#tw ra mention

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

(arcane s2 spoilers ahead!)

so i just finished watching arcane (yes, FINALLY) and while i have a lot of thoughts about it, i want to talk about the elephant in the room which is, of course, caitvi.

i still don’t think that caitvi is abusive. i do agree that it was messed up for caitlyn to hit vi, regardless of her reasons for it, and she should have at least apologized to vi afterwards. but what she didn’t do with words, she makes up for by siding with vi and helping her rescue vander.

unlike catra, who apologized but never put in the work to actually right her wrongs, caitlyn does the opposite. it’s not just one big sacrifice or a few nice words either, caitlyn betrays ambessa and gives jinx the benefit of doubt for vi’s sake - two things that could have put her in grave danger. and she continues to support and stick by vi after that.

the whole deal about caitlyn being a cop is another can of worms and i don’t want to talk about it too deeply, but i can understand why people are upset about it. it would have been better if caitlyn had quit her position for vi, considering how enforcers were a main cause of vi’s trauma.

anyway, i don’t have a problem with people thinking that caitvi is toxic or even abusive. i don’t agree but they are entitled to their own opinion.

what i do have a problem with is when people say that c//a is healthier than caitvi?? excuse me??? so catra physically and emotionally abusing, gaslighting, guilt tripping and trying to kill adora her whole life isn’t abusive, but caitlyn hitting vi once is? make it make sense.

if you’re going to hold caitlyn accountable for one wrong move, you should be holding catra accountable for all her innumerable crimes.

and don’t talk to me about power dynamics. sure, caitlyn is in a higher social position than vi, but there are very few instances of caitlyn using her status to overpower or hurt vi, especially after they started getting closer.

whereas catra has always had power over adora. not in regards to social class, but in general. the horde was to etheria what piltover was to zaun, in a sense. people act like the horde and the undercity are the same just because of the aesthetics, but they forget that the horde were the oppressors.

say what you will about caitvi but the moment you bring c//a into the conversation and act like caitlyn is somehow worse than catra, you lose me.

[anti-catradora-collection]

TRANSLATING AND GIVING MY HONEST OPINION ABOUT THIS TWITTER THREAD:

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ DO NOT GO AFTER AND DO NOT HARASS THE CREATOR OF THE THREAD I'LL BE COMMENTING HERE. thank you.

"it pisses me off when ppl say they love enemies to lovers and then say that catra//dora is toxic.

like, ENEMIES is not when one person steps on another's toes and gets angry towards them"

keep reading under the cut:

yeah, "enemies" certainly is not when one person steps on another's toes and gets angry towards them. even google knows that. enemies to lovers is completely different from rivals to lovers.

however, c//a aren't enemies either. they have never been.

they were simply abuser x victim. and that's mainly because adora never really felt any hate towards catra. she even tried to make catra join the rebellion multiple times.

additionally, adora knew how to defend herself, but wouldn't do more than she needs.

catra, on the other hand, would relish on BRUTALIZING adora. she even tried to end the whole universe out of spite to adora, willing to kill them both in the process.

and let's not forget: catra did all this with a smile in her face, proud of being able to manipulate and control adora.

they were never mutual enemies. adora mostly viewed catra as someone to fear. most of the time, she felt powerless when the matter was catra. to be honest, even when the matter wasn't her, it's shown that she felt that way. damn, she even had a panic attack because of catra.

and let's not forget how catra and adora's fights are always viewed as "flirtatious/sexy" and, surprisingly (or not), they are always with catra on top while adora is unable to fight back for any reason (be it for an emotional or physical reason, temporarily or not).

the only exception for what i said above is this scene, where i don't even believe adora is being flirtatious (for me, she's simply being smug) and where she's not even talking to catra in person.

of course, there's times where adora physically hurts (or tries to hurt) catra back, but it's solely to DEFEND HERSELF/OTHER PEOPLE. catra takes advantage of adora's kindness cuz she knows she won't be able to cause the same harm as catra does.

NEXT:

"enemies to lovers is ALWAYS toxic in the enemies part. a relationship where you are the other person's mortal enemy is not even possible.we ship catra//dora precisely because they get to the lovers part, and when they get to it, there is no more toxicity."

I'm so sorry to break it to you, but C//A has been toxic before, during and after they were in opposite sides of the war. here is an example of this. catra always made it seem like it's adora who's always abandoning her, but it was catra's CHOICE to stay in the horde.

C//A relationship occurred on an existing pattern: adora accidentally says something that makes catra mad -> catra hits/insults her -> catra runs away, expecting adora to chase after her and feeling like she's rejected if that doesn't happen. it even happened while they were KIDS.

and let's also not forget about catra gaslighting and slapping adora in that one episode while she was going through another panic attack. "catra didn't know something was going on!!!" she literally had "flashbacks" about things that did happen and adora was clearly not okay.

catra could've been a good friend like glimmer was for adora in the hot springs episode, listen to her, try to help and properly calm her down even if she didn't know what was happening, but catra didn't. she insisted on her own view that everything was perfect instead.

catra also makes it seem like adora is the abandoner multiple times in season 5. like girl you're the one who literally abandoned her even in S5 plsss-catra CHOSE to stay in the horde, adora tried to make catra come with her since forever. catra was the one running away.

she even framed adora as being the violent one in their relationship with this scene:

"how am i supposed to fight my own friends?"

"it never stopped you before."

it's almost like catra wasn't the one always trying to hurt and murder adora all the time... lol.

NEXT:

"apart from the abuse that catra (and adora) suffered throughout her childhood AND her fear of abandonment, the only reason catra treated adora the way she did was because she suppressed her feelings in such an absurd way that she was even violent."

uhhh.. no?

you're telling me catra tried to kill adora multiples times and destroy the universe because deep inside her heart catra LOVED adora?

this is honestly giving me "he hits you because he likes you!" vibes. i bet if catra was a man, you wouldn't be saying stuff like this.

plus, shall i say something that may sound a bit... harsh:

THIS. IS. NOT. ABOUT. CATRA.

of course catra is traumatized.

of course catra is also abused.

of course all these facts helped building up catra's character.

but nothing justifies the way she treated adora.

