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Thursday, July 28, 2011

21. Vacation

Part 21 of the 100 Themes Challenge
(And no, I don't plan on doing the words in order.)

Emery took a deep breath of the evening air and just savored it. It wasn't the best tasting air in the world, in fact, a lot of people probably hated it. Emery, however, couldn't get enough of the salty air that you could only find at the ocean. A light breeze wafted the air right towards her and Emery inhaled deeply again as she looked over the waves that were crashing in on the shore. The sun was almost ready to set, and though clouds blocked the horizon so Emery wouldn't be able to watch the sun set directly on the ocean, it was still a beautiful sight, one that she could never get enough of.

Unfortunately, this was the last day of her week long trip. Tomorrow morning, she would pack up and head back home, where she was at least five hundred miles from any sort of ocean.

Turning her back to the ocean, Emery entered her hotel room and glanced around. The room was, as was typical for her, a mess. Even having a maid come in every day and tidy up made no real difference.

Resigned to having to pick up the mess so that she could leave, Emery started on the work. Every so often, she glanced back through the sliding glass doors to look at the ocean and the sun that was setting through the clouds above it. Finally, Emery couldn't resist any further. She dropped the clothing she had been gathering onto a heap on the bed and went to the front door. Slipping on her flip flops, she left her hotel room and walked down through the hallways to the back entrance. Walking across the grass of the backyard, Emery finally made it to the path that led directly down onto the beach.

The day was chilly, so not many people were on the beach. Emery liked it better that way. At the top of the staircase leading down into the sand, Emery kicked off her shoes and left them sitting there, trusting that nobody would be along to steal them while she was down at the beach.

The sand was still warm and Emery dug her feet into it for a moment before she continued walking toward the ocean. The water was at low tide at the moment, so it was a long way off.

Emery simply enjoyed the walk through the sand and was soon as the water's edge. The cold water tickled her feet as it gurgled up and then swept back down to join the whole. She turned her face to the sky to watch the sun disappear behind the clouds. Her feet sunk into the sand up to her ankles, but she didn't attempt to stop it from happening.

The sun finally was gone and the sky because to lose its blue hue. Still, Emery stood and let the water sweep over her feet. The rhythm of it soothed her and she closed her eyes and simply listened.

Emery was reminded of a pebble she had picked up earlier in the week. It was perfectly smooth, the type of smooth that can only be made by machines polishing a rock, or by it being beaten down by the forces of nature. The constant beating of the ocean on this rock made it smooth and refined, and Emery felt like the ocean did that to her as well. Every time she came here, she felt like she left a changed person. It was good to get away from the world for a while. Her life was stressful and visiting the ocean was like an oasis in the middle of the scorching desert for her.

Opening her eyes again, Emery stared into the darkening waters and sighed. She wouldn't be able to stay much longer. She had no light with her and the beach wasn't always safe at night.

Heading away from the water seemed so much harder than walking to it. The sand was difficult to trudge through and Emery dragged her feet. Already, the heat was fading from the sand. The sand stuck to her wet feet and made her uncomfortable. Finally, she reached the stairs and climbed them to the top. She slipped on her flip flops, which hadn't been stolen, and walked to the nearby water spout to wash the sand off her feet before she entered the hotel.

It was almost symbolic, Emery mused as she sprayed the water over her legs and feet. When she first went down to the water, she loved every part of it. Leaving, she didn't like it. Her trip was the same way. She would definitely miss the beach while she was back at home, but she was glad to be leaving at the same time. She missed home.

The beach was her solace, and she came here to be alone, but she wouldn't be able to stand being here all the time.

Emery finished up and went back into the hotel. Entering her room, she looked out over the darkened beach and ocean and murmured a fond farewell. She would be leaving before the sun rose the following morning.

100 Themes Challenge - 1. Introduction

Lydia is doing this project called the 100 Themes Project, where you are given 100 words and you're supposed to draw a picture for each one. I liked the idea, except, I'm not exactly capable of drawing all that well. So, I decided to turn it into a series of short stories and/or poetry instead. Or maybe I'll just give my personal feelings on the subject. I may sometimes include a drawing or photo if I feel so inspired, but more likely not.

I was told that I had to include the rules so if anyone wanted to complete the project, they could, so here they are (oh, and I should note that the project is one being passed around on DeviantArt.com, and I just adapted it for my blog) :


THE 100 THEMES CHALLENGE

~ RULES ~
Please make sure to copy whole journal (list and rules below this point).
The point of this challenge is to test and improve your skill as an artist. After 100 pictures, who wouldn't get better?

