Reading Notes: Ozaki Part B

Reading Notes

Ozaki Part B

For the second half of the reading from the Ozaki Unit, the stories were more my style. You had more elements of the fairytale by adding in the different characters and scene depictions that I want to incorporate into my story. First off? The writing in all stories starts off with a sentence that screams fairytale being that it was ages and ages ago from the current time you’re hearing about it. When it’s given a timeframe like that, it also feels quite mystic and ominous to me as well. It’s hard to explain, but when I read it, I’m given a sense of mystery because it happened so long ago and it was such a tremendous experience we get to hear it as a story. Something else I love about these fairytales is that they add moral value. The Japanese are always great at showing their customs and religious practices within their storytelling regardless of how whimsical and unreal the story may be. Most Asian culture is the same actually and with a traditional standpoint over a modern twist back to “olden” time, I’m more drawn to the lore and the magic and the framework as a whole. I also liked that it recounts every detail, regardless of how small. From the movements of the characters to the motions of wildlife, even the weather. I was sad at first when reading Ozaki and feared that I would not get back into any excitement as I moved forward. The second half really saved this story chapter for me. So hopefully at the end of my story project for the semester, each reader will fill the same way of moral understanding and traditional practices that these stories did for me.

Image: A Demon (Wikipedia)
Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki

Reading Notes: Ozaki Part A

Reading Notes

Ozaki Part A

I’ve been waiting to get into these stories reading weeks since the start of the semester! Asian stories of myth and fairytale were the exact pieces I wanted to draw from for my semester project in this course. Considering I want to take a very “adventure” style vibe, I decided to read Ozaki’s stories of Japanese Fairytales that documented encounters with ogres, serpents, kings, and even supernatural being. The first half of my reading was actually surprising for me. I thought I’d like it more than I did? There go right into each story speaking in third person and even third person omniscient, which is fine, but it took away from the overall set up in the story for me. Much of it was build up to describe who was being talked about and then the actual story became more of a fragment instead of the main picture. It got better towards the final part of the reading, something I was thoroughly impressed with. Lots of Onomateopia were included as well in the storytelling. The effect of words like this is great to me because it makes the story slightly interactive! The writer is getting you to experience that crash, that bang, that thud, at the same time the protagonist would have to. I appreciate that since it’s third person you also are left wondering “oh what’s going to happen next” rather than “well I know this and this happens so... I expected this and this.” It’s a position I want to take in storytelling while adding in more dialogue to help shape the characters a bit better. The final story of this half of the reading did a beautiful job at that! My goal is to use it as inspiration in my project later on.

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki
Image: Origami Figure (Pexels)

Story Lab Week 6

Story Lab Week 6

Crash Course Mythology

This week, I listened to the story lab “Overview of Mythology” which went into detail about how to avoid arguement and how to compare myth with religion among theory and protagonists. They want to recount stories that have been used over a long period of time that aren’t necessarily factual or traceable. We often use the word “myth” all the time but there’s no real definition behind this word. It was an interesting insight for how to interpret both the meaning of mythology, theories of mythology, and pieces that go into mythology from characters to setting to overall story. I recommend a watch if you have the time!

Image: Religion and Mythology (Wikimedia Commons)

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Reading Notes: The Voyages of Sinbad Part B

