#I don’t care about this show but Entrapta will always have a special place in my heart. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

imagionationstation · 4 months ago

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Gender swap Donnie is my everything, I love it so much and AHHHDJDBSISBBKSOA

Actively feral as we speak, when reading the stuff about Dona I couldn’t help but think she would sound like Princess Bubblegum (cause you know two genius scientists who are little insane)

I am also wondering how she be like when dealing with Don Visio so and you know trying to kill him at one point. Also how protective are her brothers when it comes to love interests? Like I know you said Casey maybe a love interest but what about other mutants or even aliens flirting with her? How would they react to that? And with the Halloween special, what would Dona’s experience be with being turned into a vampire? Cause in the original Dracula book when it focused on turning women into vampires it was a little … um not good for the gal. So how would she be turned if that changes? Also how would the 1987 turtle crossover react to Dona?

Sorry if this is a lot I just have so many questions and just want to know what you think about this. I really like this au and want to read more about it and your thoughts.

Please don’t feel pressured to answer this and take your time I literally just found your blog and am re-re-re-re-reading as I am writing this. I love this idea and concept so much.

Also can I make art of Dona AU pls?

I am going insane as we speak.

(Not serious (take your time and take care of yourself))

(I always find it funny when people are like: Yk that movie/character/book series- and I’m just no?? Who told you that I did?? Never seen that before in my life.)

ANYWAY, I TOOK YOUR RECOMMENDATION VERY SERIOUSLY.

I WATCHED ME MANY A YOUTUBE CLIP!

And you must be hearing something I don’t because I don’t hear Donnie in Princess Bubblegum. She’s too soft spoken. And I don’t know if she could pull off the Donnie-isms from canon. No, no, if I needed to choose a voice for her- hmmm.

Entrapta from She-Ra would be my first pick, I think. Definitely.

I am also wondering how she be like when dealing with Don Visio so and you know trying to kill him at one point.

Exactly the same! Everything that happens with her in canon when facing him does not change in the slightest. The only difference would be that her brothers would be extremely ticked off in the episode Mutant Gangland. Even so, Leo would still be the voice of reason when talking her down in Heart of Evil.

Also how protective are her brothers when it comes to love interests? Like I know you said Casey maybe a love interest but what about other mutants or even aliens flirting with her? How would they react to that?

If someone begins flirting with Donnie, I think they’d only be protective if Donnie shows discomfort with the situation. I think this would happen a few times, but often, Donnie is completely oblivious and her brothers love watching people struggle. Of course, flirty is one thing. Making active moves on her is another.

Six feet apart, hands to yourself, thank you very much.

Now, if Donnie has a love interest, they’ll let it play out naturally. It’s her relationship and they wouldn’t want her interfering with theirs. They sus out the interest and then they leave it to her because they trust her to handle herself and know that if she ever does have any issues… She’s tell them. They’ll know.

I think if there’s a place for a relationship with Casey to start, it would be during the farmhouse arc. Before that, there was still a fair amount of bickering between them because she was having jelly feelings about April’s friendship with him and Irma.

April didn’t come down to the lair when she was hanging out with them and doing all kinds of human activities that Donnie couldn’t do. Once again, Donnie felt different. Not because she was a girl, but because she was a mutant. And they couldn’t hang out one-on-one when she starts dragging Casey down with her. At least Irma seemed friendly and smart! Casey Jones was so… Brash. Rude. Arrogant.

As she whined in the show, “Now we have TWO RAPHAELS!”

Eventually, though, she realizes that, just like Raph, he can be crude, but he’s also kinda a sweetheart deep down.

And with the Halloween special, what would Dona’s experience be with being turned into a vampire? Cause in the original Dracula book when it focused on turning women into vampires it was a little … um not good for the gal. So how would she be turned if that changes?

Um. Huh? I don’t… I guess I don’t know what that entailed?

Are you asking if the scene would be more sexual? Or if this grown man would be preying on a teenager? Ew, actually, wow, I don’t like that. REVERSE THOUGHT PROCESS REVERT REVERT

I think there’s too much happening to insert anything anyway.

There would probably be an inappropriate innuendo or two from Mikey about “vampires going after females” since he already makes iffy comments in the canon show. Why not more cringe?

I really don’t know if there’s anything I would change except for that part when April hypnotizes him. I’d make that more “friendship” and less “romance” (if you know what I mean). Otherwise, the episodes should stay the same as in canon.

Donnie simply gets bitten by April and turns into a vampire after helping her brothers and Renet reach a safe room. She tries to attack them but they manage to escape. They tussle later.

Also how would the 1987 turtle crossover react to Dona?

I think any crossovers would have the four brother iterations giving her a double-take. And the 1987 especially have never met a female of any of the brothers so they’d probably make a comment or two.

Heck, in the episode Trans-Dimensional Turtles, since there are no introductions, and they mainly use names versus pronouns through most of the episode, I think that the 1987 would just run off the assumption that she’s male. She doesn’t usually dress or act any differently from her brothers so there aren’t a lot of huge pointers that she’s of another sexuality.

And assuming the timelines they’ve seen and the timeline that they come from, it’s a reasonable assumption.

I think the reveal would probably be during the final episodes during the kitchen scene. It would likely be before they discuss Icecream Kitty and Chompy and 1987Donatello remarks, “Wow, our parallel works really are different.”

One of the brothers casually uses “she” while talking about her and 1987Raphael immediately interrupts with a baffled, “Wait, is your Donnie a girl?” In a tone that triggers Donnie’s sass “So what if I am!?” and, of course, 1987Raphael fires back some snide comment at the attack, and it takes all of her brothers intervening to calm her down and helping to explain in order to defuse the situation.

I don’t think I know them well enough to judge how they’d respond after the fact. I just assume the show continues as normal 🤔

Please don’t feel pressured to answer this and take your time I literally just found your blog and am re-re-re-re-reading as I am writing this. I love this idea and concept so much. Also can I make art of Dona AU pls?

I LOVE to hear that other people are going feral over her! Never apologize for your curiosity and never hesitate to ask!! I will answer all the questions I can when fate allows the time!

Absolutely, you can! Make all the fanart you want!

All I ask is that you tag me so I can see her! 💜

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disabled-dragoon · 3 years ago

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Disabled Characters That Shaped My Childhood

Is this similar to a post on my other page? Perhaps. But I don’t care.

As it is disability pride month and this was essentially the entire reason for me making a second blog, I have decided to revise my list of disabled characters in the media that helped me accept my disability growing up! Probably won’t be all that good but eh, what the hell.

Unfortunately I can only think of three characters from my childhood that I remember being featured prominently on TV growing up, but it is increasing! Slowly, but it is! So with that said......

Gabriella- The Little Mermaid, 1992-1994, Deaf

Possibly the first actually disabled character I can remember seeing on TV, I think Gabriella was the character that kicked off my interest in learning more about disability culture in the first place and I’m mad more people don’t remember her.

She was my first real exposure to seeing disability outside of my home and the hospital, and yes, she might be deaf and I’m not, but she fascinated me and arguably catalysed my ongoing attempts to learn sign language. Her character was fun and loveable and I’m glad they took the time to kind of explain her deafness to the audience, then promoted the idea that actually she didn’t need to change herself to be wonderful. She was accepted almost immediately and was most likely the first introduction to sign language as a whole to a lot of children in the early 90s. The fact she kept coming back as a regular character was also amazing to see!

Toph Beifong- Avatar: The Last Airbender, 2005-2008, Blind

Obviously needs no introduction....With the events of the last year, everyone had a chance to be reintroduced to the series that is Avatar and, by extension, the fantastic Toph Beifong!

The whole series is one that focuses on overcoming oppression and marginalisation and, whilst it certainly is not perfect, the fact it had a disabled main character for the majority of its run and spin off is probably part of the reason this show holds a special place in my heart, even today. And the representation is not just limited to Toph either!

Remember the wheelchair bound “airbender” that the GAang comes across? Teo I think his name is. Or the armless villainess Ming-Hua in Korra? I do. And I wouldn’t be surprised if there are others that I’m missing but my point is, ATLA does a very good job to not use disability as a reason to make weak characters and I appreciate it so much.

Toph was is the reason, I think, that I can laugh at myself today (in a good way, of course) and will always be my favourite character of the series for that very reason.

Hiccup Haddock- How To Train Your Dragon, 2003, Amputee

Ah, How To Train Your Dragon. The guilty pleasure of my childhood.

It was only a couple of years ago I realised the main character is, technically disabled, having one leg and all, and I never noticed despite watching it religiously when I was small(er). Maybe because they didn’t draw much attention to it after it happened, or maybe because I just did not have the attention span for movies...

