antispopausandstuff

[antispopausandstuff]

hey, y'all!

new info for any autistic characters you may be writing!

sensory overload doesn't just have to be:

mind fog // static // mind being pulled in different directions

body sweating // heating up

panic attack adjacent, if not directly a panic attack ( fast breathing, tears, may need weight or contact )

possible aversion or need for touch

exhaustion

it can also be:

immense sweating ( like, everywhere )

kaleidoscope vision // inverse vision ( altered colors and shapes )

stomach cramping ( may feel like you'll have diarrhea )

intense nausea ( may lead to vomiting )

lack of feeling in limbs // can't walk

source - yours truly had the latter on their brother's birthday a few days ago and felt incredibly guilty about it for the rest of the day ( he and my ma told me multiple times that it's okay and my safety is more important ) ( but my autism // anxiety // OCD did not wanna let go of the guilt ) ( i'm okay now, though, and i'm gonna get my lil bro a present once i can )

for those who wanna know, and as a warning to proceed with caution, we went to Meow Wolf. i survived for maybe 3 minutes, not including the bathroom.

it's a really pretty, psychedelic place, but my ma told me my sensory overload was likely from the unknown of the place ( as Meow Wolf's whole thing is kinda having different 'portals' and levels // stages ). so, even though i thought it was cool and wasn't worried, my body processed it very differently.

your mind and body don't always connect ^^;

[antispopausandstuff]

i think we should discuss the topic of "for someone who hates ( xyz ), you sure do talk about it a lot", because i've been seeing it around lately and, generally, when you're an anti of something, you'll likely get this comment at least once or twice.

for my end of the conversation, i'm going to use some comparisons.

imagine a spectrum with me real quick.

on one end, there's robin x raven ( stay with me here ), on the other, there's c//a, and, in the middle, there's huntlow.

let's go one by one.

robin x raven ( or robven? idk ).

what's wrong with the ship? nothing. i can see the appeal, i respect people who ship them, and there are times where i even think it's cute. it's just not for me. i don't feel anything particular positive or negative towards it. i respect and accept that it exists, and am happy for the people who find enjoyment in it.

now c//a.

what's wrong with the ship? well, if you've been on my account, you'd already know, but, in short - Catra is Edward Cullen but a thousand times worse and Adora is a more interesting and depressing Bella Swan. it's problematic ( abusive, incestuous ), and has consequences that could, and, in my experience, has, harm people. i accept that it exists, but i don't respect it, because there is nothing to respect. i don't harass the supporters, but i spread the message that this is not a relationship you should idolize, on an objective level.

and, finally, huntlow.

what's wrong with the ship? why's it in the middle? this is a little more complicated to explain, but my main issues with huntlow don't necessarily negatively impact reality. at least, not the show. the fandom is insanely toxic at times, but that's a different story.

i think the ship is forced, boring, and doesn't do anything substantial for either of Hunter's or Willow's character. at worst, it can feel like a damsel in distress kind of situation, depending on how you view Willow's insecurities that come up later. at best, it's just there and can make you cringe. again, depending on how you view it.

but that's not really anything harmful. there's way better, but there's way worse. sooo, why do i see it as in the middle?

personally, i think huntlow is a disservice to aroace representation. and bisexual // pansexual rep, to be honest ( cuz Willow is apparently pan? even though we... y'know what, nvm ).

Willow being aroace would've felt so natural and perfect to me. and, on top of that, if she was, she wouldn't have been a stereotype! the community is typically represented by scientists who have a difficult time with connections // relationships. which, while it isn't necessarily bad ( on the surface, at least, though i'd argue there's a few implications there that are... not great ), it would've been nice to see an aroace person just be... a person instead of an example, y'know? i'm not sure if i'm making total sense.

essentially, i don't think huntlow is bad for existing. i just think that it's a wasted opportunity.

my point is, context matters.

i don't like // ship robven, but i'm not going to talk about it at length because there's nothing wrong with it.

i don't like // huntlow, but i do talk about it every now and then because Hunter and Willow being in a romantic relationship felt forced, not positively serving either characters, and like a disservice to Willow. but it's existence can be discussed, as long as everyone is treated with respect.

i don't like c//a, but i do talk about it a lot because people are still romanticizing and idolizing it, when it is, objectively, a horrible idea and Catra is an abhorrent person.

try to imagine if someone who ships robstar ( like me ) constantly hates on robven, just because it doesn't fit their preferences. that would be childish, harmful, and close-minded.

now imagine someone who hates on c//a, because it has a harmful, dangerous message that shouldn't be given to anyone, especially children.

you see what i mean?

i think the "for someone who hates ( xyz ), you sure do talk about it a lot" topic is less black and white than its presented.