"but catra was abused, she was raised in a harsh way, she doesn't know any better!" what about we stop making adora's abuse about her abuser...? everyone kinda seems to forget how catra was also a w4r crim1nal lmao. of course catra deserved love. but not in the way she got.

catra also needed to be held accountable for her actions, which she didn't. "she was brainwashed by horde prime which made her suffer a lot!" okay, and? catra also brainwashed and put adora into a lot of pain and that fact was never once brought up again.

i mean, catra literally was a gen0c1dal w4r crim1nal. she killed lots of people (including glimmer's mother). again, she tried to end the universe. she destroyed villages. she attempted to kill adora multiple times. was she even questioned about it?

no. the princesses immediately take catra in with them as soon as adora says "she's with us now". there was not even a proper discussion about it.

NEXT:

"as soon as she gets sufficiently comfortable in being vulnerable and admitting what she feels to adora, there's no reason for her to be violent because there's nothing else to suppress. the acception of her "true self" breaks the cycle of abuse and that's WHY +"

not gonna comment on it cuz i already said how catra has been abusive during the entire series - even after she has been rescued. "she was going through a lot" and adora was too. It just wasn't fair for catra to treat adora that way simply becuz "adora doesn't want mee! :(".

like, girl, this isn't about you. you ASKED adora to save the world but then you get angry when she decides it's something she NEEDS to do and states that no one else can do that. like ???

NEXT:

"they turn into a couple.

double trouble themselves tell catra exactly what she has been doing during all seasons to hide and deny her own feelings for adora. because these feelings made her feel uncomfortable."

excuse me, double trouble was also wrong about that. starting by the way they said "left you" while turning into adora when we know it wasn't what happened, there's also the fact that their speech wasn't only about catra's "feelings" for adora.

it was also about catra feeling abandoned and rejected by EVERYONE she knew: shadow weaver, scorpia, hordak... or are we going to forget the fact all these people were also in the scene?

but even the show itself tries to make it seem like adora was the abandoner only for the "just this once, stay" quote to make sense. another reminder: spop's writing is very far away from being the best.

NEXT:

"I would NEVER ship catra//dora the way i do if they haven't got a redemption and if the "enemies" part hadn't come to an end. at most, I'd think they have chemistry and potential for making out, but their healthy relationship is only possible due to their happy ending."

i don't even know what to say- this person lost me at "I'd think they have chemistry and potential for making out". why the hell do you think catra abusing adora would be hot, SPECIALLY in a scenario where they keep being "enemies"???? 😭

also, yes, they got a "happy ending". but at what cost?

catra lied to adora and insulted her even during her confession;

catra never really changed, this series simply tried to make it seem like she did (and failed to do so)

adora is now in a supposedly "happy relationship" with her own abuser and sister, while both didn't at least got therapy BEFORE that.

catra didn't need a romance with her victim in order to be happy. she simply needed time to HEAL, just like adora. "but can't they heal as a couple?" no. it just doesn't work like that. you can't love someone else without fully loving yourself first.

NEXT:

"that being said, catra is open to therapy with perfuma, already sees bow and glimmer as besties, says sorry with ease, happily participates on princesses hugs, isn't afraid to show love and care for adora. and that's when a good relationship is born."

catra may be "trying" to be a better person in canon, but she's far from achieving that. you all say "someone needs time to heal before turning into a better person", but then look at catra, whose "redemption arc" was up for half of the last season and applauds it as "the best character development ever". it also doesn't work like that. it doesn't matter how many times catra saves the world if she keeps treating adora like dirt while doing that (guilt tripping, insulting and beating her up, for example).

basically, saying "I'm sorry for everything" once doesn't mean anything if catra, herself, doesn't truly change.

the last tweet of the thread finished with the following sentence:

"kisses and go to therapy"

all i can say is: thanks, op. you too.

[nana-mizu-shiki]

That would go over well.

"....Comes in a little box, you can put your homicidal tendencies in there for a bit, until we find a better container...."

"I am rocking this big brother thing. Up top.”

These are from different chapters but I love them all the same. I've been Dying to read Revived Tim & Jay Fluff. Just them Bonding over the trauma of dying. This fix even has JokerJr.!Tim !! I definitely recommend so far, I often don't finish long fics, and this one's 25 ch.'s, but I love it for how far I have read as of now.

[blueflipflops]

Blessed is The Fruit of Thy Womb

tw: pregnancy, violence, dissociating

Inspired by @cyrwrites 's prompt which is just too good to not write about Talia being pregnant from the exposure from the Lazarus Pits. Saw the tag about "Damian having a complex due to danny's whole "Child of Lazarus" thing he's got going on" and ran with it. Also the religious allegations thing was inspired and I am so here for it. Ended up longer than i planned tho. Would probably add more to this. Enjoy.

Next

...

Damian Al Ghul was born a prince. An heir. The blood son of Batman and Talia Al-Ghul. The grandson of the Demon Head.

He is to have the world presented to him in a silver platter even before he reaches his majority.

And yet... that's not quite right, now, isn't it?

Because for all the gift of genes he has in his body, for all the training he has ever endure ever since he learned how to walk... that is all he'll ever be.

A genetic experiment on how to get all the appealing genetic material from both parents and make it into a child.

His mother did not even bear him!

Pregnancy is too much of a hassle, too restrictive, too dangerous for her line of work. She need not be bothered to undergo the burdens of pregnancy when she can create a perfect child in a test tube.

Yet for all her complaints and stilted explainations, why...

Why does it seem like she cared more for the Child that grew itself in her womb?The one that came out of nowhere. The one she birthed herself. The one that Damian seemed to keep losing everything to.

Ever since his mother's womb grew with child with a distinct energy only felt in the Lazarus Pits, she has became estatic and raving. She had claimed that the Lazarus Pits has Chosen her to bear the fruit of its power. The one true heir. The Incarnate of Immortality and Power.

She claims all the honor and the pains that came with it. She became obssessed with the Child even before it was born. Even more when it was born male and familliar feeling of power emanating the infant. The Child opened its eyes with glowing Lazarus green eyes and the scent of death clinging to its blood covered flesh. It did not cry when it was born but just opened its eyes seemingly judging the worth midwife's life in the mortal realm. It must have deemed it unworthy as it is said that the stare looked straight to her soul and drove her mad. Damian never really knew who did the final blow. Was it his mother, the midwife herself or if it was his... brother just as rumored. Damian did not care to know any of that only that the midwife and several other helpers did died that day screaming and bloodied. Their corpses dumped over to the Pits as an offering.

