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ericas-spop-blog · 1 month

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Light Hope - Permanently Delete

Anyone else notice how Light Hope never brought up activating the Black Garnet to Adora, and instead remained focused on combat training? Something that was, at best, extremely incidental to her programming's goals?

Like, in Season 1 you can argue there's an element of placating Adora - that Light Hope is training her because otherwise Adora was just going to tantrum and leave - but by Season 4?

By Protocol, Adora is bored and frustrated, and is actively seeking the First Ones' secret weapon.

And yet Light Hope remains vague about 'balancing Etheria', implying that more She-Ra training is needed to achieve that goal.

Except, y'know, it isn't.

=======

Adora getting better at fighting isn't going to activate the Black Garnet, the one piece of the Heart that's actually missing.

Once all the channels are open, it doesn't matter what state the Horde or the Rebellion are in, and Adora's competence (or, indeed, her concious compliance) is entirely irrelevant.

So why didn't Light Hope push Adora to capture the Garnet?

And why did she use Glimmer to that end? What changed?

Well.

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Of all the characters in this show, Light Hope is the one most explicitly bound by Fate. For all that she is more than what she was made to be, she is unable to abandon the Castle and the Heart, or stop searching for a new She-Ra. She cannot so flagrantly deny her programming.

But she could frustrate and circumvent it, driven by a secret memory of warmth.

She could slow walk her search for the next She-Ra, modifying the parameters to ensure the most unsuitable candidate possible.

She could 'accidentally' place them somewhere where she might never be able to reach them.

She could waste time on pointless trivialities and parlour tricks, things that are ultimately irrelevant to the Heart's true purpose.

And, of course, she could mis-order the steps, requiring the planet to be 'balanced' before revealing how that could be done.

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Light Hope's distant, high-handed, frustrating bullshit is not malice, or an expression of her intrinsically inhuman nature - it is a form of protection.

Her attempts at creating a new She-Ra are ineffective, not because she is incompetent, but because in her deepest, most secret of hearts, she does not want to succeed.

Until, of course, that resistance is discovered - and crushed.

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[But not completely, not forever - because in the end there is always, always a choice]

#spop #light hope #adora #mara #not in love with the title #but for the sake of clearing it out from drafts -

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ace-and-ranty · 5 months

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SPOP is full of tragedy, but there is nothing so quietly tragic as Light Hope's little "Warmth. Her memory brings me warmth."

#SPOP #She Ra #crying for a thousand years #on account of the reprograming. Adora spent very very little time with the 'real' Light Hope.#and even after she's gone the same voice actress dubs Darla #which is also so. quietly tragic.#Light Hope is the quietest tragedy.#Mara and Adora and Catra and Glimmer #everyone's tragic is central and scored by incredible music #Light Hope's tragedy is in these quiet little moments

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baggebythesea · 3 months

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It hit me... while there is no shortage of emotionally manipulative villains in She-Ra, they are really bad at picking their targets.

Shadow Weaver: "Ah, Micah. You will lead me to greatne... Adora, YOU will leave me to greatness. You are not a goody-two-shoe like my last ward are you... you are? How dissapointing... Glimmer, YOU won't chose what's right over personal gain in the last minu... OK, you would. You know, maybe kids simply aren't worth the effort. Castaspella?"

Catra, meanwhile: "I'd literarely tear the world apart for a pat on the head."

Shadow Weaver: "Shut up, cat. I'm busy. Hmmmm, let's try Adora again."

- -

Light Hope: "Who wants power?"

Glimmer: "ME!"

Light Hope: "Who wants to fulfill the legacy of the princesses of old?"

Glimmer: "Mememememe! Pick me!"

Scorpia: "Say, I wonder if me connecting to the legacy of my mothers would forward anyone's plans."

Light Hope: "And who wants to get access to the secrets of the first ones and all their tech?"

Entrapta: "Heheheheheheh!"

Light Hope: "Adoooooora!"

- -

Horde Prime: "Ah, princess Glimmer. You are interested in personal glory and power, right?"

Glimmer: "What? No! That shit nearly fucked me and all my friends over and I'm stewing in guilt over it."

Catra: "I wouldn't mind some power..."

Horde Prime, ignoring her: "But how about the chance to bask in the glory of Prime?"

Hordak: "I'd give everything to..."

Glimmer: "Ew. I'm busting your fucking orb right now."

Entrapta: "Hello! Anyone want to tempt me with some tech and science?"

Horde Prime: "Nah, I'm just going to order your boyfriend to shoot you in the face instead."

Hordak: "Wow! This is really illuminating for my priorities."

