#i know i only talked about catra and adora

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

you know. the term “gaslighting” is being misused so much that it's difficult to figure out if a person is referring to actual gaslighting, or if they're talking about any kind of manipulation or even just a white lie. with the rise of awareness for mental health, the unfortunate downside is that people label everything with psychological terms and spread misinformation. the term “gaslighting” has lost its original meaning and has turned into a sort of buzzword.

it's obvious that this happens in media analyses too, where people are quick to label any kind of undesirable behaviour as “gaslighting”. however, the only exception to this that i've seen so far is catra.

to refresh your memory (or lend you some new information), here's the definition of gaslighting, according to the APA:

To gaslight someone means to manipulate another person into doubting their own perceptions, experiences or understanding of events.

“I think of gaslighting as trying to associate someone with the label 'crazy',” says Paige Sweet, Ph.D., an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Michigan who studies gaslighting in relationships and in the workplace. “It’s making someone seem or feel unstable, irrational and not credible, making them feel like what they’re seeing or experiencing isn’t real, that they’re making it up, that no one else will believe them.”

when we say catra gaslit adora in the show, we mean it. we don't mean that catra just lied to adora or manipulated her (both of which she has done, to her credit).

some common phrases that gaslighters use are along the lines of:

“you're crazy”

“you're just imagining it”

“it's all in your head”

“you're just being dramatic”

“you're making things up”

this ensures that the victim believes that they are the problem and starts questioning their own sanity. if it continues for too long, the victim might actually be driven to a mentally unstable state.

let's see some of these examples with catra, shall we?

she says all of this word for word. they don't even try to disguise it. and we already know that catra remembered everything or almost everything, at this point. she was not only playing dumb when adora questioned her about it, but further went on to make adora believe that she was going crazy and that she was making everything up.

she also attempts to gaslight scorpia later on, and make her admit that entrapta betrayed them when that is not what happened, and scorpia was there to witness what actually happened.

(i am a bit hesitant to call this “gaslighting” because catra doesn't call scorpia crazy or anything like that, however, she does imply that scorpia was making things up about entrapta trying to save them from the portal.)

and people still have the gall to say that catra never gaslit adora or worse„ that she only did it because she wanted adora to stay. there's no excuse to abuse, manipulation and gaslighting. you can't just woobify an abuser by saying “oh but she just wanted her crush to stay with her 🥺” that's just gross. catra fans say that they empathize with abuse victims but their empathy starts and ends with catra. adora's trauma doesn't matter to them in the slightest, which is why they keep romanticizing this shit.

[clarenecessities]

He-man.org will close in 5 days.

He-man.org has been a staple of the Masters of the Universe community since the early days, originating as an email list that worked to document episodes before anything (not footage, not lists, nothing) was available online. It grew into a sprawling, multi-faceted beast of a thing, including an encyclopedia (an in-house wiki), merch lists, a marketplace, forums, anything you could think of.

Several years ago now, the main site went down for updates/maintenance. For a few weeks, we were told, maybe months. The forums remained open for fans to communicate, and barring a period of downtime earlier this year things were going smoothly.

Yesterday, the owner of the site, Val Staples, announced the site would be closed on November 14th, 2023. Six days later. We are currently attempting to contact him, to see if he’s interested in selling, and if he means closed as in “no new posts” or closed as in deleted entirely. Regardless of its eventual fate, the archiving of these forums is essential to preserving the history of the franchise, the fandom, and the brand.

TO SHE-RA (and MotU) FANS SPECIFICALLY: I have personally used these forums to answer questions that could be answered nowhere else. Had I not had access to them, I would never have been able to prove that Purrsia was fake, or found so much unpublished concept art, or discovered that Scott “Toyguru” Neitlich personally wrote Catra’s MOTUC bio (even if he’s put off answering my questions about it for over a year now). Forum members have conducted interviews with the likes of Jon Seisa, Cathy Larson, Janice Varney-Hamlin—essential figures in the very foundations of POP, and those interviews revealed and recorded priceless information for future generations (me! you! us!) to find. Did you know Cathy Larson named Adora? That she originally pushed for “Dorian”, after her own daughter? We cannot let this treasure trove disappear into the ether(ia).

TO THE UNAFFILIATED: Please help. Pretty please. If you’ve ever liked my art or my writing or my haphazard blogging, ever, at all, consider archiving just one board. Just one page. Literally anything helps. I am spiraling into madness & this is my library of Alexandria. The mythical one that was totally unique and persevered nowhere else and was destroyed in a single cataclysmic event. Pretty pretty please help.

HOW TO HELP:

Archive.org has several ways to upload shit but most of them are longer term than “a few days” so we’re focusing on two (which can be run simultaneously): Save Page Now, and browser extensions. From their help page:

1. Save Page Now

Put a URL into the form, press the button, and we save the page. You will instantly have a permanent URL for your page. Please note, this method only saves a single page, not the whole site.

We want to keep outlinks and screenshots wherever possible. The Archive does not keep your IP address, so your submission is anonymous.

2. Browser extensions and add-ons

Install the Wayback Machine Chrome extension in your browser. Go to a page you want to archive, click the icon in your toolbar, and select Save Page Now. We will save the page and give you a permanent URL.

One plus to installing the extension is that as you surf around, when you run into a missing page they will alert you if we have a saved copy.

More extensions, apps, and add-ons:

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I strongly encourage you to use these tools even if you aren’t helping with this project/after it ends. Documenting and preserving information is essential in this day and age & The Internet Archive is at the heart of it. Please support them however you can.

