[ public ]

[workingthenumbers]

[Numbers has rewritten this post dozens of times before he's landed on something he feels is vague enough to slip under the radar for those watching, but is coded to those who were at the dinner party.]

I enjoyed last week's dinner party. I remember people talking about organizing a club or activity of some sort, and I'd like to suggest making a book club. I've been trying to catch up on my reading, anyways.

[Never mind the fact that Numbers would rather die than read for fun.]

Personally, I've been reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But does anyone have any book suggestions? Preferably, something that can garner some interesting literary discussion and analysis.

Comments

[spaghettimonster]

[So Sans had some things to say about the last time Papyrus commented to one of these messages - among them, the suggestion of 'maybe don't.' And aggravating as it was, he was forced to admit his brother had a point - the topics raised at the party certainly seemed the kinds of things that would result in surprise movie night invitations, and Papyrus isn't wild about that. But. Just offering ideas, without committing to attending, shouldn't be... suspect. Or implicating.]

SHAKESPEARE'S WORKS ARE CLASSICS!

[...He hopes.]

[workingthenumbers]

[Numbers doesn't know anything about Shakespeare besides the man's importance and the few passages he was forced to read in school before he dropped out. It takes him a good few minutes to come up with a reply.]

Really? Are you a fan of his tragedies or comedies?

[spaghettimonster]

YES, AND.
THERE'S JUST SO MANY GREAT STORIES TO BE HAD! HOWEVER THEY END.

[Sure, if it's stories to be read before sleeping, or how he wants life itself to go, comedy is preferable - twists and turns that ultimately end overall well. But for reading in general, and not pretending to read for the sake of worrying conversations...?]

I THINK... THE LAST I READ WAS HAMLET.

[workingthenumbers]

That's the one where the guy's dad dies and he tries to kill his uncle, right?

[like the lion king.......]

[spaghettimonster]

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM POISON, YEAH.
A SUPPOSED GHOST SHOWS UP TO SAY SO, AND TELLS HIM TO DO A VENGEANCE QUEST.
IT ENDS IN A LOT OF MURDERS AND GENERAL BLOODSHED.

[In hindsight, it's grimly funny that he'd read it before the human passed through the underground. If he hadn't been so focused on convincing them to believe in his mercy offer... It surely would have been on his mind. As it is, now he hopes nobody takes this as secret messages.]

BUT THERE'S PLENTY OF OTHER GREAT STORIES TOO, WITH LIGHTERHEARTED FARE!

[workingthenumbers]

Seemed like an ill-planned vengeance quest. Usually, I feel like you want to minimize the amount of collateral damage.

[Good thing they didn't make any murder plans that night, right....]

What was the one with the fairies or whatever? Midsummer's Night Dream?

[spaghettimonster]

[Good thing!!! Such a good thing that Papyrus isn't even going to acknowledge the faintest implication that he's done any thinking on how one should go about vengeance here. How would it possibly be relevant, and so on.]

THAT SOUNDS RIGHT. FAIRIES, BIZARRE MAGIC,
AND EVEN MORE BIZARRE TANGLED LOVE STORIES.

[Come to think of it, there's other elements that might make as good openers to conspiracy conversation topics. Things like characters believing they'd had very vivid dreams, right? But he's not about to say that on these devices.]

SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD STORY FOR READING AND DISCUSSION!
EVEN IF IT'S A LITTLE UNSEASONABLE RIGHT NOW.

[workingthenumbers]

It'll be spring before you know it. But, yes, maybe we could arrange a time and place for a book club meeting before midsummer.

...Maybe not at my house. I'm not good at entertaining guests.

[spaghettimonster]

[Oh, no. Is this whole post actually fishing for somebody else to host the next subversive get-together?]

A COMMON FAILING! ALL TOO COMMON.
SO COMMON THAT EVEN -I'M- STILL LEARNING PARTY-THROWING FROM THE GREATS.
SO SORRY I CAN'T HELP YOU OUT THERE.

[workingthenumbers]

Hm. Well, I suppose I'll simply have to find some way to organize it, then.