[antispopausandstuff]

one thing that really sticks with me about how SPOP mishandles Adora's character is that they pretend they care about Adora's emotional and psychological sacrifices, but really largely focus on her physical sacrifices. and even then, they focus on it in a very specific, unconstructive way.

yes, they make Catra ask Adora what she wants, but it's not for her own health. it's because the writers, and Catra, want Adora to say that she wants her, regardless of how abusive the relationship is.

in terms of Adora's emotional and psychological sacrifices, she's made plenty for the sake of others, but mainly Catra. and that's never questioned or brought up.

there's not a single scene in the show where Glimmer, Bow, or anyone close to her is frustrated that Adora is constantly sacrificing her own mental health by taking the blame for others actions or inactions. it's only vaguely touched upon in the Perfuma introduction episode, but it's nothing intricate or deeper. they just say "oh, you don't have to be perfect all of the time! that'd be obnoxious of you, anyway!" and that's it. and i never liked the message that sends. it always sounded like they were blaming the 'perfect one' for being that way, not the ones who conditioned them so that if they aren't perfect, they're nothing.

yes, Adora stands up for herself against Catra, but, though it's a great moment for her character, it doesn't exactly feel... natural. in my opinion, anyway.

the reason why i say this is because her support group rarely handles Catra themselves when Adora's in danger, call out Catra for her behavior, notice when Catra's words or influence are negatively affecting Adora, etc., etc. her support group does this with Shadow Weaver, but not Catra, and the writers don't make it great even then, i.e, Shadows of Mystacor.

so, while every beatdown of Shadow Weaver does more or less feel 'earned' ( that's not a great way to phrase it, but i can't think of a better word atm ), Adora standing up for herself in s3 feels almost out of focus? like, i know it likely meant she's not responsible for any of Catra's actions, but it felt more like "i'm not responsible for you making the Portal and breaking the world".

because of how limited the focus of 'sacrifice' is in this show, they don't consider how difficult and taxing it is to give everything to a person, not just your physical health and safety.

it's another reason why i got really annoyed when Glimmer brushed off Adora being angry that Catra was ungrateful and spiteful for all of them saving her. not only because Glimmer has seen Catra be... 'nice', but because it just goes to show that the writers don't actually care what Adora has to sacrifice, physical or otherwise.

C//A isn't just abusive because Catra takes advantage of Adora at every turn and Adora has no escape. it's abusive because every single choice Adora has to make for Catra is, essentially, always going to be a sacrifice, whether she knows it or not.

[antispopausandstuff]

i know comparing SPOP to ATLA ( again ) is like comparing dung to gold, but didn't Zuko have what could be consider a relapse and accidentally burned Toph?

but, y'know, 'cause he burned someone as a result of his outburst, he was angry with himself?

if i'm recalling that correctly, then Catra has never once had that moment. her relapses are just about her being angry and blaming it on Adora in some way, but she never actually has a point where she's genuinely apologetic.

Adora was simply happy that she was ( supposedly ) working on her anger issues ( poor girl, the bar's so low for her ), and Catra still blamed her anger on Adora "giving her a hard time". she's not actually apologizing.

Riiiiiight. 'Cus that's exactly what happened.

It's not like that's the only time Catra admits to be acting in a toxic way and still gets angry later. Let me be clear, the problem is not just the anger, but the way Catra reacts to this feeling that makes her a toxic person.

When Catra gets angry or is annoyed, she blames everything on others, especially Adora. Even when she said that she was working on it, she blamed Adora for giving her a hard time, when Adora just seemed cartoonishly proud of her.

The way Catra reacts to her anger opens a discussion to other problems she needed to work on but didn't.

