of power.

[sheracomplex]

technolocks​:

Entrapta had a tendency to apologize whenever things got haywire with tech she was working with, but lately she’d started to notice when she should do it in more social situations.  Maybe she’d misread Adora there, but she’d rather give it when it wasn’t needed than not when it was.

Adora seemed to understand what was going on between herself and Catra quite well!  Entrapta’s enthusiasm was on an upward rebound, now more able to focus on what someone who she knew was her friend was saying rather than her experiences with the less-than-friendly feline girl.  Horde Prime invasion, finding Glimmer…that all sounded familiar, but not quite the full picture to her.

“Yes! I remember that, we went to space to find Glimmer!  Then we did, and we came back to Etheria, but…nnnh, it’s been so long for me since I’ve been here that the details are all fuzzy!  Come on, Entrapta, think!”

Existing within two separate realities didn’t do much to keep someone’s recollection sharp.  She frequently found herself applying details of Etheria to this island, getting events that happened here crossed with those of her homeworld.  But she was a genius, right?  The answers had to be in there somewhere!  She shut her eyes, running the events after the Heart’s activation through in her head again.  There was the invasion, she found the signal to lead to Glimmer, they went to space, she was in space, they flew through space, they found Glimmer…there was a cave?  Yeah, a cave with a lot of crystals…they helped to refuel the ship, and then they-

A gasp.

“…We went to Horde Prime’s ship.  But Glimmer was already with us.  We went there for…for Catra.”

Adora had reached out, gently grasping Entrapta’s shoulders with her earlier enthusiasm. She felt like her own memories were so clear, but as she listened to Entrapta, Adora was shocked.

“We went to space?!”

“We... How come I don’t remember going to space? I feel like I would totally remember that!”

Adora tried to think, furrowing her eyebrows together and forcing her mind to think. At least, that’s what she thought she was doing, concentrating hard and considering her memories before arriving on this island. She even hummed slightly as she did so, until Entrapta’s words suddenly broke Adora’s concentration.

“What.” A pause. “What?! For... for... Catra?! What happened to Catra?!”

[sheracomplex]

xcoriate​:

“I want to kill everything you love.”

Shigaraki said, before biting his already ruined lips. It was all he could do to hold back his laughter.

“Nahhhh, I’m just fucking with ya.”

He was at the same time a dangerous man standing in front of her, and an overgrown child, completely unpredictable either way. Shigaraki usually avoided touching others out of disgust, but when he heard her shriek he saddled up right next to her and slid an arm around her shoulder. Whenever he got this close to someone he felt temptation. It was akin to seeing someone standing on the top of a staircase and knowing you could push them when no one was looking and get away with it. All it would take was one small touch to her back and she would be broken.

It was only the barest threads of sanity that held him back from doing so. Instead he played the rambunctious teenager, just goofing off with a friend. He started acting a little too cozy, leaning his head on her shoulder.

“What do I want? I’m thinking tacos right now how about you? Let’s sit and have a chat. You know it’s those thing people do when they’re not punching and kicking each other.”

Adora felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She almost wished someone had instead, that would be easier to deal with than whatever Shigaraki was doing right now. At least she knew how to deal with someone trying to beat her up.

His touch made her shudder, and she squirmed-- Adora wanted to scream out, to yell and push him away from her, but she recalled what his power was. What was this? A taunt, a game, a threat? Adora did not know how to perceive his words or actions, and so she simply floundered.

“What,” she finally squeaked out, totally floored by this whole interaction.

Tacos? He’s seriously talking about getting food right now? What is wrong with him?!

As if to make matters worse, Adora felt her stomach growl; even her own body was betraying her now. How cruel.

“I don’t... uhh... I’m not hungry.” Her stomach audibly growled again. “Oh my god.”

[sheracomplex]

antagonyaist​:

“No, I want to ruin you even more.”

Sometimes even Catra couldn’t believe the things that came out of her mouth. What she wanted to ruin this nice and peaceful morning, ruin the easy going atmosphere between them, everything built up she wanted to tear it down with her claws, but that was a little more difficult to put into words. Actions always spoke louder.

When Adora was on the floor Catra was on top of her immediately. She wanted to brea something but didn’t know what, she raised a hand in the air thinking it might be Adora’s nose, and then landed on a playful boop. All she did was poke the tip of her nose.

