Week 10/11 Storytelling: Riddles of the Goblin King

Author's Note:

Okay, so I apologize for the length of this one right off the bat.

This week I read Ryder's Twenty-Two Goblins. For those of you who don't know, the text is about a king tasked with carrying a goblin back to a monk. But of course, there's a twist; along the way, the goblin entertains him with twenty-two different stories. At the end of each story, the goblin asks the king a riddle, which he must answer or his head will explode.

So you'd think I would choose to write about one of the twenty two stories; I thought so too. But the most fascinating aspect of the story for me was actually the main part with the King, the goblin, and the monk. That's the part I wanted to explore.

So I did just that. Instead of twenty two stories, I just picked the three I liked the best. I elaborated on certain details and summarized the rest. The stories as presented here are much shorter than they appear in the actual text (so go read it!), and I changed some details around as I saw fit.

The goblin's final story remains unanswered in the original tale. That didn't sit well with me, so I spent a day mulling over the riddle and came up with an answer I liked.

Because of the sheer amount of story I wanted to cover, my writing became quite long (sorry, not sorry). I have taken the liberty of splitting up the narrative into two parts, each fairly close to a thousand words. Don't worry, you'll know when you reach the end of part 1.

Enough rambling!

Riddles of the Hidden Goblin

To King Vikrama, the gnarled ficus looked like any other fig tree he'd seen. The King kicked idly at its base, waiting for his guest to arrive. Why the monk chose the cemetery for their meeting spot, he would never know. The soil here was old and decrepit, and made weak sustenance for a tree. The trunk shook and rattled under his kicking and dropped a few figs onto the graves beneath its branches. The King picked one up and split it open with his blade.

Spooky graveyard fig 

"You will find them quite delicious, I assure you" said a voice from behind.

Vikrama turned to regard the chubby tantric monk, Vamachari. Unlike most ascetics, Vamachari did not seem to favor the vow of a sparse diet.

"The fig you gifted me this afternoon contained the biggest sapphire I've ever seen," King Vikrama explained. "I had to be sure."

"Oh, this is the tree from which I plucked that fruit, most assuredly, Your Majesty."

The King held up the normal fig in defiance and beckoned the monk to explain himself.

"You underestimate my talents, Your Grace. One must be well versed in the tantric rites to coax the tree into surrendering its secrets."

"Teach me."

"I most certainly can. The Jewel Bloom Mantra is really quite simple, when you get down to it . . . But, and there is a 'but,' I must ask a favor of you in return."

"I swear to grant it, whatever boon you might seek."

"Very well," said Monk Vamachari. "Journey deeper into the cemetery. There you will find a tree, very much like this one, only with a body hanging from the lowest branch. Do not fret for this particular lost soul. Bring him here to me and I will teach you the incantation and you shall have jeweled crowns and rings the rival of all your peers."

And so King Vikrama undertook the tantric monk's quest. Soon he came across the tree the monk had described. He cut the dead man down and heaved him onto his back.

"Hey hey hey, what's the big idea?!"

King Vikrama shrugged off the body and drew his sword. "Who goes?" he shouted.

"I should ask you the same thing!" said the voice again. "Who are you, huh, wise guy? Thinks he can just waltz into my home and act like he owns the place?"

"Your . . . home?" The King squatted beside the body. The dead man's jaw was hanging ajar, and inside it Vikrama thought he could make out two glowing red eyes. "Goblin! You're a goblin, inhabiting the bodies of the dead and playing tricks upon the living!"

"How very clever," the goblin said. "Someone deserves a medal. I am actually the King of the Goblins, I'll have you know. Ryder's the name. Now if you could kindly put my home back on its branch and be on your way. Honestly, I was just starting to get the place the way I wanted . . ."

"Oh, no," said the King. "You're coming with me." And he scooped the body back onto his shoulder and carried him off.

"Fiend!" the goblin shouted. "Vandal! Let go of me! You're taking me to that wretched Vamachari, aren't you?"

The King gave no reply, so the goblin began chanting, working his blood magic.

