#also love the idea of catra being mad good with kids

[parts-of-spop]

Can you write about catra and adora getting a baby (not finn)?

“Could we do it?”

Catra blinks slowly awake at the sound of the whisper and tilts her head upwards towards Adora. She’s currently tucked against her warm shoulder and thus very reluctant to move much further.

“Do what?” She mumbles.

Then she sleepily processes Adora’s stricken face and she’s suddenly much more awake.

“Adora?” She adds nervously and after a moment, Adora looks down at her, eyes flickering across her face like she’s searching for something.

“Sorry… thinking aloud,” She says gently, hand raising to stroke a lock of wayward hair out of Catra’s face, her touch lingering against her cheek.

“Tell me what you were thinking,” Catra presses, voice soft enough to not be demanding and Adora holds her gaze. She hesitates for a moment; uncertain and yet wanting.

She swallows hard then looks away, her brow furrowing.

“Could we…” She starts and Catra waits patiently, rubbing her cheek against her in silent encouragement and Adora sighs softly, “… Could we have kids of our own?”

Catra freezes.

Against her, she feels Adora suck in a breath and hold it.

She lifts her head up, leaning on an elbow to look down at her.

“What?” She whispers coaxingly and Adora squirms, glancing away before giving a tiny shrug.

“I just-… I was just thinking about it,” She says hesitantly and Catra blinks down at her then turns her gaze to the side as she processes the question.

Kids… Kids of their own…

“How come?” She asks after a minute.

It’s a safe question; one safe enough to buy her a bit of time to process it.

She looks back to find Adora chewing on her bottom lip and Adora’s hand idly slides up into her hair and starts stroking, drawing reflexive purrs from her chest.

There’s a moment of quiet as Adora thinks, searching for the right words because these days she’s so much more cautious.

Usually in regards to battles but she extends it to the important things and where Adora has learned patience so has Catra.

So she waits.

Eventually, Adora meets her eyes again.

Something in her slackens like she was waiting for the worst sort of response and Catra can’t feel hurt by it because this isn’t something menial like Catra’s insistence that full fat milk is better than the 2 percent that Adora prefers in her tea.

This is important and Adora was nervous because it’s talk of kids.

“I saw you yesterday… at the orphanage…” She says quietly and Catra is thrown back to it.

Nobody more than herself was as surprised as she was that the kids loved her. She’d put it down to many things. The youngest there had enjoyed snuggling in her lap and stroking her fur, the older toddlers had fun chasing her around the room- the ones like herself had a time trying to catch her tail- and the older ones had found her retelling of stories enrapturing, gathering around her once the rest had conked out for a nap just to listen to her talk.

She even did some pretty bad voice impressions of all the characters of the history that she holds close to her heart, the display full of dramatic gestures that were enough to have them laughing.

And somehow, they’d all loved it.

She’d spent the entire afternoon entertaining over a dozen kids as Adora talked to the lady in charge of the orphanage about a possible expansion to the building for those who lost their parents in the war.

At first, Catra wasn’t sure what to do. She’s never had a good parental figure to model herself off but before long she realised that the kids weren’t looking at her like some monster that could hurt them and she could see bits of herself and Adora in each of them; the lizard-like girl who reminded of her of Rogelio was quiet and shy until they got to the more exciting parts of the story and she got up and pretended to be the Big Bad Prime, proudly parading the snootiest voice that she could manage that had made Catra laugh too. There was the small but rambunctious boy who practically flung himself onto Catra’s back as she pretended to stalk an enemy of all fours, cackling loudly as they wandered the room. And a little brunette was there too, tucked into the back of the group, hugging her knees and Catra was drawn to her… to the warm earth brown of her eyes. So she’d gently untangled herself from the rest and left them to play before going to her and sitting quietly beside her, watching the rest for a little while, carefully watching the tension in the little figure bleed away by the moment.

Then she leaned over and whispered, “Don’t you think Adora’s a big dork?”

Wide eyes had whipped to her and she’d grinned.

“That’s She-ra! You can’t say that!” Came the affronted whisper and she laughed before reaching out to carefully- ever so carefully and slowly- stroke a lock of hair back behind her ear.

“She’s my girlfriend. I can call her a dork if I want,” She replied and the girl had giggled, tucking her face into her knees to hide it.

Catra learned later that the girl, named Tally, had lost her parents only a few months previous… that it was the first time she’d laughed since.

It’d taken everything in Catra not to cry at the time.

And now Adora is there, laying with her in their shared bed having revealed that she saw it and it made her think of them… Them with kids.

“Yeah?” She says as she turns her gaze back to Adora.

“I mean… there’s no rush to-… or even to ever if you don’t want but I just-… I saw you with them and I was thinking about- eugh I’m so bad at this-”

“Adora,” Catra interrupts gently and Adora looks at her with soft, uncertain eyes. She smiles back at her.

Adora may never be good at asking for what she wants but Catra’s very good at reading between the lines these days, no longer suspecting the worst from a woman she knows loves and trusts her.

“Why are you scared of asking about us having kids?” She says carefully.

She knows her own insecurities about the idea.

They all begin with Shadow Weaver and them not knowing what a good mother is like.

“I just-… You’re so great with them and I… I want that with you. I want to give somebody or… or somebodies what we never had and… and I don’t know if I’d be any good at it because I know I’m kind of over-protective and neurotic and it can be annoying but despite… despite Shadow Weaver being the worst role model I think we turned out okay and maybe we can do better. I mean, we can do better. I know we can if we wanted to so that’s… that’s what I’m asking…” Adora pauses in her ramble, looking at Catra like she’s hung the stars. “Do you want to… maybe… adopt? Maybe?” She adds quietly.

And Catra spends a moment taking in the soft hopefulness in Adora’s eyes and she thinks of the hours spent in the orphanage and realising she is so much better than Shadow Weaver ever treated them.

A smile spread across her face and purr rumbles in her chest as she leans down to tuck her face into Adora’s neck, breathing in her familiar, soothing scent.

“If you think we can do it then I’m with you… There’s a little girl I’d like to see again,” She says softly and Adora sags beneath her with a contented sigh.

“The brown-haired one?” She quips knowingly and Catra nuzzles into her.

“She’s been hurt a lot… I think we could make her happy,” She says and Adora strokes her hand through short, unruly locks and Catra feels her grin against her cheek.

“Me too,” She agrees.

And so it happens.

It doesn’t take long thanks to She-ra’s influence and pure, unbridled Queen Glimmer power but within a few months the deed is done. They’d been fostering Tally the entire time and the quiet girl had steadily become more and more open as the days passed.

She was like a steadily blooming flower.

She has her own room in the cottage that Adora and Catra share but their door and hers is always open through the night and when she wakes in the dark of night, Catra’s sharp ears pick up her tears and quiet whimpers and she goes to her. She carries her back to her and Adora’s room and finds her wife waiting with open arms and Tally never hesitates to clamber into Adora’s lap and sink into her embrace, her ear pressed over her heart to hear the strong and steady thud within.

She-ra, for whatever reason, runs hot and so Tally always cuddles close into the warmth… then Adora will sing in soft whispers and rub soothing circles into her ear between her thumb and finger and Catra will tuck close to them both and let a gentle rumble of her own join Tally stuttering chorus.

And they will sleep like that; a pair of purrs and a set of soft snores.

And four months later, Tally starts to tentatively pad her way into their room by herself, clambering in between them like there’s no safer place in the world and they both curl around her and hold her gentle but secure.

Five months after her adoption, she whispers into the darkness…

“You won’t leave me too… right?” She says, her voice shaking and Adora and Catra share a teary-eyed look over her head.

Then Catra kisses her head.

“No… You’re stuck with us,” She replies and Tally sniffles.

“… You promise?” She croaks and their arms tighten around her.

“We promise…” Adora murmurs.

“Always…” Catra adds, soft but fierce.

And the little girl falls asleep, cradled between them both.

That night, nothing haunts her and she wakes in the morning with a smile on her face.

She could wake Adora and Catra she knows… but she doesn’t.

Instead she snuggles into Adora’s chest and holds Catra’s hand a little tighter.

She’s home again.

#sorry this took so long i had.. life #anyway the name is just one i love a lot #catradora #also love the idea of catra being mad good with kids #apologies again op but wow did everything kick me in the ass

[aprillikesthings]

moar rewatch

s1! ep2 and 3!

Bow's voice actor's work here is so good lolol

Nice work establishing that only Adora can do the transformation thing with the magic sword

Man someone on youtube has to have done one of those therapist deep-dives on their relationship. So much of their interactions are just painfully accurate for the way a kid reacts to an abusive parent--that combination of fear and resentment and still wishing you could make them happy, just once.

My family didn't have a golden child vs. scapegoat thing going on, though. I wonder if this is based on the writers' own experiences or if one of them read about that dynamic or had a therapist consulted or what

oof too real 😬

anyway Free Palestine

even cartoons know that murdering civilians and/or destroying their homes makes you the bad guy

There's some parallels here with kids who grew up in conservative/evangelical families realizing their family's politics and faith weren't based around Jesus at all but were based around bigotry and small-minded cruelty and knowing they have to leave, and knowing ND Stevenson's background I assume it's intentional

"You've known these people for, what, a couple of hours? and you're going to throw everything away for them?"

:( and to Catra, this just feels like a betrayal. There's a meta post somewhere way back in my tags that was like, from Catra's POV, Adora knew how shitty Shadow Weaver treated Catra and that wasn't enough to rebel and leave, but knowing Glimmer and Bow for a handful of hours was, and how much that had to hurt like hell, considering Catra put up with Shadow Weaver's abuse for so long in part to protect Adora and in part because it meant her and Adora were still together

Ugh this is why I love this show, Catra's actions are sometimes just awful but they make sense given what we know about her life, and right now she's just panicking and trying to hide it

And meanwhile Bow and Glimmer are like "actually we've decided we trust you :) can you be fancy sword lady again thanks!"

Like of course Adora is going to pick Bow and Glimmer and not Catra in that moment!!

"Is that....Adora?" "It's She-ra!"

Yeah that's not gonna be the source of weird "who the fuck even AM I" feelings later ha ha ha amiright

Also along with all the other weirdness of suddenly being bigger/different outfit etc, like, She-Ra is not only WAY stronger, but also knows how to fight in that body and with that sword. Like having muscle memory you didn't know you had. That's gotta be WEIRD. (I mean, there's also memories that clearly aren't hers, too)

Poor bb is scared, mad, and kinda turned on (shhhh I can headcanon whatever I want)

I called Yellow Diamond a clod, right to her face!!

("You made that joke the first time you saw this ep April" It's just a good joke okay!!)

OKAY EPISODE OVER

EP 3

Glimmer: everyone hates Horde soldiers but I think people will love you as She-Ra YOU JUST HAVE TO BE SHE-RA HA HA IT'LL BE FINE

Adora, internally: I'm only valuable/acceptable/lovable as long as I can be She-Ra, a person who isn't entirely me and that I don't know how to control and feel extremely weird about, got it

LOL I FORGOT HOW THEY GOT SWIFT WIND

whether the sword's edges are sharp or not is entirely dependent on whether someone needs it to be or not pffft

ouch

lol this would be such a wild cosplay to do

(a quick image google says the original is far more popular for cosplay; only a couple of people have done this version)

"Adora's gone, she's defected. And I'm starting to think she had the right idea!"

...okay how tempted do we think Catra actually was to just fucking leave.

Once again: intentional parallels to high-control religious groups

But the reference to Lord Hordak specifically also has shades of "Just wait until your father finds out what you did!" which is, uh, a little uncomfortably close to home ngl

DEEP SIGH

boy do I hate how familiar this is

I used to get so scared it would make my stomach hurt, and I'd shake the same way Catra does here, which sometimes made him angrier

jesus christ

okay how much of my love of Catra as a character is bc I can empathize with her in moments like this one (I was never as openly rebellious or back-talking as she is though; any disagreement got me screamed at)

I mean on the other hand Hordak is like "bitch, I know you've been doing this whole Golden Child/Scapegoat bullshit, so if your Golden Child fucked off and the Scapegoat is all you've got left then congrats that's on you, dumbass."

Catra thought she was gonna be murdered and instead she got a promotion

OKAY BUT ahahah oh god

IF Hordak had actually punished Catra or even threatened her in any way, I feel like Catra would, in fact, have left. There would be nothing left for her in the Horde, right? So why not leave?

But Hordak didn't promote Catra because he personally believes in her abilities, he did it to piss off Shadow Weaver. Then again maybe he knows that promoting Catra means she'll stay loyal.

Because it works, doesn't it. Oof. Catra wants to prove herself, dammit; and she's been given a shot at doing it, so she's staying.

Aaaugh.

OKAY that's 3 episodes out of 52. I think I'm done for today. No guarantees, though. Also there's no way I can do this for every single episode. >_<

#april rewatches spop

[sometipsygnostalgic]

Have you read the old She-Ra series Showbible it's wild stuff. A few things i've noticed were

Catra seems to be a more Evil for Evil is Fun sake kinda villain, she's got the scheming and power thing going but none of the nuance and angst.

Hordak seems like a way more active villain in the show, far more wanting to conquer for his own sake, and also leaning way more heavy on the "Mad Scientist" angle compared to what we eventually get in the show.

Entrapta is totally different character, she's more like a very cold and intimidating goth than a bubble mad scientist.

Just sorta interesting how things have evolved with the show over time.

Thanks for the link, I'm reading it now!

"What Adora doesn't know is that her adoptive mother, Shadow Weaver, has been manipulating her for her entire life with mind control spells to keep her from questioning the authority of the Horde."

Canon Shadow Weaver scoffs at this. "Mind control? Is that what they told you? No, my skills are far more subtle."

THIS PART is absolutely the core of the show that released, I'm so glad to see it here all along. And everything said here applies directly to the characters we see. Glimmer, Bow, Catra, Adora, Hordak, Entrapta, so on - they all choose to do good and bad, to show and hide their emotions, and Adora even believes LIGHT HOPE has the potential to choose the right thing.

LMAO dont worry adora im feral too weve all been there

The idea here that Adora needed to REDEEM herself to the good guys, it's funny how much Adora in the show still thinsk this, even though she wasn't their enemy for a single day! It's like canon Adora feels she has to make up for all the years she thought the Horde was right, and for everything the Horde has done, as if it is her own fault!!! She certainly feels that it is, with everything Catra tells her, before season 4, and AFTER season 4 she feels it's her own inadequacy letting the Horde win.

The entire section on GLIMMER is fucking incredible.

God, damn right!!! Glimmer cares SO MUCH about protecting the people she cares about and in proving herself to them that it inverts into these villainous traits like brashness and control issues.

"Bow loves the arts and prefers them to fighting" - LMAO who wrote this??? Bow's dads???? I reckon Bow being a scholar was based on this scrapped idea. ADORA BEING PROTECTIVE OVER BOW SUPREMACY!! But it's GLIMMER who is protective over Bow. In fact a lot of Adora and Glimmer's relationship translated to GlimBow.

Oh my god Micah was only PRESUMED dead as early as this draft??? I know there was a famous quote from Stevenson that Micah was only confirmed "alive" after someone else wrote in that reveal for The Portal. But it's so clear from this pitch that bringing Micah back was an option they were considering!!!!

WHAT THE FUCK FROSTA AND GLIMMER "GREW UP TOGETHER BUT ARE POINTEDLY NOT FRIENDS" WHAT IS THIS THEY WERE SISTERS sort of

Double Trouble working for the ALLIANCE and becoming friends with Scorpia is so funny. In the show, Scorpia did NOT like Double Trouble, but they did sort of become friends at the very end!!!

PERFUMA IS "MAYBE HIGH ON HER OWN PLANTS" FDVDGGHFGHFGFD WHATTTTT

Light Hope had the power to hack people's dreams??? This ended up getting reworked to generating their memories as holograms.

nothing has changed here

HELP HORDAK IS "AN ANXIOUS NERD" UNDERNEATH ALL OF HIS VILLAINY AND HE IS "OVERCOMPENSATING" WHAT A SICK BURN and once again completely canon

Scorpia is EXACTLY THE FUCKING SAME except her parents are alive here, god bless.

HELP??? ?ENTRAPTA WAS A "GOTH KID" WHO WAS HATED FOR BEING EDGY AND RAN AWAY TO LIVE IN THE WOODS???

A lot of Entrapta's concept is retained - she builds spooky robots and is still living basically alone, and she does have some resentment to the Rebellion for... abandoning her to the Horde, but also isn't motivated by revenge, only science (and friendship). Also she is still TECHNICALLY goth. I mean. I don't know if Entrapta's INTENTIONALLY goth, but she has the black mask and the dark outfit and the boots and the castle!!! Also her goth boyfriend.

The reason Entrapta's character changed so much between versions is in part because of Ray Geigar - Ray decided to give Entrapta a grease stain on her shirt, and they think that this is why she ended up getting characterised as a less-put-together feral mad scientist, rather than the moody and intelligent character she started off as. Ray also doubled down on Entrapta being older, like in this draft, rather than younger - many of her concepts have her looking as young as eight years old.

Also reading this it's really funny but of course Entrapta would fucking thrive in the Horde. But even funnier is that Catra considers Entrapta a friend in this concept, but Entrapta doesn't consider Catra HER friend. That is the opposite of the show, wherein Entrapta sees Catra as her friend but gets pushed away and backstabbed because Catra was too dedicated to her cause.

Horde Prime's powers being "just about everything" are pretty funny when you realise the guy's almost powerless without a host.

Reading the plot, it's incredible that Angella sacrificing herself to close the portal at the end of season 2 (renamed s3) was here from the outset.

LMAO. Season 4's concept has Bow and Sea Hawk working together to build a space ship, instead of Bow and Entrapta. ( s4 became s5.)

#she ra #spop #every character

[kittyprincessofcats]

She-Ra S5 E06 - Taking Control

Yes, I am still determined to finally finish these reviews because I have thoughts on all of these episodes and still want to write them down (even though it’s been ages), so here we go. Spoilers for the rest of the season in case you haven’t watched it yet.

So let’s get into it:

- I love that they just took Wrong Hordak with them and that they’re actually calling him “Wrong Hordak”.

- Adora obsessively checking on Catra all the time is so sweet ❤️ (but also sad because she just came so close to losing her for good).

- “I honestly can NOT believe it worked.” Yeah, I’m with Bow on that. But like I explained in my Save the Cat review, I actually love that their super risky plan ends up working, as it already shows that Horde Prime is not as invincible as it seems.

- “Well, friends and one person who threw me off a cliff once.” I’m so here for all the “former enemies who now casually reference all the times they hurt each other in the past” banter, you have no idea!

- “I am honored to provide nourishment for my exalted brothers.” I love Wrong Hordak. Pretty much every one of his lines is a winner.

- Change in the opening: Only a tiny one (for now), but Wrong Hordak has been added to the heroes’ shot in the end and his expression is hilarious.

- Catra’s flashbacks to Horde Prime submerging her in that pool are so painful. (I saw a theory on here somewhere that this is why Catra’s fear of water seems even worse in season 5 compared to before. It makes sense when you consider Horde Prime tortured her in that pool. Side-note: This also makes me want to have a word with all those people who complain that Catra’s redemption was “too easy”. She literally went through extreme torture and mind-control to protect other people, but go off about how that’s “easy” or not a vaild reason for those people to forgive her, I guess.)

