I had a thought over lunch. The "Mirror" is not an Avatar, but a real twin. Rich beautiful twin who does not take care of himself narcistically obsessed with his own beauty. Poor beautiful twin who does take care of himself, obsessed with money. Starts with poor twin selling rich one a kidney, then for more money agreeing to skin grafts, donate muscle for muscle grafts. (horror medical science rather than real medical science with sociopathic multi-speciality Hollywood doctor ready to perform all the illegal surgery he is paid for. )

Poor twin gets uglier and uglier, can't hold on to the money so keeps needing more. Rich twin stays rich, or this starts eating into his fortune? Rich twin money depends on beauty? Not the one writing it, but another approach, with lots of room for hedonism.

I wonder what it says about me that I assumed Barb's Dorian would be female.

So did I.

Well Dorian being a woman is a fine variation, and good on Barb if she turns a male character female. Gender flexibility yay!. But actually further from gender stereotype to keep the beauty obsessed character male. Obviously whatever provides the best story.

TB, funny that you mention medical science because one of the variations that had occurred to me was a Dorian Gray meets Frankenstein sort of scenario where, rather than a picture, it's Dorian going to a plastic surgeon who keeps Dorian beautiful and eternally young, but rather than dispose of the parts that are cut away, keeps them and grafts them together. Again, just the brain playing with ideas.

I had actually thought to make Dorian female to turn the original on its head, but the possibility certainly exists to go either way.

I think, too, I know the perfect city in which to set it-- at least part of it-- New Orleans. Around Mardi Gras when there's hedonism and magic in the air... wouldn't it be DELICIOUS?

Interested to see where you go. Sounds like you will go somewhere. Maybe the doctor should be female. Now THAT would be a reversal of stereotypes (not that it has never been done, but definitely not the stereotype). Marie Moreau?

One thing: I'm enjoying the luxury of playing with something I won't have to write. But let me know if you are at a stage where outside suggestions could interfere with the creative process. Also, let me know if they are irritating you. Cause you get a enough tsuris from people who don't wish you well, and don't need more from friends with good intentions.

No worries, at all-- if I feel the need to retreat into my writing cave and marinate, I'll feel free to let everyone know. But for the time being, it's actually really cool to brainstorm "out loud" as it were. I don't generally let anyone into the process this early but since I'm playing with relatively familiar source material, I kind of felt like it merited a go.

I also brainstormed with Lewis over dinner and he gave me a great Criminal Minds sort of twist. So this is actually taking on a great life of its own at this point. I've jotted down notes and I think I've got some good framework ideas to play with.

OK here is my plot and I don't expect you to use it. It is not CSI. It is lush and decadent and implausible and over the top.

We start with a woman who is bug fuck crazy in a relationship with a sugar daddy, a big time businessman with relations to the entertainment industry. She is obsessed with pleasing him and maintaining a long term relationship. She know he will eventually trade her in on a younger model, and there is no chance of his every marrying her, so she intends to become his baby Momma - with his advance agreement. She brings up the idea over a romantic dinner he takes her to, and he is enthusiastic. He likes the idea of a baby he can take financial responsibility for, but spend time when he wants, but have no set ressponsibility for other than financial. Another couple at the restaurant has twins. He makes the usual jokes about "double trouble" than says that twins are bad luck, carry misfortune, are servants of evil.

She takes this very seriously, because she obsessively wants to please him. So when the doctor tells her she is going to have twins, she arranges for one of them to be adapted at birth so she Sugar Daddy only knows about one.

Both twins grow up beautiful, and selfish and obsessed. The twin raise by Mama is obsessed with his own beauty and all that it brings him. Because he is also overwhelmingly talented, and has Daddy's connections, and a lot of Daddy's money, he is able to become a Rock Star. His obsession with his own beauty does not cause him to take good care of himself. He works hard at peforming because it gives him a chance to show off his beauty, but drinks and drugs, and eats what he pleases.

The adapted twin grows up poor and obssessed with money. But he sees his beauty as the only path to money, and does nothing to develop anything but his beauty to get money. He eats a fanatically health diet, exercises 3 hours per day, etc. But because he develops nothing else about himself, he remains poor. He is so good-looking he gets some modeling jobs, but not many, because modeling is hard work, and good models have to do a heck of a lot and all he has is his good looks. But because his beauty is breathtaking the local modeling agency will use him in very limited circumstances. Similarly is able to get some work at a strip club, but not much because the only time they can use him is if they pair him with a partner with enough dancing skill to make a hat-rack look good. And they won't waste someone with that skill on him very often.

He has a day job as a barista, which he only keeps because he is the manager's lover and she covers for him. But as much she likes his beauty, she knows that someday she will have to stop covering for him and fire him to keep her job and when that happens that is what she will do.

Poor twin discovers rich twin, and comes to him for help Rich twin won't do a thing. Back to obsucrity for poor twin. Until rich twin finds his kidneys are going bad. Calls poor twin, asks for Kidney. Poor twin won't donate but will sell.

So Dorian gets kidney transplant pays poor twin, back on top. Poor twin can't buy success and blows money trying. And looks maybe a bit tired from transplant. Dorian is starting to show wear, meets multi-skilled Hollywood Doctor Marie Moreau. She tells him she has special operations to maintain his beauty, but it needs very compatible donor.Dorian tells her of twin.

So twin is approached, gets paid more to donate skin, gets paid more to donate muscles. Looks uglier and uglier. Deteriorates and goes downhills, constantly blows money. Ends up on street. Dorian does not want a reasource like him on street, so puts him in apartment with a guardian. Continues to do transplants. Twin slips guarian ends up on street again. Dorian finances clinic for Moreau and she locks evil twin in basement. Twin is now both victim and llving portrait of Dorian's soul.

In end wheh all this is exposed, will destroy Dorian, but too late to save twin who is hideous, dependent on permanent hookups to various forms of life support, and has been (continued...)

( continues...) driven mad in some way that he can no longer speak or communicate, just stare at unseen horrors.

A version that will never be written. More Grand Guigonal than than CSI.