But I appreciate it nonetheless, considering the whole movie series finished in 2019 I believe, so it’s still pretty relevant to the younger generations. And the fun colours and enjoyable theme of dragons that people are drawn to means that is a film people can be easily drawn to, and still gets attention.

~~~Honourable Mentions!~~~

1. Julia- Sesame Street, Autism

A little after my time but a treat to see nonetheless! Julia got a lot of attention when it was announced she would be joining Sesame Street, as the first regular character on the series to be diagnosed with autism. With so much more focus on autism and disability awareness in recent years, it’s refreshing to see children’s media starting to branch out more into exploring the concept of disability in youth and childhood!

2. Iron Man- The Avengers, Technically a heart defect

Okay, it didn’t last. I’m aware. And Iron Man and Marvel are...problematic at times, but arguably the comics and RDJs portrayal of Iron Man was a lot of people’s first introduction to the idea of sudden disability in later life, even if he had the money, resources, time and plot armour to overcome it.

3. Hawkeye- The Avengers, Deaf

In the comics he’s deaf. Maybe not in the film series, but still. Pretty impressive. Not only is he sans superpowers, he has a disability, which in the world of Marvel you would expect him to be portrayed as weaker and incapable but he isn’t!

4. Entrapta- She-Ra and The Princesses of Power, Autism

Okay. Yes. Still a bit out of my childhood, technically. But who didn’t watch She-Ra during the lockdown? I’m pretty sure it was confirmed(?) that Entrapta was written as being on the autism spectrum but correct me if I’m wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~

And END.

Sorry for a long first post, I just thought, in the spirit of the month, it might be nice to reflect a little on characters that potentially helped us in our childhoods, and characters that may continue helping children today.

If I forgot any, or one needs to be added to the list, please tell me and why!

Thank you!

And happy disability pride month!

#long post #disability pride #actually disabled #toph beifong #atla toph #httyd #httyd hiccup #the little mermaid #disability #disability pride month #she ra and the princesses of power #the avengers #sesame street #sorry for the long tags

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cruelfeline · 4 years ago

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All right. So, this corner of the fandom has been in a bit of an uproar after Stevenson had her stream; and while I’m of the mind that anything said outside of the actual show, without any real canon backing, can be safely ignored, I do want to address one odd statement I’ve heard talked about.

Essentially: the idea that Hordak would have pulled the portal lever at the end of season three.

Now, I will confess that I haven’t actually watched the stream itself; I’m getting this from the ripples of discontent in the Entrapdak and Hordak tags. I also don’t really plan on viewing the stream... it’s like, what, four hours long? Mm. No, thank you.

But! My goal here isn’t to address or debunk or pick apart Stevenson’s words, specifically; my goal is to simply address the question: would Hordak have activated the portal? Because it’s an interesting question, no matter what was said on-stream! And because I’ve had a few people express interest in hearing a take. So: ask, and ye shall receive!

Now, we’re going to look at this in two different circumstances: Hordak pulling the lever while still believing Entrapta to have betrayed him, and him pulling the lever in an AU situation, where Entrapta returned to him and warned him of the danger. Ready? Onward!

We’ll tackle the “betrayal” scenario first. Would Hordak have pulled the lever in the situation as portrayed in canon, believing that Entrapta had betrayed and abandoned him? Assuming, of course, that Catra hadn’t pulled it first.

Mm... I think he probably would. But, in my opinion, not necessarily in that moment.

In this scenario, Hordak doesn’t have any reason not to pull the lever: no one has told him that it is dangerous. No one has warned him that it is going to unravel reality and kill them all unless a very specific sort of heroic sacrifice is made. He has no idea that disaster awaits, and furthermore, with Entrapta a “traitor,” he has no reason to doubt returning to Prime. He has every reason to pull the lever, but as we watch the scene play out, it is clear that he isn’t particularly keen to do so right that second.

Catra tries to push him to do it, then and there. He reaches for the lever, but as the princesses rush in, he hesitates, retreats a bit, tries to fight. He’s not nearly as focused on the lever as Catra is.

I think that the reason for this is twofold. First, Hordak is not spite-fueled enough to pull the lever right that second the way Catra is. He wants to open the portal, of course, but it doesn’t have to be right then and there so that Adora can bear witness and be emotionally defeated. He wants to open it, but he also recognizes that his sanctum is under attack. I have the sense that he perhaps thinks it best to take care of the intruders and let everything settle back down before doing something as monumental as opening a portal and potentially entering into communications with Horde Prime. To put it simply: I think he would rather open the portal during more controlled circumstances.

Second, princess attack aside: I just don’t think that Hordak is in the best mindset to open the portal in this moment. He’s... he’s in actual emotional shock, I think. Oh, he puts on an angry front, of course, as he always does when he is distressed or upset in some way, but there’s no missing his look of dejection when Catra informs him of Entrapta’s apparent betrayal.

This is the woman he has worked with for the better part of a year. The woman he grew close to and fond of and trusted with not only scientific work, but with himself. And now he’s being told that she has essentially been using him this whole time, that she’s lied to and deceived him, and that she is responsible for this terrible attack in the place he’d always assumed was safest.

He’s hurt and stunned to the point of Catra having to pull him away from an imminent explosion. I doubt that this is the emotional state he wishes to have when opening a portal and potentially speaking with his Brother.

So, while I think that, in this scenario, Hordak would choose to open the portal, I don’t think he’d want to do it at this point in time. Contacting Prime just isn’t his main focus in this scene. His main focus is defending himself against the princesses and dealing with this devastating emotional blow.

Now, might he possibly open the portal during the battle, under duress, perhaps feeling it is a now-or-never moment? Yes, potentially. But I don’t think he’d be too happy about it. I think it would be a sort of last resort, if he really felt he had no other choice. Again, while I think that he’d ultimately open the portal in an “Entrapta betrayal” scenario, he would much prefer to do it in a calm, controlled setting with his enemies neutralized and his emotional wounds soothed.

So. With that scenario out of the way, let’s move on to the arguably more interesting one: would Hordak have opened the portal had Entrapta returned and informed him of the danger?

Well, friends and neighbors, I am not an authority on this character. I am not a writer. I have no special knowledge or insight. I only have my feelings and my opinion.

That opinion, however? That opinion is: no. Absolutely not.

The reasons for this are both emotional and logical.

Emotionally speaking, at this point in the story, Hordak already loves Entrapta. He allows her into his sanctum, allows her to come and go as she pleases, to work closely with him, to work on him. He risks his own life to save her from a failed portal test. He opens up to her about fears and vulnerabilities that are clearly difficult for him to talk about. He trusts her to the point that he allows her to make new armor for him, an action that, should this trust be misplaced, could lead to severe injury and death. He hears her “imperfection is beautiful” speech and is moved by it.

Furthermore, he clearly exhibits doubt regarding going through with the portal solely because it would mean leaving her. This is strongly suggested in season three, when Entrapta and Hordak both grow visibly uncomfortable at the thought of Hordak leaving to rejoin the galactic Horde. It is essentially confirmed in season four, when Prime’s hand hovers over the LUVD crystal’s empty socket while he observes that there had been a time when Hordak wished he would not come for him.

Hordak has deep emotional attachments to Entrapta by the end of season three. He is at the same level of attachment at this point as he is at the end of season five, when his love for her helps him break free of and kill Prime. Remember: after Entrapta is sent to Beast Island, they do not see one another again until season five. Their relationship development essentially stalls... but it stalls at a high point because they are already a bonded pair, a couple, at season three’s end. With this level of attachment and affection, it is hard to rationalize Hordak disregarding Entrapta’s sincere advice, let alone pulling a portal lever that could result in both her death and his. It just doesn’t quite follow, does it?

Even if he has some sort of doubt about the danger... why risk it? Why risk the life of the person he loves? He doesn’t do so when facing Prime in season five, when the stakes are so much higher, the need to obey so much greater... but he’d do it over the portal? Rather than just postponing the project (as both he and Entrapta appeared to be considering anyway)?

Hm.

To this emotional reasoning, one can add plain logic: Hordak respects Entrapta’s intelligence. He takes her advice regarding sparing Catra. He accepts her help while working on his portal device. He values her opinion and her skills. Before learning of her “betrayal,” he clearly revels in the fact that her hard work has brought their plans to fruition. He consistently acknowledges her abilities and her worth, emotional attachment or not. Even when he barely knows her, he notes that her “tinkering” increases the power of everything she touches. He never expresses any doubt in her talents.

To this sense of respect, one can add Hordak’s willingness to listen to others, even his subordinates. Hordak is shown, time and again, to be very open to accepting counsel: from Shadow Weaver, from Catra, and certainly from Entrapta. Even early on, in season one, when Entrapta is simply an acquaintance, he accepts her claim that the defeat at Bright Moon isn’t a failure, that her experiment was successful. Even then, he is willing to listen to her, to give her leeway in her work. Now, knowing the extent of her brilliance, he would ignore her, reject her? Why?

Why would he? What reason could he have to doubt her, when she is nearly always right and has demonstrated no ulterior motives? He, on his end, has never been bull-headed or reckless about things, never been one to ignore reasonable advice... so why start now? Especially since it is doubtful that Entrapta would ever recommend abandoning portal technology altogether; I would expect that her advice would be to simply postpone and reassess, to “keep working on it until it’s perfect.” Which... well, that seemed an amenable enough option for the both of them, before Catra’s interruption.

So.

I have to admit that I just don’t see it. I don’t see how, between his demonstrable love for her and his valuing and respecting her ability, Hordak would have disregarded Entrapta should she have managed to make it back to him to warn him of the portal’s dangers. Especially when listening to her wouldn’t necessarily mean abandoning the portal project; simply postponing it doesn’t seem like an unreasonable decision in the face of such severe risk.

I mean, I suppose one could argue that he just wouldn’t believe her, that Catra would somehow lie and make him doubt her... but I don’t see how he would believe Catra (a known liar) over Entrapta (honest to a fault, also his wife) if the two were side by side. Hordak is insecure. He is not stupid.

And after all, isn’t that the whole reason that Catra shocked Entrapta? Because she knew that Hordak would believe her and stop the portal? If that wasn’t the case, if Hordak would have gone ahead with it anyway... well, then that makes Catra’s actions even worse, doesn’t it? Takes all the logic out of them. Makes her subduing Entrapta and threatening Scorpia all the more senseless and cruel, if Hordak wouldn’t have believed Entrapta anyway. Kind of messes with her whole arc, doesn’t it? Makes her even more morally bankrupt. Hm.

So while I do think that Hordak would have eventually pulled the portal lever in Entrapta’s absence (though he’d prefer to do it in a more controlled setting), I just can’t see how or why he would have pulled it if Entrapta had actually reached him with her warning. I mean, I’m not one of the writers, obviously; I have no unique knowledge or insight into these characters, but from what I’ve seen in terms of canonical behavior and relationships? It just makes it hard for me to rationalize and believe that Hordak would disregard Entrapta in favor of such a reckless act.

It just doesn’t seem like him.

And again: I could be misinterpreting his character. That’s always possible. But if that’s the case, then I would need a significant explanation to make such an act make sense to me, rather than seeming like a bit of nonsensical character derailment. Because as things are right now, I just don’t see him doing it. For all of the reasons listed above.

And that, friends and neighbors, is the "would Hordak have pulled the lever" take. Hopefully some of y'all find it amusing!

#hordak #entrapta #entrapdak

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spacebatisluvd · 4 years ago

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Summary: Bow puts the pieces together while the women hash things out.

Content Warning: Speciesism referenced. Mermista is being kind of a dick, but she brings up valid points from the canon. References to the war and everybody’s past actions, allusions to Prime and his slave army (and we are calling it just that—a slave army). Generally just lancing old wounds so everyone can begin to heal.

@cruelfeline Have some tea at hand. ^_^

Bow stood outside the yurt’s closed tent flap, distressed by Entrapta’s words.

They’d been better to her than Hordak had been, right? He was, well, Hordak. How could he have possibly been a better friend to her than them...? Sure, maybe they could have handled things a little better—he still winced, remembering his ‘inspiring’ speech to her on Beast Island—but Hordak couldn’t have possibly done better than they had. Right?

Behind him, he could hear the others arguing.

“Geeze, Mermista. ‘He’s not even Etherian’? What’s that supposed to mean?” Adora said.

“He’s not, is he? Why would he care about rebuilding if this isn’t even his planet?”

“I’m not Etherian either—I came through a portal, and Hordak picked me up. Do you think I have less of a stake in rebuilding than you guys do?”

“That’s different.”

“How is it different?”

“You didn’t try to conquer the world once you got here!”

Bow frowned. They had left her to the mercies of the Horde—accidentally, of course, but…couldn’t they have at least double checked to make sure she was really gone? And, when they learned that she’d switched sides, shouldn’t they have tried a little harder to get her back? They’d never really considered why she’d switched sides had they? They’d never stopped to wonder what the Horde had to offer that they didn’t—they’d just assumed that she was swayed by their tech and Hordak’s research, but now…. Sure, she’d seemed impressed that he called his lab a ‘sanctum’, but Bow was beginning to think there was more to it than that.

“Okay, yeah, maybe Adora didn’t—but I did. You don’t seem to have a problem with me,” Catra said.

“It’s not the same. You were high up in the Horde for—what? A couple years? Besides, you, like, did it because you were mad at Adora or whatever.”

“Why does that make it better?”

“Love makes you crazy. Everyone knows that. Why do you think I put up with Sea Hawk?”

Bow studied the ground in front of him. They’d visited her during the portal incident. Hadn’t she said something about Hordak then? She’d definitely said something about him on Beast Island. She’d called him her lab partner. And the way she’d said his name....

Bow’s eyes widened.

“But my love, my dearest, my darling—” Mermista groaned at the litany of nicknames. “—he is trying! He’s been nothing but dedicated since he came to Salineas. Even the construction crew likes him!”

“So? What’s that got to do with anything? Maybe he’s just good at manipulating people.”

Catra laughed. “Hordak? He’s good at standing in the shadows and looking creepy, but other than that? He’s just a tech nerd. I don’t even think he knows how to lie—" Catra fell suddenly silent. “Oh. The hivemind. He…he really can’t….“

The rest of the pieces were rapidly clicking into place now. When they freed Kadroh, she’d been looking for Hordak, hadn’t she? The name ‘Wrong Hordak’ suddenly made a lot more sense. And the way she’d flung herself at him after Adora exorcised Prime from his body? Bow had always thought that was strange, but had dismissed it as Entrapta being, well, Entrapta. And what had she said just now? She’d called him a friend, but she’d said her ‘feelings‘ weren’t clouding her judgment.

“Don’t even. I don’t care if he was part of Prime’s creepy slave army. He wasn’t a slave when he was here on his own! Am I really the only one that remembers what he did? He burned Salineas to the ground. He’s the reason Glimmer grew up without a dad. He’s the reason Shadow Weaver was there to hook her claws into you two. He’s the reason Scorpia’s kingdom is a wasteland. He’s the one that brought Prime here! He’s the reason Glimmer was taken. He’s the reason we were chipped! Don’t any of you remember that? Scorpia, he chipped you too; why am I the only one that cares about that!?”

She cut herself off, and Bow turned just in time to see her use the heel of her hand to wipe her eyes. The others stayed silent, but Scorpia raised a hesitant claw. “I lost friends and family in the war too, but I don’t blame you guys for that. Or your parents. It’s not as if Hordak brought war to Etheria—we had plenty of that before he got here. Heck, Grandad’s the one that started it, not him. We needed his tech, and he needed soldiers. It was ugly, yeah, and…probably shouldn’t have gone on as long as it did, but it’s not like it’s all his fault. As for the chips, that was Prime. Hordak didn’t do that. Even when he was leading the Horde, he never did anything like that.”

“Yeah,” Catra said, “Even at his worst, Hordak was nothing like Prime. Not even close.”

Adora stepped close and held a hand out to Mermista. “When he first landed here, he wasn’t really free. He was still trying to go back to Prime.”

“And no one in their right mind would want go back to that,” Catra muttered, the fur along her tail puffing up.

“Right. The war was bad, but we all did things that we regret. He deserves a second chance, now that he’s actually free. If I thought he was going to abuse that chance, I’d agree with you, but I really think he wants to put the past behind him. He can finally be his own person, not the person Prime forced him to be. It wouldn’t be right to keep him from that. Especially when we’ve offered a second chance to others.”

“Or a third,” Catra muttered, arms crossed and eyes averted.

Mermista looked at Adora’s extended hand, but didn’t take it. She didn’t offer any further argument, though, and her eyes seemed wide and over-bright. Hesitantly, Bow raised a hand. “There’s something else.” His cheeks puffed out as he exhaled hard and said, in a rush, “I think Entrapta loves him.” He waited for their reaction, but only Glimmer and Perfuma looked at all surprised. Mermista didn’t react at all, and Sea Hawk looked almost giddy, but the others.... Maybe they hadn’t heard him? “I said—“

“We know,” Catra said, “Did you only figure that out just now?”

“Uh. Well....”

Catra sighed. “That’s not news. They’ve been dancing around each other forever.“

Scorpia nodded sagely. “Oh, yeah. Entrapta is head over heels. ‘Hordak’ is one of her special interests. Right up there with tech. And space. Actually...I think maybe she was interested in space because of Hordak...? It’s hard to tell.”

“Oh. Well. Alright then.” Bow tried not to be personally offended that he was, apparently, the last to know. “That still leaves us with something else to think about—if Entrapta loves him, we’ll push her away if we don’t at least give him a chance.”

Scorpia nodded, smiling, and Sea Hawk was nearly vibrating with some pent-up emotion. Mermista, still caught up in her thoughts, didn’t react, but Perfuma frowned. “Should we be concerned about their relationship? We know he has a temper. Is it possible he might hurt her? Perhaps it might be better to separate them...?”

