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 Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:37 am
Contents.
Shiva's concept quest for a little girl named Misha. smile
1. Contents/updates.
2. Le Guardian
3. Le History.
4. Le Tattoo
5. Le Reference pictures
6. Le Child.
7. Reserved
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 6:06 am
Le Guardian
Name Anna Wen
Age Mid twenties
Gender Female
Hair Black and about mid back length, the lower have (... or at least everything below the ears) has been gently permed to give it a slight wave. She wears the front in a side fringe that is long and almost but not quite covers her eyes.
Normally Anna can't be bothered to brush it out, so she wears it in a loose bun on top of her head, with crazy strands sticking out and the occasional bright colored clip at the base, like a toy playing peekaboo.
However on the days Anna has no choice but to dress it up she wears it loose down her back, hair sprayed and coiled into submissive form. But normally during the day it still somehow makes its way up into a bun.
Eyes Dark brown, and large. Aya almost always wears mascara. Usually about to completely compose her expressions, the only hint of how she might be truly feeling might be found in her eyes. Extremely expressive, it seems she has not quite learnt how to compose them yet...
Built Slightly on the short side, she is slender if a little bit formless. Stick her in a sack and you'll see just the sack. Really.
Appearance Anna has two modes when it comes to her appearance: social, and antisocial. Hermit and a living person.
During her 'off' days, Anna usually wears a standard uniform of a knee length full skirt with an elasticated waist, and a loose tank top of some sort. Flip flops complete the ensemble, as well as the bun that bounces on top of her head. For the good of the people however, Anna usually never leaves the house in this form. Usually.
Her off days consist of several different types of outfits. Work, which is a set of form fitting pencil skirt suits with sets of camisoles and sweaters, day, which is a standard run of flirty dresses in bright and ditzy colors, and finally 'night', which is often not skirts or skinny jeans with tanks and scoop necked sweaters in richer, more vibrant shades. However, Anna seems to treat everything like uniform, and is usually very predictable when it comes to clothing.
While clothing is predictable and in its own sense very 'safe', Anna does have a very passionate and unfortunatley one sided love affair with shoes. Discounting the flip flops she wears as part of her off day uniform, nothing is lower than three inches and most come in bejewelled shades through satin, leather or a mix of both.
Personality Strange is a good way to describe Anna Wen. While not exactly loud, Anna can be said to be a little bit of a contradiction because certainly she could not be considered quiet. As with her appearance, it can be said that Anna herself has to modes: on, and off.
The 'off' Anna is quiet, somewhat melodramatic in her thinking and very anti social. She never leaves the house and loves nothing more than to eat and read a couple of light books in bed, surrounded by music or even the television playing in the background. She never talks about herself, or at least real, personal problems and refuses to show any sign of weakness that can be used against her, if she can. Somewhat prone to mild swings of depression as well, Anna likes to mope: she's good at it!
The on days is the social Anna. Just as real as the off Anna, in a way. It's the one that dealt with school and now deals with her working life, her friends and what she considers a very limited love life. But it is real as well. This Anna is louder, more sociable. Sweet and somewhat ditzy, although she isn't of low intelligence. She simply has a better time pretending to be a bit of a bimbo. Fiercely loyal and very festive, she has an unusual sense of humor that tries to make light of every situation, even when it seems incredibly difficult. This has unfortunatley, given her a reputation of being somewhat morbid.
Inquisitive, there have been many instances when Anna has been compared more to a kitten than a full grown cat, a cartoon character than one from a normal tv series. However, her usual bright moods are infectious.
This contradiction exists in Anna's mind, simply because she thinks of herself as needed a break. Even a handphone needs to have its batteries recharge, doesn't it? And this is what she sees herself doing when she takes this time off.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 6:42 am
Le History
Anna's life, and the inspiration for the tattoo.
Anna Wen hasn't lived such a romantic and exciting life. No deep suspense and tragedy to create a best selling novel. To lay the bare facts out, Anna Wen has a younger brother and two parents that more or less get along. She received average grades, went to a university that specialized in hotel management and currently works for a hotel as a middle manager. One of the luxurious hotels that cause enough fanfare when she hands out her business card, but not enough to be really note worthy.
What might be note worthy however, is why, and why now Anna has decided to get a tattoo.
