#and then broke adora’s heart in return

[hurtyourego]

catra and adora still looking out for each other in s1 despite basically becoming enemies overnight actually makes me lw feral

bc of course that doesn’t just erase all their years together, doesn’t erase the fact that they grew up beside each other in an abusive environment with only each other to look out for them, doesn’t erase the fact that they were girls together

so of course catra helps adora and glimmer escape with the sword, of course adora tries to protect catra from those creepy af spider things that saw her as an intruder

protecting each other is literally ingrained in their dnas atp

how awful must that have been for them, really? not just your best friend, but your literal protector, your only family — you’re now on opposite sides of a war, leaders on opposite sides of a war?

i genuinely can’t imagine how their younger selves would’ve felt if they saw where their s1 selves ended up

“nothing bad can really happen as long as we have each other.”

“you promise?”

“i promise.”

[featherchan]

She's still learning how to do all of this kid stuff. During her own childhood, Adora hadn't been given any space to grow and play. At the time, she never questioned her treatment, as every child in the Horde had to meet these expectations. But ever since her arrival in Kaen, as well as Adora's befriending of the younger princess, the adventurer has come to the uncomfortable realisation she didn't know how to play like a child.

"Hey, Chidori, wait there for a second." Accompanying the girl on her walk, it's interesting to see how her games changed based off their current location. She didn't have much to contribute, but Adora has been collecting a handful of dainty flowers. With small pastel petals and twisting vines, they were perfect for styling into hair.

Approaching Chidori, Adora kneels down to be on her level. With a light touch, she carefully works the flowers into the girl's hair. Once satisfied with her styling, the hero gives her a smile. "There, now you've got plant powers until we get back to the castle."

[ Inbox Surprise / @strcngered ] [ P.S : Please do not turn this ask into a thread without asking first 😉 ]

Chidori giggles gleefully as Adora places the flower crown on her head. Playing along. "Thank you, my dear knight." She gracefully bowed towards Adora. "I humbly accept this crown and vow to use the power bestowed upon me wisely." Soon, the young princess broke out of character and took Adora's hand. She held onto it and began swinging their hands up and down as they returned to the castle.

Before Adora arrived at Kaen, a country that was bestowed with the power of fire, things were quite cold within the castle. The loss of their late queen had a profound impact on all of her people, particularly those who were closest to her. The crown princess, her sister, would occasionally visit the royal portrait room. And she would often stare at their mother's portrait for what felt like hours, sitting so still, frozen like a statue. Sometimes, the young princess caught the captain of the guard doing the same thing, both staring at the portrait for longing and guidance.

But everything changed when Adora arrived. Her presence melted away the icy cold feeling, like the sun finally greeting winter after a long time. And Chidori had so much more fun these days too. Previously, she often felt lonely because her sister was unable to spend time with her, due to her responsibilities. And the people who served their family were very gentle towards her, treating her as if she were made of porcelain. Now, with Adora here, she gets to play to her heart's content. There may be some roughhousing, but it's still enjoyable.

Tugging on Adora's arm to bring her closer. Then, tiptoeing, she cupped her hands together to reach and whispered into the blonde's ear. "Of course, my dear protector, you will always be my dearest friend and protector. However, your heart still belongs to my sister." She giggles. "As, my sister has claimed dibs on you…" A commoner phrase taught to her by Noburu. "Promise me you won't tell her. That I told you…" She held out her pinky, making Adora swear to keep the secret between them.

[beezoobledoodles]

So the she ra finale of season 5 emotionally broke me.

I wasn't expecting to actually cru over shadow weaver. Yet. I did.

I never thought I'd cheer for hordaks return but I did. I love his friendship with entrapta so much.

Also wrong hordaks blep toward the middle of part 1 was very adorable. Hordak is much of the guy ever. Very 10/10

Shadow weavers face reveal!!! AGHHH!!! and her "catra. I'm proud of you" broke me into SOBS!! UGH!

Scorpia.

Catra is just every comedians wife ever and I love her so much. Her arc in the story puts a very special place in my heart I love her.

Double trouble is one of my favorite anti-villians. I LOVE their sass! I love everything about them!

Glimmers arc was pure and fun and I love her I love her relationship with frostia very much big sis vibes.

Speaking of frostia- I LOVE the sassy child (kinda reminds me of sody pop ifykyk) I love her taste for violence after the ball, I love her just so much, just the most child ever.

Mermista is amazing I love her attitude and the fact it's just: "yep. This is what we're doing today" her sass is unhinged.

Scorpia is amazing. I love her, I want more of her. She's so nice....I bet she Does Give great hugs.

Netossa and spinnerella were great side characters I love the fact they're canonically married!

Perfuma is adorable I love her peaceful energy and just. She's a mom friend for sure. Perfuma is the friend you go to when you need help deciding what to wear and that's amazing. I love her.

Bo. Bo is best boy. I love him. I will do anything for bo. Bo deserved absolutely every right to be the way he is. Good for him.

Adora...I wasn't expecting to really like adora but I do. I really REALLY do. I don't know why but I do.

I think out of qll the characters...I really feel the most with entrapta. Maybe it's because she's canonically autistic and the tism brain waves connected easier for me but I really do like entraptas character. I understood her the most.

The big fight between her, mermista, perfuma and frostia when they were first trying to get into primes ship....oof...I felt that...like...IN my soul...like I get it... feelings and emotions aren't easy for me and when I DO feel them...their big and loud and I can't help it. Seeing her interact with hordak...especially AFTER he gets..."reborn" kinda hurt cause that was technically her best friend... she was in the hoard for the promise of first ones tech and she made a friend along the way.

Although I do wish she and scorpia interacted more.

Anyway. I love this series and I wish there was more of it.

[feisaru]

Okay splitting up my response:

@soccerpunching I'll just let the screencaps talk for me

The translation of the bottom ones is:

T: But, about Saru... Do you really think you are ready to play against him and his people? After all you two are...

F: More than ready. (English "oh yes" does not exactly convey the grim tone.) I'm going to fight him. Right now, he's living in the dark. And I have to save him.

T: Save him..? Does that mean you want to change him? Or help him or something like that?

That conversation reallly cracked me up when I was playing the game because of how reminiscent of "I'm gonna fix him" it is.

Honestly I have drawn corrupted Saru like 5 times. Haven't posted it though. That's vent material to me and while I do post my vents relatively often, that was the bad kind of vent. Or more accurately I felt like people could be mean about it?? Somehow?

Chipped Saru is for when I like imagining "You broke my heart. But he has made it whole again." etc for that extra bit of pain. Imagining Fei looking as horrified as Adora looked there...

It's more about how bunnies are associated with Fei. Saru starts making the association at some point too. Oh but I do have a hc about Fei's plush! I think after Saru found him, Fei tried to throw it away because he hated it and looking at it hurt. (Yet another drawing idea where I'd draw him symbolically throwing it away... once again over a year old lmao) And while Saru was all for that because it showed that Fei is severing himself from his old life, somehow he couldn't help but pick it up anyway. He had no idea why. He stashed it into some drawer in the headquarters when they arrived. He didn't tell Fei he didn't leave it where Fei threw it. He returns it to Fei somewhere in the first 3 years of post-CS.

Princess Prom is always on the takeover...

I'll gladly slide into ur dms, I like talking to you heh >:)

@lazitoelgato to me, SPOP is the second most important animated thing in my life, next to Chrono Stone. No cartoon has ever made me feel as seen and it helped me understand things about me, just as it helped me explain things to others by using the show as an example.

And I'm very glad you like this..! The initial CS x SPOP drawings from last year were a very long term project for me, I started in very early spring and was done in late summer.

Also I doubt you saw the tag rant that Lore initially answered, sooo if you want I can show you? The conversation will make more sense like that

@soccerpunching you're genuinely one of the best people I've met here bc you like almost every media I like

Apropos fighting. Remember when Adora jumps on Catra at Prom. Just them rolling on the floor. I wanted to draw that but didn't get round to it. The scene had such an energy

[testudoaubrei-blog]

“I’m loyal, that’s my whole thing.” - Scorpia, Season 4 Episode 6, Princess Scorpia

“Everything they taught us in the Horde about loyalty is meaningless” - Lonnie, Season 4 Episode 5, Protocol

Rewatching Season 4, I just finished Princess Scorpia. This is an episode that has always stuck with me, especially the A plot of Scorpia realizing how badly Catra has treated her and everyone else and deciding to leave. One thing I’ve been thinking about since I finished the series, though, is what this episode is telling us on a larger level. Looking beyond the character arcs and more at this show’s larger themes and message. Because this show is very much a show that says things, made by people who believe them. That earnestness and depth is one reason I keep coming back to it.

In the pull-quote above, and throughout the episode and before it, Scorpia defines herself in terms of loyalty. It is her identity - as she says, that’s what Scorpions do, they’re loyal. Her actions for three and a half seasons bear this out. When she first shows up, she tries to position herself as Catra’s new best friend, the one who won’t leave her and will stick by her no matter what. And that’s what she does, until this episode. She sticks by Catra through Catra’s increasingly villainous plots and erratic behavior. But she doesn’t just stick around. Until the portal, she barely contradicts Catra, and even afterwards, does so only furtively and immediately backs away as soon as Catra pushes back. For more than a year of show time, Scorpia has not just stood by Catra, or supported her, she’s actively assisted her in her most villainous and destructive acts. Scorpia is fighting by Catra’s side, eagerly carrying out her orders, and doing her utmost to see that Catra succeeds. But her loyalty goes beyond this practical help. Because for all that Catra loudly declares that she doesn’t need a new best friend, she consistently seeks out connection throughout the show, even when she’s at her most isolated in season 4. She needs moral support, and connection, and to know that she isn’t alone. Scorpia provides that, and keeps Catra going. Though Scropia isn’t initiating Catra’s various misdeeds, she’s assisting and supporting Catra throughout. On a personal, psychological level, the only word that seems adequate for this is ‘ennabling’ - Scorpia, sweet as she is, is Catra’s enabler. We see in the next few episodes what happens when Catra doesn’t have Scorpia’s support - she breaks down, and realizes that her actions really do have consequences, and that the affection she took for granted for so many years is something she can’t live without. But as long as Scorpia’s still around, Catra can’t make that realization.

Now I’m not going to say that Scorpia is morally culpable for Catra’s own actions. She’s not. Catra is solely responsible for her various betrayals, manipulations, violent outbursts and assorted murder attempts against...most of the rest of the cast (though being raised by Shadow Weaver sure as shit is a mitigating factor). But while Catra is obviously being a bad friend to Scorpia throughout, Scorpia isn’t actually being as supportive or helpful to Catra as she thinks, because Catra doesn’t actually need unconditional support, she needs people to be honest with her and express to her how she’s hurting them. She needs people who will stand up for themselves just as she needs to take responsibility for her own actions. This is part of why she and Adora have such a healthy dynamic in season 5 - Adora doesn’t take her crap, and Catra takes responsibility for her crap.

However, Scorpia -is- responsible for her own actions. And as I said above, she’s been with Catra every step of the way as Catra has attacked just about everyone and made war on Etheria. On a larger, political level, Scorpia is a willing participant in upholding the Horde’s oppressive system, and executing a war of aggression and colonization against innocent people. Speaking of colonization, perversely, she’s loyal to the very organization that dispossessed her and literally stole her birthright, then discarded it like a useless trinket when it was no longer useful to them. No one ever suggests ‘why don’t we let Scorpia connect with ~her runestone~’ until Glimmer does (and Glimmer’s motivations and arguments aren’t exactly forthright). Scorpia’s loyalty makes her an accomplice in her own oppression (like a bunch of the themes in this show there’s some interesting post-colonial stuff that the show doesn’t fully explore, probably because Noelle and the crew felt self-conscious about telling a post colonial story, or just didn’t know where to go with it). Interestingly, Scorpia’s loyalty to the Horde here parallels her loyalty to Catra, which has made her completely disregard her own wellbeing, which is the most obvious take away from the episode.

