|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fortunes of China Captain
|
 Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:37 pm
Please post all Pompt Replies here!Info & Rules exclaim The contest is completely free to enter and win! exclaim You are not allowed to proxy for someone in this contest, nor are you allowed to give the Sunset Stallion away should you win. We want him to go to someone who'll appreciate him by showing effort in the contest. <3 exclaim Please use the best English skills that you can when answering the Story Prompt. exclaim Please make your Prompt Replies no more than 5 paragraphs in length. exclaim You may only submit ONE entry, so check everything over carefully before submitting. exclaim You may revise your entry as long as you do so before the end of the contest. You are writing to win this beautiful stallion colored by Hanyousblood!  Contest Starts: Now! (9/24/07 @ 6:30 p.m. PST) Contest End: 9/27/07 @ 6:30 p.m. PST Prompts!Pick one of the two following prompts to answer: Prompt #1 How did the Sunset Stallion come to be, and what is his Fortune, and what sort of luck does he bring to humans? Prompt #2 Write a story about how Poetical Rain and Hanyousblood discovered what happens when one mixes lucky red envelopes with Chinese Firecrackers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:45 pm
The sunset stallion was born of the fortune set by a little girl who was very sick. So sick that she would die soon. She wished to bring life, light and beauty to the world. She left the fortune hoping that it would help the world she would soon leave in some way.
And so was born a beautiful creature from that wish. He fed off the strong will of the small girl who had wished him into life and was soon big enough to venture into the world. He soon realized the he could bring good things to the world.
Just passing by a human could make them feel happy and hopeful. Letting one touch him could help them see a love for life. The same love the little girl had given him.
The sunset stallion lives to bring to a sometimes-hopeless world.
((Short yes. But it gets the point across. Hope you enjoy.))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:47 pm
I'm responding to the first prompt.
The Sun Sets on the Mountain
It’s unsure when this brother of the dawn first came into existence, though his earliest known appearance is a well-loved story among the islanders. At the foot of Mount Apo, on the Filipino island of Mindinao, stood (barely) a decrepit old shack. Within the shack lived a wizened old man whose ancient eyes could hardly see the paper on which he wrote. That did not dissuade him, however. His gnarled hands continued their swift movements and soon the sheet was covered in his hand. He squinted down at it critically, muttering under his breath and breaking into coughing fits by turns before he looked over his shoulder and spoke to those behind him. “I think I’m finished now.”
The sun flittered into the shack through various cracks and the one window, bathing his granddaughter in golden light which reddened as the sun began its descent. In the fading light, he could barely see her, but the qilin besides her practically blazed in his sight. He was surprised the creature was still there, having thought it would vanish after giving its message. His granddaughter took her hand from where it had been stroking the qilin’s mane and approached to read over his shoulder. After a moment, she smiled and hugged him. “You’ve made the qilin’s words glow, grandfather.”
“You’ve made my heart warm, granddaughter.” He stroked her hair for a moment and held her against him, regretting for the umpteenth that she hadn’t been born a boy. After a moment of basking in the softness of her hair and scent of her flesh, he patted her cheek fondly. “Help me to the bed, Ina. I need rest.” Obediently, the girl held her grandfather’s arm and walked him to the little cot shoved in the corner of the room. It creaked as he rested his weight upon it, uncurling his body to lie on his back, eyes closing as the girl spread the thin shroud over his body, the edge of it rising and falling with his chest. “There’s a good girl, Ina. When you get home, give your mother my thanks for the bread she sent.” She murmured that she would and watched a moment as the rhythm of his breathing slowed.
The girl Ina turned away from her grandfather’s body and wiped her wet cheeks, eyes lighting the qilin. “Are you leaving now? The sun has set.”
