「CLOSED.」

It took some deliberation for me to finally settle on this, but I think I’ve got a handle on everything by now.  There isn’t much to explain as for why I’m finally laying this blog to rest. Flat line down—— I’m finally content.  After I had some time to think about it, I feel like I can walk away from this blog — and perhaps this community — without any second thoughts.  

There are maybe a few things that I’m upset about having experienced on this platform ( as anyone else here might agree on ), but I no longer want to keep grasping onto them.  I want to be someone that continues moving forward and becomes an even better person than I was a week ago, or even the day before.   And I feel that by allowing myself to let go of everything I once thought was important here, I can finally move forward.

I won’t be coming back here.  I won’t be updating this blog anymore, even for as sporadic as it was.  I’ve already deleted every single icon, graphic, and drabble from my computer.  There’s nothing left except this last archive of memories.  And while I considered deleting this as well, I’d rather leave it as the one final memento— a record of a past I’ve left behind.

I don’t know if anyone will see this.  This could be a goodbye to an empty crowd.  But know that for the past few years that I’ve been on here — despite all the ups and downs that went with it — it brought me memories and skills that I’ll always treasure.

helping my injured muse sentence starters  //  accepting  //  @slowbladed

       HOW COULD SHE EXPECTED TO SIT STILL through the pain?  The child is forced to watch as a darkening blossom of crimson spread across wrapped strips of linen, clung to a shaking, outstretched arm.  What went wrong?  She exercised caution this time, just as both Marluxia and her father had warned, yet for all her caution she still wound up getting herself hurt.  The wound would heal, the pain was temporary— but the damage was permanent.  Yonah’s eyes stung as she watched Marluxia work over her arm, sucking in oxygen through stuffed nostrils and a dry throat.  His tightening the bandage around frayed flesh caused for even more commotion—  “AaaaAAAAAA—!!”  A weak squeal tore through her throat and cut the tense air with the sound of youthful anguish.

helping my injured muse sentence starters  //  accepting  //  @hardenedgun

   GREEN held against black gloves. The blood of those ‘Shades’ mixed so perfectly with the pink. And that beautiful blood was against the other’s dress. Splattering like the roses he grew between fingers. And just a small part of him wanted to offer to clean her, to buy her a new set of clothes, to sew her something more pretty and clean to give back. So from his pocket he took a handkerchief and wiped the small bits of blood from her cheek as if a mother caring for her daughter.

   “Of course. I would never want to see a child come to harm.” He held out his hand for her to take the cloth. “I’m merely a concerned passerby. You may call me Marluxia.” Carefully he pulled off his hood, letting petals fall. A face so she would not be scared. His features soft to her, as if he had a heart. And so he stood, a hand out for her to take but not forceful. As if to lead her. As a buck would lead his son who had lost his mother to mankind. “Come…”

     THOUGH TOLD TO BE WARY OF STRANGERS, Yonah’s kind heart could not refuse the kindness of another, especially one that sought to care for her with the smallest of gestures.  She flushes in embarrassment as the other dutifully wiped the petals of crimson that decorated her pale cheek, eventually accepting the handed gift with hesitant fingers.  Was she meant to trust this hooded figure?  He had saved her life, but nevertheless he was a stranger— a person whose identity was foreign to her.  With a sweep of his hood he reveals his face, one that struck her as oddly calculative yet benign.  But by far, the thing she was the most interested in was——

❛ i wouldn’t fret too much about their stares. ❜ frodo turned to the girl, friendly and informative. ❛ it’s all they’ll do, you know. most of them are so afraid of what they don’t know… ❜ he shook his head softly before looking back at the paths ahead with a laugh. ❛ wouldn’t even dare try a new recipe..! ❜

"Oh, God, you're bleeding. You're bleeding a lot."

"Stop squirming, I'm trying to help."

"Hang on, I got you."

"Just lean on me, I'll help you walk."

"We should get that looked at."

"Don't tilt your head back, you'll make your nosebleed worse!"

"Just sit up and breathe, ok?"

"Eh, you'll be fine. I think. Maybe."

"What ever you do, don't go to sleep. Stay awake."

"Oooooo. That looks painful."

"Oh, thank God! Don't scare me like that!"

"How the hell did you do this to yourself?"

"Hey, hey, stay with me, ok?"

"You stopped breathing."

"Oh look, it's alive."

"Take deep breaths, you'll be fine."

"Arms shouldn't move like that..."

"What happened to your leg?!"

"Yep, that's broken alright. How'd you manage that?"

"Here's some ice."

"You're welcome, by the way."

"Do you need an ice pack for that shiner?"

"Yeesh, you look like shit."

"Wait, you were mugged?!"

"Is that a stab/gunshot wound?"

"Ok, ew. I'm not cleaning that up."

"Easy, easy! Just lay down, you hit your head."

"You probably have a concussion, so I wouldn't be moving arou d too much if I were you."

"We thought you were dead!"

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how much does it hurt?"

"Can you walk on your own?"

"You're getting blood on my clothes!"

     WAVES OF SILVER HAIR STREAM over her shoulder as the stranger lifts her into their arms and spins with her in their embrace.  Confusion washes over her at the sensation—— this was someone that knew her, otherwise they wouldn’t have approached her with such enthusiasm to begin with.  Only when Yonah finally has the chance to turn and look at the person in question does recognition ignite in her eyes.  “V-Va—”  The name need not be completed.  She knew who exactly he was, and boy was she ever glad to see him.  Only, her exuberance came out much differently than she expected.  Tears well up in the corners of her eyes, filling her vision until they ran down her cheeks in glistening cascades.  How long exactly had it been since she had seen him?  It had been too long, that was for sure; she wouldn’t be crying had they seen each other on a more frequent basis.

     IN THE FARTHEST CORNER OF THE ROOM, a small figure could be found curled into a tight ball.  From the small plumes of dust that lifted from the floor, slate eyes pierced through the destruction of her home at the presumably “friendly” intruder.  Clearly, she is hesitant in even speaking, unsure of who the foreigner was or what significance they held.  It is only until he presents her with official documentation of his visit that she speaks up, though still confused.  “And by helping, you mean breaking my door down?  Sure, I didn’t need that door anyway.”  English fluidly parts from her lips and cuts through the tense air.  

     All the while, Yonah bristles with distrust, acutely aware of any and all combinations of fate.  The document could be a forgery; he could be seeking to kidnap her for ransom; or her father had gotten involved in the wrong investigation and ultimately roused hostilities.  This was evidently a matter best left for her father, not her, as she had little to do with government business being only a college student.  What business does the U.S. Army have with Japan, anyway?

     SLENDER FINGERS PLAY THROUGH tresses of silver hair —— a silent tradition that kept her within her thoughts.  Yonah is made aware of Kairi’s presence by the footsteps approaching behind her, but she shows no intentions of turning to greet her.  She was too developed in her own mind to show common courtesy, especially not after what had happened earlier.  It had been ages since she had seen her own brother, let alone spoken to him about his progress in finding their memories.  Yet the day the finally did reunite, he could offer her nothing but a quick farewell.  Had he finally grown tired of the search and gave up hope?  Or had he found something but didn’t have the heart to tell her?

     Kairi of all people would understand the best just what it felt like to be left behind, to be caught in the brunt of conflict and torn away from the people she wanted to see the most.  But just like her brother, she hadn’t the slightest idea how to go about talking about her issues.  Hence Yonah’s silent gratitude towards Kairi’s comfort —— at least she could trust her to remain at her side even during these troubled times, just as Yonah would for her.

               “I’ll tell you eventually ... I just ... don’t quite understand what’s going on either.”