#Shakespeare was crazy for putting that in Romeo and Juliet | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

neptuneiris · 2 months

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could you pretend to be in love? (06/10)

The Connection

pairing: modern!aemond × fem!reader (fake dating)

summary: an unexpected person from the past shows up and there is a family dinner to attend, resulting in disastrous thoughts and difficult decisions.

word count: 8.9k

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the chapter is finally here!

sorry it took me so long, if you didn't see my last post go do it and you'll know why👀 but we can put it behind us now and I'm excited to tell you that the next chapter will finally give us that next level we've been waiting for so long!

I really hope it won't take me that long but for now, let's enjoy this new chapter and as always, I'll be very anxious to read your comments🥰

enjoy!

The day of the dinner is slowly approaching.

And you still don't feel completely sure about it. However, despite your doubts and worries, you haven't backed out.

Mostly you think about what you're going to tell Aemond's mother by way of ruining things out of nervousness. Of course he should have already given her information about the relationship, but you're worried that she'll ask you questions and you won't know how to answer.

But that's not the reason she wants to get to know you�� is it?

You think she probably just wants to know more about you, your likings, your non likings, your aspirations in life, your dreams, your family and things related to that.

Right?

You just hope so.

You've never done this before, meeting a guy's parents, ever. And you just get more nervous and feel more pressure knowing that Aegon and Helaena will be there too.

As well as you also feel guilty about the fact that they all think that you and Aemond are for real and you're just going to go there and convince them and assure them that you and Aemond are crazy about each other… when it's not true.

Now it's Thursday, tomorrow is dinner and Aemond doesn't seem at all concerned about it, when your thoughts are being completely tormented with it.

Still, you listen attentively to his words as you put away some books in your locker and he's standing next to you, leaning against the lockers, with the Romeo and Juliet book in his hands.

"Why did you make me read this shit? It's too hard to read and I don't like it," he says longingly.

You look away from your books to him and place a small amused smile on your lips at the sight of his face.

"It's like poetry and I don't like poetry, I don't understand it," he says frustrated, "I don't understand any of the weird rhyming they say."

"Well, Shakespeare has a unique way of expressing himself."

"Yeah, but what does he mean by 'My lips, two humble blazons, are ready to seal with a kiss softly'?" he recites reading the phrase with his brows furrowed and you let out a small laugh.

"Shakespeare loved beauty in words, even if it meant complicating things a bit."

"Yeah but why can't he just kiss her and be done with it without saying these weird words that give me cringe?"

"Come on," you give him an incredulous look, "It's romantic. The whole book is romantic with a tragic ending."

"This is definitely not romantic," he says incredulously and shaking his head, "It's weird, boring and makes me want to puke."

You look at him with a pout.

"You're not romantic at all."

"Excuse me?"

He immediately comes to defend himself, staring at you incredulously and completely indignant.

"I can be extremely romantic, thank you very much."

You raise your hands in a gesture of surrender, with a small smile as you see the spark of amusement in his gaze.

"You of all people should know that, you've witnessed it and you're the reason I do it mostly," he adds.

"But that's not… you know," you give him an expectant, knowing look.

"It's still romantic."

"No, it's not," you say with a laugh.

At your playful response, still busy at your locker, you don't notice and Aemond suddenly approaches. He takes your chin with one of his hands gently but firmly enough, causing you to look up at him, catching you off guard.

"What did you just say, my love?" he asks with a mischievous smile and amusement in his gaze, appearing serious and warning.

He brings his face closer to yours with a demanding gaze and your heart begins to pound as you let yourself be carried away by his proximity.

It is clear that he is going to kiss you, what does this mean if not kiss you? So you watch him expectantly and with your face lifted towards him, really looking forward to the sweet contact, your lips inches from his.

But first Aemond looks around briefly, wanting to make sure that some students in the hallway are watching you. When then, you see that he is overlooking a specific spot in the hallway.

You see how there is a slight glint in his eye and then he no longer moves.

You frown slightly, waiting. And before you can say or do anything, Aemond suddenly pulls away.

Confusion overtakes you and he clears his throat by averting his gaze, then smiles softly at you as if he wasn't about to kiss you seconds ago.

"Then I'll be more romantic next time," he says, taking his distance from you, as if trying to minimize the tense moment you've just shared.

Was he going to kiss you or not?

You can't just tell him to kiss you either, that he was going to, since this isn't real but… the change in his behavior confuses you, you don't quite understand what just happened and you don't know what to say.

"I have to go to the field now," he tells you, averting his gaze for a moment before looking at you again, "I'll see you in class, okay?"

"Hum… yeah, yeah, okay," you nod, still confused.

He gives you one last smile and before leaving, he gives your shoulder a light squeeze with his hand, another gesture that catches you off guard. Without a kiss on your forehead or cheek, as he usually does, he walks away.

You stand in the hallway, watching him go, with a mix of emotions you can't help but feel confused, uncertain and... disappointed.

Questions swirl around in your mind, but you don't have any answers. So shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you close your locker door and head to your next class.

Eventually you continue to run into him and he acts normal, as usual. He sits next to you in class, does the teacher's requested activities with you, and walks with you through the halls to the next class.

And everything is…normal, in a way.

Although he's still being kind and attentive, he's not being as affectionate as usual.

You can see how he's distracted, deep in thought from time to time, something is on his mind, something that you have no idea what it is but that keeps you alert, confused and makes you feel completely different from previous days.

You sense that the dynamic between you today has changed somehow, leaving you feeling bewildered.

And you don't know why.

Although it's not until break time that you find yourself sitting at a table alone, still feeling this awkwardness, when Alysanne comes in and drops the big bombshell on you that makes all the sense in the world.

"Why are you here eating so casually when I just saw your boyfriend catching up with his other ex-girlfriend?"

You raise your gaze to her almost instantly, with a mixture of surprise and confusion, a knot forming in your stomach as the weight of her words settle on your shoulders.

"What?"

"Yeah, Floris Baratheon," she says, then looks at you slightly confused, "How did you not know this?"

"What?" you repeat, not understanding.

"Floris Baratheon," she repeats to you slowly and clearly, "Dark hair, not as tall and certainly not as bitchy as Alys but still she falls into the category of girls who are superficial and think they are better than other girls," she explains to you.

Confusion lingers in your gaze, for despite the explanation, you still don't remember anything about a girl named Floris Baratheon at school.

"You really don't know who she is? Aemond didn't tell you about her?" asks Alysanne incredulously and your face answers her questions, "She transferred schools for a semester and just returned this morning. She and Aemond weren't actually dating but they had a thing when he and Alys broke up for like the twelfth time."

Your mind whirls as you process the information.

Honestly you had no idea about Floris' existence back in your invisibility days at school. Therefore, you also had no idea that she and Aemond had ever had any kind of relationship.

However… there is something you have an idea of at the moment.

This is why Aemond acted weird with you this morning, because of her. He must have seen her in the hallway and his demeanor changed completely.

"I-I didn't know that," you admit in a soft, low voice, trying to hide the uneasiness that is starting to creep up on you.

"Well, it's weird that Aemond didn't tell you anything, especially since I saw the two of them so comfortable and happy talking," she lets you know, "And I'm not telling you this with any malice or to make you feel bad, it's just that I think you should know, even though I thought you already knew."

You bite the inside of your cheek, feeling a surge of emotions wash over you that you can't quite explain, nor can you avoid.

You're not sure what to think or how to react to this, but one thing is for sure; things between you and Aemond are likely to get complicated.

But what can you really do?

You and he aren't really dating. What's the point of asking him about it when it's really none of your business? Besides if he didn't talk to you about it before, when he saw her, it must be for this very reason.

You have no right here, even if you feel this.

"Do you want to get out of here?" asks you Alysanne later, noticing your face and probably everything that is invading your mind.

And soon enough, she takes you to the rooftop of the school, outdoors, where you just sit and watch the sky and listen to her while she smokes a cigarette, talking to you about Cregan being around her lately.

But as much as you want to give her your full attention and corroborate what she is telling you, you can't.

The rest of the classes are without Aemond, since you don't share them with him, and when the school day ends, still not knowing exactly whether to wait for him to drive you home or not, you head for the exit of the building, deep in thought.

"Hey."

You feel a hand grab your shoulder and when you turn your head without stopping moving forward, you find Aemond standing next to you.

"Hi," you reply softly, turning your gaze back to the front.

And he at your side gives you an attentive, curious and slightly confused look.

"Are you okay? I didn't see you at break," he says softly, "I also texted you and you didn't respond."

"Oh," your mind goes blank for a moment, "I was with Alysanne on the roof. She was talking to me about some things."

"Hmm," he nods, still watching you between a mixture of attentive and curious.

Then the two of you say nothing more, with the silence loud between the two of you and that tension emanating from your body, when you speak again.

"Are you going to drive me home today?" you decide to ask him, watching him, with that hesitation in your tone of voice and look.

And he frowns, watching you blankly.

"I always drive you."

You are about to speak but a third voice does it for you, stopping your steps and also Aemond's.

"Aem!"

The two turn their heads and there she is, Floris Baratheon.

Black hair, brown eyes, slender and absolutely beautiful features. She approaches with a smile, showing off her perfect, aligned teeth.

Everything about her screams money, as well as elegance, from her perfectly coiffed hair to her impeccable designer clothes and accessories.

And the moment she catches both your attention and Aemond's, you notice how he beside you tenses slightly.

"Hey," she gives him a charming smile and her full attention, placing herself in front of him, "The guys are going to get something to eat, I was just told. Do you want to join us? We can take off in your car and catch up some more."

"Hum…" he is silent for a moment, shooting you a nervous glance, scratching the back of his neck.

And throwing you another glance, this finally catches Floris' attention and she notices your presence as well.

"Oh… hi," she smiles softly at you.

Despite your nerves and how uncomfortable you're starting to feel, you force yourself to smile as kindly and genuinely as possible.

"Hi."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I know you," she tells you in an exaggeratedly kind tone of voice.

And this too finally gets Aemond to react.

"Yeah, right, that's my fault," he says trying to act nonchalant and completely relaxed, "Floris, this is Y/N, m-my girlfriend."

You watch as she parts her lips and her surprise is evident as she looks at Aemond and then turns her attention back to you.

"I-I didn't find the moment to tell you."

You instantly observe Aemond, with a look that even you can't explain and he suddenly can't control his nervous gestures anymore, giving a wary glance to you and then to Floris.

"Oh."

She turns her gaze back to you and though she tries to hide her surprise, the strength of her smile seems a bit forced as she holds out her hand to you.

"I'm Floris, nice to meet you."

And within everything you're feeling right now, like awkwardness and feeling out of place, you still shake your hand with hers.

"Nice to meet you."

Tension is in the air and Aemond looks hesitant for a moment. And you continue to feel like an intruder between them, getting in between the interaction of two people sharing a history you don't fully know about.

When Aemond speaks again.

"Floris is my…

He tries to tell you, but his words are left floating in the air.

Suddenly you see how he struggles and searches his mind for a way to introduce you to the girl he had a thing with in the past, only according to him, you don't know that, when certainly Alysanne already took care of it.

And just like you, you too feel Floris' anticipation, waiting for him to introduce her.

"An old friend," he finally says.

Floris arches an eyebrow slightly at Aemond's introduction, her lips curving into a smile that seems to contain more than just politeness.

"Yes, that," she punctuates, with a knowing look that to you does not go unnoticed, "Well, I just wanted to know if you were free for this afternoon. Although if you want you can bring your girlfriend with us," she proposes.

Aemond takes a moment to respond, averting his gaze as he scratches the back of his neck in a nervous gesture.

And that's when you decide to speak.

"You can go with them," you tell him and that immediately gets his attention and hers, "I can just take the bus or something and I'll see you later," you say to start walking away from both of them.

His attention and slight surprise is most visible on his face, but before you can move too far away, he grabs your hand and advances towards you.

"What? No" he immediately inquires, "No, I'll take you home."

The determination in his tone of voice and in his gaze makes you feel a little more comforted, but still, you can't shake this uneasiness in you about Floris' presence.

And that's when Aemond turns to her again without letting go of your hand.

"Sorry Floris, another time," he tells her in his firmer, slightly strained voice.

And she nods with a sympathetic look, though you can't help but sense there's something else behind her expression.

"Of course, I understand, it'll be for next time then," she says, before turning to you, "It was nice meeting you, Y/N."

And finally she is the first to walk away.

You exchange a look you can't quite describe with Aemond and feel the awkwardness and seriousness linger between the two of you, even as the two of you leave the building and make your way to his car.

And once in the passenger seat and with Aemond driving through the city streets, you find yourself fiddling with your fingers in your lap, still feeling the awkwardness in the air.

You don't understand exactly what's got you right now but you can't even see Aemond out of the corner of your eye, so you keep your gaze focused straight ahead and on the side where the window is.

"Are you okay?"

You suddenly hear his voice speak softly to you, feeling his gaze on you from time to time and you squirm a little in your seat before you speak, swallowing hard.

"Yeah, all good," you say, trying to sound convincing.

He exhales deeply, noticing your distance again.

"I'm sorry if the Floris thing made you uncomfortable. S-she…" he sighs, "She's truly a childhood friend. We had something in the past but it was very brief and it's no longer relevant."

And although there is nothing wrong with his words, you still can't help but feel a slight knot in your stomach. And you act completely unconcerned.

"I understand," you say simply, in a soft voice and still without looking at him.

But this is not convincing to Aemond, who licks his lips and can't help but worry about the situation.

"I mean it."

"Aemond," you call him softly, finally looking at him, "I understand, I really do," you assure him, "I also meant it when I said you should go eat with her and your friends. You seemed very uncomfortable and there was no problem from me."

He nods slowly, but still looks a little uneasy.

"I just didn't expect I was going to see her again."

And you don't know if that's worse.

"Are you ready?"

Oh God, are you?

"I don't know," you answer honestly, nervously, looking at your outfit.

For this occasion you chose a pair of pants, ankle boots and a white tank top with a black jacket over it. You don't look overdressed but decent for the occasion, along with your makeup and hairstyle.

"Hey, easy," he says softly, placing both hands on your shoulders, "It's going to be okay. Besides we won't be alone, Aegon and Hel will be with us."

"Yeah but that's not what I'm worried about," you clarify, playing with your fingers, "What if I ruin everything?" you ask watching him fearfully, "What if everyone realizes that we're not really dating because of me?"

"I'll take care of that, don't worry," he assures you, with his soft gaze, "You just have to corroborate everything I say and stick to the main story. Other than that, my mother will just ask you questions about you to get to know you better."

"Are you sure?" you ask, not entirely convinced.

"Very," he affirms you, conveying calmness and assurance in his voice.

