#the thing about me is i will never draw noelle the same way twice

[charmallows]

tender loving care ❤

[aliceinteyvat]

Genshin Impact Idol AU ideas

So we all know the groups Veechu made with 4nemo, DCKZ, L/yue and, TVT DREAM however, I thought it was a crime the actual idol Barbara wasn’t in a group so, I made my own! I do not have the skills to draw this so, I will be including concept photos by actual groups(older and newer as well as the time in those examples i think suits them just for an example bts run era - dope era for a boy group) for the general vibe. Click on their names for a link to the kpop wiki about them. I also won’t include Lumine because many fans have made their own headcanons for that I like.

Feel free to use the ideas I added to this in fanworks just please credit me for the idea of the groups I made myself if you do. All will be under the read more so mobile users don’t break their fingers trying to scroll past. Wiki links are included for each real world inspiration. If looking for a specific character use ctrl+f on PC to search for them to make your life easier.

Note: their stories can be changed if you would like to make it different for your art/writing/whatever. I just think a bit of drama makes them feel more real. None of the stories are 100% based on any real group even their inspirations aren’t direct copies. As new characters are released/shown in stories I will be adding onto existing groups I made up or, making new ones so if you like my ideas save this and come back to it.

                             7evelUp! [pronounced Level Up!]

A rookie girl group created from the top seven trainees(voted by judges & public vote) in a survival show that quickly gained international fame from their debut single and, performance. No one doubts their talents however, some question how legitimate the voting/ranking was in the show.  No one blames the girls themselves for this and, there is no real evidence to prove this. All of the members believe the show to be real due to their own experiences too although, a few of them due to their low self-esteem believe other trainees would’ve been better suited in the group even if they are thankful for the support. It will take a while for all of them to adjust and, have it all feel real. Will they rise to super stardom or, crack under the immense pressure?

- Members

Amber (leader, main dancer) 3rd place(got the leader position because she is the one who brought every team she was in together to usually win the challenges showing her leadership skills not from ranking)

Barbara (main vocalist,maknae,center) 1st place

Noelle (lead dancer,visual) 6th place

Sucrose (lead vocalist) 7th place

Xiangling (lead dancer, lead rapper)  5th place

Yanfei (main rapper,oldest) 2nd place

Yoimiya (lead rapper, vocalist) 4th place

- Real World Inspirations

Weeekly(Tag Me era - 7Days Tension era)

Girls’ Generation(Into the New World era-Gee era)

TWICE(Like Ooh Aah era - Heart Shaker era)

                                                                                                         SYZYGY

An unconventional girl group with a unique sound. Despite their enormous amount of talent/skill , they haven’t been as successful as their small company had hoped. However, they continue to invest everything they can into this group much to the displeasure of the other idols under the company. Will their burning hot passion find success with the masses or, will they disband early leaving their company in complete ruin?

- Members

Hu Tao (leader, main rapper, vocalist)

Fischl (lead vocalist, lead rapper, maknae)

Mona (lead dancer, vocalist, visual)

Rosaria (main dancer, vocalist, rapper, oldest)

Xinyan (main vocalist, dancer,center)

- Real World Inspirations

Dreamcatcher (Chase Me era - Odd Eye era)

1NB (Stalker era - Once again, Winter era)

                                    1MP@CT [prounced Impact]

A previously underrated boy group that seemingly appeared out of thin air on the #1 spots of all major top music charts. Most attribute their overnight success to their newest song going viral on social media but, some who work within their company secretly wonder if it has anything to do with the CEO’s private life and, the new anonymous investors. Regardless, they have made a name for themselves. They have a work ethic like no other and, will do whatever necessary to rise to the top. Even though fans are starting to worry their agency is pushing them too far. Will they become legendary performers the kind that future generations remember by name or, will their boss’ dirty little secrets make them guilty by association to the press when/if the time comes?

- Members     

Baizhu (leader, lead vocalist, lead dancer)

Dainsleif (main rapper, lead dancer, maknae)

Scaramouche (main dancer, lead rapper, oldest, center)

Albedo (main vocalist,visual)

- Real World Inspirations

Big Bang (Fantastic Baby era - Bang Bang Bang era)

ATEEZ (Wonderland era - Fireworks era)

B.A.P (Badman era - Hands Up era)

                                                    DoDoCo

A junior girl group for kids/tweens made(and managed) by Alice to promote her daughter Klee and, have her gain experience for her dream of being a real idol. Although they perform, act, model and, release music similar older groups they still are children so, their concepts are always wholesome feel-good things to appeal to kid’s even younger their age or, younger. They also don’t have the same restrictions or, work hours due to their age. This group is very popular with Elementary schoolers and, sometimes even their families but, can be annoying to anyone older due to how cheesy it all is.

(Note: I don’t personally agree with kids being idols irl especially some I’ve seen that look like older teen/adult idols it’s scary. However, since it is a thing that exists and, this is a fictional head canon let’s pretend this is a world where none of them get hurt and can live pretty normal lives during & after their time as idols if they choose to do so. I just didn’t want to leave a playable character/important story character out of the AU entirely. Also, Sayu would be here but since she’s not officially released yet and, we don’t know any story about her I think it’s best for her to join later.)

- Members

Klee (leader, main dancer, vocalist, maknae,center)

Diona (main rapper, dancer)

Qiqi (vocalist, oldest)

Yaoyao (main vocalist, rapper)

- Real World Inspirations

RE:KIDS ANGEL (Ocean era) note: also their only era so far it seems but, apparently RE:KIDS is a larger thing with many other kids kpop groups so I assume others would have a similar concept.

CutieL (Debut era - Jungle Journey era)

                                                Dandelion

A girl group that has stayed at the top for the past 7 years known for their elegant concepts although, they have had other concepts in the past(sexy, cute, etc.). Not only is Dandelion super famous but, each member has their own solo careers just as successful. Outside of the group Jean is known for her solo albums and, charity work. Lisa is known for her modelling career and, secretly is a successful author under a pen name. Eula is known for her many wins on dancing contest shows and, the many important roles she plays in dramas. Since this year marks the dreaded 7 year curse fans worry they might disband or, go on a permanent hiatus. Before this year they seemed inseparable to fans but, something happened during their last tour. Jean and, Lisa who were known to be best friends suddenly won’t even sit next to each other. Eula who was usually more reserved during interviews is having to do most of the work since they’re just awkwardly sitting on the opposite sides of her. Eula has never been the best at public speaking and, her blunt responses are causing antis to go on huge smear campaigns on social media. Jean who previously wanted to renew her contract is thinking about starting her own company. Lisa who previously wanted to renew her contract now wants to leave and, join a modelling agency. Eula still wants to renew her contract but, she doesn’t want to be solo yet. She is trying her hardest to get the group back together but, her harsh personality is only making the problem worse she feels. Will they stay together or, will they split? And if they stay together, will it be the same Dandelion fans fell in love with or, are some bridges burned forever?

- Members

Jean (leader, main vocalist, center, dancer)

Lisa (main rapper, visual, sub vocalist, oldest)

Eula (main dancer, vocalist, maknae)

- Real World Inspirations

IZ*ONE (Violeta era - Panorama era)

GFRIEND (Sunrise era - Mago era)

TWICE (Fancy era - Alcohol Free era)

Solo Idols

- Ayaka

From a wealthy Inazuman family Kamisato Ayaka (known as Ayaka) shocked the entire nation when she decided to stop pursuing traditional dance(which she had earned many honors and, was famous for since she was a small child) and, instead go overseas to become an idol. Due to her connections it wasn’t long after becoming a trainee that she was put on the same survival show that formed 7evelUp!. However, her good luck ran out when after filming she got into an accident in her company’s car on the way to her company’s trainee dorms. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured but, she sustained an injury to her ankle that made her unable to perform for the rest of the show and, therefore was disqualified. She was a fan favorite and, everyone was heartbroken that she couldn’t compete. Due to her popularity, her company decided that if she could prove she was able to work after being healed they would let her have a solo debut. She far surpassed their expectations being even better than she was before, resulting in her debuting the same time 7evelUp! did. She doesn’t have any negative feelings towards those girls but, she views them as her rivals. She is quickly gaining popularity for her insane talent in singing, dancing, acting, modelling and, song-writing. She is known to the media as “The Idol Princess” for her family’s wealth, her talent and, her graceful demeanor. Don’t put her into a box though, she can pull off any concept with ease. The question is though, will her company allow her the freedom to express herself to the fullest?

- Real World Inspirations

Note: I am not saying she would be super similar to these artist’s work but, I am saying she has the range and, the potential to reach this level of fame. Since I can’t pinpoint a single solo artist that has what I think she would do I’ll put the ones I think have the insane talent and fame I think she would have as well as a similar feeling although it will take a while for her to get to their level

- IU

- Taeyeon

That was all of the Genshin Impact characters that I know enough about currently to feel comfortable making headcanons for them! Let me know what you think and if you make fanfic of or fanart of these ideas please credit me for these specifically and veechu for the idea of the idol au in general! Feel free to spread this post around if you want to or repost it too with credit. I also would love it if you tagged me if it’s on here or would be kind enough to send me a link to your work/work you find of it.

[hellofromthe-otter-slide]

A Soft Ending (My Love)

We’ve reached the end of this series, but never fear! I’m a bit attached to this little series (even if Noelle Stevenson completely blew up my theory with season three. It’s whatever, Noelle. I’m not hurt at all). If you have anything you’d like to see me write in this series, let me know.

Enjoy!

Read on AO3.

~

Catra wakes up feeling warm, the sun coming through a crack in the blinds helping to warm up the nighttime air, and she snuggles back under the covers. Without looking at any sort of clock, she knows it’s early, way too early to be up, and yet Adora is already out of bed and pulling on training clothes.

Catra groans. “Why do you have to go train now?” she whines, though she would never admit it.

Through her barely-cracked lids Catra can see Adora smile. “You know,” Adora says softly, “You’re cute first thing in the morning.”

Catra flops onto her back and rolls her eyes, “You would be cuter here in bed with me.”

Adora sits on the edge of the bed and scratches just behind Catra’s ear, and she’s too tired to fight off the purr. “You could come train with me.”

“Or I could go jump off a cliff.”

Adora laughs, “It’s not torture.”

Catra starts tugging on Adora’s shirt to try and get her to stay. “You’ve been training too much lately.”

And she has. With Bright Moon preparing for a final battle against the Horde and the Princess Alliance meeting more and more often, Adora has essentially been training whenever she isn’t in a meeting. Catra tried getting Adora to take a break or focus on something else, but Adora refused ever time, repeating over and over again that if she doesn’t train, if she isn’t ready, then Hordak will win.

It’s the same argument that Catra knows Adora is about to use, so just as Adora opens her mouth to say it, Catra cuts her off. “If you keep training like this, you’re going to burn out, and then Hordak really is going to defeat you.”

“That’s blunt.”

“It’s honest.”

“I just—” Adora struggles for some way to explain it.

“I know,” Catra says, untangling her fingers from Adora’s shirt so that she can hold Adora’s hand.

Catra isn’t dumb. Catra knows the responsibilities Adora has as She-Ra. She knows how many people are depending on Adora to lead Bright Moon and the Rebellion to victory. She knows how many expectations sit on Adora’s shoulders and how much Adora worries about it.

“One more hour,” Catra tries to convince her, “And then I’ll let you go train.”

Adora looks like she wants to say no.

“Come on,” Catra tugs on Adora’s hand, “I was up ridiculously late last night helping C’yra with trade agreements, and all I want is one more quiet hour in bed with my girlfriend.”

Adora finally starts letting Catra pull her back to bed. “I think I can manage one more hour.”