But I would argue that everything above shows that for Scorpia loyalty has been a way of avoiding developing her own moral compass. Scorpia repeatedly shoves aside questions of right or wrong in favor of being loyal to her friends and to the Horde. Loyalty has made Scorpia not only willing to accept her own mistreatment, but to willingly mistreat others, and to keep herself from asking any hard questions about what she’s doing or why. This is despite the fact that Scorpia is, by inclination, an incredibly gentle, kind and compassionate person. She’s willing to silence the best parts of her nature out of loyalty to Catra and the Horde. In the end, she also commits acts of violence and perpetuates the oppression of Etheria. And this is so insightful, because we see this sort of thing in our world all the time. So many oppressive institutions depend upon the loyalty of their members to keep them ‘just following orders’; so many abusive systems depend upon loyalty to stifle dissent and silence potential whistleblowers before they even speak. We see this in some of the most oppressive institutions and the worst scandals in our own society, and looking back through human history we see it in some of our nation’s and our species' most infamous crimes.

And when we look at the Horde as a system that Hordak has built in imitation of his elder brother’s empire, we see just how central loyalty is an ethos. Hordak himself is motivated entirely by loyalty to Prime - being a former clone, he spends the entire series not fully capable of accepting himself as an autonomous being (even when he acts like one and enjoys it, there’s some fucked up religious shit there that I won’t get into). He seems to have instilled this in his followers. The Horde Trio, Catra and Scorpia all hold loyalty as one of their highest values. Catra clings to it as her biggest accusation against Adora - that she was disloyal, as expressed in Catra’s perception that Adora broke her promise and abandoned her. Loyalty keeps the Horde Trio together and fighting for the Horde, and Scorpia with Catra. I think we can read between the lines and say the Horde runs on loyalty (as well as fear) and this is a very insightful portrayal of oppressive military and paramilitary institutions like armies of conquest and occupation and other instruments of state violence.

There’s another, related way of looking at how a sole reliance on loyalty as a moral framework has stunted Scorpia’s moral growth, and I think that brings together both the ways that it makes Scorpia willing to accept her mistreatment and participate in the mistreatment of others. Namely, loyalty in the Horde style isn’t just sticking with someone or something, but subsuming your own will into theirs. Following orders. Supporting your friend in what they do no matter what. Whatever you call it, it’s about turning off your own self - your self preservation, your self respect, your conscience, whatever other things you value - and just going along with what the person or institution you are loyal to wants you to do. And this is where Horde loyalty goes full circle, back to its origin - Horde Prime, the narcissistic self-made god who wishes to control or destroy everything that is not himself. Loyalty as Hordak conceived of it and as the Horde believes in it is a reflection of Prime's absolute control over all his domain.

In a way, self-determination is one of this show’s highest values (together with love). It’s at the heart of Adora’s 5-season, 3 year struggle to become her own woman and her own hero as she shrugs off one imposed destiny and then another and finally embraces what she wants. In a more negative form, it’s at the heart of Catra’s arc, as she finally accepts responsibility for her own actions and their consequences and starts working to make a world that she actually wants to live in, as well as admit to herself that what she really wants is love. And I could go on. This self-determination is existentially, obviously threatened by Prime chipping people, but it is also stunted by horde-style loyalty that demands unquestioning support and obedience.

Both the Horde Trio and Scorpia reject the Horde’s ideal of loyalty and walk away, but I think it’s interesting how they do it. Neither rejects loyalty entirely (not on the way Adora does) - the Trio, realistically, remain loyal to each other and simply walk away and walk out of the war (this might save their lives), joining the other disillusioned cynics in the Crimson Wastes. They reject loyalty to the horde and embrace a more supportive and respectful form of loyalty to each other. Scorpia leaves, but she actually comes to her crisis and makes her decision out of loyalty, and because it’s clear that her loyalty isn’t returned. The immediate situation - loyalty to Emily and Entrapta’s memory on one hand and Catra’s orders on the others - creates the conflict between loyalties that forces Scorpia to actually make her own choice rather than deferring to Catra. But she also reflects how Catra betrayed her loyalty to Entrapta, and thus how all of her friends’ loyalty to Catra is not returned.This is another point about horde-style loyalty - it’s one way - Hordak or Catra will demand your loyalty, but they feel no obligation to return it, which reflects Prime’s view of every other being in the universe as disposable. It’s only when she’s with the Princesses that Scorpia starts to find a new moral center, though sticking up for and protecting her friends remains important to her. In neither case, though, are these kinds of loyalty coming at the cost of either the Trio or Scorpia’s autonomy or ability to make moral choices of their own. In the very next episode, she says she wants to 'be A good friend' which is how the Princesses typically describe sticking together, which is a much more active and holistic concept than 'loyalty'. Scorpia confesses that she doesn't even know how, but she wants to learn and thinks the princesses can teach her.

There's another interesting counterexample to Horde Loyalty. Adora repeatedly breaks with the people around her to do what is right. First she leaves the Horde, then walks away from Catra by stages when it is clear that Catra is going to continue to harm other people and Etheria. Then she walks away from Glimmer, defies Light Hope and breaks loyalty with her supposed destiny and purposes as well as loyalty to the homelans she has never known. By season 5, Adora is loyal only to herself and the people she cares about, but she isn't constraining her will to anyone else's. For all that she seems like a rule follower Adora has a rebellious streak a mile wide, and she will do what is right, no matter what. This is what allows her to save the universe 3 times.

So the show’s argument is that loyalty is not a good moral framework to base all of our actions around. I don’t think it goes so far as saying that loyalty has no place in our ethics (being a good friend, which is such a huge part of the show, certainly includes loyalty, especially sticking with people when the going gets tough), but the show stresses time and again that being loyal to something or someone shouldn’t make you disregard yourself and what you think is right. Because it’s only by living out our own values and taking responsibility for our own actions that we can come into our own as moral beings. Moreover, if we insist on maintaining loyalty to institutions that oppress us and others, we can’t dismantle the systems of oppression that are holding us and other people down. (Yes, this is a pretty radical message, but I suspect that Noelle is some kind of anarchist? Anyway, it’s a thing.)

Okay, so that’s what I, a 35 year old, get from this kids show. I think it’s also worth pointing out that this lesson applies to younger viewers too, in their most immediate lives. Younger viewers will have had friends who didn’t treat them well, or might not have treated other people well, and who might have pressured them into participating in the mistreatment of others (this is kind of how bullying works a lot of the time). I think it’s important that younger viewers see how being a good friend never means disrespecting yourself or other people and it means a lot to me that She-Ra shows this in such a nuanced and realistic way.

[catrasredemption-moved]

Buckle up kiddos, it's time for a little reading comprehension 101!

I assume this is about the post I reblogged, and specifically these tags:

First off, the post explicitly said, repeatedly, that forgiveness is not a required part of a character's redemption. In fact they even reference character death!

What if everyone he personally wronged died in an accident, he was the only survivor, it was that shock that caused his change of heart, so everybody he knows now loves him and knows him only as a hero, but the people he hurt can never forgive him?  Is he still a villain?

Angella isn't actually dead, but she IS trapped in between dimensions and unable to offer her forgiveness - which again, is not the point. The point is that Catra changes - not immediately after the portal, she had a little bit of mental spiraling to do before she hit rock bottom, and when she chose to do the right thing, she didn't expect a damn thing in return. She sent Glimmer away fully expecting Adora to do the smart thing and go back to Etheria and stay safe. She told Adora not to come. She was convinced that Adora hated her, and that she would never go back for Catra. And still Catra did the right thing. She got Glimmer the fuck out of dodge and apologized to Adora because some part of her sort of selfishly hoped that Adora would remember her not just as the terrible villain in the story, but as an old friend. She didn't think for even a second that Adora would turn around and go back for her. She didn't even expect to live.

"It doesn't matter what you do to me, you will never get your hands on Adora!"

She did the right thing without expecting anything in return and without regard for her own life. She sure as hell didn't expect forgiveness.

She never (that we see) apologized to Glimmer for her mom, because it is something that's unforgiveable, and "I'm sorry" would have been insulting and frankly trivializing. And we never see Glimmer forgive her. But we do see Glimmer choose to care about her. We see Glimmer agree to go back to that nightmare of a ship, to go off alone to find the cells, expecting to find Catra being held there. Glimmer made a choice to walk back into a nightmare for Catra, not because she'd forgiven her, but because she'd seen that Catra was capable of being a good person.

Did Glimmer forgive Catra for what happened to Angella? Maybe, maybe not. Answer unclear. Did she choose to overlook the evils of her past and love her for the good person she was becoming? Yes. Is everyone required to do that? No, of course not. If Mermista, for example, hates Catra forever, she has every right to. But Catra doesn't need Mermista's forgiveness or friendship to continue trying to be a good person.

Again, straight from the post y'all are referencing that specifically says forgiveness isn't required for being a good person:

Here’s some advice for actual real life.  You don’t need to forgive someone to let them participate in society.  You don’t need to forgive someone to love them.  And you DEFINITELY don’t need to forgive them for them to be a good person.  Whether they’re a good person is in their heart - not yours.

Catra doesn't need forgiveness to be allowed to exist. Glimmer doesn't need to forgive Catra in order to love her. Angella is always going to be something that hangs over their heads, and maybe one day they can have a healthy conversation about it, but they can still start building their friendship on the people they've become by the end of season five, and they can work from there. They're foils for a reason, y'all.

And one last thing: "Retribution is what is just in a fair world."

Here's a story. I'll keep it short, don't worry. I have an ex. They were suffering from severe mental illness that caused them to lash out and verbally/emotionally abuse me. They broke me in a lot of ways that still come through in my marriage sometimes. I haven't forgiven them for everything they did. But they're still a friend. They're a friend because they made the effort to change, and I'm capable of recognizing when someone is trying. And they don't need my forgiveness to carry on with their life. And if we were a TV show, they wouldn't need the viewers' forgiveness to continue their existence.

Go actually read the damn post. It's not about people needing to be forgiven by an outside force. It's about how sometimes forgiveness isn't possible, but that shouldn't stop someone from existing or trying to do better. Catra tried. Y'all are just mad she didn't weep or grovel at the feet of the other princesses or let them string her up by the toes as punishment. And that's your problem, frankly. Don't make it mine as well.

[soranis-sunshadow]

Entrapta deserved better

My posts are usually either detailed analysis or memes and shitposts.

I’ve re-watched the show and this will be an angry rant…  

With every viewing of the show, Entrapta’s arc makes me progressively angrier because I empathize with her so much.

She is introduced to the show as being a reclusive scientist, known throughout the Maker’s guild for her genius. Even her staff is weary of her. She spends all her time alone with her robot friends in her lab within her isolated castle.

The alliance interacts with her with the explicit purpose of recruiting her into their war effort. They want her for her ability to build weapons for them. That’s as deep as the relationship goes this far.

Entrapta has no stakes in the war, the Horde hadn’t attacked Dryl. She joins them because she wants to be their friend; she wants to help them in the only way she knows how, using her technological prowess to their benefit. Due to her isolation (and her being autistic), Entratpa struggles to understand interpersonal dynamics. Human interaction is a skill she has had little practical experience with. She understands the concepts, the rules of the game, so to speak, but she has seen it in play only as a third party rarely ever practicing it herself.

