Topic Research

1. Space Mountain Ghost Rider: A large man with reddish hair died in the ‘70s while riding Space Mountain. Today, this man still hops onboard, joining guests in the riding cart, zooming through space, reliving his experience. However, the guests in the car hear and see him too and describe their encounter with him. The story is told by the riders describing their experience while on Space Mountain with the man.

2. Matterhorn Mishap Ghost: In 1984, 15-year-old Mark Maples tried to stand while riding Matterhorn Bobsleds. He unbuckled his seatbelt as the bobsled neared the peak. Maples lost his balance, plummeting to the track below. He fractured his ribs and skull, ultimately dying three days later at the hospital. The story is told from Mark’s point of view while on the Matterhorn; it also talks about how he takes revenge on Matterhorn riders today (that’s why the Matterhorn is so bumpy and rigid in its turns- Mark’s trying to throw people off)

3. Wildest Ride in the Wilderness: In 2003, 22-year-old Marcelo Torres was riding Big Thunder Mountain. Marcelo could hear the train clunking and making strange noises during the ride. He tried to get others’ attention, but was drowned out by the screams of amusement and joy. An axle gets stuck in the brake, and the back car eventually flips over onto Marcelo, who is alone in the car in front of it. The story is told from Marcelo’s point of view as he tries to figure out what’s going on. It also explains why Big Thunder Mountain is called the “Wildest Ride in the Wilderness”.

"Photo of Fireworks Display During Evening", via Pexels

Week 3 Story: The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog

“Welcome to the Jerry Jackal Show! I’m your host, Jerry the Jackal!” exclaimed Jerry the Jackal. The animal audience shouts and hollers in excitement. “Today we have Concordia the Cat, who seems to be having problems with her former friend. What’s going on, Concordia?”

“Hi Jerry,” said Concordia. “I had this friend growing up, Doug the Dog. We were inseparable; we had all the same hobbies, we worked some jobs together, and we even shared an apartment for a time. About a year ago, Doug found some new friends. Then two months ago, he tells me he can’t stand me anymore, he’s done with me, and that I have to move all my stuff out so his friends can move in!”

The audience erupts in shock and anger. The monkeys begin screeching, the snakes start to hiss, and the lions roar in disbelief. They cannot believe Doug would treat Concordia like this.

“Wow, that’s unbelievable!” said Jerry. “What did Doug have to say when you confronted him on this?”

“That’s the thing, Jerry,” exclaimed Concordia. “Ever since he told me off, he’s blocked my number, is hardly ever around when I come by the apartment, and is completely avoiding me. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on!”

“Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out,” said Jerry. “We have Doug backstage, here to set the record straight. Come on out!”

Doug walks to the stage, as the audience growls and shouts in rage. Concordia jumps from her seat, clawing and scratching at Doug. Doug reciprocates by snapping and swiping at Concordia. The bear security guards quickly pull them apart and set them in their seats.

“Doug, you’ve heard what Concordia has to say,” said Jerry. “What’s your side of the story?”

“I cannot live with her anymore, Jerry! Her anger is terrible, she’s constantly rude to me, and she’s even locked me out before. I just got lucky that night and found a wolf that let me stay at his place,” explained Doug. “I’ve had a monkey throw coconuts at me, and I’ve seen a herd of sheep get eaten while trying to find different places to stay. And none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for her insanity!”

The audience explodes in exhilaration. Dolphins commence whistling, bees begin buzzing, and the owls start hooting like crazy.

“So where do you go from here?” asked Jerry.

“She just needs to understand that I’m moving on with my life,” said Doug. “A couple weeks ago, I found this man’s house while I was wandering, really cold and hungry. He brought me in, fed me, and let me stay the night. I even helped him scare off some robbers that came into his house. He’s really great, and he only lives a few miles away from the old place; his name’s Adam.”

“Adam?! You’re living with my freaking cousin?!” screams Concordia.

Concordia once again leaps from her seat, while Doug jumps up from his, and they begin fighting on the stage floor as they kick, bite, bark, and yowl at one another. The audience is loving the action, half of them cheering on Concordia while the other half roots for Doug.

Jerry steps in front of the ruckus to look straight into the camera. “Looks like this fight won’t be resolved any time soon! We’ll be back with more of the Jerry Jackal Show right after these messages.”

                                    Etching of Cat and Dog Fighting, via the Untextbook


Source: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919)


Author’s Notes
I modernized the story by changing the setting to a tabloid talk show for animals. Instead of hearing the story from a third-person point of view, I wrote the story to where you hear more from the two main characters, the cat and the dog, personally. The story is also retold by the cat and the dog themselves, reflecting back on what happened in the past, which then reignites bad blood that lives on into the present. By setting the story in a tabloid talk show, I was able to intensify the emotions of the cat and the dog, showing just how much they really hate each other. I also added a little bit of irony with the cat itself. Concordia, the cat’s name, is the Roman goddess of peace and harmony. However, the whole story focuses on the lack of peace and harmony between the characters.