“I’ll try not to make it too hard on you,” Catra jokes as she wraps an arm around Adora’s waist and settles herself against Adora’s chest.

Catra falls back into a half sleep while Adora’s runs her fingers through Catra’s hair.

~*~

Catra watches Adora train with the older Magicats from the side of the training grounds, her tail flicking with barely-contained frustration.

Adora started getting restless towards the end of their extra hour in bed, and Catra couldn’t convince her to take a longer break. She left the room before Catra even finished getting ready, and now she’s annoyed, because Adora is obviously exhausted with too much on her plate, but she refuses to take care of herself.

“You’re up early,” Catra hears from behind her, and she turns to see C’yra walking up to her, “I figured you would try to get some sleep.”

“I did,” Catra says, crossing her arms and trying her hardest to keep her tail from giving herself away.

C’yra notices. “You seem happy,” she says sarcastically.

“I’m fine.”

C’yra nods and hums, “Whatever you say, kitten.”

Catra turns from her mother to watch Adora again, and her annoyance just grows.

“She’s impressive,” C’yra muses, “Even without She-Ra, she can take down an enemy twice her size.”

Just as C’yra says it, Adora pins the Magicat she’s sparring with.

“She’s working herself to death,” Catra says, trying her hardest not to sound angry, because she isn’t.

Or she shouldn’t be.

“There’s a lot of pressure on her right now.”

“That doesn’t mean she should forget she’s a person and not a super soldier,” Catra digs her claws into her palm, trying so hard to stay calm and keep her voice level, even if she has to grit her teeth, “She’s either in a war meeting or training, and I’m not sure how much she even sleeps right now.”

“You’re worried about her.”

“Of course I am!” Catra snaps and immediately squeezes her eyes shut. She feels gentle fingers unravel her own so that her claws aren’t digging into her skin anymore, and when she opens her eyes, C’yra looks more worried than Catra has ever seen her.

“Go to the library, kitten,” she says gently, “Find something to read and take some time to yourself.”

“I need to get Adora to take a break.”

“You need to take care of yourself too,” C’yra lets Catra go, “The quiet will help.”

With on final look at Adora, Catra leaves the castle’s training grounds and heads to the library, and just walking in seems to take away some of her stress. The smell of books and the silence feel comforting in a way she never imagined it could, and she finds herself walking through the huge stacks, avoiding any rows where she can see scholars milling about.

She finds a quiet corner and sits down with a random book she pulls off of the shelf behind her, and she has a few moments of uninterrupted silence before her reading is interrupted by Felix coming towards her.

“I’m fine,” she says before he even has a chance to say anything.

“I was only going to ask how the book was so far,” he says, stopping beside her and scanning the shelves like he was only coming to her solitary corner to find something. Catra can tell it’s just an act, though, mostly because Felix rarely pulled anything from the Healing Sciences section.

“Did Mom ask you to come check on me?”

“No,” Felix pulls out a book and pretends to read the back, “She just mentioned that you were worrying over Adora.”

Catra sighs, “Is it really so wrong to be?”

Felix takes that as his cue to stop acting, so he puts the book back and sits on the floor beside her. “Of course it isn’t,” Felix assures her, “It just shows that you care, but you’re letting it take a lot out of you too.”

Catra sets her book aside and pulls her knees up to her chest, her tail wrapping around herself protectively.

“I barely see her anymore,” Catra whispers, “I mean, we see each other in meetings and in the few minutes before and after, but I thought getting her to come to Half Moon would mean she would actually take some time away from it all.”

“Have you told her how much you miss her?”

Catra pauses before saying a soft, “No.”

“You could try.”

“I’m not adding guilt onto the extreme pile of responsibilities Adora feels like she has to handle alone.”

“Then tell her she doesn’t have to handle them alone,” Felix says, getting up from the floor, “Now come on, I know you’re young, but I’m not, and I’d rather sit at a table.”

Catra grabs her book and follows, thinking over Felix’s words.

~*~

Catra sees Adora at lunch, and she barely gets a moment to say anything to her, let alone tell Adora that she misses her, before Adora gives her a quick kiss and says that she has to get back to Bright Moon for meetings with the royal guards.

Catra can't even say goodbye before Adora runs off to Swift Wind.

~*~

Catra is just walking out of a meeting with some of Bright Moon’s higher ranking soldiers when Glimmer appears in front of her in a burst of light and sparkles, grabs onto her, and teleports them away.

Catra rips her arm from Glimmer’s grip when they get to wherever she teleported them. “Sparkles, what the—”

“Adora collapsed,” Glimmer cuts her off.

“What?” Catra starts to feel frantic, “What happened?”

“She was sparring with a few soldiers,” Glimmer explains, “Apparently she fainted mid-spar.”

Catra looks around them and notices that they’re right in front of the infirmary door.

“You can go in,” Glimmer says before Catra can ask, “I’m going to go find Bow.”

And then Glimmer is gone in a burst of glitter.

The infirmary is quiet when Catra walks in, and finding Adora is easy, because she’s in the only bed occupied, a healer standing over her. The healer, one of the fauns who live in the villages surrounding Bright Moon’s castle, smiles at her.

“She’s fine,” he tells Catra, “All she needs is rest.”

“She hasn’t been getting a lot of that lately.”

“That’s why she collapsed,” he explains, “Without enough rest, her current overly-rigorous schedule just became too much for her, even with She-Ra’s strength.”

Catra nods, and the healer takes that as his cue to leave, and Catra is thankful as she sits on the edge of the infirmary bed and grabs onto Adora’s hand. She hears Glimmer and Bow come in, both of them asking the healer questions before sitting down in seats on either side of the bed.

“How are we supposed to get her to actually take a break?” Bow asks quietly so that he doesn’t wake Adora up.

“She’s going to fight any attempts we make,” Glimmer says, and Catra fights rolling her eyes and giving a sarcastic, “No shit.”

“How’d did inviting her to Half Moon work?” Bow asks Catra.

“She ended up spending most of the day training with the other warriors,” Catra says, “Every time I suggested taking a break and doing something else, she fought it.”

“We could try Mystacor,” Glimmer suggests.

“That didn’t work very well the first time,” Bow reminds her.

“Well yeah, but this time there’s no Shadow Weaver,” Glimmer says, and Catra feels just the slightest twinge at the name, even months after Shadow Weaver's death, “There won't be anyone to mess with her head, and she can actually relax.”

"Yeah," Bow draws out, his way of saying no, before politely saying, "Maybe we should think of something else."

They discuss a few other options, anything that might possibly get Adora to just slow down, but nothing seems to be good enough to work, and Catra is about to suggest tying her to a bed when Adora starts to stir, her hand squeezing Catra's.

Adora groans and tries to push herself up, and without thinking, Catra pushes her right back down and keeps pressure on her shoulder.

Bow gets up quickly and puts a gently hand on Adora’s other shoulder. “Take it easy,” he says gently, but Catra hears the littlest bit of force in his tone.

“I’m fine,” Adora argues but her voice is weak and groggy, and Catra feels her push up against her hand again, but Adora isn’t strong enough at that moment.

The fact that that was even true worries Catra.

“Adora,” Glimmer stands up and hovers a hand over Adora��s arm.

“I’m fine,” Adora insists, and she still tries fighting Catra and Bow’s hold, but she’s unsuccessful.

“No, you’re not,” Catra says and pushes Adora down with just enough strength that Adora slumps into the bed. She knows Glimmer and Bow will sugarcoat everything and try and be gentle, but she won't.

She feels Adora move under her hand and almost growls.

“Stop fighting.”

“Let me up.”

“No.”

Catra notices Glimmer and Bow back away from them.

Adora tries to swipe at Catra’s wrist, but with the mix of waking up and the exhaustion that made her collapse in the first place, she barely moves Catra, and Catra lets go of Adora’s hand and shoulder to grab Adora’s wrists to stop her from fighting.

“Catra—” Adora says, and Catra knows that it’s supposed to sound like a warning, but Adora’s voice is barely there, and Catra can see the energy draining out of her quickly.

“Adora, stop,” Catra says softly, “You’re exhausted.”

“I need—”

“To rest,” Catra cuts Adora off, “You collapsed while training and you need to rest.”

“But—”

Catra hisses unintentionally, all of the frustration that has been building up over weeks and weeks of this slipping out without her permission. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”

There are a few whispered words, soft footsteps, and the sound of a door opening and closing. Catra’s ear twitches just so, listening to Glimmer and Bow retreat out of the infirmary and she’s thankful, because she doesn’t know how much longer she can keep her feelings in, and she refuses to show any sort of vulnerability in front of them.

They’ll get their chance to get through to Adora after she’s done.

Adora hasn’t answered, and Catra frustration boils over.

“No, really,” she says, her voice dripping in anger and sarcasm, “I want to know, because at this rate, we might as well send Hordak a letter saying, ‘Congrats! You did it! She-Ra literally worked herself to death, so you’ve defeated her!’”

“Catra—” Adora says, her voice so small, but Catra can’t stop.

“I’ve tried everything,” Catra lets go of Adora’s wrists, refusing to accidentally dig her nails into Adora’s skin, “Glimmer and Bow have tried everything. Even Swift Wind has tried to get you to take a break, and nothing has worked. You keep training and going from meeting to meeting with no break, and I’m just expected to stand by and let you exhaust yourself because you’re She-Ra, and the Rebellion needs She-Ra.”

Catra takes a deep breath, and some of the anger dissipates.

“You’re She-Ra, but you’re Adora too, and I’m not sure how much more your body can take. I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

Adora grabs Catra’s hand but Catra pulls away and stands up from the bed, putting some distance between her and Adora.

Because she knows that when it comes to Adora, she’ll crumble under even one sorry, no matter how ingenuine, and she’s allowed to be upset, especially when her girlfriend ignores her in favor of harming herself.

“Just,” Catra looks down and over to the door and anywhere that isn’t Adora, “Get some rest. Please.”

And then Catra leaves quickly, breezing by Glimmer and Bow waiting outside.

~*~

Catra sees Scorpia stroll through the trees, and she knows Scorpia knows exactly where she is. She knows Scorpia will whistle and pretend like she’s on a nice stroll through the Whispering Woods, and she knows that Scorpia will sit against the trunk of the tree that Catra always climbs up because it’s the tallest one she can find.

Scorpia leans her head against the bark and looks up. “Hey, Wildcat.”

“Hey,” Catra says back, her fingers running over the soft leaves that feel almost unreal, and Catra guesses it has to do with the magic within the woods.

Scorpia takes a moment before asking, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Catra thunks her head back against the trunk and looks past leaves to the pale blue sky. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“I could go get a blanket from the castle,” Scorpia says, and Catra looks down to see her smiling, “I know it’s not the uncomfortable scratchy blue blankets we know and love, but maybe the added softness will help force it out of you.”

Catra smiles back. Scorpia has been gone so long leading Bright Moon's soldiers in taking back small villages conquered by Horde forces, and she didn’t realize until now just how much she missed her best friend.

“I don’t think the blanket will be necessary, Scorp.”

Catra sees Scorpia light up, and she knows it’s the nickname. Catra used it once accidentally, and Scorpia had looked at her surprised. After Catra asked a confused, “What?” Scorpia said, “Nothing. It, just, it makes me feel like I’m actually your best friend,” so Catra has been trying her hardest to use the nickname more.

Because Scorpia is her best friend, and Catra can do this one thing that makes Scorpia feel appreciated, even if she does it with an eye roll.

Scorpia knows that Catra never means it anyways.

“So?” Scorpia asks, her head quirking just so.

“It’s just,” Catra pulls her legs to her chest and hugs them tightly, her tail wrapping around her.