She didn’t get why Adora wasn’t fighting back, just that she didn’t like it.

“Hey, wanna go another round and see who ends up on top this time?”

Adora sighed.

Perhaps it was because the two of them had stayed up so late, or perhaps it was due to how Adora only wanted to be in this wrecked mansion when she was in Catra’s bedroom. Whatever the reason, Adora did not feel like rising to Catra’s taunts-- even when Catra was literally sitting on top of her.

So, Adora stuck her tongue out at Catra, only to lift up one of her legs and wrap it around one of Catra’s, forcing the two of them to the floor.

“Nah.”

“I’d rather do back to sleep.”

[sheracomplex]

ultimatedefective​:

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. In fact I shouldn’t have even opened up my mouth. I don’t know why I keep doing that.” 

It took everything Shuichi had to not fall to his knees and stop apologizing in public. He had embarrassed himself enough already for one day. 

Besides, Shuichi knew what type of girl this was. There were stars in her eyes. She saw everyone as brighter than they really were. They were the kind of person who never left you alone once they caught sight of you. That was the kind of person he had the hardest time dealing with, because he just wished people would give up on him already. 

Shuichi gave an exhausted sigh. He was tired of himself. He didn’t want her to think he was tired of her, though. He was almost enjoying it. Talking to someone. It was better than hiding in his dark apartment room alone. 

“Somebody told me you looked like an owl.” 

Shuichi paused, waiting for her to get it.  … … …

“You were supposed to say who, because that’s the sound owls make. I’m sorry that was terrible…” The second time he had apologized in five minutes, Shuichi touched his face like he could slowly feel himself melting away. “I’m just… not good at things other people are, like smiling, or being positive, or making friends. I don’t see why anyone would want to be around someone whose basicaly just a net negative to hang out with.”

Adora stopped, staring blankly at Shuichi as he mumbled his attempt at a joke. The awkward silence between them only grew, and grew, and grew, until he explained the joke. She stood there, mouth slightly agape.

“...”

Suddenly, Adora began to snicker, which soon turned into a delayed, but full blown series of laughter and giggles.

“Ahaha...! Okay, okay... that was on me, but, that joke is pretty funny.”

“I think you just need to work on like... the delivery, you know?”

Adora gestured at him, as if she knew what she was talking about.

“Well, I’m not hating hanging out with you right now, soooo... I guess you’re not as bad at it as you think you are.”

[sheracomplex]

antagonyaist​:

“What do you know about friendship you’re terrible at it.” Catra was too, but it took two to dance, and two to fight. If Catra was going to be dragged down,s he’d grab on tight to allure and make her fall down with her. That to Catra was the truest expression of friendship. Friends were people who shared all the same wounds.

Really, she was feeling embarrassingly mushy right now as she finally lost her temper and drew her claws on Adora. “Oh Adora. That might be the only smart thing you’ve said this entire conversation.” Catra tried to grab her by both shoulders and dig her claws in. With the sweetest affection. There were no peaceful morning conversations between the two of them, only violent wake up calls.

That’s what Catra knew and liked. That was why she liked the league. Adora just wouldn’t understand though, she knew that.

Adora liked to talk, liked to smile, she just didn’t understand this. “Good morning, lover. Gimme a kiss.” She said as she tried to turn her body around and throw Adora.

“So are you,” Adora was quick to mumble, resisting the urge to pout. She didn’t need any reminders about how bad she was at communicating with others, not with the biggest example right beside her.

She didn’t mind Catra’s claws-- their sharp sting was familiar, just like Catra’s tongue and wit. Adora knew it well, and she had come to expect it. Even when Catra inevitably chose violence, Adora wasn’t all that surprised.

(Though, a kiss might not have been unwanted; Adora even imagined it for a second as Catra threw her away.)

Yet, when Adora’s body hit the floor, she just huffed, blowing strands of blonde hair out of her own face.

“So, what?”

“You just want to ruin this room even more?”

[sheracomplex]

xcoriate​:

@sheracomplex

“Yo.” Shigaraki introduced himself undramatically as possible as he suddenly appeared in her doorway. “It’s your friendly neighborhood serial killer.” 

