Reading Diary B: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche

(Psyche in the Underworld, by Hillemacher)

Reading B of Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche:

My favorite part of this half (or possibly my favorite part of the entire story,) is the chapter, "The Jar of Beauty."

In this chapter, Psyche goes to the Underworld. It is very reminiscent of Dante's Inferno. I love Dante's Inferno, so that is most likely why I really enjoyed reading this! (Of course, it would make sense that it is similar to Dante's Inferno, since he heavily borrowed from Classical Mythology!)

More so in this rather than Dante's Inferno, did I like that instead of going to the Underworld (or Hell rather,) for fun (which seems to me why Dante goes there?) Psyche goes there with a goal set: fill the box with the beauty of Proserpine.

I thought that the "payments" that she makes in the Underworld are interesting. Psyche was told to carry a barley-cake covered in honey wine, and hold two coins in her mouth. The cake was to be fed to Cerberus to calm the beast, and the coins were the toll to pay to Charon (the ferryman.)

I also liked how she was also told not to sit at the table and enjoy a great meal with her host, Proserpine. Instead she is to sit on the floor and eat bread. This reminded me of faeries from books I've read. They always say not to eat the food that the faeries offer you, and that reminded me a bit of that. (My favorite faerie books are by the master of faerie books: Holly Black! Her best books, in my humble opinion are: The Darkest Part of the Forest and Tithe.)

The payments and the rules that Psyche had to follow in the Underworld, because it reminded me a lot of customs that are prevalent in Arthurian Legend and Lore.

Finally, I liked the idea that she was told not to open the box of beauty, it was very reminiscent of Pandora's Box. Except, instead of chaos, she would be obsessed with beauty.

Reading Diary A: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche

(Psyche Honored by the People, Giordano)

Reading A of Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche:

1. The Captive Woman
2. Her Dream
3. Psyche's Beauty
4. The Oracle of Appolo
5. The Magical Palace
6. The Mysterious Husband
7. The Jealousy of Psyche's Sisters
8. Psyche's Husband Warms Her
9. Fears and Doubts
10. Psyche's Husband Revealed
11. Psyche's Despair

Take away from this reading:
The thing that struck me the most was just how similar that Cupid and Psyche is to Beauty and the Beast!

Each story has three beautiful daughters, in which the youngest is the most beautiful and pure. There are wicked sisters in each story that deceive and get Beauty or Psyche to break her promise. Speaking of which, Psyche and Beauty make promises to their husband (however Psyche makes more promises,) and they both break the promises.

There is a also a beast that is a handsome prince/man in both stories. In Cupid and Psyche, Psyche is supposed to marry a beast, and Cupid sort of pretends to be a beast, even though he is in fact a handsome man. Being Venus' son, he's also kind of a prince. Similarly, in Beauty and the Beast, the Beast is in fact the handsome prince.

Both stories have a fair maiden trapped in a magical castle. Psyche and Beauty are depressed about their situation, but end up happy in the end.

Also, in Beauty and the Beast, tears fall and wakes up the beast. In Cupid and Psyche, similarly oil falls on Cupid and he wakes up. I haven't read the second part of Cupid and Psyche, but I am hoping that it ends where they are happily every after like in Beauty and the Beast!

Things to borrow from each story for my own story:
-Magical castles, the beast as a handsome prince, an unknown husband, wicked sisters, beautiful princess-type of character, and how the husband is actually son of the wicked witch (who is Venus in Cupid and Psyche.)

Extra Reading Diary: Dantes Inferno

Dante's Inferno Part A:

(Image by: William Blake)

The circles of Hell:

1. Limbo
2. Lust
3. Gluttony
4. Greed
5. Anger
6. Heresy
7. Violence
8. Fraud
9. Treachery

Themes: 

• Hell (obviously)
• Curiosity, wisdom, desire to learn
• Punishments of sinner
• Christianity
• The fall of Lucifer