I’m serious about paying you, though I may need more communication with folks I don’t know so we can coordinate/verify shit gets done. I think this is a worthwhile pursuit in itself but I recognize your time is valuable & like, people gotta eat. DM me if you’re interested and we’ll talk. I may need to adjust pay depending how many people bite but I’ll do what I can

[aprillikesthings]

The entire plot of She-Ra would be kind of hilarious from the POV of a random Horde soldier the same age/cohort of cadets as Catra and Adora (we know there's more we see on screen whose names we never learn)

Because just imagine

You grow up and sleep in the same bunk room and those two are constantly sharing the same bed, and Adora is at least friendly with everyone but if you're TOO friendly Catra hisses at you and threatens to cut you

Shadow Weaver is obviously obsessed with Adora and using Catra to control her (...and vent her own anger whenever she feels like it), so you just uhhh stay out of that as much as you can

And then one day right after Adora makes Force Captain she disappears and both Shadow Weaver and Catra lose their fucking minds about it, as if there's not dozens of other Horde soldiers, why is it always about Adora

Oh and there's some new tall blonde princess named She-Ra who keeps kicking the Horde's asses?

What do you mean that's also Adora??? THE FUCK???

Oh and look Catra is still weirdly obsessed with her and the two of them seem to start every battle only to run off and fight each other, for fucks sake they should just bang already, you're tired of getting beat to shit because of those two

Anyway at some point Shadow Weaver is gone and then Catra is too, for a while; but oh nope ha ha there she is again

Also at some point some kinda portal thing opens up and everything is HELLA WEIRD and then suddenly everything is back to normal

Except after that Catra's giving orders ALL THE TIME, and she gets meaner and meaner and if anyone tries to talk to her about it they also get shouted at

And then Catra and Hordak disappear, then Horde Prime shows up, and the world almost ends but it doesn't and the Fright Zone is covered in plants for some reason??? Wow the sky is bright without all that pollution. Weird.

And then you find out that the reason the world didn't end is ....Catra and Adora had a make-out somewhere underground and also, now Catra is glued to She-Ra's side and making goo-goo eyes at her

LIKE. The plot of She-Ra would be absolutely batshit from their POV and I can't stop laughing about it, like what do you MEAN I've been sent to fight in battle over and over because these two dipshits couldn't just tell each other they wanted to bang for MULTIPLE YEARS

[musenilla]

I feel like Double Trouble’s impact on Catra wasn’t talked enough, I just know DT left her somewhat traumatised DT shapeshifting into Adora (and sometimes pretending to be her) when Catra was at her lowest point definitely would take a toll on her in the future. Also I can see Catra only telling Adora about what happened after they’re settled down and when she’s much more comfortable with Adora. (There was supposed to be a panel where Adora comforts her but I got lazy gjdhd))

[antispopausandstuff]

you guys know the s5 scene where catra left adora to die?

here's another thing i noticed.

she's apologizing for dying. while it's really fucked up, it is within adora's character to apologize for something she couldn't control. i can't recall, but she did something similar to glimmer and bow a few minutes prior to this.

however, while the writers may not have intended for this, adora is also apologizing for this:

now, you might be drawing a blank at how this is correlated to her apology, until you remember what exactly catra and adora were talking about here:

adora is about to die.

originally, the conversation was about adora somehow choosing shadow weaver over catra ( which did not happen ), but when catra wasn't winning the argument, she shifted it to be about adora practically being led to her death.

catra's wording starts out as her acknowledging that adora doesn't have a choice in this ( which goes against her earlier reaction to just crying and running away from her when she gets the failsafe ), but then it changes its tune and becomes an accusation of choosing this path, when adora has been forced to take this.

basically, adora is apologizing to catra in the finale as if to prove that catra was right, even though she's literally dying right in front of her.

and catra never apologizes for leaving her.

speaking of which, would this apology even work on catra?

because we all know the real reason she left.

she left because somehow, someway, she twisted the entire conversation and everything related to shadow weaver as adora actively wanting to be around their abusive mother, despite showing multiple cases to catra herself that she doesn't.

adora doesn't like being around shadow weaver. she doesn't like her at all. she may not want the woman to suffer harshly, adora did heal her when she was sick, but she doesn't want to be around shadow weaver if she doesn't have to be.

and catra knows that. there's several instances throughout the show that she's smart enough to see and understand that. she even uses a torture method sw used on her previously on adora and swift wind in the previous season, because she knew it would severely hurt her. especially since catra, for whatever reason, put the electrocution on steroids.

so, it's not like catra has been blind to adora's distaste, she just chooses when to acknowledge it.

catra sees adora eventually dying as 1. choosing to die and 2. choosing shadow weaver over her, in this current scene.

adora has no idea catra thinks this way, so her apology for just dying is not only really fucked up, but is most likely entirely pointless.

these two don't see the same problem. at least, not the exact same one. catra may still be pissed off at adora daring to "choose" the universe over death, for daring to choose the lives of literally everyone on the motherfucking planet over herself, but she's still more upset at adora "choosing" their mother over her.

so, what is adora apologizing for exactly?

yes, for dying, but how does catra see it? knowing catra, the best case scenario is she probably sees it as adora apologizing for being "wrong" ( because she says "no matter what happens, i am staying with you", but then gaslights adora into staying ), and for choosing their mom over her, even though neither of those are true or correlated within the context.

this level of thinking is on par with stans, so i'm not surprised catra herself acts this way.

it sure did hurt my brain when i realized it, though.