Catra snorted. “He’s not gonna hurt her. He might break stuff when he’s mad, but he only ever really went after me once, and I’ve done plenty to piss him off.”

Glimmer jolted at that. “Uh, that’s not as reassuring as you think it is.”

Catra sighed and crossed her arms, looking at the ground as she admitted, “He went after me because he found out I sent Entrapta to Beast Island.” Her ears folded down and she drew in on herself, as if trying to make herself smaller. “He was a complete wreck after I....” She exhaled hard. “After I lied to him and convinced him she’d betrayed us, and he completely lost it when he thought she was....” Scorpia put a comforting claw on her shoulder, and Catra looked up at her, laying a hand over her claw. She nodded and straightened her spine. “He’s not gonna hurt her. I’d bet my life on it.”

“Yeah, well, you’re betting hers,” Mermista said, coming back to the conversation. Despite her words, she was more hesitant now, and though Perfuma tried to catch her eye, Mermista wouldn’t look at her.

As if sensing her uncertainty, Sea Hawk sidled up to her. “Buttercup, he truly does love her. I told you about the gift he sent to her—"

“That doesn’t mean he’s not using her.”

“—and have I mentioned that he calls her—"

“Ugh! Yes, you’ve told me what he calls her.” Mermista glanced at the purple yurt, mouth pursed. “But it’s just a nickname. It doesn’t prove anything.”

Before Sea Hawk could speak again, Bow raised his voice and said, “In any case, it’s obvious Entrapta cares about him. A lot. If we don’t try to get along with him, we’ll just end up pushing her away. Whatever personal issues we have with him...I think we should give him a chance. Not just politically, but personally too. We already left her behind once. We can’t do that to her again.”

All of them grew quiet at that. Catra‘s gaze was fixed on the ground, and Mermista refused to look at anyone. Her crossed arms had loosened, though, and when Sea Hawk took her hand, she didn’t shake him off.

“Alright,” she finally said, “For Geek Princess. He can stay—at least until he shows his true colors.”

Sea Hawk’s smile was big and broad. “So I can invite him to the palace for dinner?”

She huffed and shoved him away. “Don’t push it.”

Perfuma raised a hand, index finger extended. “So that’s a ‘no’ on the guest prison?”

“A definite ‘no’,” Adora said, putting an arm around Catra’s shoulders. “Who’s gonna tell Entrapta and Hordak?”

Bow frowned, rubbing his chin. “She was pretty upset. I think we need to do more than just tell her he can stay. I think we need to make it up to her. Anyone have any ideas?”

Sea Hawk and Scorpia raised their hands and immediately began talking over one another in their excitement.

#intimacy log #entrapdak #entrapta #hordak #bow #mermista #adora #catra #scorpia #perfuma #glimmer

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horde-princess · 5 years ago

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A Meta on Catra’s Relationships with DT, Scorpia, and Adora

I’m so excited to write this finally ljsdflkj okay so. I’ve been thinking about why the creators would choose to center a whole season around this new character Double Trouble. They drove the plot and played a major role in a really important part of the story, Catra’s redemption. So I wanna think more about the purpose of this character and go deeper into a couple of their scenes with Catra.

tbh Catra and DT’s very first interaction says it all: DT literally takes the form of Scorpia and tells Catra “I’m about to become your new best friend.” As the season goes on, Double Trouble replaces Scorpia as a sort of artificial confidant for Catra. But it blows up in her face and the purpose of the whole thing is to shed light on Catra’s main internal conflict: her desire for love vs. her fear of heartbreak/vulnerability.

In other words, I believe Double Trouble was introduced as a foil to Scorpia. But if we think about how Scorpia is also a foil to Adora, then that means DT is like... a foil to a foil. So they’re not directly associated with Adora but a lot of what they do relates back to her. Yeah there are a lot of layers here lmao but basically what I’m gonna analyze is how Catra’s relationships with these three characters intertwine and build off each other in season 4 to set the stage for Catra’s redemption (and catradora endgame hollaaa)

So in the beginning, Catra and DT both understand their relationship to be a business arrangement. When does that start to change for Catra, and why?

Catra’s History With Betrayal

Just think about Catra’s relationships at the start of s4.. After the portal, Adora had basically severed whatever was left of their relationship, and that was shown to be weighing on Catra all season. Scorpia and Entrapta were the only other people she cared about, but Entrapta betrayed her (first by monopolizing Hordak’s attention then by refusing to open the portal), then Scorpia dared to question her decision to send their friend to die and her presence became a constant reminder of Catra’s guilt. In fact, the mere mention of Entrapta’s name in 4x03 causes Catra to snap and yell at Scorpia “we are not friends!” ... which of course isn’t true. Catra may think Scorpia’s annoying but she confided in her, her loyalty made Catra feel like she could trust her.. and that’s exactly why Catra always tried so hard to push her away. All the betrayals in her life scarred her so deeply that she wanted to avoid emotional intimacy at all costs. I’m about to get Jungian up in this shit bc we see a deep disconnect between Catra’s outward actions (her conscious) and her inner desires (subconscious) this season and it’s this i believe that leads to her breakdown in 4x10. It’s an unsustainable way to live.

Why Catra Trusted Double Trouble

So by 4x04, Catra had sabotaged her only two relationships. She was utterly alone, and vulnerable, and Double Trouble was in the right place at the right time offering their loyalty to her.. so Catra did what any emotionally stable person would do and subconsciously used a hired mercenary to try and fill the growing void in her heart. I don’t think Catra actually cared about DT much at all, like sure they got along and that matters on some level, but I think it’s more that Catra was in a vulnerable place and DT was the only one around.

So why does Catra trust Double Trouble when she won’t let herself trust anyone else? I’ve seen some posts saying it’s because Catra is self-destructive--i.e. she only seeks love from people who won’t give it to her because she doesn’t believe she deserves love--which is super true.. but I think her motivations can be better explained by saying that Catra knew from the start that Double Trouble didn’t really care about her, and that’s why the partnership was attractive to her (at first). She thought it would be safe--no vulnerability, no risk of heartbreak. But the truth is Catra’s just not as disaffected as she wishes she was.

The moment Catra really let her guard down was when Double Trouble saved her from the collapsing building in 4x04.

can we just!! talk about this scene!!!! the way her voice shakes when she says “saving me” just, oh my god... like what a touchy subject for her, right? Shes spent her whole life resenting how Adora was always trying to “save” her from everything. I’m not sure but I think White Out (2x05) was the only other time Catra thanked someone for saving her life, and she just says “thanks for getting us out of there.” So her use of the word “save” here is special and it illustrates how deeply vulnerable Catra feels this season, and more importantly it’s a sign of character development! It’s no coincidence that the theme of saving is connected between DT, Scorpia, and Adora. It’s leading up to Catra learning to replace her resentment towards Adora with something closer to gratitude.

But while the scene connects these relationships, it also highlights their differences. After Catra displays an astounding amount of vulnerability with DT, they coolly reply “well, I live to serve... for a price, of course.”

This right here is the first step of Catra’s breakdown. Suppressed desires making themselves known, one half of her heart rebelling against the other. She was pushing away her real friends and finding hollow companionship with someone she thought she wouldn’t get attached to, but it happened anyway.

The difference between Double Trouble and Scorpia must have become glaringly obvious to Catra in that moment. Whereas Scorpia was loyal to Catra out of love, DT was mostly interested in getting paid. And she was surprised by how much that hurt. She fucking hated how much it hurt, you can see it written all over her face. It’s why she fails Scorpia’s little test in 4x06. Because of Double Trouble, Catra’s true desires were threatening to break free, so outwardly she fights against it and acts more resistant than ever to being friends with Scorpia. She castigates her, calls her annoying and incompetent, harsher than we’ve ever seen... but she didn’t expect Scorpia to hit back (we did, tho. Scorpia’s an icon).

In four words Scorpia teaches Catra a hard lesson about what it means to earn someone’s loyalty. She knew she must’ve really fucked up if she somehow managed to push away the most loyal person in all of Etheria. And again the fake nature of Catra’s relationship with Double Trouble provides a reference for her to see why Scorpia’s loyalty, based in love, was so valuable, and why she shouldn’t have taken it for granted. It also relates to Adora because, similar to Scorpia, Adora had been trying so hard these past 3 seasons to connect with Catra, but she refused to forgive her and her behavior eventually forced Adora to cut ties. So Scorpia calling her out pushes Catra towards accepting some personal responsibility for everything that happened with Adora, too. Man there are just.. a ton of implications here.

Then Catra gives Hordak a fun pep talk but really it’s just her self-projecting all over him:

At this point her hateful actions and her goal to conquer Etheria are extremely out of line with her true desires and we can see it’s really affecting her mental state. It wasn’t just one thing or person that caused her breakdown, it was a combination of Adora severing their relationship, and Scorpia’s disappointment in her, and Double Trouble’s indifference towards her. All three of these situations were playing off each other and chipping away at Catra’s carefully crafted armor, revealing a desire to be loved hidden underneath... which she continued to fight against for as long as she could. Adora and Scorpia were playing their roles in helping Catra learn to take responsibility for her life, but those relationships wouldn’t have been so effective had it not been for how they were contrasted with Double Trouble’s indifference. Anyway have I mentioned how amazing and complex this show is????

Catra Loses DT and Scorpia Around the Same Time

4x07 is the last time Catra talks to Double Trouble before they get captured by the rebels. Coincidentally, Catra realizes that Scorpia left her just one episode later, which once again points to a connection between these two characters. From 4x08 to 4x11 Catra is completely alone, feeling like she has lost everyone in her life. It sets the stage for her meltdown in 4x10. But my fave part about Scorpia leaving is how it changes the way Catra thinks about betrayal.

Even if Scorpia didn’t tell Catra where she was going in the note she left, Catra had to have assumed she was leaving to join the Rebellion because where else would she have gone right? So the two people Catra loves most have now BOTH abandoned her to join the rebellion. I don’t even wanna think about how triggering that betrayal must have been for Catra.. I don’t wanna think about how the next time Catra sees Scorpia she’s going to be a full blown princess with powers and everything, just like what happened with Adora.

But there’s a key difference between Adora and Scorpia. Catra knows at this point that Adora didn’t want to leave her behind, but she did anyway to pursue some destiny that Catra wasn’t a part of, which left her feeling betrayed. Scorpia, on the other hand--the very definition of ‘loyalty’--left her specifically because Catra pushed her away. Her fear of vulnerability manifested as anger towards someone she refused to admit that she cared about, and it pushed her away.

Once again I think Scorpia is teaching Catra a lesson about taking responsibility for some of the shit in her life. It’s a privilege that Adora lost after being careless with Catra’s trust, and thus Scorpia was the only one in a position to reach Catra and help her. But I think that the things Catra learned from Scorpia are going to play back into her relationship with Adora and allow them to reconcile (when Adora deals with her own issues too).

We can also say a little about how Double Trouble’s betrayal contrasts with Scorpia’s and Adora’s. I think their complete emotional detachment is the perfect frame of reference for Catra to be able to acknowledge that even though Scorpia and Adora left her, they DID love her, and they never stopped trying to reach out to her--at least, not until Catra crossed a line with both of them. At some point, Catra went from being justified in her feelings of betrayal to overdoing it, placing too much blame where it didn’t belong and closing the door to forgiveness. So I think that’s the role that Double Trouble played there, helping Catra see that difference. Like even if someone leaves you, hurts you, it doesn’t always mean they don’t love you. Relationships take work and understanding and forgiveness and you have to learn how to handle that or you’ll always be alone. Scorpia’s the pure embodiment of that lesson, and she’s lighting the way for Catra to navigate the much more nebulous waters of her grudge against Adora.

Double Trouble’s Betrayal

So now Catra is feeling abandoned by Scorpia and Double Trouble (her only friends) and we see the disconnect between what’s in her heart and the front she’s been putting on come to a head in 4x10 when she has that meltdown. She’s kind of losing it because her fear and heartbreak are driving her down a path that she doesn’t actually want. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. In 4x12 she continues to hold on desperately to the idea that beating Adora will make her happy, because at this point she doesn’t see any way to turn the car around.

There’s an absolutely fantastic scene early in 4x12 that sets up Double Trouble’s betrayal beautifully, like really it’s a masterpiece. Catra’s childhood friends walk in on her in the locker room and they’re laughing and joking around and for a second it’s like... Catra longs to be a part of that again.. To have friends, to be happy. But then Kyle accidentally kicks one of Scorpia’s old doodles (a painful reminder that she’s gone) and Catra freaks out and attacks them. Kyle’s like “we used to be friends, why are you treating us like this?” So she lets them leave, feeling alone and miserable, and THAT’S when Double Trouble waltzes in... having had just made a deal with Glimmer to double cross Catra.

God it hurts so much. The contrast between her pushing away Scorpia and her real friends, and then her childlike relief upon seeing the person who just sold her out.

This scene gives me fucking chills with the nightmare-ish music and everything.. It’s like, at this point DT is just fucking with her, they’ve already got Catra figured out. This face touch is so cruel and fits with the show’s motif of manipulative affection, too. For me it felt very disconcerting to see Catra like this... unaware that she’s been defeated yet she’s so emotionally vulnerable here, she’s like putty in Double Trouble’s hands. Scorpia leaving cracked her open and, as they’re the last person left standing with Catra’s trust, Double Trouble’s in the perfect position to come in and break her.

So the next episode 4x13 has that crazy scene where Double Trouble totally obliterates Catra and I’m not even gonna talk about it lmao because yall have already done a great job analyzing it. But I do wanna draw attention to the fact that this is the only thing she says in this whole scene:

Can you believe that’s what mattered the most to her in that moment? Not that literally everything she had been working for for the past 4 seasons had just turned to dust before her eyes, but the fact that this random mercenary she hired betrayed her. And there was no anger at all, just... heartbreak.

And then look at what she says to Glimmer afterwards (setting aside the fact that Catra is basically giving up on life...) she says nothing about the war, nothing about winning or revenge. The only thing she’s thinking about is how lonely she feels.

So by the end of Season 4, I think Catra did finally figure out what she truly wanted in life. She didn’t want to be on top just for power’s sake, she wanted people to respect her, to love her, so that no one could hurt her anymore. But she was so obsessed with winning that she ended up losing everyone’s respect. Wow haha if only she could get a second chance to earn it back the right way.... like say if, idk, she was trapped in space jail and forced to team up with her sworn enemy to survive and they came out best friends or something <:)

To sum up, Double Trouble’s role in Season 4 was to break Catra’s mask and force her to consider what she truly wants. I think their betrayal taught Catra to really appreciate what a terrible mistake she made in pushing Scorpia and Adora away. It taught her the difference between someone leaving her because they don’t care about her, and someone cutting ties with her even though they do care for her very deeply, they just couldn’t take Catra treating them like crap anymore. It showed her that what Adora did was nothing like what DT did. That’s what a betrayal feels like when the person doesn’t care about you. Someone who doesn’t care about you isn’t going to beg for your forgiveness for 3 seasons and risk being obliterated from existence just to get you back.

But the real beauty of season 4 was how Catra hitting rock bottom had almost nothing to do with Adora. With the help of other friends Catra has begun to find her own reasons to change, she’s acknowledging her guilt and heartbreak and discovering the person she wants to become. She’s learning to take responsibility instead of just blaming other people. And this character development had nothing to do with romance, just like how Adora breaking free of her destiny and learning to let go of control had little to do with Catra. I love the different perspectives on love that they give us with Catra, Adora, and Scorpia. I love how this show takes the “love conquers all” trope and subverts it, saying that sometimes.. love breaks you. Sometimes it’s not enough. Sometimes it’s used as a weapon. Sometimes you have to let go of people you love, but it opens up space for you to figure out who you are and what you want and to conquer your own demons. You’ll come out the other side with a better understanding of what real, healthy love is supposed to look like. And maybe in the end, the love you always sought will find you again, in its own time, in its own way. 💘

#OK THIS IS... A LOT. EVEN FOR ME LMAO #she ra #meta #season 4 is my fave so far i just had a lot of feelings to work through ok #would love to hear what yall think xoxo happy new year's!!

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unprocessedissues · 4 years ago

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Many people go "her redemption it was sooo rushed!" and what I think they mean is "I want 5 extra episodes of the characters making Catra make it up to them while she whips herself in repentance". As if being vunurable isn't like walking on coal for Catra "I must become a supervillain to hide my vunurability" Meowmeow

I have a lot of thoughts about this.

I think a lot of it comes from our world’s conventional view on consequences. In our world, there are courts, prisons, community service hours, fines and a lot of other avenues to sort of balance it out with the horrid things people do. If you take into account the type of world these guys live in, it doesn’t work that way. Bright Moon doesn’t have a designated prison. Mermista knows that Seahawk has committed arson and she herself has committed arson. The Crimson Waste is supposedly this deadly place where no one is there but you see there’s heaps of people there. They just choose not to leave. The only place explicitly shown to have any form of prison is the Fright Zone. This planet has a different culture than ours, one more rooted in kindness and forgiveness than anything else.

Watching Catra in Season 5, you can see that’s she’s uneasy. She knows she’s probably not welcome. The first one to say she wasn’t hated was Adora. Then Entrapta forgives her. Now, Entrapta doesn’t really understand a lot of what’s gone on emotionally but she knows the gist and I don’t think Entrapta would be one to hold a grudge on Catra because she made a friend in Beast Island and there is no patenting in this planet so stealing her work is just a matter of giving it back. Glimmer is more complex but I think she realises that she herself put Etheria in so much danger with Horde Prime that it would be too much to deal with Catra’s role in opening the portal whilst Etheria is literally being conquered. I’ll probably talk about this more in the future. Plus Catra did save her life despite it being for Adora.

