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Sandpaints Staff Vice Captain
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 Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:41 pm
The Caterpillar’s RiddleAn RP contest August 11th - August 15th, 11pm EST  With the latest, odd arrival who had survived their journey from Ha’lia to Wonderland and others from other realms enter Tulgey woods, and the party begins. Some familiar faces are starting to show themselves. Such as Wise Master Caterpillar (colored by Zephlis), whom many enjoy asking and receiving riddles. He, and his favorite mushrooms, have even been increased from his standard 3 inch height to a less squish-able form for this celebration. RULES: Only post your entry ONCE, and only post your entry -- if you have questions, PM "Sandpaints staff" -- This is not a place for conversation. You can only enter for yourself, and only you can win this painter -- if you win you cannot give them to someone else. You are allowed to edit your entries until we say closed. If we forget to say closed on closing day, you may sneak stuff in under our noses. You may make up other characters to interact with so its not just him musing to himself, and can write anything from a paragraph to a Three Word document long story. However, length doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll enjoy it – the longer it is, if we aren’t impressed with it within the first three paragraphs, we may not read any further then that. Quote: PromptYou’ve been approached by many a riddler and found yourself strangely unable to stump one of the latest arrivals or were stumped yourself. Act out the situation. [b]Name of Sandpainter[/b]:
[b]Temper[/b]:
[b]Prompt[/b]:[/b]
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:42 pm
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Sandpaints Staff Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:52 pm
Name of Sandpainter:Riddelun
Temper:Questioning,curious,even.
Prompt:
-Hmm....-Riddelun thought about the other dragons answer.
-I can not answer to that,young dragon.You are truly wise,for I have fooled many a dragon both young and old,foolish and wise,flying and crawling.
What is your name,young one?-
-Alice.-
-What a beautiful name....very well,you have left me stumped,and for that you may take a bite from this magic mushroom.Who knows what will happen...but maybe it will grant your wish.Be brave,young Alice.-and with those with those words the wise,old dragon abandoned his thousand year old post in a puff of smoke,leaving a young dragon named Alice completely puzzled.
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:46 pm
Name of Sandpainter: Sly
Temper: subtle
Prompt:
It was not a fair question, Sly wanted to protest. It was hardly even a riddle. He glowered ferociously at the young sphinx with the imperfect diction. This riddler had stumped him with the lowest form of verbal humor. A pun. Sly, so accustomed to hearing the most difficult and most challenging of riddles, had not expected to be confronted with something so artless. He, himself, would never stoop so low. It was insulting, really.
There remained, however, the matter of his own riddle. Experience had taught him that it was never wise to pose the first riddle because then it fell to him to correctly answer his challenger, should the riddler prove clever enough to puzzle out whichever one of his masterful riddles Sly trotted out for the occasion. So now the challenger still had to answer Sly's riddle, and if she answered wrongly, Sly would be only too pleased to claim his forfeit.
"What," he asked, speaking with exaggerated care, "is white when thrown up and white and yellow when it lands?"
It was not his most clever riddle, but he did not feel that someone as uncouth as this punster would be able to decipher it anyway. Visigoths like this young sphinx weren't generally the cleverest of beings. Just because she had used her cultural privation to her advantage in this instance did not mean that it would serve her well against a mind as intensely clever as Sly's was. He was capable of thinking so deeply that even those who claimed to be intellectual giants quickly became lost in his convoluted reasoning. At least until he explained himself, summing up his thoughts with a pithy phrase that rang true as a homily.
The young sphinx standing before him scratched her head. And then she scratched her shoulder with her hind paw. And rubbed her nose and chin with a her human hands. Sly smiled to himself. These were the signs of a person who had absolutely no idea how to respond. He smiled a secret smile as he tapped a slow tattoo with his foreclaws. To hide his self-satisfaction he inhaled a deeply through his hookah, floating momentarily as the mushroom essence soaked into his brain. Now he had an excuse to smile at least, not that the sphinx would even recognize his smile as such. Sphinxes were so vain, but they were never as clever as they thought they were.
"It's an angel," the golden creature conjectured. The inflection was more interrogative than declarative, but Sly could tell that was her final answer. Likely it was her only answer.
"An angel," Sly mused, savoring his victory.
Though he knew he had won, he denied himself the pleasure of looking at the ring that would soon be his as he stated the correct answer to his riddle. The delayed fulfillment made the having even more satisfying. His ways bordered on hedonistic, but he was not one of those undisciplined types who did whatever they pleased with nary a thought. He planned and schemed, arranging events so that they would play out to his satisfaction. He couldn't help visualizing how the ring would look on the third or fourth toe of his left fore-midclaw. There was nothing wrong with fantasizing about the object of one's desires.
"It might be an angel, I suppose. Or it might be an egg." He watched with barely-concealed mirth as the young sphinx's expression turned crestfallen. "Unfortunately for you, it is the latter."
