Portfolio Guide

Viradha: How did he get that curse?
The story about how Prince Roger got his curse.
(Editing complete)


Mew and the Gods
The story about where the Legendary Pokemon Mew came from.
(Editing complete)


The Jewel of Power(Part 1)
The story of how Ashwathama got his Jewel.
(Editing complete)


The Jewel of Power(Part 2)
The story of how Ashwathama got his Jewel.
(Editing complete)

Week 14 Storytelling: The Jewel of Power (Part 3)

Author's Note: This is part three to my story about how Ashwatthaman got the jewel in his head. In part one Ashwatthaman was found unconscious against a tree after being gone for two months with a mysterious stone in his head. He had no memory of anything but after time it came back. In part two Ashwatthaman has all his memories back and tells his father what happened. Basically what happened is he was lured to a mysterious cave and someone or something placed the stone in his head. The purpose of this part three is to highlight some of Ashwatthaman's strange encounters in the cave where he was trapped for two months.

It seems that I have been in this cave forever. I am confident that I have checked every inch of this cave but there is just no way out. There seems to be something special about this stone in my head. The only food I've had since I've been trapped in here is a few bugs that I found scurrying across the floor. Yet for some reason I no longer desire food or water. When I first got trapped in this Hell I worried that I would die after a few days, but here I am alive and well.

If anything I feel as if I am in a dream. Things keep happening to me that logically do not make any sense. In the world I came from and remember, flesh isn't tougher than rocks. But in here, if I trip and fall on a pointy rock my body just crushes it under me. I cannot die. I do not not hunger and do not feel pain. Is this the doing of the man who stuck the stone in my head? Is there some sort of magical property about this stone that turns whoever has it immortal? If not I can't explain anything that has happened to me while stuck in this cave. I don't remember anyone lasting as long as I have without any nourishment. I do not remember anyone whose flesh was stronger than rocks that come up from the ground like swords waiting to pierce an unexpected visitor.

The longer I live in this cave the more I believe I am actually in Hell. I am surrounded by earth on all sides. There is no way out. If it wasn't for the lava pit illuminating the cave I would have already gone insane from the sheer darkness. Each time I wake up I have new thoughts about the lava pit. New terrible thoughts that are corrupting my soul. This morning when I awoke I made my decision that this would be my last day in this here cave. I have been in here far to long. Is this a dream? If it is then I will wake up from this nightmare once I put my plan into effect.

I have made up my mind and there is nothing that will change my mind. I am going to try one last time to escape this place but if I have no luck then I am getting out of here no matter what. Even if it means potentially taking my own life. There is a perfectly good lava pit waiting for me to jump into it. Out of everywhere in this cave the lava pit is the one place I have yet to explore. I do not know if the lave will actually kill me or if my flesh is strong enough. There is only one way to find out.

It has been long enough. I am getting out of this cave one way or another. I pray to the creators that I will survive the plunge into the lava pit. If not then maybe I will discover the reason why I was placed in this prison in the next live. Goodbye world, my only regret is not spending more time with my father. I trained day and night to please him. I knew Arjuna was his favorite but that is what motivated me to train so hard.

Ashwatthaman shut his eyes and fell into the lava pit. It is still unknown what really happened to him because the next time he opened his eyes he was back home surrounded by people he didn't recognize. He was laying against a tree near his house with the stone still in his head. Meaning everything that happened in that cave really happened to him and he wasn't in a dream. His father found him and woke him up to find out that his son had no memories of anything. Ashwatthaman was terrified and couldn't even recognize his own father.

Author's note: This is the final installment of the Ashwatthaman stories. I didn't have much time this week to write this story so there might be typos/no pics. If anyone comes to this story before Friday I would like to apologize. I need to spend my time working on a project due that day and studying for my last midterm. I hope you enjoy the story!

Bibliography - Online Mahabharata, Story titled "Ashwatthaman's Jewel"
Author: Donald A. Mackenzie

Week 11 Storytelling: The Jewel of Power (Part 2)

Author's Note:This is part two to how Ashwatthaman got the jewel in his head. The jewel that is embedded in his head pretty much makes him immortal. It gives him power, makes him invulnerable to weapons, and he can live without food and water. In part one Ashwatthaman is found sleeping against a tree after being gone for two moon cycles (two months). When he is found he has no memory of what happened and spends the next years of his life having nightmares of his dreadful time in the cave. This story starts three years after he remembers everything and tells his dad what happened to him in the cave.


