Space or arrow keys Art-Me Design-@skyclan-spirit song- Somebody to You, The Vamps So, I am really pleased with how this turned out. I really love this design, and I had so much fun drawing it that I drew three different pictures, all of which turned out nice. I also wrote a short story, which is down below. ≿————- ❈ ————-≾ Name: Nerium Gender: Female ≿————- ❈ ————-≾ Personality: Optimistic and naive. Always looks on the bright side and is trusting to a fault. Curious about everything. Has great enthusiasm for life and nature. Overly friendly to everyone. Doesn’t like being the center of attention. Easily distracted. Likes: Nature/wilderness—flowers—warmth—fruit—exploring—sunlight—open spaces— Dislikes: confined spaces—snow—cites—attracting attention—storms ≿————- ❈ ————-≾ Nerium is part of a group of creatures called a Guides, whose job it is to bring spirits from wherever they died to the gates of the afterlife, where a being called Gatekeeper directs the spirit to whichever part of the after they must go to. Nerium was fascinated by life more than any other guide, and was sadden by how most of the life she saw was just the last moments of something, or the mourning of it’s loved ones. [SPOILERS FOR STORY] On one trip to collect a spirit, instead of looking for the spirit right away, she got distracted by some flowering vines, and put one on her head like a flower crown. When she remembered what she was supposed to be doing, she took it off and went back to her job, but, unbeknownst to her, some flowers stuck to her skull/mask. After she finished guiding the spirit, the Gatekeeper summoned her and told her that she was too distractable for this job, and that she also couldn’t bring living things (the flowers) to the hall to the afterlife. The Gatekeeper gave Nerium the choice to either have one more chance as a guide, or to go become a living creature. Nerium chose to become a living creature. When she got to the living world, she took another vine of flowers and wrapped it around her leg as a reminder of everything. Then she proceeds to wander the world, finding joy in life everywhere and helping creatures wherever she could. ╔══════ ∘◦ ✾ ◦∘ ═══════╗ ꧁❁Nerium’s story❁꧂ ( Nerium hadn’t expected this trip to go any different than any other. She had come to a to guide the spirit of fox who had died of old age. Usually guides only worked with spirits of their own species, but dragons are very rare, and live a very long time, so if Nerium were to only guide dragons, she wouldn’t have much work to do. Nerium wasn’t required to guide any creatures besides dragons, but she often volunteered to anyway, for a chance to see different parts of the living world. When Nerium arrived in the forest, she immediately spotted a tree, wrapped in vines. On each of these vines grew a number of pink flowers. The flowers petals waved gently in the breeze, letting off a wonderful smell. Nerium, who had always loved flowers, immediately focused on them, forgetting how she was supposed to be guide the fox spirit. She walked over to the tree, unwound one of the vines, then wrapped it around her head like a crown. The flowers continued the rustle in the breeze as Nerium gazed at other flowers growing from the forest floor. She enjoyed the vibrant colors, and the way the dapples of sunlight danced through the leaves down the flowers for several more minutes, until she thought to herself, “This is so nice! Why don’t I do this more often?” A second later, she remembered the reason. “Oh no,” she groaned. “I’m on a collection, and I’m going to be late again!” Nerium had already been scolded several times recently for getting distracted and wandering of during collections. Twice, the spirit she was supposed to guide had wandered off by the time she got to where it had died. Then, she had had to call a few other guides to help her look for it, because finding a semi-transparent deer or a rabbit that can walk through trees can be a pain. Nerium tugged the flower crown off her head and dashed off into the woods, hoping the fox spirit wasn’t already gone. When Nerium reached the body of the fox, a bolt of panic ran through her. The spirit wasn’t there! She immediately began look around frantically. In her panic, she almost didn’t see the ghostly fox, where it sat it in the sun, looking rather puzzled. Once she spotted the spirit, she gave a long sigh of relief, then ran towards it. The fox spirit, who was not used to seeing large dragons with skulls on their heads run toward it, yelped and fled. “No no no don’t run away I’m not gonna hurt you,” Nerium cried. She sprung forward and gently scooped up the spirit in her claws. “See? No one’s gonna hurt you. It all good.” As she firmly cradled the fox spirit to stop it from escaping again, a door of swirling light and shadows appeared in front of her. “We’re gonna go through that door, and then Gatekeeper will tell you what part of the afterlife you get to go to. (continued below)
