Fic: Five Aspects of the Paopu Fruit: 1/5
Jul. 30th, 2006 08:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soc_puppetFandom: Kingdom Hearts
Description: A look at the culture surrounding the Paopu Fruit in five parts.
Notes: Had this part written a little while ago. Finally decided I didn't care about waiting until the whole thing was done to post it anymore. It's mostly (read: completely) BS, so there's no spoilers as long as you know what a Paopu fruit is and what it's supposed to do.
Fic: Five Aspects of the Paopu Fruit: Aspect One:
Folklore and Mythology
"When two people share a Paopu fruit, their destinies become intertwined." These are words that, sooner or later, every child on the Destiny Island archipellago hears. When they ask why, they are usually answered (by family or friends or teachers) in the form of a story.
The story that most children hear is the family's own. The players change from family to family, but a few core ideas remain consistant from one to another. The children are told that it comes from an old mainland tradition, where young men (and sometimes young women) would go looking for Paopu fruit as a symbol of engagement to their intended. Since Paopu fruit are notorious for growing in harsh conditions and hard-to-reach locations, it was seen as an example of the lengths to which they would go for their intended and the loyalty they would show in marriage. For two newlyweds not to share a Paopu fruit at their wedding feast became a sign of ill luck, and the downfall and eventual breakdown of many marriages has been blamed on it.
A story that a handful children might hear is one that only a few remember anymore. It is the tale of a boy who fell in love with the most beautiful girl in his village. Unfortunately, though the two loved each other deeply, the girl's father forbade them to wed. The girl did not give up, and wore down her father's resolve until he agreed to a condition: if the boy could bring him a star, then he would allow the two of them to marry. The boy bade the girl goodbye, and set out. He traveled long and far, searching for the star, until at last he found one growing on a tree at the end of the world. He plucked it from the tree's branches and returned to his village, where the girl awaited him. They had the ceremony the day he returned, at which the two of them shared the fruit. They spent the rest of their lives side by side, and when at last one died, the other was not long in following.
One or two children might later find out about another story, one that only historians and anthropologists seem to know: of a boy and his companion who chased a fallen star in order to prove themselves worthy of some great honor, though there is much debate as to what. They spent many years searching for it, having grand adventures and meeting fascinating individuals along the way. When at long last they found it, the star had grown into a great tree, and more stars hung from its limbs. The boy and his companion shared one of the star fruits and took the pit home with them as proof of what they had done. There, their story was told and their efforts celebrated: they were awarded the honor they had been promised and many more.
There is another story from long long ago, that no child will hear because no one still alive knows it. Though paintings and pictograms only hint towards its details, its echos reach through time. It is the story of how, one night in the distant past, all the stars fell from the sky. How three people, two boys and a girl, banded together to return the stars to their place in the heavens. How, one by one, they managed to return each star to its home--except for one that no longer had a place to return to. How the three friends returned to their home with the star and burried it in the sand and wished that it would find its home again. How from that spot the first Paopu tree grew, and lifted its star-shaped fruit to the heavens.
There is only one more story on the Destiny Islands that children might hear, but that has not yet finished happening.
--End part one--
Couple of short notes here. First, the second story is intended to have a 'longer' version, that involves the suiter going through a series of Herculean tasks. Left it out so it would fit more nicely here. Second, almost introduced the fourth story by saying 'only the trees remember it.' Decided against it in the end, but still like the idea. Also, still not quite sure about the 'echos' line in the fourth story. May take it out, depending on whether I/people in general think it's just a little too much.
The next parts should be as follows:
II) History of the Destiny Islands and Paopu Fruit (will probably touch at least briefly on Destiny Island natives)
III) Botany of the Paopu Fruit (may include (bad) pictures)
IV) Cultural/Market impact (AKA, why Paopu aren't sold in grocery stores/why there isn't Paopu flavored candy or ice cream, etc)
V) Folklore and Mythology Redux (which will be the only narrative piece of the lot, despite what the second/third might think)
At the moment I have the third part started and the fifth part roughly planned out; I've only got basic ideas for the second and fourth, but I should be able to build them up pretty well.
Oh, and if you've been hanging around for a while, it you might be able to guess what's essentially going to happen in the fifth part. ...Not really sure what to do if you do. I guess I might award a prize, like when people guess what my *&&X% icon is for/about. (Which, I might add, has only happened once.)