I begin my story. "On the night of my disappearance you know how I was training with Arjuna all day until nightfall? Well... we ventured off near the forbidden forest and ran into a rakshasa. He wasn't trying to attack us. Instead he was motioning us to come closer. We proceeded carefully but he gained our trust quickly. He was an old rakshasa and told us about a god stuck in some well that would reward whoever came to rescue him with eternal life. Arjuna being the heroic man he is asked more about this god and where to find the well."

(Arjuna.

Source: Web)

At this point in the story I can already see confusion in my father face. I pause for a moment and let him speak. "You're saying Arjuna was with you that night at the edge of the forbidden forest and didn't tell anybody?"

I reply, "Well, he actually went into the forest with me. We followed the rakshasa to where the well was. I was a bit surprised that there was actually a well out in the middle of the forest. Arjuna asked what we had to do to save the god and get the reward. The rakshasa told us that many have tried to save the god but none have been successful. Arjuna came up with a plan to save the god. His plan was to unstring our bows at one end and tie the strings together to make a fairly long makeshift rope. He would hold onto his end of the bow on the surface and lower me down into the well while I'm holding my end."

My father interrupts me, "Why on earth would you ever let Arjuna talk you into going into that well? Why the hell did he not tell me anything about this?"

I try to ease my father's frustration, "Father, let me finish my story and then you can ask all your questions."

I continue the story, "As Arjuna was lowering me down into the well the rakshasa we were with interfered and did something to Arjuna. I'm not sure what happened but the next thing I know I'm at the bottom of well and Arjuna is nowhere to be found. This must have been a very old well because there was no water in it, only dry dirt and some rocks. The rakshasa peeked over the side of the well and said he sent my brother home and he wouldn't remember any of this night. Next he placed a cover over the well so that no light was present in the well. I was scared and didn't know what to do. I trembled in fear and go no rest that night."

(The well in the story.

Source: Web)

"The next morning something must have blown or pushed the cover over the well off. When I was finally able to see my surroundings I noticed a hole in the side of the well. At first I wasn't small enough to go through the hole but I was able to make the entrance bigger so I could  fit. I had to crawl on my hands and knees through this hole but when I finally got to the other side it opened into an enormous cave. There were thousands of pointy rocks hanging from the ceiling and coming up from the ground. This large cave was very illuminated, for there was a huge open lava pit in the middle of this cavern."

"I must have been lost in a sense of awe at the sight of this cave because once I finally gathered myself I noticed a man standing right next to me. He had a magnificent looking stone in his hand. This is where things are still fuzzy to me though. I believe he was the great God Shiva and he sent that man to lure me to this cave so he could give me this stone. The reason my memory is still a little fuzzy at this part is because he jammed the stone right into my head and I flinched. As he took his hand off my head he said, "You are now reborn, my son. You will have the power to conquer all. If you so choose so you can even destroy the world.""

(Pointy rocks hanging from the ceiling.

Source: Web)

"When I opened my eyes he was gone. The entrance to the cave was gone. I was stuck in this cave and had to find my own way out. This stone is definitely the reason I survived though. I was never tired or hungry. There were times the lighting in the cave was really dim so I fell onto the pointy rocks on the ground. Instead of ripping right through my body, my body crushed them. It felt like I was in there forever wandering around trying to find my way out."

"After countless days and nights being trapped in this cave I was desperate to escape. The thought of ending it all and jumping in the lava pit became more appealing the more I thought about it. On the evening where I woke up next to the tree was the same night I jumped into the lava pit. I don't know how but I remember jumping into the lava but when my eyes opened again I was leaning against the tree with you and your pupils surrounding me. I have no clue what happened but it seems that maybe when I jumped into the lava is when my memory was taken from me. There's parts that are still fuzzy and I'm still trying to figure out what happened. At least everything isn't a mystery now."

Author's note: I found a source that said Ashwatthaman got his jewel from Shiva when he was born. So in my story he encountered a man he thought was Shiva and he heard him say, "You are now reborn, my son." This is how I follow the actual story of Ashwatthaman gaining his jewel while at the same time having a crazy story behind it.


Bibliography - Online Mahabharata, Story titled "Ashwatthaman's Jewel"
Author: Donald A. Mackenzie

Week 10 Storytelling: The Jewel of Power (Part 1)

Ever since I can remember this jewel has been embedded in my forehead keeping me alive from things that would otherwise kill mere mortals. I cannot remember where this jewel came from, but the longer I live the more clearly my memory becomes. For I remember very little prior to when I woke up surrounded by my father and some of his pupils all those moon cycles ago.

(Current Ashwatthaman, recalling where the jewel came from.

