The Battle of The Maiden and Rain
A graphic-story script. Sort of. Not ready yet.
Cast:
The Maiden. The Maiden's character design constantly changes.
The Rain.
Page 1
A scene of thirst. There is a man slumped against a wall, beside an empty rain-catching-pot. You can see the rain gutters on the roof above it; the pot is cracked wide open. There is a tree with wilted leaves. There are grasses that look dry and broken.
The Maiden walks across the page. The Maiden's hair is long, uncut, follows her like a river. (If you have seen Amaterasu you have seen me do this once.) She is thirsty too; a waterskin hangs at her side, upside-down and uncapped. The Maiden is dressed like a warrior or a dancer; her clothes are cut close to the skin. She has her head raised to look at the sky, her hand warding away the sun. There are no clouds. The sun is terrible and bright, surrounded by rays and smoke curling like claws.
Across the bottom a wide panel, the Maiden and her hair. At left, the city she is leaving, Njaaluwe-in-Dreams, with its two-ringed spire erupting out of the panel into the space above. The Maiden walks toward the mountains at right, barefooted.
Page 2
The Maiden in the mountains. We see her face now: She has narrow, tilted eyes and sharp, sloping cheekbones. In one panel she wears a theatrically mischievous look; here she is scribbling characters onto a stone. In another panel she is determined; her chin is thrust out and she is looking at the western sky, where clouds are gathering. She leaps from mountaintop to mountaintop, heading west. She is dressed like an immortal now, in garments without seams, in shoes that do not touch the earth.
A small panel: She arrives where the Rain resides in his watery palace. He has a long black belt that trails behind him and his headdress is hung with beads. His white hair is caught in a horsetail-topknot, and it floats up into the air; it is a cloud.
Page 3
The Maiden speaking to the Rain, her mouth is open and she is gesticulating. In mime she tells of the thirst of her people. She is crowned with a dancer's headdress of many pins. Maybe she makes various gestures and behind her we see Shang bronze-style versions of scenes we have seen before.
The Rain's head is turned away and he makes a dismissing gesture with both hands.
The Maiden's hair swirls angrily and her brows knit together. The Rain is serenely impassive.
The point of a sword raises the Rain's chin. It is the Maiden's.
They lock eyes.
The Rain takes a step backward and, nodding, draws his own sword.
Page 4
The battle. It is left to the imagination; we only see sweeps of half-described motion, faces frozen in expressions of concentration or pain, etc.
Page 5
The Maiden, exhausted, yields. She collapses. Her clothes are tattered, her hair is tangled.
The Rain kneels to lift her up. Embroidery appears on her sleeves.
He offers his wrists. She ties them. Now she is like an empress; her lips are painted dark and her eyes outlined with bold kohl. A dragon coils at her feet.
Page 6
Across the top a wide panel, the Maiden and the Rain walking back to the city.
The Maiden, now an Empress, walks across the page. Her hair twines with the Rain's. His wrists are tied but he is smiling, and there is rain in the dry city. Flowers bloom and children are playing.
Cast:
The Maiden. The Maiden's character design constantly changes.
The Rain.
Page 1
A scene of thirst. There is a man slumped against a wall, beside an empty rain-catching-pot. You can see the rain gutters on the roof above it; the pot is cracked wide open. There is a tree with wilted leaves. There are grasses that look dry and broken.
The Maiden walks across the page. The Maiden's hair is long, uncut, follows her like a river. (If you have seen Amaterasu you have seen me do this once.) She is thirsty too; a waterskin hangs at her side, upside-down and uncapped. The Maiden is dressed like a warrior or a dancer; her clothes are cut close to the skin. She has her head raised to look at the sky, her hand warding away the sun. There are no clouds. The sun is terrible and bright, surrounded by rays and smoke curling like claws.
Across the bottom a wide panel, the Maiden and her hair. At left, the city she is leaving, Njaaluwe-in-Dreams, with its two-ringed spire erupting out of the panel into the space above. The Maiden walks toward the mountains at right, barefooted.
Page 2
The Maiden in the mountains. We see her face now: She has narrow, tilted eyes and sharp, sloping cheekbones. In one panel she wears a theatrically mischievous look; here she is scribbling characters onto a stone. In another panel she is determined; her chin is thrust out and she is looking at the western sky, where clouds are gathering. She leaps from mountaintop to mountaintop, heading west. She is dressed like an immortal now, in garments without seams, in shoes that do not touch the earth.
A small panel: She arrives where the Rain resides in his watery palace. He has a long black belt that trails behind him and his headdress is hung with beads. His white hair is caught in a horsetail-topknot, and it floats up into the air; it is a cloud.
Page 3
The Maiden speaking to the Rain, her mouth is open and she is gesticulating. In mime she tells of the thirst of her people. She is crowned with a dancer's headdress of many pins. Maybe she makes various gestures and behind her we see Shang bronze-style versions of scenes we have seen before.
The Rain's head is turned away and he makes a dismissing gesture with both hands.
The Maiden's hair swirls angrily and her brows knit together. The Rain is serenely impassive.
The point of a sword raises the Rain's chin. It is the Maiden's.
They lock eyes.
The Rain takes a step backward and, nodding, draws his own sword.
Page 4
The battle. It is left to the imagination; we only see sweeps of half-described motion, faces frozen in expressions of concentration or pain, etc.
Page 5
The Maiden, exhausted, yields. She collapses. Her clothes are tattered, her hair is tangled.
The Rain kneels to lift her up. Embroidery appears on her sleeves.
He offers his wrists. She ties them. Now she is like an empress; her lips are painted dark and her eyes outlined with bold kohl. A dragon coils at her feet.
Page 6
Across the top a wide panel, the Maiden and the Rain walking back to the city.
The Maiden, now an Empress, walks across the page. Her hair twines with the Rain's. His wrists are tied but he is smiling, and there is rain in the dry city. Flowers bloom and children are playing.