[anti-catradora-collection]

TRANSLATING AND GIVING MY HONEST OPINION ABOUT THIS TWITTER THREAD:

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ DO NOT GO AFTER AND DO NOT HARASS THE CREATOR OF THE THREAD I'LL BE COMMENTING HERE. thank you.

"it pisses me off when ppl say they love enemies to lovers and then say that catra//dora is toxic.

like, ENEMIES is not when one person steps on another's toes and gets angry towards them"

keep reading under the cut:

yeah, "enemies" certainly is not when one person steps on another's toes and gets angry towards them. even google knows that. enemies to lovers is completely different from rivals to lovers.

however, c//a aren't enemies either. they have never been.

they were simply abuser x victim. and that's mainly because adora never really felt any hate towards catra. she even tried to make catra join the rebellion multiple times.

additionally, adora knew how to defend herself, but wouldn't do more than she needs.

catra, on the other hand, would relish on BRUTALIZING adora. she even tried to end the whole universe out of spite to adora, willing to kill them both in the process.

and let's not forget: catra did all this with a smile in her face, proud of being able to manipulate and control adora.

they were never mutual enemies. adora mostly viewed catra as someone to fear. most of the time, she felt powerless when the matter was catra. to be honest, even when the matter wasn't her, it's shown that she felt that way. damn, she even had a panic attack because of catra.

and let's not forget how catra and adora's fights are always viewed as "flirtatious/sexy" and, surprisingly (or not), they are always with catra on top while adora is unable to fight back for any reason (be it for an emotional or physical reason, temporarily or not).

the only exception for what i said above is this scene, where i don't even believe adora is being flirtatious (for me, she's simply being smug) and where she's not even talking to catra in person.

of course, there's times where adora physically hurts (or tries to hurt) catra back, but it's solely to DEFEND HERSELF/OTHER PEOPLE. catra takes advantage of adora's kindness cuz she knows she won't be able to cause the same harm as catra does.

NEXT:

"enemies to lovers is ALWAYS toxic in the enemies part. a relationship where you are the other person's mortal enemy is not even possible.we ship catra//dora precisely because they get to the lovers part, and when they get to it, there is no more toxicity."

I'm so sorry to break it to you, but C//A has been toxic before, during and after they were in opposite sides of the war. here is an example of this. catra always made it seem like it's adora who's always abandoning her, but it was catra's CHOICE to stay in the horde.

C//A relationship occurred on an existing pattern: adora accidentally says something that makes catra mad -> catra hits/insults her -> catra runs away, expecting adora to chase after her and feeling like she's rejected if that doesn't happen. it even happened while they were KIDS.

and let's also not forget about catra gaslighting and slapping adora in that one episode while she was going through another panic attack. "catra didn't know something was going on!!!" she literally had "flashbacks" about things that did happen and adora was clearly not okay.

catra could've been a good friend like glimmer was for adora in the hot springs episode, listen to her, try to help and properly calm her down even if she didn't know what was happening, but catra didn't. she insisted on her own view that everything was perfect instead.

catra also makes it seem like adora is the abandoner multiple times in season 5. like girl you're the one who literally abandoned her even in S5 plsss-catra CHOSE to stay in the horde, adora tried to make catra come with her since forever. catra was the one running away.

she even framed adora as being the violent one in their relationship with this scene:

"how am i supposed to fight my own friends?"

"it never stopped you before."

it's almost like catra wasn't the one always trying to hurt and murder adora all the time... lol.

NEXT:

"apart from the abuse that catra (and adora) suffered throughout her childhood AND her fear of abandonment, the only reason catra treated adora the way she did was because she suppressed her feelings in such an absurd way that she was even violent."

uhhh.. no?

you're telling me catra tried to kill adora multiples times and destroy the universe because deep inside her heart catra LOVED adora?

this is honestly giving me "he hits you because he likes you!" vibes. i bet if catra was a man, you wouldn't be saying stuff like this.

plus, shall i say something that may sound a bit... harsh:

THIS. IS. NOT. ABOUT. CATRA.

of course catra is traumatized.

of course catra is also abused.

of course all these facts helped building up catra's character.

but nothing justifies the way she treated adora.

"but catra was abused, she was raised in a harsh way, she doesn't know any better!" what about we stop making adora's abuse about her abuser...? everyone kinda seems to forget how catra was also a w4r crim1nal lmao. of course catra deserved love. but not in the way she got.

catra also needed to be held accountable for her actions, which she didn't. "she was brainwashed by horde prime which made her suffer a lot!" okay, and? catra also brainwashed and put adora into a lot of pain and that fact was never once brought up again.

i mean, catra literally was a gen0c1dal w4r crim1nal. she killed lots of people (including glimmer's mother). again, she tried to end the universe. she destroyed villages. she attempted to kill adora multiple times. was she even questioned about it?

no. the princesses immediately take catra in with them as soon as adora says "she's with us now". there was not even a proper discussion about it.

NEXT:

"as soon as she gets sufficiently comfortable in being vulnerable and admitting what she feels to adora, there's no reason for her to be violent because there's nothing else to suppress. the acception of her "true self" breaks the cycle of abuse and that's WHY +"

not gonna comment on it cuz i already said how catra has been abusive during the entire series - even after she has been rescued. "she was going through a lot" and adora was too. It just wasn't fair for catra to treat adora that way simply becuz "adora doesn't want mee! :(".

like, girl, this isn't about you. you ASKED adora to save the world but then you get angry when she decides it's something she NEEDS to do and states that no one else can do that. like ???

