13 May 2018, 23:45
Literary Taste
Elrich was doing as he often did; laying in the grass outside reading. If he was not in class or the library, he would usually be found somewhere outside if the weather abided. He had recently been trying to widen the variety of literature that he read, so he had done research into popular muggle books. Although he spent much of his time prior to attending Hogwarts reading and studying, the selection of pieces he could indulge himself with was extremely limited to what his parents deemed fit. According to his research, many muggle schools had their students read a book titled 1984, a dystopian novel which discussed much of muggle politics and society. Some of the concepts were a bit foreign to him, as was much of muggle culture, but it was still an interesting introduction to the muggle world of books which he knew little to nothing about.
From where he was sitting the Great Lake was in plain view, it’s water dancing with sparkling reflections of sunlight. He gazed at the lake and let out a content sigh as a brief gust of wind blew past him. The sunlight felt amazing; a key benefit of leaving the library every now and then. He looked around him to see some sparse groups of students walking through the area, some stopping to enjoy the view and weather. Quite satisfied with his situation, he peered back down and dove back into his novel.
From where he was sitting the Great Lake was in plain view, it’s water dancing with sparkling reflections of sunlight. He gazed at the lake and let out a content sigh as a brief gust of wind blew past him. The sunlight felt amazing; a key benefit of leaving the library every now and then. He looked around him to see some sparse groups of students walking through the area, some stopping to enjoy the view and weather. Quite satisfied with his situation, he peered back down and dove back into his novel.
Last edited by Serena Towers on 14 May 2018, 01:11, edited 1 time in total.
Stam: 5, Agi: 7, Str: 3, Con: 6, Arc: 5, Acc: 4 * "A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambition"
14 May 2018, 08:55
Literary Taste
Reyna walked along the lake, taking in the fresh air and enjoying the sunshine. Usually she would have been studying or doing homework at this time, but today she just somehow felt completely unable to get work done. She had tried forcing herself to read the exercise over and over again, without success. She hadn't written a single word.
It was incredibly frustrating for her, but this situation wasn't unknown to her. She often overworked herself to the point where she wasn't physically nor mentally capable of doing anything. When this happened, her sister Meghan would encourage her to go outside and take a walk. She was deeply convinced that taking a break in nature was necessary to make one be able to do their best work.
Reyna stopped to admire the beauty of the lake. It reminded her of the sea in Brighton, her hometown, despite looking vastly different. This reminder of home seemed bittersweet to her. She sometimes missed it, but at the same time she was glad she wasn't there anymore.
A blond boy sitting in the grass caught her attention. He seemed to be deeply entranced by the book he was reading. 1984. Reyna smiled to herself, the muggle title was familiar to her. That book had been on her reading list for ages now. Reyna approached the boy. She couldn't remember the last time she had talked to somebody, she had been way too focused on school.
- Is it good? - Reyna asked, without even greeting the boy first. -It's been on my reading list for ages, but I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. -.
She sat in front of the boy, waiting expectantly for his answer.
It was incredibly frustrating for her, but this situation wasn't unknown to her. She often overworked herself to the point where she wasn't physically nor mentally capable of doing anything. When this happened, her sister Meghan would encourage her to go outside and take a walk. She was deeply convinced that taking a break in nature was necessary to make one be able to do their best work.
Reyna stopped to admire the beauty of the lake. It reminded her of the sea in Brighton, her hometown, despite looking vastly different. This reminder of home seemed bittersweet to her. She sometimes missed it, but at the same time she was glad she wasn't there anymore.
A blond boy sitting in the grass caught her attention. He seemed to be deeply entranced by the book he was reading. 1984. Reyna smiled to herself, the muggle title was familiar to her. That book had been on her reading list for ages now. Reyna approached the boy. She couldn't remember the last time she had talked to somebody, she had been way too focused on school.
- Is it good? - Reyna asked, without even greeting the boy first. -It's been on my reading list for ages, but I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. -.
She sat in front of the boy, waiting expectantly for his answer.