[going to force numbers to learn how to organize an Event whether he likes it or NOT]

[spaghettimonster]

DO WHAT I'M DOING,
ATTEND PARTIES AND TAKE NOTES!
BOOKS MAKE A CONVENIENT CONVERSATION STARTER, IF THAT'S YOUR WEAK POINT.

[In this case, Papyrus is happy to help by not helping. It's probably good for Numbers!!!]

[inaxorable]

[ After a solid ten minutes of struggling with the keyboard: ]

id ont know any moerdn books buut the last day of a conedemnmed nman is god

is good

[workingthenumbers]

[ (numbers voice) wow this man is terrible at spelling ]

Yeah? What's that one about?

[inaxorable]

[ He is trying his best! ]

its about thhw last dtas of a cponsemmed man.

[workingthenumbers]

I gathered that, thanks.

[Oh, no. This might be more limiting than he thinks.]

What the man even get condemned for?

[inaxorable]

thw book doednt say but ies impliefs that he kliled

[ Oh shit maybe he shouldn’t have brought this book up…is it suspicious of him to mention murder? But it would be far more suspicious to stop typing now, especially since he hasn’t figured out how to delete letters on this keyboard yet…]

smoenne and is gooiong to be wcecuted. he is eexutws in the ensd.

[workingthenumbers]

I guess he paid the ultimate price for his crimes. Too bad that isn't the case in reality, though. A lot of people get away with things they shouldn't. Sad, isn't it?

[both in terms of malding at dr. norman pollock and also about numbers' own multitude of Crimes.]

I wonder if you could glean anything more about the character's past by studying what he presents to the reader. I found myself studying the text of my own book very carefully, but honestly? I don't think I'm smart enough to figure out what's going on with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

[inaxorable]

if hre didnt wants to geet caugght thend he dshould have been a betteer creimnal. eithere way the peont is about how bad the death peabnkety is., [ Oh look! He found the comma. ]

i havlant read the jeckly and hyde book, whats it vcallewd

[workingthenumbers]

It's just "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". It's about

[Um. Let's hope his pop culture knowledge saves him here.]

a doctor who makes an 'evil' version of himself through some weird injection or medicine or something. So during the day he can be nice Dr. Jekyll, and at night he turns into Mr. Hyde and does evil stuff.

[Close enough.]

[inaxorable]

that is fvasvinating. a metapohoer for the humsnn experience and the dichot omhy between good and evik, i qssume

[workingthenumbers]

Yeah. I guess. I mostly think Dr. Jekyll is an annoying asshole who feels like he's above the consequences of his actions.

[inaxorable]

[ Well. Raskolnikov squints at his text…device…whatever the newfangled portable text phone thing is…thing. That seems incredibly pointed.

He probably shouldn’t break out the Theory, but he’s never had much self-control. ]

you knwow, i haver a theiroy about that sort of thihng. how crinimals think anc the like. baslically,m it says that the world is divided between ordinary and esxtraoridnary people, and extarordinary peoplre have a rigbht to commit crimes. its all hypotheticla, of coruse, but i wonder where in that theroyr dr. jekyll would fit.

[workingthenumbers]

[Huh. Numbers squints at that message, trying to turn the theory over in his head. Forget Norman--how does that theory fit in with Numbers' own crimes?]

What do you mean by 'extraordinary' people? Like, superheroes or whatever?

[inaxorable]

i dont knwo if it comes accross in translation. not literal suepreheroes, but rather peopkle that are set aprart from the average human beign, and asf a result of taht. will do great things. like caesar and napoleon. if someone gqts in the way of them acheiving those great thihgs, then they can do whaat it takes to remove the obsitcal and should not be subejct to law.

its less about breajing the law and more that laws existt only to corral the oridnaty people, so the napeoleons of the wkrld neednt follow thenm. its all jyust a sillly little theory of mine, though,.

[workingthenumbers]

Hm. Interesting. In the cases of Caesar and Napoleon, though, don't they both come to a bitter end? I mean, Caesar got stabbed and Napoleon

I don't know didn't he get put on an island or something

Anyways. I see what you're saying. I think. Under your proposed theory, is this extraordinary trait something that people are born with? Or something that they can grow into throughout their lives?