She’s invited to the Princess prom due to her princes status but she’s an outsider there too. No “friendly” princess seeks her out to hang out with her as a friend would. The only person who does so is Catra, and she does it for her own reasons…

With Glimmer abducted, the alliance mounts a half-baked rescue operation. Everything Entrapta did in this episode had a purpose, it looked like she kept getting distracted when in actuality, she was studying horde tech, rescuing Seahawk and furthering their mission and she had no time to explain herself (it also occurs to me that Entrapta might not explain herself because no one asked and no one ever understands her reasoning anyway) The princesses try to control her because she’s being “difficult”. They don’t care why she’s being difficult, they want her to conform.

Once they rescued Glimmer, they don’t even come back to check if Entrapta’s actually dead, or to get her remains and put them to rest respectfully. They allready have the princess they came for.  

Entrapta is all alone with her new robot friend Emily in the Frightzone vents, expecting that she’d get rescued because “no princess left behind” but rescue never actually comes.

Catra uses this new abandonment to convince her to switch sides. Entrapta didn’t jump ship because of her tech hyperfixation, she switched sides because Catra used her skill at pinpointing someone’s weak-spot and poking at it. 

Catra may not have been Shadow Weaver’s favorite ward (she was her scapegoat and punching bag, the poor girl) but she did learn from her and repeatedly put those skills to “good” use.

Once they find out she’s alive, the alliance wants to rescue her but she’s made new friends in the Horde and she think that they understand her fascination with science, friends that actually interact with her directly. She actually feels included here and as such, she’s not eager to return to the alliance’s side.

Entrapta befriends Catra and Scorpia but even in this trio, she is the third wheel. Catra is focused on herself, her ascension in The Horde and on her missing Adora. Scorpia is focused on Catra and on pinning for her.

Once Entrapta and Hordak start growing closer together, Catra stops talking to her. Perhaps she was hurt because Entrapta “broke her promise” to not go in Hordak’s sanctum, perhaps she was envious of her closeness to the Horde leader, or perhaps both, either way, the friendship is broken from Catra’s side. Entrapta still sees her as a friend and fights Hordak over the decision to send her to Beast Island. Despite his grouchiness, he considers her request and grants it.

As recompense for saving her life, Catra backstabs Entrapta when she tried to stop Catra from triggering a potentially world ending event and then sends her to the fate Entrapta saved her from: exile on Beast Island.

When faced with the choice between Catra and Entrapta, Scorpia choses Catra. Hordak is lied to so he doesn’t know to look for her, he believed she used him and is heartbroken about it.

You can actually pinpoint the moment his little heart breaks in this scene:

 Even so, he spends most of season 4 wanting to face her; he’d rather see her as an enemy than not see her at all.

After Catra proves herself a bad friend, (after months) Scorpia finally decides to rescue Entrapta and goes looking for help, deserting to the alliance. She has this little realization:

Adora is the only person that actually wants to go right away and rescue her. Bow wants to rescue her because they need her tech savvy and Glimmer says that they can rescue her after the war or something… (the Island she’s on is a death trap, she might not live that long for all they know)

she said this 

then this

She knows that this is a time sensitive issue but she wants to put it off  despite the urgency, if that doesn’t sound like friendship to you, then what does?  *sarcasm intensifies*

Contrast this with how the villain of the show reacted to the news of her being sent to Beast Island:

On Beast Island Bow gives her a longwinded speech about how she’s supposed to work harder at friendship. I know he’s projecting his own issues here but it still makes me so damn angry. Entrapta’s trying; she’s trying so hard, no one ever tries back! No one makes the effort to understand her (except that one clone but we’re not talking about him), she has to conform to their expectations, the reverse is never applicable.

Anyway, stuff happens and Glimmer is abducted again, by Horde Prime this time.

Then that whole “Lauch” episode happened. Entrapta is distrusted by the alliance more than Scorpia is. She is seen and cold and interested only in tech, she has to explain and redeem herself in their eyes after they treat her like rubbish. They don’t connect the fact that helping them with tech is how she shows her friendship. 

It’s the only thing she thinks she’s worth to them. She wants to be accepted by them so badly.

 Entrapta gets emotional over rescuing Glimmer! 

The person who when faced with the same prospect, said she’d do it later…

Even Catra’s apology to Entrapta for trying to kill her is a blank “I’m sorry”. Pls say what exactly you are sorry for Catra. Entrapta deserves that much. Bow received a better apology for far less of an offense.

All she ever does in the show is work towards furthering someone else’s goals, her own are always a second thought. As @cruelfeline​ pointed out, even a small scene with her discussing what happened with Hordak, her reaction to it and the gang focusing on Entrapta’s troubles for ONCE , even if it’s just offering her emotional support, would have meant so much.

Why is the show trying to tell me that Entrapta should work on being a better friend?

That's a terrible message!

She doesn't need to work harder on her friends, she NEEDS BETTER FRIENDS.

So many of us ND people end up being third wheels at best and we blame that on ourselves, we internalize the reasoning that our friendship fail because we’re weird and we’re not doing it right. That we’re the ones that have to try harder to be understood and that our concerns should come second.  That is a terrible thing to internalize, we are blaming ourselves constantly because we try to understand others and they never try to understand us back. 

With age, I’ve grown out of trying and being different so that other people would like me. They’d end up liking the mask I project, not me anyway. I’ve found people that understand me and that like me for who I am, but only after I’ve stopped trying to be “better” for others to accept me. With being honestly “weird” with those around me, I’ve been accepted far more than for trying to fit in. And I’ve realized that people that shun my otherness are not worth the effort to try and befriend in the first pace .

 That is what young autistics need to hear, not “git gud” at friendship.  You are not wrong, you are not defective or broken, you are you and you’re beautiful just the way you are. If other people don’t see that, then the failing is theirs. Don’t change, just look for people that see you. 

[thatsgay-writes]

Maybe a Korra x reader who has the powers of she ra

(Female Reader)

You were a non bender and had been friends with Korra way before you found the sword. The two of you had been friends since childhood, before Korra and her parents even knew she was the avatar. You were even there when Korra found and took in Naga. When Korra was sent to the White Lotus compound, the White Lotus had tried to end all of Korra’s friendships so she could focus on her training, but you would sneak into the compound almost every night. The guards were usually asleep half the time you snuck in, so it was never that hard to sneak past them.

You were there for Korra when she would reach new achievements, mastering water bending, fire bending, earth bending, etc. You had managed to befriend Katara, who had been the first to recognize the looks of love that you sent the avatar (reminding her of how Aang looked at her). So you didn’t have to sneak in as often the older you got and would just go with Katara instead.

You didn’t go to Republic City with Korra, which broke your best friend’s heart. But she understood why, your mother had gotten sick from an unknown disease and someone had to watch your family bakery until she got better. The two of you would send letter through out the time of separation and all was going well, until your mother passed.

---

Her death had been sudden but not surprising. You had lied to Korra that your mother was getting better when in reality, the last family member you had was slowly slipping away. Not even Katara could heal your mother. You went into a deep depression soon after your mother’s funeral and threw yourself into work. The more you worked, the less time you were alone with your thoughts, the less time you were stuck in an empty house. Slowly, but surely, your letters to Korra were blander and less frequent. Your love for her never faded, but the excitement in your life had.

Finding the sword was your saving grace. You didn’t know how much longer you could last, all the days slowly meshing together into a mess. You had gone on a walk, not something you did often because it left you alone with your thoughts. But something had been, seemingly, calling out to you, urging you to walk. When feeling the urge, you didn’t hesitate to follow it, maybe it was the spirits calling you home to be reunited with you mother.

A cave, a freaking cave... Is what you thought as you stood outside of it. By now, the snow that was falling softly had picked up and you knew you wouldn’t be able to return home until it had calmed. You walked slowly into the cave, trying to make sure there was no wild animal inside of it. As you were checking the cave, a light caught your eye. You followed it to its source, interested in what shone so bright in a cave so dark.

The sword was stabbed into the ground, vines wrapped around it. The light was coming from a bright blue crystal in the middle of the hilt. Who would leave such a beautiful sword here? You wondered as you walked closer to it, looking for traps or even a dead body. When you found nothing, you grabbed the sword and pulled it from the stones and vines. As soon as it was released, a surge of power blasted you back and into the cave wall, knocking you out.

---

You kept and studied the sword after you had woken up in the cave, sword still in hand. You told no one else of what you had witnessed or found and studied in silence, continuing to run your bakery in the day time and practice with the sword through the night. The Legend of She-ra is what the sword was, or supposed to be. You read through the book that most people called a fantasy novel and not non-fiction. You read about the adventures of the best friend squad and a world called Etheria, that was filled with princesses and magic.

You had been confused of the reason that the sword had ended up on Earth but by doing more digging, you found that over thousands of years ago your earth had been Etheria. The magic of the planet slowly effecting everyone and giving them the ability to bend. You learned about how there was light and dark magic, what Raava and Vaatu were made of. How someone named Prince Peekablue created the spirit world with the last of their magic for loved ones to wait for each other before finding eternal peace. Having used their magical powers to see beyond perception to make what they imagined a reality and how the spirit world only became stronger and visible as the magic of the spirits grew.

You read how when the last She-ra, Adora, died the sword wouldn’t work again until it was needed. You read how the sword was hidden for generations until the last of Adora’s bloodline had died out and the sword was lost to the world. Luckily, there were instructions on how to use the sword and practice with it for when it was found. You thanked the spirits that Catra, Finn, and the other authors of the book had left such important information.

---

When Korra returned to the Southern Water Tribe, you weren’t there. After greeting her parents and showing her friends were they would be staying, she ran off towards her best friend and crush’s house. She had missed you since she left the South Pole and even more when you both stopped sending letters. She had tried to get over you and date Mako but it ended almost as fast as it happened. She hoped that being back at the South Pole would rekindle your friendship and maybe even let it go beyond that if she convinced you to return to Republic City with her.

---

“Korra! Slow down!” Bolin yelled at the avatar as she ran towards your family bakery. Korra just rolled her eyes at Bolin, “C’mon, if you keep up with me, I’ll get you some food. They have the best kale cookies in the world!” Bolin’s eyes lit up at Korra’s proposal and he managed to keep up with her the rest of the way. Both of them ignoring how Mako and Asami rolled their eyes at the two’s childish behavior.

Korra reached the door to the bakery and attempted to enter, being confused when the door wouldn’t budge. “What the...?” Korra muttered as she looked through a window in the building to see that it was empty with chairs put on the tables. Bolin was sad that he wouldn’t be getting any cookies. Korra noticed someone standing across the street and ran over to ask about the bakery. “Excuse me? Excuse me!” “Huh? Oh wow your the avatar!” The kid said as Korra got their attention. “I... Um, yeah. Do you happen to know why the bakery’s closed?” The kid looked around Korra and at the building she was motioning to. “Oh, yeah. The bakery hasn’t been open for almost a month! It sucks too cause they had the best muffins.” The kid said with a frown, causing Korra to frown as well. “A month...” She mumbled to herself, what had she missed while she was away?

Korra tried your house too but you weren’t there. She let her friends go do whatever as she went to Katara to try and find you. “Katara!” Katara looks up from what she was doing and gave Korra a kind smile. “Korra, what can I help you with?” “Do you know where y/n is? Or her mom?” Korra asks hoping Katara knew and not liking it when Katara gained a frown on her face. “You mean y/n never told you? I had just assumed...” “Told me what?” Korra asks, worried at Katara’s reaction. Katara lets out a sigh before responding, “Korra... Y/n’s mother passed away. Y/n hasn’t been the same since. A lot quieter, more reserved...” Katara just trails off, not knowing what to say, while Korra feels like the air got knocked out of her. “What...” Korra says, not really asking, with tears in her eyes. Your mom had been like a second mother to her growing up and hearing that she sick was bad enough but finding out she was dead and that you were dealing with it by yourself, hurt more than she could imagine. Katara pulls the young avatar into a hug trying to comfort her. “Y/n has been gone for almost a month. She told me she would be safe before she left. She didn’t want me to worry.” Katara says, hoping to lessen the worry on Korra.