"There!" Ryder barked from within the dead man. "A curse upon you! Since you are oh so very wise, I have imparted a curse on that brain of yours. You must listen to each of my stories. Then you will answer each of my riddles. If you cannot answer, your brain will burst into a thousand pieces, each of which will occupy a different dismal corner of this world. Hahaha!"

The King said nothing, for there was no need. He understood.

Ryder, from inside the corpse's throat, cleared his own. "Long ago there lived three monks who were all in love with the same woman. They were brothers, see, and brothers have similar tastes. The woman loved them each in turn, and could not decide which brother to marry.

"Ah, but fate decided for her. She was struck with a terrible illness and fell dead. Aggrieved, each brother handled the loss in his own way. The first brother built his home on top of her ashes and pledged never to leave her side for as long as he lived. The second brother pledged to see her safely to the afterlife, taking her bones to the Ganges to purify them. The third brother set out to wander the world in search of a way to bring her back."

"And what do you know? He found it!The Necronomicon, a magical book he stole from a powerful hermit. He used the book to resurrect his love and all three brothers rejoiced. But oh, wise King, which brother ought the woman to marry, the first, the second, or the third?"

King Vikrama dwelled on this for some time. "The first," he finally said. "The second brother did as any monk should, and purified her spirit. The third left her when she died to wander the world. Had he not discovered the book, he would have moved on. But the first brother vowed to never leave her side. He gave up everything for her: his freedom, his life, even his soul. He is her true husband."

"Bah! Beginner's luck," Ryder hissed. "Riddle me this! Long ago a king such as yourself came about a powerful demon while hunting alone. In exchange for his life, he promised the demon that he would grant him any sacrifice he desired. The demon requested the king bring him a seven-year-old boy, pure of mind and body. He also requested the boy's parents hold his legs and hands while he gorged. Pretty sick stuff, eh?"

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End of Part 1 

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"So the King scours his kingdom in search of such a boy. He offers gold, titles, and lands to any parents who will come forward. Eventually, he finds just such a family and they all return to the demon's cave. The boy's mother takes his hands, his father holds his feet, and the king stands above him and calls to the demon. And the demon sees this and is pleased.

"Now, what does the boy do? Does he cry and beg for his life? Does he pray to the Gods for salvation? No! The boy takes one look at all this and laughs! He laughs so true and so deeply that the demon feels ashamed and retreats back into his cave. The king too feels shame, and crowns the boy king in his stead. His parents are so guilty they run into the cave after the demon in the hopes he might eat them instead.

"My question is this: Why did he laugh? Just what was so funny?"

King Vikrama scratched his chin. This was harder than the previous. "Because he realized the absurdity of it all." He finally understood. "The King was willing to sacrifice a child to save his own life. The parents too were willing to sacrifice their son to better their own lives with wealth. And the demon, he too was afraid to lose his life, and had to eat the souls of children in order to avoid death by spiritual starvation. Out of everyone, the boy was the only one who did not fear death. He was the only one willing to sacrifice his life. When he realized this, he could only laugh, and the others became ashamed."

"My, but you are a clever one." The goblin sounded like he was fast becoming annoyed by the King's answers. "But my last puzzle story will stump even you! Not even I know the answer to it!"

"Long ago there was a King, and a Queen, and a beautiful Princess. But the King was betrayed by his advisers and killed in a nefarious plot. The Queen and her daughter escaped to the woods and wandered in search of safety to the edge of the kingdom. Now, two hunters, a Father and Son, soon came across their tracks. The Son said to the Father, 'Now see, there are the women for us. I will marry the one with the small feet, and you the large. Since Mother died, you have been terribly lonely.' The Father agreed, and together they set out in search of their brides.

"They soon discovered the Queen and Princess living in a cave in the forest. Even unwashed and clothed in brush, they were beautiful, so the hunters married them on the spot. But alas, the Princess, though very beautiful, had feet like an elephant. And her Mother, though her beauty was refined with age, had the delicate feet of a shrew. And so the Father married the Daughter and the Mother married the Son. So I ask you, wise King, when each married couple has children, of what relation will they be to one another?"

