#yeah i just rewatched the catradora kiss

[applebees4prez]

listen you need to understand my vision kristen and kipperlilly need to be rivals (enemies?) with benefits. you KNOW kristen would feel weirdly attracted to any woman she’s supposed to hate. i need kipperlilly to say something that makes kristen need a Hot Tub Moment while the ratgrinders and bad kids are fighting. i need kristen to win the election and then kiss kipperlilly when she goes to make some sort of villainous speech. and kipperlilly swears time and time again that she’s straight she doesn’t like girls but damn if this isn’t the most correct moment in her entire life. they’re both like ugh we hate each other so much that we have to hook up the logic checks out. but then they fall in love and oops! kipperlilly’s plans are foiled and once again lesbianism saves the day!

[gretchenzellerbarnes]

9 people you would like to get to know better

Tagged by @renlyslittlerose, apologies for the delay, this has been sitting in my drafts for ages now 😅

1. 3 ships:

Obikin - I. Am. Obsessed. With these two idiots. My current hyperfixation with Obikin started in the run up to the Kenobi series when I went back and rewatched the prequels and TCW (weirdly Obikin as a ship didn't register for my poor oblivious bisexual arse when the prequels came out). They're equals, more intimate than lovers, two halves of a whole warrior, they spend a lot of their time together bickering like an old married couple. Ahsoka refers to them as her parents in TCW season 7. Where there is one, the other is not far behind. I'm sure it was @/gffa who wrote a meta about how (whether you view their relationship as platonic or romantic) Obi-Wan Kenobi IS the love of Anakin Skywalker's life. To me they are the Star Wars ride or die. They ended tragically in life (in canon). They lived happily ever after as force ghosts. The love was there... 😭. I am Unwell about them.

Ineffable Husbands/Wives/Spouses - An Angel and a Demon. Hereditary Enemies. Unapologetically queer. The Autistic + ADHD ship. The angel is a fussy hedonist who will cut a bitch if they damage his books. The demon is genderfluid and serves cunt on a regular basis (especially at the crucifixion). 6000 glorious, frustrating years of pining. Bad. At. Their. Jobs. Just fuckin' kiss already (heheh, yeah that didn't work out so well 😅).

Thoschei - The Doctor and The Master. They were never married. They're divorced. They're childhood sweethearts. They've killed each other at least twice. They change genders like most people change socks. They should've fucked (you can tell I have a thing for enemies to lovers, right? 🤣). They've both destroyed their own civilisation at least once. Whenever The Master shows up you never know if they're gonna kill each other or fuck nasty (or both). For once brief shining moment (Twelve x Missy, World Enough And Time) they could've been more. Again, they have this tragic thread of "it shouldn't have ended like this, but it did". Unlikely to have a happy ending ever (unless through the pages of fanfic).

Special shout out to: Rebelcaptain (my other SW ride or die), Mulder x Scully (see below), Ventrobi (what? I'm a multishipper, and these two are constantly flirting every time they fight. They totally fucked after Revenge), Blackbonnet, and Catradora.

2. first ever ship:

Mulder and Scully - I shipped these two before I even knew what shipping culture and fandom was. I remember 10 y/o me watching the first episode of The X Files (and being shit scared to fall asleep for months because I was scared aliens were gonna abduct me lol 👽) and just being hooked on the series. And as the series progressed I became hooked on these two and their partnership. My OG ride or die ship, they are the reason that most of my other ships have that ride or die, banter and bicker like an old married couple, best friends, equals, you cannot find one without the other, no one understands me like this person understands me vibe.

3. last song:

Cat Pierce - You Belong To Me

4. last movie:

Barbie.

Finally watched it last night. Currently have I'm Just Ken stuck in my head 💖

5. currently reading:

Dune by Frank Herbert.

I am. Obsessed. After watching the 2021 film - it's probably my most watched comfort film atm.

6. currently watching:

Loki, GBBO, Strictly Come Dancing, Ahsoka (rewatch), SW Prequels. After question 2 I'm wondering if it's time for an X Files rewatch.

7. currently consuming:

Mint and lime iced green tea (tastes better than it sounds) and rice pudding.

8. currently craving: Chicken noodle soup from my local Chinese takeaway.

I tag: anyone who wants to have at it because I am crap at the tagging lol 😆💖

[denkisauce]

Hi not to pressure you but your Bakudeku as Catradora art was amazing and I was wondering if you'd ever consider drawing the Catradora kiss scene but with Bakudeku? Me and many others would die of happiness 😊

hi!! first off ahh i’m so happy my art resonated with you thank youuu 🥺🥺🥺

second holy SHIT this ask just made me rewatch the catradora kiss scene and i’m so emotional because the bakudeku vibes are out of this worldddd 😭😭🥺🥺😭😭😭💕💕 like if bakudeku were to become canon that’s exactly how it would go down im pretty sure 😭😭💕💕 bakugou saving deku from himself, from his self sacrificing, reaching out to him,,,,,,, idk man i’m emotional

yeah yeah YEAH i deff wanna do this i have a lot of art im in the middle of right now so it might be a little while but oh my god yeah i wanna do this

link to original 👀

[alectology-archive]

I’ve seen some anti Catradora people say they don’t like the ship on the basis that Catra and Adora have the same mother and are sisters and—ignoring how much of a reach that is—I feel like it plays into the “these two girls can’t be love interests because they’re family” trope? Like I also saw this with Wolfwalkers. Taking the story at face value—a British girl learns that Irish myths are real when she meets a Wolfwalker (people whose souls becomes a wolf during sleep)—is nice. There's some 1)

2) the movie has a clear anti colonialism theme and a condemnation of the church. But it’s enhanced through a queer lense, when you view the British girl and the wolfwalker girl she meets as love interests. The ideas of conforming to a society that doesn’t accept you, undergoing a transformation that doesn’t fit in said society, and coming to embrace your true self mean soooo much more when you view the girls as lesbians. (The quote “the city is no place for a Wolf” also takes on deeper meaning)

3) Even the clear anti church theme, with the evil christian guy wanting to “get rid of the wildness of the forest” and begging god to “help him tame it” and him trying to force the british girl and her dad to conform to his rigid ideals mean so much more if you view her as a wlw and being a wolfwalker as coming out of the closest. (10/10 recommend, btw) But even though the movie is enriched by looking at it from that lenses, people still view the girls as sisters!!! It’s a big problem.

