#i need to watch mara tell adora that shes worth more than what she gives to other people again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

youngjusticeslut · 4 years

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Pillow Talk

Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Characters: Adora, Catra, Melog and Finn Ships: Catradora Rating: General Summary: Five times Adora and Catra wake each other up, and the one time they're both woken up.

AO3

There are no windows in the barracks, but Catra can sense that it isn’t morning yet. The room is too quiet. Well, not exactly. Her ears twitch at Lonnie’s muffled snoring a bunk away. Kyle mutters something in his sleep. It’s a different type of quiet.

Catra groans before she can stop herself. Once she realizes what she’d done, she throws her hands over her mouth and shoots up, looking around to see if anyone had heard her moment of weakness. She fights another groan as she does this, a hand shooting to her back in an attempt to sooth the raging ache in her tailbone.

A quick scan of the room tells her she’s safe. Everyone’s asleep. Catra sighs and nestles back into her bunk, carefully this time. Thanks to her rashness, the pain in her tailbone has returned with a thriving vengeance. It radiates and heats up her entire back, leaving her in a terrible amount of discomfort.

Combat practice. She’d misjudged Adora’s attack and paid for it with a sharp blow to her tailbone. Catra knows this type of pain. It’s the kind that’ll leave bruises for weeks.

She knew better than to react when it happened. After they were dismissed, Adora’s face crumpled into one of horror. The blonde immediately rushed over and tried to gauge how badly she’d hurt her. Catra smiled through the throbbing pain and played it off like it was nothing, reminding Adora that her kicks need work.

Now, in the glowing green serenity of the barrack, Catra allows herself a moment to crumple. She shifts over to the opposite side, hoping that a change in position will alleviate some of the discomfort. It doesn’t work.

Catra lets out a short huff, annoyed that sleep is out of the question. Her sulking is cut short when a sleepy voice whispers her name. Was she imagining it?

“Psst. Catra.”

Adora’s awake. Had she heard her groan? Catra’s tail flicks but she ignores it and sinks deeper into her thin mattress. Maybe if she ignores her, Adora will go back to sleep.

A sharp nudge jabs through her mattress. Catra hisses and dangles upside down so she can glare at Adora.

Adora grins sleepily. “I knew you were awake. Why didn’t you answer the first time?”

“Because we’re supposed to be sleeping. Go to sleep,” Catra whispers back.

“I can’t sleep when you keep tossing and turning every five seconds.” Adora tilts her head to the side. “Did you have another nightmare?”

“No,” Catra says, a little too quickly. When Adora’s stare doesn’t relent, Catra frowns and grabs the bed frame so she can swing down onto Adora’s bunk. She lands and sits opposite Adora, crossing her legs. Her back seethes from the effort, but it isn’t unmanageable. Adora doesn’t need to know that she’s hurting. “Just can’t sleep.”

Adora nods before yawning. “I’ll stay up with you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“No, I will.” Adora sat up straighter, her eyes blazing with determination. “We can stay up all night, like the soldiers do. It’ll be good practice for when we’re in charge,” she affirms.

Catra smiles. “You really think we’ll be in charge one day?” The thought seems impossible to her. They’re just kids. All of the force captains tower over them, exuding a confidence and power she can only hope to one day have.

Adora sidles up to her with a carefree grin. “Of course. Our whole squadron will.”

They’re interrupted by Kyle, who screams in his sleep. Catra and Adora watch him, waiting to see if he’ll wake up, but he doesn’t. He returns to sleep with a whimper.

“Even Kyle?” Catra deadpans.

“Yeah, probably not Kyle.”

Adora yawns again, glancing longingly at her pillow. Catra catches the look and nudges her friend’s shoulder. “I’m tired now. Can we stay up another night?” she says, because if she doesn’t, Adora will hurt herself trying.

“Yeah. Good idea.”

As Adora lays back down, Catra moves to go back to her bunk. She’s stopped when Adora grabs her hand. Catra looks at her questioningly, and Adora smiles. “You can stay, if you want to.”

Catra blinks, and then nods. She curls up at the foot of Adora’s bed, her back already hurting a little less.

—

Adora wakes up when she feels Catra struggle against her. The feline’s face is scrunched in pain, shiny with sweat. She twitches in her sleep, whimpering and shredding the blanket with her claws. Adora’s seen this enough times in the past few weeks to recognize that Catra’s having a nightmare.

She springs into action, carefully shaking Catra and calling her name to bring her out of it. It takes a couple of minutes, but it works. Catra’s eyes spring open, wide and unfocused. She gasps for air and shivers against the coolness of Mara’s ship.

Adora takes Catra in her arms, holding her tight. Catra’s body is rigid against hers. “It’s okay,” she whispers into her hair. “You’re not there anymore. I got you. It’s okay.” Adora repeats it, over and over in different variations until Catra desperately grips her back, shaking.

“I got you,” Adora says again, bringing a hand into her hair and stroking it gently. “You’re never going back there.”

“But what if—”

“No. Never.” She wouldn’t let him. She’d fight to protect Catra with every fiber of her being.

“Prime could—”

Adora pulls back and grasps Catra’s face in her hands. “I said no.”

Catra falters, her eyes darting in uncertainty as she reads Adora’s unwavering glare. Adora’s face doesn’t waver. She holds Catra’s cheeks in her palms, gripping firmly. Minutes pass in silence. It’s so quiet that Adora can hear every one of Catra’s shaky breaths. It takes a while, but once Catra realizes that Adora isn’t going anywhere, she stops shaking.

“You promise?” Catra whispers, heartbreakingly soft.

“I promise.” Adora moves her hands so they can lay back down. This is routine by now. The nightmares don’t happen every night, but they come often enough that she knows what to do. Catra wakes up, Adora holds her, and eventually, they go back to sleep. Or they don’t, and they just lay there until Bow calls out that it’s time to eat.