"You've done this before?" you can't help but ask, still with some hesitation, "I mean…" you lick your lips, nervous, "You've brought a girl before to dinner with your family?"

He is silent for a moment, as if considering how to answer, as the implication is clear because that's not the real question, you know that too.

Rather it is: have you ever brought Alys to dinner with your family before?

"Yes," he finally admits in a murmur, sincerely, "Yes, I have."

You stare at him silently, without the two of you saying anything else, only to look away and nod, again trying to look unconcerned, trying to calm your nerves further.

"My mother never liked her," he says later, again attracting your attention, "You know, Alys."

Again, you say nothing for a few moments, just lick your lips and nod.

"I understand."

Aemond lets out a heavy breath and takes a step towards you, lowering one of his hands to take one of yours, gently rubbing his thumb against the back of yours, this also immediately catching your attention, as you see him looking at you for a moment thoughtfully.

"Are you ready now?" he asks you softly, raising his gaze to you, "We can stay here a while longer if you want."

"No," you reply immediately, "No, I don't want to make everyone wait for us," you release a long breath, calming your nerves, "I'm ready now."

He places a small comforting smile on his lips.

"You'll do fine, trust me," he assures you then moves closer to you and leaves a soft kiss on your forehead, just like at school.

His action definitely catches you off guard and you look at him slightly surprised, but Aemond doesn't give it that much importance, as if it was already a natural and routine thing between both of you, like a gesture of encouragement, to then take you by the hand together with him to the entrance of his house.

His house is nice and big, with a beautiful garden, so when you open the door, you see a huge and cozy living room with the dining room visible in the background, where you can make out Aegon's figure and his short silver hair.

Aemond closes the door behind you and you briefly look around, seeing the decorations of the elegant house, such as mirrors, flowers vases and also family photos.

Mostly, you see pictures of young children, which you recognize as Helaena, Aemond, Aegon and his other brother, Daeron.

There are also photos of what you assume is their mother and also a man, who you assume is the father, with Aemond and his siblings as children. But it strikes you that none of the four are smiling, just the mom a little.

There are more current pictures, only of Aemond, Helaena and Aegon smiling next to their mother, with no trace of their father and Daeron.

"He's my younger brother," he takes a single photo of a boy, standing next to you and handing it to you, "Daeron."

And just as you imagined, he's a boy of about fifteen with striking blue eyes and short silver hair, smiling at the camera with a bright face and looking in the background like he's standing in a lake at Honeyholt.

"Helaena was right," you say with a small smile, still inspecting the photo, "He really is the handsomest of the three of you."

"That's not true," he tells you immediately, taking the photo out of your hands and putting it back in its place with a quick, automatic gesture, making you laugh.

"What's up, bro?"

You both hear Aegon's voice and turn around, with the silver-haired man already walking towards you with a bottle of beer in his hand and a huge grin on his face.

"Are you drinking already?" Aemond inquires, "Mom's going to kill you."

"Oh, you know how persuasive I can be," he tells him without wiping off his smile, "Besides, I've already set the table," he points to the dining room, "It's dinner, bro."

"Careful," he warns you but he deliberately ignores him, heading in your direction.

"Y/N!" he exclaims your name smiling, coming over to embrace you, "Welcome to our home."

"Hi Aegon," you smile back at him.

He envelops you in a hug and you reciprocate cordially, instantly the strong smell of beer reaching your nostrils.

"Want one?" he points to the beer in his hand as he pulls away from you.

"I don't think so," Aemond answers him, again intertwining his hand with yours, "Where's mom?"

"In the kitchen with Hel" he points out, "Tell them to hurry, I'm starving," he says in a tone of voice that catches your attention.

But Aemond pulls you forward, starting to leave him behind, with a serious and disapproving look at his brother's attitude.

"It's the beer," he explains to you quietly, "I hate it when he drinks at home. I just hope it doesn't get unbearable later."

"Why?" you ask him, curious.

He shakes his head.

"Aegon is… complicated."

He doesn't say anything else and neither do you, mostly because he leads you toward the kitchen, but curiosity still lingers on that subject.

He gives your hand a gentle squeeze in a supportive gesture that comforts you as you both cross the threshold into the kitchen, where instantly the smell of delicious freshly baked food hits your nostrils.

And the first thing you notice is a silver hair along with a darker one, who you assume must be Aemond's mother.

And immediately your nerves again explode and you feel your heart pounding hard in your chest.

"Hey, Y/N!"

A friendly voice says to you, being Helaena, who is wiping her hands with a clean dish towel and wearing a beautiful blue dress, instantly heading towards you with open arms.

"Hi Hel," you smile back happily, hugging her enthusiastically.

"Oh I'm so happy you're in our home," she says excitedly and warmly without letting go of you, "We've prepared turkey, I hope you like it," she says as she pulls away from you.

"Oh I'm sure it will," you nod at her with a sincere smile, feeling welcomed by the warmth of her welcome.

"Mom."

Aemond's voice momentarily pulls you out of your conversation with Helaena and you turn your head to meet the gaze of Alicent, Aemond's mother.

Instantly you try to control your nerves and keep your composure, remembering his comforting words.

And when Alicent's gaze meets yours, a warm smile forms on his lips, which makes you feel less nervous and conveys a sense of calm. Although the nervousness lingers, you feel a little more secure with his kindness.

Aemond places a comforting hand on your shoulder and steps forward to introduce you.

"This is my girlfriend, Y/N," he points to you with his small smile, "And Y/N, this is my mom, Alicent."

She is a very beautiful woman.

It's the first thing that comes to your mind, noting the dimples in her cheeks and that warm look she has, not being intimidating at all and being rather kind.

Besides the dark green dress she wears is completely beautiful, as well as her accessories. Everything about her radiates elegance and poise.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, my dear," she says, turning to you, "Gosh, I was so excited to meet you. It's so nice of you to come."

And without expecting it, just like Helaena, she too greets you with a hug, taking you completely off guard, causing you to let out a nervous little laugh as you hug her back.

"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Hightower," you say softly, feeling slightly overwhelmed by her kindness and warmth.

"Please call me Alicent," she says as she pulls away from you.

Before all this you asked Aemond what to call her, just for the heck of it and to feel less nervous and he told you 'Hightower', the last name of her father.

So you assume that Aemond's father is not someone who gets mentioned much around here. In the family photos he is present in only one picture. And Aemond doesn't talk about him either.

And he watches with a small smile at the interaction between you and his mother, feeling relieved that things are going well so far.

"Please go and take your seats. Dinner will be served soon," she says to Aemond and you.

"Do you need help?" he asks her.

"I'm already doing it myself," Hel says, "Don't worry, little brother."

"Can you help me with your brother, please," Alicent tells him, with a look of slight concern.

"Of course," he assures her in a gentle tone.

Soon the two of you return to the dining room, the two of you take a seat together with Aegon and Aemond tries to tell him not to overdo it with his drinks, that you are here to enjoy a nice dinner with his family.

But he just makes nonchalant gestures and tells him that everything is fine, to continue drinking, looking at the screen of his phone, waiting for dinner.

Then you don't know how much time passes exactly but Alicent returns very soon along with Helaena with the food, placing the dishes in the center of the table, indicating that all this will start soon.

Aemond places his hand on top of yours underneath the table, giving you every supportive gesture possible, reassuring you at every turn that he can that all will be fine.

Every brush of his fingers against yours conveys reassurance and comfort.

You feel a slight relief as you feel his touch, reminding you that you are not alone at this moment and his presence gives you strength to face any nervousness that may arise during dinner.

And with the food finally served, the silverware begins to clink against the plate glass as everyone begins to enjoy the delicious dinner.

Aemond, like the supposed boyfriend in love with you, is totally attentive to you, asking if you're served this or that, wanting to make sure you're well received and comfortable to make this more bearable.

And you thank him all the way, feeling his mother's gaze on both of you from time to time, without wiping away her warm smile.

"Did you like the food, dears?" she asks generally.

"Oh yes," Helaena says with a look of total complicity, delighting in the food.

"It's delicious, Mom," Aemond tells her later.

"Totally," you corraborate politely, nodding in her direction.

Alicent smiles in satisfaction and then turns her attention to Aegon, who hasn't said anything since everyone started eating.

"How about you, son?" she asks him softly.

"It's fine," he says curtly, taking a huge swig from his bottle of beer.

This definitely gets your attention but Alicent as well as Aemond and Helaena decide not to give it enough attention, as if they're already used to it and don't want to ruin the moment by his behavior.

But you do notice the disapproval in each of their looks, especially the disappointment in Alicent. Though she almost instantly turns her attention away from Aegon to Aemond and you.

"So, how long have you two been dating exactly?" she asks curiously and without losing the kindness in her gaze and tone.

"A month," Aemond replies without hesitation at your side, resting one of his arms on the back of your chair.

And Alicent shakes his head with a small smile on his lips.

"And I still can't believe he kept you hidden from me, Y/N."

You smile in his direction, trying not to let your nerves give you away, as Aemond again interjects, with a soft look.

"We didn't want to rush things."

"I told him not to take too long to tell you," Helaena says as well, pointing at Aemond as she watches her mother.

"But he didn't tell me anything, Aegon did," Alicent says in amusement.

"Oh come on, I was going to tell you anyway," Aemond tries to justify himself.

"Oh you were going to?" Hel questions him.

"You want to turn her against me."

"I'm just telling the truth, little brother."

This causes Alicent to laugh softly and his gaze meets yours, where you laugh softly too, as the fight between Aemond and Hel continues. But this causes you to begin to feel comfortable and more at ease with the whole situation.

The only thing at the table that is completely serious is Aegon, who continues to concentrate on his drink and the food in front of him.

His reserved attitude contrasts with the energy you have with Aemond, his mother and sister, but they don't really give him much attention and everyone continues to enjoy the delicious food and create topics of conversation.

"So…" Alicent begins to speak, watching you with her warm gaze, "What are your college plans, sweetie?"

Oh my God.

Okay, it's happening.

You think as you slowly start to panic, but quickly get yourself under control, settling back in your seat.

"You're all graduating soon," she points to her kids with a small smile.

And you're about to speak but someone else does first.

"Which wouldn't be the case if Aegon hadn't repeated year… twice," Hel says condescendingly, pouring herself more food in a casual gesture.

"Helaena," Alicent reprimands her in a soft tone.

"Don't start with me."

Aegon's voice finally makes itself heard in a long time, speaking in a cold, curt tone, not even observing his sister, focused on his food.

"Just saying," Helaena says also with a pout in his direction.

"Then speak for yourself. You're a year behind too."

"Ugh," she sighs, "You talk like you don't know what happened."

"That's enough," Alicent says calmly, watching you both with a look of silent warning.

The atmosphere tenses slightly and all is silent for a moment, as you notice how Aemond next to you only runs a hand over his chin and you only hear the clink of silverware clattering against glass plates.

Alicent then turns his gaze to you and there you decide to speak, hoping to restore comfort to the atmosphere.

"Well, actually, I've applied to Oldtown University," you say with a soft smile, controlling your nerves, "I'm planning on getting into law school."

Surprise flashes across Alicent's face, as you briefly feel Aemond watching you beside you.

"Oh, wow," she nods slowly, her expression one of amazement, "What a coincidence, that's the same college Aemond wants to go to."

Aemond nods with a small smile, completely keeping up appearances.

"Yes," he confirms, "In fact it's perfect for us to go to the same place after graduation."

And just to show more affection with you, he places his hand and yours intertwined on top of the table, watching you with that 'love' he seeks to convey in these moments in front of his mother.

And Alicent watches you both with her soft smile, but is still intrigued by you.

"And why that choice? Law is something you always wanted to study?" she asks you, with genuine interest in her voice.

You try not to focus too much on the way Aemond's thumb begins to gently caress the skin on the back of your hand, which at the same time also reassures you.

And you nod in Alicent's direction.

"Yes, it's something I've always been interested in. It's a very heavy degree with very dense material, but it's very interesting and it's long been what I've decided for myself."

Alicent nods in your direction, listening to you intently and looking completely interested.

"And I guess at Oldtown it's a great opportunity to want to study law."

"Oh yes," you say eagerly, "Oldtown has one of the best faculties with very capable professors and all the material you need. It's certainly a great opportunity."

"But I also think that getting to study at such an in-demand university with few places in that major can be difficult," she tells you corroborating in conversation.

"Yeah, that's the bad thing, but…" you shrug, "I'm hopeful."

You watch subtly beside you, focusing for a moment on Aemond, speaking with that complicit tone, as of course he doesn't forget that the reason you're here doing this is precisely because of Oldtown.

He knows that all too well too.

"And your parents are supportive of your decision to study law?"

Slight surprise passes across your face, definitely not expecting that question, but you quickly manage to soften your face, though you still remain silent for a moment.

You try to hide any trace of bewilderment as you search for a suitable answer. And it is Alicent's same warm gaze that encourages you to respond.

"Uh… yes, my father is just as excited as I am about this possible opportunity," you reply with a small smile, being honest, "He has always supported me in all my decisions."

You respond without saying anything else and with sincerity, not mentioning anything about your mother.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," he nods at you and smiles warmly, "And what about your mother, dear?" she asks with genuine curiosity.

Inevitably your whole body tenses at that moment. And an uncomfortable feeling settles in the pit of your stomach as you think again about how to respond.

You honestly didn't expect the conversation to get to this point, about how even after talking only about your father, you're still being asked about your mother.

And for a moment, you don't know what to say or what to do, but you finally decide to react after everything falls into an awkward silence and they begin to look at you slightly confused by your lack of response.

Until you decide to be honest.

"Well, I-I…" you bite your lips, "I don't actually live with her," you admit in a soft voice, avoiding eye contact for a moment, "And I haven't seen her since I was six."

Slight concern crosses Alicent's face, instantly watching you in regret.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie," she says sincerely, embarrassed to have caused you discomfort, "I had no idea. I apologize."

You're about to tell her it's okay, that it's no problem because she didn't know, that it's no big deal, but you don't even get a chance to speak when sudden laughter is heard throughout the dining room.

The tension in the air dissipates in that instant as everyone turns to the source of the laughter, Aegon.

He is visibly drunk, but still conscious enough to know what is going on around him and that is what is alarming.

Alicent, Helaena and Aegon's faces fill with bewilderment and disapproval, except for yours, as you watch Aegon in confusion, not quite understanding what is going on.

"Aegon," Alicent calls to him now truly annoyed, watching him seriously and reproachfully.

But Aegon barely manages to contain his laughter as he apologizes between laughs.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," he mutters, his tone full of amusement and insolence.

Then Aemond at your side watches him completely serious, his jaw clenched and his gaze dark, holding back his fury at his reaction after you shared a very intimate and sensitive piece of information to you.

And Aegon laughs at it because of his own stupidity? Of course he's not going to allow that.