He definitely looked the part, the red stains had failed to wash out of his black hoodie, a hood was pulled over his head, and his smile looked like it was hiding a mouth full of knives. If you were walking alone at night and saw someone looking like him, ten out of ten people would cross the street and they would be right for doing so. His bleached hair fell in front of his eyes, making his expression difficult to read. 

“I got bored so I thought I’d come by to introduce myself.” 

That was the only reason he needed. He was just a child seeking amusement. Shigaraki knew he was an eyesore and relished it. He smiled, like an amused cat with its paw on the tail of a mouse mulling over whether it wanted to let it go or finish its meal right now, perhaps he was reminding her of someone else. 

“You’re catra’s fuckbuddy, right? Sup. Name’s Shigaraki.” 

At the sight of him suddenly appearing, Adora almost screamed-- out of shock, out of fear, out of anger all wrapped up into one undignified shriek. Yet, she held back, although it was quite obvious that she forced herself to do so.

All she had wanted was a comfortable, easy day of training. Things were so much easier to deal with when she didn’t have to think about anything other than hitting something. Yet, the sight of someone entirely unwelcome in her way as soon as she opened her door was more than enough to startle her.

“You...!”

She would have asked him what it was he wanted-- as well as making a point of explaining that she already knew his name-- but his mention of Catra (and their relationship) threw Adora’s line of thought off completely. She sputtered, unable to form a few coherent words together, let alone a sentence. If Shigaraki himself had been totally unexpected, the words that came out of his mouth were something she couldn’t ever think of herself. The shriek she had held back earlier finally seemed to sneak out by the time Adora could finally speak.

“Wh, wh, what?! What do you want?!”

[karazrel]

— Tina Tran, Let us always find each other

[sheracomplex]

ultimatedefective​:

“I have a friend, but she’s way too good for me.” 

Shuichi freely admitted, for the whole world to ear. 

He knew he was making things even more awkward, but he didn’t know how to stop. That was the tragedy of Shuichi Saihara’s social life. As he grew more nervous it was only going to get worse from here. 

“I’m kind of afraid she’ll realize. To be honest.” 

Shuichi wanted to pull his hat over his head and hide again but he had promised to stop doing that. 

“She’s done so much for me and… I owe her. I still haven’t made her smile..”

“Oooh.”

Adora calmly responded. Yikes, she thought.

“Well, uh...” Adora paused, trying to think of what to say. “What makes you think that? That she’s so much better than you, I mean.”

Adora probably shouldn’t have asked such a blunt question, but, it wasn’t like the two of them would have noticed how rude it was. They were both terrible conservationists, clearly.

“Made her smile? Oh, you mean like, tell her a joke?” Yeah, you don’t seem that funny. “You should try knock knock jokes. Those are hilarious.”

[sheracomplex]

antagonyaist​:

“Yeah, well, Himiko doesn’t want to meet you. She doesn’t even like you. She’s my friend, not your friend. You can’t have her!”

Catra decided to wake up mad. If only she could be the friend Adora wanted, but the mention of Bow and Glimmer caused her ears to fall. She was reminded one more time, the only reason why Adora was here with her right now. It was only because she had nowhere else to go.

Adora belonged with better people that was the simple truth. She should. She should just… the reason Catra was with the league of villains was because a stray cat had nowhere else to go, but try to prowl through the trash pile for food.

“I have three friends and you only have one friend, I win!”

Catra tried to keep laughing, but she felt herself sobering up. They just couldn’t fight the way they used to, like children, now whenever they fought it drew blood. She turned around her tail dragging on the floor behind her.

“Whatever. You should just. You should just leave already. That’s what you’re good at. So leave, before I make you leave.”

Adora huffed, already plenty agitated by Catra’s words. 

“I don’t believe you. I want to hear that from this Himiko person herself.”

If she could make friends with you, Catra -- Adora began thinking -- Then, I’m sure she could make friends with anyone.

“What, are you really embarrassed to be seen with me?”

Rather than fall to the anger that Catra’s words were laced with, Adora just wanted to tease her. She wanted to mess with her, poke at the big cat in front of her. That was how desperate she was for the other girl’s touch, even if she became clawed to ribbons in the process.

So, Adora dramatically bent down and leaned herself against Catra’s back, one hand draped over her forehead for no good reason.

