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Description
rom the Files of Frank Womack, Kaiju Expert*

Kaiju File # 015

Qinguan

First Seen: Xinjiang Region, China
Last Seen: Yunnan Region, China

Primary Range: Western China

Dietary Preference: Solar Energy, Electrical Energy

Description: A scientific and spiritual marvel all rolled up into one, Qinguan is considered one of the most beautiful, not to mention popular, kaiju on earth. One of the big reasons why can be found in its base DNA. As one of only 3 documented kaiju with genetic attributes of the long extinct dinosaurs, Qinguan in particular is believed to have originated from the DNA of Guanlong, a late Jurassic ancestor of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Given a few million years of battle, slumber and mutation, it has gone from the awkward proto death birds to a creature bearing more than a superficial resemblance to the legendary east asian Long. Lithe in frame and covered in razor sharp azure feathers ringed by lavender scales, Qinguan is a lustrous sight to behold, and unlike many kaiju it doesn't mind being observed. Its personality is quite passive, often content to laze about in the morning sun in remote mountain valleys, bathing in rivers and enjoying the company of other friendly kaiju it shares territory with such as the saurian Shangu and the arachnid Gumoto.

Its head is crowned with a set of golden horns, accompanied by twisted spines from its shoulders. Much like it saurian progeny, its limbs are tipped with razor sharp claws, but the kaiju cells have twisted the anatomy slightly, giving it thumbs and heel claws. Its most surprising weapon is the blade running down the length of its tail, obscured by feathers and capable of slicing clean through solid steel with enough momentum. All that said, rather than go further, it is best to reiterate. This kaiju is not aggressive. Sure, its more than capable of fighting with the best of them, and its willing to defend living things around it, but an unprovoked attack from Qinguan on humankind is honestly believed to be impossible.

Defense Protocols: Qinguan is considered by most sources to be one of the least dangerous kaiju alive to humankind, often taking a benevolent, protective stance on our behalf in the event of a hostile kaiju attack. That said, there are no guarantees, and in spite of its protected status within China's sovereign borders, hypothetical combat scenarios have been workshopped. Slender and intelligent, Qinguan is a lethal enemy to have, able to strike from a distance with its bladed tail and its acidic spray and smart enough to anticipate many blows before they land. That said, it is on the lighter side, and a large enough blow lucky enough to land can inflict significant harm. It is advised in such a scenario to deploy fast and powerful ordinance from long range, too quickly for it to react. Granted, such action would likely lead to severe diplomatic damages with the Chinese, so choose wisely. Mecha are considered a non-starter, as the speed this creature can dodge blows only means a drawn out, lethal battle of attrition most pilots would be lucky to survive.

Noteworthy Abilities:

-Deluge Spray: An ability believed to be derived from serpentine sources, Qinguan is able to spray twin streams of liquid from glands in its mouth. The intensity of this spray varies, from a gentle, widespread mist to an intense stream able to rend stone and metal. This liquid is mostly water, but research has shown it is very rich in chemicals that can act as a powerful fertilizer as well as a powerful irritant. During combat, these chemicals become more concentrated, and when aimed well can cause severe damage to the eyes of enemies. Usually though, it just uses this to make rainbows on sunny mornings. It is this ability that leads some scholars to believe this kaiju is responsible for myths of the Yinglong, benevolent river dragon that brought fertile seasons to the faithful.

-Wizened: Thought to be a survivor of the Jurassic Period, well over 100 million years old, Qinguan is a diligent, patient combatant that seems to understand the limitations of its own anatomy far better than most kaiju. This is even more evident when battling enemies it has faced across these ages, such as the dreaded Heilong or when sparring with Shangu, wielding its claws and tail with the guided hand of a master. It also means it knows when to back down from a fight with a larger foe.

-Climate Control: An ability still being studied, Qinguan is somehow capable of altering its own internal body temperature by the better part of a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. This ability has been utilized in combat, changing its spray attack into a burst of boiling steam or freezing the ground, making it difficult for enemy kaiju to gain footing. It has also been seen in surprisingly mundane circumstances, melting snow covering fields or providing a chill for itself on a hot day.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: As I have mentioned many times before, the kaiju incursion is a poorly chosen name for our current age of society. I have no power to change it, OVER seems content in leaving such backwards attitudes right out in the open. But if you ask me, the better choice of words would be something like the return of the gods. Because how else can you explain things, huh? Every world culture has them, stories of larger than life beings able to shape the world around them for better and worse. Stories of horned beasts, wreathed in flame, coming up from under the earth. Chaos itself rising from the depths of the sea. Salvation from the sky. Man-eating giants, and of course, the most popular myth of all, that of dragons.