Week 3 Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales Part B

The Fairy Frog

• Hanina finds his parents sick and on the edge of death

• Father tells Hanina to mourn them for seven days, then on the eve of Passover, go to the market and buy the first thing that is offered to him

• Hanina purchases a casket for a thousand gold pieces

• Casket contains a smaller casket, in which a frog hops out

• The frog grows gigantic and grants wishes- gives the family food, Hanina learns the lore of man from the frog

• Frog takes them to the woods, gives them jewels and herbs/roots to heal the sick

• Frog turns out to be son of Adam, shrinks to normal size and hops away

• Hanina/wife becomes famous for their wealth, wisdom, and charity; live happily ever after

The Rabbi’s Bogey-Man

• Rabbi was looking to hire a servant

• Everyone’s afraid of him, so he builds one (mechanical woman)

• Puts a magic paper in her mouth to bring it to life

• Woman does many chores/errands, but can’t speak

• While rabbi is gone, woman leaves to play/build fire for kids

• Fire goes out of control, burns down many houses/her

• King threatens rabbi to make another one, or he will kill rabbi and kick everyone out of city

• Rabbi makes a man, and while the king wants to take it, rabbi promises it will not work on Sabbath/go crazy

• Man wants to become a soldier for the King, Rabbi forbids it

• Mechanical man tries to destroy Holy scrolls so he can build army of mechanical people to fight for the King/kill the Jews

• Rabbi removes paper from his mouth to kill him; man turns into pile of wood, springs, glue

• Man’s remains is used as an “exhibit” in the synagogue

Source: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919)

Image of Hanina and his wife following the Fairy Frog, via the Untextbook

Week 3 Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales Part A

Giant of the Flood

• Noah wonders how to get a unicorn into the ark; Giant (Og) agrees to bring him one in exchange for safety from the flood

• Flood sweeps the ark off, Og hops on unicorn to swim alongside it

• Noah agrees to feed Og/unicorn, Og agrees to be servant to Noah’s descendants

• Rain eventually stops, Og claims he is now stronger than Noah/mortals and can eat/drink as he pleases

• Noah claims that mortals will be the masters of demons/giants

• Ark comes to rest, Og wishes to travel world, Noah says he’s not allowed to leave because he’s Noah’s servant, Og cries

• Og begins to shrink after not eating for two days, Noah introduces him to grapes and making wine

• Og sacrifices sheep, lion, monkey, and pig to the grapes/wine

• When man drinks a little wine he will be as harmless as sheep

• When man drinks a bit more, he will be strong as a lion

• Drinks bit too much, will become beast like a pig

• Drinks too much, will become foolish like a monkey

• Og eventually becomes king, then tries to kill camp of Israelites

• Picks up mountain to crush them; but the mountain breaks, falls on his head, and gets stuck and freaks out

• Moses comes out, cuts his ankle with a sword and kills Og (that’s what he gets for breaking Noah’s pact)

The Beggar King

• King Hagag listens to priest read Bible; Priest reads that riches aren’t forever

• King gets mad at hearing that; tears out pages, claiming any passages that offend him will be torn out

• King goes hunting, chases a deer in forest and across a river (he strips naked and crosses river with just a sword); deer is stuck in a tree branch

• Deer frees itself, runs into thicket, turns into a young man (also genie) in deerskin

• Man teaches him lesson: he swims back across, takes King’s clothes to pretend to be King, and leaves with his men

• Hagag meets a woodcutter, who offers to give him clothes and food in exchange for carrying sticks

• Hagag claims to be King, woodcutter laughs at him, Hagag beats him and runs away

• Hagag returns to palace, is turned away by guards, becomes beggar in the streets

• Labors with other beggars for a while/becomes their guide (the others are blind); King offers a feast to all the beggars in the land

• King sees Hagag again, Hagag has learned humility and wisdom, wishes to stay as the beggars’ guide

• King recognizes Hagag has learned his lesson; King/Hagag switch back; Hagag has learned to be kind, sympathetic, and humble ruler

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog

• Cat/Dog were best friends when world began

• Winter comes, they get hungry/unhappy/impatient

• Cat is mad, has a terrible temper; Dog is sad and depressed

• Dog believes he is stronger than Cat/can work together to survive

• Cat wants to leave each other and go to the House of Adam

• The two agree to part ways and never cross paths again

• Cat becomes Adam’s pet; Dog is cold/hungry for three days, befriends Wolf and stays in his lair

• Dog almost killed by wild animals, wanders away again (he is almost dead), comes across monkey in a tree/gets coconuts thrown at him

• Befriends sheep, watches over them during night to protect them from wolves

• Dog barks to scare wolves away during night; freaks out/wakes up sheep, sheep run right into getting eaten

• Finds a man’s house, is fed/sleeps, alerts man to thieves in the night

• Man has dog stay, turns out to be Adam’s house

• Cat is furious dog is there, constantly fight

• From now on, they fight like crazy as cat refuses to be friends with dog

Source: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919)

Og bringing Noah a unicorn, via the Untextbook

Week 2 Review

I loved the "Bear Feet vs. Bare Feet" photo from Friday's announcements. As a public relations major, I've always been a big stickler for grammar, particularly with homophones like "there", "their", and "they're", and other grammar differentiations similar to that. It always drives me insane when people repeatedly use the wrong word and have no idea they're wrong or insist that they're correct.

