~A Collection of Works - by Tao~

[Royal Taorito]

NO ONE EXCEPT ME MAY POST IN THIS THREAD! Thank you~!

THE WRITER

Name:
Jennifer J. Smith
aka Tao (pronounced Tay-oh, two syllables, not one)

Current Residence:
Not on this planet...O.o

Age:
16

Birthdate:
March 23, 1993

Tell Something About Yourself:
I am an artist in the making. Drawing is my life--I draw for the fun and pleasure, not because I have to. I've had an interest and talent for art, drawing in particular, since I was only three or four. Basically, since I could hold a crayon, I've been interested in it. Now I'm a junior in high school and still refining my skills. I'm learning different styles, and looking into digital art more than drawing now, but almost all of my digital art, I've drawn first, scanned it, then edited it. I hope those that look enjoy my art. For more of my art, view my DeviantArt page at www.Tao-Benshin.deviantart.com.

I am also a writer, roleplayer, and online gamer. Though writing is not my strong point, I am always improving. I incorporate what I have learned about writing into my roleplaying to make the details of my posts more complete. As for the gaming part, I've played just about every free online game you can think of, everything from browser games like RuneScape to newer games such as Shin Megami Tensei Imagine Online and Jade Dynasty Online to advanced roleplay-based games like PlaneShift. I've also been a closed beta tester for a few games, including Draconia Online and zOMG.

I am very friendly as long as I am shown respect and accepted for the way I am. Yes, I consider myself weird sometimes, but weird people make the best of friends, I've found. As long as it's good weird.

Interesting fact: I have always had a fear of pain, preventing me from doing things most kids do, such as sports and riding bikes. I haven't ridden a bike since I was like five. I also absolutely love cats. We own seven, and they're all indoor cats.

I hope everyone that joins enjoys the guild I have worked hard to create.

Roleplay example:
This isn't a roleplay example, but I've yet to have a good RP sample worthy to be put here. It's a short writing thing I did, and is probably the most detailed piece I've ever done. I'll add more eventually.

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Why did this ever happen?

Burning, beyond sensation, shredding flesh from bone without being licked by flame, but there was no light to guide the way out, the cold lack of air sucking the life out of me, then a tranquility of nothingness that seemed so far away, and yet, my muscles strained to reach it. Life rushed back into me seconds later, bringing needles to pierce every inch of me, blood pulsing, no, screaming in my mind, but filling me with a will to find the light I had never known. The ground, moist beneath my hands, threatening to swallow me, return the nutrients the body borrows to become new life, turning me to the feed of worms and crows. I had to hold to this scrap of life Death had offered to me, pull my unwilling body away from the earth from which it came, for destiny has not yet finished its duty with me.

Top Left: Tao Benshin - 2009
Bottom Right: Tao Benshin - 2008
Pictures copyright © 2008-2009 by Jennifer J. Smith (aka Tao)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Character List
2. Poetry
3. Random Writings
4. --

Disclaimer
These stories are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author, Jennifer J. Smith's, imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2009 by Jennifer J. Smith. All rights reserved
Original characters copyright © 2009 by Jennifer J. Smith. All rights reserved.
All pictures used copyright © 2008-2009 by Jennifer J. Smith. All rights reserved.

 

[Royal Taorito]

CHARACTER LIST

Tao Benshin ♀ "The Master Thief"
Starting Age: 7
Ending Age: 18 (death)
Race: Mixblood Kotogaran (human-like)
Starting Height: 3'04"
Ending Height: 5'08"
Starting Weight: 47 lbs
Ending Weight: 107 lbs
Physical Description:
Her almond-shaped eyes are large, bright, and intelligent, sort of an icy cerulean color. Her thin black eyebrows are set high and she has long eyelashes. She has fine, straight jet black hair, usually kept about shoulder length with a chest length lock framing either side of her round face. The part is off center and her bangs hang in her eyes. She has always had a rather thin frame with little to no excess fat. She has long thin arms, and legs built to run. Her hips and shoulders are about even, and she has a small bust along with a thin, almost frail, torso. When she was younger, her skin was lightly tanned, but after she fell ill, her skin gained and kept an ashen gray tone.

Birth Date: 23rd of the Crow Moon, 1190
Attribute: Fire
Occupation: Thief
Personality: (coming soon)  

[Royal Taorito]

POETRY

An Outdoor Experience

Warm rays of golden light shine.
A slight breeze sings with the birds,
And the long grasses dance to its melody.
The wind rises, whispering to the trees,
Which bend and groan an answering call
Welcoming me to a familiar place.

The sun sleeps and night falls,
Bathing the world in a fantastical light.
Birds rest their sore throats
And let insects and frogs continue their song.
A fire crackles in the stillness
As we share our stories of recent stresses.

Snowfall, coating the world in a fluffy blanket.
The trees fall still; the forest seems to die.
And yet, an odd peace blossoms,
Despite the over-bright sun.
No birds sing in the cold air,
But the stillness brings to me an odd calm.

Again, the sun sleeps.
Moonlight turns night to day.
No fake light is needed this night.
Huddled close to the fire in the cold,
My friends and I enjoy our trip once more
With rosy skin and laughter in our eyes.

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The Cat

In the lazy heat of day,
She waits the day away.
Under the shade of a tree,
She watches longingly.
She longs for the beast inside
To bring back a long lost pride
When she would hunt her prey
And in the wild, she would stay,
Her fur ablaze with yellow and gold,
Despite the dark night and the cold.
Her eyes gold as molten fire
Still remain that way and take her dreams higher.
Alas, that pride has gone
For her days in that life are over and done.

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Time

Thousands of years fly by,
And here I stand, yet to die.
Ever unflagging,
What am I?