- Gosh, just the fact that she’s so panicked when she wakes up 💔

- I love how Adora, despite being so concerned and wanting to reach out for her, holds back and gives Catra her space.

(- Side-note: Let me take this moment to shamelessly promote what’s most likely Noelle’s fanfic: Don’t Go by Annacharlier on AO3 does an amazing job filling in the blanks between Save the Cat and Taking Control and explaining what goes on in Adora and Catra’s heads here. Give it a read if you haven’t already!)

- “I keep having this horrible vision of a blonde girl who thinks she’s better than everyone barging into my room all day.” I love how Catra’s still her snarky self, though. And how Adora isn’t even mad and just smiles at this.

- Okay, so the obvious topic of Catra not wanting to face everyone she’s hurt aside, I find it interesting how Entrapta is the only person she doesn’t use a nickname for - she calls them Arrow Boy, Sparkles and Entrapta. I think it’s a mix of her knowing Entrapta better than the others, and her respecting Entrapta more.

- The entire fight between Adora and Catra is such a good scene (as sad as it is). Catra doesn’t want to face all her mistakes (she didn’t think she’d actually live long enough to have to), is plagued by obvious guilt and still doesn’t really realize that Adora came back for her because she cares about her (hence her accusation that Adora “just loves feeling like a hero”). Adora on the other hand thinks that things should be okay now because she saved Catra and they’re together again, so why can’t they just make up? She doesn’t realize that Catra needs a bit of time to really digest everything that’s happened. And that “I never hated you!” moment? Beautiful. I think it’s a huge thing for Catra to realize that even when they were enemies, Adora’d didn’t hate her.

- Many She-Ra episodes have two plots going on at once and one of them happens to be way more interesting than the other. In season 1, it was often “the Horde plot is more interesting than the Bright Moon plot” for me. In this episode, it’s a very clear “the plot in space is more interesting than the one on Etheria” - sorry.

- I’m glad we finally got a Spinnetossa kiss, though!! This season is just bringing all the gay!

- Micah freaking out about Glimmer potentially not liking him (not realizing that Glimmer’s really not a kid anymore) is also kind of cute.

- I love Glimmer’s expression when Adora complains about Catra. She just looks so #done with all of this.

- Adora calling Catra a “stubborn brat” is amazing. (Though tbh, I misheard her at first and thought she said “stubborn cat” - which would be true, too.)

- “Did you think she was going to just instantly become a totally different person?” That’s a very good point and I’m glad the show didn’t make Catra just insantly act completely differently.

- “I believe - in Horde Prime.” Look, I could just quote all of Wrong Hordak’s lines here because they’re just too good 🤣. Also, the fact that his apron says “Smooch the chef” in first one’s writing? Amazing.

- Poor Bow being the designated driver and having to fly into an asteroid field. Love how excited Entrapta is about it, though.

- I just noticed that when Catra’s getting those flashes after the ship is hit, the first image she sees is of Krytis!

- “Once again, Catra is ruining out lives!” Okay, but that’s really not her fault this time. Though I get that Adora’s just being overdramatic here. (“Then try not to hit anything!” 🤣) Also, my first thought was Wrong Hordak was sending the trace signal, not Catra’s chip - but the chip does make more sense, since Wrong Hordak was cut off from the hivemind and Horde Prime also couldn’t find Hordak for years.

- Honestly, the group on Etheria should have left that party way sooner. Something was so obviously super off there, and they noticed it as well - but still stuck around for way too long. (But then again, they had no idea about the chips at all, so maybe that’s a bit harsh.)

- The way Spinnerella moves her neck when she says “something weird just happened” - very nice hinting/foreshadowing there!

- “Me? Why would I wanna hurt you? Ooooh, you mean because you sent me to Beast Island, stole my work and used it to rip a hole in the fabric of space and time? I get it. Hold still.” 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Have I mentioned I LOVE ENTRAPTA??? I love how she’s not even mad at first and then so genuinely proud of herself for “getting it” - but also, since this is pretty much the worst thing Catra’s ever done and something she (rightfully) feels a lot of guilt over, I’m glad the show took the time to address it. Yeah, it’s played for laughs here at first, but then the episode actually seriously addresses it.

- “We’re doing this. Then if you think hiding from the people you hurt will make you feel better, we’ll drop you off and you’ll never have to see us again. *sigh* You’ll never have to see me again.” THIS MOMENT. Okay, let’s get into this: I like that Adora’s not letting Catra get away with anything here. That she tells her straight-up that they have to remove the chip or else Prime will find them, that she questions if hiding from everyone she’s hurt will really make Catra feel better, but that she also agrees to drop her off if Catra really wants that. And I like how Catra, now that Adora is offering her what she said she wanted earlier, realizes she doesn’t actually want to lose Adora again either. Adora offered to let her go, and Catra realized she doesn’t want that. I also really like Catra asking Adora to stay: It shows that Adora’s presence still makes Catra feel safe, hence why she wants her there for the chip removal procedure, but it also nicely foreshadows the finale, where Catra will ask Adora to “stay” again. Also, all that hand-holding and blushing? Cute.

- “I’m not protecting you, I’m protecting them.” YES. And here’s where Micah shows that he does take Frosta seriously and does understand how strong she is - good!

- Catra seeing Horde Prime’s thoughts: First of all, it breaks my heart how tiny and scared she sounds when she talks about Horde Prime “using” her (but also not really because I’m evil and I’m here for the angst). Then, I like how she insists she has to do this because otherwise Adora will “do something stupid and get herself killed” - Catra is super protective of Adora. And again with the hand-holding and asking Adora to stay with her 😭. I also like that it really works and Catra ends up finding out what Horde Prime is doing and even seeing what’s going on on Etheria.

- Also: I like that Horde Prime is genuinely furious about Adora saving Catra. That the whole reason he changed his strategy and started chipping people on Etheria is because he’s genuinely pissed about that and wants revenge (something Double Trouble will again confirm one episode later).

- Can we also talk about Adora and Catra immediately reaching for each other and hugging when the ship gets hit?

- “She-Ra, if you really are out there: Are you getting this?” Okay, but that’s just the thing: She literally is getting this! I like how the two plots connect here and how Adora becoming She-Ra and defeating the ships in space also helps Swift Wind power up and save the others.

- Everyone’s already talked about this at length, but I love She-Ra’s new transformation! The symbols representing Adora’s friends (winged boots for Glimmer, heart for Bow, mask for Catra), the way better outfit and hair in a ponytail, the beautiful galaxy background with those lights, the triumphant orchestra version of the transformation music - I’m here for all of it! (Also for Catra’s little blush at the end there.)

- She-Ra destroying the ships in space is epic.

- Catra’s apology to Entrapta is such a huge moment for her and such a nice scene! I like how she technically didn’t even have to do it: Entapta didn’t expect an apology and was already on her way out. But Catra has been feeling bad about this for a long time and realized now that she doesn’t actually want to run away. And after we’ve seen Catra being awful to everyone and feeling guilty over what she did to Entrapta since early season 4, it feels so good to finally hear her genuinely apologize for it (and genuinely apologize to someone other than Adora in general). And Entrapta patting her head with her hair is so precious 😭. I love both of them.

- The scene of Catra joining everyone else at dinner is so good 😭😭😭. How she’s finally ready to face them, but still sits away from them, not expecting to be forgiven or accepted, how Bow and Glimmer make room for her and invite her to join, how her ears perk up at that, Glimmer offering her food, that glance between her and Adora... YES. Catra is someone who’s been rejected and made to feel like an outcast her entire life, and she was convinced everyone hated her now. Bow and Glimmer inviting her to sit with them here was so important.

- I love Entrapta asking if the food comes in smaller sizes. She just has a thing for tiny food and I can respect that.

- And... oh no, Spinnerella is chipped!

This was another really good episode! I like how it shows Catra’s growth and shows her working on herself. I also like how things weren’t just immediately okay between her and Adora and that she still has to work on actually redeeming herself even after her heroic sacrifice. But I also think it’s realistic that Adora and Glimmer aren’t holding a grude against her, since she literally went through hell for them. Her apology to Entrapta was really beautiful and all the soft moments between her and Adora make my heart melt.

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#spop #spop s5 #spop s5 spoilers #Taking Control #Catradora #Wrong Hordak #Adora #Catra #Bow #Glimmer #Entrapta #Spinnetossa #Spinnerella #Netossa #Micah #Frosta #Swift Wind #Horde Prime #spop meta #long post

[literaphobe]

season four of she-ra rated by catradora content

the coronation: okay so... rightfully. there’s nothing i should be appraising here. adora and catra didn’t interact or bring each other up at all. but bro... catra’s new outfit... the best character of season four. i’m kidding but also she is so hot. catra seems to be dealing w the portal incident by framing it as a victory, since the rebellion was hurt by it. but also who cares. who fucking cares man. her arc this episode was about her deciding to make hordak her little bitch and design a new sexy outfit. that adora did NOT talk about nor seem visually affected by >:( yes, this entire season will be measured by how much i think it was a missed opportunity that adora did not get to thirst. jk but also am i? 500000000/10 for catra’s new look, 0/10 for official catradora stuff

the valley of the lost: god...... this episode. i know it’s like one of the few catradora moments we have this season already but it makes me LIVID that adora said that flirty ass line and catra never even got to hear it. anyway, let’s begin properly. double trouble seeks catra out and says they’re gonna be her new best friend. catra says “oh, yeah? i’m done with best friends”, making it official that she and adora broke up 😔 like friend broke up oh my god 😔 KFKSKDKD like we been knew but i think it is so dramatic and funny of catra to announce that she’s never having a best friend again because adora broke her heart 😔💔 i mean i know it’s also like sad but let’s keep it light ok uwu anyway. sigh. double trouble! auditions for catra! by pretending to be her in battle! which is great for them, but not for me and my hang ups about adora bringing back a flirty line catra said to her in season one and winking and then catra doesn’t hear or see ANY of it. sigh. let’s go through the scene. adora sees who she thinks is catra run in and say “hey! careful with the goods”, pouncing on adora and taking her down. adora tosses dt!catra into the walkway above and they get a cut on their face. not sure whether this is meant to signify adora pulling less of her punches around catra or double trouble just not being as agile as catra is in combat. it’s probably the latter because when you think about it, throwing catra away is much more of a defensive tactic than an offensive one. anyway! double trouble still does a more or less good job fighting adora as catra. huntara calls adora over and is like hi adora! could you stop fighting ur gf for one fucking second? we need you to do literally anything else. and adora (who has NO IDEA she’s not fighting her ACTUAL gf) is like :( wait no what really?? ok :( one sec tho lemme pull off this super cool sexy farewell thing before i stop fighting catra i’ve been practicing it for years u kno kinda been working up to doing this bit. and then she. grabs dt!catra after stopping them from running away, and grabs this trap thingy to trap them against the side of this wall. “i got something more important to do :) it was fun distracting you though ;)” and she actually WINKS and she looks SO PROUD of her damn self but it means pretty much NOTHING because that’s not ACTUALLY catra :( wtf :( the worst thing about this whole situation is that adora clearly wanted to do her whole super strong super powered thing and then go BACK to catra and like.... gloat or something.... flirt some more.... kiss her.... i don’t know. but dt!catra is gone because they’re good at getting out of tight spots, and adora is like “how did she get out of that? :( i wanted to see more of her tf....” anyway double trouble, scorpia, and catra are escaping in a skiff after this. catra thinks double trouble did marvelously. “i grew up with adora, and you fooled her” well catra. i’m very sorry. but if i were adora seeing you in that new look for the first time, i wouldn’t be checking to see if u were ooc. i would be.... hm idk.... flirting with you as hard as possible? like i know i complained that we never got a proper reaction from adora re catra’s new outfit, but i think we could interpret this scene as a lapse in adora’s morals <3 like she gave catra such a hard stare the last time they saw each other, and the next time they saw each other (after this) adora glared at her too, but somehow this time she’s all 👅👅👅👅👅it was fun distracting you ;) ;) ;) like ok. slow down there horn dog. “if you can do that, we can do anything. this is gonna be fun...” catra :( perhaps you would have more fun :( if you suggestively fought with adora :( yourself? :( 8/10

flutterina: catra’s having bad dreams :( her mistakes and past actions are haunting her and the guilt is messing her up so bad :( so what am i choosing to focus on? the fact that adora was in her dream :) dream!adora looks Angry and dream!catra is scared and backing away :( a quick callback to when adora gave catra an angry Look when she destroyed the portal, and catra looked scared for a second before her face hardened back to something equally pissed off looking. so this dream obviously tells us that the thought of adora genuinely just hating and being pissed off at catra... hurts and scares her. because we all know that she loves adora and just wants adora to love her back! but.... ya lmao. dream!adora asks “why did you do it?!” reminiscent of what she said last season, but angrier this time. and we all know that catra doesn’t really know why. sometimes things torture you so bad and you do stuff that you can’t come up with sound or logical reasons for. u would rather keep running or keep deflecting, and so catra deflects dream!adora’s questions by waking up. i wonder if catra dreams about adora more than what we’re shown in this scene. i also REALLY wanna know if adora dreams of catra. i want more :( why this season gotta be the fucking break up season bro :( like i KNOW they’re thinking of each other. gimme the content :( for now, let’s skip ahead to💔 their only real interaction this season💔 holy fuck. stay strong u guys. stay strong me. i think it’s very offensive of she-ra to not give me a catradora heavy season every season? like yeah this season is good but god at what cost? they should’ve known i was going to do an evaluation? :/ that i was gonna rate each ep out of ten according to how much catradora content there was? :/ the fuck bros. ,,,,anyway, let’s get to the actual scene. catra’s walking around w an ipad and scorpia is talking to her. catra looks like. v serious and :| and >:/ BUT when scorpia asks about she-ra catra becomes >:) and >:D “she-ra was in elberon, which means she’s nearby.” “do you think she’ll try some secret attack? :0” “;D oh i’m counting on it ;)” fucking god catra can you just flirt normally??? like be horny in a normal way??????? u can just ask adora out on a date. have u tried that? i know she blocked u for nearly destroying the world but adora’s a hoe ❤️ she would’ve said yes ❤️ u don’t need to kidnap a town as an excuse to see her ❤️ yes i know she did it to plant flutterina!DT into the rebellion as a spy but shhhhh ❤️ we finally get to the most GORGEOUS “hey adora”,,, ever because it’s the only hey adora of this season 💔 i looked back and we did not get a ‘hey adora’ last ep. honestly, adora should’ve figured it wasn’t catra JUST from the lack of greeting. catra is fucking POLITE ok :( anyway. it’s so homophobic that we only got ONE “hey adora” in THAT LOOK but..... it’s okay. because it’s such a good one. catra’s hand is propping her face up and she just looks so pretty.... the way she SAYS the hey adora too like bros... how we holding up? bad? she’s posing and lounging so prettily... “took you long enough to show up” HHHHH why does she sound like a gf who’s a little :/ that her gf showed up late for their date.... bro....... must she SMILE that prettily..... also adora’s reaction... she goes :0 and her EYES get this like ‘oh wow’ look for a Moment right before she remembers she’s supposed to be mad when she sees catra then she’s like >:( CATRA >:( and like. let’s dissect that look for a moment? it’s almost like AWE but why??? why would she be at all surprised to see catra??? catra is IN the horde like. she got happy for a moment until she remembered she’s meant to be mad. good bye <3 i will now be passing away <3 “seriously. i thought i’d have to kidnap another town to get your attention” TO GET. YOUR ATTENTION. HHHHH HELP THEY’RE GAY...... BRO WHY.............. THE GAYNESS UNMATCHED..... anyway catra continues like OH RIGHT u were at a PARTY feeling SPECIAL and adora.... oof oh fuck she COLD she was like skip the SPEECH i’m done playing your GAMES and she like reminds catra of the portal and they just... oof this really IS the breakup season it’s so brutal bros :( can’t they just kiss :( like nooooo don’t stare at each other angrily you’re so sexy aha OK BUT... at the end after catra runs away and adora’s getting hugged by flutterina and everyone’s cheering for her... she lets her ‘catra BAD’ and ‘yay haha rebellion for the win! :)’ facade drop for a moment... and she gets this really sad look on her face that makes u think.... and the next scene we see catra sitting on the ledge of where she and adora used to sit together? and she looks real upset too???? they hate being enemies. 9/10

pulse: in this ep adora fucking SHUSHED spinnerella and netossa while they were bickering and like... ok wow. rude :/ adora straight up was like ok HAHA WOW we GET IT ur HAPPY y’all have WIVES and iiiiiii don’t HAVE a GIRLFRIEND because my crush is EVIL :( on the other hand, we find out that catra is meeting up regularly with double trouble to get intel. it’s very funny because she’s like yeah yeah WHATEVER what can u tell me about SHE-RA >:( like girl? u are not subtle ❤️ catra literally met double trouble and said let’s be friends with benefits ❤️ the benefits? you spy on adora and tell me everything about what she does ❤️ was she pretty today ❤️ haha jk she’s pretty everyday ❤️ here’s some bitcoin for your troubles ❤️ AND THEN the next time double trouble facetimes catra they transform into bow and glimmer to roast them and catra is at most unamused and annoyed but BUT when double trouble pretends to be she-ra catra’s like HAHAHAHDJSJDJSJD OMG,,,, INSPIRED FAM,,,, SO FUNNY TOP PEAK COMEDY,,,, ABSOLUTE LEGEND,,,,,, SHOW ME SHE-RA AGAIN,,,,, u know that thing where you find people who you’re attracted to way funnier than they actually are? ya :-) apparently catra doesn’t even need the Actual she-ra/adora to lose her shit. she just needs to see a physical representation of her and it’s suddenly Peak Comedy. someone once pointed out that this moment was the last time catra was happy all season and... can we take a fucking second to cry about that. haha 💔 anyway double trouble is happy that they finally cracked the code to making catra go from ARGH >:( to HAHAHAHAHAH :D so they give her she-ra intel as a treat ❤️ “she-ra’s going back out to destroy the bot that hurt her friend” “ugh 🙄 typical heroic adora plan” shut up bitch u dream of her lips on yours!!!!!! 7/10

protocol: no rights for white boys ❤️ 0/10

princess scorpia: well, nothing! but since i’m scouring i might as well say the line where catra says “you don’t need a princess in your life telling you what to do!” to hordak she’s actually talking about her and adora haha i mean duh :-) anyway since i’m here can i talk about how hot catra is again this season. i’m madly in love did y’all see her from behind? even her back view is beautiful i am going to combust <3 2/10

mer-mysteries: what a great episode! 0/10

boys’ night out: catra gets banned from doing war crimes because hordak wants to do the war crimes all by himself and this is a real bummer because there’s an even SMALLER chance she’ll bump into adora now :( jk ik she was avoiding her this season because the guilt was eating her alive haha :-) also glimmer and adora fought and we all know that ‘but the rebellion’s in a worse place than ever since you showed up’ is like a very :( line but when u think about it it’s true because adora joining the rebellion pissed catra off so much she became an antagonistic force driving most of the conflict in the series up to this point in the story JFJDDJDJDJ like imagine if they brought catra up in this convo ‘i’m doing my BEST glimmer :(‘ ‘ok but what can we do about your terrible taste in evil women????? was ur catgirl gf ex really worth it????? did she hit that different???? did the catgirl ***** slap that hard????’ 1.5/10

hero: man mara is so hot! 0/10

fractures: scorpia said catra’s name in front of adora... ‘shadow weaver! and at bright moon! everything is making so much sense about why catra’s been acting the way she has’ and adora’s reaction is so interesting.... she goes from this ‘catra....’ look to this ‘catra >:(‘ look and like it’s interesting to see catra’s psyche explained to adora like this and it’s clearly something that makes adora feel bad but then she remembers the bad stuff catra did and forces herself to focus on that. 5/10 for that alone lmao

beast island: bow being very upset and annoyed and disappointed in glimmer is a fun little parallel to how adora has felt about catra’s descent into the darkness. you feel doubly upset and doubly betrayed when someone you’re in love with goes against what you stand for, and the goodness you know they’re capable of but aren’t showing. 1/10

destiny part 1: ‘i’ll be happy when the rebellion and she-ra are gone for good!!!’ are u sure about that catra :/ 1/10

destiny part 2: catra gets into a huge fight with some dude and right after she sort of collects herself after barely beating him she hears “hey, catra” and she completely freezes up. she’s been so proactive with avoiding adora all season... and the moment in 4x03 nearly doesn’t count because she was acting specifically to get double trouble snuck into the rebellion. aside from a necessary interaction in which she was far away and removed from adora anyway.... where she was far enough away to smile and laugh and manipulate the situation.... she hasn’t wanted to see adora at all, clearly. and having this happen now, right after one of her worst fights, right after she thought she was going to win... “no. you can’t do this. you can’t come in and take this from me now.” “woah, i knew this would get a rise out of you, but still, you really are obsessed, aren’t you, kitten?” and catra’s standing there like 👁👄👁 until double trouble reveals themself and says stuff that :( hurts :( i am not going to repeat until i get to anything catradora relevant because i don’t wanna be bummed out ok hoes 😔 anyway double trouble becomes adora again and is like “didn’t need you... left you” and puts catra’s hand on adora’s cheek...... and then shoves catra???? rude :( 7/10

#text #she ra #catradora #spop #here u go lads uwu #hope u guys like this #reblogs w tags much appreciated! #reacts in the replies appreciated too #s4 was so naked but this also meant it wasn't as hellish to make this <3 #remember s3 remember ep?? fuck that was HELL

[fanficgenerator112]

Chapter 2

Catra’s POV

I look up at Adora and frown. “Hey, why are you crying?” I stand up and cup her cheek. “A-are you mad at me?”