Reading Notes

The Voyages of Sinbad Part B

During the second half of this reading assignment, I was getting past more of the sentence structure and staying focused on the story flow. Something interesting about these voyages that Sinbad is embarking on is that it is very repetitive over time. The stories each start off on the same foot or with the same reasoning while ending with the same result and feeling. It's a nice story for short reads over time. Think of the book series' that you would read as a child about a hero. Something that is positive about this tales is that you do get excited and happy when the protagonist makes it out of a sticky situation in a rather crazy way. How he managed to get through the Old Man, the Elephants, even the Roc parents is phenomenal. You never forget that he is a child of luck just by how unbelievable it is that he ends up always being the lone survivor. This is without fail every single time. I probably would have loved it more if I had read each voyage individually rather than just straight through like a novel. Aside from those remarks, Sinbad really does give off the storyteller vibe throughout each tale. He'll make side comments that remind you that this had already happened and he's recounting it for you. When his side comments and remarks do pop up every few lines, it's always a seamless insertion and you don't have a break-up in imagery. I really appreciate a writing style like that! I keep the flow going beautifully but never takes you away from the main idea or plot. It makes sense as to why it would be predictable that no matter the tragedy of the situation, Sinbad would have to have survived in order for him to be telling these stories to the other Sinbad. Oh if you haven't read this story, Sinbad the Sailor is telling his ventures to another man named Sinbad. It's actually hilarious.



Image: The Tales of Sinbad (Web Source)
Bibliography: The Arabian Nights' Entertainment by Andrew Lang (Un-Textbook)

Reading Notes: The Voyages of Sinbad Part A

Reading Notes

The Voyages of Sinbad Part A

For the reading this week, I thought it would be fun to get into the tellings of Sinbad, the heroic merchant that speaks of tales that most wouldn't believe. I was really excited to delve into this read because a hero tale is like a chocolate chip cookie; a classic heart-warmer. Right off the bat, I noticed that something this story has that others don't, the excessive use of commas. There I said it. I'm not sure if this is done to put more emphasis on the fact that he's recounting an epic feat that he endured. Maybe it's to help express the emotion behind his storytelling method so he can keep the listener hanging on each word? Or because it's so wonderous that he'll just talk on and on without stop making sure the listener has been given all the detail just as he took it in first hand? I'm honestly not too sure. It was hard to process and read through in the beginning for me because I felt like even reading in my head, I needed a break. As I got more into the story flow, it wasn't as noticeable to me if we're being honest. I can't say that it helps build the vibe of this being a re-telling; however, I can say that as the story goes on you can visualize both what's going on and Sinbad actually telling it to you. His personality is greatly shown in his storytelling style, and you also get a sense of familiarity between each voyage. It's fun to almost predict how he may handle a situation or react to a newfound problem. Thus far in these class readings, I'd say this has been the most exciting read I've gotten into!

Image: Sinbad the Sailor (Wikipedia)
Bibliography: The Arabian Nights' Entertainment by Andrew Lang (Un-Textbook)

Week 5 Story: The Meadow of Many Colors

Author Notes: This story is based on the Arabian Nights tale of Sultan and the Fish, which involves a fisherman who had given a series of colorful fish to the Sultan in exchange for riches. Upon discovering that these fish were not native to the area, curiosity strikes and he seeks to discover where they come from and why. He realizes that over time, these fish are actually people places under an enchantment by a wicked woman who lives in a castle nearby. One of the other enchanted beings she hits is her husband. My story is inspired by this with using flowers instead of fish being the people, as well as the king needing these flower for restoration and being lead by his curiosity to find the source of how these flowers conduct their magic. Please enjoy!

The Meadow of Many Colors

There once was a king who spent many nights praying to the gods of old and new. For his lovely wife had been stricken with an illness so cruel that he feared she would sleep and not make it to first light. He loved his queen dearly, just as she loved him. Her sickness had caused him to lie awake many nights. Over and over and over he’d talk with apothecaries, physicians, witch doctors; any being who had the possibilities of the right attributes to cure her. One day, he became so desperate that he sent word to all of his subjects that if they knew of a cure to come forth and he would shower them in riches.

Countless times members of his community would gather and speak so highly in their abilities just to gain treasures, yet every attempt had failed. Sorrow, despair, guilt. The king was washed in an anxiety as to why his beauty was chosen over him to bear such horror. In the peak of his wails, a veiled mistress enters his palace with a bed of vegetation in her wake.

“Sire,” she said, with a kneel and bowed head. “I wish to aid you in curing your queen’s illness. May I present to you the answers you pray upon.”

