#in the shadows of mystacor

[mara-defense-squad]

it says a lot about adora that in one breath she can say "it's never gonna work on me again" referring to shadow weavers manipulation and in the Very Next Sentence she all but parrots her words exactly ("im sorry, its my fault she was here I endangered mystacor"). It perfectly demonstrates how while adora is actually not that bad at recognising the damage that shadow weaver did, she is fucking terrible at actually addressing it. She assumes that the big dramatic moment is the easy (and only) fix that she needs and then keeps falling into the same old patterns in this essay i will-

[heyedora]

been rewatching she-ra and man, in the shadows of mystacor will always be one of my favourite episodes. like, top 3 material, easily.

(cw: abuse mention (via talking about the themes of it in spop)

i mean, years ago when it first came out, as someone who had recently experienced severe abuse, the line "you have no power over me anymore!" like, changed something in me, it was incredible. that entire fight sequence with her and shadow weaver at the end, where SW is using her tactics again, but this time around adora is familiar with it and fights back - it's a super inspiring scene (always makes me cry). and at the time, it was so amazing for me to see, because it's important for people to see they're not their abuse and they can overcome it, right? but this time around i realized - the reason that adora has the strength to fight back is because of her connections with other people. she's been away from the horde for awhile now, and she has the comparison of how her new friends (who haven't known her that long!) treat her, and it's their belief in her, and the fact that adora knows, without a doubt, that they love her, that helps her recognize the manipulative way that SW is speaking to her. just a great episode all around for telling people that healing is possible and each day you spend healing, you gain just that bit more power to fight back.

something else this episode does a great job with? showing the dangers of toxic positivity! the entire episode, adora is severely on edge - she can't relax, she can't sleep, she's quite literally being haunted by shadow minions (let's call those manifestations of trauma/abuse, for the sake of this post). glimmer and bow keep assuring her she's safe, and the danger can't reach her here, and they mean well, but this makes adora even more anxious. and it's because she is in danger, because SW is there, and she knows it. this is almost like, textbook what i learned in therapy - after a traumatic situation, it will take a long time before your body knows you're safe (i could go into detail about how trauma lives in your nervous system but i'll save that for another day). for adora, the threat is still there, even if other people can't see it. forcing her to relax isn't going to help anything. and through the ep, bow and glimmer slowly try to help in other ways - even when they finally let adora talk about what's worrying her (her history with SW), that helps her a bit because she can get the comfort she needs. and after listening, bow suggests trying something else, like "hitting something", because he's trying to understand how she best deals with stress. but it's not until adora faces SW - her feelings, the danger - and acknowledges that she was right, the danger was there, but! she has new skills now, and is surrounded by loved ones, and she can fight back - that's when the feeling/the shadows go away. and then, the best part!!! glimmer and bow apologize because they realize that they needed to really listen to adora and let her feel her anxiety and her feelings, not force her to ignore them and focus on other, more relaxing things. and then, after she's faced those feelings and has talked about them, she's able to admit she's tired, and she falls asleep on the beach. and when she wakes up in a panic, who's there, keeping watch over her? glimmer and bow (i literally tear up every time). because they learned what adora needs, and what adora needs is to be allowed to be scared, with her friends right by her so she feels safe being afraid. it's just a great lesson, especially for a kids show, that all your feelings are valid - even fear and anxiety.

and!!! during the fight with SW, she can't activate her sword or become she-ra - but when she decides to stand up to SW, the sword turns into a shield for the first time! because it doesn't take power to stand up for yourself. she holds that shield and defeats SW as adora. because you can do it afraid. you can face your feelings and release other people's power over you, and you don't need to be scary or offensive to do it, or even strong, you just need to have the desire to protect yourself. GOD. this show.

[diaspro-back-here]

A concept:

In The Shadows of Mystacor

Don’t ask…

Or do, but I don’t think I can reply lol

Btw, the black pattern took me 1hr to draw while literally everything else took half an hour… I’m baffled

[kaiserincatra]

Chapter 7 “In the Shadows of Despara” of She-Ra: Missing is out! 

- -

Deep at night in Bright Moon, two moons hung in the sky casting soft light over the landscape.

“Catra.”

“Catra, please, I’m sorry.”

Catra tossed and turned in her sleep as Adora’s voice filled her dreams.

“Catra, please, just come back.” A red light began to fill her vision.

The feline bolted up with a gasp. Her fur stood on end as she looked around the room. Carefully, she left the bed and pulled herself out through the window and walked to the edge of the woods, where she stared out until morning came.

[capndragn94]

Scorpia: What are you not?

Perfuma: *mumbling*

Scorpia: WHAT. ARE. YOU. NOT?

Perfuma: *sighs* I am not a licensed therapist.

Scorpia: And?

Perfuma: I shouldn't offer to act as one for my friends, and won't do so in the future.

Scorpia: Thank you. We'll circle back to how this led to you and Catra blowing up Shadow Weaver's statue in the Hall of Sorcerers after I've paid your bail.