NEXT:

"they turn into a couple.

double trouble themselves tell catra exactly what she has been doing during all seasons to hide and deny her own feelings for adora. because these feelings made her feel uncomfortable."

excuse me, double trouble was also wrong about that. starting by the way they said "left you" while turning into adora when we know it wasn't what happened, there's also the fact that their speech wasn't only about catra's "feelings" for adora.

it was also about catra feeling abandoned and rejected by EVERYONE she knew: shadow weaver, scorpia, hordak... or are we going to forget the fact all these people were also in the scene?

but even the show itself tries to make it seem like adora was the abandoner only for the "just this once, stay" quote to make sense. another reminder: spop's writing is very far away from being the best.

NEXT:

"I would NEVER ship catra//dora the way i do if they haven't got a redemption and if the "enemies" part hadn't come to an end. at most, I'd think they have chemistry and potential for making out, but their healthy relationship is only possible due to their happy ending."

i don't even know what to say- this person lost me at "I'd think they have chemistry and potential for making out". why the hell do you think catra abusing adora would be hot, SPECIALLY in a scenario where they keep being "enemies"???? 😭

also, yes, they got a "happy ending". but at what cost?

catra lied to adora and insulted her even during her confession;

catra never really changed, this series simply tried to make it seem like she did (and failed to do so)

adora is now in a supposedly "happy relationship" with her own abuser and sister, while both didn't at least got therapy BEFORE that.

catra didn't need a romance with her victim in order to be happy. she simply needed time to HEAL, just like adora. "but can't they heal as a couple?" no. it just doesn't work like that. you can't love someone else without fully loving yourself first.

NEXT:

"that being said, catra is open to therapy with perfuma, already sees bow and glimmer as besties, says sorry with ease, happily participates on princesses hugs, isn't afraid to show love and care for adora. and that's when a good relationship is born."

catra may be "trying" to be a better person in canon, but she's far from achieving that. you all say "someone needs time to heal before turning into a better person", but then look at catra, whose "redemption arc" was up for half of the last season and applauds it as "the best character development ever". it also doesn't work like that. it doesn't matter how many times catra saves the world if she keeps treating adora like dirt while doing that (guilt tripping, insulting and beating her up, for example).

basically, saying "I'm sorry for everything" once doesn't mean anything if catra, herself, doesn't truly change.

the last tweet of the thread finished with the following sentence:

"kisses and go to therapy"

all i can say is: thanks, op. you too.

[fr4nkie0stein]

Catra x force captain reader

force reader was kind of treated like Catra with Shadow Weaver. Although Shadow Weaver just hated the reader. Catra is kind of confused when she hears how badly reader was treated.

Like, what? You somehow have more trauma then me?

Reader just has lots of scars on her arms and back because of how much Shadow Weaver beat her

You dont have to do this if your not comfortable! Have a nice day :]

No worries, I feel completely comfortable with writing something like this! You have a nice day too ♡♡

Hurt

Pairing: Catra x fem force captain reader

Summary: you and Catra bond over the horrible ways Shadow Weaver treated you both

Content warning(s): childhood trauma, mentions of physical and verbal abuse, talk of scars from said abuse, please don't read if this will trigger you in any way

××

Ever since you were young, Shadow Weaver used and treated you like her own personal punching bag. Whether she was upset over a defeat for the Horde, struggling with her powers, or having to deal with Hordak's criticism, she always turned to you to be the one she could take it out on.

Although it happened for so long, you never told anyone about your abuse. You weren't really close with anybody in the Horde, and you also didn't see the point in it. I mean, it's not like anybody could do much to help.

As a force captain, you often met up with the other force captains to train together. That's where you first met Adora when she used to belong to the Horde, and that's also where you met Catra.

You'd heard a lot about her from the short time Adora had been a force captain, but she was much more intimidating than you expected her to be. You would soon find she was also just as fragile.

The two of you trained together often, but you didn't usually change together in the locker rooms because you didn't know each other that well. One day while you were changing shirts, Catra walked in and saw some of the scars you had on your back from Shadow Weaver's beatings.

"Woah, what happened to you?" She blurted out, not really one who cared for others feelings all that much. "Was it one of the princesses that did it?"

You sighed, knowing she was bound to find out sooner or later. As lying would only make things worse, you stuck with telling the truth. "Uh, no. They were from Shadow Weaver."

Catra's ears immediately flattened back against her head at the mention of her mentor's name. "Shadow Weaver did that to you? But... Why?"

Shrugging, you put your dirty clothes back in your locker and shut it. "Dunno. I guess she figured it'd be easiest to take her rage out on a little kid who couldn't fight back." You leaned up against the locker, shoving your hands in your pockets. "She doesn't do it anymore, though. I think ever since I became a force captain she sort of became scared of me."

Catra scoffed, rolling her eyes some. "Wow, you made Shadow Weaver of all people scared of you? I must admit, that's pretty impressive." She crossed her arms, her gaze falling to the floor before she spoke up again in a much smaller voice. "She hurt me, too. It was mostly verbal, but it didn't hurt any less."

You nodded at her words, your eyes softening as you watched her. "Yeah, I get that." It's quiet for a moment before you suddenly say, "Hey, do you wanna... I don't know, maybe hang out some? Maybe we can talk about some plans for our next attack against Bright Moon."

The corners of her lips quirked upwards as she looked back up, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Yeah, I've got nothing else going on. And you know what, maybe one day the two of us will be in charge, and we can get rid of Shadow Weaver for once and for good."

You smiled back as you walked with her towards the locker room door. "Yeah, maybe."

