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Indian Mountain Stories: A Mountain's Range
Image Information: Cosmological Mandala with Mount Meru (Middle), Picryl
Introduction of The Ridiculous Goose
Personal Photo: Me as Little Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe , Halloween 2010 Hello, welcome to the Ridiculous Goose blog for Indian Epics! My name is Lauren Skaggs and this is my third year at OU but I am going to graduate this Spring 2019. I was born and raised in Oklahoma City, however, I would call Muskogee my home because that is where my family originates from. My parents still live in Oklahoma City, with our two dogs: Zander and Ginger. Personal Photo: Zander Personal Photo: Ginger I have a twin brother and his name is Braden. Most people will ask the typical questions like if we are identical or telepathic, but we are as different as a flamingo versus a reindeer. Braden is 6'1" and I am 5'3"; his hair is dark brown and mine is strawberry blonde. Although we look very different, we are close and these days we spend our time working together to drive our mom crazy. It has always been just us, with the exception of friends and cousins
Hey Lauren, this is a very colorful project page, and I really drew my attention! You did a great job at giving insight to the background of mountains and how they tied into the Indian culture. I really found it interesting how mountains in India are only honored from the ground, and from the base of the mountain, and they the people leave the peaks and the snow covered caps for the gods to praise. Your web page seems very well thought out and is very organized, so it seems to be easy to navigate. Since only the introduction you your story is up, there is not too much I can criticize but from what I can tell it will be a very interesting story book! The book that I believe would draw my attention the greatest would probably be the second one where the mountains were tricked into unbalancing the world by Narada! I look forward to reading the stories when they are put up! Great job so far!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren!
ReplyDeleteI have to say your storybook site is absolutely amazing! I think you have done such a great job on designing and making it so colorful. I am excited to read and learn about the mountains and what they mean in the Indian culture. I honestly did not know how Indian people honored the mountains and their importance to the culture. Your introduction was pretty well informative on how you are going to do you site. I like how you included a brief description of what each story was going to be about. I am interested in reading about Narada and the tricks played by him which lead to the unbalance of the world. I don't really have a suggestion for you because I think you did a great job on your site so far. Overall, I'm excited to read your stories, so keep up the good work!
Hi Lauren! I can tell already how much effort you have put into your storybook and it definitely paid off because it looks great! Your introduction does a great job of catching my attention and left me wanting to read your future stories. The mountains are a super interesting topic to talk about and not something i would have thought about, it is very unique. You have great information with how people in India loved the mountains, this was not something I knew prior so I like how you were descriptive in your information. Your small information on each story that is going to be told gave a good idea of what to expect and kept me interested for what is to come. Your introduction provided detail and really good use of information that has already taught me more than i knew before, great job!!
ReplyDeleteLauren!! I love your storybook so much already. It's really well written! Your words evoke such vivid imagery. One of my favorite sentences "Their peaks remain untouched by the desire of their followers to mar the white snow with heavy boot prints, for there is a sacredness curled around their rock." I would say for the rest of your stories, keep incorporating a similar style of writing because it really captures the audience. Your voice was clear and concise. I never got lost while reading your story. This is a subject I know nothing about so I'm excited to read more about it from such a great storyteller!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren, this is absolutely incredible! As someone from Oklahoma, where I grew up for 20 years, my first time seeing the mountains in Colorado was impressive. I think you do a good job of evoking that same feeling of awe with the pictures you use and the descriptors. The pictures to start are excellent as they give us an idea of the characters and their roles, and I really like the topic of choice. Mount Meru looked absolutely stunning, and it seemed so utopian that it actually reminded me of that movie Skyscraper as it is stunning. One thing I am curious about is how the mountains have sentient thoughts and are able to influence people so much, and why people revere them so heavily. I think it would be interesting to see how mountains as a whole play a role in long term culture as opposed to just finite moments as well. Overall, I am excited to see your beautiful blog posts and excellent stories again!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely went above and beyond for your Storybook page. It all looks stunning! Your stories match the decore as well. They're very colorful and almost have an abstract symbolic quality to them which I enjoy reading as depicted in a more literal sense. It makes for more magical stories in my opinion. On that note, I enjoyed reading about the mountains as literal sentient beings. That also accurately depicts how some Hindus and various Indian cultures feel about the holy mountains. As you said in the story, they're divine in their own right. Great job overall! I enjoy seeing where this Storybook takes us!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren!
