshots, also (and it feels odd saying it this close to the end of the show) it's a RE-watch, so there's often spoilers for later bits of the story, also I keep trying NOT to just describe the entire plots of the episodes but I keep failing lol

s5 ep7 Perils of Peekablue

Adora's trying to become She-Ra (without an immanent threat) and then Bow and Glimmer distract her, and then the door opens on Catra and

I literally did a YES YES YESSSS AHAHAH out loud bc this is the point at which Catra just starts OPENLY FLIRTING, as opposed to just uhhhh flirtatiously taunting I suppose lol

like you're SITTING IN HER LAP

Also while rewinding it to watch again I paused it at the most hilarious moment

look at Catra's FACE

help I can't stop laughing but also look at Bow's expression

Glimmer: omg I'm gonna get to see my dad Catra: *gets up and leaves*

But also I make this face when a cat leaves my lap before I wanted them to:

Anyway they're a day out from arriving at Etheria

Adora's trying so hard

BACK ON ETHERIA

YAY IT'S THIS ONE

the intro finally changed!! I can't get a good screenshot but now when Catra (with short hair) and Adora (in She-Ra's new get-up) are fighting they stop much faster and they're both smiling omgggg

and there she is!! with everyone else!!

okay I'm going to take way less screenshots etc of the underwater speakeasy thing because let's be honest: that part of the plot isn't what I'm here for lol

But yeah they're going to the speakeasy thing to get Prince Peekablue who can see to the edges of the galaxy and can maybe tell them where Adora and the others are because they don't know what happened

Oh also Spinarella is chipped and Netossa is realizing something is off/weird about her but doesn't know what

Oh hey! You used to work for Huntara in the Crimson Wastes

Sea Hawk has pissed off approximately half the people in the room it seems (by lighting their ships on fire at some point)

Scorpia and Perfuma are the cutest and I can absolutely see how they end up together

In my fic I originally had Adora talking to some kind of therapist but I wasn't sure they existed on Etheria, and last week I edited that bit so Adora is talking to these two (which makes the conversation more fun AND easier to write anyway)

Perfuma: "Scorpia. You should do things not because you're good at them, but because they make you happy." THAT IS ONE OF MY LIFE PHILOSOPHIES thank you Perfuma you're 100% correct and I tell people this ALL THE TIME

Mermista: "I might've set their boat on fire. Just to see what it felt like."

Sea Hawk:

lolol

YESSSS I love this scene

Perfuma makes a flower, throws it to Scorpia as she sings, and she blushes and tucks it into her hair, these two are so sweet and cute

oh god I forgot that when "Prince Peekablue" get stung by Scorpia they go through the last half-dozen shapeshifts before turning into a (passed-out) Double Trouble.

lolol instead of "cash cow" it's an insult to poor Catra

Anyway they have the info the Rebellion wanted!

Horde Prime is pissed and has blockaded the planet, also half the people at the speakeasy were chipped....and now so is Mermista, though nobody realizes that yet

But also the phrasing of "She-ra stole his little kitten away" is just amazing

But also the last they heard, Adora and Bow and Entrapta had left to rescue Glimmer, do they think Double Trouble is talking about Glimmer here or what

(which. they did. they just also went back for Catra.)

Netossa realizes her wife (and most of the people around them) are chipped D:

And a chipped Mermista is gonna drown them all

oh shit Micah is also chipped

Entrapta gets the comms working!

"The Rebellion's been compromised! Horde Prime has them! We lost, I'm so sorry! We lost them!" --and then the comms go to static

AND CREDITS!

[hitchell-mope]

Oh this is bad.

[pennamesmith]

Disguises!