Fin ××

♡ Send in more requests here ♡

[catrasredemption]

Sometimes I feel like people just... fundamentally misunderstand who Catra is? Or they don't know how to interpret tones? I saw a post railing on Catra about calling Adora an idiot and how cruel it is, and I'm like... there's a difference between idiot (insult) and idiot (affectionate) and the fact that people don't get that is bizarre to me? And I'm not just making excuses - I know so many people who are like this. I have a friend who will routinely tell people to get out when they do something exasperating, or ask "what the fuck is wrong with you" and no one ever takes it seriously because she's not serious. It's honestly a very common love language.

"Oh but Save the Cat-"

Listen Catra had every right to call her an idiot after finding out that not only did Adora not listen to her about not going to Prime's ship, but realizing that she never really gave up on Catra even when Catra gave up on herself. And Adora's response is to laugh, because she knows what Catra is really saying - I can't believe you came back for me, I can't believe you didn't listen to me. And Adora's response is basically Yeah it's crazy isn't it?

"In Taking Control Adora calls herself an idiot, she's internalized it from Catra."

Listen. Listen. Adora grew up in the Horde. She internalized a lot of shit. As far as thinking she's an idiot goes, though - I don't think that's from Catra. She's exasperated at herself and mad at Catra and she uses vocabulary she's familiar with. Have you ever noticed how much Adora and Catra repeat the things Shadow Weaver said to them?

(also, yes, Adora is in fact being kind of an idiot in that scene because both of them are emotionally stunted at whatever level they reached before Adora found the sword. They default back to their normal behavior because it's familiar and wholly unhealthy and they can't move on until they both learn that.)

I'd have to go back and watch the entire series again, but afaik there's no instance of Catra using the word idiot to actively insult someone (mayyyyybe Hordak?). She throws around useless and pathetic a lot because she learned from the best (Shadow Weaver), but not usually idiot.

"You just don't like criticism against your favorite character."

Partially true. I don't like criticism that's based on a completely inaccurate interpretation of what was happening on the screen. Give me something besides "omg Catra is the worst" and we'll talk.

[catrasbewbwindow]

A word on imperfect queer representation in media. Real queer people aren’t perfect. We have trauma, we can be toxic, we can be war criminals, we can be any number of good or bad things. Because because because queer people are people.

When I see people complain “x ship is toxic” or “y acted inappropriately,” yeah. Maybe they did. I’m sure as hell not perfect. I’m in a very healthy relationship with my wife, but we both grew up in less than perfect family situations and have worked our asses off to be better people. We have both worked to rid ourselves of toxic traits and behaviors that we brought into our relationship in the beginning.

I have severe ptsd because I survived things that no one should have to go through. Just like Adora. Just like Catra. And seeing that there is hope for someone like me. That someone could still love me despite my flaws, despite my history. That is good representation. Queer people need to know that we don’t have to reach some imaginary level of perfection to be loved or valued. Not only that, it’s given my wife and I new ways to talk about our trauma. “Well, we did grow up in the Horde” is a regular occurrence in our trauma discussions now.

Let queer people be like everyone else and be imperfect, that’s all I’m saying.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i don't get why Perfuma is considered good trans representation or just.. trans representation at all.

even if we put aside the fact that she's not a very interesting or well-written character, it doesn't even seem like she was written to be trans. the only reason she is considered a trans woman is because her character designer said that they intended her to be trans. and i think Nate said somewhere that he supports the headcanon. that's it.

it's basically the same as Catra being Latina (or any kind of POC, for that matter). it's not ever mentioned in canon, it just looks like it was added as an afterthought. you would only know that Perfuma was designed to be a trans woman if you were deep enough into the fandom to discover what her designer said about her.

and i get it. i want casual queer rep too, where not everything has to be verbally confirmed. a lot of trans people pass as their gender anyway, and it's not always easy to tell. it's not great to label certain features or body types as strictly feminine or masculine either.

but if that's the motive, they could have at least made Perfuma a more interesting character, so that her being trans wouldn't be one of the only notable aspects of her character.

OR they could have made any of the other characters trans - Entrapta, Scorpia, Glimmer, or Adora herself would have been good candidates. you know why? because they were actually interesting characters and not 2D vegan horoscope girl stereotypes.

a good example of a canonical trans character is Terry from TDP. he's not a main character, he is introduced as Claudia's boyfriend. he doesn't play a huge role in the narrative but despite this, he is still an interesting and fleshed out character.

for one, him being transmasc is actually canon. he talks about it to Viren, how the other elves treated him like a woman at first and how he chose his own name. and this was done in a natural way without coming off as too sudden or expository.

this serves a purpose other than informing us that he's trans. it also helps to build a connection between him and Viren, who was initially disapproving of Terry but responds to this situation with actual empathy and understanding.

Terry also has some notable moments dedicated to him despite being a side character, like when he had to kill an elf in order to protect Claudia and was plagued with guilt because of it. his relationship with Claudia is also pretty well-written and actually healthy, despite the fact that Claudia is a villain. Terry is also a decently powerful character who is actually useful to the plot.

he is also voiced by a transmasc VA, which definitely helps the case. i'm pretty sure Perfuma's VA is cis.

in short, Terry being trans doesn't seem like an afterthought or fanservice, because it was seamlessly integrated into the story and he was already an interesting character in his own right. he was only introduced in the fourth season and he's already a much better character than Perfuma, who was introduced in the first season (if i recall correctly).