The rules:
1) Make 100 pieces each one having a theme listed below. Only one theme per piece!
2) No time limit so have fun!
3) Pieces should be of own artistic ability. You may not edit photos, or break any other rules set out in the DA etiquette policy. Your pieces can be anything from sketches and doodles to great masterpieces. Just have fun with it.
4) The list below is to be placed somewhere in your journal for others to see that...
a) You are in the challenge
b) What you have completed
5) Make sure to update this list with a link to your deviation.

Now the good part. CHALLENGE YOUR FRIENDS. CHALLENGE ME.

~ THE LIST ~
1. Introduction
2. Love
3. Light
4. Dark
5. Seeking Solace
6. Break Away
7. Heaven
8. Innocence
9. Drive
10. Breathe Again
11. Memory
12. Insanity
13. Misfortune
14. Smile
15. Silence
16. Questioning
17. Blood
18. Rainbow
19. Gray
20. Fortitude
21. Vacation
22. Mother Nature
23. Cat
24. No Time
25. Trouble Lurking
26. Tears
27. Foreign
28. Sorrow
29. Happiness
30. Under the Rain
31. Flowers
32. Night
33. Expectations
34. Stars
35. Hold My Hand
36. Precious Treasure
37. Eyes
38. Abandoned
39. Dreams
40. Rated
41. Teamwork
42. Standing Still
43. Dying
44. Two Roads
45. Illusion
46. Family
47. Creation
48. Childhood
49. Stripes
50. Breaking the Rules
51. Sport
52. Deep in Thought
53. Keeping a Secret
54. Tower
55. Waiting
56. Danger Ahead
57. Sacrifice
58. Kick in the Head
59. No Way Out
60. Rejection
61. Fairy Tale
62. Magic
63. Do Not Disturb
64. Multitasking
65. Horror
66. Traps
67. Playing the Melody
68. Hero
69. Annoyance
70. 67%
71. Obsession
72. Mischief Managed
73. I Can't
74. Are You Challenging Me?
75. Mirror
76. Broken Pieces
77. Test
78. Drink
79. Starvation
80. Words
81. Pen and Paper
82. Can You Hear Me?
83. Heal
84. Out Cold
85. Spiral
86. Seeing Red
87. Food
88. Pain
89. Through the Fire
90. Triangle
91. Drowning 
92. All That I Have
93. Give Up
94. Last Hope
95. Advertisement
96. In the Storm
97. Safety First
98. Puzzle
99. Solitude
100. Relaxation

My list of words, and the links to their posts, can be found on the sidebar.

Friday, July 15, 2011

A Matter of Perspective

Currently, I am reading two books (well, actually three, but one doesn't apply to this) and in both is a character named John Dee. This character in both books is based off of the same real person from history.

In one book, (the fifth or so book in a series, so I know the character fairly well by this point) John Dee is somewhat of a villain, in loose terms. In the other book, John Dee is an accomplice to the heroine of the tale. I didn't actually realize that they were the same person (technically speaking) until I was halfway through both books. By that point, I had a vision of what both of them looked like, and they were completely different.

Now that I realize they are actually the same person, I can see the similarities. Both can use magic in a sense (in one, he's a necromancer, in the other simply a sorcerer). Both are more grey than they are firmly planted on the sides they have chosen and they give the sense that they could swap sides at a moment's notice. Both have a way of convincing people (namely, the main characters in both books) to do what he wants them to do. I have no idea what the real John Dee was like (he lived in the 1500s, after all), but seeing as both authors made John Dee like that, there is probably some aspect of truth to it.

What is my point in writing all of this, you ask? I am saying it to point out a matter of perspective. Each author did their research (hopefully) on this man and shaped him into a different character from what they found out about him. They took creative liberties, such as in one making him immortal, but they kept him generally the same person.

It seems to me that perspective is a dangerous thing. One person can take a man, whatever he is really like, and see him as a villain. Another takes him and makes him part of the "good" side. He is the same man, just seen in two different lights.

I think that happens a lot in real life, not just in fictional novels. Nobody sees a person in the same way as anyone else. Everyone knows different things about people that shape their opinion. It's not really fair to judge a person according to what someone tells you about them, not that you should really be judging them at all, but you get my point, hopefully. Maybe a person that someone has painted as a villain really is on the good side, you just don't know it, because you haven't seen the right perspective on it.

My actual point to this whole thing? Books screw up your mind. Honestly, reading about the same person in two different books playing two different roles on two different sides in two different times is a bit difficult. It's given me quite a bit of confusion, actually.