[candyskiez]

rewatching she ra is a wild ride man like damn I forgot how obviously traumatized adora is in retrospect. how she acts around angella? "People like me better when I'm she-ra"? running to get some sort of validation from any adult figure the second everything in her life goes to shit? her first reaction to a perceived fuck up is to self punish and leave glimmer and bow entirely since she "ruined" their lives by being "irrational" in shadows of mystacore? the fact everything is her fault in some way somehow since season one??? holy shit she was seriously considering staying behind with light hope and never leaving because she thought her friends were better off without her. I forgot how much she self punished. whoever thinks adora didn't suffer in she ra has never watched the show istg

also just. the fact she sleeps with a *knife* is so telling. what happened to her in the horde that made her feel the need to start? she was fully prepared to fight shadow weaver the second she woke up. she *sleep fights.* what the fuck did they do to her. this kid has been through so much.

[that-ari-blogger]

What Secrets Lie In Mystacor's Shadows?

So, it has been noted many, many times that She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a series about trauma. And usually, this takes the form of overcoming conditioning and pre-programmed responses. But there is another aspect of the trauma that is less obvious.

Adora suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), not from the war or the Horde, but from Shadow Weaver. This is examined in the topic of this post, In The Shadows Of Mystacor.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I'm going to start by taking a look at the bath sequence. It shows two things. One: Adora is paranoid and brings a sword to a place in which she should feel safe. Two: Shadow weaver is just messing with her.

That's what's happening here, this is how Shadow Weaver acts. Her stated motive here is bringing Adora back to the Horde, and her preferred method is psychological. She tries to scare Adora into returning, she tries to convince Glimmer and Bow that their friend is unreliable. And she tries to convince Adora that her friends are giving up on her. She's trying to isolate her prey.

Shadow Weaver doesn't have to be a physical threat to be intimidating. She's intelligent, and manipulative. Her power comes from her patience, and her drive, her understanding. She doesn't have to be present to have an impact.

"I saw her shadow on the floor"

A shadow is a reflection, of sorts. It is a sign that there is someone there, not detailed, but enough to be sure. Shadow Weaver is very much here, but its her shadow. You see the impact she has had, more than you see her.

There's even the transition at the end, as the shot of Adora fades into a much closer and larger Shadow Weaver, showing their connection and power dynamic with all the subtlety of a crocodile in a steakhouse.

Despite receiving its name in 1980, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is one of the oldest mental health problems afflicting humanity. It is a response to fear and/or pain that is designed to avoid the same situation again.

Shakespeare famously wrote a character from Henry IV, Hotspur, with what would now be diagnosed as PTSD. There is a whole speech on it in part 1, which I highly recommend you look up. But Cambridge University, the article Shakespeare And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, gives another description from the bard of the phenomenon:

"Or in the night, imagining some fear, How easy is a bush supposed a bear!" (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

In essence, PTSD has many forms and symptoms, but most revolve around sensory processing and instinctual reactions.

Notice how Adora shows both in this episode. She mistrusts her senses about Shadow Weaver, and immediately goes into a fighting position when snuck up on by Glimmer and Bow.

The point I am making is that this is an episode about Shadow Weaver as much as it is about Adora, and a lot about her can be inferred from Adora's reactions to everything.

"Pull it together, Adora. There's no way shadow weaver can be here."

Again, notice how Adora's shadow is the spy, the influence. Again, Shadow weaver is here, not in person, but through Adora's trauma.

The most stressful scene in this episode is Adora, alone, in a room, taunted by her own thoughts, or rather, thoughts Shadow Weaver has put in her head.

It is almost more comforting when we finally see Shadow Weaver. She becomes a tangible problem, one Adora can talk to, one Adora can physically fight.

I've mentioned Shadow Weaver's shadows before in how they frame a shot, but that was in relation to Catra, notice the difference in how they interact with Adora. With Catra, the shadows cover her up, and corrupt her, they look painful, like claws that scratch specifically at her eyes. With Adora, the shadows encircle her, they compress her, they trap here. The imagery in this shot is reminiscent, at least to me, of fingers clasping shut around Adora to reach for her and grasp her, to control her.

"I could give you Etheria, we could rule the world together."

Here we finally get Shadow Weaver's actual motivation. She doesn't align herself with any faction, she wants control. She offers Adora the world not out of benevolence, but because Adora is the one who can give the world to Shadow Weaver, and all she has to do is manipulate Adora's perceptions to get what she wants.

I do not like Shadow Weaver.

Previous - Next

[tippenfunkaport]

A scene that apparently happened sometime between leaving Beast Island and arriving at the Bright Moon:

Adora, pulling Micah aside: OK, so remember that old teacher you had up at Mystacor? Light Spinner? Yeah, she's alive and she calls herself Shadow Weaver now. Just wanted to mention that in case we get to Bright Moon and she's hanging out and you want to dramatically say her name, no one will get who you mean if you say Light Spinner, so... Shadow Weaver. Got it? Honestly, if you forget her name just call her "traitor" or something, it's fine. Oh! And she's got a new color scheme now, no more golds and pastels. It's all magenta and black with this CRAZY asymmetrical turtle neck thing. Plus, she always wears this full face mask. Yeah, not just the little scarf thing anymore. The whole deal. Just wanted you to be able to recognize her on sight so if she's doing something crazy like sitting on Glimmer's throne or whatever when we get to Bright Moon, you won't be all "Who's that?" because she looks nothing like the person you used to know. Dramatic moment, no time for exposition, you know how it is.