“No, no I could never be mad at you. I just, wish you had come to me sooner. I know talking through all of this is hard for you, it is for me too, but I’ll always love you. No matter your choice.” Adora looks at me defeated. Despite her tear filled eyes she looks beautiful.

“What do you mean? A-are you breaking up with me? Adora I can’t lose you! Not again..” She takes my hands and smiles sadly. I look away, hating the way she’s looking at me.

“You heard what Perfuma said. We’re not compatible. We’re too similar.”

“She never said that. She said we-we need to talk. That’s all.” I pull her into my chest. “Adora I will never leave you, I lost you once. Never again. We just need-”

“To be open with each other.” She sighs and kisses my chest. I look down at her and kiss her hairline knowing that no one is around us. “I love you, I always will but...” She takes a deep breath, “We need someone else,”

“We?” 

“Yes, we. I love you and I’m not losing you but we don’t ‘complete’ each other,” She makes air quotations and stands up straight. “Look at Perfuma and Scorpia, Scorpia is strong and protective of Perfuma but whenever Scorpia’s strength gets out of hand Perfuma is there to calm her down from a panic attack. And Glimmer and Bow, Glimmer is always jumping into things and Bow is there to keep her steady.”

“We’re both impulsive and act on our feelings. We need some one to ground us..”

“A third..” She smiles shyly. “Perfuma and I were throwing around that idea but we didn’t know how you would react. I know how possessive you can be.”

I stay silent for a second tossing the idea around in my head. I never wanted to share Adora when we were kids but sharing someone with her and that person being for both of us. That might not be a bad idea. Someone to look after us when we’re too tired to do it ourselves. A kind, caring, and gentle person. The complete opposite of us.

“I agree but, we decide together. Ok?” I finally speak up just as Adora starts to get worried. “It’s a decision we have equal say in. And no jumping in and scaring the person ok? We have to let them choose us too.”

“I completely agree.” Adora pecks me on the lips and smiles. “We’ll talk more tonight but for now they’re starting the actual meeting and we need to be there.”

“Psh whatever. They just need She-Ra there. Big scary 8 foot tall blonde lady to the rescue.” I take her hand and start walking back to the war room.

“You need to give yourself more credit. You were always better than me at figuring out strategies. Even Octavia was impressed with you.”

I giggle softly and blush. “I forgot about her. I wonder what she’s doing, I wonder what all of the horde soldiers are doing now.” I look toward the Fright Zone a small frown forming on my face.

“I’m sure we’ll find them one of these days.” Adora gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.

We walk back into the room and see the newly reappointed King Micah sitting at the head of the table with Sparkles next to him and Arrow Bow next to her. 

“Ah, finally!” The king stood up when we entered. Adora and I on the opposite side of the king and Sparkles smiles at me. I shyly return the gesture. She really doesn’t need to pretend to me my friend anymore. “Now we can begin. So, with the defeat of Horde Prime being almost a month in the past I think all of us have had time to rest and recharge and we should get started on rebuilding Etheria.”

“Starting with Brightmoon!” Sparkles buts into her dad’s speech, nothing new there but all the princesses start arguing.

“We should start with the woods! They took the biggest hits!”

“What about Mystacor? The Sorcerers tore that place apart when they were chipped!”

“Um what about Salineas? The Horde totally destroyed my kingdom and I would like as much help as possible putting it back together.”

“QUIET!” Everyone looks at King Micah and sits back down. “We need to asses the damage and figure out the best plan of action. We have to approach this in a way that makes the most sense for all of Etheria. I agree that Salineas has suffered the most due to it being controlled even before Horde Prime arrived.”

“And what about all the rouge clones here and across the galaxy?” I cross my arms and lean forward. “We’re going to have to figure out whether or not one if them is going to try to rise to power like Prime, or if they’re as harmless as Wrong Hordak.”

Adora nods and chips in. “We also need to figure out what supplies are needed in the raided villages and how we can get them what they need.” She looks towards Mermista. “I wholeheartedly believe that Salineas took the biggest fall seeing as it was destroyed before Prime arrived-”

“Yeah, by your girlfriend.” I shrink in my seat as Mermista glares towards me. “We’re gonna need all the help we can get rebuilding it.”

“Hey back off of Catra okay? She has helped the Rebellion more than most since she joined. She even saved the universe from the releasing of the heart.” Perfuma pipes up to defend me. “She has paid for her past actions and is living with the consequences.”

“Paid how exactly?! She waltzes around here like she owns Brightmoon and no one bats an eye! She hasn’t done anything. We should just-”

“I get it!” I interrupt her feeling everyones eyes on me. I shrink back into my seat. “I haven’t done anything to gain your trust, nor do I deserve it.”

“Catra,” Sparkles starts to protest.

“No it’s true, saving you and saving Adora are small good deeds compared to the damage I did while with the Horde. I don’t deserve your forgiveness but I will work hard until I do.” I take a deep breath and turn to Mermista. “Starting with helping you plan how to best rebuild Salineas.” I smile softly, “It’s the least I can do.”

Mermista scoffs but sits back down. “It’s a start I guess.” Her boyfriend, Sea Bird I think is what Adora called him, grabs her hand and kisses it.

“Now that that’s dealt with we should begin planning,” King Micah turns on the hologram table and highlights different points on the map. “These are the areas that were most effected by the Horde. I suggest we begin in Salineas and work our way west ending in Brightmoon seeing as we suffered the least amount of damage here.”

“We should avoid the Fright Zone until Scorpia decides what she needs help with seeing as it’s her kingdom.” Perfuma looks fondly at Scorpia. 

“Oh, yeah of course. I’m not quite sure what running a kingdom takes but I’ll do my best!” Scorpia grins at everyone and I give her a reassuring smirk.

“I agree. Scorpia needs to come into her own as a leader,” Sparkles smiles at her, “And we will be here to help you as you learn.”

“Aww thanks guys! You are the best friends ever!” 

I look down at the table and notice how many villages were under Horde control. I recognize most of the names as ones I helped conquer. A chill runs down my back as I think about how many people lost loved ones like I almost lost Adora.

“Hey, you ok?” Adora takes my hand gently squeezing it.

“No, I just,” I take a deep breath. “I caused so much heartache and terror to all the people of Etheria, I don’t think they’re going to like the idea of a ex Horde soldier helping fix their towns.”

“Hey, whatever happens we go through it together. You’re not alone anymore Catra.” Adora kisses my cheek and half the princesses ‘aww’ at us.

“Hey! Mind your own business,” I blush bright red, my tail puffing out. I see Arrow Boy out of the corner of my eye getting that look on his face. “Bow I swear to God if you call me cute one more time I will claw your eyes out!” I extend my claws for emphasis. 

“I’m going to ignore that threat because you just called me my name and not ‘Arrow Boy’!” He smile widely and rushes over to pull me into a hug.

“Ah! Let. Go!” I try and push his hands off me. “Adora a little help here!” 

Adora just giggles and joins the hug followed by Sparkles. 

“No! No! Quit it Sparkles!” I scowl ignoring the warm feeling in my heart. All the princesses are laughing but not in a mean way like Sh-, like she did. They look like they love us. It’s probably just for the three dummies but I can’t stop the small smile that rises to my face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N

1550 Words

Wow that was a long chapter. Do you guys prefer them long or would you prefer shorter? Comment and let me know! Next chapter will be Adora’s POV so stay tuned for that!

Thanks for reading Lovelies!

<3 M.

[gin-and-total-annihilation]

more spop not!fic that actually turns into fic bc i am trash

I will preface this entirely-too-long post by saying I’ve read very, very little spop fanfic, and the few I’ve read since s5 dropped are all Catradora oneshots that are, um, a little hyperfocused. (Read: Y’all really have some Ideas about how a sword lesbian and a cat lesbian have The Sex, don’tcha.) So it’s entirely probably that the scenario I’m imagining here has been done before, possibly a lot, and likely better than how I’ve imagined it. This is me, 15 minutes late with Starbucks.

But can you imagine how hard it would be for Catra to integrate into the Princess Alliance? I mean, the show depicts the BFS adopting her pretty much immediately with, like, zero hesitations over their past history with her (a few sarcastic one-liners tossed here and there don’t count as processing, imho). But the kingdom at large? Not to mention the other kingdoms? Catra was the face of the invasion for such a long time. She had a specific angle to take out She-Ra, the ubiquitously-loved and lauded hero of Etheria. Yes, she helped save the planet/universe from Horde Prime, but once the banners and balloons come down, there’s still a reckoning to be had.

Mermista alternately pokes fun at Catra for being afraid of water, and takes any opportunity to “accidentally” splash her

Netossa brings a squirt bottle to any meeting where Catra is invited, and offers at some point to make Adora a magic leash for her

Frosta doesn’t particularly say or do anything, but she makes extra sure to exude icy menace in Catra’s direction. Okay, one time she maybe accidentally zings Catra during iceball, but everyone else thought it was funny!

Out of respect for Scorpia’s friendship with Catra, Perfuma doesn’t stoop to playing pranks, but she does pointedly remark on how muddled Catra’s chi is, a lot. Sometimes in the middle of a meeting, if Catra is arguing with someone, Perfuma will airily announce to the whole room that negative energy is starting to interfere with their goals again, and it looks like she’ll have to sage the meeting room again. After which Catra usually just gives up and sulks in silence

Micah is fairly neutral on the subject of Catra, considering she’s part of his daughter’s “best friend squad” and is also dating She-Ra, Princess of Power, demigod of the wind and sea, vanquisher of Horde Prime, hero of Etheria. But he does get moody sometimes looking at the mural of Angella, and a couple of times he’ll go Dad Mode and tell Glimmer she reminds him of her mother, but then he’ll glance at Catra and change the subject.

And like, Catra gets it, okay? She fucked up. She was the bad guy. And these people are princesses. If there’s anything Catra knows is true, it’s that princesses are champions at Not Letting It Go. So she mostly just lets it roll off her shoulders. (Okay, yes, sometimes she goads them, and yes, she should keep her mouth shut more instead of trading barbs, but what do you want from her? Being catty is her thing.) After all, she got her happily ever after. She got Adora. And that’s really all that she cares about. So a couple of whiny, poofy, pastel-wearing bimbos wanna take cheap shots at her? Ha. Catra wrote the book on petty. She grew up in the Horde. Let ‘em do their worst. 

Except Adora gets Big Mad about it.

I imagine Adora not only notices how the other princesses act around Catra, she sees Catra doing her best to ignore it. Melog is a pretty good indicator of Catra’s temper, and so it’s clear that the hazing irritates the shit out of Catra, but true to her word, she’s been working on her anger, so aside from sarcasm the worst anyone gets out of a her is a scowl, a flicking tail and ears, and Melog’s brief display of red-tinged spines and growling. 

So Adora is proud, seriously! Catra has come a long way from where she was in the Horde. But Adora, the OG “Punch Your Feelings Out Guy”, wants to remind the other princesses that Catra’s not the only one who changed sides.

Naturally, she does this by losing her temper and shouting them down during another all-princess meeting where everyone is subtly picking on Catra.

“What is your problem? Catra’s on our side now! Why are you all still acting like this?”

Mermista, never one to back down from a verbal slap-fest, gamely engages. “Um, not everyone thinks that just because Catra made, like, one good choice, she gets a free pass on all her other ones.”

“Forgiveness is a process, Adora,” says Perfuma primly, ignoring the glare Adora sends her way. “You can’t expect everyone to accept Catra immediately. We need time to work through our negative associations with Catra so that we can begin the healing process.”

Catra rolls her eyes, but Adora throws her hands in the air. “Immediately? It’s been months! And you’re not working through anything! You’re bullying her!”

At this point, Catra is almost offended at all this implies. “Uh, excuse me, no one bullies me, okay. I can take anything they throw at me.”

“Ha, that’s funny,” says Netossa sweetly. “Because that’s not what you say anytime I have this in my hand!” She brandishes the squirt bottle, and Catra’s ears flatten but she keeps herself from flinching.

Adora slaps the table. “See! Bullying!”

“Adora, calm down,” says Glimmer, sighing with a hand over her eyes. At her side, Bow splays both hands in a gesture that simultaneously tries to placate everyone.

“Okay, look, everyone,” he says. “A couple of jokes are one thing, but Adora’s got a point. It’s going a little too far.”

“Oh? Was it also going a little too far when Catra wrecked my castle and destroyed Princess Prom?” says Frosta, crossing her arms.

“Or when she decimated the Whispering Woods?” adds Perfuma.

“Or when she attacked my kingdom?” Mermista, chin on fist, rolls her eyes. “And, you know, stole it for a while.”

“Or when she sent Entrapta to Beast Island?” Perfuma turns to put a hand on Entrapta’s shoulder, but Entrapta’s eyes have gone starry.

“Oooh, I liked Beast Island! The tech there was superb! Maybe I can go back with all the resources at my disposal, now that I’m not an exiled prisoner anymore, and see if I can finally succeed in reversing the polarity of the--”

“See,” says Perfuma hastily, “she was exiled and a prisoner! With no, um, resources!”

“Look, Adora, it’s great that you and Catra are happy together,” says Frosta, with the deadpan expression of a fourteen-year-old who does not mean a single thing she says. “But I still don’t like her.”

“My heart breaks,” mutters Catra, but Adora leans over the table, eyes closing in a bid for patience.

“I’m not asking anyone to like her. I’m just saying, stop bullying her.”

“Uh, again, I’m not--”

Adora spears Catra with a single look, and Catra subsides, a little stunned at the turbulence in her girlfriend’s eyes.

“It’s mean,” Adora goes on, “and it’s pointless, since Catra is on our side now. I know there’s history there, but we are in the process of rebuilding Etheria and creating an example to show the other worlds we’re trying to reach. So just--chill, okay?”

A moment of silence greets this declaration. Then Frosta looks away with a snort.

“I’ll show her some chill,” she mutters.

Catra desperately wants to roll her eyes. “Give it a rest, kid.”

Frosta shoots to her feet, a layer of ice sheeting the table under her hands. “Don’t talk down to me, Horde scum!”

Melog leaps onto the table, its mane blazing so deep a red it’s nearly black. Chaos erupts as various shouts of “Melog, no!” and “Watch out!” tangle in the air. Catra rises from her seat, alarmed that Frosta is about to ice-punch her alien cat, when thunder cracks and a deep, throaty voice shouts, “Enough!”

She-Ra stands in battle stance, glowering at the room’s occupants, light pouring off her. The sword is held in a neutral rest position in her hand, though every inch of her (and there’s a lot of them) seems to be vibrating with energy.

Catra clears her throat as Melog instantly goes liquid-blue and pounces to She-Ra’s side, curling around and around her legs with undisguised adoration.

Melog, it seems, has no concept of chill.

The princesses all resume their seats, staring at the beast they’d been seconds from attacking as it practically rolls on the ground at She-Ra’s feet. Their eyes go from She-Ra to Melog to Catra, who expertly pretends to be unaffected and unblushing.

“Catra is not a threat,” says She-Ra in that voice, and Melog agrees blissfully, rubbing its head against her hip. Catra opens her mouth to protest, but sighs and shuts up. No point in protesting that you’re a badass when your psychic mood-ring therapy cat goes belly-up anytime your hot warrior girlfriend looks at you.

“Catra deserves another chance. She’s already proven herself by helping us defeat Prime.” She-Ra lays a single hand on Melog’s head. Catra wants to bury her face in her hands at the sound the alien cat makes.

“But how can we trust her when she used to fight for the Horde!” protests Frosta.

“So did I,” says She-Ra quietly, and it’s like all the air gets sucked out the room.

“So did Entrapta and Scorpia--” Perfuma’s eyes drop to the table at this. “--and you, Mermista--” Mermista sighs, but doesn’t argue. “and Spinnerella--” Even though She-Ra’s voice is gentle, Spinnerella’s eyes still well with tears, and Netossa tries to glare while she comforts her wife, but even she looks guilty. “--and King Micah, and Shadow Weaver--” Even though Glimmer wasn’t one of the princesses giving Catra shit, she still winces and leans closer to Bow. “And we gave every single one of them a second chance before the war was even ended. What makes Catra different from them?”

“She wasn’t mind-controlled!” argues Frosta.

“Yes, she was!” shoots back She-Ra, and Catra can’t help the flinch, the instinct to reach back and rub her neck. Her hair is just starting to be long enough to cover the faint scar of the implant.

“Okay, for like, a second, but even before Horde Prime, Catra was--”

“Catra and I were both abused and manipulated by Shadow Weaver.” There’s a thread of pain in She-Ra’s voice now. “From the time we were infants. We never stood a chance against her.”