The first time Damian had looked upon those cursed eyes where the first he had ever felt real fear in his life. In the very young age of 10 was he formally introduced to the Child. It looked like a human but distinctly not at the same time. Like an entity thats trying too hard to appear human but forgets what humans look like half the time.

The Child unsettles Damian.

It began its training about the same age as Damian did and unsurprisingly took on the skills easily as breathing. With abilities that seems to only get stronger with time and added training. It is not as perfect as his Mother praise it to be as it is said to go off in bouts of mad rage that seemed to only calm after blood has been spilt. This stopped being a problem after they found out that constant baths in the Pits have a similar enough effect without thinning their forces from the whims of the Child.

Slowly, no matter how hard Damian trains, no matter how successful he is in each obstacles or tests thrown his way, he will never get that Honor he was raised to believe was rightfully his. He was put to the side. Once a future leader now in a role of a follower.

Damian Al-Ghul is a prince. A warrior. An assassin. A spare. A bargaining chip against his father.

For all that the Child is younger than him by a mere year, Damian, with his obvious superior combination of genes, is less than the Child of Lazarus himself.

No matter.

There is one thing the Child cannot claim over him.

He is the blood son of Batman. Not him. Never him. Batman has no claim to the Child either as his mother ravingly repeated over and over again. (As if to remind him of his place.)

He is the only blood son of Batman after all. Not him. Damian need not share what is rightfully his.

No. Of course not.

That is why when his mother told him that he is to pack up his belongings to live and train with his father, Damian did not hesitate nor did he looked back.

His father will be different, he knows this. He will value him more than some demon child from the pits, he is sure. Even if he has to prove himself for it.

...

Danny is dissociating most of the time and feels like this is a very detailed hallucination post vivisection and cannot (dont want to) accept to awknowledge what is happening. He doesn't know what to do with himself if this was real. He has killed people here and sometimes in blind rage too. His core is very fragmented which means his memories are all over the place. Add that to his willful ignorance of the development of his apparent reincanation, he is very Messed Up.

To him, he is Danyal Al Ghul. Heir to the Demon Head, son of Talia Al Ghul, and Child of the Lazarus. But he is more than that, isn't he? He sees flashes of life before this. Of flight and action. Of family and friends. But that can't be right, can it? He feels like something else. Like someone else. But how can that be?

He emanated death energy all over because he can't control his emotions and powers as much as his teenager self. The ectoplasm in the air in the LOA's lair comes from the Lazarus Pits which is so corrupted from the amount of death, corpses, and heavily concentrated emotions, that it messes with Danny's head. He tried to get as much distance from the Pits as possible but Danny can't survive without ambient ectoplasm especially with his core being fragmented like this. When the stress got too much (which was often) he ends up in blind rage that only stops when someone dies and he hungrily absorbs up the ectoplasm from the freshly new corpse. And it goes over and over again until Danny decides that enough is enough. He doesnt want to not have complete control of his body nor does he want to kill more than what his new family is already making him to. He just has to suck it up and get his ectoplasm from the nearest available source: the Lazarus Pits.

After that, he stopped randomly killing people whenever he gets pissed. Being so hungry all the time, the ectoplasm from the pits started to become delicious to Danny but still. He tries to limit his consumption to the very minimum because it messes his head a bit wheter he notices it or not. So like 2-3 times a month. He stopped being deathly hungry.

His apparent "skill/genius" is just a abnormal one up from a normal child who had not lived half a lifetime growing up with a black belt ghost hunter mom who trains them to fight as mother-son bonding time. He didn't really go about it easily either. (Damian is just an unreliable narrator) He just instictively knows the basics and the theory but had to relearn how to do it in his new body that the League just polishes and sharpens to the max blinded by the idea of Danny being the Child of Lazarus. (Them being a cult and all) His hair becoming flame-like wisps and glowing eyes when angered did not help this theory. Nor did his inhuman strength and ghostly powers or his sharp teeth either. He seems to be able to use his powers even in his human form but ra's pissed him off so much one time he reverted to his ghost form...which became so twisted as the years has passed from all the trauma he has experienced and turned into a giant eldritch monster with way too many eyes and teeth, a cloud-like expanse of space and stars, and an Aurora Borealis encircled above his head like a crown. Ra's learned some lines drawn in the sand that day. He is overcome with both fear and poorly contained greed. His eyes dilated from the show of sheer power from this Child. Oh, how he hungers for it.

Danny, despite his nonexistent efforts, became a momma's boy. How can he not when his new mother showers him with love and affection near obssessively? His core subconsciously purrs in satisfaction from the attention despite the overall creepiness of the situation. His core imprinted on the woman already. Who cares if she's a bit crazy? His mother has always been a bit crazy. His memories of past!Maddie (pre-discovery/vivesection thingy) get muddled over and mixes up with memories of Talia which makes him latch onto her more. (Which Talia definitely encourages.) Because his mom is finally paying attention to him again :) she says she loves him :) and she doesn't want to rip him apart molecule by molecule :)))

(He knows. He asked! Although the words may have got tied up on his tongue and the question may have sounded more like a threat than what was intending to ask. But its all good! Surely his mother understood what he was trying to say because she immedietely hugged him and told him that she loved him very much and asked very nicely not to kill her. He is sure that they became closer after that. Talia is just thankful that her Child continues to recognize her as his Mother/Bearer and spared her from his usual rages. She is, of course, worth more than these other lowly mortals. Danyal is hers and hers only after all.)

...

Damian, on baby's first crisis: I am the blood son of Batman. The ONLY son of Batman. Surely I don't have to share him with others :)

Me, nervously looking over my shoulder to see a line of robins and robin-adjacent children that had at one point dressed up as a caped traffic light or another: ...uhhh...

Me, looking at the other side seeing Terry Mcginnis and Helena Bertinelli/Wayne playing rock paper sissors : yeah... about that...

