Entrapta - Tumblr Posts
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Ahhhh thank you thank you thank you. I’m autistic and watching the way that the princesses (and just,,, pretty much everyone except like, maybe Hordak) treated Entrapta was incredibly frustrating to me. I’ve been looking for other people who agree with me that that was ableist as hell and it was so hard to find them that I was starting to think I was just overreacting. (I have plans to rewatch the show and write down every occasion where someone babies Entrapta or treats her as lesser than because she exhibits neurodivergent traits, and it’s going to be simultaneously very cathartic and so, so upsetting.)
She-Ra Fandom Has a Ableism Problem
tw for heavy ableism
I use posts from twitter for this because it is even more wide spread there and also because this decreases the risk that I get harassed for saying this, but this is definitely a problem here on tumblr too. And I am already working on documenting ableist takes here too.
What is especially frustrating and scary about this is how so many people do this that ableists face absolutely no consequences at all. I wish I had a solution but all I can do is document it so that people can block these ableists and maybe, if they have the spoons, try to reason with them (though, from experience, in most cases this is futile)
People infantalizing Entrapta and wanting that her and people like her are never allowed to make their own choices, just because they don’t fit into their arbitrairy idea of how a adult has to behave. Also, see the victim blaming? The princesses (people like this person) are mistreating Entrapta, how is she to blame for that?!
Neurotypicals really do love to protect other ableists, rationalize why it was necessary to abuse and humiliate Entrapta and do victim blame, huh? Even a nice font wont help there.
What is also specifically frustrating is when neurodiverse people themselves are ableist. With neurotypicals I sadly almost expect it by now, but from neurodiverse people… I am torn between wondering what the hell happened with them that they hate themselves so much and being disappointed.
Right, so you suddenly care about PoC but totally forget that Entrapta is a WoC too? Also, what the hell is ableism when not mistreating and humiliating someone because of her autistic behavior. But what to expect from someone with a name like that…
Forcing Entrapta into your idea of the naive uwo soft child is still ableist even if you claim to be autistic.
By the way, this is what happens if you explain to these people why their behavior is harmful:
This specific account seems to have been made purely to harass Entrapdak shipper since it was deactivated after they faced consequences, but if you want to block them, their main account is saleniaz
And lets not forget how the voice actor of the main character openly enabled these ableist ideas, not caring how much she would harm disabled fans. Yes, she apologized, but only after multiple disabled fans reached out to her (and they were harassed for that), and the bad influence of this is still to feel.
Mind you, I started screencapping this only recently, and all these screencaps I came across in about a span of a week. Can you imagine how incredible draining it is if you have to see just how many people see you as lesser than human and that you should not be allowed to make own decisions, have a sexuality and that abusing you is justified (and yeah, disabled people are not alone in this, btw, this fandom is also racist, aphobic, biphobic and transphobic)?
Surely this is dangerous and reckless to post this, but at this point I fucking snapped, I am so tired of this. Something has to happen. And I am tired of fighting alone. Neurotypicals, if you are really an ally, now is your time to speak out against this kind of behavior.
AHHH I LOVE HER AND I LOVE THIS ART MORE!!! 💖💕💖💕
i love her
Hey, love your posts! They provided me with lots of good info for a future fanfic of mine! And I'm not just talking about Catradora... Anyway, I wonder what you would have to say about Entrapta, she's kind of my favorite character in the whole show
oh my gosh, yes! Entrapta really is the best… ...let's all talk about it
Decoding Entrapta's Arc
-a data driven analysis-
Firstly, thanks for reading my blog! I totally love Entrapta, too… I actually consider her to be the most likable person in SPOP. In her, we’re seeing someone being the best person she can be, always.
She's a sweetheart, and all along she's trying to do the right thing. She doesn't stray from her ideals, and that shows courage.
She’s a person who remains good to the people around her, despite their negativity, and she's the only person who is honestly trying to understand the real truths of Etheria and how the First Ones corrupted the planet. She's after answers to the important questions. Does that get messy along the way? Sure, but her motivations were always about the truth, and we can see her goodness in how she treats others.
Entrapta's inherent goodness is in contrast to those around her, who are caught up in their own trauma and ignorances and because of that behave badly and are playing out the corrupt plans the First Ones made for them all.
This is what the whole story of SPOP is about- historical traumas which they have all been manipulated into- Horde and Rebellion alike- in order to fail as the First Ones intend them to.
Both sides are wrong in how they act, everyone is hurtful including to each other in their alliances. The war continues like it does largely because of everyone's self involvement in their own trauma and emotions. Entrapta is unique in that she's mostly immune to this criticism- as the one person truly seeking answers. (Note: all -> hyperlinks <- are on tumblr)
Yes, the Horde plays their role as an enemy to a t (..and yet how did Hordak end up on Etheria-? a:The First Ones..), the Princesses are ignorant of their own role as part of this millennia old corruption, and they lash out towards others who are different, with prejudice. That they don't know their involvement in the First Ones conspiracy doesn't make their behavior right, even if the Horde bringing war upon them is so wrong. What's that war really about? Entrapta is in the middle of this mess, trying to figure out what the truth is. And her discoveries of those truths will save them all in the end…
So, this hurtfulness on all sides can be seen personally in Entrapta's arc, as a person who faces prejudice while trying her best to understand what's really true. From the beginning she knows something is wrong with what the First Ones did, it's her goal. In this way we can see her character arc as a weathervane of the plot over all- because the Princesses are wrong in how they treat her from the start. And they're wrong in how they treat the war as well.
Our sweetest Entrapta goes about her business of finding the real truths behind what's happened to Etheria throughout the story, and she does a stalwart job of it- all while being hurt by others prejudices and trauma guided actions. Yes, some of what she does is wrong, like participating in war, but she isn't being given other good options. She's doing what she feels is right and her best to stay dedicated to the truth- scientifically, but while also remaining the kind person she is.
How she gets hurt within the Horde- well, we all see that in Catra's betrayal, but the Princesses are hurtful, too. In fact, the Princesses have a casual kind of hurtfulness that’s totally frustrating to watch which comes from the privileged lives they lived, and they force that hurtfulness on each other all of the time, not just Entrapta. We’ll talk more about this later, but Entrapta gets the worst of it. Nevermind that SPOP cautiously hides this causal hurtfulness behind cute humor and excellent voice acting for the kids- the Princesses' hurtfulness is plain to see if we just look for it.
Much of our discussion will focus on this and the role of the First Ones historical betrayal in all of their actions, with Entrapta doing her best to uncover the real truths of it all. Without her doing that, the Princesses would have failed in the end, like they almost do at the end of s4, when the oldest of their real enemies- the First Ones- almost successfully use them all as a weapon. And, as they face their final true enemy, Horde Prime, they would have failed against him, too, if not for the knowledge Entrapta gains through scientific study. Both sides are caught up in the plans made for them, acting on their traumas. Entrapta works so hard to know the truth, and to use it to help, and we love her for that.
..And about above, they only avoid the weapon going off in s4 much because of Entrapta warning Adora in time, so we get to thank her yet again...
So without further ado, here's some major topics we’ll cover:
1:: How Entrapta is simply one of the nicest people, her friendly and easy going manner reflects her way of believing in the best in others-
2:: How Entrapta is a great scientist and by this very fact she's a great person, because the truth must guide them all-
3:: How the Princesses assuming Entrapta died is part of their prejudices and unwillingness to understand others who are different for them, and if not for those prejudices they may have realized that she survived-
4:: And, of course, a bit about how Entrapdak reveals Entrapta's best self, her ability to see the best in Hordak (and others) makes her one of the best people, in the end she sums up the meaning of Warriors🎶 best with her own words-
1:: So about Entrapta's positivity..
I mentioned that Entrapta is doing her best with the situations she's given, that’s true scientifically but it includes how she treats others. She's always bringing positivity, not pessimism, which is under appreciated. To sum it up, Entrapta’s philosophy towards others is to always believe in something better; she strives to see the best in them. Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but, how can we not love her for that?
This includes people who were constantly vilified, such as Catra, Scorpia and Hordak. And her jovial attitude is at times looked down on as misguided by others. Is that right? I don't think so…
This preconception to judge her unfairly is very apparent with the Princesses. They really do seem to treat her cheerfulness as if it's wrong, even part of her autistic oddness. In truth: she's funny, full of positivity and amicable to others at all times. The Princesses treat her like she's weird for it..
::So yeah, guess what- dealing with people can be confusing for anyone- autism isn't actually the story there. Her ability not to be judgey like others around her (unlike the Princesses who treat her as ‘too weird’) sets her apart. Entrapta wants others to be happy, she wants to get along, she welcomes others' differences even if she doesn't quite understand them. She, in actuality, works pretty well on a team. What's really happening with the Princesses is that by judging Entrapta they are falling short of HER level of goodness, and that shows their damage, not hers.
We’ll come back to the Princesses' harmful behaviors later, but they are absolutely there and what is happening is that they assume the worst about her. When in reality, Entrapta is an total badass.
It's also wrong to assume that Entrapta doesn't realize the people around her aren't as nice as she is. She later reflects to Hordak that 'she wasn't good enough for them’ and doesn't understand why it goes wrong, like it did in the Rebellion leaving her and then with Catra not talking to her anymore. It's confusing to her, what she doesn't realize is that they're acting out their own hurt by being mean to her. This is also when she charmingly swears to never give up trying. Most of all, as time goes by Entrapta shows us that she really does get it.
She keeps a positive beat at all points in the story, all as she goes about her business of finding out the real truths of what the First Ones did to Etheria. Even abandoned on Beast Island, she's able to make good use of her time to do this. And she doesn't hold a grudge.
Even against Catra, who we know hurts her so badly. Here's my favorite example of Entrapta ‘getting it’ all along:
Entrapta's ✨🧪amazing🔬✨ sense of humor is on full display as she humorously roasts Catra over her past harmfulness. We see that actually, she understood all along why Catra might feel threatened by her for that- but also that she wasn't considering acting on it before Catra brought it up. She's not spiteful. And, it tells us something really fun about her- that she doesn't always mean what she says as serious- she likes to kid around. ☺️ (i.e Entrapta sayings she's gonna dissect Adora in s1ep5 🙃)
So, she doesn't let Catra off easy at all for her past harmfulness. And, it's so fun to see her put the heat on Catra. She's also wise toward others, like she is with Hordak- she sees what's underneath and that Catra's apology is sincere. She's a kindhearted person, forgiving is not a hang up for her. I think she'll be friends with Catra; as she certainly knew when to humorously punk Catra's ass for what she did in the past.
So, there's really no good reason for why she gets hurt so much by others. Again, their damage, not hers.
::Also, I won't be dwelling on her autism too much- I'm not diagnosed with it so others can tell that story better- but, we can instead attribute much of Entrapta’s social struggles simply due to her lack of social experience. We don't need to look to her autism at all to understand their disconnects with her, we're seeing their damage because Entrapta is always sweet to others and which goes ignored. They're just not great people.
(For context, we know Entrapta was mostly raised away from people, by robots, so she doesn't understand their confusion with her.) Considering this, she does really well- we see her actually do a pretty good job of interacting with others on a team in s1. By the end of the series, it's quite clear Entrapta could understand where others were coming from all along- even if her processes of understanding it maybe looks different from what it does for less neurodivergent people.
So, that's what's going on from the beginning Entrapta shoulda been treated better- she was always a good person and trying to do her best with the situations given to her. And again, as a scientist- Entrapta is the only person asking the real questions about what's going on with the First Ones corruption of Etheria, something she does from the very start. Which is why we need to talk about what Entrapta's always so ecstatic about:
2:: SCIENCE DOESN'T LIE!!!
By searching for the answers to what the First Ones did to Etheria- how the planet was corrupted for the First Ones weapon- she's focused on the real issues. And science is the best way to do that, which is her skill. While the Horde and the Princesses fight each other mercilessly, she's concerned with the real plot, and their real enemy- the First Ones.
Everything in SPOP relates back to the original betrayal and the historical trauma of the First Ones- Something Entrapta is already beginning to grasp even before we're first introduced to her. Yet it takes until she joins the Horde for anyone to ask her about her research… Why is that-?
Long story short, the Princesses are way too self involved in their own hurt and the apparent unfairness of the Horde showing up out of nowhere and bringing war onto them. Yet that the Horde came from nowhere is a clue in itself, is it not? If Hordak isn't Etherian, how? (A: Light Hope is the only person capable of bringing him to Etheria- she brought him there to start the war). The Princesses totally miss this.
This doesn't make what the Horde is doing any less wrong, it just shows that the Princesses are ignorant of their own world. Is it ok for the Princesses to have spent the last millennia living in comfort, not addressing the real issues and unaware of what the First Ones turned them into?
It's not, and so SPOP is about historical trauma.
Everything is wrong on Etheria, not just the Horde. The Princesses are far too naive to face a full on evil enemy like the First Ones or Horde Prime.
.. You may be thinking of people who exclaim ‘well they couldn't have known what they didn't know’ but is that right?
No. To elaborate: NooOoOooo!! 🔬
We know they could have known better because Shadow Weaver knew all of this history, she studied it to get more power. For herself, at any cost. And if she could figure it out, they could have. The Princesses lived complacently for the last millennia.
In reality, Entrapta is basically trying to catch up to what Shadow Weaver knew from the beginning of the whole series::
Whereas Shadow Weaver never uses that knowledge for good, only looking to sacrifice Adora to release Etheria’s full sorcerous powers for herself, (read the meta of how SW is the real villain of SPOP above) Entrapta wants to help and provides actual guidance and understanding to the Princesses which they need to get free of the First Ones plot against them, and then to stop Horde Prime. She doesn't get enough recognition for that from the Princesses….
Some of her most massive achievements, which wouldn't have been possible without her study and experimentations, include:
-She's able to repair Darla and get the ship across space and back, which is no small feat,
-She's able to locate Glimmer and help rescue her and Catra,
-She frees everyone on Etheria from Prime's control.
- And many more
In this way, we can really get to understand how even some of her actions she's most vilified for are part of her seeking these truths and gaining the knowledge they will need to survive. Let's talk about a couple of them.
Why Entrapta’s search with science looks so messy: Hacking the Black Garnet
What Entrapta experimenting on the Black Garnet was really about was testing her theories of what's wrong with Etheria. She doesn't do it to hurt people (obviously) and yes it causes chaos. Yet that's a huge clue- why does a runestone used in such a way cause destruction? The Princesses miss the point.
Many other hints get dropped along the way, and they just keep missing them because of their blindness from anger over the war. You can also see Entrapta's hand in most of these other hints:
Why can Adora be corrupted by First Ones tech contacting the sword? If Horde Prime is waiting outside Despondos and can destroy them all, how and why did Etheria end up secluded from the universe?
… Where did the stars go ?
The Princesses' cluelessness is all to do about the naive way they existed for the last millennia, a historical trauma which is catching up to them in real time as our series begins. Entrapta is trying to catch up to the real truth by studying Etheria like she does- chaos and all.
...Can the Princesses really remain ignorant and just keep escalating a war over past grievances? Would defeating Hordak even stop the greater plot against them all? Not at all- most likely they would have just then reconnected the runestones and Light Hope would have blown up the planet before they even realized what she was doing. Entrapta’s study is vastly necessary, they need her help- everything is necessary learning for Entrapta.
Yeah, science tends to be messy, but when Catra asks her about her research, leading to them hacking the Black Garnet, Entrapta is testing her hypothesis- and she proves it true. Entrapta will take her gained knowledge from this and other endeavors to be the capable scientist they need her to be in s5 to stop Prime. They need to know these truths. Necessary learning.
So, even this act she's vilified for is misunderstood by the Princesses who miss the clues of how what occurs reveals their own corruption. Because of course they did.
Entrapta’s further actions such as building the portal machine are also related to finding the real truth. If Etheria is isolated, the outside universe would have answers. It's good Entrapta’s machine doesn't bring Horde Prime down on them all at that juncture, they're not ready- she also tries to stop it, only failing due to the traumatized state Catra is in that episode after Shadow Weaver shows up and nearly kills her.
I won't recap everything she does but let's talk about the one consistent criticism: Entrapta building bots.
...note: this is something the Princesses asked her to do yet she ends up doing for the Horde instead...
When in fact, are these bots the killing machines many assume them to be? No, Frosta herself reveals that they aren't. And this fact isn't about softening the show for a kids audience. SPOP isn't that story-
The Horde isn't genociding people, like some uneducated detractors suggest- because that's not what the story of SPOP is about (go watch ATLA… it depicts genocide and it's a children's show- also, the civilians in SPOP don't participate in the war). It's about historical traumas and how ALL of them are continuing violence in a way that amplifies those past evils. And, Entrapta’s work with Emily also proves something essential: that a robot can have a soul. Is that not worth exploring further?
Take such things into account regarding her actions such as hacking the Black Garnet. She's testing her theory by doing so, meanwhile the Princesses abandoned her, both physically, but also with their harsh emotional treatment of her, having never broached the topic of her research. They are angry and ignorant, just self involved with their own hurt over the war. And when they had her they acted like they only wanted Entrapta for her ability to make robots to defeat the Horde. A bit of irony, I guess…
Again, the Horde is beyond doubt wrong to bring war, but that doesn't change the fact that the Princesses are ignorant and have spent the last millennia playing into the trap the First Ones set for them. Entrapta's knowledge from experimentation helps guide them free from that.
In s4, it's Entrapta who ends up helping them avert disaster by warning Adora. Meanwhile, Glimmer is so consumed by her own hurt that she resorts to barbarism and using an evil super weapon. In s3 Adora had begun to understand the evil that the First Ones were making, but in s4 Glimmer hijacks any understanding Adora may have gained with her total focus on war. When asked to help save Entrapta and deal with the danger that threatens the planet, Glimmer is harmful and we can see her unfairness towards Entrapta, her false equivalences-
Glimmer is one of the top most guilty characters when it comes to prejudice towards Entrapta, and she's also totally prejudiced against the Horde in a way that always makes things worse.
It takes her own descent into evil for her to realize that her false equivalence of evil on all Horde may be wrong, which we see her reverse her understanding of in s5 while talking to Catra. In SPOP, everyone's trauma combines to make them nearly fail as the First Ones intended them to do. And Entrapta does her best to uncover these truths at all points in the story, she's never evil.
3:: Entrapta's emotional gains in the Horde and why the Princesses leaving her was a wrong assumption-
I think it's been said enough by others that the Horde allowing Entrapta to pursue science is fundamental. But in the Horde, Entrapta also learns about friendship and being valued.
Outside of the Horde, Entrapta faces prejudice, much because of her autism or otherwise, much like the people she meets in the Horde have. The way they treat her is different because of the backgrounds they have with having been falsely judged themselves.
In the Horde, Entrapta gains at least one true friend: Scorpia. And Catra values her: she sees how smart and capable Entrapta is right off the bat. She's not a friend, she's maybe even a terrible boss, but Catra shows Entrapta that she's valued for her hard work and unique skills. Catra also sees how others are prejudiced against Entrapta, like they were towards her.
And of course, Entrapta's relationship with Hordak is important as well. She helps him deal with his disability and their ship is adored. In short, Entrapta gains so much emotionally in the Horde.
Compare this to her time in the alliance, and we don't see much good. That the Princesses abandon her has everything to do with their inability to understand her and value her.
We're all mature fans here so let's not shy away from the difficult subject: the ableism Entrapta faces from the Princesses.
So, why Entrapta get left behind-
Once we begin to quantify how the Princesses have an ignorant approach to their world, and in how they treat Entrapta, we can see the underlying truth better.
Their behavior towards her is extremely hard to watch, and a sign of their own corrupted sense of niceness towards others who seem different: after living comfortable and privileged lives, they simply became accustomed to not accepting people who are different from their expectations. They're all caught up in their own emotional world. Entrapta’s neurodivergence is included in the harsh subconscious biases that they all have.
Again, this is a sign of how the Princesses are too immature to face a real enemy as powerful and dangerous as Prime, or even able to free themselves from the corruption the First Ones involved them in. After spending 4 seasons playing straight into the First Ones hands, Prime then descends upon them all suddenly, because of Glimmer's own mistake, when they've only just begun to see their own wrongness and to work together like is trumpeted in the theme song, Warriors🎶. They barely squeak out the win because of this slow march of learning to work together through butting heads, and that win comes much to do because of Entrapta's wise guidance...
They're also simply not nice to Entrapta…
That we're seeing ableism is what I am certain is precisely what's meant to be shown and discussed by ND Stevenson and CrewRa. It's hidden behind some layers of cute, but it's all there. Without these negative assumptions, the Princesses likely would have checked to see if Entrapta survived…
(Also, SPOP isn't a problematic series at all for showing this!! How can we discuss such an important subject if they shied away from showing it?? SPOP's writers showed courage and it's the wisest story I've ever seen..) ...back to the meta-
So yeah, her getting left behind is about their bias, but to breifly address the other thing- how did she survive? Keeping fancy details aside (my theory being saved for another time), she survives that moment <with ease> because of the fact that she's a MAD SCIENTIST. You think Entrapta hasn't had worse scares than a bit of fire?? (Clue: think about how she designs her everyday equipment, as a mad scientist, to prepare her for such situations..)
..So, back to ableism,
In s1, Perfuma putting Entrapta on a leash and then tying her up is ableist behavior. It's important to quantify this. She does it thinking Entrapta doesn't know what's going on, so she tries to take Entrapta's autonomy away. It's not necessary at all- Perfuma is bad at communication and is projecting her own fears of failure onto Entrapta, underestimating her abilities.
There's other unacceptable behaviors- Glimmer is dismissive towards Entrapta’s neurodivergence, Mermita’s constant negativity affects how Entrapta is viewed by the team as well. (If you're wondering where Adora fits in this- she ignores what's going on with others' bad behavior as part of her being consumed by her anxiety issue of failing to lead. >note: by being so blinded by anxiety, she's actually failing them in that exact way<.) But, in s1 Perfuma's actions are the worst, which is why that's what we're going to talk about.
We know how wrong Perfuma is simply because of the final outcome of the episode: after Entrapta goes ‘missing’, despite Perfuma's trying to control her, Entrapta returns triumphant, having befriended Emily and having rescued Sea Hawk- and in time to help them rescue Bow. Perfuma assumed Entrapta's excitement was inability to focus, that's only slightly true, but in truth Entrapta was mostly just multitasking. She's that much of a badass.
So, we can see how much the Princesses are underestimating Entrapta's abilities through Perfuma’s actions. And thus, it's not at all surprising that when Entrapta seemed to be in danger, they assumed the worst. The ableism, the assumption that Entrapta didn't ‘get it’, the not knowing how resourceful Entrapta is as a scientist, is why they give up on her when they shouldn't have.
... about the horde again...
In this way, it's pretty natural that she ends up with the Horde, as it is a much better situation for her in most ways- she's surrounded by people who have faced false judgements their whole lives like she has. The Princesses have so much prejudice, we can see that in how they treat Entrapta. Whatever else is wrong with the Horde, nobody is ableist towards Entrapta in the way the Princesses were.
In the Horde, Entrapta uses the access to science she has to study the real issues; she goes through hell when Catra ends up betraying her out of her traumas; she helps Adora avert the destruction of the planet at the end of s4... and yet in s5 she faces even MORE ableism from the Princesses.
When we see her in s5ep2, the Princesses say she's only interested in tech- which smells mightily of autistic ableism- essentially suggesting she's a robot. And then they blame her for everything- is that really fair?
No- it's frankly sad to watch how the Princesses spent the first 4 seasons walking straight into the trap the First Ones made for them. Also, their anger towards Entrapta comes after she's repaired Darla to fly across space so they can rescue Glimmer- have the Princesses thanked her for her unique contribution in this? Nope.
Whereas the ableism is hidden behind cute, funny sequences and excellent voice acting in s1, in s5 it's downright blatantly shown.
If Scorpia wasn't there to point out how Entrapta could help them, the Princesses would have continued in their negative, ableist views of Entrapta. Consider that- without Entrapta's one friend from the ‘evil’ Horde, the Princesses wouldn't have overcome their prejudice towards her, and so they wouldn't have even been able to save Glimmer. Hurray, Scorpia!! ❤️🖤🤍
We are once again being shown that they refuse to really try to understand Entrapta.
When Entrapta approaches the enemy base, she's doing her job and getting the data needed to find Glimmer. The Princesses force their expectation of how things should go onto Entrapta- and then blame her for ruining the mission. And yet, once Mermista finally sees that Entrapta absolutely knows the mission and is still trying to save Glimmer, she has no problem managing protection of Entrapta while she finishes getting the data..
Sure, Entrapta could been more stealthy, but their assumption that she doesn't understand what's happening was hurtful. They let their negativity consume them.
Also, we see Perfuma leash Entrapta again (briefly), and Mermista grabs Entrapta by the hair, leading to the Entrapta’s pained explanation that she 'gets it'. So, Mermista tries to remove Entrapta's autonomy- and physically hurts Entrapta with her anger. And then afterwards, Mermista can't give Entrapta a proper compliment- it comes combined with an insult when she tells her “Entrapta helped, too. You're still a wierdo, but you did good today. We've got your back, anytime."
