Week 10 Storytelling: The Date

One of the many good things about television is that you know exactly where people are and where they are going. Frank had flown from his and Ava’s hometown in Maine. It wasn’t easy breaking into his parent's safe and stealing all of their life savings but Frank was able to do it. It was enough to get him where he was going and then some.

Frank was now in a taxi to the restaurant Ava and Mike were supposed to go for dinner. It was early, only about five o’clock, but Frank wasn’t going to miss them. The taxi driver let him out and told him to have a good evening.

Frank went to the back of the building and waited for someone to come through the back door. After Frank waited a few minutes a man came out with trash bags. Before the man knew what was going on, Frank bashed his head on the side of the dumpster. Frank had taken all the clothes off the man and put them on. Frank then awkward lifted him into the dumpster and closed the top. When Frank closed the dumpster he noticed it had a lock on it. Frank fastened the lock and went inside.

When Frank got inside the restaurant he noticed the uniform he was wearing matched the bussers. Frank quickly started to play the role. Throughout the night he had gotten better and managed to not strike up a conversation with anyone. A couple of hours had passed by and Frank was on high alert. They had to be coming soon.

*             *             *

 “You look absolutely stunning,” Mike told Ava as he held her hand to help her out of the limousine. Ava was wearing a low-cut red dress and her brown hair was done by a stylist.

From DreamsTime

Blushing Ava said, “Thank you, Mike.”

The two walked into the five-star restaurant holding hands and already had a table waiting for them. The waitress took them to their table where Mike pulled out the chair for Ava to sit.

“I will be right back, doll.” Mike headed off to the restroom.

As Ava sat there she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Simultaneously a boy sat in Mike’s chair. It was Frank. Horror filled Ava’s heart and stomach. Before Ava could move Frank shook his head and made a gun with this finger and thumb. Ava, more terrified than before, started panicking. Frank had a gun and Ava didn’t know what to do. 

With a confident smile on his face Frank quietly whispered, “There is a door that leads to the back alley through the kitchen and to the left. As soon as I say to, go as quickly as you can to the ally. If you try to run or talk to anyone, I will shoot you. Do I make myself clear?”

Whimpering, Ava nodded her head.

“Go,” Frank demanded.

Trembling with tears in her eyes Ava stood up and started making her way toward the kitchen. Frank was right behind her, smiling. Once Ava got to the kitchen she stopped and looked back wishing Mike was there but only saw the emo boy. She turned back around and headed toward the door. When they were both out in the alley Ava turned to Frank and asked, “Why?”

“Because you don’t deserve this life. You have always had everything handed to you and everyone just adores you. You deserve to be as ugly and worthless as I am.”

“Frank, you aren’t ugly and worthless. Why do you think that? You had a rough childhood and I am sorry for that. Hurting me isn’t going to change anything. You are this far away from home already. Why not go further? You have the chance to start over.” Ava tried to reason with Frank.

*             *             *

Mike walked out of the bathroom nervous as can be. Ava was so beautiful and he wasn’t sure how she felt given how they met. Mike straightened his tie and walked back to the table. When the table came into sight he panicked. Ava wasn’t there! Mike wondered if it was him. He saw a waiter come up to the table.

“Excuse me, sir. Did you see the woman sitting here go anywhere?”

“I saw her go to the back with one of our bussers,” replied the waiter.

Concerned, Mike headed to the back toward the kitchen. Once in the kitchen he asked a cook if they had seen Ava. She told him she went out back with a busser.

Mike walked out the back door to the sight of a boy shaking Ava. The boy was yelling at her and Ava was crying. The boy suddenly stopped and pulled out a gun from his jacket and pointed it at her.

Mike didn’t hesitate. He rushed quietly to the boy and took the gun. At the same time he elbowed the boy in the face. The boy staggered back yelling obscenities at him. Angry filled the boy’s eyes and he rushed at Mike. Mike shoved him back on the ground.