"What's so funny?" he inquires, expectant and about to explode.

Aegon straightens in his chair, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, nothing," he replies mockingly, "I just think she and you are perfect for each other. Apparently, we're not the only ones who have parental issues, are we?"

He asks watching his mother and sister, which makes Alicent feel even more tense, watching you worried and apologetic about the little show her eldest son is putting on.

"That's enough," she reprimands him firmly.

But Aegon seems determined to move on and turns to you again with a gesture of camaraderie, ignoring his mother's words and his brother's attitude.

"Don't worry, Y/N," he tells you with a crooked smile, "You can talk about it here and no one will judge you. All of us would understand, wouldn't we? We who wouldn't know about the subject of fucking neglectful parents with their kids."

Aemond's gaze becomes even more intense and his jaw tighter, watching his brother as if he could throw daggers at him with his eye.

"Shut the fuck up," he orders him, controlling himself as much as he can at that moment.

"Aemond," Alicent calls out to him worriedly.

"Or what?" Aegon challenges him, "She better know what she's getting herself into once and for all. With our fucking family traumatized by her own father who never cared about us."

"I said shut the fuck up," Aemond demands of him rising from his chair, causing everyone at the table to become alarmed.

Alicent rises at about the same time he does, and Helaena rises next, alert and worried, while you and Aegon continue to sit, he still unconcerned and you… because you don't even know how to feel about it.

The tension is too much, this is all unexpected and it's all happening too fast. And as if things couldn't get any worse, Aegon continues to talk and drink more.

"I'm just saying you two are the perfect match," he continues, his tone increasingly amused, "She doesn't have a mom and you don't have a dad, bro. Awesome, isn't it?"

Then it all happens too fast.

Aemond advances towards Aegon with a furious determination on his face that puts everyone at the table on alert, reaches towards him and grabs him hard by the collar of his shirt, forcing him to get up.

"Aemond!"

Alicent and Helaena immediately intervene, rushing towards them to stop them, but Aegon doesn't even have time to react before he finds himself on his feet, with Aemond holding him tightly.

"Stop it, Aemond!" exclaims Alicent, his tone full of authority and concern.

You finally rise from your seat as well, alert and worried, not knowing exactly what to do or what to say, feeling your pulse racing.

Then Aegon reacts as well, his face transforming into one of rage, placing his hands on top of his brother's.

"Get your fucking hands off me," he manages to say with difficulty.

"I told you to shut the fuck up or didn't I?"

"Oh and now you're going to hit me? Huh?" he asks, punching him in the chest with his hands, "You're going to hit me? And for what? For telling the truth?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you huh!? You fucking cunt," Aemond hits him back in the chest.

"Let go of me, you fucking asshole!"

"That's enough!" Alicent intervenes again, her voice firm and full of authority, "Aemond, let go right now!" she orders, furious, implying that she won't repeat it a fourth time.

The tension in the room seems to increase with each passing moment, as you hold your breath, watching Aemond worriedly, as does Helaena.

Aemond hesitates for a moment, glaring at his brother with determination, until he finally releases him with a tug, pulling away from him still watching him in warning and utter annoyance.

Aegon straightens, rubbing his neck as he glares at his brother resentfully.

"I don't need this shit. Enjoy your fucking dinner," he says grumpily, grabbing his bottle of beer and heading for the stairs, not giving anyone a glance.

At least your pulse starts to calm down when you see how it's finally all over, but you still watch Aemond worriedly.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," Alicent turns to you sorrowfully, averting your gaze to her, "What a shame."

"No, no, don't worry…

You start to say in a soft tone when Aemond's serious but definitely kinder voice makes itself heard in your direction.

"I'll wait outside."

The three of you watch him silently and watch as with nonchalant gestures he takes his car keys from his front pocket and with his face still contained in fury, heads out of the house.

With a lump in your throat, you turn to Alicent and Helaena, feeling the weight of tension still hanging in the air even so.

"Thank you so much for dinner. It was nice to meet you," you say to Alicent, trying to sound as calm, gentle and kind as possible.

Alicent smiles sadly back at you, still with her saddened and troubled face.

"It was lovely to meet you and have you come, honey," she tells you sincerely, "Still I'm so sorry. It wasn't my plan for dinner to end like this."

"I totally understand, don't worry," you say with a small smile, "We can always do it again."

You say and immediately regret it, but manage to soften your face in time.

This was supposed to be the only time you would do this, but you feel you owe it to her, to Alicent, as she prepared a delicious dinner with great care. She seemed so excited and happy about everything, especially about you coming that it is such a shame that this happened.

More than anything else that's why you say so.

"Of course," she nods to you, kindly and cordially.

You bid her goodbye with a gentle hug, then embrace Helaena as well, conveying your silent support through the simple gesture.

"If you need to talk, we can do it at school," she murmurs in your ear before releasing you.

"Sure," you promise, returning the hug gratefully.

You take one last look at both of them and head out of the house. And once outside, you feel a shiver run down your spine as you face the cool night air.

And there you see him, in the middle of the night silence and at the edge of the street, leaning against his car, smoking a cigarette with an almost absent gesture, looking thoughtful but also still a little upset about what happened.

You watch as he lets the smoke go between his parted lips and you, letting out a long breath, head towards him.

When he looks back at you, you too just watch him silently and he wordlessly opens the driver's door with a soft squeak and gets in the car, so you follow after him, feeling the weight of silence between you.

You too slide into the passenger seat and close the door, where soon the two of you find yourselves moving through the quiet streets of the city, the music on the radio playing at a low volume in the background.

And that's the only sound between you, the music, and even then it's a little uncomfortable.

You bite the inside of your cheek, struggling to find the right words as the tension lingers, but you don't even know what to say. What are you supposed to say when that happened?

But finally it's Aemond who breaks the silence.

"I hope you enjoyed the show," he murmurs, not taking his eye off the road.

You are momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say at that, not even finding the right words in your mind. Then you let out a low sigh, understanding how he must be feeling.

You mean… you went to meet his mother, it was a family dinner, everything was going well and to suddenly have it all end like that with very personal confessions that you had no idea about… it must be completely frustrating for him that you witnessed that.

"Are you okay?" you ask him in a low, soft tone, watching him intently, concerned and understanding.

He lets out a long breath, pursing his lips as he considers your answer, saying nothing for a moment. But when he finally does, he says it in a voice laden with weariness, regret and seriousness.

"I'm not even upset that Aegon said all that… he… he's right," he says resentfully, "I'm upset that you had to witness it."

The weight of his words falls on you, sensing Aemond's seriousness and frustration in his words. You watch his serious and weary face, the fury he is still holding back.

And for a moment, you look like you're not going to say anything, but after biting your lips, you finally speak.

"You don't have to worry about me," you tell him in a soft voice, "After all, he was right about what he said about my mother too," you add, seeking to offer some comfort, "I don't even remember her, you know? And honestly… it doesn't affect me nor do I care."

If your words caused anything in him, he doesn't show it, as he continues with his eye focused on the road.

But inside, he can't help but feel a little surprised and amazed at your ability to accept those circumstances with such calm and determination compared to him.

And finally he nods, understanding the truth of your words.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs, his voice barely a whisper.

You watch him with a soft and… slightly thoughtful gaze, feeling the tension between the two of you finally begin to fade, resulting in a warm and pleasant atmosphere for the two of you, as usual.

And unexpectedly for him, you take his free hand gently and intertwine your fingers with his, offering a small gesture of support amidst still the frustration he is feeling.

"I don't," you confess softly.

You don't say anything else and neither does he, hoping you can put this behind you. And all along the way, he keeps gently stroking the back of your hand with his thumb.

You wait anxiously, moving your foot repeatedly up and down, glancing from time to time at your surroundings and also at the screen of your phone, wanting to keep the time very much in mind.

The gentle morning breeze caresses your face, with the sun painting golden hues in the morning sky and listening in the background to the birds singing, but also all the movement of the soccer team training early at this hour from the field.

Everything seems to be calm, except for your racing heartbeat, where you avoid biting your nails and simply bite your lips in a nervous gesture, as well as the inside of your cheek.

Then you finally see Aemond approaching with his backpack on his shoulder and his face soft.

"Hey," he says softly, taking a seat in front of you, taking off his backpack and watching you carefully, "What's up? Is everything okay?"

Out of nerves, your whole body tenses and you avoid stuttering as you speak, stirring in your seat.

"Yeah, yeah, just…" you lower your gaze, playing with your fingers, "I just want to talk to you about something."

Aemond nods, giving you his full attention.

"Well? What is it?" he asks you warmly, not wanting to put pressure on you as he notices all the tension that is invading you at the moment.

But he honestly starts to worry seeing you that way.

And you swallow hard, with your gaze lowered, feeling the need to just let it out and nothing more, having that urge so you don't keep torturing yourself with your destructive thoughts.

"I was thinking that… maybe…" you let out a sigh, "Maybe we should stop this," you mutter, your voice barely a whisper.

And Aemond only watches you more intently, beginning to look alert, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"Stop what?"

You bite the inside of your cheek hard, completely flustered.

"Our fake relationship," you reply cautiously, watching him intently and with some concern.

"What?" he immediately queries you, "I-I don't-I don't understand."

"I think we've both accomplished what we wanted to… oh well, almost everything," you tell him knowingly, "But we've already put on a good show in front of the whole school, Alys is upset enough, and the cheating thing is behind us. We should stop."

You explain but in the middle of all your explanation, Aemond only frowns more, listening to you completely attentive, watching you surprised and incredulous.

"And the trip to Dragonstone?" he inquires you, with a serious and alert look, "That trip is key, it would be great for both of us to go together, as a couple."

You try to remain calm, but your heart is pounding and your nerves are getting the better of you.

"Yes, I know, but… do we really need to keep pretending?" you ask, "You've already saved your reputation, remember?"

Aemond shakes his head firmly, his jaw tense with mounting frustration.

"It's still not enough," he tells you seriously, "At least wait until after the trip."

"Aemond, I don't see why we should wait until then," you mutter, unsure, "We can finish everything now."

Aemond's expression hardens, his jaw tense with frustration as he tries to understand you.

"Y/N, the trip is in the contract," he tells you firmly, "And we agreed to finish everything until graduation."

You exhale, feeling the overwhelming weight of the situation that you didn't expect was going to get this bad the moment you decided to do this.

"I know, but I don't see the point of this anymore."

He becomes more confused, shaking his head, looking at you confused and now completely frustrated.

"What-what's wrong?" he asks you in a soft but urgent voice, attentive, "Did something happen?" he asks you concerned and interested, "Did something happen that I still don't know about?"

Oh God.

Fear grips you as you struggle to keep your composure and not let your nerves get the better of you.

"Or is this because of the dinner thing? And because of Alys' pranks?" he asks you worriedly, "If it's that, tell me. I-I'll find a way to fix it. You won't have to go to dinner at my house again and I'm sure I can talk to Alys."

"No, no… I-I…" you sigh, "It's not that-

He shrugs, looking at you confused and frustrated.

"Then what is it?"

Your heart pounds as you struggle to keep your composure in front of him.

Your words get stuck in your throat, enduring Aemond's still serious, worried and frustrated look on you, waiting for an explanation. But the feeling of panic grows in your chest and you resign yourself completely.

"Nothing, forget it," you say in a whisper, lowering your gaze.

You stand up and gather your things, slinging your backpack over your shoulder, just as Aemond sighs and looks more frustrated.

"Y/N," he calls your name in a tired gesture.

But you don't heed him, just focus on getting away from him,

"Y/N, please stop," he says to you in a soft but urgent voice.

But you don't stop, you can't.

How could you do it and how could you tell him that the real reason you decided to bring this up to your fake boyfriend is because maybe you are actually falling in love with him and the feeling is getting more and more intense, and you can't help it?

You just can't.

general taglist:

@melsunshine @at-a-rax-ia @jxdegodfrey @ttkttt @yentroucnagol @kate-to-the-ki @iamavailablesstuff @bluerskiees @urmomsgirlfriend1 @toodlesxcuddles @rosie-posie08 @iloveallmyboys @bellaisasleep @deliaseastar @cupcakesminicakescupcakes @dixie-elocin @lilostif16 @wickedfrsgrl @a-beaverhausen @a-beaverhausen @saturnssrings @ladythornofrivia @iloveallmyboys

#aemond targaryen #aemond fanfiction #aemond targaryen fanfic #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x you #hotd aemond #aemond targaryen x y/n #aemond x reader #aemond x fem!reader #aemond x oc #aemond targaryen fanfiction #aemond one eye #aemond x y/n #modern aemond

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briebysabs · 1 year

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Romeo & Juliet in VnC

~Act I~

This is my crazed breakdown of the similarities, comparisons, and possible inspiration VnC has taken from Romeo & Juliet.

Keep in mind this is all for fun, my word is not the gospel truth, but maybe I've cracked a code.

First and foremost, let's get the obvious observations out of the way.

Two families that has been feuding for many years=humans and vampires

Typically in plays, Montagues wear contrasting clothes to the Juliets. Usually red vs. blue. Gee, that sounds familiar.

* The feuding families can also be crimson vampires vs. the blue moon vampires/clan whatever but I'm mostly keeping it broad to include humans. I will be mentioning Luna in later threads though so keep that in mind.

Vanitas and Noe refuse to pick a particular side. Now granted Vanitas is much pessimistic but the point still stands. And their refusal to choose a side has earned them trouble from both parties.

So let's begin.

-Prologue-

Prepares the viewer for this tragic tale, narrating how their love/relationship was doomed from the start. Wow, it's almost like Noe has been doing since the beginning. It also goes into how their deaths will end the feuding of their families. More on that in Act 5 but if we are going full Romeo and Juliet, I have a theory that Noe will die after writing the memoirs, but I'll explain that when we get there. Also, any translations I provide for quotes are from LitCharts (thank you cuz this old-timey language...)

Things to establish:

Romeo=Vanitas

Juliet= Noe

That's sounds crazy outta context but trust the process. And there are scenes where I don't literally mean this character will do so and so, but rather this incident or situation will be shown in the series.

-Act 1 Scene 1-

Fight between the Montagues and Capulets occurs. Prince breaks it off. Romeo shows his despair about love once he finds out that the woman he desires has chosen to be a nun. This could be Vanitas' mixed feelings on love. Thus, why he isolates himself and refuses to open up his heart. To Vanitas, love is unattainable (like a nun for instance).

“Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still,

Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will!”

→ How can love, meant to be blind, force you to be able to do what it wants!

“Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire......

that is not what it is!

This love feel I, that feel no love in this.”

→ Love is like heavy feathers, bright smoke, cold fire……the opposite of what it is! That is the love I feel, since no one loves me in return.