The King thought on this for a long time. He thought and thought and could not puzzle it out. Would they be siblings? Cousins? Aunts, uncles, half-brothers or half-sisters? Vikrama's head began to spin.

"Aha!" Ryder chortled and sneered inside the dead man. "Stumped are you? Prepare to have one doozy of a headache!"

"Wait," King Vikrama said. "I have an answer for you, goblin. The children of the father and daughter and the children of the mother and son would be friends."

"Friends? I guess you weren't as wise as I thought! Relations, dummy. You misunderstood the question."

"I understood perfectly well," said Vikrama. "The children would doubtless grow up very close. Whatever their familial ties, they would be related most closely by the bond of friendship."

"Drat!" The goblin crawled out of the dead man's throat. "Why isn't your head exploding? Could that mean . . .?"

"He's right."

Vamachari stepped out from behind the fig tree. Vikrama had been so distracted by the goblin's stories, he hadn't even noticed they'd arrived back at the start. He caught the goblin by the the throat and threw it down in front of the tantric monk.

"You have done me a great service, Your Majesty."

"And what of your promise? Teach me the spell, Monk."

"Oh, it really is quite simple. Believe hard enough, and the jewel will be there."

"What? That is no answer. Teach me the spell, Vamachari!"

But the chubby monk ignored him. Vamachari instead grabbed the goblin's head and pulled his mouth open, reciting an ominous mantra under his breath. He stuck one leg down Ryder's throat, and then the other. Soon, impossibly, he was up to his sizable waist down the goblin's gullet.

Open wide!

Vikrama could not believe his eyes. Instinct told him to grab his sword. "What madness is this, Vamachari? Explain yourself!"

"I will explain nothing!" The tantric monk had now completely disappeared down the goblin's throat. "Soon enough I will be the King of the Goblins, and then even you will be nothing but my royal subject! The whole world will become my kingdom!"

Unluckily for the future King of the Goblins, King Vikrama was fast on his feet. He ran up to the tiny, convulsing creature and he punted Ryder with all his force against the trunk of the fig tree. He held out the palm of his hand and a single fig fell into it, as he knew it would.

He believed.

The king jammed the fig down Ryder's throat, much to Vamachari's muffled protestations. The goblin sputtered and began to choke. The sapphire that was lodged in his windpipe was too large to swallow. It blocked Ryder's throat and choked the life from him. Monk Vamachari was trapped inside the goblin's stomach with no hope of escape.

"And thus to false priests and meddlesome creatures," King Vikrama declared, plucking a fig from the tree and taking a bite. "You were right. It's delicious."

Week 10 Reading Diary Part B: Goblins 18-22

Same as before,

Goblin #18: I think my favorite part about this is the little boy, who is willing to sacrifice himself. He appears within in the context of the story to be very wise, but to me his actions are stupid. I don't think that's a strong enough reason to sacrifice your life, but I think I could spin this story in a cool enough way.

Goblin #19: Super predictable and melodramatic. Like Romeo and Juliet if the characters died of heart break instead of poison. The King is spot on in his assessment, don't grieve over someone who never loved you.

Goblin #20: Very intriguing concept at work here, like a factory-style conveyor belt of resurrection. So who is responsible for the finished product? The last worker in the chain, who had full understanding of what the product would be. I like it.

Goblin #21: While the story was cool for this one, the goblin's question, and especially the King's answer, disappointed. AN old man body swapping with a day youth raises so many moral questions the goblin could have asked. But instead he focused on a particular small detail that the king could easily explain. No twist. No surprise. No bueno.

Goblin #22: Ah man, I was really interested n hearing an answer to the goblin's great puzzle. Too bad not even the King could come up with one. Maybe if I write about this I'll think real hard and try to solve the riddle.

All in all, I think I was more interested in the narrative with the goblin, the monk, and the king than any of the individual stories. This will be an interesting storytelling week.

Week 10 Reading Diary Part A: First Three Goblins

For my reading this week (and possibly next week too) I chose Ryder's Twenty Two Goblins. Each goblin tells a different story. I'll break down my thoughts/feelings according to goblin number.