Stamina: 5 Agility: 6 Strength: 3 Control: 6
ArcPower: 5 Accuracy: 5
15 May 2018, 02:09
Literary Taste
Elrich was starting to get a handle on the novel, even with some of the muggle terms he was not familiar with. Now that he thought about it, muggle books weren’t written all that different from the ones he was used to, even if the topics differed quite a bit. Just as he was beginning to become fully immersed and lose himself in his reading, something he heard pulled him back out. A voice.
He couldn’t help but jump a bit out of surprise, as he had been pretty sure he was alone. He tore his eyes from the novel’s pages and looked up, squinting because of the bright sun in the sky, and could barely make out a girl standing there in front of him. She then sat down, which allowed his eyes to withdraw from the sun. He was still slightly confused by her direct approach, but it was pretty clear that she had been talking to him. What had she asked, though? Was it good, and something about a reading list? It dawned on him that she was obviously talking about the book he was holding. “Uh, yeah. It’s good, I s’pose,” he replied, not really sure what else to say. “I haven’t read much by muggles before, but it’s interesting at least”.
He looked down and made mental note of where he had left off reading. “But yeah, you should read it”.
He couldn’t help but jump a bit out of surprise, as he had been pretty sure he was alone. He tore his eyes from the novel’s pages and looked up, squinting because of the bright sun in the sky, and could barely make out a girl standing there in front of him. She then sat down, which allowed his eyes to withdraw from the sun. He was still slightly confused by her direct approach, but it was pretty clear that she had been talking to him. What had she asked, though? Was it good, and something about a reading list? It dawned on him that she was obviously talking about the book he was holding. “Uh, yeah. It’s good, I s’pose,” he replied, not really sure what else to say. “I haven’t read much by muggles before, but it’s interesting at least”.
He looked down and made mental note of where he had left off reading. “But yeah, you should read it”.
Stam: 5, Agi: 7, Str: 3, Con: 6, Arc: 5, Acc: 4 * "A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambition"
17 May 2018, 22:17
Literary Taste
The boy had been startled by Reyna, which she found quite amusing.
- Uh, yeah. It’s good, I s’pose- the boy said, as she made herself comfortable on the grass, taking in a deep breath.
- I haven’t read much by muggles before, but it’s interesting at least - Muggle books, Reyna repeated in her head. What a peculiar way of refering to what to her was just another normal book. She never would have thought about categorising books depending on their origin in that way. Reyna wondered if the boy would have the same reaction if she refered to books written by wizards and witches as "wizard books".
-But yeah, you should read it- Reyna nodded.
- If you like that one, you could also read Fahrenheit 451. It's a novel about a dystopian future written over 50 years ago that can still be applied to how we see the future nowadays. I didn't care much about the characters, but the environment in which they found themselves and their society's rules made it a quite impactful story-. Reyna really enjoyed science fiction books, and almost anything related to dystopian futures, which was a bit strange for a kid her age.
She was curious about the boy, but even more so about the books he read. What kind of "wizard books" did he usually read? Were there wizard sci-fi stories? What were the differences between wizard stories and muggle stories? Despite wondering all these things, Reyna decided against asking him these questions. She didn't want him to criticise her about her lack of knowledge, since she wasn't sure yet about what kind of person he was.
- The main character of the book is a firefighter. The difference is that in that dystopian future, the firefighters cause fires instead of stopping them. Their job is to burn books, which are forbidden. - Reyna continued talking. - I'm Reyna, by the way-.
She glanced at the boy, to get a good look of his reaction.
- Uh, yeah. It’s good, I s’pose- the boy said, as she made herself comfortable on the grass, taking in a deep breath.
- I haven’t read much by muggles before, but it’s interesting at least - Muggle books, Reyna repeated in her head. What a peculiar way of refering to what to her was just another normal book. She never would have thought about categorising books depending on their origin in that way. Reyna wondered if the boy would have the same reaction if she refered to books written by wizards and witches as "wizard books".
-But yeah, you should read it- Reyna nodded.
