#ask-emo-hamlet

[aliciavance4228]

I need you guys to understand that asking a woman in marriage back in the ancient times was also a way of not denigrating her image.

I've seen lots of people on the Internet claiming that Perseus is selfish for asking Andromeda's father for permission in order to marry her (*ahem* Crown of Serpents *ahem*), or deciding to make her his bride the moment he saw her. What a lot of them don't seem to get though is that back then a woman's virginity before marriage was considered very important, and having an affair with a woman without being married to her or receiving the father's approval first was unsafe (due to sexist and misogynistic reasons).

By asking for Andromeda's hand in marriage, Perseus indirectly states that he doesn't see her as lesser (concubine, sex slave, mistress etc.) and he doesn't want to bring her shame but to give her a honorable social status. It's even more obivious in Euripides' Andromeda where Andromeda straight-up tells him that he can have her either as a servant, wife or slave, to which Perseus assures her that he never "abused the unfortunate in their adversity".

Compare his attitude with Achilles', who not only that murdered Briseis' family but he never considered marrying her (and escaping her from the status of a slave by default) despite of how much he claimed to love her at one point.

The most deranging part is that I've seen this type of mindset even in works written hundreds of years later, such as Shakespeare's. A lot of people criticize Romeo to the point where they call him a predator or a pedo, despite the fact that he's implied to be not much older than Juliet (which yes, roughly put it means that both of them were dumb horny teenagers...) AND that Romeo asked Juliet to marry him before sleeping with her. Meanwhile in Hamlet the eponym character is emotionally and verbally abusive towards Ophelia, constantly making sexual remarks to her, being uncapable of giving her the minimum of respect and human decency, rushing into her room at one point and indirectly contributing to her suicide after killing her father. But because he is nowdays conveniently labeled as "the original emo" his relationship with Ophelia is more oftenly excused.

Not sure if the main problem is the lack of Media Literacy, the romanticization of abusive relationships to the detriment of healthier ones for aesthetical purposes, BookTok brainrot or honestly just all of these combined.

[silverview]

amazing bracelets @spcvarney made for me, i love them so much 😭💕💕💕 had a great time again at s/f, got to see a bunch of people from here who were all so cool & lovely, i feel so lucky!!

reece & steve DID come out to sign things this time! we were told not to ask for selfies, so i just got my s9 script book signed by both of them. i asked reece if he'd had a good time & he looked up at me, smiled, and said yes he did, and thanks for coming. 🥹💗

there was also merch for sale in the theatre, and that poster i mentioned is s/f specific, but in a way that's not obvious until you've seen the play.

some further unorganised thoughts about the show + audio links below the cut, spoilers obviously ⚠️

new recordings added here (18-01) [edit 20-01-2025: removed the link] in case you want to compare & contrast (@lapis-lazuliie!) there were a few small changes & the scene change with the video screen was much smoother. i accidentally cut off the coda to the song at the very end in my haste to get to the stage door

in the opening sketch, there’s a reference to an 80s-style production of taming of the shrew. certainly a reference to the play where reece first laid eyes on steve. theatre at the heart of their relationship from the very beginning. it really is all about them and their love story

(when you know the twist in this bit, you notice that toby leaves when steve comes onstage, and then once s & r are onstage together, s just stares at r for a moment too long)

in general, i just love the shakespeare in it. love hamlet obviously and love the range of their theatrical references. i get emo about reece on gbbo “jokingly” griping that he’ll never get to play hamlet, because you know he thinks he'd smash it, and you know he knows he never will. and that he still slightly blames his comedy career for the fact he didn’t get to. and that it's specifically a dream that dies when you get too old. (“the most devastating moment in a young man’s life…”)

goudron & hugo are doing it blake & drew style. as in, here’s a creepy guy. here’s the methods he uses to sexually abuse his female patients. now here he is doing those same things to a man. now let’s not address the subtext of that ❤️ yay ❤️ i honestly am thinking about writing self-indulgent fic about them but not till after the run at least. OH AND the set for that whole bit is turquoise, like the trolley problem. alright.

they've changed that bit slightly so that when hugo comes back in, he's already in the chair, and doesn't need to be restrained. which makes much more sense, and it's clear they should have done it that way from the beginning, except force of habit and reece's need to be strapped to a chair made them try it the other way first.

sidenote, i need goudron carnally, i’m sorry. if i’m acting more than typically horny for steve, you know that’s why. i think the drastic & abrupt shift in fuckability levels from act 1 to act 2 doesn’t help. white coat, sleeve garters, moustache, brown hair.

speaking of clothes, reece as himself at the beginning was wearing smart brown shoes + smart trousers + pale blue shirt + soft grey sweater vest. as marcus at the end he's wearing a jacket over a turtleneck, very cute. also very cute as marcus in hugo's stripy pyjamas with a big cosy cardigan over the top. hugo has curly dark hair with a grey streak, and a big curly moustache that gets a laugh when he takes off his surgical mask.

the guest this time was kevin eldon! he did the line from zanzibar and reece went fully into the hokey cokey!!! i would post the clip but it is mostly just me laughing

i mentioned this briefly in my original post, but it really is crazy that they make it so obvious how len has written his real feelings/anxieties about the relationship into the kidnappers sketch. purely because like… lads YOU are sketch writers. you are making it very clear that YOU put your real feelings/anxieties about your relationship into your work. we knew this already but it's too much too much

it's easy to not tell bf what happens in the show (we're seeing it together late feb) but it is very VERY hard to not walk around the flat constantly singing tears of laughter

on the final night at the end steve really does need to just grab reece and kiss him

[pinemartenstudios]

I gave Werewolf a home, and it has context behind u.u

Werewolf in CROB has no fixed home, he wanders the forest all the time; while CRK Werewolf has a hut in the outskirts of the Kingdom. BUT: Werewolf might have a reason to have a more fixed location in CROB, and that's being able to visit Spinach and ask her for vegetables (we know he still visits her because during Vagabond's update she brought Werewolf and Pancake with her to the Yakgwa Village). I think he would build an improvised shelter in the forest, close to the town, but still in the forest.

With time, Spinach will tell him to stay in her house for a while because she plans to gather resources to upgrade Werewolf's house to an actual hut, and she would ask Beet for help. Beet's the local expert on building shelters in the middle of nowhere, but maybe she decides to improve her skills once she starts living with Carrot and can now design full houses :0.

