#and then she was tortured at the hands of Horde Prime

[catras-breakup-song]

how do you feel about the whole "you always wanted more" line that got cut? at first i was wondering why they did that because adora didn't want more until it made me think "huh, what if prime was just running on catra's memories and didn't actually know adora?" but i'm curious as to what you think

OH MY GOD I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED THIS. i am such a sucker for the cut STC script. back in late 2020 & early 2021 i had a twitter layout based on “that little spot on the roof that only they knew about” because S3 is my favorite:

even better, i have another old twitter fancam saved from around that time too that used that screenshot of the script in the beginning. it was by the username yoosene but is now long gone, so i reuploaded it to imgur here (the hands part, i’m going insane…)!

anyway, as for interpretations, it was absolutely to manipulate & guilt-trip adora. i recently saw someone say (i don’t remember where though, sorry) that he was torturing both of them by setting up that nasty fight against both of their wills and had planned to kill catra all along — despite saying he wouldn’t right after she rescued glimmer and was imprisoned for it, in my opinion there was an unspoken “yet” even though he did technically say that word but you know what i mean; “you will be of use to me, and then everyone from your blighted planet, including yourself, will be destroyed.”

that’s the thing about what the show was trying to convey through her stay on prime’s ship via glimmer’s desperate pleas, isn’t it? her illusion of power was only ever temporary. once she no longer had anything of value to serve, what would she be worth? how could she have genuinely believed that he wanted to save her, of all living beings, from the curse of humanity & will of consciousness? what makes one individual different to an omnipotent god compared to countless others across the universe throughout space and time? i truly believe that he was subtly mocking her when he talked of her being “exalted, raised up above the other wretched creatures of [her] home world.”

i was actually trying to find another five by five takes quote about this, because mentioning them is always an obligation for me, but surprisingly i didn't really find anything about how catra had worked her way up to prime's recognized single subordinate (only that moment of reflection afterward, which is just this entire short video), and was under the false impression with a cocky & confident attitude that her position meant something for her safety & survival; i'm mostly referring to this moment:

the horde's the horde...even in space. as long as i'm of value to horde prime, i've got a place in this world. i can work my way up here, just like i did before.

actually y’know what… i’m going to tag @horde-princess because this is starting to dive into religious meta which is like… her whole gimmick thingy. we would be blessed (pun intended) to see your take on this writing that never made it to the show, if you haven’t given it already!

now this is veering too far off from the original point after getting sidetracked. the tone of those quotes in the alternate script is (fake) pity, and horde prime was entertained by the struggles of mere mortals. to make adora a failure of what she represented would surely force her to give up she-ra to him, because what would even be the point anymore of living up to expectations if she couldn’t save catra first & foremost (that’s something that she struggled with since initially leaving the horde over three years ago due to how catra made her feel about supposedly breaking their childhood promise… but it’s a story for another post)?

i don’t doubt that your thought process is at least partially right too though, anon. prime didn’t read adora’s mind thoroughly at any point, so it’s entirely possible that he just read off catra’s intense feelings of abandonment & betrayal. that being said, if he really did see all as he claimed, maybe he was able to recreate an objectively accurate collection of events and knows what really happened and what the intentions behind certain actions were. i also wonder if catra secretly knew deep down that adora’s defection wasn’t directly about her but just couldn’t admit it until she had time to deeply reflect on it during “corridors.”

i’ll leave this messy, unorganized post with an amazingly relevant gif set made by an editor whose work on here i really enjoy:

as i said a long time ago, you just had to be there on november 19th 2020 when that excerpt was released because the hype was crazy!

[that-one-scorpia-kinnie]

"Catra got forgiven way too easily and didn't face any consequences for her actions!!"

Hunny she fucking died what more do you want from her?

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i'm just gonna say it. hordak was more redeemable than catra.

no, i haven't forgotten that he was a tyrannical warlord who conquered and destroyed like half of etheria. i'm not saying any of it was justified or that he deserves to get off scot-free.

i just think that hordak had more moments of humanity. we know what he was but there were less instances of hordak being straight-up sadistic on screen. there were actually no instances of hordak attacking anyone, except for that one time in s4 when he attacked catra (which she 100% deserved).

whereas he did have moments of genuine kindness and compassion. he took adora in, when he had the choice to abandon her and leave her to her death. granted, he raised her as a child soldier in the horde, but she was alive thanks to him, nonetheless.

he takes care of imp as he would take care of a child. even when he gets angry, he rarely intentionally hurts people like catra did. the most he did was scream at them. which is not good either, mind you, but it's something that he could work on. it wasn't cruel and destructive like catra's temper.

he also treated entrapta with great care and respect. after a moment of fury, he quiets down and lets entrapta help him. when entrapta mentions in an offhand manner that she was also a defect (or something along that line, i forget), hordak was first concerned and then rightfully furious at whoever dared to demean her like that.

he needed a little push from imp but he expressed his gratitude towards entrapta and treated her as an equal from then on. he even risked his own physical health to protect entrapta. when catra sent entrapta to beast island and double trouble told him about it later on, hordak was ready to murder catra for daring to hurt the one person who understood and loved him.

later in s5, we see what exactly hordak went through at the hands of his creator. although like every other character, his trauma was pushed aside for catra's, you could still see how hard he had it. horde prime was worse than shadow weaver, when it came to abuse. and despite all that, hordak was still able to show kindness to a few people in his life.

of course, that doesn't erase everything he did to the people of etheria. it doesn't erase the toxic environment he created for the children in the horde. but i feel like a villain with some moments of compassion is a lot more promising than a villain who relentlessly hurts and tortures people, not showing even an ounce of regret.

[theonlypterydactyl]

Catra, the realistic abused child

Shadow Weaver gives Catra her view of the world and Catra becomes an outlet for her shame and self-hate. Love is weakness and weakness isn't allowed. Love is finite.

When Adora leaves Catra's sense of safety is shattered. Adora was the person who protected her and gave her value. If Adora is gone what value does Catra have? So, Catra has to prove herself. If she never needed Adora her betrayal can't hurt.

Catra's story is about protecting the little girl who didn't know the cruelness of the world, who was innocent. She does everything to protect her, even if that means pushing everyone away. So, she's cold and cruel to Scorpio who wants to give her the closeness she needs. But, Catra is a walking paradox, she craves connection, but closeness is a precursor to pain.

Adora is begging her to come with her, and Catra doesn't. It would've saved a lot of time and pain, but going with Adora means that she would have to accept the word of two complete strangers. Adora chose the two strangers over her. When Catra sees that She-Ra is Adora this proves to her how meaningless Catra is and how great Adora is.

To Catra familiarity and power mean safety. If she's at the top no one can hurt her. So, she takes on Shadow Weaver's role to feel safe. But, it stops working. She is tortured by Horak and sent to the Crimson Waste to die.

In the Crimson Waste Catra changes. Just a short amount of time away from the place where she's been abused and traumatized she's nicer towards Scorpia and more playful. When she captures Adora and finds out that Shadow Weaver went to Brightmoon, to Adora. Adora is greater than Catra even if she defected. She's still the golden child.

She has tunnel vision. There is only one thing that will match the amount of pain that she is feeling. She pulls the lever, knowing full well that everything will change.

Everything is how is should be. Adora is Force Captain and Catra isn't in charge. Shadow Weaver is kind. But, no matter how much Catra tried to make her stay, Adora was bound to leave anyway. With nothing left to lose she lets herself and the world burn.

Catra comes back to her addictive patterns full force. It's easier to hide from the pain that to confront it. Her treatment of Scorpia is reflected in if love comes to easily it isn't worth something.

In Corridors we see Catra and Adora as children. Adora is friends with Lonnie. Catra thinks that Adora is going to leave her and be with Lonnie all the time, because to her love is finite. Catra loses value to Adora because there is this other person she has to compete with and Catra isn’t deserving of love. She goes and talks with Glimmer and they start talking about Adora. Catra realizes that maybe Adora didn’t leave for power and glory, maybe she loves Glimmer, and maybe, just maybe, she loved Catra as well. Maybe it’s too late, but Catra gains this new clarity and wants to do one good thing in her life. She saves Glimmer and expects to die at the hands of Horde Prime and she’s okay with it. There is nothing left for her. The only person who cared about her was Adora and she left for bigger and better things and better connections.

Adora comes back for her. Catra has two options, accept Adora’s forgiveness or be dumped on a planet and die. But, her forgiveness is what cuts through. Adora is the only person who has seen both her pain and the person beneath it, so if Adora can forgive her maybe Catra is forgivable?

The addictive cycles are far from broken. She’s actively trying to be a better person. But, she falls back on old patterns when she is scared. It is easier to accept hate than it is to accept love that can be taken away. To Catra love is finite.

