Comment Wall for Scandal Damsel
(Image of Thank You balloons from Kris Carr)
Thank you for reading my storybook! Please let me know what you think in the comments!
Introduction to an Aspiring Dermatologist
Hello, everyone! I figured if y'all are going to be reading my blog posts all semester that I should probably tell you a little bit about myself. Hi! My name is Libby Helm and I am from Dallas, Texas (for all my Dallas people--I grew up in Carrollton, now I live in Coppell). My declared major is Chemical Biosciences (Pre-Med) but I have been teetering between medical school and PA school. If I decide PA--which I *think* I am leaning towards--then I will switch to a Planned Program major, which will mirror Chemical Biosciences very closely. So, yes, my major is very complicated! However, the end goal is the same: to become a dermatologist. Here is a summed up version of why: As a child I had gotten acne long before any of my peers did, while moles and freckles covered my body, as they did my father's. Earlier diagnosed with Basal Cell Carcinoma, which turned into Melanoma, my father had to undergo surgery to remove the cancer. Between the premature acne and suspicious moles, my...
Hi! I just have to say, your name and idea for the storybook is so creative and original! It made me laugh and smile, and I am excited for the rest of your stories. I loved reading your introduction and getting to know you. Including the pictures of the princesses, and addressing us as "peasants, princes, and knights" sets the theme for the rest of your site.
ReplyDeleteYour writing style is so unique, and very enjoyable to read. It is almost conversational, in the sense that I feel like I can connect directly with you, as the writer, and the characters. The italics really make your story come alive. I really appreciate how you pieced some extra details together. Writing about Cinderella's father and some backstory there is definitely different, but also exciting and entertaining. I am looking forward to reading more of your stories going forward - your storybook theme is FANTASTIC (if I haven't said that already).
Hi Libby! First of all, your thank you on the comment wall is so cute. Ok this idea seems so fun! I am so excited to read this storybook! It is giving me Gossip Girl vibes! There is so much drama that I cannot wait to read about!
ReplyDeleteI really love how your commentary is in italics. I like the craziness of the step-sisters that they were so desperate to fit into the shoe that they cut off their toes. In the story that children read, they don't really have any consequences to their actions besides for not getting the prince. In the original Grimm Brother story, they created their own consequences. They could have kept all their toes, but they were so inclined to fit into the shoe that they didn't think about the aftermath of having less toes.
One area that could be altered is maybe the color of the background of the story or the picture in the header. It personally does not pop to me as much as your story is popping.
Overall, AMAZING story. I am really excited to read about Snow White and Sleeping Beauty!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your introduction.
It feels like a tmz article or tabloid. Its a silly and short opening, which I think was done quite well. I'm not sure, but it sounds like you are hinting at the original Brothers Grim stories, especially with the blood on the shoe. Even though the tale is darker, I love it! One of my favorite parts from the original Cinderella, which I hope you consider adding, is when the stepsisters' eyes are pecked out by birds.
I like how you end each summary with a question. It intrigues the readers to continue on.
Your website is nice. However, I think your design could be improved by placing the images you have on the introduction on an image carousel.
I can't wait to read your stories.
Hey Libby!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea for a storybook. Im getting some pretty spooky vibes as I browse through your project, but I like it. I think the theme of the red is a good touch as well. The Cinderella story is one of my favorites from Disney and your retelling gives such good detail about the story. I thought your comments throughout the story was really funny and made me laugh at times. The anonymous tag at the end as well as the hilarious name of scandal damsel fits incredibly well. I am glad someone else notices the blatant disrespect that the father portrays in the story, I never liked that guy. You really dug in deep to offer new material that most of us have probably never thought about or noticed. Overall, great job!
Best,
Payton
Hi Kristen, oh I mean, Libby!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fun storybook and very creative! I love that you are exposing the scandalous sides to our favorite princesses. I love the red color scheme and your introduction page. You give us a little taste of each story, but leave us wanting to read more! That is how I did mine as well! I also love how you switch between italicized words to interject your own commentary as the story goes on. Very clever! I liked how you kept the father alive and made him one of the villains, but I felt that he could have been more active in the story than sitting by and just letting things happen. Perhaps he could have more of a reason for being included in the story, like to team up with the stepmother or to play favorites with the sisters? But overall, I really enjoyed this story, and I like that you added so many new elements to a classic story!
oh my gosh I'm so excited to keep reading your storybook! I'm not embarrassed to admit that I'm a fan of Gossip Girl and your idea is going to be so much fun to write about!! Your home page and intro really set the vibe of your page. Your intro made me laugh and curious to read about the scandals I missed out on. I like how you have images of each of the princesses to the side. I think everyone knows who they are but it was a nice detail to add. Your intro is packed full of details so I already know your stories are gonna be so entertaining to read. I don't really have anything to critique about your introduction besides maybe playing with formatting. It could be fun to assign a specific text color to each princess and leave your character's voice as black? You could also find images depicting each scandal and include them in a carousel. The details from the non-Disney versions could be better explained with images. You did a really good job with this so far!!