Houses in Happy Healthy Hamlet have personal touches: Carrot's is shaped after a carrot, while Potato's an underground house because potato's grow underground. They would give Werewolf's house a personal touch too 🥺 And no, I won't reduce him to the emo jokes. The personal touch aren't dark colors or emo alpha wolf decorations

To begin with, the main color of the house is blue. Werewolf might be grey, but his actual characteristic color is the blue from his eyes There's no explicit moon decorations, but it's implicit on the globe shape of the house itself (I used Kirby's house for reference xD). And if Carrot can have a carrot shaped house, Werewolf can have a house with ears xD

And why the cloud rug? I call the cape's fluffy collar "the cloud", so it would be cute that Spinach or other characters also think about a cloud when they look at it 🥺

The basket has vegetables from Spinach and the framed picture is one of the rare times Red Velvet, Chip and him took a photo together (I think the only one of the group who would have a phone is Red Velvet, not because of the Tiktok videos of the official account, but because when forming BAD 4 they might have considered expanding through social media, and that requires electronic devices)

There's also a bunch of peppercorns, by reccomendation of a mutual (the reccomendation was adding something related to his ingredient, aka black pepper). It's actually a few strings with the peppercorns added like if it was a wristband made of beads.

Hope you like this concept!

[oh-kays-stuff]

I was asked to illustrate Hamlet the Emo™ by Shakespeare for our school magazine article a few days ago.

[encryptidarchivist]

hey you should go read my comic

and do your daily clicks

my blog description is getting absurdly long so woe, intro post be upon ye (and rip to the previous pinned post it will be missed)

is this also just an excuse for having a bunch of blinkies and graphics? haha nooo why ever would you think that (flash warning for under the cut)

hey there! i'm cryptid, encryptid, archie, or any variation, they/it/he, i'm transmasc nonbinary and a-spec among other things (at this point i'm collecting queer labels like oh so many shiny rocks), i'm 17, i'm neurodivergent, i have chronic pain and pots also

things i like: fiction podcasts, so much music, my ocs (ask me about them and my life is yours), poetry, classic lit, history, medical science, philosophy, space, the deep sea, creatures of all varieties, the paranormal, media analysis, and silly memes

fandoms include but are not limited to: the magnus archives/protocol, red valley, welcome to night vale, malevolent, severance, the good place, dead poets society, house md, puppet history (and watcher as a whole but especially puppet history), dropout, the brian david gilbert extended universe, mcr, neon genesis evangelion, outer wilds, sonic, frankenstein, dracula, the strange case of jekyll and hyde, shakespeare (especially hamlet. talk to me about hamlet), the mechanisms, several weird 80s and 90s movies

music i like gets its own (non-exhaustive and constantly growing) list because there's so much: mcr, stomach book, sir chloe, the smiths, radiohead, the cure, vundabar, jhariah, car seat headrest, the scary jokes, lemon demon, will wood, tally hall, jack stauber, ratbag, dwellings, alex g, the beatles, the weakerthans, belle and sebastian, boygenius and its members, the mechanisms, chappel roan, billie eilish, and my shiny rock collection of random emo/indie/rock bangers from bands i know max 3 songs by

i do make my own posts sometimes if you can believe it, my tag for that is #encryptid says things

i also draw things, such as my comic, and copious amounts of fanart and oc doodles. my tag for that is #encryptid draws things or you could just go to my art only blog, @encryptidartchivist

on the rare occasion i do some writing i use the tag #encryptid texts

sometimes i use audacity for evil, the tag for that is #encryptid audio

i also have #encryptunes for music (there isn't much in there at the moment but there will be more eventually)

as may have been implied by now i am very [not] normal about my ocs! they are my silliest of guys, my most beloved of blorbos, my fucked up losers, i think about them all the time <3 my main tag for oc stuff is #encryptid's homemade blorbos. the only other specific tags i use are #zrin story universe for one particular story/collection of characters and #ivy and barbed wire for the various incarnations of/insane ramblings about my beloveds devon and valerie. there are a few ocs i tag with their name because i actually bothered to come up with a full name for them but most of the time they're not individually tagged. i may try to go back and change that at some point.

i have a lot of ocs! and a lot of stories! and lore! i will make a big document/s with all of their information at some point and it'll get linked here when it's done. stay tuned.

in the meantime you can check some of them out on artfight

#🧊 is the tag for posts i think my friend who does not have a tumblr account but goes through my blog every now and then like the newspaper (his words) would enjoy. all hail the cube

i try my best to tag trigger warnings but i do forget sometimes so if there's anything you need to be tagged just let me know

also send me asks!! i love getting them :] and if you want to message me go ahead!

[austinwehaveaproblem]

you should try being more like ophelia (hamlet)

oh hey i love hamlet :] like,,, titus andronicus is def my favourite shakespeare play but i resonate the most with hamlet. anyways, i'm unsure how specifically i'm meant to interpret this, would you mind clarifying?

knowing my anons this is someone telling me to off myself but personally i see myself more in hamlet (I Know) i'm just so 💥 call me what instrument you will though you can fret me you cannot play upon me 💥. i'm also a massive fan of hey there ophelia by mc lars, gabe saporta, and brett anderson. and that song has the line "i'm an emo prince, non-committal as could be you'd be non-committal too if you were flawed like me" which i greatly appreciate. and hamlet's autistic. obviously. and the most transfemmasc character to exist. i;m also just.... obsessed with the idea of hamlet's death being inevitable? sorry btw i didn't feel like i should spoiler warn it it's like 400 years old lmao.

my main thing in hamlet that appeals to me is like. okay my main interpretation is surveillance state related because of course it is but more like... england than denmark. because. yeah. and i really love that. sorry this got totally divorced from your original ask anyway yeah either hmu to talk about shakespeare or be clearer if this was suibaiting please xD

[crazyw3irdo]

okay more genuine FAQ here this one is actually serious, i’ve had ppl saying they don’t know the character they got so just brief descriptions of who’s who if you’re curious and unfamiliar all explained in terms i think tumblr users will understand

romeo montague- okay no one who got romeo or juliet asked who they were, but just for clarification, romeo’s a bit of a drama queen guy who falls in love fast and hard with pretty much anyone. before juliet he was head over heels for this girl rosaline, and i bet you if this play weren’t a tragedy that romeo would be in love with a different girl by the end. he’s pretty emo too, he writes poetry in his notebook, he complains to his friends over how lovesick he is, he’s, yknow, a weird teen. if he were alive today he’d have a fursona and listen to nightcore angel with a shotgun.

juliet capulet- she’s a 13 y/o girl who is… damn i wasn’t gonna talk about tragedy and themes for the character descs but it’s hard not to for her; she was robbed of the chance to find herself by dying so young & she was dealing with a lot of expectations being put on her. she’s a kid living out a wattpad fantasy yknow? she’s pretty optimistic and trusting, but also she knows what she wants- she’s arranged to marry this guy, paris, and she absolutely refuses. getting with romeo’s a little act of teen rebellion and giddy excitement to actually be with someone who likes her. if she were alive today she’d read a lot of x reader fanfiction and probably have a picrew icon of her or an oc.

