video;

[brushoff]

[ Dorian's sitting down on a small, jet black armchair, tucked in the corner of an all too busy bedroom. There's a bookshelf stacked to the brim with books to the left and a medium sized oil painting hanging on the wall, a Romantic seascape with more emphasis on the clouds than the water, clouds painted in dark, stormy, gray brushstrokes. Dorian gives the camera a small nod, then starts to read from a book, in an even, measured tone, perfect for audiobooks. ]

"It was the strangest book that he had ever read. It seemed to him that in exquisite raiment, and to the delicate sound of flutes, the sins of the world were passing in dumb show before him. Things that he had dimly dreamed of were suddenly made real to him. Things of which he had never dreamed were gradually revealed." [ There's a pause, while Dorian flips the pages and continues reading. ]

"'I am so sorry, Harry,' he cried, 'but really it is entirely your fault. That book you sent me so fascinated me that I forgot how the time was going.' 'Yes, I thought you would like it,' replied his host, rising from his chair. 'I didn't say I liked it, Harry. I said it fascinated me. There is a great difference.'"

[ Dorian closes the book, as he looks to the camera. There's a hint of a melancholy tone in his voice as he continues—somebody's obviously been lost in memory. ] Words written by Oscar Wilde—today's his birthday, by the way. Wear a carnation and take some absinthe in his honor. But the words of the post aren't what I want you to think about: the content is.

Let's talk about books, network. What's your favorite book? Or perhaps your favorite author? And, if those are questions you simply can't answer, what's your favorite genre? And finally, has there ever been a book that so captivated you the way the one Oscar wrote about captivated me?

Comments

video

[abandon_hope]

[ Here's a rather dour kid. He squints at Dorian uncertainly over the link, not quite liking what he sees... ]

I don't really read a lot. It hurts my head when I do.

... And Wilde is kind of a jerk.

video

[brushoff]

[ Dorian straight up rolls his eyes. ]

Oscar's a lovely person. Admittedly, he's a bit of an ass in some regards, but aren't we all?

Voice;

[iamtetsuo]

Books are boring.

Voice;

[brushoff]

Oh my God, I am surrounded by a haven of illiterates.

Voice;

[starlinings]

The Little Prince.

[What can he say, he's 14 with simple tastes.]

permavid!

[brushoff]

[ Dorian can't help but grin at that, letting out a small laugh before he quotes, in fluent French, ] C'est véritablement utile puisque c'est joli. And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful. A wonderful choice.

video

[heckblazer]

ye' had me at "take some absinthe".

Though, most of what I read is... nonfiction and usually a few millenia old, but the odd modern book will grab me. I like to support good Brit writers.

[ Which is to say he's definitely not a closet Potter fan at all. Nothing to see here... ]

video

[brushoff]

Any opportunity to drink is a grand opportunity! [ said with the grin of someone who's a borderline alcoholic. ]

But millennia old nonfiction...either your world's been around longer than mine or you're the sort of person who reads something like the Code of Hammurabi for fun.

audio;

[inuko]

[ For the most part, this whole phone-that-isn't-a-phone is still a massive mystery, and playing around with it has been a fun series of mistakes all on its own. Actually listening to, watching, and reading what other 'imPorts' are communicating fills in what downtime he gives himself, busy trying to learn how to get unlost when he ventures around the cities. Murasame's with him, but there's no one for him to fetch when Shino can't find his way back home.

It's a minor annoyance, but an easier one to latch onto when the big ones feel so wildly out of his hands. ]

What were you reading from?

[ Something by Oscar Wilde, sure, Shino paid that much attention, but as someone who doesn't particularly care to delve into favourites (but does enjoy reading, regardless), his focus ends up falling onto the new over the memories of stories consumed back home. He's so helpful here. ]

permavid

[brushoff]

I was reading from The Picture of Dorian Gray. [ says...the person who's listed on the communicators as 'Dorian Gray.' ]

It's a grand book--I think it's public domain now, but by yourself a physical copy if you get the chance. It's got an interesting publication history.

permatext

[deadtective]

That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die.

Blah blah, you get the idea. Russian lit's pretty good too, but that's just leisure reading.

permavid!

[brushoff]

[ See, Hazel's quote is familiar but in a really weird sort of way. So one google search later... ]

You honestly read Lovecraft for fun?

video;

[historiology]

Oh, that's easy! My favourite is the Celestial Record! [Here, Dorian. Have said book all but shoved at his phone in attempt to share the love of it.] I haven't read any from this Oscar Wilde, but I might check out the library.....

video;

[brushoff]

[ He can't help but laugh because yay! Enthusiasm! ]

You know, I honestly haven't heard of that book before. What's it like?

video |

[kryo]

[ Finally, someone that has something interesting to talk about. ]

What book was that? I have not heard of this Oscar Wilde. [ But he likes to read, and could use a little more distraction on his off days. ]

video |

[brushoff]

The book was The Picture of Dorian Gray--though really, if you're starting out with Oscar, either his fairy tales or The Importance of Being Earnest are the best bets. Picture's a little...heavy.

