Week 6 Storytelling Post

Madoc stooped low in the cave, peering at the glint of metal that lay in the darkness. It was a ring. Curious. And even more curious still, there seemed to be a voice emanating from that ring!

"Do not pick up this ring. If you don this ring without first answering my question, you will not survive."

Squinting, Madoc leaned in closer to inspect the ring. Surely there was no way this could be true! A ring could not speak! And if it could, this was no ordinary ring. But in his situation, being lost in a cave, the only light source emanating from this very ring, he had little choice. He picked up the ring and slipped it on, hoping that it's light would lead him from the cave.

But the ring had spoken true because as soon as the ring settled on his finger, he dropped dead, the ring flying from his finger to rest beside him. 

****

Sometime later, Madoc's brother, Men, arrived in the cave, as he was also lost. He saw the ring glowing in the darkness and, following the same train of thought as his brother, stooped to pick up the ring, hoping it would lead him to his brothers and out of the cave. His hand reached out, but before he could touch the ring, the same voice resonated through the cave.

"Do not pick up this ring. If you don this ring without first answering my question, you will not survive."

At the sound of the voice, Men retracted his hand in surprise, but upon hearing the voice's warning, he scoffed. Rings could not speak. This was obviously a trick or perhaps someone did not want him to escape this cave, for he had many enemies. He reached out again, his hand enclosing itself around the ring. He placed the ring on his finger, and just as it settled, he caught sight of his brother and knew this was no trick. He died immediately, ring falling back into it's original position in the middle of the cave.

****

Finally, Raryn arrived in the chamber in which he had heard his brothers' cries. He saw the ring in the middle of the cavern and stooped to inspect it, just as his brothers had done. He heard the same, ominous voice repeat the same message. 

"Do not pick up this ring. If you don this ring without first answering my question, you will not survive."

Unlike his brothers, he was wary. Squinting into the darkness, he noticed the bodies of his two brothers. 

"Who is it that demands answers," he called into the darkness. "I will provide what answers I can, but I must know who asks this of me and who claimed my brothers' lives." 

Where once there was only a ring, there now stood a wizened old man. He stood tall and proud, strong despite his obvious age. "I am Dharma. Answer my question and I shall give you whatever you wish."

Raryn inspected the figure, trying to decipher his purpose, but he could not find one. "Okay, I accept your offer, Dharma. What is it that you would ask me?"

"What strengthens with age and gives man power over another?' the figure asked.

Raryn thought for a moment and, considering what he knew of Dharma, only one word came to mind. "Wisdom," he replied.

The figure smiled and spread his arms wide and the cavern was illuminated. "That is correct, what would you ask of me?"

"I would ask that my brothers were give life again and," Raryn thought of their enemies and of their banishment before finishing, "And I would ask that we be unrecognizable to those who look upon us."

Dharma nodded, "It is done."

As Raryn watched, his brothers gasped in a breath simultaneously and began struggling to their feet. He turned back to Dharma, but he was gone. 

Ring photo taken by bandita found on Flickr

Author's Notes

I was having a hard time with this storytelling post because the creative juices just weren't flowing, but then I read back over my notes from the readings this week and saw the story of the riddles and immediately thought of the Hobbit. I kind of crossed the two worlds together and put the characters from the Mahabharata into the setting of Middle Earth and changed the pond to a ring that would help them escape the cave. Madoc is meant to be Arjuna, Men is meant to be Bhima, and Raryn is Yudhishthira. I put their names in this Middle-Earth name generator thing so I could come up with creative names to fit the setting. I did not change Dharma's name because I thought it was too important for the story and I wanted to keep the god connotation that accompanies his name. I also had a hard time coming up with a riddle, so I just decided on a very simple question who's answer in this context is wisdom, which seemed fitting. 

Week 6 Reading Diary B: PDE Mahabharata

1. Krishna answered a message of war from Duryodhana.

2. Yuyutsu, Duryodhana's half brother left the Kauravas and joined the war on the side of the Pandavas. 

3. Bhishma was a powerful warrior and many believed the advantage lay with Duryodhana because of this. He turned the tide of the battle with the Pandavas and for a long time, the Kauravas were winning. His charioteer was killed and this turned the tide of the battle.

4. The six Gandhari swore to kille Iravat, Arjuna's son. Iravat killed five of them, but the fifth killed him.

5. Bhima's demon son, Ghatotkacha sought vengeance for Iravat's death.

6. Bhishma swore not to kill anyone born a woman, so Krishna suggested that Shikhandin go fight Bhishma with Arjuna. Arjuna did not want to win by another's hand, but he finally decided to fight with Sikhandin. Arjuna shot Bhishma with his arrows while he was distracted. Arjuna was very sad at the death of Bhishma. Bhishma asked that the Pandavas and Kauravas make peace, but Duryodhana was too angry. He did not die until the war had ended.

7. Arjuna's son was trapped behind the enemy line and the Pandavas went after him. Abhimanyu was wounded and could not see so Duhshasana's son killed him while he was distracted. Jayadratha stopped the Pandavas from going to rescue him and Arjuna swore to kill him. 

8. Arjuna killed him and cut of his head in battle.

9. Ghatotkacha fought Karna and used illusions to try to distract him, but he died in battle with the invincible dart Indra gave Karna. 

