Thoughts About Comments

Well, I obviously enjoy getting comments that tell me what I have done is great and such. However, I found that the most helpful comments are the ones that say something like, "This is great, but it could be even greater if you do blah, blah, and blah."

Those comments are great because I get the ego boost, but I also get help! It really helps me to know if there is anything making my work weak.

The best sort of comments are those that adopt the Growth Mindset! Comments could make you grow more, challenge what you're doing, but all in an encouraging way!

I try to do this formula when I comment someone: "I liked (this, that, and the other), and this is great, but it could be greater if you do (this, that, and the other.) But, once again this was great!" (Well, of course this would go on a story that I consider to be great.

That is generally the sort of comment that I give, and also the kind of comment that I would love to recieve!

Week 5: Curation Spaces

Wow, where do I even start? Only 3?

Truth be told, I didn't really use Pinterest before this class. But now? It is my primary curation space! I save website to it, find wonderful things to pin, pin images from websites and more!

As someone who loves Mythology, I am always amazed by the amount of great Mythology content is on Pinterest

(especially my favorite Pantheon... Well, we'll see if, by the end of this post, you can guess which is my favorite Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses!)

You can also guess who one of my favorite Gods is.

1. Norhalla
I found a great website called Norhalla. They make comics and books, but it features wonderful depictions of the Norse Gods and Goddesses.

(Thor from Norhalla)

2. UnripeHamaDryad's Norse Gods and Goddesses Artwork 
The artist UnripeHamaDryad on DeviantArt also has made incredible depictions of the Norse Gods and Goddesses. I think hers might be my favorite!

(Thor by UnripeHamaDryad)

3. Pernastudio's Mythology Cards
Pernastudio on Deviantart has also made great depictions of Norse Gods and Goddesses, and of Gods and Goddesses from other Pantheons.

(Thor from Pernastudios)

Alright, so I wasn't very subtle, was I?

My favorite Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses is indeed Norse Gods and Goddesses! And, one my favorite Gods, along with Odin, Frigga, and Freya is: Thor!

Week 5: Review

Favorite Thing From Today's Announcement:

(Image from: Laura Gibbs)

Why It's My Favorite:
The question is why wouldn't it be my favorite?

My Quote of the Week:
In honor of that spectacular moon from tonight:

Image made by me and is on my Blog

Week 5: Growth Mindset

This week I did the Growth Mindset Writing Challenge with this week's Storytelling post.

I fell in love with the cumulative tale, The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tail, and so I wanted to make my own cumulative tale (something that I have never done!)

So, I wrote the cumulative tale, The Little Witch's Mabon.

It was a little scary, and even when it was done I wasn't sure if it was good, but it was a great experience. And, now I am in fact quite proud of my story! I'm really glad that I decided to challenge myself.

(Image from: Growth Mindset Memes)

Week 5: Famous Last Words

My Reading This Week:
I was happy with my reading this week. I was able to understand the stories quite well, and I really enjoyed the Persian Tales. My favorite reading were the Welsh Fairy Tales that I chose for my Extra Reading, though! I fell in love with the idea of a fairy circle. In fact, I may have found one in my backyard!

Possible Fairy Circle? Photo Taken by ME.

My Best Writing this Week:
My best writing this week was my storytelling post this week. Unfortunately once again, I've been too tired, and too busy to write my novel. But, I did write a really good mystery/suspense short story for my mystery/suspense class!

Other People's Writing:
I learned to keep things simple. Sometimes simplicity is a better thing! I am finding this more and more.

My Other Classes:
My other classes were incredibly stressful. I had two short stories, one essay, one book to read, and some ones's novel to edit. Oh, and I had to keep up with my Vegan Food Blog. Cook dinners, desserts, and somehow find time to just relax--which I am finding I am unable to do more and more. But I am hanging in there!