But, she stands up to Shadow Weaver for her and Adora. But, Adora is manipulated by Shadow Weaver takes the Failsafe and sacrifices herself. Catra is trying to protect Adora from her own self destructive behaviors, but it doesn’t work. Adora still is determined to sacrifice herself for the sake of Etheria.

She's scared and and runs away. She can't watch Adora sacrifice herself. Catra asks Adora what she wants, maybe just maybe she wants her, but that would be too far fetched, right?

At the Heart of Etheria, Catra goes back for Adora. She stays by her side as she is willing to give up her life for everyone on Etheria. Without expecting any reciprocation, Catra tells Adora that she is loved.

Catra’s story is realistic childhood abuse and trauma. It isn’t romanticized with these vulnerable, meek victims. Her story is messy and violent and ugly, as it should be. But, the solution is just as simple as it sounds. Change. Trauma brain relies on patterns and predictability. In Corridors, Catra is looking down two hallways. A light one and a dark one. The light could be symbolized by Horde Prime’s “light”. He enlightens these worlds and makes them better. This “light” is what strips them of their identity. The light is what strips Catra of her identity. The dark corridor could represent the choice of the unknown, the change that the unknown will bring, or the dark where Catra would hide in order to get away from everything, the dark where Adora willingly sat with her. This change is what led her to breaking the cycle of a trauma mindset and allowed her to accept Adora’s forgiveness. Catra’s character arc isn’t one of linear growth, it rises and it falls because she’s human. Unlearning the familiar cycles is hard and you’re going to fall back on them because familiarity is safety, but acknowledging and pushing past those lows is what leads towards a better tomorrow.

(my own interpretations backed up five by five takes)

[thestargayzingetherian]

Sailing Through The Endless Night

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra) Characters: Adora (She-Ra), Catra (She-Ra) Additional Tags: Fluff, space, Lesbians in Space, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5, Sleepy Adora (She-Ra), Late at Night, Jock Adora (She-Ra), Catra is in Love with Adora (She-Ra), Catra Needs a Hug (She-Ra), Pre-Relationship, Post-Episode: s05e06 Taking Control (She-Ra) Series: Part 29 of Adapted Prompts, Part 13 of Catradora: During The War Summary: One night while recovering from yet another nightmare about her torture at Horde Prime’s hands, Catra finds she is not the only one awake aboard Darla that night, as she finds Adora once again trying to summon her She-Ra powers. (Catradora, Canon, Hurt/Comfort/Fluff)

[freedfromthegalactichivemind]

Fanfic ideas I don't know if I'll actually get around to doing: (Followers tell me if you think any of these are interesting). Stray Hordak-idea I got a few days ago that I've pinged around the old noggin: I don't know if this one is safe to write because it feels like it might be a little lurid, might earn me the wrath of other, more coddling Hordak-stans... So, the idea is that a random Force Captain has done something grave. My idea was basically embezzlement, one of the guys in charge of the supply-lines nicking some of the supplies to sell on the black market for his own profit, meanwhile troops aren't getting their ration bars and armor and (in my darker than canon Etheria), this has caused deaths of troops. The offending Force Captain is found out and must be made an example of. It is not an offense that simply shuffling off to Beast Island will suffice for. Hordak basically needs to drive the fear of Prime into his troops, so he does a very public, mandatory-viewing torture-session on the guy. I don't want to make anything horribly grisly-detailed, more like, Hordak has loyal captains strap him between two poles so that he can deliver 10 lashes, followed by some prods with a stun-baton. The guy is not killed, but before being imprisoned, he does regret defying orders - and others know what Hordak will do to them if they ever get caught doing something so egregious. And... while third-person writing feels best for me, the entire thing is Hordak's POV, as in, while he is making a necessary example of a man who got greedy and who cost Horde-lives, he is, the entire time, not at all feeling comfortable with his actions. He does not like doing this stuff hands-on. He is having flashbacks to Prime - Prime's very personal pool-dunks and throat-grabs and other, similar off-screen stuff that Prime did to him and his brothers to lay down the law. Hordak is torn between this being the only way he knows how to lay down discipline and feeling personally uncomfortable with the up-close and personal nature of it. It's set pre-series proper (like, Adora and Catra are little kids, dunno if they'll be made to watch, probably), and this is basically when Hordak decides to be less personal in his discipline - to order others to do such things, to use things like the air-machine. I sort of want to do something exploring Hordak having a budding conscience, but also being ruthless - like, there is a reason why he's in the position that he's in at the start of the series, but there's also the poor sad-man indoctrinated/conflicted bat-clone, there, too. The other idea I have is a thing I've had for-freakin' ever. It's an Angella-idea. It ends with rescue, but it is Angella's experience trapped between dimensions. (You can basically come up with anything for that, ranging from "shred-across-spacetime-she's-totally-dead" to "maybe she's living an alternate life with her happy family in that happiness-world), but this idea takes direct inspiration from the SCP Foundation. I've seen an animated lore-video about The Red Reality. It features a researcher who gets sucked into a void-dimension and the "red" part of it comes from a machine that got sucked in with him that has a red blinking light. He uses this machine, the one sight / sense in the entire place as an attempted sanity-beacon as he wanders endlessly. Attempts at rescue in his case do not go well and eventually he is unraveled by the "low-reality" aspects of the void-realm. I'll not have that happen to Angella, but I do want to explore a bit of going mad from isolation and countermeasures against it - and the idea that she could have only survived with her mind intact because she is an immortal being, that is, if she were an actual mortal human, she would have lost her mind completely. In other words, when she comes back and recovers, she has some data for Entrapta.

[samuel-vimes]

I've seen a few people saying that Catra's happy ending was unearned, and that she didn't have enough of a redemption arc to make her relationship with Adora healthy, and I think I've finally put my finger on why I don't agree.

She didn't need a redemption arc to switch sides - she needed the one person in her life that she ever truly loved to show that their connection was still important and that Catra was worth saving.

Adora's defection from the Horde crushed Catra and severed the only true connection to another person she'd ever had. Catra struggled to make friends growing up due to the competitive and abusive environment of the Horde, so Adora was her only link to the part of herself that knew how to love. When Adora defected from the Horde for the sake of other people, Catra didn't understand how Adora could care enough about others to do that, since caring about anybody other than Adora (ex. Shadow Weaver) had only ever gotten her hurt. She'd learned to lock off her feelings to everyone else, so Adora's betrayal was incredibly impactful and destroyed what capacity to trust she had left.

We see how her attempts to build connections throughout the series leading up to the arrival of Horde Prime causes her strife over and over again. She tries to connect with Shadow Weaver, only to be manipulated and betrayed. She tries to connect with Hordak, only to find the relationship purely based on her usefulness instead of any real trust or affection. The two people who try to connect with her the most, Entrapta and Scorpia, are eventually driven away through the self-defense mechanisms Catra has developed over a lifetime of emotional abuse from Shadow Weaver. She becomes consumed with her goal of conquering Etheria for the Horde partly as a method of self-destruction - she is desperately, achingly lonely, and her pain turns into rage which she aims at everything around her because if there is nobody to reject her she cannot be hurt by rejection again.

In the end, what Catra needed to turn to the side of good was the acknowledgement from someone else that she has the capacity for good left in her, after everything. She gets that from Glimmer, who she chooses to save. I think that Glimmer's plea for Catra to do one good thing in her life began Catra's realisation that she even had the ability to choose good. Then, Adora risks everything for her - finally choosing Catra over anything else. Adora's choice to save Catra over everything wasn't something Catra manipulated her into doing, but it was the only thing that could have convinced Catra that she had any worth left - Adora chose her even after everything, because she recognised that Catra still had light in her and was still worth saving.

When Catra wakes to find Adora has rescued her, her worldview is turned upside down again, much like when Adora initially defected from the Horde. Adora's defection had her believing that she wasn't worth as much to Adora as the Rebellion Etherians that Adora had only met that day, and her whole life Adora had been the only person who made her feel like she was worth anything. Catra had an understanding of the Horde's cruel and evil nature that Adora lacked since she had more first hand experience of it than Adora did. Shadow Weaver was abusive to them both, but Catra very much bore the brunt of the physical abuse and more overt mental torture. Adora had managed to keep her innocence through their messed up childhood, allowing her to develop a moral compass. Catra's moral development was skewed incredibly by her upbringing, because in the Horde right and wrong didn't matter, only strength and loyalty to the cause. I believe Adora's choice to leave the Horde on moral grounds was the spark that led to Catra finally developing a sense of morality, something deeply terrifying to her. Adora's choices had finally forced Catra to consider right and wrong, and she knew where she fell but could see no path other than using strength to force her wrong choices to become the right ones in the eyes of the world - something she believed Horde victory would achieve.