benvolio montague- romeo’s cousin, one of the more reasonable guys. if you’re familiar with hamlet, think horatio. he’s not a stick in the mud or anything, i mean he’s hanging out with romeo and mercutio i don’t think you could be a stick in the mud and survive being near them. he still gets into fights and stuff, but he knows how to suck up to authority when he has to. he tries to keep romeo on the right track and all, but romeo’s too busy sighing and doodling hearts to actually do anything. if he were alive today he’d be the one telling romeo and mercutio to just block people online and move on (but when he does that himself he always tries to say something before he blocks the other person so he gets the last word)

mercutio- my personal favorite character, romeo and benvolio’s friend, kinsman of the prince. he makes puns, pokes fun at romeo’s angst, gets into fights, makes more puns, and dies. he makes puns as he’s bleeding out, never before has someone committed to the bit this hard. he’s loyal to his friends, but being neither montague nor capulet, he’s actually pretty chill with both families. he loves to go off on weird tangents & have wordplay competitions with romeo. he’s got that sorta dancing through life attitude. some sans undertale energy if you will. if he were alive today he’d make videos and only pin hate comments and respond to them like “damn are we about to kiss rn 😳”

tybalt capulet- juliet’s cousin, and once again remember we are talking about a play from 1597, who has a crush on her. he’s known to be rather quick to provoke. after the whole incident of romeo sneaking into the capulet party, he swears to get revenge and tries to challenge him to a fight. whenever i think of tybalt there’s this video that comes to mind of a pomeranian dog snarling and growling and biting. im sure he’s normally fine, we’re just seeing him when he’s going through it so we don’t have that much normalcy to compare him to, but juliet’s really upset when he dies so they were close at least? if he were alive today he’d be the guy leaving the hate comments on mercutio’s videos & getting irrationally angry at people online over fandom discourse.

juliet’s nurse- pretty much raised juliet- yes juliet does have a mother, but she’s closer to her nurse- oh, and not like, a medical nurse. nurse as in she nursed juliet when she was a baby. she had a kid herself one, though that kid passed away, so juliet’s even more of a surrogate daughter than she already was. she’s a bit of a comic relief character, like mercutio, often going off on long tangents, and making a few raunchy jokes, but she’s also one of the only people who knows romeo and juliet get married- she helps arrange for them to meet. her scene reacting to juliet’s “death” is heartbreaking though- and it’s the last scene she’s in. if she were alive today she’d be looking after juliet and telling her weird stories that juliet would find boring at the time but later after she’d grown up would reflect on like “what the fuck did she mean by that”

friar laurence- the guy who marries romeo and juliet & the guy who comes up with the “fake your death” idea. it would’ve worked, too, had it not been for the other friar who went to give romeo the letter explaining the situation being stopped from delivering the letter by the plague. he gives romeo a good pep talk, hides him when he is first banished for a little bit- he’s a kind and wise old man who’s just trying his best to help some kids out… but it doesn’t really work out that way. if he were alive today he’s be making those youtube videos where an expert in a certain field gives advice to people about that field.

also since some ppl were wondering: romeo, juliet, mercutio, and tybalt die. the other three live. there’s also a guy named paris who dies but he didn’t fit the theming of the quiz i don’t think so he wasn’t included, and i couldn’t come up with anything for the prince and lord/lady capulet/montague, of which only lady montague dies.

also also i would love any further chances to infodump so questions are not only allowed but encouraged-

made a uquiz

[cleverclove]

hamlet was the first misogynistic trans man < has never seen it in his life

OH as someone who has read hamlet. Imagine Simba from the Lion King. Now imagine him as a young Danish prince who dies at the end. And also has vaguely homoerotic interactions with his best friend.

[s1utspeare]

First Lines Tag Game

Meri-jie!!!!! Thank you @merinnan for tagging me in this!! i’m always a slut for first sentences, so this is gonna be FUN! >:)

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!

Just by coincidence, I have exactly twenty stories on the archive now lmao. So these are the first lines of my twenty posted fics (I have other fics in progress lol). 

He’s getting intimately familiar with his toilet bowl. - 刀疤印跡 (DMBJ, Li Cu venom detox) 

Tiezui is upside-down on the couch when Fo-ye gets home. - to catch the conscience of a King (DMBJ, FoBa theatre AU)

Wang Meng does not like being underground. - The Cold Light of the Stars (DMBJ, space AU)

“Chen Pi!” Yatou’s voice chimes, like the sweet trill of a songbird, from across the courtyard. “Er-ye’s home!” - for want of a rope (DMBJ, Er-ye/Yatou/Chen Pi smut fic)

They find, eventually, that there’s no cure. - and you will find me (DMBJ, PingXie)

“Your guard is shaped wrong.” - the play’s the thing (DMBJ, PingXie theatre AU)

Su Nan was never one for teaching. - can’t be bothered with the teachers (DMBJ, Su Nan & Wang Can)

Pangzi gets jealous sometimes. - like the moon in the midday (DMBJ, PangXie smut)

The door to his hospital room swung open, but Wu Xie didn’t yet know that he was fucked. - cause it’s easier to bury my head in the sand sometimes (DMBJ, Wu Xie & Li Cu post-Reboot)

It’s a long way down the mountain. - falling backwards, falling backwards (DMBJ, Liu Sang post-Thunder City)

there’s a time, when he returns, when he realizes he doesn’t know where home is. - astroturf and lamplit nights (DMBJ, Wu Xie & Li Cu post-Sha Hai)

If Wu Xie were music, he’d be clarinet. - i wish that you would love me (DMBJ, PingPangSangXie)

Liang Wan is not sure which one of their dates should be considered their first. - Twin High-Maintenance Machines (DMBJ, Zhang Rishan/Liang Wan post-Sha Hai)

When they get back, Bai Haotian is going to kill Shouling. - A Swiftly Tilting Planet (DMBJ, space AU)

As he gets punched in the stomach for the third time, Ben thinks, This would be a lot easier if you weren’t so fucking short. - lock and load (baby, i got your back) (King Falls AM, bodyguard AU)

The caravan dropped Sammy off outside the walls of King Falls. - looms but the horror of the shade (King Falls AM, zombie AU)

He had expected the news to come with the Amulet. - Precursor (Trollhunters, Draal-centric)

The old shopkeeper does not turn when you enter. - At the Beginning of the End of the World (Deltarune)

“Hey, Dirk, do we have any more—Jesus Christ, what are you wearing?” - Two Sane Dudes Doing Normal Things (And Falling a Little Bit in Love) (Dirk Gently, Brotzly)

“There is always some madness in love.” Nietzsche said that, and with him, it was true. - Eulogy (Hamlet)