“But you escaped,” says Perfuma, almost as a question. “You changed your mind about the Horde, and you left.”

Catra stares at the table. She can feel She-Ra’s eyes glance toward her. Melog gives a solemn mrow of comfort, pulsing aqua-blue. Without warning, light flares again and Adora is standing at Catra’s side, hands empty.

“If I hadn’t found the sword in the Whispering Woods, it would have been me marching on your kingdoms,” says Adora, and everyone shuffles uncomfortably. “I was chosen to be Force Captain just a couple hours before. It was dumb luck that I fell off that skiff and landed where I did.”

“It was destiny,” argues Perfuma. “You were chosen to be She-Ra! You would have found the sword at some point!”

“By that point, would it have mattered?” Adora’s hand strokes Melog’s ears. Catra swears she can feel the ghost of those fingers on her own head. “I wouldn’t have had Bow and Glimmer to show me what the Horde was really doing. I would have had Shadow Weaver and Hordak reinforcing my training.”

“You would have found a way to become She-Ra,” says Perfuma earnestly. “The universe would have aligned somehow--”

“And whose kingdom would have already fallen to the Horde by the time that happened?” Adora lifts her hands helplessly. “Don’t you get it? If I hadn’t discovered I was She-Ra, I would have become Catra.”

They stare at her, apparently never having put the dots together before. Catra, who has always been smarter than these princesses, leans back in her chair.

“Maybe,” she says, smirking up at her girlfriend. “But I wore it better.”

aslfja;lskdjfl;a this is already too long and it half-morphed into fic, so I’ll just summarize by saying everyone is a little sorry that they’ve been bullying Catra, and Catra refuses to admit she’s been bullied because of course she does, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t hugely touched and grateful that for once Adora fought to protect her from her princess friends. The Alliance goes forward with the intent of trying to behave better towards Catra. It helps that they saw Melog turn into a jello-mold as soon as She-Ra appeared, so they have proof positive that Catra is indeed not a threat and is in fact secretly a jello mold herself. The bullying turns into heckling whenever Catra and Adora goo-goo-eye each other. Which is a lot. Frosta makes an ice sculpture of Catra swooning into Adora’s arms (her art skills mysteriously improve enough to clearly depict Catra with heart eyes and Adora with bulging biceps). Perfuma decorates it with flowers. Netossa puts a forcefield net around it so Catra can’t destroy it. Catra sulks and Adora flexes her muscles to make her feel better. the end???

bonus line I couldn’t figure out how to incorporate: “Uh, Entrapta has two Hordaks and I don’t see anyone giving her crap about them!”

#what have i wrought #with these sinful hands #headcanon #fanfic #she ra #she ra netflix #she ra and the princesses of power #spop #catra #adora #glimmer #bow #frosta #perfuma #mermista #princess alliance #catradora

[nixxx11]

I’m about to get all SJW in your face, but hear me out. This may be important to many of you. 

Exactly why do people need to be disrespected for what they consider entertainment? Why are people looked down on for watching cartoons? Why are people looked down on for living their lives how they want to?

In the present day scenario, where older audiences are losing their sense of ethics and values in the mad race for what? Proof that they're older? Where in the name of entertainment, we are being provided with cheap and nonsensical thrills. Where every news is breaking news, cartoons bring the needed innocence and joy into our lives. You don't need to enjoy watching them, but the fact that it's animation being your reason is very invalid and hurtful to many expansive fanbases.

If anyone laughs at you, saying that cartoons are meant for kids, ask that person whether it is worth being an adult and hence being able to comprehend all the deplorable acts, crime and deceit which humanity is obsessed with, or is it better to be who you need and who you want, a "kid", for a few moments and immerse yourself into a different, more unique world, which unfortunately is unachievable in reality. 

My point here being that the stereotype that cartoons are meant for kids is absolutely ridiculous. I'm getting tired of constantly being labelled. People who have not kept up with time will carry such opinions about "cartoons" and the animation industry in general. The thing is that if we could point them towards some good animated work out there, I see no reason why anyone wouldn't enjoy them.

There's some intense tearjerkers out there, like Miraculous, She-ra and extremely emotional carriers like My Little Pony and I'm not afraid to say it. For example, its fandom and Miraculous itself is my inspiration and daily anchor to pull me out of the worst seas in life. Let me tell you salters that it really suffocates us when you invalidate that. 

As we get older, there are certain activities we forfeit in the pursuit of maturity. Sure, intentions for target audiences vary. But the audience itself always does. We're people, not drags. Society shouldn't be telling us what to do and what ways our interests make us childish when it comes to our entertainment.

We do what we like. If you want to watch My Little Pony, do it. If you want to watch Miraculous, do it. If you want to watch Powerpuff Girls, do it. If you want to watch Magic School Bus, do it! If you want to watch ABC Monsters, GO FOR IT. I want you to know that unfortunately not everyone has developed that mindset, but I will never define you negatively based on your interests. In fact, I'll even give it a try! I know how hard it can be when people immediately shut down your interests. Don’t hesitate to flood my askbox with recs and even if you just need to rant about it. Because yeah, I can relate. To how many times I’ve blocked myself out because of these types of kids in my grade. 

I and many others are tired of being scared to be open about this. I’m tired of people constantly dissing the thing I find joy in. These can and has helped me through the hardest times, it can be a reason for living to many teenagers, adults, and kids. You can find that stupid, and it’s totally fine. You have to respect it, though. Go along your way, no one is forcing you to watch anything. But do you really need pressure others into believing what they’re doing isn’t okay? People laugh at others simply because they don't fit their narrow definition of a normal person. Like no please, stop.

It's such a stereotype that animation is for kids. My point here is not which shows we watch. It's that nothing is strictly meant for age groups. Keep doing what you love. 

It’s not even just about childish-stereotyped shows in fact. This can also apply the other way around. As just about every child growing up in this generation can relate to, even parents tend to become edgy about what we’re seeing on screens. I do get that. I really do. I could say my dad at least is fairy chill about it however. We all know we’re not going to be copying everything we see on TV or online. I can say for myself that I only consider it entertainment. For example, if I’ve learned any values from Miraculous, it’s to not expect all gifts from life but to acknowledge the fact that life itself is a gift. This show is great for young kids. They aren’t necessarily going to be copying the mistakes characters make. It’s supposed to teach them that having flaws are okay, but you must reflect and learn for them. Regardless of that, my younger sister watching Miraculous was made into a huge problem at my house. She started about the same age I did. And for the record, growing up with Miraculous hasn’t influenced me to do bad things, it’s actually taught me good values and helped me in my darkest hours. 

I sincerely don’t know where the idea comes from that kids don’t know about anything unless they see it displayed on TV. From personal experience, let me tell you that’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s as if Miraculous is the only reason my younger sister knows what a crush is. When that isn’t true at all. But I do understand your worry to some extent. As I said, my parents are fairly easy about it but that could differ for everyone. This leads to my next point about age ratings. 

Age ratings are a caution number. Something rated Y-7 doesn’t mean only 7 year olds can find it entertaining. There are adults who become absorbed in shows targeted towards younger audiences. There are kids who become absorbed in shows targeted towards older audiences. As long as it isn’t badly influencing or restricted, it isn’t right and it isn’t wrong.  

We’re in such a rush to maturity that we forget what that actually means. Real maturity is understanding that there’s no certain age to stop, start or continue doing what we want. What it is doesn’t matter. What matters is that we respect that everybody has different interests instead of degrading them. As I said before, it applies to everything but this post is mainly to defend animation. 

And again, this post isn’t about which shows we watch. If that's what you enjoy, then no one should be invalidating that. I don’t care if it’s ABC monsters, True, Rainbow Kingdom, Magic School Bus, or Elmo. Many cartoons have expansive fandoms. I'm proud to be a part of many of these and I will never back out for the sake of salters’ pleasure. 

Shows don’t have any specific standards in order to be emotional rollercoasters. Here's a no brainer as a cartoon geek; Ask me to name some worldwide loved cartoon ships. Adrien x Marinette. Luz x Amity. Catra x Adora. Ladybug x Chat Noir. Marinette x Kagami. And hopefully with an open mind you can go check these shows out. 

Repeat after me: Being cartoons does not define them.

If you didn’t bother to think about anything I’ve just said and plan to be the same, unfollow me. 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to watch Miraculous. There’s no poster plastered over it saying I’m too old or too young. 

#cartoons #DID I BURN Y'ALL IN MY GRADE WHO TEASED ME ABOUT MY AMITY PFP #DON'T INSULT MY LOVELIES #AS MY IDOL WOULD SAY #THANK U #NEXT

[i-just-love-spop]

Breakfast

Direct follow-up to “I’m here”, it would be best to read that one first. “At the end of the world” and “About what happened...” are also both referenced, but you don’t necessarily have to read them to understand this story.

Takes place in between “Taking Control” and “Perils of Peekablue”. This assumes that traveling from Etheria to Prime’s flagship and back took them at least three weeks each, because of their old ship, their limited knowledge of the technology and the lack of any ability to teleport or create portals. I have no idea if that’s accurate, but then again, nobody really knows how much time passes during the show.

Summary: In which Catra tried to make breakfast and it’s better than everyone expected it to be (but that might just be because Adora set the bar extremely low with her first attempt at cooking), Glimmer can’t help clinging to Bow after the precious night, Bow reflects on his feelings towards Glimmer and Adora has no idea why she gets so nervous around Catra all of a sudden, but is just glad to finally be able to call her a friend again.

Also, Entrapta casually calls everyone out on their feelings.

[The amount of Glimbow and Catradora in this is pretty much 50/50.]

Best Friend Squad-bonding in space? Best Friend Squad-bonding in space.

—

Bow and Glimmer were rudely awoken by the sound of the door swooshing open and unpleasantly loud voices.

She still had her arms around him the same way she had when they’d fallen asleep, and she didn’t plan on letting go anytime soon.

“See? I told you so! That’s exactly why I didn’t want to go back in here.”

“Huh, and here I thought you were just looking for an excuse to share the mattress with me again.”

“What? Me? Nooo...”

They heard Adora laugh.

“Do... do you think we should let them sleep?”

“You should have thought about that before you barged in here,” Glimmer murmured groggily and threw a pillow roughly in the direction the voices had come from without opening her eyes.

She was way too tired for this nonsense.

‘Whoever said space is peaceful and quiet definitely never traveled with these guys.’

“Good morning...?“

Bow blinked, still half asleep when he sat up on the mattress. He kind of dragged Glimmer up with him accidentally because she was still unwilling to let go of him.

...not that he minded.

“What are you guys doing in here?” Glimmer wondered, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, yawning.

Her grip on boy tightened a bit when she saw Wrong Hordak. He seemed to be pretty okay, but he brought back a lot of bad memories, and she didn’t think she’d ever get used to that.

“Well, Adora and Catra just spent a weird amount of time commenting on your sleeping position, especially considering I found them in the same one,” Entrapta analyzed with her usual enthusiasm.

The two girls flushed scarlet.

Bow grinned.

“Awwww, you guys were spooning?”

“We. Were. Not. Spooning,” Catra growled, but then she dropped the demeanor, her face turning into a sheepish grin. “...and also, I might have burnt breakfast.”

That genuinely surprised Glimmer, but in a positive way.

“You tried to make breakfast?”

Catra grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Well, yeah. Emphasis on tried. I mean, you cooked for us once, and Arrow Boy did it the rest of the week, and I just... thought I should try it? Argh, I... I don’t know. Maybe that was a stupid idea. Especially because I don’t know how to cook.”

Glimmer shrugged.

“No, that’s fine. It’s... really nice of you, actually. And I don’t think anyone here knows how to cook, except for Bow maybe.”

Adora chuckled.

“Yeah, she has a point.”

“I mean, it can’t be as bad as when Adora tried to make food. We ended up with half-cooked broccoli with chocolate sauce and sprinkles for dinner,” Bow pointed out, shrugging. “It looked kind of nice, but...”

He was trying to be polite, but really, there hadn’t been much in the meal his friend had made that one could be polite about. There was a difference between ‘you clearly haven’t cooked before and your cooking still needs a some work’ and ‘your cooking is literally weapons-grade’.

Glimmer’s face went green.

“Oh stars, don’t remind me. I still want to throw up just thinking about that.”

Catra’s eyes widened.

“Adora did what?!”

She had never tried either of these things, personally, but she roughly knew what they were, and even she could tell that there was no way these were supposed to go together.

The blonde scratched the back of her head.

“It wasn’t as bad as it sounds...” Glimmer gave her a death glare. “...you know what? Actually, it was.”

Adora blinked for a moment. Why had she tried to defend the terrible food she’d made? She was usually totally cool with the others joking about her really, really poor first attempt at cooking, especially because she herself knew that it had been awful and that she would never try that combination again.

And yet, today she felt a pang of... embarrassment?

Weird. Why would she...

‘It isn’t because Catra’s here, is it? She knows what I’m like, better than anyone, so I doubt this surprises her. And, I mean, there are other ways I could impress her than cooking!’

...wait, why would she want to impress Catra?

That made no sense.

Adora shook her head and abandoned these thoughts.

“And that’s the story why almighty She-Ra over here is banished from Bright Moon’s kitchen,” Glimmer concluded, giggling.

Catra chuckled. That did make her feel a little better about her own cooking skills.

And Adora getting a tad bit embarrassed was also a nice bonus. She looked really cute when she was embarrassed.

...damn, Catra had missed her best friend.

“Not to worry, you guys. No broccoli today. Would have been hard to make anyway, seeing as we have no broccoli on the ship,” the brunette promised. “You guys coming?”

Glimmer smiled.

“Sure, we’ll just get dressed real quick, and then we’ll be right there.”

—

“How are you?” Bow asked his best friend as soon as the door closed behind the others.

Glimmer gave him a small smile.

“Better, I think.” She nuzzled against the crook of his neck. “Just tired.“

He stroked her head.

“You’ll never be a morning person, huh?”

She laughed, visibly relaxing a bit. Being with Bow always made her feel so much better...

“I mean, technically, there are no mornings in space – but no, I’m definitely never going to be a morning person. At this rate, our kids are going to have to wake me one day instead of me waking them.”

Bow stared at her for a second.

Had she just...?

No. No way. Glimmer wouldn’t... she didn’t... they were close, obviously, but... he’d know if she had feelings for him, right?

“You think they’ll be close? ...our kids, I mean,” he added when he saw the confused look on her face. “You know, since you suggested they’d come wake you up together.”

“Yeah. Right. They’ll be best friends, just like us. I’m sure of that,” Glimmer replied, just kind of going with what he had said because oh stars she couldn’t believe she’d just suggested having kids like that without even telling him she was in love with him first.

Bow shook his head and smiled at her softly.

Of course that was what she’d meant.

The mental image of their kids also being best friends one day was adorable.

Despite that, for a moment, he couldn’t help but imagine a girl with his dark curls and Glimmer’s beautiful eyes and a little boy with his eyes and her cute little nose and smile climbing into bed to wake them, him and Glimmer still sleepily embracing each other the same way they had tonight.

‘Huh.’

He really had caught feelings for her, after all.

...or maybe he’d always felt that way about her and hadn’t realized what his feelings truly were until he’d almost lost her.

That thought had always terrified him, but this had been so much worse than anything he could ever have imagined.

This was already the second really close call since they’d met. He’d do everything in his power to make sure there would never be a third.

He hugged her. She snuggled against him. He felt his cheeks heat.

It was weird. As mad as he’d been at her, and as terrified as he’d been about possibly losing her, apparently this was what he’d needed to put some things about their relationship into perspective.

“Hey Bow?” She asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks again for earlier. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He smiled at her.

“Of course. Anytime.”

He’d tell her eventually. Maybe.

But now was not the time.

After a while of comfortably sitting like that in silence, Bow spoke up again.

“Come on, we should actually get dressed now, before the others-”

Too late. Catra stuck her head in again.

“Hey, are you guys coming? If you keep making out in the cabin for another hour, the food will taste burnt and be cold by the time you join us!”

Glimmer blushed scarlet and let go of Bow, like that would change anything about what Catra just saw.

“We were not making out!” She protested – then realized how weird her reaction had just been.

She and Bow hugged all the time. Hugging was a normal thing that friends did. There was no need for her to be embarrassed about anyone catching them.

Glimmer shook her head.

‘Well that was subtle... I just made everything worse, didn’t I?’

Surprisingly, though, Catra didn’t bring it up again.

“Sure, whatever. Now get up and get dressed so you can join us for breakfast.”

—

“So... what do you think?”

Catra was super nervous what the others thought about the food she’d made because she was pretty sure it wasn’t terrible – she’d tried it beforehand, of course, she wasn’t trying to poison anyone, after all –, and she really wanted to do something nice for everyone after they’d saved her and been so nice and kind to her despite everything that had happened between them... that she’d done to them.

“This is actually pretty neat,” Glimmer concluded after a while of chewing.

Bow nodded in agreement, and Adora was already moved to tears because Catra had tried at all.

“This is the best thing I have ever eaten,” the blonde breathed, just loud enough for Catra to hear.

The brunette shook her head.

“That’s sweet, dummy, but we both know the food Bow and Glimmer made was way better.”

But Adora shook her head. She meant it. She really did.

The food made her feel warm inside, in a way it couldn’t when Bow or Glimmer cooked.

Wrong Hordak was just eating quietly.

Entrapta put her fork down and cocked her head to the side in curiosity.

“Is that something you do as friends? Lie to the other person to make them feel better about their inadequate skills? Fascinating...”

Catra flattened her ears.

‘Ouch.’

“We’re not lying, Entrapta. This is actually pretty good,” Glimmer chimed in. “Especially considering this is her first time cooking. You can’t let someone cook for the first time in their life and then except the kind of meal professional kitchen staff would make. Besides, Adora has been trying to learn how to cook for years, and let me tell you, it did not get much better after the broccoli with sprinkles-incident. Somehow, Adora is still worse after years of trying than Catra was at her first attempt.”

“Hey!”

There it was again. Adora was embarrassed for no reason. The fact that she couldn’t cook wasn’t a secret, and she usually didn’t even care about it. Other people joking about that was fine. And it wasn’t like that was a skill that really mattered at the moment.

What was going on?

Catra chuckled.

‘Wow. She has a really nice laugh.’

Adora shook her head.

She knew that. She’d always known that. Why was she thinking about that now?

“So that’s your biggest weakness huh? Who would’ve thought! Etheria’s almighty hero, defeated by a stove and a frying pan,” Catra teased her, grinning.

“...shut up.”

Adora tried to sound annoyed, but she was visibly beaming when she nudged the brunette. She was just happy that, after all this time, she could finally call Catra her friend again.

“Never,” Catra replied teasingly as she nudged Adora back. “That’s the only thing I’m going to be talking about for the rest of my life.” Her grin widened. “Hey, that means I can now officially put ‘cooks better than She-Ra’ on my resume, right? Oh, I know! I need a cup that says that! Or an apron!”

Adora giggled.

“You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah, well, at least I’m an idiot that can cook,” Catra shot back, sticking her tongue out at the blonde.

They were all laughing now, except for Entrapta, who was speaking into her voice recorder.

