video | what this library needs is a book club

[weifinder]

( This is a video message brought to you by Wei Wuxian, who just learned about video in the last week or so, and definitely knows nothing about making a video well. So congratulations, he's holding his recording tablet in one hand, in selfie mode, and grinning at the camera. He tips his head toward it, since bowing... won't work with him holding his tablet, and begins. )

This whole moving images film-creating concept is fantastic! Wei Ying, courtesy name Wei Wuxian, greeting all the others swept into this library and out of their proper homes with a simple suggestion for the sake of entertainment: a reading group. I even have a starting novel for the adult audience!

( He looks offscreen to pick up a novel and showcase its simple bound red front with lovely golden writing visible: Resentment of Chunshan. This is porn. It is very raunchy, very fantasy-not-reality gay porn written by a woman from ancient fantasy China. It is also, hopefully, an amusing read? )

This one promises to be absolutely scandalous! Then for the people who are more inclined toward having a sense of any other taste, well, I have recommendations. I've leafed through many, many books this last week and then some, if it's been a week, or any, or who knows? Time here is rather... stagnant. Either way, speak up here, or find me in person, I'm hanging around the third level with all the lounging space.

( ... then the tablet shakes as he tucks the book under an arm and taps at the screen to end the video. )

[ ooc note: novel found with permission from Shen Qingqiu's player! ]

Comments

video

[deitritus]

[ this is perhaps one of the many, many moments in xie lian's life when he would probably benefit from keeping his mouth shut and his nose out of matters not his own but. but. if this man has already found one scandalous book, who is to say he wouldn't find any of the others, particularly those that may or may not star him and his demon husband? and the fact he's going around advertising them?? encouraging others to read along and discuss them?? no no no, this sort of thing surely must come to an end, and soon— ]

Wei Wuxian!

[ yes, hello, fellow cultivator who is still figure out how this tablet works, so only half his face is visible sorry about it. ]

What a great idea! Wonderful way to pass up the time!

[ why does he already sound so breathless? he's also on his way to the third floor, but he figured the sooner he speaks to wei wuxian the better... ]

Though — I wonder if maybe we couldn't choose another title? Something... more general, perhaps? After all, there are many ages here...

[weifinder]

( xie lian, he'd treat all your and your husband's porn with the same peanut eating reverence he's treating this one, which is at least factually incorrect porn. not that he knows that. not that he knows! shen qingqiu!

oh, oh, look! there's a film response! wei wuxian taps it so it plays and ah, yes, hello there xie lian, also you are so breathless? he doesn't know really how he does it, but he manages to link into a video call, which has the happy coincidence of cutting out the reaction time delays of video messages posted back and forth. oh, happy day! )

Xie Lian! You're certainly sounding winded. And I did say adult audience, didn't I?

( picture him looking amused. it's easy, because he's on camera, looking amused and holding up the tablet at an angle that is... showcasing he's neatly sprawled into some chair. or couch? doesn't matter, the material is all the same, black as his preferred colour schemes. )

Unless you have some specific objection? There's a whole category of the library thriving on these kinds of novels. If they're not meant to be read, then what? I certainly hope we're not supposed to live through them, that'll be awkward.

[deitritus]

[ wei wuxian that is neither comforting or encouraging, also please do not inadvertently incur said husband's wrath, he's still working on his anger management you see. ]

N-Nothing specific, no... [ at least, not without incriminating himself........................... ]

It just seems, hmm. A bit irresponsible? Maybe?

[ also, please don't speak such horrors into existence, he adds quietly to himself. ]

[weifinder]

( Hah, so there is something specific. Which is odd, in a sense, but he doesn't decide to call Xie Lian out on it right now, just files it away as something more that Xie Lian knows and Wei Wuxian doesn't. The books and their stories are links and keys, he's guessed to that much, but...

... to what extent are their stories here too? )

To encourage adults wishing to read smutty novels to enjoy chatting over what they're reading with a group of other adults who also enjoy chatting over smutty novels they're reading?

( Look, look at him lean forward and rest his chin in his hand. )

I did offer other recommendations too. I like to consider myself well read, when so inclined.

video

[299z]

[This is what Wei Wuxian decided to do with knowledge of video recording. Unexpected, but Yoichi approves. The return video message is a steady image, because he's propped the tablet up on a table in the cafe.]

A scandalous book for an adult audience? Is there a porn section?

[The library has gotten less boring if so.]

[weifinder]

( Yoichi, this is how you've helped him, he is now here to tell everyone about the wonders of written porn. Or tell two people. He's not fussed. )

Yes, there is! Quite respectably large, too, right next to some kind of section on romance? Or is it all attached. The sign read as erotica, makes it all sound more elevated than it is. Though some of the descriptions in here are rather poetic.

( He taps on the novel he'd been advertising for the book club. )

No illustrations in this one, but the others were a mix of those that did and those that didn't.

[299z]

[Corruption of youth, courtesy of Wei Wuxian.]

Erotica.

[He's missed out, avoiding libraries all these years.]

Thanks for the information. You're doing great with the video!

text

[youcanyouup]

[ Fuck!!! Shen Qingqiu had been SO preoccupied with freaking out about Proud Immortal Demon Way being on the shelves here that he completely fucking forgot about about Resentment of Chunshan! Of course someone must have written the damn thing down! He is absolutely not recording a video or audio response to this, but he pulls up the touchscreen keyboard to furiously tap out a reply: ]

Why did you think this was appropriate to post publicly, there are children here?? If you have to share porn at least pick something that won't damage their views so horribly, do you know what kind of thing this work contains? 'Scandalous' my ass, I've read scandalous, that book is inexcusable. If you have any self-respect you'll burn it.