“You're alone, little sister. You’ll need help on the way home. Keep your hand on me, and I’ll guide you through the night.” And so it’s been ever since. The Sunset Stallion is a light in the darkness to those who find themselves out in the night with little hope. He provides luck to weary travellers and the lost, helping them stumble upon paths that often lead to safety and good fortune.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:41 am
This is for the first prompt for the beautiful sunset stallion heart Sunset Stallion Entry For as long as the Qilin could remember, there had been light. Always there was light, light to guide them and to illuminate their lives. However, the Maker became bored with years of stagnate light. So He shut himself away from His children, spending many years to finally produce Twilight. Twilight was a milky fabric, a veil to be stretched across the sky, filtering out the sun. The Maker studded it with diamonds, and imbedded a large magical pearl; to assure that not all nights would be pitch black. However, it took the Maker another few years to decide how to stretch it across the sky. He couldn’t leave it on for extended periods of time, for that would leave His poor children in the dark for far too long. And the Maker couldn’t be expected to place and remove the cloth daily, for that would take far too much of His own time. The answer came to Him as He pondered in His workshop. An answer in the form of a prayer… “And please, Maker, give me color, and beauty, that I may stand out amongst my peers. If you love me at all, you will take away my ugly gray and replace it, for I can not stand to be ridiculed any longer!” Sunset, the blandest stallion ever to be stranded together by the tree, stood looking at the sky. He was hoping for an answer to his hearts desire- the desire to be beautiful. The Maker heard His child’s plight, and resolved to help him, as it would also help the Maker. A loud voice boomed from the heavens, scaring Sunset practically to death. “This is the Maker. I have heard your plea, Sunset, and I make you a proposition. I will give you the beauty you seek, but only if you draw the curtains of twilight across the sky each night for the rest of eternity.” Sunset could have cried! Finally, the chance he had been waiting for! He told the Maker that he accepted the conditions, and all at once he felt strange. Warmth surrounded him, but a cold wind chilled the tips of his fur. By the time it was over Sunset the stallion was a new Qilin. He looked down, surprised to see his white hooves replaced by vibrant magenta ones. And his fur! It was purple, and his scales were the prettiest combination of colors ever created. Satisfied with the Makers deal, Sunset headed into town. All the other Qilin stared at him with disbelief and envy! However, soon it was time to draw the veil. Sunset was not fully aware of the implications of his deal. For, even though the veil was to be drawn once a night, it was time consuming and it spent most of his energy. During the day, Sunset slept in a large cave, waking up at the same time every day to draw forth the veil. After returning to his house one day to collect his belongings so he could officially move into the cave, he came across his fortune card, and was surprised to see his fortune had changed! Instead of a general wishing of luck, the card now read one simple word- ‘Endings’. For how can one have a new beginning, without first ending something else?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:18 am
I'm responding to the first prompt...but here are a few things about the story.
About the Format:
It's not exactly in paragraph format, especially in the beginning with all the speaking going on. But a good paragraph is 5 to 8 sentences-I counted, and I have about 26 sentences in all. So it is within the 5-paragraph range. ^^
About Lacey:
This entire story was basically dedicated to my dear friend's daughter, Lacey. She's very sick in the hospital right now, and needs a bone marrow transplant...she asked me if she could be in one of my stories, and I thought since this story is so 'hopeful', it'd be a good one to include her in.
About his Fortune:
'Hope comes with the day' is an old Gaelic saying. When you're down on your luck, you look at the sky, and it makes you feel better...it's a very pretty metaphore I found in an old Celtic book, and I thought it suited the Sunny Boy very well.
About the Banners and Stuff:
I got bored Friday morning. ^^' And I wanted to give it a good theme, anyways....
Entry for Prompt #1 
It was like an explosion on the horizon. The sun sat like a lazy yellow cat in a valley between mountains, acting as if it would never go down; from it radiated wispy clouds that danced like wild paint brushes, splashing purples, pinks and reds over the orange and tan canvas of the sky. The fading tones washed together, both brilliant and subtle, and made this sunset the most fantastic she'd ever seen.
"How pretty!" She cried, blue eyes reflecting the whole of the masterpiece. "...it's Kibou."
"What?" Her mother asked, leaning over the back of the wheelchair to give her five-year-old daughter a questioning look.
"It's Kibou. The sunset." She said it as if it were plain as day-her mother was still trying to figure it out.
"...hope? The sunset it hope?"
"Yeah. Remember the storybook you read me? 'Hope comes with the day'. So it's hope."
"Uh..." She gave a weak smile. "I think you're thinking of sunrise, not sunset."
"But I think it fits anyway." Her mother was still trying to figure out why she was naming the sunset in the first place...she couldn't have possibly known what her daughter knew. After all, it took ecstatic amounts of belief and imagination to create a Qilin-good fortune and luck don't come to just any people. Lacey was special in the fact that she held a love for the world-and she would leave the world soon, taking the innocence of her joy with her and leaving those close to her to mourn.