How she refuses to see when she's in the wrong; how she expects things to either go her way or else she doesn't do anything to make the situation better. . .

How she still doesn't believe Adora and doesn't want to listen to her; how she keeps making everything about herself when there's something more important going on. . .

Does this look like a person seriously working on her toxic behavior to you?

[antispopausandstuff]

if the show utilized Adora's knowledge on the Horde, she could've had some of the coolest planning // action // combat scenes.

for example, i was imagining a scenario where the Horde has civilians captive and our heroes are on a time crunch before the innocents become husks, so fighting isn't an option. they have to be careful, invisible, unseen and unheard.

Adora knows there are exactly 10,001 soldiers making rotations every 10 minutes ( Bow makes a question of why that specific number and she simply says "precautions" before resuming ), and that every possible opening is covered by tight security, except one. the ventilation system.

"our only problem will be Catra and Shadow Weaver. i'm not sure of Catra's activity since we last saw each other, but i don't want to give her a chance to spring on us. with her senses, she can sniff us out, so we could use mog and water to throw off her sense of smell. as for hearing, we'll have to avoid common rooms she'd be in, to reduce as much risk as possible. luckily, there's not many. she's not the strongest or fastest, but she's unpredictable and stubborn. i can handle her, but it'd just be easier to avoid her."

and for Shadow Weaver:

"Shadow Weaver's our biggest problem. she can see through the dark, manipulate you with her mind games, and is a powerful sorceress. when she detects us, and she will, Glimmer, you need to turn us invisible. can you do that?"

Glimmer nods, a determined grin on her face. "absolutely."

"good. a weakness of hers is that her magic requires build-up. it's why it's so powerful. worst case scenario, we have a few seconds to completely disarm her and knock her down, but that is the absolute last resort, and not something we should sought after. Shadow Weaver's unforgiving and merciless. one wrong move, and you could be finished. i've seen it myself. so, no matter what, do everything you can to stay hidden."

some other things, location of the civilians, how to get there, etc., etc.

'Roll With It' was a terrible episode, and a lot of it was because no one but Adora was taking the war seriously, but she was treated like she was overreacting for doing so. they had barely survived the Battle of Brightmoon, yet it changes nothing.

Adora should've been offering suggestions in plans from the start to eventually being in charge, given all her knowledge, but it was used maybe only twice, and that was in the first two seasons.

like, Vi's streetsmarts and living in Zaun helped her navigate, blend in, and know how to get information. she's more than just muscles.

and so is Adora, but SPOP ( neither the show or fandom ) hardly ever cared about that. because she doesn't have knowledge of certain things, due to being sheltered, and sometimes mispronounces certain things ( which everyone does ), she's suddenly seen as dumb.

she doesn't have knowledge of parties, then she's a cute dummy.

Catra doesn't have knowledge of parties, then it's suddenly important that she was sheltered and that her excitement is both adorable and sad.

[antispopausandstuff]

I love you, Bow. You deserved better than to be the black best friend stereotype and hardly get depth at all.

[antispopausandstuff]

one of the memories Catra purposefully triggered herself with, btw.

Adora when Catra was about to fall:

Catra when Adora was about to fall:

The fact that in the first scene Adora knew Catra had done something to her friends and still helped her, meanwhile it only took Catra a couple of bad memories of her and Adora as kids to decide she deserves to fall to her death. But they're regular enemies to lovers who mutually hate each other, right?

[antispopausandstuff]

WHAT 😭😭😭

Why did I just find out that the original voice actor of He-man, John Lee Erwin, passed away last December?

I'm sorry for not learning about this sooner and give my salute.

Rest in Power Mr Erwin. You'll always be the most powerful man in the universe 🗡️♥️

[antispopausandstuff]

Anti C//A Prompt List ( doing this for fun )

.

participation - anytime, doesn't have a time limit.

ends - nevaaaaah!

entries - art, writing, etc., doesn't matter, just have fun. order doesn't matter, either.

one condition, though, if you are an Adora hater, this ain't for you.

.

