Long ago, in an age far before our own, humanity was forced to toil in poverty at the whims of the Gods. They were simple people who depended on these dieties for the very basic necessities in their lives. Despite their hardships they continued to love the Heavenly Emperor and his court of Celestial animals for everything he gave to them, and continued to loyally respect his ways.
*show the earth, dry, dark, and red. Emaciated, half-starved people are slavishly worshipping a shrine.*
Though, as difficult as life seemed for the humans, they were not the only ones with problems.
*Either start pan to heaven from this or show a head priest standing at the altar and sacraficing a weathered-looking fruit of some sort. The fruit will explode in a flash and the smoke floating up to heaven will motivate the pan.*
Each of the Emperor’s Celestial animals was to be given a task to earn his place among his respected brothers.
*Show an animal running over a cloud hill to the centre of the screen, holding an obscenely large and shining gem stone*
When this task was completed, the animal was showered with praise and adoration before ascending to his rightful place in the stars.
*All of the constellation-animals celebrate as the one holding the gem turns into a constellation as well and rises up*
However, any animal who had not yet proven his worth became the subject of ridicule amongst his peers.
*Attention goes from the animal who has just ascended to the Ox, who is looking eager and ready to please. Other animals roll their eyes, torment him.*
Poor Celestiial Ox, he was the only who still had yet to sucessfully complete an ininitiation task.
*Ox looks disheartened as others torment him*
It pained the compassionate Emperor to see his subjects tormenting the Ox in such a manner, so he resolved to put an end to the cruel hazing
*Emperror shoos animals out of the way, looking bemused/disinterested. Pulls a list out of his robes*
by giving Ox his own noble task to earn his place in the stars.
*Emperor skims down list of tasks, all are things like “Pick up Heavenly Emperor’s dry cleaning” and “Wash Heavenly Emperor’s car”. Finally settles on “Feed Heavenly Emperor’s subjects”*
After careful consideration, he decided that Ox could deliver his message of food to the people. As the subject seemed to be very close to Ox’s heart, the Emperor felt he could trust him to respect the gravity of the situation.
*Emperor moves as though he is declaring something, other animals taunt the ox, poke his belly to watch it jiggle.*
He told Ox, “Lately, I feel the sacrafices from the humans on earth have been very disappointing. I want you to tell my people that I will give them enough food to eat three times a week so that this will no longer be a problem.”
*show Emperor holding weathered fruit from first scene*
Ox accepted this message, but before he could leave the Emperor stopped him one final time “Now Ox,” he began, “I know that you enyoy feasting and celebrating with a great passion. However, the humans’ ceremonial Elixer of Tribute is a very potent potion and you will do well to avoid drinking too much.” Ox accepted this advice half-heartedly, as he was quite sure of his control over his own vices, and began his descent to the earth.
*Emperor looks very serious, ox completely carefree, waves him off. Ox is magically dissappeared down to earth somehow.”*
Now, the conditions on the world below were very difficult, but this did not stop the villagers from feeling exceptionally joyful whenever they were granted audience with a messenger of the Heavens.
*Ox appears at shrine, lands upside down/on top of somebody/something like that*
After settling himself, Ox began to tell the people that the Emperor had sent him with a very important gift. The people were overjoyed to hear this, and immediately brought forth the ceremonial Elixer of Tribute to honour this great occasion.
*Ox rights himself and shakes off any residual dizziness. Motions as though he is adressing the people, who, look very pleased with his announcement and get down on their knees, worshipping. The priest comes forth with a fancy-looking bottle*
Ox remembered the Emperor’s warning about this elixer, but the humans were so kind and hospitable that he could not help but countinue to celebrate with them.
*people pass the bottle around, each gargling a swig and spitting it out. The bottle is passed to the ox, who tastes it and looks absolutely elated. He begins chugging the bottle. Crossfade as timee passes and more and more bottles pile up at his feet*
Before long, Ox began to feel that all of these festivities had made he and the people of earth very close with each other.
*Ox is weaving as he tries to sit still, playing with the priest’s face, ect*
Upon further reflexion, Ox decided that the Emperor’s original promise of three meals a week was no where near enough for his new friends to support their kindly society. After careful deliberation, Ox declared to his friends that the Emperor had sent him to gift them all with three meals a day.
*priest looks hopeful, as though he is reminding the ox that he had a message to deliver. The ox, still weaving, shakes himself to attention, remeberes the message, but seems to dismiss it. Stands on his hind legs and decrees something, catching himself before he falls over.*
With that, the land became lush with crops, the likes of which humanity had never even seen before.
*plants erupt from the ground, constantly growing, people are overjoyed, skipping around and biting off huge hunks of food.*
While the humans certainly appreciated Ox’s nobel decision, not everyone was so pleased with his behaviour.
*Thunder crashes, everything turns to dark blue hues, with one light shining at the ox, a tall shadow of what appears to be a police officer with a riot stick is moving towards the ox, who is squinting and trying to block out the light. Ox realizes who it is, and looks terrified. Pan over shadow to show that it is really the Emperor with his crown and sceptre.*
The Emperor explained to Ox that continuing to grow this food would drain his power so greatly that he could not possibly keep this promise to the people
*Emperor is shaking the Ox, who seems to have sobered up, smacking him around.*
and that his only hope was to take the food back.
*pan across crowd of people looking sad and dewey eyed*
Seeing how happy they had made the humans, however, Ox and Emperor alike couldn’t find it in their hearts to dissapoint the mortals who loved them so.
*Emperor looks sympathetic and sad, still strangling the ox, who looks to be on the verge of suffocation, but also sad and sympathetic.*
“There is still a way we can help them,” began the Emperor
*Emperor lets go of Ox, who falls over and gasps for breath*
“But to continue to feed the humans, you will have to sacrafice everything that you have.”
*Emperor’s shadow looms over ox, who looks very nervous, sweating bullets, ect*
*fade to black
*reopen with silhouette of what looks like a man roasting a hunk of meat. Lighting chages to reveal it is really an assortment of vegetables on a spit Another villager walks by, dumping a wheelbarrow full of vegetables beside the first villager and carrying on, happily. Walks past ox who is struggling to pull some sort of harvesting tool through a field of grains.*
And so, Ox was forced to spend forever more in the fields, working to feed the people as punishment for disobeying his Master’s orders.
*Villager who was carrying wheelbarrow passes Ox a bottle, both clink their bottles and drink. Ox licks his lips/eyes flash/flaps his ears/ something like that and looks completely rejuvinated. Continues happily pulling harvesting tool.*
That is not to say, however, that he did not enjoy his his new life with the humans.
*Ox pulls tool past to show that crops are being deposited into a large basin marked “GRADE A HOPS maybe with a brewery name beneath that”*
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