The why now question is simple. Anna feels she has reached the point in her life that she can fully assume control over her decisions, and thus while the tattoo is impressive in size, it is still discreet enough that it is not liable to show through her clothing. (This being said, it is not because she is ashamed of it, simply because it is professional necessity. No one will take her seriously if she has such awe inspiring... imprints on her skin.)
The why this specific tattoo, is really a string of tiny events. Mini epiphanies really.
The first, could be her romantic history. Or the lack of it. Anna has come to the realization (during a good friend's bachelor party, over several bottles of tequila) that she has had an almost non existent romantic history, and that this might be due to the lack of trust and confidence she has in herself, and in men. She feels now, that she doesn't want to put herself in the incredibly vulnerable position of opening herself up to someone, but hates the fact that she really wants a happy ending. From this, she wants a tattoo that emphasizes the romance, and the protection.
The second, is on a Christmas when she went back to visit her parents, and met her brother. It was over exchanging presents that Anna realized that she is really, fully independent now. She needs to rely on herself, and it's becoming harder and harder to do so because she doesn't want to. She needs to safety net, even though her brother is busy with his own life and her parents are moving into retirement. Hence, she wants a tattoo that signifies independence, and strength.
Anna feels that she has a lack of faith in everything. She has lived life correctly and by the rules until now, and yet nothing has happened to give her the real sense of satisfaction and contentment. She knows that she doesn't have confidence in anything in life: not really. And thus she wants a tattoo that represents this.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 6:44 am
Le Tattoo
Location The tattoo is located on the lower part of her back, right above her butt. It consists of four different miniature items and in total spans almost the width of her hips and rises just to the small of her back.
Appearance Anna's tattoo consists of four different miniature segments.
1. Three prayer beads done in sepia tone. It forms a 'u' like shape and rests in the lower part of her back above her buttocks. There are three because to Anna, the number has always had a type of magical significance. The prayer beads, connected to each other but not complete is set to signify her faith: not only in religion, but in herself. Half complete because she hasn't found full confidence yet.
2. Echoing the shape but above it is Euler's formula done in white, shadowed with black. The balance of faith and science is obvious, but also because this formula is said to be the most beautiful mathematical formula in the world.
3. To the left of the two curves is a gothic cross in black and white. The colors echo the formula, as well as the meaning because it is a beautiful, intricate piece of art that represents protection, but also beauty.
4. To the right, mirroring the shape and size is a single feather in sepia tones. Again, this is to balance the cross not only aesthetically, but taking into account that the cross is a more realistic, concrete image of faith, while a feather (which to Anna represents an angel) is a bit more magical and mystical.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:05 am
Le Reference Photos
Euler's Formula. Thought I'd start with this because it's the easiest. xDD
For the prayer beads, no reference photos were sought because. Uh. The way Anna has it, really, it's just three round balls connected by 'thread'.
Something ornamental like this?
http://www.ehow.com/how_4774056_pick-celtic-cross-tattoos.html
Thought I'd include this because it includes beading... simply cuz ^^
http://tylly.deviantart.com/art/Feather-Tattoo-56608388
something like this. Simple... hmmmm... but the other way around. xD so upside down?
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:07 am
The child
Name Misha
Gender Female
Appearance Carefully androgynous is one word I'd use to describe Misha. Pale skinned with pale hair, and big, bright colored eyes. So almost colorless really, except for the eyes. She'll be a chubby baby and a slightly chubby kid, with the extra weight feeding her height as she grows up. But she'll be slender and flat chested through most of it, which might during certain periods of puberty have her investing in super pushup bras. Or just ignore them completely.
I special trait I'd like to give Misha are wings. They won't be there when she's a baby but they will come in during toddlerhood, rather like babyteeth. 8D Won't hurt as much, but will be like she's shedding skin? And like all baby birds until childhood, they'll be featherless! 8D It'll be fun to work with her while she has these extra limbs.
As she grows older, they will grow in size. Small and useless as a child, to too big as a teenager as her body tries to fill them out. (Have you ever heard teenage boys described with too broad shoulders, because they need to grow into them? I thought I'd mimic that trait with the wings.) As a teenager, she'll have more control and if it's possible can she fly? 8D Okay. or just flutter above ground. xDD
I say carefully androgynous because Misha will be female. But she'll be one of those people who are just not very feminine nor masculine, making her a tomboy girl, or a girly boy.