[macksting]

It's not the most important thing going on right now but I've been kinda having catradora brainrot the last couple days, and it helps sometimes. Whatever value there is in examining relationships in fiction and talk about normalization or whatever, I think one thing a lot of these pearl-clutchers who hate catradora with such a passion are very much missing is how very much a fuckup Adora is. I'm not saying she isn't a victim, I'm not saying Catra isn't a victim herself for that matter, I'm just saying that Adora's fucked-upedness is more socially acceptable because it's more pliant. She thinks she's without value unless she's She-Ra, and that fucks her up bad; especially since it's reinforced by Brightmoon all falling in love with her only, and I mean only, as She-Ra. Adora is a danger, a menace, and should be discarded. She must perform She-Raness constantly, and be everything they expect her to be, or else she is... unwelcome. Honestly, it's kinda like Ikari Shinji. I wouldn't bother bringing it up except I see it in real life. If one party is consistently more pliable because the way they were fucked up makes them unable to set boundaries or conditions, people love that person, but the person who is fucked up in a way that makes them angry or scared or scary is a menace, a terror, a monster. And god knows some of us could do better, and god knows I work on myself, but that inability to set boundaries, that feeling of worthlessness, that dangerous conformity... That's fucked up too. It's not better. I want to shake these pearl-clutching twits by the shoulders and yell at them "IT'S NOT BETTER." It's fiction. I'm neither condemning nor apologizing for anybody. That part's just not that fucking important. But this does mirror real life: if someone is the kind of fucked up where they're compliant and do everything you tell them to, that's not better.

[ronance4everbrainrot]

Just watched the music video animatic (Storyboard) for life is sweeter

Here is the link lol

If you don't want "spoilers" you can watch it now and read later idk.

First of all the thing that made me write this.

Is Zellie, Rapunzel or Rapunzel's daughter? And Chloe was definitely hitting on her! SHE LITERALLY HAD HEARTS IN HER EYES!

She stuttering "i-i- I think your hair is really great!"

AND RED REACTS WITH "smoooth"

CHLOE IS GAY. SHE'S A LESBIAN. LETS GOOOO LESBIANS LETS GOO!

(Of course this doesn't make her a lesbian, she could also be Bi or pan or whatever else but definitely sapphic. that's just my headcanon)

ok. Like I was shocked. Ofc Disney didn't stick with it tho

Second.

Tiana! Love her verse.

Why didn't they leave her in the movie.

She's an icon.

Third

Zellie again. Loved her verse too! But who is she?? Is she Rapunzel or is she Rapunzel's daughter? I mean it would make more sense if it were Rapunzel herself.

I NEED ANSWERS

Also her hair turning pink from the cupcake? Nice

Fourth.

Chloe again.

Not her crushing on a girl from the past 😭

That wouldn't work out. 😭

But like Red was also checking out Charming lol. (Chloe's face in that frame 😭😭 lol)

But she was just checking not really crushing.

Honestly I'm just rambling right now and trying not to repeat myself.

Idk if it makes sense.

But also Imagine if it is Rapunzel and then meeting her in the future. Awkward. But also I feel ya Chloe.

Fifth

The designs.

Most were cool. Some were creepy lol.

Like I found Chloe's hair cool! But I love her curls and locks more.

Also was the one person Ella? Why she look so depressed? Damn. Like the zoom in at her when Charming's part came.

Actually makes sense with her living conditions nevermind. Valid.

Also charming looks creepy.

Hades looks okay.

Morgie became He-Man.

Hook was fine. Reminds me of Harry. But the way they moved him was funny and His voice 😭 slay 💅🏼

And Maleficent was maleficent.

I LOVE THEM ALL. I'M NOT HATING ON THEM! it's just my thoughts! And it's also the storyboard. Which slay.

Also funny little mention.

I laughed at how Aladdin just flew in, took a cupcake, and flew away again. They probably would have talked in that scene? Idk but it was just funny. And the way he flexed 😭

Sixth

The left out/changed verses

Idk WHO said "Hey princess" but that was hot. and it was probably Bridget since it zoomed in on her. but idk the actual Person that said that

(Reminds me of Catra's "Hey Adora")

Also If Tiana is a Princess that means her and Prince Naveen are already together. Slay.

🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

CALL ME TIANA! I GOT THAT something water? RUNNING SO DEEP IN MY VEINS! 🤸

I CAN JAZZ IT UP ✨

DON'T YOU PASS IT UP 🫣

WHEN IT COMES TO MY BEIGNETS 🤤

🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

I would never pass on your beignets 🫡

I like it more than "CaLl Us jAlAdDin" even if it was kinda cute and funny.

Would have been fire in the movie.

(if this would be in the movie and the jaladdin part would be the other idee, I would not want to change it)

Next.

"Oh look 👀 there's Zelly 😒"

Why does it sound like that. Is it only me? Idk.

🎼🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

I'm just like my hair 🤫

Don't fit in anywhere 😶‍🌫️

And I can't say I mind it 😙

NoOoO I don't 💁🏼

🎼🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

Go off, girl! yeah! Speak your mind ✨🤸

Beautiful voice, I mean for the whole song really. Don't know who that is tho.

After that is the iconic gay panic from Chloe 😭😭😭

Why did they cut it 😒😭 not slay

We need Sapphic Chloe! 🫠

"Looking Good Zelly! The sun shines a little more- *enter the VKs music*"

Very funny. Would have loved that cut off.

Next.

🎵🎶🎵🎶

All I have to say is 😀

Stay out of Ursula's sister's way 😄

🎵🎶🎵🎶

Maleficent 🤠 what. was. that. 🤠

I mean I love that you have more lines and also it's very funny. But like. Personally, I like that they didn't keep that. But also, like I said. Funny.

I mean if it were

'stay out of Uliana's way'

Wouldn't be funny

Wouldn't have minded if they kept it like that either, now that I think about it. Anyway.

Next.