On the general sense, Catra is always situated away from the crowd and only approaches when indicated that it’s fine to. She respects that the gang might be and in her mind and rightfully so, upset with her to say the least. She’s more careful around them. Netossa pins her to a tree and isn’t hostile about it. Perfuma tells her off about Scorpia and she knows to back down because she knows she fucked up. Frosta punches her and acts like how anyone would if they were randomly punched but Catra doesn’t retaliate. Catra knows she has to stick with Adora for the most part because she might make everyone upset. Catra refused to admit she was wrong up until the point she says sorry to Adora. And Adora puts it well when she speaks about “not facing the people you hurt”. It indicates that Catra is now well aware of how much damage she’s caused. And it’s recognising this that makes the arc so rich. The first step to even improving is knowing you messed up. She only jokes about the whole weaknesses thing after Netossa smiles at her when Catra assures her that Spinnerella would be okay. And to a worried wife, that means a lot. That gives them a connection. There are a lot more moments in which Catra shows she’s getting better and this would be too long but the thing is she is getting better. And all the others see that and a lot of the gang are actually emotionally mature to acknowledge that yeah Catra is getting better.

A lot of people associate redemption with some form of karma or like a balance. You gave pain to others then you should receive it too. But the thing is that’s not at all what it should be about, it’s about being better. That’s what ties it all around. The blowback on Catra wasn’t as strong because the characters surrounding her were emotionally mature to recognise that this is going to take time. She’s on a tight lease but in these dire times we can, for the moment, work together and deal with the messy stuff later. If anything, she has a lot to work on with Scorpia and Mermista and if they remember anything from their chipped versions, they’ve both had a decent hit on Catra. But again, priorities. They just got rid of Horde Prime. We can celebrate for a bit.

I think the main point of the ending is peace and hope. There’s no finality in the ending of the series. The BFS are going to go on a magic liberation trip and who knows what else might happen. Catra’s redemption arc isn’t over yet. She still has work to do. I actually wrote a plot for her apology tour that involves her approaching everyone without Adora and apologising because I knew Catra wasn’t done apologising yet.

This got a little way out of hand but Catra just has a special place in my heart. And I cannot even begin to talk about how Catra’s redemption arc becomes more complicated when you consider how much of the abuse from Shadow Weaver she has to deal with in the midst of all this.

Ps. The gang probably interacted with Shadow Weaver enough to realise that yeah she definitely fucked Catra and Adora up.

#adora #catra #catradora #she-ra #catra’s redemption arc #catra is a very complex character that needs appreciation #glimmer #perfuma #mermista #netossa #shadow weaver shouldn’t be trusted with kids or anything for that matter #entrapta

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paradigmsofbrittaperry · 4 years ago

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Who would be who in a She Ra Au of Community? I could see Britta as Scorpia, and maybe Annie as Perfuma

ooo interesting question!! okay so here’s my takes with brief explanations for each

Annie as Adora - both place a large amount of pressure to succeed on themselves as well as a large amount of importance on their found family since their biological/adoptive families aren’t welcoming to them anymore.

Britta as Perfuma - both are canonically stoners. also, both see the good in everyone and want to do everything they can to support their friends!!

Jeff as Mermista - both are extremely sarcastic and like to put out ‘I don’t care’ energy, but are so incredibly soft for their friends and would do anything for them.

Troy as Bow - both are very high energy and have so much love for their friends!! OR

Troy as Kyle - I don’t actually have an explanation for this, it just feels right. also because it would be fun to then have...

Abed as Rogelio - for Trobed purposes if Troy was Kyle. idk I really don’t have a solid reason, I just like the concept. OR

Abed as Sea Hawk - okay so Sea Hawk seems like a character that Abed would enjoy playing during a special event like paintball. a charming swash buckler who sings sea shanties just seems right up his alley.

Shirley as Castaspella - at their core, both want nothing more than to be appreciated by their families!! Shirley by the study group and Castaspella by Glimmer and Angella. and all that they do is always greatly appreciated, even if their families don’t show it or verbalize it.

Frankie as Angella - both have a lot of love for their friends and families, but are ultimately realists and have no qualms about telling them just to Get Their Shit Together.

Elroy as Entrapta - both are good with tech and were loners before discovering their found families!

Chang as Wrongdak - generally somewhat clueless and seem menacing at first, but are ultimately harmless and charming in their own way.

those are all the characters I could think that had similarities/parallels to each other!! anyone feel free to propose alternate assignments in replies or reblogs because this is such a Concept.

#i loved answering this i'd never thought about this before #community #spop #ask box #bri speaks #monstermetaphor

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confusedhost-archive · 4 years ago

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Coffeeshop Au

She-Ra coffeeshop au because I said so:

Everyone works at one of two shops: Hoard or Princess Alliance

At the very beginning, it shows Adora, a normal human, and her friend Catra (everyone looks the same, has the same powers) in the breakroom chatting, and then they switch shifts with Kyle, Rogilio and whatever her name is- I can’t remember-

Yay! You get to meet Shadow Weaver, who is being very rude to the girls because her coffee was too hot (and also because Catra made it and no one is allowed to make her coffee except Adora)

Adora ends up missing a day and gets fired, which is immediately met with distaste from Shadow Weaver

Adora gets a new job at The Princess Alliance

Quickly becomes friends with Glimmer and Bow, but Glimmer’s mom, the owner of the cute shop, is less happy with her, as she looks like a gangster

Catra has mixed feelings about Adora not being at work, as she is now able to get promoted to manager beside Scorpia, but also she doesn’t see Adora like, ever, anymore

Adora’s aunt, Mara, died recently, and LightHope, Mara’s wife, came over to give Adora a charm with the words She-Ra carved in the side.

Adora promises to visit the farm and see LightHope soon

With the knowledge that she has a bit of her mother figure still with her, Adora throws herself into baking, creating her newest pastry: She-Ra

Was named after the charm!

It is the best thing anyone has ever tasted. They sell out quick, and become Adora’s special (All the princess’ have specials, they’re at the bottom of the post)

Aight, so Entrapta misses a couple days, didn’t call in sick, and was fired

Immediately picked up by Hoard and now has a new job! Stuck with Catra and Scorpia until Catra got promoted

Afterwards she met Hordak, and they started talking

and then they started flirting in their cute roundabout way

Hordak had to leave for a few days because Imp needed to go to the hospital, he left Catra in charge (She’s manager anyway, but now she had free reign)

With Double Trouble’s help, Catra made a fake resigning form for Entrapta while firing her

While this is going on, everyone gets word about Prime Restaurant chain wanting to set up in the area. Hordak would like to sell his shop for them, but first he needs to get another place to set up (He only decides this after he comes back, and he needs something to do after learning that someone he thought he had a connection with just left)

Entrapta hasn’t really let it sink in that she’s unemployed. Goes to get a coffee from a starbucks nearby, name and coffee get mixed up with someone named Micah. (Think when she stole his bug)

Start talking, then bow and Adora just speed walk into the shop like, “Hey Entrapta, would you like to be hired for Princess Alliance again?”

(Bow is also kinda like “Hey wtf, is that you, Micah?” And Micah’s like, “Hey, Bow, is that you?”)

And Entrapta’s like, “Hired? Oh, uh sorry, I have to- oh.” and its suddenly sinking in that she doesn’t work at Hoard anymore and (excuse me if this isn’t what would actually happen but it happened not to long ago so I’m just giving it to Entrapta rn) she is kinda just moving around and kinda just trying to get away from anything touching her because it all just feels horrible against her skin and shiz

and she just kinda goes “Yes, I’d like to be hired, but please leave me alone right now, I’d like to not be touched,” and so Bow and Adora kind of hesitantly go away and Micah stays walking her through her (I don’t know what this is. Touch aversion? A mild panic attack? A depressive episode?)

Anyway, cut away, and now we see Adora and Bow sitting on the roof of the cafe. Talking, thinking about life, doing a bit of college homework. Adora is playing with her charm, and then she drops it and it shatters. Obviously, she’s freaking out, that’s the only thing she has of Mara and it means so freaking much to her

Bow is trying to help and is gathering up the shards, and finds a little piece of paper among it all. Adora reads it and completely breaks down crying. No one knows what it says but her (which is to say I don’t know what it says)

Takes a break for a couple days, going to LightHope, her aunt, and

(In this time, Entrapta has reluctantly gone back to work, Micah has procrastinated around seeing his ex-wife and daughter, Angela has packed up for a plane trip, Hordak is having trouble finding another place to set up shop, and Prime restaurant chain is moving in)

Adora comes back with a new fire and an upgrade to her She-ra pastry, tastes even better now

Micah finally got the courage to go see his family, only to find out that Angela had just left for a trip that morning. (They get the news that the plane had an accident and Angela didn’t survive later in the evening)

Afterwards, Glimmer moves out of the cafe, finding it to be too empty. This leaves the top floor of the cafe completely open. She’s living with Bow and Adora now!

Scorpia, a panicking second manager of Hoard cafe, is juggling running the cafe, keeping Catra in check and finding a new place

Double Trouble, as is their job for the owner, finally fills out their form on what had happened while Hordak was away. He finally learns that Entrapta didn’t leave him.

Scorpia goes to the Princess Alliance and tells them that she heard their top floor was open. She’s desperate

It takes a few times to get them to agree, but the Princess Alliance realize that there’s no point in fighting like this. After a few more hours of haggling with the cost, Scorpia turns to leave

She comes back after a couple seconds. “Um, actually, is Entrapta here?”

Scorpia and Entrapta come back into Hoard cafe, chatting. Hordak walks out of the back, holding Imp. Entrapta looks over and sees him. She just jumps him, helping both of them stay up and holding Imp with her hair.

“Did you hear the news?” She laughs

Scorpia jumps in, telling Hordak how they found a place for the shop to go; right above the Princess Alliance. Entrapta is really helping Scorpia sell it, but Catra is getting upset.

“No! We’re enemies or whatever, right? We shouldn’t be sharing space with them!”

Hordak has already given his okay. “I’m sure we’ll be able to become closer, Catra, it should be alright.”

Catra is extremely reluctant about all of this, but while they’re setting up in the top area, she’s beginning to rekindle her friendship with Adora. (And also maybe feeling like at some point her feelings had stopped being just platonic. She has no clue when this happened.)

Scorpia is doing pretty well with taking boxes of stuff up, and after a while they figure out that the dark aesthetic won’t be working well side by side with the pastel fluff that is the Princess Alliance. So Scorpia says they change it up a bit. So she goes downstairs and, “Is anyone free right now?”

It’s Perfuma that looks over. “Oh! Yes, I am!”

Scorpia gives a little smile. “Great! We need some design help and we were wondering..”

With a happy gasp, Perfuma hangs up her apron and walks upstairs. Perfuma is made for this. After being told that they’d like to keep the general dark aesthetic, she says that giving it that certain quiet feel, very unlike the loud chatter that comes from downstairs, students will likely want to come by to study

It’s a hit. A few plants with calming aromas, gifted by Perfuma herself, and some teas that help with stress made by Scorpia, students are running in. It’s generally very quiet here, and it’s really helping the stress that the employees go under too!

Scorpia and Perfuma may or may not have gotten closer in a romantic sense because of this-

Catra and Adora are also getting closer, friends first, then girlfriends. It’s quite the trip for everyone else in the shop.

Entrapta and Hordak are basically just parents to Imp now, and Imp’s only job at this point is to make fun of Hordak for having a crush. It is a romantic relationship, yes

At some point the the Hoard and Princess Alliance become one place with two names. Menu is the same on both floors and anyone can be a waiter at whichever floor they like.

Just a few things that exist but aren’t really plot relevant:

Hordak has anger issues and trouble understanding his feelings

Hordak has weak bones in his arms specifically

Imp is Hordak’s nephew who he ended up adopting after Imp’s parents died

Hordak and Entrapta both like working with robotics

Entrapta is making a project to support Hordak’s weak arms in order to help him do things. Talking with his doctor to figure out what’s safe and such

Frosta is Glimmer’s cousin who has been given the okay to volunteer at the cafe. She comes and goes as she pleases and whether or not you get a Frosta special depends on whether she’s in or not

Time for the specials!

Entrapta’s: Donut holes. Her special is a pack of donut holes that are literally the best you’ve ever tasted. Your pack has one of each flavor and they are made with such care- just- No special drink for her though

Perfuma: Mango hibiscus clementine cold tea. I have had it before. It tastes really freaking good. She always grows a little flower for you to eat and puts it on top. The texture of the flower is nice, and the petals are sweet. The food portion is a fruit salad with flower petals sprinkled on top!

Frosta: Icecream sunday! And slushie! No one knows what exactly goes into the flavoring on top, but it tastes really good and Frosta promises it’s safe for all allergies she knows of. Makes sure to ask about any allergies though, just in case!

Mermista: It’s a small cake. Has this general water/beach vibe! Drink changes from day to day. Always an iced coffee though!

Glimmer: Cupcakes!! The inside of the cupcake has a small portion of sprinkles. Very sweet, too sweet for some. Pastel smoothie too! Family recipe, shared between Angela and Glimmer. Has sprinkles littered on top of a nice helping of whipped cream! Very glittery

Angela: Called the heart of Etheria. Not one single person knows what it’s classified as, and only Glimmer and Angela know how to make it. It’s heavenly

No more specials (Scorpia doesn’t work at Princess Alliance)

Micah and Angela had a divorce when Glimmer was young. It wasn’t because they disliked each other or anything, just, Micah learned that he was aromantic and felt a little bit uncomfortable with the marriage. They broke it off as friends and lived under the same house- like, it was all exactly the same, except they didn’t have the title of husband and wife

Then Micah had to go away because he found a job somewhere else and they ended up loosing contact

Swiftwind lives on the farm with LightHope

Catra and Adora are childhood friends who had the same Preschool teacher: Shadow Weaver

Angela lives on the second floor of the cafe with Glimmer

Entrapta has a roomba and she’s taken to it the way tumblr has

Entrapta has a tiny Emily that she made with Hordak’s help at a robotics workshop

Adora lived with Catra and moved to share an apartment with Bow afterwards

Shadow Weaver may or may not have died shoving Catra and Adora out of the way of a car that was driving on the sidewalk

There are fricking huge windows looking out on the street for both floors and on the other side of the street is a grassy park, so it’s really nice.

#death tw #shera #car accident

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emperorsfoot · 5 years ago

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New chapter of my shamefully self-indulgent Entrapdak Arranged Marriage AU.

This chapter features Imp’s adorable antics, a broken ceiling, Hordak and Entrapta meet for the first time, and Catra is very frustrated.

...

“Entrapta! Entrapta! Grr!” Catra threw her arms up in exasperation, fur of her tail frizzing out, fangs barred with a snarl to vent her frustration.

Their ship had already started its descent to the planet’s surface and Entrapta wasn’t even dressed.

That wasn’t accurate.

Entrapta was dressed. As a mechanic. A menial worker.

Not the sovereign ruler of an industrial titan like Dryl that she was.

She could not meet her future spouse –never mind that- she could not meet the Emperor of the Known Universe and his brother, looking like the person they had their servants call to service the palace ventilation systems.

The ship gave a violent lurch as they hit a pocket of turbulence in Horde World’s atmosphere and Catra was thrown off balance. She landed on her feet –she always landed on her feet- but the trunk containing Entrapta’s wardrobe was thrown across the cabin, spilling the Princess’ gowns all over. Catra heaved another snarl. She longed for a simpler life, a war-orphan, or an underappreciated soldier. Anything had to be better than a lady-in-waiting to a tech Princess who thought measuring the pH balance of the atmosphere and how it affected the ship’s hull was more important that making sure she was ready to meet the Emperor of the Known Universe, or her future spouse.

“Hey, don’t worry so much.” Scorpia, another Princess and Entrapta’s friend, bent down to help Catra pick up the strewn clothing. “Entrapta’s a little quirky, but she agreed to do this because she knows it’s important. She’ll be ready in time.”

Catra sighed. In defeat, not relief. Scorpia was nice, but she did not seem to grasp the importance of first impressions. Entrapta was actually really amazing –once a person got to know her- but she made a terrible first impression.

Then it was Scorpia’s turn to sigh. Clasping her pincers together –still holding one of Entrapta’s dresses- and staring out through one of the view ports at the dusty and barren landscape of Horde World. “Isn’t it romantic.” She gushed. “Two people, crossing the stars to meet. Strangers coming together for the good of a nation. At first, just for duty. But then! A tender glance! A gentle touch! Gazes locking… and sparks fly… It’s true love!”

Catra just stared at her. Dead-eyed. Unimpressed and unmoved.

“It could happen!” Scorpia insisted.

“It’ll never happen if we can’t get Entrapta ready by the time ship lan-“ Catra was cut off as the ship gave another lurch as the pilot decelerated for their final approach to the Imperial landing site. Catra only hissed, showing more teeth.

“I’ll help with Entrapta.” Scorpia nodded, realizing maybe Catra’s concerns were more legitimate and pressing than she originally thought.

But the moment the ship did actually landed, Entrapta disappeared to explore the alien palace that was the heart of the Horde Empire and Catra had no idea where she went.

…

Hec-Tor bared his teeth at the scale, displeased by the result. He managed to go a full year and a day without any weight loss from his condition and in the span of only twenty-four hours had somehow managed to lose two-hundred grams of body mass.

He stepped off the scale, waited for the number to clear, then tried again. Double checking the result. When the number showed the same. He triple checked. When all three attempts yielded the same result, he was forced to record the data in his health tracker app. He was losing weight again.

That hadn’t happened since Keldor disappeared. Hec-Tor twisted the ring he still wore on the third finger of his left hand. Keldor’s ring. In another few days, he would have to take it off and replace it with a different ring. Entrapta’s ring. Slipping the band off his finger, he looked at the inscription. ‘By the Power…’ Keldor never really explained what it meant beyond ‘it’s just an Eternian thing’. Slipping the ring back on his finger, Hec-Tor stealed himself to face the day.