She proceeds to move the basket that holds her vegetation beds closer, revealing a magnificent array of flowers that glimmer as though direct sunlight still shined upon them. Each petal had it’s own brilliance, with mystic hues of blues and reds and yellows. For no flowers amongst the kingdom had been granted such splendor and awe like these at this moment.

“Why... how shall I use these fine beauties? Perhaps a sniff of their floral hands or a prick by their tough stalk?” The king was left curious but hopeful.

“A tea. Brew her a tea of these fine blooms and once warm to the touch, have her drink a whole cup in one go. Only then will she be cured.”

Image: Floral Tea (Pxhere)

The king ordered one of his kitchen staff to take the flowers and do as the mysterious woman requested. Tea brewed. Cup poured. The Queen brought in on a bed of fine silks and sturdy bamboo framing. With the temperature dropping to the adequate level as deemed by the kitchen hand, the queen drank until the very last drop had slid down her throat just as the few prior to. Within the next sunrise, she had been cured of all her ailments.

“Alas! My love has been restored. I thank you, woman, of unknown merit. I shall gift you what has been promised.” With this, the woman took her rewards and left; remaining with her were the other flowers that had not been used to make the necessary cup of life. With her absence, the king decided to have his garden workers discover the source of this bud’s healing properties and how to grow it for himself with what product he had left from the mysterious woman. What his workers came up with though was both alarming and disheartening.

“Oh, sire... This flower cannot be reproduced. It does not produce seeds. I don't even contain pollen. It’s just... here. I don’t know why and I cannot explain it, but this is no ordinary flower.”

“I don’t believe it. Witchcraft perhaps? Foreign vegetation? I need to know the source.” With this unsolved question, the king left with his best men to search high and low for the mysterious woman. Asking any townsfolk of her involvement or appearance nearby, yet always coming in shorthanded. “She must be here somewhere. Maybe on the outskirts?”

The king and his men decided then that they must look beyond the walls of the city since their luck had begun to fade within. Once out, they traveled far until reaching a familiar sight. Flowers. Beautiful flowers. Flowers with vivid auras so alluring that not even the horses being lead could leave their place after gazing on such a sight. "Here. We've done it, my friends. We've found them."

Image: Enchanted Forest (Web Source)

The sites before them were of the utmost beauty until they began to be filled with anxieties and fear like never before. Once they got closer it was as though an ominous horror had filled them. Swallowing in their sanity and coating their eyes with visions of people. People that were crying. Screaming. Cursing. Hyperventilating. These were not flowers grown from the very soul and soil that the earth had blessed upon the common, but morphism on creatures deemed sinful and unnecessary.
"My god.. these are not flora we should worship. This is flora of the devils on this earth. The evils this world wants to consume us in." The king tried to call out to his brethren only to look around and realize he had lost them amongst the cries and the bright glow.

"Oh, my king. Precious king" said a voice that had at the moment become second nature to recognize. The hooded woman had appeared again. Only this time with a sinister smile that was visible to the eyes, but nothing more. "Do you no longer yearn for my gift. My enchanted beauties you see before you? You wanted prosperity. Health. Sickness to dissipate. Life for life is what I have blessed onto you. They weren't worthy of the gift of life. Your ignorance pains me to believe that you also are fit to hold the same fate as thy before you. This enchantress may give you fuller purpose in that regard."

Image: Glowing Flowers (Wikimedia Common)

"No! No, you cannot do this. I only wanted to understand how this magic cured my beloved. I do not seek to disrespect your generosity!" The king pleaded and bowed; kissing the very feet of the witch herself. "Is it not curiosity that often causes the fall of the might?" stated the enchantress. Then with that, the fair king was changed. He now lies amongst the screaming, waiting for a wise one to one day vanquish the acts of this enchantress. Wishing that he had just lived on with his queen without mystery getting the better of him.