Tonight, however, Catra faces Adora, not quite ready to attempt sleep. “Do you think I’ll ever stop dreaming about it?” she asks.

“I don’t know.” Adora rolls over on her back, staring up at the ceiling. “I have nightmares too. About Light Hope. Angella.” She lowers her eyes. “Losing you.”

She dreams about it more often than she’d like to. Every nightmare starts and ends the same way. With Catra falling off the cliff, and then dying in her arms. She-Ra doesn’t save her in Adora’s nightmares.

Catra’s brow furrows. Her ears flick upwards, curious. “How come I never catch you having a nightmare?”

“I don’t know. Usually I snap out of them quickly.”

“How? Don’t tell me, it’s a special princess trick.” Adora laughs, a little too loudly for the hour. “It’s not a trick. I just…” Her cheeks grow warm. She’s grateful that the room is dark. “I kind of wake up, see you there and feel better, I guess.”

Clearly, the room isn’t dark enough, because Adora can see Catra’s cheeks flush just as pink as hers. Catra does her best to hide it, immediately scoffing and shoving Adora towards the edge of the bed. “You’re such an idiot,” she says, and the familiarity makes Adora smile.

“A tired idiot.” Adora closes her eyes, getting into a more comfortable position. “Try not to have any more nightmares, kay?”

“Whatever.” Catra settles back down. Then she gets up, and points her finger at Adora. “And for the record, none of my nightmares have anything to do with you.”

“Of course not. That’s what your dreams are for.”

For this comment, Adora would be treated with various glares and Catra muttering viciously under her breath all throughout the next day. But to see the look on her face when she said it? Completely worth it.

—

The war is over.

Adora lays on her side, propped up on an elbow as she watches Catra sleep. Catra is curled up against her arm, and her breathing is soft, vulnerable. There’s no anger, or frustration on her face. No fear clouding her eyes. Catra just rests, lips parted slightly, while the morning moon casts a purple light that splays across her freckles.

Bright Moon’s victory party lasted well into the night, but Adora and Catra’s conversation ran even longer. They’re girlfriends now. Both of them snuggled up close to one another in Adora’s bed, holding hands until they drifted off to sleep. For the first time, neither of them had nightmares.

When the moonlight drifts over Catra’s eyes, she grunts a bit, her nose wrinkling. Adora laughs. She hasn’t watched her sleep like this before. There was no time in the Horde, and they’d still been adjusting on Mara’s ship.

But they have all the time in the world, now. Sure, there’s probably still things that need to be done. Adora’s sense of urgency gnaws at her nerves, but she doesn’t feel guilty brushing it away. There’s time for that. Right now, she just wants to lay here with Catra.

After a few minutes, the light is enough to rouse Catra from sleep. She sighs, wrinkling her forehead. “It’s too bright.”

Melog, who’d been sleeping on the floor, perks up at Catra’s voice. They mewl and stretch before standing at the food of their bed, just waiting. Adora chuckles, giving them a soft wave before reaching out to brush some of Catra’s hair with her fingertips. “Well, they don’t call it Dark Moon.”

“Hilarious.” Catra opens her eyes and slowly takes in her surroundings. It was dark when they’d returned from the party, and they’d both been so tired they all but collapsed in bed. “This is your room?” she asks, sitting up a bit. Melog trots over to her side, whining for attention. Catra laughs to herself before petting their head. “How’d you end up here?”

“Someone must have let them in here. And yeah, it is.” Adora grabs a pillow and shoves it under her lower back so she can sit more comfortably. “Your room now, too. What do you think?”

Catra finishes petting Melog and shrugs, mussing up her hair so it doesn’t lay flat on her head. “It’s fine, I guess.”

Adora can read her displeasure like an open book. She smiles and takes Catra’s hand. “You don’t have to like it. I didn’t like it at first, either.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it. Everything is just… really pink.”

“So pink,” Adora agrees. “But we won’t be here for long.”

“When are we leaving?”

“I don’t know. Guess it depends on Bow and Glimmer.” Adora shifts so that she’s leaning back against her pillow. Later on, she’ll coordinate a meeting with everyone and figure out some sort of plan. Should they go to Krytis, first? Or scope out the remnants of Horde Prime’s ship? It’s all up in the air, but Adora doesn’t mind the uncertainty. “I’m not in any real rush.”

Catra nods. She understands that. After years of being apart and fighting, spending time with Adora is a something she can’t wait to indulge in. “Me neither.”

Adora opens her arms and Catra nestles into them without a moment’s hesitation. Before, the action would have been muddled with feelings of uncertainty and doubt. Not anymore. It doesn’t take long for Catra to start purring, and it only grows louder once Adora scratches at the fur behind her ear.

“Now what?” Catra murmurs into Adora’s arm.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… war’s over. You just saved the planet. Shouldn’t you be running all over the place doing She-Ra things?”

Adora laughs a little bit. “Probably.” Catra’s hair is soft between her fingers. Has it always been this soft? She can’t remember.

Catra raises a brow, tilting her head up to look at Adora. “People might be wondering where you are. Something tells me that it’s not like you to lay in bed all morning.”

“For someone who’s been repeatedly asking me to stay, you sure seem to be in a rush to kick me out of bed,” Adora teases with a grin.

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah.” Adora pulls Catra closer, allowing herself the simple luxury of burying her face in Catra’s hair. “I do.”

—

The morning moonlight tickles Adora’s eyes. It peeks out from the crack in the drapes, casting bright rays of purple light in the bedroom. She wasn’t woken up by the light, though.

“Stop,” Adora groans, giving her girlfriend a light shove so she’ll cease trailing kisses down her neck. “It’s too early.”

