Clouds

Shira, a little white-haired fairy girl, looked up at the sky with her big blue eyes. The clouds drifted by like pillows on a steady ocean. Shira's heart fluttered with excitement--those clouds were just what she was looking for!

She plodded across the patchy yard in her bare feet towards an old shed, the edges of her short periwinkle gown waving in the wind. With enthusiastic force and a satisfying "thunk," Shira shoved the shed's sliding wooden door open. Using all the strength of her three foot height and spaghetti arms, she dragged a rusty ladder across the shed floor and into the middle of the yard.

Climbing up the ladder, she stood clumsily at the top as she groped her little hands at the clouds.

"Not high enough!" she exclaimed in frustration.

She looked down at the ladder, and positioned herself carefully. Looking back up at the clouds, she bent her knees for one enormous hop to reach them. In horror, she felt her foot slip as it landed on the ladder, but she felt strong arms catch her before she could shout.

"What are you doing, Shira?" asked her guardian Hiro, with a chuckle.

"Catching marshmallows!" Shira replied. "I wanted to make s'mores..."

Lushia's Sanctuary

Click the black bar below for ambient music.

Lushia stopped pacing, but her heart wouldn't follow. It fluttered uncomfortably like a bird in her chest, and she felt disorientingly light, as if she might float away and get lost in the dark sky. She felt scared, and she wish she knew why.

Something in her mind finally clicked, and she laid down on her bed instinctively. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths to slow her heartbeat. Her muscles relaxed, one by one, and the world started to fade away as she felt a pressure between her eyebrows. It felt as if she was speeding smoothly down a narrow tunnel in her head, leaving her worries behind for a higher realm.

The sound of a gently flowing creek was her anchor, and she focused calmly on the sound as the rest of her senses returned. She felt wet dew and prickly grass on her skin, and the cold earth beneath her. 

The air was crisp and fresh, and the smell awoke a primal feeling within Lushia. She opened her clear blue eyes to gaze upon a thousand stars draped in whispy scarves of violet and sapphire.

She coaxed herself up gently, vividly aware of her breath and the softness of her body. Propping herself up with her hands behind her, feeling the grass between her fingers, she marveled at the feeling of preciousness and clarity. This was where she wanted to be.

The Goddess of Pain

The door opened, streaming light into the darkness. No sound was heard but the ambient hum of silence. The room smelled like blood.

In the edge of the light, I spotted what appeared to be iron bars. I opened the door a bit further and saw a tall iron cage, with a top that came to a lavishly embellished point. Masks of many expressions hung from nails all around the cage.

Inside the cage was a pale young woman, her thin black hair draped over her shoulders and flowing down to the floor. She wore a tattered dress of pale blue, and she sat upon an old wooden box with a worn out word I couldn't quite make out.

I was greeted by a smiling, pleasant mask as she turned to face me. Her hair was flat against her head, framing her delicate face. She placed one bony hand over the mask and started to slide it downwards.

I caught a glimpse of piercing golden eyes, which seemed to burn like the sun's fire.

Her face was revealed as she removed the mask, and my heart stopped. Her mouth was wired shut, bloody and crusted over as if she hadn't opened it in years.

I sensed fear in her, but her strength was even louder. The room rumbled as she attempted to smile, her eyes shining with confidence.

Curiosity overriding my caution, I slowly approached to get a better look at the word written on the box.

"Resolve"

Otis the Lotus - Just for Fun

[A work in progress, for my silly mood]

The grass was green--almost too green. Breathing in, Mikio gasped silently at the volume of the air; it felt cleaner than any air in Vael. Was he still in Vael?

He looked behind him, surprised to see an enormous pink flowerbud the height of a sapling and width of a chubby bear. Its leafy green base was rooted to the grass, pointing in all directions like a compass. Behind it was a pond bordering a cliff face and a waterfall.

Lushia would love this place... he thought.

But to Mikio, it looked like a cheesy backdrop.

Mikio flinched and drew his katana as the flower began to bloom like a lotus. He focused sharply on its center, ready to strike, because who knows what might be in that thing?

Loud scratchy laughter pierced the air as an old bald man with tiny round glasses turned to face Mikio. He was hovering just above the ground in the lotus position.

Mikio froze in shock, sword still drawn, his eye twitching.

"That dream was hilarious!" said the old man, his voice cracking, seeming to not notice Mikio. "I need to write that down--"

The old man froze and plopped to the ground as Mikio's presence broke his focus. He sat there for a moment, the two of them gawking at each other, and the old man's mouth dropped open as he spoke again.

"WHO ARE YOU??" he screeched, his spectacles bouncing on his nose.

Mikio pointed his katana at the old man as he stood up straighter, regaining his composure.

"I should be asking you the same thing." said Mikio. "Who are YOU, and what is this place??"

The old man put up one arm in defense.

"That's not a toy, child!" he shouted at Mikio. "We're not playing Poker so put that poker away!"

Mikio's eye twitched again. Who the heck is this guy?

"Fine..." Mikio replied, cautiously lowering his weapon. "Who are you?"

The old man cleared his throat and returned to his hovering lotus position.

"Otis." he said simply. "Otis the Lotus."

LUSHIA'S CHARACTER - "There's Something About You" - The Natural Healer

Lushia's presence is very quiet and calming. Because her energy is self-contained, it does not mingle with other people's auras in an intrusive manner.

Lushia has a positive affect on people who take the time to notice or appreciate her. An agitated person can be calmed by her presence. While she may say awkward or unhelpful things sometimes, her attitude and intentions can affect others positively.

She is sometimes told that there is "something about her" "something different" or "something unique" about her. But it is never outright explained as it is not specifically defined.

The Pale Goddess on the Rock

[Description of mental image]
Click the black bar below for ambient music. Song: "Moon Through the Branches" with vocals by Alyssa Huber/Lushia Kyobi

On a small rock in the sea stood a bare goddess, her skin pale like ice, her arms wrapped around herself. The ethereal being, though appearing human, revealed no features of human nudity.

She crouched low, the mist from the tumultuous waters lapping upon the rock, brushing against her knees. Her white-blonde hair floated and twisted about her face as if it had no gravity; it was unaffected by the wind.

Her face remained stoic as she held her damp knees to her chest, watching the waves. The pale goddess felt completely serene on that small rock in the sea.

Shadow: Learned Helplessness

[Character development and concept exploration]

Shadow awoke on his cot to the feeling of being submerged underwater, yet there wasn't a drop of it nearby. He lifted a pale hand from his side, palm up to feel the air. Nothing was off. But why did his hand feel so heavy?

His hand started to shake, his vision blurring as his breath quickened. His chest felt as if it was collapsing from the inside. He took a deep, shuddering breath to bring his senses back to normal. He stopped shaking, and while the sinking feeling in his chest ceased, his heart was still pounding.

Shadow slid his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet touching the cold floor. He walked over to the windowed wall that overlooked the city, the pattering of his feet echoing slightly in the large room.

A glass prison. That's what it was. Shadow lifted his hand to place it on the window in longing, but soon let it drop to his side again, silencing the feeling. He felt numb, and yet he wanted to scream, had he the will to.

There was a creeping feeling of something being bound around his mouth, though there was nothing there. He did not react--it wasn't anything new; he was used to it. Shadow stood there at the window, cloaked in his darkness, no longer seeking an escape.