Dante and Virgil

• "In the middle of the journey of our life, I came to myself, in a dark wood, where the direct way was lost. It is a hard thing to speak of, how wild, harsh and impenetrable that wood was, so that thinking of it recreates the fear. "
• Lost in a forest, seems depressed
• Leopard appears--symbolism?
• Virgil appears (Virgil wrote the Aeneid)
• The poet, Dante, makes his literary idol, Virgil
• Virgil offers to guide him through Hell
• Dante as a student, Virgil is his teacher

The Gate of Hell and Charon

• The gates of Hell have a long incription, including the famous line, "Forsake all hope, all you that enter here."
• "Here, all uncertainty must be left behind; all cowardice must be dead."
• Atmosphere dark, forbodding, depressing. 
• Anger, sadness
• Angels who were cast from heaven are here

Limbo

• "Charon, the demon, with eyes of burning coal, beckoning, gathers them all and strikes with his oar whoever lingers."
• Charon, ferryman of the Archeon
• Unbaptised here, the "heathens"
• Souls at the shore of the Archeon

Poets and Philosophers

• Dante laments the poets that are here
• Poets, heroes, heroines, and philosophers
• Enters a castle
• Famous figures: Socrates and Plato (philosophers)
• Cicero (a Roman politician, scholar, and writer)
• Saladin (sultan of Egypt, considered a hero)

Paolo and Francesca

• "While the one spirit spoke, the other wept, so that I fainted out of pity, and, as if I were dying, fell, as a dead body falls."
• Storms that won't stop
• The "carnal sinners"
• Talks to the spirits
• Paolo and Francesca (adultry)
• Francesca was married to Paolo's brother. Her husband murdered both of them.   

Cerberus and Plutus

• "'Papé Satàn, papé Satàn aleppe,' Plutus, began to croak..." (A line that's meaning is still not clear.
• Cereberus, gluttonous
• Plutus, avarice
• Heretics
• The heretics figth eachother for eternity

Fortune and Phylegyas

• Lady fortune. She seems more of a positive figure than anything else that Dante has encountered. What is she doing in Hell?
• Styx

The Fallen Angels

• City of Dis, favorite place!
• A"joyless city"
• Angels falling from then enterence

Furies and the Heretics

• Medusa
• Dante enters Dis

Week 1: Review

My favorite thing from the current announcement was:

(Image from OU Accouncement)

Why this image is awesome:
I love Dr. Suess, and this was such a true statement! As a writer, I am very much a believer in reading.

Quote of the Week:
"Writers write, and writers read, and the writer is always write!" -Quote by me!

Upcoming Events:
Not an event at OU, but I'm going to the Anime Fest anime convention in Dallas Texas on Labor Day Weekend. Anime conventions are usually 3 days long, but being on Labor Day weekend, Anime Fest is 4 days long! I literally cannot wait to go, it will be so much fun. Any local anime fans should try to make it there!

Week1: Famous Last Words

This week went really well. It was a great start to the semester.

I was really proud of my storytelling post for this week! I was also proud of an outline that I wrote for my Professional Writing Capstone course. I had writer's block, when it came to fiction, all summer and only worked on my Vegan Food Blog, HappyHealthyNoms. So, I'm glad I'm finally back in the swing of things.

I also made a work schedule for myself, to try to avoid my natural habit of procrastination. I was able to stick with that this week, and hope to stick to it next week as well. My schedule will help me to work ahead.

I especially need to work ahead next week and finish everything before friday, because I'll be going to the Anime Fest anime convention next Friday-Monday, It's a little stressful to have to do so much ahead of time, but it will be doable and worth it.

(Anime Fest, Image from: Anime Fest's Facebook)

Tech Tip #1: Blogger Templates

This week I did the tech tip: Blogger Templates.

I'm still not in love with the template or design, so I'm going to have to play around with it a bit more. I did have fun designing the template though!

I love black and red, so I'd like to end up with a nice red and black blog. But, at least I have a good starting point now!

Growth Mindset: My Thoughts

I had never heard of Carol Dweck before, but I'm glad I have now! Her ideology is great, especially two ideas: "Not not, but yet" and "Challenge is the new comfort."

On the spectrum of growth-fixed mindset in my school work, I see myself enjoying a challenge. I love learning new things, and growing. I loved how Carol put it as, "Challenge is the new comfort." I think I'll try to think of that as a new mantra.