[spopsalt]

how did the princesses make their kingdom survive for so long when they don't even have an army? Their powers suck, they don't have jails, they are stupid, they want to be moraly superior at all cost (bow, Mystacor, Perfuma), they always let their feelings get in the way of victory, they aren't friends, they're selfish, lazy, weak etc. Being teenagers is not an excuse for the story not making sense. This applies to the horde too, why did Catra get promoted when Lonnie was right there? Why is Hordak sich a bad ruler? How does the hierarchy work? Why was Adora an innexperienced soldier going to be forcecaptain? Why is Shadow weaver so weak?

Exactly! They are teenagers! Hell, even the smarter people like Angella never even had a holding cell, I don't get it. They literally had cusions as some funny haha joke, they are teenagers and are very incompotent

[swearyshera]

Slowly making my way through the inbox, here's today's big bunch!

@freedfromthegalactichivemind Snap! It's not beyond the realms of possibility, we shall see what happens with my other ideas for continuing the series.

I can write them down for you! It reads...

Following the events of the finale, life changed for everyone on Etheria.

Scorpia was officially handed her kingdom back. Upon seeing the state of it she yelled "What motherfucking thundercunt did this?!" She is still apologising.

Within a month of Prime's defeat, Perfuma held the biggest Trans Pride parade Etheria had ever seen. Prince Peekable still did not turn up. He was later found dead, but Perfuma insisted that this was not an excuse for failing to support trans people.

Frosta was finally able to return to Hell. The other demons had not changed at all during her absence and were still massive dicks. She has now made this realm her permanent home. It has more cake.

Mermista initially failed to respond to our request for comment on how her life had changed. When we reached out again, she said "It's fine, I guess, whatever." Her smile indicated things were a lot better than 'just fine'.

Sea Hawk celebrated the defeat of Prime with a series of 'victory fires'. The resulting court cases found him guilty of arson and sentenced to a total of five years in prison. Mermista officially pardoned him after a lot of convincing.

After finishing Sweary She-Ra, Entrapta was tasked with writing the SPOP movie. It has been hailed as the greatest movie of all time and received glowing reviews from all critics. It never received a release outside of Etheria.

Hordak finally achieved his dream of taking over Etheria. There is now a branch of Greggs in every town and village on the planet. He and Entrapta created a unique menu of tiny sausage rolls.

Shadow Weaver's remains were returned to Mystacor. The burial site is now a popular gender-neutral bathroom.

Double Trouble opened an acting school. They closed it a week later after realising no-one could be as good they are.

Bow used his spare time to focus on inventing more tech. His inventions have changed the everyday lives of many Etherians. The French horn alarm clock was not one of them.

Glimmer now spends her days collecting antique weapons. Though she has no need to use them, they are maintained in perfect condition... just in case.

Catra went through a fuckton of therapy at Mystacor. Things may not be perfect but she's happy. Also, Castaspella told her several embarrassing stories about Glimmer as a child. Catra has them saved up for when she really needs to piss Glimmer off.

The first thing Adora did after defeating Prime was take a well-earned rest. Well, she slept for a few hours. Well, I say slept, she lay down on the bed for a few minutes. What can I say? Adora is still Adora.

@hi-im-uur It's been my pleasure! There are a good few thousand strips to go through, so enjoy it all over again!

[baggebythesea]

Glimmer: Hey Daaaad, could you tell me how Shadow Weaver did the spell that made her all shadowy and superpowerful? Just so I never do it on accident?

Micah: I see nothing wrong or suspicious with this request, so of course!

Castaspella: No.

Glimmer: I NEVER GET TO DO ANYTHING COOL

Micah: Weren't you in Mystacor?

Castaspella: I don't see how that is relevant right now

[n7punk]

"Lightbeam" Fic Notes

Pretend I posted this *checks watch* two days ago when I finished Lightbeam. I got busy lol and I was playing Stardew Valley.

Epilogue Life:

:) You’ll have to wait

Chapter 1:

⦁ This fic was originally written back in February after Embrace the Blame in preparation for the Bang. TLDR is we needed to have the fics ready early so the artists could then illustrate them, so I just wanted to write the whole thing at once because that’s how my projects work. I actually finished Embrace the Blame a few days before I posted the final chapter(s) because I had been posting it on a schedule and I could just continue using that as I worked on this to make the gap in my posting overall smaller. I think it actually took me like two weeks to write this, which is why there was a week and a half between the end of EtB and start of MMaM (and of course I had to write MMaM some too, but I already wrote the first few chapters ages ago). It’s also why there was almost two weeks between Start Your Engine finishing and Our Love Is God starting. I wrote the entire rough draft in February, and during that break I edited and finalized the fic for posting in May. I also just had a lot going on then, but yeah this fic has been slotted in between my others over the last few months.

⦁ Adora’s father’s information was left blank because she was an immaculate conception. More on this will be explored in the sequel fic <3

⦁ Norwyn is officially unnamed in the reboot I think but he’s one of the higher-ups at Mystacor. In the OG he was Shadow Weaver’s mentor.

⦁ Adora’s weather powers come up a lot in the first few scenes and I wish I had more “diversity” in magical incidents, but the problem is, as outlined later in the fic, Adora has no idea the stuff she’s doing (see: her coffee) and the weather stuff is pretty much the only consistent thing she has identified as maybe her fault. There was initially also mention of a drowning incident she miraculously survived when learning how to swim that even she knew was weird, but it ended up cut for flow.

