A plague o' both your houses!

While reading Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, in class, the character Mercutio stands out to me. To me, Mercutio can sometimes act like the character's sub-conscience, and at others, can be playful and funny. Mercutio is also very loyal to his friends, namely Romeo. Mercutio gives good advice, and supports Romeo whenever he is being rash or doing things blindly. I also like Mercutio because he is a character that isn't from one of the houses, but is involved.

Mercutio is a good friend to Romeo, and he shows it in many different ways. On 1.4.58-110, Mercutio is good-naturedly teasing Romeo about an ominous dream he had. Mercutio stays upbeat and energetic, while telling Romeo not to worry. Mercutio is trying to calm Romeo down. On 2.4 Mercutio also shows his friendship with Romeo by looking for him while he is with Juliet, and by distracting Romeo when they find him. Another time and the last time Mercutio shows his loyalty and friendship is on 3.1, when Romeo takes up the battle meant for Romeo. Mercutio gets killed in the process, but he is trying to save Romeo from a impending battle between him and Tybalt.

Mercutio also gives very good advice to Romeo and others. He also can afford to give insight on the two house's quarrels because he is involved but not related. "Thy head is full of quarrels as an egg is full of meat, and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as an egg for quarreling." Mercutio said this on 3.1.23-25. He is talking to Benvolio, and I think he is saying their heads were wired to fight, but after so much fighting, they have become helpless, and dependent on fighting. I say they have become dependent on fighting meaning that is all they know at this point. Mercutio also says on 1.4.17-18 "You are a lover. Borrow Cupid's wings and soar with them above a common bound." Mercutio is telling Romeo that he should follow his heart, and fly.

Would your friends invade a fortress with you?

In the book Virals by Kathy Reichs, the main character Tory and her three friends Hi (Hiram), Shelton, and Ben are transformed into mutant wolfdog-human creatures. Tory and her friends work together to figure out the mystery behind an old murder. They also work together to hide their mutant powers. As they solve the mysteries, their friendship grows stronger. Tory is also respected by her friends, and shown to be the leader many times over. Throughout the book, their friendship and Tory's leadership is strengthened because of their adventures.

In the beginning of the book, on page 106 Tory and Hi are joking about prom. Hi asks Tory if she's shopping for prom dresses, and they joke about it from there. "Thanks", Tory responds dryly. "You'll still be my date, right? Or do you have a playoff game that night? I'll understand; we need our star quarterback on the field." Hi isn't actually a football player, this just shows their relationship. Tory also says, but not out loud, "Despite the ribbing, I was glad to see Hi. We had identical schedules and spent most lunches together. Joking with someone about being cool was more fun than being unpopular alone."

On page 187, Tory and the guys are deciding whether or not they should search for the people who chased after them. Tory says, "We're a team, guys. We're smarter than the creeps who did this. We can beat them." On the next page, Hi says, "Why do all your brilliant ideas involve felonies?" This shows that Hi respects Tory's ideas, and thinks they are very smart, but also thinks they are dangerous. Tory is the one that organizes their break-ins, proving again that she is considered their leader.

Tory takes a lot of responsibility throughout the story. On page 289, Tory plans out how they will retrieve information, and on page 415 Shelton says, "She's going to say 'tonight', isn't she? Every time I think I'm done for the night, Tory says we have to invade some fortress." Shelton wouldn't go against Tory's ideas, and he probably agrees with most of them. Tory's friends trust her, and they look up to her.

I have had many friends and role models that I looked up to and respected. None like how Hi, Shelton, and Ben looked up to Tory, though. They were connected by secrets. But I have friends that will always have my back, and would hopefully stand with me when invading a fortress, although that may be too much to ask. I also consider myself one of these kinds of friends to others. I hope people look up to me, and respect me. I may not be as smart as Tory, or genetically enhanced, but having good friends will always be something we have in common.

Some Brotherly Advice About a Fake Alzheimer’s Patient

[SPOILER ALERT {like, every spoil possible}]

In the book White Cat by Holly Black, Cassel discovers he is a worker. A worker is a criminal who can change something about or for someone else. There are Dream, Memory, Luck, Body, Death, Emotion, and Transformation workers. Transformation workers are one in a thousand and the most powerful, and Cassel just discovered that he is one. His brother Barron has been memory working him so he doesn’t remember anything under the orders of his other brother Phillip, and their mom. Cassel and his brothers have a really messed up relationship, and it’s mainly because Cassel is the strongest of the three of them, but doesn’t know it.