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is amazing! You have developed a beautiful storybook. I am impressed by the look and feel of the home page. The background image really plays up the mountain theme. Also, clickable images to the stories is a nice touch. Your introduction did exactly what it is supposed to do. It grabbed my attention, informed me what your storybook is about, and made me excited to read your first story. Your choice of images really helped me understand the explanation of the Mount Meru residing in three plains. The introduction also did a good job about explaining the importance to Indian culture. So it makes since that you would want to tell stories from the mountains perspective. Your first story was really good. Personally, I liked the fact that you provided images for the cast of characters. It helped me out as I read the story. Also, you did a very good job with the details which helped develop the of the characters personalities. The way you described the Meru breaking was so intense. I look forward to reading the rest of your stories as you add them.
Hi Lauren!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated the way you used pictures of characters prior to the start of the story as a means of introduction- the visuals were beautiful and the descriptions were a perfect blend of short and comprehensive.
Your writing style is such a strength- the following sentences were just a few which stuck out to me as beautifully-written and almost pictoral:
“a thin needle sewing threads of doubt upon the fabric of Vayu’s mind.”
“it was a friendship which crumpled under the strong weight of bellowing jealousy”
“Meru was plundered with the heaviness of a friendship betrayed”
The beginning does an excellent job of setting up the serenity of Meru and the way the Himalayas/other gods looked to him with reverence. From the first sentence this is established, and the next paragraph’s set-up of his and Vayu’s friendship is also very effective.
This story reads well, the sequence of events is smooth and followable, from the introduction to the sowing seeds of conflict to the ultimate fallout. I wonder if Narada is happy with what his wickedness has wrought:(
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Lauren! I LOVE the theme of your storybook. I just read your Mount Meru story and I love how you use language and description of actions of Meru and Vayu that reflects the characteristics that you would expect the wind and mountains to have. I love how you emphasize that a mountain is more than just a physical addition to a landscape, and the origin of the mountain, as well as how it is fixated within its surroundings, creates a story that the mountain itself can tell best! Creating a brief character guide at the top of your story is a great idea and it has me considering doing the same for my story, as I, myself, have had trouble keeping track of all of the different characters in the stories we read and it helps the readers visualize the characters as how you see them!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! Your storybook page is amazing! The pictures were really well chosen. I liked how you used pictures to introduce the main characters; this developed the characters very well before I even started reading! Your words were very beautiful too; I liked the colorful language you used. Also, the personification of a mountain immediately gave the character a lot of power and interest. Why did you decide to write about these characters? What did you change about the original story. Maybe you could make your author's note a bit longer to explain the context of your new story. Also, I can tell the friendship between Meru and Vayu is meant to be very strong. How did they become friends? What is their bond formed from? Maybe you could give some background on this. Great Story!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren! I am so so impressed with how your site looks! It’s obvious you spent a ton of time on it. I didn’t even realize that parts of your setup were even an option. I love that on your home page, you have that quadrant of squares that directs you to different stories. I also really like that on your story page, you have a quadrant of the characters in your story. The pictures that you used overall also looked great, and added to a sort of “mystical, mountain feel.” I’m a visual learner, and so I loved that you used so many pictures! The pictures all fit together so well. Honestly, everything is set up so beautifully and I really need to explore more options to up my project page game. Thanks for providing me with inspiration! Look forward to seeing your website as it progresses throughout the semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren,
ReplyDeleteYour storybook looks amazing! I can tell you put a lot of effort into it and really care for your page. It grabbed my attention of how creative you were with this overall. The pictures are a very nice addition and goes well with the characters. I enjoyed the formatting of your story and the unique writing style you had. Very strong storybook!