4) Viewing women in love as sisters, both in Wolfwalkers and in SPOP, cheapens the complex stories. But people keep doing it!!!

Okay diaclaimer: I feel really uncomfortable shipping robyn and mebh because they have a pretty significant age gap and they end up becoming stepsisters by the end of the movie. But I definitely feel the queerness in the movie is undeniable when you discuss its themes so I prefer to think that they're both individually queer without being in a relationship with one another.

I just generally feel that the trend of fandoms aggressively pushing for two kids from animated shows to be shipped together is not a good thing since they tend to be so young (and this is why I generally hate every single person in the atla fandom and have all of its tags blocked).

Legend of korra and she-ra are a different story in the sense that their characters are aged 17-21 for both based on the season and feature an age gap of less than a year so I feel a lot more comfortable with them.

But wlw relationships definitely have a tendency to be sidelined and demonised and picked apart and cancelled in ways that mlm ships never are. I think with lok and spop people also tend to forget that both of them were very heavily censored (although spop somehow managed to sneak in so much queer subtext that on a rewatch it didn't really feel like it) which is why the interpretation of THEY ARE SISTERS and THEY ARE FRIENDS exist in the first place, often originating from the homophobic crowd. And akdaksjdk yeah unfortunately all two men have to do is interact politely to get a massive shipping subfandom but even if women literally kiss on screen there'll be a lot of discourse over it and they're eventually forgotten and mocked for not being As Good as the rep in the shows that follow although they laid the foundation for them.

[gaybarbiegirl]

top 5 ships of all times? and if you don't want to answer that because sometimes it's hard when it's not a specific fandom, top 5 violetta boys please!!

I'm gonna answer to both because I have nothing but time here 😅

Top 5 ships of all times

This one is a little though - not because I can't think of any, but because it's hard for me to choose between them and put them in order - so I'm just gonna go with what I'm feeling right now, but keep in mind that if I had to write this again tomorrow the order would probably be different

5 - Catradora

She-ra mention on main, I know, I know. But yeah, even if I'm not as into this show and this ship as I was back when it was still airing, these two still hold a very special place in my heart. They're funny, they're sweet, they're complex, they're angsty, and they just have pretty much every dynamic I like in a ship. Also, I'll never forget the feeling of watching She-ra for the first time and thinking "this looks kinda gay" and then it actually was gay and canon and they kissed and-

Maybe that's just because most of the shows I watch don't have a lot of representation, but still, it was very nice to see. These two were the epic sapphic romance I was craving at the time and I'll always cherish them.

4 - Ludmi/Naty/Cami

My favorite chaotic girlfriends ❤

Finding this ship was for sure the best part of my Violetta rewatch last year, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that they are a big part of why I love this show as much as I do today. I've already made quite a few posts listing off things that I love about them, so I'll just keep this short and say that they own my heart. They're three top notch ship dynamics condensed into one and the result is something even better. Not something you see every day.

3 - Simbar

A straight ship? In my top 5? It's more likely than you think.

But in all seriousness, I am in love with these two. Their bond is absolutely beautiful and it's all so natural and well developed and just so amazing to watch. I love the way they complement each other and how both of them brought the other one exactly what they needed in their life. To me, this ship is pretty much the embodiment of people being loved in the exact way that they need to be loved and becoming the best versions of themselves for it, and it's the type of thing that gets me craving love too, which is so rare that I don't even know how they did it (a theme for these top 3, really). They mean everything to me ❤

2 - Damie

Something that you might not have noticed from my blog is that I'm a huge sucker for good horrors and thrillers. This is more of a children's media oriented blog so that's why, but when it comes to adult media, these are really my favorites. So you can imagine how amazing it was for me to go watch Bly Manor after the absolute banger that was Hill House, and end up finding not only an even better banger, but one that has one of the sweetest most beautiful ships I've ever seen in my life. These two are everything, and no joke they got me believing in love again. Plus, they also get me actually craving emotional intimacy, which like I said before is rare as hell. And the lack of a happy ending, tied with message that "even if it ends painfully, love is still worth it" resonated so much with me, and it made this ship even more meaningful in my eyes. Now I'm already regretting not placing them first on this list, but oh well, I told you I'd have a hard time ranking these.

1 - Liana/Alexa

Now here's a ship that I have history with. It was not only my first ever sapphic ship (and the ship in this list that's been in my life the longest), but also one of the pieces that made me realise that I'm sapphic myself. I've had so many feelings about them since I was a kid, and they're the type of ship that only gets better the more you think about it - like, I'm always realising new things about their relationship that make me love them more. But to me the core of what makes them so great is just how devoted they are to each other, how both of them know and admit with no fear that they're the best parts of each other's lives. They're perfect, really, and I have so many analysis posts about their relationship just sitting inside my brain waiting to be written. And I will say that this is the only ship in this list that gets me craving proper romance. Like, the last two get me craving love, sure, but it doesn't necessarily have to be romantic love (though I wouldn't be complaining if I got that). But every time I watch this movie, I spend the whole time thinking "where is my girlfriend and our demon dogs and our cottage in a flower field 🥺?"

These two really own me and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Top 5 Violetta boys

Just a note, since you asked for boys I'm only counting the teenage characters, but if you had asked for just men in general Gregorio and Beto would for sure be here.

5 - Marco

He's just a very sweet boy, ok? He's caring and wholesome and only ever tries to do the right thing. He did lose some points with me with how he behaved in late s2 - overwhelming Fran with flowers was crossing some boundaries, I think - but it's the type of well meaning mistake that I can forgive pretty easily. Just yeah, very good boy, deserved better, should have been a proper part of s3.

4 - Diego

Moving on to Marco's boyfriend, Diego. I think most of the fandom agrees that he's like, an universal guilty pleasure character. Objectively he's a feral racoon of a man roaming through the garbage bin outside, but he's charismatic and funny and interesting, so we all decided to bring him inside and adopt him, and I'm glad we did. He made the show a lot better and I really enjoy most of his plotlines.

3 - León

And now we've reached Diego's boyfriend, León. Honestly, I didn't care that much about him when I first watched the show (which probably had something to do with the army of sixth graders demanding that I had a crush on either him or Tomás), but on my rewatch, he really won me over. He's very chaotic and fun, but also surprisingly mature in a way that always impresses me. He hits a nice balance between wild and down to earth, and I overall really like him as a character.

