tushanshu | Entries tagged with † lord henry wotton

[Text post, the day after Dorian Gray vanishes.]

To the foreigner population of Keeliai, greetings.

As there seems to be no other means by which this information is made public, I suppose I must, with great regret, take it upon myself to inform our community that Mr Dorian Gray is no longer amongst us. To his friends and enemies alike I offer condolences; the former for losing one to love and the latter for losing one to hate, always a greater loss than is ever acknowledged. To those who did not know him, you have my sincere regrets as well, for having not acquainted yourself with a most remarkable man.

-Lord Henry Wotton

Courte tâche! La tombe attend; elle est avide!
Ah! laissez-moi, mon front posé sur vos genoux,
Goûter, en regrettant l'été blanc et torride,
De l'arrière-saison le rayon jaune et doux!

[The quoted poem, "Chant d'automne", by Charles Baudelaire. Lord Henry is unlikely to reply at any great length here, but if anyone wants to meet up with him in person, feel free to bag a thread here.]

agentx13

As some of you may know, I was hired to find the person responsible for multiple killings in September, along with an attempted homicide. That person has now killed the Emperor. [ There's a flash of something like remorse, but it only lasts a second before her jaw tightens. There's no time to feel guilty for not catching the person sooner. She has to stop him now, before he kills again. ]

I have a list of suspects. I've narrowed it down significantly. If you were one of the people I talked to about it, please see me immediately.

( Private messages for Mako, Tarrlok, Gaius Septimus, Dorian Gray, Lord Harry Wotton, Arthur Curry, Damian Wayne, Bart Allen, Jason Todd, Hal Jordan, other Hal Jordan, Billy Costigan, Rory Williams, Clara Oswald, Hannibal Lecter, Invincible, Bossuet, Combeferre, Javert, Jean Prouvaire, Marius Pontmercy, Julio Richter, Scarlet Spider, Santo Vaccarro, Scott Lang, Victor Barkowski, Bruce Banner, Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark, the other Tony Stark, Hayley Stark, Percy Jackson, Zelgadis Graywords, Jax Teller, Jim Kirk, Balthazar, Isaac Lahey, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, Cecil Gershwin Paler )

( Private message to Barry Allen )

traitorously

[Catty's in a pair of overalls that are basically covered in paint, and she's got a smear on her cheek as well. But her hands are clean, and she's handling one of a set of books with care]

So...this post isn't exactly super-important-Mally-related. Or anything like that at all, actually. But I figured I should ask around! The thing is, I kind of got carried away with the auctions. I've never been to one before, and there were all kinds of interesting things for sale, and before I knew it I ended up with a bunch of French books that I've never heard of. At least, I think they're French. I don't even read French.

[She's grinning, though, amused by her own terrible decision making] Anyway, I've seen that people have been picking up stuff that actually belongs to other people, so I thought I'd ask if these belong to anyone. [She proceeds to dance the books across the screen, one at a time. She sets them down when she's done, but she doesn't seem quite ready to hang up.]

--Actually, this is something completely unrelated to the books, but something Vanessa said in her post reminded me. Do we actually have any places for clubbing here? Or dancing? I asked when I first showed up, but I never really got an answer. I think it'd be fun. And useful! Dancing before trying to save the world has a one hundred percent success rate, in my experience.

depicted

[It's video, so it's clear that Dorian looks the same. Still the bright roses of youth on his cheek, still the crisp dark curls on his head. The candour of youth in his face, and 'youth's passionate purity' in his smile. To look at him, you'd think he had kept himself unspotted from the world—even if all that the blue smoke around him is from one of Lord Henry's opium-tainted cigarettes.

But that is the visual half of things. As for the audio half?]

1986. The summer. [For audio, there is something torn in that low and musical voice, something of electrohouse's wretched distortion ripping the guts out of the base and leaving the jagged beat in its wake.

Dorian laughs.] It was 1986, it was the summer, and Highlander came out for UK audiences. Crooned over scenes of loss, Freddie Mercury asks a question he'll never need to answer: "Who wants to live forever?" [The cigarette held away, conductor holding the note to let the question hang.]

[And callously, we're back.] Contemporary efforts in medicine might suggest 'just about everyone,' but in stories about immortals, the weariness is always more loss of people than loss of time. It's more that you're watching your granddaughter's funeral than it is that the shop beside the graveyard is a chain electronics place instead of the private member's club where you met her grandmother decades ago.

[Another drag of the cigarette. He is still smiling a pleasant, youthful smile.] But it occurred to me, speaking with Rebecca, that that sense of loss, of friendships brief as mayfly lives, is one we all get to share here. It's not a curse of immortality, something known only in a long term. It's frequent, repetitive, and to all intents and purposes, mundane. We foreigners just lose people, over and over and over and over, and there is never any resolution to any of it. Like the workroom of a perfectionist, it's a slaughterhouse of unfinished stories, and the corpses just keep piling up. Only corpses would give more closure than disappearances, and we aren't likely to be here ourselves by the time we can hold a funeral.

So we get used to it. We cope and we carry on. [Cigarette between his fingers, he gives a salute that somehow doesn't come across as sarcastic.] Congratulations on all the recent efforts, and good luck to everyone still with us in the future.

[Dorian holds up a mobile phone (circa 2007) with all lightness of touch and tone.] Does anyone have anything to for a mobile's battery? I left the charger in the 21st century, and I'd like to get my music off of this, but it gave out.

backwordscompatible

[A very noticeably 15-year-old girl appears on screen. Yes, her age is important to note, considering the events of the last week. Zatanna stares directly at the camera, looking a mixture of accomplished and exasperated. Clearly done with everything.]

Okay. There. I fixed it.

Happy now?

[Folding her arms across her chest, she blows some hair out of her face and leans back.]

You can all stop collectively glaring at me now. I can still feel you judging from up here.

((ooc: In case it wasn't already obvious...Event Over!))

epigrammatical

[When the camera switches on there's only a view of Lord Henry Wotton's desk chair and his little library. Then a burst of laughter offscreen—familiar laughter to anyone who knows him, but brighter, lighter somehow. And then there's a blur of motion and a young man of twenty flings himself into the chair. He's got a handsome, boyish face, bright brown eyes, and a small, neatly trimmed moustache, and he's grinning hugely.

It's Lord Henry. Who has somehow had twenty-some-odd years shaved off and who looks exactly as he did when, as a young man, he took a First in Greats at Oxford without ever seeming to pick up a book. And he's loving it.]

Who is it that I must thank for this extraordinary turn of events? Has an elixir of youth been introduced to the wells of Keeliai? [He runs a hand through his hair, in which there is no more grey, and laughs again.] I used to say that the repetition of one's youthful follies is the surest way to get back one's youth, but I never expected that to be true.

[Serious? Not at all. He's just giddy.]

Ah, to have the gold of one's days paid back with interest! I must be careful not to waste it.

[OPEN ACTION: Over the course of the event, Henry may be found anywhere in Keeliai (particularly in the pleasure-houses, restaurants, and drinking establishments of the Fire sector). Wherever you find him, he will be in an excellent mood. Feel free to start a thread or ping me to request a start.]

trifurcate

[Bryn hasn't made a network post of her own since her arrival, and so it seems that an introduction is necessary first. Hair pulled away from her face and smile wide, she waves at the screen.]

Hi everyone! I know I've been a little quiet on here lately so there are several of you who probably don't know me. My name is Bryn Zethir, from Askoupur which I'm pretty sure none of you have ever heard of before. That's okay, honest.

[That should be enough.]

So, with the rationing lifted and the possibility that things are going to get at least somewhat back to normal again, it occurred to me that there's something we're kind of missing in this city. There are tons of restaurants and bars in this city but not one of them is owned and run by a foreigner. Now, I've been working really hard for a while now and saving my money, and with some assistance [Thanks, Bruce <3] I now have enough to buy or rent a location, renovate, and stock it for business.