When Adora chose to risk saving her despite it being the tactically poor choice, Catra was confronted with the realisation that despite it all, Adora still cared about her. She'd rebuilt the worldview that Adora shattered upon leaving the Horde around her own anger with herself and the world that formed her, resulting in a foundational belief in her unloveable nature and irredeemability. Adora choosing to care despite that broke surface of Catra's self hatred and allowed her to begin to heal. Bow, Glimmer and Entrapta's acceptance of her despite all the terrible things she had done reinforced the new message she was beginning to understand - it wasn't too late for her to make the right choices.

Catra needed to know that she could be loved and that the world wouldn't punish her for it before she could begin to heal, and healing was the only way for her to stop her self destructive cycle of pain and anger and loss.

If the show had continued past season 5, I think we would have seen Catra attempting to make amends, as we see the beginning of her doing so once she joins the Rebellion. However, I think that her acceptance into the Best Friend Squad and the love she gets to share with Adora coming at the beginning of her turn to good is a fundamental part of what makes her so striking as a character - here is someone who has done unspeakable things being given love and forgiveness so easily because that's what she needed. You can have those things too, if you need them.

TL;DR: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a show about hope, and that hope is granted to EVERYONE. You don't have to be redeemed to have hope. It's not too late for anybody, despite what they've done, because hope isn't something that's earned - it's there, and it's found through love for others, and everyone gets it unconditionally.

[soranis-sunshadow]

I'm less likely to sympathize with unattractive characters, and when attractive characters do bad things, it doesn't register emotionally. Mentally, I get that Horde Prime abused Hordak, but it doesn't hit. But Catra getting abused by Shadow Weaver hits like a freight train. Every time I see Horde Prime, I'm just like, "Look at how handsome he is!" and the whole abusive Christian god who can read and erase your mind against your will thing is just in the background. Do you have posts about this?

I do actually have something related.

For starters: Why Hordak stans find him relatable

then, tangentially - why some people relate to some characters in the show's troubles and not some of the others (Hordak is mentioned but it's more about Wrong Hordak)

There's more down the rabbit hole but I can't really find it right now, just skim through the masterpost. It's pinned for convenience on my blog.

As a direct answer to this, I must add:

Look, I don't really understand how the degree to which you find someone physically attractive can determine how much you are willing to empathize with their suffering or view them as people. To me, that never actually factors into the equation.

Suffering is suffering, no matter how attracted I am in a character of how much I care (or don't) about said character to begin with.

Hell, I even feel sympathetic towards Sea Hawk of all people, because he feels like he is unappreciated and unwelcome. His pain is real to him.

Catra is conventionally pretty, but I'm personally not attracted to her (to be honest, I'm not physically attracted in the traditional sense to much of anything) Would me disregarding her abuse not make me callous?

Is her story not touching and tragic unless I see her as hot? Do I see her as a person only if I want to bone her?

Would it not be strange to mention to Catra's fans how much of a MILF Shadow Weaver is and her *waves hand* figure or whatever makes me not pay attention to whatever she was doing to the catgirl?***

It's the same with any other character really.

Showing empathy only to people you can relate to or people you have a personal interest in (aka you find hot) is... well.. It's not right, is it?

You could extend and extrapolate that sort of mentality to being able to show empathy (and compassion/ understanding) only to people of a certain gender, or sexual orientation, only to people of a certain origin or color that the viewer finds attractive.. doesn't that sound... off to you?

I don't really have a name for the feeling that instills in me but I would liken it to discomfort in a way though the word is insufficient. It's a sort of disheartenment at how shallow the ability for some humans is to care or show any consideration or compassion towards someone they don't have a vested interest in or they don't care to relate to.

It's sad that torture is only relevant to some people if the victim is personally appealing to them.

*** (for the record, I do care about Catra's suffering at her adoptive mother's hand and I don't dismiss what she's been through even though I don't particularly care about her physical attributes)

[witch-apologist]

To address White Out.

Catra first gets the idea to use the corrupted chip when Entrapta says it messes with She Ras powers. She does not inform Catra that it makes her loopy or drives her berserk. We know from experience that most times a fight with She Ra and catra is unevenly matched. In favor of She Ra. We know because She Ra is stronger than Adora and Adora and Catra are clearly evenly matched with just Adora. And the fact thay Catra literally can't beat She Ra without doing something level the playing feild like separating her from her sword etc,

So before catra uses the chip on Adora she likely thinks its just gonna nerf She Ra or like, prevent Adora from becoming She Ra/detransform her.

Then Adora does rampage and Catra makes some comments that some people find, concerning to put it nicely.

Making comments about making her kill her friends

Making comments about "looks like you're mine now"

Making comments about having "control" of Adora.

And im not gonna lie and say Catra has no desire to have a say in what Adora does, especially when her own survival has depended on her for so long. She does so yes she does want some control over Adora.

HOWEVER

Catra is straight up bluffing with these comments. She just is. Worst shes gonna do is imprison Adora and try to convince her to work for the Horde again. She'll make mean comments too maybe.

How do I know?

Well what does catra do whenever she DOES get ahold of Adora

1: Restrain after a long fight, no further action

2: Let her go because Shadow Weaver was going to torture her/erase her memory

3: Left her in a castle she literally watched the ai controller of say she wanted to talk to/help adora. Canonically even says she knew Adora would most likely survive.

4: Has Scorpia, literally the nicest person in the Horde watch over/guard her

5: restrain and talk to her

6: Restrain and talk to her 2, activate portal.

This one im not counting but gonna talk about it in case someone brings it up. During the Portal reality everyone has lost their memories, everyone except maybe Razz who has her own time fuckery going on. Catras actions are because she believes this is how things are and how they are supposed to be. She cannot see what Adora sees so from her perspective Adora has suddenly developed a major case of psychosis and she responds the only ways she knows how. The moment Catra regains all of her memories she turns on Adora and begins to fight her. That is not Catra controlling a trapped adora but instead a worried Catra panicking about her best friend suddenly losing it.

7: Is corrupted by the portal magic, has knowledge she shouldn't, is probably overwhelmed and corrupted by this knowledge that has infected her mind through the portal, Fights adora and says mean things but Adora is still free handed and able to fight back, gets knocked out with one punch.

8: this time she uses electricity to combat She Ra, but thats it just an electricity minefield that she stays far away from

Even before all that at one point Adora says "I told you I'm not coming back" to which Catra says "I don't think Shadow Weaver plans on giving you a choice" key word here is Shadow Weaver.

Thats it, that's All the times that Catra has any opportunity to "control" adora or "make her hurt her friends" or lay claim to Adora. Not once does she actually use it.

Now that we've established that out of the many times Catra has had an opportunity to "control" Adora she never once takes it lets talk about another pattern of behaviour.

Catra bluffs

All the time

Especially when something goes wrong or when she feels her control on a situation slipping. Hell she even bluffs to avoid being vulnerable.

She bluffs about not wanting recognition in the Horde, she bluffs about being bad cop to Entrapta, she bluffs about torturing Entrapta/ordering her killed to Bow and Glimmer, She bluffs about Entrapta betraying the Horde, She bluffs to protect Scorpia, she bluffs to Prime about knowing how to activate the Heart of Etheria. Catra is known for bluffing about anything and everything to make herself seem in control or to save herself from danger.

So yeah I dont believe for a second that she would have forced adora to do anything, except maybe listen to her rants whenever she visits her cell.

[sometipsygnostalgic]

Hordak being friends with the princesses: yay or nay?

hmmmmm

if the setting is treated realistically, absolutely not

on the other hand the show has lots of "power of friendship" stuff, because it's for kids, and also because it's more fun and 2000s nostalgic that way (like teen titans, witch, etc)

which is why everyone forgives the other horde characters pretty easily

and the Best Friend Squad is thoroughly emphasized at the end, as Catra finally joins the main squad. I mean, there has to be one for her to join it, even if it seems redundant with the sheer number of characters they have good chemistry with who are Not in that group.

(in my opinion Best Friend Squad are fine in isolation and i love all their 1/1 relationships, but they're insufferable as a friend group, especially when theyre directly compared to the Horde group dynamics, which alternate between the Super Pal Misfits and the Disaster Horde Leaders depending on the season, and all get way more interesting plotlines/conflicts. I would've killed for a SPT reunion in season 5 even for 2 seconds. Love what we got but it needed more. Especially Scorpia, who only got 1 and a half episodes vs Entrapta at least being in the A-squad with Catra, as well as her own arc with Hordak. Scorpia deserves all the love and should be in every friend group. Anyway BFS are normie in comparison and I can't click with them as a full set, not after season 1 which is when Adora was new to her environment and they were at their best.)