Catra does not stop. She continues to kiss her until Adora finally opens her eyes, and even then gives her one more kiss for good measure. “It’s almost noon, dummy. You missed breakfast.”

“Catra,” Adora sighs, groaning again before making herself more comfortable. “You were supposed to wake me up hours ago.”

The feline shrugs. Even though She-Ra isn’t exactly needed anymore, Adora still puts herself out in the rebuilding efforts. Every day she works herself to the point of exhaustion, often not sleeping until late into the evening. It’s typical Adora behavior, so it really isn’t all that surprising. “I thought I’d let you sleep,” Catra says, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. “You seemed tired yesterday.”

“So, you completely disregarded what I asked?”

“I even bribed Bow and Glimmer to take Melog for the night so they wouldn’t wake you up. So, I believe the words you’re looking for are thank you.” Catra’s tail swishes as she straddles her girlfriend, shooting her a smirk. “And you’re welcome, by the way.”

Adora rolls her eyes, but rests a hand on Catra’s waist, bringing her closer. “I had things I needed to do.”

“Do them later.”

“And breakfast?” Adora whines, making a face when her stomach grumbles. “I don’t function without food, you know that.”

“Relax, I already got it covered.” Catra nods to the dresser. “Brought you back a plate.”

“Did you get tiny scones?”

“Yes.”

“The chocolate ones, not the apri—”

“Adora, yes,” Catra laughs and runs her fingers through Adora’s rumpled blonde tresses. The gesture works its magic and renders her girlfriend much more relaxed; just like it always does. “I know which kind you like. I’d be a pretty bad girlfriend if I didn’t know by now.”

Adora blinks, her eyes growing wide. “Girlfriend?”

“Isn’t that what we are? You’ve been saying it for weeks.”

“No, I know.” Adora sits up a bit in bed so she can better look at Catra. “It’s just the first time you said it, that’s all.”

A smirk flashes across Catra’s lips. “That’s so sweet. You’re keeping track.”

“You know what, yeah, I am. It’s about time you said it.” Adora shoves her playfully, grinning at her little yelp. This only sparks a round of ‘war’, where the two grab at each other and fight for dominance. It’s weird, but it’s them. The round at present ends when both of them fall to the floor with a rather loud crash, taking half of the blankets down with them.

Catra tosses a pillow off her head, giving Adora a look. “You’re annoying when you’re grumpy, you know that?”

“Yeah, but you love me.” Adora will never get tired of the flush that tints Catra’s cheeks. Every time she says it, the blush appears. She thought it would go away after a few weeks, but it hasn’t yet, so she intends to savor every one before they ultimately disappear.

“You’re never going to get tired of saying that, are you?” Catra’s voice is soft now, the harshness gone. It isn’t often that she’s like this, completely vulnerable and open to the girl before her. She saves it for when they’re alone.

Adora reaches up to toy with Catra’s hair, her fingers brushing just by her ears and giving them an affectionate scratch. “Probably not,” she admits. The scratching continues until Catra is all but putty in her lap, purring and burrowing into her affectionately.

Despite her tendency to keep herself busy and throw herself into her work, it’s these little moments that Adora cherishes the most. Alone, in their bedroom, time slows down. And for once in her life, Adora is able to stop and appreciate it.

—

Catra feels the bed shift, and is awake in an instant. She immediately looks to the center of the bed, but nothing has changed. Their infant slumbers peacefully in between her and Adora, just like they were an hour ago.

On the whole, she had no trouble adjusting to being a parent. When her and Adora found the orphaned infant Magicat, it took them no time at all to decide they wanted to adopt them. So now here they were. Parents. Exhausted, but enjoying the little moments of peace.

“Hey.”

Catra glances over to her wife. Adora sleepily opens her eyes, confused. “I heard you startle,” she says, voice thick with sleep. “Is Finn okay?”

“Yeah. They’re fine. I felt them move and got scared.” Catra takes Finn’s tiny paw in her hand, gently stroking the fur with her thumb. The infant doesn’t acknowledge the touch; Finn continues sleeping peacefully.

“I know what that’s like.” Adora props herself onto her side, leaning on her elbow. “Nobody told us how scary this would be.”

Finn coughs in their sleep. Adora and Catra quickly fall silent, afraid that they’ve woken them up, but the baby resumes sleeping. The two wives exchange a look before laughing quietly.

“Look at us,” Catra murmurs, still holding Finn’s hand. “It’s kind of ridiculous.”

“A little,” Adora agrees. “Wouldn’t change a thing, though.”

“Really? I would.” Adora raises a brow, waiting for Catra to continue. The feline jerks her head over to the dismantled crib in the corner of the room. “I wouldn’t have let Entrapta build us a freaking crib.”

“Yeah, in retrospect, that was a really bad idea.” Adora touches Finn’s head with a small smile. “Perfuma offered to build us one. What do you think? Finn loves flowers, so I thought it would be cute.”

Catra hums as she thinks it over. “What if Finn eats the flowers?”

“Finn won’t eat the flowers.”

“I mean, you ate the flowers at—”

“That was one time! How was I supposed to know that they weren’t edible? Who puts flowers on top of food?” Catra snaps, careful of her volume.

The incident in question took place in the rehabilitated Fright Zone. Scorpia put together a party, and Perfuma helped with many of the smaller details. Hence, decorative flowers on various courses at dinner

Adora leans over so she can kiss her wife. “Don’t feel too bad. You don’t even want to know how many flowers I ate by accident. Among… other, non-edible things.”

Catra is appeased by the kiss. When Adora finishes speaking, she kisses her again and takes her hand as they lay back down. The two of them look down at their child, both smiling, neither of them able to believe that this is their reality.

—

“Mama?” A sniffle, followed by a shaky breath. “Mom?”