An old hyperfixation has resurfaced fellas. Have some she-ra doodles from that one episode

[quentin136]

Scorpia in Perils Of Peekablue appreciation post

[baggebythesea]

Assorted Glimmer headcanons

Constantly snuck into the kitchen as a kid to steal snacks for her and Bow (and still does it when she's feeling mischievious). The staff just 'happens' to leave out queen sized treats where she can easily find them

Falls out of her bed fairly often but sleep teleports back. Both Bow and Adora almost got heart attacks the first times they saw it

It took Angella WAY too long to figure out that Glimmer can cry on command. Micah still hasn't entirely twigged to the fact. Juliet was never fooled for even a moment.

Has decreed that She-Ra is legally allowed - and indeed mandated - to 'yeet the queen'. Neither her nor Adora shows any sign of getting bored with it.

Battleaxe bisexual

Writes self-insert fanfic

Still a bit bitter that Horde Prime kidnapped her, for the sole reason that it meant that she missed the Perils of Peekablue shenanigans

Complains about meetings and paperwork like crazy, but is actually really proud of her work as queen (then immediately feels insecure about it)

Ever escalating prank/snark war with Catra, but if anyone ever hurt Catras feelings for real Glimmer hits them like a ton of pink bricks

Still convinced that Angella should have let her fight the Horde in the beginning of the show.

Is a bad influence on Frosta.

Secretly convinced that if she had ruled the Horde in s4 she could have taken over the princess alliance in a day.

Deep, deep down just a tiny bit proud of how she defeated the Horde in a day

Despite everything, there is a tiny part of her that never quite got over the jealousy with Adora that she was given the sword instead of Glimmer

Has had Bow look up if the queen can legally kill and eat annoying diplomats (he gave her a cookie instead, which probably was for the best for everyone)

She and Scorpia sometimes get into hug feedback loops with no end in sight

Big on ballroom dancing

Did once burn a ship just to "find out what it feels like". Sea Hawk has never been more proud of her. Mermista called her 'poser' which hurt Glimmer's feelings much more than she cares to admit

She and Bow constantly made cushion forts as kids. They still do, sometimes.

Secretly misses Shadow Weaver. Feels guilty about it

Likes to sneak out incognito to watch Double Trouble's shows, especially the secret shows they puts on in underground clubs to mock the powers that be. Glimmer would never tell them, but she finds their 'Princess Sparklepantz' impersonation hilarious

[sometipsygnostalgic]

She’s trying, okay?! 

This is obviously based on “Don’t Go”, Nate Stevenson’s “missing scenes” fanfic of She-ra that takes place between S5E05 “Save the Cat” and S5E07 “Perils of Peekablue”. In the fic Catra has an emotional breakdown after realising she fought Adora for years all for nothing, and Entrapta has to calm her down, which is a situation entirely out of their comfort zone. 

I actually have been sitting on a way more serious version of this comic for over a year, specifically showing the full flashback in Entrapta’s thought bubble, but for some reason I went absolutely feral gremlin mode today and did a parody redraw of the fic instead. 

[swearyshera]

Oddly enough now that they're actually together I realize Adora and Catra really need a good marriage councelor.

The "lets take proper turns talking" type

They definitely do, because it isn't as simple as they think it is. Arguably, one of my favourite things about s5 is the way it shows that healing and reconciling aren't linear and what looks like progress isn't always progress (hello, yes I'm going to talk about bpd again, sue me).

The start of Perils of Peekablue with Catra annoying Adora is one of the most memorable moments this series, but it seems odd that Catra has suddenly gone from angry and scared to totally relaxed and playful in the space of a day, right? That doesn't seem too unusual to me though, and I'll explain why - it's the idealisation/devaluation extremes often shown by people with BPD (aka splitting). Catra sees Adora being kind and caring, fighting off Prime to help save her and she's full on, 100% 'Adora is the best person ever' again.

But that's only papering over the cracks. Neither of them actually deal with the problems that caused them to be so angry at each other - Catra doesn't want to rock the boat by suggesting that it might be less than perfect, and Adora either doesn't see or doesn't want to acknowledge that this sudden 'everything is fine again' isn't particularly healthy for either of them. And because of that, it takes very little for Catra to split again, and run off into the woods to leave Adora.