Clothing Misha's going to wear everything. Skirts. Shorts. Jeans. Dresses. Although they probably won't look as good on her as other girls. She'll probably stick to unisex clothing for a long time, and jeans being her favorite.
Personality Misha is going to be a very bubbly, sunny child. Out going and a little bit too friendly, she's going to represent to Anna faith. Innocence. The ability to reach out and do what you want when you want without considering the consequences and social implications you learn through living life. Sort of like the happy puppy every child should be before parents and teachers and other children affect their confidence levels, and teach them right from wrong. She'll believe in disney and magic like every little girl, and bad guys and tinkerbells.
However, Misha is going to be all about balance. As she is what faith should be about, she'll also be very analytical in her thinking. Observant. Tucking away information and reaching scientific conclusions and over thinking everything. The over thinking might make her a little bit odd: because everyone knows that if you over think things, you usually get it wrong or confused.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:08 am
Opening Event FS Entry
*note: some of the information such as guardian’s appearance is directly copied out from the quest thread, because it’s already all done.
Username .. ikshiva
Guardian's Name .. Anna Wen
Ink-Being's Name .. Misha
Gender .. Female
Guardian's Appearance ..
Hair Black and about mid back length, the lower half (... or at least everything below the ears) has been gently permed to give it a slight wave. She wears the front in a side fringe that is long and almost but not quite covers her eyes. Normally Anna can't be bothered to brush it out, so she wears it in a loose bun on top of her head, with crazy strands sticking out and the occasional bright colored clip at the base, like a toy playing peekaboo. However on the days Anna has no choice but to dress it up she wears it loose down her back, hair sprayed and beaten into submission. But normally during the day it still somehow makes its way up into a bun.
Eyes Dark brown, and large. Aya almost always wears mascara. Usually able to completely compose her expressions, the only hint of how she might be truly feeling might be found in her eyes. Extremely expressive, it seems she has not quite learnt how to control them yet... (Makes her a terrible poker player!)
Build Slightly on the short side, she is slender if a little bit formless. Stick her in a sack and you'll see just the sack. Really. Has a weakness for lingerie and push up bras, but not something that should really be shared.
Appearance Anna has two modes when it comes to her appearance: social, and antisocial. On and off. During her 'off' days, Anna usually wears a standard uniform of a knee length full skirt with an elasticized waist, and a loose tank top of some sort. Flip flops complete the ensemble, as well as the bun that bounces on top of her head. For the good of the people however, Anna usually never leaves the house in this form. Usually. Unless she runs out of coffee and has no choice but to make a mad dash to Starbucks.
Her ‘on’ days consist of several different types of outfits. Work, which is a set of form fitting pencil skirt suits with sets of camisoles and sweaters, day, which is a standard run of flirty dresses in bright and ditzy colors, and finally night, which is often skirts or skinny jeans with tanks and scoop necked sweaters in richer, more vibrant shades. Anna seems to treat everything like uniform, and is usually very predictable when it comes to clothing. While her clothing is predictable and in its own sense very 'safe', Anna does have a very passionate and unfortunately one sided love affair with shoes. Discounting the flip flops she wears as part of her off day uniform, nothing is lower than three inches and most come in bejewelled shades through satin, leather or a mix of both. Due to this, Anna never seems to have enough money saved in her account and is very good friends with the peddler down the street.
Guardian's Personality
Strange is a good way to describe Anna Wen. While not exactly loud, Anna can be said to be a little bit of a contradiction because certainly she could not be considered quiet. As with her appearance, it can be said that Anna herself has to modes: on, and off. The 'off' Anna is quiet, somewhat melodramatic in her thinking and very anti social. She never leaves the house and loves nothing more than to eat and read a couple of ‘light’ books in bed, surrounded by music or even the television playing in the background. She never talks about herself, or at least real, personal problems and refuses to show any sign of weakness that can be used against her, if she can. Somewhat prone to mild swings of depression as well, Anna likes to mope: she's good at it!