Cassel is very strong, for someone who thought he was “the only straight person in a crooked family”. Cassel felt like he didn’t belong, and I think that was really hard for him, especially since his brothers were so distant from him.  Barron always looked up to Phillip, and Phillip acted like Cassel was a waste of time. Cassel tried to prove himself to them, which is really heartbreaking considering how much they had deceived him. I think that although his relationship with his brothers isn’t the best, it helped make Cassel stronger, and eventually strong enough to work against his brothers.

At the end of the book on page 298 Barron drives over to Cassel’s school to have pizza with him. Barron is a memory worker, but the downside is that whenever he works someone, he looses his memories too. Cassel had changed some of Barron’s notebooks that held memories, and one of the memories that Cassel changed was that he and Barron went out for pizza every Tuesday. Cassel says, “Memory is funny. Barron seems relaxed, like he really likes me, because he doesn’t remember hating me. Or maybe he remembers the feeling of dislike but he assumes that he liked me more than he hated me.” I feel really bad for Cassel here because he remembers how his brother tried to kill him; while they are sitting together eating pizza, Barron is acting like he cares about Cassel. Barron hated Cassel because he felt that transformation work was wasted on Cassel. It must be really hard to see both sides of your sibling, and know that they are both partially fake. 

The fate of the world, decided by a twin's fight

[SPOILER ALERT-ISH]

In the book The Enchantress by Michael Scott, the two main characters Josh and Sophie are about to make a decision that could end the world. Josh and Sophie Newman discovered that they are the twins of an ancient legend, and they learn that they can do magic. Their auras are pure silver and gold and they are naturals at elemental magic, but that makes them valuable. Sophie and Josh have lots of fallouts, and learn that trust is difficult. They learn throughout the book that they can only trust each other, or the world could end.

In the end of the book before this one, Josh joins John Dee and Virginia Dare (the bad guys) because they led him to believe that they were good. Sophie is heartbroken and wishes that Josh could see straight. When they see each other next, Josh tries to show Sophie how the side she is on is bad. While Josh is being influenced, and trying to influence Sophie, they put their trust and lives in other people. This proves to be dangerous when Dee repeatedly tries to use Josh or Sophie's auras while killing them.

Later in the book Josh and Sophie are kidnapped by their "parents", and are taken back in time. Everyone there knows them, or has heard of them, and are very dangerous. They only know what Sophie can remember, but that still isn't enough. Powerful Elders (gods) surround them, and most of them want to kill them. Josh and Sophie start to realize that they can only rely on each other after they understand the danger everyone that they have trusted gets them into. Sophie says, "I wish someone were here who could advise us what to do," and Josh responds, "We don't need anyone. We've never needed anyone else. We are going to do whatever we think is right."

Josh and Sophie always love each other, and whenever they choose sides, they are thinking of their sibling. But they have to understand and completely trust the other for their world to be saved.

Long Distance Relationships (Stretching to the Underworld and Back)

[SPOILER ALERT]

In the book The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan the two main characters, Sadie and Carter Kane, loose many people they care about. Their mother died when they were kids, then their father turned into the Egyptian God of the Dead. One of their really good godly friends had his soul taken, and each of their potential girlfriend/boyfriend got possessed by a god. These examples can show how Sadie and Carter learn to keep a difficult relationship.

Sadie and Carter's mom died closing up a portal, and ultimately preventing the end of the world for some years. In the first book, which is held years later, their dad gets possessed by the God of the Dead, then becomes his permanent host. The Kane kids then make trips to the underworld, as their quests require them to. Down there, their father is portrayed as a big blue man in egyptian clothes, and their mother is an intangible ghost. The Kanes still love their parents, but they have to focus on the task at hand. They will do anything they can for them, and their parents still look out for them. In the second book the parents try and warn them against someone dangerous, and in the third book the kids save their mom. While they are on missions, they sometimes think of their parents, and the times they had when they were alive.

In the second book, Sadie and Carter loose a bet against a god, who in return takes the soul of their friend Bes. Bes is the god of ugly, as weird as that sounds. When the god takes Bes' soul, he leaves the body intact, just leaving them like a hollow husk. In the second and third book they promise to bring his soul back. Sadie especially cares about Bes, ever since he saved her life in London. Sadie's other friend Walt likes her, and she likes him, but he is destined to die at a young age. Until Sadie's other crush, the god Anubis takes him as a host, Walt is cursed. But instead of feeling joy that she can be with the two guys she can't choose between, she is angry. She doesn't feel as if she can forgive them, until later in the book. Carter's almost-girlfriend is also hosted by a god, and not just any god, the god. The egyptian sun god, Ra. Carter doesn't know how to respond to this, because anything he does for or to the girl, he also is doing to an immortal, buff guy with a voice deeper than his.

Although these weird and sometimes disturbing things happen to the people they love, Sadie and Carter Kane still care for the people, and show how love can stretch any distance.