So yeah I think the idea of Hordak having a tense but existing friendship with the princesses is quite entertaining. Mermista in particular is a funny one because they're both grumpy, and everyone expects her to hate him and Catra because 1. they burned down her country, 2. Mermista has ALREADY been shown to hold a grudge, but Mermista has ALSO been shown to get over both things remarkably quickly and return to her sassy self, mostly with help from ice cream. So I think they would get along excellently. Especially with their chaotic life partners setting things on fire together. I mean, they'd bond just through standing on the side with a fire extinguisher and looking at each other like, "you too, huh?"

Hordak and Catra is an interesting one because on one hand he is on her list of abusers, and she did some very awful shit to him and someone he cares about too, so Hordak will probably hold a massive grudge, and Catra will have a whole bag of complicated feelings.

But they also have this level of solidarity that permeated their relationship up until their final interactions before Hordak stepped in the pool. They've been through a lot of shared experiences. In part because of what Catra did to Hordak, and in part because she was put through the same torture by Prime, she understands him very well. Whether they would become friends would probably depend on whether Hordak can forgive her. But it's hard not to, when Catra understands what it was like to be under Prime, when Entrapta likes her so much, and when Hordak seems to have an understanding with Adora.

[andhereisthetea]

Hordak not getting over it on Season 4

There are three scenes, three specific scenes belonging to season 4 which makes me think Hordak would have, eventually, give up his mission to conquer Etheria on a Heartbeat IF Entrapta was involved.

1) The Recordings

You know, I have read a lot of metas, very good metas and long posts about why Hordak needed Entrapta’s recordings on Season 4 to complete his weapon explaining that what he wanted was to heard her voice again, but the more I think about it, the more I belive he wanted it for more than just feed his hearbreak and longing.

He wanted clarification about why she betrayed him.

Hordak is not only a warrior, but a very good scientist, I can understand him trying to search for explanation over the most mundane things, and facing such emotional but at the same time very confusing episode in his life regarding a woman who he seen like his only and true friewnd, I am quite sure he would want to know what really happened, in fact he would want to seek *emphirical proof* behind Entrapta’s behaviours, and what would be better than to study her recordings?

Entrapta uses her recording for absolutely *everything*, it wouldn’t be weird, from the point of view of Hordak, to think that she recorded the process and steps to betray him. The thing is, as we all know, and Hordak also seen to feel (and confirm via Double Trouble), something is off about it, and the answers are in fact in front of him:

Why would Entrapta help him with such a powerful armor AND advanced weaponry IF she was gonna betray him?

The answers should be on the recordings, he would think.

Also, I would like to point out on the exact episode how Hordak, even after listening to Catra speech about “not needing anyone, not even a Princess”, he looks at the first one’s tech under the trash on his desk and realizes that is *Entrapta’s studies with this technology* what he needed all along. 

2) The Usseless Speech

Hordak has been years trying to conquer Etheria, in season 4 he is on an ongoing battle both external and internal, very personal, about which spteps to take next, but what I would like to point out in season 4 is the fact that Hordak’s fight for worthiness started to follow a very personal path regarding Entrapta, even more than proving himself to Prime. 

The scene where Catra delivers her speech to him in Princess Scorpia episode, just after he realized he would never heard Entrapta’s voice again (and never get answers about her betrayal) is very much a proof that, no matter what others would tell him about his obsession with the Princess, he just wouldn’t give up, for good or bad:

Lest take a look at the speech:

And then, just seconds after Catra’s speech:

This scene for me has always been... strange, why putting two scenes that override each othe in the same episode with seconds of difference? until I realized that the crystal Hordak had found under all the trash on his desk is exactly the same kind of crystal his Armor has, the same type as the Luvd crystal, which now powers an armor created by Entrapta, a technology that he got to understand ONLY because of her:

(thanks @cruelfeline​ for your incredible meta about Entrapta’s innovations)

This scene above is the partial answer that he was looking for regarding his weaponry (but not Entrapta’s betrayal), we even saw him stufying it on Flutterina and again thinking about her. He now knows he can complete his weapon because of Entrapta’s innovations and technology left behind, he is now gonna be capable of proving his worth... because of her. 

This dismisses Catra's speech, which actually reflects her frustration at needing to prove herself in front of Adora but her complete obsession about not needing anyone is a conflict that we don’t get to see on Hordak, and that is a big difference between them; Hordak feels no discomfort in needing Entrapta. 

This is an important fact which differentiates both characters; While Catra hates and despises Adora's intentions and beliefs about the war and hates deeply needing her, Hordak admires Entrapta's intelligence and abilities even when believing her an enemy, that admiration never disappeared, rendering Catra's attempts useless when trying to make him believe that he doesn't need her anymore to win the war.

This fact is proven exactly in the Boy's Night Out episode, when thinking that Hordak would stop mentioning Entrapta and focus on winning the War and seeking Prime's approval, he follows a path which is completely opposite to what Catra yelled about to him two episodes prior:

Ain’t missing you at all

3) The worriness

Double Trouble: I was looking forward to meeting this Entrapta character before I left Bright Moon. But, of course, as you know, she wasn't there.

Hordak: What did you say?  

Even before knowing she hasn’t betrayed him, even after speding months believing her an enemy, he still can’t help but worry about her wellbeing.

What had happened to her? why isn’t she with the Princesses? hdn’t she told him before they left her behind, that she was a failure and no one undertood her? But if she had been cast aside again by them, why didn’t she came back to him? If she hasn’t been seen on Bright Moon nor the Battlefield... where is she?!

I can truly savious the ansxiety building up on Hordak’s chets.

If he really wasn't interested in her whereabouts, if he really wanted to fight her on the battlefield instead of just checking she was fine, and if he really did not longer need her companionship and assistance, he wouldn’t have questioned DT about what did that mean. Besides, if his interest and also feelings towards her weren't so deep, he wouldn't have broken his rule of silence and coldness in front of Double Trouble, mainly because he straight up showed his main weakness; her.

I want to point out something specific about character development in Hordak; during the first two seasons, we saw Hordak being a general, a leader of a very powerful army, we see him as this mysterious but indolent, brutal, fierce figure, before his cadets and his force captains. He demands respect, responsibility and also loyalty, but nothing more.

At no point during the four seasons did we see him concerned about the welfare or whereabouts of any of his subordinates, ever.

That is in fact a basic Horde’s rule, right? nothing matters but conquering Etheria, showing weakness of any sort is forbidden.

This was the moment that made me realize Hordak’s lower point hadn’t been related to everyone else’s plotline; his lower point, the one I am sure tortured him to the point of seeking a second mindwipe at the hands of Prime in season 5, wasn’t the moment he realized he had been fooled by Catra, wasn’t even when he was destroying Salineas (is very much a neat scene for him and he actually enjoyed it), but this scene:

“Who do you think let the Princesses in?”

The very moment he chose to believe a lie instead of believing on Entrapta’s promise and also most importantly; her honesty and friendship. And the fact he just straight up believed it, after having snapped at her on a moment of frustration, adding the fact he actually didn’t seek more answers regarding Entrapta’s betrayal, and lived through it until Double Trouble told him the horrible truth.

There is a mental processing happening on Hordak’s mind when he realizes he had been manipulated that whole time: 

1) Entrapta had been on Beast Island while he had been blasting around about her betraying him, and now Entrapta is dead.

2) All was a manipulation from his most loyal Force Captain, someone he had trusted for months. He had been believing it all this time and she was laughing at his face, and now Entrapta is dead.

3) If nothing had happened, if Catra hasn’t come back from the Crinsom Waste with the Sword, maybe Entrapta’s words would have ended up being true and they would have spent all that time together, after all, what she told him, about imperfections being beautiful, about him being worthy of something, had been true. They could have been more than just friends, it would have happened, but now Entrapta was dead.

Entrapta is dead.  

And then, nothing mattered any longer.

[hibiscusangel15]

Phantasma

Okay, so I saw an interesting, angsty post by @cruelfeline​ that wondered if Hordak could feel himself hurting Entrapta when Horde Prime possessed his body. The initial idea then kinda wrapped into a vague idea I had about the Horde clone hive mind, so here’s this lol.

Summary: Hordak's body was not his own. It had always belonged to Horde Prime since the moment he'd been created.

Or, a look into the clone hive mind when Horde Prime possessed Hordak in Heart, Part 2.

Rating: Teen and Up

*Also crossposted to AO3 and FFN!

If you like my fic, please consider buying me a coffee!

Despite everything he'd been taught, he knew Horde Prime did not know all. He did not see all.

A blasphemous thought to hold, and yet, if Prime himself did not see it—did not know it by now—then what else could he not foresee? What else did he not know?

