Day Twenty

 >=) HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!! (=<

Anyways...boy, am I glad this blog came up cause I had no idea what my illustrations were gonna be. Thanks again for getting me thinking about my story, Mr. Prier. I really appreciate it. So, day twenty, here we go.

Well, I'm certainly not sure what the heck I'm gonna use. I know I will hand draw the pictures, but I'm not quite sure how that will work. Sometimes I can draw really well, and sometimes they come out horribly. I really don't want anyone else to draw my illustrations, cause they might not come out to my expectations. They might draw some sort of weird anime, or some sort of weird gangster stuff...does that make sense? As for the program I'll use...I'll have to get back to you on that. But I know for a fact I won't use paint, that's way too hard. So I guess adobe workshop is my only option, huh?

My 15 pictures will basically illustrate what's going on so far in the story. If you don't get what I'm saying quite yet here's a few examples:

1. We are introduced to Mr. Moreau and how he is loved in his village, and then his daughter Honeysuckle,, so his picture will depict Mr. Min and Honeysuckle together (smiling, perhaps).

2. We are introduced to the hobby (which I've changed to baking bread) shared between Moreau and Honeysuckle, so this picture will depict the two baking bread together on an oven, smiling.

etc.

As for what 15 pictures will represent my story....I'm gonna have to get back to you on that one. I truly have no idea what my pictures are gonna be or how I'm even gonna possibly draw/edit them. Adobe workshop sounds like a good idea, but picnik...I don't know about that one. I might just use picnik to make my drawings brighter or something, I have no clue. Sorry, I wish this blog could be a lot better, but it won't be cause I have NO IDEA D=< So, I bring you the end of day twenty, with frustration in tow...

Have a nice day =D

Day Nineteen

Ok seriously, it seems that the more blogs we get, the less people do them. Does anyone blog anymore? =/


Back on track, time for day nineteen. This is fairly simple, I must say. Thanks Mr. Prier, 'cause I was starting to worry about my story. I feel sad now =/


I really don't think my story is coming out as I want it to. Sure, I chose the French culture, but I did very little research on it (actually, I did like five seconds of research on it =/). All I know are very little details, most of which have to do with cooking (which I might add into my story). If I was actually paying attention to the French culture, my story would be a little different. 


These are the only French cultural things in my story:

• Mr. Moreau - a traditional French male name. 
• Mr. Chien - means Mr. dog
• Mr. Chiens hat - has the national colors of France, which are white, red, and blue.

A shame, isn't it? =(

I really want my story to explain my moral (stay hopeful, have faith, etc.) AND give a few details on the French culture. So far, my story is only teaching my moral =( I also want people to know about how strong a father's love can be, and how sometimes bad situations can turn out really great. I want my story to showcase as a tale for people of all ages to enjoy, and so far I think they'll enjoy it, but they won't learn any French culture =/


As for changes, I think I will make Mr. Moreau and Honeysuckle bake together instead of flying kites. They could bake bread or something, and Moreau will be able to make wonderful loaves of bread...until...Honeysuckle get's kidnapped and then he can't bake anymore!!!!! I JUST GOT AN IDEA =D AND WHEN SHE RETURNS HE CAN BAKE AGAIN =D If only I was thinking like this at the beginning of the assignment...I feel sadder now =(


In conclusion, my story is lacking a lot of French (which I really should add) culture. I really want to teach my morals, and I really want people of all ages to enjoy my story and learn a lesson while doing it. Oh well, it's not too late for me, and it isn't too late for anyone else to fix/change their stories around, I guess. 


Have a nice day =)

Day Eighteen

This has got to be the hardest blog yet. Not because we have to take three stories from the culture we chose and write about them, but rather because the French barely have any folk-tales worth noting. This is what I thought, until I realized that the French wrote some of the most memorable and popular fairy tales ever written. So, after hours of battling the internet, regretting the culture I chose, deciding to do this blog, and trying to find three folk-takes, I shall bring you, day eighteen.


Beauty and the Beast (Madame D'Aulnoy) - Everyone should just about know the story of the beauty and the beast. Well, not everyone, but I'll tell you anyways. So, there is a wealthy merchant who is not named in the story. He has three daughters, one of which is named Belle (beauty in French). After losing his wealth, the merchant goes into the city to see if one of his gifts has any monetary value. He asks his three daughters if they want anything upon his return, and Belle asks for a rose. Upon finding none and returning home, he becomes lost in a forest. He stumbles upon a castle owned by the hideous beast which contains a rose garden. He picks one of the roses, and he is confronted by the beast who says that he must stay with him forever unless he brings him his daughter. The merchant agrees, and goes home to give Belle the rose and asks her to go to the castle, which she does. She goes to the castle with the beast, and the two become best friends. Belle lives in a life of luxury, but becomes home sick. She asks to go home, which the beast allows her to do, but only for exactly one week. She returns home, where her sisters are jealous of her luxury and ask her to stay for one more day. She breaks her promise to the beast, and agrees to stay. Belle uses a magical mirror that the beast gives her to see what is going on at the castle, and the beast is half dead in the bed of flowers. She goes to him quickly, and confesses her love for him and one of her tears falls on him, turning him into a handsome prince. The two live happily ever after. Sorry for the long summary, but this is the best I could do to summarize it. 