⦁ In general, magic is normal, inevitable, and accepted, but there are still some “normie” communities that pop up in small pockets and want nothing to do with, say, a lesbian drowning the upper east side by accident on a Wednesday afternoon because she’s sad. Legally they can’t do anything to “discriminate”, but it’s a culture thing. Catra faced constant bullying and Adora was only safe because she didn’t even know if she had magic. Weaver moved there after getting cursed from her own incompetence because they easily believed the story that someone else cursed her and welcomed her in as a victim with open arms. Her understanding along with rejection of magic made her the perfect person to point to justify their ignorance (see, even a once-sorceress can be turned on and reject magic when she realizes the dangers. Etc). The main reason she moved there was just because there was less magic in the area, though (part of the reason a normie community popped up there), so it made it easier to manage her curse because it was weakened.

⦁ Oh boy, the Whispering Woods section. So first, I should say the version in the fic is pretty much what I originally outlined. The only big difference was Adora was supposed to find out about Razz from her research and went seeking her out rather than going there following her “mom.” I couldn’t figure out what that research would look like, though, so I went with the mom thing because that aligned with her backstory. My big problem was that I got a new idea once I got to writing the woods and the new idea was bad but it felt like reversing progress to go back to the original thing. The new idea was that Mara was an ancient She-ra who fell in love with Light Hope and, in her grief when Light Hope died, accidentally transformed her soul into a guardian spirit who would watch over future She-ras and “keep them safe” so they don’t get in a position where they, yknow, accidentally warp time and space and the laws of physics again. Light Hope was the one who actually sent the lightning, sent Catra, and protected Adora when she was drowning when she was seven. Adora would find the hut, would talk in circles with Razz, spot Catra who immediately fled, and get so frustrated and sad it started pouring rain, which forced Catra to flee back in through the window and into Adora’s arms for safety from Razz but she refused to change back because she was mad at her. While waiting out the storm, Adora eventually had the idea to google guardian spirits, found different methods for getting in contact with them, and tried meditation. This is around when I realized this whole set-up was bust, but the idea was going to be that she got in contact with Light Hope, had her powers she wasn’t in touch with explained to her, and told Light Hope to stop the wrath of god shit. Light Hope’s existence kind of wiped out everything I had planned for what was supposed to be the actual fic with her learning her powers. This new backstory changed everything and ruined what I actually wanted to write about, so I went back to my original outline. It’s way better for it and it meant I actually got to do the slow discovering and mastering of her powers I had planned, but boy can it be a struggle to dig yourself out of a hole and lose “progress”.

⦁ Catra eating the pie was actually a joke from before I started working on the fic. The original joke was that she was legitimately visiting the woods just to “steal” food from Razz and this was a thing she did on the weekends sometimes because they all lived nearby. Razz was fine with sharing with her cat “guest” in this version and seemed oblivious to the fact she was a person. This got changed because 1) Even if I changed it so they were all living near the woods and there weren’t barriers to Catra and Adora spending time together early on when she’s reluctant, that then posed the question of why the hell Adora hadn’t tried visiting her mom’s place already if it was easily accessible, 2) while I think Catra taking the pie once she knows about it is in character, her ever wandering through the woods enough to even find Razz to steal from wasn’t, so the basic set up didn’t really work, 3) the final version, with Adora’s powers going haywire and bringing her there, is way more impactful and in line with the fic’s story. It gives Catra a motivation to keep in contact with Adora after this point and illustrates definitively just how powerful Adora’s powers can be when she’s still in denial about the “warping the fabric of reality” thing.

⦁ Agatha Trunchbull was the basically demonic head mistress in Matilda, which, from my understanding, had a fucking torture closet she would lock kids into, in addition to regularly assaulting them like when she clobbered a massive serving tray over a kids head. I haven’t actually read the book, I just knew someone who liked it growing up and I went to the wikipedia to be sure when I went for the reference.

Chapter 2:

⦁ Adora’s spiraling and exaggerating, but empaths do need to actually hold the hand of someone and open their heart to feel their energy, so Adora isn’t likely to ever cause an accidental concussion as long as she’s careful about who she holds hands with.

⦁ “Catra sends her a condescending look that makes Adora blush for some reason.” It’s because you like belittling, idiot.

⦁ Catra’s kitten form is partially a result of trauma and partially natural self-defense. Having such a small form allowed her to hide and slip away when she needed safety from Weaver/bullies/etc. The trauma getting a little better is why she was able to “grow up” a little but she was right that it’s permanent in the sense she will never be able to have an adult form.

⦁ The meditation was actually a lot more helpful than Adora gave it credit for, but again, lack of self-awareness.

Chapter 3:

⦁ Adora’s whole thing about “oh, I’ve never actually experienced this thing I’ve heard talked about” is definitely a realization I’ve had a few times in my life, usually in some medical context though, like when I found out I’d never had an actual runny nose because I’d never breathed through my nose before.

Chapter 4:

⦁ Catra is being especially cuddly as a cat because it’s an “acceptable” way to get snuggled up close so she can then transform and properly cuddle Adora.

⦁ Catra showing up at her door as a cat was literally just because I wanted an excuse to write more kitten!Catra I was ready to be done with her yet lol.

⦁ I’m planning to write a sequel fic set a few years down the line once Catra and Adora are married, but as you know if you’ve been following my Tumblr, I have like three active WIPs demanding attention, so that’s going to have to wait.