10. Bhima killed an elephant named Ashwatthaman, the name of Drona's son, and called that Ashwatthaman was dead. Drona asked Yudhishthira if this was true, and he told him it was, whispering that it was an elephant each time he did so. Drona forgot about his divine weapons and Dhrishtadyumna attacked Drona. The Pandava general cut off Drona's head.

11. Bhima fought Suhshsana and cut off his head and drank his blood for what he had done to Draupadi. 

12. Arjuna and Karna met in battle. Arjuna shot off Karna's head with an arrow and killed his brother. The Kauravas fled in fear.

13. Bhima and Duryodhana fought and Bhima broke his knee and kicked his head. This was considered to be against the rules, but was forgiven because of what Duryodhana did to the Pandavas and Draupadi.

Duryodhana and Bhima fight photo found on Wikimedia Commons

14. Duryodhana gave Ashwatthaman permission to attack the Pandavas while they were sleeping. Shiva was at the gates, though, so he set up an altar to worship him but he had nothing to sacrifice so he threw himself in the flames. Shiva took control of his body. He fought and killed Draupadi's brother and five sons. 

This came from the public domain version of the Mahabharata. 

Week 6 Reading Diary A: PDE Mahabarata

1. Surya gave Yudhishthira a copper pot that was always filled with food after he prayed to him for assistance.

2. Bhima would carry them when they grew tired and they were very religious and performed all their devotions while they were in the forest. 

3. Draupadi was upset because her husbands did not protect her when she was claimed by Duryodhana. She discussed this with Krishna and he said not to worry because the wives of those who wronged her would soon be crying over their dead husbands. Yudhishthira talked with Bhima and Bhima called him weak for not fighting Duryodhana.

4. Yudhishthira talked to a holy man who said that if Arjuna went to the mountains he would be undefeatable and that he would defeat all the enemies. The Great God fought with Arjuna after months of fasting and praying and granted Arjuna with great weapons.

5. Arjuna went to Indra (his father's) great city. Arjuna was cursed there to live unnoticed with women as a musician and dancer. He was worried, but Indra said it would be a good thing. He became very talented at music and dance. 

6. Bhima met Hanuman in the forest and learned that they were both sons of Vayu. They discussed many things, including the tales of Rama, and parted as very close due to their relationship.

7. Karna swore to kill Arjuna. He received an invincible dart in exchange for his armor and earrings. Karna was no longer invincible, but he had a hidden weapon that was a secret.

Indra and Karna photo found on Wikimedia Commons

8. Arjuna and Bhima drank from the pool, but they did not answer the voice that told them they must answer a question first. They both died immediately upon drinking. When Yudhishthira came to the pool, he asked who the voice was and they answered that they were a yaksha. He answered each of the questions posed until the voice was revealed to be Dharma. He asked for his brothers to be alive and them not to be recognizable for a year.

9. Their exile ends after 13 years

10. Kunti told Karna that he was her and Surya's son. She said that he shouldn't work with Duryodhana against his relatives. He said that he had the power to kill his four brothers but he wouldn't.

Thoughts About Comments

Personally, the blog comments I've enjoyed the most are the ones that point out specific details or moments in my stories. I like it when it's praise (obviously) but I also enjoy getting pointers on making my writing more enjoyable and interesting. It helps me improve my writing and to understand what can come across as vague or confusing and what is clear. Once or twice, it has been evident that someone hasn't actually read the story that I wrote because their comment was completely irrelevant or off-base and those types of comments aren't helpful and they kind of make me sad. Especially when I worked hard and am proud of a story. I try my hardest to point out strengths in a person's story, but I suppose I could be more constructive in my comments. Sometimes I focus so much on the things I liked, that I don't add some areas to improve and so they end up not being as helpful. 

Week 5 Storytelling Post: The Problem With Gambling

"Man, you know I can never back away from a bet!" Jackson said to Duncan, sitting down at the table. "Well, go on! Deal!"

He took a drink of his whiskey before picking up his cards. As he was doing this, he noticed that Duncan was not sitting down to play, but another man was taking his place. 

"Hey, man, I thought we were playing cards. We not playing cards?" he slurred, waving his hand around to demonstrate his meaning.

Duncan looked up, smirking, "I'm providing the money, but my friend here is going to actually play."

Shrugging, Jackson took another sip from his whiskey before beginning the game. He placed his bet for the first round and continued upping the stakes. He had a good hand and, he admitted to himself, the drink was getting to him, making him a little less cautious, but that made this all the more fun! He was rich! What was there to lose?

Poker game found on Wikimedia Commons

When he went to reveal his cards however, he noticed Duncan's sly smile, as well as that of the person with whom he was actually playing. Even in his inebriated state, he knew this hand was probably not his. And he was right.

He played it off as a bad round and kept playing, hoping to get some of his money back. He bet his stocks, he bet his money, he bet his watch, his car, his house. Each time he bet more and more, hoping that he would win back everything, but it was no use.

He'd lost all his material possessions before he really started to go downhill. With an entire bottle of whiskey down and another one started, he jokingly bet his brother. And Duncan accepted. It went on like this until all he had left was his wife, Gina. He'd even bet and lost himself.