And there you have it!! all my first lines! they are! so short! someday i need to start a fic with a giant rambly run on sentence and you’ll all think that someone’s kidnapped me (wait what’s the feral zhang rishan first line???? nvm that ones short too :/ i would check the psychic detectives au but i’m 90% sure that one is like five words. oh never mind i checked it and it’s a good line and a half! nice.)

tbh tho i think my favorite first line I’ve written as of late is from an untitled pangxie ficlet that I wrote under a @psychic-waffles post that i can’t find the link to rn rip. But that’s 

Tianzhen looks like spring. 

so there u go lol 

ANYWAY I’m tagging @mejomonster, @gaiahenshin, @elletromil, @bookjoyworm, @undyingsunshine, @rose-nebulijia, @pissmeoffanddie, @highpriestessofjogan, @fizferret, and @alxina, if you all want to do it (but no pressure as always), as well as anyone else who would like to gift us some first sentences (i literally love first sentences so much alsgialfkjafjsdf)

[vissercomplex]

omg on my first listen i lowkey got hamlet vibes from the like paranoiac descent but i was like ... nah must be just me. love some tragic boys

god yea!!! oh hell yea, when i caught up i felt like… i had this weird certainty that there would be only one standing at the end, and i couldn’t tell if it was me projecting my favorite stories onto it or not but

also jon saying hamlet quotes is just, maybe my favorite thing, the fucking “play upon this pipe” scene is so fuckign funny in the context of s2 

[corpsebasil]

Hii!!!!! Can I request a nikolai x reader where she hates nikolai with every morsal in herself but she soon realises the reason she hates him is cause she is scared of liking him as she has had a bad experience with men in the past. And one day he traps her and asked her what he has done to make her hate him so much and she breaks down about what has happened and how she loves him so much. His smile, face, personality, his kind and caring attributes and they share a heartfelt kiss

Sí

Do You Love Me-> N.L.

The Lady that lives in the Grand Palace is immune to the Prince’s attention.

He wouldn’t. Leave you. Alone.

You didn’t like anything about him. Not his stupid face, or his ridiculous sense of humor, or his cocky attitude that made you want to vomit when you watched him turn on the charm for other women. You especially hated him when constantly you badgered you, seeking you out.

“Lady Y/N, darling!” You heard a cheerful voice call behind you as you worked on stitching up a tear in your nightgown. You flinched and poked yourself in the finger, cursing under your breath as you stuck the wounded digit into your mouth.

The prince entered uninvited; he had a habit of showing up in the middle of the day, bored after his state meetings around noon and desperate for entertainment. That was all you were, apparently. Entertainment.

“Your Highness.” You greeted tightly, glancing up from your perch on your window-seat, your knees tucked up to you chest. “And to what do I owe this grand displeasure?”

“I’m bored.” He sighed, dropping onto your couch. Of course he was. “I’ve missed you desperately.”

“You saw me at dinner yesterday.”

“You didn’t even speak to me.”

It was true. He’d been trying to get your attention for at least an hour. He’d even gone so far as to wave dramatically, drawing your annoyed eye slowly to him, only for him to flash you a beaming grin.

That was it.

He just wanted to smile at you.

“Maybe you should take the hint.”

You could almost hear his aggressive eye-roll. Nikolai swore he’d never rolled his eyes so much before he met you. Every since you’d come to the palace, a beautiful lady of high ranking, his breath had been ripped right out of his lungs. You’d been polite, at first. Sweet even. But as he spent more time with you, tried harder to be your friend and eventually court you, you grew cold.

And he didn’t know why.

“You look stunning today.” He tried again, smiling sweetly as you glanced up, your eyes meeting his.

“I know.”

“Glad you know. I love a confident woman.” When you ignored him, he pressed on. “Lovely day, isn’t it?”

“It’s definitely another day in Ravka.”

“I have a proposition. We could—”

“Not interested.”

“You didn’t even hear it.” He whined, and you looked up.

“Anywhere you are—” you began, giving him a firm stare, “—is where I do not want to be.” You returned to your stitching, smiling in amusement to yourself.

There was a weighted pause, and you glanced up. Nikolai’s expressed flickered for a moment, before smoothing into neutrality. He stood, wiping imaginary dust off of his trousers.

“Of course, well. Wouldn’t want to burden you.” He said crisply, and tugged something out of his pocket. He laid a piece of paper down on the couch and you were surprised to see the tips of his ears had gone a bit pink. “I bought tickets for that play I know you like. What is it? The one with the skull and the emo guy?”

“Hamlet?”

“Yeah, that one. We don’t have to sit together. Or—you can go, and I’ll stay here.” He smiled tightly and nodded, leaving your bedroom before you could say a thing.

-

That night, you did go to Hamlet. And it was amazing.

You got back to the palace feeling like you were walking on air; something about the theater made your heart sing, and you were surprised Nikolai knew anything about that.

You walked down to the hall to your rooms, clad in a splendid dress that swept across the floor, emerald jewelry dangling from your ears and neck. Gifts from Nikolai, obviously, but they were the best options you had, so of course you wore them. You weren’t vain enough to toss away emeralds.

You had barely gotten your handle on the doorknob when a guard stopped you, handing you a piece of folded stationary.

“Lady Y/L/N.” He greeted, nodding his head. He passed it to you wordlessly and you entered your rooms, breaking the seal as you walked. Then you paused, eyes flicking up to your coffee table.

A bouquet of spring flowers were in a grand vase on the table, as beautiful as any flowers you’d ever seen in your life. You were pleasantly surprised; you loved flowers. You smiled and moved over to smell them, then flicked open the note, eyes running across the elegant script.

‘Y/N,

I hope you enjoyed Hamlet. I certainly enjoyed sitting in my room all night pretending I was there. Imagine me holding a skull and whining about my dead friend. (Was it father? I don’t remember.) Anyways, I’m sure you looked magnificent. I heard from some servants that you were the prettiest Grisha they’d ever seen as they saw you leave.

I know they won’t, but I hope the flowers I sent will amount to even a fraction of your beauty. Maybe you’ll hate me a bit less tomorrow.

Yours,

Nikolai.’

Something tugged at your heart at those words, especially the last line. You grumbled to yourself and tossed the note into the bin, right on top of a multitude of others that he’d sent you. Some were long rants about what he’d did that day and requesting you write him back. Some were just one line, things like ‘you looked beautiful at dinner’ or ‘thinking about you by the way’.

It was annoying as hell and you didn’t know how to get through to him that you had no interest in the prince whatsoever. Sometimes it felt like he only chased after you because you were only woman he couldn’t have. You’d seen the way he flirted and had no interest in any of that.

-

Breakfast was a fun occasion, one in which you and a few of your Grisha friends sat at a small table in the tea-room, laughing over delicate sandwiches and tiny cakes. You had just popped a small slice of strawberry into your mouth, clad in your favorite green silk robe, when you glanced up.

