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Post by zuyuri on Feb 8, 2023 17:22:22 GMT
The library was Zelda’s sanctuary. After class, she made a bee line. The smell of old books greeted her, and immediately, she felt comfort and safety settle on her shoulders. Audio books were nice, but after a while, simply enjoying the feeling of a physical object was worth it. She didn’t know which part of the library she had stumbled into, but at least the Dewey Decimal system pinpointed her location. 800s. Classic literature. Zelda pulled a volume from the shelf and settled, thumbing the pages gingerly and smiling serenely as she read.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 12, 2023 23:40:49 GMT
Lessons on fictional books were a bit fewer and further between at Hero High compared to a regular public school. Mostly, they were used to teach analysis and critical thinking skills, as well as expand the students' vocabulary. Spike wasn't the biggest fan of them though. If they were going to read something for class, couldn't the teachers at least pick something cool, like Harry Potter or the Hunger Games? But it seemed like the staff didn't think that way, and so Spike was saddled with reading Hamlet. Sighing, he made his way to a group of tables where other students were pouring over books, taking notes, or writing papers. He hoped to at least attempt to get through some of it, although he doubted he could. Old timey English was confusing to him. Although he did perk up at the sight of a familiar blonde head. "Ah, the bookworm in her natural habitat," he joked. "Whatcha got there?"
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Post by zuyuri on Feb 13, 2023 16:26:26 GMT
A huge pet peeve of Zelda was interrupting her when she was reading. This was the second time Spike had committed that offense. It always seemed wherever she went, he was there. He had commented on her “bite” in class and then there was the dance. Her face was a mask of annoyance as she lowered the book slowly. “King Arthur. A bit of light reading.” Given the size of how big the book was could have been a joke. It was a teensy bit heavy, but it was comfortable. At least it wasn’t a first edition hardcover of War and Peace.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 15, 2023 23:56:13 GMT
Spike seemed to glance between the words Zelda said and the very large book in her hands. "You and I have a very different definition of light," he commented. "Do you tackle school books with this much enthusiasm?" She probably did, this was the girl that would read during the middle of a school dance.
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Post by zuyuri on Feb 16, 2023 4:16:46 GMT
Zelda glared at Spike in response. So what the books she liked had actual dimension? She looked down at the page she was on and closed the book again, putting the number of the page in her memory. He dug at her again, asking if she was the same with schoolbooks. “It depends on the subject, truthfully. Just because I’m a scholar doesn’t mean I eat, live, and breathe all parts of academics.”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 17, 2023 0:47:02 GMT
Zelda bristled a little at his jabs, which was kind of funny. She was so uptight. She did say that she wasn't well-versed in every single type of book though. Spike thought for a moment before deciding to take a shot. "How good are you with Shakespeare?" he asked, holding up his copy of Hamlet. "Do you get all that old timey English and stuff?"
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Post by zuyuri on Feb 17, 2023 20:37:43 GMT
“The bard?” That sounded like a superhero name in it of itself, the more Zelda realized she used his nickname. “It took me a little while to get through his prose, but I’d say I’m fairly comfortable with his works. Always preferred the tragedies. There’s a moral to them as opposed to wrapping everything in a nice bow.” Sure the comedies, histories and romances had their perks, but the tragedies Shakespeare wrote always stuck from the messages. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Don’t be too blinded by revenge, and so on.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 18, 2023 22:07:55 GMT
Zelda had a thing for tragedies, huh? That was interesting. When Shakespeare was mentioned, girls her age seemed to gush over Romeo and Juliet and how it was so romantic. Spike thought it was weird to idolize a relationship where the two people got married shortly after knowing each other, but it was a play after all. You had to suspend your disbelief with these things. "Then I guess this would be right up your alley," he said, sitting across from her and placing his copy of Hamlet in front of him. "I can't understand this one bit. All I know about Hamlet is what I saw in the Lion King. Think you can help a guy out?"
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Post by zuyuri on Feb 20, 2023 19:17:27 GMT
“Is there a particular scene that’s causing you trouble?” Zelda looked at the text Spike handed her. Hamlet. It was considered one of the bard’s magnum opus’. She preferred Othello herself, but Hamlet was a good start. If it inspired a film as beloved as the Lion King, there was no harm in looking it over once again.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 20, 2023 23:36:11 GMT
"You know that 'to be or not to be' speech?" Spike asked. "I have no idea what the heck Hamlet's going on about." He flipped through the pages before finding the infamous soliloquy. "Like, isn't he still supposed to kill his uncle since he killed his dad and stuff?" At least Spike knew that much of the plot, but it didn't sound like Hamlet was talking about that at all. At least, as far as he could tell.
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Post by zuyuri on Feb 21, 2023 0:41:10 GMT
Ah yes, the infamous soliloquy. It was a rollercoaster of different moods, and Zelda couldn’t blame Spike for her his confusion. “Essentially he’s having an existential crisis, hence all the references to life and death. Is it easier for him to end his life and not kill his uncle or is it easier to get the deed over with? But in the end, he grounds himself in his decision to go for his uncle. I don’t envy his situation.”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 23, 2023 23:07:29 GMT
"I don't know, if a ghost told me to avenge his murder, I don't know how much I would fight it," Spike commented. "If somebody comes back from the freaking dead to tell me to do something, it's probably important." But he got where Zelda was coming from. Hamlet evidently didn't feel the same about the situation. "Seems like a lot of words for what you summed up in a few sentences," he said. "You'd think he'd just get to the point." Not that Spike had a lot of experience with Shakespeare, but the guy tended to write very long paragraphs of dialogue for characters and he wasn't a big fan of it.
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Post by zuyuri on Feb 24, 2023 4:36:19 GMT
“I can’t speak for the art of the theatre, but having it written out and spoken was perhaps meant to show such a complicated thought.” Zelda was theorizing at this point. She knew that, from so much education, Shakespeare wrote primarily for the rich and higher sections of middle class. The people that were lucky enough to fill seats probably afforded books, but reading was only meant for the elite, and even then, something like someone comparing life and death was considered a no no to be written about. “At least he wasn’t as dour as Edgar Allan Poe.”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 26, 2023 21:26:19 GMT
Spike shrugged. "I guess whatever fills the run time," he said. It didn't sound too different from how some movies were made today, where unnecessary scenes were thrown in just for the sake of stretching it out to two hours. But Spike figured he probably had to give Shakespeare the benefit of the doubt. He didn't have exactly have access to CGI or swarms of back-up dancers to create a spectacle. Long monologues that made people think was probably the only thing playwrights could do. "Bleh, I feel like only goths like his stuff," Spike said, making a face. "One short story was enough for me." The Tell-Tale Heart was pretty much required at some point in school. It was certainly different from the other required readings, but Spike felt like it was kind of weird.
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Post by zuyuri on Feb 28, 2023 3:29:22 GMT
“The classics aren’t for everyone. You’re amongst the few that don’t care for either.” She slid his copy of Hamlet back to him and scanned the shelves again. Please have something that wasn’t dark or overly complex for his tiny mind, please. The shelf was giving her nothing, so she reluctantly looked back at Spike. “If you want the music section, look for the 700s. They’re to your left.” It was all she knew about Spike, but it was worth an effort to get him in a place he was comfortable.
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