And it was in this way that yet another wonderful Qilin was born-but this Qilin was as unique as a red blue jay. He was rather large for a Qilin, and the way his slender, long-legged body flowed was less that of a Qilin and more of a diety-his colors....He was Kibou-Kibou the sunset. His scales held the pinks and the purples of the clouds; his fur was the golden orange canvas, with wisps of violet and sienna soaring through. His mane flowed with the purples of the mountains and the high parts of the sky, the shades of indigo that hinted on nighttime; and his branching antlers were the flame of the sun. It seemed that all these colors, all these aspects of that sunset were contained in his eyes-those beautiful lavender eyes...
Though the beautiful Kibou and Lacey the little mistress grew very close, the poor girl was not long for the world. And it was in irony that she would pass underneath the very sunset she loved- a splash of magnificent colors had overwhelmed the blue sky, leaving a shimmer on Kibou's scales as he ran, reciting his fortune to himself. "Hope comes with the day...." He called, making his way up the mountain beside the sun's valley. Herein, he felt as if he'd become one with the sunset-and so he had. His magnificent colors were washed in the dusk as the sun finally started to descend into sleep, giving way to the husky almost-full-but-not-quite moon.
A lost Qilin is by far the most terrible kind of Qilin to have-and here, Kibou was lost. He sat atop the mountain shrine, waiting every day for the sunset to come-it was the only time he was not lonely, for he shared life and valor with the sunset; he would tell the world from his lookout above that Hope comes with the day, and his good fortune, whether he was a sad Qilin or not, would wash over the land below him, giving hope and joy to every thing there. And when the shadows would finally stretch and slowly fade away, and the lazy yellow cat that was the sun would slink away, and the moon took hold of the sky with a surprisingly quiet audacity, Kibou would return to the shrine, lying on the marble steps and waiting for the sunset.
Though I doubt that such a magnificent Qilin would have such a lonely fate, don't you? For of course he would not always be by himself. As fate would have it, he would eventually come across a new friend, and travel, taking his great message with him-that is why now, whenever you look to the sunset, you are filled with happiness and faith-because, whether it be sunrise or sunset, Hope Comes With The Day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 6:50 am
In years past, it was said the the sun never set on the British Empire. One could circle the globe and there would always be a British subject, colony, or protectorate in sunlight. It was a point of pride for the British, and why not? Was it not concrete proof of their superiority? It was their duty, their burden, to civilize the savage barbarians of the world, and they were good at it.
However, there were other views. While the British brought culture and civilization (of the British variety, naturally), they took it out of their protectorates and other associates, sometimes in more than just money. Sometimes in blood. When the British took control of Hong Kong and began to use it as a means to get their opium into China, something had to be done. But what could be done? The British were all-powerful, and though China had been an advanced civilization for centuries before the British ever thought about having a real king, Britain had the superior navy, and the citizens of China had come to rely on the small creature comforts the British brought in trade.
Offerings were made among those who knew the detrimental effect of the British invasion. Offerings to higher powers, that their country might be spared the utter ruination they had seen visited upon others that Britain decided to deal with as they wished to deal with China. Incense was lit. Prayers were whispered fervently. The Celestial Emperor even prostrated himself (in private, naturally) before his altar to ask his ancestors for guidance.
Their prayers were answered. A beast such as had not been seen within living memory of all but one man, who claimed to have lived for nearly two hundred years eating nothing but goji berries and rice and drinking only frigid mountain water. This man has nothing to do with the tale, however. This beast was among the highest orders of creatures, a noble being which brought good fortune to those who were also noble of spirit. For the first time in over a century, a quilin had returned to the Celestial Kingdom.
The sunset colored stallion raced to the Imperial Palace, right to the Celestial Emperor, and the two heavenly bodies bowed to one another, each understanding the other intrinsically. With the quilin's presence, the British were held back and China was safe from Britain. From that point on, the sun did set on the British Empire, even if only in the Kingdom of China. The quilin, whose fortune was "the promise of a new day" departed the Middle Kingdom, returning to the celestial realm to await the time when he would be called upon to help the wheel of fate turn a little faster.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:57 am
The story of the Sunset Stallion is one of love and balance, a gentle reminder to human and animal kind alike to be peaceful and find beauty in the simple things. It is said that the Stallion and his mate were at the dawn of creation; they were so beautiful in their splendor that the Creator Itself would gaze upon their colors and weep. The Creator chose to share their beauty with all the living creatures on the planet, but sparingly, as he knew that they would be taken for granted if allowed to be manifested at all times.