Bibliography:  The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (Un-Textbook)

Reading Notes: Arabian Nights Part B

Reading Notes

Arabian Nights Part B

During the second half of this reading, there wasn't much of a focus on multiple stories tellers as there was in the previous sections. This half has a primary focus on the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp. As a child whose name was Jasmine, I always loved when I was given the chance to watch the Disney film, Aladdin, because I felt like everything that was happening was happening to me. Having a movie I loved so much being retold to me from its original adaptation was hard to digest at first. The story was focused on retelling the counts of what was being done over dialogue and structure in character development. I know that this story was being told from a storyteller that the original Arabian Nights tale was following, but since this was a longer story than the previous ones it was probably intentional to be told this way. The style of these stories was to just recount a situation that had happened, which means it makes sense for there to not be much dialogue going back and forth between characters unless it was important to the story. There also may not seem to be much character development over time because the focus is on a recount of a story, not a made-up tale that you create the structure for. The cool thing about storytelling in this way is that the actual story may shape out to be something slightly different than the newer versions, however; most of the time this approach leaves you to be captivated as a whole rather than "I want this person to have love and justice and ..." you get the picture. You want to know about how the end of the story affects all the people and if it's good or bad regardless of the main characters' fates. This style is good for an approach at a hero tale you'd tell a child before bed, or maybe to help lift the spirits of someone who isn't doing too well.


Bibliography: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H.J. Ford (Un-Textbook)
Image: Aladdin in Arabian Nights (Wikimedia Commons)

Reading Post A: Arabian Nights

Reading Post A

Arabian Nights

My story choice this week was to read Arabian Nights. Something that my friends and I love to do is play board games and one of the board games we play very often is "Tales of Arabian Nights" which has a playable character named Scheherazade, which is the main storyteller in this story of the week. I was definitely drawn to this story right off the bat just from how it was going to be told. I love the idea of having an inception of stories within stories within stories. That approach at first glance can seem to be like the story is trying to be dragged out, which might annoy a reader who just wants to get to the end. Something I appreciate about this style of writing is that not only are you wanting and hoping for a pleasant fate for the main character but as more stories are told with other characters you start to be drawn in and hopeful for them too. It's also a great way to expand on a story since most of the time this new story will have something to do the storyteller's situation. My favorite method this story took was when it went into talking about a fisherman who was troubled by a genius (a sort of mystic presence who was wanting to harm the fisherman) and he told a story to save his life just as Scheherazade was telling a story to save his life. That section of this reading had a lot of inception like stories and I was here for every second of it. I will say that I wished there was more done between the actual storyteller and the main reasons as to why the stories were being told throughout the tales given. Did they allude back to her when she felt like she needed to pause her tales? Yes. Did they ever further develop her situation or if she ever was free to stop telling stories and still live on? Not in the scripts I read but, there may be more information elsewhere.

Bibliography: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H.J. Ford (Un-Textbook)
Image: Arabian Nights Illustration (Wikimedia Commons)

Comment Wall

Comment Wall

Please read my story and give me feedback to make it even better!

Image: Terror Gargoyle provided by Max Pixel

My Story thus far is titled, "A Punishment of Tengu" that will hopefully captivate you guys with a good adventure story that might not have the ending you expect. Please visit My Website if you have the time to look over it. Thanks! 

Story Lab Week 4: Ted Talk activities

Story Lab

Ted Talks

For this story lab assignment, I decided to watch the Ted Talks "The danger of a single story" and "Imaginary friends and real world consequences" to gain a little more insight on storytelling.  Both videos provided me with realizations and perceptions that I hadn't noticed before when it came to storytelling just based on what is being told. It's one of the easiest ways to sway the mind of any human being based on the inspiration. Many people think that certain types of stories need to follow what they've been told about different cultures in order to be true or believable. There are many different translations or interpretations for the mind that require a more open outlook when it comes to cultural storytelling. When being told a story or reading one on your own, it can have such a strong effect on people where they build connections with all the members in the story. Everyone can be impressionable, regardless of age or gender or race. Writing a story has become a way to shift the mindset of a person want to believe in what they are following in a book over what’s actually happening around them in the real world.