The on days is the social Anna. Just as real as the off Anna, in a way. It's the one that dealt with school and now deals with her working life, her friends and what she considers a very limited love life. But it is real as well. This Anna is louder, more sociable. Sweet and somewhat ditzy, although she isn't of low intelligence. She simply has a better time pretending to be a bit of a bimbo. Fiercely loyal and very festive, she has an unusual sense of humor that tries to make light of every situation, even when it seems incredibly difficult. This has unfortunately, given her a reputation of being somewhat morbid. Inquisitive, there have been many instances when Anna has been compared more to a kitten than a full grown cat, a cartoon character than one from a normal TV series. However, her usual bright moods are infectious. This contradiction exists in Anna's mind, simply because she thinks of herself as needed a break. Even a hand phone needs to have its batteries recharge, doesn't it? And this is what she sees herself doing when she takes this time off.
Anna is likable, and she likes to consider herself as being normal and not strange. She has a strange addiction to caffeine and sugar and while she is not a strong drinker, loves nothing more than to curl up at the bar with a fruity cocktail on her free days. She is quite vulnerable, and seems to take too much to heart. Hence her motivation for the tattoo, in a sense. She wants to be more confident, and more secure with herself. What better way than to get such a representation inked on her body to give her the strength?
Guardian's History
Anna Wen hasn't lived such a romantic and exciting life. No deep suspense and tragedy to create a best selling novel. To lay the bare facts out, Anna Wen has a younger brother and parents that more or less get along. She received average grades, went to a university that specialized in hotel management and currently works for a hotel as a middle manager. One of the luxurious hotels that cause enough fanfare when she hands out her business card, but not enough to be really note worthy.
She lives in a sweet enough studio apartment in town, not too far from work and does not have a drivers license yet. In fact, she tells strangers that she would have been a road hazard had she been allowed to drive legally. Her close friends seem to be her brother, one from high school who lives in the same city and one from university who lives about a state away.
What might be note worthy however, is why, and why now Anna has decided to get a tattoo. The why now question is simple. Anna feels she has reached the point in her life that she can fully assume control over her decisions, and thus while the tattoo is impressive in size, it is still discreet enough that it is not liable to show through her clothing. (This being said, it is not because she is ashamed of it, simply because it is professional necessity. No one will take her seriously if she has such awe inspiring... imprints on her skin.) Being a middle manager, she is very conscious of her appearance and her public image because that is what the job is all about. Anna isn’t particularly ambitious about her career—she’s happy making enough money to survive and enough status as befitting her age and educational background: but she isn’t burning to excel and become rich and powerful. You could say she is rather simple minded, due to that.
The why this specific tattoo, is really a string of tiny events. Mini epiphanies really. The first, could be her romantic history. Or the lack of it. Anna has come to the realization (during a good friend's bachelor party, over several bottles of tequila) that she has had an almost non existent romantic history, and that this might be due to the lack of trust and confidence she has in herself, and in men. She realizes now, that she doesn't want to put herself in the incredibly vulnerable position of opening herself up to someone, but hates the fact that she really wants a happy ending. From this, she wants a tattoo that emphasizes the romance, and the protection. Protection from men really, and faith in herself. Anna believes in Disney too much to be satisfied being single.
The second, is on a Christmas when she went back to visit her parents, and met her brother. It was over exchanging presents that Anna realized that she is really, fully independent now. She needs to rely on herself, and it's becoming harder and harder to do so because she doesn't want to. She needs to safety net, even though her brother is busy with his own life and her parents are moving into retirement. Hence, she wants a tattoo that signifies independence, and strength.
Anna feels that she has a lack of faith in everything. She has lived life correctly and by the rules until now, and yet nothing has happened to give her the real sense of satisfaction and contentment. She knows that she doesn't have confidence in anything in life: not really. And thus she wants a tattoo that represents this.
Tattoo
Location The tattoo is located on the lower part of her back, right above her butt. It consists of four different miniature items and in total spans almost the width of her hips and rises just to the small of her back. Completely discreet even in her low scooped backed dresses, it is actually quite invisible due to Anna’s choice of clothing. And she never wears a bikini if she can get away with it.
Appearance Anna's tattoo consists of four different miniature segments.
1. Three prayer beads done in sepia tone. It forms a 'u' like shape and rests in the lower part of her back above her buttocks. There are three because to Anna, the number has always had a type of magical significance. The prayer beads, connected to each other but not complete is set to signify her faith: not only in religion, but in herself. Half complete because she hasn't found full confidence yet.
