oo2 | voice/action.

[asquiet]

[Nezumi had been mallynapped and that was kind of a dent to his pride. It was better left unknown what happened for his own sake and he'd come back a week ago, pretty banged up. But thanks to his pride, he'd hidden off somewhere. It wasn't anything life-threatening so he really hadn't needed anybody.

But now he's back and he needs to keep busy. He figures he'll read and now he's curious. Talking to people is a pain, but...]

Lucetians, a moment of your time. [He sounds pleasant for once. You catch more flies with honey and all.] What are your classics? By this question, I mean in literature. [Maybe this is too hard a question for some of the people here. Sorry, Luceti, he isn't very impressed with half of you.] Or just tell me a good novel from your world.

Action | Locked to Sion

[Hey honey, I'm home. And he's going to act like he didn't disappear and just make his way to his room. Not saying a single word. He looks fine anyway.]

Comments

[selfinteresting]

It really depends on the genre, doesn't it? You can take the easy route of those classic western writers, Shakespeare, Poe, Dickens, Twain, Dante, Virgil, and the like, or Murasaki Shikibu, but sometimes the most insightful stories are of mystery - or romance. Christie, Marsh and Van Dine are some of the most talented novelists I've read.

[asquiet]

You consider someone like Shakespeare or Dante an easy route? [Okay, that's something he's never heard.]

But I cannot say my tastes go towards romance.

[selfinteresting]

You would be surprised, romances can delve further into the human nature than any other story. What is more complicated than a relationship, there's nothing else which brings out greater emotion or struggle, even facing death is nothing. That's exactly the reason so many mysteries bring relationships. especially romantic ones, into the motive.

Well, though Shakespeare or Dante may not be an 'easy read', who doesn't know their names? You don't have to have read them to say 'Shakespeare was an impressive writer', this is something we already know.

[asquiet]

[He can definitely agree that yes, romance does bring out some emotion and annoying struggles.] True, though unless the couple has some sort of overwhelming challenge I can't find a romance a good read.

Back where I come from, not too many know about them. The arts were never taught to anybody. [Well, anybody in No.6 and the Western District definitely wasn't a breeding ground for people who cared about it.]

[selfinteresting]

It's all about the psychology.

Ah, is that so? It's general knowledge in mine, though my family was not one for the arts either. Well, particular arts were deemed essential, but the usual fare were considered a waste of time, so I suppose I can understand nonetheless. But for your entire area to never be taught these things is far more extreme.

[asquiet]

I've always found characters are better explored when there's a struggle for them.

They considered the arts a danger, I suppose. It was a crime really. I don't think many of them had even read a poem.

[selfinteresting]

Yes, that's certainly true.

The entire population? If literature existed, it wasn't always that way, then, so, had it been long?

[asquiet]

Not too long. Older citizens knew, but after the change, probably didn't think much of it afterwards. It was more my generation that suffered.

[selfinteresting]

I see. And so the government, or otherwise some sort of ruler, got rid of any trace? Is that how it went? Well, perhaps as much as they could get their hands on, at least.

[asquiet]

To some degree. They still had to come off as a Holy City of course. But in their dumping grounds they let a book storage stay up and that's where I lived.

An interesting story, isn't it?

[selfinteresting]

It certainly is, I can see why you would want to ask about books. You really must like them. [She laughs] Being one of the only people to have the chance to read would be...well, interesting to say the least.

[asquiet]

One of the few hobbies I could have, aye. For free, too. It was a lucky situation.

[selfinteresting]

It's certainly not a bad thing to spend time on, you must be quite well-read.

[asquiet]

That is one of the benefits from living in an area overrun with books.