I apply "Challenge is the new comfort" to myself when I write and when I am working out.

When I write short stories or novels in class or out of class I challenge myself. As a Professional Writing major, write novels and short stories is a bulk of my workload. I am constantly challenging myself with switching to viewpoints or genres that I'm not necessarily comfortable with, and I also create characters and plot lines that are challenging to write as an author.

I am constantly challenging myself when I'm working out, whether that is with hula hoop dancing, or bike riding. With hoop dancing, I try to learn new tricks, which I always have to practice over and over (and over and over and over and over) again until I get it! With bike riding, there is this great, big, severely inclined hill by my house. I make myself try to go over this hill, even though it is so difficult. The first time I went over it, I had to stop and walk my bike over this hill, but then the next times I was able to go over it, and then go over it faster!

While at OU, I have learned about my learning that I don't enjoy easy (breeze by) classes. I've had a couple classes like this, and I found it to be so stifling! In fact, that is the reason that I decided to go to college in the first place.

In fact, right out of High School I had attended Hair School and received my hair license. However, I didn't enjoy doing hair as a living. I actually got great grades in High School, and have always enjoyed writing. So, I found doing hair to be very intellectually stifling, and I wanted to stimulate my brain more--so, I went to college, and I have been loving it! I have greatly enjoyed both stimulating my brain and challenging it!

My favorite challenge that I saw was the one called "stories about growth!" I thought that applying this concept to our readings would be a great exercise!

My personal goals for this semester are to adhere to the work schedule (that I created for myself,) and to do things ahead of time. I typically procrastinate and wait until the last moment, but when I do that I do not learn as much! I end up rushing my work, and don't fully absorb the information. So, I want to adhere to my work schedule that does not support procrastination.

Another goal of mine is to make time to read for pleasure. So often during the school year do I have so much reading for classes, that I don't end up reading for pleasure. But I think reading for pleasure is so important! Those who write read, and I notice that the more I read, the more I write! As a writer, this is infinitely important. Plus, reading books in the genre that I write in, rather than only reading what schoolwork assigns, helps me gain better ideas for my writing.

I'm excited to apply growth mindset to my academic and personal life!

(Image by: Laura Gibbs)

Week 1: Curation

I am quite familiar with bookmarking, and have made a folder for this class titled, "Mythology." Bookmarking websites is my number one way of saving websites!

(My Mythology Folder. Image by: Me)

I'm also familiar with Pinterest and Twitter. I additionally use Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook.

I use Pinterest mostly for saving recipes or helpful information. I use Tumblr in a similar way. I really like using Pinterest for curating, so I created a Pinterest board just for this class.

(My Mythology Pinterest Board, won't be empty for long! Image by: Me)

I only recently made a Twitter, and it is mainly for publicity purposes for my vegan food blog, HappyHealthyNoms. I have Wordpress, Instagram, and Tumblr auto-post to it. Other than that I'm still not quite sure how to use it, but I am willing to learn.

In addition to using social media to stay organized, I love Microsoft One Note. I use that on my iPad for all my classes. It's perfect for jotting down notes, and you can save web addresses or clips from websites on it. It is immensely helpful!

I use my iPad for all school and personal related things, and the iPad in itself is so helpful. My productivity has increased tenfold since I bought my iPad. I think the reason why is because of it's simple interface. Also, I can quickly access all of my curation tools on it!

Checking Out The UnTextbook: Tentative Schedule

Unit 1: Dante's Inferno

(Illustration by: William Blake)

I have always wanted to read Dante's Inferno, I am simply enamoured by it. I even bought a pretty hardcover copy of it. However, it was too difficult to read. That is why I am so excited that this is a more modern prose version of it! I literally cannot wait to read this.

Unit 2: Alice in Wonderland

(Illustration by: Sir John Tenniel)

I loved the Disney movie version of Alice in Wonderland, and always wanted to read the book. So given a chance to pick that? Yes, please! What I've always liked about Alice in Wonderland is how fantastical and creative it is. I think reading this will help my own writing, since I enjoy writing fantasy. I look forward to reading Alice in Wonderland!