-Act 1 Scene 2-

Not much to delve into other than the introduction of Paris. We've been shown Lady Archiviste and a possible direction we could go if she isn't Noe's mother or sister, is her or any other Archiviste we meet down the line. Marrying Noe to preserve the Archiviste bloodline. Here the little worm in my ear comes with the “if Noe loves Vanitas aka a man when he’s called to marry a woman, isn’t that forbidden lo-” I smack it across the wall I am not here to talk about that! I could rant about how queerness, especially in the 1800s, relates to forbidden love in general. I could also go on with how Shakespeare, the playwright of R & J which popularized this trope, was queer himself but more into that when I do Hamlet. It's an interesting train of thought but my brain must put it aside.

-Act 1 Scene 4-

We meet Mercutio.

Dante is Mercutio.

It's perfect, look at him and tell me he isn't. Plus, Mercutio isn’t like Benvolio who is Romeo’s cousin. He isn’t a Montague or a Capulet. His association is made to Romeo only. Dante is not a human or vampire; his association is to Vanitas only as an information broker. And from this scene alone, we see the person Mercutio is as he acts somewhat as a guide for Romeo. He isn't hesitant to rebuke Romeo and goes on tangents repeatedly.

Idk this quote feels so Dante to me.

“If love be rough with you, be rough with love.

Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.—Give me a case to put my visage in!

A visor for a visor. —What care I

What curious eye doth cote deformities?”

→ If love is rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love when it pricks you, and you’ll beat love down. Give me a mask to put over my face. A mask to cover the mask I call my face. Why do I care if someone sees my flaws?

And remember, Dante had come with Vanitas when he met Noe in the La Baleline. Just like Mercutio had arrived with Romeo when he met Juliet at the Capulet's banquet.

-Act 1 Scene 5-

The party. Romeo and Juliet meet. There wasn’t much to pull from the encounter, but when Romeo began the small talk/flirting of saints, pilgrims, and prayer, it made me think of the church that vanoe fall into in chapter 1. How Romeo describes himself as being one with sin, Vanitas' low sense of worth, idk this is kind of a stretch but then again why are y’all reading this? Tybalt’s outrage that Romeo was present at the party reminded me of Ruthven when finding Vanitas at the ball. And it’s a member of the Capulet family, who prevents Tybalt, who is a relative, from drawing his sword. Noe convinced Ruthven to spare Vanitas.

With that, Act I is concluded!! I will be bringing in Act II on Monday and it gets a little crazy.

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shenanigans-and-imagines · 2 years

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I See Queen Mab Hath Been With You

Eddie Munson x OC, Eddie Munson x Henderson!Reader, Fluff, Shakespeare, Pining

Lucy Henderson Character Bio, Lucy's Tag in General

Summary: Eddie proves he paid more attention in English than he lets on. OR, how Lucy discovered Eddie reciting Shakespeare is really hot.

Warning: This contains the entirety of the Queen Mab speech from Romeo and Juliet

Based on anon request: I’m feeling ridiculously soft for Eddie and Lucy rn. Any drabbles or one shots about a soft moment during the craziness or before the craziness of season 4?

A/N: I literally came up with this yesterday. I couldn't help it, the theater nerd is strong with me.

Word Count: 1.8K

“Bullshit.”

“Scouts honor.”

“You were never in the scouts.”

“Well what else am I supposed to swear on?”

Lucy rolled her eyes, holding back a smile. She had been doing it all night and was starting to get good at it.

It was late. Their movie had ended and Lucy had dared to take Eddie up on his suggestion to just walk for a while. It wasn’t an unusual request. They did it all the time, but spending so much time alone with him was proving treacherous.

Her little crush hadn’t faded since the end of the semester and they were almost to July. It felt like it was getting worse.

She thought some distance would do her some good, but Eddie had called her out of the blue and she couldn’t think of a good excuse not to. They were still friends. She couldn’t avoid him forever. A movie seemed innocent enough; dark, limited talking, safe. She had even managed to pay attention to what was on screen for most of it. Even still, his occasional commentary in her ear drove her to distraction. She honestly couldn’t remember anything of what they had just seen by the time they walked out.

If she had any sense she would have made up some excuse about work in the morning, but then he smiled and she knew she’d do just about anything he asked.

He kept the conversation going for the first stretch and eventually Lucy was able to relax enough to answer back. Nothing had changed. Eddie was still Eddie. She just had to remind herself of that and not get herself into a tizzy over a laugh or a look.

They had even managed to move past the subject of the movie to, of all things, Shakespeare. Somewhere in their rambles Lucy grumbled about wishing she could rent an apartment for three months to do summer stock in a big city or even just Shakespeare in the park. This prompted Eddie to make a rather bold claim pertaining to Mercutio and Queen Mab.

“Why would you even try to memorize the Queen Mab speech?” Lucy protested.

He shrugged. “It’s cool. I mean the rest of the play is gooey, lovey dovey shlock, but all the Mercutio stuff is awesome. Besides, I needed the extra credit.”

“So you just up and performed in front of the entire class for a couple extra points?”

He scoffed. “Please, if I did that my reputation would never recover. Mr. Kennedy just let me do it at lunch.”

Lucy’s lips pressed into a line. Mr. Kennedy was known for being one of the more reasonable teachers at Hawkins. She could see him offering to let Eddie perform privately if he felt like Eddie was otherwise putting in the effort. Still, she couldn’t help feeling like he was pulling her leg.

Eddie caught her skeptical expression. “You don’t believe me.”

“I just don’t see it,” she admitted.

He nodded, his brows creasing in deep thought. It only took him a moment to come to a decision. “Okay.”

He took two long strides ahead before jumping up on a bench in front of an empty store front. He cleared his throat, placing a hand over his heart.

“I, Edward Munson, shall perform Shakespeare’s Queen Mab for the judgment and viewing pleasure of this illustrious audience,” he announced in the most obnoxious British accent he could muster as he gestured to the non-existent crowd.

Lucy let out a laugh, which only encouraged him.

“Now I shall require some audience participation,” he said, peering down at her with a scrupulous eye, “assuming the audience has the play memorized as well.”

“We do,” she assured.

“Excellent,” he grinned, dropping the accent while he was at it. “Now, let me see, how does it start?" He tapped his chin. "Romeo says, 'I dreampt a dream tonight'. Mercutio, 'And so did I'."

Lucy smiled. "Well, what was yours?"

Eddie grinned and something else seemed to shift inside him, like the turning of a dial. She'd seen it a handful of times when a campaign took on a particularly dramatic turn. A sudden tremble of anticipation shot through her.

"That dreamers often lie," he answered.

"In bed asleep while they do dream things true," she replied.

"O," he crouched down, meeting her straight in the eye, "then I see Queen Mab hath been with you."

He leaned in, his eyes glimmering with an unbalanced glee. “She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes, in shape no bigger than an agate-stone,” he raised his finger waving it in front of her eyes, “on the fore-finger of an alderman, drawn with a team of little atomies, athwart men's noses as they lie asleep.”

Ever so slowly he began to rise, his hands and arms animating every line.

“Her wagon-spokes made of long spiders' legs, the cover of the wings of grasshoppers, the traces of the smallest spider's web, the collars of the moonshine's watery beams, her whip of cricket's bone, the lash of film, her wagoner a small grey-coated gnat, not so big as a round little worm Prick'd from the lazy finger of a maid; her chariot is an empty hazel-nut, made by the joiner squirrel or old grub, time out o' mind the fairies' coachmakers. And in this state she gallops night by night through lovers' brains, and then they dream of love.”

He drawled out the final word mockingly as he once again turned his attention toward her, sinking down to her level.

“O'er courtiers' knees, that dream on court'sies straight,” he continued, pointing to her knees. “O'er lawyers' fingers, who straight dream on fees,” he took her hand, pinching the ends of her fingers. “O'er ladies ' lips, who straight on kisses dream,” he brushed her lips, or, at least, came close enough the air of his movements tickled her skin.

Lucy could feel her cheeks heat at the gesture. She thought he might stop to comment, but he didn’t break his stride as his expression kept up that half crazed smile.

“Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues, because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are.” He straightened up, waving his hand in front of his nose as if offended by the smell.

“Sometime she gallops o'er a courtier's nose,” he went on, now using his own body as demonstration. “And then dreams he of smelling out a suit; and sometime comes she with a tithe-pig's tail, tickling a parson's nose as a' lies asleep, then dreams, he of another benefice: sometime she driveth o'er a soldier's neck, and then dreams he of cutting foreign throats.”

He clutched his neck and Lucy felt something else change. Still in character, but the glee was gone, replaced with a menace that made her spine straighten.

“Of breaches,” he continued, “ambuscadoes, Spanish blades, of healths five-fathom deep; and then anon Drums in his ear,” he slammed his hand behind him making the glass of the storefront vibrate, “at which he starts and wakes, and being thus frighted swears a prayer or two and sleeps again.”

His eyes widened, his body like a live wire as if about the fall of the edge.

“This is that very Mab, that plats the manes of horses in the night, and bakes the elflocks in foul sluttish hairs, which once untangled, much misfortune bodes,” he shouted. “This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, That presses them and learns them first to bear, making them women of good carriage: This is she—”

"Peace, peace,” Lucy interjected, grabbing his hand. She didn’t know how she remembered the line, but was grateful she did. It would all feel a waste if she didn’t. “Mercutio, peace. Thou talk'st of nothing."

"True,” he admitted, as if suddenly allowed to breathe again. He jumped down from the bench, never letting go of her hand as he looked down into her eyes. “I talk of dreams, which are the children of an idle brain, begot of nothing but vain fantasy, which is as thin of substance as the air, and more inconstant than the wind, who woos, even now the frozen bosom of the north, and, being angered, puffs away from thence, turning his side to the dew-dropping South."

A silence fell then, not that Lucy notice for the thundering of her heart in her ears. She felt like her whole body was shaking. He really needed to stop looking at her like that.

Suddenly he looked away and up to the ceiling.

"I think it's Benvolio after that," he said, speculatively.

"Yeah," Lucy said, breathlessly. "I think you're right."

Eddie looked back down. Mercutio was gone and he was back to his usual teasing self. "Good?"

"Good?" she repeated. "Eddie, that was…holy shit!”

She covered her mouth with her hands in some vain attempt to hide her smile and surely obvious blush.

She could say a lot of things to say about his impromptu performance; amazing, transcendent, mind blowing, but the one she kept coming back to was hot. It was very, very hot. She couldn’t for the life of her explain why, but it was just about the sexiest thing she’d ever seen him do.

This was worse than when he ran lines with her for As You Like It. New rule going forward, never let Eddie Munson perform Shakespeare. It was bad for her health.

It didn’t help that he was grinning at her now with the most adorably proud expression.

“Think I earned that extra credit then?” he teased.

“I think you deserve a full ride to Julliard.”

He laughed. She couldn’t be sure, but she could have sworn his cheeks were slightly pink.

“Seriously, that was incredible,” she continued. “Why haven’t you auditioned before? You would be amazing.”

He waved her off. “Oh c’mon Henderson, you know the rules. Seniors take priority. If I join now they’d have to commit to a one man show. Wouldn’t be fair to the rest of you.”

“You should still give it a shot,” she insisted. “I think you’d fit right in.”

“Yeah?”

Lucy felt her stomach flip. The look in those beautiful brown eyes was so soft it made her melt. This was why she had been avoiding him. All it took was one innocent look and she was a goner. How did people handle this?

“Yeah,” she said, glancing away. “I mean, unless you’re still worried about your reputation.”

He snorted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he pushed them both forward.

“How about this, after you’ve made your spectacular Broadway debut and if I’m not busy performing at The Garden, drop me a line. I’d be happy to do a reading.”

She nodded along. “You’ll be my first call.”

They continued on like that for a little while, speaking of dreams as if they would someday be reality. Lucy hoped they would and that maybe, someday, she’d be able to tell Eddie exactly how he fit into hers.

#stranger things #stranger things oc #eddie munson #lucy henderson #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson x henderson!oc #eddie munson x henderson!reader #2022 fic

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rinqueen6 · 11 months

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MY SHAKESPEAREAN LOVE AFFAIR | Shakespeare x Y/N

a/n: this is one of the four fanfictions written by yours truly and @oflethe during my community day stream (on June 5th, 2023, using the game frantic fanfic)

summary: shakespeare meet cute???

warnings: no editing in sight, sexual innuendos, and a really messed up plot

(each time there is a “-” there is a switched writer; it starts with lethe)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up to my stupid alarm, in my stupid bed. I got out and stared at my lifeless blue eyes in the mirror. Hi, I'm Y/N. Just another girl in this G-dforsaken World. I put my long brown hair in a messy bun and changed into my Paramore tshirt and skinny black jeans. As I put on my non-broken in Dr Martens, my mum walked in.

"Y/N," she started, looking exhausted "you have a visitor."

B-but, who would want to see a mess like me?? As I walked down our villa's stairs I saw him -------------------- , standing there, a wolfish grin on his face.

"S-shakespeare?" I whispered, too taken aback by his molded back hair.

"Yes," he grunted sexually. "It's me. Your new family."

"That's right, Y/N." My mom yelled. "You're useless and not a part of my family anymore. Shakespeare is adopting you."

I was so scared I peed a little.

"Adopted? Me?"

"Let's go baby. You're like a midsummer's night dream or whatever."

Shakespeare took me to the carriage and threw all my bags in the back. I sat in the front seat, trying to ignore the fact that the horse in front of us was shitting like crazy.

"I hope I never see you again." My mom said and slammed the door behind herself.

"Time to go, Y/N. Your new life awaits." Shakespeare put a quill in the carriage's ignition, and we were off. To my new life. My new home. -------------------- To a new century.

He rode the carriage into a new old age, and I found myself standing in front of THE Globe Theatre.

"So," he startled me, "I suspect you'll be right at home playing with the boys."

Yeah, I prefered boys' company over other girls, since I'm not like them and all, but what did he mean??

I would find out soon that he meant to make me into his image. A girl that pretends to be a boy playing a girl on stage. I soon became the biggest actor his stage had ever seen, and soon, I became his biggest muse. His Cleopatra. His youmg Juliet to his old-ass Romeo. Anne Hathaway was no more, in the end it was me and him- my William, my Shakespeare.

#shakepeare x y/n #shakespeare reader insert #shakespeare x you #shakespeare fanfic #shakespeare fanfiction #fanfiction #frantic fanfic #my shakespearean love affair #this is definitely what shakespeare wanted his legacy to be #the last line is art itself #for the record i do not support this kind of adoption #rinqueen

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henleyxjacobs · 5 months

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He said, "I'm just curious, is this for real or just an act? Can't tell if you love or hate me, never met someone like that... Drive me so (so, so) crazy, did you know you got that effect?"

madison beer. she/her. cis woman. › spotted at the met steps , henley jacobs , most likely listening to greedy by tate mcrae with their airpods pro . the twenty-five year old gained quite a reputation , known to be -guarded yet +alluring to anyone who knows them . you'll easily spot them when you hear about the first rays of light peeking through the blinds, the sensation of getting goosebumps when listening to your favorite song on vinyl, and having all eyes on you when you walk into a room , followed by good girl blush by caroline herrera . latest nepoupdates article talks about how she broke up her record producer’s marriage , but i guess any reputation is good reputation .