“After a couple of days of observations, I think I can safely conclude that it is indeed still very much mutual.” She squealed. “Oh, that means I can update Scorpia when we get back home! How exciting!”

Catra winced a bit when hearing her former friend’s name. Scorpia had been nothing but kind to her from the start, and Catra had been the worst friend possibly imaginable. She felt awful. Scorpia deserved an apology – or twenty –, and then, maybe, she’d forgive her. Maybe they could actually be friends this time. Or maybe Scorpia wouldn’t want the person that hurt her back in her life, and that would be okay, too, despite the sting Catra felt when she thought about it. What mattered was that Scorpia was happy, no matter what she would choose – just like it had been with Adora.

Catra was done making everyone miserable – herself included.

“Update Scorpia on wha-” Glimmer started, then stopped in mid-sentence. “On second thought, I don’t think I even want to know.”

Entrapta blinked, then eyed Bow and Glimmer.

“Speaking of, you two are also interestingly close today. Amount of touching in comparison to the last couple of days increased by about twenty percent. That brings us pretty close to a hundred percent so far! I don’t think Glimmer has stopped holding onto your arm since you two entered the room... Should I write that down? I’m going to write that down.” She thought about the best way to word it for a moment. “There appears to be a chance that travelers will develop an increased need for physical contact while in space, as indicated by four different research subjects.”

There was a moment of very awkward silence as everyone but Wrong Hordak blushed scarlet and tried to avoid eye contact with the person they were sitting with... but Catra didn’t move from where she was sitting, and Glimmer still didn’t let go of Bow’s arm.

—

In the end, it was Adora that broke the silence as she cleared her throat and looked directly at Glimmer and Bow.

“Entrapta’s kind of right. You two do seem even more attached at the hip today than usual.“

They looked very cozy. It was pretty cute.

Glimmer had to bite back a comment about how Adora was really one to talk, with Catra sitting on her lap and all.

Over the course of the last few days, Catra had slowly moved closer and closer to Adora during meals – which had been blatantly obvious to anyone but Adora – until on the prior day, Catra had carefully touched her arm, and Adora had pulled her a little closer, which the brunette had taken as a signal that they maybe could go back to the way they used to be. Her initial shyness had melted away from her now, and she’d gone from sitting next to her friend to straight up planting herself in Adora’s lap today. The blonde hadn’t complained one bit.

“Did something happen?” Adora asked when neither of them replied.

Glimmer‘s semi-good mood disappeared instantly as she remembered the previous night. Her mouth went dry. Her voice was incredibly monotone as she spoke.

“Nothing, I just... had a nightmare,” she said.

“Right. One,” Bow murmured, glancing at his best friend worriedly.

She immediately elbowed him in the ribs for that.

Adora already had enough on her plate as it was, there was no need to worry her further, especially with something as silly as a couple of nightmares.

“But I’m all better now.”

Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, but apparently it was convincing enough for Adora to not dig deeper.

Catra kept quiet, but gave the Queen a sympathetic, encouraging look that made Glimmer certain the brunette knew what it felt like.

All things considered, Catra had definitely had it way worse than Glimmer on Prime’s ship. Glimmer shuddered at the thought of being robbed of her free will, of being forced to fight the people she loved.

Didn’t that mean that Glimmer was just being a baby that was upset for no reason? If Catra could cope with that, why couldn’t Glimmer even calm herself long enough to let go of Bow’s arm?

She closed her eyes and tried to keep herself from shaking. It didn’t work very well.

Apparently guessing where Glimmer‘s mind went, Catra coughed a bit and spoke up.

“Sparkles, listen, I... I know we’re pretty different, but nightmares always suck, no matter how bad they are, and I don’t think they can be compared anyway because different people are afraid of different things. It’s good that you have someone there to comfort you.” She snuggled against the crook of Adora’s neck. “But I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better.”

“I... thank you.” Glimmer’s smile felt less fake now. Bow nodded at Catra appreciative as he put an arm around his best friend. Adora was thankfully way too distracted by the brunette purring against her chest to really listen to what they were talking about. It was better that way. “What about you guys? How did you sleep?”

“Good. Great actually.” Adora beamed. “I don’t think I’ve slept this good in years.”

Since she’d left the Horde, to be precise.

“Yeah, me too. I... really missed sleeping next to you,” Catra mumbled, blushing.

“What do you mean, ‘missed’?” Glimmer raised an eyebrow. “You’ve done this before?”

“Pretty much every day before I left.” Adora grinned smugly. “She couldn’t sleep without me.”

“Oh.”

...that actually explained a lot – especially the time Adora had climbed into Glimmer’s bed because she hadn’t been used to sleeping alone. She hadn’t just meant that referring to the fact that she’d been sharing her room with so many other cadets before. She also hadn’t been used to sleeping alone in her bed, because she’d shared it with Catra for so long before leaving the Horde.

Catra blushed even more, and her first instinct was to get defensive and deny it... but then she didn’t. She’d promised herself to be a little more open with her emotions, after all.

“It started back when we were kids, actually... and then we got so used to it that we never stopped. The other cadets always said we could give my bed to someone else because I never slept there anyway.” Catra shrugged and laughed. Adora looked at her in surprise... but then her expression melted into a soft smile. She couldn’t remember when she’d last been this happy. “I was losing my mind without you...”

“Being apart from you wasn’t easy for me either.”

Catra bit her lip.

“If I’d just come with you when you asked me to, none of this would have happened. I’m so sorry.”

Adora squeezed her hand and kept her voice down when she started speaking.

“Don’t get me wrong, everything that happened really, really sucked... but I think it kind of needed to happen. Even when we were so close back at the Horde, there was so much standing between us... so many things we didn’t talk about, so many things we never realized about the other, and we both had issues that we had to work through back then. ...that, and we started being an ‘us’ so early on that we needed some time away from each other to learn who we are separately.”

She’d been thinking about that a lot lately.

For a second, Catra was back on Adora’s bed at the Horde, sitting back to back with her best friend, telling her that she wouldn’t know who she’d be without her.

She knew, now.

That Catra kind of sucked... she’d hurt others, and she’d been hurt, until finally, she’d broken down and reflected on everything she’d done, and then she’d cried and drowned herself in regret and guilt. Now, she finally really knew who she was... and who she wanted to be. Now, she would learn from her mistakes, and she would be better.

“We needed to grow apart so we could grow back together,” she whispered when she understood, and it hurt and it sucked because it meant that even if they’d left together, everything still wouldn’t have been fine – but at least it also meant that everything that had happened in the past few years hadn’t happened completely in vain, even though she still wished things had been different. And maybe they could be fine again now. Or better, at the very least. “I’ve made so many mistakes and hurt so many people...”

Adora hugged her best friend from behind.

“These days are over. And now you’ve got all the time in the universe to be better.”

“And I will be. I promise.” Catra smiled softly and squeezed her hand as she snuggled against her.

Bow and Glimmer just gave each other a knowing look while Entrapta was rambling into her voice recorder again.

After a while, Catra looked up at the others and grinned.

“Now that we’ve unveiled my deepest, darkest secret... you guys have got to have some more silly Adora-stories, right?”

Glimmer laughed and cracked her knuckles.

Bow’s and Glimmer’s relationship with Catra was still strained for several reasons... but she was slowly starting to grow on them, now that they could see she was truly changing. She was almost fun to be around.

“Oh, you bet we do.”

Adora sighed.

“...oh no. ”

#catradora #glimbow #adora #catra #glimmer #bow #glimbow centric #spop #she ra #entrapta #best friend squad #my works #my writing #fic type: tons of fluff with a little bit of angst #friendly teasing #spop season five #Catradora and Glimbow are both very in love #and Adora is the only one that’s still in denial at this point #everyone else has come to terms with their feelings and just isn’t ready to confess yet #best friend squad bonding – IN SPACE #Adora is a terrible cook #and everyone knows it #nobody ever recovered from her first attempt #I love Wrong Hordak but I didn’t really know what to do with him in this fic I’m sorry

[hellofromthe-otter-slide]

we should just kiss (like real people do)

Okay, so the other night I couldn’t sleep, and “Like Real People Do” by Hozier was stuck in my head, so from that, this fic came about.

Enjoy!

Summary: For just one night, Adora wants to forget everything. She wants to forget all of the hurt and anger and pain and be with Catra like they used to be, and Catra would do anything to have Adora in any way ever again.

Read on AO3.

~

Catra isn’t really sure how they got here. Adora has been ignoring her since Mara’s old ship touched down outside of Castle Bright Moon, and it’s not like Catra blames her. In fact, Catra has been doing everything in her power to give Adora all of the space she needed. She memorized training schedules and war room meetings in order to avoid Adora at all costs.

And yet here they are, with Adora in Catra’s bedroom and nowhere for Catra to run.

Catra wants to be snarky. She wants to purr out her usual, “Hey, Adora,” and make some joke about an invasion of privacy, but even if they were on good terms, even if Adora didn’t rightfully hate Catra down to her very core, Catra just doesn’t know how to be who she was.

Whoever she was, whatever she claimed to be, it dissolved and disintegrated on Horde Prime’s ship.

So, Catra sits and waits.

But Adora doesn’t say anything. She walks over to where Catra is sitting on the bed and sits right beside her, and Catra doesn’t really know what to do. Years of muscle memory are hard to fight, but she refuses to let her tail brush Adora in any way, and she scoots away just a few inches, putting just enough space between them.

Adora sighs. “Can we just forget everything?”

Catra isn’t really sure she understands what Adora’s asking, but she doesn’t get a chance to ask for clarification before Adora continues.

“For just one second, can we forget everything that’s happened between us?” Adora looks at Catra with this determined look that Catra hasn’t seen since they were still together in the Horde. “Can we forget about opening portals and all the fighting and scars and supposed hatred and just be us for one second?”

Adora’s voice is soft as she speaks, but Catra doesn’t miss the small desperation hidden underneath that tugs at her.

She would love nothing more than to forget every horrible thing she’s done in order to be better and stronger for just a few normal moments with Adora, but that doesn’t stop her from being realistic.

“I don’t think it works like that,” Catra says, turning from intense blue eyes.

“Who cares?”

Catra looks up in surprise, because in all the years she’s known Adora, she’s never heard her so dismissive of what’s meant to be right, but this isn’t the Adora she used to know.

They are both entirely different people, whether they like it or not.

“We were never going to become the people we believed we were meant to be,” Adora says softly, looking down at the mirrored floor, “And we were used and manipulated to become something else entirely, believing it was destiny or giving us strength when really, we were just pawns.”

The truth of Adora’s words sink deep, and Catra fights back Double Trouble’s words in her head.

“You try so hard to play the big, bad villain, but your heart’s never been in it, has it?”

She thinks of Shadow Weaver’s manipulation and Hordak’s threats if things didn’t go exactly as planned, and she also thinks of that empty pit deep inside her when she should have been her happiest.

“So, who cares?” Adora asks, her voice tinged with anger, “Who cares how it’s supposed to work?”

“Adora, I’m—”

“Stop.” Adora grabs Catra’s wrist, and even that small amount of contact is enough to make Catra freeze. “No apologies. Not right now.”

Catra doesn’t pull her wrist out of Adora’s grip, and Adora doesn’t let go.

“I don’t understand,” Catra confesses, because she doesn’t. She doesn’t understand why, or what made Adora decide to have this conversation.

Adora drops Catra’s wrist and brings her hand up to cup Catra’s cheek, her thumb running over short, coarse fur. “I’m tired,” Adora says, and Catra closes her eyes against the contact, sinking into the softest touch she’s felt since Adora left the Horde, “And being mad at you is so exhausting. I know I’m supposed to be mad at you, and I am, but I’m also done pretending that I didn’t miss everything about you after I left. We’ve got so much time to talk about anger and hurt and all of that. I just,” Adora sighs, “I want to be here with you without everything else.”

Catra relaxes and allows herself to scoot closer to Adora, because for right now, there’s nothing else besides the two of them and the quiet that surrounds them. “Okay,” she whispers, nodding her head slightly and wrapping her tail around Adora’s waist.

They sit like that for a while, and Catra wonders when this bubble they’re in is going to pop, but Adora doesn’t show any sign of leaving, her thumb brushing along Catra’s cheek never stopping and her other hand reaching out to grab Catra’s.

“Can I ask something?” Catra whispers into their comfortable silence.

Adora nods.

“I just don’t understand why.”

Adora smiles, and Catra doesn't know what that smile means. She has no idea what Adora's going to say next.

She doesn’t say anything, though. Adora moves her hand from Catra’s cheek to the back of her neck and pulls Catra in, kissing her like they hadn’t spent so long fighting on opposite sides of a war, like Catra hadn’t tried over and over to destroy the Rebellion and kill She-Ra, like Catra hadn’t almost destroyed reality itself just to get the revenge she thought she was due.

And this isn’t their first kiss. Their last one feels like ages ago, just a few days before Adora stole the skiff and found the sword buried deep in the Whispering Woods. They were just kids back then, no betrayal to tear them apart, no hatred fueled by a need to prove themselves, just two girls who loved each other despite never being taught what love is.

This kiss is different. It’s desperate and messy, Adora pushing Catra down in the plush bed and Catra grasping at Adora’s jacket and pushing off her shoulders. There’s so much more buried underneath, loving and longing mingling together with hurt and regret.

It doesn’t answer Catra’s question. She still has so much that she wants to ask and even more that she wants to apologize for, but Adora doesn’t want talking. She doesn’t want admissions of guilt and discussions of all the pain they caused one another.

All she wants is this, and Catra has wanted this since Adora refused to come back with her in Thaymor. She’s wanted Adora back for so long that she’s willing to keep all of her questions for later and just exist in this moment, her lips against Adora’s and fingers running through golden hair.

Adora bites at Catra’s bottom lip and pulls, and Catra purrs, remembering the first time Adora did that and the confident smirk that Catra’s purrs elicited.

“Shut up,” Catra remembers saying, her younger self shoving a smirking Adora away from her.

“Did you just purr?” Adora had asked, grabbing Catra’s wrists as she went to shove Adora again.

“Pfft, no,” Catra lied, but Adora could see through it.

Adora could always see through Catra’s lies.

Adora doesn’t mention anything about the purring this time, but Catra can feel her smirk into the kiss, and she almost responds like she used to, almost shoves Adora away and tells her to shut up, but she doesn’t want to do anything to stop this moment.

They aren’t the kids they used to be.

They’re not the them they used to be.

Catra isn’t even completely sure who she is without what she used to be, let alone who Adora has become without her.

She gets her moment when Adora breaks the kiss for air, allowing Catra to kiss up her neck to a spot right underneath Adora’s ear, and her soft nibbling gets the reaction she’s hoping for.

Adora gasps, her hands gripping Catra’s hips, and Catra does it again before Adora’s hand in her hair pulls her back and their lips come together again.

Things move quickly after that, and Catra barely has time to think before Adora’s hands push up under her shirt and pull it over her head.

They don’t speak besides small encouragements and curses, gasps and whimpers and moans filling in the spaces in between. They fall asleep holding each other, Adora running a hand over Catra’s stomach absentmindedly and Catra’s low purrs filling the silence.

When Catra wakes up the next morning to an empty bed, she isn’t surprised. She knows the bubble had to pop at some point, that her and Adora had to return from their pretending, but the ghosts of the night before push and pull at her as she sinks back into the bed.

It won't be long until she has to pull herself out of bed, and she's sure at some point today, she's going to see Adora and have to pretend that last night never happened.

For right now, though, Catra lays back in bed, closes her eyes, and remembers everything, because being with Adora, even for just one night, makes her feel more whole and content than winning battles and rising in the ranks ever could.

And for right now, Catra can pretend like last night with Adora is something she'll get to have again.

#she ra #she-ra #spop #she ra fanfiction #spop fanfiction #catradora #catradora fanfiction #catra #adora #hurt with no real comfort #angst #because it's from catra's point of view #and post season four #so it's bound to be a little angsty #fanfiction #fanfic #catradora fanfic #spop fanfic #and we're onto my usual bullshit #where i'm so deep in my own tags #and anyone who reads this far into my tags #come to my asks #or message me #and I'll write a fic of your choice #within reason #I'm not writing anything straight #okay? #alright

[themadmanandhisbox]

Top ten fave characters

I was tagged by @namesonboats, thank you!

Rules: List your favorite character from 10 different fandoms then tag ten people.

Oof this will be tough. Most fandoms I have multiple favorite characters but I’ll give this a shot.

Star Wars: This is an incredibly tough one. If you’ve played Jedi Fallen Order you know how amazing Cal Kestis & Nightsister Merrin and they quickly became one of my favorite ships. But if I had to choose only one character from the universe it would be Din Djarin/The Mandalorian. His character is just so badass and awesome and goes on forever. Watching his character development over the 16 episodes as he becomes a father to Grogu. I could be here for a month with all the reasons Din is amazing so I’ll just leave it short here.

Naruto: This is another tough one but Minato Namikaze has always been my favorite character. Dude was such a gentle badass. In the Ninja World where leaving your friends to die instead of saving them to complete the mission was what you were suppose to do, and The White Fang was dishonored after choosing his comrades over the mission, Minato was so badass during the Third Great Ninja War that all the other nations had flee on sight orders if you saw him. He killed a thousand ninja in the blink of an eye and then was back home in an apron cleaning dishes for Kushina. Absolute badass. Getting to see him with Naruto during the 4th Great Ninja War was so great.

ATLA: Ugh so tough. It really comes down to Sokka and Azula for me which isn’t surprising since Sokkla is my OTP. But I think if I had to choose just one it’d be Sokka. So much of who he is as a goofy, smart, kind hearted, intelligent dumbass, is who I’ve been/tried to be in my life. I relate to both Sokka and Azula which is why I love them both so much and this answer could vary from day to day tbh.

Mass Effect: Liara T’soni. Such a badass awesome character. Every playthrough I tell myself I’m finally going to romance Tali and yet I end up romancing Liara again >.>

Star Trek: Captain Sisko. Sisko was just such a badass powerful character. Picard was the federation poster boy. He was the one Starfleet held up and said “look! Look how well he represents our utopian ideals!!!” which is great and all. But Sisko. Sisko was the man who had to make the hard calls, who had to get his hands dirty and do things that don’t fall into that morally perfect little garden the Federation liked to believe itself to be. He had to make harsh calls, do hard things, to protect utopia. In The Pale Moonlight will forever remain one of the best episodes of Trek and nothing will ever be able to change that.

So… I lied. I cheated. I bribed men to cover up the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But most damning of all… I think I can live with it… And if I had to do it all over again… I would. Garak was right about one thing – a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the Alpha Quadrant. So I will learn to live with it…Because I can live with it…I can live with it.

 Sisko was a good man making hard choice in a brutal war the likes of which the Federation had never imagined. He had to make the hard calls to protect not only the Federation but the Alpha Quadrant as a whole. As soon as the Dominion had pacified the Federation and Klingons, they would have turned on the Romulans for sure.