[inaxorable]

yes, anpoleon was exilned on an insland. his convetmporaries didnt underrstanc his vision,.

extraoridhnaty people would be born extraoridary. at least, an ordianty man wouldnt be able to become an estraordinary man.

[workingthenumbers]

Could an ordinary man kill an extraordinary man?

[The most pertinent question to Numbers.]

[inaxorable]

well, yes. he could. but it wouldnt be morally juistifiable.

[ A too-long pause before the next message. ]

not taht any murder is justifiabkle.

[pharadyne]

Nineteen Eighty-Four, perhaps? It's been a few years since I read it, but I recall it being an excellent story about the horrors of authoritarian communism.

[And surveillance and censorship and being forced into reeducation torture....]

[workingthenumbers]

Seems like something the neighbors would enjoy. Maybe I'll need to read it, myself. Maybe we could talk about it the next time we go out to lunch?

Do you know if Arthur's feeling any better? Heard he came down with a nasty cold.

[pharadyne]

Is that why I haven't seen Arthur about the neighbourhood lately? I was wondering what became of him. I'll have to bring him a tea thermos later. Nothing like tea to soothe a cold.

[So, Arthur was tortured. Not surprising.]

I do hope it's not spreading. You aren't feeling under the weather are you?

[workingthenumbers]

Surprisingly, no. I'm perfectly healthy. Guess I must've done something to prevent myself from getting sick.

[Because he played niceys with Dr. Pollock, probably.]

Anyways. Would be good to check on him.

[pharadyne]

I'll do that, then. It would certainly be the neighbourly thing to do.

Although if he gets me sick, I'm blaming it entirely on you.

[lestercraft]

[Network posts gives him a headache on the best of days, when he has to get everything processed by the text-to-speech option, and the reverse isn't any fucking better either. But he knows code when he fucking hears it, and he can certainly join in.]

i agree that shakespeare is a timeless work but um i'm more a fan personally of the uh the tragedy of julius caeser at the moment

[workingthenumbers]

I know that one. Et tu, Brute?

[That particular murder plot succeeded, though. It would be a very different story if Brutus and the others simply broke into Caesar's house and snooped around.]

You think Caesar got what was coming to him?

[tedandroses]

Sic semper tyrannis is a good one. Do you believe it holds true?

[OOC: I still haven't figured out if public network replies are all meant to be readable, like DW replies, so if this is unwanted threadjacking, I'm sorry and just ignore!]

[tedandroses]

I feel like when I mentioned something like a discussion group last week it was handwaved as boring but you know what: as a lover of literature I'll concede gracefully. a book club sounds wonderful, especially with so little to do at the moment.

If you like sci fi, H.G. Wells might be up your alley. War of the Worlds is absolutely worth a discussion or ten. If you want to stay with Stevenson, Kidnapped! is a classic.

[tedandroses]

Oh, but I would really like to hear your thoughts on Dr. Jekyll (...), if you don't mind. Famous for a reason.

[workingthenumbers]

I think he's a shithead. He's as much as Mr. Hyde as he is Dr. Jekyll. People were going to find out about his two-faced bullshit one way or another. But people are so willing to take surface-level shit at face value, that they don't care about what's going on behind the scenes.

[He's really toeing the line here. He decides to cut himself short.]

I'll be able to explain more the next time I see you.

[Which will probably be soon, given that he visits the Smith household with some regularity.]

[tedandroses]

[That gets a little alarmingly close to uncoded and Teddy has to reread it, pretending they don’t know anything but the book, to reassure themself it wasn’t as overt as it felt.]

Hmm, if I understand you, I think I might agree...

But I’d like to hear what you meant. You know — I accidentally made about an army’s worth of pot roast if you want to come by for dinner. Gotta make sure you boys eat.

[Which is funnier, Teddy fussing all appropriately homemaker-ily over ‘you boys’ or the fact that it’s kind of true? She doesn’t actually know.]