Image: Silent Author (Pixabay)

Reading Notes: Ovid’s Metamorphoses Part B

Reading Notes

Part B of Ovid’s Metamorphoses

While reading the second half of Tony Kline’s translation, it was a much easier read than the earlier sections. The stories seemed to flow better based on the mannerisms of Roman Gods and mythological storytelling. I loved that they took the time in each story to have an introduction stage that leads to the main point of the story so that there isn’t any confusion. During the first half of the reading, I was all over the place trying to figure out how things were happening the way they were just because I felt like the intro didn’t have much dynamic. Like it was solely focused on the mortality or immortality of the focal character in question. I think that I’m just a reader that likes to have a much detail at the beginning as possible in order to avoid any future confusion or frustrations when new things get brought in. I love to know the ins and outs of the characters until I’m meant to follow along with the supporting cast in a story who are unaware of something. 

Something else I really enjoyed is how the dialogue was produced for each character based on their mortal status, situation, and time frame. There was a great expression of anguish and defeat but also lust and yearning coming from Narcissus in his story; there were shock and remorse but frustration and anger in Thisbe for her arc. These stories weren’t as long as the early half of the readings but they gave me more feeling than the others previous. How they managed to fit all of that into such short descriptions to continue to flesh out the actual story was phenomenal. I really appreciated the character writing this time around! So I think my main issue just has to be with the development of the story from the start and how the ending is produced. Which are both things that can be altered to provide more information and maybe even enhance the story or character feats within!

Image: Medusa Sculpture (Wikipedia)
Bibliography: Ovid's Metamorphoses translated by Tony Kline (Un-Textbook)

Reading Notes: Ovid’s Metamorphoses Part A

Ovid’s Metamorphoses Part A

My reading analysis

Upon reading this Roman mythological tale, I wasn’t as excited about it compared to the Cupid and Psyche story that I had read last week. Though the content for the story is very interesting and keeps the reader entertained, I feel as though the flow of the story from section to section is not very uniform. The only things that seemed to keep me moving forward were the notes that Professor Gibbs had left above each story before getting into the rest of the read. Aside from possibly me just not focusing enough while reading, I loved the imagery! Some of my favorite writing is when authors will personify objects so that their adjective usage connects to the setup in a complex way. The way that Kline would describe the water, the doors, the clouds, even the light was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

When it comes to character development, it doesn’t seem to be as great. There could be more moments in the story where Kline described more of what each character was feeling rather than everything around them or the bystander characters and their emotions so vividly. One example is during his “Io” story. She became meta-morphed into an animal and seemed to have lost raw emotion until left alone and given thought. How was it that she was so reluctant to graze like a cow and move as a cow but once her reflection was shown and her voice did not sound like it should is when she discovered her metamorphosis? Maybe they could have had her discover the fact that she had changed and then show her living her life out like the creature she had become. Overcome with depression in that state could be the push she uses to seek out her family and ultimately try and be saved and reverted back.

There were also issues with how quickly the change seemed to resolve itself. I thought there would be a more dramatic ending considering the wrath that Juno was written to have about the havoc being placed before her, yet everything went to be a more smooth process instead. It was hard to wrap my head around because I do like happy endings but at the moment it didn't seem like the right lead-in. Maybe in the future, there could be more dialogue as to how a resolve happened so seamlessly?

Bibliography: Ovid's Metamorphoses translated by Tony Kline (Un-Textbook)
Image: Crying Cattle (Picryl)

Topic Research: Japanese Grimm Fairytales?

Japanese Grimm Fairytales

Let's do a mash-up and see what we get!