The photo in question, from Friday's Course Announcements

I also loved the "How to Build a Fictional World" video. I never thought about the work that can go into creating a fictional world. I believe it comes down to one aspect: details. The more detail that can be provided for the world allows the reader, watcher (if it's a television show), or player (if it's a video game), immerse themselves into the setting. In addition, the possibilities are endless, as the only limit is one's imagination. While creating a fictional world can be time-consuming, I believe the payoff of the immersive experience would be well worth it.

"How to Build a Fictional World", via YouTube

Feedback Thoughts Week 2

How to Get Past Negativity Bias

This article was very helpful for me. Especially for me, I very easily succumb to negativity bias. I usually get down on myself often, and I overthink what I am doing all of the time. I have panic disorder, so I tend to freak out when I’m uncomfortable. I think the techniques described in the article would be beneficial to help overcome my anxiety and panic. I can reminisce on good memories to help me forget about my stress or help me calm down.

Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt

As I said before, I always second guess myself and wonder if I’m doing something correctly. I worry about things being absolutely perfect before I turn it in or post it. I need to remember that not everything will be perfect, but it’s important to just try my best. Sometimes I try to do too much, so I think setting goals within my control will help me to accomplish realistic expectations.

"Smiley Paint on Gray Ground in Front of People" via Unsplash

Week 2 Topic Brainstorm

Belle’s New Normal

In a modern-era, a more real-life epilogue of Beauty and the Beast, told through Belle and Beast’s diary entries. After being a poor provincial girl in France, she now has a husband (formerly a Beast, though he still has the baggage), practically beginning a new life, and not to mention, all her furniture turned into people! This book tells the story of Belle, her family, and her friends starting anew in America, adjusting to a new town, a new job, and meeting new people. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/39302636/the-true-stories-behind-beauty-and-the-beast-and-other-disney-stories; https://web.archive.org/web/20140726163822/http://www.endicott-studio.com/articleslist/beauty-and-the-beast-old-and-new-by-terri-windling.html

• I’ve always loved Disney and the story of Beauty and the Beast; I even was the Beast in my middle school musical of the same name. I’m pretty familiar with the basic premise of Beauty and the Beast, so I wanted to explore the idea of the family rejoining normal society and becoming more ordinary people.

Hawaiian Mythology

Hawaii is a beautiful landscape, full of palm trees, warm sandy beaches, crystal blue waters, and sunny throughout. Hawaiians even felt an otherworldly connection to the land. However, some creations also brought curses, threatening those who dare break its sanctity. But how did the land of Hawaii become the place we know and love? This book explores how the various land creations of Hawaii and the legends that come along with them. Source: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/hawaii/hi-mythology/

• Before the pandemic, my family and I were supposed to go on vacation to Hawaii. This topic would give me the opportunity to learn more about Hawaiian legends and culture.

Ghosts of Disneyland

Disneyland has been a beloved theme park for over 60 years. Millions of people visit the park each and every year. However, the “Happiest Place on Earth” hasn’t been happy for all. Some have even met their fate within the property, and their souls have lingered in the park. This book tells about the last moments of those people, and how they now haunt various attractions throughout Disneyland today. Source: https://www.ranker.com/list/haunted-disneyland-creepy-stories/lisa-waugh

• Disneyland is my favorite theme park, and I’ve been obsessed with it since I was a kid. My family and I have visited over a dozen times. I want to show a darker side of Disney, and I think telling ghost stories would give me more creative freedom, between the haunting of rides and possibly having guests talk about what spooks they experienced while within seemingly innocent attractions. I’ve known about the rumors of people dying within the park, but I’ve never read about them myself before. I am thinking about writing them in the mind of the victims reacting to it as it happened, or as a news report being told the next day.

The Legend of Cupid

Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest holidays celebrated around the world. People profess their love, give each other gifts and candy, and go out on a romantic dinner date. This book tells the story of how Cupid came to be.  Source: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/search/label/Unit%3A%20Cupid%20and%20Psychehttp://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/search/label/Unit%3A%20Cupid%20and%20Psyche

• I think not very many people know about Cupid. A lot of people know about the story of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and other holiday characters, but not Cupid. I don’t know much about Cupid myself, other than shooting arrows at people to make them fall in love.

"Time-Lapse Photography of Fireworks Shooting Above Disneyland Castle" via Unsplash