#also i'm this 👌 close to writing an entire thesis on horde prime's body language facial expressions and other mannerisms | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cirusthecitrus · 2 years

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I had to go back to s4 finale (i was looking for some art references) and rewatch Hordak's "reunion" with Prime for the 100th time

And now I once again can't stop thinking about this one little thing HP does in this scene, and then does it again but to Glimmer in s5

He got down on one knee beside them, looking into their eyes and touching them in some way. It's such a minor insignificant detail, but I still want to talk about it

Horde Prime always tries to appear bigger, above everyone else. He’s above in the sky, he’s above on his throne, he’s towering and looming over people when he wants to intimidate his opponents and yada yada.

But here he instead gets “on their level” to appear more welcoming and unthreatening, to make them let their guard down. But it is also a power move, a humiliating and mocking gesture even. HP talks down to them, as if he was talking to a child

And speaking of children - you see, this move he does is a legit parenting technique and it makes me SICK

This trick can be used in many situations, but it is particularly useful when a child is not listening to what you're saying (and not because they're being naughty or smth, they just can't focus) and therefore doesn’t understand what you want from them. So instead of repeating and shouting the same thing over and over again and only making everyone stressed a parent/caretaker sits down before them (so their eyes are leveled with the eyes of the child) and sometimes touches their shoulder or holds their hand. This way the child fully focuses on you and it helps them to actually listen, since now they only see, hear and feel you

And here Prime is trying to do the same thing - to make people focus on him, listen to him and do as he says. It’s more obvious with Glimmer - he wants to persuade her to help him find She-Ra and activate the Heart without outright threatening or forcing her (cause it's not in his style). Plus he literally sees her as a dumb lost child, and she kinda is (a lost child, not dumb!) especially compared to this ancient mummy

But with Hordak it’s more... subtle. HP tries to take up as much space as possible, so for Hordak there’s nothing else in the room - no pain, no distracting thoughts, no Glimmer, no Etheria, no Hordak - just Prime, his voice and touch. HP’s goal here is to make Hordak listen and focus solely on his brother, to make it easier to get into his head and read his thoughts

And in Hordak's case this move is also so SO cruel. Because it's so personal. Because to Hordak Horde Prime is a brother, his creator/god AND the closest thing Hordak had to a father figure. He’s basically Prime’s child, even though he popped up from the tank, already in an adult body with a fully developed brain*

And it was so unnecessary for HP to even get out of his chair, he could order other clones to bring Hordak to him and then order Hordak to stand up despite his pain and get closer (basically yell until "the child" does what he wants). And yet he does this. He gets closer, he kneels down, he cups Hordak's face very so gently, he looks him in the eyes as if he's actually looking at him and not through him. And the fact that in this moment HP literally does what parents do is just-

Look at this face. Right before and after Prime reads his mind. Look at this baby

Yeah he's very confused and scared but he never breaks the eye contact, he's fully focused on Prime, he listens to him so so carefully. He looks at his brother like nothing else exists, like Horde Prime is the center of his universe. And in that moment, he was. HP made sure of that. He wanted for Hordak to not only remember his place, but also remember where Prime's place should always be in his mind and heart

It's so sick and twisted it's been over 2 years and I still can't get over it and i wanna throw up aaaAAAaaaAAA

*yes i'm too very tired of Hordak antis dismissing his trauma and downplaying it to "daddy issues", but like... daddy issues are in fact still there, they just go as a bonus to everything else lol

#spop #hordak #horde prime #spop meta #she ra #ramblings #the grip this scene still has on me i can't...#also i'm this 👌 close to writing an entire thesis on horde prime's body language facial expressions and other mannerisms #wdym no-no i'm obssesed with him a normal amount i swear no wait don't run away-#its so late I'll probably regret posting this in the morning te-hee

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