And here's where all of you come in. While it's my sincerest hope that you'll all come in for a meal or to enjoy some live music, this won't be possible without some people to come work and help out. So, if anyone has any skills for the following jobs and wants to talk to me about being hired on a part or full time basis, please let me know! For those of you who already have work but may be interested in picking up a bit of extra juulan, there will also be contract positions available for the renovation process, once I pick a location. Also, as I hope to install a stage, there will be opportunities for performers of all stripes to have a place to entertain.

So, I think that's it unless anyone has any recommended vendors I should look into for food, drinks, or tobacco. Otherwise, please check out the list of job opportunities and let me know if you're interested. I'll let everyone know when we're open for business. Thank you!

[Waving once more, she switches the feed over from video to text. The following list appears:]

( Read more... )

epigrammatical

[AUDIO, public. The morning after the event ends and Tu Vishan starts moving again.]

I am not alone, I gather, in detecting a change in the air here. It is rather like waking on the very first day of the Season, with all the possibility that lies ahead—or waking the morning after the last day, with the happy knowledge that one need not be at home to anyone that day. We have, I suppose, escaped the fate of Des Esseintes's tortoise.

[AUDIO, private to Dorian Gray.]

( Read more... )

poeticverses

[The feed's just a voice one today. Jehan wants it to be quick and to the point]

I apologize for this announcement, as it could not possibly come at a worse time, but I feel it is my duty as his friend to let others know. If you knew Grantaire, he is no longer here. It is possible that his disappearance is connected to the rapid decay of Asti in these last few days though I do not think that is likely to be the cause.

[Still, you never know.]

It would not hurt to keep in contact with friends here, should this illness lead to more disappearances.

inseine

[Javert is well groomed, neat, and absolutely professional today. His bangs are combed well over the Charter Mark on his forehead, a trait unbefitting of a man attempting to play Messenger for the authorities. He holds his chin high for the camera, his steely eyes ready to lance straight through the screen and into the viewer's bare conscience.

He speaks in swift, abrupt phrases, with just a hint of a French accent in his clipped vowels.]

Lately I got word of many confusing arrests among us. Trespassing cases among people who were unaware of city limits, unclear boundaries, all of that! Ah! That is inefficient. Foreigners cannot expect to follow local customs if we do not know them.

[Pause. Of course, this is leading up to something, yet it is clear that Javert makes a poor public figure, with the impression he is making. He taps his fingers and grimaces ever deeper as he quickens his speech.]

Of course there are a clear system of laws written for this society like any other. But do not bother to dig up a book vendor if you do not understand French, English, or the local language. Impossible task, translating into every possible tongue! We will not waste the time.

Rather you will find a full voice record of the Keeliai law code available for public use.

[VOICE FILE ATTACHED; split into several subheadings and articles, much like any civil or common law code one would find on the planet Earth.]

[Javert restlessly bends closer to the camera and draws his brows into an indifferent arch.]

I advise that you listen and understand what you are getting into when you cross government boundaries. [That means you, Iorveth, Enjolras, the Amis, and other criminal suspects. He smiles grimly, devoid of all humor.] Among other activities. What you do after that is your concern.

[He lowers his lids with a pinch in his jaw and reaches out to end the feed. He stops short to add as an afterthought--]

A word of thanks to Monsieur Logan for lending his voice.

[The screen goes black.]

epigrammatical

[So this happened. Sabriel's efforts spared Lord Henry the worst and kept him alive, but he was feverish and unwell for days after the possession incident, and only now has he recovered enough to actually communicate with anyone. In all of these posts, he's making a valiant effort to sound as insouciant as ever, but he's clearly tired, in some pain, and very bored. (Also, vain, as he's only using audio; he can't quite bring himself to look like death warmed over, even to his friends.)]

[AUDIO, private to his friends. Including but not necessarily limited to: Dorian, Bryn, Alcuin, Steve, Jack, Grantaire, Arthur, and Sabriel; if you've got friendly CR with Harry, feel free to assume that you have been included on this filter.]

( Read more... )

[AUDIO, private to his black-market network. Including: Arthur, and anyone who said they'd lend a hand before]

( Read more... )

[AUDIO, private to Sabriel.]

( Read more... )

[AUDIO, private to Dorian Gray. There's a silence before the message begins.]

( Read more... )

cynisme

[It happens that at the moment when the connection is made, there is a hand in the way. His fingers are fumbling to try to turn the console on, and he doesn't realize that he has. When he does, he pulls his hand away and rubs his face. He's as pale as he was before landfall, and shaking harder. He looks sick, as he should given how poorly he managed his alcohol as of late. For a moment he's grinning, mostly at his own stupidity, dragging his hand over his face.]

Forget it, I did this to myself, begging be damned. Christ in Heaven, I would kiss my father's boots for a franc of his...

[And he turns the connection off, and that's it.]

( ooc: this may be used for action threads of all withdrawal variety for an extended period of time throughout continued rationing. )

stagethreeclinger

[ So, Roy hasn't been around that long, but he's gotten to know Keeliai, the natives, heard about the Emperor and definitely picked up on the tension between foreigners and the Kedan, but just out right asking about What The Hell Is Wrong With This Place seems a little too obvious. And lame.

And this way is much more fun. ]

Okay so is there a part of living on the back of a giant magic turtle that isn't supposed to be completely awesome? Because a lot of you seem to be really bummed about it, and I'm starting to think it's more than just a strong case of Stick Up The Ass going around.

[ And frankly, Roy likes looking like the idiot. He raises up a hand holding some kind of Kedanian smoothie in the cafe he's seated in, and gives an 'okay, humor me' kind of gesture. ]

Let's pretend for two seconds that you're all actually the most boring people ever and the part where we're on a monster turtle isn't enough for you - you're getting what's practically a free vacation. A beautiful city on a tropical island that's really more like a cruise, and even a space you can go sit near Yurtle's massive head and zen your neurotic brains out. The closest we have to that at home is legalizing pot.

I know I'm inviting a sea of sarcastic quips to kill my buzz about the whole badass Suessical adventure, so let's try to be organized and civil about this - there's only so much scathing sardonicism I can handle at once. Please fill out the attached form and get back to me:

Your Name: Self explanatory.
Your Age: It'd probably explain some things, I'm jussayin.
Level of Suck of Your Homeworld: On a scale of Fantasia to Bambi. Just trying to keep some perspective.
Your Complaints About Our Magical Turtle Adventure: Let it all out, brothers and sisters. Testify.
Notes: Whatever. How's my hair?

Thank you for your participation! Here is a wavier for your free snow cone! Not really. Sorry.

[ Oh wait, just this last piece here: ] Also, if you know anyone who likes to run around in tights and a mask, maybe a cape, let me know? Thanks! [ A little salute, and he signs out. ]

[[ ooc; If you could, please fill out his permissions post ova hurr, and here's the html for his little questionnaire thing :>

]]

virginprice

[The acute observer may notice two things different about Alcuin. The first is that there's a faint pattern of lines on his forehead that seem to form some kind of mark. The second is the bruise on his temple- the edges are fading to yellow and green, but it's still dark purple at the heart, though somewhat hidden under his hair.

But he doesn't seem to be minding either of them, instead looking pleased as he holds a small book in his hands.]

Some of the fruits of our docking at that city were sweeter than others.

[That's a joke. Definitely a joke. He hasn't been in evidence much, besides going to work everyday. Landfall was rough.]

A friend of mine was kind enough to gift me one of his discoveries- a book of poems written by my lover, Anafiel Delaunay. I cannot guess how it came to be there, but I am so glad that it was.

[He runs his fingers over the cover fondly.]

You see, back at home these poems were banned. It was unlawful to speak them aloud, or even to own a copy- not through any fault of the poetry, there were politics involved. But I would like to read you one of them, one of my favourites. It will be the first time that it has been spoken in public in many years.

( Cut for length and vague sexual content. )

[He closes the book, smiling softly- caught in a reminiscence of Delaunay. After a moment, he remembers the camera and turns it off.]

epigrammatical

[AUDIO. Backdated to April 14, the morning after everyone returns from landfall. Henry found one of Sabriel's books in Atam and he just tried to open it. It didn't go well. His voice is steady, but noticeably strained.]

If anyone can commend to me a doctor with skill in the treatment of burns, I should be very grateful.

[OPEN ACTION, anytime between April 13 and 17. Want to meet up with Lord Henry? Go for it. All takers welcome! He'll be personally seeking out the people in his delivery network. You may find him out and about in the Fire sector, or in Daowei's bookshop in the Wood sector. He will be handling things delicately due to the burns on his hands.]

[And finally, TEXT. Forward-dated to April 17. This message goes out not on the network, but is written on a plain piece of paper and delivered by a kedan messenger to Dorian Gray's suite. The poems quoted are from Gautier's "Sur le Carnaval de Venise" and "Contralto"—both of which are referenced in a particular book. ~~Get out the popcorn.~~] ( Read more... )

epigrammatical

[In the days between the arrival of the passports and the landfall, copies of the following message, packaged with a few juulan, are delivered or given by hand to Henry's network of errand-runners (assembled here, including Bucky, Gavroche, Tybalt, Mavis, and Costigan). If reading ability is an issue, the same basic message is delivered by Henry in person, verbally. Hand-waving or playing out of any further interaction based on the message is welcome! For "items of interest" read "tobacco or similar", of course.]

While I hope that you pursue your own enjoyment as much as possible at our upcoming port of call, I would be tremendously obliged if, as circumstances permit, you would obtain on my behalf any additional items of interest. You are at liberty to use the enclosed advance for the purpose. -H.W.

***

[MEANWHILE. Henry is going about his business of appearing to do absolutely nothing. He may be found strolling around the Fire sector or at the bookshop in the Wood sector, although he doesn't seem to be there quite as often as he used to—however friendly terms he is on with Daowei, his hours have been trimmed. The floor is open for any action desired.]

nefertiri

I certainly didn't expect to - How on earth do I - This is entirely too complicated. ( Evie's commentary is cut short when she realizes that others might be watching her. The device says "recording", which is a word she equates with...movie cameras? But they hardly look anything like what she is holding in her hands. ) My name is Evelyn O'Connell and I run the British Museum. I'm -

not sure what to make of this place. It's like nothing I have ever seen before. I would like to know more about it. ( She is going to forego thinking about the technology (which seems to be quite advanced) and focus on something she is comfortable with. Books. ) Are there any books about the history of this land? I would love to read them.

Actually if there is a library, I wouldn't mind reading any books I can get my hands on. ( It's easier for her to focus on gaining knowledge. Before she even fiddled with her communicator, she experienced a moment of panic at being separated from Rick, Alex and Jonathan, but now she knows what she needs to do. She doesn't have time to fall apart. It won't do her any good and she knows that. ) I hope I'm using this correctly.

virginprice

[He would rather do this by text, but his English is still very awkward and he doesn't think that everyone he needs to contact would be able to read d'Angeline. Thus, he sits pale but composed, hands folded on the console in front of him.]

I am very sorry to announce that Mademoiselle Favrielle nó Eglantine is no longer present on Tu Vishan. My heart goes out to all who knew her- she was a very good friend to me and to many others, I am certain.

[He looks down, remembering what he has to say next and taking a calming breath, and then looks back up.]

She has given me the ownership of her business, and I hope that everyone working for her now will continue to do so- if we could have a meeting in a day or two, I think that would be for the best.

In addition, she has left letters and gifts for some of those who remain. [He reads the list of names out carefully.] Nita, Stephanie, Kyle, Oliver, Bucky, Bruce, Dorian, Henry, Inara, Sep, Peggy, Amon- there is something for each of you. Please contact me so that we can make arrangements for its delivery.