She’s never been good with feelings. She’d rather forget they exist completely, but she knows that she needs to get better, she needs to be more open, if only with a select few, so she tries to voice her thoughts.

“Adora collapsed, and she’s fine, but not really,” Catra says quickly, her eyes closing so that she can’t see Scorpia watching her, “I can’t get her to rest, and she’s working herself to death, and I’m so worried because what if it’s something worse next time?”

“Have you talked to Adora about this?”

Catra rests her chin on her arms and remembers Felix asking the same thing just a week ago.

“Sort of,” Catra says quietly, “I just got so angry and frustrated when she woke up and tried getting out of bed, and I didn’t say anything correctly.”

Scorpia stands up and Catra watches her climb the few low, sturdy branches. She settles herself on one a few feet off the ground and makes herself comfortable before looking back up at Catra.

“From what I understand, explaining it in anger never really works.”

Catra groans, “I didn’t mean to, but she kept insisting she was fine and that she needed to get up and I didn’t mean to snap, but I love her and I’m afraid that if she keeps going on like this, something is going to happen to her.”

Scorpia doesn’t say anything, and Catra notices an amused smile pulling at her lips.

“What?” Catra asks, her voice not nearly as harsh as she wants it to be.

“You love her, huh?”

Catra goes red. She didn’t mean to say that out loud and definitely not to Scorpia. She had planned to never say it, to keep it to herself, because it wasn’t something new to her.

She has loved Adora since they were little kids, and she knows Adora knew that growing up, but they never said it. They showed it through small affections and teasing words and sharing their bunk, and that was always enough.

“No,” Catra says quickly, but Scorpia’s amused smile doesn’t go away, and Catra knows that Scorpia isn’t convinced, so she adds, “Shut up.”

“So, you haven’t told Adora?”

Catra’s ears flatten against her head, “I didn’t mean to tell you. Do you really think I’ve told Adora?”

“You might think about it.”

Catra knows that Scorpia is right, but she doesn’t really want to talk about it anymore, so instead, she stretches out so that she’s lying across the branch and says, “What have you been up to?”

“Oh!” Scorpia says excitedly, “Wildcat, taking back the villages is so much fun! None of the Horde soldiers expect to see me there, and by the time they realize who they’re up against, I’ve already taken the village back and—”

Catra lets Scorpia tell her every story she has, and she gives little hums to let Scorpia know she’s listening to every word.

By the time they head back to the castle, the sun is setting, painting the sky is oranges and reds and pinks, and Catra feels just the slightest bit better.

~*~

Adora finds Catra a few days later in Bright Moon’s library. Catra is in a back corner where she knows no one else goes, her usual table covered in books open to different pages and a notebook with haphazard notes scrawled into it.

Adora takes a moment at the end of the stacks to just watch Catra flip a few more pages, her tail swaying gently and her ears twitching just so, before quietly saying, “I thought you would’ve gone back to Half Moon by now.”

“Horde soldiers have been spotted along Half Moon’s northern border,” Catra says, not even looking up from her book, but Adora can tell that Catra has stopped reading, “I’ve had to sit in meetings trying to get Bright Moon to send soldiers just in case anything happens.”

“They haven’t said yes?”

Catra stops flipping through pages but she doesn’t look up. “There aren’t any soldiers to spare.”

Adora nods, but she doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t know what to say. She can still see Catra leave the infirmary three days ago, still remembers how much it hurt that Catra wouldn’t look at her, and she knew what she wanted to say then.

She has no idea what to say now.

So, she just stands there, and Catra doesn’t move either.

After a few moments of silence, Catra asks, “Are you going to just awkwardly stay there, or can I get back to what I was doing?”

Adora takes a chance and asks, “Can I join you?”

Catra looks up, and Adora can’t quite read Catra’s expression. It looks kind of surprised but also apprehensive, and Adora isn’t sure she blames Catra for that.

“Don’t you need to train?” Catra asks, her voice on the edge of harsh.

“No, I, uh,” Adora doesn’t know what to do with her hands, so her fingers start to twist together, “I’ve been told I need to take a break.”

“You haven’t listened to that before.”

“I know,” Adora says softly, “But I didn’t realize how much I was hurting you before.”

Catra looks genuinely surprised now, like she never expected Adora to admit that so readily, and Adora wonders just how long she went without realizing how affected Catra was by her actions.

“That’s not an apology,” Catra says, her voice losing any edge it had before.

“It wasn’t meant to be,” Adora says, “Can I sit?”

Catra puts down her pencil and slides over on the bench, and Adora takes that as an invitation to sit beside her, but she makes sure there’s space between them, remembering Catra pulling away from her in the infirmary.

“I’m so sorry, Catra,” Adora starts, and her fingers start to wring and twist again, usually so used to having something, someone, to hold onto, “I’m sorry that I hurt you. I know the training was too much, and we never saw each other, and I didn’t even think about it. All I could focus on was me, and I’m so sorry that I’m so selfish.”

“Hey,” Catra says softly, and she scoots closer, one hand resting on top of Adora’s and the other reaching up to cup Adora’s face, “You’re not selfish.”

“I am,” Adora insists, “I—”

“You’re not,” Catra cuts Adora off, “I know the expectations everyone puts on you. You’re She-Ra, and with the Horde edging towards their endgame, everyone expects you to lead the army and destroy Hordak for good, and I wasn’t angry because of that.” Catra starts running her thumb along Adora’s cheek, her tail coming up to wrap around Adora’s wrist like when they were kids, “I was angry, because you weren’t taking care of yourself. You never had a moment to slow down, and you collapsed, Adora.”

“I know,” Adora leans into the touch and closes her eyes.

She didn’t realize before how long it had been since her and Catra were this close, but now that Catra is here and being so affectionate, Adora doesn’t understand how she went without this.

“I missed you,” Adora whispers, unsure of what response she’ll get in return.

“I missed you too,” Catra whispers back, and Adora opens her eyes to see Catra giving her that soft little smile that she saves just for Adora.

“Do you forgive me?” Adora asks, her voice so small and afraid that Catra might say no.

“Will you actually take breaks so that you don't exhaust yourself?”

Adora shakes her head yes.

“Then yes,” Catra says, “I forgive you.”

Adora smiles and leans forward, pulling Catra into a soft, short kiss.

“When did you get so good at talking about your feelings?” Adora asks her when they pull apart.

Catra shrugs, “You get wrapped up in blankets often enough and you realize that just saying what you mean is an easier fate.”

Adora’s eyebrows push together in confusion, and Catra giggles quietly.

“Scorpia,” Catra says in explanation.

“Makes sense,” Adora says, “That bad?”

“You remember those Horde-issued blankets,” Catra jokingly shudders, “Being wrapped in one is a fate worse than death.”

“Maybe we can win by wrapping up every Horde soldier in their blankets,” Adora muses, clearing a small part of the table to she can rest her head on her arms, her body still exhausted even after being released from the infirmary.

Catra goes back to flipping through pages and taking notes, but her tail wraps around Adora’s thigh. “Using their own torture against them would be a sort of poetic justice.”

Adora hums her response and Catra looks over to see Adora slowly starting to fall asleep.

When Adora wakes up, her head is in Catra’s lap, Catra’s fingers running through her hair absentmindedly as Catra reads the book in front of her, and Adora goes back to sleep, a small smile on her lips.

~*~

The reports start flooding in, each spy within the Horde’s ranks confirming the same thing over and over again.

Horde forces have started moving out of the Fright Zone and are setting up on the other side of the Whispering Woods, preparing for battle.

Small factions have set up camp in Horde territories surrounding each kingdom, waiting for the signal.

Even Hordak himself has been spotted among the soldiers at the Whispering Woods camp.

The Rebellion knows that can only mean one thing.

They begin by evacuating any village in the Horde’s line of fire, each princess offering their kingdom as refugee camps. Catra spends days helping the villagers around Half Moon find beds, even giving up her own so that they can have somewhere safe to sleep. She knows Adora, Bow, and Glimmer are doing the same at Bright Moon, hundreds of villagers fleeing there in the hopes of finding solace.

Then, the Princess Alliance starts meeting more and more, discussing tactics and placement of princesses when the Horde finally makes their move. There are arguments for the princesses to stay and defend Bright Moon, arguments for each princess to return to protect their kingdoms, and, surprisingly it’s Catra who speaks up.

“The Princess Alliance is stronger together than apart,” she says, looking at everyone around the table, “We all need to be here.”

“What happens when the Horde camps surrounding our kingdoms attack?” Frosta asks angrily.

“Keep someone trusted in charge and hope that you’ve trained your armies well,” Catra says simply, and even though there’s more arguing after that, in the end, they agree with Catra, each deciding to stay and defend Bright Moon.

The message that the Horde plans to attack the next day is short, just one sentence, but it spurs nonstop movement from the Rebellion. Soldiers are moved around, some kept in Bright Moon and others sent to the other kingdoms in the Alliance, reinforcements start flooding, everyone offering their best fighters to the final battle.

When the Magicat reinforcements arrive, Catra notices C’yra and Felix among them, and she’s quick to argue.

“Half Moon needs their king and queen,” Catra says as the rest of the Magicats walk up to Bright Moon castle, ready to find their quarters and rest before the chaos.

“No,” C’yra says, “Half Moon needs for their queen and king to be right here fighting beside their princess.”

“What if something happens?”

“We do have an army, you know,” Felix says, his voice teasing, “They’ve been rearing for a battle since the Horde attacked after we resettled.”

“This isn’t funny,” Catra argues, “I know there aren’t enough warriors to send reinforcements here and protect Half Moon.”

“Bright Moon soldiers showed up to assist our warriors,” C’yra starts to walk by Catra into the castle, “And everyone agreed that this is where Felix and I needed to be, not fighting the pathetic amount of Horde soldiers camped out right outside our kingdom.”

“It’s almost insulting,” Felix jokes as he follows C’yra, “It’s like they think we wouldn’t be a threat.”

“I’m still not okay with this,” Catra says as she follows them in.

“Good thing it isn’t your choice, kitten.” C’yra smirks at Catra over her shoulder, and she laughs a bit when Catra rolls her eyes in response.

Catra spends part of the day with her parents, filling them in on everything happening around Bright Moon and all of the preparations the Rebellion has undergone to hopefully ensure a win.

She only leaves when C’yra and Felix tell her to go and spend some time with her friends, claiming they want to meet with Angella before there’s no chance to.

Catra spends the rest of her day with Scorpia and Entrapta. They’re in Entrapta’s lab, Catra laid out on her back while Entrapta works on some wiring, and Scorpia fills the silence with stories and musings and ideas for things they can all do together once the Horde is defeated.

Catra can barely imagine what her life will be like without the Horde.

If we even win, she thinks, refusing to say it out loud and possibly ruin Scorpia’s positive attitude.

When Catra gets back to her room, Adora is sat on her bed looking so small and scared.

“I’ve been with Bow and Glimmer all day, but I—” she pauses for just a second, “I want to spend the rest of my time alone with you.”

It’s not late enough to go to sleep yet, but they are snuggled up in bed in minutes, Catra holding Adora against her tightly, and they’re quiet for a few moments, the sound of trees rustling filling the room though Catra’s open window.

“I’m scared,” Adora admits against the short fur of Catra’s throat, “What if I’m not enough? What if She-Ra isn’t enough?”

“You are,” Catra says without any hesitation, because she knows she’s right. She knows that even without She-Ra, Adora would be strong enough to take on Hordak.

“What is we lose?” Adora asks desperately, “What if it’s all my fault?”

Catra pulls away so that she can look Adora in the eyes as she says, “You are not alone out there. You’ve got the whole Princess Alliance backing you up, and even more importantly, you have me. You look out for me and I look out for you, right? Nothing really bad can happen as long as we have each other.”

