[Voice; Nebula 19th, evening]

[salutosinedelectat]

Good evening, fellow passengers,

I hope this message finds you well.

Foremost, you must forgive me in any mistakes I may make in sending this address to you all, as I'm certainly not used to sharing my thoughts in such a way. I'm most definitely more of a fan of the classic handwritten letter.

I was going over the upstairs library collection, so generously donated by other passengers - and you're welcome add to it yourself), when I found myself wondering about the extensive possibilities of literary works to be found in the countless worlds we not only come from, but the ones we visit.

Since there's scarcely a chance to explore such things in the worlds we stop at, wrought with conflict as they tend to be, I figured the easier option would be to simply ask:

What are your favorite literary works from your world? What are they about? Which are considered timeless classics?

I eagerly await your response.

Your curious fellow passenger,
Aziraphale


Oh, also, if anyone's interested in submitting anything to the library, I have provided clean notebooks and writing material in the far right nook in the upper floor of the library. I'm also available to provide custom book binding services.

--

[Edit: Edited into a voice post, forgot there aren't text post options.]

Comments

Voice

[dyingpro]

[Oh, it's Aziraphale, the messenger! Hermes' friend, maybe? He hadn't bothered to ask. Either way, Zagreus cheerfully pipes up!]

So there's this epic written about my mentor Achilles. It's called the Iliad, and it talks about the enormous battle Achilles and his Myrmidons fought against the Trojans. And then there's another epic written after that, called the Odyssey, if I remember right, though I've never met Odysseus myself nor does Achilles talk about him much. I've heard that my time is considered pretty classical to most of you folks from the future, so I suppose those might be classic literature in your worlds.

Re: Voice

[salutosinedelectat]

Oh, yes! Two great classics, indeed, quite important where I'm from as well. Both dated around 8th century B.C., and admired and read well into the present.

[dyingpro]

Hold on, people can still read it that far into the future? I thought most of you weren't fluent in Mycenaean. Or is it called Grecian now?

[He is aware of the concept of what modern-day Greece, but other than that he knows little about what it's like.]

I'm not sure what B.C. means, but I'll take your word for it! It's hard to track time in the Underworld, anyway.

Text

[hoardsrealestate]

...I suppose I should ask which world, but it would matter little. I have not partaken much.

[salutosinedelectat]

Oh, have you visited many?

[deductiongeek]

Sherlock Holmes, of course. Some version of his story seems to be present in other worlds as well. I'm also very fond of Agatha Christie's novels.

[salutosinedelectat]

Both definitely present in mine. And I think I would have guessed it if you hadn't told me, my dear boy.

Our worlds might be very similar, if not the same. It's still strange to have to add the caveat.

[deductiongeek]

In my time here I've managed to collect several different versions of the Holmes stories from different worlds. Its really very interesting which parts changed and which stayed the same across worlds.

voice;

[irrationally]

[ Oh no.

Alice doesn't want to ignore a message when it's written by Angel Dad, but at the same time, Alice wouldn't know the meaning of a 'timeless classic' when it comes to books if said book was chucked at her head.. ]

I don't think I have read a single book back home since I was a child.

[ SORRY TO DISAPPOINT... But, to be fair, it's not exactly like she was in the position to read after that at any point. ]

[salutosinedelectat]

[ He finds that somewhat shocking, and it unfortunately is clear on his face. But it's less of a look of disappointment, and more of a look of pity.

Not to mention, with her name and the mention of Wonderland... ]

Oh, dear girl, we must fix that post haste. I'm sure we could find something you might enjoy in the library - or get our hands on it some other way, anyhow.

You like stories, yes?

[irrationally]

.. yes, I do.

[ There's that tiny bit of hesitation though. Because yes, Alice likes stories, but it's not exactly like she likes super dry books.. There's a reason she never fully paid attention to the books her sister was reading from when she was younger!

But it feels a little embarrassing to tell him she prefers books with pictures at her age.. ]

As long as they are.. fantastical in nature, I suppose..?

[schrodingersghost]

Okay, I have the feeling you'd get along really well with a ghost I know back home.

[salutosinedelectat]

Oh? How do you mean?

[schrodingersghost]

He calls himself the Ghostwriter, and he's really serious about books. He even lives in a library in the Zone.

Voice

[achickenformylove]

There were quite a few poetry books that I would read from home by the ancient masters. They were mostly about nature.

I also studied our sect's family rules but while they were important to me and a few here, they were not for pleasure reading.

[salutosinedelectat]

Ah. That does not diminish their value, I would say. Some of the best readings are not necessarily pleasurable.

[achickenformylove]

I agree that it does not diminish them. They are important for our sect and even though most not part of our sect do not want to read them, they still help us with keeping order.

Voice

[gundamofthedesert]

There were quite a few works by masters in my family's home. I could probably find a story for just about everything. To be honest, though, the one that I enjoyed most was a non-fiction work on the animals of Earth. I used to dream that I would get the chance to go to Earth and see them.

[salutosinedelectat]

Ah, so Earth does exist in your world as well.

[ He's learned not to assume anything, even when people look like humans. He does so too, and that doesn't mean much either. ]

Did you ever get to see them?

[gundamofthedesert]

It does. We lived in colonies in space so it was always still a completely different world even though it was within eyesight.

[He smiled a bit]

Yeah, I did get to see them. At least some of them.

voice

[weifinder]

Oh I could get you a whole list, depending on if you wanted something poetic, something a bit racy, something about adventures, or the like. If it's only classics, well, I can list those too, but you're talking teaching texts at that point, so why not have a list of the others?

Re: voice

[salutosinedelectat]

Every one of them has their place. Not every classic is a particularly enjoyable read, and vice versa.

Which ones would you reccomend?

[weifinder]

( he lists a few of particularly fancifully poetic titles. )

Which are some of the more poetic and slightly racy and adventurous ones. For classics...

( he names others, and they align with more traditional texts to an older consciousness of culture out of China, even if his is a fantastical one. )

[wisdominshadows]

There was a fashion for foreign romances when I was growing up. Light works- well-crafted, if you enjoy the genre, but all delicate as spun sugar.

[There's a slightly wry undertone to her comment that suggests she wasn't among the admirers.]

[salutosinedelectat]

Ah, yes. It seems like our worlds, although different, share that similarity.

Was it something you enjoyed yourself?