Adora opens her eyes first. She sees Finn standing at the foot of the bed, holding onto their shirt with trembling fists. Catra is quick to follow, immediately sitting up at the sound of their child’s voice.

“What is it?” Catra asks, opening her arms. She’s always been better at jumping to action. Adora needs a couple of seconds to assess, but by the time Finn is wrapped in Catra’s arms, she understands.

Adora scoots closer to Catra, gently stroking Finn’s thigh. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Finn nods. “Spiders. Lotsa spiders. They were chasing me, Mama.”

Catra and Adora exchange a look. They certainly hadn’t been teaching Finn about spiders. So where had they gotten that from? Catra sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose before Adora can come up with the answer. “Double Trouble,” she mutters, shaking her head. Double Trouble has a penchant for telling Finn all kinds of… scary things. For the most part, Finn adores them.

“We really should talk to them,” Adora sighs.

“Won’t be of any use. I’ve already tried. And besides, Finn likes their stories way too much,” Catra says with a smile. She brushes some hair off Finn’s forehead and grins. “Have Mama and I ever told you about the time where we were actually chased down by a mob of killer spiders?” Finn sniffles before wiping away their tears. “No. Was it scary?”

“So scary,” Adora agrees. “They were big.”

“How big?” Finn asks, now engrossed.

“Humongous. Bigger than Melog, even.” Catra nods to the older alien-cat, who was lingering by the door. Upon hearing their name, they slowly pad closer, until they’re right by the bed. Finn giggles at the sight of Melog, then stretches out to pet them. “They were no match for your Mama, though. She turned into She-Ra and took them all out.”

Adora wraps her arms around both of them, leaning back so they’re all snuggled up together. Moments like these are so rare, now. Finn rarely wants to be cuddled like this. Their little independent kitten. “Don’t give me all the credit. Your Mom was right there beside me. She took down plenty of spiders herself. Or did you forget?”

“I didn’t forget. I’m trying to make you look good, Adora. We already know that I’m the cool one.” Adora scoffs, and Finn giggles at their banter.

“Can I sleep here with you?” Finn asks, already clasping their hands and pouting. Adora gives the same pout to Catra, as she knows what her answer is.

Catra sighs in defeat and nuzzles her nose against Finn’s. “Fine. But if either of you kick me, you’ll both find yourselves on the floor.”

The three of them curl up together under the blankets, just as they had when Finn was a baby. Melog anxiously mewls and paws at the blankets until Adora allows them to jump up on the mattress. Adora listens to her family purr until they all fall asleep, and only then, she closes her eyes as well.

#she ra #spop #catradora #catra #adora #she ra and the princesses of power #finn #melog

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kemonododo · 4 years

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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

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haemosexuality · 5 years

Text

My reactions to s4 that I wrote while I watched it

Glimmer: do I look ok

Adora: like a queen

Ok gay

Casta is just white diamond

Whats a bouncer??

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKPERFUMA JUST WANTS TO FLOWER

Why isn't swift wing dead yet

WINGS!!!!!!!! SHE GOT WINGS

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Oh, pertara?

HUNTARA AND ADORA HORDE BONDING

Oh my god stop licking sand

Barbed lady. Big boobs? (that nicky minaj video)

Fucking cacti

Immediately love double trouble

Holy fuck perfuma

"Ive got something more important to do. It was fun distracting you tho" WHAT A CALLBACK I MADE VERBAL NOISE

O H P E R T A R A?

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CATRA IN PAJAMAS shes so hot fuckkk

ALSO SHE HAS LITTLE HAIR TUFS IN HER FACE LOVE IT

WHY DONT THEY HAVE NOSES

Holy shit Catra's nightmare???

WAS ADORA EYING THIS LADY'S BOOBS AND MUSCLES???? SAME

yeah fluttering is double trouble and theyre aNNOYING

M E CAKE! THERESAMECAKE

ADORA STOP YOU SHOW OFF

they TOOK BOW????

A bow without a bow

"I got the idea from Shadow Weaver" oh. Oh no. Oh no oh no

Dude catra is EXTRA EVIL holy f

Toldya ab flutterina

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KSKSKSKKSKSK spinerella and netossa fighting in a married way love it. I love netossa so much. "I destroyed more bots then u" love them

Theyre a theather kid

ANGRY SPARKLE GROWL

Shadow weaver die challenge

BOW??????

oh right shera can heal

IT HIT ME IN THE ABS WHICH IS THE MOST VULNERABLE PART OF THE BODY BUT I DON'T COVER IT BC I DONT HAVE SHIRTS. I WASNT THERE TO SPARKLE. SHE RA RASPBERRY

give us a minute. Thats an order

AND DARK GLIMMER BEGINS

Oh sw is making that thing were one person suggests something and than makes it look like it was the other persons idea/choice with glimmer

ARE YOU TELLING ME DARK GLIMMER WILL BE DOUBLE TROUBLES FAULT

who names their kid double trouble tho like.