---

You had left to go to the swamp where the Bayan-grove tree was located. You wanted to go to the spirit world and learn more about magic. You knew that only air benders were supposed to be able to go to the spirit world, but with the new knowledge of magic, you hoped you would be able to as well. So you went to the place most tapped into magic. The tree had grown right over where you read the heart of Etheria was located before all the magic in it got released. You meditated and practiced with the sword everyday, wanting to master using the sword and the other things it could turn into. You hoped that going to the spirit world could connect you with Mara or Adora or anything to help you know that you were the one meant to get the sword, that you were doing what you were supposed to do with the sword, and that you were ready to use it if need be. You weren’t able to enter the spirit until Korra opened the first spirit portal.

---

You spent days in the spirits with a spirit that went by the name of Swift Wind. He was an alicorn that was the previous She-ra’s animal companion, similar to how Aang had Appa and Korra had Naga. You had inquired about when you would be able to get an animal companion but Swift said that it had to happen naturally. You didn’t know how long you had spent in the spirit world but it felt like days before you felt a sudden shift through out the spirit world. “What was that?’ You ask Swift Wind as you felt a sudden disheartening feeling. Swift Wind lifts his horn into the air and you watch as his eyes get big. “Vaatu has escaped.”

(There will be a part 2🙂)

Part 2

[nautiscarader]

2020 in animation - recap

So, 2020. 

Yeah, I have to say I’m not entirely satisfied. Would not recommend, 1 star. 

But I would be willing to bump it to 1.5, if only because of one factor: the animation. 

Because I have to say, this was the best animated end of the world so far! And if there was something that kept our spirits up, it was the cartoon industry!

Just like last year, I should preface this by saying that this is highly subjective selection. Even when one is confined to their Hobbit holes for better part of the year because of *waves hands* everything around, 

day still only has 24 hours, so I have missed a few shows. (I should also apologise for omitting a few major ones last year, like Milo Murphy’s Law S2, Ducktales, or She-Ra. This is why I started keeping a track this year). I’m sure I will catch up with those I missed this year some time in the future, but for now, let’s see what this year has gifted us with.

And right from the start, January opens the race with very interesting propositions. We were still riding on an incredibly high wave from last year, with Infinity Train season 2.

This one focused on Tulip’s mirror, and pushed the season towards a much darker and complex story, diving deep into one’s personal journey and identity. There were tears, math, deer, and cops being murdered. Brutally. 

t was followed by two newcomers: The Owl House and first season of Kipo and The Age of the Wonderbeast. Both of them would dominate first half of the year, with The Owl House’s traditional, week-to-week airings, and Kipo's seasons appearing in  June and October.

The Owl House, a strong contender in "What will be the Next Gravity Falls?" contest, invited us to a world full of magic, mystery, elongated owl demons and some dark secrets. It has also created a milestone for Disney, introducing an LGBT couple with characters of bisexual Luz Noceda and lesbian Amity Blight. Their Grom dance has risen to the top of my animates scenes, polling very closely to the unforgettable Kataango.

On the other hand, Kipo has taken us to the post-apocalyptic world filled with mutant animals, revealing that despite the end of the world, our old vices and animosities have survived in underground burrows, and we have infected the overworld of giant doggos and suit-wearing frogs with them. 

Kipo did not pull any punches regarding commentary about our society, at the same time giving us hope in the form of the main protagonist, who was able to spread friendship and understanding amongst the mutes, as well as the humans that had to survive. And in the world that we have found ourselves in, it was a pretty darn good lesson.

February would bring end to two seasons of airing cartoons, Big Hero Six season 2 and Miraculous season 3, as well as another newcomer that won the hearts of fans: Glitch Techs, with its "second" season arriving in August. And while in my opinion he show wasn't as good as the other two new titles, I am clearly in minority, as the show about Ghostbuters-like team of game console technicians gained huge popularity... though not enough to keep the show afloat. As of writing this, it is currently in limbo, which is a shame, as the second set of 10 episodes finally added some much needed ongoing story.  

in March, another show from last year ended - Steven Universe Future. As we have expected, it tackled slightly more mature themes, showing how much Steven needed that therapy we have wished him, telling an important tale of finding one's worth and one's self. its ending might not have been as explosive as those of the original show, or the movie, but it left Steven’s story as open as an open road, and deep in our hearts, we all knew it would look like this.   

March was also the time when majority of western world caught the coronavirus, and that caused quite a turmoil with the movie and animation industry. One of the first victim of changed schedule was Disney's Onward, which was released on-line on Disney+ quickly after its theatrical release.

I have mixed feelings towards “Onward”. For such interesting promise, I think it made a few questionable and down right boring turns, though the unorthodox message at the end of it was its strongest point, and it was one I haven’t seen in a while, so it was worth watching just for that.  

April was relatively quiet (aside from more end of the world stuff); brought us third season of Ducktales that spread throughout the year, while May gave us final, fifth season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. 

To my eternal shame, I missed on this show when it premiered, and due to the lockdown, I binge-watched the previous four right in time for powerful and explosive season 5. And even though Catra and Adora finally gave us exactly what we needed, some fans felt slightly unsatisfied, calling for a movie, like the Steven Universe one to be made. And I’d be all for it, the rest of universe needs saving from the Horde! Also, cats in space - hilarious. 

May also revealed a new player on the streaming field: HBO Max, who surprised us with new Looney Tunes Cartoons, much more in the spirit of the legendary originals than the often-criticised Looney Tunes Show from 2011-2014. And in my opinion, it did; one could feel the same fluidity in animation, dedication to slapstick, and synchronisation with music than in the very first cartoons with Bugs and Daffy.

HBO Max would, however, return in June with first of series of Adventure Time original movies called "Distant Lands". The first centred around BMO, with second one - Obsidian giving us a glimpse into Bonnibel and Marceline's lives.

Distant Lands allowed people to revisit the odd, odd world of Ooo and learn about its colourful inhabitants, taking turns to seeing their past and the future, an, as usual, showing us that post-apocalyptic world can teach us valuable and meaningful lessons.   

Just in time for full lockdown in our burrows, aforementioned Kipo season 2 premiered in June, together with another cartoon movie, this time featuring We Bare Bears. While their movie wasn't anything to write songs about, it was exactly like the show, providing some wholesome content right when we needed it.

And just in case you needed more wholesome adventures, Craig of the Creek's second season ended, and its third season began, reminding us of HOW COOL LIFE WAS WHEN OUTERNET WASN’T SCARY AND WE COULD STILL WALK OUTSIDE FOR FUN AND NOT TO HUNT TOILET PAPER.

Just like last year, July was not dogs' days, but frogs'. Amphibia season 2 started raining on our heads, but unlike last year, its schedule wasn't a daily one, spreading the episodes throughout the Summer and early Autumn, with its second part arriving in February of 2021. There were more roadtrips, more mysteries and MORE MARCY.

August was equally strong: aforementioned Glitch Techs "season 2" premiered, offering better and more plot-heavy episodes than the first ten episodes. Unfortunately, the show's future is unclear; the uneven divide of plot between the seasons probably contributed to the show not being renewed. 10 new episodes apparently are written, but await in sleep mode, until Nickelodeon remembers about it.

HBO MAX picked up Infinity Train for its third season, after being derailed by Cartoon Network. And if you thought that killing a mirror cop was shocking... then this season has pushed the limit of what can be shown in modern children's cartoon to a frightening degree. The schedule was once again, weirder, with first five episodes airing on the day of the premiere, ending with a cliffhanger (literally) that only contributed to the shock factor and made us wait anxiously for its conclusion. It was bold, it was dark, it was memorable. 

And just like Glitch Techs, Infinity Train waits on a side track, unsure if it will be picked up, or will it be abandoned and left as a canvas for graffiti artists.

However, to end the Summer, a truly amazing TV movie has arrived on Disney Plus, where we came back to good, old Danville and could witness Candace against the universe. The new Phineas and Ferb movie brought back the glorious memories of this fantastic show, with the same humour, writing, abundance of catchy songs and a surprisingly deep moral.

In September we have seen the start of Big Hero 6 season 3 and a odd change of format. Instead of standalone 22-minute episodes, the show now consists of two 11-minute segments. In opinion of many, this weakened the stories, forcing them to be more comedy-oriented, and shortening the potential emotional drama. Still, it gave us funny, short stories, but they did clash with the two previous season, not to mention the movie.

However, if that wasn't up to your taste, Ducktales season 3 also started airing, and continued its first part up until December with more action- and plot-driven episodes, including the Darkwing Duck crossover, serving as a pilot of the spin-off. 

Later in December fans have learned that Season 3 will be its last, which broke the hearts of many duck fans; however, it seems that the season has been written as the last one in mind, and the news of the ending was known to the creators, which gives us hope for a kick-ass finale somewhere in 2021.

Miraculous New York, telling arguably one of the most mature storylines, opened the "Heroez" world to some new characters and new opportunities, with two more specials, taking place in Shanghai and Brazil, meant to air somewhere next year. AND I DO HOPE WE WILL SEE MORE LOCAL FOOD VENDOR SUPERHEROES LIKE HOT DOG DAN. 

October was the month of two season 3's: Carmen Sandiego and Kipo. In case of Carmen, as it is usual with Netflix, the "season" was only a half-one, with just a handful standalone episodes, and just a dash of more ongoing plot. 

For Kipo, however, season 3 was the end, and what a glorious one it was. Fans were saddened to learn of it, but Kipo was always imagined as a 3-part story, and it showed. The finale proved more than satisfying ending to the plot, elevating Kipo to one of the smartest cartoon characters we should all try to aspire to.

In November, Distant Lands: Obsidian aired, focusing on everyone’s favourite candy/vampire couple, and the long and complicated love between Bonnibel and Marceline. And as usual, it showed us that relationships are not always as straightforward as we would like them to be, but with enough music and teamwork, no enemy is big enough. 

For the next new show, I’ve waited with the most amount of excitement and anxiety. Because while I was completely fine with other reboots and re-imaginings to take creative takes, new Animaniacs, (airing on Hulu) had to be perfect and had to be the lightning that struck twice. 

And sadly... it wasn’t. It was still good, but some people criticised (incorrectly imho) the amount of political topics, while I mourned almost total cast-ration of additional characters, aside from Pinky and the Brain. This truly weakened the possibilities it could have had. It was still very good, but you can feel that some of the original charm was lost, due to these odd, odd limitations. 

December brought us a new original Apple TV movie, Wolfwalkers. A beautifully animated folk tale of friendship and social divides, and how short-sight can cause the collapse of both arguing sides, reminding me very much of the intelligence and heart of original “How to Train Your Dragon”.  

We’ve had to wait two years for the return of arguably one of the most wholesome shows out there: Hilda. Second season dived into deeper mysteries that permeate the rich and colourful troll-ridden land, we saw the return of some familiar characters, and introduced a whole new storyline, that ended with a surprising cliffhanger. Still as wholesome, but now with a tiny bit of Police incompetence. Also Twig, lots of Twig.   

Just like Onward, Pixar’s highly anticipated Soul aired on Disney+, telling a very mature story about finding one’s purpose in life, what that purpose actually means, and whether it exists at all. Beautifully animated, with fantastic soundtrack, it was a stunning tribute to creativity, and it never dumbed down its profound, open message about following your dream.   