Isn't this guy a cutie? =D

This tale does not focus on anything really. Nor does it have any purpose besides the moral it teaches. It teaches that beauty is skin deep. It teaches this, seeing as this beautiful girl was in love with a hideous beast. 


Sleeping Beauty (Charles Perrault) - Another popular folk tale. Don't worry my little friends, this summary is quite simple. A princess receives gifts from good fairies at her christening. However, a wicked fairy gives her an enchantment of death if she were to prick her finger on a spindle. A good fairy who cannot completely reverses the spell, rather makes the princess sleep until she is kissed by her true love. A prince who heard of the sleeping princess travels into the forest and kisses her, and the two live happily ever after.


This story has no moral, no focus, nor a real reason to it. But you have to admit, it's a good read, eh?


Puss in Boots (Charles Perrault) - Another popular folk tale. This summary is a bit long, but it's worth reading. The youngest son of a miller receives a mysterious cat for his inheritance. This cat wants to make his master's fortune, and asks for a pair of boots. One day, the cat, who knows that the king and his daughter are traveling by the river, asks his master to bathe in the river (after removing his clothes, of course). The cat then steals his clothes and asks the king for help, and the king dresses the master in fine clothes and lets him sit by his daughter, who falls in love with him. The cat then stumbles upon a castle own by a monster who can turn himself into many creatures, and the cat makes him turn into a mouse so that he can eat him. The cat then tells the king that this castle belongs to his master, which impresses the king, and the master and the king's daughter are married. The cat lives a happy life, chasing the many mouse that live in the castle.


Not sure what any morals, purposes, etc. are for this story, either. If anyone has any ideas, please tell me.


Fin.


All in all, these stories have little to do with French culture. However, I'll think of something that they might have to do with the French (even if it doesn't have anything to do with the French...)...I know! French are known for their romance, and the three stories deal with romance! Aside from this, the stories have nothing to do with France at all (I bet some of you didn't even know such popular stories came from France...)


Have a nice day =D

Day Seventeen

Time for day seventeen. At first, I thought this blog would be super difficult. I was slightly wrong, but now it's time to get over it and write this blog...


I was reading the story, The Wooden Tablet, and I must say, it was quite interesting. There's a 12 year old boy, named K'ang P'u (how in the world do you pronounce that?) who lives with his father, Mr. Lin (reference to MY story =D). Mr. Lin leaves the village that the two live in to go to the city for some reason, leaving his son all alone in their hut with the magical Wooden Tablet (which belonged to Lin's father), the only thing they have worth keeping. Unfortunately, during that time, soldiers were coming to loot the village that the two live in.


So, After touching the tablet (which K'ang P'u wasn't supposed to do) and working in the garden all day, K'ang hears a sound. The robbers are nearby, and are burning huts next to his. So, he grabs the tablet and runs out of the hut (with soldiers in pursuit) and into a nearby field. There, he spends many days, consumed with hunger. After a few days, a little dwarf appears on the wooden tablet. This dwarf, happens to be the spirit of K'ang's grandfather. The grandfather agrees to help K'ang escape the soldiers by sending him to the palace where his ancestors used to live in. He instructs the young boy to go to sleep. After K'ang wakes up, he appears in the palace of which his ancestors used to live. After being escorted inside, he meets his father, who was waiting for him. the two hug, and thank the grandfather for everything he'd done.


Let's put this in order:


Comparison:


The stories, The Strange Tale of Doctor Dog, and The Wooden Tablet, have essentially nothing in common, but they do have a few things worth noting. One thing they have in common is a parent and a child featured in both stories. Also in both stories, the children are young (of course. But I said child, so I assumed you would assume that I meant son/daughter or something). Another thing is that there are three main characters, two of which are in the story most of the time. Also, the two stories contain magical castles (Mr. Chien's castle, and the castle of the ancestors) that become the final setting for the story. One more thing: the stories both take place in small villages. That's about it for comparisons, now onto contrasts.


Differences:


The Strange Tale of Doctor Dog does not include spirits in the story. Also, the child in my story is a girl, while the child in the other story is a boy. There is not a magical tablet in my story. No one in my story is trying to escape anything. There are no soldiers in my story. As for the other story, there is not a dog. No one becomes sick in the other story, and no major characters are kidnapped (but unimportant ones are). Also, no one flies kites in the other story. That's about it for differences, now onto something else.


The message in my story is about hope. You really should know this already, but apparently I have to say it again. I'm not quite sure what the message in the other story is (I don't really think it has one). All that really happens is a boy being  saved magically by a dead person, which can't possibly happen in real life and which can't possibly mean anything other than a boy got lucky with magic (wow that doesn't sound right...). Oh well, it was still a fun read. Now just to wait for day eighteen... 


Have a nice day =D

Day Sixteen

Day sixteen, yay!


