#as home. the storms dont seem to get quite so violent. the woods are so full of bears that its an active threat. but its not the desert

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

#there's something really beautiful about experiencing the weather patterns of a new place #where i live now. its not like where i grew up. not like the foothills of Appalachia but its more familiar than the Chihuahuan desert was #when i go home to ohio everythings so green. so green. unimaginably green and the towns are in the woods. the hills roll #and trees billow deciduous and packed so tightly the treeline is like a wall of plant matter. here there are trees but they are tall and #evergreen. patchy in places like shrubs in the desert. the grass grows green but also pale tan and dead. houses are routed in valleys #between mountains. they're made of wood and not stucco but they still look strange and the landscape is crumpled together tall. and there's #water. it rains. days can be dreary and gray with drizzle. i forgot what thats like. when a single low stratus cloud blocks out thewhole sk #and fog clings to the trees. my school bus used to drive by a lake where thr fog was so thick i didnt kno how the driver could see the road #but somehow i forgot how much joy suspended water vapor gives me living in a place where when it rains it pours so hard the streets flood #and the greedy ground drinks the landscape dry. but there are new things as well. here smoke rolls up over thr mountains and gets stuck in #the valleys so that the weather forcast reads: Smoke for days on end. im used to tornado warnings and heat warnings and dust storm warnings #but ive never expected Smoke as a type of weather. and im sure there's more to experience. ive only been here like 3 weeks. its not as gree #as home. the storms dont seem to get quite so violent. the woods are so full of bears that its an active threat. but its not the desert #and while ill miss the shapes of desert plants and little lizards. when i look up at the pine and spruce trees i feel like i can breathe a #little easier. well see how i feel once the long cold winter sets in haha #but i dunno. part of me still longs for a violent thunderstorm. one where u can feel the temperature drop and u csn feel it building all da #one that bends the trees and smells like ozone. it was never like that in thr southwest and im not sure that happens here #but maybe thats just a desire for chaos and violence as a product of my pathological internal control. i cant be spontaneous so let nature #bring the fear to me. some of my favorite memories are watching lightning strikes #so it goes i suppose #unrelated #listen. is it fucked up to have ohio nostalgia? maybe so. but in my defense i grew up in the pretty part of ohio lol

[personality-slate-blank]

Catradora soulmate au

"I'll keep your little secret from Lord Hordak" the shadowy figure echoed, "Only because I do care about you adora, and dont forget what I can do if you tell anyone. It is a privilege that you have, not a right" it seemed as if the shadow smirked, sending chills down the young girl's spine, the eerie presence eventually left, leaving Adora sat on her bunk, holding back the tears as she had been taught to do, she felt a weight drop onto the bed behind her,

"Hey adora.." the small voice behind her caused her to turn, she could never get used to how vibrant Catra's eyes are. All bright and sparkling, and her hair, so dark compared to her own she grabbed on tight to her, and waited until she could speak, Catra wrapped her little tail around Adora's leg. Breathlessly, Adora whispered "Catra, I was so scared, I thought she was gonna kill me"

"Dont worry you're fine, shadow weaver loves you" Catra answered, remembering all the times she had been punished by the same woman, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you"

Adora sat up and laughed, wetly. Grabbing Catra's hand "I can take it. We'll get through this, together! We'll be the best in the hoard now, that's probably why we aren't allowed to tell anyone"

"Yeah, they dont want us to have an advantage, why don't they let everyone see like this?"

"I don't know Catra, but you heard Shadow weaver, we better not talk about it any more"

"Yeah... ok. Are you ok to go back out?"

"Yeah, race you!"

"No fair!"

Since being 6 years old, Adora had seen in colour, a gift none of her other teammates shared, it put her ahead in combat training, but she still worked so hard to attain the ranks and positions she did, after one almost devastating training session, she narrowly beat Catra, who came in at the last second, to win. Dusting herself off, she tried not to linger on Catra's eyes as she walked over to their commander for a brief and progress update, basically a summary of what they had done wrong, Adora got full marks though, so when shadow weaver asked for her, she left and wouldn't miss anything. Not that she had a choice to follow the woman, but better her than Catra getting this talk. So she sighed inwardly before asking what shadow weaver wanted now.