Something Cool I Found:
The Super Blood Moon was tonight, and it was truly amazing. I sat and watched it from when it rose to the sky, peaked at it's fullest, and then ever so slowly became eclipsed. It was truly an incredible experience, and an experience I won't get again for another 30 years. I am okay with that, because I will hold these memories strong. I really never will forget it. It's sort of like Haley's Comet, it sticks with you. I also made moon cakes for the occasion (,vegan-ized of course) and they were great. I reccomend making them every Full Moon for a mini-celebration! 

Extra Reading Diary: Welsh Fairy Tales (Emerson)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Welsh Fairy Tales (Emerson)

(Fairy Ring Image by: The Poss)

READING A:
1. The Fairies of Caragonan

• Fairy ring! I've never heard of this, and it is so awesome! 
• The teenage daughter of a fairy queen
• Fairies that can turn into birds
• Witches, that clearly use Black Magic, harming humans
• Fairies helping humans who are under a curse or an evil spell. (Modern day version, it could be an agency that specializes in this)
• Building a fairy ring
• Using a blot of perfume and song as a spell (the perfume must be like a potion)

The Fairies of Caragonan (cont.)

• The fairy circle is made with a pole, mirror, and tape. It sounds a lot like a maypole.
•  Turn around three times and see something in the mirror
• Killing the "wicked witch"
• Follow what the fairies say, and you will be rewarded tenfold.

Three Short Tales of Fairies

• Listen to what the fairies say, they just want to be heard
• If you don't do what fairies say, there will be punishment
• Baby-farming is not as disturbing as I thought it would be. In fact is basically just a daycare.
• Dressing favorite kids in good clothes, and the others in rags
• The well-dressed children turned to fairies

The Old Man and the Fairies

• Fairies dance under the moonlight and create fairy circles.
• Being spirited away by the fairies, in your sleep, to a fairy party
• Given gold by fairies, and it turns to cockle-shells 
• Given money many times, and then finally only given cockle-shells
• Fairies coming through keyholes
• The fairies will turn on you. They will give you presents, but then give you something less than desired.

The Story of Gelert

• Having a set of hounds, and your favorite dying
• Going hunting (for mystical creatures would be interesting)
• Hills inhabited by wolves (and werewolves?)

Origin of the Welsh

• Birds as warfare (Like the movie The Birds!)
• Turn the birds into fairies
• Fairies only visiting humans once a year. They live deep in the Earth and in caves.
• Spell only working 2,000 years
• Welsh were the first to settle into Britain.

Crows

• "One black crow, bad luck for me.
  Two black crows, good luck for me.
  Three black crows, a son shall be born in the family.
  Four black crows, a daughter shall be born in the family.
  Five black crows shall be a funeral in the family.
  Six black crows, if they fly head on, a sudden death.
  Seven black crows with their tails towards you, death within seven years." Source: Welsh Tales (Emerson)
• Coffins
• Prophetic dreams

The Fairy of the Dell

• Fairies fought Evil Witches who practiced black magic (I keep specifying this because there are Good Witches who practice white magic!)
• Holding wands and flowers
• A crown of flowers for the fairy queen
• "The Black Art" as an evil Spellbook
• I like the songs they sang

The Fairy of the Dell (cont.)

• Destroying an evil Spellbook releases demons
• Mirror magic, mirror spells
• Possession by evil spirits
• A magic fairy ring that says if she queen is dead or alive
• Fairies die when their power is gone. They forever look youthful.

Week 5 Storytelling: The Little Witch's Mabon

(Halloween Witch Painting Blythe Insprited by Noelle)

Once upon a Mabon, the Little Witch and her Mother started to make the feast for the Sabbat. But when she started to make the Mabon Apple Bread, she was dismayed to find that she had no Apples.

"Little Witch, Little Witch, I need Apples for my Mabon Apple Bread," her Mother told her.

"Yes, Mother, I'll go to the Market to get them for you," said the Little Witch.

So, the Little Witch, went to the Market to get a couple of Apples, and found the Apple Stand.