Ok, so first off, I currently have three main characters. You should know them by now, but I'll still post them below like I'm supposed to. I will also have three minor characters, which play little to no role in my story and as far as I know, have no dialogue whatsoever. However, I can at least post them below.


Since I need a second paragraph, I'll simply talk about why I chose the dialogue for my characters which are posted below. Well, Moreau is going to be a stereotypical caring father, willing to save his daughter from death and Mr. Chien. So, he will have a lawful voice as a way to put up with his daughter's many questions. As for Honeysuckle, since she is a little girl, her voice will be childlike. As for Mr. Chien, he's a dog-like beast, so his voice will have a boom to it (as if he's barking as he speaks).


Main characters:


Mr. Moreau (Mor-oh) - he is the main protagonist. He is a father figure, so he speaks in a fatherly tone most of the time, in a calm, enduring voice. He speaks in an old fashioned way. For example, instead of saying "We must hurry!" He instead says "Make haste!" Like the other characters, he replaces "the" with "zee". Moreau does not, however, call a person by their name. He simply calls Honeysuckle "daughter" and Mr. Chien "beast." For example, "He took my daughter! Quickly, we must make haste!" He also says, "My dear daughter, your happiness is what keeps me alive. I don't want anything to happen to you."


Honeysuckle - daughter of Moreau, second main character. Here, she speaks in a soothing, soft voice. However, she speaks as if she is older. Her grammar and her vocabulary is quite impressive. She asks frequent questions in French (pourqoui?), and often says "But why?" (mais pourqoui?) to add to her curious nature. She also replaces "r" with "w" to add to her cute nature. She often ryhmes in the book. Her voice looks like, "But why do zee stars upon my kite shine so bright?" For another example, "Oh woe! Oh no! I will not live upon this day =( Farewell father, stay with me and pray."


Mr. Chien - he's not really an antagonist, but he does a wicked deed. Since he is a dog-like beast, he speaks in a phantom-like manner, in which his voice has no emotion and creates an echo when he speaks. However, he speaks like a gentlemen. He says, "Pardon me, I am Mr. Chien, a magical beast here to cure your daughter. May I ask where she is located?"


Minor characters:


Amore (Ah-mor-eh) - his name is translated into love. In the story, he has no dialogue whatsoever. If I were to give him dialogue, he'd sound like a little child.


Espoir (Ess-pwah) - his name is translated into hope. Along with Amore, he has no dialogue whatsoever. If I were to give him a voice, he'd sound childlike.

Rattan (rath-on) - a material used to make kites, which bring happiness to Moreau and Honeysuckle. He has no speaking lines, but I would make him sound like his other brothers.

Dialogue between Honeysuckle and Chien:


Scene - It's a rainy day in the small village of which Moreau and Honeysuckle live. Honeysuckle is out in the green fields, sitting on a rock, with a fairly large kite laying on her lap. Chien, the giant dog-like beast, notices the lonely girl. He decides to gover to her and see what is wrong.


"Bonjour petite fille (hello little girl), are you enjoying zee weather today?" Says Mr. Chien, sarcastically.
"Weather? Hmm...I guess it's okay. I just wish the sun would shine. I want to fly something of mine"
"What is that, madame?" Asks Chien, staring down at the rain soaked kite Honeysuckle is holding.
Honeysuckle looks down, then at her kite. "It's my new kite, my daddy got it for me. It has cheese on it, want to see?" Asks Honeysuckle, as the beast stares at the rain-soaked kite.
"Of course, little one." Chien inspects the kite, noticing the cheese design on it. "This is a marvelous kite." Says Mr. Chien, giving it back to the girl. "You know, such a wonderful kite does not require sun to fly it."
"Really?" Honeysuckle says, amazed. "What does it need, then?"
Chien, looking up in the sky, says, "It needs the wind. The wind itself blows in such might that a kite as wonderful as that can fly happily and freely. The rain itself will not harm such a work of art. If you want, perhaps I could fly the kite along with you?" Says Chien, smiling at the girl.
"Sure!" Says Honeysuckle, jumping from the rock. She hands the kite strong over the Chien, who grabs the kite with one paw. As the kite begins to rise into the air, Honeysuckle watches in amazement.
"I never knew my kite could fly so well in such weather! I think in the rain it flies even better!" Says Honeysuckle.


Moreau calls for Honeysuckle to come in.


"Zut! (darn!) I must leave. But this was fun, Mr Chien. Would you like to fly my kite again?" Says Honeysuckle, with a smile on her face.
"Of course, little one. Here, you may want this back." Chien says, giving back the kite string.
"Thanks, Mr. Chien, Until we meet again!" Says Honeysuckle, flying her kite as she runs home.
"Au revoir, petite fille!" Says Chien, walking back to his castle, knowing that he had made Honeysuckle happy.


Fin


My story is going to come out GREAT!!! I just know it =D I'm really hoping to finish it sometime next week, but I'm still working on the dialogue (man am I glad that Prier posted this. And yes, I'm actually writing out my story. Is it such a sin?). The dialogue will be a little different in my story though, as Honeysuckle doesn't sound so mature in the story, Chien is much more of a gentleman, etc.