Parents: h yes this is my kid I think I'll name them *name*

Parents after finding out their kid is a little shit:actually changed my mind

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YO AKSJAKDJKSKKSKSKSKSKSK LIGHT HOPE

i LOVE everything ab the horde squad parts,,, their games their fights how they feel EVERYTHING

M A R A????

oh, mara hope??? Light mara???? I SHIP IT

I AM CATCHING FEELING FOR THE HOLOGRAM :((((((( LIGHT HOPE IM SO SORRY I EVER DOUBTED YOU I LOVE YOU

KYLE YOU ARE NOT BARBEQUE GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW THEY LOVE YOU PLEASE YALL LOVE EACH OTHER :(((((((((

Rogelio. I love him

I TAKE IT ALL BACK WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT MEAN??? LIGHT HOPE??? THE HEART OF-- *HOLY FUCK THE HEART EPISODEBOH MY GOD*

THEY DID IT THEY SAID DARK MAGIC

god adora is feeling so bad ab sw

Ooo spells

DOUBLE TROUBLE STFU

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its ep6 and no sing of entrapta :(

CATRA STOP HURTING SCORPIA

As someone that stayed awake until 5am to watch shera, same catra, same

"If I can finish this off, everything, everything will have been worth it" 💔

Scorpia's on that delicious denial

The super pal trio pic,,, 💔 also catra sits like a lesbian

Think like entrapta. Hordak. Tiny food. First ones tech. Runestones

OMG IS SCORPIA GONNA CONNECT HERSELF TO THE BLACK GARNET?? YES

NO CMON SCORPIA

THE SUPER PAL TRIO VIDEO OMG 💔💔💔💔im gonna cry

YES QUESTION YOUR LOYALTY LEAVE THE ABUSIVE FRIENDHSOP

"I know a great place to hide" pls scorpia leave catra💔

DARK GLIMMER

adoras mad af lmao

SCORPION PEOPLE AND SCORPION KINGDOM LORE

shes deep into horde propaganda huh

GO SCORPIA GET OUT OF THIS ABUSIVE FRIENDSHIP

NO SCORPIA

holy shit catra. Wow. Wow I- dude that was. Dude. Yikes

"You're a bad friend" GO SCORPIA

Ugh "i hate catra shes irremeamable and toxic" discourse is gonna come up again isnt it.

"we dont need anyone. Forget them all. No one matters. Nothing matters but this mission" catra nooo💔💔💔💔💔

BEAST ISLAND

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"THERES A HORDE SPY"

Im perfuma yelling SPOILERS

Oh my god. Are things really grey right now this is serious. This is real KDKKAJDKAJDK

"But then my vision glitched.. I started to see double": )

"What has she done other than help us" GLIMMER???? ABUSE ADORA, YOUR BEST FRIEND, HER ENTIRE LIFE JUST TO START

Sea hawk PLEASE

Ye that perfuma that released sea hawk was double trouble

I CALLED IT

adora WHAT. "HOH, HOH, HOH, HOH, HOH *panting*"

WERE SPINERELLA AND NETOSSA GETTING MARRIED????

“We need you here. I need you here.”

"Are you jealous cause you arent shadow weavers favorite anymore?" GLIMMER SHADOW WEAVER ABUSED ADORA GROWING UP!!!!! GLIMMER!!!!!! WHAT THE FUCK

oh CMON I WANTED DARK GLIMMER I WANTED THAT FIGHT TO BE REAL :((

well SHIT, SALINEAS GONE. mermista :(

Wait isnt she fucked tho?? Like bc of the runestone

Horde prime has dreads????? KSKSKSKS

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Cant believe the horde attacked squiward's people :/

Mermaid mermista with her hair down 👀💗

1-sea hawk i love u and ur plan

2-oh well theyre kidnapped

Sea hawk b like what does the fox say

THEY WERE KIDNAPPED BC SEA HAWK SET STUFF ON FIRE

wait NOELLE SAID WED MEET SEA HAWK EX????? JAJSJSJSJSJDJ CONFIRMED BI ICON

"Scorpia, ill kill you if you ever tell anyone this, but… i thought winning would be different" :(

Oh theyre with the horde now. Guess they'll die

"She-ra was supposed to save us. But the rebbelion has been in a worse place than ever since you showed up."

"Im trying my best. Why cant you see that?"

"Maybe your best isnt good enought! If it was, my mother would still be here" GLIMMER I FUCKIFN HATE YOU RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD.

Ooh, so they were 6 in the dumb face flashback

BOWWWWW 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

Mermistas like rock. Shes emo

CATRA FOUND OUT ABOUT SCORPIA

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MADAME RAZZ I REPEAT MADAME RAZZ

MARA???????

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! IS UP!!!!! WITH MADAME DAZZ

ok that ship+gigantic statue background is beautiful

madam razz is magic and tbh we been knew but yoo

also MARA MARA MARA AAAA

"The ghost is mean"USJSUSUSUSHSUSHUSJSUSHS

MARA CALLED LH "HOPE" I SHIP IT SO MUCH

SHE-RA!!!!!!!! MARA!!!!!!!!!!!!

mara as shera is so beautiful mara is so beautifil

holy shit wtf too much shera and first ones lore

I dont even know what to say about Hero

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Ep 10 and no sing of entrapta

OH MY GOD DT'S ADORA HAIRPUFF

wHERE did scorpia come from

Oh well. Catra's gone crazy

SCORPIA EATS A SALAD

SHE WAS TOLD SHE WOULDNT BELONG BUT SHE DOES AND NOW SHES CRYING IM😭😭❤

god catra looks so. tired. Someone help her

SHES WITHOUT HER MASK I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL SHES MASKLESS

dude shes just. Shes. CATRA BABY PLEASE GET A THERAPIST

i love how they dont treat frosta like a stupid ass baby bc of her age but also make her behave like a 12yro. I love it ❤

------

Glimmer you are going to Fuck Up

MICAH ITS MICAH ITSSSS MICAHHHHH

ENTRAPTA

glimmer YOU ARE GOING TO FUCK UP

actually nevermind scorpia pls dont connect w ur runestone

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ooooo entrapta got her overalls up

Can i say it im obligated to say it. Shes hot

I KNEW entralta would love the island KKSKSKSK

SHE. SHE FUCKIN. SHE FUCKIN KNOWS AB THE HEART OF ETHERIA

CATRA MISSES HER OLD HORDE SQUAD💔💔💔💔

Holy shit catras just. Shes just broken. Shes just,,, catra pls in beggin u its gonna b ok bb