After the comments that I was provided by Professor Gibbs, I'm thinking of going the route of combining two of my style choices into one. Japanese Fairytales and Grimm Fairytales into one genre seems to be a great take on some of the folklore and myth that stems from Japan in a creepy or twisted way. When I was younger, I really liked to indulge in horror games that were made in Japan. Some like the Fatal Frame games or even the video game interpretation of Ju-On. So with that, I looked into the Freebookapalooza and came across some stories that I think would help to inspire my writing for my end project! 

The first story I came across was the book "In Ghostly Japan" by Lafcadio Hearn which can be accessed from the Freebookapalooza site. This book is a recount of many supernatural stories and oriental mysteries that are centered around Japanese imagery, speech pattern, and slightly mirrored religion. What I liked about this book that helped in providing me with inspiration is that it isn't solely focused on scaring the reader or being overdone. It really draws out stories so that you may not know if something is good or bad, whether you should be scared or not scared, even how far the writer is going to go with the story so that it could be a happy ending or an unsettling ending. Since I wanted to take a Grimm approach to my storytelling, this was a great choice to stumble upon for future reference.

The second story I wanted to use in order to help with my semester project was the "Dragon Jewel" by Teresa Pierce Williston which can be found at the Sacred Texts website. This is a short story that accounts for the blind ego of a prince who wants to prove that he is not a coward to his people. He has a quick foil which is something I appreciate about fairytales because they often bring forward raw character development in such a short amount of time. Based on just the genuine feeling you can get from the prince's character made it inspirational to me because I want to be able to inject that much into a reader of my stories regardless of how long or short it may be. This one is more of a Japanese fairy tale that doesn't necessarily follow myth and lore.

The last story that gave me some inspiration is more on the Grimm Fairytale side of things. The passage I read was from Brothers Grimm (Hunt) section for "Thumbling" translated by Margaret Hunt and found on Un-Textbook. This story tells the journey of a small boy no larger than a thumb being separated from his parents and using his quick wit and small size to make his way home. All the while causing misfortune to the beings that have unintentionally helped guide him home. I like that not only is this a pretty serious story that has gruesome circumstances for some characters, but it also shows the evils in the world from both the main characters acts and the thoughts of the side characters throughout the story. It kept me interested and hopeful the whole time because I wanted to see if he would make it home before actually not being smart enough to keep going.

Image 1: Ghostly Scene (Pixabay)

Image 2: The Prince (Wikimedia Commons)

Image 3: Thumbling (Wikimedia Commons)

Feedback Strategies

Feedback Strategies

After reading about how to accept feedback last week, it helps to see that a majority of the feedback in this course is from peer reviews. That being said, I should probably get better at providing feedback to others as well as how I receive it. After reading Six Tips for Providing Constructive Feedback and The Difference Between Praise and Feedback, I feel a bit more confident in my ability to give feedback. My fear is that I don't want to hurt someone or cause them to lose their creativity because it feels like it's been challenged or judged. Good feedback is feedback that you can tell is given because that individual wants to help better you and place you in the right direction. Strategies that I liked after reading the suggested methods from last semester were the ones that involve asking questions and providing suggestive solutions to those questions. I like having the options to provide feedback and then give examples as to what I mean because then it shows that I'm trying to help enhance the work that is already up and open to the public. I also really like reaching and looking at things that may not confuse me at the moment but could potentially confuse others without any context of the situation or the meaning of some words. Feedback should be seen as a positive but not strictly as praise because then the writer is less likely to put in more effort to create an even better version of their story than they currently have. 


Image: I have not failed quote from Edison (Garydhenderson.com)

Week 3 Story: The Queen Meets Diana

The Queen Meets Diana

The tale of a mother who believes her new daughter-in-law is unfit to wed her son

Young Diana was a peasant girl that often helped around her home village and took care of the tasks her parents could not accomplish due to their age. Her beauty was unmeasurable and her heart as pure as the finest gold. While tending to her parents flock one morn, she was greeted by a wandering prince who had left home due to an argument with his mother. He happened to stumble upon her acre on accident but was left captivated by her gentle heart and astonishing beauty. "My what a beauty. Not even  Pandora is necessary to drop more radiance on thee. How is one so mesmerizing left to tend to creatures so foul," said the prince. "For these are my parent's flock. I tend to them in hope of allowing my loved ones rest after such labor they choose to endure day by day," stated Diana. "A kind nature such as yours only intensifies your lovely aura. I do not think I can leave the likes of you," said the prince as he ogled Diana with passionate eyes.