Have a nice day =D

Day Fifteen

So...we're talking about Animotos now. Well, This'll be an easy assignment, but I know I did decent on the presentation =/ Ready or not, here comes day fifteen!


I must say, when I was presenting....I don't know what my hands were doing =/ I was trying my best not to move my hands (to no avail...), and I was sort of focusing more on my hand movements than my presentation (whether the class knows it or not). I just can't get over the palming...sometimes it looked like I was directing traffic, and other times it look liked my hands were doing some weird dance...Either way, it was sort of funny =D I think my hands were doing that because sometimes when I present things I become very nervous and do weird things to show it hehe.


However, what DID go right (besides my palming) were the words I used to present the Animoto. I gave a plot for my story, told what culture it was from and what culture I was changing it to, and I gave a very good explanation of the moral of my story (yes I know, this is one big sentence). I don't know if I was too loud or too quiet though, since no one said anything. All in all, I think the presentation itself went very well and I'm glad that at least THAT went well.


What I also liked about the presentation was the Animoto itself. I used 10 pictures describing the culture of my book, and another 10 pictures describing my story. I enjoyed the pictures I used, and I hope the class did as well.


In conclusion, the thing that needed to be fixed MOST were my crazy hand gestures. What went really well in the blog is how I explained the plot of the story and why others would want to buy my "book" (another long sentence...). The Animoto itself was pretty and I really hope the class enjoys my story, The Strange Tale of Doctor Dog, coming to a bookstore near you! (I just had to say that =D ).


Have a nice day =D

Day Fourteen

So....time for another blog. This time, the events of my story in chronological order...great...


Ok, first off...My story does not take place in a day, in a week, not even in a year. Rather, it happens for many years. I have the timeline of the story completely laid out, the only thing is turning them into this blog, which I can easily do.


So, at first, my story is broken up into days. On the first day, this happens, then three days after that, this happens, then three days after that, this happens. After those days are complete, the timeline turns into years, as one of the main character spends many years looking for his daughter. Without further adieu, I bring you...day fourteen!!!


Well, let's start from the beginning, shall we? I'm not really sure whether or not the introduction to the story should have a timeline or not, since I'm just introducing you to the characters and their personalities. So, no official timeline will be written. Sorry =/


In the introduction:


- We are introduced to Mr. Moreau and his lovely daughter, Honeysuckle


RIGHT after that


- You learn about the curious mind of Honeysuckle. You learn that she enjoys flying kites, wonders why the kites fly, and how the kites fly, etc.


Right after that


- You will learn of what happened to the wife of Mr. Moreau


Now, time to do the ACTUAL assignment, which is to list the EVENTS!!! Well, there aren't many events in my story at all. So, this part shouldn't be hard at all.


On the first day of the story:


- Honeysuckle gets a mysterious sickness


- Mr. Moreau tries to find out what the illness is, and how to cure it. He asks for help from any man willing to cure his daughter, and promises to make them her groom.


On the second/third day of Honeysuckle's disease:


- Many men from far and wide come to try and cure Honeysuckle in hopes of becoming her groom. Unfortunately, they all fail miserably (strange that this happened over two days, isn't it?).


On the fourth day of Honeysuckle's disease:


- Honeysuckle (who is pale and very sickly), cries and believes she will die. She bids her father, and her life, farewell. Moreau is in tears, along with his daughter as the two hold each other's hands.


- Mr. Moreau meets Mr. Chien, a giant dog-like beast who claims to have the cure for Honeysuckle's illness.


- Honeysuckle is cured by Mr. Chien after drinking a magical potion that he gives her.


Three days later...


- Honeysuckle is kidnapped by Mr. Chien, after he snatches the young girl into his large mouth and trots off into the forest.


- Moreau and others try their best to find Honeysuckle, but to no avail. Eventually, the men stop looking, but Moreau keeps on looking, hoping that she will return.


During those many years that Honeysuckle is missing (this probably doesn't even count, but I'll write it anyways):


- Moreau stays hopeful that she will return, and keeps the kites they used to fly together (The flags are the national colors of France) as memory of her. He spends his days, lonely, waiting for his daughter.


Many years later (Moreau is an old man by now):


- Honeysuckle returns to Moreau, and Chien explains that he a magical beast who had taken Moreau's daughter as a bride to live in his utopia-like world, inside his angelic castle.

- Chien and Honeysuckle introdue Moreau to their three children, named Amore (love), Espoir (hope) and Faith. Moreau hugs the three children, and the family lives happily together, in Chien's utopia.


End of timeline.


My story will happen in the exact order that I wrote it in. With this timeline, I'm sure that the story will turn out great.


Have a nice day =D

Day Thirteen

Ok, now we've been talking about our message so much that I thought that we wouldn't be doing a blog on it (honestly...). However, since we must blog about it, I guess I'll just do my best, and complete the easiest blog (in my opinion, at least) yet.

My story, The Strange Tale of Doctor Dog has no definite message. In fact, when I first read it I was sure it had NO message. However, I believe that the main message in the story is not to trust a magical dog, since they will steal your daughter to marry them. Just kidding...I think the real message in the story is to always hope for the best, and good will come out of bad situations. I'd explain why in this paragraph, but my second pargraph will be very short, so I'll post it there.

