Story Laboratory: TVTropes

I can’t believe that I never tried to use TVTropes as a resource for my stories before! I found several tropes that I have thought of before, but I would really like to expand on in my stories. I like learning the “official” names of these ideas.

·      Heroic Second Wind

o   Generally involves a climactic battle between the hero/heroine and the final boss

o   The hero/heroine may be severely injured in the battle and may appear to be on the verge of death or defeat

o   Sometimes the hero/heroine’s family is there to witness their devastating defeat, which contributes to the hero/heroine’s despair

o   Something contributes to the hero/heroine’s power up and there is no doubt that he/she will defeat the bad guy despite severe injuries

o   Another way to do this trope:

§  Your cause is so important that you have no choice to refuse

·      An example of a cause is that a loved one is in danger

o   I would like to try to write a story involving a hero/heroine that is battling a formidable adversary that he/she knows she has no chance of defeating just to protect a loved one. There would probably be a plot twist that the hero/heroine has some hidden power that allows them to defeat the adversary, but such a power would come at a price, which leads to another trope

·      Super-Powered Evil Side

o   In this trope, the fight is not in favor of the hero/heroine

o   There is something that triggers the activation of a massive hidden power that allows him/her the strength/power to fight back again, except this time he/she is stronger

o   The power, however, changes the hero/heroine  

o   I would like to play around with this trope by having a hero/heroine tap into that power, which would ultimately cause him/her lose control and just go berserk and decimate the enemy

·      Unstoppable Rage

o   An alternative idea I have for the super-powered evil side is unstoppable rage that powers the hero/heroine and grants him/her the power to defeat the enemy

o   Once you make the hero/heroine furious, the rage will generally make them unstoppable

 Television. Source: Pixabay.

Those are just a couple of my favorite tropes!

Reading Notes - Alaska: The Land of the Dead, Reading B Extra Credit

·       A young woman died and then went to sleep after she died

·       Someone then woke her up and told her that she should not sleep because she is dead

o   She realized that she was in a grave box and that her grandfather was the one that woke her up

·       They both traveled back to the village, but the girl did not recognize it anymore

·       Once in the village, someone told her to go into a house

o   She enters the house and is promptly beat by a woman with a piece of wood

·       The woman ran back to her grandfather, and then he informs her that they are in the village of dog shades and what she experienced is what living dogs feels

·       In another village, they see a man that has grass growing through his joints

o   He can move, but he cannot get up

o   That was his punishment for pulling up and chewing grass stems

·       The grandfather disappears so the girl follows a trail to another village

·       There is a river blocking her path, which consisted of the tears of the people on earth that cry for the dead

o   The girl started to cry when she realized she couldn’t cross, which is when a bundle of straw floated down the river and gave her a chance to cross

·       The girl reaches the village, and she is lead to a house where her grandmother meets her and offers her water

o   The grandmother offers the girl a lot of things that are offered in the festival of the dead in Yukon

·       The girl’s grandfather was her guide because he was the last person she thought of before dying

 

Biya River. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Bibliography: This story can be found here. Story source: Myths and Legends of Alaska, edited by Katharine Berry Judson (1911).

Reading Notes - Tejas Legends: Why the Dog's Ears Flop, Reading B

·      Begins by pointing out a common trait in some dogs

o   Dogs that beg for food, have floppy ears, and have their tail between their legs

·      They attribute these characteristics to the fact that the dog might remember something that he is ashamed of

o   This shameful event occurred a long time ago

·      Mentions how wolves have their ears perked to warn the wolf of danger and would have their heads held high

·      One day a dog couldn’t find any food, so he made a deal with some local Indians – if they gave him food, he would live with them and guard them from other animals

·      The agreement worked well until wolves came and tricked the dog into thinking that they were just checking up on him

·      The wolves made a fool of the dog and stole all of the meat

·      Once the Indians found out, they beat the dog and yelled at him until he looked so sorry that they left him alone

o   From this point on the dog lost his pride, and he became fearful of men that shout at him

 Looking Afraid. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Bibliography: This story can be found here. Story source: When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton and illustrated by Berniece Burrough (1936).

Reading Notes - Laos: To Aid a Beast, Extra Credit Reading B

·      A hunter is walking in the jungle when he encounters a man trapped in a pit

o   The man, the head chow’s goldsmith, asks the hunter to help him escape. If he does, then the goldsmith will always remember his kindness, and he offers his assistance for anything he might need in the future

·      The hunter then finds a tiger that was caught in a snare intended for an elephant

o   The tiger says, “if you ever need help, just call me and I will come”

·      The hunger then finds a snake trapped in a well

o   The snake also offers his assistance in the future whenever the hunter may need it

·      Unbeknownst to the hunter, the tiger killed the chow’s child after being freed by the hunter

·      The hunter wanted to see if the tiger would hold true to his word, so he called him in the forest

o   The tiger gave the hunter a long golden chain

·      The hunter went to sell the chain at the goldsmiths (the one he saved), and the goldsmith recognized the chain and proclaimed that the hunter is the one who killed the chow’s child

·      The goldsmith had his men apprehend the hunter, and he took him to the chow so that he could collect the reward

·      The chow told the hunter that he would die tomorrow, and the hunter begged for seven day’s respite, which was granted

·      The hunter then called on the snake

o   The snake brought the hunter a medicine to cure blindness, and then the snake put his venom in the eyes of the chow’s wife, which caused her to go blind

·      The chow searched for someone to cure his wife’s blindness

·      The chow heard of the hunter’s aptitude with herbs and medicine so he sent for the hunter

·      The hunter gave the wife the medicine that the snake gave him and cured her

·      The chow wanted to reward the hunter, and the hunter tells him how he got the chain, the medicine the serpent gave him for helping it, and of the goldsmith, who forgot the good deed the hunter did for him and accused the hunter so he could get a reward

o   Upon hearing the truth, the chow put the goldsmith to death and gave half of his province to the hunter 

Tiger. Source: Wikipedia.