Damian is very biased here. Because how the fuck is he going to compete with a fucking demon pit incarnate??? He's got a lot of thoughts about being replaced here which ha! New flavor of trauma for my baby bird. :)

Love giving Damian a complex :) Wanna put him in a jar of pickles and shake it :)

Also would love to see Damian will arrive ready to prove his worth only to find out that Batman is dead/missing/stranded in the timestream and how it will affect his new flavors of complexes and issues. Lol Oh to be a fly on the wall of the batcave when that happens. Wait dont they have bats there? Flies would get eaten—

Lol someone calls Damian a demon child once and he gets geniunely offended. He hisses back that he is not a Lazarus Pit Baby and thats how the batfam finds out about danny. They all panic at first thinking that not only did Bruce have another secret child but said child is apparently still with LOA. And boy would that do wonders to Damian's buried insecurities. Damian is going going to experience some Emotions and he's going to make it everyone's problem.

Like mother like son.

Talia and possibly Ra's POV next

Anyways, here are them tags:

@emergentpanda-blog @skulld3mort-1fan @rosecinnamonbun @ver-444 @learning-to-fly-on-my-own @dannyphantomphan @yasminerd00 @blep-23

[humanoidluv]

why are there no william cobb/ra's al ghul fics on ao3. guys. what is this. you got an owl obsessed weapon for a cult protecting gotham and an eco terrorist cult leader. in gotham knights video game there is so much league/court tension to explore on. theres so much potential. they're both immortal. guys. please. pretty please. also while we're on this topic i'd love more william cobb fanart, in the court of owl saga he's absolutely gorgeous and his features are so owl-like i love it. please. pretty please.

[problematic-faves-appreciation]

shouldn't Catra x Adora be higher on your problematic list?

[The list]

Nope, Catradora is yellow-tier material! Not even anywhere near the top. Despite what some people might tell you, this pairing is quite tame. Baby's first ship, actually.

SPoP fans who call the ship "abusive" need to keep in mind that Catra and Adora were standard arch-enemies (like something out of Star Wars) when Catra was at her most vicious and vengeful. They weren't in a relationship anymore.

Furthermore, these two didn't become friends-to-lovers until they were back on the same side again. That's when they went back to being in a relationship. And at this point in the story, Catra had redeemed herself. The pairing would have become abusive if her mindset and behavior from her villain arc had transferred over to her official relationship with Adora, but this did not happen. She underwent genuine character development. That's more than can be said for MANY romance novel heroes, if you ask me.

[frownyalfred]

me: so we’re gonna update a sky of honey right?

my brain coming up with things Ra’s definitely told people in his alpha rights podcast:

don’t wash your ass

never say sorry, please or thank you

it’s okay to hipcheck betas and weak alphas who don’t get out of your way on the sidewalk

alphas don’t double text!

it’s okay to punch the wall, that’s your inner alpha coming out and the drywall probably deserves it

being so fucking angry all the time you can’t pop a knot is totally normal

scent etiquette is for omegas. blast that stuff everywhere you go at an eleven at all times.

getting kicked out of a restaurant for weird eye contact is a lame beta problem, not yours

true elevation can be reached by denying yourself during a rut

[catras-breakup-song]

Soo hope your not bothered by this ask, if you are you can ignore it

Your take on catra "sexually harassing" adora in the dance between them scene by the antis?

Also your take on the antis saying catra used hurtful mind control on adora (in episode: white out) just like prime's own mind control abilities?

hang on for a bit while i process...

WHAT IN THE WORLD ???

i can at least understand the controversial argument that catra was abusive because... well, she was. she perpetuated the cycle (that only goes up to S2 but it gets the point across). as adora said, she hurt a lot of people before becoming a better person and improving her relationships.

but i cannot for the life of myself fucking get behind sexual assault accusations... are they serious?! that just comes across as lesbophobia at such a point. the only moment i can assume they're talking about is this one:

and that is adora's leg placement, her own doing. adora's body was supported from falling flat on the floor not because she lifted her leg up, but because catra's arms were held around her back. literally just search up on google "prom dip pose" and under the images section you'll find the partner kicking their leg up like that. alternatively, if adora hadn't done that and simply leaned back without lifting anything, the posture still would've been the same.

not to mention, adora later does practically the same thing anyway:

i hate how people pretend like there wasn't mutual desire between catradora as if their impulsive fights and angry tussles weren't homoerotic as hell, and not just on catra's end being the one to initiate them. the audience is hooked on the coding within their subtext for a damn good reason. for the record, someone wrote a super long essay about how their sexual desire for each other was written, including this exact scene from princess prom.

EDIT: this post is perfect specifically for adora’s role in their song-and-dance there!

as for the other part about the first ones' tech virus, i covered it briefly on another blog after an anti commented on my post, which i'd rather not link so i'll paraphrase and add on:

it's strange that this moment was focused on specifically when it was so brief and didn't seem to affect adora herself (seeing as the second the sword was detached from her hand she detransitioned) aside from passing out for a little while but otherwise being totally fine, let alone in the long run. even then though, i genuinely wonder if it was more from the freezing cold considering she didn't bring any winter wear due to planning on staying as she-ra the entire time, or even exhaustion from chasing after targets ─ then again though, i wouldn't be surprised if it was just the corruption since catra didn't have any trouble recovering from being half-erased and splitting reality apart herself. i would imagine regardless, she-ra is much more immune to physical weaknesses & obstacles, compared to the wielder. the point is, either way, it clearly wasn't traumatizing the way prime's chip was shown to affect catra even many episodes after STC. for example, she continued to rub the back of her neck in "an ill wind", which was five episodes after.

the disk, however, never needed to be brought up again, but if it had been, it'd be unfair to say long-lasting consequences were entirely to blame on catra when the exact same thing had happened in dryll where she hadn't been present. the only real difference was that catra, knowing what could happen (not would obviously, as she hadn't planned to be put in the spotlight like that), fully intended to destroy she-ra unless she could weaponize it (but notably not adora in her default state), which i can't defend her for. it was a malicious choice, but it's reasonable to say it wasn't out-of-order while they were active enemies. at least she ended up realizing she was paying the price by being nearly killed, as she had been so used to adora going easy on her before the events of the portal-opening took place.

[ivanttakethis]

Cassio’s Log: Vol. 3

————————————————————

A sizable crowd had gathered in the lobby of Cassiopeia’s largest design studio the following morning.

Photographers, journalists, reporters, a few film crews, and lots and lots of Stargazers — Tov’s fans.

Some held homemade posters. Others had stars painted on their faces.

The room was abuzz with anticipation and hushed excitement.

