Week 6 Story planning: Combining Sherlock and the Mahabharata

An image of Sherlock Holmes. Source

I was reading the story of King Shantanu and Ganga (by Donald A. Mackenzie) and I was really interested in the basis of the story. When all the extraneous elements are stripped away from it it is the story of a person not understanding why someone they trust is doing something seemingly awful. The character of course later learns that his partner had a very good motivation for doing this.

The story from the Mahabharata we read had a wife throwing her babies into the river despite her husband's confusion. As this is an Indian epic we as an audience know from the beginning the reason, but the king husband does not.

I like the base concept so I was trying to think of a new way to present the story, while still havig the same core backbone of a trust issue breaking two people apart. While I was thinking somehow a Sherlock Holmes short story came to mind, The adventure of the six napoleons.

Basically in this story, a thief has hid his jewel in one of six busts of napoleon before he was locked up. He got out and now must find the jewel. He doesn't know which napoleon bust it is in and he must find the bust's new owners. Meanwhile Sherlock has no idea why people's busts are being broken and neither does the audience.

I want to combine the stories by taking the trust element from King Shantanu and the jewel hiding in pottery element from the Sherlock story in order to create a fairly interesting original story. One major element I will change is to have the audience not find out about the twist until the main character does, to add more suspense.

This is the kind of story I could adapt into one of my short films, hence why I wanted to take another week to plan it out.

Reading notes: Mahabharata part B

Well the first story already has a problematic reading that it is perfectly OK to burn up some lower caste people as long as they aren't the princes...

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It's interesting some of the structural similarities between this story and the previous book we read. Just as Rama had to exile himself to the forests so to do the pandavas.

Huh, so apparently Rakshasi can be not all that bad. Today I learned. I'll definitely use this in one of my stories.

So Brihma just appears whenever he is needed? That's actually quite cool.

The concept of a sacrificial ritual having to be performed to bring about the birth of a child is very poetic in nature.

I don't fully understand why the Pandava must hide if they are more powerful than their enemies.

I think its kinda hilarious that they are switching up the gender numbers in the Pandavas somewhat mistaken marriage.

How did any of them think that this marriage was going to work!

I like the second telling of Arjuna and CHita better because it is a bit more humorous.

I kinda thought they were going to find a way out of the whole five husbands one wife thing but I guess that's just here to stay, huh?

This story is so much more political than the previous tale. i wonder if that has something to do with it supposedly being originally told by a monarch.

Hold on a second while I look up what Parcheesi is....

Reading notes: Mahabharata

Link to reading

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The first story already is promising that this new reading is going to be even more out there than the last one and that I'd saying something!

I'm not going to lie, I just got comfortable with the names from the previous reading and now... There are even more.

The part about Satyavati becoming a virgin again is by far one if the strangest things I've read in a while.

Brishma's vow is strange and apparently motivated only out of live for his father, but I don't see how it is terrible.

Brishma is pretty much just a servant to his family at this point.

Amba is going to reincarnate as a dude just to kill Brishma? This story grows in wildness.

Ambika's blind child and how she got it is kinda hilarious.

I feel like panda giving up everything but his wives is the exact opposite thing that he needs to do to overcome his curse.

So snake poison is a cure for poisoning. Huh...

What is the moral of the story of the bril archer? It seems like a not good one.

I find it strange that a teacher can demand anything of his pupils.

Week 5 Story: The mighty and the flea

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Backstory is just as important, if not more so, as fore-story. It is important to understand where one is before one might understand where they must go. Moving blind through life is a recipe for disaster and strife, but onto our story at hand.

There once was a man, so strong and so powerful that none dared face his might. He could slay monsters and demons with a single arrow from his epic bow. His wife was considered the most beautiful in the land. Her beauty could make a saint repent or a monk speak tongues.

Well this man, despite his infinite charm and in-spite of his power bred many a jealous enemy. But there was one rival that could light a candle to the strength of the man. He envied the strength of the man, he envied his beautiful wife, he envied the respect that he was awarded world wide.

And so, one day this rival hatched a plan, and indeed he executed his evil will. The rival stole the wife away. He took her to the most safe guarded of castles, a fortress impenetrable to even the man himself.The fortress was built of bricks so tightly that no arrow could possibly penetrate their exterior. And so, the man was without his Wife.

The man was in sorrow, for he knew not if his wife was alive or dead. Soon, news of his tragedy spread far and wide. Creatures great and small heard the tears shed by the mightiest of men.

Many came to the aid of the man. But alas, one by one they all tried and failed to penetrate the walls of the fortress.

Finally after many months the man gave up hope. But in this moment of utter defeat a hero emerged. It was not a lion, with a roar to shatter bones. It was not a bear, with arms to do much the same. It was a flea, a simple, small flea.