I like to think that after the end, they both realise that they'll have to deal with their own stuff, and couple stuff too, and get out of the cycle of instability that's plagued their relationship for... Honestly, pretty much forever. It'll take a shit ton of therapy, but it's absolutely possible for them both to be in a healthy, happy relationship.

[spopsalt]

IMO ”Horde Prime” was the only good spop season 5 episode (Alongside Perils in Peekablue) since everyone feels in character and things from “Destiny” are actually acknowledged and followed up upon

Eh I wasn't exactly a big fan of any season 5 episodes, it was just such a rushed, overhyped, mess. The only thing people like about it was the gay incest kiss. But I'm glad you could find something good about it! But it season 5 was just not my thing.

[tippenfunkaport]

Best Friend Squad Fake Break Up Caper

Short version: Post canon, the BFS set a trap for a spy by faking a break-up between Glimmer and Bow.

(I posted a small preview of this once.)

Long version:

While a lot of the fic ideas I've had that I've written a lot of / thought about a lot are things I would be ok if I never get to post them as fanfic because they are different enough from canon that I could easily write them as something original someday. This story, however, is one I would be kinda sad if I never have a chance to post for real. (And never say never but right now it's hard to imagine adding another canon-verse multi-chapter with how many I have in progress.)

The set up is that, post canon, these tabloids pop up on Etheria that are like our gossip rags and report on the princesses and their spouses like celebrity gossip. When there's a tragedy with important info getting in the hands of the wrong people, the BFS realizes that there is a spy, someone connected with one of these gossip rags.

Catra comes up with a plan: The Queen of Bright Moon and her war hero regular guy fiance are tabloid favorites. If Glimmer and Bow pretend to break up and date other people, they can create a series of gossip-worthy events to try to trap the spy. Glimmer and Adora both hate this plan but Bow thinks this won't be a problem, because he's incapable of jealousy (WRONG). Catra mistakes his misplaced confidence in himself as a sign that he doesn't care as much about Glimmer as she does about him. Catra loves Bow but, push come to shove, she's Team Glimmer first and wants to make sure her bestie is certain Bow's the one before they get married.

They stage a very public break-up, but it's meaningless at first because Glimmer just keeps teleporting to go see Bow anyway. But when the media storm is bigger than they anticipate and the spy eludes them, extending the ruse so they have to actually stay away from each other, things get more complicated. As Catra's sets up a bunch of suitor meetings for Glimmer to try and date other people and Bow is getting hit on, they both to start to wonder if maybe the other is doubting their relationship. All the fake reasons they broke up start to feel like maybe they were real reasons after all and both independently realize they don't want anyone else… while being convinced they are holding the other back by not letting them go.

Meanwhile, Adora figures out Catra's game and they clash over what Adora sees as Catra meddling in her best friend's relationship. Catra counters that both Glimmer and Bow have never been with anyone but each other so how can they really know they are in love without seeing what else is out there? When Adora points out all of that is also true about the two of them and does that mean these are doubts Catra herself is having? the two have a fight, compounded by the fact that the scheme is keeping them apart (Catra on Team Glimmer and Adora on Team Bow).

And obviously this all culminates in a caper style undercover mission where everyone gets back together and works out their issues and lives happily ever.

Doing this one for Slaps Idea: This Baby Can Fit So Much Projection! because this idea started out as me just wanting the chance to do a Perils of Peekablue style undercover caper with Catra, Adora, Glimmer and Bow but then it just turned into Tippen projects a lot of feelings about being bisexual and marrying your best friend onto Glimbow.

[azure-firecracker]

Announcement!

Exciting news everyone!

We will be starting a She-Ra and the Princesses of Power episode tournament on this blog! (Inspired by @theowritesfiction’s awesome polls, the BTVS one is still going on, check it out if you’re interested!) Every SPOP episode has been randomly put into a bracket and you wonderful people will vote to determine the best episode!