"CATRA! CATRA COME HERE!" the excitement in Adora's voice roused the other girl from her nap so she kicked down the air vent and dropped behind her friend with a shout, "Hey adora!", causing the other girl to jump in fright "That never gets old, so what are you yelling about?"

"Look!" Adora said, pointing to her chest, a bright yellow badge was displayed there with the two great wings of the hoard displayed on it

"Oh wow, congrats, you're officially a force captain, huh? and active dudy, damn, give Brightmoon hell for me"

"Yeah the orientation is tomorrow night, I was assigned last minute, so I'm gonna study up"

"Boring! Don't you wanna do something fun?"

"Fun like stealing a skiff? Our little trek can always be classed as recon, come on, it'll be fun!"

"LETS BLOW SOMETHING UP!... Wait, aren't you concerned about shadow weaver?"

"Didnt you see her this afternoon? she was all weak, her hair was barely floating"

That was normally a sign she wouldn't be around for a few days, locked in with the giant red rock, now would be the best time if they were going to go anywhere, Catra leaped off her perch on the top bunk and walked towards the door, turning back to hold out her hand, Adora smiled, she couldn't resist those eyes, they both wanted an adventure. She grabbed her hand and ran down the stairs.

..........................

She awoke in a cold sweat, Catra barely moved at her feet, that decided it, she needed to go back, into the woods, she needed answers, the sword seemed to pull her towards it and now it haunts her dreams, no thanks. Quietly getting up and pulling on her jacket adora headed out. Concentrating on getting another skiff, she hadn't noticed Catra coming up behind her, "what are you doing?"

Grabbing her and shoving her into the wall as the drone security bot passed Adora quietened the other girl, "shhh.... look Catra, I know I saw something out there, it feels important, I know it"

"Sounds good, let's go!"

"No, you should stay here, shadow weaver will be waking back up soon, and who knows what she'd do to you, please just trust me, I'll be back before anyone knows I'm gone" and with that she ran around the corner, down the stairs

"I would know you've gone"

..........................

It was a lonesome journey, watching out for patrols and then abandoning the skiff just inside the woods, choosing to trek through the underbrush as it is quieter, colour seemed to make no difference in here everything was dark, dark green, dark blue, dark grey, not to mention she had no idea how to find this sword, this was going to be a long night. She sighed and continued crawling, looking out for ethereal blue lights or anything in the woods that might try to kill her, read: everything

Talking to herself, she saw said blue light creeped into the clearing. 'The sword! Wait, what is that? Voices? Getting closer, they clearly dont care about being spotted, maybe guards patrol these woods, damn, I'll just have to grab the sword and run!'

As they spotted her, the smaller one yelled "HOARD SOLDIER!" and they both started war cries, Adora sprinted to the sword and could almost touch it, before a puff of sparkles appeared and the small one with it glaring at her. Adora reached for the sword before the young girl teleported a few feet away, clutching it tightly.

'A princess, right, can I take a princess? Yeah, in training. She can teleport so binding won't work, just need the sword, I dont want to have to hurt her'

She threw the sword to her companion, he dropped his bow to catch it, she could try to take him on, especially unarmed, he ran with it and the princess spawned on top of her back, she shook her off violently, throwing a bola at his legs and sprinting for the sword again

"Stand down, I don't want to hurt you"

"Since when do hoard soldiers not want to hurt anyone?" The princess yelled, now in front of her, throwing a sort of smoke bomb of glitter.

They wrestled for the sword, but just as Adora touched it, a bright flash of light hit and Adora was dragged into her dream, "My name is Lighthope"...

...................

She awoke bound by ropes, the princess staring her in the face, yelling "Hoard spy! How did you get so far into the whispering woods?"

"I... walked in? And I'm not a spy. Who are you?"

"I ask the questions. The whispering woods are rebellion territory, you were lucky to make it as far as you did"

She dragged her comrade off and not-so-subtly whispered about bringing her to Brightmoon, an excellent chance for reconisance, if she survives. That's a big if. They would probably take her for interrogation, she could handle that, after all, it's only a little bit.... of a lot of pain. Well Shadow weaver was no push over, though she could be quite lenient sometimes, oh what would Catra do? She knew how to talk to people

They got up and walked, supposedly back to Brightmoon, though with the way her two captors, bow and glimmer apparently, argued, they may not be going the right way. The boy, bow, tried to make small talk, a big mistake, Adora couldn't stop herself from almost shouting, "You know she's a princess right? Princesses are a dangerous threat to all of Etheria! How can you follow her? It's weird, her hair is literally pink and sparkly, that's not normal"

"Wow, thats what they teach in the hoa- Wait, you can see in colour? You can see the pink?"