2 - Maxi

Very good very nice boy. He's just a very wholesome and chill guy, and I like how he's pretty much friends with everyone because of how open and kind he is. I wish he got developed more, but overall he's a joy to have onscreen. He's the voice of reason of the group, he's friendly and playful, and yeah, just a very nice endearing guy. Deserves the best.

1 - Federico

He's a chaotic diva man and also funny as hell, so what else could I ask for? Also, I really love the impact that he has on the show whenever he shows up. Like, for some reason, every season only feels like it's reaching its full potential once he gets there. He adds such a breath of fresh air to the group and really improves every dynamic that he's a part of - the studio kids, the boyband, Violetta's family, etc. He's just so fun that it's contagious, you know? Whenever he arrives, everyone around him gets more fun too, and I love him for it.

Thank you so much for your asks! I had a really good time answering these 😁

[tuiyla]

I just finished rewatching The Legend of Korra and it feels... weird? To see it all unfold again, five and a half years after the finale first aired. I’ve rewatched it a couple of times but both ATLA and LoK can be so different with each and every viewing. Well, not different, just give a new perspective. This time around I thought a lot about what Korrasami could have been if only it was made more recently.

Hear me out. I love Korrasami as it is. I have no idea exactly how strict Nick’s censorship was and even back in 2014 I wished we could have had more, something more explicitly queer, but I was and am so happy about it still. Watching Books 3 and 4 air for the first time, slowly realizing that they are actually going somewhere with Korra and Asami’s relationship, man, that was a good time. Such an experience to watch the relationship develop. I also adore both characters to death and it was once again so good to see my babies grow. I am also now the age of Asami in Book 4 (22) and and when these episodes first aired I was Korra’s age in Book 1 (17), so yeah, wild time.

But with She-Ra recently ending and that beautiful and breathtaking Catradora ending, I can’t help but wonder. I know people joke about “Korrasami walked so Catradora could run” but that really is true. 2014 wasn’t that long ago but it feels like a different world in terms of queer rep in children’s animation. In 2014, we only had “What Was Missing” and “Sky WItch” for Bubbline content. I have very strong feelings about Bubbline being crucial in paving way to animated queer rep, it only became canon almost four years after Korrasami happened.

I wonder because part of me wishes LoK came after Adventure Time and Steven Universe and She-Ra, so that Korra and Asami could have had their on-screen kiss, so that we could have had more. I’m so happy about Catradora and the future of animation and I was so happy in 2014, but now I realize that we deserved more and dammit, we still do.If Korrasami happened in 2020, it would be a different ending. As iconic and beautiful as it was to watch Korra and Asami walk into the spirit portal holding hands, it feels... Well, I don’t want to say it doesn’t feel like it’s enough now. I don’t want to minimalize the impact that that had back then. And yet, I wish Korrasami could have ran.

At the same time, what if The Legend of Korra wasn’t made in 2014? As much as I don’t want to dismiss the finale’s importance, I also don’t want to give it all the credit. Adventure Time started building up Bubbline and received backlash for it in 2012. Shows like Steven Universe set out to be unapologetically queer from the very beginning. It’s probably arrogant to say that without Korrasami we never could have had Catradora or other rep, but it was a milestone and I wonder how things would have been different without it. Maybe another show could have taken its place, who knows. It’s probably for the best that we had LoK in 2014.

Another aspect I considered is the way Korrasami had to work around censorship. I’m over trying to explain to people why their development felt organic and authentic so I’m not gonna justify it, it just did. And honestly, it might not have been was it not for the constraints of the studio. Like, I love the Avatar franchise with all I am but romance is the creators’ strong-suit, yet Korrasami developed so realistically because they couldn’t turn around and say “and now they’re in love” the moment they wanted to. That’s something you can do with straight couples, you don’t have to justify their existence. So this might have been a blessing in disguise, if you think about it, at least we got an actual relationship explored between the two before the possibility of a romance was even mentioned. That strong bond is worth more than an on-screen kiss, perhaps. Also, we have the comics.

I suppose, at the end of the day, I still appreciate Korrasami the way it was, but I’m also so happy that She-Ra and Catradora got to, just, exist. Without people calling it ambiguous, without justifications, without an explanation needed as to why it wasn’t more. It’s 2020 and we’re finally at a point where creators can tell the stories they want to tell, unencumbered by censorship. She-Ra’s triumph was not guaranteed, either, which shows that there’s still work to be done, but it’s an example of another milestone. My heart aches a bit because Korrasami’s narrative is forever tied to studio meddling and production issues (thanks, Nickelodeon), but the future is bright.

This train of thought was brought on by a particular project idea I have where I explore Bubbline, Korrasami, and Catradora, all of the individual characters and their relationships as they relate to trauma and transgression. There’s so much to be said about them, and part of it is how they show the progression of queer rep, hence this post. But the actual essay will probably focus more on the in-universe stuff. So yeah, that’s happening at some point, let me know if you’re interested and if you have any thoughts on any of this.

[badgerthegnome]

OKAY so I binged season 5 of She-Ra

and it was ~♡*SO GOOD*♡~

Here is my very spoilery review, from perspective of I, a Glimadora fan, but a Glimadora fan who grew up in the Queer Representation Drought of the 90′s.

OKAY, so, if you’ve kept reading firstly thank you. And may we all dance together and THANK NOELLE.

Admittedly I went into this season not hopeful anyway for Glimadora, after what happened with them last season (and the fact that Catra and Adora’s star signs match the star signs of the Showrunner and her Wife? .....Yeah). 

I still love them, and think the spark of possibility of their romance is and was a gorgeous thing, and will remain one of my favorite parts of the show.

But.

WE GOT DECENT REPRESENTATION, SO very DECENT REPRESENTATION. BETTER THAN ANYTHING I’VE SEEN IN AN ALL-AGES SHOW IN MY LIFE SO FAR. 

And I HAVE to be grateful for that. 

The people behind Korrasami fought so that we could have canonical, actually represented Catradora. The entire Crewniverse, esp. Rebecca Sugar, fought SO HARD so we could have canonical, actually represented Catradora. Hell, Naoko Takeuchi made Uranus and Neptune lovers, and Be-Papas made Utena queer as the day is long, so we could have canonical, actually represented on-screen Catradora. So much has been done to get us here, so I can’t help but be grateful - baseline, gratitude, first and always - that we got this level of representation AT ALL.