The Creator deemed that she, the Morning Mare, would rise with the sun to give each being a good day and new beginnings, as a doting mother watching over the land. In her wake, the Sunset Stallion would follow, drawing the sun over the crest of the land to bestow night to the living world, bringing a happy ending to the day with a promise of a fresh start with his mate. Such was the cycle of the two, she encouraging with the sun in the morning, and he drawing the day to a close with the gentle embrace of twilight.
His fortune is Serenity, bringing peace and comfort to each who behold his beauty at the end of each day. He is able to soothe troubled minds, if even for a moment, to bring harmony to the soul before the next day comes. The Stallion is tranquil by nature, sharing his amicable warmth with all beings before the night comes, promising a restful evening. Able to bring relief and temperance, humans look to him for his fortune of momentary reprieve, a simple and nightly peace of reposeful placidity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:01 pm
Prompt #1 How did the Sunset Stallion come to be, and what is his Fortune, and what sort of luck does he bring to humans? Notes *ojiisan- grandfather
*obaasan- grandmother
*tensai- horizon
*The fortune implied is the ease of pain in times of grief.
Music While Written?: Not that you really care 'bout this, but I like to write what I listened to so I can look at a later date~
"Sleeping Sun" - Nightwish
"Tears Don't Fall [Acoustic]" - Bullet for my Valentine
"Cancer" - My Chemical Romance
“O-ojiisan*…” she whimpered softly, burying her face into the thick, reddish purple mane, “Why isn’t he coming home?” When the stallion did not respond, the young girl kept talking, somehow feeling a bit better as she spoke with the gentle beast. “I wished for you on last night’s sunset.” She continued, pulling back her face and smoothing his mane out a bit, “I wanted to feel better. Obaasan* said that… 'while filled with grief, wish to the first stars that I could feel better… then come back later to see if it came true'.” The stallion lowered his head, gently nuzzling the girl’s shoulder.
“When I came back today, you were here!” she exclaimed, suddenly smiling, though tears still streaked her face, “It’s almost like… you heard my wish, isn’t it?” The beast nodded gently, allowing the child to stroke his forehead and ears, a relaxed expression upon his face.
“Well, then,” she replied, standing up and brushing off her knees, “I think you need a name. Maybe… maybe you can help other people that are sad, right?” A look much like a smile came across the qilin’s lips, cranium bobbing softly. “Then you should go do that, right?” the girl looked out at the sun, setting in a wavering orange over the trees. “I’ll name you… Tensai*.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quicksilver the Archangel
|
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:29 pm
[Written in Response to Prompt #1]
Human beings often wondered about their purpose in life, their present, their future, their deaths. Jin Li snorted at his sudden thought, his dusky, purple-tipped tail lashing. He had no time for existentialist rubbish, and perhaps that was because he knew his purpose, remembered his birth, had accepted that death would come, in some form, even for him. No one could be an Enduring Spark forever, no matter what the fortune read.
He lowered his head to lap water from the stream that he lay near, shutting his eyes against the jeweled hues of the setting sun that matched his own glimmering scales. Perhaps the human problem was that they classified everything with a beginning and an end, automatically equated "good" and "bad". Few saw the beauty, the power, the raw, untapped potential of an end. Few understood why the sunset meant more than the sunrise.
His summoner had, and his nostrils flared in pride as he remembered him. A little boy, quiet, timid, bullied by his peers and misunderstood by his elders. A little boy that no one heeded, who looked up from his place on the ground and saw the passionate colors of the sunset, the colors that marked the ending of an old year. All of the emotion, the unfulfilled promises, the events that some praised and others despised - he realized that none of those mattered. Even as the threat of a New Year approached, the sunset battled on, giving a final performance, a farewell show; that was the way he had described it to Jin Li later.
His skritchy handwriting could not be compared to calligraphy, but with these emotions tearing through his heart, the boy nevertheless prepared a special Lai Si. The money inside was a gift from his parents, but their generic fortune did not apply to him. They did not realize what he needed, what he craved. He wanted what the sunset offered: a burst of fiesty energy, perserverance and strength, the will to fight until the very end and damn the consequences!
The gentle glow of fire flies and the darker navy shades of the twilight showed that the sunset had ended, and Jin Li shook his mane to clear his thoughts. There was no point in dwelling on the past. Others needed the brand of luck he offered, and he intended to search for another person to bless. He pawed the earth, determination fiery in his purple eyes. Nothing would stop him - no matter how long it took.
[Important Information:
Name: Jin Li
Fortune: Enduring Spark
Luck Given to Humans: Perserverance, strength, and the will to fight in the most dire of situations.]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:57 pm
(Written for Prompt 1! ^^)
Jie Ju could remember the day he came into the world as if it had happened yesterday. It was a story of himself, not of joy, not of victory, but of an ending, a closure to which he was merely witness of. There had been a mother, such a mother that children could only dream of. She loved her son more than Jie Ju imagined he could ever love another being. He supposed that was why it wounded her so much to see her beloved son sickening before her eyes.
He hadn't been around for this part, no, he had to guess what had happened from rumors and implications. The boy grew worse. Medicine couldn't save him. Prayers couldn't save him. He lingered on and on in the presence of death yet death seemed unwilling to make the final blow. He suffered. He suffered more than most did in their entire lives, let alone in his short one. It was out of this suffering that a wish was born in the heart of his mother, a hope for a fortune that Jie Ju would come to embody. Who was he to deny such an ardent calling? So he came. He came and bestowed his fortune upon the poor, suffering, dying boy.
It was a fortune for an easy passing. The boy finally slipped away into the sleep that no one, not even qilin, can ever waken from. Jie Ju had thought that he had done right there. Ending suffering was one of the most noble of causes, wasn't it? The boy's own mother had held that wish in her heart. However, wishing was one matter and embracing the bearer of such wishes was another. She flew into a frenzy of rage and grief and took it out upon the one that she perceived to have been the cause of it, Jie Ju. Jie Ju had fled, anguished into the wilderness and ashamed at his own blessing.
It was later when gazing at his own reflection in the water did he realize the significance of the colors that sprawled across his form. He was the sunset, beautiful as it was inevitable that must come to each day. His colors were the bridge between the stunning blue of day and the tranquil black of night. He was a transition without which the world would be a jarring and unfamiliar place.
He stood and looked towards the sunrise that was just blossoming across the sky in that moment. He was what he was and wouldn't be ashamed of it any longer. His hooves began to carry him towards the human settlement that lay just beyond the forest. Even if he was to be reviled for it, his fortune was one that would benefit others, and he planned on spreading it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 4:11 pm
Blake=Hawtness!
[Response for Prompt #1]
The stallion, color of the sunset, wisdom of a human, was the most respected creature in all the land. With beautiful coloring and beautiful markings all over his body, no one compared to him. The Sunset Stallion, as the called him, had the wisdom and grace that showed with his movements. He was first spotted as an adult, and not any one person knows where he has come from, though the chinese have myths about it. They say if you see him, it will sun will start to set, and your name will be written in the clouds. The beautiful dragon gives the luck of love to all who seek it. They say he lives on in all of us, giving us the joy of life.
And that is the story of the wise and powerful sunset stallion.
((Yes, its short. But you get the point.))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 12:15 pm
Oh dear, no ones giving prompt #2 some love...*tries it because she can* While I'm about to cause some peoples eyes to bleed...eh Im feeling evil today twisted Oh and Han and PR? I stole you for this, your souls are belong to me.
Crack entry:
One fine evening Hanyousblood (Han) was sitting about basking in the glow of a computer screen. She was doodling in her sketch book, preparing to astonish the world with her amazingness. A tiny screen popped up on the computer, making an obnoxious noise. It read "Meet me midnight with the goods, I'll bring the cash." Han's eyes flicked over the message. Poetical Rain (PR) had finally set the time. She grabbed the conviently placed brief case and began lugging it out the door.
PR tapped her watch impatiently as she leaned against the wall in a back alley-way. Han was late, again. A shadow fell in front of her and there was Han, who was holding out a briefcase. PR pulled out a red envelope, the type normally seen around New Year's when children are given money. "Lets see it."
Han opened the briefcase, displaying firecrackers? She lifted up a tray, and there underneath, were genuine Qilin hairs, the best the black market had to offer. The two grinned at each other, two eerie smirks that would under any circumstance strike fear into good little children.
"Hey what are you guys doing down here?!" The yells came from a scary source, fangirls. A mob began moving towards them, stampeding, squeeling fangirls (with the odd fanboy every now and again).
They lite the firecrackers and ran, knowing that the billowing smoke and loud noises would force the creatures to stay back. They stopped a short distance away and put the hairs into the envelope and sealed it, stashing it so that they could return for it later. Then they kept going, into the night evil minds already at work for their next meeting.
Someone is going to shoot me for forcing them to read this XD
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:52 pm
Prompt 2 Write a story about how Poetical Rain and Hanyousblood discovered what happens when one mixes lucky red envelopes with Chinese Firecrackers. Han was sitting with PR out in the fields on day. The sun was bright as it set before them, and several white fluffy clouds passed lazily from one end of the sky to the next. Beside Han, was several red lucky envelopes. He had plans as to what was going to happen with them. As the sun set, it light the clouds up into fiery blazes, tinting everything below in bright colors of orange or red. It was this sunset, that started the entire ordeal. For as PR was watching it, she had light a Chinese firecracker. However, she'd been so distracted by the beautiful colors, that she had set it down beside her, and right on the beautiful red envelopes. BOOM!! came the sound from between them, and both startled watches jumped to their feet and darted a good ten feet away. But the chaos had already started. PR had left the other fireworks there as well, and they were ignited by the embers of the first firework. Red envelopes were everywhere in the sky, creating a shower of good luck. But that wasn't the end of it. Oh no. One aerial firework caught an envelope and carried it into the sky, tinting it with the very shades of the sunset. To surprise the two observers more, a stallion emerged after the tendrils of the firework faded. Han had to flinch as twp envelopes landed beside him on the pendant PR gave him, with another firecracker. Another loud explosion ensued, and after the two could look again, a pair of Quilin stood there, bearing the marks of the pendant; a Ying-Yang. On and on this continued. Some envelopes being carried far away on large rockets, and dissapearing in the darkening sky. Other envelopes landed safely and undisturbed all around them. Several, the pair of watches lost track of. As the din died down, and they started moving around to collect the unchanged envelopes, Han and PR wondered what had happened to the envelopes that they couldn't find. Hopefully, they were bringing good luck to whomever it was that found them. As they picked up the last envelope, and looked at the strange creatures that now stood beside them, they knew one thing; the world was never going to be the same again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 11:03 pm
The Birth of the Sunset Stallion: and the Flight of the Han
By Hexie (Hex Mark)
Han, I love you! XD PR, I would have picked on you more too if I knew you better...! We have to work on that >_>! <3 Prompt #2 Write a story about how Poetical Rain and Hanyousblood discovered what happens when one mixes lucky red envelopes with Chinese Firecrackers.
First of all, PR was in favor of a night spectacle extravaganza. A sort of raffle-mystery game, in which she would sell Lai Si envelopes to all the participants. That night, at sunset, they would start the fireworks against the low light and beautiful colors. Everyone would set off a gorgeous light display, and from one envelope, a Qilin would emerge. Han was in favor of a bonfire, around which they could dance the night away. The fire works, of course she agreed on. After all, what is a celebration without extremely cool colors in the sky and massive explosions? (8D) Eventually, they came to an epic and complicated decision. They decided to mix the ideas. After all, there would be a festival, then an extremely cool fireworks display, and the birth of a new Qilin, right? So PR began to stuff her envelopes with firecrackers while Han prepared for the festival, with much ‘aid’ from her beloved Ammy. Long story short, with only minor injuries to all involved, the festival was prepared for, and the envelopes were stuffed. They were ready for the biggest event in the-- somewhat short, but who’s counting? -- history of Fortunes of China!
Just before the festivities began, Han came in to where the stuffed envelopes were. There were two piles, which, one, she assumed, was full of the firecrackers, and the other were just extra. Hating to see these go to waste, she made a last minute fashion decision. She created a sort of sash, to go around her waist by tying the knots of the ‘unused’ envelopes together in an intricate and appealing way. She grabbed the other pile of envelopes and started out to sell them to the gaggle of fan girls and boys that had likely gathered for the festivities by now.
Han was the life of the party, once everything got into swing. There was a bonfire, and colored lanterns, confetti-- everything a celebration should have, especially many familiar faces and good friends. It was a glorious day, until sunset rolled around and PR called for the lighting of the fireworks. Everyone was anxiously awaiting to see who would receive a Qilin tonight. PR could hardly contain herself, all the Qilin were watching the skies in anticipation… Then the fire works were lit and-- Nothing.