Adora still looks afraid, but she smiles as Catra says her own words back to her. “You promise?” she asks, partly because it’s what comes next and partly because she needs the reassurance.

Catra smiles and thinks about how much these words hurt not so long ago.

Now, they’re just as comforting as they were back then.

“I promise,” Catra whispers and brushes a piece of Adora’s hair from her face before pulling Adora to her and kissing her.

This kiss feels so much different than all of their other ones. It’s hurried and hard, like they’re both afraid that this may be the last time they can be with one another like this. Catra tries not to think about how true that fact might be. She pushes away thoughts of Adora losing to Hordak, of something happening to her, and kisses Adora even harder, holding her as close as possible and refusing to think about anything else.

Right now, it’s just Catra and Adora.

There are no final battles, no bleak possibilities, no threats.

There are only desperate kisses, wandering hands, and the soft rustling of leaves.

Later, as the moon rise on Etheria's starless sky, Adora and Catra fall asleep tangled up in one another, Adora running her fingers over Catra’s spine and Catra’s soft purring filling the deep silence of the room.

~*~

The final battle doesn’t happen like Catra expects it to. She expects Hordak to keep fighting, even when it’s obvious the Rebellion has the clear advantage. She expects Adora to lead the charge as She-Ra, and Catra expects to always be at her side, keeping her safe against Horde soldiers and high-tech bots.

She knows she’s going to lose people, but she can’t think of that mid-fight, focusing instead on her claws sinking into metal and ripping as she destroys bot after bot alongside the other Magicats.

She doesn’t expect to watch C’yra go down, though, but she doesn’t think before running over to her, fending off anyone attempting to finish the Magicat queen off until help arrives.

The rest of the battle is a blur after a few healers pull C’yra off the field and Catra is left watching them go, feeling more helpless than she’s felt in a long time. Catra remembers rejoining the fight. She remembers keeping Adora safe as she faces off against Hordak, his villainous speech barely audible over the sound of swords clashing, blasters exploding, and robots whirring.

She remembers glowing orange as the Princess Alliance becomes a united force against the Horde’s army.

And she remembers the moment Hordak falls, She-Ra’s sword held under his chin, and his begrudging surrender.

It all seems to go by in a blur even though the battle takes almost a full day, and Catra remembers it all, but after Hordak is defeated, after the Horde soldiers lay down their arms, after She-Ra shifts back into Adora, war-beaten but altogether okay, Catra runs from the field up to the tents set up right outside Bright Moon castle.

Healers rush around, trying their hardest to help everyone, and none of them even notice Catra looking around frantically. One eyes Catra’s wounds, the cut above her brow dripping blood down her face and the deep gashes along her arms and sides, but she doesn’t say anything. She deems Catra's wounds less serious than anyone around her and moves on to another patient.

C’yra is situated in a back corner, a healer working over her, and Catra can see, even from the entrance, that it’s bad. The wounds are still bleeding despite having happened a few hours before, and the healer has a worried look on his face, like he isn’t sure how to stop it.

“Catra?”

Catra feels a soft hand on her shoulder, and she still jumps, still turns with the claws up, ready to fight, but it’s only Felix looking bruised and beaten.

“She’s—” Catra can’t get it out. She can’t say the words, can’t think of the possibility that C’yra might—

“She’s been through worse,” Felix says, opening his arms up to Catra, and she hugs him and holds tight.

She just got her parents back, and she can't help being afraid that she might lose one of them now.

Felix whispers little reassurances to Catra, but nothing seems to help. She just keeps seeing C’yra falling in battle. All she can see is the blood spilling from the deep gash, and Catra squeezes her eyes shut, hoping that she can fight the images off.

She doesn’t know how long it is before Adora comes to the healers’ tent, She-Ra’s sword still glowing from the battle.

Adora comes over to her before anyone else, and Catra thinks that she should tell Adora to go. She needs to go help the healers, but Catra can’t say it. She just grabs onto Adora and holds tight, fighting off the tears in her eyes.

Adora doesn’t say anything. She just holds Catra until the healer comes over and gives them an update.

The wound was deep, and it took a lot of healing even to close it up, and that wasn't the only damage her body sustained from the fight.

C’yra is stable, but she probably won’t wake up for a while.

Her heart is still beating. She’s still breathing.

She’s alive, Catra keeps repeating to herself, even as the healer leaves them to help others, and she doesn’t know what to do.

She wants to stay and wait for C’yra to wake up, but she knows she’s needed around the castle to help in the aftermath.

“Go,” Felix says softly, like he can read Catra’s mind, “I’ll stay with her, and I’ll have someone come get you if she wakes up, okay?”

Catra nods, and she watches Felix go over to C’yra’s corner and sit on the edge of her cot, his hand grabbing hers without thinking.

“Hey,” Adora says as she reaches out and brushes a bit of Catra’s wild hair out of her face, “I can come with you.”

“No,” Catra says quickly, “They need She-Ra here.”

“I don’t want to leave you,” Adora whispers, and Catra feels the same.

Despite everything, despite having just survived the final battle and C’yra lying unconscious in an infirmary cot, all Catra really wants to do is forget responsibilities and find somewhere quiet where her and Adora can just be together.

But they can’t.

“Tonight, okay?” Catra says, “It’ll just be you and me tonight.”

Adora nods and starts to walk from cot to cot, asking healers what they need from her.

Catra watches her for a few minutes before leaving the tent, looking over her shoulder to check on C’yra one last time.

~*~

Catra and Adora don’t get their night alone like Catra promised. Adora spends hours in the healers’ tent as She-Ra, trying her hardest to save everyone and moving on when she can’t, the weight of each one sitting heavily.

Catra finds herself in front of Angella and Castaspella, arguing a case for the Horde soldiers stolen as children and forced into Hordak’s ranks with no other choice. She talks about her own experiences growing up, how she didn’t even know what her species was called, that she had a family and an entire people outside of the Horde cadets that she never knew about.

“Most of them had no choice,” Catra explains, Scorpia and Entrapta behind her as support, “Their people were either completely eradicated or they were taken as leverage, and none of them got the same chance to escape or defect like we did.”

“Some of them honestly believe in the Horde’s ideals,” Castaspella says, looking weary of the three previous-Horde soldiers stood right in front of her.

“Most of them don’t. They just didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

After hours of back and forth, it’s decided that every Horde soldier will be given the chance to reject the Horde’s ideals, and any who don’t will be jailed and given a trial before the Sorcerer’s Council in Mystacor. All ranking officers wouldn’t be given a choice.

By the time Catra and Adora were done with their responsibilities for the night, they just found a bed wherever they could and fell asleep apart, their last thought of each other.

~*~

News from the Rebellion’s kingdoms start to arrive in the morning, and for the most part it’s good.

For the most part, the Rebellion’s forces were able to fight off the small encampments, and there were very few injured and even fewer deaths.

Catra reads the letter from Pisica on her own off in the Whispering Woods between talking to Horde soldiers and discussing trial proceedings for the ones who still remained loyal to Hordak. It’s the first break she’s gotten all day, her first moments alone since before the battle started, and she enjoys the silence and hopes that no one comes to find her for a bit.

“There were minimal casualties,” Pisica writes, “We underestimated the soldiers stationed outside of Half Moon, though. They were stronger than we assumed, but there wasn’t much damage to Half Moon.”

Pisica sounds formal and direct in her writing, so different from what Catra is used to, and she sees why Pisica’s writing seems so off.

At the bottom of the letter is a list of those who lost their lives protecting Half Moon.

Alonzo’s name is at the top of the list.

“No,” she repeats over and over again, the words really sinking in, and Catra can’t stop the tears from spilling over.

She cries for Alonzo and the other Magicats who died in battle.

She cries because C’yra still hasn’t woken up.

She cries because the stress of the final battle and everything leading up to it finally dissolves.

She cries because it’s over and they won, but it doesn’t feel like it.

Catra hears the sound of feet against soft earth, and she curls up in a ball and hopes that whoever it is doesn’t find her.

Gentle hands wrap around Catra’s wrists and pull her hands from her face, and through her tears she sees Adora with deep bags under her eyes and She-Ra’s sword nowhere to be found.

“He’s dead,” Catra chokes out, “Alonzo’s dead.” It’s all my fault, Catra doesn’t say out loud, He asked me to train him, to help him get better, and it wasn’t enough to keep him safe.

Catra thinks of Alonzo sitting across from her on Beast Island insisting that she teach him. She thinks of his determination, his want to best Catra, even though he never did.

Catra’s tears turn into choking sobs, and Adora holds her close, not saying anything because she knows nothing will really help. All the words and reassurances in the world wouldn’t bring Alonzo back.

It feels like hours before Catra’s sobs quiet down to soft tears, and Adora picks her up and cradles Catra against her as she walks back to the castle.

They fall asleep together, Adora holding Catra in the safety of Adora’s room, and every time either one of them wakes up from a nightmare, the other is there to hold them close and help them fall back asleep.

~*~

The next day, Catra and the other Magicats return to Half Moon to be present for the funerals of those who fell in battle.

In C'yra and Felix's absence, Catra says the Magicat blessing for the dead, the words coming out almost mechanically, and she feels numb as the family members of the fallen light each pyre, the fires burning strong and bright.

~*~

Catra splits her time between Half Moon and Bright Moon in the week following the battle, and she keeps herself as busy as possible to keep her mind off of the fact that C’yra still hasn’t woken up.

Finding work isn’t an issue. When she’s at Half Moon, her time is spent filling in for C’yra, helping Magicats with their concerns and assisting in the few repairs that need to get done, and when she’s at Bright Moon, she’s in meetings and sitting among the Princess Alliance through the trials of Horde officers and loyal soldiers.

The few moments she gets with Adora are fleeting, both of them drowning under their responsibilities, and each one gets shorter and shorter as the week goes on.

She’s just leaving Adora’s room after their only moments together all day when a healer runs up to her.

“Princess Catra,” he says, his words coming out in puffs, “It’s Queen C’yra. She’s awake.”

She shoves past him without thinking, instantly forgetting the meeting she was supposed to go to.

The infirmary is clear on the other side of the castle, and she’s breathing hard as she comes up to the door and pushes it open, narrowly missing one of the healers on the other side. She mumbles a quick apology and rushes to the back corner where she knows C'yra is.

Felix smiles at her as she runs up, and he puts his hands up to stop her. “Calm down, sweetheart,” he says, voice soft and comforting.

“The healer told me—”

“Hey, kitten.”

C’yra’s voice is weak, and when Catra turns to her, C’yra’s eyes are drooping closed, but she has the ghost of a smile on her lips.

“Come here,” C’yra reaches her hand out to Catra, and Catra doesn’t hesitate. She takes her mother’s hand and sits on the edge of the bed.

“How are you feeling?” Catra asks.

“Horrible,” C’yra breathes out and winces.

“But alive,” Catra says, “Which means I can tell you how dumb it was that you didn’t stay at Half Moon.”

C’yra rolls her eyes, and even with her slower movements and sluggishness, Catra can see the fondness in C’yra’s watered-down sarcasm. “So I see that you’re the mother now.”

“I’m glad almost dying didn’t take away your sense of humor,” Catra rolls her eyes too, but beneath it, she’s so unbelievably relieved. C’yra is here, awake and making jokes, and Catra almost lost her, almost lost all of this.

Felix sits on the other side of the bed and runs his fingers through C’yra hair. “I don't know why I didn't expect this."

They talk for a bit, Catra updating C’yra on the things she’s missed around Half Moon and the aftermath of the final battle, straying away from anything too heavy for all of their sakes, and Catra starts to feel part of the heaviness on her heart start to lift.

