The Perfect Storm

Ever since I was little, I've always had a fascination for Storm. She's beautiful, smart, powerful—she's perfect! How could anyone not like her? And since I'm bored and contemplating whether to do some work or not, I've decided to share some of my work that features my all-time favorite X-man. It's not much, but it's something.

A quick sketch I did while taking a break from work.

In watercolor, during my days as a bum. Fun times. :D

A picture I took and shared on Instagram (@franztene). It's a graphic novel I bought for less than half the price!

“I am a woman, a mutant, a thief, an X-Men, a lover, a wife, a queen. I am all these things. I am Storm, and for me, there are no such things as limits.”

Creative Writing Assignment #2: Your Favorite Book

To ask me to name a favorite book is a demanding thing to do. It's almost as hard as picking a favorite shade of your favorite color. And to tell people about it? I don't think anyone's got enough time to listen to what I have to say about my favorite books. So for this assignment, I decided to put together a string of quotes from some of my favorite books to create a story.

For You, A Thousand Times Over

She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to a cork board like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.

“Oh, the cleverness of me!” she said. “I pretend I am a princess, so that I can try and behave like one.  And now here is my secret, a very simple secret. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane. She was like a song I'd heard once in fragments but had been singing in my mind ever since.

In my mind I could hear her say, “Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”

As she read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. 

And in that moment, I swear I was infinite.

I hope it made as much sense to you as it did for me. After all, creating a cohesive story out of a bunch of unrelated lines isn't exactly a walk in the park. For those who are curious and unfamiliar to the quotes, I've linked each one to the book's Goodreads page. For those who recognize them, I salute you for having an excellent memory and exquisite taste in books. ;)