epic blog

It was my first day at a new school in a new place, and I was not looking forward to it. I had never attended a public school, but my mom told me it was time.  "Rish, you're seventeen now. You know you have to do this to carry on our family's traditions," my mother pressured. "Mom, I know," I say, slipping the fresh canvas backpack over my shoulders.  I have never carried a schoolbag before, so this was different. My outdated textbooks weren't the only thing weighing me down, though. You see, the women in my family are all rakshasis.  If you don't know what rakshasis are, we're creatures with the ability to lure people in, then eat them when we feel it's right. Naturally, we aren't the most attractive, with two huge fangs protruding from our mouths and a not-so petite figure.  Luckily, we have the opportunity to shape shift into whatever we want. This makes luring even the least gullible very easy for us. In my family, w...

As a perfectionist, I take feedback very harshly. Even though I know whoever is giving the feedback has my best interest in mind, it hurts me because I see that as a fail. Because of this, the two articles I chose are  How to Overcome Perfectionism  and  Why It's So Hard to Hear Negative Feedback . In the first article, I really latched onto the statement about not letting your failures weigh you down, but let them be a building block to a closer definition of "perfection." I have really struggled with this in the past; if I am not automatically good at something, I take my L and never try again. In the second article, it is explained why this negative feedback hits us so hard. When we receive feedback, there is always the iffy question of whether or not the feedback is in good faith. Instead of seeing feedback as a personal attack, it is important to use it as a mean for self-improvement.  (Image information: infographic on the realms of feedback obtained fr...

Indian Astrology As I am a huge fan of western astrology, my first area of interest is Hindu astrology and how the two differ and are alike. From my research, I have found that the name of Hindu astrology is Jyotisha  or Jyotishya. In some Indian universities, Hindu astrology is an area a student can earn a degree in, proving its significance to Hindu people. The names of the signs in Hindu  and the planets in which the signs are rule  by are parallel to those in English and of western astrology. Another similarity between the two is the existence of a birth chart, or, in Hindu, a Bhava Chakra. The main difference I've noticed is that Hindu astrology places the moon at the center whereas western astrology puts the sun in the center. I would like to tell the story of the planets and their relation to Hindu people. (Image information: illustration of the nine ruling deities obtained from Quora ) Parvati Parvati is the g...

My personal favorite of the stories was  Goblin City . Something to note about this story is the similarity between the Rakshasis and Sirens from Greek mythology. If I recreate this story, I want to use the Goblins to my advantage. I think there is a lot I could do with them to add an eerie element to whatever story I choose to write. They make things appear better than they are to lure in unsuspecting men, which is kind of a  feminist power move . So, for a story using the Rakshasis, I would keep their identity completely the same but make it less obvious that they're goblins to add suspense. I could create a flash fiction with a surprising plot-twist ending in which reveals the true identity of the woman . (Image information: photo by W. Robinson obtained from  The Jatakas ) The second story I liked was  The Cunning Crane and the Crab . For this, I want to look at the crane versus the crab . The crane's greatest strength would be his persuasiveness...

Of the two readings, I am choosing to read  Ramayana Online: Public Domain Edition . The main reason pushing me to read this version is the fact that it's free, but also the fact that there's an audio version. I love listening to audiobooks! Not only those two factors, but I think it will be interesting to see the graphics and different  styles of the various authors within the work.  (Image information: Ramayana photo obtained from  Reading Guides ) For my two comic books, I am interested in  Saraswati: Stories of the Goddess of Wisdom  and  Savitri: The Perfect Wife . I chose these two because I am interested in reading stories and learning about the women in Indian Epics. As someone who really treasures wisdom, I chose the first comic book based on that as well. Upon reading the summaries for the both of them, the two plots seem quite interesting to me. The two women that are the main characters of these stories seem to be qu...