The clone had cradled other blasphemies once, too. A life outside of the hive mind. An army he dared to call his own. A name.

Memories of a time long past. A time where in his darkest heart of hearts, he had dared to wish that Prime would never find him.

And now time had caught up to him. Now the woman at the very center of his blasphemous thoughts was on her knees jeering at Horde Prime.

He clutched the crystal he'd scavenged the other day in his hand. It was the catalyst, the first spark of defiance. A treasure that he might call his own.

The hive mind was filled to the brim with love for Prime. None dared to question his rule, and so none ever suspected this single clone's treachery.

Not until he hesitated to silence the little rebel before him.

Thoughts that were not his own trawled along the edge of his mind.

What are you waiting for, brother?

Destroy her.

Millions of thoughts grasped intangibly around him, as if his brothers wished to take the cannon from his arm themselves. Ghost hands crept along his scalp, over his face, his chest, urging him to get it over with.

She is not worthy of basking in Prime's light.  Dispose of her already.

Not worthy of his light. They were right about one thing, at least.

Entrapta was a light all her own. She outshone everyone, even Prime himself.

Go on, brother.

Hurry before you anger Prime, brother.

Do it now, brother.

Brother!

He turned his cannon onto Horde Prime and opened fire with a cry. 

“I am not your brother.”

Confusion and outrage blistered in the hive mind. The ghost feeling of hundreds of hands, once so reassuring, relinquished its awful hold over him.

"You made me in your image, but I am more than that!"

The clone carried Horde Prime by the jaw, dangling him over the edge of an endless precipice. "I gave myself a name. I made a life of my own! I made...."

He looked back at Entrapta. The woman who mocked Horde Prime to his face. The woman who coordinated a strategic counterattack against the chipped Etherians. The woman who snuck into his sanctum and dared to call his imperfections beautiful.

"A friend."

Yet another blasphemy before Prime's light. But could friendship truly be blasphemy? Could love?

If it was, he'd rather be a sinner than exalted by a god.

“I am Hordak, and I defy your will!”

His fingers went slack, and Horde Prime was no more.

It was over. Entrapta was safe.

Right as he turned to free her, everything vanished. The ship was gone. Entrapta was gone. There was nothing but a pure white void all around him. Hundreds of hushed voices echoed through the very air of this space.

Hordak whirled around. The noise ceased.

A large screen gleamed before him. It showed the image of where he’d been standing not too long ago. He walked to it, swiping a curious hand down the screen as if it would open for him. Its texture was like that of hot gelatin. No residue came off on his hand, but he wiped the unpleasant feeling off on his leg anyway.

He heard Entrapta laugh and say something. The sound rippled around the space, distorting and warping until it became unrecognizable noise.

And then his brother’s laugh rang so distinct and clear, Hordak had to clap his hands over his ears.

No.

“Ah, little brother. So it’s true. You have been thoroughly corrupted.”

A dark mass writhed behind him. Green lights hovered in the space where its eyes should be. Four very familiar eyes burned with rage and scorn.

Horde Prime. Horde Prime had seized control of his body.

“So be it!”

The mass rushed at him, through him to the screen.

His breath caught when the screen moved towards Entrapta. On her face was an expression he’d never seen. No matter how many times he’d growled at her or snapped at her to leave him be, she never seemed threatened by him. Never feared him.

Her look of abject terror etched itself into his mind, and he slammed a fist against the screen.

“No! Entrapta! Get away!” he yelled.

Horde Prime tugged her off her feet by her hair. Her scream tore something within him. He was hurting her.

Hordak could feel each individual strand thrashing against his own hand, trying to pry his grip open. Her hair was being too gentle with him. Too subdued. She was strong enough to push him, if necessary. His defect would make it all too easy. So why couldn’t she do it?

“You have forced my hand. I will unleash the Heart, and so we shall die in cleansing flame together!” Prime’s voice echoed around him.

He could feel his mouth twist up into a wicked grin, feel as his own hand tightened its grip around Entrapta’s long hair.

It was so soft. Softer than he ever thought anything could be. He wished he could have told her that. But his mouth was no longer his own. Nor were his hands, his own mind.

Everything belonged to Prime. Everything was Prime.

“Entrapta!”

Hordak threw himself against the screen, ramming into it over and over again. It did not waver.

“Little brother.”

The voice came from behind him.

He whirled back, teeth bared in a snarl. “You…. You were supposed to die!”

“And you forget your place!” The shadow pulsated like living smoke. “You have committed the ultimate blasphemy. Given yourself a name. Dared to live as if you are your own creature! But you are nothing. One of thousands of clones that all bear the image of Prime! Without me, you would not exist!”

Hordak screamed as he lunged at the shadow of Horde Prime. His singular vision was his downfall. He did not realize it hovered right above a glowing green pit.

His feet caught the edge in the nick of time, and he sucked in a stunned breath when he saw what laid below.

Countless thousands of clones were embedded into the walls of the circular pit. Many were mere half-bodies jutting out like weeds. They all raised their hands up, worshipping the dark mass far above them. Their ruler. Their brother. The all-knowing, all-powerful Prime.

It took Hordak a second to realize that they were all decrying his very existence. They called him worthless. Defective. Unworthy. Forsaken.

Hordak tried to take a step back, only to find he could not move. Several pale hands sprouted from the ground to restrain his legs. They would not let him go no matter how hard he hit or scratched at them. Such was the resolve of a clone-brother’s devotion to Prime.

“Oh, little brother. Do you honestly think you could ever be equal to my own power? All because you came to care for some insignificant creature who pitied you? I would never let myself become so weak.”

The green lights of its eyes narrowed at him.

Hordak dared to glare right back. “Let Entrapta go! She has not done anything to deserve this!”

“On the contrary, brother. I have read your thoughts. I understand in intimate detail how much you have let her affect you. How far she has led you astray from my light. For that, she must be made an example of.”

“No!”

He strained against the many hands stacking over each other to hold him down, struggling desperately to reach the screen. “Entrapta!”

“Do you know why you could never hope to match my power, brother?”

The other clones’ cries ceased. All was silent and white save for the floating shadow enveloping itself around his wrists.

It leaned close to his ear, as if to impart some final secret. “It is because you would not be able to bear the weight of the hive mind.”

Prime pulled him forward. The bodiless hands let him go.

Hordak fell into the pit.

The clones immediately went into a frenzy, clawing and tearing and dragging him down, down and away from the pure light above. The shared thoughts of his brothers he'd heard before was a mere drop in an ocean of suffering. Now all their prayers, feelings, everything they were bore down on him. It was like no gravity he’d ever felt before.

For every clone he managed to fend off, more came to tug him into the fold. And even through all this, he could hear Entrapta crying for him. Feel as her hair squirmed in his own hand. Prime would torture him in every possible way before the end. They would die here together, and the last thing he would ever hear would be his only friend in the universe crying his name.

“Entrapta!” he screamed, reaching a hand up to the edge of the pit.

And then, the hands were gone. The clones vanished. A gentle presence guided Hordak to the top, placing him far from the pit. When he looked back, it slowly closed in on itself.

“Hordak.”

That voice. She-Ra.

The screen showed the edge of a cliff. He no longer felt Entrapta’s hair wriggling against his palm. Instead, there was the brush of grass, a warm breeze on his cheek.

Something glowed just beyond the crest of the cliff. It rose higher and higher until Hordak caught sight of She-Ra. A First Ones glyph shone on her chest, radiating power.

Prime's shadow hovered before the screen, flickering like a spark that refused to light. “Though all is reduced to rubble, Prime shall rise again. So it has been, and so it always shall be.”

Hordak knew it was futile. He felt that familiar ache in his shoulders, in his legs. His defect. Horde Prime had not anticipated inhabiting a broken body.

Even so, he no longer had any other body to return to. The hive mind had closed off. All was silent again.

Ah, Hordak realized, shutting his eyes, resigned. This body belongs to Horde Prime now. She-Ra will kill me to assure her victory.

“No! I will not fall!” Prime sputtered above him in a panic. “The hive mind will open to me! I am their ruler! Their god!”

“You are nothing more than a coward looking to escape your fate. Rejoice, brother. For you and I will both die in cleansing flame together, is that not so?” Hordak said wearily.

He did not wish to die. Not now. Not until he knew Entrapta was safe.

But this was his fate. To ensure the peace of the universe, Horde Prime needed to die.

“No, you’re wrong,” She-Ra said. “It’s time for you to go.”

He pressed his forehead against the screen and shut his eyes. He was ready.

Her hands cupped his face. Warmth emitted from her palms, steady and hopeful.

Hordak’s eyes snapped open. Suddenly, he could read her thoughts, and he knew she did not aim to destroy them both.