Today was going to be a bad day.

His intended’s ship landed some time in the early hours of the morning. Hec-Tor was glad he was not made to greet her first thing upon her arrival. He would not have been in the best of sorts to make an acceptable first impression. He was rather confident that he would not make any kind of good first impression at all. But then, he thought the same thing before his marriage to Keldor and in the end, first impressions turned out not to matter all that much.

Hec-Tor was younger back then. He was sullen and quiet and had adhered to protocol as best as one could while also looking at their feet and not making eye-contact. While Keldor was unlike anyone Hec-Tor had ever met up to that point. Instead of reciprocating the ceremonial bow with one of his own, the Eternian Prince had laughed –just a short, half stifled laugh behind his hand, but still a laugh- and asked Hec-Tor if he did more than posture and pose. Horde Prime frowned in displeasure, and Keldor’s father, King Miro, gave his son a strongly worded reprimand. But it succeeded in reminding Hec-Tor that the marriage had been arranged for Keldor just as much as it had been for him. They were both of them being forced into this and that was one thing they had in common.

Remembering that, Hec-Tor reminded himself that this was arranged for his current intended just as much as it was for him. While a small platoon of servants combed and gelled his hair, dabbed at his cheeks with foundation and concealer, lined his eyes with kohl, painted gloss on his lips, fitted decorative plugs in his ports, and just generally groomed him to look his best, Hec-Tor read over the dossier on his intended.

Princess Entrapta. While she kept the title of ‘Princess’ in reality, she was the Queen of her territory. She was the sovereign and sole ruler of Dryl, which was not its own planet, but a small mountain nation located on Etheria.

Hec-Tor paused at that. Recognizing the name. Etheria was a planet that shared a solar system with Eternia –Keldor’s home planet. Entrapta and Keldor were practically neighbors! However, unlike Eternia, which was unified under one monarch, Etheria was a confederacy of multiple independent states.

Dryl was small in terms of land coverage. But it was an industrial titan that specialized in weapons manufacture. Weapons that combined highly advanced technology with complicated magic. Weapons that could be powered by their wielder’s ‘fighting spirit’ rather than limited battery packs that needed to be recharged. Armors and shieldings that were just as resilient and strong as phitanium, but easier to shape, more efficient to manufacture, and –best of all- cheaper since they wouldn’t have to pay Queen Elmora’s premiums. Heck! Dryl even made bots that could be sent into battle in place of living soldiers.

That explained why Horde Prime wanted her in the family.

With Entrapta married to the Emperor’s own brother, her loyalty would be to the Empire –which her children might have a chance to inherit one day. That would ensure that Dryl would not be selling their weapons to the Empire’s enemies.

Scrolling through the file, Hec-Tor realized that the vast majority of the information was on Dryl and its arms industry. There was very little information on Princess Entrapta herself. Hell! The file didn’t even include a picture of her.

Hec-Tor sighed. Of course, the file wouldn’t contain much information on her. Horde Prime did not arrange this marriage to make his brother happy. He didn’t care about Princess Entrapta the person. All Horde Prime cared about were the weapons and power she could bring to the Empire. Who cared if Hec-Tor was miserable for the rest of his life? Not every arranged marriage could be as lucky as his first one to Keldor. Not everyone could fall in love with their intended.

His chair was turned around and Hec-Tor examined his reflection. They did everything but put contacts in his eyes to give him pupils. He sighed. This was far more opulent than his brother made him dress up for his first engagement. Horde Prime must really, really want those weapons.

With a sigh, Hec-Tor stood from the seat. He needed a break from all the primping and preening. Maybe get some real work done. There were a few items from yesterday that he never managed to get around to. At the time he thought there would be time to deal with them today. That was before his brother took the liberty of changing his entire agenda for the rest of the week –and his life. At the very least, he needed to address the blight on Antares. Horde Prime probably wouldn’t let him dispatch soldiers to either Krytis or Denebria until after the wedding, the Emperor would want to keep the military close until then.

But if he could just get to his office and do something productive.

Anything productive.

Even if it was just hitting ‘read’ on a non-critical memo.

He stalked down the corridors of the residential wing to his office, wearing nothing more than a dressing gown, with a head full of so much product he looked sculpted out of paste.

A door to his left burst open and Imp dashed out, in a similar state of half-dressed but very well make-uped. He saw his father standing in the corridor and skirted around to hide behind the older man’s legs. Just in time for a trio of servants to follow –tripping- out of the same room after the little… imp.

Imp hissed at them.

Only one seemed brave enough to approach, addressing Hec-Tor. “Your Highness, we are trying to make the Prince ready to meet your intended and he is not cooperating. Could you… speak to him, please?”

Hec-Tor looked down at the child clinging to his calves. Imp glared up at him. He did not like playing dress-up any more than Hec-Tor did.

“If I have to suffer through this, so do you.” He informed his son.

The boy gave a screech of disagreement, abandoned his father as an ally, and climbed up a wall instead. Imp shot his father a scathing look of betrayal before wiping half the makeup and cream from his face and smearing it on the expensive wallpaper. Then he disappeared into an air vent.

“Imp!” Hec-Tor shouted after him. Forget ‘feral’ that child could be outright wild sometimes. He got it from Keldor. He was also always a little wild.

Forget doing something productive. Now all Hec-Tor cared about was finding his son in the complicated and labyrinthine ventilation systems of the Imperial palace.

He turned suddenly anxious eyes and misplaced anger on the trio that had been grooming Imp or the introductions. “Find him!”

They ran to comply.

Hec-Tor headed in the opposite direction, long ears piqued. Listening for any movement in the walls that could indicate his errant son. Imp was spry and fast. Of all the members of the Kur family that Hec-Tor had known –both living and dead- Imp was by far the most healthy. His physical defects were extra limbs in the form of wings –that actually functioned!- and a pointed tail. He was also a little under sized for his age, but that just made it easier for him to pull stunts like this!

But the worst part was that Hec-Tor knew, if Keldor were here, he would be egging their child on. Encouraging Imp to make trouble and be an agent of chaos. Keldor would think it was funny. Keldor would be proud.

Damn. Hec-Tor made himself sad.

Before their wedding, during a heavily chaperoned stroll through the grounds of the castle in Eternos, Keldor not only convinced Hec-Tor to ditch their escorts and sneak out, but actually succeeded in doing it! Climbing up a tree close to the castle wall and pushing Hec-Tor over it before the Imperial Prince even knew what was happening. Keldor then took Hec-Tor on a tour of the back-allies of Eternos, a side of the city he was sure no Prince was meant to see.

Imp definitely got this rebelliousness from his other father. It certainly didn’t come from Hec-Tor!

He came to an intersection in the corridors and froze, closing his eyes, listening hard for any scuffling or scurrying sounds that could be Imp trying to evade him. Just barely picking up a faint sound, Hec-Tor made a turn a followed the sound out of the private residential wing and into the business section. If anyone dared give him an odd look for stalking the halls in what was essentially a bathrobe, he snarled at them.

The moment Hec-Tor found an access panel large enough for him, Imp was going to be in so much trouble!

A louder scuffling in the walls.

Imp must be closer!

Hec-Tor leaned against the wall. His ear just a hair’s breadth away from touching the wall –he was still mindful of all the cosmetic work he’d sat through already and did not want to sit through it again.

He followed the scuffling sound. Listening to the metal of the vents shift with the weight of a body. Funny, Imp was never heavy enough to make the vent paneling shift and bow before. But then, Imp was a growing boy.

He followed the movement in the walls he was almost in the public areas of the palace now. A place he did not want to be walking around in a bathrobe and little else. But he wanted to find his son more.

Then he heard Imp give a startled and confused little chirp. And his journey moving in the walls came to a halt. Now the scuffling in the wall was located in only one spot and it was fast and frantic.

“Imp?” Hec-Tor called, hoping the boy could hear him through the drywall and vent plating. “Are you stuck?”

Imp couldn’t answer, of course. While he might be the most physically healthy member of the Kur family, he was also born mute. His vocal cords not forming right during gestation in the vitrine. The only sounds he could make were guttural chirps and squawks. With a wall between them cutting off any visual communication, there was no way for Imp to make his situation and his needs known. Hec-Tor just had to guess and hope he took the appropriate action.

He grabbed the first person he saw, not caring if they were palace staff, or a visiting dignitary (or extended staff) there for his wedding. “You! Get me the head of palace maintenance! Immediately!”

Not sure what else to do, it was all the hapless passerby could do to nod an affirmative and run away the moment Hec-Tor let go of them.

Another squak of dismay drifted through the wall and Hec-Tor once again pressed his ear to the wall. This time he did smear his makeup, but he didn’t care. Some things were more important. “Imp? What is going on in there? Are you injured?”

The only answer he got was a string of confused chittering and trills.

“Imp!?”

People were casting uncertain glances at him now. What if mental instability was another of the Prince’s defects? He was literally yelling at a wall.

“Oh. Well, hello little guy?” Then another voice drifted through the wall. One Hec-Tor had never heard before. Pitchy and nasal.

Was this the head of maintenance come to extricate Imp from the wall for him? It had better be! He did not like the idea of a complete stranger being in a dark enclosed space along with his son whom could not communicate in words.

“Who’s in there?” He demanded.

“Is that your friend out there?” Asked the voice. “Are you stuck?”

Hec-Tor dragged his talons down the decorative wallpaper. He wanted to see what was going on in there. Who was in there with Imp? What were they doing?

“Hang on.” Said the other in the wall. “The thing with old castles and palaces like this is that all the ventilation was built in a closed system so that it’s harder to get inside for regular maintenance and service. See how the plating it warped here? Probably happened over the last hundred years by particles that made it past the first battery of filters. I heard the winds on Horde World can carry rocks as big as a fist a hundred kilometers in the air. I know something that big shouldn’t be able to make it through filters, but when the wind can throw it that high, they can also throw it clean through carbon fiber mesh. Something like that bouncing around these vents, no wonder you got your tail stuck in a warped section.”

Was- was the speaker giving Imp –a five year old child- a lecture on engineering? While they were both stuck in a wall!? Who was this person?

“Almost got ya… there!” There was a metallic popping sound.

Then Imp gave a grateful and relieved little trill.

Hec-Tor sighed. His son was okay. Still in the vents. But unharmed.

“I think I saw an outlet over there.” Presumably, the owner of the voice was pointing, but Hec-Tor could not see it. “C’mon. I’ll show you and make sure you don’t get stuck again.”

The shuffling and scuffling began again. This time moving up. To the ceiling. Hec-Tor looked up, trying to follow the sounds with his eyes.

Then a crack appeared on the ceiling.

Oh! Oh, no! No, no, no! Didn’t the voice in the wall just say this palace was old! If they were a fully grown adult being, they should not be putting their full weight on the ceiling panels. They were meant to be decorative and cover the unsightly support beams and insulation. They were not meant to hold weight!

“Oh.” Apparently, the voice realized this too late. “I might have miscalculated the addition of your weight.”

That was the last thing they said before the whole ceiling came caving down.

A cascade of broken panels and insulation that should have been replaced decades ago came crashing down in the center of the room. Among the debris, a ball of lavender hair came tumbling out. It rolled a few meters away from the main pile.

The hair slithered. Disentangling itself frown around the body of an alien female. Copper skin and fuchsia-red eyes. Wearing dark purple overalls like a menial worker. Maybe she was the head of maintenance. And held in her gloved arms was Imp. He was fine. Cradled and shielded from the debris by her body and hair.

“Well, you’re out.” She announced. Then glanced back at the mess in the middle of the room. “Though, I have a feeling I might be in trouble…”

“Give me my son!” Hec-Tor all but snarled at her.

“Oh. Sure.” She opened her arms and Imp fluttered his wings, flying into his father’s waiting arms. Then the woman paused, as if actually noticing him. “Why are you wearing a bath robe? Oh! Did I drop in on a bathroom!? I’m so sorry! I just wanted to observe the adaptations your architects have made to compensate for the harshness of Horde World. This building is an engineering marvel and I find it fascinating!”

“Who are you?” Demanded the Prince.

“Oh. Uh,” she twiddled her hair.

Under any other circumstances he would have found the fact that her hair moved like limbs quite interesting. But at the moment, he was unimpressed.

“This is a little awkward.” She confessed. “You see, I’m not actually from Horde World. I just came for the wedding. Oh! Maybe I’ll see you there. I should say ‘hi’ at the reception!”

That did not answer his question.

But then, another voice shouted across the room.

“Entrapta!”

A magicat and a scorpioness came running up to here.

Entrapta? Did they just call her ‘Entrapta’? As in Princess Entrapta? His intended. The person he was arranged to marry. This dirt-covered, vent-lurking, inelegant, creature could not possibly be the one his brother meant for him to marry!

“We are so, so sorry!” Said the scorpioness. She lifted ‘Princess Entrapta’ up into her arms.

“Where have you been!” Snarled the magicat. “Not only are we behind schedule, you’re an absolute mess! You can’t meet a Prince of the Horde Empire looking like this!”

Hec-Tor just stood there, staring at them. Did none of them know who he was?

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” The scorpioness said in a much gentler tone. “Maybe the Prince won’t mind. Maybe he likes quirky partners.”

He most certainly did not!

Well, okay. Keldor was pretty quirky. And Hec-Tor loved him. A lot. But Keldor was special! Just going off this first impression, Hec-Tor was not going to like this purple, prehensile haired, vent germline one bit!

This marriage was going to be a disaster.

#entrapdak #entrapta/hordak #hordak #entrapta #spop #au #arranged marriage AU #imp #catra #scorpia #Hordak walking around a palace in his bathrobe #Imp being Imp #first meetings #meet cute

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jeserai · 5 years ago

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gravity

She—no, everyone—knows about the myth of the statue: that it’ll come to life when touched by its soulmate. People flock to the statue every day to take pictures and touch the statue, half-hoping that at least one bit of magic still exists in the world.

Had Catra known how long they were going to spend outside, she wouldn’t have come. We’ll be quick, Scorpia had said, it’s just lunch! And like an idiot, Catra had believed her. But here they are, two hours later, and—

“Let’s take a picture!” Scorpia says. She thrusts her phone at Entrapta before posing next to the bronze statue in the park. Catra heaves another sigh, not hiding her impatience as Entrapta dutifully takes pictures of Scorpia every time she changes her pose. By the time Scorpia “impales” herself on the statue’s sword, she’s had enough.

“Can we go already? We’ve been here forever—”

“But it’s Etheria’s savior!” Scorpia protests, “I wanted to get a picture before I had to leave for home again.”

“It’s just a stupid statue. It’ll be here.” Catra glares up at it, kicking a stray pebble at it as if that will pry Scorpia away. It doesn’t.

“It is built rather beautifully,” Entrapta comments, “the creator’s attention to detail makes it captivating.”

And Catra hates to admit it, but she’s right. The plaque in front of the statue says that it is of She-Ra, the savior of Etheria, balancer of all the lands, lord of all the princesses of long ago. Her hair, despite being made of bronze, flows out behind her as she raises her sword to parry a blow. Her face is twisted in cold anger, and when the sunlight hits her just right, her eyes spark and catch alight.

“It’s okay, I guess.”

“You should take a picture too, Catra! You know what they say about—”

“No,” Catra interrupts. She—no, everyone—knows about the myth of the statue: that it’ll come to life when touched by its soulmate. People flock to the statue every day to take pictures and touch the statue, half-hoping that at least one bit of magic still exists in the world.

“Oh, come on, wildcat! It’ll only be one picture!”

Catra rolls her eyes (not that Scorpia sees) and shakes her head again. “You’re not gonna shut up about this until I do it, are you?”

“You know me so well, wildcat! Just one picture, and we’ll head home. Promise.”

Catra groans to show her displeasure and stomps over to the statue, leaning against it and glaring as Scorpia raises her phone. And—it’s strange, because the statue is warm, but then, she reasons, it is midday, and bronze does heat up in the sun, right?

“Did you finish yet?”

“Yeah! We’re just making sure they’re good pictures.”

“They would be much better if you smiled,” Entrapta says, and Scorpia makes a noise of agreement.

Catra rolls her eyes again, then eyes the statue distastefully. And pauses, eyes narrowing. “Hey, idiots, is it just me or does this stupid thing…” and she can’t say it, can’t say that it somehow looks like the statue has gotten a little softer around the edges, because that’s. That’s crazy.

And then it moves.

Scorpia and Entrapta are still engrossed with the phone, so they don’t see it, but Catra freezes in place, ready to bolt if it happens again. It’d been the tiniest movement, almost enough to convince her that it’d been all in her head, but then with a great heave of breath, the statue collapses, and Catra only barely catches it—no, her—in her arms. They both crumple to the ground, and Catra realizes a few things all at once.

What has blanketed her body is not a bronze statue, but a girl. She can feel her breathing, and her skin is warm, and her hair is soft and smells a little bit like lavender. Scorpia and Entrapta have hurried over, and they pull the girl and Catra up, but Catra doesn’t pay attention to them, because the girl is looking around, panicked, and—she would be. She’d been frozen in the middle of a war, and now there is peace surrounding her.

“Hey,” Catra says, “are you okay?”

The girl looks at her, and—stares. Her eyes slowly comb Catra up and down and back up again, and she shrugs Entrapta away to grab her sword, discarded. “Is the battle over, then?” she has a bit of an accent, and her voice is hoarse, but Catra can tell that it’s still beautiful.

“You’re She-Ra, right?” Scorpia blurts out. The girl bites her lip, eyes still on Catra, and she nods. Then sort of shrinks down on herself, and. Gone is the flowing hair of spun starlight, gone are the clear blue eyes, gone is all of her perfection—and in its place is a girl only a few inches taller than Catra. She looks almost normal like this; her hair is shorter, in a messy ponytail, and her eyes are blue-gray, and Catra is annoyed to find that she’s still beautiful like this.

“Adora,” she says, “my name is Adora.”

“Well, Adora—” Catra pauses, sighs. How to tell her that she’s a princess gone out of time, that hundreds of years have passed since that legendary battle, that everyone she knows is dead? “Are you hungry? We can go eat while Entrapta...holds your sword for you. It probably isn’t very convenient to carry all the time, is it?”

