IE Chris (FA20)

Three Sisters Bhishma was out for a stroll in the woods one quiet evening. He was collecting some nuts, as his stomach got a little rumbly and he wanted a midnight snack. Suddenly, he hears a rustle in the bushes. He prepares his dagger and sees a figure walk out.  Bhishma squinted his eyes and realized that it was the court messenger. He lowered his dagger and spoke, "What are you doing here at this hour? I didn't think that anybody could follow me." "No offense, sire, but you were literally dropping shells behind you. I think even a squirrel could have tracked you in your sleep," the messenger replied. "But that's not why I'm here," he continued, "I have some terrible news. Your father, Shantanu, has passed." This news did not come as a surprise to Bhishma. He father was not in good health. However, this was a tragedy for more than one reason. Not only did he have to contend with his father's passing, but Bhishma now had to worr

Preface: If you haven't already, you should check out the previous installments in the series:  Part 1: White Horse and Pestilence    Part 2: Red Horse and War Part 3:  Black Horse and Famine CW:   graphic descriptions, death Pale Horse: The haunting silence was much welcome after hours of hungry screams. Eren dismounted her horse and felt the ground for the first time this wretched night. She shook out her legs and stretched, ridding her body of the tension. As she placed her feet back on the ground, she noticed that the soil beneath her felt very unusual. It almost felt... more fertile ?  Before she could so much as take a breath, a bony arm sprung out from the ground and grabbed her fleshy thigh. Eren could feel herself slipping, so she grabbed her dagger and sliced away at the arm. The bone was uncharacteristically tough, and her blade met its match with the stringy sinew around it. The arm continued to drag her down into the Earth. She strained to look upwards and saw that her

Preface: If you haven't already, you should check out the previous installments in the series:  Part 1: White Horse and Pestilence    Part 2: Red Horse and War Black Horse: A sudden pang of hunger struck Eren deep in her stomach. Though this was unlike any hunger she had ever experienced. She glanced up at the night sky, and her heart became filled with dread. The blood-red sky was becoming engulfed by pitch-black darkness.  The people in the village seemed deeply affected by this. She rode on further into the village, accompanying by troubled howls. She ran into her own house, to discover that her cupboards were completely barren. "That's odd," she muttered, "I just  ran to the market yesterday". Then she went back outside and saw what caused the mysterious disappearance.  Famine himself descended upon the town. On his mighty black steed, he carried large sacks of food which he hoarded for himself. He let a deep and sonorous laugh echo throughout the night.

Preface: If you haven't already, you should check out the previous installments in the series:  Part 1: White Horse and Pestilence    Red Horse: As Eren rode into town, an eerie red light enveloped the village. The blood-red sky cloaked the innocent villagers, but that wasn't the only effect she saw. People were irrationally angry with each other, screaming over things that seemed objectively minute. As Eren rode in closer, she noticed that the militia had been assembled. She asked the captain why the group was assembled.  "We're sick and tired of the village over stealing all of our food! We're going to march over and demand that they give it back!" he yelled in a rather uncouth manner. It seemed as though this night was far from over. War was here. War : Blood red light shone ever bright and true It was then that she knew just what to do Author's Note: I thought that it would be really cool to do a series on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, so I deci

  Tech Tip: Week 9: HTML Link: \ I have used HTML coding before, as I've worked a fair bit with Javascript. I am attempting to create a link to Twitter, which should show down below (in the comments): <a href="http://twitter.com/?lang=en/">Twitter</a> The link is posted above for easy reference.

  Week #9 Story: Devavrata's Oath It was a dark and eerie night out. There is a young Devavrata out in the forest, as distraught as ever. He is so preoccupied and so anxious that the hairs on the back of his neck are standing up. He has just pledged his solemn vow to never marry or have children.  He walks back into town with a heavy heart. There, he finds his father Shantanu and tells him of the terrible oath that he just swore.  "My son!" cried Shantanu. "How could you do this? This was not what I wanted from you at all!" Devavrata was taken aback at that comment, "but I did this for you, Father! You should be happy! I just gave up my life for you!" Anger melted his ice-cold tears into drops of fire.   Shantanu sensed his son's anger, and took a step back. "Look, I appreciate the concern, and I know that your mother, Ganga, and I have not been together for a long time. I know that that cannot be easy on you, my child. But I will be fine if I

 Reading Notes: Epified - Mahabharata Part B Part B Kunti's secret revealed... she was not afraid of the sage Durwasa. He was delighted with her. He gave her a mantra to summon any god. She summons a god and then they have a son. She placed her son in a basket and set him on the river. Hence the Son of the Sun.  Pandu, Kunti, and Madri go out into the forest. Pandu hunts in the woods and accidentally shoots a hermit couple. The hermit curses Pandu and forbades him from becoming intimate. Kunti tells Pandu about her mantra.  Yama gave Kunti a son, Yudhishthir. Vayu was next, and she bore Bheem (Bhima). Indra was next, and granted her a child, Arjun. Madri gives birth to another two, the twins. Thus, the Pandavas are born.  Next, the Kuaravas, 100 sons are born, but they are evil. A blind father and sight-forsaken mother don't catch these problems though.  Duryodhan detests Bheem, as Bheem draws the new attention and admirers. Duryodhana invited the Pandavas out to a dinner and a