Source

Introduction: WOW! I am loving this story from the very start. A mysterious monk who gives the King jewels hidden in fruit every day and who sends him on an eery quest to retrieve a hanging body? Yes please. There is a goblin who lives in the body? Oh yes, yes that is just so cool.

First Goblin: I identify very strongly with the prince here. I've definitely had that moment of lost connection with a girl who I didn't know how to find again. And the signals she used were so intricate! I never would have been able to untangle the plot. I also really liked the ending. The story was entertaining enough, but bringing in the question of guilt in the end, and the King's answer- just brilliant!

Second Goblin: It's a rare thing that a story can change your mind. I would have answered the goblin's question by saying the man who brought her back to life with the magic book should get to marry her. That only makes sense to me. But the King's answer totally changed my mind. When Coral died, the third monk left and wandered the country side. Only the first monk stayed true to Coral, and sacrificed everything just to be with her (even if it was only her ashes) until the end of his days. That's true love. Powerful stuff.

Third Goblin: What the Heck! The King had just given such an insightful answer to the previous goblin, and then he says this sh*t?! "Occasionally there are bad men here and there, but women are usually bad. We hear about many of them" Not cool, dude, not cool

I have an idea for how to write about all of these stories at once. I'll have to see how tomorrow's reading turns out and whether any particular goblin story grabs me.

Week 9 Storytelling: "What are Good Fairies Like?"

"It's all the Sun Prince's fault," complained the Moon Prince. "If it weren't for him and that conniving mother of his, Father never would have exiled us in the first place." The Moon Prince crossed his pallid arms, his craggy bald head fuming in the midday heat.

"Come now," said the Star Prince. "This isn't an exile. Father sent us into hiding until such a time when one of us can succeed the throne." The Star Prince, ever in contrast to his half-brother, had skin like a midnight sky and a nebulous twinkle in his eye.

The Moon Prince gave his half-brother a flippant scowl. His own milky grey eyes narrowed when he said: "And who do you think we have to thank for needing to be hidden away, like a dirty little secret? If the Sun Prince's mother weren't so intent on installing her own son as king we would be able to live at court without fear of finding a dagger in our backs. We are the king's eldest. It should be you who succeeds him, by rights."

The Star Prince sighed and shook his head gently. "The issue is more complicated than all that, brother," he said. "For one, father promised the queen anything her heart desired on the day the Sun Prince was born. She wishes for her son to be king. It is not such a dishonorable wish."

"It is a wretched thing," griped the Moon Prince.

"Even so, his mother's character does not reflect on our brother. He has been nothing but kind to us. He even volunteered to join us in hiding, not fully grasping the situation. Oh, but he is innocent, brother, don't you see? How can you despise him so?"

"Bah," said the Moon Prince. "Where is our brother, anyway? We sent him out for water hours ago."

At that very moment the Sun Prince had just come upon a verdant pond, the first source of water he'd encountered in miles of overgrowth. The forest was a lush and plentiful place, yet most of its water was kept tucked away in roots and crevices.

The Sun Prince knelt beside the pond and examined his reflection in the water. His hair had a platinum sheen, his skin a coppery glow, but even so the grit and grime of life in the forest was beginning to set in. He missed his mother and father and the life he'd had at court. But he loved his brothers too greatly to part with them.

And he was parched. His bone-dry tongue scraped against the roof of his mouth in thirsty anticipation as he produced his gourd and drew it up to the water's surface.

Yet just as he was about to fill his gourd, a frog croaked in defiance from the middle of the pond. The Sun Prince studied the bizarre creature, his head tilted in confusion. The frog sat perched upon the waters surface like a fallen leaf. Before the Sun Prince had time to puzzle out this strange occurrence, however, the frog croaked again and began to rise. The water beneath the creature swelled and bubbled upward. The Sun Prince dropped his gourd when he realized the water had begun to take the form of a woman's face, as though it were trickling down her features as she emerged from the pond-though there was no woman, and the water never ceased its downward flow. All the while, the frog sat perched atop the liquid form.

"A water sprite," the Sun Prince stammered.