Unit 3:  Alice's Looking Glass

I figured that since I'm reading Alice in Wonderland, that I should also read the sequel! Not to mention that the sequel has the classic lineup of Alice in Wonderland characters such as the Queen of Hearts.

Unit 4: Kalevala

I listen to Finnish music (metal bands,) and I love Norse mythology. I also love epics written in a oral tradition (Beowulf,) so Kalevala sounds really interesting! I look forward to reading this.

Unit 5: The Faerie Queen-Britomart

I chose the Faerie Queen because, I had read part of it in a literature class, and I really enjoyed it! The only issue before was that it was difficult to read, so I am very excited to read this prose version. I'm sure that this prose version is much easier to read.

Unit 6: Mabinogion

I've heard about the Mabinogion, so I'm very curious to find out what it's about! It sounds like it has a good about of fantasy, supernatural, and magical sort of happenings, which is right up my alley! I'm also interested in it because it mimics the original Welsh language. Finally, I want to read it to learn about Taliesin, who sounds like a very interesting character.

Unit 7: The Decameron

This was recommended to me by my boyfriend, who is taking a minor in Classics. I trust his opinion, and I enjoy Classical literature, so this ended up on my list!

Unit 8: Celtic Fairy Tales I

I wanted to read fairy tales, and these Celtic Fairy Tales looked like the most interesting fairy tales to me.

Unit 9: Celtic Fairy Tales II

Since I'm taking the first unit, I thought I should take the second!

Unit 10: Ovid I

I enjoy Classics, and I've always wanted to read this! Also, it was recommended to me from my boyfriend. He told me I should take all three units, and so I did!

Unit 11: Ovid II

Unit 12: Ovid III

Unit 13: Homer's Illiad

Another I've always wanted to read!

Unit 14: Homer's Odyssey

Again, I always wanted to read this.

Unit 15: Japanese Myth

I'm interested in Japanese culture, and via anime I've been exposed to some Japanese mythology. I look forward to reading the primary sources that anime has borrowed from.

Storybook Favorites

Storybook Favorite #1: Tokyo Underworld

(Image by: Benjamin Welch)

Professor Gibbs actually suggested this one to me. She said she thought I'd like it, but I didn't--I LOVED it. This was by far the best storybook that I looked at. The design was amazing (to say the least) and it looks like the student made all of the artwork, which is so impressive! Besides the great design and artwork, the stories were also great and very enticing. This storybook is very unique, and I recommend that anyone should check it out.


Storybook Favorite #2: Tracking the Werewolf

(Illustration by: Mont Sudbury for Weird Tales story "The Werewolf Howls" (November, 1941)
Web Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

I love supernatural fantasy, so I knew I'd like it, just from the title. The storybook was, in fact, about werewolves. The introduction was written like a journal entry, which was interesting and different. It definitely caught my interest. The design was great. It was all dark colors, and used relevant images. I think I would do something similar for sure. This was a great storybook, I don't think that there is anything that I would change.

Storybook Favorite #3: Faery Legend

I love stories about faeries. I like to read them, and write my own. So, when I saw "faery" in the title, I was interested. The title is accurate, this is about faeries. However, there wasn't a page that was called "introduction," which was frustrating. I will definitely have a page titled with "introduction" in my storybook. The design and artwork of this storybook was it's greatest feature. 

Introduction: The Girl Behind The Blog

The Girl Behind The Blog:

My name is Lauren Parker. I'm an author, and my pen name is Lore Scarlet!

(Feel free to call me Lauren or Lore, either one's fine!)

(A recent picture of me! Yes, I do my own hair!
I have to dye it about once a month to keep it this red.)

I'm a Professional Writing major at the University of Oklahoma. I'm currently writing on a Young Adult Novel, that I will publish!

I also have a Healthy Vegan Cooking and Baking blog called HappyHealthyNoms. I plan on turning that blog into a Vegan Cookbook. (Yes, if you haven't guessed--I am vegan!)

I'm a vegan, because I think that it is the healthiest way to eat for ME. Which means, that it isn't as much as I am a huge advocate for Veganism, I also respect and understand that it's not for everyone!