This flea though was able to do what no one else could. He was tiny enough to slip through the brick and mortar and make his way into the fortress, there he saw that indeed the wife was still alive, and fighting fiercely to stay away from the rival.

The man's vigor was renewed.

Now that is the end of this story. But stories never really end, just as they never truly begin.

Author's notes: I based this story off of the tale where Hanuman is able to sneak into the castle to see if Sita is alive. I changed the story to focus on the mighty Rama having one weakness, one that he could not get past without the help of his friend Hanuman.

Reading notes: Animated Ramayana movie part 1

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Sita Sings the Blues

I am perplexed by the animation style that the creators chose to use, but its definitely unique at the very least. Either way it is a bit grating how it is constantly switching up. It's actually quite interesting that here I find it quite useful that Rama has Blue skin. No matter the art style, Rama is very easy to find among the other characters. I wonder somewhat if this is why he was given blue skin in the original legends, to make him easily stand out in a variety of paintings done by various artists. it is an interesting bit of character design that I at least hadn't thought about until just now.

The story telling style is also a bit interesting. i feel somewhat that the interludes by "narrators" are just there to hold audience attention while the story dulls down a bit, but to me they distracted from the overall story too much. I also didn't fully understand the framing device the story was using. i couldn't tell what was narrative and what was meta-narrative.

I find it really interesting that the animated story decided to cut right to the chase and have Rama almost immediately expelled from the city and then further cut right to Sita's kidnapping, it makes for a more cohesive narrative I think. Cutting out the brother entirely though I feel may have been a decision that ends up hurting the impact of the narrative in the long run though. The music is also cool. It allows for a romance that was missing in the writings to appear.

Still though it is a charming portrayal of the Ramayana and I can;t wait to see the second half this weekend.

Reading notes: Ramayana D

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PDE Ramayana:
I'm a little late on this one, but it has been a busy week.

I like how Rama found a very... obvious loophole to the "unfordable " river. It feels like someone else might have thought of this.

Ravana did not do a very good job of tricking Sita. He kinda gave up really early.

I'm not going to lie, I kinda forgot Rama was leading an army of monkeys. Rally makes this super serious battle have a bit of a humorous tone in my mind.

Kumbhakarna is kinda humorous, especially since he required food before he could fight.

I don't know why, but I really like Hanuman, maybe its just his name. That might be a stupid reason but it makes me think about the importance of character names.

This battle with Ravana is definitely the most epic battle of the entire epic so far and I'm definitely curious to see how it ends.

Even the demons believe it is evil to kill women. That is actually shocking.

Lakshmana I think should have died here as far as storytelling goes, it shows that Rama had to lose something in order to regain Sita, but as is, it doesn't look like that will be the case.

The gods high key cheat by sending Rama help. They can't just force their prophecies to come true, can they?

I like how Agastya comes back, if only for a little bit. It's nice to have some repeating characters.

So Rama completed his destiny. I wonder what is left for him.

Rama not taking back Sita is not a good ending to this story, maybe culturaly, yes. But I'm salty.

Nevermind, he takes her back.. sorta, all is well.

Comment Wall

Reading notes: Ramayana C

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Public Domain Ramayana, link to the reading online.

I missed the reading yesterday, so I'll be doing part D as extra credit this weekend. But, here is part C.

I think it's kinda funny that Rama and his brother are apparently striking fear into all the animals in the forest while they're walking about.

Time for a side quest to save the monkey's wife I guess. I feel like the whole getting Sita back thing is only difficult because They don't know her exact location. No one really poses Rama a threat.

To be fair to Vali, a year in this world is a non important amount of time to most of these god like people, so his brothers abandonment must have hurt a lot.

I honestly don't see why Rama felt the need to hide and ambush Vali. Maybe I'm just underestimating Vali though.

I also find it strange that Vali had to die considering it was all just a misunderstanding in the long run.

I hadn't realized Rama's terms of exile made it so he couldn't enter ANY city. I must not have read close enough. That is very harsh.

The rainy season doesn't really do anything to effect the plot. It allows for a bit of contemplation, but it then just leaves. I find this a strange touch.

So do the monkeys rule over the bears? I have to assume so since the monkey king was able to send the bear king to go search for Sita. Kinda makes me think about the animal hierarchy.

I like how some characters, like Sampati tell us their long backstory the first time we meet them.

Hanuman can change size!?! That's kinda awesome.

It's convenient that Hanuman stumbles upon proof of Sita's faithfulness.

The whole monkey's tail on fire and burns the city thing must have been based on a very unfortunate true story.

Well at least one person was smart enough not to go on a suicide mission to kill Rama.

Topic Research

So for my project I have considered the options I presented last week and decided on the main topic of my stories. That topic will be on the monster's of Indian epics. As such I will actually be drawing from many of the sources I listed last week as all of them contain interesting stories that could work well for me.