Sorry, I digressed there. Never has it been said that Frank Womack was a man of few words. Now, back to my previous story.

As Kabu Khan continued its onslaught into the Western Chinese highlands, a region not quite as well mapped as modern science would lead us to believe, something amazing happened. The enormous worm, still unnamed and prompting severe offensive responses, was tunneling through solid stone, rending mountains into rubble. No one could get close enough to do any real harm, even Rigel was proving useless. The ancient war machine had been active for several hours, and the pilot was beginning to feel the strain, eventually collapsing inside of the cockpit, bringing the titan to a standstill. Kabu Khan, ruthless as ever, took advantage of this and attacked the mech from underground, barreling into it with the force of a glacier and knocking it flat. As it prepared to inflict further damage, a deep rumble could be heard from inside of a cloud of dust generated from a fallen mountain. Before the worm could react, it was met with a boiling hot blast of water, and a vibrantly colored creature emerged, shocking the world.

I'm going to put my professional side away for a moment and tuck him away in a nice little box I keep him in when exciting things happen. Okay? Okay.

DINOSAURS GUYS. They're alive. And the first one to emerge is FRIENDLY! A real life relic of the Jurassic Period, with thoughts and memories of times and places so far off from our own it might as well be from another planet! Who knows how it came to be, what battles it has won? Its all just so exciting I can barely stand it!

Qinguan, named by yours truly as a portmanteau of two Chinese names, one of the dinosaur it shares the most anatomy with and the other of a legendary guardian dragon, is one of the most popular kaiju on earth, and for good reason. Had it emerged 200 years ago, it would have been venerated, no, deified by the Chinese people. They probably would have crowned it emperor! But even today, a world ravaged by millions of dollars in property damage every year due to these giant things, it was still deemed a protected national treasure, and illegal to fire upon. The Chinese government even voted to have its home range declared protected territory. For people like the fat cats that run OVER, a real nail biter. For people like me, the greatest possible outcome. Even now, years later, thinking about that day gives me chills. Its so nice living in a world with a friendly dinosaur, even if he IS feathery. Don't worry too much about it, nerds, Shangu and Heilong are here to satisfy other needs.

Now then, back to professional Frank. Qinguan may have saved Mavis Anderson's life that day, but it also did much more. For you see, we weren't done learning about the deep secrets of the world yet. And what came next surprised everyone. And I mean EVERYONE.

(PS: For those fluent in Mandarin, I will be blunt. No, I did not know at the time that Qinguan literally translates to the mundane word 'clearance' when I submitted it to the UNOS database. Yes, I have received plenty of messages about this and no I do not need any more. I have learned from my mistake, but I can't change it, nor do I want to. It is still a perfectly functional portmanteau.)

---------------------------------

Well that was fast, wasn't it?

Sometimes it takes me a bit to get a kaiju design where I want it, sometimes it doesn't. Qinguan, a natural evolution of my old Grorn kaiju Qing, is one such case, this design came together just over a couple of days, and I must say I am pretty pleased with it. And I hope you all will be too.

If you've even remotely followed me in any capacity in the last eight years, you may have noticed something about my kaiju work. I don't do dinosaurs very often, if at all. I even had, when I first started workshopping the Fathom Universe, a mandatory policy to not include dinosaurs at all, though I eventually lifted it. Call me new-fashioned, but dinos feel... weathered in this genre. For years I never bothered with them, preferring to stick with different inspirations, but that does not whatsoever mean dinosaurs do not interest me. They just don't interest me as much as many others in this fandom, who have designed mesozoic love letters far greater than I ever could. Why attempt to approach greatness you yourself will never thrive in?

Or at least, that's what I told myself.

As you can see, I've moved past this and found a fun little way of exploring dinosaurian kaiju. Or at least fun for me, and that's what counts. Chinese dinosaurs fascinate me, and I have a couple more planned before the Fathom tales have been told. But they may not come for a while, so until then just enjoy my friendly guanlong dragon and keep on keeping on!

Next time, we start getting into the heart of the matter, and learn a little more about the origins of the kaiju, and the looming threat the entire world will have to prepare for!