⦁ This isn’t related to the fic so much, but this was my first time ever doing a fandom event! There’s definitely zines and stuff I would have wanted to participate in before but I only ever learn about these things after they’re already over lol. I loved being part of this Bang and oh my god do I love the illustrations so much Karo did an INCREDIBLE job. I knew I wanted to participate in the Bang the second I heard about it, but picking a fic was hard. I really wanted to write something in canon but didn’t think any of my current OotW ideas would be long enough for the word count requirement. At that time, I had a canon divergent AU ready to go, but it was Make Me A Monster and I wanted to do something happy so… yeah that was a no go lol even if someone might have wanted to draw the cybernetics. Lightbeam ended up being the perfect option because it was 1) fairly short for an AU but long enough to meet the requirement and post over the week, 2) light-hearted, 3) had plenty of scenes I thought someone might want to illustrate between Adora’s powers and kitten!Catra, 4) I’ll be honest, it kind of felt full circle, because…

⦁ At the start of this year I posted freak occurrence: confluence as a celebration of over three years of posting Catradora fics and finally getting to my fics being 1% of the entire Catradora tag on AO3 (next goal is 1% of the SPOP tag — JOKE THIS IS A JOKE THAT’S NEVER HAPPENING). It featured tons of my Catradora couples from various AUs — including one AU that hadn’t been posted yet. I’d had the freak occurrence fic idea for three years, so whenever I came up with a new AU I’d picture its Catradora in that scenario, which meant I’d already thought about what Lightbeam’s couple would do in that scenario even though I hadn’t written it yet. Getting to post it as part of the Bang was so exciting and I hope it lived up to expectations! The version that was featured in that fic was a few years older, when Adora had a better grip on her magic, but you’ll see a bit of that in the sequel fic.

Meta:

Playlist

Upcoming:

I have a one shot I’m probably going to post in the next couple days and then I’m aiming for Slipstream (my hacker AU) but uh….. Something is coalescing that may also demand attention. Stay tuned ig lol

[sometipsygnostalgic]

The first five episodes of spop are the only eps I have NEVER revisited in my three years of being a fan.

Actually I never rewatched Shadows of Mystacor either, but know that I imprinted that episode into my mind. It is a wonderful episode, it was probably the first ep that hit me emotionally. It also makes me sad because for all the support Glimmer offers Adora in this ep, she takes it back in season 4. So I haven't been able to rewatch this one because it hurts my feelings! Yayyy!!!

As for the others, well, I see lots of gifs of The Sword, but the events of Flowers for Perfuma, Razz, and The Sea Gate could be a fever dream. The only event I roll in my mind is when Catra scratches Adora's back in Sea Gate. It was a raw moment.

Episode 6 is the odd one out in this block because it's Entrapta's introductory episode so of course I've rewatched it a dozen times to grab screenshots and such for my various silly posts.

I do think that the show doesn't hit its stride until episode 7 onwards, because after Shadows of Mystacor, you get banger after banger until the end of Season 1. It's hilarious that the s1 finale Battle of Brightmoon is the worst episode in the second half of the season. It's not bad in any way, it just doesn't have the power of any of the episodes leading up to it.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

Disgusted and disappointed at how Castaspella is treated as fodder by the show: being called a lesser sorcerer than Micah, being treated as not even second best sorcerer, having her hospitality shunted back at her face by both Glimmer and Angella, et cetera. Like, the potential she could have had if she was in the arc where Shadow Weaver was influencing Glimmer more. She could've been training sorcerers more to help fight against the Horde.

The whole thing about why sorcerers and Mystacor are neutral is really stupid; in ways, they can be considered a lethal force. Like what purpose do sorcerers serve on Etheria, what are their skills used for? It's another plothole in the shoddy world building.

Instead, she's reduced to the naggy, overbearing aunt that is never involved in action (v similar to how Angella is portrayed as the naggy, overbearing mother that is never involved in action), and is downplayed by the writers even more in favor of Micah, so the narrative can compensate Glimmer with a parent figure to makeup for the fact that Catra killed her mother.

I also feel bad that she has no one to confide in, on a personal level. I always feel like she is a v gracious host and mentor figure on Mystacor, and wants to make a connection with her sister in-law and niece. But Glimmer dismisses her in Mystacor, the place she is in charge of, and Angella, her sister in-law, never responds to her letters.

It's actually really misogynistic and a waste of a good character.

i don't have much else to add, i agree with all of this. for a show that promotes female empowerment, spop sure left out the female characters that was powerful in the og. even apart from castaspella, a lot of the characters are such painful archetypes that i find it hard to relate to them. the crew just googled "famous character archetypes" and ctrl+v without changing any aspect of them.

[aprillikesthings]

can I finish this before I gotta get ready and leave for the Maundy Thursday service let's find out lol

(Edit: Nope.)

THREE MORE EPISODES LEFT

*cries*

s5 ep11 Failsafe

someone hold me

I have to actively suppress the urge to read the synopses of the episodes at this point

oh also lol this is just funny to me, I saw a post Elsewhere Online where someone watched all of spop the first time and they HATED the dumb names everyone has, and I think they mentioned Castaspella specifically.

And like FIFTY PEOPLE responded with "dude they had to use the original names from the 1980's series" and I was the only one there old enough to have watched the original series and I had to point out: the original series was made to sell toys. The vast majority of cartoons in 1985 were only made to sell toys. They gave everyone those dumbass names because it was easy for kids to remember and beg for the toys."

