Let it be known that Zoryn Spinnet was only here for the free food. The only book she ever touched was her potions textbook and that was so that she could squash beetles with it. How they made it into the Gryffindor dormitories was BEYOND her. The towers were SO high up. Bugs should not be able to get in!! Back to the point though!! She had no desire to read. Why read when you could watch movies? Especially movies with famous actresses like JUSTINE JANVIER. #word

Nevertheless, she SKIPPED into the library only to notice that she was the first one there. Oh. Well this was unfortunate. She had been planning on grabbing free food and then fleeing... But escape would be much more complicated now that the place wasn't crowded with people.

Darn.

She had been SO close to getting away with it too. Instead, she approached the librarian and gave him a wave. "Hope your niece liked the letter," she nodded. "Actually... I hope you finished your letter." Since he had been procrastinating writing them the last time she saw him. MHM. Anyways. FOOD.

She grabbed a HANDFUL of refreshments AND a cup of hot cocoa before finding a cushion to sit on. Had she left a trail of split hot cocoa? She wasn't paying attention.

Gaston was running late! He'd gotten busy grading assignments and completely lost track of the time and practically had to run to the library. Thank goodness it was only one floor above his office! He straightened his jacket and tried to flatten his hair as he stepped into the room inside the library.

Blink, blink. His blue eyes widened slightly as he saw Kalen and Miss Spinnet... and no one else. Had he come at the wrong time? On the wrong day? He smiled, nodding politely in turn at his student and colleague. "Hello, Kalen, Miss Spinnet," he greeted them.

He helped himself to a cup of hot cocoa and took a seat on a black cushion as far away from the fireplace as possible. Hmm... cushions, carpets... for some reason, the ambience reminded him of Aladdin. Was that today's lesson plan? Probably not, he thought. He was probably way off with his guess. Well, it was only a matter of time before he found out.

Rosalyn hoped that she was on time for this book club meeting!

Entering the library, she was surprised to see that only a couple people had arrived before her. This was both a good AND a bad thing in her opinion. That meant that she hadn't caused a disruption, which was good... but a lack of participation was never nice. Hopefully a lot more people would arrive because these things were always fun! Kalen definitely was doing a great job of things so far. Kudos to him.

"Hello Kalen, Gaston, and Miss Spinnet," she said with a smile before grabbing a cup of tea and making herself comfortable on one of the cushions. Glancing around her, she wondered what they would be learning about today.

Kalen looked out the door one more time, and with a slight sigh he backed away and closed it behind him. Good thing he was between books today. ”Hello everyone and welcome to book club! I want to thank the few of you that showed up." He said with a smile as he settled into his chair and leaned back into it for a moment.

”Since we finished our discussion of Narnia last week, I thought we would take things a bit easier today and just sit around the fire and have a bit of a chat about books, well namely.. the things in them."

He looked around with a smile.

”Yes, that's right we will be talking about, Characters! For what would books be without the people inside of them? Rather boring yeah?" Kalen smiled as he rubbed his hands together.

”So first off, I'm sure all of you have at least one favorite character in literature. And I want you to tell me who it is.. not necessarily why just yet.. Just tell me your favorite character, or characters if you absolutely can't pick just one. Simple enough right? " He asked with a grin.

OOC: Hello all and thanks so so much for coming! Club has officially started and I'll be moving on in about 24 hours or so!

Camilla had been here the entire time. Sometime after Gaston and Rose had arrived she had slipped in. Greeting everyone warmly and quietly she had gotten herself a nice mug of hot cocoa and settled down into a very comfy red cushion. Having settled down quickly and looking around it wasn't hard to notice that this club meeting seemed smaller than the last. Were all the students late or had they chosen to be outside or something?

Listening to Kalen speak about what they would be going over today, the women carefully sipped her hot cocoa in silence. So they wouldn't be focusing on any books in particular today but more so the different types of characters within the books. This was interesting as characters varied so much depending on the type of books being read.

"Well I think I need a moment or two to think this over. I have read many books through the years and have a love for many different characters." All of which were very different from one another. There were way to many to list without trying to somewhat narrow it down a bit.

Noelle just made it to Book Club before Mr. Kennedy started talking. Sorry Mr. Librarian. Prefect duties tangled her a bit from making it earlier. Her face was flushed from running and she brushed her hair out of her face as she sat down beside Zoryn. "hey there" she said softly because the librarian was already speaking.

She turned her attention to the Az related man as he began to talk about characters. It was hard to skim it down to one character. Like Professor Stewart, she had too many to really narrow it down.