2. Echoing the shape but above it is Euler's formula done in white, shadowed with black. The balance of faith and science is obvious, but also because this formula is said to be the most beautiful mathematical formula in the world.
3. To the left of the two curves is a gothic cross in black and white. The colors echo the formula, as well as the meaning because it is a beautiful, intricate piece of art that represents protection, but also beauty.
4. To the right, mirroring the shape and size is a single feather in sepia tones. Again, this is to balance the cross not only aesthetically, but taking into account that the cross is a more realistic, concrete image of faith, while a feather (which to Anna represents an angel) is a bit more magical and mystical.
Inspiration ..
The main inspiration behind the four tattoos is because to Anna, they stand for faith in the most basic form. She wants to find faith, not only in the religious aspect but in the more mundane as well. She has realized that she lacks faith in herself, in others and wants to be able to remedy the situation. She believes in the same token warriors might have consumed the hearts of their enemies to gain strength, by marking herself with what she doesn’t have, she might be able to gain that particular quality.
Anna also strongly believes in balance, not only aesthetically over the design of the tattoo but in everything. By balancing religion with science, the fantasy with reality, she wants to bring some of that balance into her life. She realizes now that she doesn’t focus enough on work or on her private life- she wants a better balance between work and play, and in the different mini aspects she has played her life into.
-Balance -Faith –Protection. Anna believes strong that she needs to change her life to be more satisfied with it, and that by focusing on these individual aspects, she can have a larger sense of direction and be able to be more content with her lot in life. Plus, it’s pretty!
What girl doesn’t want a pretty tattoo? (Don’t answer that)
Prompt Number ..2
Your child ink-being is being made fun of at school because of their different appearance. How do they deal with it? Do they cry or do they fight back? And how do you deal with their reaction as a parent?
Prompt Response .. Featherless wings while a toddler! ... decoration 8D
Anna waited outside the school gets with the other parents, smiling as she nodded in the direction of a group of women. She was not the only mother picking up her child after work—there was a smattering of them dressed in expensive suits looking professional playing with their phones or with their notes: as if this was simply a break between meetings. She understood the sentiment entirely: almost. Coming here to meet Misha, taking her home—it really was like a break between other dreary events.
“Hello there, are you new?”
Anna looked up to find that the same group of woman she had nodded to had approached her. They were all dressed in varying shades of preppy chic, and Anna refused to feel intimidated. Even on her days off she felt too pressured to turn up to Misha’s school in anything other than her best suits. It wasn’t the most expensive or most prestigious school, but the parents (the young mothers especially) seemed to find some sadistic joy to making this into a re-enactment of high school.
“My daughter just joined school this week.” She responded, pasting on a bright, professional smile as she nodded again. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
One of the women nodded, frowning for a while almost as if she was trying to place her. Anna winced—Misha had moved schools because Anna had recently been given a raise, and she knew how important a good education was. Besides, this part of town seemed safer, and she had already checked out a couple of larger apartments in the vicinity…
“New girl? Oh, you must be Misha’s mother.” The eyes cooled then, perceptibly. And Anna felt more than a prickle of unease.
“Misha?”
“You know, the girl in 3b with the…” the mother motioned to her own back with a wave of her hand, and Anna felt her own face close down into something more frosty.
Her friends liked to call it the super b***h look. Anna only considered it to be a more professional, less friendly one to her happy face. Each to her own.
“Excuse me?” her voice was a touch lower. Controlled, not fully into hysterics but with a suggestion that it wasn’t too far off.
The wings had started to come in two weeks ago. There hadn’t been a hint while Misha was a baby that there was something unique to her bone structure, but she had started complaining about an itchy back a month ago, and had started to shed skin like crazy. Anna had first been worried, thinking it was some dangerous medical condition: but it hadn’t been. No. Misha had been shedding skin off her back because she was growing wings. Or what might be wings. They were tiny, rather like those on a cherub and covered with soft, downy feathers the shade of her hair, except even more translucent. The pale nature of the feathers meant that there was something surreal about them: Anna could almost see down to the muscles and flesh, reminding her more of a naked chicken than a baby bird.
Still… she was only a child.