That's also why all the female characters in the original series have the exact same body type. Yeah the body shape itself was due to 1980's-era sexism, but also? It was so much cheaper to animate the show AND make the toys that way!

But also, it's hella ironic to me that the 2018 show has so little official merch!

And now, back to crying over cartoon lesbians:

good question

ugh I hate her

Shadow Weaver: "While you were traipsing around in space,"

OH MY GOD they were saving a few people's LIVES and it was kind of IMPORTANT but WHATEVER

"--some of us have been working to stop the Heart of Etheria from falling into Prime's hands. And we discovered the same thing you did. Rumors of a Failsafe that will break the restraints the First Ones built and set the stolen magic free." Glimmer: "Are you kidding? After everything that happened last time, you're still going after the Heart of Etheria? And you're helping her?" Castaspella: "We're trying to free the magic for all of Etheria so we can be strong enough to fight Prime. I'm doing this for your father and for you. Shadow Weaver is the lesser of two evils."

I love that she says this right in front of Shadow Weaver. Like "girl I hate her too"

nice

okay ngl I have mixed feelings about this one because unfortunately she's not entirely wrong here but also, shut the fuck up

(something something people are responsible for their own actions but also she wouldn't have done all that godawful shit if Shadow Weaver hadn't been such a shitty parent)

but yeah Catra gets up like she's about to fucking throw some hands and Adora's like It's okay bb

;_;

but also they do need the information Shadow Weaver and Castaspella have

so it turns out Mystacor was built on top of a First Ones' citadel? huh

Castaspella: "Beneath Mystacor, there are many secret tunnels and rooms, forgotten and sealed off. No one has been able to access them in centuries, but there are whispers of what they contain." Shadow Weaver: "An artifact known as the Crystal of Arxia, hidden there by a group of traitorous First Ones." Castaspella: "You said I could do it!"

lol they bicker like old marrieds

Adora: "If you figured it out on your own, why come back here? Why do you need us at all?" Shadow Weaver: "Because Mystacor is controlled by Micah, who, you may recall, is controlled by Horde Prime."

they've been TRYING

"If he seizes the Heart, it will all be over."

Stop toUCHING HER

oh god Adora turns around to ask Catra to help out--and she's gone

YOU'RE THE REASON SHE'S FUCKING "SULKING" and you fucking know it, why are abusers always so god damned surprised to find out their kids don't want to be anywhere near them

(I mean I know why, they think they should be able to control you forever)

aaahahaha Adora's just like Nah I'mma go look for her tho

anyway roll intro!

omg look at Netossa and Spinny on the bottom left awwwww

she looks so sad

well okay sad and angry

their conversation here is so good, because Catra's fully aware of why Adora's doing this, but is really struggling to push past how much she (justifiably!) hates Shadow Weaver and hates being around her

I actually do kinda wish I'd kept a list of all the times Adora does the self-sacrificial thing, separated into "someone asked her to do it" vs "nobody asked her to do it" lol

BUT ADORA EXPRESSES A NEED oh nice that's progress

Adora: "Hey, she can't do anything to us anymore. Please, come. We--I-could really use your help."

two things I really love about this: One, she doesn't say that she doesn't like Adora, just that it's not the reason she's going. Two, I feel like Adora knows damn well Catra's not being 100% honest here.

Like, to some extent Catra's saying this as a way of attempting to protect herself a little. She's taking baby steps towards vulnerability, and it's terrifying! And I think Adora can see that and is fine with it--not JUST because she's like "any crumbs are better than nothing" but ALSO because she doesn't want to push Catra.

Because yeah, if there was any actual doubt that Catra does like Adora--

WELL.

Entrapta was able to get Spinerella's chip out but says it had started fusing with her nervous system and they're running out of time to safely un-chip everyone.

But she's been digging around the network that connects all the chips to Prime, hoping to figure out how to disconnect everyone at once, and Bow gives her a little encouragement, it's really sweet.

OKAY so everyone who can, teleports to Mystacor with Melog making them invisible. (Apparently Catra doesn't get motion sick from it anymore which is nice lol)

I love the way they animated them being invisible

oh GOD okay

Catra turns around and says "looks like there's no sorcerers here" while, unfortunately, a sorcerer walks into the room. Shadow Weaver grabs Catra and puts her hand over her mouth to keep her quiet, and Catra (understandably!! but unfortunately!!) jerks away in fury and yells

And her fury causes Melog to drop the invisibility

And now the chipped sorcerer knows they're all there

they manage to duck the attack but Adora goes to transform into She-Ra--and can't do it

she had this issue last episode aaaugh it's not from being near Shadow Weaver she wasn't there

okay but also Adora runs behind a pillar to hide from an attack with Catra and it's cute

girl help why is this giving me so many emotions

y'know it's funny how often I've bumped into posts of people who are confused as to why Adora starts trusting Catra again so quickly, and I frequently wonder if they forget all the childhood flashback scenes of these two. To varying extents they both spent their entire childhoods seeing the other as their only consistent source of comfort and (something resembling) safety, and with some notable exceptions Adora's spent the last four seasons (which was like three or four years) visibly holding out hope that one day she could trust Catra again. This despite the fact that she now has other sources of safety and comfort and love!!! Being with Glimmer and Bow and everyone else was healing, sure; but it never erased her grief over losing Catra. She always, always held out the tiniest flame of hope that Catra would change sides.