►GENERAL INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Henley Noa Jacobs NICKNAME(S): Hen, HJ LABEL: The Girl Next Door AGE: 25 DATE OF BIRTH: September 22, 1998 ZODIAC: Libra Sun, Virgo Rising, Scorpio Moon GENDER & PRONOUNS: Female; She/Her NATIONALITY: American HERITAGE: Russian, Moroccan, Ashkenazi Jewish SPOKEN LANGUAGE(S): English, Russian (very little) OCCUPATION: Singer/Songwriter/Influencer RELIGION: Agnostic (spiritually influenced, though) SEXUALITY & ROMANCE: Bisexual; Biromantic

► APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Madison Beer HEIGHT: 5'4" WEIGHT: 116 lbs. DOMINANT HAND: Left HAIR COLOR: Brown EYE COLOR: Hazel SCARS: Fingertips from playing guitar for so long (barely noticeable) TATTOOS: Tiny honey bee on right ankle, dainty bow on right wrist with cursive 'lovebug' written right above, 'eventually' in dainty cursive script on side of left ring finger.

►PERSONALITY

POSITIVE TRAITS: Adroit, Romantic, Loyal, Brave, Compassionate, Passionate, Ambitious, Benevolent, Comical. NEGATIVE TRAITS: Reckless, Guarded, Sensitive, Stubborn, Easily Bored, Enigmatic, Detached. LIKES: The beach, surfing, drawing/sketching, going to coffee shops, the sound of records playing, observing others, the smell of a new book and the smell of rain, astronomy, nature, cable-knit sweaters, the smell of rain, the city lights, large bows with curled hair, old drive-ins, traveling, art museums, Shakespeare, Van Gogh, deep conversations, road trips, poetry, midnight dances in the rain. DISLIKES: Being told what to do, confrontation, being the first to show up, being the last to show up, not being taken seriously, someone underestimating her, the cold, feeling rushed, the sensation of being crowded, being called ‘selfish’ or 'ungrateful', restriction of freedom, close-minded people, being talked over, fake friends, when people only compliment her looks.

►MENTALITY

PHOBIAS: Nyctophobia DISORDERS: Anxiety ALLERGIES: Seasonal (Pollen)

►BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Manhattan, NY CURRENT RESIDENCE: Manhattan, NY EDUCATION LEVEL: BA in Music Production & Business from NYU; Currently taking additional classes to expand knowledge FAMILIAL CONNECTIONS: - Emilia Jacobs - Mother, Deceased - Alexander Jacobs - 49, Father, Not in Contact

►FAVORITES

FOOD: Sushi DRINK: Water MOVIE: Romeo & Juliet (1968), Serendipity TV SHOW: New Girl, Rick & Morty BAND: The 1975, The Killers, The Beatles, Lana Del Rey SONG: Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

► EXTRA INFORMATION

JUNG TYPE: INFJ ENNEAGRAM: The Expert (3w4) TEMPERAMENT: Sanguine MORAL ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good SIN: Lust VIRTUE: Humility ELEMENT: Air CHARACTER PLAYLIST

"I'll put you through hell just to know me."

► BIOGRAPHY

Henley was born in Los Angeles, CA to Emilia and Alexander Jacobs. The beautiful sight of the baby girl was expected, what took everyone off guard was that Henley was collateral beauty to her mother's passing whilst in childbirth. The trauma enough that it sent the business tycoon running with his new bundle of joy to NYC. The girl knew the basics of her parents' story; Emilia moved to LA with a dream and $20 dollars in her back pocket. She had a face that belonged in the movies, and she was sure she was going to make it happen. Alexander came from a long line of old wealth - the industrialists that paved the way for the new business magnates of today. He saw her sing at an open mic night and he was a sucker. She saw him from the stage and sung to him - the rest was history. It was why he took the loss so hard, turning to alcohol so quickly like his father before him. Meanwhile, little Henley was trying everything to have any sort of connection. When she couldn't, she found herself boarding herself up. To a degree, she blamed herself. It only made sense that he wanted nothing to do with her when she killed mom. Though her father's choice of escape was alcohol, the brunette would easily slip away into fantasy worlds thanks to books when things got hard. She promised herself that no matter how dark life got, she was to be her own beacon of light; if she couldn't do that for herself, then she would be that for others. She was the quiet girl in school that everyone wanted to know, and she hated it. The reasoning being that she knew she had more to offer than her looks, but that was all anyone really saw in her. Even her own father told her to utilize her looks to get ahead. Instead of anger, it only fueled her to prove everyone wrong. She was in honor society, the president of the physics club in high school, took AP courses in art history and government policy. There was only one person who truly saw her, and that was her first love in high school. Though she had friends, none of them were every as close nor as understanding as James. It was pure - they just wanted to know one another and be around one another. Her father actually liked James, so did all her friends. What was most important was that she let her walls down around him; she truly felt free enough to be herself shamelessly. When the first semester of college hit, James claimed he wanted to explore other options and that was the end of what Henley felt was her once in 20 lifetimes. Maybe the fact her father liked him was a red flag. Maybe she did something wrong - didn't love him the way he needed. Either way, her walls came back up and they were stronger than ever. It was that break-up that became the foundation of her inspiration for her first couple EPs. When the second EP came out, Henley didn't expect the attention it got. She also wasn't expecting the overnight sensation she became when her first studio album hit streaming platforms. Now, as she is becoming a budding starlet in the eyes of the world, Henley is cementing her walls in place and attempting to navigate this chaos of the entertainment industry; where no one cares who you are, but cares who you know and the number of followers you attain.

► PERSONALITY

Henley is bright and sunny, but facades as a black cat. She is hellbent on keeping people at an arm's distance, seeing that she opened herself up fully only to get hurt. Her new motto is to leave before getting left. It's funny though, because she does have a big heart and she's prone to loving hard once a crush is formulated. She's a supportive and loyal friend once you have her in your court. Henley is prone to boredom and goes through these bursts of needing to go out, or needing to stay in - there's no in between. Henley knows she's sought after, so she likes to make people jump through hoops only to then walk away and throw their number away. She's into literature, art history and poetry. She actually writes poetry, herself, and her favorite thing to do is get lost in an art museum. Most don't know this about her, but Henley likes to game. She utilizes gaming to alleviate anxiety. She is just a huge ball of sunshine squished into a protective prison she built for herself, okay?

► PLOTS

The Best Friend: This person was most likely there when the James situation went down and is Henley's shoulder to cry on as well as her go-to friend when she needs to get out of the house. They've been friends since middle school, possibly before! There's so many ways to play them - the best friend could be tired of Henley's self-recklessness or they could be the enabler. - OPEN

Childhood Friends: Same as above, these people were there during the James scenario. They could meet at any point in their growing up - but these people would be close to Henley and they're almost joined at the hip. - OPEN (x3)

The PR Friend: Someone in the music industry who is utilizing Henley for clout. Henley wouldn't be aware of this, or maybe she is and is just stringing this person along - but I think it would be interesting to have a fake friend who Henley thinks is genuine. - OPEN

Ride or Die: Was a hook-up in the process but they wound up getting high and just talking all night. This is someone that Henley could sit in absolute silence with and be content, or when she's flying off the handlebars, this person can bring her back. Smoke sessions, deep conversations in the AMs. - OPEN

But, Do I Suck?: The music testers. This person is someone Henley runs her music by before putting it out into the world. They could be her genuine friends in the music industry, or maybe they went to NYU together and they met that way. - OPEN (x2)

Once You Have Me, Will You Want Me Still?: Blind date that turned into a hookup and Henley left before they woke up because she got scared. Ya know, she just doesn't want history to repeat itself. - OPEN

#nepofm.intro #tw death #tw alchoholism

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lila-rae · 2 years

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Because @jechristine hates me, she asked me to pick my top 9 films. It’s like picking my favorite children out of hundreds. So here’s a top 9 but they’re not ranked in any particular order cause it’s impossible. Also pretty sure this list would make Scorsese cry.

Up the first 10 minutes of the movie is the best storytelling I’ve ever seen in a movie, and if you don’t agree you’re just wrong

Juno this movie balances the seriousness and implications of teen pregnancy and adoption with such peak 2000s teen humor. My love forever

Love & Basketball Monica & Quincy forever. It’s where my childhood friends to enemies to lovers and back and forth all started. It’s messy but so is real life

Crazy, Stupid, Love a great movie. Ryan Gosling has abs, they do the dirty dancing lift, the backyard scene. It’s just so good. My husband and I rewatch all the time.

Romeo + Juliet Shakespeare’s words but make the setting modern. It’s where I fell in love with a young Leo. Plus that scene with the aquariums while I’m kissing you is playing. It’s so tragic and beautiful

Team America: World Police it’s South Park with puppets. I think I first watched this at like 12 or 13 with my older cousins (sorry mom) and it was my first rated R movie. It’s just a movie shitting on American foreign policy and I appreciate that.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail How can you not love this movie. It’s so absurd and I’m in stitches every time I watch it.

My Girl if I want to cry I put on this movie. His fucking glasses 😭

Fantastic Mr. Fox I blame my Wes Anderson loving husband but we quote this so much “that’s just weak song writing, you wrote a bad song Petey” that I think part of my love is because it’s a part of our relationship. But it is a fantastic (no pun intended) movie.

Honorable Mention (because I can’t choose just 9 I’m sorry)

But I’m a Cheerleader pretty sure this movie told me I was bisexual before I knew myself. The call was coming from inside the house. But it’s a classic and hilarious.

Spider-Man: Far From Home this would have been in the top 9 if not for NWH. It was my comfort movie I used to watch at least weekly and now 😔

That was brutal.

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crymeariveronceagain · 10 months

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Anna Karenina aesthetic because I'm on page 816/868

Don't blame me, love made me crazy, If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right. Lord, save me, my drug is my baby; I'll be usin' for the rest of my life.

For you, I would fall from grace, Just to touch your face. If you walk away, I'd beg you on my knees to stay.

"What woman who's a slave can be a slave to such a degree as I, in my position?"

The sense of unhappiness is so much easier to convey than that of happiness. In misery we seem aware of our own existence, even though it may be in the form of a monstrous egotism: this pain of mine is individual, this nerve that winces belongs to me and to no other. But happiness annihilates us: we lose our identity.

These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which as they kiss consume. The sweetest honey Is loathsome in his own deliciousness And in the taste confounds the appetite. Therefore love moderately; long love doth so; Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

I'm not afraid to say that I'd die without him! Who else is gonna put up with me this way? I need you, I breathe you, I'll never leave you!

It doesn't matter, she thought, as long as he's here; when he's here he cannot, he won't dare not to love me.

There are as many kinds of love as there are hearts.

Don't Blame Me, by Taylor Swift // Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy // The End of The Affair, by Graham Green // Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare // Off To The Races, by Lana Del Rey //

#anna karenina #leo tolstoy #summer tbr #anna karenina leo tolstoy #you guys are going to screech about my anna karenina takes #they are so so hot #anyways #this has been a thrilling book #im so excited to be finished with it and have the full picture in my mind #aesthetics

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warcats-cat · 2 years

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An Essay for Someone

---

Most of my fantasies are painful; I imagine myself injured, hurting, gasping for breath. I imagine myself sick with fever and chills. And other things.

But I do it so I can imagine people (usually fantasy characters so it doesn't feel weird I guess) taking care of me. Tucking me in, playing with my hair. Helping me to heal. People holding me tight, telling me I'll be ok. That my pain means something, and isn't all in my head. It isn't in vain.

It's probably childish of me, and definitely selfish. I had a good childhood, I shouldn't complain.

And yet, at night, I go back to those spaces of care and comfort. I'm not crazy, I know it's not real. I don't see things or hear voices. I don't live in an alternate reality. But the daydreams feel better.

This is called maladaptive daydreaming (probably. I haven't talked to my therapist about it, usually because by the time I see her there are more pressing issues.)

I've grown up in a world that is terrifying and hopeless. Sickness lies around every corner, shadowed gunmen could be following me around any turn. The people put in place to govern care only about their own money. They live in a bubble so far removed from reality it makes me sick. People die in the streets because they can't afford housing, food, medicines like insulin.

I feel selfish, because I have a good life. I have a big cozy house and two parents that I know love me with their whole hearts. My father is gentle and interested in my life. My mom is (mostly) supportive of my wants and dreams, and goes out of her way to make me feel loved. I have my own car and cellphone and I haven't been kicked out yet.

But I still feel like a child. There's a part of me that feels like she didn't get the chance to *be* a child. I was the mature one in classes, the quiet kid, the one the teachers didn't have to worry about. I glided along straight A's in highschool and surrounded myself with friends and interests. I spent my whole life being told I could do and be anything in the world *I* wanted, if I just worked hard enough.

I know I won't be a big Broadway actress. I have, as several of my Shakespeare teachers said, "Beautiful diction and the emotional range of a rock." I wish I could go back to Romeo and Juliet and apologize to our director Craig for the almost fifteen minutes he spent trying to explain to me what I was doing wrong about pushing the cart around. I still don't understand.

I just want to be comfortable. I want to feel safe. And I don't. I worry about going in to work and someone coming in with a gun. I worry about having to stop at a gas station and someone following me out. I worry about every tomorrow there is; when insane and senile old men can push buttons that drop bombs that do more than just burn. Where every year the earth gets hotter to the point that concrete buckles in sunlight from the stress. Where the people who have the power don't care, and no words or threats or protests will change their minds.

I want someone to wrap me up and hold me tight and tell me the world will be ok. That I will be ok. That I don't have to fight for everything, and push myself so hard every day that I don't have the energy to enjoy my own hobbies and interests. That the things I enjoy doing aren't *wrong* just because they don't make sense to someone else.

I want someone to run their fingers through my hair and tell me it's ok, I can relax, I won't be hurt. That I can be gentle with myself.

And I'm afraid to ask for it in real life, because I know if I do, I'll just be called more lazy and selfish.

#warcats rants #tw real world fatigue #tw self harm #tw unreality #tw global warming #tw american politics #tw low self esteem #tw negative self talk #probably delete later #tw illness #tw injury

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leseigneurdufeu · 1 year

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Another idea for PB choices would be to make stories inspired from shakespeare tragedies. Not Romeo and Juliet: they would find a way to put smut in it. But... Macbeth... Richard III... Hamlet...