She's a mess.

double trouble dont touch catras face like that shes a lesbian

YES GLIMMER still mad at you but TELL SHADOW WEAVED OFF

"My friends left me" GEEZ GLIMMER I FUCKING WONDER WHY

If anyone ships bowxentrapta imma throw hands shes 30 hes 18

"Oh definitely the ship"

THANK YOU DOUBLE TROBLE NOW HORDAKS GONNA GO FERAL AND KILL CATRA

Why hordak got boobs

------

OH SHIT SW AND MICAH SHITSHIT

Glimmax pinkhairton

THE HORDE SQUAD DEFECTED nice

Hordaks like * destroyes the entire fright zone cause someone lied ab his gf cheatin on him *

Holy shit you GO CATRA

I WANNA SEE PRINCESS SCORPIA SO MUCH HOLY FUCK

SHIT WE'RE FUCKED

DUDE THEY LOOK SO COOL WHEN THEYRE LIKED POSSESSED

YO sea hawk had heart eyes for mesmista when she got super powerJshlandjejd

Oh my god. Double trouble. Stop it. Stop torturing catra like this. Oh my god her voice, shes so hurt, i wanna hug her

Her face. Her body language. Her voice. Shes hurting so much. Please. Pl-HOLY SHIT PRINCESS SCORPIA HERE WE GOO

SCORPIA IS SO FUCKING BADASS I LOVE HER SO MUCH

TERRYFUNFYING

SHE RA IS SO FUCKING BADASS

Oh yeah this is rock bottom. She (finally) went from extremely feral and needing revenge and anger issues to just, depressed.

HOLY SHIT THE MOONSTONE

HOLY SHIT ITS ALL THE RUNESTONES

AAAAA ALL THE PRINCESSES

OUT OF DESPANDOS?????????KSNSKAJDJJSHDJSHDJWUFB HPJYSHUTJHKLSYSHITLHOKYSHIHOLYSHITHOJSYSHSHSHDUHEHSHWAAAAAA FUCKFUCKFUKCUFKCUFJCUJFVU

ITSGONETHESWORDBROKETSHSHJSHSBDHAHDPUTAQUEOAHSIWBDIWHIEHWUEWHHWHAAAFAYSDHSHDHUDHUDUSHFHSUEEJUDEUZUEHWYDGEYDHDHSHAJAAHWTATHECUCKXJCKKCKCKCKVKVKVKVKV

ADORA IS WITH HER HAIR DOWN I REPEAT

Well hordaks dead

oh well

#She ra #Shera #She-ra #Spop #she ra and the princesses of power #She ra season 4 #Spop spoilers #Spoilers #Im gonna post some of those separately

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nleeowens · 4 years

Photo

How She-Ra Can Be An Important Lesson of Self-Love to Elder Daughter (Especially Those of Single Parent Homes)

“You’re worth more than what you can give to other people.” - Mara to Adora, She-Ra And the Princesses of Power

I was six when my parents divorced, and because I was too focused on starting first grade at a new school I don’t really remember much of that time. One moment there were the four of us, my parents, my sister and I, living happily (or at least what I thought was happily) in a small apartment in Miami. Then there was fighting and crying behind closed doors. And then, the next my dad moved out to another place nearby, and soon afterwards out of state with a new family.

While this whole whole chapter of my life is a blur (which is probably for the best because who wants to clearly remember the trauma of watching their parent’s relationship fall apart), I can still clearly recall one of the last things my dad told me before he left, something he has repeated frequently since: “Look out for your sister and mom.”

Being the eldest by three years my sister was not a new responsibility to me. Like every eldest child, when my sister was born I was told that it was time for me to be a “big girl” and help my parents with the new baby. It was a responsibility that I was not particularly excited for as evident by early pictures of my sister and I.

But look out for my mom? How could an elementary schooler be of any help to a grown woman?

The answer, it turns out, is a lot.

For years, I watched as my mom would do all she could to provide for my sister and I. Always managed to give her all as a public school teacher (gravely underpaid like most teachers in America), and even pick up second jobs every now and then. But when my mom came home she deflated, as if she gave most of her limited energy to the outside world and only had a little left for my sister and I. So I did my best to pick up the slack wherever I could. (Until I was old enough to work the oven, we went through our fair share of PB & J sandwiches.)

Nearly four years later my mom got remarried. My mom told us this was it, this was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with it. My sister and I believed in her and that man so much that we started to call him “Daddy”. I found myself buying into the fantasy of those idyllic two parent households I would see on Disney Channel. Half a year later, the fantasy was shattered when my mom got divorced again, and she was left with a third kid to raise on her own.

At the age of ten I became a pseudo parent to my baby brother. I changed his diapers, bathed him, fed him, helped him walk, potty trained him, etc. Taking care of my family, my baby brother especially, became my whole identity. No after school activities because I had to pick up my brother from elementary and my sister from cheer leading practice. Couldn’t stay over at a friend’s place because I had to be home at a certain time to watch over my siblings.

When it was time for me to head off to college, I was excited to finally be away from my mom and siblings. I bitterly thought to myself, “watch them fall apart without me”. A few weeks into my freshman year I came to the realization that I probably needed them more than they needed me. I fell into a depressive existential crisis as I wondered who was I if not the big sister/ eldest daughter my family could depend on? It felt as if without any sort of responsibility to others I lost my purpose, my worth.

My childhood is nothing special. First born daughters are already forced to grow up faster in order to become “Mommy and Daddy’s little helper” (x), and tend to do more chores than their male counterparts (x). Then to add the trauma of divorce only cements their role as a stand-in caregiver (x). This kind of pressure can do serious ever-lasting damage to these girls’ psyche, damage that I am still trying to heal from in my mid-twenties. Which is probably why the fifth and final season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power struck such a cord.