"Umm...." Noelle started biting her lip in concentration. There were a few that stuck out for her.

"Lizzie Bennett in Pride and Prejudice." Oldie but goodie. "She didn't care that most women married for money or status. She wanted love and wouldn't stop for it." That was one of her favorites.

There was also.
"Hester from The Scarlet Letter." Another oldie but goodie. "She had a mind of her own and defied societies stance on things. She took ridicule in stride and proved to be such a strong woman."

But alsoooo...
"Cersei Lannister from “A Song of Ice and Fire” series" Noelle said before continuing. "Shes a proud woman and protected her horrible son no matter what he did which meant she was loyal. She had a crazy wicked mind that continued to surprise me."


Okay. Now she was done.

Kitty entered the library and nodded to all the professors, uttering a friendly "Hey everyone," before moving to sit down. She wore her usual black robes and this time had her hair combed down.

The first question was really tough. Like, really tough. She'd read so many books and liked so many characters in them that it was hard to just pick one. "I like so many," she said at last. She was stalling for time here.

"Ooh I know!" She exclaimed excitedly. 'Emily the Strange! Granted, she was originally just a merchandise character - but she eventually got her own book series and comics. She'd probably a little meaner than I am, but I can relate to her in many ways. I also like Jace Wayland from the Mortal Instruments, even though he's so vain."

Skylar had made it into the book club just in time, surprised to seeing only a handful of students and professors present. And they were discussing favorite characters in literature, but they didn't need to mention why they liked the character, although Kitty and Noelle had touched on the why.

Hmm, who did she like? Mentally forming a checklist first before speaking, the fourth year jotted them down and then crossed one out too as she thought of another she liked more.

"I'd say ... Gabby Holland in The Choice," Skylar said finally. "Or Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love." Two independent successful women, who broke down with life, but eventually got back on their feet again.

Zoryn BEAMED at Noelle when the Prefect joined her. Best prefect EVER. Or uh, one of them anyway. 'Cause Zoryn was also quite fond of Tenacius. He was a good man.

Anyways, what were they talking about? Because to restate something that was said in Zoryn's thoughts a couple of posts back, the girl didn't actually read. Not unless she had to and even then she only skimmed pages from her textbook. Especially since she had friends like Faith and Derf who were, like, SUPER smart and could totally help her out. See, she was a strategist. And reading was not a part of the strategy.

So instead of coming up with a character, she raised her hand with something else in mind. "Ditto on what Professor S said," 'cause that was an easy out. Mhm.

Tristan had to admit...that maybe his favorite characters might be a little embarrassing. But he was going to participate and help his friend! And thoroughly embarrass himself by this answer...but it's ok.

"I like Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, and Jace Wayland Lightwood Herondale,
who is not vain...he's just...confident." Plus he was the perfect soldier which made him even more cool. SO TRISTAN LIKES YA FICTION...SO WHAT? He didn't care what they thought.

Maybe....

So they weren't going to focus on a specific book today, but rather books in general. More specifically the characters in them. That was rather interesting, but also rather broad for Rosalyn read A LOT of books and it wasn't the easiest thing for her to pick one or two that she liked the most. Not when she didn't have the easiest time choosing favourites in general.

"I second Professor Stewart on this. I read so many books that it's a little difficult to choose one or even a few who really stand out as my favourite." Because so many of them had qualities that she admired or met different criteria that made her like them - or in some cases love them.

Kalen nodded at the answers and he smiled at everyone there before continuing. ”Now that you've all told me who your favorite character is.." He paused for a bit, "Though I suppose I should tell you my favorite characters hmm? " He said with a smile. "My favorite characters are Aragorn and Faramir from Lord of the Rings and Mr. Tumnus and Prince Caspian from the Narnia series. " He said as he clasped his hands together.

"Now, some of you have already gone on ahead and told me why these characters were your favorite, so, I have a bit of a different question in mind. "

He paused for a moment to look at the fire before turning back to look at everyone who was gathered there.

"What characteristics make up some of your favorite characters? Are they bold? Strong? Weak? Clumsy? A hopeless romantic? Tell me some of their characteristics, and feel free to add more than one." Kalen said with a smile.. The more they thought of the better really.

Gaston said hello to those who arrived after him and waited for Kalen to start the lesson. Oh, so they weren't covering a specific book today. He should've known he was way off with his guess! He sat up a little straighter, sipping his cocoa as he listened to the answers others gave. There were some interesting choices. Miss Valentine and Miss Summers's answers in particular made him smile. He could certainly understand why they liked those characters! Tristan's choices were a little unexpected, but who was he to judge? The counter to Miss Valentine made him chuckle slightly, but he masked it by pretending to cough. Were Kitty and Tristan going to get into a debate over the character?

For a moment, he wasn't sure whether or not he was supposed to answer, but he made up his mind after hearing Cami, Rose, and Tristan speak up. Well, this was different! He was used to listening to answers instead of giving them. "Armand Duval from Camille," he replied simply, though he didn't go into the reasons why. Now there was a character he could relate to a lot, especially after everything that had happened to him in the past year! Somehow, that answer alone seemed lacking, so he added, "And Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby. I always found his hope and zest for life inspiring."

Then Kalen asked another question, and Gaston almost laughed. "Hopeless romantic" certainly applied to Armand Duval! And, come to think of it, it could also apply to Gatsby too. He thought for a minute. He'd already sort of touched on this with his previous answer... well, his answer about one of his favorite characters anyway. What else should he say? He sat quietly for now, waiting to hear some of the others answer before he added anything.

Dora wasn't REALLY in the mood to be around people just yet, but she had been FORCED out of bed by a rather insistent bird. One that kept pecking at her until she was out of her dorm that morning. UGH. Her hand still hurt from that. But she had been sitting in the book club meeting the whole time... kind of in a daze. Which was why she had yet to speak.

But she had HEARD everything even if she didn't look like it. Ahem.

Raising her hand the Gryffindor sighed slightly before speaking, "My favorite character from a book is Cherry Valance from The Outsiders... because she is kinder than she probably should have been. She was real among a group of really fake kids. That takes courage and I can relate to it. Being different is tough and she did it with grace. I admire that about her. I even named my tarantula after her." Her tone was kind of empty... but she meant every word that she said. Deeply so.

Kalen was a Narnia fan which was nice because Rosalyn was one too. He also had good taste in characters from that series though she would also add Lucy to that list. She just loved Lucy and always had. Also Miss Umbridge had good taste as well; she nodded along with everything the girl said. Total agreement there, Dora!

She became thoughtful for a moment as Kalen moved on to the next question. "Honestly there are lots of things that go into making a character one of my favourites." Which is why she had so many of them. "Sometimes it's that they are hopeless romantics, sometimes it's that they are like me or I can relate to them. Like how Miss Umbridge can relate to Cherry Valance." Was there anything else...? "Oh, sometimes it's when they have a tough streak in them and don't back down from anything. Warriors. Like Arya Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire." Yep, Arya was her favourite character in that series.

Anyway that was enough from her for now!

Rula...didn't know who a lot of the characters named were. They must've been from a lot of Muggle books, which she hadn't read many of. If any? Had she read any Muggle books, not counting ones mentioned or studied in lessons? Hm...

Oh right, the lesson. Favorite characters and did they have any traits in common. Did she have any favorite characters? Um...oh! There were a couple that came to mind, thankfully.

"I really like Amata in the Beedle the Bard story The Fountain of Fair Fortune," She said, raising her hand. "And also Aquila Albert in her adventure series is pretty cool too." As for characteristics... "One thing they both have in common is they want to move on from their past and move forward in their lives. So I guess I kinda like characters that don't let past things hold them back. Especially when they don't let past hurts keep them from finding love again." Like Amata and Sir Luckless? Super romantic and adorable in this girl's opinion.

Listening to those around the room speak about their favorite characters in certain books was making her want to go and READ those books. Oh, dear Merlin it looked like she was going to be doing a whole LOT of reading really soon. Not that she minded one bit, reading was something she enjoyed doing very much when she had the time.

"A top ten might just work," she replied to Kalen laughing softly. If they didn't mind sitting around waiting for her to narrow it down to just ten. See her problem was she liked a different character from nearly all the books she read for different reasons.

They were supposed to list characteristics of their favorite characters now? Camilla took another sip of her hot cocoa first. "For me it changes depending on the story. Sometimes it's the most strong-willed character or maybe the most gentle, broken down character. I think it also depends on how I'm filling in that moment as I'm reading...what and who I can relate to the easiest."

Tristan had to think about this for a few moments. There were many qualities he liked about both characters. But he spoke up anyway, "Mr Darcy and Jace were both strong and independent men who did their best to protect the people they loved, even if it wasn't the smartest thing to do. That speaks volumes to me." It really did. Probably because he was very similar. "Plus, they were both very particular about the women they loved and went after them even if there were obstacles in the way." He liked to think he would be that way too...if he ever found the right one.

Kalen smiled as he looked around the room, "Those were all excellent answers, and some amazing characteristics. " He said as he flicked his wand and the words moved into order, still flickering in the air above the room. "I'm going to add some of my favorite characteristics up there as well. " He said as he waved his wand and “Funny, Brave, Heroic and Protector.” Went up to join the rest of the traits everyone else had said.

Text Cut: Characteristics

Hopeful
Zest for life
Kind
Real
Courageous
Hopeless Romantic
Tough
Warrior
Doesn't let the past stop them
Strong willed
Gentle
Broken
Strong
Independent
Funny
Brave
Heroic
Protector

"That's a pretty good list up there, and I think it will work well for what we will all be doing today. " Kalen said as he stood up from his chair and with a wave of his hand, notebooks started to move toward each occupant of the room.

"We are going to try a little creative writing today, I know it's a little different than discussing a book, but we are learning about Characters, and what better way to learn than to do, yeah? " He asked as he settled back down into his seat.

"So, I want you all to create a character, using two or three of those characteristics we have up there. " Kalen said as he pointed upwards to the floating words. "Give them a name, an age, and make them have two or three of the traits we talked about. " He said as he took his notebook.. "Right now, I just want you to write down in your notebooks, a name, an age and two or three traits.. we will be doing more with this later. " He said with a smile. "All right! Get to it! "

OOC: Okay all! Welcome to the mini activity! All you really need to do is have your character, create a character! So have them write down a name, an age and two or three traits that are in the text cut! Let me know if you have any questions! We will be moving on in about 36ish hours from now.

Zoryn didn't read, but she DID act. And while characters were important in books, Zoryn was pretty sure they were even MORE important for movies. So ultimately, THIS WAS THE BEST DAY OF HER LIFE. Sort of. Well okay, not the best day of her life but perhaps the best activity she had ever been asked to do by a Professor. If only her actual classes were like this, then she'd actually pay attention for once in her life.

Without wasting even a single second, the Gryffindor pulled out a notebook and quill and began scribbling things. She had SO many ideas. How was she only supposed to create ONE character?

Just as she began to scribble down some of those ideas, she thought of a very important question. "Mr. K, can we use other words to describe our characters?" she pointed to the ones he had as examples. 'Cause he said to choose two or three of THOSE words. But Zoryn had different ones she wanted. Mhm.

Kalen smiled down at Zoryn as she brought up a very good question. "You can indeed use any other words you wish, just use at least one of those words up there. " He said with a nod.. It was part of the challenge really.

What words described the two women she had brought up as her favorite characters? Independent and strong, but they were also sensitive too, as any one with an ounce of emotion is capable of being. They might have been afraid, but they took chances. Elizabeth Gilbert traveled around the world post-divorce to finally do things for herself and figure out what she loved. Most of the words about these two characters were already said, but one. They were successful and they found success without a man.

They were moving on though, to creating their own character! This would be interesting. Placing the end of quill to her mouth she sighed thoughtfully. Okay, so who did she want to talk about? Or write about? On one hand, a strong, independent woman seemed appealing, but it also seemed like a cop out. There were hundreds of stories about that, which didn't make her character much of an original at all.

Perhaps a guy. She needed lead male character, yes.... but names. If she was going with females, she might have just used her middle name, which she supposed she could change 'Natasha' to 'Nathan'? Yes, there were go.

Text Cut: Notes

Nathan Pattory
16

Helpless
Dreamer
Vulnerable

Yup, she was going the route of picking a male character who would have ordinarily been a Disney Princess. But instead of a princess, it would be a male prince that needed saving this time.

Finding out she wasn't the only Jace Wayland fan in the room made her want to rephrase her comment. "Of course you're right," she said to Tristian when he defended Jace. "I shouldn't have said he was vain. I meant confident. I like confident."

She would have mentioned confident along with strong willed if she'd gotten the chance the to answer, but they were already moving on and that was fine since one of those qualities was already up and the other one very was very similar.

"Ooh, this is fabulous!" she exclaimed excitedly at the prospect of making a character. She immediately bent down and got to work...

Ah, well this was interesting. Making up a character using two or three of the words that were up on the board. It didn't sound at all like it would be difficult but the women was sure that it was in fact the opposite. Choosing characteristics was the easy part but having the character one creates stick to those characteristics though-out the entire story would be the true challenge.

Taking out a notebook and quill, Camilla paused for a moment before writing anything. Did she had any ideas about what she wanted? No, no she did not. So she did the very next best thing, putting her quill to the paper she got writing on whatever came to mind first.