Now, the message (always hope for the best...) is primarily due to several reasons. For one, in the story a character is sick. The character believes she will die (who wouldn't?). Her father does not. So, he gets a magical, scary dog to cure her. You must admit, the father must be VERY hopeful if he's willing to let a dog (a big, scary one at that..) heal his daughter, am I right? Also, after she is kidnapped, he knows she will return to him (with hope, of course).

As for the lesson in MY story, it will be the same. Always stay hopeful, always wish for the best, blah blah blah. Well, the message in my story is kind of forced...No matter how much I change my story (even if I make Chien a human, make the daughter a boy, and make the father a girl, or make them all living under a bridge with flies), hope will always be a part of it seeing as bad things will happen no matter what.

Chinese symbol for hope.

That's it for this blog. Remember, always have hope so that bad situations can turn into good ones!

Have a nice day =D

Day Twelve

Ok, so this is day twelve...I simply assumed classifying my folk tale would be very easy, but I thought I was wrong. However, when I actually read the directions for this blog, I know it's easy!!!

Enough mindless chatter, it's time to discuss. Now, for my folktale, The Strange Tale of Doctor Dog, it can ONLY be a fairy tale. It fits all three criteria to be a fairy tale perfectly. First, Mr. Chien is a magical character. Second, There is a happy ending (there aren't any evil characters, though). Finally, this folktale is definitely a serious one (a girl gets kidnapped, a man is lonely for decades, etc.).

At first, I thought this would be a Noodlehead Folktale tale, for bad things happen to one of the main characters (Honeysuckle, of course) over and over again. At the end of the story, Honeysuckle is cured, and she lives happily with her kidnapper (That doesn't sound right, does it?). Finally, the folktale could be considered very funny. However, all of the constant mistakes in the story aren't made by any of the main characters...rather, they are from fate. Also, all of the corrections made aren't by any of the main characters, either. So, this is why my tale can't possibly be a Noodlehead one.

Now, the fairy tale theme is important to my story due to the fact that I'm trying to teach a moral lesson (this can also be done with a Noodlehead Folktale, I guess...) to others. I'm trying to teach the lesson of how to always have hope (and faith. They're about the same thing, really), even when situations are bad, so that eventually good will come out of them. For example, in the story one of the main characters gets kidnapped, and her father hopes she will return (she eventually does...). Another lesson I'm teaching is based on the concept of love. The father in this fairy tale loves his daughter so much, that when she gets sick, he tries everything (literally, EVERYTHING) he can to make her better. Also, he weeps at the thought of her dying.

These are the morals in my story, written in Chinese.

Time to end this blog. So, in conclusion, my folktale is a fairy tale based on the fact that it is a very serious one, and for the fact that the magic and love within the tale is enough for everyone of all ages to enjoy! When I am done, you will have fun reading my tale, and learn life lessons while doing it =D

Have a nice day =D

Day Eleven

Ok, I'm a little late on this blog....it's currently almost midnight as I write this. I've been doing so many things today I couldn't possibly have blogged until now...so, with my last bits of energy, I shall write an awesome blog that will impress all who read it (I hope...)!!!!!!!!

NOTE: I'm literally falling asleep as I'm writing this, so if there's like 500 spelling/grammatical errors, bear with me.

Ok, so, numbers. Well, for my story, numbers don't play a very big part. However, the fun part of this whole project is that I can MAKE numbers a very big part of this story =D The number I shall pick will be....THREE. No, I'm not just copying off of others (Too many of you picked three =/ ) I actually have a few very good reasons (unlike a few others...just kidding) to pick three!

For one, there are three main characters in my story (Mr. Moreau, Honeysuckle, Mr. Chien). Next, there are three morals in my story (love, hope, faith). Then, there are the three sons of Honeysuckle (Which will be appropiately named, love, hope, and faith in French). After that, there are of course the three bad things that happen in my folktale (Honeysuckle gets sick, Honeysuckle gets kidnapped, the fact that Moreau is an old man before he gets to see Honeysuckle again). Also, Honeysuckle is in agony for THREE days while she is sick!!!!

That's it for this blog. Don't worry, I'll have plenty of energy tomorrow to comment on everyone's post =)

Have a nice day =D

Day Ten

This blog is going to be very easy, I must say. Simply posting my blogging experience? THAT I can do.

Ok, so, I've been posting every day. I've also been extremely annoying with the comments (And I will continue to be, get used to it). So, I've been caught up with just about everything. However, I'm not 100% sure that all my blogs are correct, since Prier hasn't checked all of them yet, and since everyone says mine (80% of the time, anyways) are perfect (they could be lying...who knows). So, I'll just post this one to get it out of the way...

I never knew I liked blogging so much. I never thought I would be good at blogging, nor did I think anyone would really like or pay attention to my blogs at all. BOY was I wrong!!! It's so much fun to post my opinions (Which no one likes...) and be able to be creative with the blogs. It's fun to post my ideas to where others can comment on them. The only real downside to blogging is that I must do it EVERY day. It's sometimes a hassle to remember and sometimes I just don't want to (even thought the blogs are incredibly easy...). That's about all I can think of for now.

