Epics of India

Figure 1:  Mandela Effect  Vimeo I have read the story of the patient bull before, and this version is very different from the version I prefer, although I can still tell that they are the same "story" particularly from several identical lines that both stories share. In the version that I read in my childhood, the fairy is replaced with an owl, and the bull lets the monkey mess with him to build his own patience. I feel like retelling that version that I learned as a child. Although, I could be misremembering.  Twenty Jataka Tales  Inayat

Figure 1:  Bad Dog  Pixabay I enjoyed the story of the guilty dogs. I'm surprised that I actually like the plot so much, I usually find the plots of most stories to be recycled, but this one actually felt original. Ironic, considering where it comes from. I already have the characters that I want to use ready, so I'll use them. I can also use this as an opportunity to describe something that I've always wanted to try writing, 4 dimensional geometry.  Twenty Jataka Tales  Inayat

Figure 1:  Duryodhana Fights Bhima Wikimedia The section of this reading that I found most interesting was the war. No surprise there, all of my stories have been about conflict and fighting. I particularly like how he starts by describing it with a battle that everyone is familiar with, the siege of Troy in the Illiad. Perhaps I will have an old warrior recounting his fight in this story. There is another story I want to tell. The reason that all of my stories are combat and humor based is because they are essentially practice pieces for a novel I want to write that is very humor and combat focused. However, there is another element to this novel; characters that I call the scarring ones, manifestations of evil and hatred in the world and in ourselves. Duryodhana would make a perfect subject for the template of a scarring one. I especially feel like he doesn't do enough fighting in the Mahabharata, so this would be my way of giving him something to do. Pandava Brothers ...

Figure 1:  Tamil Woman Wikimedia Less technologically advanced ancient Tamil may have been the basis for the monkeys in the Ramayana according to Gould. I want to start by focusing on the writing style. This book is written like a history account, and if there was anything that I would want to take away it would be that. Perhaps I'll try writing an "ancient history" for some present characters. That could certainly be interesting. Aside from this, the most interesting thing was the characterization of Bhima as destructive and cruel. This makes the general conflict much more understandable and realistic. However, I do wish some of the supernatural elements of the story were eliminated like in the Divine Archer, which was apologetically written from the perspective of a non Hindu individual, and had his own thoughts and perspective on the story. If anything, this story makes me miss that story. Pandava Brothers by Monro

Figure 1:  Aircraft Carrier  Wikipedia There was a remote village, next to a dark forest, where a terrible serpent once lived. 2 days walk east of that village was a riverside village, a terrible village where friendship did not exist. Everyone hated everyone else. No one worked together and everyone died alone. Arson was a daily occurrence, respect was nonexistent, and love was a foreign idea. A great lion passed through the town, and having walked for two straight days, sat down and began to fall asleep next to a teenage girl named Asax. “Geez, you don’t have to keep badgering me over this. I heard you the first time.” “Rawr?” “Look, I know I don’t have any friends, and I treat everyone I know like crap, but its fine ok? I can function fine on my own. Who even needs friends? They’re just a bother. I’m… I’m not lonely. It’s not a big deal ok? Well… maybe things would be easier if I had friends. And maybe I do want friends. But it’s not a big deal ok?...

Figure 1: Jataka Tales  Imgur The hawk and the osprey is a nice story about working together and the importance of bonds and relationships. I think that I would like to rewrite this section in more detail with entirely different characters, but keep the overall structure. Actually, I might just rewrite this section in the style of my first story.                                                                                                                                                                     Bibliography  Overview. Shedlock. Eastern Stories a...

Figure 1:  Jataka Tales  Imgur                                                                                               I would like to rewrite the story of the dreamer in the woods. I would like to reuse my character Jaka, and pair him with a divine being I designed named Mad Rock Ocean. Jaka is a little bit crazy and weird, but Rock Ocean is full on insane, and having them talk about philosophy and morals while Rock gives Jaka stupid gifts sounds amusing. However, I might hold off on that, since I've been using Jaka a lot recently.                                                          ...