And here, Adora frowns. “You promise we will come right back for it?”

“Of course.”

And. Catra is a cynic: she doesn’t believe in soulmates, doesn’t believe in true love or love at first sight, doesn’t even believe in fate—but in that moment, as Adora trusts her word so easily, so blindly, Catra finds that she wants to.

Her favorite burger place is packed—Adora pauses at the door, eyes wide, and Catra reconsiders. As good as the food is, this probably isn’t the best way to reintroduce Adora to civilization. “It’ll take too long, let’s just go to my place. We can eat there.”

Adora is awfully quiet, and Catra glances at her out of the corner of her eyes every so often to make sure she’s still there. While they walk, she orders a pizza—plain cheese, nothing special—and lets Adora take everything in. Stores, people, cars...Catra is sure that Adora is bursting with questions, but she keeps quiet, her hand holding Catra’s tight the only thing that betrays her discomfort.

But that all disappears the second the door closes behind them: this time, when Catra glances back at Adora, she finds her face tight with some awful, awful emotion that makes Catra’s heart tug in her chest. “What is it?”

“Where am I?” Adora demands. For a moment, Catra contemplates lying, but she sees the resolution in those steel blue eyes and her resolve crumbles to dust.

“You’re on Etheria still—” Adora’s shoulders sag with palpable relief, “but...it’s been a long time.”

“How long?”

Catra hesitates again, and Adora reaches out, takes her hand. She doesn’t say anything, but the meaning in her gesture is clear: she trusts her, believes her. She can take knowing, even if she doesn’t want to. “The war you fought was almost 300 years ago.”

For a brief moment, Catra can see that awful emotion on Adora’s face, and then her whole expression shutters over into blankness. Catra knows too goddamn well what she’s doing, and maybe there’s some truth to the stupid soulmate thing, because she does the same thing: compresses whatever awful thing that’s happened, puts it into a little box and files it away deep in the back of her mind, forgets about it. If she doesn’t think about it, she won’t have to deal with it. “Hey,” she says, a little gruff, a lot awkward, “it’s okay, you won, and—”

“Everything I know is gone,” Adora interrupts. Her voice is blank too, devoid of any emotion but for the slight tremble on the last word. With her words, her hand drops to her side and hangs there, limp. “When I lived, we were always in battle, so I knew...I knew that everything could be taken away from me in an instant, but—”

But not like this. Catra has no idea what to say here, so she doesn’t; she just reaches out and takes one of Adora’s calloused hands in hers, leads her to the couch and tugs Adora down with her. It’s stupidly easy to relax into her side, into her warmth and after a moment, the stiffness of Adora’s side loosens, and she lets out a long sigh before leaning into Catra too. She doesn’t realize that Adora is sleeping until she lets out a quiet snore minutes later, and Catra carefully eases herself up so as to not wake her before the doorbell can ring and disturb her sleep.

She doesn’t really mind waiting outside, not with the weather so warm, and it gives her a chance to think, to really think. She has a myth, a goddess just on the other side of the door, a princess whose only possession is a magical sword. Adora is bound to have thousands of questions, and Catra knows that she’ll have to take her to the Rebellion’s museum so she can learn and grieve her friends, her family. Everything. She’ll have to help Adora find some place to work, a place to stay, take her shopping and watch over her until she’s ready to go, tell her about the stupid fucking myth—

The pizza comes then, and Catra shoves a $20 at the delivery boy before stalking back inside. Without thinking, she kicks the door shut, and immediately winces when Adora jerks awake, silent but ready, fists up.

“It’s just me, sorry. Our food is here, I—are you hungry?”

Adora nods, still wary, but she relaxes just a little, eyes trained on the pizza box. “Did I sleep long?”

“No, just a few minutes. You can rest more if you’d like, I have a bed that’s probably a lot more comfortable—”

“No, we can eat. It smells...good.”

Catra grins and nods, coming closer and setting the pizza box down on the coffee table between them. “It’s pizza. I didn’t know what you’d like, so I just got plain cheese. We can another kind next time if you’d like.” Next time. The words come out without her permission, but it’s too late to take them back now, not with Adora’s soft, grateful smile trained on her.

“Anyway, it’s hot, so be careful. Actually—I’ll just get us drinks now. You…do you want to come with me? You can see what we have, what you’ll like.”

Adora shrugs and nods, standing only after Catra does and obediently following her to the kitchen. “You can ask whatever you want, whenever you want. I may not know everything, but I’ll try to answer what I can.”

Adora hums in response, and it is quiet for a few moments before she asks, “Where is my sword?”

Catra can’t help the startled laugh that barks out; she turns to face Adora and shakes her head. “Out of all things, and that’s what you ask first, huh? Entrapta is at home, we can go over there later, or she can come here. Whichever. But I swear it’s safe.”

That seems to satisfy her, and Catra gets to digging through the fridge, pulling out all the drinks she can for Adora to try and putting them on the counter. “Milk, apple juice, lemonade,” she points to each in turn, “you can just drink from the carton, it’s just us.”

Adora takes a sip of each—she makes a disgruntled face at the milk, but she likes both juices—and points to the cans of soda that Catra had taken out after a moment of thought. “What about those?”

“That’s soda, princess. It burns your throat, so don’t drink too much at once.” Catra opens the can for her and slides it over, watching carefully for Adora’s reaction. Her face scrunches up at the first sip, then smooths over as she takes another. And another.

“You like that, huh?”

Adora nods, seemingly pleased for how relieved Catra sounds. “Everything but the milk.”

“Milk is only good with other things, trust me. But we can try all of that another time—I’ll put this all away, you go try the pizza.”

Thankfully, Adora likes pizza too (Catra has to order another; Adora knocks back six slices easy, and at least has the nerve to look embarrassed when Catra grumbles about only getting two) and on a whim, Catra takes her out for ice cream. She’s never seen someone look so overjoyed over a simple strawberry ice cream cone, and she promises Adora that they can come back whenever she wants.

By the time they get home, Entrapta and Scorpia have already dropped Adora’s sword off; Adora finds it resting carefully on the coffee table and lifts it gratefully. She sighs, relieved, practicing a few swings and thrusts, something like peace settling over her face. Catra watches, backed up against the wall—just in case, because she does not want to get stabbed—and when Adora blinks her eyes open and finds Catra watching her, her cheeks flush pink.

“Sorry, I—it’s the only thing I have, and…”

“It’s fine, princess. You look…” Catra purses her lips, shrugs. “You look good with a sword.”

And she does. She had looked so natural, so at ease with her sword outstretched, and Catra again remembers who she is, that she’s She-ra. “Anyway. You can shower first, come on.”

Adora looks reluctant to put her sword down, but she nods and follows Catra to the bathroom, and watches carefully as Catra shows her how to work the controls. She looks absolutely delighted by the hot water, and Catra bites back a fond grin—that quickly turns to a look of embarrassment as Adora begins to strip right there. Catra quickly backpedals and slams the door shut behind her, and as she stands against the closed door, plagued by what she had been able to see in those brief seconds—smooth skin warmed by the sun’s glow and faint scars scattered about like constellations, gentle curves and hard muscles—she feels her cheeks begin to burn.

She knows herself well enough by now to know what this means. Because it isn’t just the thought of Adora stripping, it’s the way Adora’s face had brightened when she tried the ice cream, it’s the softness of her profile as they walked home, it’s the callouses on her hands from so many years of weilding a sword. It’s her soft accent, and the way she observes everything around her, and the way her nose scrunches up when she laughs. It’s how Catra wants to show her everything, keep her close, how throughout the day, Adora has started to automatically reach for her hand.

Catra clears her throat against the sudden lump and calls out, loud enough for Adora to hear, “I’ll be in my room when you’re done. When you come out, it’s down the hall and to the right.”

Adora calls out that she remembers, and the fondness shot through her voice makes Catra’s knees buckle. Once in her room, Catra lets herself fall back in bed, staring up at the ceiling as she considers her options.

She could, of course, have Adora stay with Entrapta, say that she doesn’t have the room, or the time—but no, because Entrapta is not nearly as good with people as she is with technology. She could tell Adora about her budding crush, that when she falls, she falls devastatingly hard, that she needs space—but no, because she is the only person Adora knows now. She could create space between them, be mean—and no, god no.

She could let it happen. There is no rebuttal for that one.

She could let it happen.

The shower shuts off then, and moments later, Adora comes in; Catra sits up, the words ready on her tongue, and—”Jesus Christ, Adora!” and at her confusion, Catra quickly spits out, “Put some clothes on!”

Adora’s face goes blank for a moment, and then she registers Catra’s words; she lets out a snort of a laugh and shakes her head. “That’s what you’re so upset over? Either way, I don’t have any other clothes.”

Catra grumbles her distaste under her breath as Adora laughs again, and pointedly does not look at her as she points to her dresser. “There’s clothes in there, you can wear whatever.” She also ignores the possessive part of her brain that says that Adora is going to be wearing her clothes.

“You can look now,” Adora still sounds amused, and when Catra looks again, she’s relieved to find Adora wearing an old band shirt and a pair of Catra’s running shorts. Her face is flushed from the heat of the shower and her hair is in a damp, messy bun, and Catra thinks she looks gorgeous.

“I’m gonna shower now,” she manages to rush out; Adora still looks amused, but she nods and throws herself down on the bed as Catra gets out of it, and as Catra all but flees from the room, she tries not to think about Adora, wearing her clothes, lying in her bed.

(It’s all she can think about.)

When she finishes her shower, Catra contemplates going back into her room in just a towel—just to see how Adora likes it—but even just the thought of it makes her cheeks flush again and she abandons the idea just as quickly as she’d gotten it. Catra dresses in the bathroom, ignores the sudden flash of self-consciousness (because if Adora can wander around a stranger’s house wearing only a towel, she can go back to her own room in her pajamas), and comes back. Adora is half-asleep, curled up in Catra’s spot, and that thrill of possessiveness comes back for a moment, grows as Adora wakes up just enough to call Catra to her side.

And Catra still doesn’t believe in soulmates, but the way she fits against Adora feels too right for them to be anything but. There isn’t even any hesitance, not in the way Catra would have expected: Adora presses right up against her, skating one hand across Catra’s stomach to trace slow circles there. It’s oddly soothing; even the quiet puffs of breath against her ear and the steady press of her chest as she breathes are.

“Catra?” Adora asks then. Her voice is quiet and her accent is thick, but Catra...really likes the way her name sounds coming from Adora’s lips.

“Yeah?”

Adora doesn’t say anything—she stays quiet for so long that Catra is sure that she’s fallen asleep. But then she shifts, hooking one of her legs between Catra’s to push them somehow closer, and then she whispers, “Why am I here? Why now?”

And Catra is sure then, that Adora can feel her heart stutter. “I...there was a dumb legend that’s been going around for as long as I can remember.” How to say it, how to say it without it sounding stupid? “There was a statue in the park. Of She-ra—of you. And everyone said that it would come to life when it was touched by its soulmate. And—”

The hand on her stomach stills as Adora interrupts. “And it was you.”

“And it was me.” Adora is quiet, and for the first time, the silence is suffocating, so much so that Catra finds herself rambling, “you don’t have to...believe me, or stay here, or—”

“I want to.”

And just like that, with just those three quiet words, Catra feels something in her heart melt. “You can stay as long as you want,” she says, and it sounds like a promise. She hopes Adora knows it’s a promise she intends to keep.

The soft circles start up again, and Adora brushes the softest whisper of a kiss to the back of Catra’s neck, an unspoken promise.

(Somehow, Catra knows that it’s a promise that Adora intends to keep as well.)

#she ra #shera #catradora #my writing #this was so much better in my head sfdjkh......#anwy i will never write this out but adora purposefully coming to their room wearing a towel n feigning ignorance ?#catra doing the same after a long time bc shes fed up !! shes just a dumb little gay !! but she does the same n when she turns around #adora is just . staring at her so intentlny tht catra almost flees the room #smtimes she thinks adora is doing things like this on purpose but theres no way she can be flirting with her (she is) theyre disasters

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soaringsearingphoenix · 5 years ago

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12, 22, 50?

12 - Favorite flowers

Daffodils will always have a special place in my heard because the poem I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud was one of my favorites as a kid. I also love fragrant ones, like roses or star jasmine. And edible flowers, like nasturtiums, and radish blossoms, and borage.

22 - Fictional crushes

Uh!! I dont know if I have had crushes but Ive had a lot of fictional characters who ive desperately wanted to be my friend. Theres a distinction between characters I like as favorite characters and characters I badly want to hang out with.

In about middle school it was Kate from the Mysterious Benedict Society, who was basically a walking toolkit. Piper from The Girl Who Could Fly, for whom the book is named. Katie, also a titular character, from The Girl With Silver Eyes. Also Jo and only Jo from Little Women.

More recently my reading pace has slowed a bit but there are a few from books, and also podcasts. I love Hera and Dr. Alanna Maxwel from Wolf 359 podcast. Carlos from WTNV. I don’t like GoT but I care a lot about Brienne from Tarth, as she’s characterized in book 2 which is the only one I read, and I havent watched any of the show.

From tv it is Star Trek Data, She Ra Entrapta, and uhhhhhhhh Doc Ock Spiderverse and also Aunt May Spiderverse

Also if the show Hilda had come out when i was like, younger than 12, it would have been all i thought or talked about for months. So retroactively Hilda and her friends go in my childhood list also.

50 - Dream house

Ok so it hasnt changed much since I was like 8, but it’s got a basement, two stories, and roof access so I can put plants up there. The windowsills mostly have planter boxes. There’s a dining room meant for company, and a patio area as well for nice weather days. The yard is otherwise devoted to my garden - raised planter boxes of herbs outside (and inside!) the kitchen, pollinator garden in view of the dining room and living room windows, some food crops beyond that. A handful of herbs are around the patio, like rosemary near the grill ‘cause that’s where I’ll use it. Lemongrass anywhere I plan on hosting, to deter spiders from nesting near my guests.

I maybe keep chickens. I definitely keep bees, to pollinate, and I trade honey to my neighbors. I also have a box for raising mealworms indoors in the kitchen, because they are both a very efficient source of protein and a feed for birds if you keep them.

I have a treehouse in my yard. I always imagined it in a fruit tree but that may not be ideal. Might just take some grafting, I dunno.

I don’t keep sheep or goats but one of my neighbors does, and I let them come over to graze between crop rotations.

There is a room with big afternoon-sun-facing windows. I keep beanbags and cushions in here, and I nap during the day. At night I sometimes have guests over for tea. We sit cross-legged on the floor, listening to the windchimes outside the window we opened to let in the fragrance of the honeysuckle draped around the wall.

Any part of the roof that isn’t green is solar panels

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haro-ra · 6 years ago

Text

Idea from @spop-prompts

Adora bunched the blanket around her shoulders tighter, determinedly ignoring the cold.

For the attempted shattering of the moonstone…

She turned another page of another book. How many pages had her tired eyes strained over? How many books?

...for her role in the attempted murder of Queen Angella...

Another masked and vaguely spherical servant set down a cup of tea—lidded so as to avoid spillage upon the ancient texts—and a plate with warm, hearty vegetation that would leave neither crumbs or stains next to Adora. Adora mumbled her distracted thanks to the person whose body and clothing were better suited to the cold than her own and reached out numbly for the fork.

...for her role in the capture and torture of Princess Glimmer…

Adora hadn’t ever bothered to count the number of meals brought to her in this place, so it was hardly like she had lost count. She ate and drank fast, for the warmth, sure, but mostly just to get the action out of the way. Her eyes never left the page, and she turned it.

...and for seeking out the destruction of the balance, foundation, and structure of Etheria itself…

Adora stood in sudden excitement, blanket slipping, forgotten, from her shoulders as her eyes traced the words as fast as she could possibly read them. Then she read the passage again, to make sure, even as her breath picked up and her heart thudded in her ears.

...I hereby sentence Force Captain Catra of the Horde to death.

She’d found what she was looking for.

—

“Glimmer! Bow!” Adora shouted before Swift Wind had even finished landing. Her friends were there to greet her, looking excited and relieved to see her back in one piece.

“Adora!” came twin shouts in return, the two of them immediately tackling her into a hug before her feet touched the soil.

“We’ve been so worried about you!” said Bow, not an admonishment, just the truth.

“Did you find a way to help Catra?” Glimmer asked, pink eyebrows knit in worry.

“I did,” Adora said, pulling out the tablet she’d borrowed from Bow and pulling up the photo she’d taken. “But I need your help. This is going to take… some convincing.”

Bow and Glimmer looked at each other, a conversation passing between their eyes, and then they smiled at her. “You can count on us,” Glimmer promised.

—

The traditions of Brightmoon were very different from the traditions of the Horde, which were mostly just the stripped-down basics of the traditions of the Desert Throne that Hordak had half-accepted as a way to keep the peace among people who remembered the time before he landed in Etheria. Adora had expected some differences, since everything was different here, but wow. There was a lot more tradition involved than she had planned on.

Even so. Step one was the most crucial part of all, and that part? That part transcended cultures.

First came the question.

“Catra,” Adora said. The sound didn’t reverberate down empty, stone halls like it would in the Fright Zone’s prison. Bright Moon’s was, like everything else in this place, pretty. Pretty, clean, pastel. Catra didn’t look up from her prisoner’s mat, which Adora recognized was completely indistinguishable from her own bed. It would’ve been funny, to know that Glimmer and Bow had gotten her bed from one of Bright Moon’s literal jail cells. But as it was, as Catra would see it, it was just a normal bed in a pretty room that served as further mockery to Catra’s situation.

Adora wasn’t good at reading others. Even her best friend. Even her Catra. But from what she’d learned in the terrible, wonderful years since leaving Catra’s side, she knew that Catra would look around and see the pretty walls and floors and bed and gate and feel them as an insult.

“Catra, it’s me,” Adora said, not knowing what else to say.

“Hey, Adora.” Catra’s voice was flat. No mockery, no coy charm, nothing. Two words like dead rocks hitting the ground, thunk thunk.

The gate didn’t creak when it swung open. Didn’t even squeak a little at the end of the hinge. It glided smoothly, soundlessly, and Adora’s footsteps were the only sounds to make Catra’s ears twitch.