I'm also a vegan for the animals! The movie Vegucated is the reason for that. If you are at all interested in Veganism or animal rights, I HIGHLY suggest watching that movie (it's on Netflix!) Seriously, that is the movie that made me switch from being a mostly vegetarian to a strict vegan!

When I'm not writing or blogging, I have several other hobbies!

I hula hoop dance, which is so much fun. Have you ever seen hoop dancing? If you haven't, check out this video of me hoop dancing:

I also enjoy cosplaying with my boyfriend. We go to 4 anime conventions a year (which I talked about in my Favorite Places blog post.)

I love anime and manga! My favorites are:

• Attack on Titan
• Fairy Tail
• Black Butler
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
• Vampire Knight
• Seraph of the End
• Tokyo Ghoul
• No. 6 

Besides anime, I LOVE Star Wars. My favorite character is Boba Fett.

(Boba Fett and I)

I enjoy playing Tabletop Role Playing Games (RPGs) like Dungeons and Dragons, World of Darkness, The Dragon Age RPG, and the Star Wars RPG, Force and Destiny.

I'm working on a minor in Literature, and I love to read! 

My favorite classic writers are: Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde. My favorite modern authors are Holly Black and Laurell K. Hamilton. My favorite books are:

• The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
• The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
• The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter Series 
• And, I simply cannot choose a favorite Hemingway novel, they're all perfection!

To see all the books I read, check out my Goodreads. (And feel free to add me!)

I love video games. I own a Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, and a Nintendo 64. My all-time  favorite video games are:

• Skyrim
• Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• Kingdom Hearts 

I love mythology--my favorite is Norse Mythology! Check out my Pinterest for all my Norse Mythology pins:

That's a basic idea about me, the girl behind the blog!

It's nice to meet all of you! 

My Favorite Place: Tokyo in Tulsa

My favorite place is the anime convention, Tokyo in Tulsa! It's located in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

My boyfriend and I go to 4 anime conventions a year, but Tokyo in Tulsa is our favorite! Our first time going to Tokyo in Tulsa was in 2008. We went again in 2011, and we've been going every year since.

We cosplay at every anime convention we go to!

• What is cosplay? Cosplay is "costume play" in other words, you don't just dress up in a costume as your favorite anime or video game character like a Halloween costume. You dress up in a costume as a certain character and you act as the character (the play part of cosplay!)

Besides cosplaying, I love anime conventions because:

• I get to spend 3 days in a building full of people with the exact same interests as me
• I get to meet a lot of cool people
• I also get to spend 3 days with my beyond wonderful boyfriend
• And, it's literally the most fun place in the world (in my humble and nerdy opinion!)

My boyfriend and I at Tokyo in Tulsa 2015

But, as I said, my favorite convention is Tokyo in Tulsa.
Tokyo in Tulsa is my favorite because it's smaller and has a great community sort of feel. Because of that it's really easy to make friends there, and that makes the convention all the more fun.

All the friends I made at Tokyo in Tulsa 2015

Another great thing that's unique to Tokyo in Tulsa, that adds to its great community, is that it has an opening ceremony on the first day of the convention, and a closing ceremony on the last day! The ceremonies also introduce charities that they always have.

The convention always has a theme of something anime or sci-if related pitted against something else. You can donate to the charity in the name of either one, and whichever one had the most donated to wins! For example, next years theme is Mecha (or giant robots) VS Pirates. (You can bet that I'm voting pirates!)

The best part of any convention is that you feel like you're a part of something great, and that's exactly how Tokyo in Tulsa makes you feel.

If you like anime and you're in driving distance, I definitely recommend that you go! You will not regret going, I'm fact: you will thank me.

I look forward to going back to my favorite place, Tokyo in Tulsa, next year and for years to come!

Comment Wall

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(Great Wall Graffiti by Travis Wise)

The Comment Wall is a safe place for your:

• Thoughts
• Suggestions
• Comments
• Constructive Criticism
• and other sorts of musings!

Come one, come all, to the mighty Comment Wall!

First Post!

The Guardians of Asgard!