Prime's shadow spasmed against an unseen force ripping it away. It tried to grasp onto something, anything. It even reached out to Hordak with a smoking claw, so despondent in its desperation.

Hordak merely watched the mass purge from his body back into the nothingness from which it came.

                                                   *   *   *

The scenery changed in a flash of light. He stood in an empty field. Little more than grass and sharp crystals abound the place.

It did not look familiar to him. It seemed Horde Prime had yet to conquer this strange planet. Another dead end. His faulty portal had transported him somewhere even further away from Prime’s light.

The portal itself crackled and sparked. It was unstable. The communication device he brought with him did not even emit a trackable signal.

He threw the device to the ground in his frustration. It shattered into several pieces along the dirt.

A sharp cry pierced the air. He stood up straighter, startled.

There, lying bundled on top of a rock, was a baby.

Hordak squinted and caught sight of a woman running in the distance. The mother? Had she abandoned her child here?

The bundle squirmed, hands outstretched, searching.

He glanced back at the woman’s silhouette. For a moment, she stopped. Perhaps she would come to collect her child. Perhaps it had been a mistake.

Then the silhouette took off and vanished into the woods ahead.

Hordak turned back to the portal. He’d reconfigure the coordinates again and then—

The baby’s cries grew louder. He paused.

He stomped over to where the baby laid. It shifted in its blankets. Were it not for his quick reflexes, it would’ve wiggled its way off the rock.

He held it to his chest and stared. The child stared back. Its cries settled into small whimpers then silence.

“You have been abandoned,” he said, a pang in his chest. “Your creator did not want you.”

Of course he knew that the child would not understand him. It was not a guarantee that it even knew his language.

The baby settled in his arms, pressing its small cheek to his thumb. He could not leave this child here. Not after its own mother left it to die.

“Lord Hordak!” Shadow Weaver’s voice called out through the portal.

The portal’s frame warped. Sprinting towards it would be his only chance. He clutched the child tighter in his hands and ran.

                                                   *   *   *

Hordak gasped and found himself face-to-face with that same child. She regarded him with such kindness in her eyes that it brought that ghost pang back.

“I remember you,” he whispered. Her smile told him that she remembered him, too.

She-Ra helped him stand. No sooner than that, something small tackled him in a twirl of purple pigtails.

"Hordak!"

A laugh burst from his chest when he realized who it was. Entrapta was here. She was safe and alive and so warm. He could not ask for a better future.

“I’m so glad you’re here! Oh, we have so much to talk about!” she said and hugged him once more. “I missed you!”

Hordak smiled back at her. “I’ve missed you, too, Entrapta.”

Her hair reached up to caress his face. It was only then his smile fell.

He'd hurt her. It was not by his own will, but even so.

How could she stand to be near him after that? How could she trust he would not do so again?

The rest of her hair split off and wrapped gently around his hands. Not a single strand fought against him. Her hair willingly weaved around his open palms, his fingers.

"Stay with me. Please?"

Hordak shuddered. This felt too much like forgiveness. He was not worthy of it.

"Always," he whispered.

Without warning, Entrapta shot up and pressed her lips against his. The longer she ran her thumb up and down his jaw, the more scrambled his thoughts became.

Her eyes gleamed with pride when she pulled away. “You’re free now. You can be whoever you wanna be, Hordak.”

“I…. Yes.”

It was the best he could manage.

Entrapta laughed and pressed her forehead to his. He leaned into the touch. It was nice, knowing how soft a touch could really be. Knowing how much love could flow through a simple gesture.

Eventually, she wrapped her arms around his to lead him down the hill. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!” she repeated. He could not help himself from laughing once more.

He made it back to her. Prime was gone. He was free, and he made it back to her.

Entrapta peered up at him with a smile. He returned it easily. 

Hordak knew then what he would do with this newfound freedom. He would spend it by Entrapta’s side. For as much as time would allow, he would spend it all with her.

A careful hand ran through her hair. He did not yet have the words to express how sorry he was for hurting her. How he should have fought harder against Prime's control.

He wanted to say so much to her. As soon as he started to speak, however, a strand of her hair pressed itself against his mouth. A gentle admonishment, one that was met with an amused smile.

Her hair curled itself around his fingers, guiding them down to cup her face. Hordak brushed away the small tears spilling down. It was not enough to repair all the damage he’d done. She must have known that.

Entrapta never cared about such matters. She never spoke about recompense, nor did she seem to desire it.

She seemed happy just to stay here like this, smiling at him even through her tears.

The warm breeze stirred leaves and stray bits of grass all around them. The planet was alive and thriving once more.

He took a deep breath in.

Entrapta was by his side. The sun felt good on his face.

He was Hordak, and he was finally free to live by his own will.

A/N: This was legit the fastest I’ve ever written something. I was struck by a sudden burst of inspiration, and I guess that’s where it all led.

Please let me know if anyone's in-character or not. I'm very new to writing for this fandom.

[choccy-zefirka]

Once more, he dreams that he is back in the light.

That swampy green and reddish brown — the drab colours of the Fright Zone, which he has been working so hard on but which remains imperfect — have been washed away. Replaced by the pristine white and the sharper, brighter, purer shade of green. Raw and glowing.

His sleeping mind even brings back the echoes of his brothers' voices, filling his head like they used to. Ever entwined, ever expanding into a flawless, orderly pattern, shaped by the loving hand of Prime.

He sees them all around him, identical figures in white robes. Impeccable, not a crinkle out of place.

Their eyes watch him, impassive, waiting for Prime to fill them with thought.

And he hopes, with a nearly giddy breathlessness, that it is going to be a thought of acceptance. Approval. Pride, maybe? If he can dare expect it?

After all, he did it. He overcame his defects; he conquered a whole world, following in his exalted brother's footsteps.

This has to count, right? This has to be enough?

It is enough, his dream tells him. You are enough. You are now allowed to embrace the light.

The thrill from this beautiful, beautiful promise rushes through him, in a wave of curious warmth that he has not felt since the Etherian sunlight first touched his mangled skin.

He is so caught up in his own elation that for a moment, that he forgets... How the dream is going to end.

But inevitably, he sees what he always sees next.

His brothers stand aside, revealing a new figure that stands out amid their even, beautifully unaltering rows.

This figure is much, much shorter, stockier even, than the long-limbed clones. Their face is a warm... human colour, and their — her — scalp is shaved clean where the wild, living pink ponytails used to be.

'The hair of the slave you brought from Etheria was touched by magic,' the clones say, in a rhythmic unison.

White pinpoints light up in their green eyes: a sign that they have been blessed with the words of Prime himself.

Suddenly, the presence of his family — the very family that he has been yearning to rejoin — is no longer soothing.

Suddenly, he feels panic mangle his chest from within, lumping it under its weight like scrap metal.

'Magic is an abomination. An insult to the order of the Universe. It must be either controlled or purged. You should have seen to it yourself, little brother. But worry not. Your transgression is forgiven. Your slave has been cleansed. She can truly serve the Horde now. Even the smallest creatures have a place in Prime's grand plan. Especially a creature with such an aptitude for building weapons.'

'She is not — ' he tries to choke... But his chest is still caving in. His throat sprouts thorns on the inside and bleeds, flaking away into metallic rust. As if he had subjected himself to his own oxygen deprivation torture. And fallen to it.

Because he is still defective. Still weak. Still malfunctioning.

Back in the physical space of his sanctum, he thrashes and claws at himself. Yet the pain refuses to go away.  It builds and builds and builds. A whole spire of pain, massive at the base and razor-sharp at the tip. And when the little figure in his dream looks up at him with a pair of green, pure, empty eyes, the spire impales him — and he wakes up, screaming.

He usually sleeps upright, in an empty clone tank with a missing front side. To try and emulate the sensation of being put in stasis until Prime might need him. Another thing that was supposed to be soothing and yet clearly isn't.

He is no less exhausted than when he climbed in, and it takes him a moment before he can break through the sluggish fog in his head.

With laboured breaths and muffled curses, he staggers out of the tank, snarling at no-one in particular when he hits his head on the upper frame. Imp, who has been watching him for who knows how long, with his round little head cocked curiously to the side, seems to take it personally and barrels off in a flapping whirlwind of webbed wings.

He freezes for a moment, feeling vaguely guilty about frightening his child-clone — but does not linger.

Jaw tense and shoulders squared, he marches in broad strides to see his... His lab partner.

He does not really have much concept of what time it is — it is surprising that time even functions on this backwater little planet, with hardly any other celestial bodies as a frame of reference — but Entrapta is already awake. Busily typing away on a key pad: a cheery little song of tap-tap-taps.

Her face is highlighted dramatically by several monitors of different colours, and she has stuck out the tip of her tongue in concentration.