"I can't," he said, hiccuping. "I have nothing left, only my wife and I could not possibly bet her."

At this, Duncan threw his head back, laughing, "And why not? You have bet others, you have bet yourself, why can you not bet her?"

Finally, he agreed. He had one more chance, just one! One more chance to save everything he had lost. As the cards were dealt, he held his breath, praying to anyone who would listen to save him from this, but as he lifted his cards, he knew it was not to be. There was no way he could win with this hand. 

Not only had he lost everything, but he had caused the ruin of everyone he held dear. It was over.

Author's Notes

This story was inspired by the story of Yudhishthira and Duryodhana  playing dice and Yudhishthira betting and losing everything, including his wife and brothers. I just could not imagine betting other people as though he owned them and could bet them, so I added the alcohol factor to make this more understandable in the more modern context of my story. I also had them playing some type of card game instead of dice. I should have used a dice game because I have no idea how to play poker, which is what they are supposed to be playing. I just had a picture in my head of a poker game in a smoky back room with whiskey and a slowly disintegrating Yudhishthira (Jackson). Duryodhana is represented by Duncan and Gina is Draupadi. I changed their names to fit the more modern context of this story and the setting I chose. This story came from the public domain version of the Mahabharata.

Reading Diary B Week 5: The PDE Mahabharata

1. Prince Vidura dug a secret tunnel to escape the palace which was a trap to burn them alive. The Pandavas escaped this way, but there was a low caste woman and her children in the palace. People thought these were queen Kunti and the Pandavas, so everyone thought they were dead. Duryodhana and Dhritarashtra believed their plan had succeeded.

2. The Pandavas returned to the forest. Bhima carried all of them through the forest when they got tired. A rakshasa who was the sister of Hidimba went to collect them for her brother to eat, but she wanted Bhima for her own. She offered to take him away and then she offered to take all of them away, but Bhima declined. Hidimba and Bhima fought and Hidimbi stayed behind with the Pandavas and Kunti. Bhima killed Hidimba. Bhima and Hidimbi were married and they had a son named Ghatotkacha. After this, Hidimbi and Ghatotkacha left but promised to help whenever they were needed.

3. Baka is the ruler of Ekachakra and he demands a tax of a cart full of rice, two buffaloes, and a person from one of the houses each week or he will kill all of the people in the house from where the tribute was supposed to come. Kunti learns that it is her hosts turn to send someone and Kunti wishes her son, Bhima, was there. He appears and agrees to go with the cart. Bhima killed Baka. 

4. I liked the story when Nalayani asked for a husband five times and so Shankara said that she would be re-born as a noble woman and she would have five husbands because she asked five times. She asked that she be a virgin for each one. 

5. Draupadi was won by the Pandava brothers, but their mother, not knowing what the prize was, said that they must share it between themselves. Once she learned her mistake, she said they must find a way to share her. Draupadi was Nalayani re-born so this was how she got her five husbands. 

6. Duryodhana learned the Pandava brothers were still alive and that they had allied themselves with Drupada through marriage. 

7. The brothers made a pact that if one of them entered a room when another brother was sitting beside Draupadi, they were to be exiled for 12 years. Arjuna had to retrieve his weapons, so he entered the room when Yudhishthira was sitting with Draupadi so he was exiled. He met Ulupi during this time and she taught him to become invisible in water and they had a child together named Iravat.

8. He went to a river where there was a large alligator terrorizing and attacking people. He went into the water and dragged the alligator out and it turned into a nymph. She said her and her sisters had been cursed for trying to turn a holy man from the gods and they would only turn back when Arjuna dragged them ashore. He then went and dragged her sisters to shore and saved them.

9. Duryodhana could not tell the difference between water and land and closed doors and open doors so he made a fool of himself and was again jealous of the Pandava brothers.

10. Yudhishthira and Duryodhana play dice, but Duryodhana's uncle plays for him, and Yudhishthira gambles away all his money, his brothers, and himself. He then bet Draupadi and lost her too. 

Kunti, Draupadi, and the Pandavas
found on Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary A Week 5: PDE Mahabharata

1. I like the idea of the dictation process being included at the beginning of the story.

2. Ganga in human for married the king, Shantanu, and had eight children with him, seven of which she drowned. Before she could drown the eighth one, her husband broke his vow to never question her and asked her why she was doing this. She explained that the children were the vasus and were being punished with human forms. She left with her eighth child, but later returned with him and gave him to Shantanu. His name was Devavrata.

3. Satyavati and her brother were carried as babies in a fish's stomach. They were found by a fisherman, but Satyavati always smelled of fish. She met Parashara who promised to make her smell good if she had his son and she agreed. The child grew instantaneously and his name was Vyasa. He left to meditate in the forest. She became a virgin again and then she smelled strongly of flowers. King Shantanu wanted to marry her but her father said he only could if her son would become king and not Devavrata. King Shantanu said he would not disinherit Devavrata. Devavrata relinquished his right to the throne so Shantanu and Satyavati could marry, and they did.

Satyavati's father rejects Shantanu: found on Wikimedia Commons

4. Shantanu, or Bhishma, captured three princesses to be the brides of his half-brother, Vichitravirya because he was now king after the death of his father, Shantanu. Amba, one of these princesses told Bhishma that she was previously engaged and he allowed her to return to Shalwas, but he did not want her. She left because she could not go back to either place and she became very angry at Bhishma and wished him harm. She prayed and fasted for a long time until Indra came and told her that she would destroy Bhishma when she was reborn as a man. She threw herself into a fire to be reborn.

