NANOWRIMO Plans

November is fast approaching, and I finally have a project to set to NANOWRIMO. 

I've been working on a script that involves Korean folklore, and it is loosely based off of the Korean fairytale The Blind Man's Daughter

You can find the original fairytale here: 

http://www.storynory.com/2008/11/17/the-blind-mans-daughter/

My script is almost finished, and I can't wait to dive in and see what my beta readers think of it. In the meantime, for NANOWRIMO, I have decided to expand the story, and write a novel version of it.

This idea first came to me before I left for Korea, and while I was in Korea, I was inspired by many places I visited. I'm going to try to pitch this story to Disney once it is finished, and hopefully Shim Chong will be the first Korean Disney Princess. 

This project has taken months, but I love working on it, and I hope that I'll have a novel out for it soon. 

I released a sneak preview of the story here: 

http://crystallizedheart.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-dragon-pearl.html

But things may change for the actual novel. Still, I'm glad I have finally chosen my project for NANOWRIMO. 

Yobi the Five Tailed Fox: Movie Review ( Spoiler Free)

I came across this film when I was doing research on Korean Folklore for my screenplay. 

It's available on Netflix, and it's the first Korean animated movie that I've seen. 

Story: Thousands of years ago, nine tailed foxes roamed the moutains, but they were driven out by humans. Yobi is the only one of her kind, and when aliens crash on the mountain where she lives, she takes them in, and they become a family. One day, one of the aliens is found by a human girl, and she takes him to her school. In order to get her friend back, Yobi poses as a human and goes to the school that the girl goes to. While trying to find a way to get her alien friend back, Yobi meets Geum-ee, a young boy who wants to be a comedian. As Yobi gets to know the humans at the school, and becomes more interested in Geum-ee a Gumiho hunter appears, and she is put in danger. Yobi learns that to spend time with humans, she must become one herself, but the price might be too high for her to pay. 

This movie was very interesting. The spirits, history and the world of the film gave it the same mysterious atmosphere of Spirited Away. 

Yobi is a curious, fun loving character, and she also has a good heart. As she sdapts to humans, she changes her values and morals. 

Some of the spirits were really strange, but they seemed to be part of the world of the film, and each brought their own element to Yobi's story. 

For some characters, there is little to no history about them. The shadow detective, the fox hunter and Yobi's spirit friend are never really explained. 

Still, the movie was very interesting and it dove into some philosophical topics. 

I would recommend this film to fans of Miyazaki, Korean Folkore and animation. 

Four out of five dreamcatchers. 

Nine-tailed Wish

A while ago, I wrote a story about a Gumiho that wants to be human. I few days ago, someone asked me if I would keep writing that story. I've decided to publish it on Wattpad, and this will be my project for NANO WRIMO :) 

You can find the first three chapters here: 

http://w.tt/1O304YY

The Dragon Pearl

I found the necklace near a stream, when I was out for a walk, far from the village. 

I was only seven then, and I was already the talk of the town. 

"Why does she daydream so much?" the villagers asked. "Doesn't she know that's a sign of the mystic world?" 

Of course I knew, but I couldn't help it. I was, after all, only seven. So I went to the outskirts of the forest, wondering what lie beyond the houses and gardens that I saw everyday. 

First, there was a stream, with a waterfall that mumbled like an old man. 

And there, in the water, near the edge, I saw something shining. I pulled out the object, admiring the silver dragon, curled around the most beautiful pearl I had ever seen. It seemed to glow as the sun came out from the clouds. 

"You shouldn't be here." a voice said. 

I looked up from the pearl, and I saw a boy. He was no ordinary boy. I knew that from his strange outfit. It looked fit for a prince. Two blue dragons adorned the belt of a pearl white silk robe. His hair was not pulled back, but he stood straight, unafraid of anything. 

"That belongs to me." he said, pointing at the necklace. 

"Oh." I said. I had forgotten what I was holding. 

"Who are you girl?" he asked, "And why are you here?" 

"My name is Shimcheong." I said, "Who are you?" 

The boy stared for a moment, then he scratched his head. 

"My name would be . . . difficult for you to pronounce. You can call me Yong." 

"Hello Yong." I said, smiling. It was rare that I met someone my own age, or at least someone who looked like it. 

He smiled, and held out his hand.

I gave him the necklace and he laughed. 

"Do you know what this is?" he asked.

"It's a dragon pearl." I said, "but why is it here?"

"I'm surprised that you know it." Yong said, "Not many people talk of the dragons anymore."

"My mom did." I said. "They were my favorite stories."

"That's fascinating." the boy said. "But I'm afraid I can't tell you why the pearl is here." 

"Why not?" I asked, stomping my foot. 

He smiled at me again. 

"Because I don't know." he said. 

"Is it yours?" I asked. 

"It might be." he said. 

I stared at him. 

He stared back, and handed me the necklace. 

"Will you hold on to it for me?" he asked. 

I stared at him. 

"Why?" I asked. 

"Because it chose you." he replied. 

As he handed me the necklace, I thought I saw the silver dragon wink at me. 

"You must keep it safe. Until I return." Yong said. 

I nodded and placed the pearl in the palm of my hand. 

"I will." I said. 

"Good." Yong replied. 

But, when I looked up, he was gone, and I didn't see any footprints on the ground where he stood. 