I have also been instructed to tell any ladies of her acquaintance that they may have what they like from her wardrobe.

[He can't make himself smile right now, so he just nods.]

Again, I am sorry to be the one to deliver this news. I wish I did not have to.

epigrammatical

[Video post. Henry is at home, looking as unruffled as ever. He is not smoking, however, and some people may realise that this is somewhat unusual. In an oblique way, he is looking to recruit someone—or perhaps multiple someones—who might be willing to run specialised errands for him, per this post.]

Though bodily hunger may grow with the new regulations, it seems that hunger for knowledge grows no less. I've a friend—a bookseller in the Wood sector—who needs assistance with deliveries, and I promised that I would ask about for anyone who might wish for additional occupation.

[Private to Bryn]
How are you, my dear? Bearing up well under the changes, I hope?

[Private to Alcuin]
How have you been faring with the recent turn of events?

[Private to Dorian, text, basic encryption (because he doesn't know better)]
In the event your cigarette-case is too hollow, there is a remedy to be found.

[now with correct journal. /facepalm]

hazelwood

[The video opens on an uncommonly solemn-looking Lieuen, in a sombre state of dress that's unlike his usual pretentions. His skin, so modelled after the common Foreigner complexion, is a tiny bit sallow.]

Dear residents of Keeliai. It's with deep and considerable regret that I am the bearer of unfortunate tidings in regards to our fair city. You may have begun to notice that Tu Vishan's health has been... deteriorating, of late. This is certainly no cause for alarm! Things being what they are, it's tantamount to... say, a cold or flu that you Foreigners seem so susceptible to. We have every assurance that Tu Vishan will overcome this malady and return to its usual self soon.

But in the interest of not taking our grand turtle for granted, certain... shall we say, rules are going to be put into play effective now. The first and most importantly, of course, is rationing.

[There's a touch of distaste to his features as he says that. Guess who doesn't like the concept?]

Resources are going to be a touch more difficult to come by in the coming weeks, and as our guests we ask that you respect our laws and customs in this time. You will find a list of what it's permissible to purchase at your local vendors. Wasteful behaviour will become a punishable offense, and fully one-fifth of your resources, whether they are earned or made, are going to be... ah, requisitioned by detachments of the local law enforcement. It's with my sincerest apologies that I relay these terms to you, you see, and when we all come through this in fine fashion I will be reimbursing everyone fully for any, hm... hardships they might encounter due to these edicts.

And on that note!

[He claps his hands together, clearly trying to change gears from the unpleasantly macabre to the positive.]

I couldn't help but notice that several of you have taken an interest in our local language. Truly, I couldn't be happier. It brings me great joy to see your appreciation of our culture. Therefore, I'd like to offer my services as a translator, of sorts. I know each of the seventeen kedan dialects, including the more ancient forms, and I would gladly assist in any translations you've been undertaking. For a fee, of course, to be negotiated based on... oh, trifling things. The amount you wish translated, the time involved in doing so, and so on and so forth.

As always, if you have any questions do please ask, but it is my keenest wish that you keep it brief. I'm a touch preoccupied at the moment. Thank you.

Tu Shanshu

X. I don't think there have been such lilacs since the year I met you.

004 || video

o5 ☽ video;

[video] the real tragedies of life occur in such an inartistic manner

✦ 010 ✦ [video] ✦ (backdated to a bit earlier in the day)

IX. To get back one's youth, one has merely to repeat one's follies.

video; text;

VIII. Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you!

Verse 07 -- Voice

video; dated June 14th

VII. There is something terribly morbid in the modern sympathy with pain.

05 | video

001 | Video

video;

VI. saying things against one behind one's back that are absolutely and entirely true

V. That is the reason why people who live out of town are so absolutely uncivilized.

I - Video.

video;

IV. the real tragedy of the poor is that they can afford nothing but self-denial.

video;

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