Cassio had kept the content of the press conference purposefully vague, knowing that the media would take the bait and speculation would run wild, drawing the public’s attention.

It worked flawlessly.

They checked their watch.

One minute till the hour.

Almost showtime.

Cassio squared their shoulders, head held high, and stepped out on stage.

They smiled magnanimously as dozens of camera lenses shuttered, flashing bright lights in their direction. Their years on the runaway had successfully desensitized them to the overwhelming sensation. They’d learned to embrace it.

“Good morning, everyone.” Cassio said once they reached the podium.

They took a moment to angle the mic upward to account for their full height.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering what became of my pet-human Tov after she collapsed during the final round of Alien Stage Season 39.”

Cassio smothered the bitterness of the term pet and pressed on, “I am happy to announce that — by the blessing of the Great Anakt — she is still alive and currently recovering in the medical center downtown.”

Cheers erupted from the back of the room, surging forward.

More cameras shuttered and flashed.

Cassio ignored the din of the crowd as gracefully as they could. They had a script in mind for this event, and they weren’t going to deviate from it.

“As for what took place during Round 30, Tov unfortunately suffered a heart attack.” They said, tone solemn. “We decided to keep this information private as the competition progressed, but this is her third cardiac event since the season began.”

A chorus of gasps ripped through the audience.

“After both the first and second scare, I asked Tov if she wanted to withdraw from the season altogether. But she was adamant about continuing.”

A boldface lie.

Contestants couldn’t withdraw, even if they wanted to.

The only exception was medical emergencies, and those had to happen during a round to count.

It was all buried in the contract every contestant and guardian had signed ages ago.

The public wasn’t supposed to know.

But Wren did.

She must’ve read the exceptions and worked within those bounds to disqualify Tov.

Clever girl.

Just like her sister.

“Her heart has always been weak, ever since she was a child, and it simply gave out at the end.” Cassio said. “While this is not the outcome we’d hoped for, our focus is on Tov’s recovery and her future now that Alien Stage has ended.”

They took a deep breath and braced themselves against the solid weight of the podium.

Now came the hardest part of any press conference: questions and answers.

“I will now open the floor for questions.”

They could barely get the words out before reporters armed with film crews and microphones rushed up to the front of the stage, shouting over one another.

“Guardian Cassio, how did you feel when you learned that Tov survived?”

“When will she be released from the hospital?”

“Is Tov going to model for your fashion house again, Guardian Cassio?”

“Will she ever return to the stage?”

“Has Tov spoken with Cirrus yet?”

Cassio waited a moment for the roar to die down before answering.

“I was relieved when I heard Tov would survive.” They said. “I didn’t want her to suffer in death. The Great Anakt does not ask for suffering. Nonetheless, I am grateful that I can continue to care for Tov as her guardian.”

“As for her release, it is still unclear. Her heart attack was rather severe, so she still has several hurdles to clear before she can return home.”

“My hope is that Tov can return to modeling as soon as she is able. At this time, she is still one of Cassiopeia’s brand ambassadors.”

“However, whether or not she returns to singing will be her own choice.” Cassio looked to the back of the room where Tov’s fans were huddled together. “But I know she cares a great deal for her Stargazers. I have no doubt they will ultimately influence her decision.”

“And for Cirrus, while Tov has not had the opportunity to speak with them, she wishes them a warm congratulations on their win.” They round off their words with a gentle smile, rich in sincerity.

This was wholly true.

Before Cassio left the hospital yesterday, Tov had asked about Cirrus; how they were doing, if they seemed happy.

They couldn’t tell her much.

Cirrus hadn’t been paraded around in public and in the media as often as previous winners were.

And the one picture of them Cassio had seen, they looked far from happy.

Cassio kept that part to themselves.

“Any other questions before we wrap up for today?” They asked.

A pink, slender segyein with three green eyes pushed their way to the front of the crowd and held out their microphone.

“How does Alien Stage production feel about Tov’s survival?” They asked.

They can feel however they like.

Cassio didn’t say that.

It wasn’t very diplomatic.

They still needed public sympathy if this campaign was going to work.

So instead, they swallowed their words, smoothed out their facial expression, and said:

“Our discussions with the production team have only recently begun.”

They paused to look directly into the nearest camera, an unspoken challenge, “Aside from that, I cannot comment any further on the matter at this time.”

———

After saying their goodbyes to the last straggling reporter, Cassio was eager to return to their office.

The press conference should be on a broadcast or two by now, hopefully being received well.

As they headed for the stairs, a familiar voice called out to them.

“Cassiopeia.”

Cassio would recognize that voice anywhere. In this lifetime and the next.

It was the only voice they didn’t mind calling them by their full name.

They turned around and saw Ra’eon standing near the front entrance. She was wearing a white dress embroidered with red flowers.

Clematis flowers.

Oh, my Clematis…

Hope bloomed through the abyss…

That had been one of Ra’eon’s favorite songs. It was also the first song the Anakt Garden children learned to sing.

When Cassio heard Tov sing those lyrics for the first time in her clear and light voice, no taller than the back of a sitting chair, they almost fell to their knees.

It was painfully bittersweet to hear the words again, sung in the innocent voice of such a young child.

Ra’eon smiled and came closer, drawing Cassio out of their thoughts.

They shifted their form to be closer to her in height.

“Hello again.” She greeted with a slight dip of her head.

Cassio cleared their throat, their answering smile a bit shaky, “Hello to you too. Did you come for the press conference?”

“Not initially, no. I planned to come by today to see if you had some free time, since I’d be in the area.” Ra’eon said. “I know we have lunch scheduled for next week, so I understand if you’re busy.”

“No, I’m not busy at all.” They said, a little too quickly. “I have some time before I’m expected at the hospital this afternoon. Perhaps we could go for a walk in the park? There’s one not far from here.”

The broadcasts could wait.

They would wait.

———

The walk to the park was quiet between the two. But it was a comfortable silence, a familiar one.

Even still, Cassio was on pins and needles.

Where do I even begin?

They’d spent so much time thinking, over thinking, and then thinking some more about everything they would tell Ra’eon if they ever got the chance to see her again.

But now that the chance was here — sitting in the palm of their hands — they didn’t know how to start.

Ra’eon, as if sensing their hesitation, broke the silence first, “How is Tov recovering?”