#1 - Gonna Go Off Like A Timebomb // I'll Always Be "Honest"

#2 - Two Birds On A Wire // Swell To Finally Meet Her Other Friends

#3 - The Way You Hate Me // Refuse To Be Denied

#4 - Take A Hint // Tag, You're It

#5 - All The Things She Said // I'm The Bad Guy

#6 - You're Afraid Of Monsters // She Wants Control

#7 - I Lay Down This Armor For You // As The World Caves In

#8 - You Look The Other Way // Primadonna Girl

#9 - Misery Meat // People Eater

#10 - I've Had Enough // It Took Me By Surprise

#11 - Having Said That, Burn In Hell // Outrunning Karma

#12 - Secret Garden // It's Been So Long

#13 - Carry You // I Know That Your Love Is Gone

#14 - Too Late To Apologize // I'm A Bad Liar

#15 - Happier Than Ever

.

[antispopausandstuff]

What if your thoughts when catradora shippers say these aren't canon to the show or these don't count?

I remember seeing people say it in a comment section.

whether or not these are fanmade ( though, to be clear, i am fairly certain these are ), i do think the stans are always changing their answers on the continuity of these, and it highly depends on if they consider it material for their ship.

because the comics weren't made by Nate, but the fandom considers them canon, especially when they claim Adora is "jealous" of Scorpia ( cuz of a single panel that doesn't really give any indication of jealousy at all, and the story later explains what Adora was thinking at the time, and it wasn't jealousy ).

so, to be honest, i don't really care what the stans have to say about these, because it's obvious that they don't care. for them, it's highly dependent on what ship material they can get.

for me, i think the material outside of the show add more to certain characters ( Adora, for ex. ), but whether or not it's canon doesn't really matter to me. either way, i have fun.

[antispopausandstuff]

Glimmer and Castaspella's relationship in my rewrite can be summed up as "Warrior of the Mind" and "My Goodbye" by EPIC. wasn't even intentional, but, boy, do i love when my hyperfixations meld.

[antispopausandstuff]

here to inform y'all that when Ruby // Rue ( Serenity's mom ) was born, Adora was instinctively afraid to let Catra hold her and she didn't know why :D

[antispopausandstuff]

Catra acting so annoyed with Adora for the first half of 'Promise' pissed me off. like, bitch, you stalked her, then set off alarms, now you wanna whine and moan and groan like a damn brat when none of this would've happened if you didn't stalk her.

[antispopausandstuff]

sometimes i think about, in Save the Cat, Adora jumping off the edge and likely broke her damn legs and having to crawl and then i get really sad about it.

[antispopausandstuff]

said this before, i'll say it again, i wish there were more queer crushes in media, without being used as a way to start arguments ( ex., bi // pan // etc. characters or gay // les ship fights ), because queer people usually ( not saying this never happens ) don't immediately find the person of their dreams after realizing they're queer.

[antispopausandstuff]

decided that i wasn't gonna die with my ideas, so here's at least some of 'em ( note, they're subject to change )

.

!!! VERY DARK !!!

warnings - severe abuse, death, attempted s__cide, and self-harm

not particularly in perfect order of events.

.

Adora . . .

ever since she was an infant, Adora was a lab rat for a variety of malpractices and extreme experiments. as a result, she has high pain tolerance, is immune to most drugs, and an instinct of danger.

killed Flutterina's mom at age 14 ( based off what might've been a fanmade series of the original She-Ra show ), as the Horde would use their 'disobedient' slaves as 'actual lessons' once a cadet was deemed strong enough. as Flutterina's mother was kind, even in her last words, but was considered an 'easy fight', thus Adora having to kill someone else, Adora attempted suicide the same night. and it wouldn't be the last time this happened.

due to Shadow Weaver's magic, Adora doesn't remember most of the experiments or that she killed anybody at all. this is because mental breaks would be very common, to the point it grew to be expected, and they wouldn't go away if she could remember. in present day ( post-defection ), Adora has conflicting feelings on being mind wiped.

because of her high pain tolerance, she's unfazed by Catra clawing her. if she is hurt, it's on an emotional level, but that eventually doesn't matter, either.

once defected, Adora has intense anxiety, evidence of her sheltered living ( misunderstandings of family dynamics, social cues, always tense with authority figures, culture shocks, etc. ), and nightmares, the former and latter from the fear she'll be hunted down for her betrayal.

can't quite understand how she feels about those she called family, especially Hordak. ( "they've taught me so much, and they weren't... terrible to me. not always. but i don't know anything anymore. maybe i never knew anything to begin with." ) it's these conflicting feelings that trap her in the cycle of trying to save Catra from the Horde, blaming herself for the other's actions, and apologizing frequently, in and out of her relationship with Catra.

after earning Angella's trust, Angella tries to earn Adora's ( it doesn't look that way, though ), wanting to be the mother figure the poor thing clearly never had.

