Hercules' 12 Deliveries: Topic Research

The more I think about it, and the fact that I am getting such positive feedback on the idea, I think my project for next week will be Hercules' 12 Deliveries, a parody on Hercules' 12 Labors. Since I am very confident that this will be my actual story, I was hoping that, instead of coming up with three stories, I could at least establish three of my deliveries. Last week, I went into a little detail here, but this week I am going to dive a little deeper. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned how I liked the idea of writing in first-person so that we may see into the mind of Hercules as he is making these bizarre deliveries.

At this point, I only have a few issues with this topic. For one, I am not sure if I can come up with exactly 12 satirical takes on the original labors. As of now, I plan on coming up with 12 ideas, but only focus on my 3-5 best ideas. The rest, hopefully, I can mention in passing. That is not to say that I don't want to make them fun or ignore them to be lazy. I plan on making these tasks so astronomically hilarious that a mere mention of them will bring a chuckle to the reader. The other issue that I am facing is the fact that I don't need that many other sources. In the above link to one of my earlier posts, there lies a link to a site that does a good job of summarizing all of the 12 labors. Realistically,  I feel that it may be enough for the 12 labors at least (Anybody's input on what other sources I could use would be greatly appreciated!) However, other sources I plan on looking at are maybe old articles of the most bizarre/hilarious deliveries told by deliverymen/women. I am hoping, since this a fictitious piece of work, that I won't have to rely on scholarly articles or peer-reviewed articles that us college students are usually forced to rely on. I truly feel that these delivery stories will give me inspiration on some of the wackier stories. From the People's article, I hope to make my Hercules as non-nonchalant as these deliverymen/women when he is met with any type of weird situation.

(On a side note, I am also planning on changing Hercules' name into something a bit more modern. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!)
(Another side note, I found a site that contains a lot of useful information about Greek mythology:
Mr. P's Mythopedia)

Labor 1: Hercules' Lost Belt
After his latest delivery, Hercules is without a belt for his uniform's trousers. Ironically, one of his deliveries includes the request for a woman's belt. Since he is without money, he plans on stealing a belt from a nearby roller-rink. His only issue is that he has to get through a women's roller-derby team who are all angry from a recent lost. They do not enjoy the idea that they are being robbed by an awkward college-student.

Labor 2: Cerberi, The Three Dogs
His final delivery leads Hercules to a seemingly abandoned house. Walking inside, he is encountered by three angry guard dogs. Hercules has to use his wit to dodge the dogs until he is finally able to wrestle all three dogs into a makeshift collar.

Labor 3: The Buckling Bull
His latest delivery leads Hercules to the house of a professional wrestler, nicknamed The Minotaur. The Minotaur refuses to pay unless Hercules can beat him in a wrestling match. There's a large part of me that wants the match to end with Hercules hitting The Minotaur with a folding chair to get the money he is owed.

These are the three stories that I feel I could incorporate into my project. Let me know what you guys think! I am always open to suggestions and feedback!

 

(According to my story, Cerberus is actually 3 dogs!
Mr. P's Mythopedia)

Topic Brainstorm

I have boiled down my selection of topics for my storybook.

Hercules' 12 Deliveries:
I am a huge fan of Greek/Roman mythology, so retelling the story of Hercules' 12 labors can be fun. Admittedly, I got this idea from my roommate when he jokingly said this. Instead of a man seeking redemption through 12 painstakingly difficult tasks, we would be following an average delivery boy through 12 of his not-so-average deliveries. Take, for example, his task of dealing with Cerberus, Hades' guard-dog to the underworld. In my retelling, the delivery boy would be forced to have to make a delivery to a house guarded by three, unchained dogs. Another aspect of the story that I can change up is, where Hercules was known for using his strength in the trials, the delivery boy could instead rely on wit and intelligence. I found a site by Tufts University that summarizes the 12 Labors, which I can refer back to if I need to brush up on the labors.

The Trojan Feud:
Continuing with the topic of Greek mythology, I feel that the Trojan War can be easily parodied (especially the reason why it started). In the original version of the myth, the war was  started by the abduction of a Spartan Queen by Prince Paris of Troy, my retelling could be set in modern times where a man accidentally kidnaps a person, ensuing a family feud that could be extremely funny. I could then incorporate the story of the Trojan Horse, where instead of ending with a bloodbath, I can make it where the man simply wants to get into the victim's house to merely apologize. I would use this site for a basic summarization of the entire war.

The Rift Between the Brother and Sister
This story would be be a retelling of the Chinese myth known as "Why Dog and Cat are Enemies"; but, instead of a cat and dog having animosity against each other, the characters would be brothers and sisters. The original myth has the two animals becoming mortal enemies due to the cat being fortunate enough to return home before the dog with an item the owners desperately needed, despite the dog having helped the cat in the first place. My retelling of the story could replace the animals with brothers, sisters, or both. We all know the story of how either the youngest or the oldest of the siblings always receives the most love from parents, and I feel that I can use this theme since it is so similar to that of the original myth's (envy). I would use the UN-Textbook for any information needed.

Solomon's Long Week
This story would be an in depth tale about Solomon Grundy. Where the original nursery rhyme is only 10 lines, I feel that it would be a fun challenge to create a backstory for Grundy. How does he become sick? How does a 3 day-old person get married? I believe I can write a story where, instead of being born on a Monday, he could be doing something relating to life on that Monday (giving birth, saving a life, etc.). I feel that there are endless ways to expand on this story. Solomon Grundy is a minor villain in the Batman comics, and I can maybe create a story of Batman trying to put together Solomon Grundy's origins! Fortunately for this story, the only real resource needed is the original rhyme itself. The rest I can make up on my own. (Hopefully)

(Hercules is just trying to deliver some pizza:

Mythical Realm)