Major spoilers ahead.

The ending of She-Ra was a beautiful tribute to love. To the love for our friends, family, romantic partners, and most importantly the love for ourselves. Throughout the eternity of the show, Adora is reminded of her destiny to protect the people of Etheria as Sh-Ra “for the honor of Grayskull”. Even before wielding her magical sword, Adora is under constant pressure from her mother figure, Shadow Weaver, Hordak, and most of her fellow cadets to help lead the Horde to victory. Adora has dedicated so much of herself to the war for her phone that she apparently even fights in her sleep.

In the last few episodes, Adora is ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice to save her home and friends from a conquering intergalactic empire. While she makes her way to the Heart of Etheria she encounters a holographic ghost of the previous, She-Ra, Mara, who sacrificed herself to save Etheria from a different conquering intergalactic empire. Adora promises Mara that she is going to finish what Mara started so her “sacrifice won’t be in vain”. Instead of congratulating Adora for her heroic sacrifice, Mara tells Adora something she needed to hear (along with every eldest daughter watching): “You’re worth more than what you can give to other people”.

Adora is worth more than what she can do for the people of Etheria, my worth is more than what I can do for my family, and so is every eldest daughter of single parent homes. Like Adora, it’s okay to want to live for yourself. That doesn’t mean you are selfish or that your love for the people who depend on you is any less, because at the end of it all you deserve to want happiness for yourself, “you deserve love too”.

Thank you so much for reading. I loved the ending of She-Ra so much that I've watched the last season three times now. I can't wait to see what Noelle Stevenson is going to work on next. If you want you can also read this essay on Medium.

#personal essays #My writing #she ra #spop #she ra adora #she ra catra #netflix #the eldest daughter effect #eldest daughter #she ra mara #spop spoilers #spop season five #noelle stevenson #she ra spoilers #she ra and the princesses of power #writing #writeblr

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deihy · 4 years

Text

SLYTHERIN ADORA AN EXPLANATION

My take on this tweet made by Noelle Stevenson.

__________________________________________________

Ok, so, as much as I liked that Hufflepuff Catra was confirmed, reading “Adora is a Slytherin trying to be a Gryffindor” has been the single most interesting thing of this week, and is what I wanted to focus on because how can Adora NOT be a Gryffindor? Well, I tried to find that answer and I think I get it now.

But, before we begin:

*Disclaimer: I’ll be using the split model created by “thesortinghatchats”, which divides each house into a Primary (why a person does things, their priorities and motivations) and a Secondary (how a person does things, what are their methods and styles to accomplish goals). I like it because I think it allows for more nuance in character analysys, but I also know there are people who don’t find the system useful and may want to skip this.

With that clarified, here we go:

________________________________________________________________

The reason is so hard to think of Adora as anything other than a Gryffindor is that she IS one: a Gryffindor Secondary.

“So, what do we do now?

We do what we do best.

We improvise”.

- Adora, Roll With It.

By that I mean three things:

1. Adora has a knack for improvisation. She may plan beforehand, but if the plan falls apart (which tends to happen to her a lot), it doesn’t matter since she won’t let that stop her. For instance, she might not be able to heal the land of Plumeria, but she can try to stop the Horde soldiers that are there. On top of that, she is very good at making things as she goes and at using the tools available to her advantage. (See: Every Catra vs Adora fight ever).

2. Her way of doing things is to be bold and direct (both in her words and actions).

Adora’s MO is to decide what should be done, and then doing it, no matter how hard. Be it joining the Rebellion the same day she leaves the Horde, fighting for Plumeria when its people won’t do it themselves, or going against Glimmer’s wishes and leaving for Beast Island to save Entrapta. And it’s the same for how she talks; most of the time, you know what she’s thinking and how she’s feeling because she’ll just tell you if you ask her, even if she’s not the best of communicators.

This does not mean she is incapable of being discreet (sneaking in and out of The Fright Zone and then of Bright Moon), or of telling lies (to catch the Horde spy), or considering other possibilities before acting (the different plans in “Roll with it”). However, these are the exception, not the rule and, in the case of the lies, you can see how uncomfortable she feels when she has to tell them.

3. This unwillingness to let fear stop her or to be dishonest in who she is or what she thinks, it inspires people. Like in the cases of Perfuma, Huntara and Angella.

She’s not a Gryffindor Primary, though.

Why? Because she values her friends, her most important people, more than anything else.

“If you wanna take down Adora, you have to go for the heart.”

- Catra, Princess Prom.

Ok, so. Being a Slytherin tends to be associated with selfishness, with a lack of care for anyone other than yourself and your own, and this is seen as a bad thing. Though it can be a bad thing, depending on the situation, for a Slytherin is just right to value yourself and those who are important to you, and they expect the same from everybody else.

In Adora’s case, she had Catra and Shadow Weaver. She felt she could be herself with the former and that she needed to make the latter proud. Once she found out Shadow Weaver had manipulated her, that all she had ever been told was a lie, and that Catra was aware of it, it became very hard to separate her best friend of the betrayal she felt. When Catra refused to come with her, attacked her and then left her in Thaymor, Adora was left with no one.

That’s when Bow and Glimmer come in, and by being kind, supportive and patient with her, the way Shadow Weaver never was, they quickly became two of the most important people for Adora. From then and throughout the whole series, Adora has established, again and again, that she fights for her friends, and the surest way to hurt her, or to get her to do what you want is by threatening to hurt the people she loves.

These are my friends. They've been kind to me. Something you never were.

You never loved me. You just played your twisted mind games.

(…) This is who I am.

You hurt my friends, so, now you're gonna pay.

- Adora, in the Shadows of Mystacor.

I'm not Mara.

I'm not the She-Ras of the past.

I didn't do this to fulfill my destiny.

I became She-Ra to help others.

My attachments, my friends, are a part of who I am.

- Adora, Light Hope.

Your mission is to fix the planet.

My mission is to help my friends.

- Adora, Light Hope

In Plumeria, it isn’t not being able to heal the land what makes her feel bad, is the fact she couldn’t be what her friends needed her to (all I've done is disappoint an entire kingdom. I'm sorry I let you guys down). In “Light Hope”, she had to choose between healing the planet as She-ra, or healing Glimmer, and her response was: “I'll do whatever you want. (…) But I have to heal Glimmer first”.

Friends are also her Berserk button. It isn’t until Catra implies to have hurt Bow that Adora forcefully grabs her in “Princess Prom”. In “the Promise”, Adora only reason to be angry at Catra is that she kidnapped Bow and Glimmer and both were hurt because of it. And once she realizes Catra won’t stop trying to hurt her friends, is when Adora finally stops trying to convince her to come with her.

On top of that, they are also the fastest way to crush her. When both Light Hope and Shadow Weaver tell her she puts her friends in danger just by being near them, or that she’s going to fail them and make everything worse, it’s almost enough for her to give up and do what they want. This is much worse when it comes from her friends’ mouth directly: Well, maybe your best isn't good enough! If it was, my mother would still be here!

To clarify, none of the above means Adora doesn’t have a moral code or that she wouldn’t go against a loved one to do what she thinks is right. After all, she and Bow disobeyed a direct order from Glimmer to save Entrapta. (see also: Catra and Adora’s relationship after she the latter leaves the Horde).

What it does mean however, is that Adora’s motivations will be at least a little tinted by her need to put the people she values first.

Adora thinks is possible for people to change and that others deserve that opportunity, but she also needs to see if the person who raised her (and who she once loved) has any good deep, deep, deep inside of her. She thinks deactivating the heart should be their priority, but it also helps that Light Hope betrayed Mara and then lied to Adora, so she doesn’t feel she can trust her. She wants to protect everyone, but because that’s the hero she thinks Glimmer deserves. And she can fight war against the Catra while still missing her all the time.

I told you, we can't trust her.

She betrayed Mara.

She lied to me.

She's the bad guy!

- Adora, Fractures.

Now, let’s talk about loyalty. As I said before, Slytherins believe one must do right by the people who are important to you. For Adora, in particular, it means you shouldn’t try to hurt, lie, manipulate or use the people you claim to love.

Just look at how much she hates being used as bait by Glimmer, How angry she is on behalf of Mara because Light Hope (Someone who she loved) betray her, but also how angry she is that Light Hope lied to her as well, and how upset she gets when Glimmer snaps at Bow or her. There’s also the anger and frustration she feels when she realizes Shadow Weaver has been lying and manipulating her all these years.

Speaking of Shadow Weaver, I personally believe this is also why Adora’s bond with her breaks so easily in comparison to the one she has with Catra. I think after the first time Adora saw her hurting Catra, a part of the love she had for SW just vanished, because, how can you say you love me when you hurt someone that you know I love? Plus, once she could compare SW’s brand of love with the one Bow and glimmer gace her, it was easy for Adora to see SW wasn’t doing right by her, so she didn’t feel she owed her anything anymore.

It's my fault! The Horde nearly destroyed Etheria.

We were barely able to stop it.

If this plan isn't perfect, if I'm not perfect, everyone will

- Adora, Roll with It

One more thing to talk about is Adora’s sense of self. As I said earlier, Slytherins don’t just care about their important people, they care about themselves. Adora, though, is the kind of Slytherin that ties all of her self-worth to her ability to do right by her closest ones.

Try re-watching the series or reading the episode transcripts and you will find plenty of examples of Adora expressing her need to be worthy of her friends. She needs to be the hero Glimmer deserves, she feels the need to apologize if her powers are not enough because she hates letting her friends down, she feels she should present herself as She-ra because she’s much better than plain old Adora, and so on and so forth.

From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were different. You were

- Special?

No, what you always told me was that I didn't matter.

I was special only as long as I obeyed you

- Adora, The Prince of Power

It’s funny that Adora would say this to Shadow Weaver and recognize it as a negative thing, but not realize she’s still following this pattern of basing her worth on what someone else want (Or what she thinks they want, at least).

What? Did you really think this was about you?

- Catra, The Battle of Bright Moon

Something else I noticed is that Adora has a pattern of making things personal. Things are her fault, it was her idea, her plan, her decisions, her responsibility, her destiny, her planet. Nowhere is clearer than in her interactions with Catra. Due to their abusive upbringing, Adora grew up loving Catra, but also seeing her as her responsibility. Once they are on opposite sides of the war, Catra is always hers. She always goes after Catra first, whatever she does is in order to hurt Adora, and she is the only one capable of stopping her. Both in Battle of Brightmoon and in Princess Prom, her need to go after Catra leads her to get distracted by her.

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Final thoughts: I think Adora’s character Arc has been about accepting more of her Slytherin side, the one that concerns her own self worth. It has taken a long time, and there’s still work for her to do, particularly with regards to her belief that she only deserves love if she is useful to others, and in realizing that she is allowed to want things for herself, just because. Still, she has managed to move past taking the blame for everything, especially what involves Catra. We can see this when Adora refuses to let Catra blame her for opening the portal, and later on when she won’t let Glimmer blame her for losing Salineas. She also learns to become more vulnerable with the people she loves; by telling Glimmer she needed her.

I hope we get to see her put herself first more in the future.

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#adora #she-ra #spop #spop meta #long post #this was so long #so many things I didn't know how to say #but I admit it was an interesting rabbit hole I went into to write this #I mean Pearl is also a slytherin so it's not that hard to believe

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