"What do you mean that's what they teach?"

"Woah, woah, wait up. You can see in colour?"

"Yes, why?"

"Hoard soldiers have soulmates... GLIMMER! GLIMMER, LISTEN TO THIS!"

"What are soulmates, what are you on about?"

The princess popped over, looking annoyed, "Bow this better be important or so help me"-

"This hoard soldier can see in colour!"

"What?!?"

"I know! This means that myths were true!"

"Nope, no way, they cannot be like us, not with the things they do"

With that Glimmer stormed off, a few seconds later they heard her gasp and Bow dragged her over.

Tents were destroyed, rubble lay strewn, there were no people to be found. A dead bot was abandoned to the side. It had hoard markings, the great wings. Emblazoned red like the blood on the floor. "This is all the hoard ever does, they can't just do this, they just kill and steal and ruin our land"

That's what the hoard does? What about helping and improving the lives of those part of it? Was this a secret rebel base? Is that it? There's no technology to suggest so, but that would mean... no she cant think it. A heavy silence weighed in the group as Glimmer dried her tears, before storming off ahead. Only to quickly return running through the brush, "There's something out there!"...

...............

Everywhere is so beautiful, all the town, the people, the animals, so much joy in one place, from the darkness of the whispering woods to this place of bright colour, it would be a shame to miss this, it's nothing compared to the darkness of the fright zone.

When the hoard attacked this innocent town, Adora was thrown into the chaos, dragging that damn sword with her. It was chaos, bloody chaos, hoard soldiers left and right, blasts and shocks rocking the earth. She stood before the cannons as She-ra, etheral and eternal, glowing as she struck down the weapons, out of control in an ordered way. However upon seeing those eyes though, peering through the smoke, those vibrant, unforgettable eyes, her hands shook and her resolve crumbled. She returned to her original form as soldiers closed in, Catra ran and bowled her over, "Adora? I'm so glad you're safe! Shadow weaver's throwing a fit", smiling as she said it, holding Adora tightly, "Yeah, it'd be funny if she weren't such a horrible person" the last bit fell flat and a shudder ran through them both, "Adora, please, come home"

Adora just looked at her shocked that she could consider it with the devastation around them, "Catra.. I can't, I need to understand myself and I cannot stand what the hoard is doing, dont you see? These are innocent people!"

"That never mattered before, come on Adora"

"I didnt know before! Call me stupid, call me naive, but I wanted to believe what they told us, so I did, but now, its different, we're different, Catra. All these beside you cannot see the blue sky, or the grass or even those that they hurt, I didn't for a long time, I really hurt you, and I know that I can't apologise enough, I'm so sorry. Truely. But I won't go back, they have answers and I need them. I'm going to Brightmoon, for myself, are you coming with me?" Adora offered her hand out to the girl sat opposite with an honest smile, a small circle of hoard soldiers had gathered. It was now or never.

"Please Catra, I need you by my side again"

"...Ok, let's do this!" Catra sprung to her feet, ignoring Adora's offered hand and drew out two weapons, handing one off to Adora, "I think you'll understand this a little better than that oversized beast" Catra said before throwing herself tooth and claw into the fray, Adora followed shortly after. When Adora met up with Bow and Glimmer the hoard threat was eliminated, the two joined arms as Adora explained what had happened, they distrusted Catra, but agreed to give her the answers that she desired.

#catra #adora #catradora #spop #shera #she ra

[taciteaneremite]

COLT: *this has reached a whole new level of petty and therefore unacceptable. he knows joel won't talk to him through text or call, so there's only one way to handle this... he's showing up at joel's door without letting anyone knowing that's where he went, knocking impatiently.*

JOEL: *He doesn't have to answer the door either. Joel is locked in his room, pretty much hiding from Rammie more than Colt. But he hears the knocking and sticks his head out of the window. Actually, physically climbing out onto the roof. The surrounding of Joel and Rammie's house is mostly greenhouse and with the humidity at an all time high, the windows are open. Bringing on a generous breeze.* Hey.

