Affirming Flame

Original news by Tom here. Feel free to keep it there, but I just wanted to post some of her art.



All I have is a voice
To undo the folded lie,
The romantic lie in the brain
Of the sensual man-in-the-street
And the lie of Authority
Whose buildings grope the sky:
There is no such thing as the State
And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die.

Defenceless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.



She will always be remembered by us as an amazing painter, sculpture, and story teller. She taught some of us how to paint, and some of us how to be inspired. From the paintings she posted in her gallery to the roleplaying that captivated all of our imaginations, Xusha is truly a Renaissance woman.

When I first heard of her passing, I was really quite surprised. As Pere put it, I--and I think a lot of us that only know her through TR--didn't realize the seriousness of her health condition. But the treacheries she faced clearly did not hamper her abilities as an artist, and more importantly, as a friend. I will always remember Xusha for her genuine warmth as a person. My fondest memories with her are from some time ago, back when we still played AQW and had those group chats in MSN. Speckled with humor and just the right amount of cynycism, Xusha's insights and company were a part of all of us. Though her ticker might have been feeble, her heart is one of the strongest ones I know.

I would normally say something along the lines of may we meet her in the clouds, but I think Xusha's legacy is so much more than that. She was that affirming flame, combatting struggle with talent and warmth. While we might only see her in the skies of Battleon in AQW, Xusha's presence will never leave TR. She helped and inspired so many of you; there is no doubt in my mind that she will live on in parchment and canvas.

Rest in piece, old friend...


I remember her telling my Grave of Fireflies was one of her favorite (and perhaps most relevant) films, so I thought this might be appropriate here.)

Xusha's photobucket has unfortunately been deleted so I'm having a hard time digging up a lot of her art. If you guys are able to locate any, it would be nice if you guys could post them here. Here is the only one I could find at the time being:

I think I have a picture or two saved to my HDD. I'll go look.

She gave this picture to me when I was at the underground lab, over Artix's computer. It's always been special to me... (it's actually a portrait of me, but she did draw it...)