“I found a loophole,” Adora said. “A way for you to avoid execution.”

Catra lifted her chin from her knees and her eyes from the mat, fixing Adora with a blank stare. Adora pressed her lips thin, then continued.

“I know… you’re doubting me. I know that every time I’ve tried to protect you or save you or help you, I’ve either made it worse, or I didn’t actually manage to do it. I couldn’t protect you from Shadow Weaver. I couldn’t—I didn’t, help you in training. I kept getting your hopes up only to let you down, and I’m sorry.”

Catra’s ears were forward, her eyes unblinking, all of her attention fixed with devastating, unwavering intensity on Adora.

“And… I know you don’t need saving. That you’re capable, and you’re so, so smart, and you’re a survivor and ambitious and a menace and you’ve probably got at least two plans on how you’re going to get out of here and run off into the wild and lead a new life with all your crazy ambitious awesomeness. I know you don’t need my help. But, I want to give it to you. I want to keep you safe, safe for real, and I want you here with me, and to show you all the cool things I’ve discovered and introduce you to my friends and to show everyone how amazing you are and come home to you at night.” Adora took a deep breath. Why was this the hard part? “Because I love you.”

Fluffed fur, mirror blushes, the words finally said where neither of them could take them back.

“So,” Adora said, her knees slowly sinking down to the mat in front of her best friend, “Catra,” Adora said, her hands reaching out and folding over the scarred and clawed hand of her first and only love, “will you marry me?”

—

Apparently ceremonies happened before legal signings, in Bright Moon, but since this was a special case the two were flipped. Adora and Catra didn’t actually care, since in the Horde the only things that happened were the legal signings. With Catra freed from Shadow Weaver, the Horde, prison, and death itself, she set right into her natural way of making her presence everybody else’s problem. Everybody but Adora, who was too happy to have her best friend back, to have her best friend love her back, to get mad at her antics.

The wedding of She-ra was a world-wide hot topic. Everyone had contributions they wanted to make and advice they wanted to give. Perfuma and her people sent over gargantuan floral displays of every conceivable type and arrangement, calling them “samples” and asking which ones Catra and The She-ra liked best. Mermista offered catering, Frosta sent warm regards (which Adora had to explain was A Big Deal), Netossa and Spinnerella helped decorate, Castaspella and the other mages sent blessing after magical blessing, and even Scorpia, despite the new pressures of her place as ruler of the Desert Throne, sent assistance and a long comic depicting her absolute joy at their upcoming union.

Planning, preparing, and gathering everything and everyone took months, and Catra basked in the attention. Force Captain Catra, bride of She-ra, the unkillable, the desirable, the bold. Despite She-ra initiating the world’s attention, it was Catra who seized and kept it. Adora, better suited to her place at her lover’s side, watched on with pride and happiness.

—

Scorpia and Entrapta stood on one side of the patio, Bow and Glimmer on the other. The Moonstone of Bright Moon hovered high above them, and before them stretched the crystalline lake they’d once fought in years ago. Flowers bobbed gently in the still waters, too multitudinous to even attempt to count, and all along the palace exterior and shore of the lake stood happy faces, watching the ceremony of She-ra—who was really just Adora—and Catra. Bow and Scorpia were already crying. Their girlfriends held their hands (or, well, claw, in Scopria’s case). With the hand not holding Bow’s, Glimmer reached up and the Moonstone began to glow.

“By the authority of the Moonstone,” Glimmer said as Catra and Adora approached the steps leading down into the lake, “I bind these souls together. To love, to hold, to cherish and protect. To stand beside and value, and always to respect.” As Glimmer spoke, Adora and Catra walked, hand and hand, into the cheery waters, flowers parting as they passed, the folds of Adora’s dress and Catra’s robe rippling as they dragged through the water. “In hardship and in wealth, in sickness and in health, when the heart is sweet or har’d, your souls nevermore to part.”

Adora and Catra’s heads submerged, holding their breaths, and they smiled with puffed up cheeks at each other. The water was so clear, they could see each other just as well as they might above the surface. Adora turned to rise back up the steps, but Catra did not release her hand. Instead, she tugged on it sharply, darting forward and kissing Adora beneath the surface, light shimmering through the dancing waters and shadows passing over them beneath the flowers. Adora kissed back with surprise, and their laughter literally bubbled out of them. They rose to the surface still smiling, both pairs of hands held fast, and their foreheads fell together as natural as they had all their lives.

“Catra and Adora rise from the waters with fresh hearts and fresh eyes,” Glimmer called out, her crisp voice booming out to the distant crowd. “No longer one and another, but two souls intertwined; rejoice!”

The crowd burst into raucous cheers, Netossa even throwing up a few magical nets that burst into color before fading midair. Scorpia and Glimmer helped Catra and Adora out of the pool, Scorpia immediately pulling Catra into a weepy, bone-crushing hug.

“Aaa, I can’t believe I remembered all that!” Glimmer exclaimed as she and Bow—also still definitely crying—hugged Adora just as viciously. Entrapta perched on Scorpia’s shoulder and her thick pigtails began shaking water from Catra’s hair as she babbled on about the fascinating implications of Bright Moon’s traditions, comparing them to Dryl’s.

“You did great,” Adora praised, feeling like she could be literally glowing, with how good she felt. A sharp claw tapped lightly on her shoulder and she pulled out of the hug just enough to see Catra grinning at her, a full show of fangs and sharp eyes.

“Hey Adora,” she purred, and kissed her again.

#catradora #catra #adora #spop #background glimbow #background scortrapta #glimmer #bow #scorpia #entrapta #misc cast #writing #my writing #mine #me

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rorykillmore · 5 years ago

Text

okay this is for @transrobro who requested a catra/scorpia fic! which is a dynamic we’ve really only just picked up but that i already have so much love in appreciation for, in no small part thanks to jay’s scorpia.

jay... i am so grateful to be able to celebrate another year of us being friends <3 this sounds like. cHEESY but your kindness and generosity really does touch everyone around you even in the smallest gestures (my mom still treasures her groot ornament.) and you have a wonderful talent for making me laugh REALLY hard which i oftentimes find i really. need tbh. thank you so much and i hope you congratulate yourself on this year; it has certainly had its ups and downs but i know you have taken a lot of important strides over the course of it and i am proud of you!!!

She thinks about how lucky she is to be here, right now. To have not lost herself entirely to that all-consuming anger. To have come out the other side and still have friends who care about her, and want to forgive her.

“I just feel like... I already have everything I need.”

One of the many, many differences between Catra and Scorpia is that Scorpia is a notorious early riser, while Catra is notoriously... well, not. And she wouldn’t compromise that for just anyone or anything, but she’s spent the past few days since her little outing with Zero meticulously planning this out, and she knows she’s going to get too restless if she waits it out much longer.

Besides, she’s not exactly sure what the protocol is for when Christmas morning is supposed to... start. Better safe than sorry.

“Hey. Scorpia.” Catra leans over her sleeping form and uses one finger to give her forehead a gentle prod. “Wake up.”

Scorpia’s eyes flutter and eventually focus on Catra as she stirs, her expression moving from surprise to delight, with the tiniest underlying hint of uncertainty (definitely new, Catra has noted in the weeks they’ve been in this world together). “Catra!” She sits bolt upright, forcing Catra to draw back quickly to avoid a painful collusion of their foreheads. “Did -- did we have plans today? Did I sleep in too long? Oh, I knew I shouldn’t have stayed up to finish that season of Parks and Recreation...”

“No -- no, you’re fine. It’s still early,” Catra reassures her quickly, not bothering to add that she has no idea what ‘Parks and Recreation’ is. A nature documentary, or something? “Sorry to wake you, I just -- I have something I want to show you.”

It’s not much of an explanation, and Scorpia could very easily be skeptical of why Catra would sneak into her apartment after the sun’s barely gone up for such vaguely defined reasons. But it’s Scorpia, of course, so she just says, “Oh! Exciting. Okay. Um -- should I go get Emerald?”

“Let her sleep a little while. We’ll get her later,” Catra promises, because she tentatively has something in mind for Emerald - who, for the record, is a lot harder to shop for than Scorpia - as well. She fights the urge to lower her ears in embarrassment. “For now, let’s just -- I mean, this is... for you, specifically. So.”

The look on Scorpia’s face makes her feel both pleased and guilty. Catra can only describe it as awed -- stunned, even, like Scorpia never in a million years would have expected Catra to wake her up just to tell her she’d done something nice for her. Catra supposes she hasn’t really given her much reason to.

“Give me five minutes!” Scorpia springs up, amending over her shoulder as she springs into her closet, “--Three minutes!”

“Take your time,” Catra tells her, unable to suppress a goodnatured roll of her eyes. “I know you have your morning routine, or whatever.”

“It’s fine. I have a speedrun version prepared for emergencies! -- Hey, Catra?” Scorpia sticks her head out of the closet a moment later, suddenly hesitant. “You know you... I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you... have to do stuff like this. For me. I mean, I’m over the moon, don’t get me wrong, I just --”

Catra holds up a hand to stop her, because she’s already figured out that this isn’t just obligation, or the desire to fix things, on her part. It feels -- well, okay, nervewracking right now, because she isn’t entirely sure what Scorpia’s reaction is going to be once she sees the actual gift. But Catra’s sure it’ll feel good eventually. “It’s Christmas, silly.”

She gets a slightly nonplussed look in response, which... figures. So Catra goes on to explain, “It’s a thing they do in this world. A celebration. You, like -- buy presents for people, among a bunch of other weird, colorful traditions.” She can already envision Scorpia’s panic at the realization that she hadn’t somehow magically known about a holiday tradition that didn’t even exist in their own world, so she quickly adds, “Yeah, I didn’t know about it either, until a couple of days ago. So I just threw something together. It’s no big deal.”

The way Scorpia is looking at her, eyes bright with emotion, suggests that she very much thinks it’s a big deal. Catra looks away. “You’re hyping yourself up.”

“I am so completely just the right amount of hype. Just a sec!”

“Take your time!” Catra tells her yet again, fond exasperation taking the edge off her usual prickliness. “I’m not going anywhere.”

It’s a promise she takes more seriously than Scorpia probably really knows.

----

“Okay. So. I didn’t know how to wrap it.”

Catra awkwardly hoists the present in her hands, well aware that it looks absolutely nothing like the neatly wrapped gifts with the perfect bow finishes that she saw in all those display windows in Metropolis. Instead, hers is a clumsy mess of tape and shiny red paper, an immediate betrayal of the fact that Catra has never done anything like this before. But then, she figures, Scorpia already knows that.

“It’s perfect!” Scorpia beams, completely undeterred. She takes the gift from Catra in one claw and tears carefully at the wrapping paper with the other, and Catra notes that the messiness probably does make it a bit easier for her.

If she was anxious about her presentation, though, she’s even more anxious about the gift itself. Scorpia pulls back the wrapping to reveal a large, leatherbound book with no title on its cover. Even though Catra is sure she must be puzzled, her enthusiasm does not seem to be dampened as she shoots Catra an inquisitive look.

“Open it,” Catra says simply, trying to keep her expression neutral.

Scorpia does... and Catra watches her expression change from curiosity to shock as she takes in the contents of the book’s pages. A soft, stunned exhale quickly prompts Catra to leap to explain, “It’s, uh. A scrapbook, basically. But like... a special, high tech one I bought in Auriga. You can upload photos directly onto the pages, and mess with the colors and stuff. I -- uh. I started it for you.”

Truthfully, Catra didn’t have very much to work with. An old picture of her and Scorpia, and one she took with Emerald a couple of months ago, and a couple of silly candids she snuck of Entrapta. And then Catra’s rough attempts at scenic photography; a few shots she took of some of the prettier places she knows around the Southwest. Since... that’s kind of become their home now.

“Catra...” Scorpia whispers.

“Well, I -- I mean, you have to fill it out, obviously.” Embarrassingly, Catra can’t seem to stop talking, her tone bordering on defensive for no definable reason. “Which will take a while. But I know you like that kind of sappy stuff. Making memories, and all that --”

She gets cut off with a sudden huff as Scorpia frees one arm to pull her into a tight hug.

And Catra, despite Scorpia’s best efforts to convert her, is still not really... a hugger. But she’s learned that she’s capable of making a few exceptions. And if her eyes are stinging a little, well, she makes sure she’s blinked any wateryness away by the time Scorpia lets her go.

“This is -- it’s the most wonderful thing you possibly could have gotten me. I am going to keep it forever,” Scorpia declares, making Catra’s cheeks warm sheepishly. “I -- I have to get you something! And Emerald! Stay right here, I’ll --”

“Scorpia,” Catra finally manages to cut in quietly. “I’m sure Christmas hasn’t really been the first thing on Emerald’s mind, either. She’ll understand if you’ve gotta do some belated shopping. And... you really don’t have to get me anything.”

Scorpia falters a little, concern seeping into her expression as seamlessly as it always has for Catra’s sake. “Hey. I know you’re trying to do the whole, you know, ‘making amends’ thing, but if you think that means you don’t deserve a gift...”

“It’s not that.” Catra shakes her head. “This isn’t a ‘me hating myself’ thing. Don’t worry. It’s just that...”

She thinks of the note written on the inside of the back cover of the scrapbook. The one she deliberately hasn’t pointed out because she doesn’t want to stand here in front of Scorpia while she reads it.

“I just feel like... I already have everything I need.”

Scorpia opens her mouth to respond, but for once, she doesn’t seem to know what to say. So Catra reaches out - a rare gesture of her initiating affection - and squeezes Scorpia’s claw in her hand.

“Merry Christmas. Or whatever stupid thing people say.”

Slowly, Scorpia’s expression melts into the kind of soft, adoring expression that Catra still doesn’t quite feel she deserves. “Merry Christmas, wildcat.”

As for anything else that needs to be said, well -- Catra will wait until she takes her leave, or until the next time Scorpia flips through the scrapbook if need be. Whenever that might be, Catra’s message in her messily scrawled handwriting will be there waiting for her.

Scorpia,

I suck at words, sometimes. Writing them down’s easier. I know I haven’t been a very good friend, so now I’m gonna help you fill up this book with a bunch more good memories to get rid of the bad ones. You deserve to be happy, and if this world gives you that, then I guess I really do owe it one.

Thank you for giving me another chance. I won’t waste it.

Love, Catra

#god you know what i just realized #this is supposed to be in the same 'universe' as my fic for fate but im like #posting this one first because i just decided to edit it first skjhdgkg #its fine you dont need to have read that one #ANYWAYS MERRY CHRISTMAS!#fic #christmas gifts

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spacebatisluvd · 4 years ago

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Summary: Entrapta and Hordak discuss different forms of stimulation.

Content Warning: Frank discussion of sexual arousal and means of sexual stimulation/porn. Mentions of masturbation. Discussion of consent. Voyeurism...kind of. (Also, there is Sea Hawk, but he not involved in any of the former.)

It was easier to scavenge parts from Prime’s towers than Hordak thought it would be. They had to be deconstructed anyway, and he found himself separating out anything that could be repurposed in any case. It was a simple thing to set aside a few small components for his own project. As Entrapta said, it was surprisingly easy, and required no stealth at all. Sea Hawk never even asked what he was doing, even when Hordak began to tinker with the components right in front of him.

As he sorted through the parts, he found numerous pieces Entrapta would find interesting. Data chips of a style she’d likely never seen. Intricate mechanisms of a design she’d find satisfying to unlock and unravel. A few small pieces that he knew she would find ‘cute’. He set these aside and commandeered a crate to ship them. After he felt he’d gathered enough tech to keep her occupied for at least a little while, he labeled what he could and began neatly packing it for shipment.

Sea Hawk watched him. “Hmmm...you know, if we weren’t such good friends, I might find this very suspicious.”

Hordak was entirely unsure if that was a roundabout way of stating his suspicions or if he was just reiterating his confidence in their presumed ‘friendship’. Nor did he care to parse Sea Hawk’s intentions. “I’m sending these to Entrapta to—“

Sea Hawk leapt from his place at the drafting table to catch Hordak’s forearms in his hands. Pain shot up his arms. Hordak disguised a flinch by hissing at him and pulling away, his ears drawn back. Still, Sea Hawk pressed forward. Frowning, Hordak held a hand against his chest, holding him at arm’s length while he glared. “Oh, you are clever, aren’t you? You nearly had me fooled!”

“You are entirely incomprehensible.”

Sea Hawk shook a chastising finger at him. “No ‘wooing’, hmmm? And yet, here you are—sending her gifts! Tokens of your affections! Very clever! I nearly believed you were too heartbroken to ever love again, but I see now that all is not lost. Never fear! I will help you!” He grinned. “Tell me, what are you sending?”

Hordak cocked his head, one ear folded back. “These are not—“ He huffed. “These are artifacts that Entrapta will enjoy studying. They are not tokens of anything, nor are they gifts.”

“My friend, you are a terrible liar. These are obviously gifts!”

“I am given to understand that gifts are presented during special occasions.”

Sea Hawk’s grin was broad and knowing. “Oh, no. A gift can be given at any time! And a gift given without a specific reason? That is the most heartfelt gift of all.” He winked. “Were I not so infatuated with my dearest, my darling—the enchanting Princess Mermista—I might regret denying you so swiftly.”

Hordak nearly left the room on principle, but he had to admit there was at least a drop of truth in his ocean of nonsense. “A gift can simply be given without cause?” Sea Hawk nodded enthusiastically. G laring at him, Hordak slowly withdrew his hand, wanting to make sure the pirate would not try to touch him again. “I see. That does change things.”

He folded his arms behind his back, considering the crate. He had chosen items he knew she would enjoy working with. Things she would find interesting. However, it did not feel like a gift. If he intended it to serve as such, then it seemed...incomplete.

Some part of him whispered a reminder that it did not need to be perfect. She would appreciate it regardless. Nevertheless, thinking of it as a gift inexplicably changed the framework.

He dropped his gaze. A gift was meant to be at least somewhat sentimental, wasn’t it? A token of affection should demonstrate affection, and even he knew that the collection of tech—though something she would certainly appreciate and enjoy—was rather...cold. His ears folded back. Entrapta deserved a better gift than that.

Unfortunately, he did need help if he was going to make this shipment of tech into a gift. He was not adept at expressing sentiment, and he wanted to get this right. Entrapta had done so much for him. She deserved a good gift.

But he was absolutely not asking Sea Hawk for advice.