Everything isn’t okay, not really. The Magicats who lost their lives still weigh heavily on Catra, and her nightmares have been getting worse, older ones of Shadow Weaver mingling with new ones of Adora or C'yra dying and the Rebellion losing the war. Catra is exhausted and all of her responsibilities are overwhelming, but one thing, no matter how small, is finally right.

C'yra is awake. She's still injured, still healing, but she'll be okay.

Catra didn’t lose anything else.

A healer comes by, and he has a sleeping drought for C’yra to take.

“But she just woke up,” Catra says quickly, fear spiking.

“Don’t worry,” the healer smiles in a way that he thinks in comforting, but it doesn't work on Catra, “Sleeping helps her body to heal.”

Catra doesn’t believe him, even though she doesn’t have a reason to think he’s lying.

I’m just scared, Catra thinks, trying her best to logic through her panic, I know I’m scared, but what if something goes wrong? What if sleeping isn’t good? What if, what if, what if?

“Kitten,” C’yra barely nudges Catra, “It’s going to be fine.”

“I’m almost lost you,” Catra whispers, “I just got you back, and then I saw you go down during the battle, and I just—”

Catra doesn’t know how to put all of these feeling, the sadness and emptiness, the overwhelming need to be a good princess and queen for the Magicats right now, the expectations put on her and the fear that she won’t measure up.

“I’m alive, Catra,” C’yra says, her voice sounding stronger than it has since she woke up, “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

Felix reaches over and gently ruffles Catra’s hair. “Neither of us are going anywhere.”

Their words are comforting enough that Catra takes a deep breath and nods, the spiraling thought not fully going away but just enough that they don't overwhelm her.

She stays in the infirmary until C’yra falls asleep again and Felix kindly kicks her out, telling her that C’yra wouldn’t want her to just wait around, so Catra begrudgingly leaves and climbs her way up to the castle’s roof to be alone for just a moment before someone needs her again.

~*~

She’s in the final battle again, Catra fighting her way through soldiers and bots alike, and she doesn’t know where she’s trying to go. She can’t see anyone else from the Rebellion, no princesses or Bright Moon guards or Magicats anywhere near her, but she knows she needs to keep fighting. She needs to get through.

So, she fights. She strikes down soldiers with ease and uses her claws to tear through bots, and she keeps going and going until she sees where she’s going.

It’s Hordak standing tall, a satisfied smile on his face, and he has Adora, a sword held to her throat.

“Hello, Force Captain,” Hordak says, “Have you come to see my victory?”

“Let her go,” Catra growls, ready to lunge.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Hordak says with a small tsk, and the blade presses closer to Adora’s throat, small beads of blood building up around the steel.

“Catra,” Adora says, the eyes wide and filled with fear, “Catra, please.”

“I’ll save you,” Catra tells her desperately.

“I wouldn’t make promises you can’t keep,” Hordak says, and in one quick movement, the sword slices through Adora and she slumps at Hordak’s feet.

“No!”

Catra shoots forward, her breathing sporadic and heavy and her claws digging into her palms, drawing blood.

She feels arms snake around her waist, and she tries to fight, but she hears a soft, “It’s me,” whispered against her ears, and she stops.

“You’re safe,” Adora whispers, “You’re not there anymore.” The arms around Catra’s waist tighten, and usually it would be enough to calm Catra down, but it doesn’t work. She just keeps seeing Adora dead, Adora dying, Adora captured.

“Open your eyes, Catra.”

Catra doesn’t even realize her eyes are closed, and when she opens them, her eyes take a few moments to adjust.

They’re in Adora’s room in Bright Moon, the three moons casting just enough light into the room that Catra’s heightened sight can make out the shapes perfectly. There’s the waterfall in the corner making soft dripping sounds and the table beside Adora’s bed where She-Ra’s sword sits in grabbing distance, and it’s not a battlefield filled with enemies.

I’m not there, Catra chants silently to herself, Adora’s safe. I’m safe. We won. I’m not there. I’m not there. I’m not there.

“Hey,” Catra feels Adora press a few kisses against her shoulder, “I’m here.”

Catra relaxes against Adora, her eyes drooping closed.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Adora asks, so soft and gentle.

Catra nods no.

“Okay,” one of Adora’s hands slips under Catra’s shirt to run along the short fur of Catra’s stomach, “What do you need?”

“This,” Catra says, her voice barely there, “Just this.”

Adora kisses the back of Catra’s neck, “Okay.”

Catra isn’t sure how long they stay like that, but as she starts to drift off, Adora moves them a bit, and Catra falls back asleep against Adora’s chest, her heartbeat loud against Catra’s ear.

~*~

Hordak’s trial is the last, and it goes by quickly.

His numerous crimes are listed, and it doesn’t take long for the Sorcerers’ Council to reach a verdict.

Adora grabs Catra’s hand and squeezes hard, and Catra squeezes back equally as nervous.

Lifetime imprisonment in a solitary cell.

As a pair of Bright Moon guards take Hordak from the room, Catra watches him go and thinks about how powerful Hordak used to seem. She admired him and needed his validation so desperately that she was willing to do anything to get it, even if it meant destroying herself and everyone around her.

But now? Hordak seems small, stripped of all of his armor and strength and power, and Catra feels satisfied as she catches his eye as he passes by the Princess Alliance, smirking at him to say, I don’t need your validation anymore.

The doors slam behind him, and Adora and Catra let out the breath they were holding in and smile at each other.

“Lifetime imprisonment,” Adora says happily as the rest of the Alliance starts to get up from their chairs.

“Solitary too,” Catra feels giddy for the first time since Adora stole that skiff and invited her along, “We’ll never have to see him again.”

“The Horde is gone,” Adora breathes out, and Catra hears the other things underneath those words.

No one will ever be raised like we were ever again.

Children won’t be taken from their families.

No one will be forced to fight in a war their taught to believe is just.

“Yeah,” Catra whispers, “It is.”

~*~

Catra walks into C’yra’s office and immediately glares at her mother, who is currently trying to pull herself from her wheelchair in order to reach a book.

“I will tie you down to that chair.”

C’yra growls, low and frustrated, and she sinks back into the chair. “I can’t reach anything in this damn thing.”

Catra comes over and reaches up just so to grab the book that C’yra was trying to get. “I’ll get Entrapta to make you something.”

“Can she make me something that’ll make my body heal itself faster?” C’yra asks, taking the book from Catra and wheeling herself back over to her desk.

Catra sits across from her, “It’s only been two months.”

“I know,” C’yra sighs, “I know this will take time, but I’m a warrior, kitten. I really don't like having to ask someone for help for everything I want to do.”

“You’ve gotten pretty good at rolling yourself around, though.”

C’yra glares, but Catra just smirks in return.

“You think you’re very funny, kitten.”

“Oh, I don’t think, I know,” Catra says and leans back in her seat, a cocky smirk in place.

C’yra rolls her eyes but smiles fondly, and then asks, “Did you need something, or did Felix send you here to check on me when I kicked him out?”

“Can’t I just want to come spend time with my mother?”

“Not willingly.”

Catra laughs, “I’m glad you maintain your humor in this trying time.”

“It’s all I have.”

“That’s dramatic.”

C’yra smiles, and Catra smiles back, happy to see C'yra more like herself than she has been since she was released from the infirmary and brought back to Half Moon.

“Anything exciting happening in Bright Moon?” C’yra asks, and Catra shrugs.

“Not really,” Catra leans her head back and looks up at the ceiling, “It’s just meeting after meeting, and when we’re not in a meeting, I don’t even get to see anyone. Adora’s even busier than me, and Scorpia is out helping the previous Horde soldiers adjust to their non-soldier life. Even Entrapta is out in the Fright Zone trying to clear the smog and reverse the environmental effects.”

“Post-war is a busy time.”

“I know. I just,” Catra sighs, “I miss everyone.”

Because Catra’s looking up at the ceiling, she doesn’t see C’yra’s smirk.

“Especially your girlfriend.”

Catra scoffs, “Shut up.”

“I’m not wrong.”

“Okay,” Catra stands up quickly, “I didn't come here to be teased. I think it’s Dad’s turn to watch you again.”

“I knew you two had a schedule,” C'yra jokingly accused.

“He planned it.”

“It’s probably color-coded.”

“Of course it is.”

C’yra nods her head with a smile, and Catra smiles too.

“I’m happy you’re getting better,” Catra says genuinely after a few moments, and C’yra’s smile turns soft and warm.

“It’ll take a bit more than Hordak’s second-rate army to keep me down.”

Catra goes to the door, and right before she reaches for the handle, she turns and says, “I love you, Mom.”

C’yra’s eyes go wide, and even Catra is a little surprised at herself. She’s never really told anyone she loved them, and she tries to stay away from the feeling as much as possible, because she always thought that love would make her weak and vulnerable, but she’s starting to learn that there’s nothing wrong with loving and being loved in return, and that the people she loves deserve to hear that she loves them.

“I love you too, kitten,” C’yra says softly, her eyes looking watery, and shoos Catra’s out of her office before Catra can see happy tears falling.

Catra wipes a few of her own away as she starts to make her way to the training grounds.

~*~

Six months after the Second Battle of Bright Moon

Catra wakes up to the sun filtering into her room, the light warming her fur, and she feels nails scratch gently just behind her ear, the action drawing out low purrs.

“Morning,” Adora says softly and presses a few kisses against Catra’s forehead.

Catra nuzzles against Adora’s neck and purrs louder, and she feels Adora giggle.

“That tickles,” Adora breathes, and Catra does it just to hear Adora’s cute giggles again before pressing lazy kisses up Adora’s throat.

“Morning,” Catra murmurs against Adora’s jaw, and Adora’s fingers thread through Catra’s hair and bring her up so that they’re kissing soft and slow, because for the first time in six months, they have time to go slow.

There are no meetings to attend, no crises to resolve, no urgent responsibilities begging their attention.

For the first time in six months, the Princess of Half Moon and She-Ra get to just be Catra and Adora, alone in the peaceful quiet of Catra’s room in Half Moon with no worries of being disturbed.

“Hey, Catra?” Adora asks softly against Catra’s lips.

“Yeah?”

“I want to stay here with you all day.”

Catra smiles, “I think that can be arranged.”

And then they’re kissing again, soft and slow turning to heated and passionate, everything else forgotten.

Tomorrow they will have to return to reality, because there’s still people to help and things to repair. The world isn’t completely fixed, even if it is on its way.

But today, it’s just the two of them, happy and content and alone together.

[recentanimenews]

THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH Solves a Mystery in Episodes 197-203

Welcome back to THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH! Noelle Ogawa here, and I'm your host as we run through the latest group of episodes of Naruto! We're still deep in filler territory, but this time we're in for a longer, much more concentrated story. There's a bit of a break from the "comedy" that we've gotten used to in terms of filler, and we're moving onto something that feels a lot different than usual: The threat is more along the lines of long-term espionage, something echoing the spy work of real-life ninjas. 

  The village is in danger from a famed ninja who's been on the Anbu watchlist for quite some time. He has a plan brewing, one that's years in the making, and he's ready to execute it. The village is on high alert, and it's up to the gang of genin to save the day. And this time, the whole group is here!

  So let's see what everyone thought!

This is the first time we’ve had a major filler arc that focused more on long-term espionage VS a large military threat. Do you think they’ve handled the differences well?

Paul: Aside from some clunky writing (“Oh, look, it's the never-before-seen grandpa character that Naruto is good friends with!”) and some scenes that required everyone to act like blockheads in order to advance the plot, I enjoyed the Genno Infiltration arc. It had ninjas being sneaky, it emphasized the teamwork of all 11 of the main Genin characters, and despite it being filler, Genno's plot grew into a convincing threat that challenged three generations of Leaf Villagers.