For days, the prince would come by in secret to visit and talk with Diana. As time went on, their attraction to one another grew to new heights. Love taking over, they decide to wed in secret. "My mother would not approve of you my dear. She refuses to live with competition for the admiration of the people. She would not dare sully her lineage with the likes of those unroyal. My love for you is so strong that I wouldn't be able to go on if I don't have your hand. Please stay with me in secret forever," exclaimed the prince. So moved by his words, Diana agreed regardless of the fact that she could not be public with her new husband.

Months later, the queen happened to find out about her son's rendezvous outside of the palace with a peasant girl named Diana. She was furious to hear of such a secret being kept from her. When spies would return to deliver details of their encounters, most would recount her beauty and kindness in a way that felt hypnotized. Feeling challenged to maintain her reputable image amongst the people, the queen sought to find the girl and knock her down a few notches. After searching and kidnapping, the guards of the queen brought in Diana for questioning.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my new daughter-in-law. A herd girl without even a cent to her name. Mommy is so very proud," says the queen with a wicked, almost crazy look in her eyes. "Why haven't you journeyed to meet your new mom? Was he ashamed of you? Did he know you weren't worthy? Shall I make you worthy?" All of a sudden guards brought in large heaps of grains both brown and white. These heaps so tall that poor Diana could not see over them. "You want to show your worth field rat? Sort these grains into separate piles of brown and white. You have until nightfall. If such a task if not completed for your new mother-in-law, oh the consequences you'll face." With that, the queen laughed and disappeared beyond doors that lead into the room.

Tears fell Diana's face. While this torment was set to happen, the prince had already made way to meet with his dear wife for the day only to realize she had gone missing. Panic and distress had captured both the young lovers.

Diana began sorting, despite the overwhelming amount of the grains she had been given. Seeing such determination and will so that she may reach her husband once more, small birds flew in from the windows and began to gather to her feet. It wasn't until about 50 birds had appeared until once walked forward and spoke to her. "We sympathize for you sweet girl. Your heart is pure and your plite is so treacherous. Allow us to help you. Please let us assist." The army of birds started to sort with her, decreasing the heap immensely and finishing the task before nightfall. The queen returns hopefully for failure but, is greeted by the success that puts a sour taste in her mouth.

"Well - I'm shocked. I don't believe that you were able to complete this within the hours given. What magic is at your disposal? You can't be serious!" The queen becomes frantic and after some time in this state her son appears at the door. "Diana!" he screams. Rushing in to grab his bride, he retorts to his mother saying that he must access his new partner regardless of her status. That he will not leave her even if he is stripped of all his royalties. Defeat came about the queen's eyes, but with her reluctant acceptance came new found ideas for torment of the girl she would call daughter.

Author's Notes: This story was inspired by an excerpt from the Golden Ass, which accounts for the tale of Cupid and Psyche. Psyche is a young girl whose beauty defies even the Goddess of Beauty, Venus. So upset from the people ignoring her because Psyche is so beautiful, Venus decided to have her son Cupid put her in an unhappy situation. Cupid and Psyche eventually fall in love and hide their matrimony from Venus. Venus discovers their secret wed and hunts down Psyche to torture her and cause her great anxiety and distress. The first task that Psyche is given is to sort out out a large mountain mix of grains and nuts into their own heaps. She is helped in the end by ants but the queen has many more tasks up her sleeve to try and cause Psyche tragedy. 