And ALL THOSE Netossa and Spinnerella moments. MY GAY HEART. The fact that we got all those kisses, and the actual use of the word WIFE. Priceless.

AND Double Trouble. EXTRA priceless.

AND Kyle/Rogelio.

AND all the moments where everybody was queer with.....well, everybody. 

This show has given us SO much, that even though I didn’t get exactly what I wanted..... I can’t be mad. I’m not. I’m just so touched and pleased.

And honestly - I didn’t know how they were going to get Catradora to where they ended up, after everything. Not having shipped it before, I didn’t have a lot of thought-energy invested there, and since I didn’t have high hopes for a Glimadora-romantic-reconciliation after their fall last season I didn’t really forsee anything Catradora going well. I thought, honestly, that if they were going to push for Catradora endgame after all, it was going to feel forced and we’d only get implications, not THE CONFESSION. AND THE KISS (both kisses!).

And everything that built up to that? SO WELL constructed. I am so impressed. Not only between Catra and Adora directly, but the fact that Catra fits so well into the Best Friend Squad that I can’t picture them without her now that it’s happened. And I never, ever thought that was gonna happen.

(And I’m not even going to start about the Utena parallels in Catra saving Adora from that last vision she was having. You know what I mean.)

NOELLE I WAS SO WRONG TO DOUBT YOU.

On that note, again, I REALLY REALLY REALLY also SO much appreciate the Spinnetossa storyline, that we got to see SO much of them, and SO many kisses, and the threat of Spinnerella having been compromised was taken SO SERIOUSLY. DAMN. I shipped it before (how could you not?) but I ship it so hard now, and HAPPILY take it as consolation about my aforementioned ship woes (which can’t even really be woes. See above).

Here, have some crappily-taken phone camera shots of me pausing and flailing over the kisses as I watched on my tablet:

And as usual, the world building for the whole show - the world itself, the plot, the historical impact of all the backstory, everything - was SO WELL DONE. I have been massively impressed on that level alone since day 1, and now, at the end, I’m still not disappointed.

Also Scorpia. Always, but especially in her friendship with Perfuma this season (love love loved the resolution between her and Catra, too. I may be on board with Catradora now but I may have still cheered a lot when she blasted her, even though she was mind-controlled, and definitely squealed at the hug). 

And all the scenes between Shadow Weaver and Castaspella. The build up to her redemption was handled very, very well, too. Even though I still hate her face.

I do have to say, though, that as a Glimadora fan I’m not sure how to approach Glimbow. I did not see that coming (as much as it wasn’t explicitly shown, and as much as I appreciate that it was left open to interpretation, I do think that the timing of their “I love you” shortly before Catradora’s “I love you” was not an accident). What I DO appreciate about them together, though, is that both characters are still queer af - and in my opinion, their love pushes Bow’s sexuality in a more fluid way than I expected. When I first saw the character designs in season 1, and with how he reacted to Seahawk, I was pretty sure they were going to go ‘stereotypical gay man’ with him - and I don’t say that with any harshness on the need for gay male representation, or any doubts about Noelle or anyone else on the creative team. I say that from the background of someone having grown up in the 90′s, where the best queer representation I saw on any non adult-adult TV was Willow and Tara of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (which and who I LOVE). BUT even with their loveliness, Willow’s bisexuality/pansexuality was ERASED as soon as she became attracted to a woman (like she tripped and was like “Whoops, guess I’m homosexual now!”). So I wasn’t very optimistic about Bow being any of the LGBTQ’s except the G, BUT a) clearly I was wrong, from the start, and yay for that, and b) he reads so strongly as pansexual, in my opinion, and so does Glimmer (I know and respect that many may disagree with me on this, not trying to start any kind of wars here. Especially since we just wrapped one up ;D ). So them together actually only solidifies that representation, I think.

(And I also gotta note that I am SO PLEASED with my girl Glimmer’s character development this season, in general. I was very very glad with how they handled her, especially after how hard - though understandable - how hard her decisions in season 4 were to watch.)

Definitely definitely definitely need a rewatch, now, from the perspective of Catradora AND Glimbow. An open one, trying to see both developing from the beginning, and value and respect all that went into building them.

I wanna end by saying that one of the things I appreciate SO much about this fandom is that we all have SO much LOVE for the show itself, and the representation we’ve been given. So I hope no matter what we shipped, still shipped, whatever we wished for - we can be grateful for the gift that this show is. And hopeful, too, for a spinoff in whatever format they can give us.

(I personally want more comics, but I’m super biased.)

P.S. Shoutout also to Entrapdak, Wrong Hordak and to Keston John for all the amazing work he did with all the clones this season. Damn.

(And that moment with Prime-possessed Hordak and She-ra/Adora at the end was ALSO PERFECT.)

(Okay really shutting up now.)

[kemonododo]

Decided to rewatch the whole series after seeing the finale, here's my thoughts as they come along part 3

There was an old He-man reboot that was cancelled after two seasons, season 3 was being set up as the horde conquering Eternia with He-man and his kingdom being forced into hiding as rebels. Apparently She-Ra would also appear, though knowing that show she'd be lucky to be 1/4th as interesting or engaging as our Adora. I'm saying this because, even though that cartoon was cancelled before it could finish it's story, we were lucky enough to see ours to it's end and in a way that story they wanted to tell exists here with us now. Plus I always disliked that they called themselves "The Rebellion" when they weren't really rebelling against anything, but they are now!

Poor Adora, even after all this time she still has that hero complex eating away at her, telling her she's useless unless she's serving others.

Entrapta's ramblings about space this season are very relatable.

Catra's face when she sees Glimmer be manipulated, you can see so much behind her eyes. Fear for her standing, flashbacks to her own manipulation, shock at how unprepared Glimmer is for this. Love how Horde Prime sees right through her afterwards, she has no power over him.

Poor Entrapta, she hasn't been with the other princesses since season 1, they're opinion of her has been soured by her betrayal and appearance to not care. We know she loves her friends and is trying her best, but the wound is still sore.

Horde Prime using Glimmer's dad as a bargaining chip is extra horrible when you remember that this is when she discovers he's alive.

It's great that the show takes a moment to allow Adora to come to grips with no longer having a clear destiny she can follow. She's so used to being told what to do, this is the first time she's truly making her own decisions. Agency that Shadow Weaver begins to take away from her later.