Well, that's it for this blog. It's time to wait for number 11, I guess.  Go on, and live your little lives.

Have a nice day.

Day Nine

Well, my story really doesn't have any sort of strange, mythological creatures besides Mr. Chien (even though he's really just a dog =/ ). So, I will have Mr. Chien as the primary fantasy creature with a few (ok, MANY) changes...

First, Mr. Chien is a dog-like creature (who has the appearance of a newfoundland, but isn't one) will have shaggy, grey fur, with glowing yellow eyes. He will have a long tail. He will wear a blue/green/white (national colors of France) hat. He's grey because he's very lonely (which is why he wants Honeysuckle as a bride...makes sense, no?). He will be as tall as Honeysuckle while on all fours (can you imagine this guy if he's on his two feet? Yikes...).

Second, Mr. Chien will be able to talk. I don't like how he doesn't say a word in the original folktale (no one likes the quiet types, don't you agree?). He will explain to Mr. Moreau his magical potion tied around his neck that can help save Honeysuckle (STOP SAYING THIS NAME GEEZ!!!!), and at the end of the story he (not...HER) will introduce Mr. Moreau to his three new grandchildren! I imagine his voice will be charming and delicate, seeing as he's an awesome guy/dog =D

Third, his magical power will be the ability to heal and shapeshift. Mr. Chien is actually a wizard-shapeshifter, whose primary form is a dog-like creature. He will turn into a human to have children with Honeysuckle, of course. His spells/potions are located in scrolls/bottles tied around a necklace on his neck.

As for fantasy items, the magical potion will be one. When I think of other items I'll post them.

Well, that's it for this blog. Time to work on my animoto! (Which is still loading...geez how long do these things take?)

Have a nice day =D

Day Eight

I must say, when I saw this blog assignment I thought "Ok...this is gonna be super easy!!!!!!" But BOY was I wrong!!!! I could not find ANY pictures from my animoto that meant ANYTHING!!!! So I had to delete, edit, wait hours for it to complete...and in the end, this is the picture I shall use for this blog.

So, without further adieu, I bring you, my picture!!! (May I never have to look at it again..)

Isn't this girl just wonderful?

Now, I chose this picture because it is simply beautiful, don't you agree? Aside from it being a lovely, beautiful picture, it also has a bit of mystery to it, which I enjoy (and which I'm trying to figure out along the way). I also chose it because it fits in with Chinese culture and fits in to the story perfectly, as a symbol of Honeysuckle's emotions and the fact that happiness comes when you yourself are happy.

In this lovely picture, we see a pretty young girl (reaaaaallly pretty yea =D ) surrounded by beautiful blue flowers (which the girl does not seem to notice or care about). The girl herself has a slight smirk, which seems to show no happiness or laughter. This wonderful nymph in the picture seems a bit worried about something. The picture seems to say, that the girl has been showered with happiness, but has something that is keeping her from enjoying it. In the story, Honeysuckle is granted happiness from Mr. Chien, but she is still lonely and aching on the inside from being separated from her father. So, this picture clearly tells us the lonely, and strangely tragic tale of Honeysuckle's inner suffering.

Phew...now that this blog is done (Sorry, I couldn't be too impressive with this one =/ ) I can go back to my life! Good night all, and have a happy...well, just be happy, ok? =)

Have a nice day =D

Day Seven

Well, time again for a blog. The characters in my story, The Strange Tale of Doctor Dog, are quite simple. The characters are easy to figure out, and their personalities are set (except Dog's. He seems benevolent yet malevolent). So, this is yet another easy blog...

WARNING: unless you have about 5 years of your life to waste I wouldn't suggest reading this blog! I'm just kidding...

Okay, so, Mr. Moreau (Dr. Min), will be a tall man in about his 30s-40s. He will have grey eyes (to match his sadness), he will have black hair, and he will be handsome. As for family, he will be the father of Honeysuckle and the grandfather of her three children. Religion plays no part, so I will not mention it. He will have no profession, since he lives in a poor village. Moreau is a widow, as his wife died giving birth to Honeysuckle. So, to keep himself happy, he flies kites with Honeysuckle (which is the habit) His health will be quite decent, as for Honeysuckles....yea...As for his attitude...even though it seems Honeysuckle will die, he keeps a positive attitude.

Honeysuckle will be a little girl, at about age 15-18. She will be very beautiful, with blue eyes (to match her happy lifestyle) and long, black hair. She will be tall, just like her father. Her character wear's dresses, and she will be a nice, cheerful girl. Along with Moreau, she has no real religion. Since she is young, she has no profession. She will later in the story be married to Mr. Chien. She flies kites with her father in their free time. Her health deteriorates later in the story, after being poisoned. She is close to death until Mr. Chien comes in. She has a wonderful sense of humor, along with her father, she thinks she is pretty, and she dreams to become a doctor (ironically). She has a positive attitude, but is a bit of a pessimist. Quite a contradiction, eh? =/

Mr. Chien...is a dog. A shaggy mountain dog, perhaps a newfoundland. The dog is almost as tall as Honeysuckle (who is a little girl) and has grey fur. The dog has yellow eyes, and a long tail. The dog is caring and helpful, and oh yea, he's a human magician. He grants Honeysuckle a wonderful life in his castle, and she bears his three children (which is his family....). His fear is the death of Honeysuckle, since he did not want her to die. That's about all I can think of for this guy =/

Mr. Chien looks like this, but with grey fur and yellow eyes!