5. Kunti had a child named Karna with the sun god, Surya. She was a maiden and tried to conceal her son by sending him down the river in a basket. He stayed alive because of the power of his celestial earrings and his armor. Radha and Adhiratha could not have a son, but they found Karna on the banks of the river and they raised him.

6. Madri received the charms from Kunti and had two sons with Surya's twin sons, the Ashwins. Their names were Nakula and Sahadeva.

I decided to read the public domain version of the Mahabharata this time because I read the Narayan version of the Ramayana. I like it so far because it has illustrations!

Week 4 Storytelling: I'm Better Than That

Sita felt so light, so free! She twirled through the hallways of the castle, a smile brightening her face. After being held prisoner for so long, kept from her beloved Rama, she had finally returned to him. Thinking back on their first interaction, she paused. 

Before she was allowed to return to him, she had been rigorously questioned to ensure her loyalties had not turned while she was being held captive by the neighboring kingdom. King Ravana was known to play tricks, to turn people against their loved ones and use them as spies to further his own cause and to gain more power. Sita knew Rama was just being sensible, she knew he trusted her!

After pondering such sad events, Sita decided she wanted to go to the garden to cheer herself up.  She wove her way through the halls, saying hello to everyone she saw, but the air felt heavy. The people were not smiling back, if they looked at her at all. Several people avoided her eyes altogether. 

Shaking it off as a side effect of her negative thoughts, she wandered into the garden and sat on her favorite bench. Resting her hand on her swollen belly, Sita sat in silence for several minutes, appreciating the flowers and the wildlife around her.

Her meditation was interrupted, however, when Lakshmana came to the garden to visit her.

"Hello, Sita," Lakshmana said. Sita noticed he was avoiding her eyes as well, but before she could ask what was going on, he continued, "You must come with me at once. We have an urgent trip to make."

"Of course, Lakshmana," she replied. She had no reason to distrust Lakshmana, he had been nothing but kind to her, he was the brother of her beloved.

As they were loaded into the carriage, she knew something was wrong. There was not enough baggage for a long trip and there was no one to see them off. Rama did not even come to bid her goodbye.

When the gates closed behind them, Sita turned to Lakshmana, "Where are we going? And why? Please tell me frankly."

At her words, Lakshmana's face hardened. He turned to her with tears in his eyes, "Rama has ordered you to be banished. His people do not trust that you have not turned against the kingdom and he must put his people first."

"Oh," Sita breathed, a tear rolling down her cheek.

***

After three years, alone in the forest with her two children, Sita had grown comfortable in this life. She knew her life as a queen in the palace would have been easier, but out here she could focus on family. It was just her, her two sons, and the nice man who had taken them in. It was a simple life, a life surrounded by people who cared for her. More importantly, those who believed her.

Sita went outside to call her sons for dinner. As they came crashing through the brush, Sita noticed another person with them. Was that who she thought it was?

"Rama?" she asked, squinting her eyes in confusion.

"It is I, Sita," he said. "I saw these two children, my spitting image, running through the forest and I knew they must be my sons. I've come to give you another chance to prove your loyalty, to rejoin me in our kingdom."

At this, Sita almost laughed. He expected her to prove herself yet again? He'd banished her, without a goodbye and he wanted her to prove her loyalty once more. She loved him once, and she still did, but she deserved more. She deserved someone who trusted her, someone who treated her well, someone who did not reject her. 

"Okay, Rama. If I am loyal, and have always been loyal to you, then may I be lifted high and returned to a kingdom in the sky. A kingdom where I will rule and care for all those women who were wrongfully cast out or mistreated."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Sita was enveloped in a cloud and lifted high into the sky and out of sight. 

Cloud Castle found on Pixabay

Author's Notes

This story was based on the story of Sita being abandoned in the forest by Rama because his people did not accept that she was still pure. In that story, Lakshmana abandoned her in the forest and she lived with Lakshmi and her two twin sons. When Rama found them, he asked Sita to once again prove her purity and she said that if she was pure, that Mother Earth would take her back into her womb. She was taken back and left them all behind. This particular story was also inspired by some of the commentary by the narrators for the Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley animated story. They talked about how Sita should not stay with Rama because he did not treat her well, and I kind of agreed. So, I decided to write a story where Sita continues to live her life and to help other women who were perhaps treated unfairly in a kingdom in which she is the ruler. In this story, she recognized the unfairness of the situation and realized that maybe Rama was not the perfect man for her. I gave her a little bit more of a happy ending. This story setting was kind of fairytale-esque, but I tried to keep a similar vibe and I decided to keep the characters' names the same for this one. I also changed it to them being worried that Sita had been turned into a spy for the enemy kingdom as well as sleeping with Ravana. I thought it added an interesting twist to the story. 

Reading Diary B: Week 4 Sita Sings the Blues

1. Sita is banished to the forest even though she is pregnant with Rama's sons. Although he accepted her at first, his people doubted her so he sent Lakshmana into the forest to abandon her. I liked the song they sang about Rama in part of this section. 