Stargate: This is a tough one. Growing up I always admired Samantha Carter. Smart, clever, charming, badass, every bit a warrior as the men. It was inspiring to see a well written female character who was one of the smartest people on Earth, who was compassionate yet firm in her believes, capable of defending herself and her team mates. The Stargate franchise spawned so many great characters but I think if I had to choose one it’d be John Sheppard. A lot of considered him an O’neill lite, and he definitely had a little bit of O’neill to him, but he was different enough and his own character that I really enjoyed watching over the 5 years of Atlantis. His willingness to put his own health and safety aside to rescue his friends and team mates(See S5E01 “Search & Rescue” where despite the fact he’s got internal bleeding and probably a whole litany of other problems, he goes on the rescue mission for Teyla, disobeying a direct order from Sam while also telling her he had more respect for her than any other CO he’d ever served under). It’s that sort of selflessness coupled with his humor, charm, wit, and his ability to come up with clever ideas that leave Rodney frustrated he didn’t think of that, that makes Col. Sheppard my favorite.

SPOP: Catra. Thank you for coming to my TED talk xD

Battlestar Galactica: Lee “Apollo” Adama. This is another tough one like most of my choices, as RDM’s nuBSG had so many amazingly developed, flawed, characters that made them seem like actual, real human beings. But Apollo was my favorite I think. Smart, skilled, compassionate. Strong moral compass... for the most part(we’ll gloss over his affair with Starbuck while married to Dee). I will never not feel bad for him. I think part of him truly did love Dee, just not as much as he loved Kara, and as soon as it looked like he was rekindling the spark with Dee she killed herself. And then they finally find Earth the Second, and it looks like he’s finally going to get to settle down with Kara like he’s always wanted, poof, she’s an Angel and has completed her purpose. Bill is off burying Laura, and he’ll probably never see his dad again. Dude went through so much character growth, so much pain and hurt and ended up alone.

Dragonball: I grew up watching DBZ so it’s always had a soft spot in my heart. And my favorite character has always been a tie between Future Trunks & Vegeta. But I think I’m going to give it to Future Trunks. He was such a badass. His entry was sooooo badass, the way he dismantled Frezia and his father with his sword. When he got back to the future after the Cell Games he wasted no time killing 17 & 18 and then Cell. He was a take no bullshit, don’t fuck around like Vegeta, Goku, and SSJ2 Kid Gohan(All I can think of anymore is Dragonball Z Abridged where Gohan gets so mad at himself for letting his Vegeta show xD) Not to mention kid me for whatever reason was super enamored with his seatbelt buckle style belts he used. Idk why but like 10 year old me thought that was the coolest shit ever.

Teen Titans(the good one not GO): Raven. I always loved Raven and she’s been my favorite TT since I watched the OG show. Her character development throughout the show was amazing. Going from thinking she was too dangerous/weird to love to having friends and a family. Will always be my favorite and it’s not even a contest.

I’m not going to tag anyone in this because but if you see this and want to play, feel free to tag me as having tagged you! Thanks so much again for tagging me!

#fav character meme #my taste in shows is just as eclectic as my taste in music

[toooldforfandom-liveblogs]

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power S02E05 - White Out

White Out makes me think of snow and blizzards but Google is telling me that it's also the name for the liquid used to fix mistakes when people wrote with pen on paper. Y'know, prehistory. So. It could be something related to Frosta or it could be someone trying to tape over a mistake? Or maybe both. Or none of those at all. I don't know, so let's do this!

This explains why neither of these two appeared in the previous episode. Apparently they are in... a mountain? Or one of the planet's poles?

When the... "beast" attacked the Best Friends Squad back in the first episode of the first season, I really thought they'd be more prevalent that they'd been. I think the horse has done more damage through the show than the local wildlife.

It makes sense that they'd mostly ignore that threat considering the focus of the show has been firmly in the confrontation between The Horde and The Rebellion, but now that Catra and Entrapta seem to be alone in the snow... what a perfect opportunity for a winter horror episode plot.

Hey, I think I already watched this episode! They are going to find an iceberg with a glowing kid inside.

Well, that's a coat.

They burned down and sank to the bottom of the ocean, Bow. Haven't you learned anything about Seahawk?

Yeah, have to agree, Fire would have been a better fate.

The only man in the entire alliance with a boat.

It's always surprising when a cartoon character shows up with different clothes because it's so uncommon.

oh no my continuity theories

I'll forgive the wonky eyes this time because they are very appropriate.

SCORPIA IS ASKING CATRA OUT IN A DATE.

To think all that effort and cute bumbling is being wasted on Catra.

oooh, evil virus shard is back

I'm not sure why that's a surprise.

I was hoping she wouldn't mention that tiny tidbit of info but nope. And I doubt Catra is going to have any doubts about using it

But She-Ra didn't lose her powers, she lost them because they had to take out the sword from her hands before she continued her rampage. Is the monster of this winter horror movie actually going to be She-Ra? Because I want to watch that. Good characters turned evil are always fun.

Also Scorpia being the protagonist of her own romcom is also very good.

no

Every time Sea Hawks appears I fear it'll be the episode where he starts getting annoying but nope, still great.

Now I'm thinking that Catra is going to disable She-Ra with the murder-virus and immediately after they'll all get attacked by a snow monster. Because, y'know, Catra can't win.

...I can't take them seriously when most of them look like marshmallows.

Adora's biggest character development moment in this show will be when she realizes that chasing Catra is always a bad idea.

There goes my theory from last episode that Scorpia didn't want to kill Glimmer. Dead, like Glimmer.

She's already falling to her death, there's no reason to stress over some creepy monster eyes.

sending thoughts and prayers

First meeting in person! I expected more from everyone else but I guess they are busy.

You know the writers have done a good job with a character when you hear something like that and you go "yup, that's entrapta"

Welp, now she'll have the guts to murder Catra. Unless she drops the sword.

As awesome as I hoped.

Catra right now.

I was thinking that this episode seemed to be moving a bit fast since they were already fighting a third into the episode but the teams separating could be interesting. I wish one of the "bad guys" was falling with them though, that dynamic is always fun.

She says, seconds before Mad She-Ra turns and notices them there.

And Entrapta is loving it, of course.

This could have some interesting consequences, if it shows Catra that she can only win against She-Ra because Adora can't avoid going easy on her. Catra knows this deep down, she even takes advantage of it but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't hurt her pride to actually lose.

"puny cat"

On one hand I'm loving this. On the other, I'm worried because the biggest reason why Adora feels so overwhelmed is because according to Light Hope, Mara went crazy and did a bunch of bad stuff. What if Adora starts feeling guilty about what's happening here? But, the virus could also provide an alternate explanation for Mara's rampage (if she indeed went crazy instead of just acting against Light Hope's orders because of attachment~)

what... what did you think she was?

Catra, excelling at shoving down traumatic experiences and hiding them with a devil-may-care attitude since... I dunno, how old is she again?

that's not good

Noo, don't destroy the murder-virus.

I'm glad they are actually talking about this possibility because it was the first thing that came to my mind after the episode the virus appeared. It's such a Catra plan.

Of course, the fact that they are talking about it probably means it won't happen, unless they are setting up the season finale early?

Is Scorpia going to get jealous and set Adora free?

I was starting to get a bit eye-rolly at Sea Hawk's weird issues but the shanty brought him back to awesome. Really walking the knife's edge with him.

I love angry hulking out She-Ra but Drunk Adora is the best side effect of that virus.

oh my god

You can see Scorpia's soul leaving her body.

Adora, the dignified and elegant owner of the sword of protection.

She did need a break

I don't know, Scorpia doesn't seem to be in the closet about anything.

Oh no, she's turning into the worst type of drunk: the weepy drunk

The monsters have been in the background of every fight scene, that's the opposite of a twist!

An example of how well this show nails the characters's expressions.

And one more. I complain sometimes about the animation and the wonky eyes but these jokes show how the animators can do a lot with very little.

Sadly, childhood friends always win, the one trope to beat them all.

I didn't sign up for Scorpia feels.

I didn't see this coming at all. Of course the two joke characters would empathize with each other.

WHY WOULD YOU TELL THAT TO ENTRAPTA? You're just giving her more ideas.

Light Hope did mention how everything in Etheria was part of their system. Does that include the fauna?

This is weirdly heartwarming.

getting real

That was way cuter than I expected. Nothing like getting some validation from a drunk lady to reboot their self-esteem.

They are getting slightly better about this but they still like some drastic mood swings between scenes.

Adora should always be drunk.

Can't wait for the fourth season episode where Adora struggles with her addiction to the virus, the one thing that lets her forget about her worries in a world consumed by war.

And now it's back to heavy. Does she save Catra, risking her anger? Or keep the disk? I think she's is going to destroy the disk, it's the right thing to do for Catra even if she can't see it right now, and that's the type of character Scorpia seems to be.

Wow, I didn't expect this. Catra is seeing Scorpia for the first time.

Right there with you, Sea Hawk.

Look at Scorpia's face! Look at her! She's so happy!

I'm not sure if it's because I haven't watched She-Ra in so long but this is the first episode I remember feeling long. Not in a bad way, it's not like I couldn't wait for it to end, but it's the first time that made me think "huh, only X minutes in." Part of it is probably because the first third/half felt like it could have been an early season 1 episode, with a setup, some chatting and a fight. Then the turn happened and it switched to something more complex.

The conversation between Sea Hawk and Scorpia was cute and wholesome, and I'm glad they both found someone who could understand them, but I'm not 100% happy with Scorpia's resolution to she won't leave Catra. It was very... I'm not sure how to explain it without making it sound way more problematic than I actually think it is. It shifts the responsibility about Catra treating her like crap to Scorpia.

It did work out by the end when she actually stood up to Catra and did what she thought was best, so maybe I'm worrying about nothing.

I'm somewhat sad by the death of the virus as a plot device, I liked the idea of the plan Catra had for a Mad She-Ra rampaging through the rebellion but at least we got a brief glimpse of what could happen. Curiously enough we didn't get to see the fallout for Adora so I hope it doesn't get glossed over the next episode. Losing control like that was a big deal last season and it should still be considering all the new baggage Adora is dealing now.

It was a great episode, it went places I didn't expect it to go and the show keeps building up the characters in interesting ways. Only two episodes left! Until next time!

#shera liveblog #shera #shera s02e05 #spop

[kemonododo]

Decided to rewatch the whole series after seeing the finale, here's my thoughts as they come along part 1

Razz tells Adora not to look for others to tell her what to do and asks her what she thinks. Adora decides she must fight the Horde. It's poetic that Adora gets so hung up on destiny and fulfilling her goal, when the final message she needed to learn was said in the third episode. Razz is the wisest of us all.

Angella repeats what she heard in the legends of She-Ra, notably that she is meant to "bring balance to Etheria". From Angella's perspective this seems like a good thing, but it's so much more sinister knowing that basically means "to turn the death star on".

Catra was pissed at Adora, but seemed willing to leave the Horde until Hordak elects her as Force Captain. This is the start of her conclusion that Adora was only holding her back, and so the decent of her madness. That little smirk kills me, because that face will shed a lot of tears from this point on.

Season 5 showed us what Adora's She-Ra looks like, without the First One's influence. It might be a bit blasphemous, but I think that reveal would have worked better if this early season She-Ra was the mini-skirt, cleavage design of the 80s. Have a bit of symbolism about societal beauty standards. Love the muscles though that part is perfect.

The first time Catra and Adora meet back up after their falling out is a little unremarkable, the wounds are still fresh and they're still angry at each other but I think both still don't understand how big this schism between them will be.

I just realized Entrapta's castle has a picture of a Tyrannosaurus rex with a unicorn horn and Pegasus wings. Is that what Mara's dragon was!? 😂

God I love Entrapta, even when I first watched this I was excited to see the purple Hatsune Miku in the intro. She always cared about people since the beginning, she just doesn't understand politics.

Castaspella and Angella were shipping Glimbow from the start lol.

The show gives us a full view of how Shadow Weaver's abuse affected Adora. Being constantly pressured to be the best and strongest at the threat of Catra's health has left Adora a jittering wreck. Call me sadistic, but I love that it wasn't resolved in this episode. Adora wins the battle against SW today, but all the way up to the series finale we see SW's dirty fingers clawing away at her conscious. It takes more than 20 minutes to escape a life of manipulation.

Princess Prom! This is when the show goes from a 7 to a 10. Not only the prom being a fun venue, but this is where Catra begins to get some agency. This is the first time she really feels like a main character, which is great because I love her more than anything. Also the first time we see Double Trouble and the Star sisters, which I guess are different from the Star Siblings in season 5? A bit of a continuity error.

Aww, Glimmer is jealous. I can relate to her fears of being pushed out, but the fact that she's pretty madly in love with him adds a whole new layer. Bow is right but he's being a bit insensitive here.

Let's just take a moment to appreciate how far we've come. Remember when this was the gayest thing in the show?

It's fun watching the princess alliance so early in their friendships, they obviously care enough to go with Adora on this mission to save Glimmer, but I love how annoyed and distracted they get with each other.

This episode is also really big for Catra, realizing she will never get Shadow Weaver's approval, that longing look at Adora, "this is not because I like you".

The Beacon is sandwiched between two great episodes that make it feel like filler, but a lot actually happens. We see more of Adora's insecurities, especially how she starts to take it out on herself when she runs into a problem out of her control. We got the formation of the super pal trio, a short lived group with an amazing dynamic. And we also have a huge moment with Angella that basically defines her entire character.

Entrapta's insecurities are revealed. She wants friends, she loves people, but they're complicated and hard and always seem to leave her. It's heartbreaking and something that comes to a head on Beast Island.

I love this scene with Catra and Shadow Weaver. It's clear she still loves her evil mom, and we see how SW has abandoned the idea of Adora for now and is now beginning to manipulate Catra. We also see another Catradora parallel, both of them tell straight to SW face that she has no power over them anymore, something we continue to see is not true.

Promise! 18 months later and it's still my favorite episode of the show. I like how it starts off with the anger they've been feeling up until now, but through the mind melting manipulation by skynet Light Hope, it's multiplied a thousand fold. Before this Catra was pissed at her friend, now Catra wants to murder the person she thinks destroyed her life. After this Catra isn't a cute tsundere, she's completely homicidal. She still loves Adora obviously, but Light Hope has corrupted that love into the most vitriol hate on the planet. It's wild to think they both love each other so much, and yet the abuse that have scarred them prevents that love from breaking free. This is the true moment where the show starts, this is where it became the best cartoon I have ever seen.

Also this is the only time since the first episode and Catra's redemption in season 5 where their chemistry is in full play. They just love each other so much, god I'm fucking tearing up again.

An important thing people forget about the Catradora dynamic is Catra's inferiority complex. She has been told since the day she was born that she is worthless, below Adora in every way. She loves and looks up to Adora, but her existing in Adora's shadow blackens that love. Which is why her joining the rebellion isn't a good ending for her. She needed time on her own, away from Adora, to carve out her own identity. It was her struggles as Force Captain that finally pushed her to start doing good, that realization that she is unhappy in that role. If she had left with Adora in episode 1, she would still be bitter and cruel and toxic, because she'd still be standing behind Adora.

Shadow Weaver's abuse goes both ways, as now Adora feels like she needs to protect Catra like a helpless kitten. That dynamic was not healthy, and it would not have lasted. Catradora can only exist now because they both accept each other as equals.

That final "you promise?", probably the most important words in the show. I've seen this episode a dozen times, but after seeing the finale the tears are running down my face again. Adora was the light of Catra's light, nothing mattered as long as Adora was there with her. She loved her so much. The Fright Zone, Shadow Weaver, her own insecurities, they all impacted Catra. But in that moment, them cuddling on their bunk, it didn't matter. Little did she know Adora loved her back just as much. Fuck I'm crying again.

Catra took that memory, tainted by Light Hope, and saw Adora as a monster. Someone who manipulated her like everyone else and abandoned her at the first opportunity. Someone who broke her most important promise, someone who broke her heart. Catra is probably the best written character in fiction, no I am not exaggerating.

It's a hard follow up after that episode, but the amazing juxtaposition of Entrapta and Light Hope telling the same story with different information is bone chilling and goosebumps giving.

Knowing the whole story of Mara, Light Hope's speeches are terrifying. Her manipulation makes Shadow Weaver look soft. Luckily we have an Alicorn to help, like all other abuse in the show it isn't over in a single dialog exchange, but Swift Wind is speaking the truths Adora needs to hear. The thing about Adora though is one of her main character flaws, she gives in to the doubt her abusers seed her. Her friends constantly tell her she has worth and deserves love, but she has it in her head that she must sacrifice herself for the greater good. That's another reason why Catradora works in the end, Catra helps bring out the selfishness she needs.

Battle of Brightmoon isn't a great finale, my time in the MLP fandom has soured me on "then all the friends came together and shot the villain with a rainbow" conclusion. Luckily, the show would knock the next three out of the park.

Catra starting the new season strong, I love the juxtaposition of the horde soldiers fearing her while the super pal trio doesn't. I love that little smirk, she thinks it's the first she wants yet we all know it's the later.

Frosta got a character change, I understand what they're doing where the other princesses are bringing her out of her shell, but it all happened off-screen so she just seems out of character. The little moment with her and Glimmer is great, and a little bit of forshadowing for Glimmer's queenly role.

Every Shadow Weaver and Catra interaction is fantastic, I love how SW gets so easily under her skin and how Catra pretends to brush it off. Those black tenticles still have a hold on the Kitty's heart.

Ties that Bind is a fantastic episode, especially seeing Catra's interactions with Bow and Glimmer. I love how this contrasts with the season 5 episode A shot in the Dark, here Catra is bullying the best friend squad with malice while the later has Glimmer and Bow playfully making fun of her with love.

Glimmer's actions here are also great forshadowing for her role as queen, especially how desperate she is to destroy the horde and how it affects her morals. Makes her decision to use the heart in season 4 very believable.

I love how Adora keeps referencing ghost stories she heard as a kid. I love the idea of her and Catra under the covers telling scary stories to each other until they'd both end up cuddling while insisting they aren't scared.

Entrapdak! Entrapta's love of science, complete lack of fear, and unending kindness can turn even a dictator cute. They have fantastic chemistry.

I love this little moment with Catra, Shadow Weaver correctly assumes that she's being pushed out and left behind by Hordak, and sure enough she finds Entrapta standing next to him in the lab she was almost killed just for stepping in. Her fears are repeating.

Ah! Goosebumps! The show is slowly moving to be more and more Sci-Fi, and that little shot of Mara's crashed ship with the fantastic music is just a hint to what's to come.

Roll With It is an absolutely adorable low stakes slice of life episode that shows how fun these characters are even when they aren't fighting a war. It's probably the funniest episode in the series, the 80s She-Ra segment is my favorite. There's also the wonderful moment of Adora's breakdown, the pressures of being the world's savior takes a toll on her.

White Out! One of my favorite episodes. The mostly self contained story, the new setting and outfits, great Super Pal Trio bonding, Scorpia being a lesbian, Sea Hawk, and the only time we see the corrupted She-Ra. It's a fantastic microcosm of the show itself, and it's really funny. The Scorpatra stuff is a bit sad knowing how it ends, but it is nice seeing how Scorpia can have a crush while still realizing the toxicity of her relationship later on.