I do like that Uliana already snatched one cupcake. But the way it is right now is great too.

And that they got hit with the cupcakes. But then again. It would be annoying to clean.

"Wait, that's too many!" From Brigdet. I like that.

I liked them chasing Bridget more but

Uliana just running at her and Ella pulling her out of the way which makes only Uliana fall into the Fountain that was behind them was also funny.

The End

Thanks for listening to my rambles! ✨❤️

Byeee

Well reading.

If I forgot any changes (probably) or you also notice something fun or interesting I would love to hear it!

Imma watch the other storyboards later.

Here the links if you haven't seen them

Red

Love ain't it .

Don't spoil me for those two please 👀.

[aprillikesthings]

I was eating lunch at work today when it occurred to me:

Yeah, Catra's so lean in the show in part because of the whole "feline" thing. But how often do you think Shadow Weaver just straight-up made Catra go without eating, as a punishment for something, or to remind her of her place in the scheme of things? How often did other kids in the Horde steal her food?

Adora almost certainly was given enough to eat, even if it was boring ration bars.

But Catra? How often did she just fucking not get enough to eat???

Anyway, have a snippet of fic, from some point post-canon, about Catra finally getting enough to eat and gaining a little weight (which is portrayed positively)

(there's a little catradora at the end, and I'd rate it "mature" but only barely, tbh)

Catra’s never had access to this much food, whenever she wanted, of almost any kind she can think of. Meals in Bright Moon are not hurried rations consumed only by necessity, but are often occasions to socialize and linger. She’s never forced to skip a meal, either as punishment or from lack of time–people outside of the Horde, it turns out, usually stop what they’re doing specifically to eat. 

Both Adora and Catra force themselves to eat more politely at dinner, but usually take breakfast in their room, where nobody can see them eat with their hands while sitting on the floor and talking with their mouths full. 

The first time Catra slips out of bed and sneaks into the kitchen at midnight, she finds Glimmer in the dimly-lit room already, leaning on a counter and nibbling cake with her fingers off a small plate. 

Glimmer looks up, startled at first, and smiles. “Are you here for more of the cake? The kitchen really outdid themselves this time, huh.” 

She just nods. Of course Catra isn’t going to be punished for eating more. She knows this. It’s still surreal to have Glimmer (in an oversized t-shirt and shorts and fuzzy socks) wipe her hands off on a napkin, get out the cake, and put a slice of the cake on a plate for her and hand it to her with a smile, before going back to her own piece. 

It still feels conspiratorial. Like they're getting away with something.

“Did you want a fork?”

“Nah.” She does still have to actively resist the urge to shove the whole piece in her mouth, instead picking bits off the way Glimmer does. 

It’s so good. There’s some kind of sweetened fruit spread between two slabs of soft chocolate cake, and the whole thing is frosted and dotted with more of the fruit. 

The two of them wordlessly stand in the kitchen enjoying the treat. It’s a weirdly comfortable silence in the still of the night. Catra closes her eyes with each bite, savoring it.

She looks up to see Glimmer putting her plate in the nearby sink and washing off her hands. 

“G’night, Catra.” 

“G’night, Sparkles.” 

Glimmer rolls her eyes but she’s smiling as she leaves the kitchen. 

Catra waits just until Glimmer’s gone, then gives in to the urge to lick the plate clean before adding it to the sink. 

She looks in a mirror one day and sees a small curve to her belly. She turns a little–her backside and hips are slightly bigger, too. Even her face looks different, less gaunt. It’s not just that she looks happier. It’s that she looks less hungry. She never realized how hungry she always was, before.

A memory jumps to mind: her as a child, stomach aching, trying to steal food, and then Shadow Weaver looming behind her–Catra takes a deep breath and pushes it away, looking at her own face in the mirror. She never has to feel that way again. Ever. 

Catra’s clothes have always been on the stretchy side, but things are still getting noticeably tighter, she realizes, as her and Adora get ready for bed one night.

“Adora?”

“Yeah?”

“Uh. I think I need new clothes.” 

Adora looks over and smiles. “I thought you might’ve gained some weight! Good.” 

They get in bed and Adora kisses her tummy. “You’re a little softer now. It’s nice.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. And your tits–” Adora pushes them together and rubs her face in them. “Mmmm!”

She laughs. “What, you didn’t like them before?”

“Of course I did! But there’s. Y’know. More of them now.” 

“Yeah, they’re almost big as yours!” 

“Oh, shut up!” But Adora’s laughing and kissing her face.

As they fall asleep a bit later, Adora is spooned up behind her, soft breath on Catra’s neck. And Adora’s hand is slack on Catra’s tummy, warm and comforting.

[spopsalt]

Catra: I'm the one who suffers most from the actions of Catra!

Me: You suffered?

Catra: I have!

Me: The most?

Catra: The most!

Me: More than say...Adora?

Catra: Don't even talk to me about Adora

Me: No, I wanna hear know you're the victim when there's Adora.

Catra: I'm serious!

Me: No, explain to me how you abusing Adora was really rough for you.

Catra: Shut up!

Me: You feel a lot of gulit about that? You feel a lot of guilt because you were the only friend she ever had before Glimmer and Bow? And when she asked you to come with her mutiple times you said no? And then when she let you back into her life, you continued to abuse her and left her on her deathbed when she was literally on her knees begging you to stay? And she's abused by you. And you have a lot of friends, and a girlfriend who loves you, and live in a world free of any problems. And that's been really hard for you. The main character of this story.