I love Catra's internal struggles in these first few episodes. She's trying to do what she's been doing, working her way up the ladder, but she can't. Not anymore. Her heart isn't in it, she knows this isn't what she wants, she's just going through the motions. Spending time with Glimmer is the only thing she enjoys, she finally slows down for a moment to just enjoy someone's company and really bond. Her turn to good isn't a 180, we see her mind working and how she comes to the decision of sacrificing herself. Seeing that Horde Prime is a complete psychopath helped of course.

I love how Horde Prime's ship has star themed beds.

I don't know how they did it, but they made Hordak recognizable among the other clones. It's like twins, once you get to know them the difference is obvious. You can look at a clone and see he's Hordak, yet he looks identical to the others. It's remarkable.

These flashbacks Catra has, wandering the empty corridors that her decisions have left her in, it's a testimony to how far she's come that they don't reaffirm Adora's betrayal to her anymore. She wants to absolve herself of her sins, and she decides a sacrifice is the best way. She wants to go out on one good grace, redemption by death, but that action and her apology is what makes Adora sure she still has good in her. Catra has shown she is willing to be good, and that alone is enough for Adora to give her another chance.

This is the first time the best friend squad has been together since Glimmer pulled the queen card, a lot of the wounds are still fresh. I definitely think this is the point Bow and her truly realize they love each other, they probably had a schoolyard crush but the realization of where they are without each other and how much they mean to each other, something really deep sparked here.

The Star Siblings are here to show what life under Prime is like, but also as a quick show of the Rebellion's message expanding. That's a little underdeveloped though, which is mostly a product of time.

Adora's little "she's not my friend" bit is adorable but a bit out of place imo, Adora hasn't really been this outwardly lovestruck over Catra before, and while Adora has decided to give her another chance I don't think that reignition of love would have happened yet.

The thought that Entrapta went out to find that LUVD crystal to bring with her in the slightest hope she would find Hordak and that he would recognize it. Plus the noises she makes and the fact she immediately adopts Wrong Hordak and that we get to see her without her mask, ah she is so cute!

Hive Mind Catra is terrifying and tragic, it feels so violating. He talks about how she wanted Adora to save her, how afraid she was when she was assimilated. We see that numbness and how it would seem appealing to her, but under the cracks Catra is still suffering, and Adora promises to bring her back, tells her how much she cares about her, transforms into She-Ra to save her. And finally, they are together again.

I love Adora constantly checking on Catra, this is the first time in years she has been with her, she just wants to be with her. Catra starts falling back into her old ways though, that anger still persistent, and Adora's honeymoon phase is over already and for a second we're all afraid nothing has changed. You can see Catra doesn't want to make that mistake again, and she finally lets Adora help her, and likewise Adora finally steps back and lets Catra help her too. They've both grown so much, and that growth is what allows their relationship to blossom.

It's great that Spinnerella and Netossa get their time to shine this season. Their arc here parallels Catra and Adora's earlier, and I would say it's unfortunate they have to go through this, but I love the angst.

Double Trouble! Back for a five minute appearance where they admittedly don't do much, but hey they're fun to watch and have some great lines so it's worth it.

Catra in a healthy relationship, with friends that don't fear her and people she sees as equals. People she can just joke around with and be teased by. You love to see it.

Melog is a pretty important addition, as he gives Catra someone that she can fully trust without the baggage from before. He's literally her therapy support pet, and he's the one that stops her from running away again.

Shadow Weaver's little speech here is great, she's been told that the First One's made the magic stronger when they did the exact opposite. It's a commentary on colonialism, "we brought you civilization, our conquest was good actually" is a very common lie.

Catra holding Adora's hand, Glitra kiss, Best Friend Squad hug, Catra's smirk when Adora says she's right. You love to see it.

I love how Noelle made a self-insert character and also decided she should be evil. "So the only person I'm fighting here is... My own wife" is a mega ouch.

I love Wrong Hordak so much, he not only shows how the Horde Clones are just regular people without the influence of Prime but he is also ridiculously cute.

Did I mention how much I love the new She-Ra look? I liked the old one but damn this blows it out of the park.

I will admit the Heart having a failsafe a d Mara having a rebellion of her own is a bit out of nowhere, but it was a nice reveal of the origin of Grayskull.

I'm a huge sucker for friendship saving the day messages I admit. Not the rainbow lazer kind, but that love and kindness reaching through Prime's control is beautiful. Plus it's wonderful for Catra to see what real friendship is like.

This is a great little moment with Castaspella and Glimmer, this is the first time they've seen Micah since his death.

I love Shadow Weaver so much, she sees Adora and immediately shifts into child manipulation mode. This is the first time I'm actually getting pissed at her though, obviously because she's starting to drive her chisel between Catradora but also because she's reversing all the development Adora has had up until this point.

Hordak: "Go, then maybe these memories and imperfections will leave me " Entrapta: "Remember, your imperfections are beautiful!" The fuck I'm crying in the club again.

I love this Catradora moment, "what do you want Adora" "I have to do this". Obviously their relationship isn't going to be easy after all these years, and both these girl's flaws and insecurities are flaring up again and driving each other apart.

Adora tells off Shadow Weaver for good, she ruins people. This is a huge moment for this character, SW has convinced herself she is the good guy and that she is making the necessary actions to save the world, but this is the one moment she really looks back at herself.

"Adora chose Shadow Weaver, not me. Adora doesn't want me, not like I want her" oof ouch my soul. That with Adora's memories, it's clear they can't just go back to the way it was anymore. They're love is too important to them now.

My headcanon is that Shadow Weaver is drunk here. She's slurring, she's drinking, her daughter is going to sacrifice herself. Maybe her decision to die was one she made totally wasted lol.

Catra promised Adora she'd look out for her, and the soft version of the promise song in the background. Ow ow ow ow my heart.

Glimbow canon!

Mara is here, telling Adora the same thing Razz told her in the 3rd episode of the entire show. Stop looking for what other people tell you to do, you have a choice.

Spinnetossa, Seamista, Entrapdak. It's cliche, but love conquers all is a message I'll never tire from.

I started tearing up with the Glimmer Micah fight, and full on sobbing when Angella appeared. Something that didn't really stop.

I was mixed on SW's sacrifice, but I think it works. Each of them were trying to take the selfish way out, to die for the ones they love. So it's fitting that SW is the one that does it.