This guy's cute, don't you think? =D 

Three sons of Honeysuckle are not important at all. They will have the same traits as Honeysuckle (I HATE SAYING THIS NAME SO MUCH!) which means they have black hair, they are tall, they have blue eyes, and they'll be very handsome. Nothing else about them really matters. Oh yea, you know this but their family is: Mother: Honeysuckle; Father: Mr. Chien.

My characters will come out great. I hope you have a wonderful picture of Mr. Chien because he's a really pretty dog.

Have a nice day =D

Day Six

Ok, this blog is a bit easy seeing as I am taking French. And as you really should know (since I'm sick of saying it) my new story will be in.....French! The language itself has many cognates and is sort of easy to learn. The only thing is that in French, there are accents which I could not copy into this blog (I'm not using my school laptop, as the internet doesn't work on home on it =/)


So let's start off with a few simple translations, shall we?


Bonjour - hello (informal/formal)
Salut - hello (formal)
Au revoir (Oh-Vwah) - bye
Ca va? (this is missing an accent) - how are things?
Merci - thank you
De rien - No problem/you're welcome
Ca va bien/mal/comme ci comme ca (missing accents) - things are good/bad/so-so
Good morning/night - Bon matin/Bon nuit


Onto adjectives:


beau/belle - beautiful
Aimable - friendly
Gentil(le) - nice
Triste - sad
Heureux/content - happy


Onto verbs:


Trouver - to find
Chercher - to look for
Aimer - to love
Faire - to be


Now, onto a few more difficult phrases:


Il a vole (accent over e) ma fille! - he stole my daughter!
Ou est-ce que ma fille? (accent over the "u") - where's my daughter?
Je dois trouver ma fille - I must find my daughter
Aide-moi - help me!
Je vais mourir - I'm going to die (I really hope I don't use this)
Il y a une chien ici. Faire qu-il dit - There's a dog here. Do as he says.


I think that's enough of this mediocre French class, don't you? Now, seeing as you have learned French which you will never use (or care about) in your little lives, please note that this blog will be updated sooner or later (ok, later, I WILL forget about this blog) seeing as there are A LOT of things said in this story.


I'm kind of glad Mr. Prier posted this, seeing as I wasn't thinking about French much (other than the silly names of course)


Have a nice day =D

Day Five

Ok, this is an easy blog. I'm doing this in French, which I'm sure you're sick of me saying (I know I am) First off, these names are quite simple. The names didn't require much research, nor do they mean anything at all. So, I had little to no worry about the names. Mr. Min is a surname, Honeysuckle is a flower, and dog is...well....yea.


Mr. Min (which a surname with no meaning whatsoever) will become Mr. Moreau (Mor-oh). I had him has Mr. Meriller, but I didn't think that sounds good (how would you pronouce that anyways, Mair-reh-air? Mer-ay-uh?). He's human, just in case you didn't know.


Honeysuckle will keep her name. It makes me laugh, and I'm sure it will make others laug has well. It also matches her identity as a sweet and innocent character. Also human...hooray!


Dr. Dog...this is an easy one. He will be Mr. Chien. Which is Mr. Dog in French. I'd name him something else, but his name is so simple and Chien sounds so Frenchy =D I'm pretty sure you can guess what sort of creature this character is...


The three sons of Honeysuckle...not sure if I even want them to have names. They play so little role in this story, it's sort of unneccessary. However, I might name them Amore (love), Espoir (hope), and Kite (which Honeysuckle and Mr. Min love to fly together, which brings them happiness). The dialogue might go something like "Here's my three sons..." not sure yet though. You do know these characters will be human, right?


Aside from these guys, I'll have a few animals and humans try to help cure Honeysuckle. Not sure if they will have names, though.


This assignment is so much fun I really hope I can get to do something like this again!


Have a nice day =D

Day Four

I'm doing The Strange Tale of Doctor Dog (I bet everyone is sick of me mentioning it now). And as you all know (or at least you should know), my story is going to be in France, of course. I'm planning on placing this story in a small village. A village, where the trees are green, the houses are plain, the villagers are friendly, and the fields next to the village are green, lush, and all around beautiful. Not quite sure where this village is, though. I won't put it in Paris, that's so vague and overused. I'll just put it perhaps in the city of Nice or Lyon, which aren't that popular.

The Village is something like this.

The characters Mr. Mérille (Min) and Honeysuckle are going to live in a small house, which is also where most of the dialogue will be. Well, a small house next to the forest where Mr. Chien kidnaps Honeysuckle. The forest will be dark and gloomy, to make the search for Mr. Mérille's daughter more exciting since the villagers (except for the caring Mr. Mérille) will not want to search for her adding a bit of a "Will she ever be found?" sort of feeling. Oh yea, the house will also be next to a green field where Honeysuckle flies her kites.