And just if you thought that Soul was going to be 2020′s last note (pun very much intended), right before the year ended, DC Super Hero Girls concluded its first season on a rather anti-climactic two-parter. That being said, the season, running from March of last year, was packed with short, bite-sized, funny stories, taking interesting spins on existing comic book characters. For a comic book noob like me, it was perfectly fine, and I can’t wait for the second season next year. 

And so, we have reached the series finale of humanity. 

2020 ends in just under a day. What will 2021 bring us? I do not know, and if the animated shows of this year have taught me anything, is that the future is an always open book, full of worries and challenges, but also opportunities and possibilities. 

...

And in reality I was too lazy to check any news sites about upcoming projects.

[baggebythesea]

The lady and her knight

a drabble for the day 4 prompt of Glitra week 2021 - Princess/Knight AU.

@glitra-week-2021

"Glimmer," Angella said. "You are now thirteen years old, and it's time for you to have your own..."

"Pony?" Glimmer asked with eyes full of hope.

Angella sighed.

"No, Glimmer. We have been through that a million times. Horses are dangerous. No, it's time for you to have your own body guard."

"Ugggggh!" Glimmer said. "Moooooom. I don't need a baby-sitter. I can take care of myself."

"A lady's knight is far from a baby-sitter," Angella said, voice a bit sharper. "Your body guard will be someone in your own age. Someone you can bond with, share experiences with. Grow to trust with your life if necessary. It's not uncommon for such bonds to grow in time." She smiled warmly and Juliette, who returned the smile. "Your knight could become a trusted companion, a close confident, a..."

The word 'friend' hung unsaid in the air.

Glimmer gave her mother an uncharacteristically placable look.

"It might not be horrible..." she said slowly. "But who would it even be?"

"Ah, I have actually already asked General Juliette to chose a suitable candidate among the aspiring knights."

"Indeed," Juliette said with smooth voice and opened the door. "Could you join us please, Catra?"

A girl Glimmer's age entered. She was dressed in leather armour and carried a light sword at her side. She stepped up to Glimmer with the bearing of someone who has been told very sternly by her superiors to behave, and the irreverent smirk of someone who knew in her heart that she wouldn't. She sank to one knee and met Glimmer's eyes.

"My lady," she said, and even if the words were proper and the tone of voice were subservient, her eyes danced with obstinate light.

Glimmer gave her a long look.

She held out her hand, a queenly gestured practiced a million times to placate a mother who had told her very sternly to behave, but at the same time smiled a smile of someone who has no intention of doing so.

"My knight," she said with velvet voice.

They looked each other in the eyes.

Oh, you're so going to get it, they communicated - loud and clear with no need for words.

Catra took Glimmer's hand.

Glimmer helped her to her feet.

They both squeezed as hard as they could without breaking eye contact, without their smiles faltering.

"Catra has shown great promises in basic training," Juliette said. "She is an able fighter and a skilled strategist, and it has been suggested that she might benefit from some, ah, variation in scenery."

"Ah," Angella said.

Catra smirked.

"Glimmer might also... benefit from a... new perspective," Angella said.

"Ah," Juliette said.

Glimmer grinned.

They all understood each other, loud and clear.

"Glimmer," Angella said sternly. "I trust you will do your uttermost to treat your new knight with the dignity and respect her station deserves, and most importantly, behave like a lady."

"Of course, mother," Glimmer said, her eyes never leaving Catra's face.

"Catra," Juliette said. "I trust you will do everything in your power to serve and protect princess Glimmer, and most importantly behave like a knight."

"Of course, General," Catra said, her eyes locked on Glimmer's.

Oh yes, they understood each other perfectly.'

"Then I suggest you take your leave and get to know each other," Angella said. She gave Juliette a fond smile. "Me and the general have urgent matters that needs to be discussed."

"Indeed, my Queen," the general answered with warm voice.

And thus, Princess Glimmer and the knight Catra were left to their own devices.

- - -

The first shot was fired in unison. There was no communication, no agreement, but apparently they both felt the importance of both of them taking responsibility for what was to unfold - whatever that might be. The shot itself was trivial, just the two of them trying to squeeze through the doorway together and roughly pushing each other in the side. They traded a few sarcastic, demeaning apologizes, but they both felt this was just warm-up.

They strolled down to the balcony to 'get to know' each other and begin in earnest.

Glimmer took the next swing. Perhaps they felt it suitable for her status. A few lofty remarks, a demand for 'her knight to serve her' (they were drinking tea).

Catra didn't miss a beat and spilled the entire content of the tea can in Glimmer's lap. She looked her in the eyes and 'apologized'. Glimmer wasn't even mad, it was such a flawless execution.

Then Glimmer had Catra find a broom and sweep up the fallen tea tray, servant style. Catra managed to make such a mess of even finding the broom closet that Glimmer had to abandon the attempt and leave it to the servants.

Then Catra, apparently tired of leaving the initiative to Glimmer, started to make a fuss over Glimmer opening doors, walking up stairs, reaching things from the high shelf... all solid taunts targeting a spoiled little brat of a princess, but somewhat loosing in execution since Catra was just as short as Glimmer, and since Glimmer could teleport up the stair, which she smugly did.

Catra narrowed her eyes.

Time to step up her game.

Catra suggested they take a walk, and they just 'happened' to come by the training grounds. Catra suggested she'd take the opportunity to show her new lady what her knew night was capable of. While Glimmer jealously watched, Catra spun and jump and struck and flipped and reduced a poor training dummy to splinters, looking incredibly cool the whole time and not like a stupid pampered princes who's mother wouldn't even let her have a pony.

Then Catra administrated the coup de grâce - as efficient as it was cruel - by saunter up to the staring princess, a bit sweaty but otherwise as cool as anyone Glimmer had ever seen, and casually suggested that now when Glimmer had been so good to indulge her knight's fancy maybe they should do something more suitable for a princess, such as ballroom dancing or - she indulged in a moment of dramatic silence before she looked Glimmer in the eye and continued - embroidery.

Glimmer hated her. She hated her with a passion she never felt before in her admittedly short but still very passionate life. She hated her stupid grin and her strong arms and the way her fangs made her look dangerous and cool and she hated her smug, irreverent way of sauntering and she hated the way she swished her tail when she thought she had done something extra clever and what exactly did Bow think was funny with all this?

"Nothing," Bow promised and hid a smile under his hand.

Catra hated Glimmer. She was such a spoiled brat. She looked like a cupcake and smelled like strawberries and wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and sparked like the sunset and... what was Adora laughing at?

"Nothing," Adora promised without even trying to hide her smile. Catra snarled and ran out of the soldier's quarter they shared and force the images of Glimmer's warm smile out of her mind.

The next day they escalated.

Glimmer was snooty, Catra was irreverent. Glimmer gave unreasonable commands, Cara obeyed them in as useless a fashion as possible. They traded barbs, as hurtful they could think of. They glared at each other with pure, undiluted hatred.

They both knew this would end in a catastrophe sooner rather than later.

"How do you to get along this far?" Angella asked.

"Just fine, mother," Glimmer has answered.

"Really? No problem getting to know each other."

"Of course not, mother."

"And nothing to remark on Catra's performance of her knightly duties?"

"Absolutely not. She is a credit to her order," Glimmer had answered with calm voice.

"How is the princess?" Juliette had asked. "These royal types can be such a pest sometimes."

"I couldn't say, General," Catra had answered. "The princess is the very epitome of grace and kindness."

"No problem getting along, then?" Juliette asked.

"No problem at all," Catra answered, voice unwavering.

The last thing they wanted was outside intervention.

This was their war.

It was such a tiny thing, really, when they first broke script. Just one barb hitting a bit closer to home than usual, a mask faltering for just a moment, and the other suddenly looking worried, suddenly reaching out a hand, as if for comfort.

The moment was over in the blink of an eye, and they both did their best to act like it hadn't happened.

But they didn't forget.

After that it was all downhill, really.

Or uphill, I suppose, depending on your frame of reference.

It was their barbs being more and more designed to provoke laughter rather than hurt.

It was them more and more often trying to impress rather than put down.

It was Glimmer asking if Catra could perhaps teach her some of the cool moves she did on the training ground.

It was Catra asking if Glimmer could perhaps show her some of the acrobatics she did while teleporting.

It was the two of them, walking hours over the castle ground and talking and laughing.

It was the time they got in their head to climb the old tower. Only a quick teleportation saved their lives.

It was them sneaking down to the cavalry unit and beg Adora to let Glimmer have a go on her horse Horsie.

It was Glimmer asking Bow to teach Catra some archery stunts deemed less than suitable for impressionable young knights by the Bright Moon military leadership.

It was the two of them deciding that knightly duties absolutely involved guarding the princess at night from unspecified but obviously real dangers.

It was the two of them staying up long after midnight in Glimmer's room, laughing and talking and thinking and plotting and eventually falling asleep, snuggled up together.

They become inseparable, much to the Castle staff's chagrin. Where one went, the other was sure to follow, and with both of them in the same place, trouble was not far away.

In hindsight, perhaps it was somewhat of an overreaction, the things Catra did to the knight of the Princess of Salineas after said princess had appeared rude to the Princess of Brightmoon during an official gathering (don't worry, the knight's moustache grew out again).

Definitely an overreaction was what Princess Glimmer did to the diplomatic attaché from Mystacor after said diplomat had made what could be constructed as snide remarks on Catra's behalf.

Luckily, Bow, Catra, Angella, Micah, Juliette, three thirds of the servant stab and half of the available palace guard managed to hold back the furious princess before Light Spinner suffered lasting damage.

Angella and Micah DID manage to coax an apology from Glimmer afterwards, but back in Glimmer's room, Catra and Glimmer laughed about the look on Light Spinner's face.

- - -

"More tea, Juliette?"

"Thank you, Angella, just a drop."

"I trust the scones were to your liking."

"Simply divine, as always, my dear Angella."

They were in the west tower, one of Angella's favourite retreats for tea with her knight. It was airy and light and they could see the court yard down below.

They watched with interest how Catra and Glimmer hid behind a couple of crates, apparently intent on sneaking outside as soon as the guard looked away.

"It seems my daughter is a bad influence on your knight," Angella remarked.

"Please," Juliette laughed. "Catra has been unruly from the very start. She would never fit in the usual command structure. As the personal knight of a member of the royal family on the other hand she can be forgiven for a higher degree of freedom."

"And the lonely, unruly princess just so happens to have found herself a perfect partner in crime," Angella laughed. "Juliette, I owe you thanks. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

Juliette took Angella's hands. They shared a long, soft look.

"What is a lady's knight for, if not helping her lady facing the challenges life throws her way?"

"What, indeed?" Angella echoed.

They held each other's hand, looking lovingly in each other's eyes as their tea grew cold.

[pennamesmith]

Return of the Skeletor

A family reunion. Find more Skeletor stories here! 

*

Micah remembered the other world. 

Most people could, in fact. The whole planet was affected. They’d all lived a life they thought was perfect. They’d all imagined something intangible. The memories were faded and fragmentary, like the recollection of a dream, but everyone was certain it had really happened. 

Even if nothing that had happened was real. 

At first Micah didn’t realize anyone else had shared in the dream. He’d lost track of time on Beast Island long ago, and when the collapsing portal closed around him he only assumed it was one of the despairing wasteland’s many tricks. He never had long to dwell on the matter, either. Soon after finding himself returned to reality (he could remember shouting to Angella, reaching for her, trying to tell her “I’m not dead!”) Micah had met the loud and unusual Princess Entrapta. And after her there came…

“She-Ra! It’s She-Ra!” a nasally voice shrieked. 