“Mama~!” before any of the parents could respond, the children started pouring out of the doors at school, and Anna was distracted herself, trying to spot the pale white form of her own baby among the others. It was like looking for a needle in a hay stack.
A flash of pink and red caught her attention, vivid and floating amongst the other splashes of color. A little girl in pale blue denim jeans and a white t shirt that had a black vest printed on the surface. A cap of soft pale blonde hair. Anna’s heart lifted as she saw Misha running in her direction, the backpack trailing on the ground behind her as she ran forwards. Anna had sent all of Misha’s clothes to the tailors to have them fixed for the wings, and they didn’t look all that bad.
Pink and red.
Anna, having been in the process of bending down to be at eye level for her daughter stilled when she noticed what her little girl had done to her wings. They fluttered behind her, half due to muscle control and half due to the momentum of the run. Small and fragile, they had pink and red ribbons wrapped through their lines, twining through the downy feathers and trailing behind her like party banners. There was something flimsy and decorative about them, and as the little girl crashed into her arms, Anna noticed that they were done clumsily, as if the perpetrator hadn’t been able to look at her own work. As if Misha had done this herself.
“How was school honey?” her question was immediate, more out of habit than curiosity—she was too busy noticing the wings to be curious. Anna half heard the whispers behind her from the women who had not moved away, and she knew that they must be discussing the same thing she was thinking about.
“S’good.” Bright eyes blinked up at her, and Misha smiled widely. The girl was always full of sunny cheer no matter the situation, and seeing that there was nothing troubled in her expression, Anna relaxed. Surely this wasn’t a bad thing, if her girl was so happy about it?
“That’s good. Come on, let’s go home. We’ll talk about school on the way.”
---
Anna didn’t ask Misha immediately what the ribbons were about. They spent the rest of the day finishing the little girl’s homework and watching tv, playing board games and taking a bubble bath with candy scented bubbles. The girl didn’t mind when Anna unwound the ribbons around the wings and didn’t mention them at all. Anna tried to exercise control as well, focusing on other aspects of the child’s new school.
But as Anna tucked Misha into bed, curling up next to the girl in a single bed, she lost that self control.
“Misha, do you like school?”
The little girl looked up sleepily, rubbing her eyes and nodded her head. “S’good.” She slurred, turning to the side and nuzzling closer to Anna. She reached out and started to pet the exposed left wing and the girl giggled.
“The kids are nice to you?”
The answer took such a long time that Anna looked down, half expecting the child to be asleep. But her eyes were wide open, staring straight ahead with a look of careful thought. As if the child was choosing her words before saying them, the same way Anna had taken care in phrasing the sentence.
“They don’t have wings.” She answered finally, her voice soft and as composed as a little girl’s could be. There was no anger or confusion in her voice, merely simple facts as she looked up. “It’s not funny.”
What wasn’t funny…? It took Anna a couple of minutes to catch up to her daughter’s train of thought and she thought she had some inkling to what the girl was trying to express. It wasn’t funny to be teased, maybe. It wasn’t funny to have people draw to attention they had something she didn’t.
“Misha.” She started, trying to form the words coherently.
“S’good.” She said again. Firmly this time, with an insistence that burned brightly in her eyes. “Dun matter. They _don’t_ have wings.”
She seemed to emphasize the fact that they were the ones who were different, that there was nothing different about her. And Anna reveled in the fact that her daughter had so much confidence. No, it wasn’t confidence, was it? It was faith. Faith in herself, and in the fact that there was nothing wrong, nothing to be ashamed about.
It wasn’t the wings that gave Misha away as ‘other’. It wasn’t the fact that she hadn’t been born from a natural womb, or that Misha looked nothing like Anna. What consistently kept reminding the older woman of the fact that Misha was different, were times like this when Misha spoke. When she framed words and gave voice to the way she thought that gave her away. Faith. The tattoo had been based on faith and balance, and Misha seemed to have this in spades.
“Is that why you decorated your wings?”
Misha frowned, and sleep was thick in her voice when she spoke again. “Pretty.” She murmured, her eyes closing. “They pretty.”
---
The next afternoon Anna made sure to make it on time to Misha’s school. She carried two bags with her, filled with ribbons and beading and lace she had bought from the accessory stores down the street. It had touched her, and she had been unable to sleep at night after her short conversation with her daughter—what could a mother do to ease a social situation for her daughter? What Anna was tempted to do more than anything was throw a hissy fit—but she remembered her own childhood enough to know that was the last thing she should do.