I am the Shadow
Of all nights’ hallow.
Come with me,
If you dare to follow

I am the Light
That makes all bright
And turns the darkest feathers
To white.

I am the Flame,
The one to blame,
For my wild heart’s
Will to claim.

I am the Breeze
That blows through the trees.
Anger me,
And I can part the seas.

I am the Tears
Of sorrow through the years.
My gentle touch
Sooths the strongest fears.

I am the Earth
Where all give birth,
And despite my pain,
Life has mirth.

Thousands of years fly by
And ne’er shall I die.
Ever unflagging,
What am I?

I am Time.

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[Royal Taorito]

RANDOM WRITINGS

My mind found itself wandering in a blanket of pure white snow, lost and confused. I felt numb with shock, immune to the cold of the snow around me. A deep longing ache had consumed my heart, leaving what felt like a gaping hole where it should have been. Kit’s final words repeated themselves, over and over, ever haunting me with the guilt of know I took my love’s life away.

A faint trace of a shadow, just the lightest shade of gray against the brilliant white snow, caught my attention. A small, vibrant red butterfly fluttered and floated aimlessly across the endless tundra in my direction. I simply stared at it, fixated. Chaos’s symbol. Warm tears trickled down the sides of my face. I didn’t try to stop them. They soothed some of the pain I felt, even if it was an infinitesimally small amount.

I don’t know how long I stood there, just staring at the little crimson butterfly, but, like a long forgotten memory, a familiar Aura woke me from my stupor. I tore my gaze away from the butterfly unwillingly, and looked around for the source of the Aura. Calver stood not far too away, still as a statue. He wore nothing but black, providing a stark contrast compared to the feather-white emptiness around him. He hadn’t even seemed to notice me. His Aura had lost all the power I was so used to feeling, as though he had lost all hope of finding his way back to the real world. I walked worriedly toward him, stumbling slightly in the thick snow. ”Calver…?” I asked quietly.

Calver’s unseeing eyes stared straight passed me—no, through me—as I spoke, their flat black tone attributing another sign of his surrender. My own eyes widened at the sight of his. I was so used to the bright ice blue; his appearance startled me, frightened me. ”C-Calver?” I asked again, my voice wavering. ”Come on… snap out of it…” I lightly touched his arm, trying to get his attention.

Suddenly, chaos broke out around us. Arashi’s last few moments of life stood at the forefront, and beyond her, the horrors of Aro’s world, along with the deaths of many others. I realized with a start that I was seeing what Calver was seeing. He remained unresponsive to me. I stared around in dismay, unsure and frightened, and resumed trying to get his attention. ”Calver, snap out of it… please…”

His blank stare slowly turned to face me, but he still didn’t seem to see me. ”…What is there we can do…?” he asked, fear in his voice for the first time that I could remember in all the years I had known him.

I was taken aback, and compulsively took a step away. My throat tightened, and it felt like a rock had lodged itself there, impossible to get through. I forced my voice past it, desperation evident. ”Don’t say that…” I managed before my voice failed me. I could feel tears welling in my eyes again, threatening to flood over. ”You can’t just give up!”

His gaze finally focused on my face, but confusion flickered across his eyes as if he had trouble recognizing me. ”A-Arashi…?” he stammered after an agonizingly long moment.

The knot in my throat tightened, suffocating. ”What…?” escaped my mouth. How could he think I was her, after she had been dead for so long? ”No… I’m not Arashi…”

”Oh…” His gaze began to slide away, unfocused once more, his brief second of life crushed by total agony, fading back to nothingness.

I forced him to look at me, turning his head so that he stared me in the face. Rage and grief filled me, and, like my tears, threatened pour out. ”Would you at least listen to me?!” I exploded at him, my hand gripping the collar of his shirt tight enough to turn my knuckles white. ”Is this what you’ve resigned yourself to?” I asked him, tense and angry.

”What’s left…?”

His voice was cold and empty. I began to tremble at his words, forcing me to let go of him. My gaze dropped to the snowy ground below. Fresh tears flowed hot down my face and, when I spoke, I struggled to get my voice passed my sobbing. I’m left… Phoenix is left…” I managed before I choked. I felt sick, and the ache in my heart seemed to spread throughout me.

Calver paused for another long moment, searching for an answer. He didn’t even seem to realize the pain he was putting me through. ”You’re here…” he murmured at last. ”And Phoenix… He trailed off, no believing his own words.

I snapped. I couldn’t take anymore. ”Drabek, snap out of it already!” I cried. The pain had spread enough to make it hard to breathe; I gasped painfully for air with each sob. Rage took over briefly and forced me to slap Calver across the face. Too late I realized what I had done and I brought my trembling had to my mouth, my eyes wide. ”Y-you sound like me…” I said quietly.

”But…” His cheek slowly turned red where I had slapped him. He didn’t even seem to notice in his stupefied state. His gaze travelled to the snow and, in a muted whisper he muttered, ”Go away…”

”I won’t,” I replied as defiantly as I could, though my voice still sounded feeble. Calver turned his face away to resume staring blankly into the distance. ”Wake up!” I cried again, but my voice cracked. ”Please…” My gaze returned to the white snow, and I closed my eyes, trying to stop my tears.

”Tao…” A glimmer of hope sprouted in me as he said my name, and I looked back up at him. It quickly died as he turned to face me once more. His eyes were still coal black and empty, and his response sent a shiver down my spine, declaring the truth that my mind had avoided the whole time. ”This isn’t a dream…”

Characters Calver, Arashi, and Kit copyright © by Arashi-Kuro. This is a joint work, and I have had permission to write this.

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