Author Bibliography: The Golden Ass wrote by Apuleius and translated by Tony Kline Un-Textbook

Image: A little help from the birds (Wikimedia Commons)

Reading Post: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche Part B

Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche Part B

Completing the story and final thoughts

On completing the story, everything seemed to flow better in the second half. My favorite things to analyze were these tasks that Venus, the mother of Cupid, had requested Psyche to do for her in order to torment the girl. The imagery to couple the immense work she'd have to endure was very well done in my book. The author would use words that would make the end goal seems to worthy and magical like golden, sweet, pure, etc. It brought back into perspective that although Psyche is having to commit to these dangerous tasks that would normally be asked by some sort of beast or vile being, they are being asked by the Goddess of Beauty. A goddess that is loved by most all. When the author begins to use imagery words like dangerous, fierce, death, and other words of the sort it causes the reader to think about how human even an immortal god can feel. The reason behind Venus wanting to hurt Psyche so much is because she didn't want to feel outcasted by someone who the people deem to be more beautiful than she. She also has stolen the heart of her son and all these things created torment for Venus due to her own vanity. You can be a god with supernatural abilities but there's nothing that says you can't have raw and vulnerable emotions. Not everything about you needs to be pure and perfect. Considering she is also the goddess of infidelity. While going forward with the story, I was also more impacted by Cupid's love for Psyche. Everything seemed so rushed before that without knowledge of him being pricked by an arrow, it was hard to understand how much he already loved his bride. After being apart and hearing of his wife endure sure distress and pain he was able to accept his new-found health and resolve these issues as quickly as you can say, Hermes. Overall, this was a good read and had sweet resolve, no matter how quickly it all seemed to happen.

Image: Cupid finds Psyche (Wikipedia)

Author Bibliography: The Golden Ass wrote by Apuleius and translated by Tony Kline Un-Textbook

Feedback Thoughts

Feedback Thoughts

How I perceive the comments of others 

After reading two articles over the idea of "feedback" it kind of puts into perspective how I have learned to take feedback throughout my years in college. The two articles I read were Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work, as well as How to Mentor a Perfectionist. Both articles hit right at home to me because I try so hard to be the book definition of "perfect" sometimes. My goal seems to always want to impress everyone, regardless if I'm proud of what I did or inspired by what I did or anything of the sort. They both touch on learning to trust yourself and your gut when it comes to your creativity and that your work can be successful regardless of someone reaping over it or it not passing the "perfect" definition. I want to look at what is being critiqued and take it as help to go in the right direction so that I'm still on a successful path, not the "only" path.

Image: Inner Critic from Flickr

Reading Notes: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche Part A

Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche Part A

My analysis over the first half of the reading

When given the choice of what type of story to read this week, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to read about classical mythology. Most of what I know is from the Greek side of mythology so I was excited to indulge in Roman for once. I'm very simple when it comes to loving fairy tales and so far this story doesn't seem to disappoint in giving me the romantic sweet feel. At the beginning of the read, it was pretty hard for me to really immerse myself in the story because everything seemed to flow very quickly. I believe that the author was doing what he could to quickly get to speaking on the nights that Psyche and Cupid were together. It was unclear for me to grasp the meaning of the oracle that stated a pretty dark prophecy in the beginning to the father of the main heroine in the tale. It became blurred in with the young girl being whisked away to a cliff where she was to assume this unspoken fate that everyone else in the story was aware of. Once the pieces started falling into place about mid-way through this story is when I felt like the writing was doing the tale justice. The amount of imagery you can pull from this script is phenomenal. Every word will have you painting a greater canvas that makes every situation feel more real and with more emphasis on the emotion, you should be gathering at the moment. My favorite parts so far have been when going into detail on the wicked nature of the two sisters of the heroine. They are both written to be vile creatures and over time and description, you too will begin to want ill fate upon them. All in all, I'm enjoying the read so far and can't wait to get to the ending. Bye for now!

Author Bibliography: The Golden Ass wrote by Apuleius and translated by Tony Kline Un-Textbook

Image: Cupid caressing Psyche from Wikipedia