And Catra basically tried lighting her own grief on fire (metaphorically and kinda literally) over and over and it just didn't go away, and I feel like when she saved Glimmer and apologized to Adora she had sort of come to terms with the fact that her grief over losing Adora couldn't be burned away, but of course by then she figured she'd fucked up so bad Adora would never forgive her or trust her again. And rather than take it out on other people or suffer any longer she was willing to just die, instead. She really did think that sending Glimmer to Adora was going to be her last act, and she wanted Adora to know she was sorry before she fucking DIED. And I don't think her saving Glimmer was consciously meant to be proof that she meant her apology, but it was. And that's part of why Adora trusts her again.

The fact is, even after everything that happened, both of them had a hole in their hearts shaped like the other. ;_;

And that's why Adora runs and hides behind the same pillar as Catra. (I mean yes, it was also closer, but that's not tHE POINT)

Anyway, this is all why, as I previously noted, Adora's not being pushy. That failed on her, spectacularly; the couple of times she tried it. Asking Catra to come along on this mission is the closest she's come. And even then, it wasn't "you're a good person deep down and you should change sides because I think I know you better than you know yourself," It was "please do this for me, because I need your help." And Catra is fully aware of how hard that is for Adora.

And these two still have a lot to work out post-canon (like, Catra has still got to deal with her need to not just be seen as Adora's sidekick/shadow, and lbh right now some of the rebellion is like "we're only putting up with you for Adora's sake" as if Catra was Yoko Ono) but that's part of why I'm writing a fic lolol

I have so many feelingssss on a related note I spent like fifteen solid minutes last night in bed having taken an edible and listening to my playlist and staring at this gifset lolol

ANYWAY Castaspella knocks out the chipped dude and they run for it

AAAND lol I gotta get ready to go to church. There's still 17:30 left on this episode. Pfft.

BACK FROM CHURCH I washed someone's feet, they washed mine, they stripped the altar, I go back at one or two in the morning for the overnight vigil

In the meantime: gonna finish this episode

(what is my life sometimes)

Entrapta plans to find a bunch of clones so she can figure out how their signals to Horde Prime work. Swift Wind is like Ugh, fine, I'll go with you, someone's gotta save your ass

Entrapta: "Thanks, bird horse!"

lol how many times have they had that convo

A family can be a sorcerer and her evil ex, a girl and a boy, two traumatized lesbians, and a cat

But also it looks like something out of an episode of Scooby Doo

Shadow Weaver opens a magic door

ngl that's PRETTY. like it's obviously about the Heart of Etheria but wow!

(and there's a dinosaur???)

Adora notices how stressed out Catra is and says "It'll be okay...Trust me." ;_;

Shadow Weaver: "There's no time to waste!"

"...disturbance."

The disturbance was your fault, dumbass. I am reminded of all the times my dad got angry at us for being afraid of him. And would hit us. For being. Afraid of him. Because y'know. That's how you stop a kid from being afraid of you. By hitting them.

In any case Shadow Weaver is still trying to get between them and separate them and I just really need this bitch to stop.

(Yes yes I remember she dies later)

Castaspella: "We're on the right path. The Crystal of Arxia was rumored to be the key to reaching deep magic within Etheria."

"But those who hungered for more power have long sought other ways to obtain the deep magic...with disastrous results."

HIT THE IMAGE LIMIT lemme reblog

[stormwitch898]

Adora analysis "In the Shadow of Mystacor"

The 2018 Netflix Original She-ra and the Princesses of Power is a spinoff from the eighties She-ra and the Princess of Power. However, the newer version is insightful and impactful because the messages about overcoming trauma and abuse elevates it into a thoughtful and meaningful show with realistic characters. Also the new show has more diversity in the cast of characters, voice actors, and writers transforming it with different perspectives. 

 Our main protagonist is Adora. She is an orphan since birth raised as a Horde Soldier and has never been outside the Horde occupied territory, the Fright Zone. The Rebellion opposes the Horde invasion. In the first episode Adora steals a skiff with Catra, her best friend since childhood. They accidentally end up in the magical Whispering Woods. Adora finds a sword, which changes the entire course of Adora and Catra's meticulously manipulated and controlled life by Shadow Weaver, an abusive “parent figure;” and places them on an unpredictable path. Adora ends up leaving the Horde to join the Rebellion as She-ra and effectively leaves behind Catra. 

Adora is complex and psychologically fascinating; her journey is important for abuse victims to see. Due to the impact of abuse it is hard to overcome the psychological manipulation even after escaping the abuser. In particular “In the Shadows of Mystacor” demonstrates how Adora acts when confronted with her abuser and how she overcomes it in this single episode. This character growth is not final, as she will still fall back into her old safety habits and programming but she does learn that her friends-Bow and Glimmer-are not exploiting her for personal gain, as Shadow Weaver was doing. Moreover, Bow and Glimmer care for her even when she shows supposed “weakness,” which was not allowed in the Horde.

Throughout the entire episode of “In the Shadows of Mystacor�� Adora is in survival mode, using the resources she was taught in the Horde. She has not slept the entire night because she has to be on guard so she could have a sense of control. That night she is staring at a point in the distance because she thought she saw a shadow and it could have been Shadow Weaver. Seeing shadows is traumatizing as they are all around her and remind her that any of them could be a Shadow Weaver trick. When her friends, who were not worried about a guard, wake up, Adora is defensive and says “someone has to stand guard.” This shows that she is on edge even though others around her believe they are safe. As the Whispering Woods are under the protection of the Rebellion it should be safe. Her body language, such as arms folded against her chest and, when startled, hands in combat position demonstrate her hypervigilance waiting for something to go wrong. 