Bibliography: This story can be found here. Story source: Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson, with photographs by W.A. Briggs (1899).

 

Reading Notes - Congo: The Fetish Sunga, Reading B

·      A clever fisherman would go out fishing in the river and catch a lot of fish

o   He hid the fish in his house, so no one actually know that he caught any fish

·      People would ask him if he caught any fish, and he would simply state that he hadn’t caught any  

·      A fetish Sunga was watching his interactions, and she was upset to hear him lie so much to everyone

o   She sent one of her servants to fetch him

·      The next day, the man caught so many fish that he needed to make new nets to hold all of the fish

·      When he is storing the fish, the servant approaches him and informs him that his [the servant’s] mother wants to see him

·      The man asks him to lead the way, and the servant parts the river so that a road appears that leads them to a beautiful town

·      In the town, the man is sat at a table that is full of good food and wine

·      The man was weary and informed the Sunga that smells alone would suffice for him

·      The Sunga finally convinced him to eat, and while he was eating, she deprived him of the power of speech so he wouldn’t lie anymore

·      He has to use signs to communicate from now on

Fishing on the Sea Coast.

Sketch by Dennett.

Bibliography: This story can be found here. Story source: Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).

Reading Notes - Congo: The Jealous Wife, Reading A

·      A man has two wives

·      The wives appear to be working harmoniously to take care of the household and their two children while the husband is out trading in the bush

o   Each woman had a child, and the father specifically asked the mothers to ensure that no harm came to the children

·      The wives decide to go fish so that they can feed their husband quality food upon his return

o   They couldn’t leave the children alone so they took turns fishing and supervising the children

·      The elder wife was actually jealous and angry that the younger wife’s child was more intelligent than hers

o   She decides to murder the younger wife’s child using a razor-sharp knife

·      The elder mother goes to murder the child in the night when they are sleeping, and she kills it

o   The child is referred to as it throughout the story

·      The elder mother actually ended up murdering her child while the other child ran away

·      The other child tells the mother, and eventually everyone else, that the elder mother murdered her child

·      The elder mother runs into the forest with the remains of her child

·      The husband returns and can’t believe that the elder mother would do that, so he enlists the help of his friends to search for her

·      One man finds the elder woman attempting to soothe the child and convince it to eat, even though it is dead

·      They imprison the elder woman and feed her a poison before burning her body

The Use of Casca. Drawing by Dennett

Bibliography: This story can be found here. Story source: Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).

Week 8 Progress

I am not behind in the class in terms of getting an A at the end of the semester, but I really wish I was a bit more ahead. The only thing I can really say that I am proud of is the fact that I have even done any extra credit. I know you suggested a routine, but more often than not, I am motivated by the deadline. I think that the assignments I enjoy the most are the reading assignments. I have not really customized my blog because I think it’s just too complicated, and I can’t figure out how to.

I really would just like to work ahead and be two weeks ahead. I would also like to avoid having to use the grace period again. I think I am going to try to customize my blog and website again, but I am not sure if I’ll actually be successful.

Pepe. Source: Pixabay.

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

I actually like the comments and feedback that I am receiving from other students. They often bring up questions about details in the story that I overlook because I know all the details in my head. It reminds me to do better when I’m translating from my head to my blog. I also appreciate everyone’s kindness and positive reviews. I am not good at constructive criticism, so I just need to work on that whole category as a whole.

I want to say that I am giving quality feedback, but I know I am holding back a bit. I often have some points that I want to bring up in regard to how they can improve their story based on what I think would benefit the story the most, but I never tell anyone because I’m not really sure that the feedback is essential. In these cases, their story is great by itself, but a few additions could make the story even better in my eyes. I do like leaving positive feedback and mentioning small details so they know that I really read and enjoyed the story.

I feel like the blogs are a great way to get to know people. If anything, we do learn about what a person’s interests and writing style are like. I am pretty happy with what my blog tells others about me.

(Cheezburger)

I chose this image because it reminds me that it is important to be able to give yourself feedback in addition to listening to the feedback others give you and improving based on that. Also, I really like cats even though I am allergic to them.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

So far, I think I would say that I am most pleased with my note taking skills. I used to struggle with taking notes in the past because I thought everything was important and was paranoid that I would be quizzed about some minute detail. I am also proud to announce that note taking no longer takes me an incredibly long time. I was pleased with my stories in the beginning, but lately I feel as if all my stories have a similar premise. I really like dragons so I don’t think I will stop using them. However, I am fairly certain that I can branch out to make all of my stories unique and creative.

I chose this image from my story “Possession of the Dragon’s Eye”. It is supposed to be a jewel that looks like a dragon eye. I picked this image because I really like the concept of a dragon having an eye that looks similar to this. I can only imagine that making eye contact with a dragon possessing an eye similar to this would make for one intense experience.

The only thing that I would like to get out of this experience is to try to enjoy writing my own stories more. I know that that is not something that the class itself can do for me, but it is a personal goal that I would like to work towards.

Source: DeviantArt