The first polls round of polls will go up later today (as soon as enough people see this post) and you’ll be able to vote for a week before the next round starts. Before we begin, there are a number of randomly selected episodes that are automatically in the second round because 52 is a lousy number for a bracket. I tried and failed to find a bracket without so many automatic advances. Those episodes are:

S3E06-The Portal

S5E09-An Ill Wind

S5E08-Shot in the Dark

S4E07-Mer-Mysteries

S1E01-The Sword, Part 1

S1E05-The Sea Gate

S2E06-Light Spinner

S5E07-The Perils of Peekablue

S4E12-Destiny, Part 1

S5E03-Corridors

S1E08-Princess Prom

S3E01-The Price of Power

It just so happens that most of these episodes are (in my opinion) quite popular and probably would have advanced anyway, and I did remake the bracket a few times to avoid any insane matchups in round 1 to the best of my ability, so we should have a pretty fair tournament.

Please spread the word, and happy voting:)

[clarablightt]

i just watched Perils of Peekablue…

i actually felt my heart break i’m sobbing so much holy shit…

[chillychive]

“After things ended with my cash kitten, I needed a new gig.” - Double Trouble in ‘Perils of Peekablue’

[hitchell-mope]

Double Trouble. I should’ve known.

[sometipsygnostalgic]

Yeah, things fall apart as soon as you start taking the war aspect seriously. It's fun to do so when analysing the show, or poking fun at it, but trying to fit the events and characters of the show in a serious war backdrop causes it to collapse in on itself.

You have to take it as the show presents it. Which is to say, you kind of have to ignore how the show presents it in the first couple of episodes, because it never reaches that kind of seriousness again.

Bow: "We lost too many people."

What people? Where are they??? Far as I'm aware, the Rebellion consists solely of you, Glimmer, and whatever princesses volunteer. We never see any soldiers, we never see any citizens try to defend their own land, we certainly do not see anyone dying, and we do not see ANY major characters acting as if people are dying.

Hell, there's a part where Bow nearly dies in season 4, and it's really shocking and horrifying. Like "Wow, the Horde are taking things even further and starting to put people's lives at risk". But just the princess alliance's lives. None of these robots were thrown into a town or anything, despite the obvious tank invasion we see in The Sword.

Even in s5 the characters don't seem to take it very seriously when Thaymore gets invaded the 900th time. Imo the earth sections of Taking Control and the first half of Perils of Peekablue do a lot to fuck up the tension season 5 has built, because the characters are acting like they can go on fun field trips. Thankfully the ends of those episodes punish them for their laxness and raise the stakes.

The Horde is still doing terrible things, and there is this aggressive narrative of colonialism. However it seems to stop at cultural erosion, theft, and displacement, rather than lots of people dying as they would in real life.

The reason I think for this is because the writing team realised they wouldn't be able to write the story they ACTUALLY want, Catra and Adora's personal journeys and those of their friends, if they weighed the show down with lots of seriousness and death. I think the show did a sharp U-turn midway through Season 1, and doubled down on its character-driven premise in Season 2. Therefore it makes The Sword and those first few eps of season 1 very strange.

for instance i feel like a valid criticism of she ra is that it uses its war as a narrative backdrop that it doesn't take seriously or flesh out very deeply. which doesn't ruin my enjoyment of the show (because the show is not "about" the war!!) but it exposes cracks in the writing from time to time. however saying that, this is a show intended for children and teens to teach them about love and self worth and queerness so I think it's really up to each viewer how seriously they wanna take the war aspect given it never intended to go that deeply into the concept.

apparently some people wanted to take that aspect very very seriously!! and thats okay because critical thinking about a text is a good skill to have!! yay for sure!!

[blakescorneroftheunknown]

Chipped mermista I never posted here 🪑

She's very pretty and all 🖐️

Tap/click for better quality :)