Figure 1: Jataka Tales  Wikipedia I decided to read the Jataka tales, since they give me more flexibility with regards to the stories that I can tell. This story at heart is about an employee who demands fair treatment, which results in him performing a great feat. A serviceable enough story I suppose, but I would like to make some modifications. Firstly, the Brahmin has to hold an idiot ball. For this to work, I need to get rid of that somehow. I’d also like to give everyone character, although I’m not sure what. I think I’ll make the bull more accommodating, the brahmin reluctant in his politeness, and the squire an idiot. I do enjoy writing idiots.                                                                                             ...

Figure 1: Quail  Wikimedia The quail and the falcon seems an adaptable story for me. I plan to rewrite the characters to be more distinct, but I don't really have anything in mind. Maybe I'll just try to make the story amusing. The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India  by W.H.D Rouse

Figure 1:  Crab  National Park Service The giant crab seems like an adaptable story for me. I just want to make more things fight each other, mostly as practice for the novel that I want to write, which has lots of fighting in it. I don't think I've had a serious non-human fight yet, this might be fun.  I'll use Jaka again, I like him. The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India  by W.H.D Rouse

Figure 1:  A Lion and a Wolf  Max Pixel If I had to write a different story, I think that I would like to write a variant of "The Foolhardy Wolf" using lion boy again. I would prefer to write using lion boy, specifically because he is my character, and I am much more comfortable messing with his character than using an established character. I'd also like him to be more of a mentor to the wolf, rather than sending him to die. I also really like that sword. I'll have Jaka Singh coach the wolf character in the slaying of monsters and dragons. I think I'll make the wolf more serious and focused while writing Jaka as a big ham. More Jataka Tales  by Ellen C. Babbit

Figure 1:  Depiction of a Battle  Wikimedia I think I would like to write a story about how the monkey saves his troop. Specifically, I want to reuse the lion boy from my first story. I think that casting him in the role of a leader would be a nice form of progression for his character.  I also want an opportunity to use his unique claw sword again. I'll mention that he has been killing dragons during the time that he has been growing up, and open with that before an enemy kingdom comes to conqueror his small village for its mangoes. Obviously, I'll make the king a cannibal and a fruit obsessed madman. Lion boy (Jaka Singh) will then evacuate his village, before doing battle with the enemy army and defeating much of them. He will then tell them to run, lest they suffer the fate of a penny-wise monkey. He will tell them not to try to get so little, causing them to back off. More Jataka Tales  by Ellen C. Babbit

Figure 1:  Karna Fights Arjuna  Flickr Wilson's realistic style makes for some interesting combat. I think I'll try to emulate that. I think I'll try rewriting Arjuna and Karna's battle in this manner. I'd also like for Karna's character to be relevant to the battle, making it clear how bitter and resentful he is. Maybe I should model his personality after Elliot Rodger. I'd like to focus the writing at describing the basic events in an intelligible and detailed manner. After learning to do this competently, I think I'll try more stylized writing. I don't think I've done an archer battle ye. I've done a gun battle, but not an archer battle. That sounds like something fun to attempt The Indian Story Book: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu  Richard Wilson

Figure 1:  Karna's Battle  Flickr The element of this story that I enjoyed the most was Karna's characterization as a bitter, slighted warrior. Its very understandable that he acts in the villainous manner that he does, but his actions till cause substantial harm. His behavior during his initial offences were admirable; he manages to remain calm and polite. However, I wish that his seething anger was better conveyed. As it is, the text relies a bit too much for the audience to realize why Karna is so angry. I think I would like to write a scene where Karna remains calm after being insulted, only to explode as soon as he is out of view. I'll have him do something really disturbing and scary, show off his combat prowess and generally have fun. The Indian Story Book: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Richard Wilson