Source: Web)

My father found me sleeping against a tree right outside the walls of his beloved training grounds. But when I awoke it was almost as if I was an evil rakshasa to them. They had swords pointed at me and I was in terror. I had no clue what was going on. The only thing I could do was sit still, frozen in fear. For some strange reason I could not recognize them but they definitely knew who I was. The largest of the group said sternly to me, "Ashwatthaman! What is that stone in your head? You have been gone for two moon cycles and when you finally reappear you have a gem embedded into your forehead? Is it really you? Mom is going to be happy to see that you're still alive but what happened to you?"

I replied in a quiet mumble, "What are you talking about? Who are you people?"
The group of men could see I still didn't have my wits about me so they proceeded cautiously. They sheathed their swords but kept one hand on the hilt. The largest man in the group approached me and placed his hands gently on my shoulders and said, "I am your father, Drona. You have been gone for two very long moon cycles and your mother and I have been worried sick. It seems that you are alright. Maybe you are a little traumatized by your time alone in the forbidden forest. We will take you to home and give you some time to rest. Perhaps with some time to rest you will remember what happened."

(Drona(far left) observing as his pupil Arjuna trains. Also this is the tree where Ashwatthaman was found sleeping against. 

sourse: 3D artist)

Drona picked me up and carried me back to the house. I was still confused but felt comfort in the arms of this man who said he was my father. When we got back to the house I was introduced to my mother and she smothered me with hugs and kisses. Next I took a much needed bath. My family tried feeding me when I was all cleaned up but I didn't have an appetite so I proceeded to bed. This night that had begun in terror was ending quite well and I felt like things were going to be alright. But the one thing I couldn't get off my mind was why everyone all night was staring at the stone in my forehead. I ended up falling asleep to the thought of this stone and where it came from.

That night is when the nightmares started and I have been experiencing them ever since. Every night I have the same nightmare of myself deep in a dark cave in the forbidden forest.  In this dream I can feel my forehead tingle where the jewel should be, but for some reason when I put my hand over it all I feel is my skin. It almost feels as if I have lost my mind and I am just following this urge to go deeper into this mysterious cave. As each night passes I go just a little bit deeper. Is this where I was for those two moon cycles? Is this where I got the stone in my head?

(The cave Ashwatthaman dreams about.

Source: Web)

It has now been a couple of years since I have experienced the nightmares that used to plague my existence. I've known the truth of how I ended up in that cave but fear if I tell anybody then it'll just stir more trouble. Yet I have an urging desire to clear everything up with my father who will always love me unconditionally. I have hidden the truth long enough and feel like it is time to reveal to my father what really happened.

"My dear father, Drona, there is something that is eating away at me and I feel like we need to talk about it." I said to my father.

Drona replied, "Are you upset again because it seems like I focus on training the other pupils more than my own son? We have talked about this and.."

Not wanting to go through all this again I interrupt him, "No, this is something more serious. My memories from those two moon cycles I was lost in the forbidden forest have returned. If you want to know what happened I've got an interesting story for you."

My father looked filled with excitement and said, "Oh perfect, now that you've finally gotten your memories back, the mystery of your disappearance can finally be resolved." I didn't have the strength to tell him that my memories had returned a long time ago. I proceeded and acted like the memories had just returned.


Author's Note: Ashwatthaman, the man responsible for the night raid on the Pandava camp, is in possession of some sort of jewel that keeps him alive. Draupadi has asked Yudhishthira to get revenge and kill this man. But since Ashwatthaman is a brahmin, Yudhishthira refuses. Yudhishthira stated that if Ashwatthaman had done something wrong then Vishnu would punish him himself. Since Draupadi's first request was declined she asked him to steal Ashwatthaman's jewel that is embedded in his head and gives him the power to live forever. Arjuna ends up being the one that eventually recovered the jewel.

The thing this story doesn't really reveal is how Ashwatthaman got this powerful jewel. That's where my story comes in. I wrote a story as to how I think the great Ashwatthaman got his jewel of power.


Bibliography - Online Mahabharata, Story titled "Ashwatthaman's Jewel"
Author: Donald A. Mackenzie

Week 6 Storytelling: Where Did My Mew Go?

In an age unknown to history there existed an ancient civilization off the coast of India known as the Mewsians. The Mewsians were a peaceful race of pink rodent-like creatures that had mastered the art of levitation and honed in on their psychic abilities. They inhabited a large island named Mewsia that was away from the main land containing creatures that would be dangerous to the less developed life elsewhere on the planet. Brahma decided to put all these dangerous creatures on Mewsia because the Mewsians knew how to live alongside them for they were practically invincible. If they were ever in trouble all they had to do was materialize an impenetrable bubble around themselves and fly away to safety. But as time passed the Gods viewed their existence as a threat to the entire world. The Gods could see that the Mewsians had too much power and could one day rival the power of the Gods if they chose to do so.