“You can’t win in friendship. That’s not how it works.”

At least, that’s what Adora assumed. It wasn’t like either of them were very good at socializing.

“I don’t want to leave. So, you’re going to have to make me.”

(Adora would come to regret that command.)

[sheracomplex]

technolocks​:

Simplistic as most of the technology this island was in comparison to the stuff Entrapta was used to working with, it had still been no less exciting to figure out how to operate all of it.  The mysterious, the advanced, the unknown- that got her attention more than anything, but she didn’t just love parts of science and technology, in spite of her clear specialties.  She adored the whole field and every possible version that could be conceived, which was just part of why the wider access to the multiverse this place offered excited her so.

The inventive princess straightened up a bit when the other girl murmured the name of her former friend, making her look to the phone.  “Oh!  I must’ve scrolled to her out of…I don’t know.  Sorry.”  It was something that itched at the back of her brain- some feeling that Adora should’ve been happy to see that name there.  Sure, she herself knew that the Catra she met here was particularly nasty, but…was she supposed to be?  She had come from a time where that may have changed, right…?

“Yes, I…I did meet Catra, shortly after she first arrived, in fact.  I matched part of the signal from the eclipse to the pattern of the background radiation of Etheria I have and followed the reading to her.  I believe she did talk about you briefly, when I asked about the state of Etheria she last remembered.  Her recollection was essential in confirming that there was indeed a distortion of time between here and the universes Spirale pulls its residents from, though I still need to figure out how to correct that to get us back to where- and WHEN- we belong.”

“It’s okay,” Adora quickly blurted out. “It’s, uh, nothing to apologize for.”

Adora’s frown remained, despite her words.

“Oh.”

The blonde listened carefully; unlike many instances of listening to Entrapta, Adora fully understood what the other princess was saying. A distortion... Adora remembered that well. Time lines, different universes... it was all so confusing, but, Adora could still come to a conclusion after a moment of consideration.

“So... Catra only remembers stuff from then? The last thing I remember was fighting the things Horde Prime sent to Etheria, trying to find Glimmer and... Wait a minute!”

Adora suddenly gasped.

“What’s the last thing you remember, Entrapta?”

They couldn’t all have come from different points of time in their own home, right? 

[sheracomplex]

ultimatedefective​:

“Did I overshare again?”

Shuichi already felt himself beginning to sweat. He always wondered why it was people like this who tripped him up. She was a bit like Kaito, straightforward, passionate, someone who immediately made himself helpful to others. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to, it’s just every time I open my mouth I tend to bum people out. I should really stop talking now.” 

Shuichi looked for an oppurtunity to run away, however in that moment he calculated that even if he tried to run, Adora could probably run faster than him and would not let him escape. Which meant he was stuck with her on the whole walk home. 

“Just, nevermind about me. Who cares about me? I don’t matter. What about you? Uhhh, do you have other friends you can go bother right now?”

“Oh, uh... it’s okay. I kind of get what you mean.” She herself had trouble communicating with others, but not like this. “You can keep talking. I mean, I guess, we’re both still talking, soooo.”

This wasn’t a very productive conversation.

“Uhhh.” More awkward pauses.

“I have friends. Two of them are here.” Catra could be considered a friend, right? Right?

“I mean, I have more friends back home, but... two people I know are here right now. Do you have people you know here like that?”

[sheracomplex]

antagonyaist​:

“Since when do you want to spend all this time together anyways? Why don’t you just run off and save people like you normally do? I’m sure there’s a cat stuck in a tree somewhere…”

Catra ripped the bandage off, to prove she was fine. Her shirt came off next, to prove she did not care if Adora was watching. She started getting dressed right there with clothes she found on the floor, ignoring the presence of the other girl in the room.

“Adora’s being really annoying right now, how do I make her go away?”

Catra asked no one in particular.

“I know what if I really need her to stay this time, that’ll do it.”

Perhaps, Catra could say something nice for once but she didn’t wake up in a good mood this morning. She woke up on the wrong side of the bed every morning. She thought she might be happy with how close her and Adora were acting lately, but every time she thought about it she got scared Adora might go away again, and then if she thought about it too long she became completely useless.

She knew what was going to happen next anyway, so why bothered getting attached this time?