Nikolai was entering the room, heading over to a group of men that were eating their own breakfasts. Soldiers, by the looks of them, all in uniform and ridiculously attractive. Your eyes tracked him, keeping watch on his movements as he approached the soldiers. They stood and laughed, grinning as they clapped him on the back and ushered him into a chair, their boyish voices loud and carrying.

Nikolai’s eyes darted to yours, as if magnetized, and you glanced away.

“He’s so handsome.” Your friend Marley sighed, propping her chin on a hand as she stared at the prince.

“He’s average at best.” You countered, following her gaze. “I mean really? Blondes?”

“I’m more of a brunet loving girl myself.” Lina said, pointing her fork at you. “I agree with Y/N. But he is rather handsome. I think he’d be my exception.”

The fourth girl at the table, Joanna, simply wrinkled her nose. She was into women, and had no interest in this line of conversation.

“He’s a guy. Who cares.”

“Y/N..” Marley purred, and you did not like her tone one bit. “I heard Nikolai got you invitations to the play last night.” She grinned. “And you went. Did you guys snuggle in the carriage the whole time?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“He didn’t go.” You said calmly, looping one leg over the other knee.

“What?” Both Marley and Lina exclaimed, and even Joanna looked surprised.

“Why not?” Marley asked, voice rising an octave.

“I didn’t want him there.”

“But—but he’s the prince.”

“Only you would find a way to turn down the most ridiculously high-ranking bachelor in the kingdom.” Lina grumbled.

“She’s a duchess in her own right.” Joanna argued, tucking a piece of her dark, shoulder length hair behind an ear. “Just because he’s a prince—”

“But he’s a prince!” Marley told you, eyes wide, and her voice carried a bit too loud. You cringed as the soldier’s table quieted down a fraction, then erupted into male laughter. Marley blushed.

“Go ahead and let all of Ravka know what we’re talking about.” Joanna grumbled, wiping her hands and standing up. “I’ve got to meet up with Rebecca. See you ladies later.” She beamed, wiggling her fingers at the three of you before sweeping out of the room, her cream-silk robe billowing behind her.

You shot Marley daggers with your eyes and the honey-blonde girl ducked her head, smiling to herself.

“I’m just saying.” Lina whispered, voice much lower now. “You guys need to come to my room around ten. Trust me.”

“Will there be fireworks? Copious amounts of kittens?” You asked drily. “Because that’s the only thing that’s going to interrupt the novel I’m reading.”

“If it’s one of those filthy novels I know you read, then you’ll like it.”

You wrinkled your nose.

“What?”

“Geez, Y/N, lighten up. Just come.” The black haired beauty groaned, her smooth tan arms crossing onto the table. “Pleaaaase?”

You glanced between the two girls, back and forth, then nodded.

“Fine.”

They both squeaked rather loudly, again too loud, and against your better judgement your eyes slid over to Nikolai. He was watching you, a soft smile on his face, and you felt your cheeks flush.

“See you then.” You said and abruptly stood, fastening your robe tighter around you.

And as you left the room, you could’ve sworn you felt his eyes tracking you the entire way out.

-

“Oh my god.” You scoffed, eyes wide as you yanked the current shut. “You didn’t tell me we were going to perve.”

“Just look at them.” Marley giggled, face practically glued to the window.

The guards were on their morning run, which included every soldier at breakfast, all shirtless and jogging across the front lawn, down the back trails to the woods. Which included, to your dismay, Nikolai.

Your mouth went slightly dry.

He was more ripped than half the men around him, golden skin glistening with sweat as he kept up with the very front of the pack. You were alarmed to see he was laughing, whereas some of the men behind him were red-faced and breathing hard.

“Does he—” you stopped yourself. “Do they always run at this time?”

“Mhmm.” Lina said, smiling coyly. “Right under my window. Makes for a lovely after breakfast treat.”

“You two are horrible.” You said, but a smile was pulling at your mouth. Your eyes went back to Nikolai, watching his back muscles flex as he ran ahead, chasing after the man in the very front as they rounded a corner. You tried not to laugh when the two began racing each other, full out sprinting for the lead while the others kept steady pace behind them.

“Ask it.” Lina demanded, and you raised your brow. “Ask what you want to ask.”

“I don’t—”

“Ask me you coward!”

“Fine. Does the prince always run with them?”

Marley and Lina exchanged looks.

“He served in the military…you know that, right? Of course he trains with them.”

You blinked. You’d always thought he was a pompous flirt. You had no idea he was a soldier. Nor that he was packing that much muscle under his outfits of state.

“I um. I didn’t know.” You admitted, biting your bottom lip. “How…strange.”

“He’s so brave.” Marley swooned, slumping dramatically against the window. “I would literally kill to be you. Kill.”

“No threats.” Lina giggled, poking Marley. “Anyways. They’ll come back around in about ten minutes. Let me grab my binoculars.”

You rolled your eyes, pinching the bridge of your nose. Your friends would be the death of you.

-

You left Lina’s room, face flushed from laughing. You indeed had ended up using the binoculars at one point after much peer pressure, and the view was…well… You felt immensely creepy after about two seconds and tossed them back to her, saying that ladies of your stations shouldn’t bend to such inappropriate behavior.

So you walked down the hallway, towards the gardens, eager to get some fresh air when—when—

He didn’t see you at first, eyes closed as he drank from a water bottle, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. A hand-towel was looped around his neck, his bare chest glistening with sweat and—

“Y/N?” He called out, and your eyes snapped to his face. You hadn’t realized you’d frozen in place, ogling him like a damn lunatic. “You okay?”

“Mhmm.” You squeaked, raising your eyebrows as if to ask, what’s it to you? “Why are you topless? Decided to be a little sluttier than usual?”

“Slutty?” He scoffed, moving over to you as he screwed the cap on his bottle, an amused glint in his eyes. His teeth flashed in a grin as he stood in front of you and he was so tall up close you had to tilt your head up. “How am I slutty?”

“Running around flirting with everyone.” You said, raising a finger as if to tick off the reasons. “Sleeping with anything with a pulse. Oh—” you tapped your chin, pretending to think. “—and weren’t you caught at that orgy party last week? Everyone heard about it.”

Nikolai’s smile grew lazy and he tilted his head, his blonde hair curling a bit with the moisture of his sweat. His eyes scanned your face, then grew mischievous.

“Well.” He started, wiping his face off with his towel. “Since you’re so interested in my sex life, Lady Y/N, I’ll have you know I haven’t had sex in over a year.” You flushed and raised a hand for him to stop, but he continued. “I’m flirtatious by nature, sure. But you must know by now the only woman I want is you.” He leaned in closer, chills spreading across your body as his voice brushed the skin of your neck. “By the way, sweetheart? Lina’s windows are see-through.”