Even if Mermista doesn't mean insult by choosing that word, she's still reinforcing the stereotype. Maybe she's using the word as a stand-in for her own past misunderstanding of Entrapta, it's still wrong. It shows her negative mindset that pervades her interactions with others. Entrapta, pure as she is, is overjoyed to get the acceptance that she's always wanted- she ignores the negativity. But, Mermista.. be better!!
A quick note, here, from the author: I *do* like Mermista and Perfuma, they're all best Princess in their ways- I'm just being real about how SPOP shows their negativity having consequences!! Thx, e.d. out ❤️
4:: Finally, let's talk about Entrapdak 🔬✨💞✨🧪
As said before, Entrapta has a pretty great way of getting past others' negativity to see the best in others, and her ability to do that with Hordak is the best example of it all.
In no time flat Entrapta bypasses Hordak's toxic negativity. She's like 'hey, let's not do that- let's be friends.' She believes in something better. Entrapta treats Hordak with the expectation that they should be friends, and she's not wrong to do it. Hordak isn't Prime, he can be better. He's still capable of being a conscientious feeling person, unlike his abuser who selfishly tried to destroy his sense of self. Her giving him a chance is what allows him to start finding that better person within himself.
And, as Hordak has faced ableism, like she has, Entrapta is the one to confront the ableism Hordak faced during his life head on and do something about it. (stating the obvious for posterity) She has empathy for him, nobody ever understands his pain better than she does. Even though they get separated half way through the series, her kindness sticks with him- helping him overcome his doubts and have a redemptive moment in s5.
Come s5, Entrapta still keeps fighting to get through to him, seeking to reestablish their friendship. That's everything to their success against Prime during the final moments before the Heart is activated. She really is unique in her determination to do better by others- nobody else in the series has as much steadfast goodness in the way they treat others as Entrapta does.
(...everyone else had to learn to believe in each other the hard way...)
In those final moments, as the universe faces destruction by Prime's hand, Entrapta best sums up in words the entire thesis of SPOP and our title theme song, 🎶Warriors🎶
“You can't control us! You don't know understand makes us strong, and that's why you'll never win!”
So much history goes into this moment, but Entrapta sums up what they've all been fighting for best. Nobody says it better- how love is strength. Not Catra in Corridors, not Adora in Save the Cat. She never gave up on Hordak, and he's about to show Prime why.
And that it's Entrapta that says it is no accident…
Entrapta gets it. She always did. They are stronger by love than Prime can ever defeat, if they just believe in each other.
And she's right to believe in Hordak, he won't do it, the love he has for Entrapta is too powerful for Prime to take from him. He's able to break free of the past hurtfulness that's controlled him.
Entrapta’s steadfast belief in Hordak saves them all- by casting down his abuser, Hordak interrupts Prime’s control of the Heart just long enough for Catra to show Adora her true feelings in the dream and to confess her love, setting up the kiss that saves the universe. (read the fun meta here) (short version here)
It's almost like Entrapta was best girl all along. I say that because she's so true to her heart that she deserves all of our love. (Sorry Scorpia, you're great, but, I stand firm!)
Final thoughts / Conclusion
In SPOP, we’re not supposed to accept the causal hurtfulness and prejudices the Princesses have. We can see how those make things worse in many ways, but directly in Entrapta’s arc. That's why s4 ends so chaotically- because they're all wrong. It's also why we see such reversals in Catra and Glimmer's arcs and things such as how Scorpia fits with the Princesses as if she always belonged. And it's why Entrapta struggles against prejudice even through s5. True wisdom cannot be gained while letting your emotions control you like the Princesses are doing.
That SPOP discussed such complex issues makes it one of the best stories ever written. I think it will have staying power and sets the bar for other stories..! (ND Stevenson told a great gay story, no doubt, but I mean it that the story is one of the best of all time, period!)
That causal hurtfulness, which is hidden behind cute animation and voice acting, is probably something we know in our own lives but grew accustomed to accepting- family members we love but hurt us or toxic societies we’re immersed in where we're told to accept as norms things that hurt people. I, for instance, can attest that I've seen it firsthand as I was totally abandoned by my parents to abuse because of their preconceived and hurtful notions of how safe and easy my life was supposed to be. ::Don't give in to base assumptions! The prejudice Entrapta deals with helps to teach us about how these biases make things worse. Also: in a lot of ways, Entrapta's dedication to science is also the best response to negative bias. Data doesn't lie, after all…
Entrapta's arc is meant for us to think deeper. War is a confusing subject. Lots of fans attribute SPOP's war to be something it's not- many wars are lead by murderous sociopaths. Other wars are about both sides acting on past grievances and inflicting trauma in a cycle that makes things worse. SPOP is this story. Like the unfair way the Princesses treat Entrapta, the way they deal with the war is wrong, too. And the Horde are repeating traumas as well- yet Hordak isn't a sociopath. His love for her shows that.
Entrapta's way of acting is the closest to a emotionally sound response to the war that there is in SPOP. In the absence of a better choice, Entrapta does what she knows best: Science, and friendship towards others. Catra, all the Princess alliance, are letting their worst emotions control their actions. Entrapta treats everyone well because that's how people should be treated. She wants to be friends- she wants to help people and be valued.
... yes... she also wants to geek out constantly, and holy cow do I get her. (I will act the same way when I'm excited about facts, space IS awesome. I will absolutely geek out over how lethal it is!!) Facts are cool. There's nothing wrong with her enthusiasm, it should be appreciated. The Princesses often take her comments in the worst way possible (such as when she's remarking how amazing Horde Prime's tech is- when it is amazing.!) Her wanting to know the secrets behind things is worth it, she's curious about everything, like we all should be.
Still, I think it's how she treats others that makes her best princess. That's why she tugs so much on our heartstrings- she doesn't just show us how she's best or good, her actions reveal the best in others, such as Hordak. Best girl Entrapta. She's also a total badass, and a genius (thanks, Bow- took 4 seasons too long for someone to say it) Do you agree? Feel free to let me know! 👍
And finally- autism aside, she's great. I'm sorry if I can't give more guidance about the subject, but, autistic people are fantastic people, period. The Princesses shoulda looked to work with her better, her sensitivity is not a barrier!! Id they had, the story may have been much kinder over all. (...But would that really be a realistic story-? probs not...) At some point, somebody has to have the courage to believe in others, Entrapta is that kind of person. We should all strive to be as excellent of a person as Entrapta is.
As always, if there's a detail of this meta (I got very meta again, sorry I can't help myself) you'd like clarified, ask me and I will gladly explain, with data, Entrapta style!! Please give THIS A 🧬🧪✨REBLOGG✨🧪🧬 and/or a like if you enjoyed it, and I hope you have a great one,
Etheria Dearie.
Author personal note:
Hey, thank you to my reader for asking me this one. Sorry it took so long, I hope I was able to speak conscientious about this subject 😔. To my readers: If it feels like I'm showing anger at ableism in my writing, ya caught me. I've been trying to correct my life to get away from abusive people and there's just no great way for someone partially disabled like I am to find good housing. Our entire society is set up to gatekeep such people from having that security, and I'm staring it right in the face now. So, I'm mad. p.s: thx for reading... anybody reblogg me? 😁❤️🙇
Here's a list of my meta's so far for new readers: https://etheriadearie.tumblr.com/post/647767378317492224/hey-i-just-found-your-blog-and-ive-gotta-say
Hey, love your posts! They provided me with lots of good info for a future fanfic of mine! And I'm not just talking about Catradora... Anyway, I wonder what you would have to say about Entrapta, she's kind of my favorite character in the whole show
oh my gosh, yes! Entrapta really is the best… ...let's all talk about it
Decoding Entrapta's Arc
-a data driven analysis-
Firstly, thanks for reading my blog! I totally love Entrapta, too… I actually consider her to be the most likable person in SPOP. In her, we’re seeing someone being the best person she can be, always.
She's a sweetheart, and all along she's trying to do the right thing. She doesn't stray from her ideals, and that shows courage.
She’s a person who remains good to the people around her, despite their negativity, and she's the only person who is honestly trying to understand the real truths of Etheria and how the First Ones corrupted the planet. She's after answers to the important questions. Does that get messy along the way? Sure, but her motivations were always about the truth, and we can see her goodness in how she treats others.
Entrapta's inherent goodness is in contrast to those around her, who are caught up in their own trauma and ignorances and because of that behave badly and are playing out the corrupt plans the First Ones made for them all.
This is what the whole story of SPOP is about- historical traumas which they have all been manipulated into- Horde and Rebellion alike- in order to fail as the First Ones intend them to.
Both sides are wrong in how they act, everyone is hurtful including to each other in their alliances. The war continues like it does largely because of everyone's self involvement in their own trauma and emotions. Entrapta is unique in that she's mostly immune to this criticism- as the one person truly seeking answers. (Note: all -> hyperlinks <- are on tumblr)
Yes, the Horde plays their role as an enemy to a t (..and yet how did Hordak end up on Etheria-? a:The First Ones..), the Princesses are ignorant of their own role as part of this millennia old corruption, and they lash out towards others who are different, with prejudice. That they don't know their involvement in the First Ones conspiracy doesn't make their behavior right, even if the Horde bringing war upon them is so wrong. What's that war really about? Entrapta is in the middle of this mess, trying to figure out what the truth is. And her discoveries of those truths will save them all in the end…
So, this hurtfulness on all sides can be seen personally in Entrapta's arc, as a person who faces prejudice while trying her best to understand what's really true. From the beginning she knows something is wrong with what the First Ones did, it's her goal. In this way we can see her character arc as a weathervane of the plot over all- because the Princesses are wrong in how they treat her from the start. And they're wrong in how they treat the war as well.
Our sweetest Entrapta goes about her business of finding the real truths behind what's happened to Etheria throughout the story, and she does a stalwart job of it- all while being hurt by others prejudices and trauma guided actions. Yes, some of what she does is wrong, like participating in war, but she isn't being given other good options. She's doing what she feels is right and her best to stay dedicated to the truth- scientifically, but while also remaining the kind person she is.
How she gets hurt within the Horde- well, we all see that in Catra's betrayal, but the Princesses are hurtful, too. In fact, the Princesses have a casual kind of hurtfulness that’s totally frustrating to watch which comes from the privileged lives they lived, and they force that hurtfulness on each other all of the time, not just Entrapta. We’ll talk more about this later, but Entrapta gets the worst of it. Nevermind that SPOP cautiously hides this causal hurtfulness behind cute humor and excellent voice acting for the kids- the Princesses' hurtfulness is plain to see if we just look for it.
Much of our discussion will focus on this and the role of the First Ones historical betrayal in all of their actions, with Entrapta doing her best to uncover the real truths of it all. Without her doing that, the Princesses would have failed in the end, like they almost do at the end of s4, when the oldest of their real enemies- the First Ones- almost successfully use them all as a weapon. And, as they face their final true enemy, Horde Prime, they would have failed against him, too, if not for the knowledge Entrapta gains through scientific study. Both sides are caught up in the plans made for them, acting on their traumas. Entrapta works so hard to know the truth, and to use it to help, and we love her for that.
..And about above, they only avoid the weapon going off in s4 much because of Entrapta warning Adora in time, so we get to thank her yet again...
So without further ado, here's some major topics we’ll cover:
1:: How Entrapta is simply one of the nicest people, her friendly and easy going manner reflects her way of believing in the best in others-
2:: How Entrapta is a great scientist and by this very fact she's a great person, because the truth must guide them all-
3:: How the Princesses assuming Entrapta died is part of their prejudices and unwillingness to understand others who are different for them, and if not for those prejudices they may have realized that she survived-
4:: And, of course, a bit about how Entrapdak reveals Entrapta's best self, her ability to see the best in Hordak (and others) makes her one of the best people, in the end she sums up the meaning of Warriors🎶 best with her own words-
1:: So about Entrapta's positivity..
I mentioned that Entrapta is doing her best with the situations she's given, that’s true scientifically but it includes how she treats others. She's always bringing positivity, not pessimism, which is under appreciated. To sum it up, Entrapta’s philosophy towards others is to always believe in something better; she strives to see the best in them. Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but, how can we not love her for that?
This includes people who were constantly vilified, such as Catra, Scorpia and Hordak. And her jovial attitude is at times looked down on as misguided by others. Is that right? I don't think so…
This preconception to judge her unfairly is very apparent with the Princesses. They really do seem to treat her cheerfulness as if it's wrong, even part of her autistic oddness. In truth: she's funny, full of positivity and amicable to others at all times. The Princesses treat her like she's weird for it..
::So yeah, guess what- dealing with people can be confusing for anyone- autism isn't actually the story there. Her ability not to be judgey like others around her (unlike the Princesses who treat her as ‘too weird’) sets her apart. Entrapta wants others to be happy, she wants to get along, she welcomes others' differences even if she doesn't quite understand them. She, in actuality, works pretty well on a team. What's really happening with the Princesses is that by judging Entrapta they are falling short of HER level of goodness, and that shows their damage, not hers.
We’ll come back to the Princesses' harmful behaviors later, but they are absolutely there and what is happening is that they assume the worst about her. When in reality, Entrapta is an total badass.
It's also wrong to assume that Entrapta doesn't realize the people around her aren't as nice as she is. She later reflects to Hordak that 'she wasn't good enough for them’ and doesn't understand why it goes wrong, like it did in the Rebellion leaving her and then with Catra not talking to her anymore. It's confusing to her, what she doesn't realize is that they're acting out their own hurt by being mean to her. This is also when she charmingly swears to never give up trying. Most of all, as time goes by Entrapta shows us that she really does get it.
She keeps a positive beat at all points in the story, all as she goes about her business of finding out the real truths of what the First Ones did to Etheria. Even abandoned on Beast Island, she's able to make good use of her time to do this. And she doesn't hold a grudge.
Even against Catra, who we know hurts her so badly. Here's my favorite example of Entrapta ‘getting it’ all along:
Entrapta's ✨🧪amazing🔬✨ sense of humor is on full display as she humorously roasts Catra over her past harmfulness. We see that actually, she understood all along why Catra might feel threatened by her for that- but also that she wasn't considering acting on it before Catra brought it up. She's not spiteful. And, it tells us something really fun about her- that she doesn't always mean what she says as serious- she likes to kid around. ☺️ (i.e Entrapta sayings she's gonna dissect Adora in s1ep5 🙃)
So, she doesn't let Catra off easy at all for her past harmfulness. And, it's so fun to see her put the heat on Catra. She's also wise toward others, like she is with Hordak- she sees what's underneath and that Catra's apology is sincere. She's a kindhearted person, forgiving is not a hang up for her. I think she'll be friends with Catra; as she certainly knew when to humorously punk Catra's ass for what she did in the past.
So, there's really no good reason for why she gets hurt so much by others. Again, their damage, not hers.
::Also, I won't be dwelling on her autism too much- I'm not diagnosed with it so others can tell that story better- but, we can instead attribute much of Entrapta’s social struggles simply due to her lack of social experience. We don't need to look to her autism at all to understand their disconnects with her, we're seeing their damage because Entrapta is always sweet to others and which goes ignored. They're just not great people.
(For context, we know Entrapta was mostly raised away from people, by robots, so she doesn't understand their confusion with her.) Considering this, she does really well- we see her actually do a pretty good job of interacting with others on a team in s1. By the end of the series, it's quite clear Entrapta could understand where others were coming from all along- even if her processes of understanding it maybe looks different from what it does for less neurodivergent people.
So, that's what's going on from the beginning Entrapta shoulda been treated better- she was always a good person and trying to do her best with the situations given to her. And again, as a scientist- Entrapta is the only person asking the real questions about what's going on with the First Ones corruption of Etheria, something she does from the very start. Which is why we need to talk about what Entrapta's always so ecstatic about:
2:: SCIENCE DOESN'T LIE!!!
By searching for the answers to what the First Ones did to Etheria- how the planet was corrupted for the First Ones weapon- she's focused on the real issues. And science is the best way to do that, which is her skill. While the Horde and the Princesses fight each other mercilessly, she's concerned with the real plot, and their real enemy- the First Ones.
Everything in SPOP relates back to the original betrayal and the historical trauma of the First Ones- Something Entrapta is already beginning to grasp even before we're first introduced to her. Yet it takes until she joins the Horde for anyone to ask her about her research… Why is that-?
Long story short, the Princesses are way too self involved in their own hurt and the apparent unfairness of the Horde showing up out of nowhere and bringing war onto them. Yet that the Horde came from nowhere is a clue in itself, is it not? If Hordak isn't Etherian, how? (A: Light Hope is the only person capable of bringing him to Etheria- she brought him there to start the war). The Princesses totally miss this.
This doesn't make what the Horde is doing any less wrong, it just shows that the Princesses are ignorant of their own world. Is it ok for the Princesses to have spent the last millennia living in comfort, not addressing the real issues and unaware of what the First Ones turned them into?
It's not, and so SPOP is about historical trauma.
Everything is wrong on Etheria, not just the Horde. The Princesses are far too naive to face a full on evil enemy like the First Ones or Horde Prime.
.. You may be thinking of people who exclaim ‘well they couldn't have known what they didn't know’ but is that right?
No. To elaborate: NooOoOooo!! 🔬
We know they could have known better because Shadow Weaver knew all of this history, she studied it to get more power. For herself, at any cost. And if she could figure it out, they could have. The Princesses lived complacently for the last millennia.
In reality, Entrapta is basically trying to catch up to what Shadow Weaver knew from the beginning of the whole series::
Whereas Shadow Weaver never uses that knowledge for good, only looking to sacrifice Adora to release Etheria’s full sorcerous powers for herself, (read the meta of how SW is the real villain of SPOP above) Entrapta wants to help and provides actual guidance and understanding to the Princesses which they need to get free of the First Ones plot against them, and then to stop Horde Prime. She doesn't get enough recognition for that from the Princesses….
Some of her most massive achievements, which wouldn't have been possible without her study and experimentations, include:
-She's able to repair Darla and get the ship across space and back, which is no small feat,
-She's able to locate Glimmer and help rescue her and Catra,
-She frees everyone on Etheria from Prime's control.
- And many more
In this way, we can really get to understand how even some of her actions she's most vilified for are part of her seeking these truths and gaining the knowledge they will need to survive. Let's talk about a couple of them.
Why Entrapta’s search with science looks so messy: Hacking the Black Garnet
What Entrapta experimenting on the Black Garnet was really about was testing her theories of what's wrong with Etheria. She doesn't do it to hurt people (obviously) and yes it causes chaos. Yet that's a huge clue- why does a runestone used in such a way cause destruction? The Princesses miss the point.
Many other hints get dropped along the way, and they just keep missing them because of their blindness from anger over the war. You can also see Entrapta's hand in most of these other hints:
Why can Adora be corrupted by First Ones tech contacting the sword? If Horde Prime is waiting outside Despondos and can destroy them all, how and why did Etheria end up secluded from the universe?
… Where did the stars go ?
The Princesses' cluelessness is all to do about the naive way they existed for the last millennia, a historical trauma which is catching up to them in real time as our series begins. Entrapta is trying to catch up to the real truth by studying Etheria like she does- chaos and all.
...Can the Princesses really remain ignorant and just keep escalating a war over past grievances? Would defeating Hordak even stop the greater plot against them all? Not at all- most likely they would have just then reconnected the runestones and Light Hope would have blown up the planet before they even realized what she was doing. Entrapta’s study is vastly necessary, they need her help- everything is necessary learning for Entrapta.
Yeah, science tends to be messy, but when Catra asks her about her research, leading to them hacking the Black Garnet, Entrapta is testing her hypothesis- and she proves it true. Entrapta will take her gained knowledge from this and other endeavors to be the capable scientist they need her to be in s5 to stop Prime. They need to know these truths. Necessary learning.
So, even this act she's vilified for is misunderstood by the Princesses who miss the clues of how what occurs reveals their own corruption. Because of course they did.
Entrapta’s further actions such as building the portal machine are also related to finding the real truth. If Etheria is isolated, the outside universe would have answers. It's good Entrapta’s machine doesn't bring Horde Prime down on them all at that juncture, they're not ready- she also tries to stop it, only failing due to the traumatized state Catra is in that episode after Shadow Weaver shows up and nearly kills her.
I won't recap everything she does but let's talk about the one consistent criticism: Entrapta building bots.
...note: this is something the Princesses asked her to do yet she ends up doing for the Horde instead...
When in fact, are these bots the killing machines many assume them to be? No, Frosta herself reveals that they aren't. And this fact isn't about softening the show for a kids audience. SPOP isn't that story-
The Horde isn't genociding people, like some uneducated detractors suggest- because that's not what the story of SPOP is about (go watch ATLA… it depicts genocide and it's a children's show- also, the civilians in SPOP don't participate in the war). It's about historical traumas and how ALL of them are continuing violence in a way that amplifies those past evils. And, Entrapta’s work with Emily also proves something essential: that a robot can have a soul. Is that not worth exploring further?
Take such things into account regarding her actions such as hacking the Black Garnet. She's testing her theory by doing so, meanwhile the Princesses abandoned her, both physically, but also with their harsh emotional treatment of her, having never broached the topic of her research. They are angry and ignorant, just self involved with their own hurt over the war. And when they had her they acted like they only wanted Entrapta for her ability to make robots to defeat the Horde. A bit of irony, I guess…
Again, the Horde is beyond doubt wrong to bring war, but that doesn't change the fact that the Princesses are ignorant and have spent the last millennia playing into the trap the First Ones set for them. Entrapta's knowledge from experimentation helps guide them free from that.
In s4, it's Entrapta who ends up helping them avert disaster by warning Adora. Meanwhile, Glimmer is so consumed by her own hurt that she resorts to barbarism and using an evil super weapon. In s3 Adora had begun to understand the evil that the First Ones were making, but in s4 Glimmer hijacks any understanding Adora may have gained with her total focus on war. When asked to help save Entrapta and deal with the danger that threatens the planet, Glimmer is harmful and we can see her unfairness towards Entrapta, her false equivalences-
Glimmer is one of the top most guilty characters when it comes to prejudice towards Entrapta, and she's also totally prejudiced against the Horde in a way that always makes things worse.
It takes her own descent into evil for her to realize that her false equivalence of evil on all Horde may be wrong, which we see her reverse her understanding of in s5 while talking to Catra. In SPOP, everyone's trauma combines to make them nearly fail as the First Ones intended them to do. And Entrapta does her best to uncover these truths at all points in the story, she's never evil.
3:: Entrapta's emotional gains in the Horde and why the Princesses leaving her was a wrong assumption-
I think it's been said enough by others that the Horde allowing Entrapta to pursue science is fundamental. But in the Horde, Entrapta also learns about friendship and being valued.
Outside of the Horde, Entrapta faces prejudice, much because of her autism or otherwise, much like the people she meets in the Horde have. The way they treat her is different because of the backgrounds they have with having been falsely judged themselves.
In the Horde, Entrapta gains at least one true friend: Scorpia. And Catra values her: she sees how smart and capable Entrapta is right off the bat. She's not a friend, she's maybe even a terrible boss, but Catra shows Entrapta that she's valued for her hard work and unique skills. Catra also sees how others are prejudiced against Entrapta, like they were towards her.
And of course, Entrapta's relationship with Hordak is important as well. She helps him deal with his disability and their ship is adored. In short, Entrapta gains so much emotionally in the Horde.
Compare this to her time in the alliance, and we don't see much good. That the Princesses abandon her has everything to do with their inability to understand her and value her.
We're all mature fans here so let's not shy away from the difficult subject: the ableism Entrapta faces from the Princesses.
So, why Entrapta get left behind-
Once we begin to quantify how the Princesses have an ignorant approach to their world, and in how they treat Entrapta, we can see the underlying truth better.
Their behavior towards her is extremely hard to watch, and a sign of their own corrupted sense of niceness towards others who seem different: after living comfortable and privileged lives, they simply became accustomed to not accepting people who are different from their expectations. They're all caught up in their own emotional world. Entrapta’s neurodivergence is included in the harsh subconscious biases that they all have.
Again, this is a sign of how the Princesses are too immature to face a real enemy as powerful and dangerous as Prime, or even able to free themselves from the corruption the First Ones involved them in. After spending 4 seasons playing straight into the First Ones hands, Prime then descends upon them all suddenly, because of Glimmer's own mistake, when they've only just begun to see their own wrongness and to work together like is trumpeted in the theme song, Warriors🎶. They barely squeak out the win because of this slow march of learning to work together through butting heads, and that win comes much to do because of Entrapta's wise guidance...
They're also simply not nice to Entrapta…
That we're seeing ableism is what I am certain is precisely what's meant to be shown and discussed by ND Stevenson and CrewRa. It's hidden behind some layers of cute, but it's all there. Without these negative assumptions, the Princesses likely would have checked to see if Entrapta survived…
(Also, SPOP isn't a problematic series at all for showing this!! How can we discuss such an important subject if they shied away from showing it?? SPOP's writers showed courage and it's the wisest story I've ever seen..) ...back to the meta-
So yeah, her getting left behind is about their bias, but to breifly address the other thing- how did she survive? Keeping fancy details aside (my theory being saved for another time), she survives that moment <with ease> because of the fact that she's a MAD SCIENTIST. You think Entrapta hasn't had worse scares than a bit of fire?? (Clue: think about how she designs her everyday equipment, as a mad scientist, to prepare her for such situations..)