- If you like that one, you could also read Fahrenheit 451. It's a novel about a dystopian future written over 50 years ago that can still be applied to how we see the future nowadays. I didn't care much about the characters, but the environment in which they found themselves and their society's rules made it a quite impactful story-. Reyna really enjoyed science fiction books, and almost anything related to dystopian futures, which was a bit strange for a kid her age.
She was curious about the boy, but even more so about the books he read. What kind of "wizard books" did he usually read? Were there wizard sci-fi stories? What were the differences between wizard stories and muggle stories? Despite wondering all these things, Reyna decided against asking him these questions. She didn't want him to criticise her about her lack of knowledge, since she wasn't sure yet about what kind of person he was.
- The main character of the book is a firefighter. The difference is that in that dystopian future, the firefighters cause fires instead of stopping them. Their job is to burn books, which are forbidden. - Reyna continued talking. - I'm Reyna, by the way-.
She glanced at the boy, to get a good look of his reaction.
Stamina: 5 Agility: 6 Strength: 3 Control: 6
ArcPower: 5 Accuracy: 5
18 May 2018, 00:30
Literary Taste
Before Elrich even really knew what was going on, the girl had taken a seat next to him. The entire situation confused him slightly. Very few people would see somebody reading a book by themselves and think that it was an opportune time to strike up a conversation, but this girl seemed to have no trouble doing it. He didn’t necessarily mind it, he was just caught off guard, as he often was with other people. He had only been at the school for a short time, and prior to his attending, he had little to no interactions with others in a social setting.
He listened intently to her talk about another novel. The way she explained it made it clear that she had higher intelligence than the average student in his year, though that did not mean much based on his observations of other first years in his classes. Regardless, she clearly knew what she was talking, which was a nice change of pace.
“So, what you’re saying is that they…. burned all books? As in books were not permitted in society?” he inquired as he thought about the bizarre concept. Without books, he wasn’t even sure what his life would be. Books had gotten him through his childhood and took up most of his free time now that he was a student. “I can’t imagine how dreadfully dull life would be”.
He got so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn’t even notice her introduce herself. Even then, it was a few moments until he finally came to his senses and reciprocated.
“Elrich Schulz, a pleasure to meet you”, he said a bit blankly, still thinking about the book she had mentioned. The concepts this genre of writing introduced to him were unlike any others he was allowed to read back home. He would have to continue exploring them to truly understand what had been withheld from him all these years.
“What are you doing all the way out by the lake by yourself, anyway?”
He listened intently to her talk about another novel. The way she explained it made it clear that she had higher intelligence than the average student in his year, though that did not mean much based on his observations of other first years in his classes. Regardless, she clearly knew what she was talking, which was a nice change of pace.
“So, what you’re saying is that they…. burned all books? As in books were not permitted in society?” he inquired as he thought about the bizarre concept. Without books, he wasn’t even sure what his life would be. Books had gotten him through his childhood and took up most of his free time now that he was a student. “I can’t imagine how dreadfully dull life would be”.
He got so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn’t even notice her introduce herself. Even then, it was a few moments until he finally came to his senses and reciprocated.
“Elrich Schulz, a pleasure to meet you”, he said a bit blankly, still thinking about the book she had mentioned. The concepts this genre of writing introduced to him were unlike any others he was allowed to read back home. He would have to continue exploring them to truly understand what had been withheld from him all these years.
“What are you doing all the way out by the lake by yourself, anyway?”
Stam: 5, Agi: 7, Str: 3, Con: 6, Arc: 5, Acc: 4 * "A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambition"
19 May 2018, 11:41
Literary Taste
He seemed to be truly shocked by the book she just had mentioned. Reyna chuckled to herself. She wondered if he knew about the ammount of books that had been burned in the past just because they didn't follow the rules of censoring that reigned at those times in history. Burning books wasn't something unfathomable for Reyna.
The boy still seemed to be dwelling on the concept of the novel as he said his name. Elrich Schulz. He definetily wasn't from the UK, since Reyna had never heard that name, much less that surname. He does look like an Elrich though, she thought, looking at the boys face and gestures.
-What are you doing all the way out by the lake by yourself, anyway?- he asked. Reyna shrugged.