[tofumoons]

no one ever wants 2 talk about how fucked up adora & glimmers rlxnship was circa s4 but it was so YUMMY like their rlxnship wass ofrauoght for so many reasons but the root was that neither of them were able to communicate exactly why they needed. when they did neither of them could understand it. they love each other but they don't know how to talk to each other they're suffocating each other it's a kind of slow rot that starts once glimmer gets the authority and independence she once craved and it's not how she ever thought or wanted it to happen but she's going to do it and she going to do it right. she had to. she's the only one who can. but adora with her fused sort of savior guilt complex over angela sees the power and thinks it makes her more vulnerable and glimmer chafes under this bc even if angela's not here anymore she still has to prove she can do this. so she makes decisions that cannot be weak. she charges into battle she allies with shadow weaver to get stronger she goes off on her own and it all comes from a place of hurt but this hurts adora too bc adora obviously spent her whole childhood under shadow weavers power and she did very little good to adora who did idealize her but only bc of how manipulative sw is and the betrayal of it all still cuts deep. adora lashes out and glimmer interprets it as jealousy and immaturity and her inability to acknowledge sw's abuse of adora pushes them apart even further. they cant trust eachother enough to talk about the wounds that fuel these actions without risking another cut. the war is unrelenting and glimmer is desparste when glimmer believes light hope over adora she crosses another line. she doesn't listen to adora bc adora doesn't know anything about what's right this is just like shadow weaver and look at what i can do now because of her. adora failed her mother but glimmer won't fail etheria and again she betrays adora's trust. glimmer and adora's inability to comprehend eachother with the ugliest versions of themselves directly leads to the occupation of etheria. something has broken between them and no one knows if it can come back. on some level i think glimmer activating the heart is a greater betrayal than anything catra has done to adora—maybe not the greatest betrayal adora has committed against catra but the line between them is clearly antagonistic. glimmer is different. glimmer wasn't supposed to end up like catra. it doesn't matter tho. the love is still there.

[antispopausandstuff]

Another Aspect Of 'Corridors', 'Save The Cat', and 'Taking Control'

.

disclaimer - these are my thoughts and my personal analysis. though SPOP is objectively poorly written, it is partially because of that fact that a lot can be left up for interpretation and be discussed with different outlooks or theories on the same situation // scene. if you have a different opinion on the aspect i'm going to delve into, i'd like to see what you think.

standard warnings of abuse and viewer discretion is applied.

.

for a long time, i left it up to poor writing that Catra was angry with Adora for rescuing her, despite clearly desiring that and being as thankful as she could be ( considering her situation and that it is, of course, Catra we're talking about ) in the previous episode, with no real intention of looking further into it.

and, while it is still entirely because of poor writing and not because the writers were actively doing anything to imply or symbolize something in the relationship, i recently came to a conclusion that can make at least some sort of sense to her motives and actions in 'Corridors', 'Save the Cat', and 'Taking Control'.

Catra was angry because her sacrifice didn't mean anything.

it's the only thing that makes sense to me, even though it still leaves a few holes ( such as Catra agreeing to be taken home in the first place ), and i haven't seen anyone else make a theory of their own as to why she reacted this way outside of it just being how she is.

and, yes, it is in character for her to accept something, then deny it the moment after, but this scene in particular stood out to me because of how unapologetically ungrateful and callous Catra is after her self-pitying and borderline remorseful behavior.

in 'Corridors', it's evident that Catra is only showing regret ( if that is what she truly feels ) because her life fell into shambles after sending off Entrapta to Beast Island, threatening and abusing Scorpia until she left, Adora putting her foot down, Hordak wanting to be rid of her after finding out she lied, and DT giving the worst callout of the century and betraying her.

she stays in her pitying while still continuing to try to ruin Adora's life by helping Horde Prime find her, but the show expects us to take it at face value when HP says she's trying to 'protect' Adora from him. of course, the stans took it and ran, but when you look at the bigger picture, none of it adds up and is quickly proven false.

Catra only felt terrible because she didn't get everything she wanted and was left alone.

i understand that rock bottom can make someone realize a lot of things, but it's hard to think that's what's happening when Catra continues doing bad things for the sake of 'belonging', making more conflict with Glimmer, and keeps speaking ill of Adora over and over.

it's hard to think that's what's happening when Catra says "there's no one in the entire universe who cares about me". because it's not from a place of understanding, but a place of wallowing. even when she's supposedly doing the right thing ( saving Glimmer // Adora ), she's only focused on herself and what this means for her.

whether or not she genuinely believed Adora wouldn't go to Horde Prime's ship to rescue her, Catra uses the same language that she'd use against Adora when speaking of her leaving the Horde:

"why did you come back? we both know i don't matter."

Adora's never been on Horde Prime's ship before this. there was nothing for her to 'come back' to.

does Catra think Adora being in the presence of anything Horde related means she's 'coming back', despite never having left her behind in the first place?

and in 'Taking Control':

"i told you not to come back! but you just love to feel like a hero, don't you?"

to me, it reads as if Catra saved Glimmer because she thought Adora wouldn't 'come back' for her, essentially giving her a pass to the sacrifice. but, when that didn't happen, she resorted to her usual behaviors of open self-pity, if not guilt-tripping, aggression and hostility, projecting like crazy, and leaving Adora to clean up the mess entirely on her own.

again, it still leaves a couple of holes ( with Catra's initial acceptance of Adora bringing her home ), but it's the only idea that makes the most sense of this inconsistency.

the anti community collectively agrees ( if i recall correctly ) that Catra's act of saving Glimmer // Adora wasn't selfless.

but i personally see it as her way of giving herself an out with a pat on the back. and Adora 'took' that away from her.

what do you think?