Uploaded 17-07-10
It's been, like, over three years since I posted chapter 7. Phew.
AUTHOR'S NOTES - OUTLINE AND ENDING
So I noticed the other day that ffnet had eaten all the chapter dividers on my old stories, and that prompted a re-read of everything... and that in turn prompted me to write an outline of what was supposed to happen in this complicated tale... so even though my creative muse has given up on the project, at least people will know how it was supposed to end.
I've lost (or maybe thrown away) my old notes, so this is all from memory. =/ Also, it's possible not all of these ideas would have been revealed or even used, but regardless, this is the backstory. Remember, too, that this was written in between that huge gap between season 1 and season 2, where no one knew what was going to happen to Raimundo, so season 2 & 3 canon does not exist.
PLOT THREADS, IDEAS, EXPLANATIONS ETC.
Random bits and bobs
- DarkClaw was working with Fafnir. This is the meaning of the first and fourth scenes of chapter 3. I forget DarkClaw's motive because I'm an idiot, but I think it had something to do with being fed up of being stuck in the hidden Shoka village, and getting back at SilverClaw. Or something.
- Katnappe stole some Shen Gong Wu from Ping-jing by using pixie dust. This is the scene at the beginning of chapter 6. She was being influenced by the selkie Blueneck, who was also working for Fafnir. Speaking of selkies...
- the selkies lured Clay's mother away, years ago, and that's why he dreams of her, and seals. Can't remember why they did this, or what the significance of it was, just that they did it. =/
Fafnir - darkness given form. Made up of the combined spirits of darkness, a.k.a. the world's largest Huai-Ren. Something along those lines, anyway. He has the form of a black dragon.
Xiaolin Dragons and Heylin Tigers - The Heylin temple was not evil, it just taught a different fighting style, and was for magical creatures; however it gained a reputation for being evil when Wuya began her takeover bid 1500 yrs ago. Anyone training there also had elemental affinity. Before Wuya became evil, both Wuya and Fengqu trained there.
Akhlut - Guardian of the Water (Ice) temple, and of SilverClaw's map. Has the ability to shape-shift from a wolf to an orca (like the mythical creature). Trains Omi.
Scirocco and Mistral - Twin guardians of the Wind temple. Two feathered dragons. Scirocco is the name of a southerly wind that blows into the Mediterranean sea from the Sahara desert, and it's hot like hell. In contrast, the Mistral (maestrale in Italian) is a wind blowing into the Mediterranean from the north/northwest, and is much colder.
Gui Xian - Guardian of Earth. A giant tortoise.
Feng Huang - Fire Guardian. A fiery phoenix.
Li Jin - General/Leader, who was a hero amongst the humans.
Gong Gong - sigh... Something to do with the Heylin. I think. I had a chapter name in mind called Gong Gong's Gong, because gong means palace in Mandarin.
Nu Wa - creator snake of the world, and the one responsible for the current system of flowing souls, jing, eight elements etc. In their early days Wuya and Fengqu both visited her to try to change this system. She wouldn't budge. They were both pissed off about it, but dealt with it in different ways...
Fengqu - old acquaintance of Wuya's. He's got a playful, sunny personality and is one of those people who's always smiling. They both suffered during the war between humans and magical creatures, but both had completely opposite ways of thinking, in regards to what they should do next. In his cheerful, idealistic way, Fengqu wanted to promote peace and, with SilverClaw, left the Heylin temple and joined the Xiaolin one in an attempt to understand humans. Wuya went down the I-need-more-power route, and it wasn't till later that Fengqu discovered why. Later on, and as more years pass, Fengqu becomes disheartened (I forget why) and is persuaded to change the world by force (as shown in the prologue). This is an action he then deeply regrets because it leads to the dark future, and so Future him tries to change this action by altering the time streams and sending his soul all about the place in order to contact his past self. His past self in turn tries to contact Jack... and he succeeds in chapter 2 in this fic.
Moshu-Ren - after being driven off by Li Jin, most of them disguised themselves as griffins and lived their lives peacefully (well, away from everyone else at least) ever since. The ones that didn't tried to integrate with humans, but all but died out. All the griffins in the world - and in the story - are, in fact, Moshu-Ren. Wuya doesn't know this.
- the panda in Jack's vision of the dark future is actually Fengqu, showing his regret for helping the rogue Moshu-Ren.
- and - get this - Cloudstorm is actually Fengqu. He throws his soul all over the timeline a lot, heh.
Chapter 8 "Some Answers" outline:
- Continues from where chapter 7 left off. Befana wonders what on earth Wuya's talking about; both Wuya and Jack mention the meeting with Fafnir and how he mentioned a Shoka. Befana then wonders if that's the real reason SilverClaw left. Jack confronts Wuya, asking her whether Raimundo is going to turn into a Huai-Ren because she has control over his soul. She doesn't answer directly, but her reaction says enough. Both Befana and Jack leave, Befana saying she'll try her best to change Raimundo back to normal - but it won't be easy.
- Jack and the Xiaolin warriors (minus Raimundo) begin their training at the respective elemental temples. Kimiko, Omi, and Clay regain their elements. Bai Hu has fun teaching Jack to use magnetic forces to hold up his sword, and there is an explanation of the powers of Metal. Jack's Metal element is the reason why his machines work. The Metal element is able to "conduct" other elements, and also magic.
- Befana confronts SilverClaw, and finds out more about DarkClaw. Which leads to the next bit...
