Indian Epics

When the time came for the three daughters of King Volkar to come of age, he decided to hold a great tournament to win their hands in marriage. The winner of the tournament would get to choose from the three his wife, the man who came in second would choose from the two who remained, and the man in third would get the last daughter. These men would gain prestige under the King, gaining lands and would live forever pleased. A man named Bareth would not stand for this. As a wandering hedge knight, he had seen countless daughters sold off by their fathers like they were nothing, and it was time that he made a stand against it. Bareth arrived at the tournament with no squire or retinue in tow, just himself and his weapons. He was skilled in both the bow and the blade, but he would need more than just mere skill to complete his task this day. At the word of King Volkar, the tournament began, and all the knights and princes from far off lands began to do battle for the princesses. As the...

Bhishma at the Swayamvara Source. Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914) I think it would be interesting to spin this story in a different direction. Rather than have Bhishma claiming the three princesses for himself, have him fight to be able to release them from the burdens of forced marriage. He could claim his intent to deliver them to a land far away that will value them not as a prize to be won but as real people. I want to put a little more focus into the dialog, as there really isn't any in the original story, and I think having a little bickering back and forth between Bhishma and the others that are trying to claim the princesses would do wonders for the pacing of the story.  I also might try to spice up the flow of the combat a little, as far as the usual descriptions of battles go, this one is pretty good, but I think it could be quite a bit better. I think it would be interesting to have him start by firing upon his enemies with the b...

The Ruins of the Old World (Source:  pixabay ) Race for the Prize

Dawn rose on the figure of Abora Sil-Doran, who stood to face the God-King, the All-Conqueror, the true evil, Ysmadir. The vile god, though bathed and exuding pale light, was still pitch black, corrupted by evil down to his core. He laughed at the mortal woman who stood before him, he who had killed and assimilated all who had dared to face him, mortal and god alike.  Abora had lived her entire life for this moment, she had spent her years searching for every artifact and tool crafted and used by a god in past for her quest. She summoned one to her hand, a large spear that she hurled towards the skies, where the Dread God Ysmadir stood calmly. Ysmadir caught the spear with ease, turning it and returning it at once with vigor to Abora. The impact tore the landscape, though when the dust cleared, Ysmadir saw the girl still standing, a shield of pale fire protecting her from the destruction he had wrought.  Ysmadir Returns the Spear of Sil-Doran (Source:  Wikimedia ...

Battle of Rama and Ravana Source. Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914). The climactic final battle between Rama and Ravana is supposed to be this epic and world shaking fight, however as it is written in the original, there is little flavor to the actual details of the battle. I think this battle could be adapted really easily and written in a way that truly captures the grandiose scale of the conflict.  I think it would be more interesting to make the character acting in Rama's place to be purely mortal, even if he is given boons by the gods, as a mortal taking on a god is a more epic and unfathomable task. This gives the battle so much more meaning, knowing that the protagonist is a huge underdog in the fight. I would also make the antagonist be an evil god who has assimilated other gods, rather than simply just be Ravana. The other gods may have some internal monologue from within the villain's subconscious.  "Ravana" Laun...

The Burning of Lanka   Source:  Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists   by Sister Nivedita (1914) Lanka in Flames (Source: Wikimedia ) I liked the tale of Hanuman burning the city of Lanka down with the fire that was lit by the rakshasas themselves, making them their own downfall. I think it could be re-told in a different way, in a modern setting. Rather than have a fire be lit on Hanuman's tail, I would have the villains plant a computer virus on a person's computer. Maybe the person would even be an android or something, and the virus was planted directly in them, in an attempt to disable them or deal them harm. For special reasons, perhaps prior preparation or special design, the virus does not affect "Hanuman", instead lying dormant in his downloads. He takes the virus and uses it against his enemies, running around the base of operations they have locked him in, downloading the virus onto their machines and destroying them.  After infecting the base ...

I read  How to Craft Constructive Feedback  and  How To Give Students Specific Feedback That Actually Helps Them Learn , both of which I found insightful.  The first, a transcription of an infographic, did an incredible job of distilling how feedback should be given in certain situations to provide the most useful kind of response to the person receiving. The idea of having critics and creators syncing up in the same mindset so as to create the most relevant and useful feedback is a fascinating idea that I had never considered before, but now I can't understand why it should be any other way. It seems like any other way would cause the critic to evaluate the creator falsely, whether on purpose or not.  The second was an article that detailed how people should provide feedback to students in the most productive way possible. It describes how feedback, especially for students should be clear and direct, not vague or general. They need to know exactly what i...

The idea I am going to pursue for my storybook is the one that features an arms race for mythic weapons from Indian mythology, mirroring the nuclear arms race. To do this, I plan to have this set in an alternate past, during WWII. There will be clear homages to Indiana Jones and the classic archetype of the Nazis looking for weapons and devices of the Occult for their effort to dominate the world. I'll lay out three different story ideas that I could pursue when I actually get to writing my storybook.  1.  An episode from the perspective of an American archaeologist, who is definitely not Indiana Jones (but he is), is tipped off that the Nazis are looking for something in the Indian subcontinent. Through his attempts to thwart them, he learns that they are looking for various weapons wielded by mythic characters from Indian myth. While hesitant, he's seen enough things that are beyond reason to doubt the threat that the Nazis could pose should they get their hands on ...

At the feet of Gatharnum and Myra lay the dead witch. She had been cut down by one of Myra's arrows, after taking many a blow from Gatharnum's blades. As the two siblings sifted through the witch's belongings, searching for any decent loot the old hag may have held, two Celestial spirits sprung forth from a tome in her bag. They revealed that the witch had long ago entrapped them with a wicked spell that only ended upon her death. They thanked the brother and sister, and vowed to come to the aid of the witch hunters the next time they found themselves in danger. After the spirits dissipated, Gatharnum and Myra continued their journey towards Yavunai, through the eastern reaches of Dal. They were laden with many tokens and trinkets of the hunt they had embarked on some two months ago. The eye of a werewolf, the signet ring from a vicious vampire lord and several sets of fangs from his many spawn, among others. Suddenly, as if from thin air, dozens of monstrous beings spr...