MMA Round 5 2015: Breaking Through

Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back
Guilty of dust and sin.

Mother Messier and Willow were seated before a humble fire, holding primitively fashioned cups of hot tea in their hands. They sat amongst a wasteland of desolation, only a miniscule example of the consequences that Dark Cecily’s war had inflicted upon the planet earth.

“I’m sorry if I am keeping you from your own festivities…” began Willow nervously, “I will try not to ramble and waste too much of your time…I have asked you here because I have something I feel I must express…”

The Mother watched Willow with an understanding gaze, her eyes serene and comforting. Her gentle voice was like warm milk as she replied, “My child, I hope you know that you would be welcome at any of the festivities. You are part of the sisterhood now.”

Willow looked down at her cup of tea shyly, her posture wilting. “I…I know. I’m just not ready to…be around people just yet. Fighting together is one thing, but…” she flinched as she thought of crowds of people not distracted by the tasks of war, “I’m still trying to get accustomed to being around people…”

But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lacked any thing.

Mother Messier nodded. “I understand. What is it you wish to tell me?”

Willow took a sip of her tea and sighed anxiously. “What I wanted to say is…I saw how much pain these past events have caused you…It seems you bear a heavy burden as Our Mother...” she set the cup down and clasped her hands in her lap. “Maybe what I have to say will lessen that burden, if only a little…”

Mother Messier waited patiently for Willow to continue.

“When I was a young girl, I had many reasons to hate this world. The people that surrounded my life, before I found my green sanctuary, gave me many reasons to want to see them all…” she flinched as she completed her first confession, “disappear... I only realized how deep this bitterness and loathing was planted in my heart when I saw Dark Cecily for the first time...” Willow took a heavy breath, the memory still potent and haunting, “I sympathized with her darkness...I envied it, even… I remembered my own desires for vengeance against the world that was so cruel to me...And it occurred to me...” with great effort Barnard 8 looked up to meet her mother’s eyes, “Had I been found by Cecily, instead of you, I probably would have been fighting against you instead of by your side...I was so close to that point...”

A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be [she].
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee.

Her hands clenched tighter as her thoughts were stripped naked in speech. She had to turn her eyes away from the kindness emanating from Messier 1, feeling undeserving of such warmth. “My soul was ripe for the Darkness to claim …but you entered my sanctuary...you showed me that not all beings are cruel...that this world still has things worth protecting, even if it means the ugly things will still endure...” Her voice wavered under the pressure of the suppressed onslaught of tears, “So even though what happened to Cecily may weigh on your heart, I hope you know the great impact you made in my life...you...” the tears began to flow and her throat constricted but she choked out the rest of the sentence, “you saved me...and I...I am...so happy...to finally have a mother...”

Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?

Willow could taste the salt as the tears poured down her cheeks. “Thank you...for shining your light...in my darkness.”

Love bade me welcome

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:::Notes:::
Whew.

I really came out of my comfort zone on this one. I need to say a shout out to my friend, Javier, for giving me face-to-face coaching lessons and revealing flaws in my drawings that I should work on; I literally re-sketched this same piece THREE TIMES before I was comfortable with it and I'm embarrassed to show the other two. I learned SO MUCH from doing this piece and a lot of it is because of his guidance.
Also thanks to my dear friend, GabiStar , for allowing me to draw her amazing Messier 1.   I was so afraid that my lack of talent would commit some sort of art-blasphemy against this Mother Messier. I made sure to show her my writing and drawings before I posted them to DA cuz I didn't want anything coming out of M1's mouth or being described/drawn about M1 if it wasn't true to the character. Gabi also showed me the poem that I quoted in italics, "Love III", by George Herbert.

To the judges: I hope its ok that I didn't do a drawing of a party.    My reasoning is that Barnard 08 hasn't been to a party, like, ever, and she would prefer to keep it that way. She is a senshi that works in the shadows, anyway--she prefers to do her thing without people seeing or knowing about her (not cuz she is humble, but because she really isn't comfortable around people; Messier 1 is the only being that does not use photosynthesis that she is comfortable being around). On top of all this, celebration was the last thing on B08's mind.

Lastly: CAN I JUST VENT THAT IT TOOK FOREVER TO COLOR THIS??? I think the lighting from the fire may be a little exaggerated but I wanted the two senshi to glow...
 


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Epilogue:

Barnard 08 makes it her mission to rebuild (aka re-grow) the planet earth that Dark Cecily scarred. It was a mystery to the people of earth just how the plants all grew back so quickly, and how crops would grow in impoverished, starving areas where seeds had not been planted. In the end it was Messier 1 that inspired Willow to use her powers for healing.

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The DA Group Messier Senshi was inspired by Singing-Kiwi
Barnard 08 (c) belongs to me
Messier 1 (c) belongs to GabiStar
The poem pieces quoted with italics is credited to George Herbert, poem is called, "Love (III)"