Anyway, C&C is appreciated, etc.
Description: A look at the culture surrounding the Paopu Fruit in five parts.
Notes: Had this part written a little while ago. Finally decided I didn't care about waiting until the whole thing was done to post it anymore. It's mostly (read: completely) BS, so there's no spoilers as long as you know what a Paopu fruit is and what it's supposed to do.
Fic: Five Aspects of the Paopu Fruit: Aspect One:
Folklore and Mythology
"When two people share a Paopu fruit, their destinies become intertwined." These are words that, sooner or later, every child on the Destiny Island archipellago hears. When they ask why, they are usually answered (by family or friends or teachers) in the form of a story.
The story that most children hear is the family's own. The players change from family to family, but a few core ideas remain consistant from one to another. The children are told that it comes from an old mainland tradition, where young men (and sometimes young women) would go looking for Paopu fruit as a symbol of engagement to their intended. Since Paopu fruit are notorious for growing in harsh conditions and hard-to-reach locations, it was seen as an example of the lengths to which they would go for their intended and the loyalty they would show in marriage. For two newlyweds not to share a Paopu fruit at their wedding feast became a sign of ill luck, and the downfall and eventual breakdown of many marriages has been blamed on it.
A story that a handful children might hear is one that only a few remember anymore. It is the tale of a boy who fell in love with the most beautiful girl in his village. Unfortunately, though the two loved each other deeply, the girl's father forbade them to wed. The girl did not give up, and wore down her father's resolve until he agreed to a condition: if the boy could bring him a star, then he would allow the two of them to marry. The boy bade the girl goodbye, and set out. He traveled long and far, searching for the star, until at last he found one growing on a tree at the end of the world. He plucked it from the tree's branches and returned to his village, where the girl awaited him. They had the ceremony the day he returned, at which the two of them shared the fruit. They spent the rest of their lives side by side, and when at last one died, the other was not long in following.
One or two children might later find out about another story, one that only historians and anthropologists seem to know: of a boy and his companion who chased a fallen star in order to prove themselves worthy of some great honor, though there is much debate as to what. They spent many years searching for it, having grand adventures and meeting fascinating individuals along the way. When at long last they found it, the star had grown into a great tree, and more stars hung from its limbs. The boy and his companion shared one of the star fruits and took the pit home with them as proof of what they had done. There, their story was told and their efforts celebrated: they were awarded the honor they had been promised and many more.
There is another story from long long ago, that no child will hear because no one still alive knows it. Though paintings and pictograms only hint towards its details, its echos reach through time. It is the story of how, one night in the distant past, all the stars fell from the sky. How three people, two boys and a girl, banded together to return the stars to their place in the heavens. How, one by one, they managed to return each star to its home--except for one that no longer had a place to return to. How the three friends returned to their home with the star and burried it in the sand and wished that it would find its home again. How from that spot the first Paopu tree grew, and lifted its star-shaped fruit to the heavens.
There is only one more story on the Destiny Islands that children might hear, but that has not yet finished happening.
--End part one--
Couple of short notes here. First, the second story is intended to have a 'longer' version, that involves the suiter going through a series of Herculean tasks. Left it out so it would fit more nicely here. Second, almost introduced the fourth story by saying 'only the trees remember it.' Decided against it in the end, but still like the idea. Also, still not quite sure about the 'echos' line in the fourth story. May take it out, depending on whether I/people in general think it's just a little too much.
The next parts should be as follows:
II) History of the Destiny Islands and Paopu Fruit (will probably touch at least briefly on Destiny Island natives)
III) Botany of the Paopu Fruit (may include (bad) pictures)
IV) Cultural/Market impact (AKA, why Paopu aren't sold in grocery stores/why there isn't Paopu flavored candy or ice cream, etc)
V) Folklore and Mythology Redux (which will be the only narrative piece of the lot, despite what the second/third might think)
At the moment I have the third part started and the fifth part roughly planned out; I've only got basic ideas for the second and fourth, but I should be able to build them up pretty well.
Oh, and if you've been hanging around for a while, it you might be able to guess what's essentially going to happen in the fifth part. ...Not really sure what to do if you do. I guess I might award a prize, like when people guess what my *&&X% icon is for/about. (Which, I might add, has only happened once.)
Anyway, C&C is appreciated, etc.