Good, a topic Cassio knew they could talk about without issue. “She’s healing well, though her heart is showing signs of permanent damage.” They said. “The doctors aren’t sure if it was caused by this heart attack or the previous one. Thankfully it’s only minor.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear. I’ll have Wren bring her some treats next time she visits. I believe she mentioned vanilla candies were Tov’s favorite?” Ra’eon glanced over at them.

“Y-Yes, they are. She’s loved them since she was a child.” They said, stumbling through their answer.

Cassio could handle a room of hungry reporters and overzealous fans, sleazy producers and nameless lackeys, and yet a floral dress and bright grey eyes had them tripping over themselves.

How embarrassing…

“Those are Wren’s favorite too.” She chuckled. “It’s interesting how similar they are despite growing up separately.”

“Did you raise Wren yourself?” Cassio asked.

It was the first thing that came to mind, though they’d been wondering about Wren’s background since they first met.

Well, since Wren came up to them in the lobby of the hospital after Round 24 and introduced herself as a “friend” of Tov’s.

They hadn’t had the chance to ask Tov about her either.

“Yes, from around the time she was eight years old. I was working for Anakt Garden then and they asked me if I would like to care for a human without a guardian.”

Cassio smiled, their heart warm at the thought. “So you finally got to become a guardian after all.”

Ra’eon had always wanted to adopt a pet-human. But back then, no segyein would sell to her.

They all deemed her appearance to be too “humanoid” to properly establish a master-pet relationship with a human child. It was devastating.

She left not long after that.

“Well, not quite.” Ra’eon said. “I’m technically Wren’s guardian, but I don’t have legal ownership of her. The Anakt Group became her legal guardian when she was enrolled in Anakt Garden. Then, after she graduated, her ownership was transferred to ZYNE Entertainment.”

ZYNE Entertainment? The pet-human talent agency?

I thought they only poached Anakt Garden graduates who didn’t qualify for Alien Stage.

“I see… That’s a rather interesting relationship.”

“On paper yes, but Wren refers to me as her guardian for simplicity’s sake. And I treat her just as I would any human I legally adopted.”

The pride in her voice was clear as day.

“I have no doubt about that. You’ve always been very maternal.” Cassio hesitated for a moment, before pressing on. “But if you’ve been caring for Wren since the girls were eight, that means you’ve been back for quite a while. Is there a reason why you didn’t reach out to me before now?”

Ra’eon’s smile faltered, and she looked away for a moment.

“After how we left things, I didn’t know if you would want to see me again.” She said quietly, “Especially because I couldn’t tell you why I was leaving or where I was going.”

Of course I’d want to see you. Cassio thought.

“You can tell me now. Only if you want to, of course.” They rushed to add.

“I do, and you deserve an explanation anyway.” Ra’eon slowed her pace near a park bench and sat down, patting the space next to her for Cassio to follow.

She turned to them once they were seated and took a deep breath. “You know my relationship with my mothers is very…”

“Complicated.” Cassio finished.

Dumpster fire would’ve sufficed as well.

Ra’eon gave them a thin, knowing smile, “Yes. Complicated.” She said. “When I was much younger, before I came here and went to school and met you, I enlisted in the armed forces on Thali to be independent of them. But there were stipulations.”

“What kinds of stipulations?” They asked, frowning.

“If the force was ever called upon, I would be required to return home for deployment.”

Cassio blinked, mouth slightly agape, “A-As a soldier?”

“No, no! As a medic. Not a soldier.” She said quickly. The shock and panic must’ve been clear on Cassio’s face.

“The deployment was classified. I couldn’t tell anyone what was going on without breaching protocol.” She continued. “I worked mostly with civilians in the hot zones, segyein and pet-humans. The younger humans took to me well because of my human-like appearance, so I ended up caring for them full time.”

“And that’s why you chose to work for Anakt Garden when you came back?”

Ra’eon nodded, “It was one of the only positions I considered.”

I’m sure it fit you well.

“I was worried for a long time, about how you were fairing.” She said. “But then I saw you on a television interview once, right after I got back. You looked so at ease, and I realized you were doing just fine without me.”

Ra’eon said those words without malice or sorrow or regret.

Only peace.

Only relief.

Cassio wanted to crumple in her arms.

I was a mess after you left. They wanted to say. I was absolutely miserable.

But that felt too personal, too intimate after so much time spent apart. Even if that time was nothing in comparison to both of their lifespans.

Maybe it felt like longer because of their humans.

Maybe Tov and Wren had grown and changed so much in such a relatively short period of time that it warped their sense of scale.

Maybe that was okay.

They have time now.

———

Tov was expecting Cassio to be at the hospital soon.

They’d spent longer than intended talking with Ra’eon at the park, skipped lunch, gotten pulled into an emergency meeting about next season’s photo spread, and now they were running late.

Cassio fished for the car keys in their bag as they quickly made their way through the parking lot.

“Guardian Cassiopeia!” A voice shouted over the traffic.

It sounded nothing like Ra’eon’s, but it was unfortunately familiar.

Cassio stopped mid stride, turning on their heel.

Their lofty mood curdled at the sight of Agent Pol behind them, arms folded, looking far too at ease for their liking.

Even behind the dark lenses of her sunglasses, Cassio could feel Pol’s gaze pierce their skin.

There was no sign of her partner.

A rabid dog off her leash. Oh joy.

“Agent Pol,” They nodded in lieu of a proper greeting, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I suppose a congratulations is in order.” She said, stepping closer.

“For what, exactly?”

“Your pet managed to survive the competition, even though she didn’t win. A heart attack right before she got her head blown off. Convenient, don’t you think?”

The smug curl of her lip aggravated Cassio’s temper.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a habit of running your mouth without getting to the point?”

“That’s awfully defensive for someone who I haven’t accused of anything.”

They rolled their eyes, “You’re implying quite a lot. Now out with it.”

Agent Pol was smirking now, “I’m looking into the… suspicious nature of Tov’s incident during Round 30. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“I’m afraid I don’t.”

“So you wouldn’t mind if I took a look in your car for anything out of place?”

They narrowed their eyes at her, “Do you have a warrant for the search?”

Agent Pol huffed a laugh, as if Cassio’s question was funny.