ReplyDeleteHi Libby!
ReplyDeleteI love your storybook and the web presentation looks great. I liked that you included pictures of each princess in the introduction; it helps to bring your storybook together. I also love the Gossip Girl vibes. I think your stories are well-written and they’re fun because different details are added to the story instead of the peppy, cute Disney fairytale everyone knows. I liked how you included Scandal Damsel’s thoughts as she was telling the story; I think it adds some dimension to the stories. In Cinderella’s story, I was kind of expecting her father to also be doing cruel things like her step-family based off the introduction. He definitely is a horrible person for letting those things happen to her! What if you had her father actually doing monstrous things, too? In Snow White’s story, I liked that you included tantalizing details that most people don’t know - like the queen killing herself. Also, I just noticed a minor detail: "It was then that the queen asked the mirror once more to see if she and truly gotten rid of Snow White." <-- Was the "and' supposed to be "had?"
Just a thought...what if there were stories about the princesses themselves doing scandalous things? You have an awesome storybook so far and I’m looking forward to reading the last story!
Hi Libby! I read Snow White this week. I love your own commentary on this whole story. You raise very important questions. Why do all of these princess stories discuss evil stepmothers? I was not familiar that the queen wanted to eat Snow White's organs. I am not surprised that was left out of the kid-friendly version. Honestly, who does go into someone's home and just use their stuff/sleep on their bed? This reminds me of Goldilocks. She was lucky the dwarfs were so nice. It is interesting that a comb and ribbon were used rather than just an apple. I cannot believe that there was no kiss in the original. I am very happy about that because that was one aspect of the story that was the creepiest. Why did he kiss a girl that was dead? I had no idea these princess stories were so much more dramatic. I really appreciate your stories. They are very easy to read, and I enjoy your commentary. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHey Libby, reading your storybook was honestly so fun because not only do you get a good retelling of the story, but likewise get the scandal commentary that simply adds to it! I like the fact that you've been using some of the Grimm versions for your retelling because, honestly, they're so fascinating! It's always interesting to see how the stories were originally told, and how much darker they were before Disney got ahold of them! So, definitely good job on that! I don't have much in the form of personal critique so I looked at what other's have to say, and I think it would be a good idea if you added different colored text for who's speaking! Besides the usual check-up on grammar and formatting, adding a different formatting touch will further accentuate an already great storybook, and just draw people into it more! Overall, I'm excited to read the next installation of your storybook; it's so cool!
ReplyDeleteHi Libby!
ReplyDeleteI think your website idea is really inventive. The image on your home page is very high-quality and good-looking. The "XOXO" on the cover image reminds me of the introduction of Gossip Girl, and how she says "XOXO, Gossip Girl". However, I would suggest using more images overall. The "XOXO" works for the home page, but I think your website would benefit from changing the cover photos on each of the story pages. Replacing the cover images would help tie each story together on its respective page. The photo of the stepsisters trying to fit into the slipper was captivating. It really shows how selfish and desperate the stepsisters are to be the princess. In your Snow White story, I like how the photo still had Snow White in the coffin. It shows how she was in a dire, deathly situation and the prince saved her, giving her clarity and a new lease on her soon-to-be new life. I'm looking forward to more of your work this semester!
Hi Libby! Wow, a new take on Gossip Girl but in the form of a Mythology gossip queen who exposes all of the princesses! I never thought I would see such a thing but I'm absolutely living for it. Regarding your images, I really like the little "XOXO" and lipstick mark on the introduction page. This makes me think of shady secrets getting passed in the back of hallways after school which is the effect I think you'd want to go for in a storybook like this. It's very gossip looking and I think that fits this whole story extremely well. I like the images you included within each post as well. While I do think you could adjust the top banner to be different on every page so that it does not look like you're reusing images, it wouldn't be that big of a deal if you left it. One image that I particularly enjoyed was the Snow White image at the bottom of the story. Snow White wakes up in a glass coffin and just sits up smiling as everyone around her looks shocked or devastated by her death. This fits the vibe of the story perfectly and I don't think you could have included anything better than what you did. Overall, I loved reading your stories and your images flowed really well! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHi Libby! I really enjoyed reading through your Storybook. I'm in the Indian Epics course and I love reading the projects from the Folklore class! After reading your introduction, I was immediately intrigued to read the stories in your storybook. However, there is one thing I would change in your introduction... I think it would be better to say "Any of these scandals catch your eye?" instead of saying "Any of this scandal catch your eye?" In your first scandalous story, I would change the punctuation to a question mark at the end of "Well, I mustn't keep you waiting shall I." Other than that, I LOVED your first story. It was so fun to read and I am already a fan of Gossip Girl so it was so cool to see you take on that role in a very different way. I really liked the layout and the way you changed your font to indicate when someone was talking, etc. throughout your story. This made the story easy to follow and very enjoyable to read. Your second story was super great too and the picture that you incorporated on this page really helped me to dive in and visualize the story a little better. When I read the text by Scandal Damsel, I find my self reading it in the voice of Gossip Girl in my head -- so fun!! I'm sad that I made it to your storybook before you've had a chance to add your final story but I will definitely be keeping a look out for it! Great job so far!