Hey Lauren! I really like your storybook design and layout, and the idea of having the links on the bottom of the page along with an image is pretty creative. All of your images are great, and I really liked the image of the mountain with it's layers on your introduction page, it's helpful to give a visual so that we can better understand! On your Mount Meru page, I really liked that you introduced the characters with their names and a visual, now we can read the story and have a face to connect the names to! You did an awesome job at explaining who each character was and how they were all connected. Describing Mount Meru, Vayu, and Narada in such a way really helps to personify the characters for us to better relate to. We can all understand losing a friend, though Mount Meru's loss was pretty dramatic since he not only lost his friend but also his peak.
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren! I really enjoyed your storybook. The topic of mountains was an interesting one. I liked your stories. They were very well written, flowed well, and had a lot of information. You had so many sources, it is clear you did lots of research! My favorite aspect of your storybook was just the overall presentation. The colors and the images you chose worked so well. This was the best storybook I have seen as far as orientation. What if you made the stories a little shorter? I know this is a lame critique, but it is the only thing I could think of. Maybe it is the fact that it is one thirty in the morning and I am very lazy. I know you packed a lot of information into these stories with a lot of research, but the length seemed to wear me down a bit. They were very well written though. I know that is not the best critique, but it is all I could think of. So, that means you did a great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! I read your fascinating “Introduction” story. I think the story is truly unique, visual, and creative. It’s interesting to create a fascinating place like the golden Mountain Meru. Mountain Meru kind of reminded me of the Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth that almost touches the clouds and is snow-capped. I also like the image of Mountain Meru. I think it really fits your detailed description of Mountain Meru. It’s amazing that Mountain Meru is divided into three distinct plains. Since it can’t be seen or touched by mortals, I think Mountain Meru really becomes the definition of divine place. Wow, Himalayas lie in the bottom of Mount Meru? I can’t even imagine how high and steep Mountain Meru would look like. I agree with you: mountains do hold great places in the hearts of the Indian peoples as there are countless stories and myths that revolve around mountains. I wonder how sacred or divine would Mountain Meru would have been if it was lower in elevation and more approachable to average mortals. I bet it would have been less sacred and divine like it was described in your story. And what if Mount Meru wasn’t divided into three distinct plains and instead consisted of just one plain? I think it would have looked less sophisticated to the mortals and Brahma might have felt less comfortable sleeping on top. Thank you for a great story!
ReplyDeleteYour stories have stayed nice and rich since the last time I checked your storybook! You do a good job of expressing the true nature of your characters. You not only express their actions but what they're feeling while performing them. I really enjoyed the story about Mount Meru and how its Kingly personality is depicted. That's one thing that interests me about mountains in Indian myth, they have distinctive and powerful personalities. You've done a great job at highlighting the cosmic power and beauty of the mountains! Great job!
ReplyDeleteHey there Lauren! I just had the chance to take a look at your project for this semester. I really loved how you set up your site. Your homepage was so nice looking, and pleasing to the eye. I really love the color choices that you made and the pictures that you chose because they really enhanced the site without taking too much attention away from your text. When I saw the title of your site I was curious to see exactly what your project entailed. It is such a unique and interesting choice! Yet again I was completely impressed by the overall aesthetic of each and everyone of your pages! I personally am absolutely awful at technology and so I am really impressed with the glamour of your site. Your writing is so graceful and easy to follow, and so everything about your site just flows so smoothly. Keep up the good work, I look forward to checking out your project again in the future!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren! I just want to start off by saying that I totally loved your story! The creativity and imagination that was integrated with your writing was superb! I can see you put a lot of hard work and time into your story! Keep it up! I liked your use of dialogue. It really brought the characters to life. I was able to relate even more with the characters and get into their minds. I also would like to comment on your web site page! I have to say it looks really great! Comparing mine to yours, I want to put more work into mine! I was able to easily navigate through the web page, which was very nice. However, I look forward to reading more of your stories! Good luck with the rest of your semester! It is coming close to an end! Also, have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! Wow. Just wow. Your Storybook looks truly amazing from the first start I took a glimpse of it. It looks very unique, casual, and creative! Especially with the image you have on for your home and story pages! Overall, your stories look amazing. The layout of your story looks different from everyone else’s; which makes yours stand out! Your stories are very creative as well. It is so creative that I could understand it came from your personality as a person. I know for a fact that you put a lot of effort into for your stories and your storybook as a whole. Therefore, I applaud you for that! I especially love how you provided a broad description about your stories in your author’s note to have a better understanding for the readers. Overall, I just want to keep this short and simple that you did such an amazing job for your storybook project, Lauren. Way better than mine. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI'm back again and your story-telling has evolved! Your story page looks amazing! It's so detailed and neatly put out. I'm amazed by your creativity. Your description of the characters make it fun to read and your content is just so proficient. I can really tell that you're passionate about all of this and put your share of work into researching the original story/characters. Great job!
