Showing posts with label Week 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Week 4. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Week 4: Meat Restaurant

It was a few days after his brother's successful coup, and despite life generally returning back to normal for the rest of the country, all things considered, David was closing his meat restaurant for good. In fact, every restaurant that served meat was closing as well. This was because of "President" Eli's new executive order to ban the eating of meat.

As David packed the rest of his cooking utensils in cardboard boxes he thought back on the good times. The times when him and his brother ran the greatest meat restaurant in the world. With David as the cook and Eli as the face of the restaurant they were unstoppable. People would wait in the rain and snow for hours just to taste their reasonably priced yet delicious food.

And then one day it all changed. One day Eli took a tour of a factory farm at David's request and came back a changed man. No longer did he want to cook meat, but instead he wanted to turn the meat restaurant into a vegan one, but when Eli told him no, David took matters into his own hands. 

At first Eli was reasonable. He decided to open his own vegan restaurant, but when Eli asked his brother for help to cook vegan food, David denounced his brother and refused to help stating that vegan food was not real food. Shortly after Eli's restaurant closed down. In his darkest moment Eli then realized that cooking good vegan food was not the way to get people to stop eating meat, but instead it was through politics. Shortly after his vegan restaurant closing Eli formed the Animals Liberation Party.

The party was a success. Not only was Eli able to make promises, but he was able to fulfill them as well. And before long he was elected president of the country. Eli was actually a good president. Under his guidance the country saw life expectancy skyrocket, technology advance, and a large increase in the quality of life for all citizens.

However, all of this was done with an ulterior motive. The day before Eli was to leave office congress voted to abolish term limits and give Eli absolute power. Suddenly everything was in place. As his first act of President for Life Eli abolished the eating of meat with every country in the world following as well.

As David turned off the lights he wondered if he could have changed things. Maybe if he just taught Eli how to cook vegan this could all have been avoided. However, it is hard to know these things he thought.



David's meat restaurant


Author's Notes: This story is an adaptation of "Rama and the Monkeys" from the Ramayana. In the story Rama meets the monkey king Sugriva who has had his wife and kingdom taken from him by his brother Vali. The story I made is based on that story, because similarly to the story in the Ramayana, the brothers were once friends and then they became enemies.


Bibliography: "Rama and the Monkeys" from the Public Domain Edition of the Ramayana by Geraldine Hodgson. Source




Monday, February 15, 2021

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana Part D

 Rama had a bridge built to get to Lanka. Although it seems like it would be easier to just build boats instead of a bridge. It also seems like Ravana's pride is the cause of his downfall. This plot point would make for an interesting story. Also for some reason Ravana tried to make Sita think that Rama was dead. I did not really like how Rama is crazy powerful to the point where nothing was really at stake. Throughout the story there is never any question if Rama is going to win, but during the battle it starts to somewhat feel like a battle where both sides suffer and we really see Rama struggling to win. As a result, I want to make my stories have the hero struggle and even lose at times.

Ravana being sad about his sons death is somewhat similar to how Achilles is sad in The Illiad when Patroclus dies. And Ravana decides to go on a rampage as well. I do not really like how Hunaman is able to just keep going to the Himalayas super quickly to revive the warriors who died. It was interesting how Rama tested Sita to make sure she was faithful to him, and although it looked like he was being unreasonable at first I think he knew that she was faithful so she would be able to pass the trial.

I thought it was dumb that Sita was exiled by Rama. Especially because she went into exile with Rama on her own will, it kind of stings that she was forced into exile.

Himalayas

Bibliography: M Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder, Public Domain Edition of The Ramayanalink

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana Part C

 Sugriva and Rama have many similarities. They both have been exiled and have had their wife stolen from them. Vali was trapped in a cave because of Sugriva despite Sugriva having good intentions. It would be interesting to write a story similar to this one in which there is a misunderstanding that causes a power struggle among former friends. The fight between two brothers like when Vali and Sugriva fought could also be a good story.

It would be interesting to have a story where the hero helps someone and then that person ends up not fulfilling his promise. Hanuman finds Sita who looks sad and sick and she refuses to be Ravana's husband. Sita refused to be saved by Hanuman. It would be interesting to have a story where someone refuses to be saved out of pride and that choice is their downfall.

It does not make a lot of sense why Ravana did not kill Hanuman even though he was an "envoy". Hanuman was clearly not an envoy anymore once he started killing Ravana's guards. And Hanuman then set half of Lanka on fire. Additionally, Ravana's brother decided to ally himself with Rama.


Monkey

Bibliography: M Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder, Public Domain Edition of The Ramayanalink

Week 14 Story: Nine Years Ago

This is a prequel to my week 2 story Rescuing Eli which takes place nine years before.  In the year 1975 there were once two mercenaries nam...