- Fafnir attempts to storm Ping-jing (Katnappe, Tubbimura, Blueneck are in the attack); in the ensuing chaos, Wuya escapes. Raimundo turns into a Huai-Ren.
Chapter 9 onwards:
- Both Wuya and Fafnir are after information on the elemental temples, and gather up their own forces. Jack pays a visit to his house, where he reveals the project (master invention) he had been working on in Chapter 7 of the Lost Dragon: a giant airship, which is fast, has a cloaking device, has the anti-magic force-field and is - best of all - "Wuya-proof."
- at some point the group captures Huai-Ren Raimundo, with the help of Uru & Ricky's group (remember them?). Befana has been working on something to help Rai, and manages to put a spell to make him docile, but is unable to do more to fully restore him.
- In another dream, future Fengqu appears, to warn Jack of what future Wuya is planning. Jack uses the beans that the stork gave him in order to create the Zhong Float, and he installs it inside his airship. This allows the group to travel up the streams of time into the past. He creates a seal on the Water temple which prevents Wuya of the dark, destroyed future from interfering.
- Jack, the Xiaolin warriors and Huai-Ren Raimundo go back in time and arrive just after a war between factions of humans, Moshu-Ren, and magical creatures had ended. Tensions are still high, so the group use Shen Gong Wu to disguise themselves as magical creatures.
(A glimpse of the aftermath of the war is shown in this fic's prologue. Only this group of Moshu-Ren were opposed to Nu Wa; it turns out that all of the remaining Moshu-Ren did not want to fight, but they were hated and feared, and were driven away by the Shoka, and sick of being in a world which despised them, departed to pastures new.)
- The Xiaolin warriors meet Fengqu. He's older than the Fengqu Jack met in chapter 2, but younger than the Fengqu in the prologue. Jack discovers that he and Fengqu are responsible for creating the Shen Gong Wu, in order to stop Wuya. Fengqu knows Jack's identity because he'd contacted him in chapter 2. Fengqu declares that he's made a mistake in helping Wuya to absorb the xing xing jing; she's gone completely out of control, and he's determined to stop her.
- Dream scene where there is a fight in the Thunder temple; Raicho the thunderbird loses her powers when Wuya attacks her. In this scene, Jack then discovers that Fafnir corrupted Wuya (this has already been hinted at in the currently uploaded chapters) in order to escape the prison in which Nu Wa placed him inside. Fengqu finds this out at the same time. (Perhaps Jack and Fengqu both see a vision together, or perhaps they time travel, I hadn't quite worked out how they're both in this scene yet.) Whichever way they got there, Jack and Fengqu's appearance causes an interference and Fafnir loses control; Wuya turns on Fafnir and takes his power to control Huai-Ren, and thinking she is one of the last Moshu-Ren left, gathers a following and starts a takeover bid.
- After the Fafnir scene, Fengqu removes the Yizhi spell from Raimundo, restoring his free will; however, in order to restore his human form, they must travel to the Wind temple. Raimundo battles the Wind temple guardians, Scirocco and Mistral, and regains his human form, as well as his element. Raimundo is racked with guilt; Jack, Kimiko and Clay don't trust him/find it hard to forgive him but Omi knows he hasn't been acting like himself since the Horn of Qilin cave. (Maybe a Raimundo and Omi friendship scene.)
- Still in the past, and still with Jack's airship, the group travel around the world (minus Raimundo, who stays at the Wind temple to train), with Dashi, SilverClaw, Dojo, and Fengqu to borrow essence from lots of magical creatures. Bai Hu's essence is used to create the Golden Tiger Claws, for example. Gui Xian the turtle's essence is used to create the puzzle box. Dashi is a special Chosen, able to tap into all the elements, which makes him the best person to fight Wuya with the Shen Gong Wu, so he's the lucky person given the task to seal her away.
- As well as create the puzzle box to stop Wuya in this time, Fengqu and Jack hatch a plan to stop Wuya in Jack's time. Lots of debate about time paradoxes here, and Fengqu wonders whether he should still help Wuya like he did in the prologue to avoid a paradox; in the end the group decide that they must go back to the present day and stop Fafnir there. If Fafnir is the cause of Wuya's descent into darkness, then he's the one that needs to be stopped. Fengqu powers up Jack's sword with a spell, as it turns out Fengqu was a previous Chosen of Metal, and the group travels back to the present day.
SUCKY DUMBASS MORONIC ENDING
- one of those massive Lord of the Rings battle scenes for the ending: Wuya's forces versus the creatures of Ping-jing versus Fafnir's forces in a three-way Super Smash Brothers style brawl...
- ...which culminates in a final Xiaolin showdown against Wuya... This part I hadn't fully planned yet, but the ending was probably going to have Fafnir and Wuya merging; Jack and the Xiaolin warriors (including Raimundo, YAY) use their elements to exorcise Fafnir and destroy him for good; Jack uses his sword of Metal to restore the xing xing jing, returning the Wood element and Lightning element to where they belong... and Wuya turns into a griffin. Or dies. You decide.
I think that's everything. I've probably just gone and created a gazillion plot holes by posting this, but at least the gist of the story is up now.
Finally, I'd like to say a huge thank you to all the people who have reviewed and/or read this and the Lost Dragon, and to all the people in the Xiaolin Showdown fandom who gave me the inspiration to write as much as I did (you all know who you are). It was all those conversations on Livejournal and on (the now dead) TV tome that allowed me to come up with all the ideas in the first place. Fun times. ^_^