Shadow Weaver's backstory and the biggest window into her head. She believes what she is doing is right, but her methods are full on psychotic, and she was power hungry from the start. I love her so much, she's so deliciously evil. The Eldritch horror that is the spell of obtainment is a treat, and SW's arrival at the Fright Zone is beautifully terrifying. This episode also has the best scenes with her and Catra, it's devastating to watch Catra continue to pine for SW's approval and how, after all this time, SW still only sees her as a tool.

Shadow Weaver is one of my favorite characters, literally every scene with her a amazing. "I can tell by how your voice turns shrill when you scream" what a bitch I love her. I also really like how you can tell Catra and Adora still love her, even after all this abuse. She's a monster, but she's also a mom, and both of those identities conflict in their heads.

Shadow Weaver's and Light Hope's reveal of Adora's origin is goosebumps giving. The revelation that there is a universe beyond Despondos is amazing, but I especially love Light Hope continuing to withhold information and effectively lie to Adora. Razz, Swift Wind, Angella, Catra, they all tell her to make her own decisions but this moment with Light Hope where she is told she doesn't have a choice is what Adora latches on to.

There's also the deal with Hordak, when Light Hope tells the story, she paints it as Hordak ripping the poor baby away from her family. We later learn that's wrong, Hordak saves Adora, he finds a tiny baby and even as a heartless destroyer he knows he can't leave her out there to die. He steals her away, but he does so from Light Hope, the original kidnapper. If Adora was raised by Light Hope, she probably would have fired the heart without question. The Horde was not a good environment to grow up in, but it was an important part in making her the hero the universe needed.

I love Hordak's monologue, the art style and music are fantastic and the whole thing is terrifying. To imagine the big bad horde of the show is just a tiny sliver of what is out there. It also shows Hordak's motivations, which don't excuse his actions but do explain them. This show does a fantastic job at letting us sympathize with the evil-doers, and that has only grown now that Wrong Hordak has shown what it's like to be disconnected from the hive-mind. Bonus points for explaining Imp's origin and showing how Entrapta is exactly the person that he needs right now.

Catra is being embarrassingly edgy here, but it is funny that she's talking about "lost it all" and she seems to think this is rock bottom, oh girl you are in for a ride awakening with how much farther you can fall.

Promise plays again as Adora has another break down. We finally see Mara, and as with everything to do with the First Ones it is chilling. I love this slowly unraveling storyline of Light Hope's true intentions. At this point it is clear she is not to be fully trusted, but we have yet to see how truly sinister her intentions are.

Catra, again, being one of the best characters ever written. She finds a minimum amount of happiness in the wastes, and immediately it all comes crashing down when her trauma resurfaces. That scene of the anger taking over is a masterpiece. I have said a million times that she'd never be truly happy in the wastes, and the later seasons confirm it, but it is heartbreaking to see how even the slightest hint of a smile is ripped off her face.

The Glimmer Angella arguments hurt, they're both right but it's sad to see them fight and how Angella takes Glimmer's advice while Glimmer doubles down on her faults.

Shadow Weaver back on her bullshit, manipulating teenagers to give her power. Noelle mentioned how she truly believes she's on the good side, and obviously she doesn't want the Horde to win, but you can't deny she has some selfish motivations behind recruiting Glimmer. That lust for power remains with her until the very end.

We see Adora getting to Entrapta here, people I think really didn't get their impressions of her right. Entrapta loves tech and science, and sometimes it blinds her, but she isn't immoral, she does care about the safety of her friends.

"You made me this way, and you get to be the good guy" "you couldn't wait to get away from here, from me. But you came back for Adora". You can see how SW's betrayal not only reaffirmed Catra's fears, but was probably just as much a force behind her decent into madness as Adora was.

There's also something beautiful about the symbolism of Shadow Weaver using her new victim like a battery to crush her old.

And Catra betrays Entrapta and Scorpia, this is officially the worst she gets, at this point her hatred of Adora is taking over her. We see more of it in season 4, but her desire to hurt Adora as much as Adora has hurt her causes her to crack like an egg. Scorpia's face says it all.

I love getting to see Catra and Adora in their element, completely in love with each other. None of the complexity of the world at large, just them two together. Even Shadow Weaver's approval of Catra, this is her dream world.

It's funny how Scorpia's first instinct upon seeing Catra is to hug her while her first reaction to Adora is to insult her. She has terrible judgement of character lol

Everyone's insistence that it's "perfect", watching the world shift and fall apart, the confusion, the panic, the show masterfully shows Adora's emotions in this mind-melding episode.

"Soon the two of us will be ruling Etheria together just like we always planned" "Is that what you really want, to rule the world?" "I mean, yeah, obviously. Isn't that what you want too?" God this little moment is perfect, it shows how much they're wavelengths differ. Catra focuses on the "together" while Adora focuses on the "rule the world". Like DT says later, Catra's heart was never truly in it. This thirst for power is just the world's most destructive coping mechanism.

#she ra #spop #analysis

[crazysnakey]

She-Ra season 5 thoughts and reactions [Spoilers]

Adora’s Dreams???? Is she trying to reconnect her connection to She-ra or smth???

Of course everyone argues about the Heart of Etheria. How can they not

Okay so there was that awkward af dinner scene, but Horde Prime confronting Catra on her feelings for Adora is 👌👌👌

Catra going to meet Glimmer several times. I think we all expected that.

Everyone telling Adora she’s not She-Ra anymore and her feeling needing to be useful... AAAAAAA

When they tied up a clone and he just started blabbering about how Prime is great and all and they’re like “was hordak like this” and Scorpia straight up being like “nah he just said get out a lot” like even Scorpia anknowledges that Hordak was like an angsty emo teen boy

Everyone being like “WTF DO WE DO NOW ADORA ALWAYS MAKES THE PLANS UGH”

Entrapta... good old entrapta going apeshit over the tech

Horde Prime really does that huh? Not only does he destroy planets and take their food he keeps their treasures and stuff as his trophies

GLIMMER GO OFF YEAH DON’T LET HIM USE YOU

Horde Prime calling Catra little sister... ��� hell no you bleached octopus

Scorpia’s impression of Entrapta is so funny like... “Yay! Science! Tech! *crazy hysterical laughing*

ENTRAPTA CAN YOU PLEASE NOT WALK INTO THE WAY OF GIANT DRONES AND BOTS PLEASE ITS A STEALTH MISSION

Mermista taking charge with Adora gone, go for it girl

Scorpia, i love you

“hooray! Oh I take back my hooray. Never mind I reinstate my hooray! Hooray!”

ENTRAPTA SAYING THAT SHE WORKS WITH TECH BETTER THAN PEOPLE AND SHE WANTED TO HELP THEM THRU TECH 😢😢

Those clones really pop out of nowhere huh? They’re just stationed everywhere huh? Like stormtroopers.

Shadow Weaver, you tsundere. You still have an attachment to Micah as your student

That one clone who’s neck just snapped and twisted (with all the great sound effects, yay!) 😨

Okay so Prime can see and talk thru all his clones... shoulda seen that coming

Hordak??? Hordak is that you

Catra straight up telling Hordak that it’s reassuring to see a familiar face even if they weren’t on the best of terms... 🥺

Is Hordak starting to remember?? Is he gonna remember Entrapta aaaaaaaaaaa come on pls

Adora taking them all to the place in her dream... wow somethings up y’all

UH WHERE IS MADAME RAZZ IN ALL THIS?????????

Going to save Glimmer... good luck y’all are seriously gonna need it

Micah pretending to be She-Ra was so funny I don’t know why

Oh so Prime can’t track First Ones tech... thank god

Wow remember when I said Hordak might be remembering?? Haha we just got the rug pulled out from under us

The Horde clones are a literal fucking cult and their chanting is seriously unnerving like wow Noelle props to making it unsettling

Aaaaaaaaand Hordak was reset again (in a weirder way too with that bathtub of whatever the fuck is in there) think he’ll somehow remember again? Entrapta my girl I’m counting on you

Entrapta naming the ship Darla... I’m getting Emily vibes

CATRA GETTING FLASHBACKS OF HER AND ADORA AS KIDS JUST RIP MY HEART OUT WHY DON’T YOU 🥺😭

Okay but does Prime have no cameras or anything??? He’s got clones and advanced tech but no cameras or scanners in his own ship?? Probably bc his clones are his cameras or smth

CATRA APOLOGIZING AND SAYING SHE WANTS TO DO SOMETHING GOOD WHEN SHE SAVES GLIMMER... WOAH 😭

They really gave us Swift Wind feels huh? They really did that to us

Scorpia saying that Kyle told her he has a crush on Rogelio... awww

The Star siblings are so sweet. Also Adora stop eating all their food

Bow just helping and protecting Glimmer even tho he’s still mad at her... 😊🥰

SHE-RA?!?!?????? She-ra is that you

Adora saying she wants to go back for Catra and that she needs her... 😭😭😭

One of the episodes is literally named “Save the Cat” like 😂😂😂

BRAINWASHED CATRA AAAAAA NO TF

Somehow I knew that Prime was probably gonna brainwash Catra but actually seeing it is something else

Okay but Wrong Hordak..., crying, no idea what to do, really innocent just trying his best don’t hurt him

So the clones and Prime use a hive mind... cool coolcoolcool

Horde Prime uses vessels??? He just jumps in from one body to the other??? He can do that??? Literally if he does that to any of the rebellion people I’ll drag him out of there with my bare hands

Excuse me??? Horde Prime knew the First Ones???? He destroyed them????? HORDE PRIME DESTROYED THE FIRST ONES WHAT

Adora fighting Catra,,,, AGAIN

Catra slowly remembering ONLY FOR PRIME TO SCREW IT UP AND INTERFERE THAT DIRTY PIECE OF-

New She-Ra form

NEW SHE-RA FORM AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NEW CLOTHES NEW POWERS NEW SWORD

WHERE TF DID IT COME FROM THO???????

They better have a good explanation of this and not just some asspull don’t do us dirty that way

Then screwing over Horde Prime and wrecking his shit. NICE 👍👏👏👏

OH MY GOD HORDAK FINDING ENTRAPTA’S PINK “LUVD” CRYSTAL AND GOING “Entrapta?” OHHHHH BOY WE GON GET SOME NOW

Everyone on the ship just dealing with stuff. Wrong Hordak continues to be the nicest person yet.

Micah is so funny he’s just like I want some cake and Frosta’s like UGH and he’s just like “Do kids not like cake anymore???”

Elberon. Hoooo boy that was weird and fucked up. Goosebumps. Honestly they should’ve seen it from a mile away that something was up

AAAAAAAAAH SPINNERELLA NOOOOOOOO

Catra’s new hair without the helmet is really nice. Kinda like her past being cut away and moving towards the future. I see she’s back with draping herself all over Adora and annoying her

Secret Underwater Party Adventure literally what

Scorpia’s song ❤️💖❤️... hot DAMN girl you are AMAZING and VALID and I STAN YOU

Glad to see the underwater people are doing great in these trying times

That montage of people with a grudge against Sea Hawk and Mermista beating them up is so fucking funny like “ANYONE ELSE WHO’S BOAT YOU’VE SET ON FIRE??!?”

DOUBLE TROUBLE?!!??!1?!1!??!???

Ironically DT was lying when they said Adora’s in space with a sword fighting but they didn’t know that’s what’s actually happening asdfjdn

Oh my god Mermista have you been chipped too

Literally everyone has been chipped so I guess no one’s safe idk what I was think. ing. 🤷‍♀️

How do those chips even work?? Does someone just slap it on the back of someone’s neck and that’s it?

EVEN MICAH’S BEEN TAKEN CONTROL OF?!?

That’s one heck of an anniversary....

Okay, Krytis gives me Krypton vibes. Anyone else??? It’s a planet, some superbeing’s weakness, and the name. Also it’s like, destroyed/abandoned has no life on it

Catra and the gang with their antics... she’s clearly not used to their carefree improvising ... laughing ... awww 😊 ~

Castaspella where have YOU been the whole time??

“How is it we’ve lost so many fine members of the rebellion yet we’re still stuck with you?” WOW Not holding back anything huH

Castaspella why are you even still wearing those longass robes and that cape

MAGIC??!? THAT’S THE SECRET??? THAT- actually makes sense. Prime uses science and tech so magic is something that’s probably out of his depth

Someone get me a shapeshifting cat please Melog is so cool

Wrong Hordak you’ve found your own truth go for it you spunky little boi

“Brother, I hope you too are full of love for Horde Prime and have no crippling doubt eating at your soul” GOLD. COMEDY GOLD I TELL YOU

HORDAK REMEMBERING THE ENTRAPTA RAINBOW SCENE AAAAAAAA

That montage where Netossa lists everyone’s weaknesses is so funny, Catra’s just like “I’m different. I’m a real threat.” Then Netossa just. Sprays her with water. Like. Wow.

Even in this troubling time, dad jokes persist. This is awesome. George and Lance have their priorities sorted well. Bow is so done with it 😆

HORDE PRIME WAS THERE IN PERSON THE WHOLE TIME?!

Literally what?????????? The heart can be taken WITHOUT SHE-RA???? Horde Prime ain’t screwing around babeyyyyy

Scorpia.... don’t lose to it AAA 🥺🥺🥺 and Perfuma is so positive and does the Fairy Tail thing where she believe in her friends no matter what

Shadow Weaver, the only one using actual logical deduction in the team while everyone else panics and makes puns

Okay Shadow Weaver’s speech to Adora might sound cruel but it’s actually logical and truthful. She’s being honest.

ENTRAPDAK REUNION. YES. YESYES AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MY SPOP OTP HAS RETURNED HORDAK STILL BEING ANGSTY

“YOUR IMPERFECTIONS ARE BEAUTIFUL” Entrapta you’re killin me

Glimmer’s first meeting with Micah and THIS is how it goes?!? Wow

“Adora it doesn’t always have to be you!!” That gives me so many feels bc it’s kinda true

CATRA STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM YOUR PROBLEMS DON’T DO THAT THIS TIME YOU’VE COME SO FAR NOW NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

“Adora doesn’t want me! Not like I want her” number one that’s so sad, number two NO, number three GURL ADORA DOES WANT YOU BACK LIKE THAT SHE LOVES YOU

Entrapta girl, you can do it you spunky little gremlin

The memories,,, AaAAAaaaaaAAaAAAAA

Glimbowww!!!! Glimbow Glimbow Glimbow!

“You’re worth more that what you can give to other people. You deserve love too.” OH MY GOD THAT IS SUCH A GOOD AND POSITIVE MESSAGE TO GIVE NOT JUST TO ADORA BUT TO PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE

GLIMMER comin in to SAVE THE DAYAY and Seahawk ,, 🤣🤣🤣😂🤣😂😂😂 you’re the highlight of these moments I swear 😂🤣😂

“My oldest enemy”?? Does he mean She-Ra or the First Ones? also WHAT is that giant green tentacle monster

THE LITTLE ENTRAPTA LOGO ON HER SCANNERS AND TECH THAT IS SO CUTE

KYLE AND ROGELIO AND LONNIE ARE STILL TOGETHER AND THEY’VE ADOPTED IMP AWWWWW AAAAAA

George and Lance are so proud of their son ~

Shadow Weaver !!!!!!! AAAAA AND TAKING OFF THE MASK and then just. FUCKIN G DYING??!!!??? SHADOW WEAVER YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO GIVE ME THESE FEELS AT THE END

Double Trouble you little shit

Holee shit, THAT is the heart??? It looks like empty cubes or shapes or something...

GO HORDAK GO OFF

DID HE JUST KILL PRIME???? YES!!!

Oh shit, nevermind, they are a hive mind after all,,, ........ FUCK

CATRA GOING “I LOVE YOU I ALWAYS HAVE”

CATRADORA KISS

CATRADORA KISS

CATRADORA KISS

THEY GLOWED AND TURNED RAINBOW GAY RIGHTS

THEY PLAYED CATRA AND ADORA’S SOUNDTRACK IN THEIR BIG MOMENT

Hordak’s memory with baby Adora??? Like adorable????

ENTRAPDAK REUNION AAAAAAA THE HUG

“HI I’M DAD” WOW

ALL THE REUNIONS

Mermista’s just like slightly unsettled by Entrapdak. Begone Antis.

Literally Madame Razz have you been just walking around and dusting stuff

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL ENDING WHAT A GOOD WAY TO END THE SHOW HOLY SHIT WOW

All of my ships have become canon this season Catradora Glimbow Entrapdak Seamista thank you Noelle MY CROPS ARE WATERED MY SKIN CLEARED MY DEPRESSION CURED MY HOPE RESTORED THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO WORKED ON SPOP I AM BLESSED

#spop #she ra #my thoughts #she ra and the princesses of power #she ra season 5 #liveblog #wOW #text post #yeah #still im so happy for my ships #all the love confessions were so good like #I love you #WOW BEAUTIFUL #got nothing to lose so just spilling all the feelings out there huh

[johannas-motivational-insults]

Catradora are both tops and Catra is a dom, change my mind

(Actually, don’t change my mind. I’m not writing this to cause drama, I’m writing this because Catradora sexual discourse is frustrating me and I want basically a masterpost to link back to whenever I need to explain my apparently controversial views on this shit. Hopefully some other people will also find that it speaks to/for them and be able to use it for the same purpose. Please don’t troll me, I’m but a simple girl who needs to be understood. I am, however, totally open to respectful debate. :)

Okay, I’d like to take some time here to follow up on my previous posts about how Catra and Adora are both vers-tops and Catra is so not a sub. I feel a little silly writing a long meta about the sexual dynamics of a femslash ship in a cartoon aimed at kids and teens, but there’s reason for it. For some reason, lots of fics write one or both of them in ways that feel extremely out of character, perhaps to make them fit the mold for a particular kink or sexual trope. And people will write what “works” for them ugh, and I’m not kinkshaming on principle, but some of it feels extremely disrespectful to the characters. Particularly Catra, given her backstory and struggles so far in the series, and I find this rather troubling.

And unfortunately, some of these things that are written to fit some sexual trope have ended up entering the more general discourse and morphing the fanon interpretation of the characters into something urecognizable, something that would make the canon characters mad if they read it. That’s another big reason why I’m bothering to write all this.

Let’s start with a clarification: when I said Catradora are both tops, I meant they would fight each other for control of an encounter and that’s totally fine and we don’t need to make hard statements about who is the top because it comes naturally to both of them. But I didn’t mean they would necessarily want control for the same reasons or that they are interchangeable in the sack. IMO, Catra is a dominant vers-top and Adora is the definition of a service top (but also versatile if that’s what works for her partner). These may be unpopular opinions (honestly why?), but I am fully prepared to back them up. *cracks knuckles*

I’m going to explain my biggest point first and then put a bunch of additional thoughts under the cut. That point being we need to consider Catra and Adora’s relationships with power.

Here’s the thing. For Catra, power is safety, power is an accomplishment she is proud of. She has fought/longed her whole life to be taken seriously. She has always felt disrespected and like she lacked agency (both of which are true, actually), so feeling respected and in control is very important to her.

This is especially true of her relationship with Adora, as she feels like Adora has been controlling her for most of their lives and doesn’t respect her. She resents that Adora has been in the “power position” for ages and is actively trying to change that.