You’re murdering your way to the throne. You don’t know who you can trust.

Even worse/better: you have to prevent your cousin/son/husband/brother/uncle to murder his way to the throne.

That’s the only kind of story I would agree for PB to isekai us into (à la Distant Shores, if you see what I mean). Get isekaied as Cecily Neville, widow of Richard II, and see your youngest son Richard (III) murder his way to the throne while you do your best to prevent him. Know that you cannot prevent him, because history has to follow it’s path. Know that you cannot prevent him without changing the play or the british history. Be a Shakespeare scholar isekaied in a tragedy as a supporting character. Know that the letter you’re bringing to England means Hamlet’s death, and know that he knows, and will kill you.

Even better: don’t be completely isekaied. Have visions of Hamlet but still be anchored in the real world. See Richard III with your boyfriend’s face. See Hamlet with your best friend’s face. See Lady Macbeth come around the corner but it’s your mother.

Become crazy.

Yeah actually that’s it. Become crazy. But with shakespeare.

#list of ideas for pixelberry #pb choices #shakespeare

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chattingwiththelightkeeper · 2 years

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What Is In A Name

No matter how you slice it, a name is just an arbitrary label. One of Shakespeare’s most quoted plays, Romeo and Juliet says: ‘What’s in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet’ and as I sit here typing away, I cannot help but think about the names people choose for usernames or blog titles on lifestyle-friendly websites.

One of my D/S pet peeves is the number of mostly dominant men who come up with very unoriginal names like ‘your next dom’, ‘call me sir’, or ‘you shall serve me’. It always seems to me that these individuals also couple either a picture of a wolf, a shirtless man with abs of steel, a headless man in a business suit, or a woman in various stages of undress as their profile picture. Maybe I am the one who is crazy but I just cannot help but think that it is not that hard to display a little originality or thought behind both the user name and photo attached to it. Everyone is unique, so why not show off a bit of what makes you, you?

This leads me to my next thought on why I decided to go with the pseudonym of The Light Keeper. It is a hobby of mine to travel, explore, and learn about lighthouses. Every lighthouse tells unique stories of triumphs as well as tragedies. Light stations were never built in places where the going was easy always put in places where there was a history of shipwrecks and danger. Just like lighthouses, my history has had some amazing achievments couples with a fair share of disasters but through it all, I am still standing.

Not only that but I believe that a lighthouse is a great metaphor for D/S relationships. A light station does not steer a ship, those choices are left up to those commanding the vessel, but it provides a beacon to safe harbor or away from shuddering soals and just like a lifestyle relationship the dominant, I believe, should provide a beam of light to guide their submissive to achieve goals while endeavoring to help them navigate life’s rocky times but through it all the submissive has the freedom to decide on if they wish to follow a dominant’s light.

Additionally, just like dominants, lighthouses are not perfect. There are times when a lighthouse’s light will go out or a storm will damage or even knock down the tower causing the need to repair or rebuild the light station just as life can send a dominant for a tumble. It is during these damaging times that a submissive needs to be there for their d-type. Just as many historical organizations now work to maintain or rebuild a crumbing light, submissives partner with their dominant during times of struggle, helping the d-type to regain their footing after one of life’s slips.

So this is why I decided to run with the name The Light Keeper when it comes to things lifestyle-related and while I know this ‘name’ is not perfect, just like myself, in my mind it does tell a bit about the person behind the blog or profile. I also would wish that other d-types invest a bit of time to be creative or express themselves a touch better than defaulting to the overused and very typical names as well as profile photos. One of the great things about the lifestyle community is how unique each person is here and I think it would be amazing if more dominants expressed some of the things that make them one of kind rather than appear as just more of the same old cliches.

As with all of my writings, please see this disclaimer.

©TLK2022

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ivyaugustetc · 3 years

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the dead poets on ice: another headcanon from hell

hey guys!! sooo @pretentious-strikes helped me come up with this idea so big big shoutout to faye ily bestie

uh yeah i had some trials and tribulations over this but it's here :)

also, when i say the poets, i'm including chet and ginny and chris in that. i need to give them a name though. i thought sapphic trio or sumn???

neil: i love this boy but he cannot skate </3 he's got so many talents and yet this is not one of them. he spends the entire time clinging to todd (who also isn't entirely sure he can skate well) and the other half quoting dramatic shakespeare scene and faking his death on the ice HAHAHAHA. can you imagine him pretending to stab himself with a dagger while quoting the end of romeo and juliet? and then he just. fake stabs himself and pretends to die on the ice while todd is like "GET UP I NEED HELP"

todd: the literal definition of "i think i'm doing it right???????" like he kinda knows what he's doing because he skated once two years ago but at the same time it's still a new feelings and he's disoriented?? the fact that neil is hanging onto him for dear life kinda makes him feel like he should know what he's doing, so he fakes it til he makes it because he doesn't have the heart to tell neil he is no safer in his hands than in the jaws of a shark. he leaves better than he was at the beginning, of course, but boy were those first ten minutes absolute hell for him (except for the neil holding onto him part. that was nice.)

meeks: not horrible, not fantastic, but secure in the knowledge that he can skate wherever he pleases without have to worry about falling over. he's just freaking zen the entire time, more of a spectator than a player in whatever chaos is occurring. he makes the occasional sarcastic comment, but spends the majority of the time focusing on his own craft (a.k.a. skating in circles around the edge of the lake). he'll help if anyone gets injured, but otherwise he's perfectly content with his own thoughts and we love it for him :)

cameron: who is a perfectionist? richard. who's good at everything on almost the first try? rich. who's fucking incredible at ice skating? CAM THE MAN RICHARDSON THAT'S WHO. when I say this man has the technique, the style, i mean he has it. he's told approximately no one and yet exactly everyone is in awe of this man's skills. and while he's not showing everyone up, he helps the others that can't seem to go two seconds without falling on their asses. moral of the story: get urself a man who can do both, aka richard cameron.

pitts: he is as tall as a tree and just as uncoordinated as one :) he's the type of person to laugh at how much he sucks rather than get frustrated about it? so every once in a while you'll hear a yell from pitts, followed by a thud, followed by the loudest, most infectious laughter you've ever heard. Like he makes everyone else nearly fall from laughing so hard. He just raises the morale like crazy but is probably also prepared with first aid training if anyone were to fall and break an ankle or something.

charlie: does not know what he's doing, but he's doing it very loudly and badly. he has a baseline skill set that includes standing upright and skating slowly on the ice, but it soon progresses into ZOOM ZOOM GOTTA KNOCK EVERYONE ON THEIR ASSES dalton. he's just zip zoppin through everyone, cackling his head off and trying to push a select few to the ground. he never once succeeds to push cameron down even though that's his main target because cameron has the balance of a flamingo and even though charlie's laughing he's internally thinking "WHY WON'T YOU JUST FALL AND VALIDATE MY CHAOS????" he leaves without having knocked over cameron, but it's fine. he knocked knox over more times than he can count.

knox: um...he's the worst out of all of them. like he is...abominable. he knocks himself and everyone around him off balance whenever he falls because he's the flailing, Not Going Down Without A Fight type of faller. he's definitely frustrated by his lack of skill, especially when Chris skates by and does a little twirl right in front of him. But he's determined to leave that place not totally helpless, but does he? no. charlie made sure he didn't. moral of the story: it could've been better if it weren't for charlie.

chris: I feel like Mrs. Noel would've been the kind of parent to put Chris in gymnastics or something when she was a kid and therefore Chris has great balance and would be a GOD at ice skating. Like, she probably do a few of the little twists and turns that lower-level figure skaters can do. She ends up getting really focused on trying to learn how to do a spin and goes off in her own little world for a bit before she realized she forgot where she was and goes back to hang out with Ginny.

chet: this man is a football player, okay? ice skating is not his thing. First of all it took a hot second to find ice skates that actually fit him, and then when he finally got on the ice he was caught completely off guard by how SLIPPERY IT IS????? so he hangs onto chris like she's a life preserver for a while until she gives him some motivational pep talk that convinces him to let go. he does the weird preschooler slide-walk thing for a while, you know where he's making the movements of walking but his feet are just sliding back and forth on the ice and he isn't getting anywhere because the coefficient of friction is basically in the negatives? but he ends up figuring it out and leaves with one-half of a new skill!!

ginny: queen has never done this before but she does NOT need anyone's help. She is so dead set on doing it all by herself and not allowing a single soul to give her help. When she falls, she dismisses all the hands held out to her and figures out how to get up by herself. Once she gets the hang of it, she allows herself to be dragged around by speed-demon Chris Noel for a bit and once or twice they fall down in a heap because Chris is skating backwards in order to hang onto ginny's hands and therefore cannot see where she's going and furthermore hits every poet like they're bowling pins. But they laugh every time they fall because it's lowkey hilarious and also they're in love <3

#dead poets society #dead poets society headcanon #neil perry #todd anderson #stephen meeks #steven meeks #gerard pitts #charlie dalton #nuwanda #richard cameron #chris noel #ginny danburry #chet danburry #knox overstreet

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loveydive · 2 years

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okay thoughts on stone ocean

i just wanna say that i feel like im in a unique position reading this since some common complaints abt opinions of stone ocean being negative is that ppl rushed thru it to get to sbr too quickly. which just does not apply to me bc i read sbr and jjl first before reading stone ocean teehee x so ya

likes

I LOVE JOLYNE SO MUCH THIS CANNOT BE UNDERSTATED. I LOVE. HER. SO. MUCH. THERE IS NOT ONE THING THAT I DONT LIKE ABT HER I LOVEHER SO MUCH. I LOVE HER DUMBASSNESS, I LOVE HER RECKLESS BEHAVIOUR TO SAVE HER FRIENDS THAT IS TYPICAL FOR A SHOUNEN PROTAGONIST BUT NEVER SHOWN THRU A FEMALE SHOUNEN PROTAG I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE HER. i love her development. i love her. and shes liKE GENUINELY SMART IN BATTLES AS WELL. AND NOT LIKE GIORNO WHO HAS A WIKIPEDIA EMBEDDED IN HIS FRONT CORTAL OR SMTH. BUT LIKE PROPER BATTLE SMART THAT MAKES YOU GO OKAY I DID NOT THINK OF THAT. i love her flaws. i love how she has daddy issues and is complex abt loving her dad or not. i love that she loves her mum. love love love.

fights dont feel like villain of the week format. progresses nicely and logically imo. overall, there were some fights that just seemed to drag foreverrrr, but only 1 or 2 that i outright hated (unlike jjl lmao). fave arcs were white snake: pursuer, ff intro, bohemian rhapsody, heavy weather, c-moon, made in heaven just off top of head

versus was esp interesting as a minor villain. i felt his motivations were justified and it made him interesting. i esp liked the little tension btwn him and pucci and wish it had been expanded more.

perhaps unpopular opinion but i actually liked pucci as a villain. lots of ppl say that hes just another part 3 villain but More. and hes just a lamer version of dio which i just disagree with. i felt that his back story lended a lot to making him his own person, with dio being a mentor and kind of like the like shaping for why he believes what he does when he was dealing with his grief and guilt. like his backstory in particular i loved. the idea of coincidences, fate, tragedy. he obviously frequently questions it when we read his backstory (why did those two have to meet? why did the lady tell him about switching the babies? why did her baby die?) its like a series of events that all reached to a peak with the tragedy of his sister's death and weather's lynching. and AH im going crazy. and ofc he feels guilty over his but at the same time, he wonders why it all happened. because of fate? why was it fate for his sister to die? and he just feels powerlessness over this. CUHRAZYY. and how his stand abilities manifest in direct response to losing his sister?? LOVE THAT. oh my godddd and his relationship with weather and that quote 'you're the ultimate image of evil, but you dont realize that you're evil. this is what makes you the worst kind of evil.' SCREAM. ANW THATS HOW I INTERPRETTED HIM AND I LIKE HIM. TOP 3 JOJO VILLAINS EASY.

i REALLY REALLY liked weather report's backstory and relationship to pucci. LIKE THE DRAMA OF IT ALL. THROUGHOUT READING IT I WAS LIKE GIRLLLL WHY ARE YOU DOING THATTTT. IT FELT LIKE READING A TRAGEDY YK? LIKE SHAKESPEARE. LITERALLY SHAKESPEARE. romeo and juliet but incestuous (rip). even has themes of senseless hatred!!! (side not i cannot believe araki actually put the kkk in there and also weather being a BLACK MAN I WAS LIKE WAIT ARE WE DOING THIS FR?). anw really liked it. made pucci feel wayy more human and made the stakes feel more personal

i liked the character designs just in general. and even tho annasui looks like a diavolo ripoff, i think hes looks very pretty. found myself looking at him sometimes even if i dont rlly like him dgsauids

aside from jolyne, i feel like i REALLY liked f.f. perhaps a tad more than hermes. ff was so bubbly and unique to the story. she was absolutely hilarious and i wish she hadnt died so early in the story but i feel like araki just didnt know what to do with her anymore esp since she didnt have a stand.

i generally overall like the characters individually. they are all interesting to look at/ have interesting personalities, motivations and stands etc etc

i like the little exploration of jotaros weakness being his own daughter buttttt - will explain more in dislikes

dislikes

(dragon dreams arc) kenzo fight is bs - hate fights that are basically just like. im winning… just just bc i am!!! liek you could explain this whole new concept to me that describes how hes winning but if its just some astrology bs that essentially says ‘just bc’ then im calling bs. this fight is bs.

jailhouse rock was. hm. it was an interesting stand in CONCEPT. but execution was like not fun to read at all imo.

im gonna be honest. like compared to the other jojo gangs, this part felt the least like they were friends. EVEN COMPARED TO PART 5 - whose relationships i thought were like eh (prolly cause we’re watching it from giorno pov and giorno has only known them for like. a week LMAO) ANW i think its bc so many times, the gang had to split up to like fight. and i dont think there was a single fight where all of them just like fought tgt. it was always in pairs and one or so was always out of commission. like mannnn. like jolynes individual relationship with each of them was good. but the trio of girls only really felt like real friends and that doesnt last long since hermes gets put out of commission after her revenge and ff dies shortly after like WTF sadface. so like when weather dies and hermes is crying. im like girl why are you crying did you even interact with him 😭 AND i feel like the fact that the gang arent really friends makes itself REALLY obvious when in the c-moon arc. hermes gets hit and knocked away from everyone and. everybody just kinda. continues without her anw??? like THINK ABOUT IT WOULD ANY OTHER JOJO GANG LET THAT HAPPEN IN THE OTHER PARTS?? THEY JUST LEAVE HER?? HUH??

maybe im eheh, more boring, but i prefer my um stories to be a bit more grounded (says the girl reading literal jojo). but yeah the story in general was like super okay good. but the ending battle hm. was a bit too lets say. out there for me teehee. like guess im not a big fan of like space and all that and alternate realities on a grander scale. it was just like a LOT.

moving onto the most controversial thing i think. the ending. a lot of ppl hate it. some ppl love it. imo i had stronger (negative) feelings with the jojolion ending. the stone ocean ending was. eh. like i didnt vehemently hate it, nor did i love it persay. i felt that it was indeed a bit rushed. like araki was like oh shit! i need to end this in the next few chapters and did that dhasuiodasd. like the gang died so quickly i didnt even realise that they actually died i was like no way right.