As I walked back to the village, hiding the necklace in my hanbok. I thought I had spoken with a ghost. 

At first, I went to the stream every day, searching for Yong. But, as the years passed, and no one came, I visited the stream less often

When I turned sixteen, the crops began to go bad, and my father slowly went blind. 

The villagers began to whisper that I was bad luck, and my father and I did what we could to manage the farm, but we soon had no choice but to sell it. 

People said that the Dragon King was angry, and the clouds blocked the sun. No farm did well that year, and as my father and I moved from the farm to a hut near the village gate, I began to wonder if I held the key to our salvation. 

One night, when the wind howled and the rain poured, I pulled out the necklace. 

The silver had never tarnished, and the pearl still glowed. I stared at the dragon, closed my eyes and made a wish. 

Thats when it all began. 

The Celestial Bridge

The Water Goddess watched the bridge from her garden. Soah, the Water God's bride knew this bridge well. When she first crossed it, she was a human afraid that she would soon face death. Now she stood tall in divine robes, watching the mist that carried the incense of the temple's offerings. 

Sometimes she looked down at the water and whispered her family's name, watching them live their lives, proud of her sacrifice. Time was not as fast in the Celestial realm. Soah knew that her husband Haebeck wouldn't understand that it was hard to leave humanity. He had always been immortal, not caring or worrying about time. But Soah remembered rushing to the market for early deals, hurrying home before the night came or counting the seconds before it was dinner time. 

The palace was beautiful, but now and then Soah would miss her life as a normal human. Although she loved the Water God dearly, there was much to learn about becoming an immortal. She remembered stories about humans wanting to become divine. Never would she have guessed that one day she would go on that journey. 

It was times like this, with a hazy fog and beautiful lotus flowers, that Soah knew the price for divinity. Haebeck would remind her of her decision once he returned. They would sail on the Milky Way, visit the moon and journey beyond the sea of clouds and rain. She would meet more gods, and learn who to trust and who to be wary of. She would hear humans, especially from her village, asking for blessings.  

For now, Soah would watch the world from her garden, wishing Haebeck to return safely. 

The Nine Tailed Wish Chapter 2: The Dandelion

My mother knew I was gone before the sun came up. I could hear her howl and feel the fresh rain of her tears as I left the divine forest. I had to tell her, especially after she saw me talking to what she believed was a human. My reasons fell on deaf ears. Mother has always hated humans. She told me my father trusted a human once and was betrayed. Once the human saw what he was, their friendship ended, and the hunt for my father began. But I was convinced that not all humans were bad. I spent most of my days watching them from trees, bushes and of course standing in crowds. They couldn't see me, but I always wanted them to. 

It started when I saw a boy, long ago, when I was little and unafraid. I watched him leave the village, even after his mother told him not to leave. She didn't notice him slip away, but I did. He was headed straight for the forest. 

I tried to think about how I could save him. The divine forest was full of monsters and creatures that ate humans. I didn't want to see such a cute and innocent child die. He couldn't see me, so as I followed him, I thought of ways I could lead him back home. I couldn't talk to him, but I found that I could draw things in the sand, on the trees, and I could even throw flowers on the ground. He seemed amused by them, so I started making a flower path and marking the ground. He giggled and followed the flowers that seemed to jump from the stem and land before his feet. He tried catching them, but soon he was back to the village gate and safely home. He tried to explain what had happened to his mother.

My mother was furious.

"We don't reveal ourselves, and we don't help humans!" she shouted when I returned home. 

"He couldn't see me." I said, "And I kept him from going deeper into the forest didn't I?"

My mother couldn't say anything to that, shook her head and told me to go hunting for dinner. She warned me not to help humans over and over again. Each time, she became more hysterical, but this time, hearing this wish, and the process I would go through, she was sad.

"Sakura, you've risked everything! If you become human, I will never be able to talk to you again. You will lose your ability to see me and hear me. Is that what you want?"

"I do love you mother. But I don't feel like I belong to the divine world. I want to try becoming human, and I want to be able to actually live alongside them."

"You can't have both worlds." My mother said, "Stay here with me. If your father were here, he would tell you that you are choosing humans over our own divine race."

"My father isn't here, mother." I said with a sigh, "We don't even know where he is, or if he'll ever come back."

"If you leave here, you won't be able to return."

"I know, but this is what I want. And I can still talk to you. Promise you'll visit me? At least once?"

She never answered me, and left our cave.

I decided that I would have to leave, and a tear slid down my cheeck, causing a light drizzle of rain. By the time I left the forest, it was a downpour. I heard my mother's howl and bowed to the forest hoping she could see me. 

On the way toward the city, I saw a dandelion. Many human children wished on them and scattered the seeds to make their wish come true. I decided to try it, at least once.

"I wish I will see my mother again." I whispered, then blew the seeds into the wind. 

I walked slowly toward the city, and realized that my outfit might freak people out. I found a clothesline, and a light pink dress with white lace sleeves. With the thought of paying the human back later, I changed quickly and found a tree where I hid my gumiho hanbok. I promised myself that I would come back, hopefully with the human who would accept me as I am, and always remember that before I was human,  I was a gumiho. Not thinking of how my hopes could be too high. I bowed to the tree, asking it to keep my divine clothes well hidden, and made my way down the long grassy hill toward the city.