When he nipped your ear you jolted, lurching away with a flushed face, and his laugh echoed down the hallway as he walked past you, headed to take a shower.

“Nice binoculars by the way!” He called over a shoulder, and you wanted to kill Lina.

-

You sat in your rooms. You paced. You groaned into your pillow and sat up, crossing your arms over your chest. You hated him. You hated him. And yet the ghost of his teeth still warmed your ear, and his voice—and his body, and—

No. Absolutely not.

You let out an annoyed sound and rubbed your eyes, standing up to wrap your robe around yourself as you paced some more. You’d had experiences with princes. Arrogant assholes that wrung you out like a towel and left you to dry.

Prince Achileas was the last straw, a pompous ass that had made you feel completely in love. All until you found him mid-fuck with one of the servants, an affair you discovered had gone on for a long time. Possibly during your entire courtship.

You would not make that mistake again, ever. You would marry a nice, non royal, totally normal boy who—

A knock.

“Who is it?” You called after a beat, and the door opened a crack.

“May I walk you to dinner?” Nikolai asked, sticking his head in the door, and your patience was at its wits end, images of Achileas still haunting your thoughts.

“My god cant you just—” you bit your tongue hard enough to draw blood and his eyebrows knit together.

“Can I what?”

“Fuck off and leave me alone?” You snapped, but immediately regretted it when a wounded look crossed his handsome face. He opened the door a fraction wider, leaning against the frame.

“What did I do to you, Y/N?” He asked, voice soft but strained. “Why do you hate me so much?”

“Because!” You fought for words, a flush rising in your cheeks. “Because you annoy the shit out of me. You chase after me like a damn lap dog. What do I have to do to get through to you?”

He flinched like you’d slapped him, then held his hands up in surrender. You’d never seen him look so hurt; every rejection, every rude comment, was always swept under the rug as he tried harder and harder.

Now he was done.

“Alright.” He said, and it sounded like his words had to travel over a lump in his throat. “I’m sorry. I apologize for following you around, and for trying to love you. I’m sincerely sorry.” Nikolai closed the door before you could respond, a soft click that made you wish he’d slammed it.

You were such an idiot.

Because you’d been lying to yourself. You knew, somehow, that he was genuine. That he kept trying because beyond your icy exterior, he saw something in you he longed for. And you, deep down, though you didn’t want to admit it—had never admitted it—had cared for the prince for quite some time now.

Fighting the ache in your throat you sat on your couch, pulling your knees to your chest, and decided not to go to dinner.

-

A week passed and you’d been watching, waiting, for him to find a new girl to chase. But he didn’t. In fact, he seemed to be a dimmer version of himself. He only spoke to his fellow soldiers, and avoided your presence.

It all came to a head at the nearest ball, one you were forced to attend by your friends, you eyes tracking Nikolai’s figure as he leaned against the wall, completely ignoring the party. You’d been following him with your stare all night, the hurtful words you’d said to him seared into your mind.

“What’s wrong with him?” Lina asked you, nudging your arm. “He’s been going on night runs alone, lately. Never used to do that.”

“I don’t know.” You lied, though your heart ached as you watched him.

Your eyes met and you saw him take a deep breath, his brow furrowing as you made eye-contact. You hoped he could see your pleading expression and apparently he did, because he pushed off the wall and headed in your direction.

Your stomach churned.

“Shit.” Marley squeaked, snatching Lina’s arm and dragging you away as the prince neared you, stopping a foot away.

“Enjoying yourself?” He asked, tone flat, and he was surprised by the immediate ‘no’ that left you. “No?”

“Are you?” You shot back, and he gave you a sad smile.

“No.” He told you, tilting his head. “You’ve been watching me. Making sure I leave you alone?”

“Nikolai—” You stopped, pained, and blinked up at him. “I’m sorry.” Your voice lowered and you felt ashamed at his stunned expression. “I’m really, really sorry.”

You were relieved when he didn’t make you work for his forgiveness; his face relaxed, a hesitant smile on his mouth.

“Y/N,” he sighed, blinking up at the ceiling. “I appreciate your apology. But if you truly do not want me to pursue you, I won’t.” You stared, but then he offered you his hand. “May we dance?”

You nodded wordlessly, ignoring the tightness in your chest, and allowed him to lead you out onto the floor. His hand found your waist, pulling you close, and you realized this was the most he’d ever touched you. His fingers locked with your own and you caught your breath.

“You’re so beautiful.” He murmured a minute into the dance, then cringed, like he wished he hadn’t said it. You closed your eyes, absorbing the feel of his hands. When he spun you and pulled you back in, he tugged you closer than you were before.

You took a shaking breath at the scent of him, and the warmth of him, and you remembered his words. Sorry for trying to love you. You’d never been truly loved by any man, only hurt, and it was hard to believe that Nikolai, the kindest, most generous man you’d ever met, could love you.

“I’m sorry.” You told him again, and his grip on you tightened. He tilted his face closer to yours to listen as you spoke, his blue eyes gentle. “It’s just—I’ve never—” you swallowed. “I’ve never been treated…right. Loved. And I didn’t trust you at first. It was easier to push you away.”

He sighed and shook his head.

“I’d have given you the world, Y/N.” He said, expression pained. “Anything you wanted. All of me.” He glanced down, eyes meeting yours. “I would’ve been yours.”

Would’ve.

The past tense isn’t lost on you and you pulled away, feeling stupid, and sad, and lonely and—and what had you expected? Him to still want you after what you’d said? You didn’t realize a tear of grief and self-hatred had slipped down your face until he cupped your cheeks, a low noise caught in his throat as his forehead touched your own.

“My sweet angel.” He murmured, tilting your face up. “I like you better without your claws.”

You didn’t care if this was inappropriate, didn’t care about onlookers, not when he kissed your brow softly, his smile weak when he pulled back. He gave you a nod that broke your heart and moved away, disappearing into the crowd.

You left the party.

-

Nikolai found you later, around midnight, sitting on the ground with your back against a stone bench in the garden. It was raining, a light sprinkle, but you’d been out here so long staring at nothing that your hair and dress were wet. You hugged your knees, chin propped on one leg, lost in thought.

“Lady Y/L/N?” The prince called, and you cringed at the formality. You didn’t turn, though, only stayed still as he sat beside you, blond hair growing damp. “I’ve been looking for you.”

You swallowed the knot in your throat before speaking.

“Are you sending me home?” You asked, voice strained as you stared ahead. The fear had began to plague you the moment you’d left the party. Without the prince’s affection, would he let you stay?

“What?” Nikolai demanded. When you only sniffled he turned your chin with his hand, forcing you to look at him. “Why would I—Saints, no, Y/N.”