Kevin: I’ll get more into it in my highs and lows, but in short: mostly yes. I really like the different style of enemy and flow of the arc, and especially liked how many backups Genno had planned. Then the ending happened.

Jared: I think there’s certainly some flaws in this arc, but it was fun to see how everyone handled the dual threats happening at the same time. There was enough mystery and intrigue scattered throughout with the idea of a full scale assault and/or fighting an enemy who’s already within the borders. There’s a great shot of Guy waiting for news on if they’re about to be invaded which really captures a deep feeling of dread and anxiety.

Joseph: This was one of the best filler arcs of late. The ending was just shy of Naruto farting into the camera, but the rest of it really brought everyone together, and I liked the fact that it was all set in the village. 

Danni: As far as I’m concerned, it was the best filler arc in the show so far. I found the whole thing riveting. The show never quite tipped its hand as to what Genno was up to, and Genno was a great adversary for the group. His methods were some of the most ninja-like we’ve seen from anyone, and his motives were incredibly sympathetic: Old soldier trying to complete his lifelong mission despite its futility is really interesting as is. Throwing in that late twist about his son manages to make it heartbreaking as well. Really stellar group of episodes here.

Kara: I really enjoyed this arc a lot. There were a few minor issues I had with the underpinning of it all (the uncertainty of Genno’s character was essential to the story, but some of it didn’t scan as tidily even accounting for him being undercover), but overall it felt really well thought out with genuine stakes and a chance for lots of characters to do what they do best. Also I kind of love that the main flaw in Genno’s plan stemmed from taking Naruto complaining about his buddies at face value - guess he’s never seen the show before.

Carolyn: I wasn’t a super big fan of the ending, I thought that was pretty cheesy and basically undid everything that happened before it. But overall, I enjoy seeing a different sort of threat and the opportunity to break up all the fighting. 

Unlike a lot of the filler, here the whole genin squad (and Shikamaru) are all working together. How do you think that was handled? Is there anyone you wanted to see more of?

Paul: My only complaint is that the older, more experienced ninja took too long to realize that certain elements of Genno's plans were straight out of the “Sneaky Dude Playbook”. Tricks such as faking one's own death or traps that are actually diversions must be commonplace in a world populated by shinobi, so characters like Tsunade should be more cautious before committing all of the village's fighting forces to a mission based on incomplete intel, although I guess the point is that the Fifth Hokage is still inexperienced and impulsive.

Kevin: The actual squad was probably the weakest part for me. People didn’t really bounce off of each other, and they were just kind of walking around for the most part, not even having especially interesting conversations or thinking about potential backup plans like Shikamaru eventually realized. I didn’t really get a sense of urgency outside of when the kids were about to accidentally blow up the entire village.

Jared: Everyone played their roles accordingly in the younger group which led to some interesting groups that had to work together. Unlike the other filler arcs that are just Naruto and 2-3 others, it gave everyone something to do and made them useful. Like Paul said, the older group was kind of left to dry in terms of somehow not seeing what was truly happening, so that could have been handled better.

Joseph: The division of capabilities was all pretty straightforward, but they handled it decently for the most part. Like Paul said, the hardest hurdle to jump was the fact that all the Genin somehow figured this out faster than the higher ups. I know it has to be that way, but it made Tsunade and the rest appear a little dimwitted. 

Danni: I enjoyed seeing all of them working together. It felt like a natural culmination of all their different combinations in the filler thus far. We’ve seen them all work together in various small groups, so it made sense they’d be familiar enough with one another to be able to work together as one big group. 

Kara: I liked seeing so many of them utilized. I also liked seeing Naruto’s Clone Jutsu used for something besides “literally whatever needs doing,” and the occasional reminders that our ninja kids are actually surprisingly good at what they do. It’s one thing for a random chucklehead to get knocked out by Rock Lee, but to have a master ninja genuinely impressed by Hinata’s Byakugan is pretty cool.

Carolyn: After going through almost the whole series, the Chunin exams are still my favorite arc. Anything that brings everyone back together is great in my book. I liked seeing all the characters in one place and I think everyone’s strengths were mostly catered to appropriately.

Someone you thought you were decently close to, such a neighbor or coworker, turns out to be a spy. How do you think you’d react? What would you do?

Paul: I'd dump them like a bad habit. That may sound cold, but someone I thought I knew was recently outed as a sexual predator, and I cut them out of my life and took steps to knock the pegs out of the platform that I'd unwittingly helped them build. If I found out someone I loved was plotting to destroy my entire community, I'd show them no mercy.

Kevin: Depends on if I know that they know that I know. If I think I can still act without them knowing I’m trying to stop them, I’ll probably call the authorities to get someone to act who actually has counter espionage training. If I know that I’m busted and may be putting people in danger by going through with plan A, I’ll probably just not do anything at all, since at least then I’m not making the situation worse. If the spy is about to actively harm people and I’m the only one who can do anything… honestly that’d probably be an in-the-moment decision. I’d like to think that I’d try to stop them, but I also know that my default is either of the two other plans, so jumping into action isn’t something that I’d naturally do.

Jared: I’d probably be very disappointed and sad, but at the same time, I’d have to cut them out of my life if they’re being distrustful. Although, I’d also be confused on why a spy is trying to get close to me in the first place.

Joseph: Depends on what kind of spy work they’re doing. If it seems cool, pays well, and doesn’t hurt anyone, I’d like to see what kind of cut I could get out of it. I’m kidding, of course… unless I’m not?

Danni: I’d start Googling “How to check your house for bugs. No, not that kind. The other one. The spy one.”

Kara: Like Paul, I not long ago had to drop someone hard - not a sexual predator, but a very abusive and underhanded person. It’s not entirely the same as the spy scenario, but there's a lot of similarities, with the main one being coming to terms with the fact that this person and I had never actually been friends and I was only ever a means to an end. I actually hurt for Naruto in this arc because of exactly that (although his version had a mitigating twist at the end). All you can really do is drop everything and, if at all possible, warn anyone else who might be affected.

Carolyn: Are they a good spy or a bad spy?

On the other hand, let’s say you were a ninja spy sent to infiltrate the village. How would you go about your mission? What would you do?

Paul: I'd try to take a page out of Genno's book. He was an excellent spy, and he fit in so well that he deceived an entire village of seasoned ninja not once but twice. Leaf Village only caught on to his schemes because he deliberately tipped his hand. So I'd keep my head low, perform my cover job in a slightly below average fashion, and be pleasantly mediocre in my social interactions, so as not to draw attention to myself.

Kevin: Depends on the time scale. If I have infinite time, I’d honestly probably do what Genno did: Just keep coming back to the village multiple times to set up traps and backups until I have a ridiculously convoluted web of plans that is almost impossible to counter in its entirety. If I have a limited amount of time, then it becomes more relevant to know what my exact mission is, whether I’m infiltrating to kill a target, steal a document, destroy the village, or something else. 

Jared: Genno had the right ideas in that you’ve got to be sneaky, conniving, and also be able to blend in to the point that no one’s going to miss you if you suddenly leave. You want to be able to do whatever side job that you have to do at a level that’s essentially the equivalent of a C-. Passable, but you’re not excelling. After that, it’s about getting out without anyone raising a stink about it.

Joseph: I loved Genno’s ability to be lowkey. I feel like I could totally blend into the background for a bit, but I also like attention too much to keep it up for long, and I’d probably spill the beans too soon and fail.

Danni: I can’t count the number of times at work I’ve just been going about my business like normal and a coworker beside me turns around and jumps because they had no idea I was there. I seem to naturally just have no presence wherever I go, so honestly I could probably just walk in and take whatever I need without anyone noticing. 

Kara: I’m gonna be real, I’d fail. I suck at lying and sneaking around. You know that bit in Into the Spider-Verse where Miles plays too dumb? That’s me. Don’t hire me as a spy; I’ll stay back at my village and do paperwork.

Carolyn: If you act fairly stand-offish and antisocial most people just leave you alone. So, I would do that and then do my spy thing.

Genno admits that the main reason why he went about his plan is because he felt he needed to fulfill his mission before he dies. Regardless of the morality of this choice, do you sympathize with his thought process? 

Paul: I don't agree with his goals, but I understand where Genno is coming from, and that aspect of his motivation added a spicy bit of generational conflict to a story that was already brimming with subterfuge. They also made it clear that Genno wasn't really trying to destroy Leaf Village so much as he was re-enacting a “treasure hunt” in memory of his deceased son, although I'm not sure if that particular bit of characterization was necessary.

Kevin: I sympathize with it insofar as that’s something that makes sense for an actual ninja. Even if it’s decades later, you still have a mission to fulfill. Genno’s also one of the best ninja we’ve seen in the entire show, so it makes sense that out of everyone, he’d be the one to follow through with that ideal. As an actual action, I can’t say that I agree with it. Much like any grudge, letting it fester for decades on end is admirable from one angle, but pitiable or childish from most others. 

Jared: He was a ninja to the end. I wouldn’t say I sympathize with his entire thought process, even if it was somewhat of a ruse. If he’d really been trying to harbor all of that ill will for so long, I’d consider that to be just unhealthy. 

Joseph: I don’t know that I buy the fact that the charges he left behind would only deal superficial damage to the plateau, but yeah, I can sympathize with wanting to see the fruits of your labor before you pass on. 

Danni: An old ninja caught in the existential crisis of dying before his now futile lifelong goal can be completed? Hell yeah! A devoted soldier having to come to terms with the reality that his nation has either changed or no longer exists feels like a conflict straight out of Metal Gear Solid. I love it. 

Kara: At first I wasn’t feeling it. But then I remembered ninja in this universe give literally everything to their profession. It’s the thing that’s always kind of freaked me out the most about the whole series, that level of devotion to the point of body modification, self-harm, or destroying any chances for any other roles in your life. So in that context, in the context of Naruto, I can absolutely understand feeling that need.

Carolyn: A treasure hunt was his goal, though. Could he not have done that some other way without putting an entire village on edge? I thought the ending didn’t quite make sense, to be honest.

We get another recap episode, with the top 5 fights so far. Do you agree with the choices? If not, what would your top 5 be?

Paul: The fights between the Leaf Village Genin and Orochimaru's disciples were over-represented. I don't know if I have a Top 5 exactly, but I wish Sasuke vs. Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, Rock Lee vs. Gaara during the Chunin Exams, and the Third Hokage vs. Orochimaru had made the list.

Kevin: I find it interesting that the top 5 fights basically boil down to the Sasuke Retrieval arc minus Tayuya and Kimimaro. Personally, I think that speaks volumes to how good the arc was and why it is still remembered so fondly, although I probably would’ve swapped Kiba’s fight out for Gaara vs. Lee.

Jared: I think the top 5 were surprising to say the least, and that’s also the nicest thing I can say about it. Off the top of my head, I’d probably go with Lee vs. Gaara (how on Earth did this not make it?!), Naruto vs. Sasuke (Valley of the End), Naruto vs. Gaara, Hinata vs. Neji, and maybe Third Hokage vs. Orochimaru. I’m sure parts of that would change, but the first three would probably be a lock.

Joseph: We’ve watched four or five years of Naruto in the past eight months. I don’t even remember who fought what at this point. Most of the fight choices were fine, but I’d be lying if I said I paid full attention to this episode. 

Danni: The Sasuke Retrieval arc was way too represented. I can’t say I care much for any of those fights outside of Naruto vs. Sasuke in the Final Valley. Throw in Naruto vs. Neji, Rock Lee vs. Gaara, Sasuke vs. Orochimaru, and maybe Drunken Master Rock Lee for fun. 