2. Dave breaks up with Nina and tells her not to come back to India. Sita prays for Rama everyday because she loves him so much, but she shouldn't because he doesn't treat her right (according to the narrators). 

3. Rama hears two boys singing in the forest and he learns that they are his sons. He asks Sita to prove her purity again. She calls on mother earth to take her back into her womb if she is pure, this proves that she is pure. Sita goes away into the earth.

Sita returns to Mother Earth's womb
Found on Wikimedia Commons

4. Nina is shown reading the Ramayana and the credits roll.

This was a really interesting interpretation of the Ramayana. I loved the style of the artwork and the narration added a lot of character to the story. Overall, I loved Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues.

Reading Diary A: Week 4 Sita Sings the Blues

1. Surya the sun god shows up in the first few minutes and he is part of my storybook project.

2. The beginning gives a good, clear outline of the relationships between all of the characters. 

3. I like the comedy in the scene where Dasartha must banish Rama because Kaikeyi was owed one promise by Dasartha for taking care of him when he was very sick. I also think the narration style is interesting, where the characters are comically arguing over the events of the Ramayana.

4. The incorporation of the music when Sita and Rama are in the forest and it is showing all the other characters in the forest is interesting. I like the scene where Rama kills the rakshasa with his bow. 

5. I also like the different styles between the different character settings. It adds a divide between the two different types of stories and adds character to each side.

6. The characterization of Ravana as a guy who isn't that bad was interesting and not something I considered. Ravana's story with his sister where she convinces him to take Sita for his own wife was interesting. The animation for the scene with the golden deer was beautiful. It developed the love between Rama and Sita better than the book did with the dialogue and music between the two.

Scene from Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues

7. I also really like the difference between the musical numbers and the Ramayana animations. They also make a good point that she did not have on any jewelry because she left everything behind when they went into the forest. It's funny when the other narrator says something along the lines of 'don't challenge the story' or something like that.

8. Although at this point, I don't understand the connection between Nina and David's relationship and the Ramayana, I like it and think it's pretty interesting.

9. I like the conversation about Sita's devotion to Rama between her and Ravana. It really demonstrates how much she loves him. 

10. I also liked how it illustrated Hanuman's setting the city on fire because it was so immediate. The rakshasa set his tail on fire and then he immediately ran around setting the place on fire.

11. They make a good point that Sita could have just gone with Hanuman, but maybe she just wanted Rama to save her. She also wanted Rama to kill Ravana. 

12. I like the scene when Sita decides to throw herself on the funeral pyre and the discussion of Sita's purity with the narrators after Rama rejects her. It's a very comic version of the Ramayana while still staying true to the story and being a quality version of the story. I also like the blues song where she is saved from the funeral pyre. 

This reading diary came from Nina Daley's animated version Sita Sings the Blues. It was really interesting and I loved the animation style!

Storytelling Styles: Week 3

Topic: I've decided to do my storybook on Surya, aka the sun. I want to observe and rewrite stories about Surya and maybe his immediate family. I also want to incorporate his chariot into my storybook somehow because it seems like an interesting item. I want to include the story of Jatayu and Sampathi who flew too close to the sun, burning off his wings. I also want to try to incorporate the story of Sugriva and Vali into my story because Sugriva is Surya's son. I'd like to explore Surya's reaction to this in a story. I also want to include the story of How the Sun God was Tamed.

Surya, found on Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography
1. "Sampathi" by R.K. Narayan, from The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (2006)
2."Sugreeva's Story" by R.K. Narayan, from The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (2006)
3. "How the Sun God was Tamed" by Maya Balse (2011)

Possible Styles

Surya's Point of View
Doing a storybook from the perspective of Surya might be an interesting style. He has a definite 'bird's eye view' so his perspective for some of the choices I'm considering would add an interesting element to the storybook. It would also open up several more stories, not just ones where Surya is physically in or closely related to the story. 

Modernizing
I've written a few stories in more modernized settings and I really enjoy being able to switch the setting so drastically while still keeping a similar story. It would be fun to modernize stories with Surya because it opens a lot of other possibilities. For instance, Surya could be interpreted as riding a spaceship or perhaps a satellite. It could be modernized beyond just the physical setting and I could add a futuristic tone by making Surya some sort of alien-type character, which could lead in an interesting direction. A modernized story offers a lot of different options.

Twist the Ending
I think this might be an interesting style for my storybook. It opens up a lot of doors for change and I would love to be able to twist the endings to some of these stories. Since he is the sun god, it would be interesting to be able to change the way his stories work. This could have repercussions for a lot of different aspects of life in the stories. 

Reality Show
Finally, I think it would be fun to watch the earth from the perspective of Surya as though he was watching a reality show. I could either bring in another character to 'narrate' the show, or I could have Surya himself be the narrator for the reality show on earth. I think this would be a fun and creative way to observe Surya's reactions to some of the stories that include him, particularly the examples I am considering above. 

Storytelling Week 3: Sibling Rivalry

"Victor, no!" Sebastian shouted as he watched his brother run after the herd of zombies. As his reckless brother disappeared down the abandoned subway tunnel, he just heard him shout, "Wait for me here! Look after the others and I'll be right back!"