Micah was startled out of his reverie by a sudden clattering of hooves. The door to his Bright Moon office burst inwards and he was presented with the sight of a breathless Swift Wind. Sitting astride the rainbow-winged unicorn was one of Entrapta’s bots, a lanky drone she’d named ‘Skeletor.’

“The time has come!” Skeletor said. 

“It’s true!” Swift Wind confirmed. “I felt the sacred bond return just a minute ago. Adora and the others are back from Eternia! Darla is over the Whispering Woods right now!”

“What?” Micah jumped to his feet, abandoning his desk without a second thought. It was covered in a mountain of paperwork: royal records, his regent’s duties, and the calendar pages where he’d marked off every day since Glimmer and the rest of the Princess Alliance left for their dangerous mission to another universe. He rushed to the door where Swift Wind was standing. 

Skeletor reached out and helped Micah onto the horse’s back. “Join hands as we bring together our mystic powers!” the robot cried. Once Micah was settled, Swift Wind turned and leapt out the nearest window. They sailed through the skies. 

“What’s going on? Are they all right?” Micah asked, with undisguised worry. 

Swift Wind banked, soaring over the tree line. “I’m not sure! The ship is under control but — look, there it is!” 

Darla, the rebuilt First Ones ship, was descending rapidly from the sky over the treetops. Her flight was steady, but parts of the hull were damaged, and smoke trailed from one wing. Suddenly the ship lurched and plummeted into the trees, vanishing from sight. A plume of vegetation went flying as it plowed to a smouldering stop. 

Micah felt his stomach twist. “We need to get closer!” he called out in a panic. 

“I can take you there!” Skeletor declared, urging Swift Wind toward the ground. They touched down by the edge of a long path of smoking destruction that stretched deep into the woods. 

“They must have landed near here,” Skeletor deduced, observing the massive trench in the ground. He hopped off the horse’s back and ran ahead, making anxious utterances as he went. 

Micah dismounted and walked beside Swift Wind. “I hate this,” Micah confessed. “The staying behind, I mean. At least on Beast Island I was the only one I had to worry about, and I was in control of my own survival. But having to stand by while Glimmer goes into danger? I’m so proud of her, yet I’m also so scared.” 

“I know what you mean,” Swift Wind answered. “I trust Adora, but I also worry about her, like, all the time. Whenever we’re apart I get so restless. I just feel powerless!”  

“Sometimes letting them find their own way is all we can do,” Micah mused. 

They came into a clearing in the woods. Darla was there, sparking and steaming but generally intact. Skeletor hammered on the door. 

“Here, let me try to get you out!” he called. 

Something inside the ship made a noise. There was a hiss and a jet of steam, and Skeletor tumbled backwards, landing with a squawk at Micah and Swift Wind’s feet. They all stared at Darla, holding their breath expectantly.

The front hatch of the spaceship popped open. Entrapta erupted out of it, tumbling down the landing ramp in a ball of frizzled hair. She pulled her goggles up. 

“Aha! We made it!” she crowed, taking in her surroundings. “All in the right dimension and everything!” 

She reached into the recesses of her hair and emerged with a haggard Hordak. “Your piloting saved us! I knew you could do it!” she told him proudly. 

Hordak squinted through half-lidded eyes. “Is it over?” he muttered. “Are we still alive?”

“Yep!” Entrapta wobbled to her feet and gathered her partner up in her ponytails. “Now, let’s get you a checkup and some rest. You’ve had a stressful voyage!” 

She suddenly seemed to notice the gathered onlookers. “Oh! Hi Skeletor. Hi Bird Horse. Hi Micah. Guess what? You’re gonna love this!” Entrapta turned back to the ship. “Safe to disembark, crew!” she yelled, before trotting off with Hordak.

“Now we’ll see how clever you are!” Skeletor said. 

Mermista peeked around the door. “Ground!” she cried, throwing herself across the dirt in relief. “I never thought I’d miss you so much!” 

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad a flight,” Sea Hawk cajoled, helping her to her feet. “Why, I can think of a dozen — no, two dozen more harrowing trips I’ve taken in the Dragon’s Daughter XXVIII.” 

“You fishmonger,” Skeletor scoffed. 

Frosta was the next one out, followed closely by Perfuma and Scorpia. “Eternia was amazing!” the teenaged ice princess announced, brandishing a pair of frozen fists. “I got to punch so much stuff!” 

“Come on, it wasn’t all violence,” Perfuma pleaded. 

“Yeah, we learned a bunch about friendship and responsibility too,” Scorpia agreed. 

“Punch! Punch!” Frosta said. 

“You’re becoming evil, I can sense it!” Skeletor hummed approvingly. “Excellent!” 

Catra and Adora came next, and they were accompanied by a young man Micah had never seen before. He had a pink shirt, bobbed blond hair, and bore an uncanny resemblance to Adora herself. A sword hung on his back. He blinked as he emerged into the light. 

Swift Wind’s jaw dropped. “Adora! Is that…?” 

“Hey guys!” Adora grinned sheepishly. “So, funny story. You remember how when I was a baby I was taken from a hidden First Ones faction that nobody has ever been able to find since?” 

She held her hands out, presenting the newcomer. “Well, uh, we found ‘em! This is my twin brother, Adam!” 

Adam smiled and waved. “Hello everybody,” he chirped. 

“Brother?” Swift Wind sputtered. 

“He-Man!” Skeletor bellowed. 

The group fell into a chattering commotion, but Micah was hardly paying attention. Glimmer and Bow had appeared at the top of the ramp, holding each other as they looked out. Emotions that went beyond words swam in the young queen’s eyes. 

Adora saw where Micah was looking and quickly pulled her brother away. “We’ll tell you the whole story later, sir! Trust me, it’s hilarious. Now come on, I gotta show you around Etheria, bro.”

“Sure thing, sis,” Adam replied, grinning hugely. They pounded their fists together, adding their own sound effects as they did so, and marched off laughing. 

“They have been doing that the entire. Trip. Back,” Catra groaned, following close behind the pair. “Somebody save me.” 

“You furry coward,” muttered Skeletor. 

At the entrance to the ship, Glimmer and Micah hugged each other fiercely. When they finally broke, the old king could see that his daughter was smiling through her tears. 

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Glimmer sniffled. “So much happened. You wouldn’t believe how scary things got! Oh, but I totally had everything under control.” 

“I know you did,” Micah smiled back. But he could tell there was more. 

Glimmer’s face turned serious. “Dad,” she said shakily, tripping over her own words. “Listen. Entrapta’s theories about the other dimension were right. When we — I mean, didn’t know if…” 

Bow stepped in. “Your highness, I think there’s someone you should see.” He beckoned gently. Still at a loss for words, Glimmer nodded and took her father’s hand, leading him inside the ship. 

Micah’s heart was racing even before she rose from the chair and turned to face him. His breath caught when he saw the spreading wings, the shining light, the smiling face that he remembered so clearly. 

Their eyes met. It was a miracle. 

Just like on the island, a part of him couldn’t believe this was really happening. But it was. 

They both reached out. They’d mourned each other once. Their hands met. 

“Micah?” she asked, hardly believing it herself. 

“Angie?” 

*

Outside, both the princesses and their well-wishers had gathered around Adam, excitedly showing off the wonders of their planet. He gazed with delight at everything, marveling in the magical light of Etheria. His laugh brimmed with kindness. 

Skeletor elbowed his way through the crowd. “I can’t let any of you delay me! Out of my way, now!” he jabbered. “This is no time for jokes!” 

He made it to where Adora stood with her brother and glared. Adam turned in surprise, not sure what to expect. They stared at each other. 

Skeletor held his arms wide. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment!” he cried. “Take this, He-Man!” 

Then he lunged forward, and wrapped Adam in an enormous hug. 

“He-Man, I am your friend!” 

[ceoofanticatradora]

We need more anti C//A who are Adora stans (like you seem to be) so that people can understand that C///A is bad for Adora. Heck C//A is bad for Catra too, but the shippers don't seem to realize it. If Catra had been able to let Adora go maybe she could have healed instead of her festering and the abuse may have ended instead of escalated.

Hello Dear, welcome on my Blog and a big thank you for your message! Firstly I wanna apologize that this response is reaching you more than three full days, almost four later. Just real life getting into the way of my online presence (at least I got my A-Levels admission!) but I assure you that replying to you was on my To Do List the entire time. And while I could've typed something quick, I thought you deserved a full length response just as much as the person before you received. That goes for anyone really to ask/write me anything in the future.

Adora is a character that has flaws, her own interests, things she struggles with/is insecure about etc. but she also still works on being better (up to Season 5). This makes her relatable, fleshed out and overall three dimensional. Overall for me that makes Adora very likeable. Which is funny because when I first watched the show I thought of her as too goofy and felt like she as a character was overall just flat. Her character design did not speak to me either, the ponytail with the weird hair poof and these pointy shoulders of her jacket just really were not my taste. Isn't it amazing how perceptions can change?

As you can guess from that description I did not always stan Adora and she's probably still not my favorite character but over the almost two years I've been in this fandom I've grown rather fond of her. Other important characters to me are Kyle (a very relatable comfort character of mine, he learned to stand up for himself and others and I support that, f*ck Season 5 for barely acknowledging his existence), Lonnie (apart from treating Kyle badly (which I really do NOT support or excuse) I really love her, man, some women just do me like that, I mean she really stood up to Catra like that), Entrapta (I'm autistic too! It's great to have some representation, seeing the ableism/treatment she experiences in the show is not so much though), Seahawk (I don't even know why, I have some issues with his behavior towards Mermista at times but overall I love this dork), Scorpia (she reminds me of myself so much and I really wanna give her hugs, I'm so glad she chose to no longer let Catra treat her like that even though I will be forever salty she just immediately forgave her), Peekablue (I can explain this even less than Seahawk, especially since it was not even really him in the end but his existence somehow helped me cope with Season 5, without him I probably would've left this fandom ... and also my favorite color is blue) and Double Trouble (now there's enough people already critcizing how they're not exactly great Non-binary representation but this dramatic lizard will forever be in my heart, that reality check they gave Catra, basically slapping her in the face with facts was satisfying as h*ck, also I like lizards overall).