Source

"Yes," the sprite said through the frog's rasping voice. "And this is my pond you are defiling. If you wish to drink from my waters, you must answer my question first. I have but one."

The Sun Prince bowed deeply and said, "I am sorry, truly. I did not know. Ask your question and I will answer it as best I can."

"What," croaked the frog, "are good fairies like?"

The Sun Prince thought about this for a moment and finally said, "A good fairy is kindly in word and deed. A good fairy is pure in heart."

"Wrong," declared the water sprite, and the frog opened its mouth and shot its tongue across the water, pulling the prince in and swallowing him whole.

Hours later, the Moon Prince came across the pond in search of his brother. He was very thirsty, and was relieved to find the water source. But when he knelt to drink, the water sprite appeared before him and asked its question.

"A good fairy?" the Moon Prince retorted. "A good fairy knows when to keep its mouth shut. A good fairy is a leal subject to its rightful king."

"Wrong." And the water sprite swallowed him up.

Finally, the Star Prince arrived at the pond. By this point, the hour was late and the sky was awash with the dance of constellations untold. When the water sprite appeared before him and asked its question, the Star Prince did not answer right away. He sat beside the water's edge in contemplation.

"It is you who has disappeared my two brothers," he said finally. "I do not know what a good fairy is like, oh water sprite, but I know that it is certainly not like you."

At this, the water sprite began to laugh. Not the frog, but the water form itself, like the gurgle of a stream, youthful and mischievous.

"That is . . . correct," she said, and the Star Prince's brothers floated up to the surface of the pond.

The Princes filled their gourds with enough water to get them far, far away. Never again did they return to the pond of the water sprite. Though they did not know it then, that was the evening upon which their father, the King of the Heavens, passed on to the kingdom of his namesake.

Long years ahead, the Star King, as he would later come to be known, oftentimes found himself thinking on that fateful night at the pond of the water sprite. It always came to him late at night, with his queen resting peacefully beside him and his most trusted advisers, his half-brothers, asleep in their own chambers across the hall. But sleep would rarely visit the Star Prince. He would pass the nights in silent reflection, in stoic meditation. And sometimes, just sometimes, the question would drift across his mind like an incessant decades-old itch begging to be scratched:

"Just what are good fairies like?"

Author's Note:

This story was based off of the Princes and the Water Sprite, from the Jataka Tales as inscribed by Ellen C. Babbitt.

I changed several components from the original story. Some of this was simply streamlining. Instead of starting the story off in the capital city, I gave the information of the Sun Prince's Mother, the Princes' exile, and the Sun prince tagging along as backstory, instead of showing it all actually happening.

In the original story, there was no description given for any of the princes or the water sprite, so I had complete creative control over those. I tried to have each Prince's appearance embody their epithet and I tried to make the water sprite both mysterious and whimsical (and a little threatening).

But probably the biggest change I made was the Princes' answers to the question. In the original, the Sun Prince answered that good fairies are like "the sun and the moon," the Moon Prince answered "like the sky above us," and the Star Prince answered, "The pure in heart who fear to sin.The good, kindly in word and deed."

As you can see, I flipped this on its head. I wanted to have each princes answer tell us something about his personality. The Sun Prince is innocent and kind-hearted, so in my story he is the one who gives the Star Prince's original answer. The Moon Prince is self-entitled and jealous and he brushes aside the question. The Star Prince is wise, and sees through the water sprites question to realize that no matter his answer, the water sprite is not a good fairy and is going to eat him anyway. The water sprite is tickled that he realized this, and so decides to let him go.

Week 9 Reading Diary: Jakata Tales Part B

Same format as last time:

The Wise and the Foolish Merchant: This one was . . . eh. The whole beginning bit was pretty unnecessary if you ask me. It should have started with the foolish merchant meeting the demon on the road. From there it was more entertaining.

The Elephant Girly-Face: Another flop. And this one had such a great name, I thought it HAD to be good. But it fell flat. I mean, it's essentially about an overly-impressionable elephant, which would be fine if that elephant actually did anything, but that's allll it's about.