“There’s that defensiveness again. If you have nothing to hide, it shouldn’t be a problem.” She shrugged. “This only raises suspicions.”

“I simply know my rights, Agent Pol.” They said. “You need a valid reason to get a search warrant signed.”

“My valid reason is your sympathy for pet-humans. It’s clouded your vision; made you act irrationally.”

Irrationally?

Cassio forced a scoff, “Do you really think I would risk everything I’ve accomplished — everything I’ve built over the entirety of my adult life to save a pet?”

Another boldface lie.

No one needed to know that.

“You seem quite fond of her.”

“And you seem quite fond of your job.” They snapped, their patience worn thin and brittle. “If you continue to harass me or my human without the legal authority to do so, I’ll make sure you no longer have one. Have the day you deserve.”

Cassio flashed a fake, tightlipped smile and continued walking toward their car.

“It’s only going to get worse from here.” Pol called out to them after a few paces.

Okay.

That’s enough.

They stopped, turned around, and stalked back over to Agent Pol.

Now at their full height, they loomed over her, blocking the sun. Their shadow stretched long across her frame like bad omen.

They hoped there was fear in her eyes.

“Worse for who?” Cassio asked, low and foreboding, “Me? Or you?”

————————————————————

Super long log this time, but I had a lot to cover/set up for the future.

The AREPH isn’t done with Tov and Cassio yet, but Cassio isn’t going down without a fight.

Anyways, I love my big tall wife (gender neutral) and their ex-wife (not really) and whatever kind of segyein yuri they’ve got going on 😁

Shout out to @rockwgooglyeyes for coming up with “Cassiora” as a ship name for Cassio and Ra! So cute!!

Cirrus belongs to @cirrusoftheclouds.

Tagging: @chevalperd @apple8ees @lookatmysillies @neverforgetyou

[carto0ncritter]

Oh so I guess anyone who starts dating in a boarding school or shelter for teens are incestuous if they look up to the same employee there. See how fucking ridiculous you sound?

Catra and Adora started dating outside the Horde

This is not the hypothetical case where two people "look up to the same employee" (I think you meant to say employer), Shadow Weaver literally raised them both since childhood

[leedongwook]

“Is that why you haven’t been eating? No. No, Kang Ho. Look. You can eat. You can eat now. Look. I’m eating too, right? So you can eat too. You can sleep if you’re sleepy. You don’t have to study. So please eat. I love you so much Kang Ho. I did that because I loved you so much. I wanted you to be happy. I didn’t want you to end up like me and Dad. Please forgive me.”

The good bad mother 나쁜엄마 // Episode 3

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

can i just say something?

how messed up is it that 90% of the people in etheria don’t even know catra, let alone know her personal story and motives, but are still expected to put up with her? all they know is that this person has tried to kill them and has probably succeeded in killing, injuring and/or traumatizing many of them.

and you cannot tell me that people didn’t die just because it wasn’t shown on screen. this is war, people die in wars. they get injured, they become disabled, they get displaced, they lose their homes and loved ones, they are mentally scarred for life.

and you know, it’s already bad enough that adora and glimmer and the rest of the characters who knew catra personally had to forgive her, just because she had a tragic backstory. but imagine being someone who doesn’t even know catra beyond her reputation as a horde soldier, and being forced to put up with her.

if nate continued the story, i’m a hundred percent sure that catra would get special treatment just because she is adora’s girlfriend, and anyone who opposes her would be villanized. adora or glimmer or someone else would probably stand up for catra and get mad at people for daring to be affected by the war.

imagine living in a post-war world where the war criminal who terrorized you and your loved ones for years lives in the palace and gets royal treatment instead of jailtime, because she’s the queen’s friend and she-ra’s girlfriend, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

[fandomshatepeoplewdisabilities]

Trigger warning for ideation…

Hi there! I just found your Tumblr while googling “Yellowjackets” and “ableism”, and I’m so glad I did. I’m a podcaster/Youtuber who covered Yellowjackets. My podcast was one of the most popular, always falling between the first and fourth spots in the charts. Unfortunately, I’ve experienced such severe ableism from the Yellowjackets fandom, that I

A) was diagnosed with PTSD from my experience

B) started getting regular panic attacks for the first time in my life.

C) tried to self-delete

D) had to step down from my podcast, while the pod that started the ableist harassment continues to gain from what they copied and stole from me.

Every day is a struggle for me to survive through this, so finding other spoonies who have been hurt by their fandom experiences is a huge deal to me. I’m glad I found you and I look forward to exploring your Tumblr further!

Kelly 💜💙💚🧡

Mod Tallys:

First of all, so glad this blog helps you. It helped for me too.

I am not in the Yellowjackets fandom, and only very vaguely know what is it about, but oh boy do I relate to the experience of being in an extremely ableist fandom to the point of harming my mental health.

Sadly don't really have any tips other than documenting all of the ableist harassment so that, as soon as the ableists try to gaslight you into thinking it wasn't that bad and it was not actually ableist, you have recites. And finding other disabled people in the fandom.

But I sadly still have not found a way to bring justice to the fandom, or even just make the majority understand just how harmful and bigoted this behavior is. I hate how always the most bigoted and abusive people get the biggest. If anyone has, please comment.

If it makes you feel lesser alone, I was and still am in the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power fandom, which always brags about being so progressive, so spoilers, they aren't. At all. Quite a lot of them are also ragingly biphobic, and quite a lot inhaled TERF ideology without any reflection, but that is another issue. (Now talking a lot about my own experience is not meant to take the focus off you, but rather as showing you that you are not alone with your experience).

This show has three canonically disabled characters, all villains (spoilers: Quite many of the crew are ableists too and refused to protect the disabled people in the fanbase, or even indirectly encouraged the harassment, even if they, too, also brag so often about how progressive they are).

One is, as much as I love that manipulative bastard, just about everything you can do wrong with face difference rep; a elf woman who had a dark magic spell she tried to do for the greater good backfire and caused her scars all over her body, she now wears a mask because she is intensely insecure about her scars, and she became first officer of the villains. But the other two are some of the best representation I ever saw - still big flaws, but compared to the garbage one usually sees - and they actually have a romance with each other. This was the first disabled4disabled romance I ever saw in any media I know, not just genre media.