Now there's plenty of characters I like, dislike (or even hate) or am simply indifferent about but after all this is not a tier list but me talking about Adora, Catra and Catradora. Adora started off as this girl that was so sure what she was doing is right but once she was taught differently she was willing to leave everything she knew (except Catra, because she valued her despite everything) behind. And not only that, she broke out of the abuse cycle that Catra tried so hard to keep upright. And that is exactly what makes Adora such a good role model. She teaches children (or people) that:

Your past doesn't define what/who you are or what/who you can become

-> Adora used to be a Horde soldier and did not know where she came from, but nonetheless she found herself a family and became a hero that saved thousands of people

You can always change your mind and start a new life if you feel disappointed in what you are doing/who you are as a person

-> Basically the exact same point, Adora started a new life as she saw what the Horde really was and changed her mind about who to fight for

You deserve love too, be it platonic or romantic (or se*ual???) (If you're aro and/or ace just ignore the part that does not work for you)

-> While Adora for various reasons thought her only use was to please others and meet their needs and expectations (mostly due to Shadow Weaver and Catra) she learned to accept that she too deserves love and validation (if the love aspect would not have been focused on it being romantic love so she could smooch Catra in the finale this would've been a billion times better because she got love from her friends that showed her her real value)

You can walk away from something/someone, that does not make you egoistic/selfish

-> Adora walked away from the Horde, after Catra stubbornly refused to come with her despite many offers (basically Catra broke the promise, not Adora) from her too and that did not make her a "traitor" or "selfish", h*ck, Adora in the end did this for a bigger purpose too, even if part of it was her not wanting to live with such wrong morals

Your opinions, feelings etc. about a person/something can change and that is perfectly fine and valid, being able to change is part of what makes someone human

-> Adora's views on many things changed throughout the show: The Horde and the Rebellion, the First Ones, Catra, being She-Ra, herself, her priorities and so on ... she actually makes use of her brain, which is why Catra saying "Don't you ge it?" or calling her an idiot and dumb never sat right with me, she's a realistic character for shifting with her thoughts, feelings etc. and sometimes just does not fully think things through

You don't have to let other people treat you like sh*t (just because they have some issues they never worked through does not give them any right to let it out on you)

-> This point is obviously centered mostly around Catra and her abusing Adora almost every chance she gets, which is why Adora standing up for herself and not letting Catra blame her for her own decisions and mistakes is so important, "You made your choice, now live with it" is one of the most powerful lines throughout all the five Seasons

Now I'm sure there is still more to Adora's character than what I just listed and unfortunately almost all the points basically got pushed aside, well, Adora as a character got pushed aside in Season 5. All her growth, the things that made me love her, see her as great role model for so many people robbed of their value for the sake of making everything revolve around Catra. That brings me to her and how you are absolutely right that Catradora is harmful to both characters. Of course Adora is affected most by it in the end but Catra too is obviously suffering under the fandoms obsession and just the overall idea of them being romantically involved.

Just like with Adora the stans make almost everything about Catra over her relationship with Adora. She too can barely exist outside of it and if she wasn't the fan favorite she'd most likely would too be mostly in Fanarts that include Adora and not just her (if you google "Catra Fanart" most content is still Catra and Catra only but here and there Catradora still peaks through). But for whatever reason the fandom still views her more as her own person as the other ones? Catrouble and Scorptra Shippers might actually still get less hate than Glimmadora Shippers (I'm not denying they don't get any, they most certaintly do) which is just plain hypocricy and favorism. Kinda like the: A woman needs to be loyal to her husband and her husband only but if the husband wants to be active with other women that is perfectly fine because "that is just how men are" or how i like to call it ... sexism. Now in this case they are both women so it's not sexism but yo do get my point.

But much more importantly, Catra has an unhealthy obsession with Adora. Signs of that are for example:

Constantly talking about Adora, even when said person is not around (to Shadow Weaver, Scorpia etc.)

Obsessing over having control over Adora like in that one Episode "Are you kidding? I finally got control over Adora, I'm not giving that up!"

Building her entire character and her actions around Adora "We need to take Adora down", "Adora left me", "I'd rather see the whole world end than see you win!", also shown in Season 5 where she states she does save Glimmer only for Adora and not for Glimmer or to do the right thing

Getting aggressive or very emotional over Adora like clawing the wall, having nightmares etc. (destructive behavior towards herself and others)

Having no or barely any characteristics outside of her relationship with Adora like, we don't know her interests or likes and dislikes outside of being evil, obsessed with Adora, being abused by Shadow Weaver ...

Trying to force Adora to meet her needs and expectations regardless of Adora's owns

Sacrificing her oppurtunity to be happy in the Crimson Waste for the sake of her Adora obsession and being better than her at all costs

So yes, you were very right with saying that not putting Catra in a relationship with Adora would've benefited both characters. Catra could've learned to exist on her own, develop interests and a life outside of Adora. Learn to accept herself and eventually come to terms with her childhood abuse. She could've been free and not "the abusive cat girl that ended up with the person she unhealthily obsessed over to the point of no return" she kinda is now. Even if we ignore the whole "dating your long term abuser" part from Adora's side and "being rewarded" for horrible behavior, Catra alone is not giving a good example to people watching. As much as I dislike Catra, disdain her even, an ending where she is dependent on Adora, unable to stand on her own two legs after she led armies in war is not what I would wish for her, even with a decent redemption arc (that she did not get).

[phoenixdnasty]

The Problem with Season Five

this is already going to have a lot of you in the replies yelling at me. obviously, massive SPOILERS for s5 of she ra and the princesses of power if you haven't already seen it.

okay, so She Ra is definitely a kids' show, but it has a lot of themes aimed towards an older audience: abuse, war, found family, destiny and knowing who you are. I loved She Ra because it made me feel empowered, made me feel seen. after this last season, however, I don't feel the same. I will, however, talk about what it did well.

What She-Ra s5 did RIGHT

I very much enjoyed seeing the character development for most characters come to the forefront here. For example, SW returned to her original motivations. When she lived in Mystacor with the other sorcerers, her thirst for power was borne of a desire to fight the Horde. When she was rejected, then she chose to do what she did. We see a return to that in s5, where she takes a stand against Prime by enlisting Castaspella to stop her if she tries to take any power for herself. She ends up just wanting to help, to do what she can, which was excellent. Glimmer, Bow and a bunch of other characters are given some love here as well. I especially enjoyed seeing Bow and Mermista take on leadership positions in the absence of Adora; it was an excellent look into another facet of their personalities.

Character interactions in non-serious moments were, for the most part, good. Swift Wind and Scorpia being bros was not something I knew I needed but something I want more of. Netossa basically being Batman and knowing the weaknesses of everyone around her was great and an iconic scene. Bow thinking Catra was super adorable was also an excellent moment in the season and I could watch 9 more seasons worth of that. Something that surprised me was Entrapta's "not good with people"-ness being talked about and addressed by the other characters and explained by her; I wasn't sure if that was ever gonna be talked about in the show.

Side note: thank you Crew-Ra for giving Scorpia her own musical number, it was great.

Prime was also a fascinating enemy. He's this sort of religious figure, this world destroyer who's been around for seemingly centuries, maybe much longer. He's cold, calm and calculated. I've seen it pointed out that he's everything Hordak is not. He's manipulative, knows body language and facial expressions, and has a perfect grasp on how to get exactly what we wants. My favorite aspect of this season was the hive mind control. This was a very interesting plotline to me, and I thoroughly enjoyed HiveMind!Catra as well as Wrong Hordak. I loved the idea of pitting allies against each other and the angst and emotional weight that carried.

Going to use that point to segue into one of this season's strengths: Netossa and Spinnerella. Wow! We get a chance to see what a healthy queer/wlw relationship looks like, and two background characters get major upgrades in relevance. Two diversity points for one being a big girl and for the couple being interracial (in our world anyway), but diversity is the norm is SPOP and we might have to stan forever. It was extremely heartwarming and resulted in one of my favorite scenes to ever show up in animated media (one which I'll be stealing to add to my vows if I ever get married):

It was beautiful and I will absolutely never shut up about it.

There were some beautiful moments this season!! Absolutely gorgeous. A highlight for me cinematically was episode 5, which will probably bother some people when I say what I will below. I will be honest, the new transformation sequence and the scene of Adora holding Catra as She-Ra was powerful and had my heart pounding with excitement. It was awesome.

On the other hand...

What She-Ra s5 did WRONG

I'm going to break my issues with the final season down one by one, starting with the narrative of abuse.

From the very beginning, abuse is the most prevalent theme in the show. Prime (HP) abuses Hordak, Hordak abuses SW, SW abuses both Adora and Catra, and Catra abuses Adora. I liked the Crew-Ra tackling this issue. Abused people abuse people, right?

Why was everyone redeemed in s5? (Well, except for Prime, he was blasted away by She-Ra.) Hordak was given a blank slate to start over, even though he was the reason Etheria was war torn for at least a few decades; SW was given a hero's sacrifice, where at the end of her life she finally decides to do some good; and Catra is immediately forgiven for doing one good thing and all trust in placed in her simultaneously.

Hordak and H. Prime as abusers are pretty cut and dry; at no point are they ever remorseful for their actions, except for Hordak in the case of being abusive to Entrapta. SW is much more of an interesting character to analyze, because her motivations are geared directly towards herself. This seems to change in the final season, when she returns to her original motivations from back when she was in Mystacor. Defending her home. In her pursuit of the power needed to defend Etheria from the Horde, she fell into darkness. She began to abuse Adora and Catra.

One could argue that the hero's sacrifice she was given for redemption was unneeded. SW was an individual addicted to power. She was manipulative, using fake affection as a means to control. She didn't deserve a redemption. The only evidence we have of this supposed change of heart is a line to Castaspella: "...and stop me if I try to take the power for myself." Okay... so, SW, um... what changed your mind? Was it Micah? Because at no point has he forgiven you. In fact, there should've been much more hostility between the two of you (which is a point I'll address in a moment). In all honesty, the relationship between SW and Micah reminds me of what should've happened between Catra and Glimmer, or Catra and Scorpia.

And Catra... My problem with her story is that she was kinda just... forgiven? instantly. no repercussions, no long talks about feelings, no... consequences. Catra got the girl and that was it. A small list of things she did over 4 seasons, in no certain order:

Scratched what was implied were scarring marks down Adora's back

Was the cause of Angella's "death" #angelladeservedbetter

Kidnapped both Glimmer and Bow

Opened a world-ending portal all to ensure Adora failed

Also pushed Adora into what looked like an abyss

Verbally abused Scorpia into leaving

Wanted to pit Corrupted!She-Ra against her friends (dehumanization)

Got Entrapta sent to Beast Island, a deadly place no one ever returns from

And this is just the stuff off the top of my head. We all knew Catra was going to get a redemption, but this one was completely undeserved. She apologized to Adora and Entrapta. Two very short apologies for what canonly was at minimum, months of abuse, manipulation, intent to kill (which is literally mentioned by Adora) and general disregard for anyone or anything but revenge for something that didn't even deserve it. The entire cast should've been outraged. Glimmer in particular had a very big reason not to ever forgive Catra ("I'm not losing another parent!"), but it was all glossed over.

The biggest issue with season 5 was the abuse plotline completely dropped. You can't spend 4 seasons explaining how the cycle of abuse affects you and everyone around you... and shelve it. And we know the reason why it was shelved.

Let me first preface this with the fact that I am super happy we got representation. As a queer nblw who grew up feeling alone, it's so good to see things changing in media. An onscreen wlw kiss on a kids' show is groundbreaking and I'm very happy that She-Ra broke this barrier.

But all representation is not good representation. Catra and Adora is not a good representation of a healthy relationship.

Catra is shown throughout the series to be very unstable. This is even prevalent in season 5, when Adora "chooses SW" over Catra, she runs away. This breaks Adora's heart. The last thing that Catra needs is a relationship when she hasn't even confronted the issues that she has. There's no healing done in season 5, no therapy as the fandom loved to meme about, no long talks about forgiveness and the hurt caused. There's no callback to any of the pain and anguish that Catra put Adora through. Catra may love Adora, but if there is no healing done for the both of them, their relationship will fail. They will fall into the same cycle again. Adora will do something Catra doesn't like, Catra will do what she's done for all of the show, and it will repeat until something breaks.

I'm going to talk about the implications of the ending we have now, and feel free to argue with me.

She-Ra is a kids' show. Abuse is one of the main themes. Catra is shown to be an abuser. Here's what we are teaching younger audiences:

a. if you love someone enough, maybe they'll change

b. everyone deserves a second chance

c. your abuser will change as long as you're loyal and never stop trying to love them

d. things someone does to hurt you mean nothing in the wake of forgiveness

e. if someone who hurt you changes suddenly and wants to be back in your life, you should let them back in

Character interactions for the things that mattered (plot threads from previous seasons, general personality clashes, etc) were absent this season, in the moments where they mattered the most. (The best three in my opinion were Scorpia and Perfuma, the BFS inviting Catra in, and Mermista and Entrapta.) Glimmer and Adora should've had their time to talk. Scorpia should've gotten to say her piece to Catra. SW and Micah should've interacted more. Micah and Glimmer should've gotten more than an introduction!