Mr. Chien will live in a great big palace (or castle....) and his castle will be painted blue and red and it will be surrounded by lots of healthy green trees (to make his character to look more benevolent, of course). The castle will also be the last place in the story (a.k.a. the final setting...).

His castle will look something like this.

My location? Hmm...Well the location will stay in the same old village, but during the end of the story Mr. Mérille (Ok I'm sick of saying this name...) will find Honeysuckle in the wonderful castle of Mr. Chien.


The weather will be fairly simple: the sun will shine while the father and daughter are together, and when Honeysuckle (Wow I'm sick of saying this name too...) is kidnapped the weather in the village will turn rainy and depressing to match with Mr. Mérille's (really sick of this name now...) sadness/loneliness.


When...well, it's certainly not going to be in modern times (neither will any other story, I'm sure) so I'm going to make the village into an old world village...sort of medieval. The women will wear dresses, men will wear raggedy clothes, etc. There will be wells, archery, schools, and primitive kites. 


I'm really enjoying writing this story! I know it'll come out great =D


Have a nice day!

Day Three

Ok, as we all know (or at least I do...) I am doing The Strange Tale of Doctor Dog, a very simple and entertaining folktale that deals with Chinese culture.


The french culture and the Chinese culture are both VERY different. I see nothing similar between the two at all, so I'll take on a few notes.


What's really interesting about France is how it's so diverse. Such different tastes in music, different climates, different clothing, etc.


Religion - The French are a very religious people. They are mostly Roman Catholic/Christian and some of their holidays, such as Christmas, are very important days which revolve around religion. 


Food - is not important into this story at all. None of the characters eat anything really...However, the French treat food very seriously, as it if were their own children. Unfortunately, a bit too seriously, since if there is no perfection, chances are the French will respond very negatively. The Chinese and the French treat their food very seriously.


The French usually buy their food on weekdays, and their most prized type of food is bread, which they buy just about every day. Bread is the most vital thing the French could possess, along with cheese, another favorite of the French.


Music - Still, not important at all to my story. However, the music in French is very diverse, like a lot of other things. The French in modern times are more into hip/hop and pop. They also like rock music and classical music. 


Clothing - still not important to the story. However, clothing in France is also very diverse. The French are the fashion capital of the world (apparently). What you wear in one part of France is most likely not in style in another part of France. For example, in Paris, they dress more elegantly with couture type dress, while cities north of France will wear western style clothes, such as jeans. 


Relationships - now THIS I can do. Loving/caring fathers exist in all cultures. Especially with the French. The French are very close with their families. Children often do not disrespect their parents, and usually spend a lot of time with their grandparents. 


Climate - the climate of France is very mild and not one place in France has the same climate as another. Geographical location plays some part in the climate, as northern France is way colder than southern France.


Most of the French culture is not really that vital to my story, but I will try my best to incorporate them in some way. Religion, Climate, Geography, etc. doesn't play much of a part, but I'll focus more on the relationship between the characters and the magic in the story. I really think this will be a very fun story to rewrite =D

CHEESE!!!!! =D

References: 


French Food
French Clothing
French Religion
French Climate
Mme. Highlander


Have a nice day.

Day Two

Well, as for what I want to dismiss, and what I want to change, I'm not entirely 100% sure yet. But I do know everyone will have funny French names...but I'm keeping Honeysuckle, that name makes me laugh =D

As for the characters, they're: Dr. Min, Honeysuckle, Dr. Dog, the three sons of Honeysuckle (which I will give French names and include more in the story).

For the motifs, symbols, and significant figures, Honeysuckle is a symbol of innocence. She does not understand what sins are, what most of the world means, and asks a lot of questions. Dr. Dog is a symbol of happiness, since he cures Honeysuckle (which makes everyone happy) and marries Honeysuckle and gives her a wonderful life. Min, is a symbol for a caring and loving father, since he tries his best to cure his daughter and save her from Dr. Dog. Bad things happen to Honeysuckle throughout the story, and Min always loves her and tries his best to solve the problems, which I guess is the motif (that's...really about all the happens anyways). Oh yea, significant things...the kites are significant, as they show the love between Min and his daughter (I'm sick of saying Honeysuckle...)

Don't worry, I'll have this post updated once more...
Have a nice day.

Day One

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with the story The Strange Tale of Doctor Dog, seeing as a lot of things happen in it. It's a folk-tale from China that deals with well, the strange adventures of a doctor with a sick daughter. But I do know for a fact that I'm going to have fun writing my story since the folk-tale itself is a lot of fun to read, which is one the reasons why I chose it in the first place.


I chose to do French culture, since I'm taking French and I like the language. Aside from that, I can't think of any culture that I would rather do. I will have fun changing around the character names into funny French names. I might chose something like Le Docteur Réteiller...I don't know really. But I do know changing around the story into a funny French one will be fun.


Have a nice day.