ReplyDeleteHi Libby,
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe it has taken me this long to get to your storybook! I love this concept and the interjections by the narrator are soooo good. It reminds me a bit of my own storybook idea so I may be a bit biased on these tell all gossip blogs. I think that you have a very good format and your images for your blog are so well planned out. I think that your layout has made your story an easy read and also very entertaining. It is much less rainbows and sunshine and more demented and twisted which I find more interesting to read than everything being happy. I hope to be able to read your last story because I have really enjoyed reading your past two stories. I think that you have done so well and I love your Gossip Girl approach of these stories as an avid Gossip Girl watcher! Can't wait for the last one!
Hi Libby,
ReplyDeleteI am in the Indian Epics section, so it is my first time venturing over to the mythology section. I took great interest in your storybook because of how different it was from the other ones I have read. I love the concept of pointing out all the scandals of beloved Disney princess classics and showing how the real stories behind Cinderella and Snow White are not as innocent as the movies make them out to be. I had always just assumed that the father was dead in Cinderella, but I like that you changed it so that the father was there the whole time, to showcase the theme of how negligent some parents can be of their parents. Your commentary in italics sprinkled throughout your story retellings were so fun to read, and you brought a sassy personality that was very entertaining! I am a Harry Potter fan, so when I read the italicized notes, they reminded very much of Rita Skeeter, which was awesome! I just watched Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and seeing the monstrous treatment of the Moorfolk on behalf of Prince Philip's mother, Queen Ingrid, I can imagine how many scandals there are in Sleeping Beauty just waiting to be exposed. Thanks for this fantastic storybook, and I very much look forward to reading your last story!
Hi, Libby! Great job on your project so far. I think it's coming along quite nicely.
ReplyDeleteYour introduction was great. It definitely felt like the homepage of a really gross gossip blog. Perez hilton, who? You also did a wonderful job of introducing each of your stories and setting up the big reveals for each one.
I really loved the focus on Cinderella's dad in this story as well. I've always agreed that it's insane how little flak he gets for just letting all of that go down. Once again, I think you did a great job of making this feel like a salacious gossip blog. I thought your paragraph spacing and length were both great in this story.
I love your final note of disgust at the happy ending. Again, great sell for the gossip tone. I think you did a wonderful job of telling the story while also incorporating this gossip blogger character's notes and voice. I actually didn't know about the queen's suicide bit. Even I learned some sweet, sweet gossip. Paragraph length and spacing was good on this one as well. Great job!
Hello Libby, first off I love the look of your page. I also loved the idea of your introduction and all the gossip girl vibes and I thought it gave just enough details but not too much. I really like your take on Cinderella and thought you added just of the gruesome details without making it too gory. I am also wondering why the father did nothing to help his daughter. Snow White had interesting twist that I wasn’t expecting. I think the part that I liked the most was how you changed how she woke up. I enjoyed the idea of not needing a man or in this case a prince to rely on. Overall I really enjoyed your storybook and I am really excited to read the rest of your stories.
ReplyDeleteHi Libby!
ReplyDeleteFirst sentence in and I was already in love with how you used the italics to give side comments. I think this adds to the idea of it being a gossip site but it also gives your characters a little extra sass. I, also, like that you are giving headliners. These have me laughing before I even start reading. You did a very good job at hooking and keeping the audience on the hook. I went through all of the stories very quickly and am ready for another. I think that your website set up works very well with the concept you have created! By that I mean you set it up the exact way I would expect a gossip column to look and you looped the stories together very well. Each built off of each other not in the way that they had any interconnecting, but they are each designed to keep the audience scrolling!
Hi Libby,
ReplyDeleteI am from the other class, Indian Epics. I took this class previously, and was excited to read some of these projects. I chose yours because the name was interesting. I expected something entertaining, and I was not disappointed! I loved the way you wrote about your characters and described these scandalous situations. I didn't know from just the name that this was inspired by Gossip Girl, but that quickly became apparent. I love that so much! What a fun and creative idea. You did such a good job implementing the Gossip Girl vibes that I wanted to go watch the show after I finished reading.
I really enjoyed the hot takes by the narrator. The part about the father in the first story was so funny. And the commentary about Snow White and her foolish behavior was very entertaining and added a lot to the story. I am excited to read your next story.
Your paragraph spacing looks good and I love your blog design. I think it goes well with your theme and stories!