- -

Double Trouble: Wow, you are all amatures. *flawlessly manipulates the rebellion into shambles and then turns around and have Catra and Hordak destroy each other with a few words*

(To be fair to Glimmer, she also pulled off the manipulation of Scorpia without a hitch)

(And to be fair to Catra, she pulled off the manipulations of both Entrapta and Adora perfectly)

#spop #Shadow Weaver #Light Hope #Horde Prime #Double Trouble

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cirusthecitrus · 5 months

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Thinking about the portal incident again How it was never explained what caused the portal to appear, was Light Hope involved, was it someone else or was it wild magic. Was it planned or was it a pure random and luck How it saved Hordak from certain death. How it saved him from Prime How it appeared at the right place at the very right time. And had this happened a day late or anywhere else on the front lines, he most likely wouldn't have survived

How in that moment on the battlegrounds Hordak probably no longer believed he could be saved and just accepted his fate

How he might've as well been mere weeks/days old and his life could've ended before it even began. And he was ready to accept it

How in his mind he might have thought he was dying. And how confused and defeated he must have felt once he realized that he was still alive. That this portal did not kill him, but rather took away his chance at doing something "right", the last chance at pleasing his god. How he might've saw himself as an even bigger failure, because he couldn't even die right

How this sudden brutal separation from Prime and the Hive Mind was necessary and, in retrospect, was the best thing to ever happen to Hordak. How by physically cutting all the ties he had to the Horde and the known universe, some random portal did more to protect Hordak than most people in his life ever did

How Hordak himself viewed his situation not as a miracle but as fate worse than death. How at first he only felt immense pain, fear and grief, like a very young child whom was forcebly taken away from their abusive family. How he did not understand that it was good for him and only wished to return home and see his brother again. How Hordak wasted years of his life trying to find him. How his indoctrination, loyalty and love were stronger even than such powerful magic/technology

How Hordak had no idea what to do with himself at first, for he never thought he would've lasted this long. For he was not meant to live that long. And yet, he no longer welcomed death and once again found will to live. He did not let himself give up this time

How he's been looking for a portal home, hoping that one day it's going to appear again. How eventually, tired of waiting, he decided to create a portal of his own. How it became his life's work

How it was a portal that sent Adora to Etheria, someone who will one day free Hordak and the entire universe from Prime. How, if he wasn't waiting for another portal this entire time, no one would've come for her and Adora could've died on that field. But Hordak was there, and (as best as he could) he took care of someone who ended up in the same situation he was in

How it was a portal that brought Hordak to Etheria, and into Entrapta's lonely life. How they would've never met each other if it wasnt for that incident

How it was a portal that invited Entrapta into his life and helped him connect with a person who will forever change his life. How it was a portal that became a catalist for their friendship (and love)

How the "natural" portal that sent Hordak to Etheria can represent real connections and the painful process of growth and change (seeing new places, meeting new people, trying new things, distancing from harmful enviroment, learning independence, being responsible for oneself and others)

How the "artificial" portal Hordak created himself can represent desire to return to this false safety of the past, where everything was simple and familiar, as well as his desperate wish to rebuild his connection with Prime. A connection that was never there. How it was falling apart from the start, how at first Entrapta was so eager to help her friend succeed, but eventually realized that the portal was dangerous. How in the end it only hurt Hordak and everyone around him

How the portal that appeared "naturally" gave him not what he wanted, but what he needed. A safe place, people who understand him, a chance at better life, his personhood. How, after the "artificial" portal gave him something he thought he wanted, Hordak went back to square one. How, in reality, it only took everything from him

Portals, man...

#ramblings #hordak #spop #shera #spop meta #it was very late at night when i wrote this and it shows lol #the portal being light hope's doing and her trying to snatch a future shera and failing makes sense and works for the story #but the idea of it being uncontrolled magical phenomenon or its own entity is fun to explore as well

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catraclyzm · 1 year

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#catra #adora #catradora #shadow weaver #light hope #she-ra #spop

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turtle-ly · 1 year

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should have read the small prints somewhere on the sword smh

#she ra #adora #spop #spop adora #↑ girl who didnt read the terms and conditions #tbh its a fraud case on light hope's behalf #my footprints #my she ra stuff #i have more in this tag

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tippenfunkaport · 4 months

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something something, visited by three spirits that push you to reinvent yourself

and meanwhile, the three mother-type figures in Adora's life were all key to her to figuring out what she really wanted and who she wanted to be but literally...

Light Hope "died" trying to right a wrong from the PAST

Queen Angella died trying to preserve Adora's PRESENT

and Shadow Weaver died to give Adora a chance at a FUTURE

#I could say this more intelligenty with time but this just occurred to me and I'm making it your problem #Shadow Weaver as the terrifying faceless cloaked figure #then her last words being 'this is only the beginning for you' as she bought them time (in the long and short term)#light hope essentially ending the world because of old programming from a long dead race of colonizers #then letting herself be destroyed over memories that should have been deleted bc she regretted what happened with mara #and the way the way the crystal castle gave you a tour of moments of your past like the first spirit #meanwhile angella was just trying to close the portal to save the present aka the life they had right now #but of course her staying behind completely altered the present for everyone especially glimmer #and meanwhile each of these losses served as key moments in Adora's journey (pos change arc if ur nasty)#and she emerged on the other side realizing it was not too late to change and make a new world #spop #shera #she ra #queen angella #light hope #shadow weaver #adora #a christmas carol #meta #do you see what I'm getting at?#this all started because I was picturing the three of them as ghosts at the end watching her Star wars style

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sometipsygnostalgic · 6 months

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Chill gay people

#catra #adora #mara #light hope #catradora #marahope #my art #she ra #spop

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thestargayzingetherian · 9 days

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Sooo I just watched the new X-Men episode... and heard a familiar voice. Morla Gorrondona aka Light Hope from She-Ra! She's the new VA for the X-men's ally Lilandra (Professor Xavier's hot alien gf for those who don't know her)

#she-ra #spop #light hope #x men #x men 97 #x men 97 spoilers

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that-ari-blogger · 4 months

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The Episode That Needs No Introduction

This is a post about Promise. And I could end this introduction here and you would know what I'm talking about. Because Promise is the episode that made She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Before this episode, this is a war story, with an abusive parent figure and a femme fatale that the hero will have to overcome and befriend respectively.

Even two episodes prior, in the darkest episode up to that point, this was still a war story. The stakes were barely personal.

Promise is when that changes, and this series becomes psychological. Or rather, reveals just how psychological it has been the entire time.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Promise is one of the most well written episodes of television out there, to the point where several top ten lists for She Ra actively exclude it because it is too obvious of a choice. TheGamer.Com calls it "a masterstroke of emotional storytelling". Meanwhile, Five By Five Takes' video, She Ra's Internal Trilogy is a powerful analysis of Promise in the context of the whole series and is genuinely what inspired me to create this blog in the first place. Promise is good cinema.

I'm going to start with that opening sequence, because it summarises all three characters and their arcs masterfully. Light Hope responds to She-Ra but ignores Adora. Catra is desperate for Adora, but despises She-Ra. So, our protagonist is pulled in both directions, by others and by herself. You get all this from the emotionless dialogue from Light Hope, despite it not stating it directly, and from Catra's expressions.

I am aware that this robot specifically isn't technically Light Hope, but Light Hope is the entire system, so I consider this robot a part of that.

Even here, there is a dichotomy between the characters. Catra and Light Hope are opposites, where one says only kind things, but her actions betray a more Machiavellian nature, the other's words are hurtful, but despite herself, she cannot help but show a kindness. Exhibit A: The last time these two saw each other, Catra was giving Adora back the sword.

There is also the emotionless vs ball of anger in a vaguely humanoid shape parallel, but that is mainly superficial.

This training scene is cool because it gives us yet another look behind the curtain at Catra's psyche. Take a look at these two lines, back to back.

"Way to gang up on me!"

"No, I'm fine. You're just lucky I let you win."

Catra puts up a brave face to impress people and to cover up for herself. But look who she is saying that to. Catra wants desperately to show off to Adora. She has no interest in showing strength to Shadow Weaver at this point, her defiance isn't fueled by that.

The one person at this point in the story that Catra has been shown trying to impress is Adora. It gets mentioned that she does things to gain Hordack's favour, but we never actually see that, and her words are far from trustworthy.

It is also notable that the first thing Catra tries to do is scream for Adora when she's met with the spider. It's instinctual, and there's something to that.

Because... is it instinctual? I've talked about Catra's character design in the past, focusing on the symmetry, but I took care to not mention her stand out quality. Catra's animalistic physical appearance is a metaphor for one of her strongest themes, instinct vs choice.

It is possible to make a case on almost every single one of Catra's actions for either instinct or choice. Is she instinctively caring for Adora, but choosing not to? Or is she desperately trying to be kind, and instinctively rejecting that? I am partial to the second idea, but it could quite reasonably be either. The story doesn't at any point make the answer clear, which is a strength of the writing.

An instinct is a behaviour that you do not think about, not necessarily one you are born with. For example, flinching when something flies by your face is an instinctive behaviour, but so is lashing out when feeling threatened. Some compulsions and addictions function like this. And I think that Shadow Weaver's manipulation has caused Catra to develop these behaviours. Catra has been raised to instinctively push away affection, or to stay silent when feeling love of her own.

Shadow Weaver physically abuses a child in this scene. That is objectively what this is. The fact that this is magical is the only thing that let the writers get this through censorship. But I want to be clear here, this is not simply punishing misbehaviour, this is not tough love, this is not building strength. Shadow Weaver physically abuses a child in this scene.