What I imagine Girly-Face looked like

The Banyan Deer: Yeah! I liked this one pretty much from the first line. The imagery of a golden deer with jewel-like eyes was simply captivating. And then to see his sagely actions and selflessness, truly inspiring tale!

The Princes and the Water Sprite: This one certainly got the inspirational juices a'flowin'! Now, if I chose to write on this one I would have to change a lot. And I mean a lot. But the basic essence of the story really got me thinking creatively. The star, moon, and sun princes. The water sprite. The riddle. I may very well write on this one.

The King's White Elephant: That was hardly even a story. The elephant coexists peacefully with the carpenters. They have an idyllic setup. Then the elephant gets bought the greedy king. Then they live happily ever after. Sorry, what?

The Crab and the Crane: Ha! This story is like what would have happened in the Alligator and Monkey had the Alligator been smart about it. That Crane truly was a sly one.

Why the Owl is not the King of the Birds: Man, I realllly wanted there to be a good twist ending to this one. I just love the idea of all the birds meeting together to decide which species will be their king. Could make a great story. But essentially it boils down to the Crow calling the Owl ugly and flying off. What a let down.

Week 9 Reading Diary: Babbitt's Jataka Tales Part A

I thought that, as my reading this week (Babbitt's Jataka Tales) is segmented into multiple short fables, I should go ahead and write the reading diary as I go along, so I don't forget about my impressions of certain stories.

The Monkey and the Crocodile: LOVE this one. The monkey had me laughing and reveling in his cunning. "I forgot my heart back in that tree-" classic. I'm not sure how I could spin this into my own story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless.

How the Turtle Saved his Life: Man, these stories are just too good. I could definitely see myself elaborating more on this one: specifically how the child princes mistake the turtle for a demon and the different suggestions for how to kill it. I could have a lot of fun with this story.

The Turtle who Couldn't Stop Talking: Wow, such a great (and absurd) image with the turtle flying between the two geese. I would love to start off a story with something like this. It could be a fun opportunity to experiment with plot structure.

I mean, It just looks plain silly

The Ox who won the Forfeit: I like the concept here. If I were retelling it, I would probably switch the POV to the Ox's. I'm a taurus myself, so I think it would be fun to write from a bull/ox's perspective.

The Sandy Road: Not too much to say about this one. Didn't enjoy it as much.

The Quarrel of the Quails (Great Name): I appreciated this one, but it didn't really speak to me. The moral was clear, and the wise quail leader was enjoying to read, but nothing really stood out.

The Measure of Rice: I liked the direction (I thought) this was heading. That being said, the ending felt like a let down. It simply lacked the wittiness seen in the Monkey and the Crocodile.

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit: Again,The ending of this one did not jive well with me. But the beginning was great. It made me want to stop reading and start writing right then and there. The beginning of this one gave me the most inspiration of any of these stories, though I think if I wrote on this one, I'd have to change the ending.

Future Reading Options

Out of the four main topics, the tales about heroes, heroines, visionaries. and adventurers most interests me.
I think that after all these long epics, I'm in the mood for something short and light-hearted. Along that vein,  think I want to check out Babbitt's Jataka Tales. Buddhism has always interested me, and I think it's time I branch out from the Hindu tradition. That'll be my plan for Week 9. With so many different stories, there is sure to be one that strikes a chord with me and gets my creative juices flowing!

Jataka Tales

The second story that really caught my eye was Ryder's 22 Goblins. I love a good riddle, and the idea behind the story just seems so rich. I had no idea there were goblins in the vedic tradition! Depending on how much I like that one, I may even decide to keep reading past week 10!

Blog Design

My blog is about as standard as they come. I don't pretend to be good with computers, by any means, but even I should be able to figure out how to add a little 'pizzazz' to my outlet here.

The first blog that caught my eye was the Lexicon of Lore (Lauren's Blog). I mean, how freaking awesome is that banner. I don't know how she got that sweet type or got it in her theme, but I'd really be interested in doing something similar. Different name and font though, obviously.