An example of a Rakshasa. Source

Here are some examples:

Goblin City:
This story is one I saw retold this week and as such it kept it fresh on my mind. I really like the idea of creatures that morph into beautiful women to lure their prey. I think it too could be morphed into almost any story I could imagine.

The Golden Deer:
On a similar note, as most Rakshasa use their ability to transform against our heroes it is just a matter of in what way. This story, rather than looking at people seduced by beauty, has the hero seduced by a more worldly physical possession. In this case it is a golden deer, but it could easily be a golden trophy or something.

Thataka:
This story introduces a new power of Rakshasas. They are able to turn invisible. This is a power that can immediately become frightening if used correctly. I also like the idea presented in this story, that some people may have qualms killing all of the Rakshasas.

Feedback Strategies

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Presence, Not Praise:

I found this article's argument very interesting because at first glance it goes against all logic. It doesn't seem to make sense that praising children for their accomplishments would decrease their motivation in the future. But, upon reading the article, the idea that the effort and work put into getting to an accomplishment should be encouraged more makes sense, After all, it is so common to be rewarded for showing your work on math problems, but very often this doesn't get expanded to other fields.

Be a Mirror:

This article has an underlying belief that I wouldn't be surprised to find out comes directly from the study listed in the previous article I read. The idea is once again that it is important in education to praise effort rather than result. I think this article does a great job of taking this belief and expanding upon it, not just for the specific topic (reading), but also as a general strategy. The article mentions specifically how it is important to focus the praise in relation to the subject rather than the critic. In this way the subject (student) is more encouraged to do these thing because of his own wants rather than just trying to please a teacher who won't always be with him.

Week 3 Story: Frogs have epics too

There is a secret that few people know, a piece of knowledge whispered down alleyways at night by strange men going nowhere in particular. It is a fragment of the truth told for generations but never made known, until now.

The ideas of heroes and villains, gods and demons, these are not unique to the human race. There is one other creature whose members have found themselves worthy of epic. These are the frogs.

Since time itself began they have kept to themselves, fearing the pride of human arrogance. But sometimes paths converge and this is one such story.

This tale is about the legendary frog, Raba. Long ago, before even autumn knew how to paint the trees, a frog whose tale was so great that all of the world, frogkind and mankind knew of his exploits. He was loved by most, but not by all. Among the humans there was one in particular whose hatred knew no bounds. This man was called Jababa.

He was small for a human, only watching the stature of 3 grown frogs.His envy for frogkind was wicked and coursed through his veins and he hated Raba most of all.

One day he happened upon a frog princess, one so beautiful that lilies grew from the water wherever she swam; she was Siba. Seeing her charm and undeniable power to control the hearts of frogs everywhere, Jababa kidnapped her.

Hoping to shame frogs everywhere, he issued a challenge. Out of a large stick, almost as high as he, Jababa fashioned a sturdy bow but left it unstrung. He said that the frog that could string the bow and wield it against him may win the hand of Siba.

Frog after frog jumped at the opportunity, but all failed. It was a dark time for the species of frogs.

But all was not lost. Raba, seeing the beauty of Siba endeavored to win her love. Approaching Jababa, Raba held the unstrung bow gracefully and with the care of a mother strung the bow. Jababa could not believe his eyes, indeed he could hardly move as an arrow flew from the great bow and deftly pierced his chest.

Raba and Siba had many more adventures, but this is the end for this one.



Image source
"Rama Wins Sita" Public Domain Ramayana, Link to the reading online.

Author's footnotes: The story here is based loosely on the story of how the Indian prince, Rama, won the beautiful Sita. I embellished on it a bit to make it a more standalone story. The choice to make it about frogs is not very meaningful. I just thought of the image of a bow wielding frog and laughed to myself.

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part B

Public Domain Ramayana, link to the reading online.
Once again, notes as they occur:

I think it is very interesting how unquestioning even Bharata follows Rama. In any western story the brother would leap at the opportunity that he doesn't even need to feel guilty over.


Dasharatha really screwed himself over with this whole thing, even Bharata doesn't get it.

Jabali's speech about family loyalty is interesting  and so is Rama's response and no doubt has been used as a guide by many in the Indian culture.

I wonder if the story of Viradha had any real life inspiration such as a bear near a village or something. That's always something that I keep in the back of my mind.

I find it interesting that besides for Shurpanakha actually being ugly, she also takes a beautiful form. this seems to be the first time that outward beauty might not be a sign of the inner personality.

"The rocks answered back her awesome cries" may be the best way of describing an echo I've ever heard.

Of course Rama must fight the demon army alone. I suppose it was nice to not have to worry about his wife though.