“Why do you want to meet my friends anyway? It’s not like you ever wanted your friends to meet me.”

“You’re the only whiny cat around here,” Adora quickly snapped. 

That sounded a lot better in her own head than it did coming out of her mouth.

 Before she could try and recover her failed quip, Catra began to undress and Adora’s brain paused. Staring was rude, someone had once told her, but she was forgetting that particular piece of advice right now. It was only until Catra spoke that Adora looked away, covering her eyes with both hands in an awkwardly childish manner.

(Of course, she only did so for a few moments, soon lifting up a finger or two to peer at Catra again.)

“What?”

“I mean, uh...”

Think, Adora, think!

“I...” I don’t want to see him. “I want to meet this Himiko person you keep talking about. And, you did meet Bow and Glimmer... it was just, you know... complicated?”

Things were too complicated, that was the problem, and Adora did not know how to solve them.

[sheracomplex]

antagonyaist​:

Enough with the pleasantries. Catra did not feel like saying, anything pleasant.

She let go of Adora (though she was relucant to do so), in order to cross her arms and turn away. Catra was always, holding back on all of her feelings at once when she talked to Adora but now there was just bitterness in her voice. As if she had given up on that conflict. As if she had surrendered.

“Does it hurt? I dunno. I don’t feel anything anymore.”

That was a lie, but she wanted it to be true.

Catra scratched at the scar on her belly, as if it was bothering her. An itch that would not go away. A pain that would not leave her. Just like the marks Adora left on her. She thought of it with fondness. She associated pain with friendship, and with love, because she didn’t know any better, maybe that’s why she was such a pain in the ass. Catra refused to look at Adora.

“Can you just leave now? I really don’t want my friends to see you. It’d be sooo embarrassing.”

Adora felt the way Catra’s touch lingered. She reached out, wanting to grasp at Catra’s writst, but stopped mid-way, and let her arm fall to her side. She wanted nothing more than to lay back down with Catra at her side, to spend the day in bed with nothing to bother or distract them.

As if they would actually allow themselves that, though.

“It looks like it still hurts,” the blonde mumbled, eyes downcast.

Yet, at Catra’s request, Adora’s head snapped up.

“Me? Embarrassing?” Said Adora, hair a mess, half-clothed, and dried drool on her cheek. “Are you serious?”

She was, maybe, joking.

[sheracomplex]

technolocks​:

Getting swept away from one’s own world into a new place could definitely damper the spirits- though Entrapta was of course elated by the wonders the island held, she did get lonely from time to time without any of the people she considered friends being here.  But now Adora was here!  And Catra was…..

Adora was here and they could help each other out!  As the phone was pulled and shown off to her, a tendril of hair tugged it lightly from Adora’s fingers to hold between the two of them for the demonstration.

“Oh, yeah!  First you have to go into the directory of all the people on the Island…”  She pressed the little icon of a person, bringing up a long list of names beginning with A.  Her eyes watched the names scroll by rapidly with a flick of a finger, alphabetically sorted, until she planted it back on the phone’s screen- right on top of the name “Entrapta.”  “Perfect!  Now hold down on it with your finger for a second and…”  The screen darkened as a new list of options popped up.

“Just press the “Add to Contact List” button here!”  Entrapta tapped the very button she spoke of, making the menu go away.  “Now when you click this tab…there we go!”  As the “Contact List” button on top of the screen next to the Directory tab was selected, only one name was displayed- Entrapta, the single addition to her list.

“And that’s how you do it!  Here, maybe you can try it out now.”  She quickly went back to the directory and scrolled up a bit before handing the phone back to Adora.  “Just press and hold to get those options.”

Catra’s name was front and center on the screen.

Adora leaned in, watching carefully as Entrapta fiddled with her phone. She did her best to listen, to watch and try and memorize the instructions Entrapta was both showing and telling her. These couldn’t be any more complicated than technology Adora was capable of using back in Etheria, could it?

Her smile widened, so very pleased to enjoy such a simply moment.

“Wow, you always make it sound so...”

Adora’s face suddenly dropped, seeing a particular name light up on the screen.

“Catra.”

Right, Catra. Of course, Catra.

“I mean, uhm... have you seen her since you got here? Catra, I mean.”

A pause, one that Adora quickly broke herself.

