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ladybug_archiveContinuing my musings from the last entry, this is a blurb of some of what I've written for the beginning of the KH Pride Lands fic. I'm posting it for one reason and one reason only. I haven't seen The Lion King, or TLK2, in about ten years. How are my characterizations of Timon and Rafiki?
It was strange---as soon as he entered this world, whatever it was, what sounded like thunder boomed overheard. He frowned, immediately looking upward. The last thing he wanted to do was to be caught in a storm where there was not any shelter. But the sky was clear.
The thunder was followed by a distinctive cracking and shattering sound. The ground began to shake. Sephiroth gritted his teeth, irritation spreading across his features as he stumbled forward. What was going on here?! It had sounded as though a giant pane of glass overhead had completely broke. And now it felt like an earthquake was coming.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, it ended. Sephiroth straightened up, his upper wing flicking in his displeasure. Would there be any other unpleasant natural phenomena? Or could he now begin to explore this strange land?
A low whistle came from his right. "Whoa! Birds are gettin' bigger every day."
Sephiroth stiffened, his expression growing more annoyed and stern as he turned to look. But no one was there. He gripped his sword in his left hand. He had distinctly heard a voice, and that voice seemed to be mocking his wings. He moved forward, the grass rustling under his feet.
A small animal popped out from between the blades when Sephiroth got too close. It stared up at him with a face that could only be described as horrified. Sephiroth would not have paid it any heed if it had not begun to back away in alarm . . . and spoke.
"What kinda monster are you?!"
Sephiroth froze. Was there a ventriloquist hiding somewhere nearby? The strange animal's mouth had moved, but it was not possible that he could really have heard it say anything. It was not an anthropomorphic being, such as those residing at the Disney Castle. Humans could not understand animals that were not anthropomorphic.
Seeing his silence, the creature took courage. "Don't talk much, do you?" it asked.
Sephiroth grunted. Unless he was on a hidden camera show, it actually had talked. Some of these worlds held things more odd than he could have ever imagined.
"Only when I need to," he retorted.
"So what are you?" it demanded again.
"I," Sephiroth returned, his voice smooth---and perhaps somewhat arrogant, "am a man."
The animal stiffened. "A . . . a man?! Like, a guy with a gun that goes bang, bang, bang at anything that moves?!" This it demonstrated by miming a machine gun being repeatedly fired.
Sephiroth looked at it. Was that the only exposure it had ever had to humans? It was understandable enough, he supposed; this did not look like a spot that tourists had frequented.
"This is my weapon," he said, indicating the sword. "And no, I don't use it to skewer animals---unless they are attacking me." He really had had quite a low opinion of hunters ever since one had shot him out of the sky mistaking him for a bird. It had not been a good experience for his pride, either.
"Oh," said the animal, with a gesture that could only be a nod. "So you're not looking for a meal or a trophy?"
"I'm looking for a boy," Sephiroth grunted. "Sora."
The creature blinked. "Sora's a lion cub," he said. "Or . . . he was when we saw him last, anyway."
"Sora's a human boy," Sephiroth frowned.
Suddenly it dawned on him where he must be---the Pride Lands world. He had heard strange rumors that humans were transformed into animals upon arriving here. But he had remained unchanged. Not that he was not grateful beyond measure, but why? And there had been that odd cracking sound upon his arrival. . . .
The sound of objects clinking together caused him to look up. And then he stared in disbelief. A kind of primate was coming through the grass towards him, leaning on a staff that sported several gourds tied on near the top.
. . . Maybe he was wrong. Maybe the animals were anthropomorphic after all. Or at least some of them.
The old monkey, which looked like a baboon, stopped and looked up at him. "Ah! So you are the culprit that caused all the commotion just now!" it declared.
Sephiroth looked back. "I didn't do anything," he said.
"But you did!" the baboon asserted. "You have broken the curse!"
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "What curse?"
"The curse against all humans!" the monkey exclaimed.
"I don't have time for games," Sephiroth said, feeling the irritation rise again. "What are you talking about?"
The gray-furred animal turned, gesturing to the large tree in the distance. "Come," it said. "Rafiki will show you."
Oh, so now he had a name for at least one of them. Rafiki was already hurrying ahead, much quicker for his apparent age than Sephiroth had imagined. The first creature that had spoken was just staring at the scene with its mouth hanging open. Ignoring it, Sephiroth walked past, following the baboon to the thick tree. Knowing a name made it somehow harder to think of him as an it.
And this was a very odd tree, indeed. As he drew closer, Sephiroth could see pictures all over it, painted with some kind of ink. Rafiki was bounding over to an illustration near the left side. Ducking under the low-hanging branches, Sephiroth followed.
"You see," the baboon said, pointing at the picture, "a shaman who was here long before myself loathed all humans." The picture showed a furious monkey raising its staff to the sky, screaming something. A depicted human was shown beginning an unwilling transformation into an animal.
Sephiroth grunted. "And so he cursed the land against all humans who would enter," he said.
Rafiki nodded. "That is correct! For many years, humans who have came here have been affected by this curse until leaving." He reached up for a gourd on his staff, breaking it open. Dipping his finger inside, he collected some of the goopy liquid on his digit and drew it out again. "Now you have broken the spell!" he said. "This will be added to the story."
"You're going to paint me?" Sephiroth said, but the baboon was already in the process of doing so. Soon his basic image had been immortalized on the bark, from the long hair to the three wings. The ground was shown shaking underneath him. The human who had turned into an animal was being painted turning back.