I appreciate that Lakshmata is a bit cocky in battle, kinda like modern action characters.

Image source: Ravana and Maricha.

The art of Ravana is very... interesting

So Sita falls for the trick so easily. But I guess that's alright since it's all part of a very convoluted plot by Brahma.

I feel bad from the vulture character. He saw the right thing to do and he did it, but he died as a result. I feel like the whole "trap" scenario is a bit.... convoluted and given how powerful Rama has been shown to be it seems kinda sudden that he failed to protect Sita.

Reading notes: Ramayana part A

Shiva Catches Ganga Falling to Earth.

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Public Domain Ramayana, link to the reading online.

So I'm gonna just dot down things that strike me, I'll mention the speciifc story if need be.

Starting from the first couple sentences on the first story I can already tell the names are going to make this challenging for me. I already have trouble with character names that I am familiar with, but this is an extra added level of difficulty.

A phrase strikes me. "the impulses of modesty" are said to withhold the maidens from their lovers. It just is interesting because usually the impulses are what the modesty is meant to avoid.

It seems a common practice for gods of all religion to promise people sons. An interesting cross cultural remnant of a slightly more sexist time.

Another thing I find interesting is the idea of a hierarchy of gods. This isn't something I was raised hearing due to my Christian upbringing, but you see it in almost all mythologies.

Interesting also is the description of the rakshasa. She is described as hideous and misformed. Unlike Rama who is described as beautiful. Mythological good guys almost always seem to be attractive. This might be an element I have to tip toe around in retellings.

They live for thousands of years in these stories?!? Not bad, just a surprise.

I'm reading the PDE edition and come 7. Alhalya there is sudden poetry. The next one isn't a poem, but I find myself reading it as such.

It's interesting that Princess Sita is first seen in a flower garden, almost as if she is one.

Of course it will be a competition for the hand of Sita. the title of the next piece (Ramu wins Sita) might possibly spoil it a bit though.

The "Heir apparent" seems to mark the end of a story arc. I like this kind of structure.

It really does feel at times like Rama has cast a spell on the rest of the characters, but I guess he is really just that.

Feedback Thoughts

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14 Signs your Perfectionism has gotten Out of Control:
Wow did this one hit home. I've always known how much of a perfectionist I am (hence why I choose this article), but it's scary how accurate some of these points are. Take the 3rd point: You are a procrastinator. I had never considered how my procrastination was related to my drive to make sure everything is perfect, but I realize it one hundred percent is. The points brought up make for a very self reflexive couple of minutes. I definitely need to work on these things. Especially in my field of study, film, where each step allows for new mistakes to be made and thus more procrastination.

The Psychology of Comparison and How to Stop:
Being someone who is at very near the beginning of every important step of his career the last part of this article is really poignant. Don't compare you're beginning with someone else's middle. That's something that too often I am able to excuse away as just "Aiming high" and this article helped me realize that it may in fact be a somewhat poisonous behavior to have. Recently I've been working on starting a Facebook page to post my film stuff on, and I keep having the overwhelming feeling, I'll never make a page that will be as popular as the ones I've seen. The truth of the matter is though, it'll just take time and effort. I can't sit down at the starting line. I have to see things through.

Topic Brainstorm

An example of the Rakshasa. Source

Jataka Tales:
The main aspect of this topic that draws me to it is the variety of the stories contained within its huge body of works. With somewhere around 550 poems worth of stories, there will be no shortage of subject matter to adapt. One of the main things I will be trying to do in my stories is to create a little community with the repeating characters and I feel as if having this kind of variety of tales will work well for that kind of slice of life story telling.

Supernatural Characters of the Ramayana:

On a similar vein to the last story telling method, if I used this topic I'd also have a kind of slice of life story about a small community. The main difference here, is that this topic lends itself beautifully to the genre of horror. Take for example these. I could very easily see a story being told about how a town is continuously attacked by various mythological monsters from India. The main issue with these, is it might portray certain aspects of the mythology a bit one sided. I do believe that is something that can be overcome in the storytelling though.

Nagas:

Once again, looking at the previous topic structure, I'd be using this topic for horror stories. The main difference here is that rather than slice of life, these would be a lot more focused. Leaning more heavily on the Mahabharata interpretation of these creatures, they would be the main villains of the story that our protagonists fight against. In these stories the supernatural elements might be slightly downplayed to add an element of wonder and semi-realism to the storytelling.

Sages and Gurus:

Switching things up a little bit away from the horror genre. I like the idea of a guru or a sage coming to town and helping out various characters with their problems. Obviously the stories would be lifted and transcribed from the stories of the specific guru/sage. One of the harder parts of this topic would be narrowing down to a specific sage. It would be possible to combine multiple people's stories into one "conglomerate" sage, but either way my lack of background knowledge would not help here.