Swift Wind is always, always, looking out for Adora and is very protective of her. he can and will stab a bitch ( and has, guess who it is ) for her.

the disc fucks her up. like, a lot. too many things resurface, and when she's completely aware and conscious, Adora immediately falls into a severe panic attack.

but if she thought the disc was bad, she ain't seen nothing yet ( the Portal, Angella's sacrifice ). i love her, i swear-

when she goes to rescue Flutterina with Peekablue, she's hit with the forgotten memory and almost immediately feels sick. it's disorienting the entire way, but she has to push through. Flutterina has never seen her before.

Adora pledges allegiance to all of Etheria post-defection, but she personally pledges herself to Flutterina after telling her the truth. Flutterina has... a reaction ( leaving it vague on purpose ).

i think Horde Prime's arrival is around the time she confesses, amongst several other things thrown at her, so Adora is suffering a huge mental decline and gets abducted. she doesn't make attempts to escape.

Horde Prime convinces her that she can redeem herself from all the pain she's caused, of the evil she's done, and she becomes part of his fleet ( i'm hesitant to call it a cult ).

this is the BIGGEST if, but maybe Hordak making a temporary alliance with Glimmer and Bow to rescue Adora?

Chipped Adora might be a thing...

.

Glimmer . . .

terrified of change and huge commitments, has been avoiding her aunt's teachings after a particularly bad accident ( resulted in Glimmer's scar on her right eye ). but is considered a prodigy with how effective she is at using her current skillset.

was a child when Micah died, part of her fears stems from that, but she hides it from Angella out of another fear of disappointing or overshadowing her mom's struggles.

hides almost everything from her mom as a result of everything above, and even sometimes struggles telling the truth to her best friend, Bow.

is viewed as the most unserious of the Princesses, as she not only uses humor and excitement to cope with serious situations, thus coming off as if everything's a game, but is impulsive, reckless, and a bit hardheaded. for a time, Bow is the only one who understands this and doesn't get upset with her.

because of her fear of change, she becomes jealous of Adora the closer she gets to Bow ( this foreshadows the whole "i don't want to be left behind" thing ), and is part of why she's hostile when they first meet. though, to be fair, she's justified in being hostile with a Horde soldier, anyway.

though she doesn't entirely trust Adora yet, Bow does, and that prompts her to at least try ( even though her jealousy streak is still kinda ongoing ), with varying degrees of success. however, there's one incident where she really hurts Adora's feelings ( this would happen in whatever would replace the Princess Prom episode, as Glimmer is still kinda using Adora as a prop ), and Bow gets pissed because Glimmer's been acting super weird and is blaming it on everybody else. then the kidnapping ensues.

when everyone gets back to Brightmoon, she has her first completely honest conversation with her mom, even though it's hard, and, while Angella is disappointed, she understands where her daughter is coming from and tells her they'll get through this together.

with Angella's help, she apologizes to Bow and Adora. they make up ( Bow does take a minute to warm up, though ). and she writers a letter to Castaspella: Dear Aunt Castaspella, I know it's been a few years since I last visited Mystacor, and I'm sorry. How is Double Trouble? Are they doing alright? I miss them. I don't really have an excuse as to why I didn't come back. I know you're disappointed in me, especially since you had such faith that I'd be a great sorceress. But I was scared. Even before I burned my eye, I was terrified. I didn't want to mess up. I didn't want to let you down. But I ended up doing that, anyway. I'm really sorry. If you'll have me, I'd love to come visit again. Or, maybe, you could visit Brightmoon? I know you're always worried about the barrier, but Juliet could watch it for just a few hours, right? Miss you and love you. Your niece, Glimmer

it's not quite as easy to bounce back, though, as Glimmer takes all of her mistakes to heart and can't let them go. Castaspella isn't keen on leaving the barrier under someone else's supervision, so Glimmer ends up visiting, partially hoping to heal and improve her magic ( Shadow Weaver still messed it up badly in this vers ). Double Trouble wants to catch up and bond, but Glimmer's too in her own head and ends up dismissing them.