"This is a great day," Rafiki said. Satisfied with his work, he leaned back to study it.
It was strange---as soon as he entered this world, whatever it was, what sounded like thunder boomed overheard. He frowned, immediately looking upward. The last thing he wanted to do was to be caught in a storm where there was not any shelter. But the sky was clear.
The thunder was followed by a distinctive cracking and shattering sound. The ground began to shake. Sephiroth gritted his teeth, irritation spreading across his features as he stumbled forward. What was going on here?! It had sounded as though a giant pane of glass overhead had completely broke. And now it felt like an earthquake was coming.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, it ended. Sephiroth straightened up, his upper wing flicking in his displeasure. Would there be any other unpleasant natural phenomena? Or could he now begin to explore this strange land?
A low whistle came from his right. "Whoa! Birds are gettin' bigger every day."
Sephiroth stiffened, his expression growing more annoyed and stern as he turned to look. But no one was there. He gripped his sword in his left hand. He had distinctly heard a voice, and that voice seemed to be mocking his wings. He moved forward, the grass rustling under his feet.
A small animal popped out from between the blades when Sephiroth got too close. It stared up at him with a face that could only be described as horrified. Sephiroth would not have paid it any heed if it had not begun to back away in alarm . . . and spoke.
"What kinda monster are you?!"
Sephiroth froze. Was there a ventriloquist hiding somewhere nearby? The strange animal's mouth had moved, but it was not possible that he could really have heard it say anything. It was not an anthropomorphic being, such as those residing at the Disney Castle. Humans could not understand animals that were not anthropomorphic.
Seeing his silence, the creature took courage. "Don't talk much, do you?" it asked.
Sephiroth grunted. Unless he was on a hidden camera show, it actually had talked. Some of these worlds held things more odd than he could have ever imagined.
"Only when I need to," he retorted.
"So what are you?" it demanded again.
"I," Sephiroth returned, his voice smooth---and perhaps somewhat arrogant, "am a man."
The animal stiffened. "A . . . a man?! Like, a guy with a gun that goes bang, bang, bang at anything that moves?!" This it demonstrated by miming a machine gun being repeatedly fired.
Sephiroth looked at it. Was that the only exposure it had ever had to humans? It was understandable enough, he supposed; this did not look like a spot that tourists had frequented.
"This is my weapon," he said, indicating the sword. "And no, I don't use it to skewer animals---unless they are attacking me." He really had had quite a low opinion of hunters ever since one had shot him out of the sky mistaking him for a bird. It had not been a good experience for his pride, either.
"Oh," said the animal, with a gesture that could only be a nod. "So you're not looking for a meal or a trophy?"
"I'm looking for a boy," Sephiroth grunted. "Sora."
The creature blinked. "Sora's a lion cub," he said. "Or . . . he was when we saw him last, anyway."
"Sora's a human boy," Sephiroth frowned.
Suddenly it dawned on him where he must be---the Pride Lands world. He had heard strange rumors that humans were transformed into animals upon arriving here. But he had remained unchanged. Not that he was not grateful beyond measure, but why? And there had been that odd cracking sound upon his arrival. . . .
The sound of objects clinking together caused him to look up. And then he stared in disbelief. A kind of primate was coming through the grass towards him, leaning on a staff that sported several gourds tied on near the top.
. . . Maybe he was wrong. Maybe the animals were anthropomorphic after all. Or at least some of them.
The old monkey, which looked like a baboon, stopped and looked up at him. "Ah! So you are the culprit that caused all the commotion just now!" it declared.
Sephiroth looked back. "I didn't do anything," he said.
"But you did!" the baboon asserted. "You have broken the curse!"
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "What curse?"
"The curse against all humans!" the monkey exclaimed.
"I don't have time for games," Sephiroth said, feeling the irritation rise again. "What are you talking about?"
The gray-furred animal turned, gesturing to the large tree in the distance. "Come," it said. "Rafiki will show you."
Oh, so now he had a name for at least one of them. Rafiki was already hurrying ahead, much quicker for his apparent age than Sephiroth had imagined. The first creature that had spoken was just staring at the scene with its mouth hanging open. Ignoring it, Sephiroth walked past, following the baboon to the thick tree. Knowing a name made it somehow harder to think of him as an it.
And this was a very odd tree, indeed. As he drew closer, Sephiroth could see pictures all over it, painted with some kind of ink. Rafiki was bounding over to an illustration near the left side. Ducking under the low-hanging branches, Sephiroth followed.
"You see," the baboon said, pointing at the picture, "a shaman who was here long before myself loathed all humans." The picture showed a furious monkey raising its staff to the sky, screaming something. A depicted human was shown beginning an unwilling transformation into an animal.
Sephiroth grunted. "And so he cursed the land against all humans who would enter," he said.
Rafiki nodded. "That is correct! For many years, humans who have came here have been affected by this curse until leaving." He reached up for a gourd on his staff, breaking it open. Dipping his finger inside, he collected some of the goopy liquid on his digit and drew it out again. "Now you have broken the spell!" he said. "This will be added to the story."
"You're going to paint me?" Sephiroth said, but the baboon was already in the process of doing so. Soon his basic image had been immortalized on the bark, from the long hair to the three wings. The ground was shown shaking underneath him. The human who had turned into an animal was being painted turning back.
"This is a great day," Rafiki said. Satisfied with his work, he leaned back to study it.