Sebastian stood in the light of the setting sun, trying to catch his breath. As the others in his group caught up to him, he turned to explain the situation. "Vic went in after them," he started, the blood still pounding in his ears. "He told us to wait here and that he'd be right back."

At this, the group erupted in quiet whispers, some voices louder than others. Over the past few months, they'd grown used to speaking in lower voices so as not to attract the infected, but some of the members could not hold back their anger.

"Why would he do that?" he demanded, face contorted in worry. "Who's supposed to protect us? Your brother was in the army! He knew what he was doing and now we have no one!"

Some of the older members of the group quieted the young man down before one older women asked, "What exactly did he say?"

Sebastian thought back to the conversation he'd had with his brother before he had run after the retreating herd. "He said he was going to try and wipe them out," he started. "Vic said he was gonna try and lead the herd into a trap, make the town safer for us so we could make a home here. He, uh, he left me in charge," he finished awkwardly. 

Although it was evident that some of the younger members of the group were not happy with this, the elders seemed to accept this fairly quickly. 

While they were waiting for Victor to return, Sebastian and a few other members of the group checked out an abandoned building near the subway entrance. Once they confirmed it was clear, the rest of the group set up camp on the second floor. Sebastian and a few others stood guard outside the subway tunnel.

They waited outside the tunnel for a day and a half before they heard sounds coming from the tunnel. First, it was just a muffled scraping sound. Then, the sounds of the herd returning starting filtering up through the entrance. 

"We have to seal it up!" someone yelled, running to grab whatever they could find off the streets. When Sebastian realized what was happening, he tried to stop it, tried to convince them to leave the tunnel open for Victor to return, but no one listened. 

"Your brother's gone, son," the old woman told him. "We have to board this up to make sure we stay safe. You're gonna have to lead us now."

Realizing what she said was probably true, Sebastian began helping to seal the tunnel.

Sealed Tunnel in Richmond:
Found on Wikimedia Commons

***

After weeks of work, the small group had grown and flourished in the town. They had built walls and sealed all the tunnels, creating a safe haven of several blocks in each direction. Under Sebastian's leadership, the group had grown in numbers and in skill.

There hadn't been an attack during their stay in their new kingdom, but they just assumed it was because of their superior fortifications. 

Exactly one month from Sebastian's loss of his brother, the group held a celebration for their new and improved life. As Sebastian was preparing to toast his brother's memory for his bravery, there was a loud bang followed by a cloud of dust near the fence.

When the dust cleared, Victor stood on the other side of the fence, covered in dirt and blood. His eyes were narrowed in a stare that Sebastian had never seen before, it was a look of absolute rage.

"You!" he shouted, stomping his way over the fence towards their gathering. "Seb, you left me down there to die! I tried to get out and I was trapped!"

His eyes were glazed over with fury, and he let out a laugh before continuing, "Did you think I wouldn't succeed? Did you think I would have gone after them if I didn't think I would win?" Grinning maniacally, he turned to gaze at the rest of the crowd who began to back away slowly. His gaze slowed until it settled back on his brother, whose joy at seeing his brother alive was gradually dimming.

"And here I am, back from the dead and what do I see? My brother's taken my place and there's a celebration! A celebration right next to the tunnel where you doomed me to die, in the dark with those things!"

At this, Sebastian tried to interject, to tell him that he had never wanted this, that it was not his idea and he'd tried to stop it. But as soon as he opened his mouth, Victor snapped and lunged towards him.

"You left me to die!" he said, punching Sebastian in the face. "You wanted to take my place!"

Victor continued his assault, as Sebastian tried to retreat, refusing to hit his brother. Once they were on the other side of the wall, they heard the sounds of infected nearby and Victor's eyes widened with terror, his month spent alone having taken it's toll on his sanity.

"You're going to understand how it felt now," he said walking backwards, leaving his brother on the other side. "You're going to stay out there and if you try to come back, I'll kill you."

The moans were getting closer, the sounds of shuffling feet just around the corner. Sebastian started running, turning to look over his shoulder as his brother raised the wall back up and he lost sight of the town that he helped build.

Author's Note

This story is based off of the story of Sugriva (Sebastian) and Vali (Victor) and the events that took place. In that story, Vali chases after a demon who flees into a tunnel. When he does not come back, the elders urge Sugriva not to go after his brother and to rule in his stead. They seal the tunnel against Sugriva's wishes and when Vali returns, he thinks it was Sugriva's idea. This leads to a rather big and violent fight between the two, as evidenced by my version. The zombies replaced the demon that Vali chased into the tunnel in the mountain. I took quite a bit of creative liberty but I tried to keep as true to the story as I could even though I changed the setting, antagonist, and character names. I really love zombie movies and TV shows, so I thought I would try and use that this week. I also tried to make this more external because last week's story was very internal, so I thought I would change it up. I loved the relationship between these two in the story and I feel like I conveyed it in this version of the story. The story that I used for this one is RK Narayan's version of The Ramayana. 

Bibliography

"Sugreeva's Story" by R.K. Narayan, from The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (2006)

Reading Diary B: Week 3 RK Narayan The Ramayana

1. The first story that caught my attention for this reading was when Hanuman purposefully got himself captured in order to tell Ravana to surrender. Ravana wanted to kill Hanuman, but was advised against killing the messenger, so he set his tail on fire. With his tail on fire, Hanuman burned Ravana's city to the ground. After this, Ravana decides to go after Rama and Lakshmana and defeat them.