Kara: This should have just been 23 minutes of Lee dropping his weights. I was actually a little annoyed at this episode because it felt like the writers finally throwing stacks of papers in the air and admitting they had nothing. And then tacking cross Sasuke on the end.

Carolyn: Rock Lee, Rock Lee, Rock Lee. I would have my boy Lee against Gaara no question. And Shikamaru’s Chunin exam fight has always been a huge favorite of mine, so that would be in there, too.

Lastly, what were your highs and lows this week?

Paul: My high point was seeing Leaf Village pull together to thwart Genno's schemes. That was the Patlabor 2 of filler arcs. My low point was the recap episode, which I mostly fast-forwarded through, if I'm being entirely honest. The bit with Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Sasuke teleconferencing into the awards show struck me as especially bizarre.

Kevin: Both related to the Genno arc:

High - The basic plot of the arc. For the past few weeks, it’s mostly been comedy and our main characters being idiots. For these episodes, they got to trace the steps of a master planner, Naruto had an emotional connection to the villain, there were obvious breadcrumbs that actually paid out well, and generally the arc was pretty well written and different from what we’ve seen.

Low - Then the ending happened, and the show tried to make us feel bad for a terrorist who tried to destroy the village because he was just trying to be remembered and he lost his son in the conflict that had originally given him his mission. No, show, you cannot tell me that he’s a good person. His last actions were to literally destroy the village. And I know that a lot of the bombs were defective because he met Naruto (who looks like his son for no reason) and he wanted to go on a treasure hunt, but that’s not good character writing. That’s just really convenient and takes out all of the tension of the rest of the plot, since now the audience knows that there’s no actual danger.

Jared: High point would be the Genno arc, as I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Given how much we’ve had to slog through with filler, it’s nice when it’s actually decent. Low point would be the recap episode because their top five is bad and also it’s just strange how they just willingly break kayfabe in it. You could probably do some interesting things by playing with the idea that these are characters being played in a show, but it doesn’t really hit that mark here.

Joseph: High - The Genno arc was surprisingly satisfying and made me forget how bad the past couple weeks have been. Low - I have a feeling the magic haunted painting arc that started after won’t be as cool as I’d like it to be. I LOVE SPOOKY PAINTINGS THAT COME TO LIFE. 

Danni: It’s hard to choose a single high point from the Genno Arc so let’s just go with the whole thing: I loved it a lot. Low point goes to the recap episode, since only one of my favorite fights actually made it in there. 

Kara: High point is the beginning of this Yakumo arc, both because my girl Kurenai is back and because this looks like some fun horror. Yakumo’s weird face reflected in Kurenai/Naruto’s eye actually got me. (I am sure I will regret this whole sentiment before long.) Low point was the recap. I actually yelled at the screen when the whole Orochimaru thing started, which is double bad since I’m sure the intent was to hype the audience up.

Carolyn: I have to agree with Kara, as anything horror is a plus for me, even if it falls flat. And recap episodes are never interesting to me. I might also add Naruto screaming at Genno that he will never understand as long as he lives and he’s going to “live a long time!!!” That was pretty great.

And that’s it for this week! Remember that you’re always welcome to watch along with the Rewatch, especially if you’ve never seen the original Naruto! Watch Naruto today!

  Here’s our upcoming schedule:

-Next week, DANIEL DOCKERY goes through some haunts! 

-On August 16th, NICOLE MEJIAS finishes up a mission!

-And finally, on August 23rd, CAYLA COATES wraps up the Rewatch in its entirety!

CATCH UP ON THE REWATCH!

Episodes 190-196: Matchmaking Gone Wrong

Episodes 183-189: No Laughter Allowed!

Episodes 176-182: Reach for the Stars!

Episodes 169-175: Anko’s Backstory At Sea

Episodes 162-168: The Tale of the Phantom Samurai

Episodes 155-161: Quickfire Curry

Episodes 148-154: The Forest is Abuzz With Ninjas

Episodes 141-147: Mizuki Strikes Back!

Episodes 134-140: The Climactic Clash

Episodes 127-133: Naruto vs Sasuke

Episodes 120-126: The Sand Siblings Return

Episodes 113-119: Operation Rescue Sasuke

Episodes 106-112: Sasuke Goes Rogue

Episodes 99-105: Trouble in the Land of Tea

Episodes 92-98: Clash of the Sannin

Episodes 85-91: A Life-Changing Decision

Episodes 78-84: The Fall of a Legend

Episodes 71-77: Sands of Sorrow

Episodes 64-70: Crashing the Chunin Exam

Episodes 57-63: Family Feud

Episodes 50-56: Rock Lee Rally

Episodes 43-49: The Gate

Episodes 36-42: Through the Woods

Episodes 29-35: Sakura Unleashed

Episodes 22-28: Chunin Exams Kickoff

Episodes 15-21: Leaving the Land of Waves

Episodes 8-14: Beginners' Battle

Episodes 1-7: I'm Gonna Be the Hokage!

  Thank you for joining us for the GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH! See you next time!

  Have anything to say about this batch of episodes? Let us know in the comments! We're accepting questions and comments for next week, so ask away!

-----

Noelle Ogawa is a contributor to Bubbleblabber and Cup of Moe. She can be found on Twitter @noelleogawa.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[recentanimenews]

THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH Encounters A Star In Episodes 176-182!

Welcome to THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH! I’m Jared Clemons and I’ll be your host this week as we barrel on through all 220 episodes of the original Naruto anime adaptation. Last week in episodes 169-175, we got perhaps the best arc out of the filler thus far when we learned about Anko’s backstory and her history with Orochimaru. This week, it’s time to learn about how the postal service works and how dangerous meteorites can be in episodes 176-182.

  I really enjoy the idea behind showcasing how regular jobs are handled within Naruto, like we’ve seen with the Chef Ninja and now the Delivery Ninja. It’s the right kind of goofy that you need when you’re as knee deep in filler as we currently are. We then transition out of that into another arc that takes us into the Hidden Star Village where they have quite a few secrets and a way to make their ninja incredibly powerful, but at a steep price. This arc was surprisingly grounded and I’m almost surprised we didn’t get something like aliens being behind the power of the meteorite. I think at this point, the filler could go completely off the rails and I wouldn’t be too shocked. 

  Before we see if Naruto and his pals can get to the bottom of what’s going on in the Hidden Star Village, let’s find out what the rest of the Crunchyroll Features team had to say about this week’s slate of episodes!

    Jiraiya makes his return and we are also introduced to another regular job ninja in the Delivery Ninja. If you could have a one-off episode devoted to a random job that is now made for ninjas, what job would you choose?

  Paul: Judging by how hardcore the ninja postal service is, I have to imagine that ninja tax collectors would be even more hardcore. Can you imagine trying to collect taxes from villages populated entirely by professional shinobi, who know every stealth and evasion trick in the book, not to mention having access to Genjutsu that could make you think a pile of leaves was a fresh stack of bills?

  Danni: I want to see ninja athletes. Not really for any particular sport, I just want to see what kind of professional sports they’d come up with to utilize jutsu and what rules they’d have to put in place to regulate it. Kind of like how The Legend of Korra turned bending into its own sport. 

  Joseph: Ninja garbage men. 

  Carolyn: Kiba’s dog walking service. Shino’s flea circus. Ooh, ooh, Tsunade runs a gambling ring, Sasuke’s famous disappearing act with Naruto as a carnival barker, Jiraiya runs a burlesque show. Basically, Naruto goes to Vegas. This is a filler episode, after all.

  David: Honestly I’d like to see the opposite - someone doing a completely mundane job that doesn’t require being a ninja at all, and when Naruto and friends try to help them with their ninja skills, they manage to make things worse every time and learn that not all problems need to be solved with jutsu.

  Kara: Funny, I just went into a monologue on this on Twitter. I want to see the shop where villages go to get their ninja headbands. They probably have a three-ring binder of laminated pages of available symbols, which are all getting slowly used up so at some point you’re either gonna have to be the Village Hidden in the Dolphins or the Village Hidden in the Tribal Butterfly Design Things. Also I bet they have novelty ones for bachelor/ette parties.

  Noelle: One thing I’d want to see is a general supply shop. The villages act like small cities, but where do they get food from, and how is all of that transported? Who protects the transports? Stuff that aids the day to day going more smoothly is something I’d like to see explored.

  Kevin: I would want to know about something mundane but necessary for the main cast, like how paper bombs are made or the process of creating ninja tools, or some kind of jutsu research and creation facility if we’re allowed to go away from the silliness of ninja postmen. For something less educational and more insane and fun, maybe a ninja carnival where all of the attractions and employees are just using jutsu in really creative ways?

    Speaking of Jiraiya, he comes and goes very quickly as he’s still too tied up with other missions to train Naruto. Has his absence been felt throughout a lot of these arcs or had you forgotten about him until this episode?

  Paul: Jiraiya is the worst recurring character with the worst throwaway episodes, and I wouldn't notice the difference if they replaced him with a wet sack of compost wearing a kabuki wig. I'm still waiting for Jiraiya to demonstrate sufficient redeeming qualities to make up for him being a huge creep. At this point, I'm not holding my breath.

  Danni: I like Jiraiya whenever he gets serious about something, but he’s the absolute worst whenever there’s any downtime. Considering most filler is downtime, I can’t say I miss him. It’s more that I miss having plot worth him getting serious about.

  Joseph: I liked Jiraiya in the manga and I think he gets better, but as it is now he just makes for even worse filler episodes than usual. I’ll also never not be grossed out every time he’s turned on by Naruto’s Sexy Jutsu. 

  Carolyn: Yeah, I didn’t really notice he was gone and I don’t really care for him being back. He basically just stole from Naruto and disappeared last time around.

  David: No, I didn’t think about him until he showed up again. In the series proper the adults tend to show up for important things, so it made sense for him to not be around for all this filler, and I don’t think he needed to show up in this capacity either.

  Kara: For me, Jiraiya’s like the “little girl with the curl” in the old nursery rhyme. When he’s good, he’s very very good; when he’s bad, he’s an irredeemable pervert. That's how the rhyme went, right? It’s a shame, because I really like the older generation in this show for the most part and I really want to like him without having to hand-wave a bunch of gross stuff.

  Noelle: I think Jiraya is best when he’s actually doing something, and we can see some of his power. When he’s not in the spotlight, he’s just hanging around, and isn’t too missed.

  Kevin: As someone who really likes Jiraiya and is eagerly awaiting the start of Shippuden… the vast majority of the time I completely forget that that’s why Naruto’s still in the village and not out training. Generally once or twice a week, I’ll remember Jiraiya is supposedly off on various missions, then go back to wondering why no one remembers that they can walk on water, so they don’t need to use boats. 

    We dive into a lengthy arc after that with a trip to the Hidden Star Village. A fallen meteorite grants great power to those who train beside it, but that has dire consequences as we learn later on. What are your initial thoughts on this story in comparison to the other filler stories we’ve had thus far?

  Paul: The Hidden Star Village arc has been pretty solid as filler arcs go, not only because of the central dilemma (the meteorite boosts Chakra, but slowly kills the people who train with it), but also because of the internal political conflicts within the Hidden Star Village and the ethical quandary faced by Naruto, Neji, and company. They're required to complete their mission, even though their employer is a complete heel, and that’s not a type of pressure that they've faced before.

  Danni: It’s not a bad arc, but I haven’t found it near as interesting as some of the better filler arcs we’ve been through. The most interesting aspect has been them having to come to terms with the fact that they’re essentially mercenaries who have been hired by the bad guy. They still have to complete the mission for him. Though I feel like once he literally tried to murder Naruto, the Leaf shinobi should’ve taken that as a severance of contract if not a full blown declaration of war. 