(A Mewsian in a bubble.

Source: Web)

Brahma, the God who created this amazing race, soon realized that the Mewsians must be eliminated in favor of the much weaker race known as the humans.  The humans had limited abilities and the only way they could rival the Gods was by obtaining the weapons only Gods were able to possess. Brahma consulted with Shiva and Vishnu and they all came to the same conclusion that someone needed to take out the Mewsians fearing one day they could be overthrown. With Shiva being the God of destruction he volunteered to be the one who would be responsible for the mass genocide of such a great and peaceful race. Shiva said goodbye to his fellow Gods and the other two could tell he didn't want to kill the Mewsians.

(Gods Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu.

Source: Web)

Shiva quickly reached Mewsia and laid waste to the entire island to get it over with. The Mewsians stood no chance against Shiva and with one fell swoop of his Trishula he killed the entire race. None of the Gods could look upon the horror of what had happened to realize that one had survived the powerful attack. The one remaining Mewsian was known as Mew for he was the King of the Mewsians. Not only was he the King but he was also the most powerful of them all. Shiva knew this information and a part of him couldn't see this entire race be completely taken off the face of the Earth.

Right before Shiva struck the island he warned Mew and commanded him to quickly dig deep into the earth and Shiva would spare him. All Mew had to do to survive was embed his body in the Earth and then use his physic powers to form an impenetrable bubble that not even Shiva would be able to break. A combination of the powerful bubble and the tons of dirt around him protected him from the attack. It all happened so fast and it is believed that in this moment Mew shed the first tear of his long life.

(King Mew's reaction to Shiva's destruction.

Source: Web)

After Shiva laid waste to the land he looked for the one Mewsian he spared. Mew was nowhere to be found and Shiva feared that he killed him by accident. To Shiva's surprise the god Ravana was fleeing the scene and he had Mew with him. Shiva's powers were weak so all he could do was watch as Ravana flew away with the one Mewsian he spared.

Shiva returned to Brahma and Vishnu to tell them that he couldn't live with himself if he killed the entire race so he ended up sparing King Mew. Brahma and Vishnu responded in sync with one another saying, "We understand, Shiva. We know your heart and we knew you couldn't let them all die. We didn't stop you from volunteering because we knew you would get the task done but spare one to come live with us."

In shock Shiva replied, "If you knew all along why did you let me fill myself with such emotions? Yeah, I am the God of Destruction but this civilization has been around just about as long as us. How did you know I was going to spare one of them?"

Brahma and Vishnu ignored his question and again addressed Shiva in sync with one another, "Where is King Mew? We would like to explain ourselves and reward him by giving him even greater power along with supreme knowledge of the cosmos for his troubles."

Shiva was at a loss for words. All he could remember was using all of his power to destroy Mewsia and before he knew it Ravana had stolen Mew right from under his nose. Shiva swiftly relayed this information and the three Gods quickly assembled all the other Gods, Goddesses, gods, and goddesses to track down Ravana as fast as possible. Nobody knew where he was hiding with Mew and hours of searching turned into days, days turned into weeks, and before they realized it a couple months had passed and there were no signs of Mew or Ravana.

Just about all the Gods gave up searching but Shiva and his team were persistent and chose not to stop until Mew was found. Along their travels searching they came across the bird God, Garuda. Apparently he was never informed that the Gods were searching for King Mew or the evil Ravana. Garuda had seen Ravana with Mew and he was taking him in a southern direction. Shiva knew there was only one island out there and it was the Island of Lanka. At last Shiva knew Mew's exact location and he was finally recovered.

(Garuda in this story is the Legendary Pokemon Ardicuno.

Source: Web)

In the possession of the Gods he was rewarded with immense power, knowledge, and even immortality. It is believed that the great God Mew is even alive to this day, doing his best to stay out of the way of the humans yet protecting them at the same time. For when the Gods gave Mew the power of a God he became the peacekeeper and protector of the world.

Author's Note: No blog would be complete for me unless my favorite pokemon, Mew, was featured in one of my stories. I took the story where the monkey people help Rama search for Ravana and Sita. Instead of Ravana stealing Sita away from Rama he stole Mew away from the Gods. Just as everyone is losing hope about finding their target there is an encounter with a bird/bird person. In the original story it was the bird Sampati who knew where Sita was taken. I couldn't really find a way to integrate him into my story so instead I used Garuda because he is the god of the birds. I used a little bit of pokemon lore and decided to have Mew alive to this very day. In the anime he is only seen a couple times and is the most legendary Pokemon in the first generation series. This is why decided to make him a God at the end.