Fuck yeah Hordak! What a monumentous but short lived moment.

CATRADORA!!! God, the confession, how Catra whispers it but how Adora hears it as a scream, how it wasn't Catra that made Adora weak but infact the exact opposite, how they're both so surprised and relieved that these feelings they've felt for years are real and strong and true and reciprocated. It's the best conclusion possible for them and it makes me cry so much.

This beautiful moment, where Adora saves Hordak, the ultimate repayal for him saving her all those years ago. He remembers her. Fuck I'm sobbing again.

Scorpia sees Catra again after leaving her, and of course she hugs her.

And it's over. The best show ever made. Netflix automatically resets your watch history and here I am looking at the button to play Season 1 Episode 1 again. This 1 and a half year journey feels like a millenia, it feels so long ago that Adora first picked up that sword. This is a show I will cherish forever, I can see myself binge watching in the retirement home already.

[dannydanoninoo]

I rewatched Season 1 of She-Ra before Season 5 airs at midnight and so far my reactions have been

E1: Angela my sweet mom I love you, Bow my child you are an angel and I love you, Glimmer baby you are a baby and need protection at all costs. oh yeah... there's a time where Adora and Catra were friends... wow it feels so long ago.

E2: How and why did I forget the moment the BFF squad became friends?! Adora meeting a horse, still precious, and jeez I love my dork jock daughter. Damn so this was when everything with Catra went south yikes... HOLY SHIT THE FIRST MAGICAL GIRL SEQUENCE, also Glimmer's reaction: we love relatable gayness

E3: Horsey is not impressed Adora, oh yeah that's how we got Swift Wind, before he was annoying. Glimmer and Bow are such dumb babies I love them, also poor Catra... Razz! Mara! Nooooo now I'm crying and we're barely on season 1. JAJA i cant believe there was a time Hordak was the biggest threat

E4: Oh Micah, oh Angela, my poor parents. Kyle baby the Horde doesn't deserve you. What was going on with Shadow Weaver? (Also that drawing is gay Catra) oh look another gay, hi Perfuma! The BFF squad is official baby!

E5: oh we STAN a dork, Seahawk's song was more ridiculous than I remembered but we stan. MERMISTA YAASSS MY QUEEEN and also SCORPIA MY SWEET SUMMER CHILD

E6: oh Entrapta, always weird (good weird obviously I love her) and WOW at this point I'd never thought I would end up shipping you with Hordak, man this episodes feel so long ago.. Also drunk Adora and Glimmer taking care of her gives me life and now I remember why I have so many ships...

E7: HOW DID NOT REALIZE SOONER THAT SANDRA OH WAS VOICING CASTASPELA? I'm never seeing this character the same again. Oh yeah glimmadora fluff, I miss it so much and also fuck you Shadow Weaver for traumatizing my child

E8: PRINCESS PROM! This episode is absolutely perfect and I'm still squealing like the first time I saw it. I'm looking for you Double Trouble... HOLY MOTHER THE SEXUAL TENSION BETWEEN CATRADORA IS SO INTENSE JUST KISS ALREADY. Also the "I'm 11 so shut the fuck up vine" is so Frosta and only now I'm remembering that it's not an original audio and that I saw it on youtube, now I need to look for that video...

E9: Fuck you Shadow Weaver (for the millionth time) but now for hurting my girl Glimmer. Oh my poor Entrapta, the saddest part is that she thought they had betrayed her, now I'm sad again. Finally we love Glimmadora saving each other and NOELLE NOW YOU BETTER GIVE US CATRA'S REDEMPTION ARC OR I'LL DIE

E10: Hi I'm crying again because of this mother-daughter moments and GOD I NEED ANGELA TO BE ALIVE SOMEHOW, my baby girl needs her mom. Entrapta and Scorpia share the same brain cell and I love them so much

E11: PAAAAAAIN and according to the emojis in season 5 there's going to be another childhood memory and IM SO NOT READY also PAIN

E12: I've gotten so used to light hope that I really thought she had been in the show all along, but I'm really conflicted about her now because of the whole Mara story and season 4 arc... OH FUCK THIS IS WHEN THE HORSE STARTED TALKING GOD DAMMIT. And yeah the final battle (of season 1) is coming and I can't believe I'm almost done with this

E13: Mermista ex-machina, AND YES THE COLORS! BOW LIGHTING UP LIKE THE REST OF THE PRINCESSES YESSSS THE HUG YEAH. And come on Catra I love you being the bad guy BUT I STILL BELIEVE IN HER REDEMPTION ARC AND TONIGHT I BETTER HAVE IT

At the end of the day this show is amazing, it was made with so much love, the characters are lovable and the ending will be EPIC

We're gonna win in the end

[trashyeggroll]

i promise this isn't bait lmao. im actually just watching rewatching SG too and im on alex's coming out ep and it was way better than i remembered. i liked maggie a lot so far and i know they don't end up together but from what i remember they were cute, alex especially with her 'i have a girlfriend' bit. but yeah. yall aint discuss relationship fundamentals? cmon. i know it's the writers fault and not just SG. so many gay ships are straight up lacking, just physical and cute not deep at all. :/

Lol no worries anon, I try not to come onto people’s tags anyway, but I think being able to see the red flags in the actual relationship is pretty reasonable. I understand the appeal, and when I first watched SG, I was 100% here for it... but then you look again, and maybe you yourself are a little older lol, and... issues. Which is actually fine, and realistic in a somewhat unsettling way (this show comes into my house... hits me in the face... leaves), but I still think this pairing has an outsized dedication to how much I would tell my best friend to gtfo if she was Alex and explaining that relationship to me

But, I still love the whole coming out picture and especially Alex going to Eliza and being comforted—I have never discussed a breakup with my mom so my Deep Seated Issues are all 🥺🥺🥺

Re: ships in general, it feels like we’ve reached critical mass where enough people have realized that breadcrumbs aren’t enough, studios have realized they want to make more money off of us, and more and more of us are getting the opportunity to tell our own stories for ourselves. So the wlw pairings that don’t really hit, we know it’s lip service but they tend to be short-lived anyway, and still quite male gaze-y though not as bad as like... the Selma Blair/SMG kiss from Cruel Intentions. They think we can’t see that shit 🙄

Demand! Better! And not just happy go lucky perfection relationships (Dansen) but also ones that are complex and long lasting (ThunderGrace) or even classic tropes thoughtfully rearranged to reflect how wlw lived experience would change them (Catradora)

[shera-dnd]

Her Best

At long last here is the context and follow up to that one sad Catradora post I made last weekend.

It’s a short one, but I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you all enjoy

The kitchen table of Catra and Adora’s apartment was completely cluttered with paper. Bills and paperwork piled up around a calculator and a stack of magic cards. As Catra added one last card to the pile and subtracted some numbers, she let out a sigh of relief. “And with my last Paradox Engine we are good for the month.” She stretched a bit after spending the last few hours huddled over those papers. Though her wife also sighed, she did not seem nearly as relieved. “You okay there?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m glad we are not in the red again this month.” Adora tried to sound cheerful, but Catra was unconvinced.

“You’re happy, but...?”

“But I wish we didn’t have to sell your stuff every time things don’t go our way.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” She said, holding Adora’s hands. “Those cards got banned in commander anyway.”

“That is not the point!” Adora protested. “The point is that if I had a stable job we wouldn’t need to do that.” This always happened. Whenever they had a hard month, Adora couldn’t help but blame herself. “It’s just that...sometimes I feel like no matter what I do and how hard I try I’m just not good enough.”

“Hey, listen to me,” Catra pulled Adora closer and looked deep in her eyes. “You are more than good enough and everything you do is amazing.” She gave her a quick kiss before adding “Including myself.”

Adora giggled, but her mood didn’t seen to improve much. “I still wish I could do more to help pay the bills.”

“You already work the hardest out of everyone I know. You need to learn to chill.” Adora just stared at her and Catra sighed, there was nothing she could do when Adora gets determined like that. “Fine, if you’re so dead set on working yourself even harder, why not do something online? Like something you can do from home, without all that work stress.”

Adora’s face seemed to light up as she had a moment of realization. “Babe, you’re a genius!” 

“I know.” Catra answered smugly, “And you can thank me by relaxing a bit, okay?”

“Okay, but once I’m done thanking you I have work to do.”

~~~

“Welcome to a new episode of Princesses of Power!” Adora cheerfully greeted. She was standing in the middle of her living room, wearing one of her usual workout outfits - this one said “Prepare to Lift” in the Dark Souls font - “Recently I’ve received lots of messages from people worried that if they follow my workout tips and get a little too buff they won’t look good in more ‘traditionally femme clothing’, so I got a little surprise for you guys!”

There is an abrupt cut and Adora is now wearing a beautiful red dress. “See? This dress - which was bought by my beautiful wife - shows off my arm and back muscles.” Adora flexes to emphasize her point. “And it still looks great on me! Being fit doesn't mean you’re only allowed to be butch now. You can be strong and delicate!”

The screen turns to grayscale as Adora began talking to someone out of frame. “Hey, babe, what did you say when I had to wear a dress for that one adventure? Last time I played barbarian and I asked you how I looked?”

“I said you looked like you could wrestle a bear and win.” Catra’s voice responded.

Colors returned to the screen as Adora turned back to face it. “You can wrestle a bear and look fabulous while doing it!” Adora twirled around one last time in her dress before another abrupt cut had her in her workout outfit again. “Now for this week I’m thinking we should try-”

~~~

“Hey, honey, how is editing the new video going?” Adora asked as she entered their room. She had just returned from another temp job and found Catra hunched over their computer again.

“Doing fine. I’m just rewatching it to make sure I didn’t forget anything this time.” Catra answered without taking her eyes off the screen. “I don’t wanna have to re-upload a video because of something stupid again.”

“I’m sure it’s gonna look great this time.” Adora said as she hugged her wife from behind and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. “Wanna guess who called me today?”

“What human being still calls people instead of sending texts?” Catra responded, almost offended by the idea.

“The gym I go to.” She answered “Apparently a lot of their clients saw my videos and asked them if I worked for them and if they could get me to give some private lessons!”

Catra turned around to look at her “You don’t mean…?”

Adora smiled “I got a new job. A real job!”

“Yes!” Catra jumped up to hug her and Adora spun her around, before they both tumbled onto their bed giggling. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Aren’t you worried some of the girls at the gym are gonna try stealing me from you?” Adora joked.

“Why would you go for some gym girl when you can have all this.” Catra said, wiggling her eyebrows and striking her best sexy pose. Her hair was a mess, the bags under her eyes were dark and she was wearing an oversized hoodie with the words “4/4 creature - hunk”’ - it was actually Adora’s hoodie - and she still was the most beautiful woman in the world in Adora’s eyes.

“I guess you’re right. Who can compete with that?” Adora said with a soft smile “Now come on, let’s go get some dinner and celebrate!”

[tuiyla]

She-Ra’s like, really good, people

It’s been over a week since She-Ra season 5 came out and I binged it and this is not going to be coherent but I just want to rant about it a bit before writing some more structured metas. I deffo wanna write about Catradora and how I think SPoP is the true spiritual successor to the Avatar.

But first, let me just scream about how good this show is. I already started rewatching it, pretty much straight after finishing it, and I don’t rewatch tv shows often. The exception is Avatar (seen it like 15 times) and sitcoms. But She-Ra is so layered that I felt like I needed to watch it again just to appreciate the dynamics even more.

I already enjoyed the first season but it kept getting better and better. I’m not in love with the art style and it’s definitely for a younger demographic overall than my other favourite animated shows, but like any good kids’ show it balances tone well. It doesn’t talk down to its target demographic but also includes more traditionally mature themes in a digestible and entertaining way. Not all the jokes landed for me but as the series went on I learned to appreciate the tone and the type of humour She-Ra goes for.

It’s funny to me because this is definitely the type of show I would have rejected as a kid, with all the princesses I would have deemed it “too girly” and therefore not for me because screw gender roles. There’s a degree of internalized sexism to that, for sure, a rejection of the feminine because it’s always been seen as less somehow. But there’s also a truth that, at least in my childhood of the late 90s and early 00s, children’s media targeted at girls often had a poor quality to it, at least when compared to “boys’ stuff”.

She-Ra is not only a clever, heartfelt, complex story, it also transcends that binary of having to be either for girls or boys. I know most of modern animation rejects that as well, but She-Ra embraces so many traditionally feminine qualities while also going beyond gender roles and even the gender binary. This show is so queer, man, and I love it. It’s especially impressive when you consider the source material that was literally just the girly version of He-Man. I have no beef with 80s She-Ra, haven’t seen much of it, but this is such an upgrade.