Description
rom the Files of Frank Womack, Kaiju Expert*

Kaiju File # 015

Qinguan

First Seen: Xinjiang Region, China
Last Seen: Yunnan Region, China

Primary Range: Western China

Dietary Preference: Solar Energy, Electrical Energy

Description: A scientific and spiritual marvel all rolled up into one, Qinguan is considered one of the most beautiful, not to mention popular, kaiju on earth. One of the big reasons why can be found in its base DNA. As one of only 3 documented kaiju with genetic attributes of the long extinct dinosaurs, Qinguan in particular is believed to have originated from the DNA of Guanlong, a late Jurassic ancestor of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Given a few million years of battle, slumber and mutation, it has gone from the awkward proto death birds to a creature bearing more than a superficial resemblance to the legendary east asian Long. Lithe in frame and covered in razor sharp azure feathers ringed by lavender scales, Qinguan is a lustrous sight to behold, and unlike many kaiju it doesn't mind being observed. Its personality is quite passive, often content to laze about in the morning sun in remote mountain valleys, bathing in rivers and enjoying the company of other friendly kaiju it shares territory with such as the saurian Shangu and the arachnid Gumoto.

Its head is crowned with a set of golden horns, accompanied by twisted spines from its shoulders. Much like it saurian progeny, its limbs are tipped with razor sharp claws, but the kaiju cells have twisted the anatomy slightly, giving it thumbs and heel claws. Its most surprising weapon is the blade running down the length of its tail, obscured by feathers and capable of slicing clean through solid steel with enough momentum. All that said, rather than go further, it is best to reiterate. This kaiju is not aggressive. Sure, its more than capable of fighting with the best of them, and its willing to defend living things around it, but an unprovoked attack from Qinguan on humankind is honestly believed to be impossible.

Defense Protocols: Qinguan is considered by most sources to be one of the least dangerous kaiju alive to humankind, often taking a benevolent, protective stance on our behalf in the event of a hostile kaiju attack. That said, there are no guarantees, and in spite of its protected status within China's sovereign borders, hypothetical combat scenarios have been workshopped. Slender and intelligent, Qinguan is a lethal enemy to have, able to strike from a distance with its bladed tail and its acidic spray and smart enough to anticipate many blows before they land. That said, it is on the lighter side, and a large enough blow lucky enough to land can inflict significant harm. It is advised in such a scenario to deploy fast and powerful ordinance from long range, too quickly for it to react. Granted, such action would likely lead to severe diplomatic damages with the Chinese, so choose wisely. Mecha are considered a non-starter, as the speed this creature can dodge blows only means a drawn out, lethal battle of attrition most pilots would be lucky to survive.

Noteworthy Abilities:

-Deluge Spray: An ability believed to be derived from serpentine sources, Qinguan is able to spray twin streams of liquid from glands in its mouth. The intensity of this spray varies, from a gentle, widespread mist to an intense stream able to rend stone and metal. This liquid is mostly water, but research has shown it is very rich in chemicals that can act as a powerful fertilizer as well as a powerful irritant. During combat, these chemicals become more concentrated, and when aimed well can cause severe damage to the eyes of enemies. Usually though, it just uses this to make rainbows on sunny mornings. It is this ability that leads some scholars to believe this kaiju is responsible for myths of the Yinglong, benevolent river dragon that brought fertile seasons to the faithful.

-Wizened: Thought to be a survivor of the Jurassic Period, well over 100 million years old, Qinguan is a diligent, patient combatant that seems to understand the limitations of its own anatomy far better than most kaiju. This is even more evident when battling enemies it has faced across these ages, such as the dreaded Heilong or when sparring with Shangu, wielding its claws and tail with the guided hand of a master. It also means it knows when to back down from a fight with a larger foe.

-Climate Control: An ability still being studied, Qinguan is somehow capable of altering its own internal body temperature by the better part of a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. This ability has been utilized in combat, changing its spray attack into a burst of boiling steam or freezing the ground, making it difficult for enemy kaiju to gain footing. It has also been seen in surprisingly mundane circumstances, melting snow covering fields or providing a chill for itself on a hot day.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: As I have mentioned many times before, the kaiju incursion is a poorly chosen name for our current age of society. I have no power to change it, OVER seems content in leaving such backwards attitudes right out in the open. But if you ask me, the better choice of words would be something like the return of the gods. Because how else can you explain things, huh? Every world culture has them, stories of larger than life beings able to shape the world around them for better and worse. Stories of horned beasts, wreathed in flame, coming up from under the earth. Chaos itself rising from the depths of the sea. Salvation from the sky. Man-eating giants, and of course, the most popular myth of all, that of dragons.