 Furthermore, even something as exciting as riding a flying cloud to Mystacor was not enough for her to forget her anxieties. When Bow exclaims, “how it never gets old” she replies “uh, sure, yeah, heh. It was great.” This demonstrates her focusing so much on her anxieties that she can’t appreciate her surroundings at the present moment. Another example is when they are in the steam room and Adora brings her sword (another episode she has a dagger under her pillow) when no one else does. A steam room is supposed to be relaxing and soothing, not somewhere where a battle would occur. Mystacor has a magical protective shield so evil can’t get inside. Although there is no logical basis for Adora to believe there is danger requiring a sword, in actuality, Shadow Weaver is able to break through the enchantments. Thus, Adora is not being paranoid; Shadow Weaver is really pulling the strings for Adora to return to her and the Fright Zone. If something that should be logical defies the odds, how are you supposed to know when you are really in danger? Adora learns to rely on her friends until she can retrain her brain to know true danger and that they can fight it together. The paranoia, hypervigilance, and anxiety, all symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, demonstrate the effects of abuse and how it causes lasting damage.

As shown in the prior paragraph, Adora is still recovering from the trauma while Shadow Weaver knows exactly what to do to slide right back into her head to make things worse. Adora struggles with a sense of self worth outside of what she can do for others. She was raised as the golden child only avoiding harm and getting small rewards of affection if she is at the top of training. In contrast, Catra was the scapegoat; nothing she ever did would get Shadow Weaver’s approval. If Adora did something wrong Catra was blamed and tortured. Consequently, Adora believes that other people are her responsibility if something goes out of her control. Shadow Weaver explicitly says “everything that’s about to happen is your fault, Adora. You’re to blame.” Exactly what she has been told over and over again. What makes it even worse is Shadow Bow says the line. It’s not as effective for Shadow Weaver to say it because Adora is starting to recognize the emotional abuse. However, if a friend (someone you trust) says something it’s easier to believe it is true. Even though Adora knows that it is a shadow and not truly Bow, when you have been told something you already think is true it does not take much to break what little resistance you had to believe it. Shadow Weaver is effective with her manipulations because she knows exactly how her victims think and function.  

During this entire episode Adora has been seeing things through the lens of Shadow Weaver. She believes the narrative that everything is her fault. Adora acknowledges that Shadow Weaver “never loved [her]” and “just played twisted mind games.” The hardest thing about emotional abuse is recognizing it. Not only does she recognize it but she rebukes the statement that she is a “cutthroat, ruthless warrior,” and rejects that she could never have a place with her friends or that they are using her for her strength. If her friends were actually using her when she damaged property and freaked out at little things, they would have tossed her out the second she messed up; instead, she was met with only kindness and compassion.

  The sword channels Adora’s power, which is tied to her confidence and emotions that are affected by the trauma she experienced. When she is confused about where she belongs she is unable to transform into She-ra. With the line “you have no power over me anymore” her sword once again works and transforms into a shield with raw energy and Adora defeats Shadow Weaver and her abuse. What is particularly interesting is what the shield represents. A shield represents defense whereas a sword is violent. Adora has been prone to using a sword but her magic is channeled into something safe and protective. She believes that her friends care about her and in turn she cares about them. If they are in danger she will protect them. Adora chooses her own ideals and values that she will protect her home planet Etheria. Before, Adora might have thought her friends were using her but now she knows that they care about her. After this episode Adora is able to pick up the subtlety of the emotional abuse and is harder to control. 

Undoubtedly this show has merit beyond what might seem as just a children’s cartoon. The depiction of abuse and anxiety is realistic. Not only does it show physical abuse by way of the scapegoat, Catra, but it shows the emotional harm of being the golden child. Both scenarios are just as damaging. It’s important to recognize that once abused it takes time to unlearn the unhealthy patterns and She-ra depicts a real journey of hard work and healing. Abuse should only be treated with kindness and compassion, something that was not previously given to victims, so that they can learn good patterns instead of harmful ones. 

Finally, this show is relevant and meaningful to me because of the diverse character representation. In today’s society rights are being taken away, from book bannings to new legislation against women and LGBTQ+ community, which is why this show is more important than ever. She-Ra is groundbreaking with respect to its diversity of main characters having different: ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, body type, and neurodivergence. In 2014, the Legend of Korra paved the way in children’s entertainment for this groundbreaking show by having two female bisexual characters, without kissing, demonstrate romantic affection for each other. In 2020, She-ra broke ground with the two main characters Catra and Adora kissing in the finale in a child’s cartoon showing that it’s not inappropriate for kids to see this romantic display. What is so magical about the show is that it is not set in a white cis-heteronormative world. Diversity is a natural part of their world where no attention is paid to the differences and no one blinks twice. Even villains such as Shadow Weaver routinely without fail use they/them pronouns. This goes to show how easy it is to understand and use the proper pronouns. Adora means a lot to me and I hope people can see the complexity in her as they can see in Catra.

Inspired by 5by5 Takes Why adora matters video on YouTube