"Apple Vendor, Apple Vendor, I need a couple of Apples," said the Little Witch.

"I am out of apples, Little Witch," he told her. "Go to the Orchard and get Apples from my Apple Picker, and bring some for me too."

So, the Little Witch ran to the Orchard and found the Apple Picker.

"Apple Picker, Apple Picker, I need a couple of Apples," said the Little Witch.

"I will give you my Apples, but first I need a Basket from the Basket Weaver," the Apple Picker told her.

So, the Little Witch went back to the Market, and found the Basket Weaver.

"Basket Weaver, Basket Weaver, I need a Basket," said the Little Witch.

"I will give you a Basket, but I first need Straw from the Farmer to weave it," the Weaver told her.

So, the Little Witch went to Farm nearby, and found the Farmer.

"Farmer, Farmer, I need Straw," said the Little Witch.

"I will give you Straw, but first I need a Sickle from the Blacksmith to cut the Straw," the Farmer told her.

So, the Little Witch went to the Blacksmith Shop and found the Blacksmith.

"Blacksmith, Blacksmith, I need a Sickle," said the Little Witch.

"I will give you a sickle, but first I need Iron from the Miner to forge the Sickle," the Blacksmith told her.

So, the Little Witch went down into the Mintes and found a Miner.

"Miner, Miner, I need Iron," said the Little Witch.

"You are in luck. I have just mined a cart full of Iron," he told her. "Here you go, Little Witch."

So, the Little Witch went: to the Blacksmith who forged her a Sickle with the Iron, to the Farmer who cut the Straw with the Sickle, to the Weaver who weaved a Basket with the Straw, to the Apple Picker who placed a couple of Apples in the Basket, to the Apple Vender to bring him some Apples.

And then finally, the Little Witch went home and gave her Mother the Basket full of Apples.

Her Mother thanked her, and started to make the Mabon Apple Bread.

"Oh no!" Her Mother exclaimed. "We're out of Flour!"

The End

Author's Note:
I based my story off of the cumulative tale, The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tale. If you aren't familiar with a cumulative story, well, you should have a pretty good idea of how that works after reading my story. I have never written something like this, so it was definitely a Growth Mindset challenge for me! My usual things are first-person fantasy involving Vampires or Faeries. But, as you see, I didn't stray too far as far as characters go. Today is the Pagan (and therefore Wiccan) holiday of Mabon! It celebreates the second harvest, and is basically a Pagan/Wiccan Thanksgiving. With this holiday or Sabbat as it is called by Pagans/Wiccans, I thought of a Mabon-themed cumulative tale! This was a lot of fun to write. I do feel bad for the bittersweet ending, but I had to kind of keep in the spirit of the story that I based it on!

Reading Diary B: Persian Tales

Myth-Folklore Unit: Persian Tales

(Image from: Laura Gibbs)

READING B:

Fayiz and the Peri Wife

• Flute as a mating call of sorts
• The handsome man gets the fair maiden
• Turning into a pidgeon
• Going somewhee every day waiting for your love. (Would make a great story. A man sitting on a rock playing a flute or something else like a guitar, waiting for someone who will never come.)

The Hemp-Smoker's Dream

• This was hardly a story.
• The age old, "and it was all a dream..." (a trope that I am not a fan of.)

The Story of the Wolf-Bride

• Ominous prophecy
• Girl doesn't know she's a werewolf, turns into a wolf and with uncontrollable powers, devours her husband. Thus, the prophecy is fulfilled.
• Whatever is willed by fate, so be it.
• I feel like the girl should have recieved punishment, like she killed her husband, people! We can't all just laugh about it.

The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck

• A person, personifying Luck
• Thorn gatherer. Why are so many people gathering thorns in these stories? What do they do with these thorns? Maybe it would be part of a magical potion or something. Or be the only defense against dragons, like they mount the thorns on swords.
• Truly gullible people

Tortoise Bowl-On-The-Back and the Fox

• Saying things with ulterior motives. This would work great in a story with faeries. They say things to help a human, and then one day come back and say, hey where's my reward? Great concept.
• Everyone who is greedy is put to shame

The Shepherd Who Found a Treasure

• Discovering treasures for dreams. Trading dreams for payment. Could be someone's job in a story, like the dream keeper or something.