[ and a little murdery ]

Video

[pummelgranite]

I liked uh- D'aulaires a lot.

Video

[brushoff]

Careful Percy, you're close to being a cliche.

[ though his tone of voice is 100% teasing. ]

Did you ever get around to Edith Hamilton?

[douchebag]

I can't really answer your questions about books but I can certainly drink some absinthe in this guy's honor.

[ Hello alcoholism, his new friend. ]

And if you want to recommend a book to me, I'll read it.

[brushoff]

[ Let's give it up for the alcoholics. ]

I can't just recommend a book to someone I know absolutely nothing about. Tell me about yourself and then I'll give you a recommendation.

( audio )

[immortally]

[ There's clear amusement in his tone. ]

Well, I can certainly think of worse ways to have a bit of absinthe.

[ It's not one of his favorites, but. When in Rome. ]

I don't think I can settle on a favorite author. There are so many, many wonderful books written throughout time. A Tale of Two Cities has always been one I've enjoyed. Heart of Darkness was quite a good read, too. A bit more cliché, but The Great Gatsby has always been a favorite, too.

permavid!

[brushoff]

I'll grant you Dickens and Fitzgerald but Conrad? Why on Earth do you like Heart of Darkness?

[magnitudes]

Dunno about favourite.

( She rubs her jaw briefly, knuckles digging in hard as she presses them along the bone and back again, before her hand drops and she flops back on the sofa. )

Been reading a bit of Shelley, lately. Really threw me, but. Frankenstein doesn't say "urgghh" or groan alarmingly near enough. He keeps making these speeches.

( Unsurprisingly, she says it with an unconcerned air and a lazy shrug. ) Books always go ruining films, don't they?

( She's over the top enough that perhaps her "sincere" expression of thoughts opposite to her own is apparent - or perhaps she just seems obnoxious - which technically is also true - or like someone made of wrong opinions. )

[brushoff]

[ Dorian just looks a bit appalled. ]

This is trolling, isn't it? The speeches are the best part of the book.

( video )

[sidequestings]

I've done most of my reading since leaving my clan, since we don't usually have the room to keep a lot of books in our aravels, but when I have time at home for leisure, I've enjoyed Brother Genitivi's work. He's a Chantry scholar, but he's interested in the world beyond what the Chantry teaches and he actually has a sense of humour. He writes non-fiction, though.

[ a beat, then a small shrug. ] Here, I enjoy awful romance novels. The stupider the language, the better. .. I also picked up a few fantasy novels out of curiousity, but they didn't really leave an impression on me.

( video )

[brushoff]

Pardon my ignorance, but the Chantry isn't a thing in my world. What's it like?

[ terrible romance novels, however, get a little grin out of Dorian. ]

The best thing about those romance novels is you know exactly what you're going to get. When you pick up "Seduced by the Millionaire Scotsman," you'll get a seduction via a millionaire Scotsman.

video;

[mischiefsmith]

Favorite book? That would be like asking me to go to the beach and pick grain of sand that should be my favorite. Can you even picture me on a beach?

[Clearly Loki reads if the wall behind him is any indication as it is a wall entirely of books.]

Most of what I read is non-fiction, Asgard is not much for writing fictional tales, we pass down our legends though. I've read many books during my stay on Midgard, however...ebooks are a wonder.

[Loki goes through his rolodex of fictional tales.]

The Catcher in the Rye, Don Quixote, Lord of the Flies, The Scarlett Letter, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, Crime and Punishment, Animal Farm, A Tale of Two Cities, Dracula, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Sun Also Rises, A Tale of Two Cities, A Passage to India, As I Lay Dying, Lord of the Rings, Invisible Man...I could go on, but I'm just about to run out of fingers and toes.

[Because he's literally ticking his list off on his fingers and his toes.]

video;

[brushoff]

You're literally listing any sort of book that's read in high school English.

wanders in late to be a jerk with starbucks

[aggressiveapathy]

You know how to read.

hugs and kisses to you too, april. :|

[brushoff]

No shit.

video;

[cassassin]

[She's been listening to audiobooks lately, it's good practice. So--]

I like Dickens. Neil Gaiman, too. Rushdie... [and thinking--] I've been listening to, um- Practical Magic? Alice Hoffman.

video;

[brushoff]

The question to end all questions: which Dickens do you like the best?

[ because Dorian is....pretty ignorant of a lot of things genre, sorry Cass, he's got no clue who the hell Alice Hoffman is. ]