“I will never stop,” The boy cried. “I will not stop until you get what you deserve!”

Ava was now weeping even harder. At that instant Mike made a decision. This boy was an obvious threat to Ava and would be as long as he was alive. Mike took a deep breath. He raised up the gun and shot the boy.

Ava was in utter shock. The only thing she could do was weep. Mike sat down the gun and went to Ava. He took her up in his arms.  

"You are safe now."

Author’s Note

This is the final story of my portfolio. It is a continuation of “Frank and Ava,” “The Dating Game,” and “The Dating Game Part 2.” In “Frank and Ava” Frank took on the representation of Ravana and Ava represented Sita. That story came from Sita Sings the Blues, by Nina Paley, which was a version of the Ramayana. After reading the Narayan’s Mahabharata, I wrote “The Dating Game” and “The Dating Game Part 2” Where Ava was the main character portraying Draupadi. Up until this story Frank had no one to represent. I wanted to really focus on Ava for those two stories and only keep Frank in there as a reminder. Now, Frank represents Jayadratha.

During the time of the Pandava's exile, the Pandavas had to leave and gather supplies. They left Draupadi alone with only a sage to watch over her. Jayadratha saw Draupadi and after finding out who she was he proposed to marry her. Draupadi refused Jayadratha, so he abducted her and started going to his kingdom. Once the Pandavas learned of this, Arjuna and Bhima rescued Draupadi and Jayadratha was humiliated like a slave.

I tied this to my own story in small ways. The first is when Mike leaves Ava to go to the restroom is when the Pandavas gather supplies. Since Frank already knew who Ava was and has always had an obsession, the huge fight Frank and Ava have in the alley is what I picture when Draupadi refuses Jayadrathas proposal. Lastly, since Mike is a Panadava in my story it is only fitting to have him save Ava. 

Week 10 Reading Diary: Part D of The Brook

This week I am continuing part D of the Brook by Peter Brook. A video version of the Mahabharata. I did not remember Bhishma taking so long. It is also hilarious that the bling king tells his wife to take her vail and she lies and tells him she has taken it off. In Epified it seemed like she was very willing to take away her own eye sight. In the Brook, it seems she is bitter. It is also really weird imagining a god not played as Morgan Freeman.

Yudhisthira Dying

In the Mahabharata wasn’t the ending scene of the brothers a trick? It didn’t look like it was a trick. In the Brook. I am very confused by the ending. I even re-watched it but it doesn’t look like he ever got to a paradise.

Week 10 Reading Diary: Part C of the Brook

This week I am continuing part C of the Brook by Peter Brook. A video version of the Mahabharata. In this section Bhima killed the king to protect the honor or Draupadi. Which I thought was hilarious. The King of beauty is one ugly guy. Bhima killing him with his hands was super awkward and the scene was very cheesy. It also really bugs me that yes the character are dresses like the people of India but they don’t physically look Indian. I also really like how the story is being told as a poem.  

Bhishma's Death

Bhishma's dying was more ceremonious than I had originally imagined it, laying on a bed with arrows all around it. 

Reading Disary Week 9: The Brook

This week is read part B of the Brook. It is amazing how detailed these movies are. Before this week I was confused about what sections I had gotten two but we read the Mahabharata in a week and now this movie version is a two week process. Its like watching Lord of the Rings in a different genre. The two week period doesn't bother me and neither does the cheesiness of the film. This is because it is really easy to watch it at the end of the night in bed. I am still slowly piecing together the story but I am not sure I like it as much as the Ramanyana.


The Brook byYoutube

Reading Diary Week 9: A New Epic

  

This week I am watch a video version of the Mahabharata called the the Brook. One of the big differences about this video version is that it is real characters. I have thought that the other videos I watch were had to follow or a bit annoying. This version is still a little cheesy I will admit, but I am use to marvel movies! Even though it is a cheesy movie, I feel I have a better grasp on the story of the Mahabharata. Even with watching most of Epified I caught more of the story but it is more defined watching this version.