She does not look away from her work when he approaches, but she does recognize his footsteps. Her face splits into smile: an excited, broad, very Entrapta smile that somehow fills him with profound relief. And she waves eagerly at him with one of her ponytails.

He clears his throat, again and again, but his voice still comes out cracking, filled with the same rust as in his dream.

He wants to sound authoritative — he needs to, or else what good is he? — and instead, he nearly begs.

'Entrapta, I... I need you... To enhance my armour further. Make it so I do not have to sleep.'

The tapping stops.

Her eyes meet his — deep and keen and their usual dark crimson.

She inhales. Knowing that she is bracing herself for a rapid-fire, excited explanation, he feels his lips inexplicably twitch in some barely familiar expression that is... the opposite of a snarl?

'Ooh, adding further neurological capacity to the armour, up to the point of regulating your brain waves and reshaping the circadian rhythm, would have been an amazingly complex project...' she says, gesturing emphatically with the large, fluffy pink hands she has shaped out of her hair.

'But I can't do that. I mean, technically I could — but I don't think I should. I know it's tempting to stay up all night when you are working on something big, and it's also bothersome to know that you might miss out on an exciting discovery when your eyes are shut... But I have collected enough data from personal experience — which maaay have involved brewing a lot of tiny mugs of coffee — to reaffirm that sleep is a vital part of any organic being's life cycle. And you are still organic at your core, so that definitely includes you.'

Still gesturing with her ponytails, she uses her actual hands to swipe vigorously at a few holographic images in front of her, and brings up a hovering diagram of what looks like a humanoid creature's nervous system.

'The actual duration obviously varies by species, and I would need to run a few tests before making an assessment of yours — but prolonged lack of proper rest ultimately leads to memory loss, other types of brain damage, and at some point, death. I mean, a lot of things can lead to death, but this is about the least fun out of them.'

He sucks in a long, hissing draught of air, and digs his claws into her work desk. The rage that has begun to clench into a burning coil inside him is begging to be released. Swiping everything off to the floor with a deafening clamour would have helped — but he pushes the impulse down. He knows Entrapta does not like her workplace trashed.

'My payoff,' he spits, 'Would have been getting rid of yet another malfunction. Sleep does not bring me rest. It brings me...'

He curls his lips and nearly bites his tongue.

'I want it gone.'

Entrapta arches her eyebrows, her eyes enormous with concern.

He stumbles back.

This is not the first time she has looked at him like this, and he can never quite get used to it. Concern is an emotion directed at weaker beings, and he should be angered, shouldn't he, by this assumption that he is weak.

He should be insulted. He should be driven to prove that she is wrong. That he does not need her concern.

But... But instead of all of this, here comes that sunny warmth. Against all logic and reason.

Could this be brain damage?

In a flash, Entrapta's whole countenance brightens again. He can almost see the sparkles surrounding her.

'If you are having trouble sleeping, you just need environmental enrichment! I will be right back!' she declares, before pulling herself up into the nearest vent, a small winged shadow zooming after her. Imp, probably.

He ponders the brain damage prospects for a while, surrounded by the blinking of the monitors and the lazily rotating holographic projections. Soulless without Entrapta's barrage of typing and excited commentary.

When she returns, she startles him by pushing a large, soft brownish-grey bundle out of the vent ahead of herself.

He instinctively catches it in his arms and blinks in confusion. These look like... blankets? He thinks his soldiers wrap themselves into them when they sleep in the barracks?

Not that he... strays often enough from his sanctum to observe the day-to-day life on those who serve him. That would be another sign of weakness... Wouldn't it?

Imp comes flying out next, mouth wide open to replay a snippet of conversation, in the eager voice of Force Captain Scorpia.

'Blankets? For science? Of course I can help! I'll get as many as I can! Rogelio has been hoarding them; he is cold-blooded, you know, so he needs extra layers when it's cold at night — but I am sure he won't mind sharing with a friend! And he still has Kyle to cudd— Oops I said too much again didn't I?'

And finally, out swings Entrapta, dangling from the vent on her own hair, utter glee all over her face.

That bizarre tic in the corners of his lips returns, even as he scowls at her confusion... Or tries to.

'We are gonna make you a blanket nest!' she informs him in a singsong tone, just about vibrating with joy. 'Ooh, this will be so much fun! Definitely more fun than a slow death from brain damage! I will also ask Emily to play back some soothing music! I have been building up a bit of a melodic database — for Scorpia to sing along to, because she loves singing, even if Catra tells her that it is annoying...'

She talks on and on, and the warmth envelops him so much that he begins to feel light-headed. That is, until the dread of brain damage settles in again, and tension tightens within him.

He hovers in awkward silence while Entrapta flits about, with her ponytails flying back and forth after her like a pair of pink lightning bolts, and with her faithful bot trotting after her with a lot of boisterous beeping.

She yanks the blankets out of his grasp at some point. Her fingers brush against his forearms and rest there, a fraction longer than they should, while she looks up at him with a little smirk that he can scarcely bear without yet another bout of brain damage overcoming him.

Finally, she is done fussing about, and presents him with the fruit of her labours. A cocoon of blankets, laid out on the floor in a remote corner of his sanctum and padded with pink and purple pillows.

The pillows must be from among Entrapta's belongings that Force Captain Catra's people brought in from Dryl... If the embroidered pictures of chubby little kittens and pug dogs are any indication (He has still not given his official opinion on the footage of such kittens and dogs traipsing about, which Entrapta has in her files in abundance... But its was not too terrible).

'Ta-daa!' Entrapta cries, lifting herself up on her hair and wiggling her hands happily. 'Try sleeping in here! Emily, are you ready?'

The bot, never far behind Entrapta, blinks and bleeps in affirmation and patters closer to the cocoon.

The sound that comes out of it... her, when she takes position, is, like the sunlight, unknown to him. But not unwelcome.

Gentle, soft, like the babble of natural, sewage-free water... From a distant memory of how he walked other planets, wild and unkempt and smothered by all the... shrubbery, before the blinding light of Prime's order came flooding in.

The recollection stings him with an unexpected sadness, which he, again, writes off to brain damage.

In a hurry to get this nuisance healed, he lowers himself onto the cushions and pulls the blankets up to his chin. Imp circles ahead, intrigued, before also settling down on the covers, curled up into a little warm ball.

Absentmindedly, he pulls his hand from under the blankets and strokes Imp's back, drifting off on the stream of Emily's music.

His eyelids slip shut over his prickly, burning, tired eyes. The last thing he hears before falling into blackness is Entrapta's voice, calling him by the name he gave himself.

'Sleep well, Hordak!'

His lips move, touched by that persistent tic. Overtaken by exhaustion, he lets them spread out and part. In the opposite of a snarl.

In the blackness that wraps around him, like the biggest, softest of his blankets, to the sound of Emily's music, there are no white-robed figures. No watchful green eyes.

Instead, he dreams of stars. Before he was cast out, he always viewed these scattered, chaotic specs as targets to be conquered in Prime's name — yet Entrapta gazed at their holographic likeness in hushed wonderment.

He sees her now, too, in his dream. She stands beside him under a starry sky. Whole, this time.

Her hair cascades down her back, the tips of her ponytails clutching at one another to mirror how she has clasped her hands on her chest. The shimmering stardust is reflected in her enormous pupils as she rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet, beaming from ear to ear. Embracing the light.

It is different than the light created by Prime. So different that, in the deepest reaches of his dreaming mind, Hordak hopes that Prime will never come back.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

Meaningless Suffering ≠ Consequences: An SPOP Rant Analysis

so one huge argument i've seen from SPOP fans, when it comes to Catra's redemption is that “she got tortured and mind controlled by Horde Prime. she almost died at his hands. therefore, she faced the consequences of her actions.”

now.. could this be considered a consequence of her actions? the important question here is: why did Catra get punished by Prime? for going against his rules and freeing Glimmer. she got punished for doing one good thing. this was the consequence of her doing something right. if anything, she would be more discouraged to do good in the future, because the first time she does something good, she almost gets murdered for it.

but i digress. i've seen this trope be used with quite a few characters in media. the other example of this i want to talk about is Marcy from Amphibia. (spoilers for Amphibia below)

in the s2 finale, Marcy is revealed to have stranded her friends Anne and Sasha on Amphibia on purpose, because she didn't want to be alone. while this wasn't as bad as any of the shit that Catra pulled, it was still a fucked up thing to do. Marcy deliberately took Anne and Sasha away from their home and their parents, for her own selfish reasons.

like Catra, Marcy also has abandonment issues. her parents had informed her that they had to move and Marcy was terrified at the idea of having to leave Anne and Sasha behind. but that was still not an excuse for what she did.