He held out one of his midclaws to receive his winnings. The sphinx fumbled as she worked the thin ring down her leonine tail until at last it slid over the tufted tip and she pressed it into his eager claw. He immediately slid it on with a satisfied sigh and spent the next few moments admiring and considering his new acquisition before he realized that the sphinx was still there.
"Yes?" he asked archly.
"I was wondering if that's really the digit you want it on. It might look more fine on a different one," the golden creature said, rolling her shoulders.
Sly thought about it and decided it would do no harm to be sure. As he tried to remove the ring, however, he found that it was stuck fast, though it did not seem to be too tight or caught on anything. Then he looked at the sphinx and saw her smiling with feline smugness.
"It can only be removed if someone poses a riddle you can't solve," she said. "But it seems that pretending to be unable to solve the riddle will have the same effect. I wonder if you will be able to bring yourself to lose to be able to take it off and give it to someone else."
Sly stared at her, horrified, but she seemed oblivious as she turned away from him and made to leave. Just before she passed out of sight she turned and looked over her shoulder, twitching her tail, before saying, "It would have looked better on your other claw, by the way. Too bad."
Sly looked down and saw to his dismay that she was correct and ground his teeth angrily. Sphinxes!
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:52 pm
Name of Sandpainter: Ratsel
Temper: Puzzling
Prompt:
"Whoo are yoooou?" Ratsel leaned forward, huffing smoke into his opponent's face with every flex of his diaphragm. The back of his body was still perched on his mushroom, but his front half had since slid off, four of his six front legs planted firmly on the ground with claws dug into the earth. With the fifth, he gestured. With the sixth, he cradled his hookah.
"Who I am is of entirely no consequence," the infuriating dragon answered, "since you continually refuse to tell me who you are. Furthermore, you've been cheating."
"No," Ratsel said, putting the end of his hookah back into his mouth and drawing more smoke. "I never made an agreement with you. I only began asking riddles, and then you answered. What! is the answer to this one?" He exhaled, smoke twirling around him, as he rolled the words around in his mind, attempting to make it trickier. "It can be brought down a chimney up, but it can't be brought up a chimney down."
"Why, you've got it backward," the dragon said. "The answer is an umbrella. While up, it can't come down the chimney. But while it's down, you can put it up the chimney. But you've flipped them around."
"Where do you think you are, after all?" Ratsel asked, frustrated again. He puffed furiously on his hookah. It was the other's turn now.
She tilted her head and thought for a moment, and then smiled. "You can take away the whole and still have some left. You can take away some and still have the whole left. What is it?"
Ratsel blew a long stream of smoke from his nostrils, his tail curling around one of the mushrooms. "A donut," he said with certainty. "You can take away the whole donut and still have a donut hole. If you take out the donut hole, you have a whole donut."
The dragon's mouth fell open. "I- I- why, I hadn't even thought of that. It's the word 'wholesome.'"
"But my answer has merit, and so it's correct, yes?" Ratsel didn't wait for an answer, but slithered back up onto his mushrooms. "I believe that counts as a stump."
"Well! You didn't specify any kind of rules-"
"Rules?" Ratsel rolled over on his back, the hookah pipe sticking out of the corner of his mouth. "Rules? Did the crocodile tell the fishes the rules before he ate them?"
"W-well no," she said uncertainly.
"Then I am hardly required to tell you the rules when you are the one that has wandered into my mushroom garden," Ratsel said. "Be along your way. Shoo."
She turned to go, her wings twitching furiously. "Waaaaaait!" he called, sitting up.
"Oh what is it?" she asked crossly.
"Do mind you rmanners," he said with a slow grin, baring his teeth, "should you run into the Queen."
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:58 pm
Name of Sandpainter: Pow R. Toc H.
Temper: Abstract/ Spiritual/ Deep
Prompt:
Pow R. Toc H. – His whimsical smile had a way of being imbedded into one’s brain. It was a toothy grin but not an empty one without reason unlike the Cheshire cat. The depth and experience of this sandpainter where clearly imprinted into his face as the wind creates patterns upon the sand.
Alice- Alice’s confusion had started with her visual impression of his character. His airy feel might throw off a new comer from his wise and mystical qualities, as it did with Alice. This juxtaposition had frightened Alice speechless for reasons she couldn’t understand. When she could regain her courage she asked him softly, “What is your name?”
Pow R. Toc H. – He let out a deep and throaty laugh that could have come from the very depths of the ocean itself. Pressing the hookah pipe between his lips he let out a deep puff, “Pow R. Toc H. is my name.” He took another long puff from his hookah releasing shapes and patterns that looked like the milky way and the sights of the cosmos. “As I know you are Alice. But I bet you knew I knew that already. A lot can be said for one who can look outside themselves enough to know how the one next to them knows what they know.”
Alice- She felt a bit more spooked. Toc H seemed to know the deepest depths of her gut feelings. Something she was always taught to ignore. She watched him make another puff from his hooka. “You seem to know a great deal about me without me having to tell you anything Pow R Toc H. It is eerie but strangely comforting,” she smiled feeling less afraid of him, “I’ve been following the white rabbit and.....”