the lessons end up being a bust and, well, Castaspella doesn't take it too well and Glimmer's traumatic memories kick in. it's revealed that, as a result of being pressured and pushed beyond her limits, Glimmer's magic went haywire and that's how she burned her eye. while this is going on, DT helps Adora and Bow get past the guards, and the three of them defend Glimmer.

"i-i'm trying, i'm trying so hard, but it hurts, and you- you just don't care! i thought the only reason i left was because i-i was afraid of letting you down, but... but now, i see that i left because i was afraid of you!"

though Castaspella isn't the best, she still heals Glimmer, but coldly sends her off, breaking her niece's heart. DT tries to say that it wasn't fair, but is ignored. they deeply apologize to their cousin, and the two share a hug. DT says that if she needs anything, to let them know and they'll be there.

Angella has the mind to start a fight, but supports and comforts her daughter instead.

huge time skip, probably, but when Angella passes, Glimmer is completely devastated, unprepared, and her magic is unstable. she's stressed, tired, and has never felt more alone in her life. Castaspella comes to the ceremony, but only DT talks to her. they, including Adora and Bow, spend time talking, laughing, and crying together.

for one reason or another, Shadow Weaver is in Brightmoon and takes advantage of Glimmer's grief and unstable magic. for a while, Glimmer is guarded, the attempted manipulations unsuccessful, but she's worn down overtime. she needs a mother figure right now. the only one she could have, Castaspella, still won't talk to her. eventually, Shadow Weaver is allowed to walk freely.

a manipulative, power hungry woman + three traumatized young adults, with one of them being the one said power hungry woman raised, Glimmer, Adora, and Bow are divided. they're all exhausted, hurt, angry, and are trying to push through to become the leaders they need to be for Etheria, but it feels like everything is falling apart. Bow is the first one to walk away.

Heart of Etheria doesn't exist here ( i cannot make any goddamn sense of it ), so it's mainly Shadow Weaver that is tearing them apart, isolating the three of them in different ways. Glimmer's magic eventually becomes dark, relying on her pain.

Adora ends up leaving, too, but not because of being blamed for Angella's sacrifice ( she believed that long before Glimmer said it ). rather, because Glimmer's dark magic had physically harmed her, reminding her of Shadow Weaver. an accident, but a terrifying one.

now all alone, with Adora eventually abducted, Bow nowhere to be found, Glimmer spirals and Shadow Weaver takes the opportunity. though she's stronger, Glimmer is corrupted.

though it'd be a victory, dismantling a section of the Horde with her magic and her army, it'd be presented as isolating, violent, and depressing. it's not a victory for her, because her best friends are gone, her parents are gone, she has no one. except a certain cousin and aunt.

DT convinces Castaspella to get her head out of her a- i mean, to be give Glimmer the support she desperately needs, and, while Glimmer is in the midst of nearly destroying everything around her, Castaspella apologizes.

things aren't immediately mended. though Glimmer is grateful, she can't trust her aunt again. further cousin bonding, Glimmer thanking DT for their help.

.

Bow . . .

ran away from home after a particularly distressing argument with his dads, relating to failing his studies after complete and utter burnout, being found sneaking out of the house, and engaging in interests that didn't align with their expectations and beliefs, archery and technology.

originally became nihilistic post-runaway in the midst of his wandering travels, and almost succeeded in taking his own life, but he was found by Madame Razz.

co-lived in the Whispering Woods with Madame Razz and the fauna, grew up giving half-truths about his family. it eventually becomes routine. and he tried to be more optimistic.

by the time he's found by Glimmer, he's more or less the Bow we know, but is really confused as to why a Princess is there. because why would a Princess be there? their friendship is sorta on a rocky start, as Glimmer keeps trying to do everything herself and is kinda mean to Bow, but he's insistent on helping.