[weifinder]

( look here is someone being very silly, so he responds to what's relevant in this: )

So you've read it before?

[youcanyouup]

More like put up with people singing it literally everywhere I went before I came here. If I have to hear that song again anywhere in or around this library I will hold you personally responsible.

video

[xiaoxiaojiu]

[This picture is upside-down because Shen Jiu has his pad lying on the floor and is leaning over it, hi.]

What do you wanna start a reading group for? There's books everywhere, everyone can just read whatever on their own, can't they?

[weifinder]

( Look! It's the cute scruffy kid. Wei Wuxian smiles, shrugging as he settles back. )

It's enjoyable for me to discuss what I'm reading with others. You're not wrong, though, anyone can read whatever they want, or have whatever they want read out loud to them. Would that be something you'd be interested in? Like storytellers at tea and wine houses?

[xiaoxiaojiu]

[He opens his mouth - thinks - closes it again.]

Storytellers are kind of interesting, I guess...I don't usually get to hear them. [Since they're usually inside the tea houses, and all....either way he certainly looks more interested than he did a second ago.]

Are you gonna read out loud?

audio

[deadvotion]

( and it's only audio because he has the camera covered by something. not on purpose, but whatever. )

So, this is the sort of thing you're into?

[weifinder]

( thus he gets the video response and the squint as Wei Wuxian's identifying the fact this is still video for him, he's just getting a whole lot of darkness on Hua Cheng's end. )

One of many, I like reading when it's not restricted to hundreds of pages of rules. Your camera-eye is covered, the little circle on the front of this tablet?

[deadvotion]

( hua cheng quietly considers this for a few moments — the first part, not the second. )

Most things are far more interesting than rules. What is it about?

( that's a negative on uncovering the camera. now he's just doing it out of pettiness. )

action

[killful]

[ Piles of random books land on the coffee table with a thunderous crash. It's Yan Qing, and he stands in front of Wei Wuxian with a innocent smile. ]

I wanna be part of the reading group.

[ Maybe if he looks cute long enough, Wei Wuxian will let him in. But Yan Qing's plan is founded in the misguided notion that he'll be rejected to begin with. ]

[weifinder]

( Wei Wuxian was in the process of lounging as he responded to the messages that would transmit on his tablet, or the live-painting-exchanges happening on its screen. It's fascinating stuff. Which means he glances up in surprise at the crash of books, almost leaping off the couch (what almost, he definitely scrambles over the back of it), then peers from... behind the couch over the top at the books, Yan Qing, and also: the books.

He grins, straightening up and tugging at his sleeves as if they'd actually inched upward from his wrists in any notable way. )

Yan-xiong! Of course! Are you bringing further reading material?

( If so, he's impressed, Yan Qing has been far less lazy on the softcore porn side than he has; he's skimmed more than anything else, and it feels like a dive into the various times he's been stranded in Lan Libraries, but hey. Nostalgia is allowed its due. )

[killful]

[Briefly, Yan Qing wonders if he'd been that sneaky. He snickers at Wei Wuxian's antics, making a mental note to surprise him better next time.]

Oh yeah. I'm doing a little research!

[The kind of research evident in his current bibliography: Water Margin, first edition. Water Margin, second edition. Suikoden, a Japanese translation of Water Margin. Water Margin For Kids. Animorphs — well, that's just something he meant to read to pass the time, so he sets it aside. Instead of sitting on the couch like a regular person, he plops himself down on the carpet and grabs a book for himself.]

Enjoying your tablet? Your ten seconds of fame?

video

[purport]

[ Time to be greeted by a squinting face, assuredly not the first. Nevertheless, his consternation is, at the least, so pointed as to be a challenge to take seriously. ]

Are you certain you ought to lead with "scandal", of all things?

[ Not that he's familiar with book clubs as a concept, but it's easy enough to gather what it means. ]

[weifinder]

( Wei Wuxian just smiles. )

Why not? Scandal grabs attention, and a group of reader should be enjoying something thoughtless as much as the thoughtful novels. This isn't class, ah?

[purport]

I'd agree something salacious is without class.

[ For he is an extremely literal, stiff old thing. ]

However, does that not narrow your prospects?

Video; hope you don't mind late taggers?

[inlikethebrume]

...how scandalous are you talking about?

[Oh Mira loves a good book but do tell her more. Perhaps the man's pitch has helped?]

i adore them <3

[weifinder]

( is he honestly expecting ladies to be in on this?

... he hadn't thought about it, but in retrospect, why... wouldn't they? thus he laughs, leaning onto his elbow and lifting a finger on his free hand each time he names off a level of scandalous. )

Forbidden feelings for senior sect members that turn into conflicts in cultivation paths, captures and pleading, springtime activities, things of that nature. Nothing about it is classy, and the writing can be... blush worthy, but it's just silly enough to be enjoyable in its own way.

( he has no idea it's real person fiction, and if he did, he'd laugh really hard. actually. he's going to learn that soon but not yet. )

nice

[inlikethebrume]

Ha, bold of you to assume that blush worthy words would deter me from being intrigued.

[And...let's be real, she'd probably laugh her ass off too once the realization of real person fiction exists. Certain memoirs don't count because they're not fiction but real accounts.]