- Dunno, can't a girl just enjoy the lake every once in a while? - she answered while doing an exaggerated hand motion, as if she was presenting the lake in all its beauty to Elrich.
- Plus I'm clearly not by myself, 'cause I don't know if you've noticed but I'm having a conversation with you- Reyna said, elbowing the boy, as though she was talking to a small child. She winked at him and laughed, trying to make it clear that her mocking tonewasn't meant to be mean.
The boy still seemed to be dwelling on the concept of the novel as he said his name. Elrich Schulz. He definetily wasn't from the UK, since Reyna had never heard that name, much less that surname. He does look like an Elrich though, she thought, looking at the boys face and gestures.
-What are you doing all the way out by the lake by yourself, anyway?- he asked. Reyna shrugged.
- Dunno, can't a girl just enjoy the lake every once in a while? - she answered while doing an exaggerated hand motion, as if she was presenting the lake in all its beauty to Elrich.
- Plus I'm clearly not by myself, 'cause I don't know if you've noticed but I'm having a conversation with you- Reyna said, elbowing the boy, as though she was talking to a small child. She winked at him and laughed, trying to make it clear that her mocking tonewasn't meant to be mean.
Stamina: 5 Agility: 6 Strength: 3 Control: 6
ArcPower: 5 Accuracy: 5
20 May 2018, 04:42
Literary Taste
As Reyna gestured toward the lake, Elrich’s gaze once again fell upon it. He had never really realized just how beautiful it was. He had originally chosen the spot to read because it was quiet and secluded compared to other places, not necessarily for its beauty. It was undeniably one of the most aesthetically pleasing places at the school, though, or at least in his opinion. He often failed to notice things like this, usually due to getting lost in his work or thoughts to the point of even being unaware of his surroundings.
Being the socially inept boy that he was, he did not always completely understand jokes similar to the one she had just told, but even he could tell by her happy disposition and elbowing that it was all in good fun. He abandoned his previous blank and thoughtful face for a cheerier one and let out a chuckle.
“Well you got me there,” he said with a smile, eyes still on the lake. Though on the outside he seemed without a care in the world, his mind was still on the same topic it usually was: learning, or in this case, the books. It then donned on him that Reyna seemed well versed on the genre that he had recently been smitten with.
“Hey, you seem to know a lot about these sorts of books. Did you grow up with muggles? Or do you just do a lot of research? I've been trying to learn more about them.”
Being the socially inept boy that he was, he did not always completely understand jokes similar to the one she had just told, but even he could tell by her happy disposition and elbowing that it was all in good fun. He abandoned his previous blank and thoughtful face for a cheerier one and let out a chuckle.
“Well you got me there,” he said with a smile, eyes still on the lake. Though on the outside he seemed without a care in the world, his mind was still on the same topic it usually was: learning, or in this case, the books. It then donned on him that Reyna seemed well versed on the genre that he had recently been smitten with.
“Hey, you seem to know a lot about these sorts of books. Did you grow up with muggles? Or do you just do a lot of research? I've been trying to learn more about them.”
Stam: 5, Agi: 7, Str: 3, Con: 6, Arc: 5, Acc: 4 * "A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambition"
22 May 2018, 20:19
Literary Taste
The boy laughed at Reyna's comment, which made her feel satisfied with herself. She always appreciated it when someone understood that her mocking and sarcasm was all in good fun. She herself sometimes noticed when she went too far, but she was bad at keeping thoughts to herself, even when she knew they could be hurtful.
- Hey, you seem to know a lot about these sorts of books. Did you grow up with muggles? Or do you just do a lot of research? I've been trying to learn more about them - the boy asked.
It dawned on her that this boy probably didn't know jack about the muggle world and its culture. This was quite strange for her, since she identified herself so much with them. It sounded weird to her when the boy mentioned "researching them", as if they were some kind of different species and not the people she grew up with. She realised she technically had been doing the same, "researching wizards". She laughed to herself. Wow, what a huge difference magic can make between humans.