  Epified - Mahabharata - Playlist A I like the aspect of beginning of multiple points, especially when you consider karma.  I think that Shantanu's trust in his wife Gangana while she disposed of their children is quite admirable. And then he questioned her. This seems like a parallel to Cronos devouring his children due to the prophecy. Then Shantanu comes back to the River and is greeted by Gangana and his new son, Devavrat. Devavrat then becomes a prince. Shantanu then falls in love with Satyavati. Her father has concerns because of Devavrat's birthright. Ah yes this is when Devavrat renounces his birth because he feels bad for his father.  At this point, this is when Devavrat becomes known as Bhishma. All this because the fisherman was stubborn. The impact of this oath is not to be understand. He not only gives up his birthright but also swears not to marry or have kids. Bhishma makes a terrible deal but he gets to choose his death. Until he is ready, he will not die. Seem

White Horse: The woods were not at all quiet tonight. A local villager, Eren, heard a disturbance. She looked to the sky, and she could tell that they were going to be in for a long night. She looked out to the distance and saw it. She saw the shimmering white mane of the horse, and her heart froze. She knew the irony that that white horse brought. Thought the horse bore a smile demure, its rider was all too impure. Eren, like the others in the village, knew the rider only by his attribute: Pestilence. Eren grabbed her own horse and rode into town, preparing them all for the grim evening they were about to face.  Pestilence: The smell of rotting flesh pierc'd the night sky.  'Twas simply all she could do to not cry.  Author's Note: I thought that it would be really cool to do a series on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, so I decided to make this a four part series, and I started with Pestilence, the Rider of the White Horse. I decided to write the first story as a 100 w

Week 8 Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App:      This week, I checked out the Canvas mobile app. I now have it installed on my iPhone and iPad. I also enabled push notifications on my iPhone because generally I am on or around my phone more often than my iPad.  Either way, the app is a great resource to make things a little more portable. 

  Week 8: Progress: 1. Looking back - I am pretty pleased with my progress so far. I think that my actual schedule varies from what I initially planned, but I do about an hour each on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night, and then 3 hours over the weekend (usually on Sunday). This is definitely a rhythm I have gotten accustomed to, and I think that it works with my schedule.  The work I'm most proud of so far is my Rama Goes to Therapy story from Week #5, available  here. The class assignments that I enjoy the most are the storytelling and project assignments. Blog-building and website-building have been fine, but admittedly has not been a primary focus. 2. I should only have two more weeks of course work (at the completion of this assignment, I will have 280 points, so 26 more points this week (18 from the project, feedback, and comments and 8 from EC), then 38 points from Week 9 and 36 points from Week 10 should have me finished by 11:59 PM on Sunday, Nov. 1st -- exciting!) so

Week 8: Comments and Feedback Feedback In:     so far, I would say that I'm getting good feedback. If there's something to revise or some aspect missing, I'll usually get a comment about how to fix that. If my work is in better shape, I sometimes get comments asking where the next step is, which I appreciate.  Feedback Out:     I really like the WWW model for giving feedback and I would say that this is what I base most of my comments around. I can get some good ideas in terms of pacing and structure from seeing the writing of others. Blog Comments:     I hope that people can get to know me through my blog. I went with a more bulleted style, but I think that the substance is more important than the format here. I think that my blog gives people a good chance to know me. Looking Forward:     I think that I've settled into a groove with both the longer comments and the shorter comments, so I think that it is pretty much all set.  ( cheezburger) I chose this image because

 Week 8 Reflection: Reading and Writing 1. Looking back     a. the reading and writing assignments are overall going pretty well. I think I finally settled into a good balance for reading notes while I was working through the Mahabharata.     b. yes to both, I'm not super concerned about the design (though dark mode on the blog is nice) because I'm more focused on functionality than most anything else     c. I think that I'm making good time and good effort on both the project and story posts     d. I think that my biggest accomplishment was just getting back into writing. I used to do a lot of creative writing (many many years ago, I actually wanted to be an author) but due to lack of time, I had to stop that. It's nice to get back into the saddle.      e. The Ramayana has been my favorite reading by far. Especially the part about Hanuman burning down Lanka     f. Yes my reading notes are helping me with my story post     g. Yes, focusing on individual (or maybe a coup

  Weekday: Oh boy oh boy oh boy. Alright now what's today? Monday?! Shoot this is going to be a long week. Hmm... alright so I don't need to go to campus today, but I have to practice, a couple Zoom meetings, and I teach today. Alright now homework and more Zoom meetings until midnight. Tuesday???!?!?!?! Oh boy gotta get up early to go to class OH GOD AM I PLAYING IN STUDIO THIS WEEK? Oh okay that studio performance wasn't terrible. More Zoom meetings and homework until midnight. Wednesday?? Hump Day! No campus today either, but I have to practice, attend Zoom meetings, drive a lot, go teach, and come back. Moderate homework. Thursday IT'S FRIDAY EVE is another early morning to go practice and go to class. Then i drive even more and go teach for a couple hours. Then I come home, pass out, and do homework. Friday is Lesson Day! I log on to Zoom where I meet with my major professor and we go over material for my recital! I usually frontload my work so that Fridays after 5

Week 7 Tech Tip: Countdown Widget I followed the instructions and was able to create a countdown widget for my blog! I chose to set a countdown for my capstone senior recital, because that's definitely the most important thing I will do all semester!