Bibliography: Online free Ramayana, Story titled "Sampati"
Author: Sister Nivedita

Week 3 Storytelling: Viradha

There was once a noble prince named Roger. Roger was handsome and everyone in the kingdom couldn't wait for him to assume his father's position as king. However, King Joffrey had other plans. Joffrey was going to do anything in his power as king in order to ensure his future on the throne. He didn't exactly know what his plans were but it was certain that he wasn't going to give up his throne easily.

The king was walking to his chambers one night when he came into contact with an evil nameless witch. Instead of calling for the guards to assist him he approached the witch. The witch could see the greed in the king's heart and used this greed for her own advantage. She knew exactly what the king desired and made a deal with the king. The deal that the witch proposed was eternal life. In return all she wanted to do was serve her king for eternity. Without hesitation the king quickly pounced on the opportunity to rule until the end of time. The witch told the king that the next time the land starts to shake that she would be able to use the mysterious power of the earth and transfer that power to give the king eternal life.

(King Joffrey in this story.

Source: Web)

A few years passed and there were no earthquakes. The king was growing old and his time left alive was waiting in frustration. Everyone in King Joffrey's kingdom despised the king and couldn't wait for his son Roger to take over. On one night where there was a full moon the earth finally shook. The king ordered the witch to perform her ritual and give him eternal life. The witch remembered clearly what the king desired and gave him exactly what he wanted. Startled by the earth shaking, Roger ran to his father's chamber to make sure his father was alright. But when he got to his father's chamber he noticed the witch speaking in a language he had never heard before. He didn't think much of it and just stayed close by to see what was happening.

At the climax of the ritual Roger heard his father screaming and then the screams faded away almost like he was falling out the window. Roger rushed in to find his father standing in stone and the witch laughing. Roger demanded to know what happened and could not get any answer. Overwhelmed with emotions, Roger drew his sword and charged towards the evil witch. In a panic the witch tried to cast the same spell upon Roger to turn him into stone too. She was hurried so much that she didn't exactly know what spell she cast upon him. Roger plunged his sword into the witch's stomach and quickly threw her of out the window with the sword still embedded into her body. As she was falling all you could hear was screaming. Right before the evil witch struck the ground she yelled, "ONLY RAMA CAN SAVE YOU NOW!" Roger had no clue what she was talking about and could only stand there speechless at what had just happened to his father.

A couple minutes passed. Roger finally gathered himself and used this time to say farewell to his father by stating, "Is this what you imagined what eternal life would be like? I don't know if you're still in there but I promise I will clean up the family name and in a hundred years people will forget the horrid things you did. People will remember that you were my father and I will do my best every day to let the people know you were hard on the kingdom because you didn't want to see it fall into ruin like our neighboring kingdoms. You understood that power trumps compassion as a ruler, yet I will show you what a compassionate king is capable of."

In the next weeks Roger could see his body changing from a human into a demon and had no clue what was happening. He locked himself in his chamber and didn't let anyone come near him because he feared they would jump to conclusions. His worst fear came true and all members of the Kingsgurd barged into his chamber. They had never seen a creature like Roger and didn't even know it was him. In terror the guards drew their swords and began relentlessly stabbing Roger. To Roger's surprise the weapons had no effect on him. He filled with rage and brutally killed every guard in that room and outside his door with nothing more than his bare hands. Not knowing what to do, the final words the witch spoke had stuck in his mind ever since his dad was turned to stone. Convinced that he must find someone named Rama he jumped out the window and ran to the dense forest slaying anyone who tried to stop him. He quickly realized that whatever curse the witch had put on him resulted in him being turned into a demon that was seemingly invincible to all mortal weapons.

(Roger from American Dad.

This is what Roger in this story looks like after the curse.)

Author's Notes: This story was derived from the story titled "Viradha." Basically the rakshasa named Viradha takes Sita and Rama ends up having to kill him. Viradha has a curse on him where weapons can't kill him and Rama was destined to free him from his curse. The story didn't really say how he got the curse so I made up my own story as to how he obtained this strange curse. In my story Roger is Viradha, and the witch is the person who gave him the curse. King Joffrey is a Game of Thrones reference because that was the name of an evil and corrupt king in that series. The main purpose of this story is to inform the reader the way I like to believe this man got his curse. I used Roger in this story because I am a fan of American Dad and it just seems right to have an alien represent someone who is supposed to be a demon.

Bibliography- Title:(Online Free) The Ramayana, Story titled "Viradha"
                        Author: Valmiki