“But you said you—you said would’ve. I ruined everything.”

“Do you love me?”

“I’m scared Nik, I’m scared to hurt you again—”

“Do you love me?”

“—I’m scared of being hurt—”

“Y/N.” He gripped your chin tighter. “Do you love me?”

“Fuck. Yes okay? I do and I cant stop and—”

Faster than you could blink he lunged into you, crushing your mouth to his. You swayed from the impact and collapsed against the wet grass, his body dropping onto yours. Your lips separated and you laughed, his eyes brighter than you’d ever seen them.

“God, say it out loud.” He told you, calming his amusement to kiss your cheek and temple. “Tell me you love me.”

“I love you.” You said with a soft smile, and he kissed you again.

SORRY I GOT CARRIED AWAY LOL

[fantomette22]

For OCs asks... Isn't it your OC on your icon? Can you tell us more about them?

Ah Lucen Venator ! My beloved hunter <3 (I called my tarnished Lucen too, I might used that name for everyone lol but it's not exactly the same character either hehe ^^)

(drawing made by PaperAcolyte/Chess Albaneze on Instagram by the way. A really nice and sweet person who's making one of the best bloodborne comic to date!)

Alright so lil Lucen really try to be a kind soul but have seen some serious shit in his life (cf scars + last survivor origins initially but I arranged myself so that a lot of origin could actually fit him). What I mean is that he's more a summon helper than an invader XD I put a bit of myself in him. He's probably gonna ascend to become a great one but in the scenario where he would do the "Yharnam sunrise ending" he would ended becoming the next Crow.

He got black hair and silver? eyes. And actually more than just one scar on the face. Oh and I guess they/them is fine too? And If I had a female hunter I would probably have called her Lucen as well so

He's like the only characters with a complex family tree including both OC and really obscure characters from the lore of Bloodborne too. (I finally have an excuse to talk about it let's go !) (of course it's just my imagination and doesn't repose on anything)

Ok so first you have his grandad (that I call Mr Venator or just Venator because I didn't found a name yet) he's a a foreigner who came to Yharnam as a prospector originally and then became an old hunter. (He probably never met his grandson too... probably died way before 😢)

He had a son (Lucen's dad) that accompanied him but he was a child/young teenager when they came at Yharnam. But he hang up around the workshop & with other hunter and that's how he met the brother of his future wife and well, his future wife.

Now Lucen's mother (that's where the family tree get tricky XD) so she's from Yharnam? I think. she's from a servant family of Cain or smt akin too. She was a kid too during the beginning of the hunters and all (like before the hamlet/just after).

BUT she had an older brother/half brother (Lucen's uncle) who's an illegitimate Cainhurst/noble child. Maria took him under her wings and he became an old hunter (probably the youngest too, he was a teen). That GUY stayed a hunter and kinda rejected cainhurst who wanted him to become a knight and he's even the one who took care of the workshop after Gehrman went into the dream. And oh yeah he ended up becoming the beast possessed soul of the workshop...💀 (the freaking drama I know! I need names for everyone too ahhhh)

AND (it's not finished) that hunter is also... vileblood drifter Leo half brother too! (I know I said it was complex) (Leo, who's probably a cousin/relative of Bloody Crow too. Crow's dad is another one of my oc too but that will be for another time lol).

Here's the family tree so you might understand better. With the simplified version and a more complex version (i'm sorry it's a mess... I might changed it one day...or not)

Anyway in my hc / one of my story all this lil squad : Lucen's parents (with his mom being like 8 months pregnant of him at the time...) his uncle and lil (emo teen young adult) Crow have been basically saved/hid by Gehrman when the church attacked Cainhurst. (I have lots of thoughts about it ! Lucen's uncle and Leo even reconcile in it wow)

Just imagining the following scene make me laugh all the time XD :

Laurence at the workshop : Gehrman what are you doing ??

Gehrman : Me ? Nothing I'm just having tea with some friends. Didn't you tell me you were busy with the mess at Cainhust or smt...

Imagined around the table you have like the doll, 2 anxious/scared future parents (with the dad being hurt because he was almost crucified at Hemwick), Crow (Voron) who's on the point of annihilated Laurence and the hunter (Lucen uncle) holding him back...

After that Lucen's family quit Yharnam. (Except his uncle who stayed/came back. And Crow who might have went with them? but ended up coming back a bit later too. I would never have thought crow would have been linked that much with my hunter... wtf)

Oh and i forgot to mention... when the Moon Presence was beckon... a child was born under the pale moonlight...far away from Yharnam... I let you guess who that was 👀

(I don't have that much bloodborne oc really... ok maybe besides them, the cainhurst ocs (the knight, crow? and a few others (I need names too) and if you don't count the king, Caryll, Dores, dores, gatekeeper, Archi & Paarl + some the corpses we see in game we know like 2 things about I guess the only other legit oc is like Gehrman's dog lmao XD)

Update : By the way it's pronounced LuSSen /LuÇen

[horaitos]

My favourite thing about Polonius as a character is that he’s so incredibly long-winded to the point even the other characters get annoyed…except when he dies. Then, it’s literally:

“I am slain” [dies]

And I cackle every time and it’s one of my favourite scenes in Hamlet for that reason…

What are some of your favourite scenes?

The “I am slain!” gets me too lol, it’s too in character.

As for some scenes I like…

1. Well, while we’re talking about polonius, the scene when he runs into hamlet and hamlet calls him a fishmonger is really funny to me and it’s one of the scenes where hamlet just perfectly embodies the emo teenager who’s completely and absolutely done with the adults around him - those tedious old fools! - and polonius is very obviously trying to get information from him and hamlet’s just not having any of his shit. Polonius says that he’s going to take his leave and hamlet says he could not take anything he would desire more - except hamlet’s life, of course. Aside from the obviously serious note of hamlet’s depression under that it’s the edgy teenager vs oblivious adult that gets me.

2. I love hamlet’s confrontation with his mom, and not just because of the absurdity of “killed a guy, talked to air, called you a whore, what’s up?” The scene is one of the only times the two interact and it’s the only one where they interact one-on-one and it’s great because we really get to see hamlet’s feeling of pure betrayal from his mom and the pain and hurt he hides under his snark and edge. Like I’ve said before, I do sorta understand the situation gertrude was in - she’s still the figurehead of a country and has to appear strong - but she didn’t do anything to help her grieving clearly mentally ill son. And maybe it has to do with gender roles and how men were supposed to be “strong” but she abandoned him. And this scene is him screaming at her “why? why did you do this to me? I loved you! I love you! And you didn’t help me, not one bit! and now I’m stuck in this horrible situation and I can’t ask you for help because you abandoned me!”