The Merchant and the Saffron

• Easy come, easy go
• Regaining your luck slowly, but surely

Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother

• Someone thinks they are helping, but they bring great misfortune.
• Magic rings
• The punishment seemed way extreme. Like I know he arrested this woman under false pretenses, but I don't know if he deserved to die. I mean, it is awful how all the time people get wrongfully convicted nowaways, and the people who arrested them don't recieve any punishment. But, the death penality seems a little steep, don't you think?

The Apparition of the Prophet Khizr

• A figure coming to those in hard times. Which, I suppose is the case in most religions. In a more supernatural thought, this figure could be a faerie, a witch, a wizard, or an oracle. Some kind of mystical knight that visits damsels in distress, they seem to come from no where and then disapear.

The Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish

• Giving offerings to nature pays off. Another story idea with a girl giving offerings to the faeries, and one day when she is in grave danger, they show up and help her out. Or someone who appreciates and takes care of trees, is saved by tree people.
• Feeding animals, and those animals help you out in a time of turmoil
• Nature will reward you

Reading Diary A: Persian Tales

Reading Unit: Persian Tales

(Image by: Jimmy Alvarez)

READING A:

1. The Wolf and the Goat

• This starts out like The Little Red Riding Hood or the Three Little Pigs (don't trust the wolf.)
• I like the rhyming that it has in dialogue. It feels like this would be well performed by a Bard.
• Well that escalated quickly.
• I'm not sure if there was poetic justice or a moral? I guess the moral is don't trust the wolf, and kill or be killed.

2. The City of Nothing-in-the-World

• Do they call start with the "once upon a time when there was no one but God"? I find this interesting, because I thought that in these time periods the people were polytheistic.
• A Minaret is a conical architechtual feature.
• Tree growing from an animal.
• Haleem is a stew.
• The sparrow is never getting home, apparently. Is this how they say "The End"?

3. Susku and Mushu

• Once again, this escaltes quickly. She suddenly gets marriage proposals.
• My question is why would you not want to sleep on dates, they are delicious!
• That was cute when he says she can sleep in his arms.
• This cumulative narrative is really cool! I might try this out. It has a cause and effect sort of well, effect, to it.

4. The Boy Who Became a Bulbul

• Thorn bushes for firewood. Ones profession is a thorn-cutter.
• Could be  a modern horror or murder mystery. Dad kills the son because he lost the bet, has his step-wife boil his son into a soup, and the daughter finds her brother's bones in the soup.
• Once again interesting lyrical intermissions of sorts.

5. The Wolf-Aunt

• Were-shewolf
• Thorn bush gathering
• She seems to be seducing him? "The temptress"!
• She tricks them, fattens them up, and intends to eat them (since she can turn into a wolf.)
• Once again, never trust the wolf.
• Interesting take on werewolves.

6. Nim Tanak, or Half-Boy

• Daevas, false Gods, feel like demons.
• Short lyrical sentences
• How one eats or drinks determines fates
• One being half a person, literally

7. Muhammad Tirandaz, The Archer

• Tirandaz meaning "Arrow-shooter", I like when the name of characters holds meanings. I usually try to do this in my own stories.
• Boasting and exagurating one's deeds
• Pretending to be someone that you're not

8. The Praying Baker

• Royality dressing up as a pauper
• Going back on deals
• Positivity is rewarded with great fortune
• Sometimes it's okay to have a happy ending!

10. The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tail

• One task leading to another and another. Could make an interesting Short Story. Perhaps a magic user needs ingredients for a spell, and has to jump through a bunch of hoops like the mouse does.
• I liked the frustration at the end, you could tell that the mouse was fed up!