Hi Lauren! Right off the bat, I could tell your storybook was going to be awesome! The images, the background images and everything is all so amazing! I really like the layout of your website. It is totally different than any other storybook or portfolio I've seen so far. All of your stories are so interesting to read! I think your introduction did a great job at giving the reader an insight into what we should expect out of your stories! I like that you have section at the beginning of each story about the characters that are going to be in the story and also providing a little bit of information about that. I also like how in Mounts of Vindhya story you have a "more information about the main characters" section. You gave good background information on the mountains as mentioned in both the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Overall, your website is really cool! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren!I love the color that you have used throughout your project and the multiple images you have throughout the website! It immediately makes your project fun and inviting. I am truly impressed by the details that you have included in your website. It is so easy to navigate. I like how explicit your Author's Notes are. It really helps outline the ways that you have changed and retold the stories throughout your story book. You have done a great job making each one of your stories refreshing, unique, and creative. I really enjoy the imagery you use. Both in your writing and on the website itself. I can tell you have put a lot of thought and time into creating your stories and your storybook website. Overall, great job! I hope you have enjoyed the semester and finish strong! Good luck during dead week and finals week!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI really have loved how you have set everything up and how easy it is to navigate around your page while it also looks very neat and creative. All of the images that you have used all throughout it also makes it look really good and allows us to create an image in our head of is going on just a little bit better. Your Author's notes are also so straight to the point which I like because you just tell us exactly what you do to make this story your own. You have done a really great job by first creating very interesting stories and then making it even better so that in the notes you have put plenty of information to allow us to even understand the story better.
Hello Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI have to say that the design of your page is absolutely amazing! It is the best Indian Epics portfolio I have seen yet. The pictures that you used for your page drew me in immediately and that is what you want to do with your audience. It is very creative and vivid. I was drawn too the story about Sri Lanka because my friend did a mission trip there but anyways. The words that you chose to use in the story added a really good tone to the whole story. when you said "One evening, Narada saw Vayu relaxed on a column of clouds, drifting low on the hazed fog of a lake." I felt like I was Vatu relaxing on the clouds. That was great diction and words of imagery. I also, I liked how you colored the background blue that set a tone with the story as well. I never read the story that you re-wrote your story with. I could not easily find your authors note. I feel like you could have explained the story more in detail in the authors note. So, the people who haven't read the story can understand how you re-wrote it.
Hi Lauren! I read your “The Tale of a Broken Mountaintop and a Broken Friendship” story. I thought the story was truly creative and amazing. I like how vivid visual details the story brings from the beginning: “Warm and charitable rays of light roll from his towering figure in foamy waves towards the expansive sea-line reaching across the universe.” This is truly detailed and full of images that I could literally imagine the scene in my head. I like how you personified the Mount Meru; it felt so much alive in the story: “The young mountain could not see as Meru did the lines between each realm of the physical, metaphysical, and the spiritual.” The mountains are talking to each other.. wow it’s so fascinating. I wonder if Vayu and Meru were more friendly toward each other and didn’t fight. I think the story would have turned out differently without so much rage and jealousy. Thank you for a great story!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren, I just went through your storybook and I loved it. Your introduction was very descriptive and I really liked that you included all of that in there. Your "Mount Meru" story was good and I like the style that you chose to right it in. The graphics work really well with the story, good choice. I was sad when the mountain top changed and he was no longer the golden hue. I liked the you included the characters at the top of your story, "Mounts of Vindhya." I think this is the first one I have seen like that and I really think it helps the storyline. I really enjoyed the rest of your stories as well. They all worked so well with the theme. This is one of my favorite projects!
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