JOEL: Nobodys home dipstick.

COLT: *colt squinting (TM) as he looks around, before he steps back and traces to sound of joel's voice to the roof. * We need to talk.

JOEL: Whys that. *Doesn't move. If anything that would be convenient for Colt.*

COLT: Because this is gettin' out of hand.

JOEL: No shit it is. But hey.

JOEL: At least youre telling me this stuff to my face. And not lettin folks interfere for once.

COLT: *looks around. he can get up to the roof too... watch him. he just needs to get a good start... he's got enough adrenaline going he can pull a dumbass strider move and flash step off of a tree to launch him up onto the roof. naturally, he stumbles, but he manages to land looking moderately cool.*

COLT: I don't "let" people interfere... They can make the choice for themselves if they wanna get involved or not. *looms over him*

COLT: Can't really blame them... I know we're bein' obnoxious.

JOEL: Youre being fucking obnoxious. Im just responding. *squares himself up against Colt. Glaring.*

COLT: How? What am I doin'? *MAKES HIMSELF BIG. and he's only gotten much much bigger over the years.*

JOEL: Youre just??? *gestures wildly* Rubbing it in my face by now! FUCK.

JOEL: Yeah I KNOW you have nice happy family. I fucking KNOW you three are saints and aint never done anything wrong in your lives.

JOEL: Im just a little bit fed up with your perfect life achievements and MAYBE. Think you deserve to fuck off.

COLT: *he just... looks so tired.* When the hell did any of us claim to be perfect?

COLT: I'm sorry that I'm not completely goddamn miserable anymore. But just because I'm happy most of the time, that don't mean I can't mess up ever. I know I do. Just because I wanna live my life too instead of lettin' my short comings drag me down to that dark place again-- *shakes his head*

COLT: Joel.

COLT: I know that I hurt you.

COLT: I know you're perfectly entitled to hatin' me if you want to. But I don't... I don't understand why. Why wouldn't you wanna work somethin' out?

COLT: Why don't you just talk to me?

JOEL: *Where Colt looks tired, Joel continues to fume. Practically snarling.* Why wouldnt I?? When the shit have you acted like you deserve for me to forgive you. You dont.

JOEL: You went and cherry picked who you still wanted around and now you gotta fucking deal with it. Deal with *me* because unlike EVERYBODY FUCKING ELSE. They left you when the going got too tough.

JOEL: I would never.

JOEL: EVER.

JOEL: Have let you feel like you left me. I wouldnt have let ANYBODY put me in that position. Not Mithun not Zuserk not Rammie. But you left me to shit. Thats what you DID Colt.

COLT: *he fists clench and it feels hard to breathe with the thickness in the air. naturally, his eyes start to water with frustrated tears as he steadily boiling blood causes him to snap back.* I've always wanted you around! I never stopped wantin' you around!! I've been tryin' to include you in my life, but you decided for me whether or not I should. You act like I abandoned you...

COLT: But you never let me make any mistakes! Don't pretend like "loyalty" trumps everythin' else. You think bein' stoicly present despite all odds is the same as havin' a fuckin' relationship with somebody. Well, it's NOT. You shut me out long before Little and Finn went away back on Avalon.

COLT: I had a crisis back on GG's island... And then when I married Little I made a choice. And instead of talkin' me through it like they do when the goin' *actually* gets tough, you abandoned ME. You damned ME for being a FUCKIN' person.

COLT: I've never judged you in my life, Joel! I've loved you and supported you and I tried to take some of that weight you're always carryin' around but you never let me! You never let anybody but-- Goddammit, if it had been anyone why couldn't it have been me?

JOEL: Because I TRUSTED YOU. And you threw me under the fucking BUS. FUCK. *throws his arms up, having had enough of this thickness in the air. The hard of breathing and his own echoing hurt. Joel preforms a perfect backflip off the roof and lands in the gravel below. He starts to stomp for the yard.*

COLT: Don't you-- Come back here! *GREAT. he is NOT /that/ nimble... he has to clunkily descend by climbing down if he hopes to catch up to joel.*

COLT: I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU.

JOEL: *Nope. They're taking this shit outside. And it's true the air had gotten thicker. Joel had to blame it on the overgrowth and the ever changing weather. He breaks a sweat as he storms the whole way to the yard.*

JOEL: You broke my trust ONCE COLT. Why the FUCK would I wait around and wait for you to break it again???