ANW BACK TO THEMES OF THE ENDING. i wish it was more. like. if youre gonna rewrite the entire universe, at least have it mean something yk? bc even though the ending was technically happy, very happy. i dont think there was a justifiable reason for it i think? like it could have just as easily been an unhappy ending and i get how ppl are like its symbolism!! the joestars dont have to fight evil anymore and its meaningful bc an outsider ended it. (side note, i do think this story was a better way to start off the way jjl started ‘this is a story about breaking a curse’ can you imagine that at the start of stone ocean? ooo goosebumps) but anw, imo i just do not feel that it was set up properly or justified. emporio did not deserve to be the last one standing imo, there just wasnt enough reason or set up for him to be. the use of weather’s stand was satisfying but not the fact that is was emporio. i wish it had been jolyne i think idkk

like even tho it technically is a happier ending for the gang, it doesnt feel deserved in my opinion. like not bc theyre bad ppl and they dont deserve it or that they didnt work hard, like i LOVE THE CHARACTERS. but. hm. it doesnt make sense thematically is what im saying. the characters dont meaningfully engage with puccis notion that he should create a universe where everyone knows their fate and is happy. they kinda are just like. oh hes killed ppl and is evil so therefore, we must stop him!! and im just rlly? like dont you wanna hear him out a bit GDIASUDHASD but yeah i just feel like weather had stronger motivations in this regard. the gang just dont have really strong reasons to fight pucci. including jolyne who already got her father’s disc back

SPEAKING OF WHICH, UM. CAN WE HAVE MORE PAYOFF FOR JOTARO COMING BACK TO LIFE PWEEAASSEEE. like he comes back and its pretty badass ngl but i want MORE btwn him and jolyne. like how abt an apology old man? why does ANNASUI AND JOTARO TALK MORE THAN JOTARO AND HIS OWN DAUGHTER IM GONNA KILL MYSELFFFF like he tells jolyne that shes grown (which, sweet) but can he PLEASE JUTS SAY THAT HES PROUD OF HER OR SMTH?? PLEASE? YOURE JUST STATING A FACT THATS SHES GROWN HDUIASDHASD OLD MAN SAY SMTH MORE USEFUL IM GONNA BASH YOUR HEAD INNN. IF JOLYNE FORGIVES HIM SHE IS DOING ALL THE FUCKING LEGWORK HERE

THAT BEING SAID. even tho jolyne is meant to be the PROTAGONIST of this part, her role in the final final battle is HEAVILY DIMINISHED. AND IM LIKE HUH. LIKE THIS IS THE PART WHERE WE GET A FEMALE JOJO AND THE THREE MVPS IN THE END TURN OUT TO BE THE GUYS LIKE 😐 OKAY. at least in the other parts, their respective jojos actually FEEL like the protag. jonathan kills dio, joseph kills kars, jotaro kills dio, josuke heavily has a whole badass fight with kira, giorno oneshots diavolo, and jolyne... what DOES SHE DO IN THE FINAL FIGHT AGAIN? 😭 like annasui has diverdown and stuff, jotaro stops time which stops pucci a fair bit, and emporio literally kILLS pucci. EVEN THE STAND USED TO KILL PUCCI WAS WAETHERS LIKEEE PUHLEASEE. and im reading this and itS LIKE SORRY WASNT JOLYNE THE PROTAGONIST? literally after the c-moon arc, i cant really recall like anything SIGNIFICANT that she does despite having just read it yesterday. and it makes me sad bc um. i rlly like her

overall - 6/10 - top 3 protag and antag. the concepts are THERE but the execution was off. definitely more experimental but thematically, it just wasnt satisfying.

#cin.txt #yeah think ill just start a new tag where i ramble about what ive read and shit bc i talk SO MUCH #but i just leave it on my notion LMAO #well thats over #kinda empty but glad that i dont have to avoid spoilers anymore #i am pretty disappointed that i wasnt able to love it #even tho i really wanted to #not just bc jolyne is her and i love her sm but also i wanted to feel justified owning more of the jojo manga asguidsa #oh well guess ill just own part 4 and part 7 (when it comes out in 2030)#i just dont see myself rereading stone ocean. not even for fun i suppose.#cin reviews #jjba #so

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saintobio · 2 years

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Saint.

Yn's death scene broke my heart. I'm ngl, I didn't cry bc I'm already used to saint level angst but the fact that she just wanted rin to believe her and the way rin was screaming ugh, it's just so tragic that he finally had a wife who he truly loves and it ends this way 💔 for my peace of mind, I'm imagining them living their best life in heaven and having the happy family that they weren't able to start 😭

And rin was so smart for choosing to torture hera and c'ian instead of killing them, he definitely knew how much it would affect them to witness his death. Also, on that note of c'ian and hera being kept in the dungeon, what has happened to demie? Is she staying with the empress or being looked after by someone else?

Also, when 'samu and the knights kneeled in respect for rin and yn, it's kinda sad that she was finally shown some sort of respect by the people of Faren and she wasn't even alive to witness it. I feel like if she didn't eat the berries and rin saved her, everyone would've been able to see that she's not who they thought she was and would definitely have some respect/love for her 😭

This play was so beautifully written Saint. I really do appreciate you taking the time to write this masterpiece bc I can imagine that writing in that language and in a format that doesn't allow for a lot of description, is difficult. Thank you saint, you broke my heart once again and I love you for it. 😂💘

this is just a 6 on saint level angst sdjsjs and yeah there’s no other way to put it — suna knows that his death would be traumatizing to hera and ci’an. the answer to demie is on a previous ask :)

thank u for reading tho 🥺 it was definitely hard since i’m so used to descriptive writing but i’m happy to know that you liked it <3

Anonymous said

what’s totally crazy about the ending is that if the MC had only held out for like 5 minutes, she and rin could’ve been alive together ☹️. i am happy that they get to be together in the afterlife tho. i think it’s kind of a morbidly funny trend in tragedies that if they had just a tiny bit more streets smarts, most of their problems could’ve been solved in like a week. anywho this was a great story, and i think you deserve all the flowers for writing in such a difficult style, and still being able to convey such intense emotions. you truly are amazing at what you do, and i’m very grateful to be a reader!

omg yea ik what u mean !! HAHA when i read r+j for the first time, i got sooo upset like why can’t they wait just a few more mins dammit 😭 and thank u very much for ur sweet words anon <33 i appreciate it sm :’)

Anonymous said

SAINT R U SECRETLY SHAKESPEARE 😭😭 THIS IS PAINFUL I CANNOT. IM VV EXTRA EMOTIONAL BC OF CYCLE SO THIS IS 10X HURTFUL.

It’s so sad it had to end that way but i can’t say that i did not like it bc it’s so amazing yet tragic 😭

Anonymous said

oh my god saint that was so good?? it would be wonderful if it was an actual play! you should really make some of your stories actual books people would love them

WAAAAH thank u!! that makes me happy :’) i’m actually glad i turned this old play of mine into a fanfic. i didn’t think anyone would appreciate but yay <33 when i submitted this for my class before, my professor said we can’t have it on stage bc it was too dark gahahaj

Anonymous said

“Keep this image with you forever as I reunite with my true love, far away from the spiteful ladies of this household.”

i read the tags for olal but i thought it was just gonna be yn unaliving herself, but when i came to that line i was shook

was rin able to reunite with yn in the afterlife at least where they’re both finally at peace together

Anonymous said

I was hoping for Hera and c'ian to die but I guess it was too good to be true 😭 but at least now rin and mc can be happy and free in the afterlife

@andreavasquezz said

Romeo and Juliet moment😝😭😰😭😭😭 that was so sad but I know that they will be reincarnated and reunite and live happily ever after.

@evcrgardn said

i hope rin, yn, and their baby are happily together in the afterlife :((

Anonymous said

Me hoping for Suna and yn getting reincarnated in modern world and finally getting the happy ending they deserve😭

AFTERLIFE IT IS :P but u guys,,,, doesnt this remind u of a certain someone from a zombie apocalyptic world *coughs* maybe they’ll reincarnate again since it’s a common manhwa trope 😹

@sunareign said

… why you gotta do that to me ? i thought zunarin was enough? WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK MY HEART A SECOND TIME?

shut up u love angst u know that :p and i never said ur mans won’t die the second time bsjsjds he never gets a happy ending from me 😹

#🖤: letters to saint #play: of lovers and liars

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samnyangie · 3 years

Text

It’s from a book called ‘conversation in the wings’ by Roy Harris; it’s a transcript of the interviews he had with actors and this is the section of rsl.

Just a warning it’s quite long.

(Source)

________________________________________

1994: CONVERSATIONS IN THE WINGS

The Author's Intentions Are Good

by Roy Harris

Conversations in the Wings

1994

This interview took place on Friday, May 24, 1991, on the Mainstage at Playwrights Horizons where Jon Robin Baitz's The Substance of Fire was playing. Considering that he is the youngest person who talks here about acting (he was 22 at the time of the interview), it is remarkable that Robert Sean Leonard speaks with so much ease and apparent knowledge on a subject that can be as elusive as this one. The clarity he has as he discusses how he works on a role is not unlike the focus he brings to the characters he creates on stage. At the time of this interview, Mr. Leonard had recently finished a run of Romeo and Juliet for the Riverside Shakespeare Company.

Roy Harris: So let's start at the beginning. If you get a script and you read it and say to yourself, "I've got to do this," what makes you feel that?

Robert Sean Leonard: Well, that's hard to say. It depends on if you're reading for a certain character-I mean, if you're not sure who you're going to play yet. I guess I read specifically for the author's intentions of the play.

Roy Harris: Do you ever take a role-maybe it's not so wonderful-to be a part of that writer's particular world?

Robert Sean Leonard: Oh, yes. But if the play is important to you and that moving to you, then a small role becomes important because of what the author's saying. I'll be doing Our Town in London this fall and early winter. George is a very nice, I thought, young juvenile role to do. But then I read the play again, and I was astonished at the simplicity and importance of Wilder's message. Suddenly, George became much more important to me. I realized his place in that world, and it was big. If you look at the play, no one talks to each other. Except for the soda fountain scene. And there they talk. That's why they get married. Seeing this made playing him exciting. The way George has to deal with life and death is amazing.

Roy Harris: When you decided to do, for instance, the Greek pianist Alexandros in When She Danced, what made you make that decision?

Robert Sean Leonard: Joanne Woodward told me I had to do it.

Roy Harris: That's a good reason; she's very smart.

Robert Sean Leonard: Well, that play defined the undefinable qualities and questions about what I do as an actor. And I'd never seen that in a play before. So, I guess it was both things: the play itself and what a wonderful character.

Roy Harris: When you were working on Alexandros, what did you find the most challenging thing about it?

Robert Sean Leonard: Oh, come on, Roy, you remember?

Roy Harris: Well, I have to ask you now as if I weren't there. I'm an impersonal interviewer now.

Robert Sean Leonard: His incredible self-confidence. The guy walks into a room and you look at him. I've never been able to do that. I've seen other people who have that. And, it's not a quality you can play. It's not like an accent. It's a within quality. And you're in awe of it when you see it.

Roy Harris: Well, you have a quality as an actor of self-effacement. Do you think you had to get past that, go beyond it in some way?

Robert Sean Leonard: Oh, yes, but what a time I had working on it. It was a breakthrough for me. Sitting at that piano, standing up and saying, essentially, "I am a prodigy." I would say it in the mirror at home and I couldn't do it. It goes against everything you try to be as a human, as an actor. To never assume you know because then you'll stop growing. That was completely foreign to me.

Roy Harris: Did you feel you were the right choice for the role?

Robert Sean Leonard: Oh, yes.

Roy Harris: Me, too. It has to do with the other quality we talked about: something reserved and thoughtful. If you don't have that, then the sureness of Alexandros will be obnoxious.

Robert Sean Leonard: What was fascinating for me: to have an amazing bravura, and at the same time, as Quixote says, to have the humility to "love pure and chaste from afar." To love purely requires a lot of humility. It goes against the bravura. With Alexandros, I had the humility, but as you know, it took weeks and weeks to get the right assertiveness.

Roy Harris: It was fascinating watching it happen. All right, let's back up a minute. You got that role a couple of weeks, at least, before we started rehearsal. What sort of work did you do, if any, before the first day of rehearsal?

Robert Sean Leonard: Well, the bravura element didn't even occur to me until I started saying the words out loud in rehearsal with the likes of Marcia Jean Kurtz, Elizabeth Ashley and Jonathan Walker all sitting there watching me. Actually, the thing I dove right into was the Greek accent. That sort of gives you a center. It's a tangible task. And you have to accomplish it in a certain amount of time. The accent gives you a guideline. You go to the dialect coach and you sit down and start. "No," he says, "the A is pronounced this way. It's always pronounced this way." It was so refreshing to have a guideline as your beginning point. Otherwise, where do you start?

Roy Harris: Did the actual pronunciation of particular words tell you anything about who the person was?

Robert Sean Leonard: I would say the rhythm of it more than the pronunciation of it. The clipped musical rhythm gave me a sense of his spontaneous movement, his vital energy. There's a snappiness to Alexandros, which I really don't have as a person. Something happens to you when you get to have that snappy, clipped musical speech coming out of your mouth. You change inside.

Roy Harris: Let's say it's Thursday night and tomorrow you're going to work on the scene where you introduce yourself to the translator, Belzer. What sort of ordinary, basic work do you do on the scene?

Robert Sean Leonard: You know, the first time this ever came up was when I was doing Beachhouse with George Grizzard. I was sixteen. I was up there one day doing it, you know, just doing it, and Melvin Bernhard the director said, "What are you doing here? What is this about?" And I had no clue. I was just asking my dad where the letter was. Well, he said, "Do you have any assumptions about it? Who's it from? Is it from your mother? If so, what would that mean to you?" When I went home that night, I wanted to quit the business. I cried. And to this day, it's always an obsession of mine-not getting general and relying on some phony charm. What I want to do is get specific and ask myself the necessary questions: what is his intention here? what's he after? why? So, to answer your question, I read the scene, trying to pick out where they're starting, where they're heading, and how they got there. If something changes, where does it change? However, I usually find out more in rehearsal than at home.