That being said, I would have loved to watch She-Ra as a kid. I’m so incredibly envious of kids, aged around 10, who get to watch this show as they’re growing up. But I am so, so, so happy for them and for the future of animation that shows like She-Ra can be made now, that they’re being made. I’m going to go into spoilers soon, but just before that: She-Ra’s a perfectly enjoyable show in many aspects. I think the worldbuilding’s pretty cool, the story feels coherent and planned out, it’s lighthearted and so genuine. That’s the word that I ultimately choose to describe the series: genuine.

I feel like so much of TV aims to be dark and gritty nowadays, animation included, and though that’s slowly turning to dark comedy or a balance between fun and serious, it’s still the norm. At some point in the last decade, creators became terrified of being judged as cheesy. Even something like the MCU bathes in bathos to avoid being cheesy. But She-Ra proves that creators shouldn’t be afraid of being genuine, of basing characters and storylines on the simple power of love. Like, it’s such a cliché trope but I think that’s mostly because it has become stale.

Noelle Stevenson has talked about the importance of love in her story and I’m so grateful for that. Through, She-Ra, she’s truly proven how powerful love can be in a story and how it doesn’t have to be cheesy. It’s just so unabashedly genuine. The power of love and friendship literally saves the day several times but it’s always so genuine and more importantly it always makes sense that it doesn’t get boring. If the foundation wasn’t there, then I’d say “well this is just super cheesy”. But the show makes a point of building relationships and making them the focal point of the story.

Alright, so, spoilers because I need to talk about character arcs and THAT KISS and just everything. I really need to write more in depth about Adora and Catra and their relationship but for now I feel like it’s so important to appreciate how they’re developed. Everything from their shared childhood to their trauma with Shadow Weaver and the finding their way back to each other, it’s just *chef’s kiss*. It’s so well-written and believable. Ngl, I do have some minor issues with Catra’s redemption arc. Let’s just say that on a scale from Kylo Ren to Zuko, she’s definitely closer to Zuko. I also appreciate Shadow Weaver’s death scene and how it allows them to move on. I didn’t see that one as Death as Redemption and it shouldn’t be. Again and again the show made it clear that she was abuse towards both girls and nothing will negate that.

From what I can tell, the fandom really latched onto Catra, even when it wasn’t clear whether she’d get a redemption arc. I think that’s important, because unlike some characters in animation, Catra’s actions were almost always framed appropriately. There was always an understanding as to where she’s coming from, how she’s acting from a place of hurt, and yet her actions weren’t justified. They weren’t suddenly all okay just because she’s hurt, too. I especially loved in the season 3 finale when Adora was allowed to finally say no, to say that Catra’s actions were not her fault. That season as a whole was beautiful, like, episode three when Adora’s struggling so much and Catra has the opportunity for a better life but she still fails to choose her own happiness because she’s too bitter over SW and Adora? It’s poetic cinema. I love that angst, so well done.

It would be so easy to misfire in Catra’s storyline and either a) write off all the awful things she does because she’s just “misunderstood” or b) irredeemably stuck in her abusive environment with no hope of escape. They balanced quite well there and managed to handle such a complex character with delicacy. I’m quite happy with how Catra was portrayed because on the one hand, she’s painfully relatable to me and I assume to many others. The audience can see their own mistakes reflected in her character because we’ve all been too stubborn, done things out of spite, refused to acknowledge that we were wrong because we were hurting so much. At the same time, I always felt like the show gave me enough space to judge Catra’s actions and acknowledge that she was in the wrong. I honestly think I would have been a better adjusted teenager is if saw this show just before my angsty years, lol.

I’m going to write more about Adora at some other point but I love how vulnerable she’s allowed to be. Protagonists never used to be my favourite characters because they all seemed the same, with two major categories: the stereotypical male hero who can do no wrong or the angsty boi who can be shitty and the text still frames him as awesome. It’s only recently with series like The Legend of Korra and She-Ra that I go “damn, protagonists can be like that, huh.” Adora is a dumb jock who tries so hard and she deserves all the hugs in the world.

Also, Catradora? Breathtaking, amazing, groundbreaking. No doubt She-Ra needed shows like Adventure Time, LoK, Steven Universe and the likes to pave the way but still, it went there. I saw people be anxious about whether they were gonna be queerbaited, but I always, idk, knew? Trusted? That She-Ra would follow through. I didn’t wait six years for Bubbline to happen for Catradora to not get their big damn kiss. The series has been so effortlessly queer from the get-go that it just made sense that they were always heading there. I did see a gif of the kiss before watching s5 and ngl, that spoiler kind of bummed me out in a way that I wanted to be surprised. But even before I saw that I wasn’t worried. And the context of their journey in season 5? That cannot be spoiled by a simple gif. You have to experience that to fully appreciate it and that is the marker of good storytelling.

I understand that, though this should be the norm by now, Noelle Stevenson still had to be smart about how she approached the execs and she wasn’t sure this could happen. I cannot tell you how happy I am about what she said regarding how Catradora was so integral to the story that the execs couldn’t not allow it. That’s so brilliant, and it feels so natural in the story. Queer love saves the day and it’s not ambiguous, it cannot be censored because you lose a part of the story without it. You did it, Noelle, you funky little lesbian, what an icon. I can’t wait to see more stuff from her.

In other news, I appreciated other characters as well, like how all the princesses got to be different and awesome in their own unique way. Season 5 was great for so many characters, Mermista got so much to work with and Spinnerella and Netossa got so much more characterization than in previous seasons. Glimmer continued to be the third most important character in the story and I’m happy about all the relationships that also got to be canon. Good characters and dynamics all around, no wonder since the show is built on that.

Such a satisfying conclusion and one that makes you feel like this is just part one of a much bigger story. Such genuine, heartfelt moments, well-developed characters, complex themes explored in a respectful and digestible way, and such an unapologetically fun show. Melissa Fumero as a side character? Yes please. Catra’s new haircut? Heck yeah! She-Ra’s new design? Oh my.

I’m not even like, super into She-Ra, and I usually don’t write so much about things I only watch casually. But this show is so good and important that I had to rant. And I will write more about it eventually, but for now I needed to get all of this out. I’d give it a better structure but if I really get into I might never end up posting it so for now here, have this ramble of love. She-Ra, of all shows, deserves that.