I'm not going to get into how the entire final season was wrapped around making Catra and Adora get together (a fundamental writing no-no; it never ends up working), or how it was bad writing. I just want everyone to think critically for one moment. There are so many other glaring issues in what was, overall, a stellar show. If there was another season, or some mini episodes where the characters talk out their problems and past transgressions against each other, then I could excuse She-Ra. But I doubt we're going to get any of that. So I won't.

[the-great-noodle]

Y'all I-

In the "Promise" episode when the "What is your query" hologram lady tells her she has to "let go" in order to meet light hope and Adora let's go from hanging on the ledge (her holding on to the idea that catra will have a change of heart and join her) etc etc...Catra's "let go" is also in that episode. When the spider yeets Catra into the mirror, she cries out for Adora and then there's this moment...when she realizes it's time for her to stop waiting for Adora and uses her claws to rip the webs apart. In the end of the episode she even says "I've spent all this time hoping you'd come back to the horde" despite her actions from episode 2 to 10 she had been waiting for adora to save her, to return to the horde so they can continue being there for each other but when Catra sees that won't be the case she blocks out her care for Adora's wellbeing because SHE BROKE THE PROMISE.

(I'm not okay)

[meg-noel-art]

Why do you believe that Catra never got over her what you called "obsessive and selfish love" for Adora? Because I didn't see that.

-gestures vaguely to all of the show-

Okay, you know what, let’s get into this. Because I’m honestly tired of it all. First let’s start with this: In popular media, is there a common theme of erotic subtext between rivals? Uh, yeah. Hell yeah. Tension between two people looking to one up each other that can be read as romantic or sexual? Oh absolutely. So, let’s, for the sake of argument assume that was the type of dynamic that Noelle and Co. were going for all along, as they’ve stated. Because they weren’t the first to play with this dynamic and they won’t the last.

So again, tension and subtext between rivals that escalates into passion or eventually real love? Yes.

On the other hand: betrayal, emotional manipulation, physical maiming and injury and outright seeking the utter demise and failure of you ‘rival’ because they made you sad by making a better choice than you did? That doesn’t equate to love.

But, for the sake of argument, let’s approach Catra’s motivations as all based around this deep love she has for Adora, which I will argue through this post is more of as passionate and selfish obsession than actual love. (And honestly, that’s a super cool character motivation, but pretending that it’s an epic love story is gross and I hate it.)

So, let’s return to Season 1

One of the first real battles we see Catra and Adora in takes place at the end of the season. This comes after ‘The Promise’ wherein Adora tries again to get Catra to come with her, but Catra doubles down on her desire to spite Adora for hurting her and leaving her, by being as nasty as she possibly can and putting Adora in just as much emotional pain. Here, she not only fights Adora, but cuts her down to her deepest insecurities. Catra knows Adora and she knows how desperately she wants to be a hero. It’s an aspect of Adora that Catra has always disliked because it made her feel lesser. In order to fully cripple her rival here, Catra tugs at the strings she knows will hurt the most.

“You will fail them (you failed me)”, “You’re friends will hate you (Just like I do)” “You will never be the hero you want to be (I will be the reason you can’t)”. If you want to talk about subtext in this scene, Catra’s unhealthy and obsessive desire to be the only thing Adora needs/wants/thinks about is literally all over the place. If you want to argue that she’s saying all of this because she’s hurting, then it’s literally the cruelest possible way she could say it. And the show doesn’t bother selling us on the fact that Catra is in pain here, it just hammers home the idea of how badly she wants Adora to fail so she can feel that pain too.

In no universe, would I call that treatment of someone love.

Next up, this moment in Season 2:

I remember everyone losing their minds over this scene, and again, arguing a sexual tension between rivals, then yes, that makes sense. But in the context of this entire episode and the ones leading up to this point? This statement from Catra is disgusting. And it gets worse.

In the next scene, we see Catra literally planning to use Adora as her own personal weapon (an aspect I find personally icky when considering the struggle Adora has with destiny/her own autonomy at the end of Season 4 being use by Light Hope as a weapon. Catra literally has the same idea.)

And moreso than that, Catra won’t just use her as a weapon. She will use Adora to cut down anyone else who has ever cared about her or shown her affection. It’s a new level of jealousy/possession that is touched on even moreso as the series goes on. But what’s crazy to me is that it seems to have developed from Season 1. In the Battle of Bright Moon, Adora could only fail them. Now, however much later this is, Catra wants her to hurt them too. Adora will hurt, her friends will hurt. Everyone will hurt like Catra does. Because she’s possessive of Adora’s affection. It makes her feel like she has meaning. Which is an entire other can of worms about Catra’s motivations and character, but we’re gonna move ahead to season 3.

This is a fascinating moment to me. At this point, Catra has essentially flunked out of the Horde, but she’s NEVER been more determined to prove herself to Hordak, to SW, to Adora, to everyone. But here, Scorpia points out how truly happy she is when Adora isn’t even in the damn picture anymore. The poisonous environment of the Horde is gone, Catra is claiming respect for her abilities and personality. Adora has nothing to do with it and she’s happy.

And then:

Look, I am remise to sound like a total asshole, but the entire show is pointing this out for me through even it’s dialogue. Catra’s pain and hate and obsession returns when Adora mentions that their shared abuser Shadow Weaver has chosen her yet again. Suddenly, nothing matters. None of Scorpia’s kind words, or the achievments she made in the Waste. All that matters, is beating Adora. Hurting her. Being better and more loved than her.

Honesty, at this point I’m losing the thread of ‘love’ entirely. Now it just feels like a total mission for vengeance.  But, once again, okay, let’s argue she’s really just angry and wants Adora’s love back. So what does she do to get it?

She opens the Portal to hurt Adora. As Adora screams don’t, begs her not to, tells her what it will do to their world, Catra does it anyway. Because Adora must hurt. She broke Catra’s heart and Catra must break it back. That’s how love works, I guess.

Once again, if the show was working on selling me on Catra’s motivations being sympathetic and fueled by love all along. It is failing.

Now, let’s talk about the Portal world that it takes them into. What everyone called their “perfect universe”.

So we have this moment, where Adora gets to the heart of the issue and asks Catra about her real pain. Catra avoids it, once again. Yes, of course she’s wanted this, they both always have. I suppose at this moment you could argue her true motivations come through, but it also just emboldens my point that Catra is not growing. She’s not gaining any character development. If she did just always want Adora by her side, this scene shows us that Adora has moved past these Horde induced childhood dreams they have. She has seen a bigger world and a bigger issue and Catra is still holding onto the hope that they will keep this promise to always have each others backs.

Which, is an ironic thing to hold onto considering Catra was the first to break this promise, by not going with Adora when the time was right. And yet she believes Adora is the one who owes her the apology. Now, this would be great set up for an arc about Catra coming to terms with the fact that she is the problem and Season 4 seemed ready to set that up but then... didn’t.

This line in particular has always stuck with me because it broke their relationship entirely for me. At this point, Catra could apologize all she wanted in a possible redemption arc, but the damage was done. She admitted a pain so deep that it would change her and Adora’s relationship forever. Her hurt ran so deep that she would rather die, see everything end, than see Adora find happiness outside of her.

I could stop this post here and honestly, my point would have been made. But we’ve got more to go.

I was so excited after the moment. After an entire season of snapping under the weight of her own choices. It is the image of Scorpia, who loved her unconditionally, who tells Catra that she is the problem and she always has been.

At this point, I was ready. Catra had hit rock bottom, there was nowhere to go but up. She would approach her pain and figure out who she wanted to be as a person. She would team up with the Rebellion because she knew it was the right thing to do, she would atone for her mistakes. By the end maybe she would go on her own adventure to find herself?

And.... No?

She doesn’t.

Season 5 rolls around and suddenly she is right back where she started, scrambling up the ladder for power and respect. It sure doesn’t work for Horde Prime, putting her in real danger. She even gets a few moments to connect with Glimmer (maybe apologize for the Portal...no... oh okay.) 

In fact, she saves Glimmer! But.... why does she do it? Certainly not for Glimmer’s sake, a character who has been stated by the crew to be literally her narrative foil, her other half. But...

Like...? At this point I don’t even know what the show is going for anymore, it’s a fucking mess. You could even argue that up to this point, Catra HAS been manipulating Glimmer to trust her so that she could in turn save Adora. Which is all kinds of fucked up, as we see in the conversation with the BFS squad that Glimmer WANTS to save Catra, and trusts her.

And then this memory that incited Catra’s desire to save Adora was:

I could have just answered with this screenshot and saved myself an hour. You wanna argue love? Fine. 

Then Catra has NEVER let go of her frankly concerning obsession with Adora’s attention and affection and that is no more clear that this memory where she also physically assaults her and steps on her, and Adora goes crawling after her trying to comfort her.

Oh? Are you, Catra? Well that’s cool. You are allowed to be sorry. But that doesn’t mean Adora owes you literally anything at this point. No one is ever obligated to accept any apology no matter how heartfelt it might be.

At the end of the day, this love story their trying to sell me on is so twisted I can hardly stand to watch the final season. Because it’s never worked out!! Adora immediatedly forgives every moment I’ve listed in this post and more. Catra never apologizes to someone who deserved it most, Scorpia. 

And more than that, Catra never grows into who she should have become as a character. She is stuffed into an OTP the show wanted from the beginning but failed for 5 seasons to make convincing or compelling.

Also Adora has such a huge heart she deserves someone who would treat her better than Catra could. Catra can’t. Catra can’t even treat herself right.

Like... Yeah. I don’t even know what to say anymore. Hope this answered your question. 

Obsessive, possessive....Gross. I’m tired. C/A won at the end of the day I guess, but at what cost?

[aot-humanitysfaith]

AOT: Letters From Home

Name: AOT: Letters From Home

Genre: Romance, hurt and comfort

Summary: A collection of letter between the veterans and their loves.

Chapter Nine: Letter to Levi pt.3

‘Levi,

This letter couldn’t be any harder to write. Adora, our darling girl, is getting worse. The medicine isn’t helping anymore, and she can’t even get out of bed. This dark and disgusting place isn’t helping and there’s no money for a doctor, not that any would help us. The boys try to help, either by staying by her side or doing their best to help me. I am scared, the last thing I want is to lose her, but I have no idea how to save her.

I’m sorry this letter isn’t hopeful or happy. But I know how much Isabel and Furlan care for her, I know how much you care for her too. I can’t help but ask, may that blonde devil can help. He took you away, the least he can do is help her. Or let you come say goodbye.

I miss you, the children do too. They know what you’re doing, and Levi, they’re proud of you. They started calling you dad, by the way. They walk around talking about how strong their father is, how he’s a scout with their aunt and uncle. I know you probably don’t like this, but you try and stop them, it’s impossible.

I’m trying to find a way to leave this letter on a happier note, but I can’t. Because all my happiness is fading away. 

Your’s,

Lorelei’

Levi traced the tear marks on the letter some of those were hers, others were his. He didn’t get the letter until after he returned from the expedition. That god-awful expedition that took his friends from him and now he’s facing losing a girl who he saw as a daughter. He stood and marched out of his room and sought out Erwin. He was determined to make that eyebrow freak fix this. 

Losing Isabel and Furlan broke him, but losing that little girl on top of that, nothing in this world would fix him after. And he knew, nothing would ever fix a hole that size in Lorelei’s heart.

@mysteriousmagicx