they talked about their family life and they find a connection in not matching the expectations pushed upon them. and that's what started it all! we love trauma-bonding.

even though he's good at handling conflict ( for the most part ), Bow has intense anxiety about it every time and is almost always on the verge of making himself sick. we would see a scene of him actually vomiting after his argument with Glimmer.

not sure if he'd meet Entrapta early, but if he did, he'd admittedly love her genius, and Entrapta would be soft 'cause why is this strangely adorable child so enamored with her work?

during his imprisonment, Bow has a panic attack because 1. he just fought with his best friend and keeps questioning if he did the right thing, and 2. he has claustrophobia and completely forgot until now. then Kyle comes in.

after the panic attack, Bow would ask how Kyle even knew how to do that, with the boy explaining that it was really common in their sleeping quarters and he eventually learned how to help. then, asking why Kyle would even help him, considering they weren't on the same side, Kyle says "you reminded me of someone." he doesn't elaborate on who, and Bow doesn't ask ( it's Ado- ).

the two talk, relating to and laughing with each other. it's the first both of them have felt relaxed in a while, even though they're both in a less-than-relaxing situation. Bow is a little hesitant, but offers Kyle a space in the Rebellion. "i think Adora would like someone from her old home. might calm her down a bit." Kyle is surprised, but, after a moment, accepts.

when Bow is rescued, he panics, because he realizes that he left Kyle behind and feels really terrible about it. it's the first time he's broken a promise since running away, and the thought brings him a lot of stress.

Angella being his mom 'cause she's gonna be the mom to all of Glimmer's traumatized friends.

i think he should have a solo episode every now and then, so one of them would be him going back to the Horde for Kyle. and Rogelio, because he wasn't going to separate them. it's through them that he discovers someone named Lohni is missing ( this would ensue the Lohni rescue mission ).

there'd be implications or subtle details in the background, or foreground, i think, of when Bow would relate a little too much to a situation ( like Glimmer's relationship with Castaspella ). he's not too obvious about it in front of others, but when it's just him, that's when we'd be able to see everything. the way he has to take deep breaths to calm himself, trying to hype himself up or lower expectations, etc. i want there to be a disconnect from how much we know about him in comparison to the cast. so far, the one who knows the most about his mental state is Kyle, but they're still in the stage of being friends, so he doesn't know a whole lot ( also, my personal favorite tidbit to think about, Bow actually does reveal a little bit of his anxieties, unknowingly, in battle ).

oh, the dads. ohhhh, the dads. while Bow doesn't have 12(?) brothers, he does still have a few, with him being the youngest. and, when he comes back 'home', his dads still compare him to them! fun! /s ( not sure if this would be a solo episode or not, i think both have interesting routes ). and they'd also pretend nothing happened, his brothers would either brag or ask invasive questions, and Bow would largely be dismissed or ignored.

either way, he'd eventually come clean on why he didn't talk much about his family, and Glimmer and Adora would understand.

not sure if i'll actually do this, but like... Portal Bow... literally cracking under the pressure. his body is. cracking.

after Angella's death, Glimmer's reign, this would be near Bow's breaking point. he continues trying to deescalate conflict, keep his friends together, but when he gets kidnapped ( still with Sea Hawk, cuz. ) and, well, neither of his best friends notice, Bow's old pessimism returns and he doesn't return to them with his usual warmth in personality. it's there, but not as vibrant.

soon after Glimmer is in training with Shadow Weaver, Bow gets ridiculed, shamed, and threatened by the same woman, but that almost makes no difference to anyone besides them. not because they don't care, but because they don't know and haven't asked Bow if he's really okay. or, in one person's case, can't find the time. Bow's mental state is bordering on critical, and his fight with Glimmer, her argument about trust, it leads him to explode.

after, Bow disappears. and Shadow Weaver may be the reason.

.

Angella's death being the final nail in the coffin for our three protagonists wasn't intentional, at all, but it works so well.

[antispopausandstuff]

s5 making Adora say she was the "punch your feelings out" kinda person is not only a lie, it's exactly like when Catra said "it's something i'm working on", because this literally never happened otherwise.