..So, back to ableism,
In s1, Perfuma putting Entrapta on a leash and then tying her up is ableist behavior. It's important to quantify this. She does it thinking Entrapta doesn't know what's going on, so she tries to take Entrapta's autonomy away. It's not necessary at all- Perfuma is bad at communication and is projecting her own fears of failure onto Entrapta, underestimating her abilities.
There's other unacceptable behaviors- Glimmer is dismissive towards Entrapta’s neurodivergence, Mermita’s constant negativity affects how Entrapta is viewed by the team as well. (If you're wondering where Adora fits in this- she ignores what's going on with others' bad behavior as part of her being consumed by her anxiety issue of failing to lead. >note: by being so blinded by anxiety, she's actually failing them in that exact way<.) But, in s1 Perfuma's actions are the worst, which is why that's what we're going to talk about.
We know how wrong Perfuma is simply because of the final outcome of the episode: after Entrapta goes ‘missing’, despite Perfuma's trying to control her, Entrapta returns triumphant, having befriended Emily and having rescued Sea Hawk- and in time to help them rescue Bow. Perfuma assumed Entrapta's excitement was inability to focus, that's only slightly true, but in truth Entrapta was mostly just multitasking. She's that much of a badass.
So, we can see how much the Princesses are underestimating Entrapta's abilities through Perfuma’s actions. And thus, it's not at all surprising that when Entrapta seemed to be in danger, they assumed the worst. The ableism, the assumption that Entrapta didn't ‘get it’, the not knowing how resourceful Entrapta is as a scientist, is why they give up on her when they shouldn't have.
... about the horde again...
In this way, it's pretty natural that she ends up with the Horde, as it is a much better situation for her in most ways- she's surrounded by people who have faced false judgements their whole lives like she has. The Princesses have so much prejudice, we can see that in how they treat Entrapta. Whatever else is wrong with the Horde, nobody is ableist towards Entrapta in the way the Princesses were.
In the Horde, Entrapta uses the access to science she has to study the real issues; she goes through hell when Catra ends up betraying her out of her traumas; she helps Adora avert the destruction of the planet at the end of s4... and yet in s5 she faces even MORE ableism from the Princesses.
When we see her in s5ep2, the Princesses say she's only interested in tech- which smells mightily of autistic ableism- essentially suggesting she's a robot. And then they blame her for everything- is that really fair?
No- it's frankly sad to watch how the Princesses spent the first 4 seasons walking straight into the trap the First Ones made for them. Also, their anger towards Entrapta comes after she's repaired Darla to fly across space so they can rescue Glimmer- have the Princesses thanked her for her unique contribution in this? Nope.
Whereas the ableism is hidden behind cute, funny sequences and excellent voice acting in s1, in s5 it's downright blatantly shown.
If Scorpia wasn't there to point out how Entrapta could help them, the Princesses would have continued in their negative, ableist views of Entrapta. Consider that- without Entrapta's one friend from the ‘evil’ Horde, the Princesses wouldn't have overcome their prejudice towards her, and so they wouldn't have even been able to save Glimmer. Hurray, Scorpia!! ❤️🖤🤍
We are once again being shown that they refuse to really try to understand Entrapta.
When Entrapta approaches the enemy base, she's doing her job and getting the data needed to find Glimmer. The Princesses force their expectation of how things should go onto Entrapta- and then blame her for ruining the mission. And yet, once Mermista finally sees that Entrapta absolutely knows the mission and is still trying to save Glimmer, she has no problem managing protection of Entrapta while she finishes getting the data..
Sure, Entrapta could been more stealthy, but their assumption that she doesn't understand what's happening was hurtful. They let their negativity consume them.
Also, we see Perfuma leash Entrapta again (briefly), and Mermista grabs Entrapta by the hair, leading to the Entrapta’s pained explanation that she 'gets it'. So, Mermista tries to remove Entrapta's autonomy- and physically hurts Entrapta with her anger. And then afterwards, Mermista can't give Entrapta a proper compliment- it comes combined with an insult when she tells her “Entrapta helped, too. You're still a wierdo, but you did good today. We've got your back, anytime."
Even if Mermista doesn't mean insult by choosing that word, she's still reinforcing the stereotype. Maybe she's using the word as a stand-in for her own past misunderstanding of Entrapta, it's still wrong. It shows her negative mindset that pervades her interactions with others. Entrapta, pure as she is, is overjoyed to get the acceptance that she's always wanted- she ignores the negativity. But, Mermista.. be better!!
A quick note, here, from the author: I *do* like Mermista and Perfuma, they're all best Princess in their ways- I'm just being real about how SPOP shows their negativity having consequences!! Thx, e.d. out ❤️
4:: Finally, let's talk about Entrapdak 🔬✨💞✨🧪
As said before, Entrapta has a pretty great way of getting past others' negativity to see the best in others, and her ability to do that with Hordak is the best example of it all.
In no time flat Entrapta bypasses Hordak's toxic negativity. She's like 'hey, let's not do that- let's be friends.' She believes in something better. Entrapta treats Hordak with the expectation that they should be friends, and she's not wrong to do it. Hordak isn't Prime, he can be better. He's still capable of being a conscientious feeling person, unlike his abuser who selfishly tried to destroy his sense of self. Her giving him a chance is what allows him to start finding that better person within himself.
And, as Hordak has faced ableism, like she has, Entrapta is the one to confront the ableism Hordak faced during his life head on and do something about it. (stating the obvious for posterity) She has empathy for him, nobody ever understands his pain better than she does. Even though they get separated half way through the series, her kindness sticks with him- helping him overcome his doubts and have a redemptive moment in s5.
Come s5, Entrapta still keeps fighting to get through to him, seeking to reestablish their friendship. That's everything to their success against Prime during the final moments before the Heart is activated. She really is unique in her determination to do better by others- nobody else in the series has as much steadfast goodness in the way they treat others as Entrapta does.
(...everyone else had to learn to believe in each other the hard way...)
In those final moments, as the universe faces destruction by Prime's hand, Entrapta best sums up in words the entire thesis of SPOP and our title theme song, 🎶Warriors🎶
“You can't control us! You don't know understand makes us strong, and that's why you'll never win!”
So much history goes into this moment, but Entrapta sums up what they've all been fighting for best. Nobody says it better- how love is strength. Not Catra in Corridors, not Adora in Save the Cat. She never gave up on Hordak, and he's about to show Prime why.
And that it's Entrapta that says it is no accident…
Entrapta gets it. She always did. They are stronger by love than Prime can ever defeat, if they just believe in each other.
And she's right to believe in Hordak, he won't do it, the love he has for Entrapta is too powerful for Prime to take from him. He's able to break free of the past hurtfulness that's controlled him.
Entrapta’s steadfast belief in Hordak saves them all- by casting down his abuser, Hordak interrupts Prime’s control of the Heart just long enough for Catra to show Adora her true feelings in the dream and to confess her love, setting up the kiss that saves the universe. (read the fun meta here) (short version here)
It's almost like Entrapta was best girl all along. I say that because she's so true to her heart that she deserves all of our love. (Sorry Scorpia, you're great, but, I stand firm!)
Final thoughts / Conclusion
In SPOP, we’re not supposed to accept the causal hurtfulness and prejudices the Princesses have. We can see how those make things worse in many ways, but directly in Entrapta’s arc. That's why s4 ends so chaotically- because they're all wrong. It's also why we see such reversals in Catra and Glimmer's arcs and things such as how Scorpia fits with the Princesses as if she always belonged. And it's why Entrapta struggles against prejudice even through s5. True wisdom cannot be gained while letting your emotions control you like the Princesses are doing.
That SPOP discussed such complex issues makes it one of the best stories ever written. I think it will have staying power and sets the bar for other stories..! (ND Stevenson told a great gay story, no doubt, but I mean it that the story is one of the best of all time, period!)
That causal hurtfulness, which is hidden behind cute animation and voice acting, is probably something we know in our own lives but grew accustomed to accepting- family members we love but hurt us or toxic societies we’re immersed in where we're told to accept as norms things that hurt people. I, for instance, can attest that I've seen it firsthand as I was totally abandoned by my parents to abuse because of their preconceived and hurtful notions of how safe and easy my life was supposed to be. ::Don't give in to base assumptions! The prejudice Entrapta deals with helps to teach us about how these biases make things worse. Also: in a lot of ways, Entrapta's dedication to science is also the best response to negative bias. Data doesn't lie, after all…
Entrapta's arc is meant for us to think deeper. War is a confusing subject. Lots of fans attribute SPOP's war to be something it's not- many wars are lead by murderous sociopaths. Other wars are about both sides acting on past grievances and inflicting trauma in a cycle that makes things worse. SPOP is this story. Like the unfair way the Princesses treat Entrapta, the way they deal with the war is wrong, too. And the Horde are repeating traumas as well- yet Hordak isn't a sociopath. His love for her shows that.
Entrapta's way of acting is the closest to a emotionally sound response to the war that there is in SPOP. In the absence of a better choice, Entrapta does what she knows best: Science, and friendship towards others. Catra, all the Princess alliance, are letting their worst emotions control their actions. Entrapta treats everyone well because that's how people should be treated. She wants to be friends- she wants to help people and be valued.
... yes... she also wants to geek out constantly, and holy cow do I get her. (I will act the same way when I'm excited about facts, space IS awesome. I will absolutely geek out over how lethal it is!!) Facts are cool. There's nothing wrong with her enthusiasm, it should be appreciated. The Princesses often take her comments in the worst way possible (such as when she's remarking how amazing Horde Prime's tech is- when it is amazing.!) Her wanting to know the secrets behind things is worth it, she's curious about everything, like we all should be.
Still, I think it's how she treats others that makes her best princess. That's why she tugs so much on our heartstrings- she doesn't just show us how she's best or good, her actions reveal the best in others, such as Hordak. Best girl Entrapta. She's also a total badass, and a genius (thanks, Bow- took 4 seasons too long for someone to say it) Do you agree? Feel free to let me know! 👍
And finally- autism aside, she's great. I'm sorry if I can't give more guidance about the subject, but, autistic people are fantastic people, period. The Princesses shoulda looked to work with her better, her sensitivity is not a barrier!! Id they had, the story may have been much kinder over all. (...But would that really be a realistic story-? probs not...) We should all strive to be as excellent of a person as Entrapta is.
As always, if there's a detail of this meta (I got very meta again, sorry I can't help myself) you'd like clarified, ask me and I will gladly explain, with data, Entrapta style!! Please give THIS A 🧬🧪✨REBLOGG✨🧪🧬 and/or a like if you enjoyed it, and I hope you have a great one,
Etheria Dearie.
Author personal note:
Hey, thank you to my reader for asking me this one. Sorry it took so long, I hope I was able to speak conscientious about this subject 😔. To my readers: If it feels like I'm showing anger at ableism in my writing, ya caught me. I've been trying to correct my life to get away from abusive people and there's just no great way for someone partially disabled like I am to find good housing. Our entire society is set up to gatekeep such people from having that security, and I'm staring it right in the face now. So, I'm mad. p.s: thx for reading... anybody reblogg me? 😁❤️🙇
Here's a list of my meta's so far for new readers: https://etheriadearie.tumblr.com/post/647767378317492224/hey-i-just-found-your-blog-and-ive-gotta-say
Hey, love your posts! They provided me with lots of good info for a future fanfic of mine! And I'm not just talking about Catradora... Anyway, I wonder what you would have to say about Entrapta, she's kind of my favorite character in the whole show
oh my gosh, yes! Entrapta really is the best… ...let's all talk about it
Decoding Entrapta's Arc
-a data driven analysis-
Firstly, thanks for reading my blog! I totally love Entrapta, too… I actually consider her to be the most likable person in SPOP. In her, we’re seeing someone being the best person she can be, always.
She's a sweetheart, and all along she's trying to do the right thing. She doesn't stray from her ideals, and that shows courage.
She’s a person who remains good to the people around her, despite their negativity, and she's the only person who is honestly trying to understand the real truths of Etheria and how the First Ones corrupted the planet. She's after answers to the important questions. Does that get messy along the way? Sure, but her motivations were always about the truth, and we can see her goodness in how she treats others.
Entrapta's inherent goodness is in contrast to those around her, who are caught up in their own trauma and ignorances and because of that behave badly and are playing out the corrupt plans the First Ones made for them all.
This is what the whole story of SPOP is about- historical traumas which they have all been manipulated into- Horde and Rebellion alike- in order to fail as the First Ones intend them to.
Both sides are wrong in how they act, everyone is hurtful including to each other in their alliances. The war continues like it does largely because of everyone's self involvement in their own trauma and emotions. Entrapta is unique in that she's mostly immune to this criticism- as the one person truly seeking answers. (Note: all -> hyperlinks <- are on tumblr)
Yes, the Horde plays their role as an enemy to a t (..and yet how did Hordak end up on Etheria-? a:The First Ones..), the Princesses are ignorant of their own role as part of this millennia old corruption, and they lash out towards others who are different, with prejudice. That they don't know their involvement in the First Ones conspiracy doesn't make their behavior right, even if the Horde bringing war upon them is so wrong. What's that war really about? Entrapta is in the middle of this mess, trying to figure out what the truth is. And her discoveries of those truths will save them all in the end…
So, this hurtfulness on all sides can be seen personally in Entrapta's arc, as a person who faces prejudice while trying her best to understand what's really true. From the beginning she knows something is wrong with what the First Ones did, it's her goal. In this way we can see her character arc as a weathervane of the plot over all- because the Princesses are wrong in how they treat her from the start. And they're wrong in how they treat the war as well.
Our sweetest Entrapta goes about her business of finding the real truths behind what's happened to Etheria throughout the story, and she does a stalwart job of it- all while being hurt by others prejudices and trauma guided actions. Yes, some of what she does is wrong, like participating in war, but she isn't being given other good options. She's doing what she feels is right and her best to stay dedicated to the truth- scientifically, but while also remaining the kind person she is.
How she gets hurt within the Horde- well, we all see that in Catra's betrayal, but the Princesses are hurtful, too. In fact, the Princesses have a casual kind of hurtfulness that’s totally frustrating to watch which comes from the privileged lives they lived, and they force that hurtfulness on each other all of the time, not just Entrapta. We’ll talk more about this later, but Entrapta gets the worst of it. Nevermind that SPOP cautiously hides this causal hurtfulness behind cute humor and excellent voice acting for the kids- the Princesses' hurtfulness is plain to see if we just look for it.
Much of our discussion will focus on this and the role of the First Ones historical betrayal in all of their actions, with Entrapta doing her best to uncover the real truths of it all. Without her doing that, the Princesses would have failed in the end, like they almost do at the end of s4, when the oldest of their real enemies- the First Ones- almost successfully use them all as a weapon. And, as they face their final true enemy, Horde Prime, they would have failed against him, too, if not for the knowledge Entrapta gains through scientific study. Both sides are caught up in the plans made for them, acting on their traumas. Entrapta works so hard to know the truth, and to use it to help, and we love her for that.
..And about above, they only avoid the weapon going off in s4 much because of Entrapta warning Adora in time, so we get to thank her yet again...
So without further ado, here's some major topics we’ll cover:
1:: How Entrapta is simply one of the nicest people, her friendly and easy going manner reflects her way of believing in the best in others-
2:: How Entrapta is a great scientist and by this very fact she's a great person, because the truth must guide them all-
3:: How the Princesses assuming Entrapta died is part of their prejudices and unwillingness to understand others who are different for them, and if not for those prejudices they may have realized that she survived-
4:: And, of course, a bit about how Entrapdak reveals Entrapta's best self, her ability to see the best in Hordak (and others) makes her one of the best people, in the end she sums up the meaning of Warriors🎶 best with her own words-
1:: So about Entrapta's positivity..
I mentioned that Entrapta is doing her best with the situations she's given, that’s true scientifically but it includes how she treats others. She's always bringing positivity, not pessimism, which is under appreciated. To sum it up, Entrapta’s philosophy towards others is to always believe in something better; she strives to see the best in them. Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but, how can we not love her for that?
This includes people who were constantly vilified, such as Catra, Scorpia and Hordak. And her jovial attitude is at times looked down on as misguided by others. Is that right? I don't think so…
This preconception to judge her unfairly is very apparent with the Princesses. They really do seem to treat her cheerfulness as if it's wrong, even part of her autistic oddness. In truth: she's funny, full of positivity and amicable to others at all times. The Princesses treat her like she's weird for it..
::So yeah, guess what- dealing with people can be confusing for anyone- autism isn't actually the story there. Her ability not to be judgey like others around her (unlike the Princesses who treat her as ‘too weird’) sets her apart. Entrapta wants others to be happy, she wants to get along, she welcomes others' differences even if she doesn't quite understand them. She, in actuality, works pretty well on a team. What's really happening with the Princesses is that by judging Entrapta they are falling short of HER level of goodness, and that shows their damage, not hers.
We’ll come back to the Princesses' harmful behaviors later, but they are absolutely there and what is happening is that they assume the worst about her. When in reality, Entrapta is an total badass.
It's also wrong to assume that Entrapta doesn't realize the people around her aren't as nice as she is. She later reflects to Hordak that 'she wasn't good enough for them’ and doesn't understand why it goes wrong, like it did in the Rebellion leaving her and then with Catra not talking to her anymore. It's confusing to her, what she doesn't realize is that they're acting out their own hurt by being mean to her. This is also when she charmingly swears to never give up trying. Most of all, as time goes by Entrapta shows us that she really does get it.
She keeps a positive beat at all points in the story, all as she goes about her business of finding out the real truths of what the First Ones did to Etheria. Even abandoned on Beast Island, she's able to make good use of her time to do this. And she doesn't hold a grudge.
Even against Catra, who we know hurts her so badly. Here's my favorite example of Entrapta ‘getting it’ all along:
Entrapta's ✨🧪amazing🔬✨ sense of humor is on full display as she humorously roasts Catra over her past harmfulness. We see that actually, she understood all along why Catra might feel threatened by her for that- but also that she wasn't considering acting on it before Catra brought it up. She's not spiteful. And, it tells us something really fun about her- that she doesn't always mean what she says as serious- she likes to kid around. ☺️ (i.e Entrapta sayings she's gonna dissect Adora in s1ep5 🙃)
So, she doesn't let Catra off easy at all for her past harmfulness. And, it's so fun to see her put the heat on Catra. She's also wise toward others, like she is with Hordak- she sees what's underneath and that Catra's apology is sincere. She's a kindhearted person, forgiving is not a hang up for her. I think she'll be friends with Catra; as she certainly knew when to humorously punk Catra's ass for what she did in the past.
So, there's really no good reason for why she gets hurt so much by others. Again, their damage, not hers.
::Also, I won't be dwelling on her autism too much- I'm not diagnosed with it so others can tell that story better- but, we can instead attribute much of Entrapta’s social struggles simply due to her lack of social experience. We don't need to look to her autism at all to understand their disconnects with her, we're seeing their damage because Entrapta is always sweet to others and which goes ignored. They're just not great people.
(For context, we know Entrapta was mostly raised away from people, by robots, so she doesn't understand their confusion with her.) Considering this, she does really well- we see her actually do a pretty good job of interacting with others on a team in s1. By the end of the series, it's quite clear Entrapta could understand where others were coming from all along- even if her processes of understanding it maybe looks different from what it does for less neurodivergent people.
So, that's what's going on from the beginning Entrapta shoulda been treated better- she was always a good person and trying to do her best with the situations given to her. And again, as a scientist- Entrapta is the only person asking the real questions about what's going on with the First Ones corruption of Etheria, something she does from the very start. Which is why we need to talk about what Entrapta's always so ecstatic about:
2:: SCIENCE DOESN'T LIE!!!
By searching for the answers to what the First Ones did to Etheria- how the planet was corrupted for the First Ones weapon- she's focused on the real issues. And science is the best way to do that, which is her skill. While the Horde and the Princesses fight each other mercilessly, she's concerned with the real plot, and their real enemy- the First Ones.
Everything in SPOP relates back to the original betrayal and the historical trauma of the First Ones- Something Entrapta is already beginning to grasp even before we're first introduced to her. Yet it takes until she joins the Horde for anyone to ask her about her research… Why is that-?
Long story short, the Princesses are way too self involved in their own hurt and the apparent unfairness of the Horde showing up out of nowhere and bringing war onto them. Yet that the Horde came from nowhere is a clue in itself, is it not? If Hordak isn't Etherian, how? (A: Light Hope is the only person capable of bringing him to Etheria- she brought him there to start the war). The Princesses totally miss this.
This doesn't make what the Horde is doing any less wrong, it just shows that the Princesses are ignorant of their own world. Is it ok for the Princesses to have spent the last millennia living in comfort, not addressing the real issues and unaware of what the First Ones turned them into?
It's not, and so SPOP is about historical trauma.
Everything is wrong on Etheria, not just the Horde. The Princesses are far too naive to face a full on evil enemy like the First Ones or Horde Prime.
.. You may be thinking of people who exclaim ‘well they couldn't have known what they didn't know’ but is that right?
No. To elaborate: NooOoOooo!! 🔬
We know they could have known better because Shadow Weaver knew all of this history, she studied it to get more power. For herself, at any cost. And if she could figure it out, they could have. The Princesses lived complacently for the last millennia.
In reality, Entrapta is basically trying to catch up to what Shadow Weaver knew from the beginning of the whole series::
Whereas Shadow Weaver never uses that knowledge for good, only looking to sacrifice Adora to release Etheria’s full sorcerous powers for herself, (read the meta of how SW is the real villain of SPOP above) Entrapta wants to help and provides actual guidance and understanding to the Princesses which they need to get free of the First Ones plot against them, and then to stop Horde Prime. She doesn't get enough recognition for that from the Princesses….
Some of her most massive achievements, which wouldn't have been possible without her study and experimentations, include:
-She's able to repair Darla and get the ship across space and back, which is no small feat,
-She's able to locate Glimmer and help rescue her and Catra,
-She frees everyone on Etheria from Prime's control.
- And many more
In this way, we can really get to understand how even some of her actions she's most vilified for are part of her seeking these truths and gaining the knowledge they will need to survive. Let's talk about a couple of them.
Why Entrapta’s search with science looks so messy: Hacking the Black Garnet
What Entrapta experimenting on the Black Garnet was really about was testing her theories of what's wrong with Etheria. She doesn't do it to hurt people (obviously) and yes it causes chaos. Yet that's a huge clue- why does a runestone used in such a way cause destruction? The Princesses miss the point.
Many other hints get dropped along the way, and they just keep missing them because of their blindness from anger over the war. You can also see Entrapta's hand in most of these other hints:
Why can Adora be corrupted by First Ones tech contacting the sword? If Horde Prime is waiting outside Despondos and can destroy them all, how and why did Etheria end up secluded from the universe?
… Where did the stars go ?
The Princesses' cluelessness is all to do about the naive way they existed for the last millennia, a historical trauma which is catching up to them in real time as our series begins. Entrapta is trying to catch up to the real truth by studying Etheria like she does- chaos and all.
...Can the Princesses really remain ignorant and just keep escalating a war over past grievances? Would defeating Hordak even stop the greater plot against them all? Not at all- most likely they would have just then reconnected the runestones and Light Hope would have blown up the planet before they even realized what she was doing. Entrapta’s study is vastly necessary, they need her help- everything is necessary learning for Entrapta.
Yeah, science tends to be messy, but when Catra asks her about her research, leading to them hacking the Black Garnet, Entrapta is testing her hypothesis- and she proves it true. Entrapta will take her gained knowledge from this and other endeavors to be the capable scientist they need her to be in s5 to stop Prime. They need to know these truths. Necessary learning.
So, even this act she's vilified for is misunderstood by the Princesses who miss the clues of how what occurs reveals their own corruption. Because of course they did.
Entrapta’s further actions such as building the portal machine are also related to finding the real truth. If Etheria is isolated, the outside universe would have answers. It's good Entrapta’s machine doesn't bring Horde Prime down on them all at that juncture, they're not ready- she also tries to stop it, only failing due to the traumatized state Catra is in that episode after Shadow Weaver shows up and nearly kills her.
I won't recap everything she does but let's talk about the one consistent criticism: Entrapta building bots.
...note: this is something the Princesses asked her to do yet she ends up doing for the Horde instead...
When in fact, are these bots the killing machines many assume them to be? No, Frosta herself reveals that they aren't. And this fact isn't about softening the show for a kids audience. SPOP isn't that story-
The Horde isn't genociding people, like some uneducated detractors suggest- because that's not what the story of SPOP is about (go watch ATLA… it depicts genocide and it's a children's show- also, the civilians in SPOP don't participate in the war). It's about historical traumas and how ALL of them are continuing violence in a way that amplifies those past evils. And, Entrapta’s work with Emily also proves something essential: that a robot can have a soul. Is that not worth exploring further?