not long after her secret was exposed, Marcy gets stabbed by King Andrias while trying to escape Amphibia. she doesn't die, of course, it's still a kid's show.

but to make things worse, she gets possessed by the Core later on, which is shown to be an extremely painful and traumatizing process (which they barely touch upon later). and then they show in a flashback that Anne and Sasha used to ignore Marcy and make her feel lonely, when this was not touched upon earlier in the series. in fact, Anne was shown to be very caring and attentive to Marcy up until this episode.

at this point, it's clear that the writers are trying to make the viewers feel sorry for Marcy. if they keep adding reasons why she's so miserable and traumatized, maybe the viewers would forget what she did to Anne and Sasha. right?

there is a small scene in s3 where Sasha questions why she should forgive Marcy, but it is quickly fixed by Anne telling Sasha that she should forgive Marcy. there's also a moment of realization for Marcy but even that is done in such a cliché and lighthearted manner, where the severity of her actions aren't addressed. and that's it. Marcy is rescued, she apologizes, and is immediately forgiven.

but then again, like SPOP, the last season of Amphibia was trashfire. i refuse to believe that people genuinely liked that season, it was so badly written and ruined everything that was set up prior to it.

anyway, let's come back to SPOP. it's clear that the writers of SPOP were also trying to do the same thing. put poor catgirl through the wringer, have her almost die and come back to life and voila! she is absolved of all her crimes.

for those of you who are still not convinced, let me try to make a real world comparison. let's just say i'm someone who bullies or abuses people. one day while getting home from school/work, i get hit by a car. i get grievously injured and go through a lot of pain. heck, maybe it even leaves some kind of permanent disability or injury.

is that a punishment for my actions? you can call it karma, but let's be real, karma doesn't exist. it's just a coincidence. and you bet i'm not going to wake up in the hospital thinking “this must be my punishment for abusing people”. if i really am an abuser who has no remorse for my actions, a random accident isn't going to change my mind.

and that's what happened with Catra too. she didn't consider Horde Prime's torture as a consequence of her actions. if anything, she used that as an excuse to mistreat Adora and the others even more. it's clear that she pitied herself for what happened. and everyone else pitied her, including the audience.

imagine if the good redemption arcs were written this way. imagine if, instead of working through his issues and facing actual consequences of his actions, Zuko was just tortured and traumatized even more by Ozai, and the Gaang just forgave him because they felt bad for him. yeah, people wouldn't be praising his arc anymore. or they would, who knows. i know i wouldn't be praising his arc.

because this is not the way to redeem a villain. the only way to redeem a villain is to have them face consequences of their actions and work for forgiveness. to show them consistently trying to make up for what they did and trying to be a better person, not because they want to be forgiven or accepted by the heroes, but because it's the right thing to do.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

I can’t believe people are actually believing Peregrine about Rakepick going rogue. I mean I loathe her to no end, but even I can tell that he’s just using her as a scapegoat. I know she’s done plenty of unforgivable things like I’m not defending her by any means nor would I ever want to but there’s no way she’s responsible for all of R’s wrongdoings. And I don’t know why people are so trusting of Peregrine, even after everything his agents have done. Rakepick said what kind of person he was and I get that it’s *Rakepick* so I don’t blame them for taking what she says with a grain of salt, like I’d do the same usually but there’s not really much reason to think she’s lying about this imo. She’s a scumbag for sure and I hate to say it but I have to believe her on this one. :/

In the grand scheme of things, Rakepick no longer matters. Her role in this story is over. So on multiple levels, this makes her the easiest scapegoat possible. She's not exactly here to counterargue Peregrine's version of events, though she actually provided her side of the story when we saw her in Azkaban, but Peregrine may or may not know that. Either way, looking at this from a narrative perspective...what sense would it make for Rakepick to be the one who was behind everything? That would mean that the game's primary antagonist was defeated at the end of Year 6, and we all know Harry didn't kill Voldemort in HBP. "R" was introduced before Rakepick was, and they were implied to be villainous long before she turned up. Ever since Ben went missing, there have been hints that they're dangerous. I know the game kind of forced Rakepick into the role of a remorseless villain, but that alone is not enough to absolve R of their involvement in everything, and Peregrine is literally the Leader.

No one has to forgive Rakepick for what she's done. A game can have multiple villains, after all. Just because Bellatrix did everything she did out of obsessive love for Voldemort and just because he was arguably worse, all things considered...that doesn't mean she wasn't a racist, sadistic murderer. The same idea applies here. Rakepick didn't have to join R. That was her decision. But once she joined, they sure didn't use her talents for good. They used her as a weapon against MC. Did they order Rowan's murder? Well, not specifically (I suspect they preferred Ben to be the one to die) but we know they wanted one of MC's friends. Did they order Merula's torture? Possibly not, it's possible that Rakepick did that for her own reasons...but even if R disapproved, I doubt it was for any moral reason. R has been manipulating MC from the start, and Verucca basically admitted as much. If their intentions were honest, why wouldn't she have been more direct with MC in Knockturn Alley when they were spying on her? "You can come out, MC. We have nothing to hide, not from you." Etc.

I'm genuinely surprised to hear that there are people who are actually believing Peregrine, that just seems so unimaginable to me. But maybe it's just because I consume a lot of fiction, and I know a Horde Prime/President Snow/Emperor Belos when I see one. Nah, Peregrine has "affably evil" written all over him. He's clearly the final villain, the one who has all the power. Though I guess if MC defects and joins R (which may wind up being a player choice in the future) then he's not really the antagonist anymore. But hey, on the other hand, Peregrine is going to great lengths to convince MC that he's not the bad guy, and he seems to have a frightening amount of talent in manipulating people. I can't really blame the players who might be falling for his nonsense, he's certainly not presenting himself as a bad guy. He's keeping the monster within very well hidden.

[entrapdaknation]

They’re Both Just ... Posing

This post on a pro-Catra, anti-Hordak fanfic reminded me of an annoying blindspot among the Catra fans. They cannot or will not notice parallels between Catra and Hordak, because they’re too busy exalting the former as a badass while mocking the latter.

There’s an assumption among some Catra fans that her throne room ambush and war-mongering in season 4 were “queen” moves that proved she was a better warlord. What they forget is that, like Hordak, she ultimately failed at what she was trying to accomplish. Catra and Hordak aren’t badass warlords; they’re both broken people LARPing as warlords. They both end up failing because of miscalculations, trusting the wrong people, and poor leadership skills. Both were utterly dominated and humiliated by Horde Prime, who showed them what a real warlord looks like. Both had to discover who they were after Horde Prime shattered their illusions of might.

In season 4, Catra seems to be a better conqueror than Hordak at first. Her war strategy is bolder than Hordak’s restrained tactics, resulting in impressive gains for the Etherian Horde. However, her lack of leadership skills drives Scorpia to defect and at least three Horde soldiers to desert at a critical moment. Her misplaced trust in an amoral mercenary, combined with a reckless final push on Bright Moon, destroys the Etherian Horde. Instead of leading the Horde to victory, she drives it into the ground.

Her failure as a warlord mirrors Hordak’s failure as a warlord. Like Catra, Hordak relies on a tactical strategy that fails to produce a Horde victory. In his case, it’s a slow and overly cautious approach to conquest that brings the war to a stalemate. Like Catra, he exhibits poor leadership skills, confusing ruthlessness and cruelty for leadership. Like Catra, he trusts the wrong people (Shadow Weaver and Catra), which creates headaches for him down the road.

The parallels between Catra and Hordak become starker in the final season. Any illusions of Catra’s might are shattered in season 5. Horde Prime quickly puts her in her place, reminding her that he knows about her past actions. He humiliates her with petty displays of dominance, such as pressing the tip of his shoe to her chin. When she displeases him, he subjects her to torture in the purification pool, which culminates in her humiliation as a brainwashed slave. Fans who laud Catra as a “queen” conveniently forget these un-queenly moments.

Her suffering at the hands of Horde Prime mirrors Hordak’s suffering. He too is stripped of any pretensions of power once he arrives on the Velvet Glove. He too has his time on Etheria laid bare. He too is subjected to dominance displays (being berated, neck-lifted, penetrated with a cable, and stunned), baptism in the purification pool, and enslavement. Just as she is no “queen”, he is no “lord”.

Finally, both Catra and Hordak move past the need to prove themselves through conquest. Catra only finds happiness after she leaves her villainy behind. Hordak only finds self-actualization after turning on Horde Prime, in whose name he waged war. Catra and Hordak take the first steps toward better lives only when they’re forced to stop roleplaying as warlords.

“Lord” Hordak and “queen” Catra were illusions. By clinging to those illusory roles, both characters brought down misery on themselves and others. Both characters had to leave their delusions of power behind so that they could find any semblance of happiness.