He didn’t have many people he would trust to ask, though. Ideally, he’d ask Entrapta, but that seemed inappropriate in this situation. He did know of one person that might be willing to help, however. She and Entrapta were friends, and as a bonus, she didn’t seem to have any trouble expressing affection. He looked to Sea Hawk, who grinned. “Yes, friend?”

“Do you know how to get in contact with Force C—that is, Princess Scorpia?”

Thankfully, the archer had apparently given all the princesses communicators at some point, and it was easy enough to connect to hers. Getting Scorpia to pick up was another matter.

“Ope! Wait! Don’t hang up! I’m here! Just. Having some trouble. Claws, you know?”

Hordak and Sea Hawk watched the display flip and turn as she fumbled the communicator. Finally, her face came into view. Upside down. “Princess Scorpia—“

She yelped and the communicator fumbled again. Hordak sighed, looking skyward. “Lord Hordak!” she said, picking up the communicator. Right side up, this time. “Hi! Uh. Didn’t, um. Didn’t expect to see you. And—is that Sea Hawk?”

“Hi, Scorpia!”

She looked at both of them. “Excuse me. I just need to—“ She pinched a fleshy part of her arm. “Oh, yeah. Okay. Definitely awake. Um....” She studied them both. “Is everything okay? Blink twice if you need help.”

Hordak huffed. “I will not, but I do require your assistance.”

“I. Did not expect this, but...okay. Shoot!”

He cocked his head, trying to figure out what he was supposed to shoot and with what. The peace treaty explicitly forbade him from carrying any weapons. Sea Hawk interrupted his musings, stealing the data pad and showing her the crate of tech. “Hordak is send a gift to Entrapta!”

He had to bite back his instinctive denial. For once, Sea Hawk’s assessment was—

“He is trying to woo her! He has confided to me—“

With a growl, he snatched the data pad back. “I told you—there is no ‘wooing’! And I have confided nothing. Stop lying.” Shaking his head, he deliberately wiped the irritation from his features and turned back to Scorpia. “I have several pieces of tech to send to Entrapta. Sea Hawk has observed that this could be considered a ‘gift’, but I find it lacks...feeling. You are Entrapta’s friend. She speaks highly of you, and you are known to be adept at expressing affection. Would you be willing to assist me?” She was staring at him, her eyes gone wide and watery. “Princess? Are you well?”

“Mm-hmm. Just. A little emotional. She speaks highly of me? And you’re sending her a gift?”

He gave a firm nod. “Yes. She has been...kind to me. Inordinately so. I wish to reciprocate her kindness and demonstrate my gratitude. Are you willing?”

She nodded, eyes still a little watery. “Of course! Show me what you’re sending.”

“It is Horde tech I’ve harvested from Prime’s towers.”

“Oh, she’ll love that—did you find anything small? She likes small things.”

“Yes. There are several pieces that I believe she will consider ‘cute’, though I am unsure. Her standard is somewhat inconsistent.” His ears flexed, but thankfully, he didn’t blush.

“Okay, that’s good. She’ll like that. What else?”

The tips of his ears drooped. “That is it. As I said, it is somewhat...cold.”

“Oh, yeah. Okay, I see what you mean. Hmmm.” She pressed a claw to her mouth, brows furrowed as she considered what he’d said. “She’s mentioned that she likes the sound of your voice.” He called upon all his time in the Galactic Horde to keep his expression neutral. “And she’s always listening to recordings. Maybe you could—“

Sea Hawk made an ungodly sound, and Hordak turned, searching for the source of his pain. Were they under attack? Then Sea Hawk grabbed the front of his shirt with both hands, pulling him down until they were eye to eye. The data pad was crushed between them. Faintly, he could hear Scorpia asking what was wrong, but Sea Hawk commanded all his attention at the moment. “YOU MUST SING FOR HER!”

What.

“I—No. Absolutely not.” He shoved Sea Hawk off of him, glaring.

Sea Hawk would not be dissuaded. “Yes! A song is the perfect way to express your love! Your passion! Your desire.”

Hordak stared at him, ears back. He looked to Scorpia, who seemed hesitant. “I’m not really sure about that....”

“I am absolutely sure that is not happening,” Hordak said firmly, deftly avoiding Sea Hawk as he reached for him again. “Stop touching me! I have not given you leave to do so!”

“But it would be so perfect! I can picture it now—“

Hordak had had enough of this. Ears back, he glowered at the man. Scorpia, seeing his face, paled. “Uh. Sea Hawk.”

“—swept up by your passion! And I can help you compose it! Nay, not just can—I will! I must! It is my sacred duty as your wingman—“

Hordak picked up the tech he’d been working on, glancing at Sea Hawk. He’d been intending to test it out anyway. “Sea Hawk!” Scorpia said, raising her voice. “You should really stop now. It would be a very good idea to not do any of the things you’re doing anymore.”

Ignoring both of them, Hordak took the tech and the data pad and marched to the doorway. It had no real door—they’d been working out of an abandoned shop, the door kicked in and the stock raided long ago. He set the data pad down, and pressed a component to each corner of the doorway. With a glance at Sea Hawk, who had finally noticed that Hordak was not just ignoring him but actively walking away, he pressed his thumb to the activator. A red beam fired from it, connecting to the opposite transmitter. In rapid sequence, each transmitter fired, and with a flash, a red field formed over the door.

Hordak stood back, studying it. No signs of sparking, and the field itself seemed solid enough. Through the red field, he could see Sea Hawk’s mouth moving but—blessedly, miraculously—he couldn’t hear him, except for a faint, muffled echo. He closed his eyes and sighed, at peace. Sea Hawk tapped at the field insistently, kindly providing proof of concept.

He stepped away and picked up the data pad. Scorpia looked at him with dread and fear in her eyes. “He’s not dead, is he? Please tell me he’s not dead. I know he’s a lot, but...just tell me he’s not dead.”

“He is not dead.” He turned the data pad to face the doorway. Seeing that he had their attention, Sea Hawk waved, then gestured for him to deactivate the forcefield. Hordak ignored this request and turned the data pad back around. “Are you satisfied?”

“Oh, wow. Okay. Phew. I really thought you’d, uh....” She let out an uneasy laugh. “I am so glad you didn’t kill him. I mean, we’ve been having such a nice conversation. It really would have spoiled things if....” She paused. “He can breathe in there, right?”

“Yes. It is merely a forcefield.”

She let out a relieve sigh. “Oh, good. Okay. So. Where were we?”

“You suggested a recording of some sort, but what?” They both grew quiet, thinking. Then, his eyes lit up. “Perhaps....”

“You have an idea?”

“I...believe so. You will tell me your thoughts. In a few weeks, only two of your ridiculous artificial moons will be visible for a period of approximately one hour before more of them rise. During that window, several stars and planets that would not normally be visible to the naked eye will be very prominent in the night sky. I could create a star chart for her, so that she could properly view these stars and planets. Perhaps I could record some information on each of them, for her to listen to while she views them?” He looked at Scorpia. “Would that be acceptable?”

Her eyes were watery again. “Oh. Wow. Okay. Yeah. That’s, um. That’s perfect. She’ll love that. And, uh, when exactly will this be? Perfuma loves the stars. It would be nice to show her more of them.”

“Send me your coordinates, and I will give you an exact time. Be sure to select a spot with a clear view of the sky, away from all ambient sources of light. That will provide you with the optimum viewing experience.”

She beamed at him. “Thanks! That would be great!”

He nodded. “Thank you for your assistance. It is appreciated.”

“No problem at all! And...keep in touch, okay? I’m, uh, I’m glad you and Entrapta found each other again.” She smiled at him and, ears cocked, he offered a hesitant nod.

“I believe I can do that,” he said, somewhat unsure of himself. The request seemed unusual, and yet, he felt inexplicably warmed by it. “You will...do the same?” He wasn’t sure if that was the correct reply, but her smile was bright and vibrant, so it seemed acceptable.

“I will.” She wished him well, then disconnected.

Hordak glanced at the forcefield, which Sea Hawk was testing by throwing his body against it. He shut his eyes, savoring the momentary silence. Then he approached the door and pressed his thumb to the activator. The field went out, and the soft humming he’d barely noticed before cut out all at once.

Unprepared for this, Sea Hawk ran past, stumbling on the shop’s stoop. Hordak caught him by the back of the shirt, saving him from falling face-first on the ground. He stood him upright, and held up a hand when Sea Hawk started to speak. “Do not touch me without my permission.”

“Oh. You—you don’t like that?”

“I do not.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Hordak shut his eyes and exhaled slowly, then entered the abandoned shop and activated the field, locking himself inside.

Silence. Blessed. Silence.

He would have to report to Entrapta that her plan was a success; with this in place, he would feel quite comfortable and secure in his quarters. Far more so than a mere lock would allow.

In his quarters several days later, Hordak’s data pad started to chime. “Answer call,” he said.

“Hordak!”

His features softened into a smile as he angled the data pad to face him. “Hello, Starlight. Did you—“

She squealed happily, interrupting him. “The tech! And the star-chart! The recording!”

“You received my package then. You are pleased?”

“Pleased? I’m—I’m speechless! No one’s ever done something like this for me before.”

His chest felt warm, his hearts light. “Scorpia assisted me. Sea Hawk was more of a hindrance, but he was present for parts of the discussion.”

She gave him a fond look. He realized that the Princess Alliance was very fortunate she had no interest in conquest, because he would have given her the world if he thought she’d look at him like that. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll miss you. When I’m looking at the stars.”

“You will have my commentary. And you will know I am looking at the same stars and thinking of you.”

“I know! It’s just...it’s not the same as having you here.” She paused, hair curling around her face. “I miss you. I miss having you in the lab. Kadroh tries, but he’s not you.” She paused. “Are you alone?”

“I am.”

“And...you won’t be interrupted?”

“The forcefield is on. I was just about to take off my armor before you called.”

“Ooh, can I watch?”

He cocked his head, ears flexing. “You want. To watch.”

“Is that okay?”

“I suppose.” He eyed her. “May I ask why?”

”I find it satisfying. Something in the way the pieces fit together, the way they connect to your ports. Additionally, I find you appealing to look at.”

His cheeks felt warm. He swallowed. “As you wish.” He angled the data pad and stepped away, so more of his body was visible to the camera. “Is this all right?”

She nodded eagerly. He hesitated, fingers on the crystal at his chest. “I am...unsure how to proceed.”

She leaned closer to the camera. “You don’t have to do anything special. You can just take it off as you usually do.” He nodded, but the uncertainty lingered. Despite her words, this felt like something else. Something different. She smiled. “If you like, I can give you directions.”

His shoulders relaxed. “I would appreciate that.”

“Okay, start with the crystal.” He obeyed readily, closing his hand around it. It felt good, nestled in his palm. “Now the vambraces.” H e reluctantly set the chip aside, and held up his arm to begin unhooking the armor from his radial ports. The touch of cool air on his skin was a welcome relief after the heat of the day. “I wish I was with you,” she said while he took of the other vambrace. “I want to run my hands over your arms.”

He froze, remembering what it felt like to have her hands on his forearms, fingers running through the radial void. His skin prickled at the thought. “It is pleasant,” he said stiffly, “When you do that.”

“Yeah?” He nodded. “Would it be pleasant if I kissed your hands?”

He looked at the data pad, then at his hands, flexing the fingers. “Why would you...?”

“I like your hands,” she said. “Sometimes, in the lab, I like to watch you work; I find it satisfying. You’re very dextrous. I think about kissing them. Your knuckles. Your fingertips. Do you think you would like that, if I did?”

He swallowed hard. He could hear his hearts beating. “Not. Not in the lab. That would be unsafe. But...I think. Perhaps I might. Enjoy that in. Other circumstances.”

“Oh, good! When I see you, we’ll have to try it.” He nodded, feeling faintly adrift. “Now the armor around your upper arms.”

“Rerebrace.”

“Hmmm?”

“That’s the name of it. A rerebrace.”

“Oh! Okay. Yeah, go ahead and remove that.”

He nodded and worked the pieces of the rerebrace free. He winced a little, massaging the withered muscle when it was exposed. “Do your arms hurt?” she asked, voice soft.

“No more than usual.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He paused, looking at the data pad. “Yes. They ache. Is that a sufficient answer?” She nodded, a worried line appearing between her brows. Not wanting to linger on that, he asked, “Should I remove my pauldrons?”

“Please.” He disconnected them from his scapular ports, rolling his shoulder after removing each. “Does it feel good, taking off your armor?”

Absently working the stiffness from his arm and shoulder, he considered her question. “It helps to manage my pain, so it is not entirely pleasant to take it off. Nor do I enjoy this state of vulnerability. However, it does become uncomfortable after wearing it for a long period. In that way, it is a relief to remove it.”

“I see.”

He finished stretching his shoulders, then reached back to disconnect his gorget from his thoracic and cervical ports. He couldn’t withhold a soft groan, and he ran his fingers around the cervical port, over the back of his neck, massaging the tendons. He lifted his chin and rubbed his fingers along the sides of his throat, easing the tension that tightened the muscles. He rolled his neck, and Entrapta made a soft, strained sound. He paused, one hand on the nape of his neck. “Are you all right?”

She nodded, one hand covering her mouth. “Mmh-hmm. Keep going.”

His ears twitched in confusion, but he only had one more segment to remove. The rib guards each disconnected with a soft hiss and he set them aside. A faint ache spread across his ribcage, and he raised one arm at a time, massaging the muscles along his sides as he did. Entrapta watched, rapt. He paused, looking at her. “You truly are enjoying this, aren’t you?”

She nodded slowly. “I admit, I’ve never been particularly interested in...visual stimuli. But I find that watching you is.” She exhaled shakily. “Stimulating. More so than expected.”

His hair prickled, and he smoothed it down instinctively. “Stimulating.”

“Yes. Very.”

“I. See.” His ears flexed. “In...in what way?”

“Sexually.”

The prickling grew worse, and he cleared his throat, feeling heat spread across his cheeks. “I. I was not aware that this kind of activity could be....” His chest felt tight, and his hearts were beating fast. “Arousing. In that way.”

“Oh.” Her eyes went wide. “I’m sorry! I should have— That is.” A red flush spread across her cheeks. “I think I mishandled this situation,” she said, “When I asked to watch you remove your armor, it was an innocent request. I find it...satisfying. The same way I find it satisfying to deconstruct a robot. I didn’t take my sexual interest into account, so I didn’t realize that it would likely affect me in an entirely different way as well!” Her blush deepened, and her hair began wrapping itself around her. “If I’d thought about it, I would have known, and I would have asked if you were okay with that before we continued! I didn’t mean to make you feel...used.”

“Used?”

She nodded, eyes wide. Her hair was frazzled, grasping tightly at her clothing and her arms. “It’s a matter of consent, isn’t it? It would be one thing, if you knew I wanted to watch you undress for purposes of sexual gratification—“ The heat spread across his face, all the way to the tips of his ears. “—but it’s entirely another if I watched you for that purpose without your knowledge or consent. But I didn’t—I didn’t intend to! This is an...unprecedented reaction on my part.” She spoke in rapid succession, her discomfort obvious. “I would have clarified, if I knew, or I wouldn’t have asked in the first place!” Her hair was so frizzy and so tightly coiled, it looked like she was being consumed by it. “I’m sorry!”

“Entrapta.” He wished that he was there with her, wished that he could reach out and offer her his hand. “I do not feel used.”

She swallowed. “You don’t?”

“No. I feel...” He considered. “Surprised. I admit I am also intrigued. I was under the impression that tactile stimulation was necessary to be...aroused. To any degree.”

“Oh, no. There are lots of ways to cause sexual arousal. Their effectiveness varies from person to person, but any engagement of the senses can be arousing, so much so that they’re used as masturbatory aids. Visual stimuli, auditory stimuli, or a combination of both is very popular. Personally, I prefer mental stimulation in the form of erotic literature.”

“Erotic. Literature.”

“Yeah—people write about sex or characters having sex or something similar, and that can be very stimulating.”

His face felt like it was burning. “Would.” He swallowed. “The. The procedural outline you gave to me. Could that be considered. Erotic literature?”

She blinked. “Oh. I didn’t really think of it that way, but I guess it could. Why?”

He felt a little lightheaded. “I believe I need to sit down.” He grabbed the data pad and sat on the bed. “So, it is...normal to react physically to non-tactile stimulation?”

“Oh, yes. Perfectly normal.”

“It is not a sign of-of...unnatural desires? Or anything...perverse?”

“Not at all!” She studied him, and her eyes widened. “Oh. Did you find my outline stimulating?”

He looked away, ears drawn down. “I.” He exhaled hard, fingers clenching on the bedspread. “Yes. I thought.” He shut his eyes. “I thought that there was something wrong with me. Prime always said we would be nothing but beasts without his influence to control our urges. I thought my reaction was...supporting evidence.”

“Oh, no! No, it’s not that at all!” She swore softly, and he looked at her, ears cocked. He rarely heard her use that kind of language. “I wish I was there. I wish I could hold you. I wish....” Her mouth was firm, though her eyes seemed wide and over-bright. “Prime is a liar,” she said. “He lied to you. All of you. There is nothing wrong with you. Nothing unnatural or perverse. If anything—“ She lifted her chin, and there was something fierce in her gaze, something protective. “I’m glad you found my proposal stimulating. Flattered, even. Next time, though, I would like it if you talked to me if anything I do or say causes you to feel that way.”

“I was ashamed. I thought you would think less of me.”

The fierceness faded into something sad. “Oh, Hordak....”

He shut his eyes, wincing. “I should have talked to you.” His ears pulled back, and he looked away from the data pad. “You have proven yourself worthy of my trust. I am sorry I did not honor that.”

“It’s okay,” she said, “When you don’t think you deserve better, or if it matches your past experience with people, it’s easier to believe the worst. Even of people you...trust.” Her voice sounded strange. He turned and realized she’d drawn her mask down. “But we can be better with each other. Or, at least, we can try. Right?” She cocked her head in question.

Slowly, he nodded, wishing that she was here with him. Wishing he was there with her. “Yes. We will be better with each other.”

She raised her mask hesitantly. “Does this mean you’re still interested in our Intimacy Log? I thought you might have changed your mind, and I didn’t want to pressure you.”

He hesitated. “I worry about harming you.”

She smiled. “That’s okay. I worry about hurting you too.” He blinked. “I think, if we endeavor to talk to each other openly and honestly, we’ll be okay. I am comfortable proceeding with the log if you are.”

He swallowed. The idea had him feeling jittery and nervous, but there was an element of excitement as well. And a not insignificant part of him just wanted to prove Prime wrong. Slowly, he nodded. “Yes. I would like to proceed. I will review your proposal and send it back to you. When I return, perhaps we can...attempt the procedure.”

She smiled. “I would like that. And if you change your mind, please tell me.”

“I will.”

A/N: Your comments are treasured. I may not reply (for various reasons) but know that I often re-read the things you guys say because they make me so happy. Thank you so much. ^_^ I’m glad you’re all reading and enjoying this fic.

#intimacy log #entrapdak #hordak #entrapta #my work #work inappropriate #sea hawk #scorpia

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