Take such things into account regarding her actions such as hacking the Black Garnet. She's testing her theory by doing so, meanwhile the Princesses abandoned her, both physically, but also with their harsh emotional treatment of her, having never broached the topic of her research. They are angry and ignorant, just self involved with their own hurt over the war. And when they had her they acted like they only wanted Entrapta for her ability to make robots to defeat the Horde. A bit of irony, I guess…
Again, the Horde is beyond doubt wrong to bring war, but that doesn't change the fact that the Princesses are ignorant and have spent the last millennia playing into the trap the First Ones set for them. Entrapta's knowledge from experimentation helps guide them free from that.
In s4, it's Entrapta who ends up helping them avert disaster by warning Adora. Meanwhile, Glimmer is so consumed by her own hurt that she resorts to barbarism and using an evil super weapon. In s3 Adora had begun to understand the evil that the First Ones were making, but in s4 Glimmer hijacks any understanding Adora may have gained with her total focus on war. When asked to help save Entrapta and deal with the danger that threatens the planet, Glimmer is harmful and we can see her unfairness towards Entrapta, her false equivalences-
Glimmer is one of the top most guilty characters when it comes to prejudice towards Entrapta, and she's also totally prejudiced against the Horde in a way that always makes things worse.
It takes her own descent into evil for her to realize that her false equivalence of evil on all Horde may be wrong, which we see her reverse her understanding of in s5 while talking to Catra. In SPOP, everyone's trauma combines to make them nearly fail as the First Ones intended them to do. And Entrapta does her best to uncover these truths at all points in the story, she's never evil.
3:: Entrapta's emotional gains in the Horde and why the Princesses leaving her was a wrong assumption-
I think it's been said enough by others that the Horde allowing Entrapta to pursue science is fundamental. But in the Horde, Entrapta also learns about friendship and being valued.
Outside of the Horde, Entrapta faces prejudice, much because of her autism or otherwise, much like the people she meets in the Horde have. The way they treat her is different because of the backgrounds they have with having been falsely judged themselves.
In the Horde, Entrapta gains at least one true friend: Scorpia. And Catra values her: she sees how smart and capable Entrapta is right off the bat. She's not a friend, she's maybe even a terrible boss, but Catra shows Entrapta that she's valued for her hard work and unique skills. Catra also sees how others are prejudiced against Entrapta, like they were towards her.
And of course, Entrapta's relationship with Hordak is important as well. She helps him deal with his disability and their ship is adored. In short, Entrapta gains so much emotionally in the Horde.
Compare this to her time in the alliance, and we don't see much good. That the Princesses abandon her has everything to do with their inability to understand her and value her.
We're all mature fans here so let's not shy away from the difficult subject: the ableism Entrapta faces from the Princesses.
So, why Entrapta get left behind-
Once we begin to quantify how the Princesses have an ignorant approach to their world, and in how they treat Entrapta, we can see the underlying truth better.
Their behavior towards her is extremely hard to watch, and a sign of their own corrupted sense of niceness towards others who seem different: after living comfortable and privileged lives, they simply became accustomed to not accepting people who are different from their expectations. They're all caught up in their own emotional world. Entrapta’s neurodivergence is included in the harsh subconscious biases that they all have.
Again, this is a sign of how the Princesses are too immature to face a real enemy as powerful and dangerous as Prime, or even able to free themselves from the corruption the First Ones involved them in. After spending 4 seasons playing straight into the First Ones hands, Prime then descends upon them all suddenly, because of Glimmer's own mistake, when they've only just begun to see their own wrongness and to work together like is trumpeted in the theme song, Warriors🎶. They barely squeak out the win because of this slow march of learning to work together through butting heads, and that win comes much to do because of Entrapta's wise guidance...
They're also simply not nice to Entrapta…
That we're seeing ableism is what I am certain is precisely what's meant to be shown and discussed by ND Stevenson and CrewRa. It's hidden behind some layers of cute, but it's all there. Without these negative assumptions, the Princesses likely would have checked to see if Entrapta survived…
(Also, SPOP isn't a problematic series at all for showing this!! How can we discuss such an important subject if they shied away from showing it?? SPOP's writers showed courage and it's the wisest story I've ever seen..) ...back to the meta-
So yeah, her getting left behind is about their bias, but to breifly address the other thing- how did she survive? Keeping fancy details aside (my theory being saved for another time), she survives that moment <with ease> because of the fact that she's a MAD SCIENTIST. You think Entrapta hasn't had worse scares than a bit of fire?? (Clue: think about how she designs her everyday equipment, as a mad scientist, to prepare her for such situations..)
..So, back to ableism,
In s1, Perfuma putting Entrapta on a leash and then tying her up is ableist behavior. It's important to quantify this. She does it thinking Entrapta doesn't know what's going on, so she tries to take Entrapta's autonomy away. It's not necessary at all- Perfuma is bad at communication and is projecting her own fears of failure onto Entrapta, underestimating her abilities.
There's other unacceptable behaviors- Glimmer is dismissive towards Entrapta’s neurodivergence, Mermita’s constant negativity affects how Entrapta is viewed by the team as well. (If you're wondering where Adora fits in this- she ignores what's going on with others' bad behavior as part of her being consumed by her anxiety issue of failing to lead. >note: by being so blinded by anxiety, she's actually failing them in that exact way<.) But, in s1 Perfuma's actions are the worst, which is why that's what we're going to talk about.
We know how wrong Perfuma is simply because of the final outcome of the episode: after Entrapta goes ‘missing’, despite Perfuma's trying to control her, Entrapta returns triumphant, having befriended Emily and having rescued Sea Hawk- and in time to help them rescue Bow. Perfuma assumed Entrapta's excitement was inability to focus, that's only slightly true, but in truth Entrapta was mostly just multitasking. She's that much of a badass.
So, we can see how much the Princesses are underestimating Entrapta's abilities through Perfuma’s actions. And thus, it's not at all surprising that when Entrapta seemed to be in danger, they assumed the worst. The ableism, the assumption that Entrapta didn't ‘get it’, the not knowing how resourceful Entrapta is as a scientist, is why they give up on her when they shouldn't have.
... about the horde again...
In this way, it's pretty natural that she ends up with the Horde, as it is a much better situation for her in most ways- she's surrounded by people who have faced false judgements their whole lives like she has. The Princesses have so much prejudice, we can see that in how they treat Entrapta. Whatever else is wrong with the Horde, nobody is ableist towards Entrapta in the way the Princesses were.
In the Horde, Entrapta uses the access to science she has to study the real issues; she goes through hell when Catra ends up betraying her out of her traumas; she helps Adora avert the destruction of the planet at the end of s4... and yet in s5 she faces even MORE ableism from the Princesses.
When we see her in s5ep2, the Princesses say she's only interested in tech- which smells mightily of autistic ableism- essentially suggesting she's a robot. And then they blame her for everything- is that really fair?
No- it's frankly sad to watch how the Princesses spent the first 4 seasons walking straight into the trap the First Ones made for them. Also, their anger towards Entrapta comes after she's repaired Darla to fly across space so they can rescue Glimmer- have the Princesses thanked her for her unique contribution in this? Nope.
Whereas the ableism is hidden behind cute, funny sequences and excellent voice acting in s1, in s5 it's downright blatantly shown.
If Scorpia wasn't there to point out how Entrapta could help them, the Princesses would have continued in their negative, ableist views of Entrapta. Consider that- without Entrapta's one friend from the ‘evil’ Horde, the Princesses wouldn't have overcome their prejudice towards her, and so they wouldn't have even been able to save Glimmer. Hurray, Scorpia!! ❤️🖤🤍
We are once again being shown that they refuse to really try to understand Entrapta.
When Entrapta approaches the enemy base, she's doing her job and getting the data needed to find Glimmer. The Princesses force their expectation of how things should go onto Entrapta- and then blame her for ruining the mission. And yet, once Mermista finally sees that Entrapta absolutely knows the mission and is still trying to save Glimmer, she has no problem managing protection of Entrapta while she finishes getting the data..
Sure, Entrapta could been more stealthy, but their assumption that she doesn't understand what's happening was hurtful. They let their negativity consume them.
Also, we see Perfuma leash Entrapta again (briefly), and Mermista grabs Entrapta by the hair, leading to the Entrapta’s pained explanation that she 'gets it'. So, Mermista tries to remove Entrapta's autonomy- and physically hurts Entrapta with her anger. And then afterwards, Mermista can't give Entrapta a proper compliment- it comes combined with an insult when she tells her “Entrapta helped, too. You're still a wierdo, but you did good today. We've got your back, anytime."
Even if Mermista doesn't mean insult by choosing that word, she's still reinforcing the stereotype. Maybe she's using the word as a stand-in for her own past misunderstanding of Entrapta, it's still wrong. It shows her negative mindset that pervades her interactions with others. Entrapta, pure as she is, is overjoyed to get the acceptance that she's always wanted- she ignores the negativity. But, Mermista.. be better!!
A quick note, here, from the author: I *do* like Mermista and Perfuma, they're all best Princess in their ways- I'm just being real about how SPOP shows their negativity having consequences!! Thx, e.d. out ❤️
4:: Finally, let's talk about Entrapdak 🔬✨💞✨🧪
As said before, Entrapta has a pretty great way of getting past others' negativity to see the best in others, and her ability to do that with Hordak is the best example of it all.
In no time flat Entrapta bypasses Hordak's toxic negativity. She's like 'hey, let's not do that- let's be friends.' She believes in something better. Entrapta treats Hordak with the expectation that they should be friends, and she's not wrong to do it. Hordak isn't Prime, he can be better. He's still capable of being a conscientious feeling person, unlike his abuser who selfishly tried to destroy his sense of self. Her giving him a chance is what allows him to start finding that better person within himself.
And, as Hordak has faced ableism, like she has, Entrapta is the one to confront the ableism Hordak faced during his life head on and do something about it. (stating the obvious for posterity) She has empathy for him, nobody ever understands his pain better than she does. Even though they get separated half way through the series, her kindness sticks with him- helping him overcome his doubts and have a redemptive moment in s5.
Come s5, Entrapta still keeps fighting to get through to him, seeking to reestablish their friendship. That's everything to their success against Prime during the final moments before the Heart is activated. She really is unique in her determination to do better by others- nobody else in the series has as much steadfast goodness in the way they treat others as Entrapta does.
(...everyone else had to learn to believe in each other the hard way...)
In those final moments, as the universe faces destruction by Prime's hand, Entrapta best sums up in words the entire thesis of SPOP and our title theme song, 🎶Warriors🎶
“You can't control us! You don't know understand makes us strong, and that's why you'll never win!”
So much history goes into this moment, but Entrapta sums up what they've all been fighting for best. Nobody says it better- how love is strength. Not Catra in Corridors, not Adora in Save the Cat. She never gave up on Hordak, and he's about to show Prime why.
And that it's Entrapta that says it is no accident…
Entrapta gets it. She always did. They are stronger by love than Prime can ever defeat, if they just believe in each other.
And she's right to believe in Hordak, he won't do it, the love he has for Entrapta is too powerful for Prime to take from him. He's able to break free of the past hurtfulness that's controlled him.
Entrapta’s steadfast belief in Hordak saves them all- by casting down his abuser, Hordak interrupts Prime’s control of the Heart just long enough for Catra to show Adora her true feelings in the dream and to confess her love, setting up the kiss that saves the universe. (read the fun meta here) (short version here)
It's almost like Entrapta was best girl all along. I say that because she's so true to her heart that she deserves all of our love. (Sorry Scorpia, you're great, but, I stand firm!)
Final thoughts / Conclusion
In SPOP, we’re not supposed to accept the causal hurtfulness and prejudices the Princesses have. We can see how those make things worse in many ways, but directly in Entrapta’s arc. That's why s4 ends so chaotically- because they're all wrong. It's also why we see such reversals in Catra and Glimmer's arcs and things such as how Scorpia fits with the Princesses as if she always belonged. And it's why Entrapta struggles against prejudice even through s5. True wisdom cannot be gained while letting your emotions control you like the Princesses are doing.
That SPOP discussed such complex issues makes it one of the best stories ever written. I think it will have staying power and sets the bar for other stories..! (ND Stevenson told a great gay story, no doubt, but I mean it that the story is one of the best of all time, period!)
That causal hurtfulness, which is hidden behind cute animation and voice acting, is probably something we know in our own lives but grew accustomed to accepting- family members we love but hurt us or toxic societies we’re immersed in where we're told to accept as norms things that hurt people. I, for instance, can attest that I've seen it firsthand as I was totally abandoned by my parents to abuse because of their preconceived and hurtful notions of how safe and easy my life was supposed to be. ::Don't give in to base assumptions! The prejudice Entrapta deals with helps to teach us about how these biases make things worse. Also: in a lot of ways, Entrapta's dedication to science is also the best response to negative bias. Data doesn't lie, after all…
Entrapta's arc is meant for us to think deeper. War is a confusing subject. Lots of fans attribute SPOP's war to be something it's not- many wars are lead by murderous sociopaths. Other wars are about both sides acting on past grievances and inflicting trauma in a cycle that makes things worse. SPOP is this story. Like the unfair way the Princesses treat Entrapta, the way they deal with the war is wrong, too. And the Horde are repeating traumas as well- yet Hordak isn't a sociopath. His love for her shows that.
Entrapta's way of acting is the closest to a emotionally sound response to the war that there is in SPOP. In the absence of a better choice, Entrapta does what she knows best: Science, and friendship towards others. Catra, all the Princess alliance, are letting their worst emotions control their actions. Entrapta treats everyone well because that's how people should be treated. She wants to be friends- she wants to help people and be valued.
... yes... she also wants to geek out constantly, and holy cow do I get her. (I will act the same way when I'm excited about facts, space IS awesome. I will absolutely geek out over how lethal it is!!) Facts are cool. There's nothing wrong with her enthusiasm, it should be appreciated. The Princesses often take her comments in the worst way possible (such as when she's remarking how amazing Horde Prime's tech is- when it is amazing.!) Her wanting to know the secrets behind things is worth it, she's curious about everything, like we all should be.
Still, I think it's how she treats others that makes her best princess. That's why she tugs so much on our heartstrings- she doesn't just show us how she's best or good, her actions reveal the best in others, such as Hordak. Best girl Entrapta. She's also a total badass, and a genius (thanks, Bow- took 4 seasons too long for someone to say it) Do you agree? Feel free to let me know! 👍
And finally- autism aside, she's great. I'm sorry if I can't give more guidance about the subject, but, autistic people are fantastic people, period. The Princesses shoulda looked to work with her better, her sensitivity is not a barrier!! Id they had, the story may have been much kinder over all. (...But would that really be a realistic story-? probs not...) We should all strive to be as excellent of a person as Entrapta is.
As always, if there's a detail of this meta (I got very meta again, sorry I can't help myself) you'd like clarified, ask me and I will gladly explain, with data, Entrapta style!! Please give THIS A 🧬🧪✨REBLOGG✨🧪🧬 and/or a like if you enjoyed it, and I hope you have a great one,
Etheria Dearie.
Author personal note:
Hey, thank you to my reader for asking me this one. Sorry it took so long, I hope I was able to speak conscientious about this subject 😔. To my readers: If it feels like I'm showing anger at ableism in my writing, ya caught me. I've been trying to correct my life to get away from abusive people and there's just no great way for someone partially disabled like I am to find good housing. Our entire society is set up to gatekeep such people from having that security, and I'm staring it right in the face now. So, I'm mad. p.s: thx for reading... anybody reblogg me? 😁❤️🙇
Here's a list of my meta's so far for new readers: https://etheriadearie.tumblr.com/post/647767378317492224/hey-i-just-found-your-blog-and-ive-gotta-say
Hey, love your posts! They provided me with lots of good info for a future fanfic of mine! And I'm not just talking about Catradora... Anyway, I wonder what you would have to say about Entrapta, she's kind of my favorite character in the whole show
oh my gosh, yes! Entrapta really is the best… ...let's all talk about it
Decoding Entrapta's Arc
-a data driven analysis-
Firstly, thanks for reading my blog! I totally love Entrapta, too… I actually consider her to be the most likable person in SPOP. In her, we’re seeing someone being the best person she can be, always.
She's a sweetheart, and all along she's trying to do the right thing. She doesn't stray from her ideals, and that shows courage.
She’s a person who remains good to the people around her, despite their negativity, and she's the only person who is honestly trying to understand the real truths of Etheria and how the First Ones corrupted the planet. She's after answers to the important questions. Does that get messy along the way? Sure, but her motivations were always about the truth, and we can see her goodness in how she treats others.
Entrapta's inherent goodness is in contrast to those around her, who are caught up in their own trauma and ignorances and because of that behave badly and are playing out the corrupt plans the First Ones made for them all.
This is what the whole story of SPOP is about- historical traumas which they have all been manipulated into- Horde and Rebellion alike- in order to fail as the First Ones intend them to.
Both sides are wrong in how they act, everyone is hurtful including to each other in their alliances. The war continues like it does largely because of everyone's self involvement in their own trauma and emotions. Entrapta is unique in that she's mostly immune to this criticism- as the one person truly seeking answers. (Note: all -> hyperlinks <- are on tumblr)
Yes, the Horde plays their role as an enemy to a t (..and yet how did Hordak end up on Etheria-? a:The First Ones..), the Princesses are ignorant of their own role as part of this millennia old corruption, and they lash out towards others who are different, with prejudice. That they don't know their involvement in the First Ones conspiracy doesn't make their behavior right, even if the Horde bringing war upon them is so wrong. What's that war really about? Entrapta is in the middle of this mess, trying to figure out what the truth is. And her discoveries of those truths will save them all in the end…
So, this hurtfulness on all sides can be seen personally in Entrapta's arc, as a person who faces prejudice while trying her best to understand what's really true. From the beginning she knows something is wrong with what the First Ones did, it's her goal. In this way we can see her character arc as a weathervane of the plot over all- because the Princesses are wrong in how they treat her from the start. And they're wrong in how they treat the war as well.
Our sweetest Entrapta goes about her business of finding the real truths behind what's happened to Etheria throughout the story, and she does a stalwart job of it- all while being hurt by others prejudices and trauma guided actions. Yes, some of what she does is wrong, like participating in war, but she isn't being given other good options. She's doing what she feels is right and her best to stay dedicated to the truth- scientifically, but while also remaining the kind person she is.
How she gets hurt within the Horde- well, we all see that in Catra's betrayal, but the Princesses are hurtful, too. In fact, the Princesses have a casual kind of hurtfulness that’s totally frustrating to watch which comes from the privileged lives they lived, and they force that hurtfulness on each other all of the time, not just Entrapta. We’ll talk more about this later, but Entrapta gets the worst of it. Nevermind that SPOP cautiously hides this causal hurtfulness behind cute humor and excellent voice acting for the kids- the Princesses' hurtfulness is plain to see if we just look for it.
Much of our discussion will focus on this and the role of the First Ones historical betrayal in all of their actions, with Entrapta doing her best to uncover the real truths of it all. Without her doing that, the Princesses would have failed in the end, like they almost do at the end of s4, when the oldest of their real enemies- the First Ones- almost successfully use them all as a weapon. And, as they face their final true enemy, Horde Prime, they would have failed against him, too, if not for the knowledge Entrapta gains through scientific study. Both sides are caught up in the plans made for them, acting on their traumas. Entrapta works so hard to know the truth, and to use it to help, and we love her for that.
..And about above, they only avoid the weapon going off in s4 much because of Entrapta warning Adora in time, so we get to thank her yet again...
So without further ado, here's some major topics we’ll cover:
1:: How Entrapta is simply one of the nicest people, her friendly and easy going manner reflects her way of believing in the best in others-
2:: How Entrapta is a great scientist and by this very fact she's a great person, because the truth must guide them all-
3:: How the Princesses assuming Entrapta died is part of their prejudices and unwillingness to understand others who are different for them, and if not for those prejudices they may have realized that she survived-
4:: And, of course, a bit about how Entrapdak reveals Entrapta's best self, her ability to see the best in Hordak (and others) makes her one of the best people, in the end she sums up the meaning of Warriors🎶 best with her own words-
1:: So about Entrapta's positivity..
I mentioned that Entrapta is doing her best with the situations she's given, that’s true scientifically but it includes how she treats others. She's always bringing positivity, not pessimism, which is under appreciated. To sum it up, Entrapta’s philosophy towards others is to always believe in something better; she strives to see the best in them. Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but, how can we not love her for that?
This includes people who were constantly vilified, such as Catra, Scorpia and Hordak. And her jovial attitude is at times looked down on as misguided by others. Is that right? I don't think so…
This preconception to judge her unfairly is very apparent with the Princesses. They really do seem to treat her cheerfulness as if it's wrong, even part of her autistic oddness. In truth: she's funny, full of positivity and amicable to others at all times. The Princesses treat her like she's weird for it..
::So yeah, guess what- dealing with people can be confusing for anyone- autism isn't actually the story there. Her ability not to be judgey like others around her (unlike the Princesses who treat her as ‘too weird’) sets her apart. Entrapta wants others to be happy, she wants to get along, she welcomes others' differences even if she doesn't quite understand them. She, in actuality, works pretty well on a team. What's really happening with the Princesses is that by judging Entrapta they are falling short of HER level of goodness, and that shows their damage, not hers.
We’ll come back to the Princesses' harmful behaviors later, but they are absolutely there and what is happening is that they assume the worst about her. When in reality, Entrapta is an total badass.
It's also wrong to assume that Entrapta doesn't realize the people around her aren't as nice as she is. She later reflects to Hordak that 'she wasn't good enough for them’ and doesn't understand why it goes wrong, like it did in the Rebellion leaving her and then with Catra not talking to her anymore. It's confusing to her, what she doesn't realize is that they're acting out their own hurt by being mean to her. This is also when she charmingly swears to never give up trying. Most of all, as time goes by Entrapta shows us that she really does get it.
She keeps a positive beat at all points in the story, all as she goes about her business of finding out the real truths of what the First Ones did to Etheria. Even abandoned on Beast Island, she's able to make good use of her time to do this. And she doesn't hold a grudge.
Even against Catra, who we know hurts her so badly. Here's my favorite example of Entrapta ‘getting it’ all along:
Entrapta's ✨🧪amazing🔬✨ sense of humor is on full display as she humorously roasts Catra over her past harmfulness. We see that actually, she understood all along why Catra might feel threatened by her for that- but also that she wasn't considering acting on it before Catra brought it up. She's not spiteful. And, it tells us something really fun about her- that she doesn't always mean what she says as serious- she likes to kid around. ☺️ (i.e Entrapta sayings she's gonna dissect Adora in s1ep5 🙃)
So, she doesn't let Catra off easy at all for her past harmfulness. And, it's so fun to see her put the heat on Catra. She's also wise toward others, like she is with Hordak- she sees what's underneath and that Catra's apology is sincere. She's a kindhearted person, forgiving is not a hang up for her. I think she'll be friends with Catra; as she certainly knew when to humorously punk Catra's ass for what she did in the past.
So, there's really no good reason for why she gets hurt so much by others. Again, their damage, not hers.
::Also, I won't be dwelling on her autism too much- I'm not diagnosed with it so others can tell that story better- but, we can instead attribute much of Entrapta’s social struggles simply due to her lack of social experience. We don't need to look to her autism at all to understand their disconnects with her, we're seeing their damage because Entrapta is always sweet to others and which goes ignored. They're just not great people.
(For context, we know Entrapta was mostly raised away from people, by robots, so she doesn't understand their confusion with her.) Considering this, she does really well- we see her actually do a pretty good job of interacting with others on a team in s1. By the end of the series, it's quite clear Entrapta could understand where others were coming from all along- even if her processes of understanding it maybe looks different from what it does for less neurodivergent people.
So, that's what's going on from the beginning Entrapta shoulda been treated better- she was always a good person and trying to do her best with the situations given to her. And again, as a scientist- Entrapta is the only person asking the real questions about what's going on with the First Ones corruption of Etheria, something she does from the very start. Which is why we need to talk about what Entrapta's always so ecstatic about:
2:: SCIENCE DOESN'T LIE!!!
By searching for the answers to what the First Ones did to Etheria- how the planet was corrupted for the First Ones weapon- she's focused on the real issues. And science is the best way to do that, which is her skill. While the Horde and the Princesses fight each other mercilessly, she's concerned with the real plot, and their real enemy- the First Ones.
Everything in SPOP relates back to the original betrayal and the historical trauma of the First Ones- Something Entrapta is already beginning to grasp even before we're first introduced to her. Yet it takes until she joins the Horde for anyone to ask her about her research… Why is that-?
Long story short, the Princesses are way too self involved in their own hurt and the apparent unfairness of the Horde showing up out of nowhere and bringing war onto them. Yet that the Horde came from nowhere is a clue in itself, is it not? If Hordak isn't Etherian, how? (A: Light Hope is the only person capable of bringing him to Etheria- she brought him there to start the war). The Princesses totally miss this.