“Did she talk about me?”

[sheracomplex]

ultimatedefective​:

“Why - because she murdered another friend behind my back without telling me. I think that’s a pretty good sign she doesn’t like me.”

Shuichi said, as if this conversation was not depressing enough already. The boy in the black mascara was just a natural at raining on other people’s parades. If Adora was sunshine, then Shuichi was a cloud.

He hovered around her nervously, not sure if she was going to let him go. It occurred to him she might follow him all the way home and he dreaded that long and awkward conversation.

“Nevermind. I didn’t just say that. Umm. How’s the weather? Is it going to rain today, it looks like it?” Shuichi kept trying to make empty small talk but, he was bad at it. “It was wrong. It’s wrong to rely on others too much. People aren’t that strong you know… they’re weak. I bet you’re not even as strong as you look. Even though you have all those muscles.”

“What.”

Adora found it harder and harder to ignore Shuichi’s comments. So, she laughed a little too awkwardly. He had to be joking... right?

She really hoped he was joking.

“Uh, yeah, I think it’s supposed to be raining today...”

While she was initially pleased with the change in conversation, the direction it took annoyed her in a way she hoped wouldn’t show.

“Psh, whatever! I’m totally strong. Strong enough to carry your stuff, carry you even, and, uh... y’know, other stuff too!”

“Besides, you don’t even need a lot of muscles to be strong. I know plenty of people without muscles who are really, really strong.”

[sheracomplex]

antagonyaist​:

Catra’s claws came out immediately. What was it, six in the morning? It was the perfect time to be at each other’s throats. It really was impossible for them to be next to each other after all, “You don’t say shit about Shigaraki. He’s the only one who wants me around.“

She held them at Adora’s throat. Adora probably thought she was playing around, and Catra thought so too, which is why she teased a single claw down Adora’s neck, her collarbone, she was halfway between wanting to caress it and break it. "What do you know anyway?” Adora had struck a nerve. Adora, always struck every nerve. It was impossible to be in the same room with her without feeling like her entire nervous system was on fire. “What do you know about real friends? Where are your friends? Oh right, they’re not here right now.”

Catra let go of Adora. A little bit, tired of the same old dance with her. She lifted her shirt to reveal the healed over scar in her stomach. “I’ll tell you something about real friends, at least they stab each other in the front instead of going behind your back and making new friends.” 

Adora immediately bristled in response, just like Catra’s fur.

“That’s not true!”

I want you.

She did not recoil at Catra’s claw; instead, she leaned forward towards the other woman, not caring at all if she might bleed. Her hand lay atop a pillow that was swiftly taken and slapped into Catra’s mane of wild bedhead-esque hair.

“I know...” Adora’s tone started out strong, but it soon died in her throat at Catra’s comments obviously regarding Bow and Glimmer; it stung more than her claws. “I know.... stuff--”

Adora sucked in her teeth, inhaling sharply at the sight of Catra’s scar. Though she had just thrown a pillow, Adora reflexively reached out to touch Catra’s fur. She stopped herself right before making direct contact, however, Adora’s hands now awkwardly hanging in the air.

“It... it doesn’t still hurt, does it?”

[sheracomplex]

ultimatedefective​:

“Well, I guess I understand. None of my friends are here right now either. They all kind of killed each other…wait nevermind, forget I said that.”

Shuichi really was the human embodiment of a bummer. He really needed to learn not to bring that up in normal conversation. It was strange being outside the killing game though, even if he had technically escaped that high school he just wound up trapped again. 

“I’m trying not to rely on others as much…” 

Shuichi said as he nervously trailed behind her. He looked like a shadow compared to her light, skulking behind her and looking generally dark and gloomy. 

“I had a friend, but I’m not sure she likes me anymore. I think I asked her for help too many times.”

She blinked.

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh okay!”

Adora decided it was best to just totally ignore that comment. Ignorance could be bliss, even when voluntary.

“I get it,” Adora said, though doing so was much easier than proving such a statement given that she was carrying Shuichi’s things for him. She didn’t seem to notice the irony, however.

“Why’s that?” Even now, Adora couldn’t help but poke her nose into other people’s business. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, I mean, so maybe it’s not that bad? Or maybe you just did something else...”

Foot, meet mouth.