Roy Harris: Sometimes, do you find after a rehearsal or a series of rehearsals on a particular scene that there's more there?

Robert Sean Leonard: Oh, sure. The more you work, the more you find. You can be hitting your head against a wall, as I was with Alexandros, and the director can say, "It's because you're not as confident as he is." Like any trouble you have, once you define it, it's so much easier to deal with. Then you know what you're after.

Roy Harris: Do you try to look and see an intention in every line, or a basic intention in a scene?

Robert Sean Leonard: I'm sure that you should, but I've found that there's a level of subconscious work that goes on. I find that it's much better for me to find out what's there with the person in rehearsal. It doesn't mean I don't I really think about it before though.

Roy Harris: Would you say-I'm asking a loaded question now-that you are more an instinctive actor or one more given to plan?

Robert Sean Leonard: I think I'm more instinctive than planned, but both, I guess.

Roy Harris: From having watched you in two different rehearsal situations, I'd say you seem to have done a lot of work when you came in.

Robert Sean Leonard: I would say that's basically true. But there are all sorts of ways of being prepared. For instance, take Romeo. My God, I spent hours just finding out what all those words mean. And then, with Shakespeare, it's so maddening because one thought can mean many different things. You don't have to choose one. Another form of preparation is just knowing your character so well-the background you've come to through what the playwright made up-that when something comes up, you instinctively know what's wrong or right.

Roy Harris: When you re working on a role, do you ever get a picture of what the character should look like?

Robert Sean Leonard: Yeah, and it's never me!

Roy Harris: Well, it shouldn't be you. You're playing somebody else.

Robert Sean Leonard: But I never get that out of my head. I can think back on every role I've done and picture who should have played it instead of me-what type of person; what he looked like.

Roy Harris: Does it help you to do that?

Robert Sean Leonard: Sometimes. Slowly the picture in your mind becomes you. I can look back now and say, yes, I'm Eugene Jerome. Yes, I'm Romeo. But it took a while for me to get there, to get me in the picture. It was always someone else.

Roy Harris: When you're working on a role, do you ever get a sense of how that character should dress?

Robert Sean Leonard: Actually, not much. I know there are actors who do. I guess it doesn't matter so much. I just had a problem with that on The Speed of Darkness, however. The designer was very intent on including the actors in her plans. I drove her crazy. "I don't know. Why are you asking me? Whatever you put on me, I can justify." She didn't like that. But I guess it would depend on the role. The only battle I lost was she put a letter jacket on me, a varsity letter jacket. It was the only thing I didn't like. Any time I see a varsity jacket on stage, I think, 'Oh, here comes a young actor.' I want to be a person. It's too much a sign to me. But I ended up wearing it. She liked it too much.

Roy Harris: When you're in rehearsal, what are you looking for from other actors?

Robert Sean Leonard: Well, hopefully we'll all be pretty solid in our agreement about what is going on in this play and what our part in it is. Of course, there are technical things: like you don't upstage someone when they're talking. An important thing is knowing when the scene is moving, and knowing when it's time to take a moment for yourself. And that's hard. A lot of actors get up there, and understandably, the play is about them. If you're playing a milkman, the play is about a milkman. But when that becomes your only reality, you lose sight of the intentions of the play. You know, it's so obvious to me when an actor feels he is the most important thing in the play. It's so portentous. Every line means something. It's so boring. Maybe that's why I'm a little afraid of finding intentions in every line. Then it all gets too much meaning.

Roy Harris: Have you ever worked with an actor-you don't have to give a name-whom you had a problem with?

Robert Sean Leonard: Sure. I worked with an actress in a film who had no clue, didn't know the first thing about acting. The camera would go to you, and she'd be off camera reading her next film. She would say her lines not looking at you. That drove me crazy. On stage, I must say I've never worked with anyone where there was a problem. I've worked with people who really snapped with me and then people who were just all right to work with.

Roy Harris: Who is an actor you've really liked working with?

Robert Sean Leonard: Cynthia Nixon - when you work with her, she's so in tune with what's going on. When a scene is playing, it just lifts and rises. She's like a dancer. I love all her work. Something happens when that actress walks on stage. It elevates into another world.

Roy Harris: What are you looking for from the director?

Robert Sean Leonard: An unshakable vision. You know when they have it, because you'll ask questions and immediately there's an answer that makes sense, and it makes sense in relation to everything that's happened so far.

Roy Harris: What if it's a vision you don't agree with?

Robert Sean Leonard: That doesn't matter. I want a vision that's like a force running through everything.

Roy Harris: What happens when there's not a vision?

Robert Sean Leonard: Well, my sister told me once, when she was in third grade, her whole class went into the city. When they came up from the subway, the teacher-for a moment-didn't know where she was. My sister saw that look, and suddenly was terrified. She lost all faith. And that's horrible when it happens with a director, and it can happen in an instant. If they have an unshakable vision, it won't happen.

Roy Harris: Have you ever had a director tell you something and you felt that you just couldn't do it?

Robert Sean Leonard: Couldn't from myself?

Roy Harris: Yes.

Robert Sean Leonard: Well, no, because the minute someone asks something of me, my first reaction is, "God dammit, I can do this. I can do whatever they want." You know, to me the author's intentions are God, and the director the channel for those intentions. The very idea of not being able to do something a director asks, or being averse to it, is upsetting to me.

Roy Harris: Have you ever been in a situation where some or all of the actors didn't trust a director? How do you deal with that?

Robert Sean Leonard: Good question. Well, if a director can't give you an answer for why he wants you to do something a certain way, then you shouldn't trust him. If I initially don't trust a director, I try to find out why I don't. Maybe it's me. But if he can't give you an answer, you can't get bitter. You have to rely solely on yourself, or on yourself and who you're playing with. You do the best you can and hope for a short run.

Roy Harris: What director would you most like to work with?

Robert Sean Leonard: Mark Lamos.

Roy Harris: Why?

Robert Sean Leonard: In everything of his I've seen I always witness such clarity and devotion to the author's intent, even if it's complex, as in Hamlet or The Master Builder.

Roy Harris: For someone your age, you've had a chance to play some very good roles. What's been the most challenging role so far?

Robert Sean Leonard: Romeo. I think I misunderstood him the whole time I was playing it.

Roy Harris: Oh, Bobby, everybody who plays him feels that, don't they?

Robert Sean Leonard: Probably. When I took the role, I thought, I'm going to make him honorable, which I think he is. Most people feel he's a sap. My mistake was making him that way from the beginning.

Roy Harris: What do you mean?

Robert Sean Leonard: A friend of mine said late in the run that that first scene is not about a man who knows love. It's about a kid who thinks he knows what love is. Then he meets Juliet. He said, you should make us puke in the aisles when you tell Benvolio what you think love is. And he's right. From the moment I walked on stage, boy, did I play passion. All through the Rosaline stuff with Benvolio, it was passion. Consequently, when I met Juliet, I just didn't have anywhere to go. It was like starting with a nine and getting to a ten.

Roy Harris: But you seemed to have a good time working on it.

Robert Sean Leonard: Well, I learned from it. You need to see his feeling about Rosaline in order to really appreciate the great feeling he comes to have about Juliet. I didn't look at it intelligently enough. I didn't realize the simplicity of: he doesn't know what he's doing and then he does know what he's doing. It's also our job as Romeo to convince the audience that once he's in love with Juliet-and some people would scream at this-it's worth dying for. With all the mistakes I made, it was a great experience.

Roy Harris: Ten years from now you can do it again and think what that will be like.

Robert Sean Leonard: I'll have a whole new series of questions about it. That's why acting is so phenomenal. You can't ever be good enough.

Roy Harris: Does there come a point for you in rehearsals, or probably in performance somewhere, where you think you got it?

Robert Sean Leonard: No. There are points where I feel I've gotten something. I've never given a perfect performance. I wonder who has?

Roy Harris: Well, if they think they have...

Robert Sean Leonard: I don't want to talk to them.

Roy Harris: Me either. Have you ever been praised by a friend for a performance that you thought was bad, or certainly not adequate?

Robert Sean Leonard: Sure.

Roy Harris: How do you deal with that? How does it affect you?

Robert Sean Leonard: Well, you're praised very often for things that you don't deserve to be praised for. But you learn pretty quickly who does that and who doesn't. So I guess you learn who to listen to. How do you deal with it? I get very indignant. I go home and I say, 'Well, they're wrong.' When I was filming Dead Poets Society, I noticed that Peter Weir (the director)-as soon as he'd say, "Cut"-would look to John Seal (the cinematographer) first. As soon as the play is done, I consider myself a cinematographer; I check with myself. Then I check with the director. A friend may be right in saying something I did was false, but I have to go by what the director is asking for. So, it's complicated when friends say things. Very complicated. It's very sacred between you and the director, and frankly, people need to honor that.

Roy Harris: What's the biggest difference between acting on stage and acting for the camera?

Robert Sean Leonard: In some ways, they're very different and then in some ways they're not so different at all. It's a little like recording music and then playing it live. In one sense, you're part of the whole, but fragmentally. In film, you're offering pieces, and the director makes it whole.

Roy Harris: Do you prefer one over the other?

Robert Sean Leonard: No. I don't know. I think I prefer theatre. Is that three answers?

Roy Harris: You can change your answer later. I'm trying to find out what your feeling is at this moment. In film, you go in on the first day of shooting and you may shoot pages 68-72. In terms of preparation, how do you shoot something that's in the middle of that character's (for want of a better word) journey? What do you do with all that comes before?

Robert Sean Leonard: Homework becomes much more important in film, ironically, because in film, usually your work has much less to do immediately with other actors. It's much more a solitary art. Because you start with page 68, you have to know exactly where that character is and has been before page 68. Hopefully, the director will know, too. And you will discuss it together, as Peter Weir did with me through the shooting of Dead Poets.

Roy Harris: Where do you think the director is more important, or is he: in film or stage?

Robert Sean Leonard: They're more important for different reasons in both areas.

Roy Harris: Have you ever been asked to do something by a film director that you didn't want to do, or thought you shouldn't do?

Robert Sean Leonard: Yeah. Usually it has to do with poor writing. Sometimes the director will want something because of what's in the script, and you have to do it, even if you're not sure it's right.

Roy Harris: Let's say you did a role on stage for six weeks, night after night, and then you go and make a movie of it. A scene you've done many times, you're now going to do and the camera is going to be this close to you. Does it do anything to your way of thinking about it, to know the viewer is now so close?

Robert Sean Leonard: The relationship with the director becomes much more intimate. It would be like having the director on stage with you at all times, saying, "How about this? how about this? or how about this?" They are creating with you at the moment, and they know, and hopefully you do too, the journey of this character. It would be wonderful to do it on stage first because your homework would be done for you. An obvious thing is that when the camera's so close you do bring it down, even though you try to keep it as truthful as you would anywhere. In film, you do a lot more with your eyes, where on stage you use your hands and body language.

Roy Harris: So far, what is your favorite film role?

Robert Sean Leonard: Well, I'd have to say Dead Poets Society is for me in film what Brighton Beach Memoirs was for me on stage. It was kind of my baptism because I suddenly found myself on the set with a powerhouse of a director. It also has to do with the time. I was nineteen. Peter took me in as the leader of this gang. He had me read poetry. Also, I had to play Puck, and he wouldn't tell me which scene we were going to do, so I learned all of Puck. Without a doubt, it was the most glorious film experience. It was college for me. All of the guys, we lived together. We had a whole floor of a hotel, and we became this group of young men. We did everything together. We created together. Ethan Hawke and I used to practice scenes listening to Beethoven's Ninth.

Roy Harris: What is your favorite scene there?

Robert Sean Leonard: Well, for personal reasons, the scene with Ethan on the roof where we throw the desk set off. We came up with that scene. Originally, it was a scene which ended very sadly, with Ethan saying his parents didn't love him. Peter pulled us aside and said, "Okay, we know all this. Let's just have a scene about friendship." And the three of us came up with the scene where we destroy the desk set. That was a real accomplishment for me because improvisation has always scared the hell out of me. I don't like it that much as a working technique. When the director is as strong as Peter is, then improv is wonderful.

Roy Harris: We've talked a little about this, since you and I are such fans of hers, but what was it like to play Joanne Woodward's son in Mr. and Mrs. Bridge?

Robert Sean Leonard: It's funny. They're an amazing team, she and Paul. He's reserved. Though I don't know a thing about him, I like him a great deal. Joanne is-well, you know, there's a love you have for certain celebrities. I think she knew I had this huge feeling, and she takes that feeling and makes you feel comfortable. It's okay to have it. Know what I mean?

Roy Harris: Absolutely.

Robert Sean Leonard: She embraces this feeling you have about her, and it frees you. Therefore, working with her was a dream. She's completely honest in her work.

Roy Harris: What was a favorite scene of yours in that film?

Robert Sean Leonard: I don't know. I was so racked with his age throughout the filming-you know, when he was fifteen, when he was seventeen, when he was nineteen. But I guess it would be the boy scout scene. I was so worried that no one would buy that I was fifteen years old. I was twenty at the time, so they gave me braces to help me get a sense of youth. It helped. Really, though, it was memorable because Joanne was so wonderful in it. She did everything for us. She made us all look good. I remember during filming looking over at Paul when I don't kiss her and begin to sing. And he wasn't Paul, he was Mr. Bridge, my father, and looked at me with such hatred, and it was startlingly clear that he loved his wife more than me. For him, his son wasn't going through something; no, some guy just hurt his wife. The most joyous scenes were coming home from the air corps through the final scene where I take her hand. For me, Douglas is the only one in that house who grows up with a true sense of other things in the world. After all, he's the one who writes the books.

Roy Harris: Well, you do feel he's the least selfish of those children.

Robert Sean Leonard: Yes, well, I think that's evident even when he's behaving like a brat with her. I wanted people to feel: yes, he's doing it, but it's killing him to do it. I remember feeling, 'If this guy can write about these people so brilliantly and so warmly, there's got to be something there, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to get that feeling into the film.' In his air corps training, Douglas met so many different kinds of people that he was able to look at his parents objectively and with love. To me, it's the only moment in the film where anyone reaches out to Mrs. Bridge as a human being, not the mother. Actually, Paul would probably disagree with this. But I guess we each see it from our own point of view in the film.

Roy Harris: One more quick thing before we close. If you could work with any actor, actress, director, and pick your own role; in other words, what's your ideal situation?

Robert Sean Leonard: I think doing The Seagull with Joanne would be an amazing experience. Doing anything with Ian Holm. I've always had a dream of playing Horatio to someone else's Hamlet. Horatio to Gary Oldman's Hamlet would be very good.

#robert sean leonard #rsl #interview #theatre #dead poets society #films #I didn’t realised how many times he mentioned about flying desk scene #I just love how he is in this #so natural and honest

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