cartoonprincesses:

I think what is most unique about Entrapta and Hordak’s relationship is that Entrapta’s neurodivergent symptoms are not repressed in effort to make them “better” or “fix her flaws” through the relationship, but rather those traits are what makes her a unique and interesting person and are the reason she is friends with Hordak in the first place.

Firstly, as others have pointed out, her social unawareness/misunderstandings, a common symptom of autism, is not being used as a weakness in this case. When the princesses left her at the Horde, she was easily manipulated into thinking they did it on purpose; it seems that she is moderately aware that she struggles with socialization. But with Hordak, instead of him teaching her to socialize “normally,” her bluntness and obliviousness to the social hierarchy of the Horde are what strikes Hordak and draws him to her. Her inability to be afraid of Hordak’s social intimidation allows her to treat him as a true equal and as a true friend, which he seems to have never experienced in his entire life. This is a really unique thing because a lot of the time, autistic-coded characters are made fun of for failing to adhere to social norms, and they often have to learn to behave “normally” in order to be accepted. Entrapta, on the other hand, is shown as being an honest and genuine person because of the way she socializes, even if sometimes it causes her to seem awkward to other people.

Secondly, Entrapta’s passion for technology is actually important to the plot. Hyperfixations/special interests are common in autism and ADHD, and you could easily categorize Entrapta’s obsession with science and technology as  on of those. Entrapta’s inventions are an integral plot device for this show, and it proves her to be a smart and important character. To compare her to a similar cartoon with a similar demographic, let’s look at Peridot from Steven Universe. Peridot is similarly obsessed with technology and is very talented in that regard, but this is sometimes shown as a weakness, such as when they tried to throw her tablet away because she was too dependent on it. Entrapta, on the other hand, is never belittled for her obsession. Although Hordak originally was only using her unique skillset as a tactical advantage for new weapons, it seems clear that by season 3, when he started thinking of Entrapta as his friend, he really did seem genuinely impressed with her talent. 

Lastly, Entrapta is never infantilized for possessing neuro-atypical traits. She is always shown as smart, important, and interesting, and (in my opinion) seems quite adult compared to the mostly teen cast of the show. She isn’t naive or stupid, she can hold her own in a fight, and her emotional arc actually had more attention than many of the other side characters (Mermista, Perfuma, and Sea Hawk in particular). Her tentative friendship with Hordak, while still in its early stages, isn’t meant to emphasize her naivety for befriending a villain; rather, it feels like Entrapta has her own autonomy and is choosing to be his friend because she likes him and sees the potential for him to be a good person despite his flaws. 

I dunno man. I just think it’s dope that a neurodivergent, scientist, WOC isn’t being cast aside or made into a joke. Like, she is so cool and good. And I’m so excited to see where her character arc goes, how she develops as a person because of her relationship with Hordak, and how he develops in response to her.