This doesn't make what the Horde is doing any less wrong, it just shows that the Princesses are ignorant of their own world. Is it ok for the Princesses to have spent the last millennia living in comfort, not addressing the real issues and unaware of what the First Ones turned them into?
It's not, and so SPOP is about historical trauma.
Everything is wrong on Etheria, not just the Horde. The Princesses are far too naive to face a full on evil enemy like the First Ones or Horde Prime.
.. You may be thinking of people who exclaim ‘well they couldn't have known what they didn't know’ but is that right?
No. To elaborate: NooOoOooo!! 🔬
We know they could have known better because Shadow Weaver knew all of this history, she studied it to get more power. For herself, at any cost. And if she could figure it out, they could have. The Princesses lived complacently for the last millennia.
In reality, Entrapta is basically trying to catch up to what Shadow Weaver knew from the beginning of the whole series::
Whereas Shadow Weaver never uses that knowledge for good, only looking to sacrifice Adora to release Etheria’s full sorcerous powers for herself, (read the meta of how SW is the real villain of SPOP above) Entrapta wants to help and provides actual guidance and understanding to the Princesses which they need to get free of the First Ones plot against them, and then to stop Horde Prime. She doesn't get enough recognition for that from the Princesses….
Some of her most massive achievements, which wouldn't have been possible without her study and experimentations, include:
-She's able to repair Darla and get the ship across space and back, which is no small feat,
-She's able to locate Glimmer and help rescue her and Catra,
-She frees everyone on Etheria from Prime's control.
- And many more
In this way, we can really get to understand how even some of her actions she's most vilified for are part of her seeking these truths and gaining the knowledge they will need to survive. Let's talk about a couple of them.
Why Entrapta’s search with science looks so messy: Hacking the Black Garnet
What Entrapta experimenting on the Black Garnet was really about was testing her theories of what's wrong with Etheria. She doesn't do it to hurt people (obviously) and yes it causes chaos. Yet that's a huge clue- why does a runestone used in such a way cause destruction? The Princesses miss the point.
Many other hints get dropped along the way, and they just keep missing them because of their blindness from anger over the war. You can also see Entrapta's hand in most of these other hints:
Why can Adora be corrupted by First Ones tech contacting the sword? If Horde Prime is waiting outside Despondos and can destroy them all, how and why did Etheria end up secluded from the universe?
… Where did the stars go ?
The Princesses' cluelessness is all to do about the naive way they existed for the last millennia, a historical trauma which is catching up to them in real time as our series begins. Entrapta is trying to catch up to the real truth by studying Etheria like she does- chaos and all.
...Can the Princesses really remain ignorant and just keep escalating a war over past grievances? Would defeating Hordak even stop the greater plot against them all? Not at all- most likely they would have just then reconnected the runestones and Light Hope would have blown up the planet before they even realized what she was doing. Entrapta’s study is vastly necessary, they need her help- everything is necessary learning for Entrapta.
Yeah, science tends to be messy, but when Catra asks her about her research, leading to them hacking the Black Garnet, Entrapta is testing her hypothesis- and she proves it true. Entrapta will take her gained knowledge from this and other endeavors to be the capable scientist they need her to be in s5 to stop Prime. They need to know these truths. Necessary learning.
So, even this act she's vilified for is misunderstood by the Princesses who miss the clues of how what occurs reveals their own corruption. Because of course they did.
Entrapta’s further actions such as building the portal machine are also related to finding the real truth. If Etheria is isolated, the outside universe would have answers. It's good Entrapta’s machine doesn't bring Horde Prime down on them all at that juncture, they're not ready- she also tries to stop it, only failing due to the traumatized state Catra is in that episode after Shadow Weaver shows up and nearly kills her.
I won't recap everything she does but let's talk about the one consistent criticism: Entrapta building bots.
...note: this is something the Princesses asked her to do yet she ends up doing for the Horde instead...
When in fact, are these bots the killing machines many assume them to be? No, Frosta herself reveals that they aren't. And this fact isn't about softening the show for a kids audience. SPOP isn't that story-
The Horde isn't genociding people, like some uneducated detractors suggest- because that's not what the story of SPOP is about (go watch ATLA… it depicts genocide and it's a children's show- also, the civilians in SPOP don't participate in the war). It's about historical traumas and how ALL of them are continuing violence in a way that amplifies those past evils. And, Entrapta’s work with Emily also proves something essential: that a robot can have a soul. Is that not worth exploring further?
Take such things into account regarding her actions such as hacking the Black Garnet. She's testing her theory by doing so, meanwhile the Princesses abandoned her, both physically, but also with their harsh emotional treatment of her, having never broached the topic of her research. They are angry and ignorant, just self involved with their own hurt over the war. And when they had her they acted like they only wanted Entrapta for her ability to make robots to defeat the Horde. A bit of irony, I guess…
Again, the Horde is beyond doubt wrong to bring war, but that doesn't change the fact that the Princesses are ignorant and have spent the last millennia playing into the trap the First Ones set for them. Entrapta's knowledge from experimentation helps guide them free from that.
In s4, it's Entrapta who ends up helping them avert disaster by warning Adora. Meanwhile, Glimmer is so consumed by her own hurt that she resorts to barbarism and using an evil super weapon. In s3 Adora had begun to understand the evil that the First Ones were making, but in s4 Glimmer hijacks any understanding Adora may have gained with her total focus on war. When asked to help save Entrapta and deal with the danger that threatens the planet, Glimmer is harmful and we can see her unfairness towards Entrapta, her false equivalences-
Glimmer is one of the top most guilty characters when it comes to prejudice towards Entrapta, and she's also totally prejudiced against the Horde in a way that always makes things worse.
It takes her own descent into evil for her to realize that her false equivalence of evil on all Horde may be wrong, which we see her reverse her understanding of in s5 while talking to Catra. In SPOP, everyone's trauma combines to make them nearly fail as the First Ones intended them to do. And Entrapta does her best to uncover these truths at all points in the story, she's never evil.
3:: Entrapta's emotional gains in the Horde and why the Princesses leaving her was a wrong assumption-
I think it's been said enough by others that the Horde allowing Entrapta to pursue science is fundamental. But in the Horde, Entrapta also learns about friendship and being valued.
Outside of the Horde, Entrapta faces prejudice, much because of her autism or otherwise, much like the people she meets in the Horde have. The way they treat her is different because of the backgrounds they have with having been falsely judged themselves.
In the Horde, Entrapta gains at least one true friend: Scorpia. And Catra values her: she sees how smart and capable Entrapta is right off the bat. She's not a friend, she's maybe even a terrible boss, but Catra shows Entrapta that she's valued for her hard work and unique skills. Catra also sees how others are prejudiced against Entrapta, like they were towards her.
And of course, Entrapta's relationship with Hordak is important as well. She helps him deal with his disability and their ship is adored. In short, Entrapta gains so much emotionally in the Horde.
Compare this to her time in the alliance, and we don't see much good. That the Princesses abandon her has everything to do with their inability to understand her and value her.
We're all mature fans here so let's not shy away from the difficult subject: the ableism Entrapta faces from the Princesses.
So, why Entrapta get left behind-
Once we begin to quantify how the Princesses have an ignorant approach to their world, and in how they treat Entrapta, we can see the underlying truth better.
Their behavior towards her is extremely hard to watch, and a sign of their own corrupted sense of niceness towards others who seem different: after living comfortable and privileged lives, they simply became accustomed to not accepting people who are different from their expectations. They're all caught up in their own emotional world. Entrapta’s neurodivergence is included in the harsh subconscious biases that they all have.
Again, this is a sign of how the Princesses are too immature to face a real enemy as powerful and dangerous as Prime, or even able to free themselves from the corruption the First Ones involved them in. After spending 4 seasons playing straight into the First Ones hands, Prime then descends upon them all suddenly, because of Glimmer's own mistake, when they've only just begun to see their own wrongness and to work together like is trumpeted in the theme song, Warriors🎶. They barely squeak out the win because of this slow march of learning to work together through butting heads, and that win comes much to do because of Entrapta's wise guidance...
They're also simply not nice to Entrapta…
That we're seeing ableism is what I am certain is precisely what's meant to be shown and discussed by ND Stevenson and CrewRa. It's hidden behind some layers of cute, but it's all there. Without these negative assumptions, the Princesses likely would have checked to see if Entrapta survived…
(Also, SPOP isn't a problematic series at all for showing this!! How can we discuss such an important subject if they shied away from showing it?? SPOP's writers showed courage and it's the wisest story I've ever seen..) ...back to the meta-
So yeah, her getting left behind is about their bias, but to breifly address the other thing- how did she survive? Keeping fancy details aside (my theory being saved for another time), she survives that moment <with ease> because of the fact that she's a MAD SCIENTIST. You think Entrapta hasn't had worse scares than a bit of fire?? (Clue: think about how she designs her everyday equipment, as a mad scientist, to prepare her for such situations..)
..So, back to ableism,
In s1, Perfuma putting Entrapta on a leash and then tying her up is ableist behavior. It's important to quantify this. She does it thinking Entrapta doesn't know what's going on, so she tries to take Entrapta's autonomy away. It's not necessary at all- Perfuma is bad at communication and is projecting her own fears of failure onto Entrapta, underestimating her abilities.
There's other unacceptable behaviors- Glimmer is dismissive towards Entrapta’s neurodivergence, Mermita’s constant negativity affects how Entrapta is viewed by the team as well. (If you're wondering where Adora fits in this- she ignores what's going on with others' bad behavior as part of her being consumed by her anxiety issue of failing to lead. >note: by being so blinded by anxiety, she's actually failing them in that exact way<.) But, in s1 Perfuma's actions are the worst, which is why that's what we're going to talk about.
We know how wrong Perfuma is simply because of the final outcome of the episode: after Entrapta goes ‘missing’, despite Perfuma's trying to control her, Entrapta returns triumphant, having befriended Emily and having rescued Sea Hawk- and in time to help them rescue Bow. Perfuma assumed Entrapta's excitement was inability to focus, that's only slightly true, but in truth Entrapta was mostly just multitasking. She's that much of a badass.
So, we can see how much the Princesses are underestimating Entrapta's abilities through Perfuma’s actions. And thus, it's not at all surprising that when Entrapta seemed to be in danger, they assumed the worst. The ableism, the assumption that Entrapta didn't ‘get it’, the not knowing how resourceful Entrapta is as a scientist, is why they give up on her when they shouldn't have.
... about the horde again...
In this way, it's pretty natural that she ends up with the Horde, as it is a much better situation for her in most ways- she's surrounded by people who have faced false judgements their whole lives like she has. The Princesses have so much prejudice, we can see that in how they treat Entrapta. Whatever else is wrong with the Horde, nobody is ableist towards Entrapta in the way the Princesses were.
In the Horde, Entrapta uses the access to science she has to study the real issues; she goes through hell when Catra ends up betraying her out of her traumas; she helps Adora avert the destruction of the planet at the end of s4... and yet in s5 she faces even MORE ableism from the Princesses.
When we see her in s5ep2, the Princesses say she's only interested in tech- which smells mightily of autistic ableism- essentially suggesting she's a robot. And then they blame her for everything- is that really fair?
No- it's frankly sad to watch how the Princesses spent the first 4 seasons walking straight into the trap the First Ones made for them. Also, their anger towards Entrapta comes after she's repaired Darla to fly across space so they can rescue Glimmer- have the Princesses thanked her for her unique contribution in this? Nope.
Whereas the ableism is hidden behind cute, funny sequences and excellent voice acting in s1, in s5 it's downright blatantly shown.
If Scorpia wasn't there to point out how Entrapta could help them, the Princesses would have continued in their negative, ableist views of Entrapta. Consider that- without Entrapta's one friend from the ‘evil’ Horde, the Princesses wouldn't have overcome their prejudice towards her, and so they wouldn't have even been able to save Glimmer. Hurray, Scorpia!! ❤️🖤🤍
We are once again being shown that they refuse to really try to understand Entrapta.
When Entrapta approaches the enemy base, she's doing her job and getting the data needed to find Glimmer. The Princesses force their expectation of how things should go onto Entrapta- and then blame her for ruining the mission. And yet, once Mermista finally sees that Entrapta absolutely knows the mission and is still trying to save Glimmer, she has no problem managing protection of Entrapta while she finishes getting the data..
Sure, Entrapta could been more stealthy, but their assumption that she doesn't understand what's happening was hurtful. They let their negativity consume them.
Also, we see Perfuma leash Entrapta again (briefly), and Mermista grabs Entrapta by the hair, leading to the Entrapta’s pained explanation that she 'gets it'. So, Mermista tries to remove Entrapta's autonomy- and physically hurts Entrapta with her anger. And then afterwards, Mermista can't give Entrapta a proper compliment- it comes combined with an insult when she tells her “Entrapta helped, too. You're still a wierdo, but you did good today. We've got your back, anytime."
Even if Mermista doesn't mean insult by choosing that word, she's still reinforcing the stereotype. Maybe she's using the word as a stand-in for her own past misunderstanding of Entrapta, it's still wrong. It shows her negative mindset that pervades her interactions with others. Entrapta, pure as she is, is overjoyed to get the acceptance that she's always wanted- she ignores the negativity. But, Mermista.. be better!!
A quick note, here, from the author: I *do* like Mermista and Perfuma, they're all best Princess in their ways- I'm just being real about how SPOP shows their negativity having consequences!! Thx, e.d. out ❤️
4:: Finally, let's talk about Entrapdak 🔬✨💞✨🧪
As said before, Entrapta has a pretty great way of getting past others' negativity to see the best in others, and her ability to do that with Hordak is the best example of it all.
In no time flat Entrapta bypasses Hordak's toxic negativity. She's like 'hey, let's not do that- let's be friends.' She believes in something better. Entrapta treats Hordak with the expectation that they should be friends, and she's not wrong to do it. Hordak isn't Prime, he can be better. He's still capable of being a conscientious feeling person, unlike his abuser who selfishly tried to destroy his sense of self. Her giving him a chance is what allows him to start finding that better person within himself.
And, as Hordak has faced ableism, like she has, Entrapta is the one to confront the ableism Hordak faced during his life head on and do something about it. (stating the obvious for posterity) She has empathy for him, nobody ever understands his pain better than she does. Even though they get separated half way through the series, her kindness sticks with him- helping him overcome his doubts and have a redemptive moment in s5.
Come s5, Entrapta still keeps fighting to get through to him, seeking to reestablish their friendship. That's everything to their success against Prime during the final moments before the Heart is activated. She really is unique in her determination to do better by others- nobody else in the series has as much steadfast goodness in the way they treat others as Entrapta does.
(...everyone else had to learn to believe in each other the hard way...)
In those final moments, as the universe faces destruction by Prime's hand, Entrapta best sums up in words the entire thesis of SPOP and our title theme song, 🎶Warriors🎶
“You can't control us! You don't know understand makes us strong, and that's why you'll never win!”
So much history goes into this moment, but Entrapta sums up what they've all been fighting for best. Nobody says it better- how love is strength. Not Catra in Corridors, not Adora in Save the Cat. She never gave up on Hordak, and he's about to show Prime why.
And that it's Entrapta that says it is no accident…
Entrapta gets it. She always did. They are stronger by love than Prime can ever defeat, if they just believe in each other.
And she's right to believe in Hordak, he won't do it, the love he has for Entrapta is too powerful for Prime to take from him. He's able to break free of the past hurtfulness that's controlled him.
Entrapta’s steadfast belief in Hordak saves them all- by casting down his abuser, Hordak interrupts Prime’s control of the Heart just long enough for Catra to show Adora her true feelings in the dream and to confess her love, setting up the kiss that saves the universe. (read the fun meta here) (short version here)
It's almost like Entrapta was best girl all along. I say that because she's so true to her heart that she deserves all of our love. (Sorry Scorpia, you're great, but, I stand firm!)
Final thoughts / Conclusion
In SPOP, we’re not supposed to accept the causal hurtfulness and prejudices the Princesses have. We can see how those make things worse in many ways, but directly in Entrapta’s arc. That's why s4 ends so chaotically- because they're all wrong. It's also why we see such reversals in Catra and Glimmer's arcs and things such as how Scorpia fits with the Princesses as if she always belonged. And it's why Entrapta struggles against prejudice even through s5. True wisdom cannot be gained while letting your emotions control you like the Princesses are doing.
That SPOP discussed such complex issues makes it one of the best stories ever written. I think it will have staying power and sets the bar for other stories..! (ND Stevenson told a great gay story, no doubt, but I mean it that the story is one of the best of all time, period!)
That causal hurtfulness, which is hidden behind cute animation and voice acting, is probably something we know in our own lives but grew accustomed to accepting- family members we love but hurt us or toxic societies we’re immersed in where we're told to accept as norms things that hurt people. I, for instance, can attest that I've seen it firsthand as I was totally abandoned by my parents to abuse because of their preconceived and hurtful notions of how safe and easy my life was supposed to be. ::Don't give in to base assumptions! The prejudice Entrapta deals with helps to teach us about how these biases make things worse. Also: in a lot of ways, Entrapta's dedication to science is also the best response to negative bias. Data doesn't lie, after all…
Entrapta's arc is meant for us to think deeper. War is a confusing subject. Lots of fans attribute SPOP's war to be something it's not- many wars are lead by murderous sociopaths. Other wars are about both sides acting on past grievances and inflicting trauma in a cycle that makes things worse. SPOP is this story. Like the unfair way the Princesses treat Entrapta, the way they deal with the war is wrong, too. And the Horde are repeating traumas as well- yet Hordak isn't a sociopath. His love for her shows that.
Entrapta's way of acting is the closest to a emotionally sound response to the war that there is in SPOP. In the absence of a better choice, Entrapta does what she knows best: Science, and friendship towards others. Catra, all the Princess alliance, are letting their worst emotions control their actions. Entrapta treats everyone well because that's how people should be treated. She wants to be friends- she wants to help people and be valued.
... yes... she also wants to geek out constantly, and holy cow do I get her. (I will act the same way when I'm excited about facts, space IS awesome. I will absolutely geek out over how lethal it is!!) Facts are cool. There's nothing wrong with her enthusiasm, it should be appreciated. The Princesses often take her comments in the worst way possible (such as when she's remarking how amazing Horde Prime's tech is- when it is amazing.!) Her wanting to know the secrets behind things is worth it, she's curious about everything, like we all should be.
Still, I think it's how she treats others that makes her best princess. That's why she tugs so much on our heartstrings- she doesn't just show us how she's best or good, her actions reveal the best in others, such as Hordak. Best girl Entrapta. She's also a total badass, and a genius (thanks, Bow- took 4 seasons too long for someone to say it) Do you agree? Feel free to let me know! 👍
And finally- autism aside, she's great. I'm sorry if I can't give more guidance about the subject, but, autistic people are fantastic people, period. The Princesses shoulda looked to work with her better, her sensitivity is not a barrier!! Id they had, the story may have been much kinder over all. (...But would that really be a realistic story-? probs not...) At some point, somebody has to have the courage to believe in others, Entrapta is that kind of person. We should all strive to be as excellent of a person as Entrapta is.
As always, if there's a detail of this meta (I got very meta again, sorry I can't help myself) you'd like clarified, ask me and I will gladly explain, with data, Entrapta style!! Please give THIS A 🧬🧪✨REBLOGG✨🧪🧬 and/or a like if you enjoyed it, and I hope you have a great one,
Etheria Dearie.
Author personal note:
Hey, thank you to my reader for asking me this one. Sorry it took so long, I hope I was able to speak conscientious about this subject 😔. To my readers: If it feels like I'm showing anger at ableism in my writing, ya caught me. I've been trying to correct my life to get away from abusive people and there's just no great way for someone partially disabled like I am to find good housing. Our entire society is set up to gatekeep such people from having that security, and I'm staring it right in the face now. So, I'm mad. p.s: thx for reading... anybody reblogg me? 😁❤️🙇
Here's a list of my meta's so far for new readers: https://etheriadearie.tumblr.com/post/647767378317492224/hey-i-just-found-your-blog-and-ive-gotta-say
Hey, love your posts! They provided me with lots of good info for a future fanfic of mine! And I'm not just talking about Catradora... Anyway, I wonder what you would have to say about Entrapta, she's kind of my favorite character in the whole show
oh my gosh, yes! Entrapta really is the best… ...let's all talk about it
Decoding Entrapta's Arc
-a data driven analysis-
Firstly, thanks for reading my blog! I totally love Entrapta, too… I actually consider her to be the most likable person in SPOP. In her, we’re seeing someone being the best person she can be, always.
She's a sweetheart, and all along she's trying to do the right thing. She doesn't stray from her ideals, and that shows courage.
She’s a person who remains good to the people around her, despite their negativity, and she's the only person who is honestly trying to understand the real truths of Etheria and how the First Ones corrupted the planet. She's after answers to the important questions. Does that get messy along the way? Sure, but her motivations were always about the truth, and we can see her goodness in how she treats others.
Entrapta's inherent goodness is in contrast to those around her, who are caught up in their own trauma and ignorances and because of that behave badly and are playing out the corrupt plans the First Ones made for them all.
This is what the whole story of SPOP is about- historical traumas which they have all been manipulated into- Horde and Rebellion alike- in order to fail as the First Ones intend them to.
Both sides are wrong in how they act, everyone is hurtful including to each other in their alliances. The war continues like it does largely because of everyone's self involvement in their own trauma and emotions. Entrapta is unique in that she's mostly immune to this criticism- as the one person truly seeking answers. (Note: all -> hyperlinks <- are on tumblr)
Yes, the Horde plays their role as an enemy to a t (..and yet how did Hordak end up on Etheria-? a:The First Ones..), the Princesses are ignorant of their own role as part of this millennia old corruption, and they lash out towards others who are different, with prejudice. That they don't know their involvement in the First Ones conspiracy doesn't make their behavior right, even if the Horde bringing war upon them is so wrong. What's that war really about? Entrapta is in the middle of this mess, trying to figure out what the truth is. And her discoveries of those truths will save them all in the end…
So, this hurtfulness on all sides can be seen personally in Entrapta's arc, as a person who faces prejudice while trying her best to understand what's really true. From the beginning she knows something is wrong with what the First Ones did, it's her goal. In this way we can see her character arc as a weathervane of the plot over all- because the Princesses are wrong in how they treat her from the start. And they're wrong in how they treat the war as well.
Our sweetest Entrapta goes about her business of finding the real truths behind what's happened to Etheria throughout the story, and she does a stalwart job of it- all while being hurt by others prejudices and trauma guided actions. Yes, some of what she does is wrong, like participating in war, but she isn't being given other good options. She's doing what she feels is right and her best to stay dedicated to the truth- scientifically, but while also remaining the kind person she is.
How she gets hurt within the Horde- well, we all see that in Catra's betrayal, but the Princesses are hurtful, too. In fact, the Princesses have a casual kind of hurtfulness that’s totally frustrating to watch which comes from the privileged lives they lived, and they force that hurtfulness on each other all of the time, not just Entrapta. We’ll talk more about this later, but Entrapta gets the worst of it. Nevermind that SPOP cautiously hides this causal hurtfulness behind cute humor and excellent voice acting for the kids- the Princesses' hurtfulness is plain to see if we just look for it.
Much of our discussion will focus on this and the role of the First Ones historical betrayal in all of their actions, with Entrapta doing her best to uncover the real truths of it all. Without her doing that, the Princesses would have failed in the end, like they almost do at the end of s4, when the oldest of their real enemies- the First Ones- almost successfully use them all as a weapon. And, as they face their final true enemy, Horde Prime, they would have failed against him, too, if not for the knowledge Entrapta gains through scientific study. Both sides are caught up in the plans made for them, acting on their traumas. Entrapta works so hard to know the truth, and to use it to help, and we love her for that.
..And about above, they only avoid the weapon going off in s4 much because of Entrapta warning Adora in time, so we get to thank her yet again...
So without further ado, here's some major topics we’ll cover:
1:: How Entrapta is simply one of the nicest people, her friendly and easy going manner reflects her way of believing in the best in others-
2:: How Entrapta is a great scientist and by this very fact she's a great person, because the truth must guide them all-
3:: How the Princesses assuming Entrapta died is part of their prejudices and unwillingness to understand others who are different for them, and if not for those prejudices they may have realized that she survived-
4:: And, of course, a bit about how Entrapdak reveals Entrapta's best self, her ability to see the best in Hordak (and others) makes her one of the best people, in the end she sums up the meaning of Warriors🎶 best with her own words-
1:: So about Entrapta's positivity..
I mentioned that Entrapta is doing her best with the situations she's given, that’s true scientifically but it includes how she treats others. She's always bringing positivity, not pessimism, which is under appreciated. To sum it up, Entrapta’s philosophy towards others is to always believe in something better; she strives to see the best in them. Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but, how can we not love her for that?
This includes people who were constantly vilified, such as Catra, Scorpia and Hordak. And her jovial attitude is at times looked down on as misguided by others. Is that right? I don't think so…
This preconception to judge her unfairly is very apparent with the Princesses. They really do seem to treat her cheerfulness as if it's wrong, even part of her autistic oddness. In truth: she's funny, full of positivity and amicable to others at all times. The Princesses treat her like she's weird for it..
::So yeah, guess what- dealing with people can be confusing for anyone- autism isn't actually the story there. Her ability not to be judgey like others around her (unlike the Princesses who treat her as ‘too weird’) sets her apart. Entrapta wants others to be happy, she wants to get along, she welcomes others' differences even if she doesn't quite understand them. She, in actuality, works pretty well on a team. What's really happening with the Princesses is that by judging Entrapta they are falling short of HER level of goodness, and that shows their damage, not hers.
We’ll come back to the Princesses' harmful behaviors later, but they are absolutely there and what is happening is that they assume the worst about her. When in reality, Entrapta is an total badass.
It's also wrong to assume that Entrapta doesn't realize the people around her aren't as nice as she is. She later reflects to Hordak that 'she wasn't good enough for them’ and doesn't understand why it goes wrong, like it did in the Rebellion leaving her and then with Catra not talking to her anymore. It's confusing to her, what she doesn't realize is that they're acting out their own hurt by being mean to her. This is also when she charmingly swears to never give up trying. Most of all, as time goes by Entrapta shows us that she really does get it.
She keeps a positive beat at all points in the story, all as she goes about her business of finding out the real truths of what the First Ones did to Etheria. Even abandoned on Beast Island, she's able to make good use of her time to do this. And she doesn't hold a grudge.
Even against Catra, who we know hurts her so badly. Here's my favorite example of Entrapta ‘getting it’ all along:
Entrapta's ✨🧪amazing🔬✨ sense of humor is on full display as she humorously roasts Catra over her past harmfulness. We see that actually, she understood all along why Catra might feel threatened by her for that- but also that she wasn't considering acting on it before Catra brought it up. She's not spiteful. And, it tells us something really fun about her- that she doesn't always mean what she says as serious- she likes to kid around. ☺️ (i.e Entrapta sayings she's gonna dissect Adora in s1ep5 🙃)
So, she doesn't let Catra off easy at all for her past harmfulness. And, it's so fun to see her put the heat on Catra. She's also wise toward others, like she is with Hordak- she sees what's underneath and that Catra's apology is sincere. She's a kindhearted person, forgiving is not a hang up for her. I think she'll be friends with Catra; as she certainly knew when to humorously punk Catra's ass for what she did in the past.
So, there's really no good reason for why she gets hurt so much by others. Again, their damage, not hers.
::Also, I won't be dwelling on her autism too much- I'm not diagnosed with it so others can tell that story better- but, we can instead attribute much of Entrapta’s social struggles simply due to her lack of social experience. We don't need to look to her autism at all to understand their disconnects with her, we're seeing their damage because Entrapta is always sweet to others and which goes ignored. They're just not great people.
(For context, we know Entrapta was mostly raised away from people, by robots, so she doesn't understand their confusion with her.) Considering this, she does really well- we see her actually do a pretty good job of interacting with others on a team in s1. By the end of the series, it's quite clear Entrapta could understand where others were coming from all along- even if her processes of understanding it maybe looks different from what it does for less neurodivergent people.
So, that's what's going on from the beginning Entrapta shoulda been treated better- she was always a good person and trying to do her best with the situations given to her. And again, as a scientist- Entrapta is the only person asking the real questions about what's going on with the First Ones corruption of Etheria, something she does from the very start. Which is why we need to talk about what Entrapta's always so ecstatic about:
2:: SCIENCE DOESN'T LIE!!!
By searching for the answers to what the First Ones did to Etheria- how the planet was corrupted for the First Ones weapon- she's focused on the real issues. And science is the best way to do that, which is her skill. While the Horde and the Princesses fight each other mercilessly, she's concerned with the real plot, and their real enemy- the First Ones.
Everything in SPOP relates back to the original betrayal and the historical trauma of the First Ones- Something Entrapta is already beginning to grasp even before we're first introduced to her. Yet it takes until she joins the Horde for anyone to ask her about her research… Why is that-?
Long story short, the Princesses are way too self involved in their own hurt and the apparent unfairness of the Horde showing up out of nowhere and bringing war onto them. Yet that the Horde came from nowhere is a clue in itself, is it not? If Hordak isn't Etherian, how? (A: Light Hope is the only person capable of bringing him to Etheria- she brought him there to start the war). The Princesses totally miss this.
This doesn't make what the Horde is doing any less wrong, it just shows that the Princesses are ignorant of their own world. Is it ok for the Princesses to have spent the last millennia living in comfort, not addressing the real issues and unaware of what the First Ones turned them into?
It's not, and so SPOP is about historical trauma.
Everything is wrong on Etheria, not just the Horde. The Princesses are far too naive to face a full on evil enemy like the First Ones or Horde Prime.
.. You may be thinking of people who exclaim ‘well they couldn't have known what they didn't know’ but is that right?
No. To elaborate: NooOoOooo!! 🔬
We know they could have known better because Shadow Weaver knew all of this history, she studied it to get more power. For herself, at any cost. And if she could figure it out, they could have. The Princesses lived complacently for the last millennia.
In reality, Entrapta is basically trying to catch up to what Shadow Weaver knew from the beginning of the whole series::
Whereas Shadow Weaver never uses that knowledge for good, only looking to sacrifice Adora to release Etheria’s full sorcerous powers for herself, (read the meta of how SW is the real villain of SPOP above) Entrapta wants to help and provides actual guidance and understanding to the Princesses which they need to get free of the First Ones plot against them, and then to stop Horde Prime. She doesn't get enough recognition for that from the Princesses….
Some of her most massive achievements, which wouldn't have been possible without her study and experimentations, include:
-She's able to repair Darla and get the ship across space and back, which is no small feat,
-She's able to locate Glimmer and help rescue her and Catra,
-She frees everyone on Etheria from Prime's control.
- And many more
In this way, we can really get to understand how even some of her actions she's most vilified for are part of her seeking these truths and gaining the knowledge they will need to survive. Let's talk about a couple of them.
Why Entrapta’s search with science looks so messy: Hacking the Black Garnet
What Entrapta experimenting on the Black Garnet was really about was testing her theories of what's wrong with Etheria. She doesn't do it to hurt people (obviously) and yes it causes chaos. Yet that's a huge clue- why does a runestone used in such a way cause destruction? The Princesses miss the point.
Many other hints get dropped along the way, and they just keep missing them because of their blindness from anger over the war. You can also see Entrapta's hand in most of these other hints:
Why can Adora be corrupted by First Ones tech contacting the sword? If Horde Prime is waiting outside Despondos and can destroy them all, how and why did Etheria end up secluded from the universe?
… Where did the stars go ?
The Princesses' cluelessness is all to do about the naive way they existed for the last millennia, a historical trauma which is catching up to them in real time as our series begins. Entrapta is trying to catch up to the real truth by studying Etheria like she does- chaos and all.
...Can the Princesses really remain ignorant and just keep escalating a war over past grievances? Would defeating Hordak even stop the greater plot against them all? Not at all- most likely they would have just then reconnected the runestones and Light Hope would have blown up the planet before they even realized what she was doing. Entrapta’s study is vastly necessary, they need her help- everything is necessary learning for Entrapta.
Yeah, science tends to be messy, but when Catra asks her about her research, leading to them hacking the Black Garnet, Entrapta is testing her hypothesis- and she proves it true. Entrapta will take her gained knowledge from this and other endeavors to be the capable scientist they need her to be in s5 to stop Prime. They need to know these truths. Necessary learning.
So, even this act she's vilified for is misunderstood by the Princesses who miss the clues of how what occurs reveals their own corruption. Because of course they did.
Entrapta’s further actions such as building the portal machine are also related to finding the real truth. If Etheria is isolated, the outside universe would have answers. It's good Entrapta’s machine doesn't bring Horde Prime down on them all at that juncture, they're not ready- she also tries to stop it, only failing due to the traumatized state Catra is in that episode after Shadow Weaver shows up and nearly kills her.
I won't recap everything she does but let's talk about the one consistent criticism: Entrapta building bots.
...note: this is something the Princesses asked her to do yet she ends up doing for the Horde instead...
When in fact, are these bots the killing machines many assume them to be? No, Frosta herself reveals that they aren't. And this fact isn't about softening the show for a kids audience. SPOP isn't that story-
The Horde isn't genociding people, like some uneducated detractors suggest- because that's not what the story of SPOP is about (go watch ATLA… it depicts genocide and it's a children's show- also, the civilians in SPOP don't participate in the war). It's about historical traumas and how ALL of them are continuing violence in a way that amplifies those past evils. And, Entrapta’s work with Emily also proves something essential: that a robot can have a soul. Is that not worth exploring further?
Take such things into account regarding her actions such as hacking the Black Garnet. She's testing her theory by doing so, meanwhile the Princesses abandoned her, both physically, but also with their harsh emotional treatment of her, having never broached the topic of her research. They are angry and ignorant, just self involved with their own hurt over the war. And when they had her they acted like they only wanted Entrapta for her ability to make robots to defeat the Horde. A bit of irony, I guess…
Again, the Horde is beyond doubt wrong to bring war, but that doesn't change the fact that the Princesses are ignorant and have spent the last millennia playing into the trap the First Ones set for them. Entrapta's knowledge from experimentation helps guide them free from that.
In s4, it's Entrapta who ends up helping them avert disaster by warning Adora. Meanwhile, Glimmer is so consumed by her own hurt that she resorts to barbarism and using an evil super weapon. In s3 Adora had begun to understand the evil that the First Ones were making, but in s4 Glimmer hijacks any understanding Adora may have gained with her total focus on war. When asked to help save Entrapta and deal with the danger that threatens the planet, Glimmer is harmful and we can see her unfairness towards Entrapta, her false equivalences-
Glimmer is one of the top most guilty characters when it comes to prejudice towards Entrapta, and she's also totally prejudiced against the Horde in a way that always makes things worse.
It takes her own descent into evil for her to realize that her false equivalence of evil on all Horde may be wrong, which we see her reverse her understanding of in s5 while talking to Catra. In SPOP, everyone's trauma combines to make them nearly fail as the First Ones intended them to do. And Entrapta does her best to uncover these truths at all points in the story, she's never evil.
3:: Entrapta's emotional gains in the Horde and why the Princesses leaving her was a wrong assumption-
I think it's been said enough by others that the Horde allowing Entrapta to pursue science is fundamental. But in the Horde, Entrapta also learns about friendship and being valued.
Outside of the Horde, Entrapta faces prejudice, much because of her autism or otherwise, much like the people she meets in the Horde have. The way they treat her is different because of the backgrounds they have with having been falsely judged themselves.
In the Horde, Entrapta gains at least one true friend: Scorpia. And Catra values her: she sees how smart and capable Entrapta is right off the bat. She's not a friend, she's maybe even a terrible boss, but Catra shows Entrapta that she's valued for her hard work and unique skills. Catra also sees how others are prejudiced against Entrapta, like they were towards her.
And of course, Entrapta's relationship with Hordak is important as well. She helps him deal with his disability and their ship is adored. In short, Entrapta gains so much emotionally in the Horde.
Compare this to her time in the alliance, and we don't see much good. That the Princesses abandon her has everything to do with their inability to understand her and value her.
We're all mature fans here so let's not shy away from the difficult subject: the ableism Entrapta faces from the Princesses.
So, why Entrapta get left behind-
Once we begin to quantify how the Princesses have an ignorant approach to their world, and in how they treat Entrapta, we can see the underlying truth better.
Their behavior towards her is extremely hard to watch, and a sign of their own corrupted sense of niceness towards others who seem different: after living comfortable and privileged lives, they simply became accustomed to not accepting people who are different from their expectations. They're all caught up in their own emotional world. Entrapta’s neurodivergence is included in the harsh subconscious biases that they all have.
Again, this is a sign of how the Princesses are too immature to face a real enemy as powerful and dangerous as Prime, or even able to free themselves from the corruption the First Ones involved them in. After spending 4 seasons playing straight into the First Ones hands, Prime then descends upon them all suddenly, because of Glimmer's own mistake, when they've only just begun to see their own wrongness and to work together like is trumpeted in the theme song, Warriors🎶. They barely squeak out the win because of this slow march of learning to work together through butting heads, and that win comes much to do because of Entrapta's wise guidance...
They're also simply not nice to Entrapta…
That we're seeing ableism is what I am certain is precisely what's meant to be shown and discussed by ND Stevenson and CrewRa. It's hidden behind some layers of cute, but it's all there. Without these negative assumptions, the Princesses likely would have checked to see if Entrapta survived…
(Also, SPOP isn't a problematic series at all for showing this!! How can we discuss such an important subject if they shied away from showing it?? SPOP's writers showed courage and it's the wisest story I've ever seen..) ...back to the meta-
So yeah, her getting left behind is about their bias, but to breifly address the other thing- how did she survive? Keeping fancy details aside (my theory being saved for another time), she survives that moment <with ease> because of the fact that she's a MAD SCIENTIST. You think Entrapta hasn't had worse scares than a bit of fire?? (Clue: think about how she designs her everyday equipment, as a mad scientist, to prepare her for such situations..)
..So, back to ableism,
In s1, Perfuma putting Entrapta on a leash and then tying her up is ableist behavior. It's important to quantify this. She does it thinking Entrapta doesn't know what's going on, so she tries to take Entrapta's autonomy away. It's not necessary at all- Perfuma is bad at communication and is projecting her own fears of failure onto Entrapta, underestimating her abilities.
There's other unacceptable behaviors- Glimmer is dismissive towards Entrapta’s neurodivergence, Mermita’s constant negativity affects how Entrapta is viewed by the team as well. (If you're wondering where Adora fits in this- she ignores what's going on with others' bad behavior as part of her being consumed by her anxiety issue of failing to lead. >note: by being so blinded by anxiety, she's actually failing them in that exact way<.) But, in s1 Perfuma's actions are the worst, which is why that's what we're going to talk about.
We know how wrong Perfuma is simply because of the final outcome of the episode: after Entrapta goes ‘missing’, despite Perfuma's trying to control her, Entrapta returns triumphant, having befriended Emily and having rescued Sea Hawk- and in time to help them rescue Bow. Perfuma assumed Entrapta's excitement was inability to focus, that's only slightly true, but in truth Entrapta was mostly just multitasking. She's that much of a badass.
So, we can see how much the Princesses are underestimating Entrapta's abilities through Perfuma’s actions. And thus, it's not at all surprising that when Entrapta seemed to be in danger, they assumed the worst. The ableism, the assumption that Entrapta didn't ‘get it’, the not knowing how resourceful Entrapta is as a scientist, is why they give up on her when they shouldn't have.
... about the horde again...
In this way, it's pretty natural that she ends up with the Horde, as it is a much better situation for her in most ways- she's surrounded by people who have faced false judgements their whole lives like she has. The Princesses have so much prejudice, we can see that in how they treat Entrapta. Whatever else is wrong with the Horde, nobody is ableist towards Entrapta in the way the Princesses were.
In the Horde, Entrapta uses the access to science she has to study the real issues; she goes through hell when Catra ends up betraying her out of her traumas; she helps Adora avert the destruction of the planet at the end of s4... and yet in s5 she faces even MORE ableism from the Princesses.
When we see her in s5ep2, the Princesses say she's only interested in tech- which smells mightily of autistic ableism- essentially suggesting she's a robot. And then they blame her for everything- is that really fair?
No- it's frankly sad to watch how the Princesses spent the first 4 seasons walking straight into the trap the First Ones made for them. Also, their anger towards Entrapta comes after she's repaired Darla to fly across space so they can rescue Glimmer- have the Princesses thanked her for her unique contribution in this? Nope.
Whereas the ableism is hidden behind cute, funny sequences and excellent voice acting in s1, in s5 it's downright blatantly shown.
If Scorpia wasn't there to point out how Entrapta could help them, the Princesses would have continued in their negative, ableist views of Entrapta. Consider that- without Entrapta's one friend from the ‘evil’ Horde, the Princesses wouldn't have overcome their prejudice towards her, and so they wouldn't have even been able to save Glimmer. Hurray, Scorpia!! ❤️🖤🤍
We are once again being shown that they refuse to really try to understand Entrapta.
When Entrapta approaches the enemy base, she's doing her job and getting the data needed to find Glimmer. The Princesses force their expectation of how things should go onto Entrapta- and then blame her for ruining the mission. And yet, once Mermista finally sees that Entrapta absolutely knows the mission and is still trying to save Glimmer, she has no problem managing protection of Entrapta while she finishes getting the data..
Sure, Entrapta could been more stealthy, but their assumption that she doesn't understand what's happening was hurtful. They let their negativity consume them.
Also, we see Perfuma leash Entrapta again (briefly), and Mermista grabs Entrapta by the hair, leading to the Entrapta’s pained explanation that she 'gets it'. So, Mermista tries to remove Entrapta's autonomy- and physically hurts Entrapta with her anger. And then afterwards, Mermista can't give Entrapta a proper compliment- it comes combined with an insult when she tells her “Entrapta helped, too. You're still a wierdo, but you did good today. We've got your back, anytime."
Even if Mermista doesn't mean insult by choosing that word, she's still reinforcing the stereotype. Maybe she's using the word as a stand-in for her own past misunderstanding of Entrapta, it's still wrong. It shows her negative mindset that pervades her interactions with others. Entrapta, pure as she is, is overjoyed to get the acceptance that she's always wanted- she ignores the negativity. But, Mermista.. be better!!
A quick note, here, from the author: I *do* like Mermista and Perfuma, they're all best Princess in their ways- I'm just being real about how SPOP shows their negativity having consequences!! Thx, e.d. out ❤️
4:: Finally, let's talk about Entrapdak 🔬✨💞✨🧪
As said before, Entrapta has a pretty great way of getting past others' negativity to see the best in others, and her ability to do that with Hordak is the best example of it all.
In no time flat Entrapta bypasses Hordak's toxic negativity. She's like 'hey, let's not do that- let's be friends.' She believes in something better. Entrapta treats Hordak with the expectation that they should be friends, and she's not wrong to do it. Hordak isn't Prime, he can be better. He's still capable of being a conscientious feeling person, unlike his abuser who selfishly tried to destroy his sense of self. Her giving him a chance is what allows him to start finding that better person within himself.
And, as Hordak has faced ableism, like she has, Entrapta is the one to confront the ableism Hordak faced during his life head on and do something about it. (stating the obvious for posterity) She has empathy for him, nobody ever understands his pain better than she does. Even though they get separated half way through the series, her kindness sticks with him- helping him overcome his doubts and have a redemptive moment in s5.
Come s5, Entrapta still keeps fighting to get through to him, seeking to reestablish their friendship. That's everything to their success against Prime during the final moments before the Heart is activated. She really is unique in her determination to do better by others- nobody else in the series has as much steadfast goodness in the way they treat others as Entrapta does.
(...everyone else had to learn to believe in each other the hard way...)
In those final moments, as the universe faces destruction by Prime's hand, Entrapta best sums up in words the entire thesis of SPOP and our title theme song, 🎶Warriors🎶
“You can't control us! You don't know understand makes us strong, and that's why you'll never win!”
So much history goes into this moment, but Entrapta sums up what they've all been fighting for best. Nobody says it better- how love is strength. Not Catra in Corridors, not Adora in Save the Cat. She never gave up on Hordak, and he's about to show Prime why.
And that it's Entrapta that says it is no accident…
Entrapta gets it. She always did. They are stronger by love than Prime can ever defeat, if they just believe in each other.
And she's right to believe in Hordak, he won't do it, the love he has for Entrapta is too powerful for Prime to take from him. He's able to break free of the past hurtfulness that's controlled him.
Entrapta’s steadfast belief in Hordak saves them all- by casting down his abuser, Hordak interrupts Prime’s control of the Heart just long enough for Catra to show Adora her true feelings in the dream and to confess her love, setting up the kiss that saves the universe. (read the fun meta here) (short version here)
It's almost like Entrapta was best girl all along. I say that because she's so true to her heart that she deserves all of our love. (Sorry Scorpia, you're great, but, I stand firm!)
Final thoughts / Conclusion
In SPOP, we’re not supposed to accept the causal hurtfulness and prejudices the Princesses have. We can see how those make things worse in many ways, but directly in Entrapta’s arc. That's why s4 ends so chaotically- because they're all wrong. It's also why we see such reversals in Catra and Glimmer's arcs and things such as how Scorpia fits with the Princesses as if she always belonged. And it's why Entrapta struggles against prejudice even through s5. True wisdom cannot be gained while letting your emotions control you like the Princesses are doing.
That SPOP discussed such complex issues makes it one of the best stories ever written. I think it will have staying power and sets the bar for other stories..! (ND Stevenson told a great gay story, no doubt, but I mean it that the story is one of the best of all time, period!)
That causal hurtfulness, which is hidden behind cute animation and voice acting, is probably something we know in our own lives but grew accustomed to accepting- family members we love but hurt us or toxic societies we’re immersed in where we're told to accept as norms things that hurt people. I, for instance, can attest that I've seen it firsthand as I was totally abandoned by my parents to abuse because of their preconceived and hurtful notions of how safe and easy my life was supposed to be. ::Don't give in to base assumptions! The prejudice Entrapta deals with helps to teach us about how these biases make things worse. Also: in a lot of ways, Entrapta's dedication to science is also the best response to negative bias. Data doesn't lie, after all…
Entrapta's arc is meant for us to think deeper. War is a confusing subject. Lots of fans attribute SPOP's war to be something it's not- many wars are lead by murderous sociopaths. Other wars are about both sides acting on past grievances and inflicting trauma in a cycle that makes things worse. SPOP is this story. Like the unfair way the Princesses treat Entrapta, the way they deal with the war is wrong, too. And the Horde are repeating traumas as well- yet Hordak isn't a sociopath. His love for her shows that.
Entrapta's way of acting is the closest to a emotionally sound response to the war that there is in SPOP. In the absence of a better choice, Entrapta does what she knows best: Science, and friendship towards others. Catra, all the Princess alliance, are letting their worst emotions control their actions. Entrapta treats everyone well because that's how people should be treated. She wants to be friends- she wants to help people and be valued.
... yes... she also wants to geek out constantly, and holy cow do I get her. (I will act the same way when I'm excited about facts, space IS awesome. I will absolutely geek out over how lethal it is!!) Facts are cool. There's nothing wrong with her enthusiasm, it should be appreciated. The Princesses often take her comments in the worst way possible (such as when she's remarking how amazing Horde Prime's tech is- when it is amazing.!) Her wanting to know the secrets behind things is worth it, she's curious about everything, like we all should be.
Still, I think it's how she treats others that makes her best princess. That's why she tugs so much on our heartstrings- she doesn't just show us how she's best or good, her actions reveal the best in others, such as Hordak. Best girl Entrapta. She's also a total badass, and a genius (thanks, Bow- took 4 seasons too long for someone to say it) Do you agree? Feel free to let me know! 👍
And finally- autism aside, she's great. I'm sorry if I can't give more guidance about the subject, but, autistic people are fantastic people, period. The Princesses shoulda looked to work with her better, her sensitivity is not a barrier!! Id they had, the story may have been much kinder over all. (...But would that really be a realistic story-? probs not...) At some point, somebody has to have the courage to believe in others, Entrapta is that kind of person. We should all strive to be as excellent of a person as Entrapta is.
As always, if there's a detail of this meta (I got very meta again, sorry I can't help myself) you'd like clarified, ask me and I will gladly explain, with data, Entrapta style!! Please give THIS A 🧬🧪✨REBLOGG✨🧪🧬 and/or a like if you enjoyed it, and I hope you have a great one,
Etheria Dearie.
Author personal note:
Hey, thank you to my reader for asking me this one. Sorry it took so long, I hope I was able to speak conscientious about this subject 😔. To my readers: If it feels like I'm showing anger at ableism in my writing, ya caught me. I've been trying to correct my life to get away from abusive people and there's just no great way for someone partially disabled like I am to find good housing. Our entire society is set up to gatekeep such people from having that security, and I'm staring it right in the face now. So, I'm mad. p.s: thx for reading... anybody reblogg me? 😁❤️🙇
Here's a list of my meta's so far for new readers: https://etheriadearie.tumblr.com/post/647767378317492224/hey-i-just-found-your-blog-and-ive-gotta-say
Hey, love your posts! They provided me with lots of good info for a future fanfic of mine! And I'm not just talking about Catradora... Anyway, I wonder what you would have to say about Entrapta, she's kind of my favorite character in the whole show
oh my gosh, yes! Entrapta really is the best… ...let's all talk about it
Decoding Entrapta's Arc
-a data driven analysis-
Firstly, thanks for reading my blog! I totally love Entrapta, too… I actually consider her to be the most likable person in SPOP. In her, we’re seeing someone being the best person she can be, always.
She's a sweetheart, and all along she's trying to do the right thing. She doesn't stray from her ideals, and that shows courage.
She’s a person who remains good to the people around her, despite their negativity, and she's the only person who is honestly trying to understand the real truths of Etheria and how the First Ones corrupted the planet. She's after answers to the important questions. Does that get messy along the way? Sure, but her motivations were always about the truth, and we can see her goodness in how she treats others.
Entrapta's inherent goodness is in contrast to those around her, who are caught up in their own trauma and ignorances and because of that behave badly and are playing out the corrupt plans the First Ones made for them all.
This is what the whole story of SPOP is about- historical traumas which they have all been manipulated into- Horde and Rebellion alike- in order to fail as the First Ones intend them to.
Both sides are wrong in how they act, everyone is hurtful including to each other in their alliances. The war continues like it does largely because of everyone's self involvement in their own trauma and emotions. Entrapta is unique in that she's mostly immune to this criticism- as the one person truly seeking answers. (Note: all -> hyperlinks <- are on tumblr)
Yes, the Horde plays their role as an enemy to a t (..and yet how did Hordak end up on Etheria-? a:The First Ones..), the Princesses are ignorant of their own role as part of this millennia old corruption, and they lash out towards others who are different, with prejudice. That they don't know their involvement in the First Ones conspiracy doesn't make their behavior right, even if the Horde bringing war upon them is so wrong. What's that war really about? Entrapta is in the middle of this mess, trying to figure out what the truth is. And her discoveries of those truths will save them all in the end…
So, this hurtfulness on all sides can be seen personally in Entrapta's arc, as a person who faces prejudice while trying her best to understand what's really true. From the beginning she knows something is wrong with what the First Ones did, it's her goal. In this way we can see her character arc as a weathervane of the plot over all- because the Princesses are wrong in how they treat her from the start. And they're wrong in how they treat the war as well.
Our sweetest Entrapta goes about her business of finding the real truths behind what's happened to Etheria throughout the story, and she does a stalwart job of it- all while being hurt by others prejudices and trauma guided actions. Yes, some of what she does is wrong, like participating in war, but she isn't being given other good options. She's doing what she feels is right and her best to stay dedicated to the truth- scientifically, but while also remaining the kind person she is.
How she gets hurt within the Horde- well, we all see that in Catra's betrayal, but the Princesses are hurtful, too. In fact, the Princesses have a casual kind of hurtfulness that’s totally frustrating to watch which comes from the privileged lives they lived, and they force that hurtfulness on each other all of the time, not just Entrapta. We’ll talk more about this later, but Entrapta gets the worst of it. Nevermind that SPOP cautiously hides this causal hurtfulness behind cute humor and excellent voice acting for the kids- the Princesses' hurtfulness is plain to see if we just look for it.
Much of our discussion will focus on this and the role of the First Ones historical betrayal in all of their actions, with Entrapta doing her best to uncover the real truths of it all. Without her doing that, the Princesses would have failed in the end, like they almost do at the end of s4, when the oldest of their real enemies- the First Ones- almost successfully use them all as a weapon. And, as they face their final true enemy, Horde Prime, they would have failed against him, too, if not for the knowledge Entrapta gains through scientific study. Both sides are caught up in the plans made for them, acting on their traumas. Entrapta works so hard to know the truth, and to use it to help, and we love her for that.
..And about above, they only avoid the weapon going off in s4 much because of Entrapta warning Adora in time, so we get to thank her yet again...
So without further ado, here's some major topics we’ll cover:
1:: How Entrapta is simply one of the nicest people, her friendly and easy going manner reflects her way of believing in the best in others-
2:: How Entrapta is a great scientist and by this very fact she's a great person, because the truth must guide them all-
3:: How the Princesses assuming Entrapta died is part of their prejudices and unwillingness to understand others who are different for them, and if not for those prejudices they may have realized that she survived-
4:: And, of course, a bit about how Entrapdak reveals Entrapta's best self, her ability to see the best in Hordak (and others) makes her one of the best people, in the end she sums up the meaning of Warriors🎶 best with her own words-
1:: So about Entrapta's positivity..
I mentioned that Entrapta is doing her best with the situations she's given, that’s true scientifically but it includes how she treats others. She's always bringing positivity, not pessimism, which is under appreciated. To sum it up, Entrapta’s philosophy towards others is to always believe in something better; she strives to see the best in them. Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but, how can we not love her for that?
This includes people who were constantly vilified, such as Catra, Scorpia and Hordak. And her jovial attitude is at times looked down on as misguided by others. Is that right? I don't think so…
This preconception to judge her unfairly is very apparent with the Princesses. They really do seem to treat her cheerfulness as if it's wrong, even part of her autistic oddness. In truth: she's funny, full of positivity and amicable to others at all times. The Princesses treat her like she's weird for it..
::So yeah, guess what- dealing with people can be confusing for anyone- autism isn't actually the story there. Her ability not to be judgey like others around her (unlike the Princesses who treat her as ‘too weird’) sets her apart. Entrapta wants others to be happy, she wants to get along, she welcomes others' differences even if she doesn't quite understand them. She, in actuality, works pretty well on a team. What's really happening with the Princesses is that by judging Entrapta they are falling short of HER level of goodness, and that shows their damage, not hers.
We’ll come back to the Princesses' harmful behaviors later, but they are absolutely there and what is happening is that they assume the worst about her. When in reality, Entrapta is an total badass.
It's also wrong to assume that Entrapta doesn't realize the people around her aren't as nice as she is. She later reflects to Hordak that 'she wasn't good enough for them’ and doesn't understand why it goes wrong, like it did in the Rebellion leaving her and then with Catra not talking to her anymore. It's confusing to her, what she doesn't realize is that they're acting out their own hurt by being mean to her. This is also when she charmingly swears to never give up trying. Most of all, as time goes by Entrapta shows us that she really does get it.
She keeps a positive beat at all points in the story, all as she goes about her business of finding out the real truths of what the First Ones did to Etheria. Even abandoned on Beast Island, she's able to make good use of her time to do this. And she doesn't hold a grudge.
Even against Catra, who we know hurts her so badly. Here's my favorite example of Entrapta ‘getting it’ all along:
Entrapta's ✨🧪amazing🔬✨ sense of humor is on full display as she humorously roasts Catra over her past harmfulness. We see that actually, she understood all along why Catra might feel threatened by her for that- but also that she wasn't considering acting on it before Catra brought it up. She's not spiteful. And, it tells us something really fun about her- that she doesn't always mean what she says as serious- she likes to kid around. ☺️ (i.e Entrapta sayings she's gonna dissect Adora in s1ep5 🙃)
So, she doesn't let Catra off easy at all for her past harmfulness. And, it's so fun to see her put the heat on Catra. She's also wise toward others, like she is with Hordak- she sees what's underneath and that Catra's apology is sincere. She's a kindhearted person, forgiving is not a hang up for her. I think she'll be friends with Catra; as she certainly knew when to humorously punk Catra's ass for what she did in the past.
So, there's really no good reason for why she gets hurt so much by others. Again, their damage, not hers.
::Also, I won't be dwelling on her autism too much- I'm not diagnosed with it so others can tell that story better- but, we can instead attribute much of Entrapta’s social struggles simply due to her lack of social experience. We don't need to look to her autism at all to understand their disconnects with her, we're seeing their damage because Entrapta is always sweet to others and which goes ignored. They're just not great people.
(For context, we know Entrapta was mostly raised away from people, by robots, so she doesn't understand their confusion with her.) Considering this, she does really well- we see her actually do a pretty good job of interacting with others on a team in s1. By the end of the series, it's quite clear Entrapta could understand where others were coming from all along- even if her processes of understanding it maybe looks different from what it does for less neurodivergent people.
So, that's what's going on from the beginning Entrapta shoulda been treated better- she was always a good person and trying to do her best with the situations given to her. And again, as a scientist- Entrapta is the only person asking the real questions about what's going on with the First Ones corruption of Etheria, something she does from the very start. Which is why we need to talk about what Entrapta's always so ecstatic about:
2:: SCIENCE DOESN'T LIE!!!
By searching for the answers to what the First Ones did to Etheria- how the planet was corrupted for the First Ones weapon- she's focused on the real issues. And science is the best way to do that, which is her skill. While the Horde and the Princesses fight each other mercilessly, she's concerned with the real plot, and their real enemy- the First Ones.
Everything in SPOP relates back to the original betrayal and the historical trauma of the First Ones- Something Entrapta is already beginning to grasp even before we're first introduced to her. Yet it takes until she joins the Horde for anyone to ask her about her research… Why is that-?
Long story short, the Princesses are way too self involved in their own hurt and the apparent unfairness of the Horde showing up out of nowhere and bringing war onto them. Yet that the Horde came from nowhere is a clue in itself, is it not? If Hordak isn't Etherian, how? (A: Light Hope is the only person capable of bringing him to Etheria- she brought him there to start the war). The Princesses totally miss this.
This doesn't make what the Horde is doing any less wrong, it just shows that the Princesses are ignorant of their own world. Is it ok for the Princesses to have spent the last millennia living in comfort, not addressing the real issues and unaware of what the First Ones turned them into?
It's not, and so SPOP is about historical trauma.
Everything is wrong on Etheria, not just the Horde. The Princesses are far too naive to face a full on evil enemy like the First Ones or Horde Prime.
.. You may be thinking of people who exclaim ‘well they couldn't have known what they didn't know’ but is that right?
No. To elaborate: NooOoOooo!! 🔬
We know they could have known better because Shadow Weaver knew all of this history, she studied it to get more power. For herself, at any cost. And if she could figure it out, they could have. The Princesses lived complacently for the last millennia.
In reality, Entrapta is basically trying to catch up to what Shadow Weaver knew from the beginning of the whole series::
Whereas Shadow Weaver never uses that knowledge for good, only looking to sacrifice Adora to release Etheria’s full sorcerous powers for herself, (read the meta of how SW is the real villain of SPOP above) Entrapta wants to help and provides actual guidance and understanding to the Princesses which they need to get free of the First Ones plot against them, and then to stop Horde Prime. She doesn't get enough recognition for that from the Princesses….
Some of her most massive achievements, which wouldn't have been possible without her study and experimentations, include:
-She's able to repair Darla and get the ship across space and back, which is no small feat,
-She's able to locate Glimmer and help rescue her and Catra,
-She frees everyone on Etheria from Prime's control.
- And many more
In this way, we can really get to understand how even some of her actions she's most vilified for are part of her seeking these truths and gaining the knowledge they will need to survive. Let's talk about a couple of them.
Why Entrapta’s search with science looks so messy: Hacking the Black Garnet
What Entrapta experimenting on the Black Garnet was really about was testing her theories of what's wrong with Etheria. She doesn't do it to hurt people (obviously) and yes it causes chaos. Yet that's a huge clue- why does a runestone used in such a way cause destruction? The Princesses miss the point.
Many other hints get dropped along the way, and they just keep missing them because of their blindness from anger over the war. You can also see Entrapta's hand in most of these other hints:
Why can Adora be corrupted by First Ones tech contacting the sword? If Horde Prime is waiting outside Despondos and can destroy them all, how and why did Etheria end up secluded from the universe?
… Where did the stars go ?
The Princesses' cluelessness is all to do about the naive way they existed for the last millennia, a historical trauma which is catching up to them in real time as our series begins. Entrapta is trying to catch up to the real truth by studying Etheria like she does- chaos and all.
...Can the Princesses really remain ignorant and just keep escalating a war over past grievances? Would defeating Hordak even stop the greater plot against them all? Not at all- most likely they would have just then reconnected the runestones and Light Hope would have blown up the planet before they even realized what she was doing. Entrapta’s study is vastly necessary, they need her help- everything is necessary learning for Entrapta.
Yeah, science tends to be messy, but when Catra asks her about her research, leading to them hacking the Black Garnet, Entrapta is testing her hypothesis- and she proves it true. Entrapta will take her gained knowledge from this and other endeavors to be the capable scientist they need her to be in s5 to stop Prime. They need to know these truths. Necessary learning.
So, even this act she's vilified for is misunderstood by the Princesses who miss the clues of how what occurs reveals their own corruption. Because of course they did.
Entrapta’s further actions such as building the portal machine are also related to finding the real truth. If Etheria is isolated, the outside universe would have answers. It's good Entrapta’s machine doesn't bring Horde Prime down on them all at that juncture, they're not ready- she also tries to stop it, only failing due to the traumatized state Catra is in that episode after Shadow Weaver shows up and nearly kills her.
I won't recap everything she does but let's talk about the one consistent criticism: Entrapta building bots.
...note: this is something the Princesses asked her to do yet she ends up doing for the Horde instead...
When in fact, are these bots the killing machines many assume them to be? No, Frosta herself reveals that they aren't. And this fact isn't about softening the show for a kids audience. SPOP isn't that story-
The Horde isn't genociding people, like some uneducated detractors suggest- because that's not what the story of SPOP is about (go watch ATLA… it depicts genocide and it's a children's show- also, the civilians in SPOP don't participate in the war). It's about historical traumas and how ALL of them are continuing violence in a way that amplifies those past evils. And, Entrapta’s work with Emily also proves something essential: that a robot can have a soul. Is that not worth exploring further?
Take such things into account regarding her actions such as hacking the Black Garnet. She's testing her theory by doing so, meanwhile the Princesses abandoned her, both physically, but also with their harsh emotional treatment of her, having never broached the topic of her research. They are angry and ignorant, just self involved with their own hurt over the war. And when they had her they acted like they only wanted Entrapta for her ability to make robots to defeat the Horde. A bit of irony, I guess…
Again, the Horde is beyond doubt wrong to bring war, but that doesn't change the fact that the Princesses are ignorant and have spent the last millennia playing into the trap the First Ones set for them. Entrapta's knowledge from experimentation helps guide them free from that.
In s4, it's Entrapta who ends up helping them avert disaster by warning Adora. Meanwhile, Glimmer is so consumed by her own hurt that she resorts to barbarism and using an evil super weapon. In s3 Adora had begun to understand the evil that the First Ones were making, but in s4 Glimmer hijacks any understanding Adora may have gained with her total focus on war. When asked to help save Entrapta and deal with the danger that threatens the planet, Glimmer is harmful and we can see her unfairness towards Entrapta, her false equivalences-
Glimmer is one of the top most guilty characters when it comes to prejudice towards Entrapta, and she's also totally prejudiced against the Horde in a way that always makes things worse.
It takes her own descent into evil for her to realize that her false equivalence of evil on all Horde may be wrong, which we see her reverse her understanding of in s5 while talking to Catra. In SPOP, everyone's trauma combines to make them nearly fail as the First Ones intended them to do. And Entrapta does her best to uncover these truths at all points in the story, she's never evil.
3:: Entrapta's emotional gains in the Horde and why the Princesses leaving her was a wrong assumption-
I think it's been said enough by others that the Horde allowing Entrapta to pursue science is fundamental. But in the Horde, Entrapta also learns about friendship and being valued.
Outside of the Horde, Entrapta faces prejudice, much because of her autism or otherwise, much like the people she meets in the Horde have. The way they treat her is different because of the backgrounds they have with having been falsely judged themselves.
In the Horde, Entrapta gains at least one true friend: Scorpia. And Catra values her: she sees how smart and capable Entrapta is right off the bat. She's not a friend, she's maybe even a terrible boss, but Catra shows Entrapta that she's valued for her hard work and unique skills. Catra also sees how others are prejudiced against Entrapta, like they were towards her.
And of course, Entrapta's relationship with Hordak is important as well. She helps him deal with his disability and their ship is adored. In short, Entrapta gains so much emotionally in the Horde.
Compare this to her time in the alliance, and we don't see much good. That the Princesses abandon her has everything to do with their inability to understand her and value her.
We're all mature fans here so let's not shy away from the difficult subject: the ableism Entrapta faces from the Princesses.
So, why Entrapta get left behind-
Once we begin to quantify how the Princesses have an ignorant approach to their world, and in how they treat Entrapta, we can see the underlying truth better.
Their behavior towards her is extremely hard to watch, and a sign of their own corrupted sense of niceness towards others who seem different: after living comfortable and privileged lives, they simply became accustomed to not accepting people who are different from their expectations. They're all caught up in their own emotional world. Entrapta’s neurodivergence is included in the harsh subconscious biases that they all have.
Again, this is a sign of how the Princesses are too immature to face a real enemy as powerful and dangerous as Prime, or even able to free themselves from the corruption the First Ones involved them in. After spending 4 seasons playing straight into the First Ones hands, Prime then descends upon them all suddenly, because of Glimmer's own mistake, when they've only just begun to see their own wrongness and to work together like is trumpeted in the theme song, Warriors🎶. They barely squeak out the win because of this slow march of learning to work together through butting heads, and that win comes much to do because of Entrapta's wise guidance...
They're also simply not nice to Entrapta…
That we're seeing ableism is what I am certain is precisely what's meant to be shown and discussed by ND Stevenson and CrewRa. It's hidden behind some layers of cute, but it's all there. Without these negative assumptions, the Princesses likely would have checked to see if Entrapta survived…
(Also, SPOP isn't a problematic series at all for showing this!! How can we discuss such an important subject if they shied away from showing it?? SPOP's writers showed courage and it's the wisest story I've ever seen..) ...back to the meta-
So yeah, her getting left behind is about their bias, but to breifly address the other thing- how did she survive? Keeping fancy details aside (my theory being saved for another time), she survives that moment <with ease> because of the fact that she's a MAD SCIENTIST. You think Entrapta hasn't had worse scares than a bit of fire?? (Clue: think about how she designs her everyday equipment, as a mad scientist, to prepare her for such situations..)
..So, back to ableism,
In s1, Perfuma putting Entrapta on a leash and then tying her up is ableist behavior. It's important to quantify this. She does it thinking Entrapta doesn't know what's going on, so she tries to take Entrapta's autonomy away. It's not necessary at all- Perfuma is bad at communication and is projecting her own fears of failure onto Entrapta, underestimating her abilities.
There's other unacceptable behaviors- Glimmer is dismissive towards Entrapta’s neurodivergence, Mermita’s constant negativity affects how Entrapta is viewed by the team as well. (If you're wondering where Adora fits in this- she ignores what's going on with others' bad behavior as part of her being consumed by her anxiety issue of failing to lead. >note: by being so blinded by anxiety, she's actually failing them in that exact way<.) But, in s1 Perfuma's actions are the worst, which is why that's what we're going to talk about.
We know how wrong Perfuma is simply because of the final outcome of the episode: after Entrapta goes ‘missing’, despite Perfuma's trying to control her, Entrapta returns triumphant, having befriended Emily and having rescued Sea Hawk- and in time to help them rescue Bow. Perfuma assumed Entrapta's excitement was inability to focus, that's only slightly true, but in truth Entrapta was mostly just multitasking. She's that much of a badass.
So, we can see how much the Princesses are underestimating Entrapta's abilities through Perfuma’s actions. And thus, it's not at all surprising that when Entrapta seemed to be in danger, they assumed the worst. The ableism, the assumption that Entrapta didn't ‘get it’, the not knowing how resourceful Entrapta is as a scientist, is why they give up on her when they shouldn't have.
... about the horde again...
In this way, it's pretty natural that she ends up with the Horde, as it is a much better situation for her in most ways- she's surrounded by people who have faced false judgements their whole lives like she has. The Princesses have so much prejudice, we can see that in how they treat Entrapta. Whatever else is wrong with the Horde, nobody is ableist towards Entrapta in the way the Princesses were.
In the Horde, Entrapta uses the access to science she has to study the real issues; she goes through hell when Catra ends up betraying her out of her traumas; she helps Adora avert the destruction of the planet at the end of s4... and yet in s5 she faces even MORE ableism from the Princesses.
When we see her in s5ep2, the Princesses say she's only interested in tech- which smells mightily of autistic ableism- essentially suggesting she's a robot. And then they blame her for everything- is that really fair?
No- it's frankly sad to watch how the Princesses spent the first 4 seasons walking straight into the trap the First Ones made for them. Also, their anger towards Entrapta comes after she's repaired Darla to fly across space so they can rescue Glimmer- have the Princesses thanked her for her unique contribution in this? Nope.
Whereas the ableism is hidden behind cute, funny sequences and excellent voice acting in s1, in s5 it's downright blatantly shown.
If Scorpia wasn't there to point out how Entrapta could help them, the Princesses would have continued in their negative, ableist views of Entrapta. Consider that- without Entrapta's one friend from the ‘evil’ Horde, the Princesses wouldn't have overcome their prejudice towards her, and so they wouldn't have even been able to save Glimmer. Hurray, Scorpia!! ❤️🖤🤍
We are once again being shown that they refuse to really try to understand Entrapta.
When Entrapta approaches the enemy base, she's doing her job and getting the data needed to find Glimmer. The Princesses force their expectation of how things should go onto Entrapta- and then blame her for ruining the mission. And yet, once Mermista finally sees that Entrapta absolutely knows the mission and is still trying to save Glimmer, she has no problem managing protection of Entrapta while she finishes getting the data..
Sure, Entrapta could been more stealthy, but their assumption that she doesn't understand what's happening was hurtful. They let their negativity consume them.
Also, we see Perfuma leash Entrapta again (briefly), and Mermista grabs Entrapta by the hair, leading to the Entrapta’s pained explanation that she 'gets it'. So, Mermista tries to remove Entrapta's autonomy- and physically hurts Entrapta with her anger. And then afterwards, Mermista can't give Entrapta a proper compliment- it comes combined with an insult when she tells her “Entrapta helped, too. You're still a wierdo, but you did good today. We've got your back, anytime."
Even if Mermista doesn't mean insult by choosing that word, she's still reinforcing the stereotype. Maybe she's using the word as a stand-in for her own past misunderstanding of Entrapta, it's still wrong. It shows her negative mindset that pervades her interactions with others. Entrapta, pure as she is, is overjoyed to get the acceptance that she's always wanted- she ignores the negativity. But, Mermista.. be better!!
A quick note, here, from the author: I *do* like Mermista and Perfuma, they're all best Princess in their ways- I'm just being real about how SPOP shows their negativity having consequences!! Thx, e.d. out ❤️
4:: Finally, let's talk about Entrapdak 🔬✨💞✨🧪
As said before, Entrapta has a pretty great way of getting past others' negativity to see the best in others, and her ability to do that with Hordak is the best example of it all.
In no time flat Entrapta bypasses Hordak's toxic negativity. She's like 'hey, let's not do that- let's be friends.' She believes in something better. Entrapta treats Hordak with the expectation that they should be friends, and she's not wrong to do it. Hordak isn't Prime, he can be better. He's still capable of being a conscientious feeling person, unlike his abuser who selfishly tried to destroy his sense of self. Her giving him a chance is what allows him to start finding that better person within himself.
And, as Hordak has faced ableism, like she has, Entrapta is the one to confront the ableism Hordak faced during his life head on and do something about it. (stating the obvious for posterity) She has empathy for him, nobody ever understands his pain better than she does. Even though they get separated half way through the series, her kindness sticks with him- helping him overcome his doubts and have a redemptive moment in s5.
Come s5, Entrapta still keeps fighting to get through to him, seeking to reestablish their friendship. That's everything to their success against Prime during the final moments before the Heart is activated. She really is unique in her determination to do better by others- nobody else in the series has as much steadfast goodness in the way they treat others as Entrapta does.
(...everyone else had to learn to believe in each other the hard way...)
In those final moments, as the universe faces destruction by Prime's hand, Entrapta best sums up in words the entire thesis of SPOP and our title theme song, 🎶Warriors🎶
“You can't control us! You don't know understand makes us strong, and that's why you'll never win!”
So much history goes into this moment, but Entrapta sums up what they've all been fighting for best. Nobody says it better- how love is strength. Not Catra in Corridors, not Adora in Save the Cat. She never gave up on Hordak, and he's about to show Prime why.
And that it's Entrapta that says it is no accident…
Entrapta gets it. She always did. They are stronger by love than Prime can ever defeat, if they just believe in each other.
And she's right to believe in Hordak, he won't do it, the love he has for Entrapta is too powerful for Prime to take from him. He's able to break free of the past hurtfulness that's controlled him.
Entrapta’s steadfast belief in Hordak saves them all- by casting down his abuser, Hordak interrupts Prime’s control of the Heart just long enough for Catra to show Adora her true feelings in the dream and to confess her love, setting up the kiss that saves the universe. (read the fun meta here) (short version here)
It's almost like Entrapta was best girl all along. I say that because she's so true to her heart that she deserves all of our love. (Sorry Scorpia, you're great, but, I stand firm!)
Final thoughts / Conclusion
In SPOP, we’re not supposed to accept the causal hurtfulness and prejudices the Princesses have. We can see how those make things worse in many ways, but directly in Entrapta’s arc. That's why s4 ends so chaotically- because they're all wrong. It's also why we see such reversals in Catra and Glimmer's arcs and things such as how Scorpia fits with the Princesses as if she always belonged. And it's why Entrapta struggles against prejudice even through s5. True wisdom cannot be gained while letting your emotions control you like the Princesses are doing.
That SPOP discussed such complex issues makes it one of the best stories ever written. I think it will have staying power and sets the bar for other stories..! (ND Stevenson told a great gay story, no doubt, but I mean it that the story is one of the best of all time, period!)