2. Ravana was cursed that his end would come from a monkey. One of his brothers, Vibishana says that all of the signs from his curses have come and that he should just give Sita back to Rama.  Ravana is very confident and believes he cannot be hurt. He did not ask for protection from humans because he did not feel he needed it, and still doesn't. Vibishana was banished because Ravana believed him to be a traitor, even if he had his best interests at heart.

3. In order to cross the sea, Rama asked the the sea god to allow his armies passage. The sea god could not do much, but the animals all joined in to create a land bridge across the sea to Lanka.  

4. When Ravana began losing the battle, he created a creature that looked like Sita and killed it in front of Rama's army. Vibishana came and helped rally the troops again.

5. Indra's chariot was sent down for Rama to use in the battle against Ravana. After a long battle, Rama finally defeated Ravana and retrieved Sita. He said that Sita could no longer live with him because she had lived in a strangers house, so she had them start a fire and she jumped into it. The fire god confirmed her integrity, so she could live with Rama. 

Sita's test by fire: Image from Wikimedia Commons
Created by Raja Ravi Varma

6. After everything he had been through, the gods were worried he was changed, so they sent Dasartha down to talk to him. After fourteen years, Rama was crowned in Ayodhya.

RK Narayan's version of The Ramayana epic was a fascinating read and I loved it!

Week 3: Reading Diary A for The Ramayana

1. Ravana kidnapped Sita, but he could not touch her without her consent or he would die because of a curse. He scooped the ground underneath her up and carried her away, but Jatayu fought Ravana to try and rescue Sita and he was defeated. He kept himself alive until he could tell Rama and Lakshmana that they would succeed before he died.

2. Vali, brother of Sugreeva, was infinitely strong and powerful. One day, Mayavi, a demon, rose and challenged Vali, but it immediately ran when it realized it was outmatched. Vali chased after it, telling Sugreeva to wait and watch until his return. After 28 months, Sugreeva wanted to go into the tunnel after his brother, but was advised against it because he was to be ruler of Kiskinda. They blocked the tunnel to make sure that Mayavi could not return and Vali was presumed dead. When Vali returned, he believed it was his brother who trapped him on purpose and went to attack him. Sugreeva took refuge at Mount Matanga, a place where Vali's powers were useless, and is trapped there. 

3. Rama agrees to help Sugreeva by defeating Vali. Sugreeva asked to help Rama find Sita. He told him that Sita passed over and dropped her jewelry to indicate which direction she came. Hanuman, Sugreeva, Rama, and Lakshmana plan to save Sita from Ravana. First they challenge Vali. His wife, Tara tries to warn him against the challenge, saying that Rama has joined up with Sugreeva, but he does not listen to her. Sugreeva and Vali fight and just before Vali kills his brother, Rama fatally shoots Vali. Rama facilitates forgiveness between Sagreeva and Vali in the last moments of his life, and because Vishnu is the one who killed him, his spirit moved into the sky.

The Death of Vali: Image found on Wikimedia Commons

I really liked these stories in particular during this weeks reading. My favorite was the end where Vali was redeemed right before his death. It was a very powerful and detailed speech that truly worked out most of the problems between Vali and Sugreeva right before Vali succumbed to his injuries. These stories came from RK Narayan's The Ramayana.

Brainstorming Storybook Topics

1. 

Rakshasas: The first topic that really interested me, even before I browsed the topics for this project, was the rakshasas and asuras. I found them to be fascinating characters and they seem to be integral to the stories of The Ramayana. I'm particularly interested in their relationship with Ravana and it seems like that might make a good topic for my project.

Research: So far, I have read several stories from The Ramayana which feature rakshasas and Ravana. They seem to be what we call 'demons' and are ugly creatures who wish to harm others. In this article from Wikipedia on rakshasas it says that rakshasas were born from the breath of Brahma and as soon as they were created, they began to eat him. Vishnu came to Brahma's aid and banished them to earth. They have an interesting origin story as well, so they would be a good topic for my storybook.

2.

Karma: This topic really stood out to me when browsing the list of topics  because it fit well with an idea I had for a storybook format. The format I had in mind relied heavily on cause and effect and so when I read over the topic list and saw karma, I knew I had to make this one of my options. It's such an interesting topic that really would allow me to stretch it in multiple different ways, so I think this would be a great topic for my project!

Research: Karma is not really a new subject for me. It's kind of a popular and well-known concept, but after reading a few different articles, I did learn some new stuff about it. For instance, after reading this article from Wikipedia I learned that, not only is karma linked to consequences in this life, it also deals with rebirth. I found this to be a very interesting concept that could help in my storybook project. I also always considered karma a future event, but never took into consideration that past actions played a part in present consequences. I knew they did, I just never linked that concept to karma.

3.

Surya: This topic actually came from one of the random pictures found on the topic list. Surya is god of the sun and his image really caught my attention. I thought of some of the other myths I've read on the sun and gods of the sun from other cultures and they have always fascinated me, so I thought he might be an interesting topic for my project.