- I'm muggle born. I grew up in a muggle family and went to a muggle school. In fact, I've been doing research on non-muggles since everything here is so different to what I'm used to. - Reyna let her eyes wander, looking through the landscape. She wasn't used to revealing this kind of information over herself.
- Are wizard books really that different to muggle books? Do you have science fiction books? - she asked curiously.
- Hey, you seem to know a lot about these sorts of books. Did you grow up with muggles? Or do you just do a lot of research? I've been trying to learn more about them - the boy asked.
It dawned on her that this boy probably didn't know jack about the muggle world and its culture. This was quite strange for her, since she identified herself so much with them. It sounded weird to her when the boy mentioned "researching them", as if they were some kind of different species and not the people she grew up with. She realised she technically had been doing the same, "researching wizards". She laughed to herself. Wow, what a huge difference magic can make between humans.
- I'm muggle born. I grew up in a muggle family and went to a muggle school. In fact, I've been doing research on non-muggles since everything here is so different to what I'm used to. - Reyna let her eyes wander, looking through the landscape. She wasn't used to revealing this kind of information over herself.
- Are wizard books really that different to muggle books? Do you have science fiction books? - she asked curiously.
Stamina: 5 Agility: 6 Strength: 3 Control: 6
ArcPower: 5 Accuracy: 5
26 May 2018, 03:34
Literary Taste
Elrich’s eyes lit up with intrigue as the girl began talking about doing her own research on the non-muggles. Very few people seemed to also have an interest in the relationship between the wizarding and muggle worlds, at least of the people he knew. His parents, mainly his father, were traditionalists to the core, so learning about muggle society or culture was never a possibility for Elrich back home. Maybe it his way of rebelling against his upbringing, maybe it was a legitimate interest he had only just uncovered. He really was not even sure of his true motive, but regardless, he had been dedicating his time to the subject.
“Are the books that different? I think a lot of people would say yes, but I don’t really think so. We’re still humans after all, we have all the same emotions and motivators, so we get inspiration from similar things,” he remarked. That opinion most definitely would not go well around his father but going to school abroad meant he did not have to worry as much about sharing and stating them. Blood pride was still very much existent, both at Hogwarts and throughout the wizarding community, but it was evident that over the years it had begun to dwindle slightly. No need to mention anything about dear old father, no need to chance offending her, he reminded, briefly looking away from Reyna to hide the uncertainty in his eyes. “And to answer your question, I think we have similar books. Even magic has some limitations, whether they be natural or legal. It can be fun to imagine what things would be like if we could break those barriers.”
Elrich’s mind swirled with the things he wanted to ask the girl. He had never had the opportunity to casually talk with a muggle-born before. “Sorry if this is a weird thing to ask, but… do you think muggles are very different from us magical folk?” he asked, immediately realizing how stupid sounding it came out. “I mean, obviously they are, not being able to use magic. Different more like… on the inside? Like personality and values, I guess."
“Are the books that different? I think a lot of people would say yes, but I don’t really think so. We’re still humans after all, we have all the same emotions and motivators, so we get inspiration from similar things,” he remarked. That opinion most definitely would not go well around his father but going to school abroad meant he did not have to worry as much about sharing and stating them. Blood pride was still very much existent, both at Hogwarts and throughout the wizarding community, but it was evident that over the years it had begun to dwindle slightly. No need to mention anything about dear old father, no need to chance offending her, he reminded, briefly looking away from Reyna to hide the uncertainty in his eyes. “And to answer your question, I think we have similar books. Even magic has some limitations, whether they be natural or legal. It can be fun to imagine what things would be like if we could break those barriers.”
Elrich’s mind swirled with the things he wanted to ask the girl. He had never had the opportunity to casually talk with a muggle-born before. “Sorry if this is a weird thing to ask, but… do you think muggles are very different from us magical folk?” he asked, immediately realizing how stupid sounding it came out. “I mean, obviously they are, not being able to use magic. Different more like… on the inside? Like personality and values, I guess."
Stam: 5, Agi: 7, Str: 3, Con: 6, Arc: 5, Acc: 4 * "A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambition"