Spark 05: action/video

[realmenknitplushies]

1: action

[Kanji's trying to get homework done. Seriously. In a common room, surrounded by notes, a laptop (old, battered, with insulation taped to it) on the table in front of him...

Right. Let's do this. Let's ... get totally confused by the second question on the page. Literary analysis wouldn't even be his thing if it were in his first language, but English? It's definitely catching him out.]

What does the use of metaphor in this passage... ngh. Dammit.

[He screws up a piece of paper, hurls it across the room, not really looking at the direction it flies in.]

2: video

[Some time after the study attempts...]

Yo. I... kinda hate to say it, but... I'm lookin' for a bit of help, here. [A moment's pause-] Study tips. How to get this stuff to stick in your head 'n all that. I ain't smart, sure. I get that. But...

[He rubs his head, sighs.]

Someone's gotta have somethin', right?

Comments

[realmenknitplushies]

[... Ah, heck, didn't mean to do that! Kanji realises soon enough, though, frowning and looking a touch apologetic. At least Eren doesn't seem too annoyed at it? Doesn't seem too happy, either...
...it takes him a bit to remember who Eren is. Right. That guy.]

Tell me about it. 'N, uh, sorry 'bout catching ya there.

[garganteren]

It's fine.

[He says this a trifle tersely, but he seems more serious than annoyed. He picks up the piece of paper, though.]

I'd like to throw this book out the window! This stuff's not like what we did at home.

[realmenknitplushies]

[The first comment gets a sympathetic smile and a faint snort, but - okay, that's got him a spot curious...]

Yeah? What did ya do there, then?

[garganteren]

I didn't go to a regular school. I was homeschooled, like most of the other kids I knew. We would sit around and talk about the books.

I bet the writers didn't want people to pick them apart like this! They wanted people to enjoy them. If they were any good!

[realmenknitplushies]

[Got Kanji smiling a bit there.]

Damn right. Takes all the fun outta the stories if you're lookin' at 'em like this.

[garganteren]

If I was a real writer, and I wrote a story, I wouldn't want people to make themselves miserable over it. Maybe I'd add a note about how they shouldn't!

[He has to write things for creative writing class, but he doesn't particularly want to.]

[realmenknitplushies]

You think the teachers'd pay any attention to the note?

[garganteren]

They might not, but it would be printed in the book, so everyone would know they were going against the writer's wishes. And the students would know I agreed with them. They could write about it in their papers!

[realmenknitplushies]

Write a paper about how they shouldn't be writin' papers? I can live with that.

[garganteren]

Yeah!

[He's heartened by this agreement.]

It would only have to be a short paper, if it were about that. Aren't they supposed to teach us to like reading? This isn't doing it.

[realmenknitplushies]

Yeah! [He pauses, though-] I've had teachers tell me 'bout books that'd be interestin', sure. And ... that ain't so bad. But this ain't the way to make me give a damn 'bout them.

[garganteren]

Some of them are okay. Books, I mean. I like them.

But they're supposed to make people feel things and believe things! Not bore people. No wonder so many people don't like to read if this is the way regular schools teach.

[realmenknitplushies]

Tch. Ain't that the truth. Hell, the classes at my last school weren't even as good as the ones here - seemed like the teachers didn't even try to give a damn.

[garganteren]

I liked it better at home.

[Not that he can go back.]

But I can see how it could be worse. There are too many people who don't give a damn.