COLT: *FOLLOWS when he finally gets to the ground.* Is that how it works now? You disown your family on account of one mistake?

COLT: Don't pretend like this is about trust! You're just fishin' for excuses to keep people out.

JOEL: So what??????? I will be-- UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *looks about ready to tear his hair out. The tears crawling straight out of his eyes as terror grips him.* I WILL BE FUCKING DAMNED IF YOU LEAVE ME TO BELIEVE THIS IS MY FAULT.

COLT: I DON'T think it's your fault! That's not what I'm tryin' to say...!

COLT: It ain't a matter of FAULT.

COLT: I know... I know you're just scared and hurtin' but I... I can't keep followin' at your heels tryin' to break down your walls. Dammit-- *runs a hand over his face and through his hair watching joel come apart like that, his own tears springing anew.*

COLT: I still have a life of my own... That don't mean I don't want you a part of it. I just... I don't know how to reach you. If you still want me in your life, you gotta meet me halfway sometimes. I can't read your mind, I can't--

COLT: I never wanted things to escalate like this. I just don't know what to do, Joel. Please... Let me fix this. Let me make up for it. Anything.

COLT: I'm beggin' you. *his voice cracks with desperation, feeling like he's officially at the end of his rope here. he doesn't want to lose his brother, but he feels so powerless. the atmosphere is suffocatingly tense... did it get darker out, too? even with a breeze picking up, a blanket of dread is snuffing out any hope for relief.*

JOEL: *His instincts are screaming for him to run. He hears what Colt said but it's the very opposite of what his mind is twisting the truth around to be. He says it's not a matter of fault but how the fuck did he know that? It might as well be and in this exact moment as the night seems to close in around Joel, every doubt and icy fear is surging up at him all at once. Choking him where he stood as Joe

JOEL: l practically fought for breath. It was happening again. These last three years were empty, void of any meaning and it was ALL HIS FAULT.*

JOEL: *And just like that, the ringing in his ears turn into snarls. The sounds seem to come from the woods, inside, all around. Joel feels his vision swim as he breathes too much of this thick, humidified air. It's a whim when he wills the choked feeling in his lungs to CHARGE with something. Something, anything, that will break this barrier around himself. His life.*

JOEL: *It's an act of the very same violence Joel was holding to himself when he turns on Colt. Lunging by some force of will that wasn't entirely his own. With great protruding fangs that seek to tear into any bit of Colt's flesh this fever-crazed Joel could reach, neither of them will even have time to notice the green colored taint of the mist around them.*

COLT: *there's no time to notice anything, or react. not that he would even think to. he knew joel could be violent and impulsive, but nothing could prepare him for the absolutely primal look in joel's eyes as he comes crashing over colt, knocking him to the ground with a powerful thud.*

COLT: *the sudden shock reverberating through his whole body, however, is dwarfed in comparison to the sharp, ripping pain where his neck meets his shoulder, only barely missing a very crucial vein. for a moment, all thoughts and instincts surrender to the feeling and he can only scream out in agony.*

COLT: *and then it gives way to something else, as if the pain is fueling him; it's not quite like an adrenaline rush, if anything, he has more clarity to deliberately grasp at joel's face and shoulder with digging nails... claws? to wrench him off, in spite of the way it hurts.*

JOEL: *The taste of blood has him pulling away faster than anything. Colt's terrified scream and the force it takes for him to shove him off has him recoiling. Joel's whole world is spiralling fast, his senses pressing down on him all at once. The sight, scents, sounds, tastes...*

JOEL: *He barrel rolls through the dirt, eyes blown by some feverish high as he springs to his feet just as quickly. His thoughts are too incoherent for him to try to make sense of his own survival instinct. But it's enough. In an instant, Joel is flashstepping off. Bolting for the woods in a hard run. Gone.*

COLT: *joel's gone, and colt is sitting to catch his breath and clutching at the wound in his shoulder, the hot flow of blood seeping past the gaps in his fingers. it'd be stupid to try to drive himself to the hospital, but he's doing that anyway. nothing is clear right now. and as far as he can tell in this rush of confusion, none of this even happened. it couldn't have.*

#estrapadingTrueblue #in which there's something in the air