  Joseph: I like some aspects of this arc, but overall it just reinforces the feeling that Naruto used to be a highlight of my week but has since turned into a mostly mediocre Saturday morning cartoon. It’s like I’m stuck in a time loop and each trip through is only slightly different. 

  Carolyn: I mean, it does seem somewhat meatier than past filler arcs, like the Ramen-making. And it actually does have a bit more of a story than the weird Scooby-Doo arc (as much as I liked that one) but in the end it is just filler and doesn’t quite capture the same interest as the earlier Naruto-focused episodes.

  David: It feels weird because if it weren’t filler, the meteorite probably would have been really important lore information, but here it just seems like nonsense. Maybe there will be a twist, but generally I prefer filler that doesn’t try to seem more important than it is.

  Kara: This would be throwaway for me except it goes straight for my morbid fascination with this ninja culture of absolutely destroying yourself to be Best Ninja Possible. Most of all I think it’s interesting to see a place where people draw the line. Hacking your Hayflick Limit or ripping out your own spine is fine, but we draw the line at running yourself ragged with meteor chakra.

  Noelle: I definitely agree with everyone else; it has a lot of potential, but in the end, it’s filler and won’t be brought up again. What is chakra and is chakra universal or just set to the ninja world is something that I’d really like to find out more of, but alas…

  Kevin: Honestly, I’m actually more invested in this arc than the vast majority of the rest of the filler. Sure, I know that the star will break or something, rendering it impossible to use later (it wouldn’t be filler, otherwise!), but for me this arc is working pretty well as a self-contained narrative about a group of people using whatever means necessary to survive and become the next respected hidden village.

    Naruto meets an individual with similar aspirations as him in Sumaru. They both are stubborn and want to become the leader of their respective villages. How did you feel about Sumaru’s arc with regards to him and what eventually happens with the reunion with his mother?

  Paul: I need to reserve judgment on this until I see how the arc concludes. A traditional ending would have Sumaru triumph over Akahoshi, implying that Sumaru will grow up to be a great leader for Hidden Star Village one day. I'm not sure that they're going in that direction. I wasn't expecting them to kill off Natsuhi...assuming she's actually dead, that is. If that detail sticks, the conclusion could be surprisingly dark.

  Danni: Same as Paul said I can’t really speak to his arc given that it hasn’t finished yet. I would also like to see him and the rest of the children defeat Akahoshi of their own volition.

  Joseph: I gotta echo Paul and Danni here. Sumaru is fine, but I’m not holding out hope for his eventual rule of this rinky dink village. I like the concept behind his people in general, but I got a little beat down by an arc that could have been two or three episodes tops. 

  Carolyn: It’s a little odd that he didn’t realize she was his mother without basically being told that. That sort of removes some of the emotion from that story. 

  David: “Look at this character Naruto just met, they’re a lot like Naruto!” happens in literally all of these longer filler arcs, and it rings more hollow each time.

  Kara: I like the parallels when Naruto can bring his experiences to these new and different people. He’s had to work through a lot and is finding success against the odds (or at least the assumed odds), and I think when it’s played right, it’s a good reminder that he actually does have the chops to be Hokage because he remembers the human element. I didn’t see as much of that this time, so past the “Ohoho, wanna be the Ho(shi)kage” it didn’t do much for me this time.

  Noelle: Parallels are interesting, but they really need some meat to actually work. I think Sumaru has potential, but I’ll need to see his arc in full to allow for a proper judgment. 

  Kevin: While I praise the arc in general, Sumaru is the part where I just tune things out and go back to looking at my phone. He’s not bad, per se, but everyone’s seen the “character brainwashed by the obvious bad guy who’s actually a good person, just on the wrong side of things” before, and outside of that trope, Sumaru’s basically another character that’s like Naruto, which we’ve seen at least a half dozen times at this point. His reunion with his mother is probably the most interesting part of his arc, because there’s some lingering resentment that they need to work through, instead of just immediately being on the same side because they’re family. 

    Near the end of this week’s run of episodes, we see a split with regards to how to proceed with the mission. Naruto wants to bring Akahoshi to justice for what he’s done while Neji believes they should leave that matter to the Star Village. Given what we’ve seen in other filler arcs over the last couple of weeks and with what happens at the end of our final episode, should they have been more gung ho with confronting Akahoshi or was Neji in the right to hold Naruto and Lee back?

  Paul: This was the most interesting conflict in the arc. The Leaf Village shinobi have been charged with a single task: retrieving the stolen star. Everything else outside of the purview of their mission, and their conduct – no matter how righteous – could reflect poorly on their village and damage its social standing. Since peace among the ninja villages is so fragile, a loss of reputation could have dire consequences. Naruto and company are caught between a rock and a hard place, and I love it.

  Danni: Honestly, they’re both right. Naruto is correct in that the just thing to do would be to stop Akahoshi, and Neji is right in recognizing that shinobi are hired guns and not vigilantes. It’s an interesting conflict that Naruto has always danced around from the start, and I have full confidence that Naruto’s view will ultimately win out and this conflict will never become a factor ever again.

  Joseph: This is definitely an interesting dilemma, and I’d like to see more of it in these missions. I agree that both sides are right, but it’s going to come down to what’s more important to Naruto. I suspect he’ll land on the side of confrontation, reputation be damned. 

  Carolyn: I’m a Gemini so I see both sides and will agonize over this answer for 30 years. Neji is definitely right in a way, it’s not exactly their place. But Naruto isn’t wrong, either. Morals are morals.

  David: Neji is completely right, but this isn’t the kind of story that will give the pragmatic character his due.

  Kara: I think that first begs the question of what is valued higher: justice overall, or faithfulness to your village and assignment. Considering previous episodes, it seems their lives will be most affected by their adherence to the latter. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but there it is.

  Noelle: It’s tricky, because they both bring up good points. While there’s no doubt that Akahoshi deserves to face some justice, the Leaf Village is not the world police; they don’t have full jurisdiction over what happens outside their territory. In the end, the Star Village ultimately has the right to the final say. It’s a tough call. 

  Kevin: In terms of actual mission rules and how professionals would handle the situation, Neji is almost certainly correct. Their employer was releasing them and saying that their mission was concluded, so the Leaf team should have headed back home right then. But this is Naruto, so screw the rules, we have a Nindo, a ninja way, to uphold.

    Open up your flip phone and give me your highs and lows from this week’s episodes.

  Paul: My high point is all of the intrigue surrounding Hidden Star Village, which was grounded in concepts such as duty, ambition, and obligation. My low point was the conclusion to the face-stealing shinobi mini-arc, which began as a serious threat but concluded as an episode of Looney Tunes. The set-up didn't match the pay-off, although I like the idea of a perfect impersonation Jutsu being used for something as mundane as dining-and-dashing.

  Danni: My high point was watching the treasure hunting arc go from serious threat to goofy chase hijinks from last week to this week. I found it pretty humorous in the end. My low point was, of course, Sexy Jutsu. I’m so, so tired of it.

  Joseph: My low point was pretty much everything with Jiraiya in what was yet another pointless episode that landed back at square one. Second low honors go to a totally wasted Rock Lee. My high point was the brief intrigue at the beginning of the Star Village arc, which quickly dissipated as more was revealed. 

  Carolyn: Neji’s growth and that entire conflict was definitely an interesting high point for me. Also, “Creeeeping.” Because Rock Lee is a very good boy. Low point is always sexy jutsu and just the weird amazement the characters always display when they realize a super-strong awesome ninja is a woman. They’ve been punched in the face by super strong women the whole series.

  David: My high point and low point are both when Naruto used Rasengan to propel his boat he was on forward to catch up to the postman’s boat. High because it is such an amusing use of what is supposed to be an extremely powerful, Chakra-intensive attack, but also low because of that wastefulness. Did the writers forget these guys can literally walk on water?

  Kara: My high point was Naruto’s garbage smutfic bringing peace to the land. My low point was the rest of that episode.

  Noelle: The Star Village intrigue was definitely something I enjoyed, with both the concepts it introduced and the morality conundrum it pushed towards. I like it when things aren’t clean cut. Low point: Sexy Jutsu… haven’t we gotten tired of this by now?

  Kevin: 

High - The concept of the Hidden Star arc. I really like the idea of a group of people trying to become the next Hidden Village, but even more than that, I like that the previous village Kage banned star training because of how dangerous it is but the current villain brought it back because if even a handful of people master it, then their position as a powerful village is secured. It’s a bit more of a nuanced narrative than we’ve seen in previous arcs. 

Low - The conclusion of the one-shot with Jiraiya and the Ninja Postmen. I get that it’s a gag, but a Nation’s Lord reading whatever genre “Make-Out Paradise” is in and deciding to not go to war as a result is not a satisfying ending. It would’ve made more sense if one of the following happened. Either a) he didn’t particularly like it, was disappointed and then Jiraiya and Naruto showed up to explain what had happened, giving him the secret documents and a promise to send the manuscript when Jiraiya finished it; or b) the Ninja Postmen accepted that there had been a mixup and swapped the documents back.

    COUNTERS:

  This Week:

Ramen: 3 cups

Hokage: 3

Clones: 28 + 2 variable scenes + 2 uncountable scenes

  Total So Far:

Ramen: 171 bowls, 12 cups

Hokage: 58

Clones: 711

  And that’s it for this week! Remember that you’re always welcome to watch along with the Rewatch, especially if you’ve never seen the original Naruto! Watch Naruto today!

  Here’s our upcoming schedule:

-Next week, JOSEPH LUSTER is back to continue the Star Guard mission!

-On July 26th, KARA DENNISON returns to guide us through the end of the Peddlers Escort Mission!

-Finally on August 2nd, NOELLE OGAWA shows us the formation of the Konoha 11!

  CATCH UP ON THE REWATCH!

Episodes 169-175: Anko’s Backstory At Sea

Episodes 162-168: The Tale of the Phantom Samurai

Episodes 155-161: Quickfire Curry

Episodes 148-154: The Forest is Abuzz With Ninjas

Episodes 141-147: Mizuki Strikes Back!

Episodes 134-140: The Climactic Clash

Episodes 127-133: Naruto vs Sasuke

Episodes 120-126: The Sand Siblings Return

Episodes 113-119: Operation Rescue Sasuke

Episodes 106-112: Sasuke Goes Rogue

Episodes 99-105: Trouble in the Land of Tea

Episodes 92-98: Clash of the Sannin

Episodes 85-91: A Life-Changing Decision

Episodes 78-84: The Fall of a Legend

Episodes 71-77: Sands of Sorrow

Episodes 64-70: Crashing the Chunin Exam

Episodes 57-63: Family Feud

Episodes 50-56: Rock Lee Rally

Episodes 43-49: The Gate

Episodes 36-42: Through the Woods

Episodes 29-35: Sakura Unleashed

Episodes 22-28: Chunin Exams Kickoff

Episodes 15-21: Leaving the Land of Waves

Episodes 8-14: Beginners' Battle

Episodes 1-7: I'm Gonna Be the Hokage!

  Thank you for joining us for the GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH! Have a great weekend, and we'll see you all next time!

  Have anything to say about our thoughts on Episodes 176-182? Let us know in the comments! Don't forget, we're also accepting questions and comments for next week, so don't be shy and feel free to ask away!

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Jared Clemons is a writer and podcaster for Seasonal Anime Checkup where he can be found always wanting to talk about Love Live! Sunshine!! or whatever else he's into at the moment. He can be found on Twitter @ragbag.

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