Sorry, I digressed there. Never has it been said that Frank Womack was a man of few words. Now, back to my previous story.

As Kabu Khan continued its onslaught into the Western Chinese highlands, a region not quite as well mapped as modern science would lead us to believe, something amazing happened. The enormous worm, still unnamed and prompting severe offensive responses, was tunneling through solid stone, rending mountains into rubble. No one could get close enough to do any real harm, even Rigel was proving useless. The ancient war machine had been active for several hours, and the pilot was beginning to feel the strain, eventually collapsing inside of the cockpit, bringing the titan to a standstill. Kabu Khan, ruthless as ever, took advantage of this and attacked the mech from underground, barreling into it with the force of a glacier and knocking it flat. As it prepared to inflict further damage, a deep rumble could be heard from inside of a cloud of dust generated from a fallen mountain. Before the worm could react, it was met with a boiling hot blast of water, and a vibrantly colored creature emerged, shocking the world.

I'm going to put my professional side away for a moment and tuck him away in a nice little box I keep him in when exciting things happen. Okay? Okay.

DINOSAURS GUYS. They're alive. And the first one to emerge is FRIENDLY! A real life relic of the Jurassic Period, with thoughts and memories of times and places so far off from our own it might as well be from another planet! Who knows how it came to be, what battles it has won? Its all just so exciting I can barely stand it!

Qinguan, named by yours truly as a portmanteau of two Chinese names, one of the dinosaur it shares the most anatomy with and the other of a legendary guardian dragon, is one of the most popular kaiju on earth, and for good reason. Had it emerged 200 years ago, it would have been venerated, no, deified by the Chinese people. They probably would have crowned it emperor! But even today, a world ravaged by millions of dollars in property damage every year due to these giant things, it was still deemed a protected national treasure, and illegal to fire upon. The Chinese government even voted to have its home range declared protected territory. For people like the fat cats that run OVER, a real nail biter. For people like me, the greatest possible outcome. Even now, years later, thinking about that day gives me chills. Its so nice living in a world with a friendly dinosaur, even if he IS feathery. Don't worry too much about it, nerds, Shangu and Heilong are here to satisfy other needs.

Now then, back to professional Frank. Qinguan may have saved Mavis Anderson's life that day, but it also did much more. For you see, we weren't done learning about the deep secrets of the world yet. And what came next surprised everyone. And I mean EVERYONE.

(PS: For those fluent in Mandarin, I will be blunt. No, I did not know at the time that Qinguan literally translates to the mundane word 'clearance' when I submitted it to the UNOS database. Yes, I have received plenty of messages about this and no I do not need any more. I have learned from my mistake, but I can't change it, nor do I want to. It is still a perfectly functional portmanteau.)

---------------------------------

Well that was fast, wasn't it?

Sometimes it takes me a bit to get a kaiju design where I want it, sometimes it doesn't. Qinguan, a natural evolution of my old Grorn kaiju Qing, is one such case, this design came together just over a couple of days, and I must say I am pretty pleased with it. And I hope you all will be too.

If you've even remotely followed me in any capacity in the last eight years, you may have noticed something about my kaiju work. I don't do dinosaurs very often, if at all. I even had, when I first started workshopping the Fathom Universe, a mandatory policy to not include dinosaurs at all, though I eventually lifted it. Call me new-fashioned, but dinos feel... weathered in this genre. For years I never bothered with them, preferring to stick with different inspirations, but that does not whatsoever mean dinosaurs do not interest me. They just don't interest me as much as many others in this fandom, who have designed mesozoic love letters far greater than I ever could. Why attempt to approach greatness you yourself will never thrive in?

Or at least, that's what I told myself.

As you can see, I've moved past this and found a fun little way of exploring dinosaurian kaiju. Or at least fun for me, and that's what counts. Chinese dinosaurs fascinate me, and I have a couple more planned before the Fathom tales have been told. But they may not come for a while, so until then just enjoy my friendly guanlong dragon and keep on keeping on!

Next time, we start getting into the heart of the matter, and learn a little more about the origins of the kaiju, and the looming threat the entire world will have to prepare for!