From Blogger

First Part of Reading: Week 9 Reading Diary Epified

From Google Images

For the extra credit reading for Week 9 I watched Part A of the video version of the Mahabharata that is on Epified TV in india called, The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution. I know this version of the story doesn't even make it to the dice game but I can understand why very easily. The story telling in this is very slow. I guess that is a a good thing that you get a lot more into the story but it is also taking forever. I must say kudos to the artist who is drawing the whole scene out. I really like the drawings but it seems the will take a while to do. I wonder if they will ever finish them.

Planning Readings

For week 10, I will watch the Brook, Mahabharata. I haven't fully grasped all of the story so I want to have a few video options to watch so I can wrap my head around it a little more.

Brook

For week 7 I had a slight mix up on what I needed to read and got through some of the Epified version of the Mahabharata. So I will finish that up for week 9. 

New Blog Ideas

So I found a good three blogs that I really liked. I looked at Nikita's blog and she had a fun animation to the blog comments that I really loved! She also had her title have books around it, I am not sure if that is just her theme or not but I really liked it. Christina had a little blurb of the story with the picture for the story really big beside it. I really liked that idea because it seems like on some blogs you have to scroll down the whole story before getting to the next one. Lastly I looked at LeDawns. I really liked how she had an interactive theme on the sides but a plain white background for the text. I am wanting a theme like that for my blog.

How to Manage my Time

I believe I have nailed down my schedule for this semester finally! I normally start about half the reading for Tuesday on Monday and like to finish it up on Tuesdays. Tuesday night is when I get together with my embedded real time systems group to program our hovercraft. I will admit, getting all the reading diary done on Wednesday is a little tough sometimes. Wednesdays are troubleshooting our hovercraft, which took half a day last week. If time allows on the weekends I might start the readings sooner but that is hit and miss. Thursday is fairly easy to get a story in, I normally just have work on Thursdays and no assignment due on Fridays. So it is pretty east to squeeze that in. I honestly just wait until Sunday to do the reading. This week, due too the outrageous amount of shit that needs to be done I took the initiative and started the weekend stuff on Saturday so I could week 8 on Sunday and start catching up over spring break.

                                       
                                                                  Time Management

I have fallen into a good routine I think. At least I have only had to get up at 5 am once this semester which is so much better than last semester!!

Week 7 Reading Diary: The end of the Mahabharata

I finished part D of the Indian Epic, Narayan's Mahabharata. I most definitely like this ending better than I did in the Ramayana. It was very biblical to me, I kind of feel like God might do something like a  test to show us Hell or something like that. At first I was a little nervous that Draupadi and some of the brothers were going to hell. I even fell for it when Yudhishthria heard them being tortured. I also liked that none of them had to suffer a tragic dead and that they just kinda got to walk into heaven.

Yudhishthira's journey to hell   

Week 7 Storytelling: The Dating Game

Ava closed her eyes and listened to the chatter of the audience in the distance. Ava had prayed over and over to get onto The Dating Game and here she was! Her prayers had been answered. She could hardly wait to get out there and be on TV. Ava still had her eyes closed as a curling iron went through her hair and her nails were being painted. When the stylists were done she opened her eyes and saw a completely different person. She was shocked.

In the midst of Ava smiling to herself as she stared into the mirror she turned and saw a woman dressed in all black with an earpiece.

“Ma’am, you are on in one minute. Please follow me.”

Ava followed the woman with a hop in her step. She heard the announcer, but couldn’t make out what he said. Suddenly a voice boomed over the audience,

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for the lucky lady, Ava!”

Ava heard the roar of applause and it gave her feet the power to walk to the stage. Ava was so nervous she could hardly stand it.

“Ava darling, you look radiant-“ started the announcer.

A male voice cut him off and said, “Hey now, Ryan! No hitting on her!”