PR gaped. How could all of her envelopes-- all of those fireworks be duds?! Of course, everyone, including Han was wondering what was the matter. As Han started towards PR to inquire, in her special coordinated way, she tripped over Hexie’s foot, and stood too near the fire. Without much warning at all, the sash on Han’s waist caught fire, and one by one the Lai Si envelopes began to explode in a sea of colors, and a roar of snaps, crackles, and pops. Everyone in the near vicinity ducked and covered-- even ran for their lives as Han was shot into the air, “OUCH”ing and “EEEEEP~!”ing all the while. There were reds, blues, greens and golds melding with the colors of the sunset, accompanied by the thunderous explosions. Sure enough, however, out of one of the envelopes, a Qilin emerged. He seemed to be see-through against the painted sky, but as he descended to Han’s aid, all could tell different. He was the magnificent, fabled, Sunset Stallion. Stomping on Han a little with his front hooves, he managed to put out the flames. ‘So that’s what happened…’ PR thought matter-of-factly, as she peeled a dizzy and slightly singed Han off the ground, who after many huggles and laughs declared that all was well. This night would surely go down in the Fortunes of China history books: The Birth of the Sunset Stallion, and Flight of the Han**.(*I do not own Soquili or anything. They are just so popular and amazing, and I think Qilin may be just as popular someday!
**Han: One of the earlier dynasties of China. During the Three Kingdoms Period, Liu Xuande took flight from the corrupt central China to try to form his own territory and restore the Han Dynasty, leading over 3000 people, civilians, who willingly followed. Excuse my Ancient Chinese humor X3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:00 pm
Prompt #1 How did the Sunset Stallion come to be, and what is his Fortune, and what sort of luck does he bring to humans?
A calling came to the qilin one day: the birth of another benevolent one. Following the summoning, the qilin came across an exceptional sight. The newborn babe was curled up in their blankets and was sleeping peacefully. However, the qilin was caught somewhat off guard when he realized that the child was not a boy but a girl! Even in these ever changing times, girls were not often blessed at birth by a qilin. Few knew why and even the qilin did not have an answer. This babe was the first girl he would bless at birth. Uncertainty filled the qilin’s mind because for once, he was unsure how to carry on. It was not that being a girl made the blessing more difficult or that he did not like women… it was a strange feeling that grew inside of him self that he did not understand. As the qilin approached the child, a sense of kindness that he never knew washed over his body, mind and spirit. A strong desire to watch over and protect this child grew within him. Suddenly, the babe opened her eyes and stared forward, awakened from her slumber. With tiny little hands, the child struggled with the blankets until her hands could reach out and touch the sleek muzzle and whiskers of the qilin stallion. As the child cooed and smiled at her newfound friend and guardian, the qilin’s heart filled with a sense of absolute joy, the empty void that grew from long ago for once began to shrink.
In the years that followed the babe’s life, she grew into an adventurous girl who was not well liked by the boys of her village but she didn’t mind for she had the forest and the world to play with. When he could, the qilin traveled great distances to see the girl grow up and enjoy life but not once did he reveal himself to her. It was merely by chance that they would see each other again. The qilin had traveled to a not so far away island to give blessings to those worthy of them. His new duties separated him from the child he adored dearly and he pondered if he would ever see her again. The emptiness that was once in his heart began to grow again as days passed by without true joy for him self.
When he was able to return to the country of China, the qilin passed by the home of a town magistrate and found a lovely looking woman playing the strings of a se instrument. Upon hearing the song played by the woman, the qilin felt the joy and kindness that he’d experienced so very long ago with one special girl. Unaware that his presence was sensed, the qilin was caught off guard when the woman stopped playing and looked up at the magnificent creature with a smile. “I missed you… my Rì Luò… my sunset.” Slowly the qilin descended from the sky as the woman rose to her feet to embrace her dearly missed guardian and protector carefully around the neck. Even though she’d only seen him once as a babe, his image never faded from her memories. She spoke of many things to him and told him many stories about her childhood and her life as a woman. She mentioned to the qilin that she had always looked towards the sunset in hopes of seeing her beloved friend again. The stallion closed his eyes in comfort, the emptiness he once had was truly gone. He found that which was most precious to him again, and his cherished jewel had given him a name.
When the time came for the woman to pass on into the next life Rì Luò was there to greet her and bless her with a comfortable afterlife. With her arms held carefully around his neck, the woman and the qilin rose into the setting sky to enter the heavens together. It is now said that whenever the sun sets into the horizon to welcome the night sky, it is the embrace of the woman around her cherished qilin’s neck as both fall into quiet peaceful slumber bringing the fortunes of “A new day” and “Companionship” to both humans and qilin alike.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