Didn’t anybody else see how she got off on those guards standing at attention as she walked by in 2x01, and how tickled she was standing on top of Dryl in 2x02, overlooking her troops taking it over? Catra gets off on power, why would she not also literally get off on it?

To Catra, giving up power would feel like a failure.

For Adora, power is a burden. Yes she is an absolute control freak, but that’s because she feels like she needs to control everything because if anything goes wrong it’s all her fault. Shadow Weaver instilled this idea in her when she was very young, the way she was groomed to be a leader in the Horde reinforced it, and now being She-Ra has made that feeling inescapable for her.

I’ve seen people use the “person who has a lot of power irl wants to give it up in the sack” concept to explain why they see Catra as a sub, but imo it works way better for Adora because she has always been saddled with power, even when she didn’t want it. I will get into this more under the cut, but we have seen Adora resenting and struggling with all her responsibilities on multiple occasions.

To Adora, giving up power would feel like a relief (once she got past the mental block of needing to control everything).

(This isn’t all to say that Catra would be running shit 100% of this time, I do actually think both are somewhat versatile in terms of top/bottom and dom/sub classification. I’m just making a hard case in this direction because I think they lean this way and because so many people seem weirdly convinced that Adora would 100% dominate Catra all the time and it’s weird and a little offensive.)

Now, let’s move on to my additional thoughts! The tl;dr of it all is: brattiness =/= submissiveness (quite the opposite, in fact), why the hell would an abuse survivor want to relive her trauma, this master/pet nonsense is racist af, Adora is not a starfish wtf, and Adora is a good little soldier who likes following orders.

(Plus new bonus content: Catra’s love and protection of Adora signals she’s a top, not just a dom.)

(A quick sidebar on semantics: I find the definition of “top” to be a little weird with wlw couples because we stole top/bottom from mlms but it doesn’t work the same way. We don’t always use strap-ons and when we do it’s not uncommon for both partners to use it on each other. So when I say top I might be referring to use of a strap-on or penetration in general, but more often I use it the way straight people do, literally referring to who is on top/who wants to be on top. [And for Catradora I really do think that’s both of them, though perhaps for somewhat different reasons.] Meanwhile, when I say dominant/submissive I mean who is running shit/in charge vs. who is pliable to their partner’s whims/willing to give up control. I don’t necessarily mean anything to do with BDSM, and I will say so if that is what I am referring to. So, hopefully the way I am using those two terms makes sense.)

Let’s start by clearing something up in regards to Catra: Brattiness does not equal submissiveness. This is a common misconception because yes, some submissive types will use brattiness to goad their partners into aggression. However, brattiness is first and foremost a defense mechanism. Brats are usually people who lack power and make up for it by acting out. It’s a way to feel like you have some power by resisting the unfavorable dynamic and/or causing the other person to lose control while you keep it together (causing a feeling of superiority/satisfaction that you caused that reaction). Why do you think so many youngest children are bratty? It’s the only way we can feel like anything but the omega of our family. Despite being about the same age, Catra basically feels like the younger sibling to the favored and overachieving Adora. Don’t you think she’d love to take her down a peg?

Yes, bratty behavior is meant to provoke a reaction, but it’s often an attempt to gain power, not lose it. Unfortunately, kinky stereotypes have caused this misconception that bratty characters must be subs looking to be dominated (and/or punished if into the BDSM stuff) or bottoms looking to be aggressively topped. Even if that is sometimes the case in the bedroom, we haven’t and will never see how Catradora interact in the bedroom, and people don’t always act the same in those situations as they do out in the world.

Sticking with Catra for now, I gotta say, anything that makes her a BDSM-type sub feels really problematic to me. Catra is an abuse survivor, and putting her in situations where she would be basically reliving her trauma (especially if they don’t take the care to establish the reasons for this behavior in a way that feels organic to the character) is extremely disrespectful. We’ve seen Shadow Weaver restrain Catra with magic and take control of her body, and it’s heavily implied by Catra’s behavior that Shadow Weaver has beaten her in the past. She is constantly struggling to get out from under Shadow Weaver’s thumb, why would she then want to go submit to someone else, especially in a way that would reenact this trauma? (Again, this is especially true of her relationship with Adora, considering that she feels like Adora has been dominating and controlling her for most of their lives and she heavily resents this dynamic.)

Then there’s all the racist implications of Catra in restraints, especially collars. First of all, cats usually hate collars and Catra in particular would hate it. She doesn’t want anyone to take control of her, Shadow Weaver’s done that enough for a lifetime. Then there’s the really gross implication that people want to domesticate Catra. Master/pet scenarios are a little fucked up when the “pet” character is a hybrid of a common house pet. Like, yikes. If you can do enough character work to make me believe she’d be into that, maybe we can talk. But, can’t anyone else see why this is kinda fucked up?

All this sub/bottom Catra stuff really makes no sense to me, and I can’t help but agree with the posts about how Catra is a top but the fandom likes to write her as a bottom because they ID with her and want She-Ra to top them. Like, Catra is her own character, not an empty vessel you get to mess with to self-insert into a sex scene with a buff goddess.

That being said, I do respect the power bottom Catra headcanon even if I don’t agree with it, if for no other reason than Adora is a total service top so her slotting into that role makes some amount of sense. My issue is more with the idea that Catra is inherently a total bottom (as opposed to her fitting in where she does with Adora) and with the dom/sub stuff in general. Because yeah, no.

Look, cats are like the least submissive creature on this planet, and Catra is one of the least submissive characters on the show. Adora, meanwhile, is basically a big puppy dog. If you have a dog and a cat together, which one ends up being submissive? Like, honestly.

On that note, let’s move on to Adora.

As I said above, Adora is the very definition of a service top. Adora is, as Catra said in 1x01, a people pleaser. She wants to please the people around her, both by making them happy and by making them proud/living up to their expectations. She’s also the type of person who tends to go for what she wants, tackle her problems head on. I honestly can’t imagine a situation where Adora would not be focused first and foremost on giving her partner pleasure, whether that means taking charge and fucking them with a strap-on or letting them ride her face until she suffocates. Or even if it means letting them have their way with her, as long as she can reciprocate and make them feel as good as they made her feel (hopefully better, because she’s super competitive).

Here, we run into another problem. I’ve seen Adora written multiple times as a melty starfish who lets Catra top her and doesn’t try very hard (if at all) to return the favor when Catra blows her mind. Maybe she whines a little about wanting to do stuff to Catra if she initially turns it down, but she doesn’t try to take control. Like, please. Do you seriously think Adora would stand for that shit? Canon Adora would get so huffy if Catra tried to turn it down, because Adora needs to prove her prowess and please the people closest to her. I’m not advocating for dubcon here or saying we should write that, just that based on Adora’s personality she would at least try. Adora is not a pillow princess, and certainly not a starfish. Like, that should be obvious.

However, I do see Adora as someone who could easily end up being more submissive in the bedroom. She wouldn’t necessarily be at first because she is so used to being in charge, but once she experienced that loss of control I think she would enjoy it. Here is where that “person who has a lot of power irl wants to give it up in the sack” idea comes back. I already went into this earlier, how power is a burden for her and letting someone else take charge would be a relief for her.

Fact is, this is already canon. Adora likes following orders. Madame Razz literally called her out in 1x03 for how she wants other people to tell her what to think and do. She was constantly striving to please Shadow Weaver, to carry out her orders and be a good soldier, and she never gave much thought to whether these were the right things to do until the truth smacked her in the face. She was happy to be promoted to Force Captain, but to me that read as her being pleased at the validation/recognition for her good work more than the power the promotion gave her (whereas for Catra, it was obviously both). When she moved to Bright Moon, she suddenly had this burning need to prove herself to Queen Angella. She craves approval from authority figures, and while Catra does too, Adora seems to have this very deep intrinsic need to be valued and appreciated for her service.

Like I said, a total service top. But she is a top. So is Catra. As I said in my first post about this, that is part of what’s fun about this ship. Let them playfully fight for control. We don’t have to assign these roles so rigidly, the only reason I’m making a hard case for dominant Catra is to counteract the common discourse/fanfic tropes for these two. Tbh I don’t even think they’d be very kinky, their lives are crazy enough and I think they’d just enjoy the comfort and intimacy and fun of vanilla-ish sex, once they got past all their hangups and reconciled. Catra likes her power, but once she got comfortable enough with Adora again she would be able to let go of that at times and I think it would be freeing for her.

Okay that’s about it for this ridiculous rant, but I hope I’ve given you all something to think about. Please try to consider the characters’ histories and personalities when writing sexy fanfic or remarking on the sexual power dynamics between these two. That stuff is so much better anyway when it actually feels true to the characters and shows respect for them.

ETA: I foolishly did not think to include this in the post initially, but Catra’s history of protecting and caring for Adora in the small ways that she can suggests she’s a top, not just a dom. It’s worth noting that she feels like a top-type personality forced into a role not suited for her, i.e. a role where she feels weak and dependent on her partner. I’m not gonna go into all the details here because this is a whole other meta I’ve written since, but you can find all that in this post. (I have since edited it into a PG version to address the non-nsfw aspects of what I was trying to say, but the original is still there.)

#top catra #top adora #service top adora #dom catra #sub adora #catradora #spop #fanfic tropes

[thoughtfulfangirling]

Something I've been wanting to write about for some time is how thoroughly the arc between Glimmer and Adora in season 4 parallel Catra and Adora's relationships and in this way, creates space for Catra's redemption, both for the characters in universe and for us as the audience. (btw who edits or revises things before posting them? Not me! Good luck!)

I remember thinking while watching season 5 for the first time and observing Catra and Glimmer's bonding, how Glimmer isn't quite as angry with Catra as one might expect given Catra's actions resulting in Angella's sacrifice. But it occurred to me: Glimmer's mistake just before the events of season 5 could have been just as destructive as Catra's in season 3, wherein that sacrifice took place. 

Since then, I've been pretty blown away on the similarities between these arcs, and it came to a sort of head today while rewatching the first episode via Netflix Party with a friend of mine who is also still reeling over the season 5 finale. 

In the first episode, Adora refuses to let Catra come back with her to the Whispering Woods to find what called out to her. She does this despite Catra's wanting to go with her because Adora fears that the consequences to Catra if they're caught would be too great. This means Catra isn't there when Adora makes her discovery about the Hoard. Catra isn't there nor a part of the decision of Adora's to abandon the Hoard. What might have been different if Adora had allowed her to come along? 

But that's the thing. At that point in time in that first episode, it's not just Catra grossly influenced by the manipulations and abuses of Shadow Weaver, but even while more subtle, it's just as prevalent in Adora, and her acting on that which lays at least one foundational brick in the wall that springs up between them. 

It's very well articulated in this Fandomentals article how Adora had to draw in on herself and her impulses and be the best that she can be in order to protect Catra. 

"Adora wasn’t always like this. Her goofball side shows up lots of times in young adulthood, and we see that as a kid she wasn’t afraid to get in a bit of trouble. Not only did she tease Octavia to goad a violent reaction for her and Catra’s amusement, the excursion into the Black Garnet chamber was arguably her idea. That unfortunate encounter clearly stuck with Adora despite her not being the one who got in trouble...

...The thing Catra does not realize is that part of Adora’s drive to be good in Shadow Weaver’s eyes came from a desire to protect her. Shadow Weaver made Catra out to be a bad influence and threatened her because of it. If Adora was really really good and showed that Catra was not having a negative effect on her, then Shadow Weaver would have no reason to follow through."

And this drive to protect becomes a habit for Adora, a driving need. It's tied very much into the idea that if she can just keep doing everything she can to keep someone safe, she can keep bad things from happening to those she loves. 

She carries this into her new relationships, and notably here, with Glimmer. It's only enhanced by Adora's feelings of always sacrificing her self for what she can do for others in the S3 finale when she has to sit on the sideline while Angella sacrifices herself in what Adora feels is her place. Not only does Adora walk away from that moment feeling that unless she can save the world, it should have been her, but she interprets Angella's last command to "take care of each other" as an order for Adora to protect Glimmer. It might also be worth nothing that the season ends with Adora being clear with Catra that she is done covering for her, that it's time for Catra to bear the responsibilities of her actions for herself and that Adora no longer accepts responsibility for her. I think it's not unlikely that this creates a bit of a vacuum for Adora, one which Angella seemed to suggest someone else for which to fill. 

And the ramifications of that pulse ever more strongly as season 4 progresses. Adora hides behind the idea that this new sense of protectiveness for Glimmer is because Glimmer is the queen, but anyone can see that Glimmer needs to be a part of things and is more competent and capable than ever, and so it seems only reasonable to assume that Adora has gotten caught up in this protection impulse. And while Glimmer's own sense of desperation at the Hoard's advances and the death of her mother propel her ever ready anger and frustration, Adora's need to keep leaving Glimmer behind drives a wedge down between them. It's easy to see Glimmer's anger and her sharp tongue and her bursts of frustration as at fault and the cause of these issues—just like it is easy to see Catra's impulsiveness and possessiveness to appear to be the cause of all her and Adora's issues. But in reality, it's a two person game. Adora's behaviors are at least as destructive to these relationships, if less obviously visible. 

So just like Adora makes a decision about going to the Whispering Woods and defect from the Hoard after leaving Catra in the Fright Zone, Adora leaves Glimmer behind at the end of Season 4 to, as she did in the beginning, do what was right at all costs.

Between getting information Adora doesn't get about Horde Prime arriving at any moment to Etheria followed by the blow that once again, just like many times before this season, Adora and Bow have gone off on a mission on their own, she makes a rash decision to try and use The Heart of Etheria. 

In season 3, Adora tells Catra not to open the portal or the world could be destroyed. In season 4, Adora tells Glimmer the Heart of Etheria cannot be used without the world being destroyed. Catra pulls the lever, and Glimmer activates The Heart. The consequences of Catra's actions result in Angella's sacrifice. The consequences of Glimmer's actions pulls Etheria out of Despondos, into the path of Hoard Prime, and causes Adora to lose She Ra. 

It's arguable what all Glimmer could be aware in regards to these consequences by the time she is taken prisoner, but it stands to reason she might truly believe, in the confines of ship and her cell until she hears further from Prime, that Adora could have been right, and she could have been transported off a planet just before it's destruction. Certainly she believes that the scale of her mistake is quite grave as she truly has a sense of carrying a hell of a burden. 

So I think there's some awareness there, when it's Catra and Glimmer, lost in space in brand new and uncharted, horrifying waters that there is a certain likeness of their experiences. It created the space, I think, for Glimmer to recognize how easy it is to make catastrophic mistakes out of anger and pain and even well intentioned desperation. It shows the audience that given faith in Glimmer's heart and intentions and her own remorse, she is worthy of forgiveness. 

And it just strikes me that it had to be Glimmer. Glimmer had to be the first to see this good in Catra, and it had to be Glimmer who saw hope in her, because Glimmer lost the most to Catra, something that can't be recovered. 

The episode in which it's decided to go back to save Catra is one in which Glimmer spends the entire episode seeking Bow's forgiveness for a wrong even she feels she can never make up for and is only resolved when she says that she can't expect it but that she won't give up. She knows what it means to have messed up irreparably and that this doesn't mean one should just stop trying. 

Glimmer: Look, I know you're still mad at me. Maybe you'll be mad at me for a really long time. I deserve it! And maybe— Maybe we'll— Maybe we'll never be friends like we used to be. But I'm not going to stop trying to make it better. I made a mistake with the Heart of Etheria. I should have listened to you, and I'm sorry. You get to be mad, for as long as you need to be. But I'm not going anywhere, and when you're ready, I'll be here.

Adora witnesses this, and it's then that she truly decides they need to go back for Catra. When she approaches the topic, the 'camera' is on her and Glimmer. Bow is there, but she's telling Glimmer, rambling as she tries to get to the point, knowing what Catra took from Glimmer specifically because she needs Glimmer to understand and, I think, give her this blessing, because it's Glimmer who was most hurt by Catra's past bad actions. And Glimmer gives it. 

Glimmer: Catra sacrificed herself to save me. Whatever you need to do, I'm with you. 

Angella is gone, but Catra is still here. Glimmer knows what it is to mess up profoundly, and she also felt real horror and trauma imprisoned on the Hoard ship. It certainly means Something that Catra risked everything to get Glimmer out, and I think even that it means something that she did it to protect Adora, just like Angella in many ways made her sacrifice largely as a means to protect and save Glimmer.

It is meaningful and impactful that Glimmer plays such a large role in Catra's redemption and that she is cheering her on as she walks the difficult path of admitting and making up for past mistakes. Catra, in some ways, learned how to make things right from Glimmer. Catra watched as Glimmer came to her to end the Hoard's reign at the end of Season 4. Catra watches the realization hit Glimmer that her choice was wrong, destructive as she collapses on the ground being sapped of her power.

Glimmer: Adora was right! Light Hope, used me. She activated the Heart! 

Catra: So? I thought you wanted to win. Use your weapon. 

Glimmer: I can't! It would destroy everything. I have to try and stop it.

Catra clearly followed Glimmer as she struggled back to the Black Garnet to attempt to destroy the garnet and make right the wrong she did. She must have watched Glimmer strike impotently at the garnet until she collapsed. And finally when they are stuck on Hoard Prime's ship together, and they know Adora is on her way to attempt to rescue Glimmer, Glimmer makes that statement, "Do one good thing in your life." 

Catra's redemption has so many moving parts. The show really took it's time to put so many pieces in place, from everything it did with Shadow Weaver (oh hey, also note Shadow Weaver's presence with Glimmer and how it effects her and Adora's relationship too in S4), Entraptra, Scorpia, Double Trouble, etc to put Catra emotionally just in the right place to really hear Glimmer. And part of why she can hear Glimmer, is because she just witnessed Glimmer in her place. She shouts at Glimmer after those words that she knows nothing about her, but the truth is, I think Catra was seeing quite a bit of herself in Glimmer just then, and found herself wanting. So, finally, she strove to do better. 

It honestly is just so beautifully done. I can't blame anyone for wanting more time with Catra's redemption, but I do think it was well earned. Glimmer offers a good prep in how a character can be misled and even estranged by the protagonist that leads to bad places. It creates a point of understanding and an example for the in universe characters to jump off of. I definitely saw in Glimmer's enthusiasm for Catra's joining the team a sense of 'if they can forgive her, then they can forgive me.' And it doesn't seem unlikely that Catra even had the exact same thought when she decided to risk Prime's wrath to save Glimmer. Despite her cynical nature, I think she found a spark of hope in her, and she made a leap of faith. 

And I think in this way too, we were more ready to accept Catra's redemption. So many pillars were put up in many places by the creators, and even while I can't fault anyone for wanting some tweaks or changes, I think spop did a fantastic job on this redemption and felt it truly earned by the end of the season. 

But then again, I might be biased in laying so much credit on Glimmer, cause Glimmer did nothing wrong, and they had to forgive her, and she’s wonderful and perfect! 

#tf is on her shit y'all #she ra spoilers #shera spoilers #spop spoilers #spopspoilers #spoilers #spoilers for jetwolf #spoilers for docholligay #thinky thoughts #tf rambles #she ra #spop #Did I mention there are spoilers? #parallels #Redemption #Glimmer #Adora #Catra #i love glimmer so much y'all #spoilers for jet #spoilers for doc #tfgoc