Mythology by Courtney

I was most interested in the story of the Girl with the Turkeys because of how closely it resembled the classic tale of Cinderella. If I were to rewrite this story, I would probably try to mix the two stories together. I found the turkeys amusing because they are typically bumbling birds, so I would like to keep that aspect of the story, but change some of the other details. Story Ideas: -Keep the turkeys, but instead of having the turkeys leave her at the end of the night, have them come back together. -Add in the Cinderella element of having a timer on the evening. Maybe the feathers will only stay on the dress until midnight, or even add an element of magic like in the Disney story.  -This story seems harsh, because to me, it doesn't seem like she really forgets her friends. She just stays out a little too late. So, I would like to change that moment in the story so that the moral still stands that relying on friends and remembering those who help you is important.  -In gen...

 After checking in on my blog, I felt pretty good about its layout and design. When we started the class, I spent a longer time than expected playing with the design, and I think I still enjoy it. However, after reviewing my website, I did play with the design aspect a little. One feedback comment I received suggested that I add some green elements to the design to tie into the green Costa Rican setting, so I changed my layout and added some green focus points.  mage: The Demon with the Matted Hair - John D Batten, Source: Wikimedia CommonsAs far as reading and writing, I like the stories I've created so far, but I have gotten behind quite a bit in this class, so I need to be better with my time management. I really enjoyed the reading on classical mythology and that shows through my stories there. Each week, I worry that I'm not writing enough in my reading notes, but once I go to write my story, I have everything I need, so it is good to know that my system is working well. ...

Orochi, the eight-headed serpent, cleaned up his nest after devouring the elder man's ninth daughter. He was filled with overwhelming remorse. He cried out, "When will this end?!" But he knew.  Since the day the old witch woman had put him under her spell, he was left with the unsettling task of killing and eating ten humans in exchange for his life. Only after the tenth would he regain his freedom and become human again. At first, he struggled with his sentence. He did not want to harm anyone, but he soon realized that he could not stand to be the monster that everyone feared. He decided that he must pay the price to return to his old self, even though it went against everything he believed.  The elder man and his wife sat at the edge of the river bank and cried. All but one of their daughters had been killed by the creature, and they couldn't bear to lose their only remaining daughter. They were worried that it was only a matter of time before the serpent got to her...

The story I'd like to recreate the most in this section was The Faery Robe . I enjoyed this story because of its style and poetic language. If I were to retell this story, I could play with this style and even recreate it as I wrote. My biggest concern is whether I could make it long enough because I would be shorter on words than normal. Plan/Ideas: I could keep the plot relatively the same, but change up the language. Tell the same story, but use different metaphors, imagery, etc. The man still takes the robe from the fairy and asks a dance of her for his own amusement, but perhaps the fairy has a different reaction.  I could make the fairy darker. Maybe she wants to get revenge on the man for stealing her robe, and she uses some form of magic to get it back. Although, I like the lightness of this story. Keeps with the tone of the fairy story.  Instead, make the fairy use some kind of magic to get her robe back from the man, but keep the tone lighter. Maybe she can put him t...

The story I found most interesting in this reading section was The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi. I like the idea of this creature, but I want to give him a backstory. Tell the story from his perspective, rather than from the humans' perspective.  Examples: Why did he eat the other daughters? Why so many? Perhaps he has a spell put on him and he needs to eat ten people to have it broken. Is that worth it? Is there more motivation behind doing something so bad? Maybe his family is involved somehow. How did the spell come about? Can he be painted in a good light, or at least a sympathetic one?  Tell the existing plot points but from his perspective. Does he overhear their conversations? Does he know what is going to happen when Susa-no-wo shows up? Does he have a plan to avoid getting killed? Is there another ending that the story can have? Can he get away in time to keep his life and return to his original form? Or, does he die as in the story, and not continue on to change his...

The story that stood out to me in this section was the story of the demon with the long hair. I thought this was an interesting character since I had never heard a story with a creature quite like this one. I think a lot of plot details can be played with when your character is a big, hairy monster! Plan: Take out some of the story leading up to meeting the demon. Instead, focus on the demon as the center of the story, and have the man walk through without much backstory.  Keep the man's demeanor: arrogant, confident, witty. man gets stuck and talks himself out of being eaten Demon is worried about the lightning in his belly and lets him go, but the man gets accidentally killed as he is released, and the demon is afraid of what will happen to him now He worries and waits for his fate, but realizes after time that the man was lying all along, and that nothing will happen to him after all.  In general, crop out some of the outlying details so create a more concise plot, and chan...

I enjoyed the story of the young girl being turned into a fiddle because of her brothers' interference. I think playing with the ending of this story could be interesting, and giving the girl more of a backstory for why she decided not to marry and to stay home could bring the ending together well.  Plan:  The story doesn't say why she is the only unmarried child, maybe she doesn't want to get married Instead, she wants to travel as a musician, but she doesn't not have the means because she needs to take care of her family, since the wives don't cook Same plot can play out, where brothers trick her and drown her...she grows into a tree and is cut down and made into a fiddle Yogi can still play music around brothers and they can feel as though they connect with it on some level Yogi can travel the world playing beautiful music, and she will (in spirit?) travel along with him making the most beautiful music and fulfilling her life dream, while the mean-spirited brothe...