Image of Surya found on Wikipedia

Research: From the research I found in this article on Wikipedia, it seems like Surya is not a major character in The Ramayana, so if I wanted to do my project on Surya, I would have to do some extra outside research to expand upon this character. I also found his chariot pulled by seven horses interesting.

4.

Love Stories: Finally, I chose this topic because I've already worked with one of these stories and I had a lot of fun writing from this topic. I think this would make for an interesting and diverse project because it would allow the incorporation of multiple sets of characters with different topics and settings. It would also allow for a lot of drama, which would be fun to write.

Research: After reading the article for this topic from the class website, I started thinking about all of the betrayal and jealousy that would be possible in these stories. I already read some of the betrayals from The Ramayana, such as when Kaikeyi forced her husband to exile Rama, and they make for fascinating stories. There also seem to be a lot of other love stories from which to draw information for my project. 

 

Week 2 Storytelling: "Across the Way"

Rama shifted his backpack over on his shoulder as yet another person was pushed into him. The streets were packed to the brim with people, all trying to get the most out of the street festival. Before joining the festivities, Rama sent a quick text to his father so he knew that his train had arrived safely. He knew his father worried, so he made sure to keep him updated.

Looking back at his brother, Lakshmana, he pushed his way into the crowd to join in the revelry. Although he had never been here before, the sights and smells seemed familiar. His feet carried him down seemingly random streets, every once in a while stopping to buy something from a street vendor, or stopping to watch a show. 

While checking out the merchandise at a jewelry stand, Rama felt an odd tugging sensation, almost as though his eyes were being drawn up to the sky. He glanced up towards the balconies, each one full of people appreciating the festivities from afar, but one person in particular caught his eye.

A young woman, about his age was laughing, watching a street performer juggle what looked like bows and arrows. As he watched her face, it seemed to shift and change, almost as though there was another face underneath her own. He knew this girl. He'd never seen her face, but he felt as though he had known her for a thousand years.

Almost as though she could feel his eyes on her, she glanced his way. When they made eye contact, he saw his own recognition reflected in her eyes. Could she feel this sensation, too? Did his face shift under her gaze, showing a thousand other faces? Before he could go to her and answer these questions for himself, he was bumped from behind by another tourist and he lost sight of her. 

All day, he couldn't get the stranger out of his head. Rama knew he had to find her. Nothing but fate could have led his feet to that particular spot at that specific time so that he could catch a glimpse of her radiant smile. He fell asleep, dreaming of her eyes meeting his.

***

The next day, Lakshmana and Rama continued their tour of the city. On their way to one of the more historic buildings that had been transformed into a museum, Rama felt a similar tugging sensation to the one he had felt the day before. He looked up and noticed a middle-aged man hunched over, reading a newspaper. What the man did not know, but Rama now did, was that a street performers' trick had malfunctioned, sending a flaming arrow towards the unsuspecting man. Rama was not sure how he knew, but he did. Breaking into a sprint, Rama ran towards the man, tackling him just as the arrow embedded itself in the wall behind him.

As he helped the man to his feet, Rama noticed that he knew this man. Although they had never met, he was an acquaintance of his father.

"Why, young man, you've just saved my life!" the man said after he caught his breath. "I'm Janaka, please, tell me what is your name?"

"I'm Rama," he said, inclining his head. "I believe you know my father, Dasartha?"

At this, Janaka's eyes lit up with recognition. "Of course, my boy! Of course, you must come to dinner," he said, his eyes twinkling. 

***

Later that evening, Rama arrived at Janaka's house for dinner. The area seemed familiar to him, but that feeling had not left him for the entirety of his stay here, so he thought nothing of it. He walked in, greeted his host, and took a seat on the couch. Before he could get comfortable, Janaka returned with, to Rama's surprise, the woman he had seen on the balcony the day before. 

"Rama, I would like you to meet my lovely daughter, Sita," Janaka said, a mischievous smile on his face.

Rama's heart stopped, and then began racing. She was even more lovely up close! He could not believe that, of all the people he could have saved, it was the father of the mysteriously familiar woman on the balcony. It must have been fate, there was no other explanation.

Rama inclined his head toward Sita, smiling slightly at his fortune, "It is very nice to meet you, Sita."

As he looked up, he noticed she was smiling as well. 

An image of Rama and Sita
found on Wikimedia Commons

Author's Notes

For this story, I decided to draw from the story of how Rama and Sita first met and fell in love. I tried to modernize my version, but I also tried to draw on some of the other ideas from the story. I always like the idea of reincarnation and cyclical storytelling, so I decided to draw on those aspects. It's a similar setting in the future, after the same thing has happened before. Not only are they incarnations of Vishnu and Lakshmi, they are also reincarnations of Sita and Rama. This story is kind of 'history repeating itself' in a way. That's why I referenced the flashing, familiar faces that Rama noticed, and presumably Sita also noticed, when they first saw each other. I wanted the story to be more practical in modern times, so I did not have him draw a bow, but rather save her father from a bow and arrow mishap, and they also did not get married right away. I tried to imply that Janaka is trying to get them to marry, but I did not want to push it too hard so that it would be more realistic in this setting. I drew my story from the R.K. Narayan version of The Ramayana. There are details on this version here. 

Bibliography

"The Wedding" by R.K. Narayan, from The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (2006)