They are Entrapta, an autistic woman with a knack for engineering and chaos, who defected to the villains because the good guys thought she was dead, but also really because how badly they treat her. And Hordak, a former clone slave with an unspecified but fairly explicit muscular atrophy and cardio-vascular issue, and also intense religious trauma. Yeah, he wears sci-fi armor to deal with that, which is not the best of tropes because of how far removed from reality for people with these disabilities this is, but also his self-hate and insecurities and how desperately he tries to hide his disability and how his slave master/cult leader but also even people in his own army abuse him for that... I can see myself in him so much.

And they not just bond about being the evil scientists of the evil army, but also about the ableism they faced, encouraging each other to get more confident about themselves, helping with things their disabilities make hard for them, and reassuring each other that they are worthy the way they are, flaws and disability and all. It is so touching.

Most of the fandom was, and to an extend, but most of the bullies got bored and moved on, furious about this. They tried to wrap it into social justice language, as they always do. This is pedophilia, Entrapta is a child/has the mind of a child/can't understand what she is doing. Hordak is a gross old man (because we all know all people with physical disabilities are all old people...), he is manipulating and abusing her. Ewww this is so cishet (Entrapta is canonically bi and Hordak literally wears a dress and makeup and was thrown out his cult, beside his disability, for choosing his own name, and their dynamic is very gender role subverting), Entrapta is actually aroace, shipping villains means you support colonialism... It was absolutely obvious this was about ableism, but if you called them out on this, they tried to gaslight you into "you are just to sensitive".

They constantly harassed the shippers, who almost exclusively are disabled and/or queer, also quite a few POC, to the point where seeing some ableist shit take happend daily, if I was lucky even several times a day. Faked callout posts for being a racist (liking Hordak, and fighting back against a bully who happens to be not white), a pedophile (shipping an adult autistic woman with an adult man), lesbiphobic (not focusing solely on the fan favorite lesbian ship), a colonizer (liking Hordak)... But they didn't even stop there, there are the ever present hate anons, but also deliberately triggering people, suicide baiting and death threats.

I hate admitting just how much this harmed me, because at least one of these bullies regularly stalked my blog - hope she has given up by now but honestly with that level of creep-ness I would not be surprised if she still does it - despite me blocking her, but this was just... so awful. Seeing how for most of the fandom, I should not have rights, I should not be able to choose for myself, I am not an actual human person, my sexuality is not valid but gross, I should not be in this fandom.

I feel bad that this gets to me this much, it is just online and it is just fandom - but it still hurts. Some days I only didn't left the fandom out of spite and because it is very unlikely I would find such good disabled for disabled rep again in the next time.

I definitely have trauma from this, and also from another ableist fandom that wasn't quite as obviously ableist, but it did swung by in the background, even if for me it luckily isn't quite PTSD.

Trauma from online harassment and fandom is valid. These experiences are real, no matter what the abusers and mainstream say about this.

I am so glad this blog exists to fight back and inform, or at least show disabled people in fandom that they are not alone. This is actually why I joined, despite being a bit worried about not having the spoons for this.

I am sure many of the other Mods have experiences like this too, feel free to chime in. Maybe you even have better strategies to deal with it.

Ah, I also made two (by now rather old) videos about this issue on my Youtube channel, because I was so enraged and desperate. They are just about the She-Ra fandom, but maybe they still help? Idk, feel free to ignore them if not interested or too triggering or something...

(Second part has a bit of a bad intonation quality, but maybe the content still helps)

[raedioactive]

She-Ra spoilers for the few who haven't watched it yet

Ok so I want to talk about this one scene in She-Ra. Specifically, the scene where Scorpia calls Catra a bad friend.

(forgive me this is my first attempt at an analysis post and I'm too tired for my brain to function properly)

Here.

Scorpia honestly looks so disappointed and ashamed with herself, and I might talk about that another time, but right now I want to talk about Catra's reaction.

I feel like there were around 4 things Catra wanted to do.

Scream at Scorpia and send her to Beast Island or something, punish her in some way, but then again I doubt she would do that.

Laugh and say something like "You're just realising that now?

Break down. Break down and cry.

And then the last thing is what she actually did.

She just looked at her. And if you look closely, she genuinely looks really scared.

But later, in Hordak's sanctum, she protects Scorpia and says she couldn't find the recording.

I don't think Catra looked scared at Scorpia; I'm pretty sure she was scared at herself. Scared at what she was becoming. She still cared for Scorpia, despite how she, Catra had treated her. It's details like these that make me love She-Ra and ND Stevenson's work even more. And I feel so bad for Catra. She's genuinely trying, but all her trauma makes it hard for her, as well as the mountain of stress.

This show is amazing.

[devilsmenu]

@drvcxrys - Sunny & Nam Ra

“Let’s get you some food, shall we? We've been in the same for a long time it means we didn't ate for some days. Don't tell anyone I gave you free food" Sunny said jokingly.

[ari-kari]

Heeeeey. I am not remotely active on this website, but I wrote a thing. And I think it’s a good thing. So I’m gonna advertise it here.

I have spent the past 6 months working on a MASSIVE She-Ra longfic, and I am thrilled to announce that I will be releasing it alll at once on AO3 in 1 month! Feel free to follow for updates (I won’t be posting anything this month outside of that). Will be publishing under the username @StarchildComics (EDIT: @ari-kari) so keep an eye out on August 11th!

~~Blurb~~

Adora is going places. That’s what everyone’s always told her - from her estranged guardian Sharon Weaver to her academic advisor, Dr. Hope - and she has never had any intention of letting them down. But when her lifelong battle with anxiety tips from “manageable” to completely out of control, Adora winds up in the last place she ever expected; a mental health treatment center, smack dab in the middle of nowhere. And she’s far from the only “client” here in desperate need of assistance.

Adora wants nothing more than to get back to her old life and pretend this never happened. She throws herself eagerly into “getting better” in the hopes they’ll let her leave. But she wasn’t counting on a few key factors - like her drop-dead gorgeous and totally annoying roommate, or the crippling panic attacks that continue to threaten her recovery. Soon, she is faced with a choice. Will she return to school, and her old life, as soon as possible? Or will the staff and clients at Whispering Woods Recovery lead her down a different path entirely?

(Primary Catradora slowburn fic with various other canon ships included. Minor enemies-to-lovers element. The problematic nature of the fic’s central conceit will be addressed lol)