She had sent her daughter to school with the few accessories she could find on her vanity decorating the wings. Fighting fire with fire might not be the most precise explanation of what they duo were doing, but that was the best thing she could come up with.
“Good afternoon.” it was her turn to greet the mothers, and there was curiosity in their eyes as they watched her. Anna smiled, placing the bags on the floor and squaring her shoulders. “I forgot to introduce myself properly yesterday.” She took a deep breath.
“My name is Anna Wen, and yes—I am Misha’s mother. The girl with the wings in class 3b. And yes, they are real wings.” Her gaze was level. There wasn’t much that Anna knew to stand up to: if it was her own life, her own pride on the line she probably wouldn’t be able to defend herself. “They are beautiful, and Misha is a very special girl: smart and funny and sweet and I would appreciate it” her words dripped with sarcasm “if you would not refer to her as ‘that girl’ nor make that childish motion as if she is some animal on display at the zoo.” She paused. “I’m very disappointed to hear that children in her class have been making fun of her due to a physical attribute that they themselves lack: I do hope you are not some of these parents as it shows a severe lack of consideration and that’s just bitchy.”
The bells rang, and Anna turned, distracted to watch the child as they started to pour out of the main doors.
“Don’t be so shallow and cruel. Teach your children better manners.” Rude perhaps, but it felt good. “I’m grateful that Misha is so sure of herself and so confident, or else this could be detrimental to her psychologically: and would you be able to live with yourselves knowing that your children could ruin a life?” petty and cruel as well. But Anna wasn’t a nice person to begin with, when it came to getting back.
The faces looking back at her were white first, and then mottled with rage. But speechless—perhaps this had been too close to the hissy fit she knew better than to throw: but in her mind, it had been controlled, calm and collected. Bitchy and low perhaps, but still said in a normal, grown up voice. Hence it should be acceptable.
Anna didn’t miss her child running of the gates this time. How could she? The girl’s wings were stretched out behind her and decorated on one side with a black lace collar Anna had found in her jewelry box. Costume jewelry she had bought for an event one time, it stood out starkly against the white feathers, the black beading in the middle accenting the fold in the wing.
“I’m sorry.” She managed hastily. “If I seem overemotional and crazy. I love my daughter, and I’m incredibly proud of her.” She turned to see that the color had faded to one of frosty distaste. “No parent should have to deal with such a situation, and I’m just trying to do the best I can.”
Anna was interrupted from further words because Misha ran into her arms. “Mama?” the girl asked, looking up with careful eyes and she tried very hard to control the emotions rolling through her mind.
“How was school, honey?” she asked, motioning to the bags at their feet. “I bought you some presents, thought we could play dress up at home.”
Misha’s eyes brightened as she saw the ribbons and lace peeking out at her from one of the paper bags. She grinned, tilting her head to one side and wiggling the edge of one wing. “S’good?” she asked.
Anna nodded her head. She picked up the bags and got up, reaching out with one hand for her daughter Misha held her hand tightly, starting to chatter about the day and something about a caterpillar that ate and ate and ate to grow bigger.
Anna smiled, making the appropriate noises of someone paying attention. But her eyes were fastened on the other mothers who, half picking up their children and half waiting for them looked back at her as well.
“We’ll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Wen?”
Cool. But perhaps Anna couldn’t really expect much. She didn’t correct the woman- better to have her think she was married perhaps, than single. Better not to spread any more rumors or encourage bad feelings towards Misha. She nodded her head.
“Have a good day.” She responded, her grip on her daughter tightening as she walked away. She’d deal with the repercussions tomorrow.
“S’good?” Misha looked up at Anna, tugging at her hand and Anna nodded her head.
“S’good.” She drawled back. Or it would be.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 3:20 am
Update 07.21.09 Added information on the child. Just tentative plans in terms of personality, because I think I know what I want to do with Anna and Misha. =3 Updated also the information on her history, and the inspiration behind the tattoo.
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Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 10:43 pm
Updated 29.07.09 Changed tattoo and the concept of Misha because it seemed to fit... more. And I like version 2 better. It follows the same concept really, just... upgraded? 8D
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