And this is favouritism as well, Shadow Weaver could have cast her spell and frozen both Adora and Catra or reprimanded them both. But she chose to torture Catra exclusively.

However, favouritism and privilege are two different things. In this case, they are unrelated. Again, there are so many ways Shadow Weaver could have done this. She could have let Adora go, but she kept her, and made her watch.

"Adora, you must do a better job of keeping her under control. Do not let this happen again."

This is a statement. It says: "this is what affection gets you, pain".

Shadow Weaver is at her lowest in this scene. She isn't introduced as a terrifying threat like in episode one. This Shadow Weaver is frail and unmasked. She is breathing heavily, and exhausted. This is who Shadow Weaver is, truly.

Michaelangelo is attributed the following quote:

"All I did was chip away at everything that didn't look like David."

In truth, Michaelangelo probably never said this, and Quote Investigator references the line's evolution in this source, up to its current form, first published in 1974 in the Boston American Herald. In any case, you can apply this to characters in fiction. If you take away everything that isn't that character, what do you get. What is the element that stops this character from feeling out of character.

Redemption arcs often struggle with this, as the single essential element is usually their motivations, and in a shallow villain, switching sides can make them feel out of character. Spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender (Skip to the next paragraph if you want to avoid those), but one big reason for why Zuko's redemption arc works so well is that his villainy isn't his essential element, that's his drive for honour.

So, what is Shadow Weaver's core attribute? When you take away her schemes and her power and her mask? Who is she? The answer to that is simple: Shadow Weaver is cruel.

Rise Of The Guardians presents the idea of a person's centre, and it fits this concept really well. Cinema therapy has a video dissecting the subject, and it comes down to this: Your centre is the thing that makes you who you are. In the Ship of Theseus question, your centre is the one plank of wood that makes it the same ship. You can change some important things about yourself, but if you keep this, you fundamentally remain yourself.

With that said, what is Catra's centre? This isn't a rhetorical question, I'm genuinely not sure. I think it's her empathy, for good or evil. But again, I'm not sure. Let me know.

There is actually a chance to find this centre in Promise. And it's here:

"Catra, wait. I'm sorry for leaving... You could come with me! You could join the rebellion! I know you're not a bad person, Catra. You don't belong with the Horde."

This is everything Catra wants, it's an apology. It's an affirmation of friendship and love. And you see her genuinely consider the chance. But unfortunately, Light Hope steps in to tear them apart.

Because Light Hope is also manipulative. She wants everything Shadow Weaver wants, specifically control. She tries to mould She-Ra into her weapon just like Shadow Weaver, and she tries to tear her away from Catra in the same way. That's why she chooses this specific memory, because she knows it will hurt the most. Because she knows it will tear them apart.

Both Shadow Weaver and Light Hope know that an isolated Adora is an easy She-Ra to manipulate. Because the one thing neither of them can possibly account for in their plans is love.

Light Hope is named to reassure, to give Adora some sense of trust there, and it works. Because She-Ra is a story about hope, and about finding it in others.

But here is an important distinction. Others don't give you hope, you do that to yourself. Others can inspire you, or connect with you, or kindle that flame. But at the end of the day, hope is something you give yourself. Someone claiming to be your only hope can just as easily be seeking to control you. A lighthouse might lead you to a shore, but a fake flame over dangerous waters could sink your ship.

Those final two conversations are infamous amongst the fandom, and for good reason. This is the worst parts of both characters being brought out. Adora and her hero complex, and Catra with her emotion. Both good features in certain circumstances, but in the wrong place, they can create a wedge. Light Hope has precision engineered the exact circumstances needed for that wedge to crack their relationship so she can take advantage of the wreckage.

Final Thoughts

This was a difficult post for me to write for two reasons.

First, what can you say about Promise that hasn't been said before a hundred times? This the quintessential episode of She Ra and almost everyone in the fandom has weighed in on the subject. So, finding something original to add was an interesting experience.

But second, this episode has a reputation for a reason. I've said before that the greatest strength of this series is its humanity, and that is made even more obvious by Promise. There are real people who have had conversations like the one in the corridor. There are real people who have experienced what Shadow Weaver's behaviours are an allegory for. If you stripped away the magic from these scenes, they would play out almost exactly the same.

The reason the series overall is so powerful, is that it tells you that things will be bad, behaviours have consequences, trauma hurts you and people around you. But it also tells you that there is always hope. There will always be someone willing to offer you a hand of genuine kindness, and over time, that can change you. She-Ra gives people hope.

I'm away next Friday. But I'll be back in the new year with some analysis of Light Hope

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#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #character analysis #what's so special about...?#she ra and the princesses of power #she ra catra #she ra adora #she ra light hope #she ra pop #she ra shadow weaver #she ra princess of power #she ra #spop #adora #catra #catradora #she ra spop

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