Story continued: "I dunno what any of the afterlife really looks like, but it’s gotta be something good for a nice looking fox like you, huh?” She then stepped through the door, set the fox down, and let it continue on to whatever was next for it. Nerium returned to The Void of Guidance, an empty dimension where all Guides when then weren’t out in the living world guiding spirits. She didn’t enjoy the being in The Void, as there wasn’t really anything to do there except talk with the other guides, none of whom quite seemed to share Nerium’s passion for nature or flowers. This time, however, she hoped she would able to stay in The Void for quite some time, as she was quite nervous that she would get confronted for what happened. Nerium told herself, “I’ll be fine! There might not be a way for Gatekeeper to watch Guides when the travel to the living world. He probably just noticed me the last few times because I took too long, but this time it will be fine, I was fast. It’s all good!” But a short while later, to her dismay, another guide drifted over to her and said, “Gatekeeper says he needs to see you.” Nerium nodded, trying to look like nothing was the matter as she began to fade from The Void, reappearing in Gatekeeper’s throne room. Both the room and the throne where made of black stone, contrast the pale creature who resided there. Gatekeeper was a being of bone who would take the form of whatever creature he was with. As Gatekeeper turned to look at Nerium, his skeletal shape rearranged itself, forming the bone structure of a dragon, like Nerium except larger. His bones gently pulsed with light as he began to speak. “Do you know why you are here Nerium?” Gatekeeper asked. Nerium nodded slowly. “Your performance has been having problems," he told her. "A guide cannot be regularly getting distracted and losing spirits. Nor can they spend their time playing with flowers.” “How did you know about that?” Nerium inquired. “Are you spying on the Guides?” Gatekeeper shook his head. “You have flowers sticking to your helmet.” Nerium hung her head in embarrassment. She had been careless, and now she felt like a fool. “What will happen to me now?” she wondered. “Am I going to get sent to an afterlife? Can that happen if I’m not alive? Am I alive? Or am I dead, or somewhere in between? I can’t seem to remember where I came from. I wonder-” “Nerium? Nerium, are you paying attention?” “Um… nope. Sorry sir.” Gatekeeper shook his head. “This is exactly why you’re struggling as a guide. Now, I’m going to give you a choice. You can either have one more chance as a guide, and spend eternity in The Void of Guidance if you fail, or you can be sent to the living realm and become a living creature.” Nerium could believe her ears. “I can be a living creature? And spend all my time in the living realm?” Gatekeeper nodded. “I must warn you, as a living creature, you will experience much pain, hardship, and sorrow.” “I don’t care!” exclaimed Nerium, bouncing with excitement. “I want to go to the living realm! That’s what I choose!” The Gatekeeper nodded again, and Nerium began to fade from his throne room. When she reappeared, Nerium found herself in the forest where she had found the fox spirit. Knowing she was a living creature now, everything about the living realm felt better. The sun felt warmer, the grass felt softer, and the flowers felt more colorful than ever. Nerium walked over to the tree with the vines, the one she had taken some flowers from earlier. She took another vine from the tree and wrapped it around one of her front legs. She did this as a reminder, both of how she needed to practice focusing on things, and of how even if things seem bad, they can still turn out okay. Nerium turned away from the tree, spread her wings, and launched herself into the sky. The sky spread out in every direction around, every direction a new place to visit and explore. She spun in the air, and let out a cry of joy. She was alive! Nerium knew that at times she would fell upset or in pain, but to her, that could n't even close to compare to the joy she found in the beauty of everything. ╚══════ ∘◦ ❈ ◦∘ ═══════╝