[Author's Note: if you have not read my previous story from Week #5, Rama Goes to Therapy, should you definitely read that first before reading this story. Link available  here ]   Sita Goes to Therapy While the celebration of Rama's coronation as the King of Ayodha was a happy event for most, it would seem that not everybody in attendance was eating delicious food or imbibing delicious drinks. Sita sauntered in the corner, looking as upset as a dog that had been left out in the rain overnight. She glared at Rama and watched him as he casually chatted with the party guests. 'How could he be so frickin' happy?' she wondered.  "Maybe there's nothing wrong and he's just tired from the war? No, that can't be right. I could count the amount of words that he'd said to me since the raid on Lanka with my own two hands," she muttered. She continued to pace, her sad saunter turning into angry shuffling. "I have done NOTHING but be loyal to him a

Mahabharata Reading Notes Part D link Sources used:  Arnold ,  Besant ,  Devee ,  Dutt ,  Ganguli ,  Kincaid ,  Macfie ,  Mackenzie ,  Nivedita ,  Seeger , and  Tagore . 61. Bhishma is killed in combat. His dying words call to restore unto Yudhisthira his kingdom and make thy peace with him, and let Pandavas and Kauravas be friends and comrades together.  62. Drona takes command of the army after Bhishma dies. Drona is set on killing Yudhishthir and takes him captive with his bow and sword and shield.  63. Jayadratha, who was sworn to be Yudhishthira's slave, ambushes Abhimanyu (son of Arjuna). The Pandavas attempt to rescue Abhimanyu, but to no avail. Abhimanyu dies. This news is deeply upsetting for Arjuna.  64. Arjuna calls a temporary truce so that he can mourn his son. Drona swears that he will kill Arjuna the next morning or die trying.  The truce is lifted at nightfall and combat resumes. Karna, using his one-shot arrow from Indra, kills Ghatotkacha, the rakshasa son of Bhim

  Mahabharata Reading Notes Part C link Sources used:  Arnold ,  Besant ,  Devee ,  Dutt ,  Ganguli ,  Kincaid ,  Macfie ,  Mackenzie ,  Nivedita ,  Seeger , and  Tagore . 41. Life in exile in the forest isn't so great. But eventually Yudhishthira prays to the sun god and Surya gives them a copper pot that is always full of food.  42. Krishna visits the Pandavas in the forest. This upset Draupadi. Yudhishthira says that she should forgive and forget. Bhima says that "battle is the highest virtue". 43. Arjuna goes on another expedition alone. Here, he goes on a hunt and meets Shiva. Shiva gives him Gandiva, the divine bow.  44. Arjuna continues his solo trek and gains more divine weapons for his brothers. Arjuna clears out the city of Hiranyapura (as it was infested with demons and giants). 45. Indra promises Yudhishthira that he will reign in splendor over all men. The Pandavas reunite with Arjuna at the Himalayas. 46. Bhima and Hanuman (who are half-brothers) meet. They

Grind : As I sat in front of my music stand, I realized that I have so much to do. I have audition tapes due at the end of this month, a prelim competition performance at the end of this month, a recital next month, more audition tapes due at the end of next month. The list goes on and on. I've made my spreadsheets to organize my practice schedule. Every session is detailed down to the half hour at least (some parts of a session are detailed down to the minute). I am being intentional with everything that I do and I understand that refining any ability takes consistent and dedicated effort. I will get better. Just you wait and see.  Dust: "Why am I not better yet?" Author's Note: I decided to write a little story about what I've been experiencing lately. I wanted to write an autobiographical fiction about the mental battle I've been going through. I think that the dichotomy of thought here is important. It's good to grind, but you have to understand that p

Tech Tip: Google Reverse Image Search Earlier today, when I was doing research to update my story in my storybook, I found an image that I really liked: (Hanuman Devours the Sun -  Image Credit) However, I could not find the image credits. I used Reverse Image Search and found the website it was originally posted to, which I used above. I think that there is still an issue because the site seems to be glitchy, but it at least gave me a link, which was more than I had before. 

  Story Lab - Week 6 Empoword I really enjoyed the comparison of writing to music composition. I don't know if I've mentioned this, but in addition to my primary instrument (tuba), I'm in my fourth year of taking composition lessons. I completely agree with the blurb there: Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique  is a well-known example of a "wordless opera" (Berlioz's words).  I also like the differentiation between flat/round and static/dynamic characters. This is really helpful because I've been doing some independent research as to what makes a good character/cast good. "It may seem counterintuitive, but we can often say more by digging deep into a few ideas or events, instead of trying to relate every idea or event" Freytag's Pyramid: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution (denouement) (Different Perspective - Carlos ZGZ -  image credit) While I agree that restrictions can breed creativity, sometimes it's m