3. The pipe scene! Ah, I love that joke and the lead up to it is just *chefs kiss* “and you thought you could play ME?? You can’t even play a pipe!!” Obviously there’s that similar feeling of abandonment where his two old friends are betraying him, which adds a nice layer of angst to that whole situation - I know he was already onto them from the moment they introduced themselves but here he’s just letting it all out, and it’s great.

4. Something that’s not talked about much is the scene where hamlet tells horatio that he killed ros and guil. And it’s interesting because there are a few ways to play horatio in this scene - he could be merely inquisitive, he could be loyal and nodding along, or he could be taken aback and shocked at what his friend has done. I personally think the third one is my favorite interpretation- and the one I’m using for my version of horatio! - because it lends a lot to his character, and it lends a lot more that he still follows hamlet afterwards. He is horrified at what hamlet has done, and yet he still begs him to not go into what is obviously a trap because of his devotion.

I could talk about some more, and maybe I will add on later, but if I do it now we’ll be here all day. Anyway, thanks for the ask!

[jechristine]

This Robert Pattinson quote on relationships in the public eye is really interesting and I think relevant to discussion.

“If you let people in, it devalues what love is. If a stranger on the street asked you about your relationship, you’d think it extremely rude. If you put up a wall it ends up better. I can’t understand how someone can walk down the street holding hands, and it’s the same as when I do it and a hundred people are taking your photo. The line between when you’re performing and when you’re not will eventually get washed away and you’ll go completely mad.”

Especially the part about just living your life but it feels like you’re performing. I’d love to hear your thoughts about it!

Near the beginning of the play, Gertrude tells Hamlet to take off his emo clothes and move past the dead daddy moping, and Hamlet says

“I have that within which passeth show.”

He means “I have something inside that goes beyond what I’m able to perform with my clothes and sad face etc,” but then the rest of the play is him trying to figure out what that “something” is and (spoiler!) he dies and never figures it out.

So this is a common theme in Shakepeare, and one of my professors used say that Shakespeare was always opposing two “theories of man.” The first was a walnut theory, which held that each of us has an outer shell that we show to the world but inside we have a nut (lol stop😅), which is our true self. The second was an onion theory, according to which we have different personas that we perform depending on the situation, and we can keep peeling them back like layers of an onion, but when we get to the last layer we peel it back—and there’s nothing there.

So this was a complete tangent (a tangent and a half!) but this idea “the line between when you’re performing and not” is sort of interesting on that philosophical level, so you’re welcome, I guess lol

But here’s how it’s useful for us: it sounds like Robert wants to believe that love is a walnut, but truly believes that it’s an onion, suscepible to being peeled away in the performance of everything. Tom and Zendaya seem like walnut folks to me.

Compare/contrast—

[yanderepuck]

Just had an idea for something to write… Basically, you’re taking a class about Shakespeare, I’m in college, but I guess the setting could be at any stage of schooling, and little do you know, the professor is Will himself…

Feel free to (plz) make it nsfw 😏

Honestly, head went brrr first time I read this. I'm not into the student x teacher thing but head went bRRRR BC POSSIBILITIES. I mean. The man would be like 500 years old, everyone is too young for him.

I took a Shakespeare class way back when I'm 23 wtf am I saying.

WAIT THO. INSTEAD OF A CLASS ON HIMSELF WHAT IF HE'S THE THEATER TEACHER. NO

B O T H

I had a teacher that had a stage in his classroom and we would act out the stories we read and he also had a theater class.

Never forget the post where someone talks about how they did A Midsummer Night's Dream but it was a Coffee Shop AU.

When we did Romeo and Juliet we had wooden swords.

Will would be a very chaotic teacher tho.

Student: I heard a theory that Shakespeare was multiple people. Will: *sips tea* Go on.

~

*portrait of Shakespeare is on the screen* Will: ugly bitch

~

Student: I love Sonnet 18 Will: Have you read any of the others? Student: well yeah, but its romantic Will: ....wrong Student: what Will: Eternal summer? sounds horrible. Too hot. What do you do when you look at the sun? You squint and try to block it so you don't have to look at it.

Okay I should actually get to the ask tho, lmao.

Wait, one more

Student: I don't think Shakespeare was straight Will: obviously

Most take this class because they want to, not because they need the credit. Most hear Shakespeare and get scared of that old fancy way of talking. The thing is, once you actually start reading Shakespeare, its a lot of insults and dick jokes.

If it says sword...it's probably not a sword. Hamlet is just an emo teenager. Macbeth was really just about his wife daring him to kill someone.

Other than that, the teacher was really cute, fairly young too. He wasn't like English teachers you're had in the past. You've learned that Shakespeare isn't pretentious, just your English teachers.

It's also fairly easy to understand the way it's written if you just take your time, and if you know just a little bit of the slang of the time.

But instead of trying to find the meaning of things written, he asks how everyone interrupts it all. You understand Romeo and Juliet's love a lot more when you realize you fall in love with anyone who shows you affection in anyway.

When someone said that they think of The Lion King when Hamlet is brought up your teacher sat there in silence for a few minutes connecting all the dots.

He once gave the entire class a project on finding their favorite insult in any of the plays.

He's super interesting and a conversation is never boring. He tells the entire class just to call him Will, and never tells you his whole name, which for such a laid back professor is odd. He looks like he should be in college himself, but here he is teaching a college course, and he's been there for a few years from what you understand. For someone so young, and someone who teaches, he talks about so many things he's experienced.

You end up spending a lot of time with him. You're taking an English class as a needed credit and ironically you have to do an essay on Shakespeare. But since it if for an English class it isn't nearly as laid back, and wants sources. Will should be a good source though, right? He's a Shakespearean professor after all.

The two of you spend some time in the library and Will is just still information you haven't heard before. You form it into an essay and make a draft. Apparently your information is fake since it can't be sourced from anywhere but your teacher.

You keep asking Will for help. He obviously doesn't want you to fail, but nothing he tells you is going to be good enough for an English teacher.

You're in a room in the library with him listening to him talk about one of the plays and you can't help but get distracted. God why is he so hot. He's talking about all of this without having to reference anything. He just knows it all. Listening to someone talk about their passion is just...attractive.

Writers note: this has been in my drafts to this point bc I just got stumped. I have a hard time doing a natural teacher x student thing, and I just can't seem to go anywhere with it, but I don't want to delete this. So I think I'm just going to leave it how it is. I wanted to try to make it nsfw, but the topic is just hard for me to write since its not something I'm into, so she's just a student hella attracted to her teacher. Sorry for the disappointment, but I tried >.<

[buckknifebilly]

Thinking about the time my freshman studies professor asked me what my interests were and I started infodumping about Hamlet. And she just nodded sagely and said “It makes sense that you like Hamlet…. The original Emo boy. Get thee to some therapy and whatnot.” It has not left my brain.