That causal hurtfulness, which is hidden behind cute animation and voice acting, is probably something we know in our own lives but grew accustomed to accepting- family members we love but hurt us or toxic societies we’re immersed in where we're told to accept as norms things that hurt people. I, for instance, can attest that I've seen it firsthand as I was totally abandoned by my parents to abuse because of their preconceived and hurtful notions of how safe and easy my life was supposed to be. ::Don't give in to base assumptions! The prejudice Entrapta deals with helps to teach us about how these biases make things worse. Also: in a lot of ways, Entrapta's dedication to science is also the best response to negative bias. Data doesn't lie, after all…
Entrapta's arc is meant for us to think deeper. War is a confusing subject. Lots of fans attribute SPOP's war to be something it's not- many wars are lead by murderous sociopaths. Other wars are about both sides acting on past grievances and inflicting trauma in a cycle that makes things worse. SPOP is this story. Like the unfair way the Princesses treat Entrapta, the way they deal with the war is wrong, too. And the Horde are repeating traumas as well- yet Hordak isn't a sociopath. His love for her shows that.
Entrapta's way of acting is the closest to a emotionally sound response to the war that there is in SPOP. In the absence of a better choice, Entrapta does what she knows best: Science, and friendship towards others. Catra, all the Princess alliance, are letting their worst emotions control their actions. Entrapta treats everyone well because that's how people should be treated. She wants to be friends- she wants to help people and be valued.
... yes... she also wants to geek out constantly, and holy cow do I get her. (I will act the same way when I'm excited about facts, space IS awesome. I will absolutely geek out over how lethal it is!!) Facts are cool. There's nothing wrong with her enthusiasm, it should be appreciated. The Princesses often take her comments in the worst way possible (such as when she's remarking how amazing Horde Prime's tech is- when it is amazing.!) Her wanting to know the secrets behind things is worth it, she's curious about everything, like we all should be.
Still, I think it's how she treats others that makes her best princess. That's why she tugs so much on our heartstrings- she doesn't just show us how she's best or good, her actions reveal the best in others, such as Hordak. Best girl Entrapta. She's also a total badass, and a genius (thanks, Bow- took 4 seasons too long for someone to say it) Do you agree? Feel free to let me know! 👍
And finally- autism aside, she's great. I'm sorry if I can't give more guidance about the subject, but, autistic people are fantastic people, period. The Princesses shoulda looked to work with her better, her sensitivity is not a barrier!! Id they had, the story may have been much kinder over all. (...But would that really be a realistic story-? probs not...) At some point, somebody has to have the courage to believe in others, Entrapta is that kind of person. We should all strive to be as excellent of a person as Entrapta is.
As always, if there's a detail of this meta (I got very meta again, sorry I can't help myself) you'd like clarified, ask me and I will gladly explain, with data, Entrapta style!! Please give THIS A 🧬🧪✨REBLOGG✨🧪🧬 and/or a like if you enjoyed it, and I hope you have a great one,
Etheria Dearie.
Author personal note:
Hey, thank you to my reader for asking me this one. Sorry it took so long, I hope I was able to speak conscientious about this subject 😔. To my readers: If it feels like I'm showing anger at ableism in my writing, ya caught me. I've been trying to correct my life to get away from abusive people and there's just no great way for someone partially disabled like I am to find good housing. Our entire society is set up to gatekeep such people from having that security, and I'm staring it right in the face now. So, I'm mad. p.s: thx for reading... anybody reblogg me? 😁❤️🙇
Here's a list of my meta's so far for new readers: https://etheriadearie.tumblr.com/post/647767378317492224/hey-i-just-found-your-blog-and-ive-gotta-say
Read your big Entrapta post. It was very interesting, and over 6000 words long, LMAO. You should use plain text more though, the heavily reformatted bold/italicised/etc text made it difficult to read.
So, a few things:
1. I absolutely agree that the characters are continuing the historical trauma of the first ones. Entrapta is a truth seeker trying to get to the heart of the issue and basically discovers the Heart of Etheria with the minimal amount of investigation in season 1, with nobody else questioning what the First Ones did because it would mean they have to question their entire power structure.
2. However, Entrapta is still a villain that the Princesses need to stop. Especially as the Black Garnet Experiment was hurting so many people, and she didn't even know what sort of dangerous weapon was lurking under the surface yet! Unfortunately I think the lack of communication with her in s1 is attributed to time - she only got a single episode to deal with them and just when they were warming up to each other they were separated. I like to think if this separation never happened, the other characters would've started to understand Entrapta better and let her do her thing. On the other hand, they probably wouldn't have let her mess with a runestone. A full Rebellion! Entrapta would face prejudice against tampering with tech, as you said. Only the Horde would be willing to fully embrace it, which is why Bow's tech is nowhere close to Entrapta's - hell, people tease him for it rather than ask him about it!
(This presumably changes after s5 where suddenly tech is a vital part of society and Entrapta carried the Rebellion through the transition.)
3. I do think you're right when you say, all the other characters are caught up in their anger and hurt, but Entrapta lets it pass through, and she can see most clearly the value in other people, and treats them better than she gets treated. She does carry and push down some hurt especially around getting rejected so many times no matter how hard she tries, and sometimes she questions her own philosophies of "imperfections are beautiful" because how can she believe that when her own imperfections keep leading to her pushing people away? But she has a strong heart, and pushes through that doubt and becomes a powerful force for individuality across the show. She is unabashedly herself, and transfers that positive energy onto other characters when de-chipping them, breaking up tension for other characters on the space ship, and helping Hordak figure out who he is.
Hi! Sounds like we agree on a lot, let me see if I can respond to a few things...
Thanks! My Promise discussion is over 17,000 hah 💜😜💜✌️. And I think you're right about the text, thx for saying. I've been thinking about switching to all bold, an example of that here.
Okay to this, I think we need to deal with the outdated and blasé boring 80s villain concept..
::metadiscuss She-ra and ND Stevenson's take on villains 🦹♀️
To be clear, my writing is never done to condone anyone's actions. What's happening is that they're all bad (until s5). SPOP is a waking disaster for pretty much every character, good guys and bad, they are all being hurtful and those decisions are bouncing off each other in a disastrous chaotic echo chamber. And Entrapta’s story, while messy, shows the truest line of good intentions towards others and to finding the truth.
Which is why I think judging Entrapta (or Catra and Hordak) as 'villains who need to be stopped’ isn't what ND wants us to do.
Catra and Hordak are absolutely being total assholes, but, there's only a couple really evil people in SPOP, who cause so much hurt and destruction in the story, and to which we can trace back all the other characters' actions to. What makes Catra and Hordak different from these evil people is that they aren't sociopaths. For example, one such sociopath villain- Shadow Weaver- gets away with the most terrible bullshit for the longest time. She abused Catra and Adora from an early age- and Adora and Catra only manage to stop her at the very end. This is a much more realistic storyline, as irl abusers fly under the radar, some never even face consequences for their actions.
But, this complexity is how ND Stevenson set out to give us a better story than the old 80s boring blasé “villains are evil and only exist to be stopped by the heroes”. Those stories lack any creativity, making 1 dimensional badguys to be knocked over by the heroes shooting gallery style.
The biggest clue that SPOP rejects such a blasé villain take is the plot itself- do the Princesses EVER even really stop them? Anything they try to do backfires- they didn't stop the portal from opening, they never regained control of the Black Garnet- and yet did the Horde ever use it again?
They could have, right? So, the Princesses struggle to even do the most basic thing of stopping the Horde. Stopping the villains isn't something we see them do until the end. The Princesses don't work together, before Adora showed up they all hid in their kingdoms and abandoned Etheria’s populace (and often their own people) to war. (see Bow’s dad George in s2ep7). But, by making unbalanced emotional decisions that are out of control they do make things worse for themselves, and for everyone on Etheria. This is because while the Horde is wrong, their own decisions add to the trauma of the other side, particularly Catra, perpetuating and increasing the violence.
For example, about one of the most villainous moments- Catra pulling the switch- we can see how Glimmer’s own actions of empowering Shadow Weaver in s3ep4 sends things out of control.
That's the moment Catra's actions are solidified, before then she's not angry enough to do what she does. And from then on Glimmer continues to give Shadow Weaver even more power in s4, she falls for her deceptions, which contributes to Glimmer’s mistake of linking Scorpia to the Heart, looking to win by any option. The world almost ends; it's chaos.
To elaborate about the portal incident: I say confidently that what we're suppose to understand within the plot that the portal wouldn't have happened without Glimmer bringing Shadow Weaver to the Fight Zone.
Entrapta actually had that under control, she had convinced Hordak to wait to try the portal, so they could perfect it (more really, for romance). And Adora did a good job warning Entrapta about the dangers, changing her mind. So, even though Catra wanted to do it, it wouldn't have happened. She wasn't the uncontrollably enraged person we see when she shocks Entrapta and then lies to Hordak.
That all comes down to Catra being brought within an inch of her life by her abuser yet again. Catra has been powerless to stop her abuser all of her life. Seeing the Princesses enable her abuser is a bridge too far. She has to win, even if there's a chance the world will end.
Imho what Catra did to Entrapta is what she hates herself for the most. It wasn't supposed to happen, we see that on her face afterwards. Catra is (predictably) driven by fear, that no matter what she does her abuser will be enabled by others.
Even at that point in the story, Adora is an enabler of their abuser in Catra's eyes. She's wrong, Adora has no control- and feels as unsafe as she does.
This is the kind of evidence that's there if you look for it, and Glimmer's decision to enable their abuser leaves both Adora and Catra unnerved and they begin to spiral during s4. What's also true is that Glimmer is partially responsible for her own pain in s4 and the loss of her mother. (I can talk in more detail about this cascade of events, lmk.)
In fact, Shadow Weaver switching sides is nothing- she's not trying to help the Princesses win, there's nothing left for her at the Horde and she uses it as a new opportunity to manipulate for power. In s4 she drives Glimmer towards releasing the power, for her own gain. It doesn't end like she intends when the Heart is set off instead.
But, as usual Shadow Weaver is getting away with it. She only faces consequences in s5 when Catra (‘a villain who needs to be stopped') helps Adora past all the manipulations with her love confession. Why is it Catra that has to bring the knowledge of love, why is she the wise one? It's literally the story of the series, her saving Adora with The Kiss.
So the story of the series isn't that Catra is a redeeming villain- it's why she has this special knowledge. Nor is Adora some miraculous hero- she can't be a real hero until she learns to accept that love.
So Catra can't really be called a villain, she does act the part but it's more complicated than that. Hordak isn't one either- he is a trauma machine, but he helps them win in the end, too. And Entrapta is one of the least villainous people in her intentions- lead than the Princesses who try to use a horrific super weapon to win (obvious similarities to choosing the nuclear option). Instead, we should focus on the real villains- sociopathic manipulators who like to hurt others- Shadow Weaver, Horde Prime, and somewhat Light Hope.
They lack the ability to feel love or empathy, they want to hurt others, like many of the worst abusers in our societies (looking at you, capitalism). That emotional difference is where the root of evil actually lies, because it lets them hurt people indefinitely. And just like Shadow Weaver, Horde Prime got away with it for the longest time, he hurt Hordak and murdered many innocent worlds before being stopped. And what did it take to stop him? An act of love. Gay love. 🏳️🌈 That's a pretty great rejection of the blasé troupes if you ask me.
So, I don't agree with the 80s villain view of Entrapta and most other characters. Is Scorpia a villain? How about Kyle, Rogelio, and Lonnie? They're treated as such. It's so much better that we're shown both sides, to understand how their choices are affected by the Princesses own actions. So that way we can think about why they make the decisions that they do. It's chaos until they all agree to stop and understand each other. Meanwhile the sociopaths were getting away with manipulating them all.
Oh an Entrapta? She doesn't stop to placate anyone's fragile feelings, such as with the Princesses, because ignorance is worse than not knowing what's really going on and the deeper plot that threatens the entire universe.
Anyways... I am not worthy to speak for ND but I suspect that he'd say calling Entrapta a villain wasn't what he wanted us to see. Or with many of the other characters. Entrapta is always doing her best, she's also kind to others. Calling her villain is so surface, it's meh.
Hope that makes sense.
p.s I know my posts are long, but its because I'm trying to answer all of the questions and misconstrued comebacks I've seen all at once, every question all at once. I do wish my writings could be shorter, but then I'd leave too many things open to confusion. Also, many questions are answered in my hyperlinks- more good meta to read with a hot cuppa somethin'☕️☺️ (all hyperlinks are on tumblr)
In a show where Catra and Adora struggle so much with becoming their true selves, Entrapta is always in touch with her most authentic self. She gives me all of the happy feelings 🥰
I know, it hurts to see her suffer. 😥 She shouldn't be made to doubt. Then again, what's being alive more than doubting? Each major character in SPOP does it. Her story has so much humanity 😌
Well said!! This is what I'm really saying when I talk about how the Princesses are privileged. Like, many privileged people accept the current economic order and that's wrong- it's destroying our environment and makes 3rd world counties impoverished. I see a real similarity in how the Princesses just accept their world order. Like irl, just because they don't know it's wrong doesn't make it any less wrong.
Thanks to anybody who hung out through this long post. If you like it, let me know. But reblogg if you can, because reblogs make the tumblr world go round ☺️💫🌍✨. Thanks for writing in op, I'm glad we agree on many things (some which I didn't have time to cover).
Happy Pride everybody!! ✨✨🏳️🌈✨✨!!!!
p.s if you have an ama pending I have received it and will respond just as soon as it's ready. Feel free to keep sending me asks my peoples!!
-Etheriadearie
Hey thanks for giving the specific reference you're talking about. I've read about pretty much everything ND has said at one point or another but it's not always foremost in my mind.
Tis’ true that ND has talked about Catra in such a light, yet did he have another choice? Villains and heroes dichotomy is the only framework we have to talk about these stories. I think that fails us all in our ability to really understand things.
So I'm convinced ND wanted a better framework to explore stories, showing the Horde’s side is a big part of that. But to discuss that story, he's got to use the verbiage we're used to.
A better framework means we're supposed to ask the deeper question: what was so wrong with Adora’s behavior in the Horde that Catra is so ready to do anything to “survive” apart from her?
Adora not knowing Catra was getting death threats from their abuser their entire childhood is bad, like how Adora didn't know she was working for an evil organization (Catra: “duh, did you really just figure that out?”. It's hard to understand Catra if you didn't experience that level of violence, and it's hard to understand Adora’s blind allegiance to false principles set out for her by others if you didn't experience her upbringing to do so.
Still, showing the consequences of Adora’s actions plus the Horde’s perspective from Catra's point of view gives us a framework to explore such things. It's excellent storytelling imho.
I think what ND said then makes sense but after we see s5, when the Princesses commit total hubris and also see that Catra embraces her gay love and getting her head on strait to help them all plus save Adora, it's a way different discussion. One I'm not sure ND was given since the conclusion. ND does seem to enjoy being clever, and is waiting for us to figure it out, y'know? That depth will make SPOP a timeless classic we’ll be discussing for decades!
::p.s I hope you didn't feel I was lecturing you, that's never my intention!! 😔 If people give me a chance to talk meta that's what I do is all, because that's what I enjoy doing! 😅
Read your big Entrapta post. It was very interesting, and over 6000 words long, LMAO. You should use plain text more though, the heavily reformatted bold/italicised/etc text made it difficult to read.
So, a few things:
1. I absolutely agree that the characters are continuing the historical trauma of the first ones. Entrapta is a truth seeker trying to get to the heart of the issue and basically discovers the Heart of Etheria with the minimal amount of investigation in season 1, with nobody else questioning what the First Ones did because it would mean they have to question their entire power structure.
2. However, Entrapta is still a villain that the Princesses need to stop. Especially as the Black Garnet Experiment was hurting so many people, and she didn't even know what sort of dangerous weapon was lurking under the surface yet! Unfortunately I think the lack of communication with her in s1 is attributed to time - she only got a single episode to deal with them and just when they were warming up to each other they were separated. I like to think if this separation never happened, the other characters would've started to understand Entrapta better and let her do her thing. On the other hand, they probably wouldn't have let her mess with a runestone. A full Rebellion! Entrapta would face prejudice against tampering with tech, as you said. Only the Horde would be willing to fully embrace it, which is why Bow's tech is nowhere close to Entrapta's - hell, people tease him for it rather than ask him about it!
(This presumably changes after s5 where suddenly tech is a vital part of society and Entrapta carried the Rebellion through the transition.)
3. I do think you're right when you say, all the other characters are caught up in their anger and hurt, but Entrapta lets it pass through, and she can see most clearly the value in other people, and treats them better than she gets treated. She does carry and push down some hurt especially around getting rejected so many times no matter how hard she tries, and sometimes she questions her own philosophies of "imperfections are beautiful" because how can she believe that when her own imperfections keep leading to her pushing people away? But she has a strong heart, and pushes through that doubt and becomes a powerful force for individuality across the show. She is unabashedly herself, and transfers that positive energy onto other characters when de-chipping them, breaking up tension for other characters on the space ship, and helping Hordak figure out who he is.
Hi! Sounds like we agree on a lot, let me see if I can respond to a few things...
Thanks! My Promise discussion is over 17,000 hah 💜😜💜✌️. And I think you're right about the text, thx for saying. I've been thinking about switching to all bold, an example of that here.
Okay to this, I think we need to deal with the outdated and blasé boring 80s villain concept..
::metadiscuss She-ra and ND Stevenson's take on villains 🦹♀️
To be clear, my writing is never done to condone anyone's actions. What's happening is that they're all bad (until s5). SPOP is a waking disaster for pretty much every character, good guys and bad, they are all being hurtful and those decisions are bouncing off each other in a disastrous chaotic echo chamber. And Entrapta’s story, while messy, shows the truest line of good intentions towards others and to finding the truth.
Which is why I think judging Entrapta (or Catra and Hordak) as 'villains who need to be stopped’ isn't what ND wants us to do.
Catra and Hordak are absolutely being total assholes, but, there's only really a couple evil people in SPOP, who cause so much hurt and destruction in the story, and to which we can trace back all the other characters' actions to. What makes Catra and Hordak different from these evil people is that they aren't sociopaths. For example, one such sociopath villain- Shadow Weaver- gets away with the most terrible bullshit for the longest time. She abused Catra and Adora from an early age- and Adora and Catra only manage to stop her at the very end. This is a much more realistic storyline, as irl abusers fly under the radar, some never even face consequences for their actions.
But, this complexity is how ND Stevenson set out to give us a better story than the old 80s boring blasé “villains are evil and only exist to be stopped by the heroes”. Those stories lack any creativity, making 1 dimensional badguys to be knocked over by the heroes shooting gallery style. 🏳️🌈
The biggest clue that SPOP rejects such a blasé villain take is the plot itself- do the Princesses EVER even really stop them? Anything they try to do backfires- they didn't stop the portal from opening, they never regained control of the Black Garnet- and yet did the Horde ever use it again?
They could have, right? So, the Princesses struggle to even do the most basic thing of stopping the Horde. Stopping the villains isn't something we see them do until the end. The Princesses don't work together, before Adora showed up they all hid in their kingdoms and abandoned Etheria’s populace (and often their own people) to war. (see Bow’s dad George in s2ep7). But, by making unbalanced emotional decisions that are out of control they do make things worse for themselves, and for everyone on Etheria. This is because while the Horde is wrong, their own decisions add to the trauma of the other side, particularly Catra, perpetuating and increasing the violence.
For example, about one of the most villainous moments- Catra pulling the switch- we can see how Glimmer’s own actions of empowering Shadow Weaver in s3ep4 sends things out of control.
That's the moment Catra's actions are solidified, before then she's not angry enough to do what she does. And from then on Glimmer continues to give Shadow Weaver even more power in s4, she falls for her deceptions, which contributes to Glimmer’s mistake of linking Scorpia to the Heart, looking to win by any option. The world almost ends; it's chaos.
To elaborate about the portal incident: I say confidently that what we're suppose to understand within the plot that the portal wouldn't have happened without Glimmer bringing Shadow Weaver to the Fight Zone.
Entrapta actually had that under control, she had convinced Hordak to wait to try the portal, so they could perfect it (more really, for romance). And Adora did a good job warning Entrapta about the dangers, changing her mind. So, even though Catra wanted to do it, it wouldn't have happened. She wasn't the uncontrollably enraged person we see when she shocks Entrapta and then lies to Hordak.
That all comes down to Catra being brought within an inch of her life by her abuser yet again. Catra has been powerless to stop her abuser all of her life. Seeing the Princesses enable her abuser is a bridge too far. She has to win, even if there's a chance the world will end.
Imho what Catra did to Entrapta is what she hates herself for the most. It wasn't supposed to happen, we see that on her face afterwards. Catra is (predictably) driven by fear, that no matter what she does her abuser will be enabled by others.
Even at that point in the story, Adora is an enabler of their abuser in Catra's eyes. She's wrong, Adora has no control- and feels as unsafe as she does.
This is the kind of evidence that's there if you look for it, and Glimmer's decision to enable their abuser leaves both Adora and Catra unnerved and they begin to spiral during s4. What's also true is that Glimmer is partially responsible for her own pain in s4 and the loss of her mother. (I can talk in more detail about this cascade of events, lmk.)
In fact, Shadow Weaver switching sides is nothing- she's not trying to help the Princesses win, there's nothing left for her at the Horde and she uses it as a new opportunity to manipulate for power. In s4 she drives Glimmer towards releasing the power, for her own gain. It doesn't end like she intends when the Heart is set off instead.
But, as usual Shadow Weaver is getting away with it. She only faces consequences in s5 when Catra (‘a villain who needs to be stopped') helps Adora past all the manipulations with her love confession. Why is it Catra that has to bring the knowledge of love, why is she the wise one? It's literally the story of the series, her saving Adora with The Kiss.
So the story of the series isn't that Catra is a redeeming villain- it's why she has this special knowledge. Nor is Adora some miraculous hero- she can't be a real hero until she learns to accept that love.
So Catra can't really be called a villain, she does act the part but it's more complicated than that. Hordak isn't one either- he is a trauma machine, but he helps them win in the end, too. And Entrapta is one of the least villainous people in her intentions- lead than the Princesses who try to use a horrific super weapon to win (obvious similarities to choosing the nuclear option). Instead, we should focus on the real villains- sociopathic manipulators who like to hurt others- Shadow Weaver, Horde Prime, and somewhat Light Hope.
They lack the ability to feel love or empathy, they want to hurt others, like many of the worst abusers in our societies (looking at you, capitalism). That emotional difference is where the root of evil actually lies, because it lets them hurt people indefinitely. And just like Shadow Weaver, Horde Prime got away with it for the longest time, he hurt Hordak and murdered many innocent worlds before being stopped. And what did it take to stop him? An act of love. Gay love. 🏳️🌈 That's a pretty great rejection of the blasé troupes if you ask me.
So, I don't agree with the 80s villain view of Entrapta and most other characters. Is Scorpia a villain? How about Kyle, Rogelio, and Lonnie? They're treated as such. It's so much better that we're shown both sides, to understand how their choices are affected by the Princesses own actions. So that way we can think about why they make the decisions that they do. It's chaos until they all agree to stop and understand each other. Meanwhile the sociopaths were getting away with manipulating them all.
Oh an Entrapta? She doesn't stop to placate anyone's fragile feelings, such as with the Princesses, because ignorance is worse than not knowing what's really going on and the deeper plot that threatens the entire universe.
Anyways... I am not worthy to speak for ND but I suspect that he'd say calling Entrapta a villain wasn't what he wanted us to see. Or with many of the other characters. Entrapta is always doing her best, she's also kind to others. Calling her villain is so surface, it's meh.
Hope that makes sense.
p.s I know my posts are long, but its because I'm trying to answer all of the questions and misconstrued comebacks I've seen all at once, every question all at once. I do wish my writings could be shorter, but then I'd leave too many things open to confusion. Also, many questions are answered in my hyperlinks- more good meta to read with a hot cuppa somethin'☕️☺️ (all hyperlinks are on tumblr)
In a show where Catra and Adora struggle so much with becoming their true selves, Entrapta is always in touch with her most authentic self. She gives me all of the happy feelings 🥰
I know, it hurts to see her suffer. 😥 She shouldn't be made to doubt. Then again, what's being alive more than doubting? Each major character in SPOP does it. Her story has so much humanity 😌
Well said!! This is what I'm really saying when I talk about how the Princesses are privileged. Like, many privileged people accept the current economic order and that's wrong- it's destroying our environment and makes 3rd world counties impoverished. I see a real similarity in how the Princesses just accept their world order. Like irl, just because they don't know it's wrong doesn't make it any less wrong.
Thanks to anybody who hung out through this long post. If you like it, let me know. But reblogg if you can, because reblogs make the tumblr world go round ☺️💫🌍✨. Thanks for writing in op, I'm glad we agree on many things (some which I didn't have time to cover).
Happy Pride everybody!! ✨✨🏳️🌈✨✨!!!!
p.s if you have an ama pending I have received it and will respond just as soon as it's ready. Feel free to keep sending me asks my peoples!!
-Etheriadearie
some she-ra backgrounds i made!! feel free to use :)
the princesses of power (and bow)