Pow R. Toc – “Chasing rabbits...There are many important questions that you have, which, I can give you in return more questions to ponder,” Pow R Toc H’s eye’s glinted, “In wonderland you have been asking the wrong questions to the wrong people. In a world of madness and miracles the members of that world are not the mad ones. You are. For which for your sense gets turned into their nonsense. Cheshire cats and white knights will only toil with you. So the next question you should ponder is what are you here to discover for yourself? You clearly are not here for anyone else. What may you learn about your journey?” The smoke around the strange sandpainter swirled gently around him. “Keep your head Alice but be free to wander....” The colorful hookah smoke began to gather around him like some strange mist. It glowed like a rainbow against dark storm clouds.
Alice- Alice watched in awe as Pow R Toc H’s body began to disintegrate into the magical and colorful hookah mist. The last part to vanish was his golden specteral eyes. Flowing with the air currents the psychedelic vapor began to spread across the large mushrooms scattered about. In wonderment she watched the remains of the strange painter’s essence disappear into the depths of the forest. She felt more perplexed after this meeting than any other time in Wonderland. Although it brought no clarity to her situation, now she felt deep down that his words were genuinely important. With a bizarre sense of confidence she looked down the path. That long path leading to the white rabbit. Wonderland. Maybe even herself.
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:51 pm
Name of Sandpainter: Vivek
Temper: Thought-provoking / Wisely insane
Prompt: Wonderland is full of mystery and deception no matter which way one would turn. The creatures here are bizarre and extraordinarily delusional - yet, in their own minds they are geniuses with that infamous touch of insanity. Sprawled across various sized, poisonous-looking mushrooms, an elegant, multi-legged P’an-lun Painter rested. The mushrooms on which he laid upon are much larger than any human had ever seen before, now buckling under the weight of the large Painter. Smoke billowed from his ruby trimmed lips; his golden eyes set gazing to the sky. In his talons rested a pipe which was currently being used, idly waiting that moment it could reunite with his lips once again.
The ever wise Caterpillar could be compared to that of a Sphinx. Both had the mutation of various limbs, and they were known for their mind-boggling riddles. From his encounters over various Painters, he had learned of his similarities to a Sphinx. He mused at the idea as a Painter approached him. Would this soul call out the same name as so many before, or will it carve a new path? He waited to see.
"Oh, great Sphinx of Wonderland! Do you know of your hidden identity?" It spoke out, gazing up at the P'an-lun. "You are as the humans would call a Sphinx. A master of riddles. Does this not bother you? Are you not ashamed to be in another's shadow? Clearly you are the more cunning of the two legends! Will you not remove yourself from your throne and embark on a journey to regain your fame?"
Listening, baring a devilish smirk, the elegant P'an-Lun replied. "A Sphinx you say? If one can call me under such a name then evidently I am not the one in the shadows. What do the Sphinx and I have in common? We are riddlers. Riddlers protecting a secret that none should know. What is it that causes us to give out answers? Much to our dislike it is to help out you poor worthless pitiful souls. Ah... But what is the answer you wish the most? The secret that none shall know." Slowly he raised his hand, pressing the mouthpiece of the pipe to his lips and inhaled deeply.
The other Painter held a look of disgust as it was put down by the famous Caterpillar. "How dare you call myself and others worthless!" It called out.
Amusement came back into the P'an-Lun's eyes. "Where did that intelligence go?"
The Painter stood there as it raised a brow. "Pardon me..?"
"What has blown away? That air of intelligence you had moments ago." His ruby trimmed lips puckered as he exhaled; the smoke danced in the air. "I have seen your intent as I lay here watching your expressions. Who cannot hide the truth from me? You."
Stepping back, the Painter lowered its head, hissing back a response. "How dare you insult me... What are you talking about? I simply came here to tell you of your declining fame! I am trying to help you!"
A small chuckle escaped the Caterpillar's lips. "Help me or help me not. Can I even help myself? Regardless - Your truth is evident. I know what it is you want. Curious? Listen closely for your time is running out. Much as many others have traveled, you declare a title given countless of times and claim it to be the loss of my fame. If my fame was really fading, none would travel down this path daily to attempt to indulge in some conversation. So, the moment you spoke the words 'remove yourself from your throne and embark on a journey to regain your fame', you let it be known."
"Impossible! I...I mean... What are you talking about?!" the Painter, who clearly had backed away out of sheer nerves, yelled.
"Oh. You know. It will be our little secret."
The Painter cursed under its breath. "You are reading too much into the situation. I clearly was trying to help you. You are just trying to scare me off like you do with so many others. No wonder you are always here left in your solitude!" It turned away. "I hope you enjoy the silence you have enlisted upon your being." And soon it was just a minuscule black figure in the distance as it took to the air.
The P'an-Lun sat upon his throne, looking smug as always while taking another puff on his pipe. Those words rung in his head... Did he look too far into the situation? Or did he not look far enough...?
"Regain my fame..." those smoky words escaped from his lips. “Left in my solitude..." Trying to piece the puzzle together, he slowly began to rise. He found that the painter, or any other painter for that matter, was nowhere to be found. For a few moments he stood there on top of the mushrooms, watching the sky. "What was the intention? To take my place? No... Simply not so. Or could it be...to make me realize that I am alone?"
And with that, just as seconds passed, the opportunity slipped away. It was too late to tell the Painter that he, for once, was stumped. Only after the other was gone could he realize what it was trying to tell him: he had driven everyone away, thus losing whatever friends he made over the years of his existence.
Self-induced madness is a lonely road, indeed.
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:00 am
Name of Sandpainter : Jaden Temper : Selfcentered Prompt : just a note before it starts, the answers to the riddles are white for those who wish to try and figure out the riddles first. please enjoy the stoy: I sat back and smoked on my pipe, humming and enjoying the day. I had had several people visit me with particularly interesting riddles, ones that I may share in the future. The sun was shining outside of my shady patch of mushrooms, and a cool breeze pulled the smoke gently away, making designs of alligators and fish as it went. Suddenly a clocked human approached me, one from outside of Tulgey woods. He wore a large hat that covered his eyes, and a long smile. “Sir Caterpillar, I hear that you love riddles. Perhaps you will play a game with me.” he gave me a small bow and tilted his hat to me. I do love riddles and if he thought he could win, he would be wrong. He smiled at me. “You have heard of the sphinx’s riddle, of the three phases of the day morning evening and noon?” “Oh quiet, yes, I have.” it was a child’s riddle one that even the youngest has already learned. I leaned back with my pipe and crossed my legs and my hands and hands and hands. I was very unimpressed and perhaps conveyed it a little rudely. “Well then, as you know the sphinx eats those who fail. I hope that dragons and caterpillars do not do the same.” “O? Quiet nO.” I grumbled blowing a pair of careful smoke rings in his direction. How annoying this one was. “Shall we start then?” “Oh, but we already started.” He said his ever present smile on his face. “From the beginning of eternity to the end of time and space I am in every place. What am I?” He placed a hand into the smoke rings catching them and they dissipated around his hand. Oh, he thought he could make a fool of me. How arrogant he was. But I knew better then he my mine is like a steal trap when it comes to riddles, after a moment of thought of course. I shifted upon my mushroom, lounging full out, so far and so relaxed, I had to pull up my hindmost legs. I drew in a long puff on my pipe. “E.” I blew out a long stream of smoke that formed the letter. I am quiet proud of that skill. “Now let me try one on you. You are sitting at a table and have three pieces of pie. There are two fathers and two sons, but a piece for everyone. How can this be?” I smiled smugly to myself. I knew I had him. He was obviously so simple minded. I watched him sit back, and I knew he was squirming under that hat. At this angle could see a pure white eagle’s feather on it, and it trembled with his effort. He tired to hide it behind that smile of his, but I knew it was a nervous one. I casually twisted my pipe’s tube with my third hand, pretending not to notice his discomfort. I had won. Finally he said, “There are three people.” What a lucky guess he had. Of course there was only three people. There was only three pieces of pie. “Xplain.” I grumbled crossing my third and fourth arms. “It’s simple really; there is a grandfather, a father and a son. The father of the group is both a father and a son.” “Fine, try this on for size. What does a bee who is of three…” “Ah ah ah, it is my turn is it not?” I glared at him. I hate being interrupted. Does he not know that I am currently much bigger then him? Of course he did, and he was so smug about it. He started, “There was a doctor and his son they were driving to their house when all of the sudden they were in a car crash the doctor died but the son stays alive; however he needs an operation. When the son arrives at the hospital the doctor says ‘I can not operate on this boy... because he is my son.’ How can this be?” The simple minded fool did have one thing, he did know a riddle or two. Perhaps I underestimated him a bit. But he was still by far not better then me. “The Doctor at the hospital is the boy’s mother.” He chuckled, he actually laughed. The foul contestant actually though himself equal to me. It was time to pull out some better riddles. I puffed on my pipe, thinking. There was one riddle, a very well written riddle that was brought to me. I straitened and began to recite; Voiceless it cries,
Wingless flutters,
Toothless bites,
Mouthless mutters. I smiled to my self and looked at him as he thought it over. I had gotten this a long while ago from a man who was very intelligent, one who had taught me many a riddle. At the time I was younger, easier to stump, but none in Tulgey woods have gotten this one. And its answer was known only to me. He recited the poem again to himself and his smile changed as he gave me the answer. “The wind.” Before I could even make another comment he lunched into his next riddle leaving me baffled, It cannot be seen, cannot be felt
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life, kills laughter. Despite my attempts to conceal my displeasure a scowl formed all across my face. “YoU.” I frowned forcing myself to think of the riddle at hand. How easily he solved it. He must have known it. But how, he must have got it from outside Tulgey woods. Perhaps the one who taught me, No, it couldn’t have been. I turned my attention to the riddle at hand. It was good, it even had the poetic beat. Its answer whispered it’s self to me and I strained to hear. I looked at him frowning looking at his hat casting a shadow over his eyes. That was it. “Darkness.” I frowned to myself. “You speak easily of darkness, and concealment. Where did you get these riddles?” “Every good steed of the muses flies.” “Of course the Pegasus flies it has wings. But that hardly gives me my answer.” I stared at him trying to get him to tell me. “Does not the caterpillar turn to a delicate butterfly?” His grin widened from under that hat. “I, can flY, just fine thank yoU, very much.” I puffed up my chest crossing my arms very impatiently. “With out any wings?” He looked me up and down. He still had that smug little smile on his face. “O? I huffed. WhO R yoU?” I puffed smoke rings at him, angrily at his impertinence. “To speak in such away?” “O?” He smiled at me and turned back to face me. “Who or rather what, I am is just another riddle for you.” and with a flick of his cape he was gone. “Wait!“ I huffed and puffed on my pipe, blowing smoke in a small cloud about me. “Come back! I’m not done with you yet.” From the wind a feather drifted down, landing on my mushroom, and I picked it up frowning. “How very rude that one was."
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:36 am
Name of Sandpainter: Edward (note: after Edward Nigma! THE RIDDLER! *nerd!*)
Temper: Dangerous
Prompt:
The path to Wonderland was twisted, bizarre. Her mind had been flooded, reshaped, blown and fitted back together so that by the time she reached the wooded grove she didn't question the strange things lurking, the strange sounds buzzing, or the sweet aroma washing over her. Jade smoothed her petticoat, curious as to when she'd become clothed in a petticoat in the first place, and followed the sweet smell.
The smoke was thick, weaving through the air with visible independence. It was no normal smoke, and she swore that while it churned it was morphing, forming shapes in the air. As soon as something became a tangible form it shifted again into something else, making her unable to recognize any of the images. A sound caught her ear, that of air being drawn in followed by a satisfied exhale. It was barely a step through the trees before she saw the culprit. He lounged, shrouded in swimming smoke, clad in finery and puffing on his pipe. She couldn't be sure but his tail seemed intangible, drifting in and out of solid form with the plumes of vapor. The smell was choking her, blurring her vision, but despite her presence he hadn't moved or even cracked one of his own eyes.
"Where am I?" Jade rubbed tears from her face and coughed through her words. The smoke was getting to her head and the ground beneath her seemed to tilt to the side, despite that she was standing still and nothing around her had moved. "What are you smoking? It's awful!"
"A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." The being's voice was a deep baritone laced with a chuckle of amusement. He hadn't really answered any of her questions at all though his lids finally cracked to reveal piercing golden eyes. He was a deliberately abstract sort of being, and enjoyed the confusion of others.
"That doesn't really help." Jade waved her hand, getting sparse whiffs of fresh air that were quickly swallowed up, as if intelligently, by the smoke. "Who are you anyway?"
He took a long draw from his pipe, eyes closing just a moment in satisfaction. She couldn't tell if his relaxation was natural or a result of his intoxication. When his eyes opened once again, after what seemed like an age, his name caught her off guard. "Edward."
"Edward?!" Something crazy, something bizarre, something unpronounceable... MAYBE.. but not Edward. It wasn't at all what she expected.
He simply smiled, his mouth curling into a mysterious and slightly dangerous expression. He fed on their confusion, delighted in their cluelessness. Edward was, above all things, a predator. He preyed upon the unwise and feasted on the failures.
"Do you like riddles?" He initiated the conversation this time, only one of his eyes remaining closed while the other pinned her with an alertness that his body betrayed.
"Well I don't dislike riddles. Have you got a riddle for me?" She was sure if this was a game that she could play along well enough. She wasn't a genius but she was clever and had studied a variety of things in her life 'just for the hell of it'.
"Oh I have many riddles. More riddles than you could solve. Care for a try? If you win I'll let you go. If you lose you must take a puff of my pipe, suckle the sweet bud of genius, but only a taste..."
The offer was a strange one, but Jade thought perhaps this was just another confusing task she would have to work through on this strange journey. She was sure whatever he was smoking was too much for her small frame and weak constitution. Jade smoothed her skirt and found a smaller toadstool to sit on. She wasn't considered very demure by regular standards, but clad as she was in this strange place, she couldn't help but act like a lady. "Shoot."
Edward opened both of his eyes now and pushed himself up a little with one set of his legs. Riddles were clearly his forte and he was always looking for a challenge. His baritone voice vibrated across the fungi strewn grove and Jade was sure she could feel his words through her feet.
"The one who makes it, sells it.
The one who buys it doesn't use it.
The one who's using it doesn't know he's using it.
What is it?"
Jade had heard this one before and feigned a look of confusion. She rubbed her chin and looked at the sky, allowing Edward a look of satisfaction if only for a moment, "A coffin. C'mon.. give me another!"
The Riddle master huffed out smoke, pushing himself further up. By each ticking second he looked more alert, more threatening, like he was trying to lure her into some sort of trap. Certainly he was, but she couldn't be sure how bad the outcome would be. Jade was beginning to get the overwhelming feeling that to lose this battle of the minds would be a very, very bad thing.
Edward took another puff of pipe, faster this time, the smoke forming around his head in a wispy halo, the shape sharpening like thorns, and then dispersing. It was not reassuring.
"It's more powerful than God.
It's more evil than the devil.
The poor have it.
The rich need it.
If you eat it, you'll die.
What am I?"
Jade had heard something similar before but not this exact phrasing. She rolled the words around in her mind, contemplating simultaneously what she would do to get herself out of this increasingly uncomfortable situation. She wasn't sure if this riddle master was in the habit of gobbling up attractive young women, but he was certainly big enough to swallow her whole. Despite the fact that she had no evidence that he would eat her, she worried what his dangerously clever gaze had churning around behind it.
"Nothing. The answer is nothing." That one had been slightly more difficult for her and she let out a sigh. The smoke pushed away with her breath, but it's shape twisted as if her successful answer had hurt it in some way.
The riddle master rose further, all of his legs now holding him up. He placed his pipe to the side, as if it were now just a distraction. He usually was sated after the first riddle; mostly only fools and idiots found their way to his grove. He prepared one more riddle in his head before the girl, this tiny speck of a thing, spoke up before him.
"I've got a riddle for you." She was clearly uneasy, though she was trying to keep her cool. She was taking a shot in the dark by challenging him but it was her own wit she had to rely upon in this situation.
Edward could never deny a challenge, completely confident in himself and his own skills. "Shoot." He smirked, mocking her own manner of speech.
Jade took a deep breath, glad to have a breath of fresh air now that he had put his pipe down. Perhaps that was part of his trap, dulling the senses with his pipe smoke?
"What is the sound of one hand clapping?" It was sort of a trick, but Jade was playing for what she felt, was her life.
Edward stared her down, his body tensing as his mind drew a blank. This riddle was something he'd never heard before. His mind turned it over and over until his confusion began to be replaced with annoyance, anger even, "What is the answer?" His baritone turned into a growl.
Jade rose, shuffling as she glanced around. Whatever spell was weaved with the smoke seemed to be fading and she viewed a part in the trees to her left, an exit. Her gamble had been a wise one, playing upon the suspicion that this 'Master' of riddles had never heard of Buddhism or koan.
"Only you can answer the question." She now mocked his vague style of speech, and on seeing him bristle with rage, turned quickly and ran for her life.
As the insignificant twig of a girl fled, Edward did not move from his toadstool, though his growl followed her out with a puff of smoke he'd been holding deeply within his gut. The smoke formed a gaping maw, pursuing Jade until she was too far away to catch. Was it worth his contemplation? Was this riddle really a riddle, or had it been a trick?
He settled back, his pose relaxing and his pipe once more taken up. Perhaps he would take the time to contemplate her riddle, but he was fairly sure it had been a trick. That girl wouldn't have been anything more than a snack to him anyway. As his grove again filled with the thick intoxicating smoke, Edward closed his eyes and waited for the next of his victims... or perhaps a riddle master who could master him.
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:24 pm
Name of Sandpainter : Colonel Aurum
Temper : Condescending
Prompt :
Aurum could scarcely remember the last time he had an opponent who was able to match his wits so well for quite so long. He sat on his haunches with his tail curled about his feet, leaning back against his favorite mushrooms with one of the fingers of one of his many upper arms tracing the circles on the caps of his favorite fungi. The colonel was taking slow draws from his hookah, blowing the occasional ring when his pondering was moving in a direction that he was pleased with, but mostly just puffing the smoke through his nose. After a time of musing, he gave a decidedly toothy grin. “I have an answer to your little riddle, as well as another to pose of you.” The caterpillar stroked one of his whiskers, confident that his next riddle would be the one to end the tiring competition.
His opponent rose from where she had sat down on the dew moist grass. She brushed herself off and looked to him, lacing her fingers together in front of her. “Well, what is the answer to ‘When is it bad luck to meet a white cat?” Her dark eyes seemed to shine as she waited for his answer, curly ebony hair tied back from her moon pale face.
Colonel Aurum slowly blew a smoke ring in her general direction. “It is bad luck to meet a white cat…when you are a mouse.” The young woman’s face fell slightly. Before she got a chance to ask how he got it after such a short time, he continued on to his riddle. “What is broken every time it is spoken?”
The light and dark woman’s eye wandered heavenward as if searching for her answer in the skies. She hummed a few thoughtful, reflective sounds, mulling over potential answers. The caterpillar watched her face intently, stroking one of his whiskers with his ringed hand, while the unoccupied hands folded themselves across his coat and twirled his hookah’s golden hose around his fingers. After a long while, a smile lit up her face. “A promise to keep a secret. That has to be the answer.”
Aurum’s grin took on a distinctively dark overtone. He knew he had won, finally after nearly three hours of going back and forth with the young woman whose wit fell just short. “Wrong…And for losing our little battle of wits, you must relinquish one of those golden bangles about your wrist as well as the torment of going away without the answer which stumped you so easily.”
The woman gasped softly in surprise then scowled at the over-grown insect. She gave him a hard look before looking down to wrench one of her three golden bangles from her wrist. “Fine! Here is my bracelet; I do hope that your little prize brings you happiness.” She threw it at him, which he caught with one of his lower pairs of arms. She meant to have hit him, but her toss was low and off to one side. She turned on her heel; her thick curly hair whipped behind her as she began to march away.
The caterpillar was beyond pleased with the outcome the riddle competition. He was in the middle of recalling aloud a few past victories of his. Mid-storm off, she stopped as the answer dawned on her like an epiphany. Without turning, his opponent brought her feet together. “Silence…”Her voice carried exceedingly well through the still air of the mushroom dotted clearing.
Colonel Aurum let his sentence trail off. “What?! Who do you think you are?! Little girl, your wit was no match for mine and I have grown tired of your presence! Leave my glade, now!” A deep growl crept into his voice, growing in volume and intensity as his anger grew intensely.
The woman’s pace barely picked up pace as she jogged away, chased off by the threatening growl that chased her away.
The caterpillar hunkered down to lounge across his favorite trio of mushrooms, angrily huffing smoke from his nostrils, looking every bit like an angry and perturbed dragon. His fingers drummed a furious beat on the cap of the spotted cap of his mushroom seat. Colonel Aurum slid his hat forward on his brow, to conceal the scowl that had formed on his usually smirking face. His scowl deepened with the sound of his opponent's voice ringing through the trees into the clearing. "I am educated and well-read. I do not need to have my abilities justified by the likes of you." Aurum's own hubris made him steam and the smoke from his hookah was causing the somewhat bright clearing to obscure his form in thick smoke so as he could sulk and nurse his wounded pride.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:23 am
Name of Sandpainter: Alvis
Temper: Puzzling
Prompt:
Already the day was to almost an end, the coming riddler’s had all fallen. Not uncommon few were sly enough to even offer a challenge. But he missed the normal conversation they only wanted by nothing more nothing less.
“I am what most people fear, I can strike without warning for i cannot be stopped. Everyday I do things to people that rip apart the hearts of their loved ones. What am I?”
“I… I.. I donno…” The man stood in front of him a slight quiver to his legs however this didn’t phase Alvis, his goal was to stump the man, not allow passage. However a part of him still died for a conversation.
“Then you may not pass.” As time went by Alvis became more edgy he wanted what was normal he wanted someone to care… But no one did they just wanted by into the beyond.
“Good day.” He stared down at the child before him.
“Good day my child what is it you wish?” Already he knew what the answer was, so eager was he at a conversation but already the goal was clear.
“I need to get by if you mind.”
“Then answer me this, I can be red or green, some people like me but some people dislikes me. For most people when they eat me... their face turns red!” The child seemed to run this through her head for several moments before turning back.
“A chili, that’s the answer.” Already there was a dance to her step as she smiled at him.
“That is correct.” Stepping aside he allowed the girl to pass however she stopped and looked over at him.
“Aren’t you lonely?” He stopped no one had ever asked him that. Even in his wildest dream that was never asked.
“yes.” That was all he was able to put out for once even the riddler was stumped.
“Well then why not come with me?” Holding out her hand he stared at it, he was dreaming it wasn’t possible for someone, someone to offer him to join. Blowing out more smoke he stood up taking her hand.
“I would love to.”
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 7:47 pm
Name of Sandpainter: Aristotle
Temper: Overly Self-confident
Prompt:
There once was a most peculiar creature, a P’an-lun that had a very unusual amount of legs by the name of Aristotle. He was not exactly handsome, for his legs usually threw any and all courters for a loop, but he was not ugly. Plus, his name made him seem highly esteemed, seeing as he was named after one of the greatest philosophers of all time. Nobody had any idea who he was or where he came from, but there he was, lounging on a bed of giant mushrooms, smoking a Hookah that tinged the air with the scent of tropical fruits. His position would change by the day, but he was always on those mushrooms, and always laying right across any sort of well-worn path. Aristotle was riddler, a man of many words and few answers.
One day, a pair of young Pan’luns ventured into the wonderland in which Aristotle resided, wondering what they would find. They had promptly gotten lost within the first couple minutes, and decided to wander around, since they could do nothing else to remove themselves from the strange forest. It seemed as though every time they tried to fly, a great weight forced them back to the ground, so they simply waddled on, looking from some one or something to help them get home.
As they continued through the trees, the young female P’an of the pair scented the air before turning to her male friend, and exclaiming with a frown, “I smell smoke… but it’s really sweet… maybe some one has started a fire up ahead…!” The two blundered on through the trees until they suddenly ran strait into a group of extremely large mushrooms. The path they were on led right through the giant fungus, but the mushrooms were much too large for them to squeeze around! Then, just as they were discussing tearing through the freakishly large plants, a voice called down to them from above, “What are you doing you nasty brats! Get away from my mushrooms! I bet you’ve already bruised them haven’t you!” The two stumbled backwards in shock, stuttering and apologizing for their behavior when they finally laid their eyes upon Aristotle for the first time. Of course they had seen their fair share of strange things in their lifetime, but Aristotle was somewhere high up on the list.
Now, seeing as their only way forward was through the mushrooms, and they didn’t want to go backwards, the two began to plead the strange caterpillar P’an for a way through. He simply smirked and held up a hand for silence, which he got immediately from the frightened youths, and purred out slyly, “If you want to get past, and you must if you want to find a way out of this wonderland, than you had to play my riddle game.” The two youths blinked and looked at each other worriedly. Neither of them were stupid, but their level of intelligence was probably not even close to that of the caterpillar Pan’. But, alas, they had no choice. They nodded silently and Aristotle broke into a grin, “Very well then children… Lets see… I’m in a tricky mood today, so you will have only a short amount of time to answer my riddles. I will open a path through my mushrooms and you have until the path closes to both answer and get through… ready…?” And with out waiting for a reply, Aristotle tapped on largest mushroom he was sitting on, and they parted to the side, just enough for the two to run through.
He smirked and pointed to the female, “You first… what walks on four legs in the morning, two leg at noon, and three in the afternoon…?” The female Pan’lun blinked a couple times in stupor but squeaked as she noticed the pathway was already getting thinner. She stuttered and spat out the first thing that came to mind, “Its my uncle’s pet panda!” Aristotle smirked and sneered gleefully, his teeth glinting in the sun, “Nooo my dear child… it is man! You loo-” But he was cut off at the girl called out, “No! I’m pretty sure it’s my uncle’s pet panda. You see, when he wakes up he lumbers around on four feet, and at noon he walks on two to serve my uncle lunch, but in the afternoon he limps on three because he has a stiff back leg…!” Aristotle frowned and snarled, the girl had him there. He sighed and replied grudgingly… “Fine then… your turn…what is your riddle?”
The girl paused and thought for a moment before saying slowly, “What is purple, hangs on a wall, and sings…?” Aristotle sat and pondered and the girl called out, “Have you given up…?”
He blinked and spat back, “No no! I’m still thinking!” And as he drifted off into thought, the female dashed down the mushroom path and the young male P’an called out, “Ok… I guess it’s my turn! Hurry up old man! The path is closing!”
Aristotle bristled at the old man comment and sighed, replying grudgingly once more, “Fine fine… what is your riddle…?” The male blurted out as fast as he could as, “If you have it you want to share it, if you share it you don’t have it!”
Aristotle blinked and frowned, maybe this game wasn’t such a good idea after all… He had no time to think! The male was very impatient though, and the pathway was closing so he yelled out, “Do you give up?!”
Aristotle waved his hand indulgently and replied, “Yes yes… alright, I give up... what is it?” The boy yelped, “It's a secret!” and was about to run on when Aristotle blocked his way, “A secret? Come now dear boy, tell me the answer! It can’t be that big of a secret…!”
The boy hopped from one foot to the other and yelled again, “It IS a secret!” But Aristotle was adamant to know the answer, “The answer to a riddle can’t be a secret foolish boy!” But there was no time left! The boy looked around frantically, trying to figure out how to get past and pointed at Aristotle and yelled, “LOOK AN IDIOT!” In the heat of the moment, Aristotle whirled his head around to look where the boy was pointing, and during that momentary lapse of the riddler’s concentration, the boy slipped past him before Aristotle could recover.
As the two young Pan’s hurried down the path and out of the wonderland, the male turned to his female friend and asked curiously, “What was the answer to you riddle...?” She chuckled and shook her head, “It was a mouse…” The male frowned and looked at his friend curiously, “But mice aren’t purple?” She chuckled and replied “Well you can paint it pruple…” He blinked and the continued, “But… they don't hang on the wall!” She winked at him and replied again, “But you can nail it to the wall…” The male was catching on quickly and he laughed out, “But I’ve never heard a mouse whistle!” She tilted her head back and roared out laughing, “I just put that in to make it less obvious!” And the two trotted home, laughing to themselves heartily as the thoughts about how they fooled a riddler ran through their heads.
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Sandpaints Staff Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 4:55 pm
After carefully reading over the entries, the winner of The Caterpillar is Princess_Feylin!
Congratulations! Please send your information and any familiar purchases in to "Zephlis"
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