Ava heard the voice but the man it came from was hidden behind a curtain.

Ryan smiled. “Well, well, I meant no harm, sir. Ava, please take a seat. When the game is over, the gentlemen who won will sit next to you.”

Ava followed Ryan to a red love seat and sat down. There was still room for another.

“Now, Ava, I am going to explain the game to you and our viewers before we get started. Behind this curtain here are five gentlemen. One of them will be lucky enough to go on a date with you and the other four will not. I am going to ask these gentleman a series of questions and you will rate their answers here on this sheet. After the questioning is over you will select the man who is most compatible with you and then this gentleman will reveal himself and you two can ride off into the sunset, and by that I mean an all-paid night out. I will warn you that clips of your date will be shown next week so the audience can see how you two turned out. Now, Ava, do you have any questions?” explained Ryan.

Ava smiled. “I do have one question, Ryan. Are any of them ugly?”

Ryan let out a chuckle and the audience was overcome with a wave of laughter. Ava also laughed.

“I assure these men are very good-looking,” Ryan turned to the audience. “Audience, don’t you agree these gentleman are well-engineered?”

The audience hollered and woo’d.

“Alright, everyone, we are about to get started with our first question of the evening.”

        

Dating Game from: Tunblr

 *            *             *

Frank stared at the television fuming. Ava was a thousand miles away having the time of her life. She always gets everything she wants doesn’t she? Her luck needs to run out soon. 

Author’s Note 

This story uses the same characters that are in my "Frank and Ava" story, but they represent different characters from the epic at this time. Since I am doing the Portfolio over these same characters but I am reading something new each week I think I have finally decided what to do with my stories. Each week I will use Frank and Ava but they might represent different people according to the reading. They will still have the same characteristics.

This week I read the Indian epic, Narayan's Mahabharata. So this week I focused on Ava. I had her represent Draupadi. In the epic, Draupadi’s previous incarnation, Nalayani, prays five times to get a husband in the next life. Her mother-in-law Kunti gave Draupadi five husbands. Draupadi had a dating game of her own called a Swayamvara. In this contest the Pandava, Arjuna, wins Draupadi's hand but because of Kunti, Draupadi ends up marrying all five of the Pandavas. To make it a more modern story I changed the setting to a dating game and instead of five husbands, I had five contestants. I also threw in that at the beginning Ava had prayed to be on the show just like Draupadi prayed to have her husband. I wanted to introduce Frank in the story, just so the reader doesn’t forget his part in the story. 

Week 7 Reading Diary: Mahabharata Part C

This week I am making up the reading from week 6 and reading part C the Indian Epic, Narayan's Mahabharata. A few things I tend to notice about these epics is that exile is a huge thing. It kind of funny because doesn't these people live thousands of years? So in the long run, 12 years is a drop. Another thing I notice is that death seems to be nothing in these epics. It feels like Game of Thrones without the sex. A couple points makes the think of this. The first, pretty much all of the brothers aside from just randomly die by drinking water! I know that they get revived by the god in the water, but still!! The other is when when Draupadi is slapped by the annoying king and so Bhima just goes and kills him. I guess they are very certain about their afterlife. 

Draupadi watches Kichaka and Bhima fighting.

Week 7 Reading Diary: Mahabharata Part B

This week I am making up the read ing from week 6 and reading part B the Indian Epic, Narayan's Mahabharata, It had been over a week since I read part A but started to catch up. This reading is a little tough, one big reason is the names seem so familiar, sometimes just one letter is different and it confuses me. I also find it super confusing when it switches to poetry and it doesn't flow to make since. It was interesting to me that Yudhishthira seem to start gambling even though he knew the other guy was going to cheat. Yudhishthira might not have, but the text made it seem like it. He was VERY stupid to bid everything when he kept loosing. Also why is being exiled such a big thing in these epics. 

Draupadi and the Pandavas sent into exile.