Figure 1:  Depiction of The Mahabharata   Wikipedia The segment of this reading that has the greatest possibility for rewriting is Drona's death. This conflict is the most morally complex of all the events in the Mahabharata, as Drona is a good man, but is fighting for bad people, and whether or not the deceit used to lure him to his death is questionable. There is also the clear anguish that Arjuna experiences during the issue. All in all, it is the scene that most resembles modern character based conflict. Mahabharata: Public Domain Edition  Various Authors

Figure 1: Bhima vs Kichaka  Wikimedia I've been having fun re-imagining the combat from these stories. So far I have tried to depict skillful fighting, comical exuberance, and some characterization through combat. This time, I think I would like to make the battle a truly godly one, with influence from the fight between Kratos and Baldur in God of War 4. I would particularly like to rework the fight between Bhima and Kichaka. They are both described as strong and ferocious, and I want to have them gradually devastate the landscape around them in unarmed combat. The fact that they are unarmed allows each to land more hits than with the other fights, which all involved deadly weapons. Mahabharata: Public Domain Edition  Various Authors

Figure 1: Generic Depiction of Prank  Wikimedia The story that I found the most interesting was the episode where Doryadhana has several mishaps in the crystal palace. I think I'd like to rewrite this segment as a comedy scene. I'd keep the existing embarrassment where Doryadhana cannot differentiate between crystals and water. I'd also like to either establish Doryadhana as having poor eyesight or give the crystals unusual properties that make the mis-identification more understandable. Some other things that I would like to add. Make Doryadhana distinctly ungraceful both in his physical movements and manners. Add more jokes, such as misidentifying animals, tripping, humiliation by animals, and maybe a fire crystal that Doryadhana runs from in fear of burning himself. I'd also make it clear that the Pandavaras are having fun at his expense, and find his misfortune amusing. Mahabharata: Public Domain Edition  Various Authors

Figure 1: Drona and Drupada  Wikimedia The Mahabharata is incredibly different from the Ramayana, to the point that they seem to be the products of two entirely different processes. The Ramayana is quite focused on Rama, and feels very much like a superhero story. Rama exhibits almost only positive characteristics, but some of his characteristics feel at times contradictory and almost always generic. In this way, he reminds me of superheroes, written by different authors with input from different audiences, and then edited and retroactively canonized by random editors. Rama specifically reminds me of superman, a mishmash of every value of every subculture that inhabit the larger culture from which he arises. The Mahabharata on the other hand reads like a recent fictionalization of a political struggle. It barely feels like a story at all. Stories are usually written with the purpose of being a story, the Mahabharata begins with an incomprehensible exposition segment that d...

Figure 1:  Sita and Rama  Wikimedia Seeing as the plot is virtually identical to the previous version of the Ramayana, I'll focus on something else this time. I enjoyed the similes and metaphors that Gould used. They actually remind me of how folk stories are passed down, and the stories that my father told me when I was younger. It really gives the feeling that this is a story naturally spread among people. I also find it strange how Gould modified the story significantly. For starters, he provides far fewer details about the final conflict in Lanka. He also tries to reconcile the character inconsistency when Rama exiles Sita, making Rama clearly anguished at having caved to political pressure and having that weigh on him constantly.  I think it would be fun to reconcile Rama's character to make him more consistent (and honestly better written) sounds fun. I'm not saying the Ramayana is bad, but it appears to be an amalgamation of some other stories, which l...

Figure 1:  Illustration of the Ramayana  Wikimedia Seeing as the plot is virtually identical to the previous version of the Ramayana, I'll focus on something else this time. I find the bit where Gould directly addresses the possible origins of the "Monkeys" in his text. In short, he hypothesizes that they may in fact have been tribal people from southern India, and their characterization as monkeys came later. It might be interesting to depict the interactions between Rama's party and the monkeys where Rama does not strictly think of them as people, and the ensuing tensions. Or possibly his first interactions with talking monkeys  would likely cause some shock regardless.  I was also intrigued by Rama's emotional reaction to seeing Sita's scarf. Rama is usually emotionally inert, and his calmness in dire situations is one of his greatest traits. So I wonder why Gould decided to give him a moment of vulnerability here. I'm surprised that he d...