Second was Madison's Blog. There's a lot to talk about here, from the awesome background to the great color coordination, but honestly what most caught my attention were her labels. I have yet to see anyone with labels at the top of their blog before. Plus, they're arrange din such nice, neat, professional-looking blocks.

Lastly, I went to the Temple of Doom (dun dun dun). Wow. I mean, really: wow. Madison B has the best blog of any student I've seen. I don't know what kind of technical wizardry she employed to craft such a cybernetic paradise, but it is stunning. I think I lack the technical skill to pull of such a feat, but I'm sure I would be able to mirror at least one or two features!

Timing My Time a Little More Timely

This semester has been all about me doling out what time I have, torn between the things I love and the things I must.

Me Currently 

As many of you know, I'm working on a novel currently, and I can tell you that it is a huge time sink! If it were up to me, I'd put all my creative energy into it and there would be nothing left for anything else.

But, alas, that is not the reality we live in. I have to parcel out my time and creative energy to things like this school. This semester has been different than most of my previous ones. For starters, I have never had an online class before. This semester I have two. And on top of that, they are both very creative in nature (Indian Epics and Screenwriting). As a result, my personal writing productivity has fallen. On a plus side, however, I can really see my writing improving, and you all are partially to thank for that. keep it up with all the great comments!

My schedule is working for me. I'm just going to keep on keeping on. Look for my name in Barnes and Noble on day!

Famous Last Words: Week 7

Seeing as I am not going to do a storytelling this week (for reasons I will discuss in this post), I thought this would be a great time to rack up some extra credit.

This week was very different from previous weeks for me, in part because of the drastically different nature of the reading I chose: Kaurava Empire Volume 1. I mean, what a fresh and interesting take on Indian Epics. And not only just the sci-fi feel of it, but the fact that the hero actually dies in the end, and the man who kills him feels remorse in his hollow victory- these are themes left totally untouched in the canonical Ramayana/Mahabharata.

The Kaurava Empire Volume 1

But, and there is a but, this reading did not inspire me. I loved it, don't get me wrong, but I don't feel like I have anything to add. In a sense, I don't fell that I can 'twist' the story in a way that will leave me feeling satisfied, especially after the last two weeks of storytelling.

My stories for week 5 and 6 were a joy to write. They tie together directly and I am really proud of both of them. If I wrote a story this week, I feel that I would not live up to these prior stories due to my lack of strong inspiration. When I read Arjuna's tale of gathering the God's weapons, I immediately knew I HAD to write about it. And then when I finished that story, I knew that next week I wanted to write about him putting these weapons I had crafted to use. There was a strong desire to write. I don't feel that for the reading this week.

But, these things come in cycles. Whatever the reading is for next week, I'm sure it will get my creative juices flowing!

Week 7 Reading Diary A&B: Back to the Future

For my reading this week I decided to knock out both halves of the Kaurava Empire Volume 1 in one day.

And I have to say, I was blown away. I did not know what to expect with this one (I must admit, I definitely judged the book by it's admittedly awesome cover) and boy was I intrigued from page 1.

This graphic novel took a totally alien approach to a two thousand year old text; it transplanted it to the distant future of sci-fi space battles and laser guns. It had never even occurred to me that something like this could be done, much less HAD been done!
The creativity behind this work was palpable. Most notably, the concept art was stunning. I think that more than anything is what won me over. I simply could not look away from the brilliant designs of the characters I thought I knew.

May I present epic space Bheema, for your enjoyment

And let's talk about the story. The graphic novel took a little mentioned character, Abhimanyu, and gave him the center stage. His character reminded me of Rama a little bit with just his sheer invincibility. I thought Arjuna was the strongest mortal in the Mahabharata, but boy was I wrong. Abhimanyu is even stronger (according to this reading)!

And that's why it BLEW ME AWAY when he died. Even though I knew it was coming from last week's reading, I had nearly forgotten it (Abhimanyu was such a side note to the main story). Wow, that seemed to very unlike the other indian epics we've read so far. To build up this all-powerful antagonist and then to just kill him off, and have the murderer be an inferior warrior who doesn't even feel the glory in his death? Poetic. Powerful. That was such a moving scene.